Sweet sleep after playing the day away.
Luke roaring at his aunt. I believe he said he was a wolf.
The children reading with Uncle.Sunday, December 19, 2010
Uncle Oby and Auntie Josie
Sweet sleep after playing the day away. Luke roaring at his aunt. I believe he said he was a wolf. The children reading with Uncle.
Our new animals
This is our barn cat-Ansel. He is black and white. This is as closeas I've ever been to him. (He is in the center of the picture)
This is Huck getting decorated by Daphne. Merry Christmas!
Ryan is the center king.
Live Nativity at Lynchwood.Dear friends and family,
Merry Christmas! We hope this letter finds you and your family in good spirits and health.
This year has been a great adventure. Here are some highlights.
We are very excited to announce we have a new home. Our journey started in late 2006. At that time, we thought we just needed a bigger house and yard.
We decided to wait until there were more homes available on the market, which ended up being a very wise choice. As housing prices fell, we saw more and more options available. We sold our house in Troutdale and moved into a rental in the outer parts of Oregon City in November of 2009. We thought we would live there for a month or two until we closed on a new house. We ended up putting at least 6 offers on different houses in a years’ time. Most of our weekends were spent looking at houses in Corbett, Boring, Eagle Creek, Estacada, Molalla and Canby. We even ventured out to Washington state several times.
As of this November, we are now living in a wonderful house on 5 acres in Sandy. It is a lovely home with a good layout that fits our family well. There is a shop, small barn and 3 pastures divided by a white 3 rail fence. The prior owners took very good care of it so it was mostly move-in ready. We are now working on getting it set up the way we’d like to have it.
Our new neighbors have a horse boarding facility and have around 18 horses on their property. This gives us a view of beautiful horses right next to the house, with no horse maintenance! There is also a small pond, which we hope to stock with trout in the future.
Ryan is enjoying farm life. In the short time we have been here he has cut the fields, plowed the driveway, and scooped the leaves with his tractor. He is happy to have a shop with elbowroom for his projects. Ryan currently is contemplating how to set up for the animals we will get next spring. He and Luke spend a lot of his off work time doing farm work together. They enjoy riding the ATV and working alongside each other. .
This will be Ryan’s 10th year at PacifiCorp. He is currently manager of external reporting.
Shelsea is excited about having a permanent home to live in. She is now working on getting the house running in a more orderly fashion. She is also schooling Luke this year, and enjoying doing so
She is learning about how to raise farm animals, plant gardens, compost, and store food. This has been especially challenging given that the food must be gluten, nut, oat and sometimes dairy free. But she is confident she will find good substitutes.
Luke is 5 and in kindergarten this year. He is learning to read. He particularly enjoys learning facts about wildlife.
He is adjusting to farm life well. He enjoys riding the tractor and ATV with his dad. He is learning to help with the yard work, getting firewood and is learning how to take care of our dogs It is good to see him growing up and having mature conversations with his dad about what they will do on the farm together. Luke wants to do everything like his dad!
Daphne is 2. She spends her time playing pretend with her brother. She is a little shadow now and wants to participate in whatever activity everyone else is doing. She especially likes to help her mom cook and unload the dishwasher. She is also our little singer. She will belt out a song almost anywhere.
We also adopted a dog. He is a 6 year old, chocolate lab named Huck. He fits right in. He and Smokey like to go on walks together. It is almost like he’s been here all along.
We hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a good new year!
Merry Christmas! We hope this letter finds you and your family in good spirits and health.
This year has been a great adventure. Here are some highlights.
We are very excited to announce we have a new home. Our journey started in late 2006. At that time, we thought we just needed a bigger house and yard.
We decided to wait until there were more homes available on the market, which ended up being a very wise choice. As housing prices fell, we saw more and more options available. We sold our house in Troutdale and moved into a rental in the outer parts of Oregon City in November of 2009. We thought we would live there for a month or two until we closed on a new house. We ended up putting at least 6 offers on different houses in a years’ time. Most of our weekends were spent looking at houses in Corbett, Boring, Eagle Creek, Estacada, Molalla and Canby. We even ventured out to Washington state several times.
As of this November, we are now living in a wonderful house on 5 acres in Sandy. It is a lovely home with a good layout that fits our family well. There is a shop, small barn and 3 pastures divided by a white 3 rail fence. The prior owners took very good care of it so it was mostly move-in ready. We are now working on getting it set up the way we’d like to have it.
Our new neighbors have a horse boarding facility and have around 18 horses on their property. This gives us a view of beautiful horses right next to the house, with no horse maintenance! There is also a small pond, which we hope to stock with trout in the future.
Ryan is enjoying farm life. In the short time we have been here he has cut the fields, plowed the driveway, and scooped the leaves with his tractor. He is happy to have a shop with elbowroom for his projects. Ryan currently is contemplating how to set up for the animals we will get next spring. He and Luke spend a lot of his off work time doing farm work together. They enjoy riding the ATV and working alongside each other. .
This will be Ryan’s 10th year at PacifiCorp. He is currently manager of external reporting.
Shelsea is excited about having a permanent home to live in. She is now working on getting the house running in a more orderly fashion. She is also schooling Luke this year, and enjoying doing so
She is learning about how to raise farm animals, plant gardens, compost, and store food. This has been especially challenging given that the food must be gluten, nut, oat and sometimes dairy free. But she is confident she will find good substitutes.
Luke is 5 and in kindergarten this year. He is learning to read. He particularly enjoys learning facts about wildlife.
He is adjusting to farm life well. He enjoys riding the tractor and ATV with his dad. He is learning to help with the yard work, getting firewood and is learning how to take care of our dogs It is good to see him growing up and having mature conversations with his dad about what they will do on the farm together. Luke wants to do everything like his dad!
Daphne is 2. She spends her time playing pretend with her brother. She is a little shadow now and wants to participate in whatever activity everyone else is doing. She especially likes to help her mom cook and unload the dishwasher. She is also our little singer. She will belt out a song almost anywhere.
We also adopted a dog. He is a 6 year old, chocolate lab named Huck. He fits right in. He and Smokey like to go on walks together. It is almost like he’s been here all along.
We hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a good new year!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Other pictures
Every now and again, the children do their own thing. I only know about it after the fact. One thing Luke does is take the camera and snap pictures of things that are important to him. This picture is of Daphne straight out of the bath. Dad had just combed her hair. She showed it to Luke, and he snapped this photo. He later told me he was taking her picture because she looked so "Beautiful and tidy".
The beach
I love these pictures. Luke would play solitaire just like Ryan. Except he played his own way. He usually takes one card and snaps it back and forth under his chin. In the above picture I think he nearly looks like an old man smoking a pipe.
Ryan makes this face while playing cards.
Oh the sad tale of wee crab. Did anyone out there know that there are different types of hermit crabs? Land and watter ones. I did not know. So we brought this little one home and watched as it slowly died. Good lesson for the children about death. Rough way to go for little crab.Aquarium
Be the piranha. Sorry about the poor quality picture. There are 2 layers of glass and water between us.
Camping
Erik carved Ethan and Luke a knife. Then the boys went on the attack! We were some of the last people to leave the camp site. This poor duck couple came to us seeking handouts. They received something a little different. Right after the picture was taken, Shayna and I had the boys stop running with the knives! Safety first.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Free cat! To all who dare to own her!
I was looking for a lab to adopt on Craiglist. One listing I came upon was "Vindictive Cat free to home (portland)". I thought this looked odd, so I read it. So I present to you "Vindictive Cat". WARNING: Everyone go to the bathroom, and don't drink any water while reading (or listening).
"Vindictive Cat free to home (portland)
This Cat is 12 years old. It is very cute and has a long tail, so it will look good sitting in your window while you are away! It has two looks on it's face at all times 1) surprise. 2) angry glare. It has always been vindictive and angry. It will shred your arms to the bone if picked up, so handling is not advisable. Cat will use litter box only once and then considers it soiled and will choose your chair (or elsewhere) instead. Free *1 month supply/ 5 gallon bucket of Nature's Miracle* will accompany Cat to new home. Cat hates other animals and children and people so please be an animal free and kid free and spouse/friend/roommate free home. Cat can only live with one Person. Cat hates for Person to have other people over, so you shouldn't have friends or it will pee in their purse or on their shoes. Person should be strong of mind and body and not at home much, as cat is not into interaction. Interaction with it's Person makes Cat angry, and it will vomit on your pillow in retaliation. Cat hates to be inside too long, but will not go through doors as it hates doorways. You must chase it outside with clacking salad tongs. Cat's *favorite salad tongs will be provided for free* and will accompany Cat to new home. Cat hates to be outdoors for too long as it prefers to pee, poop and vomit on your things, it likes to do this to claim it's Person (this Person could be you!). Cat will come inside easily at dinnertime, no salad tongs necessary. Cat will vomit once during, and up to three times after dinner, usually on pillow, duvet, or laundry. Sometimes it will vomit in doorways. Sometimes it will just poop in these places. Other places Cat will poop: in front of refrigerator, in front of windows, near the litterbox, in front of teevee, on top of you if you are around for too long. Cat should not have access to any bathrooms as it hates bathmats and will destroy them on sight with a barrage of pee and poop and finally clawing it to shreds. Other things Cat will claw to shreds: arms, face, carpet, pillow, chair, laundry. Cat has a loud obnoxious yowl to indicate when it is angry. The yowl is akin to that of a rabid zombie on the make and is quite terrifying, so you would be well advised to take heed and figure out what Cat wants. If you haven't cleaned the litterbox in less than an hour, check that first. It may want you to provide running drinking water from the faucet. It WILL get on the counters, you should not interfere or you WILL be sorry. If yowling occurs between the hours of Noon and 7:00 pm, it may require feeding. Cat will attack you for your food, so it is not advisable to eat in the house. If not fed what you are eating, Cat will knock the dishes off the table in retaliation and eat the shards of glass and porcelain that fall, so that you will be required to take it to the vet. It likes the attention from the vet. Cat will look sweet and pitiful at vet's office, and as I said before, Cat is very cute. No one will believe when you try to tell them what Cat is capable of, so don't try. They will look at you as if you are the problem. I will understand your situation and you can call me in an emergency to talk about Cat. * 1 year of free consulting and phone support * comes with Cat. I will not be available in person for support, Cat will not like it and it will escalate situation. Other things to be aware of with Cat. Cat has LONG hair and is prone to fur balls and the vomiting of hairy, slimy bits. This can not be helped. Cat hates any glass of drinking water to be left about and will drink from it and knock it over. You should not drink water from glasses. Cat does not like for it's Person to sleep. It will walk/stand on your face with one razor sharp claw in your nostril and yowl like a zombie, so you would be well advised to stay awake and always be ready to attend to Cat. Cat weaves evil spells and makes hexes. Many do not believe this is true, but I am convinced of this fact. Cat will place spells on you while you sleep or read or watch teevee. I think that is the bulk of the information I can provide about Cat. Cat is up to date on shots, sterilized and is physically healthy, it should live on for several more years. Please bring heavy cloth sack, a metal box or crate, face protection (I use a hockey goalie helmet) and long leather gloves when coming to pick up Cat. I will not be available to assist in transporting Cat. Thanks for looking. EDIT WORTHY OF NOTE: Updating ad to clarify that Cat is not abused. Cat is LOVED... from a safe distance, we are experienced animal people. You must love Cat or you will not make it long. Cat has always been uptight and has never been the subject of an abusive situation. We actively love Cat. Look how cute!! But it is hard. We do not abuse Cat with clacking tongs. Cat needs a lot of encouragement to go out, and hates when you have tongs...so free tongs for you...use them as you will. No, we didn't let Cat eat shards of glass, but Cat would eat the shards if not herded off. Cat does look cute and act innocent for vet. I really didn't expect anyone to come forward to take Cat given the extent of the disclosure I have given. Offers will be the subject of careful, but unlikely, consideration given the only people who would possibly want this Cat are going to sell the poor animal to a lab or have 100 other Cats at home. We have tried it all and consulted with consultants. The cat is 12 years old for crying out loud! We are tired. If you have the perfect situation, and you know how to deal with a Cat like this one, and you are sane, write a proposal and we will give it careful scrutiny. For those giving free advice, please bring it on! will welcome ideas - provided you know something of what you are talking about. Here's the skinny: Cat has been in care of current owner since kittenhood. Cat was in an apartment fire once - it was next door but you know, chaos and trauma ensued. Cat has always been "particular" unless in the EXACT RIGHT situation, which is with ONE Person and an "always open and never closed" Cat door to outside area. Cat will not push open a flap...hates doorways. NO other pets (poops in their food bowls). And being always catered to as if in slight fear of Cat. We have 4 cat boxes, each cleaned every day, not enough for Cat. Yes, we've tried the water fountain from Sky Mall magazine, Cat hates the fountain. Cat wants a personal fresh mountain stream or a constantly running tap. Given ALL of these things consistently, Cat will occasionally cuddle with knees at bedtime and purr loudly...lest you move with the intention to do ANYTHING. Cat will then flick the tail in your face and as I said, the tail is very long. Or Cat will pound on the bathroom door to attack the bathmat, or later in the night, your laundry (or worse). Cat is female. Cat never forgets a slight and her slights are many. She's just a weird Cat, physically healthy, gets regular checkups with vet to prove it. We have 4 other very healthy, contented and happy pets. Thanks everyone for your concerns. Cat probably thanks you too in her way. "
At the end of the post was a picture of a very cute fluffy grey cat and another picture of black salad tongs!
"Vindictive Cat free to home (portland)
This Cat is 12 years old. It is very cute and has a long tail, so it will look good sitting in your window while you are away! It has two looks on it's face at all times 1) surprise. 2) angry glare. It has always been vindictive and angry. It will shred your arms to the bone if picked up, so handling is not advisable. Cat will use litter box only once and then considers it soiled and will choose your chair (or elsewhere) instead. Free *1 month supply/ 5 gallon bucket of Nature's Miracle* will accompany Cat to new home. Cat hates other animals and children and people so please be an animal free and kid free and spouse/friend/roommate free home. Cat can only live with one Person. Cat hates for Person to have other people over, so you shouldn't have friends or it will pee in their purse or on their shoes. Person should be strong of mind and body and not at home much, as cat is not into interaction. Interaction with it's Person makes Cat angry, and it will vomit on your pillow in retaliation. Cat hates to be inside too long, but will not go through doors as it hates doorways. You must chase it outside with clacking salad tongs. Cat's *favorite salad tongs will be provided for free* and will accompany Cat to new home. Cat hates to be outdoors for too long as it prefers to pee, poop and vomit on your things, it likes to do this to claim it's Person (this Person could be you!). Cat will come inside easily at dinnertime, no salad tongs necessary. Cat will vomit once during, and up to three times after dinner, usually on pillow, duvet, or laundry. Sometimes it will vomit in doorways. Sometimes it will just poop in these places. Other places Cat will poop: in front of refrigerator, in front of windows, near the litterbox, in front of teevee, on top of you if you are around for too long. Cat should not have access to any bathrooms as it hates bathmats and will destroy them on sight with a barrage of pee and poop and finally clawing it to shreds. Other things Cat will claw to shreds: arms, face, carpet, pillow, chair, laundry. Cat has a loud obnoxious yowl to indicate when it is angry. The yowl is akin to that of a rabid zombie on the make and is quite terrifying, so you would be well advised to take heed and figure out what Cat wants. If you haven't cleaned the litterbox in less than an hour, check that first. It may want you to provide running drinking water from the faucet. It WILL get on the counters, you should not interfere or you WILL be sorry. If yowling occurs between the hours of Noon and 7:00 pm, it may require feeding. Cat will attack you for your food, so it is not advisable to eat in the house. If not fed what you are eating, Cat will knock the dishes off the table in retaliation and eat the shards of glass and porcelain that fall, so that you will be required to take it to the vet. It likes the attention from the vet. Cat will look sweet and pitiful at vet's office, and as I said before, Cat is very cute. No one will believe when you try to tell them what Cat is capable of, so don't try. They will look at you as if you are the problem. I will understand your situation and you can call me in an emergency to talk about Cat. * 1 year of free consulting and phone support * comes with Cat. I will not be available in person for support, Cat will not like it and it will escalate situation. Other things to be aware of with Cat. Cat has LONG hair and is prone to fur balls and the vomiting of hairy, slimy bits. This can not be helped. Cat hates any glass of drinking water to be left about and will drink from it and knock it over. You should not drink water from glasses. Cat does not like for it's Person to sleep. It will walk/stand on your face with one razor sharp claw in your nostril and yowl like a zombie, so you would be well advised to stay awake and always be ready to attend to Cat. Cat weaves evil spells and makes hexes. Many do not believe this is true, but I am convinced of this fact. Cat will place spells on you while you sleep or read or watch teevee. I think that is the bulk of the information I can provide about Cat. Cat is up to date on shots, sterilized and is physically healthy, it should live on for several more years. Please bring heavy cloth sack, a metal box or crate, face protection (I use a hockey goalie helmet) and long leather gloves when coming to pick up Cat. I will not be available to assist in transporting Cat. Thanks for looking. EDIT WORTHY OF NOTE: Updating ad to clarify that Cat is not abused. Cat is LOVED... from a safe distance, we are experienced animal people. You must love Cat or you will not make it long. Cat has always been uptight and has never been the subject of an abusive situation. We actively love Cat. Look how cute!! But it is hard. We do not abuse Cat with clacking tongs. Cat needs a lot of encouragement to go out, and hates when you have tongs...so free tongs for you...use them as you will. No, we didn't let Cat eat shards of glass, but Cat would eat the shards if not herded off. Cat does look cute and act innocent for vet. I really didn't expect anyone to come forward to take Cat given the extent of the disclosure I have given. Offers will be the subject of careful, but unlikely, consideration given the only people who would possibly want this Cat are going to sell the poor animal to a lab or have 100 other Cats at home. We have tried it all and consulted with consultants. The cat is 12 years old for crying out loud! We are tired. If you have the perfect situation, and you know how to deal with a Cat like this one, and you are sane, write a proposal and we will give it careful scrutiny. For those giving free advice, please bring it on! will welcome ideas - provided you know something of what you are talking about. Here's the skinny: Cat has been in care of current owner since kittenhood. Cat was in an apartment fire once - it was next door but you know, chaos and trauma ensued. Cat has always been "particular" unless in the EXACT RIGHT situation, which is with ONE Person and an "always open and never closed" Cat door to outside area. Cat will not push open a flap...hates doorways. NO other pets (poops in their food bowls). And being always catered to as if in slight fear of Cat. We have 4 cat boxes, each cleaned every day, not enough for Cat. Yes, we've tried the water fountain from Sky Mall magazine, Cat hates the fountain. Cat wants a personal fresh mountain stream or a constantly running tap. Given ALL of these things consistently, Cat will occasionally cuddle with knees at bedtime and purr loudly...lest you move with the intention to do ANYTHING. Cat will then flick the tail in your face and as I said, the tail is very long. Or Cat will pound on the bathroom door to attack the bathmat, or later in the night, your laundry (or worse). Cat is female. Cat never forgets a slight and her slights are many. She's just a weird Cat, physically healthy, gets regular checkups with vet to prove it. We have 4 other very healthy, contented and happy pets. Thanks everyone for your concerns. Cat probably thanks you too in her way. "
At the end of the post was a picture of a very cute fluffy grey cat and another picture of black salad tongs!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Isaiah 40:31
Today in Bible study I was thinking about Isaiah 40:31.
KJV:
31But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.
NAS:
31Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
Other translations say "Trust" or "Hope". I wanted to know exactly what word this was. The Hebrew word used for "Wait" in this passage is "Qavah". The literal meaning of the word is "to bind together like a cord." The figurative definition of the word "Qavah" is "to wait, to hope, to expect."
Most people are familiar to the figurative meaning. But, think about the literal one...Think about the process of making a rope (cord) by twisting or weaving (binding) many strings together to form the rope. The more strands that are twisted or woven together in a rope, the greater its strength.
So what does "waiting" have to do with strength as it is listed in Isaiah 40:31.And what is the idea of the cord or rope? A rope's strength comes from the amount of strands it is composed of. A rope's strength is constant even when it is not being used. As strange as that last sentence may sound, it is actually the key to this verse. When a rope is not being used, what is it doing? The rope is "waiting." It "waits" for its owner to put it to use. When the rope is attached to a load, it draws its strength from all the strands and goes to work. So how exactly do we "wait" upon the Lord? A good idea is the one of the rope. A rope is made up of many strands and so is our relationship with God. The more "strands" that one weaves into our relationship with God, the more strength He gives to you.
A thank you to a Mr. Wickstrom for some good food for thought.
KJV:
31But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.
NAS:
31Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
Other translations say "Trust" or "Hope". I wanted to know exactly what word this was. The Hebrew word used for "Wait" in this passage is "Qavah". The literal meaning of the word is "to bind together like a cord." The figurative definition of the word "Qavah" is "to wait, to hope, to expect."
Most people are familiar to the figurative meaning. But, think about the literal one...Think about the process of making a rope (cord) by twisting or weaving (binding) many strings together to form the rope. The more strands that are twisted or woven together in a rope, the greater its strength.
So what does "waiting" have to do with strength as it is listed in Isaiah 40:31.And what is the idea of the cord or rope? A rope's strength comes from the amount of strands it is composed of. A rope's strength is constant even when it is not being used. As strange as that last sentence may sound, it is actually the key to this verse. When a rope is not being used, what is it doing? The rope is "waiting." It "waits" for its owner to put it to use. When the rope is attached to a load, it draws its strength from all the strands and goes to work. So how exactly do we "wait" upon the Lord? A good idea is the one of the rope. A rope is made up of many strands and so is our relationship with God. The more "strands" that one weaves into our relationship with God, the more strength He gives to you.
A thank you to a Mr. Wickstrom for some good food for thought.
A house
So we made an offer on a house. They initially turned down our counter offer. Then they called back and asked if we were still interested. We renegotiated. It was a done deal. Our realtor and their realtor new it was going to happen! The owner called and said he was verbally accepting our offer! Then, they allowed our offer to expire. The current owner does not want to move twice. So since he could not get the home he wanted, he would not sell us his.
So again with a different way of not buying a house. I wonder to myself, do I blog about each home we make an offer on, or do I just blog when we are moved into the new home? Hmmm.
So again with a different way of not buying a house. I wonder to myself, do I blog about each home we make an offer on, or do I just blog when we are moved into the new home? Hmmm.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Give me your flowers....please
I love to garden. Next to family, it is my favorite hobby. Give me a day where the weather is about 50-55 degrees, a little cloudy with a breeze, my hula hoe, 2 good rakes, a shovel and a pitchfork and color me the happiest of people. Our current rental has been a good but challenging place to garden. It is .67 of an acre and most of it is landscaped. So I take it in thirds. So mostly, 1/3 of the yard looks good all of the time!
Gardening is one place where the Lord teaches me lessons. Isn't it wonderful there is even God's truth in gardening! Like about weeds spreading, overtaking and even killing plants-a lesson in diligence. Like pruning..how it is necessary for the health of the plants to cut off branches that are interfering with the well being of the tree-a lesson in pruning your own and your children's lives. Like the trillium, that takes 7 years to bloom-a lesson in patience. And so on...
So I drove by our previous home the other day. Spring is a beautiful time at the garden in that yard. The roses bloom early because of the direct sun and higher altitude. The roses were all gifts to mark occasions; first (and many following) mothers day and birth of first and second child. One rose smelled like pixie stix, some like oranges, others like the standard "Rose" smell, but VERY fragrant. There were 3 lavender plants that started blooming in May. The blue star creeper starts popping up between the stepping stones about now. A curly willow started from the first Valentines day arrangement Ryan bought me after we'd moved in. Honeysuckle from Ryan that attracted these beautiful green metallic hummingbirds. And a HUGE host of "Friendship" plants. Those are plants that reproduce and your friends have to give them away or throw them in the compost pile. We had shasta daisy, chickweed, and wood violet from Ryan's childhood home. There was calla lilly, jasmine, and several climbing plants from our first home together. Crocosmea from a friend I'd worked with. Ground cover, rose of sharon and iris' from my parents house. I love friendship plants.
It seems the current owners have different taste in gardening. So they took out all the landscape that was put in over the last 5 years. I am hopeful the plants all went to loving homes. I wish I'd left my number and a note that said "Any plants you do not want, call me and I'll dig them up for you". Oh well.
Gardening is one place where the Lord teaches me lessons. Isn't it wonderful there is even God's truth in gardening! Like about weeds spreading, overtaking and even killing plants-a lesson in diligence. Like pruning..how it is necessary for the health of the plants to cut off branches that are interfering with the well being of the tree-a lesson in pruning your own and your children's lives. Like the trillium, that takes 7 years to bloom-a lesson in patience. And so on...
So I drove by our previous home the other day. Spring is a beautiful time at the garden in that yard. The roses bloom early because of the direct sun and higher altitude. The roses were all gifts to mark occasions; first (and many following) mothers day and birth of first and second child. One rose smelled like pixie stix, some like oranges, others like the standard "Rose" smell, but VERY fragrant. There were 3 lavender plants that started blooming in May. The blue star creeper starts popping up between the stepping stones about now. A curly willow started from the first Valentines day arrangement Ryan bought me after we'd moved in. Honeysuckle from Ryan that attracted these beautiful green metallic hummingbirds. And a HUGE host of "Friendship" plants. Those are plants that reproduce and your friends have to give them away or throw them in the compost pile. We had shasta daisy, chickweed, and wood violet from Ryan's childhood home. There was calla lilly, jasmine, and several climbing plants from our first home together. Crocosmea from a friend I'd worked with. Ground cover, rose of sharon and iris' from my parents house. I love friendship plants.
It seems the current owners have different taste in gardening. So they took out all the landscape that was put in over the last 5 years. I am hopeful the plants all went to loving homes. I wish I'd left my number and a note that said "Any plants you do not want, call me and I'll dig them up for you". Oh well.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
First real injury
Daphne had a little accident. She was at the bottom of a slide, and Luke went down. She was hit between the knee and ankle. She cried for over 30 minutes, and would not walk on it for nearly 3 hours. I was concerned. However, the next day she seemed fine, except for a limp. She had no swelling or even a bruise! She played on the swings and slide, ran around the yard, and even rode around on her trike. She was just grumpy that evening. I figured she strained a muscle.The next 2 days went about the same, except she seemed real grumpy. The limp did not go away.
4 days after the accident, I took her in to get checked out. The doctor gave her a physical test in the office. She went on her tip-toes, walked, jumped, and it all did not seem to bother her. He thought she looked fine, but said he'd take an Xray. What do you know, she had a fracture. A torus fracture to be specific. He explained toddlers do not fracture or break bones the same way adults do.
Thankfully she does not need a real cast. I am happy I can bathe her! Her splint is also the same size as Luke's foot. So she can play outside, without getting mucky! Larger socks over the cast protect it from dirt. They are also a good disguise. She will sport this for the next 2-4 weeks, hopefully just that long!
Can't keep a little ball of energy down for long. She now runs through the house. She sounds like a pirate!
The doctor laughed as he told me to keep her from running, jumping and going down the slide. Daphne was spinning in circles in the office, as he told me this. What a tough little one! Udderly scared!
We visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory. We went to the part that overlooks the factory and read about the history of the Factory. I noticed that Daphne was holding onto my shoulders tightly. She kept asking to go to the truck. When I turned around, she started screaming! It was because there was a life-sized, plastic cow and calf. I handed her to Ryan and caught a picture of her disapproval.
We found a cow she would pet.
This is Luke with the plastic calf.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Nehalem Bay
We traveled to Nehalem Bay to go camping. It was our first trip in our new camping trailer. It was so much fun. The weather was in the high 50's low 60's with plenty of sunshine. 
Spotting a deer.
Stealing a kiss...Ok it was not really "Stolen".
Spotting a deer.
Stealing a kiss...Ok it was not really "Stolen".
Smokey's element
Our Smokey dog came to us about 8 years ago. When we brought her home she was 6 inches long! In her younger years she dug up rhodies, brought in bunches of grapes into the house (from the grapevine outside), and once brought in a dead bird and "Buried" it under our loveseat.
On her first vet check, we were told she was the product of a bad breeder. She has too long a spine, too short of legs, and demadectic mange (non contagious to all our doggy friends out there). The vet said we'd be lucky if she lives to be 10.
She has nearly died, or was almost put down SO many times. She had a severe allergic reactions to vaccines 3 times and had to have benedryl and steroid injections in doggy emergency. She ate an entire bowl of chocolate. She injured her spine (could not use her hind legs for over a month). She has eaten several poisonous things. She has also stopped eating for greater than 3 days on several occasions. Let's just say that the money we saved on her upfront was not worth the money we've had to put into her over the years! And she has food allergies.
Smokey now spends most of her time curled up resting in a towel by the vents in our house. She slowed down several years ago, after the spinal injury. She was also sad to lose her friend Bandit (our dog that had to go live with other friends because he started attacking baby Luke).
BUT...when she goes to the beach it is non-stop puppy energy all over again. Here are shots of her running back and forth. She also enjoys the laying in the hot sand and sunshine after a good run. Second to this is camping in the woods. She loves to track animals. But, she does not like how cold it can get.
Blackberries
The blackberries at our house are something else! Ryan wanted to burn the burn pile safely. So he spent about 3 full days cutting down small mountains of berry bushes. There is now a nice view of Mt. Hood! I am blessed to have a man who enjoys good, old fashioned hard work. He really was happy doing this!
Here are some pictures. The ground that looks like dirt (or pick-up-sticks)was covered in vines 7-10' high. Some of the canes were 3" thick! First picture is depth, second is width (I was unable to pan out far enough!), third is a close up of how dense the brush was.
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