Bill Wins Out...

Today I sat with a client of mine who is quite ill.  He told me that he experienced a "life flashing before his eyes event" and he shared how impactful that was for him.  As I walked home from work, I was thinking about our conversation and I remembered that I never got back to writing...Since last writing, life has flashed by and much has occurred....

      The end of May we had a big surprise party for my brother in law, Bill.  He turned 80 and many of us gathered to celebrate.  Sister Gloria and his children did all the behind the scenes planning and Gloria pulled off getting him to the party without a hitch!

A well coordinated surprise!

We sang and cheered.

It was good to meet his side of the family and many friends.

And of course, there is our side...
We all love Bill dearly.

Later Bill and Gloria took me for a drive into the mountains around
Los Alamos...

This is AGAIN the area that was once again hit by the most recent fire...

There's new growth among the old dead wood. (WAS).

This is an ET call home dish....

Then, this-- just barely a month later.  I could hardly believe it when my sister Andela called me and told me that she and Los Alamos, were in the process of evacuating.  It brought back intense memories of a similar occurrence 11 years prior.

 I know that I am probably supposed to say more about this fire and all of its implications but I find that I can't. I find that I have to keep it to myself because I do realize that I am grieving--for all the animals killed, the destruction, the chaos and the threat to the nuclear, plutonium and other hazardous sites.  I am grateful to the fire fighters, the Red Cross, and the Northern NM communities that came to the aid of my home town.  Thank you.


So there is a life flashing before ones eyes, and the celebration of a life well lived and a horrific fire; all are rumbling inside my mind.  Out of all of this, I want to focus upon Bill, this great man who married my sister Gloria many years ago--I don't remember the number.   But what I do remember is that Bill has always been there for ALL of us.  He has shuttled me back and forth from Albuquerque to Los Alamos more times than I can count.  He is there for sister Andie who struggles with recreating her life and stabilizing her family; he becomes a great male role model for her children.  He was there for my parents--loving and respecting them both.  I don't think I can remember him ever saying no to a request for aid or a favor.   He loves  green chili and burritos and he always is offering to bring me one when I am visiting.  AND, this is the man who brought me a ton of rocks from NM to Seattle for my garden this past year--hauling them in the back of his SUV.
  One thing I do know about Bill Long is that he l o v e s to drive and travel and he holds a zest for life that inspires me. I wish you continued safe driving Bill.  I love you and thank you for being in our lives-for being such a terrific brother.  You, sir, are the best.

Any Age, It's a Milestone....

I am in New Mexico visiting for an event that I cannot currently divulge...but, what I can say is that an Auntie treat was to attend nephew Quintin's sixth grade graduation:

Quentin, in the blue shirt received several acknowledgements.

He receives congratulations...

One award was to acknowledge his uniqueness and perseverance--he is a role model and this button has the Presidential Seal....

A Proud Young Man....



A proud mom takes a special moment....

Then, they had cake!

And then, they didn't....

Many happy parents celebrating what I know, some of you may think is a little lame event.  I had initially thought that...My mind was changed as the methaphor of learning to ride a bike was discussed in terms of their transition (the training wheels have come off and there are bumps but also exhilaration).  Then, there was a really nice video with pictures and music...it was totally sweet.  And, most importantly, Quintin was so proud.

I have to say, I too am proud.  Well done young man!

We're Finished!!

And it was worth the wait!!

Here we go.....

Lucky us!!  Thank you Toni--You are the best!!

A May Day.

May has come. While Seattle celebrated a beautiful, warm weekend, Osama bin Laden was living his final moments. This is one of those events where we tend to always remember "what we were doing when..."  This is what we were doing; just living our lives.  I am very grateful to those Navy Seals who risked their lives while I was gardening.


One of the things I like about our yard is that many of our plants came from the gardens of friends, or by other means...Three years ago Kim and I were out for a neighborhood walk when we saw this uprooted beauty lying on its side in an alley.  I was aghast and as we continued our walk I kept wondering who would do such a thing??  That night, I literally couldn't sleep and the plant began calling out to me..."help me, help me..."   The next morning, I happened to have the day off.  We have big recycling bins on wheels and with our bin, I rolled it the 4 or 5 blocks to the plant's rejection site.  I was able to maneuver the bin on its side and push the plant root down-- and off rolling down the street we went...back to our house, to the garden, to it's new home.  Since then, it has rewarded us with these glorious red flowers each year....Perhaps that was a little more story than you wanted to know....

Our yard is in all of its glory....

Everyone is happy and smiles abound between all of the flowers.

This little beauty is about five years old...When Kim and I bought it, it was about 12 inches tall...

Veggies are growing (tomatoes arrive in late May) and Hostas begin to emerge...

The pear tree shows off its blooms. 

The flowers are a precursor to succulent, 

overly abundant pears.

While I slaved away in the garden, Kim and her friend Ellen took a weekend trip to the Washington Coast.  Ellen is now living in Honduras and has come for a two week visit.

They saw a cow.

And some boats 

and a very big octopus.

Meanwhile, Toni was working away creating straight shelves 

in a crooked little house.

Doors are also being hung.

Books are getting a bit anxious...

Inspections continue

On all fronts (or rears).

What were you doing? 

Be safe.

(I cannot undo this little green feature)