NEWS(Most Recent First)
December 31, 2008: New Year's Eve: I got an email from the supplier of my WebCam saying that it works with MSN Messenger. I downloaded Windows Live programs, including Messenger and then I was unable to reboot properly until after lunch. Then my computer said it couldn't load Norton because my virus definitions were out of date and I had to wait for my computer to pick up the wireless signal in the house. When it did, I uploaded the lastest Norton stuff and tried to set up Windows Live, but found nothing for viewing my WebCam as I had supposed. Ed came over in the afternoon, bringing me a strawberry sundae. I received my HD TV Tuner in the mail at least five days early. It was a lot smaller than I had imagined. After Ed left, I set it up. I got a picture, and then lost it again. December 30, 2008: Ed came over and we watched Dragon's Horde and Hercules on TV. He drove me to Dollar Tree where I bought some waterless hand cleaner for Margaret and some snacks for me. I got my WebCam. At first I could not figure out how to view the picture, but I found a freeware program called YawCam that works, and I can save stills from it too, but it flashes badly. The pictures are only 640 x 480 pixels. December 29, 2008: I downloaded and installed a freeware program called AutoHotKey to program macros. Ed came over in the afternoon and we watched TV together. I watched Tin Man in the evening.
December 28, 2008: The temperature was 51o F when I got up. I got ready for Church, then I went to the front door and took photos of the street. The snow was clear from the street to make it easy for someone to pick me up for Church. After breakfast, Larry and his wife picked me up. There was still fields covered with snow with water puddled on top in some places. The parking lot at Church was cleared except for huge mounds of snow in places. In Sacrament meeting our choir sang the Christmas Cantata (delayed due to the snow) and Brother Frank Card spoke on the meaning of the Symbols of Christmas. In Sunday School, we finished up our discussion of the Book of Mormon. And in Priesthood, Br. Woolner taught the lesson "Pray Always" from the October Conference talk by Elder Bednar. On the way home I took photos of the roads and terrain. December 27, 2008: The temperature rose to 47o F today, and it rained most of the day. The streets still had snow on them, but much reduced with bare ruts where the wheels had passed. Ed dropped by and we watched TV. I hooked up the karaoke machine for the speakers and watched TV on my computer.
December 26, 2008: It was 33o F when I got up for breakfast. It was up to 37o F before I took a nap. At lunch it was still the same, No snow seen falling. The trees are mostly bare of snow, but there are deep drifts on the ground. I napped some more and then went on SodaHead.com. I got an email from my Son. He says he will try to come up and see me after the snow melts. I ordered an HD TV Tuner I will be able to plug into my 19" monitor to watch HDTV (less than $40) from Amazon.com.
December 25, 2008: Christmas Day: At 9 am, with the temperature outside finally up to 32o F, we had another snow shower. I sang karaoke. After lunch I took a nap. The snow came down harder for a while, then quit. Ed phoned me. I uploaded the photos in my camera to my computer. After supper, I worked on my website.
December 24, 2008: Christmas Eve: The snow was falling again by the time I got up (6:45 am). I shaved a week and a half of whiskers. I connected a USB hub to the front of my computer. After breakfast, I took a bath. I tried phoning Mom but got no answer. I sang karaoke for a couple of hours. After lunch, I napped, then I phoned and talked with Mom and Dad. Jim says he will be seeing them in the evening in spite of the weather. No one has heard from Ernie lately. After supper, we opened presents. I got a knit shirt (horizontally striped) and a pair of olive green exercise pants.
December 23, 2008: Before going to bed, I ordered a 5 MP web cam (blue, of course) from Amazon.com. It should arrive the first week in January. I got about 4 yours sleep before getting up for breakfast. Ed came and watched The Sword of the Valiant and NEXT with me. I recieved my monthly batch of medications and counted and sorted them.
December 22, 2008: The snow was still falling. I got an e-mail from my daughter. The iciness is spoiling her plans to hang with her friends today, but otherwise, she has been enjoying the weather. I took photos of the street and created a panorama. Ed Owen managed to get here at noon and we watched two movies, Iron Man and The Wind and the Lion. He made it home with only some trouble waiting for others to get unstuck in two places. After he left, I worked on my website converting several pages of my autobiography to yearly pages. My daughter sent me a paragraph to add to the page I have about her and I added that as well as updating her photos.
December 21, 2008: First Day of Winter, Sunday: The official time of the Winter Solstice is 4:04 am PST. Shortly after midnight, the mixed rain and snow reached us while the temperature was still only 18o F. Freezing rain set in about 1 am. I went to bed. At breakfast, there was a light freezing rain. Dan built a new snowman, even bigger than the last one. I took my walker out into the snow and got halfway to the corner before turning around and coming back. I took some outdoor photos, including the front of the house. In the late afternoon, the snow resumed.
December 20, 2008: I woke to falling snow. The morning weather report said it was just the foreshadowing of a big storm coming. The snow increased during the day. At 7 pm, I got a phone call saying that Church was cancelled for the next day. I phoned my home teaching families to let them know.
December 19, 2008: A light snow fell all morning with the temperature just above freezing. My regular Elderplace appointment was cancelled, as was Martha's yesterday. Ed Owen came over in the afternoon and we watched movies together (Journey to the Center of the Earth and The Golden Compass).
December 18, 2008: (36th anniversary of Sandy's death) A light snow began to fall around 9 am. It began to fall much thicker an hour later and began to stick even though the temperature was still above freezing (had been all morning). There was a break about noon, then another snow shower in the afternoon. The snowman had lost all its teeth and eyes. I briefly got my computer to show on the monitor by blindly hitting the menu key, down three times and Enter; this loaded the LDS Scriptures program and the screen appeared, but I soon discovered that the wireless wasn't working. I managed to do it again about 9 pm and this time the wireless icon appeared, too.
December 17, 2008: A light snow began to fall around 9 am. I rearranged part of my room, Changing my computer desk and storage units. I had to disconnect my computer in the process and was unable to reboot it the rest of the day. December 15, 2008: Ed came over. After lunch, we went to Hollywood Video. I bought four DVD movies: The Golden Compass, Iron Man, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Wall-E, all previously viewed videos. I had only seen Iron Man in the theater. I took photos of the snow while I was out. Dan built a snowman on the deck near the back door so everyone could enjoy it without getting cold. I donated my scarf, my Irish hat, and blue glass stones for the mouth.
December 14, 2008: A week before Winter officially starts, we got snow, with a promise of more and the below freezing temperatures remaining until Winter starts. I stayed home from Church because of the weather. I decided not to go to Salem for Christmas due to the weather forcast leading up to it.
December 13, 2008: It was so cold (65 degrees in my room) that I closed my window. I learned that snow is expected, starting in the evening and several times over the coming week. December 12, 2008: I went to Elderplace, as usual, except\ that I wore my white shirt and tie. One of the therapists talked to me about what kind of "reacher" I needed. I sang Christmas karaoke using the Elderplace machine. After lunch, Steve picked me up to go home teach a new Ward member. Afterward, Steve gave me a bottle of Martinelli's Sparkling Cider, a jar of pistaccio nuts, and a Christmas letter. After I got home, Ed came over and we watched TV together.
December 11, 2008: In the evening, I was told there was a full moon rising, so I went out on the front porch and took photos. December 9, 2008: I wrote a poem, The Star. December 8, 2008: Ed came and he drove me to Dollar Tree where I bought gifts for the household. I also got some white rocks for the bottom of my 5 gallon fish tank and some snacks. We went to Round Table Pizza and had buffet, starting with salad. Then we went to Big Lots where I bought a weather station for my room (indoor temperature and 24 hr weather prediction). We went home and watched three movies. After Ed went home, I changed the stones in the 5 gallon tank. December 7, 2008: I went to Church. It was Fast Sunday. Sunday School was on the first part of Ether. Priesthood was an introduction to the Committees: Preaching the Gospel, Strengthening the Brethren, and Temple Work. December 6, 2008: I could only count seven of the eight tetras. I moved four to the large tank and the two smallest goldfish to the small tank. After lunch I went to Mary Lou's memorial service. I didn't get a program. They were only expecting twenty people and at least twice that number showed up. It was very good. A David McKaig (sp?) who had known her for 18 years told us about her. Bishop Ipson spoke of how the gospel affected her life. Afterward, there was a light lunch and I visited with Larry and his wife, mostly his wife. Larry helped the Bishop clean up and set up chairs for Sunday.
December 5, 2008: I went to Elderplace as usual. On my way I saw three deer passing from one nursing home across Roberts Drive and got one photo before they all disappeared. I also got two photos of Mt. St. Helens. I weighed 320.5 lbs, and my blood pressure was 112/64, and my pulse was 60. I sang karaoke (Christmas songs. After lunch, I wheeled to CB's Aquarium shop and bought 8 neon tetras for ten dollars. When I got home, I introduced them to the small tank. December 4, 2008: I was taken to my podiatrist's office by Matthew, who picked me up at 9:15 am, to have my feet looked at, especially the right one, and the doctor said it looked good. My toenails were trimmed, too. I waited with Sarah, from Elderplace, for over an hour for my ride home. Dawn got me home by 12:05 pm. December 3, 2008: The house got an electric piano. Raymond, Winda's son, can play a little. I wrote a poem, GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, AND MYRRH. My smallest goldfish died. I put her companion in the big tank with the other fish and named him 'Oliver' because he is an orphan. December 2, 2008: We watched "Ice Age: The Meltdown" on the new HD TV in the morning. The Comcast "Cable Guy" came about 2 pm. He was here to hook up the new 32" TV in the dining room, but when he finally left, it was not working. I examined it and found the cable was not even connected to the TV. I connected it, set up the channels (there are now more channels than our regular TVs get), and set the clock. Some of the regular channels are more or less "snowy" because of the definition of the New TV being so much greater than the signal provides for. December 1, 2008: Dan and Winda set up a new 32" HD TV in a corner of the dining room. Using a DVD player from another part of the house, we watched "Fly Away Home".
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