The Wedding

Today was the big day! My dear twitterpated friend who less than a year ago was not in the least bit interested in marriage, was head-over-heels in love today as she was wedded to a most wonderful man that she started dating last October! Ya just never know when love will strike, do you? She requested to be married in my home, do not ask me why! But after much cleaning and rearranging, we had a lovely setting for a intimate wedding. About 60 folks, give or take a few. I was a bit concerned about space, but it came off nicely!

Rod and Andra

Three different kinds of cakes!

All delicious...

With this ring, I thee wed.

May God richly bless your marriage, you two!

Whet your Appetite for Summer!

RASPBERRY

The raspberry, cut ruby of a hundred

bubble colonies strung together,

a tiny shower cap waiting to be pulled over scalp. But wait!

The raspberry explodes on impact.

Our fingers are not delicate enough.

Juice extraction can not be avoided; stains are the only option.

To pop one in your mouth is a violation!

The raspberry bursts between teeth even as tongue probes its cavity.

Dribbles left, messy, marking the cleft of chin.

Fat-lipped, orangutan smile, indulgent, belies

misery of the Eastern Bloc abused and emptied

until seeds wedge themselves into your gums.

Every raspberry is victimized from birth.

~ 2005 Ben Rawluk

Out of Africa

A few of us from work gathered together yesterday in order to hear Sarah talk about her upcoming mission to South Africa...... and naturally, to eat, eat, eat some more!

Sarah has a passion to help bring clean water to the poverty stricken of Africa.

Often the only water to be found is not only miles away, but shared with cattle and other animals for drinking and bathing. Water For Life hopes to drill 200 African wells this year alone, in order to make clean water available for thousands.

Sarah has sponsored one of these wells. Each well costs about $5000.00, so she has been sharing her vision with others and is close to having raised enough money for one well.

God speed, Sarah! Enjoy your adventure in Africa!

About 1.2 billion people still have no access to safe drinking water, and 2.4 billion do not have adequate sanitation services. Some 2 million children die every year from water-related diseases.

Water is fundamental for life and health. The human right to water is indispensable for leading a healthy life in human dignity. It is a pre-requisite to the realization of all other human rights.
-The United Nations Committee on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights, Environment News Service, 27 Nov 02

Spring Showers

Not rain showers, but wedding showers! Yesterday initiated the beginning of many wedding showers coming up this spring and summer ..... always such a gay time! I realize 'gay' has a different connotation these days than when I was young, so hesitate to use it, but honestly..... from whence I come, 'a gay time' is the true and only way to describe such events!



Pictured below are the bride-to-be, Andra, and her 3 lovely daughters: Joanna, Melissa and Amanda.

The most precious possession that ever comes to a man in this world is a woman's heart. ~Josiah G. Holland

A 1970's Guy!

My husband was a wrestler from age 12 until about half way through college. The rest of his lengthy college career he coached the sport. After that he became a certified referee for local high school wrestling matches and tournaments. He loved the sport and didn't want to leave it.
Look at how lean and flexible he used to be!

He could get down on the mat at all angles in hopes of never missing anything. Cute b-u-t-t, huh?

Maybe his new knee will allow him that same flexibility. What?! You never know!

Very intent. Took his job extremely seriously.

Some of the time he had nice civil conversation with coaches.....

Often, he had not-so-civil 'conversations'.......

Checking up to see if the scores were kept correctly.....

He did a lot of finger pointing in those days! The local newspaper even displayed a rather 'heated' disagreement one time. I thought perhaps he was going to be shot and killed. You know Darrell....... either people love him, or they hate him! I stopped going to the matches after that.

As far as wrestling goes, as long as my body is able to withstand the physical beating, I will keep wrestling.

~Trish Stratus

Miss Livi's Lavender Sachets

Yesterday I washed the sheets from the guest bed. I dried them with one of Miss Livi's lavender sachets that she made me for Christmas. When I took them out of the dryer, I was assaulted with a lovely whiff of springtime lavender freshness.....mmmmm..... After I made the bed up, I was tempted to curl up and take a nap in it..... it smelled so good!
The air was fragrant with a thousand trodden aromatic herbs, with fields of lavender, and with the brightest roses blushing in tufts all over the meadows. . . .
~William Cullen Bryant

Spring Indeedy!

While I was outside today moving wood up to the back deck for our fires, what did I behold but a batch of purple and white crocuses! Not just peeking their heads up out of the frozen ground, but actually in full bloom!

Also, one lone Lily of the Valley!

The lyric sound of laughter

Fills all the April hills

The joy-song of the crocus,

The mirth of daffodils.

~ Clinton Scollard

Children's Books

Today I spent some time finding shelf space for, and organizing my much-loved children's picture books. Dusted them, too. Yikes! Amazing how much dust they can collect. Though I have bought new books for the kids over the years, most of my collection spawns from either Goodwill-type stores or from the library discard sales. On the catwalk shelf are the paperback books and the Dr. Seuss books, as well as a few over-sized hardcover books.

In the loft library I made space on the game shelves for the hardcover books. I noticed I am missing a few of my favorites. Who knows where they have gone to? If you have any of them, please return them :-)

I had a comforting day, spending it with some well-loved friends!

A library is a hospital for the mind. ~Unknown

Lolli-Pops

My sweet daughter-in-law, Bethany L, found her way up to my home early Saturday morning in the snow. With her came the supplies to make these cute and delectable lolli-pop cupcakes.

Check out her blog-site for the whole story!

I am sooo fortunate to have two terrific daughter-in-laws that like to do things with me :-)

Shiny and New

I am setting up a new computer today. It is faster and more powerful than my 6 year old computer I have been using. Way faster. With our new satellite internet connection, I will finally feel like I am up with the computer times :-) Takes time to bring up all the applications I use. Takes a lot of brain power trying to remember all those passwords and addresses that I asked my other computer to remember for me. I am not successful in all endeavors, but here is my practice blog on the new computer, now that I finally remembered all the blogger dashboard information! My granddaughter and my DIL, Bethany, made these delicious cupcakes when Miss M was here visiting in February. Just look at that shiny frosting! Whoeeee......they were delish!

Taxes

Guess what I finished completely today? Our 2008 taxes. We all dread doing them. We all hate seeing so much of our money go to a government that wastes so much of it....... on things like, say, pornographic 'art'. Planned Parenthood and abortion. Needles for addicts. Heaven knows, we sure wouldn't want them to get some horrible disease from dirty needles. We'd rather work and give them that money for new needles so they can continue miserably on in their addictions. We often even pay (via DSHS) for drugs such as methadone. Did you know that? I see it constantly at just the hospital I work at alone. Or bail out a few big businesses, while the rest of the country is sinking just as quickly. I better stop now.......... the written word can be risky. And the right to freedom of speech is very selective these days.

America is a land of taxation that was founded to avoid taxation.
~Laurence J. Peter

Still, I say, God Bless America!

Poetry

These are a few of the Literature books my granddaughter brought along with her school books in February when she visited. She likes poetry. Never was my favorite style to read, but I find comfort in the thought of poetry. Does that make any sense? I do admire those who can actually read the poems with ease and understanding. It must be the more 'creative' minds that can immerse themselves in such literature. I like my words straight up and clear, thank you.....

Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.
~Leonard Cohen

Spring?

Hello? Spring? Are you there? Well, okay........... so this is spring in the Northwest. Regardless of snow, there are indeed signs that herald the arrival of spring........

Miniature daffodils peek their heads up from the snow.....

.....along with the tulips

And for those of you who have been asking for an update on Darrell......

He came home the day after surgery, and though the first few days were a struggle to get and stay on top of the intense pain, he is doing better day by day now, fever is gone and his incision looks really good! Must have one hell of a nurse caring for him at home ;o) Post-op appointment is this afternoon, and I suspect he will soon begin his physical therapy regiment.

Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds (or snow!) are the morning yawn.

~Quoted by Lewis Grizzard in Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You

Turning Point

Somewhere deep in the bowels of Evergreen Hospital, lies my husband.

Yesterday he finally had his total knee revision (third knee, same side). He has been waiting since mid December when it broke loose.

Surgery went well, so the doctor tells us. 4 1/2 hours long. Both the femur and the tibial components were completely loose. No wonder he was in so much pain. He is supposed to come home today or tomorrow. His doctor marches to his own drumbeat....... nothing but oral pain medications, no 4-5 day stay in hospital (typical for such surgeries). It may be harder to get through the first week this way, but in the long run, it may be better for him. We are just glad the surgery is over, and he can start in the healing process at last.

A hospital bed is a parked taxi with the meter running.
~Groucho Marx

The Kitsap Part II

The other end of the ferry trip wound around to Seattle. Mt Baker looms over North Seattle

The Cascades are to the east of Seattle

Space Needle from the 1963 World's Fair

Smith Tower

Colorful piers

My wife and I just prefer Seattle. It's a beautiful city. Great setting. You open your front door in the morning and the air smells like pine and the sea, as opposed to bus exhaust.

~Ron Reagan

The Kitsap Part I

After we left O'Dog's wrestling tournament Saturday, we opted to ride the ferry back to Seattle. Our ferry was named Kitsap. Most ferries in the Puget Sound are named after local Native American Tribes. The Kitsap is no exception to this.


Bremerton is where Darrell's eldest son works, maintaining ships at this huge naval shipyard. That is, when is isn't stationed in Japan (as now), or Hawaii, or San Diego, or or or.....

Naval Administration Building?

Shots of Bremerton from the ferry. Very picturesque!

Seagull with its catch on the deck of the Kitsap

Darrell, warm behind the glass while I am b__t-freezing cold taking pictures on the outside deck.

Seagulls: Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.

Nigel: Oh would you just shut up? You're rats with wings.
~ Finding Nemo