Beach interlude

Lincoln City Beach near sunset.
Yesterday.

The unsung birthday

I don't mind getting older.
Really I don't!
I love the grandparenting,
the disposable income,
the peace that usually prevails in our home,
the joyful chaos that reigns when grandchildren visit,
the ability to come and go as I please,
the people my children are becoming,
the wisdom and perspective that come from experience,
the freedom to dress weirdly if I choose,
friends who know me and still love me,
and many other gifts that come with age.

What I do mind is the decrepitude of the body that follows the advancing years.
I resent the inexplicable pains that sneak up unannounced,
the pounds that creep onto my body no matter how much I fight them,
and multiple body parts (which shall remain nameless) that sag.

Luckily, the list of complaints is much shorter than the list of blessings.
I hope it remains that way for many years to come.

I requested that there be no party or cake for my birthday, as we have been inundated with both lately and still have Tommy's party this Monday.
Everyone was very obedient.
Would you like to see my presents?

Lovely African daisies and sweet potato vine from Mum.


Persian violet from Jon and Jenny.


A sweet-smelling gardenia from Bethany, which I will attempt to not kill.


I asked for flowers, can you tell?

A beautiful picture of the Portland temple from Jeff,
which now fills the only empty spot on my walls.
The photo does not do it justice.


Possum hat, gloves and truffles from my sister, Anne.
White Corningware dishes from my friend Barb, who is also trying to give up the plastic habit. The Lindor truffles that filled them are long gone!
Crocheted slippers from my friend, Brenda.
Relaxing bath milk and foot scrubber from Annie.


A phone call from Charlie, who remembered all on his own.
For that, there is no photo.

Growing things

I have become a fan of violas.
Their colours are so bright they are almost iridescent.
They will no doubt fade in the heat of summer, but they have been spectacular through our changeable spring.

Recital Time

Recital tonight for my piano students.
Our church building (the usual venue) is totally closed down for renovations, so we had it at the Newberg Christian Church.
It was very nice of them to let me use the space.
We were in the lobby.
Three little old ladies were sitting in easy chairs when we arrived.
They stayed for the recital.
And helped themselves to brownies afterward.
I said, "You're lucky, you got entertainment AND refreshments tonight!"

It's been years since I had an ensemble recital.
Now I remember why.
It's a crazy amount of work.
But immense fun.
We had student duets.
A trio of little girls played "Jesus Loves me."
Siblings played together.
A Grandma accompanied her three grandchildren.
And a Mom and young son played together.
Kenzie played with Auntie Annie.
For a grand finale, most of the students took part in a rhythm ensemble, a la "Stomp." Every student performed a different rhythm using their name and body percussion. It was terrific!


I think I'll keep my job a bit longer.

Water(ing)babies

I LOVE watering cans.
So do my grandkids.
They will water everything in sight until I declare that WATERING IS DONE for the day.
Here they are on Friday, doing just that.



Daniel disdains watering cans when the hose is available.


Green growing thing of the day: Yukon Gold potatoes.

I scream for ......?

We finally took the Screamer out yesterday.
Dusty from lack of use.
Why is it called the Screamer?
Well, that's its name.
It's also what I become when we crash and bite the dust.
Which hopefully won't happen ever again!

It was a gorgeous, sunny morning, with a bit of a windchill.
The plan was to ride 6 miles out to the Mustard Seed.
And back again.
Without crashing.

The Mustard Seed is an organic farm co-op that we are going to do this summer, so the plan is to ride out there, put in some work hours, then ride home again with a load of fresh produce.
The ride is supposed to get easier every week as we get stronger and skinnier.
Sounds idyllic, doesn't it?

Yesterday was the test run.

The ride seemed to be REALLY hard work.
We couldn't even get any momentum on the downhill bits, which are our speciality.
After 3 or 4 miles, we had to walk the last 50 yards or so to the top of the worst hill.
We were discouraged.
Then Jeff, who was pushing the bike, looked down.
The granny brake was about 80% engaged!
It's the only thing over which I have any control, other than how hard I pedal.
I can slow the bike down if we go scary fast on the down side of a hill.

Jeff disengaged the brake.
Things went much better after that!

Here we are upon returning home.
Looking a little too well-fed.

Blessings counted

Today, I made a toy bag for some animals I bought on clearance at Freddies.
They are made by Schleich, a German company.
In China.
The toys are good quality and were still fairly expensive, even on clearance.
I decided I would send them to my new grandson.
I opened the cardboard package.....
...and found this!


Every little paw was securely fastened to the base of the box with multiple ties and further fortified with plastic doodads.
I've heard that it done is to prevent theft, but this was ridiculous!
So, I painstakingly unraveled every tie, silently cursing the gods of toy packaging as my fingers struggled to do the job.
Only to find that every animal had the ties wrapped even more securely still around each paw.


It took me over fifteen minutes to free the animals from their bondage.

A few minutes into the task, I started to think about the person who spent all day putting the ties on the animals.
Some little person in China who did this for a living.
And about how little I had of which to complain.

I have never liked that poem about the guy who complained about sore feet until he saw a man with no feet.
It seemed disrespectful to the man with no feet.
I mean, who is HE supposed to look at in order to feel gratitude?
It seems a superficial way to encourage a grateful heart, comparing oneself to another who is less blessed.
But today, I thought about how blessed I am, in spite of the crap!

I have a house that is comfortable, cosy, and paid for.
My kids are all finding their way in the world, in a relatively sane manner.
Jeff has a good job, even if it is stressful.
I love my work and I don't have to do it if I don't want to.
The sun is shining and yesterday it rained.
We are debt-free.
My vegetable garden is finished and thriving.
I have friends that care about me.
My Mum is healthy enough to visit and she weeds and cleans!
My grandkids live close by, for now.
My car runs.
Even if it doesn't, I have enough money to fix it.
And an honest mechanic.
My freezer and pantry (and Jeff's closet and the spare room) are full of food.
I live in America, which is, for the time being, still a free country.
I have the church and gospel principles to guide me and comfort me when I do have troubles.
I have my trusty bike to ride around town when the weather is delightful and the mood strikes.
My garden is full of flowers.
I can almost keep up with my walking friends on the hills.
And every week I get a little better at it.

Shall I go on?

No.

You go make your own list.