Surprise Reunion

The keeper got up a bit late and went to the noon Mass at the cathedral. She didn't really hear the homily because she was distracted by a man who had passed out in the north transept and was impressed by the way the ushers all dealt with it without missing a step of the Mass. A little eerie actually, the way it happened separate from the communal prayer. But, we suppose that it is all part of an economy of scale--they could do this every weekend. We were thrilled to hear that the keeper ran into the Whisker City bus at the Lake Forest Park Farmers' Market. She spoke to the woman who runs the shelter who remembers Alice when her name was Baby Girl and was all emaciated. Now Alice has her photo on the wall there and is a lot fatter, and bossier, I would say. But the keeper brought home a bag of the special catnip that April Brown's mother grows in Wenatchee. They do such good work, we are proud to be associated with them.

The keeper also brought home a big box with pieces of wood that when put together will become a potting bench for the garden. She says there are a lot of pieces and a lot of screws. So it will be a slow project, that teaches her patience. It is her birthday present to herself. It will also make a good scratching post. We had grilled chicken tonight on top of the regular cat food. And we are content.

Hunt for the Kindle

Today, Saturday, the keeper returned to us later than we expected. She told us that she had been running all over town trying to find out where the raffle box for the Kindle was. The Friends of the Library are raffling off a Kindle on Dec 12, and she felt it might be a lucky day. But no one could figure out what happened to the box. She will find it later. A good excuse to go down again. Finally, she left the wildlife and rain and sand on a rainy day and returned to us and our lovely home in sun. We tried to look unimpressed, but broke down by night fall. Julie was a very good cat sitter, though. The keeper says that she will go down again in the fall. Maybe she will take us. But I get carsick, and Alice has never gone so far. But we would like to leave our signature on the bear so everyone down there knows we are alive and strong and we would like to visit Virginia the cat's grave.

Library Day at Home

Friday, the keeper said it started to rain really hard in the afternoon and she said that she holed up in the house and read Eat, Pray, Love. She thinks the praise and popularity of this book is way over blown. While she thinks that the search for a life and spirituality which nourishes and serves as a compass is real, she found the author self-centered, shallow. So there! She found the last Harry Potter book far more engaging. She read it till early in the morning. We think she is anxious to see us.

Nickel Lips and Harry Potter

Thursday, the keeper rose earlier than usual and spent the morning on the deck, and 90 minutes with Qwest trying to get better deals. It worked, she said, but we must look at the long haul pay offs, not the cost of the present 90 minutes. She rode furiously into town as the mist came, and she dodged and weaved though all of the trucks and flaggers who are repaving the roads and building a crazy roundabout in the middle of town. As a reward she stopped at Buddy and Howies’ Candy Shoppe, looking for an Idaho Spud, but had to settle for mango and black Australian style licorice and those wax bottles ( Nickel Lips!) with some kind of flavored juice.

She had a nice visit with the editor of the town paper who invited her to submit a list of her 10 favorite things to do in OS. He has done a remarkable job of turning that sorry little rag around and finding news in the most simple of places. Then she headed to La Chica Taqueria for a heavenly carnita ( pork) taco. Chez Chey was closing up very early because the roundabout construction had driven away all of her trade. It was ghostly vacant of tourists. She had a good poster up about the barrel racing which was taking place on her street, eg…the crazy construction project and the way the workers mindlessly move the barrels around. It’s a labor intensive project, for sure. The poster noted lots of free parking, since no one was visiting (and it is true!)

She ended her adventures with a real movie in a real theater..only 8 people were watching, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. But she was grateful for the lack of fight scenes. Julie and Julia starts on Friday, so she may end her beach days at the movies again. It is raining again. SHe is comin home to us on Saturday.

Moon and Mater

Wednesday night the canal was mirror still and the heron pair flew up and down. The neighbors across the canal came to their dock and the keeper was on our dock and they conversed back and forth as they watched the fat carp come up and try to join the conversation. No beavers or otters, though. But she watched the crescent moon rise over the reeds.

She did finish The Soloist about Mr. Nathaniel Ayers, the very talented musician who happens to also be a schizophrenic, whose story was told by reporter St Lopez, who became his friend. A powerful story of friendship and mental illness and street life.

She said she ended the day with a very powerful DVD which she helped produce (only a little), Images of God, all about Meinrad Craighead’s artistic visions of God the Mother. The keeper said that this woman’s images are so close to her own spirit that it is scary. At one film, Meinrad mentioned being in touch with the feral energy of God. The keeper said she knew exactly what she was speaking about, especially as she lives so close to the wild there at the ocean. A little Mary Oliver in there as well. When they spoke about the fire which devastated the bosque in Albuquerque several years ago, Meinrad had to paint the pain of the animals whom she had come to know, as they and their young perished in the blazes. Also, some lovely sections about the Black Madonna and Montserrat in España. She did finish The Soloist about Mr. Nathaniel Ayers, the very talented musician who happens to also be a schizophrenic, whose story was told by reporter St Lopez, who became his friend. A powerful story of friendship and mental illness and street life.

She said she ended the day with a very powerful DVD which she helped produce, called Images of God, all about Meinrad Craighead’s artistic visions of God the Mother. The keeper said that this woman’s images are so close to her own spirit that it is scary. At one film, Meinrad mentioned being in touch with the feral energy of God. The keeper said she knew exactly what she was speaking about, especially as she lives so close to the wild there at the ocean. A little Mary Oliver in there as well. When they spoke about the fire which devastated the bosque in Albuquerque several years ago, Meinrad had to paint the pain of the animals whom she had come to know, as they and their young perished in the blazes. Also, some lovely sections about the Black Madonna and Montserrat in España.

Ted Kennedy, RIP

On the morning after Teddy Kennedy died, the keeper found this memorial marker on Polaris Ave. She doesn't think it is for Teddy but for someone who may have been killed at that spot. But it fit the spirit of the morning, she thought.

Where She Did Not Go

Wednesday…another slice of heaven on the North Coast. The keeper reported to us ( a bit whiningly) that she had spent more time inside the library than expected trying to get our blog done. But she did go back to the Weatherwax to check and see if the cougar alert was still alive, and the signs were still up. So, no Weatherwax trails for the keeper. We are grateful, although we do really like our cat sitter, Julie

Fat Fish and Cougar Sightings

We have been informed that on Tuesday in Ocean Shores, it was sunny all day again, but the faithful keeper spent time in the library trying to post our blog (she quit when the wi-fi stopped working). She said as she had breakfast on the deck she was kept company by a big fat fish which she could see through the clear water. It kept circling the dock. Good bugs? She had plans to hike through the Weatherwax Trails till she got there and saw a posting on the entry board—cougar sightings... so, even though she loves felines, she headed to the beach instead There she became so lost reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao that she didn’t notice the tide rushing in, and almost was inundated, not once, but twice.

The evening was so mild that she lay on the dock until the darkness finally fell with her camera waiting for the otters to swim to their night nests. But the otters must have stayed out later, or perhaps they dropped in on the City Council meeting. However, two raccoons greeted her in the yard and rushed into the bushes.

Bird Blankets

Later on Monday she took her bike to the Ocean Lake portion of the beach and sat in the afternoon sun. The tide came in as she read her new book by Junot Diaz. She thinks he is in Nancy Rawles’ class. Before she left, she witnessed several huge black blankets of little birds flying like fishnets over the ocean, dipping and lifting and twisting as they skimmed the incoming tide, silhouetted against the horizon. We would have gone wild to see that many birds in one place, as long as they didn't try to catch us.

Geoduck Art

The keeper also visited the Visitors’ Center, which after 15 years, she had never visited. She also had the privilege of standing next to the 500 pound clam, a geoduck carved in wood. An unusual piece of art, to say the least. Nothing we would want in our living room, or mud room.

Taco Heaven

Monday we had new cat sitters temporarily while Julie made a quick trip to Wyoming. The handyman came and fixed our bathroom. We ran in and out. He is allergic to us. Meanwhile, back in O.S., the keeper woke up to a gloriously sunny day, and so she spent the afternoon on her bike again, and found a new fave eating spot, La Chica Taqueria with its chef, Chez Chey. It’s a little shed, really, with two tables and the best little tacos with fresh grilled meats and hand made salsas. The chipotle chile and lime salsa is heaven. The tacos are little pockets of eternity! They will be on the table at the heavenly banquet, the keeper tells us. She, Chez Chey, is devoted to providing high quality food which you could buy from a street vender in Mexico.

Sacrament

Sunday the keeper took a 12 mile bike ride. She came across a church sign which made her smile. She laughed because she knew that she wasn’t waiting around for God to leave HIS message on her voice mail. She knew better! Her God was not sitting around making calls. She was busy writing beauty all over this green, salty spot in a lovely multi-palette calligraphy. In fact, the Canticle of Canticles came alive as four deer leapt out of the woods in front of her along the road. She stopped and had a slow chat with one of the braver ones.

The winding bike ride took the keeper to the Marina where the fishermen were selling fresh crab and prawns. Others were cleaning their fat salmon catches of the day. She sat for an hour on a log on the beach bank and finished reading the best book of the summer so far, My Jim by Nancy Rawles, a ST parishioner. “That woman has a magic way with words that keeps me up nights,” said the keeper. What a book! It tells the story of Jim the slave in Huckleberry Finn, from the perspective of his wife and granddaughter.

She told us that the night sky also kept her up that night. It was a sugar bowl spilling stars and light that came through the skylights.

Abundance

Saturday dawned sunny and warm, and she sat on the deck in the sun reading her Commonweal and the commentary on the latest encyclical. She was impressed by the approach B15 offered, based on a theology of abundance. This call to emulate the divine abundance is a true challenge to most of those who practice the economics and theology of scarcity. She also finished a powerful slim book called Grief by Andrew Hollerman.

She was only impressed by the assembly’s singing when she decided to worship with the community in O.S. She said the assembly all had grey hair, including herself. The smell of the church reminded her of the old chapel at Camp Don Bosco. From her reports, she doesn’t miss us much. We are doing fine without her too.

Dappled Things

On Friday, she rode her bike into town and sat for a tall, lovely latte and read the paper in a uniquely non O.S. spot, Café Amici. And she explored the flora around the house…”Glory be to God for dappled things. . .” She reports that the heron is happily fishing in the canal. She tried hard to catch it in flight, but only sent us the blurry image. It could be the Loch Ness monster for all we know.

Rest

We heard from the keeper. She arrived in O. Shores on Thursday eve. It was warm and hazy and raining. She paid our respects at Virginia the cat’s grave, and settled in. We settled in with a lovely cat sitter, Julie. She seems very diligent.

Still Life on Deck

Here we are celebrating the deck painting. I m sleeping in a basket on the bottom tier of a serving table. Alice asked to have her fur shaved off, she is not fond of the heat.

The Honey Bee Wall With Chair

Remember several months ago when we told you about how the keeper set up a director's chair and was letting the maple vines become its back and seat? Here it is today. We didn't try sitting in it because of the buzz. The keeper had finished her painting right around the wall, and heard this loud humming which she thought was the neighbor's air conditioner. Then she was swarmed by bees. When she looked at the wall of maple vines she beheld hundreds of honeybees feasting on the maple fruits...little berries that pop and produce more seeds. The bees were not interested in the keeper or us. They were very busy. But she did tell us sternly to stay away. When they left, all the pods started popping again. Thank God the stain had dried on the deck. It would have made a nice permanent design, though.

The Deck, Step Three

We have a new deck. It is amazing what a coat of stain does. However, the keeper rushed out to Home Depot this morning to get the stain, and it took forever! One guy with everyone waiting because they are all starting their summer projects before Fall comes! But she says it's not the color she wanted...it's redwood, but it looks like the redwoody orangey paint on old picnic tables. But when you are 3 gallons into it, you keep it, she said. And after you have worked in 80 degree weather, when sweat is pouring into the paint bucket, and and all you want to do is quit, she says, you don't change colors. She told us that now she knows why people hire other people to do things like this. Besides, the rain will tone it down, although we did get the special 10 year premium grade stain. It is more paint than stain. We'll get used to it. Right now it smells. I walked on it and rolled on it and got the orange color in my fur. The keeper did help me out tonight and combed it out.

Deck, Step Two

The keeper decided that before she left for vacation she would stain and seal the deck. It sounded easy enough. She had done it down at the beach. Yesterday she picked out the stain, bought the supplies, cleaned the poor, faded, worn wood. Today after work and after the sun was off of that area, she started in, but realized that this wood is parched and it is sucking up the stain faster than she can put it on. so, she got 1/3 of it done, and decided she will have to be at Home Depot early tomorrow to get two more gallons. It's bright redwood. A little 50's retro redwood. But it will fade. And it looks better than what was there. We have a feeling we will have to stay inside tomorrow while she finishes it.

Explosions in the Climbing Maple

After the keeper got home from church, we all sat out on the deck with the papers and she suddenly stood up and crept over to the climbing maple at the west wall of the deck. She told us to listen. We had already listened to the sound of popcorn pop, pop, popping, inside the branches. She thought it was mice or birds. We knew, but we kept quiet. She kept her nose and her face really close to one of the vines and one of the little seeds popped on her face! Little seed pods, thousand of them, were popping open. They were depositing their seeds on the faces of the maple leaves, waiting for them to catch the wind and fly, or be eaten by birds and insects. Very cool! She was amazed that she had never in ten years, noticed this. Of course, she really hasn't been spending much time putting her nose in the plants those last ten years until lately.

The institute Ended Well

The Institute ended and the keeper came back to us. She ended driving people to the airport and took another new friend to Frye's so he could take a new laptop back to Nicaragua. She said she hadn't been stretched like that since her doctoral studies. She seems to be speaking better Spanish these days. They all got certificates and she is happy for all the new friends she did actually make there.

Wide Load

OK, the keeper helped teach the class on culture today so missed the morning portion of the institute. But she almost missed the class because she followed a portable house moving project --2 separate trucks each pulling 1/2 of the house. They snarled all the traffic on Bothell Way and then slowed 405 too. But what was most disgusting was that one of the halves was spewing styrofoam pellets and pebbles, along with pieces of plastic all the way. Gross.

She said the Institute group did a very funny skit on faith and youth with Sister Olga playing Dr. Olga...Dr. Laura like. She cheered them on. It seems that the group is struggling to keep its energy. And others, like the keeper, are choosing not to be at things. A lot of peer pressure to follow the program lockstep.

This afternoon they got out early so all the visitors could tour Seattle, and since she felt she toured Seattle all day--from Kirkland to Bothell to Ballard to Capital Hill, First Hill, U District. Enough. But, she is very happy with two companies: DA Burns rug cleaners and Pottery Barn. The keeper took the rug which was already smelling badly that we like to use for activities which mar, stain, etc., and the DA Burns people told her that we didn't really make the smell, that the latex used to glue the back was the cause, and that Pottery Barn would replace it! After 10 years! We felt good because it was not our fault. And Pottery Barn traded our old rug for a new beautiful one that doesn't smell. We will respect it. We are happy because PB respected us.

Institute Day 4

The keeper came home looking very happy to see us. She says she is becoming a hermit in old age. She was supposed to be in a talent show tonight but just couldn't dance on a stage to We Are the World. (We would love to have seen that on You-Tube!) She says that it is agonizing to be with that many people all day, to be herded around all day, and then have to be there at night too. She found another participant who shares her sentiments. They had a good talk. But it's almost 1/2 over now. Meanwhile we had a good day indoors. We dragged out all of the toys and deposited them at each doorsill. Why? We have no idea. We thought they looked nice. A toy mouse and a bird toy laying dead at each door, perhaps they were prizes for the keeper when she returned to us. She noticed a few and then patted us on the head and put them back in their storage places. One other note: we are growing even more disgusted by the uncivil behavior that has exploded at these town hall meetings all over the country and in our state too. Such meanness. We also note Eunice Shriver's passing. What a fine woman she was. A transformer for the common good. The town hall spoilers should take note.

A is for Aubergine

"Look what the rains brought us," said the keeper as she studied the eggplant in its pot. We always wondered how eggplants come to be and it looks like we have two flowers. Now we need to coddle them and study how to care for them. The keeper came home a little less exhausted today, no collages, only a newsprint exercise, adoration, and an informercial. Much better.
She said she did run down to the cathedral to pray with the marchers for immigration reform this afternoon and was happy to see them. She got to meet baby Larkin and her parents Shannon and Sean. She also saw her mystical friend Stephen who was going to march with the group. He is always appears at important times.

Moisture

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We recently heard on NPR that one of the most disliked words in the English language is "moist". The speakers were suggesting that the oi sound is aggravating. We don't think these plants found that to be the case tonight. We don't think they give a hoot about what people think about the word "moist." They seemed pretty content and the lavender is throwing off great perfume. The keeper came home from her Institute exhausted. Too much sitting, and not enough depth yet...but she told us she made 2 collages today, not only a personal collage, but a group collage. We hope she can last the whole week. She thinks "collage" is a way more aggravating word than "moist".

Waning Fruit of the Moon

Today the keeper ran all over the city--starting downtown with a lower Mass than usual at the cathedral, and then to a very polite and politically correct farmer's market in a beautiful peaceful location. She said other than the flower venders it was all Caucasians and people commented on her bumper stickers. Quite unlike any other farmers market she had been to. When she got home she made us come inside so she could spend the last 1/2 of the day at Seattle U at the beginning of a weeklong very intense Hispanic Youth Institute. She says she is the oldest person there, and probably the most introverted. Everyone else came in packs of 10 and 22 from all over the country. She came alone and said she just wanted to hide in her car and read the newspaper instead of doing " ice-breakers."

However, on the way home she stopped the car at the top of the hill, breathless over the bulging lopsided moon which allowed the clouds to undulate around and over it in a dance of the seven veils. When she got home, she stood on the patio table and shot pictures of it through the apple tree. Moon fruit. Enchanting.

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Bright Grey Saturday

It was a grey day, and felt like fall. We didn't mind staying inside and came in when asked. But it was very nice to look around the yard and see bright yellows and hot pinks.