Life goes on..and on...and on... (LOL)

Sorry, just being silly with the title. I am just back from working in Libby and staying there for 5 days (in the dorm room they provided for me). I was on call over the weekend and saw a few patients too. I went to see the new Harry Potter movie while in a town with a theater. I enjoyed it and can't wait to see the second part of the last movie. I am in Heron, staying at my old house, trying to get some packing done. I have a hard time doing it alone because I can not decide what to do with each thing, throw it away, pack it or give it away. I know that I need to throw more stuff away. I hope to be done her in the next couple of days. It is the 8th today and although I considered myself moved into the new place on the 1st...I still have stuff to move. I may end up just throwing things into boxes and sorting them in the spring when I have a big yard sale. I really want to be done! I have only spent two nights at the new house so far because of being out of town and packing in Heron. I hate to travel back and forth too much because of how fast the gasoline goes! My mom is moving to Minnesota this coming Sunday. I can not believe how fast the time has gone. Today it is one year since my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. I can not believe that a year has gone by. It just seems like last month. And he has now been gone 9 months! I miss him. I am putting some recent pictures of my grandkids up here so that my friends can see how fast they are growing. I love being a grandma, I just wish I could see the grandkids that live in Utah and California more often. My diet is going great. I weigh less now than I have in many years. I feel better in many ways too. Having too much weight can be very uncomfortable and I like weighing less. It doesn't look like it shows up too much yet but I can feel the difference inside. My clothes are also getting too big also. I love it. I am teaching in Relief Society (women's organization at Church) one Sunday a month and have now be called to work in the nursery also. I remember how much I loved nursery when Belen was in there. I really got to know her well during that time. I wonder if I will still be there when Megan gets old enough. That would be great. I do work a couple of Sundays a month right now though. Josh got his Buck (deer) with a gun this year. He still has a license to go hunting with his bow. Hope he gets another one! I will add his picture with his Buck to this site also. Jen and Josh have been very helpful and made me feel welcome to live in the house on their property (beside them). I am looking forward to a big garden with them, going fishing and swimming off their dock, and kayaking in the lake by the house. Well, I'd best get to packing again, or I'll never be moved out. Love you all, Cathy

Losing weight, and moving to Hope, ID

Hi all, I have been eating the medifast diet. It is the easiest diet I have ever experienced! It fits my lifestyle. I started about 3 weeks ago (maybe four) and have lost 20 lbs. I feel better, my labs have been great...this is the first time that my triglycerides have ever been in the normal range! All my labs were perfect (except my liver panal is again slightly elevated... my autoimmune liver disease rearing its ugly head?). I am feeling pretty good, although of course age is catching up with me. My fibromyalgia has been causing some aches and pains but it is cold and wet here so that is to be expected. Overall life is looking good. I am in the process of moving from my great old house (that gets pretty cold in winter) to a very small cabin/grandmothers cottage behind Josh and Fern's house in Hope Idaho. I guess the bear can come back here now! It is snowing and the snow is about 12 inches deep or more. My siped tires are doing ok driving on flat hwys as long as I go only about 34 mph. I have already moved everything that is going to the new house except some clothes and food. Everything else in this house is being boxed up and put into storage. In the spring I will have a BIG yard sale!! That should pay for the winter of storage fees. I am still trying to find home for 3 dogs...Sweetie has a new home already. I am relieved to have found her a family that really wanted her and I think will love her. Well, I need to get back to packing so I can make a trip to the new house tomorrow. I am spending tonight in the house in Montana so I can get some packing done and also fax my paperwork into my office tomorrow. I will continue working occassionally in Heron and Noxon and also once a month or so in Libby, at least until I get my bills caught up. Talk to you all later. Cathy

James DID IT !! It is finished !!

Hi to you all. I am attaching a letter from James (my son) about his latest CD. Please read. You can link you bandcamp by using the link I have enclosed. Thanks... http://jamesgillice.bandcamp.com/album/here-nor-there?auto=mp3-320 Greetings friends, family, acquaintances and/or fans...It’s James Gillice here. As you may or may not know, in my spare time I am an independent singer-songwriter. I completely write and produce all of my music by myself. You may even be aware of the fact that I’ve been working on completing my third album for quite a few years now. Well it’s finally done! It is called Here Nor There and it is available to download right now! As you might imagine, I am pretty excited about this. This represents countless hours of work over many years. And now that it’s finished I only want one thing...for as many people as possible to hear and own it. But here’s the problem...it turns out that it is no easy trick in this day and age to get people to even listen to your music, let alone consider parting with their hard earned cash to purchase it. So here’s the deal...I want EVERYONE to own this album! Everyone! If you are reading this, I want this album sitting on YOUR CD shelf, taking up YOUR hard drive space, playing on YOUR iPod, being listened to BY YOU, in whatever way and at whatever time is most convenient to you. That is my greatest desire. I understand that it ridiculous to expect people to pay “full price” for music that they may be only marginally interested in. I certainly don’t do that myself. No one in their right mind would. And so I don’t expect you to either. I know that If I tried to charge (any amount really) for my music, 95% of you will just not be interested, and the music will remain unheard and un-enjoyed. That is just the reality. That is absolutely NOT what I want. Remember, I want EVERYONE to hear and own this album! Here’s where I need your help. As of today I’m making Here Nor There available as a “pay what you want” download. What I need from you is simply for you to GO AND DOWNLOAD IT! That’s it. That’s all I ask. You will be able to pay whatever amount you feel it is worth to you. For many of you that amount might be zero. That’s OK!!! It is completely legitimate and I have no problem with that. Remember, I WANT you to have this more than anything! I’d rather you have it for free than not have it at all. But here’s the other part of it...IF this music IS worth something to you, and you have the financial means to do so, PLEASE pay whatever you feel is a fair amount. No amount is too small or too large. Think of it more as giving a tip than making a purchase. Also, if it just so happens that you DO enjoy this music, there are many other ways you can “pay” for it that have nothing to do with money. Recommend it to a friend...post about it in your blog...post a link on Facebook or MySpace...write a review on iTunes or Amazon...leave a comment at any of those places...there are dozens of things you could do to help without ever paying a dime. The more people that hear about the music the better. But again, the only thing I am truly expecting and asking of you is to PLEASE at least download this album for yourself. That is the minimum “requirement”. Pay if you want, but PLEASE download either way. Please don’t let money be the reason that you don’t own this. Thank you for your time. Happy listening.James -- James Owen Gillice II244 E 900 SPayson, UT 84651(801) 367-7732

WOW, a healthy way to lose weight!!

Hi Friends and Family, I know that some of you may share my weight challange, so I want to share what I am learning. There is a company out there that has a medically sound weight loss program that has been tested by the John Hopkins Medical Research team and shown to be healthy and effective. I am so excited about it and wanted to share it with those I love. If you are interested in knowing more go to the website by clicking on the title above. My daughter Fern is the one that discovered it from a friend of their's who has lost a lot of weight using it. Fern has decided to use it (you know, those extra baby pounds, especially after the 4th baby), and also become a coach. I am her second person to sign up (she just started this week as a coach) and plan to possibly become a coach myself later (depending on my energy level). If you do nothing else, check out the client testimonials and the medical research...maybe you know someone who would benefit. This program is not just for someone who needs to lose 10 or 25 lbs but it is really for someone like me who has health problems and needs to lose over 100 lbs. Well enough for now...I am just excited to find this program and wanted to share with those I love. Cathy

The latest poop...I mean scoop

Hi all, It is Sunday morning and I have a couple of hours before I leave for church so thought I would drop a line to my friends and family. Well, first of all... I finally was approved for social security disability! I signed up over 1 1/2 years ago, and Friday I went before a SS judge and was approved. She made the decision right there. I have no idea how long it takes to finally get a check but at least I know that I will be able to pay the rent in the future. I have not talked about my disability with many people, only my closest friends and family even know. I will not go into details here. In general my disability is the result of many various health issues that have prevented me from more than part-time and occassional work for the last few years. It was determined that I am unable to work 8 hours a day on consecutive days (I've known this for a long time now). It is ok if I work just a little bit, which I have been doing and will continue to do. I just can not handle more than that... I have been picking the "fruits of my labors" in the garden lately, and have very little to show for it. One huge mound of potatoes produced two large potatoes and about 5 little radish sized potatoes. I have about 12 small green tomatoes, one gallon sized bag of broccoli, and a few small beans and pea. I have picked several turnips and a few beets, these I feed my worms and chicken (yes only one chicken). Next year I want to get my veggies in the ground earlier and hope for a longer season. My neighbors had a huge field of corn, that grew taller than my head. Yesterday they were pulling out the stalks, probably for their cow. Anyway, my first year as a gardner in Montana did not go so well. It was my fault because I did not plant early enough and did not spend near the time in the garden that I needed to. I am looking forward to next year. Next week my mom and sister Cheri will be here to visit for a week. I can hardly wait. I am thinking about what things we will do. I would like to take them to Hot Springs, MT for a day. There they have real hot springs where we can soak in the "healing" water. There are several places where we can go. I would also like to take them up to Libby and spend a day. There we will sight see (ie. go see the river, go around the town, eat out, etc). We will probably just stay home a couple days and relax, watch DVD's, and play games. One day we will go visit Jennifer and the kids, maybe go to Sandpoint to shop or go to a movie or the mall. I will have to work a couple of days (which means a couple of hours on two days). I am really looking forward to them being here. Of the 8 kittens, I have 5 left. I have made arrangements to have them all spade and neutered. The local "humane society" (actually a place called "Pets for Life") has a program where I can have all nine cats done in Kalispell, MT for only $25. They told me to be sure to include the 3 kittens that have homes already. I promised to keep the mother cat. I think I might keep one or two kittens (if they are fixed, why not?). The kittens are so cute to watch. They play constantly. I can not step or sit without almost crushing one or more of them. My old cat, Ginger has reappeared. She is skinny and is eating like she is starved (which she probably is). She is staying in my bedroom, away from all the other cat/kittens and seems very happy to just sleep on my bed. My house is now full of litter boxes!!!!!!! The only thing that I hate about cats. Yesterday I had a new entry door put in. No more light around the edges of the door. No more breezes coming in around the door. It is great! Today sometime the man who put in the door will be back to finish the trim around the door and fix my leaking toilet. I am so happy that I found him. He lives in Clark Fork, ID and it turns out that he knows Britt Ivey and Ray Sherman both from my church. In fact he was telling me how the mormon missionaries would not leave him alone! LOL Anyway he is a real nice young man and is willing to help fix different things around here (as I have the money). What a blessing he is! Well, I guess I need to go get prepared for church. I will post again soon. Love Cathy

lions and tigers and bears...oh my!

What, you say do lion and tigers have to do with Montana? Well, a couple of days ago I saw them right here in Montana. There is a house that I pass by everytime I travel to the east frm Heron. It has sculpted elk, bear,and other animals in front of the building. It looks like an old business of some type because it is very large. It also has big black bars covering all the windows. From the front it appears deserted. But it actually has a family living in it, and they are licensed to rescue wild animals. They have two tigers and I stood only five feet from one of them, with just a chain link fence between us. There was an electric fence there also but it was turned off as I was going to need to climb over it to get in the house. They have a bobcat that runs around the house freely. In talking with the owners I learned that they rescue only carnivores. They told me that they had one bear at this time and they would be keeping her because she is five yars old and very small. They called her a midget bear. They told me about the many bears that they have raised and released into the wild who continue to come back "home" to vsit nightly. Then they showed me pictures on their digital camera taken the evening before, of multiple bears in their yard (that I had just walked through to get to the house). There were about eight black bears of various sizes and one grizzly bear. This house is about 7 miles by road to my house but actually only about 3 miles if the animals crossed the river directly to my side. I had no idea that there was a grizzly so near! We talked for a long time about where they get the animals and what they do with them. They are very interesting people. I hope to talk wth them again someday about the things that they have done with animals. They have a whole wall of windows that face the yard where the bears gather each evening. They will be recieving another wild animal soon...I think they said a bear. They do not take money from the government because then they would not be allowed to release them back into the wild. While they treat them like pets, they do not keep them forever if they are able to live in the wild. The wife told me that of all the wild animals that they have had only one was unteachable...her little dog! Well that is the end of the lions, tigers and bears story [sorry no lions at this time]. Love Cathy PS please excuse typos, as I am not wearing my contacts at this time and cannot see what I am typing...

Quick Request for Family members...

I am working on our family genealogy. If you want to be included please send me the correct spelling of your full name (maiden also), your birthdate and place of birth including town, county, state. also your parents information and siblings, also include death dates and places of those you know. Please pass this request on to other family members and everyone can send their information to: cgillice@gmail.com . Thanks for your help. If you do not know the information but know how I can get ahold of the person please send me contact information also. Also include information on multiple marriage and children from each marriage. I am looking forward to hearing from you.

New job details...

Hi all, well I started orientation for my job working home health and hospice in Heron & Noxon, MT. I will be case manager for the patients in my area. So far I will have one hospice patient, on Thursday I will be admitting him/her to our services. That will keep me working about 1 hour per week or so. I am looking forward to having this low hour, and low stress job right here in my neighborhood. I will not have to drive 60 or 70 miles to work (one way) once orientation is completed. I will make a little extra money, and I will feel like I am contributing something to the community. I oriented with a nurse from Thompson Falls today. I will be working out of the local medical clinic (10 miles from my house), and probably mostly from my home. I will only need the computer, a fax and a phone most of the time. I will pick up supplies from the clinic office once a week or so. I think that I should be able to handle this caseload. :) The nurse I was with today said that the last 20 people she oriented all quit! She thinks they quit because they were young and there was not much work and the pay is really low. I think that this will be perfect for me! I am really looking forward to this job. It will not be so bad in the winter as going far away would be. The hospital that owns the HH/Hospice dept. that I am working for, is located in Plains, MT which is farther and smaller than Thompson Falls. There is a Les Schwab in Thompson Falls, which is about an hour from my home. There is also a Les Schwab in Sandpoint, ID and in Libby, MT which are about the same distance from my home. I love living out here in the boonies! No one thinks anything of driving 3+ hours to go to a hospital or doctor's office. There are no big towns closer than that. Sandpoint is probably the largest town near me and it is 45 min to an hour away (and in another state). Missoula is 3+ hours away, Libby is only 1.5 hours away. Missoula has the biggest hospital of those towns. Sandpoint has apopulation of 6000 people, while Thompson Falls is probably about 2,000 and Libby is just a few more than that. Sunday in Sacrament we had the best talk from a woman who is 90 years old. She has been a member of our branch longer than anyone else. I cried through her talk, it just really hit me powerfully. I will share it with you all the next time I blog. My grandkids are back in school, at least the two big girls (and Tre in California, of course), Rebekah and Zoe are starting back into pre-school also. Little Megan is so happy and smiley all the time now. No more fussy baby. She is so fat!! All cheeks. Owen's second birthday is coming up soon. Time sure flies!! Well it is time for me to go work on my wood pile (fire wood) before it gets dark out. I have my rabbits for sale, as winter will be hard and I may be working long hours on some days. They need to have their food and water changed at least twice a day during the freezing winter months and I do not want to have to worry about them this winter. The chickens are down to just 2 now and they will be ok. I will be trying to get the kittens placed within the next week or so, then I need to get the mommy cat fixed. My fruit trees are full of crabapples, and pears. I need to get some picked before the bears come back to feast on them. The crabapples are a bright pink and have a tart/sweet taste to them. Yumm. Pears are still a little small. I would like to plant more fruit trees sometime in the future. I have an apple tree in the side yard that I have not even looked at to see if there is any fruit this year. My tomatoe plants are full of green tomatoes which I need to pick before it freezes out. Well talking about these things has made me realize I need to get outside and work!! Talk to you later. Love Cathy

Two days ago I had a pre-employment physical, which included a Tdap shot (tetnus, diptheria, pertussis). The pertussis is a new vaccine for adults, because of outbreaks of whooping cough around the US. I read that California is having a very high rate of whooping cough right now. Anyway, last night I started having pain in my arm, then during the night I kept waking up because of the pain, and aches in all my muslces, as well as joint pain and stiffness (which I have a lot anyway) and pain in my armpit and worse nausea. I feel like I have the flu. Fortunately I did not have to work today. I start the new job on Monday. I am tired/lethargic, my temperature is 98.6 which is high for me, it usually runs about 97.0. This is just a low grade fever, which they saw happens often with this vaccine. But I feel terrible. I was going to go camping with our church family tonight but I feel bad and it is raining out, so I am not going. I am not getting anything done around the house today either. What a waste of a day. My arms hurt too much to lift things or do anything that requires movement. Ok, thanks for letting me complain. Now on to better things. I brought home three vans full of scrap wood (left from a contractor's job). I have stacked pieces that will be good for projects around here, I have removed nails from pieces that had them, and now I am cutting up big pieces so they will fit in the wood stove. I need about 10 cords of wood for the winter. The church men brought me four loads of firewood, about 1-2 cords. I have been building a cover for my wood pile. I have close to a cord of wood left from last year. I am well on my way to having enough for the winter. They say it is supposed to be a long, hard winter this year. I had a contractor come from the local electric company to evaluate my house to see why it was so cold last year. He determined that all the windows leak A LOT of cold air. They need to be replaced eventually. I have been putting plastic on the inside of my windows, and I will probably put plastic on the outside too, if I can not afford new windows installed. I will be reinbursed by the electric company but I am not sure that it will cover the whole cost...so will have to see. The front door also has big gaps around it. I can see light all the way around. I have advertised on craigslist for someone who can repair/replace the door and frame, on both the back and front doors. He did determine that I have good insulation in the wall and possibly ceiling, but I think that the floor may need insulation also. After advertising on craigslist for a repairman/contractor I got lots of calls & emails. Finally, I got one guy from Clark Fork who called me. He is coming Saturday for me to meet him and get an estimate on each project needed. I also have the name of the people he is working for right now. I need to call them still. I hope that he works out since he is so close to my home. I need to keep working at getting this house ready for winter. The one last thing that needs to be done is I need my wood stove fixed or get a new one. The catalytic converter is broken. Well, my arm can't take anymore typing so I am going to go now. Talk to you all later. Love Cathy

Grow jobs and shrink government - The Boston Globe

Grow jobs and shrink government - The Boston Globe Mitt Romney is right on...read what he had to say in The Boston Globe.

James new song. "Comfort Me"

Comfort Me I really like this new song. It has a new sound to it. Listen and see what you think.

Update from Montana

Hi friends and family... I should be going to bed but I had a long nap today so am not too tired yet. I am talking with an old friend, Susan Covello on facebook while I write this. It is so good to have a long talk with a good friend (even if it is typing, not talking). Susan and I used to talk on the phone for hours everyday. We had 60 ft phone cords so we could clean house at the same time. She promises they will come visit (she and her husband Tim) for a fishing trip. I would love that. I have not been able to go fishing yet ...mostly because I can't afford a fishing license right now. Maybe this payday? I am trying to get paragraphs in my blog. I have spaced and indented this line...has it worked? It has not worked before but James says that it should, so I am trying again. I have been home (no work) for the last 5 days and have gardened, moved a pile of wood (for my wood stove), raked up my back yard, mowed the lawn, washed the car, etc. Today I am tired but tomorrow I am going to work about 4 hours at the restaurant... I will be exhaused after work. But I need to fertilize my garden and berry patch, put up a fence around the goat area, move more wood out of my shed so I can make it into a chicken coop for the winter and a zillion other projects around here. If I did not live out here in the boonies and need to do these things myself I probably wouldn't get any exercise. I am finding that I love to sweat! I just get tired too soon! The things that I listed above will probably take me forever to get done. But at least I have goals and things to do. I just have to get up early while it is cool out. Staying up late like this doesn't help me get up early though...When I work in Libby I have to get up at 5:30 am to get to work by 8:00. Then I don't get home until anywhere from 6 to 7 pm. It makes for a long day. My dogs really miss me when I am gone and go crazy when I get home.

Life goes on...and on...

Hi all, I have been so busy lately. My job in Libby has been so slow..the census was low so they did not even need me one day a week. This last week end was my weekend to work, so I stayed in Libby from Friday am to Monday pm. The hospital provided me with a room to stay in (they have three rooms in a building across the street that they call the "dorm" rooms). I was on call over the week end. It wasn't too bad since I did not get any calls at night. I saw just a few patients on Saturday and Sunday. I work regular days Friday and Monday. Unfortunately, I was nauseated the whole time, finally vomiting when I got home Monday night. For the last two months I have been nauseated every day. Not all day, but for awhile everyday. It feels like being pregnant! I hate feeling sick! I can't seem to figure out while I am nauseated...it occurs when I have not eaten, it occurs when I have just finished eating, it seems to just occur whenever it wants to. Including Monday night I have only vomited three times in the last two months, but I still hate feeling nauseated. I thought that maybe I was getting car sick. But I am not always in a car. I thought that maybe I was hungry or maybe too full. But it is hard to tell because it occurs randomly. It is not related to my blood sugars (I have checked). I may finally give in and go to the doctor. I am just afraid that he will want me to have some tests and I can not afford that...so I keep hoping it will just go away. I hate going to the doctor! Anyway, enough about gross stuff. I am otherwise doing fine. I got a new rooster. My first rooster attacked me a few weeks ago and really gave me some big bruises on my leg. I hate him, so when the chance came to get a new one, who I am told is very nice, I jumped at it. The first thing he did was fight the old rooster and win!!! Yeah! All of my hens and roosters are free ranging. It is supposed to help keep the bugs down, and it sure does help on the feed bill. My rabbits are fine and the goat is becoming a nuisance, every time she gets loose she eats all my plants and makes a mess on my front porch. Oh, I have a new cat. Her name is Scarlett and she was a stray that had babies at Jennifer's house. After they got rid of the babies they asked me to take her. She is a sweet cat, BUT she is pregnant again. I only had her a week when she suddenly looked BIG. I need to find a low cost clinic to have her spayed. ASAP. One gal at work wants a kitten so that will help a little. Maybe I can talk her into taking all of them:) Well, it is time for me to run some errands in Clark Fork...return tapes/books to the library, buy some milk at the little store, visit Jennifer and pick some raspberries. Oh, the huckleberries are ripe already so I should go picking those also. I am planning to make some jams. Maybe I will make some this afternooon! I just need to find some containers to keep jam in... well got to go, love you all, Cathy

Picture of grandchildren and me

Here I am with 5 of my grandchildren. These pictures were taken at Christmas time 2009. My oldest grandson Tre was not there and the youngest granddaughter, Megan was just born on July 2, 2010. Their names starting at the left and going up around me are: Belen, Jordan, Zoe, Rebekah, and Owen. Zoe and Owen are my son James' children and Jordan, Belen and Rebekah (and Megan) are my youngest daughter Jennifer's children. JoAnne is the mother of Tre, who wasn't with us that day.

A Party Forevah! (Part 1)

Megan Miriam Ivey, here are pictures!

Here are pictures taken of Megan just shortly after she was born. I think she looks like Rebekah, who looks like Belen. Sorry Jordan...

Heading home today.

Well, it is Saturday 7/3/2010, and I will be heading home today. I have a long drive ahead but I am still not ready to go. I did not sleep well last night so am tired this am. I still need to clean out my car...there are some camping things in there that are not mine, plus Cheri borrowed the car and there are some of her things in there still. I need to get going but just wanted to let everyone know that I am heading back to Montana today. I have to work tomorrow in the restuarant where I occassionally work. Tomorrow will be a big day. The 4th of July parade will be going right past the restaurant and we will probably be very busy! I will post again after I get home and after I see my new granddaughter Megan. Talk to you soon. Love Cathy Jo

I am a grandma again!!

My newest granddaughter is here!! She is Jennifer's fourth daughter. She was born in Clark Fork, ID at home, last night about 1 am. She weighed 7lb 2oz. She has dark hair just like the other girls did...she may end up blond. Her name is Megan Miriam Ivey. (I may be spelling her name incorrectly). Birthdate is 7/2/2010. I can't wait to see her.

Grandson Tre with niece Lily

My grandson Tre Stanley with my niece Lilianna Archibald at our campout for my dad's memorial - celebration of life.

Camping is over!! Now I am sunburnt and tired, not to mention DIRTY!

We had a wonderful time camping and saying good bye to Tom Archibald (dad). We let 77 red, heart shaped balloons go by the lake into the air. Probably illegal or at least not environmentally friendly, but it was neat to see. We had a slide show (modern version) of dad from his first days to his last. We had fun laughing and visiting with friends and family. It was so good to see people who were so much a part of lives when dad was alive, and hopefully will remain a part of our lives. I feel so tired and my skin hurts, Kenzie, Chris, Mom and I are going to go to dinner and a movie now to cool off and unwind. My kids and grandson are now gone...mom doesn't need to go to work until 9 tonight so we are just going to go chill... Talk to you later. Love Cathy Jo

Camping in Bend? I left God's country to come here to go camping???

As I was driving across the bridge near my home, heading to Bend, I glanced sideways to see my favorite view...the Clark Fork River. If I had a camera I would spend one year taking a picture each day. The view changes so dramatically from day to day. It is always beautiful. Impossible to describe. Anyway, as I was crossing the bridge I thought "I am leaving God's country to drive over 400 miles to go camping?" How strange... Of course I would not miss this weekend camping trip for anything, as we are getting together to remember my dad. It's just too bad that everyone could not come north to my little piece of the world. It is so beautiful there. From the time I moved north I thought that someday my dad would move north too. He really loved it there, and he was only there once. He would have loved the wildness...the wild animals. I passed a moose on my way from Clark Fork to Sandpoint. It was just standing next to the river taking a drink. You never know what you will see when driving in that country. The only thing I have not seen while driving is a bear. Of course, I did walk near one (story in a previous post) and I have learned that there is a grizzly bear within about 5-10 miles of my home. Only one as far as the forest service knows. It has a homing (GPS) device around it's neck, so they can keep tabs on where it is. There are lots of black bears around my area though. I have not seen my "Yogi" bear this year yet. He may have decided that I have too many dogs now [one chihuahua and one labX]. The only animals I have had any problems with this spring is a skunk and voles!! None of my irises came up this spring...I guess the voles ate them all. They have gotten into my potatoes also. They have not touched the rhubarb yet. My raspberries and strawberries did not hold well over the winter and are all dead now. I will need to go dig up more at Jen's house. Her strawberries are a foot tall and covered with buds and berries already. I told her that I will come thin them out when I get back. Poor girl she is so pregnant that she can not even bend over to pick berries. But that what she has all those kids for, right? The wild raspberries are also covered with flowers. We have had so much rain this spring that all the berries will be huge and juicy, even the wild blackberries, the elderberries, and the huckleberries. There are also blueberries that grow around there not to mention some types of berries that I do not know a name for. My garden is so behind everyone else's. I was working when I should have been planting and then it rained so much that I postoned going outside to plant. I am planting when everyone else's plants are a foot tall. Now I am out of town for a week and a half and getting further behind. I am just hoping that since the spring was so late, maybe the fall will come late also. Anyway, I am now in Bend. It is Thursday and I will be going out to the campgrounds today to get set up and to hold campsites for those who will follow. We need to go shopping this morning for food (and a fishing license for Tre and me). While I am waiting for my turn in the shower I thought that I would just get online for a few minutes. Hope to see someone of you here this weekend. We will be at sheepbridge campground. The directions can be found on facebook on the site "Thomas Archibald Memorial". Just put this into the search box and it will come up on a list of sites. It is easy to find the campground with directions. Got to go get my shower and get moving, time is a wast'in.

This and That: Random Thoughts.

This and That: Random Thoughts.

Random Thoughts.

Hi friends/family, I have been spending the evening on facebook and blogsites, catching up on the last few weeks of information. For awhile I hadthree jobs, but now I am back to barely working again. The Census job is over, my new nursing job has only been 8 hrs the last two weeks (that is 8 hrs total for the two weeks) because the number of patients has declined. I am scheduled to work everyday this next week but if the census stays low I will be called off. I have only worked at the restaurant in Clark Fork once last week and tomorrow will be twice this week. We have moved into a bigger and nicer building because the restaurant business is really growing!! I will not work next week because of the nursing job and the following week because I will be in Oregon... Then on Friday of next week (not the Friday coming up in two days) I will be leaving from work and going directly to Oregon for my dad's memorial campout celebration. I will be visiting my family in Bend that week, then back home to get back to work. I need to arrange for my animals to be cared for while I am gone. I still have a goat, 15 chickens, and 6 rabbits. I also have my garden planted and it will need to be watered (if it stops raining). I will bring my dogs with me and leave the cat in the house with plenty of food and water. Oh, I will need to get a litter box for her also! Right now she just scratches the door to be let in or out. I like that better than a litter box to clean!! It has taken me awhile to get past the denial phase of greiving for my dad. I am now at the weepy stage. Everything seems to remind me of him and that he is not around for me to talk to or see. Everyone of the hospice patients at work seems to remind me of him. I come close to crying everytime one of them dies. Not real professional at work but what can ya do? I am looking forward to my trip to Oregon. I will see my brother Tom for the first time since a year ago, Christmas 2008. I will also see many old friends, like the Corkums, who I have not seen in years. Also some family that I have not seen in ages either. Many cousins! My kids also, except for Jennifer who will probably have her baby while I am out of town. Jen is having her baby at home with a midwife this time. This is her fourth girl. She has just turned 30 and has always said she wanted to have her last baby by 30 so she could still be young enough to enjoy life after they are all grown. So needless to say this will be the last (unless God decides otherwise!LOL). She wants the baby to come tomorrow because that fits her schedule the best...haha. Sure Jen. Her actual due date is July 3rd. Her other three have all been on-time or late, good luck on that Jen. Jennifer (Fern) is my baby and she just turned 30! Boy am I getting old. Ad today I feel like it. I worked in the garden yesterday, all day, and today I feel it in every joint and muscle. It felt so good to be outside in the sun yesterday. Of course the sun never stays long in this area. It was overcast and rainy all day but the transplants loved it. They are looking good today, thankfully. I should go to bed since I have things to do tomorrow and I can't be sleeping in. 11:30 pm is about my latest I can stay up and function tomorrow. Good night all.

My life seems to be turning in a positive direction.

Hello frieds and family, I have a few extra minutes this morning, so decided to write to you all. Lately I have had some great things happening in my life. First, I have added to my animal "farm"... I have a borrowed goat, named Matilda. She is a LaManche (she has no ears), and is very friendly. I can walk her with a dog lease and she will follow without resistance. She wags her tail when she sees me coming. She is so cute and sweet. I love having a goat. She has never had a baby, therefore does not have milk yet. Hopefully she will be bred in the next year. She is just borrowed from a nice young couple in Sandpoint. I hope they decided they don't want her back as she is such a delight! I now have one goat, 4 laying hens, one rooster, 6 meat chicks (to butcher in another month for meat), 10 baby laying chicks, 7 rabbits, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1,000's of worms. I also have a bathroom full of starts for my garden. My garden has been rototilled and is ready for a new fence and soon the plants will be added. I have blueberry bushes, and strawberries ready to plant. Also rhubarb plants (what is left after the goat ate most of them). I am going to have just about every common vegetable in my garden. I hope to have time to go to the Farmers Market with my produce and eggs. But, now time is minimal because...I NOW HAVE THREE JOBS. One is a temporary US Census job, one is the part-time restuarant job washing dishes and preparing/prepping the food. But the newest one, the one I hope to make my regular job...is...I got hired to work as an RN in a home health department of the hospital in Libby, MT. It is an hour drive to work (not too bad for living in the boonies!). I hope to be able to start in a week or so, after they finish checking my references, and work history, etc. I will be working 15 hours a week doing the home health. I am so excited to have some money coming in at last. I really need to catch up on some bills. Especially medical bills! I had a really interesting thing happen yesterday. I was doing my Census job. I had a locked gate at one address I was supposed to visit. So I got out of the car and walked through the woods to find this address. As I was walking along an old, unused (recently anyway) path, I heard what sounded like an dog grunt! At first I imagined a big dog coming after me. But as I heard no further noises, such as barking, I figured I would just keep going. Later I told a fellow Census worker about it and she said, "It's sounds like it might have been a bear". She has lived here locally most of her life and she seems to know a lot about the local area. She said that she saw a bear cross the Hwy just the night before. So what I am saying is that I probably walked by a bear in the woods and startled him, that is why he grunted. I probably scared him more than he scared me, only because I am to green to know that I should have been scared. I have been told not to walk in the woods again, until I have a gun to carry with me. I love living in the boonies!!!! Yogi, the bear that comes to my house to eat the fruit from the fruit trees, has not been seen yet this spring. I am hoping that my dog will keep him away. Little Sweetie can be a really vicious dog! LOL. I plan to fence my garden and goat pasture in such a way that the bear(s) can not get into them. It is getting to be time to keep my garbage can in the house. If I leave it outside it will attract the wild animals. I will be adding other "pest" preventer items to my yard for safetly also. Well today I have to work at "Mom's Cafe" in Clark Fork, ID. I only work 4 hours at a time but that is an improvement over the 2 hours that I used to work. Right now we never know if we will be busy or dead in the restuarant. It is a little early for most tourists yet, and the locals don't come out in bad weather (rain and wind) usually. It also depends on how close it is to most people's payday. I won't be doing Census work today. For those of you who do not know. My birthday is Saturday, May8. I will be 27 again!!!! Sorry kids you are now older than your mom. I work Saturday, then in the afternoon I may go to an auction in Thompson Falls, just for the fun of it. My new friend (I met through the Census job) may go with me. I don't expect any gifts from anyone, but if you would add yourself as a friend on my blog, that would feel like a present to me!!!! Hope you will add yourself to the list so that I can write to you (like this) more often. Have a great day. Love Cathy

Watch this. It is amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=BNR74UCidBI&feature=player_embedded Check this you tube site. It is probably the first "America's got talent" show ever.

I was home in N. Idaho but now came back to Oregon for a short while.

Today March 7th 2010 my dad passed away. It has just been three months since he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Until just a few days ago he was walking and talking, although he was very tired. Tuesday, 5 days ago, he went to the oncologist for follow up after his second round of chemotherapy. The doctor told him that his cancer had grown and increased while he was on the chemotherapy. He decided that there was no reason to continue with chemo. The doctor put him on hospice on Weds. and by Friday he was semi-comatose. And today, Sunday, he died. He has been the greatest dad. His sense of humor is what everyone who ever knew him remembers the most. He could be so fun. I have such great memories of camping, fishing, going to the race track, watching him play sports. He also was a great story teller, usually something funny. I remember once when I was about 10 years old, he came back from a hunting trip and acted all sad because he didn't get a buck. He then asked me to go to the car trunk and bring in his boots. Well, when I got to the trunk there was a huge buck head sticking out at me. It startled me and I jumped. He and my mom stood on the porch laughing at me. I had to laugh too, because it really was funny. The older he got the better parent he became. I am in my mid-50's and still felt that I was his little girl and that he loved me. My niece, who is 17 yo, was even closer to my dad (her grandpa) than any of his own kids, probably because she never had a dad in her life, so grandpa became her dad. She spent all of her time with him for the last three months, actually for the last 17 years... He was still talking to her and joking with her on Friday night. I drove all day today to get here to say good-bye but I got here too late. I really wish I had been able to tell him how much I will miss him and how great a dad he has been. He knows that I love him but I have never been too good at telling him (or anyone for that matter). My dad was only 77 years old and has always been so young at heart and physically active, until about last summer when he began to be tired. He thought he was just getting old, so he would not go in for a check up. He had had a check up about a year ago and his lungs were perfectly clear at that time. Who would have thought that cancer could start and advance so quickly. I'm glad for him that he did not have a long time to suffer pain or feel short of breath. I will miss him terribly.

Check out James' new music...

Check out James' new songs. He has a facebook site called "The Music of James Gillice", where he puts some of his songs. Try it out and become a fan. Especially all of you who are related to him! Support your cousin (nephew, brother, etc) Become a fan. Just click on the caption above and it will take you to his facebook site.

Still in Oregon, now have upper respiratory infection, laryngitis, cough, etc.

Here I am in Oregon to see my dad and I can't even go near him because of my terrible cold which is now in my chest and throat (laryngitis and cough). At least my nose has stopped running and I can breath again through my nose. Now my lungs just whistle, and I can't find my inhaler! Sorry to be so grumpy and complaining but that is how I feel. I will stop with the negative now. My dad is doing ok. He is pale, has poor appetite, and is very fatigued. He just had his first chemo last week and tomorrow will be his second infusion. He is doing this to feel better but so far it isn't doing the job. His lungs get full of fluid and he can hardly breath, then he vomits up about 2 liters of clear yellow fluid and is better. Sorry to be so graphic but you know how nurses are. I have bought 3 new meat rabbits for my breeding stock, and one small cute pet rabbit for my grandchildren to be able to hold and pet. She is a lionheart rabbit and under all the fur/hair you can't really tell if she is a cat, dog, guinea pig or rabbit. She is all black and so cute and sweet. She loves to be held, and is not afraid of the dogs who are absolutely fasinated with her. I am home sick. I want to be home near my rabbits, cat, worms, dogs, and get some new animals. My neighbors are probably tired of feeding my rabbits by now. I am supposed to be getting a new roommate soon. I have not met her yet and she is coming from Australia...so I will see if she is real sometime this next few weeks. I am trying to sell an old house that I own in Ohio. It is very old, 1917 and is only partially remodeled/redecorated so may be hard to sell. I need to go out there to check on it and get new keys made for it (I don't know what happened to the key). I have had a lot of responses but no one except "professors" from several other countries have been that interested. The "professors" all have different names and email addresses but their letters are almost identical and they keep writing as if I have said they can have the house. I am sure that it is a scam and I am now just deleting them. I just want a person who lives in the area and knows the area to buy it. I am offereing it as a lease/option or rent to own at a very good price. Only one person has actually done any research into who actually owns it and what the true value of it is. I wish people were smarter. I do not want to have someone buy it unless they have really looked into it and made sure that it will be a good deal for them. I will attach a couple of pictures of it here so you can see. I love old houses and wish I could go out there to fix it up myself. Maybe I can go visit my brother and we could drive out to see it and meet whomever is going to buy it. Well got to go now.

Working in Oregon, wanting to go home!

I will admit that I am homesick, but I will also admit that I am just starting to get some work done around here (in Bend). I am doing bookwork for my mom's business. And right now I am fighting off a cold. My throat and back of my nose are painful, I am sneezing and coughing. I am using aireborne and zicam nasal gel, taking lots of Vit. C and of course my usual medications. I have also been on craigslist looking for things that I need for my mini-farm. The other day at the thrift store I found an animal cage and a dog crate that I got for $6.25 total! I love thrift stores. There is still a big cage there that I would like to go get but I need a pick up to get it. I need to borrow my dad's truck. When I do go home I will need to take his truck to get all of my stuff home. I will be taking my vaccum and carpet cleaner, lawn mower and rototiller, a couple of small side tables for my upstairs bedrooms, my dogs and my stuff that I brought with me (computer, and new printer) and lots more. I will try to find someone who would like to travel with me and stay with me for a week or so. I need to go home to water and feed my worms, cat, and plants. I also need to check on my rabbits and property, etc. I would like to build a chicken coop while I am home that week or two. I have been watching some of my old favorite TV shows in the evenings at my friend Jeanne's house. My two dogs and her dog, pepper, are getting along great! My dogs will probably think that we forgot to bring Pepper with us when we go home. Speaking of my dogs, my new dog Sasha (lab-mix) has double ear infections. She has been taking antibiotics and ear drops for almost a week now but her one ear doesn't seem to be getting better. I hope that her eardrum has not opened or burst. I've had her for three weeks and have spent two weeks income on her already. I love her but she is expensive (because of being sick). I actually am thinking that I need one more big dog, preferably a golden retriever. Wouldn't that be a kick!?! My dad starts his chemotherapy tomorrow. I hope he feels ok afterwards. He has been doing pretty good the last few days. The house has been quieter now that all the grandchildren and greatgranchildren have gone home. Although they were very considerate and did not overwhelm him at once, he still seemed to be tired all the time. I do like to hang around their house so that I am around when he comes out of his room to eat and visit. One of my mom's residents went into the hospital with a stroke/head bleed and will not be returning so she now has two opening available. I sure hope she finds replacements soon. It is frustrating to keep needing to find new residents. Each new person takes a couple of months to settle in and the whole house seems unsettled during that time. I have alot of paperwork to get done before I can print out the W-2's for the employees and so that is what I will be concentrating on for the next week (or longer). If you are interested in traveling and visiting with me to my home and back, let me know. I would love a companion on my travels. I am also going to start looking for a roommate who will be willing to be a mini-ranch hand, or farm helper. That would solve my traveling difficulties while I am traveling back and forth to help care for my dad (when he needs me). This next year is full of the unknown. Well, my cold has kind of make my head foggy so I will go now. Hope to sleep better tonight. Take care of yourselves friends. Love CJ