Blue Mood

Today I received a notification that my dear friend from 8th Grade and High School has died. She was my maid of honor at my first wedding, and although we didn't see each other very often after we both married, we kept in touch.
A picture sent at Christmas this year was hard for me to look at because she had changed so much. Now I know why. She has been ill for several years and on dialysis.
So now she's gone. Goodbye, Carol. I'll miss your cards, but I still have wonderful memories.

Turkey Early

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving early with some of our neighbors. Since we have no plans for turkey day, this worked out well. I made stuffing and two pies. The pie recipes were from Southern Living magazine and were quite good. I'm not brave enough to make my own pie crust, so used the ready-made from the grocery. I just have to remember to let it come to room temp before unrolling! I am feeling very full and uncomfortable, so will head to bed to read instead of sitting up.
The wind was ferocious last night. It started about 2 A.M. and didn't let up until late in the morning. Some trees came down on Walking Wood north of us, but we just had branches and cones hitting the roof over our heads. I'll be interested in seeing how strong the winds were. Seemed worse than last week.
" Hurrah for the fun, is the turkey done? Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!" Part of a song my grandfather used to sing :)

Friends and Shopping

In Oregon you never let weather stop you from having lunch with a friend - or going shopping. A few weeks ago we had a terrific storm - hail, wind, driving rain and road awash - but my friend K and I had planned a trip to Pacific City to shop at one of our favorite stores, and then have lunch at the Pelican Brew Pub. We got in my little Prius and headed into the storm. It got worse the farther we went, but we persevered. I was a bit nervous, but kept going, and we arrived at our destination forty miles away. The wind blew us into the store dripping puddles of rain as we walked about looking at all sorts of treasures. We bought some Christmas gifts, paid and were about to leave when the clerk reminded us that if we spent a certain amount we could come back at one o'clock and have a Wheel of Fortune spin - "Everyone wins something! You can't lose!!!"
We left - after spending a bit more - and had a leisurely lunch looking out at the 'storm-tossed sea' and the brave souls getting lashed by wind and sand as they walked up the beach.
Back to the shop where we each had a spin. K won $2.00. Then it was my turn. I (drum roll) won - wait for it - $1.00. That's right - one big dollar bill.
Then it was back into the storm and the trip home. When we reached Lincoln City K yelped "Snow!!!" There definitely was white stuff all along the sides of the road. The road was clear, however, and we got home with our gifts and our big wins.
A day of fun - and terror - with a dear friend.