June 21st Hurrying to Get the Trailer Moved and Get This House Started

I sit here and look out at the ocean and the cliffs on the Anchorage side. It is so beautiful. I can't wait to get my house started. All the decisions to be made and I don't know a thing about interior design. But I keep researching and making decisions. Do I do granite, quarts or corian? Do I do light or dark laminate floors? What kind of window blinds do I get? What color should the walls be?  It keeps going round and round in my head.

Harland's Story at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance & Finally a Home

Harland's Cancer Story Link     Harland's cancer story appears at this web site. We are in the last stages of starting our home. We have to move the mobile home to the side of the property soon. We had our water tested. It came back with higher than allowable limits of arsenic. We are going to add a whole home filtration system. Otherwise the water is wonderful. It has a PH of 1-2 and no minerals whatsoever. That pleases us. We are going to get a propane heating system since we can't get natural gas. They are going to try and circulate another petition for natural gas. Today Eileen and I started to pack things up. Eileen is a wonderful blessing. Jerry has been busy this week with a friend's wedding. I keep getting information about the high school reunion. It does sound like it will be fun.

Our Trip to Fairbanks, Alaska and Chena Hot Springs 6/11-6/14

My daughter, Eileen,  and I left early Friday morning to stay at her friend Tonya's house in Fairbanks. Also, little Joey lives there too but he wasn't home until Sunday night. So we had a special girl's weekend. On Friday night we went to supper and then just kind of hung around  We watched "My Greek Wedding" and laughed hysterically. Tonya has a very relaxing little cottage. It is so cute and quiet. On Saturday morning we went to the hot springs. After 2 hours in the hot springs I felt like a lump of very mellow Jell-O. It was just great. Sunday we went to brunch and grilled steak out for supper. Then we watched more "chic" flicks. "My life in Ruins" was the movie. Then  little Joey hit the house and we got lots of wonderful kisses and hugs. We came home on Monday morning. On the way home we had a young black bear run in front of the car. We stopped in Talkeetna for lunch. Then we had to come down to earth again, so we stopped in Wasilla to get our nails done.  Chena Hot Springs                 Talkeetna, Alaska

I hear the music and it causes me to take joy in my life and the simple things.

This hymn is my favorite. It is an old Quaker Hymn which reflects my joy in the simple things and the love of my family and so I wanted to share it with all of you.


How Can I Keep From Singing?


My life goes on in endless song
above earth's lamentations,
I hear the real, though far-off hymn
that hails a new creation.

Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear it's music ringing,
It sounds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?

While though the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
And though the darkness 'round me close,
songs in the night it giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm,
while to that rock I'm clinging.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
how can I keep from singing?

When tyrants tremble sick with fear
and hear their death knell ringing,
when friends rejoice both far and near
how can I keep from singing? 

Our Sorta Seattle Vacation May 3-18, 2010

We had one of the best evening's in Seattle. Our Friends Soraya and Ali had us to their home for dinner. What gracious hosts. We had the most wonderful meal. We had 3 kinds of rice with salmon, chicken, lamb, and eggplant. It was so beautiful. The rice looked like something out of a gourmet cooking magazine. They have a lovely apartment home that is so high up that their balcony is in the tree tops. Soraya must have spent all day cooking. It was just delightful. They have a lovely family and nice friends. We had such a good time. Memories are made of this. We are so blessed to have such good and kind friends from all over the world. This was one of those very special evenings. We met Soraya long time friend.

My First Big Quilting Accomplishment

 

This is the reverse side of the quilt.

 

This is the top side of it.

I love to quilt. This year I spent 5 months working on a quilt for Our Lady of Guadalupe. I donated it to the Knights of Columbus for the High School Scholarship fund. I was amazed they made over 1000. dollars It was very bright. I was so happy to share my talent and to help a kid out at the same time. It was great. It is 1:22 AM and 49 here tonight. Love to all my friends and family. God Bless and Good night.

Retirement will it Fit??

I think I am ready but not sure what I am doing. So far I swim everyday and have signed up for a 50 year reunion when I have never gone to a reunion before. I guess this is where I start doing strange things. I graduated from Pascack Valley HS in 1961. That is a long time ago.

I started a diet and seem to be sticking to it. Maybe I can weigh my high school weight by the reunion next year. That would be interesting.


I think that I am excited. My daughter Eileen and I are driving to Fairbanks for the weekend and will gladly rest my bones in the hot  springs as well as enjoy the company. I bought a kindle and that is kind of cool. Harland sleeps a lot. We are trying to get this old trailer ready to move so we can build our beautiful new home. The most important thing is that I want to go see my brother.  We will see all in good time. I signed up for the substitute school nursing/teaching in the fall. That should be interesting. I am also going to take a Victorian animal literature class in the fall semester.