You design and you build and when it is all done you look.
I looked and I am not sure I like.
But inertia being what it is, this is probably what it is going to look like for a while!
Gratitude #83 - Sweet Biddies!
13 years ago
Saturday, April 24, 2010
how many?
Tolstoy asked: How much land does a man need?
His answer was that we need less than we might think.
How much lumber does a retired guy need? Or paint? Or . . You get the idea.
I have been thinking, and acting, on that question lately. The question I keep asking myself: At this age how many big projects am I going to take on?
At one point after Miriam was dignosed we considered relocating (that is daughters and dad considered, Miriam would only shout: NO). You can move and take everything with you. I think we moved the garbage with us once!
I did not find a job teaching after I finished college, so I went back to working at what I knew: construction. But now in my last years, I would like to seriously produce art work. I don't want to sell it, I don't want to make art to impress judges or even my peers. I want to do art for fun, to visually explore my world.
Where will it go? I have no idea, but I can pretty accurately predict I will not be a “Grandma Moses!”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandma_Moses
His answer was that we need less than we might think.
How much lumber does a retired guy need? Or paint? Or . . You get the idea.
I have been thinking, and acting, on that question lately. The question I keep asking myself: At this age how many big projects am I going to take on?
At one point after Miriam was dignosed we considered relocating (that is daughters and dad considered, Miriam would only shout: NO). You can move and take everything with you. I think we moved the garbage with us once!
I did not find a job teaching after I finished college, so I went back to working at what I knew: construction. But now in my last years, I would like to seriously produce art work. I don't want to sell it, I don't want to make art to impress judges or even my peers. I want to do art for fun, to visually explore my world.
Where will it go? I have no idea, but I can pretty accurately predict I will not be a “Grandma Moses!”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandma_Moses
Monday, April 19, 2010
the deputy
We visited a different church this weekend.
This church was about 20 miles away, and maybe 75 people in attendance this week. I have known a good number of the people in the church a good while.
The speaker was a kid (OK he is retired now) I have known always. He was not a close friend, he was younger than I, (hence the kid label!) but I knew his grandfather and both of his parents.
Any way, Bobby was speaking. He spent is life in law enforcement, mostly as a deputy sheriff. He retired with the rank of Lieutenant I believe. He confessed to not being educated, only finished high school (the same one I did), and just being an “old cop.”
Bobby had invited several other law enforcement people, as well as the current sheriff. There were 4 law enforcement people there altogether, I believe.
The sermon was good. He made good points about how our life does reflect who we are.
I had never met the current sheriff, but he was a pleasant man.
And I have never felt so protected! There wasn't the least threat to my health or safety, but we sure were protected.
This church was about 20 miles away, and maybe 75 people in attendance this week. I have known a good number of the people in the church a good while.
The speaker was a kid (OK he is retired now) I have known always. He was not a close friend, he was younger than I, (hence the kid label!) but I knew his grandfather and both of his parents.
Any way, Bobby was speaking. He spent is life in law enforcement, mostly as a deputy sheriff. He retired with the rank of Lieutenant I believe. He confessed to not being educated, only finished high school (the same one I did), and just being an “old cop.”
Bobby had invited several other law enforcement people, as well as the current sheriff. There were 4 law enforcement people there altogether, I believe.
The sermon was good. He made good points about how our life does reflect who we are.
I had never met the current sheriff, but he was a pleasant man.
And I have never felt so protected! There wasn't the least threat to my health or safety, but we sure were protected.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Canyon County Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Miriam had a tooth pulled this week.
The specialist dentist (all he does is remove teeth) was good and competent. He pulled two of mine in the last couple of years!
All went well, mostly.
When they take out a big tooth they sew up the skin so there it works better, I guess.
The stitches are rather irritating and keeping your tongue out of that space is a real trip.
WIth AD it gets more complex. Yesterday she kept asking me about those wires in her mouth. She even looked in the mirror and tugged on one. She could not remember what they were for or from.
I kept telling her that those stitches are there to hold the gum together, until it healed, then the stitches would disolve and go away.
Today she kept picking and asking and i kept telling her to not irritate the tooth. Then she screamed at me. It was the most frustrated scream I have ever heard her make.
It was directed at me, but not really, and I did not take it personally.
Dental work on AD people is more complex than it seemed going in.
Oh well.
The specialist dentist (all he does is remove teeth) was good and competent. He pulled two of mine in the last couple of years!
All went well, mostly.
When they take out a big tooth they sew up the skin so there it works better, I guess.
The stitches are rather irritating and keeping your tongue out of that space is a real trip.
WIth AD it gets more complex. Yesterday she kept asking me about those wires in her mouth. She even looked in the mirror and tugged on one. She could not remember what they were for or from.
I kept telling her that those stitches are there to hold the gum together, until it healed, then the stitches would disolve and go away.
Today she kept picking and asking and i kept telling her to not irritate the tooth. Then she screamed at me. It was the most frustrated scream I have ever heard her make.
It was directed at me, but not really, and I did not take it personally.
Dental work on AD people is more complex than it seemed going in.
Oh well.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
It is easy to take great bird pictures when they are motionless!
I am surrounded by bird people, but in my narrow little life, there are big birds and little ones. One friend refers to birds he cannot identify (and there are not too many in that category) as LBJs --(little brown jobs).
This little guy was in a display of a nesting house.
More information: http://www.peregrinefund.org/default.asp
Lora and Amy
Lora and Amy came to visit this week.
Lora is daughter 2, and Amy is her younger daughter. Amy is also our youngest grandchild. She will be 13 in a couple of months.
It was a mother daughter trip to visit the grandparents. We had parts of three days together. One day we went to where they breed endangered birds. There is a fine visitor center, with volunteers to answer questions.
Then we drove out to where we could look over the Snake River canyon, where many of the raptor birds can be found.
The original emphasis was on the Peregrine Falcon, which was on the endangered list. But their success with that bird (it no longer is considered endangered) allowed them to work with other species.
So we had a good day together, finishing at an “all you can eat” buffet restaurant where we did. I fixed breakfast a couple of times, and since my sister lives down the street a couple blocks, she came over and we all ate together around our round table.
It was good. Lora is totally aware of how fast kids grow up and how fragile life is (she is a nurse). Kids grow up and grandparents get old. None of us have a guarantee.
We are lucky. Even though our grand kids live away, we see them quite often.
A friend once told me she was going to visit grandchildren, and when I asked where they lived and she said Australia, I decided that I would never complain about distance again!
Thanks for coming to visit the old folks Amy and Lora!
Lora is daughter 2, and Amy is her younger daughter. Amy is also our youngest grandchild. She will be 13 in a couple of months.
It was a mother daughter trip to visit the grandparents. We had parts of three days together. One day we went to where they breed endangered birds. There is a fine visitor center, with volunteers to answer questions.
Then we drove out to where we could look over the Snake River canyon, where many of the raptor birds can be found.
The original emphasis was on the Peregrine Falcon, which was on the endangered list. But their success with that bird (it no longer is considered endangered) allowed them to work with other species.
So we had a good day together, finishing at an “all you can eat” buffet restaurant where we did. I fixed breakfast a couple of times, and since my sister lives down the street a couple blocks, she came over and we all ate together around our round table.
It was good. Lora is totally aware of how fast kids grow up and how fragile life is (she is a nurse). Kids grow up and grandparents get old. None of us have a guarantee.
We are lucky. Even though our grand kids live away, we see them quite often.
A friend once told me she was going to visit grandchildren, and when I asked where they lived and she said Australia, I decided that I would never complain about distance again!
Thanks for coming to visit the old folks Amy and Lora!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Wednesday already
Today is dentist day.
Miriam broke a tooth last week, we called our family dentist (also a very good friend) and he had a look.
Tooth must come out said Doctor Gary and he does not do complex extractions, so we go to the big clinic where all they do is remove teeth.
As a two time customer, I know they are very proficient and skilled.
But there goes some of our travel budget!
Oh well.
BTW, today is daughter three and son-in-law's anniversary. About a hundred years I think it has been. OK it has been 20, which is close.
Love you both and I am very proud of you and yours!
Miriam broke a tooth last week, we called our family dentist (also a very good friend) and he had a look.
Tooth must come out said Doctor Gary and he does not do complex extractions, so we go to the big clinic where all they do is remove teeth.
As a two time customer, I know they are very proficient and skilled.
But there goes some of our travel budget!
Oh well.
BTW, today is daughter three and son-in-law's anniversary. About a hundred years I think it has been. OK it has been 20, which is close.
Love you both and I am very proud of you and yours!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
wood heat
We heat our house with a wood burning stove. Right out of a Laura and Mary book, sorta.
Our house is better insulated (by miles) then theirs was and our stove is a LOT more efficient, but we still heat our house by burning wood.
The interesting thing is that each fall I fill, or nearly fill, my smallish wood shed and then trust it will be enough to take us through the winter. The shed holds about 3 cords and we can get by with half that amount if we are careful and have good wood.
Lately I have been burning wood that others have donated, plus the trimmings from the many trees on our place. Odd sized palettes, remodel debris and such, with an occasional boughten cord.
This winter we had “enough” but a lot of it was small wood we got from others remodeling. Small wood burns hot, but does not burn long. Right now we are getting close to being out. We will make it alright, but there won't be a lot left over – maybe a couple wheelbarrows worth.
But that is how it works.
This summer I want to make a wood getting forage into the mountains. I can get a wood cutting permit, and we can take the pickup and the teardrop trailer and spend whatever it takes to get a pickup load of good wood.
Our definition of good wood is ours! We don't have hardwood forests out here. We have pine and fir and spruce, but no oak or maple or beech. If I am lucky I might get some good Douglas Fir, but probably I'll get lodge pole pine.
But, in the middle of the winter, when the wind blows and it is cold, what kind of wood I am burning is less important to me than the fact that I (and my Miriam) are reasonably warm.
Our house is better insulated (by miles) then theirs was and our stove is a LOT more efficient, but we still heat our house by burning wood.
The interesting thing is that each fall I fill, or nearly fill, my smallish wood shed and then trust it will be enough to take us through the winter. The shed holds about 3 cords and we can get by with half that amount if we are careful and have good wood.
Lately I have been burning wood that others have donated, plus the trimmings from the many trees on our place. Odd sized palettes, remodel debris and such, with an occasional boughten cord.
This winter we had “enough” but a lot of it was small wood we got from others remodeling. Small wood burns hot, but does not burn long. Right now we are getting close to being out. We will make it alright, but there won't be a lot left over – maybe a couple wheelbarrows worth.
But that is how it works.
This summer I want to make a wood getting forage into the mountains. I can get a wood cutting permit, and we can take the pickup and the teardrop trailer and spend whatever it takes to get a pickup load of good wood.
Our definition of good wood is ours! We don't have hardwood forests out here. We have pine and fir and spruce, but no oak or maple or beech. If I am lucky I might get some good Douglas Fir, but probably I'll get lodge pole pine.
But, in the middle of the winter, when the wind blows and it is cold, what kind of wood I am burning is less important to me than the fact that I (and my Miriam) are reasonably warm.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
wrong?
In the last few days I have been reminded of some troubling times.
Our country has a pretty good legal system, it may be as good or better than any around, but our system makes horrible mistakes sometimes. Without doubt we have executed innocent people. Other times in a rush to find someone guilty for a crime, we have rushed into action that later proves to be woefully wrong.
Tonight I was reminded of the story of Ferdinando Socco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. They were Italian immigrants that were executed for a murder they most certainly did not commit. But they were immigrants, so it did not matter (some one, at that time, actually wrote a line similar to that) that they died.
Every one in prison (I am told) claims to be “innocent”, but some actually are.
I am always troubled by the way we treated the Japanese/Americans at the beginning of WWII. There are quite a few Japanese people around here, they are some of our best citizens. But then, our country was so frightened that we walked all over innocent people. It took a long time for us to apologize about that one.
Although we are a nation of immigrants (most of us any way), we are not too good to others who come after us, whether Irish, Italian, Chinese or Muslims.
All of this reminds me that even though we (I) have great intentions, even though my course of action seems right at the moment, it may turn out to be hurtful to people who deserve better.
I wish it were not so.
Our country has a pretty good legal system, it may be as good or better than any around, but our system makes horrible mistakes sometimes. Without doubt we have executed innocent people. Other times in a rush to find someone guilty for a crime, we have rushed into action that later proves to be woefully wrong.
Tonight I was reminded of the story of Ferdinando Socco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti. They were Italian immigrants that were executed for a murder they most certainly did not commit. But they were immigrants, so it did not matter (some one, at that time, actually wrote a line similar to that) that they died.
Every one in prison (I am told) claims to be “innocent”, but some actually are.
I am always troubled by the way we treated the Japanese/Americans at the beginning of WWII. There are quite a few Japanese people around here, they are some of our best citizens. But then, our country was so frightened that we walked all over innocent people. It took a long time for us to apologize about that one.
Although we are a nation of immigrants (most of us any way), we are not too good to others who come after us, whether Irish, Italian, Chinese or Muslims.
All of this reminds me that even though we (I) have great intentions, even though my course of action seems right at the moment, it may turn out to be hurtful to people who deserve better.
I wish it were not so.
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