My father kept diaries for years. Sometimes he would call on the phone to ask us if we remembered what we were doing years and years ago; then he would proceed to remind us, as he read from his diary.
On this day:
1934 - Windy. Pretty stiff today. The end of another month. I wonder if I shall ever hear from Lindy Lu.
1935 - Wes (my mother's father - m) stayed with us last night and took the car home this morning. Charlie Chester (head of BIA, Forestry - m) and I went over to Schoolie. I am to get the camp.
1936 - I rode Baldy (one of Mom's horses - m) up to second lable (?), but no fish - too windy.
1937 - Walt White and I rode up to Charlie's place. Fished over the rim. Got 12. Was windy today.
1938 - Colds are better. Still making gates. Armstrong beat Barney Ross. (Note: I'm told Henry Armstrong was one of the best boxers EVER - m)
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Too busy 2 Ride
I know, it doesn't sound quite right, but we have been too busy to ride! Except, of course, for the short trips to town to eat and run errands. I have noticed, though, on our rides around central Oregon, Lionshead and Black Butte in the Cascade Mountains. still both have snow on them. Rumor has it that you don't plant your garden until the snow is off Black Butte, but that could be in July this year! The prediction is, because of that, it will be a bad fire year; hope not! The basketball games are also taking way too much of our time. Our favorites have, or will tonight, fall by the wayside, so maybe we will not spend I mean, waste so much time on TV.
Puff and I watching the games. Go LeBron!
We used to live on the 'campus of the reservation, in fact, it was one of the first houses we lived in as newlyweds. Directly behind our house was a 'wild' rose bush, it had yellow blooms on it. Well, a couple years ago, the 'old' houses were torn down and they burned the 'residue', including the rose bush! I went to the site with my bucket and shovel to find some of the plant that hadn't burned. I found a few starts and brought them to my home. I call them the "Agency" roses because that's what my father called the area. I guess it could have been the "Campus" rose, but it isn't. Didn't think of it at the time, now it has its own name. It has grown so much that I moved half of the bush to another site in the yard. I am encouraged that it is growing so well. Maybe someday it will be all around our 2 acres - I will try! You can see, off in the right corner, a gray plastic frog. I keep running across these little surprises as I go through my parents' stuff. It's rather cute and probably has its own story, but I'll never know what it is. We've given it a new place, out of the shed and under the Agency rose. I noticed, just this year, that the 'mother' rose, up on the campus, is growing again! Can't keep a good rose down!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
New Shirt and trippin' to The Dalles May 16
This is a pic of my new shirt - wish you could see it better. It is from the kids while they were in Australia. Nice to have a shirt from another country! Thanks gang!
Today the local tribes are celebrating the 150th birthday of the State of Oregon. It's probably more like the 150th birthday of the naming of the State of Oregon, since it was already here.
We went to The Dalles, Burgerville, of course, where we could see part of the parade for the celebration, going down main street. This is not a picture of the parade. It's a picture of me standing outside the locked gate of Spring Creek National Fish Hatchery, just downriver from the towns of Hood River and The Dalles, only on the Washington side. I worked here as a trainee when I became a Fish Biologist in 1991. They raise Fall Chinook. They had just released their last brood and were cleaning up. Those fish return as adults in September, so it's clean-up time until then. If you have a chance, go see the spawning activity at the hatchery in September.
Nat and the War Pony, cooling off at the hatchery.
I had to dig through the greenery to find the azaleas at one of the rest stops.
Nat cleaning the bugs off the War Pony. It was a hot day along the Columbia River - around 85 degrees F - brought the bugs out!
Today the local tribes are celebrating the 150th birthday of the State of Oregon. It's probably more like the 150th birthday of the naming of the State of Oregon, since it was already here.We went to The Dalles, Burgerville, of course, where we could see part of the parade for the celebration, going down main street. This is not a picture of the parade. It's a picture of me standing outside the locked gate of Spring Creek National Fish Hatchery, just downriver from the towns of Hood River and The Dalles, only on the Washington side. I worked here as a trainee when I became a Fish Biologist in 1991. They raise Fall Chinook. They had just released their last brood and were cleaning up. Those fish return as adults in September, so it's clean-up time until then. If you have a chance, go see the spawning activity at the hatchery in September.
Nat and the War Pony, cooling off at the hatchery.I had to dig through the greenery to find the azaleas at one of the rest stops.
Nat cleaning the bugs off the War Pony. It was a hot day along the Columbia River - around 85 degrees F - brought the bugs out!
Sorry about these pictures being out of order, but I've spent far too much time working on this today! The ride along the Columbia River is always great. On this day, there were flowers everywhere - huge California poppies, lupine, balsam root, many others, hiding azaleas.
Monday, May 11, 2009
HOG pants
I cannot sew. My mother sewed. I could even tell her about what I wanted and she could make it. I designed some dresses in high school and she made them for me! She sewed, especially for my sisters and me, but she could do anything with a sewing machine or not! My sisters can sew, my daughters and daughter-in-law can sew, but not me! I took 4-H when I was in grade school. My first project was sewing a brown turtle with green stitching to make a bean bag. As we were driving up to the lookout where my mom worked, all of us were riding in the back of the pick-up. I saw my project blow out but the road was so dusty I never saw it again!
Later, I was making a dress in another 4-H class. I purchased material, white with little yellow and black Scottie dogs on it, with flourescent bones painted on. After I sewed the sleeves shut, I gave up, never to sew again except for repairs.
Last year I purchased some leather pants for our trip through winter weather to the Laughlin River Run. The pants were too long, so I turned them inside out, folded them up to where I wanted them, then made the mistake that a real seamstress would not make - I cut them off on the upper edge of the fold, not the lower one! Therefore cutting off about 2 inches more than I should have. I did not realize this until I got on the bike and my pants were too short and came up too far and my legs became cold as we rode!
Luckily, if there is some luck here, I saved the pieces I had cut off. I had some vision of beading something great onto the leather pieces.
My brother has a sewing machine that sews leather. He sews tarps, etc. I asked him if he could sew my cut off pants parts back on. I said I didn't care how it was done, if it was too long again, I would just chop them off with scissors, like I had before. I handed over the pants and the pieces.
Look what he did!
Later, I was making a dress in another 4-H class. I purchased material, white with little yellow and black Scottie dogs on it, with flourescent bones painted on. After I sewed the sleeves shut, I gave up, never to sew again except for repairs.
Last year I purchased some leather pants for our trip through winter weather to the Laughlin River Run. The pants were too long, so I turned them inside out, folded them up to where I wanted them, then made the mistake that a real seamstress would not make - I cut them off on the upper edge of the fold, not the lower one! Therefore cutting off about 2 inches more than I should have. I did not realize this until I got on the bike and my pants were too short and came up too far and my legs became cold as we rode!
Luckily, if there is some luck here, I saved the pieces I had cut off. I had some vision of beading something great onto the leather pieces.
My brother has a sewing machine that sews leather. He sews tarps, etc. I asked him if he could sew my cut off pants parts back on. I said I didn't care how it was done, if it was too long again, I would just chop them off with scissors, like I had before. I handed over the pants and the pieces.
Look what he did!
When I got my pants back, he had not only sewed them back together, but also added fringes and even very nicely hemmed the britches. I was so happy, they are so fancy now, and they match my fringed Langlitz jacket!
Thanks Bro! Best job ever! I sure do appreciate you and all you do! Keep on truckin'!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Winter's Over
Well, then, this is what you get when you don't know what you're doing! I tried to get a picture off my camera for my blog but I got the wrong one. I'll see if I can made lemonade . . .My husband was out shoveling snow from in front of the gate of the driveway. As you can plainly see, the Doberman and Rottweiler were out helping him. You can also see the antlers of the Christmas deer at the bottom.
At times such as this, we sit at the window with our sad faces, wishing it was riding season, which seems so far away at the time. Now, today, May 10, the weather is pretty good, the temp is in the upper 60's, but we've had so much rain that we have to stay home and cut weeds. Well, that's what WE are supposed to be doing.
I'll get the hang of the picture posting soon because I have a pretty cool story to tell you, but it HAS to have a picture with it. Later . . .
Friday, May 8, 2009
Happy Mother's Day
My mother passed away in 2002 at age 90. She was tough to the bitter end. She survived cancer in 1970 - they 'gave' her 5 years, she went another 20. Her mother was born in the 1800's. They made the 'native' treks circled around salmon, roots, huckleberries and deer, in a buckboard or on horseback. She also lived at least 90 years. Electricity was a miracle to her. My mom tried to do these things and tried to teach them to her children. But, as luck would have it, education and a 'bigger' world appeared. We, her children, would go on to obtain educations and other job skills that would sometimes take us to other locations. Those days past were spent all within 100 miles of home - traveling by wagon, camping out, doing with what God gave. Now, we all travel and live in various places.
I taught my children about the roots, salmon, berries and deer, but not as faithfuly as the mothers before me. There is no root digging around Kuna, Idaho; no salmon fishing around Terrebonne, Oregon; no huckleberries in downtown Portland, Oregon, and no deer (shootable, anyway) in downtown Seattle, Washington. Not only that, but one cannot go root digging just anywhere like we used to; the salmon numbers are very limited, indeed, we are fighting over the last salmon (how do you think they feel about that, they give us life and we give them death!), everyone else has discovered the huckleberries as a selling commodity, not a family oriented food; and the deer are not plentiful as they once where. All thanks to human intervention; what are we thinking?!
The old traditions are hard to follow when there is nothing to follow, the path has faded away. It is up to us to find new paths for our families to follow. I know my mothers before me had to adjust, as do we nowadays.
Well, enough of that! What I learned from my mother: When someone hits you, hit them back harder! (In direct opposition to my father who said to turn the other cheek.) . When you have to go to the outhouse in the middle of the night, run fast so nothing will get you (or was that my brother?). Bend those little Carnation milk cans on one side and make tracks like horses - hard on the knees, but fun. Throw pop bottle lids (they were filled with cork, not plastic back then) in the fire and when you can get them out they will look like little pies. Don't let the dog pee on the sticks that take the weight of the water in the air when you're in charge of the temperature station. Don't hit your brother with your stick when you are hunting for grasshoppers so he can go fishing with your father and you can't go. Make lots of noise when you are out in the woods so the bears don't get you. Suggestion: Bang on a pie pan - remember to take the pan with you! Do let your horse have his head, he knows what he's doing. Don't follow your dog out in the sticks, he knows where he's going but he doesn't know that you don't know where he's going! Do go to the cemetery on Memorial Day to remember your family members who have passed on. Show your kids you can outrun them. Show them how to use their elbows while playing basketball (why do you think God made elbows!). Teach them to ride horses - especially the 'foxy' ones. Go to Sunday School and donate your nickel, unlike your brother who always seemed to have money. Finish school. Learn to cook, don't fry bologna, it rolls up! Comb your hair. Bring in the wood without being told. Take care of your sisters.
Mom never did know how to drive. My older brother told me when I was about to turn 16, that he was glad because now I could take Mom places like to visit her sister and go grocery shopping and he wouldn't have to! Being a smart 16 year old, I taught Mom to drive - she must have been close to 50 at that time. She was a terrible driver, but she was able to take herself places! I was like a proud mother! My dad wasn't too happy about it - and neither were the police.
One day my sister called Mom to say she forgot her books and would she bring them to the school, 15 miles away on a main thoroughfare. Mom was speeding into town with the forgotten books when she heard a police siren so she 'pulled over.' The policeman told her he'd been following her for miles, didn't she see his red light? She had a great line "I wasn't watching where I've been, I was watching where I was going!" Good lesson for all of us! Happy Mother's Day mom, thanks for all the cool memories!
I taught my children about the roots, salmon, berries and deer, but not as faithfuly as the mothers before me. There is no root digging around Kuna, Idaho; no salmon fishing around Terrebonne, Oregon; no huckleberries in downtown Portland, Oregon, and no deer (shootable, anyway) in downtown Seattle, Washington. Not only that, but one cannot go root digging just anywhere like we used to; the salmon numbers are very limited, indeed, we are fighting over the last salmon (how do you think they feel about that, they give us life and we give them death!), everyone else has discovered the huckleberries as a selling commodity, not a family oriented food; and the deer are not plentiful as they once where. All thanks to human intervention; what are we thinking?!
The old traditions are hard to follow when there is nothing to follow, the path has faded away. It is up to us to find new paths for our families to follow. I know my mothers before me had to adjust, as do we nowadays.
Well, enough of that! What I learned from my mother: When someone hits you, hit them back harder! (In direct opposition to my father who said to turn the other cheek.) . When you have to go to the outhouse in the middle of the night, run fast so nothing will get you (or was that my brother?). Bend those little Carnation milk cans on one side and make tracks like horses - hard on the knees, but fun. Throw pop bottle lids (they were filled with cork, not plastic back then) in the fire and when you can get them out they will look like little pies. Don't let the dog pee on the sticks that take the weight of the water in the air when you're in charge of the temperature station. Don't hit your brother with your stick when you are hunting for grasshoppers so he can go fishing with your father and you can't go. Make lots of noise when you are out in the woods so the bears don't get you. Suggestion: Bang on a pie pan - remember to take the pan with you! Do let your horse have his head, he knows what he's doing. Don't follow your dog out in the sticks, he knows where he's going but he doesn't know that you don't know where he's going! Do go to the cemetery on Memorial Day to remember your family members who have passed on. Show your kids you can outrun them. Show them how to use their elbows while playing basketball (why do you think God made elbows!). Teach them to ride horses - especially the 'foxy' ones. Go to Sunday School and donate your nickel, unlike your brother who always seemed to have money. Finish school. Learn to cook, don't fry bologna, it rolls up! Comb your hair. Bring in the wood without being told. Take care of your sisters.
Mom never did know how to drive. My older brother told me when I was about to turn 16, that he was glad because now I could take Mom places like to visit her sister and go grocery shopping and he wouldn't have to! Being a smart 16 year old, I taught Mom to drive - she must have been close to 50 at that time. She was a terrible driver, but she was able to take herself places! I was like a proud mother! My dad wasn't too happy about it - and neither were the police.
One day my sister called Mom to say she forgot her books and would she bring them to the school, 15 miles away on a main thoroughfare. Mom was speeding into town with the forgotten books when she heard a police siren so she 'pulled over.' The policeman told her he'd been following her for miles, didn't she see his red light? She had a great line "I wasn't watching where I've been, I was watching where I was going!" Good lesson for all of us! Happy Mother's Day mom, thanks for all the cool memories!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Weather, May Day 2009
The weather has been good for the trees and roses, but not for riding the bike. Today, Friday, the weather was predicted to be in the 70's in the afternoon. The weather here frequently starts out cool but warms quickly for the afternoon. We thought this might be the case. We leathered up to go to the first day of the Home and Garden Show about 50 miles away. It was 57 degrees F in the carport.
We gassed up, the lady at the station admired my Skechers shoes. I explained I wore them because I planned on walking a lot today at the show.
The weather never did get any better. We had lunch not far from the Show. When we came out it had sprinkled a little. We decided we didn't want any surprises when we came out of the Show, such as rain soaked seat, even worse, snow covered seat (which has happened to us a few times), so we headed east for a little ride. The weather became cooler and cooler, so we turned west and turned towards home.
The driver, whose lips and face burn easily, had just purchased a hanky-type mouth cover. The hanky part goes around the neck and the mouth part is heavier material. The hanky is blue and mouth part is a black diamond shaped part.
We decided to buy sandwiches so we could watch the basketball games in peace without being bothered with cooking and dishwashing problems. We stopped at Subway. I ran in, got our sandwich and came out. The driver was standing by the bike with his mask on, dark glasses and helmet, and he's tall. He looked like a total bad guy. I told him he looked scarey. He said that must be why those little kids looked worried when they saw him and their mom asked him if he was OK! He'll have to be careful where/when he wears it. He said it worked great against the cold wind. I guess my suggestion that he cover his mouth with duct tape won't actually take place now. That might be scarey, as well; but we could draw some teeth on it . . .
We gassed up, the lady at the station admired my Skechers shoes. I explained I wore them because I planned on walking a lot today at the show.
The weather never did get any better. We had lunch not far from the Show. When we came out it had sprinkled a little. We decided we didn't want any surprises when we came out of the Show, such as rain soaked seat, even worse, snow covered seat (which has happened to us a few times), so we headed east for a little ride. The weather became cooler and cooler, so we turned west and turned towards home.
The driver, whose lips and face burn easily, had just purchased a hanky-type mouth cover. The hanky part goes around the neck and the mouth part is heavier material. The hanky is blue and mouth part is a black diamond shaped part.
We decided to buy sandwiches so we could watch the basketball games in peace without being bothered with cooking and dishwashing problems. We stopped at Subway. I ran in, got our sandwich and came out. The driver was standing by the bike with his mask on, dark glasses and helmet, and he's tall. He looked like a total bad guy. I told him he looked scarey. He said that must be why those little kids looked worried when they saw him and their mom asked him if he was OK! He'll have to be careful where/when he wears it. He said it worked great against the cold wind. I guess my suggestion that he cover his mouth with duct tape won't actually take place now. That might be scarey, as well; but we could draw some teeth on it . . .
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