THE DUST WILL WAIT

These wild turkeys in my neighbor's yard don't know what happens in November. During the summer there were two adult females and 17 "poults" that wandered through our neighborhood daily.  They have all grown, and the count is down by at least two.   I'm not exactly sure what they are eating in "Bill's" yard, but there may be lots of tasty grub thriving under the new fall of walnut leaves. Listening and seeing these wild creatures is enjoyable.  However, knowing that their introduction to the hills around the valley has not been kind to the native grouse is not .

My friend Kim loves rocks. She also loves to share her love for rocks.  Even now that she has moved far away to Colorado Springs, Colorado, she continues to entertain us with her discoveries. Last weekend she went for a hike and saw this brazen boulder along the path . She photographed it and promptly E-mailed it to me. What do you think?  Proof positive that Rock Eaters really exist?   Or,  just the butt of one of Mother Nature's playful jokes? 

Kaleb (almost 5) with his playmates in Chad My heart will not rest until I give this moment to my forever friend, Jan, and the grief that has been poured upon her family. Her grandson, little Kaleb, died on June 9 - complications of Malaria. His daddy & mommy laid him to rest in Chad, where they have been working without a salary (donation based mission) to improve the lives of the people they love. For friends of the family who wish to help the young couple out right now: Two funds have been set up this week. The following info is from an Email I got from Jan this morning. One fund is to help Gary, Wendy & their 3 year old Cherise fly to the states to grieve with family and friends. The 2nd fund is for their mission in Chad. Gospel Ministries International www.gospelministry.org Checks can be mailed to: Gospel Ministries International PO Box 506 Collegedale, TN 37315 Just say (*write on the check) that it is "In memory of Kaleb Roberts". This will pu...

Forty years ago I graduated from high school. I didn't go to my reunion (long story), which was 5 hours away on the west side . Two of my high school friends now live here in the valley - minutes away from me, and one lives several hours to the west in a small town on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. The four of us got together and looked at Diane's photos from the reunion that Kari, Polly, and I failed to attend. We ate Mexican food, laughed, reminisced, and wondered out loud "why" we didn't do this every month. Kari, Diane, Polly Love you guys! (But why didn't you tell me my hair was such a mess?)

I received an email from an old friend today – sharing with me photos of her grandchildren and all the current news from their retirement home in the southwest. A huge grin stretched my face when I read her announcement that one of the twins is getting married. In the early eighties when they moved onto our street, the twins were little boys. The daughter was the same age as our eldest. I had only girls so I wasn’t prepared for the mischief and excitement that two mirror images could reflect on a quiet neighborhood. They weren’t naughty. They just had unlimited curiosity and energy, no fear (before it became a slogan), and a healthy dose of twin competitiveness. On their bicycles, the twins were identical Evil Knievels. I once witnessed (I don’t know which) one lose control of his handle bars at full speed and straddle the metal pole of a mailbox. It was as if a giant had thrown a horseshoe and scored a ringer. Every July I’m reminded of that Independence Day celebration when one ...

Kim is a special education teacher… and for us a special friend. The former “special” equips her to deal with situations that confound the average person. The latter “special” equips her to deal with WR and me. Recently she flew to Colorado where she and her husband plan to move. While she interviewed for jobs, she stayed with her very best friend who is a live-in manager at another “special” place; a home for people afflicted with dementia. One of the residents became attached to Kim during her two week stay. Kim was attentive and made herself available to help Priscilla find her sweater – a task which needed to be done often. The forgetful lady left her sweater in the dining room, in the sitting room, in the chair in the hall, and everywhere else. Once she realized her sweater was not over her shoulders she would fret, and then accuse others of thievery. One particular morning Kim arrived early in the dining room to prepare for her day, along with several...

Sayre, of SayreSmiles , is the host today. Naturally she wants to know about the holiday that just passed. She wants touching and wonder, and crazy, stupid, and funny. I can't cover it all, but here's my contribution to the cause! * * * * * On the 12th of December I drove the 6 hours to watch 7 month old little Caboose while Karmyn and Dave enjoyed a Saturday afternoon stage production and dinner. (You had to twist my arm, really!) I also planned to enjoy the Christmas program in which Buttercup and Jammin’ would be participating , bake a cake with Buttercup for her mama’s birthday, and then head home for a week and come back with Grandpa for Christmas. Then it started snowing. The forecast was cold and white. School was cancelled, and thus the performances by the children. Between storms, I drove home on compact snow and ice. More extreme weather arrived, and I-84 through the Cascade Mountains was closed.We (grandma and grandpa) would definitely not be driving any...

Robin, today’s Fun delegator , asked us to share inspiring favorite quotes. As I rolled ideas through my head, my thoughts kept returning to an event from my youth The words spoken were not inspiring in their delivery. The person who ran with them wasn’t me. And, the life changing event belonged to someone else. But I remember it all so very well. My friend Evonne was a skinny little curly haired moppet. We weren’t best friends, but we were close. We shared a classroom every year from 2 nd through 8 th grade. High school tumbled us into other peer groups and our friendship was loosely maintained. But then the incident happened during our senior year that changed her life forever. Mrs. L was very old. Had anyone asked, I would have suggested she was 107. She was Evonne's and my senior advisor. I don’t recall one word the woman spoke to me during counseling. However, I do remember what she said to Evonne. On one particular day a very distraught and teary-eyed ...

He had a goal: To ride the STP (Seattle to Portland) in one day after he turned 60. He did just that last Saturday. There were 9 riders in his group. One was a 5 foot short woman - she's behind him in the photo above. The youngest was age forty something and the four oldest were 60. They were on their bicycles by 5 a.m, and all but one had crossed the finish line by 9:30 pm. Our daughter Amanda and our friend Kim (whose husband also rode) drove the sag vehicles and kept the riders fed and hydrated. This is the 7th time my husband has completed the 200 mile classic. He and his group added another 3 or 4 miles when they chose to take their lunch break at a park off the route. He said he's never felt better. I thought his entry number was poignant. He does look like a 30 - 60. Don't you agree? (Photo credits to Amanda)

Hoss is a model. ( See him stylin' HERE .) Don't forget to visit other Wordless Wednesday participants.

A Five Minute Video for my IRL friends.... who were so intent in their play that they thought I was taking snapshots. SURPRISE!! In the end, the prize isn't in the box. The prize is in the fun, the fellowship, the laughter. L's Shower from pamela on Vimeo .

I suspected all along that they were out there. When I awake with the first sunbeams through the Maple trees, I sometimes hear the distant whistle of a teensy tea kettle somewhere in the honeysuckle. If I peak cautiously through the window shades, a flash of color disappears beneath the rosebush. Those leaves shape into fine little tubs to catch the spray from the sprinklers. Maybe the older ones enjoy a nice soak. The rest of them are familiar with the watering schedule and most likely take pleasure in a brisk but satisfying shower. While weeding beneath the Viburnum I hear them talking; I recognize the sound, but you might mistake it for crickets. My innocent smile denotes my pleasure in the cadence but does not alert them to my clever discernment. Sometimes it is frustrating to reach for what appears to be a perfect tomato, only to discover that they drilled into it during the night and hollowed out the ripened flesh. Nothing in my garde...

My neighbor Bill is in his mid eighties. He spends most of his days gardening accompanied by his trusty dog Allie. The other morning as I left for work he beckoned to me. "Would you mind taking a picture of me with my sunflowers?" He asked. " I want to send them to my kids so they can see how big they grew this year." Bill in his garden knee pads and gloves . To his right and out of view there were some not quite as tall, but so large that the stalk could no longer bear the weight. This enormous head was bowing to the earth in heavy seed. It won't be long before the finch will invade his garden in a feeding frenzy of song and winged acrobatics. This flower was at least one foot across. That evening we drove about 17 miles out of town where I noticed the moon rising above the golden wheat fields and the mountain foothills. And it's only just a reflection!

Sunshine, Sprinklers, and Shadows (Early this morning the three played an optical symphony.) Snake Scenery (The river runs 1,040 miles from the Grand Teton Wilderness, Wyoming.) Spying on Shore Birds (Osprey can be 22 inches tall, have a wingspan of 6 feet, and fly 40 mph. The mama "fish hawk" charged us from her nest when our boat drifted in too close.) Smiles (K's first tubing adventure. She was a natural.) Surprised Siblings (The two A's jumped a wake and smacked down hard.) Sail Ho me Squiffy Men! (A ghost ship flying under the Jolly Roger. Stuart Little Size.)

We accepted a dinner invitation and a Frisbee Golf Challenge on Father's Day from our friends, G and L, who live in the mountains. (The teenagers, M and F, were toddlers when our daughters baby sat.) Before dinner we hiked around in the old growth, looking for a log that we might use in one of our flower beds. Big Boy, their beautiful Belgian Draft Horse, and Sam, the fuzzy little donkey, acted like dogs and followed us along the path. Look at him just chasing me down the path!!! I seemed to always be last in line and never quite fast enough for Big Boy. He would nudge my shoulder with his nose to remind me to get a move on it. He also wanted to chew on my straw hat. The hubby finally found the piece of wood he wanted and the men returned to the house for the chain saw and tractor. We ladies sat on the log and chatted with the company of Big Boy and Sam. The big horse walked a short distance away, stretched out in a comfy position, and began to pee; and pee, and pee, and pe...

I am publishing one of my favorite posts again - one reason is because it was an experience that touched me and another reason is because I'm still counting comments and I don't have a new post yet. I hope you enjoy this story from July 6, 2006. * * * * * * * * Those of you who listen to Paul Harvey will relate to the concurrent events involving my post Green Door, the continuing saga of the trials of THE BACK YARD. Now you’re going to hear … the rest of the story. Our church pastor began his own project about the same time as we did this spring; He was enlarging his kitchen, bathroom, dining room, and adding a basement bedroom. Acting as his own contractor, he was doing a tremendous amount of the work himself. However, like all remodeling jobs, you can plan on plenty of things going awry. And a lot did. He could match us story for discouraging story with THE BACK YARD chronicle. His narrative took a much more serious turn in early May when he fell uncharacteristically ...

I love Anona. That isn’t what we call her, but you can call her that. Although she is somewhere in her 7 th decade, she is also a newlywed of one year. A blushing bride again after many years widowed. She reminds me of the Fairy God Mother in Cinderella, from her sweet rosy cheeks, right down to the pixie dust that sparkles over everyone that she encounters. Anona affects laughter from the people that surround her. Not by purpose, but through humorous misfortune, misspeak, or misstep. For instance, one Saturday she met with some other women at a local coffee shop and proceeded to order a crappuccino. There are many other “Only Anona’s”, but my favorite story was told by her late sister, Alta. The sisters traveled together to Bend , Oregon to pay their last respects when a third sister’s husband passed away. They found distraction on the six-hour trip by singing along with The Golden Oldies on the radio. Halfway to their destination, they stopped at a service station. While Anon...

Today I'm participating in Memorable Post Selection in the Third edition of what is now dubbed Fun Monday. The posts chosen are important to me because each was my first impression of someone that I now consider a friend. A year ago, I was hardly aware of the blogging world, so having friends that I've never met in person is a new and intriguing experience. Babe in The Mud was my introduction to the menagerie over at Another Chance Ranch . The near loss of her prize Percheron is documented in pictures and vivid descriptions. Julie has a wonderful perspective on people and life. Kind, considerate, warm and knowledgeable are adjectives I would use to describe her. I have to warn you, however, never to mistake her prize draft horses for mules. One day I read some comments on another blog by Willowtree. I began lurking, so to speak, and reading some archives to see if he was as gnarly as his comments portrayed him to be. He was. Yippee, I can have a shower ! convin...

When I was in sixth grade, a family moved into the house across from the school. The daughter was tall, blond, smart, and talented. The best part was she was my age and very very nice. We became good friends. The first day I stopped at her house to visit, I was shocked to find her mother in bed. "What is wrong with your mom?" I asked boldly, because I was a bold little girl. "She is recovering from malaria." My new friend told me as if I knew what Malaria was and that it was obvious bed rest was required. They had been living in Ghana, Africa's Gold Coast, where her mother contracted the disease and her health forced their move back to the states. "Who does the cooking?" My inquiring mind pushed the conversation deeper. She stopped pouring the juice that we were going to drink with our cookies and looked at me oddly. "Why? I do!" "Oh." I'm sure my face showed some astonishment, but I changed the subject because I knew it w...

The guy has all the moves. (update, I'm thinking this is the Australian version of the Anniversary Waltz)