Pearls Before Swine

Oh, come on, it is funny as hell!

Thank you, Stephan Pastis

Happy Birthday, Dear Sisters!

Neither of you look a day over 50!!!

(Does this post make my nose look long. No? I didn't think so, either!)

I think I have new favotire song

I received a letter from Anderson’s Tribute Center

It was a kind letter, reminding me that the anniversary of Richard’s death is coming up. (Like I needed reminding.)

It gave eight points to get me through:

Forgive yourself: I have never told anyone this before, but on Richard’s second to the last night at home; he was having a bad night. So was I. He needed to get up once again. I was slow in helping. He wet himself and the bed. I got mad. I yelled at him. If I could take that back… Fuck, the things you say in one moment can hurt for an eternity.

Forgive your lost loved one: I have no reason to forgive Richard.

Talk to people: A year later and I still can’t say it out loud. And you want to talk to people? Get a grip on reality.

Crying is okay: thank god for that, because I still cry every day. There is always some reminder of Richard, a reminder of what we had.

Tell a story: Amsterdam, le sud de France, Paris, Reykjavik, Montréal, New Jersey, life with Saints, cats… so many stories. And the love he showed me every day. Despite all my flaws, he still made me feel special.

Write a letter: I think that is what I am doing now.

Give permission: they say it is okay to move forward, that I need to give myself permission to move on. Permission to move on to what?

Be thankful: I am so thankful for the many memories, the love Richard gave me.

I am so proud.

I got a text message from my cell phone company. I have use 75% of my data for the month. I have never used more that 10% before.

I have no real idea what that means, but I am ecstatic. I am using my cell phone to its fullest capacity. I don’t know what I did, but thank the gods I am finally…

Whoa, does this have to do with the time I forgot my cell phone at home when I went to work; that time when I got home and Tom was smiling real big.

Remind me to change my access code!

The quack heard round the world

One last shout before the game starts:

Go Ducks!!!

In solidarity

Dans Brest

Et Brussels (Bruxelles/Brussel)

Et La Trinité-sur-Mer

Et La Rochelle

Et Lille

Et Lyon

Et Marseille

Et Nantes

Et Nice

Et Paris

Et Pau

Et Reims

Et Santes

Et St. Étienne

Et Thiers

Nous Sommes Charlie!

(Photos lifted off websites... mostly French.)

Two nuns

Praying at the Shrine of the Holy Duck Call.

Darren Carrington is out.

Yes, the Ducks wide receiver Darren Carrington is going to miss the championship game because he failed a drug test for marijuana.

“What an idiot”, I said as I lit up my pipe. “What the hell was he thinking? Just because he’s young and at the age where he should be having fun and experimenting and lives in a state where it is almost legal…”

But the Ducks will survive like they have all year. “Next Man Up!”

The Ducks did call me to see if I was available, but I had to decline as Tom has been feeling especially  lonely, a little needy since my trip to Salt Lake City!

Go Ducks!!!

Not to be outdone by Tom

Max and my selfie.

Somebody loves me!

I hate to sound like a one Duck cheering section

But GO DUCKS!!!

It is official

Karla and I are going to Europe. We’ll spend one week in Great Britain, one week in my favorite place in Europe.

The problem is deciding my favorite place in Europe to take Karla. Is it the south of France, or Netherlands, or Paris, or Hamburg… there are so many great place.

This is your last chance to affect dates!

In support of the dozen people massacred in Paris.

From a left winger: we are all in this game together.

Go Ducks!

Quack out loud! Quack like you mean it!

(Photo lifted from the UO football website.)

A slight change in venue for spring of 2015’s road trip.

Yes, the Carolinas would be cool, but Karla and I have decided going a little farther east would even be cooler.

Okay, I haven’t technically had this approved, but Karla did say it was up to me. So I am thinking flying to London, spending three days there, then renting a car for four days and seeing England and perhaps Wales. (Can't you just see Karla and I driving on the wrong side of the street!)

Then take the Chunnel to France. Catch the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse - high speed train) to the south of France for another week exploring.

England… all the highlights of London, Stonehenge, Bath, Dolwyddelon Castle and other to be discovered highlights.

Le Sud de France… Le-Grau-du-Roi, Aigues-Mortes, Nîmes, Uzès, le Pont-du-Gard, Arles, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, peut-être Perpignan, Marseille… the possibilities are endless. And damn near endless sunshine!

Dates are still flexible if anyone wants to join! But you have a short time to influence the dates.

There are few memories of 2014 that I care to remember.

But February 17^th: Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital. Richard and I have seen the x-ray. The tumor is huge. It covers most of his lung. The doctors have conferred and even his oncologist says there is nothing that can be done.

We watched Jeopardy! We held hands. For the last time, he told me he loved me.

I will hold onto that for as long as I live.

Road trip to Portland!

Richard’s car knows the way to the Providence Portland Medical Center better than I do. Just shift it into auto-pilot and I am there.

My oncologist says all is good. She said my lungs sounded fine. I have a CT scan in March, and we will see how that goes.

She said it was okay to get tattoos and piercings, I could travel anytime I wanted (with a porter or two) and to give my gabapentin a couple of more weeks before trying something new.

Mighty Oregon

Just so you can all sing along on the 12th!

And I do expect you to stand as you're singing!

And Jane, no lip syncing!

Back in the Upper Valley

And my Christmas Cactus welcomes me home, also.

One bloom open with many more to come.

Farewell Elly May

I'm guessing there isn't going to be a reunion episode of Beverly Hillbillies.

Tom & my selfie

Somebody is happy I'm home!

(And yes, he knows he is adorable!)

January 2nd, 2015: Salt Lake City Airport

I am officially old. Just after I untied my shoes and pulled off my belt, a TSA agent sent me through the “No Threat to Society” line.

Don’t they know I am a badass? I’ve got tattoos and a scar to die for.

January 2nd, 2015: Portland International Airport

Whenever I go on vacation, I put my keys in my backpack as soon as I no longer need them. It’s really a good idea. I always know where my keys are when vacation comes to an end.

I am sitting on the floor at baggage claim, my backpack has been emptied on the floor. There are no keys. I am closing in on crisis mode. (Sadly, this is not the first time I've been seen sitting on the floor with an empty backpack at PDX: different reason, same scene. Well, okay, same approximate reason, but that time it was a driver's license and it was the just after the security checkpoint.)

What do I do? Do I call Trudy and ask her to go through my vacation bedroom with a comb and see if she can find my keys? Do I call AAA? Do I call a friend and ask them to break into my house and drive my spare keys to Portland?

The keys were in my suitcase. Crisis averted.

Go Ducks!