violetismycolor

Obsessiveness

As I have said in an earlier post, I am a bit of an obsessive personality. This actually helps me to get things done, IF, in fact, I am obsessive about the particular task. I can say that this applies (currently) to genealogy and knitting. Apparently, I am not an obsessive about blogging. I have been a terrible blogger. 

My other issue is that I am a bit...scattered. Maybe a bit ADD. My attention is easily pulled away. Say I am investigating the Vermilyea family (my husband's side). Someone sends me an email via FamilySearch.org and I jump into action to investigate whatever ancestor that person asks me about and, voila, I am on to checking into the van Eeden's or whoever. Focus, Diane, focus!

I will try to change that, a bit. 

So, what is new with me? It's a gray July morning in Portland. I am at my usual coffee shop, spending a hour doing some genealogy. The place is full of people trying to grab some great coffee and maybe a delicious pastry or two. There are never enough seats and it is a little loud, but that doesn't seem to bother me. I block out all the noise around me.

I am trying to focus a little bit more on my genealogy tasks. I am working up my family tree and adding a Life Story for each of my direct (and sometimes indirect) ancestors up my family line. Well, and up John's family line, too. I attach these on FamilySearch, the collaborative family tree that is sponsored by the Mormon Church. It is a free website and a good way to try to find distant cousins who may be working on the same people I am. I also attach those Life Stories to these same ancestors on my Ancestry.com site. That way if someone on FamilySearch deletes the story, I still have it. Oh, yeah, people do delete things...like attached records...without a lot of thought.

Next up is my (obsessive) knitting. I am working on a cardigan that is a variation of the Sock Arms Sweater...same pattern, I am just making it into a cardigan instead of a pullover. I am using a wonderful gold merino by Swans Island Yarns. It is a fingering weight sweater (read: the yarn is very thin and you need a lot of stitches to knit my size). It will be wonderfully drapey and light for the fall and spring. I intend to make a DK or Worsted weight gold sweater for cold winter days.

The garden is amazing this summer. I put this down to the fact that my son-in-law-to-be, Zerek, spread two yards of compost over it for me this past spring...and the fact that we had a rainy spring and early summer that gave it lots of good water.  The weeds cannot do much to get up beyond the mulch and the spectacular growth of the perennials. I am doing far less weeding than I did last summer. 

The thing that is the most abundant this year are the blueberries. They have produced more than they ever have...and they KEEP producing. We can't keep up with them, to the delight of Bonnie and Ross, who are happily accepting "gifts" of blueberries whenever they come by.

We are having lunch with Dominic from Switzerland, who was an exchange student the same year as our own Katharina. He is visiting with his girlfriend. I am going to make a charcuterie board spread with good bread, spreadable cheeses, nuts, salami, olives, etc. with cherries and blueberries on the side. It's not too hard to do and it's delicious. We are planning to eat outside but I am not sure the weather is going to allow it...how is that possible in July?

Last year, the summer here was unusually hot (lots of temps in the 90's and 100's) and/or too smoky from the wildfires in both southern Oregon and British Columbia to spend time outside. This summer has decided to be cool and overcast more than warm and sunny. I have decided not to complain (too much) about this summer's weather because last summer was unbearable.

Anyway, that's a brief look at what's on with me lately. I will try to be better about blogging.

 

Snowfall and me

As my husband keeps pointing out, I was raised in southern California. I grew up as a very outdoorsy tomboy on a dairy farm in LA county. 

I was outside all the time

a) because I was one of the oldest of a VERY big Catholic family and we lived in a very small house

b) because going outside was one of the only ways to get any privacy

c) because the dairy was big (I think about 62 acres, shared with Mr. Schmidt's dairy next door) and there was so much to explore

I spent a lot of time watching the cows give birth in the dry cows' corral, making a "house" in the haystacks, playing in Coyote Creek and catching frogs there, climbing trees, playing cowboys and Indians with my sisters, brothers, and cousins next door. But it almost never rained...and it CERTAINLY never snowed. I had complete freedom to wander. As long as I was in by dinnertime, life was golden.

Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE Oregon. I LOVE Portland. It's best on sunny days but I don't really mind it in the rain. BUT being stuck in my house on snowy Portland days drives me to distraction. I NEED to be outside of my house for at least part of every day. NEED TO.

Luckily for me, those snowy days tend to pass pretty quickly but seriously! When I heard it might snow again next week, I about lost it. Come on, weather gods, give me a break!

 

third day of the New Year...

Ah, 2012...how I have waited for you.  

And what have you brought me?  Stress.

Why, you ask?  Too many things to do, personal panic, messy house...

First of all, Adam left this morning to go back to school and Priya.  I loved having him at home so much.  We got him to the airport on time, after a brief errand to get visa pictures done (for the big wedding trip to India).  Five minutes after leaving the airport, we get a call from Adam...he has forgotten his laptop, at home.  

Off to UPS to send the laptop, and in a separate box, all of Adam's Christmas presents.  Check.

Next up, filling out the forms for the travel immunizations clinic, printing them out, signing them...and off to the clinic for the shots.  ONLY 3 shots needed, thank goodness.  I got shots in both arms but only the left arm hurts.

Home again and filling out the visa forms for India, getting a money order to send with them, then on to Fedex to send them on.  Done.

What to eat for dinner?  Something easy!  Chili dogs...off to the grocery store to pick up the necessary parts.  

Home again to do filing, clean up, etc.  The house is disastrous and I am too tired to do anything about it today.  

Tomorrow, we go off to settle with our friend, Dominik, who is helping with Bonnie's needs once she heads off to Geneva...money exchange, housing, cell phones, and more.  We are so fortunate that his parents are going to settle Bonnie in.

Then, changing all the beds, cleaning, etc are NECESSARY!  Also, putting away the stragglers in the Christmas decoration department.

And Bonnie takes off on Thursday morning, Ross gets sent home to his own digs, and life returns somewhat to normal.  

Welcome, 2012!

nibs and nubs...

I went for my annual dermatological exam yesterday and came home with a sore spot and a bandage.  I had a little hard cyst on my abdomen.  The doctor removed and and added a couple of stitches...it hurt like heck all night and today was bothering me, too.  Getting old truly sucks!

We are getting ready for the visit from Priya's parents.  We met them in September, when we flew to San Francisco for a few days.  Mallika, the mom, made us a wonderful dinner...making sure to keep in mind that I was gluten and dairy free.  Everything was delicious and we had a nice conversation.  

Now that we have settled the date for the Portland wedding for April 28, 2012...we have even more to talk about.  Adam and Priya will have the big Indian wedding in March sometime.  We are hoping that we hear what the firm date for that event will be, this weekend.  And we have many other wedding details to work out.  It's exhausting, just thinking about it.

Father's Day

We had brunch at Meriwether's...our reservation was at noon but we weren't seated till 12:45 and with my MIL being 97, that wasn't cool.  The restaurant comped all our meals, though, so that was nice.  The food there is great and it's a restaurant that I like to go to for special occasions.  Ross came along.  It was nice to have one of the kids at home.  

Adam and Bonnie both called and said Happy Father's Day, and we had good conversations with both of them.  

After that, I went for a walk:  a 4-miler, with Cookie.  When I got home, John said he wanted to go out and see the new X-Men movie...we called Ross, who whooped and said, "Heck ya" of course he would love to go.

The movie was wonderful and a real must to see on the Big Screen.  Ross knows tons about comics, so is a wonderful resource for this sort of thing.  

We had dinner before the movie at Burgerville.  We ordered milkshakes and found out that there are 800 calories in a milkshake...holy cow, indeed.  John had a strawberry one and Ross had chocolate.  I had a few sips of John's and joked that my 4 mile walk probably compensated for the few sips of shake!

Great Father's Day, over all...

 

tiger mom...

Apparently, I am not alone in talking/writing about The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom.  I want to put my own position out there.  I think Amy Chua is the kind of mom that drives her kids into therapy.  I think she puts her kids into a one-size-fits-all package.  I think she has been terribly cruel to her children, though I have no doubt that she loves them.  I think her kids may have the idea that her love is conditional on their accomplishing what she wants them to accomplish.

That said, I do think that many parents coddle their children too much in America.  I think that many parents don't have high enough expectations for their children.  

I have three kids of my own.  As anyone with kids knows, every child is different from the other.  My own opinion is that to get the best out of your children, you have to work with that child's individual attributes.  That means spending time really getting to know and understand your child and what makes them tick.  

I am a believer in unconditional love.  I love my kids no matter what.  That doesn't mean that I wouldn't be devastated if they committed a crime or became drug addicts or something like that.  But I believe I would still love them and let them know that I love them.  I think that I would let them know that they were harming themselves and others, and I would try to help them to correct, if they would let me.

I am very lucky in my marriage, my life, and my children, and I know that.  I hope that I have raised my children to be great human beings, great friends, great parents, and great spouses.  I am prouder of them than anyone can possibly imagine and hope that they continue on their (so far) very successful life paths.  

I hope the same for Amy Chua

 

 

sorting it out...

I am constantly amazed by how much 'stuff' we have lying around...like the already-ancient-when-he-bought-them golf clubs that John got for Adam about 12 years ago, like the 6 athletic seat pads we never use, like the leftover yarn from my old store (Spindleshanks Yarnworks)...well, you get it.  I am busy sorting the stuff to give to Goodwill and whoever else wants it.  We have been living in this house for 26 years, we have 3 kids who use our house as a storage facility, and we can be packrats.  The results are too-full closets.  

I am also trying to get myself more organized.  I have things that should be grouped together all over the house.  This sorting process will take some time but I hope it makes my life less chaotic, eventually. This is part of my plan to simplify my life.  Will it work, do you think?

blogathon...

I have been horribly remiss about blogging...I was hijacked by Facebook and I have joined the 2010 WordCount Blogathon to get myself back on the road to blogging fun.

Facebook has helped me to connect with friends and family, which is great.  It has also helped me sometimes see a little too far into the character of some of them, which is disastrous.  I have been particularly saddened when a friend or relative has seen fit to personally attack another person's character because of disagreements on political points.  Is this really necessary?  I would beg to argue that it is NOT. 

So, back to blogging for me...

coffee and sunshine...

I headed out to the Alameda neighborhood of Portland, as a favor to my future DIL, Priya.  She found a cute little swimwear store online.  Their physical store is in NE Portland and is called Popina.   Check them out here. 

I got the blue and brown, polka-dotted, suit that Priya wanted.  I also found a really cute lime green (with floral print) suit for ME!  The store was full of really cute suits, and coverups, and flip-flops...

Then, as I needed lunch, I found a cute little coffee shop called Caffe Destino at NE 13th and Fremont.  I had some good vegetarian chili for lunch, and tried their coffee of the day, which was a Cafe Creme Brulee.  Really yummy on both counts.  

Add this to a perfect, sunshine-y day (when rain had been predicted), and it made for a nice field trip into town. 

Santa Crush

 
Last night, we were celebrating the homecoming of Adam AND Bonnie from their far-away abodes...which of course meant having dinner at our favorite sushi restaurant in the Pearl, Sinju.  We got there early enough (and promised we wouldn't linger), so they gave us a tatami room.  These little rooms have windows out onto the street where the light rail trains go by, giving a glimpse into the Portland night.  It's like having a television in the background, which you only occasionally glance at. 

I had my back to the window but Bonnie and Adam were directly facing it and noticed that there were many of our cityfolk dressed as Santas, either walking in groups up the street or on the MAX (always heading north).  Bonnie found it very strange but I found it enchanting. 

It reminded me of a movie riff... I could imagine a story where people like us would don Santa hats and follow the (certainly) partygo-ers to their holiday bash and find a fun new crowd to hang with....with hilarity to ensue.  What a delightful reminder of the Season. 

We then went to see the new George Clooney movie, Up In The Air, which was WONDERFUL.  Adam and Bonnie ranked George SMUG on the question of 'smug' or 'charming'.  True, but the movie was excellent...funny but a sad reminder of the tough times we are suffering in this recession.  The acting was wonderful, especially that of Anna Kendrick, who played Natalie, George's young protege.  She was wonderful and I can't wait to see where she goes from here.

wedding and more...

   On Thursday, we flew to Boston to go to my nephew, Alex's, wedding.  I was invited to a Bride's Luncheon by the bride's mom.  It was a fun event at a restaurant on Harvard Square.  Nice and intimate, we go to visit alot and really relaxed with each other.

The next day was the wedding.  Boston was HOT and HUMID! But we managed to get through.  Adam and Ross looked incredibly handsome in their shirts and ties, but really didn't like all the dressing up required.  The reception was held at the same venue where John F Kennedy announced his decision to run for President.  How cool is that?

I love this photo that John took of Adam and Ross and I...well, except the the squidgy eyes that now show themselves in all of my photos...is this what getting old is all about?  Squidgy eyes?  Really?

It was so hot that they had Japanese fans for us in the pews.  Ross was using one even BEFORE the wedding.  The bride, Ashley, had spent a year in Japan in High School and her host family came all the way from Kyoto. 

Adam had cool green sunglasses (with checkerboard side rims).  All my men in one photo!  Too bad we were missing Bonnie.  And we did miss her.

 The groom wore a kilt, as any good Scottish descendent would, of course. 

The next day (today, Sunday), there was a wonderful brunch at Legal Seafood, on Harvard Square.  Adam and Ross sat at the kids' table.  Here they are with their cousin, Betsy...sister of the groom.  Don't Betsy and Ross look alike?

Betsy's boyfriend, Abraham, was such a doll.  Funny, handsome, and really charming!  They make a great couple.

John and his brother, Alan (father of the groom), don't get to see each other often.  So, it was a wonderful chance for them to catch-up.

John's mom, Jean, flew all the way across country with us.  She's 95 and she was so glad she came.

 

We left the brunch, dropped Adam and Ross at the airport and headed north to New Hampshire to spend a night on Lake Winnipesaukee.  As soon as we crossed the state line into New Hampshire, the rain started to fall...and has fallen (hard) for a good deal of the afternoon and evening. 

We visit our friends, Ray and Shannon, for the rest of our week in Vermont...starting tomorrow.  Oh, the mojitos are calling to me already!

Oregon Garden, Mom, and Me

My mom and I went to The Oregon Garden in Silverton today. It was only 72 degrees and overcast but it made for wonderful wandering weather. We had lunch at the new resort hotel that has opened there and the food was good and inexpensive and plentiful. We had a great day.

finally, a date with my mom...

  I finally got a break from the weather and spent the day with my mom.  I picked her up and we drove back to Portland, where we headed straight for the Portland Art Museum for the exhibit on painting in the age of Mme de Pompadour...in the Rococo Era.  The painting was florid, full of adorable chubby Cupids and Cherubs, and wonderfully colorful and charming.

We started out at the Cafe and had lunch, joined by my sister, Ann Marie.  That was lovely.  We had a chance to catch up on kids and such. 

Then we went upstairs, collected our personal touring devices, and set out.  I especially loved the work of Francois Boucher and Carle Vanloo (the painting, shown here, The Laundress, is one of Vanloo's).

We had a really nice day.  Hooray for no snow!

snow, so no mom...

I keep trying to take my mom out and it keeps snowing on the day that I try to take my mom out.

Two weeks ago, I was going to take Mom to the Chinese Garden...snow.

Today, I was going to take her to the Portland Art Musuem for their new exhibit:  French Painting in the Age of Madam de Pampadour.  I had really been looking forward to it, too.

We now have a plan to go next week.  Hopefully, that won't mean more snow!  Because really...I'm sick of it.

christmas village building...

It takes about 2 hours to put my Christmas village up every year.  It's so darned cute that it is worth every minute.  (Of course, it also means that it takes about 2 hours in January to put it away again.  I don't always feel as patient, then.) 

But I was trapped at home, waiting for the repairman to come and rescue my clothes dryer from almost immediate extinction (from the way it was sounding, anyway...) and when you have 5 hours in waiting-hell...well, let's just say it was a good time to do something like that.

I love my reindeer barn, especially...and Santa and the reindeer, and Father Time and the New Year Baby...oh, I love it all.

***you know!  click on the photo to see it larger...***

 

Thanksgiving was fun...

We had Adam home for about 5 days for the holiday.  He spent lots of time with friends but also lots of time with us.  We saw Australia, which John and I liked and Adam didn't.  We had dinner at my sister, Ann's (with her husband and 5 kids)...my brother Brian and his family (7 kids) were there, and my Mom and my Mother-in-Law.  We played a fun game (which I had never heard of before) called Apples to Apples.  Apparently, apart from me, everyone I know has played this game before.  Hmmm...

***you know the drill...click on the pic to see it larger***

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

mom's early birthday gift...

  I'm off to take my Mom up to the Columbia Gorge Hotel for an overnight for her (early) birthday present.  I'll be in Scotland then, so we're doing it now...while the weather is still brilliant and the fall color is at it's peak.

John is staying behind, trying to recuperate from a tummy bug and to do Cookie duty. 

mom day...

I took my mom to lunch at Fenouille and then to the Japanese Garden.  My mom loved both and we had so much fun.  The day was gorgeous, and that was the icing on the cake.

   

sad, sad, sad...

My sweet Dad died today.  We have been seeing it come for some days now, but it's still a bit of a shock.  I got there about 2 minutes before he died. 

I spent the past year seeing my dad through his illness, prostate cancer.  Spending the hours with my parents when my dad was going through chemo, or having hours of tests was tough and wonderful.  Tough to see your dad get weaker and sicker, but wonderful to get to know my parents in a way that I never knew them before. 

My dad was a sweet, generous, funny man and I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to find all that out. 

Rest in peace, Dad.  We all love you.  See you on the Other Side, in Heaven. 

Ross has flown...

So...Ross has flown the nest...all the way to Scotland.  Where he is exhausted.  Didn't sleep at all on the plane.  Trying to stay up so that he can get on a 'normal' schedule.  Beat the Jet Lag.

Good for him.