Five days to go....

This picture was taken a few days ago when it snowed here

I am reading Bottom of 33rd. It is about the longest baseball game ever played.

I will making a ham for Christmas.

Not much else happening here.

Helen will be here after the Christmas.

Steven

Tuesday afternoon....

I buy it Mt. Mary. 

I am reading two books at once here. One is on my Kindle Show Dog.  Then The Forgotten David Baldacci.

Both books are very good.

On Dec. 2 is my birthday.  So I cake for me.

Not much else happening today.  Helen should be here next week, I sure I hope.

Steven

Too long between posts....

This picture is my new wife with a picture she made and sent to me.

Helen will be here next week, I hope.

I am reading a book I cannot give the title. I is a good book by Naomi Wulf. It is called a biography. 

I have four books waiting for me at the Stayton Library.  I will go there later today to get them.
]
I went to the St. Mary's Green Sale last night and bought centerpiece for Christmas  

Steven

Pacific Standard Time...

Hi again:

This picture is a tulip field.  Nice to see the color this time of the year.

I did finish Too Big to Fail, and now I am reading Rin Tin Tin on my Kindle. 

I also reading Zero Day by David Baldacci.  I am about half way through it and soon it will become a page-turner.

I hope everyone turned their clocks back an hour last night. 

I am watching TV programs I recorded yesterday and today. 

I so happy the Ducks won yesterday.  The next two games will\ be easier ones on the Ducks as they finish the season undefeated.  California and the ugly Beavs are no match for the Ducks.  I predict the Beavs will lose the next two games, one to Stanford and lose to the Ducks again.

Steven

H today...

Hi again:

Here is what in the dorms for Foxcoon.  Four people in that.

I am reading book in my Kindle. 

I have 7 books in library.  I will go there today.

Nothing much is happening today.

Steven

Friday today...

Hi:

I got this picture from an email I get from James Fellows of The Atlantic magazine.  It shows the inside of a factory in China.  Most employees live on the site of this factory and eat at the factory.  It makes Apple products for the American market.  It is near Shenzhen in eastern China, very near Hong Kong.

The name of this factory is Foxconn. 

I am still reading Too Big to Fail on my Kindle.  I was reading The Virgin Warrior about Joan of Arc, but it felt like reading how they make sausage.  Too much detail for my liking.  After about 50 pages I gave up on this book.

Not much else happening here.

Steven

The picture in my last post...

It works now.....I can post again.

This picture shows the 1902 wallpaper in the Brown House, which it slowly being restored. 

The picture in my last post is the outside of the Brown House.  It has been repainted and looks quite nice from the outside.  But the inside needs a lot of work to be ready as s communtiy center and a place to have wedding receptions.

Now that I can write posts on this blog again I will do so much more often than in the past.


Steven

Trouble posting to this blog

Hi again:

I have had trouble posting this blog. I keep getting the error message that I am including an empty URL in this blog.  I am not doing that.

I ran a malware program on this computer this morning.

I am half way through No Easy Day, a book about killing Osama.  After one page describing going into the house at the beginning  of the book, I am now at the stage of planning by the SEALS  to go there to do the deed.

I know it has been two weeks since trying to post to this blog. Here is hoping it works now.

Steven

Cool Friday today

A picture of my wife, Helen, after a shower and in her robe.

I am still reading Neptune's Inferno, a good book on World War II.

My next book is The Oath, a book on our President and the Supreme Court.

I made 25 quarts on peaches.  Then I made jam with peaches. 

I also made 17 quarts in prunes.

I also made peaches freeze.

I have had a bad cold for almost two weeks. 

Not much happening here. I do chat with Helen every day.

Steven

U and cool outside today

This picture is one my wife sent me of herself.

I canned 20 quarts of prunes on Saturday.  I still have enough prunes to make five more quarts. I will do that this morning.

I also have my 80 pounds of peaches here.  I could not find any wide mouth jar lids yesterday. I will try to find some at a different store here. 

I will can 10 quarts of peaches and freeze the rest of them.  Frozen peaches taste more like the real peach than canned peaches. 

I am now reading Neptune's Inferno, a book on the U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal during the early parts of World War II.  My next book is The Conquerors, about Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany between 1941 and 1945.  For some reason  I am getting into World War II literature this summer.

Not the light kind of reading one usually reads during the summer. 

I will try to make some peach jam here too. I got some Sure Jell yesterday but I have little luck making jar that is hard enough to spread on bread or pancakes. 

Getting cooler outside these days. 

Steven

Friday today....

This picture shows spring flowers.

The new Kindles came out yesterday.  I put on my Wish List one of the 8.9 inch Kindle Fire.  I did not buy it even though it does not come out until Nov. 30 because I don't know where I will be living at that time.  By next month and with my wife here, we are buying a house for ourselves.  So my address changes at that point in time and I need to notify Amazon of my new address.

I am still reading Too Big to Fail.  It is a great book to read, after seeing the movie first.

Not too much happening here these days. I got my hair colored yesterday and it looks great.

A short post today. But at least I am posting more often.

Vote for Obama.

Steven

Cool again today....

This is why Chinese food in China is so much better than what we get here.  Dumplings  with a green vegitable and some hot stuff that I will not eat.

Once again, I have not been writing much on here. much to my dismay.

I keep promising to write more but I fail each time I say this.

I did finish The Lost Bank about why Washington Mutual failed.  JPMorgam/Chase got a great deal on the assets from the court, paying only 1.7 billion dollars.  For a bank that that had over $70 billion in assets and a load of bad debt from its sub-prime mortgages.

I have another book from my library called Neptune's Inferno, about the U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal.  I saw the author on C-Span 2 on Saturday.  It is about Japan effort to re-take Guadalcanal after losing it earlier.

I am still reading Too Big to Fail.  It is a long book but I am enjoy reading it.

Back to Chinese food from China. It is so much better than what we get in the U.S.  I will not eat the hot stuff, but everything else I eat there.  I can lose over 40 pounds in China.  White rice is the only thing we have in common with Chinese food in China. 

I could get a lunch at the local grocery store for less than $1.00 that filled me up. It was either fried rice or noodles.  Fried rice is so much different than what we get here in the U.S. 

Fried rice has pork and eggs in it in China. 

Steven

Cooler Sunday today

Hi again:

I have been a bad boy by not posting here as much I want to do. 

The picture is from the parade on the 4th of July. 

I am reading two books now. Too Big to Fail and The Lost Bank, the Story of Washington Mutual and the Biggest Bank Failure in History. 

One book is on my Kindle 3 and the The Lost Bank is from our library.

My wife will be here next week, I hope.  A problem has arisen and I must resolve it in the next day or two.

Both books I am reading are very good.  I thought I had previously read Too Big to Fail.  But I guess I did not read it as it is all new to me.   I think I may not have read Too Big to Fail because it is a very large book but on my Kindle it does not seem as large.

It is much cooler here today than the past few days.   

I promise to write here more often now. 

Steven

Cooler days ahead...I hope

Yet another picture from our parade on the 4th of July.

I finished Catching Fire last night. Spoiler alert coming.  The ending was not as I expected.  In the 75th Hunger Games former champions are contestants.  But here the rebels are in charge of the games, not the Capitol.  The game ends suddenly with five left to go.  One is our hero Katniss.  She is injured and is taken by the rebels.  Three are taken by the Capitol, including her faux boyfriend, Peeta.  I am now reading Mockingjay, the last book in this series.  Her District 12 was fire bombed out of existence.  She goes back there to see what was left. 

I assume Mockingjay is about her effort to find Peeta.  Her real boyfriend is Gale.  But she was suppose to marry Peeta. 

Enough on these two books.  I don't want to spoil the endings for  you anymore.

It has been very hot here the past few days. But now the ocean breezes are coming here and the temperature is coming down.


Steven

.

Very hot today...

Hi:

This picture is from our parade on the 4th of July.  They throw out wrapped candy to the little kids. Here a bunch of little kids go out to collect the thrown candy.

Today I made myself iced coffee.  It is getting hot today and hot coffee did not seem the right thing to make.  So I put my coffee in the freezer for a time.  Now it is in the refrigerator.  Coffee tastes so different over ice than when it is hot.

I am finishing The Columbus Affair.  It has taken me longer than usual to finish this book. 

I have been watching the Bourne movies on TV.  The only thing relating to the book is the name of the characters. The plot lines do not match the 3 books. I am getting the books again to read them again.

It will get close to 100 degrees today.  No time to go outside in this hot weather.

Steven

The Last Day of July

This picture is a retired Greyhound dog. They like a soft place to sleep, which they do a lot.

They are short-haired which means they do not shed much.

These dogs come a variety of colors.  This one is, obviously, black. 

They told me these dogs are good travelers.  We are planning a long road trip to Utah in September.  If I get a retired Greyhound by then he may travel with us on our trip to Utah.  He can stay in the back of my pick-up for four to five hours.  That is about how long I can drive before I must stop to take a break.

I took this picture at SummerFest on Saturday.

I may not get a retired Greyhound dog until we buy a new house and I can fence part of the yard.

I am half way through The Columbus Affair, and it is turning into a page turner now.  Part of today I will be reading this book.

Steven  

SummerFest on Saturday...

I thought this only happened in China but at SummerFest on Saturday here, there were many young girls wearing very short pants.  This is the only picture I took of a young girl wearing very short pants.    I will post more pictures this week of SummerFest here.  I took 42 pictures at SummerFest so I will share many of them with you.

I am now reading The Columbus Affair by Steve Berry. I read every novel Steve Berry writes.  He is one of favorite authors.

I am still debating whether to read 11/22/63,  It is almost 900 pages.  Too big of a book to hold while attempting to read it.  It is on the Kindle page, but the sale price is $16.99, way too much to pay for an eBook.

My wife will be here this week if it goes good.  Once Helen arrives you will see more pictures of her on this blog. 

Not much else happening here. I mowed the lawn on Friday and this past weekend I read my book and watched a few movies I recorded on my TV.  I made two trips the SummerFest on Saturday. I am thinking of getting a retired Greyhound dog.  They had display of these dogs at SummerFest.  They need a short walk every day and will bond with you quickly.  Most of the time they will sleep.  A retired Greyhound will be 3 or 4 years old. 

A puppy of an Irish Setter would cost me between $1,000 and $1,500 per puppy.  A retired Greyhound costs me $250 for the health issues and getting it spayed or neutered. 

More posts as this week progresses.

Steven

Hi again on this U....

Hi:
Once again I failed to post every few days. 

This picture is from the parade on the 4th of July here. A very pretty girl on the top of a horse.

I am nearly finished with The Devil's Elixir, it turns into a page tuner in the last 100 pages.

I checked out 11/22/63 by Stephen King.  I can tell he needs an a good editor.  This book is nearly 900 pages long.  Like I said he does not use an editor.

There is no State Farm Bank in Oregon.  I tried to use online account but it failed to work. I got an email from them to talk with me.

I want to find a State Farm Bank.  If you know about it, email me at schwindt68@hotmail.com.

Steven

First post in a long time....

This picture is from the 4th of July parade in Stayton earlier this month.

I have been bad not wriiting here  I promise to write more each week.

I finished China Airborne by James Fallows. It was a great book that told me things about China I did not know.  The miilitary there controls the skies there so airlines and small planes must get permission from the military to fly in the air.  Even commerical airlines fly at low evelevations around 10,000 to 15,000 feet instead of the more efficient 30,000 to 35,000 feet we fly in the United States and around the world. 

On my last trip home from China we had an 8 hour wait at Beijing before my flight finally took off.  That 8 hour wait was suppose to be one hour but it lasted 8 hours.  The airline feed us there as we waited for the airline to take off. We did not enter the plane until it was ready to take off.  Now I realize it was the military that prevented us from taking off on time.

This was after a five hour delay in Xi'an before I left there.  Again a one hour delay turned into a five hour delay.

Every time I flew in or out China we had long delays.  The military controls the air space there and wants bribes from airlines to let them fly.

I am now reading Catching Fire, the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy.  I have Mocking Jay on my Kindle 3 to read once I finish the second book.  Mocking Jay is the last book in the series,. I get all three of these ebooks for free as I am a Prime Member on Amazon so I get one free book a month from its Lending Library. My first book was The Hunger Games. 

I am also reading The Devil's Elixir by Raymond Khoury.  I read all of his novels, as he writes very good mystery novels.

My Kindle 3 goes with me to Church every Sunday at Mass. I have the old catechism on it, plus I have The Divine Office on it.  Do you think I read these at Mass?  I started to read these things but today I read Catching Fire at Mass.  I don't read it during the prayers of the Mass, but during the sermon and before Mass starts.  I read it after the sermon too. 

I hope your week goes well.

Steven

early Sunday today....

This is what you see in China cites.  I never saw many of these in Oregon, but every city in China has these big cranes building apartments or other businesses.

I am now reading China Airborne by James Fallows.  I read every book he writes.  I also read his articles in The Atlantic magazine.

I have not finished yet Catching Fire, the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy.  I got as a free book because I am a member of Amazon Prime.  I must return this book before getting my free copy Mocking Jay, the last book in this series. Catching Fire is on my Kindle Fire and also moved it to my Kindle 3.  (I get one free book a month because I am a Prime member)

I also am reading the decision by the Supreme Court upholding The Affordable Health Care plan of President Obama.  I am so glad the Supremes upheld the law.  I fully support everything our President does.  He will be reelected so easy in November.   I put the decision on my Kindle Fire and I am sort of enjoying the main decision calling the fee paid by those who do not buy health insurance a tax.  I don't care what they call it, tax or penalty, as long as the Health Care was upheld.  The stupid R's will try to repeal this law, not realizing how much American people like the parts already in force. As more in force over the next year more Americans will like the plan. 

We are the only modern country that does not have national health insurance. This is so sad for United States. 

I would have like to see a public option in the plan.

I liked the sign that one stupid Tea Party held up: "Keep the government hands off my Medicare."

You can now believe I am so very liberal and proud to say it.

Steven

The weekend is near...

July 4 is near and in Stayton we have a parade on the 4th.  This is from last year when the day was so hot everyone liked to get under the water from the fire department.

I need to start reading Catching Fire, as I want to get the third book Mocking Jay from The Hunger Games trilogy.

I get to borrow one book a month from the Lending Library of Amazon.  I noticed on the first of this month, when I picked out Catching Fire, I had to return The Hunger Games before I could get Catching Fire. 

I am not getting many free ebooks from the emails I get every day.  I was getting quite a few of them just after I got my Kindle Fire, but now I am not getting many free ebooks this way.

Not much else happening here. 

Steven

Tuesday, Tuesday so good to us...

Yet another picture from my last days in Kunming.  Cars are parked along the street here, But you pay to park along the street in Kunming.  Once again you see a young Chinese woman wearing long boots and a very short dress.  I used to think that was common only in China but I am seeing young women in America wearing the same outfits here.

I got up at 2:30 this morning, thinking too much about my wife and wondering about her.

I am now reading the The Mephisto Club.  It is a good novel by Tess Gerritsen, the writer who wrote the Rizzoli and Isles books and the basis for the TV show.  I have four more of her books to read after this one.

Nolan is gone for five days to Florence Oregon to attend a conference there. 

I am going to the library in about an hour. I have many books to return to there.  Nothing to pick up just return somethings.

Getting cooler here after a few days of very warm weather.

Steven

Monday, Monday....

Hi again:

Not too long, see snow. 

I finished The Cove, and the book took a strange ending.  The novel was very good,.  But the book about War I. 

A book spoiler is coming:  At the end of the book some town people came looking for Walter, who stayed with a young lady and her brother but pretended not to talk.  Only near the end did he talk with her.  He was from a War I from Germany.  How the book ended surprised me, thinking he would be killed. Instead the lady and her brother was killed by someone who wanted to kill the Germany man.  But that man got away at the end. 

I am now back reading another book on Rizzoli and Isles. I have all of these books on my Kindle 3 and I am reading them there,. 

I have another book from library, that is Over Tine: My Life as a Sportswriter by Frank Deford.  I listen to him in Wednesday on my computer on Morning Edition on NPR.

I am now reading two books at one time, depending on what I feel in the mood to  see books.

Seems most I do on weekends here is read my books.  I am still working on the second book of Catching Fire, the second book of Hunger Games.  I get this ebook for free from the Lending Library.  On July 1, I will get a ebook for the three Hunger Games,

So much to read these days. 

Steven

Back here...again...

This picture is my wife now. It is the last picture I can show of my wife.  This picture was taken in Utah before we met each other. Her name now is Helen Schwindt.

She is somewhat younger than me, but I won't tell how much younger.

I am reading three books now. One is The Cove, a library book. The second one is Catching Fire, the second book in the series of The Hunger Games. The last one is a Rizzoli and Isles book on my Kindle 3.  I am reading Catching Fire on my Kindle Fire.

This is the first time I have read more than one book at a time.

I mowed the lawn here today. After finishing I was very thirsty, but one cup of cold water was insufficient for me. So for the first time this year, I had a bottle of beer.  It is Red Chair beer from the Deschutes Brewery in Bend. It is Pale Ale and is quite good.

I do promise to write more regularly here. I have been ignoring my blog but now I am back here.

Steven

 

The weeks starts...cold and raining....

This picture is from a grocery store in China and it shows games available for young kids there.  Most are American games. 

I finished The Innocent yesterday.. Boy, what a page turner!  Took a wide swing at the end so much so it was not foreseen in any prior part of this book.  I read everything David Baldacci writes.  He is one of my favorite authors. 

I am now reading Bismarck 2013 Hitler's Curse, It alternates between the present where divers are getting ready to dive down three miles where the ship now rests on the ocean floor. It then goes the past as the Bismarck has sunk The Hood and is getting ready to make it France for some needed repairs.  Complicating all of this a small box put the ship by Hitler himself.  Persons opening that box are driven crazy and there is speculation that it contains the remains of Hitler's twin girls who died shortly after birth. 

I am reading this book on my Kindle 3, the one with a keyboard on it. 

I bought yesterday the last two books in the trilogy of The Third Reich, The Third Reich in Power and The Third Reich at War.  I am also now reading the first book in this trilogy, The Coming of the Third Reich.  All three are on my Kindle Fire now.

So you can see what I have been doing on my weekends here. Reading books, my main avocation. 

I now have 13 books here from my local library.  I don't know if I will ever get in to the Jesse Stone novels by Robert Parker.  I may have to sit down to start one book to see how it reads.

I sure hope it clears up and gets warmer later this week.

Steven

End of this week...

These pictures you recognize.

The second picture is found and you see her in better color and more background in this second picture painted by Leonardo.

First time I ever put two pictures here.  But I wanted you see the difference between the same subject.

I just finished reading Gideon's Corpse.  It was a page turner from about page 100.

I am now reading The Innocent by David Baldacci.  It is a page turner since page 1.

I am going to the library here this afternoon as two more books await me there.

I am watching U-571 a big fiction as Americans find it.  But everyone knows that English found it.

I chat with my wife, Helen Schwindt, every day for hours and hours. I put those chats on my Kindle Fire so I can read them at my leisure.

 I have 12 books here by Robert Parker, the author of the Jesse Stone novels. 

The weekend starts here soon. What are your plans for the coming weekend?

Steven







 

1st Day of the long weekend....

This is how they deliver fresh water jugs in China, on a motorcycle.  You cannot see the motorcycle in this picture due the amount of water bottles on it.

Nearly everyone drinks water from these water jugs instead of the spout of the kitchen or bathroom.  The water that comes from the spout is not drinkable at all. It tastes very funny and probably is not safe.

I don't know where they get the water for the bottles but it is not from the spout of faucets there.

I am reading Rin Tin Tin: The Life and Legend.  I found it on my Kindle Fire. It came from Net Galley but every time I went there to get it the site said it was archived and not accessible.  I don't know how it ended up on my Fire but there it is.

I checked the same book out of our local library and I will return it later today. 

What are your plans for the three day weekend now?  Me, I have Season 2 of Justified to watch here.

I missed that entire season while I was in China.  I am recording on my DVR the third season, but I need to watch Season 2 before I start watching what I have been recording.

Have some fun this first weekend of summer here.

Steven

A small suprise for you...

This is my big surprise to all of you.  I am now married to Helen.  This is our wedding certificate.

She, like me, is Roman Catholic.  But she likes to sing at church and I don't sing anymore.  What a strange couple  we will be at Church.

I take my Kindle to church with me as I have the Baltimore Catechism on it as well as the The Divine Office on it.  I must admit two weeks I was reading The Hunger Games so I read it at Church too.  I was a bad boy but the book is so good I could not put it down.

I also have a 1962 Missal with me here, the one we used in grade school.

Enough surprises for now.

Steven

U today...

This picture is from Yunnan University, near my apartment in Kunming China. Kunming is sort of like western Oregon with a lot of green lawns and green trees.  It does get a little humid in the summer, but nothing like Shanghai or Beijing. 

I am now reading Gideon's Corpse by two of my favorite authors, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs. I read everything these two authors write together.

My good news will come here in a few days.

Not much else happening here, except chatting and chatting and chatting.

Steven

Warm days are here...so nice....

Here is how fruit is displayed in grocery stores in Kunming.

Once you buy the fruit you take it to a weighing station and priced. The clerk at the checkout does not weigh it. 

You can see the weigh station right behind the two fruit stands.

I am now reading a book by Rob Walker, this one is on the Bismark battle ship.  It is a good book so far. 

The chapters alternate between the launching of the ship and an effort in current time to send down a submarine 3 miles to explore it.

Some news from me in a few days.  It may surprise you.

Steven

Weekend is here...

This picture is from Yunnan University.  I walked there from my apartment in Kunming but took a taxi back home.

It is a very beautiful campus, with a lot of green lawns and a lot red dirt.

This is a pond on the campus.

The weekend is here now. What are your plans? I will check to see if there are any garage sales near here.

It is early in the garage sale season.

I am watching To Kill a Mockingbird on TV, I recorded this a few weeks ago.  It is one of the best books I ever read and one of the best movies I ever saw.

I will spend part of this weekend reading and part of this weekend watching TV shows I recorded this week.

Steven

Toward the end of the week...

Yet another picture of a young Chinese woman in very tight jeans.  The women in Kunming wear either short skirts or super tight jeans. 

No more pictures from this series, as I have shown enough of these.  I have some more of these but you get the picture.

I am reading Nothing to Envy again.  I have it on my Kindle and I am reading it again.  Twenty million people died of famine during the past few years there. Nothing to envy is saying in North Korea that like to say that they have nothing to envy in any other country. What a big lie from the government there. 

I hope to have Helen here next week.

Steven

U today

Sorry for not posting as much as I want to this blog.

This picture is from Black Dragon Park, an old way to mill corn in this picture.

I finished The Hunger Games yesterday.  I got it free from Amazon under the Prime rule.  Come June 1 I will get the second book in the series, again in the Free Lending Library of Amazon.

I have not seen the movie yet. I wonder if it as good as the book. 

I do promise to post here more often. 

I am not reading a book now.

I got two books on President Johnson by Robert Caro.  I want his latest book in this series, not the first two, which I got at the our local library.

Steven

U today...

Yet another picture of young Chinese girl in a very short skirt. I took a lot of these pictures and I will not put many of them on here.  Just to give you idea of what young Chinese women wear in Kunming China.

Now I see young women in Stayton wearing similar outfits too,.  I am not taking pictures of these women.

I am chatting with Helen every day now.  She will be coming here after one big event in our life. 

I will take some more pictures of Helen when she arrives here so you can see what she looks like here.

I was playing games on my Kindle Fire today, both pinball and slots,.  I won quite bit in slots, and I apparently won a Rolex watch, but I will wait to see if one is mailed to me.

I spent only 1/2 of what I earned in the slot game, so I still have over $4,000 in winnings there 

Still reading Nothing to Envy, a book on North Korea.  Nothing to Envy is a saying in North Korea that the leaders say about the outside world, there is nothing to envy in other countries.  Over 1 million died there for the lack of food. 

I posted a picture here some time ago of North Korea at night.  It is completely dark with no lights showing at all, so unlike nearby countries. 

Not much else to say here.

Steven

Start of a new week....

Yet another young Chinese girl with a very short skirt and big boots.  Her dress was very short.

I took these pictures on a few walks I took during my last days in Kunming.

I am re-reading Nothing to Envy, a true story of North Korea.  I have it on my Kindle Fire where I am reading it again.

For World Book Night, I gave three books to friends of mine, then rest of the 17 books to the seniors at Regis High School.  The book I got from World Book Night was Friday Night Lights, about football in Texas.  I did not watch the TV show by that same name, as the book was so very good. 

Helen should be here later this week.  I can hardly wait to see her.

Yet another short post. I will start a few rants in a day or so.

Steven

More on my Last Days in Kunming

This picture shows a typical young Chinese lady, with a very short skirt and big boots.

I have a book waiting for me that library about North Korea, this time an escape from a Camp there.

Today I moved files from my scan disk to another scan disk.  My original disk was breaking apart.  It took some time to move the files from one to the other,  But now it is done and I am happy.

Not much else happening here.

Steven

Last days in Kunming

This picture was one my last days in Kunming.  They are playing a board game.

You see many things happening on the sidewalk there.  They sell vegetables and fireworks on the sidewalk.

You have to watch your step while walking on sidewalks there. People do not pick after their dogs and moms let the little children pee on the sidewalk. 

Young girls where very short skirts and very tight everything else. I took a lot of pictures these young girls but I don't know if I will post them here.

Not much else happening here.

Steven

See how red the dirt is near my apartment in China.  This is on the campus of Yunnan University.

It has been very warm here the past two days, but cooler today.

I have not been reading much these days.

I cut my rhubarb today and cooked it up.  This the first cutting of my rhubarb and I expect to have two to three more cuttings of my rhurbarb here.

There is a new look to this site now. 

I have been chatting with Helen for hours and hours each day.  That is why I have not been reading much.

I gave Regis High School 17 copies of Friday Night Lights, a book for World Book Night.  I kept one copy for a friend's child, another for my Dad, and one for me. I read this book when it first came out. and found it quite interesting.

World Book Night sent me 20 copies of this book to distibute as I saw fit.

Steven 

early Sunday

This picture show a small tree at Black Dragon Park in Kunming.

I am now reading The Coming of Third Reich.  This is the first book of trilogy  I will spend the next few weeks watching "sausage being made," more about the Third Reich than most people want to know about about the Nazis.

it sure was a nice day here yesterday.  After returning from 5:00 p.m Mass I decided to mow the lawn here. 

I picked up 20 copies of Friday Night Lights, a book on Texas football.  Monday is World Book Reading Night.  I plan to take these books to Regis High School to give them to senior boys and girls there.  I signed for these books and they were delivered to the library here. I read this book a few years ago when it first came out.  I saved a copy for myself. I will one copy to my father and one for the son of friend.

I saw that about 20 people around Stayton signed up for this Reading Night.  I wonder where the others will giving away books.  I know that only I had Friday Night Lights so I want to find the others to get a copy of the book from that person.

Have a great week upcoming.

Steven

Monday today

This picture is from China, Yunnan University

I took a walk around Yuan University to see the sites around this campus,. 

The dirt is very red here, and I think I have some pictures of the dirt I will show you.

Helen will get here Wednesday evening at Portland.

Steven

Sunday now...

This picture shows boats that people live on in the Lake west of Kunming.

I guess they get their food out of the lake.  I saw no other people fishing in this lake.

Not much else happening here. 

I am reading Revelations: Visions, Prophecy & Politics in the Book of Revelation, a book by Elaine Pagels.  I read some of her other books   She is an excellent writer so that is why I am reading this book.  The right wing thinks is going here. I not like right wing.

Steven

Weekend is here

This picture is Helen smiling.

I read Great Expectations at Regis as a freshman. I hated the book then at age 15.  I just finished watching the TV of Great Expectations.  It had a much younger Miss Haversham on it, as Gillian Anderson played that role. She also play Scully on The X-Files.  It was a four hour presentation of the book. I may have to read this book again, and think I have it on my Kindle.

This will be the last picture you see of Helen. I have four others but not fit for here. 

I may take some pictures of her to post here later, but not from the current crop of pictures she sent me.

Helen is Catholic like me.  Just what I need: to marry a Catholic young lady.

Today I will be reading and watching the TV shows I recorded this week.

The book sale is continuing today but I went there last Thursday and got the five books I wanted, two for gifts and the three for me.

Steven

Her she is...

This is Helen, my new special friend.  We plan to get married in the next year. 

One thing you cannot ask me is her age. 

She is coming on Tuesday. I will pick her up at the airport.

Steven

hi again

I know I promised a picture of my new special friend, but I will wait until Sunday to put it here. She had a tragedy in her family as her father died suddenly.  She will be here next Tuesday. 

The picture yoiu get here is from Black Dragon Park in Kunming China.

My new friend is Catholic, the first Catholic one I have.

You indeed will be surprised when see her picture.

I have not been sleeping well at all. I get after about four hours of sleep, wide awake. Anticipation, I guess.

Not much else happening here.

Steven
 

Early morning on U

This picture shows the mean counter at the grocery store in Kunming.  The people you see are cutting the meet, mostly pork, and putting it in front of them. Meat is never wrapped and is put out raw.  I did not buy this meat, as flies were landing on it. The meat moves fast as there is always a big crowd around these guys taking meat away.

The main meats in China are pork, chicken and duck.  Rarely do you see beef in this country,.

Tomorrow or Thursday I will post the picture of my big surprise. 

I don't know what is wrong with me but I awoke at 2:00 am this morning.  I will probably go back to bed in a few hours.

I have not been listening to many podcasts here, so I have four or five behind on every one of them. 

I have not been listening regularly to NPR either.  I am listening to All Things Considered from Monday as I write this.

I need to bear down to (1) read more; (2) listen to NPR every day; and (3) set up time to listen to podcasts.

Too much time I spend watching TV.  I need to cut back on it now to do other things. I think being without TV for my time in China forced me to watch too much TV upon my return to Oregon. 

I got all seven Harry Potter books on my Kindle and Kindle Fire.  Now I have them all in one place. I added them to all three of my Kindles and to Nolan's Kindle too as his Kindle is on my account. 

Gas here is over $4.00 a gallon here now.  Catching up to China where gas is sold there by the liter.  During my last days in Kunming I looked a local gas station to see that gas there sells for 7.17 rmb per liter.  That makes it well over $4.00 a gallon when you do the conversion (6.3 rmb equals $1.00)

Gas in China is owned by the government from the well head to the gas station.  It keeps the price high there to bring more money to the federal government.

I did some laundry yesterday and I was able to hang some clothes outside for the first time this year.  All of my clothes dried in about 3 hours outside yesterday. 

Tomorrow I am going to the airport in Portland, and think you know why.

Steven

Tis the Egg Day...

This is something I don't do often, putting a picture of me on this blog. But here is a picture of me at Black Dragon Park in Kunming China.

Today is Egg Day. I hope you are enjoying this day.  I went to 8;00 am Mass this morning. It was packed full, even the choir was full.

I don't sing in Church anymore. I am sung out, for I spent four years in Boys Glee at Regis.  We sang every day and we took tours to Catholic schools in Washington.  After four years of that singing I am done singing. 

But we shall see next week for my surprise will be with me then.  I am not telling you yet what surprise is but I am very pleased with her,. I will ask her if I post a picture of her in the middle of the week.

She is Catholic too. 

So now you part of my surprise, but wait until you see her picture. 

I finished Part Wild yesterday.  The author did not give the wolf away to a Rescue Association or to another place.  She ended up putting the wolf down. That wolf, named Inyo, was too hard to control in any situation,.

I am now reading Revelations about the book written in 236 so if you believe John the apostle wrote it,then you are wrong.  None of it true today.  It was written about the Roman Empire at that time. 

Steven



Saturday today

This picture shows the back end of the Catholic Church. It is one block from our house in Stayton. 

I went to Good Friday services last night and it was in English and Spanish.  Our church is very big and it was full last  night.

I will go to Mass Sunday morning as the Saturday night service is over two hours long.

I saw snow in the rain here yesterday.  What is wrong with this weather we have in in western Oregon?  Global warming is the cause of all of this strange weather.

I did not realize that I failed to post here for the past five days.  I promise to post more in the future.

I have some news but I will wait until the middle of next week to give the good news to you. I will attach a picture too. Let me say I feel like I won the lottery and the prize is the best of all.

I will finish Part Wild today.  I have another book waiting for me, this time on Revelation.  A good liberal book for me to read.

Steven

M eve now...

This is the lake we visited in Kunming China.  It is a big lake but no boats on it except a few local residents. 

I got my hair cut today. Tomorrow it will be colored again, the first time since returning from China.

A haircut in China cost me 10 rmb, or about $1.80.  A haircut here in Stayton cost me $11.00 today.  It took a barber about 45 minutes to cut my hair as he had not cut a western man's hair before.  Jim, my barber here, takes about five to six minutes to cut my hair. 

I am now reading Part Wild: One Woman's Journey with a Creature Caught Between the Worlds of Wolves and Dogs.  I heard this author on an NPR program soon after returning to the U.S.  The author tried to tame a wolf but found out how wild he was and could not keep the wolf in her house,.

Do you believe dogs devolved from wolves?  But what about a pug dog or the dog that won the Westminster Dog Show, so far away from wolves they look more like cats than dogs. 

My dad is doing fine in The Dalles, at the Oregon Veterans' Home.  He calls me about every other week to give me a report on what is happening there.

My father is now 90 years old. 

I am surprised I like reading books on my Kindle Fire. I thought with the back-lit screen I would not like it, but I turn the brightness down quite a bit to read books and articles on it. 

I have read two books on it and I am now putting articles on it too.

I am not gaining weight here in the U.S. I simply do not have a large appetite yet here. 

Steven

Sunday today

This is a typical Chinese dinner.

Dumplings, a green vegetables and some fish.  Now you know why I lost nearly 40 pounds there in about six months.

My two favorite dishes in China were dumplings and noodles.  Rice came in a distant third.

I am now reading The Long Night: William L Shirer and The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.   I have The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich here but it over 1,000 pages in paperback form. I may read it this summer.

Not much else happening here. 

More tomorrow.

Steven