Bears

Just saw a post on the community page about a bear sighting - and a picture.



I saw that it was Silent Creek and didn't recognize it as a close-by street.  Then I went back and read it again, and it was Silent Creek Trail, which goes right by the Community Gardens and within a block of Emily and Ryan's house.

That's entirely too close.  I used to walk along the little path that runs alongside the gardens every time I went to their house, but I've gotten a little worried about there being a section with no houses visible.  I think of the times (every time) when Mike and I would walk along there, and he would get that evil grin on his face and start showing me patches of flattened grass and telling me that's where bears had been sleeping.  We also walked a lot on this trail too.  It's beautiful and shady and ferny and perfect for keeping cool on a hot day, but I just don't want to meet a bear.  I've heard if you make noise, they will be scared and go the other way.  If the girls are with me, we're usually making a good bit of noise.  The bears are just hungry and foraging for food - but still.  Just like with a snake, it would be a heart attack that would kill me, not the animal.

I do have to get some bear spray, but it really scares me to think about being that close to one.  I would probably throw the container at him and run.  So scary.

Mike's idea of a funny picture - in 2015 - and guess where?  Silent Creek Trail.

So not funny.

First Week of Summer

It's been a busy one and a fun one.

Every morning this week, the girls have had their dance camp and enjoyed it so much.  The first day they came out a little tired-acting and not overly talkative.  They both said they liked the other girls but didn't know their names, so the next morning as we dropped them off, we got some names and information, and by the time we picked them up, the two sets of sisters were already hand-holding and hugging friends.  The little girls live in West Seattle and are staying in North Bend for the summer while their house is being remodeled, and their grandmother from Austin is also staying with them.  So I have a new friend too, Penelope.  She said it just took three words before she asked me where I was from.  And I didn't even say, "Y'all."  We sat on the bench out front and talked for 30 minutes or so while the girls ran and played in the grass.  It's been nice knowing someone every morning, and we've made plans to get the girls together during the next few weeks while they're still here.  Sad that they will be leaving after that.

Tuesday afternoon, we joined Tanya and Isabella for a playdate at a big park, and there was much running and playing and chasing around.  I had gotten energetic enough to stop at the grocery store and buy cookie mix and make some almost homemade chocolate chip cookies, and they were a big hit, since the girls just invited everyone they met to come have some.  I packed a picnic basket with snacks and drinks, and we stayed several hours.

 The older girls mainly ran.  And ran and ran but did stop to play around with some bocce balls.

Katherine found a sweet friend too, and they played together really well.  Those curls!  I could never get Katherine to turn around, but she always had a big smile on her face.

I like her to find someone to play with, because otherwise I hear a constant, "Mimi, swing me!"

Yesterday morning when I dropped off for dance, I decided to walk around the community center grounds on a walking path, and that was perfect.  It was half a mile and no distractions of streets to cross or bicycles to avoid or dogs to pet - just me and my thoughts and a nice breeze to keep it from getting too warm.  I thought about doing a second round, but all that energy I had the day before just disappeared.

Katherine had a playdate yesterday with her very best friend Makena from Rooster Valley who has a brand new baby brother.  Her dad brought her to Steller Park, and they and the other kiddos there played long and hard.  Unfortunately, that's a park with no shade, and my energy kept getting lower and lower as the sun kept beating down on me.  The kids played under the slides, so they were fine.  I talked to an au pair from South Africa who is keeping four children on the street and is so terribly homesick.  It's a sort of exchange program where she can live with the family, keep the kids during the day, and go to school.  I hope she's able to make it work.

Finally when I had had enough, we walked home, and fortunately Emily arrived just as we did and released me.  I had plans to go out for dinner with their neighbor Debbie whose realtor was hosting an open house at their house that night.  It was good to get out and talk to another adult and eat a nice salad.  We ate at the North Bend Bar and Grill, a lively and friendly place.  I had been hot, but we got so cold we were wishing we had eaten outside.  I had an interesting-sounding salad, a Columbian River Blackened Steelhead Ceasar Salad.  Ryan explained to me what a Columbia River Steelhead was today, and it was yummy and filling.  Nice night.

I decided not to walk this morning since I had so many thing to finish up at home, but BJ across the way texted and asked if I wanted to walk, that she wanted to "check on the mountains." I told her a short one and that I had just seen the mountains and they were still there.  I didn't know she meant Rainier though!  I've only seen it once from the park, but she had a special place where it's visible on clear days, and it was worth the effort.  It was uphill all the way, but then it was totally downhill all the way home.

 I really want to get to visit Rainier when I get a chance.  Emily and Ryan took Mike on one of visits up here without me.  The cropping makes it look closer than it is, but it's really an hour-and-a-half away.  Luckily, with the wet spring, we haven't had the fires and smoke we had last year.

After the dance class today, the class had a little recital, and it was precious.  It was a Fairy Tale Princess theme, and they had made crowns with jewels and jewelry boxes and necklaces, and with their borrowed tutus, it was just the sweetest little performance.

 Graysen and her new friend Lily.

 Graysen and Lily's little sister Coralee.

I tried several times to get Katherine's attention to fix her crown but never could.  She's totally into this dance and all the instructions.

 I still have a hard time believing what a big girl she is now.  Just no more babies.

 They were amazing after only four practices, and every one of them followed the leads of the teachers and really put on a good show.

The 4 little girls had their own dance and then the older ones had theirs, and then they all joined in for this one.  Katherine is very concerned about her orange spot on the floor.

Ryan showed up and surprised them, and then we all went to get corn dogs and lemonade again.  This is a Pac-Man game that they enjoy "playing."  That skirt is just not working for Katherine!

When we got home, I told them they could do anything that didn't involve me for awhile, and they played some but ended up playing hair salon with me as the customer.  It was fine because they preferred it if I dozed while they made me beautiful.  Hoping for a quiet Friday and a nice peaceful weekend.

Yesterday Morning

After all the confusion with the newspaper delivery and the suspicion that I'm not very popular with the Seattle Times subscription people, I opened my door yesterday morning to this.

Layla usually likes to find a good spot of sunshine to enjoy.

But it would be too predictable to go lie in it.

And here we are.  In my little happy spot.  My favorite cup.  Sunshine.  A newspaper I didn't have to go search for.

And this interesting question.  I live too close to the library to ever go past a day or so late with a book and that rarely, but if it brings more people in to read, it seems like a good idea.

After a leisurely half hour or so of reading, I decided to make these lovely no-sugar, no-wheat waffles that I've come to love.  I usually limit them to weekends, and this time Elise showed an interest in making them.  We had such a fun time doing it together and weighing things and discussing the whys and hows.

She decided to add 1/2 oz of walnuts to hers instead of an egg for her extra protein.  Yummm.

When Elise and Emily were little, I made them a cross-stitch tooth fairy on a little pillow with a pocket to put their pulled teeth in.  I feel like it's somewhere in the saved junk in the basement, but I don't want to look for it, so I looked online for something for Graysen to put her tooth in when it falls out.  

Most of them were a little creepy with teeth with faces and costumes, and I just didn't see anything that appealed to me. 

 

I did find this tutorial and decided to tweak it a little.

I first traced a tooth pattern and then made it a little smaller.

I'm going to look downstairs for some white fleece or maybe just use white felt.

I picked out these pink fabrics and may use the satiny one for a pocket.  If that doesn't work out, the tooth itself will become the pocket.  I'll put some ribbon and bows for hanging it on the door, and that should serve both girls for a long time.  What are the chances of them both losing teeth on the same day?

I took the girls to Fairy Tales and Magic Dance at 9:30 this morning.  I tried to cut and paste a description of it, but it wiped out the rest of the blog, so I'll have to redo it.

The girls had on their hair bows and tutus and looked so cute.  They were a little shy and nervous because of it being the first day, but this year it looks like only 6 little girls in the class and no other class going on at the same time.  The other little girls looked shy too, but I bet they'll be friends by the time I pick them up.  I think there was one more sister set, because there were two little girls holding on to each other.  Sweet.

Here's that description.  Let's see if it works now.

Fairy Tales and Magic Dance

Let your imagination soar as you twirl to classical ballet fairy tales. Students are taught basic ballet steps, and learn to tell the tale through dance. Students create and take home their own magical crafts. We will read stories such as Cinderella and Sleeping beauty and learn dances that will make each dancer feel like a princess!

They have another week scheduled in August, and they'll be old hands at it by then, just like swimming.  

I didn't get to walk while they were there because the maintenance man was coming by to fix some things.  I had three broken things, but two of them healed themselves before he got here.  The overhead kitchen light had been flickering for two days, but when he turned it on, naturally it was as good as new.  He did go ahead and replace the bulb though and replace the microwave one, which we were really missing.  The outlet near the dining table that didn't work last week worked perfectly today.  He did check it with his electrical thingy.  Why do things like that happen?

It's time to go pick up the little dancers and see how their morning went.  I know mine was excellent.

A Good Weekend

I can't remember what happened this morning, so I have to depend on the pictures in my phone to remind me.

All the way back to Thursday.   I went over and got the girls dressed and hair done and straightened up a little in the house before we came back to the apartment.

Graysen was a pediatrician for the morning and loved having sick babies.

This is an American Girl Bitty Baby that I found on E-bay for Graysen's first Christmas.  She was naked and a little roughed up, but I cleaned her and made her some diapers and a nightgown, but Graysen has never liked her that much.  She says she looks "creepy."  I convinced her to give BB another chance, and I think her being a good patient has endeared her to the doctor.

Katherine had rather play in her box of stickers.

I've gotten a new planner and gone a little crazy with it, trying to strike a balance between cute stickers and functional planning and am having the best time.  I've learned to print some of my own stickers and found the girls some unicorn and kitty ones of their own.

Anyway, I'm not sure what we did, but that afternoon I walked them back home and enjoyed the afternoon.  I'm not sure if these are lilacs.  I've never lived in a place where they grew, but maybe they are.  The girls think they look like elephant trunks.

 And this is another similar bloom we saw.

 Running up Queen Kitty Hill, named because of the complicated games Aunt CeCe plays with them there.

Passing by the community gardens, we saw this beautiful single calla lily.

Everyone's gardens seem to be flourishing with all the rain but in spite of little sunshine.  Lots of raspberries.

But no blackberries yet.  Just bunches of green ones.

Friday was another "best day ever" day for the girls.  It usually involves going out to eat, and we did just that.  They chose the corn dog place - Scott's Dairy Freeze - and we were to meet Emily at her work after that.

 They got their corn dogs and fries and lemonade and immediately got too cold, so we went outside to sit in the sunshine.

At first, Graysen was not eating because just that morning she had found her first loose tooth and was afraid of losing it in her food.  I finally talked her into not fasting until the tooth came out, and she soon forgot her plan.

Going to Mommy's work.  They wanted to take the stairs instead of the elevator this time, and I agreed, not remembering the clinic was on the third floor.  By the time we got there, they were not convinced we were on the right floor.  I love how they trust me!

We enjoyed walking through the clinic and waving at everyone and having everyone remark on how much the girls had grown.  Mom loved showing them off a little bit, I think

She had a surprise for them when we got to her office - and it surprised me too.  She had bought them BIG bow hairbands.  I was surprised that she liked them, and we were both surprised that the girls wore them.

We walked across the street to Swedish Hospital to go to this gift shop Emily and I are obsessed with.

We like to look, but that's about all.  Emily did buy some things, and I got a couple of little gifts, but then the girls realized there was a children's area.  With charms and bracelets and Jellybean purses.  Such passion and excitement.  Emily got them a charm bracelet and charm, and they left the purses because they were convinced I was going to get them one later.  Guess I know where I'll be going next week  the Lily and Pearl!

 

This changing mural was just fascinating with its movement and sound, and the girls spent a lot of time looking at it.  Emily and I just had a hard time with it because we had sat there with Mike numerous times drinking coffee and waiting for his appointments.  Lots of sad memories here.

It's hard to not be happy around these girls though.  Graysen found a perfect stage for her dancing.

 

Those stairs behind her were the ones Mike and I took on Valentine's Day of 2013 to excitedly greet this little girl.

Saturday I got to enjoy all by myself, updating my planner -

 until the afternoon when the whole family came over swimming along with the Andersons - Lisa, Jacob, and Everly.

The water was pretty chilly still, but they did have a lot of fun.  I stayed awhile but left them to enjoy it after a bit.

 Everly is one of Graysen's first friends from Rooster Valley, and they were across the hall from each other in kindergarten.  She's taking swimming lessons on Saturday morning with both the girls, so they're getting in a little extra practice.

After Elise and I went in, she was going to take a walk at Tollhouse Farms where she goes a lot and asked if I wanted to go along.  Surprisingly, I said yes and am glad I did.  It's such a beautiful place for walking.  And thinking.  And getting some exercise and fresh air. 

Elise and I took different paths but ended up at the same place.  I think my route was about a mile of effortless walking with a nice breeze.  I didn't even get hot on a July afternoon.  

It's been a busy 3 days.  I'll do Sunday later.  Next week is dance camp, so I'll drop the girls off in North Bend at 9:30 and be free until 12:30.  Since this walking path is right there, I'll probably walk every morning and then have a couple of hours free.