Jam and the new bed

I was so tired after making 35 jars of plum jam! So much sugar! The new memory foam bed arrived Monday afternoon, and no more blow up aero-bed. Those things are ok for one sleeping in the middle and now the guys can each have their own. Dick and I had the place at Whidbey to ourselves last week when Grif and Tommy stayed in the city. Grif was ill and couldn't take driving. He's better now and we'll all go this coming weekend. There's a county contest for ham radio and Grif and Dick will use the old TV antenna post to hoist up radio antenne of some sort for the hams trying to reach Island County. Tommy and I will transplant the strawberries into the fenced orchard. The apples are ripe next, and I've made all the apple pies anyone wants to eat. What to do with all this bounty. Imagine if we had ever watered or fertilized the trees! I've determined to get more than 2 pears per pear tree next year. When we arrived last Friday, a piliated woodpecker was there to greet us on the post of the front porch. Baby deer in the yard the next day. Toad in the flowers, bunny in the clover by the carport. Lovely! And the eagles out over the bay.

Just got back from the new Harry Potter movie. What a blast. It's long but not long enough. Tommy liked it too! "Republicans for Voldemort!"

The guys did very well on emergency weekend ham radio. With just a wire in the trees they could hear Kuwait!

Remember that disgusting black and tourquoise bedroom? No more...

The tennis ball launcher is ready for the big emergency ham radio weekend on Saturday. Dick and Grif have been building this thing and Grif shot a practice ball into the bay. They will attach a wire and send a ball into the trees for an antenna. Dick has a generator for power and he, Grif and Tommy will may contacts with other hams over the weekend. It's crazy, but fun (I'm told)and somehow adds to our national defense and readiness.

The Great TransAtlantic Cruise is over, the Whidbey property has closed, the refinance of Densmore is done, I've turned 63, and we are working on the shack. It's been a big month so far! What a difference paint and cleaning make. The shack is livable and we'll enjoy it for a summer or two. It's hard not to stop and just stare at such a gorgeous view. The quiet and feast for the eyes is rejuvenating. If we didn't work so hard, mowing, painting, washing, etc. it might be relaxing!
that black bedroom is now a palest blue, the halls too and the second bedroom a very pale tan. Washing the windows was amazing as the wash water turned the color of blood. Learning the hard way how to use the lawn swing...I'll heal.

Soooo happy! I got to talk to my roommate from college from 40! years ago. Amazing the parallels our lives have had.

Take a few minutes to watch this

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html

Inside Scoop

We got a few inside pictures of the cottage, just to impress you.
As Barat would say, "Nice."

Grif!! Tommy!!

Grif got a 3.9 and 4.0 for his grades at UW with a 3.8 in
French at the community college. I am so proud of his sticking to it and realizing he can do this. Tommy has passed everything (he is pass/fail) and they both have done a great job, each to his own best efforts.

Robins in the backyard, in the bird bath, in the bushes! Spring cometh...soon.

Dick and I went out to Whidbey to do some measuring and talk to the planning people in Coupeville. We need a geo-tech survey to go closer than 100 ft. from the bluff to build anything. The perk went ok and I believe that's because most of the s#*t is above ground as depicted. If you need any old tires, I have a few spares. Astro turf anyone? Anyone? The geo-tech man will take a week for his fesibility report. It was a very enlightening day and very cold and windy. I want summer and I want it NOW...But I'd settle for spring. Hope it's warm & happy where you are.

Now you can see why we wanted this piece of heaven. I have the feeling that if I get a paint sprayer and a 5 gallon tub of white paint I can live with the inside of the shack and just stare at the view!

Nailed It!

Got the property. Now we can think about planning a home, all the work and enjoying the place.

Looks like we might get the property we want on Whidbey. I wonder....at least the owner isn't flat out turning us down. I should know in a day or so, but my agent says she seems willing to sell. Oh, boy! Two and a half acres of bliss! The whole place is a deteriorating mess that will have to be bulldozed off the lot. It's amazing anyone lived there for the last 47 years. but she did.

We looked at the property by the mud flats on Dugalla Bay. Nope. Another property for much more money is just about perfect! Well, of course, wouldn't you know it.

Nuts!

Dick and I will be looking at Whidbey property on Tues. Tommy signed himself up for Spring quarter today. I think he's ready for some new subjects. Grif is working hard on some papers and last of the quarter assignments. Dick's got this great program for the blind radio users he is creating. I'm at loose ends again, baking sour dough bread and just keeping house. Soon I will go nuts.

Waiting for Grif

Hey, handsome son. Get into your little red wagon (Toy-ota) and come over for beef curry dinner. We are hungry so hurry!

Looking to Spring

And looking forward to a real vacation with my honey to Europe at the end of April...transatlantic!

Just took the dogs to a dog whisperer Vet! They will get their teeth cleaned without any anesthetics and for these two oldies, that's good.
Bright sun here and not bad at all! It's the kind of day that makes you begin to remember why you put up with all the rain and cold on the other days. It's been an interesting winter here with more snow fall than usual. But today "the mountain is out" and all's blue sky and right with the world. (OK at least a tiny part of it)

Grif is earlobe deep in school work and Tommy just finished a big project on Mercury poisoning for science class. Dick is backing up files and working in his cave.

Shirley/Couser/Dievendorff/Seattle/Bellevue/WA

Whoa, I'm hoping to cover a lot of ground here. Actually, the four inches of snow we got overnight pretty well did that for me. It's all melted and gone and a good thing as we don't get plowing here and if and when we do, the plows dam us into our driveways! Big help.

Looking for land on Whidbey Island or Camano Island north of Seattle. So far, not much luck. If we wanted to live next to a double-wide with junk trucks and piles of tires next door, we could easily have found a few acres already.

It's midterm week for Grif and Tommy. Makes me glad I got that stuff done early in life. Both seem to be doing OK this cycle.

Dick, my Shinning Knight, is back from his Ham contest in Nevada and is working nearly full time on software for Elecraft. He loves it! Nice to have hobbies when one is retired.

Speaking of....I finally hired the brilliant artist and she has painted the powder room into a beautiful work of art. What a joy when it is winter and nothing is blooming outside, to have the Tuscan warmth and flowers inside.