Container Gardening

I have been working on the fall containers for the front porch and will be posting a blog in the next day or so with the outcome. If I must say so myself - they are looking pretty good!

In the mean time I took some photographs of some of the containers that I have in my yard right now and wanted to share then before the frost comes and they are done for the year.

I put together one of these on each side of the garage. I planted them back in June and they really took off. I love the combination and texture of the foliage. I remember the day that I purchased the plants for these containers. I had a meeting out on Vashon Island and stopped in at Dig Floral and Garden and made my plant selection. Funny what you remember - I can't remember what I was doing yesterday but I can remember buying these plants!

This is actually a combination of a couple of containers. The grass is a perennial one that I put together several years ago. It''s really beautiful and makes a relaxing sound as it catches a breeze. The one in the background is a simple annual one container with variegated geranium and fountain grass.

I've got this one hanging on the fence to the left of the gate going into the backyard. I love how the evergreen clematis has made it's way around the plant.

I love the color of this Calibrachoa (miniature petunia). It looks great hanging along the fence in the backyard. This is a great plant that requires little care and just grows and grows!

This is one of my all time favorites! I planted this oak tree in a pot and have had it on the back patio for years now. Each fall the colors get more vibrant. In a few more days it will be completely red!

Remember this one? This is the one that I used in an earlier post on container gardening. I put this pot together for less than $10!

Last one is this Fountain Grass in a container on the back deck. It looks great all summer and then looks especially nice in the fall.

I hope you enjoy these pictures and that it tides you over before I post the new containers on the front porch!

Later -

Jim

Tom and Mary

Tom and Mary are two friends that I wanted to share a couple of things about. First - this seems like the year when all my friends or family have sent kids to college. It started with our niece Kara going off to Whitworth in Spokane.

I have my friends Loretta and Skip who sent their son Brody off to WSU and finally my friends Mary and Tom who just took their son John down to University of Oregon last week! Congratulations John!

I love this picture that Mary sent me taken of her and John on a trip to Cabo. Very sweet!

Mary's husband Tom recently had a letter to the editor published in the Seattle paper that I wanted to pass along also. Tom and I have very similar political opinions! Enjoy!

U.S. economy -

Big deficit for next president

The U.S. Treasury Department has had to raise more than $200 billion through the sale of bonds in just the last week alone, according to The New York Times. It appears certain that Congress and the Treasury Department will have to come up with hundreds of billions more to try and contain the losses — just what the country needs.
After seven years of President Bush's stewardship of the economy, how can we possibly afford it? We'll just have to add it on to all the other woes this administration has brought us.
Maybe there'll be some kind of maneuver that puts the expenditures "off budget" in the same way a good part of our war costs are. But the debt will be real, and billions in interest payments on the deficit, of course, increases just as dramatically as the deficit itself.
President Bush will likely try some variation of "There's plenty of blame to go around — Republicans and Democrats." Sorry, George, the buck stops at the office of president. You've had the reins for more than seven years — six of them with Republican majorities in Congress — and the economy you'll leave your successor will be in tatters, burdened by a national debt that even the most pessimistic could not have imagined when you took office.
The failures of this administration are breathtaking. Jan. 20 can't come soon enough.

— Tom Taylor, Seattle

Great job Tom - keep the letter's flowing! Mary, I know you are off to Italy - send me a postcard so I can blog it!

Later -

Jim

Halloween!

I am going to let you in on a little factoid - the gays love Halloween! It's our holiday! I think it has to do with the dressing up and all the makeup involved! Not so much for me - I'll take a hat with feathers any day!


I love this picture of Kent taken a few years ago as we got ready to go to a Halloween party. We ended up scrapping the whole thing and not going - he didn't think it was looking good - I think it was looking great! I especially love the big prosthetic forehead!


I love the fall decorating that comes with Halloween. We have collected way too much Halloween "stuff" over the years. We took it out of storage last week and will get started decorating for fall this week.

I especially love Halloween when it falls in a presidential election year! The pumpkin carving opportunities are endless! I did this one in 2004! This year of course I will do an Obama-Biden pumpkin. But I am so doing one with Palin's face on it! It of course will be called the "Wicked Witch of the North" LOL...IKM!

I'll publish a few pictures once the decorating frenzy is over - hummm....., perhaps we should have a little fall gathering?

Later -

Jim

0-4 Huskies Lose Again!

The only thing worse than the Cougars loosing to Oregon 63-14 is the Husky loosing to Stanford tonight 35-28. Jake Locker broke his thumb, there were numerous player injuries, defense couldn't make a stop and basically sucked, tackling was awful, coverage was awful, clock management was awful. Shall I continue?

Losing to Stanford at home is not acceptable. An 0-4 start in his fourth year! I have totally lost confidence in Willingham as the coach. He may be a "good man" but he is not getting paid millions of dollars to just be a good man. It's time to FIRE TYRONE WILLINGHAM! He is a lame duck coach and it's not helping our team! The sooner UW makes it clear that Willingham will be gone, the sooner UW will be able to prepare for next year.

I want going to these games fun again and right now it's nothing but frustrating!

The one bright thing about the game was tailgating with out friends Vel and Mario. We met them last year after a game and have been hanging out with them before and after games. They are a lot of fun!

No more football games in person for a few weeks as the Huskies play Arizona in Tuscon next week and then have another bye the following week. Next game for us will be when they play Oregon State at home on October 18th.

Later -

Jim

Cupcake Bowls

Okay - I hate to bring it up but - it's the time of year to start thinking about Christmas shopping. I thought I would share a few of the things that I think would make great gifts this holiday season!

These cute Cupcake Bowls are my first find. I saw then in the Seattle PI - very cute and affordable! You can use them to store just about anything. Cupcakes are everywhere these days and all the rage - I think it would be a fun gift to put a real cupcake packaged inside one of these bowls as a unique playful gift. Who know......one might be coming your way!

Manufacturer: Wetter Indochine Location: Vietnam Description: Even though you can't eat them, these delectable bowls are just as sweet as the real thing. Removable lid and lacquer gloss finish. Material: Traditional lacquer Colors. Size: 3.5"h x 3.25d"

You can find them at Rose and Radish. If you have some great gift ideas you would like to share send them my way and I will post then for all to see.

Have a good one -

Jim

Isaiah - Bolg - a - Birthday!

It's yet another Blog-a-Birthday and this time it goes out to my nephew Isaiah! Happy, Happy, Birthday Isaiah!

If you are thinking that you have seen this picture before - you are correct. This picture was taken at Sam and Adam's wedding this past June and I used it in a recent Birthday Blog to my sister Rose, Isaiah's Mom.

For such a young man Isaiah has an incredible and courageous story. I could not be more proud!

Please join me in wishing him a happy birthday!

Have a good one -

Jim

Number 1 USC Goes Down!

Oregon State has upset top-ranked Southern California, 27-21. What a game!

It had been 41 years since Oregon State knocked off a No. 1 team. Freshman Jacquizz Rodgers helped the Beavers pull off another stunner -- and Southern California was the victim again.
Rodgers ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns, and Oregon State built a 21-point first-half lead before capitalizing on a late turnover and upsetting the Trojans 27-21 on Thursday night.

It was great to see the Beavers fans, clad in orange, rush the field when the clock ran out after the 25-point underdogs shook up college football with a victory over the team that was expected to roll right through its conference straight to the national championship game.

You gotta love college football - anything can happen!

It's really time for a Husky win this weekend over Stanford at Husky stadium! We really need a win - we are the only team in the pac-10 without a victory - time to turn that around! Go Dawgs!

Later -

Jim

Support for Gay Marriage Amendment in California Slips!

I'll spare you from seeing every picture of Kent and I together as a couple but I am going to share a few with you throughout the following article that was sent to me by my Mom who lives in California. It has to do with the California Proposition seeking to outlaw same sex marriage.

Kent and I have been a couple for 11 years. We would love to have the right to get married. We have registered as domestic partners which is now legal in the state of Washington but same sex marriage is still not an option in our state. I hope by sharing these pictures people will see that we are just average guys who happen to be gay who have fallen in love. It totally baffles me why people who do not even know me would want to deny us the right to marry. The argument that it undermines the "family" is old and tiring. Granted two men or two women getting married is different than the norm, but wrong - I don't think so!

Read on, it leaves me hopeful.............

SAN FRANCISCO -- A ballot initiative seeking to outlaw same-sex marriage in California lost support among voters after the state attorney general revised its wording to explain that the measure would rescind gay couples' newly won right to wed, according to a poll released Thursday.

The Field Poll of 830 likely voters found that the share of the electorate backing Proposition 8 fell during the last two months, with 38 percent of those surveyed saying they intend to vote for the measure compared to 42 percent in early July.

Opposition to Proposition 8 increased during the same period, the poll found. A solid majority of the likely voters -- 55 percent -- said they would vote against the same-sex marriage ban, compared to the 51 percent who opposed the initiative in the July poll.

"It's its clear that when Californians learn what Proposition 8 will do, which is eliminate an existing constitutional right from one targeted group of people, they move toward voting 'no'," said Geoffrey Kors, executive director of the gay rights group Equality California.

Also known as the Marriage Protection Act, Proposition 8 would amend the state constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman. If passed, it would overturn the California Supreme Court decision that made the state only the second in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage.

Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo said the poll showed that Attorney General Jerry Brown's July 25 decision to change the proposed amendment's phrasing to reflect that same-sex marriage was now legal played a role in eroding public support for the measure.
Before the Supreme Court issued its sweeping decision on May 15, the referendum's sponsors qualified it for the November ballot under the title "Limit on Marriage." Its original summary was confined to the exact language that would be inserted into the constitution: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

Brown's office said that language was no longer a sufficiently accurate description once the court's ruling took effect and rewrote the title and summary to say the proposition would "eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry." The measure's backers sued, arguing that the new phrasing unnecessarily prejudiced voters against the measure, but a judge sided with the attorney general.

To gauge the effect on voters, the Field Poll read one half of its respondents the original language and the other half the revised version. Among the 70 percent of likely voters who already were familiar with Proposition 8, the modification appeared to make little difference. Among those who knew about the amendment, 56 percent said they opposed it when they heard the original wording and 53 percent opposed it they were given Brown's revised version.

But among the 30 percent of those surveyed who were not previously aware of the measure, the ballot language appeared to matter. Within that subgroup, 42 percent of the respondents said they were inclined to vote 'no' with the original summary, a share that climbed to 58 percent under the new wording.

"I would hazard a guess that it's the words 'Eliminates the right to do something' that is a stimulus in their making a judgment," DiCamillo said. "Whatever the right is, generally speaking, voters are in favor of individual rights. ... So I do think there is a negative drag in that compared to the original wording for those who are not paying attention."

Jennifer Kerns, a spokeswoman for ProtectMarriage.com, the coalition of religious and social conservative groups that put the measure on the ballot, said the poll results were not surprising.
"It's not surprising given the attorney general's latest attempt to influence the elections. We were expecting it would affect the numbers by a few percentage points," Kerns said.
At the same time, she said the Yes on 8 campaign's internal polling shows voters to be much more evenly divided.

If you know Kent and I or if this has changed your opinion in any way - the next time someone makes a negative comment about gays, step up and let them know that you know a couple of guys that deserve the right to marry! Write your representative and support candidates that don't discriminate! I would appreciate it!

Later -

Jim

Burn After Reading - Movie Review

Every straight woman and gay man in America knows he's adorable but who knew Brad Pitt could be so funny? (I like Brad Pitt even more since I learned that he recently donated $100,000 to defeat California's Proposition 8. The ballot initiative seeking to outlaw same sex marriage - topic of my next blog post.)

Go see "Burn After Reading," the latest Coen brothers movie (coming after their Oscar-winning "No Country for Old Men"). It has several funny performances from its ensemble cast, but the one everyone's going to be talking about, and should be, is Pitt's. He's hilarious!

In this purposely convoluted comedy, he plays Chad Feldheimer, a gum-chewing, hyperactive knucklehead who works at Hardbodies Fitness Centers. When Chad gets his paws on what he believes is an important CIA disk, he decides to play good samaritan and return it to its owner — for a hefty finder's fee, of course. His accomplice is fellow employee Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand - if you have not seen her in - Ms. Pettigrew Lives for a Day - rent it now!), a frustrated single who wants four cosmetic surgeries so, she thinks, she'll do better on the dating scene, but her insurance company won't pay for them.

The problem for Chad and Linda is the source of the disk, Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich), a hot-tempered former CIA analyst who has just lost his job because he is an alcoholic. The disk contains the beginnings of his recorded memoirs and personal financial info, not valuable CIA secrets.

But the plot doesn't end there. Ozzy's doctor wife, Katie Cox (Tilda Swinton - who I love!), is cheating on him with Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney - who looks terrific as usual and who I also love!), a paranoid Treasury agent who always likes to squeeze in a run after a sexual liaison. (Happy to go for a run with you any time George!) :-)

Their affair will come into play, as will so many other things, in the outcome of the disk situation.

Clooney, Malkovich and McDormand all are very funny here for different reasons. Malkovich, for instance, manages to mine Ozzy's rage for laughs. But Pitt's portrayal is what you'll remember for Chad's outrageous cluelessness. Something will be going on in the foreground of a shot at the gym, and there's Chad in the background, dancing around like a goofball (and no doubt thinking he represents the ultimate in cool) while helping a customer work out.

Kent and I love going to the movies and we have been in a bit of a dry spell lately - this was a pleasant surprise. I give it a solid B+ and think it could get Brad Pitt an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. Time well tell.

Later -

Jim

Book Review - Pruning

This weekend was a bye for the Huskies so I had a weekend to fit in some fall gardening (and a little marathon). I planted wisteria a few years ago and although I've yet to see many blooms, it has really taken off with vines so I need to do a bit of pruning.

Fall is a great time to cut back all the runners from your wisteria that have almost taken over your yard! If you wait until spring you will find that they are "set" in their way and are much more difficult to remove. The picture above was taken today before I pruned. This wisteria was planted two years ago and really took off this year. It have literally gotten to the point when I park the car out front and opened the door, wisteria vines creep into the car! The vines have also climbed to the top of a near by maple tree - it's out of control. Kent calls it my "jungle mess".

This is the same trellis and wisteria today after a needed trim. Much more manageable! My neighbor came out and made comment about finally being able to see us!

This little project got me to thinking about fall pruning so I thought I would pass on some fall pruning tips. First of all - the best book that I know about pruning is by Cass Turnbull. It's a great easy to follow step-by-step guide on pruning. I've actually attended several classes taught by Cass as she lives in Seattle. She's knowledgeable and funnier than hell.

Other than general maintenance and doing the trimming on the wisteria - I don't do a lot in the way of fall pruning. I cut back and clean up the hydrangea's (not heavy pruning) and tidy things up a bit - mild pruning such as thinning and deadheading is okay. This is not to be confused with general yard maintenance and clean up of perennial beds which I will discuss in a later post.

Here are some general things about pruning that are worth passing along - most importantly, bad pruning can lead to ugly plants. A haphazard pruning job can be as unsightly as a bad haircut and we've all talked about those with bad haircuts, your plants are no different, do a bad cut and not only will your plants suffer, your neighbors will be talking about you behind your back!

• Never leave short stubs. Twigs should be cut close to the main stem. Stubs do not heal quickly and make an ideal opening for disease and insects. Try to get the blade of the tool as close to the main stem as possible.


• Never prune spring-flowering plants before they blossom. The flower buds are formed the season before, and pruning will remove them before they open .


• Never cut all shoots or stems to the same height. It gives the plant a 'crew cut' look and stimulates dense growth on the top of the plant.


• Never shear hedges so they are narrow at the bottom. The bottom should be several inches wider than the top to allow for fuller growth. The wider bottom exposes more of the plant to light, and eliminates the twiggy look many hedges have.

If you are interested in the topic of pruning - I highly recommend Cass Turnbull's - Guide to Pruning. If you prune at the wrong time of year you can eliminate blooms on some plants for several years and if your technique is poor your can severely deform your plant and in the worst scenario - actually kill your plant. Happy gardening!

Later -

Jim

Chaffed Nipples and Blisters!

I'm sure this is too much information but it's a sad reality of marathon running. I have these NipGuards which work really great if you remember to pack them! Trust me I would not be talking to you about my nipples under any other circumstance (well maybe)! These guards are a life saver!

We both completed our runs and had a great time. The Lake Chelan Marathon is a beautiful course that hugs the lake the entire way.

This is a picture that I found on the web. Believe it or not we did not take any of our own pictures. It was logistically impossible with both of us running.

I did not complete the run in 4 hours as I had hoped. I don't have the official time yet but it was closer to 4:20. Every time I run another marathon I learn something new that should help the next time. In this particular run I started out great and for the first 15 miles, I was on pace. From mile 16 through the end I began to experience muscle cramps in both legs. I'm not sure what causes them - I'll have to do some research.

This is the park in Manson where the race ended. If you've never been to Lake Chelan or Manson take the time someday. It's a beautiful place with great wineries! Check out the link for wineries - I think you'll be impressed.

I ran into the race director for the Yakima River Canyon Run - I completed that marathon earlier in the year. She has very nice and inspired me to do that one again next year. I am going to try to get one more marathon in this year. I'm thinking about he Seattle Marathon since I've never done it before. That will make three this year.

Have a good one -

Jim

Lake Chelan Marathon Today!

We are in Wenatchee for the Lake Chelan Marathon which starts at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. The course map is below - as you can see it is along the lake the entire way which makes for a very scenic run! I'm looking forward to it! Looks like cool weather with clouds - perfect!

I am not expecting to break any course records and will he happy to complete in 4 hours. Kent will be running his second half marathon as the same time. Both of us should be done by 11:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. Wish us luck!

Later -

Jim

P.S - My friend Gayle is getting married today and I had to miss the wedding! I love weddings so I am really bummed! Good luck Gail - wish I could be there! Congratulation!

Green Gardening: Ripening Tomatoes and Peppers Indoors

I found this great article in the PI that I thought I would pass along. If you live in the Pacific Northwest like I do, it's likely that you have a ton of green tomatoes. It really was a weird weather year! It's nice to know that all those green tomatoes can still be put to use. Not to mention there are fried green tomato recipes. Not my cup of tea but I provided a link to a recipe just in case.



By ANN LOVEJOY SPECIAL TO THE P-I

Quite a few of you have wondered how to help ripen green tomatoes and pallid peppers. The wishy-washy weather we've been experiencing does make it tough for heat lovers to ripen fully. The good news is that both tomatoes and peppers will continue to ripen indoors if picked green. True, they won't taste quite as terrific as those ripened outside, but they'll definitely taste better than anything you can buy at the supermarket.
As nights grow colder, you can avoid losing frost-tender crops by picking unripe bell or sweet peppers and green tomatoes. Carefully gather as many as you have room for indoors, where they will continue to ripen for several weeks.
I'd say now is a good time, since night temperatures have been getting pretty low. A sharp frost will wipe out all tender tropicals overnight, leaving mushy, slushy compost material in place of those promising tomatoes and peppers.
If you are growing your heat lovers in pots, you can bring them indoors -- pot and all -- to grow on in a light, bright place. A south- or west-facing sun porch is ideal, especially if it has curtains to pull at night. (That minimizes heat loss.)
Given enough light and adequate warmth (60s and up), cherry tomatoes will continue to crop well into winter. Tomatoes are not really annuals, and in favorable conditions, they can last for years, or until they get whitefly, whichever comes first.
If all your tomato plants are growing in the ground, pick over the lingering unripe, looking for good-sized, firm, undamaged fruit. Green tomatoes that are mature enough to ripen will be a light, fresh green with a glossy skin. Any that already are starting to turn red will continue to do so indoors.
Start hunting among the best-looking, most healthy vines, taking the largest ones first. Smaller, dense or soft green fruit are better off composted. Avoid any tomatoes that have been damaged, investigated by bugs or birds, or look diseased.
The same guidelines also apply to peppers; the larger they are, the better they'll ripen off indoors. Those already approaching full size and showing mature color will taste the best, but all will be worth eating.
Once you get your harvest home, wash each piece carefully to remove dust or dirt, and trim off any stems. When dry, the twiggy stems can easily jab holes into tender neighbors, a common cause of rot. Another rot-inducer is moisture, so dry each one individually. It works best to place them on baking cooling racks to be sure they are completely dry on the bottom.
Whatever you do, never store tomatoes in the refrigerator. The cold will turn the stored sugars unto starch and they'll lose their delicate flavor in no time. Instead, store your ripening fruit and vegetables on several sheets of newspaper, which help keep them nice and dry.
If your haul is a big one, store it in berry boxes or the shallow plant boxes you got at the nursery. Line each with newspaper and carefully layer in your tomatoes and peppers, making sure they don't touch. If you need to make two layers per box, add several sheets of newsprint between them. Smaller tomatoes and peppers can be stored in egg cartons as well.
Keep your harvest in a dim, fairly dry place with good air circulation, out of direct sunlight. A warm garage is fine, as is a kitchen or pantry shelf. A moist environment like a laundry room may encourage molding, while an overly warm, dry one can make tomatoes and peppers shrivel up. (If you really want dried ones, use a real food drier; the results are a lot better.)
You'll notice that as the reddest tomatoes ripen, their neighbors do too. That's because, like apples, tomatoes give off ethylene, a natural gas that promotes ripening in fruit. You can use this handy happening to encourage slower ripeners to catch up; just rotate your greenest ones closer to redder ones.
Your most mature peppers and tomatoes will ripen over two to three weeks if your house stays between the mid 60s and low 70s. Any cooler, and they'll take another week or so (too cool, say the low 50s, and they'll taste lousy as well). You also can slow-roast the whole batch and freeze or can the results, which are fabulous in sauces, soups and stews.
Ann Lovejoy is the author of many gardening books. She can be reached via mail at: 8959 Battlepoint Drive N.E., Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

Is it just me.......?

Or has Rosie really let herself go lately?

LOL.......couldn't resist.

Later,

Jim

Blog-a-Birthday Wish to My Sister Rose!

Celebrate! It's time for another blog-a birthday! This one goes out to my sister Rose! Happy, Happy Birthday Rose!

Rose is the shorter one! This picture was taken this past summer of Rose and her son Isiah at Adam and Sam's wedding. Rose is the big sister of all of us. She was the first born of the seven siblings in our family. I thought I would follow the same format that I did in my last sibling post - here goes....

Tell us a favorite memory of your sister Rose

There are actually two things that come to mind - one is the time that I spent with Rose in New York as a teenager. Rose was in the convent at the time and we played like we never had the chance as kids. We went to the Statue of Liberty, World Trade Center and Times Square just to name a few! I'll never forget our snowball fights. Rose was in the convent at the time so here I an having a snowball fight with a nun - that has got to be a once in a lifetime opportunity! The other is when Rose moved to Washington from California and I flew down and drove back with her pulling a U-haul trailer.

Tell us about one of Rose's greatest accomplishments?

Rose is an educated women who has always had a sense of adventure that I have always admired. She is well traveled and accomplished. She has a wonderful son that she has stood by and supported throughout life's challenges.

Why are people attracted to her?

That's easy - she is funny, easy to talk to driven and smart. Rose has an incredible life story that when you know makes you appreciate her even more.

What are you most thankful to your sister Rose for?

Her unconditional love. She has stood by me, other family members and her son through the challenges of life. I'm thankful of the special memories of our times together in New York, ditching brother Joachim in Times Square being one of my favorite memories.

What words you would use to describe her?

She's loving, strong, funny and smart,a survivor, compassionate, supportive, opinionated, traveled, and just plain fun to be around.

In closing - is there anything else you would like to add?

Yes - and as I did with my sister Midge, I'd like to say it directly to my sister Rose -

I know we don't get to spend as much time together as I would like - I admire you, I'm proud of you but mostly I miss you! I am so proud of the women you have become and the unconditional love you have for Isiah.

Happy Birthday Rose!

Please join me in wishing Rose a Happy Birthday!

Love you Rose -

Jim

Bartender Jim?

What do you think? I was talking to my friend Nancy yesterday and she told me about a three day bartender class she was going to take. I jumped at the opportunity - schedule permitting. What do you think - would you hire me for your next party? LOL... I'm always looking to add new skills to the old resume!

In addition to spending time with Nancy - I think it would be a lot of fun! I'll keep you posted.

Later -

Jim

Get Well Post

This is a get well post for Sylvia - Kent's Mom. She had knee replacement surgery last week which went well! She seems to be on the road to recovery. We went over to Wenatchee last Friday after work for a quick visit. The picture below was taken at the Hardrock Cafe in New York.

Please feel free to leave her a get well message her and I will make sure she gets it.

Have a good one -

Jim

Oklahoma rampage leaves Huskies 0-3

Each week I've completed a long post about Husky football - this week it's not even worth the time. We played terrible and more people left Husky stadium at half time than I have ever seen. We have a bye next week and then play Stanford at home on the 27th. Hopefully we can pull off a win.

Later -

Jim

The Little Dog Laughed

Kent and I went to a play last night at the Intiman Theatre in Seattle called - The Little Dog Laughed. I wish we had seen it earlier because it closes tomorrow and I highly recommend that you see it! It's hilarious!

There are only four characters in the play - an actor, Mitchell, his lesbian/"girlfriend" agent Diane, a hustler named Alex, and Alex's girlfriend Ellen. When Mitchell and Alex become involved, Diane is concerned that what she describes as Mitchell's "slight recurring case of homosexuality" will derail his career before it gets started.

It's was originally an off Broadway play and is now in production at various theatres nationally. If you live in the Seattle area and can get there before it ends I guarantee you will have a great time. The guys are cute and as an added bonus there is a little male nudity! Just enough to make you appreciate it and not enough to make you uncomfortable in the mostly straight audience!

The lead actress lives in New York but is originally from Wenatchee where Kent grew up. If you happen to see it or have already seen it, I'd love to hear your reaction.

Later -

Jim

It's Another Blog-a-Birthday!

This blog a birthday goes out to our friend Bill! Happy, Happy Birthday!

This hilarious picture was taken several years ago while on a trip to Cancun. I know the minute I started this blog that he's been waiting for this picture to show up on the blog - It's a classic! I think that there may have been a few shots of tequila involved in the evening!

We travel a lot with Bill. In addition to Cancun -

We've been to San Francisco,

San Diego-

Tempe -

just to name a few. We are headed to three more away games of the Husky football this season and Bill is our away game companion! Easy to travel with and a lot of fun!

We have season tickets for Husky basketball with Bill - this will be our second season. This is a picture of us last month when we went to Hec Ed Pavilion to pick out our seats for the season.

Please join me in wishing our friend Bill a happy birthday!

Have a good one -

Jim

Blog - a - Postcard!

It's another Blog-a-postcard!

This one comes from my Mom and Dad from the famous Olive Pit! It's located in Corning California and is a must stop if you are on a road trip driving south on I-5 in northern California! Kent and I stop every time we are down in the area. Great almonds too!


Welcome to Olive Pit! Offering Olives and More!

Over 40 years ago, Pete and Ann Craig displayed several jars of olives on a small shelf of the original Olive Pit – a frostie and hamburger stand – to see if any one would be interested in buying their locally grown, locally produced olives. People were quick to purchase the olives and a Corning tradition was born.


Today the Craig family, including Ann, still serves travelers with tasty frosties and delicious olive burgers – their store has expanded five times to meet the demands of hungry visitors. The inventory has also expanded and now includes a variety of Olives, Olive Oils, Nuts, Vinegars, Mustard's and Gift Items – local products that will liven up any meal, from a quiet meal for two to a large gathering of friends and family.

Stop in - I guarantee you will enjoy this quick diversion!

Later -

Jim