TA-DA!!!

I promised you a picture the other day...'member how my dear Bergs suprised me with a fabulous gift??
Here it is. A genuine Vera Bradley bag. Feast your eyes on this little beauty!



Thank you again, Art and Simone, not just for thinking of me this time, but for all the times you have spotted a chicken or rooster that was screaming my name...oops maybe that should be CROWING my name!

I will be using this bag to its fullest potential this coming week....kisses and smooches to you both....but not at the same time...that would be weird....

Too Tense???

Or should I say Too Tents....
Over the last many years, our family has developed a beloved tradition of spending a week at Fort Stevens Campground on the Oregon Coast. Our kids have grown up attending "The Ward Campout". We're coming up on 20 years of "outdoor living" as we have come to call it. Over time we have developed and refined a system that lets us enjoy being in the great out-of-doors for a week without giving up some of the finer things in life...
As our needs changed over time, we collected tents to better accomodate our family's genuine comfort. But, as with anything that gets repeated use, some of these have become damaged, worn....seen better days as it were....Every year we promise ourselves we will "Sit down and go through each tent" to inventory and repair them so each is in A1 perfect condition....but you know how that goes...when we get home, we clean up the tents we used, put them away and then pull them out the day before (or even the day OF)packing...we leave the poor little damaged tents behind with that same promise, "We GOTTA fix those tents!!"
Well, this year Mark started vacation early to be able to spend some quality time alone with his camping gear....on Friday he pulled out all the tents....then we spent nearly all day yesterday working on them....YES, you read that right...nearly ALL day....
Let me go back a little bit so you get a better idea what were are talking about:
The Ol' Coonster and I have a nice big tent for just the two of us...it holds our queen size bed(seriously...it's an inflatable bed...on a frame...) all our gear, a couple of chairs, or stools, and my indispensable Port-a-Potty (don't knock it 'til you've tried it!)I got it a couple of years ago online....steal of a deal and it is in perfect A1 shape...I love it.
Geoff and Alexis received a nice tent as a wedding gift, so they have their own. They have already used it a couple of times, and it is in perfect A1 shape. I love it. They are all set.
This year Alexis' sister Heidi is coming from Colorado for several days of the campout. She is bringing her little toddler, Lily, so they need a tent....the one I would like them to use....NOT in pefect shape....it is our old original Coleman...it is a nice big dome tent...more than roomy for one and a half people, but one of the poles had broken...no longer in A1 shape...I don't love it.
We also have "The Jolly Roger," which is a smaller tent....the kind with 2 sort of "locker" ends for gear, then sleeping space in the middle....this one holds a soft spot in my heart...it was given to us by some former neighbors who knew we loved camping...they were moving, didn't want it and GAVE it to us...a FREEBIE...over many years Geoff and his good buddy Bobby Boland(aka Deep Voice Bobby, or Bobby Peru) shared that tent at the campout....it has great "scentimental" value...nothing like 2 young boys stinking up a tent to bring tears to your eyes! Although it hasn't been used since the boys grew up, it is in perfect,A1 condition...I love it.
We have a 7 x 7 Coleman tent-also given to us-that was used a couple of times over the last years...it seems that it wasn't properly stored after the last use...when we pulled it out to use over the 4th of July, it had a definite "funk." Kind of musty...but all the parts/pieces there...not quite A1 shape, and not quite loved. But after the Ol'Coonster scrubbed and hosed and perfumed her up...well, nothing short of perfect A1 shape....I love it!

Then comes the "First" big tent we used....it's a great, oversized tent...similar in shape to the Jolly Roger with a nice size sleeping space and smaller "lockers." This is a great tent, but it had Zipper issues...at a point close to the top of the door where it curved, the zipper teeth were a little "jakey" so zipping was an iffy prospect at times....turns out, the Ol' Coonster had kind of Gerber tooled it into submission, so it works just fine.....but one of the poles was broken....not in A1 shape, and because of the zipper issue, I did not love it...although, let me say the little side areas made a great place to put the commode.....
WELL!!! All that background to say: You cannot simply buy tent poles at the sporting goods store to fit your tent repair needs. Shocking, I know!!! After setting up 2 of the tents in the driveway( I should write another post about the neighbors and their comments)and doing lots of math...well The Ol' Coonster did the math....we figured out what we needed....but no one could sell us "off the shelf" replacement poles. Crazy,No??
Undaunted, we did what every right thinking American does....we Googled....then made a couple of phone calls....which led to a field trip over to Andy & Bax Sporting Goods, which is a scary, awesome, old school sporting goods store over on the East Side of the River.....they had (and we bought) all the stuff we needed and headed back home into the hot afternoon sun....it was 90 glorious, fabulous, rejuvinating degrees......we started setting up every tent we own in our back yard...
Oh, did I forget to mention that my co-worker Kathy GAVE me another tent on Friday? YUP!! She brought me a great Kelty tent that she planned to take to Goodwill...it had a small tear in the floor and she didn't want it.....WOW!!! DOUBLE WOW!!! It is in fantastic shape (except for a little L-shaped tear in the floor.) We set it up, Mark found our handy-dandy floor repair kit, and in 2 minutes time had made yet another 4 man tent....Perfect A1 shape. I love it.
While McGyver was rebuilding shock-cord tent poles, I peeled apples that had fallen from our tree, and hooked up the dehydrator to make apple chips.....the missionaries stopped by for a mintue to see if we could help them out with some Cortisone cream for poison something-or-other one of them had gotten into...they marvelled at the ridiculous tent city we had buit and were off to their dinner appointment.....The Ol'Coonster finished the repairs, and just before dusk we finished setting up the tents to make sure they work...SUCCESS!!!Well, to be honest, we only set up 4 of them...

So now...have you been keeping track? How many tents to the Taylors have??
Seven Tents In Perfect, A1 Condition!!!! I LOVE IT!!! My joy is full....again, I LOVE IT!
Oh, and some apple chips, too.....

WHEW!!!

I made it! It's Wednesday night, the house is..eh, SEMI-quiet(Geoff's playing a video game)and all is well.....

In a few minutes I'm going to share with you the most delightful....and I mean DEE-lightful gift I got in the mail from my fabulous sister and her husband Art....Ah, the chickens do come home to roost!!!
I love me them Bergs!!!
Right now I have to finish eating my ice cream sandwich in my backyard....but I'll be right back....go get yourself a drink, and maybe a snack....I won't be long...

Not as easy as it looks.....

We have company.....Five teenagers, to be exact.
Of course, you know that if I have a reputation for anything, it has got to be for LOVING the idea of sleepovers......
I never wanted to spend the night at someone else's house when I was a kid, and that carried over to adulthood....never really liked spending the night at strangers homes. I like staying at my sister's house and my childhood home, no problemo......probably just another of the many nueroses I suffer.....anyhoot....that also applies to people staying over in my own house.....I'm very insecure about the bed, the bedroom accomodations, and the bathroom for guests.....I don't like strangers in my private space and I consider all the bedrooms in my home private space.....
I tell you that to tell you this: Some friends of Alexis/Geoff from Reno asked if their kids could stay overnight with us on their way to EFY (Especially for Youth)Conference in Forest Grove. Forest Grove is about 30 or 40 minutes away....the kids had to be there bright and early last Monday morning....
What started out as 2 turned into 5 when all was said and done.....We had 2 kids here Saturday night, with the other 3 arriving on Sunday. They were gone all week, but had to check out of the facilities at Pacific University by 7:30am this morning. Oh, and did I mention that since there were more of them than originally planned, they didn't have enough room in the car they brought for all the people and belongings....by luck, Mark was off work last Monday morning and could drive some of them out to FG. But I'll let you do the math, they also needed help getting home.....good thing Alexis was available....Geoff is working the Farmer's Market, Mark is at work, and me.....well, I'm just not available....
The "not as easy" part is that only 1 of them is going back to Reno tonight...he's flying out sometime today...the rest of them want to sight-see and explore the Pacific Northwest, so they are staying until Wednesday morning.........I KNOW, RIGHT????? Blow up mattresses and bedding, suitcases and bags...all around the house until then....not as easy as it looks.....the kids don't seem to mind, but then, they are kids......
Another person might roll with the punches and not care....Kyle and I, on the other hand, are doing our best to keep perspective...it's not like we have to be in charge, you know? G/A are being great about entertaining them, like taking them to Saturday Market and stuff....but I just wanted to say, it's not as easy as it looks......

Time Marches on.....and on....and on....

When Mark's parents passed away, we received some of their belongings.Oneof the items was an old Mantle Clock, identical to every mantle clock in every Grandma and Grandpa's house in the entire world.You know the ones. Their clock needed some repair, and so, with every intention to repair it "someday" we packed it away and forgot about it.
A couple of weeks ago we were cleaning, clearing, and organizing the garage...and lo and behold, there in it's careful packaging was the old clock. Since The Ol' Coonster now works in a store with a full time watch/clock repairman, he took the old timepiece in for some TLC.
It was in good shape, just needed some cleaning and minor repair internally. The cabinet is nothing to get eexcited about, but it is great shape for the shape it's in! Only one problem with it.......our kids!
This is a chiming clock. The b ellrings out on the hour "gonging" the number of hours, and on the half out, a softer chime keeps everyone apprised of the exact time of the day.......or night. That's the real problem....they don't mind the daytime chimes so much, boy they do NOT care to be awakened with two, three, four, or five bells reminding them how much precious little sleep they have left! Now, I can't say as I blame them....we put the clock in our room the other night....you all know I Ambien it through the night, and don't often wake up...but when I do, it's purt near impossible to go back to sleep. It just took one night to figure out that neither the Coonster nor myself longed for the nostalgic days of sleeping over at Grandma's enough to be reminded of the time hourly, or more.....We put the clock in the dining room, but today Geoff announced that wherever that clock is located, it is ticking it's last! He says it gots ta go! I really like the clock and we did pay money to get it in working condition, but um......Geoff may have a point.....maybe we'll just let it wind down, then just sit and look interesting until we forget how annoying it sounds and crank her up again......my IPhone tells me the time without making a big deal about it....maybe I'll stick with that for awhile.....

Has anyone missed me? Did you even realize I was gone? Gee whiz, my last post was exacty a year ago yesterday...I didn't realize until today that I had been M.I.A.
In 2009 my son Geoff returned from his two year LDS Mormon Mission, my husband and I were sealed together in the Portland Oregon Temple, our two children were sealed to us, Geoff got engaged to a lovely girl, Chanel moved to Chicago with the Malley's, Geoff and Alexis got married in the Portland Oregon Temple, we had a reception here in our back yard, we went to Colorado for a reception in the Wilkerson's front yard, my mom had heart surgery in October after a heart attack, and Christmas came and went. It was a remarkable year, with nary a mention of anything significant on this blog site. What a fickle poster I turned out to be. The purpose behind my blog was to serve as a journal. So much for that, eh? I guess I better improve if I want a a cyber record of my comings and goings and daily doings.....
Some things haven't changed...still going to work every day, church every Sunday and taking it all as it comes....Northwest Book Club still meets each month, Geoff and Alexis live with us, and we are glad of that....our old Jeep, Black Beauty, broke down a couple months ago, so we bought a pretty blue Grand Cherokee....we sold Mark's old Focus, and have yet another car to sell...it's like King Solomon's choice between our old Civic and the other old Focus...neither of them are in A1 condition, but neither of them are beaters, either.....
We are going to host a a backyard gathering and outdoor movie to celebrate the 4th of July next Saturday. Hopefully Mother Nature will wipe that smug smirk off her face long enough to smile down upon us and grant us sunshine. We've had record breaking rain and cold this year....DON'T get me started on the weather!!!!!
The Ol' Coonster and I play online scrabble and text each other on our IPhones....Oh yeah, did I mention we got Iphones for Mark's birthday? I guess we're not such old dogs that we can't be taught a new trick or two...Also, I got my dad a web cam for his 87th birthday.....coolest thing ever...we see each other all the time now....
So, that's the last 18 months in a nutshell....a filbert probably cuz a peanut wouldn't be big enough...and now I resolve to write more often to truly make this a journal...what's that you say? You've heard it before? Yeah, yeah.....I know.........I know.........