John Denver - Gone but not forgotten

"Come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
Sail o'er the canyons and up to the stars
And reach for the heavens and hope for the future
And all that we can be and not what we are..."
- from "The Eagle and the Hawk" (song) John Denver

October 12, 2008, was the 11th anniversary of John Denver's death. We traveled down to Pacific Grove, to a point off of Monterey Bay, where his plane crashed into the water and he passed away. It was here that we joined a group of people who were gathered to remember. There were two guys playing guitars and singing songs, people brought flowers, some took the time to clean up the beach around them. Dave and I walked along the rocks and gazed at the tide pools. The sky was blue and the ocean was beautiful to watch.

I have always enjoyed listening to John Denver sing. He was so in tune with life and nature. I remember singing along with his songs. They were the songs that I embrace and remember my teenage years. I know that some people think that his type of music, the folk music, is kind of corny, but they really spoke to my soul. I will never forget John Denver.

"Commit yourself to do whatever it is you can contribute in order to create a healthy and sustainable future - the world needs you desperately. Find that in yourself and make a commitment - that is what will change the world." John Denver

A family reunion trip to Oregon Sept 19-21, 2008

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Connecting with family can be so important, especially after many years of no contact. After many years of not seeing my brother's ex wife and children, we were invited to a party at my ex-sister-in-laws home near Portland. Hubby and I were going to go when Jack got sick and passed away. I was sad that we had to cancel going, but I was not in the frame of mind to go visiting. I decided that I didn't want this reaching out to go unfulfilled so I contacted Vicki again and let her know that I did want to see the kids and of course her. Michelle emailed me with her schedule and when she was going to have a weekend off. I scheduled the flight and plans were started. It was going to be my time to see my niece and nephews. I realized that it was going to coincide with my mom's birthday so I called her and asked if I could buy her a birthday present to go see the kids. With tickets in hand, we flew to Portland.
It was all that I had imagined and even more! It was so nice to re-connect with the kids. They have grown up to be such wonderful young adults. I hope that our connection will not stop with this visit and that there will be many many more......

A tribute to man's best friend and mine...to dogs!

"He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.) When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant. His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me... whenever... wherever - in case I need him. And I expect I will - as I always have. He is just my dog." - Gene Hill

Our Garden in 2008

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This year we were able to begin refining our garden. We added things to look at and experience. It's been fun to see plants bloom again that were put in pots last year and eventually faded as summer moved into fall . I was hoping that the perennials would come back and they did!! It only took a few flowers to fill in here and there.

I was able to get the little benches for the grandchildren to sit on and enjoy the garden at Ross and they didn't cost that much but adds lots to the garden. I found a beautiful old iron table and chairs at a garage sale for $20.00, which was such a great find. I finally got to use the old french door panel that was sitting in the garage for years. Planted around it is a passion vine that is filling quite nicely. Oh yeah.....the house finally got painted! YEAH!!!

Next year will bring new things........Let the planning begin!

Dave and I had such a nice day today. We took a ride out to Monterey and to Carmel. It was overcast when we arrived, but cleared as the day progressed. The smell of the ocean always revitalizes me. There is something cleansing about the sea air. After we took a long walk in the sand, stopping to watch the surfers in the water trying to catch that perfect wave and the dogs running up and down the beach, it was time to get back into the car to continue our journey. There is a serenity in that area that I don't feel in San Jose. I can see why people are drawn there, especially to live. But alas, it's too rich for my pittance of an income. We drove into the neighborhood that wove around the coastline there and happened upon a couple of garage sales. I found a few little treasures that I'll be using in some of my craft/art projects. As we were trying to find our way back to the main road we took a side street that began to look familiar. We giggled when we realized that we had made a big circle and ended back in town. We decided to walk some more and try and to find our favorite shops. There was one that we had visited before that carries unusual, fun garden accessories. I discovered another shop today named Piccolo that reminded me of the boutique I used to work in several years ago. They carry an eclectic mix of candles, paper, lotions/perfumes, objects d'art, and of course jewelry. I could have spent hours in there just taking in every little detail of the store. I bought a couple of special things for my Eiffel Tower/Paris collection (to be used in my positive altar). With stomachs telling us we were getting hungry, we stopped at the local market and picked up lunch and drove back to a spot where we could sit in the car and still see the water and eat our lunch. By then it was time to make our way back home. I'll be back again soon!

The wonders in the garden

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Isn't nature grand. My husband and I were in the back yard picking tomatoes from the garden. I stepped back and noticed that the high grass (weeds really) was moving. I thought that it was a lizard, which are prolific in the backyard. I noticed that it was a praying mantis. I hadn't seen one in our back yard....ever. It was such a nice surprise. I ran to get my camera and came back to find my husband holding it in his hand talking to it about eating all of the bad bugs in the garden and that he was welcome to stay as long as there was food for him to eat.

Family fun at the park

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Our daughter Juli called this morning and asked if we were game to heading off to the park for a picnic. We figured that were didn't really have much to do, so we gathered up the cooler, lawn chairs and of course Libby and headed off.

It was a gorgeous and anytime that I get to spend with any of the grandkids makes it a special day.

Gabi was such kick today. She is growing so big and is beginning to be understood and if she can't figure out how to say the words, she certainly knows how to make her self understood.

We spent the day in the shade of a beautiful oak tree. Gabi and I played with bubbles, her ball and we took Libby for a walk.

Memorial

I probably shouldn't start out my blog with such sad news, but I wanted to set up a memorial section for a very important being that left my life on August 1, 2008. His name was Jack (Jack dog, Jackson, Jackster, Jack be Nimble, Jack in the Box, Jack A Roni) you name it, we loved him. He entered our life when he was about 4 months old. We had just lost our two other dogs named Brandy and Bear earlier in the year and I swore there would be no more. Brandy was about 15 and Bear was about 13 years of age. They shared our lives for a good long time. I didn't want to go through the heartache of losing another pet so I decided I wouldn't adopt another dog.

My husband and I had traveled to Hawaii for a niece's wedding. Upon our return, our son met us at the door and said he had a surprise for us....knowing David, that could mean anything. So I braced myself. I was lead outside to the back yard and there on the deck stood the cutest little brown puppy with the most beautiful eyes. The minute I laid eyes on him, he stole my heart. My son said that he was going to keep him and when he moved out he would take him with him. Well the fact of the matter was, at 20 years old, moving out to a first apartment, much less finding an apartment that would allow pets, how was he going to take care of a dog!! I decided then and there that I would take responsibility for Jack.

Jack became my companion when I owned an antique store. He was the official greeter. I had a set of dutch doors at the front of the shop. People knew that when the bottom door was shut Jack was in the building. Many people would come by just to say hi to Jack. He became well known in the little town that we had our business in.

Jack was a "purebred" mix. He was part lab and part pitbull (some say he almost looked part rhodesian ridgeback). He was best natured dog. He was very patient, even when the grandkids started popping up in the family. They were curious about this 100 pound dog laying around in their midst. They would crawl up on him, pull his ears, lift his lips to see his teeth, grab his tags, use him as a step stool to get up on the couch. He didn't flinch when they were near. His favorite place was under the table so he could catch the crumbs as they fell; talk about a good vacuum cleaner.

He loved our fruit trees. We could always tell when the figs and apricots were ripe when Jack would spend lots of time under the trees or up on his hind legs with his head in the branches. He would pick the first fruits and eat them, careful not to eat the pit.

Jack lived for 9 years. With a pain in my heart on August 1, 2008, I had to let him go. We miss him so much. I know that he is in a place where all endeared pets who have preceded him go. He is there with Bear, Brandy, Madison, Sheba and Charlie. He is running free and without pain, until we are reunited again.