Weddings and Things

The past few weeks have been wonderful. And awful. My little sissie, AKA "Honey" got married. She is so beautiful, it was wonderful.

My parents are getting ready to come home after their accident, and that will be wonderful as well.

Still, so much needs to be done so that they can be safe and comfortable in this old house. I sometimes despair that it will all get done. How could one house collect so much dirt ... cobwebs ... junk? Fifty plus years of living ... raising children ... memories ... here. So much stuff. Every nook and cranny jammed full of stuff. "I might need that someday". It's a curse we have. Something I am trying to break through myself.

It's hard to let go of the stuff of life isn't it? When I had meningitis 14 years ago I lost a lot of memories. To me, "stuff" helps jog those memories and old feelings out from the fog they are stuck in. I am afraid I will lose them forever. But I can't keep all this stuff.

Staying busy is not an issue now. Finding a moment alone and at peace is what I crave. I don't know when this will happen, if ever.

And the stuff? I guess I need to learn to concentrate on the words of my recently-married-little-sister ... "Sometimes you just gotta close your eyes and throw it away".

Awesome tree

This wonderful old tree is a Big Leaf Maple, worn by time and weather. The tree is actually much larger than this section, which is at least 100 feet up from the base. We found it yesterday when my sister Beth and I visited the woods of our childhood. So many of the wonderful memories are still there! Deer Valley, Huckleberry Bridge, Museum Tree, Deer Garden, the mud flats ... the same, yet different. As we tramped through the canyon, surrounded by lush forest and the stumps of old growth timber harvested in the mid-forties, I was glad we were given the gift of nature as children. It was fun to introduce my kids to the fairylands of our childhood, to share with them the dreams and imaginations we had as children ourselves.

Beth and I were surprised at how we noticed the same things, photographed the same things, and yet never got the same pictures as each other. I can't wait to explore more corners of the world with my sister and see what we come up with ... the same, yet different. Maybe next time my other sister can come with us? What do you think, Honey?

Mika Uppa Tree - Again

I have never seen a cat so eager to climb trees. My mom says she must have gotten it from me, and I can remember climbing nearly every tree in the woods behind the house (in my younger years, of course!).

Mom says I was about 4 years old when she found me clinging to the very tip top of a tall fir tree, swinging back and forth. She says I about gave her a heart attack! I don't remember that, but I remember traveling with my family to Yellowstone (at about age 4) and climbing up the first tree I could find every time we stopped. I can remember my mom calling for me and someone else answering "she's probably uppa tree!"

Anyway, I caught Mika in yet another tree today, and just had to take her picture. Do you see why I love her so? Note the second cat, hot on her tail ... shortly after I snapped this picture, the combined weight of the cats (there was a third one, not in the picture -- also up the tree) dipped the branch and they all clambered off.

Dow's Bicycles

My brother Dow loved bicycles. He took bits and pieces of old bikes and put them together into brand new ones. He was never happier than when he was able to fix up and give each and every bicycle to someone who needed one.

After he died, we couldn't bring ourselves to dispose of those pieces, so they sit in random piles around the property, memories of Dow at every turn. Old bicycles, tires, wheels, seats, frames. Piles of trash to some ... sweet memories and treasure to his family. I miss him so much.