Autumn

Mill Creek Road heading into the Blue Mountains, WA

There's been a sea-change in the weather.  I was out attending a high school choir concert last night.  I carefully washed my hair and dried it straight as an arrow.  Actually put on make-up so my grand-girl who was performing wouldn't have to explain my usual bag lady persona.  The rain made it curl and the wind gave it twirl and I'm pretty sure the light amount of make-up washed off.  Ha, ha!  After I got back home, the wind howled and the rain beat on the windows all night apparently.  I went right to sleep and didn't wake up once.  

Eldest grand-girl, appropriately nicknamed Lala, sang the opening number, thrilling for me, her voice has matured in the last two years.  Her boyfriend Nathen, no nickname I know of, sings with choir too.  The whole choir was super.  What a great group of kids.  They have a new choir director this year.  The former one was wonderful and much loved.  I was happy to see the kids seem to really like the new one, the audience did too, and made him very welcome.  Brave to step into those shoes.

Nathen and "Lala" off to the homecoming dance last weekend.  

They are pretty cute together.  they even managed to dance although Nathen has a knee in a cast from doing the sort of showing off boys do at 17.  I'm amazed either of my sons is in one piece.  The amethyst necklace was my grandmother's, her great-great grandmother's.  My grandmother loved to dance and sing, had the same thick, curly auburn Irish hair Alandra does, both my grandmother's did.  I wish I knew where all that necklace has been.  Grandma was raised on a ranch between Heppner Oregon and Pendleton, riding with the ranch hands.  She left, getting married at 17, to a man none of us had ever heard of and not my Mom's Dad.  A helpful museum volunteer in Heppner helped excavate that happening.  Lots of tales there.

Thinking about you Mage, got you in my prayers today.