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 |  Just play: don't look at your hands! |
What a dumb title for a person who never got a single star  on her piano lessons!Daily practice is the thing though: the practice of noticing as well as of writing.  However, I'd much rather play duets than solos, so hop right in! You can do the melody or the base part, I don't care.  Just play along--we'll make up the tune as we go. I'll try to write regularly and deliberately. Sometimes I will do it poorly, tritely, stiltedly, obscurely. I will try to persevere regardless. It seems to be where my heart wants to go, and that means to me that God wants me there too. See you tomorrow. ![Merit Badge in Journaling
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| Unlike people in most of two counties, our power has not gone off despite the windstorms. However, our cable and computer line has been very undependable. I'm leaving this note from work, just so you'll know I haven't deserted you again. If I'm back on, I'll write more tonight. Or tomorrow, while I once again wait for the washer repairman. |
| We were some of the fortunate people in the area who didn't lose power during the wind storm. However, we did lose cable and internet until just now. There are hundreds of trees uprooted all over town, but, amazingly, very little property loss other than shingles. So many people at church this morning told of trees that just missed hitting their houses, and that was true for us too. One man lost one window of his 1890 house when a sycamore crashed down, just missing it. Most of the trees uprooted were evergreens, I noticed. I suppose they had more wind resistance than the leafless deciduous trees. The maples and birches and sycamores that fell were more of the old trees that snapped off, although we lost half of a white pine too. I'm surprised the tamarack went down. It wasn't very big, just a straight up and down stick of a tree that sheds its needles in the winter and has cones that look like badger tails. One big branch snapped off our ponderosa, our neighbor said, and it landed on her roof but didn't do any damage. She said her husband always worries about it, but she doesn't. She appreciates the shade it gives in the summer and would never want to have it taken out. She said she considers it as much their tree as ours. So, we have a lot to be thankful for tonight. |
| The wind was roaring through the night, and I thought what a nice day it would be to continue to wait for the Sears repairman today. weatherunderground.com listed 45 mph winds and gusts up to 70. When I pulled out of the carport, I could see the metal flashing ripping off our roof, and a screen and a birdfeeder blown across the yard. Then I saw the neighbor's tree down in his driveway, and our last up-last down Christmas lights hanging by a single strand from the star imbedded crookedly in the juniper beside our chimney. I called Bill, who reported hearing on the scanner that a tree had fallen across a car at the bank and a scattering of port-o-potties were sliding across the highway from some rental place. He said I should stay home. I was all for it. But then I called the office to see if I was the only scaredy cat, or if everybody else was there. I was assured, with an indulgent laugh, that everyone else was indeed there. So I unplugged the strand of lights, got back in the car and headed out. From the street I could see my neighbor's truck and flatbed paused in the long driveway to his house, taillights on. I wondered what he was looking at. We have a very big ponderosa pine in our back yard, and their house sits directly in its path, were it to fall. That's a worry in every windstorm. We had a cherry picker come and prune off all the dead wood last year, thank goodness. Still, if I lived there, I'd get out of there in a wind like this. The tree looked to be leaning no more than before, and the neighbor had gone on to his house, so I went on too. By the time I'd made it to the highway, about four blocks away, I'd passed half a dozen trees down and pieces of insulation hanging onto bushes. The orchard was decorated with all manner of plastic bags and debris plastered against the branches. Out on the highway, I saw the gas station was closed, having lost most of its less-than-year-old building. Farther on I saw that we no longer have a drive-in movie. I don't know how far it got or where it landed, but it wasn't there. A barn that's been covered with tarps, tied on, and looking precarious for years, remains standing. Maybe it had enough ventilation? Halfway to town, the boss called and told me to go back home. The power was out. Okay. I checked out the ponderosa first thing, and it looked the same. But a large white pine that overhung our deck was completely uprooted, the top branches in the above-ground pool but otherwise not disturbing anything. Half of another white pine is in the yard, and the tamarack tree in the corner has fallen across the fence. I would have guessed (and hoped?) that the old, brittle linden trees would have succumbed first, but no. We do have power, (I guess that's obvious) so I put a pot of chicken soup on to cook in case we have neighbors without power. (I know the power is out farther north, but not how far.) So I guess we're in good shape. We have bean soup, chicken soup and firewood, and the storm has abated to a great extent, but still with sudden gusts producing disquieting thumps and rumbles. I guess I'll go work on my "holiday" cards and do a little laundry by hand. This probably won't be a good weekend to go to the laundromat. |
| Have you ever thought about what a luxury it is to have time to waste? Having spent my entire day waiting for the Sears repairman who did not show up, I should have gotten a lot accomplished, right? I should have read blogs and written this earlier, and even though I was looking forward to it, I didn't get it done. So, what did I do? Well, I mended some things, and I cleaned off my kitchen counter top of accumulated miscellany. Did a little of the same in several other crannies, none completely so I'd actually have something to show for it. Only I know there are fewer layers of papers and magazines, etc. Oh, and I actually emptied a little cubby in my dresser of its belt collection, discarding some, sending some to the Goodwill box, and tucking a few unusual ones away in my scarf and glove drawer. My housekeeper, who, until November, came for four hours every other week, has been driving truck (as they say out here.) (Not a truck, just truck.) Her husband has driven one also, and they've been transporting bees. They were gone for several weeks in the summer following the orchard season, and now, of all times, the hives need to be rotated somewhere else. I'd think south, but she didn't say that, only mentioned the bad weather through Montana. I made some black bean soup, and started some oatmeal bread but realized that the recipe called for buttermilk. I guess it will wait quietly in its steel bowl, no liquids combined as of yet, just a mound of white and tan pouting on the kitchen counter. Found some attractive but generic "Happy Holidays" cards, and thought I'd send some to a few friends with a disclaimer that they're inclusive of Valentines Day, St. Patricks, and whatever else comes next. Seems a shame to waste them just because I didn't get them out in time for Christmas. Even if I mailed them today, the twelfth day of Christmas would be over before the cards arrived. I have a friend who always said that it was good luck to get a card with the magi on it first, before any other cards. I'd sure have the jump on all other cards for 2008. Too bad no one else would have heard of that funny little superstition. The repairman won't be here now till next Tuesday afternoon. #@$!!*#^! That means I'll have to head to the laundromat this weekend. I didn't get the dog walked or my hair colored either-- two other things I was hoping to get into the day, but couldn't until I heard from Sears, one way or another. (Phone rang. It was the leader of my Wednesday night spirituality group, wondering why I'd been absent last night. I'd called her and told her I probably wasn't coming back. I guess she didn't get it.) I decided not to continue with the group, having put in my "trial" ten weeks. The readings were pretty black and white, and arbitrarily so, to my way of thinking. The author of the book matched up various spiritual traditions with various spiritual practices, and the fit seemed artificial for many of them. I didn't enjoy the method of the group, taking turns reading aloud the assigned chapter, but that will be changing now. The leader emphasized that things would flow much more freely. I almost agreed to give it a try. Darned if I don't have a hard time making decisions and sticking to them too! What I really went for was the people. Members of other Renovare groups I know have become very close friends, and I wanted that for myself. I couldn't see ever becoming close to four of the six women, and our theologies are so diverse. Yes, it's good to learn from other points of view, etc., but I listen to that every day in a less didactic sense. I want to belong to a group of people who are farther out in their thinking, people who dare to disagree with orthodoxy, not ones who are trying to bond within it. |
My old habit of blogging pretty regularly has been ignored for so long now that I almost forgot to get here in time tonight. Considering that we're paying bills at the moment, I may not be here for long without having to look up something. I started to say without having to go defend myself, but that wouldn't be true. Bill never makes pointed statements about my spending too much. He will, however, comment on a balance by saying, "Looks like we had a lot of fun there." Sometimes he says that wryly.  (Yea! I haven't forgotten all the emoticon tags!) Tomorrow I will probably have some time to read blogs and catch up. I'll be waiting for the Sears repair man to come make my washer work again. On the Saturday before Christmas it agitated all day before I noticed that the dial hadn't moved a speck. I thought Bill had stopped the machine before he got in the shower and then started it again later. I had a very long call to a service provider whose accent sounded as if the contract was outsourced, but I could hear other phone conversations in plain old American English in the background. He asked me if I preferred morning or afternoon, and I told him morning, since I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon. Then the message that was left today said the repairman will be here sometime between 8 and 5. What do you bet it isn't 8? So, see you all tomorrow, most likely. That will be a treat for me.  |
| Isn't swell a funny word? I don't know where it came from. The first day of this year had nothing to do with ocean swells, or being swollen (although I'm sure I've picked up a few pounds in the past month of cruising and holidays.) My dictionary gives as a definition: of the very best kind, and that fits. It was a clear, although very cold day. We watched the rose parade till noon-ish, then went to the airport. Our poor plane has been held captive for the past three months getting some new strobes during its annual inspection. We have a good mechanic, but he's too busy, and it's taken this long to get the job done. That's probably a disadvantage of small town life: there aren't many choices. Because he has a contract with UPS to keep their plane running, and also plenty of work on a Beech Starship, one of only five still flying, his time is limited. Oh well, the weather's been lousy most of the last two months. Today was beautiful. The high ground on the other side of the Columbia known as Horse Heaven Hills was covered in snow, and the air was clear enough to see Mount Ranier and Mount Adams in addition to the Blues. Cold air helps the plane climb quickly too, being denser. We might have flown into Red's Horse Ranch, which Bill keeps saying he's going to tackle. It has a short strip which a number of planes have not made it out of, but ours on a cold day ought to be fine. Came home, put a ham in the oven, a fire in the fireplace, and have been watching the Sugar Bowl and Georgia's winning. (That's my alma mater.) We're having Tom and Jerrys made from dark rum and some old Courvoisier of my dad's--yum. AND, I'm sitting here at the laptop writing instead of shopping! Hurray! Now what could be more pleasant? I'm looking forward to catching up with all your blogs and lives. I may not have been around WDC, but I've been thinking about you all and hoping the best for you. I've missed you, and am glad to be back. |
| I'm back, and I'll be back often now that the holidays are over. Until tomorrow though, here's an appropriate message for the night. http://www.jacquielawson.com/preview.asp?cont=1&hdn=0&pv=3119426 Sorry it's just a preview, but I accidentally let my membership lapse. Will probably rejoin because I like her cards so well. May all of you have a safe evening and a fond farewell to the old year, and a new year awaiting you that's filled with joy and adventure. |
| Seamus is better, but still not okay. not okay enough to leave with the pet/house sitter. I hope he's okay enough to go to the kennel. Because he's hard to get into my tall car when he's at his best, and would be impossible with the kids in their car seats in back, we'll have the mobile vet come over tomorrow morning to give him his bordatello and distemper shots so that he can go to the kennel. I'm not thrilled with the plan, because I'm afraid he'll spend most of his day lying down and get worse. He can have two 15-minute walks for an extra $10 a day, and can move out of the heated area to the "run" whenever he wants. He won't want to. I'm afraid he won't drink much either. He didn't while we were gone, so I've been making broth for him to drink every day now, hoping that will be enough to keep him hydrated. I'm sure the kennel won't cook broth for him. My son-in-law is better too. He checked out of the hospital today, only lying a little bit about how he was feeling, according to my daughter. Their plan was to pick up their dogs from her brother's house, about two hours away, and drive four more hours to our house tonight. They made it to Hap's house and decided that was as far as he could go. They'll come here tomorrow either to pick up the twins or spend the night first. Bill is now talking about our leaving for Portland tomorrow night because the weather may be icy. I'll have to get Seamus to the kennel tomorrow anyway, because we'd be leaving very early Thursday. So, I'd better get packing! I won't be taking the laptop with me,  so I'll be back in ten days or so. Happy holiday madness. I wish I had my shopping done! |
| Just a short note to check in. We had a very good Thanksgiving with Hap and his family, although I'll never make a reservation through Expedia again. They charged immediately, which was two months ago, and did not offer the holiday special the lodge had available: a $100 credit per room toward meals in the dining room for Thanksgiving night and a fresh greenery wreath for nights after that. The lodge wouldn't give an inch on it either, even though we spent lots there. However, it was really special to spend time with him, something we don't get to do often. The unexpected and bad part of the holiday is that my son-in-law, at the beach, ended up in the hospital with a perforated bowel. So my ex and his wife brought the twins to my son's house, and we drove to Portland to pick them up and bring them home with us. They can only stay till Wednesday, because we have to drive back to Portland to catch a plane to go on the cruise. What lousy timing! I'm so sorry I made the reservation, but can't get out of it without losing all the money. THe other bad part about leaving again is that Seamus, our dog, did not fare well with the dogsitter over Thursday-Saturday. He must have spent the entire time lying on his heated pad on the back screen porch and can barely stand and move now. The dogsitter was my plan for the cruise, and I don't think he'd make it through the time we'll be gone. So tomorrow I'll call the kennels to see if they'll give him individual attention and exercise every day. He is looking some better tonight than last night, when he couldn't even get off the porch without my holding onto his harness to keep him upright. Maybe this is the time I should let him go, but he's still wagging his tail. I was awake most of the night last night worrying about what to do with him, what was the better choice for him, that is. I haven't thought of any way to work while they're here, and I hope that will be all right with my boss. I think so. I think she'll understand family emergencies. |
| First, a little rant about reviewing. Do you find that reviews from newbies often lack substance? Just got one, much like the last three that have appeared from new people unknown to me, that said something like: "Terrific story! I loved it!" and then gave me a 4. Or fewer words yet: "Wonderful!" That earned me a great big 3. There, it was a very short rant. ### I am an introvert. I do not particularly like large parties, unless I know lots of the people pretty well, and even then I go because Bill loves any excuse to be social. Years ago, I went to mandatory Christmas parties for the large company my first husband worked for, or, before that, officers' club parties. I hated the former more because I was such a nobody. His co-workers might as well have looked right through me. Actually, I caught his boss always shaking my hand and looking past me for someone else to talk to. The newly introduced person usually asked, "Are you a housewife?" and I was, and that was that. I used to wish I had some good opening lines, like the opening lines of a good book, that would stop the person in his tracks, intrigued by whatever I had to say. How's that for a dream? I thought of telling people I was a romance writer, or a sex therapist, or an artist who always imagined what new people looked like without their clothes. But then I decided that only the creepy ones might stick around after those lines. So I thought about telling people I did market research to determine what would most attract women to a new line of motorcycles, or I flew my own plane, or was writing a book called You're Okay, I'm Okay, God's Okay. My latest mental amusement along this line would be to tell people (mind you, I've never done any of this) that I don't have to work, that I work only to make money to travel and to collect plot material. That is at least closer to the truth than any of the others.  Radical change of subject here: back to ranting. I bought a turkey because they're on sale, even though we'll be out for Thanksgiving. I cooked it today, and Bill said he thought it was done long before I expected it to be. I checked out a turkey website which said the interior temp now only needs to be 165 degrees, they've decided. It was indeed done. So what did he do? He went to the bedroom and is taking a nap! This is the man who keeps me awake until midnight when he finally decides to turn off the light. When I finish writing, I'm going to go fix myself some dinner, whether he's up or not. Then I'll dutifully take the rest of the meat off the bone and package it for freezing, leaving some out for him. Then I'll take it down to the freezer, and iron shirts and watch some old episodes of Gray's Anatomy that I missed, due to the Tivo taping CSI which runs opposite. Then I'll come read blogs. I intended to do several sewing tasks yesterday, but he wanted me to see various things he'd found online about the cruise we'll be taking, the shore excursions, etc., plus special Google Earth features, and whatever else intrigued him. In case anyone is wondering about the cruise, after I said we'd wait until we go to Florida to see his new grandson who'll be born in January, I obviously didn't wait. I've always met people in the hospital and hospice who regret having put things off till retirement because it didn't happen for them. The week I made the reservations, I'd run into two of those. Then I saw that one of our patients wants her ashes sent back home, which is back east somewhere, to Wren's Funeral Home. That clinched it. |
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