We're in Roseburg now, got here late Saturday night. The family worlds all come together here. My dad plays basketball on Saturday nights right down the street from where my house full of nephews live. This is our home base (the house full of nephews, aka the Simmie house) here in Roseburg. On Saturday when we got in, we visited my grandmother in Oakland for a little bit (this is my boys' great-grandmother) and took the tour of the house she's living in, which my dad has been working on remodeling for quite some time. My dad does carpentry work well, even though he is a log truck driver, he's gifted in home construction, furniture carpentry and masonry. He's made much progress on the house. I'm always amazed at the ability to build things from raw materials.
My grandfather is living with my dad. Ryland is thrilled to find Rockhounding runs in the family. My grandfather (his great-grandfather) has a collection of rocks he inherited from his dad (my great-grandfather) who was a rockhounder, did masonry work and made jewelry. Ryland is thrilled! He spent much time talking to a his mostly-deaf 80 year old great-grandfather about rocks. Ryland doesn't know it, but my grandfather can probably die happy now. Not another child or grandchild in his family has shown as much care for the rocks he's kept as Ryland.
My Simmie nephews are all awake now (it's 11:30 and this is a night-owl house in the summer :) and we're off to go for a hike in a bit.
Meanwhile, back on the ranch, or back at the Waddell hacienda my husband is holding down a full-time work schedule in a new position at work, trying to install new showers and purchase used appliances, keep our rental house clean while prospective renters come to look at it... amidst all that he says he really misses food. Real food.
We'll leave very early Friday morning and will be home late this Saturday night. I start my orientation with Phoenix Baptist Hospital on Monday and we have to be moved out of our rental by July 1st. It's gonna be busy until then.
Quieted,
Sheila
