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February 20, 2009
IT'S FRIDAY, MY FAVORITE DAY!!
Last weekend was great! We started out on Friday by going to a presentation by the Coaster's Readers Theater from Cannon Beach. They were performing for one night in Manzanita and Dave and I wanted to compare the local Riverbend Reader's Theater that Dave has performed in with this group. There was no comparison! Not that our local group is bad or anything (they are all very talented), but the Cannon Beach group is a company of current or former pros and were very good. There were six actors, and they changed roles as they performed a series of about 20 vignettes in the "Dining Room". It was a fun evening and I'm glad we went. Before the show, we had dinner at the "Sand Dune Pub", a local Manzanita eatery that we had been meaning to try - so this was a new experience for us twice that night!
On Saturday night (Valentine's Day) Dave had made reservations for the dinner train ride from Garibaldi to Wheeler and back. The train started out around 4:30 and headed north along Tillamook Bay, the Pacific Ocean and finally Nehalem Bay while we feasted on a four-course dinner of either seafood or beef. It seemed strange to drive all the way to Garibaldi to get on a train that went right by our house before turning back. It was fun to see the place from the railcar, though. It was a great trip and a perfect valentine treat. I'm also glad we were able to make the trip, because right after that, the owners of the railroad said they were unable to commit to repairing the line over the coast range and were going to quit maintaining the track. The dinner train can't afford to take on that responsibility by itself, so the tourist train's days may be numbered.
On Sunday I had invited all the neighbors over for a "Map Your Neighborhood" video on emergency preparedness. I had intended to have this meeting months ago and finally was able to get everyone together. It was well received and we wrote down everyone's name and phone numbers and any special needs in case there is a disaster like the hurricane we had about a year ago. We also listed everyone's abilities to help in an emergency. For instance, the neighbors up the street are both firefighters and she's a nurse too. Dave is a ham radio operator. We now know where the propane tanks are for each house and who might need extra assistance in an emergency. It was a project to get people to sit down and prepare, but after going through the training, we know it is better to be prepared now than sorry later!
We have had some really nice days and some beautiful sunsets. It makes you thankful to have such beautiful surroundings to live in. Monday was such a beautiful day that I decided I had better get a little yard work done while I had the chance. I spend some time raking the remaining leaves from the yard and pulling up the dead plants out of my flowerpots. When we took this picture at sunset, there wasn't a breath of wind and the river was flat calm - very unusual for February. I also gave the lawn a good dose of fertilizer. So now I guess we need some rain to wash it in! I think that will happen this weekend.
I have been having problems with a raccoon that has been eating out of my bird feeders. He has been coming to the feeders anywhere from 9:30 in the morning to sometime after dark. I have been bringing the feeders in at night, so now I guess he figures he can out smart me by coming during the day. I have been practicing my b-b gun maneuvers on him and it's lucky for him that I can't hit the broad side of a barn.
By the middle of the week, we had to come back into town for a few Blazer games. Dave had broadcasts on Wednesday and tonight, with another one on Sunday, so we decided to just stay in town all week. We had to take our taxes to the CPA. We had made that appointment several months ago and figured that there would be no problem collecting the info and getting it all together for him by the 19th of February. What we didn't know was that the government gave everyone until the 15th to get the 1099's out and of course, some of those are late! So we still didn't have all the info we needed. After a few phone calls and emails, we got everything and got good news from the taxman, we DON'T have to pay the government any extra money this year!! It's been kind of a tough year and that was very good news. Leslie's sister-in-law cuts Dave's hair and she lives five minutes from the CPA, so he was able to get a much-needed haircut while we were in the neighborhood. Good news twice in one morning!
Saturday, we are planning on driving down to see our oldest granddaughter, Ashtin play basketball. Her game starts at 8:30 in the morning so hopefully we will be able to make it in time. This is also the weekend that Ashtin will get her pig for her 4-H project and some chickens will also be arriving to fill up the little animal barn that Leslie and Jason have been working on. I am taking along an empty egg carton in hopes of getting a few eggs one of these days!
