May 30, 2010
A Memorial Day Flag for You
A friend sent me a video of an American Flag. I was astounded by this video. Please take the time to download this video. I have never seen anything like it and I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did.
A special remembrance for those who died for our freedoms.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEP9gwmz9hw
And… for an encore… a slightly different view. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtqJOMSTczY&feature=related
What a way to fly a flag!!!
May 29, 2010
I’m Depressed
I know … it’s Memorial Day weekend and I should be happy and sunny … but I’m not. I’m depressed.
It has been raining here for the last two months!!! And I was ill for the last five weeks with that icky cold, cough, throat virus thingy. And on Monday, I woke up with a terrible kink in my back. The chiropractor says it is a triple case of facets syndrome and very difficult to break up. So.. I have been hurting on top of everything else! And… I have no energy. If I go out and do an errand, then I come home and just want to sit in the recliner. I try to go out for a walk in the rain, but that isn’t much fun because it is also cold. I used to like walking in the rain — when I lived in Southern California!
I know that this post sounds like “poor me” but that is the way I feel right now; so there!
I think I’ll go and dig out my ‘light box’ and sit in front of it for an hour or so. Maybe that will help. But don’t worry about Portland Firefly because she will come out of this eventually and will be just fine.
May 28, 2010
Memorial Day 2010
And what will you be doing to honor those who have died for our freedoms?
For one thing, you can be sure to fly your flag. I’ll be flying my flag all weekend starting today and ending Monday night. You can leave your flag out overnight if it has a light on it.
Another thing that you can do is to call a veteran and thank them for their service to our country. They are the reason we enjoy all of the freedoms that we have today.
And don’t forget the picnic!!!! M-m-m … Brats and potato salad and red, white and blue dessert!
Enjoy!!!
May 25, 2010
Immortality or Beauty
The week before Mother’s Day, I received a phone call from my daughter. Halfway into our conversation, she posed this question to me “Mom, would you rather have Beauty or Immortality?” I chuckled at the prospect and immediately chose ……. Immortality. I chose immortality not knowing the form that this gift would take.
She went on to explain that she was considering my Mother’s Day gift and couldn’t decide between two gifts, so she gave me the choice. The gift of Beauty would have something to do with skin care and the gift of Immortality has to do with the writing and publishing of my book.
So the gift that I chose will be in the form of a writers workshop or publishing help as I arrive at that juncture and need help, she will provide it for me. Cool. For me the best part of this gift is the fact that she is supporting me in my book writing — emotionally and practically and that support is the best gift of all!
Usually she sends flowers to me for special occasions and even though I am looking forward to the help with my book, I did miss the bouquet that usually arrives a few days before Mother’s Day!
May 24, 2010
On The Mend
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had a terrible cold; but this was not just any cold… Oh, no, it was that viral upper respiratory ick that has been going around. I thought that I’d snap right back in a week or so… two weeks later I realized that I was going to be out for another week. Well, today I am beginning the fifth week of fighting this virus. It has just knocked me out and my energy level is still at almost zero.
My fever went all the way up to 102 degrees and my doctor ordered a chest x-ray to make sure that this infection wasn’t going into pnemonia in my lungs. I’m still fighting the infection.
I would do something – run errands, make plans for a meeting, etc. and then I’d sleep for 9- 10 hours and then need a two-hour nap on top of that! I was so looking forward to having my energy level get back to near normal after a year on Chemo, but it was not to be! My energy levels were so low that Portland Firefly didn’t even feel like writing !!!! Let’s see how I do this week as I have lots to tell you about!!!
May 18, 2010
Mt. St. Helens 30th Anniversary
3,000 ft (1 km) steam plume on May 19, 1982, two years after its major eruption
Today, May 18, 2010 is the 3oth anniversary of the Mt. St. Helen’s volcanic eruption. Here in the Pacific North West there will be many television retrospectives recounting the event. There are also special ceremonies up on the mountain itself which Portland Firefly wanted to attend, but her low energy level prevents this and so she will watch the TV presentations.
This is the Wikipedia link for getting more info about Mt. St. Helens. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Helens
Here is the Federal government link to the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/
May 17, 2010
Oregon Votes
Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 18, 2010 is the day that your Oregon Primary Ballot is due. here in Oregon, your ballot must be received by 8:00pm . That means that a postmark is not good enough… it must be received by 8:00pm on Tuesday night. So do not mail it, but go to this website to find out where the nearest drop box location is located. As a rule of thumb, there are generally well-marked ballot boxes near the front door of your local library.
or call 1.866.673.8683
May 14, 2010
Branson
Several weeks ago Portland Firefly took a trip to Branson, Missouri to meet up with some friends. There was a total of six of us and we had two time share condos. We stopped at Sam’s Club on the way and bought most of our food supplies for the week. I still don’t know how we did it, but we all ended up paying about $20 per person for the week for food! That does not include the dinner show that we attended. One of our party won a side of bar-b-que ribs that was outstanding — Yummy!
People who have never been to Branson have asked me what it all about and the best description that I can come up with is this: “Branson is like a Christian Las Vegas in that all of the shows are absolutely Family Friendly and it is surrounded by natural beauty.” And that is a Portland Firefly quote!
We attended several shows. We saw ‘Noah, the Musical’ which was pretty cool because at the beginning of the second act, you are inside the Ark and surrounded by all the animals ~~ some of which are animatronic, some were real, and some were just stuffed! I bought a cute umbrella for my Grandson there!!
One of our favorite shows is the Dolly Parton Dixie Stampede where a dinner is served inside a huge arena while you watch and participate in a horse show. We arrived early so we could walk around and see all of the beautiful horses. One of my friends used to own and ride and train horses, so it was especially enjoyable for me to look at the horses with him and get his observations about the horses. Wow, what a great horse education I received in a very short time!!!
Then we saw The Shoji Tabuchi Show. For many years this show has been touted as one of Branson’s best. Portland Firefly was disappointed. I felt that the show was entertaining, but lacked the piazza that it should have had. It was ‘tired’. The restrooms at the theatre however are something else. The Women’s restroom is absolutely ‘over the top’ with wisteria-like crystal chandeliers and ornate gold mirrors everywhere. There is even an attendant that will squirt hand lotion on your hands after you dry your hands!
But the best show we saw was the last show we saw. It was The Haygoods show and consists of seven brothers and one sister all of whom are extremely talented. They presented a fast-moving, high-energy polished performance that was enjoyed by the multi-generational audience. And to my delight they presented for the first time ever, their rendition of ‘Firefly’.
All in all it was a wonderful week spent with wonderful friends having a wonderful time!!! Truly another trip for my memory book.
May 12, 2010
I Sick; I Hab a Code
Portland Firefly hasn’t written much this last week because I have been ill with a cold. Not just any cold…. the worst cold that I can remember having.
It started out with just a slight cough and slight malaise but rapidly progressed into a horrible cough. I would cough for almost an hour at a time. And you know how coughing wears one out! So now I was also very tired most of the time! Darn! And just when I thought I should be gaining some of my energy back, too!
Well, that wasn’t bad enough…. no, I also had a slight sore throat. Then I was so sick I couldn’t remember if the old adage said to ‘starve a fever, feed a cold’ or ‘feed a fever, starve a cold’. It didn’t matter… I didn’t feel like eating anyway, so I made myself a huge pot of Chicken soup.
Then the high fever started. It was really scary for me to have the thermometer in my mouth and be able to watch the indicator rapidly go up to indicate my high fever… made it all the way up to 102 degrees. I don’t ever remember having that high of a fever and I was scared. So, of course I called my doctors. I was told that I have a virus and that I just have to ‘treat the symptoms and ride it out.” I was advised to drink lots of liquids, and to watch my electrolytes. Then I remembered that I had some Pedialyte that I had not opened, so I drank some of that. It made me feel better right away. Good to know about electrolytes and Pedialyte which is better than Gatorade in my opinion.
Well I suffered with that fever for over two days, then it broke in the middle of the night with a hard sweat. I awoke soaking wet and had to change my night-clothes, but I felt much better the next day and then my ‘low-grade fever’ of 99 degrees started in for three days. A girlfriend stopped by with Cinco de Mayo supplies — but I couldn’t touch the homemade tamales for several days. Then my neighbor brough over some fresh fruit which I needed desperately because I had virtually nothing fresh in my refrigerator.
It was a terrible way to lose a few pounds and I am still coughing, but not quite as much. I also still have to take a nap every day!!! I am not getting anything done! Hopefully it will all be gone before next weekend.
And that is why Portland Firefly has not written anything of substance for a few weeks!!!
May 8, 2010
Happy Mother’s Day
Portland Firefly wishes all of the Mothers out there a very Happy Mother’s Day!
Mothering is one of the most difficult jobs in the world…. And often thankless…. Until our children grow up and become mature parents themselves…. Then they realize all that we went through for their benefit.
And so… Moms….enjoy this day of honor that is reserved for you.
May 6, 2010
National Train Day
This event is on Saturday, May 8th and runs from 10 am – 4 pm at Portland’s Union Station. Apparently there will be model trains setup in the lobby as well. It should be fun.
National Train Day
| Date/Time: | May 8, 2010, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM |
| Location: | Portland Union Station 800 NW 6th Avenue Portland, Oregon |
| Details: On May 8, 2010, the third annual National Train Day will be a coast-to-coast celebration, and the whole family’s invited to Portland Union Station to join in the fun. Come down and check out the displays, exhibits and information, including:
Union Station is easy to find — look for the big “Go By Train” clock tower, http://www.aortarail.org/index.php/events/national_train_day/ |
|
The information that Portland Firefly was able to find indicates that the event is free to attend. It sounds like a fun Saturday for families!
There will be another event at PSU:
Portland State University
Department of History
Cramer Hall, Room 494
1721 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97201
Event Date: 05/06/2010
Start Time: 07:00 PM
End Time: 09:00 PM
Event Description: For our third year of proud participation in the annual National Train Day celebrations, the PSU Friends of History will host a program on the history of American train travel as a leisure time activity; showing how train travel contributed to the growth of Oregon and our nation.
Please note that the event at PSU will be held onMay 6th; The event at Union Station will be held on Saturday, May 8th.
May 3, 2010
What’s Up This Week
Teacher Recognition Day – 5/4
Cinco de Mayo – 5/5
Nurses’ Day – 5/6
Mother’s Day – 5/9
Wow, I bet the florists love this week!!!
May 2, 2010
Busy Firefly!
Portland Firefly has been very busy these last several weeks. You may recall that I told you that travel was high on my priority list for the next several months and I have been true to my word!
My first trip was a short weekend jaunt to visit family and to attend a special ‘by invitation only’ dinner at my old alma mater. Next I was off to Hawaii, the Big Island, where the clear fumes and odorless gasses of the active volcano made me quite ill. I however persevered and had a great time there. Much credit goes to Dee, a special school mate of mine, who went out of her way to make sure I had a great time. And we both did!!!
After being home for a few weeks, it was time for another week-long trip! This time to Branson, Missouri with some dear friends.
Now that I’ve been home for a while, all of my travels have caught up with me and Portland Firefly has a cold, sore throat, cough, and general malaise. It looks like I’ll be staying in this week, so maybe I’ll do some more writing and hopefully bring you up to date on what is happening!!
