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.

Chester the Canadian Goose

Introducing Chester Chadwick Goosington

the VI 

(at least the VI)

JoAnn has taken to walking in one of our local cemeteries every day. It is calm, peaceful and flat. Sometimes I go with her, and this is where I was introduced to Chester the Canadian goose. Chester is a lonely sort of widower goose, who has lost his mate. He strangely is attracted to one particular grave marker, and as you can see he stands on it, lays on it, and peacefully rests beside it. He also likes to stand on the mausoleum rooftop to get a better view of things.

Chester only likes to come to the cemetery in the cool of the day, as he doesn't much care for heat it seems. Of course, he also is not keen on winter snow or ice either. So it takes a rather temperate day to find him hanging out at his regular venues. 

One day a girl goose came and tried to attract his attention. She tried EVERYTHING, but Chester was as cool as a cucumber. You see when Chester lost his mate, he lost his mate for life. So he ignored the whole show, and eventually she left him alone, just the way he likes it. Chester agrees with JoAnn and I that Pilot Butte Cemetery is just right for a beautiful, wonderful place to be alone and quiet. I do wonder though, just what it is that attracts him to that particular grave stone. He certainly has laid dibs on it!