I am spending my summer picking up trash at Washington State Parks. I have a fancy title –Volunteer Camp Host – but what I really do is pick-up trash. Lot’s of trash. Sure, I also answer questions and smile at everyone as they try to entertain their crabby kids or when they are all sitting around…
Monday and Tuesdays are my days off. On my first Monday, I headed straight into the small city of Oak Harbor. It is only about 10 miles, which is really sweet. I like having better access to a grocery and other amenities. First stop: laundromat. Second stop: library. I had already registered for my Sno-Isle…
Well, I have been thinking about another Alaska post but something else has interrupted those plans. I have never written about my stepmother but, I had one and she had a huge, mostly negative, impact on my life. She died recently, and, if there was ever anyone to write about, it would be Bev. …
This morning while Tango and I walked around the marina, I started thinking about all the wonderful bits of life I have found and experienced in Sequim. I also reflected on the many other gifts found in my travels. Life is amazing and I position myself to experience it fully. Why haven’t I made lists!?…
October was such a tough month for me emotionally! All the old stuff inside that needed to come out welled up and exploded, like a volcano! I thought I had dealt with my issues long ago, but surprise! More stuff lurks there. The experience tells me that long-forgotten issues have many facets and precipitating life…
Tango and I are settled into my friend Gennie’s house in the Williamette Valley, in Central Oregon. She is making the transition to becoming a full-time RVer and needs some help making forward progress. Sorting through things and making decisions about what to keep for this next phase of life is so difficult. What goes…
My mom is in a nursing home for one reason: she is in a wheelchair now and can no longer stand up without help. None of us is strong enough to help. Mom fell too many times and the next fall might be the last. For her and many others, falling means reduced mobility and a…
Bumblebees play an important role in our gardens by pollinating flowers. Without them, we would be without juicy tomatoes and luscious sweet corn. We would live in a world without cucumbers and squash, chilis and eggplant. Considering their all-important role, I think bumblebees deserve a loftier name, such as Emperor or Empress Bee. Why not!!…
Time to visit Mom and Marvin in the nursing/rehab center. I go late in the afternoon because, if I arrive earlier, they would likely be in a rehab session or napping. Once there, we chat about the day’s dramas and dilemmas. All of us share news of assorted aches and pains; theirs are more severe, mine…
Mom likes to call the rehab/nursing home food slop. I can’t think of any other name for overcooked frozen veggies; noodles and whatever leftovers the cook finds; and cold Tater Tots. Their only gastronomical redemption comes in the large dispensers of fruit-infused water set up in the central hallway. I guzzle a glass of lovely…