Moving dad...

I've spent most of the week cleaning out my family home, dad's home,
which has been enjoyed by our family for 50 years. Dad worked for the
Woolworth company, so we moved every two or two and a half years up and
down the West Coast until we settled in Portland, Oregon. Dad is neat
and organized, but oh, he saved all kinds of paperwork! There's boxes and boxes and drawers and drawers of the stuff!
It's been bitter sweet going through dad's processions. Lots of wonderful memories. I have been doing some research on mom's Noritake
china pattern...Sheldon. We want to keep her china in the family. We
don't have much from the past to remember those from our past.It's hard
to decide what to save and what to keep. An estate sale is all lined up
for the weekend of Aug 20-21. I'm anxious to get the house emptied out.
It's sad in many ways, but dad needs the income and we need to rent the
house as it's been empty for almost a year now.
I'm really tired tonight!

Hot today!

It was hot today 92! I did get the lawns mowed and I'm just finishing
watering in the backyard. I managed to get some weeding done and
planted a few replacement plants.
I have been saving my unused
coffee and have been making myself an iced coffee every afternoon as a
treat. I sat outside with my goodie and finished my book. I have been trying to read everyday and I am liking the habit.
I now have some small tomatoes on my plants, but who knows when I will see anything red?
I did go to the Troutdale farmer's market this morning. It's so small-I really don't know how the vendors make it.Picked up some raspberries, bing cherries, a veggie tamale
and a lemon woopie
pie! I have never had one and it was yummy. My New England friends talk
of them all the time. So,now I know that they are something to drool
over!

Crows

I used to dislike crows but now I am fascinated by them. The other day, a sentinel
crow was sitting up in a large fir tree caw caw cawing. Other crows
came swooping over my house and flew off to a tree some distance away.
Soon the sky was filled with crows circling a tree and making one heck
of a noisy symphony! This went on for quite awhile. I have no idea what was going on!
Tasha Tudor had a pet crow that traveled around with her and her children.
She always had a crow on the top of her Christmas tree. I won't be
doing that, but I do love to sprinkle crows around my home.
It's such a nice summer evening. It's hard to be outside with the mosquitoes. I went to the bins for therapy and ran into Nancy there! We shopped for quiet a long time.... .....and then went to Papa Haydens for an early dinner and as Nancy calls them...."adult drinks"...and of course more chatting. The weather was perfect and I so enjoyed time with my friend.I've had so much going on with my life, I haven't had much time for friends. I need to give myself that gift more often. Thanks Nancy!

Summer in Troutdale...

The sun didn't peek out until after 4 pm, but then it was so lovely. The flowers are looking better and the grass has greened up with some watering. The birds have been so active the last few days. I love the bird sounds early in the morning. It's hard to think of cold winter days during the long summer days.

Gina

Gina left Virginia on Sunday and is now in Italy for three wonderful weeks! She sent me a text yesterday morning at 1AM to let me know she had arrived. She will be living the good life at a working vineyard along with writing workshops. What a wonderful opportunity. Have fun Gina and take some time to explore your heritage.
I'm praying that God will keep you safe and that this will be a time of refreshment.
Remember your family loves you and we want you to come home when your adventure is over.

Saturday afternoon....

What a lovely day-a cool 75 degrees. Spent the day sorting through stuff in the garage and took another load to the Goodwill.
Jim called from Idaho to let me know the mountain men are just fine. He asked me to call Brenda in Illinois. She was cleaning out things at their house too. That will teach the guys to leave us alone!
When I was watering in the backyard, I saw my first monarch butterfly float by...or was it a fairy? Ahhhh...summer.

Friday~

Spent the day cleaning...scrubbing down the bathrooms. It was a cool 75 degrees, so it was a good day to finish up wash and cleaning projects. It's odd to be alone in the house with Jim and Gina gone. No one to talk to but the computer.
Had a business phone call meeting with Peggy about our upcoming September retreat. We hope to get together soon to start working on our menu and pinchushion design. So much to do.

Summer reading....

I love books!

A nice summer day!

What a nice summer day. Got up early and finished the yardwork. Went off shopping and found a nice hanging plant on sale, fresh local raspberries, mozzarella, tomato and fresh basil from my garden for dinner and best of all~the new Troutdale
library is open! What could be more wonderful than a whole stack of
brand new books to enjoy this weekend?I need to go to bed early
tonight, but I'm too excited to read my treasures. I even learned how
to check out my own books! My girls would be so proud of me....

Gina left for Virginia late last night. It was so hard to say goodbye
this time. On Sunday, she'll be on her way to Italy! Such an exciting
time in her life. Sometimes I get sad as there is so much I long to do
and there's just not enough time or money for such things.
Jim left
for Idaho around 2 PM to spend more time with his brother Allyn.He'll
be gone for a week or so. He turned in his resignation to Safeway
before he left-a hard decision for him, but he just doesn't have the
health to continue in pharmacy. I hope he can enjoy his time away and
settle down a bit.
I met with my sisters this morning to start the
process of emptying our family home. Lots of emotions there too. I will
be busy with that project for weeks.
It would be nice to just work on some projects and get things ready for Etsy, but it doesn't look like that will happen.

Back to reality!

We all had a wonderful trip to Idaho. The gals spent the time quilting,
well, first I had to teach my niece Laura how to sew. She caught on
quickly and I think she will be a natural at quilting. Started a small
patchwork quilt with her and she did a great job. The guys played
mountain men up at the gold mine camp. It was a fun trip but a very
long drive back and forth.
The weekend was spent at the Expo Antique Show. Our first time as dealers and as my friend LaVonne
said, we've gone from collectors to dealers! It was so fun to watch
Angie and Gina in action. Boy, that merchant blood will never leave.
They sent us home on Saturday and were wheeling and dealing. Made
enough to pay for a Christmas trip to the beach this year and it financed a few other things. Yes...we will do it again.
We were all pooped and need a few days to rest!

A Short Trip To Idaho

Jim and I are leaving early Saturday morning to meet some of his family
in Idaho.Brenda and Allyn are driving from Springfield,Illinois~~~~Land
of Lincoln~~~~to spend a few days with us. We will be there for the 4th
of July complete with fireworks. The "boys" will be be going up to
Jim's gold mine camp while us "girls" will be enjoying a mini quilting retreat. I'm not sure if I will have any internet connection, so I may just have to be off of the computer for awhile. I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday.