Seeing Clearly?

 I have not posted much about the recent presidential election. I know many of you just want to put it out of your mind, behind you. I have been sad, and then angry, and then sad again, and now I am just fearful. Reading about the President-elect's appointments has made me very fearful for our country, our world, our planet, and his need for revenge. 

The outcome has caused division in my family, which I am ready to put behind me. Now it's up to others.

But maybe I'm the one who's not right? Maybe I'm not seeing clearly? 

I don't think so, but I know I am not visually seeing clearly. Last Thursday, taking my glasses off after working in the garden, they broke and fell apart. When I took them to the optometrist Friday to see if there was a fix, there wasn't. I was due for an eye exam which I would have to have before ordering new glasses. I was fortunate to get an appointment for Tuesday, so yesterday I had my eye tests, picked out new frames, and got my order in for new glasses. It will take at least two weeks. They are my only pair of glasses.

Fortunately my distance vision isn't too bad. I can still enjoy the beauty of the season while it lasts. This is the view from our dining room. 

I bought a pair of reading glasses, and had another pair that Tom had and they work OK, as long as I get the right focal distance. I am dealing with headaches from eye strain, but usually not severe. 

Now the November rain has set in, with stormy, windy days. All the pretty leaves will soon be gone. That doesn't help my mood.

But this too shall pass. We keep on keeping on, finding joy and sharing kindness. 
 

Happy At Home

 
This is the view that greets us outside our bedroom window.

We have been busy in the last of the dry days, cleaning up and putting away outside. 

The cedar tree droppings have been cleaned up and deposited on the garden path. 

The deck is swept. It was a lovely place to sit for awhile. 

Tom has the garden boxes winterized.  The hoops are installed for the covers for the overwintering bonsai and plants. I have all of the lawn edges trimmed and beds cleaned up.

Lastly Tom got the covers on the hoop houses as the ran began this morning. 

The bonsais are off the bench.

The tender plants are off the patio, moved into the greenhouse along with the geraniums, geranium cuttings, and other starts. 

In the front yard the Fatsia and hardy fuchsias are providing food for the two humming birds that over winter here. 

The front walk is cleaned up and ready for the last leaf fall. There will be more clean up, of course, but for now we continue to enjoy lingering autumnal color. 

Late this morning we attended an open house at our now favorite local nursery. So many independent nurseries have closed, so we want to support this one. 

I didn't take any other photos. I was too busy holding myself up and dodging other shoppers. That is getting harder these days.

We enjoyed the outing, ate cookies, looked at everything, and bought a couple of plants and several ornaments. We had fun.

It's good to have fun.

Sailing Away

 It was the perfect thing to do on this day after such a disappointing presidential election. We left it all behind to go dig in the dirt.

Washington is a blue state. We elected all of the Democrats that were on our state ballot. As with the national outcome, there were a few clouds in our blue sky, but the water was calm and there was fresh snow on the mountains. 

It took us two hours to get to the Whidbey Island cabin because of heavy, slow traffic getting through Seattle, but once we arrived we got right to work.

I planted tulip bulbs and Tom and Jake planted the native Oregon Grape and Nootka roses that Tom raised from cuttings and divisions he took last year from plants growing here on the lagoon dike.

They are working together to try to turn our dry sandy front yard into a mostly native garden that can sustain itself through our summer drought. 

After we broke for lunch Tom took over the bulb planting while I drank coffee, finished reading the newspaper, skipping most of the political news, and ran an errand. 

By then the sun was sinking low in the sky. I walked  over to the beach and sat on a log, enjoying the peace of the place. Jake joined me for a bit before continuing his beach walk.

I walked on the beach road, easier for me than walking on sand, and stopped to get a photo of my favorite Rugosa Rose. Here are late red rose hips, golden leaves, and a fresh bloom. We don't easily give up summer around here. 

From the road I captured this photo of the layers of land and water and mountains and fog and clouds. Life, too, is multi-layered. 

Back at the cabin we relaxed for a short while, continuing conversations that had been going on all day. It was so good to spend the day with Jake.  I learned so much that I hadn't known about our brilliant, coping, neurodivergent son. 

As the sun was setting we were back on the ferry, homeward bound. We stopped for a quick Subway supper and more conversation.

We arrived back home where Jake lingered for more conversation before finally calling it a day.

What a good day it was! Now we are ready to move on. We have yard work to do here under a glorious blue sky. Rain is coming, but like everything else, we'll deal with it when it gets here.

What will be will be. 

I guess not.

 My last post was titled "It's About Time".  I guess not.

I edited this photo but it still flipped sideways. Sorta' like our country?

My last post was about women finally getting their time. I had faith that we would elect our first woman president and more women's voices would be heard and more women's causes would be acknowledged. It was not to be.

Unlike eight years ago, I am not in mourning this time. I am just angry. I think I will be for a while.

A friend shared an email she got from her relative in Sweden saying "Sad day for humanity. I'm sorry for the American people and for the whole world." Me too.

I have real worries about what kind of country and world we will be leaving for our children and grandchildren.

But for right now, as soon as Jake gets here we are heading to Whidbey Island for a work day at the cabin. We will be planting tulip bulbs and some native shrubs in the cabin garden. There will be bright spots to look forward to. 

Life goes on, at least for us fortunate ones. 

It's About Time

 

No, I'm not talking about the time change over the weekend, although there is that. It's 4:30 and it's getting dark. :-(

I'm talking about women in America, about electing a woman as President of the United States, about fully embracing the full power and rights of citizenship that women have fought for for so many years. 

Women finally got the right to vote in 1920, but then they still had to struggle to be able to use it, especially if they were black or poor or living under the domination of a paternalistic husband or father.  Now in 2024 they are still fighting,  for reproductive rights, for equal pay, for voter rights, to be heard and taken seriously.  

Women are the glue that holds our nation together. We are the mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and aunts that nurture the next generation. We care about providing them with a planet with clean air and water where our children and grandchildren can live in peace. 

This is another very contentious presidential election. Eight years ago I voted for another very qualified woman to be president. It was not to be. 

This time I am counting on the women of America to get it done. I have hope that enough of us will support Kamala Harris for president. 

It's time. 

Happy Halloween!

 

Yes, I carved a Jack-o-lantern again this year. And, yes, it's another happy pumpkin. We need happy. It's mostly straight lines because it was hard for my old hands to carve it. 

I saved some of the seeds and roasted them.

It was dark and drippy outside on this day before Halloween so I didn't need to wait until dark to appreciate the candle glow. 

The maple trees are putting on their glow outside now, a little later than usual. I took a few photos this morning before the rain started. 

These will intensify to a bright red before they fall. 

The Fern Leaf Full Moon Maple outside our front window is even making the inside glow. 

A view from inside. 

Our Christmas - Thanksgiving - Halloween cacti are starting to bloom.

Views from the dining room.

Halloween Day is supposed to be dry. We will be out planting our tulip bulbs.

We won't have any trick-or-treaters but it's good that any kids who are out won't get rained on. 

Happy Halloween!

The 2024 Annual Norquist Family Cider Bee

 Once again we gathered to squeeze apples and catch up with family, some of whom we don't see very often.

The first thing we do when we arrive at nephew Ben and Ericka's house near Winlock, WA, is eat doughnuts and drink coffee. 

Since Tom and I arrived a few minutes later than most, they got to work while I was still enjoying my fritter.

My sister Laurie got busy bottling the cider juice. She and I are the matriarchs now that our parent generation and our older sister have passed, and our two brothers and most of their kids now live on the east coast. 

There were just three generations present this year, no little ones of the 4th generation, and our 3rd generation are all growing up.

These big beautiful apples had to be quartered this year before going into the cider mill. We have two cider presses in the family and both were going steadily as crews switched off. 

Father, son, son, father.  

There was a big crew so there was plenty of time for visiting. 

The apple pulp will go into compost. 

The apple supply is getting low.  

My grandson Isaac introduced his girl Shala to the family. She loves these new experiences. 

My brother Hank's daughter Jordan lives here in Olympia, WA and joined us with her fiance Justin. There will be a wedding next fall. 

There was plenty of cider for everyone to take home. We were done and cleaned up by 1:00 and then it was time to eat. Pulled pork and salads and lots of desserts were on the menu. Ben and Ericka suppled the main course and the rest was pot luck. We ate well and we all had a good time. 

After eating we had our annual Rockaway cabin busines meeting. The state of the union is good. 

Another famiy cider bee is in the books. 

Photos by Tom, Katie, and Linda