Retreat in WA

I'm always amazed at the Providence of God. Since it'd been over a decade since I'd been in WA, I made plans to spend a few days with my friend Colleen after the family reunion. We'd been neighbors for many years, our horse-acre adjoining her twenty. My kids loved going over to her property and playing on the swing she'd hung beneath the walnut tree, making leaf boats and sending them down the creek, feeding her horses, playing with the big toys her husband had, and enjoying all the treats she prepared for them.  

She sewed colorful and unique clothes for the kids--they were absolute favorites. I only kept a couple once they grew out of them but I wish I'd kept them all for the grandkids. There's no one quite like Auntie Colleen--I tried to capture her spirit in BOUND (Rebecca's best friend). 

Colleen's like my big sister. How grateful I am to have a friend like her when my own family wasn't nearby.   

God knew I'd need time to recover from my fall--I ended up with multiple fractures but within the limits of not needing surgery--so how fortuitous that I'd get to be with Colleen. The vase with the yellow rose is a reminder to slow down. Colleen took marvelous care of me, preparing delicious meals while I read book or wrote in my journal. We enjoyed catching up so much and it was truly a retreat from the daily responsibilities. We walked a bit as I admired her new home, her quilting projects, garden, fishpond, and she-shed :) Truly, she has made her home and life a work of art. May God bless you with a long life, my friend, and bring you to heaven.

We are entering our golden years and they have their own beauty like this beautiful walnut tree. Deo gratias!

Family Reunion in WA

It's been nearly a month since I've returned home from a family reunion in WA. I've not been back for a decade so it was extra-special to spend this time with my in-laws. I felt like we were chasing the sunset across the country as we flew West. I loved spending the week with our children, their spouses, and their sweet babies. Sharing a few pictures of our time together (minus grandkids). Here we are on the Port Townsend ferry. And of course, no trip is complete without a trip to a brewery. Propolis Brewing was exceptional.

 

Of course, I always manage to find a cat to cuddle! 

At the visit to Chuckanut Brewery, the Navy was doing some exercises. So fun to watch them on this beautiful day.

We have so many beautiful memories in my in-laws home in Oak Harbor. Charlanne taught Dagny how to make pies and here she is making a cherry pie, using her grandmother's cookbook, which she gets to keep. Laura made a blackberry cobbler. I spent some time in the sunroom painting. We had a lovely time eating apples, plums, and blackberries. 

Don and Charlanne had such a wonderful time with all the family gathered. It's hard to believe, last year there was only one great-grandchild. And this year--FIVE!!! 

Alas, I had a very bad fall and fractured my ankle. I missed Sunday Mass because I couldn't put any weight on my foot. I was one step ahead of the babies, crawling on the floor. But our dear friend, Fr. Dwight Lewis, was saying Mass at St. Augustine and he graciously waited until Michael could bring me to him. What a joy to see him after all these years. He was a seminarian when we were going through RCIA at St. Jude. We had the great honor of witnessing his ordination and first Mass. He is a powerful preacher, ruffling feathers, not allowing you to stay in your comfortable place, rather challenging you to go deeper into the Christian life.

I think my travelling days are coming to an end, which is just as well, since I love staying home. Still, I'm so grateful to have had this time to spend with my in-laws. I brought home some mementos: Michael's maternal grandmother preserved the butterflies, seeds, stalks and leaves so artfully; a bird's nest that Don removed while we were visiting--I added the Ukrainian Easter eggs I'd made many years ago. On the right is an old hummingbird nest with cracked eggs--I love these marvels of nature; feathers found on the property; and some of Don's barbershop music! These will grace our home now.  

New Books!!!

I'm a great fan of picture book biographies and especially those of artists. So the moment I learned about this book's existence, I knew I wanted to have it. My publisher kindly sent me a review copy and what a joy it's been to read Painting the Light: The Story of Berthe Morisot, First Woman Impressionist. What struck me was Berthe's determination to paint not just as prescribed at the time but to paint the light--dappled and shadowed, all the colors. She joined the men who were also painting their impressions and eventually, even though the establishment scoffed at these rebels, she was able to show her work showing the lives of women. This is story of perseverance and following your dreams. Even the end papers will delight you! 

I discovered Lucy in Between because the author, Sarah Callender, is a regular contributor on Writer Unboxed and I've been following her writing journey for many years. And what a debut! Isn't that cover gorgeous? It captures 13-year-old Lucy's voice perfectly, without which this would have been a very, very sad book. Not only does her older brother Henry take his own life, her father is absent, and her mother seems  more interested in Henry than in her. Thankfully, there is a male best friend and a father figure that comes on the horizon when they are in Peru. I wanted to understand Henry so much more, why he committed suicide, but it really is an unanswerable question (thanks to Pablo Neruda). I found the juxtaposition of silence and sound beautiful--yet both Lucy (mime-artist) and Henry (virtuoso violinist), long for a real connection with their parents. 

Lucy touched me deeply because I, too, grew up without a father, and questioned why his work was more important than us kids (another unanswerable question), and have lost a brother (though in a different way), and even though it's been years, I was surprised to find myself grieving over my losses. So just a word of warning to parents--this is appropriate for teens *after* they've had a good long time to process their own grief. Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

I have enjoyed Barbara O'Neal's books very much but when I discovered (again on Writer Unboxed) that her latest was a historical fiction that sweeps through India and England through the first half of the 20th century, I knew I was in for an epic tale of love and loss amidst the wars. I'm in the middle of A Thousand Painted Hours and am enjoying it immensely. Much of the story is told through letters and I especially loved recounting "One small beauty." Such a beautiful reminder that even in the most desolate times, there is beauty. There are so many children of the British who grew up in India and have a great love for the country and its people, only to be shipped back to England for a proper training to be a proper English person, but who never forget the land that gave them unforgettable sights, sounds, and loves. O'Neal captures it so well I think it might be her best book yet! And the cover!!! So beautiful. Given the frequent epistles, it would've been so lovely if there had been some interior art, given that Elsie is an artist and sends little pictures with her letters, along with a sentence in the urdu script, since that's what's allowed them some privacy. Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

Friends, I share a lot of good books. It's impossible to buy all the books we want, but I urge you to ask for new books at your local library.