Molokai? or Paris?

We understand that Opera Guild tickets were bought. She is determined to go to these places come hell or high water. And winning these prizes could seal the deal. Whether or not W goes to Molokai or anyone wants to go to to Paris.

At Daughter of the Regiment

They left knowing they would have a good dinner, but not sure if the opera would be that good. The dinner was good, especially the chocolate hazelnut ice cream, but the opera was wonderful, silly and fun.  We heard she started laughing and couldn't stop in a few places in Act Two.

Plotting Resurrection

This afternoon after the gym and the errands, we accompanied her outside to dig and plant bulbs. She only did about 100 of them, but we thought this was very fitting for her and a sign of hope in the promised eruption of eternity even in this world when days hold too much sadness.

Adventure Sans Passport

Today the keeper visited the lovely little town center of LFP, and realized that there has been a car wash there for ten years. She decided to break her habit of going all the way up Aurora. Quite a switch, actual people helping wash the car, and it looks better too. As you can see she is easily amused some days.

More Fall Color

Afternoon Camino

Post- funeral the keeper came home and left us immediately.

She went out walking to think about what she wanted to do with 

the rest of her ministerial life. She found consolation in some favorite places.

A Great Gift Gone Home

This morning we spent some time with the keeper, but she left us for a funeral. We asked her about the deceased and we learned about faith, compassion, shepherding, and mercy. She told us he had been very kind to her. The funeral was full of old friends, a beautiful homily and some of her favorite readings.

That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire and of the Comfort of the Resurrection

An incredible morning of joy and insight followed by an afternoon absorbing the suffering stories of many. When the keeper came home, she took a long walk in the autumn late afternoon. It was restorative.

At El Gallo del Oro

  

On Saturday the keeper and Lupita started early and worked with their 7th version of the Parenting class.

They celebrated with lunch at the Gallo de Oro in Bothell. We hung out with ML as she did her zen thing with our deck.

Barking at the Choir

The  keeper and her friend Sister J happily held court at the Sorrento before the keeper repaired to St. Joe's and Greg Boyle, S.J.'s reflections on his work with Homeboy Industries. We hear it was a lively, touching, teary, inspiring evening, both at the Sorrento and at St. J's. Best insights of each--Sr. J: Just do it! Greg Boyle: Jesus asked for disciples, not a fan club!

To the Dentist

Friday did not go as planned. The keeper had to leave us and go visit her dentist friend in Madison Park.  There was talk of oral surgery. She took the long beautiful winding route through the arboretum to calm her down for the inevitable. Well, she didn't need surgery, and we are grateful to this most laid back dentist who reminds her of her brother. The arboretum was beautiful.

Turkey Loaf

What is it about this season that gets our keeper thinking about food? Last night at 9 PM she decided to make turkey meatloaf, which she realized wouldn't be ready until 11 PM. So we had this tonight. But she threw together all the recipes online and made her own. She says its very tasty. Alice doesn't like all the vegetables and the Italian flavors and avoided it, which is quite a shocking response for the Queen of the table scraps. I, Cecil, am on a special diet, and so this didn't interest me at all.  So the keeper can eat in peace for a few days it looks like. or maybe for a whole week!

Libby and Cecil

Libby lives next door with a cat. When Libby is in her own yard she is very fierce and barks and growls. However, she is almost blind, and is a chicken at heart. Cecil doesn't have a mean bone in his body and will avoid conflict at all costs, not unlike some friends of the keeper. Libby came for a visit with her keeper and although Cecil tried to look fierce, as if he might be thinking about protecting our turf, he was not interested in creating conflict at all.

Look What Came Home

We alsmost forgot to tell you that she found the Beauty berry bush she was looking for, as well as a few other berried plants. We think the birds will like this one.

Three Course Lunch

The keeper and her friend Suzy have friends who are in Italy now.  So they took themselves to Piatti to stand in solidarity with the others.  It happened to be Restaurant Week.  Three courses for $15. A fine lunch, and the best kale salad ever, and the gelato wasn't bad either!

Fall at Sky Nursery

Now she has had some vacation she is more interested in fall colors.

This morning we watched her drive off with a determined look in her eye to find Beautyberry shrubs. 

This meanst she was heading up to Sky Nursery where the colors called out for wild admiration.

Please note that the plant in the middle is named "Tiger's Eye".  However, it was not one which she brought home. Maybe next year.

Deck Check In

For all of you who have been watching our deck grow, we want to update you on our progress.  Well, not our progress, but ML's. She has most of the floor down on the main area now, and we admit it looks pretty spiffy. It is so  tightly  built it will withstand anything. She may even come back tomorrow, This weather is perfect work weather. We supervised ML while the keeper did her work on the Eastside which seems to have nothing to do with measuring and cutting and hammering.

D4J

Today the keeper left us with Cristina who was cleaning, Jesus who was trimming the hedges, and ML who was building the deck.  We didn't feel lonely at all.  She told us she went to meet with a lot of people to learn about the key poverty reduction issues which they will taking up with the Washington State legislators this year...everything from health care to housing to assistance to single parents and more.Very exciting.

Moonstruck!

Thank you, Suzy, for getting us out of the kitchen to howl at la Bella Luna!

Ah! La Luna Preciosa!

,

Need we say more?

Wild Root, At Last!

The keeper is hard to please about many things. When she finds things she likes, she is very loyal until they disappoint. Her discovery of Wild Root Salon happened over a year ago.  She was so excited to get a haircut, she showed up yesterday for her appointment today. But they were waiting for her today and made her very happy.

Visit with the Not So Little Intern

This morning the keeper left us to go meet two friends. The littlest intern is now getting so big and so fun. When she came home we asked her what the black marks all over her fingers were. It seems that Lucas likes drawing worm faces on peoples' fingertips. He will be two next month, and he knows almost as much about her work as his mother does.

The Neighbors

 They are at it again. This family has a whole storage unit dedicated to Halloween! She walked by as vans full of children stopped by this house to check out the progress on this way of honoring all that goes bump in the night.

The trail

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Part of the walk involves a pathway which she knows by heart. Except that each season she stays alert for certain things. This season she is waiting to be amazed by eagles hovering as they wait for fish and by the way the afternoon light plays with the slowly changing foliage.

Berries of Fall

This afternoon, still on vacation, the keeper found herself with big topics to consider.

She ended up walking through the neighborhood, back to her Compostela tradition, and was bowled over by the many shrubs bearing beautiful fall berries. Their simple and abundant presence helped 

her consider those

weighty matters. They may also have given her new ideas for our yard!

Quite a Sunday

This was a different Sunday since the keeper was still on vacation. She left us for the cathedral where we hear that Fr. Eblen preached incredibly well and presided equally well. People wept during the homily, and the keeper found herself saying, "Amen!" like  the good Baptist she can only poorly imitate. We also heard there was time for a great coffee hour with good friends.

And, if that were not enough, she ended up at the Josephinum and Christ Our Hope Church for an afternoon sponsored by CCSWW for the benefactors of CHS and CCS. She is more of a trustee than a big benefactor. But in addition to the beautiful music, the breathtaking moment came when a formerly homeless man recited Matthew 25 by heart.  No dry eyes there. 

Moon Over Crossroads

We didn't get to see this, but she let us see the photo. We were home alone tonight because she went to Bellevue to help with a class. But, the crescent moon was beautiful in the evening sky. We think vacation will start again on Friday.

Home Again

We thought something was up yesterday morning when the keeper started putting things back in bags and cleaning up. She gave us our kitty downers, showed us the cages, and we went meekly into them. We howled for the first twenty miles, but fell asleep through the rest. We hear there was was wild rain, thunder, lightning, and then lots of sun. We were relieved to find our home waiting for us and we rested a little more deeply being back. Not that we weren't grateful to get away... The keeper said maybe we could be service cats for her because we provided a very calming influence for her and great companionship.