Adams Wife’s Weblog

July 12, 2008

Instead of sending flowers for Ed’s funeral, my niece sent me a kit to plant a tree in his memory. This is what it looked like when I planted the little acorn.

This is what it looked like last week when it finally sprouted.

And this is what it looked like yesterday.

When it has grown for a few decades, it will look like this.

I think this is such a good idea. I didn’t know you could send someone a kit to grow a tree! We will eventually give it a permanent home in the yard with a plaque as a memorial to Ed. So much longer-lasting than flowers.

TAILS - Share a Summertime memory

I think my favorite summertime memories are of all the years we went camping for our vacation. We lived in Idaho in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. There was a range to the south of us about a 30-minute drive away and another to the north that took one to two hours depending on our destination. These are part of the Sawtooth Range.

Whenever we went camping there were relatives and friends along, whether it was just Grandma and Grandpa or a whole host of aunts, uncles, cousins and various friends of the family. I was in my 30’s before I realized that I grew up in a small family - mom, dad, my sister, and me and later a younger brother. Because there were always so many relatives and friends around I thought I was part of a very large family. And I was.

We camped in a tent hung from a rope slung between two trees. There was no floor in the tent, so we had to put down a ground cloth, and Dad always dug a trench around it so if it rained the water would not run under the tent and soak all that was within.

My most vivid memories are, of course, of disasters that befell us. Once when we were camping it rained hard. After several hours of this and no sign of it letting up Mom and Dad decided it was time to go home. Dad had knocked out his front teeth in a bicycle accident when he was a kid and so wore a partial plate. As we hurriedly rolled up the tent and packed the car to go home he set the glass with his teeth in it on a tree stump out of the way. We were several miles down the road before Dad realized he didn’t have his teeth. Back we went and found the glass still sitting on the tree stump and collecting rain water.

Another time we had taken our puppy with us when we went camping. I think he enjoyed being out in the woods, I really don’t remember. I do remember that when we got ready to leave we couldn’t find him anywhere. Then we heard him whimpering. We followed the sound to the tent that had already been rolled up ready for packing. Dad unrolled the tent and the pup came bounding out, very happy to see daylight once more.

Most of our camping trips were without disaster and we spent many happy days exploring the mountains, playing in the creeks, fishing in beaver dams, and bathing in warm springs when we got dirty. It was wonderful to be a child and to be free to run and roam, but never getting out of range of a call from an adult.

For more Summertime Memories be sure to visit our hostess. And check out this month’s featured blog, our very own Forgetfulone.

Friday, June 20

Pensieve challenged us to wax poetic about trash - specifically about THIS trash. So here goes - killing two birds with one stone.

Trashy Haiku

More Haiku Friday

More Friday’s 40 or Less

If the globe is warming, why has it skipped Washington, Oregon, and Idaho?

Although we finally have trees in bloom, it is still cold and wet in the Pacific Northwest, which is where I live. Recently our highs have been in the 50’s with an occasional day in the 40’s. Yes, while the rest of the country is sweltering in the 90’s and above, we are a bit chilly. The forecast calls for highs in the 80’s next week. What happened to 60 and 70? Aren’t those temperatures supposed to show up before 80?

We’re having grey skies, with lots of wind and rain.

There is one benefit of all the rain, however - Everything is really green and lush. But the grass is hard to control. Being constantly wet makes it grow and grow and nearly impossible to mow.

6/10/08

I share a home with my daughter, her husband and her children. She has four children ranging in age from 4 to 10. If there is one lesson to learn from sharing a home with children it is that peace begins with each individual. It then spreads to include those with whom we live. If our homes fail to produce peace, we will never be at peace with the world. I long for world peace - love and harmony shared by all mankind. I work for peace in my home - love and harmony shared by siblings, parents, and grandparents. When I achieve the latter, I will go to work on the former.

More Peace Blogs

5/29/08

Mimi Writes had a good idea and decided to share it with others. I heard about it from Roger at Idaho Photo. Below is the story from Mimi herself. This is not a meme for which I will be tagging you. Please tag yourself and join the BlogBlast for Peace on June 4, 2008. I’ve already begun working on my post for peace. I think this is an idea worth supporting. Be sure to check out the blogs on June 4 whether you participate or not.

BlogBlast For Peace Meme ~ Join The Revolution
Here are the rules and the story.
Copy this into a post, ADD YOUR NAME to the bottom of the tag list and tag as many people as you’d like.
The Peace Globe project began in the fall of 2006 with a simple post from one blog, Mimi Writes. The post ignited a flame in the blogosphere. The flame became a passion. The passion became a movement. It amazingly traveled from blog to blog to blog across the globe. Bloggers wrote passionate articles on what peace means to them, along with the promise of three Latin words scribbled on a globe - Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace) - branded with the integrity of their names or blog names. It was positively inspiring to watch. And it began to happen all over the world - from Singapore to China to Afghanistan to Brooklyn.

It was simple. And powerful.

In less than one week bloggers from all across the globe will blog for peace.

We will speak with one voice. One subject. One day.

Won’t you join us? June 4, 2008

How To Get Your Peace Globe In 4 easy steps!

1. Choose one of the four Peace Globe designs in this post. Right CLICK and SAVE in JPG format. Grab the globe at the top or go HERE for other choices.

2. Sign the globe using Paint, Photoshop or a similar graphics tool. Decorate the globe anyway you wish. You can even include the name of your blog. Click here for hundreds of inspiring examples from previous BlogBlasts. If you need help with this, ASK! I will help you myself or send someone else to your blog.

3. Return the peace globe to me via email ~ mimiwrites2005 at yahoo.com - Let me know your blog’s name and url by leaving a comment here and signing the Mr. Linky. Your submission will be numbered and dated in the official gallery . Your globe and post will be listed on the Official BlogBlast For Peace website and The Peace Globe Posts page.
Here’s the most important part.

4. On June 4, 2008 DISPLAY YOUR GLOBE IN A POST. Title your post “Dona Nobis Pacem”. This is important. The goal is for all blog post titles to say the same thing on the same day. Write about peace that day or simply fly your globe. Click here for examples of peace globe posts from previous BlogBlasts.

I, Mimi Pencil Skirt, royally tag the following.

A Simple Life Alasandra & The Cats Amel’s Realm Amori,poesie,arte,chat by Hanna
And Miles To Go Before We Sleep… Another Desert Rat Anyhow Blogs Ask A Lesbian BearsMountain Bijoux & Banter Cafe At the End Of The Universe Caught In The Stream Clumsy Mommy Dottie’s Place Drowsey Monkey Feathering On My Nest Heart Of Rachel Hello?….Is This Thing On? In Search Of Life It’s All Good It’s Not A Weekend: It’s A Lifestyle JB’s Small World Julie’s Blog Just About Scrapping Just Me And My Creations
Just Write akeside Lair Laketrees Late Night Latte Leaping Before I Look Life Is A Roller Coaster Mama Pajama Maremagnum Marie Millard Maryannaville Momto3cubs My Dogs Keep Me Sane My So-Called Site Pet Monologues Rainbow In The Golden State Real World Mom
Reba’s Run Rooms Of My Heart ose’ World Sarah Spelled The Right Way Secret Monologues
Ship’s Log Of GT281 Simply Sassy Speedcat Hollydale Tarheel Ramblings Tell Me About It
That Grrrl The Backwoods Drifter The Cookie Sheet The Evil Blogger Twin The Furry Diva
The Gaytheist Agenda his And That this is Jo Beaufoix.com…..like Kate Moss, but not
This That and The Other Thing Vixen’s Den What She Said Too Will Write For Food
Witty Writer Gal Wonderland Or NotWorld So Wide Your Caring Angels Adams Wife’s Weblog

I shall return with Round 3 and an official globe count and list of missing locations…….

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE TAGGED TO PLAY.
Please consider passing this meme through the blogosphere.

This is Mimi Pencil Skirt reporting from the lovely land of the Peace Globes.

Memeing the Movement.

Wordless Wednesday

5/28/08

Shoshone Falls of the Snake River. I took these photos about a month ago. I had planned to get some new ones this week, but it was raining too hard to get out and take the shots. I hope to get some shots while the river is still high from the snow-melt and all the rain we’ve been having.

I recently bought bamboo sheets for my new mattress.  They are soft and smooth, silky without being satiny slick.  After I bought my bamboo I read that the fabric-making process uses up a lot of energy - making it a negative impact product rather than the eco-friendly fabric I was expecting.  So I decided to do some research and see what I could learn.

I found this article/ad that explains away the use of toxic chemicals in making bamboo fabric.  And this article which says, yes bamboo production has some problems, but it is still better than cotton.

The upshot of my limited research is that the negatives of using bamboo are less than the negatives of using other fibers.  According to this article the ultimate choice comes down to what we, the consumers, will support.  Just as organically-grown cotton is better for the environment, so there are processes that are better for the environment in producing bamboo fiber.  It ultimately comes down to what standards of production we demand.

I’ve started to post several times today, and never made it.  We’ve had some lovely sunshine and the snow is steadily disappearing.  I’m hoping to get outside tomorrow and enjoy it.

I’ve had a corned beef brisket cooking all day.  It will soon be done.  I’ve added some potatoes, carrots, and cabbage to the pot.  Nummy!  I love corned beef and cabbage.  The first time I made dinner for Ed it was corned beef and cabbage, so it’s a sentimental thing, too.

My blood pressure is getting better since we adjusted the medication Friday.  Now it only changes by one or two points when I stand up instead of dropping 20 points or more.  Now if I can just shake this cough I may actually feel good.  It’s been a long time since that happened.  It’s something I’m looking forward to.

I was  watching The View this morning.  They had a lot of information on using environmentally safe products.  It was quite interesting.  You can check their website if you’re interested.  They talked about diapers and laundry detergent and personal care products as well as using renewable bamboo and recycled glass, etc. in building or remodeling your home.  They even talked about buying organically grown cotton.  Said it takes a pound of pesticide to grow a pair of jeans.