Our Christmas gathering

A special thank you to my Joel for getting my computer to open and up and running wow what a guy.

I have a wonderful family no matter what they are family and treat each other with love and respect I am so proud to be the matriarch of this great family. We always get together before Christmas so each family can be home for Christmas eve we usually go to the closest house which is Karol and Don's this year we will go but it will be low key because both Karol and Don have had surgery "Gall Bladder" in the last two weeks. So as a family we met on the 21st and what lovely time we had, only problem we encountered was food way too much we can not seem to get it proportioned but the wise ones always bring their own containers and make a haul on left overs. 

Now to get some pictures of the food I hope

My daughter Debra made these cute penguins not only cute but tasty she also made the Santa head grapes

Triple berry sheet pie and pretzel sticks dipped in yumminess galore...After the Seahawks game we had a  slumber party with three grand daughters, sad news Hailey and Wyatt leave for their new home in Vancouver WA. Daddy will be putting many miles on his rig to visit them, we will all do our best                                                           b to keep in touch, I see train rides in our future and camping on the Columbia.  Good luck to Lisa and the kids in their new home. My dad always said you have to follow the buck and for Lisa after a year of looking this was the only choice.

I'Leah is now 17 months old wow time passes so quickly she is walking and very busy

We also welcomed a new member to the family Freyia Joel's new grand daughter a happy picture of four generations a happy addition to the family

 

 

Christmas greetings

There are many things I feel this time of year. Joy when I see the lights and trees, happiness when I am with my loved ones, bitter sweat memories dance in my minds eye of Christmases past. I have always loved Christmas I know for some because of a death or accident or some sadness that came to you when the Christmas season roles around you are locked in sadness and miss the joy of this season. For me I have been blessed my growing up was filled with happiness and laughter, card games and music, and the foods were wonderful. Except for the fights my sister started with my Dad the real meaning of Christmas was happiness and family it was a time to celebrate our family bonds and friends;My mother and aunts were wonderful cooks some of the foods I remember were Aunt Lorraine's watermelon pickles, peanut butter blossoms, peanut brittle, cookies of all kinds, my Dad's fudge, my mothers date-nut cake, fruit cakes smothered in rum, hot buttered rum drinks, cocoa with marshmallows, pine-nut salad so many wonderful treats but the conversations and laughter was the best.I learned a lot sitting and listening to political talks and then there was the war; I was the youngest of all the cousins and most were much older than I and they were active in the war, our family was lucky we did not lose anyone during those dark days. They all came home and what a celebration it was. Today we are the makers of the memories our children will have, someday they will talk about going to Grandma's house and the wonderful meals and fun we all had together. We are making their memories today, so make it a wonderful Christmas memory pass the love on whether you have money or not make it a joyful Christmas to be remembered for years to come.

ALOHA

We made it with a two hour delay on the ground making our flight time 8 hours we arrived safely and too tired to care, we made the right decision to take the earlier shuttle the 5 o'clock instead of the 6 AM  we were tied up in HWY  5 traffic and made it barely in time to wait the additional two hours,  traveling is so much fun.  Oh well Hawaii is so beautiful I guess it was worth it. Just imagine what it was like to travel in a wagon across country how did our ancestors make it?
Tomorrow morning we will go helicopter flying around the Island I think I am looking forwards to it. Golly I hope I do not get sick, I used to be so strong and full of fun, that was the Delaine I used to know,  where did  she go? Where ever she went it was it happened in a blink of an eye.  I think my eyes will be shut the whole time I fly.

STITCH QUILT SHOW AT GIG HARBOR LIBRARY

IT IS A GREAT SHOW HOWEVER MY CAMERA RAN OUT OF BATTERY
I WILL ADD MORE WHEN I RETURN THURSDAY. THE SHOW RUNS THE FULL MONTH OF OCTOBER, ALSO THERE WILL BE A LECTURE  ON THE 11TH OF OCTOBER AT THE LIBRARY 1 PM OUR GROUP WILL BE TELLING ABOUT QUILTS FROM THE 1800'S TO THE ART QUILTS OF TODAY.

Gately Gathering

What a perfect day for gathering down at Steamboat Island club house
Jerry's sister and husband have a place just down the road, it is a bit small for this group so the club house is perfect.  What a day, what wonderful food and the company was soft and comfortable, a nice time was had by all.

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Then came the food, pulled pork, salmon, five salads breads and buns beans and to top it off pie.  Peach, apple, pecan, wild black berry served with ice cream good thing it was all natural and low calorie,  Well someone said it was low calorie surely it was.             The next Generation

Harbor seals napping

 great food all in all it was a great day.

Lovely week of Sun and hard work

To start.
Jerry has started the major work on our leak problem in the basement bedroom, seems the two torrential down pours we had the last two months were more than our gutters could handle.  It actually bent them, they failed thus flooding into the window well, down the inside wall to the carpet pads and all.  I discovered it while making the bed bare foot wet carpet is easy to identify when bare foot.

My hero has worked so hard and of course our insurance does not cover it, how lucky can we be.

The fun part was my pals at Pal came for a painting day sadly the sun was not cooperating but they were able to product some lovely pictures. only four came because of the weather but I must say they inspired me to try to start painting.

Randy looked so relaxed with pen and brush in hand
Feather went for the barn and bird houses
Eilene is new to the area, she did the barn
and some lovely flowers--All in all they
never saw the Olympics but they seemed to
have a good time -- Ann fell for one of our old apple trees--I loved seeing them work.

I was shot in the back--the pain is better not gone but better

I am able to sleep in the bed the last few days, I have slept in the chair for so long I am not sure which I like the best.  Jerry's aunt Ester loved her recliner and had it moved into her room at the rehab center, I thought it was funny but now I understand; you see when your lower back is in spasm and the pain is night and day, those chairs are life sent.  We have two Stressless chair/recliners they are the best I am budgeting now for a third one, however my sister-in-law says ours are not the good ones, but she does not tell what the good ones are.  I can not imagine a better chair then the Stressless we have now, we love ours .  I believe we would buy one if they only came in hot pink.
Forty days of sunshine wow it has been a great summer, our trees are showing signs of stress from lack of water, and I have been lazy and not dragging the hose from pillar to post this is a big yard Jerry does not want me to water near the house and I am not doing it like it should be done, oh for a sprinkler system; We are getting older taking care of this property is getting to be a problem.

Now I go out to the ''Apple tree of Meditation'', it is a very old tree planted probably in the 1920's; it had a great hole in the v of the tree when Jerry moved in; he did the old fashion, digging it out and filled it with cement the tree was saved and it continues to gift us with many wonderful apples.  They make the best apple pie ever. Today I will gaze up into it's very mystical branches, it is a wonderful experience.  For me to push back in my chaise and gaze into the branches I find it magical, well it is truly an afternoon delight.  It inspires poetry and day dreams as a magic nap moves into my mind and I slip into another realm.

Taking a chance with a new Doctor(Proceedure)

Today I went to see a new doctor and had steroid injections in my spine to relieve the unknown pain that seems to roam my lower back, it was a hard decision to allow this invasive treatment.  Now after sleeping all day I am thinking about how this pain has shaped my days.  We went walking on Sekui's wild beach last week I had the wonderful opportunity to enjoy the sand and sun but my back was so bad I could not do the great walking I had planned on doing, I need exercise and doing the needles was the only approach available so I did it.  So far so good the number has not completely warn off but it feels different (better) maybe my fear was uncalled for.  Life is all about choices.

PAIN

What is it to you

We all know the reality of pain

Emotional pain eats away at your soul

Chronic pain awakes with you every day

I have lived with both yet

I cannot say which hurts the most

They both eat away at your being

They both consume your inner peace

They both shape your day

Do you know you we still have a choice?

We choose to fold under pains pressure

Or to overcome it

It is not easy - it is never easy

Each one has the inner tenacity

To overcome whatever comes your way

Each morning when you open your eyes

No matter what the pain

Know you can Overcome it

Your minds eye is powerful

Yes overcome it and be in charge of your day

The pain may not go away

But it is you who makes your day

Our oldest son Steven lives here at the mouth of the Sekui River we stayed with him for a week of meandering the beach.  Watching the eagles and Sea otters frolic and play; and seeing the spray from the local whales; but for me the highlight was agate hunting.  We got a few but this trip was short in the agate department but high in the long chats department, plus cribbage and campfire nights
with guitar music into the night.

The naps were the best listening to the tides change and the soft breezes that brushes your cheeks as the birds talk, oh dear how the young crows squawk as they try to coaxes their mom's to give up their food.
All and all it was a wonderful trip, Sekiu can be really cold but the weather was great and at times warm.

A few days in the Wonderful NW Woods

this is my view where I napped and enjoyed the quiet while the family were up at Sunrise for the wild flowers and a good hike.

Starting with a lovely sunset and off we go to the great NW woods to the Dallas below Mt Rainiers Sunrise the weather started out wonderful then we experienced a storm from hell, but before the storm a wonderful two days of family fun.

Father and son taking a break

The great trees of the Grove of the Patriarchs trees 1000 years old what a joy to walk among those great trees.

 

Hailey takes a break