The Columbia River in the fall. Before we, in our infinite wisdom reduced the mighty columbia from a moving river to a series of still water lakes, this was the prime fishing spot for the First Americans. We took it from them and gave them money, as if you really could buy someone's birthright.
The picture was taken with a professional grade Canon camera that a friend loaned me. It really did take wonderful photographs.

better

Miriam recovered pretty well - mostly.

She still can't walk well and she still wears the diapers. That is OK on both levels and she is not upset about it either. But since she cannot really walk there is no reason to take her back to my little house. She has a terrible time going down the steps in the house and not much easier at the little house. At night the 150 foot long walk is terrifying to her.

Tonight, I fixed her stew in the little house while daughter was here, then I brought it over and we ate together. Daughter has to look after another client in the evening, and the family is on their own for food.

So that worked well.

We will let her stay in the house and we will take turns looking after her or being with her. Tonight daughter 2 is here and will keep an eye on Miriam. Daughter 2 is an RN, but she has spent her career in the birthing areas not in the old ladies department (see how un-medical I am!).

We will keep Miriam here at daughters house as long as we can. No one knows how it will work out, or when it will, but we will do our best as long as we can.

small stroke?

We had our Christmas dinner on Sunday.

It was the only day we could all get together. All, this year was 3 of 4 daughters and 8 of 11 grandkids. We did include my sister from Idaho and our mother's sister, who lives here in this town, along with Auntie's husband. I think that made a total of 19.

One daughter noticed that Miriam's face was a bit saggy on one side. Then we noticed she could not walk, but slept more. Daughter 2, the RN, bought Miriam some adult diapers. Did she have a small stroke? We cannot know for sure.

Monday she was a bit better, and Christmas she was a bit better yet, but still walking was extremely slow and laborious. She could go to the bathroom alone still, but not as well or as efficiently.

Today we see if we can contact the case worker to get council on what to do next. It may well be that the time when we can easily care for Miriam is over and now we step into a higher intensity of work on our part or we place her in a home.

I am the husband, but only one of the voters in this saga. Largely what will happen will be with my consent, but maybe without my real total approval. I think that is how it works in these things.

So, we watch and we care for Miriam.

My iPhone has limitations but I hear the newest version is really wonderful. Yet, I find the limitations of the phone/camera about even with my current devotion to photography! 

A few years ago we spent a month with Emily our granddaughter who was 13, too young to be left at home alone. Our daughter Lia was going on a month long trip to Asia. When I was asked if we would come to Portland I immediately said yes, emphatically.
Enjoy the day, tomorrow will be different. Kids grow up. Grandpa's take a back seat to boy friends and husbands. That is how it should be.
But while we were there I took Emily to her voice lesson at the old Congregational Church in downtown Portland. I was awestruck by the wonderful woodwork and the pipe organ.
When I was in Portland this fall I made time Sunday Morning to attend the Sunday service. Of course I was anxious to listen to the Organ.
Alas, it was "Jazz Sunday" the pastor informed me, and while I like jazz, not nearly as much as I like good organ music, the jazz quartet made good music.
Later I visited with the Organist and promised him that I would again attend the next time I was in Portland on a Sunday morning.
The church was built in the 1890's. It is right downtown. As a wood worker I was really interested in all the wonderful wood work. The benches are all curved, the doors gothic arches. Hardwood floors, just a lot of wood, good wood, fabulous craftsmanship.
I was so glad that the wood they used was not Oak or Maple, which would have had to be shipped from the Eastern states. Instead it was local Douglas Fir, which, when used well is a wonderful wood.

John

I attended high school with John.

We were not in the same grade, and we were not there together very long. I graduated when John was a lower classmen.

Last time I talked to him, he reminded me that He still had a painting on his office wall that daughter 4 had painted when she was in high school (and he was on the faculty). He was the one with the big smile.

Tonight Daughter 1 tells me that John and I have a LOT in common.

John met his wife after high school and I have only known her as John's wife. She was a very sweet smiling lady with a ton of organizational skills.

But now John's dear wife has been placed in a home. Her AD has progressed to the point that John cannot care for her any longer.

When I see him again we will visit a bit about this horrible disease, but not too much.

Life is for the living, and while we will never forget our beloved wives, we have to care for ourselves and move on, wherever and whatever "on" is.

Our hands. Picture taken by daughter one.
I used the picture on our christmas card this year.

video

Daughter Lia entered a gift wrapping contest put on by Scotch Brands. 

Here is the video that she sent to the Scotch people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1J6MT9EclM

This morning we got word and a picture: She won!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=q2B_ij2BWqQ#!

Here she is, my daughter Lia!

Of course. . .

The people that make Scotch tape had a contest.

They have been doing this for the last several years. "Most Gifted Wrapper" contest, it was called.

Prize for the 8 finalist is a free trip to New York. The winner takes a check for $10,000.

Daughter 4 entered and this morning we got the word that she had won the contest.

Here are come comments:

Well duh, of course you won! Congratulations!
I knew it! Formidable! Superbe! Magnifique! Je suis tres heureuse pour toi!!
This from a sister: See!!! She was one of the 8 finalists and then she TOOK IT! (No surprise here... she is so UBER talented! Started playing with paper before she could read...AMAZING talent!)
Another sister earlier had said that Lia could make a wedding dress out of a scrap of carpet or a Sears catalog!

So we are pretty proud of it all and of her.

How can there be so many colors?

Who said toilets have to be all the same?
This is a composting toilet system, which is not the usual situation, but it will be very gentle on the water and on the drain field.
It is installed now and it works just fine!

back in our Washington home

In the last month I have been away from Miriam almost 3 weeks.

There was some serious cabinet and furniture making in there as well as some equally serious grandpa duty, which was wonderful.

We had a family crisis last month. It is not something I want to talk about just now, but it is not insignificant. Through it all my job as grandpa was more important than ever.

My grandkids lost two grandfathers recently. One was 93 the other 96. New Jersey and Arizona. Neither was extremely close to the grandkids, and were a generation older. I did not have too much to do with either of them, but it is a reminder of our mortality.

While I was gone one of our hens was attacked by something or someone and was seriously injured. She died a few days later. Today another  hen has similar, but not nearly as serious wounds. She will survive.

The tiny house, aka The Villa, is more comfortable thanks to serious time in the wood shop. It is warm and it is easy to keep warm. Of course it has not been terribly cold.

Here in this end of the country, the sun goes down about 4:15. That is early, and it does affect our heads. Miriam is sure that she has never seen it get dark so early, but she has.

When I returned this last week Miriam knew who I was and has not had identity issues. That is good, we have spent good time together.

Meanwhile the RV refer conked out again. I found one that will fit the space at HomeDepot (we don't have a LOT of shopping options here in the back country!). So, tomorrow I get the new refer and begin to modify the RV end of The Villa to accommodate the new device.

So, back to construction/destruction/change!

Miriam a long time ago.