Long time no write!

April Sunset

It's been over a month since I last posted an entry in this blog. I'm sure over that time there were so many items I thought about sharing and now I'm a blank! Guess the photos will have to do and I'll try to fill in some gaps as we go along. Suffice to say, it seems like things have been quite busy, for various reasons. I believe I was still in the throes of soapmaking in the middle of March and all of those batches completed cure this past week. Since last weekend, there have been quite a few orders (for me) come in all at once. I wondered if it was because people had gotten their income tax issues out of the way. I know ours was hanging over our heads until last weekend! It's no fun when you are paying and never getting money back. Half of that was my self-employment tax and actually... this year wasn't so bad.

Diane came home from BYU-I last week and will be here for the summer (leaving in August for her last two terms). She left Rexburg last Thursday morning, equipped with cell phone and GPS. What could possibly go wrong? ;-) Well... she made it home okay but certainly took some interesting routes at the suggestion of the GPS, which she was blindly obeying. A couple of times, seemingly simple exchanges onto major freeways were missed and it meant some time on the cell phone with Mom fuming and looking at Google maps. My frustration was much the result of motherly worry. Some of the alternate route she was on offered little in the way of services if she were to have had a breakdown... and she was traveling alone for the first time between school and home (13 hours). In the end, she rolled in around 1:45 a.m. Hallelujah! She was fortunate to slip through between storm fronts and was able to come over Snoqualmie Pass. What did we ever do before the days of internet and DOT webcams?

Two days ago she dropped by the Poulsbo Bakery where she'd worked in the past, to see the original owners. She loved working for them but her last year there was under new management and they were a young couple with some need for better management skills. I guess the original owners got the place back and had to sink about $20,000 into it in order to bring it back up to their standards. Things had not gone well (which was no surprise to Diane). Long and short of it... she got a call the next day after her visit and they told her to come in to pick up a uniform ... they'd put her to work. So... she'll be working there again this summer, at least part time or to give other people vacation time. She'll enjoy that experience and seeing some of the regulars that will probably remember her. It will probably be another week before she is worked into the schedule.

The Scotland-England trip I'm hoping to do this fall is still in the works. They are getting closer to filling out the group. Once they get deposits from a few more folks, those checks will go in and it will be something to definitely plan on. I heard from the travel agency last week and they sent contact info for a woman who is looking for a roomate on the trip... asked that I call her. I didn't reach her at first so left a message with all of my contact information. Then I got curious as to whether I could learn a bit about this person while waiting... maybe where her phone number was based and an occupation? Did a couple of Google searches and in a few short minutes I knew her address, birthdate, where she went to church, when she and her husband bought their house and for how much... and that she was a retired schoolteacher (and her town, which I'm not mentioning here). A couple of days later she phoned and we chatted on and off for quite awhile (with dropped cellphone calls from Diane in between... since she was driving home at that time). The gal I might room with is a 75 year-old widow. She's gone on trips like this before and has more travel experience. I don't think we are a perfect fit personality-wise, but she seems nice enough and it could be quite interesting. She only lost her husband a year ago and said the last trip she did last fall had a lot of couples in attendance... and that is harder when you are unattached. I think it will be fine. She sounds like she smokes, but as long as she doesn't smoke in our room or in my face... it should be okay.

A couple of weeks ago I finally uncovered the new sewing machine and put a few miles on it. When we bought it we also got some fabric for blankets for Kristine and Alex's little one (she goes in for an ultrasound on May 5th). The first project was a two-sided fleece blanket and the other 3 were two-sided flannel. Here is a close-up of the edge stitching on the fleece. I'm really rusty with sewing and I'd never worked with fleece before, but it was kind of fun to make something again. If you can't tell from the smaller picture, these are little hearts. (Aww...)
I've continued to get emails from my mother's kin in Nebraska and he has sent over wonderful images and information on her Braasch/Brasch line. Ron and I signed up for Ancestry.com and I spent some time loading information on there a couple weeks ago. While I was tied up this past week with garden, income tax and soap orders... Ron has been browsing the site. He found some wonderful photos of his North Dakota Bladow relatives that someone had posted. What a treasure! I hope I stumble upon some pictures eventually. So far I came across a couple of cousins on the Knox side and emailed one of them but have not heard anything. He might take weeks or months to get back onto Ancestry. People are joining all the time and posting new content. The gal who put up those photos Ron found had just added them within the past month.

Ron got a call from the Stake last night to come in and meet with one of the counselors. We were kind of nervous about what they might have called us in for, but it was to let him know the time had come that he was going to be released as the High Priest Group Leader. He's been serving in that calling for about 5 1/2 years! I think this will allow him more time to get into other projects without his weekends being needed so much to prepare for Sunday... not to mention weekly or bi-weekly presidency meetings. Goodness knows we need to devote more time to getting this place in order. For the most part I think he's enjoyed the calling and it's been a good experience. Time to let someone else take up the reins and he can be a supporting player. :-) He'll be called to something else in the ward, so he'll still have some responsibilities to fulfill. They told him what it was going to be, but until our bishop actually talks to him and issues the call, I don't want to commit it to print. :-)

My cousin, Jerry Knox, had his surgery a couple of weeks ago and he's now home convalescing. It was a major ordeal, but not nearly as bad as what they'd feared. He'd first been told he'd probably lose a kidney, but he came out with all of his important parts intact. Such a relief! He will likely have to do this again down the road if he lives long and healthy and that's unfortunate... but a result of his time served in Vietnam. His attitude has been good and I think he feels overall very blessed to have had the full life he has. So many who served with him never made it home. If you're reading this, Jerry... I hope you are seeing improvement. Was the doctor satisfied with your progress when you went in this past week? I've wondered how that went.

Now for pictures... quite a few...

Here's an interesting photo taken out in the back by Rachel. When they were over for the weekend on April 5th, I dragged them back there to see the lovely stand of these violets under some evergreens Ron limbed up awhile back. Rachel snapped this photo and then showed it to me on her little LCD screen... "What kind of flower is this?" I'm not sure which kid stuck this in the ground under the fenceline behind the OLD swing set... but it's one of our set. Somehow it has younger Kristine written all over it... but I really have no clue. I'd guess they planned on taking it back inside eventually. It was stainless steel and wasn't too worse for wear. Maybe left more recently by a grandchild?
The following were taken over the past couple of weeks. Spring is very late in coming but I think it's safe to say, it arrived this past week. We actually had some snow in the Northwest as recently as this past weekend and today Kristine and Alex got up to a FOOT in Provo, UT. They are sick of snow down there too.

Magnolia 'Merrill' (there is a HUGE specimen of this in a yard next to Bucklin Hill)

A volunteer Anemone blanda growing in the front lawn (spotty lawn that it is). I rescued three of these and moved them to the front flowerbed, where they seem to be settling in okay. I started to see them a couple of years ago but hadn't gotten them moved before the flowers got mowed off. They're harder to find later when the grass thickens up.
This primrose looks ridiculously beautiful. It sure must have found a happy spot under the birch tree. Most of the other hybrids like this one are struggling in our yard.
Yeah!... more of the hellebores in the oak bed. I show them every year because they bloom when hardly anything else is happening outside.
These species primroses seem to hold up well in our sandy soil and they've seeded themselves along the deck overhang on the west side of the house. Wish you could enjoy the sweet fragrance I experienced while grooming in this area last week.
I kind of missed out on the peak of this sunset. Just happened to look up from the dinner table before it was all gone. This was from earlier in the month.
Ron trying yet, another time (!), to grow grass on this cursed piece of ground in back. We're not sure what is up with this spot... maybe this time it will take off. He tilled a bunch of composted leaves in before reseeding.

Same sunset as what was shown at top... from a week ago.

Last weekend the flowering cherries along the drive finally started to pop. It was kind of nice that they waited until Diane got home. On her former schedule she would miss these... plus they were later this season. Someone just reminded me the lifespan of these trees is only around 20 years old. I hate the thought we could start losing them. Our apricot trees both died this past couple of years. Some flowering cherries have lived twice their expected lifespan... so I hope these hang in there as long as we live here. They are such a treat in the springtime.
Below... Tete a Tete narcissus that were planted this past fall. The crocuses I replanted in this spot are already GONE. I think squirrels are eating them so I might as well give that up until we get rid of the little varmints. That needs to happen this year... soon! The neighbor's cat isn't getting the job done. Something else was after them in the overhead this past week... very late at night. Diane and I heard some kind of commotion and I was hopeful. Think it will come down to us finally sealing that area off or trapping... or both. :-/
More magnolia blossoms. This is the heaviest flowering this little tree has done... probably because of getting more water last summer. We sprang for a bit more city water for the front area during the driest season... there is a hose bib out there.
A cute little early blooming rhodie given to us by Marilyn and Vern Johnson... the name is "Tiffany." She might get a haircut this year after blooming. We cut back some overgrown rhodies in this bed last spring and they will get more this year. You have to do it in stages.

Now on to people pictures! These were from the weekend Robert's family came to stay overnight (April 4-5th). We didn't get a lot of serious conference watching done, but had fun time with the kids and grandchildren. :-) Rachel took this first one of Ron playing with Calvin...

We went outside to get some fresh air and Ron brought out a bicycle that friends from our ward had sent over when they moved. Charlotte is actually too big for it but with some working over, Calvin might get to use it later (paint and de-Barbie-ing).

Michael had to work in Everett over that weekend, but Amber brought the kids over for a bit on Sunday. Here she is visiting with Rachel, while Edward watches what Calvin is doing near the fridge.

Charlotte and Colette... watching a movie.

Adrienne... enjoying the Viewmaster.

Moving ahead to April 10th... Diane recovering from her long drive the day before. :-) Home sweet couch.
Easter Sunday night... Michael's family came by for a short visit after having dinner with Amber's family. Here are a few photos from that evening. Diane brought out a whole suitcase of Disney plush toys she acquired while doing her internship at Disney World. Many were bought cheap because of damages that she was able to repair with needle and thread. Adrienne and Colette both took turns with the Stitch "hat." :-)


It's late... I'd better call it quits...