Wayne-Fun at Work

Wayno has had quite the Spring! He is able to not just spend time in the office but out and about with growers as well as spending a bit of time traveling. He has seen much and learned even more. In February, he had the thrill of visiting hives. This is something I would kill for and he was given the opportunity. Lucky him!!! He was quite kind in his sharing of this amazing experience, as to not allow me too much jealousy. What a wonderful day he spent in the orchards...

He was fortunate also to be able to spend a day in Mexico. He learned much and enjoyed the visit as well as those he met during his trip. What a wonderful time he had exploring this new space. if only he had had just a bit more time. The people were kind, the food was amazing, and his location was beautiful. What beauty to see their orchards! Many types of plants and fruit as well as nuts and coffee all growing together. So unlike the way we are used to in the Valley. We have perfectly manicured orchards with only one type of plant or tree growing alongside each other. His eyes were open to a whole new way of growing where space is valuable and different types of plants share the same soil and work together giving and taking in a perfect union.

Then off to Spain he flew in May! What an amazing trip! He continues to relive moments as we sit and share over dinner. This was possibly one of his favorite spots he has ever visited. The people were beautiful. The land was amazing and the food was beyond! He worked hard on this trip and loved every moment of it. The lifestyle in Spain was one to get used to and he worked hard to follow their schedules. Rising early was a bit of a problem as most there enjoy sleeping in. He would start his morning s early and work straight through the siestas and then continue on through the night until the wee morning hours. This is not the norm for these people as they have continued to find a way to enjoy life first and work is second to life!

Among all the travels and work, he has had time to work a bit in the gardens as well as time to get out and play Frisbee Golf with friends. He continues to find time to read through all of this and enjoys having time to sit out on the patio, book in hand and enjoy the weather as winter has passed and our meals and evenings are more and more spent out on the patio. We will enjoy this before the heat of the summer arrives and we are able to spend much less time outside.

For Brit, the Spring has been full! Filled with studies and friends!!! She has spent the last two months studying for every test I believe is out there. She loves her school and is excited to be a part of an education system like ours. She however, is excited and looking forward to the future and what it might hold for her as far as education and so is studying hard and taking every test possible so that she is able to prepare for the next big step!!! How quickly life changes and these small ones grow and mature and head off into worlds of their own! How exciting for them to dream and plan and work towards the future. Among all the study time and the huge amount of homework she has had this year, she has still found time to be with friends.
Brit has always danced to her own beat and this is one of the many reasons we are very proud of her. She knows what she believes in and she takes the time to educate herself and be able to stand up for those beliefs. She has worked hard as a Link Crew Leader at school this year as well as is serving on a Liaison committee to bring the youth and the adults of our church closer together. She was excited to travel with a group of students this year to visit possible University choices. She loved her trip and the fun they all had together.
Brit loves to read and wishes she had more time to sink into a chair and lose herself in a book. She was quite excited this spring to be able to hook up with one of her favorite authors during one of our trips to Berkeley!
She was also quite pleased to have time with her Uncle after not having seen him for a couple of years. I'm not sure she believed all his stories but she quickly remembered just how funny Uncle Phil always was and spent most the time at his side. Sissy will always love being a "kid". Even at 93, I imagine Brit will pull out the sidewalk chalk and stickers and have a great afternoon laughing with friends! Coloring eggs with her Dad is always a must! Again, this year she was quite proud of just how beautiful they turned out! Even more so since her brother had decided to come home for the weekend and when she has him with her, all of life is good!



This Spring was filled with many dances and parties. Brit and Jacob seemed to always be headed out to

some new exciting event. They have had a fun Spring! As Brit is nearing the end of her Junior year and Jacob is preparing to graduate, they seem to have many more events showing up on the calendar with graduations, birthday parties, and church conference coming soon, the fun continues on into the summer.

Bry has completed his first year of college!!! His Spring was filled with a major workload for Bry! He spent most of this semester in the Studio, working on projects that some weeks took up to 60 hours of work. He slept an hour here or there and was known to be able to be found under his desk sleeping just to get away from life for just a moment to catch a couple of Zzz before heading off to a class! It was all well worth it in that he ended his semester with good grades and his Final Project was chosen to place on display for the Graduation Ceremony. Bry had two roommates this year and was lucky to get along well with both of them. They all found a way to survive in a very small space without killing each other and as busy as their schedules were, that is surprising as one or all of them would be up many nights...all night with the desk light on studying. We were lucky to have Bry come home between projects a couple of times this semester. He was back to join the band at church in a performance which was amazing to hear them all together again! He also joined us for Easter weekend which was appreciated by his little buddy Ian. And of course there were the trips to play Frisbee Golf! One weekend, he even brought a project home to work on which was fun for us to see as it progressed over the weekend. As he would

arrive home, the house would once again fill with his friends and they would spend all nights up playing poker or watching movies and still find a way to function the next day. Caffeine is their friend as our recycling bin can attest to! He is quite happy to remind his Uncle that he won the fro contest when he came down to see Bry at school. He had fun showing off his campus to a member of his family between classes. Bry loved his professors this semester and would find time to sit and discuss projects and life with them. Brit was thrilled to have Bry home the weekend of Prom and Bry of course teased and had fun with her even during picture taking. We joined Bry a school a couple of times as well and had fun learning even more of the city. Thanks to a friend, we had an apartment to stay in most times we journeyed in. We had fun recently helping Bry and his new roommates move into their firs apartment! This gave Wayne and I many moments to pause and reflect. How would you ever know that this would come so fast? I know it was just moments ago he said his first word and lost his first tooth and took his first step... and now a first apartment! Wow...life goes so quickly!

So...Spring has been full! Filled with fun, friends, work, cooking, exercise classes, and just life in general. I have had so many changes in my life over the last three years and it seems this will just continue. I cannot imagine what life would be like at this point without continual change. There has been much good as well as much sadness over the past few years. I sit back and I wonder at it all! I am most happy to have my Uncle with me these days as we spend time almost weekly on the phone chatting! It makes you realize what a gift you have when life almost takes one of your best friends away from you and I am happy to be reminded not to take my friends for granted any more. It may be days or months and sometimes longer before we see each other but friends should take the time to remind each other just how important they are. I hope you each know even if I have not mentioned it for some time, that you are all very important in my life and the lives of my children and for that I am happy and thankful!!! So...Spring has been good. With it has come new beginnings just as it should! I was able to reconnect with my brother during a brief visit in the city! It was sooo good to have some time with him. We had not seen each other in a couple of years and it so makes a difference when you can see somebody and sit with them and share with them as you eat, laugh and just catch up!!! The children kept me busy as usual which is one of my favorite parts of life!!! What would my life be like without them? Wayno and I are spending more and more time together without children as we are getting closer to being empty-nesters and with Bry living else where and Brit out and about, we have time to spend one on one. We have had fun with friends, enjoying live music at a small patio cafe and taking trips to the nearby parks. It has been fun meeting up with friends at local coffee shops as well as teaching euchre to some. My work has kept me busy and this too is good. It has been quite the adjustment to return to working outside the home for the last two years but I try to keep up with it as well as life at home. I spend more time learning to take care of me which is a change since I have spent so much time as a homeschool mom...cooking, teaching, driving, cleaning, etc. Now it has become important to give back to myself and I am learning to do this with the help of my girlfriends. My favorite Saturdays are spent rising early to have coffee and then head off to the Farmers Market to gather up beautiful produce of many colors! I was happy to find cactus, blackberries, stone fruit, radishes, etc. to fill my bag yesterday. I then love to head to the gym and return home later as the children are rising. I have begun to take yoga classes again after many years and love the challenges my teachers give me. I am spending more and more time in the gardens which always gives me pure joy! I have planted container veggies this Spring as well as herbs and am anxious to begin using them all! Over all, change has slid me nicely into a more balanced space then I have been in the past. I love spending quality time with my children when they are available and am enjoying having more one on one time with Wayno. I have more time with friends and time when I can just be me! Spring has brought for me the appreciation of life and for this I am thankful!

A Golden Birthday

We traveled to the city to celebrate Brit's birthday with her brother. Could SF have been more perfect? We arrived Friday night and for about 20 minutes before actually arriving, all I could smell was the scent of flowers. I actually turned to Brit at one point and asked if she had brought along her flowers she had received that week. What an amazing way to begin our weekend but to be wrapped in the scent of fresh flowers! We are fortunate to have friends who have a place in the city and so we spent our first night at their apartment, nestled into the beauty of old buildings with character flowing from the walls. Brit loves old buildings, having grown up in an old home most of her life, and so this was the perfect spot to start her b-day weekend. As we walked the few blocks to Bry's place we were amazed by the warmth and the continuing smell of flowers. The sun had set before we entered the city and so we were unable to distinguish just where this fragrance was coming from. We soon headed down to Telegraph Street and were surrounded with the sights and smells that we have come to love. Foods from all over the world surround you in this city and the smells are like no other! To choose! We were all hungry and all in the mood for something easy. I grabbed an outside table for us and we then all proceeded to scatter and meet back with food that suited each of our cravings. After our hunger had been satisfied, we set off to see the sights. We had always walked this city in the light of the day and exploring it now by the lights of night was beautiful! We walked over campus and traveled up the many flights of stairs to see Bry's studio and the space he was now spending so much of his life. He allowed us to go through his work. The progress he has made in such a short amount of time was amazing to each of us! He beamed as he showed us all about, even pointing out the couch he uses to try and catch a few minutes of sleep before classes. We were taken up many more stairs in order to arrive at a lookout that was magical. We were in awe as we stood and watched the city in all it's beauty! We could see the bridges across the Bay and all the lights of SF sparkled as we stood gazing. We wandered a bit more through campus exploring new sights and old ones. Amazing how magical these old buildings look at night.

Morning came and we packed up and headed to a tiny bakery to buy a beautiful Thank You for our friends. We then moved our belongings to our new residency and met up with Bry to make the trek into SF. First stop on our list of things to do was China Town. Brit was excited to see it in all it's glory! We had arrived at a time when the Chinese New Year is being celebrated and so were happy to see the beauty of this already amazing spot.

The smells of China Town are unique to themselves and we love to spend time surrounded by the scents and sights. We wandered through shops marveling at the beauty of the textiles and Brit was taken by the candles and incense as usual. Bry was excited to see that "Happy",in the pic to the left, was set up and talking to those that would listen! "Happy" is a regular on campus and one of the many activists Bry hears as he wanders from class to class. After leaving China Town Bry was set to give us a tour of the architecture in the business district, and that he did! I was not quite prepared for what was to come. Of course I assumed the buildings would be lovely but was taken by their feel and by the feeling that flooded me as I stood at the base of some of these amazing pieces of art! We walked and walked as Bry pointed out the sights. He then took us up some stairs and surprised us with a spot in the center of the city and perched on top of a building! A park!! A green spot filled with grass and gardens. Fountains and benches were all about. A lovely "green" space in the center of the city for people to spend their days or perhaps just their lunches. The only problem was that except for a couple of men eating lunch and another sleeping on a nearby bench, this lovely park on the top of this building was going unused. Bry says these places have not caught on and that most people do not even know that they exist. What a shame to have this space sitting empty. Here are just a few of the beautiful examples of architecture we were able to see on our walk.

Then off to the Embarcadero and down to Fisherman's Wharf we walked. The smells of the water are like none other! This is a sight and smell I hope to never quit longing for. The water is such a blessing for me as I gaze out across it. To be here with my family, celebrating the birth of my daughter! What a perfect way to celebrate her life. Brit's main request for this birthday was to spend it with her brother. And as it was not possible for him to head home because of studies, what a better way to fulfill her request than to hit the road and come to him and all that is in his world. Wayne and I love the city and are fortunate to have two children that love it just as much! The smells, the people, the energy of SF is something that we long for. We spent the rest of the day by the water. We walked and walked over areas that have become so familiar to us in just the two short years that we have lived here. We know what to find and what we will see. We know the sights and the smells of this part of the city so well. We walked to the end of a pier and sat forever soaking in the sight of the Bay and the warmth of the sun! We walked and walked and talked and laughed and spent the day as a family just as Sissy had requested! We were happy to have Jacob join us later in the day and went in search of one of our favorite restaurants. He had been traveling all day and had sat in traffic galore just to catch up with us and spend time with Brit on her golden b-day. How nice to share with him one of our favorite spots! Tarantinos sits on the water and as we leisurely sat and ate some of the best seafood you can get, we talked and laughed and watched as the fog rolled in over the Bay. We ended our day with a long walk back to the Bart to catch our train back to our place. We were happy to find that our place this evening was just as old and quaint as the pictures had alluded to. Brit and Jacob went off in search of hot chocolate and some quiet time to spend togethor as the evening came to an end. Bry wandered off in the direction of his place and we nestled into our beautiful little room.

We woke the next morning to sit and have coffee downstairs in a beautiful sitting room as we lazily read books and nibbled at goodies displayed in the solarium. Bry caught up with us as did Brit's friend, Jackie who wanted to wish Brit a happy b-day before she headed off to family to celebrate. We then hit the streets and were off to shops. Jacob and Emily caught up with us and we wandered in and out of shops until we were ready to sit and have a bite to eat. We all poured over menus and looked at tables around us as we tried to narrow down our choices. What a lovely way to share our lunch with friends and family, in an outdoor space filled with plants, sitting spots, and beautiful fountains. Our day came to end before I was ready for it but as always it was time to say our goodbyes and climb back into our car to head back over the mountains and on home. What a lovely weekend and what a grand way to celebrate with my daughter the day so many years ago, she had joined us. She has grown and changed so since she first arrived. It has been a joy just to sit back and watch as she has grown into this beautiful young lady.

Blessings

As many of you have probably heard, the freeze that hit CA for over a week has destoyed many orchards. The orchard growers are sufferring greatly with this loss as are others. It is hard to realize how far the loss can reach. For those that do not live in the valley, it may be hard to imagine. Having grown up in the midwest where farms are mostly harvested by machines, it was amazing to find that here the produce is harvested by hand. A very romantic type of harvest that I have learned to love. To know that hands pick the produce that not just my family but people all over this country bring to their tables each night brings warmth and a familiarity to the veggies and fruits as I stand chopping and preparing them each night. These weathered hands are beautiful people that because of this freeze, can no longer feed their own families. They are now without work because there are no oranges to pick. The strawberries and avocadoes have been ruined as well as many other types of beautiful types of food that we so often taken for granted. I remember last summer stopping at a stand with my mother to buy strawberries that had just been picked. This is a stand that I go to often. A small wooden hut built on the edge of the field. Workers spend their days in the sun and the owners are some of the warmest people I have ever met. This day, as my mother and I walked to the hut, there was beautiful song shining from within. This dear weathered soul was singing as she sat waiting for customers. She stopped as we came close and I asked her not stop her singing because her voice was beautiful. Through tears this beautiful little woman explained how her husband was at church but that she had to be at the stand to keep it open to make money for their family. She had decided to make this her church and so was singing. She then continued to explain the horrors that her family had lived and told us to cherish our relationship as mother and daughter as she no longer had her mother. Her family had known such horrors in the "old country" and yet she could sing through tears. We took a moment to bless her and pray with her. At this time I think of her and all those beautiful hands that harvest the food that we so often take for granted as we run to the grocer to grab the food we need for dinner. Please take a moment if you have the time and finances and donate to the Orange Aid. Please help these brothers and sisters of ours to bring food to their tables and to feed their children through these cold months where work is no more. I thank you for your gifts and for the love we have to share. The following link takes you to Orange Aid through the Salvation Army site. They have pledged that all monies that come in for Orange Aid will be given 100% to the workers and that none of the donations will go towards adminstration fees.

https://secure4.salvationarmy.org/donations.nsf/donate?openform&projectid=USW_GS-Fresno-Freeze

Blessings-

Cold Times and Memories

The Holidays have passed and life is slowly getting back to normal. Anticipation of the holidays and prepping has always been so exciting for our family. The children are used to the same traditions. Even as they grow and begin their own lives, we work hard at keeping the traditions from their childhood. Bry arived home early for his break which was nice. He had time to sleep and recover from Finals and the stress of having completed his first semester at school. As he arrived, the house again filled with all his old friends. His days started about 2PM and ended between 2-5AM. Not an easy schedule for the rest of us to try and continue work, etc. with. Having the house filled with his friends and Brit adding her friends to the cluster made for a full house of teens and lots of fun!! We were happy to find time to share with our friends here and still have plenty of family time. Bry has returned to school and Brit has just finished finals and winter formals. Our time is ready to slow down. The last weeks have been unbearably cold and the news continues to update us on just how much food is being destroyed in the orchards and in the fields. This has been the topic of discussion with most those living in the valley. It is quite a concern for many. We have lost many landscaping trees and plants with the freeze. We walked this weekend to oversee just all we have lost. What an unusual time for everybody. We have focused on warming ourselves with blankets, food and fire when the air allows. Living in the valley where clean air is a problem, we must only burn on days it is permitted. Being this cold had been something of the past for us upon leaving IL. I now remember how it can bring you inward. Not just physically but emotionally as well. I have found more time to read and am spending more time chopping veggies to place in to the slow cooker for yet another soup. Anything to warm the soul! The smells of soup in the air are enough to warm me as I enter the home after a long day. It has been good to be able to find the time to chop the vegetables and herbs to make our stews as Brit studies or sits at the computer. Life is slower which is good during this cold time. It is nice to snuggle in at the end of the day with a book or doing my favorite activity, Sudoku. Working puzzles and the smells of food cooking takes me back to my childhood. The smells of food has always been a sign of warmth and love for me as I was growing up. Add puzzles to that and I am taken back to time spent with my grandfather. My love of puzzles most surely came from this man who would spend time with mindteasers, etc. The smells of food was always wafting from grandma's kitchen as we played board games or dominoes for hours. My other grandparents' home was filled with the smells of food as well as they had a large family and grandma spent much of her time feeding us all. To listen as she took time in later years to teach me how to make her wonderful egg noodles was a time I will always cherish. We would then snuggle in to watch one of her favorite movies or musicals. My mother was an amazing cook and we were spoiled to have beautiful meals always at our table. I still spend hours calling her from miles away for yet another recipe or to ask just how to prep a certain ingredient. We have always been lucky to have had friends in IL and here who love food and plan activities around food. What a wonderful and nourishing way to spend life. The smells of food always were part of the main way we shared during Willow. Rather it was with baskets of food pouring out onto a blanket as the children were young and always hungry or later as we joined friends next door to share foods and stories. Bon and I spent many years raising our children together and having them help as we planted, harvested, put up the food and then magically turned it into meals that our families would share. All these memories come back to me as I cuddle in and stay out of the cold. Life has been filled which so much change this last year. There have been many adjustments. Our family has known great sadness with the loss of my cousin's husband. This has been a time of questions for me and knowing these questions will have to go unanswered is not easy. Some things just have no answers. For this, I am glad there has been a bit of cold so as to bring me back into the house and back to the simple task of chopping veggies and stirring warm soups to be served with warm bread and a simple salad tossed with oil and juice from our own lemons. To cuddle in with blankies and listen as my daughter returns from formal with stories. To listen as my son calls from school to update me on his studies and the activities he has been up to. A time to remember the past, put healing on the last year and dream of the future and all it holds for my children and Wayne and I. As this new year begins and the world seems a bit confused and anxious, may we all take the time to show those around us love and help to spread peace throughout our communities and out to the rest of the world.