Happy anniversary to us

Where does the time go?  Twenty-two years ago today John and I tied the knot. Amanda was just sixteen, and I wasn't much older than she is now.

February isn't a big wedding month, but it's a great time for a winter get-away.  We're going to Las Vegas this weekend to visit my sister Marji and take in some fun things together, like a ride on the "High Roller."

At 550 feet (almost as tall as the Space Needle) it's the highest observation wheel in the world. Hopefully, we can get in a little walk in the desert too, although the weather looks a bit iffy.  Cooler than normal, with a chance of rain.  Oh well, there are plenty of inside diversion in Sin City, and we're really looking forward to a long overdue visit.

Nature repeats

The weather turned chilly and damp again, but nothing can hold back spring now.  The cherry trees are blooming on our street, the crocus are almost finished and the daffodils starting.  Everyone loves daffodils. They come back year after year in unexpected places and don't peter out like fancy tulip bulbs.

Speaking of tulips, I vaguely remember planting a big bag of bulbs from Costco last fall. I don't remember what color. I like surprises, but sometimes I'll use that little Google search box up in the left corner to look up when we did things, find recipes I forgot how to make, or marvel how fast the babies turned into little girls. If that's not a sign of approaching old age, nothing is!

But there's nearly 2,000 posts written over 6 years, so the humble blog is becoming a family journal of sorts. I've been blogging long enough to see redundancy with things like crocus, cherry trees and clematis.

Am I becoming a bore? But then Nature repeats herself, endlessly, which is why we love Her.

Language

Sweater Weather: A Love Song to Langauge
by Sharon Bryan

Never better, mad as a hatter,
right as rain, might and main,
hanky-panky, hot toddy,
hoity-toity, cold shoulder,
bowled over, rolling in clover,
low blow, no soap, hope
against hope, pay the piper,
liar liar pants on fire,
high and dry, shoo-fly pie,
fiddle-faddle, fit as a fiddle,
sultan of swat, muskrat
ramble, fat and sassy,
fllimflam, happy as a clam,
cat’s pajamas, bee’s knees,
peas in a pod, pleased as punch,
pretty as a picture, nothing much,
lift the latch, double dutch,
helter-skelter, hurdy-gurdy,
early bird, feathered friend,
dumb cluck, buck up,
shilly-shally, willy-nilly,
roly-poly, holy moly,
loose lips sink ships,
spitting image, nip in the air,
hale and hearty, part and parcel,
upsy-daisy, lazy days,
maybe baby, up to snuff,
flibbertigibbet, honky-tonk,
spic and span, handyman
cool as a cucumber, blue moon,
high as a kite, night and noon,
love me or leave me, seventh heaven,
up and about, over and out.

A corny holiday

February 24th is National Tortilla Chip Day.  Just a few decades ago, Americans seldom ate chips and salsa.  Rebecca Webb Carranza invented tortilla chips in the 1950s.  Carranza and her husband owned the El Zarape Tortilla Factory in Los Angeles, and were among the first to automate the production of tortillas. The machine often produced misshapen tortillas, and Carranza decided to use them instead of throwing them away. She cut the rejected tortillas into triangles, fried them, and sold them for a dime a bag.

I was all grown up by the time I ate my first tortilla chip. It was most likely a Dorito, introduced nationwide in 1967.  Doritos were invented at the Casa de Fritos, a Mexican-themed restaurant in Disneyland. Using surplus tortillas, the restaurant fried them and added some basic dry seasoning. The Vice President of Marketing of Frito-Lay (a smart guy) noticed their popularity. He made a deal with Alex Foods in 1964, the provider of many items at Casa de Fritos. The rest is history.

Venus and Mars

If your skies are clear (ha ha) then February is a great month for planet watching.  There's a wondrous app called "Sky Guide." Unbelievably, it is free at the app store.  When you point your phone up, down or sideways, any place on Earth, any time of day, it shows all the constellations, stars, galaxies and planets. Of course the universe stretches to infinity under our feet, not just above our heads. Why is that so easy to forget?

From the deck in Cripple Creek last week, "Sky Guide" showed Jupiter in the dark, cold sky to the east. In Seattle, the close conjunction of Venus and Mars was spectacular this weekend at sunset just as the slender waxing moon rose.

From our front porch, Mars looked like a tiny red moon circling Venus.  Mars (named for the Roman god of war) and Venus (named for the Roman goddess of love) appear close together right now, but they are not. Venus is 134 million miles from Earth and the red planet Mars is 203 million miles away from us. By comparison, the Moon is just a short jaunt from Earth, at 225,000 miles away. If you missed it, the cosmic couple go their separate ways now until October.

Semele Opera set

Speaking of gods and goddesses, we went to see "Semele, the Wrath of Juno" at Seattle Opera yesterday afternoon. It's a long, seldom performed Baroque opera, written in English by Handel, who has been called the "Andrew Lloyd Weber" of his time.  It is a story about pride and vanity. I thought it was kind of interesting we were watching it while the Oscar awards were on TV.

In the story, young and beautiful Semele has everything going for her, including a handsome prince to marry.  However, her narcissism and ambition knows no bounds.  Jupiter falls in love with her and comes to Earth as a handsome human, then sweeps her off for a divine existence of love and pleasure. Even that is not enough for Semele, and she demands to see the god in his real form.  Let's just say she gets what's coming to her, and Jupiter's wife Juno has the last word. 

Dear hearts and gentle people

I've been around the block, but it still amazes me just how far air travel can take you in a few hours-- for instance,  a non-stop flight from Colorado Springs to Seattle, thanks to John and 80,000 or so of his coworkers at Boeing Commercial Airplane Company.

Anyway,  I was sure happy to see him waiting for me this morning in the airport.  Baggage claim?  Who needs it?  This "going light" is a good thing. I had an excellent, safe trip,  and I'm already back where the cherry trees and daffodils are blooming.

Visiting our 90-year-old parents in Cripple Creek is special and much too infrequent. But this time, I was able to help them out with a few practical matters (with some long distance support from my sister and brother) so it felt good to be busy and useful-- the best cure ever invented for fret and worry. The time flew by and I came home with a tiny sense of accomplishment.  But there is never enough time to say all the things we want to say.

Health news first.  As you know, Dad was hospitalized last week with serious complications from a respiratory virus.  After some excellent care at the regional hospital in Woodland Park, he was released yesterday to the Cripple Creek Care Center for rehabilitation.  


He's getting settled in, and his physical therapist already commented on his impressive strength and determination.  To give you some idea, Dad walks on a treadmill daily, uses computers, reads books and newspapers and has lived independently his entire life.  But...now he has to accept some temporary help, and he's doing that with his typical grace and courage.  We admire him so much.

The Cripple Creek Care Center is a part of their community.  Let's be honest-- no one wants (or plans!) to live in a nursing home, but they've taken good care of mom for several years now. This is a place that couldn't exist in a big city like Seattle-- a rare mix of the professional and homey. Think resident cats, and an old Golden who comes to work with a nurse each day.

We know he will get good care and make excellent progress. And mom will keep a close eye on him :-) 

It wouldn't be a trip to Colorado without weather news. Here's the view from the house yesterday morning.  Spectacular, brilliant blue sky like only a Colorado winter can be.

I'm usually unlucky with my travel timing back there, but this time it snowed the day before I came and happy to report,  it is snowing like h--- right now.
I'm glad the folks are tucked in safe and sound for the weekend.

There wasn't much down time this trip, but I took my coffee out on the deck each morning and soaked in the high altitude, intense sun.  I watched the thermometer rise like magic over my left shoulder. In the shade still below freezing, but in the sun?  Yes, almost 100 degrees.  What lovely, lovely world of contrasts we live in. 

Traveling light

I'm packing this morning for a trip to Colorado to visit my parents.  Our dad has been hospitalized in Woodland Park for several days now with a nasty respiratory virus.  He is a strong, amazing man at age 90! and holding his own (I hope I inherited some of those genes) but getting well at his age is a slow and dicey business.

As you might remember, our mom (who turns 90 this week) still lives at the Care Center in Cripple Creek.  Dad typically visits her every day, so of course she's lonely while he's in the hospital.  Hopefully I can take care of a few little things for them this week.

Here's the Cripple Creek downtown webcam this morning: Elevation 9,600 feet, 23 degrees and snowing.  But no worries-- this is Colorado weather. If you don't like it, wait a day.  Hopefully by  tomorrow afternoon it looks more like this:

I'm not checking a bag this time and using a small carry-on, which is a good mindfulness exercise for cold-weather packing. And definitely not as much fun as warm-weather packing, where you can take stacks and stacks of nice light clothes and not worry about things like bulky gloves, sweaters, wool socks and down jackets.

The daffodils and cherry trees are blooming on our street, so real winter will be a rude shock.  Another rude shock will be the 5:30 am flight departure in the morning, but with luck I should be in the mountains by mid- afternoon. My laptop is staying home, so don't worry,  the blog is just taking a breather for a few days.
Ciao.

The conference of birds

The ancient Romans held a fertility festival in mid-February. It was called Lupercalia, and all sorts of naughty things happened that would make Shades of Grey look tame. Needless to say, it was one of the more popular festivals, and later highly discouraged by the Church.

As far as celebrating Valentines' Day as a romantic holiday, the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer gets credit for that.  In the 14th century he wrote The Parlement of Fowles,  a story that takes place on "Valentynes Day."  In the story, the goddess of nature watches on while every sort of bird fusses around choosing their mate.

Speaking of birdie conferences, with this early spring weather there's been a lot of busy activity in the overgrown corners of the yard.  It's barely light now as I sit here listening to all sorts of calls. I can identify just about any bird I can see, but these guys are mating secretive, and when I go out they hide in the big holly tree. One bird in particular makes a repetitive sweet, sweet sweet call.  It's driving me crazy not knowing what bird.

I'm baking a caramel bundt cake this morning, and John has some secretive errands of his own that might involve hearts and flowers.  Anyway, after our morning chores are done, we're going over to the Audubon Resource Center at Seward Park and see if we can get to the bottom of this "sweet, sweet, sweet" thing. 

Be my hot dog

Hey. What's the most popular symbol on old vintage valentines?
After an unscientific Google survey of kiddie valentines (and another half hour wasted) I think the hot dog wins. 

Early morning meditation

Is decorating dozens of cookies just another chore, or an opportunity to meditate without really meditating?

Maybe it's not so important to sit perfectly erect for 20 minutes a day in meditative bliss.  Here's some tips on how to be mindful while doing just about anything. This is from a favorite website of mine called Tiny Buddha.  It was written by a woman who learned to transform her weekly bread baking chore into a meditative experience.

1. Notice, don’t think.

Pretend you are a traveler or student encountering this activity for the very first time. Don’t judge, label, and think about what you’re doing. Just notice. Notice every detail with an open, beginner’s mind.

2. When in doubt, check your breathing.

If you feel your thoughts wandering from the present task, take a minute to hear and feel yourself breathe. Just paying attention to a few breaths will bring you back to the present moment.

3. You have 5 senses, use them.

Mindfulness means truly experiencing what is going on right now. This is more than just noticing what something looks like. What does it smell like? Feel it with your hands. What is the texture? Temperature? What do you hear?

4. Have a strategy to handle nagging thoughts.

Occasionally we all have thoughts that won’t go away—so you need a strategy for how to handle them. I like to have a notebook with me at all times to write any nagging to-dos, ideas or issues. If you write them down, your mind can relax because it knows you can go back to them later.

5. It is what it is.

You don’t need to analyze your mindfulness experience. Don’t worry about what it all means or if you’re being mindful enough. Just try to be mindful every day. Come more fully into the present moment. Let the experience be what it is.

While this might not fit the ideal of a perfect, solitary meditation practice, it works for me. It works because it gets me to the right place—the present moment.

Every week when I make bread, I re-discover that by mixing, kneading and baking, I am able to come more fully into the present moment and really connect with life.  And isn’t that the purpose of a meditation practice in the first place?

What is important is to be here, in the now.
Living your life.
Noticing what is.
Noticing life.

    By- Amanda Cook

Dinner in a jiffy

I made this pretty amazing meal in the pressure cooker yesterday.  Black beans in a seasoned sauce (modified recipe) and Mexican-style pork chops (my invention.)  After the first taste John said, "Can you do this again?"

Ha! What does he think I am, some sort of production line artist?

I got sucked down a hole yesterday looking at pictures of vintage TV dinners on Pinterest.  Good grief.  But if you know Pinterest, you'll understand. It's one of those Internet "diversions" you turn to when you get bored. And before you know it, you've wasted another hour of your life that could have been spent practicing the ukulele or cleaning the bathtub.

Anyway, maybe that inspired me to make a nice meal from scratch, although those lurid pictures sure took me back to when TV dinners were a big treat at our house. We loved them.  In a hungry family of five, there was something about having your own private tray of food that wasn't divided up and shared. And everything had it's own compartment.   Best of all, sometimes you got to pick out the one you wanted at the grocery store.

Of course these look pretty unappetizing now.  And look how small the portions are.  Most Americans eat much more for dinner these days.  I know we did last night!

My favorite ad. Why fuss over company?

Spring is sprung

Snoqualmie Pass Summit  

 Dirt skiing, anyone?

From our local weather expert,  Cliff Mass:

Meteorological winter ends roughly the third week of February in western Washington.   After that it is difficult to get the really big winter weather events:  record floods, historic windstorm, big lowland snow storms. 

Boston already has a record 74 inches of snow this winter, about the same as Snoqualmie Pass, where they typically have about 280 inches of snow by the middle of February. 

Hopefully, the Cascade and Olympic mountains will get some heavy snow in the next 8 weeks, but down in the lowlands we've turned the corner to spring.  Bulbs are springing up, birds are nesting and the first pink trees are starting to bloom on our street. Which probably sounds like paradise if you live on the east coast.  Or eastern Washington.

Before hitting the road on Sunday, Amanda and the kids walked around the garden soaking up the lushness. It will be many, many weeks before they see a bit of green appear in the Methow Valley.

The good news is there was plenty of snow over there this winter, which was a boon for the local tourist economy, hurting from the fires last summer.  Nordic skiers came from as far away as California because of the lack of snow at the Sierra resorts.  Could Winthrop become the next Sun Valley? 

We've lived long enough to see climate change, so nothing would surprise me. Might as well enjoy the pussy willow moment.

Busy girls

Amanda, Tom and the girlies were in town, just for the weekend.  When county gals visit the big city, sometimes there's a trip to the beauty parlor for haircuts...

Just a trim for Nova.  She wants long hair,  like her mom.

But for Maya, a very first haircut. She climbed right up on the chair and sat perfectly still.  Amanda says Maya will do anything, if big sister does it first.

After a consultation with the "frizzy baby hair expert" a cute pixie bob for Maya... 

And a blow dry. What a serious little lady..

A complimentary braid for Nova on the way out. It was fun seeing everyone, even just for a day.

Back to reality this morning.

It looks like our unseasonably warm weather just keeps going. Along with fresh haircuts, signs of spring are everywhere.