Finally, warm weather has arrived. And just in time. After what seemed like forever, the new lawn mower has arrived. After adding oil, gas and making some minor adjustments (handle and wheel height) one pull on the rope and it started right up. She purrs like a kitten. All I need now is a nice cold ice tea and I’m (Alex) ready to go.

We’ve been having a heat wave for a couple of days. The temps have been lingering in the mid 80‘s. Everyone is wearing sun glasses and cool attire. Lots of milky arms and legs! My poor Barbara was out in the sun for no more then 15 minutes and got a nasty neck burn. I think I’ll let the yard go till Fall! Maybe even Winter! Would save wear and tear on the lawn mower (and Alex)… Right?

My adopted daughter-in-law, Beatty, celebrated a birthday on the 4th of May. They (Charlie, Beatty and Sarah) took the weekend off and went south to Cannon Beach. Can hardly wait to get a report from granddaughter Sarah. Received a post card from Cannon Beach today… Charlie, Beatty and Sarah are having a wonderful time.

We had our quilting group over for a get together this past Saturday. What fun. We started with dinner at approximately 7 PM. Dinner consisted of baked ham, scalloped potatoes, baked beans and numerous salads. In my book, every dish was a blue-ribbon. After dinner we played a domino game called train. No need to mention who won… Me of course! I think they just let me win because they don’t want to see me cry!

We have taken three or four trips to garden nurseries looking for fill-ins flowers for the flower beds. And I’m glad to report all fill-ins are planted. So the garden should be awesome in just a couple of weeks.

The day before Mother’s Day Barbara and I went to hear son Drew and grandson Joshua play a gig. If I haven’t mentioned it before they formed a rock band about three years ago. They are called Hardwired and photos can be viewed at:

https://www.facebook.com/HardwiredMusic

and a demo heard at:

http://www.youtube.com/hardwiredband

Mother’s Day was a wonderful success. We had a get-together here at the house and had a wonderful time. My hope is to post some photos before the week is over. Wish me luck.

Well that’s all for now. Maybe next time I won’t be so long between chismes’.

Be safe and much love your way,

Dad/David/Grandpa

Granddaughter Sarah, six, came and spent the day with me. She made me a couple of surprise gifts; small cards with her very own artwork designs. We spent the day photographing her stuffed elephant named Rainbow. Rainbow had been in the hospital due to a tear in her seam and needed repair. And guess who did the operation… yup, me! And I have to tell you… it took longer to thread the needle then preform the operation itself!. Me thinks the needles are getting smaller. Afterwards, Sarah, Quigley (my dog), and I walked three blocks up the hill to the neighborhood store (pant, pant, pant) where Sarah munched with gusto on an ice-cream bar, Quigley on a fresh bowl of water and I,… (pant, pant, pant) on a cherry cola.

Son Richard and his lovely wife Susan, after weeks of delay, finally closed on a new house. Richard gave me tour a couple of days ago and I fell in love with the kitchen. It’s one of those kitchens where the sink is on a stand alone counter. The stove is gas and the kitchen has lots of counter and cabinet space. And speaking of space… the yard is huge! I think they are going to have to sell the kids just to pay for a fence! I will be helping them move tomorrow and hope to find time to do some photos.

Richard and Susan celebrate their 27th anniversary. Yes, on moving day! ‘Honey, will you move the couch over here?… No, I wanted the bed over here… No, that goes here, that over here.’ Good luck making it to 28!

Grandson Joshua turned 21 yesterday (the 18th). Where does the time go? Happy birthday grandson. My only advice… Do it sober.

Special ordered a lawn mower a couple of weeks ago and was excited as a kid at Christmas when it finally came in. Imagine my delight as I ripped into the huge box and saw the top of the mower. It was a polished enamel orange and shined beautifully; like a showroom auto. I carefully unfolded the mower’s handle and gently pushed it out of its container. Now imagine my dismay as I realized that one of the front wheels was contorted outward rendering the mower useless. Unless one wants to cut a circle! Needles to say, I returned the item and special ordered another new mower. So here I sit, waiting for my brand new mower… only two weeks to go.

You’re not going to believe this. I just spilled a large glass of soda on my keyboard!

The Next Day, Saturday….

Charlie T. (Sarah’s dad) came over in the wee hours of the morning, 9:30 AM! Can you believe it… 9:30! Who gets up that early? Charlie T., thats who! No really, I’m just pulling your leg. He was over so we could drive up to Lake Stevens and help Richard and Susan move. It was an all day event and I have to confess… I was dog tired, exhausted, wiped out and just plain tuckered out! And that was before lunch! Susan fed us Haggen’s fried chicken, Jo-Jo potatoes, a pasta salad along with fresh rolls. I of course had a Kemper’s root beer. Everything was mighty tasty. After lunch I slipped into an easy chair, just to catch my breath mind you… two hours later I awoke with a terrible head ache. As it turned out, I was coming down with what I thought was a wicked head cold. Four days later I called Charlie T. and he took me in to see my doctor. Turns out I have a case of ‘Bronchitis and Walking Pneumonia’. And… If that’s wasn’t enough aggravation, the keys on the keyboard are sticking.

On a side note. My great-niece Marisella was the focus of public/media attention in the Victoria Advocate news paper. She is, I think, lead vocalist in a mariachi band called (I’m guessing here) VISD. I first heard Marisella when she was 11 years old. Even at that age I could tell she had an abundance of talent. I’m glad someone took her under their wings and helped developed her talent. Below is the url address if want to read article and/or see the video.

http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/videos/2013/apr/18/9244/

Okay then… time to run the key board thru the dish washer.

Much love,

Dad/David/Grandpa

As mentioned in my last chismé… I knew I’d forget to comment on some event. And sure enough, I forgot to mention that my sister Bea, after many years of public service, has passed her baton to someone else and retired from public service! So congratulations are in order. I’ve spoken to her everyday and I have to tell you… I think she’s busier now than ever before. Almost every time I call and ask what she’s up to she mentions she’s on her way to some place or another. Where does she get all that energy?

And before I forget… Martin has a birthday coming up on April the 4th. So Happy Birthday Martin. Hoping you have many, many more.

The family spent Easter at Charlie and Konnie’s home. Two grandkids and one son were not in attendance which left us with only sixteen. The weather, in a rare change, gave us a great sunny day. And even though the sun was out, there was still a small chill in the air. Konnie was mindful of this and put out a rack of lap quilts for use; which I saw one person use. Charlie and Konnie set up two very elegant tables in their backyard. While we waited for brunch to be served, we indulged in either coffee, orange juice, Champagne, or mimosas. Konnie served an egg dish that was just out of this world. Charlie grilled some home made chorizo patties. Granddaughter Lara made a potato dish that was also out of this world. Barbara made a green grape salad that called for, get this, eight pounds of grapes! My friends, that’s a lot of grapes when you’re trying to stir ingredients into them. Richard and Susan brought a couple of desserts. My favorite was the lemon blueberry muffins. Beatty and granddaughter Sarah made a delicious coffee cake. Debbie, Drew’s wife, made some small crafted baskets filled with jelly beans and used them as place cards. She also made a wonderful salsa that went extremely well with, in my opinion, the potato dish. Ryan and Marah, I think, brought Champagne, and flowers for the tables. I didn’t have any Champagne but was told it was very, very good. Grandson Keith and the love of his life, Guinn, brought the orange juice for the mimosas. Every dish on the table was exceedingly delicious. I ate much more then I should have…I just couldn’t stop eating.

Worth mentioning is the hummingbirds that were feeding off a feeder next to our table. Very beautiful to look at and very fast little fellows. It was mesmerizing just watching them. Also, high above to the west were three eagles riding the air currents; it was quite a sight.

After brunch and a short respite, we all adjourned to the front lawn where granddaughter Sarah, 6 years old, hunted for Easter eggs. It was a barrel of laugh’s watching the adults getting into it as much as Sarah. “You’re getting warmer!” You’re getting colder!” “You’re burning up!”, “look up!”, “look down!”, “Yay! You found it!” And of course… “I see another one.”

The day was just wonderful. I hope yours was as nice as ours.

Much love,

Dad/David/Grandpa

Dear me, I have failed miserably in keeping up with the chismé. Where does my time go? It’s going to be impossible for me to relay all the chit chat I had planned. Mainly because I promised myself, and I’m quoting myself… “I won’t forget… I’ll remember it.” HA!!! What was I thinking? Here’s what I do remember.

Since I’ve gotten back from Tejas I have been making an effort to stay in touch with siblings and other family relatives. I’ve spoken with my sister Bea, Maria and Ronnie almost everyday and I’ve emailed my cousins; Roxie, Gilbert, Albert and Elizabeth; And things are working out nicely for my efforts.

Sat on my distance glasses a couple of weeks ago and completely trashed them. The lenses survived but broke the frames beyond repair. The good news… Costco has replaced them for free. Yea-Haw! Somedays the heavens are in sync.

Happy birthday to my sister Bea who celebrated her birthday on the 21st of February. My sources tell me our sister Ronnie pampered her all day… Made breakfast for her, gave her time at a salon, and made a lovely dinner for her. If that’s not pampering, I don’t know what is.

And speaking of birthdays… My birthday date, March 14th, was wonderful! No hurries to get somewhere or fires to put out. Just a nice laid back day. Barbara and I went out for an early lunch; had some very tasty tamales at a place called ‘El Camion’ (The Truck) located in Ballard across from the Ballard High School. The place was jam packed with hundreds of students and the place sounded like a bee hive. But the tamales were well worth it.

After, we took a short drive around Green Lake and the university district and did a little sight seeing before going to the movies. I got to pick the movie; A rare occasion given my track record. We saw Bruce Willis in ‘A Good Day To Die Hard’. Not much of a plot but lots of special effects. I gave it a B… Barbara, a C minus, minus.

After the movies we meandered back home to catch our breath before going out for dinner. And where else do you go for a great meal? Gorgeous George’s of course! In the words of Dave Niehaus… “My Oh My!” George out did himself. Our meal started with a Spanakopita appetizer followed by hummus, pita bread and a wonderful salad full of fresh leafy greens kalamata olives, feta cheese, cucumbers with a sweet pesto dressing. Yummy! The main course was the biggest and juiciest rack of lamb I’ve ever had. Wow! And just when we thought it was over, George treated us with his rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ along with tiramisu and freshly brewed expresso coffee. Needless to say, we waddled out of there with a huge doggy bag.

Had a quilting party a couple of weeks ago with approximately 13 friends. We had nothing but fun, fun, fun. The food theme was picnic so fried chicken was served along with all the accouterments… potato salad, green salad and of course… lots of desserts! We paired up and had a checkers marathon. I won my first round and was eliminated in my second effort. Just when I had the game in my grasp I made a bad move and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. I was feeling pretty dull-witted until… I noticed that all the winners were playing and all the losers were having desserts! To make a long story short, Barbara, to her surprise, was the champion of the checker marathon….too bad there wasn’t any dessert left for the winners… I’m kidding So who really was the champion here?

I’ve been doing a lot of quilting lately. For those of you who don’t know, we have a monster quilting machine (4 feet x 10 feet) which easily holds a king size quilt. I’m working on a queen size now and I’m almost done with it. Hopefully I’ll remember to photograph it and post it for your viewing.

Granddaughter Lara graduated from culinary school this past February and is now back from California. She was studying French cooking. And I have to say she has made some of the most beautiful and delicious desserts. Speaking for myself, I’m sure I’ve gained a few extra pounds I can’t afford to gain! But I must admit, it was worth it. Thanks granddaughter… grandpa still loves you.

Because there are so many family members we celebrate birthdays per the yearly quarter. We celebrated the 1st quarter birthdays the first week of March. The 1st quarter birthdays included Christopher, Lara, and Ryan (grandkids), son Richard, and myself. We commemorated the event with a super spaghetti dinner. We provided the spaghetti and Barbara’s special spaghetti sauce, delicious! Others brought salads, garlic bread, wine, sodas and of course… desserts! After the meal, we cleared the table and passed out the birthday gifts. Starting with the youngest, each of us took a turn opening his/her presents. After all the gifts had been opened and all the thanks were given, the candles on the cake were lit and the group broke into the ‘Happy Birthday’ song…very badly I might add. Chocolate Cake, vanilla and chocolate cookies, cheese cake, coffee and milk were served. Who could ask for any thing more? Not me.

Okay then… I’ve run out of things to say. I’m sure as soon as I upload this document all sorts of thoughts will come flooding back in; ‘Murphy’s Law’!

Have a good day and keep smiling, it makes people wonder what you’re up to.

Much love,

Dad/David/Grandpa

Late January… Made a trip to Texas and helped my sister Bea with the aftermath of her husband’s passing; benefits, paperwork, financial investments, etc. Lots and lots of hoops to jump through but all the major items were taken care of.

While there I got to visit with most of my siblings, uncle, cousins, nieces, nephews and of course… my mom. What a hoot my mom is. At 91 she still has her wit and humor intact. Bea, Martin, Martha and I spent Friday afternoon with her. Took her to lunch at the Golden Corral where she ate to her hearts content; She topped off her meal with a generous portion of multiple desserts! Ya think no one ever feeds her?

Afterwards, we visited with our Uncle Frank and cousin Teresa. I hadn’t seen them in quite some time so it was nice to catch up.

Uncle Frank has not one, but two parrots! He was telling us of a time when his brother (Uncle Freddy) burned some toast and the alarms went off. The alarm notified the fire department and of course they came out. Unbeknownst to anyone, one of the parrots had belonged to a fireman and when the firefighters entered the house the parrot was screaming… “Fire! Fire! Save the bird! Save the bird! Fire! Fire! Save the bird! Save the bird!” Just too funny!” I’m sure the fire department is still laughing.

So after the visit we made our way to DQ, got some ice cream and went on to Victoria park where we watched families playing games and feeding the swans. All in all it was a wonderful day with Mom.

The next day found us at sister Ronnie’s place for a festive party. Cousin George and cousin Arthur, with their respective spouses, came in from Baytown. I hadn’t seen them in forever. My sister Maggie and her son Stefan came in from Dallas and brother Matt from San Antonio. It was wonderful to see each and every one of them. Brother-in-law Jimmy grilled multiple meats for the event… beef, chicken, squirrel, possum, frog legs and cat fish. Damn, he’s a master at grilling! Everything was cooked to perfection. Thanks Jimmy! And of course there were multiple salads, drinks and desserts. Who could ask for anything more? Lots of chisme and photo opportunities. A grand time was had by all. Thanks to all of you who made this event possible… Made me feel very spacial.

The next day, Sunday, was relaxing and laid back. Had all day to pack my suitcase for my trip back to Seattle.

My trip was bittersweet. On one hand, I was there because my sister lost her loving husband and I a wonderful brother-in-law and on the other hand, it was nice to catchup with everyone. It had been too long between visits. Hopefully I won’t wait as long for the next time.

Love and good fortune to all,

David