Christmas

I have everything I need for it to be Christmas.

"The Christmas Song" Nat King Cole

"Holly Jolly Christmas" Burl Ives

"White Christmas" Bing Crosby

"A Christmas Carol" Many Versions

Singing "Silent Night" in Church

That's all I need.

May all needs be met so simply in this Season of Birth.

The Christmas Song

Last night at 6:39 this man's voice started the Christmas season for me.

(playing it on a cd myself doesn't count, it has to be on the radio)

It was followed by more Christmas music by various artists. I kept changing the station to find these guys singing tunes of the season-

Gotta love those crooners.

YAY!!

I have a second follower!

(this kind of popularity just might go to my head)

long time --no post

Winter is like that for me, not enough sunshine to sustain me. Warm showers help but I can't blog in there, the keyboard gets wet.

Can't wait for the solstice and the days to get longer again. Maybe I'll get a Yule log for next week and stay up all night and greet the dawn.

My Endless Family

Larry's nephew, Dustin is going on a mission. He will be serving in the Florida, Tallahassee Mission and reports to the MTC next Wednesday.

Last week he and his parents flew to Los Angeles so he could receive his endowment in the Los Angeles Temple. His mother, Robin's family are mostly in So. Cal. and she wanted them to be able to participate. His dad's and Larry's parents flew in from Utah also. The session was small for a Saturday morning, only about 50 people. We were about half of that.

Whenever the Perkins and Jex family get together I can't help but think about how extended my family is. Growing up in the Church is like growing up in a small town where everybody knows everybody and we're all related.

Robin's dad, Bob was my bishop when I was in my mid-twenties. Her mom, Nancy was my visiting teaching companion during the same time period. Her sister, Karen is married to Steve Adams. His dad, Lloyd was my bishop when I was a teen-ager and Steve was in the very first Primary class that I taught.

My week-end and more friends and family in the next post.

My Dentist

This is the antithesis of my dentist.

He looks much more like he used to tour with these guys.

Much more than that, he does not like to inflict pain. Maybe he is in the wrong field of practice? He gives so much Novocaine that I feel like I'm going to be numb for the rest of the week. He also give a whopping dose of Motrin before you leave so you won't be sore later. And he calls that evening to see if you are doing okay.

He does do good work so I think I'll keep him and try not to drool too much until I can feel my lips again.

Thanks, Doug.

When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?

Sleep is good. That's all I did yesterday between shifts.

Sometimes We Fail

Today I was going about making Tropical Punch Kool-Aid Jelly for my friend Kathleen when I accidentally poured the water intended for the canner into the hot jelly mix.

Well that will never set.

I put another cup of sugar in and boiled it a little longer.

Anybody want Topical Punch syrup?

Pajama Party

Wow. It was so cold last night I had to wear pajamas to bed--tops and bottoms--Brrr.

Fasting, Prayer and Proposition 8

How fitting that we should counter indulgence with abstinence.

In Our Lovely Deseret

Another hot day today and I was determined to do one more batch of jelly. Currently I'm waiting for the water bath to boil and once my latest batch of preserves is preserved, I will put this project aside for a while. I'm out of jars anyway and not ready to purchase more at retail price. Maybe I need to hit the thrift shops and look for jars. Lots of people don't know what do to with jars when they are done with them.

Well, if you were given the contents as a gift, you can return the jar to the giver in hopes that they will fill it again with something yummy and give it back to you. If you bought jars thinking you would get into food preservation and your garden wasn't the success you had hoped for and buy commercially produced product is more your style, I'll take the jars. (proof is in my garage--when aunt carol bonde moved to st. george she gave me all of her quart jars--most of them are still out there--i have to figure out Christmas gifts for everyone that can fit in a quart jar--clever packaging, yes?)

Then there are the jars that will take standard canning lid that you buy spaghetti sauce in. There's also a great jar that Mrs. Richardson's ice cream topping comes in. I think it's about 12 ounces, a great size for jam.

Anyway, I made honey-lemon jelly today. One more step to making my food
storage edible.

(brigham young envisioned the state of deseret reaching the ocean here in sunny so cal)

Back to Work!

I've been off work since last Wednesday. When I left, negotiations on our new contract (yes, we are a union hospital) were underway. Depending who you talked to we were either close to an agreement or getting ready for a strike vote.

We have a contract. I guess I have a job for a few more years.

(thanks florence)

Creativity

Today I created.

I made some conserve. (never knew what conserve was exactly - apparently it must be more than one fruit, contain citrus of some sort and nuts) It was a recipe I found that uses dried fruit of all sorts, an orange, toasted almonds and is spiced with cardamom. (fell in love with cardamom in portland recently - got some cardamom vanilla ice cream - wow) The taste I had was quite, well, tasty.

I also made some jelly from Tropical Punch
Kool-aid. I know that's cheating but it is fun and after all, jams and jellies are mostly sugar anyway.

I find it satisfying to hear the "pings" as each jar seals.

(guess i know what everybody is getting for Christmas)

OUCH!

When good underwires go bad.

(i guess i need to buy some new underthings)

Wooo-Hooo!!

I've got a follower!!

(doesn't take much to get me through the day)

It's October

Last year I raised $250.00 at work for UNICEF during the month of October. I brought candy and asked for loose change.

This year I have started early. Another nurse brought in leftover candy from her daughter's birthday party and I used it to start this year's campaign. This year I added sodas that I buy on sale and use coupons for. A can of soda is a bargain for a donation of 50 cents. Today was Pepsi products buy 2 twelve packs and get 3 free! Such a deal!

(eating junk food so a child in a 3rd world country can get a nutritious meal, what a concept)

Vice President

All this talk of "would you want Sarah Palin as President?" has got me reflecting on who has been our vice president in the past.

In my lifetime we have had:

Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Spiro Agnew, Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, Walter Mondale, George Bush, Dan Quayle, Al Gore, Dick Cheney.

Would I want any of these as President? At the time I voted for them, I thought so.

Over the past several years I have visited many of the Presidential Libraries. It has given me some prespective on who some of these men were. We always know more in hindsight. It is not always easy to know what to think now.

This man ROCKS!!

(is that sacreligious?)

Good News - Bad News

Well really only good news, I talked a little about the break-in yesterday. Thanks to some alert neighbors we were saved from some big losses.

We were away from home that night because we were at the hospital at the Employee Service Awards Dinner. I was recognised for 20 years of service.

TA-DA!!

A longevity award for me is a really interesting thing. I have NEVER gotten a job I've interviewed for, I'm a terrible interview. I've worked for family and from friends referrals and this current gig I got at a job fair during a hireing blitz when they were taking anybody off the street who had the proper credentials.

Then again, I'm too lazy to change jobs anyway so I guess Memorial is stuck with me.

The thing I will remember the most is that I was recognised by the Chief Nursing Officer. She is the big boss of some 1400+ nurses and gave plaques to more that 80 that night.

She called my name, "Rebecca Perkins" and then looked over at me walking towards her and cried out, "Oh, Becky!" Big hug, big kiss. That's what I mean by being recognised by the CNO. She knows who I am.

(now that this relationship is secure, I can move on to working on the CEO)

Mental Health Alert

I have been treated for chronic depression for more years than I can recall off the top of my head. Lately, I have been fighting a emotional/physical slump. Just when I feel like I'm getting it together again, some punks break into my house and get my digital camera with all my undownloaded pictures.

This is not a huge, life shattering problem, it just feels like my footing is unstable and I'm sliding down the hill again.







(i'm feeling a little like sisyphus)

I guess chronic depression is like that. I have already started pushing the rock up the mountain again.

How about a picture just for fun?

Has 20 years made a difference?

YeeHaw!

I'm tickled pink, I figured it out!

(i'm so excited)

OH MY GOSH!!

I've been linked!

Now if I could just figure out how to work this thing.

Totally low tech here, I generally just keep pressing buttons until I get what I want.

Oh, well--another day.

Starting Over

That's a good thing, right? Actually I'm doing this just so I can read and post to other blogs. Maybe I'll write something here too.