Egg Town

I've Been Off the Blog for Awhile But . . .

2009-09-30T13:17:00.001-07:00

Check this out, Tengrain passed The World Famous Winlock Egg. while on the train. Don't you all wish you could see it in person too? We have a lovely guestroom waiting for you.

This is what I have been up to for the last few months:

1 trip to Utah for me
1 trip to Utah for Matt
2 visits from Nancy (Matt's Stepmom) to Winlock (2 road trips with a motor home filled with furniture for our new house - she did all our decorating and we are most grateful)
1 visit from my parents - their first to our new home and also their first time meeting Tom and Kathy. It was a really big deal for me to finally have my mom and dad meet my birthfather and his wife.
1 giant housewarming party
a bunch of other stuff that a person needs to do when setting up a new home.
reacquainting myself with the printed word. I haven't taken the time to read for pleasure in far too long! I was so thirsty that I am reading four at once: Corvus: A Life With Birds, Deerhunting with Jesus, Edgar Sawtelle and a collection of Irish Folktales. I just can't make up my mind so I am reading them all.

I would like to mention that everything feels right and happy and normal again now. Amazing what a little breathing room in a lovely house can do for a person.

JOY!!!

2009-08-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

Guess what opens in Olympia today!!!!! Trader Joe's!!!!!! I am not ashamed to admit that leaving Trader Joe's behind was one of the sadnesses of leaving Los Angeles. By the time we left California we were pretty much exclusively grocery shopping at TJ's. In fact, when we decided to make the move one of the first things I did was do a search for the nearest Trader Joe's to Winlock. It was an hour away in Vancouver - too far for regular shopping. Before we even left Los Angeles I sent a message pleading for TJ's to put a location in Olympia - not that I am taking credit for this or anything. Olympia is the nearest place to us that makes sense for a Trader Joe's. I am not sure that Chehalis/Centralia could support one. Today is our lucky day. Olympia is only marginally closer than Vancouver but we find ourselves going north more often than south so this is a good thing.

Joe's Os for everyone! ($5 Cheerios can suck it)

Dryer Drama

2009-08-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

I lost my cool yesterday.

Last Saturday Sears delivered our washer and dryer. They didn't hook it up. So we called our plumber and the earliest they could get here was yesterday. So, as the laundry piled up, we waited.

Our plumber got all the gas lines and waterlines ready to go but he informed us that he was unable to install the gas to liquid propane kit that came with the dryer because he would have to dismantle the entire dryer and it wasn't something he was comfortable doing.

I called Sears to ask why they didn't do the conversion. I was told that they could do the conversion but only if they did the install too. I said that the install was pretty much complete and all I needed was the conversion. They said they would have to uninstall all the work the plumber did, do the conversion and then reinstall. I said, "that is stupid", hung up and relayed the info to Matt. He said, "that doesn't make any sense because the delivery person said they never install gas dryers".

So, I called Sears back and said, "I feel like you guys are jerking me around. Why did you tell me you could convert my dryer but only if you install it? But you don't install gas dryers so you can't install it and that means you won't convert it, right? But why would you offer the conversion service which is obviously gas related if you won't do it because you won't install?". Sears said "sorry", they couldn't help.

Frustration!

I then called around to a bunch of local appliance repair services. I was told they would be happy to do the conversion and when could I bring the dryer into the shop? Well, I was hoping to have it done on site because, you know, I don't want to be lugging a freaking dryer around. Nope. No go.

I finally got wise and called our propane provider (Amerigas by the way). Do you know what they told me? "Lady, today is your lucky day! Our service technician is on North Military Road and you are only a few miles away. He will be there in a few hours". So, it all worked out in the end and the washer and dryer were put into service last night. Good thing too or else Matt would have headed to Utah with a suitcase full of dirty socks.

To Utah and Back

2009-08-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

I took a whirlwind trip to Utah this past week. I left Tuesday after the mail route and returned on Friday. The point of the trip was shopping with Nancy. She has a golden touch when it comes to decorating and so naturally she is the one we turned to now that it is time to furnish the house. The first stop was her storage units. She already has some items picked out that she thought would be right for us and she was correct. After that we hit a consignment store where I bought a rug, a coffee table and a carved deer head! In the picture it looks scary but in reality it is smiling. Tom laughed when he saw it. He says it is a composite of about 3 different animals carved into one. He would know!

Sofa and upholstery shopping followed and it is all a blur now. We managed to fit a ton of shopping into our 2 days. Kate is out of school right now so she was able to join us. She is also furnishing the house she bought with Jason so we are all on the same track right now.

Matt is flying to Utah on Friday and he and Nancy will load up her motor home with our stash and drive it to Winlock over next weekend.

My washer and dryer were delivered yesterday but we still need to hook up to the gas and water lines so I have not taken them for a spin yet.

I don't expect to post for a while because I am feathering my nest. I have so much to do in order to get ready for Nancy's arrival. My mom and Dad will be here in the early part of September. Plus, save the date: we will be having our house-warming/open house on Sunday, Sept. 20th. If you are anywhere nearby or feel like heading to the NW, stop by and say hi.

Fuel for Obsession

2009-08-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

Watch Hammerdance videos and dance lessons at DanceJam.com

We Met Some of Our Neighbors

2009-08-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

Do you remember this video? I think we saw it way back in our Utah days. The man in the video is Lynn Chestnut. He and his wife stopped by yesterday to check the progress on the house. They saw it get moved and were curious how it turned out. I always love showing the house off. How shocked was I to discover that Lynn was the man in the infamous deer fighting video? His wife is the one filming and as I understand it, she was told to keep filming and not run to the rescue. The Chestnuts have a herd of elk and have "owned" bears in the past. They live in Toledo, not Winlock. Toledo is also the birthplace of Bigfoot. Not sure what is in the water over there.

The Woodpile

2009-07-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

Pretty, isn't it?

Shirking My Responsibilities

2009-07-30T09:45:00.001-07:00

I had many things planned Tuesday after the mail route. I had a long list of things I wanted to get done in Longview and around the house. Then Drew called.

I tried to say no but it was 100 degrees and what is the point of living in a place like this if I don't take advantage of it once in a while? Too bad Matt was stuck at work. I am a lousy wife!

My boatmates, Chris (the owner of the boat), his son, Dakota and Drew.

Drew and Dakota.

I do not regret abandoning my chores and spending the day on Mayfield lake. Not one bit.

Dinner Party

2009-07-30T09:40:00.001-07:00

On Sunday we had Tom and Kathy over for the first meal in the Sister House. When Kathy asked what to bring, my only request was dinner plates! We are not really set up for guests yet! We had salad, pot pie and cherry trifle for dessert. It was really nice to cook a meal for them for once. They have fed us regularly for years now. There will never be any way to properly thank Tom for the beautiful creation that is the Sister House but it was nice to start with an inaugural dinner.

Bad Weather Mojo

2009-07-30T09:27:00.001-07:00

The thermometer here is through the roof. Yesterday our temp climbed above 105 degrees! This is not normal Washington weather. I think the heat is breading bad mojo.

At the post office I learned that one of my customers was in an accident on the same road where one of the carriers crashed. It doesn't look good for her and I am sad. She is always really friendly and I like taking packages to her house. There have been other deaths on that road and I am starting to feel kind of spooked there.

Then out on the route, a heat addled bird flew in front of my car and I am pretty sure I hit it. Usually the birds get out of the way but not this one.

Later I saw a peacock in a shady patch on the side of the road. I looked closer and saw there were two. I drove by slowly so as not to spook them from their cool spot and realized that the male peacock was not resting but actually dead and the female was keeping a frenzied vigil. I understand that peacocks mate for life and I felt sick in my heart for her. I asked at the nearest house if the peacocks lived there but the owner's didn't know whose birds they were.

But the bad bird day wasn't over. Towards the end of the route I came upon a Canadian goose wandering down the middle of the road. Something was wrong with his wing and was breathing heavily through his open mouth. Like a fool I tried to chase him down. To what end? To squirt water on him? To grab him and stuff him in the mail wagon with all the mail? I don't know what I was thinking. The best I came up with was to chase him off the road into a shady glen and hope for the best.

Matt Buys Shotgun. Does Not Join NRA

2009-07-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Matt went to a gunshow with Tom and Mick and came home with a 70 year old shotgun. He is in love. He took it over to Tom and Kathy's house to try it out. I am proud to report that he hit his targets on the first try. He even hit a stick that Tom threw in the air. Matt modestly claims beginner's luck but I think he is naturally a crack shot. BTW, I also shot the gun and didn't like it. I think it is too noisy. Shhh.

Bwah-ha-ha-ha

2009-07-24T13:56:00.001-07:00

Our friends Jill and Casey just broke ground on their house building project. Good luck kids! They have a blog. Go give them some love here.

Walk With Me

2009-07-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

Music: Fleet Foxes - Mykonos off Sun Giant and Heard Them Stirring off Fleet Foxes.

Slap A Star On It!! The Sister House is Done

2009-07-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, this star is Tom's brand. You will find it on his projects large and small. The Sister House brand is located on the top, right corner of the pantry screen door.

Never has a signature looked so beautiful!

Russell wonders why all the fuss about approval from the County when he has already given his stamp of approval.

I am sure you realize that when I say DONE, it is just according to the County and the bank. We still have a long list of things to do (backsplashes, shower rod, exterior trim paint, varnish baseboards, fence, landscaping, carport, etc.) But words fail me as I try to think how best to describe my relief. My entire world has been shrinking down to the goal of getting that signature. Now that we have it, I can see the rest of the world in full color again. Feels real good.

I have made a video walk through of the house that I wanted to post tonight but it is taking forever to load onto YouTube so I will post that tomorrow.

I predict a night free of anxiety dreams for the first time in months.

Also, guess where Matt is tonight? That's right. Frogging. It is that time of year again. The Toledo Cheese Days frog jump is Friday night.

And do you realize that this blog began nearly 2 years ago? My first post regarding this adventure was on July 20, 2007. We moved to Winlock at the end of July '07.

As long as I am reminiscing, this is what we were up to a year ago.

Wanna Eat Something Tasty?

2009-07-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

Dice up some onion and soak in fresh lime juice. Cube up some watermelon and cut up some jicama. Use your hands to gently toss the watermelon and jicama into the onion and lime juice. Sprinkle chili pepper and cumin to taste and toss. Crumble up some cotija cheese and chop up some cilantro. Sprinkle liberally over the top and serve ASAP. This dish does not like to wait to be consumed.

I find when I am missing Los Angeles I am usually missing food. Matt and I liked to buy bags of fruit from the street vendors. The bags usually had some sort of melon, mango, papaya, pineapple, maybe jicama and always spices, chili powder for sure and I don't know what else. So refreshing. The above dish is the result of a Los Angeles craving on a hot day. I knew kind of what I wanted but Googled the ingredients anyway just for reassurance that I was on the right track. I found a recipe with everthing I was jonesing for except the recipe called for cumin, something I hadn't thought to add. Yummy!

His Mother's Child

2009-07-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

Just like his Mom, Dar, Matt likes to photograph bugs. She is very professional about it her husband even had a book of her work printed (we have a copy if anyone wants to have a look). Matt is still at the point and shoot stage of bug photography. These are my favorite recent pictures.

We don't know what sort of bug is shown in the last 5 of the 6 shots but w like to call it the "pug bug".

It Has Been 10 Days or So

2009-07-05T09:48:00.001-07:00

Funny how I had forgotten how fantastic Michael Jackson was. I was in junior High when Thriller came out. My girlfriends and I were obsessed. We got a friend this nearly life-size poster of MJ for her birthday that year.

Her dad didn't like it. He didn't like a poster of a black man on his daughter's wall. We didn't understand. I think that was my first encounter with racism.

For me, until Michael Jackson, popular music was just something playing on the airwaves and Friday Night Videos. I didn't know it could be an all encompassing sensory experience until he started dancing. It was like a new language. I remember watching Thriller in music class. Even our teacher was under his spell.

Then, in high school, I moved on and dived into New Wave. It was all about listening to a prescribed set of semi-obscure bands and Michael Jackson was waaay too popular for my new mindset. After that he ended up in the margins as he got weirder and wackier. It was easy to point and laugh at the pictures and stories. But now, as I re-listen to all the music and really give a thought to his tragic trajectory I just feel so sad. Between his abusive upbringing and his isolation in a level of stardom that left everyone else far behind, did he really ever have a chance?

Matt is wondering how long this re-awakened obsession with Michael Jackson will last. The music makes me happy. I hope is lasts a long time. I hope I never forget about his brand of magic again.

One more video (I am using grainy live clips because I LOVE to hear the crowd FREAKING out!)

First Night

2009-07-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

I was kind of grumpy on the 4th of July. Not because of the holiday but because the stupid final inspection keeps getting pushed back and I am tired of having that hanging over my head. Well, I guess it is sort of the fault of the holiday. The shower door that was supposed to be installed on Wednesday so we could be inspected on Thursday didn't get installed until Thursday but a Friday inspection was out because the county was closed for the holiday, and so the inspection is now scheduled on Monday. Yesterday I kind of cracked at the seams and so Matt and I unpacked the TV and all its attendant paraphernalia and carted it upstairs. We went to the grocery store for some fruits, veggies and ice cream. Loaded up our new refrigerator. Made lime sodas with ice from our new ice maker and watched movies in OUR HOUSE - final inspection be damned. And guess what, Lewis County? We even spent the night sleeping upstairs on our soft, soft carpet, camping style with pillows and blankets, even though we don't have our certificate of occupancy and even though the window upstairs is not up to code for a sleeping room. So there! I feel much, much better now!

The Kittens

2009-06-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Norah and Audrey got another rabbit. Only this time we didn't save it. We heard the ruckus outside but all the flashlights were dead and we couldn't(wouldn't?) find the murderers in the forest in the dark. The next day Matt found an explosion of bloody rabbit fur outside and then he found the front half of the rabbit just inside the cat door and kindly disposed of it before I stumbled upon it. He is a good husband.

So, What's Up With the House?

2009-06-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

We were hoping to get our final inspection done last Thursday but we hit a couple of snags. (What?!? A snag? Unheard of!) The glass shower door I had ordered needed to have studs in the wall behind where it attaches and the guys who came to install it said I had 2 choices: order another type of shower door or break open the walls and add the required studs. Guess which option I chose? Hint: the new shower door will be here Wednesday. The other snag involves door handles. You know the little plates on the edges of doors where the latch is? Our doors don't have an indentation for those plates to sit in so we couldn't install the handles. My knees got wobbly at the thought of chiseling out 14 of those indentations without gouging the doors or digging too deep. The company that supplied our doors and windows lost out in this lousy economy and no longer exists (sadness) so I called another door company and they are sending someone out on Wednesday to cut out the holes for us. Some things are just WORTH paying for.

On the "Good News" side of the ledger sheet, the carpet has been installed upstairs! It is the first room to be 100% complete. We LOVE it - sooo cozy. I was varnishing the inside of the closet door and got a little light headed so I decided to take a nap on the carpet upstairs. IT. FELT. SO. NICE!
I have also done no fewer than 3 loads of dishes in the DISHWASHER! Hal-freaking-lelujah. In addition to boiling eggs my stove has been put to use wilting rhubarb in honey for a salad, baking cookies for Father's Day, Jalepeno Popper Dip (I found the recipe by following a link on Jennifer's blog - it was a big hit!) and Caramel Crack for the Gillespie's party. We are hoping to get our final inspection done this coming Thursday provided there are no more hidden snags. And on Friday our refrigerator arrives! Yay! We still haven't ordered our washer and dryer. They are the next major purchase. I can't wait!

Across the North Cascade Highway

2009-06-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

After leaving the Methow Valley we headed west over the North Cascades Highway. It is closed during the winter between Nov & May. It was beautiful! Our destination on the other side of the mountains was Bellingham where we visted Andy. Bellingham is a really nice town (Andy is nice too :)) and we were reminded that we should get up there more often.

(This picture makes me laugh)

Winthrop, Twisp & Mazama, WA

2009-06-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago we took a little trip up north with Tom and Kathy. The idea was to visit the lumber yard from which we purchased all of our siding and interior wood. The area we went to is on the east side of the Cascades and is called the Methow Valley (FYI, it is pronounced met-how. I called it meth-ow and was corrected). This is a picture taken from our room at the Mazama Country Inn were we spent Friday night.

And this is our room. How cute is the sleeping loft? I admit this is the entire reason I picked this place after looking at a bunch on the internet.

This is NOT were we stayed although it was beautiful. It is the Sun Mountain Lodge.

A view from the SML grounds looking over the Methow Valley.

The next 2 shots were taken inside the SML wine cellar. For $150 a person can rent the room for private dinners. I'll take the seat under the polar bear.
If you don't want to add $150 to your dinner bill you can settle for eating in the dining room and this breathtaking view:
Along with the polar bear we encountered stuffed deer, javelinas, wild boar, and a bunch of other unfortunate creatures whose pictures did not make the cut.

And here is the reason for the trip:
You can get pretty much any wood you want from this place. We thought they milled the lumber on location but turns out they just source and house the lumber. When a customer calls to request something, they send it out to be milled in Tacoma. Those bays full of cedar smelled wonderful. People tell me my cedar house smells nice too but I truly can't smell it anymore!

Full Oval

2009-06-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

The sink and stove have been put to use. I can't say it was for some grand dish. I hard boiled some eggs. As I post this I realize there is some poetry in that, considering that this blog is called Eggtown and in just 2 weeks we will be celebrating Egg Days here in Winlock. The other day on the mail route, one of my customers asked me if I wanted some eggs because her chickens had laid more than she could use. I happily said yes and she came out of the house with 2 dozen (!) eggs! I got home from the route and the propane man was just finishing installing our tank. The next day our plumber finished nearly all his tasks here so I had a working kitchen sink (heavenly choir singing) and a working stove (angel harp orchestra). And now I have 24 hard boiled eggs. Full circle.

Sometimes I Miss Los Angeles

2009-06-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

I am 100%, absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, snowball's chance in hell certain that this will never happen in Winlock. Thanks Tengrain.

Update: I wrote about this story at the time but it bears repeating here. When we moved up here one of Matt's coworkers gave him a hammer as a gift in preparation for house building. He engraved it with Matt's initials, M C. I still laugh about having MC Hammer in da house.

Kathy Saves a Fawn

2009-06-05T09:38:00.000-07:00

The other day I got a call from Kathy. "Bring your camera, there is a fawn by the side of the road that is less than a day old", she said. The mother was nowhere around and the fawn was so new and delicate that when it tried to stand the wind from passing cars blew it over. When I got there it had made its way from the edge of the road into some grasses. Wildlife services had not arrived by the time I left so we never found out what happened to it. Hopefully the mother returned and guided it to safety. That is the story I am sticking to.

Lord Have Mercy

2009-06-05T09:29:00.001-07:00

File under: This is how we do things in the country.

People of the internet, you are going to need a backstory before viewing these pictures. Sigh. Here we go. A few weeks ago Tom and Kathy were having trouble with their chicks. Something was eating them in the night. It was determined that the culprit was a raccoon. The household was on guard and when Walker raised the alarm, Tom grabbed his shotgun and headed outside (3am with Kathy laughing hysterically from inside). The two of them treed the raccoon and it was dispatched forthwith, its tail blown clean off.

Tom delights in teasing me because I am a vegetarian and he is a blood thirsty hunter. Last night after dinner at their house Matt and I went to leave and what is tied to my antenna? That's right. The RACCOON tail. Matt referred to me as Davy Crockett's chauffer and laughed all the way home.

Breaking News!!!

2009-05-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

We have water!

We have lights!

There is still a bunch more work to be done. The water is not yet hooked up to the sewer pump and the hot water heater won't be installed until next week. It will be a few days yet until the electrical work is finished. These are currently the only working lights but it is a start! I wasn't expecting the lights to turn on and just happened to be standing in view of them when they did. I squeaked in excitement.

The Heart of the Home has Arrived

2009-05-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

One of our more extravagant purchases during this whole shebang. Here is my lovely American Range.

Do you remember the Dodge Neon billboards from the '90s? The ones where the car looked all happy and said "hi"? That is what our toilets remind me of!

Ahhh Summer

2009-05-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

A field of daisies on the mail route

Walls, Walls, Walls, Walls (and Trim!)

2009-05-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

More trim has gone up. In fact, at this point all the trim is up except for the baseboards. Yay! doesn't it look fantastic?

And speaking of fantastic, how 'bout this wall, huh? I have meant to put chinking in it for months but never got around to it and finally just decided I could live without it. Thanks to Kathy for kicking me in the butt and pushing me to do it. It is wonderful!

What wasn't wonderful was having to re-sand all the living room walls. We sanded them once, varnished them, sanded them again and then put on the second coat. I don't know if I got a mislabeled can or what but what was supposed to be a satin finish turned out disco-ball shiny. The glare from the gloss was AWFUL! We just couldn't endure the shine so we sanded it all down. AGAIN. And today we started oiling the walls for a more subtle finish. It is looking much better.

Look at all the beautiful wood. It was soooo worth saving. Although Matt might not agree right at this moment as he is varnishing the ceiling, one of the more tedious and messy tasks.

Moles

2009-05-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

This is what we do for our TV addiction. We don't have cable up here, only satellite TV. The satellite company won't mount the dish on our steep, metal roof. In order to clear the tree line for a good shot to space the installers suggested way back on the property. So, we dug, or rather we hired someone to dig. We learned our lesson digging for the electrical line.

Here is the machine that did all the digging. The dig here is for the propane line. We are going put the tank on the far side of the shop so it's ugliness isn't the first thing we see when we drive in.

Little Bunny Foo Foo

2009-05-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

Drew and I went to Longview this evening to buy some stuff from Lowe's. When we got back we were talking with Matt in "the Room" (as I have taken to calling our little living space. It must be spoken out loud in dark and ominous tones), when we heard a loud squealing coming from the bay (the unheated garage portion of the pole building currently a maze of boxes and stuff waiting to move into the house). Drew and I are all, "what the . . ?" and Matt is all, "I know! I just heard that 10 minutes ago. There is murder going on in the bay. Norah and Audrey have something out there but I can't find what they have." The three of us went out to investigate but came up empty. Drew went home and I was futzing around on the computer when Matt came in from the bay with a stricken look. "It is a RABBIT!!!" he said. I was all, "OMG, OMG, OMG! Where is it? Is it still alive? What do we do?!!" Matt put on a pair of gloves and I got a towel and he eventually cornered it in our recently emptied kitchen sink box. We wrapped it in the towel, took a couple of pics, briefly succumed to its utter cuteness, almost kicked all the cats to the curb and kept the bunny, came to our senses and took it outside into the forest. Hopefully it had a chance to find a hiding place before Norah and Audrey discovered it was gone from the building. When we came back in they were stalking around the bay like a couple of lionesses on the veldt.

Now it was a small rabbit to be sure but we must give mad props to Norah for this catch. Remember Norah is our tiny dancer, she isn't much bigger than a kitten. It won't be long now before she drags in a freaking raccoon.

I Guess I Lied When I Said No Posts Until the House Was Done!

2009-05-12T07:38:00.000-07:00

When we returned from Los Angeles we discovered that Tom had put the wraps around almost all of the windows! (Is it just me or does he seem to work much faster when I am not around to "help"?) The wood was cut on his sawmill from beams that supported the house on it's old foundation. We then planed it on Uncle Bob's planer and then stained it. FYI, if you are interetested in the stain color, we have been using Minwax Provincial in most of the house with the exception of the upstairs where we are using Driftwood and the beam in the kitchen where we used Puritan Pine. Another note, the horns on top of the windows are a recreation of what was in the house originally. We still have the original trim and are going to be putting it us use wrapping the doors and for baseboards and trim along the wood ceiling edges.

And check this out!

Our cabinet maker, Warren Tilley, started our kitchen install yesterday. It looks fantastic! If you are in Washington and looking for custom cabinetry we can recommend him with highest marks.

He also built our master bathroom vanity. I tried to find an antique to adapt for use here but was unable to come up with anything that was the right size. I did find an antique commode to use in the guest bathroom. I will take a pic of that when it is installed.

On the Mail Route

2009-05-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

Nanny Goat here was really, really vocal. Perhaps that is why she was tied to a tree out by the road. Far, far away from the house.

Blessed Be the Wright Brothers

2009-05-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

The weather here in Winlock last week was a soaking, chilly rain. Thank the stars that we had a little trip scheduled. Matt got called into the office for a few days and no way in hell was I planning on staying behind so on Wednesday we headed to PDX in a downpour, boarded a plane, and landed in Burbank to 95 degree sunshine and blue skies. Ahhhhhhhhhh.On approach looking at the smoke from the Santa Barbara fire with a husk of dead insect in the foreground. It was stuck between the window panes.

We picked up our rental car at the airport, drove to the North Hollywood park and ride and hopped on the Metro so we could get to 7th and Metro downtown.

We had dinner at Ciudad, one of our favorite spots.

Behold the beautiful colors on Matt's dish of black cod.

The most delicious thing I ate on the trip: Watermelon salad with baby watercress, oaxacan string cheese, pedro jimenez reduction, macadamia nuts, marash chile. Sigh. Heaven.

Then came Thursday. I dropped Matt off at work in Westlake Village at 8am and headed to Ikea Covina. See, about a year ago we picked the handles for our kitchen cabinets from Ikea but I didn't know how many to buy so I just kept checking to make sure they were still there whenever I would go in. A month ago when all the cabinets were designed and we knew exactly how many we needed, I went to Ikea Portland to buy them only to find they had been discontinued. Did Seattle still have any? Nope? How about Utah? Nope. What about anywhere in the Los Angeles area? Covina!! They held them for me for 3 weeks until I got there. So nice. Got to Covina at 10am and it took about an hour for the employee on duty to find the handles artfully hidden by the person I spoke with on the phone.

After Ikea Covina I went to Violet's Cakes in Pasadena (This should come as a surprise to no one), did a little shopping and then made a trip back out to Matt's office to drop off a dozen cupcakes for his coworkers.

I headed back to the Woodland Hills area near our hotel for a mani-pedi. It was stupefyingly easy for my nail tech to convince me to upgrade to the deluxe mani-pedi. My eyes rolled back as my arms and legs were massaged, scrubbed, oiled and lotioned. It felt sooo nice. I tried not to think about how soon my fingernails would be destroyed by the mail route and all the stain that still needs to be applied to various woods in the house.

Back to Westlake Village to pick Matt up, then back to Woodland Hills to dress for dinner at Campanile.

I don't know what to tell you about Campanile. They sat us at the crappiest table in the house. I spent the first hour of dinner wondering what it was about us that made the hostess decided to dump us in a walkway. I settled on two possibilites: 1. Braces are undignified and I look like a pimply faced know-nothing or 2. Our nearly two years in Winlock have rubbed off on us more than we are aware and we ooze country bumpkin. Did I ask to be reseated? I did not. Do I wish I had? Yes. Through dumb luck we ended up at Campanile on Thursday night and Campanile is famous for "Thursday Night Grilled Cheese Sandwiches". It's their thing. We were torn. Do we order something off the regular menu or have a grilled cheese to find out what all the fuss is about. We ended up each getting a version of the grilled cheese. Meh. I had fried green tomatoes as an appetizer and they were delicious - once I got them. See, I received sliced tomatoes with shrimp and when I sent it back, the waiter told me I ordered sliced, not fried. That bugged me. Matt thought his salad was much more exciting than his sandwich. Dessert was great but my overall impression of Campanile was weak.(No pics of the food here. It was too swanky to break out the camera. Matt would have died right there in his chair. The only thing worth shooting would have been the architecture and the dessert: honeycomb, hot fudge, and discs of sponge cake in a tower of tasty).

But that is all of no matter when there is blue sky overhead.

Friday morning I took Matt back to work and then crossed the hills over to Malibu for a drive down Hwy 1. I stopped at Zuma Beach and took these pictures.

Then I drove up Topanga Canyon, had a late breakfast at Pat's Grill, looped back up to Westlake Village, killed a few hours watching Rudo y Cursi, picked up Matt, drove back to the airport and flew home. We landed with just enough light left to see that the sky was clear. Whew.

What I am Listening to Now

2009-05-03T11:48:00.001-07:00

Longing For Lullabies from Kleerup on Vimeo.

Where Have I Been?

2009-05-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

It is oft commented how hard building or renovating a home can be on a relationship. I am here to tell you that I have been knocked off my high horse. I was certain we were up to the challenge. I am very humble now.

I have not wanted to post because I have been in a really bad place and didn't want to share for a multitude of reasons: Some info was too personal, I didn't want to spread the poisonous mood, I lacked the emotional energy get through a real day let alone re-live it by posting on the blog. I intended the blog to be an accurate account of this adventure but you and I will have to settle for an account filled with holes. I guess I will let those posting dry spells speak for themselves.

Not to worry, Matt and I have made it through and will be better for having slogged into and out of the dark places. I know I have made mention to my mood in past posts with the hope that things were turning upward. That was me willing myself out of a bad place and not quite getting out. I have made it out now. It is a huge relief.

I can now say that we expect to be all finished up with the house by July 1st - final inspection, transfer from construction loan to mortgage, etc. I am so glad to be here. I am profoundly, inexpressibly grateful to Tom and Kathy for the hundreds of hours of labor and million acts of kindness they have given. I am so sorry I collapsed so completely in the middle of the process. I thought I was made of different stuff.

I am going to tell you right now that you are in for another posting dry spell. This drought will not be because of a black mood. This drought will be because we are working our tails off to put this project to bed. Expect the next post to be an unveiling of sorts - a kind of "Driver Move that Bus" moment from Extreme Home Makeover. People, we are at the finish line here! Happy Spring! Happy Summer! Happy Life. And love to all my family and friends who I have so horrendously neglected over the past 6-9 months.

Love, -Michelle

Let's Open the Mailbag, Shall We?

2009-05-03T09:09:00.001-07:00

I have taken these pictures on the mail route over the last few months:

We have a goat farm in Winlock (The Blue Rose Dairy) that produces delicious goat cheese. The goats are not always in the field by the road so I don't get to see them every time I do this route.

In the spirit of past posts highlighting the homemade signs so prevalent around here, I present a warning against human waste. No, I have not visited the website. This sign is an upgrade. For months there was a small stenciled sign tacked to a fence. One day it was gone. The next week it was replaced by this giant sign. Well, giant might be taking it too far. It is maybe 6 or 7 feet wide.

Geese. Mean and Funny rolled into one.

Whatcha doin?

I shot this one rainy day a few weeks back. I was going to put it to music but I decided to leave the background noise. That way you can enjoy a little slice of rural mail route life. I am listening to "The Sound of Young America" on XM133. I know this world is different strokes for different folks but believe me when I tell you there are many moments in a rural mail carriers daily grind that are very nearly perfect.

Cat Update

2009-05-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

In the "Old News" department, Una is older than dirt and is continuing to age. Check out her gnarly thumbnail! WTF?

Russell and Audrey continue their love affair. . .

. . . Despite the fact that Russell desperately needs his teeth cleaned. I hope to take care of that this summer.

And then there is Norah. Oh Norah. She is a tiny thing. At the moment she weighs in at 6.7 lbs. and we don't expect her to get much bigger. She is a mighty huntress. Yesterday was a really rainy day and we noticed mouse and shrew carcasses floating everywhere! She is fearless and that worries me greatly. Speaking of fearless, also yesterday, the deer were in the yard and Audrey and Norah decided the deer would make good playthings. They started darting out of the grass at the deer. I wish I had video. You have never seen more confused deer in your life.

Lily refused to be photographed for this feature.

Quinten remains on his walkabout but, perhaps through astral projection, remains with us in spirit and markings through Norah.

Little Project

2009-05-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

I have been on the lookout for a little medicine cabinet for the guest bathroom for months. I finally found one down in Kalama. (FYI, for any Twilight fans - and they are legion - the high school scenes in the movie were filmed there). Anyway, while the size and shape were perfect, the bright lilac color was not. So I am scraping it off.

Internal Affairs

2009-05-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

Looking upstairs.

Living room and kitchen looking through to the window in the master bedroom.

These Floors are Made for Walking

2009-05-03T08:44:00.001-07:00

What is it about finishing the floors that makes it all feel so REAL!

This is the guest bedroom. Look how beautiful those board are! We didn't have to replace a single piece of wood in this room.

They are working in stages. This is the dividing line between the guest bedroom/little hall and the living room. The living room is the last room they will finish.

In my yellow room the floors have been stained but not varnished. We did have to replace a couple of boards in this room but not nearly as many as we thought.

All the wood in the house, new and old is fir with the exception of the bathroom floors. The wood in those rooms is pine and was generously donated by friend Jess and Joelle Winters. It was left over from another project and I think it was meant for this purpose. We got 139 square feet from them and used about 135 square feet!

Hard and Soft Options

2009-05-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

The nearly completed mud room. We just need to put trim boards along the floor and in some of the corners. The walls are #3 grade fir. Looking at the room you might think that that was the most difficult part. The travertine on the floor was some sort of closeout. We got a screaming deal on it. But! As our tilers were finishing up the laundry room (to my back as I shot this photo) they found a bunch of cracked tiles at the bottom of the pallet so we had to scramble to get more. It took three weeks and I don't really know how or where my supplier found it but more tiles finally arrived. Also cracked! We made do with what we got and when you come to visit I bet you won't be able to tell.

Cedar walls and ceiling in the master closet looking out into the master bedroom and the laundry room beyond.

Here are some shots of the master bathroom. The ceiling is the same wood as the mudroom and we used slate around the tub. We looked at all kind of tile options for the tub and shower and the floors in the mud room and laundry room. Real stone was cost prohibitive but ceramic/porcelain reproductions didn't feel authentic enough for this house. I just kept on searching and re-thinking the look I wanted until I got real stone at a price I could live with. Originally I wanted stones that were in the oatmeal color family for everything. I really couldn't have ended up farther away than that with the bathroom walls but we LOVE the slate!

Skin Deep

2009-05-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

Here is what things look like on the exterior at the moment. As of now we are done on the outside with the exception of painting the trim around the windows and putting sealant on the deck and porches. We can't fill up that trench until we get the water and gas in there. That will be a few weeks down the road.

Making sure we had a deck of usable size has turned out the be the best design decision we have made so far. Sitting on the deck watching the deer is a dream. When the first design of the house was done the deck was only 6' wide. We punched it out another 4'. It made a huge difference in the way the space can be used.

One Mini-Cement Truck Coming Up

2009-05-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

As a former city dweller there are things that never crossed my mind. A few months ago we found ourselves in need of a small amount of cement to pour pads for the deck and porch stairs and the propane tank pad. I am thinking that we will need to hire someone to bring the cement to us but Tom had other ideas. We got in his truck and drove to Longview to the rental yard where we hooked up this little mixer to his truck and got our own cement. How cute is that little thing?

Y is for Yellow

2009-05-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

Y is for Yellow. And Yippee. And Yay!
Just the right room for a gray rainy day.

L is for Lavender infused with some gray.
To soothe you to sleep when you come to stay.

G is for Green, très calming and zen.
So at night we will sleep like a bears in a den.

Holy Smokes You Guys!!!

2009-03-01T21:30:00.000-08:00

Tengrain @ Mock Paper Scissors gave us our own little post. Look here.

Plaster!! (And yes, from here on out every post title will have multiple exclamation points so deal with it) !!!

2009-03-01T07:20:00.000-08:00

We are all plastered, y'all!!! It is just what I wanted: a tiny bit of texture, an old style application (well, except we plastered over plaster board, not lathes) and a hard surface unmatched by drywall. Today we are going to pick up a paint sprayer at my uncle's house and then we will prime everything and move ahead to paint. We picked all our colors from Yolo Colorhouse. Once we sat down and really concentrated on making the selections it didn't take that long to figure it out. The main soul of the house is going to be a soft off-white but as we move away from the center of the house colors begin to show up. The guest room is going to be a gray-lavender, my room is going to be yellow, the master bedroom is going to be in the green/gray family and, although Matt has final say and might yet change his mind, the upstairs is going to be red and celadon.

Mt. Saint Helens

2009-03-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

On a crisp morning

Welcome to Our Back Porch

2009-03-01T06:35:00.000-08:00

Isn't it inviting? I LOVE it. Maybe even as much as I love my window seat. The house has reached a point on the timeline of completion where it has ceased to be an abstract in some distant future and is beginning to become a reality in the present. I truly cannot believe that I am going to live in this beautiful creation.

It is not possible to understate the depths of our naivete at the beginning of this project. The trip from then to now has been one giant learning experience. And, strangely (at least to me), not so much about learning physical activities. It has been more about learning my limitations of spirit and confidence. I spend way too much time analyzing the mess going on in my head and in doing so have learned what activities I instinctively turn to when I need to refocus myself. I have learned that when I don't have the access or the will to engage in these activities, my self confidence to tackle and relate to everything around me spirals downward. And once the downward spiral begins it is a matter of riding it to the bottom in order to bounce and head back up again. The usual response when I mention this cycle is, "well, why don't you just (insert refocusing activity here)?" and get yourself out of it. It sure seems like a "well, duh!!" solution doesn't it? And I guess all I can say to that is this just might be the layman's description of the difference between depression and a garden variety bad mood.

My first lengthy depression hit in high school. There is a period that I recall as simply black and foggy. I have had two or three in the 20 years since then (Matt might say there have been more but that is all I can remember). Self analysis is not always such a bad thing. Over the years I have been able to recognize the onset of a depressive period for what it is and, more often than not, have been able to keep myself from falling in. If I don't catch it before it really gets going then I must ride it out with apologies to those around me.

I know it freaks some of my family members out when I write about personal stuff, especially shortcomings. But, here's the thing: I was raised in a community in which households went to great lengths to project perfect facades. It drove me crazy. At best, the most perfect families were held up as examples to live by. At worst, when problems in those families came to light they were subject to the gossip mill with a little more glee than was seemly and also, it felt like being lied to. I guess my tendency to engage in what some may call over-sharing is a knee jerk reaction to past annoyances.

If you haven't heard enough of my internal workings here today, come for a visit. I will give you a lemonade, sit you down on the back porch and we can self diagnose for hours! Sound like fun?

Oh, I Almost Forgot . . .

2009-02-19T08:06:00.001-08:00

You might want to make a mental note to yourself. If you ever need to dig a trench and you think to yourself, "no big deal. It's not that far. 2 feet down is not that deep. I have a shovel.", take that moment to punch yourself in the face and rent a trencher. Seriously. You DO NOT want to dig it by hand. Especially in winter when the ground is freezing and thawing in turn and the soil is 75% clay. It is a bad idea and you will cry.

The trench from hell. To China. Those are the electrical lines down there. They will soon be joined by water and gas.

Knock on Drywall

2009-02-19T07:56:00.000-08:00

Looking from the living room into the guest bedroom

A view of the kitchen (and Matt!)

I am happy to report that by the end of the day all the drywall will be up! I am not going to post any more photos of the drywall because the rest of the rooms are small and all you see in the frame is just a shot of gray. Big whoop. There is no way a wall of gray in a photo can possibly convey what it really means to see it in real life. The inside of the house has skin on bones!

Look!!!!

2009-02-19T07:51:00.000-08:00

Behold our completely sided Sister House presented in both sunlight and shadow for your viewing pleasure. The house is completely covered in siding and all the doors and windows are in and wrapped! The only thing left to do on the exterior is to lay down the decking wood and build stairs and railings to the porches and decks. The wood for that was delivered yesterday. I had to take a picture of the bundle because the label made me laugh. How's that for small town delivery info?

Insulated From the World

2009-02-19T07:46:00.000-08:00

We are now insulated! Take a look out the windows and you will see that it happened just in time for the snowstorm!

Everything is starting to happen really quickly! I can't keep up on the blog. I am lucky to get pictures taken before the next contractor arrives.

It Snowed. Again!

2009-02-19T07:41:00.000-08:00

I am almost embarrassed to make this post. Just spoke with my Mom yesterday and she and my Dad are digging out of a truly major snowstorm in Utah. These pictures are from last week. Our snow is gone now and we are enjoying some nice, sunny skies!

Beam Me Up, Matty (Ugh. Sorry bout that one)

2009-02-19T07:35:00.000-08:00

Here we are putting in the post and beams that divide the living room from the kitchen. Tom and Kathy's friend Mick was also here to help but I somehow managed to crop him out of every shot! Sorry Mick!

Sorry about all the fairy dust in the picture. We had sawdust floating everywhere.

With Love to My Friends and Family

2009-02-09T17:37:00.001-08:00

This has absolutely nothing to do with life here in Eggtown. But believe me when I tell you that I WISH this took place in my backyard! Thx to Jezebel for directing me to this post over at LiveLeak.

The Existentialist

2009-02-04T09:19:00.000-08:00

Too much Sartre and Nietzsche perhaps?

Entering the Land of TMI

2009-02-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

I believe I have mentioned in posts past that Audrey has the major hots for Russell. She seeks him out wherever he is and snuggles and licks him until he loses his cool and howls at her. As much as she likes Russell, I submit it is Quinten's legacy that she is carrying on. Audrey is a hunter extraordinaire. She has spent much more time outside over this cold and messy winter than the other cats combined. Now that the snow is gone we can count on at least one mouse a day from her. Here is the TMI part: This morning I was checking my email when I heard frantic squeaking coming from my slipper sitting on the floor by my computer. I looked down to find a panicked mouse on its back. Audrey spent the next 10 minutes or so batting and tossing it until the squeaking stopped at which point she ate everything but the heart and lungs. Quinten didn't eat that part either. I wonder why? Also TMI? The fact that we let her do this in the living space. You may call me nuts but I am kind of proud about what a good hunter she is. I like to encourage cat-like behavior in my spoiled brood.

Sheep, Sheep, Elk

2009-02-02T18:56:00.001-08:00

The mail route was kind of beastly today. That is a joke. See, the mail truck was late and the mail volume was heavy and that made the day, how shall we say? Beastly! So to keep my spirits up while I was delivering I made a special effort to enjoy the "beasts" I met along the way. I must be out of my depression. A depressed person could not laugh at that joke. And yet, here I am chuckling as I write. Anyhoo, today I found these sheep particularly charming. Sometimes when I go past this property the owners have sheep dogs in training so naturally the sheep are running to and fro. Today they had some leisure time.

A little farther along on the route I came upon the neighborhood elk herd. They hang around on South Military and Roth road. We see them pretty regularly. Today they were right up near the road which is unusual and, although they spooked a bit when I stopped the car and aimed my camera, they didn't run, also unusual.On the next road I saw 2 bald (that's for you Drew) eagles circling over a field. Seeing bald eagles will never get old. I don't have a telephoto lens so there was no point in taking a picture. I have tried that before and only end up with smudges on a watery blue background. So, come to WA to visit and maybe you can see one too.

Just Because

2009-01-29T16:29:00.000-08:00

Norah would like to know how your fingers taste.

Audrey would like to kill you in your sleep.

Who is That Blowing Gently Into My Ear?

2009-01-28T19:33:00.000-08:00

Who is that blowing gently into my ear as I scrub mold off the Sister House ceiling with bleach water? If you guessed it was the house itself, YOU ARE RIGHT! We have electricity and a running heater in the house now! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS??? It means this time when I clean the mold off it will stay gone. It means that I can now stain and varnish the interior window sills. It means that the plastering of walls can begin soon. It means our funny little project that, if I am really truthful, I was starting to lose faith in, is moving along. It means the carefully assembled 2x4's and 2x6s that are sitting in the yard looking kind of house-like are really and truly a HOUSE! Praise be.

Clinically Eeyore

2009-01-22T09:36:00.000-08:00

In no particular order, here are some things that both you and I missed while I was wallowing in depression:
Sunrise behind Mt. St. Helens taken just this morning as I was on my way to the dentist

Fog! We were socked in for 3 days. I took this on my mail route way up on a hill that would normally be well out of fog range, especially by noon when this was taken

The shingles going up on the house. We are farther along than this. I will post again when this section is finished

Our heating beast. All the ductwork is in now. As soon as I finish digging the trench for the electrical connection we can hook up and heat the house!

The great snow of 08, compressed, frozen and sliding off the roof destroying gutters on it's way. These pics were taken at 6:30am and after I took them I went and knocked the snow down so the gutters wouldn't get too mangled. It looks like the snow would just fall off when hit with a broom or shovel but it hung on and I really had to beat at it to get it to break!

South Military Road during the storm

South Military Road after the storm. Not many snow plows around here! These roads were a mess for many days.

Wilma! Created by Kathy and waiting to greet me when I got home from Utah on Christmas eve.

Raccoon visitors!

Stuck in Tom and Kathy's driveway on Christmas Day. My car wasn't high enough to clear the snow.

The burn pile awaiting the appropriately rainy day to go up in flames

Fraq buried. While I was in Utah, Tom came over and spent a day scraping snow off the driveway with the CAT and cleared off the mail car. Then it kept right on snowing and I ended up getting stuck in my own driveway the Saturday after Christmas.

Before we went to Utah I found a bat in the Sister House. This bat wasn't right! Matt and I took some video of it before we, uh, put it to sleep. With all the cats around it just isn't a good idea to let a sick bat run loose.

Speaking of cats, Lily was just diagnosed with FIP. This is BAD news. It is incurable and there is no way to know how she contracted it. It is possible that she may have caught it from the kittens or it may have been hanging around inside her dormant. It is somewhat infectious so we are now worried about the rest of the cats. The Vet suggested that we bring her in for euthanasia but we just haven't been able to bring ourselves to do it yet. Crap.

2009-01-21T08:38:00.000-08:00

Western Washington is Buried!

2008-12-25T18:23:00.000-08:00

I haven't downloaded any picture yet to share. Just wanted to mention that, instead of leaving Utah on Christmas Day like I planned I left on Christmas Eve. The forecast for Christmas Day in SLC looked awful and I couldn't risk getting stranded and not making it home for the mail route on Friday. I wasn't the only one desperate to get from SLC to WA. Check out this story. Drew found it and laughed out loud and the lengths people go to either get out of SLC or into WA. You decide which.

Douglas Charles Conrow

2008-12-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

Most people who read this blog are already aware that Matt's dad passed away on Dec 17. We just finished writing the obituary so I thought it would be a good idea to post it here. Thank you for all your kind messages. I will be returning to WA on Christmas Day and returning to UT for the service on Jan 3. Matt will be staying in UT until after the service. I don't have much time to spend on the computer here in UT so I will write more about the experience once I am home.

Douglas Charles Conrow
Park City, UT

Doug was born January 26th 1936 in Big Timber, MT the son of John Moore and Ruth Ryan Conrow. He was raised in Butte MT and attended the Universities of Montana and Utah where he was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. In 1964 he graduated with honors from the masters program in social work at the University of Utah and then returned to Montana to provide public welfare services and receive a promotion to the state director of training for the Department of Public Welfare. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) his career led him to working with families of the Shoshone and Bannock tribes on the Ft. Hall, ID Indian reservation where he founded the Ft. Hall Boy’s Club and left a piece of his heart with the people there. In 1969 he was recruited as Assistant Director to help found Weber County Mental Health Center in Ogden. In 1977 he became the Executive Director and for the next 11 years Doug was respected for his innovative programs, creative problem solving, and dynamic work environment. He was selected to be one of 25 mental health administrators (from 2000 applicants) to participate in an advanced training program offered by the National Institute of Mental Health. He held the title Diplomat in Clinical Social Work. In 1990 he moved with his family to Salt Lake City, UT where he continued his mental health calling through private practice psychotherapy and the development of programs at Valley Mental Health and the Utah State Department of Corrections. He was especially effective as a counselor in the mental health and women’s facilities at the Draper Prison. The common thread throughout his professional career was his belief in leveling the playing field and honoring the value of all humanity. In 1998 he retired to enjoy his family and friends as a resident of Park City, UT.

Doug’s way of divining the contents of a person’s heart and the careful and compassionate wisdom he offered as a mentor will be sorely missed by each and every person who knew him. Rare was the encounter with Doug that did not include his quick wit, easy laugh and generous hug. He had a great passion for lively discussions with friends and family and held to the belief that everything is better when complemented by unusual food and exotic creatures.

Doug was a restless and eternal questioner who delighted in the process of critical thought and in continually challenging conventional wisdom. He retained a sense of wonder and excitement at the world around him until the very end.

Doug passed away gently in his sleep at his home in Park City on the morning of Wednesday, Dec 17 2008. He was surrounded by family who sent him on his way filled with love.

A lively, old-fashioned, Irish wake was held at the family home on Saturday, Dec 20. He was well attended by family and friends, gathered to celebrate his life.

Doug leaves behind his wife, Nancy, three sons, John Conrow (Big Fork, MT), Mark (Jovita) Conrow (Ogden, UT), Matthew (Michelle) Conrow (Winlock, WA), and daughter Kate Conrow (Salt Lake City, UT), grandchildren, Tairah, Ashlee, Jace, Paige, Bryan, Damon, Chandler, Javier, Omar, Lance and Austin, and 5 great grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Linda (Pat) McKissick and brother Steve Hancock, esteemed family member Dar (Win) Jensen, a circle of lifelong friends and his special feline companion Bronwyn. Doug is preceded in death by his parents.

The family would like to give special recognition to all the people who gave such extraordinary care and attention to Doug during his years of unexplained illness and his final battle with pancreatic cancer.

A memorial service will be held e on Saturday, January 03, 2009 at 12 noon at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church, 4595 North Silver Springs Drive, Park City, UT 84098

In lieu of flowers, and to honor Doug’s commitment to research and helping others. the family requests any donations be made to Huntsman Cancer Institute www.huntsmancancer.org

It was the little things in life that made him larger than life.

Good Riddance 2008

2008-12-16T08:59:00.001-08:00

I am going to go on record as saying that 2008 was not the best year for me. Sure wonderful, new, interesting experiences were had but, as the year draws to a close, I feel worn out and thin. As I write this Matt is in Utah with his dad who was overtaken with an incredibly fast moving pancreatic cancer. It was discovered the week after Thanksgiving and we are all fearful that he doesn't have much time left. And by not much time I am speaking mere days. So, between Grandpa's passing, Doug's failing health and some other things I don't feel like sharing, the last quarter of 2008 blows. I guess it is coloring my mental review of the whole year. I should go back and read the blog from earlier days to remember that there were jollier times. I plan to fly to Utah in the next day or two, weather permitting.

Here is a video that makes me laugh. I am going to be reciting the following over and over: I am the penguin. I am the penguin.

Here Come the Contractors

2008-11-30T12:45:00.000-08:00

In September 07 we bought this tub.  It is now finally installed in our master bathroom!  The plumbers were here last week and we are now rough plumbed.  Next step is heating.  Installation of our heat pump begins Monday.

Pipes mean that someday I won't have to fill a pan with hot water from the shower so I can do dishes on the table and then dump the pan out in the yard. Today I did the dishes pioneer style because something is wrong with the shower and I can only get warmish water so I had to boil water for my dishes. Someday soon I will have a real kitchen sink! Yay to the tenth power.

And what of the siding? We are still working on it. Here is a shot I took this morning:

Thanksgiving in Toledo

2008-11-30T12:39:00.001-08:00

Walker waits.

The family waits.

Our hosts, Tom and Kathy, slaving away.

I did not take any other photos of the day! It was exactly as a Thanksgiving should be: family and friends visiting while lovely aromas drift from the kitchen. This was our first Thanksgiving in Washington. The last 3 we were in Utah. I hope all our Utah families had a wonderful holiday. You were missed and loved.

Audrey & Norah Like to Wrestle (All Day. All Night)

2008-11-20T10:47:00.000-08:00

The cats themselves are quiet, just a few meeps here and there as they try to tear each other's ears off or de-fur one another's tails. What is not quiet is the bang-clanking they do as they rip around the house trying to pop their spay stitches. They slam into the basket of cans for recycling. They climb through stacks of magazines sending them splatting down on the floor. They do their level best to tear down the shower curtain. They flip over and inspect every shoe and boot in the hopes of finding a left over mouse or shrew to lord over a rodentless opponent. And on and on and on. They are currently each "sleeping" with one eye open.

Why Independant Book Sellers Sometimes Go Out of Business

2008-11-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

I am really not trying to jinx our local bookstore (and by local I mean 20 miles north) with this title. But, c'mon people. With the likes of Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com and, in this neck of the woods at least, Costco's book section breathing down their neck you would think that our local purveyors of the written word would avoid section headings like this. If you can't read the section heading by clicking on the photo, it reads:

BOOKS THAT WOMEN READ WHEN THEY ARE MENOPAUSAL AND THINKING DEEP, SLIGHTLY CRAZY THOUGHTS

I get that it is meant to be funny. Maybe I must be menopausal to get the joke? I will return in 15-20 years and find out.

Yes We Clam!

2008-11-16T16:42:00.001-08:00

Freshly rinsed clams trying desperately to escape the bucket.

Clams in my net. I am personally responsible for their untimely deaths.

The mighty huntress. In my left hand I hold the clam gun. Action shot to follow.

Tom shows how it is done. First you must find a little hole in the sand indicating a clam lurks beneath the surface. Then you plunge the clam gun down over the hole as far as you can and pull up a column of sand using suction. Hopefully the clam is in the column of sand. If it is you put it in your net and go after another one. If the clam is not in the sand you go back in the hole and dig down further. If you still don't get it you move to a new location.

Saturday, after the mail route, I went to the beach house with Tom. It was a clam tide weekend and so we loaded up dig supplies (clam gun, nets, lanterns) and drove up the beach to the spot that he swears offers up the best digging. I don't think I am allowed to reveal the location. Ever since we moved up here its been "clam this, clam tide that". As a vegetarian I poo pooed all the clam talk. I wonder if I must surrender my veggie credentials after this weekend. Why did I agree to participate in such a barbaric activity? Peer pressure. Plain and simple. I mean, everyone is doing it. Matt has already been initiated. I was beginning to feel left out.

Before going digging I said if I caught one I would eat a clam. I am backpedaling now. See, I didn't realize that when we dug them up parts of the clams would be wiggling outside of the shell. I thought everything would be all hidden inside the clam, no fuss, no muss. But that is not how it works. This fleshy, squirming thing-a-ma-bob hangs out the end all, "help me! help me!, the Horror!, the Horror!". I am sooo not down with that (tiny screams are ringing in my ears).

We bagged our limit of 15 clams each and clams are on the menu tonight. I will probably take a bite. If I do, it won't be because I am holding to my word. It will be peer pressure all over again.

Update: I put a bite of clam in my mouth and was chewing the rubbery awfulness when Matt said, "ha ha. you are no longer a vegetarian". So I pulled the partially chewed gelatinous mass out of my mouth and put it on his plate. Verdict: I don't like clams. It is not a sacrifice to keep them out of my mouth.

If You Happen to See the Most Beautiful House in the World . . .

2008-11-16T16:38:00.000-08:00

Yeah. That is my house. Yep. The really awesome looking one.

The siding is going up. It kills me how beautiful it is going to be. What you see here is the boards, pre-batten. The battens are 3" and will be centered over each seam.

Election Night

2008-11-05T06:29:00.000-08:00

Yes We Can!!

Screen grab of the map just after the election was called on CNN but before the night turned into a major mandate for President Elect Obama

The magic moment.

Our little watching party was marked with tears of joy, whoops of excitement and an overwhelming sense that we would be moving back to the United States of America that we feel we were born and raised in. There are many in this election who suggested that Barack Obama was unpatriotic and even anti-American because of his calls for Change. The idea being that America is a perfect nation created by God that is always guided by God and therefore beyond reproach. Here is a quote from an article in the New York Times that does a better job of making my thoughts clear than I could.

. . .a sense that the imperial power capable of doing such good and such harm — a country that, they complain, preached justice but tortured its captives, launched a disastrous war in Iraq, turned its back on the environment and greedily dragged the world into economic chaos — saw the errors of its ways over the past eight years and shifted course.

They say the country that weakened democratic forces abroad through a tireless but often ineffective campaign for democracy — dismissing results it found unsavory, cutting deals with dictators it needed as allies in its other battles — was now shining a transformative beacon with its own democratic exercise.

(a note of context: the article was discussing the views of citizens of other countries but it applies to me as well.)

When I say I want Change and I believe when Barack Obama calls for change what we are aiming for is a return to the beauty of the country as an ideal, as an example to the world. As Bill Clinton put it at the DNC, "The world is more impressed with the power of our example than the example of our power". Ronald Reagan's reference to the Shining City on a Hill from the bible and from John Winthrop has been mentioned frequently in this election season. Far from being that shining beacon, I feel that we have turned into a bully with a club, earplugs and blinders. The election results of November 4th 2008 relit that beacon. It is burning again and I hope that the flame only gets brighter as we all work together to put the economy back on track, ensure that all our citizens can afford health care, search for energy solutions, end wars started by lies, support our allies when the cause is just, mend an ailing educational system, and a host of other issues that will require the leadership of President-Elect Obama and the participation and support of the people of America.

Count me in.

CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT OBAMA AND HAPPINESS TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

2008-11-04T20:04:00.000-08:00

We are so happy!

1000(ish) Words Because I Have No Pictures

2008-11-02T21:32:00.000-08:00

I have a 3 gallon glass carbouy sitting in the garage that is just over half full of fresh apple cider. The other day I went over to Tom and Kathy's house. Kathy and I filled a bunch of bushels full of apples from their trees. There is a fellow in Toledo called Kendall and he recently acquired an antique cider press and was looking to put it to good use. So we washed up all the apples and got the machine rolling. First all the apples went into the crusher. The crushed pieces fell through to the tray on the bottom of the machine where they were caught in what looked like a bottomless bucket. Once the bucket was full we pushed it forward along the tray so it was positioned underneath the press. Fitting a round wooden disk into the bottomless bucket we pressed all the juice out of the apple bits. I figure that we had about 5 gallons by the time we were done. The whole business smelled good, tasted good and was so freaking quaint that I felt I was a subject in a Norman Rockwell painting. But you will just have to trust me on that because I didn't have my camera on my person and missed photo-documenting the experience.

Grandpa Frank

2008-10-31T12:46:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa Frank passed away in the wee hours of yesterday morning. Tom and Ben were at his side as he quietly slipped away.

I met Grandpa Frank and Grandma Nellie for the first time just over 2 years ago on our first trip to Washington. They of course knew of my existence and thought of me often but did not expect to ever meet me. Walking into their house and their arms for the first time was a very sweet homecoming. I am very grateful for the short time I was able to spend with Grandpa.

The legacy of his family speaks volumes as to the man he was. In his three sons you will find the admirable qualities of honor, integrity, community involvement, devotion to family, humor in spades, comfortable self confidence, the smarts to select amazing wives and the good sense to keep ahold of them, compassion and intelligence. A person can see the legacy continued in my brothers and cousins. Grandma and Grandpa raised their boys with the right balance of love, toughness and tenderness. Lessons learned by the children of Frank and Nellie flowed through them as they raised their own kids and has resulted in the next generation of Lahmanns following in well laid footsteps. Should you be lucky enough to meet any of my brothers or cousins you will find that they are all credits to the family, treasures as friends, and benefits to any community they live in.

Goodbye Grandpa. I am a better person for having had you in my life.

For Jenny, Compliments of Drew

2008-10-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

Jenny had a crappy and troublesome commenter on her blog so in an effort to send some friendly traffic her way and bring some silly into the equation, here is a video that Drew found and sent to me. It should be pretty obvious right away why he thought of me when he saw it. The election is just days away people. Here's hoping we all make it to the finish line with our hearts, souls and limbs intact. Love ya Jenny.

On the Mail Route - Autumn Edition

2008-10-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

More reasons why I love my job:

That is Mt. Rainier in the background.

Windows are the (many, many) Eyeballs of a House

2008-10-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

Bob and Tom

A dim shot: Matt's hat, Tom, Bob on ladder and Drew

My kitchen windows are going in!

Some ghoul hanging out of my kitchen window. I don't know who that rag-tag person is.

Deliveries!!!!

2008-10-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

Got a few truck loads of goodies this week. First up: THE WINDOWS! Yay!!!

And Yesterday? The Siding! You cannot believe the beautiful aroma rolling out of the back of the truck. I don't know if I mentioned it but we are using western red cedar board and batt for siding. It smelled sooo wonderful.

On hand to unload the truck: Matt, Tom, Drew, Bob and the truck driver.

Look! Drew as hard laborer! I called him in to help get the truck unloaded. True friend indeed.

Gorgeous!!! It will not be painted or stained but left to weather into a greyish color.

Getting Messy

2008-10-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

We needed a pad poured on which to put our heating unit. That gave Matt and Tom a chance to get dirty. I wanted to write our names in it once it was set up enough but it was still gooey by the time I left for dance class and it was too dark and cold by the time I got home to care. That is OK. The cats did the job for me. We have little paw prints criss-crossing the pad.

Dispatch from and Un-Real American Living in a Real American County Located in an Un-Real American State

2008-10-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

5 cats on the bed and a garage full of mice. Le Sigh. Number 6, Quinten, is still missing. Sometimes I think he is gone for good and sometimes I still believe that he is reenacting Rambo: First Blood. Last night I dreamed he came home but his legs had turned into rabbit legs and he had the snout of a dachshund.

If you are not sure what the title of the post refers to, click here. You probably only want to click if you are an Un-Real American. I don't think Real Americans will find it funny.

Two Steps Closer: Roof & Tyvek

2008-10-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

Jolaina's Homecoming

2008-10-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

Saturday I went back to Jolaina's house to do her make-up for the Homecoming dance. She wanted to keep with the goth theme from the other day. We just toned it down a tiny bit.

Here we are. And this is the first posted picture of me as a brace face, metal mouth, silver grill, etc.

Brother, can you spare a dime?

2008-10-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

If you can, please consider giving some love to the folks at No on 8. In a move that seethes with ignorance and intolerance, the Utah based Mormon Church is getting their hate on by fueling a massive campaign to inject discrimination into the California state constitution. Any little bit you can afford will help. You can also keep up on the proposition through Equality California.

I know that Michelle just touched on this, but I had to speak out on this as well. Bigotry and intolerance should not go unchallenged. Peace, Love and Equality for all!

The Final Leg - Mom, Don't Read This One

2008-10-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

Here in my neck of the woods voting is not done at polls. It is strictly mail in. That bugs me because I like the ritual of waiting in line with my fellow citizens, entering the booth to mark my choices and, if I am honest, I miss getting my "I Voted" sticker to wear around all day. Yesterday on the mail route I delivered ballots to all the registered voters on my route. I felt a spark of pride as I carried my important deliveries, like I was serving a purpose in democracy. Today Matt and I filled out our ballots and I will mail them back when I go in to do the mail route on Monday. So from here on out, all the jibber jabber from federal, state and local candidates will land too late on our ears. We have voted. And for the first time in many, many years we have voted with hope and excitement for a new future. Long live democracy.

One final political note, I wish we were still in California to help with the No on Prop 8 campaign. We have donated money but that isn't the same as casting a vote (unless you are part of the Mormon force of unity). Good luck with that faux-compassion routine. I would rather have children raised in an all inclusive environment that might include an occasional encounter with a married gay couple than to have children raised in an environment of dual standards. Separate but "equal" did not work during the civil rights movement and it is equally despicable here. I know, I know, you view it as a choice so you don't think it it qualifies for comparison to the civil rights movement. To that I say that your opinion/faith/religious doctrine does not square with the real life experiences of any gay person I have met thus far in my life. An untruth repeated over and over again does not become truth.

Jolaina Goes Goth

2008-10-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I headed over to Jolaina's house to do her make-up for school. This is Spirit Week at Toledo HS (culminating in Homecoming this weekend) and each day has it's own theme. This is Jolaina going goth. Girl is committed! I think she looks great.

Sigh

2008-10-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

On a daily basis beauty that surrounds me causes me to catch my breath. Taken at 7am on Oct 14, 08.

Weathering In

2008-10-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

Roof in progress.

Can you Tell What This Is?

2008-10-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

A poor little bat got flushed from the Sister House, flew into the garage and got stuck to flypaper. He was long dead before we found him. I can tell you that we are now anti-flypaper. I mean how many bugs do you think a bat eats in one night? Probably a bunch more than were stuck to that strip before the bat got nabbed.

Rest Easy

2008-10-12T13:12:00.001-07:00

A decision has been made.

A few months ago I posted about the trouble we were having committing to a trim color. We finally picked a color and are painting the fascia boards so that we are ready to put gutters up as soon as the roof is on. The roof installation begins on Monday (tomorrow as of this writing).So, ta da! Here it is. It is Forest 05 from Yolo Colorhouse. It is kind of army greenish and we think it will look nice with the weathered cedar siding. It blends in with our natural surroundings really well. Matt was painting when I got home from the mail route yesterday and as soon as saw the color on the house I knew it was the right choice. If you click on the Yolo link, take note of Forest 04 also. That will be the color of our front door.

Sister House State of Affairs

2008-10-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

First Visit from Family

2008-10-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

Dar and Win were the first family from Utah to make the trip to Winlock. They arrived just after we got home from Los Angeles. It was fun to show them the progress on the house. We had dinner at Tom and Kathy's, lunch at the Pub with Drew, an exhaustive tour of Winlock and we also took a trip up to the Mountain. FYI, when someone says "the Mountain" around here you can bet that they are referring to Mt. St. Helen's.

Downtown Winlock

The Mountain in clouds. This was as clear as it got while we were up at the Johnston Ridge Observatory.

Trip to Disneyland Recap

2008-10-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

I didn't take many photos on our trip to Los Angeles. In fact, here are all of them:

The beautiful and supremely delicious cupcakes from Violet's Cakes in Pasadena (eaten while in Lucky Baldwin's Pub).

My first trip on the Monorail at Disneyland!

It was really strange being back "home". It still feels familiar down there, like an old shoe. Felt like home was in two places, Winlock & Hollywood. That said, I was happy to get back to Washington. I have grown accustomed to the slower pace of life here. It is really nice to have time to enjoy the scenery around me and time spent with friends and family.

Returning to the Blogosphere Gradually

2008-10-10T07:17:00.000-07:00

Hat tip to Popbitch for this video.

I am still here.

2008-10-08T20:10:00.001-07:00

Just a little crabby. Don't want to spread the disease. Working on my mood. I will be back when I am feeling jollier.

The Puyallup Fair

2008-09-16T21:12:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday Matt and I went to the Puyallup Fair with Drew. It was fun. We lasted about 4 hours in the glorious sun before the fair weariness overtook us and the crowds began to freak us out.

First thing we saw was this master carver of giant pumpkins. They were selling giant pumpkin seeds. Matt was considering buying some but what would we do with a 1000 pound pumpkin. Sure it would be fun for awhile but what about when it starts to rot. You know it won't fit in the trash can and that, my friend, would be some stinky pumpkin.

"What would it take to get you to sign a contract for delivery on a lovely inflatable spa today? How's about we throw in the inflatable lady to sweeten the deal?"

This picture doesn't really capture the sadness of the "designated smoking area". There they were, all huddled together under a little tent with cops patrolling the perimeter to make sure that they didn't contaminate any of the non-smoking fair goers. Drew, that should be reason enough to quit right there. You don't get no respect from the Puyallup fair.

Yeah. It seems like it would be easy to crack a snarky comment on this photo but I am tired and WE ARE GOING TO DISNEYLAND TOMORROW!!! so snark amongst yourselves.(and by tomorrow I mean that we are flying to Los Angeles. We won't actually be in Disneyland until Saturday)

White Privilege

2008-09-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

Oi! The ever vigilant and always spot on Tengrain over at Mock, Paper, Scissors has spotted a brilliant post over at RedRoom via Acts of Hope. If you can offer a sound and concise rebuttal please try. I look forward to the chuckle.

The Puyallup Fair - Food

2008-09-16T20:59:00.001-07:00

Where the prize winning beef goes after the blue ribbon ceremony.

We all know that food at the fair is expensive and yet, we are still shocked when a soda clocks in at $3.25. That is better than the water I bought later: $3.50.

My piroshky. Now is the time for me to say that I am really jealous of the fairs that Nathan has been going to in Ohio. The food looks so much more fun. This is the most exciting thing I could find. I mean a person can only eat so many funnel cakes and elephant ears before they go searching for something new. I miss the Los Angeles County fair. It is a fair that serves up everything deep fried. Ain't nothin' wrong with that once or twice a year.

Here are ladies engaged in piroshky preparation.

Matt's "Flamin' Hot Cheesy Brat"