Blooms!

Even though the rains beat down all round us today, 

the flowers just kept reaching for the light!

Why the Keeper Was Late Getting Home This Afternoon

This weekend the new long awaited Trader Joe's in Shoreline opened. The keeper thought that the crowds would have dispersed by early Sunday afternoon. She underestimated the shopping capacity of Shoreline! She said it was like Safeway right before a blizzard warning. 

Searching for Meaning

The keeper left me this afternoon to search for meaning at SU with hundreds of others.

It seems that she found much communion with a sleeping duck at the reflecting pool when she arrived to late to enter a too full session. 

In the late afternoon she took in writer Tracy Kidder who was so very humble and open about all he learned and still is learning from Dr. Paul Farmer. 

And then had dinner with him, and dozens of others following. She came home bearing scents of steak, red wine and chocolate. 

Cherry

So wonderful to to see these lined up down our street!

La Luna from Our Deck Tonight

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Reverent Hellebore

The abundant Lenten Hellebore all massed in the bed across from the Ignatius Chapel 

kept their little heads bowed this afternoon, and the Novena of Grace hasn't even started!

Not Quite Spring Moon

The moon rose over the lake and our humble cottage tonight 

and swept our yard in light.

Nearly Spring

Even Kittyrood has blooms!

Moon Over Our Cottage

We have several friends visiting more exotic spots these days, but there is nothing more beautiful than la luna bella hovering over our little cottage.

Mooooon!

OOH! MOON!

Operatic Loveseats

The keeper and her opera partner went to the ticket office to reorder season tickets.

They have most creative seating areas there!

Light on the Hill

Tonight the keeper visited a friend at Virginia Mason.  

The new cathedral lights were a welcome and comforting sight.

Famous Architect's Churchy Free Little Library

This morning the keeper attended another funeral at her former community.

She was happy to see the new little free library which has a very famous architect--Paul Thiry.
We assume he would be proud to see this new rendition.

Color on a Gray Day

In spite of all the rain, the camellias are bringing us some color.

Old Friends at a Grand Funeral

The days seem to go faster than we can blog.

On Mardi Gras the keeper went to a funeral for a very inspiring person, Jack O'Leary, SJ.

His celebration brought together people from many parts of the keeper's life, including David and Peter who invited her into ministry.

Work Accomplished, at Least Til Tomorrow

They left sunny Olympia and headed home.

Advocacy Day

She left me before dawn this morning to be part of Advocacy Day in Olympia. Hundreds of Catholics descend on the capitol to advocate for more just allocations of resources to enable poor people and communities to claim their fair share of justice.

They started with a briefing and a Mass at St. Michael's.
The preacher was very good this year.

Advocating for More Just Systems

The 32nd District delegation took advantage of the sun in-between visits with legislators.

The keeper had a chance to visit with her friends from her childhood parish in Vancouver.

The 6th Grade speech champs provided powerful testimony about banning toxic fire retardants.

Sometimes the senator's aide receives the delegation.  This one didn't take notes. However, he graduated from Gonzaga, so perhaps his mind is so sharp he didn't need to.

Super Sunday Camino

The keeper said she would be gone for an hour.  It was two and 5 miles.

The Cascades.

Rainier from Sheridan Heights

From Lyon Creek Park

Tree Empathy

The neighbors cut down several huge trees. 

Last week in the NYT, there was an article about a book by a German forester about the empathy shared by trees. This sight made her wonder if the other trees cried out as the chain saws did their destruction.

Flourish

On the afternoon camino, there were

berries

witch hazel in full bloom

croci

and the harbinger of Lent--the hellebore

Neither Heron nor Eagle...

Was it a pelican? Some feathered friend was out fishing this afternoon.

Remembering HRH Prince Anastassi

I finally got the keeper's attention to remind her that today was the anniversary of HRH Lord Anastassi's death 6 years ago. We lit a candle and told a story a two about how we met. He was a wonderful big brother and a dear friend.

Stassi's  grave in Kittyrood.

Stassi and me on our kitchen back porch.

Stassi at the perch I have inherited.

Hope Buds

It's Saturday, and again she left me for the Cathedral.  She gave a talk.

But when she got home finally, I made her go out to the yard and see that harbingers of spring are  starting to show up.  All of the new shrubs we planted, and the new tulip bulbs, the hyacinths and daffodils are starting to poke their heads out. 

Our new daphne smells delicious.

Our first croci.

We can't remember which tulips these are.  We will know soon!

Dumas Bay Morning

I slept alone when she was at Dumas Bay teaching her class in the middle of the week. While she was peacefully gazing at the Bay from her room, I was howling a lot at the pet sitter. 

Remembering Katherine Marie

This week has been a chaotic week.  I hardly saw the keeper.

She was quite inattentive to me.I had a pet sitter.

But she was attentive to her dear friend Grace who is now on the other side laughing and finally at peace. She went to a Mass at SU Chapel which memorialized  her, heard a wonderful homily and  eulogy  about KMD.

It was a good time to remember their time in Montserrat and their failed search for a quality Black Madonna statue to bring back to Arrupe House for Phil.