Stargazer

Spontaneously Yours

Yesterday John and I visited his younger daughter and two young granddaughters. Although his 3 1/2-year-old one is still not very friendly, she's at least talking a bit more. She does cover her eyes with her arm when I try to interact with her though which seems strange to me. The 10-month-old is full of smiles and personality, quite a contrast. However, each child is unique, as I understand from my experience as a mother. 

Since we were fairly close to downtown Tacoma, we then decided to visit the Washington Museum of History to see its Green Book exhibit. There were so many sobering details, stories and photos about the difficulties and dangers of traveling as a person of color. It is a perfect example of why we must learn from history (and actually teach it, including the ugly parts). 

The many signs like these turned my stomach. 

As with many of our random adventures, John and I wandered next into this exhibition where we didn't intend to spend any time. I was only going to read one or two of the answers, but before I knew it, I was captured by the children's words, many of them so poignant that my throat was tight with tears. Some of the children wanted a new computer or Xbox while others prayed not to get shot and killed like some of their relatives. There were those who had lofty career goals and those who simply longed to see their fathers more frequently than on the weekend. 

As a 65-year-old, I live with my cat, I wish for peace, prosperity and love (not war and dissention) and I worry about the increasing polarization, hatred and violence in the world. Back when I was in 4th grade, I would most have worried about passing my timed multiplication tables. 

Oxen are huge! These are local Oregon Trail pioneer Ezra Meeker's real (taxidermied) ones, Dave and Dandy. I should have stood further back so the perspective would have been more accurate. 

Finally, since we were so close to the waterfront and the day was unexpectedly nice, we headed to Dickman Park. If you've never been around a lumber mill, you might not recognize this head saw or appreciate the Ghost Log sculpture. It was a lovely day for a walk, although the breeze was chilly. 

And since we were out and about, why not grab dinner at a nearly deserted restaurant at Point Ruston? The unplanned and unstructured days of retirement can be delightful!

In spite of the too cold weather and sprinkles, my neighbors are getting their house painted light cream and dark brown. These wouldn't be the colors I would choose, but they like them and they're paying. Hopefully the paint will cure, and the neighbors won't be complaining about chipping or fading in a couple years. Because it will then be tempting to say, "Well, if only you hadn't taken the lowest bid." 

And at least it's not this hideous odd color combination that John and I spotted on our travels. :)







 

 

Tuesday Tidbits

I feel like I'm living in a fantasy novel, like the lousy one we're discussing SOMEHOW at Book Club tomorrow. Eerily, it's raining hard in the front of my house but doing nothing in the back. I don't live in a mansion, thus how can that cloud be so selective? Cue music from "The Twilight Zone."

On the same theme, I started down my street in this kind of weather, ready to pop up my umbrella.

Ten minutes later I ended up here. Have I mentioned how changeable spring is in the Pacific Northwest? Tonight we're expecting a low of 36. I pity those who rushed out to buy (and plant?) their annuals on our 70 degree day. 

My morning started out wonderfully with a mocha (plus tulip design!) in Sumner and a shopping outing with Deb. Anyone who browses in a bookstore, then sniffs all the wax melts at the kitchen store with me is my kind of person! Never mind that my coffee was a little weak with not much chocolate flavor; I'm all about the ambiance of having a chat while sipping my mocha. In a nod to Covid safety, Deb and I hid back by the bathrooms away from the other patrons. It was definitely NOT because I have a 65 year old bladder! ;)

Deb's Chai Tea was more of a peony style tulip, I think. 

My eclectic purchases in the two stores were only partly for me. Grandson will be moving here (with his parents) in June; I couldn't pass up this state-themed alphabet book. I can never resist pomegranate soap or interesting sounding chocolate. And I had to throw my last batch of scones in the garbage; surely I can't possibly ruin the Fisher ones? This afternoon, my phone rang and Grandson wanted to FaceTime. He's extremely interested in rocks these days, and asked if I ate rocks. Then when he saw Mari, he wondered, "Mari eat rocks?" He went on to joke that "Ziggy eats rocks!" He's adorably silly. At the end of our conversation, he waved vigorously and blew me lots of kisses, "Bye, bye Mémé!" These small interactions and his smiling face and twinkling eyes bring me such joy. 

 

A Bunch of Blather

I'm sometimes asked if I paint Mari's claws and the answer (of course) is a resounding no. (why would I do that?) I'm a crazy cat lady but not that insane. They are colored nail caps to try to protect my furniture from her talons claws. She has an expensive standing scratching post which she uses regularly. But the couches and chairs are also tempting. 

Although it's raining today, yesterday we had 70 degrees and sun. I mowed the back lawn (looks tidy and green) and went for a walk...in short sleeves! 

I discovered that Older Daughter's other strawberry plant had survived; these are the Alpine variety and are teeny. I like the full-sized type better. In any case, strawberries are not my favorite, in fact they aren't even berries. I much prefer blueberries which ARE real berries. Do you know why? ;)

Tulips love the warmth and open up wide. However, this is their swan song. I'll need to find other flowers to take photos of in a week or so.

My mom's cream-colored rhododendron is in full bloom right now whereas Old Copper won't have flowers for another month or so. (late bloomer) My friend Becky, who just returned from Kauai, has brought back an unwelcome visitor. A horrible case of COVID. I'm quite worried about her since she's both diabetic and overweight. She's been vaccinated and possibly boosted though which should help. As a plus, she's getting monoclonal antibodies today. No horse dewormer though. Or bleach. She's one of those who thinks she's being careful, but really isn't. She goes out a lot, doesn't always wear a mask (or uses a cutesy cloth one) and travels way more than I'm comfortable doing. That said, the situation has made me a little nervous for my New York trip. And it's made me even more committed to wearing my best masks, especially on the plane and train. In other travel news, I'm hopeful that the Alaska Airlines pilots will fly; they're taking a strike vote on May 9th, but it won't be tabulated until May 25th. I return earlier than that--whew! Now, I can just focus on mourning the messed up state of the nation and world instead of writing about the mostly insignificant events in my small corner of it. Such is blogging though, eh? 

65, going on 90

I may feel like I'm falling apart sometimes but at least my bones are in decent shape, according to my bone density test. Like most women my age, I have some osteopenia but nothing worth treating. I take my calcium supplements plus D and do weight bearing activities like walking and running, although not as much as I used to. Yesterday was 16,000 steps of shuffling jogging, walking, mowing the front lawn and spraying the weeds. I did use...shhh...Roundup while wearing a KN95 mask. Don't tell my younger daughter though! This morning I got up slowly and gingerly, suffering many muscle twinges. Although I enjoy yard work and making my flowerbeds and lawn pretty, it can be quite hard on the body. Coming down the stairs to make my coffee--ouch, groan, moan. 

While weed spraying aka destroying my health, I was flabbergasted to see Older Daughter's strawberries blooming. I've done nothing with them. I haven't watered them when it's been dry nor have I covered them in the hail or snow. I haven't protected them from the cold or the torrential rain either. Yet, here they are, thriving in spite of my neglect.

Speaking of plants, I'm 99% sure that this is the flower growing in the cinder block. Bluebells have regular shaped leaves, but the hyacinth has these fronds instead. Thank you to all of you who gave me possibilities to look up on Dr. Google! :)

As my tulips wind down, I've started thinking about the annuals I want to buy and where I should get them. There are many nurseries around here and being a lifelong resident, I know several of the owners and my daughters have gone to school with their children. I usually buy petunias and geraniums although I'm also attracted to unusual flowers that sometimes grow well in my beds and other times languish. Those who have read the blog for a while remember some of those experiments. ;) There was one that looked like it was from outer space...

On my walk, I found this bumblebee on its back and in distress. I gently turned it over with a twig and moved it from the shoulder to these soft leaves. I'm sad that it appears to be dying. I love bumble bees which remind me of flying pandas. 

Long suffering Ziggy gets lots of hugs and loves these days. I can't wait to snuggle with Grandson next month. Such a darling little guy!

Gratitude

Regarding my tulips, I'm grateful for those which come up, even if they're not my favorite colors or styles. Right now I have one of the most vibrant (to my mind beautiful) flowerbeds in my neighborhood! And bulbs are 0 effort or work. They sleep through whatever winter throws at us and start to show themselves way earlier than I think they will (January?). The sight of their shoots gives me hope during the dark days of winter. Yes, I'm on Team Tulip--can you tell? Although my area is famous for daffodils, they're too yellow and boring for me. I like variety!

Remember Murphy's Law? Buying one's younger daughter expensive winter rated tires means that one of said tires will pick up a screw. When she texted me this photo and asked me what to do, I was close enough to drive to the rescue. It's all fixed now, for free, at our local Les Schwab. But it barely missed the sidewall which would have required a new tire. I'm thankful that she now lives 10 minutes away so that I can help her out with rides! 

On cold evenings, it's great to have a leg warmer. Pets can be time-consuming, expensive and annoying (her begging for dairy products is a pain) but her love is unconditional and comforting. 

Yesterday was supposed to be rainy, but it wasn't. An unexpected gift. This weekend's weather will be sunny and 60s. Perfect lawn mowing conditions. Such an exciting life, right?

I appreciated the blue sky on my walk. I was carrying an umbrella just in case but didn't need to open it up. :) Can you see why I don't exercise outside when it's windy though?

Much as I love the trees, they are everywhere along my route. 

Crazy though it seems, I'm thrilled to have my en suite back, especially my tub. Although I'm not a fan of the caulking color Dave used, I'm not going to sweat the small stuff. Instead, I'm focusing on finally having a floor to walk on and more order in my home! Last night John and I went to his local movie theater to see "Fantastic Beasts 3." We wore our masks at first, taking them off when we realized that no one else was in the place. A few people came later, but they sat far enough away that we weren't worried. For the first time ever in my experience, the film stopped working, so we had to sit for a while until they could fix it. It was an OK movie--too dark and splashy for me at times. I think John liked it better than I did. Our planned dinner out didn't materialize since the restaurant we chose was much too crowded. Happily, we had a great and quiet meal chez John, and I got off cheaply since I was going to pay for dinner out. ;) 

Balance

Do you think this bad cat looks guilty? Younger Daughter and I had some popcorn while watching the Great British Baking Show last night but couldn't finish it all. I stupidly left it out on the counter which enticed Mari to drag it down and maul it. The answer to my question: No. She's not a dog.

I'm sure I'll be finding pieces of popcorn and kernels for a while. Sigh.

The tulips seem to be at their peak right now and are leaning forward, trying (?) to find the sun. Good luck with that. A Facebook friend told me that I should stake each one of them with a hat pin. A hat pin? Where in the Sam Hill would I find those and why would I waste spend that much time to have straight tulips? Not happening. 

These peony style ones are as open as they will get. Although I'm not fond of yellow as a rule, these are cheerful. 

The pink ones are also (to me) blah. My favorite flowers are multi-colored, orange/coral or deep purple. They're always what I'm drawn to when I shop for annuals in May. 

My neighbors planted these mystery plants in my cinder blocks; in spite of the lack of soil, they're thriving. Of course, so are the weeds. If it would stop raining, I could do more yard work. Bah. Today I was supposed to help John babysit his 10-month-old granddaughter so his younger daughter could take her 3 1/2-year-old to the dentist. But YD, her husband, their two young daughters plus John's niece spent Easter weekend in Bend, Oregon and the niece now has Covid. Thus, she exposed the WHOLE family to it and our babysitting gig got cancelled post haste. Consequently, I went from having plans to sitting around with Mari, trying NOT to fret about how easy it is to still get that d*mn virus, and how many things need to come together for my NY trip to happen (no pilot strikes, staff shortages or illness for anyone). As with mostly everything I worry about, not much is under my control, and I keep telling myself that over and over. Thankfully, Mari is a calming influence since she doesn't care about much of anything except sitting on my lap or curling up next to me when I'm blogging on my laptop. ;)




 

Expect the Unexpected

I was hoping that the mask mandate on planes would last through May, thus getting me through my trip to New York. However, it's now unexpectedly revoked, and I am at a loss. Part of what I don't understand is why it's such a big deal to wear a mask on public transportation when there is still a virus circulating. Like with hospitals, I wonder why crowded and close quarters with potentially sick people didn't always require a facial covering. You don't need to explain to me how much violence, conflict and misinformation this pandemic has generated; it's been a grievous disappointment to see the selfishness of so many people I once respected. But I digress. I simply can't afford to take any virus back with me to my daughter and her family. Yet I also don't want to miss out on Grandson's 2nd birthday! For many reasons, some I can't discuss on the blog, I will don my best N95 mask which I won't remove for the duration of the 6-hour flight. However, if the unmasking consequences match up to what's already happening with foreign carriers, the airlines could be suffering from losses of personnel due to COVID which will mean cancelled flights. Will I even get to go at all? Expect the unexpected--sometimes it's positive and other times it turns into a huge pile of crap. I shall try to remain flexible and as hopeful as possible. With reservations.  

Lately, I never know quite what to plan for with Younger Daughter. I'm happy that she went hiking and camping here, even though it meant I didn't see her on Easter. Tomorrow, we have a date to watch more of the Great British Baking Show at my house while munching on appetizers dinner. Friends ask me how she's doing, and the honest response is: I don't know. It's a day-by-day situation where I feel like I can't get too comfortable. Knocking on wood, she seems happier and better, although that could change in an instant. 

Since I only planted a few bulbs in that area under the address, I was shocked that I ended up with so many tulips. They not only bloomed where they were planted, they proliferated. And I do like purple! 

I planted no peony style tulips in the main flowerbed, yet here is this beauty. Unexpectedly. 

Surprisingly, since I don't care for yellow or red flowers, I do love this Rembrandt combo of the two. Perhaps I appreciate it because it has survived year after year whereas many of them haven't. 

The first time this style of Rembrandt bloomed, I was completely unimpressed. Then it opened up and I was duly amazed by its delicate mix of red and white with the gray painted interior. 

A few rhodies are blooming, like my mom's early variety. My Old Copper isn't even close, so I have that to look forward to. Since the rhododendron is our state flower, the next couple months will be full of floral delights around here. :) It didn't rain much today (which it was supposed to) and I should have exercised/accomplished more, but I wasn't in the mood. Good news: for the first time in 4 1/2 months, I bathed and got ready (for a dental appointment) in my master bathroom. I must be getting ancient old because it was such a treat to be back in a normal routine!

Holidayish

When you're not religious and no longer have children at home, Easter is kind of a non-event. In addition to that, the stories about the Resurrection vary widely and can even be (gasp) contradictory between the various gospels if you do your research, or benefit from the work of a fellow blogger. Thanks, AC. And if you believe the vast majority of Biblical scholars, Jesus was actually born in the spring, not in December, so what exactly are we celebrating here? But that didn't mean that I refused to take my mom up to my evangelical brother's house for an Easter buffet. Because...

In order to enjoy these goodies and allow my mom her outing, I had to put up with 1) criticism and bashing of anyone who is vegetarian 2) my brother and sister-in-law's Trump mug 3) SIL expounding on the "fact" that ASL is the third most spoken language in the United States after English and Spanish. No, no and no. I bit my tongue VERY hard because as usual she is full of excrement. 

Thankfully, the weather was decent, so I did get both lawns mowed before the rain comes back this week. I've also become braver about using the master bathroom and stepping on the tile. However, it's a little like the children's rhyme about not stepping on cracks. :) I carefully avoid the grout although it should be fine by now! 

Speaking of children, Little Guy wasn't sure what he thought about hunting eggs, grabbing on to his mama and daddy's legs at first. Then he decided that he loved it. He was even more entranced when he opened up the eggs and there were treats inside. Just like his Mémé--it's all about the goodies. :)

Inspections

Older Daughter was apologetic about asking me to spend my Friday afternoon at the sewer and house inspections for the place they're trying to buy. I expected some boredom, but both inspections were fascinating and informative. John and I learned so much! The sewer kid guy was an enthusiastic 25-year-old who was eager to show us the snake/camera that he was sending down into the sewer. I now know that it's Excellent! to have plastic pipes, especially green ones which are much newer, and it's VERY BAD!! to have tile which degrades. However, it's PROBLEMATIC that the sewer line heads over to the neighbor's property, then joins up with their pipe. That's illegal in the nearby city, so it'll need to be checked out with this City. (that part I didn't understand since I'm always thrown off by the word easement) Then the house inspectors arrived, a family affair of the elderly dad, his middle aged son and his teenage grandson. Upon seeing the old guy, John whispered to me, "That guy is gonna know his sh*t." And he (and his son) certainly did! They were consummate professionals, looked at and tested everything, made suggestions, explained what many items were, climbed on the roof, crawled behind the refrigerator, opened every window, discussed sump pumps, etc. John and I learned about the trash burning stove that used to be in the kitchen and why there were big vents outside the kitchen. (cooling for a tall cabinet of perishables) Happily, the knob and tube wiring has been completely updated, so that's great news. It was unexpectedly exciting to be involved in this process. If you had asked me if I wanted to be part of a house and sewer inspection before this, I would have laughed in your face. Live and learn, I guess.

Yay for modern electrical! I'll admit to a phobia about basements though; my grandfather had a cellar with rickety ankle breaking stairs; it was dark and gloomy. So, I'm not thrilled with this house's extensive basement with its set of moderately scary stairs, low ceilings and rustic vibe. And this little (canning?) room looks like a prison cell. Shiver.  

A major and difficult project will be getting rid of this behemoth--the former wood burning furnace that heated the water that ran the radiators. Of course, the pipes that transported the water and the sides of the furnace are loaded with asbestos. Ugh. There's also a gigantic hot water heater down in the aforementioned basement. My mom thinks that it will be the seller's responsibility to deal with these items, but I'm doubtful. In the current real estate climate, the sellers have the power, and the buyers are mostly helpless if they want the house.

We briefly met the owner, and I took an instant dislike to her. She was curt and unfriendly when she didn't need to be. Then John showed me this photo from her garage, and I was dumbfounded. (B*tch get a p*nis) Now I'm curious about the context of this sign and wonder about what kind of neighbor she is or has. Hmmm.

John and I celebrated being out and about by getting draft beer (Mac and Jacks for the win!) and dinner at a local sports bar. I used to like pubs, but considering the offensively dumb sweatshirts we saw and the ambiance of the customers (not our type), we ate and ran, never to return. The only highlight was the delicious amber ale. 

Guess what's finished and has a working toilet? Every time I heard Dave test flush it upstairs, I looked nervously at my kitchen ceiling though. It's going to take a long time to get over my leak trauma.

I feel like I need to balance out the basement shots with some views of the rest of the house, like the charming living room.

I love the kitchen cabinets as is although Older Daughter wants to paint them white. With whom do you agree? Since I have white cabinets, you can't offend me. :)

The bedrooms are quite spacious. 

This second bedroom is an office right now. The third one is upstairs and includes an alcove and sloped ceilings. Older houses are very different from my modern floor plan! And have I mentioned that there's only one bathroom? They do intend to add a second one in the basement; unfortunately, that will require some extra steps since the floor down there is a couple feet lower than the sewer line. Yep, $$$.

The back yard and planting beds are lovely and I can envision Grandson running around back there! Today he's been busy coloring Easter eggs with his mama's crayon drawings of dig digs and other fun things. There were many years of this tradition at our home although we graduated to blowing out and painting eggs when the girls got older. It's certainly touching to watch my daughter continue some of the holiday activities that we shared as a family. 

 

 

 

 

Hang Outs and Houses

When fellow long-time blogger Ally Bean decided to crowd source a blog roll (by asking who wanted to be on it), I was at a low ebb and needed some motivation. I could have decided to clean out my cupboards or my refrigerator or vowed to do some spring cleaning. Instead, I was intrigued by the idea of visiting and leaving comments on each of her long list of blogs which I mostly did, if I could. Reading unique perspectives and learning about different lives, as well as finding out about interesting parts of the country/world, others' passions, etc. have always fascinated me! Out of this, I had a few responses, an occasional comment on my own blog and a connection to someone who...strangely enough...lives about 15 minutes away from me. Today we met for a coffee; we had a very comfortable and open conversation, interspersed with laughter and some juicy secrets. (JK, but it sounds good, doesn't it?) Face to face blog interactions have never yet disappointed me. Thanks for the get together and I hope we can do it again, Deb!

Since it's been extremely cold out with an occasional snow flurry (really, spring?), Mari and I have been watching more TV, like "Finding Your Roots." I wish Henry Louis Gates aka Skip would help me out with the Italian side of my family which has dead-ended due to an overabundance of Giovannis, Angelos, Marias and Luisa/Luigias. Add to that confusion numerous misspellings, thus I'm never sure if it's even the correct person. 

When I do go for a walk, I have to bundle up in my puffy winter coat. In NY, it's 80 today with a bunch of rain and thunderstorms. I think I'll take our blue sky, chilly though it is. 

My tulips still think it's spring!

When Younger Daughter came by last night, she brought these homemade oatmeal butterscotch cookies, so soft and delicious. Oatmeal is a breakfast food, right? ;)

All the tile is finally on the floor, but tomorrow it will need to be grouted, the trim put on and caulked, the sheet rock repaired in places, the toilet set...Plus, John and I have the inspections to attend for the kids' probable new home. It's a little overwhelming yet I can't help being excited about having my bathroom back and of getting to tour the house, even though it will be filled with negatives. Leaks, sump pumps, old electrical, plumbing, basement issues, in other words the dilemma of falling in love with a 1930 built Craftsman. As I realize from painful experience though, every place has its problems. Sigh.

On that note, doesn't everyone have a bathroom door leaning against the wall in the bedroom? Asking for a friend.