Yesterday evening was DR's memorial service. It was a very nice service. She volunteered a lot. Many of the organizations she volunteered for where there. We heard stories about her, her love of gardening, her no-nonsense attitude and her sense of humor.

It's made me think of my life. I've always planned my life by looking ahead. What do I want to do next? How do I want to grow? DRs memorial has made me ask "What do I want to leave behind when I die?" and "How do I want to die?"

At the memorial we realized we didn't know much about DRs life.  She had a nephew who didn't attend. While we heard about her volunteer work, we didn't learn anything about her family. We don't know why she moved to the city of Kent. Her businesses and home where in miles away in Seattle and Tacoma. Yet, for some reason, one day about 20 years ago she showed up in Kent and started volunteering. Everything was grateful she moved there. No one knows why.

Busy weekend. The weather has been georgous here. I most of the days outdoors, either hiking, on the motorcycle, working on the back yard.

Saturday evening we attended a Martini Party at the store. W, L & D were there. W has been writing and has published two mystery novels in the past year. L has also started writing again. She was laid off from work and now has much time on her hands. She hasn't written in years. She's a romance novelist, so she's starting again.

Sunday, the neighbors invited us over for hooka. A year ago, they visited the middle east. Bates fell in love with hooka machines. He likes the idea that a bunch of us would just hang around the table and smoke. It was nice, but I'm not in love with it. I still have the taste of hooka in my mouth.

DR died. I think she died alone. RO feels bad about this.

DR was an 80 year old woman who outlived most of her family. Se had one remaining nephew.

Five years ago she lived alone but was very active. She volunteered for many things and came to the store regularly where she helped out a little.

A couple of years back, her memory started fading. You had to watch over her because she would forget. Not long after this, her nephew moved her to an old age home.

She never really took to the home. She had few friends there and felt couped up. Even with her memory problems DR wanted to be active. The people in the home sat around all day, chatted and watched TV. When we talked to her last, she said she was just waiting around until she died.

We last saw DR over Christmas. We took her out to the men's choir for Christmas Carols. It was a pleasant evening.

Then the months slipped by and we didn't keep in regular touch with DR. At Easter RO dropped in to give her an Easter basket. But, he was too late. DR had died a month earlier.

RO feels bad about not keeping in better touch with DR. Her death has caused me to reflect on my future. I don't have kids or family to take care of me when I get old. Perhaps RO will be around, or perhaps not. Inevitably my body will decay, and I too will become a burden. I like to dream that I will be fit as a fiddle until I'm 90 when I will quickly and painlessly die in my sleep. But, that's not how it usually happens.

Today, Easter Sunday is a wonderful day. The weather is warm. The breeze is pleasant. The sun feels wonderful. I needed this. Its been cloudy and raining for too many months here in Seattle.

CJ/Rick said...I've thought for a couple of years that I would
like to have a bike. As a rider passed me on the freeway the other day, I
was wondering how long I could ride without back pain or leg cramps. Good
luck on your trip!

Cruisers can be comfortable. But yes, bikes can can cause cramps. You also get a right forearm cramp from holding the throttle.

Clem and Bates came over for dinner the other night. Of course we drank too much and had a great time.

My brother and I are planning a motor cycle trip down the coast. I'm a little nervous about this. I have never rode my bike for more than an hour at once. This trip will be 2000 miles and 10 days long.

To make work even more complicated, two guys on my team are having kids this summer.

This March is more cold than January. We've had snow twice.

At work, the strongest and most senior person on my team has told me he's leaving. I'm still digesting this news. So much counter planning has to happen.

It's been a year now since I started my health kick. I hike to Coal Creek Falls most every weekend. I stick with a slow-carb diet and eat very little sugar.

Currently, I've lost 25 lbs, 2 pant sizes and I sleep better than I ever have.

For all the snow, ice and flooding that has hit area, the last few days have been have been pleasant. There have been no power or internet outages at our home and the roads have been clean enough that we can come and go as we please. I consider myself fortunate. I have friends and co-workers who have been trapped at home for days with no power.

In the forest behind the house, every few minutes you can hear a large branch cracking and falling.

Seattle is bracing for a snow storm. Up to 8 inches in the next 24 hours. Most people have left work for home.

The last leg of my flight back home was cancelled. I'm stuck in Chicago for the night.

I am jet lagged. I slept off and on though the first half of the flight. So I can't fall asleep now. I still feel groggy. I didn't get much sleep last night. Maybe I can find some sleeping pills and knock myself out till the flight home.

Tonight was the extended family Xmas dinner. About 45 people showed up. Its difficult to remember them all.  I know all of the cousins, a quarter of their spouses and none of there kids.

It was good to catch up with everybody. Even though I share nothing in common with them, I enjoyed it very much.

At my parents, it's snowy and frozen. 10F if you'd like to know. Back home it's 55F.

Mom is in the hospital. Her heart was racing this morning. It does that from time to time. She will be OK.

She is supposed to rest more, but she's not good at that. Yesterday was the Family XMAS dinner. Rather than making Dad and I do most of the work. She pitched in and worked hard. Now she's paying for it today.

Dad said, that when her heart races, all she is supposed to do is to lay down and rest. However she is so high strung, that she can't rest. She has to go to the hospital, or the thought of it makes it worse.

Am visiting my parents now. I took a red eye into Toronto, spent the day with a few friends, and there kids, then drove up to my parents. The weather is very plesant here, though plesant for the Ottawa Valley means snow and just a little below freezing.

It's almost Christmas. The weather is very warm here. I've been taking the motorcycle out every weekend.

The fall leaves have washed away. Now the forests are green again with sword ferns and fir trees.

I've been feeling something new lately-- moments of peace or calm. Sometimes it happens on the motorcycle. Other times it happens when I'm walking along a stream, or just sitting and listening to good music. I haven't felt that for a long time.

The Uninvited...A few weeks back Sandy threw a pre-Thanksgiving party. We were invited and accepted. But then I got a call from Sandy. He Uninvited us! He was very apologetic but told me he needed the party to be very calm and RO was not a calm man.

I blew him off.

Then, weeks later, BIB and I were talking. BIB mentioned that Sandy invited him over for the pre-Thanksgiving party, but then called him up and uninvited him. An ex of BIB's would be there and Sandy needed the party to be calm, so rather than risk the drama, he un-invited BIB.

It was very weird.

We are having ä big winter rain. I had to do some last minute gutter cleaning and repairs, but that is finished now. My wet feet are being warmed up by the fire.

RO and I spent the last few days at a resort on the pacific ocean. It was windy and cloudy the whole time we were there. None this less, I had a great time. The resort had great food and a nice spa. And I discovered I can spend hours watching the waves roll in. Very peaceful.

It's RO's birthday today. We are heading to the ocean for a few days. It'll be the first time he's been away from work in a very long time.

The ocean in Washington State is not the pleasant paradise you'd hope it is. It's always cold windy rainy and cloudy. Take a look at this ad which spoofs our ocean beaches http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XBOorGPE-Q

So, this will be a quiet vacation. Lots of hiking. I've also booked us in at a spa.

I've decided that I want to hike all the trails on Cougar, Squak and Tiger mountains. These are small mountains. If I stick to it, I should finish in less than a year. Cougar mountain is already mostly done.