Empty Nest? Not for Long!

Well, our kids graduated and left home, the baby chicks hatched, the pets are gone, and the four sweet little robins left their comfortable nest on the front porch and flew away. BUT last night, a new resident took over that nest and made it clear that he/she is here to stay!  There are sooooo many nice moths and bugs that come to the porch light on the front step at night  - thus making that Fuchsia plant extra attractive to an enterprising tree frog. Go figure! :)

NICU Babies AND Piano Wednesdays!

Was just a tiny bit terrified when I sat down to the grand piano in the Sacred Heart Hospital lobby today...with STRANGERS everywhere...knowing I would probably screw up a few times...and interrupt their somber thoughts.  So much emotion in that place, sensitive moments, heart breaking times. At the end of one song, an elderly woman gave me a smile and I played that song again :)  And y'know, it ended up feeling pretty good and always fun to play some of my favorite pieces. I didn't make too many mistakes and lots of nice people came over to chat a little. I guess I'll be back every Wednesday for an hour right before I rock babies in the NICU. Not a bad gig at all :)

A Remarkable Man, Ken Jernberg

Ken was a champion for the homeless teens in Spokane, Washington, for nearly 40 years and a celebration "walk" was held for him today. Ken was known for saying "I just always wanted to make the person who felt small, big."  During graduation ceremonies for the Crosswalk kids, Ken had them walk across a pedestrian bridge over the turbulent Spokane River to symbolize their rite of passage from tough times into the sunshine. RIP Ken...I let this flower float off the bridge and rush on downstream today.

The Path to Bonnie Lake

I have a favorite little lake near Cheney but it's difficult to access!  One must unload kayaks in a ditch, scramble down a steep gravel path, and launch in seaweed. Then, you need to swerve around tall cattails and water lilies, often "bounce over" a beaver dam, and maneuver a curvy narrow shallow stream for one mile before you see the lake. When you do, it's a pristine, three + mile long lake surrounded by huge basalt cliffs and rock formation. Sorta fun to have something like this 30 min from home :)

Transcend the Bullshit Artist Harold Balazs, Revealed!

This was just too much fun to just let it go with one post.  Yesterday in downtown Spokane, I spotted "Transcend the Bullshit" at least five more times - on shirts, mugs, button, magnets, and sculptures.  The creator Harold Balazs is now in his 80's, still living in Mead, and working every day. He is AMAZING and has made dozens of fantastic sculptures all around Spokane and the Northwest!!  The sculptor for the man with the wheelbarrow featured in my last blog was Ken Spiering, but his model was Harold.  They were good friends, collaborated together, and Harold sneaked in the Transcend Bullshit statement on the bottom of the shoe. In all the blogs and posts, I never saw anyone who mentioned seeing it there.  Now YOU can be part of an elite sighting! Everything I have read states what a creative, down-to-earth, brilliant man he is. Well done, Harold - may your spark of fun continue to light up our paths.

A Pancake Turtle...Sort of...

My dear Grandmom made pancakes for me as a wee little girl, and with the last batter, always designed a cool shape which we had to decipher. When I was making blueberry pancakes this am, my nephew Spencer reminded me that Papa used to make a Turtle with his four legs sticking out. Well, I tried... :)

This Frog will Need Sunglasses!

Dug into a bag of potting soil today and dumped several scoopfuls in a bucket. Looked down right before I dumped it in a pot in the garden and saw a little fugitive that had been living in the sack!  Do you see him? I made sure he was nicely shaded in his new home - lol!

The Bottom of the Statue's Shoe

This blog was meant to make me stop more and look closely. Well, as my friends and I were walking in Spokane along the river and enjoying Riverfront Park, a dicey looking strange young man told us to look at the bottom of the statue's foot. "Go on - he says - it will change your life."  My friends and I found ourselves on the cement trying to peek under a shoe, feeling rather like fools, but here is what the screen shot on my phone showed - etched there by the sculptor. Hmmm.  Made us all think! Transcend the Bullshit

They Flew Away Today!!

What a treat to watch a tiny little family evolve and disappear all in one month.  They built a nest stick by stick, lined it with feathers, laid four beautiful bright blue eggs, HATCHED, literally outgrew their nest, bulged out the sides, and flew away!  If we had not made the trip to Iowa when we did, the Robin never would have built in the hanging basket right outside the front door, so it will probably never happen again. Nonetheless, it was a discovery full of joy. Such simple wonders in this beautiful world.

Adventures of the Great Green Gourmet Smoothie Master

My nephew, Aaron Bryan, wife Melinda and their two awesome kids, Aidan and Evie, spent last week with us and partook in several adventures from sand castle building in our sand box and Beverly Beach on the Oregon coast to smoothie making in my kitchen to Portland Thai dinners, Old Wave concerts, and campfires on an Oregon Coast beach! Of course the two pups, Mabel and Olive, entertained us all the while. Here's Aidan convincing himself AND family to try this delicious treat :)