Gatherings

Lots of company coming.  My eldest grandgirl Alandra is getting married Sunday evening. It starts at 6PM so the heat will drift off and the evening should be lovely. It's being held outdoors on a vacation rental farm, boots and jeans are the costume de jour. Usual garb for most of the attendees. Except for the bride and her beautiful dress.

A nephew and his daughter are coming staying in his trailer. It has A/C, they'll need  it. Makes me miss my house when I had room for everyone. My sister Susan and her Sophie are staying with me.  Because we all usually spend July 4th together I get to have their company for longer than usual. There's a July 4th fish fry at my youngest son's house. Then we go park our chairs at the edge of a wheat field and across the street from the airport. We are up high enough that you can see our fireworks and the fireworks from Milton-Freewater in Oregon at the same time. 

I am cleaning, kitchen and bathroom first. My condo looks like what it is, small, crammed with art, art supplies, two tables to work on and comfy furniture. It is not house beautiful except to me. It's usually clean and usually cluttered. There are lots of toys and games and they are not all for the grandkids. And books. And my favorite films. So its mostly dusting and vacuuming, a dust bunny about to become a real bunny was under the bed; then the usual, and clean sheets. I actually vacuumed the danged drapes. Yes, I deserve a medal or a weekend at the funny farm. Oh, wait, my family will be here, same thing as the funny farm.

I am so excited to see relatives and shirt tail relations I haven't seen for a long time AND for a wedding and not a funeral. Wahoo!

Gratitude

I'm finding I need a little attitude adjustment this week. I am working on being grateful. I have much for which to be thankful. These little grandchild squirts for instance. And their multitude of siblings.

And then of course there are my sisters. I think this is from the 70's, maybe. Nancy, Susan, Pam and I.  In spite of our adventures and mistakes we are all still here. I think all of our guardians angels must have taken to drinking a long time ago.

And while it may seem simplistic I am grateful I have a home. I have running water, I have A/C (it's going to be 95+ today). Lots of people don't. People in our town. I have medical insurance. I have two great sons, and a daughter-in-law I am close to and love dearly.

On a lighter note I have lots of shoes. I had too many purses but the grandgirls liked them so that has been resolved. 

I have shelves of books and the library is only three blocks away. We still have two  brick and mortar book stores here, plus the bookstores of three colleges here. My doctor is 7 blocks away. A blessing of a large-ish small town.

Hope your day goes well and you have some fun.

Prayers up for Ronni Bennett Time Goes By post surgery for pancreatic cancer. Love and hugs too.

It's a lovely day here.  I keep thinking I should be outside enjoying it before the heat returns, probably tomorrow.  I'm having an inert day. Since I didn't want to leave home I decided to tackle the bathroom fan which is not really working right now. The little motor sounds like it wants to run I suspect it's plugged with dust glued on with shower steam or something like that. Our town is dust central which is why I own two of those tower air cleaners.

So be it. I did do a lot of phone visiting today though. Long chat with my youngest sister who has just finished the school year as a second grade teacher.  She was a fourth grade teacher for many years and by changing schools finally got back to second grade as her heart desired.



She loves it, really. She and her daughter are coming to visit so we were nailing down dates and planning our mischief and touring. We've decided to be pretend tourists and go to all those places and things that I don't because I live so close and I forget about it.



Palouse Falls is one of those places although I have been here several times. It kind of gives me the willies looking over the fence.



Tamástslikt Cultural Institute near Pendleton. It's a well-curated museum. They have a village set up outside now that I haven't seen and the inside is changes on a regular basis. 

We have also planned a picnic up in the Blue Mountains near here hopefully at Jubilee Lake. A little hiking, cameras and good food. Crossing my fingers nothing catches on fire this year. Depending on how long they stay there's the Athena (Oregon) Caledonian Games. Bagpipes, sheepdog trials and a Ceilidh. Good fun for the kids and us too.

Breathing

I have COPD. I also have asthma. Last week they ganged up on me and off to the hospital I went. Fortunately they let me go home the same day. Heat, dust storm, and paint fumes had pushed me over the edge. A week of prednisone and I'm on my feet again but walking very slowly.

Lack of oxygen is scary and it makes you stupid and forgetful which doesn't help at all, especially for Taking meds, paying bills or driving.  After about four days of treatment the lights came back  metaphorically. I am so grateful to and for my daughter-in-law Heather and my two sons. Even the ten year old grandkids came over and grandma-sat for day, sweeping the patio, taking out the garbage and making lunch. They are also very entertaining. Of course I have now seen enough Batman cartoons to last me forever. Ha, ha, ha.