Ford Video Inc.

You may have noticed that I’ve been goofing off too much lately to keep up with the posting of my weekly “blobs”. I’m chalking it up to my advancing senility, too much partying, and to my overall shiftlessness. But just in time for the holidays, daughter Susy wrote something that reminded me of how much I like words. Written or spoken, some are treasures, especially when they can be shared....

540. Susy’s “Imperfect” holiday decorating You may have noticed that I’ve been goofing off too much lately to keep up with the posting of my weekly “blobs”. I’m chalking it up to my advancing senility, too much partying, and to my overall s…

Was just reading on the internet that a warm and cozy way to entertain your holiday guests is by roasting chestnuts on an open fire, and I would, but - lacking a fireplace - a bonfire in the middle of the living room could put the carpeting in real jeopardy. Actually, we don’t have any carpeting, or any chestnuts. We DO have matches and smoke alarms, however, and they hate each other....

539. Nativity labor room revisited Was just reading on the internet that a warm and cozy way to entertain your holiday guests is by roasting chestnuts on an open fire, and I would, but – lacking a fireplace – a bonfire i…

I’m happy to let you know that my great great nephew AJ Fitzpatrick DID IT! Last Saturday, he won the Gold Medal at the Parapan Games in Santiago, Chile. And the rest of his USA Wheelchair Basketball team did nicely, too! Congratulations to every one of those 12 USA champion athletes and their support team. Here they are receiving the gold medals....

538. Daze of Glory! I’m happy to let you know that my great great nephew AJ Fitzpatrick DID IT! Last Saturday, he won the Gold Medal at the Parapan Games in Santiago, Chile. And the rest of his USA Wheelchair Basketba…

I don’t have time to write much today because I’m too busy tearing my hair out trying to teach the folks in Santiago, Chile how to tell time. They don’t seem to understand that their clocks are running 5 hours faster than they should be. I can’t understand why they can’t fix such a simple-to-correct problem. As an example, right now, my clock clearly says that the correct Pacific Standard Time is 2:15 AM Sunday, November 19, 2023....

537. Time to hit some baskets I don’t have time to write much today because I’m too busy tearing my hair out trying to teach the folks in Santiago, Chile how to tell time. They don’t seem to understand that their clocks are run…

It was all carefully planned: the perfect hostess gift we can present to any guests who visit us during the holidays. A lovely basket or bag of our delicious English walnuts. Martha Stewart, eatcherheartout! In one of the pastures here on Kartar Ridge Ranch, there dwells what may be the world’s most beautiful and graceful English Walnut tree (Juglans regia…...

536. When plans go awry It was all carefully planned: the perfect hostess gift we can present to any guests who visit us during the holidays. A lovely basket or bag of our delicious English walnuts. Martha Stewart, eatche…

Just like having a social security number, or a DNA, or fingerprints, or the stain of original sin, is everybody required to be the author of one of those “bucket lists”? Octo-woman has been reading about it and has learned that such a list is supposed to be a compilation of exciting or challenging activities that one hopes to experience before one kicks one’s proverbial “bucket”....

535. Bucket list Just like having a social security number, or a DNA, or fingerprints, or the stain of original sin, is everybody required to be the author of one of those “bucket lists”? Octo-woman has been readin…

Our dahlias had a kind of Halloween party this weekend. Till Thursday, all our dahlias were bursting with good health and blooms of every color. This is how a few of them looked on Thursday afternoon. Susy was still bringing in armfuls of their blossoms every day. On the evening news, we heard that we’d be having our first frost that night....

534. Trick or treat, dahlia-style. Our dahlias had a kind of Halloween party this weekend. Till Thursday, all our dahlias were bursting with good health and blooms of every color. This is how a few of them looked on Thursday afterno…

It’s been quiet here at Kartar Ridge Ranch as we are settling back to our normal routine following our recent upheavals with son Matthew’s health, and my untimely Covid affliction. Maybe things will be getting back to normal, now, Only one problem. Now that I have won a missing pink stripe on the Covid test signifying that I am no longer infectious, I did the cooking tonight....

533. Cooking adventures It’s been quiet here at Kartar Ridge Ranch as we are settling back to our normal routine following our recent upheavals with son Matthew’s health, and my untimely Covid affliction. Maybe things wil…

I became a Covid victim this week. The timing was exceedingly unfriendly. And if anybody ever qualified for a guilt trip, it’d have to be me. Last week, son Matthew’s peritoneal dialysis failed. After urgent phone calls, medical tests, exams, corrective surgery, and a total of four days without effective dialysis, we spent the weekend agonizing - while waiting to learn what the doctors would decide....

532. Covid guilt I became a Covid victim this week. The timing was exceedingly unfriendly. And if anybody ever qualified for a guilt trip, it’d have to be me. Last week, son Matthew’s peritoneal dialysis failed. Af…

I was going to skip writing a blob this week because I have been concentrating my spare time instead on trying to improve my sight-reading at the piano. Here’s the problem: sight-reading piano music is like being at a public swimming pool trying to keep an eye on 2 toddlers, a 5 year-old with gum in his hair, a 6 month-old Boxer puppy, and his adult mother who’s leashed-but-in-heat, when a guy with an ice cream cart - obviously a deranged pe*****le - comes by and yells that he is offering all the free neon colored freeze-pops they can eat as long as they can meet him over there at the deep end near the men’s restroom....

531. Sight reading I was going to skip writing a blob this week because I have been concentrating my spare time instead on trying to improve my sight-reading at the piano. Here’s the problem: sight-reading piano musi…

Just checking in to see if you’re applying yourself to the 10,000x principle Octo-woman challenged you to in blob To remind you, in Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers: the Story of Success”, the author’s principle states that in order to become world class in any field, you would need 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. As for me, I’m still creeping along on my piano practice at 2 hours/day, - am now at 2,944 hours total....

530. Getting ready for the Parapan American Games Just checking in to see if you’re applying yourself to the 10,000x principle Octo-woman challenged you to in blob To remind you, in Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers: the Story of Success”, the aut…

I only own two pairs of shoes. Both are the same brand, style, size, and color: namely, Reebok Princess style, black, size 8. They’re made of “synthetic leather”, also known more familiarly as some kind of plastic. I wear the more battered pair for “everyday”. The newer pair is hauled out whenever I need to attend a state occasion such as a trip to the doctor, dentist, a wedding, a funeral, or whenever I’m invited to have tea with the Pope....

529. If the shoe fits . . . I only own two pairs of shoes. Both are the same brand, style, size, and color: namely, Reebok Princess style, black, size 8. They’re made of “synthetic leather”, also known more familiarly as some…

I still believe in magic. I just can’t help it. I’m surrounded by it. In his writings, the intrepid British science fiction writer, inventor and futurist, Arthur C. Clarke, proposed his “Three Laws of Science”, the third of which is the most often cited: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. Think about it, and all the unbelievable technology we’ve witnessed and employed during this century!...

528. Blue Magic! I still believe in magic. I just can’t help it. I’m surrounded by it. In his writings, the intrepid British science fiction writer, inventor and futurist, Arthur C. Clarke, proposed his “Three Laws…

. . . But it wasn’t. It was at Green Apple Alpacas Farm in Enumclaw, Washington. I finally got to meet them, up close and personal. A whole herd of Dr. Suess characters known as alpacas. Meeting these gentle, friendly creatures in person was an unforgettable experience. God must have had a big smile when He dreamed them up! Ever since we moved here and I got my first glimpse of them, I’ve been addicted to alpaca-watching in neighboring fields, but this is the first time for having close contact with any of those curiously comic looking creatures....

527. I thought that I saw it on Mulberry street . . . . . . But it wasn’t. It was at Green Apple Alpacas Farm in Enumclaw, Washington. I finally got to meet them, up close and personal. A whole herd of Dr. Suess characters known as alpacas. Meeting th…

Well, the botany books say that flowers are bisexual, but I don’t believe it. Nobody could ever convince me that any of our ladylike dahlias aren’t the epitome of femininity. They remind me of ballerinas! And they make a garden look like it’s dancing. Of course, they are a bit vain. They started showing off a month ago, and they’ll keep it up all through most of September and October....

526. Waltz of the Flowers Well, the botany books say that flowers are bisexual, but I don’t believe it. Nobody could ever convince me that any of our ladylike dahlias aren’t the epitome of femininity. They remind me of ball…

Most of us warehouse a whole collection of cards: credit cards, debit card, driver’s license, membership cards, ID cards, business cards, insurance cards, business cards. Among the ones contained in my own stash, I have two big favorites. My social security card and my public library card. Both of them are a bit tattered and dog-eared, but until I win the big Mega-Ball lottery, they’re my idea of a couple of wildly valuable assets....

525. My Social Security card Most of us warehouse a whole collection of cards: credit cards, debit card, driver’s license, membership cards, ID cards, business cards, insurance cards, business cards. Among the ones contained i…

Am taking a week off because it’s too hot for writing (or reading) my blobs. But, I shouldn’t complain. Seven months ago, I was posting photos like this one from the Seattle Times. Anybody remember what shivering feels like? It wasn’t all bad, though. There was this friendly guy greeting us next door in daughter Gretchen and son-in-law Brad’s front yard....

524. It’s just a question of time Am taking a week off because it’s too hot for writing (or reading) my blobs. But, I shouldn’t complain. Seven months ago, I was posting photos like this one from the Seattle Times. Anybody remember…

Did you know that “stress” spelled backwards is “desserts”? Me either. I’m not sure how much it would alleviate our current predicament but if it helps, I’m voting for Macadamia Nut Clusters. Or pie. As David Mamet said, “We must have pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.” Even more helpful, though, seems to be when you can squeeze a laugh out of it....

523. Messing with stress Did you know that “stress” spelled backwards is “desserts”? Me either. I’m not sure how much it would alleviate our current predicament but if it helps, I’m voting for Macadamia Nut Clusters. Or pi…

There are birds that can fly. And birds that can’t. Peacocks, for instance, put on an unbelievable show, but it’s all on the ground. They can’t fly very well. If they’re trying to get away from a predator, they can launch themselves up to about 8 feet but can only fly about 300 feet in one flight. But, so what? Peacocks are proof that God has a sense of humor....

522. More adventures in bird land There are birds that can fly. And birds that can’t. Peacocks, for instance, put on an unbelievable show, but it’s all on the ground. They can’t fly very well. If they’re trying to get away from a p…

Forget tranquilizers, booze, pot, illegal drugs, and shopping therapy. If you want to add some tranquility to your stress-full schedule, just go outside and listen. Especially if you’re near a tree-filled walkway, or a park, or a lake, or - well, you get the idea. Outside! Scientific Reports recently published a report suggesting that listening to birdsongs can relieve stress and give us a sense of inner peace....

521. Stress deterrent Forget tranquilizers, booze, pot, illegal drugs, and shopping therapy. If you want to add some tranquility to your stress-full schedule, just go outside and listen. Especially if you’re near a tree…

They’re calling it “the grandmother effect”. In a new study published on Thursday in Current Biology, there’s some interesting details about the post-menopausal orca mamas swimming around our Pacific Northwest coastal waters. Unfortunately, Octo-woman, who wasn’t consulted before the study was published, feels it is necessary to publish this blob as an Errata (Erratum?) regarding one of the study’s hypotheses....

520. Hot flash! They’re calling it “the grandmother effect”. In a new study published on Thursday in Current Biology, there’s some interesting details about the post-menopausal orca mamas swimming around our Pacif…

I’ve been thinking a lot about duct tape this week, all because of a visitor we had recently - my niece Leanne. I had my first introduction to duct tape - not by Leanne, of course, - but by my husband Gene who operated under the theory that if he couldn’t fix it with duct tape, it didn’t deserve to be fixed....

519. Don’t forget to Duck! I’ve been thinking a lot about duct tape this week, all because of a visitor we had recently – my niece Leanne. I had my first introduction to duct tape – not by Leanne, of course, & #82…

I love a parade. Especially when we have front row seats! And perfect weather! The population of Enumclaw, Washington is 12,700, and they all seemed to show up for the town’s Fourth of July parade this week. At least, it seemed like it. Apparently, most of the town’s citizenry don’t like to stay home when they could be present for such a monumentally theatrical occasion....

518. Happy Birthday, America! I love a parade. Especially when we have front row seats! And perfect weather! The population of Enumclaw, Washington is 12,700, and they all seemed to show up for the town’s Fourth of July parade …

I don’t understand what the iPhone has against me but it kinda hurts my feelings. Yes, I know I’ve dropped it a few times and it has suffered a tiny hairline crack across its face (but then, haven’t we all?) and I may not always remember to re-charge its intestines, and maybe it resents having to hide its svelte Apple-designed-but-naked body inside that rigid little Otter case, and yes, I do keep it on a cross-body leash for hanging from my neck because otherwise it would find itself inadvertently abandoned at church, the dentist’s office, the Dollar Tree, etc....

517. When my iPhone becomes vindictive. I don’t understand what the iPhone has against me but it kinda hurts my feelings. Yes, I know I’ve dropped it a few times and it has suffered a tiny hairline crack across its face (but then, haven’…

I hope you’re having a happy Fathers Day today with the man who planted you on earth. And if he’s not here any longer, I hope your memories of him still warm your heart. As a father himself, God really knew what He was doing when He made fathers. If you’re like me, when it came to the gene pool, we got lucky....

515. Happy Fathers Day! I hope you’re having a happy Fathers Day today with the man who planted you on earth. And if he’s not here any longer, I hope your memories of him still warm your heart. As a father himself, God re…