Yuletide

 It is snowing again. It began in the morning with big wet flakes that did not stick much. But as the day went on it changed to the small misty flakes that you need to squint to see. But those stuck plenty. By early afternoon, the sidewalks and roads were too slick for me to attempt taking a walk. I was a little unhappy about that. I was really feeling the need for some fresh air and exercise. I had to make do with enjoying the snowfall from my porch. It would have been all the more enjoyable if the road construction company hadn’t do extremely overstayed their welcome. They were supposed to be gone before Thanksgiving, and here it is Christmas. 

Tomorrow is the solstice, sometimes known as Yule, or I’ve been told that it was before Christians co-opted the term to mean Christmas. To me, it has been my brother's birthday since I was four. So, on this night so many years ago I stood on another porch and called out to the sky to snow while my mother was in labor. On Christmas morning my mother was allowed to leave the hospital early, so Santa brought me a doll, a coloring book and a new baby brother. Do you remember what you got for Christmas in 1961?  My brother hates that we all have a vivid memory of the night he was being born. I won’t bring it up to him tomorrow…

I have struggled to get myself into a holiday mood. In between recovering from the flu and repeated snow storms I have missed some of the activities that I had been hoping to attend. I had to forgo caroling at Fort Nisqually, which was what I had been looking forward to. I have always had fun caroling, but hardly anyone does it anymore. To find it here, and in a charming location. Oh well, it might work out next year. I did go to our towns parade. It fell between snow storms, and was thankfully brief. The flu hit the town hard. A lot of people were still sick and there was still quite a bit of ice on the ground. Not only were there not many people at the parade, but most of the houses hadn’t been decorated yet. Some of them still haven’t. 

We put up the tree, about a week late for us. But we are happy with it. The waiting did not hamper our selection. I think the tree is nicer than those we’ve had before. And I made an attempt at the shortbread that I had in Chicago last year. They weren’t bad, but I do need to work on it before I try to wow anyone with my Maple Shortbread. I’d try again tomorrow, but I will be baking a birthday cake.  

I did manage to get my packages wrapped and sent in plenty of time for them to arrive before Christmas. I even got cards sent this year. When I write it down, it seems as if I’ve got this one down. But its all been very perfunctory. The excitement and magic just seem to be missing. The gifts that I sent are okay, I guess. But nothing that I can’t wait for them to see what I found for them. If my cookies don’t work out, I’ll buy some from the store. Karen found some chocolate ornaments for the tree, and they are fine. But they aren’t the European ones we buy from the Christmas market that we had to forego this year. I doubt that anyone will be remembering this Christmas sixty one years from now. But that’s okay. Maybe it’s someone else’s turn this year.  Saturday night we will have Jim and Nora over for a steak dinner and open gifts. I will have extra, because I decided to save the ones my children sent me to be opened on Christmas Day. 

After getting my presents sent in a timely fashion, I was feeling okay about myself. Then as I was putting things away I found a pair of socks I made for Jack’s gift. And I forgot about them completely. I’m wondering now if I should just send them separately. Proof that Nana is getting old…

I hope that you are having a wonderful holiday celebrating what you choose. 

Influenza

 

It’s snowing now, big fat wet flakes that will cover the newly thawed ground before morning. The snow has been falling on and off for a week. It hasn’t been obnoxious as there are times between the storm where the roads dry out.  We haven’t been kept form anything we have felt like doing. The forecast for the near future has more of the same. If this is a precursor for what to expect from the winter, I will be glad for my snow boots. 

What has kept us from anything is that we have been down with the flu. It started with all of us, a week ago Wednesday. I am the only one of the three of us who has taken the shot, and I was extremely less sick than Karen and Ken. Karen got sick enough that her daughter took her to the hospital. She was scared by not being able to breathe. They diagnosed the flu and sent her home with a sack full of medications and the standard advise to rest and hydrate. She and Ken have disparaged the fact that I get vaccinated every year. Now she is onboard. I am mostly well, but I still get very tired very easily. 

To pass my time, I have been watching holiday baking shows on TV.  It has me wanting to attempt the maple shortbread cookies that I tasted last Christmas in Chicago. The recipe that I have calls for both maple sugar and syrup. I haven’t found any maple sugar, but I do have an organic cane sugar and a very top shelf syrup. After the cookies are cut and stamped I will brush them with some of the syrup and top them with turbinado sugar before I bake them. I’d love to have the Chicago recipe, but it is a family secret and it’s not my family. 

I’m hoping that Karen and Ken will be feeling well enough to help me eat them soon. They have been really sick. 

Last Bastion

It happened today. The last thread by which I was clinging to my youth card snapped. It would take a Trumpian level of denial to conclude any thing other. I have jumped the shark and crossed to the side of the crazy old cat ladies. It is sadly official.

It all came about very unwittingly on my part. I didn’t mean to loose hold of that card. It is really a shame. It happened this way. If my clothes are reasonably clean at the end of the day, I don’t throw them into the hamper. I have a set of hooks on the outside of my closet door where I hang them to be reworn another day. Please don’t judge me harshly for that; my closet is small. And I don’t often entertain in my bedroom. My clutter bothers me less than washing my clothes every week. 

There are a couple of mitigating circumstances you should know about. The first being that there is a good deal of roadwork and accompanying mess going on right in front of my house right now. I have to traverse that mess each and every time I leave my yard. As a result, my shoes, my socks and the cuffs of my leggings or jeans get filthy every day and must be washed. The second circumstance is that it is Indian summer here, and the weather changes are volatile. One week we are in the 90’s, the next we have days where we don’t even break 70 degrees. 

The other day, I put on a pair of leggings, blouse and sweater and started out the door. But before I got to the garden gate I realized I was terribly overdressed for the weather. So I went back, picked out a pair of capris and left the sweater behind. The next day I wore the capris again, but with the polka dot  blouse seen in the picture above. The leggings and the sweater stayed on the hooks. That night I hung the polka dot shirt on one of the hooks to wear again later. 

This morning I…I have no excuse. I don’t know what I was thinking. After my morning shower I grabbed the clothes on the hooks and put them all on without thinking; obviously without looking at them either. Not only did I put those clothes on and putter around the house, I walked out the gate and paraded all around town in them too. Umm, hummm…for four and a half miles. On coming home, my camera snapped the picture above. I am mortified! Have I become a plumped out version of Maxine? Am I the cranky old cat lady now?

Yep, that card fell right out of my hands. It’s pretty much gone forever…

The Fullness of Time

I have sat for a day or so thinking about what to say. My family is inclined to gallows humor during times of sadness and stress. My first inclinations of what to say during times like this lean toward this kind of wit,  and as such are usually inappropriate. I have to watch my tongue. I am truly saddened by the passing of the Queen, and have great sympathy for her family who must now grieve in public. Snark and wit seem out of place and offensive. I do send my condolences to her family and subjects. I will miss her Christmas addresses. It has become a happy tradition for me that I really enjoyed. It was like getting a Christmas card from her every year. I can think of nothing with which to replace this custom. I will miss it, and her.

I do have a bit of a quandary though. Two of my ancestors signed the death warrant for King Charles I. They came to America and helped to found the city of New Haven, Connecticut while running from the wrath of King Charles II. Should I be concerned about King Charles III? I do hope not. 

Closer to home, it was my birthday. I turned the silver age of sixty-five. I am officially a senior citizen. I. Get. Discounts! My niece and my sister both have birthdays coming up too. But none of us has any money. Who does these days? Instead of piling a lot of debt on credit cards, we decided to have a joint celebration. We went to see a local impersonation group perform at a street festival. We even splurged and got milkshakes at the Dairy Freeze. It was a lot of fun, and nobody had to blow spit on a cake. 

And a bit of happy news for me; a wonderful new business is opening up in the new artsy fartsy “South of Main” area they are trying to create downtown. I am thrilled that they were planning an artsy fartsy area of town. I had no idea, but it is so needed. And I need an outlet to sell my merch… Seriously, this is what I have been wishing for. I hope that we will soon get more of the same. It will be nice to have more than tattoo parlors and nail salons to shop at. It may be a tough economy to open in. But I do hope it works out for them, and me. 

I’ll end this post here and get to bed. That is if I can convince Pippy that she has to share…

ESPIONAGE!

 

I’m shocked, but sadly not surprised. He held meetings with Putin that he did not allow any witnesses in. He owes a lot of money and soon it will be much more. Can we really claim surprise?

Perfect Summer Day

It’s late now. Being after midnight, I suppose that technically it is early. And it's also technically tomorrow. So, yesterday morning I woke up, showered, put a load of laundry into the wash and left to go on a walk. 

The weather was perfect, sunny and warm just enough with a nice breeze. I thought about taking the bus into Sumner to browse the shops. But I was still stinging a bit from the trip I took to the beach. It was fine, but I really didn’t plan anything. So I showed up and after a while I noticed I was the only single person on the boardwalk. Then I started feeling self conscious, as if other people were watching and thinking I was creepy for being there alone. So I left after about twenty minutes. Today I stayed close to home. I went to the park and then wandered around town for a while. 

The walk was good for me. I walked until I was completely caught up in the feeling of the moment. With the warm day and cool breeze, the bounty of summer around me I was reminded of a hundred lazy afternoons in the sun. 

 

Itinerary

 

I looked for a sunrise picture on the beach and didn’t find one. Of course. The sun rises in the east. Sunrise on a Pacific beach isn’t going to be all that spectacular. It’s sunsets that are going to be the better picture. It makes sense. But part of me still is set for the east coast. 

I went to bed really early last night. I was exhausted. But now I am up extremely early this morning. And I must admit, I’m not sure what to do with myself so early. I’m not much of a morning person. I did it for all those years when I raised a family and worked. It was demanded of me. But very little is demanded of me now, and nobody cares what time I get up or go to bed. 

Today will be almost ideal weather wise. I should stay home and wash my clothes, but I think I’m going to catch a bus to the beach, maybe have fish and chips at Little Chinooks for lunch. 

As Seen On TV

Today is a beautiful day, 83° F with sunny skies and a gentle breeze. It is a little on the warm side, but it is August. 

Do you have any unusual routines that you use to get yourself to wind down at bed time? Some people read, but I'm the kind that reads to the end of the page, the chapter, oh Come On! I can't put the book down NOW! So it isn't really all that helpful. I can't tell you how many nights I have stayed up reading, knowing that I would have to pay dearly for it. But when my children were young, I used  to make up fairy stories to tell them at bedtime. And I would find myself nodding off too. Who knows what impact staying up the night before reading all night had on that process, but it did seem to work. 

Lately I have been watching the surveillance cameras in a nearby tourist town on YouTube and making up stories about what I see. The town is a family orientated vacation spot, so the nightlife is pretty tame. Even the brewhouse seems to close at midnight. But one night I was watching and I spotted four men run out of it in single-file, one right after the other.  Then suddenly a large crowd emerged from the nearby buildings and watched them run off up the street. There did not appear to be any police to stop them and after a while, the crowd just wandered back to wherever they came from. So that night I told myself a bed-time story about the men having been caught trying to steal from one of the travelers who was staying the night in the inn above the brewhouse. I never write the stories down, because that would break the bedtime story feel of it and keep my mind from winding down. 

Last night I was indulging in my routine, watching the tourist town on YouTube. I was about to turn the TV off and go to bed, when I spotted a man wheel a large dolly filled with boxes up to a door of one of the buildings I could see very well on my screen. What happened next floored me, and left me feeling quite disturbed. Beside the door stood an ornamental shrub that looked to be about four feet high. He tipped it slightly and rummaged around underneath it. Then he used the key he's all too obviously found there to let himself in through a different door. I can only hope they have a key lock box under that shrub, and not just a key lying out for anyone to find. But no, it was all too obvious that there is a key lying out under the shrub by the door....And a camera that broadcast live on YouTube exactly where it is and which door it works on.

Remember, the expectation is that if you are in public, you are being recorded.

Big Brother is watching.

Fever Break

This time last week I was gathering table cloths and towels to cover the east and west facing windows of the house. Tonight, the heatwave has broken. For the foreseeable future, we will have normal summer temperatures. A few of the days will be a little on the warm side, but oh so doable. The chance of rain is miniscule, I will be able to get out and view the damage done. I wonder if the heat killed every flower that bloomed. 

I was able to see the mountain when we went grocery store hopping this afternoon. It was visible despite the air quality being hazy. Unlike after the heatwave last year, it is still covered with snow. I did not stop to take a picture, it was just too hot.

This evening I gave the dog a bath and then took a shower myself. Bear was so happy that he grabbed the buckets that I had warm water in and tried to pour more on himself after he'd been thoroughly rinsed. That dog loves to be clean. He even let me trim his nails. I too, was happy to get a shower. I could feel the heat rinse away from my head and the ache that had been behind my eyes eased. It is so nice to smell decent and not feel sticky and oily. It is better knowing that it will be fourteen degrees cooler tomorrow. The dreadful heat is gone for now. 

Let There Be Coolness

One more day of incredibly hot temperatures and we will be through it. That is what I tell myself. It's what I hope. I hope tomorrow won't be as hot as expected. Does optimism count?

I've worked hard not to whine, but this is the sixth day of this dreadfulness. Mostly, I have stayed inside, moving fans around to accentuate the coolest airflow through the house. 

Karen and I were stir crazy enough yesterday to decide to take a field trip. At first she wanted to visit some garden. But she found out that it was more than an hour away and would close soon after we got there. We made the sane decision to wander more closely to home. We decided to visit several stores that are on the way to Enumclaw. The road winds through the Muckelshoot Reservation and farmland. The stores are more interesting than almost anything we have in downtown Auburn. There is a butcher where if I was so inclined I could purchase a side of beef or swine. They have lockers to store it in too. But it is great meat at decent prices. There is a farm store that sells fruits, vegetables and local selections of home made soaps and honey, greeting cards and Sasquatch paraphernalia . There is a flower shop, that is not to say a florist. But I would wager if you need flowers for a wedding they'd be able to handle it. How I wish we had something like this to walk to in our town. 

Tomorrow will be hot again. If I could only wish it away! And then it will get cooler. I so need it to be cooler.

Hot

The Puget Sound did not participate in last weeks Burn the Nation event. Our temperature was only in the 80's. We were fairly comfortable. We have vowed to make up for it this week. We were hoping that we'd done our stint in Hell last year when the glaciers melted off the snow capped mountain that overlooks our valley. We were overly optimistic. Global warming stops for no man. 

It is a good week to take it easy, relax with a cold hydrating drink. That is exactly what I am doing. In true southern girl fashion, I made a cold macaroni salad for us to have for supper and I have ice cold sweet tea in the fridge.  Keeping it cool friends.

Two Steps Back

 

We've had some sobering news. Three close friends have Covid. Coming on the heels of Mollie and Chris having had it too. We had already started wearing masks in indoor public situations. Now we are considering foregoing indoor public events again. So, no restaurants. theaters, etc. I suppose I should postpone my plan to begin travelling on public conveniences too. 

They are working on a new vaccine. It will be the same story though. Half the people here don't want it. Most of the world can't get it. This is a plan to fail.

Life is a Hurricane

 

Have you seen any of the James Webb Telescope images? I have been enthralled by them, watching them at night before I go to bed. It's very calming. 

But it struck me that in it's natural state, all of life is a spiral. Nature uses them to grab our attention: tornadoes, cyclones, hurricanes, time. Ancient people drew them, lived in them, danced in them, built temples with them. 

And when I nearly died, I remember the tunnel that swirled with fog and twinkling lights. I remember the bright light in the center. 

Sunday Selections

Sunday Selections is a meme that I was introduced to by Elephant's Child. The rule is simple, post pictures that are chilling in the camera folder, and link back to her. Her pictures are always amazing, so you should go see them. 

My theme for this weeks seems to be what I do most, pictures from draft posts that never see the light of day...

This picture is from a blog very recently. I took it to talk about the wonderful summer weather we were having. Then I learned about the terrible heatwave that the rest of the country was having. Only to be shortly followed by news that Britain and Europe were in the same dire straits. It really didn't seem appropriate to publish that one. 

I take almost as many pictures of this shaded walk as I do the mountain. And I keep trying to work one of them into a blog. But nothing so far seems to fit well with the way it feels to me. The walk seems almost spiritual, like a protected place to me. It's very peaceful and meditative. 

I was just walking through the walkway once, when this little creature ran quickly by, from behind me. He scared me as much as I think I scared him. Then ridiculously, I wondered if the walk was his cathedral and I had just disturbed his prayers. He certainly brought a surprised halt to my meditations. 

I don't see many wild rabbits here. I suppose they have to may predators. One of our neighbors used to free range some domestic hares, but they have stopped keeping them. Presumably for the same reason.

I love the wild flowers here. My walks are beautiful all summer long. It is a good thing that I can now snap a picture and leave the flowers undisturbed. When I was a child, I was constantly in trouble for picking flowers I thought grew freely along the sidewalks. I don't suppose the PNW homeowners would take it any better than the southern women did back in the day. I've only ever had one person complain about me taking a picture, and she's kind of strange.

This picture was taken with the thought of talking about my grandmother. She grew them in her flower garden every year. She had roses, tulips, iris' and hyacinths too, but when I think of her garden, I think of the glads. 

She would fill a large crystal vase full of them and place them on the table in front of the pulpit at church on Sunday morning. She wanted everyone admiring her gardening abilities while she played the organ for them.  

In the south, they are a spring flower. I don't recall seeing them much after the 4th of July. Here, the sun lovers like glads don't bloom until after then. 

As much as glads remind me of my grandmother, hydrangeas remind me of Woodstock, which I've taken to calling "Home" in my thoughts. While it was my home for many years, it isn't now. Home is here. I do miss Woodstock. Hydrangea bloomed well all summer there. But the one's there were all one color, whether it was blue, white, purple or pink. Here, they can be multicolored. 

I take as many pictures of sunflowers as possible while they are bloomed for the summer. This is the flower that I associate with summer, but it really is an autumn flower. 

Do you want to know who really appreciates the sunflowers we grow?

Happy New Week...

Deja Vu

I did not get out today. My excuse is that it was another warm day. But that isn't the truth. I was preoccupied with the upcoming televised hearing. 

As I have been watching the hearings, I keep getting a deja-vu feeling., as if I had heard this, or read it somewhere before. When I was a teenager I was really in to a lot of counter culture literature. I read things like "Steal This Book", "The Whole Earth Catalog", and "The Anarchist's Cookbook" along with many less notable and much less reputable writings. Mostly I thought it was amusing. I really didn't want to build any bombs or steal sodas or cigarettes from vending machines. I just thought it was cool that I could find out how to do it. Back then, counter culture seemed to be more about getting high and discussing things we knew nothing about, than it was about starting civil wars. I wonder what the people who cooked up this whole insurrection plan had been reading back in the 70's. Looks like some people took it much more seriously than I did. 

The end of that story is that I then went off to Bible College and never did build a bomb or steal cigarettes. 

I never tried to overthrow the Constitution either.

Yet even with strong deja vu going on, I am left with jaw dropping amazement with every hearing. Mostly at how much of it was done brazenly out in the open and nobody stopped it. But then, during the years of Trump, we hardly knew which nightly scandal to pay attention too. 

And the Secret Service? Just because of where they serve, these are men of power. They know how it works. The excuse they are giving for not turning over the texts is ludicrous. They aren't even trying to make reasonable people believe them. The attitude seems to be more "Whadda you gonna do aboudit?" Absolutely astounding that this could be happening. And there is no guarantee that it is going to be stopped. 

Back in the day, counter-culture talk among the people I was around centered on ending the war and legalizing pot. No one wanted anything more ambitious than to build a cabin and catch rainbow trout. We were children pretending we knew what we were playing with.

These people, republicans? They want to set up Gilead meets Animal Farm. They really don't want the power so that they can govern. They proved that in the Trump years. They want it so they can enrich themselves. 

I feel so much more about this subject than I can adequately communicate here. Negative things mostly, like anger, disgust, anxiety. How can so many people with no respect for Democracy be in power? How did they take over a whole party? Why are so many people fooled by them?

I've told you more about my misguided youth than I had planned to.  

I'm sorry about this rambling nonsense. I am just blown away by what has happened..

Got Books?

Does your neighborhood have any of these? The first time I saw one was when I visited Mollie in Chicago shortly after I retired. They were everywhere in the Ukrainian Village where she lived until just the other day. I thought they were charming. I hoped that Auburn would have them too, but sadly they didn't when I first came here.

When I arrived, the town was thriving. There was a lot to do here in this town and in the ones around us. But I was disappointed by the litter I found everywhere. There is a myth in the south that the PNW is full of a bunch of barefoot hippie folk wandering around the mountains in search of nuts and berries to sustain themselves. I was hopeful to leave the disrespectful thoughtlessness of people who felt it fine to drop their trash where it landed and walk a way to leave it for someone else to clean up. My dreams of a clean street utopia were short-lived. People here are every bit as slovenly as those in the south. But there were street fairs and farmers markets and the community center arranged day trips to the wine country and the shore. But that changed with Covid, and it has been slow to re-emerge. Probably just as well, if it was available, I'm sure I'd have gotten Covid a few times over 

As Covid restrictions began closing down our town, these started appearing in the neighborhood. The first one I noticed was in front of the Episcopalian/Presbyterian church. They seem to be a good community citizen, but their books were mostly of the Christian Self Help genre. I've read quite a few of those. So I left them for others who may want them more than I do. Soon this one appeared on J Street. What the picture doesn't show is that there is a shelf below it, on the fence where they also leave fruit and vegetables and even snacks sometimes. The books are mostly romance novels and some children's books for a pre-teen. I have taken a tomato and an apple or two, but the books aren't really what I read. 

Then Yesterday I took my old route home from the park. I had given up walking that way for a while due to street construction. But it is a shaded walk and the weather was warm. To my extreme pleasure, there is a new street library box on 7th street. And the owner has excellent taste in reading material. I had to exercise self control to only take one book. This is the one I chose. It is great, full of all the wisdom that I somehow failed to learn through osmosis and being raised by southern women. I will go by tomorrow to drop off one of mine that I have already read. It makes me feel so much better about the community culture here. I feel like I'm not the only one who wants to build one.

It's More Than Just Summer

I have no reason to complain about the summer heat. I am in one of the few parts of the country where we aren't receiving triple digit temperatures. But it is warm enough here that I have been taking it easy and working on keeping myself and the pets cool during the hot part of the day. Today the cats laid on my bed in front of the fan while I puttered around. I played with my water colors and deleted more than a thousand pictures off my cloud drive. 

Don't worry, the pictures weren't any good. Not really the one's I painted nor the ones I deleted. Taking pictures on a moving train, through a dirty window is challenging. I pretty much took a dozen picture to get one that is decent. And the only decent ones are of such beautiful country, I decided to keep them. I do have a few that I am somewhat amazed  that I took. The sunflower is pretty sad, but there is something I like about it. 

 

What I Was Trying to Show You

It is a beautiful day out. It started cool and overcast, but just after noon the sun came out and it warmed up nicely. I had gone for a walk in the morning and enjoyed the coolness. But when the afternoon happened, I knew I needed to go test the camera on my new phone. I don't know who I'm fooling, I have a new camera that people can call and text me on. I am thrilled with it. I can get a picture of the mountain that looks close to what I actually see. 

 

Well, It's Not Like I Don't Have A Calendar

Yes, well...I really do have a calendar. Many, actually. One on each of the seven electronic screened devices in the room which I am sitting. I could easily find out what day it actually is if I'd bother to look at any of them. My last post is the second post since the first of the year where I have misrepresented the day, only because I erroneously thought it was a different day. Maybe I should try one of those jellyfish brain vitamin supplements. Only I can't remember what it is called. Happy Friday 😉

Friday, Already?

I had been on a small roll a few weeks ago. Elephant's Child's Sunday Selections meme had energized my blogging, at least to give me a subject once a week. And I was working on my post a few weeks ago when Karen asked me if I wanted to go to Wilkeson to get some pizza.

 Wilkeson is a somewhat renovated, small mining and logging town not all that far from where we live. Unfortunately, you can see everything there really is to see in maybe twenty minutes. It isn't that big of a town. But it is home to the best pizza you will find anywhere, and I say that having eaten a Due in Chicago. 

The Carlson Block, the restaurant is open during limited hours first due to Covid and then claiming they can't find anyone to work. Ordinarily I would suspect they weren't paying their staff well, but this is Washington state and minimum wage is fifteen dollars an hour here. I suppose if you kill off a million members of your workforce in a year in a half, you should expect staffing shortages. Regardless of what I think of it, they are only open for a few hours in the evenings on weekends. And we have driven all the way up there only to find a note on  the door explaining they were closed to attend a cousin's wedding and would be closed for a couple of weeks. This weekend though, we were able to get the treat we had gone for. We ate our pizza, went and explored the bridge, then went back to Wilkeson to a different restaurant and had soft serve ice cream. When we got home I decided that I was no longer in the mood and that I could pick up Sunday Selections in the next week. 

Little did I know that the following Sunday, Father's day, my mother-in-law decided that it was as good a day as any to pass over a bridge all of her own. She stepped out into eternity. It was far from unexpected. She was diagnosed with dementia maybe fifteen years ago. It's been years since she even recognized anyone. But as always in these cases, even one's that are expected, it could have come at a better time. Everyone had just travelled for the wedding and were now having to expense it again in a time when travelling smoothly is an issue. Plane travel isn't the given that it used to be. And the worst was that my father-in-law was in the hospital himself because he'd fallen and broken his leg; He wasn't able to be with her in her final hours. I will be surprised if everyone isn't summoned for another family event before Christmas. Sadly, they had just finished their life's works and translated the entire bible from Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic texts into the Aztec languages. The dedication ceremony had been delayed due to Covid and unrest in Oaxaca, Mexico where they are spoken.. They finished the work, but she didn't get to go to the party. 

Please do not feel the need to console me. I am completely at peace with her death, as I am sure I will be when my father-in-law joins her. Her life was more than full. She lived it well. And now she is Home.

During any one of those weeks, I could have taken a minute (more like a couple of hours when it all is said and done) to put out a blog, but I have been frustrated in the attempt since the wedding. Mollie had sent everyone a Lyft voucher to help with transportation. I downloaded the app and that was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back for my phone. Three thousand plus photo's didn't help much either. It was a cheap Samsung that wasn't meant to last the six years that it did. And I never really liked the phone all that much to begin with. During the wedding it started doing annoying things like refusing to read QR codes to pull up menu's and not allowing use of the Google Pay app. And it was a good thing that I had a back-up for my train ticket or I would have had to walk home...From Chicago. The phone has been begging to be replaced and finally got to a place where I couldn't even get photos off it easily anymore. I replaced it with a new iPhone SE 2020, and I couldn't be happier that I did. Even with the learning curve and setting up all my apps again, it is so much better. And I love the crispness of the new camera. 

That isn't a promise that I will be more consistent with writing, but the ease of getting my pictures to upload will make the idea a whole lot more palatable.

In other news, Mollie and Chris got Covid, but are better. Tim and Jenn have signed their divorce papers and are awaiting the final court order. Matt built out a van and has joined the nomadic movement. And Jack decided that he's giving scouting a break. He's no longer interested in going for Eagle Scout. All of this is stuff for other blog posts. It really is a lot to unwrap here. And it is time for bed. 

Lazy Day

 

I spent a lazy day today. That is not to imply that I really have busy days anymore. I'm really kind of glad for that. Yesterday was the first Farmer's Market of the year. I ate lunch from a food truck, and it didn't really agree with me. As a result, I have been completely unable to eat any of the delicious cheeses, breads and hummus that I purchased while there and have felt wiped out all day. But I am getting better. 

The Farmer's Market was better than it was last year. The cheese guy was chatty and said that a lot of vendors weren't there due to the rain forecast. I was quite surprised to find that a lot of the vendors that are regulars actually don't live locally. Quite a few of them travel in from the eastern side of the state. I find that disappointing. One of the things I liked about the PNW is the community spirit that I found in most towns when I first moved here. That kind of took a nosedive because of Covid. A lot of our downtown mysteriously burned down. Other businesses closed their doors and didn't re-open. The community center stopped having events like hikes and tours and sadly have abandoned it for now. The Markets seem to be one of the few things that survived, and now I find the goods aren't even from this community. Oh well, maybe if I go to the eastern side of the Cascades I will find the vendors from Auburn.

A Very Special Sunday Selections

Hello again. I hope you have had a wonderful week. I posted my very first Sunday Selections last week on Saturday I was so mortified I went back on radio silence, too ashamed to show my face around here. Every excuse I can imagine is remarkably lame. At some point during the day I did know it was Saturday. The truth is that while I was reading Elephant's Child's post, I got very excited. She offered me a weekly conduit for the never ending orphaned photos that make their way onto my phone. She's enjoying the cooling temperatures in Australia. While being on the other side of the Earth from me, she is also on the other side of the International Date Line. That isn't an attempted excuse. I knew where she lives and the time differences before I posted. But I was fooled and there is no one to blame but myself. To be very honest though, I am a bit amazed and proud that I have a friend who lives on the other side of the Earth. 

But I Promised You Special...

The pictures that are shared on Sunday Selections are supposed to be the pictures you have languishing on your camera...I have oh, so many of those. These pictures that I want to share aren't them. They haven't been in my possession for so very long... And to be totally honest, I didn't take most of them...maybe any of them. My job that day was to remain present, but visibly obscure while providing comfort and support to my child...And, I have already broken the news of the marriage, so that isn't even a big surprise. 

But here are the pictures...

 

Mollie got married

They kissed before we all escaped back up the aisle to the party ...

Where extroverted children out did their introverted parents...

They had the first dance...

They cut the pie... Mollie isn't a fan of cake.

There was even a peck at the end of the night. Wink Wink....

My baby girl is married. My son's are healing...that is another blog.