Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Home


Coming home after a trip is both a blessing and a curse. I’m not sure which one it is today yet.

The sounds of happy, clucking hens pecking the ground and mildly quacking ducks splashing in the pool; mews of joy and “Feed me!” from the cats; bouncy steps from an excited dog. It is definitely the morning after getting home. Of course, there is also laundry to do, cleaning to be done that was left until the return, and groceries to buy since we pretty much wiped out most of the edibles before heading out of town. But at least there was the comfort of our own bed last night (or this morning depending on your definition of night) and the familiarities of home which helps bring a sigh of relief after being away, even if only for a few short days.

Admittedly, I already miss the family we visited, but was so glad to see them all again. If the saying “Home is where the heart is” is true, my heart is spread out over a vast area and in that, so is home.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Family: a Haiku

Twenty eight people
Together for a short time.
Priceless memories.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Family

Famously loud
Annoyingly obnoxious
Mostly sane
Intimately interested
Lovingly approachable
Year after year

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Summer Drive

Summer drive through mountains
Following River’s bends
Trees fade to empty hills
And back again by Journey’s End.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Going Away Quilt Given


We had a meeting at work yesterday, so I felt it was time to give my coworker the quilt I had made for her to take to college with her. She cried.

My coworker who is leaving for Washington State University in Pullman next week was already an emotional wreck after she walked in the door. We had packed up all her stuff because we knew she wouldn’t be able to do it without having a complete meltdown. Seriously, she cries over everything. And she is a hoarder too, apparently. We found so much half eaten food and junk in her box it was ridiculous. I even found the last of the Samoas Girl Scouts Cookies she had to have in the middle of all the mess, uneaten. Bitch. I almost left a note with the word ‘Bitch’ on it, but alas, decided against it. Sure enough when she came in and noticed her box cleaned out, the waterworks began flowing. She wasn’t mad, but said it was just the realization that she really was leaving in a few short days.

So after our employee meeting, I decided she should go ahead and open up the present I made her. After she did, more tears were running down her cheeks. I’m telling you, the girl could give Demi Moore a run for her money in that department. Anyway, she was thrilled and shocked that I had made her a quilt, and I was glad she loved it so much. I’m going to miss her, even if she is a cookie-hoarding emotional basket case. 


Thursday, July 26, 2012

Inspiration Board


Everyone needs a little inspiration now and then. It was time to put my magnetic board from IKEA up in the sewing area.

I’ve had a magnetic board for years and it was used at the old house in the craft/guest room above the desk that now is used for our desktop computer. The plan was to put it up in the office/craft room here but never came to fruition. Well, that is, until I was a bit restless last night and started grabbing power tools and making holes in the wall to accommodate the magnetic board above the sewing machine. Currently the plan is to change out blocks depending on what I’m working on or as my mood see fit. Time will only tell if this serves as inspiration or a hindrance. 


Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Waiting for Inspiration

Lately my inspiration to create has been, well, lackluster. It could just be the dull of summer or the random acts of sunshine we’ve been getting an excess of here in the Pacific Northwest, or perhaps I’m just in a funk. I think what I really need to do is get the sewing area organized and cleaned up so I can focus on quilting again. But alas, I wait instead. Wait for inspiration to hit when I know better. Wait for some bolt of lightning to strike. Wait. For what? Waiting is another word for wasting, and wasting time that could be better spent on other projects. So what if my quilting aspirations are a little off at the moment! Perhaps finishing four quilts this year and starting two others has taken a bit of my sewing juices away. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other projects waiting for me to work on them. Like, for instance, building a new ramp into the henhouse that the ducks would be able to use. Or perhaps I simply need to make sure the dishes are done and I am presentably dressed before sewing to prevent any distractions or lackadaisically approaches.


Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Oh Mouse, Oh Mice

Oh Mouse, oh mice
Why must thou insist
On dining around the trap 
Instead of triggering it?

Monday, July 23, 2012

Reminiscing


Looking through old notebooks and sketchpads of writings and drawings made me realize just how much technology has changed how I approach both. It’s only recently that I’ve discovered that latter is not exclusive to the former.

I still had some organizing to do in the garage after last week’s big overhaul cleaning session. In the process I kept like items together; tools, sports equipment and camping gear each have their own shelf. I also opened a box simply titled BOOKS and found my Bibles, school yearbooks, computer animation books (for whenever I decide to get back into making Adobe Flash cartoons again), along with a notebook filled with random bits and pieces from various books I’ve written over the years or have yet to write and a sketchpad of drawings that was obviously from around the time I practically stopped drawing. Perhaps I need to start carrying something similar with me around at all times again just in case inspiration hits while I’m away from the computer.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Family vs. Family


It baffles me to no end the lengths some people will go to defend a rapist over their own child, a victim of his actions. Furthermore, it baffles me that this person, a victim of rape herself, cannot understand why her daughter does not want anything to do with the people who called her a liar, a whore, and the very person responsible for breaking our family apart. When does the blame game end? Why aren’t they also attacking the twenty or so other girls who came forward and sent this criminal to prison? What will it take for a mother to realize she is wrong? Of course, that would require her to take responsibility for her actions, something this family has an incredibly difficult time doing.

I believe in forgiveness, but at some point the other side has to admit their behavior has been atrocious. Even after all these years, it’s painfully obvious they are still blinded by the damage they have caused.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Second Guessing


I have a coworker who constantly second guesses herself. Usually she’s spot on the first time.

For about six months now we’ve been training one of our kennel staff at the veterinary clinic I work at to be a receptionist. Just for comparison, I had about a week and a half before I was entrusted with keys and security code to the building without any prior experience working front desk. Now, as someone who has trained hundreds of people for The Most Evil Corporation in the World, I know everyone has their own pace. But, I also know when it is time to cut the cord and let them do it on their own to build confidence, and that was a long time ago. Unfortunately I’m not in charge, or she would have been left to her own devices months ago. However, her main downfall is that she knows how to do the job, but gets so worked up and nervous about getting everything done right, she ends up, well, screwing everything up. I told her to trust her instincts… and prayed her instincts weren’t also as flustered!

Why is it some of us are so prone to second guess our decisions even though we are usually right the first time? Does it stem from constantly trying to please our parents as children or getting the right answer in front of the class for the teacher? Possibly, but it also could be that some of us are simply programmed to overanalyze every situation we come in contact with. As for me, I used to care whether or not my parents were proud of me or if I knew everything (which, by the way, I do know a lot about a great many things, but by no means everything, Family, so please don’t be shocked when you text me some random question and I’m absolutely flabbergasted without a response which I’m sure will eventually happen… a second time), but am comfortable with myself now that I don’t have to be perfect because it is a rather unattainable goal. It is a noble goal, but will only lead you to think yourself a failure if you can’t measure up, which is far more destructive than acknowledging the mistake, learning from it and moving on.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Summer Storm



Thunder filling the morning air
Lightning pouring through windows
Rain splashing against wood and ground

Cats racing for hiding spots
Dog restless with wagging tail
Chickens nonstop clucking sound

Summer storm, summer rain
Creating turmoil amongst the living
With no sleep to go around

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Fabric and Quilts


Sometimes even I surprise myself with old projects. Other times I wonder what the hell was I thinking.

After reorganizing the garage, I found a bin filled with the rest of my fabric stash and a couple unfinished quilts, along with the feather boas I knew I didn’t leave at the old house. Making room for all that fabric was quite the challenge, as the bookcase I keep everything on was already approaching maximum capacity. However, I managed to squeeze it all in. Along with my stash of quilting fabrics, I also found five yards of heavy duty canvas I scored for $3.96 back in 2002. What I am going to do with it I don’t know, but I put it on top of the bookcase along with the bolts of upholstery fabric for some future unknown project.

There were a few UFOs (unfinished objects) in the mix, one of which I plan on throwing away because, well, it is hideous. Or maybe I’ll finish it quickly and donate it. I haven’t decided yet. The yet to be finished Family Tree Quilt I had started for my mother I will more than likely end up finishing for myself as she should have gotten the original one I made for my grandmother after her passing. Then there is the story quilt based off a children’s book I made back in high school, which has some surrounding blocks and a good base. This I will definitely be working on in the near future. However, since every part of this quilt so far has been hand stitched and appliquéd, may require some time. Considering I started this quilt back in 1998, I think taking my time would be appropriate.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Breakers

The fridge in the garage wasn’t running this morning. Something must have tripped the ground fault circuit interrupter.

Last year we had an issue with the breaker box and specifically with the GFCI outlet in the garage that also links the outdoor outlets. While I thought I had fixed the issue, it seems to have returned. Bastard. For starters, the breaker for the range in the kitchen was way too low for a range to be plugged into. This would kind of make cooking in the kitchen a bit difficult. Needless to say we had the landlord fix that pronto. Of course, what I’m concerned about is that the mice we see in the house and coming out of the wall beneath the sink may also be in the walls in other parts of the house and chewing on the wiring. My husband will be picking up some stuff to remedy that situation after getting his haircut this morning.

So, for the time being, since it seems the refrigerator is once again the culprit in overloading the system, I plugged it into another outlet via an extension cord until I can figure out a more permanent fix. Ugh. I guess it’s better than the house catching fire!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Mice


We’ve known there were mice in the garage since we moved in. However, up until last night we had never seen one in the house.

While making dinner last night, I grabbed the garbage can under the kitchen sink only to discover mice peeking out of it. Tiny heads. Beady eyes. I put the can down on the deck outside while one of the little buggers crawled out and hid at the base of the cabinets and tried to get our cat, Dexter, to take care of the situation, but our dog Lucy would not allow it and instead thwarted my efforts to eliminate the problem quickly. In the meantime, at least one mouse escaped my sight; the other either ran off into the backyard or ended up in the trash can outside. I spotted the area under the sink where they were coming through, a quarter sized hole adjacent to the plumbing into the wall, and as a temporary fix plugged it with some plastic grocery bags.

Later that night as my husband is checking random areas a mouse could hide, his first check, in the cabinet under the aquarium, reveals the rodent in all his miniscule grotesqueness. This time the dog was locked in a room so the cat could prowl and stalk his prey. Half an hour later, and with the kitchen in disarray, the mouse was dead with the smashing of a shoe. My shoe. From my hand. Before we could sweep the mouse up and fling it into the forest behind the house, the cat quickly grabbed the mouse and scurried off into the living room where we had to try and get it out of his mouth. I’m happy to report some forest critter probably had a lovely meal, but we’re both a bit creeped out about any mice I may not have seen that might still be roaming freely.

Monday, July 16, 2012

A Time to Toss


Cleaning out the garage is a good thing. So is getting rid of stuff you want but really don’t need to be storing.

After church we decided to attack the garage. Ever since we moved in, we simply put everything in the middle of the garage and have been walking around it to get to whatever we needed at any given time. We figured it was time to stack everything against a wall and throw out what we don’t want anymore or donate it. We ended up with a small pile of donations, a lot of boxes to break down and recycle, and tons more space. Alas, it was time to toss some of the things I’ve been holding onto since my childhood, one being a coloring poster of various fairy tales and children’s books characters that was half-finished. Further inspection revealed it had indeed been infected with mold from the old house. However, I had my little sentimental bit, took a picture, and moved on.


Sometimes it is necessary to throw away things from your past in order to fully embrace the future. Holding onto what could have been will only leave you stuck in time.

(p.s. – I found my feather boas.)

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Family

Family is family. Blood relations be damned.

After spending the evening at Rainier Days in Oregon, I’m convince of a couple things. One is that family doesn’t seem to count time, as conversations are easily picked up and reminiscing is aplenty. And two is that family isn’t always those you are directly related to, as is the case of my husband’s cousin’s cousins. Yes, I just said that. Huh, perhaps we did belong there last night among the carnie crowd. Growing up in a rather small town, my husband had two cousins and her two cousins and they were pretty much all raised together with his brother and sister. Well, anyway, his cousin was in town from New York and his cousin’s cousins were in town from Seattle, so we all met up in Rainier for the, uh, er, festivities. Mostly it was a chance to catch up and show his cousins boyfriend the Northwest. We ended up walking over to his cousin’s cousins’s grandmother’s townhome on the riverfront from the park where Rainier Days was being held and finished the evening after his actual family had left by watching the fireworks display on her back patio with his cousin’s cousins’s family. Perhaps this is why they just call each other cousins and not cousin cousins… even if it does fit the stereotypical small town of Goble where they all grew up.

(I apparently need more coffee in my system, or perhaps I should’ve slept a little longer. Everything I write today seems rather disjointed and confusing. That, or writing about cousin cousins is too mind boggling for first thing in the morning. Either way, coffee.)

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Saturday in the Park


Today is Vancouver, Washington’s family friendly LGBTQ pride celebration in Esther Short Park. As usual, our church has a booth to show our support.

With the Vancouver Farmer’s Market, shops and restaurants of Downtown Vancouver, and Esther Short Park’s playground all right next to each other, the allure of being downtown in the summer is aplenty. Vancouver’s gay pride celebration means we’ve got lots of people from our church manning a booth at the festival and continuing to let people know that there are progressive Christian churches that welcome and affirm LGBTQ people into their congregations. This year is especially important because of the upcoming vote to keep our state’s marriage equality law. Please join us in all the fun at the Eighteenth Annual Saturday in the Park from 11am to 5pm!

Friday, July 13, 2012

Summer Sleeplessness


I don’t know if it is the heat or simply the time of year, but I always have trouble sleeping during the summer. I blame Earth.

More daylight is great for plants and does wonders for fruits and vegetables, but it makes my internal clock go all out of whack. My body says it is sleepy time, but my brain says, “No! It mustn’t be! The sun just set mere moments ago!” Oy. It only seems to worsen the older I get, too. Perhaps I need to stop overstimulating myself with Matt Bomer in White Collar on my Netflix Instant View right before bed.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Coworker’s Going Away Quilt Complete

I tried a new binding method. I think I need more practice.



Before the house warmed up yesterday from the summer heat, I decided to finish my coworker’s going away quilt. I am happy to report that it is now bound, washed, dried and ready to be gifted to her. Of course, it wasn’t without its pitfalls. After carefully calculating where I should sew the binding, since I was doing this all by machine, everything went rather smoothly until the corners. Now, I knew the corners were going to be tricky, but had no idea they’d be a pain in the ass. I attached the raw edges of the binding, which was just a long length of two-and-a-half inch fabric sewed together and pressed in half, to the quilt back with the raw edges lined up and sewed it into place about one-third inch in. I then turned the binding over to the top and stitched as close as possible. If I try this method again, I think I’ll do a little more research on it… or just use logic. Alas, the quilt is adorable and I can’t wait to give it to her.




Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Letters from Paul


Last time I checked, the Christian church was founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Apparently a short blurb in a letter Paul wrote to the Romans takes precedent.

Last night at church during our Christian Education Committee meeting, our pastor informed us that someone had written on a few of our Marriage Equality signs. Upon further inspection, it looked as though they used Crayola markers. Sure enough, it was Romans 1:27. For those unfamiliar with the passage, it reads, “In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.” Some pretty harsh words, but let’s examine them a little closer.

First of all, Paul uses the word ‘natural’ in this verse. Since both nature and science have proven homosexuality to be a natural occurrence, one can only assume he meant heterosexual men experimenting with homosexual acts. Or, perhaps if you read all of Paul’s letters, you’ll discover something quite peculiar in the way they are written. By 2 Corinthians we start to see a softening of Paul’s anger with the introduction of Timothy. By Ephesians, there is no error or heresy that he is addressing in his letters, but simply that of grace and purpose. The letters that follow (Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, etc.) seem to go down a similar path of extravagant welcome and less about judgment. Throughout most of these letters, Timothy is mentioned as being by his side. Curiously, this sounds an awful lot like a classic case of homophobia. Allow me to explain.

Paul has these feelings he wants to hide because he thinks they are nothing more than temptations from Satan, so he makes a little mention to the Romans, who, as we know from history, were quite sexually promiscuous and less discerning than the Jews and recent converts to Jewish Christianity, about homosexual acts being bad. You know, eternal damnation and no hope for redemption, blah blah blah. Anyway, then Timothy comes along and suddenly there is a shift in Paul’s perspective. Instead of telling the recipients of the letters everything they are doing wrong, he shifts to a message of love, compassion and understanding of the human experience. Through Paul’s letters, we get to see his evolution from hate and intolerance to love and forgiveness.

I encourage anyone who has the audacity to quote a Bible verse in support of their bigotry, to take a closer look and make sure someone cannot do the same right back to them. You may even be surprised that a verse just a short distance away from the original may come back to bite you. “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” – Romans 2:1.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Oh Slumber, Oh Sleep

Why must thou be so extreme?
One night I lay awake
Without your embracing presence
And the next I fear waking up!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Quilting


Even though we’ve had rather hot weather for here in the Pacific Northwest, I was inside a house without air conditioning quilting yesterday. Just call me crazy.

The sewing machine is in the office, which is also the hottest room in the house because of the computer. So while my husband was away floating on an inner tube in a river somewhere most of the day, I decided to sew up a backing and begin the quilting process. After looking at the lines in the quilt, I decided simple straight line quilting would work and began sewing from the center of the quilt out. It would have also been a good candidate for free-motion quilting, but I decided I’d better not test my luck on a larger quilt like that. Instead I opted to sew just outside the center squares of every other block and used that as a guide to make quilt lines every four and a half inches. I managed to finish the quilting itself and sew the strips of binding together, but then the heat really set in and I had to retire into the living room and watch the last two episodes of True Blood season 4 which pissed me off so much I had trouble sleeping. The heat didn’t help either.


Sunday, July 8, 2012

Summer Time

Warm weather has finally hit the Pacific Northwest. Thank goodness for an aunt and uncle with a riverside pool.

Saturdays are family day during the summer at my aunt and uncle’s house, and yesterday was a perfect day for the weekly pool party. It was also taco night and I ate way too many tacos. I mean waaaaaaaayyy too many. I think I had seven, but honestly after the fifth or sixth I lost count. I also lost count of how many beers I had and by the time I got home had a horrible headache, probably from the combination of the sun and dehydration. We also manage to get my uncle’s old grill home to rebuild, so that means my husband will have another summer project to work on. Oh summer, summer, summer, summer, summer time! May blessings be upon you… as long as you don’t get too hot.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Magic Mike

We went to the movies last night. I’ll give you a two word clue as to what it was.

My husband and I saw Magic Mike last night. It was kind of a date night for us which started with sushi, the movie, and then dessert at Red Robin where apparently a few others who had seen the movie were talking about it. Our server had seen it twice. She was awesome. The theater itself was pretty full, packed mostly with women, but there were also about a dozen guys including us who were there to watch the movie as well. I think it would be safe to say that half of those guys saw it because they wanted to and the other half looked like they were dragged by their girlfriends. The movie itself was entertaining, but I have to say the audience was better.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Drunken Barbie Birthday Cake


My coworker’s birthday is coming up, so I made her a Barbie cake. Of course, Barbie was drunk as hell, losin’ shoes and shit.


When it gets a little slow at work, the internet magically appears. Lately our fascination has been Pinterest. I think it is supposed to work like an idea board where you pin together items to do together when, say, creating a meal or redecorating the living room. We use it to laugh… a lot. Oh, sure, we’ve both used it for other things, but for the most part it is the random humor people have pinned we check out. Anyway, at one point we found a picture of a Barbie-like doll ass-planted into a cake in a drunken-fallen-girl pose surrounded by alcohol. Let’s call this my inspiration for her birthday cake. She loved it.


(The original... for comparative purposes only.)

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Neighbors and Pyrotechnics


Our neighbor across the street likes fireworks… a lot. I mean alotalotalotalotalot.

We are fortunate enough to live in an area where there is usually a pretty good Fourth of July Independence Day show just on our street. So we decided to invite people over to spend the day at our house then for those who were still here when darkness began to fall, we moved our chairs out to the driveway and watched a magnificent display. It was amazing and we only occasionally were hit with random shells. It had gotten a little chilly, so it was also a great excuse to pull out my quilts and show everyone before we wrapped them over our laps and legs to watch the show.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Independence


According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word independence means: the quality or state of being independent. Well that clears things right up.

People claim they want independence from this or that or their parents or at work, but really what they want is to be coddled and told they’re doing it all on their own. Perhaps that is a little harsh, but the people who scream the loudest that their freedoms are being taken away are usually the ones benefiting directly from the enactments being put into place, like in the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Healthcare Act, or for whom it will do nothing to affect their lives, as in putting the recently passed equal marriage law here in Washington State up for a vote. Ignorance is almost always the culprit, but in reality cannot be blamed for everything. At some point, being independent also means being accountable for your own actions.

Going back to the definition, early versions of the word meant competence. Now, I have a problem equating the two, especially since there are such a large number of people who claim to be independent that are well outside the range of competent… okay, maybe I don’t. Perhaps we need to install a competency exam before allowing our kids into the world on their own. Oh wait! We do! It’s called Graduation. Maybe what we really need to do is raise our standards instead of teaching to the lowest common denominator. We are not teaching our kids to be great thinkers and humanitarians, but to be disposable memory test takers. We are cultivating the dumbing down of our society, and in doing so, relinquishing our ability to remain independent.

If we really want to celebrate Independence Day, we should take a good, hard look at ourselves and ask if we are truly up to the challenge.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

The Day Before


Preparing for an Independence Day barbecue is usually pretty simple. Well, simple, of course, if you aren’t slobs like us.

There are floors to vacuum, dishes to do and put away, bathrooms to clean, litter boxes to change, and the backyard needs, well, some attention. Oh, and the grill is in pieces thanks to my husband deciding that now would be a good time to tear it apart… right before having people come over for a barbecue. Brilliant! Okay, so it really won’t take much to get everything together for tomorrow, but still… IT’S TOMORROW!!!

Fortunately I’ve got most of the menu figured out. I’m thawing out a pork roast for pulled pork sandwiches, which needs to go into the slow cooker soon to get its proper thirty hour cook time in. The accompanying coleslaw will take mere minutes to put together. I’m making my famous (yet haven’t baked in nearly five years) chocolate chip cookies that take three days to complete (hence, the nearly five year hiatus.) And of course we will hopefully have a functioning grill for people to use.

For the drinks, we asked everyone to bring their own preference, but I’m still going to make some sun tea. Also, I’ve got three bottles of hard apple cider a former coworker made and gave me back in January that I can’t wait to drink.

It will be fantastic if it all comes together. However, reality is something will get lost in the shuffle. The most important part is to enjoy the company you are spending the time with, not whether the driveway was swept or the floors mopped to a spotless perfection.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Summer Salmon Spinach Salad


Salads are perfect for summer meals. Salmon makes it better.

After Saturday’s wedding, we were told to take leftovers. There was no argument on this end as we bagged up some lamb and salmon. Now, what to do with all those leftovers? We decided, since we had a pretty heavy lunch at my husband’s aunt and uncle’s house earlier that afternoon after church that we wanted something light and he suggested a spinach salad with some salmon. Perfect. So I threw some spinach into the bowl along with slices of red onions, halved cherry tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and tossed it all together before plating it and putting a good sized hunk of salmon on top. Yummo! We also decided we wanted some cheesy garlic bread, so I made some of that to accompany it. Not too heavy that you feel like blehck (or whatever your internal vomit voice sounds like) but not so light you feel like screaming, “Lay off me, I’m STARVING!!!” (or whatever your internal hunger voice sounds like.)


Sunday, July 1, 2012

Rain on a Wedding Day


They say it is good luck to have it rain when tying the knot since a wet knot is much more difficult to break apart than a dry one. I say it was just great fun.

Dark clouds loomed in the sky above us as we waited for the wedding ceremony to begin, edging closer and closer to where we were all seated. Many umbrellas were at the ready, tucked beneath chairs or in laps. Mere moments in, the rain started, and didn’t let up for hours. It was magical.

I don’t know what it is about summer rain, but I love it. True, many of the decorations outside got, well, trampled on by the showers, but the lighthearted nature of the whole event kept everyone in a great mood. I’m sure the alcohol helped, and all the food that the groom personally caught. The salmon was amazing, the oysters succulent, the lamb so tender and juicy. I didn’t ask if he killed and slaughtered the lamb. Hmmm… I wonder? Oh, and the pies! There were so many choices of deliciousness from which to choose.

The wedding and reception was amazing. The bride and groom looked incredibly happy. But the rain made it unforgettable.

Rob and Betsy, may blessings be showered upon your lives together!