Merry
Christmas and Greetings!
What a year! It began with me and Monique in Bothell, and my stolen car somewhere near Disneyland©®TM. As jolting as the theft before Thanksgiving was, for me the real ordeal was waiting 106 days to get it back! While we were without car, our friends Andrew & Llysa (that's right, THE Andrew & Llysa, of theater simple!) let us use their Montero, which saved us big bucks in rental car costs, handled great in the snow, and bolstered my faith in humanity. The day after we finally got the car back, Monique flew to Australia; theater simple were guest artists at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. To all who helped and offered help while the Honda was “south for the winter,” thank you. And to the guy arrested for driving my stolen car: I threw away the stuff you left in it, including your rosary beads and icons. Hmm... auto theft... is that a mortal or venial sin?
On
March 1, the body and life of Elliott gave way to his indomitable
spirit, to once again roam and troll for trouble at full speed. In
almost 17 years he listened occasionally and obeyed rarely, but
luckily that included ignoring prognoses for a short life. Carla
always encouraged his, um, “spark,” and he
exploited embraced the fact that he never,
ever, got
in
trouble. He was a wonder, a punk, a redneck Fred, a Marymoor Park
landscaper, an unwilling candle model
(http://www.zenamoon.com/woof.htm),
and I miss his fuzzy head every day.
Spring also brought big news at work: most of the Bothell office was being moved to San Jose. My group was not, which meant I'd work remotely from Bothell. And if from Bothell, why not from Montana?
Monique returned from a successful, busy Australia/New Zealand trip, and our moving plans gained momentum. We purged, we sorted, we streamlined. We sold via CraigsList and gave away via FreeCycle. And between summer concerts with Marty, reading the final Harry Potter, theater simple Myth Understandings performances, and looking for low-priced Subarus with low miles (ha!), we purged, we sorted, we streamlined.
Fittingly,
we moved Labor Day weekend. With huge help from Erik and a couple
guys from Seattle's Millionaire's Club, emptying our 3rd-floor
apartment and packing the rental truck was a smooth operation. I
drove the truck to Spokane while Monique finished cleaning the
apartment, then she headed east in the Honda. We met up a mile from
the Idaho-Montana border, and together crossed into Big Sky Country!
Soon
after, another dear dog passed away. Edd and Theresa's Rose was a
gem, a scamp, and the embodiment of love and companionship. We didn't
know her long, but it didn't take long to fall in
love with
Rosie. We're honored to be among the few who got to give her
cauliflower and carrots for treats.
At
home (home!), Monique tackled a
lot of the organizing,
and I settled quite easily into telecommuting. The first few weeks
were, in a word, stupendously gorgeous and wonderful and warm and
fun. Well, eight words. I swam during lunch hours, planted dozens of
willow twigs in the riverbank, and researched wood stoves. We picked
apples, planted a few trees, watched endless dragonflies and deer and
ducks, saw a black bear and many bald eagles, transplanted
Monique's grandmother's heirloom rose bush from their old farm,
and generally settled in, beaming at autumn.
Elsewhere in my family, my sister Carla and her husband Bryon divorced, very amicably. They remain friends, and share custody of the dobies. Carla relocated to a lovely old house on Spokane's South Hill, so now that's where žena moon makes the world's best candles. And after 37 years (and months of purging), my parents also moved. How bizarre to see my big childhood home empty! Their new house is smaller, older, and in a quieter neighborhood. My move was simply the last leg of the BRT (Blazek Resettlement Trifecta).
| My godson's sister, Rowan | Monique and her nephew, Justin |
Welcome the newcomers!
I'm
thankful for health, happiness, Monique, and my abundant “wealth”:
friends, family, a good job, and a cache of Trader Joe goodies. We
have lots of DVD's and a great TV, but no TV reception, which suits
us well. We have a new wood stove, a good truck, and sincere hopes
for a white Christmas (and a white Valentine's Day (and frankly, a
white April Fool's Day)).
Monique enjoys her job at Glacier Quilts in Kalispell, and continues working with theater simple and pouring huge time and energy into the Seattle production company Media Alchemy.
Admittedly,
I miss bits of Seattle: services at Advent Lutheran, friends at
Immanuel Lutheran, live theater opportunities, numerous friends, and
some restaurants (Pen Thai, Than Brothers Phở). I do not
miss
the traffic, loud neighbors, the din, smoking neighbors, or paying
big rent.
Here, I try to focus on things that give me immense pleasure: a raven on the wing, Venus rising, the sight and sound of the Swan river. I love Monique's smile, a well-skipped stone, deer tracks in fresh snow, and wild turkeys in the yard.
What a year! Peace to you, and many blessings!
Bob
Our blog: http://montanacabin.blogspot.com/
Monique's blog: http://thelightifind.blogspot.com/