Well, fellow travelers, long time no write. I figured I was done with this, and then a friend I saw this weekend told me I needed to update it. So, okay, Rebecca, here you go.
Life since returning home has been hectic. I’ve gotten deeply enmeshed in parish life once again, helping my friend Margo put together the Centennial book -- our parish and school are 100 years old. There is a lot to do but it is interesting to read about our history and the stories of my parish family. I have been a member for 25 years; many people have been in the parish far longer than me.
I also rejoined the Pastoral Council and attended a retreat/discernment to help select new members. I have been singing in the choir and last Sunday joined my dear friends, Jeanette, a wonderful pianist, and Barbara -- from whom I took voice lessons for several years -- and sang at the Contemplative Mass for the first time in 10 months. It was wonderful, even though I hadn’t really had much time to practice and some of the music was new. I didn’t mess up toooo much. It’s so nice to sing with Barbara because she does some of the harmonies and sometimes I do harmonies when I know them. We did that on a couple songs Sunday.
I finished my last article for The Oregonian, and it was published this past Sunday. I enjoyed doing the work, and I will get a little stipend for it. That should pay for maybe one tank of diesel. It has gotten ridiculous here -- now $4.75 or more a gallon. Gas is upwards of $4 a gallon. This is affecting everyone in a very direct way and will probably continue to affect us as food and other prices increase because of transportation costs.
A couple weeks ago I spent some time in Florence on the Central Oregon Coast. Jeff came down and we had a couple nice days of sunshine at the beach. Then he stayed with Charlie for a few days while I drove down to Medford and met my sister. She just got a job as principal of the Catholic school there and she wanted help buying her first house. So we spent all day in 100+ degrees looking at dozens of houses. We found her a grand one and she will be moving out here from Minnesota in mid-June. Yay!!!
On the way home I visited with my daughter and her hubby in Coos Bay. They gave me gifts they had brought back from their vacation in Costa Rica and Panama and I gave them a few things I had brought back for them from my travels. They also gave me a very nice little wooden planter with a tomato, basil and parsely plant and a carnation which they had made for me. So now I have my own little garden outside the Mo. Kristin is a knitter and she had spent a lot of time knitting a sleeve for my coffee cups. It is a complicated Celtic-knot cable-knit. It would make a beautiful sweater or something larger but my little sleeve is very nice.
Monday afternoon I got to see many of my old friends from work when I attended a picnic with Senator Smith and his wife, Sharon. Sharon and I had talked on the phone earlier and had a nice visit and then I got to see her briefly at the event. Those are always so busy and everyone wants to talk to the Senator and Sharon that it isn't a good time to visit with them. But it was so good to see them and all my friends. Good people and I miss them all very much.
Then I drove over to my son Karl’s and visited with them for a bit. I took two of their boys, Eli, 4, and Asher, 6, for a walk with Charlie while Karl helped Isaac with his math homework. It felt very grandmotherly. They are very cute, sweet kids. Soon I will have another grandson -- this one flesh of my flesh; John's and my only biological grandchild.
Finally that evening I went to visit my brother Tom. He had to put down his dog, Nick, Charlie’s good buddy, last Tuesday as he was just going downhill so fast and beginning to suffer. It was very hard on Tom, and Charlie was very confused but he has some of Nicks toys to remember him by and to be comforted with. Charlie is also missing his buddy Jeff who returned to Seattle.
I have tried to sell the motor home and, because of fuel prices, the market is abysmal. I have already dropped my price $10,000 and not even a bite. If I drop much more I will sell it for less than I owe on it. So am looking at other possibilities.
In that light today I made an offer on a home in Milwaukie, southeast of Portland. It is within about 8 miles of my parish and close to many things. It isn’t anything real fancy -- a 60s ranch, 3 bedroom, 2 bath -- but it will work and it’s affordable and I can park the motor home in an area next to the driveway and so take my time to sell it. That is a very good thing, at this point. In the meantime, it can be an extra bedroom when I need it. The house has lots of potential for expansion or change, a very big yard that Charlie will love, and it’s in a very nice neighborhood.
Since I will be paying motor home payments and house payments (assuming my offer is accepted, of course), I have thought about getting a roommate to help with costs. No big hurry on that, however. I also hope to get some projects to work on through some of my contacts. I’ve already suggested the possibility to a friend who is a partner in a public affairs/relations firm. I don’t really want to work full time, but projects would be great. Give me some flexibility, some challenges and income but not tie me down too much. Alternatively I could look for a regular part-time job but that isn’t as appealing to me. Once I have a house with room for an office this will be more practical. It will also be easier to work on my book.
Jeff and I decided after so much time together we needed a good healthy time-out so he has gone back up to Seattle to find a job and get his life restarted after taking several months off. We will definitely remain friends and who knows what the future holds. No doors were slammed and locked, no bridges burned.
So life goes on. I guess now I’ll have to keep you all posted on what happens with the house, the motor home, the book, etc. I’m glad I don’t have a boring life -- well, most of the time I’m glad!!
Not TravelinLady
