It's getting dusty

Sat on the bluff Wednesday during lunch hour and watched the clouds gathering over the mountains. Thought maybe we were going to get another good downpour - we did get a bit of rain, but not as much as it looked like we might get.



Instead, it would seem that the clouds dumped their moisture on the mountains. These pics were taken on the way to church Wednesday night. Yeah, I know, you really can't see what it is I'm talking about, huh? Well, here's a closer shot:



Yup, grainy because I don't have a zoom lens - so this is just a closer view of the first shot. Erm . . . yes, Virginia, that IS santa cl . . . ahem, no, I mean that is the S work up there in them hills. Sigh. It's a-comin'!

Meanwhile, on the western side of Cook Inlet, the storm was just arriving:

I imagine we'll see plenty of the S word over there once the clouds clear off.

In the meantime it just sort of slipped past me this year. Sept. 19th was our Alaska anniversary - we've lived here now for 27 years. Only three more years and we can be called "Pioneers of Alaska". And, that sounds like an interesting concept.

We will be considered old timers before we are considered Old Timers, you know what I mean? AFter all, we'll only be 58 (only!!) when that time arrives.

all that aside - it's been a good ride here in Alaska. We fell in love with the land from the moment we set foot on her soil. We love the culture, the people, the history and majesty of the place.

I love the heartbeat - the very soul of life lived here. It's been a grand ride. Happy 27th Alaskaversary to us!

Bling-bling

He's all about the bling-bling, that one. I-bug, Ladybug's littlest guy, loves to have Paw-Paw click his teeth. I don't know how else to explain it - hubby has false teeth and he sort of juts them out of his mouth (grossing out every normal adult in the room) and clicks them at the babies. Each one of them when they reach a certain age get a crazy kick out of it.

Last night it was I-bug insisiting that Paw-Paw click his teeth. Babies are so funny - they will try to imitate it by chomping their own teeth together. He was having a grand time laughing and trying to mimic Paw-Paw.

All this time he was sitting on my lap. Then he turned to me and asked me to do it, too. "Nana can't do it, baby. She has her own teeth and they don't come out."

Not satisfied with this answer, he made me open my mouth - and spotted the ultimate bling. Nana has two gold crowns!

He tilted his little head - stared deeply - then reached his (fresh from the bathwater clean) chubby little fist (yes, the entire fist!) into my mouth going for the bling. MUST HAVE PRETTY!!!

He looked like a determined dentist, I tell ya.

All I could do was laugh. Being a Gramma/Nana is the neatest thing in the world. Those babies can do just about anything they want. All too soon they are out of this age and it won't come back. (deep sigh)

Hey - go get your own chattering teeth why don't you? Lessa could tell you a story about taking chattering teeth to French class in high school. (heh)

And, beware those BIG BLUE EYES which will be coming to a front door near you. Yes, it is THAT time of the year again. The schools are (ALL) doing their annual fundraisers. The little darlins will be knocking on your doors - or sending their parents to you at work - and smiling up at you with dimples and gapped teeth and those devilish BIG BLUE EYES asking you to buy something (so they can get prizes!).

And I have SIX (6!!!) grandbabies in some sort of school situation. I'm $48 bucks down so far with the first three. Still have a pre-schooler and two middle schoolers to go.

Did I mention the bling?

Remember?

this picture?

taken Saturday, Sept. 17th.

Here is another - same location - next day
with TAT enjoying himself immensely.

Oh - and, I guess that Shaggy Mane mushrooms ARE good to eat - but, not knowing that at the time, and being a bit fearful of unknown quantities and such, we let them stand right where they are. Maybe next year.

TAT found two other species of mushrooms, too. I didn't get photos of them, though. One is a button sized round capped 'shroom. The other TAT decided was big like a pizza and he and Miss Jackie named it a Pizza 'shroom. ;-)

Not much else to say. I'm a bit of a dizzy blonde lately - having some equilibrium problems. So I am going to take myself off to bed.

Prayers sent toward those in the aftermath path of Rita. My nephew is there - he is a police officer - and I know that my sister is concerned about his safety. His children were last known to be on their way to Arkansas (I haven't had an update from sis who lives here in Alaska, but must assume they made it safely) with their grannie. Their mama is a nurse and was evacuating the hospital with patients. Again, no news is good news so we are assuming that all is well with them.

And, that is all my addlepated brain can come up with tonight. Have a great week, everyone.

More Seward Pics

Tonight I will share "homes" with you:

Ever see a "cordwood house?"

just outside Seward

I grabbed a quick shot while we walked back from the Museum
Just a very cool looking house, huh?

Hi, honey, I'm . . . home?

the evening skies as we neared Kenai.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh home

Seward Sunday

After Worship services Sunday morning, I met up with Master T-bug and his Paw-Paw at the golden arches in Soldotna. We shared our lunch and then T-bug and I drove to F.M. to pick up Miss Jackie to take her back to Seward.

After getting her gear all loaded up she insisted that she share the back seat with the young man and I ended up playing chauffeur. ;-) It was delightful to hear them chatting and laughing and singing and getting along famously. Miss Jackie brought her tape recorder out of its bag and she and the little guy began to converse on tape - and sing on tape - and laugh on tape. It was so neat to listen to them. (I was able to get a FEW words in from time to time - but not many.)

We stopped in Cooper Landing.

We visited the Seward Museum while in town - and T-bug came home with treasures - a poster and a pencil.

We tasted rose-hips from in front of Miss Marlie's house, the Ballaine House. (That link will take you to a page about the Ballaine brothers and their work with the Alaska Railroad. The house is 99 years old. Delightful.)

We drove to Resurrection Bay where T-bug took a couple of pictures:

My favorite picture of the day:

It was a wonderful day!

Upon arriving back home in Kenai, T-bug told his mama that he "loved Miss Jackie! She is the most beautifullest woman he knows (except you and Nana, Mama)." I think he would love to have Miss Jackie come to live with him. ;-)

Thank you, Jackie, for a great time - for being a Gramma for the day with our little guy. We are both looking forward to seeing you again in the spring.

Read a bit about what Jackie does.

'night, everyone.

Seward Saturday

Picked up my friend and we shared lunch in Seward. Talked and talked and talked some more. Then drove her this way to visit with her cousin and someone she is interviewing for the book. We talked all the way here. Tomorrow Master T-bug and I will pick her up after church and take her back to Seward. We will likely talk and talk and talk some more on the way back.

We stopped in Cooper Landing at the rest area and found these:

funky, huh?

I have more pics from today to share, too, but will space them out for when I have nothing much to say.

But, here is one from tonight when Ms. WildThang came to visit for a few minutes:

They're really concentrating on that book, aren't they? It's all about the Little Puppy. I took some other pics of them, but Paw-Paw Moosie threatened to take my camera away. Sigh! silly man. Lessa would just bring hers out if he did. Heh.

Have a restful and blessed Sunday, everyone.
>..<

Rainy days and . . .

okay, now I have an earworm.

Dan asked if today was better. ;-) Ohhhh - go and look at today's photo! Thanks, Dan.

Yesterday being Friday - I had the day off - went to my chiro appt., had a therapeutic massage (feels so good when he stops!) and then pretty much spent the rest of the day out running around in the rain. (Blue eyes crying in the rain - okay got rid of the first earworm and replaced it)

Our local Fred Meyer store is remodeling in a BIG way - things are being moved around, walls included, and it is an adventure to go in a couple of times a week just to see what is where this time. And, they have CLEARANCE items!!! Yup, retail therapy!!! 50% off the lowest marked price!!! I bought some Christmas gifts - I'm all about the sentimentality, you see.

Visited the small children's second hand store and found some things for the two youngest grands. Miss K-Bug got a pretty pale green "party" dress and some tap shoes to tippity tappity shuffle off to Buffalo in. And, she was very excited. ;-)

A road trip to Seward is in order today. I'll take the camera along. Going over to visit a friend from CA who is here researching her next book. Will bring her back to this area to visit her cousin and then likely drive her back to Seward tomorrow after worship services. (T-bug gets to go on that trip as it is his shopping day.)

So - yup it's "tomorrow" as Dan said in my last entry. Life goes on - it has a pretty big hole in it right now - but life goes on.

long days

It's been a couple of long days at work - had to rearrange my schedule to accommodate a project - two days in a row - and the project still has not been started. So I will have to rearrange my schedule next week as well. Sigh.

Found myself feeling QUITE grumpy this afternoon. Then I slid back down into the "I don't care" doldrums - I say "back" because I was hit hard and heavy by those "I don't care"isms yesterday.

Sigh. I guess I'm a creature of habit and when people or things or STUFF isn't as I think it should be or as I need it to be or is just generally out of whack that I just start a slippery slide.

It generally only takes me a day or two to get my normalcy all straightened back out. It helps that I am a generally positive person. It helps that I have a King who reigns and who hears my cries. (knowing this allows me to the the aforesaid generally positive person).

I hurt for my gorlie, Lessa. I hurt for my grands. I hurt knowing that my hurt is little compared to theirs. And yet, I still hurt.

It is HARD to watch your family hurting, you know? You want to somehow just take away the hurt - take it into yourself so that they can go on with their lives all happy-dappy.

but that doesn't happen.

it doesn't work that way.

I can't bear their pain for them.

I have to watch it tear them apart.

sigh!

drama mama, huh, Lessa?

back to happy-dappy land tomorrow maybe.

>..<

A boy and his boat

ON BUSINESS used to belong to Mr. Moose. The Boy loved to crawl all around the boat while it was drydocked in our front yard. His mama (Lessa) and auntie Ladybug grew up practically in that boat. But the Boy loved it. (except for that ONE time when he found a spider in it - he was OUT of the boat lickety split that time)

So, when it came time for us to give up the boat, the Boy and his daddy became the proud owners. Of course the Boy is still a bit young to have it in his name and Kevin loaned it out - with the Boy's permission - to his buddies often. It is currently residing with one of Kevin's buddies having some work done on it - winterizing, etc.

But, for Kevin's last ride (see previous entry) the Boy felt like ON BUSINESS should make the trip as well. And, as you can see from the above photo he got to skipper it up and down the Kasilof River for a time or two. Within a few years he will be taking it out on fishing trips I would imagine.

But, looking down over the bluff and seeing him grinning from ear to ear - all I could really see was my first grandson, all tow-headed and dimpled, and about 2 years old - crawling all over the boat while his Paw-Paw and Daddy got it ready for a fishing trip.

It's a legacy that makes ME smile, too.

Fish on, buddy, fish on.

Kevin's Last Ride

the parade to the camp grounds

see all of the wood pallets in the boat and truck ahead of us?

BIG FIRE! (and, yes - it was RAINING!)

Kevin's dad gave a traditional Irish toast

'Slainte!' To Kevin!
(pronounced 'slawn-cha', meaning Health! A common toast in Ireland, the equivalent to 'Cheers')

Lessa gave him back to the water he loved

And the party began - sorry can't share those pics. Mr. Moose and I left shortly after the above photo. He could no longer see to make his way around the campgrounds (due to his eye problems) and it was time to bring ourselves back home.

my last drinking frenzy was with Kevin 9 years ago at a north road party, The Ugly Bug Ball. I've not had a drink since then. Last night in his honor I took one drink from Lessa's bottle. It will be my last drink.

I'll leave you today with a poem I wrote for Kevin in 2003 - he told me when I read it to him - "that is ssssoooooo not where I thought you were going with that!"

I'll miss our sparring - I'll miss the man. I was his mother-in-law and he hated me for that fact alone. Other than that, he loved me, but never said it. It was understood.

Kevin's Salvation
Homer, 06-25-03
by the PurpleMoose in her own name

My son-in-law got saved today
The experience was inspiring
I was awe-stricken
At the site of his salvation

Blessed and assured that the saving
Was complete
He could go into his day
With grace and the knowledge of it

My son-in-law was saved today
But only I know it
For he was 100 miles away
And his salvation was here

In my B&B bathroom

Where I squashed the spider
And baptized it into a septic pool

I fear that it will be hard
For Kevin to swallow

That his fear of spiders

Has made his Mother-in-law

His savior

Irish

My heritage is Irish - my Dad's grandparents were said to be first generation Irish/American. As none of the relatives are left - either alive or cognizant - that is a tale that cannot be told as either 100% truth or 100% bunk.

I am Irish on my father's side and that is a fact. ;-) (European mix on Mom's side)

The Irish are full of traditions - with one of the bigger ones being the wake tradition.

This Friday Kevin's family will be holding a less traditional wake. We will be loading up his "mobile man space" and taking his remains to his favorite camping spot, there to throw a party for all of his friends. Many will spend the night - as keys will be confiscated - and preparations will be made for inclement weather.

Kevin's Dad is of Irish descent and he and I share tales from time to time of attending catholic schools and compare the "mercy" of the nuns. (My grade school teachers were sisters of mercy [ha] We each have [fond] memories of knuckles being rapped with metal edged wooden rulers.)

There will be food and laughter and all the things that go with the revelry of a wake.

Irish joke: what's the difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish wake? There'll be one less drunk at the wake.

Mr. Moose and I will attend - I have been asked to bring potato salad as mine is the only one Kevin c/would eat. We will stay for awhile, but will not camp out. I will read my poems written for Kevin over the past 14 years - only two - and others will share their thoughts as well.

His ashes will get a proper send off.

And, life will go on for those left behind to mourn his passing. The sun will continue to rise and to set. The birds will continue to sing. (Why do the birds go on singing?) We will set our faces to the sun and continue to live on. For that is what Kevin would have wanted.

I'll leave you with a few Irish toasts:

To live above with the Saints we love,
Ah, that is the purest glory.
To live below with the Saints we know,
Ah, that is another story!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
May neighbours respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
May those that love us, love us.
And those that don’t love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if he doesn’t turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles,
So we’ll know them by their limping.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
May you have food and raiment, a soft pillow for your head. May you be forty years in heaven before the devil knows you’re dead.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
'Slainte!' To Kevin!
(pronounced 'slawn-cha', meaning Health! A common toast in Ireland, the equivalent to 'Cheers')

Getting back to normal (?)

for lack of a better title - not sure that any of us will be exactly normal for awhile. But we are all making a stab at it.

The kiddos will go back to school tomorrow - even the Pup who has tonsils the size of Texas according to her mama. I will be going back to work - even though my heart is not really in it. I don't think any of us have the heart to do what we know we must do.

And, yet, we must. Lessa must continue on making a home for her youngsters and herself. My hubby and I continue on - Ladybug and her family continue on. We have this hole in our hearts (also the size of Texas) but we still go on as we must.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I have pretty much stayed out of the many online discussions about Katrina - mostly because of what has been going on in our personal space. But partly because I am speechless because of what those folks are going through. And, I am stricken by the furor and anger and angst I have seen in the online community as well. There is anger aimed at the President - at the federal government - at the local government - and much fist shaking going on.

There are philosophical and religious discussions as well.

I try not to rock the boat - because I like to keep my feet dry - because I am self-protective, not self-destructive.

and yet . . . .

I listened to this message this morning - you may go to the following page and click on "Listen Now" - We live by permission, not by good management - Alistair Begg, Katrina and God's Providence

Do I believe in an all-powerful, all-wise, all-suffecient God? I do - with all of my heart. Do I believe that He was in control of the elements that caused the hurricane and the flooding? I do indeed.

Do I believe that this same God was the "cause" of the looters and other evil doers afterwards? I do not - I do believe that He knows and sees - but the evil that is going on is overseen by the fallen one, the beautiful one, the angel of light.

Will this end someday? Yes. satan's reign is not forever - he and his minions will lose the war. King Jesus will return and will reign eternally. God has for-ordained this.

may we each one be ready.

kithin kuthinth

One thing about events like we've had this past week and a half - it brings out the family and friends you've not seen for awhile, due to time/travel constraints or whatever.

Cousins - G and Lessa
probably 3-4 years old - can't remember

same two today - switched sides, though
age? 35 (L) and 36 (G)

Awwww - bain't they the cutest little tykes? ;-)

G has gone back home to TX to his wife and kiddos - leaving his mama and sister missing him again. Not to mention all of us. (they have police jobs up here, too, G!!!!!)

Leaving today are friend Bubba and Kevin's sis JR and her friend. 'twill seem quieter somehow with all of them gone. Lessa is hoping that TBF, her best friend, will still be able to come up this week. (something about fires in CA that may keep her there instead of letting her come here)

But, as friends and family back off to give Lessa and her kiddos some space, things will normalize for them all and they will be able to get into their own routine again.

Our hearts will still ache, but we will begin to go on with our lives.

Kevin would have wanted that.

Seeking

Kevin's mom and I have been looking for one photo in particular for tomorrow. I can sense Kevin's glee as that picture eludes us. Each one of us who is seeking have all said at one time or another "I just saw it . . . " (recently, the other day, just awhile ago, etc.)

And yet, none of us can find it.

I am thinking that we are meant to see it only in our minds. It is a much clearer photo, perhaps, in our mind's eye. And, it brought some giggles to all of us today as we recalled the occasion of the taking of the picture. That, in itself, is healing.

Laughter - gallow's humor - comic relief moments. Each of them as out of place, maybe, as a fart in church as my mother-in-law would have said. However, with each bit of comedy, each laugh, we are a step closer to healing.

The family viewing yesterday was tough. Lessa was a pillar of strength to her kids and to all of us, though. She and her dad went in first - the director had asked her to see if he had done all that she had wanted him to do.

Then she took the children and after a moment I joined them.

Reality hit home pretty quickly. The children were able to see that this was really true - it brought closure for them which was needed.

Not very many people attended. It wasn't advertised and was designed as a private family time. I know that Lessa appreciated everyone who came.

Today was a quieter day - a de-stressing day, maybe. Lessa had some phone work to do and then she and I did some road work. She has had some visitors and that is a good thing for her also.

Again, thank you all for your thoughts and your prayers. Saturday at 1 p.m. Alaska time is another time we'd ask for your support as that is when the memorial service will take place.

I know that many in the bigger blog world are all discussing the terrible hurricane aftermath in New Orleans - I know that our tragedy does not compare with the feelings of those folks. Intellectually I know all that. And, yet I also know that Kevin's loss is as big a tragedy to our family as is the loss of homes, levees, and loved ones is to those families involved. Thanks for allowing me a space for introspection.

Lost

It is weird. I am busy - have lots of things to do - and yet, I find myself un-busy with nothing to do. Does that even make sense????

Feel like I should be doing something but find that I cannot concentrate properly to do the things that I COULD be doing. And, no, I don't think THAT makes any sense, either.

I find myself checking several email addresses - and wonder if the folks who normally email me on a daily basis are just sitting back feeling the same emptiness and wonder as I am feeling.

What to do? What next? whosiswhatsiswhensis, etc.

Simply put

lost

p.s.

thank you all so much - and you all know who you are -