Kingfisher Cove

Thankful!

And now, just like that, it’s Christmas season.

I have mixed feelings about that with Dad gone, and also because Nate & Sandra won’t be coming up this year.  I do wish I had that to look forward to, but we’ll make do, I’m sure. However, I’m not quite in the mood yet to haul out the decorations. I feel like it needs to at least be December when I do that. I did watch the Seattle tree lighting festivities on television (Macy’s, the Space Needle) and while it was pretty, it made me feel a little blue.

Thanksgiving was nice! For once, the weather was clear and sunny (it’s run the gamut over the years, including a couple of times with widespread power outages) and everything went relatively smoothly. I think. I made a truckload of food (as I am wont to do) and not a lot of it got eaten, but there are leftovers, so there’s that. 

Wylie was very interested in the turkey! {{{BIRD!!}}}

Had some pre-dinner snacks (that included John’s awesome smoked salmon):

And ready to eat! (Finally!) Whew!

And here is John’s family (who really don’t like to have their pictures taken):

It was fun being able to use my china and some of my crystal, including the wine glasses my aunt just gave me when she was here for Nate and Sandra’s reception. I have a lot of fun wine glasses (some quite colorful), but I like the classic prettiness of these with an etched star. My china belonged to my great-aunt and I was completely blown away when she gave them to me many years ago, mostly because I loved them! She was an old fashioned woman and our tastes were generally on opposite sides of the spectrum, so you can imagine my delight with how contemporary these are. They even have little splashes of aqua!

I love my “stuff.” And with moving here to Harstine, I made a point to only keep the “stuff” that I love!

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I’ve spent just about all day today working at getting my kitchen back to normal! Three loads of dishes later…

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And tomorrow Helen comes and we will do some baking! I’m going to make banana nut bread and snowball cookies (Russian Tea Cakes), and possibly another cookie or two. I think it’ll be a lot of fun!

Prepping

Wow, busy day. John was over at his folks’ installing a dishwasher (which started SMOKING as soon as he flipped the switch (or touched the pad) to finally turn it on after plumbing it and sawing cupboards to fit it in. This guy has the worst luck with appliances! Actually, I think the problem is that appliances are built CRAPPY! But that’s a whole ‘nother blog post). Anyway. While he was gone, I’ve pre-made or prepped just about everything for Thanksgiving dinner (except the turkey, of course, although I did mix together the herb butter that I’ll spread all over it). My back hurts from all the standing. And now I need to start cleaning…

Da Menu:

Roast Turkey*
Martha’s Mashed Potatoes
Gravy (I’m gonna need help with this…)
Martha’s Cauliflower Gratin
Pioneer Woman’s Marinated Tomatoes
Dressing (with fresh herbs and mushrooms!)
Apple/Peanut Salad
Orange/Cranberry (uncooked) Relish
Relish Tray
Rolls (freezer rolls)

*Do you cook your turkey at 350° for 13 minutes per pound? Or longer at a lower temperature? Or start out hot (like, 425° for the first 20 minutes)? There are so many options and I haven’t picked a lane yet.

Apparently it’s very windy in areas, even nearby areas, but not here. It’s completely calm! BUT, the power keeps blinking. Some of those blinks have been pretty heavy duty and even kicked off the internet / Directv for a couple of minutes. Very strange!

Here is my little helper today!

Since I had it out (for the cauliflower gratin) I poured her a little bowl of cream. WOW did she like THAT!

Tomorrow: the dreaded floors. Hold me.

Ups and Downs

It’s already been a week since Dad has been gone.

It’s been a week of kindness, of sadness, of moving forward because the earth keeps spinning in that direction. It just does. My brother has been very busy as Dad’s executor, and I set up Dad’s memorial site located here. It’s kind of simple and basic, but I think Dad would have liked it. There is a memory book section where people who would like to can leave a memory or a comment. I love going back and reading them. I may add some more photos.

I think that when I was putting together his photo book for his 80th birthday in June, my gut had a hunch. I don’t think my gut thought it would happen so soon, but I felt a little needling haunting in the making of it.

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Part of moving forward is having a busy brain with preparations for Thanksgiving here with John’s family. Since said brain has been all over the place, I decided to make an Excel spreadsheet to keep me on track. Two of them, actually. One with time frames (when to do what) and the other a grocery list organized by store sections. So far it’s been very helpful and will especially be so next week! I decided to go ahead and pick up all of the non-perishables (along with items needed for meals between now and Turkey Day), and I made the mistake of thinking that it would prevent dealing with the throngs of humanity. Heh. Right. That grocery store was a zoo, and I had to drive in circles for a while to find a parking spot. Grrr. The upside was that at least their stocks were robust and I was able to find everything I needed. But now I need to go back, probably on Monday, and pick up the perishables. And there’s a whole lot of ‘em!

While I don’t hate it, it’s a 35-minute drive each way from here to the grocery store, and the whole trip generally takes a good 2-1/2 hours. Getting out is good, it’s not a terrible drive (with Seattle traffic as a comparison), and it’s just the way it is. It does take careful planning, that’s for sure. And it’s typically a MAJOR shopping trip. Lots to haul, lots to put away. I’m very thankful for the pantry, having two refrigerators, and a freezer.

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John has been busy this week creating the mantel for the fireplace! Today it was finally installed! Just. Wow. It’s made of spalted maple that he sliced and “book-matched” so that the design of the spalt extends the full length and repeats. Now I’m in a quandary about what to place on the mantel! I’ve tried several different artsy items and stood back to see how I felt about them and I really haven’t felt the love. I have to trust that I’ll be all “YES! THAT’S IT!” And I haven’t gone there. One thing I decided on (and have on order) is a moderate sized  (8” diameter) roped glass fishing float (typically they’re an aqua or teal green color of glass) to lean against one side of the chimney. Nautical without being overly so or “too precious.” And probably an item or two of John’s woodworking vessels. It can’t be too busy, nor do I want it extremely sparse, so it’s taxing my brain. (As it’s been taxed all week!) Like the rugs I finally found, I’m sure I’ll come up with something. And soon there will be Christmas decorations up there!

Here’s the full view (as always, click the pic to embiggen):

Closer:

The spalt is so intricate! And get this! Each end corner has a “wiener dog!” See what I mean? Heh. Nature’s Picasso!

RIP, Dad

June 16, 1935 – November 14, 2015

 

My brother was with him at Camano, helping him into his comfy lift chair, the same one that Mom used. It was just the two of them, and Dad sat down in his chair, pushed the button to recline it, and then suddenly sat forward, placing his hands on his head and staring with a bewildered, frightened expression. It wasn’t apparent that he was in pain—just bewildered, and then unresponsive.

Dave immediately figured it was his blood sugar (Dad has had Type I diabetes since he was young) so he quickly gave him some sugar, but Dad just wasn’t responding. He was slowly gasping for breath, and Dave started administering CPR. He called 911, continuing the CPR, and the paramedics rushed him to the hospital.

On the way there, he died. He’d had a heart attack.

It wasn’t unexpected, but it was sudden. He’s been living on borrowed time since 2011 when he was in a bad way (lengthy hospitalization and then a rehab center) when the doctors finally determined that his kidneys had failed. (I still can’t understand why it took them so long to figure that out). He’s been on dialysis since then, and all of his health issues are a result of the diabetes, including the 6-bypass heart surgery he had back in the early 1990s.

In many ways, it’s pretty astounding that he lived this long—he was 80 in June when we had such a great birthday celebration for him.

 

Here are a few pics of his life:

I’m so glad Dave was there for Dad, even though it had to be very traumatic for him.

And I’m also very glad that Dad had those extra five years of his beloved Mariners games, seeing the Seahawks win the Super Bowl, and experiencing those Camano Island sunsets.

 

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THE FOREMAN'S DAUGHTER

I would follow my dad
along the catwalks,
his hard hat towering above me,
and our foot-falls lost
in the screams of the saws.

I'd squeeze my hands flat against my ears,
my teeth clanging from the shriek of metal meeting wood,
and I'd watch the men below.

They'd wave to my dad,
some hands missing fingers,
and I could see grins on craggy faces
for a boss well liked.

From the mill floor
(Watch Your Step!)
my body would rumble
from the violence of the machines
spewing chips onto conveyors,
blasting bark with explosions of water,
slicing trees into raw lumber
with the spin of the brutal blades.

I'd heard the stories

of a hard hat lost in the chipper,
minced to silver bits;
of a young man dying on the gang saw
leaving my dad shaken at the memory
of pulling him out in pieces.

I would stand beside my dad,
drinking in the danger,
intoxicated with the charged aroma
of sawdust and ozone.

I would look up at him,
his hard hat towering above me,
and see myself in his eyes.

I am the miller's daughter.

Risking It

My son and his new wife aren’t known to peer at this here blog, so I’m gonna take a chance and post the link to the Shutterfly book I just created and ordered for them. (I recommend clicking “full screen” to view it there). It was quite a job! They’re ultimately pretty fun to do, though.

Here are a couple of the spreads (click ‘em to embiggen):

I SURE HOPE IT TURNS OUT WELL!!! Sometimes you don’t notice the goofs until you’ve seen it printed. Gulp!

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You guys, it is STORMY outside. We’ve already lost our DIRECTV and my fingers are crossed that we won’t lose internet or POWER. Jeeze, they’re calling for 50-60 mph winds and an “atmospheric river” of rain. For 2+ days solid! I am not a fan of November. As you know.

Harshing My Mellow

To be honest, that title really doesn’t have much of anything to do with my post, but that phrase has been running through my brain all day and I like it. It sort of resonates. Certainly it used to. Like, back in the days when I had to contend with Chucklehead. (Holy crap, that was terrible). I often wish a couple of my former bosses (the one that company ‘let go’ and another uber-professional marketing master from many years ago whom I consider a great mentor), as well as John, would have had the opportunity to meet Chucklehead. It would have been entertaining to witness the popping eyes, the dropping jaws, and the expressions of unadulterated horror.

(Similar to how my own face contorts whenever I see any of the GOP presidential candidates in a debate or whatever).

I haven’t been in touch with any of my former coworkers since about April. I’ve thought about it now and then, but ultimately I guess I just haven’t felt a strong enough pull to do so. It’s been nine months (nine months!) since I strutted walked out of that office for the final time, feeling such amazing joy, and I suspect that some interesting events have occurred in that time. Part of me would like to know, but the one former coworker that I was closest to is too much of a company wonk to likely offer up any juicy gossip. And yes, it would be gossip I’d want to know about! Heh heh. I may give it a go during the holiday season and hope for a little “gift of gossip.” We’ll see if it pans out.

And speaking of holidays: we’re hosting Thanksgiving here! We’re having John’s family and you can bet your bippy that I’ve been poring over my favorite Pioneer Woman and Martha Stewart recipes. (Plus a few of my own). Gulp. We even picked up the turkey already because there were rumors of a shortage (not that we noticed that—just exorbitant prices, so I suspect a bit of a con game). (Gee, imagine that). It’ll be fun, and we’ve managed two HUGE events in September and October, so why not November? (This involves a lot more cooking, however…) (Gulp). 

Today is Veterans Day and Nate posted this as his new Facebook profile photo:

On Facebook, Sandra’s dad commented: “Popeye and Olive Oyl.” I absolutely cracked up. (Did I mention how much I enjoyed meeting him at the reception? Bright, irreverent, educated, probably ex-hippy). I suspect that he and Nate get along quite well with their obvious mutual snark. (I love snark!)

I miss these two.

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So, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Helen and are baking, and I still need an idea. I plan to make Russian Tea Cakes (snowball cookies) and banana nut bread, but I also want to make something very CHOCOLATE.

What say you?

Projects!

I have one project I’m working on that I can’t talk about because it will be a Christmas gift. (It’s hard to not talk about it!) Maybe I will eventually, because I don’t think the party involved actually reads my blather on this blog. Still, I don’t want to risk spoiling the surprise.

BUT…I have been creating messes!

And little things:

(These “trees” are currently cooking in the kiln).

Mostly I’ve been experimenting with ideas for tree ornaments that are not overly time-consuming or hideously difficult to make that I can maybe put on my Artfire site (which I just now realized is on the fritz and I’m waiting for a response from them as to WTF!).

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As you can see, it’s definitely Novembering outside.

Random!

1. What was your first concert? (That was a question posed on a local [Seattle] news/entertainment TV show) and I remember that mine was Chicago! I went to a whole SLEW of concerts back in the 1970s, and they ran the gamut. Chicago, Jethro Tull, Emerson Lake & Palmer, The Carpenters, Styx, Jimmy Buffet, Janis Ian, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Fleetwood Mac, Gloria Estefan. John and I have seen Snow Patrol, One Republic, and Death Cab for Cutie. They were all really fun, except as I got older the ordeal of traffic and parking and crowds and then hoofing it for miles to the venue tainted some of that fun.
2. One of the best inventions in recent years (IMHO) is non-stick aluminum foil. God I love that stuff. I probably should buy stock in the company.
3. I’m planning to do some baking for the holidays, quite possibly with my friend Helen as we dust our bodies in flour, imbibe in wine, and make great use of my double oven and giant kitchen island. Anybody else want to join us? I’m not a huge baker these days (we’re more “salt” people than “sugar” people), so does anyone have a holy grail baked cookie or holiday item to recommend? And what’s the best method to freeze baked goods?
4. I colored my hair today and got rid of the gray, and it feels so good!
5. John picked up a Seagate (“Slim”) external hard drive and I’ve backed up a bunch of my photos and documents and stuff onto it (successfully). I also have my photos stored on Flickr. But now I’m scared as hell to delete those files from my laptop to free up space (which was the whole purpose…) Should I be?
6. I don’t know what to do about Thanksgiving (or Christmas, for that matter). Now that we’ve survived (and mastered!) two major events here at the Harstine house (the neighborhood potluck and Nate & Sandra’s reception party), I feel that having Thanksgiving here would be a no-brainer. Great kitchen, double oven, wonderful dining table. And while I’m not the best cook in the world, I could probably handle it OK. [I’ve managed it before]. But both my dad and John’s dad just cannot handle the 16 stairs down (and later up) to the house entry. It’s also a very long drive/ride for my dad, as he’s up at Camano Is., which is well over 100 miles north. And then, just the one guest room. Hmm.
7. So bummed Nate and Sandra won’t be here for Christmas. Understandable, as it’s very expensive to travel, but I’m feeling pouty. Do I even bother to put the tree up this year? (Yeah, probably). I noticed that Sandra changed her name to “Berens” on Facebook. I wondered if she was going to do that, or keep her name.
8. Here are a few Christmas-y ditties I’ve been experimenting with in my glass kiln:

Dinner and a Movie

Yet another quiet Halloween (no trick-or-treaters, as usual), aside from the wild stormy weather. Can you say sideways deck tables, chairs, and birdfeeders? Jeeze. No damage, but some scary-strong wind gusts followed later with lots and lots and lots of rain. There are TRENCHES cut into the (gravel) driveway from the gushing water flows. Jeeze. It is now, after all, my least favorite month. Short daylight hours, too much darkness, and gloomy even when the sun is supposedly above us.

BUT, we did celebrate the sale of the Des Moines house and went out to dinner at Shelton’s “best” restaurant, which really is pretty good. We each had a nummy rib-eye and a glass of wine and it was a nice break from cooking! Then Saturday we ventured out again (in the pouring rain) to Olympia where we watched “The Martian” in 3D! It was great! I’d read the book a while ago and really enjoyed it, and I figured John would like it, too (he did). It was fun to see it in 3D.

The theater was in the Capital Mall and it was Halloween and there were hundreds upon hundreds of little kids everywhere all dressed up in costumes trick-or-treating at all the stores. It was nuts, but it was also pretty cute. There was a very wee girl dressed as a chicken, complete with rubbery / flappy chicken feet and John and I completely cracked up. We slipped into the Verizon store and after amazingly top-notch service, I now have a new iPhone 6s with Verizon (buh-bye, crappy AT&T!) What a difference! I can actually make calls and texts from inside the house! What a concept!

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The dogs continue to itch like mad (especially Bailey) and finally John saw a flea. All these baths and treatments and no signs of fleas, even though the behavior was flea-centric. But finally a flea sighting, so John picked up some heavy-duty flea shampoo and meds and the dogs have been bathed/medicated. Oh, the baths were eye-opening because I saw fleas, too! Lots of them, swirling down the drain. All we can do is hope now that the hellaciously expensive medication does what it’s supposed to do. Relief for the dogs, and relief for US. (I have so had it with the thumping and chewing and digging! My head is about to explode!)

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Poor John. He had a physical a couple of weeks ago and the doc saw some moles and spots that she wasn’t liking and so she zapped them with cryo (freezing). He went back again this morning and she still wasn’t happy, so she did some more zapping (it’s very painful) and took a biopsy. He also had a flu shot. He’s a hurting puppy.

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I’ve been busy in the glass studio. Pictures to come! (Well, maybe. If they turn out…)