Gratitude #83 - Sweet Biddies!
11 years ago
Friday, March 5, 2010
loss
I never did met the woman.
Maybe this should not be affecting me as much, but it is.
She was the sister of my great friend David. She died yesterday.
David sent me an email saying that his sister was sinking fast and that he was driving to north central Washington to see her the last time. She died the day after he got there.
I suppose that since I did not know the woman, all of this should not be getting into my head.
David once crashed his airplane. I called the hospital for information. “Are you family?” the person on the other end asked. Without thinking I blurted out “YES.” If she had asked more, I would say the relationship was complicated, but we are family in so many ways.
I have one brother and one sister. That is all. In time we are going to loose some one (maybe me), and we will be diminished for that loss.
It is the living who are the loosers. The loss of any one diminishes us all.
Judee had a lot of health problems as I remember. Maybe it is best that her misery be over. I cannot know.
David was one of four, two girls and two boys. Doug died last summer and now Judee. That is two in less than a year.
That is too much.
Way too much. Take care of yourself my friend.
Maybe this should not be affecting me as much, but it is.
She was the sister of my great friend David. She died yesterday.
David sent me an email saying that his sister was sinking fast and that he was driving to north central Washington to see her the last time. She died the day after he got there.
I suppose that since I did not know the woman, all of this should not be getting into my head.
David once crashed his airplane. I called the hospital for information. “Are you family?” the person on the other end asked. Without thinking I blurted out “YES.” If she had asked more, I would say the relationship was complicated, but we are family in so many ways.
I have one brother and one sister. That is all. In time we are going to loose some one (maybe me), and we will be diminished for that loss.
It is the living who are the loosers. The loss of any one diminishes us all.
Judee had a lot of health problems as I remember. Maybe it is best that her misery be over. I cannot know.
David was one of four, two girls and two boys. Doug died last summer and now Judee. That is two in less than a year.
That is too much.
Way too much. Take care of yourself my friend.
simplify what?
During our Texas years, we drove a small sedan – and pulled a small trailer.
2 liter engine, 4 doors, basic with a nice radio, a good heater, but no air conditioning – in TEXAS. But it would get 30 to 34 mpg and we drove a lot back and forth between Idaho and north Texas.
I was a sculpture major at the University there and I did a lot of work with steel. I also did a bit of tile work from time to time, and used that vehicle combination worked well for us.
The other day I got nostalgic and wishing I had a simple transportation system, like we had then.
In so many ways I envy those who do not need a car for everything they do, or maybe don't need a car at all. I am sure that sounds better than it is, but out here in the open west, a car or two are pretty important.
Right now I own 4 trailers of various sizes. One is the tear which I can pull with our little coupe. The others are larger: a 21 foot travel trailer, a dual axle flat bed and a 6 by 12 box trailer I used when I was contracting.
To go back to the one small car thing I would have to get rid of those big trailers and settle for another smallish “hauler” to pull behind the Coupe.
Hmm.
It is not going to happen, though it probably should.
Way back there somewhere I hear old Hank Thoreau muttering and shaking his head.
2 liter engine, 4 doors, basic with a nice radio, a good heater, but no air conditioning – in TEXAS. But it would get 30 to 34 mpg and we drove a lot back and forth between Idaho and north Texas.
I was a sculpture major at the University there and I did a lot of work with steel. I also did a bit of tile work from time to time, and used that vehicle combination worked well for us.
The other day I got nostalgic and wishing I had a simple transportation system, like we had then.
In so many ways I envy those who do not need a car for everything they do, or maybe don't need a car at all. I am sure that sounds better than it is, but out here in the open west, a car or two are pretty important.
Right now I own 4 trailers of various sizes. One is the tear which I can pull with our little coupe. The others are larger: a 21 foot travel trailer, a dual axle flat bed and a 6 by 12 box trailer I used when I was contracting.
To go back to the one small car thing I would have to get rid of those big trailers and settle for another smallish “hauler” to pull behind the Coupe.
Hmm.
It is not going to happen, though it probably should.
Way back there somewhere I hear old Hank Thoreau muttering and shaking his head.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
brambles
Spring is not here, officially.
But, with temps in the 50's and not too much wind, it is very pleasant to work outside. Official spring is not too far away either.
I did not prune the bramble berries the last year and they are overgrown. Given time old fashioned Oregon black berries will take over the whole farm, so they have to be reminded to stay along the fence. I planted these to make a security fence mostly, with the side of some good berries.
Black berries can send out runners 20 feet in a single season, and the ends of the canes root into the soil, so the patch can expand easily.
But these black berries have thorns: big, sharp and plentiful. I got out my arc welding gloves, to handle the canes.
Miriam helped me. I pruned and she stacked the brush.
Worked well the first day, but the second it was just frustrating to her. So I let the berries go and began pruning grapes, figuring she could help easier.
The plan I have here is to get her out of the house helping me in the garden each day. An hour a day can keep the garden looking pretty good.
She enjoys being with me, and I with her, but her capacities are not what they were, so I have to choose tasks carefully.
But the one thing on my side is plain old weeds (a weed is a plant out of place, so volunteer tomatoes can be weeds). There will be weeds for her to attack.
A farmer is offering free manure, and he will load it! Anything that makes veggies grow makes weeds grow even more!
There will be enough to do.
But, with temps in the 50's and not too much wind, it is very pleasant to work outside. Official spring is not too far away either.
I did not prune the bramble berries the last year and they are overgrown. Given time old fashioned Oregon black berries will take over the whole farm, so they have to be reminded to stay along the fence. I planted these to make a security fence mostly, with the side of some good berries.
Black berries can send out runners 20 feet in a single season, and the ends of the canes root into the soil, so the patch can expand easily.
But these black berries have thorns: big, sharp and plentiful. I got out my arc welding gloves, to handle the canes.
Miriam helped me. I pruned and she stacked the brush.
Worked well the first day, but the second it was just frustrating to her. So I let the berries go and began pruning grapes, figuring she could help easier.
The plan I have here is to get her out of the house helping me in the garden each day. An hour a day can keep the garden looking pretty good.
She enjoys being with me, and I with her, but her capacities are not what they were, so I have to choose tasks carefully.
But the one thing on my side is plain old weeds (a weed is a plant out of place, so volunteer tomatoes can be weeds). There will be weeds for her to attack.
A farmer is offering free manure, and he will load it! Anything that makes veggies grow makes weeds grow even more!
There will be enough to do.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
doc
I had a friend who is an MD.
The past tense is not because he has gone away permanently, but because the friendship kinda ran it's course.
He was a young, just out of residency, doc when he came to town. His wife's family had deep roots in the area. I knew her grandparents when I was a kid. Her parents went to high school with my parents in the early '30's.
Grandpa owned a sizable orchard in the area. It made him good money. I remember him kindly.
Doc took care of my mother when she was sick. He is a surgeon and while mom had surgery, he stayed on and looked after her until the end. He was a good.
He did “procedures” on Miriam a couple of times. Once was fairly major the other was a biopsy on a lump in her breast. It was nothing to worry about, it turned out.
I remember once when Lora was in nursing school. We had Doc and his family over for dinner after church. After we ate they all got into a medical discussion. Not my choice of conversation, so I invited the little girls (maybe 3 and 5) to go with me for a walk!
Any way, it was some shock to all of us when this spring the notice of their divorce was published in the paper next county over. In a way I was not surprised, in a way I was.
I spoke to the wife this week. Gave her a little hug and a few words of encouragement. She needed both. She seemed to think I knew a lot more than I do. I have no facts on what went wrong, or when it went wrong, but it did.
Divorce is ugly any time. The older we get the more complicated it gets. They had always lived quite modestly, but a few years ago they built a big wonderful house. They have always been very generous, helping a lot of needy people and causes.
Good people, both of them. As I said, I have no idea what went wrong, but my mind goes and goes.
It is all idle speculation, but the facts that I know are crushing. A marriage that I thought was solid came apart. Every one got hurt.
Darn.
The past tense is not because he has gone away permanently, but because the friendship kinda ran it's course.
He was a young, just out of residency, doc when he came to town. His wife's family had deep roots in the area. I knew her grandparents when I was a kid. Her parents went to high school with my parents in the early '30's.
Grandpa owned a sizable orchard in the area. It made him good money. I remember him kindly.
Doc took care of my mother when she was sick. He is a surgeon and while mom had surgery, he stayed on and looked after her until the end. He was a good.
He did “procedures” on Miriam a couple of times. Once was fairly major the other was a biopsy on a lump in her breast. It was nothing to worry about, it turned out.
I remember once when Lora was in nursing school. We had Doc and his family over for dinner after church. After we ate they all got into a medical discussion. Not my choice of conversation, so I invited the little girls (maybe 3 and 5) to go with me for a walk!
Any way, it was some shock to all of us when this spring the notice of their divorce was published in the paper next county over. In a way I was not surprised, in a way I was.
I spoke to the wife this week. Gave her a little hug and a few words of encouragement. She needed both. She seemed to think I knew a lot more than I do. I have no facts on what went wrong, or when it went wrong, but it did.
Divorce is ugly any time. The older we get the more complicated it gets. They had always lived quite modestly, but a few years ago they built a big wonderful house. They have always been very generous, helping a lot of needy people and causes.
Good people, both of them. As I said, I have no idea what went wrong, but my mind goes and goes.
It is all idle speculation, but the facts that I know are crushing. A marriage that I thought was solid came apart. Every one got hurt.
Darn.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
music
Today I want to recommend a short essay.
It is from today's NYTimes.
It is not about politics or religion or current events. It is about a lone music teacher and his legacy. It is about how he drove his students to heights they had not thought possible, and how they – years later – had come to appreciate that drive.
The story is about music and high school kids and a dead teacher.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/opinion/28lipman.html?ref=opinion
It is from today's NYTimes.
It is not about politics or religion or current events. It is about a lone music teacher and his legacy. It is about how he drove his students to heights they had not thought possible, and how they – years later – had come to appreciate that drive.
The story is about music and high school kids and a dead teacher.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/opinion/28lipman.html?ref=opinion
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