Wednesday, April 23, 2003

 

Egads!

My home computer is on the fritz. First the hard drive starts making all kinds of noises. I call Gateway. They send a new one. I intall it (just imagine, it was easier that I expected). It was even noiser than the first one. They are sending me another one. It is supposed to get here this weekend. In the meantime, I am reduced to using the computer at the public library. How inconvienient!

I bought the new computer from Gateway back in October. I went with Gateway because the first computer I bought back in 1996 is still working perfectly. I've had virtually no problems with it. I expect this problem with the new one will be resolved to my satisfaction, but it is just irritating to not have the access at home.

posted by deborah 2:37 PM

Friday, April 11, 2003

 

Speaking of Music

Ever since we watched The Flameworthy Awards the other night on CMT, the lyrics to Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" have been stuck in my head. Now, I really like that song, but I'm getting kind of tired of hearing it in my head all day long. Anyway, I think I like the opening verse of the song best:

American Girls and American Guys
We'll always stand up and salute
We'll always recognize
When we see Old Glory Flying
There's a lot of men dead
So we can sleep in peace at night
When we lay down our head

Go here for entire lyrics

posted by deborah 9:06 AM

 

Friday Five

1. What was the first band you saw in concert? I remember, it was the Oak Ridge Boys. It was at least 20 years ago. I went to the Puyallup fair with my friend Pam and she had gotten tickets to see the Boys. They were general admission tickets so we were way, way up in the grandstands, but it was still a lot of fun.

2. Who is your favorite artist/band now? I like Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. They are a bluegrass band and the music I like best from them is the bluegrass gospel.

3. What's your favorite song? I don't know if I have a "favorite song," there are so many that I like. But when asked about a favorite, Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" always comes to mind.

4. If you could play any instrument, what would it be? I have never really thought about playing an instrument. I would be happy just to understand a little bit about music. I am illiterate when it comes to music-that's why my foster children are all in band at school, because I don't know music and it is a big regret in my life, a regret I don't want the children to have. Right now I have a trumpet, flute, and two clarinets being practiced at various times around here.

5. If you could meet any musical icon (past or present), who would it be and why? Fanny Crosby. She was a blind woman who lived in the late 1800s. She wrote hundreds of hymns, some of which are still standards in hymnals today.

posted by deborah 9:02 AM

Thursday, April 10, 2003

 

My Great-Grandparents

My aunt sent this photo today. I was extremely pleased to get it since I don't believe I have ever seen a photo of my great grands. They are my mom's father's parents, Henry and Mathilda Koski. When Henry Koski emigrated to America from Finland, he worked for seven years as a coal miner at Carbonado, Washington to earn enough money to bring his family over. While working to bring his family to America, Henry attended night school to learn English and the laws of the USA so he could become a citizen.

This picture was taken on the Koski farm sometime in the early 1900s. Henry died in 1924. The farm was located south of Winlock Washington on the Winlock-Vader highway. Winlock had a large population of Finnish immigrants.

I don't know much about the Koski side of the family. I do know that Henry's father, Eric, also came over from Finland. I get the impression he came over after Henry and Mathilda. One of the stories that my uncle told me was that Eric was shocked that meat, potatoes, and green beans would all be served on the table at the same time. It seemed like a scandalous waste of food to him. Many of the immigrants came over because of a famine in Finland.

Actually when I think about it, I may have seen one other picture of Henry and Mathilda.

posted by deborah 7:59 PM

 

Theme Thursday

To follow suit of some of our previous themes, such as 'blue', 'black and white', and 'green', and also per the suggestion of Sue Bailey for more colors, this week's theme is red.

Little Red Cap
by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Once upon a time there was a sweet little girl. Everyone who saw her liked her, but most of all her grandmother, who did not know what to give the child next. Once she gave her a little cap made of red velvet. Because it suited her so well, and she wanted to wear it all the time, she came to be known as Little Red Cap.
One day her mother said to her, "Come Little Red Cap. Here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine. Take them to your grandmother. She is sick and weak, and they will do her well. Mind your manners and give her my greetings. Behave yourself on the way, and do not leave the path, or you might fall down and break the glass, and then there will be nothing for your sick grandmother."

Little Red Cap promised to obey her mother. The grandmother lived out in the woods, a half hour from the village. When Little Red Cap entered the woods a wolf came up to her. She did not know what a wicked animal he was, and was not afraid of him.

"Good day to you, Little Red Cap."

"Thank you, wolf."

"Where are you going so early, Little Red Cap?"

"To grandmother's."

"And what are you carrying under your apron?"

"Grandmother is sick and weak, and I am taking her some cake and wine. We baked yesterday, and they should give her strength."

"Little Red Cap, just where does your grandmother live?"

"Her house is a good quarter hour from here in the woods, under the three large oak trees. There's a hedge of hazel bushes there. You must know the place," said Little Red Cap.

The wolf thought to himself, "Now there is a tasty bite for me. Just how are you going to catch her?" Then he said, "Listen, Little Red Cap, haven't you seen the beautiful flowers that are blossoming in the woods? Why don't you go and take a look? And I don't believe you can hear how beautifully the birds are singing. You are walking along as though you were on your way to school in the village. It is very beautiful in the woods."

Little Red Cap opened her eyes and saw the sunlight breaking through the trees and how the ground was covered with beautiful flowers. She thought, "If a take a bouquet to grandmother, she will be very pleased. Anyway, it is still early, and I'll be home on time." And she ran off into the woods looking for flowers. Each time she picked one she thought that she could see an even more beautiful one a little way off, and she ran after it, going further and further into the woods. But the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked on the door.

"Who's there?"

"Little Red Cap. I'm bringing you some cake and wine. Open the door for me."

"Just press the latch," called out the grandmother. "I'm too weak to get up."

The wolf pressed the latch, and the door opened. He stepped inside, went straight to the grandmother's bed, and ate her up. Then he took her clothes, put them on, and put her cap on his head. He got into her bed and pulled the curtains shut.

Little Red Cap had run after flowers, and did not continue on her way to grandmother's until she had gathered all that she could carry. When she arrived, she found, to her surprise, that the door was open. She walked into the parlor, and everything looked so strange that she thought, "Oh, my God, why am I so afraid? I usually like it at grandmother's." Then she went to the bed and pulled back the curtains. Grandmother was lying there with her cap pulled down over her face and looking very strange.

"Oh, grandmother, what big ears you have!"

"All the better to hear you with."

"Oh, grandmother, what big eyes you have!"

"All the better to see you with."

"Oh, grandmother, what big hands you have!"

"All the better to grab you with!"

"Oh, grandmother, what a horribly big mouth you have!"

"All the better to eat you with!" And with that he jumped out of bed, jumped on top of poor Little Red Cap, and ate her up. As soon as the wolf had finished this tasty bite, he climbed back into bed, fell asleep, and began to snore very loudly.

A huntsman was just passing by. He thought it strange that the old woman was snoring so loudly, so he decided to take a look. He stepped inside, and in the bed there lay the wolf that he had been hunting for such a long time. "He has eaten the grandmother, but perhaps she still can be saved. I won't shoot him," thought the huntsman. So he took a pair of scissors and cut open his belly.

He had cut only a few strokes when he saw the red cap shining through. He cut a little more, and the girl jumped out and cried, "Oh, I was so frightened! It was so dark inside the wolf's body!"

And then the grandmother came out alive as well. Then Little Red Cap fetched some large heavy stones. They filled the wolf's body with them, and when he woke up and tried to run away, the stones were so heavy that he fell down dead.

The three of them were happy. The huntsman took the wolf's pelt. The grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine that Little Red Cap had brought. And Little Red Cap thought to herself, "As long as I live, I will never leave the path and run off into the woods by myself if mother tells me not to."

posted by deborah 7:41 PM

Wednesday, April 09, 2003

 

Thank goodness for pop up stoppers

I recently downloaded the new AOL pop up ad stopper. No longer than I have been online, about 30 minutes, it has stopped 71 pop up ads. I also have a pop up stopper from panicware.com installed for when I am using Internet Explorer. It works well, too.

posted by deborah 3:40 PM

 

40 greatest men of country music

I enjoyed the three hour special CMT did on the 40 greatest men of country music. I don't think any of the men profiled were any surprise to listeners of country music. Everyone from Travis Tritt to Eddy Arnold seemed to be there. I was a bit mystified as to why the Eagles would be considered country singers. I think it is because so many of the younger stars were influenced by that group.

The top 10 men of country music

• 10. Alan Jackson
• 9. George Strait
• 8. Conway Twitty
• 7. Garth Brooks
• 6. Merle Haggard
• 5. Waylon Jennings
• 4. Willie Nelson
• 3. George Jones
• 2. Hank Williams
• 1. Johnny Cash

posted by deborah 10:06 AM

 

Back to normal (whatever that is)

It has been awhile since I updated this blog. I have no excuse except that I have felt blah the last couple of weeks, but I have determined that I am going to get back to normal starting today.

Normal: 1. conforming to a standard: regular; usual; typical. 2. free from mental or emotional disorder.

Well, the medicationn should help with number 2.

posted by deborah 10:01 AM

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