It has been raining solidly for three days now, but this morning it is quiet outside. Our winter rains do that…dump for a few days, catch their breath, then dump again. I’ve been laid up with a swollen knee so haven’t been out to clear the leaves from the gutter in front of the house.…
It was very still when I woke up. Still and dark. Now, two hours later, there is the vague tic of light rain on the roof. It feels like it will rain harder as the day progresses. It is our last day here at the Oregon coast. We will get ready for travel this afternoon,…
It was dark outside when I heard the rain begin. I was reading in the dim pool of a lantern at the table. Lydia was sleeping. We are at the coast today. This is the first time we have been out in Atticus since the Pendleton Round Up trip 14 months ago. Between severe health…
There is a dense fog advisory this morning and, between the fog and the late rising sun of autumn, 7:00 still looks dark. I’ve not heard any birds yet, though in the past week they have been busy getting drunk on the orange berries in the tree across the street. A final avian party before…
Here’s how my life works: I’ve been grumpy lately; some might say grumpier. My birthday was coming, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to acknowledge being 70, much less being that old. Lydia has been getting rid of piles and boxes of oddments collected over the years. Tossing old, useless bits of cards, posters, and…
The sky is a high, pale blue this afternoon. A slight breeze takes the sting out of the ninety-degree heat. A few thin shadows of clouds hover around the horizon, barely visible. Time got away from me after I started the pandemic journal. My focus narrowed. My concern became my family and their…
Read more The Old Yeller Dog Come Trotting Through the Meeting House
I am troubled by the political news this week and appalled by any suggestion that we are headed toward a civil war.
We drove into Pendleton yesterday for a bit of grocery shopping and a look around.
Beginning any journey is a mixture of emotions: excitement mixed with anxiety, freedom tempered by the rules of the road, and adventure interspersed with periods of repetition and boredom. Despite the images of John Wayne and Ward Bond waving their arms and yelling “Ho”, resulting in large groups of people happily trudging off West behind…
There are only three truly great rodeos in the world: The Calgary Stampede, Frontier Days in Cheyenne, and The Pendleton round Up. (This may be a topic that many of you find only slightly more interesting than a review of the latest documentary on sedimentary build up in the lower Santiam River.
barelyaboomer 