Rainshine

It has been raining. And raining. And raining some more. 

I have a new name for it:

Rainshine. 

Here near Seattle, we are used to the rain. 

We make little jokes about it.  

Like, 'We don't tan, we rust'. 

We have commercials about camping in the rain,
called 'Blue Tarp Camper, You're One of Us'. 

And when we see Mt. Rainier we say,
 'The Mountain is out', due to its perpetual cloak of clouds. 

We rarely use umbrella's, preferring the natural look of wet hair, and we wear sandals and shorts year round due to our nearly constant 50 degree temperature. 

Another popular commercial is 'Sandals and Socks Guy, You're One of Us'. 

In the winter we wear socks with our sandals. 

But we still wear our shorts. 

If the temperature rises above 70 degrees, people come out in droves, wearing tank tops and complaining of 'the heat'. 

But even though we are used to the rain, there are days when it just gets plain old tiresome. 

Especially on a holiday weekend when the rest of the country is enjoying bbq's with their families in the backyard. 

There was no such thing going on here. 

Instead we were forced to celebrate around the kitchen table. 

But we managed to make the best of it. 

I made a nice pot of homemade chicken rice soup, 

With some Irish Brown Bread while we counted our blessings. 

I was on pet-sitting duty for Weenie Baby and Peanut and we all stayed cozy inside. 

Don't you love their hopeful faces? 

Everyone loves homemade soup! 

With all the gloomy weather, my Christmas Cactus has decided to bloom again! 

One bright spot in an otherwise rather dim weekend. 

And look at these Stargazer Lilies my sweet Mr. brought home for me! 

They have scented the whole house! 

So in true Seattle fashion, we have just hunkered down to wait out the rain. 

With a fire in the wood stove and warm soup on the stove. 

It's just another day of rainshine. 

xoxo


Chicken Rice Soup
Serves 4-6

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

2 Tbsp olive oil or butter

2 boneless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup brown rice

4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

1 cup water

4 carrots, sliced

1 Tbsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried (or more to taste)

2 Bay Leaves

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

In heavy soup pot, cook onions, celery, and garlic in olive oil or butter until tender. Add chicken pieces, broth, water, and rest of ingredients. Bring to boiling, reduce to simmer, cook covered for 25-30 minutes until chicken is no longer pink and rice is tender.

Remove chicken, cut into bite sized pieces and return to pot.

Remove Bay Leaves.

Garnish with Thyme.

Serve with warm slices of  buttered Irish Brown Bread.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Memorial Day Tribute

Memorial Day is the day we honor our brave fallen soldiers. 

1971 was the year Memorial Day was established as an official holiday. 

In honor of Memorial Day, there is a National Moment of Remembrance at 3:00 P.M. (Eastern Standard Time) 

Here are the reasons we honor this day:

Soldiers who died:

American Revolution: 4,435

War of 1812:  2,260

Indian Wars: 1,000 (est)

Mexican War: 13,283

Civil War: 498,332

Spanish American War: 2,446

World War 1: 116,516

World War 11:  405,399

Korean War: 54,246

Vietnam War: 90,220

Desert Storm: 1,948

Iraqi Freedom: 4,422

Afghanistan- Enduring Freedom: 2,286 - ongoing

Our brave young soldiers have not only fought to keep our country free, but have also bravely given their lives for freedom around the world. 

We owe a great debt to these brave men and women. 

Every Memorial Day, my Dear Father placed flowers upon the grave of a forgotten soldier. 

Now that my Father is gone, we have carried on this tradition. 

This Memorial Day we went to our local cemetery to find a forgotten soldier. 

This year we honored Henry W. Martin who bravely served in World War 1. 

And a candidate for our next honored visit, Robert Williams who served in the Spanish American War. 

On the grave of every soldier was placed an American Flag. 

There were many graves with flowers, placed by family members and people like us who wanted to pay tribute. 

From there we take the sweet country roads to Tahoma National Cemetery where my Dear Father now rests. 

He also bravely served his country in the Korean War. 

The fields are full of buttercups, creating lovely scenes. 

This beautiful barnyard caught my eye. 

Its pastures filled with happy cows. 

As we drive into the National Cemetery, we are greeted by our beautiful symbols of freedom lining the drive

This is a busy weekend here and families gathered near grave sites to honor their loved ones.  

We place flowers on my Dear Father's grave. 

I still can't believe that he is gone. 

Our beautiful flags. 

We leave this solemn place and make the long drive towards home. 

The beautiful countryside lifts our spirits. 

This land that our brave soldiers fought for. 

Our recent rains have turned everything green. 

Happy cows graze in waist deep grass. 

America the Beautiful. 

We should never take our freedom for granted. 

As we turn down the last leg of our journey, this beautiful Chestnut tree greets us in full bloom. 

And this Wisteria that has reached the very top of this 100 ft. tall Douglas Fir tree!

I hope you have a lovely Memorial Day. 

Don't forget the moment of silence in honor of our brave soldiers at 3 p.m. ! 

For without their sacrifice, this world would not know the freedoms we now take for granted. 

xoxo

The Wedding Day

We were married on a beautiful September morning in the small town where we grew up. 

We were highschool sweethearts. 

A simple wedding.

I still remember the flutter of my heart as I slipped on my veil, took one last look at my reflection in the glass. 

It felt so perfect and right. 

But the year leading up to this moment was not. 

My relationship with my sweet Blue Eyes caused a rift with my parents. 

A rift so deep, that I became emancipated at age 16. 

I had been on my own for over a year. 

I did not have their blessing. 

But I pleaded with my Father to walk me down the aisle. 

And for them both to attend. 

As I prepared for our special day, I prayed they would come. 

And they did. Reluctantly. 

There were no flowers, only the small bouquet of pink rosebuds that I carried in my hands. 

There was no photographer, 

No glittering reception with towering cake, toasts to our union and dancing into the night. 

A small group of friends and family quietly sat in the unadorned pews. 

My Grandmother. My Aunt Mary. 

His Grandmother. His Uncle Sonny. 

Our parents. Some high school friends.

My sister was maid of honor in a borrowed dress. 

Blue Eye's best man backed out the day before. 

He didn't believe, he said. He didn't think it would last. 

Blue Eye's young brother took his place, wearing the only tux that came in his small size. 

Mustard yellow. 

We cared not one bit. 

Our only thoughts were of each other, of starting our life together. 

Free to create our own destiny. 

I only remember the joy in my heart. 

The love in his eyes. 

And as we walked arm and arm as man and wife into the beautiful morning sunshine, 

we knew it was right. 

xoxo

Next time: We follow our dreams.