The Sweetness of Family!

Brian, Serene, Thayer: Family celebration

Being with Family makes me happy. Whenever I think I might like to go back home to VT, I think about how lucky I am
to be surrounded by goofballs like these!
My niece, Serene, nephew, Thayer, brother-in-law, Brian. Please support  marriage equality for all in WA, for civil rights for  loving couples and to make David and Brian as legal as the rest of my family! 

Some All Time Favorite Men! Brian, David, Thayer, Doug

We all love cooking, eating, laughing, and being together. Too bad no time for a card game this trip...I had to be back on the Peninsula for work Monday morning.

Amal and Serene

I am so lucky to be one of five siblings who all
Enjoy each other's company! And although
only two of us have procreated, the resulting
younger generation is Spectacular! and doesn't
mind hanging out with the old folks.

I got plenty of nurturing experience (and diaper changing) when my four younger 
bothers were growing up, and I don't miss
having children of my own. Doug and Amal
and Steve and Linda have done a Fantastic
job of being way more patient and forgiving
than I ever would have been. I don't know
how parents can ever stand to let their progeny out of their sight!

Goofy Thayer and Doug

Thayer is off to Israel on July 4th, for a fellowship and internship in journalism and will be gone for a year or more. Of course he has relatives there, too. We are an international family--who would have thought that it would start with Doug and Amal meeting while working at Montgomery Ward in Iowa!

Family, food, fun at Doug and Amal's house in Seattle

One of my VT friends, Tim, was in the
Peace Corps, in Liberia, back in the year 
that Amal was pregnant with Thayer. We
met for the holidays in Jerusalem, where 
Doug and Amal were living. I'm trying to

scan a picture from that trip, but will have
to get back to you on that later. Success!


Upgrading my operating system thrice
in two weeks (thanks to Jerry Freilich's
patient help) has left some glitches in running things. 

1987 Doug, Amal, Pam in Jerusalem I brought US Goodies

Tim,

1987, Haifa, more hair, red hair...sigh

I don't think Thayer knew I was taking this picture of him spicing up my salsa, or he would have made a face.
June 2012, 25 years later

A Little Depression Aids Creativity

100 Hot Flash Women: Fran Sisson

Being Human is Hard Work! I know that

I should build blogging in to my daily routine, since I now have 2 blogs, this 

and my other more Hot Flashy blog, plus

my regular FaceBook Page and the Hot Flash one plus the one with Barb Kobe

to maintain. 

Sometimes Life gets in the way of Intention, and I seem to be that creative/scattered sort of person who is

always going in 5,000 different directions

at once...and at the ripe old age of 65, I

am still trying to understand and work

with who I actually am and want to keep

growing into.

Me, in Seattle last weekend

Time seems to be accelerating in its passing. I'm reading all kinds of books. IMAGINE, Jonah Lehrer, is a good consolidation of learning on a study of creativity I've been engaged in since ghost-writing papers for my soon-to-be husband in college. He's the one who cited studies that "a little melancholy sharpens attention," allowing us/me to be more observant and persistent, but less "likely to have moments of insight," so both are important to expressing creativity. 

Today is a rainy and cool day in the Pacific Northwest. I am unexpectedly home, instead of at work, because of a shortage of patients, so I am counting my blessings that I have PTO saved and can still support my beautiful home and creative life on 4 days of work a week, and am not sweating and sweltering in the high temperatures of the NE.

Double portrait of Anne Grgich, artist, teacher

Every day is a struggle, with triumphs and

defeats, to learn and learn to manage my

own Self. I Am continuing to work on my

series of 100 Hot Flash Women Portraits.

I just turned on my LP pretend fireplace and the ceiling fan to warm up my chilly feet...maybe I'll put on my sheepskin 

slippers instead of red crocs. It's easy to

long for something (anything) different 

instead of appreciating where we are. 

Wednesday (June 20, 2012) was the first anniversary of driving into Port Angeles, around 1pm, on the summer solstice, with

my mom and my most important Worldly

goods in the silver Honda. My beloved brother, David, met me here that afternoon, bringing a bed for Mom, who accompanied me here from Iowa. I bought myself a bed that day. 

Here's what I wrote: " I dreamed about administering and passing tests related to the move, woke up at 1:45 and 3:30, then for good at 5:30. David went over to Sequim to swim, knowing that it would take mom a while to get going. He has to leave right after breakfast, is extremely successful and busy and I’m lucky that he took the time to come over, because he really loves me and is really happy that I’m here. As I knew, I will need to create my own life in this place. The movers won’t come now until tomorrow morning early, so I plugged my surge protector into the only outlet in this room and am sitting on the bed to write."

A lot has happened in 7 years, and this is where I think I will die, my own beautiful house and rock yard. The new friends. Taking trips to visit the old friends, and making the efforts to stay connected where ever I am and to keep my body and mind in shape to enjoy the next 20 or 30 years. Making my contributions to the Universe where I can.