Rainy Monday

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain on the roof of the trailer! I love the sound.

I suspect it takes me back to childhood homes in Liberia, West Africa.

Via Google Images 

We stepped outside and realized the Caboose was sitting in a mini-lake. We were surrounded. Michael drove us all to the showers. We scouted around for higher ground. We may consider moving spots as the winter progresses.

Michael and Stacia went over to Mom G's to work on the "river room."  They report minimal progress. The boys and I stayed here to continue plodding through school.

By 3 p.m. the steady, continual, pounding on the roof by the rain was getting a tad bit old.  I wondered if one could go crazy listening to rain. I can't succumb to cabin fever on day 1.

The rain let up, the Chicken Divan (and Veggie Divan)  in the oven, Michael and I took Yuuki for a walk. Everything is fresh. All the dust is washed away. The noise stopped for a couple of hours. I can do this.

It's 11 p.m. and it's raining again - but I love the sound of rain on the roof of the Caboose.

Writer's Block

Why haven't I been blogging since 9 September?

Has the blog run its course?

Are there things too deep to share on a blog? Obviously. How does one committed to authenticity and transparency blog when walking through times which are simply too private to share?

The blog - then named Choosing Joy - was started as a way for the older girls to get to know Stacia. They left home 2 weeks after she was born. We discovered it was a great way for Michael to keep in touch with our daily happenings while he was deployed, and we were not. It was a fairly easy way for friends and family to "catch up" with us when they felt the urge to see what we were doing.  Michael loved having a family journal and had visions of us printing each volume (4 big books a year) and keeping them for the family.

Stacia is 11. She sees the girls monthly. Michael no longer deploys. Facebook produces so much noise most don't have time to read "blogs" any longer....and really don't miss posts when I don't blog.

I suppose it still has merit as a family journal - though I doubt it needs to be public to accomplish that goal. In fact, if it WERE private I'd feel much more freedom to share - and yet there ARE dear ones who tell me how much it means to connect in this way - we've shared life for eleven years together.

Our family joke used to be I wrote "so we could remember what we did when we became old and gray."  Now that Alzheimer's and  Parkinson's has touched our home  - it doesn't seem such a funny joke any longer. I SHOULD be writing - but I rebel. I don't want to write with an awareness I may forget or Michael may forget, or loved ones may forget if I stop writing....

I don't know why I'm not writing.  Quite possibly because it takes more  effort than I've wanted to exert to produce text and photos which are upbeat and pretty when life feels hard, hard, hard.

NOTHING new or terrible is happening - just hard things that linger on and don't resolve quickly - and really don't need to be shared online in a public forum. We've schooled. We've worked as we can. We've enjoyed campfires, hikes, visits and game nights. I am leading an online Bible study group which has become a lifeline for Christian community.

What's hard? Realizing none of the diagnosis which the VA gave Michael are going to go away. We  go to multiple appointments each month and each time we are both a bit bemused and surprised to realize they all say HE REALLY HAS ALL THESE DISEASES. WE  keep thinking it's some oddity and will eventually change. Each visit confirms this is the new norm.  New symptoms develop, and we learn what can be done or what can't be done to alleviate them. We don't want the blog to become an "organ recital."

We've come to realize there are no easy answers here in CA. We will be here as long as Mom G needs us, and we aren't sure how long that may be. It's hard to transition through these seasons with parents. We thought of renting or buying a home here in town, but we're not ready to do that. We still dream of traveling and living in Alaska if we can't live in Japan....

We're going to try to blog a bit more. Michael has said he'll help me "catch up."  I'll post link on the Courageous Joy Facebook page, if you don't follow the page, just check back and scroll down to find the newer posts posted on the older dates.  ::grin::

Gift of Parenting

BreAnne asked Michael about us presenting a workshop on parenting at her church months ago. I have done a workshop on mothering. Michael has counseled numerous parents. We had never compiled our thoughts into one spot and we had never presented a workshop together.  This was a fun challenge! We found we had time to consider it after Michael retired from the chaplaincy. ::grin:: We  planned, prayed, thought, wrote, prepared...tonight was the first night of a two day parenting workshop called, "The Gift of Parenting."  We're presenting the workshop at Calvary Open Bible Church in Springfield, OR. 

Of course, seeing Bella, held here by Donna, is a highlight of any trip to Oregon. 

Bella is 6 months old!

In the workshop we share tips and pointers we've learned through our study of the Word and our 31 1/2 years of parenting. We discuss both our stunning success and our breathtaking fails - all covered by the amazing grace of God.We focus on changing our perspective and gaining God's vision for parenting in general  and specifically for each of our children. The weekend was divided into 5 sessions - with time for breaks, activities and questions interspersed throughout. The sessions are The Gift of Children, The Gift of Mentoring, The Gift of Gratitude, The Gift of Why and The Gift of Legacy.

It was positive for Michael and I to reflect on where God has brought us and it seemed valuable to those who attended to have the time to stop and reflect as well. There were several comments about how valuable the weekend was to various couples. Our favorite moments came as we watched parents catch a vision for what God may be doing with a more difficult child as they re-framed their situation and searched for God's vision for that child.

Several said they felt this was the start of a new ministry outlet for us. We shall see what God does with this small beginning. We are open to travel (obviously) and sharing.

Sea Cruise Auto Show

We were in town last night and noticed quite a few classical cars. It took a quick look online (love my smart phone) to find out this was the weekend of the 25th annual  Sea Cruise Auto Show. Mom had mentioned it weeks back. We called to see if she'd like to go on an outing today. It turns out she has never made it and always thought it would be fun. 

I drove Michael over to the house so he could drive Mom to town. I picked the kids up and we headed in as well.  The park was FULL of cars!  The sun was shining. The vendors had fry bread - though they  called it something else at the Job's Daughter's trailer. LOL  We sauntered down and bought a couple to share. 

Michael and Mom arrived just as we were paying. We met up and shared our treat! Then it was off to explore the rows and rows of classic cars!

Nolan, Alex, Michael, Stacia, Mom 

 This 1941 Ford Coupe caught my fancy! 

Live music....

The photo below isn't great but it reminds me of a fun day AND it's the last time I wore my favorite sweat shirt. I had it in my bag on the way back from the showers, it fell out, and someone picked it up. I hope they needed it.

Slug Bug - for real! 

An electric car from the 1800's. 

We were looking for cars like Grandma Anne's (Mom G's mom) old car. We found much more than that.  We ended the day with a dinner in town, before we rounded up the cars and headed back to the Redwoods.

#WYFF (Where's Your Feet Friday) is a hashtag sponsored by Fulltime Families. For more entries click tab above.

Instant Pot Spanish Rice (Vegan)

My Instant Pot is a life-saver in my tiny, RV kitchen!  This is yummy. Tweak the spices to your liking.

2 C brown rice

15 oz can of beans, or 1 bag freezer beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 carrot, sliced

1 hote pepper, sliced

1/2 C roasted peppers or fresh red/green peppers

1/2 C  green olives (I used black)

2 tsp no- beef bouillon 

3 tsp chili powder

2 tspt garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1.5 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

3.25 C water

Put all ingredients in your Instant Pot, give it a good stir, seal the lid, set the pressure valve to seal. Click manual and set for 23 minutes. 

Click here for the original recipe. I'll be checking for more on her blog. For more yummy eats click the link above.  

Conquering "the" Tree

In the background you see two sections of what used to be a big, thick, evil Cork Elm tree. This thing put out sucker roots all over the yard...they grow fast and tall, their roots slide along the ground putting up new trees every 6 - 12 inches. Mom has wanted this down for quite a bit of time. She planned to have the "yard man" come take it down. there was concern it would land where it shouldn't. We've been taking a section at a time down. Today, Josiah joined the party. 

They cut - Stacia and I usually drag brush to the burn pile or wood to the upper garage. These two split and stacked wood. 

Maiden of the Brush 

Campfire hospitality - some of the best there is. 

Crissey Field ~ Brookings Harbor #WYFF

It was a bit overcast but we set our sights for Brookings Harbor and the ocean today. We discovered Crissey Field State Park. This is a great beach and visitor center. We collected info on future hikes and trails - in the OR redwoods.  I may eventually make a video - but for now - the photos! 

This spot felt sacred to me. It's on the way down to the beach. When one steps inside it's like being in an outdoor cathedral. 

TONS of driftwood on this beach.  Stacia and I had fun exploring the different sizes and shapes. 

Several structures too.....

Stacia, Alex, Nolan, Michael and Josiah 

Another tiny home....

We left Crissey Field and traveled in to Brookings proper. There is a small, hole-in-the-wall Chinese place we like to frequent. I can't even remember it's name, but we stopped for lunch.

Our next stop was the Whale's Tail. Mom G had mentioned wanting peppermint taffy a bit ago. I was surprised not to find a taffy store in Crescent City....but we found the real deal in Brookings.  We headed to the city campground/harbor. Fishermen.....

It's become a tradition to sit on the jetty and enjoy a treat of some sort. Yes, I did pick up some fudge for the event. LOL 

#WYFF (Where's Your Feet Friday) is a hashtag sponsored by Fulltime Families. Click the tab below the blog header to read more of our entries.