Let it Snow.............

                                           James and Meagan ...Hurricane Ridge

A REAL TROUPER.......Dosewallips State Park Beach

Meagan spent the weekend with the Twilight Trail Crew, a volunteer group that clears trails for the Forest Service.
James and Meagan live in Tumwater, have quite a few acres, and  a very long driveway.  She got stuck in the slush and had to walk to the house to ask James to get the car out of the mess.

It makes you wonder if there is some truth in the old saying, "No good deed goes unpunished."

Photo later. (maybe)

A Fun Day.

This morning I decided to write a note to my sister Judy (Julie) then changed my mind and gave her a call.
Julie is extremely busy and I rarely catch her at home.  We caught up on family news, random news and discussed the fact that she learned to use the computer. I was so excited. As soon as I got off the phone I sent her three e-mails.
While  talking to Judy I glanced  into the woods and saw was a coyote running back and forth. I think the snow on the ground gave contrast to the color of the coyote making it easier to spot. What fun.  One of the joys of living near the woods is rare sightings of animals.
Our son Joe also called which is always fun. Judy had mentioned that her daughter Ingrid who is a cosmetologist, was going back to school to get a nursing degree  so that she would be able to administer botox, fillers etc.
When I mentioned it to our son Joe, he said to tell her to specialize," botox for the buttocks".

Gloria  called from New Mexico and talked about the family. Sounds like she's having a good time.

I've been going through recordings (tapes) trying to decide which I can toss.  It is difficult, as there is always a memory worth  keeping.  It could be the quality of the performance ( bad enough to be entertaining), a family moment, or a quality performance.

More later.

FEED THE BIRDS

More Snow

John, Sami and Alex on a Ski Trip

They may find snow in their yard when they arrive home.

This Wacky Weather.

 Heeding the warnings of the weathermen, I hurried to Costco filled the gas tank, parked, read my book & waited for the doors to open.
On the way home, I stopped at Fred Meyer to pick up a few things, and walked to the mailbox to make sure the family birthday cards don't get snowbound.
On my way home it started to snow as predicted. Safe in our cozy home we enjoyed the snow covering the trees and more  importantly covering all the sins of our unkempt yard.
I was busy putting away the groceries and asked Joe to take some pictures of the snow.  He started taking videos. It was such fun looking outside at the snowfall then checking it snowing on the camera.

About two inches of snow later, the sun came out.
This is supposed to be just a tease for a bigger snowfall.  We shall see.

Be sure to click on this photo to enlarge..So pretty.

11/3/1989 Sounds of Silence

The  thing about noise is that you don't notice it until you are trying to be quiet.
With Joe and Mike both working swing shift, Liz attending classes at U.of W.and  me  at H.C.C., getting ready every morning is a challenge. Taking turns in the bathroom, running water, flushing, opening and closing drawers and doors, even brushing our teeth. Noisy. Whispering is magnified, footsteps thunder down the hallway over Mike's bedroom. If Britt, our dog, wants to go out, the door squeaks open and shut. The more we try  the chances are greater that we will  bump into a wall.

When Liz was three years old she had a concussion. The Dr. told me it was very important that she not bump in to anything.  I followed her around but it just didn't work. I had to leave her alone. She did much better without me.

11/18/1988 Random Thoughts

As I was leaving home this morning, I caught my long and lovely raincoat in the door. I landed on the steps
unable to move forward. I almost fell sideways onto a box of apples. I'm sure I have bruises to prove it.
Other than that, I love the coat.

Yesterday we danced in rehearsal for Musical Comedy Revue.  I was laughing inside as we struggled to follow our talented instructor....I couldn't help myself,  I sang out, " Oh God, I need this job". Laughter erupted from those who had seen "A Chorus Line".

EXPERIENCE....A MOSAIC OF MANY COLORS

I was asked by my friend John Burton, co-director of music at St. Stephen Martyr Church to sing with his group for a special mass with Archbishop Sartain. St. Stephen was asked to be the host for the South King Deanery.
Not many people showed up for practice. It was apparent that help was needed.
I mentioned to John that Joanne Deacy was a great soprano. He asked if I would to try to recruit her for the mass. Joanne and I are used to a different type of choir but after I explained the situation to her, she agreed to help out.  Joanne worked overtime on Thursday so she would be on time for practice at 5:30.
This was a true act of kindness on her part.

Before mass, Marijean led the prayer and thanked those who came from other parishes. Then, someone said,
"What about thanking Martha."  Bernie answered (with a smile on his handsome face) " Martha's a re-tread."

The alto section had only two women while the soprano section had eight including Joanne and me.
I sang alto on two hymns and soprano on the rest.
After a less than impressive practice, the men actually sounded good. Nice blend.
 Joanne did a great job, especially since she had very little practice and most of the  music was new to her.
John deserves credit for his direction. He had no idea who would be there. This is always a disadvantage.  
He handled it well and told the choir to relax and enjoy the service.


The assembly was very responsive.  My  husband (always honest) said it was the best he'd heard at St. Stephen, so I guess it was OK.
The next day I asked Joanne if she was still speaking to me . "It was a different kind of fun." she answered.
I agree.

Archbishop Sartain  gave a homily which was well received. I could see people smiling while he spoke (this included my husband Joe, who has trouble staying awake during most homilies).
The Archbishop was situated near the choir. I enjoyed listening to him and actually seeing the expressions on his face as he spoke the words that seemed to be from his heart. and soul.

The Archbishop made a special request to meet each person after mass. We were in line for quite a while. During this time I was approached by several who remembered me from my  days at St. Anthony,  Kent, St. Stephen the Martyr, and St. Anthony, Renton.
 

My past caught up to me when a woman remembered me from H.C.C ( I returned to school in 1989).  She said," I remember you Martha, your number was "Lush Life."
Her husband was in the H.C.C. band led by Ed Fish.

 It was  fun except for one encounter that I should forget.

This involves a woman  standing behind us in line.  She said she was disappointed that I hadn't sung a solo.  I told her it didn't work that way.  Then she mentioned the music at St. James, another plus, then she started on barrage of comments about how she hated the fact that we all wore robes. " "Too much pomp and ceremony, too much pomp and circumstance.  You're like the Knights of Columbus wearing all that stuff."
I can't recall whether she said pomp and circumstance or pomp and ceremony but you get the idea.

I can handle if someone insults me, in fact I rather enjoy it, but if you insult a friend, I'll fight you. I guess in this case the robe was my friend. I explained to her that it was a matter of humility, being unified in our dress etc.  She continued... "Too much pomp and circumstance".   Joe told me later that my face was so red he thought I was going to blow up.

I was disappointed in myself for letting her get to me. After all, she has a right to her opinion.
Another experience from which to learn.

When we reached the Archbishop he asked our parish. When we said St. James Cathedral Parish, Joe mentioned that I was a chorister at St. James.  Archbishop Sartain  commented that our choir is always excellent.
It was certainly worth the wait.
We didn't have our camera with us so I'm posting the card we received.

Great Day

Joe arrived home from an early appointment( having his blood checked) and announced, "Let's drive to Silver Springs."   We wanted to  check out the campsites for our annual family camp-out.
We ate a quick breakfast, threw a lunch together, grabbed our warm coats and were on our way by 10:30 a.m.
It was a beautiful day for a drive. As we got closer to our destination we noticed a dusting of snow on the hillside. The closer we were to Silver Springs the more snow was present.
We had planned to walk around the campground and write down the numbers of the best sites.
Unfortunately, I didn't think to bring my hiking boots or even heavier shoes.  The thought of snow did not enter my mind.
We got out of the car and started trudging along in the snow. The first thing I did was sink one leg into a hole. Joe pulled me out and we continued.  After a bit I decided it was not a good idea to risk slipping on the icy snow and sent Joe on a solo run since he had been smart enough to wear his hiking shoes.
While he was gone I walked in the snow far enough to take some photos. Just as  I decided to go find Joe, I heard his voice.  He was finished. We sat in the truck and had our lunch, then headed home.

On the way home we decided to go to our Grand-daughter's  basketball game after dinner.
 This is a big deal as Joe does not like to attend games of any kind. It was a quarter final game between St. Philomena  and Holy Rosary.

The girls play rough.   It was a very good game, score was tied at least four times.  Holy Rosary was one point ahead, got the ball passed it around to use up some time then  scored a basket to win the game. They'll play in the semi-finals on Saturday where I will be there in spirit.

  I love the games as it is the only time I get to see my son's former wife who we really enjoy and love.
John was happy to see us as well, and that's a good thing.
I'll miss Alex's game tonight but once again, I'll be there in spirit. (Always a good thing to say if you'll be absent, however, I mean it.)

Searching for Wilderness

Joe and I decided to drive to nearby lakes and walk a few miles.
  He wanted to check out Shady Lake,  a small lake where relatives own a strip of land.
We used to swim there before we were wed. When we finally found it we were unable to walk to the water as it was gated and locked.   This is rather sad as I actually own a pebble or two of the property.  I wonder who has the key?

We then headed for Lake Wilderness and got lost again.  The county was doing road work and apparently removed the sign so we didn't feel quite so stupid. The first thing I needed to do was use the facilities.All we could see was a Porto-potty!   I decided to walk the trail to find a bathroom before resorting to that.
After walking about a half mile we found a bathroom so I was saved from the dreaded P.P.

Relieved ,we then took a leisurely walk along the lake. Lots of trees, ducks, very few people. Ice in the puddles.

Photos:
Creek on the path along the lake.
Duck  swimming in Lake Wilderness