Sadness in the Building

 We lost another resident today. Lulu (a few doors away from me) passed during the night. It was expected as she had been suffering from liver cancer.

She was a first-class character too.  We had a get together a couple days back and she talked for 40 minutes about her life. Actually started with age 2. haha  She was an artist and was in the middle of writing her life story, as well.

I'm planning on working at the sewing machine today. Also have another puzzle set up.  I have three crumb quilt bags I hope to finish this afternoon and then I'll find something else to occupy myself with. I've been making an attempt to diet this week. Nothing drastic; just trying to cut down and avoid sweets. The hardest time is after dinner and before bed but I'm finding that if I can manage to not snack at that time, I can make some progress. Stepped on the scales this morning and I'm down 5 pounds! Woo Hoo!

My 60th class reunion is shaping up slow but sure. We're holding it during Mike Logue's memorial service at his cousin's farm in Chimacum on June 27.  We've lost 27 (out of 68 I think) plus 19 others that didn't graduate but we still consider part of our class.  We're expecting anywhere from 16 to 20 at the gathering at the end of the month.  Looking forward to it.

Andy and Mary are moving next month. Maybe as early as July 1st. They found a house in Vancouver, WA and it has a mother-in-law apt attached. I'm already figuring out how to visit. Am thinking a train trip would be the least stressful for me.

I painted a couple rocks earlier this week. One for Mary Gaboury who wanted a tiger, angel, and hotrod which is what "our gang" called ourselves for a time. (her sister, Teresa, me and Mary) haha

I also painted a rock for the baby shower I'm attending for Mary's granddaughter in a couple of weeks.

She's having a second boy.

I finished a chapter this morning for my 'Story Worth' project. I get a subject to write on each Monday via email and at the end of the year, the stories are put in a book. Today was a memory of my grandparents.  I only had my grandpa LewGene Blankenship and I wrote:

I only had two grandparents who were alive when I was born. My mother’s dad died when I was three so I don’t remember him at all. My father’s dad, however, was a big part of my childhood as we lived with him for ten years before he died in 1960. His house was small and we were mighty crowded with dad and four kids in that three-bedroom house.

When Grandpa had a heart attack and the doctor urged him to go live with his daughter (my Aunt Elva Arey) in her home about a half mile away, he balked but was pretty much overruled by his four children who still lived in Port Townsend.  He loved his large gardens and his chickens. He had over 200 at one time.  When his bedroom was emptied out and dad moved into it, Grandpa realized he was fighting a losing battle. He was determined to return to his farm daily and he walked back and forth each morning and evening.  He decided he needed a place of his own so he fixed up an area in one of the barns. He had two chicken areas at each side of the barn and in the middle was the spot he chose for his “den.”  He moved in his rocking chair, a small cupboard, a lamp, and a hot plate.  He fixed instant coffee and liked cinnamon bread, fig bars, and peanut butter.

When his children discovered what he was planning, they had an “intervention” and forbid him to move into the barn. He was 80 years old and was standing his ground!  I remember my Uncle Jim saying “What will the neighbors say? Finding out you’ve moved into the barn with your chickens?!”  Grandpa yelled back: “I don’t give a damn what the neighbors think!” Once they realized their father was not going to obey, they stomped off cussing and muttering about what a bullheaded old man he was.

I was a teenager then and probably rebelling at authority figures myself so I admired my grandfather’s stand of independence.  He continued to walk back and forth from my aunt’s house and finally died with his boots on walking from the barn to the house one September afternoon. My youngest brother, Dana, came home from school and found him lying in the yard next to his walking stick. It was the day before Dana’s tenth birthday but we pretty much forgot about that.

One of my favorites on Facebook this morning:

No, this is not a hunting photo.....Briton Alex Larenty lives on a game reserve in South Africa and spends his days giving lions foot massages. One day, he discovered that every time a lion was applied a cream to cure an infection on its paws, the lion would slacken and appear to smile. Since then, he has massaged all the lions in the park on a daily basis. Thanks to the pampering, he created a bond such that just by seeing him arrive, the lions lie down, begin to stretch their legs and smile. With love and respect, all relationships are possible

Well, that's about it for now. It's 10 a.m. and time to head to the sewing machine. Think I got up a little too early as I'm awfully tired still. It was one of those mornings where I had to get up because my dreams were getting on my nerves!