Catching Up. Again.

Back on Easter Sunday I was going to post a really thoughtful entry about how I was hanging at the Spokane Airport Ramada, procrastinating on work assignments, "Wizard of Oz" playing on the tube to my left while planes ascended and landed across the expanse of two parking lots at right. But that was a whole week ago and then some. Work guilt and a bit of laptop fatigue conspired to rob me of my blog mojo then, and that lack has lasted longer than I'd thought. So it goes.

So, starting with the important stuff: It was a particularly nice visit with Grandma, and just a little longer than usual due to a stopover on the way home in Portland which was a fine combination of work and fun with family.


Apparently I arrived in Wilbur just after a snow shower, but you wouldn't know it--the weather was beautiful! I walked up and back from Vista Manor several times, which I really needed after a couple of weeks cooped up in a convention center. Grandma seemed in good form and as usual we enjoyed catching up and looking through albums. She always seems to have new family history to talk over. I was distressed that Missy, a new canine resident, didn't take to me right off--it's been a long time since I've been barked at so vigorously--but there it is.*

It was an epic culinary visit as well. Tipped off by a flyer in the Willows Inn office, I partook of a delightful Indian meal on Saturday evening in the school's multipurpose room in support of the local Girl Scouts' trip to Washington DC, sitting with a slightly older couple and trying to be on my most entertaining chat behavior. I think the Singh family, who were overseeing the meal preparation, were relieved to have one other vegetarian in their midst. On Easter Sunday, I had my first luncheon with Grandma and the other residents of Vista Manor. It was lovely and tasty, and just so wonderful to be sharing a meal with Grandma. And then of course there was my semi-annual consumption of a plain cake doughnut from Sandy's, which tasted particularly fresh and tender this trip. Thank FSM the store is hundreds of miles away!


I tried to support the local economy as much as possible, picking up a few supplies at the Family grocery in Davenport, tshirts at the Billy Burger, quilt raffle tickets for the library fundraiser ("Ribbons and Stars" pattern with heart quilting stitch--I hope I win!), and a little coin purse at Lynne's.


Early Monday morning I flew to Portland for a visit to the convention center to prepare for our show there in July. This worked perfectly for a visit with Uncle Lloyd and Aunt Jacque! We had a lovely visit and cousin Michelle came over to join us for dinner at yet another local brewery. More connecting and catching up with family gladdened my heart, and Uncle Lloyd's many wood and craft projects are very inspiring.


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After the epic read that was "A Suitable Boy," I picked up All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and devoured it in just a week or so. It was written in present tense and from three alternating points of view, which really made me think hard about the kind of novel I want to write, and sooner rather than later. Well, it's easy to think NaNoWriMo when we're months away. And by we I mean me.

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It's been nice being home for the whole weekend and getting a chance to settle into my new work space. M and I were very productive over the weekend (in fact, only "Blog" was left undone on the To Do list). We also had fun--a motorcycle ride out to the coast and another attempt at pizza on the grill, which we have yet to perfect, although it was better than last time. We also did a little brainstorming about him hanging out his shingle and starting on his sole proprietorship for real. That was exciting. It feels like a very different lifestyle for us, but it's something we've also talked about since he started law school, so familiar in a way too.

I left work right at 5:00 pm today to race over to my local yarn shop to take a beginning crochet class. I've always wanted to learn the basics, to add a little something extra to my knitted projects, and this was just a two hour intro class--perfect! I was a little late and just one of two students in the class, which was great for individual attention. Imagine my surprise when I found out the woman my age was the other student and the very young gal--who turned out to be a sophomore in high school and working on a lacy piece for her prom dress while we practiced our half double crochets--the teacher. Of course she picked up knitting while in a Waldorf school.

The scene reminded me a little of a sight in the Spokane airport: a mom playing solitaire on her smartphone while her tweener daughter read a hardcover novel from the library.

It felt so good to focus on getting the hook moving in the yarn--the hour and a half flew by and my little brain was soothed just trying to get the hang of the loops and tension. I have a long way to go before I can crochet up anything of note, but I liked doing something brand new.

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*M has given me some good advice: "It's not always about you," he's reminded me lately when I've whined about perceived slights or some such triviality. And by you I mean me of course. I think that should be my new mantra. Alternating with my friend Cathleen's advice to "Think Ducati" (essentially, do what you think is right for your own empowerment--and by you I mean me; OK, and you too) and my recent fortune cookie fortune: "Use your abilities at this time to stay focused on your goal. You will succeed."