Celebrating our Mom!

" I acknowledge and confess that all things come from Thee-

life, breath, happiness, sight, touch, hearing, 

goodness, truth, and beauty-

all that makes existence amiable."

From the Valley of Vision

Last month we were able to have my mother-in-law Bethel here with us for the better part of a week, celebrating her 97th birthday and Mothers Day. We had a lot of fun doing various things. I took her with me to a Ladies Night Out at our church, where we enjoyed a great dinner served by our men, and a comedian to entertain us. We attended a musical at our local Lutheran School, which we all enjoyed.

 We drove to Prineville to a local nursery and enjoyed the flowers while we bought a few baskets I had previously ordered. We enjoyed lunch at McDonalds and it made a fun trip.

One day she and I babysat for some friends who are foster parents. Mom had a good time playing with 'sweet pea' as we call her.

It is always a good time when we can be together. She is one amazing woman to be so active at her age. 

We are on our way over to her house this week-end. We are taking her to Ontario tomorrow which is where she was raised. We will be visiting four of her cousins and we are having lunch with them in a favorite restaurant. We are also going to the cemetery there to see the gravestone that was recently placed for my father-in-law. We will lay some flowers, and she will get to see it for the first time. 

I am sure we are going to have another good time together....that's what families do!

Have a great first day of Summer, 2019!

Beauty in Exercising

We enjoyed a great Father's Day.

We enjoyed a good Sunday morning at Church, followed by a great barbeque at home on the deck...with hamburgers, hot dogs, brats and buns with all the fixin's, homemade potato salad and wonderful fruit salad which starred a great, sweet watermelon.

The father in the house relaxed in his recliner and watched the end of the US Open Championship. Following that, we took short naps, then grabbed our tennis shoes for a hike along the Deschutes River Trail south. This is less than a mile away from the house, and we are so blessed.

This is such a beautiful, and clean river which affords great sights. Some of the trail looks like this, with the river being calm and peaceful. Lots of lodge pole pines line the river bank.

Some of the trail looks like this, where it follows the river but up the bank a ways... and some of the trail climbs small rocky hills where you can look down on the river rushing through rapids.

At the end of the trail is a bridge to cross to other side and hike back to the beginning and see the river from the other side. This trail is well used with walkers, runners, and mountain bikers (allowed on part of the trail) as well as dog walkers. One thing we particularly like is that it feels like a wilderness area, but is only literally minutes away from the city of Bend on both sides. Beauty in exercising....that's the ticket.

Burns, Boise and Gardens

 One last post about my 'spring' garden. I have been busy traveling, and when I got home I was exited to find that my little garden had fully developed. So, there are two kinds of daffodils, peach tulips and the blue muscari. 

We were in Burns for Easter where we visited my mother in law, my sister and brother in law, and two couples that we haven't seen in over 30 years. We had a lovely time at church and a great ham dinner after that. 

Next, I went to Boise, Idaho with my sister in law for a week. We stayed with my niece Deana and her caregivers. Deana has had MS for many years and needs constant care. Her husband takes a vacation/break a couple times a year, and my sister in law comes to help out. We had an absolutely lovely time, and I had a vacation to boot. It is always good to see Deana and spend some time with her. During the days my sister in law and I spent time with other friends, had some nice lunches out and did some shopping. Then we came back to Deana's in the afternoon and spent the evening until she was ready for the night. On Sunday we accompanied a friend to her Catholic Church and attended Mass. I had done that once before in college, but this was a large and interesting service.

We also visited with my other niece Kellie and her two daughters, Tiegan and Alexandria. It was prom weekend, so we went with them to the park for some photos.

There was lots going on. I usually spend most of my time at home, so this was a nice change.

Spring is bringing lots of activity this year, in spite of the rain we have enjoyed. 

Now, we are off to the coast for a couple of days...6 of us. Hope you are having fun too!

Remembering March 12, 1946

March 12, 1946... the day my parents were married. A newly returned Air Corp soldier from the Pacific Theater of WW II, married a shy high school graduate from Queen Anne Hill in Seattle, Washington.

This morning I grabbed a cup of coffee and a small tape recorder and tape and listened to my Dad tell about his war adventures and then meeting my mom and getting married on this day 73 years ago. It was great to have a 'visit' with Dad and hear his voice once again. They were both present, and together they said "March 12" and then Dad repeated 1946. A special day in our family for sure.

A quick update on our trip to the Willamette Valley. We had a great time reconnecting with family for sure, and remembering the life of a wonderful woman of God. But seeing spring blooms? No way. It was cold, raw and muddy. I did see a patch of daffodils where the stalks were above ground, but quite a ways from blooming. Guess Oregon spring is still mulling over making an entrance, while winter still has a firm grasp on things. The good thing is that we know it's coming. It has always come, and the signs of spring will once again show the hope of resurrection.

Time For a Visit

Great Papa and Grammy finally got to see Maggie May in person! What fun to hold her!!

She slept in her swing all afternoon, and really loves the gentle music that goes along with the rocking motion. She also was so sleepy the next day she slept in her little bed.

We brought a blanket I made as a gift, and Mama promptly laid down with it for a nap while we were available to watch baby.

She truly is a beautiful baby girl. Just look at all that hair.

She is stretching here, and I wanted to get a photo of her neck, because you don't get to see that very often.

One very happy family we were so glad to visit!

Introducing Maggie May!

 This is Kory, right after she agreed to have an epidural.

 After almost 24 hours of labor, she is ready to push.

And this little girl made her way out into the world. 

Kory, Sam and Maggie!

 New grandma Joy and new daddy Sam take their turns getting introduced to Maggie.

Such tiny feet! It never fails to suprise me.

 She made soft little cooing noises for the longest time...but then decided to try out crying.

  Kory and Maggie snuggled skin to skin for a couple of hours before they took her to clean her up and weigh her. She weighed 8 lbs even, and was 20 inches long.

Maggie's 1st Close-Up Portrait

And finally a snooze after all that exhausting business was over.

March 22, 2018

About to be a New Great Grammy!

Well, it's been since December that I have posted on this blog of ours. And now it's March...but I have some big news today. 
Our granddaughter Kory has gone into labor, and is in the hospital waiting to give birth to our first great granddaughter. Our daughter Joy has arrived, and now the waiting continues as baby girl makes her way out into this big, wide world. 
Above is a photo of Kory at her baby shower a few weeks ago, and the other is a photo of baby bump.  Such a cute pregnant lady, teacher, momma-to-be, wife, daughter and granddaughter!
More photos to come......

November Doings

 A fall treat I saw on Pinterest, and decided to try out. Chex mix with candy corn and candy pumpkins! 

 This was the month we got our piano tuned. I took the opportunity to take photos of the interior. It is so pretty inside. This old upright was made before 1885, by the Franklin Piano Company. My great-grandparents purchased it for my Great Aunt Minnie. She brought it with her from Iowa to Oregon, then Seattle by train. She taught piano with it for many many years until her arthritis was too severe. She gave it to my parents so I could learn on it, a wonderful gift! Now it resides in Bend, Oregon and I have continued the tradition and teach on it. So many years of wonderful pleasure I have received.

This is behind the bottom panel, with the sound board in the back. The funny black box is a humidifier, that I have to water every few weeks. We live where there is virtually no humidity, so to keep the piano and wood moist this is the solution.

Julie and family have a new addition. "Sunshine' has arrived to keep them all company. Isn't she a beautiful kitty?

 And finally, today is the day before Thanksgiving. I love the peace and fun of this day. Mom is here with us, and she and I are working on a few Christmas projects this morning. First experimenting with selfies. She is 95 and knows what a selfie is and how to take one. Wow!

 We are getting some ornaments ready for delivery, and having a great time doing it. Thinking and talking about each grandchild and great-grandchild. Hey kids, does this get you exited for December?

Kids and Grandkids

KIDS AND GRANDKIDS 

I have a couple of photo boards around the house and change them up as I have time. This one is right over my dresser, where the insurance man and I see it every day. I thought it would be fun to be seasonal this time, and so I searched for for fall family photos through the years. I am loving it. So fun to see different grand kids at different stages. I think they will have fun seeing it too.

A Walking Miracle!

 As you probably already know, John and I had a pretty amazing adventure/nightmare last week. Our friend that feels like family, Jerry Thomas went missing a week ago last Wednesday while picking huckleberries with a friend. He was camping up by Parish Lake on the west side of the top of the Cascade Mountains in Linn County.

For the next three days there were search and rescue teams from 10 counties, sheriff's department officials, a heat-seeking helicopter from the Oregon National Guard, horses, Linn County Posse, scent dogs and their handlers, ATV teams, and the best tracker in the United States, combing the area and searching daylight hours.

Every day we would get up and rendevoux with team leaders and they would depart on their duties. Most of these people were volunteers, trained in search and rescue techniques. There was also a wonderful chaplain, again a volunteer, attached to the Linn County sherrif's office. 

The forest is not like on our eastern side of the mountains, but thick, brushy and filled with old growth timber and lots of fallen logs. It made for very difficult searching.

Jerry and Mary were camping for a few days with friends Don & Linda Wright, and Don and Jerry were huckleberry picking when Jerry wandered off in search of the best berries. It wouldn't and didn't take long to get turned around in the heavy terrain of the area. This is a photo of the Wrights trailer and ours, with the insurance man, Linda Wright, Mary and her sister Judy. The first 2 days the forest service would not let us search on foot, but only in vehicles on all the roads and logging spurs we could find. On Friday most of our gang decided they had enough of that, and set off on foot searching. (They were careful to stay together).

Saturday morning, after 3 days and 3 nights in the forest, Jerry walked out here. He had slept by or under logs, had collected thunder storm water in his hat, and eaten berries that he had or found. He is one tough cookie! When he woke up that day he just knew he would find a road, and he did...a logging spur. He walked it down here to a trail head at Daly Lake.

Looks pretty peaceful doesn't it? But it wasn't peaceful for all of us looking and searching for him. He found a guy with his camper there and Jerry asked him to take him to his campsite. 

What a stir it made when they pulled up together in the midst of about 100 searchers! The guy driving said he felt like he set foot in the middle of a hornets nest. Jerry just kind of looked around and wondered why all the people were out there in the middle of the forest. 

When I took this photo he looked up and said don't take it, I haven't combed my hair!! We all had a very tearful, joyous, riotous reunion.

Later he sat and told us about his adventure. He refused the ambulance and no one saw a need for it. He was not injured in any way, not even any scratches. His glasses were broken, his hearing aids dead as well as his cell phone, but he is the old time kind of rancher, hunter, cowboy who knows how to survive in the forest. And he has a great protector in his Heavenly Father.

Here are some of the friends and family that were there to welcome Jerry back and celebrate together this walking miracle.

 I have never been so glad to see anyone in my life! Even a little thinner, a little weaker, and a little grayer. So glad he's home.