As I was saying and more importantly . . .

Mon., March 10, 2003 - Nancy took me to appointment with Dr. Semin in p.m.  Played cards in evening and stopped afterward at Dolores' to play Rummikub.  Mary brought me a bouquet of 10 daffodils -- very, very pretty.

Tues., March 11, 2003 - The HandiVan took me to my hair appointment.  The maintenance man put a new seat on the toilet stool.  Dolores came in evening.  She had a new game of Dominoes.  We played several games and then some Rummikub.

Wed., March 12, 2003 - Katie Bleich called to tell me she would be visiting me tomorrow.  Went to Book Club this evening.

So much for my remark that posting twice a week would be no big deal.  (That is what I wrote, right?)  Oh, well.  I'm here now.

I remember well the daffodil bouquet.  It was a fundraiser for The Cancer Society and I bought three or four bouquets each year.  They were still unopened buds when I picked them up, and it was fun to watch them do their thing.  Oddly enough, I was thinking of that fundraiser just the other day and wondered if they were still doing it.  

More important than flowers is the newest family member.  Ottie Pope Bowder was born to happy parents Dane and Alison and big sister Willa on April 21.  It's so lovely to have good news since the last couple of years have been a bit dreary in many respects.  Plus, she's pretty cute.

Belated happy birthday to Grandma

Fri., March 7, 2003 - Talked to Jenny -- she said she's real busy so I'd better get a permanent here.  I really need one.  So I'll be getting one tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.  Nancy will take me.  Saw "Coal Miner's Daughter" in the evening.  Talked to Greta in evening.

Sat., March 8, 2003 - Nancy took me to get permanent.  Went to Stauffer's for dinner.  Nancy went home right away.  Dolores came in evening for several games of Rummikub.

Sun., March 9, 2003 - Nancy came at noon with dinner from Popeye's.  The usual Sunday chores.  Mitch and Anna were here in p.m. while Mary attended her writers' group meeting. 

I certainly meant to post on Grandma's actual birthday, but you know how things go. I did think of her often during the day.  Maybe it's weird, but I take comfort in birthdays that are past the age when the person would still likely be around.  So, 110 years isn't unheard of but certainly isn't usual.  Those birthdays aren't quite so bittersweet for me.

And bad news in 2022 with Kevin Andersen's wife, Mary, dying recently of pancreatic cancer.  She was one of my favorite family members.  She was always so pleasant and fun.  And it seemed that she and Kevin were at nearly every gathering we had; reunions, funerals, anniversaries, just everything.  Which nowadays with everyone so busy is quite the thing.  She will be sorely missed.  And now the Three Marys are down to two.  Someone needs to name a baby Mary just to get us back to three.

Ten years?!

Tues., March 4, 2003 - Snowing so called off hair appointment.

Wed., March 5, 2003 - Too much snow to tackle the sidewalks.  Went to Book Club in the evening.

Thurs., March 6, 2003 - Called Myrtle in a.m.  Baked a chocolate cake.  Tom came for supper and usual tasks.  We played Rummikub.

Well, it's a milestone I guess, and quite the surprising one. I started this blog TEN YEARS AGO!  Can you believe it?  The first post was January 27, 2012.  And I have been very lax over the last, what, five years?  (Probably more.)  Likely, perhaps because I know the ending of it all is not a happy one.

That being said, I did a little math.  Up until today, I had published 1,067 posts.  So that's 106 per year, or roughly two per week.  That makes me feel a bit better.  So, I may shoot for at least two a week going forward.  If I manage more, all's the better.

The photo is of Roscoe, either adoring me or questioning my ability to do two posts a week.

What to pick from?

Sat., March 1, 2003 - Talked to Greta. Lydia Witte died last week.  Ruby Ritze's granddaughter had triplets -- a boy and identical girl twins.  On TV watched "Milestones and Memories" of Lawrence Welk shows.  Very very interesting.

Sun., March 2, 2003 - Nancy came at noon and brought pizza. The same Sunday routine.  We played several games of Rummikub.

Mon., March 3, 2003 - Played cards in the evening.  Delores served pumpkin pie.

For only three, somewhat short entries, I have several things to talk about.

I don't know which Ritze granddaughter that is, but regardless, I wonder what the medical odds are of triplets that include identical twins.

I could comment on memories of my own of watching Lawrence Welk.  For instance I, or Grandma, recorded on a tape recorder (nothing so much as a VCR then) an episode or two and I remember listening and re-listening to one of them.  I'm not sure what the theme of the show was but two of the songs were Edelweiss and Loch Lomond.  Which then leads me to remember how when tape recorders were new, we'd turn one on and secretly record family conversations, usually over a meal.  I suppose people nowadays would consider that low-tech and likely not fun, but I recall we did get a bang out of listening to some of those afterwards. And there is still the classic, and long lost, recording of, at a minimum Aunt Irene and Aunt Helen, in the car somewhere and lost.  I can't recall a single word of it but do remember it was hysterical to listen to as they tried to figure out where they were.

And on a slow day, I could also research and/or comment on pumpkin pie, a real favorite of mine and of Mitch's.  I tell people we can't leave him alone in a room with one.  Perhaps not so much now that he's grown, but definitely when he was growing up.

Lastly, and unrelated to Grandma's entries, I'd like to mention that yesterday was my 60th birthday.  Rather a non-event given the current Covid restrictions. I had hoped to rent out the Joyo Theatre on Sunday and have a showing of a movie, open to family that wanted to come.  I thought having the theater to ourselves would be okay since we could all spread out. But since I had been exposed recently and new cases are through the roof, I thought it wise not to do it at all.  And normally I would bring treats to work, but out of 20 or so of us, I think 6 were here.  I didn't know that the night before but I was strangely unmotivated to make anything.  Kinda glad I didn't since I would have had extras to bring home and no one wants to be tempted with that.  It was such a non-event that around 10 p.m. I finally reminded John what day it was since he had not yet mentioned it.  But, the highlight of the day was Anna dropping by my office with a gift from her and Dakota and Mitch -- a Cricut machine.  Something I had been secretly interested in but had not thought to buy for myself.  So, good call on the kids' part.  The gift was really nice, of course, but the best part was having a little unexpected visit with Anna.

Laurel, but not Nebraska

Wed., February 26, 2003 - Mary took me to have my hair-do and Zoya brought me home -- we had planned to have lunch together but she wasn't feeling too well.  Went to Book Club in evening.

Thurs., February 27, 2003 - Called Marjorie C. -- today is her birthday.  Tom came in the evening for the usual reasons.  We played 2 games of Rummikub.

Fri., February 28, 2003 - Went to the movies in the library this evening.  Saw a Laurel & Hardy show and also a Roy Rogers show.  Called Helen.

And here's some information on Laurel and Hardy, most of which I absolutely did not know.  From Wikipedia:

    "Laurel and Hardy were a comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in the silent era, they later successfully transitioned to "talkies". From the late 1920s to the mid-1950s, they were internationally famous for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy, childlike friend to Hardy's pompous bully.  Their signature theme song, known as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos" (by Hollywood composer T. Marvin Hatley) was heard over their films' opening credits, and became as emblematic of them as their bowler hats.

    Prior to emerging as a team, both had well-established film careers. Laurel had acted in over 50 films, and worked as a writer and director, while Hardy was in more than 250 productions. Both had appeared in The Lucky Dog (1921), but were not teamed at the time. They first appeared together in a short film in 1926, when they signed separate contracts with the Hal Roach film studio.  They officially became a team in 1927 when they appeared in the silent short Putting Pants on Philip. They remained with Roach until 1940, and then appeared in eight B movie comedies for 20th Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1941 to 1945.  After finishing their film commitments at the end of 1944, they concentrated on performing stage shows, and embarked on a music hall tour of England, Ireland and Scotland. They made their last film in 1950, a French-Italian co-production called Atoll K.

    They appeared as a team in 107 films, starring in 32 short silent films, 40 short sound films, and 23 full-length feature films. They also made 12 guest or cameo appearances, including in the Galaxy of Stars promotional film of 1936.  On December 1, 1954, they made their sole American television appearance, when they were surprised and interviewed by Ralph Edwards on his live NBC-TV program 'This Is Your Life'. Since the 1930s, their works have been released in numerous theatrical reissues, television revivals, 8-mm and 16-mm home movies, feature-film compilations, and home videos. In 2005, they were voted the seventh-greatest comedy act of all time by a UK poll of professional comedians. The official Laurel and Hardy appreciation society is The Sons of the Desert, after a fictitious fraternal society in the film of the same name."

Sounds like winter for certain

Sun., February 23, 2003 - Started snowing during the night and snowed until afternoon.  Since Nancy worked yesterday Mary was going to help me today.  Because of snow she stayed home -- a wise thing to do. Ray called in p.m.  They are okay -- were having snow, too.

Mon., February 24, 2003 - Saw "Rose Marie" this p.m.  Some pretty songs.  Howard Keel was one of the cast.  Played cards in evening -- I won 2 games!

Tues., February 25, 2003 - Very cold this morning, -4 degrees!!!  Bill came to take me to the dental clinic -- appointment was 8:00 a.m.  Was back home by 10:00.  Played Rummikub with Delores in p.m. 

I hope it was truly bad snow for me to bail on helping Grandma.  I'm thinking the car I had then wasn't the best on treacherous streets, so maybe it was indeed a wise thing.

Here's what I found about Rose Marie, from good ol' Wikipedia:

    "Rose Marie is a 1954 American musical film adaptation of the 1924 operetta of the same name, the third to be filmed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, following a 1928 silent movie and the best-known of the three, the 1936 Jeanette MacDonald-Nelson Eddy version. It is directed by Mervyn LeRoy and stars Ann Blyth, Howard Keel and Fernando Lamas. This version is filmed in the Canadian Rockies in CinemaScope. It was MGM's first US produced film in the new widescreen medium (having been preceded by the British-made Knights of the Round Table), and the first movie musical of any studio to be released in this format. It was part of a revival of large-budget operetta films produced in the mid-1950s.  The story adheres closely to that of the original libretto, unlike the 1936 version.  It is somewhat altered by a tomboy-to-lady conversion for the title character."

That being said, here's what they had to say about the original operetta:

    "Rose-Marie is an operetta-style musical with music by Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart, and book and lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. The story is set in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and concerns Rose-Marie La Flemme, a French Canadian girl who loves miner Jim Kenyon. When Jim falls under suspicion for murder, her brother Emile plans for Rose-Marie to marry Edward Hawley, a city man.

The work premiered on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on September 2, 1924, running for 557 performances. It was the longest-running Broadway musical of the 1920s until it was surpassed by The Student Prince (1926). It was then produced at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London in 1925, enjoying another extraordinary run of 581 performances. It was filmed in 1928, in 1936 and again in 1954.

The best-known song from the musical is "Indian Love Call". It became Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy's "signature song". Several other numbers have also become standards, including the title song."

Happy birthday to Aunt Helen

Thurs., February 20, 2003 - Myrtle called in a.m.  Had to cut our visit short as I had a visitor, Marilyn Mark brought me a delicious pastry -- don't know what it is called.  Tom came for supper and the usual chores.

Fri., February 21, 2003 - Helen's birthday.  Saw the movie "Road to Hong Kong" with Bing Crosby & Bob Hope -- silly but funny.  Only 5 of us there for the show.

Sat., February 22, 2003 - Tom came for me & took me to church.  Merilyn was at a shower and came by herself.  Went to Tom's after church.  Merilyn brought spaghetti for our supper & then we played a new type of dominoes -- was lots of fun.

I'm guessing that was an evening church service for Merilyn to have had time to go to a shower beforehand.  

According to the following plot summary from Wikipedia, it does sound like a fun but silly movie.  Especially the end.

The story is told in flashback as Diane (Joan Collins) explains to American Intelligence how transmissions from passengers picked up from a missile to the moon are by Americans rather than Russians.

"Harry Turner (Bing Crosby) and Chester Babcock (Bob Hope) are defrauding people in Calcutta by selling a "Do-it-yourself interplanetary flight kit" that ends up injuring Chester, giving him amnesia. An Indian doctor (Peter Sellers) says the only way for Chester's amnesia to be cured is through help from monks in a lamasery in Tibet.

At the airport, Chester mistakenly picks up a suitcase with a marking designed to be a point of contact between agents of a SPECTRE-type spy organization called "The Third Echelon." Diane (Collins), a Third Echelon secret agent, is supposed to give plans of a Russian rocket fuel stolen by the Third Echelon to the man with the suitcase, who will be taking them to headquarters in British Hong Kong. She mistakenly thinks Chester is the contact.

In Tibet, the two make their way to the lamasery in Lost Horizon fashion. Not only do the lamas cure Chester, but they have a Tibetan tea leaf that gives super memory powers to those who consume it. Chester and Harry observe as great works of Western literature in the manner of Fahrenheit 451 are committed to memory, one giggling lama (David Niven) memorizes Lady Chatterley's Lover. The scheming Harry decides to steal a bottle to give Chester the power of photographic memory for lucrative nefarious purposes.

Returning to Calcutta, followed by Diane, Harry has Chester test the results of the memory herb by memorizing the rocket formula that Diane placed in Chester's coat. Not knowing what it is, Harry destroys it after Chester has successfully memorized it. Diane arrives too late, but after seeing Chester recite the formula, she offers them $25,000 to meet her in Hong Kong. On the way to Hong Kong, an agent of the High Lama replaces the stolen Tibetan herbs with a similar bottle containing ordinary tea leaves.

The Third Echelon is seeking the fuel for its own spacecraft with an underwater launching pad in Hong Kong. The goal is to be the first on the moon, where a base is to be established to launch nuclear weapons against Earth and to bring survivors under the agency's control.

With a Russian launch to the moon carrying two apes imminent, the Third Echelon, which was going to emulate the Soviet achievement, decides to gain respect at the United Nations by launching two human astronauts, Chester and Harry, instead of apes. The two are used as guinea pigs (and fed with bananas) to test the capabilities of the spacecraft and the effects of spaceflight upon humans. The mission is successful, with moonlight bringing back Chester's photographic memory.

Diane decides to leave the Third Echelon when she discovers that once her colleagues have extracted the final formula from Chester, they plan to dissect Chester and Harry to see the effects of space travel on their bodies. Diane helps the boys escape. They are pursued through Hong Kong, eventually leading Diane to the authorities. Chester and Harry happen to meet Dorothy Lamour at a nightclub where they are recaptured by the Third Echelon.

Chester, Harry and Diane all end up in a rocket bound for another planet. They think they're alone after landing, but they're not—Chester calls out, "The Italians!" as they are joined by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.