Civilization

We traveled to Eugene Sunday for a nursing conference. I decided to tackle my worst fear and attended an all day seminar on "Managing Cardiac Emergencies". We got a great deal on our hotel at Priceline. I meant to hit some local birding spots and look for new wildflowers, but I wound up just enjoying civilization. We had some good meals, did some shopping, and we're glad to be home.

We turned in the keys to our old house Saturday. We're all settled in now in our new little rental cottage. Our stuff is crammed in the shed out back. The house is full to the gills. And we LOVE it. The rent is super cheap. The landlord is super easygoing. Now we can finally super relax.

Meantime, spring shorebird migration is in full force. Tomorrow I've got to hit the beaches. Hopefully there will be more on that later.

Rose

Sad News

I've just learned that Little M miscarried. The baby stopped growing weeks ago and her body has just now rejected it. My deepest sympathy goes to M&M as they cope and best of luck as they continue their baby-making efforts.

rc

Blood Diamond- movie review

essay

movie

This film is violent and cruel and greedy and ugly. It is not fun to watch. But there is a point. That makes it worthwhile. Are people inherently good or bad? Or just selfish? This is not an easy movie to review, and I'm not going to ramble on about the thoughts it brings to mind about existence, and good and evil, and whether or not to buy diamonds. I'm glad I watched it though.

rc

Spring Sights, Cont.

Queen Anne's Lace

daucus carota

Red Henbit

lamium purpureum

Wild Radish
raphanus sativus

Tough Leaf Iris
iris tenax

Wild Apple tree by the estuary

Fendler's Waterleaf
hydrophyllum fendleri

Sunrays over Surf

rc

Laundry Day Kitties

I opened the windows on laundry day to air out the bedroom. The kitties run straight for the open window, but Ailleanach isn't too sure she wants to share.

Rose

Grandma Comfort- dream journal

I was once again at Grandma Comfort's house with some other relatives going through things. I was making a mental note of some furniture that I wanted. I started telling my aunt how I have dreams about visiting with Comfort just like she was still alive. Just then Comfort walked out of her bedroom and stopped in the hall to smile and wave at me before she walked away and disappeared. My aunt couldn't see her.

Sronnoc Esor

*I learned this week that the house is up for sheriff's sale because my aunt's husband, who now owns it hasn't paid the taxes. Supposedly this has happened before and he always pays up just in time to prevent the sale.

rc

Afternoon at the Beach

Barn Swallow

Beach Pea

Beach Strawberry

Rose

Chickpea Curry

Faced with a dearth of fresh ingredients, I improvised this curried ground beef with chickpeas and canned tomatoes. I served it with a batch of No-Knead Bread, altered to finish in an afternoon instead of overnight. My goal was simply sustenance, but my palate was pleased by the result.

Rose

Something to Celebrate

I paid off the last of the credit card debt today.

And cut up all but the gas card.

Hooray.

rc

Babel- movie review

link

We don't understand each other.

Remember your Old Testament and the Tower of Babel? Everyone woke up one morning and god had given them all different languages so they couldn't communicate with each other and become greater than him. The characters in the movie are all trying so hard, but they don't get through to each other. There is one senseless near-tragedy after another, each brought on in its own way by a communication barrier, whether literal language or mental block.

The film is a good bit longer than it needed to be for my taste and it requires strict attention not to miss the subtitles unless you're fluent in Arabic, Japanese, Spanish and English and can hear sign language. Other than that, I recommend it as a thought-provoking movie.

rc

Africa- dream journal

I was traveling in Africa with several unidentified people. When we reached journey's end for the day, I wanted to go for a walk. A woman I was traveling with wanted me to take candles. She offered this box of white candles of different sizes, most no bigger than a birthday candle. She insisted on a specific size and a certain match for lighting them out of some superstitious sense. When I went outside, it was still light. As I walked through the city, I saw a half-grown lion cub roaming the streets. Soon I was walking in the desolate countryside. I came to a small town where small boys in school uniforms were sitting on bleachers. They were all calling out to me in a foreign language. I told them in English that I couldn't understand. Then I was with a few people going to the top of a tower. At the top, I got on a crude lift that lowered me to the bottom.

We went to get something to eat. I asked for kimchi and was given a raw head of cabbage. All we could get was a salami sandwich on white bread.

Suddenly I was in a shopping mall. I was looking for African curios, but it was full of American mall fare: clothes and jewelry. I saw Mother standing by the wall and went over to her. She said she wasn't feeling well and I suggested that we go outside for some fresh air. The moment we stepped outside, it started to rain very hard. We huddled in the corner of the building and Mother seemed to feel better.

Someone showed up with a rack of bridesmaid's gown for a wedding and started showing them to us. There was a beautiful pink gown with a classically fitted bodice that I liked.

Sronnoc Esor

What's Blooming at Dahlia Man's?

Quince

Rhododendron

Apple Tree

Forest Hyacinth


Buttercup

Elsa

Are you sick of flowers yet? I'm not.

rc

Don't Like Church- dream journal

I attended some sort of church function with the family. I think it was a fundraiser, oddly enough, since they're not big on overt church fundraising. As we were leaving, I commented to Father that at least it was worth going.

"You don't like church anymore." he replied.

I thought, "Here's the big confrontation I've been dreading." Then I swallowed my spit and told him, "Most of the preachers I've heard lately have given sermons that I could have given myself with verses that I have memorized. It doesn't seem to be worth my time and its boring."

"Maybe someday you'll change your mind." he offered.

Later we went to the hotel room or maybe dorm room that we had rented. There was only one bed for Mother, Father, Baptist Nun and I. Someone came and offered to bring us a sleeper sofa, but Baptist Nun and I decided we would sleep on the floor instead. They came back and said that Landlady wanted it there and we had no choice.

In another segment, I was out with friends at a nice, little, informal restaurant. We were seated with mutual friends. I dread these scenarios, but wound up liking the people. They gave us a complimentary plaid cloth hat that noone else liked, but I loved.

Sronnoc Esor

Forest Wildflower Walk

I went walking today in search of wildflowers and found them. I'm not really sure what some of these are, but here are my guesses, some substantiated. 1) daisy fleabane 2) spring beauty 3) wood sorrel and may lilies 4) hooker's fairybell 5) trillium 6) pacific bleeding heart 7) mixed mints 8) lawn daisy 9) gigantic skunk cabbage 10) tiny mushroom 11) fiddleheads 12) spotted slug; the tip of my shoe is shown for context of size.

Rose

Classic American Fare

After recovering from a two-day bout with my worse-than-usual monthly infirmity, jc and I headed out for that greatest of American fast food, local Chinese.

Oolong tea

Hot and Sour Soup

I ordered Kung Pao chicken.
(with Crab puffs- my favorite)
I didn't like it and traded it for...

Broccoli Chicken
All for only $9.90

My fortune cookie advised me to make use of my active imagination.


Rose

The Tunnel- movie review

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Triumph of the Human Spirit is the overwhelming message of this movie. I wept and bit my fingernails and sat breathless on the edge of my seat as the powerful true story played out. It is the story of East Germans who escape to West Berlin and dig a tunnel to get friends and family out. There is escape and capture, loyalty and betrayal, birth and violent death, lowest tragedy and highest heroism, selfishness and sacrifice. In a time when current events have made us all but forget the Cold War and the Iron Curtain, it is a poignant reminder of those times. jc points out that it isn't very entertaining, but I contend that it more than makes up for it in other virtues.

rc

Spring Sights

An early evening walk in the golden light before sunset
Giant horsetail- an invasive species

May lilies

A fruit will grow here later

An unknown lichen

The changing sky make silhouttes of trees

The sun glimmers from behind the clouds as it dips toward the horizon

Rose