Beauty All Around

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go up into the Frasier River Valley in Canada.  It was spectacular!  The mountains impressed me the most.  At times the tops of the mountains were shrouded in mist, and they seemed to be floating high above everything.  Then the mists dissolved in the sunlight, and the mountains showed their greenery.  It felt a bit like heaven. The foliage was equal to the setting, with trees painted gold and bronze in the midst of green Pine trees and bright red Sumac.  And of course the Frasier River was a constant companion.

We stopped for lunch and it was very tasty!

As we wound our way up the valley to our friends' house, we were high above the river.  We had been warned about the big slide, and it was a BIG slide.  We had one lane for about 1/4 mile, and it was winding road so we couldn't see the end..  Another car came through from the other side, which was a bit scary.  But we managed to squeeze past each other. I must say our driver was VERY good.

Once we got to our friends' house, we had a wonderful reunion and party, with excellent food.  Some of the guests I hadn't seen for some years.  That was a blessing.  Our hosts' home is just up the hill from the river, and it was lovely and peaceful.  The dog was happy to have so much attention.  She is quite sweet.

On the way home, I took lots of pictures.  It appeared to me to be even more beautiful than when we were going up the valley.  It was the release of tension that I needed.  Someday , I hope to go back up the Valley.

I Live in Beauty

I live in Whatcom County, Washington state.  That doesn't tell you why I love it so much.  My earliest memories are of Chicago - not the suburbs but the grit and dirt of the city itself.  At the time, I thought it was fine.  I hadn't known anything else.

When I was 12 we moved to Iowa, and I had a new perspective on Chicago.  Iowa at that time was full of cornfields and beef cows.  I also remember going to an experimental farm for raising buffalo.  And then I went to college in Iowa City.  I loved it there: it was peaceful, until just after the chaos of Kent State.  Then there were armed National Guards everywhere.

Then I went to Madison Wisconsin for grad school.  It was lovely too.  Then on to St. Louis Missouri for law school at Washington University.  That was beautiful - there was a large park nearby, and lots of green where my then husband and I lived and worked.

And then on to Seattle.  That was a big change.  Seattle in those days was not nearly as sophisticated as it is now.  But it was quite beautiful for a city.  I loved it there for a long time.  Then after about 14 years, I moved north to a 13 acre plot with lots of trees, chickens and horses.  That filled my heart for a long time.

Next I got a job in Olympia, the state capitol.  I lived just up a hill from the beach, next to a creek and was surrounded by trees.  That lasted four years.

I have a perspective from living in a variety of places.  When I tell you this is the most beautiful place I have ever lived, you know it is not hyperbole.

Whatcom County is truly beautiful.  There are lots of trees, hills, the Nooksack River, and Bellingham Bay.  I drive through the county often.  I live near the center of the county and my dad and I live about 20 miles from the biggest city: Bellingham.  It is green all the way into town.  Even in the "city" there are deer and other wildlife.  One of my friends lives on a plot that backs up to a green belt.  I have often seen does with their fawns in the spring, and once I saw a majestic six-point stag!  In the late summer the eagles gather on the Nooksack River to gorge on salmon.  My dad and were delighted when we saw hundreds of eagles.

We I live on an plot just shy of a half acre in a small town.  There are fruit trees and a pond.  The frog chorus is spectacular.  Mostly the people who live here are families with children.  It is a safe place.  I am looking forward to Halloween because the children are so fun to watch.  The little ones come early with a parent, and the older kids come a bit later.  It has been a long time since I've heard trick or treat from a small child.  It's fun!

One of my favorite sights is Mount Baker, majestic and clad in snow year round. There are legends about the mountain.  The natives in the area call the mountain Komo Kulshan. You can find the fascinating legend of Komo Kulshan here: http://home.online.no/~arnfin/native/lore/leg268.htm   The name means "White Steep Mountain."  From our home it is about a 1/2 drive to the National Forest, where one can see Komo Kulshan in the south and Mount Shukshan in the north.  The National Forest is in the middle, with spectacular views everywhere at any time of the year.

Truly, I believe this is heaven on earth.

The Blessing of "Aunties"

I was born in Alaska, and a native grandmother held me in church.  No one else could keep me quiet and content. She chewed the skins and made her last pair of mukluks for me.  I don't even know her name.  But I do know that she loved me.  And I know that we had a past life, in which I was her mother.  She checks in with me occasionally, and often smokes pipe with me.

 When I was two, my parents and I moved to Chicago, where I met Anna Esau.  I would crawl out of bed and totter downstairs to see Anna.  What I loved was that she adored me.  She didn't let me get away with anything, and at the same time she clearly loved me unconditionally.  I remember lots of laughter and cookies. 

One vivid memory is about my hair: it has always been very curly, and at the time, it was strawberry blond curls down to my lower back. People had so often told me my hair was pretty that I repeated it to others.  My mother was appalled and told me I shouldn't say such a thing.  But Anna Esau laughed and told Mom that I was just telling the truth.  I suspect the passersby were amused by it. 

When I was three, I had my tonsils out. I remember it clearly.  First, Mom and I went to the doctor, who took a blood sample.  Then we went to the hospital, and Anna was there.  She was an OR nurse.  I had to have a shot for pre-op. Now, when I was a year old, in Alaska, I had a serious infection and had to have shots.  I didn't like having the shots and wasn't going to let anyone do that to me again!  But . . . Anna was stronger than I, in will power even more than in physical strength.  She gave me the shot.  

She also took me into the OR and was there the whole time.  She helped me through the anesthesia process.  When I woke up I was in my hospital room with Anna right in my line of sight.

Anna had a friend, Freida, and Freida's father living in the apartment with her.  The elderly gentleman was an alcoholic.  Anna's response to that was to give him measured amounts of alcohol to drink - not enough to make him drunk but enough to keep him from painful withdrawal.  This man liked me, and he was also a carpenter.  He made me a toy chest.  It was quite beautiful.

Even when we  moved to a new apartment, Anna Esau was a part of my life.  She took Mom and me to an Estate Sale.  I spotted a beautiful little antique table, and I wanted it.  Anna had seen it too and had intended to buy it and take it home.  Instead, she bought it for me.  It was a long time before I recognized its value.  I was about forty years old when a friend who had worked at Sotheby's told me how valuable it was in money, though I already knew its value in love.

The last contact I had with Anna was a phone call.  It was surreal, partly because I had been asleep.  I had not heard from her in quite a while.  She asked about my parents, whether they were okay.  I told her they were.  Later, I found out they really weren't.  She knew.  My Dad told me that her mission was to keep families healthy - in many ways.  My parents were together for a while after that phone call, but finally they did divorce.  Both remarried.

I will never forget Miss Anna Esau: nurse extraordinaire; truth teller; lover of life; comforter of the little girl I once was.   

The Elders

I was born in Alaska, and a native grandmother held me in church.  No one else could keep me quiet and content. She chewed the skins and made her last pair of mukluks for me.  I don't even know her name.  But I do know that she loved me.  And I know that we had a past life, in which I was her mother.  She checks in with me occasionally, and often smokes pipe with me.

 When I was two, my parents and I moved to Chicago, where I met Anna Esau.  I would crawl out of bed and totter downstairs to see Anna.  What I loved was that she adored me.  She didn't let me get away with anything, and at the same time she clearly loved me unconditionally.  I remember lots of laughter and cookies. 

One vivid memory is about my hair: it has always been very curly, and at the time, it was strawberry blond curls down to my lower back. People had so often told me my hair was pretty that I repeated it to others.  My mother was appalled and told me I shouldn't say such a thing.  But Anna Esau laughed and told Mom that I was just telling the truth.  I suspect the passersby were amused by it. 

When I was three, I had my tonsils out. I remember it clearly.  First, Mom and I went to the doctor, who took a blood sample.  Then we went to the hospital, and Anna was there.  She was an OR nurse.  I had to have a shot for pre-op. Now, when I was a year old, in Alaska, I had a serious infection and had to have shots.  I didn't like having the shots and wasn't going to let anyone do that to me again!  But . . . Anna was stronger than I, in will power even more than in physical strength.  She gave me the shot.  

She also took me into the OR and was there the whole time.  She helped me through the anesthesia process.  When I woke up I was in my hospital room with Anna right in my line of sight.

Anna had a friend, Freida, and Freida's father living in the apartment with her.  The elderly gentleman was an alcoholic.  Anna's response to that was to give him measured amounts of alcohol to drink - not enough to make him drunk but enough to keep him from painful withdrawal.  This man liked me, and he was also a carpenter.  He made me a toy chest.  It was quite beautiful.

Even when we  moved to a new apartment, Anna Esau was a part of my life.  She took Mom and me to an Estate Sale.  I spotted a beautiful little antique table, and I wanted it.  Anna had seen it too and had intended to buy it and take it home.  Instead, she bought it for me.  It was a long time before I recognized its value.  I was about forty years old when a friend who had worked at Sotheby's told me how valuable it was in money, though I already knew its value in love.

The last contact I had with Anna was a phone call.  It was surreal, partly because I had been asleep.  I had not heard from her in quite a while.  She asked about my parents, whether they were okay.  I told her they were.  Later, I found out they really weren't.  She knew.  My Dad told me that part of her mission was to
keep families healthy - in many ways.  My parents were together for a while after that phone call, but finally they did divorce.  Both remarried.

I will never forget Miss Anna Esau: nurse extraordinaire; truth teller; lover of life; comforter of the little girl I once was.