What the Hail!

Torrential Spring hail storm + trampoline = crazy frigid fun!

The deluge was accompanied by booming thunder and wicked-close lightening that had us all stupefied for about thirty minutes.

Take one very impressive display by the Big Guy, add some Chinese takeout and you've got a great Spring Break capper.

Have a great week getting back into "The Routine," Y'all!

A Book of Love

When my Granddad passed away 12 years ago, Grannee was more than devastated.

These two were the world's greatest lovers and had been honeymooning for more than 64 years. Suddenly, he was gone. Literally, her OTHER HALF was ripped from her and she felt helpless, hopeless and beyond alone.

She immediately moved in with my mom and step-dad where she was extremely well cared for, but nothing, of course, could take the place of her Dear George. Who could even try?

She even refused to sleep in a full sized bed because it felt too big without him spooned up behind her.

Now, Grannee and I have always had a very special and unique relationship that I cherish to this day. I am her namesake. Her "Dolly," as she used to call me. Gran and I related on a level that I can't explain and won't dare to try. When she lost her Love, all I wanted was to make the pain and loneliness stop, but realistically, who could? All I could do was remind her how much I loved her and all she was to me. She was such a profound influence on my life but I couldn't always be there at her side to remind her. I had a life of my own to attend to and knew that as time passed, it would get harder and harder for her to remember all the things I told her in our precious stolen moments together so... I decided to write her a book. A book of love that she could turn to whenever she needed to remember.

Grannee passed away on April 21st of 2006; just two weeks shy of the 10 year anniversary of when Granddad left us. Ten years without the love of her life she had spent over half a century doing life with. Wow. I can't even begin to imagine how hard that was for her.

At her memorial service, the minister read passages from my book as examples of the effect she had on me and every other person with whom she ever came in contact. (Not to mention what being around them as a couple would do to people! They were absolutely amazing... anyway) He approached me after the service and said I should publish the book. That it would mean a lot to people... at the very least, for my family.

It struck me as rather funny since it is such an intensely personal document. Who else would care about my relationship with Gran?

Well, I never got it "published" to print, but after nearly two years of sitting on it, I decided that maybe here was a good place to put it out to the world.

It's long. 37 pages even, so be forewarned. If you choose to tackle this undertaking, you will be peering into some of the most intimate thoughts and feelings I have shared with one of the single most important people to my very existence. But it is the product of so much unconditional love and encouragement that it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of all she was to and did for me and who I have become... and continue to become.

So, with that said, I present for your perusal, "A Book Of Love."

Click on each image to see it at full, actually readable, size.

A Sophisticated Discussion on Art

Thank you to *richiedesign* for posting this most informative and inspiring discussion on the Nature of Art.

Kudos to Aardman Studios for producing it. Brilliant! Best thing they've offered us since Wallace and Gromit.

Enjoy.





Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to don a beret, squint with intensity while holding a cigarette that will never touch my lips and make coffee rings on the surface of my very cluttered desk.

I shall call my masterpiece: Fuel for the Frustration

Adieu, Dahhhhlings...

Random Tidbits

Not that I need someone to get sick to make soup, but it is somehow more rewarding when a little girl with a sore throat requests it specifically. Poor Anna. Then, her dad was so insistent that said soup should be accompanied by warm, homemade bread he volunteered to help me make it all... DEAL! (You will NEVER catch me refusing help in the kitchen.)

Thanks to the culinary support, we were able to crank out some beautiful chicken soup which was fortified with the mashed potatoes and gravy from the previous night's roast chicken dinner. The gravy makes it sooooooo rich. YUM!!!

Also, I managed to make bread that didn't break my KitchenAid. So there's that. I didn't let it bake quite long enough though (it SMELLED done) so it's on the doughy side, but hey, the fam' loved it. Besides, what kid doesn't love doughy bread... look at Wonderbread's squeeze-it-and-it reverts-back-into-a-ball-of-dough popularity!

We even accomplished all this wonderfulness in record time... From cold, empty pots at 2:45 to hot soup-and-bready goodness at 6:30. Woo Hoo!


On a completely unrelated note... I also want to give a quick shout out to Bethany, Anna and Grace's beloved former piano teacher who came out from Utah for her baby shower last weekend. It was such a joy to spend time with her. Though certainly not the most satisfying visit, since we had to share her with, what, 25 or so other gals who were also excited to see her pregnant self, it is always glorious just to bask in her sweetness and light... even from across a crowded room.

Her tiny tummy belies the fact that her darling bundle is due at the end of next month and all moms-to-be should exude such grace and peace as she.

Bethany, I miss you so much and will be praying hard that Seth lands one of those Portland positions so we can get you back in the neighborhood. It would be so lovely to have time together just to visit and enjoy each other's company without you rushing off to your next student.

I can't wait to meet Baby Tippin whenever he or she arrives! (Go May 1!) I know you and Seth will be outstanding parents.

Peace, Y'all.

Richie Does It Again!

Miss Richie never ceases to amaze me with her talent and style. You really must go see her stunning digital letter press work. Just look at these Marc Jacobs spectators! WANT THEM!

She even did the illustrations. Wow!

Also, for you gals out there, she has been asked to consult for a therapy group for teenage girls on "loving your body" and self image. She is asking for examples of times in our teens when we felt good about ourselves to help her put together ideas and suggestions for girls who are there now. What a great project. I so wish there had been something like that available when I was feeling ugly and inferior.

If you have time and have something to share that might be helpful, just hop on over to *richiedesign*, scroll down to the entry before the LUSCIOUS letter press work and leave a comment.

Go Richie!


This was not a paid endorsement.

Happy Monday, Y'all!

Seven Weird Things

Lisa over at The Tardy Homemaker tagged me to expose Seven Weird Things about yours truly.

Now, there are way more than seven, I'm sure, but being that the rest are not weird to me I am unaware of their existence. I am including the things that are odd enough to me that I think other people would find them pretty darned weird. There are a couple of things I know most people would find really weird, but I'm not willing to share those things with the world at large so you'll just have to guess what they might be.

And now for the list fit for public consumption:

1. I would be totally fine if I never ate fish again. I only eat fish when I make it for other people and politely eat it when other people cook it. I do however, love shrimp and lobster...

2. ... I am allergic to shellfish. (Yea, it totally bums me out.)

3. My brain instantly imprints voices. If I hear a voice once on the phone I will immediately recognize it the next time that person calls and upon hearing said voice, will have all the pertinent information about that person drop into my head like opening a personnel file. Once I hear a voice, it's in my brain forever. It's not such a big deal now that I work for myself and don't come in contact with scads of people but when I was a receptionist in an advertising agency for example, my employers found it extremely helpful for heightened phone call screening abilities. It's also likely one reason why I never got promoted from the phone even though I was doing design and production work.

4. We raise cows and drink raw milk but I don't milk our cows. It's too much of a commitment to the animal and way too much work for me. It's so much nicer to drive to Yamhill, have a nice chat with Chrissie at Kookoolan Farms and pick up jars of beautiful, clean milk without having to squat 'neath a cow twice a day... EVERY... SINGLE... DAY.

5. I love tomatoes (only in season and preferably home grown), I like ketchup and tomato sauce, but I cannot stand tomato juice. It grosses me out.

6. I have eaten and throughly enjoyed wild musk ox. In fact, I have kind of an odd desire to try as many different kinds of game meats as I can. I love elk!

7. I never realized how claustrophobic I am until I was spelunking (yes, it's a real word and no, it's not dirty) a lava tube in eastern Oregon with a large group of family and friends. The cave started out big enough, like a cathedral in some spots, but it got smaller and smaller. When we were maybe 50 feet from the end it narrowed down to about three or four feet in diameter. I couldn't do it. I tried to make myself go just for the experience of touching the end of a lava tube but, heart pounding out of my chest, I broke into a cold sweat and started shaking uncontrollably. I chose instead to stay there, alone, in complete darkness. No flashlight. That was far preferable to me to getting stuck , unable to go forward or back and trapping all those people I loved inside the cave and suffocating on stale, dusty air hundreds of feet down in the bowls of the earth never again to see the sweet, clear light of day. ::trying not to hyperventilate at the mere thought!!::

Fortunately, my wonderful not-yet-husband stayed there with me in the crushing blackness until the others returned with the lights.


So there you have it. Seven more things about me to file under "proof that girl is freakin' whacked." And, as these things work, I am to pass along the pleasure to some other blog friends. I'm tagging Richie, Wendy and Cheryle.

Okay, girls, dazzle me!

Peace, Y'all.

Another One Biteth the Dutht

Grathe would like me to inform you all that she lotht her thecond front tooth.

She'th very proud of herthelf.

Thankth a lot and have a thuper Thunday!

Thianara, Y'all!