Derailed

The Amtrak train left this morning--early--after I had to be at work. I wasn't there to see it leave, but I know it has gone, I heard the whistle. It has precious cargo onboard. Jess is riding the silver rails back to Portland and away from us. She was here for a brief 5 days. Her presence fills the house and our hearts. Her absence leaves a void that is not filled by anything else. Her train will arrive safely, but our hearts are derailed and waiting for repair. It's a union job and can only be done by one person, and she's in Portland. It's a long wait!

Showers of Blessings

It may be cold and cloudy and rainy outside, but this past week I received 2 very special gifts.

A bouquet of stargazer lillies from the bearded one which fills our house with the sweetest fragrance. These flowers never cease to fascinate me, they are over-the-top dramatic and gorgeous. God is truly a consummate artist.

And then....

my friend Jill presented me with this gorgeous basket of posies to thank me for helping her out a few weeks ago. I am blessed!

In Spite Of....

the fact that it was 17 degrees this morning with a wind chill of -9 degrees, and in spite of the fact that we had yet another snow storm yesterday morning making my morning commute akin to skating on an ice pond, there is still much to be thankful for. Check out this photo, which is taken from my kitchen window. You'll see the sun "peeking" out from behind the trees in my neighbor's backyard and around the corner of our "back building". This is a banner day because this is the first direct sunlight my kitchen has had since last October!

Touching Bases

We spent this past weekend catching up with friends and family in the Seattle area. We had a wonderful lunch with Bob and Marilyn (my brother and sister-in-law), who have left their longtime home on the East Coast and bought a home out here in order to be closer to grandkids. My newphew, Rob, his wife, Julie and their 3 kids (Sam, Isaac and Finn) joined us.

Finn tries hard to bury Wally in leaves...these kids have LOTS of energy!

Later that evening we had dinner with Wally's Dad, Wane, and his sister, Kris, and her husband, Paul. We spent the night with Wayne and he modeled his new "Command Central" gear! He is the emergency preparedness go-to guy for his neighborhood. Waynee is REALLY into this role!

Then Sunday we met my long-time friend Marit from MN for lunch. Marit worked at VMI in Lexington, VA, with me way back in the early 70's. Now that was an experience! She now lives in St. Paul, MN. She flew out to meet her sister, Mary, who lives on Vancouver Is. for a big sewing conference in Puyallup. We rendezvoused at a wonderful greasy-spoon restaurant in DesMoines and had a great time reminiscing. We've all decided to attend the conference together next year!

Lots to cram into 2 short days, but we pulled it off!