Bill the Artist - Now Carving Rocks

You might remember that my brother-in-law Bill has quite the talent for creating works of art from pieces of wood. Earlier this year Bill branched out into carving rocks. He does not have the fancy rock cutting tools that are intended for use on rocks so he only carves the softer types of rock and his carving progress is slow and painstaking.

I had been hearing about Bill's rock carvings for a while but it wasn't until about a month ago that I got to see some of his work. He brought a few pieces over to my mom's house when we were there on a Monday.


The group photo doesn't do them justice though so I had to take close-ups of each one. This first piece is interesting to me because it looks so different from every angle. Here are 3 photos of the same rock taken from different sides. The carvings on this one remind me of something ancient - perhaps Egyptian? I love how this rock is so smooth.





This one is cool because the face seems to have some personality to it. Not something you would see every day.

And here is another one with a face carving. Again, I think rather ancient looking. I suppose I should let you form your own interpretation rather than my telling you what I think!


Bill approaches the rocks in the same way he does his wood carvings. He looks at each rock before any carving and forms an idea of what it reminds him of and how he could embellish on that theme. As each rock is unique each finished piece of art is unique.

Last but not least I must show you this special piece. I think this was one of the first ones Bill did and he told me about her when she was just about finished. When he first found this rock he saw the veining in a circular pattern which is now around her face. It reminded him of hair so he decided to make a face to go along with it. Do you remember City Girl, the wood carving Bill made for me? Bill calls this one "City Girl's Sister." Notice she has the same red lips and blue mole on her face as City Girl.

When Bill gathered up his rock art to return home after our show and tell he handed City Girl's Sister to me. He gave her to me to go with City Girl! How cool is that. I haven't yet decided whether she will live at home next to City Girl or if she will be part of a small rock collection at the office. In any case I will have to make sure she is prominently displayed.

Thanks Bill!

Mom's Violets

Spring is the time of year that little blue violets pop up in my Mom's yard under the large evergreen trees. She loves them and they are a sure sign of Spring to her.

We recently had some gardeners over to do a little work in her yard and we had them leave that side of the yard alone because she didn't want the violets disturbed.

Mom believes that the more these violets grow in her lawn the fewer dandelions there will be. As she puts it she would much rather have the violets than the dandelions. Well who wouldn't!

These photos were actually taken about a month ago but the violets are still blooming there today. It wasn't enough for Mom to look out her window and enjoy the violets from afar. She wasn't able to get out in her yard by herself when they first appeared and she's not supposed to bend over. So as soon as she had visitors from family she insisted that someone pick her a bouquet for her window. I thought I would share it with you here.

Spring Snows

Speaking of the weather, ours has been a little odd this last week. Several times we have had snow in the lowlands. Both my mom (in Lacey) and Jozi (in Centralia) had the white stuff cover their ground and stick. It melted fairly quickly though as it really is getting too warm for this.

I personally saw it snow 2 or 3 times in the last week. On Friday it was snowing hard as I left my doctor's office. I started to whip out my camera to take a picture of it snowing on the blooming cherry trees but then I realized I had left the camera at the office. No worries, though, I'm not the only one who had this idea. Kim of Seattle Daily Photo took a beautiful photograph of the snow and spring blossoms in Seattle. To see her photo click here and scroll down a little.

I love watching it snow, especially at this time of year when it is sure not to stick or cause grave traffic troubles. But many people had the reaction that they've had it with winter and are ready for spring to come. How about you? Did you get any snow?

Under the Weather

I managed to come down with "the crud" this week. On Monday I felt some twinges like I was getting a sore throat. By Tuesday afternoon my throat was hurting pretty badly. On Wednesday it had progressed to a full on cold with sneezing and coughing.

Thursday I not only had to stay home from work but I even missed my volunteer responsibilities with Debt Clinic. You know I'm sick when I miss Debt Clinic! Fortunately another clinic assistant stepped in for the evening. It's a good thing I didn't try to do it myself - by that evening I was wheezing. I have asthma and whenever I get a cold there's a risk that it will go to my lungs. Sleeping became difficult between the wheezing and coughing.

On Friday I finally went to the doctor and was diagnosed with asthmatic bronchitis. I still have the sore throat and my doctor found fluid in my ears. She gave me some antibiotics in case it got worse over the weekend and of course inhalers for the wheezing and something for the cough.

I'm feeling better now, almost having the wheezing under control. My cough doesn't sound quite so scary and I can sleep through the night. I think I'm going to be well enough to have the dentist clean my teeth tomorrow. Darn!

Our Easter

We had a really great Easter and I hope you all did too. This was despite a drenching of rain that threatened to soak us to the bone!

We arrived in Olympia about 9:30 and picked up Mom to take her to church. Her church is in a temporary facility while they build a new church and this was the first time we had been to this location. Mom hasn't been to church in quite a while because of her previous injuries. We had to make sure she was strong enough to walk from the car into the building without her walker and wouldn't get too tired from sitting through a service. She is finally strong enough and will probably be attending regularly again after this week.

Everyone at Mom's church was happy to see her. She got lots of big hugs from many people who had missed her. It was a good sermon and the pastor really seemed to enjoy giving it. (This is a pentecostal church and expression of joy is probably more liberal than in some other denominations.) Mom is too hard of hearing to actually hear the words of the sermon but she can tell when someone is having a good time. Because the pastor and everyone else was enjoying the sermon, so did Mom! She told me later in the day that she was happy to see that her friends at church hadn't forgotten her. Of course they hadn't!

After church we returned to Mom's house where we met my sister Jozi and nephew Charlie. Jozi knows Mom loves little squirrels so she brought her a squirrel figurine for Easter. Mom went crazy for it. In fact she positively squealed! She kept saying over and over again "Ohhh, it's so cute!!" Then she started telling Jozi all about how much she will love Cabela's when we go and that the squirrel reminds her of some of the animals they have there.


Jozi and I recently got new "used" computers and I promised to help get hers set up. Jozi brought her peripherals (keyboard, mouse, etc.) so I could do that. After we transferred her computer gear to my car we all went off to the Chinese buffet for our holiday meal. Yes, it's a bit untraditional but we enjoy it and the most important thing is to spend time together.

One reason I love going to the Chinese buffet is to watch Mom fill her plate twice with lots of good food and eat it all down. Walter once said we could easily get her back to her pre-illness weight by taking her to the buffet every day. Well sure that's a great idea, but you know who else would gain weight at the same time?? Those of us who don't need to! I think we will stick to a couple times a month at the buffet. :)

After our buffet meal we went to Fred Meyer to pick up a few things then returned to Mom's house for some visiting. José and Melissa were going to meet us there but it took longer than we expected before we got home and we missed them. They left a lovely Easter card and a cute Easter bunny figurine from Melissa on Mom's porch. Mom loved them both and now she had two new decorations for her home. We had to call Melissa to thank her.

We had a great time, and more importantly Mom had a great time. Mom has had a hard time with holidays ever since my Dad passed away, and this is the first holiday where she has actually enjoyed herself. She told me with a big smile that "we had a good Easter even though it rained" and "It was just great to be with everybody!" This morning when I spoke to her she told me again how much she enjoyed it. This is the same woman who ever since Dad passed away would say at every holiday "I don't really want to celebrate any more - he's gone." That turnaround is a flat out miracle.

Charlie took this picture of Jozi, Mom, Walter and me. I always feel like I tower over Jozi and Mom (probably because they are the only people I know shorter than me) but you can see that "towering" is a relative word. In fact, it probably applies only to Walter here.

Mom Doing Well / Happy Easter to All

I am pleased to report that my mother's health has taken a turn for the better these last couple of months. She had two falls in January but her injuries (cut leg and sore bones) have healed well and she is feeling a bit stronger each day.

Even her eating has improved. Here are a couple of examples.

Mom receives Meals on Wheels at her home three days a week. We started that back in late November. I had hopes it would help with her eating because sometimes she just doesn't know what to fix. When we first started the meals she wasn't too excited about the idea. I think it reminded her that she was frail and this was like "medicine" for her. But as time passed she started to look forward to seeing the volunteers who brought her meals. And then she started looking forward to what they might bring her.

I would say these meals are like the size of a small to medium frozen dinner. Not huge really, but a good variety of foods and nutritious. Some of them she likes, some she doesn't care as much for. At first she was eating only some of the meals saving the rest for later because "it was too much." Then I noticed she was eating pretty much whatever they brought her. Last time I saw her eat one of those meals (a week or so ago) she also got some frozen chicken pieces out of her freezer and heated them in the microwave because the meal they provided "wasn't enough." Yay!!

When we go to Olympia once a week to help out Mom we are busy running errands and don't really fix meals at home so we frequently take advantage of fast food drive-thru. Wendy's is a favorite because they have some healthy options for sides - not just fries. Mom likes their chicken nuggets and because it was hard to get her to finish a meal I got in the habit of getting her a kids meal. It's a smaller portion but with the side (usually fruit) she gets a nice meal. About 3 weeks ago Mom was looking at the menu board while we went through the drive-thru. She told me after we got home that "next time you can get me the full meal of 10 pieces!" Oh! So next time I did just that, and not only did she consume it all, she went to her fridge and added her own fruit to it since the "adult" meal didn't come with it.

At her last doctor appointment Mom was up to 95 pounds. Coming back from about 81-1/2 pounds at one point in November, that is like a miracle to me.

Tomorrow morning we are taking Mom to church, then going out to a buffet with Mom and with my sister Jozi. Mom had such a good time at Cabela's a few weeks ago that she asked to go there again after the buffet. We were all looking forward to it. But today I checked online and found that Cabela's isn't open on Easter so we'll have to do that another time soon. This will just leave more time for visiting with José and Melissa who are coming over in the afternoon.

What are your plans for Easter? I hope you have a great day spent with your family and loved ones. Happy Easter!!

José and Melissa Visiting Mom

My nephew José recently returned to the Lacey/Olympia area. He and his girlfriend Melissa visit Mom every Sunday. Last week they came over on Monday while Walter and I were there too. José was picking up some tools Mom had been saving for him. These are tools that used to belong to my dad. We had a good visit and of course I took some pictures.

Here is a photo of José with Dad's footlocker after hoisting it into the back of the truck. I believe this was Dad's old Army footlocker that he repainted. Some of the tools are inside.
Grandma and grandson:


José and Melissa:

Mom with Melissa and José:


Aunt Carmelita gets in on the act:

Mom at Cabela's

Mom has been feeling pretty well lately. Well enough that I decided she had the stamina for a trip to Cabela's. When Mom was younger she used to love hunting and fishing. I knew she would love Cabela's and all the animals on display there.

She wasted no time walking right up to the "mountain" full of animals and checking them out.

Here she is viewing a new exhibit with prairie dogs.

Wow, there were LOTS of prairie dogs!

This little guy made us laugh.

After seeing the animals we enjoyed a nice lunch in the restaurant upstairs.

Mom said she really enjoyed her trip to Cabela's. It's a short drive from Mom's house so we will have to visit there again sometime.

I Am Behind

Hi folks. It's been quiet here once again due to my busy schedule. What's been going on? Mom is doing well but work has kept me too occupied to post. Last Monday we took Mom to Cabela's - that was a hoot. I will upload pictures as soon as I get a chance.

My Valentine

This entry is a bit late - I certainly meant to post it earlier. How was your Valentines Day?

Walter and I always enjoy celebrating Valentine’s Day. This time we donned our red sweaters and walked down to The Cheesecake Factory in downtown Seattle for an early dinner. We were surprised to get a table in only 10 minutes.

Once seated we first decided on what to order (pasta carbonara for Walter, spicy Cajun jambalaya for me) then we gave each other our carefully chosen sappy Valentine’s cards.

The food was wonderful (as expected from Cheesecake Factory) and we indulged in some carrot cheesecake for dessert. Yum!

Several people told me they do not celebrate Valentine’s Day because it’s “just a Hallmark holiday.” I say those people missed out on an opportunity to play footsie under the table. We didn’t – miss out. :)

Headlong Into a Lamp Post

Walter had jury duty on the 13th and 14th of this month. The courthouse is downtown as is my office so we decided to take the bus together on the first morning. When we got to the park and ride it was no longer dark, but it wasn’t yet bright daylight either. It was that part of the morning just after sun-up when everything looks gray – including gray light posts!

We were walking from the car to the street where people were waiting to catch a bus. I saw a bus arriving and thought perhaps we could hurry and catch it. Walter was a few yards behind me. If it were dark I would slow down and keep him closer to me to make sure he didn’t need assistance and was following me okay - his sight is very limited in the dark. But because it appeared to be daytime I didn’t slow down enough.

Walter was focused on me, trying to make sure he didn’t lose sight of me. Suddenly I heard a big SMACK sound. I turned around just in time to see that Walter had run straight into a tall metal light pole. He hit with his right orbital bone so he got a bruise above his right brow and quite a shiner just below the eye. He even bled a little – not from a cut but from the force of the impact. And he banged up his left knee a bit.

Fortunately he did not fall or pass out from the force of impact. His face hurt for a while and he was a bit bruised, but otherwise he is okay.

Needless to say I felt terrible. I wish I had realized he could not see well enough to keep up with me and still see things like lamp posts.

Fortunately Walter has a sense of humor. The next day when we passed the same light pole on our way to catch a bus I pointed out to Walter that was the one he ran into the day before. He stopped and said to the pole: "You wanna piece of me, pole??" I laughed and told him "I think it got a piece of you yesterday, Dear!"

By the way, I'm very proud of Walter for serving jury duty. This is his fourth time in the last few years. We went down to the courthouse ahead of time to check it out and they told him he could be excused if he felt like his limited vision would make serving too difficult. But he decided to stick it out and he served his two days. Go Walter!

Lunar Eclipse

Did you know there was a total lunar eclipse last night? It was the last one until 2010. We were not certain if clouds in the Seattle area would prevent our getting a view, but I think most people who tried were able to see it fine.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon lines up with the sun and Earth such that the moon is in the Earth's shadow. I understand the moon does not go completely dark, but rather glows orange because indirect sunlight still reaches it.

I missed the full eclipse which happened between 7 and 7:30. I caught this pictured glimpse later, about 9pm while there was still a little chunk which appeared to be missing from the moon.

KOMO has some much nicer photos up on their Eclipse Photo Gallery page if you would like to see what the moon looked like during full eclipse. Pretty cool stuff!

The "Inside Track"

Most of my friends know that my chosen form of exercise is walking. Sometimes I walk on lunch or a break from work downtown, sometimes I walk in my home neighborhood. Or sometimes I walk to get somewhere.

When days are very busy it can be as difficult to find time to fit in my walk as it is to write on this blog! If I get home late and tired and haven't had my walk for the day, it's hard to motivate myself to go out in the cold and dark to take a walk.

I recently discovered an alternative that works pretty well and helps me get in my walks regularly. Walter and I live in a good sized apartment building. There are about 90 units on 3-1/2 floors. The first 3 floors have long hallways (see photo). At both ends of the hallways are stairs and elevators.

Our apartment building managers like to advertise our building's "amenities." They talk about the pool, the sauna and the weight room especially. We have lived in this building for 21 years and have not used any of these amenities. What they don't talk about is the indoor track!

You guessed it, I have found that I can turn the apartment hallways into my own personal walking track. I walk the full length of the first floor, then go up the stairs to the second floor and walk the full length of that hallway. Up the stairs to the third floor and down that hall. I use the elevator to return to the first floor and start all over again, but now I'm walking in the opposite direction from where I started. Rinse and repeat until I've logged the number of minutes I wanted to spend on my walk, and I'm done.

I personally prefer to go outdoors whenever it's possible. But the "inside track" is nice. The stairs make it a decent workout and I don't have to worry about my personal safety late at night or especially bad weather if I don't want to.

Please don't tell my landlords. I don't want them to think their apartments are worth more money because of this newly discovered amenity!