Tuesday, June 26, 2007

 

Adventures in Trellis Building



The outside of the house is looking pretty good. The beds are as weeded as they'll ever get, and I did major battle with the shrubs and viney alien stuff which believes it's mission is to encase the entire property and choke out all but their own kind. Rick has started the annual scrape-prime-paint dance that he does so well every summer. The inside of the house...well, let's not talk about that.




I picked up this wonderful book about building a trellis a couple of years ago and armed with a good pair of lopping shears and pruning clippers, I have built a couple of arbors. I've been using clippings for the pin oak tree that is taking over the back yard (it look so tiny when we planted it 15 years ago...) and from the weeping willows, that constantly weep their branches all over the place, making a mess. The trellis against the house actually makes the alien vine look pretty good.



I built a bigger trellis on Saturday and decided to install it in the vegetable garden. Not that we have a vegetable garden. Fortuneately, Brian of the Strong Back, decided he was up to the challenge. Many blisters, sore muscles, and too many rocks to count later, we have our garden. Note the shovel Brian is holding. It was hand made by Brian's great grandfather Max. It's probably 90+ years old.



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Friday, June 22, 2007

 

Happy Birthday, Matthew!


Here's a picture of the Birthday Boy on his 16th birthday. No, he did not find a car waiting for him in the driveway when he woke up. And no, I didn't rush out to get him a learner's permit as, thankfully, he seems in no hurry to be driving. (On the contrary, on his 8th birthday, when he came downstairs in the morning, he stretched and said "Ahhh, half way to driving.")

Matthew likes to cook so much that he wanted to make his birthday dinner himself. He marinated sirloin, peppers, and vidalia onions, grilled it up as shish-kabobs on the Weber, and served it up with slices of rosemary olive bread, with a dipping sauce of olive oil with fresh herbs from our garden. The rest of us made his favorite: strawberry whipped cream cake, made with some of Katie's home grown berries. I poured a flavorful, but not overly oaked, 2005 cabernet sauvignon from my favorite vintner (Goose Creek Winery, a.k.a. me) for Rick and myself. We used the good china, crystal, and flatware, and dined on the porch.

After dinner and dessert came presents (mostly stuff for camp and a bunch of books.) Around 10 o'clock Matthew announced that he finally remembered what it was he wanted for his birthday: an orange, 3 pronged, extention cord. I don't think he needs to wait 'til Christmas for that present.


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Thursday, June 21, 2007

 

8th Grade Celebration

We had a wonderful, proud evening last night at Katie's 8th grade graduation. Graduation started with a prelude by the middle school band. I was able to actually sit in the audience and act like a plain old parent for once; although, I jumped up twice, once to fix a stage curtain, and then again to rip tape off the reserved seats as the graduates entered. It's difficult for me to put the teacher on the back burner when I am at school. Oh yeah, I fixed a flute at the last minute, too.




Anyway, after the graduates entered, the members of next
year's freshman class student council were announced,
along with their new president, v. p., secretary and treasurer. I am proud to say that President Katie, elected by her peers, was asked to lead her cabinet in the Pledge of Allegiance. I had watched her campaign speech earlier that morning. Coached by her history-buff brother Matthew, she paced the stage, accenting her words by pounding her fist in her hand and spoke passionately of raising her classmates out of the oppression of middle school to a grand vision of a fabulous prom and an awesome senior trip. She claims she based her speech on Moussilini.



A short bit later, up came Katie again to the stage to accept a Spanish award for the highest Regents score in the grade. And then again, she skipped up the stairs to accept the Presidental Gold award, signed by George W. Bush. Graduation certificates were handed out to all the 8th graders, and then we all headed to the cafeteria for punch and cookies. Here's one final graduation picture of Katie and her best friend forever Hallie.


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Tuesday, June 12, 2007

 

Timely Test Warning

Being the oldest sister has certain priviledges: the first to drive, the first to vote, the first to graduate (well, high school anyway, since I am currently the last to graduate) and the first to turn 50. When you turn 50, you are suddenly inundated with AARP offers, and called ma'am by 30 year olds. You also reach a new chapter in your health care, and your doctor tells you all the wonderful tests you now have to take. In short, even though you don't feel any different than you did 20 years ago, you are no longer middle aged.

Yesterday, I had my first you've-got-to-have-this-since-you're-fifty test: a colonoscopy. (Got my first base line mammogram when I was 40. I trust you all have done the same.) After spending Sunday taking care of the at home preparation (the most unpleasant part of this whole test) Rick and I arrived at the hospital, to a bee hive of activity of activity, at 8AM. We were ushered to a private cubby room where I proceded to knit a summer top (with this wonderful silk/wool yarn) until the demerol started interfering with my stitches. Several times through this process I was asked why I was having this test and what problems I was having. I always answered "No problems, I'm having the test because I'm 50." They wheeled me into an surgical room, asked me again why I was having the test, and the next thing I knew I was back in the cubby, procedure over. The nurse got me up, walked me around, I got dressed, and Rick took me out to lunch. I spent the rest of the day knitting and drowsing in the back yard.

Here's the moral of the story: we have no history of colon cancer in our family that I know of. I am physically active, I don't smoke, and I am not obese (sure, I good stand to lose a few...) all of which are the common factors of colon cancer. But I did have a polyp and the doctor removed it. He said it was benign, but colon cancer grows from benign polyps. I took both yesterday and today off from school, as I had no idea how I would feel after the test. I feel great! Especially since that polyp, that I didn't even know I had growing in me, is history. So sisters, when you hit 50, get this test done.

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Monday, June 11, 2007

 

58th Annual All-County

Seemed odd this year having only one child involved in the All-County Festival. Matthew was at the Boy Scout camp organizing a Conclave for 400 OA Scouts. (With a Highlands theme, most of the scouts were running around with tablecloths wrapped around themselves, but not Matthew. He wore his kilt, which was what he wanted for Christmas.) Anyway, back to the festival. A couple of weeks ago, Katie auditioned for a scholarship from the County Music Teachers Association and won a piano scholarship for summer study! At the All-County, Katie was in the Junior High choir and was called on stage and honored with the other scholarship winners. (One of my oboe students also won a scholarship, so I doubly tickled.) It was a wonderful festival, and as always, the finale gave rise to goosebumps, teary eyes and a spontaneous ovation. It has been such a trill for me to have my own children participate in the same festival that I participated in 30 years ago.

Here's Katie, center hitting the high Bb in the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" Finale.

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Wednesday, June 06, 2007

 

Update from Montana

My amarillis. When it finally bloomed, it was stunning.

Rebecca I and Rebecca II at the Breast Cancer 3 Day walk - August 2006.



Skiing at Fernie, BC. Feb. 2007.




Hi everyone!

Finally, I was able to untangle the new Google sign on requirements and post to our wonderful blog. Please bear with me, as I will try to catch up six-months of stuff:

February 2007: I got to go to Canada to ski at Kimberley and Fernie. Kimberley was a nice area and it was a foggy. That was Day One. Day Two was Fernie Ski Resort. It was beautiful, sunny and full of powder. Because I had been teaching all season, I had actually skied quite a bit and so was surprised to learn that I was skiing very well. I grooved in some deep, thigh-high powder and enjoyed the heck out of myself. The group I went with was all retired except for me. So, basically, I skied by myself and socialized with the group. All the ski photos are from Fernie.

March: Mike moved to Boulder Montana to start a new job in a women's prison treatment facility. He likes the job a lot. It has very different clientele. We commuted on weekends to see each other.

April: I gave notice at my job and interviewed in Helena. We moved and sold the house. I was offered a job pretty quickly. In fact, it all happened very fast. We decided to use our windfall to pay off all our school loans. We moved into a small rental while we regroup. I hope to begin looking for a house here in Helena in the winter/spring 2008.

May: We are playing in our new town. There are trails everywhere. Mike bought a bike and we are just having a ball. (Except today which is rainy, windy, and yucky.)

The Southwestern Central High School 1982 reunion is on July 7th and I am very excited to be coming over. I know the "rents" will be there, too.

Our parents are old, girls. Enjoy them while you can - warts and all, so to speak. Molly put it best when describing Mother: "You don't have to say everything out loud that you think!" Gotta love them. I very much enjoy spending time with them.
See you soon. Maybe we can go to the Lakewood Beach. That would be a high point for me.
Love, Rebecca
Link to Helena Montana: http://helenacvb.visitmt.com/

Monday, June 04, 2007

 

Memorial Day

We had a beautiful day for Memorial Day. The school marches in two different parades to 2 different cemetaries, participating in 2 memorial services. Matthew, taking a break from his bassoon, played the quad drums. Katie had a demanding job as colorguard. After marching (all uphill to the first cemetary) she had to stand at attention throughout the services. In the first she held the gun, an easy job. In the 2nd service, she held the flag, in a strong breeze, for over an hour. After the service, a verteran who was honored that morning for his service in WWII (including 3 years in a POW camp) made a point to thank her for the respect she showed the flag through the long service. That helped her aching back to feel better!


Brian is home now, and here is his self-portrait:

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Bird Land


We have a bevvy of birds this spring. We have martins in the martin house for the first time ever, robins in the shrubs and on top of garage door opener and wrens in the bluebird house (that's ok, we like wrens, too. They are very winsome.) Here's a close-up of one of three robins' nests that we have. 2 days after I took this, the birds of all three nests spread their wings and left.

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Sunday, June 03, 2007

 

Rainy Day

It's a rainy day, the crazy May concert season is winding down, and I finally have time to update ShawGirls. One weekend, when the boys were hither and yon, Katie & packed up Turtle (our van,) our dog, sleeping bags and dutch oven and drove to a state park and rented a rustic cabin. (No electricity, no plumbing, no mirror, no make-up. And, no cell phone service - heaven!) We fished, biked, photographed, hiked, ate well, and had a great time. Our cabin was right on
the creek, where we watched mergansers, and was lulled by the running water.
(OK, truth be told, we thought it rained all night, but it was the creek making its creek noise.) Katie caught a brook trout in the lake. I caught no fish. I taught Katie "oh, hell" a bidding card game, she beat me 2 out of three.
I 'm checking out the calendar to schedule a grudge camping trip!
Photos by Sue & Katie!

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