Easter Weekend



Daffodils in the Skagit Valley

Dear Cal,

  Just back from a weekend away.  Went to visit friends north of Seattle, just in time for the Tulip Festival.  Thanks to the continuing cold (snow on those foothills) there were probably three field tulips blooming in the whole valley.  But the daffodils were glorious!  It made my heart soar to stand in the fields and drink it all in.  And, as a bonus daffodil blooms were given to everyone attending the Easter services at the church I visited.  It was wonderful in every way.

All my best,
Kate

Ready to Celebrate

This year's flock of butter lambs

Dear Laurel,

We are ready to celebrate the best and brightest day of the year! The lambs are finished and have been delivered; I have one remaining to take to Easter lunch with me.  It's always quite a moment to open the refrigerator and be met by all the little faces peering back.  I hope that you and yours will experience the deepest blessings and joy as you celebrate the Resurrection!

All my best,

Kate

Perfect Pie Crust

Thanks to Graphics Fairy for this lovely pie

Dear Sonja,

   On Thursday evening a friend and I took dinner to an older couple--older meaning they are of the generation who has a deep and abiding appreciation for skillfully made pie and layer cake. I took an apple crumble pie because I thought they'd enjoy it.  As everyone took their first bites I felt like I was 15 again, waiting for the verdict....  The conversation went from "crust like plywood," to "not flaky at all," to "doughy", everyone offering an animated opinion on what passes for pie crust.  And then someone said, "Not like this pie... this pie is wonderful, the crust is perfect." And they meant it. Oh blessed, wonderful relief!  It made my day.

All my best,
Kate





Truth

Dear Laurel,

I've been in deep thought about the purity and beauty of truth.  In our world, yours and mine, we've been conditioned to guard the truth, to not reveal too much about what we really think, or to not openly say things that would cast someone else in a poor light, even when we're asked by a trusted person who needs to know.  We hint at truth hoping that the other person will somehow find it.  I saw the folly of it all the other day, stricken by my withholding.  It takes discernment and boldness to know how and when to speak; don't miss it.

All my best,
Kate

Good Words

Song of Solomon 2:12

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

Lilacs

Dear Sonja,

Remember the card I sent in October, the one with the remontant bloom on the little lilac?  Well here it is again, at the right time, in the right season... and every little branch is loaded to overflowing with the visible promise of the glorious blooms to come.  I need to devise a plan for supporting the weight of the flowers--how wonderful is that?  There's just nothing like the joy of springtime when hope delivers on its promise.  Tell me what you see in your garden.

All my best,
Kate

Unexpected

Unexpected sunbeam



Dear Laurel,

It's almost here--on Wednesday evening I will see a dream fulfilled, only it doesn't look like I thought it would.  Sounds like a Biblical theme, doesn't it?   It was an unexpected God-thing the way it came together with a phone call from someone I didn't know.  This new opportunity is still about community, serving, and the church, but now it is focused on offering resources to serve, support, and care for some of the most valuable and vulnerable of our society--our elders, and their families.  It's a paradigm shift in the dream, but  I'm ready, I know my stuff, and I'm excited. 

All my best,
Kate

I have not 4 got 10 you

From my collection

Dear Cal,
  I have not fogotten you, or any of the rest of my friends.  You know how it is... as each bit of time passes by it becomes harder and harder to return to the habit of writing, no matter how much a person cares about the process, the method, and the friends.  The message above is quite pointed and I'll bet that Mr. A. DeCasto of Danners, Mass was in big trouble with the person who sent this card--no signature needed, apparently!  For whatever reason he kept it, and it's easy to see that nothing has really changed over the last 100+ years. Oh yes, and I'm still looking for a card from you!

All my best,
Kate

Valentine's Day

Dear Laurel,

I still love Valentine's Day.  When else can you pour out your affection and kindly thoughts on your friends and family and have them readily accept with a happy and sometimes surprised, "Thank you!" I invited six single women of various ages to come for a Valentine's dinner party.  No one had to stop and think about it.  They all said yes and now the anticipation is running high.  It's just fun to have something special planned for a day often thought of as a couples only day. I'm all for making it a good day for everyone.  Hope you and your dearly loved will have a sweet time together where ever you are.  We'll talk soon.

All my best,
Kate

Making it real

Dear Sonja,

  When we were out for coffee the other day you asked how I was doing with living alone.  That day, and the days previous, I was doing fine.  This afternoon when I came home, still not feeling 100% I felt at loose ends.  So many things have changed, so many things to think about.  The only thing for it was start in the kitchen.  It was a rush of comfort to see the apple peel curling away, to smell the cinnamon, to feel the rough edges of the oats and grit of the brown sugar.  Now I know where I am, and everything's okay.  Thanks so much for asking.

All my best,
Kate

Brown bag dinner

Dear Cal,

  When my guest turned up an hour early for dinner the other evening I wasn't ready. All of the groceries were still in the brown paper bags sitting on the kitchen floor. (I'd been home for just a short time.)  So I offered her a chair by the fire, and I prepped my ingredients as I pulled each item from the bag.  Apparently not knowing what would happen next was quite entertaining. In the end the food was good and we talked for hours.  You should try it sometime--dinner theater breaks the ice and gets the conversation rolling!   Like you always say, "Sometimes you just have to grin and get on with it."  Good advice.

All my best,
Kate
  

It was perfect



For my good friend, from Tori--2009

Dear Sonja,

  This lovely mug bounced out of the cupboard this week, hit the floor and broke into five pieces.  It's broccoli you know. (That's what she said when she gave it to me.)  Perfect for me considering how many, many pounds of broccoli Tori chopped for me in our catering days.  Perfect because it held my three shot Americano with a little milk, exactly.  But mostly perfect because of the inscription she scratched into the bottom of the mug before it was fired.  I'm going to try to glue it for pencils and pens, but if it doesn't look nearly perfect I will send it on its way and choose instead to simply remember what perfect was like.

All my best,
Kate

More than a single word

Dear Laurel,

  Choosing a single word to set a theme and tone for the new year seems to be a popular idea.  I've tried several times and I just haven't been able to make it work.  My visual self needs a picture and I think this a good one.  It was an early spring day in Olympia with a cold, brisk wind, freezing cold rain showers off and on, and the most glorious warm sunbreaks in between. These brilliant windsocks moved with the wind and rain, and danced and sparkled in the sun.  That's what I want to do this year.

All my best,
Kate

Rich

Dear Sonja,

  I hope your winter garden is as full of diamonds as mine is, and I hope you feel as rich as I do.

All my best,

Kate

Winter Sunset



Tulelake Sunset

Dear Cal,

  I have stacks of postcards to write.  I don't know how far I'll get this evening, but the trick is to do the first one then, in theory, the second one should be easier.  A good long Christmas time followed by days and days of mild, barely winter weather has made the early darkness so much easier to bear.  I love this sunset picture--my mother left their dinner cooking on the stove, put on her coat and went outside to capture it.  I think everyone should do that more often; it can change a person's outlook.

All my best,
Kate

Success!

Dear Laurel,

  We did it!  I think everyone is happy, but the grandparents are the happiest of all--in fact they're still flying high.  Just for the record it was not perfect.  After a few days there were the inevitable minor family tensions, I spent Christmas Eve evening at the ER with my mother, I missed the Christmas Eve service, and I didn't count on the ongoing fatigue factor.  But we did have fun, and we have pictures to prove it.  And yes, I would do it again!  Happy New Year to you and yours.

All my best,
Kate