My "Signature Logo"

Years ago when I was applying for a teaching position at Graceland, I was filling out the multiple colored "ditto" sheets. After my signature, I started to draw my traditional smiley face and suddenly stopped. Oh my, I thought... (this was a rather stupid looking face which followed my signature) and the application was very important to me. I wondered what they would think of such a silly symbol following my name. Well, I could not erase what I had started, so finished drawing it and sent it off, hoping no one would ever notice. Fast forward a few months and I'm walking into the first faculty meeting for my new job at Graceland. I was trying to "sneak" in unnoticed, being new and all. Graceland's President at the time was Frank Hough, an extremely successful businessman who wore a ten gallon cowboy hat and was VERY gregarious. He saw me come in, and called me out right away, "Are you Barb Bryan?" When I said yes, he gave me a huge hug and exclaimed, "Well I couldn't wait to meet the one who had the guts to put that stupid smiley face on her application!?!" Go figure.  Frank and I became very good friends over our tenure together.  And the FACE lives on!  I drew it three times today on the Nordic Trails at Mt. Spokane :)

GOOD Fish Taco White Sauce

At long last, I googled and trialed a good fish taco white sauce. To me, that MAKES the fish taco - along with just the perfect coleslaw and nice crispy tender white fish. My only problem is, after the special beans, coleslaw, pico de gallo, fish, guacamole, and sauce, it's way too full to even begin to roll it up. Oh well...Let me know if anyone wants the recipe  :)

Lovely Water, Thirsty Ground!

Lovely large swollen rain drops were clinging to these pine needles this morning. Such a change from our dry, dry summer. Makes me appreciate great poets who look so deeply and ponder, then choose simple beautiful words to perfectly paint a thought...like William Blake's opening verse (to a VERY long poem):

To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

I'm a New NICU Nanny!

Today was my second day as a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Nanny!  Guess I have turned into a little old lady - lol! So twice now, I have been privileged to hold and rock a fragile tiny baby for a couple of hours. And how cool is it that volunteers get to carry around a phone like this one. Can you read what it says? :)

It's only JANUARY, little Crocus!?!

There is still a bit of snow on our rock turnaround, but upon closer observation, I see that something truly thinks spring is in the air!  Yikes!  Hope the little crocus survive...

Vern's First Patient

I am continuing my "noticing" around the house.  This photo, tacked up on our bulletin board, was taken, let's see, nearly 29 years ago. This little guy was Vern's first "caesarean delivery" after he had been working a week and his boss took off for a vacation. Was just a tiny mutt puppy but the sweetest thing ever. Seems strange he is no longer a "vet."  I think he is trying to live up to his sweatshirt that says:  Career Goals:  1) Veterinarian  2) Ninja  3) Pirate.  Gotta love that guy...  :)

Frozen Fog this AM

Dense heavy fog looked like puffy quilt batting laid all over the land this morning. Frost hung on the tree branches and even my eyelashes during my walk! By afternoon things had burned off but the sunset tonight, still through some fog, was awesome.

Thank You Sydney :)

Sydney made this for me a couple of years ago and it's on a shelf across the room.  From a distance,  I can see myself smiling!  Can you? Thanks dear one, for all the wonderful meaningful memories you have made me over the years :)

The Brown Puddle and the Dreary Gray Day

Hitting those mid-winter gray dreary days and TRYING to find something beautiful as usual outside on my walk today. A big pine tree reflected in one of the mud puddles caught my eye and I took a photo. Then tweaked it!  Hey, there is nothing wrong with a little different angle, perspective, shading, coloring in the lines, turning it around, etc. Most days can be pretty awesome with just a little effort! :)

Hockey Pucks and Lovely Connections

We watched talented young Aidan Wilson, #22, from the Fernie British Columbia Ice Hockey Team as they tromped the Spokane Braves at the Eagles Ice Arena tonight. Aiden's mom, Linda, was once my student and Sydney's FIRST babysitter. Linda moved in with us for a few months after Syd was born...and the rest is history!  Linda was/is one of the cleverest people I've ever met and my kids LOVED it when she babysat. Now Linda, husband Jim, and son Aidan are still dear friends and faithful Bloomsday runners, and we have watched Aidan grow up along with our own kids. The musical skits the three of them put on were nothing short of remarkable :)  Don't ya love the things that connect us to others?

Turkey Tracks...and Me! :)

I love sharing my walk with critters!  So many tracks. Busy, productive lives being sketched in the snow, leaving all kinds of clues behind. I see the neighbor's tracks pause at their mailbox, turn, stop to read, then move on. I see where the neighbor kid walked to wait for the bus, turning around and around.  I even see a snow angel occasionally in the middle of the road (probably was me...). Today, I walked with 14 turkeys :)

This Candle could be burning for YOU :)

I've lit a candle for many, many years as a reminder to hold someone in my heart. My mom did this too and I could always count on a candle going for me during stressful times. Today, Sydney needed one for a big test, so did Linda and Andrea to get through their massive grief, and I added Doddie and Bill tonight to bring them comfort and love. If you ever need me to include you, just let me know! It is my great pleasure to do so - and the seven little ceramic people (resting on Patti's mom's beautiful lace doiley) will embrace you in their arms. :)

Sit and Ponder on Vern's Latest Woodcraft

Not everyone can boast of their husband's ability to make a beautiful cherrywood toilet seat!? And it's as smooth as a baby's bottom :)  We were tired of the "wooden" ones we bought that only lasted a few years before the fake wood showed through. Not these, no sir - they will outlast US. I told him they would make excellent Christmas gifts for next year and he looked at me like I was crazy...LOL!

Aerogarden Winter Harvest #4 Begins!

I gave this Aerogarden to my folks when they first moved into assisted living. Dad, being a farmer for 80 plus years, had NEVER had a season without something to do with plants and crops. So they enjoyed growing lettuce and later on some cherry tomatoes. And one day it was just too difficult for them to operate. So the Aerogarden sat in my barn for two years...forgotten. When I brought it back in, ordered new lights and fired it up, I was amazed how much I loved it. Now I don't think I could live without one! LOL!  Daughter Sydney now has one to keep her spirits bright and her room well lit through med school as well. We are growing lettuce and herbs together this winter in our separate states. Season 4 begins!

Favorite Christmas Books Disappear for a Year...

This year I took Christmas things down slowly. The tree, up on Dec. 2 was squeezed out the deck door on New Year's Day leaving a blanket of needles on the floor, and drug to the campfire pit where we'll have a nice bonfire this winter. Today, two weeks later, everything else - but the cards on the window sill which stay up until Easter :) - came down. Lights, wreaths, Amy's nativity, Dad's special walnut nativity, and all the Santa's on my piano. And very last thing I did was put away the favorite Christmas books in a bottom drawer. I gazed at them and thought about the next time I open that drawer. A year will have gone by.... But for now, it's all promise and possibility! :)

What Lies Beneath that Snow Covered Soil...

Instead of a creepy movie title, think of what lies beneath your garden soil...waiting, sleeping, cocooning, storing energy, and changing. We are lucky to have such beauty winter, spring, summer, and fall. The miracles of life, death transformed, and growth are simply everywhere. As I gazed at my little grape house standing in the garden, the snow was mesmerizing with slow motion huge clusters floating to the earth. It's the first year of my life that I actually started thinking about what I would plant in my garden in January! That usually happens the day before I plant in May. :)

People...Welcome to Life!

I just wrote a letter to the editor today about the DECREASE in violence that has taken place over the last thousand years!  Decrease in every single area, from homicides to rape to war crimes to bullying are plummeting. True story. Just google it - detailed studies about every statistic you can imagine. All state the same thing.  Soooooo why does life today seem more violent than ever?  You tell me.  All I can say is headlines do NOT tell what's going on around this glorious planet. Just look around you, talk to people, and hang on to THIS:

Wise Words from President Obama posted by my Wise Friend, Debbie

Debbie Selzer was the blogger to inspire my blogging :)  Thank you Debbie for your second YEAR of daily thankful notes, quotes, photos, and poems. Today's was especially good and of all the words said tonight at the State of the Union Address, these were my favorites as well. Thanks for posting!

Those Read Girls...

Linda and Andrea Read are two of the most clever and creative women I know. Years ago, their family moved to Spokane and pushed off Linda's lovely decorative card business. Then "Read and Daughter" started where the girls did craft shows at Greenbluff for many years. Several times a day, I gaze at Andrea's work hanging on our bedroom wall. This lovely tree with many shades of green, is cleverly cut and designed from recycled paper.  Thanks, Ange, for your beautiful talent...and your beautiful mom, Linda who got the whole creative thing perking in your lives!

Julia Child, move aside...Vern is Cooking!

The French Classic, Coq Au Vin, came to life in our kitchen today thanks to the Spokesman Review recipe in yesterday's paper - and head chef, Vern, of course! Officially called Rooster in Wine, this silky smoky, rustic elegant mushroom chicken dish was delightful and got five stars by me :)  And even though Vern did not pour cognac over ours and light it on fire when serving as Julia did (!?!), it was still wonderful.

Bread Making...Smack, Flap, Pound, and Twist! :)

One of my FAVORITE simple pleasures is making bread. It's actually only about 20 minutes of "effort" with about 3 hours of "waiting" so the only trick is finding the right time of day to make it. When the bread is dumped onto the counter and ready to knead, it is incredible soft and warm and poofy. I love this part and sink my hands in it, then fold over and over and over adding LOTS more flour until it is not sticky anymore and ready for the pans. It's also great therapy to POUND, that is if I need some stress relief!? :) Tonight I put some anise seed and golden raisins into one of the loaves for friends Andi and John who invited us over for dinner tonight. We'll SEE if it turns out! :)

Dad and Daughter...

I love how these two have grown so close. They did not know I took this pic as they were making two mugs to give each other in the pottery store. The one Syd made years ago finally broke it's handle so it was time for a makeover. Time together is pretty precious anymore...

Winter Stalactites and Stalagmites

Who would have thought the ice from below would meet the ice from above here in Cheney, WA?  There are some LONG icicles around here! And this little Junco is enjoying the seeds that fall from the feeder onto the bed of snow and ice.

Winter Wonderland Weather

I've always loved weather. When we used to travel a lot for Adam's soccer games and stay in hotels, my favorite channel was the weather channel!? (That is, IF I could get the remote from Vern - lol!)  Storms and weird weather of all kinds, all around the world, were on that channel. I'd say that is awesome entertainment!  It's the app I use most on my cell phone :) .Our winter wonderland just keeps getting better here in the Northwest.

Sharing the Path with Critters...

I love my daily walks. Really miss my Golden Retriever partner, Moby, though, as we walked together for 12 years. On my walk, it's so fun to see other critters that share my path, coyotes, rabbits, cats, quail, deer, turkeys, squirrels, and moose - crisscrossing back and forth to the bushes, berries, and various hiding places. The brilliant blue of this New Year's Day was peeking through the snowy branches, and several inches of snow stacked on one of the Bluebird Houses. I'd say it was a good start to 2016. :)

Worldwide Happy New Year 2016!

I am so proud of our new little entertainment center in the living room :)  Four pieces of white foam core board taped together and hung on the fireplace, a new LCD projector, two tiny blue tooth speakers and we are in business! Soooo, with a few smoked salmon appetizers, crackers, pears, hummus, avocado, and cheese, we watched movies, then New Year's Eve fireworks in Sydney, Dubai, Hong King and New York City on our HUGE screen with a winter wonderland of snow blanketing our property!  Woo hoo :)