Road Trips & more

Rainy Day and the Green Lush

2011-07-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Palo Verde Tree

Rainy Day and her Sister of Choice, Kay, have once again hit the road. We left the Tri Cities Friday morning, and drove all day (not so bad when there are two drivers to share the load. We arrived in Scottsdale the next day, and are staying in a delightful motel, The 3 Palms. The reason for the trip is to spend a couple of weeks with Kay’s son, Mark, who has just gotten home from some serious surgery. Rainy Day is delighted to state he is doing well and looking good! He goes in to see the doctor today to possibly have all of his stitches removed. Rainy Day volunteered to go to Office Depot and buy a staple puller; he grimaced and declined her offer. I wonder why!

Prickly Pear with Pears

On the way to Scottsdale, we noticed the long winter, and cold spring has made for some lush green countryside. Utah, normally brown by now, at least where we traveled, was a lush green. The grasses were green, the shrubs were green – very beautiful!

Desert Duster

When we crossed into Arizona, all the Saguaro cacti were budding out, a few were in bloom. The Joshua Trees were lush and fuzzy (can you picture green Tribles on fuzzy sticks;-), some were blooming – long stalks coming from the top with flowers at the end. Looked a bit like Yucca only fewer flowers at the end. The Yucca and Prickly Pear were also in full bud and some bloomed. Made me think of Daddy’s short story, And The Desert Shall Blossom. Alfred Hitchcock bought it, and it is available on DVD, Season Four.

Singing Cardinal

Although some of the days will be a tad over 100, most will be high 90s or low 100s. However, it’s a dry heat, or so they keep telling me. Actually, it’s rather pleasant at the moment but this is the monsoon season (if the dust don’t get ya, the monsoons will) so we get rain, which a dry heat does not make.

Rainy Day did get to go to one of her most favorite places in the whole wide world – the Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. She calls it the Cactus Garden because most of the plants are cactus – and ALL desert plants have thorns! Even if it isn’t a cactus, it’ll reach out to stab you if it gets a chance. Honest. Trust me.

Saguaro with Fruit and Two Birds

Rainy Day has tried, several times to log onto her Charter Web Mail, and can’t get on, and when she calls, she gets a busy signal. However after much perseverance, and a few blue to purple words, Rainy Day finally got through and talked to the nicest young man, Fred. He was very patient and helpful, especially after Rainy Day threatened suicide, and informed her the old password she had been using for years was no longer valid. It seems Charter had 'enhanced' their system and made oh-so-much better. So, after she finally got onto her web mail, she tried to log onto her blog once again. She had to go through the rigamarole of getting a new password there, too, but since she could get the email from Google, she did it, and finally can update her blog.

Saguaro Skeleton

Rainy Day is not too sure that she really likes computers. When they work, they work very, very well. When they don't work, they are blue word awful!

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hello. my name is tashiko akuma pestini

2011-01-18T10:44:00.000-08:00

this is me taking a break from typing this blog

I’m the queen of the house. my staff consists of lenora, who feeds me – when she remembers – and who makes, and breaks promises. like when the last dog left, and she promised, there would be no more dogs, and now there is this annoying little dog named paco belle who sleeps in my bed with my person. lenora calls her a pit bullet, I call her pest.

anyhow, lenora, who sometimes remembers to feed me – and the pest – has been working on writing a novel. I, of course, have no idea what a novel is, but suspicion it’s something she holds in her hands while in bed, and gets irritated at me if I get between her and whatever it is she keeps looking at. she keeps saying she needs to get her blog updated, and finally, just to get some peace and quiet, and not listen to her whine and whimper, I have decided to write an entry or two for her.

maybe she’ll purr for me now.

better yet, maybe she’ll see I’m really very important, and get rid of the barking pest.

oh, dear. lenora is coming back from her writer’s meeting. I need to get this posted. do you think she’ll be surprised when she reads it. do you think she’ll get rid of the dog. do you think she will realize I am truly a queen and start treating me like one. do you think she’ll remember to feed me. please tell her what a good job i did. and tell her to get rid of the dog -- and to feed me.

this is me in my favorite place. don't i have gorgeous blue eyes.

Meet Suzy

2010-12-28T11:21:00.000-08:00

Suzy

This is Suzy. She was made by my maternal Grandma and given to me when I was four years old. She's pretty special to me, in case you can't tell. She's also pretty darned old. Fortunately, she doesn't suffer the same old age ailments I do, but she has her own!

I enlisted Suzy to model some of my Christmas Gifts -

The lovely table runner made by my travel partner, Kay;

The tee shirt that says Be Careful or you'll end up in my Novel, from my oldest, uh my Firstest Sister of Choice, Val and her husband, Bob;

A green knit scarf with a special wool from France with colored specks in it - very soft! - made by my friend, Weld (it's from Weld and his wife Elma - along with some goat's milk soap and a Pecan Log from the Sweet Shoppe in Bandon);

A set of mother of pearl earrings and matching necklace, a beaded blue jewelry/coin purse and lovely lavender silk scarf from my SOC n BOC;

nice bath stuff from my Ol' Same;

the opera, La Fille du Regiment, from my ex-Boss, Karen;

My nook, from me to me;

A gift certificate to Barnes & Noble from my good friends Jan and Lori;

And, you will notice, one of two remotes (being 'held' in Suzy's right hand) for my new Wii from Luke, Sonja, and Aaron.

Alas, i don't have a photo of the Goat my SOC, Kay, donated in my name (darn, I wish I did!)

An embarrassment of riches, plus several small things that have already disappeared - or at least changed form - like homemade cookies (now worn with pride on my sit-down-upon;-), nuts, etc.

My Gratefuls:
All my friends and family, near and far, known and not yet met!

Quote for this Post:
"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." -- Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)

Happy Boxing Day!

2010-12-27T07:53:00.000-08:00

Juniper Trees in California Desert

For years, I thought 26 December was Boxing Day. I also thought it was so-named because that was when folks traditionally boxed their gifts and delivered them to friends. So I looked it up yesterday and .... I'm maybe partly correct. Check out Boxing Day.

Yellow Bellied Marmot, Palouse Falls, Washington

Christmas at this house was low-key, quiet, and great fun. The amount of gifts under the tree for moi was insane - and marvelous! I will share with you later what all I received, and maybe even some pictures. The highlight was the Wii my son, daughter, and grandson bought me. We played a few games, then set it up so I can stream movies from Netflix! I have discovered some of the movies they have can only be seen via streaming. It was great fun to watch an old fave - Great Scout and Cathouse Thursday, with Lee Marvin, Oliver Green, Strother Martin, and Robert Culp. I laughed as hard this time as the first 6 times I've watched it.

Moon Over Stelling Ave, Pt. Charlotte, Florida

   We had a total lunar eclipse the other night, and, of course, my skies were full of clouds. A friend said she saw some of the eclipse as the clouds parted for a bit, but I didn't stay up to see. This is a shot I took while living in Florida. (Now, why did I leave Florida? You know, Florida with all the warmth?
   Our snow is gone, and the temps are warming up to nearly 50, but it's damp out there, and the damp makes it colder.

   I hope all of you had a marvelous Christmas and spent it exactly as you wanted. I certainly did!

My Gratefuls:
* My family of genes and my family of choice
* The goat donated to a worthy cause in my name
* My Wii
* The Gift Card to my favorite book store
* My nook

What I'm Reading:
* Finished Over the Edge of the World - by Laurence Bergreen, and am now about a third of the way through his Marco Polo. If you like adventure stories, give Over the Edge of the World a try. I wrote Mr. Bergreen the other day and told him how much I enjoyed his writing and received a response!
* Read a few more poems of Darwish last night. Heavy stuff, but very interesting. Of course, how much is his writing, and how much is the translator's, I'll never know. Either way, the writing is beautiful.
* Still reading The Flag of Childhood, the book of poems edited by Naomi Shihab Nye.

What I'm Writing:
* Back to Jibutu. My writing group has given me excellent feedback and sent me off on an unexpected journey in the writing world.

Quote for this Post:
"What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well." Antoine de Saint-Exupery

My first thought on hunting for a desert quote was warmth - and then I remembered, I live in a desert, and it be darned cold!

Have a wonder-filled day;-)

Season's Greetings!

2010-12-21T07:07:00.000-08:00

....now, please pass the hors d'oeuvres!

I hope you have a most Merry of Holidays, and that your most hoped-for gift awaits your unwrapping.

Warning! Solicitation Alert! And if you're still looking for a certain little something for a certain person, I have copies of Jiang Li, Warrior Woman of Yueh for sale. $7.00 plus s/h. End Alert!

If you plan on travel and visits, please have a save journey. I plan on staying home, reading, writing, and eating too much;-)

A bit of music for your enjoyment. The Peacherine Rag. A two minute video.

Update: My goodest friend, Nonie, sent me this card. It is the cutest Christmas Card I've seen in a long time. Enjoy.

My Gratefuls:
* Wrinkles don't hurt
* I have enough food in the 'fridge until after Christmas
* Laughter comes easy
* The USPS is still around
* We had a cloud cover so I didn't feel it necessary to get up at 0:Dark:00 to watch the lunar eclipse.

What I'm Reading:
List is same as prior post

Quote for this Post:
"So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth." ~Bahá'u'lláh

Achmed Santa wishes you...

2010-12-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

A Happy Holiday Season!

Bought the skeleton for Halloween, and decided he could wear a Santa Cap, and be Achmed Santa. He sits on my front porch greeting any and all who come to the house.

For those of you not familiar with Jeff Dunham's Achmed, The Dead Terrorist, please get a cuppa and enjoy at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uwOL4rB-go

Woke this morning to about 3 inches of the white stuff on the ground, and more coming down. It appears to have stopped for the moment. However, I won't bore you with more snow pictures. At least not right now.

Since my last post I've read several books (see below), received word a good friend died - Rebecca Neason was not only a good friend, but one of my favorite authors. Even though we were not in constant communication, I admit I miss her, terribly. I've lost too many friends this year, and have news more are not expected to see Christmas of 2011. So, I make the best of the ones I have left, and hope I can cheer them as much as they cheer me. Death happens. Grief hurts. Life goes on, albeit at a lonelier pace.

Luke, my grandson not only enlisted in the Army National Guard, he now has an official ship date for Basic - 19 Apr 11. He is going to try to slide that date to February! They sure do things differently than when I enlisted. Back then, we'd enlist, and be on an early flight to Basic the next day. Now they have lots of time to think about it - but no opportunity to back out;-)

I am, at long last, ready for Christmas - packages wrapped, mailed, etc. And hope all of you are likewise ready and can now enjoy the season. Unless, of course, you enjoy the last minute panic ;-)

My Gratefuls:
* Warm critters to snuggle with at night!
* That I was born in a time and place that education for girls was not only available, but the law.
* That I had the opportunity to work hard, and now can enjoy my retirement.
* That some wonderful goat herder in Arabia figured out how to make coffee
* That some enterprising monk figured out how to smuggle unroasted coffee beans out of Arabia ;-)

What I'm Reading:
Finished:
* An Echo in the Bone --by Diana Gabaldon. Per usual, a real page burner. And, of course, she ended it in a manner that leaves the reader KNOWING #8 is coming. I just hope I live long enough for her to finish, and me to read, all of the books in the series!
* The Story of My Life - by Farah Ahmedi, Tamim Ansary. I enjoyed this read tremendously. A bit hard in parts to read about what this young woman went through to get to the States (from Afghanistan) so she, too, could get an education. Wonder what the war over there is like from an Afghani perspective? Read this book!
*Time Master Trilogy -by Louise Cooper. I read this trilogy when it first came out in the mid 80s (I think) and enjoyed it immensely. And, I enjoyed it as much the second time through. A great story of Chaos v. Order.

Reading:
* Over the Edge of the World - still. I admit, the nook is too much fun at the moment;-)
* Bright-Sided -by Barbara Ehrenreich. A look at the downside of Positive Thinking. I'm having a hard time putting this one down, too. And, yes, there IS a downside to Positive Thinking.
* The Flag of Childhood - ed. by Naomi Shihab Nye. This is a collection of poetry from the Middle East, some of which are translated by her father, Azziz. I am truly enjoying the poems; however, I think the formatting was lost when it translated to nook. I suggest you buy the hard copy - it should be much easier to read. (There are no page breaks, one poem leads right into the next poem)
* The Butterfly's Burden -Darwish -- it will be a while before this one is finished. Beautiful poetry, to be savored, not devoured.

Quote for this Post:
"If you can survive Basic Training, you can survive anything--war, pestilence, childbirth...." -- SFC Annie B. Hawkins, USWAC

Happy December!

2010-12-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share these two photos of Mt. Hood. I took them a couple years ago from Jump Off Joe - the high point of the Horse Heaven Hills behind my house. It was bitter cold, being February, so while my guest was outside fiddling with his camera and tripod, I stayed in the car where there was some residual heat (engine off) and no wind! I put my camera on the dash and snapped these two photos of the sun set. They aren't very good photos, truth to tell, but I think they are interesting. Look how the lower clouds fold up and over the mountain.

Mt. Hood resides just outside of Portland OR, which is 200 miles away from where I took the picture. My guess is that Mt. Hood is about 150 miles from my camera.

The pictures may not be all that great, but the colors and folding clouds make them unique.

I call this one Moon Goddess. It is the cable bridge in Pasco with a full moon sitting on top. Yes, I played a wee bit with the colors.

I am very happy to state the temps are warming and our snow and ice are melting back to a more social state of being. Yesterday, I braved the roads (main ones are bare and wet) and did some shopping. I bought my Winter Gift from me to me. I always buy me a Winter Gift--that way I am assured of getting at least one present I really, really wanted. My present this year is a nook. Fortunately, I have a friend who works at Barnes & Noble, and she helped me choose the right one for my reading--turns out to be the least expensive of the three they offer!

Because she's a friend, and I gave her my purse, she let me hold a nook (boxed) that wasn't chained to the counter. When I walked four feet away from her and stretched out on the floor, holding the nook as I hold my books when I read in bed, not only did she laugh, but so did at least three other customers. I happily announced to one and all that was the selling point! I brought it home, fired it up, and downloaded a novel of over 1100 pages. Believe me, holding the nook was much, much easier than holding the paper novel! And I am very pleased with the ease of reading. I figure at the rate which I tend to buy books, it will pay for itself within a year. Perhaps sooner;-) How nice it will be to have so many books in one small nook rather than trying to figure out where to stack them. My library shelves are already bowing due to so many books stacked horizontally on them.

After buying the nook, I went to the sewing machine store. I have never been overly fond of my sewing machine, and now that it is 10 years old, and i grumble every time I use it, I think a new one is in order. The nice thing is, the sewing machine store will take the one I dislike as trade in. So, guess where I'm going later today, maybe????

My Gratefuls:
* Warmer temperatures
* Meeting another quilter at the Janome store
* Barnes & Noble for many things, especially their nook
* The Army National Guard for their program to help qualified young men and women get their High School Diploma
* Diana Gabaldon for her wonderful stories!

What I'm Reading:
* An Echo in the Bone --by Diana Gabaldon (nookbook). This is the 7th in her Outlander Series. She is one of my most favorite writers, and this series is wonderful. When I read one of her books, I feel like I'm having a a reunion with good friends I haven't seen for a while. Unfortunately, it takes her about 3 years to write one of these novels (she works on more than one at a time), and it doesn't take me anywhere near that long to read one - even at over 1100 pages! I'm not sure what genre to classify this series - it really crosses several genres and from what I've seen and read, she appeals to both male and female readers. Wonderfully researched and delightfully written. Please visit her website at: http://dianagabaldon.com/ for information on her books as well as herself.

* The Butterfly's Burden --by Mahmoud Darwish. I'll be reading this book for a while. The poems are to be savored, not gulped. They are like fine wine to be enjoyed, not soda to slake one's thirst.

* Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe --by Laurence Bergreen. This is a fascinating book, alas, it now must compete with Echo, above. However, I'm sure I'll end up finishing them both relatively soon. Bergreen has at least one more eBook that will make it's way to my nook soon. I like his writing style, and do prefer, for the most part, nonfiction over fiction.

Quote for this Post:
"For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary"--Diana Gabaldon (Outlander)

This is a Warming Trend?

2010-11-28T07:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday (Saturday) it got up to 34 degrees at my house, so I thought I'd better get a couple more shots before all the ice blades melted. I opened my kitchen door, leaned out, and took these three pictures.

This one is off the corner of my home, where the master bath is. Now, when the remodel of last spring was done, we finished it off with an additional 7" of insulation in the attic. Why am I having ice blades? And why is this one curving out, away from the house?

These are over my daughter's bedroom window (next to and 90degrees from the master bath, seen in background). I was getting very concerned until she mentioned that at night she closes her bedroom door, shuts the heating vent in her room, and opens the window about a half inch. Well, no wonder there's melt above her room.

Why so many? A veritable harvest awaits the picking. These are hanging from the arbor, over my big kitchen windows. Never have I seen such a harvest. Why? Well, I wondered so I wandered out into the 9 or so inches of snow, looked up at my roof, and discovered the reason. Remember that remodel last spring? And my new, beautiful red stove? And the new, beautiful red fan that came with it that has the motor on the roof? The one that sounds like a jet engine even with the attic betwixt it and me? Well, that sucker sucks! It sucks all the heat and steam from the stove right up a pipe and blows it outside. And down the roof to melt the snow and form all these ice daggers.

My Gratefuls:
* That I live where we have 4 seasons - even if one of them is Winter;-)
* That some Monk (Priest?) from years gone by smuggled coffee beans out of Arabia
* That I have friends willing to share their knowledge and expertise with me when I'm trying to learn something new.
* That there is a store within walking distance of where I live.
* That I have warm socks and boots

What I'm Working On:
* I'm still working on Jibutu. The last couple of days I was on a tear, making changes to the story left and right, then, last night, as I waited for sleep, I realized my changes were wrong, unsustainable, and I didn't like them. I'm not quite back to square one, but close enough, that's for sure. Having friends and family of choice willing to listen to me ramble, and play devils advocate, is truly a blessing!
* Why do I write? I often ask myself this, especially as I receive more and more rejections and fewer and fewer acceptances. Some days I think I'll quit all together and just quilt and read. Then I remember, I basically write because I want to, and I write stories I like, and if the publishers don't like 'em, well, that's not my problem. Is it?

What I'm Reading:
* Mostly the book on Magellan. I'll read the last essay of Writing A Woman's Life any day now, as well as more poetry by Darwish. I'm finding it interesting in how little we've learned in the last few hundred years juxtaposed to how much we have learned. How little we've learned in human relations and how much we've learned in 'book stuff'. Several years ago, I read a series of books by Louise Cooper on Chaos v. Order. I don't remember a great deal from them but do remember one of the ideas I came away with was that we will not recognize Order if we do not have Chaos to compare it to. Humans have known that, at some level, since forever I think. We want our choice of politician to win so we make the other choice look bad. Ours is better by comparison. I liked Cooper's books better than today's politicians ;-)

Quote for this Post:

But suppose God is black? What if we go to Heaven and we, all our lives, have treated the Negro as an inferior, and God is there, and we look up and He is not white? What then is our response? -- Robert Kennedy

Save the Words!

2010-11-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Day After Thanksgiving!

I can't help but wonder how many of you are actually out and about at the malls and shops helping to make today Black for the stores? We still have waaaaayyy too much snow and ice for me to even consider shopping.

Besides I have most of my presents made - not wrapped, mind you, but made. Just a couple small ones to go.... once the roads are clear enough to get to the fabric store ;-)

The little guy in this picture doesn't seem to mind the cold too much. He's getting a hot lunch!

I took these Wednesday before Thanksgiving when we had about 15 minutes of sun and it warmed up to 13 degrees F outside. Needless to say, when the sun went back behind a cloud, I thought it a good excuse to go back home. These pictures were taken within 3 blocks of my home.

A friend sent me the most delightful site a bit ago. Please, do check it out, Save the Words at: http://www.savethewords.org/ Please, adopt a word, no money involved! These are precious words that are homeless and dying and we need to preserve them. It may take a few moments to download, but well worth the wait. (I have adopted 'vacivity', n. emptiness.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving yesterday, and had too many Thankfuls to be counted!

My Thankfuls:
* A daughter (Soni Sue) who makes marvelous breakfast burritos!
* Kids (Aaron, Soni Sue, and Grandson Luke) who bought and baked two pizzas for dinner!
* A Sister of Choice (Marjorie) who helped me figure out what kind of conflict I need for my novel. (I hate conflict and have a hard time writing it. Now I have to get busy!;-)
* Google for the blogsite
* Warm clothes and a working furnace!

What I'm Reading:

* One essay to go in Writing A Woman's Life. I face reading that last essay with mixed emotions - I am really enjoying the book and don't want it to end, and yet, I want to read the last essay.

* The Butterly's Burden A collection of poems by Mahmoud Darwish, translated by Fady Joudah. I picked this book up a few years ago and thought I'd better get into reading some of the poems. Not light poetry, but beautiful. On the left page is the poem in Arabic, on the right (facing) page is the translation. If you read poetry at all, I strongly suggest you pick up some by Darwish. As the blurb on the back says, "Poetry in translation offers a passport to places we might never visit, borders we might never cross...."

Quote for this Post:

"War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector
enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does
today." --John F. Kennedy

We All Are One

2010-11-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, I am working on a fantasy novel, Jibutu. Jibutu lives on another planet, with different cultures. I just assumed (silly me!) she was a dark skinned human.

Well, while at the Oregon Coast, a good friend wanted me to go into the Hawthorne Gallery to see the art. It was wonderful--until I went around a corner and saw this ceramic bust, titled We All Are One. I stopped. It was Jibutu. No doubt about it. It ceased to be wonderful and became, Wonderful. Transcendental. I saw little else, just this bust. Jibutu. My Jibutu. My Daughter of Jib. Eventually I awakened from my trance.

I went to the young man working there (curator?) (future son-in-law, actually) and apologized if I was about to ask a question of insult, but could I please, pretty please, be allowed to photograph the bust?

He was thrilled. He told me to bring my tripod in and shoot away. In fact, I could shoot anything in the gallery. Alas, my tripod remained in Kennewick where I set it down while packing the car. Sigh. So I just took pictures. Lots of pictures.

When I returned home, I contacted the young man, Jeff and requested permission to post the pictures on this blog. He forwarded my request to the artist, Julie Hawthorne, and she graciously gave me permission to post them.

We All Are One, a ceramic by Julie Hawthorne

Hawthorne Gallery
P. O. Box 700
517 Jefferson
Port Orford, OR 97465

Phone: 541.366.2266

Price: $1,700 (and worth every cent!)

Port Orford is a wonderful town on the Southern Oregon Coast. Seriously consider making it a destination of choice for your next vacation. Great storms in the winter ;-)

I, of course, would love nothing more than to have Jibutu in my house, but, alas, I don't have that kind of money -- or space to properly show her off! Of course, if you my dear reader, would like to buy her for me, I'll make the space! Honest! Trust me!!!

My Gratefuls:
* Generous artists like Julie Hawthorne
* Generous writers like my Monday Night Writer's Group

* 8.5 inches of snow outside (and not inside;-)
* Living within walking distance of the store
* Friends who take me to such neat galleries

What I'm Reading:
* Sixty Odd -- by Ursula LeGuin. I'm almost through. I admit, I will miss some of the poems when I'm finished. That's a nice thing about books - you can keep them, and reopen them whenever you want.
* Writing A Woman's Life -- by Carolyn Heilbrun. I think I have two, maybe three, essays to go and then I will be finished with this book. Then snow or no snow I MUST go to the book store! Must, I say!!!

Quote for this Post:
"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." -- Aristotle

Have a Marvelous Thanksgiving!

Got Snow?

2010-11-23T07:04:00.000-08:00

Snow Falling on Maple.
Woke yesterday to a few inches of snow in my yard. Some of it stayed on the maple tree in my entry.

Unburied Blooming Idiot!
My daughter unburied the little rose bush yesterday, and I took this picture. We had more snow fall last night, and this morning I couldn't even see the poor little thing.

My Garden Gnome.
Yes, somewhere under all that white stuff is my little Garden Gnome happily sitting on the toadstool.

My Gratefuls:
* Novelists who spin a good yarn. Good writing is important, but secondary to a good yarn, in my library at least.
* Barbara Kingsolver, Margaret Atwood, Diana Gabaldon - good spinners and good writers all
*A warm house - especially when it's 18 degrees outside as it is now (high today expected to be "near" 22 degrees.
* Campbell & Company - the nice people who keep my furnace working, and my fireplace flaming!
* Friends who send me warmth from places like Florida, the Texas coast, and Southern California.

What I'm Reading:
* The Lacuna -- by Barbara Kingsolver. I managed to stay awake last night until I finished it. A marvelous book. A great insight into the times, and the lives of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, major supporting characters, and Leon Trotsky. Every novel I read by Ms Kingsolver I state upon completion that that one is my favorite! She spent several years working on it, and her research was well done (she's a trained scientist, she knows how to research!). She's a wonderful writer and spins a very fine yarn!
* Sixty Odd -- Ursula Le Guin
*Writing a Woman's Life --by Carolyn Heilbrun

Quotes for this Post:
Where does the white go when the snow melts? ~Author Unknown

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring. ~George Santayana

Have a marvelous rest of the week! Be Thankful all week - why limit it to just one day?

Yet One More Oregon Coast Post...

2010-11-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

In the bottom of the picture, you can see the bank of the creek - deep enough, wide enough, and fast enough I wasn't interest in crossing! So, I zoomed in on the herd of gulls busily flocculating on the beach, and just as I took the picture, a sneaker wave came in and as it progressed, the gulls took to flight. I have a series of about 5 photos, of which I will not bore you this morning, of them taking off and landing - looked like the gull version of the Wave seen at sporting events.

The wave had retreated, and i noticed the wind blowing clumps of sea foam down the beach. They proceeded at different speeds due to size, and it looked like a pretty good race, until the foam dissipated.

Outside our hotel room was a wooden bench, which makes a nice place for people to sit to watch the ocean when the wind allows. Or a nice place for seagulls to watch the humans. This gull spent quite a bit of time pacing up and down the bench, scolding us for not coming out to feed it. When it got really exasperated it would hop down and come to the sliding glass door and knock with it's beak. "Please," it kept saying, "pass the hors de oeuvres!" We were not willing to share, but it tried for fifteen minutes, at least.

My Gratefuls:
* Funny seagulls who provide much enjoyment
* An ever changing ocean
* Friends and family with which to share life's funny moments
* Really good licorice!
* Warm rooms from which to watch the churning ocean

What I'm Reading:
* Sixty Odd -by Ursula Le Guin. I was having a hard time enjoying this book, so only read one or two poems a night. Last night, I got to the last section and am glad I persevered. These poems I can relate to, and am thoroughly enjoying.
* The Lacuna - by Barbara Kingsolver. I'm about two-thirds of the way through it, and having a hard time putting it down. It's a grand novel of the Mexico of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and WWII Asheville, NC. And, it makes me want to do more reading about the artists, and Lev Trotsky!
* Writing A Woman's Life -by Carolyn G. Heilbrun. I'm afraid I've been too involved in The Lacuna to read much of this little book, but it waits patiently. That's the nice thing about books - they are infinitely patient, unlike many readers and some writers I know;-)

Quote for This Post:

"Most gulls don’t bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight – how to get from shore to food and back again. For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating." -- Jonathon Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

Back from the Oregon Coast

2010-11-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

The Umpqua River at High Tide.
The road through the Coast Range was windy enough I wasn't comfortable pulling over to the shoulder for photo ops; however, there was a little park area and when I pulled over, we got some great fog and reflection shots.

Layers of Port Orford.
While in Port Orford, the wind fairly knocked us over, but I managed to get a couple of nice shots from the little park overlooking Battle Rock.

The Schoolmarm and Reflection.
I have no idea what the name of this rock at Bandon Beach is called, but it just looked like an overly pompous schoolmarm to me.

Needless to say, I had a great time at the Coast. Only got to visit 3 quilt shops (Bandon, Port Orford, and Coos Bay) but it was good to meet again with friends - and spend more money than I had counted on spending!

We were going to stay one more day, but the weather began to turn really sour, and the forecast was not looking good for driving, so we left early Friday morning with my cousin Barb, and her friend Claudia, driving over the Siskyou Mountains in what turned out to be rain, and not the predicted snow. I went the other way, through the Columbia Gorge - lots of rain, but no heavy winds or snow. We have snow showers predicted in the near future here, at home, though, so I'm glad I'm home.

Barb and Claudia are also avid quilters, and Barb thought some of my photos might translate to art quilts. A new challenge for me ;-)

My Gratefuls:
* Weather Forecasters who know how to read the runes.
* Quilt Stores that are different from one to the other
* The Bandon Candy Store that sells the world's bestest ever licorice - YUMMMM!
* The friendly folks who operate the hotel we stayed at (Windermere on the Beach)
* The opportunity to get to know my cousin, and meet her friend!

What I'm Reading:
* Sixty Odd, poetry by Ursula LeGuin
* Writing a Woman's Life by Carolyn G. Heilbrun
* The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. Yes, I actually bought and am reading a novel!

Quote for this Post:
"May your joys be as deep as the ocean, your sorrows as light as its foam." - Unknown

And for your Thanksgiving week (speakers on):
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/05/11/egreetings/source/2.htm

Go West, Young Woman, Go West!!

2010-11-12T08:01:00.000-08:00

In keeping with the title of this post, I am heading West, and somewhat South, for a few days. I am meeting up with friends and family at Bandon by the Sea, Oregon for a week of quilting, gossiping, and just all around fun!

We will be staying at a little hotel Kay and I found a couple years ago, Windermere by the Beach. It is just past Face Rock, which is the photo you see above. This hotel is slightly above the beach, all the rooms have views, and it's an easy walk to and from the beach. (Many hotels are on top of the cliff, and only if you like stairs - lots and lots of stair - is the beach accessible.)

The photo at the right is sunset through dune grass. One of my favorite places on the beach is the lighthouse at the mouth of the Coquille River, where this photo was taken.

Harvest moon rising over the Bastendorf Beach campgrounds. (Not positive I have that name right, but it's the campgrounds on the beach on the north side of the Coquille River ;-)

I am not taking my computer, so there will be no updates while I'm gone, there should be an update prior to the National Day of Gluttony;-)

My Gratefuls:
*A good camera
*A good car
*Good health and ability to drive
*Good friends and neat family
*Hotels on the beach!

What I'm Reading:
*Still reading LeGuin's poetry, Sixty Odd and the Essays on Writing a Woman's Life. It's such a thin little book, I didn't think it would take long to read, but it's chock full of good stuff, and makes for a slower read so as not to miss anything.

Quote for this post:
"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year." by Ralph Waldo Emerson

2010-11-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

Fall has, indeed, fallen here in the desert of SE Washington State. The fence between my back neighbor and my property has Virginia Creeper growing along it - no matter what we do, we can't seem to kill it! - and the other day the leaves were a bright red. Not sure the blog will show the red, but we'll try.

After taking the above picture, I went to the front of the house, and in the ground cover I spied this huge mushroom. I have NO idea what it is, and though I found it intriguing, I didn't find it intriguing enough to cut it. The top was orange and white, and looked slick with slime. The edges were black, frilly, and curled. I went back a bit later to take a better photo, and it was gone! The stem remained, but not the cap.

The last week has been rather hectic at this house, but things are quieting down, now, for a bit anyhow. I will be leaving next Friday for a week at the Oregon Coast and a few days either side to visit with friends. I will not take the computer, so no email - I will be on vacation.

I'm in a new writer's group - we're all working on novels - and they have given me great input on a novel I thought was finished and just needed polishing. Oops! After a couple of critiques of the first chapters, I realize I'm going to have to change directions, drastically. Oh, well, I've got more time than common sense.

Have been busy sewing quilt tops from twin bed size down to place mat size. Photos eventually (some are Winter Gifts;-)

My Gratefuls:
*Monday Writer's group and their honest and helpful input on my novel
*The group of gals who get together the First Thursday for potluck and fellowship
*The bunch of friends who gather on First Tuesday for 'whine and cheese'
*Tuesday Writer's group and their critiques of my short stories
*The typing teachers who patiently taught me to type!

What I'm Reading:
* I finished Destiny Denied --by Tamim Ansary. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who desires a truer understanding of the Muslim culture. It was an eye-opener for me. I realized, as I read it, much of the popular understanding of the culture (it is more than a religion) is not complete, or is wrong.

*Writing A Woman's Life --by Carolyn G. Heilbrun. This is a small book of essays by a feminist author. I've just started it, and it is engaging. From the back of the book: "...a wide-ranging study...asserts that patriarchal culture has not only defined the limits of women's lives, it has determined what stories about women will be told...." Ought to be an interesting read!

* Sixty Odd, new poems --by Ursula K. Le Guin. It has been a long time since I've read Le Guin's books, and never her poetry. She is a marvelous writer, and I'm enjoying the first few poems I've read.

Quote for This Post:
"November always seemed to me the Norway of the year." -- Emily Dickinson

It's Here! Jiang Li is here!!!!

2010-10-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

If you enjoyed My Adventures as Brother Rat, then I think you will also enjoy Jiang Li, Warrior Woman of Yueh.

Like Brother Rat, Jiang Li, Warrior Woman of Yueh is also set in the Warring states period of Ancient China. Marked by the magic of White Tiger Mother and trained to use the staff by the great mountain ape, Grandfather Wang, Jiang Li grows into a beautiful woman, loved by all in Yueh who meet her. Faced with the choice of becoming concubine to the Prince, whom she loves, or a warrior and savior of Yueh, she forfeits love of a man for love of her country. While Jiang Li trains to save the State of Yueh, another woman warrior, Brother Rat, trains to save her State of Wu. The two women meet in dreams and by the time they meet in life, they have becomes friends who must fight to the death.

The price of Jiang Li, Warrior Woman of Yueh is $7.00 plus s/h of $2.60 for padded envelop and postage. If you want more than one copy, I can get up to 6 copies in a $4.90 Priority Mail envelope.

To order, please go to my website and use the Contact Me form. http://www.LenoraRain-LeeGood.com. Copies of My Adventures as Brother Rat are also available.

My Gratefuls:
*Tyree Campbell and Sam's Dot Publishing for buying and publishing my work
*My friends and family who faithfully buy work and read it
*The USPS for carrying it hither, thither, and yon
*Blogspot for the free blog space
*Teri (7ARS) for the great cover art

What I'm Reading:
*West With the Night by Beryl Markham - I finished this the other day. I thoroughly enjoyed it, thought the writing wonderful (I may never write again!), and then I did some searching online. Sometimes I'm not all that grateful for the internet, y'know? Her book was pure beauty - whether or not she wrote it, but finding out about her life, well, let me say I could have done without having my ideas dashed upon the paving stones of reality. Still, I recommend the book to anyone who likes a good read!

*I'm still reading Disrupted Destiny. Absolutely fascinating. This, too, is a good read.

Quote for this Post:
“...never to be content with a half-truth when the whole can be won.” --West Point Cadet Prayer

Key West Dreams

2010-10-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

Years ago I visited Key West, Florida with my friend, Jan. One of the highlights of the trip was finding and photographing the home my favorite playwright, Tennessee Williams, owned. Another of the highlights was hitting the fabric shops where I bought quite a bit of tropical print fabrics. I bought several half yards and full yards, and left the shops with large bags and a skinnier wallet.

Once I got all the fabric home, it was drooled over, folded, and put away until the perfect quilt pattern could be found. I finally found the quilt pattern! Charming Fractions, Pattern #229, by Mountainpeek Creations, Centennial CO 80122. Of course, the pattern showed the quilt in solid colors - not for me! Oh, no. I had to do it my way. So I bought the almost black sashing (the black-appearing pieces between the squares of color) and cut up my fabric to make a twin sized quilt. I sewed the sashing on, and cut the blocks. I put the blocks up on my wall•, and nearly went blind! Waaaaayyyyyy too busy. Not enough dark in between the pieces. What to do? What to do?

(•A design wall, or 'wall' in my case is the felted side of a large felt backed plastic table cloth. I can put my squares up on the felt and they stay. Then I can arrange and rearrange them until I have them all in the order I want.)

I divided my blocks into two piles, and bought enough solid fabric to make the vertical blocks solid, and the horizontal blocks the prints! Of course, I used all the extra dark fabric for the sashing of the second twin quilt, and as soon as I have it sewn together, I will have to get more fabric for the borders. Oh, golly! I'll just have to buy more fabric! (Remember: She who dies with the most fabric wins!)

At any rate, I thought you might like to see the 'quilt in progress'. When Aaron moves, I will give him the bed he is currently sleeping on and replace it with two twin beds, so each bed will have its own quilt. The quilt shown here has corner blocks of bright yellow. The one I'm working on now will have corner blocks of the lavender.

I had thought of using dark colors in between the prints, but they didn't look as nice as the brights. Sleeping under them will surely cause one to have Key West Dreams - dreams of warmth and tropical nights - welcome in our cold and icy winters.

My Gratefuls:
*That I've been able to travel as much as I have
*That I'm still planning trips
*That Jiang Li will ship from the printer this coming Monday
*That people are eager to buy and read Jiang Li
*That my sewing machine works!

What I'm Reading:
*West Into the Night and Destiny Disrupted
I finished the bio of Richard Wetherill: Anasazi - Pioneer Explorer of Southwestern Ruins last night. If you're at all interested in the history of New Mexico and the Anasazi and Navajo Indians, I suggest you look for a copy in your local used book store, or perhaps online at www.abebooks.com. It is by Frank McNitt

What I'm Working On:
*Am still working on the rewrite of Jibutu and the Mage. My Monday Night Writer's Group gave me some really great ideas, which, of course, change the story somewhat ;-)
*The second of Key West Dreams

Quote for this Post:
"Blankets wrap you in warmth, quilts wrap you in love." -- from A Prairie Home Quilts

Free Advice from Steve

2010-10-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

For a slight change of pace, I thought I'd put in a short essay I wrote some time ago. I hope you enjoy it.

I was in deep lust several years ago with a young man I’ll call ‘Steve’. Alas, the lust boat traveled one way only. However, Steve and I were friends, and we met now and again for coffee and chitchat and one day he asked me a question. My heart soared. Perhaps the question would lead to something mutual? Alas, it did not. As luck would have it, we never saw each other again unless, like two ships, we merely passed, said our ‘hellos’ and kept going.

The question Steve asked went something like, “If you were to sail around the world on a small boat, with whom would you choose to go?” I immediately pictured me on a small, 30’ ketch (my uncle’s boat of choice) and the close quarters and realized that Steve had asked me quite a question.

No matter how ‘large’ a sailboat, it is still very small, especially when out in the middle of the vastness of an ocean. There is no place to go. No one to call, cell phones don’t work. Electricity is too precious to waste on anything but necessary lighting. No libraries except what one packs and space is of the essence. No matter how one looks at it, it’s close quarters for a long time. Who would I choose to be that close to for that length of time?

How I wish I’d heard that question years earlier; it might have kept me from a couple of ‘bad’ marriages. Then, again, probably not, for at the time, I was very, very sure I wanted to live with Mr. Right forever, if not in a sailboat, at least in a house.

I’ve pondered Steve’s question many times since then. Each time I meet a man, Steve’s question comes to mind. I’ve met one man I could, I think, live with under such close quarters, but it will never be. There is an age differential that neither of us wishes to deal with. I’ve met several men with whom that question poses almost nightmarish answers. And as soon as those answers come forth, I realize again, what a great question Steve asked me that day in Starbucks so many Octobers ago.

I don’t know if Steve realized what great advice he dispensed. But I took it, and it has made a most positive difference in my life. For once, free advice was worth a king’s ransom, several times over.

My Gratefuls:
*Friends like 'Steve'
*Digital cameras
*Sailboats - big and small
*Good advice to keep me safe from monsters ;-)
*Family

What I am Reading:
*Disrupted Destiny, World History Through Islamic Eyes --by Tamim Ansari. As interesting as this book is, I still need to eventually turn out the light and get some sleep.
*Richard Wetherill: Anasazi - I'm almost through with it. Honest. Trust me.
*West Into the Night - I've barely begun it. I want to finish the other two before I get into it. The beginning is so beautifully written I know once I really get going, I won't want to put it down.

My Current Projects:
*I need to get back to and finish a couple of quilt tops
*Reworking of Jibutu and the Mage (novel)

Quote for this post:
"Asking a quilter to mend is like asking Picasso to paint your garage." -- Unknown

Casa Vino Wine Bar

2010-10-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

My friend, Ann, and I started meeting on the first Tuesday of the month for a glass of wine and a plate of cheese. It was a great way for us to get together, laugh, and start the new month. Soon, several other friends joined us, and we began to try new wine bars.

Now, for those of you not from the Tri Cities area, you probably don't realize we are becoming quite well known for our wines. The Yakima Valley is perfect for growing grapes and making wine.

My tastes in wine run toward the reds, and I prefer dry over sweet. I usually order either a Cabernet or the House Red. My palate is very uneducated as to all the nuances of wine. If it's red, and not turning to vinegar, I'll drink it. If it's red and beginning to turn, I make wine jelly out of it.

This past Tuesday, we went to a place out in Queensgate (an area of Richland) to the Casa Vino Wine Bar. None of us had ever been there before, and we had no idea what we were in for. Turned out, we had a marvelous time. Being a Tuesday, there was no live music (muscians come in Fri/Sat), and very few customers besides us. In fact, we invited Andre, the owner, to join us at our table, which he did. As customers came in, he of course, left to care for them, but he kept coming back.

Ann and I shared a Greek plate - hummus, crackers, fruit, pickled asparagus, and pickled artichoke hearts. It was to die for! Katharine and Dave shared the salmon plate. Andre also has paninis, and serves whole (humongous) or half ones. I believe Andre said all but one of the wines served were local. Alisa came late and had a glass of Malbec, the same as I had. Wonderful!

There is outdoor seating available, with nice views of the hills, though we opted to sit inside (mainly because I'm a wimp). Outdoor seating should still be pleasant for another month or two.

If you are in the Tri City area, the First Tuesday Folks highly recommend Casa Vino. Andre is a delight, the wine is wonderful, and the food delicious! We plan on returning.

Casa Vino Wine Bar
Andre Kafentzis, owner
1970 Keene Road
Richland, WA 99352
509.628.3255 / 509.521.6295
casavino@hotmail.com

My Gratefuls:
*The Ancient who figured out how to make wine
*Grapes for the Ancient to use
*Glass blowers who made bottles to store the wine
*Cork harvesters who carved the corks
*Red, red wines

What I'm reading:
*Still on the same three books, but The End looms closer on two of them;-)

Quote for this post:
"Wine is the most civilized thing in the world."
-Ernest Hemingway.

From this...to This!

2010-10-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

From this full freezer of fruits gathered throughout the summer....

...to this result, all 352 jars of yummies that came from the fruit from the freezer above! (Doncha just love how the yellow walls and terra cotta tiles give it all a nice, warm glow?)

Now comes the joy - and the challenge - of figuring out where to store my 117 jars thereof.

My Gratefuls:
*Friends
*Friends who share the bounty of their fruits
*Sisters of choice who come and for one week end become Jamsters!
*Friends who appreciate the jam, come Winter Gift Season
*Lots of extra pillow upon which to place my tired, achy, and swollen feet while I sleep;-)

What I was reading:
*Recipes!

Quote for the post:
"All bread must be broken so it can be shared." -- Margaret Atwood, from the poem, "All Bread"
---And it tastes sooo much better with homemade jam!

Jamsters Anuual Jam Session for 2010

2010-10-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

NOTE: All photos on today's post taken and copyrighted by my Ol' Same, Dame Judith.

First, start with a freezer full of fruit picked during the summer: grapes, Oregon grapes, rhubarb, peaches, plums, Bing cherries, zucchini--oops, that's for bread, not jam;-) -- blackberries, raspberries....

Then gather three SOCs (sisters of choice) - Lee, Nancy, and Lenora. You might notice, we're all wearing aprons with our names on them. There is a reason for the names - after several hours/days of jamming, we're a little brain dead, and it's very helpful if we're properly identified. It's also extremely confusing if we grab the wrong apron, then not only are the others confused, but so is the wearer!

Damson Plums cooking. We have to remove the pits, and it was easier to cook them first. Then, we got smart! We started nuking them in the microwave instead of wasting a burner.

Nancy at the food mill

Lee mushing the nuked plums through the pepper roaster. The pepper roaster had big holes, but too big for the plum pits. Then Nancy ran the pulp and skins through the food mill to remove all the goodness from the skins.

Jars waiting to be filled with goodness! We filled 352 jars this year - down about a hundred from last year, but that was OK with us. We still have 117 jars each to eat or share with friends as we see fit. What did we make?

We started off with Canton Ginger (if you strain the ginger out after cooking, dry it, coat it in sugar, you have Candied Ginger); Sweet Onion Jam, Damson Plum jam, Ginger Peach Honey, Cherry Marmalade, Asian Pear Marmalade, Tangy Plum Ketchup, Blackberry/Oregon Grape jam, Jalapeno Jelly, and I forgot the others. But lots of yummy things! Trust me.

We also made three large jars of Preserved Lemons for Moroccan style cooking (the lemons are salted - to be well rinsed before use!)

The Jamsters posing in front of the red stove. At the end of the session (started about 7pm Thursday, ended 6pm Sunday) we were still laughing and having fun!

Yellow Bellied Grape Eater

2010-09-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

Not only do I have friends visiting Kenya (see links at the side for Jo and Bas's trip) but I also have friends in the Ukraine. Lulu has been transferred there, and she and Ted will be there for at least two years. Be sure and check out their blog, linked at the right. Very funny, check them out.

One would think, after living here as long as I have, that the squirrels would be used to my comings and goings, and ignore both me and the wee wannabee dog. Alas, such is not the case. However, I managed to get one of them the other day as he was really concentrating on eating the few grapes I had left on the vines just for his enjoyment!

My friend, Cecile, was going to throw away her rhubarb last year, and I drove to Walla Walla to rescue it, brought it home, and planted it. I must have done something right, because I managed to harvest a good 4 quarts of rhubarb this summer! It must be a glutton for punishment, because I quite literally ignored it, except to go out and pull up stems! Anyhow, we had a couple of cool nights, and one of the remaining large leaves turned this brilliant red.

My Gratefuls:
*Freezers
*Rhubarb
*Blackberries
*Plums
*Peaches
*Sisters of Choice who like to come visit and spent a mad 3 days every autumn turning all our fruit into jams and butters and ketchups!

What I'm Reading:
*Still working on the same three books about Islam, Anasazi, and Africa.

Quote for this post:
"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." -- Richard Bach

All Bread

2010-09-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

Aaron and I went to Spokane WA the other day, and on the way home stopped off at a Rest Area. I looked over, and saw a photo op. It reminded me of the poem, All Bread by Margaret Atwood. The third stanza of the poem begins: "Good bread has the salt taste / of your hands after nine / strokes of the axe..."

All Bread has been one of my favorite poems since I first read it many years ago. I hope she doesn't mind that I've quoted some of it here, without her permission.

Fall has for sure fell in our area. We've had gray days, rainy days, blustery days, and now a sunny day. According to the weather people, we will have a few more sunny and warm days, but not like summer. The other night we had a marvelous thunder storm, with slow rolling thunder and fast paced lightning. Unfortunately, the weather people refuse to schedule these storms between 7-10pm so I can enjoy them!

My Gratefuls:
•Four seasons
•Programmable sprinkler systems
•The ability to think of 'what if...?'
•Publishers who still believe in publishing good books
•Publishers who don't print everything in hardback!

What I'm Reading:
•Destiny Disrupted - A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes --by Tamim Ansary
This is the third book on my bed at the moment. I'm still reading the bio of Richard 'Anasazi' Wetherill, as well as West Into the Night by Beryl Markham

Quote for this post:
"Personal beliefs are unarguable, even if the other side has all the facts." --Sheri S. Tepper

A Thousand Strips of Sunshine

2010-09-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are fans of all things African, a friend of mine has returned to Kenya for the first time in 33 years, and is blogging the visit. It is fascinating: http://basandjo.blogspot.com/

Happy Tuesday!

The reason there was no post yesterday is because I was working on the quilt top at the right. (I'm trying to post something at least weekly, and on Mondays - just so any of you who are still out there will know ;-)

My living room faces west, and only gets the afternoon sun, and in the winter, it isn't a lot. I found this quilt pattern in a catalog, rushed down to my favorite quilt store (Stitch n Bug for you who are local to the Tri Cities of Washington) and, well, I've been busy for the last few days.

As you can tell, the quilt is bright, cheery, and when finished will be just perfect to snuggle under while reading or watching tv/movies.

Next project? Why, another quilt, of course, but one in blues, greens and yellows, if I'm remember correctly. But not one of a thousand stripes.

Also, getting ready for the Jam Session when my two SOCs come over from Seattle and we spend a hectic three days making jams! That takes lots of naps (need those quilts) both in preparation for and recouping from the week end;-)

My Gratefuls:
*Good friends who are my Family of Choice
*Patient ladies who taught me to quilt
*Good water to drink and use that hasn't been privatized
*Shelves full of books
*A camera I may some day learn to use!

What I'm Reading Right Now:
*Richard Wehterill: Anasazi
Yes, I'm still reading it, but I'm more than half-way through

What I'm Working On:
*The Veiled Healer, a short story rejected by a magazine where the editor was kind enough to tell me where the story is broken.
*Jibutu and the Mage, a novel on which I am about to begin major revision.

And, remember, if you liked Brother Rat, you will really like Jiang Li! Honest. Trust me.

Jiang Li, Warrior Woman of Yueh

2010-09-15T10:17:00.001-07:00

OK, I tried and tried to upload the photo somewhere in the right margin, and couldn't do it, so I just added it as a 'gadget'.

The book is on schedule, and can be ordered from either the publisher, Sam's Dot Publishing at www.SamsDotPublishing.com or, if you want a signed copy you may order from me at www.LenoraRain-LeeGood.com

The Price will be the same, $7.00 plus shipping and handling (yet to be determined, but shouldn't be very much.

My Gratefuls:
• Free blogs, even if I can't figure them out (like how to get rid of the underscore!)
• Another sunny day
• A wee dog to keep my lap warm (just what I need when it's 90 degrees out)
• A huge cat nicknamed Elephant Paws who keeps me warm at night whether I need it or not
• Publishers who buy my words

What I'm Reading;
Take a Bite of Literature! Small pieces of work by members and friends of Oregon Writers Colony

Quote for the Post:
"There comes a time when autumn asks,
"What have you been doing all summer?" - unknown

As Gene Autry used to say...

2010-09-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

I'm back in the saddle again. So to speak. (It's been years since I've actually been on a horse, and it will be that many more years before it happens again, I'm sure;-)

It has been a very busy summer. I picked, cleaned, and packaged several gallons of plums and peaches, have a few gallons of grapes, a scant gallon of Bing cherries, a few quarts of Oregon Grape, raspberries, and black berries in the freezer. All are ready for the Jamming Session that will be the first weekend of October!

I have also been writing. Am polishing a novel with the help of good friends who are doing likewise with their novels, have several short stories about ready to go forth, in fact, a few are now waiting on the desks of various editors.

And Jiang Li, Warrior Woman of Yueh will be out the first of October. It is a novella, 37,000 words, and a companion piece to Brother Rat. Jiang Li will sell for $7.00US plus s/h (cost of envelope and postage). Stay tuned, more information to come. In the meantime, you can read the Prologue on my website www.LenoraRain-LeeGood.com .

What I'm reading:
Richard Wetherill: Anasazi
Pioneer Explorer of Southwestern Ruins
--by Frank McNitt

A biography I spied on a friend's bookshelf about the (white) man who discovered Chaco Cyn, Mesa Verde, and other ancient ruins. A very interesting book published by University of New Mexico Press. I'm a little less than a quarter of the way through the book, and it is holding my interest. But, then, I love the ruins and the SW.

My Gratefuls:
*I have wonderful friends
*I have two good kids
*The sun is shining
*Fruit is in the freezer
*Jiang Li is on her way

Quote for the Post:
“Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee
and just as hard to sleep after.” --Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Kitchen Remo Update and Eating the Scenery

2010-06-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

Remember the old saying about no good deed shall go unpunished? Well, no good remodel shall go without humor!

I was sooo happy to have a fan that a. vented to the outside and b. really worked.... I still am. However, this fan, my beautiful new red fan that matches my beautiful new red stove is a real powerhouse. It sucks air out of the kitchen and blows it outside--down the roof, and sucks it right back in through any open door or window on the back of the house! Who woulda thunk it? (I'll see if there s a way to re-direct the flow. Alas, I fear not...)

It's no big deal, but in nice weather I tend to leave the back door open so the critters can get out and in without having to bother one of the humans in the house. Yesterday, I had an oven-smoked Texas style brisket in the oven all day cooking low and slow. The reason for such a good fan is so I don't fill the house with yummy cooking odors -- I like the smell of cooking food, but not all day long.

The brisket turned out delicious, thank you. And, now that I think about it, the Paco Belle spent most of the day shut outside. Didn't seem to bother her much.

If you like to cook, or just read abut cooking, please check out my friend's blog, Eating the Scenery at: http://pistachioandthorn.blogspot.com/ . Becky is a marvelous cook, a Master Gardener, a truly great person, and a very good friend!

I think summer may actually be here - we skipped spring this year - it's been wet, cool, not at all desertly, but now, maybe, we're getting some warmth and sunshine. Hope you are, too!

It's Monday - yet, again!

2010-06-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

Goodest Monday to all you who check in now and again.

Not much has been going on in this house for the last week. I've managed to do very little writing, but just finished reading a marvelous book: Genghis Khan - Life, Death, and Resurrection --by John Man. For those of you who enjoy real history (not the stuff I write ;-), especially of Asia, I strongly recommend you read some of his books. I have now read 3 - one on The Great Wall, and one on Attila. The latter rather surprised me--I had no idea I was even interested in reading about Attila, and bought the book because John Man wrote it. Once I started it, I could not put it down until I got to the last page.

Perhaps one of the reasons I'm drawn to Asian history is my DNA. My mtDNA, to be precise. I had it tested some time ago, and my however many Great Grandmothers (like all of ours) originally walked out of Africa. Mine went north, through what is now known as Eurasia, and eventually ended up somewhere in what is now Germany before coming to America.

Perhaps one of the reasons I'm drawn to Asian history is my mother, who loved all things Chinese.

I believe summer may be close at hand. We've had several days of cool, grey, and even wet. Today is scheduled to be sunny and warm (79). I hope whoever is in charge of the weather follows the schedule. I'm ready for sunny days, warm days, and mostly dry days. (There is a reason I moved to the desert;-) Perhaps I can even get some decent photos to share with you next time.

Have yourselves a great week.

Veteran's Day

2010-05-31T08:32:00.000-07:00

To all Veterans:

Thank You!

And to all the spouses (is the plural of spouse, spice?), parents, chldren, siblings, shirttail relatives, and friends who support those Vets:

Thank You!!

You are all very much appreciated.

Socks

2010-05-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, today's post is about socks. In particular, my new socks by Smartwool. I very seldom wear cotton socks, and cannot wear synthetic blends at all, so I mostly wear wool socks, and in the summer, I prefer the lightest weight ones I can find.

So, yesterday, I went to REI to partake of their sale, and bought three pair of socks by Smartwool. (These are washable/dryable socks, by the way, and 100% wool)

So, because I was just a tad bored, I decided to read the laundry instructions. I am quoting here. "...do not iron." Say what? Do not iron my socks? I can't iron my socks? I always iron my socks, don't you???? Yeah, right. Jeans, maybe. Tee shirts, sometimes. But SOCKS?

OK, I've quit laughing and am now down to now and then chortles.

The 2010 Indy 500 is over. Some spectacular crashes, but I think all the drivers escaped serious injury--not sure about the last crash. My idea of a great race is lots of crashes, destruction, fires, whatever--AND THE DRIVER WALKS AWAY unscathed.

Not a whole lot of excitement in my life today. It's cool, windy, more cloudy than not. The Big Race is over until next year (Danica came in 5th, by the way. Go Danica!)

I'm reading Genghis Khan by John Man. This is the third book by him I've read -- and I hope to eventually have all his books. He is an Historian, and his books are very readable. The people he writes about are real, not just some paper cutout filled with nothing but dates I can never remember. I took the above photo just up the road a piece (3 miles +/-) from where I live; I live in what is classified as High Desert by some and Steppes by others. I can't help but wonder if our part of the world would look familiar to Genghis Khan, should he ever be so inclined to visit? We have many of the same flora--including tumbleweed which, I've been told, came from Russia. I've heard two stories, both of which sound plausible. The first is the tumbleweed seeds came over in wheat (this is wheat country); the second story is that Russian immigrants missed them, and sent for seeds.

Although it is 73 degrees out, the breeze and clouds make it feel much cooler.

If you're a Veteran and reading this blog, Thank You!

...And Finally, Home!

2010-05-27T05:42:00.000-07:00

Not all the old homes were built at the base of a cliff, some were built out a ways. I think, though, most were built at the base -- possibly to use the cliff to shelter from weather, as well as give quick access to safety in case of a raid by enemies.

Petroglyphs. Ancient language? Ancient graffiti? Crooked Snake was here? Wind Mother was here?

The rock on the left broke away from the rock on the right. It would have fallen considerably farther than it did; however, just out of sight of the camera was a huge boulder the breakaway is sitting on. In the early 1900s a huge rock like this broke away from the cliff and smashed some of the ruins. Fortunately, no one was home when it happened.

Blooming cactus

Our last sight-seeing stop of the trip, The Devil's Slide, in Utah. This was after driving through two snow storms. I didn't know if the clouds on the hill top were rain or snow, and we didn't want to find out. There is a pull out off the freeway to view the slide, and when we pulled off, we were looking in the wrong direction. Fortunately, Sonja turned around and saw this. It is quite impressive.

From here we drove on to Jerome, ID where we stopped for the night. The next day's trip was mostly in decent weather. Well, there were no more snow storms to go through, and the closer we got to Kennewick, the nicer the day became. Or was I just happy to be home?

Sonja is visiting Luke and will be home Sunday. I am working on another novel.

Life is good!

Chaco Canyon

2010-05-25T07:15:00.001-07:00

When Kay and I were here a year ago, we had 50mph winds and snow. Not overly pleasant! This time, Sonja and I had enough of a breeze to keep us comfortable, and sunshine. We heard after we got home that the next day we would have had 65mph winds and a blinding dust storm! We were very glad we left on Monday instead of Tuesday;-)

The walls of the old buildings are about 3 ft thick, and all rock. Most buildings were built near the cliff base, but not all.

The windows were square, as were the door ways. The builders were truly masters of their craft!

Looking down into one of the larger Kivas. The niches around the sides were for icons (they think) of one sort or another. Possibly Kachina dolls. The big rounds held the main ceiling supports, the bench around the side was for people to sit on, and the two big oblongs were for sitting. There is a firepit between the two oblongs.

One of the original beams for the second floor

The outside wall of one of the larger ruins. Although there are a few waves in the wall, it is very sturdy.

The view from the windows in the above wall

If any of you are considering a trip to Chaco Canyon, or any of the ancient sites in the American Southwest, I strongly urge you to buy a copy of the book, Ancient Peoples of the American Southwest, Second Edition --by Stephen Plog. Read the book first, and take it with you. It is the most readable/accessible book about the Ancient Ones I've read. My only gripe with the book is he used end-notes instead of foot notes. But, as you all know, that is a standard gripe with me. A pox upon end-notes and all who write them!!!

Next up - a few more pictures of Chaco Canyon and the Devil's Slide.

...New Mexico &...

2010-05-22T16:59:00.001-07:00

So, after a fine treat at the Boche del Apache Bird Sanctuary, we came back, and I settled down on the patio in a comfortable chair chugging soda and ice water, and enjoying the wonderful show of hummingbirds that came to Roxie's feeders.

Roxie (Sonja's friend and 'landlady') also had a horse and 3 burros, all of whom were too curious to meet me and my camera to get any good photos. But the hummingbirds just wanted their sugar water!

Some of the little guys actually landed to feed. Most of those had their backs to me.

Oh, yes, Sonja did pack Suvie Star Car! She packed and packed, and when it was done, we went to bed. Then she got up at 2 in the morning and took everything out and packed it all over again! How much stuff can you get in a Subaru Forrester? This much...with a wee bit left over.

From the back hatch....

From the back door, looking across the car....

And Sonja holding more stuff!

No, she didn't have to hold it all the way home. We stopped at the post office and mailed it.

Sonja generously offered to drive home. She said I drove all the way to get her, she'd drive home. I figured we'd swap every couple of hours, but she really likes to drive, is a good driver, and bless her, she drove all the way from the post office!

Next stop, Chaco Canyon.

To New Mexico ...

2010-05-21T06:58:00.000-07:00

I have been informed that I have been remiss in not maintaining this blog by one of my faithful followers. There is a perfectly good reason. Honest. Trust me.

After writing the last blog, my daughter called me and said she hoped Luke (her son, my grandson) wasn't reading my blog as I gave away to all the world that she was moving home. Oops! Luke thought she was coming in August, and she wanted to surprise him. It turns out, he doesn't follow my blog, and was surprised!

So, I took a quick trip to New Mexico to gather said daughter and whatever of her stuff would fit in Suvie Star Car, and then we made a quick trip home. I drove down, she drove back.

I had planned on taking a scenic route through Utah. Sadly, there was a horrendous (read: fatal) accident that blocked the road, and if I waited the two hours for it to reopen, I would have driven it in the dark, so turned around, and opted for the freeway instead of the by ways.

I did pull over at a View Point for the first two photos. The colors were spectacular, and the view, literally, breathtaking. Especially when I considered I would be driving down that highway in the top photo.

I spent the first night in Nephi, UT, and reached Belen, NM around 5pm the next night (Saturday). Met one of my Sisters of Choice, Kitty, for dinner, and a good visit, then again in the morning, for breakfast and a good visit before heading down the road 50 miles or so to gather up my child.

Sonja lived with a friend just 8 miles from the Boche del Apache Bird Sanctuary, so off we went. Unfortunately, it was mid day, and we didn't see too many unusual birds. The only two birds I saw that we don't see here were the Ibis (bottom photo) and the Cormorants (not shown). However, the Heron posed so beautifully, I had to take his picture. As soon as I had it, he bowed, and flew away.

Many turtles, and more cat fish than I could count. Oh, I got so hungry for fried catfish! Sonja reminded me we were in a sanctuary and it was illegal to hunt or fish. Drat!

After spending a few hours driving around the sanctuary, getting our sinuses upset with all the dust, pollen, cotton wood blossoms and pollen from the Russian Olive (nasty tree!), we headed
back to her home and loaded Suvie Star Car.

Loading Suvie was not an easy job. Fortunately, I spent several years at Boeing learing to put 10 lbs of stuff into 5 lb bags -- and was able to convey much of that knowledge to Sonja, who actually did most of the work. OK, she did ALL of the work--I was too busy fighting a touch of food poisoning from the previous night's dinner but you didn't really want to know that, did you?

Unfortunately, the Ibis' color doesn't show well. He (she?) is an Iridescent Ibis, and when the sun shines on him, he is absolutely gorgeous. Here the sun is only on his shoulder.

To be continued....

Oh, one more thing.... A friend sent me a video that I thought was one of the funniest I've seen n ages. If you're under 40, it probably won't appeal to your sense of humor, but your Mom will love it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clFjSjOZ9Ow

Got Tree House?

2010-05-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

I moved into this home 4 years ago. The previous owners had kidlets and built, and left, a swing set and a tree house. As I had NO kidlets of the appropriate ages, and didn't want any more, I had no use for either.

My neighbors have two small boys (a third will arrive any day now, but he's too young to care) and they took the swing set. I tried to get them to take the tree house, but no luck. It was well built and would have taken a case of beer and 4 guys a bit of time, but it was made to stand alone. And would have made a great fort on short legs in their yard.

The tree house as it was.

Well, yesterday Straw Boss (above) Paco Belle, managed to get her friend Arlyn to come over and remove the tree house. It took no beer, lots of ropes, considerable know-how, one man, one Paco Belle, and lots of muscles, but he got the tree house out of the tree, onto his truck, and out of my yard all by himself. With the help of Paco Belle, too.

With strong ropes holding/suspending the tree house, Arlyn is removing the last leg of the house.

With the flat bed truck carefully (very carefully) backed between the fence and the tree, Arlyn lowers the tree house.

Easing the tree house down the last few inches with his trusty jack.

Tree house on the flat bed, waiting to be tied down and delivered to a new home - Arlyn has a young grandson who will love it.

Windy, windy...

2010-05-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

You know the old saw, "It never rains but what it pours"? Well, in the tri-cities, it never breezes but what it blows!

First off this morning (Monday) I had to get dressed, etc. then call AAA as Suvie's battery was deader than a door nail (is that deader than a dead nail?). Anyhow, I called AAA and they said someone would be out within an hour. No sooner had I hung up the phone when it rang, and it was the carpet folks. They were trying to find my house so they could fix/repair the carpet from the new door installation in my bathroom. They finally found my house, stunk it up with their hot glue. The AAA guy came, and got the battery jumped, told me to back Suvie out of the garage and let her run for about 25-30 minutes to get the battery charged. Well, that's fine -- but also illegal unless I'm going to sit in it that long. Not bloody well likely!

So, the AAA guy left, the carpet guys left, and I headed over to Sacajawea State Park to see what kind of photo ops might be available. Is it possible to photograph wind?

I managed to get a couple shots of the fence as it was on it's way down. The wind was so strong I could barely stand in it. As soon as I took these shots and walked back to shelter, the fence went down. I did NOT go back out for shots of a horizontal fence! Dear readers, you are invaluable to my life, but....

Maya Lin, who some of you may know as the designer of the Viet Name Memorial in the other Washington (DC) designed an installation for the park. The horizontal fence is, or rather was, around it. This is part of the installation. I don't know if you can get the picture enlarged enough to read the words but they are in Native American and English - "...Baskets", "... Wool Blankets", "... Bison Robes", "... Pigments". I didn't try for the Native words as I don't have all the letters, etc. I'm not sure what wll cover the circle, but there are several circles, and each one will be a different story, that runs along the bottom.

Of course, while I was at the park, there was nothing but wind and clouds. Now that I am home, there is wind and sunshine. Sigh.

I will be leaving on Friday morning, as early as I can drag my limbs from bed, and heading to New Mexico to visit my Sister of Choice, Kitty, and to collect Sonja (my daughter) and bring her back with me, so it will probably be a couple of weeks before I am able to post another entry. I am still trying to decide whether or not to take my laptop with me.

So, if there is no posting, know it's because I am travelling, and not intentionally ignoring any of you ;-)

Two TV Reviews

2010-04-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

How the States Got Their Shapes

While surfing the tv the other night for something to watch before bed, I came across a program on one of the “educational” channels called How the States Got Their Shapes. I don’t remember who narrated the show, but Mark Stein appeared several times, and is the author of the book. The narrator was born and raised in Ohio and started there, taking us on an odyssey across the country from top to bottom, coast to coast, in no particular order, explaining why the individual states are shaped like they are. The reasons run the gamut from religion to politics to old King George drawing lines on a poorly (if) surveyed map!

I thought rivers played a major role in state borders – but it is much more than wandering rivers. The colonies were mapped out for a variety of reasons, including religion. (Incidentally, the Mason and Dixon Line did not separate the North from the South, contrary to what most of us were taught in school). California got so big because they had gold and presented a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude to Congress. Idaho has a skinny top because they had gold, and didn’t want the rowdy miners who would come to dig it out, so they gave it to Montana. Congress didn’t trust the Mormons so carved their Territory of Deseret into the much smaller state of Utah. (There we go with the religion thing, again.)

If you go online and google How the States Got Their Shapes, something lie 29M entries will come up. Including several for Mark Stein’s book, a copy of which will soon reside in my library ;-)

America: The Story of Us

With much ballyhooing, The History Channel began their epic 6 part showing of this 12- hour docu-drama last night. While I do watch The History Channel, I admit I am not a great fan of them. I have seen too many shows where they got the history flat out wrong, or strongly implied it was wrong, so I came to the tube last night with more than a tad of skepticism. I managed to stay awake for most of the show, dozing off while George Washington was frozen in Valley Forge. I don’t claim to be an Historian with a capital “H”, but I do love history, and must admit, I was very favorably impressed with what they presented. I found the presentation quite riveting and in fact learned a few things. Or, in some cases, possibly re-learned them.

Check your local listings for reruns of both shows, and set your clock to remind you about America: The Story of Us next Sunday night! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by either.

Also, check your local library for DVDs of the programs and or the books!

Quackers

2010-04-21T15:05:00.001-07:00

My friend and travel buddy, Kay, came for a visit a few days ago to see and bless the new kitchen. Of course, she loved both the new kitchen AND the new bathroom! We thought we'd go out to the McNary Wildlife (Bird) Refuge, but the clouds were coming in and rain in the forecast, so we went to the duck pond down by the Columbia. Where we saw lots of gulls....

...and a skunk. We think Mz Flower is a female, because she was quite busy gathering grass, etc., and hauling it into her den when she wasn't drinking. We figure she either has babies, or is about to. However, we didn't get close enough to ask ;-)

We also saw many geese, including this family who so generously posed for us, on several occasions. Ah, spring....!
The family that swims together.....

Now and Then

2010-04-12T16:43:00.001-07:00

You may have to do some mental shifting with photos and captions. The operator isn't working with all buttons this morning ;-)

Then....and now!

Then...and now!
I can't take these pictures from quite the same angle. I stood in the door for the old one, but the door has moved -- as well as just about everything else!

Self Portrait! Note my illuminating personality ;-)

Ever wondered what it looks like under a house? This is what it looks like under mine. Marco took the picture. Believe me, I was not, am not nor will I ever be, willing to crawl under my house, nor anyone elses!

And there it is! My new kitchen and bathroom. There are still a few nits to be fixed, but basically it's all over but the shouting - and writing of checks! I am absolutely thrilled with both room. And if any of you are in the Tri-Cities area and in need of any kind of construction (or destruction), I give my whole-hearted recomendation to Bill and his Triple C Construction Company! And if you need new cabinets, you will not go wrong with Columbia Cabinets!

Now, don't forget to check out my new website: http://www.lenorarain-leegood.com

Almost Finished!

2010-04-06T06:48:00.000-07:00

We are down to the final bits. The guys are short a wee bit of trim - it will be delivered Thursday, in the meantime, they are taking care of last minute bits and pieces -- framed in the window, finished trim above the stove,

sanded the patch in the hall in preparation for putting the texture on and painting it, as well as the the end of the tub wall in the bathroom.

There is touch up painting to be done in both kitchen and bath, the hall wall needs repainting and the one bedroom wall in my room needs repainting.

Bill is pretty sure it will all be finished by close of business this coming Friday! Hooray! I am sooo ready for the Before and AFTER pictures!!!! ;-)

It Works!!!

2010-04-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

What's the old saying? Something about Red Stove at night, Cook's delight...?

Well, the stove was checked out by the stove adjuster, a couple wee adjustments made, then the ceiling was repainted white (you can see a bit of blue over the hood), then the fan on the roof was connected to the hood in the house, and I can now cook! Once I relearn how ;-)

A happy coinkydink is my red pot rack matches the stove, as does the red timer (far right on the hood).

Monday they will finish up - a piece of wood that matches the cabinets will go above the hood, the window will be framed in, and little touch ups, etc. At least, I hope they finish up on Monday.

I don't know what the 'grates' over the burners are made of, but they cool down pretty fast, unlike my other stove. By the time I ate dinner last night, they were cool enough to handle so I could clean up. When the adjuster came out to be sure all was proper, he also told me Emeril Lagasse uses Viking ranges. But, I bet Emeril's aren't red!

A friend of Vince's came by yesterday to see the work in progress. He is a Home Stylist (ie, interior designer). He just came back from a dealer's show in 'Vegas and was telling Vince about how color is finally coming back in style and Vince told him about the job he was working on and how colorful it was. So, Jarrod came by to have a look see. He loved it! He will come back when it's done and the mess is cleaned up;-)

When all the touch ups are finished, etc., I'll put pictures up of the Before and the After.

Y'all have a Happy Easter and a Marvelous Spring!

slim pickins

2010-04-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

Well, slim pickins yesterday. About the only thing going on yesterday is 'young' Alex came and grouted the tiles (not to be confused with slightly older Alex who put the tiles in), and I spent all day figuring out where to put stuff in the kitchen. Mostly, I knew where I wanted to put things, and I now have almost everything unpacked and put away. There are a couple boxes I am going to put in storage - my aunt's crystal, my cousin's unicorn collection, and some misc. stuff, otherwise, it's mostly unpacked. Am waiting to hang the pot rack (they have to repaint the ceiling), and they need to connect the hood to the motor on the roof, then I can remove all the plastic on the hood and use the stove. Whoopeee!!!!

So, no pictures today, but should be more tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow's pictures will be the totally finished project!

IT WORKS!

2010-03-31T06:58:00.001-07:00

The plumbers came yesterday, while one worked in my bathroom, the other worked in the kitchen. The first thing he did (after disconnecting the water) was put in the pot filler. It looks very striking with the stove.

And while the pot filler, kitchen sink, etc. were being plumbed in the kitchen, my bathroom was getting it's new sink, tub, and toilet all plumbed.

And, I want you to know, they work. Especially the tub filler. I had my first bath in years last night! What a luxury! The tub may be short, but it's comfy!

Jose, from Campbell and Company connecting my stove. I need to call someone to come over and adust the burners, etc. but they all work.

Bill and Vince on the roof installing the fan motor for the stove! Yes, it goes outside! (Unlike my last hood which was vented into the attic! Arrrggghhhh!!!!!) Tomorrow, they will connect the motor to the hood so I can actually use it;-)

I have already begun moving back into the rooms. It's like moving into a new home. I'm not sure where everything is going to go, and once there, can I find it again? But, it sure is fun. There are still odds 'n' bods that need to be done, but, basically, it's all over but the touch ups! And grouting the kitchen tile;-)

Red Stove Kitchen!

2010-03-30T06:04:00.001-07:00

Paca Belle (from south of the border) has taken over the job of Supervisor! She was right in the thick of it yesterday when the island was being moved back into the kitchen telling the guys to 'go there' and 'no no, it goes here!'

I knew she was good for something ;-)

Bill, Vince, and Marco moving the island into position. Not an easy feat to accomplish! The red & blue thing on the left is the hood, standing on end.

The hood, being mounted. They will remove the blue plastic when the electricians are finished. The motor for the hood (I call it the 'engine' because it is as loud as a small jet engine!) goes on the roof!

And here it is, coming down the runway! The Red Stove! The guys from Campbell & Co will be here this morning to connect it, then I have to call someone to come and adjust it so all the burners are set correctly. 15,000 BTU of cooking capacity. Now, I just have to learn to cook, all over again!

The plumber called in sick yesterday, so I didn't have a kitchen sink to wash dishes in last night. Sure hope he makes it today! The little bathroom sink just isn't a good alternative. It works, but....

This has been fun, but you know, in this case a little bit of fun goes a long way, and I'm ready for the fun to stop now ;-) I want a bath in my new tub, I want to re-hang my pot rack, I want to get all my things put away! "Soon," Bill says, "soon."

The Tile Man Leaveth

2010-03-26T14:45:00.000-07:00

Alex starting the kitchen tile behind where the stove will go. Remember, the stove is Racing Red.

All the tile is up in the kitchen. This is the mural behind my stove. If you look to the left you may see a tile with a design on it in the back splash. There are 5 back splash tiles with different, compatible designs throughout the kitchen.

The only tile left to set in the bathroom is the back splash, but the vanity has to be in place first. I hope Alex comes back for that, he doesn't know if he is the one who will come put the grout in, or if that will be someone else. (He's lays tile, someone else frequently grouts it - depends on the schedule.)

The floors are done. What's left? The grout, putting in the hood, motor, stove, framing in the window and new doors, trim/mill work, last minute connections of electricity and plumbing. I think Monday and Tuesday are going to be verrrrrry busy days. Oh, and of course, moving back into my house ;-) The end is in sight. At least that's what they tell me.

Floor Men Cometh

2010-03-25T15:21:00.001-07:00

The kitchen island needed to be moved out of the kitchen so the floor guys could put the flooring down. The glue needs to set for a couple of days. Bill had considered putting it in the entry, thinking it would just be for over night. So, we moved Grandmother's breakfront and some other stuff further into the living room and I now have about 12 inches to walk between the island (yellow top with stuff on it) and my 'kitchen' cart, and a wee bit less to get to the sofa. If company comes, there is NO place for them to sit, unless we go outside.

As you can see, it's tight! And, now, my stove hood is on top of the island. It's hard to believe that in just a few days, everything will be back to 'normal'. Oh, wait! Let me rephrase that. It's hard to believe that in just a few days I will have a new bathroom and a new kitchen in which to put all the stuff that is currently in the guest rooms, and the living room, and God only knows where else.

The good thing is, the end is in sight AND maybe, just maybe, I'll find that shoe box in which I so carefully packed away my Life at one point in time ;-)

OK, here is the kitchen floor without the island. Yes, it is BLUE. It will, of course, show all the dirt and dust that will blow in from the outside, and in this part of the world, well, what can I say. You know that shoe box I mentioned above? Well it contains not only my Life, but my Sanity.

But, wait until you see the red hood and red stove!

And here is my shower/tub surround. Alex will put in the back splash to the kitchen tomorrow (the floor guys will put in the floor in the bathroom tomorrow) and at some time, someone - maybe Alex, maybe not - will grout the tiles. This is white subway tile, and I asked for it to be put in like he did, including the one horizontal 'stripe'. All the blue things are spacers - unless it's tape. He will put in the backsplash for the vanity after the floor guys get the floor in and the vanity get's set in place.

Bill says it will all come together and I can still plan on my bath come Tuesday night. Well, seeing it will be believing it. (Call me a skeptic, but I spent too many years working, and seeing schedules slide to the right far more than slide to the left ;-)

Soon, I'm told, soon, and this madness will be over. Soon, I will have my house to myself, soon I'll be able to move back into it. Soon. Soon.

The Tile Man Tiling

2010-03-25T06:07:00.001-07:00

Alex arrived right on time yesterday with all the tile AND donuts! (Evil person, he ;-) Here he is painting the seams with waterproofing. It goes on pink and dries red!

Trimming tiles

Placing the first two tiles on the front of my tub.

The floor guys came yesterday afternoon, and smeared mud over all the seams and filled in all the staple holes. They also left my flooring in the kitchen (rolled) to warm up. Today Bill &c will move the island out of the kitchen, and the floor guys will have an open space in which to work. The bathroom vanity is in the garage so Alex has room to tile, and the floor guys will have room to floor.

Paco Belle has decided I'm her people, and as long as I don't go away, she's happy. She prefers if I sit so she has a lap (as in now) but is comfortable if I carry her. (Safer to carry her in this madness than to let her run free and escape - or get glued under the linoleum or a tile ;-)

Paco Belle it is!

2010-03-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

My Auntie Marie was one of my most favoritest peoples in the whole wide world, and she had a little Chihuahua named Paco that was nuttier than a squirrel's lunch, but in a good sort of way.

Little BeBe just doesn't fit Killer, as much as I like the name, so I think her name is going to be Paco Belle. Julian is giving her the evil eye, but Paco Belle isn't being intimidated. Nothing stands between a dog and her breakfast - not even a cat!

Tom, who is trimming the island Formica isn't being intimidated, either!

The Island with one of my table runners/toppers on it.

Alex (Alejandro) putting in the 'wet board' (or whatever it's called) for my tub surround. He will do the tiling, tomorrow.

Killer in the House!

2010-03-23T06:22:00.001-07:00

This is Tom. He is about to realize my worstest fears. Tom is cutting the Formica for my cabinet tops. Uh, Tom, the tops are wider than 2 inches. Honest. Trust me.

Oh, of course, the strips are for the edges. The big pieces are for the tops. How silly of me!

While Tom was here in the morning, Neil, the plumber came to remove the clog in the sewer line again. While here he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. In the meantime, Neil left, Tom left, Neil returned, Tom returned...the tops are all down now, but not all trimmed. I was in hopes the blue would be light enough, but, alas, it reflects on the yellow, and is giving a slightly greenish cast to my beautiful yellow formica. Aaaarrrrggggghhhhhh!!!!

However, Neil's offer I couldn't refuse is now here, squinty from sleep and not overly happy at being set down to take her picture! Her name is BeBe, but I call her killer. She is 4 years old, about 4 pounds, and very, very quiet. She is a lap dog not a yap dog as a friend of mine calls them. But she has the cats cowed. Well, Tash isn't cowed, she's just disgusted I brought yet another dog into the house. Julian, however, throws a real hissing fit every time he sees her! Killer ignores the cats-she's used to cats. Tashiko was raised by larger dogs than Killer. Julian was not raised around dogs and just doesn't understand why anyone would willingly have one in the house!

Ah, life! Ain't it Grand????

New Doors! New Window (well, sort of;-)

2010-03-19T17:01:00.001-07:00

Vince (left) and Bill (right) taking out the old sliding doors. The sliding part is gone, this is the immovable object. Well, sort of immovable;-)

Bill using brute strength to get the (sort of) immovable object out. Who woulda thunk it took so much to get a glass door out? I probably would have used a heavy hammer -- and still be outside cleaning up shards, with the frame intact!

Bill putting the new slider into the sewing room door (taken through the kitchen over-the-sink window hole).

So, I have two new sliding glass doors and one new sliding glass and plywood window over the kitchen sink. Fortunately, it was the glass guy who broke the window, now me;-) They will replace the wndow when the new one comes in.

All the counter tops are on, and all the sub flooring is in. Monday the Formica Guys will be here!

The end is in sight!

2010-03-17T17:49:00.001-07:00

Corner cabinet - first of the upper ones to go in. The cords you see sticking out of the wall are for under cabinet lights. The pipe in the lower left of the picture is for the pot filler.

Vince (gray shirt) and Marco hanging the other cabinets

The other cabinets are hung. End panels still need to be placed, and the refrigerator and end pantry. They will go in after the flooring is down.

The end of the kitchen where my grandmother's buffet and chest of drawers used to sit. Friday, they will put the top on the buffet, and probably the remaining end panels. They will also put in my new sliding glass doors and new kitchen window.

It wasn't until I got home with the sample, after I'd picked out the color of the wood (chicory) that I discovered it was the same color as grandmother's buffet. I must like that color, huh?

Let's come Together....

2010-03-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

Marco working on the bathroom vanity.

Vanity in place
Formica will be added next week, and then the tiling of the tub surround, and the sink...

Vince, making sure the first 3 of the island cabinets are level

The kitchen as it is tonight. The upper cabinets are placed and will be hung tomorrow. The island top is 6.5 ft by 3.5 ft with a 3" overhang all around. This is very important for when my sisters come over and we make jam. We need to have room to fasten the implements of fruit torture securely so we can pit/mash/strain/whatever all that fruity goodness!

They're Going In!

2010-03-15T17:07:00.001-07:00

Aaron (my son) came over on Saturday and painted my new bathroom Salmon Berry pink, using natural light, and this light.

For those of you who don't know, one normally wants their bathroom a pink color - it can be a pink terra cotta, or a salmon pink, it doesn't have to be PINK, but it should have pinkish tones to it.

Why? a couple of reasons. 1. If you wear makeup and apply it in a green or blue or yellow bathroom (or any other color) you will probably overcorrect for the reflected color of the walls on your skin and when you go forth into the world your makeup will be skewed. 2. You will look healthier when your skin picks up the pink tones vs. the other colors and if you look healthier, you will feel better.

My free advice for the day;-)

The linen closet went in! I can't believe all the storage! The tilers will be here next week to tile in the unfinished area - tub surround, front of tub, and new window sill.

The very first cabinet to come to the kitchen! The
corner piece. The door is much larger than the other one, and the spinners are on shelves, so they are very stable. I am soooo excited!

Tomorrow, they will finish installing the cabinets. The guys will be here next week to put the formica on the counters, do the tiling, and put in the flooring. (The drawers for the 'open' cabintet are stacked in the lower left part of the photo)

I've got a blue kitchen!

2010-03-13T07:31:00.001-08:00

Several folks have asked me what I'm using as my kitchen during the remodel -- well, here it is! My friend, Arlyn, made this cart for me to use during canning and to store canning supplies in. It now holds some dishes, some food, the top has my microwave and coffee pot -- to the left is the front door, to the right is my living room. I wash dishes in the bathroom sink.

Vince starting the painting of the kitchen. He sprayed the color on, then Marco went over it with a roller. Too many fumes and paint particles for me to keep the camera in during this process.

The blue kitchen. (Now, why do I keep hearing Elvis singing in my mind?)

The blue kitchen with the yellow hall. The orange stripe at the top is a camera glitch, whatever it is, it isn't there for real. The blue will be toned down when all the cabinets and counters are in place. The really nice thing is, yesterday was a gray day and the blue stayed blue, it did not go gray.

Aaron is coming over today to help me paint the bathroom.

I think David Bromstad would be proud of me, don't you?

Let there be Heat!

2010-03-12T06:07:00.001-08:00

The guys from the stove store came back yesterday and finished the last minute tweakings of my new fireplace. Now, when the doors and windows are open for ventilation, and the furnace is off, I can turn up the fireplace and have heat! It really pours it out, too.

While Bill was spraying primer I happened to glance outside and saw a truck backing into my driveway...

and 30 boxes of cabinets are now filling my garage!

Vince spraying texture on the walls of the kitchen. The kitchen is now mostly white. This morning they will put texture on the bathroom, lower the kitchen floor a wee bit (no pictures will be forthcoming of that exercise - they will be under the house, and I'm not going there!), put in the new subflooring for the linoleum, and place the floor cabinets.

Tomorrow, I paint. I'll probably paint Sunday, too.

What with all the air compressors running the sprayers, the strawboss turned her job over to me and hid someplace to save her delicate ears. (I think she was under the bed)

Strawboss working hard!

2010-03-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

Bill putting the final touches of mud on the wall board that covers most of the window into the hall. There will be a space about 10 x 33 inches when it's finished. Cabinets will go where Bill stands.

The kitchen with wallboard. It is now all taped and mudded. Texturizing is next.

Marco putting up wallboard in the bathroom. The guys who do the tiling will put up their own special wall board in the tub/shower area when they come to tile

Vince putting up wall board in the bathroom. At one time all three guys were in there working. There was no room for the photographer!

The Strawboss is, obviously, laying down on the job! She must be getting used to the madness and mayhem that is going on to sleep like this while the guys are running power tools, etc.

2010-03-08T17:18:00.000-08:00

Jose, setting the pipe for my new range, Marco is in the background stuffing insulation between the outer wall and the water pipes.

Jose and compadre working on the installation of my new gas fireplace insert

Marco and Vince having fun with the insulation

Marco putting up the new wall board in the kitchen

The Strawboss in all her glory! (Tashiko Akuma Pestini) She's got the guys whipped into shape, let me tell you! That is, when she crawls out from under the bed, which is where she hides most of the time.

Day 3 of the Remodel

2010-03-05T05:21:00.000-08:00

The Emperor's New Door!

What? You can't see it? Shame! OK, it's only the frame for the bathroom pocket door. Construction-wise, that's about all that that got done yesterday.

I strained my back while tying my shoe yesterday (go figure!) and it's a good thing not a whole lot of photo ops happened as it wasn't easy to supervise the electricians.

The electricians spent most of the day either hiding or stringing wire. Now, while stringing wire may be exciting to the guy doing the stringing, and exciting to the home owner, it's not very exciting to the camera.,

Because the cabinets will cover the area where the kitchen light switches were, they got moved to the living room side of the door. It looks like a rats nest to me....

The electricians will be back this morning, as will a guy from the power company to turn off all my electricity (what? no computer? no tv? no hot coffee????!!!) for a few hours (gasp!). This will allow they guys to swap out my old circuit box for a new and updated (and also one to modern code) without the worry of being electrocuted. That's a good thing. I think the inspector will be by this afternoon, and once he blesses their work THEN the sheetrocking can begin. Hopefully, there wll be some more photo ops today.

Day 2 of the Remodel

2010-03-03T15:52:00.000-08:00

Lots of fun stuff today. My tub arrived - here it is, sitting in the street (actually, the parking strip) - a tub in a box! Fortunately, it wasn't left out there for too long. I mean, what would the neighbors think? (meow)

Marco came back today - I must have scared Vince off as he was nowhere to be seen. Here's Marco ripping some two by fours to make the frame for the tub wall.

Here's the bathroom with all the plumbing in place for the tub.

...and the hardworking plumbers, Mike and Ken who let me bug them with dumb questions, and take the pictures all day.

...and here it is! Ta Da!! Drum Roll Please!
My tub. Of course, it has to be connected, and the surrounds in, etc. before I can use it. Oh, and the switch box has to be moved to another wall, we can't just leave it hanging. A couple feet above the back of the tub (on the right side of the picture) is the tub control to turn the water on/off. The shower head and tub filler are at the the front of the tub (on the left side of the picture. Well, duhhhh)

The cats were much less skittish today than yesterday when they both disappeared into the netherlands. At this rate, by the time it's over, I'll have them applying for apprentice programs and maybe, just maybe, they can get jobs and help out around here!

The plumbers will be back tomorrow, as will the electricians. The gas fireplace insert will be installed on Monday, and they'll move the line for the stove at the same time. I probably won't use the f/p much now until fall, but it will be nice to have in case we have a cold spell. Since the trees, etc. are budding out, I really hope we don't have a serious freeze - it would be devastating to our farmers.

I think Bill said the sheetrocking would begin tomorrow, but I'm not positive. I think the electrician, etc. has to be finished doing his thing first. The cabinets will be here on the 11th, and once they're in, then the flooring. Someplace after the sheetrocking and before the cabinets, I get to paint;-)

Day 1 of the Remodel

2010-03-02T14:14:00.000-08:00

Bill and his crew, Marco and Vince, arrived on time, and began to work.

Some time was spent taping up plastic and getting ready to contain the dust, but then they got to work!

Bill is taking out my horrid, ugly shower. I was so excited, I could hardly stand still long enough to take the picture.

The bathroom with nothing in it but a few dangly wires and the floor. My tub will go in the back, left corner.

Once Bill got the shower out, he called me to come with the camera. Above the stall was an old wasp nest about 8 inches by 6 inches by 3-4 inches deep. Yuck!

Taking out the wall board where the stove, etc. will go. Above is where the soffits used to be.

The kitchen sans wallboard. Tomorrow the plumber and the electrician will come and will do their stuff - or at least get started.

Remo: Part 1

2010-03-01T08:02:00.000-08:00

I know, I know….

It has been a long time since I’ve visited, and by now y’all are probably not even checking the blog, and I don’t blame you! I wish I could say I’ve been busy writing the next Great American Novel, but the truth is, I haven’t. I decided to take some time off from working on my novels, and worked with my sis, Marjorie, on a story for a picture book. We’ve actually gotten one done, and are well on the way to complete the second one.

In the meantime, I decided to (finally!) get around to remodeling my kitchen and master bath. When I bought the house I knew both would need remodeling, and now is the time.

Master Bath:

The bathroom is tiny - roughly 5 feet x 6 feet. Today, it contains a shower stall (the door fell off 3 years ago), a tiny vanity/sink, and the toilet. It is very claustrophobic. By moving the door to the center of the 6 foot wall, and making it a pocket door, my new bathroom will hold a tub, a linen closet, a larger vanity, the toilet, and not be nearly as claustrophobic!

The Kitchen:

The sink and d/w will remain (rather will come back to) where they are, the stove will lmove 90 degrees and be on the same wall as the r/f which will move to the left. The island will be replaced with a longer one, and the back wall (not shown here) will have two floor to ceiling cabinets with a built in buffet between them. I will use the same r/f, sink, and d/w, but am getting a new Viking 4 burner all gas stove.

My friend, Arlyn, taking the kick plate off the island so he can get it out the door. He removed all but two cabinets and took them and the stove to his place.

The two cabinets he left - the one that was over the stove and the kitchen sink cabinet.

The kitchen is very bare now, and echoes. Tomorrow, the remo crew will be here and move the r/f to the other room, remove the remaining cabinets, and the fun will begin!

Happy 2010!

2010-01-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

Kennewick WA

1 January 2010

Book Status:

Received two books at Christmas which I am currently reading

Aphrodite, A Memoir of the Senses —by Isabelle Allende and
Chronicle of the Chinese Emperors —by Ann Paludin

Because I am taking a break (about to end) in my writing, I actually read some fiction

At Mrs Lippincote’s — by Elizabeth Taylor (British author, not American Actress)
The Devastating Boys and other stories —by Elizabeth Taylor (see above)

On my nightstand waiting to be read:

The Tipping Point and
Blink — both by Malcolm Gladwell

Currently Reading:

My Life in Frace — by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme

Projects on which I am currently working:

Quilting. I finished the tops of all but two quilts in my pile (see photos below), including completing one baby quilt. The baby quilt is lap quilt size, so can be used by an adult. In fact, it was actually made for the Grandma, not the baby.
Starting on Monday, will have all the quilting mess put away, and be back to writing.

And so, you know what I’ve been feverishly doing the last few days. And you? What did you do over the Holiday season? Did you travel? Did you read (what?)? Did you relax and recoup getting ready to face the New Year?

Speaking of the new year, I hope your 2010 is filled to overflowing with all sorts of wonderful adventures, blessings, good things and whole health to you all!

Weather outside:

Cold (33 degrees) but warming. The snow should start melting, and the freezing rain, hopefully, is now but a memory.

Weather inside:

Warm (72 degrees), snowing thread and fabric scraps.

Photos of some of what I’ve been doing the last few days:

Grandma Kathy’s Quilt. Little Sydney Renee was due in 3 weeks, and Grandma just called to tell me she came last night! Every Grandma needs a snuggle quilt for when baby comes to visit, and this is Kathy’s!

Cat Naps and Bear Hugs

I won several completed squares at a quilting retreat. I finished some of the flowers, and the center of one is a line drawing of a cat, and the center of another is a bear, hence the name.

Uncle Carl’s Quilt

I made this in memory of my Uncle Carl. He loved sailing (the triangles) and his tour of duty in Honolulu, the flowers.

Skipper’s Quilt

Everyone called my maternal grandfather “Skipper”. When I was 9 years old, he saw a skirt with broad red and white stripes that he bought for me. I loved my Skipper, and I loved that skirt. I recently cut it into squares, bought some white fabric, and made a large bed quilt. I’ll have memories of Skipper, and the skirt, to keep me warm next winter!

Closeup of the quilt:

Ubiquitious Winter Letter

2009-12-21T07:36:00.000-08:00

Kennewick WA 99337

21 December 2009

Ubiquitous Winter Letter, 2009

Yikes! This is the last year in the first decade in the new millennium – where has time gone? For starters, in this house at least, it has gone into writing and quilting and traveling, and some photography.

I sold my first novel, My Adventures as Brother Rat, to Sam’s Dot Publishing. I’ve also sold some short stories and a couple of poems. I’ve finished two novella’s, which are at Sam’s Dot for consideration, and two novels, which are in the fine-grit polishing stage and for which I hope to find an agent. (Warning! Blatant Commercial follows: For a signed copy of Brother Rat, contact me at lenoragood@charter.net. If you don’t care if it’s signed, order from http://www.genremall.com/fictionr.htm#brotherrat $10.00 for the book, $4.00 s/h)

In February I bought a Subaru Forester and named her Suvie Star Car. In honor of the occasion, my friend Kay, and I realized a long held dream and did a “Drive About” of the country. Three months and 11,500 miles later we got home. The truly amazing thing is we were laughing when we left, and laughing when we got home!

To read about our adventures, and see some of the photos, please go to my blog (archives) at: http://roadtripsandmore.blogspot.com/ Start with March. (You can read February if you want;-) Feel free to drop by the blog any time to get an idea of what’s going on in this house.

Took time out in Nov for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and started another novel, valiantly fought (and won!) a mild case of the flu, and attended Orycon, the Oregon Science Fiction Convention, where I sat on a few panels and schlepped Brother Rat. The highlight of the Con was meeting up with old friends – both writers and Scotty, a guy I used to work with at The Boeing Company in a galaxy and time far, far away from the here and now.

While in Portland I spent a few days with an old and dear friend, Martha, her son Mark, and his son, Eric. In 1960 when I babysat her kids, I taught her baby boy, Mark, how to swim. I’m happy to say, he’s all grown up now, and so is his son. (No matter how I phrase it, it comes out sounding like Martha is OLD, she isn’t. By the calendar, she’s got a few years on me, but I’ve met very few folks as young as she is! It’s just that we’ve been friends for 50 years!)

In the meantime, I’ve decided I’d rather spend a few weeks quilting than writing. This gives me a chance to catch up on some reading of fiction. Two fiction books I highly recommend: Space Magic by David D. Levine and Filter House by Nisi Shawl. Both books are collections of short stories. For memoir and humor, I don’t think you could find more entertaining stories than those found in Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs and Revenge of the Paste Eaters, both by Cheryl Peck.

All in this house are good and hope this letter finds you and yours likewise!

Hoar frost in winter

Flowers in summer

Love all year round

Happiest of Holidays and Bestest of New Years!

Love,

Lenora

2009-12-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

Book Status:

No Change

Currently Reading:

Journal of a Trapper by Osborne Russell, Edited by Aubrey L. Haines, published by University of Nebraska Press

Truly, this is a bit of a slog. Russell was a Trapper back in the days when Joe Meek, Jim Bridger, Hugh Glass were Trappers. Unlike many of the Mountain Men he was not only literate, he kept a journal, which for the most part is interesting. However, when Haines got his editor's pen on the original manuscript, I wish he'd done just a wee bit more editing. I am currently in the middle of a 14-page long paragraph!

Haines could easily have added a bit of punctuation - at least end of sentence periods - as well as broken it into more manageable and readable paragraphs. What he did was add end notes. Gobs of end notes. Had he made them foot notes they would have become 40 times more interesting because then I could merely glance at the bottom of the page, scanned/read the footnote, and gone right back to the text. Now I have to go into the flipping and flapping of pages, as well as my rant about end notes and how I hope the idiots who invented them spend eternity having to find them!

This is a quote from the middle of the (so far) longest paragraph (14 pages) I've come across, "...We travelled over ground similar to that of the day before shaping our course more Easterly until night Novr. 1st. After travelling about 10 Mls we reached Bighorn river and stopped and commenced setting traps. The river at this place is bordereed with heavy Cottonwood timber with little or no under brush beneath. Towards night a party of Crow Indians came to us on foot armed as if going to war after smoking and eating they told us they were on their way to the Snaks to Steal horses and intended to stay all night with us and leave the next morning. They told us the village to which they belonged was nearly a days travel below on the river and that "Long hair's" village was on Wind river above the mountain but could give us no information of Mr. Fontanell or his party They were very insolent and saucy saying that we had no right in their country and intimated they could take everything from us if they wished. The next morning after eating breakfast they said if we would give them some tobacco and ammunition they would leave us so we divided our little stock with them They then persisited in having all and when we refused telling them we could not spare it one of them seized the sack which contained it while another grasped the Englishmans rifle we immediately wrenched them out of their hands and told them if they got more they should fight for it...." I have copied this directly, leaving in all the punctuation, or lack thereof, and the spellings, etc.

If you like history, and like the history of the Mountain Men, it is a wonderful book, though a bit of a struggle at times.

Projects on which I am currently working:

Reading the above.
Getting my winter cards made. I have made them for years - taking the photo, getting them printed, taping them to a card, writing a little poem/sentiment in the card, etc. This year, I'm letting Costco do it. I sent the photo, wrote the poem, and will pick up the cards tomorrow!
Quilting - I'm almost finished with one more quilt top, have two more tops to finish

From the Mouths of Babes:

I was outside talking to a friend, and his friend's little boy was in the back of their pick up. The boy wanted down, and Dad was busy, so I lifted him down. He's probably three? Anyhow he looked at me very seriously and said, "You look old!" I laughed and told him, "I am old!" Ah, from the mouths of babes;-)

Your old blogger:

Me, reading a short story at a function in October 2009. The plaid shawl is my family tartan, the McBrayer Tartan.

Weather outside:
Cold (42 degrees), cloudy, humid. Bone chilling cold becauses of the humidity. If it was dry, it would be perfect!

Weather inside:
Warm (72 degrees)

Christmas is Coming -- and I'm not ready!

2009-12-12T15:44:00.000-08:00

Book Status:

No change. Haven’t finished any this week, haven’t started in new ones.

What’s going on in my life:

Jackie and Aaron got the tree up and decorated, Aaron put the three lighted reindeer up in the front yard, and I got ALL of my projects finished AND mailed!

Well, almost all of them finished. Until the other day I had NO idea what photo to use for my Winter Cards, but now that I know, I’ll get them printed up and get my cards written and mailed.

Have decided to take a hiatus from writing for a few weeks and stretch a different creative muscle or two.

Projects on which I’m currently working:

Finishing a quilt made from a skirt my Grandfather bought me when I was a little girl. I have the middle done, now for the borders.
Finish the baby quilt for my girl friend who is becoming a Grandma and needs a crib quilt at her house for a small visitor.
Finish a Churn Dash quilt I have cut out but not sewn, in memory of my Uncle Carl
Start a quilt for my bed
Start a table runner and if I like it maybe make a bed quilt using the same pattern
Learn to use my new dSLR camera (see below)

The Weather Outside:

Cold (24 degrees) and snowing. Snow is predicted on and off until Tuesday, with a possible accumulation of 1 – 3 inches. On Tuesday it will warm up to 34 and rain. And then, of course, freeze.

Yesterday, we had hoar frost. Below are a couple of photos I took (begin Martyr Alert!) in the Zero Degree weather! I did it just for your enjoyment, too. (end Martyr Alert;-)

The Weather Inside:

Warm. Filled with laughter, the aroma of two coffee pots going, the sounds of happiness (except for a cat who has worked hard all day taking naps and now demands dinner!)

Hoar Frost on my Norwegian Pine:

Hoar Frost on a couple of Birch Cones:

December is here!

2009-12-06T06:28:00.000-08:00

Books I’ve finished this month:

The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace, by Jack Kornfield
Space Magic, by David D. Levine
Filter House, by Nisi Shawl

Books I’m currently reading:

After the Ecstasy the Laundry, by Jack Kornfield
Jedediah Smith and the Opening of the West, by Dale L. Morgan
Practical Taoism, Translated by Thomas Cleary
Journal of a Trapper, by Osborne Russell, Edited by Aubrey L. Haines
Fat Girls in Lawn Chairs, by Cheryl Peck

What’s going on in my life:

Orycon was great! I managed to meet up with several folks I haven’t seen in years, we just didn’t have enough time to sit and get caught up on all that’s happened in our respective lives, but we did have time to talk a bit.

Met new folks I look forward to meeting again, especially Nisi Shawl and David Levine. I bought, read, and thoroughly enjoyed two of their books. Both Filter House and Space Magic are collections of short stories, all different, all well crafted, all great reads! Buy those books, read those books--you will want to reread them several times over! Honest. Trust me.

After Orycon, I spent a few days visiting my friend, Martha. I first met Martha back in 1960, allegedly to spend the summer babysitting her three kids, Bob, Lorraine, and Mark. Bob was 4 years younger, Lorraine 6 years younger, and Mark 8 years younger than I was. I hereby admit I did very little babysitting, and not too much referring. During that first summer of our meeting, I taught Mark to swim, and we all became good friends. Hmmm, now that I think about it, Bob is still 4 years younger, Mark is still 8 years younger than I am. Unfortunately, we lost Lorraine a few years ago due to cancer. It was delightful to get to visit with Martha, Bob and his wife Shaun, and Mark and his son Eric.

I have now known Martha longer than I knew my mother! Good friends are worth their weight in stardust!

Oh, and though the Grinch lives here, I admit that, for Jackie (Aaron’s girl friend) I succumbed and bought a Christmas tree yesterday-silver with white lights. I also bought 3 reindeer for the yard that light up; one, the female (she has horns) turns her head. I told Aaron the decorating of the tree is up to them. I took care of the other decorations throughout the house. Bah! Humbug!!

Projects I’m currently working on:

Winter Gifts (sewing) — I have all but one finished.
Packaged Winter Gifts — Before I can mail them, I need to fill the empty spaces with popcorn; before I can make the popcorn I need a new hot air popper and a couple of bags of popcorn. It takes a bit longer than using the Styrofoam popcorns, but the real stuff is much more eco friendly – and the birds at the receiving end will enjoy it.
Jiang Li and the Fall of the Jinn (working title of the novel) — haven’t done a lick of work on the novel since I’ve been back. However, tomorrow is Monday….

The Weather Outside:

Cold (32) and dark (it’s 6.20am) with more cold on the way.

Last Post for November 2009

2009-11-26T13:02:00.000-08:00

Books I’ve finished this month: (alas, nothing new to add, yet)

The Saga of Hugh Glass—Pirate, Pawnee, Mountain Man by John Myers Myers

Revenge of the Paste Eaters: Memoirs of a Misfit by Cheryl Peck. For an excerpt of this most delightful book go to: http://www.enotalone.com/article/4974.html .

Books I’m taking with me to Orycon:

Practical Taoism Translated by Thomas Cleary

The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace by Jack Kornfield

What’s going on in my life:

I managed to get 52,500 words written on my NaNoWriMo novel (Jiang Li and the Fall of the Jinn), filed the scrambled ms, and am now a 'winner.' The novel has been filed in my computer until I return from Orycon, and then I shall finish the draft and then hunker down for the reworks.

Thanksgiving is here and Jackie is in the kitchen slaving away roasting a turkey, and whatever else she’s doing. Oh, no, she’s in the other room on her computer. Well, the smells coming from the kitchen are wonderful, and I’m staying out of the way!

My idea of a perfect Thanksgiving Day meal is one in which I do not have to shop for, prepare, clean up afterwards, or deal with leftovers. Jackie, blessings upon her, is taking care of everything. (I do hope Aaron will help in the KP department ;-)

As I dropped off to sleep last night, I started thinking of all the things in my life for which I am truly Thankful. The obvious ones – my daughter is staying with a good friend in NM, and has found a job; my son and Jackie are here with me instead of living out of a cardboard box someplace cold and wet. I have more friends than I can name here for which I am extremely thankful, not to mention cousins and biological siblings scattered across the country, some of whom I met for the first time on my road trip last spring. And on a three dog night, I am so thankful for a very warm kitty who stretches out next to me!

Truthfully, I found counting my Thankfuls a most delightful way to drop off to sleep.

Getting Ready for Orycon:

Packing is almost complete. Just a few last minute things to toss into the suitcase before my ride comes at 4.45am tomorrow. Now that is something to be Thankful for – my Ol’ Same who volunteered to get up at 0:Dark:00 to drive me to the Amtrak station! I have some stories to take for my reading, plus, of course, I will read a bit from Brother Rat (that is, obviously, the main reason I’m going – to schlep my book;-)

Projects I’m currently (still) working on:

Several Winter Gifts (sewing—finished 2, 4 to go, hand work only)

Jiang Li and the Fall of the Jinn (working title of the novel)

The Weather Outside:

Cold (32 degrees) and gray, slight breeze.

The Weather Inside:

Warm; filled with love and the aroma of a roasting turkey.

The (Almost) End of November

2009-11-23T07:49:00.000-08:00

Books I’ve finished this month:

The Saga of Hugh Glass—Pirate, Pawnee, Mountain Man by John Myers Myers. I believe it is published by Bison Press; however, it is available through Amazon.com Hugh Glass has been a hero of mine since I first read about him in fifth grade, and this is by far the best biography of him I’ve read.

Revenge of the Paste Eaters: Memoirs of a Misfit by Cheryl Peck. For an excerpt of this most delightful book go to: http://www.enotalone.com/article/4974.html . I love a good memoir, one that isn’t filled with angst and woe, unless that angst and woe is somehow humorous to the writer and therefore to the reader. This memoir is filled with chuckles and outright laughs. Cheryl Peck is on my short list for Writers I Would Like to Meet.

Books I’m currently reading:

After the Ecstasy the Laundry by Jack Kornfield
Jedediah Smith and the Opening of the West by Dale L. Morgan
Practical Taoism Translated by Thomas Cleary (kinda makes one wonder about IMpractical Taoism, doesn’t it?)
Journal of a Trapper by Osborne Russell, Edited by Aubrey L. Haines
The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace by Jack Kornfield

What’s going on in my life:

November, and NaNoWriMo, are almost to the end. I reached the 50,000 words on my novel; I have more chapters to write and expect it to reach at least 64,000 words before I finish the first draft. This draft is sorely lacking fillers and descriptions; but it has a lot of dialogue (read: talking heads).

Thanksgiving is almost here and my defacto daughter-in-law is going to do all the cooking, and cleaning afterwards. I will spend most of my day doing laundry and packing to leave the next morning at 0:Dark:00 to catch a train to Portland for Orycon, the Oregon Science Fiction Convention. After that, I will spend a few days visiting friends in Portland, before returning home at a far more reasonable hour of the day.

Projects I’m currently working on:

Several Winter Gifts (sewing)
Jiang Li and the Fall of the Jinn (working title of the novel)

The Weather Outside:

Cool (42 degrees F.) and sunny at the moment, slight breeze.

It's November - NaNoWriMo

2009-11-01T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hooray, my ISP is back up and running!

Holy moley! It has been a bit since I’ve been here, hasn’t it? Is anyone still out there reading this blog?

Number one, another review has come in on Brother Rat (full disclosure here: Lee is one of my Sisters of Choice ;-):

Lenora presents us with a winning combination. Brother Rat is a delightful tale I couldn’t putdown once started. True, it is for young adults. That shouldn’t stop the more mature from picking it up. If you work hard in the corporate world, it is an entrancing escape. The bonus is that some of the insights that you can take back to work…. be confident.

And what do you do with a book once you’ve read it? One of the best things possible, give it to a kid. DO IT!

And, the primary reason I’ve not been updating my blog: I’ve been busy researching my next novel, which I will begin writing 1 Nov 09 as part of the annual NaNoWriMo challenge. (National Novel Writing Month – http://www.nanowrimo.org). I have partaken of the challenge twice, and both times I have succeeded in writing a novel. True, when one only has 30 days to write a minimum of 50,000 words, they aren’t the most polished words, but the story is told, and one then has time during the rest of the year to polish those words. The whole idea of nanowrimo is to get one to write and turn their internal editor off. It works, at least for me. So, it will be a bit more before I add much to the blog.

The other reason I haven’t been updating is my service is down, and I can’t connect to the internet. I wish I could claim that as the primary reason, but, alas, I can’t.

Sigh.

My Gratefuls:

1. NaNoWriMo

2. People willing to read and comment on my story and novel drafts

3. That I live in the time of computers

4. That I live in the time of television, and DVDs

5. That I live in a time, and a place, where education of females is not just the law, but expected and encouraged

My Wonderment:

That people can actually operate a DVD player without reading the instructions each and every time.

Quote for the duration:

“It's better to send in the Peace Corps than the Marine Corps.”— Sen. Ted Kennedy

Jam Session

2009-09-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

While most folks probably think of a Jam Session as a bunch of musicians gathered to make music, to two of my Sisters of Choice (SOCs) and myself, a Jam Session is a three-day weekend in which we make jams. Lots of jams! And marmalades and chutneys and jellies and butters and ketchups!

Throughout the summer we collect whatever fruit we can from our yards, the yards of friends—wherever we can get good fruit for little to no money. We then wash it, prep it, and freeze it. Sometime in the Fall, when the days are no longer in the 90s, and they can get time off from work and come across from Seattle to Kennewick, we have our Jam Session. Three days of madness and mayhem in my kitchen, which is perfect for the work.

We started early Friday morning, and finished about 8pm Sunday night. We did take time out for sleep (at least I think we did). On Friday, we had crock-pot Caribbean Stew, on Saturday we went out for Thai, and on Sunday, my friend, Sally, stopped by and made a fast food run for us. Nancy found a type of pectin that requires even less sugar than the low-sugar pectin we used to buy from the store. We tell everyone that once opened, they need to refrigerate the jar, and consume within a month!

Nancy is our official labeler and divider of the fruits of our labor. (She has the beautiful handwriting.) This year, just before we loaded their share into the car for the trip back to Seattle, Nancy gave us the Grand Total of jars we put up. We were all in shock, and have decided WE WILL NOT TRY TO EXCEED OR EVEN MEET this amount next year. In three days, we put up 461 jars of goodness!

I had the upright freezer pretty full when they arrived as you can tell by the pictures below and they brought fruit to fill the smaller freezer. We used everything but 20 qts of grapes, and as soon as I buy a juicer, I’ll juice the grapes and freeze the juice for next year. The smaller freezer now holds 4 packages of brown sugar for next year.

Guess what folks will be getting for Christmas Presents this year?????

This freezer contains 17 qts of cherries, 27 qts of apricots. 25 qts pf grapes, 4 qts of crab apples, and 1 qt each Asian pears and blackberries.

The small freezer contains all the plums, blackberries, boysenberries, blue berries and whatever else Lee and Nancy brought. I forgot the amounts.

The kitchen island as we began

460 jars of goodness (1 didn't seal, and it is in my refrigerator)

The large freezer when we finished (20 qts of grapes remain)

The small freezer with the brown sugar

And where does one store 153 jars of jam?

Books for Kids

2009-09-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

As several of you know, I recently joined Willamette Writers, an organization for writers based in Portland, Oregon. One of the reasons I joined them is their Books for Kids program.

(see: http://www.willamettewriters.com/ half way down the page)

So, here is my offer. Those of you who haven't yet bought/read Brother Rat, consider buying a copy, reading it, and then sending it to Books for Kids. You can buy an unsigned copy at the genremall URL below my name, or you can order a signed copy from me, same price, $14.00, then when you've read it, send it to:

Jerry Isom
Willamette Writers
9045 SW Barbur Blvd Suite 5A
Portland, OR 97219

OR, you can send me a check for $10, marked Books for Kids in the memo section, and I will send a signed book to Jerry and pay the postage. *Books for Kids is a registered non-profit, and whatever you send is tax deductible;-)*

AND, those of you who still have good - not chewed by the dog or child - children's books around the house you just don't know what to do with -- consider sending them to Jerry. If you send them Media Postage, it won't be so bad. And again, it is tax deductible.

Even if you don't send My Adventures as Brother Rat, send other books or a donation.

Books for Kids! What a great Christmas Present for a child AND YOURSELF!

If you have, and know about, a similar program in your area, please consider donating to it.

My Gratefuls:
1. Fair Housing
2. Family Leave Act
3. Friends like my friend, Eric, who is sending two copies of Brother Rat to Jerry!
4. Recipe books
5. Sunny days!

My Wonderment:
For all the News filled with Hate, there are still more people in the world filled with Love!

Quote for the duration:
“To whom much is given; much is expected.” — John F. Kennedy

Some local scenes:
Mt. Rainier from Jump Off Joe Road:

One of the Windmills from Jump Off Joe Road. This picture is the wallpaper on my laptop.

Wild Horses Monument, Vantage WA just off I-90.

Stop and Smell the Roses!

2009-09-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

I have certainly been remiss in keeping up this blog. Wish I had a really fascinating story (read: excuse) with which to entertain you, but, alas….

Actually, I have been writing another Jiang Li story. Those of you who have read Brother Rat will be familiar with Jiang Li, those of you who haven’t read Brother Rat, well, all I can say is, “Buy the book!” Somehow, though, I think writing is exciting only for the writer. Watching a writer write must be a close kin to watching paint dry.

Today is the first Saturday my friend, Judy, and I went to breakfast at our usual Saturday haunt and couldn’t sit outside on the patio due to the coolness of the breeze. It wasn’t really cold, but was too cool for comfort, so we moved inside-and sat under the blowing air conditioner for a few minutes until another table opened up.

If any of you are in the Tri-Cities area, I will be at the Roxy Theater in Old Towne Kennewick between 5-9pm on Thursday 1 October as one of the ‘artists’ in the Art Walk. I will be signing copies of Brother Rat, so, come on down (even if you don't buy one, drop by, say 'hi' and check out the antique store!

Found a new blog yesterday, http://celibatesexawriterslife.blogspot.com/ Yes, it’s called Celibate Sex, the Life of a Writer. If I can figure out how to link it to mine off on the sidebar, I shall. Alas, I’m not over bright when it comes to computers, so I may just have to link it within the blog. But check the site out. Richard has stories and chapters of stories on the blog. And his intro is to die for!

My Gratefuls:

1. Restaurants with inside/outside seating and tolerate customers moving forth and back.

2. Potato chips with hot sauce

3. Early morning coffee on the patio watching, and listening to, birds and squirrels

4. Google and related search engines

5. My children – Sonja and Aaron

My Wonderment:

The other day while washing dishes, I saw movement in the tree outside the sink window. I looked, and there was a squirrel darting along one of the limbs. It just happens that my climbing rose, which competes with the grapes on my arbor, has also found the tree, and a cane full of roses was beautifully draped across the branch (see pictures below). The squirrel darted to the roses and stopped. Then he very carefully smelled each rose on the limb before scampering into the arbor to munch on grapes. Even animals need to, and do, stop to smell the roses.

Squirrel outside my bathroom window eating a walnut from ‘his’ tree.

Branch upon which the squirrel scooted, then stopped and smelled all the roses within reach.

Close up of one of the roses.

Fall has Fell!

2009-09-06T06:02:00.001-07:00

Labor Day weekend is upon us, and the temperature has dropped dramatically! Yesterday was pleasant, but on the cool side of our previous temperatures. The sky never completely cleared of clouds, and last night we had a little rain. Enough to settle the dust, perhaps, but not enough water the lawn and trees. We were so used to wearing little more than body paint (I jest!) that yesterday people broke out their sweatshirts. Our high’s have goon from the 90s to the 70s in a day, with highs predicted today of 74 (clouds), tomorrow of 74 (sun), and Tuedsay of 79 (sun).

One of the many reasons I like the Tri Cities area is because we do get 4 seasons. When I lived on the wet side of the Cascades we had two seasons, a short Dry and a long Wet, and when I lived on the other west coast in Florida, it was Wet and Wetter- the summers were the wettest. So as much as I love summer, and the heat, I’m ready for fall and the bright colors, and the smell of fallen leaves, and the mess of leaves on the lawn (OK, I’m not ready for the raking and bagging of all those leaves. I’d leave them as cover for the lawn over winter, but my neighbors don’t like it. They have pristine yards, and don’t mind raking their leaves, but raking my leaves as the winds blow them over the fence is another story;-)

A friend bought, read, and enjoyed Brother Rat, and wrote a review for this blog: “I read slowly Lenora Rain Lee Good's marvelous book My Adventures as Brother Rat so I could remain immersed in Rain's meticulous and well chosen choice of words and visuals. The story alone is intriguing, well stocked with characters good and evil. Some, a mixture of both traits, as we all are. A touch of the mystic adds a deepening sense of who and why some events and movements happen in the story. Ms. Good's book of ancient Chinese times, of warlords and the power of people, great and "unimportant," perhaps can lead us to a better understanding of our own times. —Patricia E. L.”

My Gratefuls:

1. Friends

2. The ability to rationalize

3. The ability to rationalize the health benefits of cheesecake with its calcium and protein;-)

4. An all volunteer Military

5. Cooler weather

My Wonderment:

That the seedless grapes I haven’t picked are reverting and developing seeds! Is this due to age of the vine or age of the grape on the vine? I have no idea. And, as long as seeds don’t develop in the younger grapes next year, I guess I really don’t care, either.

Sacajawea State Park, on the point of land where the Snake River joins the Columbia River is one of my favorite places to take my camera. Flowers, Twice

The railroad bridge where the Snake and joins the Columbia. with the Horse Heaven Hills in back ground. Bridge to Dreams.

Looking across the Columbia to Kennewick and Horse Heaven Hills. We have very intelligent geese - they can not only read, they can reason. The sign says "Swim at your own risk." Note: They are not in the water ;-)

Fall is in the Air!

2009-09-02T06:28:00.000-07:00

When I moved into my house, the back patio was covered by a grape arbor. How nice, I thought. And then it came time to pick grapes. Holy moly! Those two vines are most prolific. I have picked and washed and stemmed and frozen and bagged 27 quarts of grapes in the last few days. (They have to be spread on a cookie sheet to freeze, then when frozen, scooped up and put in quart bags). I have given plastic grocery bags of grapes to my neighbors, my friends, my squirrels, the neighbor’s raccoon, and the neighborhood birds. I still have grapes left to pick. Not to mention the sweeping of the patio on an almost hourly basis—when the bees will let me.

When the end of this month gets here, two of my Sisters of Choice will drive over from Seattle and we will spend a busy 3-day weekend turning those 27 qts of grapes, the 25 qts of apricots, 15 qts of cherries, and 4 qts of crab apples in my freezer, plus the berries and plums and whatever they bring into jams and butters and ketchups. Last year in our jamming session (frenzy might be a better word) we put up 240 jars. This year, we’re going to use the pint jars, too (last year we used 4, 8, and 12 oz jars). We may not have as many jars, but we won’t be in such a frenzy. We hope.

My Gratefuls:
1. My Family of Choice
2. Title IX
3. End of Apartheid
4. That I like my son’s girlfriend
5. That my son cleaned the kitchen last night-if only to impress his girlfriend.

My Wonderment:
With all the crap going on in the world that Love still persists!

Quote for the week:
“The older we get—the better we were!” — Senator Ted Kennedy

I’m not about to tackle a quilt with grapes, but here is my first appliqué project. It is a Hawai’ian style quilt only I made the pattern using leaves off the fig tree where I used to live, and the fig. It is a single piece of purple fabric hand sewn onto the cream. No one at the quilt store told me not to use batik fabrics for appliqué—it’s much too dense. I’m still quilting it. I call it: Figlets

This is another appliqué quilt top. I used fusible webbing and machine stitching for this one. I told my ex boyfriend if he wanted a quilt, I’d make him one but he would have to buy the fabric and I’d get to keep the scraps. He agreed. I finally got it finished, quilted, and given to him—with a bill he gladly paid. It is a table topper, but his (now) wife won’t let him put it on the table, so it hangs on the wall. I call it: Done

I love tee shirts, but often find I have a mated pair and end up with way too many. Or they get too old (or too small) to be socially acceptable, but I still like them. I took several of my more favorite ones and turned them into a quilt. It is my heavy, winter quilt, and I just love to snuggle under it—when the temps drops way down. I call it: Warm!

"...and the dream shall never die!" -- E. M. Kennedy

2009-08-27T06:57:00.000-07:00

The TV was full of tributes to the late Senator Edward Moore “Ted” Kennedy yesterday, and rightly so. A great American has passed. But I have my own memory of Ted Kennedy, and I’ll share it here.

First, the context: I used to be a political conservative, and this story happened several years before I became a flaming liberal. I was a single mother with a teen-age son when I dreamed—

I met Mr. Right! (every woman’s dream). As happens in dreams, I never saw his face, but he was always next to me. He was wealthy (hey! it’s a dream!) and bought me a gorgeous ring, flew me back east where his family was; we courted, and eventually married. The wedding was High Mass in some huge cathedral, then we flew to someplace warm and tropical for our honeymoon. Everything was perfect—but I still hadn’t seen his face. In the morning, I rolled over and gazed into the face of my beloved husband and it was, of course, none other than Ted Kennedy. I would like to say I woke at this point, but I didn’t just wake up, I woke sitting in bed laughing hysterically.

And so, I have extra special memories of Ted. And I will, truly, miss him.

My Gratefuls:

1. Medicare

2. Minimum wage

3. Living in the age of television

4. COBRA

5. Ted Kennedy

My Undying Dream:

That we will all come to the realization that all of our ancestors walked out of Africa and stop this color prejudice; that we will learn to find interest instead of fear and hate in people who speak differently, worship differently, look different from ourselves—think of the new recipes we could get, the new fashion ideas, and most importantly, the new Friends we could have.

My Wonderment:

That a man who buried his three older brothers, all killed while serving our country, could go on and face the fear that surely was there, and serve our country too. While I didn’t agree with everything Ted Kennedy did, I admire him greatly for facing his fears, for facing his shortcomings, and growing into one of the Great American Heroes of our day.

Sunset in the Horse Heaven Hills, Kennewick, WA

Dune Grass, Coquille Lighthouse, OR

Harvest Moon, Bastendorf State Park, OR

2009-08-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! It’s been almost a week since I’ve posted. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! It’s also been a very busy week, and an exciting week. Mostly, exciting. I’m not sure what the busyness was, but the week sure went by in a hurry!

My son, who lives with me, was gone for the week house-sitting for friends. I had so many plans for the week, and none of them were realized. But I did get several copies of Brother Rat mailed out, and now I am getting the word from several people who have read it they have enjoyed it. One young father is reading it out loud to his two children every night, and he’s enjoying it as much as they are. A couple of “fans” have even admitted to shedding a tear or two at appropriate places. Can I have higher praise than that?

My friends have returned from their trip, Aaron has returned home, and now I need to return to some semblance of a schedule. So, now that the temps are down into the high 80s, I’ll start sewing a quilt I cut out last winter. It’s a jeans quilt, so once sewn together it’s finished, except for trimming all the seams (it’s a ragged edge quilt). It is very heavy, very warm, very green, and very winter. And winter is coming, whether I like it or not.

My Gratefuls:

1. Friends who give me their old jeans

2. Whoever it was who came up with the idea of ragged edge quilts

3. People who sharpen scissors

4. Friends who unstintingly share their expertise with me—whether sewing, making jam, writing—whatever help I need, they give

5. The www. it makes research so much easier than having to get dressed and go to libraries

My Wonderment:

Because downtown Kennewick was blocked off for a parade, Judy and I went to a different restaurant for our Saturday morning breakfast. I felt a little “off” because I really enjoy the restaurant we normally go to, O’Henry’s Go Go. One of the really nice things about O’Henry’s is we can eat outside in nice weather, and it’s relatively quiet. So, yesterday, not knowing where else to go, we went to IHOP. IHOP is not known for it’s quiet, and our IHOP does not have outside dining, so we ate inside, where it was noisy, and under air conditioning (fortunately, I brought a long sleeved shirt, or I would have been freezing!). There were many people there, from senior citizens (like me) to young families. There was lots of noise from the dishes banging behind me (server work station), to the talking among the customers. BUT NO whining or crying children! All of the children, at least those I saw and heard were either quiet or laughing!! Now THAT is a wonderment! And a blessing. I enjoy well behaved children, and I love hearing them laugh—is there a sound more pleasing to the ears than a child, or anyone, laughing?

This is the first ragged edge quilt I ever made. There are 150 squares in the quilt, 10 across, 15 down, and each square is made up of three squares of fabric-2 of flannel and one of old jeans. I now make the squares larger, so there are fewer, and the squares have the pockets, and once in a while the fly. This quilt was made for my foster son in Korea, and cost over $20.00 to ship it, by sea, the cheapest way. I spent more on shipping than on fabric! The hardest part of making these quilts is the trimming of the seams after the quilt is made so the ragged edge “fluffs” after washing. However, they are very heavy and very warm, and virtually indestructible once made.

Ragged edge side:

Flannel side (My extra special helper, also shown, is Tashiko Akuma Pestini):

Pollyanna

2009-08-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

I have a dear friend who laughingly calls me Pollyanna, because I’m an unabashed optimist. I admit it, I am. However, I’m not a blind optimist, but if I have a choice to see the silver lining in the cloud, I do so. Though, as an amateur photographer, I also like the dark shadows of the cloud.

If the glass is filled to the halfway mark, is it half empty or half full? My answer? It depends what’s in the glass! If the liquid is something I love, then it is half empty and I want more. If it’s a foul tasting medicine I have to drink, then it’s half full, and I can’t get it down fast enough!

It’s like email. Is email an advantage or a disadvantage? Or is it neither, just being ‘is’? I love email, it allows me to keep in touch with friends across the country, it allows me to submit manuscripts in a less expensive and more expeditiously manner, but if I let it, it is also a great user of my time.

I have many friends who send me many forwards, and I admit, I do not always read those forwards. If I have to scroll through 27,386 prior addresses, I hit the Delete button. If it’s a forward from my Conspiracy Theory buddy—I hit the Delete button. If it’s a forward from some of my friends who want to convince me that their political party (or religious affiliation) is the ONLY political party, (or religious affiliation), I hit the Delete button. There was a time when I might enter into a discussion with these people over the emails, but no longer. I just accept that they care enough about me to send me their dire and fright-filled warnings, delete said missives, and send them back something light and totally off their subject. Is my in-box half full? Or is it half empty? (How many emails will my in-box hold, anyway?)

I guess if I have to choose, I’d rather be Pollyanna than Scrooge. Besides, I’m lazy, and it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown—or so I read somewhere.

My Gratefuls:

1. Friends who send me emails

2. The Delete button

3. Telephones

4. US Mail

5. Popcorn

My Wonderment:

Clouds. I love clouds. Sometimes they are animals, sometimes they just are. Sometimes they fill the sky, sometimes they just give a bit of interest. Is the sky half full or…?

Reflecting Pool at Oklahoma Memorial Site

Looking down on Cottonwood AZ from above Jerome AZ

Blue Bird, still waiting for happiness instead of making his own.

2009-08-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

It dropped down to the low 50s last night. Admittedly, it feels good, but I fear we are in for an early Fall. I’m just not ready for summer to be over. Hopefully, this cool spell is just that, a spell, and we’ll have a few more weeks of summer.

Now that Brother Rat has been here a few days, I’m beginning to come back down to earth, so to speak. I can only say that receiving my first sold and published novel (not a vanity publication!) is a high that rates right up there with becoming a mother and flying a 747 in a simulator (I flew it OK, but broke it on landing;-).

But I’m coming down off the mountain now. There are meals to be cooked; dishes to be washed, and I have to figure out what to make for Winter Gifts! I try to make my gifts. It would be a lot easier—and less expensive!—if I just went to the store to buy something. Alas, I enjoy making gifts, and I think (I hope!) my friends enjoy receiving something made with love. For those who live locally, I usually give homemade jams, but I like to give something else, too. Last year I made calendars with some of my photos. The photos were taped on so when the month was over, the people could remove the photo (I used low tack tape) and put them on a note card to share with friends should they so desire.

Lee and Nancy, two of my Sisters of Choice (SOC) come over in September or October depending on their work schedules, they bring whatever fruit they’ve collected and frozen to add to my freezer full of fruit, and we spend three days madly making jams and butters and ketchups. We call it our Jam Session. Last year we put up 240 jars of jam in three days. Nancy found a pectin that takes very, very little sugar—far less than the Low Sugar stuff on the store shelves. In fact, we tell folks that once opened their jam needs to be refrigerated because there isn’t enough sugar in it to act as preservative. (Nancy has a friend who just laughs. She claims she opens it, and eats it straight from the jar, and all at one sitting!)

One of the most popular things we make is Plum Ketchup. Everyone curls a lip at that, until they taste it. We are now getting requests for it! Yes, it goes on meats just like the red stuff you buy. It also goes on peanut butter. Or just bread. It is truly wonderful stuff. Honest. Trust me.

My Gratefuls:

1. My children, Sonja and Aaron

2. My Family of Choice

3. Coffee in the morning

4. Squirrels who scold me for coming onto my patio

5. New followers of my blog

My Wonderment:

Sitting outside on my patio before the sun is up, drinking a cuppa. I love listening to the birds wake, and have noticed the correlation between their waking and calling, and the sun rising. I’ve often wondered—if the birds do not wake first, and call the sun, will the sun stay down and not rise? (Oh, the puzzlements of life ;-). Yesterday, I saw several hummingbirds and two of them actually sat on a bare tree limb for several seconds! Now, if that’s not a wonderment, I don’t know what is.

I took this picture in the Cactus Garden in Phoenix this last spring. I have no idea what kind of a hummer he is, but he is green.

And this Ibis wanders my girl friend’s back yard in Port Charlotte, FL...

As well as a family of Sand Hill Cranes. It was great fun seeing Mom and Pop and Baby strut around the yard. There are a couple of ‘gators in the pond, but they didn’t appear too interested in the birds. Pop was on lookout while Mom walked Baby up and down the shore.

It's Here! It's Here! Brother Rat is Here!

2009-08-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

I am sooooo excited! My novel, My Adventures as Brother Rat has finally made it into print, and my copies arrived yesterday afternoon. This has been a long time coming. I wrote the original short story some 25 years ago, and folks kept telling me it was really a novel, and, well… they were right. I just had to retire to see it. And write it. And re-write it several times!

It was bought and published by a small independent publisher, Sam’s Dot Publishing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. You won’t find it in your favorite bookstore, but if you want a copy, you can order it from http://www.genremall.com/fictionr.htm#brotherrat or, if you want a signed copy, email me at: lenoragood@charter.net. The price is the same - $10.00 for the book plus $4.00 shipping and handling for a total of $14.00.

Of course, I’m biased; I think the book is worth $14.00.

My Gratefuls:

1. Brother Rat is here

2. Brother Rat is here

3. Brother Rat is here

4. Brother Rat is here

5. Brother Rat is here

My Wonderment:

After waiting and waiting and waiting BROTHER RAT IS HERE!

I’ll try to be a tad more serious in later posts, but right now, I’m just flying way too high on natural endorphins!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the story, Brother Rat is a young woman who was orphaned as a young child. She was taken in by the Healer to the King of Wu and wanted only to become a Healer, but after a series of dreams, she must become a Warrior and takes the name of Brother Rat. The story takes place during the Warring States period of Ancient China, when Yueh invades Wu. It is being marketed as a Young Adult novel because there is no gratuitous sex or violence. There is violence, but it is not glorified—the message being that war sucks bilge water and should be avoided when possible. Unfortunately, it is not always possible.