STEAM Night

After school and a play session with our old neighbors, we headed back to school.  It was STEAM night.  We visited the littles' classrooms and saw what they were working on lately.  The little man is studying snails and they even had a snail race.  He had his first research paper on polar bears and another on sharks to share with me.
The little woman has been doing insects for awhile.  Well they had butterflies that you could see the chrysalises hanging from the top of their structure.  And then the butterflies had laid eggs on the leaves in it.  A great circle for the kids to watch.
Then we moved to the commons where tables of science experiments were set up.  The little man liked the laser one and then building with Lego's.  She liked the rockets and seeing friends.
They had a great time and I loved seeing all the things they are doing and learning.  They only have two more weeks left of this school year.

Spa Day

It was girl scout day for the little woman.  They had a spa day.  So they got their hair done. The picture shows what is left of her curls and crimps.  She was actually pretty cute.  When I asked her if she liked getting it done (I would have loved it), she said no.  Later I asked again and asked if it hurt and she said yes it did.  We will see when she is a teen if it still hurts too much to do it.  Hard living life highly sensitive.
They also did their nails.  All the other girls had cute little rhinestones on their nails.  The little woman had one hand with alternating pink and purple nail polish and the other hand had nothing.  She said she only wanted one hand done.  Okay then. 
The little man and I took advantage of the time and went to Walmart to get a couple of birthday gifts for the parties he has been invited to.  Never ending. 

He's My Little Man

Yup.  He is my best cuddler.  He is my great thinker.  He is learning to read and add and subtract.  He can tell me about snails.  He can be the sweetest thing since chocolate and he can be ornery.  He is a strong willed boy.  He thinks he is much more grown up than six years-old.  He is intuitive like Papa was and is even ticklish in the same place.  He is still so athletic and makes my joints hurt to watch him run and jump and climb.  And he does all of it.  There is very little that slows him down.  He can be a clown and loves to pick on his sister.  He has a quick brain and that means a quick wit sometimes.  He is able to figure things out and always works to get what he wants.  He has a lot of attributes like his daddy has now and I'm not sure that is a good thing. But it is an is thing.  He is quick to kiss booboos on me especially if they were caused by his sister.  He is my little man and I cannot imagine life without him. 

Time Off

The littles went and spent most of the afternoon with Aunt Traci.  I went grocery shopping and then still had time to do something.  So I went and saw the new Star Wars movie.  I got to sit in the skybox since I was by myself...skybox is just for adults.  It was an enjoyable movie that I watched while I ate my lunch.  Loved that. 
Afterwards I picked up the kids and headed home.  Drove slowly by David's house so we could wave, but we didn't see him.  Get home and there was a message from him.  He had seen us.  He was weeding under an umbrella tree.  We were looking in the garage.  He did admit we may not have been able to see him because of the construction sign in front of his house.  He said next time to stop and knock.  There is always a trampoline that needs jumping on there.  I take that as an invitation. 
And now our long weekend comes to a close.  Back to work and school.  Routine for three more weeks. 

Playing at the Park

The sun was out and we had nothing we had to do.  We headed downtown to Esther Short Park to peruse the Farmer's Market and to play.  They started off on the playground and got their balloons.  The little man naturally got a sword and she opted for a dragonfly.  We found food at the market and took it to the fountain.  They had cotton candy.  That cotton candy must have had a tremendous amount of food coloring in it as they had dark blue mouths.  Then the water of the fountain called to them and they played and played.  It was a wonderful afternoon with every one having fun and behaving.  Truly a wonderful day. 

Family BBQ

The island is still under water.  Since camping was out there and we could not find any other reservable places...we stayed home.  Decided today was a good day to BBQ.  We had burgers and then fresh strawberry shortcake for dessert.  First shortcake of the season and it was delicious.  The little man just ate strawberries and the little woman ate one and said they were too sour.....wait, what?
While waiting on the charcoal the little man was his uncle's helper.  He is a great screw holder and tool gatherer.  Sometimes it is really nice to just have someone grab that tool for you.  And the little man soaks it all in. 
My brother always seems to have interesting projects going on.  His friend Don dropped off this Dart for some work.  We talked about how I had one, but not like his.  Mine was stock and sits in a storage unit somewhere in Clark County. 
The little man invited himself to spend the night with the uncle.  The little woman and I just lazed around.  In the quiet. 

Closer

We found out that our friends from the apartment moved closer to us.  We thought they were actually in our neighborhood, but we were wrong.  They are still close.  Today we walked over to their house.  Naturally they weren't home, but now we know for sure where they live.  And I will have to keep an eye on a little man because we have to cross a busy street to get to their neighborhood. 
And I had to do new friend requests for them on facebook.  I periodically purge my friends list.  If you aren't family or currently part of our lives....I tend to unfriend.  Most people in my life leave and stay gone, so it is no big deal.  So while it is kind of embarrassing and hopefully I never have to explain it, we are pumped that it is so.  They are a young couple that I can greatly relate to.  They have two kids and a third on the way.  We have many similarities and our kids love each other. 
Makes my world feel just a little less small. 

Little Woman Blessings

She headed out the door today in her dress that is great for a crowd. It is almost a neon green and it stands out and calls eyes to it.  I discovered this when we were at a concert last summer at Esther Short Park. She has a field trip to OMSI today so she made a great choice.
She carried with her one picture of a dog that she had decorated for her friend Brooklyn.  She had her "healthy" lunch which included the makings for a carrot sandwich.  Someone must have told her sandwiches were healthy.  I'm not too sure about a carrot sandwich, but she will like it or not.
There are many blessings rolled up in the package of a little woman. She has the biggest heart and loves to do artwork to share with all her friends and neighbors.  For the longest time she has hung her art on doors.
She is extremely empathetic and it seems to develop more as time goes on.  Sometimes it is hard for her to watch TV or videos depending on content.
She is smarter than she knows.  She learns differently than the majority of people and that is all right.  It is just a matter of finding out how to teach her.  She has learned a lot in school this year as they have figured out her tools.
She loves animals.  One of her goals is to be a veterinarian.  I could see her running a no kill shelter.  She likes cats best, but she also likes all animals except ants.
She is strong willed and I hope that takes her through life not being walked on. We'll have to see though because she has also learned how to be submissive and apologetic in the face of anger.  That can be a blessing if it teaches her how to be a good negotiator and take other's feelings into account.
She is highly sensitive and while right now that hinders her....when she learns how to use it, it can save her in a lot of situations.  She has a great intuition because of it.
She is loving and kind.  She doesn't have a personal space bubble so she indiscriminately hugs people.  Now a lot of people don't like that.  But she has no fear and someday she may hug someone who needs it but doesn't know how to ask because of their own bubble.
She is a blessing with all her many facets of who she is.  I'm pretty sure she suffers from anxiety and almost panic attacks because of it.  I don't know if that is genetic, nurture, or the drugs used while she was invitro.  I see signs of anxiety in her brother also, but different manifestations.  The blessing there is the things I am being taught because of it.
And she is just awesome.  We talked about being in love.  I said I was in love with them.  And I am.  I am blessed with all that she is.

Play Ball

Thinking about Minnie and playing ball got me motivated.  We ordered a container of tennis balls for Shadow and another one for Eleanor.  Both dogs look like they like to play ball.  It's our small way of showing appreciation for our family and their pets. 
We love our pets.  The little woman is ready to add to our group.  She informed me she wants another kitten because they are so cute.  No puppies as puppies bite.  One of the neighbors has a new puppy and it is biting her when she goes over to play with it. 
Again I explained to her that we are not adding right now.  We don't know where we are going to land and we don't want to have to rehome any animals because we can't have them where we end up.  Again I think she understood.  Until the next time she really wants a new kitten.  I kind of want a dog that wants to play ball.  Maybe some day.

Another Park Day

We are just enjoying this weather.  We went back to the dog park today.  It was a normal day there.  Some people but not packed.  We hadn't been there long when Tor and Titon showed up.  Titon is getting big and looking so grown up.  We met them last year.  Tor is a great-grandfather raising Titon. 
I was so glad to hear that he is now getting a little more help.  When Titon was born Tor and his wife took on the job when no one else in their family would step up to the plate.  Then his wife died.  And he has been doing this for three years by him self now. 
Tor turns 78 this summer.  His daughter had a change of heart and decided to step up.  So she takes Titons on weekends.  When school starts they will reverse the schedule and he will hopefully go to the Catholic school near her house.  They are just waiting to hear if he has a spot. 
It was good to see them.  And hopefully we will see them some more at the dog park.

Lovely Spring

And lovely weather puts us back at playgrounds.  Burning off energy.  This is our third playground trip in less than a week. Today was a good day.
Yesterday we learned a valuable lesson.  A group of kids at the park decided to have fun at the expense of the littles.  They ganged up and then in a way taunted the littles.  Let them think they were playing tag and then when the little man would tag them they would claim to be playing something else.  Offered to let them join their team...but not really.  That group of kids knew each other and my kids were odd man out.  We had a conversation about why groups of kids do that.  My heart was broken, but maybe something good came from it.  We talked about how in the future they don't play like that were someone is odd man out just because it's fun.  Because it is not fun.  I sat and watched the parents of this group of kids at the park either be oblivious or not care.  Their kids were not nice and my kids knew it.  It did take the little man a bit longer to understand he was the brunt of the joke.  He thought they were just playing like they had been for the first half hour we were there.  And then it hit him.  About that time it was time to go.  We had better things to do with our time. 

Carpets

The little man headed to the neighbors.  And then the little woman headed to the neighbors. Yesterday I had gotten most of the stuff picked up and the floor vacuumed in my bedroom.  Today was clean the carpet day.  And that carpet is so trashed.  It is original from when the house was built. 
When I was done it looked better....still trashed and needing replacement...but better.  Smells better.  Pulled a lot of dirt out of it so I know I did some good. 
From there I moved into the living room.  Did a better pickup and vacuum and then proceeded to do that room also.  Actually did it three times.  Two with cleaner and then with vinegar.  If you can get the majority of the soap out it looks better longer.  Let me rephrase that.  It looks better longer if you don't have smaller kids.  First thing the little woman did was spill Rice Krispies on it.  Honestly though it does look better and a lot of dirt came out of it also.  Sad that the carpet Mom had put in is deteriorating.  But then when I think about how old it is....about fifteen years already.  Maybe it is not so sad. 
Making progress ever so slowly.  ;p

Wait.....What?

So the other day I went on my other blog and I always check to see how many page views etc have occurred.  Well I had like six or seven page views from Ireland.  It was a direct link.  I don't know anyone in Ireland.  No one I know is visiting Ireland.  And then I notice further.  At the bottom of the information is where the person tried to get to a counter.  It looks like she was looking for the counter that you can remove yourself from.  Ohhhhh.  That counter stopped working because of the new international laws coming soon.  Anyway.....
I'm blocked on facebook, but I'm not blocked in Instagram.  And look Doug and his wife are on a long extended vacation to Iceland, Ireland and who knows where else.  Want to bet they used frequent flier miles?  I'm like...you are on vacation and have nothing better to do than to check my blog.  Really?  Seriously?  To be fair she hasn't been on it in about six weeks.  That I can confirm anyway. 

Mario

We have been talking about a game system for about two years.  I wanted to wait until the littlest one got a little bigger.  Well he has been playing computer games with Uncle Pat for quite some time so he is old enough for a game system.
So today we went to Best Buy and got a Nintendo Switch (my preferred brand) and a couple of Mario games.  We love Mario.  So we played the Rabbid game at Uncle Pat's and it's okay.  When we got home we plugged in the Mario Odyssey and love it.
The little man gets a tad frustrated but he will figure it out.  He has figured the game out playing so far.  Just sometimes he has to play a section a couple of times.  Shoot I have to do that myself. I love listening to her read the instructions with such gusto. 
Amazingly enough I can play this game.  It does give me a Nintendo headache if I play too long though.  Guess I will have limits on how long I can play.  ;p

Linus and Minnie

Brenda and I were talking about Mica and her habits in the middle of the night.  And that brought up Minnie.  She told me that for the longest time Linus kept asking about the blueberry lady's dog.  I'm the blueberry lady and Minnie is the dog.  He loved Minnie.  And every time he came out with his Grandma and Brenda he would play ball with her.  Naturally she was always up for a game of chase the ball. 
It's hard for a boy to love dogs when so many family members have allergies.  I believe his dad did get a labradoodle. 
I just loved the reminder of being the blueberry lady and it will be forever my name with Linus.  So I told Brenda to tell Linus that Minnie is just fine if he asks again.  He loves her.  And she loved anyone who would play ball. 

Mica

Phoebe, the dog, had a sleepover last weekend with Betsy, Pat's dog.  Every once in awhile that happens.  Well since she was gone, Mica decided it was safe to be in the bedroom with us.  So every time I stirred she would get on the bed and meow and want to be petted.  Then she does the knead the pillow thing and tries to include my head.  At least she isn't biting my head, which is what she used to do. 
So Phoebe came back after one night.  But Mica continued on with the coming in every night and going through her routine every time I moved.  Sometimes she even lets kids pet her.  She must really want to be petted.  This is the first week she has willingly let the little man pet her.  She has been letting the little woman for about a year already.  But only on her terms.  Middle of the night, in the bed when all is quiet.  Funny cat.

Bugs

The second graders had their field trip to the CASEE center today.  They were having a hands on lessons in bugs.  They have been studying bugs in class.  They walked around the garden, the pond and the woods looking for different types of bugs.  We really liked the little magnifier and want to get one for home.  Her favorite bug was the large water beetle. 
I'm really happy that my work day worked out that I could join her on the field trip.  She enjoyed having me along also.

Camping Underwater

Pat had checked in with some of the people who camp at the island.  They did a clean up last weekend.  Well "our spot" is under water.  One of the guys seemed to think that it would be not under water by this weekend.  I think that was before any one heard about the flood warning on the Columbia River.  So we are playing it by ear, but it is looking like we are not camping over the long weekend.  And of course it is too late to get a reservation at any campground.  Oy.

Positive Vibes

So I stopped at Costco on the way to work to get gas.  Waiting my turn.  The car at the front pump left.  It didn't look like the truck at the hind pump was going to be much longer so I waited.  Next thing I know this woman pulls beside me and the truck and goes to the front pump.  She wasn't in line behind me.  Wait..what?
So the truck finishes and leaves and he had to maneuver around her to get out.  I pull up to his pump and get my gas.  She and I were done at the same time and pulled out together.  She gained nothing by jumping the line. 
I like to think she must have been in a very big hurry, not rude.  And so I send out all these positive vibes into the universe for her and that her day got better. 

Mother's Day 2018

My brother asked if we wanted pizza.  Well, yes.  So we went to his house and then I picked up Mom.  We almost always do the take and bake and today was no exception.  I baked the pizzas.  We had a lovely meal.  Then there were drumsticks for dessert.  Yum.  The little woman even ate half of one. 
The little man told Grammy that he loved her second best right after Uncle Pat.  That made Mom feel good.  The little woman graciously gave her the birdhouse she made yesterday at the park.  And we both got flowers. 
The littles called their Mom and I got a call from Mike.  Mike reminded the littles to be sure and hug me and tell me Happy Mother's Day.  We mailed off one of our mailers with our cards.  Need another mailer to send the last one.  It's always something. 

Six Minutes

Apparently six minutes is all it takes for Cassie and the kids to catch up with each other.  The kids called her today to wish her a Happy Mother's Day.  Six minutes and they were done.  So this year she has 18 minutes that she has interacted with her children.  Three phone calls.  Always six minutes. 
On a side note.  I taught the little woman how to make the call.  I'm not sure she will remember but it is time to teach her to use the phone for something other than youtube videos.

Much Better Ending

It was the Mother's Day hike with the girl scouts.  The day got off to a bad start.  No one wanted to cooperate......no socks, no shoes, etc.  Then the little man threw a fit and I did not feel like going anymore.  After a few minutes when every one calmed down the socks went on, the shoes went on and we actually left the house.
We arrived at Silver Falls State park half an hour late and the group had started the hike.  There was no data on the phone and no signal so we could not text we had arrived.  We did find free wi-fi by the cafe, but it didn't help much.  So we hiked down to the first falls by ourselves and it was wonderful.  Then we had lunch while listening to the Raptor Presentation.  The little man was fascinated with the owl and sat right up front.
Food made every one feel better and we thought we would do that waterfall again, but this time go down so we could go behind it.  When we got to the other side we ran into our group.  So we finished the hike with them.  What goes down, has to go up.  Then we started working our way towards the parking lot.
Well there were many activities going on at the park this weekend for Mother's Day.  So we stopped and looked at the floral exhibit.  And then there were birdhouses to be made.  About that time the rest of the group left but we stayed and went back to the card/pin making station and the littles had a blast making pins and cards.
We had a really good time at the park and are glad we went.  The day ended much better than it began.

A Happy Box

I had a bag of clothes that I considered too good to just drop off at the Goodwill. The Goodwill got plenty of boxes anyway. So then I put the bag of clothes up on a facebook sale site and had a buyer.  I sat in a parking lot two different days waiting for the buyer.  And then I gave up.  That really is not a good use of my time and I was only asking for $10.  I offered to bring the clothes to the woman the first day, but you know....it's dangerous so people don't want you to do that.  Anyway....
So I'm contemplating what to do and I think about Jeremy raising his girls by himself right now.  And his oldest girl is my little man's age.  Which means she is just about ready to wear size 7/8 clothing.  Bingo.  I picked up a flat rate box from the post office and filled it as tight as I could.  I wasn't sure it would survive the trip since it was overfilled.  But it only had to go to CA.  And I shipped it off. 
I received this picture today.  She is happy.  He is ecstatic.  There is stuff in the box that will do for school next fall and some summer stuff for now. 
One little box of used clothing has made so many people happy today.  My best friend in CA is happy.  Her son is happy.  Her granddaughter is happy and I'm happy. And that clothing is going to get some more good use.  The only one not happy is my little woman who still insists those clothes fit her because she liked them even if they did make her look like a plumber. 

The Hitcher Story

I don't do it often, but every so often I pick up a hitchhiker.  And I know...it's dangerous.  But there are just times it seems like the right thing to do.  I have picked up friends of Mike's.  I have picked up a woman hitching in the rain.  And the other day I picked up a hitchhiker laying on the side of the road. 
When we passed him he put out his thumb and we pulled over a little bit down the road.  He didn't hear us and got on his phone.  So we left.  We got almost all the way to BG and decided we really needed to turn back around and go get him.  It was upper 70's and a little humid that day.  He was an old guy who reminded me of Papa (until he got in the car).  We pulled up just after the firetruck left.  Someone had called 911 for him. 
So we gave him a ride back to BG.  He was 64 years old and had rode with someone to Vancouver and then ended up stranded.  His truck was in BG at the old barn they are dismantling.  He talked the whole way and was chipper and happy to have a ride.  He had already walked a long way because no one stopped.  He offered us old wood from the barn and that would have been great if we were crafty.  But alas I told him to just pay it forward or maybe someday I will need a ride. 
I live with a lot of fears.  But I try not to let those fears define me.  And so once in awhile we pick up hitchhikers. 

Sick Again

I got the call at work.  The little woman had went to the health room and didn't have a fever.  She tried to tough it out but ended back in the health room and this time the fever was there.  Oy.  So I finished my work and went and picked her up.  On the way out they informed me she couldn't come back tomorrow.  She has to be 24 hours fever free without meds.  Okay then.
We came home and watched "Coraline".  She has been wanting to watch it, but the little man finds it too scary.  So we took advantage of our opportunity. 
The saving grace for me was I had made a lot of headway on my returns at work.  We are pulling books and I am requesting permissions as we go.  Longer day tomorrow to make up for missing part of today.

Mowing

Mowing Jeannie's got me thinking.  In 1986 I started mowing Grandma's yard/field.  And then the older kids were old enough to do it.  And they each did probably a few times before they didn't want to do that anymore.  Mowing yards on riding lawn mowers is easy money.  Anyway then I got the job back.  And I did it for a long time.....Then Grandma died and I stopped. 
Betty and Les moved down here and then he took over the mowing.  And honestly Les did a fantastic amount of work on the place and a great job mowing.  Then he died.  So then Dave started mowing for Betty until he asked me to step in and do it.  So I do that again to this day.  And today was the first mowing of the season there for me. 
Betty and I had a little chuckle over the fact that I mow her yard, but I hire a kid to mow mine.  Well hers is a riding lawn mower and easy.  I started hiring the neighbor kid due to the fact that I couldn't get to my mower and it is falling apart.  The neighbor kid does the best job I have seen on this yard so I'm keeping him until he doesn't want to do it or the place sells. 
The lilacs are in bloom and I would get whiffs of them while mowing.  Betty had a handyman out today to do some more cutting on trees and branches that have fallen down this winter.  One of the things he did was a lilac so she had a big bucket of lilacs.  She let me take a big handful home and they made the whole house smell heavenly.  The one in this yard never smells that strong.  Glorious. 

Manic Monday?

What a great day and none of it went as I thought it would.  First there was no Monday morning struggle with the little woman.  Mondays seem to be her day to fight tooth and nail to not go to school.  Today she got right up, dressed and out the door. 
And right after she left the little man finally got up.  I had given him the choice of riding the bus or being driven and he had chosen driven.  So he got dressed and I got pants on and off we go.  A lot of times if I still need to shower I tend to drive them to school in my jammies.  For some reason I felt the need for pants today even though I never need to sign him in...we get there on time. 
About half way to school I realize my low tire light is on.  Oh joy.  But I'm happy it happened at home and not in Tacoma.  So after dropping the little man I went to Dick's and had them check it.  Last time I did this I didn't even have a tire problem.  But today I did have a nail and I assume I picked it up along the freeway.  The other option was when we dropped the hitcher (and that is another story) at the old barn on the edge of town that is being torn down.  The guy did say they were continually running a magnet around to collect nails. 
Then I made a quick Walmart stop.  Needed white vinegar.  My Keurig denied me coffee this morning and so I needed to do a descale so I could make coffee.  That feels like the biggest accomplishment for the day.  And the Keurig works much better now. 
I got the dishwasher ran, some picking up done, grocery shopping done (by myself), tags for my car and a priority mail box.  I took most of the little woman's too small clothes to the Goodwill.  I still had this bag of stuff that I just thought were too good for the Goodwill.  Tried to sell them on facebook and had a buyer who turned out to be a flake.  Then I thought.....hey Kylee is six and a half years-old.  Which puts her just about in size 7/8.  So I'm going to fill that box and mail it to Jeremy. He is doing the full time parenting of both his girls. 
We had spaghetti for dinner.  The little man had spaghetti as second dinner.  He again ate at the neighbors and informed me of how good their food is.  And yet he ate his whole plate that I had made for him.  Maybe he is getting ready to grow again. 

Always Bits and Bobs

Here is a picture of the little woman's cactus.  She just fell in love with them when we saw them. She liked that they weren't too pokey.
Yesterday was Jazzlynn's birthday.  I didn't forget, but I didn't really think about it much either.  She turned 4 years-old.  This morning we saw her birthday collage on facebook.  The littles were like "she's four?".  Yes.  Then the little man exclaims she is almost as old as him.  And then that was that.  I thought maybe after her birthday we might hear if she liked her birthday presents from her siblings.  They arrived a couple of weeks ago.  But alas, no word from them.  I am already at the point of not sending things to Cassie.  And I keep finding cool stuff.  But if you can't acknowledge what comes means you don't care much.  That being the case....I have to not care enough to waste my time.  But it was Jazzlynn's birthday and the littles needed to send presents.
Logan came to mow the yard.  The little man is down the street so Logan is mowing by himself today.  He commented that it wouldn't take so long today.  That is a true fact.  But Logan is part of our village now and I am great appreciative of him being so patient and teaching the little man about lawn mowers and mowing.

Ten Years

Happy birthday Blog.  Today marks ten years I have been blogging.  It has been an amazing journey.  I have a record of all the big things in our life and a lot of the mundane.  I have been accused of slander by someone who doesn't know the meaning of words.  He so obviously meant libel. 
In that ten years I have lost my spouse and best friend in more ways than one.  That is the biggest heartbreak that never heals.  I have gained two grandchildren that live with me.  I had great hopes that the parents would step up, but I knew in my heart that it wouldn't happen.  My mom has had dementia that entire ten years and that is another heartbreak that doesn't heal.  My son will always be an addict and hopefully someday in recovery. 
I have talked about living with alcoholism, addiction, co-dependence.  I have talked about dementia and its affects on the family.  I have talked about the trials and tribulations of home ownership, car ownership, having a job, having a renter.  I have talked about people who have come and gone.  My life is my own.  It is not a better life than anyone else's.  It is not a harder life than anyone else's.  It is the same and different.  There are many things in my life that continue to break my heart and there are many things in my life that make me grateful. 
Tens years of my story.  Wonder what the next ten years will bring?  On we go. 

What We learned

I'm probably going to butcher this, but I'm going to try anyway.  Not being Jewish and not being around Jewish people all the time....I had no idea.  A Bar Mitzvah is a very big deal.  It's not just turning 13 years-old.  Collin has been taking Jewish classes since he was in kindergarten and Hebrew classes since second grade.  Hebrew sounds hard to learn.  The Cantor who was one of the ones helping Collin the last year added up the time Collin had spent on his Bar Mitzvah.  156,700 minutes. He sung a song about it and that is why I can remember the count. 
The ceremony along with services lasted a bit over two hours.  We managed to sit pretty still the first hour and then had to go outside for awhile.  Then the little man wanted to go back in.  I was not sure we were ready so the little woman and I sat outside.  Then he came back out and informed us we could sit in front now.  Oh boy.  In he went back to the front.  When we went in he was squeezed in the front on the edge.  We sat back in the back where we were the first time.  Turns out the little man was sitting next to Collin's grandpa who did not mind in the least.
When the ceremony was done there was a nice lunch served.  Nathan had hired a game truck (who knew there was such a thing?) for the kids.  I lost mine for an hour and a half.  Quiet.  I sat and watched the people.  I watched Nathan and Stacy and Kyle, the grandpa, work the room.  I think Stacy's mom felt a bit out of place.  She is usually the hostess so she started cleaning up.  It was going to need to be done, but it seemed like she needed to do that.  Hard to explain.  She had no problems explaining just what she wanted when some of the others started helping her. 
Stacy let us have one of the centerpieces.  We took one of the cactus that the little woman loved when we walked in the room.  The little woman was ecstatic when she found out.  I was so reminded of how much we love Nathan and Stacy.  We need to make better efforts to get up there once in awhile. 

We had tried to hook up with Chad and Gina.  But it turns out they were out of town for the weekend.  Chad had suggested we still stop in and see Ky.  Now I wasn't too sure.  Ky is a teenager and I just didn't figure he would want to spend part of his "free" weekend with little kids.  I was wrong.  I got a text at the Bar Mitzvah asking what time we might be showing up.  So after we were done at the Temple, we headed over to visit with Ky.  We met his new puppy, Shadow.  Shadow has a great face.  Almost as lovely as Raina who belonged to Heather.  And that is immediately where my mind went when we met  Shadow.  The kids played with Shadow and Ky.  I visited with Ky's grandma who lives next door to Chad.  We had some things in common and no one to interrupt us. It was a nice visit.  Glad Ky texted and wanted us to come. Maybe next time we won't pick a weekend when Chad and Gina are gone. ;p
We hit a McDonald's on the way out and then the long drive back down.  Traffic was pretty light.  It was a nice break in our routine. 

And We Were Off

After school and basketball skills it was time to head north.  But first we had to get pizza from Little Ceasar's and gas.  I don't know how I missed the gas earlier in the day.  So we got the pizza in BG and stopped in Woodland for the gas.  We sat in the parking lot while I ate my pizza.  And then the long drive.
Now the drive to Tacoma really isn't a long drive.  We just did that drive to Connell and back in one day a couple of weeks ago. And we used to drive to Wenatchee and back in one day.  Those were long drives. 
I picked a hotel that was not easy on, easy off the freeway.  And my GPS had quit working a couple of trips ago.  So that meant stopping and using the GPS on the phone.  We were so close.  Just had to drive around the Tacoma Mall.
We met a little girl named Raelynn who played elevator operator every time we went up.  So funny the last time.  She had to come back to our room because she said she couldn't remember if she was suppose to go up or down. 
We settled in.  Tomorrow is a big day with the Bar Mitzvah.

RIP Jeannie

Death always seems to come in waves of threes.  So this week I have a second already.
My old neighbor died today.  She had been ill for a long time.  Tired.  She, too, had lived an extraordinary life.  She might have disagreed with that.  She did what she had to do to survive and raise her children.  She had seven.  One predeceased her years ago and that was a great heartache for her.  I can't remember now how many grandchildren she had, but boy did she love them.
She had stories of love, laughter, children, jobs and alcoholic life.
The best piece of advice she ever gave me was if I ever felt comfortable with a man to run as fast as I could.  She told me the relationships that were hard and uncomfortable were more likely going to be healthy.  We were kindred spirits Jeannie and I. 
I mowed for her for many years.  Her kids didn't want to do it.  And yet at least one of them would tell me I was doing the gravy job.  Maybe so.  But I was there doing it all the time.  And that left her kids to do that "man" work.  When I moved to town Dave took over.  Until he needed me to fill in.  Funny how that worked.  And then once Dave was gone...Jeannie's kids had to mow again.  Maybe there was a grandchild by then willing to do it.  Anyway we had great conversations when I was done and her "field" looked better. 
RIP Jeannie.  I will never forget all the stories or the great advice.  I know wherever you are you are kicking ass and laughing, always a true word coming from your mouth.  Light and love lady. 

Lessons

We startled the neighbor.  He was washing his truck.  After a few minutes he asked the little man if he wanted to help.  Little hands can get in those wheel spaces easier than big hands.  And so the little man spent a good half an hour helping.  Getting taught and coached.  They had a big conversation.  And the little man got better as he went along.  I did notice the hose had to be taken away though....too much fun to spray people. 
I am so thankful for those in my village willing to teach the little man something.  There is this whole bunch of guy kind of stuff that I just don't know.  Yes I can give a car a bath, but my job isn't going to look anything like the guys next door.  He was doing wheel wells and tires, etc. 
The little man loves spending time with men who take him under their wing and talk to him and teach him things.  I love it too.  Thanks Drew, you really fill in some blank holes for us.

Jane

Megaera came in for break when I was on break.  She asked me if I knew Jane.  Pretty much every one knows Jane.  She is like a staple at the college.  Liz said she worked there for awhile.  I saw her every Rush for years and years.
We always talked and she had the most wonderful stories.  One day I was carrying a box that was too heavy to carry very far so I sat on a bench and she was working her way to the bookstore from her home across the street.  She, too, needed a break.  So we sat and conversed as long as I could sit there.
Jane was or would be 82 this year.  And over the years I had watched her go from this very spry older lady to a much more fragile one.  The last time I saw her she was using one of those walkers you can take a seat in.  Megaera said she was in a wheelchair the last time she saw her.
Jane got ill and went on hospice last week.  She died Sunday.  The world lost this great light that shown so exquisitely.
So it turns out she had married a much younger man.  And that explained her complaint about him not looking too hard for a job.  I, naturally assumed he was about her age and was kind of amused.  Now I understand the angst.  He was husband number 2 or more....I only know about two.
The first husband was french and they lived in Switzerland.  She was a Swiss housewife for about twenty years and he was the love of her life.
Her family was involved in the library of congress and she had great library stories.
RIP Jane.  You had a great life and I can only hope that I have half the stories you do.