Oh My Gosh I Can't Believe I'm Finally Hiking This Year!!

So 2024 started and somehow the rain decided to appear on all of my weekends in March, and most of April. Ugh. And when visiting places I'd never been before... Kind of have to be safe & not hike in rain. So I didn't really get into the great outdoors until late spring. But hey better late than never! Here are those photos.

Spring Splashes

The rain has prevented me from doing a lot of hiking this spring. But I have managed to get a few in. Here are the photos from Mt. Tabor & the Portland Memory Garden which I hit before Easter, and the Rhododendron Garden & part of Marquam Nature Park that I hit the last couple of weekends. I took way too many photos at the Rhododendron garden, but hey I haven't been since I was a kid, & there was a lot to see. The trails at Marquam Nature Park were sloppy wet, & one of the trails had a missing chunk due to a fallen tree that had taken it with it, so I didn't see the whole area. But since it looks much the same as Forest park... No big deal lol. 

Oxbow Park & Sandy River

I was finally able to get to Oxbow Park after its recent restoration. I completely forgot that it's right near Sandy River too. Got some great photos of both! 

Forest Park 4/4/21 / 4/11/21

Photos from hiking a couple of trails (out of the dozens) on the lower/south part of Forest Park, as well as a trail on the more northern side.

Powell Butte 3/22/21

Photos From Hiking Powell Butte 

Autumn Reflections

What can we say 9 months into 2020... From racial justice protests and vigils/memorials to historic wildfires & the smoke they brought... In times like these, we look to God, and can still find beauty and joy. With autumn comes rain, something I think everyone is grateful for this year...

Jeanette's & Mine Summer Vacation To Chalet Shalom

Here are the PICTURES from our very fun summer get-a-way to the Edel Family property!

Spring Is Still Blooming

Just because we're all staying home due to covid19 doesn't mean the world is ending. Spring is still blooming, and God is still good. Here are a couple of examples of God's beauty from my neighborhood this last week.

 

 

Summer Adventures

Photos from my trip to Silver Creek Falls with Heather & Miles!

Photos from my day at the beach with mom!

Photos from Random Summer Adventures!

Great Company Just Got Better

So I've used Method cleaning products & soap for a while because 1~ They WORK (America's Test Kitchen's green cleaner winner was Method's Purple All Purpose Cleaner), 2~ They use natural ingredients, recycled material for their packaging, & don't test on animals, and 3~ They smell great without drying out my skin. But now they just got even more amazing - They're using OCEAN PLASTIC in their packaging! Their first product of this kind is a hand/dish soap combo. It uses combines 90% recycled plastic with 10% ocean plastic the company themselves collected! Talk about commitment! And it's available at Grove Collaborative and Amazon. I'm ordering :D Thanks Method!!

Columbia River Gorge Clean-Up Campaign

There's a huge crowdfund campaign supported by non-profits and state legislation going on right now to raise money to help clean up the Columbia River Gorge after last summer's devastating fires.

Visit: Oregon's Kitchen Table to learn more! The campaign ends March 15th, so spread the word and donate!

Rainy Day Favs

Rainy Spring days call for fun things to do indoors! Here's what I am into right now!!

While the noted San Diego band released their 10th album last summer, I only recently got it so I'm still in 😍 mode!

For a thrilling, high fantasy read with biblical allegory, try Jill Williamson's Kinsman Chronicles! I'm just now finishing the 2nd book, King's Blood! The 3rd won't be out for a while sadly...

But the next Medieval Fairy Tale by Melanie Dickerson, The Noble Servant (which hits book stores this May) should fill in the void quite nicely!

And recently the creative juices have been flowing with my own novel! If you can't find a book that you really want to read, write one yourself! 😃

On TV NBC's The Voice is back in full swing, and so is my favorite show Blindspot! 

🐝 And since it's Spring, might as well do some cleaning! 😉 What are your favorite things to do on a rainy day?

Why Staying Home for Thanksgiving Matters

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, simply because it always brought my entire family together to enjoy each other's company. Growing up, and even more so now, we treated Thanksgiving like a potluck. The host usually made the turkey, but then everyone else brought their own additions, so the food was always special. But that was never the most important part. The company was. We always made a point to give each person a moment to say what they were thankful for that year, and we always said a prayer for the family before the night was over. After the meal, we would break out party activities. Some years those would be board games, other years parlor games (like charades). When all my cousins and I were teenagers, we had a tradition of watching a different Lord of the Rings movie each year. In recent years, we've been using the time to share photos of specials trips we've taken. But no matter what we did, it was always all together. It was always at someone's house, with candles lit, and a fire crackling away. It was always about community.

Black Friday has been a major shopping day for as long as I can remember. But it's only been in recent years that shopping on Thanksgiving has become a wide-spread thing. People now have Thanksgiving brunch so they can finish up and make the sale lines at 5pm. Last year sales on the holiday were very close to those that were made on Friday. Family time has become less important than getting the best holiday gift deal. Relaxing has become stressing out in checkout lines. Vandalism reports on the news have risen, and small, neighborhood corner-shops have been feeling squished. None of this is what Thanksgiving, a holiday to celebrate blessings and freedom, is all about.

Luckily more and more retailers and businesses are recognizing the problem, and are closing their doors on Thanksgiving Day. Some of the major ones include The Mall of America, Costco, Nordstrom, IKEA, Sam's Club, and AT&T. For a preliminary list this year, visit this article on KGW.com: Not Just The Mall Of America.

But we cannot just rely on big corporations to shift the holiday back to what it's supposed to be, especially when the world's largest retailer, Walmart, is refusing to close their doors. We must make an effort ourselves. An effort to stay home or go out of town with family and friends. An effort to stay away from shopping sales, in stores and online. An effort to connect with those we don't see every day. An effort to be thankful.

This year, let's make that effort.

Autumn Thoughts

"Daisy, give yourself away, Lookup at the rain, The beautiful display, Of power and surrender, Giving us today, And she gives herself away.

Rain, another rainy day, Comes up from the ocean, Give herself away, She comes down easy, On rich and debt the same, And she gives herself away.

Let it go, Daisy, Let it go, Open up your fist, This fallen world, Doesn't hold your interest, It doesn't hold your soul, Daisy, let it go.

Pain, give yourself a name, Call yourself contrition, Avarice of blame, Giving isn't easy, Neither is the rain, When she gives herself away.

Daisy, why another day?, Why another sunrise, Who will take the blame, For all redemptive motion, And every rainy day, When he gives himself away.

Let it go, Daisy, let it go, Open up your fist, This fallen world, It doesn't hold your interest, It doesn't hold your soul, Daisy, let it go.

Let it go."

~From the song 'Daisy' by Switchfoot