February Sunshine at the Oregon Coast

Just how blessed can you be - a four-day weekend in February and sunshine at the Oregon coast! There's no better way to start the day than a walk on the beach with a frisky dog. (After you have slept in, had your coffee, read many Psalms so that you are up to date with the Bible in 90 Days and ate a wonderful breakfast of pancakes and bacon of course.)

We watched the boats from the South Jetty.

Sailboats are a thing of beauty. Of course, all boats are beautiful.

After lunch, we went over to the Yaquina Bay State Park and toured the restored old light house there. It was time for Will's afternoon nap, but I stayed and walked on the beach then over the bridge back to our RV park. This seagull seemed to think it owned the telescope.

Our RV is over there behind those boats. I am walking out of the state park.

The viewpoint and details viewed from the bridge make it worth the walk in spite of the traffic.

Tomorrow we need to walk out to the end of the pier. Haven't done that yet this trip but I recall walking it with Doug and Anisa during that last trip and having some exciting encounters with waterfowl.

And one of my favorite times of day - sunset!

Here's Will and his faithful canine Zeek silhouetted against the sunset. Will's morning walk was a little icy today. He met a man who slipped on this dock but didn't spill his coffee....until the second slip. Will was chuckling about it when he came in to get his coffee after the walk. A few minutes later he came in with coffee all over his own coat! He said he put the tailgate down to sit and enjoy the view, and Zeek immediately jumped up beside him, knocking his coffee all over! 

There weren't enough clouds for an amazing sunset, but the color intensified and lasted a long time as I sat inside looking out the window, uploading my pictures!

The clouds to the southwest reflected the setting sun.

This RV park requires a $5 payment to get internet for 24 hours. I had to send an email before for a retreat meeting that happened this morning, so I am making good use of the internet while I have it!

A Walk on the Edge

Wow.  I just blew in from my afternoon walk. Southbound I was very tempted to give up and turn around, but I put my head down and fought that wind to continue to make forward progress. On the return trip, gusts of wind actually forced me into effortless running spurts! (And I am NOT a runner!) Fortunately, most of my route is east-west.

I watched debris fly off piles at property where an old house was recently demolished and hoped nothing would fly my way. The crackle of branches falling in the trees bordering a field sent a herd of sheep running toward the road, stopping to look at me hopefully as if perhaps I would save them. Ha, not such good animal instincts there!

Large groups of dry crackling leaves scuttled across the road like herds of little animals, only to turn around and swirl to the other side again. With great anticipation I approached my cozy home, only to have my face assaulted by bark chips flying up from the landscaping!  My house greeted mewith the aroma of the beef stew simmering on the stove. The wind continues to groan and whistle around outside as I wait for the water to boil for a cup of tea before I resume Saturday chores.

The best part of this little windstorm is that it's only 55 degrees outside! The weather forecast for Tangent says we will have 25 mile an hour winds for a couple of hours. My walk is done, but my work has just begun. Just too much fun today!

The "Last" Supper?

Before dinner tonight, Nick told me that the apartment could possibly be available to move into as early as tomorrow. I think the plan is to move this weekend.

Knowing that his days of living here are numbered,  I made a lovely dinner tonight. Steak, garlic mashed potatoes, broccoli with cheese sauce. And of course, salad while he and his dad were watching TV while I cooked dinner, because otherwise the salad sits untouched at the meal.

Twenty years ago, Will and I were about to purchase our first home. We moved into it just two months before Nick was born. Knowing that he would be my last baby, I spent a lot of time in the rocking chair, reluctant to put him down. Such a cute little boy with that curly blond hair and blue eyes! We called him our "lap boy" for years because he much preferred our laps to chairs!

How trite it is to say, "Where did the last 20 years go?!" Nick has always been eager to learn and do and go, especially with two big brothers leading the way.  I love the memory of holding his little hand as we walked across the church parking lot, with him skipping along, so excited to go to his class. I said, "Oh, Nick, you are so cute." He said, "I know, and I'm fun to be with too!" (His father sometimes sent children to their rooms until they could be cute and fun to be with!)

Soon my baby is moving out into an apartment with two friends. He has a full time job that he loves, providing IT support for a company that seems to appreciate him and is willing to invest in his training and education. There are even women there who mother him! I talked to one last week and she told me they all love Nick.  Obviously that warmed my heart! He regularly drives the big company Hummer through Portland traffic to take care of business in other branches. The first time, this mama was amazed that they would trust a 19-year-old with that, but I took comfort in remembering that this is a kid whose dad had him driving a big pickup pulling a 34-foot fifth wheel in more than one crazy place during the past few years.

Fortunately, the transition from dependence to independence happens gradually, with lots of little milestones along the way. My boys have been doing their own laundry and making their own lunches for many years....so why is it that I suddenly am wanting to make a lunch for Nick to take to work? Why is there an empty place in my heart as I realize my days of active mothering are over?

Thankfully, I know that God loves my boys more than I possibly could, and He actively pursues a loving relationship with them even more than I do. One of my many prayers for my boys is that they always remember and act on the words they all memorized in their Wednesday night Caravans classes: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

The empty nest is not just a future event...Oh God, please help me to be ready!

Literary Devices

Haven't felt much inspiration for blogging lately. Sometimes it's easier just to share a pithy comment on Facebook. At least I like to delude myself that it's so. For those of you who don't have it, here's the long version of today's post there.

I'm having a little trouble at work getting tech work orders done in a timely manner. Well, not just me, there's too few people to cover so many of us technologically stunted people. I submit all the tech work orders for staff, and I've started noting the work order numbers so I can easily refer to them when I have to follow up on the lack of activity to solve them. So I was checking up on one from October earlier this week, and it had mysteriously disappeared. I sent off an email about it, asking if I should re-submit it, and the tech guy emailed back, "Yes, defiantly put in another work order." How can I defiantly follow an instruction? I'm just too old and submissive to be all that defiant anymore. I even forbade myself to email back a response that I definitely would do so.

I am totally not dissing our tech staff, they are great guys and bend over backwards to help out when they finally get to our building or take a call. They are really patient and good at what they do!

Of course, I can't feel superior for too long. I email the daily announcements out to staff each morning, and it's way too boring to title it "Daily Announcements" or "Wednesday Announcements", so occasionally I use an alliterative description. Today, "Wednesday's Whirl" seemed very appropriate with the way the morning was going. However, after I sent it out, I noticed it said "Wednesday's Whril". My favorite English teacher disappointed me and failed to email me any clever comments about my error. I think tomorrow I will have to title it "Thursday's Thrill". That way I will get to use another literary device tying the two days together. Alliteration and rhyme, wow, how will I top that next week?! And you thought it was easy being an office manager!

Obviously it is time for me to go to bed.

Typical Conversation Heard Around Here

Nick:  Hey, Dad, did you brush Zeek today?
Will:  Why?
Nick:  Because he feels really smooth.
Will:  Of course he feels smooth, he's my dog.

Happy Birthday, Dear Linda

My oldest sister turned 58 today. We had a party for her at Kris' Kitchen in Lebanon. Linda was beaming when she walked in! Mom said she came out of her bedroom this morning smiling and announcing that it was her birthday. I hope I'm that happy when I turn 58!

 We had a chocolate cake with marionberry filling. (Absolutely fantastic!) Kris provided a cupcake for her to blow out candles so the cake could remain pristine!

 Isn't she cute!

Kris Krabill is the owner of the bakery, so it was indeed a family affair. The cashier was also a Krabill cousin and she gave Linda a birthday card, and so did Kris. I'm sure there's no where else we could take her where she'd get that kind of birthday treatment! The bakery has been open for about a year, and is a great place to get delicious, from-scratch baked good, from scones, bread, pies, cookies, cinnamon rolls, etc. It's a good thing for me that Lebanon isn't on my daily route!

Linda loves her family and is always so happy to be with us. She is a great example of finding joy in simple things.

Christmas Letter 2010

Guest Writer: Zeek the Wonder Dog

What we have here are glimpses of the future. The past year has been filled with snapshots of what is to come in the household of the Old Guy, the Princess, and myself, Zeek the dog. They were also known by some other names in several states, such as Map Beaters, that strange guy with the dog, the lady with funny hair. (The Princess had way too much fun with Crazy Hair day at work.) It's been an interesting year.

Nick the youngest graduated from high school this year, the last of the boys to do so. Always the one his parents felt might cause the least trouble, Nick moved through that time without fanfare. After a summer of making pizzas, he landed the job of his dreams. Nick is now working as an “IT” guy. Information Technology for the corporate headquarters of a regional business; he goes to work smiling and is still smiling when he returns. We don't see much of him in the evenings as his social calendar is very full. His job has included a few interesting side-lines, such as being in some holiday commercials for the store. A plaid flannel shirt tucked into Wranglers isn't his normal attire, but he looked good, especially with the girls dancing around him and the Santa hat on his head! He gave his mother a DVD of the commercials, and she would love to show them to you if you stop by!

Eric continues to thrill audiences with music and anti-comedy. I don't really understand anti- humor very well but Eric says it is something he enjoys. He hasn't given up his day job just yet, working as a gasoline dispenser for a local gas station. Remember Oregon has specialists that fill your tanks for you. Not because Oregonians are unable to pump their own gas, but it keeps anti-humor comedians and musicians from starving to death. (My attempt at anti-humor.) Eric recently became the proud owner of a labra-doodle puppy named Kawzmaux. No, it's not mis-spelled. I asked. I thought it was Cosmos. Eric brings him over to play with me sometimes.

Craig the oldest is now a full time student of the Culinary Arts at our community college. He is also a musician and his band keeps busy playing locally. Glimpses of the future I tell you. Someday you will be able to eat something prepared by a young man who has beaten a drum over and around your meal. I am thinking this might be either a very exciting experience or something that might happen as a religious experience. His parents love it when he cooks dinner. His mom keeps trying to assist him, but there seems to be some conflict between the French method and the Mennonite method of cooking. I think I saw the Old Guy and the Princess dancing in the street earlier this evening, singing something about Craig moving out. Seems kind of crass to me. I liked the kid, he was always telling me stuff that I didn't understand. Most dogs only hear one or two words, not complete sentences. And of course, dogs that can type are very unusual.

The Princess continues to make the lives of everyone around her better, both at school where she is the office manager, at church where she sings on the worship team, women's retreat where she often is called on to be master of ceremony and at home where she is responsible for so much. Very talented she is, humble too, but often much more fun to watch than anyone in the entertainment field. She is known to have done some very interesting things this past year, and there is photographic evidence to support these claims if anyone should try to dispute them. She has been seen in the back yard in her bathrobe photographing flowers in the snow, sitting in a ditch next to the road in a national park photographing flowers, standing on the edge of a cliff photographing flowers, and at the edge of a fast moving stream that could easily carry her over a waterfall, photographing flowers. The Old Guy was also able to take some pictures of the Princess taking pictures of flowers. Really, you should see some of those pictures.

Not nearly so entertaining, the Old Guy in this house continues to be unemployed and not looking for work. He was able to do a little landscaping around the house this year, built a few walls around the patio, camped for over 100 days, and walked the wonder dog most every morning, rain or shine. He is most excited about a new purchase that might keep him a little closer to home this next year. After bending to the Princess's urging, he bought a Jet Sled to run the rivers and fish. He told me it was her idea after he mentioned to her he would be home more often if he had a boat. Do you think he was working an angle? I know he is no angel, but she is very shrewd. Surely she wasn't taken in by such a lame excuse.

Zeek the wonder dog, I could go on and on but it is so hard to type without thumbs.

Glimpses of the future you ask, where are those. Well this year has seen a lot of evenings that found LeAnn and Will at home without boys. They traveled far and alone just the two of them (well, I was sleeping in the back seat) for three weeks in July. While pulling the 5th wheel up I-70 in Colorado they were able to avoid a retread in the road, followed by a hay bale, then drive over 500 miles late into the evening because the Old Guy was too cheap to pay $70 for a camp site and the Princess couldn't take another day of 110 degree weather. They were able to enjoy the company of friends and relatives and plan the next big trip to Canada in the summer of 2011. Most of all, they get along so well and seem to genuinely like each other. I think there will be some pretty cool things in store for them if they will just continue to feed me on time and stop stepping on me when they go out the back door in a hurry.

All of us hope this next year will be kind to you. We know the last year has sure been kind to us. Some times when I am laying in the sun watching the Old Guy, I know he must be thinking just how lucky he is to have so many blessings. I know when they pray they talk about it to Jesus and I am convinced they are living examples of the grace of God. Of course it helps to have such a great dog.

So here's hoping your holidays and the year ahead are filled with days that are merry and bright!

Love, Will, LeAnn and family