Grandpa and Nicole

Grandpa and Nicole with her first birthday cake

Early photo with Jeff

Here is Nicole on Jeff's lap.

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I have heard Jeff say, what a special time in life.

He says there is no other time like the baby stage.

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Jeff and Julie did go out town for a change of scene for the Christmas holiday.

Back home for the new year.

Early Photo

A very cute picture of Nicole with her Mom, Sharon

Kitchen Time

Nicole, busy in her kitchen

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I have been off work for the holiday time. During this time, I have been cooking more.

Gary is happy with my cooking.

Next week, I will be back to work and can see a Papa Murphy pizza, about Tuesday.

Post # 80

Meggen and Nicole, April 2008

I was reading on the couch, this morning.
Meggen was sitting beside me.
I thought, these 2 photos of Nicole and Meggen are perfect for post # 80.
Twenty posts to go for a blast on post # 100.

Stayed tuned in for # 100.

Happy Boxing Day

Boxing day is Dec. 26, a Canadian and British holiday. My take on Boxing Day, is the Boxing Day Volkswalk in Chilliwack area of BC, Canada. Typical 10 kilometer walk, Gleuvien (hot spiced red wine) is served the midway checkpoint. It warms you inside and out. We still have lots of snow, frozen compacted snow on the ground, with current falling snow. Looks like another day at home for us. Our road in front of the house, is not as rutty looking, this morning.

Santa

Last evening, Santa stopped by our house.

Meggen was outside, when I answered the door, there was Santa and Meggen.

Santa arrived on the fire engine, with our local volunteer fire department.

A Past Christmas

Nicole and Jeff, 2003

Movies

Gary was surfing around the TV, and stopped on the movie "Ice Age". Nicole and I went to "Ice Age II", one spring break. I remember talking about the characters and our favorite parts of the movie. Another movie, we saw at the theater was "Fire Dog". It was a good movie, too.
I am hoping my brother can find a happy memory, every now and there. I am sure the holiday season is very challenging.
I worked 1/2 day, today. My dental office is closed until January. yippee, days to play for me.

Traditions

I did go to work, this morning. As soon as I got to work, I manned the snow shovel, to at least clear some trails from the parking lot. I pushed a patients' stuck car out, too. Otherwise, it was just a regular day at the dental office.
The only holiday baking tradition for me is "Real Scottish Shortbread", recipe from Laurie. It has 3 ingredients, butter (real butter), sugar, flour. One time, when Nicole was here, the debate started, why is it called shortbread? Well, it is not very long or very tall. The end of the debate, Gary and Nicole decided to call it "Tall Bread". I have made a few pans of tall bread, since Thanksgiving.

Farm

Fall, 2008, Dad, Julie and myself

Dad is Jeff and JoLynn's Dad

Julie is Jeff's fiance'

Jeff was probably not feeling very photogenic, just out of the hospital.

The farm, Dad, Mom and I moved to the farm in 1956.

Jeff was born in Pasco, a couple years later.

Dad and his wife, Dorothy Ann live on the farm.

The farm is about 20 miles north of Pasco.

Nicole liked to visit the farm to check on the barn cats and the cattle, when there were cattle.
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We had more snow overnight, and is currently snowing.

The temperature is up to a balmy 30 degrees.

Meggen, Gary and I went for a morning walk in the snow.

It is getting deep enough, Meggen goes on existing trails.

Chest deep snow is getting hard for her to blaze her own trail.

Sun and Snow

Meggen

It is cold, (15 degrees), and clear.
Lovely contrast between the bright white snow and the clear blue sky.

Our total snowfall is 1 1/2 feet dry powder snow.

Tomorrow is the first day of winter.
Our forecast includes high winds over the next 24 hours.

Thank You, Jan

Jan, her link is in my sidebar (I have not figured how to make it clickable in this text). Jan had a very nice posting, 12/16 about our loss of Nicole and the slow, sometimes challenging healing process.

Gary is resting from his surgery on Monday, progressing nicely at home.

We got a couple more inches of snow, overnight, as it continues to snow. It seems like a heatwave, up to 30 degrees from a low of 15. I know, other part of the country are much colder. Meggen and I did go for a walk to make more tracks in the snow.

Festive Flowers

Gary had surgery, yesterday, all went well. We are volunteer fire fighters. Our fire department brought Gary the flowers, Sunday evening. He was overnight patient, and is home, napping.

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The flowers are nice holiday colors, which is our total decorations. I am not a big Christmas fan or decorations. I did send checks to Make-A-Wish and the Skagit Humane Society in Nicole's honor and memory. She will like the help for kids and animals.

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The art work in the background is part of my puffin art collection. I have other Alaskan art as well. I do love to visit art museums, too.

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Weather forecast is for more snow in western Washington. I took all week off of work to care for Gary, so no worries about getting to work. I did go to town, this afternoon, important items, wine for me, take the paycheck to the bank and a new sock knitting book. I could be happy for days of being snowed-in.

Nicole feeding animals # 3

Nicole and her love of animals

Nicole feeding animals # 2

2006, Wallowa Park, Nicole spent an hour (at least) feeding all the animals.

Nicole feeding animals # 1

2006, Wallowa Park in northeast Oregon feeding a marmot.

Wallowa Lake

Jeff and Nicole having fun in bumper boats at Wallowa Lake.

Meggen

Meggen, knee deep in the snow

Meggen, making tracks

Baby Sweater

Sock32008_1202(004)
Originally uploaded by jlwboo

Another knitting project, a baby sweater modeled on the knitted penguin. Sweater is for a co-worker's baby, a boy, due in May.

More snow photos

5 inches of new snow overnight, back yard
front yard

across the street

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Meggen, Gary and I went for a short walk in the snow

Socks in snow

We had about 5 inches of snowfall, overnight. I finished knitting a pair of socks, this morning.

Aquarium

Nicole and her new aquarium, Dec 2003

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The little horse in her hands has a permanent place on the bathroom counter.

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Between, Christmas and New Years 2003, I drove over to hang out with Nicole.

We even went on a sled ride in the snow with Grandpa pulling us on the sled with the tractor, all the way around the farm.

Snow

Nicole and a giant Snowman, 2006

It looks like, Jeff and Nicole used all the snow in the his yard to make this snowman.

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Snow has been in the forecast for western WA, which makes folks crazy, here.

So far, no snow in my yard.

The wind is predicted to blow and drop the temperature.

Good day to cozy up at the home front.

Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse, South Dakota is the location of the most attended volkswalk in the USA. In 1998, I went to South Dakota for the volkswalk (recreational walk). That year was the 50th anniversary of the first blast in this huge project.

1998 Crazy Horse, South Dakota, JoLynn

Crazy Horse Walk 1999
JoLynn and Diane

Crazy Horse Walk 2000

Diane, JoLynn, Chris, Donna

In honor of my 60th blog post, I included these memories.

2008 was the 60th anniversary of the first blast.

bright color

Yesterday, after work, I went on the famous Costco run.

I got some yellow roses for our house for Nicole.

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Funny, at Costco, all the groceries and wine shopping.

The very young checker, asked if I was old enough to buy wine.

I laughed and said yes, do you want to see my ID?

He said, yes, bring out your ID.

He looked at it, quickly.

I think I laughed all the way, home.

Spring 04

Nicole at Multnomah Falls, Oregon

spring 2004

Jeff and Nicole on a road trip, which included a stop at the Portland Zoo.

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Nicole's love for animals, includes Portland Zoo visits, numerous visits to Woodland Park Zoo, Vancouver Aquarium, Greater Vancouver Zoo and Point Defiance Zoo.

Once, we went to Northwest Trek, she asked "where are the monkeys?"

Northwest Trek has only animals native to the northwest, no monkeys.

Today, I was to be off work. Got a call from work, can I cover part of the day. said sure, the afternoon. Phone call with the boss was at the same time, as we (fire department volunteers) were headed out of the door on a medical aid call. I was asleep, when the pager went off.

so, started my morning with a blast awake.

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Now, I have had coffee, showered and dressed for work.

Fourth Grade

Fourth Grade picture of Nicole, 2007

Third Grade

Nicole's third grade picture, 2006

Second Grade

Nicole's second grade picture, 2005

First Grade

Nicole in 2004 school picture, first grade.

Reading Followup

I just finished "The Shack" by Wm Paul Young. I had mentioned, previously. It is one of those books, that you tend to hear a little about, here and there. Then, when the time is right, you read it. I will not retell the story. Just don't resist reading the book, if it seems to call out to you. Yes, I did have some leaky eyes (tears), this morning, as I finished reading it.

Beauty of Nature

This morning, Gary took this photo of the a double rainbow over a ham radio antenna in our backyard.

On Friday, Gary, Meggen and I went for our 3 mile loop walk. The sky was mostly cloudy. On the horizon to the south, a band of brighter sky, we could see Mt Rainer. Mt Rainer is out about 150 miles from us. It is a rare occasion, that we can see Mt. Rainer from here.

There is a type of cloud, that filled the rest of the sky, yesterday. I love the clouds, a texture of swirls, waves, shades of grays. I would compare the look to the texture of an oil painting. During the summer, an impressionism exhibit was at the Seattle Art Museum. One of the paintings had a sky, similar to yesterday's clouds. It looked like lots of colors with texture of the oil paints. I may try to photograph the clouds, when I see them again. I will hope to get a good photo.

Nicole and pets

Frank

Nicole and Kayden

On a camping trip in Granite, Oregon, 4th of July, 2005, Nicole found Frank the frog.

Of course, Nicole the animal lover, wanted to bring Frank home to live.

Frank comes home and lives with Jeff and Nicole.

Frank's diet consists of live crickets, about a dozen a week.

Frank is moved from his water tank, to a dry container for his feeding.

When I was staying at Jeff's house, Frank was having a cricket feast and my cell phone was on the coffee table. At the hospital in Jeff's room, there were so many different cell phones ringing.

I had put my phone on vibrate. So, when my phone rang on the coffee table, next to Frank's dry tank, it made all sort of racket. At first, I thought it was Frank making all that noise.

Since, that moment, my cell phone is now named Frank.