THE CUCUMBER PATCH

A bird in the hand

2010-10-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a little bird flew into the patio door which is not an unusual occurrence, but this one hit really hard. When he hadn't moved for at least 5 minutes, I decided I'd better dispose of the body. When I reached for him, his eye blinked. Thinking that he may be in shock, I cupped him in my hands to keep him warm. I think he really liked that, because after he had apparently recovered, he didn't want to leave.

Saturday

2010-06-26T11:31:00.001-07:00

Maybe a little better this morning. It was at least an hour before I ran out of gas.
Some Relief Society ladies are here pulling weeds. All help is greatly appreciated.
The doctor says I can start having company again by the 4th. It'll be great to see the grandkids again even if they wear me out.

Condition

2010-06-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

Richard came over Tues and mowed the lawn and pulled weed. The place sure needs a lot more of the same.
I'm really glad the treatments are over. The side effects have been worse with each treatment. Wednesday, by the time I got thru in the bathroom and got dressed, I could bearly make to my chair. All I could do all day was nap. Today's better, but still pretty bad. Hope I start coming out of it pretty soon.

Chain for Becky

2010-06-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

Since you asked, here's the cutting of the first link:

And the last:

As most of you know, yesterday was our 44th anniversary. We went out on Wednesday since we knew my taste would be shot by Friday.
Now for the recovery period. As I mentioned on Facebook, I have no idea how long it will take. My only goals are to go back to work part-time by Aug. 1 and to need a haircut by Sept. 1.

Daytime TV

2010-06-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

With all the rain, my days are spent reading, napping, and watching TV. Since I can't stand soaps and the contestants on game shows are so totally stupid they turn me off, it's mostly Matlock, Perry Mason, and The Heat of the Night.
I'm impressed with the police on The Heat of the Night. These guys and gals never, never waste their time on burglaries, petty theft, or break-ins let alone traffic control. No way, these folks are always investigating murders.
Now, Sparta is supposed to be a small town in rural Mississippi. I grew up in a small town in rural Oregon and I remember 2, maybe 3 killings from the time we moved there when I was 7 until I left just before I turned 18. Sparta and environs average at least 1.5 dead per week and, of course the police always catch the bad guys, so an average of at least 1.5 people get shipped of to prison per week. That's a loss of 3 citizens per week. Multiplied by 52 weeks per year comes out to 156 people per year. It's a good thing the show was cancelled, a small town can't sustain that kind of population loss long term.

Sunshine

2010-06-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

We had sunshine yesterday afternoon. Did you see it?
It made me ambitious. I weeded the garden and replanted the cucumbers (3rd time. I think the slugs are getting them as soon as they come up.) Jan and I mowed the lawn. Actually, Jan mowed the lawn. I was able to make 2 laps around the back, then she finished. Same in the front. Legs were really shaky by then.
Goes to show, sunshine can be hazardous to your health.

Josh's tractor

2010-05-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Josh brought his lawn tractor over and mowed the lawn. It's a pretty good sized tractor and made short work of it, but the trees made the job a little hazardous. He nearly clothes-lined himself on the Spruce out front.
Ashlynn was impressed that the potatoes she planted were growing. She had to make sure daddy saw them before he left.

Naps

2010-05-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

In the past I never took naps. In camp, when other people were napping it was my chance to escape and explore on my own. It's amazing how much more you see when you're alone instead of in the company of a gaggle of people stomping along, chattering to one another.
Now days, naps are part of every activity. Make a quick trip to the store, take a nap. Go for a walk, take a nap. Putter in the garden for a few minutes, take a nap. At least it makes the day go faster and making the days go faster until this is over is a good thing.

The garden

2010-05-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

A few warm days followed by a little rain has been good for the garden. Lots of stuff sprouting out there. Some of it may even be things we planted.

Mom

2010-05-16T10:20:00.001-07:00

Our sweet Marge has volunteered to take Mom to her house for a few weeks while Roger has a chance to get through these last few treatments and recover for awhile.

This morning Mom said to me, "I bet you'll be glad when I go home."
I said, "Why would you say that?"
She said, "To get me out of your hair."
I told her, "No, I will miss you very much."

And I will.
I will miss her crazy wit.
I will miss her songs & poems.
I will miss her stories.
I will miss her giggles.
And in a way, I will miss her "mothering".
Most of all I will miss the opportunities I have had to
give her small acts of service and to hear her heart felt
"thank you"s.

And I will be glad when things are more normal here and she can come home.

Lawn mowing

2010-05-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

Richard drove over from Maupin to mow the lawns. Good thing, I don't know how long it would take me. Mow for 15 minutes, rest for 30- 40.

Out of gas

2010-05-11T08:21:00.001-07:00

Only worked until 9:30 yesterday and stayed home today. I'm going to get the forms filled out to go on disability. Just out of gas.

Garden time

2010-05-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

We planted a little more garden yesterday. As usual, I'm trying a few new varieties. For the past few years, I've planted Precocious for early corn. It is early and we're happy to have it, but its not great corn. This year we planted Quickie. The write-up makes it sound really good. We'll see. Of course, my main season corn is still Bodacious.
For cherry tomatoes, I've been using Sweet Million. It's well named -tons of cherry tomatoes, but splits badly. This year I'm trying Bambino. It's supposed to resist splitting.
I also found a cabbage (Gonzales) that's only softball sized. The regular sized ones are really too much for us.
We took it pretty easy and there's more to plant. I may get some more in today. This time I'll wear my straw hat instead of the baseball cap. The back of my bald head got a little pink yesterday.

Thursday, May 6

2010-05-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

4 down, 2 to go.
Richard mowed the lawn yesterday and cleaned his room and made his bed before leaving for Maupin!! The lawn mowing didn't surprise me.
I hope to get some more garden planted this weekend. We'll see how that goes.

Apr 26 thru 29

2010-05-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

Not much different this week. As I think I mentioned, the fatigue gets a little worse with each treatment. I'm not sure if I'll be able to work thru the whole process. We'll see.
Every thing I've ordered on-line came in this week. Ammunition, speed loaders, and tomato plants. The plants are in tiny pots, so I'll re-pot them today and put them in the garden when they get a little bigger.
4th treatment Thursday. I can hardly wait. Oh well, it'll be that much closer to being over.

A very nice (busy) weekend

2010-04-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I escaped for a little while and went to the book exchange, gas station, and grocery store.
Today, Jenny & Josh came over. Josh tilled the garden while Jenny mowed the lawn. I burned the little pile of stuff that was left over. Grandma and Ashlynn planted potatos.

Not Van Gogh's Potato Eaters, but Roger's Potato Planters.

All done!

Afterwards, I took a nap! Watching all that work can wear a guy out.

Bald guys

2010-04-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

NOW do you see the resemblance??

Tues thru Fri

2010-04-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

Tues, Wed, and Thurs were uneventful. Just work, eat and sleep. Really tired by the time I got home each day, but that's normal for the week after. Went to work this morning, but didn't feel well, so I came home about 9:00. Feel some better now.
I did have some good news. The ammo I ordered from Cabela's in January finally shipped. It left IL this morning.
I hope to burn a little more tomorrow, then maybe, just maybe, the garden will be ready to til.

Monday

2010-04-20T12:06:00.001-07:00

Stayed home today. Just tired. Hope to rest up and get a running start on tomorrow.

Sunday

2010-04-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

Richard mowed the lawn and burned the brush pile. (I helped for 5-10 minutes.) He'll be gone 4 or 5 days next weekend rafting the Owyhee. I may need some help getting the garden tilled. If it's dry enough.

Saturday

2010-04-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

The doctor said the fatigue would get worse with each treatment. Sadly, he was right. I'm supposed to try to get some light exercise, so I went for a walk. Only got as far as the other side of Hare Field, then had to give it up. Oh well, this too will pass. Just not soon enough to suit me.

Friday

2010-04-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

Friday wasn't bad other than the crummy taste is back. Not as bad as the first time, but bad enough.
I got to work about 8:30. I couldn't stand for long periods, but had a lot of programming to do to make a part on the CNC Mill, so I spent quite a bit of time at the computer. Program awhile, try it, back to the computer to fix the problems, then try again.
I did discover another fringe benefit to the chemo. No one can tell if I skip shaving.

Wed - Thurs

2010-04-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was uneventful, just worked, ate, and slept.
Thursday was treatment day. It wasn't quite as smooth as the previous two. They were a little understaffed and the nurses were running from station to station most of the day. My first IV location started causing pain as soon as the meds started flowing and its not supposed to, so they had to re-try in the other arm. After that every thing went fine. In at 8:00 am and out at 4:15 pm. I was native american day at the cafeteria so I had Salmon and rice. It was really good. I'm usually surprised at how good the food is at Tuality. Finished one book, napped, and read several magazines. Exciting, huh?
We went for a walk after we got home, but my legs were pretty shakey, so we had to cut that short.
I have to stop at the clinic and get a shot this morning then I'll try working and see how that goes.

Sat thru Mon

2010-04-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

I felt pretty good all weekend. We went out to Forest Grove and looked at the house Loranger's have in the Ultimate Open House.
Back to work this morning.
I'm not looking forward to Thursday's treatment, but it will be the 3rd of 6.

Tues thru Fri

2010-04-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

It was a pretty good week, my taste and appetite are nearly back to normal and my energy level is improved. I actually got physical yesterday. I got rid of the scrap metal parts that had been accumulating for months. It took at least 6 trips up and down the stairs form the Model Shop to the recycle area with a 5 gal. can full of small chunks of metal. My legs are feeling it this morning, but its a good kind of pain and not much of it.

Sunday & Monday

2010-04-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

I've felt pretty good the last couple of days. Still run out of gas and need a nap by around 4:00 but otherwise nearly normal.
Sunday was pretty boring without all the grandkids decorating and hunting eggs. Next year...

Saturday

2010-04-03T18:28:00.000-07:00

Not a bad day. Not especially good either, but not bad.
Jan and I just went for a walk down to Cornell and back. Dang, it's cold out there!
I wore a coat, gloves, and hat, but somehow that baseball cap didn't do anything for the back of my head. (Hair would help.) I guess I need a hoodie.
Imagine, me a skinhead with a hoodie. It just ain't right.

Wednesday thru Friday

2010-04-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

Worked Wed. & Thurs. but very tired afterward. Came home early today because I was dizzy every time I stood up. That seems to have passed now. I'll probably nap a lot this afternoon.

Mon & Tues

2010-03-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

Worked both days, but was really tired afterward. Millie, Theresa & Bud stopped by Mon and took Mom out to dinner. I took a nap while they were gone and Jan and I had Pizza. It's hard to find things to eat that actually taste good. The pizza wasn't great but better than a lot of things.

Sunday

2010-03-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

Not as good as yesterday, but not as bad as last time. Energy and appetite are down and in general just feel kinda crappy. The cold, grey, wet weather may be contributing.

Saturday

2010-03-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

A surprisingly good day compared to last time. I did the grocery shopping and then picked up a pot for Jan's little palm tree. I want to go spray some Round-up after I finish this.

OK, here are some pictures. The hair mostly fell out, but not completely, so Jan's friend Nelaine came over and gave me a buzz cut.

Before:

During

After

Bald & skinny

Friday

2010-03-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

Had to go to the doctor's office at 10:00 for a shot to jump start my immune system. Seems strange after years of methotrexate to tone down my immune system to prevent arthritis and polymyositis.
Went to work afterward and had a good day. A little tired after.

Thursday

2010-03-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

2nd treatment done, 4 more to go. The treatment went well, partly because I felt better to begin with and partly because it was shorter. 7 hours instead of 8 1/2.
No adverse effects yet other than a drop in energy level, but they usually don't kick in until the 2nd day after. It can't take much more hair from my head, it's pretty close to gone. Something to look forward to.

Wednesday

2010-03-26T07:29:00.000-07:00

See Mon. & Tues.

Mon & Tues

2010-03-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

Nothing much to report the last couple of days. Work, eat, sleep, lose more hair.

Sunday

2010-03-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Very quiet day. Too chilly to do anything outside, so I just sat around the house, watched basketball and read. Feeling fine.

Saturday

2010-03-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a very good day. My only complaint was the scalp pain and most of the time I can ignore that.
Jan and I decided to try to see a movie. Our thinking was that the movie (Crazy Heart) had been out for a while and most people that wanted to see it already had and little kids wouldn't be interested. Randy Kaines came and took Mom out to lunch while we went to a 2:00 matinee. We guessed right, There were probably 10-12 people total in the theater.
I liked the music and thought Jeff Bridges did a great job, but overall the movie wasn't all that good.
Richard mowed the lawn and I got my roses fertilized. As I said, it was a very good day.

Friday

2010-03-20T07:34:00.000-07:00

Oh, the hair is falling out for sure. I expected it but I didn't know it would be painful. My entire scalp is tender to the touch. It even hurts to comb my hair. Maybe the little follicles are protesting. I just wish they wouldn't try to plant their stupid signs.
Otherwise, it was a pretty good day, all things considered.

Thursday

2010-03-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

Not so good today. Had a stiff neck and head-ache most of the day, so when I got home I took a Tylenol-3...on an empty stomach. Not smart.
Also, I think the hair is starting to go and I never was a fan of Kojak. Oh well, it'll come back. I hope.

Wednesday

2010-03-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

Nothing much to report today. Appetite, taste, and energy are all slowly improving. I may be back to normal by the time I have to do it all over again. fun, fun, fun
It would have been a pretty good day except for Murphy showing up at work. What did I expect on St. Patrick's Day.

Tuesday

2010-03-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

Worked again today. My energy level was somewhat better, but when I got home I fell asleep in front of the TV before I could finish a cup of tea.
Jan informs me that I slept thru 3 old women yanging away in the dining room. I guess there are benefits to a low energy level.

Monday

2010-03-15T21:05:00.000-07:00

I went to work today. It went really well, but I was pretty much done in at the end of the day. For sure the only way to follow me home was to follow the hiney track. It was draggin' out any footprints. (If you can follow a hiney track, I don't want to know it.)

Richard fertilized the blueberries for me. Hopefully, we'll have a little better crop this year and more each year for a while.

Sunday, Mar 14

2010-03-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

Today probably would have been a good day, but I worked on the taxes. "Good day" and "Worked on taxes" are mutually exclusive terms. You can have one only.
Speaking of taxes, when I turned 65 I began collecting my Tektronix pension, last fall I started collecting Social Security. Those things, coupled with the IRS not taking as big a bite to 'stimulate the economy' led to my paying the feds for the first time in years and years. $37.00 - dang!

Saturday

2010-03-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday was definitely a good day. The best since last Monday. Still working on the taste thing, but able to get food down and keep it there. That's an important improvement.
Sam greatly improved my hopes for a complete recovery. She phoned to let me know that she made a Call in Solo. Anything is possible with prayer. lol (Love ya, Sam.)

Update on Dad

2010-03-13T09:06:00.000-08:00

Relatively speaking yesterday was a better day.
And this morning he was able to eat most of his breakfast
(first since last Tuesday). He says he has no taste.
But that must be better than a bad taste, right?

And with my cooking - it might be a blessing.

One week down

2010-03-11T22:44:00.000-08:00

If Dad wants to post for today later he can. For now I'll just say it was a rough day.

Tues & Wed

2010-03-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

Not so tough after all, Sam. I only worked half a day yesterday and didn't go in at all today. Wait and see how tomorrow goes.

Monday

2010-03-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

Went to work today. I'm hoping I can get away with working since I'm pretty much by myself back in the Model Shop and can avoid much personal contact with others. That plus a lot of hand-washing and sanitizer might get me through.
I'm a little tired, but glad I was able to get out of the house and actually feel like I was contributing.

Sunday

2010-03-08T18:11:00.000-08:00

Sunday was a kinda 'tween day. Not as good as Friday, but not as bad as Saturday. Richard cleaned up the front yard and Rose Garden, so that looks alot better.
My chemo treatments are every 3 weeks thru June 17th and it'll be about 2 months after that before my immune system gets back to normal. Look's like we won't be coming to any reunions this year or going on our usual Memorial Day jaunt. Maybe we can get in a little camping trip sometime in late Aug.

Saturday

2010-03-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Saturday wasn't as good as Friday, but not toooo bad. Had to resort to the Tylenol a couple of times. The worst part is that gawd-awful taste in my mouth. You CANNOT get rid of it and everything tastes the same - really bad!
Jan helped me prune the roses and Amy came over and mowed the lawn. She got a really good work-out. I think she was 3/4 done when I showed her that the mower really is self-propelled.
Thanks, Aim.

Friday was good

2010-03-06T08:57:00.000-08:00

Friday way a very good day. I woke to find the tumors greatly reduced and the pain with them.
Swallowing is much easier now. Still not great but better.
For the last 2 or 3 days, I've taken Tylenol-3 every 4 hours. I only took it once on Friday and that was as much preventative as for pain.
The nurses and doctors tell me that the day following the treatment is the good one, then the next two are bad. They were definitely right about day one.

Treatment #1 went very well.

2010-03-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

Jan: "It was a long day. We were there at 8am and left at 4:30pm.
Dr Byrd told us some news we had not heard before. The second tumor that was found is actually bigger than the one in his neck. That was a pretty big shocker, but the treatment plan and prognosis are still the same. Seeing the word CURE hand written and signed on his treatment plan made me very happy. Not shrunk, Not remission, CURE."

The 5 different medications are given one at a time. At some point, one of them made me very light headed, so they put in phenergan which pretty much knocked me out. I slept through most of the rest of the treatment.
After we got home we took a walk down to 5th and back. Both of our butts were really tired of being in a chair by then.

Ready or not, We start

2010-03-03T20:14:00.000-08:00

So far Roger has had a procedure/test every day this week and chemo starts tomorrow (OH, I guess tomorrow is now today). He is very tired and weak, in a lot of pain and the last couple of nights nauseated. I'm hoping the treatments will help the pain and not make the other problems too much worse.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and cares.

Sweet Lynnette brought Roger a quillow tonight. That is a quilt with a pocket and when it is folded into the pocket it becomes a pillow. It is made out of fleece and very nice.

Lynnette is Rachael Seeley's mom and a R.N. I told Roger, " Lynnette has already walked the walk and is able to talk the talk." She is truly a wonderful and valuable friend.

LAWSON DEAN KOMP

2010-02-26T23:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the world and to our family.

Born 2/26/2010
8 lbs 8 oz
21 inches long

What a blessing you are.

To Each and Everyone of My Adult Children

2009-11-28T22:32:00.000-08:00

I love and appreciate you so much.

Another Raised Eyebrow

2009-10-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

"When your brothers retired
they became 'Chief Cook and Bottle Washer'.
Will that happen at our house too?"

Going, going, gone!

2009-10-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

The "bully tree" (named that because the knot holes looked like a face) has been an important part of our lives, our children's lives and now our grandchildren's lives for 35 years.

It stands 60 feet with 3 large tree size branches coming out about 8 feet up. The arborist says it is by far the largest willow he has ever seen.

Saturday evening, while fixing dinner, I looked out the kitchen window. Something looked real strange. We had been out there just minutes before, but there were a lot more leaves along the side fence than usual.

One of the large willow branches had come down.

It missed the pond, the fence and the apple tree.

The tree service came the next Saturday.

with all their BIG equipment and 4 amazing guys.

This "monkey" knew no fear, but did know what to do to lay each piece exactly where it needed to go to prevent any damage to property or people.

Here he is showing off with his under cut.
(Yes, daughters, he was a brown boy and very cute.)

And down the last of it went.

It took everyone's help to move the very bottom pieces of the trunk.

Approximately 5 hours later there was nothing left

but a very very large pile of wood.

*********************************

The great tree. Our Bully
by Leanna McCumber Thayer
My childhood was spent playing in the shadow of a giant. A great monster of a tree (We called it the bully) that is in the background of almost every picture ever taken in my parents’ backyard. You could see it from blocks away and it inspired the most wonderful adventures in our very own Neverland. Truly the place where dreams are made and children never grow up. We were and are blest to have such a wonderful place to call our home and place where we are able to watch our kids enjoy the same happy adventures together. But such is life and everything has its end. The tree’s great branches have failed... now for the last time. It is truly the end of an era. Our Giant will be gone and he will be missed by all.

***************************************

Good bye old friend, the yard will not be the same without you.

Happy Birthday

2009-09-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

To my knight.

Up, up, and away...

2009-08-02T08:52:00.001-07:00

Saturday we finally got to go on our anniversary balloon ride. Amy, Jennifer, and Ashlynn came over and hung out with GG Friday night while we slipped away to Newberg. We went to see Harry Potter that evening.
We were at the airpark around 5:00 Saturday morning for our ride. You don't have to help fill the balloon but can if you want to and I wanted to.
Six balloons went up, but I only remember the names of 3, "Sunrise", "Thunder", and "Ridgerunner".
We were in the balloon "Sunrise" and our pilot was Kelly Haverkate. She took us out over the Willamette and set the basket down on the river. Then we went up to about 2,000 feet and drifted SSW 4 to 5 miles before setting down in a hay field. The trip took about an hour.
Each of the balloons has it's own chase car and ground crew that follows to bring you back to the airpark. When we got back, they had a champagne brunch ready for us. (There was juice if you didn't want the bubbly.)

Getting started

Open wide
Filling

Firing up
Looking up inside
Almost ready
First two off
3 up
Sunrise
The airpark
The WillametteOur reflection
2 on the river

Our chase car
3 down at Skookum Lake
We're down
Folding the balloon
In the bag
Kelly and us

It was a great day! Thanks girls for a wonderful Christmas present.

Spring Creek

2009-07-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

The 16th of July we went to Spring Creek camping with the McMaster/McCumber clan. It was a great trip with excellant weather, good food, and lots of Solo and shootin' (Bull & bullets.) Speaking of Solo, Sam had a Spread Misere and broke up one game. (I could pay and had chips left over.) The rest of the game, she... Did I mention that Sam had a Spread Misere?
Ryan & Eva have a new baby boy, Joseph. Kendal & Lisa have the cutest Basset Hound pup, Holly. Holly is short for Hollywood. She and the baby were the stars of the show.

Breakfast Emma & Holly

Chatter

Claudia & Mom

'Cumber group

Mom & kids

Pround g-grandma

G-grandma 2

Settin in the shade

Jammin

Just fiddlin around

Lisa

The dancers

Worn out

Brotherly love (part 2)

2009-07-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

The next day found me strangely uninterested in fishing, so I suggested we get the .22s and go shoot ground squirrels preferably somewhere up in the hills and far away from the river.
We drove to one of our favorite shooting spots, an old homestead on Pleasant Hill. There we parked at the old building site, crossed a fence, and hunted up the draw to the south where we spent the next couple of hours happily terrorizing sage rats. Terrorizing may be too strong a word, but I am fairly certain we did manage to frighten a few.
Inevitably, hunger and/or dwindling ammunition caused us to decide it was time to go back home. Lyle was leading the way when we came to the barbed-wire fence. Since it wasn’t a very tall fence, he simply pushed the top wire down with one hand (The other was engaged in carrying his rifle.) and swung his right leg over the fence. As his foot was descending, he glanced down and noticed that he was about to land squarely on a rattlesnake. Unable to let go of the wire with the pointed barbs scarcely an inch from a rather sensitive area and unwilling to let go of the rifle, he vainly attempted to reverse his course. As he was teetering on the fence, the snake decided it wasn’t happy with the thought of a giant foot landing on it and began looking for an escape route. I don’t recall exactly how long this entertaining scene went on; Lyle teetering back and forth while the snake ran (crawled, slithered, whatever) in circles, but eventually, the snake made his escape and Lyle safely dismounted.
Having witnessed all of the proceeding, I asked with grave, brotherly concern, “Does that dance have a name?”

Brotherly love (part 1)

2009-07-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

If any of you are interested, I’ve decided its time to share some of my recollections of me and my brother’s youthful adventures (more properly misadventures) growing up in Eastern Oregon. In attempting to compile and record the above mentioned adventures, I find it quite remarkable that the ones I most vividly recall all involve either pain or fear, in fact, usually extreme pain and/or absolute terror.
The one I’ll start with really occurred when we were old enough to be considered grown up in most societies. Happily, in Eastern Oregon most of us are granted at least 10 additional years of childhood and in some cases far more than that. In fact, I know of one individual totally escaping the onerous responsibilities of adulthood for his entire life.
One late winter or early spring, we were up home for a visit. Lyle and I decided that there may still be some Steelhead in the river so we went down to do a little fishing. One of our favorite spots at the time was an irrigation dam on the river a mile or so from town. When we reached the dam, we found that someone had put rip-rap on the bank below the dam to prevent erosion. This was no ordinary rip-rap, this was RIP-RAP. I mean, these rocks were the size of small cars and probably weighed more. Lyle decided wisely that discretion was the better part of valor and went on down stream to fish below the rocks. I was not about to let a few rocks keep me from my favorite spot and so carefully climbed down the rocks to the edge of the water. There I smugly planted myself to fish, my feet a scant inch above the flow and my back leaning comfortably against a mammoth boulder. I had hardly cast when I felt the rock that was taller than me, even longer, and who knows how thick, MOVE. Without hesitation, I leapt as far as I could into the stream. There, neck deep in the icy flow, I watched as the entire bank of rock came crashing into the river exactly where I had been standing.
Lyle, having witnessed all of the preceding, asked with grave, brotherly concern, “A little cold for a swim isn’t it?”

Note to self

2009-07-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

Aluminum Sulfate, dumb a.., not Ammonium Sulfate.

What my Hydrangea looks like:

What I want it to look like:

I knew what to use, I just didn't look closely enough at the bag. Worse, I can't even think of some way to blame it on Sam. (Sigh)

On ageing

2009-06-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

An old friend from Tek died a couple of weeks ago. Walt started there about 2 years after me and he and I worked together for the next 16 years. There was a group including Walt and I that played softball (as either team-mates or opponents), went on fishing trips, and bowled together.
Nearly all of the old gang was at the funeral. Most of these guys I hadn't seen since I left Tek in '86 and I found it difficult to recognize my old friends inside their new bodies. Their hair is either gone or really, really grey, most are much heavier, and their faces are wrinkled and jowly.
At first I didn't understand why they didn't recognize me, and then it dawned on me - their eyesight is going too.
God, it must be terrible...
; )

Anniversary Celebration

2009-06-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

Thursday was our anniversary and we had decided on a balloon ride to celebrate. The nearest date Jan could get was Friday the 19th and we had to be at the airpark at 5:15 AM so we got a room in Newberg and went over Thursday night. Our beautiful, talented, intelligent, wonderful granddaughter Mackenzie (Kenzie, Kiki) spent the night at our house to take care of her Great-Grandmother. (If I butter her up enough, maybe she'll do it again. Did I lay it on too thick?)

Sadly, the ride was rained out or more accurately, blown out. It was too windy Friday so we'll have to re-schedule.

Instead we went to the Evergreen Air Museum in McMinnville. It's a really neat place to visit if you like aircraft and I do. Howard Hughes' HK-1 (Spruce Goose) is amazing. If you haven't seen it, you really should.

I don't know how many planes they have inside, but it's a lot. They also have quite a few outside including those like my AF squadron had.

F-102A

T-33

I actually got to fly this one. Of course the real pilot (Capt Charley Stewart) did the take-off and landing and made sure I didn't splatter us all over North Carolina, but I did get to play around with it. Great fun!!

Question of the day

2009-06-11T14:33:00.001-07:00

ATHEISM IS A NON-PROPHET ORGANIZATION.

CAN AN ATHEIST GET INSURANCE AGAINST ACTS OF GOD?

New terms from the Mesa Invitational

2009-06-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist passing these along:

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

Here are this year's winners. Read them carefully. Each is an artificial word with only one letter altered from a real word. Some are terrifically innovative.

Intaxication
Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

Reintarnation
Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

Bozone
The substance surrounding stupid people, that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The Bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

Cashtration
The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.

Giraffiti
Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

Sarchasm
The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

Inoculatte
To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

Hipatitis
Terminal coolness

Osteopornosis
A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

Karmageddon
It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

Decafalon
The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you

Glibido
All talk and no action

Dopeler Effect
The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

Arachnoleptic Fit
The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

Beelzebug
Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

Caterpallor
The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

Ignoranus
A person who's both stupid and an asshole.

Summer

2009-04-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, summer was really early this year. Mark it on your calender, write it in your diary, note it in your blog. Summer fell on April 20 in 2009.
Wouldn't you know it, I had to work. Seems to happen every year.

Earth to Al...

2009-03-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, as my buddy Rick and I were trudging across the patio at work thru a small blizzard the thought crossed my mind - 'What planet is Al Gore from, anyway?
Just asking.

Some Las Vegas pics

2009-02-22T10:14:00.000-08:00

Friday we went out to Red Rock Canyon and got snowed on. Its a really cool place to visit, but I prefer it without the snow.

Lone Mountain is a good sized hill and popular hike at the Northwest edge of Las Vegas. (It may actually be in the city limits now.) On Saturday, Chris guided his decrepit old grandfather to the top. He's a brave young man.

Lone Mountain from Lone Mountain Park.

Starting out.

Half way up.

Lone Mountain national forest.

Zoomed in on the strip from the top of Lone Mountain.

The Layton house. (It's there...right next to the church.)

The trail down.

Monday we went to the Bellagio and to the Mirage but I forgot my camera. You'll have to check with Becky for those pictures.

Spring is coming

2009-02-07T15:45:00.000-08:00

Its time to get ready so I ordered the garden stuff from Territorial Seed Co. today. Corn, beans, peas, peppers, and tomatoes to be delivered in May. The other stuff I'll pick up around here when planting time gets closer.
Late last fall or early last winter I collected some seeds from my favorite rose bush, Precious Platinum. I've kept the seeds in the refrigerator since then and I'm going to plant them in little peat pots tomorrow. I dont know what I'll get, if anything, since I dont know who the male parent was (The scoundrel!), but if anyone is interested and I have several plants, I'll share them. Get your orders in soon.

L&L Visit

2009-02-02T17:54:00.000-08:00

Lyle & Linda were here over the weekend so of course we had to play Solo. I had a pretty good run of cards and won several hands in a row. At one point I had so many chips I thought Sam must be playing. One of the reasons we all love her is because she's so generous. I've heard that she'll even try to make a call without the 10 of trump. lol
We went to the Trailblazer game Saturday night. (Thanks Chris & Amy.) Max lost power in the tunnel (Fortunately, before we got there.) So, they put us on a bus at the Sunset transit center an took us downtown. There we got back on Max and went on to the Rose Garden. Then we reversed the procedure on the way home. Lyle tried to make the best of it by saying it added flavor to the evening. I said I didn't care for that flavor. (Kinda like fish icecream.)
It was a great game! Portland kicked Jazz butt big time,

Job benies

2009-01-11T18:55:00.000-08:00

There's something wrong with the rear sight on my old .22 rifle. I just cant get it in focus. What's up with that? So, since there was an employee's sale on blemished products last week I got a 2-7x rimfire scope.
Anyway, since I just happen to know someone in the custom shop, I had a prairie dog laser etched on both sides of the bell and my initials on the elevation adjustment cap. I may not shoot any better, but I've got a cool looking scope at least.

Ice crystals

2009-01-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning we had a little snow and the temperature was right at the freezing point. Ice was just forming on the little pond out front, so of course I had to take some pictures.

WOO HOO!!!

2008-12-31T19:18:00.000-08:00

Vegas air fare finally went down.

3 round trip tickets for $481.50.

So we're going down for Valentine's Day.

WOO HOO.

Snow update

2008-12-25T09:20:00.000-08:00

It's warmed up and is thawing! YEA!! The roads were passable yesterday, but really, really rough. I've driven mountain 4-wheel drive tracks that were better.

Here's something from Homes & Gardens of the Northwest I thought you would-be gardeners would enjoy. I sure did.
"Gardening is all about who's in charge and it ain't us."
CSA farmer Will Newman

More snow

2008-12-22T09:06:00.000-08:00

According to the paper, Hillsboro officially had 9 inces of snow at noon on Sunday and we had at least an inch of snow Sunday afternoon. Richard had driven enough to clear all the snow from his pickup before he parked it last night. This morning there was 1 1/2 to 2 inches on it. Guess what, its still snowing.
The pictures were taken yesterday afternoon so imagine at least 2 inches more.

Back to reality

2008-12-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

The sunflower today:

IT'S SNOWING

2008-12-20T17:15:00.000-08:00

and snowing and snowing and snowing. I shook the snow off of the bird feeder about 7:30 this morning. This is what it looked like at 3:30 this afternoon. Even more now.

If you're trying to remember summer, maybe this will help.

Australia

2008-11-29T20:57:00.000-08:00

We went to the movie 'Australia' this afternoon. It's not bad; not a total chick flick but close. Could and should have been cut by at least 30 minutes, but overall I'd recommend it.

I have a cold

2008-11-22T14:21:00.000-08:00

I missed two days work this week with a cold. The fever's gone, but I'm still hacking and sneezing and sucking on cough drops. (If you're looking for a stock tip, Hall's should be good.)
Anyway, it looks like I'll miss Kenzie's play. I was really looking forward to it, but I don't like people that go to a crowded auditorium and annoy everyone by coughing their heads off, so I won't do it. I'm sure Kenzie will be great and I hope someone takes pictures.

It's a tough job...

2008-11-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

Friday, the engineering manager took the department to the Tri-County shooting range and to Clancy's in Sherwood for lunch.
The idea is that:
a. Some of the new engineers are fresh out of school and have very little actual shooting experience.
b. It gives us a chance to try out some of the new prototypes.
c. It's damn good for moral.
The range has pistol, rifle, and shotgun ranges. I split my time between pistol and rifle.
It's really tough sweating over a hot gun all day and keeping your eye on the target, etc., but someone has to do it.

Happy Birthday

2008-11-08T09:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Daddy.

Happy Birthday Mom.

2008-10-31T21:26:00.000-07:00

We love you because:

At 95 you still keep pluggin’.

You are in great shape for the shape you're in.

The simplest things please you:
Eating out.
A grandchild’s kiss.
The fresh air of a walk.
The sun on your back.
A note or card in the mail.
A phone call from kids.
A cat to pet.
Church parties.
A ride in the country.
Family & Friends.

You are so self sufficient.

You make do or do without.

You are still the funniest person I know.

You never let us run out of TP.

You are easy to cook for.

Your needs are small.

Your love is LARGE.

Happy Birthday to YOU.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - RICHARD

2008-10-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

Just 10 of the reasons I love you.

You are my last born.
You have shouldered being the baby well.
You are protective of your sisters.
You are protective of those you see in need.
You love and honor your grandmother.
You have a strong sense of family.
You are the bestest Uncle.
You graduated in spite of some pretty big odds.
You served our country with honor.
The reason you came to our family is a miracle.

Mom

Coincidence??? You decide.

2008-10-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

I lost my flash drive. I know I had it 10/22 by 10/26 I couldn’t find it anywhere. It is not unusual for me to lose things, I would find it. But I didn’t find it. I looked everywhere over & over again. It was full of pictures, GG’s stories, old journals, family history, and personal history. I was devastated.

During conference the message I heard more than once was be kinder and let people know you care.
In my journal I wrote 3 things I wanted to do about this counsel. Some of them had been in the back of my mind to do since July. As I finished my list the thought was strong that, “When you actually do these things you will find your flash drive.” That’s silly - the list had nothing to do with the flash drive.
It took me until this Friday morning to finish the things on my list. As I put the stamp on the envelope and addressed my letter I said to myself, “Now can I find my flash drive?” And again I thought how silly that was.
I needed to do some on-line banking for Richard. When I came home for lunch, I took the papers off the shelf – the same papers off the same shelf I have looked thru at least once a day for 3 weeks – and the flash drive fell out onto the floor.

I'm a star

2008-10-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

Check it out. Go to www.leupold.com, click on the golfer, wait for it to load then click on the "History of innovation" video. Don't blink.

Oh, yeah....

2008-10-13T17:20:00.001-07:00

Richard's home too.

Bad news for berry lovers

2008-10-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Marvin's back. The odds of my new berry bushes surviving have sunk to a somewhat abysmal low. Not sockmarket low but bad none the less. He's a sweet little dog, but he has more energy than 5 dogs should have. The results of all that energy have been very detrimental the the health and well being of my lawn and garden. In other words, he could tear up a crowbar!!

An attempt to "Marvin Proof" the new bushes.

The perp trying to look innocent.

Big boxy glider

2008-10-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

This is what the bigger gliders look like. It undoubtably has more room than the little sports job I was in.

Looks like a sedan surrounded by sports cars.

In this case, I think comfort is highly over-rated.

Happy Birthday

2008-10-10T06:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mother.

Have you noticed...

2008-10-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

Democrats believe that government should be all things to all people, while Republicans believe that government never does anything right.
Democrats, when elected, have never been able to prove their theory, while Republicans, when elected, always prove theirs.

Happy Birthday

2008-10-08T16:59:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Dad.

Just so you know....

2008-10-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

Let's be clear on this...buying a Berkley blueberry does NOT make me a ultra-far-left-wing radical terrorist, ok. It's just a blueberry bush. Geez...

Berry lovers rejoice

2008-10-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

As my wife, kids, the squirrels, the birds, nieces, nephews, their kids, and all of the grandkids tall enough to pick them know, one of my 25 to 30 year old blueberry bushes died and the other is trying to. That one has been in intensive care all summer, but is still just hanging on.
So as not to disappoint all of the above mentioned, yesterday I bought 3 new bushes, 1 'Berkley' and 2 'Duke' varieties. I want 1 more Berkley and a couple of 'Earlyblues', but they probably wont be available until next spring and I'm not sure I have room for the Earlyblues. I plan to have a line of them along that side of the garden.
My difficulty finding plants brings me to one of my favorite rants - Any gardening book will tell you that fall is the best time to plant shrubs, so why do the garden centers (especially Fred Meyers) get rid of all of their shrubs by the end of summer. Maybe you don't qualify to be a garden center manager if you've ever read a gardening book.
OK, enough rant. All of you Blueberry lovers keep you fingers crossed for my new bushes. (Having no fingers, I'll exempt the birds.)

My birthday present

2008-10-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

Janet got me a flight in a glider for my birthday!! How neat is that?
For those of you I haven't already bored to death, here's some pictures of the flight.

This is the glider I was in. (Must have be painted by an OSU fan.)

Bob, the pilot, giving instructions.

Squeezing in. (I wont mention any names, but some of you should consider the large, box style glider if you go.)

Wow! I made it.

Watch where you put your feet, pal.

The tow plane. (Ducks fan)

Takeoff

Airborne

The tow plane again

Mt St. Helens and Mt Rainer

Mt Hood and Tualatin Plains

Hillsboro (Hare Field in center)

Sawmill, hwy 26, and Willamette Valley Soaring Club field.

Glider field

North Plains on approach

Final approach

Touchdown. We're done.

Very cool. Thank you, thank you Love.

If you're interested in a ride, contact the Willamette Valley Soaring Club. www.wvsc.org or (503) 647-0913

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROGER

2008-10-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

Just 65 of the reasons why
You accept me for who I am
You adore and take time with the grandkids
You allow me to babble
You allow the kids and their spouses to be adults
You always say "I love you."
You are a good son & a good son-in-law
You are a reader
You are hard working and a good provider
You are still willing to try to sleep with a demented frog
You are tolerant and even kind to my friends
You are true to yourself
You are willing to share
You are willing to take Mom to the doctor
You bring me roses and strawberries
You can be very patient
You can tell a great story & you're writing a great book
You care about my sister and her family
You care about the way you look
You care for and about the pets
You change the oil in my car
You come home every night
You do all the driving
You do all the yard work
You don't have to let everyone know how smart you are
You don't try to push your ideas on others, allowing them to have a different opinion
You eat all my cooking
You find the best places to be in the Wallowas
You give the best good morning, goodbye, hello, good night and just because kisses
You have an amazing ability to find your way there and back again
You have such a dry wit
You help make the bed
You help me feel "better" and care about my pleasure
You help me have respite care
You know a lot about birds and stars and trees and wildlife
You let me cry if I need to or just because
You let me keep the bedroom cool/cold
You let me sleep in
You let me take showers with you
You love family history
You love the outdoors and the beauty of nature
You make me feel safe in your arms
You make me laugh
You make my daydreams worthwhile
You never stop learning
You offered our home to Mom
You pick good movies and are a great date
You plant, water, weed & harvest the garden
You restore my soul at East Eagle
You rub my feet and scratch my back
You shop and will buy anything on the list
You show pride in the kids and grandkids
You support me in my job
You support my church activity
You support the children's/grandchildren's activities
You supported the help I gave Gwen with Mother
You take beautiful pictures
You take care of your health
You take me to extended family functions
You take out the garbage
You take us camping
You were a patient patient while you were so sick
You truly are handsome
You will kill spiders, flies and fleas
Your 1st kiss - in the driveway on Rosa Rd… knocked me off me feet
Your kisses still thrill me
You are my knight is shining armor

Woo Hoo

2008-10-03T21:55:00.001-07:00

We're going to start blogging.