So far away

Wayne's daughter Marja just left after a weekend visit. She lives in Los Angeles and is driving home as I write this on Highway 99 through the central California farming countryside - Modesto, Fresno, Chico. Marja's mom Mary also joined us and now she's gone too, back to her home in Santa Cruz. Our house is awfully quiet, and we're a little depressed after a full three days of chatter, eating, drinking, and laughter.

Two weeks ago we flew to Portland for a quick 3-day visit with my son Arthur and his family. It was great fun as they had made a lot of changes in their backyard and inside their home. Wayne helped Arthur re-wire a ceiling light in the basement. Jack, my grandson, was leaving for his first day of 7th grade as we were getting ready to go to the airport to return home. Two days later, Arthur called. "Hi Mom, I just wanted to know how you two are doing. We miss you." I think his house had become awfully quiet, like ours is today.

Why do we live so far from those we love so much? Our children have chosen to build their lives in places we don't really want to move to, except that they're there. But they're not in the same place. We live in the middle, between them. Not close enough to have day-to-day contact, but close enough that we can fly or even drive occasionally without too much trouble. It's the day-to-day stuff we miss. They seem to miss it too.

When we were young, we couldn't wait to "get out of town" and find our own lives. Wayne moved to California from New York, and I moved from Minnesota. We were really far from our families and yet we didn't feel any pull back. It has never occurred to me that my parents might have missed me in the way I miss my son, who lives considerably closer to me than I did to them.

Undoubtedly we and our children are closer emotionally than we were to our parents. Our kids are in their 40s now and we're still close. It's to be enjoyed, in the bittersweet way of enjoying something you miss and wish you could have more of.

When life gets busy. . .

LIFE has really been fun the past couple of weeks. And busy.

First my son Arthur and his family came to visit from Portland, Oregon. They were interviewing schools in Petaluma to see whether they might want to move back to northern California. YAY! I'm in favor of that! They'd be so much closer!

One day Jack, who is 10, stayed with us rather than traipsing around to schools with his mom and dad. We went to the Pacific Pinball Museum in Alameda, just a few minutes from here. Totally cool - you pay $15 for adults and $7.50 for kids and get to play as much as you want on 85-or-so antique and modern pinball machines for free!

We had a great time while they were here and, too soon, they were gone back home.

Then I got scheduled to work quite a bit slingin' drinks at the Claremont Resort. I love to work, of course :-), but it's a little unusual for February. Usually, once the holidays are over it's pretty slow for awhile. Yes(!) to money though.

This last week it was Wayne's birthday plus Valentine's Day. Wayne's daughter, The Beautiful Marja, came up from L.A. for a week to help celebrate, and her mom Mary came over from Santa Cruz for a few days too. Marja and Mary are my thrifting buddies, so we went back to the White Elephant Sale (see previous post), this time to donate and shop. This time it was so much better because, while we certainly weren't alone, there were lots fewer people there and even more WE's (White Elephants) than before. We found many bargains. Best of all, I got to clean out a whole bunch of "great stuff" from my home. I didn't want it or need it, but someone else might love it! My house feels good!

Then, Marja and I decided to paint my bathroom. Oh God, once you start it's endless. We scraped the ceiling (yuk), and the cabinets (Mary helped with this), and bought gorgeous new knobs for the drawers, and painted and painted and painted some more. Now it's beautiful and pink and new looking, but what a lot of work. So worth it, though.

As of today, everyone's gone and it's very quiet. Wayne and I are amusing ourselves by putting up towel racks and pretty shelves (see the fancy wooden supports on my Thrifting post), and soon I'll be hanging artwork back up on the walls. The bathroom will be finished. I love it.

Tomorrow we'll join our friend Rina and our friends George and Maureen at their daughter Julia's benefit party for the launch of her new company Blackbird Underpinnings. It's vintage-inspired intimate apparel and loungewear...how fun is that? And the party's at Bar 355 in Oakland, a new place to experience!

LIFE keeps on being fun! And busy.

Babies and Owls

Ooh, my niece Kristin just had a baby boy, Lincoln James. He is so cute, I can hardly stand it. Needless to say, I had to create something special for the newest member of the family.

The theme of Lincoln's nursery is owls, so off I went to my favorite fabric store, Piedmont Fabric, to find owls in soft fabrics. Soon, a baby comforter with soft cotton owls on one side and soft green fleece on the other, and, yes, a companion stuffed Baby Owl, came together in my sewing room. Off they went in a box to the sweet new family in South Dakota. I just got a photo today in email and here it is: Lincoln with Blanket and Owl.

How adorable is that?! The "baby" owl is twice Lincoln's size. I hope it doesn't scare him!

Of course he's only two weeks old, and before you know it he'll have a job and be wearing a suit. Well, maybe not that fast. Welcome to the world, Lincoln James!