17 April, 2020 - Errands in a Snow of Cherrie Blossoms
Dear, Mom-
The sun was out today. It was nice and warm. Were you able to feel it? Did they take you into the court yard so the sun could greet you and the breeze give you a tickle? I sure hope so.
I've been dealing with errands about town and a tick problem. The errands were done quickly enough today, but there are always more tomorrow. I don't want the elderly people I work with to go to the store and risk getting sick, so I suit up and go. I have two masks, hat, and disposable gloves. We are supposed to protect ourselves. When I tell you about this, don't be scared. Everything seems like business as usual when you are in a store, but people are taking precautions to not get sick...so, most look like me with my protective gear. My outer mask is a bold Hawaiian print which Kim sewed for me. I reminds me of something you would have made had a crisis like this arose and you were at your trusty Singer sewing machine. Just like those great Hawaiian shirts you made us. And those crazy, skate shorts (Picasso/Pavarotti Brand) that you made for Jodi and I. We took orders and sold them at school. Geez. I guess I was a bit of a trend setter back then. We had quite a few orders. Ha. Funny to think back to that after all these years.
The tick problem. As I have told you in other letters, Elsa the dog has had ticks lately. Today makes the third tick and it was determined to stay. I finally removed it. Elsa was very good. Since we have had multiple now, I decided to go to the Feed & Seed across the river in Linnton and get some organic Flea & Tick yard spray. I really doused the lawn. It smelled very peppermint and clove-ish. It mainly has essential oils in it so it won't hurt people or animals. Anyway, fingers crossed that it works to keep the darn ticks away. Not even Tiff had problems with Ticks in Milton-Freewater like we are having now in Portland. So very strange.
Remember the 1980s, mom? Here is a reminder. IN 1984, I had just discovered heavy metal music, loved Levi's and Vans skate shoes. This picture is hilarious to me because it is February and I had to be freezing. If you look in back of me at the foothills of the Blue Mountains, you can see how far down it had snowed the night before. I was definitely suffering for 'beauty' here. Sweet Tiffany is the best part of the picture. She was the best dog. She was really faithful to all of us. I'm glad she lived a good, long life.
All the trees are snowing down their petals. Cherry trees, especially. The one in our back yard (it's about 150 years old), to Birgit's chagrin, rains down petals into her kitchen when the door is open on warm days. If it's not dropping petals, it's dropping cherries. Or leaves. Everything falls on the roof, back yard, the neighbor's roofs and back yards...but it is a beautiful tree. Majestic and enormous and I refuse to cut it down. I am my father's daughter and he was a nursery man. He wouldn't want me to cut it down either!
I'm tired tonight, mom. I hope to meet up with you in our dreams tonight. We'll go for donuts, ice cream, coffees, and whatever else suits our fancies. We'll visit with everyone we can think of. We'll have margaritas with Sue and Doran, Arlene and Carl and whomever else wants to join. Dad will play ping pong against Tad and most likely win. Then you'll challenge him and it will never stop because you are so evenly matched. Then will stop and have a lovely, homemade feast; turkey, mashed potatoes, Dad's green salad with pistachios, stuffing, and cranberries, rolls and anything. I will finish with your cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookies! Thank God for dreams, Mom. I will see you there soon...
I love you. I miss you.
You're youngest daughter,
Sally Ann
The sun was out today. It was nice and warm. Were you able to feel it? Did they take you into the court yard so the sun could greet you and the breeze give you a tickle? I sure hope so.
I've been dealing with errands about town and a tick problem. The errands were done quickly enough today, but there are always more tomorrow. I don't want the elderly people I work with to go to the store and risk getting sick, so I suit up and go. I have two masks, hat, and disposable gloves. We are supposed to protect ourselves. When I tell you about this, don't be scared. Everything seems like business as usual when you are in a store, but people are taking precautions to not get sick...so, most look like me with my protective gear. My outer mask is a bold Hawaiian print which Kim sewed for me. I reminds me of something you would have made had a crisis like this arose and you were at your trusty Singer sewing machine. Just like those great Hawaiian shirts you made us. And those crazy, skate shorts (Picasso/Pavarotti Brand) that you made for Jodi and I. We took orders and sold them at school. Geez. I guess I was a bit of a trend setter back then. We had quite a few orders. Ha. Funny to think back to that after all these years.
The tick problem. As I have told you in other letters, Elsa the dog has had ticks lately. Today makes the third tick and it was determined to stay. I finally removed it. Elsa was very good. Since we have had multiple now, I decided to go to the Feed & Seed across the river in Linnton and get some organic Flea & Tick yard spray. I really doused the lawn. It smelled very peppermint and clove-ish. It mainly has essential oils in it so it won't hurt people or animals. Anyway, fingers crossed that it works to keep the darn ticks away. Not even Tiff had problems with Ticks in Milton-Freewater like we are having now in Portland. So very strange.
All the trees are snowing down their petals. Cherry trees, especially. The one in our back yard (it's about 150 years old), to Birgit's chagrin, rains down petals into her kitchen when the door is open on warm days. If it's not dropping petals, it's dropping cherries. Or leaves. Everything falls on the roof, back yard, the neighbor's roofs and back yards...but it is a beautiful tree. Majestic and enormous and I refuse to cut it down. I am my father's daughter and he was a nursery man. He wouldn't want me to cut it down either!
I'm tired tonight, mom. I hope to meet up with you in our dreams tonight. We'll go for donuts, ice cream, coffees, and whatever else suits our fancies. We'll visit with everyone we can think of. We'll have margaritas with Sue and Doran, Arlene and Carl and whomever else wants to join. Dad will play ping pong against Tad and most likely win. Then you'll challenge him and it will never stop because you are so evenly matched. Then will stop and have a lovely, homemade feast; turkey, mashed potatoes, Dad's green salad with pistachios, stuffing, and cranberries, rolls and anything. I will finish with your cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookies! Thank God for dreams, Mom. I will see you there soon...
I love you. I miss you.
You're youngest daughter,
Sally Ann
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