Well here we are almost at the end of June. It is hard to believe that this year is ½ over already.

School is out and both of my grandson’s went to Booth Camp for Washington County Sheriff’s office for Search and Rescue Training/Explorer program. When done and if pass all testing they will work with the search and rescue of Washington County.. Washington County has one of the best in Oregon and is sometimes called in to other counties. They will also do ride along with deputies and even get to write tickets. Both boys have great grades and athletic so had no trouble passing the test to get accepted. They have to keep their grades up as they can be pulled out of school for a few days and will miss classes. Now for 14 days they are out in the woods. Remember this is Oregon so were not talking sunshine and warm nights, it rain, cold and damp. I have mixed feeling about it all both have been interested in the military or police work for a long time so not surprised. And it kind of runs in the family, my dad, an uncle and a nephew. But I still see the cute little guys who loved coming to grandmothers house and playing in the sand box or on the swing set grandpa made them or riding the lawn tractor or getting to yell and run and no one cared or could hear them. I still see those eyes and smiles that melted me and almost always got a yes from me. But now I see two tall, good looking young men who’s smiles still make me smile but now laugh at the though of taking a nap in a lawn trailer being pulled behind the tractor. (Got them to sleep every time).

Maybe it’s not just the boys growing up, but my baby is 36 and I have no idea where those years went. And I do say so myself her dad and I even though we have been  divorced for almost 30 years did a dame good job raising her.

Or maybe it’s that I turn 60 this year, WOW 60 and don’t look a day over 591/2..lol.. Now those years really flew by. I remember an old boss telling me on my 21^st birthday not to get to excited that the other side of that hill getting to 21 was oiled.. Well he was right.. Mom and Dad have been gone for a while now, All but 1 Aunt has passed on and all the  uncles are gone that I really knew. Crap and I am the baby of the 3 kids. Sister is 65 and brother 67.

When I reflex back it’s not been a bad life, sure some rough roads, heart aches, few days of not know for sure what way to go, but all that I think is normal. We were poor growing up so I have always had more than my mom and dad and never had to work as hard as they both did. Dad never had a new car always used and already wore out, where I have had several new ones. Mom made most of her own cloths or wore hand me down’s, I have always had two closets full. But they had each other, married over 50years by time mom passed away, and they were happy with what they had and to them having family around on a Sunday afternoon for dinner was what it was all about. It was not unusual for friends or neighbors to stop by on a Sunday at dinner time and mom always seem to make the meal serve all there. We use to laugh and say “mom just added more water to the pot”. We have to bring in a sheet of plywood to set over the little table to make it bigger so more could fit around, and other sat in the living room and a few would take there plates and go outside. Always a lot of laughter and love at those dinners. As there health starting going down hill the large dinners become smaller and then none. But there was always someone at the house on Sunday just to visit and have a cup of coffee or iced sun tea. Two weeks ago I had a little birthday party for my Aunt who turned 89. My new home is small and had to bring in the chairs from outside and my daughter brought some down with her. As I sat and tried to hear a little of each conversation that was going on I had to smile it was only 16 people not the 25 to 30 I use to have. But how nice it was to have family together who had not seen each other since 1995 in my home for a Sunday cup of coffee or iced sun tea..

Photos: Headed off to booth camp, The birthday girl and her son.

Peace.

J

Read on........

My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner, play
with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind
for the next few hours: "Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the
medicine cabinet."

So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those
"cold wax" kits.
No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your
hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or
wherever else) and you pull the hair right off.

No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be?

I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure
this out. (YA THINK!?!)

So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck
together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out
the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ("Cold wax," yeah...right!) I
lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It
works!

OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this!
Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-Ra, fighter of all wayward body
hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire.

With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak
back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop
my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure, I
apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the
right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek
(it was a long strip) I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRRRIIIIPPP!!!!

I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!....
OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!!

Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the
st rip. CRAP! Another deep breath and RIPP!

Everything is spinning and spotted. I think I may pass out...must stay
conscious...must stay conscious. Do I hear crashing drums???

Breathe, breathe..................
OK, back to normal.

I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so
much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory
that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip!

There's no hair on it.
Where is the hair???
WHERE IS THE WAX???

Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the
hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not! I touch. I am
touching wax. I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body,
which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair.

Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped upon
the toilet? I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down.

Sealed shut!
My butt is sealed shut.
Sealed shut!

I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think
to myself "Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!"

What can I do to melt the wax?
Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!!
I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the
wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off,
right???

*WRONG!!!!!!!*
I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture
prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only
thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them
glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot
water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax.

So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself
to the porcelain!!

God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put
in the bathroom!!!!! I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before
and has some secret of how to get me undone.

It's a very good conversation starter "So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued
together to the bottom of the tub!" There is a slight pause. She doesn't
know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter
from me.

She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, "Are we talking cheeks
or hole or hoo-ha?" She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her.

I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the
box. YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night. While
we go through various solutions. I resort to trying to scrape the wax off
with a razor.

Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax,
glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the
sticky wax off !!

By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm
pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this
event. My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving
grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax.

What do I really have to lose at this point?
I rub some on and OH MY GOD!!!!!!!

The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend.
It's sooo painful, but I really don't care.

"IT WORKS!!

It works !!" I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up.
I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief
and despair....

THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT!

So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could
have amputated my own leg at this point.

Next week I'm going to try hair color......