Yawnson's Blog

Happy New Year

yawnson — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:25:51 +0000

Our trip to see my brother and family was great – a very good Christmas. We had to leave for the airport very early but first we had to drop off Gus and Mac at the boarders facility. It was sad to let them go but they had a great time with all the other dogs. Our flight took us to Chicago for a change of plane and then in Reagan/National airport in D.C. No problems and the flight was good (not too bumpy). To help Kim as she is expecting, I made a deal with Paul to do the cooking while we were there. So we made a menu and Mark and I went shopping – I cooked and cooked and Kim got to rest a little. The kids were so much fun on Christmas – Elizabeth (4 years old) would exclaim with each new gift “It’s just what I wanted” with her arms in the air. Benjamin was thrilled with his toys and would concentrate on each one forgetting that there were more presents under the tree. The two cats were a real kick – Percy would constantly sit on Mark’s lap every time he sat down and Olive loved to play and would toss her toy rats into the air and attack them. The weather was very nice – 40′s and 50′s and once into the 60′s. There was no snow anywhere – Chicago, Wash. D.C., or here at home. Coming back we were supposed to go through Chicago but apparently there were problems in Chicago so they diverted us through Denver. There was no snow in Denver but apparently there were delays somewhere as our flight was delayed several hours. We finally got home at 2:00 a.m. (which was 4:00 a.m. D.C. time) so it was a very long day coming home. We picked up Gus and Mac the next day and I think Gus is depressed because we don’t have other dogs for him to play with. Mac was happy to be home and they are really getting fluffy from all the cold weather – they look really cute right now.

Happy New Year to everyone and this will be our last blog posting. Goodbye!!

Merry Christmas

yawnson — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:18:19 +0000

Since the last blog on the 5th (today is the 19th), several things have happened. Last week was the Ladies of Lakemoor first annual cookie exchange. We each had to make 9 dozen cookies – we divided them into packets of 6 cookies and gave away 14 half dozen cookies. The other 2 dozen went – 1 dozen for Mark and 1 dozen for samples at the cookie exchange party. Also there was the mandatory hair appointments, pedicures with Penny, and last minute shopping. MarK and I traded in our 2003 Mercedes ML 320 for a new car – a Honda Touring Pilot. Boy it’s so pretty and has lots of bells and whistles. It makes us want to go on a driving trip soon. This week we will be leaving for Washington DC and hope that the nice weather holds as we have a short layover in Chicago. There has been no snow here and it really doesn’t look like there will be any for Christmas. Tomorrow Penny’s son Greg and family and friend, Larry, will be coming in from Texas. Then on Wednesday Penny’s daughter Bonnie and family will be coming in from St. Louis – should be party, party, party at Bill and Penny’s house. On Thursday we leave and get to spend Christmas with my brother and family. Christmas should be terrific all around. It’s hard to believe that 2012 is just a couple weeks away – where does the time go?

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE AND A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Cold Cold Mornings

yawnson — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:11:30 +0000

We still haven’t had any snow (just a few flurries weeks ago) but it’s been cold. This morning is got down in the teens and right now it’s only 20 degrees. There is frost everywhere and walking the dogs was chilling (I mean thrilling). It’s already the 5th of December and days are going by quickly in preparation for the holidays. There are now so many houses in our development and many have their Christmas lights on, it’s amazing the transformation since we first moved in two years ago. There are at least six houses being built now (in various stages of development) and several more coming. Pretty soon we will be just another neighborhood. We are so glad to be here instead of in So. California. This past week there have been so many santa ana winds in California that we are even more glad to be here. The puppies are great and love the cold weather. Even the frost doesn’t bother them and they love frozen goose poop (tasty). It’s difficult to keep them from eating every piece they see. The weather is fine for them but it takes fortitude for us to go out twice a day when it’s so cold. It’s fine when the wind isn’t blowing but if the wind is blowing, walking the dogs is not fun. Our ears and faces freeze and without gloves, our hands ache. This week is Christmas card time and now that the house is decorated, we can concentrate on seeing family in a few weeks. It’s hard to believe that we will be going to Washington DC in just 17 days or so. Woopie!!

Thanksgiving 2011

yawnson — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 02:48:42 +0000

This was was pretty uneventful but Penny and Bill did join us. We had prime rib and all the fixings including pumpkin pie and apple pie. We played marbles but Penny was getting the cold that Mark and I had last weekend. Bill was really tired as we thought he was also getting sick. Fortunately he did not get sick and Penny is doing better. The puppies are always happy and excited when Penny and Bill come over and they showed off by playing with their basketballs. Gus is so fast and can manipulate the ball to go around things, stop short of other things and in general he would be a great soccer player. Mac is getting into the swing of things but he seems to get bored with the ball after a few minutes. The only time he keeps playing is when Mark is playing with him. The puppies are so cute and make us laugh all the time. The weather has been in the mid 40′s and we are wondering where the snow is – last year at this time we had over 8 inches. We raked the back yard and trimmed some bushes so the yard is looking winterized. We put out of snowman as our only Christmas light this year as we will be gone at Christmas but he looks good. We decided not to put up the Christmas tree but I did put out lots of other Christmas decorations. Penny is getting better and we plan on going to their house Wednesday for dinner (of course with the boys). Apparently all their Christmas decorations are up now so I’m sure it looks fantastic. Can’t wait to see it. I did my once a year oven cleaning today and I’m glad that’s over – it looks new again. Mark was even able to go to the golf course today and hit balls – there was no wind so it was about 50 degrees. All the Christmas shopping is finished and the presents wrapped so all that’s left are the Christmas cards. I’ll probably start working on them by next weekend. We did not go out on Black Friday except for breakfast because we are finished with the gifts so why bother. So not much going on this week – other than the usual.

Spirit Mountain – Ron White Trip

yawnson — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:50:25 +0000

We just returned from our trip starting last Thursday to Spirit Mountain in Grand Ronde, OR. What a great trip! We stopped in Portland for a little shopping and dinner at Jakes Famous Crawfish Restaurant (of course it was raining) and then on the Grand Ronde. We went with Penny and Bill (of course) and switched drivers along the way. Mark, however, had gotten a cold two days before we were to leave so he was feeling poorly. Our rooms were newly remodeled and very nice. Mark went to bed while the three of us went down to gamble. We tried some new slot machines and Bill (as usual) was a big winner that night. Friday morning we talked to our friends Dave and Michelle who met us there from California to see the Ron Whilte show also. Mark went to pick them up while the three of us gambled. Michelle’s brother, Greg, works at Spirit Mountain and is in charge of entertainment. He is the one who got us great tickets for the show. So the six of us (excluding Greg as he had already seen Ron White twice before) gambled all afternoon while we waited to do dinner and the show. The guys played blackjack and pai gow while the girls did slot machines. The guys all won at the tables and the girls played along winning just enough to keep playing and not go broke. We had dinner at the Legends restaurant and at 7:00ish, started for the events center (the show was at 8:00). Of course Penny and Bill got T-shirts at the show, I got Mark a golf towel and we moved ahead in the throng of people toward the doors. Our seats were incredible – second row just left of the middle of the stage. These seats are usually reserved for the Indian Counsel members but Greg was able to get them for us. Great Great Great seats. The show was fantastic lasting almost 2 hours. Afterwards Dave and Michelle left to go to Greg’s house, Mark went up to bed and Bill, Penny and I gambled some more. I was starting to get sick also (a cold). The next morning (Saturday) we went to McMinnville to meet Dave, Greg, and Michelle for breakfast and we did a little shopping after breakfast at the local quilt shop and antique shops. The weather was cold and overcast – slightly raining. We headed back to Spirit Mountain and I was feeling lousy. They dropped me off so I could go up to bed for a while and Mark, Penny and Bill went on the the coast (about 45 minutes away). There at Lincoln City there was another casino so they stopped and gambled for a few hours (the guys at the tables and Penny on slots). They guys won and Penny broke even. They had lunch at our favorite restaurant Tidal Raves and came back to Spirit Mountain. By then I had taken a nap, eaten some soup and was playing a few slot machines. Dave, Michelle, and Greg when to the Oregon/USC football game in Eugene, OR and Mark was supposed to go but because of his cold, he couldn’t make it. When Penny, Bill and Mark got back to Spirit Mountain, we met for a little dinner (mostly I ate as the others were still full from Tidal Raves) and then we wandered around the casino, gambling here and there

Michelle, Dave, Bill, Penny, Karen, MeRon White and his Scotch haven't yet arrived

. Sunday we left bright and early so we could get back in time to pick up the puppies Gus and Mac before the 6:30 deadline. We got there at 6:20 p.m. Gus didn’t want to leave, he loves to play with the other puppies so much but I think Mac was ready to come home. They slept on the way home as they get so tired from playing all day – they didn’t hardly move once we got home and they slept all night. This morning they didn’t get up except to go to the bathroom until almost 9:00 when it was time for their morning walk. They have been pretty tired most of the day. It was a great trip! We are going to try to put pictures on the blog so bear with us.

November 14, 2011

yawnson — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:33:21 +0000

All is well here – we had our first snow on November 4th but it didn’t last long. It’s been pretty cold (highs in the low 40′s and lows around 30) – a few days have been in the low 50′s but that doesn’t last long. We did our fall cleanup of the yard (no more raspberries) and since the wind has been blowing and the leaves from the trees are all dropping – we’ve cleaned up lots of leaves. Lots of frost on the yard but it doesn’t seem to bother Mac or Gus. They love to play basketball at least twice a day whether there is frost or not – once in the morning and then late afternoon. Mark and I play with them just as long as we can stand the cold. This week we will be going to Spirit Mountain to see the Ron White show. So that the car ride isn’t so long and uneventful, I ordered the old time radio’s greatest mysteries to listen to. Mark and I used to listen to them when we were driving on the radio and since the radio doesn’t play them anymore, I decided to order the CD’s and tapes. I hope they are as good even though it won’t be dark. Penny and I went to the Lakemoor Ladies social event the other day at my neighbor Susan’s house. She taught us how to make special Christmas cards out of paper (quilting with paper) and how to add lots of embelishments. It was fun and she also served lunch. Mark and Bill hung out and went out looking at motorcycle trailers (Bill needs one for his Harley). Also Mark and I finally broke down and purchased a new bedspread (our old one was only about 12 years old and definitely was on it’s last legs).

Lots of things are going on around the neighborhood – homes being built everywhere. I think at the moment there are at least seven houses in some stage of building. With the weather being cold, you feel sorry for the guys out in it. The Christmas lights will be going up on the entrance to Lakemoor this week as well as all over the valley. The Lakemoor Ladies are having a cookie exchange on December 14 but Penny and I haven’t decided if we are going to participate. Mark and I will be going to Washington DC for Christmas and Penny and Bill will have their whole family at their house so we just don’t know yet. Mark and I decided to not put up Christmas lights and Penny and Bill’s lights are going up today. Mark has been working on things in the garage and boy does his heater work. He has used it a lot and it keeps him nice and warm. I don’t see him for hours. Mac and Gus have gotten into a routine and play a while, sleep a while, eat a while, race around a while, fight a while, bark some and get two walks a day. Life is so good for them. They love to go to Penny and Bill’s house because there are usually 50-80 ducks roaming around waiting for Bill to feed them. Mac and Gus love to chase them but the ducks come right back. It keeps Mac and Gus awake and by the time we get home, they are exhausted and ready for bed. It’s great to wear them out.

More news from the family – both my sister-in-law Kimberly and Bonnie, our niece, are pregnant. The babies are due in June and July so more fun making baby quilts. We will be seeing Bonnie at Christmas time just before we go to see Kimberly and Paul. It’s so exciting to have little kids around. We plan on visiting them all lots and lots. That’s all for now!!

Halloween

yawnson — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:17:38 +0000

The weather has turned colder now with the lows in the 20′s and a couple of days with a high in the 40′s. Today we had some early morning rain. The leaves have all turned beautiful colors and its simply gorgeous around here now. When the wind is not blowing, it’s a perfect time. The puppies love this weather and spend lots of time outside. Gus plays with his basketball whenever we get it down and will run and run until his nose gets too sore. Mac is learning to play with the basketball and they were fighting over the one ball so much that Mark went and bought another basketball. So Mac plays (as long as Mark plays soccer with him) with the ball and Gus just runs all over the yard with his. Penny and Bill came over for Halloween because in their neighborhood, the kids are bused in from all over and last year apparently there were so many kids, they ran out of candy and made trips to the grocery store. They didn’t want to play that game again this year so they came to our house. We had a total of 3 groups of kids – that’s all. I think it was a total of 5 kids. So I have lots of candy left – good thing I bought the kind Mark and I like. Our Christmas shopping is almost finished so I can begin wrapping the gifts. I have a few Christmas cards to send out but I can do that anytime in November. It won’t be long till we go see Ron White and with the weather turning cold, I hope the weather is decent on our trip. The puppies don’t seem to mind the colder damp weather and love to chew the ice from their water dish. I dump out the water and ice in the morning and they go right to it to eat it (crunch, crunch crunch). They are such sweet dogs and they make us laugh all the time. We went to the fall home show last weekend and found a few goodies to buy – car wax, smoothie maker, etc. It seems that this wekk went by really fast and we were busy but nothing really exciting to write about. We are looking forward to November and I’m sure these next several weeks will fly by quickly. The raspberries are finally about finished (I think the frost pretty much did them in) so we will be cutting the vines back this week as well as other fall cleanup soon. We haven’t decided if we need to bring out patio furniture into the garage or just keep it under the patio cover – we’ll figure that out soon. Mark closed all the crawl space vents and drained our hoses and placed them in the garage. The landscaper should be coming by soon to blow out our sprinklers and replace one cedar tree that didn’t make it (he told us mid October but it’s still now done) so we’ll see if he makes it this week. We are deciding whether or not to put up Christmas lights since we will be gone at Christmas for a few days. I definitely think, though, that I will be putting up our Christmas tree.

Fall and Mid October

yawnson — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:13:31 +0000

The weather has been so beautiful the last several days. Last week at the end of the week we had rain, hail, wind, clouds, and just an overcast feeling about things. This week its been in the high 60′s, sunny and bright with very little wind and just perfect for golf and other outdoor activities (especially good for the puppies). We started Christmas shopping and this past weekend (after talking to my brother Paul) and we will be going to their house in DC for Christmas. We so enjoyed the kids and being with Paul and Kim that we had to return for Christmas (they were really surprised as we were just there last month). Paul said the kids talk about us all the time and are so excited that we will be coming back so it should be really fun to have Christmas with a 4 year old and a 6 year old. Penny and Bill are expecting their kids (Bonnie and Chris and Greg and Valerie) and of course their granddaughter Lilly so they were not sad that we would be leaving during Christmas although Bill did seem to shed a tear. So everyone will have a great time. Now the fun begins to find gifts for everyone – shop shop shop. It was fun going on the Metro on DC so we are looking forward to doing that from the airport to the end of the line and meeting Paul and Kim there instead of the airport. Hope we can figure it out.

Gus loves to play soccer with his basketball but he goes so much that he has sores on both sides of his nose – actually scabs so we had to take the ball away for several days. We hope his nose will heal and maybe develop a callous so it doesn’t bleed again. He really loves that ball. The boys spend most of the day outside as they like the cooler weather and the cooler nights. They are sleeping through the night (most of the time) and going to bed about 9:30 (most of the time). So now I don’t have to go outside at 2 in the morning and call Gus in because he is barking (I’m sure that used to annoy the neighbors). Much better all around.

Fall cleanup has begun around the house – getting rid of dead and dying flowers (annuals), trimming some of the other plants back, closing the vents on the crawlspace against the cold air and trimming back the berries. We are still picking so many raspberries off the bushes that I am running out of ideas of what to do with them. Now I just put them single layer in a zip bag and freeze them (those that we don’t eat). It must have been a good year for berries. We planted several mum plants so we have color in the yard and they should return yearly.

Penny and I have decided to have Thanksgiving at our house this year as she will have a houseful at Christmas. We decided on turkey but that could change. It won’t be long now until we go to Spirit Mountain and see Ron White. Our friends from California are meeting us there so we should have quite a party. I think we will make a side trip to the Oregon coast as we really like the little towns along there and we plan to eat at a particular restaurant that we really like that overlooks the ocean.

The ladies of the neighborhood are relentless with invitations to sew-ins, cookies exchanges, lunches — Penny went with me once to a lunch and now the invitations are neverending. We might go to the cookie exchange in December but I’m not sure about the rest of it – I’m pretty antisocial. See what happens when you give in and go to one thing – it becomes overwhelming. Oh well, I’ll figure out something to say – next thing you know they will want me to have some kind of social event at my house – omg!!

Gus and the Basketball

yawnson — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:20:31 +0000

This week has been fun for Gus the wonder dog. Penny and Bill let him have a large beach ball the other day while we were at their house for dinner. He ran and ran with it and after a while was able to pop it. He was having so much fun before it popped that Bill decided to get him another kind of ball. A few days later, Bill and Penny came over with a basketball. Well Gus was in heaven – he ran and ran, barked and growled at it as he did a soccer act chasing it around the backyard. Finally after about four hours, he figured out how to pop that one (yes as tough as they are, Gus popped it). Again he was disappointed but he played with the deflated ball for a few days. Then yesterday Mark bought him another basketball and pumped it up – Gus loves it and hasn’t been able to pop it. He runs and runs and growls, barks and goes until his tongue is hanging down to the ground and he’s just too tired to go anymore. Mac is sort of afraid of it and pretty much ignores the ball and Gus except when he thinks Gus is getting too much attention. Mac will then attack Gus and Gus lets him have the ball. Mac plays a minute or two trying to push it around and bite it but then gets bored and walks away from it. Gus will then start all over running and chasing that ball. It’s a great way to tire him out and Mac likes the deflated basketball – he can get it in his mouth, shake it around and growl at it (he likes it much better). Gus is so funny when he plays that we can’t help but laugh at him. He has hit every plant in the backyard and plowed over many of the flowers. But he is having a great time and the flowers are about done for the season, so who cares. Every time he goes outside now, we hear him playing with that ball – what a great idea P&B had.

Cold Weather is Here

yawnson — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:32:02 +0000

Today is the 6th of October and it’s a rainy, windy, overcast, cloudy and cold day. The high today is supposed to be 51 degrees – not good golfing weather. So it went from low 90′s a few days ago to cold and rainy Tuesday, Wednesday and today. Tomorrow the high is to be 62 which is much better. Because it has been much cooler, it feels like fall and I feel like cooking more – crock pot stuff and oven stuff. We went to Penny and Bill’s house for dinner the other afternoon evening and they had a hugh ball for the boys. Gus chased that ball all over the yard and couldn’t get it in his mouth. He ran and ran and got so frustrated that he would bark and growl at that ball. He ran so much he had to stop for a while and we weren’t sure he wasn’t going to pass out as his tongue was hanging out and he was breathing very hard. He rested about 10 minutes and then again up and after that ball. It was so funny to watch as he would bounce it off his head and his nose when it got stuck behind a bush or a tree – what a character. Mac was somewhat afraid of it and especially so when Gus would dash by him growling and barking. The boys also chased the ducks that visit P&B everyday for food. Mark counted 63 ducks at one time (right after Bill put out duck food) and some were so brave coming into P&B’s backyard. The boys would rush the fence if a duck even got close to it. I’m sure the ducks are much happier when Gus and Mac are not visiting. Our computer was out for repair this week and we just got it back. Hopefully we can now download pictures as I would like to post pictures to our blog soon.

Last week Penny and I went to the Lakemoor Ladies lunch (all the ladies in the neighborhood get together once every two weeks for lunch) and since I had never been and Penny was home from vacations, we decided to go. We met at Seasons which is a local deli type restaurant. They have a lot of cajun specials and the food was very good. The ladies just talked and talked and I’m not sure we will go to very many of these as we are not that social. Next week they are meeting at PF Changs (which sounds very good) but as Penny said, we would rather go with our husbands. But we will still get the emails about the lunches so there may still be a few we go to.