The Gary and Kelly Show

Kelly and Dana are our closest neighbors, and Kelly is Gary's best friend.  I am calling this post "The Gary and Kelly Show" because they are always up to something and it is often entertaining.  They love sitting out in Gary's workshop, sharing confidences, talking politics, planning their next project.  Gary starts up a fire in the woodstove and they are comfortable.  There is a refrigerator and stereo there also.  They help each other when needed, and watch each other's pets if one is travelling.  They enjoy using Gary's shop for woodworking projects.

Kelly has deeply felt ideas about his impact on the planet.  He planted 1100 Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pine trees on 4 acres of his property.  They will grow to a 20" diameter, but won't be ready for harvest for 30 years.  In the meantime he feels good about making a difference in his carbon footprint.

Gary and Kelly believe in organic, sustainable gardening.  They have a project going to breed red wiggler worms for composting, expecting to have enough to sell. The amount and quality of produce they grow is impressive.  My mother says she hasn't had tomatoes like Gary's since she was in Oklahoma.  It helps that Gary hosts two horses on his property, so they have the horse manure to add to the soil.

They have many stories.  Like the time they were sitting on the deck, and they saw a tornado touch down and lift all the grass off a neighbor's field.  Or once when Gary's tractor was stuck, Kelly got on his with a rope around his waist thinking he could pull it out. Instead he almost got cut in half.

Another time Gary was spotting Kelly up on a ladder as he was helping get Gary's tomato cages down from an upper shelf in the barn.  The ladder shifted on the pea gravel, started tilting sidways, and Kelly started to fall, sideways.  Gary put out his arms, caught him like a baby, and they both went down.  Luckily the ground wasn't too hard, so no serious injuries.  But Kelly said he got a massive blood blister from the overhang of his tummy getting squeezed on his belt by Gary's rescue.  They laugh now about it. 

Here they are, collaborating in the kitchen.  They say they have probably cooked 500 meals together.

Kelly says it is good to see a photo of the two of them to decide, for sure, which one of them is taller.

And here is a photo of Kelly and Dana:

Living out in the country makes it extra important to be on good terms with neighbors.  And we're so lucky to have Kelly and Dana.

Best Weekend Ever

I know this blog is about my life in Corvallis.  But I recently had the most wonderful weekend in Portland and Beaverton, with both of my sons in town.  Jacob was here for a week and a half from Peru.  I hadn't seen him in a year, and I won't see him for another year, so it was a special time.  We started off the weekend with dinner at Sushi Land.  I love the immediate gratification of seeing and taking the small plates.  It is so easy.

Then we went to see "The Imaginary Invalid" at Portland Center Stage, meeting my friend Gererdene there.  Here I am in the alpaca shawl that Jacob brought for me.

Here I am with my best theatre buddy Gererdene:

And here are Nick and Jacob:

We laughed all through the play.

The next night Nick had a gig, so Jacob went with Gererdene and me to "Dissocia" by Third Rail Rep.  That play was pretty amazing in terms of staging, and left us with lots to think about afterwards.  I was happy that Nick got to see it another night.

On Sunday evening we invited anyone who wanted to see Jacob to come over.  We collaborated on food to serve. It needed to be a buffet which could last, as people were coming at different times.  Jacob came up with a wonderful Peruvian dish.  It had layers of mashed golden potatoes, chicken, and avocado.  Topped with slices of hard boiled eggs.  We had red cabbage with a peanut vinaigrette, Gary's home made applesauce, and a green bean/corn/tomato/chipotle pepper dish I came up with.  I made squash pies. 

The whole idea of this party was a little wacky - some family, some friends, people coming at all different times, and I asked Nick if he would play his Joanna Newsom pieces that he adapted for piano and his voice for anyone interested, later in the party.  My temporary housemate, Donnell was there.  Here he is talking with Gary.

And a new temporary housemate, Stevie, had just arrived from Boston, so she was also part of the party.  She is very cool.  She designs neurofeedback machines for people to help with various conditions.



It happened to be SuperBowl Sunday, so we needed some cheeseheads - Jeff and Amy:

And other relatives and good friends:  Here are Matt and Amelia with Jacob:

Alex, Liza, and Rod:

Gererdene and Pam:

There WAS interest in Nick's piano music.  He performed a wonderful Joanna Newsom piece and also an original composition.  Amy who has known Jacob and Nick since birth (literally!) joked that she taught Nick everything he knows.  Liza also does some piano/singing entertaining, so she had that in common.

It felt like a JUST WONDERFUL evening to me.  Guests left, which left Jacob, Nick, Stevie, Donnell and me still in the house.  I love having a full house.  And seeing these photos reminds me I really am attached to my Beaverton house.  I hope I can continue to have my cake and eat it too, with life in the country in Corvallis and trips back to my other home.

Grace Lutheran Church

I was hoping to find a 'church home' as well as a place to teach Body Recall in Corvallis.  I noticed a float in the Christmas parade that had some really rocking music, from Grace Lutheran Church so I made a mental note to check it out.  I saw this church while out driving one day, and on impulse stopped in.  They have a married pastor couple, Pastor Wendell and Pastor Netsie.  Pastor Wendell was in, and saw me right away, which made me feel good.  He was encouraging to me about the possibility of teaching Body Recall there.  It has taken awhile, but looks like it will happen in March.  I saw that they are a "Reconciling in Christ" congregation, welcoming gay and lesbian folks, which gave me a good feeling.  Plus I just like the idea of anything with the word "Grace" in the title.

I finally went to services this morning.  In my Methodist and Presbyterian backgrounds, we do not get down on our knees.  Here you have the option.  I like the idea of being able to get on my knees.  If one is having very serious thoughts about something, being on your knees gives that appropriate feeling of seriousness.

I am used to communion where we first take the bread as we receive it, and wait for the juice to drink together.  Here, you are handed the wafer which you dip into your choice of juice or wine.  Wine!  That definitely has a more serious flavor than juice that I am used to.  But I ate my wafer before dipping, not knowing about the dipping, so Pastor Netsie gave me another and discretely explained.

Their choir was small - just 8 women and 3 men today.  But they are very good - the had the sound of a larger choir.  I also stayed for the contemporary service which had a worship band of 7 and the music was enjoyable.  They have a Steinway grand piano, and a man played a wonderful Beethoven piece.  After the service I told him how much I enjoyed it.  He told me that he was the one who raised funds for the piano, and they did it in just 4 months.  That was impressive.

Several people were friendly to me.  I am interested in many of the church activities, so I think this is going to work out.  Plant a peace tree at an Islamic Center.  Chinese School Lantern Festival.  Holden Village Retreat.  Mission trips to Kenya and Mexico.  How about a field trip to the lambing barns at OSU?  Sign me up!

January 2011 Visit to Klamath Falls

Gary and I decided to visit our mothers in Klamath Falls, and being January, decided to take the train so we wouldn't need to worry about travel conditions.  The trip down was in the dark.  Comfortable and quiet.  I loved how the snowy landscape shone in the moonlight as the train pulled into town.  It all went pretty well except for the cab ride home from the train station for Gary.  I had a quick pleasant trip up the hill, but we had to share the cab with two others and Gary was the last one dropped off.  He was subjected to some political opinions that raised his blood pressure.

I have a friend from high school, Colleen.  Her husband James worked as a truck driver for my dad's logging company.  He said he had a lot of respect for my father, which of course made me feel good. Coincidentally, they purchased some firewood from Gary's mother.  On impulse I decided to invite them all to my mother's house for a little social gathering.  And invited my friends Shirlee and Sam as well.  Shirlee, who I know from the Portland area and volunteering with Operation Shoebox, now teaches nuclear medicine technology at OIT.  I can't believe it has been 5 years since she moved there!  Here are Shirlee and Sam:

The social gathering went well.  I didn't have any dress up clothes.  The geothermal heat keeps the house so warm we sweat without any layering, so we don't take many clothes.  My sisters and I have learned not to even take turtlenecks to wear there - too warm.  But my mother pulled out some fun garments that made us feel festive - Bippity Mega Bibs - created and marketed by my cousin's daughter Alice.  (See http://www.bippityalice.com/)   Here is a photo:

The gathering went well.  We got some wonderful bread pudding with whiskey sauce from a local bakery.  I made some jam-pastry squares from ingredients I found there.

I was really touched with the interest that James showed in all the photos in my dad's office.  He said he wished he had been able to talk with him while he was still alive.  That was sad - I could have arranged it if I had known his time was so short.  Sigh.  But my dad did some writing about his life as a logger, so I intend to copy to send to James.  Here is a photo of Colleen and James:



Gary's and my mothers are both from Oklahoma.  They have the same birthday, one year apart.  They are both doing pretty well.  Here they are, Theresa Kennedy on the left, and Jennie Haworth on the right:

We felt happy we had this little party.

Gary and I enjoyed some spectacular scenery on the way back.  Evergreens draped with snow, and open views of the snowy coastal mountain range.  We came back, predictably, to the gray skies of the Willamette Valley.  I have to say I do love the many clear days that Klamath Falls enjoys.

Playing Bridge in Corvallis

I signed up for an Intermediate Bridge class at the senior center - partly because I'd like to play better and partly to meet people with common interests.  They told me it was full and put me on the waiting list.  I just showed up and was grateful there was room for me.  The class consists of an hour of lesson, and an hour of practice.

I sat at a table with a young couple.  The woman, Asian, had a badge that showed she is a Med Aide and was headed to work tonight, like me!  She said she first played bridge in middle school.  The young man who must be a friend of hers showed up at a "duplicate" game (normally quite competitive), never having played before.  They are both obviously bright.

We used "duplicate" materials, which I've never played before, so I needed a little help with what to do.  The young couple were really nice to me, showing me what I needed to know.  The instructor made our "fourth".  They told me about other opportunities to play, including at the Elks Club where you can get hammered on $2 mixed drinks.  Ha, ha.  They seemed very welcoming to me, it was great.

OSU vs Arizona Basketball game

Someone gave Gary tickets to an OSU basketball game, happening last night.  I told him of course I would go with him, more to be company for him than being excited about going.  Our neighbors Kelly and Dana also wanted to go, so that made it more fun, for the four of us to go.

I got caught up in the excitement pretty fast - it was fun to see so much orange in the auditorium, and there was good hip hop music playing as we entered..  Later, I really enjoyed the pep band, I thought they did a wonderful job on the national anthem, and other energetic numbers whenever there was a break.  I do know about college music students, and know that some of them will pursue music careers or at least have music as a life long interest and gift.  My mind wandered, to thinking how interesting if we could know about the future for each one of them, and the future for each of the athletes.  Here is a photo of the colliseum including the band:

It was also entertaining to watch the cheerleaders and dance team.  The women were saucy and athletic.  The men mostly waved megaphones around and held cheerleaders up in the air by one foot.  Then dropped them into their arms.  Over and over.

Now for the game.  I was a little worried at the start.  Arizona was favored, and they looked big and intimidating, to me.  OSU plays kind of tossed the ball to one another as if they were afraid to move in and shoot.  It was a shakey start.  But number 22, Calvin Haynes, started moving FAST and maneuvering and all of a sudden there was a game (or that is how it seemed to me).  He and Jared Cunningham were incredible.  Here is the play that ignited the crowd:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRInedrReIs

I also loved seeing Craig Robinson - very, very cool to have Michelle's brother here. He is (tiny) in this photo.  I have only been using my iphone lately for photos, so there is no zooming.

Anyway, it was a very close game and so extra thrilling that OSU won.  I think I will want to go again.

Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise

Recently we had heavy rains in the Corvallis area.  One particularly dark and rainy evening Gary put on his farmer jacket, cap, and with a shovel in his hand said "It is flooding out there, water is covering the gardening and is out across the lawn.  I need to dig out an area to try to release some water".  I felt like I was in a TV episode of Lassie?  The Waltons?  Not sure which one.  But it felt very dramatic and almost life threatening.

When I headed to work, Gary said "If the road by the house is flooded when you get back, you might need to park down the road a ways."  It occurred to me that all I had were my nurse clogs - no boots.  Luckily, over night the water receded and I didn't need boots.  But the next day I went to Good Will and was happy to find these, so I'm prepared if it happens again.

Once the sun was out I had Gary give me a water tour.  Part of it is he has a pond.  It is fed by water that travels from nearby hills, and through an underground culvert.  There are two small culverts that can redirect water to a creek if it gets too full.  Open them up was part of the flood control.  There is one more source of water that flows around the property, also from the hills, also goes into a creek.  This was the place that gets clogged and needed some digging out.  These creeks flow into Soap Creek and on into the Luckimute River which flows into the Willamette. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luckiamute_River)

It was a beautiful day while we were out.  I knew he grew hay for horses and was curious where it was.  He told me I was standing on it.  I said "It looks like grass."  He asked "What do you think hay is?".  He planted a combination of Timothy and Rye, and here is what it looks like:

Geese have been hanging out in Corvallis instead of flying further south, and it is causing problems as they eat away at fields.  Thousands of them.  Gary has his share on his pond, but Lola loves chasing them off.  Here she goes:

And here are the geese in flight, from Gary's pond:



Today was so cold they were sunning themselves in the field instead of swimming.  But warmer weather and rain will be coming back soon.  Maybe I'll get to wear my new boots.