Sunday Walks

 

Johnny, Monica and Isabella come to our house almost every Sunday night for dinner.  After we eat, we always go for a walk around our neighborhood.  We've been doing this just about every Sunday night for the last 2 1/2 years that we've been back in Eagle, weather and pandemic permitting!

Our route rarely varies from week to week.  We count the baby ducks and goslings in the spring and summer.  And Monica and I fret when we see tiny ducklings who have somehow been lost from their mommy.  Good husband Jonathan has been known to try and reunite little families to keep his wife and mother happy.

At the top of one hill, where the path spilts into two, Isabella and I give each other high 5s and race down opposite sides.  When we reach the bottom, we always give each other a high 10....and she always wins.

There is a big rock the juts out into one of the ponds.  Isabella likes to pose on the rock so that we can take her picture.  Now that she is older, she likes to jump across the water to the grass on the opposite side.  For this she hold her Daddy's hand.

She likes to hold my hand to run down a grassy hill and again, she is always the winner.   Winning is very important to this little girl!

At the next pond, she and I have a tradition of making 'soup' in the water.  I can't remember how this started but with sticks in hand, we add leaves and twigs that are our rice or chicken or carrots or salt.  Then we stir the soup.   

For part of the walk we pretend to go on a 'bear hunt' and always start by saying, "We're going on a bear hunt. We're going to catch a big one. It's a beautiful day.  We're not scared." Then we swim across rivers and squish in thick oozy mud before going through long, wavy grass, often battling strong winds,  before finding our way into a dark cave and finally being chased by a bear all the way home!  

She will be 6 this year and go to kindergarten so I wonder how long this imaginary soup making and bear hunting will continue.  I'll be sad when it stops but I hope we are making good memories that will stay with her forever.  I know they will stay with me.

Perfect Portland Weekend

George and I had a perfect weekend in Portland.  The purpose of the visit was so that I could see my doctor in person for the first time since September of 2019.  Normally I have an ultrasound and a visit with him every 6 months.  That has not been possible during the pandemic. I kept having my 6 month blood work done here in Boise.  It  remained stable and Dr. Madison and I have had a couple of phone visits.  Our plan was for me to come see him after I was vaccinated and also have an ultrasound and CT scan at OHSU in the beautiful new building down by the river.  As soon as we were both vaccinated, we made plans to drive over for a long weekend.  The doctor's visit would be the perfect time to catch up with friends in Portland and, of course, with Scott.

So happy to report that my blood work has remained virtually unchanged and there is nothing remarkable on either my CT scan or my ultrasound.  The cancer marker called Calcitonin is rising ever so slowly but the numbers are nothing to get excited about.  The new plan is to have blood work in Boise in 6 months and see him again in a year.  I am so thankful that this cancer is behaving itself.  Again Dr. Madison reiterated that while I will die WITH this cancer, there is a good chance I won't die OF Medullary Thyroid Cancer.

Doctor visit done, we could then concentrate on having fun with Scott and friends.....and eating out way too much! FYI, I gained 2 pounds and George lost 1.   There is no justice.

First we had a fun meal with Scott at our favorite pizza place, Pieology.  I love these 'pick your own ingredients' pizza places. George gets the equivalent of his Barcelona favorite pizza, the Rodeo, which has a barbecue sauce and lots and lots of bacon.  I enjoy a pizza with chicken and Gorgonzola  and Scott sticks with the tried and true Margarita.

Speaking of Scott, he is doing so well.  He got a new job working at a company that does restorations and renovations so he is learning lots of great skills!  After about 5 years working at Starbucks he was especially excited NOT to have to get up several days a week at 3:30 a.m. to open.  He is still coaching some soccer and working at a stable.  In fact, he will be moving into an apartment at the stables in July. We are so happy for him and proud of how well he is doing.  Seeing my 'horse crazy' boy spending time with his lifelong love puts a smile on my face!

We had two dinners with friends.  Friday night with my walking buddies and husbands at a delicious Chinese restaurant and Saturday with our old monthly dinner group!  Friday we were so busy talking  that I forgot to take a photo but remembered on Saturday.  I really miss our Lake Oswego friends.

Every Thursday for all the years we lived in Lake Oswego, George and his good friend Larry went to lunch at Burgerville in Wilsonville.  Larry passed away last June and this was our first time back since his death.  We stayed with Martha, Larry's widow, and did enjoy a Burgerville lunch in his honor.

George also did a few projects for Martha around her home.  Unfortunately she has squirrels who are calling her attic home.  George verified their residency but she will need to hire someone to evict them!

While George did projects, I attended a fun baby shower/lunch with my Kenya Keys friends.  Judith, who is a Kenyan serving on the board, had a baby during the pandemic.  It was a joy to finally be able to celebrate her little girl in Rinda's beautiful backyard .

I have always thought that there was nothing prettier than a sunny day in Portland with Mt. Hood, in all her glory, keeping watch on the city.  I still think so.

 

Leslie Gulch

For the 2nd year George and I went hiking on Memorial Day.  This year we drove across the border into Oregon to an area known as Leslie Gulch.

Named for Hiram Leslie, a local rancher who was hit by lightening and killed here in 1882, it has some unusual rock formations.

Reminded us a bit of some of the places we've hiked in Utah.

Just in case you didn't pay attention in geology class, or like me, had a very boring teacher, the rock is called tuff.  It's a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption.  Following ejection and deposition, the ash is fused together by heat into solid rock. 

Just as we were starting on the trail, in fact it was walking from the parking lot to the trail itself, I slipped on a gravel patch and sat down hard on my rear end.  Luckily the only thing that was hurt was my pride.  George was reminded of a story from his boyhood.  His family had been on a trip to the Badlands and Mount Rushmore and had been learning all about Sitting Bull.  As the family walked down a path, his mom also hit gravel and sat down hard.  She also wasn't hurt except for her feelings when her children laughingly referred to her as 'Sitting Cow'.  George did have the good sense not to remind me of this story until much later in the day! George also doesn't remember which of the kids came up with 'Sitting Cow'.  He says that it was something clever like he would have thought of but I think he secretly hopes that it was his brother John who gets credit or blame!

We enjoyed the spring flowers.

And just had a perfect day - even with my fall!

As always I think of the song, "I think the world is glorious and lovely as can be."

Pizza Night

I absolutely love having Johnny, Monica and Isabella over for dinner every Sunday.  It is challenging to find something that everyone likes to eat.  I hit a home run with our last week's "make you own pizza" night!

Homemade dough and a variety of toppings made everyone happy!

Isabella was especially happy that she was taller than Grandma when standing on the step stool.

We did have some creatively shaped pizzas so that they would fit on 2 pans in the oven.

No leftovers this Sunday night!

And after pizza we celebrated John and Monica's 7th anniversary!  So happy to have Monica in our family....and so glad that they made us grandparents to our beautiful, full of fun, smart as a whip Isabella!