What I've been up to

Gosh it's late February already.  I'm sure you're all wondering what I've been doing in the dead of winter.  As last we left it, we were pretty much snowed in for a week.  Lovely, lovely time.  But then the events that were postponed bumped up against other events and I feel like I've been double-booked ever since.

Karen Z, Carol C, and Victor O at Janey's Retirement Party

I've been on a couple whirlwind trips to the Mainland, one fun (Janey's retirement), one not so fun (dental work).  I've been weaving at a workshop on Orcas for a few days.  I've been to several parties, the playwrights festival, and a lot of meetings.

Susan M working on Doubleweave Pattern

And in between all of these things, I've been painting my upstairs bath and bedroom.  Bright colors. 

Outside, the weather improved quite a bit and has actually been quite mild since last month.  That all came to an end this weekend when it started snowing again.  Roger and I have been chipping up all the tree branches and shrubs we put into piles last July (sometimes it takes us awhile).

Note snow on lens of camera

We also started a tree house for our grandkids!  First, cut off a Willow Tree a few feet off the ground.  Then let the willow sprouts encircle a floor attached to the stump.  Place gangplank from higher level across chasm to "crow's nest".  Begin weaving basket using willow sprouts as stakes.  In a couple years, ya got yourself a treehouse!

This month also marked the beginning of my first book club since retirement.  Five of us met at my house for a dinner of West African cuisine as we discussed Little Bee by Chris Cleave.  It'll be a great success if its only half as good as the ones I've belonged to in Seattle.

Looking forward to March we planned more home improvements, another retirement to celebrate,  more meetings and parties to attend, and the best of all, helping take care of the twins when our grandson arrives in the world.

It's a Blizzard!

Christmas 2011

Bjorn's family joined us for the Christmas weekend.  It was a wild and fun time as holiday weekends are meant to be.  Roger's dad Al and brother Eric as well as my sister Rosalie and her husband Tom joined us for Christmas dinner.  Next year, we will be enjoying the company of our new grandson as well.  He'll be nine months old and ready to tear into that wrapping paper.

The following weekend we hosted our long time friends from Seattle for a New Year's celebration.  As usual, we had plenty of great food and conviviality. 

Then, at the first Grange meeting of the new year, Roger was elected Master in what might be considered a landslide.  He has been busy creating committees and taking stock of building maintenance needs ever since.  Being elected Master means that many people believe in his leadership abilities.  He is very committed to proving his constituents correct.  2012 is setting up to be a noteworthy year.

Every January I join my friend Liz, sister Jeannette and other friends for Spa Day at the Olympus Spa in Lynnwood.  This is a tradition that goes back more than ten years.

tour of Olympus Spa

The following week, I spilled hot tea on my HP Laptop and ZAP! no more computer.  A week and several hundreds of dollars later, you are now witnessing my first blog on my new Acer laptop.  Thanks goodness for Rockisland support and their ability to save all my files, pictures, contacts.  Let this be a lesson to all of us about backing up our files and not drinking tea around valuable electronic equipment.

This week it is all about the weather.  After teasing us for several days with light little flurries, the weather gods gave us a bit of a blizzard this morning.  Temperatures in the mid- twenties (stop smirking, Linda)  I must have passed some sort of threshold nearing the fourth anniversary of my retirement from Metro, because I'm not even interested in following the news about how many artics are jack-knifed all around Seattle.

I



view from bathroom of 2008 snowfall

Yes, it has been four years since my retirement from Metro.  Four years full of craft, home-improvement, socializing, communing with nature, doting on my dog.  I'm living the life I've dreamed about for over thirty years.  Wouldn't trade it for nothin'.