Hatchery Pond in the Cascade Foothills near Sisters, Oregon

 

It's chilly but sunny here in Walla Walla.  Just warm enough to fool a small yellow flower to pop up in last year's flower bed.   I can hardly wait for things to be spring like again.

 

Photo courtesy of Alan Kuehner at bit.ly/ScienceFun

Meanwhile a flock of Northern Finches spent a couple of weeks dining on the remaining berries on my Clematis.  I didn't even know Clematis produced berries.  It's the first time in the 13 years I've lived here.  And I thought they were woodpeckers at first.  My birding skills are rusty.  Anyhoo, they were beautiful and interesting, and chased all the usual suspects out of the yard for a bit.   Seeing such a large bird dangle nearly upside down on a slender vine while nibbling berries is quite a sight. 

 

Watching the birds helps take the edge of what has been a stressful four months.  In January my youngest sister Susan was diagnosed with the same type breast cancer our next oldest sister Pam had and was treated for two months previously.  She has also had a successful lumpectomy and is now waiting for the radiation therapy to begin.  She is 20 years younger than I and has a 12 year boy and a soon to be 16 year old daughter.  She has returned to her job as a 4th grade teacher in the interim.  You can probably see where I'm going with this.  I am amazed that she and her husband are juggling all this, jobs, children, sports, and breast cancer and have drawn closer to each other through it.  Meanwhile the rest of us do what we can, we cry, we laugh, and are still in shock that this could happen twice in the space of two months.  Pam is through the treatment but now has follow ups and more choices to make about meds.  She has been a clear and true light on the path for Susan.  We making plans to bring Susans' kidlets here for spring break.  I miss seeing them and I suspect it wouldn't hurt for Susan to get to miss them too.

 

Finally in the dark of winter I realized what a funk I'd gotten into and did something about it.  It's amazing how just going for a walk, checking out the birdies, or really cleaning the kitchen cheers me up.  I can burn off a pile of angst by scrubbing the heck out of something like the kitchen floor.