LABOR OF LOVE

For the last few years James, Meagan, Dylan and Ian have been giving us a Christmas gift of labor.
I tried to take a video but as usual my nerves overpowered my brain. Still it is good enough to give you an idea of how it all happened.
The wood pile was bare and now is full, a double row of wood for our approved fireplace.
Joe was the working boss...I thought they would never come in to eat.
Video is off. Joe took photos of a few while on pause. Quality not very good but must have photo of each worker!

Thanks JMDI

JOE GALVIN ... REFORMED STAGECOACH ROBBER

 Joe Galvin was a reformed stagecoach robber. He ran a grocery store on East Valley Highway,near our home.
Mom worked in the store when she was eleven years old.
 Uncle Bud's mother ran a small cafe within the store.
Joe ran the store for quite a few years.  When he decided to close the store ( at this time Mom & Dad were married and living in home in  Earlington ),  they borrowed money from Uncle Eli to  purchase store items from Joe Galvin.  Probably display cases, cash register etc.
They opened a store in our home.
I remember peeking through a curtain separating the store from our kitchen to see what was going on.  I also remember seeing beautiful glass dishes filled with candy, sitting on a shelf in the display case. Very tempting.  I received none of the candy but do have some of the candy dishes.

Enjoying A Delicious Dandelion Salad

This doe appears to be pregnant.  Hope she brings the fawn around in a few months.

This deer probably a yearling. So sweet.

I'm always happy and excited when deer enter our property (or is it their property?)

The Gentle Side Of Nature

This morning while sipping my morning beverage, I glanced out the window in time to see a crow breaking  small branches off a nearby tree, no doubt, collecting supplies for a nest. I watched it fly away and return several times. It was  fun watching the crow  keep its balance since it was standing on the same branch it would break.
Later I reached for my binoculars and went outside to try to find the spot chosen for the nest.
No luck, but it did inspire me to work outdoors for a while.

I read that both male and female help build the nest, stay together for one year, live one year.

THE MADALENES

I have many memories of our trio, mostly good ones. We had  good blend but our arrangements needed to be up-dated. When we sang for the family, Uncle Ernie, a professional jazz pianist told us our sound was good but arrangements not so good. We were insulted and didn't take his advice. We should have asked him to help us, but we were too proud and stupid.

 We had fun going to all the military bases. They didn't care what we sang or how we sang it, they just wanted to look at young women!

At one gig at Catholic Seamen's Club, a sweet young man told me he thought I would sound good singing "Ave Maria". I was rather insulted but years later I sang it at least 500 times, so I guess he was right.

The Stranger You feed Is Not Always Jesus

In the early days, it was not uncommon for men who rode the rails to stop by a farm house for a meal.
In fact, I remember my mom feeding a stranger. She did not allow him into the house but  fixed  him a meal.
It was said that the travelers would put stakes into the ground that gave directions  to the homes that were good for a meal.

When my Grandparents moved to the United States from Italy, they lived in Black Diamond. Nonno worked in the coal mine.  Nonna worked at home taking care of the children, probably had a garden.
From an early age I remember the family story about Nonna feeding a meal to a man who was hungry.To show his appreciation, he gave her a lovely handkerchief.
 Later, while reading a  newspaper article about a killer  who escaped from the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, Nonna realized that this was the  man she had fed.
 His name was Harry Tracy. This was in 1902.
He had murdered three guards and went on a rampage.
He seemed to have two sides to his personality but the evil one won out.

There are many stories about Harry Tracy. I'm grateful that the one involving Nonna had a happy ending.

A Flood of Memories.........

Before flood control it was a yearly occurrence....waiting to see if the flood waters would reach our property.
Aunt Blanche and Uncle Bud lived near the East Valley Highway. If the flood waters came, they would have to elevate their furniture and move out until the waters receded.  I remember seeing photos of people standing on their roofs waiting to be rescued.
Our home was on the edge of the flood area so we would move everything of value out of the basement. 

As a child it was fun. Uncle Bud would let us use his boat to row around our property.
We  were allowed to miss school. This made me feel a little guilty as we could have walked a different route, through neighbors farm land, to reach  St. Anthony School.
One year the floods came at Christmas time and many gifts were lost.  Renton decided to help out by giving each child a $10.00 gift certificate.  I vividly remember going to the store with our mother to make our choices.
Barbara bought a huge Teddy Bear.  Judy and I both chose a toy chest and rocking chair. I still have both.

I found this photo of a train moving through the flood waters in my scrapbook.

Random Information

Item #1
One of our volunteer trees  has been de-barked.  I think a deer (buck) used it to remove the velvet from his antlers. I was unable to remember the name of the action so went on line to investigate.
It is called a rub.  Another interesting fact is that one in 20,000 doe may have velvets.  This is news to me.
I would take a photo but it is just a bald tree and not very attractive.
Fall is the usual time for this behavior but I just noticed it.
I just noticed that Costco is now open 8:00 a.m. This happened in November so it is probable that the de-barking happened in the Fall.  I must learn to be more observant!

Item #2
 While shopping at Costco I kept passing a young woman who was walking while knitting. It seemed odd to me, but I am not in the know, when it comes to knitting.  She was very thin, maybe anorexic, and seemed to be compelled to keep moving. She wasn't shopping so it seemed strange. Just in case, I said a prayer for her.

Missed It By That Much

Treats at St. James......
This is my last turn this year so I can relax.
We were reminded several times that it was necessary to get out of the Schola room by 11:40 a.m.
I tried to plan wisely..no tiered dishes, just get  food out on trays that can quickly be packed into our boxes and scooted out to the truck.
We were doing pretty well. About 11:30, I announced that the store was closing, so people were grabbing ziploc bags for some take-out. This was fine with me but some were shy and waited until the last minute. This is when I was forced to close down the table.
Joe left to get the car while I tried  to get things packed away. About 5 minutes from being finished, a thousand (at least it seemed like that many) children  poured into the Schola room to prepare for mass. 
They are adorable and what they were about to do is much more important than my need to get out of the room. After several attempts we managed to get all our boxes out,  into the truck and on our way home.

If possible, I would prefer not to do choir treats on the day the wonderful children sing.