I've Got An Idea!

So, I'm on the treadmill, cooling down after a run, thinking random thoughts, when it hits me. Let's fix education in America!! Everyone agrees that our educational system is failing a high percentage of students, right? I read a statistic recently (if I remember correctly, it's from the mayor of Portland, Sam Adams', office) that about 40% of the kids in Portland Public Schools will not graduate high school. I've also read that the rate is even higher in other large cities. Seriously, is that even possible? That is just plain scary. This hits home pretty hard with me. I have two nephews who fell through the cracks and dropped out at the end of their sophomore years, and they are both suffering the consequences of the extremely limited options this lack of education leaves them.

I know a lot of factors influence the effectiveness of a child's education, from home life to culture, to teachers and unions, and many of these factors are not things that government can control. However, some of them are things over which government could have more effective influence than it does. Take teachers, for example. (No, I am not saying that government can control teachers.) There are good ones and there are bad ones. Some are engaged, talented and energetic, and some are putting in their time, tired, and counting the days until retirement. (By the way, I don't think that has anything to do with age. I've had great older teachers and lousy young ones. Some teachers are just better than others.) Is it possible for these gifted teachers to be encouraged to stay, while the less effective are encouraged to find employment that is better suited to their abilities? What, if anything, can or should the federal government do to foster that end? Would the teachers union even brook the slightest interference to their hold on power and seniority? No chance, you say? What if internal pressure gave them no choice?

Here's my proposal: Congress passes a law that says that the households of teachers and teaching assistants will pay no income taxes. None--not even at the state level. I'm not talking just the teachers themselves, but anyone who brings home a paycheck in that household (dependants up to a certain age, say 21). Many teachers salaries are low enough that they probably don't pay federal income tax anyway, but you throw in the income from hubby or wife, and you are talking some significant tax savings. Add on the kids' summer job and they've got a tax free college savings plan!! How's that for incentive for the best and brightest to go into education, and their spouses to be supportive of the endeavor?

Here's the condition: Retention of position is completely dependant upon classroom outcomes. If the kids learn to read, write, do math, etc., then that teacher is kept on the payroll, and off the tax rolls. If they do not, then some of the eager talents waiting in the wings get their shot at improving the situation. How many of the teachers currently in the union would not clamber to have this law enacted? Probably just the bad ones who are currently only protected by seniority from getting the boot. The rest of them would find the reward to be high. This isn't a way to break the union (if the union works for the benefit of its members), but a way to benefit both teachers and students so that everyone comes out ahead. Win, win. The union stays intact, but with purer motives, and the future of American education is dramatically improved.

The cost to the federal coffers would be minimal, but the gain to society could be enormous. We'd have a better educated populace, a well-rewarded class of teachers, and future income for the government based on the fact that an educated country is a productive, creative and revenue-generating country. Imagine the day when teaching would become a coveted position in society, only the gifted could get into teaching programs, and only the best teachers fill our public schools. Imagine.

So what do you think? Pipe dream? Too full of impracticalities? Too naive? (Already been thought and tried? It's new to me, but that doesn't mean much.) I like it, but then I was pretty tired when I thought it up. Maybe it was the endorphins talking... Hey, if this works we could do it with police and firefighters, doctors, nurses; the list goes on. Who would be left to pay taxes you ask? How about all the rest of that well-educated populace that chooses not to go into service sector employment? Better yet, how about only the politicians pay taxes? That would ensure that people had a disincentive to commit politics and we might end up with some purer motives there, as well.

You'd Think We'd Have Had Enough Snow By Now...

...but you'd be wrong!! Yes, we strapped on the snow shoes and tramped about town during the Big Snow Event of 2008. Yes, we sat in the window and watched a gazillion flakes fall. Yes, we had all of our holiday events and deliveries cancelled and juggled and otherwise messed with by the first real winter we've had in years, but we never got to go sledding!! Ked and I needed to go sledding! The town snow only whetted our appetite, making us long for the mountain. So, driven by primal urges to ascend to the heights of Mount Hood and hurl ourselves head first down the slopes, we cancelled what little remained of our holiday schedule and made it happen!! Okay, in all honesty, we had the sledding trip scheduled with friends for weeks before the valley snow flew, but we weren't dissuaded from the trip by the fact we'd been rolling in the white stuff for two weeks. Snow is still fun!! (We are so going skiing soon.)

Before I get to the pictures, let me wish you a very Happy New Year and tell you just a bit about our Christmas. Christmas was, in keeping with the spirit of the winter of 2008, postponed due to weather and family health issues. However, being the flexible group that we are, we simply decided that Christmas would be on December 27th this year, kept the prime rib in the fridge for a couple of extra days and stocked up on a little extra eggnog to get us through 'til the feast could begin. This Christmas was the first time since I was a toddler that all of my sisters and I had been together with my mom for Christmas, so we wanted to go all out to make it special. Along with the absolutely divine prime rib, I made Yorkshire pudding, creamed spinach, sweet potato casserole (a Tasina and Sioux Lady recipe-to-die-for), and as a special treat, Ked whipped up some mocha pots de creme--a coffee and chocolate custard, which was impossibly good. It all turned out wonderfully, in fact. I was quite relieved. I had never made prime rib and Yorkshire pudding before, but had a couple of splendid recipes, and it all came off without a hitch. The family was also extremely well-behaved for the occasion--another blessing for which to be thankful! We had a wonderful family celebration, well worth the delay and fuss, and digging out of cars which the snow engendered. I hope yours was equally lovely. On to the pics... (As usual, click on the pictures to make 'em bigger.)


We were feeling a trifle unsure when we arrived at the trail-head to find a foot of unpacked snow in the parking lot, and not another car in sight!! It was snowing hard, in a pretty stiff wind, and we weren't entirely certain that everyone else who stayed away didn't have the right idea. Mind you, we weren't averse to having the mountain to ourselves, just not particularly interested in getting stranded or frozen. Our Expedition handled the Great Portland Snow-In Of '08 like a champ, though, so we hooked on the ever-useful snowshoes and tramped on up the hill, leaving the suv all on its lonesome.

We trudged down the trail and crested the sledding hill just about the time the weather decided to completely change her tune. By the time we had gotten settled in for a slide or two, it turned into a rather pleasant day. The sky even flashed a bit of blue every now and then, just to keep us cheerful! Our friend (I'll call her M until she tells me she can have at least a first name here on the blog) provided the blue, in her cap, the rest of the time.

Girlie here found going down the hill a breeze. Coming up was something more of a challenge! The man in the background was a stranger we met when some other people finally decided that the weather had turned about for keeps. He and his pregnant wife, and another couple, came wading through the snow--midway up their thighs at points--only to arrive at this very tempting hill with no way to slide down it. Ked and I were back at the car getting the camera at the time, so our friends loaned the unprepared ones our sleds for a few rides. Mom-to-be called it baby's first sled ride! It was funny; in chatting with her a bit, we discovered she's a nurse in the cancer ward where my mom has been getting treatments for the last several weeks. I'm heading there tomorrow with Mom for her next round of platelets. I wonder if we'll see her again... Wouldn't that be an odd turn of events?

The boy had a blast from the get-go. Last year when we did this he wasn't as brave as this time around, or as sensible. He kept taking off his gloves and felt the cold something fierce. This year's outing saw him a little wiser, and a little warmer, too. The gloves stayed on. The hat found itself straying from its moorings now and then, but this didn't seem to dampen his spirits, even if it did dampen his hair a bit.

Ked was in fine humor, too, and even a tumble or two didn't wipe the smile from his twice-bespectacled face.

...and there was, indeed, a tumble or two. Even the snowshoes couldn't keep us upright part of the time. The snow was so deep and unevenly packed that what seemed like solid ground occasionally and unpredictably wasn't. I fell at one point, put my hands out to steady myself, and ended up with my arms buried up to my armpits! Made for a tricky landing. My face came an inch or so from intimate acquaintance with the powder, and getting out of the situation took some careful maneuvering. I couldn't help but think what it would be like to be buried, even temporarily, in the snow. It was actually a little scary--just a very little.

Girlie isn't scared here, just cold and tired of being so. If only we could have convinced her to stop sitting in the snow and chomping it down like a snow cone in August...

This one didn't even bother reaching down to scoop his snow cone up off the ground. He just waited until enough ice had gathered near his chin and started licking.

How's this for bringing color to a stark white world? All the primaries, and even a few secondary shades made it onto a few square yards of mountain. Those bright, rosy little faces are the nicest part of the picture, though, wouldn't you say?

Speaking of bright, rosy little faces, here's our friend "S" hiding his as usual. S and I have an ongoing ritual, which involves me wielding my ubiquitous camera, and him ducking behind whatever is convenient to avoid it. It's a fun little game we play. At least I caught his eyes this time. Usually it's not much more than an ear or a chin.

Ked's not nearly so camera shy as S is, as long as he can be a goofball! His neck was hurting from a hard smack on the ground by this point, but you'd never know it from pictorial evidence!

Can't get much cuter than this! A little hot cocoa was all it took to melt all that snow that Girlie had consumed, and warm her up from the inside. See the glow?

Once we made it down off the mountain we spent some time in the evening playing with M&S's family Christmas present. We had a great time golfing and boxing and playing tennis with their new Wii. I'll tell you, though, that boxing'll wear you out! I couldn't wait for round three to be over!! Isn't M looking strong and stylish, though? I can't decide whether she looks more like a boxer, or a contestant on American Idol.

The competition got pretty heated. When M started directing her controller toward S, instead of the TV sensor, we could tell things were getting serious!

Can you guess who won?

Eventually the kids took over and we finished off the evening, all of us worn out and ready for a rest from all our trudging in the snow and punching each other's lights out. A couple days later we tried Wii bowling. Now that was right up my alley!! Much less of a fatigue factor with bowling, and the beauty of doing it with Wii is that you don't have to rent the shoes. Heck, next time I think I'll try it without shoes!!

So there you have the story of our quest for snow, after the snow. It was very satisfying. The weather reports are saying we may be getting a little more snowfall here in town in the coming few days. Apparently this oddly winterish winter continues. I'll spare you the photos if it comes. You've got to be tired of the snow by now, even if I'm not. They're also talking flooding, though. Can't promise that I won't show you pictures of that...

Happy New Year to you, wherever you may be.

Going With The Flow

This has been the most unexpected Christmas season. Almost everything we had planned for the last two weeks was cancelled due to weather, and now even Christmas itself has been rescheduled for many in the Portland area. My family will now be gathering on December 27th for feast and frolic, partly due to snow and partly due to a Christmas Day doctor's appointment that my mom couldn't avoid. We're all just going with the flow around here, and seeing where the days take us. They are handing us some surprises.

Having all our plans cancelled hasn't turned out to be all that bad. We have had time to truly relax for the first time in months, and playing in the snow right outside our door has been a treat. We've gone on several snowshoe outings with very little time and effort, and no gasoline used at all to go find the powder!! Ked got to start putting together my new table saw that he got me for Christmas, and the one thing we payed money for this holiday season was not cancelled--the weather let up enough to let us go see the Oregon Ballet Theater perform The Nutcracker. We went with some dear friends, and then all came back to our house for a quick change of clothes and a nice long late-night stroll in the snow. Perfect.

That was, as I mentioned, just about the only event that came off as planned. Not a single other day was what we had put on the calendar. (It's a good thing I keep my calendar on the computer, or it would be nothing but a scribbled out mess!) We spent one whole day wrapping and distributing gifts for Angel Tree (a really cool organization), because hardly anyone else could get out of their driveways! We spent another on a medical errand of sorts. A third saw us driving friends to the airport so they could escape to warmer climes. All of these days had other plans that weren't meant to be, but it has been quite a peaceful week despite all this. We have learned to embrace the changes, and even be glad of the opportunities they have brought.

True to form, our Christmas Eve plans also proved a challenge, and any other year we would have been upset, but this year is truly special. We will reschedule the plans that got cancelled, and because they fell through we ended up having a lovely Christmas serendipity. Not far into the evening, Ked and I heard a faint hint of Christmas music which we knew wasn't coming from inside our house. The music grew louder and we went to the window to see what was afoot. We saw our next-door neighbor had brought a portable fire-pit into his front yard, and soon he had a merry blaze going. He had Neil Diamond singing Christmas songs from his car stereo, and the open door allowed the music to fill the street. Ked and I wandered out to enjoy the show and then our neighbor invited us down to share the fire and see what other intrepid souls would poke their heads out of their doors to join us.

Two other couples decided to stand in ten inches of snow and brave the light rain (yes, for the first time in two weeks it decided to rain. How's that for ornery weather?), and we all had a lovely time getting warm by the fire and passing around fresh-baked cookies and my husband's famous homemade butter almond toffee. We got to meet some new folks we hadn't met before, a couple up from San Francisco who moved in not too long ago--hilariously enough, they moved here for the weather!! We had a simply lovely time connecting with the people who live closest to us, and I'm so glad it happened that way. I asked our "hosts" if this was an annual tradition that we always missed because we're never home on Christmas Eve, and he said no, that they hadn't been home on that night themselves in 27 years!! They just thought that if we were all going to be stranded together, we might as well enjoy each other's company. Isn't that a nice neighborly attitude? I hope that this becomes our default tradition--whoever is around on Christmas Eve shares a fire and some cookies, preferably in the snow.

For your holiday enjoyment, I wanted to share some pics-about-town that were taken all over the city this week. Some are personal. Some I just thought were pretty. (Click on them to enlarge.)



My friend Su has this wonderful marsh/pond behind her house, and she's always taking these amazing wildlife photos. Here's one she snapped of an egret--I think it's safe to call it a snowy egret at this point, even if it's not!!

I don't think she'll be dining al fresco anytime soon. Unless she wants a nice big snow cone, that is. Anybody have any cherry syrup?

After we finished making our Angel Tree deliveries, the friends who were part of our delivery crew had a few more errands of mercy to perform. Ked just loves to drive in the snow, so we were off!! They all showed great patience for me, letting me stop frequently to take pictures of scenes that I thought were pretty. I thought this picture fit that description.

Here are our patient friends. She didn't mind me stopping for picture-taking, partly because she's a shutterbug herself, and one of the most artistic people I know. It was nice to have such cheerful company on our travels that day.

I loved this spot of color in an almost endlessly white world. I do think snow is gorgeous and magical, but I have to admit that it can be rather monochromatic.

On the way home we drove down Peacock Lane, a local landmark this time of year. There are two densely packed blocks where every home is decorated and aglow. It has been this way every Christmas as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, it was too early in the evening for every house to be lit (we got there 20 minutes too soon), but a few of them were prepared for eager visitors who jumped the gun, so we still got to see some pretties.

On one of our snowshoe treks, Ked and I noticed this fallen tree in the park blocks near our home. It's hard to tell with no people in the shot to give it perspective, but that's a fully grown tree just toppled over like it gave up on life. When we looked more closely we saw that, even though it had significant girth, the roots were extremely shallow. I don't know if that is common to this type of tree, but if it is, it explains the several other nearby trees of this type that have lay down and died in our near-annual ice storms. Perhaps the park planners ought to reconsider their tree of choice...

We went out yesterday, after the heaviest snowfall of the week, and walked around the golf course--snowshoe clad, of course. We saw lots of other people on cross country skis and sleds. One family even had a stroller with a ski attachment. They said they had never gotten to use it before, but that it was proving itself worth the purchase. After this week we feel the same way about our SUV. Guilt us all you want about our gas guzzler, but when people needed a ride this week, we were the ones they called.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again--Snow is fun!!

As I said, snow is fun, but I must admit that I chose a terrible week to loan out my ski pants!

Today we got what is likely to be our last blast of snow from this record-setting year. The series of storms decided to go out with a bang this morning, and we got the biggest flakes and most beautiful snowfall yet. Needless to say, we wandered outside, to take pictures!

Ked was thirsty, so he took a taste of what libations the sky had to offer.

I just stood outside this morning being happy in the snow--happy that this unusual end-of-the-year foray into winter has given Ked and me so many gifts. It's made us slow down and enjoy the moment. It's given us the opportunity to help people, and meet our neighbors. It's helped us remember that Christmas isn't about the date we celebrate, or the traditions we keep, but about Jesus, and the people that He came to Earth to love and give His life to save. I'm still looking forward to celebrating with my family this Saturday, but I'm looking forward to it with more peace and less agenda than I've had for many a Christmas. That is a gift indeed.

A Blindingly White Christmas

Did Al Gore come to the Pacific Northwest? They say that wherever he shows up to give one of his talks on global warming the temperature drops to unusual lows, but this is taking the Gore Effect to new extremes (especially if he doesn't actually happen to be here). Talk about power. We have had winter in Portland, honest-to-goodness winter for over a week, and that just doesn't happen here before Christmas without some dramatic intervention from a higher power, like God graciously answering "yes" to the prayers of kids and teachers who want a snow day, or the aforementioned global weather czar making an appearance to prove to the already convinced that global warming is going to ruin the planet. I lean toward the Almighty myself, but some might attribute more power to the former Vice President.

In any case, every day for the last three or four days the weather prognosticators have been assuring us that one more band of moisture was coming through that would raise temperatures above freezing and turn off the snow showers, but every day the cold front from the east defeats the wet warm front from the west, and the snow continues to fall. We did get a brief interval of freezing rain (about a quarter of an inch) a couple times, but those sheets have simply gotten layered between the more flaky kind of crystallized water to give the surface a little crunch when we walk through it.

So, I got my wish. Snow. Lots and lots of gorgeous now. I have now had six planned events cancelled by the weather, including the Christmas service and turkey dinner at church yesterday. That's disappointing. However, we've rescheduled them for next week, so hopefully we get to make the church events up, and in the meantime we get a winter adventure! The big event of the week is still coming, of course. I do hope Christmas comes off as planned. All of my Mom's children will be together for the first time ever. The last time it happened I was a toddler, so tack forty plus years on to that and it pretty much qualifies as having never happened. I was basically a senseless, thankless oyster at the time, so I don't really count it as a complete family moment. (MAJOR bonus point to anyone who gets the oyster reference and can tell me what movie it's from.)

At some point today, Ked and I are supposed to go to the butcher's and pick up the prime rib we ordered for Christmas dinner with the family. The shop is about a mile away, so we have decided to strap on the snowshoes and a backpack, and trek there on foot. Why not!? People pay money for the chance to get a good workout in the snow, and we've been out walking in it several times already. The difference today is that there's LOTS more of it, so the snowshoes will come in for use. That just makes the adventure all the more adventurous!! We can't let this opportunity for a winter-gym-at-our-doorstep go to waste! Other people agree with me, too. So far today I have seen dads pulling sleds, neighbors wielding snow shovels, and one intrepid soul who lives across the street gliding up our hill on cross-country skis. That last one took me by surprise, to be honest. It's just not something you see here in the rain zone. I wonder if we'll cause the same reaction for someone else when they see us trudging by wearing snowshoes? Heh.


Here's Ked out in back by our pear tree. If you look closely, you can just see the top edge of a retaining wall behind him and to the left. That's a raised bed that stands about 18 inches high. The whole back yard is one giant snow drift.

These bushes across the street are feeling the weight of the ice layers. A few of the trees are looking pretty top-heavy these days as well.

Remember how in an earlier post I said I'd never driven in snow? This would probably be the perfect opportunity to learn, if we wanted to dig the car out of the snowdrift that is... That retaining wall is three feet high.

In my last post I noted that my house was wearing a light white winter jacket, and that it needed more clothing. Well, I'd say now that it dressed up for the holidays! That little tree is wearing a full tree-skirt. Heck, I'd call it a ball gown at this point!!

Ked got out soon after I snapped that last photo and cleared the stairs and walkway a bit for the mailman. That's always a risk here in Portland, because snow often turns to freezing rain (at least in our part of town, which is quite near the the Columbia Gorge), and you'd much rather have freezing rain over snow than over bare steps and pavement. Trust me on this one. You can stomp your way through crunchy snow much better than you can keep your balance on a sidewalk ice skating rink. Hope this choice pans out. They're calling for more snow, and less freezing rain in the forecast, but you never know here in the northern Willamette Valley. We may only get winter once every three or ten years, but when we do, anything can happen...

Sittin' In The Window... Feeding My Soul

I'm watching the snow fall. Can't tell you how much this ministers to me, or why. It just does. I can so easily get lost in the flakes as they drift to the ground. Right now it's the kind of snow I've been waiting for all week. Up until now, it's been icy, hard, cold, windy snow, with little tiny pellets blowing like fog across the world, only to vanish in the wind. Today it's the gentle kind of snow that comes to the earth with a kiss and nestles down in soft contentment. It's beautiful. I hope it lasts a while. "More, more," she cried.


Here's my house, wearing just a thin white winter jacket. It needs a heavier coat, don't you think?

Here's the view across the street. I've always thought that Snow White should live in this house and stand on that little balcony singing. Today, it's even more appropriate.

My neighborhood has lots of trees that look pretty all year round, but even more so when they're dressed in white. Of course,, in my opinion, even the power lines look almost pretty when they're covered in snow. I'm awfully easy to please when the snow is falling.

If you're in the neighborhood, I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am.

Getting In The Spirit

It snowed today!! It wasn't the 4-8 inches they promised us for days, and the wind is blowing a lot of it away, and there's a layer of ice underneath it which is going to be there long after the snow has disappeared, but It Snowed Today!! Snow, snow, snow, lovely snow. In Portland. In December. Yay.

This blog has turned into more of a personal memory journal than anything else. I suppose I ought to remove the header that makes mention of politics and science and the like, but I haven't gotten around to it, and besides, you never know when I might get the whim to write something legit, but until then I hope you'll indulge me while I get in the Christmas spirit.

We were supposed to go to a party this afternoon, but stayed home because Ked is sick, and due to the general paucity of snow in the Portland Metro area, I have never actually driven in really bad weather. (I'd say ice and 23 degrees qualifies as bad weather. You can call me a wimp if you live in the Midwest or Northeast, but there it is.) Some day I need to learn, but it's not going to be while driving out to Oregon City by myself, leaving my husband home alone sneezing. I think a better plan would be going up with a healthy Ked to some mountain parking lot some day. I do not have a current death wish.

Since we had the unexpected time at home, and the inspirational white stuff, I took the opportunity to put up and decorate our Christmas tree. I offer it here for your perusal.


I went with a purple and gold theme this year--something you may or may not be able to tell from the photo above. (Click on the picture to get a better look.) I tried to take a picture that captured the feel of it more than the exact form. Not sure how that worked, but I gave it my best shot. I discovered it's hard to take a picture of a lighted tree. Flash washes it out. No flash makes it blurry or grainy. Oh well. It's the thought that counts, right?

Speaking of Christmas thoughts--If you are travelling for the holidays, stay safe and have a lovely trip. If you are sticking close to home, be warm and comfortably cheerful. Wherever you will be, I wish you a very joyous Christmas and a New Year full of Christ's blessings and love. Merry Christmas.

Sunset

I had to share last night's sunset with you. It was the kind of sky that makes you wish you weren't in the city, with rooftops and power lines, but out in an open field with just distant hills and maybe an oak tree or two. Simply glorious. I couldn't keep that sky to myself. You needed to see it too. (Maybe you did see it, if you're local, in which case it was a pleasure watching the sunset with you.)

Ked and I came home late in the afternoon from my mom's house with a load of her belongings to store in our garage. (She's trying to put some things in order, and we've been doing our best to help.) Anyway, I noticed as we pulled into the driveway how pretty the clouds were, with a beautiful glow that came from just the right amount of clouds meeting just the right angle of sun. They were dark in the back, but all lit up bright white where they faced the golden orb. (Bonus points if you know the movie quote.) I couldn't resist getting out my camera, because you just don't see clouds like that every day, and I'd love to learn to paint them. I'm a cameraholic anyway, so it's no surprise that I merrily started snapping pictures as soon as the car slowed enough for the camera to focus.

Once I finished click-clicking, and Ked finished backing the utility trailer into the driveway, we got to work, pulling stuff from the trailer and rearranging the garage space to accommodate the new additions. (We had to work around that as-yet-unassembled saw that I told you about last week. It's smack in the middle of the garage claiming preeminence.) Being busy, I wasn't really thinking about the sky anymore, just concentrating on the task at hand, but about half an hour after we got into the job I finally managed to look up again to where the sun was now going down. What I saw took my breath away. Hope you like it too. (Click to enlarge.)


This really doesn't do the glowy clouds justice. Although I want to learn to paint them, clearly I have not learned how to photograph them yet. (Maybe painting will be easier!! Well, okay, probably not.)

This is what I saw when I turned my focus upward for the second time. The clouds had been filling in for that half hour that we spent playing pack mule. While we weren't looking, God filled half the sky with this amazing color.

I walked around the neighborhood a bit to get a better view, and the clouds kept thickening while the fire spread.

I love this picture. Eventually the world above deepened to this dramatic grey-blue with rose-tinged edges. So beautiful. I want to live in those clouds--or at least be able to paint them!

A Happy Thing

My Christmas present just arrived!! The nice man in the big truck put it on a dolly and wheeled it into our garage, with me cheerfully snapping pictures the whole way to commemorate the momentous occasion (so I could post the pics here and let you share my joy). Some of you will think that getting an unwrapped Christmas present delivered to your garage on December 4th is somewhat anti-climactic—that the holiday surprise was spoiled—but allow me to assure you that this was not the case. There never was a surprise to be spoiled, since I already knew what was coming. In fact, I picked it out! So, I’m happy as a lark with my December 4th non-surprise gift.

Ked and I never buy wrap-and-put-under-the-tree gifts for each other. When we were younger, we couldn’t afford them and didn’t think it was wise to spend money on presents when that money ought to go for bills and necessities. (I’ve never been big on wrapping up socks and calling it a gift. Although that’s a perfectly valid present, especially when money is tight, I just could never see spending money on wrapping paper and making a big deal about something that basic. Maybe I’m just no fun…) Later on we have tended toward getting some bigger ticket (for us) items together that makes us both happy, again bypassing the whole “do not open until Christmas morning” thing. Anyway, this year, my wish list got consulted and our Christmas purchase is a beautiful, wonderful, spectacularly useful new Grizzly G0444 - 10" 1-1/2 HP Single-Phase 110V table saw! Whoo hoo!! (Yes, men, you can envy my husband over this one. Not that many women get excited over the thought of a power tool for Christmas, let alone put it at the top of their list. He gets to buy a new tool, and say it’s a gift for me. Talk about the best of both worlds!)

Our old table saw met its very timely end over a year ago, and we have frequently lamented the lack of a replacement. Thing is, though, we were not satisfied to replace it with another of the same quality. It never was a good enough tool, with a fence that made a gross generalization look accurate, and we didn’t want to get something else that we’d have to fight as much as the old cheap model. So, we waited until we could get something better, and that day has finally come!! Not a day too soon, either. I really need this saw for a project that I’m doing at my church. I have windows to install that require a specific kind of shim, trim pieces to bevel, a cabinet to construct, etc., and this is really going to aid in those endeavors. After that, I get to finally finish our sewing room/ art studio/ music room. It got torn up four years ago and never put back together for various reasons, mostly involving time and energy. Now that it looks like I’ll be able to get on that project in the not-too-distant future, I’ve been toying with the idea of custom building the cabinetry to meet our specific needs for this room, and this saw would make that project soooo much easier. Not sure it’ll happen that way, but having the saw gives me options. Power tool options. This is always a good thing.



Yay! The Fed Ex man arrived right in the time window when they said he would come. It's always nice not to be kept waiting when you're waiting.

He was such a nice Fed Ex man, too. He was very friendly, and when he found out the saw was for me, he expressed great delight at meeting a "Power Tool Babe." His wife used to work at Home Depot in the tool section, and is a PTB herself. He told me some interesting stories about how customers would assume that she was just an ignorant girl, insist on going to talk to a man, and then end up being sent back by those same male employees to talk to her, because she was the one who actually knew what she was talking about. I'd like to meet this woman!

Here's my toy, still in the box. Sometime in the next few days we get to put it together. If you're interested, I'll let you know how that goes, and give you our power tool review after we've used it a bit. In the meantime, you can be happy for us that Christmas came early to Meowville. I certainly am. I get to play!

Cape Blanco

I'm fighting the blues. Stress, excessive busyness, poor health, and loneliness are all taking their toll. I don't mean to whine at y'all. Life is what it is, and, by God's grace, mine has more good than bad any day of the week, but I definitely need to focus on something other than "right now" right now. So, I decided to cheer myself up by photo-blogging a trip from this summer that was completely lovely and such a good memory that it can't help but make me feel better. Some memories are able to do that, you know? As an also-stressed friend put it, the pictures of these good and memorable times "can serve as proof that we have a life." Well, I could really use some proof that I have a life, so here goes. If you want to stroll through my cheerful memories with me, then stick around for a while.

In late July, Ked and I went camping at Cape Blanco State Park with some good friends, and discovered a whole new world of coastal beauty. Cape Blanco is near Port Orford, Oregon, and is home to a great old lighthouse, a secluded and lovely wooded campground, and wonderful, soft, winding trails, all nestled along a steep cliff, overhanging a gorgeous windswept beach. It was the perfect place to get away, and, in a fit of good timing, we hit the southern Oregon coast for a spate of amazingly and unusually good weather. It was a bit chilly, but completely clear when we arrived. We were later to learn that the wind is hardly ever as calm as it was during our stay, and the beautiful sunshine was a welcome friend as we explored the lighthouse and those marvelous trails. Some other time we'd like to go back to see the other face of Cape Blanco weather--we hear the storms are thrilling and powerful, and quite the ride when you are in a tent--but for this first visit we were glad to have summer as our companion.

Cape Blanco's lighthouse was built circa 1870, so it was fun to wander the grounds and climb to the top of the tower. (Most things in Oregon are not nearly that old, unless you are counting trees.) Our $2 tour was well worth the price of admission. We learned a lot about how lighthouses have been operated over the years, and heard some fascinating tales of family life and self-sufficiency at the remote Cape Blanco. One little tidbit of interest from the tour was particularly strange to my ears at first. Did you know that it was crucially important to keep everything immaculately clean in an oil-lamp burning lighthouse? Well, it was. That's not the odd part. Lighthouse lights do have to shine after all. That's rather the point. Most of the keeper's job was polishing and sparkling lenses and such, and the Light-House Service had exceedingly high standards, inspecting the building regularly for due diligence. What struck me funny was the degree to which they took this inspection. Cleanliness was so critically important that even the keeper's wife came in for her share of company high standards. When the inspectors came to make sure everything about the place was ship-shape, they also headed over to the family's personal quarters. If they found even one unwashed dish lying about the place the keeper got the boot, on the theory that if his wife didn't keep a clean kitchen, he probably didn't keep a clean lighthouse. Boy, that's quite an elevation in the definition of wifely duty, especially when wifely duties also include growing the family's food, taking care of the livestock and home-schooling the children!

Of course, the wife was doing all this during the day, while her husband's job involved toiling through the night, making sure the light burned brightly to warn ships off the rocky Oregon coast. More than one man was required for the job--there were two assistants if I remember correctly--and once or twice the job wasn't just left to the menfolk. Here's a bit more Cape Blanco lighthouse history:

This isolated lighthouse holds at least four Oregon records: it is the oldest continuously operating light, the most westerly, it has the highest focal plane above the sea, (256 feet), and Oregon’s first woman keeper, Mabel E. Bretherton signed on in March 1903.

As I said, the tour was worth the minor ducats the current keepers charge for a look around, and the history lesson was very educational, as well as an exercise in personal gratitude. I am ever so grateful to have a husband who works days. I'm grateful that I don't have to sheer sheep. I'm grateful that I can go to Winco to get groceries. I'm grateful I have a dishwasher, and I'm very grateful that my husband has never lost his job because my kitchen sink had a dirty coffee cup in it...

What follows are some of the sights we saw, and a few descriptions and stories. I hope you enjoy them. (Click to enlarge.)


The first day, when Ked and I were there alone, we tooled around on our bikes and enjoyed the fabulous blue-and-gold day. We rode to the lighthouse and had a look around, although we saved the tour for our friends' arrival.

Here's the view from a trail near the lighthouse grounds. Kind of makes up for the "keep every dish spotless" thing.

This view is to the back of the lighthouse grounds. There is coastline on three sides of the lighthouse, so the whole thing is pretty spectacular. Ignore that goofy girl in the foreground...

Here's the lighthouse. That blue sky is quite the anomaly, so the tour guide informed us. It's a shame, because it really does make a beautiful picture.

Here's another view. We were guessing that big rock is 10 or 15 stories high, to give you some perspective.

The trail from our campsite to the lighthouse followed a high cliff. Looking down at one point we saw this display of Bug Love. Somebody likes the Ducks. A lot.

The cliff was quite high in places. That driftwood below is looking awfully toothpick-like, but really it was your standard large log driftwood pile. It just took another mile or so of walking before the logs proved their girth up close.

We found the cliff had a few weak spots. This section of ground had shifted a bit, making us wonder if someday we'd come back and there would be a little less cliff hanging up there--and a little less beach to go with it.

You can see there are some substantial logs down at beach level, and some pretty hefty rocks, too. Ked couldn't resist playing he-man and tossing a few of them around. Boys like to throw things, don't they?

I found this rock awfully interesting. It looked like someone had been out playing Paint That Rock, but I suspect that nature had a hand in this, not Miller.

The sun was still shining late in the afternoon when the rest of the gang showed up, but by the next morning things were looking to change. See that bank of clouds in the distance? They were making their way to shore, and were flying low. By the end of the next day we found ourselves in a pretty thick fog, which made for fun times on the beach.

While we headed off to show our friends the lighthouse, the clouds moved ever closer. Makes a pretty cool effect, don't you think?

As we walked, we came upon a mama deer and her babies. It was so neat. Mama saw us on the trail, but as long as we stayed still she kept right on coming, leading the wee ones in tow. She easily got within 20 feet of us before the three-year-old in our midst got too excited to keep the squirms inside, and then Mom bolted into the thicket. Her little ones followed by another route, and we had some entertainment, watching as they went about the business of re-connecting. We felt sorry for them all, actually, because the bushes were very thick and they were bouncing about in them, trying to travel and stay hidden at the same time. They must have been poked something awful in the process.

Here are the twins. Cute little things. I'd never seen deer that young before out and about in the world. It was fun.

Mama kept her ears perked while she listened for her babes, and any sign of pursuit.

We managed to catch another glimpse of one of the fawns in the thicket. It's so cute. I just know it's sitting there thinking, "You can't see me, right?" Silly fawn doesn't know about telephoto lenses.

As the fog rolled in, those distant rocks looked more and more ghostly.

Is this a Hallmark card, or what? Brother and sister in perfect harmony--as long as this isn't a video blog!! (Really, though, the kids were great. There aren't many kids that would have been that much fun to hang with for three days, and I'm not just saying that because I want their parents to read this.)

Here are Dad and Mom--the kids' dad and mom, that is. I don't call them Dad and Mom. Except here, just now. (Come to think of it, I'm not that far from being old enough to be their mom--Dad and Mom's mom, that is, not the kids. Wait, did that come out right? Oh, never mind.)

The sunny day made it seem natural, somehow, to wear a flower in my hair. I like flowers, but posting the picture? That's for the guy reflected in the sunglasses who took it. He likes flowers, too.

Isn't this a pretty place? I want to get in a kayak and paddle out to those rocks, just to see what's out there. Maybe there's a cave, full of pirate treasure... Hmm, a cave full of pirate treasure off the coast of chilly Oregon in a place that regularly sees 70 mph winds? Doesn't seem likely, unless the pirates had consumed an altogether unimaginable quantity of rum. Might find a few sea lions, though.

Eventually we got to go inside the lighthouse. The climb up to the lantern room involves 63 stairs, and a ladder at the end. The kids were okay going up, but coming down proved a little more problematic. By some regulation or another, even the three-year-old had to climb down absolutely unaided, no being carried allowed. For a little while we thought we might have to move in and be the next keepers of the light, because that first step was a pretty hard sell.

Going up, though, was all fun and games.

Here's one part of the lens structure, a very complex and expensive set of glass pieces. The guide told us that some local boys had once broken in for fun and broken some of the pieces, causing (and I'm remembering loosely here) something in the tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage. (Ked says forty K.) He showed us one of the parts that had never been repaired. It still worked properly, so they didn't replace it, because of the expense. Despite the damage, the lens system was very impressive, and downright pretty, as well.

Being up in the tower was cool. You could see how the view could be nothing short of spectacular on the right day. The right day, however, would have been the day before, since by this time those clouds were making their way to shore in earnest, and we lost a good deal of the view in the process. It was still impressive, though, and the lens itself was worth the climb.

This is the thousand watt light bulb that signals ships to take care these days. It's not quite as romantic as a giant oil lantern, but a heck of a lot easier to keep clean. Now workers can give their full attention to making sure their coffee cups are in order.

Our friends had decided that the nice safe sand was the perfect place to teach their son to ride a bike, so we all rode down to the beach, and with the fog fully to shore, we peddled around near the waves. (Yes, we did thoroughly rinse the salt and sand off afterward.) Dad was ready and waiting for his son to get in the spirit of the occasion.

The boy was a tad reluctant to embrace the plan. After the first abortive attempt at riding a bike with no training wheels, he found a sudden fascination for walking in circles.

A father-son chat introduced the child to a new way of looking at things. Way to communicate, guys!!

Soon, our boy was happily peddling away, with a big grin and a good attitude. Once he found out that falling didn't hurt, he went for it with gusto. That kid really did learn to ride his bike that day, in about 15 minutes time, once he got over being afraid. It was fun to see the transformation. The beach turned out to be a very good place for this particular lesson.



So, that's that. I could have shown you lots more, but I figured 30 pictures would be enough to satisfy the curiosity of anyone who was actually interested, and enough to try the patience of anyone who wasn't. Then again, anyone who wasn't would have bailed long ago, so how about another 30?!!

Just kidding. Even I'm not that interested, but I am more cheerful now than when I started, and since that was the point from my end, I consider this outing a success. Thanks for coming with.