Do you like ham?
Oma the Great makes great ham.
She made me.
And I've moved here to ham it up for the grandkids:
yoursillyoma.tumblr.com
4.06.2013
*tap tap tap* Is This Thing On?
Oh, hi!
Do you like ham?
Oma the Great makes great ham.
She made me.
And I've moved here to ham it up for the grandkids:
yoursillyoma.tumblr.com
Do you like ham?
Oma the Great makes great ham.
She made me.
And I've moved here to ham it up for the grandkids:
yoursillyoma.tumblr.com
11.28.2012
Daughter the First
I will always remember the day she was born. Realizing that I would not have the luxurious stretches of one-on-one time that I enjoyed with Son the First, I cuddled her close for those precious first 24 hours. I whispered my happiness to have her tiny soft perfection to myself for that time. I told her about her grandmother and great grandmother whose names she would carry forward.
That special day was 28 years ago. Today is her Golden Birthday.
I am so proud of the wonderful woman, wife, and mother who is my beloved firstborn daughter.
Technical difficulties prevent me from posting traditional life history photos, but nothing will prevent me from honoring her today. I think I'll start with traditional chocolate cake for breakfast.
I love you BIG, Maggie.
10.23.2012
Flannel Sheets
Changed the bedsheets last Friday. While I always enjoy fresh bed linens, there are two times a year when I really enjoy the task of stripping the bed and making it up again: early Autumn when we switch to flannel sheets, and late Spring when we switch back to cool smooth cotton sheets. Perhaps I could convince the legislature to quit monkeying around with the clock and instead declare specific days when we are required to Fall Back Into Flannel and to Spring Forward Into Smooth Cotton. I dread the monkey business with the clock, but I do so love Falling Into Flannel Sheets every year at this time. And I love Sipping Hot Sweet Beverages. And consuming Creamy Carbohydrate-Laden Meals. Fall is full of so many small pleasures.
Flannel sheets bring back happy childhood memories of wearing tights to bed on cold winter nights and making "lightning" under the covers by pedaling my legs rapidly against the tented up flannel sheets. Oh, the simple joys of discharging static electricity in the dark. But inevitably my sister and I would get too joyful and stern parental voices from the living room would warn us to settle down and go to sleep.
I'm the stern parental voice now. Well, I was before the nest was so rudely emptied anyway. The point is...I'm the boss of me now. Not even the legislature can tell me to settle down and go to sleep if I want to make sparks 'til the sun comes up.
I think I'll wear tights to bed tonight.
I love Fall.
Flannel sheets bring back happy childhood memories of wearing tights to bed on cold winter nights and making "lightning" under the covers by pedaling my legs rapidly against the tented up flannel sheets. Oh, the simple joys of discharging static electricity in the dark. But inevitably my sister and I would get too joyful and stern parental voices from the living room would warn us to settle down and go to sleep.
I'm the stern parental voice now. Well, I was before the nest was so rudely emptied anyway. The point is...I'm the boss of me now. Not even the legislature can tell me to settle down and go to sleep if I want to make sparks 'til the sun comes up.
I think I'll wear tights to bed tonight.
I love Fall.
10.21.2012
Earthquake
Last night a 5.3 shook the ground beneath us (epicenter near King City about 90 miles south of San Jose) and woke me to heart-pounding attention just before midnight.
Sometimes one needs a good shake to awaken one from unconsciousness.
As a native Californian I've been shaken before, and I expect to be shaken again. Unlike some, however, I cannot just casually shrug and return to life as usual without some time to reflect and respect the awesome forces of nature that will continue to shape Our Home.
We talk about being "grounded" or having a certain steady reliable base upon which to stand, but perhaps we would be wise to consider that nothing truly stays the same. Not you. Not me. Not the Earth.
Yet we can wake up every new day in what seems to us to be the same place. But nothing stays the same. The ground beneath us shifts. With or without our approval. A shift may be slight or it may be catastrophic and reform our world in unexpected ways.
Humans possess endless creativity in the ways in which they respond to change. Some deny it and cling to what was. Some ignore it and carry on as if nothing happened. Some welcome a new or different way of being. I've tried coping with the shifting ground of my life in all those ways and more. And what I've come to know is that I have within me whatever it may take to withstand the terror of my feet going out from under me and to scramble to the next place that is steady.
Until the next earthquake.
Sometimes one needs a good shake to awaken one from unconsciousness.
As a native Californian I've been shaken before, and I expect to be shaken again. Unlike some, however, I cannot just casually shrug and return to life as usual without some time to reflect and respect the awesome forces of nature that will continue to shape Our Home.
We talk about being "grounded" or having a certain steady reliable base upon which to stand, but perhaps we would be wise to consider that nothing truly stays the same. Not you. Not me. Not the Earth.
Yet we can wake up every new day in what seems to us to be the same place. But nothing stays the same. The ground beneath us shifts. With or without our approval. A shift may be slight or it may be catastrophic and reform our world in unexpected ways.
Humans possess endless creativity in the ways in which they respond to change. Some deny it and cling to what was. Some ignore it and carry on as if nothing happened. Some welcome a new or different way of being. I've tried coping with the shifting ground of my life in all those ways and more. And what I've come to know is that I have within me whatever it may take to withstand the terror of my feet going out from under me and to scramble to the next place that is steady.
Until the next earthquake.
9.11.2012
Drought
It's been a long time since we've had any good rain and it's been awhile since I've checked in here at the old bloggity-blog. The words are just not flowing for me right now.
Winter vegetable garden is growing: peas, carrots, beets, broccoli, cabbage. I stewed up the couple of Roma tomatoes and all of the cherry tomatoes we grew and then we pulled up the tomato plant jungle to make way for the winter veggies.
The yard is still our favorite place to be but it's looking rather tired and torn up just now. The citrus box is nearly complete and it has a Washington Navel orange tree, a Valencia orange tree, and a dwarf Eureka lemon tree planted. We've excavated ground for a shed beside the garage and a circular spot in the Park for a small brick patio where the laid-down pepper tree was removed. We've pulled up some brick pathway to be reset and a whole bunch of hex pavers are being repurposed.
I suppose all the physical labor has drawn the energy I would otherwise put toward mental tasks such as stringing words together in coherent patterns. It appears that you can have my brain or you can have my brawn, but it's one or the other.
The rain will come and my words will return, but in the meantime I'll be outdoors grunting and sweating and shoveling and wheelbarrowing and moving pavers and taming the wild overgrowth with my trusty garden tools.
Winter vegetable garden is growing: peas, carrots, beets, broccoli, cabbage. I stewed up the couple of Roma tomatoes and all of the cherry tomatoes we grew and then we pulled up the tomato plant jungle to make way for the winter veggies.
The yard is still our favorite place to be but it's looking rather tired and torn up just now. The citrus box is nearly complete and it has a Washington Navel orange tree, a Valencia orange tree, and a dwarf Eureka lemon tree planted. We've excavated ground for a shed beside the garage and a circular spot in the Park for a small brick patio where the laid-down pepper tree was removed. We've pulled up some brick pathway to be reset and a whole bunch of hex pavers are being repurposed.
I suppose all the physical labor has drawn the energy I would otherwise put toward mental tasks such as stringing words together in coherent patterns. It appears that you can have my brain or you can have my brawn, but it's one or the other.
The rain will come and my words will return, but in the meantime I'll be outdoors grunting and sweating and shoveling and wheelbarrowing and moving pavers and taming the wild overgrowth with my trusty garden tools.
8.21.2012
Soundview Cottage in Seattle
I'm a wee bit reluctant to let you in on this secret, but if you ever get the chance to stay at Soundview Cottage in Seattle please enjoy and tell Annie that Julie from Central California sent you.
For two lovely evenings after our explorations of Seattle we restored ourselves in this cozy hideaway that had easy access to all of the local attractions yet felt like it was miles away from civilization. Upon arrival on a Sunday evening we were graciously welcomed by the lovely owner of the cottage, Annie Phillips, and we marveled at the view from the deck. In one direction, the sunset:
And in the opposite direction the moonrise through the pines:
Yes, you see a hot tub, and yes, we did enjoy it both evenings we were there. Very relaxing after a long day of sightseeing, as was the comfy bed with luxurious linens.
One of the sights we saw was the Space Needle at the Seattle Center, and we enjoyed the Chihuly Glass Exhibit.
We also hiked to the Seattle Public Library, rode the monorail, visited Pike Place Market, walked along the waterfront and rode the water taxi from downtown to SW Seattle, so you can imagine how lovely it felt to return to a cozy cottage at the end of that day.
The next morning we leisurely cooked a spinach and mushroom omelet from the ingredients in the fridge stocked by Annie. She had contacted us in advance of our arrival and asked if we had any dietary restrictions or special requests, because Annie doesn't cook breakfast for her guests like some bed-and-breakfast establishments do. And it turns out we rather liked puttering in the kitchen in our jammies. It made our vacation even more relaxing and comfortable.
We were reluctant to pack up and go, but we had to board our ship shortly after noon for the Alaska cruise. We know we will return to Seattle to explore some more of Washington. And when we do we will contact Soundview Cottage first thing to see if we can stay there again.
For two lovely evenings after our explorations of Seattle we restored ourselves in this cozy hideaway that had easy access to all of the local attractions yet felt like it was miles away from civilization. Upon arrival on a Sunday evening we were graciously welcomed by the lovely owner of the cottage, Annie Phillips, and we marveled at the view from the deck. In one direction, the sunset:
And in the opposite direction the moonrise through the pines:
Yes, you see a hot tub, and yes, we did enjoy it both evenings we were there. Very relaxing after a long day of sightseeing, as was the comfy bed with luxurious linens.
One of the sights we saw was the Space Needle at the Seattle Center, and we enjoyed the Chihuly Glass Exhibit.
We also hiked to the Seattle Public Library, rode the monorail, visited Pike Place Market, walked along the waterfront and rode the water taxi from downtown to SW Seattle, so you can imagine how lovely it felt to return to a cozy cottage at the end of that day.
In fact, we cuddled up to enjoy a DVD before slipping into the hot tub to ease our achy bodies.
The next morning we leisurely cooked a spinach and mushroom omelet from the ingredients in the fridge stocked by Annie. She had contacted us in advance of our arrival and asked if we had any dietary restrictions or special requests, because Annie doesn't cook breakfast for her guests like some bed-and-breakfast establishments do. And it turns out we rather liked puttering in the kitchen in our jammies. It made our vacation even more relaxing and comfortable.
8.10.2012
Alaska the Beautiful
The experience is bigger than words but I'm working
on a narrative of the journey. These few images carry me immediately back to sounds, sights, smells, and feelings provoked
by Alaska. There is so much more than just what you see here.
The Bigness of Nature overwhelms the senses when one is introduced to Alaska. So much water, so many trees, such steep high mountains, fresh sweet air, constantly changing weather. Whales.
*sigh*
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