Be Prepared

Weekend before last found us up on Silver Ridge on the western (southern?) edge of Silver Falls State Park looking for Great Grey Owls. It was cold, very cold. In fact, we stomped through several inches of snow and the sky spit at us all afternoon. The wind blew right through my sweat shirt. My feet got soaked. I received many little lectures about always going out into the wild fully prepared. So this weekend I staggered out to the car under a load of stuff that wouldn't fit into my backpack: extra shoes and socks, hooded sweatshirt, heavy sweatshirt, padded rain coat with hood, hat, visor, sunglasses, camera, binoculars, lunch and purse. The setting was the same as last weekend but the sunny weather made the landscape much friendlier and more inviting. I was properly dressed and even thought about shedding my big sweatshirt while basking at our "scanning station" that we set up in what we now call "SilverRidge Meadow." Ahhhh. . . .no owls but gorgeous sunshine, a fresh breeze and clean silence. What a way to start Spring Break!

Jake and Katie

My grandgirls have alter egos. Mary often plays the part of Jake and sometimes plays the part of Alexis aka Lexi. Alicia is always Kate. It's taken me a long time to figure out this role playing game. I often hear them talking to each other using these names but they are not in plain sight when this occurs. I just thought they were taking the voices of various Barbies but began to wonder when they were addressing each other by these names in the back seat of the car with not a Barbie in sight. Then this morning Jake (Mary) was talking through the pet door to Kate (Alicia) who had been kidnapped and was being held in a large cave (the garage). I was washing my hands (using the bathroom) and Jake was feeling sorry for Kate and wondering about how to free her from the kidnappers (getting their stuff together for school). Never miss an opportunity to use your imagination, I guess.

Granny Dream

Picture this: A stylish new bakery has opened in the Oregon City area. I take my grandgirls there after school for a special treat with this vision of a French bakery/cozy "teatime" sort of experience with the girls and me eating pastel colored treats at a table covered with a pretty lace tablecloth. The flowers are blooming outside and the sky is spring blue. Mary chooses a thick slice of almond poppyseed bread. Alicia chooses a huge chocolate crinkle cookie and I decide to pass so I can just enjoy the girls' chatter. We sit. Alicia wants a bite of Mary's. Then she wants another bite. Hers is "too sugary." She wants a third bite of Mary's but Mary has lost her sense of sharing and heaves a large sigh and shouts, "NO." Alicia whines. I reprimand and Alicia says, "stop." This is directed straight at me. I tell her to watch her attitude. She tells me to watch mine. Mary tries to broker a bit of peace. Alicia tells her to "stop." I fold up the remainder of the treats and lead them out to the car. At home, I send Alicia to her room. "Fine," she replies. The afternoon has broken down and is only saved by doing math homework with Mary. And guess what: I can't figure out how to do some of the problems. Sigh.

Look Carefully! Do You See It?

Yesterday was a struggle for me. We went up and down hill after hill (okay only two); I sweated a bucket (my neck was wet where I was carrying my camera and binoculars); and I could barely breathe (this is true). We were in Tryon Creek State Park looking for a Barred Owl. We got to the right spot according to the park ranger and didn't see a thing except for a very beautiful and well constructed nest. I needed to rest. Bobbie suggested a log "over there." Whew. I was so glad to sit and even to lean back on the log behind me. "Just like a chair," I said. Then she immediately said, "OMGosh! I SEE it!" After several attempts to describe its location, she finally succeeded in getting me to see it. We were thrilled and awed. Our new binoculars allowed us to watch it move, see its yellow beak and study the bars on its fluffy chest. What a restful time it was having in the warm sun. And what an exciting time for us. We were also happy to share its location with other hikers and walkers who took pictures and enjoyed the sighting with us. Owls 13 Owlers 5!

Blue and Yellow

Oh my gosh, Phoenix was glorious. The city itself is unremarkable except for its cleanliness and easy access to everything but it doesn't matter because of its crown of blue sky and yellow sun. The low light angle at this time of the year just makes it that much more attractive. The temperature hovered around 80 degrees all the time we were there. I can prove it-I was swimming in an outdoor pool one morning at 7:30 and didn't need to sprint from the pool to the spa. Another example: We ate dinner outside on our friends' patio and I was barefoot at 8:00 at night. The coyotes were a-howling and the stars were a-twinkling all swirled together with the smell of the bbq-ed salmon and the vanilla scented candles on the table. It was heaven.

The tourist highpoint for me was our visit to the "Vincent Van Gogh Alive" exhibit at the Phoenix Science Center. I was enthralled and awed by this multi-sensory experience into the life and work of this artist. And it was so apropos to my class work this week that centers around the relationship between an artist and his art. Unforgettable.

But the very best part of the trip was the time I got to spend with our friends Cheryl and Irvin. What fun we had! And the absolute best was when Cheryl and I had a few hours to ourselves while the guys played golf. Just like old, old times. Talk, talk, laugh, sigh, talk, and talk some more. She helped me find a solution to a very disturbing problem I've been grappling with for the last several months. I knew I could count on her. She is such a treasure.

The Sun at $49.99

I finished my daily allotment of rows on my sky scarf four days ahead of time today because we're going to Phoenix tomorrow and I don't want to schlepp this bulky boxed project with me. And I knitted the future four days all in yellow because that's what the sky is expected to be like in Arizona with an accompanying temperature near 80 degrees. So the sun will shine on my life for the next few days and not only from the sky but from the smiling face of my good, good friend Cheryl and her good guy husband, Irvin.

I've known Cheryl since I was in the seventh grade. That was in the year 1959 which was a very long time ago. She is now my oldest friend on earth. She is one of the few left who can remember any of the specifics about my own childhood so I stand secretly in a selfish kind of awe of her. She's one of my power figures. When we were in junior high, she was one of those girls who just knew everything and everyone including the most amazing facts and stories about the cheerleaders and the yell kings. In high school, she could handle her cigarette the way Tippi Hedren did in the movie "The Birds" when she was calmly sitting on the bench in the school yard with the weird birds beginning to fill her background. In fact, Cheryl recited the whole plot of that movie to all of us at one of Karen's famous slumber parties that my parents actually let me attend. We were so scared by her realistic interpretation that we couldn't go to sleep but I was immensely grateful for her narrative because I knew I would never be allowed to see such a movie. There was nothing uplifting about it, according to my mother.

And then, believe or not, Cheryl and Irvin got married a year after we graduated from high school when I was still struggling with Shakespeare and wondering how I would ever pass my math requirement and desperately shopping for a husband of my own. The two of them are still happily married today and living in the perpetual warmth of Arizona. They come home to Oregon only when the heat is absolutely unbearable in that part of the country. They spend part of their summer at the Oregon Coast and we visit with them there. But now I am excited to go see my friend who understands more about me than anyone on earth except maybe for my sister. And for that reason, she is one of my best people. And, wow, did she ever look good in those short, short pleated Pendleton skirts and matching sweaters that we wore in the old days!

Lucky Thirteenth

Check this out! Today was my lucky owl day. I just felt right in my bones this morning that I would see this Western Screech Owl. Traffic was good, there were only a few people at the refuge and there was no one on the trail until my return. I did spot squirrels and chipmunks and walked right through a flock of Canada geese without disturbing them one bit. That seemed like a good omen. The forested area was deserted and I found myself slowing my steps as I approached the tree but VOILA! there it was! I held my breath as my shaking fingers readied the camera. He let me take as many pictures as I wanted and only opened one eye for a quick glance before going back to sleep. I was walking at least six inches above the trail on the way back. What a thrill! New score= Owls 13 and Owlers 4. (The camera date is wrong. I forgot to readjust it. Darn.)