I’m slowly posting lists of 55.

55 Photographs is a collection of places I’ve been.
55 Sustaining Verses is a collection of, well, sustaining verses.

Now I give you 55 pictures of the guys I wrap my life around.
1 husband, 3 sons, 5 grandsons (no pictures of the 6th until he arrives)

Only one girl—my sister-in-law—is included because I
couldn’t bear to omit one of the best pictures taken in the 1960′s.

If pictures of dead animals bother you, click away. Now.
My guys hunt. My guys fish. My guys eat.
Please know that I held back. And I will hear complaints
about inclusions and omissions from my sons.
I could have done 55 Field and Stream Photos.

There is no order and I didn’t count pictures per person.
I didn’t try to be fair. Fair is where you take the hogs in August.

 

1. Come with me on a journey

 

2. It should make you smile

 

3. What does this mean?

 

4. Let’s go!

 

5. Misty Morning’s Ebony Splendor — our beloved first pet.

 

6. A happy artist

 

7. Comforting arms

 

8. Joy in music

 

9. The prince of solemn faces

 

10. Samwise

 

11. Good stock

 

12. What a hoot!

 

13. Relaxing after a hard day fishing

 

14. A degree doesn’t stop the silly faces

 

15. Adorable

 

16. Hi-Ho Silver!

 

17. ~ swoon ~

 

18. Easter handsomeness

 

19. A cup of coffee

 

20. A family tradition

 

21. The first fish caught

 

22. The guys

 

 

23. His first Officiant gig

 

 

24. For the love of frogs

 

25. Alaska summer job

 

26. Backpacking

 

27. Faneuil Hall

 

28. Virtue Flat

 

29. Meal on the beach

 

30. Melt my heart

 

31. Howdy, partner!

 

32. He’s a man’s man

 

33.  Mama makes the best treats

 

34.  Anticipation

 

33. The rigors of archery hunting.

 

34. The results of archery hunting

 

35. Fishing with Opa

 

36. Yu-uhm!

 

37. Success on the heights

 

38. The Bear

 

39. Papa on the trampoline

 

38. Happy with Daddy

 

39. Run at life. Attack it!

 

40. Concentration

 

41. The boy who beats me at Memory.

 

42. Just a swanging

 

43. Five grandsons, and one more on his way.

 

44. Stinkers, all.

 

45. Sometimes it’s better to close your eyes.

 

46. On the ladder to the tree fort.

 

47. He loves limes. So do I.

 

48. A penetrating look.

 

49.  He’s a loveable scamp.

 

 

50. The mystery of this boy’s thoughts

 

51. Daddy’s home: all is well

 

52. Say goodbye to youth

 

53. Docking station

 

54. Coaxing a smile.

 

55. Was all this really necessary?

 

My first exposure to the Egyptian pasha’s gift to the king of France came by reading Michael Allin’s book Zarafa: A Giraffe’s True Story, from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris (my review). Since then I’ve wanted to buy an affordable edition of Nancy Milton’s children’s book The Giraffe That Walked to Paris. An inter-library loan (thank you Enterprise Public Library) allowed me to test-drive it with a 7-year old and a 3-year old. Two thumbs up!

This is the kind of book which can create a thirst for history. There are 20 pages of solid text, denser than a typical picture book, but with illustrations that keep kids interested.  Imagine it is 1826, and a nation that had never seen a giraffe. Think through the logistics of moving such a large animal before the time of cars and trucks or trains.  A ship was fitted to transport her from Alexandria across the Mediterranean Sea to Marseilles. She walked from Marseilles to Paris, about 425 miles! The illustration shows one man leading the giraffe. Actually it took four men with four ropes to keep the giraffe secure. A gift for the king can’t be running off! For France, it was the Next Big Thing: there was an explosion in giraffe art, giraffe china, giraffe linens, and even a giraffe hairstyle.

I am fascinated how one animal can so greatly impact a culture. If you happen to be in Paris, you can see La Girafe’s remains (what does one call the non-living specimen?) mounted, on display. If you happen to be in Paris, make sure you visit Jardin des Plantes, the second oldest zoo in the world.

One could easily springboard from the reading of this book to a short introduction to geography, zoology, taxidermy or meteorology.

Here’s a fun quote:

It isn’t easy to make a raincoat for a giraffe,
but Professor Saint-Hilaire designed a good one
that covered her whole body and buttoned down the front.
It even had a hood to keep her head and long neck dry.

 

I want to read two other children’s books about La Girafe: Mary Holmes’ A Giraffe Goes to Paris and Judith St. George’s Zarafa: The Giraffe Who Walked to the King.

In a most delicious synchronicity, it turns out my other grandsons went to the San Diego zoo and saw giraffes.

 

 

Prop me up, O Lord,
In all my leaning places.

Open my eyes
That I may see
the sun.

Teach me how, O Lord,
To fill my empty spaces,
By reaching out
Before this day is done.

Lift me high, O Lord,
And maybe in the lifting,
I will learn how to lift
My fellow man.

— John W. Streetman III

I was spearing some brussell sprouts when the truck motor caught my attention.

I looked out the window and the blood drained from my face. The words Oregon State Police were painted on the truck door. The speed was slow; the driver looked carefully at the numbers on houses.

I walked to the screen door and stood there. My guys are out hunting. I waited to see if this officer was sent for me.

He drove past the house; I blew out the air that I’d been holding in reserve. Two doors down, he pulled into the driveway and turned around. Again, the truck idling, he tilted his head and scanned the fronts of houses.

“Walk with me, Jesus,” I prayed/commanded as the truck slowed in front of my house. In these moments—silly me—, I begin lining up pallbearers.

Then the Oregon State Police continued down the block. Breathe deep. Exhale.

It was only a rehearsal. 

I’m making lists of “55″ this month.
Here is a list of verses which have sustained me through the years of my life.

You may or may not be familiar with the Bible.
These verses are snatched out of their contexts,
but each one has a context in my life.
These are words that have fed my soul.

 

 

1. The Lord is my strength and my song,
And He has become my salvation.  — Isaiah 12:2

2.  Call to Me, and I will answer you,
and I will tell you great and mighty things,
which you do not know. — Jeremiah 33:3

3. I love the Lord, because He hears
my voice and my supplications. — Psalm 116:1

4. Let Thy lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in Thee. — Psalm 33:22

5.  For by grace you have been saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. — Ephesians 2:8

6. The Lord bless you and keep you; — Numbers 6:24

7. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. — Psalm 23: 1

8. As a father pities his children,
so the Lord pities them that fear him. — Psalm 103:13

9. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end,
they are new every morning,
great is thy faithfulness. — Lamentations 3:22-23

10. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them,
and they follow Me. — John 10:27

11. One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that shall I seek;
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
— Psalm 27:4

12. The conclusion, when all has been heard, is:
fear God and keep His commandments,
because this applies to every person. — Ecclesiastes 12:13

13. For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord,
plans for welfare and not for calamity
to give you a future and a hope. — Jeremiah 29:11

14. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. — I John 1:9

15. O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt His name together. — Psalm 34:3

16. Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous!
Do not tremble or be dismayed,
for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
— Joshua 1:9

17. It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich,
And he adds no sorrow to it.  — Proverbs 10:22

18. If therefore the Son shall make you free,
you shall be free indeed. — John 8:36

19. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. — Romans 5:8

20. Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. — Psalm 62:8

21. God makes a home for the lonely. — Psalm 68:6

22. Casting all your care upon Him,
for He cares for you. — I Peter 5:7

23. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
— Psalm 23:6

24. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
— Genesis 1:1

25. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. — John 1:1

26. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
— II Corinthians 9:15

27. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror
the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image
from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
— II Corinthians 3:18

28. To console those who mourn in Zion,
to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,
that they may be called trees of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
— Isaiah 61:3

29. Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
— Romans 11:33

30. Rejoice in the Lord always;
and again I say, rejoice!
— Philippians 4:4

31. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
— Proverbs 31:30

32. For the anger of man does not achieve
the righteousness of God. — James 1:20

33. But the goal of our instruction is love
from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
— I Timothy 1:5

34. My flesh and my heart may fail;
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
— Psalm 73:26

35. All of us like sheep have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
to fall on Him. — Isaiah 53:6

36. The Lord is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble,
and He knows those who take refuge in Him.
— Nahum 1:7

37. Greater love has no one than this,
that one lay down his life for his friends.
— John 15:13

 
38. But now abide faith, hope, love, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
— I Corinthians 13:13

39. For the earth will be filled with the
knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
as the waters cover the sea.
— Habakkuk 2:14

40. Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it
than a house full of feasting with strife.
— Proverbs 17:1

41. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
for His steadfast love endures forever.
— Psalm 136:1

42. I  lift up my eyes to the hills;
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord
who made heaven and earth.
— Psalm 121:1-2

43. Howbeit Thou are just in all that is brought upon us,
for Thou hast done right
but we have done wrong.
— Nehemiah 9:33

44. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing,
they render you neither useless nor unfruitful
in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
— II Peter 1:8

45. Let the sea roar, let the fields rejoice,
let the trees of the forest lift their voice.
Let the earth and heaven celebrate,
and the people on earth say, “The Lord reigns!”
— I Chronicles 16:32-33

46. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
— Psalm 16:6

47. Thou will make known to me the path of life;
In Thy presence is fullness of joy;
In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.
— Psalm 16:11

48. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh will see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.
— Isaiah 40:5

49. He has shown you, O man, what is good:
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God?
— Micah 6:8

50. Bless the Lord, O my soul;
and all that is within me,
bless His holy name.
— Psalm 103:1

51. He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart,
yet so that he cannot find out what God has done
from the beginning to the end.
— Ecclesiastes 3:11

52. I am my beloved’s,
and his desire is for me.
— Song of Songs 7:10

53. Now I commit you to God,
and to the word of his grace,
which can build you up with the rest of the saints.
— Acts 20:32

54. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken,
let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God
an acceptable service with reverence and awe;
for our God is a consuming fire.
— Hebrews 12:28-29

55. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
and to make you stand in the presence of His glory
blameless with great joy.
— Jude 24

 Sherry was kind enough to be born exactly three months before me.
Her annual celebrations give me great ideas, which, alas, I seldom do.
But, this year, I believe I will follow through on several 55 lists.
It’s not my birthday today, but September is my birthday month.

Let’s start with 55 Photographs.
Oh, the places you will go!
One benefit of coming from a large, spread out family is that you just have to visit your people.
Here are 55 cherished memories.
I took each photo and would appreciate you asking before you download.

1. Sunrise at Atlantic Beach, North Carolina

 

2. Iona Abbey, Scotland

 

3. Iona, Scotland

 

4. Baldy Lake, Oregon

 

5. Imler, Pennsylvania

 

6. La Grande, Oregon

 

 

7. Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington

 

8. Country Bible Church, Whitman County, Washington

 

 9. Duart Castle, Isle of Mull, Scotland

 

10. Richland, Oregon

 

11. York, England

 

12. Casco Bay, Maine

 

13. Moscow, Idaho

 

14. Columbia River, Boardman, Oregon

 

15. Snake River near Richland, Oregon

 

 

16. Sebago, Maine

 

17. Cumberland, Maine

 

18. Lostine Canyon, Oregon

 

19. Enterprise, Oregon

 

20. Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Burns, Oregon

 

 

21. Mt. Shasta, as seen from Klamath Falls, Oregon

 

22. Imnaha, Oregon

 

23. Blue Ridge, Georgia

 

24. Franklin, Tennessee

 

25. Joseph Canyon, Oregon

 

26. Grande Ronde Valley, Oregon

 

27. Troy, Idaho

 

28. Rattlesnake Highway, Oregon

 

29. Chicago, Illinois

 

30. University of Chicago

 

31. Baraboo, Wisconsin

 

32. Lombard, Illinois

 

33. Wallowa, Oregon

 

34. Cary, North Carolina

 

35. Potlatch, Idaho

 

36. Baker City, Oregon

 

37. Haines, Oregon

 

 

38. La Grande, Oregon

 

39. Glamis Castle, Angus, Scotland

 

40. Outside Jasper, Alberta

 

41. Bridge of Sighs, Oxford, England

 

 

42. Lower British Columbia

 

43. On the way to Banff

 

44. Crowsnest Pass, Alberta

 

45.  Columbia Icefields, Alberta

 

46. Lake Pend Oreille, Sandpoint, Idaho

 

47.  Seattle, Washington

 

48. Wildlife crossing on way to Banff

 

49. Southern Washington

 

 

50. Approaching Baker City, Oregon

 

51.  High Valley, Alberta

 

52.  Alberta prairie

 

 

53.  Joseph, Oregon

 

54.  Haines, Oregon

 

55.  Home

 

 

 

I haven’t read your novel, but I can imagine what it’s like.
I think it is an excellent exercise in the use of your imaginations.
I’m pleased with you for writing it.
But now you must begin to look around you here at home.
Use all of your senses to find out what kind of a place you are living in.
Ask yourself how it smells, how it tastes, how it sounds,
as well as how it looks.
Then someday when you wish to write real books,
you will put your real experiences into them.
You will not need to go to imaginary countries half the world away
for your material. Perhaps someday you will even write
about this very year in your lives in Idaho. 180

My friend Noel and I were sitting in her van, waiting for the key to a building. As we chatted, she looked straight ahead and said, “Carol Ryrie Brink grew up in that house. You know the author of Caddie Woodlawn?” My eyes widened as I nodded. At one time I loved Caddie Woodlawn more than Laura Ingalls. “She wrote several adult novels about the early days of Moscow,” Noel continued. “You might like them.”  I put the titles on my wishlist and waited. This summer I am on a Carol Ryrie Brink reading streak. Before I began her trilogy about Moscow, ID, I read a little-known children’s book.

Two are Better Than One is a superb story for girls in that delicate time between dolls and bras.  Chrystal Reese and Cordelia Lark live a few blocks apart in the early 1900′s. Chrys is alone with her aunt and grandmother in a quiet house. Cordy lives with her dad and mom and four older brothers in a bustling house. When they aren’t playing with dolls, or going to Dorcas Club meetings, or exclaiming “Swellissimus!”, Chrys and Cordy decide to write a novel—by taking turns writing a chapter— about two dolls: The Romantical Perils of Lester and Lynette. This novel, included in the book with its juvenile spelling and construction gave me the loudest horse laugh:

“Lester!” screamed Lynette, trying hard not to swoon,
“You have come in the very niche of time.” 85

Miss Hickenlooper, a new teacher, is a problem. She doesn’t understand them, even confiscates the miniature dolls. The girls nourish their grievance by writing a hate poem. She discovers the poem, the girls see the hurt they’ve afflicted. This section has stuck with me weeks after I finished the book. Here a few snippets from that scene:

All along they had thought of Miss Hickenlooper as their enemy,
a comical one to be sure, but an enemy nevertheless.
And now she seemed to be not an enemy or even a villain
but just a person who had been mocked and hurt
by a couple of girls. 52

 
…we didn’t mean it for hate.
We thought it was—well, sort of funny.
It made us feel better.
We didn’t think about how you would feel. 53

The girls go to some parties and begin to neglect the dolls. They serve punch at a college dance. The novel gets finished and Chrys and Cordy decide to stage a wedding for the dolls. This back and forth between the little girl and the almost grown-up mimics the conflict I’ve witnessed in adolescent girls. 

As I get to know Carol Ryrie Brink, I see many autobiographical elements in this sweet story of friendship. The dedication is “…for Charlotte. She, better than anyone else, will be able to sift through all the make-believe and find the grains of truth.”  Like dear Laura Ingalls, the story of Chrys and Cordy harks back to a time when a girl had to learn how “to keep herself happy and amused.” 

 

 

Ah, you know…hormones. At my age, I hear this all the time. I say it myself. It’s the reason we are hot, the reason we are cold, the reason we are wet, the reason we are dry, the reason we can’t sleep, the reason we can’t wake up.  Many women my age feel like a hostage to hormones.

If you need to take back your body, you will find much to consider in this book. Stanton addresses diet, exercise, stress, supplements, and, most importantly, bioidentical hormones. The book’s design and writing is about as exciting as a Wikipedia article. But the content is helpful.

Bioidentical? Huh? This neologism describes a “hormone [which] is exactly the same as a hormone made by our bodies.”  This is different from conventional hormone replacement therapy.

And we have just tripped off the path of traditional medicine onto the scenic bypass of alternative medicine. In other words, (lean close to me so I can whisper) the FDA hasn’t approved bioidentical hormones.

Yes, there is controversy. Google “bioidentical hormones” and you will dance your way into the debate.

 

May I tell you my story? Purely anecdotal evidence, but it’s my anecdote. 

I’m not a physician, but I’m a pretty good reader. When the hot/cold/wet/dry problems began—roughly seven years ago—, my most pressing problem was an utterly deflated outlook on life. I woke up, took a shower, and wanted nothing more than to go back to bed.  Stanton discusses this in a section delightfully titled NOT YOUR MOTHER’S MENOPAUSE. 

Initially, many women notice they have less energy or zest for life.
They don’t get as excited about things that should matter,
or just don’t have the energy to do things they used to enjoy.
One day follows another, but none of them brings much joy.
They might notice themselves getting irritable or exploding
for reasons that, in retrospect, seem ridiculous.

 

My respoonse to problems is to read. Shoot, my approach to life is to read. I looked through the lenses of both traditional and alternative medicine, searching for some sense. Across the spectrum, three words flashed: diet and exercise. No one argued with basic stuff like drinking more water and taking a walk. And I firmly believe that so many problems we blame hormones for can be corrected with real food and real movement.

I work for a compounding pharmacy; I am an accountant and cannot pronounce the drug names. But, we have a library of books and CDs (where I got Hormone Harmony) that we lend out to physicians and customers. I took John Lee’s What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause. When I read parts aloud to my husband, he dismissed it as rubbish. But one Sunday afternoon, we listened to Dr. Lee speak and his words filled us with hope.  “Let’s do this,” Curt said, although all the “doing” was mine. So I began using an over-the-counter bioidentical progesterone cream. 

Because of my symptoms, my doctor had urged surgery as a solution. Well. He hadn’t urged surgery, but I’ve been longing to pair up that delicious pair of words. The big H. Take it out and be done with it. It made sense to everyone but me. I acknowledge that I have issues: my mom died immediately after a minor gynecological surgery. I wasn’t hysterical, but I refused to consent to a hysterectomy, to use another phrase I’ve tasted these many years.

It wasn’t a shazam! solution, but I made progress with progesterone. I knew my OB/GYN would raise his eyebrows when I disclosed this bit of information. “I think you are wasting your money,” were his words. I decided to push back. “Are you telling me not to use bioidentical hormones? Because I want full cooperation between us; if you say to stop I will either stop or I’ll find a different doctor.”  I respected him and don’t believe in doing stuff—medically speaking—behind my physician’s back. He shrugged and relented.

After a few years, I did my own experiment. I stopped the progesterone. The hot/cold/wet/dry symptoms came right back. That convinced me, and I continue on, with over the counter progesterone (which doesn’t require an RX to buy). Ideally, one should take a $150 saliva test that tells exactly what your hormone levels are. A physician or nurse practitioner uses that data to prescribed an individually formulated compound prescription for you.

If you are curious, click on the link above and use the Look Inside! feature. If you type “frequently” in the search, you’ll be able to read a large part of the the FAQs.

My husband and I made our first cork board. We have our own; this was a gift for friends.
Would you like to make one? Here are 5 things to consider.

1. The frame. You can re-use frames you have around,
look for old windows, etc. Garage sales are a great place to find frames.

 

2. The backing. My husband cut 1/4″ plywood for this one.
I imagine a hardware store/carpenter’s shop would do this for a small fee.

 

3. Corks. I have a private supplier (my brother). Check with
restaurants in your area. I set the synthetic ones aside.
You can bid on bags of corks on Ebay.

 

4. Design. I like the 2 x 2 design. If there was one thing I’d
highlight it is these words of wisdom from my husband:
“It’s just like tile: lay them out before you glue.”
Impatient to get going, I had planned the glue-as-you-go method.
But corks have different sizes and it took a bit of
maneuvering to have a board without humps or gaps.

 

5. Glue. I thought I would use a glue gun, but instead I used
wood glue. I centered the writing/design on the corks.
Let the board sit overnight, then turn it over to see if
any corks are loose.
Here is the finished work!

 

I think about death. I do. When my husband falls asleep on his back with his hands on his chest and his chin falls down, I call it the coffin pose. My funeral playlist is an oft-pondered subject. I am more inclined to say, “I love you” to people who don’t expect it, because I know that one sometimes doesn’t get go-backs. I remind myself that our days are numbered. And this is a sober introduction to a playful subject.

Because, if I survive Curt, one of the things I would miss the most is making the bed with him.

There is a history.

Three weeks into our marriage, we experienced an unsettling reality: we had different ways of doing things. What we were doing was making the bed.

It started with the fitted sheet. There is a correct sequence: first a top corner, then the opposite bottom corner, like an X…then the other top corner, and finally the opposing bottom. Fewer wrinkles or gaps. Curt disregarded my domestic dogma and just put the sheet on…however he saw fit.

Next was the flat sheet. Back then, there was a right side and a wrong side. Which side faces up? I said the right side, because…that is right. He said the wrong side so when you folded the sheets back to get into bed, both sides were right. (I concede, he was right.)

But the pinnacle of our disagreement was pillow placement. He said the open sides of the pillow were in the middle. I said the seams were in the center, open sides at the edge. And, you see, one of us had to give.

Because we were twitterpated there was no rancor in our disagreement. Just lots of teasing.

 

Life filled up and I ceased caring about X corners and pillow placement. The bed just had to be made. Early on, however, it became a game.

After the bedspread/duvet is smooth and folded back, we race to put the pillows in the pillowcases. And there are no rules, no holds barred. Everything is fair play. If I am on the verge of victory, he lunges across and yanks the half-cased pillow out of my hands. I hide his pillow case and begin before he’s retrieved it. We giggle like idiots. It’s hard to case a pillow when you are shaking with laughter. The winner flings the pillow on the bed with a flourish and a shout.

Making the bed.

Ordering the common life.

This is what we keep striving towards: get the work done, but infuse it with fun. (I hope we have 34 more years of laughter.)