A Few More PIctures of the Picnic and Cross-Country Meet

Kate starts planning and gathering for the birds' nest every year.  Graysen was not much in the mood to help, but she managed by herself.

Graysen's bouquet added to the nest area. 

Even on an overcast day, it was beautiful.  Just so peaceful.  We sometimes see an eagle, and there were several eagles or hawks flying around. It's hard to tell sometimes.  It seems to be a popular area to walk dogs, and we enjoyed seeing the different breeds come by with their people.  Woodrow had a ball just leaping and chasing his ball and wagging his tail at the other dogs.  

Emily stopped at Trader Joe's and found an interesting variety of goodies.  Some excellent cheese.  I liked the soft cheese on crackers - Le Delice De Bourgogne, I think - with apples, grapes, and almonds.  The truffle almonds sounded good but were not something we'd try again. 

 

Monday was the first cross-country meet for the SMS Eagles.  Emily picked up me and my chair, and we headed to Centennial Fields, a nice park/athletic field/track that is in a beautiful setting with Mount Si looming there.  We got to watch a little bit of the other 3 races, and I was so proud of those runners.  Everyone can't win or even be in the top 10 of a cross-country race, but everyone can finish and be proud of it.  There was a lot of cheering going on from the first runner to the last in every category.  I was across the field from the end of the race, and there was so much talking afterwards that I never was sure how Gray finished.  I know when she ran past me once, she and Maija were together behind two of the other school's girls.  She won several of her meets last year and I think planned to do the same this year, but she got a stitch in her side this time that made her walk a little bit, and she fell behind.  I believe she was 4th. She is too hard on herself and just wants perfection.  She had a hard time getting her spirits up again, but after their practice the next day, I think she was okay.  She wasn't happy with her time, and it didn't mean anything to me when she told me.

I wasn't in a position to get good pictures and videos, but it was an enjoyable day, and I'll post a few of those I did take.  Plus Emily sent me some from across the field.

Maija and Graysen were the fastest girls on the 6th grade team last year and ended up first and second for the Eagles for the first 7th/8th grade meet.  So proud of them, and they are so sweet!

Katherine stayed with me in my place in the shade with a beautiful view.  She entertained herself by running all over the field kicking and picking up dandelion fluff.  To each her own!  It kept her happy and active.

One of the 7/8 grade boys.  This was the second pass by me, so they were getting a little tired.  They ran clockwise (to me) around the field, then took a detour and came back and ran counter-clockwise to finish where they started.

Another 7/8 runner just starting out.  I think we know him but can't think of his name.

I've spent too long trying to get videos to appear, and I just can't figure it out today.  There's a good soccer score by Kate yesterday that needs to be recorded too.  At least it's raining today, and I won't be tempted to be outside.  

I try not to be out after dark, but then I miss some pretty blooms in the outside lights.  I walked Kate to DMW class on Thursday evening, and it wasn't over until 7:30.  By the time we walked back home and got her delivered to her house, it was quite dark.  

It was so much fun to see her in action.  I've missed a lot of her activities because of getting tired so easily, but now I think I've gotten over that hump and can do more.  

Here, they have a partner, and while one runs across the floor and touches the floor, twice, their partner is doing pushups.  

They had just finished their beginning 25 pushups, and then one of the instructors was having a birthday, so they had to do a pushup for every year of her life!  It started out as 32 and then 29 and finally 42!  They got their quota today, for sure.

They then worked on various skills but were across the room from me, so I couldn't see very well.  Kate was the leader of her line, and others had a chance to kick her out of first, but no one did.  She's tough when she needs to be.

I took these pictures of the porch as I finished a walk Friday.  Not much attention has been spent there this summer.  Elise reads out there a lot and takes care of the watering, and it all looks healthy.  We got a new paint job on the door and window trim this month, and the maintenance guys keep it looking neat, although I would add some things if I had permission!  The hosta comes up every year as healthy as can be and is pretty all season.  I'm surprised not to see any nibbles by deer or bunnies.  I guess the cats in the window or sleeping in the chairs help with that.

These dahlias and the strawberry-vanilla hydrangea have spent the summer out back near the garage where there is full sun all day.  Now that it's cooler, I've brought the dahlias to the front.

I had an enthusiastic helper with me this week when grocery shopping.  She was everywhere, bringing me her choices of snacks for her and Graysen.  She doesn't ask for anything - just stands there and holds it and looks at me.  There's very little she doesn't get!

This looks like serious consideration, but I've never known them to like these little fruit cups.  She talked her mom into getting an apple slicer last week, and I remembered that I used to have one.  It was plastic and broke after several years, so I got a new metal one.  Why have I been slicing apples for them all these years?

I'm now off to waste the rest of my Sunday afternoon any way I want to.  I had a good conversation with an old friend from Thomaston, Debra.  We use September to catch up on a whole year, but our Friday conversation was cut short by Graysen having to get ready to leave, so we promised to carry on later.  It might be today.  Who knows?

Noreen has been gone all week, and I've missed her.  We both seem to be busy with kids during the week and spend the weekend resting up.  She always watches football with one or more grandboys on Sunday afternoons or Monday nights.  The Seahawks.  She has snacks all prepared and pretends to be totally into the game!  You have to go where they are at this age!  Graysen got to go to a baseball game Friday with a friend's family to see the Savannah Bananas and whatever the local team here is.  Oh, the Firefighters.  I think they enjoyed a little levity in sports for a change.

It looks hilarious.  I just finished reading about them, an exhibition traveling team with professional baseball players and a ton of imagination.

Graysen was telling me about the person called Stilts who really pitches on stilts.  I was not expecting the height of them though.  Amazing!  It looks like I might have to see one of their games if there's another one here.

                                                          

Mike's Tree

 I want to try to take more random pictures and just write about happenings as they occur.  The girls know that I'm "writing a book," as Graysen said, and she wondered today why I don't have it published.  I told her that no one in the world would be interested in reading this except them - and even then, they might find it a little boring.  

I also enjoy just going back through the years and finding out what September was in years past.  Emily and her family and then all of them with me have tried to go to a special place near here every year around September 12 when Mike left us.  

Emily found the tree somehow in a green area beside the Snoqualmie River in North Bend, WA.  I'm not sure exactly how she found it, but she went there sometimes after coming home from spending all day in the hospital.  She would go with me and bring me home since I was petrified of that drive - a floating bridge and 2 tunnels and a many-laned interestates - three of them actually that criss-crossed.  Toward the last two weeks, I was able to come and go myself - although I never liked it much - and she would go to the field and just fall apart.  Just starting a new career and having two babies plus a father not expected to live was almost more than she could take.  I think I waited a while to fall apart and just routinely went to the ICU floor every day for the whole 28 days and listened and learned and helped when I could, so I was busy - and exhausted when I finally got into bed at night.  Also, I think I had had time to digest it and realized that we were getting to the age where this was not such a shock.  Maybe acceptance.  I don't know, because I still haven't fully accepted it.

Anyway, we grieved side by side by in different ways during that September and on through the year.  I want to sort out all the pictures from all the years - some years we didn't get to go and maybe a couple of times Ryan or I missed it.  Even though we are sad, talking helps and smiling and laughing and regretting that the girls didn't know him and he didn't know them.  

I'll just put a few pictures here that we took on Friday.  It was quite a production to plan this and do it.  You wouldn't think so, but Emily had a noon meeting in Bellevue and she didn't get home as quickly as she should.  She stopped and got some nice snacks for us and set them out with blankets and chairs and Woodrow running around and the girls building their usual nest from the crabapples (I think) that are always on the ground.  I'll go into more detail later, but these are a few pictures.

I tried to get Graysen to sit with us and take a selfie, but she wanted to be the photographer.  She was proud of her handiwork, and there is evidence that I existed!

Emily has more pictures, so I'll finish up when I'm not hurried and probably remember other things.  

Summer Wrap-up

 Summer ended abruptly last week with no warning.  Nice warm and perfect days and then all of a sudden clouds - and more clouds.  We had the threat of a thunderstorm, which we would all love to see/hear, but so far nothing but a little drizzle and gray days.  Fortunately, this is my favorite kind of weather.

I'm having a lazy Sunday and am determined to straighten up my picture file and post a few strays and head into September with enthusiasm.  We'll try to get to Mike's Tree this week or next to have our usual remembering time and be thankful we've made it another year without him.  Emily and I talked about it again yesterday, how unfair it is that we can't enjoy his humor and lean on his common sense and just have to surge ahead anyway.  He did get a promise from Emily that she would make sure the girls remember him - or remember his memory, as Kate was just a baby and never really knew him.  I'm making a note to find some of my favorite pictures of them and post them again along with some videos that are precious to me.  

Now I'm going to find any pictures worth remembering and get those here as I delete the other junk that's accumulated in my camera files.  

I mentioned before that Graysen had an obsession for a smoothie ever since she and a friend had made up recipes at school.  She used AI, and I have no earthly idea how that works to find what she wanted.  I have the spinach, agave and pineapple and will just have to get some frozen mango and a lime to let her make one of these next week. 

When I stopped by Emily and Ryan's house yesterday, I saw all these on the table.  They've really all four gotten into water color and are doing some beautiful things.  I have the watercolors and brushes and paper, but I need someone to start me off, considering I have no talent or really never any desire to paint.  It's so pretty though.  

Several weeks ago, Kate had her little painting easel and box at my house and was showing me some of what she had done.  She was also working on a picture for her mom.

I started on a mountain range and ended up with a sleeping puppy with his tongue out, so I added eyelashes.  Maybe an otter.  

She was showing me how to blend my colors, and one turned amazingly into an owl.  The talent is unreal.

She's starting on a row of books here. 

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These are some of the things she had already done.  I was too intimidated to do anything else.

I haven't gotten too far, but I feel like I need to take a break now and then.  It's been a good couple of weeks.  The day school started, I had a wellness visit with Dr. Gil, and she was pleased with my health.  I had labs done, and most of my labs were perfectly normal.  A few are slightly high or low, but she hasn't commented, so I think I'm okay where I am!  Still wishing I had more energy, but I am managing to sleep most of the night now.  

I was told I need three immunizations and got all three of them Monday at Safeway.  I made an appointment and was glad I did.  The pharmacy was swarming with people, some with frustrating problems with their meds, and the pharmacists were handling things nicely and patiently.  I got to go back into the shot room and waited just a few minutes there.  I got two in my left arm and one in my right - tetanus, RSV and flu.  He offered the COVID vaccine, but I sure didn't need another one.  I need to think about that for a bit anyway and decide if there are any outbreaks or hints of them that would make me be in a hurry.  Hopefully, Washington is one of the states with no problems getting them, but I am hearing from a few people in Georgia that they need prescriptions, and there are already problems with getting those.  So sad.  

Mary invited me to play Scrabble or Mah-Jongg with her Thursday, and that was fun.  It took me a treat of turkey to get Stella the pug to stop barking at me, but she came around, and we had a nice visit.  A little haphazard Scrabble playing, but who cares anyway.  We got to catch up and talk about playing Mah Jongg next week at the Y.  As I left, I ran into Peggy and her Pomeranians and walked home with them.  There's so much I enjoy doing at home that I don't make myself go out enough and enjoy people and the outdoors.  I need to take advantage of that right now!  

Noreen has 2 of her boys for Seahawks Sunday and had made some cookies she wanted to share with Elise and me, so I met her on the porch for a quick visit.  Then I made a cup of coffee and had a cookie that I tried to figure out what was in it.  I think I'll have to ask.  It was quite delicious, as are all of her recipes!

For my last pictures, I have a new toy to show off.  I'm not sure why, but coffee doesn't seem as good to me as it used to.  Maybe it's because I'm trying not to use sugar, but even with a little sweetener, it just doesn't please me.  I had a combination single cup and carafe machine that was taking up way too much room on my counter, so when I saw a sleek little Keurig in all kinds of interesting colors, I knew I had to have one of those and put my big one away until I needed to serve more than just me.  Elise has her own espresso maker that doesn't help the counter space problem.  

I considered the different styles and colors and found just the one I wanted at less than half price.  I guess it was Amazon Prime day or something like that, but I was glad of it.  

I have a little standalone cabinet that I call the girls' snack cabinet, but it seemed perfect for a little coffee area.  The green was my favorite.

I had a few K-cups and some cocoa pods that the girls like, so I kept them in the drawer until I saw this neat storage drawer.  I brought in my coffee grinder too in case I want something different.  The new Keurig doesn't come with a basket for loose coffee, but I think I have one around or can buy one later if I want one.

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Graysen and I like the way the water reservoir lifts up with a sturdy little loop that looks like a ribbon.  She made herself a cup of cocoa immediately with no problem at all.  One more thing they can do for themselves without all that boiling water and messy mixing.

It's just a little spot that makes me happy to look at.  Emily and family gave me this two-tiered stand for a birthday years ago, and I keep some teabags and sweetener and creamer on it sometimes. The lamp on the right adds a little coziness as well as my cross-stitch kitty that looks out over it all.  

I'm on a roll now with getting my pictures remembered.  Emily reminded me yesterday how much this blog will mean to the girls one day, so I need to keep up with it better.  I also need to go back and add some memories that aren't so recent - those I can still remember.  It's slow-going though.  I can't imagine ever being bored!  

Fun Soccer Day

 As proud as I am of my soccer girls, I have had too few chances to watch them play.  Lots of reasons - weather, the way I've felt, and the fact that they often play in faraway (to me) places.  

When I found out both girls - plus Emily coaching - were going to play on the same day within hours of each other and with weather that I could handle, I made plans to be there.  The fact that one game was within blocks of me was a nice thing, and the other one was in a very familiar spot, near where I took the girls to gymnastics for years.  

It was not a huge problem, but I didn't count on our downtown being barricaded for Snoqualmie Ridge Day and also having to go through Snoqualmie Day in the valley to get to the second game.  Elise was planning to go with me and handle my chair for me, but she had been sick for days and just couldn't go.  I can always find someone to carry my chair, so I headed off the 3 blocks to Community Park.  I went one block and encountered barricades so turned into a parking lot to cut through and then ran again into barricade between me and the soccer fields.  I saw someone else do it, so I gestured to the men guarding the gates that I needed to go "that way" and they let me pass.  I got there before Ryan and Graysen but didn't see the team anywhere.  Once they got there, they accompanied me to the right place and settled me in.  

The Black Fire, dressed in black and neon green, are our team.  I guess Emily hasn't gotten her outfit color-coordinated yet.  She looked and sounded like she knew what she was talking about though, and I was very impressed!

Our word for the team later was "scrappy."  They were so enthusiastic and just ran and ran.  They seemed to know what to do when someone yelled "mark your player," and "move up."  The parents were vocal and encouraging and called them by name.  I already knew Karter and put some names with faces - Lucy, Nora, Kellen, Penny, Parker - maybe not spelled correctly.  The goalie - Penny? - was very good and stopped what looked like sure goals.

Katherine/Kate/Katie is the one with the number 0!  I talked to one of the blue team mothers after the game, and they had driven from Bellevue - not too far.  They were talking about how cute our town was.

    

Water break.  Any families living in those houses are lucky.  You can just stand on your patio with a cup of coffee and watch your kids walk to school and to the park, soccer games, splash pad, tennis courts, YMCA.  Even downtown.  What a view!  

At halftime, the support coach (Ryan) along with Graysen and Woodrow visited the team for a pep talk maybe?  

The score ended up being tied, which was so perfect for those two evenly matched teams.  Kate scored the first goal for the Black Fire, and they ended up tied 2-2 on a late score by the BF.  

Ryan recorded her score, but I did see it and was thrilled.  You can hear Graysen saying, "Kate, go up," and then Kate moved up and immediately had the ball kicked to her.  She took it so nicely and seemingly effortlessly and just kicked it in.  Made it look easy, but I know how hard they have to work to get these perfect lanes and opportunities.  They all celebrated, and she ended up with 2 high fives and a chest bump!  Sweet girl.

The game was over soon after that, and they had their snacks along with a cute snack bag that Karter's mom gave them, which provided Kate with quite a nice distraction during Graysen's game, as she methodically worked her way through the bag - down to the apple!  

Ryan and Graysen left for her game, and Kate, Emily, and I followed in my car, avoiding all the blocked streets.  It was not a beautiful day.  I got chilly in my short sleeves at the first game, and a light rain had started during the drive.  After that, it warmed up some and actually got a little steamy.  No sunshine though.  

I know I took some pictures and at least one video at Graysen's game, but I'm not sure what happened to them. 

Kate and I bundled up with the umbrella and blanket and lots of snacks to watch an unusually blah game.  The whole second half was entangled at the other end of the field, and it seemed no one had their hearts in it.  The score was close enough, 2-0, seeing they were playing a really tough team, but I didn't see much enthusiasm from them.  I didn't see Gray get the ball kicked in her vicinity much, and the ones they had a chance at were kicked away by the other team quickly.   Like the other game, the goalie for our team - Adora, I think - was excellent and kept the score from being higher.

The most enthusiasm I saw was riding out of the sports complex parking and hearing the girls all yell "Good game" at each other, which is what counts in the end.  Kate and her dad had to appear at a raffle booth for her martial arts class, so I didn't see her any more that day.  She had a sleepover later with her friend.  Gray was obsessed over getting a smoothie and talked about it all the way home.  She walked over later, and she and Elise walked over to the Swirl and got her a mango one.  Elise got the wrong combination for her yogurt, so I got it.  Great......  It was toasted coconut, which was fine, but there were mango boba balls or whatever those things were on top.  I ate around the boba things, and the yogurt itself was pretty good.

We had an extremely lazy afternoon with an extremely lazy grandmother and older granddaughter.  The walk to town, a little computer playing, a little talking, a little reading, a spirited game of Apples to Apples with the 3 of us, and just some lying on the bed daydreaming and texting with a friend - just what a busy preteen needs.  No pressure, unconditional love, and a lot of spoiling.  And Mimi and Aunt CeCe loved it too.