Queen For A Day At the DMV

          I'm not prone to gushing.  My mother used to swoon and gush over Michael Landon of Bonanza fame, and my sister used to gush over a minor character, Gerald Lloyd "Kookie" Kookson III (played by Edd Byrnes), the rock and roll-loving, wisecracking, hair-combing, hipster and aspiring P.I. in a 50's tv show.

I, on the other hand, have always been more level-headed and not prone to such silliness...until a week ago.
             The setting was our local office of the Department of Motor Vehicles.  I was there to sign any paperwork and pay any fees for Vale's instruction permit.  I was exhausted and a bit disheveled from a day spent wrestling with a big heavy quilt.  The permit process proved arduous, since we aren't Vale's legal guardian.  A number of calls had to be made to Olympia to clear the permit.  I stood for as long as I could, but my arthritic knees gave me so much trouble I sat down.  The waiting room was full of people; sunlight was filtering through the window, and I was reading a rather scintillating account of what would happen to me, legally, if I happened to text and drive.  I felt a presence in front of me, a six foot plus presence...here stood Vale.  He didn't say anything but he had his elbow out--escort-style.  Once I put my hand through his arm, he proffered his other hand and assisted me across the room to the examiner's desk.  I could feel the eyes of all in the room, of their approval of this uncommon gesture on the part of a teenage boy.  Not a word was spoken as we crossed the room...a tribute to a young man whose mother has taught him the importance of treating a woman with respect.  I do believe I'm gushing.
                 I was asked to take an elderly lady from our church to her dental appointment.  Grr..grrrr...I had too much to do...but she needed my help.  I arrived punctually...I didn't want to leave any time for idle chit-chat.  Nothing doing...I had to come in and see her little home--a typical grandma's house filled to the brim with family photos and mementos, furniture of her parents,' her Raggedy Ann and Andy antique doll collection, her own original oil paintings, and her lovely garden.  We walked and talked, saw the dentist, drove around Hood River to places that brought back memories.  A sweet, gushy few hours with a lovely lady.

                We are now surrounded by wildfires.  Our local weather report usually includes a statement like:  DUE TO WILDFIRES...THE AIR QUALITY IS HAZARDOUS TO UNHEALTHY IN SEVERAL AREAS .  Schoolchildren can't go outside for recess, and the air is always smoky.  Fortunately for our family, the polluted air hasn't been a problem, but others are reporting respiratory problems.  There are uncontained fires in Trout Lake which is north of us and directly across the river in Hood River, Oregon.

               

            Tom continues to work on the painting and caulking, and he's now the trainer of a student driver. It's bringing back so many fun memories. I too have been enlisted in the ride-alongs, since I'm Vale's usual chauffer. Vale confided to his grandpa: "I drive really slow because I scare Grandma half to death. I can feel her gripping on the arms." Indeed.

             I continue to sew, chauffer, do genealogy, etc.  Life, in our corner or the world, is calm and serene, in spite of the chaos all around us.  And, I am queen...

 

Love, Mom

 







                 

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.

 Anthony J. D'Angel

Being of Service...

                 
                  At our house, we have an evening family prayer; we've had this custom for most of our marriage.  We kneel as a family around a long bench we call the "prayer bench."  Even the dog joins in.  Our most constant prayer these days is a prayer of thanks that our life is so filled with the blessings and tender mercies that God has blessed us with; it never seems to be about problems in our immediate family.  Fortunately for us, life is calm at the moment. 
               Tom is a news junkie and loves all of the hoopla of the current political season, so his early evenings are spent in front of the tv or computer devouring all the polls, insights, commentaries, etc.  Once dinner dishes are done, I join him for our new past-time: watching old movies on Netflix.  We've re-discovered old favorite tv series from our past--Columbo, Magnum PI, Rockford Files, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, classic movies, a new-for-us genre--British murder mystery series, History Channel specials, and our usual favorites on prime time programming.  Vale, a si-fi fan, turns up his nose at our choices and stretches out downstairs to watch his own favorites.
                  Lest you believe that we are couch potatoes, here's what we do during the day:

 TOM:
                 Tom is a man with a mission always!!  He feels old age creeping up on him--that time when he will only be able to spend 2 or 3 hours a day outside (or inside) working on projects rather than the usual 6 to 8 hours now.  Last week, he sat at the table with me and said,"I am going to do something that I know you won't like, but I'm going to do it anyway.  Would you like to go stay with your sister while I do it?"  It was this:

Yes, he is on a rickety ladder twenty feet above the ground.  That's the rock wall you see along the edge of the picture.  I didn't go to my sisters, but I did hide in the house.  I admit that painting the trim and eaves did improve and winterize the house,but...His reason for not enlisting Vale's help...I'm saving him for another project. 

 

 

JULIA:

             I'm re-decorating my living room.  The old couches had need of new covers, so I made them. 

 

                Probably you've noticed that our house looks a lot like yours.  The top couch is my spot...a sewing project readily available.  (You may recognize the project I'm working on--I've been handquilting that quilt for almost a year.  The quilts hanging on the bannisters are quilts my mother made for two of my children when they were young.)  The bottom couch is Tom's spot.  You catch a little glimpse of his footstool which has his line-up of remotes and his scriptures.  We're such creatures of habit.  I also made two and a half quilts for a community service project.  I didn't get pictures of the two baby quilts, but this is the half-done quilt.  I cringed when I saw this donated quilt top--probably given to our Relief Society in the seventies--a hod-podge of 8 or 9" squares of all colors of polyester material but mostly dark.  Ugh.  As you can tell by my couch covers--I love color!!  In spite of a herculean effort, I didn't finish the quilt in time, it will go somewhere else.  (My son, Tom, took one look at this "ugly" quilt and exclaimed, "I LOVE that quilt.  It reminds me of Grandma."  It does, indeed; my mother made us several polyester quilts which wore and wore themselves out with all our cuddling in them, especially on wintery nights.)

VALE:

             Vale has an incentive to work his heart out on homework this year--he turned 16.  This little gem is an incentive to keep his grades up, thus qualifying to drive it in sunny California in the summer.  Besides, a heavy academic load, Vale is busy with marching band and his role as Eugene in the school's presentation of "Grease."  He's also a backup dancer for a number or two.  In addition, he's learning to play the tenor sax for marching band, and he's dragging himself cheerfully out of bed for early morning Seminary. 
ASTRO:
          Astro's trying hard to keep the squirrels, snakes, and deer...and the falling acorns at bay.  With hordes of deer coming down out of the burning mountains, he has his hands full!

 

We're well and happy, and we hope you are too!!  (The fires, by the way, have moved

up the mountain, and we aren't even getting smoke!).  Love from our corner of the world.  Mom

 

Whoever dreamed up Scrabble had an exaggerated idea of how many seven-letter words have five i's.
 ~Robert Brault



Living in La La Land

 

               Our little valley is experiencing one of the worst wildfires in our history. We're used to wildfires but not like the one that is raging now. Over 400+ residents of the White Salmon area are under possible evacuation orders; some refuse to leave and are attempting to save homes and ranches that have been in their families for generations. Over 600 firemen from around the state are battling the blaze, which is believed to be arson-related. Today, Sunday, a second huge fire was started by a lightning strike, and campers and hikers are being evacuated from Mt. Adams. All of this excitement is about 5 miles as the crow flies from our home. Those of us in town are experiencing the heavily smoke-filled air, hearing the occasional siren, and listening at the post office and grocery store to our neighbors' war stories. But, we live in La La Land. We aren't in the fire's path and aren't really able to help with the physical labor that fighting a fire requires. School is still in session, and all businesses are open!! So strange.

 

 

 

 

 

Every day life goes on in La La Land.  A few weeks ago,  I watched the Peresiad Meteor Shower over Mt. Hood, all by myself, in my nightgown on my deck.  The guys in my house were Bah humbugs about the whole thing.  For me, that evening of star gazing was an affirmation of all that is great, mysterious and awesome in the vast universe.

 

Bingen still held its annual Huckleberry Festival in spite of or maybe because of.. the chaotic times.  Vale marched in the parade which had, perhaps, ten units.  Dad worked on the pergola, and I completed the two couch covers.  We all just kept on keeping on..and praying for the safety of the houses, animals, firefighters, and residents who were locked into a desperate struggle just a few miles from us.  It was all we could do.    Keep your chin up and keep on keeping on.  Love, Mom

 

“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!” -Dr. Seuss