A Week Away....

I've been away for the past week. I spent the week in Indiana, staying with my aunt and uncle. They live near Nappanee amidst fields and farmhouses. As my son would say, it's camping dark out there. It was very good to see them (and some cousins as well) and be in a different place for a while. The weather was hot by my acquired Northwest standards, but lots of sunshine and a few thunderstorms which they dearly needed. The corn is struggling this year as well as most every other growing thing. But we had fresh melons, tomatoes, cucumbers, and sweet corn from the garden every day for dinner.

As I drove into town daily, I was rewarded with the lush green of the fields all around, clothes hanging on lines to dry, tidy farmhouses, and more horse-drawn buggies than I can count. Being in the middle of Amish country has a way of reminding you to take life at a little slower pace, that being "connected" doesn't mean spending all day on the Internet or having a working cell phone so you can be accessible every moment of the day. My cell phone didn't function out there (no coverage) and while this was a trip where I valued having access, it was manageable. I eventually bought a prepaid phone to be able to more easily do the business I needed to do while there. But I'm not so convinced now about those data plans and that 4G coverage. I got along very well thank you without all of that. So, I foresee going back to a simpler plan on my cell phone once my current contracts expire.

I met some wonderful folks out there; new friendships were sowed. In all, most folks I came into contact with were "midwest pleasant"; similar to the way I find people up here in Washington. It was interesting to see how much has changed since I was a full-time resident there, albeit a youngster, and how little some other things have changed. There are the requisite big chain stores cropping up in shopping areas along highways, but there are still brick roads in some of the smaller towns. The drive-in where I first had a milkshake is still there, but the building now houses a Subway (the drive-in was much better).The orthopedic medical supply manufacturers have their roots out there and they have a significant presence. But there are also small businesses that have been there a long time. The only time I saw a Starbuck's was in the Chicago airport. In all, the trip was unexpectedly refreshing and renewing.

So, I'm back to spend a day with my dearly beloved and then he is off to California for his regular week in the office. Sometimes you need to do things face-to-face. We will enjoy each other's company at our leisure once he returns. Coming home is always nice...

Living it...

The weather up here has been perfection. Not only has it been a week of sun and 70 degrees, but we have even had a few thunderstorms for authenticity. Real ones with lightening and thunder boomers over the house. Poor Roosevelt has run for cover several times. They have moved on now. Other harbingers of summer remain, however. The House Martins which take up summer residence in our chimney eaves are still here. The family is in full chorus day and night and since they are only about two feet from our bedroom window, it's lovely to listen to them. They will be gone as soon as the youngsters gain their flying credentials. Beautiful Western Tiger Swallowtail butterflies are about now. They are yellow and black and seem to be everywhere in the lawn/meadow/jungle clearing. John also found a nest yesterday with some brown eggs in it. Don't know what they are but hopefully it has not been abandoned.

John has actually been home this week to enjoy our summer. Tomorrow he is off to California where it is pereptually summer, if not picturesque. I had a busy week at work and it was such a joy to have him around in my off-work hours. Dinner would usually be in the works when I arrived home and the only decision I had to make was "red or white?".

On the home front, in his off-hours he has been digging a trench to lay conduit and run electricity out to the shed. It's a deep trench, but it looks nearly complete. He got the permit from the county, so we're official and all. Once that's done, he will speed through the rain gutter installation so we can place rain barrels before the rainy season arives. Meanwhile his hard work in the garden is starting to pay off. The garlic and shallots are drying in the shed and he picked the first peas yesterday. The addition of a couple "tents" have allowed the squash and tomatoes to gather enough heat to actually grow this year. Potatoes seem to grow well here and we actually had a little lettuce and spinach for dinner. The raspberries and rhubarb took off right away.

I've made more progress on the baby quilt only to decide that I want to adapt the design a little. So, today, I will make that alteration and I should be able to finish the top by end of day. Then I'll create the backing and it will be ready to quilt. I'm planning to have it quilted on a long-arm machine since it needs to hold up for a long time and that will also allow for more intricate quilting than I can achieve on my machine. The quilt finally told me what it wanted  to be and then it fell into place. It's like that with most things, I find.

Last evening, we drove into nearby Kingston (about 3 miles), parked the car and walked aboard the ferry. We enjoyed the 30 minute ride across to Edmonds where we walked 5 minutes to a restaurant (Cafe de Paris) to celebrate my birthday belatedly. The food was good, the ambience was relaxing, and the experience was magnifique! We noticed a couple of other places to try and will definitely expand our usual circle of "local" restaurants to include these across the water. We walked back and enjoyed the return trip while the sun started to go down. How civilized is that!

I will spend a week in Indiana later this month trying to sort out what can be done for my father as his health declines. There are things which must be done in real-time, face to face. I'll stay with my aunt and uncle while I am out there which will be a nice consequence of the visit. Life...

It's Summer Today

Summer. Today. Right now. Don't know how long it will last but it's lovely. Temperatures will reach 80 by the end of the weekend and no rain is in sight for many days. As predicted by the locals, July 4 brought warm weather and sunshine. Mornings are in the 40s. Folks from the mainland are in abundance over here as they come for their vacations in this always beautiful part of the world. Somebody pinch me, please.

I will travel to California tomorrow to particpate in a baby shower for my grandbaby. I'll return on Sunday. The beauty of reward points. John has a list of things to do while I am away and nothing to distract him :-).

We returned Buddy to the shelter yesterday. We were going to continue to try to integrate him into our household, but in speaking with the behaviorist at the shelter, she recommended that we return him. While we might have managed the housetraining and the containment issues, her concern was for dear Roosevelt who was living in the bathroom in protective custody. As she explained, Buddy's very strong prey drive made it unlikely that we would successfully be able to keep him from chasing and possibly harming him. And if he harmed the cat, he would no longer be eligible for adoption and would have to be euthanized. So, we returned him and, in all fairness, he was enthusiastic about going into the kennels. Perhaps we weren't quite what he was looking for either. But we surely enjoyed his affectionate personality, if not his incredible stubborness. So, for now, we'll keep our options open and perhaps we'll find a dog that loves cats. Roosevelt is enjoying his return to his status of Number One.

I'm off to work. Hopefully it will still be Summer when I finish...

Whoosh!

That's the sound of time speeding by. Since the last post, we have spent a week in California and had the opportunity to see family. Jake and his girlfriend came out to Sacramento where  Iwas attending a conference to have dinner with me. We spent several lovely hours talking and catching up. John didn't get to join us as he taveled between Sacramento and Redwood City each day (at least 2 hours one-way), so he arrived too late to have dinner with us. On Friday, the conference ended and we traveled to Brentwood (just northeast of San Francisco) to visit with Kate and Morey. I got to see the grandbaby bump, which was a treat. When I was pregnant, my mom never had the chance to see me in that state and I'm sure she would have liked that. But she didn't have the means. I'm glad I am able to participate, even on a small level.

Since returning from that trip, we settled back into the routine well enough. The weather in California was 90 - 100 degrees. When we flew into Seattle, it was overcast and 65 degrees! Our little piece of heaven. John says it's a lot like England weather. I say it's just about perfect. They are calling it Junuary, but summer doesn't really start until early July out here. Meanwhile, I'll take these temperatures over those in the rest of the country without complaint.

Last weekend, we traveled across the water to an animal shelter in Lynnwood to look at some lovely dogs. We felt that we were ready to love another dog. Of course, it's unlikely that one just "looks" at dogs when they go to a shelter and we discovered a guy that, by description and looks, would be a match for our household. He was described as a "gool ole boy who likes naps and snacks" (fits right in, we thought) and is a perfect gentleman on walks. So, he made the trip back across the water with us. He is a 6 year old Walker Treeing Coonhound (purebred no less). His name (now) is Buddy. We quickly began to learn more about Buddy and his dna-driven behaviors. He is strong willed (makes our former hard-headed brown dog look like a marshmallow), disciplined, trained to compete in treeing competitions, and thinks Roosevelt might be a raccoon posing as a cat. We have adapted our previously quiet routine to keep them separated at all times and will try a traing regimen to see if we can reprogram his laser-like focus on the cat from one of tracking and treeing (a game Roosevelt is not willing to play), to perhaps one of tolerance and ownership. We also are concerned that if he gets a scent or sees a small animal, the Invsible Fence and whatever shock it produces will not deter this guy as he is trained to ignore obstacles and get the job of treeing done. The fence people are confident they can contain him and we'll begin training in another week, after he has had time to bond with us. I'm hopeful that he is trained not to chase something unless he is directed to do so by command. His story is that he appeared to have been on a competition and got lost. He was found on a forestry road up north. Since arriving at the shelter a month ago, he has been neutered and I hope that has a mellowing effect on him. Meanwhile, he has lots of great qualities and we're getting to know each other. He's a big love and likes to cuddle.

On the same day that we got Buddy, I also got a phone call about my dad. He is developing advancing Alzheimer's and I have entered the ranks of others in my generation who get to care for an aging parent. He lives many states away which complicates the process and we're looking at ways to bridge that or perhaps to relocate him out here.

So, we're adapting to our new-normal and that is not without it's bumps. But, it is what it is. And time just keeps whizzing by....