The green of western oregon comes at a price: rain.
Everything gets a coat of moss, even this white vinyl fence
Gratitude #83 - Sweet Biddies!
13 years ago
Monday, June 9, 2008
moss
The green of western oregon comes at a price: rain.
Everything gets a coat of moss, even this white vinyl fence
another graduation
It might seem that we never stay home.
My last post was about going home from Alan’s graduation. Now we are in Portland and tomorrow Emily graduates from middle school. We were home for a couple of weeks.
Portland this time of year is wet and cool and this is no exception. The sun shown yesterday and we worked out in the yard a lot. I stopped mowing the back yard when I noticed that the neighbors were outside sitting in their back yard, and I know how much noise can bug me.
Today it is a bit rainy, but I will finish. There is a mysterious leak in daughter’s studio roof, and I’ll do some caulking and cleaning. Maybe I can solve the problem, maybe not.
Saturday we spent with friends Ron and Rozella along with a friend of Stefanie, who lives here in Portland. It was good.
Tomorrow we have the graduation for Emily then on Wednesday we go south and then on home on Thursday.
Someone said that life is what you do while you are waiting for something to happen. In a lot of ways we are waiting for another shoe to drop.
Ron is doing well with his Alzheimer’s. He and Miriam are about the same place in the disease. They do well but forget easily. Still both are wonderful people.
We left our garden in the care of a neighbor and our house and mail in the care of another neighbor. It will be good to go home again, but if it ever warms up a bit, the camping bug will bite me.
And we will go again.
Though not so far.
My last post was about going home from Alan’s graduation. Now we are in Portland and tomorrow Emily graduates from middle school. We were home for a couple of weeks.
Portland this time of year is wet and cool and this is no exception. The sun shown yesterday and we worked out in the yard a lot. I stopped mowing the back yard when I noticed that the neighbors were outside sitting in their back yard, and I know how much noise can bug me.
Today it is a bit rainy, but I will finish. There is a mysterious leak in daughter’s studio roof, and I’ll do some caulking and cleaning. Maybe I can solve the problem, maybe not.
Saturday we spent with friends Ron and Rozella along with a friend of Stefanie, who lives here in Portland. It was good.
Tomorrow we have the graduation for Emily then on Wednesday we go south and then on home on Thursday.
Someone said that life is what you do while you are waiting for something to happen. In a lot of ways we are waiting for another shoe to drop.
Ron is doing well with his Alzheimer’s. He and Miriam are about the same place in the disease. They do well but forget easily. Still both are wonderful people.
We left our garden in the care of a neighbor and our house and mail in the care of another neighbor. It will be good to go home again, but if it ever warms up a bit, the camping bug will bite me.
And we will go again.
Though not so far.
Monday, June 2, 2008
living
Whether we like it or not we have turned a corner.
Some one once said that the only thing you can really count on is change, and if so we are really in for it now. At the root of the current change is the near doubling of fuel prices.
A sizeable raise in the price of energy probably would have been good for us, whether we liked it or not. Cheap fuel is at the root of a lot of our societal problems, it has been argued, but those of us on fixed incomes, it can be lethal.
Some years ago I bought a new Chevy pickup for my work. While it was new, it was about the cheepest thing you could buy that still said Chevy on it. It was a superb pickup and it did it all for me for about 230,000 miles. It was getting old, and it seemed to me that if I were to buy another new pickup, I could work long enough to pay for it and would have a good rig for retirement.
The idea is still good, but even though it can get 20 mpg on a careful run, that is wildly over budget. Instead we drive our 16 year old car that gets 30 mpg.
And that is just the beginning.
Today my power bill goes up 10%. Food prices are rising. Our health insurance has doubled in 5 years.
That garden is not a luxury any longer. It is a necessity.
Last month I put $30 worth of gas in the pickup and I still have some left. That means I didn’t drive that nice pickup very much.
That added discipline is good for us too, maybe. I am a big time journal writer, and go through a pocket Moleskine every few months. I have always been wanting to learn to bind my own books, and now is the time.
The part that hurts is that we won’t get to see grandkids as often. In the past we have driven 165 miles to see a grandson in a play or a granddaughter in a game, and then come home the next day.
That probably won’t happen as often.
This week we are going to go to another graduation. I think it is important that kids are afirmed by grandpa and that their accomplishments are honored. The way we do it may well be in for a transformation.
My grandkids are my best legacy. They are all worth it.
Some one once said that the only thing you can really count on is change, and if so we are really in for it now. At the root of the current change is the near doubling of fuel prices.
A sizeable raise in the price of energy probably would have been good for us, whether we liked it or not. Cheap fuel is at the root of a lot of our societal problems, it has been argued, but those of us on fixed incomes, it can be lethal.
Some years ago I bought a new Chevy pickup for my work. While it was new, it was about the cheepest thing you could buy that still said Chevy on it. It was a superb pickup and it did it all for me for about 230,000 miles. It was getting old, and it seemed to me that if I were to buy another new pickup, I could work long enough to pay for it and would have a good rig for retirement.
The idea is still good, but even though it can get 20 mpg on a careful run, that is wildly over budget. Instead we drive our 16 year old car that gets 30 mpg.
And that is just the beginning.
Today my power bill goes up 10%. Food prices are rising. Our health insurance has doubled in 5 years.
That garden is not a luxury any longer. It is a necessity.
Last month I put $30 worth of gas in the pickup and I still have some left. That means I didn’t drive that nice pickup very much.
That added discipline is good for us too, maybe. I am a big time journal writer, and go through a pocket Moleskine every few months. I have always been wanting to learn to bind my own books, and now is the time.
The part that hurts is that we won’t get to see grandkids as often. In the past we have driven 165 miles to see a grandson in a play or a granddaughter in a game, and then come home the next day.
That probably won’t happen as often.
This week we are going to go to another graduation. I think it is important that kids are afirmed by grandpa and that their accomplishments are honored. The way we do it may well be in for a transformation.
My grandkids are my best legacy. They are all worth it.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
time to go
It is time to go home.
It is wonderful to visit grandkids and their families. In the last few days we have seen 3 or our daughters and 8 or our 11 grandkids. Not bad for this time of year.
But I finished reading the book I brought, and I have written as much in my journal as I can, and I have done a good bit of internet research.
So, obviously it is time to go home.
It is spring, the garden is growing but the weeds grow a time or two faster than the veggies. The weather has been cool so the plants should be in good shape, but still it is time to go home.
Sooner than I might wish it is going to be time for some of us to go to the big home, tht is not a day I look forward to.
Each year my grandkids get older, I seem to get older too.
It has been 9 years since Miriam was diagnosed. I was thinking that one day that it would be so nice to be closer to one of our daughtes, but at the rate we are going that will be when we are old and infirmed, and it is possible that those little grandkids will be gone off to live their lives.
So, it is good to go home, I think.
It is wonderful to visit grandkids and their families. In the last few days we have seen 3 or our daughters and 8 or our 11 grandkids. Not bad for this time of year.
But I finished reading the book I brought, and I have written as much in my journal as I can, and I have done a good bit of internet research.
So, obviously it is time to go home.
It is spring, the garden is growing but the weeds grow a time or two faster than the veggies. The weather has been cool so the plants should be in good shape, but still it is time to go home.
Sooner than I might wish it is going to be time for some of us to go to the big home, tht is not a day I look forward to.
Each year my grandkids get older, I seem to get older too.
It has been 9 years since Miriam was diagnosed. I was thinking that one day that it would be so nice to be closer to one of our daughtes, but at the rate we are going that will be when we are old and infirmed, and it is possible that those little grandkids will be gone off to live their lives.
So, it is good to go home, I think.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Alan the graduate
Someone asked: Where did Alan get his brains. I answered quickly: From his grandfather. They all laughed.
home school graduation
My third grandson graduated from high school.
The oldest one took his GED and went to college, the next has serious learning disabilities, so Alan was number one.
He has been 12 years in home school, and the graduation was of 6 students, all home schooled. Some of the grads had not met each other before.
It was a good service. The kids were amazingly talented. Grandson gave a good speech about Thomas Edison who was a home schooler, and how quoted him as saying all you need to invent is a pile of junk and imagination!
One couple, parents of a graduating child, are our age, early 70’s. They birthed a family, raised them, adopted a second family and raised them and this girl, who they adopted when she was 12, is part of the third generation of their children.
Imagine such people. Super good people who are doing well with these kids. I was astonished and pleased. Older adoptions are tough, but this girl, and her parents, seemed confident and well adjusted.
The church where the service was held, (the pastor’s daughter was among the graduates), was full with a couple hundred people honoring these kids who finished their tasks at hand.
Afterward their was a good meal. Three of our daughters were there, it was a small family reunion.
I was so pleased with it all. Good kids, great parents, and a fine afternoon.
The oldest one took his GED and went to college, the next has serious learning disabilities, so Alan was number one.
He has been 12 years in home school, and the graduation was of 6 students, all home schooled. Some of the grads had not met each other before.
It was a good service. The kids were amazingly talented. Grandson gave a good speech about Thomas Edison who was a home schooler, and how quoted him as saying all you need to invent is a pile of junk and imagination!
One couple, parents of a graduating child, are our age, early 70’s. They birthed a family, raised them, adopted a second family and raised them and this girl, who they adopted when she was 12, is part of the third generation of their children.
Imagine such people. Super good people who are doing well with these kids. I was astonished and pleased. Older adoptions are tough, but this girl, and her parents, seemed confident and well adjusted.
The church where the service was held, (the pastor’s daughter was among the graduates), was full with a couple hundred people honoring these kids who finished their tasks at hand.
Afterward their was a good meal. Three of our daughters were there, it was a small family reunion.
I was so pleased with it all. Good kids, great parents, and a fine afternoon.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
age 5
My hair naturally parted on the right side. Hitler was in power when I was young, and he parted his hair on the right, so my father insisted that my hair be parted on the left. It was that way until i decided to change it.
candles
Today is my birthday.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. You can sit down now, please. Thank you.
Today marks the 71st anniversary of my mom’s giving birth. I was her first child, the experimental one, but she did her best, and who am I to complain. She was a good little mother.
I have outlived both of my parents as well as my step father. My grandfather had a heart attack when he was younger than I am, then went on to live another 30 years. On my fathers side, my aunt Ruby is 93 this year. She is not going strong, but she is still going.
I have always been a bit introspective, and as I get older I am more. My head spins with ideas and wonderents and joys on a good day. On a bad, that same brain is full of dread and sadness.
We will travel to see family today. Tomorrow, grandson #3 graduates from high school. He is a real good kid. I am very proud of him. And it is always good to visit family.
We each have a lot of control over our lives, but not ultimate control. Still, we have more than we use. That is true for me at least. I often wonder about the ways I migt have made life better.
Anyway, I am glad to be here. Last year my oldest daughter sent me a box of 70 of her home made chocolate chip cookies for my birthday, this year my sister gave me 72, then ate one herself, so it would come out even!
Thank you each for making my life more enjoyable. Maybe 71 isn’t so bad after all.
I love you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. You can sit down now, please. Thank you.
Today marks the 71st anniversary of my mom’s giving birth. I was her first child, the experimental one, but she did her best, and who am I to complain. She was a good little mother.
I have outlived both of my parents as well as my step father. My grandfather had a heart attack when he was younger than I am, then went on to live another 30 years. On my fathers side, my aunt Ruby is 93 this year. She is not going strong, but she is still going.
I have always been a bit introspective, and as I get older I am more. My head spins with ideas and wonderents and joys on a good day. On a bad, that same brain is full of dread and sadness.
We will travel to see family today. Tomorrow, grandson #3 graduates from high school. He is a real good kid. I am very proud of him. And it is always good to visit family.
We each have a lot of control over our lives, but not ultimate control. Still, we have more than we use. That is true for me at least. I often wonder about the ways I migt have made life better.
Anyway, I am glad to be here. Last year my oldest daughter sent me a box of 70 of her home made chocolate chip cookies for my birthday, this year my sister gave me 72, then ate one herself, so it would come out even!
Thank you each for making my life more enjoyable. Maybe 71 isn’t so bad after all.
I love you.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
promise
We had a late, cold spring, with temps in the low to mid 20's after apricot bloom, but amazing, we have a bumper crop.
Go figure.
knees
I spent much of my life on my knees
It is the life of someone whose life seems to be on the floor. Tile, linoleum (remember the good old stuff?), carpet.
I even garden on my knees, it seems comfortable some how. There is a tool that is illegal to ask anyone to use now, it is a hoe about 24” long and to use it you have to bend over in a back breaking position.
People used to spend all day in that position using that little instrument of torture. Well, I use one (it is a good old forged iron model that has long gone off the market) and use it while I am on my knees. It works.
The other tool I seem to use a great deal is small stainless steel trowel. Made by a maker of razor blades, it is a superb tool. It is not made any longer either. I am afraid this says something about the quality of hand tools we buy nowadays, but that is a different subject.
Anyway, as I garden on knees, I get a better look at the plants. From that perspective weeds and vegetables have a different appearance. A bit of bug damage, or an individual insect is easy to see as well.
The down side at this age is that the getting up and going down is a bit more awkward than it used to be. I do fine on my knees, but it takes a bit to get reoriented when I get up again.
But, for now, at least, the old knees are doing pretty well.
It is the life of someone whose life seems to be on the floor. Tile, linoleum (remember the good old stuff?), carpet.
I even garden on my knees, it seems comfortable some how. There is a tool that is illegal to ask anyone to use now, it is a hoe about 24” long and to use it you have to bend over in a back breaking position.
People used to spend all day in that position using that little instrument of torture. Well, I use one (it is a good old forged iron model that has long gone off the market) and use it while I am on my knees. It works.
The other tool I seem to use a great deal is small stainless steel trowel. Made by a maker of razor blades, it is a superb tool. It is not made any longer either. I am afraid this says something about the quality of hand tools we buy nowadays, but that is a different subject.
Anyway, as I garden on knees, I get a better look at the plants. From that perspective weeds and vegetables have a different appearance. A bit of bug damage, or an individual insect is easy to see as well.
The down side at this age is that the getting up and going down is a bit more awkward than it used to be. I do fine on my knees, but it takes a bit to get reoriented when I get up again.
But, for now, at least, the old knees are doing pretty well.
Friday, May 16, 2008
coachmen
I rebuilt the insides a few years ago thinking I or we might live in it some time.
We will take it to Washington State this fall. Christmas will be with everyone there, and this will be our home!
And a very comfortable one it will be.
plan b
Plan B.
In the AD world unknowns outnumber plans and options.
We will live in our little house on our acre as long as we can. That is Plan A. Maybe that can be most of the journey and maybe not. There are no declarations on that one.
I had planned a move to SE Washington, long before this. I think that could have been very rewarding. But it didn’t happen. Miriam would not hear of it, and I didn’t want to force the issue.
But eventually, something will change.
Since I have no idea of how well and how long I can care for my Miriam, I am not ready to make a call on that one. If this process takes as long on the 2nd part as it did for the first, all sorts of things could change.
But, after AD, if I am the one who survives, some things might change. That is what drifts through my mind at times.
I must say I am a great fan of small space living. This house is considered small at a bit more than 1200 feet, but I designed it for 6 people and now just the two of rattle around in it.
We have a smallish but very comfortable travel trailer. I gutted it a few winters ago and completely rebuilt the interior. Same design, but all new inside: cabinets, floors, walls, insulation, an so on.
It would make a comfortable place for one person, providing belongings were pared to the minimum. It could be parked at one of two daughters who live 45 miles apart. I would like seeing my daughters more often.
Let’s see. Miriam was diagnosed 8 years ago. If this goes on another 8, our youngest grand child will be college age. That is scary.
Then there is another space on the back of this property. Some neighbors told me they thought it was an old haunted house. Actually it is the back side of my shop, but it opens into a small closed in courtyard. There is some very nice space there.
So, I make notes in my journals, occasionally, I draw a design idea, and I wait.
Tick tick tick tick.
Did any one ever tell you that it is very boring listening to the clock?
Tick tick.
In the AD world unknowns outnumber plans and options.
We will live in our little house on our acre as long as we can. That is Plan A. Maybe that can be most of the journey and maybe not. There are no declarations on that one.
I had planned a move to SE Washington, long before this. I think that could have been very rewarding. But it didn’t happen. Miriam would not hear of it, and I didn’t want to force the issue.
But eventually, something will change.
Since I have no idea of how well and how long I can care for my Miriam, I am not ready to make a call on that one. If this process takes as long on the 2nd part as it did for the first, all sorts of things could change.
But, after AD, if I am the one who survives, some things might change. That is what drifts through my mind at times.
I must say I am a great fan of small space living. This house is considered small at a bit more than 1200 feet, but I designed it for 6 people and now just the two of rattle around in it.
We have a smallish but very comfortable travel trailer. I gutted it a few winters ago and completely rebuilt the interior. Same design, but all new inside: cabinets, floors, walls, insulation, an so on.
It would make a comfortable place for one person, providing belongings were pared to the minimum. It could be parked at one of two daughters who live 45 miles apart. I would like seeing my daughters more often.
Let’s see. Miriam was diagnosed 8 years ago. If this goes on another 8, our youngest grand child will be college age. That is scary.
Then there is another space on the back of this property. Some neighbors told me they thought it was an old haunted house. Actually it is the back side of my shop, but it opens into a small closed in courtyard. There is some very nice space there.
So, I make notes in my journals, occasionally, I draw a design idea, and I wait.
Tick tick tick tick.
Did any one ever tell you that it is very boring listening to the clock?
Tick tick.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Linda
I love you Linda. Professionally she has shortened her name to Lia, but she will still allow her old dad to call her Linda.
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