Almost NewYears

The memorial service for Chris was perfect.  Lots of good memories.  Lots of old friends.  The thing about funerals and weddings is that you will meet people you haven't seen for twenty years.  You might not recognize them right off, but as soon as they tell you who they are, your heart leaps with all the old joy.

And people you have never known will share a side of your loved ones that you didn't know existed.  Wouldn't it be grand to bring all these people together for a party without having some big, stress-filled reason to do it?  There's a limit to the number of weddings you can have.

We got up early (5AM) and headed over the pass, and it's a darn good thing we did, too.  I hate driving in snow under the best conditions.  I got a few photos of the road (Thank God Kyle doesn't mind driving in snow.)When the snow squalls blew in and the visibility dropped to ten feet or so, I just closed my eyes and knit faster.  I know, there are lots of intrepid folks who don't think this is any sort of weather. or road conditions to remark on.  My mother-in-law in LosAngeles is freezing because the outside temperature is clear down to 60 degrees.  It's all a question of what you're used to, and I have no intention of getting used to snow.

It's about 150 miles from our house to my brother's house in Redmond.  It took us five and a half hours to drive home(not counting the 40 minutes we stopped for breakfast).  There were times between the squalls when the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. On the flats beyond Warm Springs, early morning sunshine broke through a rift in the clouds and shone slantwise, all buttery yellow across the junipers and sagebrush, with a background of solid blue-black snow squalls behind.

We had to get back to Portland because our annual Holiday party was happening at noon.  My dear, dear friends, Lynn and Katy Baker had agreed to be our deputies in case we ran late. We made it with time to change clothes and box up the scarves I had knitted for them, and met them at the hotel before anyone else arrived.  Another good party with good friends.  We  ate, drank, talked and sang Christmas carols in four part harmony.  They chased us out at 4PM andEveryone went home happy and full of goodness.




I have no intention making New Year's resolutions.  I have enough ongoing projects. I'm still learning to be patient, generous, and open-minded.  I'm 8 pounds away from my goal weight.  Much as I love walking, I still have trouble forcing myself to put down the computer, get off my lazy duff, and go outside.  It's so good for me for so many reasons, but my personal inertia is significant.

I hope to write more, which means more blogging.  A blog post, no matter how disjointed and pointless, is still a good way to prime the scrivener's pump.  I really do enjoy writing.  I just have to stay out of the black hole that is Facebook.  I'm not going to give it up, though.  I have connected with so many friends, old and new on Face book.  I just need to develop some - oh, what is that word?  It's something I don't have much of or even want, although I need it.  Umm - self,  self something.  Self . . . discipline!  That's it!  I need to develop just a little self discipline.