NARCISSUS
These days they call the narcissus bulbs paper whites. I like the old name. It reminds me that my grandfather Gus Keasler's mother's name was Narcissus - Narcissus Howard Keasler.
Well I bought my bulbs last week and planted them. The paper whites are sprouting on my dining room table and will be ready to give to the neighbor children by Christmas.
For the past few months I have been collecting small pots on yard sale and thrift shop adventures to use as planters for narcissus bulbs for holiday gifts. It averages out to be a $3.00 gift by the time its planted. Never more than $1.50 for the pot (ususally 50 cents.), $1.29 for the bulb and 50 cents worth of rocks. The value is kicked up by remembering to do it.
TIP: The bulbs are medium size. If you do this, be sure to buy pots that have a wide opening.
I like to give them before they bloom - so that the flowering is part of the gift.
SKYPE
In our den in Maryland Jimmy set up my MacBook so that we could see the computer screen on the television and we called Robin and Brad in California.
Suddenly we were all together.
Talking.
Laughing.
Our family together for an hour.
Now I ask you
what's not to love about the marvels and wonders of technology? Downloading SKYPE is easy - and it's FREE.
Sitting in a doctor's waiting room the other day a man over-heard Jim, and Jimmy and me talking about Skype and he chimed in that he uses it to talk with his grandson in Colorado. " I have a flat screen TV in my kitchen - I am an amateur chef - and he talks to me while I cook." How cool is that?
Anybody else use SKYPE?
Sitting in a doctor's waiting room the other day a man over-heard Jim, and Jimmy and me talking about Skype and he chimed in that he uses it to talk with his grandson in Colorado. " I have a flat screen TV in my kitchen - I am an amateur chef - and he talks to me while I cook." How cool is that?
Anybody else use SKYPE?
4 comments:
Never used SKYPE but with a little on the way, it sounds like a great plan. I'll have to start my investigation.
Ellouise, We used it when Sarah was in France for a semester. It was great. Right now everyone is fairly close to home but if they go away again we'll use it. Sarah is going to Belize for two weeks over Christmas break but hopefully will have cell phone coverage and there is always e-mail-I hope. It is great to see people on Skype.
I use Skype to talk to my sister who lives in Austin, TX. I live on Long Island in New York. It is probably the only time I speak with her. And using the webcam that we both have, have allowed us to see each other's houses (at least the rooms that have the computers in them).
I have also used Skype with a a storytelling partner to practice a story that we were going to perform in tandem. In that case, I had the webcam on mine, but she didn't, but it still helped in working on the timing of our story, so when we practiced together in real time and space, we had some of the logistics of the performance already worked out.
Thanks for your notes everybody.
I first heard of Skype, Debbie, when our grand-daughter was doing a semester in London and they talked with her regularly. Great advantage!
And Diane, definitely set one up when the baby arrives. Speaking as a long distance grandmother - Just to see the baby everyday - wow!
Harvey I have been experiencing that live connection with my daugher in CA - and it feels good.
Thanks for talking about you have used it for practicing and coaching. I am very interested in that possibility.
Ellouise
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