A Norman Rockwell Morning

What a difference a day makes.

We shovelled our driveway this morning, then decided we wouldn't go to work after all. So we put on our cross-country skis and explored the neighborhood. We headed up hill to the right, following last night's tire tracks, lightly covered with a new dusting of snow. Since most people couldn't either get their cars out, or just decided to stay home, we felt pretty safe gliding in the middle of the road. Traversing down the hills, we met children snow-boarding, sledding, and just playing. Everybody was friendly. Everyone was happy.

We followed trails through the woods, marveling at the stillness and beauty of our surroundings.

We met our new neighbors, recent transplants from Montana, via San Francisco. We played snow toss with another neighbor's dog. We stood in our front yard, a cup of hot chocolate in hand.......as a family walked up the hill, pulling suitcases behind them. No, they didn't need help. They were almost there.

The snow is beautiful, and even though I met new neighbors and talked with strangers, I miss my family and friends. We will make it one way or another to my sister's house on Christmas morning....over the river and through the woods....way on the other side of town.

Shades of Grey on a Snowy Day

Photo taken at 9:15 am Sunday 12/21

Ok, so I'm whining.

We've had a full week of snow, unusual for Portland. Right now we have a foot of snow in our yard, with 2 foot drifts in some spots. The car tracks in the street are covered over from last night's blizzard. This morning we woke up and our power was out. Luckily, we have a couple of gas fireplaces, so we lit them to keep warm. We have a gas range and can light the pilot light to cook. But what about coffee? How do I make my latte? And how do I grind my coffee beans? And where's my Sunday paper?

I found some old coffee in the cupboard, heated water on the stove, and found my camping coffee maker in the camping stuff. Ugh. Terrible. Added a little cocoa to make a cafe mocha. Bad. Note to self: throw out all old coffee.

Since we recently 'bundled' our cable service.....Internet, cable TV, and phone....we were without a phone (that's because this moron didn't charge up her cell phone last night and the battery is low). We sat in the car in the garage for a few minutes charging my phone, and trying to catch some news on the radio. Its funny....the TV news stations show the storm coverage 24/7, whether we like it or not, but try to find out what's happening on the radio when your power is out....no such luck! No TV, no Internet, no phone, no lights, no coffee. I didn't realize how much I counted on electricity.

I went for a walk, for something to do. Neighbors are out, shoveling their walks, walking dogs, or trying to dig out cars that have been left by the side of the road for the past 5 days. Walked to our little "Village Marketplace". Starbucks was closed, but there was a stack of The Sunday Oregonian. Papers were taken and money was left as payment. I grabbed a paper and left 2 bucks.

When I got home the power was on. Yea! I can have my latte and read the paper. Isn't life grand?

Fashion Queens.....or Easter Seesters

Easter morning, circa 1959
I'm on the left, with my 2 older sisters and next door neighbor

When I was little and would complain about not having something, my dad would say "I complained about not having any shoes, until I saw a man without any feet". Nice advice, but I wonder what he was thinking when he and my mom sent me off to church in my new Easter dress with these shoes.......tennis shoes with no laces!?!? I wonder what my play shoes looked like.....

Toy Soldiers

Now that Christmas is around the corner, and you might be wondering what you should get the little ones....what toy will make them say WOW! and create lifetime memories....I'd like to share with you the toys I shared with my younger brother and sister. Clothespins. That's right. Plain old wooden clothespins.

I found a box of clothespins in my mom's stuff when we were cleaning out her apartment. I don't think these were the actual ones we played with when we were kids, but it sure brought back memories. It's funny how we all grew up to be anti-war.....that we mostly played army with the clothespins. Sometimes we played cops and robbers, and sometimes cowboys and Indians....but mostly it was army. We'd build a small fort in our backyard, probably out of other household items, like cans of vegetables, forks, combs, or pots and pans. Then we'd station our army men (the clothespins) around the fort and fight battles. We would spend hours playing this way.

My family didn't have a lot of money, so we didn't have many toys. My older sister had one doll with a painted on dress. A doll she cherished. We love these memories. I guess in a way, I'm sort of glad we didn't have much. It's made me appreciate the things I do have.

Every year I make a gift for my great-niece who lives in Florida. Her mother told me she loves the homemade gifts, so I'll continue until she's too old to appreciate them. I made her something really special this year....and I promise, it's not made out of clothespins.

Snow....Day 2

Photo taken this morning at 9am.

See our miniature Stonehenge in the background.

Snow - Part 2

Three hours later.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

This photo was taken in our backyard at 9:15 this morning.

Winter has come to the Northwest!

I can hardly believe that exactly 1 week ago I was golfing in a short-sleeve shirt.

For those of you who live in the mid-west or the east coast, this is a big deal for Portland. The city will shut down for the day. As for me, I'll curl up next to the fireplace with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today would have been my mother's 86th birthday.

She died suddenly on June 5, 2007. We all miss her, but are thankful that she was able to leave this earth the way she had hoped to.....not being hooked to machines, and not being forced to live in pain.

As we approach Thanksgiving Day, a day that was sometimes her birthday, I am thankful that I do not have to say "I wish I could have spent more time with her". My mother was a simple woman, but also someone who truly appreciated all she had in life. What she appreciated most was her family. A few years ago I made a video of her life to give to her great-grandchildren. When I asked her what her favorite memories were, she said "Watching my children grow up". Family was always important to her, and she passed that down to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

My mother was a real trooper. We could get her to do anything, go anywhere. And go anywhere, we did. We went to the Oregon Coast and rode bicycles on the beach. We went camping. We spent weekends in SunRiver. More than once we went to Florida and Wisconsin to visit relatives. We went to Las Vegas. We had sleepovers.

She dressed in costumes and sang silly songs. She danced to YMCA at her granddaughter's wedding. She made funny videos with her grandsons. She played catch with her great-grandson.....even while using a cane.

Three months before my mother died, my niece had a birthday party for her 2-year old daughter. She wanted us to have a slumber party afterwards....with just the girls....her grandma included. My sister and her granddaughter from Florida surprised us all by jumping out of a giant present. My mom was using a walker at the time, but she stayed overnight and sang karaoke with us. My favorite memory is of three of her great-grandhcildren arguing over who got to help her down the stairs.

My mother was very patriotic, a life-long Democrat, and I don't think she ever missed an election. She loved participating in the 4th of July Parade, and continuously won 1st Place in the costume contest. She was not a feminist, but was awed by successful women. She love reading biographies of famous women. When we buried her, we noticed how fitting it was that her grave was next to a female doctor. Mom would have been delighted.

My siblings and I decided early on that it was important to spend time with my mom. We were lucky, because she was fun and easy to be around. But when we were planning one trip, one member of my family said she couldn't afford to go. Another member told her "You can't afford NOT to go".

I am very thankful that I appreciated my mom while she was still alive. Please do not let it be too late for any of you.

This is for Stwo...or whoever else finds this funny

Stwo, you commented on my Junk Jivin' post that you found a brand-new pair of overalls with a 'free' sign on them. Can you beat this purchase by my niece and sister-in-law?