White Christmas

This photo was taken the January before my husband passed away.  It hadn't snowed in our area of the Willamette Valley for over seven years.

It was such a beautiful sight--almost two feet of snow fell, and we enjoyed the beauty of that snowfall for several weeks before it melted away.

Speeking of random challenges, I have been without heat, except for the wood stove for almost three weeks.  It was FREEZING!  I was SO grateful for the two cords of wood dropped on my driveway.  God knew I would need to keep warm with wood.

Yesterday the Furnace guys came and installed a new gas furnace.  It is warm in here--and I am SO grateful--as grateful as anyone can be when they've been cold for so long.

Blessings and joy to you this Holiday Season.  Merry Christmas!

Old Grey Beard -Outdoor Wednesday

I love walking in the forest.  As a child the woods became my playground.  We learned about native plants, built forts, played in the creek--ah the memories are so wonderful.  When I tell people of our forest adventures, I have been told it sounds like a fairytale, or a book--except it was true life for my siblings and me.

This is grey beard moss--at least that's what we called it.  There was one tall tree which grew on a little island in the middle of the creek which had this moss hanging all over it.  It was SO magical.

Well, break is over and I'm back to work. Have a lovely Wednesday, all you wonderful people!

Three Years Tomorrow -Outdoor Wednesday

I know I look like a giggling clown in this photo--but here we are.  Such a joyful time we were having.  We had been given permission to glean wood from an abandoned structure located across the street from my parent's place.  Alan was in his element--happy, pipe snaggled from his mouth, wielding that chain saw.  And I was laughing.

One thing I miss so much about Alan is the absence of his funny stories and his hilarious take on life.  He used to make up a joke every morning to see if he could make me smile.

Such a wonderful man.  Though we had our hard times, our marriage was a good one and I shall always miss him.

Monday will be a challenge.  It is the three year anniversary of my beloved's Heaven Day.

Have a lovely Wednesday, all you wonderful people!

His Winning Performance

I fell in love with Alan the night we visited the Rose Gardens in Portland, Oregon late at night.  Back in those days there weren't curfews, so it was a delightful place to visit when the sun went down.

In the gardens, there was a stage with natural seating, and wings made of trees.  He asked me to sit in front of the stage for a moment.

That was the first time I realized my future husband loved drama so much.  He won my heart with Cyrano de Bergerac's nose speech.  It was one of the most wonderful, creative renditions I'd ever heard.

He went on to perform bits of Shakespeare and other plays he knew by heart.  I was enthralled.  What a magical evening.

And when he was done, people I didn't know were there, began to clap--there was quite a crowd which had gathered behind me.  Some of them were homeless folks who'd hunkered down for the night in the gardens.  I am sure those people never forgot that incredible winning performance!

I never tired of hearing him perform that nose speech.  This photo is from a drama seminar, where he did this as a sample of good drama.  I adored the day he found a big nose to strap onto his handsome face.  

Have a lovely lovely day. 

Hello, All You Wonderful People!

It has been ages and ages since I have written here.  I have decided I am going to re-task this blog.

I am a widow.  It will be three years at the end of this month.  I am still reeling from the loss of my Beloved.  In this new life as a single woman, there are many random challenges. I want to talk about these challenges here.  However, it remains to be seen how many times I post here!  LOL  My entries will likely be, er, random.

There are some weeds I love as much as cultivated flowers in my garden.  The picture above is of a delightful weed with purple flowers--though the flowers are long gone, the weed seeds are ready to fly.  I don't know why that seems significant, but it does.

Have a great day, and God bless you!