LaVerne & Shirley's Excellent Adventure!!

Here we are on one of our LaVerne & Shirley Hikes



I’m not exactly sure what possessed three very intelligent (or so I thought)
“60 something” ladies to hike the perimeter of Timothy Lake. Maybe it was the need to do it one more time before...you know… everything gives out. I heard the bladder is the first to go and I can’t imagine hiking anywhere with wet pants, let alone 13 miles around the lake. OK after yesterday I can imagine hiking with wet pants…I’ll get into that later.

We left Bethany at 8:00 AM sharp…back packs…food and water jugs and more than ready for this adventure. We met newly weds Thor and Christine and their 3 children at the lake and at exactly 10:05 we hit the trail with high expectations. Now different people have different reasons for hiking and I hike just because I love nature and gabbing with friends. When packing my fanny pack I crammed all the food it would hold and filled my 22 ounce water bottle. Heck yea 22 ounces is enough water…I was worried about not having enough food. That was my first mistake…and believe me when I say there were many more “mistakes” along the way.

#1….I already mentioned my thinking 13 miles would be a walk in the park. “We can do it”, was our chant. We started out dodging horse poop alone the way and I couldn’t help thinking, “I wish they would clean up after their animals”. With a frown and averted eyes I would step around the obnoxious odor. At approx the half way mark I was just barely missing the poop (feet too tired to step much out of the way) and I no longer required my rests to be “poop Free”.

#2….Oh if I could do it all over again…if only God would give me a do over…I would take more water. If only I had taken more water I would not be known by new friends Thor and Christine “as the woman who steals water”. Yes I admit it and as I write this I must admit that’s not one of my finest moments. Half-way through the hike my bottle is empty and with mouth dry…a headache and seeing water mirages…OK maybe I exaggerate some…we came upon a campsite and there on their picnic table is a HUGE bottle of water. I asked if I could have some of their water..nobody answered…and I was reasonable sure that if they would have been there they would have said yes.

#3….OK the wet pants thing. I think we were probably 8 miles or so into the hike and we had lost our fearless leaders but just as we turned the bend there they were in the lake with water up to their neck. OK so who said you needed a swim suit to jump in a lake….shorts and t-shirts worked very fine I might add. After a 30-45 minute water break we were continuing our hike with dripping pants but totally revived.

#4...I think mistake number four is not realizing exactly how far thirteen miles really is. Ardis put it in prospective for us at about the eight mile marker when she made here excellent observation, "do you realize 13 miles is like me walking from my house t o Woodburn". The hike, or should I say plodding, by that point was no longer fun. It was not a walk in the park. It was an extreme test of our character and heat indurance. I so totally wanted to whine at that point...but we plodded along with our blisters hurting...our hips grinding (at that age, yes our hips do grind) my wet pants rubbing my upper thighs sore...fly's so big they tried to carry me off...and horse poop on my shoes (too tired at this point to step over it) I was no longer interested in looking at the beautiful scenery, or chattiing for that matter. Thor tried endless times to point out to us the wild flowers...yes, yes big deal...for the 30th time the lake is beautiful..now how far is it agian to the car.

Thanks Thor and Christine for escorting three senior ladies on our excellent adventure. After Thor's 15th time of walking back to see what haooened to us he told us the car is just over the dam. Did I believe him? No I did not. He had tried that ploy many times with "just one more mile". We parted with hugs all around so I think we are still friends.

A golf tournament to remember!!

After one day of golf lessons…no after 1 hour of golf lessons we decided to sign up for a golf tournament. In all honesty I guess I should say I decided to sign up for a golf tournament and encouraged my family members…once friends…to sign up with me. I guess I am also using the word encouraged very loosely.

But I do need a little credit here because it was advertised by word and by mouth that this is a “golf fun day”!! Our one hour golf instructor also told us, “go and have a good time”. So with much enthusiasm on my part and lots of second thoughts by my team members we signed up for a “fun day of golf”. We did have fun even though one lady on the team behind us kept a constant stream of obscenities flowing our way. OK maybe not obscenities but very rude behavior for someone that is supposed to be having a "fun day of golf”. We were too slow…we were holding people up…we needed to hurry along!! We lost a total of 10 balls in the water….that was fun…hit the roof or sides of 3 different houses….that was fun…stepped in lots of duck poop…but that was while trying to retrieve our numerous balls from the water. We finished in 1 ½ hours and they said have fun you have 2 hours to finish…so we did good…especially considering we spent at least half of that time looking for the next T.

Then the big grand finale the dinner and the award ceremony. On the way there Irene exclaimed, “Oh no I forgot my camera”. I said bummer, “now who’s going to take our picture when they give us the winning trophy”? Our score was 74…don’t ask me what that means because our 1 hour golf lesson did not include scoring. Then they announced the lowest and the highest score. Forty something for low and 62 for high. What happened to our 74? We were afraid to ask but it was suggested they probably threw our score card away….you really can’t say that kind of score out loud I guess.

So all in all I can honestly say I had a fun day of golf….but I can’t answer for the others.

Sailing on a Promise

Sometimes I feel I would love to just sail away
Off into the sunset and a brand new day.

A day with no worries and lots of play
Just sail and sail the ocean all day.

Is this sail boat worthy, can it stand the test?
Can it sail forever and ever and never rest?

Is the captain knowledgeable can he keep me safe?
Or is he like captain Ron...a real disgrace?

But it is a promise and this I hold dear
that he will do all in his power to make sure I'm secure.

Then in my dream it is all so clear
the captain is you and I release all my fear.

It's just a hint of a promise but so romantic it seems
To sail on a promise has been one of my dreams.

Unsheltered with billowing sails
just floating along as if on whispering veils.

A promise is to keep...so just hold on tight.
but sometimes they are illusive as the moon shadows at night.

In my dreams I wonder is it real or will it fail?
Is is truly just a dream? Will I really sail?

Because my dreams are a vast as the sea
maybe this dream I should just let it be!!

I could still hold your hand

At this time last year you were still with me, but now a brand new year, a brand new start. It's 2010 and slowly, ever so slowly...the sun has moved across the sky and the clouds are slowly disappearing.

Back then I could hold your hand and you were there with me always.

Now it's today, a new year and I realize you are still with me..always!

I felt sad because I could no longer hold your hand.

but then like magic you appear as we dance to our song...You are holding me once again, you've been gone so long.

Majestic, gentle outstretched arms hold me as we dance in my dreams.

The arms that are holding me are strong as we glide so light...But wait...are these your arms that lift me in flight?

My eyes are downcast as we glide across the floor...I am amazed at the lightness with which we soar.

I am so relaxed in your arms and just enjoyiing the dance...You guide me so gently as you put me in your trance.

But as I gaze up and sweetly look into your face.....

I realize it's you LORD...

In the just born morning you've come with your embrace.

You remind me when your eyes meet mine...How very much you love him, and now he is thine.

It's you Lord that gives me comfort so dear...it's you Lord that has filled me with grace.

It's you Lord that holds me so tight.

It's you Lord dancing with me with a glowing face.

It's you Lord that reminds me so gently

Not now..not today...maybe not tomorrow..but soon I promise.

The hole in your heart is getting smaller and the clouds disappear with the rain,

and soon you will remember him with sunshine...and not with pain!!

January 18, 2010

Happy 2010 to everyone.....

I enjoy writing and I send to my friends and family. But do they want me to send them my ramblings?? Maybe or maybe not. Now they have a choice if they want to see my ramblings..they can go to my blog and they won't have all my "stuff" filling up their E-mail.

Shirl.... The early morning poet