Delayed ratification

Before I ever ventured to make a work of stained glass I gathered an assortment of equipment.  The turning point came when I was given a wonderful collection of stained glass at the same time I was invested in creating a painting of my great_grandfather's baptism in the Mississippi River in winter.  I created the image as a large panel of stained glass which was very successful by several measures.  I have owned a small electric kiln that could be used for glass fusing and assembled other supplies, but it wasn't until I offered to create a glass image of the flukes a diving hump-back whale for my daughter Nancy and she replied that she preferred it be of fused glass that I realized I needed a larger kiln. I have ordered the kiln, additional coe 96 glass and I am preparing a corner of my workshop with cement board in preparation for the project.  I wonder what other discoveries lie in store.

North to Alaska

From June 15 until June 25 of 2019 I was in Alaska where most of my travel involved rare or expensive access to the internet.  The most important event during that period was the birth of Mindy Hancock. 

Free Range

I am spending a fair amount of time and money to provide space and protection for my chickens.  Free range is not an option because chickens have many predators and they cross the road.

Waiting

Tonight my house is hosting the ten children of Lucinda, my  fifth daughter while she is in labor with her eleventh chd.  I am waiting with her as she times her contractions.

Maple Sunday

Nancy belongs to an organization that provides food, recipes and expertise for making interesting and nourishing meals.  On several occasions she has provided example of the products of several Saturday hours in the kitchen provided.  Today we gathered at her home for an event we call Maple Sunday since it originated in the family gathering on the second Sunday of each month at my home on Maple Lane.  Nancy provided a loin of pork baked in a spicy sauce as well as dishes of stuffed tortellini.  I brought a round roast baked with onion and celery, Tara provided a salad with many interesting ingredients for which I provided feta cheese, and Tisha made Shmeer Case, a German cheese cake.  There was also a dish of green beans with almonds and bacon.  I chose to have strawberries and cream for dessert but most of the others opted for the cheesecake as well as having ice cream over apple crumble.  Nancy was happy that there were not many left overs.

Productivity

Today my grandsons Calvin and Adam completed setting up the framework for my chicken run.  They work well together and are both creative and flexible in solving problems. 

Rudy

I volunteered to take care of my grandson, Rudy today.  I slept on my daughter's couch last night and she left sandwiches for him when she left for work this morning.  Midday I suggested it was time to get dressed.  I changed a diaper and found pants and a shirt for him.  There was no resistance to my suggestion.  We got along much better together than I had guessed we would.  When we went to his aunt Nancy's house he found a compatible playmate in Tegarion, who at 3 is five years younger than he is.  He spent a lot of time going up and down stairs and running down the hall, playing a sort of tag with me.  He has been diagnosed as fairly autistic.  But we got along together.

Coming together

Today I finished painting a picture of two of my grandchildren. It was not entirely successful  but is ready to be entered in an exhibit tomorrow.

4 generations

Today my daughter came from Virginia with her daughter and her daughter's daughter.  The marble race game that has been a favorite of my other progeny has kept Tegarion happy for an hour or so.  For a child a box of multicolored marbles is a treasure.

Elegance

Today I watched video of the Trump's visit to the royal palace in England.  It is evident that Queen Elizabeth is cordial toward President Trump.  She smiles easily as they converse and he has made several small gestures that indicate that he is careful of her.  They share a common heritage, Scotch and German which may have something to do with their relationship.  Her husband Prince Philip was not in evidence, although Prince Charles acted as escort for Melania Trump while President Trump escorted the queen.  The dress and jacket that Melania wore for her husband's inauguration was my favorite outfit of all time, but she is always very elegant and tasteful.  For the review of the palace guard she wore a white suit and hat with navy trimming that made reporters think of Princess Diana and Aubrey Hepburn.  For the evening royal banquet she wore a cream evening gown with relatively simple earrings and a jeweled comb securing her French knot.  The other women mostly wore crowns and tiaras, with the Queen's ruby ensemble truly impressive, yet Melania's understated elegance outshown even William's beautiful young wife Kate, who looked a trifle dowdy in comparison. 

Tested limits

I have been at several extremes of experience.  Almost 5 years ago I thought that I was dying with good cause.  Eventually a tumor was removed from my gut and the surgeon who removed it said it was a stage 4 + cancer.  As I lay on the table before the surgery I realized that I could die.  I was content with the idea, not thrilled, but content.  Fortunately I lived through the surgery and chose to follow an alternative path to healing that seems to have worked.  A few years ago I had good reason to suppose that I owned a property worth at least 20 million dollars.  I even had a buyer who was willing to pay a lump sum.  A few days later I realized that I had traded away the property for another that I exchanged for the home I live in.  I value my home, but one of the things I would have done with the wealth was to demolish my home and build it to withstand an earthquake.  After I realized that the wealth was an illusion I was a little disappointed but not much.  One of the aspects of my home that I enjoy is the many ways in which I have changed it to fit me.  Most if not all of these innovations would be lost if I engaged in a total renovation from the ground up.  Dire hunger and real poverty are two states I have not and do not desire to experience.  I fast as a matter of fact, but that is different from dire hunger such as that which drives people to acts of violence or shame.  Some would say that I am poor, but that would be a judgment based on things like relative income and savings.  I need to be more careful in expenditures than I am, but my greatest riches are in things that cannot be entered in a ledger.

June

I live in an area that is usually somewhat arid even though the valley where I live contains a large lake.  Usually summers see scant rain and the cities rely on winter snow melt for water.  But today is the first day of June and when I went outside this morning I wore a light jacket.  There has been rain and temperatures have varied so much that my furnace still starts up now and then.  This has meant progress on some projects outdoors that would normally be difficult because of heat by now.