Visiting Wild Life...

Well, if you are on my Facebook page, you already know that we enjoyed company for breakfast yesterday. This lovely creature came right into the yard/meadow/jungle clearing and emptied three bird feeders. When we caught sight of him (what was that large black thing laying under the tree?), he had already (easily) opened them up and was laying on the ground enjoying a snack. The birds were not too happy about the competition. He stayed about 15 minutes and then walked along the edge next to the woods (where Zoe liked to patrol), stopped and postured when he saw the statue of Zoe sitting out there, and then walked into the berry bushes and the woods. While John was busily taking photographs, I called our knowledgeable friend to see if we were supposed to report this "sighting" and was advised no, unless he's threatening or dangerous we should enjoy the show and let bears do what bears do. And that's what we did. I suspect our hard-headed brown dog had secured her/our territory against just such intruders for the past three years as people kept telling us that we are "right in the middle of bear country". We'll see if he stops by for a snack on a more regular basis now that she's not here to defend us. What a great way to start the day! No caffeine needed.

John arrived home on Thursday after a second week in California. He rearranged his travel schedule because we are on our way to Tennessee later this week. We'll take a much-needed but too-short vacation and visit with my sisters and spouses for a long weekend. The weather promises to be warm and fabulous and it's a part of the country neither of us have seen. Let the good times roll...

I actually started piecing the baby quilt! Last week was so busy that my evenings were taken up with pressing work-related "stuff" and I had no time to get going on it as I planned. But I'm liking what I'm seeing now. Friday, I took a day off and we went into Seattle to talk with our new financial planner about our, well,  financial plans. Of course, they look at "worst-case" scenarios when looking at your financial future and the not-worse-case scenario doesn't look too bad. But that worse-case situation has me pretty much looking for a sugar daddy at age 90! Not really though, as the worst-case is a pretty unrealistic set of circumstances, not even accounting for a change in living costs in all that time. I certainly don't intend to have a mortgage into our nineties. And cable can definitely go!  It was a good meeting and a necessary look at how to plan for a life chapter which is increasingly close at hand. A good kick in the pants.

I joined a weekly study group 3 weeks ago to prepare for a certification exam I want to take. One can't be too marketable in this day and age. But I swear that this will be the last thing I will undertake to validate my over-achieving personality. Anyway, we "meet" via a telephone conference once a week for an hour and a half. It runs through June. After that, I 'll sign up and take the lengthy exam, and hopefully become "Board Certified" (which is different than "certifiable").

Today I have set aside the day to really make progress on my grandson's quilt. The weather is supposed to take a turn back to our more customary cloud cover and cool temperatures. The suitcases are out and accumulating vacation stuff to be packed. Three more days and we're outta here! What happens with the sisters, stays with the sisters!

Mother's Day...

It is absolutely beautiful up here! Finally, the temperatures have achieved a respectable 70-plus degrees and there's not a raindrop in sight. The mornings remain chilly. It was 31 degrees on Thursday morning last week. Bu that just means good sleeping weather.We did some chores yesterday; mowed and washed the deck. Today I'll get the table set up properly outside so we can begin al fresco dining. We'll try out the pizza pan that works on the grill tonight. I managed to cut out the pieces for the baby quilt yesterday as well and will begin piecing it this week while John is away (again).

It's Mother's Day today. We'll go up to a little cafe in Chimicum for lunch to note the occasion. It's in a wee town (called Chimicum, no less) on the way to Port Townsend, about 40 minutes drive from here. Folks say it's worth the trip, so we'll use today as the excuse to check it out. The saying goes that "a mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child" and today I can say that I am pretty happy. They all seem to be in a good place. Son Jacob is (physically) in Australia where he has been since the end of last month for a conference related to his new Director position. First time out of the country! Daughter Kate is preparing for our first grandchild later this summer and is happily settled in her married life. Daughter Karen is making a difference to kids who are challenged and challenging. She has challenged herself as well by running Marathons. Son Gareth continues to use his skills in support of workers. We are proud of each one. Makes "Mother's Day" a no-brainer.

We spent Friday evening at a going-away gathering for some folks in my department at work, It was held at a cabin in Seabeck, along the Hood Canal and with a lovely view of the mountains. It's a pretty part of the world. John made gnocchi and I made a (vegan) marinara sauce for the event. Everyone brought something and it was a nice way to begin the weekend. Work is busy these days and I am looking forward to our (short) vacation in a couple weeks. We will travel to Tennessee and spend time with the 2 people who have known me the longest. My sisters! It's all good...