Fall Juggling.

There's a lot more going at one time than I like.  I used to be quite the juggler of tasks and now I enjoy not having a little less to juggle.  After Esther's death things in the family began to re-sort themselves.  On the surface it may seem trivial but what is to happen to her once a week dinner?  Eight young children have grown up with it.  Their mother did too before them.  I have a tiny house so it won't be here unless its a stand up buffet.  It could happen once in awhile but I am sort of shirt tail in-law here so my voice is tiny or nonexistent.  Some want to end it.  I suggested it become a potluck as did some others so no one is tasked with the whole thing.  I used to think my own grandmothers had whole dinners hidden in the cupboards they way the fed 8-25 seemingly on little notice, magical thinking is big in little kids.  My friends had the same experience with their grandmothers.  I think that generation of women is disappearing.

 

My sisters and I turned our gatherings including Thanksgivings into potlucks as soon as we could.  I think DIL will pick it up though, and potluck it.  Then we'll see who comes.  And so it goes for Rockwell or the Simpsons or us.
 

 

My niece's father Scott, he of the clots in his lungs, went from ICU, to a regular bed on blood thinners and lots of observation and has made it back home this week.  What a relief. He has an underlying, non-cancerous condition that causes his gut to bleed and that's what produced the clots.  Probably TMI but that needs to be corrected to end this.  Still its amazing that he's recovered this much.  Modern medicine can be amazing.

My oldest son's car pooped out on him and since he works in another city he has my van while his car is being fixed so I am home today sans car.  I await the furnace guy to do their annual check on my heating and a/c.  It's kind of surprisingly nice to "stuck" at home.  I am getting a lot done that I've put off, like finishing the trim in the bathroom, and chopping wind downed branches into a size to go in the trash for tomorrow.  I'm also working on my art lessons for the grand-girls.  Four of them are homeschooled and the 2nd grader arrives home from school in time to participate.  The last three weeks were we did pastels, these next three weeks are watercolors.  I'm trying to get my creative juices going to get ideas to interest the two of the five who think art is no fun.  Blows me away that kids would think art was no fun.

Lake Bennington - this photo would make a nice watercolor.

Our biggest park with water right next to Walla Walla is Bennington Lake and it's closed down and the gates locked due to the shutdown; it's a Corps of Engineers project.  It's a flood reservoir and controls the flow of water through Mill Creek that historically used to flood Walla Walla.  Rooks Park with its gravel and paved paths along Mill Creek and its picnic areas with bathrooms is also gated and locked.  You can still park along the street and hike in the park and even up to Bennington if you've the time and energy, just go potty first.  I can live without the park but the Corps people are now furloughed sans pay, a huge impact on their families, and eventually the country as this is re-enacted all over.  I'm angry and I hold the Republicans responsible.  They're greedy  and as long as the oil companies get their subsidies, all is well in their little world, the elderly, women and children without food? they don't care.