A Surprise Package!

I know I have mentioned how glad I am that there is a Facebook.  I know many think that people share too much information or post mean political stuff.  I know that there have been Facebook fights where people say horrid things to each other. I know that terrible bullying has occurred.  I could make a long list of why some people have a negative view about Facebook.  But, for me, Facebook has reconnected me with childhood friends, relatives I rarely get to see, and also the opportunity to make new friends that I may never meet, but who have the same interests as I.

I have written twice about my Smile Project on Facebook.  This is where I post a picture of a smile each day.  My Facebook friend, Susan Keeker, started this.  I have a rough draft about Susan and her sister, Jamie, but today I have to write a short post that says 'THANK YOU' to them.

Yesterday I received a package in the mail.  Ray had gotten the mail and set the package on the table for me to see when I returned from my walk in the park.  Stepping into the kitchen I noticed the package and wondered what it might be.  I had already received all of my on line orders, so this was a mystery.  When I opened this package all I could do was smile.  Susan and Jamie had made a My Social Book of all of the smiles from last year....and ordered a copy for me!   How kind, how thoughtful, how wonderful to open a surprise book of smiles.  Thank you, thank you and thank you again.  I wish someone would have been there to take a picture of me when I first opened it to catch that spontaneous smile. Oh well, maybe Ray and I will try to recreate it.

If I had not joined Facebook, I would never have reconnected with Susan and Jamie.  I am not sure when I last saw them.  Our families (along with the Lamars, Wilsons, Wileys and Tresslers) would all have picnics and get togethers when I was young.  My family moved to Ohio when I was in the 8th grade so the visits were sparse after that.  Jamie and Susan were quite a bit younger...maybe four or five, so I really did not get to know them until Facebook reunited us as friends.

Jackie holding the Smile Book and card from Jamie and Susan

Look at all of the smiles!

Well, we did not recreate the spontaneous smile....but I hope this shows how touched I am.  I will be smiling each time I think about this thoughtful gift!

I'm Thinking of a Geyser in the Hills.....

Smiling Al

A little over a month ago I began the Smile Project.  Each day on Facebook I post a picture of a smile.  I can not take credit for this idea.  Susan Keeker (a Facebook friend and family friend from long ago) started the Smile Project over a year ago.  After a year of smiles posted by her, she decided to stop...and that is when I began.  You can read more about it here. When Your're Smiling...

Each morning I get to choose a smile from many smiles I have collected and saved in my Smile Folder.  I have smiles from friends, family, former students, friends of friends and many that I have collected from Flickr.  I have enjoyed picking the Smile of the Day.  I have tried to get a balance of pictures...baby, children, men, women, animals, different cultures, etc.  What I have found is that no matter what the smile, someone is always touched in some way.  It has been so cool to read the comments and see how many people have liked the pictures.

Today, when I checked birthdays on Facebook, E. A. Hall was listed as having a birthday.  He would have been 106 years old today.  I am so glad that his Facebook page is still active because staring right at me was his smiling face.  I knew that today, I had to post Al's face for the Smile Picture.  I explained in my post a little about him, but my sister added a comment that made me realize that I needed to say a bit more.

Al (as we called him) married my father's first cousin, Dorothy.  My father lived with Dorothy and Al after he returned from WWII.  My father had been seriously injured in the war, losing a leg but earning a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.  When he got out of the hospital Dorthy and Al welcomed him into their home.  At that time they had two children, Tim and Susan.  I think my father lived with them until he married my mother...but that is a whole other story.  I just need to stress the love and sense of 'family' that my father must have felt from Dorothy and Al. This relationship lasted for the rest of their lives and continues with our third cousins.

Dad holding Linda, Mother holding me, Al holding Mark, Susie standing
in front of Aunt Nett

This is almost the same picture as above.  Dad must be taking the picture and
Dorothy is in the shot.  Linda and Mark are holding hands.  This was taken in
summer of 1951 because Mother is holding me...the baby.

Dorothy, Al, Jo (Dorothy's sister) and Maxine

My sister and I credit Al for our 'beloved' traveling game, Stink Pink.  My parents had driven to Yellowstone National Park with Dorothy, Al and their son, Tim. (The rest of us young children were left at our grandparent's.)  On that trip Al taught them the Stink Pink game.  My father continued that tradition on our own family trips.  He would begin by saying, "I'm thinking of a geyser in the hills."  When we were young we loved playing this game, but as teenagers, Linda and I would give a silent groan.

The game was to find out what the person was thinking.  If the person said it was a Stink Pink, then the answer had to be two rhyming words.  I know there are different variations of this that others play, but we called ours Stink Pink.  I could be thinking of an obese feline and say that it was a Stink Pink.  The answer would be Fat Cat.  As for the geyser in the hills...that was a Stinky Pinky, meaning that there were two syllables in the words.  The answer for that is Mountain Fountain. Three syllable words were called Stinkity Pinkity.

Maxine, our mother, would not be satisfied with just giving clues.  She would make up elaborate stories, often getting lost in the object of the game, but somehow winding back to a clue.  We really did have fun playing this game...even as teenagers.

I feel like this blog post is similar to Maxine's Stink Pink stories.  I began by talking about my Smile Project because I wanted to write about Al  but wandered into the game he taught my parents so many years ago.  With that, I will stop before I....Stinky Pinky.  (Wander Longer...not perfect, but it will work.)  Okay, Ray doesn't like "Wander Longer" because it, as Paul Simon sings..."Strains to rhyme."  He thinks Wander Yonder works.  Hmmmm, I can't think of any other way to end this now so...you try!  :-)

National Zoo Pandas

Visiting the National Zoo

I have written about the Andean bear cubs and the orangutans in the National Zoo.  The main reason we went to the zoo was to see the Pandas!  We hoped to see the baby, Bei Bei.   We were so lucky that in early March the weather was warm.  We arrived to the zoo at 9:00 and planned to spend most of the day there. 

We headed straight for the Pandas because we feared that later in the day there would be a lot of people.  We had no lines to wait in!  One of the Pandas was chowing on bamboo.  We got to watch as he stripped the bamboo of all leaves and then used his strong teeth to crunch into his meal. 

A Collage of the Panda Eating Bamboo

We were told that Bei Bei was in a tree sleeping and that we could see him from the upper level.  Of course, we went the wrong way and followed a path that we later found out was for zoo staff only.  I guess, the fact that we were no longer on a sidewalk should have given us a clue that we were in forbidden territory.  Fortunately, we did not end up in any animal exhibits but ended up on a sidewalk behind the Pandas.  We followed it and found we were close to the Panda Café that had an overlook where Bei Bei was napping.



This is Bei Bei napping in the tree.  This was the most he would show himself.

Here is a video of a Panda eating bamboo.  If you listen carefully, you will hear him cracking into the bamboo.

We left the Pandas and visited the rest of the zoo.  On our way out, we check out the Pandas again but there were a lot more people there.  We made sure we did not take the forbidden path to the overlook when we checked to see if Bei Bei was awake.  He was still asleep, and the crowd made it difficult to get up close.  I am so glad we had already seen them.

Something to Chew on

What a sweet face!

This morning while I was in that zone between sleep and awake I heard Ray say, "What are you chewing on?"  That probably should have given me a shot of adrenalin to awaken me into action.  But instead I continued with my slumber.  It wasn't until later in the day that I found out what happened.

My friend, Rae, had the kind of stylus that you can click and it becomes a pen.  She used it all of the time because the chemo treatments had caused her finger tips to be numb.  After using hers, I realized that I'd like a similar stylus and so I ordered a few on line.  They are really inexpensive, so I got the variety pack with different colors.

Here is the variety pack.  There should be a
bronze color one, too.  Ary probably
has dragged it to his chewing den.

Back to today:  Ray asked me if I had heard Ary chewing on something this morning. 

"No, but I heard you saying something about chewing and I just thought it was part of a dream," was my reply.

"Well, I hate to tell you, but Ary chewed your stylus...broke it into pieces."

"At least it was not your glasses like he did last time.  The replacement cost is nil compared to your weird prescription eye glasses," I replied.

Ary has chewed the stylus to pieces.

You can see the teeth marks.



I was able to repair it!

 Ary, our cat, the one we adopted a year ago along with his sister, Molly......Ary is a chewer.  He likes plastic items, but his favorite chew toys are eyeglasses.   We first found this out when he chewed Ray's glasses beyond fixing and we had to fork out over $400 to replace them.  We try to keep all glasses tucked away, but sometimes he finds my reading glasses.  Those are no problem because I have a number of pairs in various places and replacement cost is not bad.



I have had puppies that chew, but never a cat.  I guess I should be thankful that Ary doesn't like to chew on leather or wood.

Ary in his cat tunnel bed showing no interest in the stylus he had chewed earlier.

When You're Smiling....

Smiling Susan

Today I am going to continue a project that a friend of mine began a year ago. Each day for a year Susan Keeker has posted a picture of a smile on Facebook.  I am not sure what she expected, but she had quite a following, people looking forward to seeing a smiling face. When she posted that she was going to end the smiles, I considered taking over. I did not say anything because I was timid about taking over such a successful project. (It was similar to the feeling I had when I was asked to take over the spelling bee because the seasoned and winning coach was ill. Bee Serious)  How can I ever make it as positive and fun as Susan has?

But, as last days of the week clicked off, I decided to ask Susan if it would be okay if she handed me the smiling torch and I would do my best.  Of course, being the kind and positive person she is...Susan accepted my offer, saying, "I'm honored. Please, do."  So now, the pressure is on.  Let me just write a few comments she has received about her smiling pictures. 

"You know I have loved your smile project, we have talked about it, there were days when I wasn't sure I could reach in far enough to find a smile within me and bring it out, on those days I could depend on your project to get me there. Thank you my friend for that!!"

"In a world filled with so much negativity, seeing your daily smiles was uplifting. Facebook tends to be filled with so many negative people who do not appreciate what they have - life. I tend to scroll quickly through posts to avoid the negative, but always stop to look at the smiles! Thank you for taking the time to post them!"

"I don't want you to stop!!!! Your smiles were beautiful, comical, stress relieving, joyful, fantastic, inspiring, and a reminder of how contagious they really are!! I loved seeing them every day!!!!"

" I too loved starting my day with your smile posts. My favorite smiles were from the random people you stopped and asked to pose for you. I imagine you made their day and they went on to tell others of their experience. Powerful stuff!"
" One day stands out in my mind when you had had a particularly bad day yourself and didn't feel like posting a smile, but then SO many friends and family commented on your post with smiles of their own to share with you in the hopes of cheering you up. That was an amazing moment to witness! It really showed just how much your smile project has meant to so many of us, and how much you mean to so many people as well."

There is not enough room for all of the comments but these give an idea of how so many people appreciated that Susan took the time to post a smile each day.  I have big shoes to fill, don't I?  I will take the leap and see how it goes.  My fist smile will be one of Susan.  She has touched so many lives and hearts.  Thanks, Susan.

Sit back everyone and view this kickoff  video for The Smile Project begun by Susan and continued by Jackie! You're Never Fully Dressed without a Smile

Mid-Way Meeting

The three of us

When I moved from Columbus to Toledo I wondered if I would lose contact with the many friends I made in my 40 plus years in Columbus.  That is one reason I like Facebook.  I have been able to keep up with so many people, seeing family pictures, reading about what is going on in their lives.  But Facebook doesn't fulfill meeting friends and spending an afternoon chatting.  That is what a few of my friends and I try to do a few times a year. 

Two friends, Bambi and Pottsy and I meet a number of times a year at Henry's restaurant in Kenton, OH.  That is about halfway from my house and theirs.  Yesterday, was one of those times.  We like to meet there because the place is big enough to where we don't feel crowded.  We always sit in one of their big booths...the kind that at least three people can sit on each side.  There is always something to celebrate like birthdays and Christmas.  Yesterday was my lucky day.  To my surprise, I was greeted with two gift bags as belated birthday gifts.  It seems most of our meetings celebrate a belated birthday because we never meet close to any of our birthdays.

Thanks, Henry's for being a great place for our mid-way meetings.

There are always specials, but we are not too adventurous and usually
get some sort of hamburger...and I get the onion rings.  Yummy!

Our server, Joanie, has been there many times and knows that we will be staying most of the afternoon.  She keeps our water glasses and soda filled and allows us time to chat without being hovering.  She is a great server and we appreciate her.  In fact, everyone we have had there has been accommodating and friendly.

We have two small traditions we make sure to follow.  One is, someone always brings a few lottery cards. There is always a lottery card tucked in the gift packages....but everyone likes a chance to win so there are always a few lottery cards for everyone.  At that time there are a few moments of quiet as we scratch the cards to discover we have won a dollar...or maybe five.  Until our last meeting, Bambi had never won anything, but last time she had a lucky five dollar winning card!  Yesterday I was the big winner.  I won $50!!!   It just occurred to me that I should have offered to pay the tab for all.  Hmmmm, sorry, Bambi and Pottsy....next time I will.

Bambi and Pottsy scratching off the lottery tickets.

The other tradition is that we each pick three Animal Medicine Cards.  This is from the deck of cards where each card has a picture of an animal with a short message.  The messages are always good advice for anyone to follow.  I started this tradition many years ago at our school district.  It was a fun way to take a break from the stress and check to see what your message was.  We decided to begin each year by each of us picking three cards.  We made copies of these and hung them near our desks as reminders to begin each day with a positive smile.

Bambi and Pottsy checking out the Animal Cards

An example of the advice given on an Animal Card is this.  The Fox says:  Blend in.  Avoid being the center of attention.  Become protective when needed

These were the cards Pottsy picked.

I am so glad that we have kept meeting for lunch at Henry's.  It would be much easier to let the time slip away and suddenly realizing that years have passed.  Thank, Bambi and Pottsy for taking time to meet.  I so enjoy our chatting that ranges from families, vacations and friends.  We support each other in times of loss or stress.  We spend most of the time laughing.  What a wonderful time.

A Swinging Time!

This one of the orangutans moving from one

tower to another.

 

Yesterday I wrote about my camera dilemma while trying to take videos of the Andean bear cubs at the National Zoo.  Today I will share some pictures of the orangutans.  The National Zoo has a unique habitat/exhibit for the orangutans.  They call it "The O Line" which is a system of cables suspended 50 feet high from eight towers.  The orangutans are able to climb up and down the two end towers.  They can travel from the Great Ape House to the Think Tank, a total of about 490 feet.  Here is a link that explains it in more detail.  The O Line

I took a number of videos and pictures of the orangutans but am unable to upload the videos, so here is a YouTube made by Bob Kovacs. It is great and shows the orangutans traveling along The O Line. Orangutans on the O Line  It is well worth watching and was taken on a sunny day, so the colors are better.

Here are some more pictures.  I could have watched the orangutans all day....well, after watching the playful Andean bear cubs.  Hmmmmm....can not say which I liked best.

Finally made it to the end!  Now for a rest.

 

 

Thanks, Ray, for giving me another title for this blog.  You are the best!

 

 

 

Orangutans on the O Line