Memories of Past Holidays

The holiday is fast upon us! It seems harder and harder to get that "holiday spirit" as I grow older. Something recently triggered many memories of holidays long ago. We chose to sit in the dark...only lights on the Christmas tree to light the room. I have to admit there is something magical about that setting. Memories of past Christmases flooded back.

The trees we had, picking them out, decorating (something we were more involved in when old enough), placing strands of lights, silver icicles, ornaments. Lights were very different then. There were santas, snowmen, candles, flowers and fruit, little houses covered in snow. I miss those lights, now just solid colors that blink, don't blink, chase. Ornaments like bells, shapes with multi-colors, less interesting than ornaments now...but that there is still a warm spot in my heart for.

Presents piled high, dwarfing the tree...even though my parents were not "wealthy", but solidly middle class. And always the gifts from Santa, unwrapped and beckoning on Christmas morn.

My grandparents celebrations were very different. Dad's parents had lights and ornaments older than I was, always on a pine tree. I never asked, but imagined this is the sort of imagine they had from childhood, at the turn of the last century. And again, the presents were plentiful. As they were at my Mom's parents house. The real difference was the tree. Not pine, but aluminum and complete with color wheel. At my Dad's parents, we were the only guests as he was an only child, so we were the only grandchildren and the focus of attention. Mom is one of four, so the crowd was usually much larger and noisy.

The celebration at my Mom's parents was always Christmas Eve and while cold, it was either dry or raining. I spent many Christmas Eves hoping for snow, or just some flurries...I wanted that white Christmas more than almost any gift I got (almost). But a white Christmas in Oklahoma was pretty rare. And is still rare. Moving to California really took snow out of the mix. Here in Oregon the chances are better, but not likely. I'm still waiting for a really white Christmas.

But the memories of the days long ago (my god, it WAS long ago) warm my holiday. And this year, we begin to build memories for a little boy. Memories that he will look back on, we hope fondly, in another 50 years.

Update on our little guy

It's all about changes..and they are many. The word of the month is "hi", said with a cheesy grin and a wave of fingers. Now standing for long periods of time, holding on to whatever is available and going around the room. And, today we discover a tooth has finally broken through. Getting bit now takes on a whole new meaning!!

Looking back at newborn photos you can see just how much he's changing. Quite a personality is developing! And food? All food is good, basically. Well, no egg yolks...they cause some nasty faces! But, he even seems to like lamb, not something I'm fond of.

With possible snow in the forecast, he may soon be out making snow angels with mom's help. Amazing. Just amazing...

Musings

I chose the title because I've been thinking for days of things to blog...but none rang true for me. Until the other day and I was busily raking wet leaves. This may seem like a dreaded chore...many of the neighbors encourage us to not plant trees with LEAVES. While I understand their thought process I have to dismiss it. Well, we have taken 11 trees out since moving here; some were diseased and others were either wind damaged or completely uprooted. At the same time, we've planted 11 and that makes it even. No matter how you look at it, 11 trees is a lot...even for a quarter acre lot.

But, back to LEAVES. Some of these trees are evergreen...a huge Doug Fir, a newly planted Vanderwolf Pine, a new Magnolia. Leaves are not much of an issue there. Other trees that are new since we arrived include semi-dwarf apple and cherry trees, a redbud, a crab apple...but they are small and the time for dropping tons of leaves is a few years in the future. However, there are two large maples in our back yard (not to mention 3 sweet gums behind us and a maple and a plum in another yard behind us).

Our maples are the first whisper that spring is coming...tiny hints of green that will become leaves seems to pop out of hiding and in the blink of an eye (well ok, it's a little slower than that) we have shade. That shade is wonderful on the warm/hot days of July and August. Our own oasis, we are assured that part of the yard is always shaded and we have taken full advantage of that. Summer is short though (thankfully) and the green begins to give way to yellow, orange, red and fall is here. Brilliant and always colorful, fall is our favorite season...even though the end result is that the leaves escape the trees and form a deep carpet across the yard. And so, sadly, the color lies on the ground, waiting to be raked up and hauled away. Rather than look at this as drudgery that MUST BE dealt with, I see a chance to spy leaves that I've missed and get some exercise in the process. The downside? Well, those leaves camouflage the spots dog has picked for her daily constitutional...camouflage very, very well! But that's the only down side. Shade in the summer, color in the fall. I'll keep the trees, thanks.

And when all the leaves are gone and the trees stand bare against the cold winter winds I'm a kid again, just hoping that it will cloud up and snow. ;-)

Let the rains begin!

The photo is of a Beauty berry that we have in a container in the back yard. Leaves are no long green, but turning yellow and purple. Our Stewartia is now red-leafed as is the Burgundy Belle Maple out front. But, more than just color is changing.

After a warm and sunny weekend, the fall rains have returned. Along with that, the winds have picked up...and those leaves who have changed in color are now becoming a mosaic on the ground and less in the trees. We've seen our new crab apple give up most of its leaves this week, as well as the Burgundy Belle Maple out front. Each day as we run errand we notice more leaves changing color, and more falling to the ground.

At some point, that means work. Whether with a rake or a leaf mulcher...rain, or shine...the leaves will disappear from sight. While spring is a wonderful season with color returning to the landscape after the grays and browns of winter. But the long process of going from fall to winter is still my favorite. You never know where the color will appear next. And the two big maples out back have more and better color than in years past...a nice surprise indeed!

We have had occasional fires in the fireplace...especially when the days are chilly and the nights feel cold. To read by a crackling fire, that's my idea of a great winter evening. Add a little soft music, a cat on your lap, dog on the sofa...almost a Norman Rockwell!

The rains have been kind though, not all day, not downpours. The green space has yet to flood, although I have no doubt it will. For now, it's nice not to have to water ourselves...I'm happy to let Mother Nature do it.

Time Marches On

It's Fall, and in my hometown the State Fair just started. It brings back memories of cool days, and no school on the first Friday of Fair week. We all got passes so it was free to get into the Fair too...lots of rides, lots of animals, all the new cars on display. Some of the rides were a part of Bell's Amusement Park, which sat at the southwest corner of the fairgrounds. The park was open all summer and from the time I was no more than 7 or so, we spent many summer evenings there. And we drove by it each day on the way to school...grade school, junior high, even high school. A huge globe sat at the point farthest southwest, along with a putt-putt golf course.

Today I read about the opening of the Fair, and learned that this Amusement Park, this big piece of my childhood, was gone. Maybe the lease became too expensive, or attendance was down. Whatever the reason, everything was dismantled and removed. I live in another time zone now, and haven't been by there in about a year. So, I have no idea what the space, once full of rides, lights, and sound, must look like now that it's used as a parking lot. And I'm ok with not seeing it...because what I see is still the same place it was when I was a little kid. In my memory, the rides still work, at night the lights and sounds are a wonderland of fun. School is out, and it's summer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the year is 1961.

Gray skies and cool breezes

The calendar says it's still summer, but I'm hoping our current weather sticks around a while. Gray skies, chilly breezes, rain...yeah, this is the weather I hoped for here. Time to consider all the fall garden planting; change the landscape for a new look next spring. We do have lots to plant...trees, grasses, shrubs. And a few things to move. And lots of prep work...most of which we won't likely do ourselves. We are after all, not as young as we used to be.

There is something about the smell of fall...rain cleansing the air, fires in fireplaces, color...color everywhere. Makes me feel like a kid again...and after all, it is said that smell is one of the bigger triggers of memory. I have to agree! Many a time I've stopped whatever I was doing because a smell transported me back to a much earlier time in life.

All in all, it's not been a bad summer...not enough moisture, but hey...less hot than last year! Less heat is always good. Now that we're starting to get teased with rainfall, we can begin (fingers crossed) to cut back on all the watering we need to do. Lots of watering that first year until plants are well established. And, what heat we did have fried a few things, but most have managed to survive. So far.

Now it would be ok for the sun to be out, but there needs to be a good breeze and a high of about 60...maybe 65. A few clouds would not hurt...but it would be ok to have a few breaks with blue skies. But, that's not happening today it seems. And that's ok too. It's just about right...don't need the heat on, or the a/c...what could be better?

What's YOUR pet peeve?

I imagine we all have several things that peeve, annoy, or just drive us crazy. Right now, mine is "news". Just what IS news? I think of weather, sports scores, local and national political sound bites(although some honest substance would be so much better), famine, epidemics...you get the idea.

So, what ISN'T news? I guess that's up to someone other than me. I see LOTS of junk slung in with actual news. No, I don't consider Ms Spears or Ms Lohan to be news. I don't care what Mel Gibson said to who. Ditto Tom Cruise. This is fodder for shows that report on celebrities, things that I can choose NOT to watch. But in the news? Are you kidding?

What happened to the news of Ed Murrow and Walter Cronkite? Huntley and Brinkley? Can you imagine any of these fellows reporting on celebrity stories like these? Yes, I can see stories of human interest, donations to charities or social causes. Of course, you get reports on the passing of these folks. No, I don't object to that. What I do object to is arrogant, willful, thoughtless behaviour...and personally I don't want to hear it or see it, especially on the evening news.

Flooding, trapped miners, forest fires, endangered species, baseball, football...NEWS. When did we loose track of what was news? When did yellow journalism come back in fashion? When did the gossip of the old movie magazines move to the evening news? More importantly...when the heck will it fade away again??

Leap of faith

It was 12 years ago today that I waited in the semi-cool of the airport, red rose in hand...waiting for someone I'd never met. An online posting followed by lots of emails, phone calls that said "Come to California, I can't imagine coming to Oklahoma". And yet, about 8:30 that night California had done exactly that. Made a leap of faith, hoped that all the emails and phone conversations were true and that this was not a hoax, not a lure of some crazed individual. No, it was real. And in the heat and humidity of August in Oklahoma we both found what we were searching for...each other.

Today is our 12th anniversary; we count from the day we first met...that hot day in August, with nights nearly as warm. Nothing like California where it would cool down at night; nothing like California, where it was less humid. And today we reside in Oregon, not like California, not like Oklahoma. Lots of trials and tribulations, lots of crying both sad and happy. Many moves...me from Oklahoma, then us...from San Ramon to Oakland to Castro Valley to Antioch to Concord and finally here, to Oregon. And those don't include the times we've moved the office!

The point is that somehow we've weathered all those ups and downs and here we are. Growing old together, experiencing life together, exploring the world together (ok we don't travel much, but we do love the western USA). Our health is not perfect, our lives are hectic, our challenges come and go. But we survive, against the odds...all because of that leap of faith.

The sizzle of Summer

No, not here. Although we did have one day that it hit 102, it was about a month ago. We've had a few days in the 90s, but I think much of the country would complain if I said it had been hot here. It hasn't. It's August and we've been in the 70s much of the time...in fact we've been in the 60s some, earlier this week. It was 59 with a cool breeze when I got up this morning. Yes it really is summer...just ask someone in Dallas, or St. Louis, or Baltimore. Lots of heat, lots of humidity, tornadoes in New York City. GLOBAL WARMING, ANYONE?

Ok, now that that's said...our Autumn started late in July. Even for me that's weird. I'm used to leaves changing color in October, gone in November. But, that's Oklahoma, where they're near 100 today. In beautiful Oregon we've seen colors begin to change in August since moving here three years ago...faithfully, in August, around the middle of the month. So imagine my surprise when I noticed faint changes of color late in July. I thought it was my glasses...but I'm seeing more and more every day.

Now, I love Autumn...it's my favorite season. But winters here can be long (if not freezing cold), and Spring pushes back to May...so the growing season can seem short. The life of a leaf certainly is short...if it's now free falling toward a blaze of color. The difference here is that leaf color lasts a good two or three months. Yes, things are suddenly stark in mid to late November, but the trip is certainly worth it. My point is that it seems we just went past the "new leaf" season, and now they're changing colors! It's an observation, not a complaint. I would not trade the cool days and cloudy skies for anything, rain or not.

No photo today, just the mental image of cool fall days with a good breeze. Those of you in the warmer climates...enjoy that thought.

Summertime

Summer. Not my favorite season. Too hot, saying it's "warm" just doesn't do it justice. I know, I should not complain. I've said that before; Oklahoma and Texas are MUCH hotter, and I lived in Oklahoma for about 37 years. Even California can be toasty...depending on where in California you are. The east side of the Bay got plenty warm, but not as warm as Redding, for example. So it's summer in Oregon and we've hit 102...once. I'm probably going to jinx it, but as summers go, this one has been ok. Wonderful compared to last summer where we were above 100 in June. Now we're closing in on August and our experience so far is that trees begin to take on touches of fall by mid-August. Fall lasts well into November and the great color is around for at least a couple of months.

Ah, but the subject is summertime...so here's a doff of the cap to dahlias and crape myrtles, lavender and hibiscus, cat mint and fuschias. Color. Ah, the blooms of the magnolia and the rainbow of colors in the roses of the Rose City. Tiny red crab apples beckon the birds. It's clearer days for views of Mt. Hood, where the snows are fading and the granite gray fills the sky. It's a view of Mt. St. Helens, with Rainier peeking around far behind. It's sunsets full of orange, purple, pink and red...as low clouds flow through the fading light. Many is the evening we stand in the back yard and just watch the sky change colors.

So, summer could be much worse. Even this morning you can sit out and read the paper, listen to the birds and squirrels chatter, water the garden. Color. It's everywhere...

Revitalizing salt water

Salt water...as in the ocean, that is. A week ago we were on our way to the coast, so far our favorite destination. And, Ginger's first "overnight" as well...thankfully she loves the coast too. Our motel was just across the road from the beach in Manzanita, a quiet little burgh a few miles south of Cannon Beach. This is an example of the wonderful sunsets we saw...and everyone was out along the beach just watching.

Being fans of the evergreen and mountains, it's interesting...this pull the ocean has on us both. Pat, being from Hawaii, knows the power and effect of the ocean...and being literally surrounded by it. Coming from Oklahoma, I had only experienced the Gulf of Mexico...and in Texas, it's very salty, and very dirty...the water looks brown and you have to watch out for jellyfish. Here in Oregon we must be careful of "sneaker waves", but the long expanse of beach in Manzanita made it very, very friendly for us and dog. I think it is six or seven miles of beach with well packed sand...no rock formations, but lots of beach for walking, running, horseback riding. Since the weather was good (if cool) there were always lots of folks on the beach...even after sunset. But "lots" is a relative term. I think the most we saw was 50-75 along a stretch of a mile or more. Even the last full day, when the winds brought out para surfers, the beach was never crowded and that made it more enjoyable.

Something about the salty air is just incredibly envigorating. And the sound of the surf as it rolls ashore is as relaxing as the movement of the waves is mesmerizing. And though it's eventually time to go home...and you're glad to be back in familiar surroundings and sleeping in your own bed...you wish you could bottle up that feeling of calm, awake, and alive that the ocean has given. Instead, you know that you will return for another dose, another time. The photographs of sunsets and surfers remain, allowing you to relive those moments, and promise you they will be there...all you have to do is come back.

The little guy

Here we are, closing in on 5 months in age, interested in everything and everyone. Colic is gone, replaced by teething. But smiles and giggles fill much of the day, along with chattering and making faces. The chair is a "bumbo" and he seems to like sitting in it.

And he is part of the reason for all the genealogy ruckus going on. What can I pass down to him? I hope an understanding of who he is and where he comes from. Now it makes no sense to him, but some day...some day he will want to know about the people who came before him. I hope the work I do now will quell his curiosity, and help him learn about his roots.

A hunting we will go

Hunting for ancestors that is...no weapons involved. An ad caught my eye last week...which seldom happens...and the next thing I knew, I was consumed with the notion that I needed to search for my ancestors(which I think hits all of us from time to time). The ad, coupled with the fact that I'm reading a book about the Mayflower and the founding of Plymouth Colony, well...I felt all those people now long gone tugging at my sleeve.

Many, many years ago my grandmother (dad's mother) gave me a small packet. It contained, among other things, Civil War letters written by a great, great, great grandfather...a Confederate soldier in a Union prison, or prisoner of war camp. There were also receipts for taxes paid, college tuition for a great great grandmother, and a couple of handwritten genealogies...written in either fountain pen with an ink now brown and fading, or pencil! The letters were written in 1862 and 1863 and the handwriting is hard to read...and the ink is fading. The paper is slowly deteriorating as well...so I have to figure out how to preserve these documents.

It is these tattered, fading pieces of paper that have the greatest pull on me. One of my ancestors wrote these things and now there is no one living who can tell me about them. I was interested as a kid, but I don't remember what I might have been told, or how much there may have been to tell. I do have some sense of where all these "relations" were from though.

In my father's family, Mississippi (where the soldier was from), Tennessee, and Missouri seem to be prominent. Georgia I think is also in play...Missouri also is found in my mother's family, but Bohemia and Moravia are most prominent. At that time they were both part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, becoming Czechoslovakia years after my great grandparents immigrated to America. I have visions of them and what that America was like, what they found when they settled in Racine, Wisconsin with others of their families. Racine is the site of one of the first Czech newspapers in the US...maybe there is information to be found there.

It is an odd feeling, this connectedness with people long dead, many of whom I never heard of, or saw photos of. My Czech grandmother (born in this country) did begin to record information about the family, stories she remembered from childhood in Illinois. Sadly, she died less than a year after this process was begun(only a cassette tape or two survive). We always thought there would be more time to listen and ask questions. There wasn't. I met her mother only once (my great grand mother), already in her 80s and I was maybe 10. Her oldest daughter, my great aunt, would translate and speak Czech with her...yes, she knew English, but in her old age the Czech came to her more easily. I was not really old enough to realize what a treasure she was and what I might learn of family from her. By the time I realized I wanted to learn, she was gone.

I think of the immigration issues we now face. My great grandparents came into this country legally. They paid for their passage, signed all the proper documents, became citizens of America while other family members chose to stay in "the old country". They raised nine children here, paid their taxes, and never forgot those who stayed behind. But they did it legally, not imagining that there might be another way. It is on their shoulders that I now rest here...if not for them, I would not exist.

A little hard work

Actually, it's two days of hard work in the garden...and no picture would do it justice! Saturday was a nice day with a bit of a breeze and we did much planting and transplanting. Items planted include evergreens: Enkianthus, Dodenea, and Grevillea, plus two honeysuckle shrubs. Ah, and a "dwarf" Southern Magnolia called "Little Gem". Then we moved a crape myrtle, planted a Bloodgood Japanese Maple where that had been (it was in a pot previously). Into that pot will go a Full Moon Japanese Maple and an "Autumn" Fuschia...very colorful leaves!

We are also levelling a spot for a tool shed that will be delivered next week, we hope. Then we have to put it together!! It would have been much easier if the dirt was just that, dirt. Instead there's a good deal of clay, and lots of tree roots. This happened yesterday and it was a cool, cloudy day...wonderful!

Today is also cool, and we have sore shoulders and backs. The front yard may be mowed, but other than some watering, that's all the yard work for today. Time to take a break. The up-side is that there are lots of new things in the ground to nurture and watch grow. We can look back at old photos and see the changes we've made and how we're changing how the yard is defined. The "fruits" of our labors, as it were.

So today is a holiday, but a work day just the same. The difference with the past two days is that today is more mental work...and less physical labor!

What's that old saying?

April showers bring May flowers. That's the saying. Of course, April is the first full month of Spring. Winter is fading and the warmer days announce to everything dormant that it's time to wake up again, time to put color back into the landscape. Today's offering is a tree peony, recently purchased. The blooms had not opened yet, but they were very visible when the plant was purchased. So, now the rains have beaten the blooms off the plant and only remnants of color remain.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have 4 distinct seasons, and 3 of them tend to be wet...ok, they ARE wet. Living here is just not for everyone...because although it does not rain every day, long stretches of time may pass without seeing the sun or blue sky. The yard is mushy and muddy and the rain just adds to the chill of Fall, Winter, and Early Spring. But...ah, the results. While it's too early for roses in the Rose City, there are dogwoods, rhodedendrons, azaleas, peonies, daphnes, lavender, clematis...well, you begin to see the point.

My daughter visited from Dallas with her fiance last month. Their first comment on getting off the plane? "Wow, it's so green here!" Well, yes. Yes it is. And there is not much credit I can take for that. In our yard, I mean. We've made lots of changes, planted any number of flowers, shrubs, and trees and almost all are doing well. If something failed, it was likely in a spot not well suited for it. But the point is that it is GREEN. Living here has given me a new perspective on Spring. It's not hot like Texas or Oklahoma, and it's lush. For the first time in many years I truly welcome the blue skies and sunny days; warm, but not too warm...so that this lush landscape thrives. And to do that we need sun and rain. I'm ready for the sun!

So, it's May now, and gradually the cloudy days will give way to more sun; in the end we will have some of the heat that goes with Summer. This year I will have those memories of Spring tucked away, so that on the hottest days I can remember these days...cool, bright, alive again.

Tripping into Spring

At long last, in every nook and cranny, signs are pointing to Spring. Gone are the bare trees, the reminder of the season passing, the cold and barren giving way to a hint of warm and a breeze sweet with the first flowerings of Spring. After almost 10 years in California with it's odd seasons, we regale in a place of four distinct seasons. Bleak winter saved by a multitude of evergreens. Spring an explosion of color, coaxed from hundreds of gems that hid their plumage all winter only to reveal it in the first touches of warm breeze.

Yes, it's chilly and raining and a good day to stay indoors. But throughout the landscape something new is added and such a difference it makes! Soon the crabapple will be full of leaves and the bird feeders will be almost invisible, as will the birds as they continue to feast. The maples will open their large leaves and shade a large slice of the yard and the roses will brighten spots that were barren all winter.

I have always been a huge fan of fall and Oregon is beautiful in the Fall...an abundance of color for over 2 months! But, I've also become quite a fan of Spring and I anxiously await the blooming of peonies and rhodedendrons, hostas unfurling, clematis vining and blooming. And, Spring is cooler here...fewer 80s and 90s, more 60s and 70s...comfortable, colorful. I must have Spring Fever!

The little guy

So here's a smile, taken before I stepped of the deck and broke my ankle. I'm grounded, can't drive with the "moon boot" on, and our little guy is really starting to get interesting. He makes lots of faces, lots of noises, and cries less. He likes to move around, likes car rides, likes to look at the world around him.

At this point, the eyes are still blue, and we're hoping they stay. And each day they notice more and more. And he's hearing more too. Lots of things to see and hear, much to be curious about. Life seems more interesting each day, and watching him descover things is never dull. Ah, how nice it must be to have no worries!

Karma is a...well, you know

Karma. Yeah. Karma smacked me on Sunday. Not in the head, but in the ankle. About 10 months ago I was doing a good deed for a neighbor. Mowed his lawn when he couldn't. Stepped off his driveway, and my right ankle turned under me...and I fractured it. Ten days before a trip to Dallas. So I spent 5-6 weeks in a "moon boot" and another 3-4 in an ankle brace. The good news was that I was able to have a handicapped tag for my car. The bad news was the I couldn't drive for the first weeks...as long as I was in the moon boot.

Sunday my neighbor told me he'd moved his yard that morning so there was no risk of me breaking any bones. And that's where karma comes in. We had the kids and baby over and transplanted some trees; it was a beautiful day. After they left I went to water trees, stepped off the side of the deck and ... yeah, the ankle went again, only I had farther for it to drop this time...a foot or so instead of a couple of inches. The sound and the pain were unmistakable...I knew I'd broken that same ankle again! No broken bones for 53 years, then I break the same one twice in 10 months!

Today I find out for sure, but I don't really need the xrays to tell me what my body already knows. I think this is a more serious break than the first one. So, I am grounded for the next several weeks, totally at the mercy of others to get around, stuck on the couch icing the ankle. My oldest arrives in less than a month and there will be lots of walking to do. Thanks to karma, that will happen slowly, really slowly.

Celebrating at the beach

Here we are at Cannon Beach celebrating my 54th birthday. It was fairly cloudy, a bit windy, but warmer than many times I've been there, later in the spring. So it was a great birthday, celebrating with Pat and Ginger. For the first time, Ginger went right into the waves, no fear. And she barked at kites and birds, and howled when the birds flew away. She's definitely a spaniel!

Just a really nice day to get away, to revitalize, to let the brain clear of all the gunk that invades daily. While we love the mountains, there is just something about the ocean that pulls us back again and again. The air is full of salt spray and the waves hypnotize you. The sound and the motion are constant and in a way, restful. The ocean remains our favorite destination, even if only for the day.

So, now I'm 54. I won't dwell on that other than to say that sometimes it feels like my 30s were yesterday. Other times, they were a thousand years ago. The good news? I'm still alive, still kicking, still enjoying that day at the beach.

The printed page

And where do you get YOUR news? I find that much of mine comes from the internet, but I'm not ready to let go of my morning newspaper. I also get news from newscasts...I'm a dinosaur who likes the evening news, whether at 5, 6, or 11 p.m. I know, I can see videos online, read the paper online...and the more I do online, the more paper and news ink we conserve. I know all this, but I still hold steadfast to the touch and feel of that paper. The visual turning of the page and scanning for interesting headlines with my morning cup of coffee is one constant in a life everchanging.

And when we no longer print papers, will the printing of books fade away as well? As many households as there are with computers, there are many more without. The poor and the elderly would end up without the same access to information. Would it be necessary to drive to the library and sit in front of a machine that feeds you news? And just how possible is that??

So I'm a member of a bygone era. Just by using the word "bygone" makes me a member I suppose. But I'm hoping there are others out there too. Yes, often I'll see an article in the paper that I saw online the day before. But I still want the feel of that paper. To check the weather in places where I have family, to read the funnies, to get my local news, and to see what national news made the paper. I do read articles online, but after a while I just can't hold my head in the right spot for reading any longer...damned bifocals!! Well, that's what happens to eyes when they age. So good light and the printed page can be easier to read. Not exactly like the large print addition of a book, but the folded paper is light and easy to take with you. Much easier than lugging your computer around!

I am not one who loathes technology...I mean, this IS a blog, not a handwritten journal. But, the arthritis in the right hand makes putting thoughts on paper harder than typing them out. And the blog allows me to add photos!

I'd be lost without the chance to wander through bookstores and I wouldn't know what to do if there was no morning paper. Even though I do sometimes read it that night. ;-)

Routines and "ruts"

Are you in a rut? Maybe it's a routine. Are they the same thing?

To me, a rut is a routine that is past it's prime. Doing the same things over and over and being stuck..whether day to day, long term, relationship-wise.

So, I have a routine. I'm the first one up most mornings. Me and the cats. So we leave the bedroom and open the office curtains and watch the birds in the crabapple. I do a bit of work, play around on the computer, have some coffee. It's quiet; dog is still asleep and so is Pat. The cats trek outside for a bit, knowing dog is not loose. I watch the sky, the birds, check email and see what's new in the world. I have another cup of coffee, dash out to get the newspapers in the front yard. It's a comfortable routine. I get some quiet time and a chance to view a slice of nature waking each morning.

I have my ruts too. Parking in front of the tube in the evening, dinner always late. I don't hate it, but it's inertia and that's hard to fight against. More effort is needed...out to dinner, a concert, a play. Or even out of town...to the beach.

We have had a disruption in our routine, with mom visiting to see the great-grandson. After 9 days of abnormal routines, there is an odd comfort getting back to the norm. And the month old child will likely rest a little more with less stimulation. Here's hoping he has a quiet week. Dog is more of a challenge...and back to HER routine!

Our ever-changing weather

Rain. That was the forecast...for the week. Sun? Yes, if you look quickly. So it was a surprise and a treat to wake to blue skies. Enough of a treat to make a dash to Council Crest and look for mountains. They were there, but so were clouds...so not as visible as we'd hoped, but a nice validation that our mountains had not vanished.

Now? Rain. Yes, it's Oregon...yes, I know it rains. In fact, I enjoy it. But the blue and the little warmth that came with it tease you with spring. So many things are just waiting to bloom in our garden...and have been. It's that tease again, the promise of color. The blue skies, the rainbow of flowers, the fresh green of new leaves, the awakening of all that slept through the winter.

So, rain it is. For a couple more months probably. But each day we're closer to those wonderful colors, warmer weather. Oops...heat. Summer. No more fires in the fireplace. Yuck. Rain. Isn't it wonderful?

Books and Authors

I have mentioned before, but not recently, that I'm a bookworm. Usually I have 2-3 books going at one time...generally about very different subjects, otherwise it's easy to get lost. I am big on history and biography, historical fiction, and mystery. In my younger days I was a SciFi nut, but that faded as I got older. Anyway, for anyone who cares, here are some thoughts on books.

Mystery: Sarah Graves and her "home repair is murder" series are great! There are repair tips in each book and the heroine is forever trying to "save" her 1823 home in Maine. The stories are good with enough twists and turns to hold your interest and humor and family drama adds to each situation. More full bodied than "Murder, She Wrote" and hard to put down.

Then there is Nevada Barr, who writes about a US Park Ranger stationed in various national parks around the country. The stories are good and the settings varied but they are sometimes too dark for me. The same is true of local author Phillip Margolin. Set in the Pacific Northwest, there are some terrific stories here, all with a legal flavor, but they can be very dark. Reminds me in some ways of the tv series "Criminal Minds".

One of my very favorites is Laurie King. She has a series about a young woman named Mary Russell, set in England early in the last century. She meets, becomes an apprentice to, and finally marries Sherlock Holmes! The stories are quite incredible and always entertaining. I highly recommend her if you are a mystery fan.

For historical fiction I'm a fan of the earlier works of James Michener. "Centennial", "Hawaii", and "Chesapeake" are among my favorites. Yes, these are not short novels...but they have some great descriptive passages and you are left with lasting visions of the places Michener is showing you. I'm also a fan of Edward Rutherfurd. "London", "Sarum", "Forest", "Russka" and his "Dublin Saga"..."the Princes of Ireland" and "The Rebels of Ireland"...well these are just pieces that transport you to each place and time. The 21st century is far, far away and the world a very different place. He is one of my favorite authors.

I know, everyone has likes and dislikes. I'm always looking for something new. My most recent find is new to me, but not new to literature. Annie Proulx, author of "The Shipping News" and "Brokeback Mountain" writes of worlds that are sparse and often bleak. The characters are not wealthy, the world of Wyoming seems desolate, Newfoundland a land of rocks and wind and water. But the pictures are vivid, the people no doubt exist...they are painted in such stark light. No, not to everyone's taste...but very interesting!

Fiction seems to have been the topic this post. Next time, history!

The wilds of suburbia

This jay represents not just jays, although they do love the suet cakes and sunflower seeds hanging from our bare crabapple tree. We have sparrows, juncos, and chickadees...just to name some of the smaller birds. We also have a downy woodpecker, a couple of flickers, and a couple of thrushes that enjoy the variety we have offered. Unfortunately the squirrels also enjoy most of what's there; they seem especially fond of the suet cake. They would go after the sunflower seeds, but they are "hot"...doesn't bother the birds, but the squirrels really don't like them.

This bird watching is one of the joys of my day. From my desk I can stare out the window and see the tree and all the feeders. I see the squirrels trying to get all that they can, the larger birds...usually starlings, chasing them off. Lots of colors, lots of sizes, and air full of song. So I often leave the slider open enough that animals may roam in and out, and so I can hear all those wonderful songs. Much as I love winter, I know that spring will come, the tree will leaf, and the view will change. Until then I have this great view, every day.

A new life in the middle of winter

Today we became grandmothers...the little guy in this photo is my first grandchild, a boy who took about 60 hours of hard work between him and his mom to come into the world. And there he is, exercising those healthy lungs. Not destined to be the water birth his parents had hoped for, he found welcome comfort at a birth center that made the final leg easier for him, and mom...and discovered that the cord around his neck was slowing his entrance into the world. For this, we're all grateful that we were at a facility that could handle this problem.

His hair is a light brown, and the eyes...what little you see them...are blue. We hope they stay that color. His parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles and assorted family friends are all glad to meet him at last, and begin planning his future. We hope he'll approve.

Sleep well little man, and allow momma and poppa to sleep too!

Snowfall

Yes, snow. About 4 inches of wonderous, fluffy white. Of course dog is thrilled...even though the snow sticks to her in clumps, on her legs, her chest...anywhere it touches. She is now snow dog.

The snow reminds me of my childhood. The silence that you get only when it's snowing, the flakes falling in all different shapes and sizes, the color of the sky. And, the way snow makes the night so much lighter. And the purple-gray of the night sky. It's been 2 days so it's melting away now. You can see the ground in places, the streets are clearing. Most of what was on the trees is gone. But the memory is there, and there are pictures as reminders. And who know? Maybe it will happen again soon...

Time and relatives

Time...it's that funny thing that happens when we're too busy to notice. It's also a tool telling us what day, year, minute, hour...you get the idea. Time? It's January 2007, but only on this little orb as it pirouettes through the sky, a dot on the ever expanding universe. Millions of light years away, somewhere in the vast darkness of space, some creature may have devised a better way, but so much time will have passed by the time the message gets to us, well...we'll have stopped caring eons ago.

Time passes with agonizing slowness when you're anxious about something. My youngest daughter awaits the birth of her first child, due today. Time is an antagonist for her and her husband...they are ready for this next phase of their lives, hoping to meet baby sooner rather than later. Days and nights are measured by ticking clocks, pains that are NOT laborious in nature, and just the anticipation of how life, and time, will change once they are three and not two.

Time moves in fits and starts when you have set a wedding date, and then must prepare for that day. Dress? Food? Location? It's never too early to start that planning, as my oldest child in Dallas will do these next months. September is many months away, but there is much to do, and it will pass too quickly some days, and too slowly others.

For us, time drags and leaps. Billing cycles come and go. Dog moves from adorable or awful puppy, toward adulthood. Fewer accidents in the house, fewer objects that appeal as chew toys, still too much energy to keep up with. Our lives will change too, becoming grandparents, welcoming a new son-in-law, training ourselves to be better, more responsible keepers of the pets.

I step into 2007 with time often on my mind, sometimes to the point of wasting time. I guess that depends on how you look at it. Maybe I'm just being deep and thoughtful, or maybe I'm just avoiding chores, work or otherwise. I think of the time that's my past, and how long ago my 20s and 30s were, and just how did I get to be nearly 54? Time. Good, bad, and ugly. Scary, boring, joyous, exciting, quiet, noisy, confusing. Time. The place-keeper of our lives.