The Garden is Finally on the Grow!!

There has been much worry about this years growing season since our summer started so late, and we had such strange noteworthy weather this past winter. Our plants are starting to jump in major leaps in height. I am now very grateful for the quality of soil at my parents house. They've been cultivating it for 30 some years, I just started from Willamette Valley scratch. Read: Lots of clay. Since we live on a major highway, we are also collecting massive amounts of weed seed, the back of the garden in the picture is only 30 ft. from highway 99.

Forrest is getting tons of weeding experience in. He planted a "Native-American Garden". Corn, squash, peas, & beans all together. In theory, the corn grows up, the peas & beans climb the corn, and the squash keeps down the weeds. The seeds have sprouted but are having trouble as we have no irrigation ran out there. The idea is that we will have a great Fall Crop...... to be continued.

Early Summer 08 Update

School is out for the summer. Forrest and I both got straight A's last year. It has been nice to have a break. I had minor surgery one week after finals. What a way to start the summer vacation. I am starting to feel as normal as I can and am ready to do some fishing and camping.

Because we've been in constant moving mode in the past years we haven't had the time for much fun. We need to make the time. We are going to take a week off and go to the Southern Oregon Coast with Forrest's Mom and her family in August. I can't wait. We really deserve a time out. Forrest for sure earned it for both of us.

Dad is having surgery to remove the tumor in his arm and replace it with some steel plates. Hopefully they can get most of the tumor out. That would be ideal. His counts are up so he has started another round of chemotherapy last week. He is also figuring out when he will begin to harvest stem-cells for transplant later this summer. We can hope for a cure, but mostly a remission seems possible for now. I guess anything is possible.

Signing off...... weeds to pull, chickens to feed.

Cheers.

Smoky The Kitten

This is my super cute kitten Smoky. She is the really small black one in the previous kitten photos. She has been on some major adventures during her short life. Including being kidnapped!!! Forrest and I went on a rescue mission, her thief remains un-apologetic about it. Some people have no remorse I suppose no matter how their actions affect the people around them. Who steals people's pets?? Who does that? She is really sweet and crazy as any kitten. She licks and bites us, mainly our toes and fingers, and pines, mews, almost screams for wet food. You'd think we were killing her brother. She also likes to pretend to be a living scarf. Nice and warm necks in the winter!

Forrest's 29th B-Day Memorial Weekend May 2008

Rosie & her Dad on the Oregon Coast near Waldport, OR. We had beautiful weather and Rosie sure loves the water and the ball, the ball & the water, ball, water, water, ball.......pant. pant. Good times.

I am Soooo Proud!!

Forrest has worked his butt off the past two years and has received the recognition he really deserves. This is a picture I snuck while he was giving his speech. The bright flash was to help him uh.. concentrate. In all he has received 3 scholarships, given one speech to over 500 people, been in the Oregonian, in the Portland Community College school newspaper, on a video for scholarhsip fundraising on the PCC website, and finally his picture is in the new brochure for the diesel technolgy department at PCC. My guy is Famous!! Te He. I always thought he was cute enough anyway.

Dad and I Beachside in Lincoln City

My dad and I took day trip to the Oregon Coast on the 24th of April. We stopped and saw the new Tillamook Foresty Center, wow. It was beautiful. I don't often get my Daddy just to myself. We were supposed to take pictures of all the damage to the timber the winter storms caused this year, but there wasn't any damage on Road 6. Disappointing and relieving all at once. We are planning on a real photo shoot adventure or 5 in the coming year. My dad gave me this POS (piece of !@#$) Holga camera that makes the weirdest spooky pictures. I can't wait to develop the film and see what happened! Yes, some of us still shoot real film! I love spending time with my POPS!

Life Update

Things are moving along out here in wine country. Forrest has one more term of Diesel classes and he is an official certified Diesel Mechanic. He has to take some classes to complete the requirements for his AAS degree and will work on them while returning to work soon. I am so proud of him. He really worked hard. Though I wish we had more time together, I can't complain. He does it all so we can have the life we have dream of.

I am currently taking strides in earning my Landscape Design Certificate. It has been a struggle to return to college, but I am doing what I love which helps to lift the burden from my shoulders, mostly. I am working closely with Students with Disabilities, my instructors, and the head of my department. Everyone at Portland Community College wants me to succeed, and has been extremely helpful and understanding. It has been interesting continuing to teach others about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, most people look at me and could never tell there was an issue. I don't want to have to be on disability my whole life. I would like to contribute as long as I can and hope that by finishing this program I can handle doing contract work from home. This will allow me to hopefully work at my own pace, take breaks as needed, and leave beautiful gardens as my legacy to the world when I am gone. I would really love to have a small rare plant nursery. That all depends on when we buy a chunk of land to homestead on.

My dad's illness has been hard to deal with. Multiple myeloma is a stupid, stupid cancer. He had blood tests this past week and the chemo and radiation are working. We just hope that he stays in remission when this round is over, as usually but not always, multiple myeloma is not cureable. I have never been so scared for either of my parents. My dad is doing most he can to eat better and get lots of exercise. It is a little rough when he has to take Dex, which is a potent steroid that happens on Fridays. Buzz Buzz. We are going to the coast this Thursday to take photo's of the damage caused to the coast mountain range during the strong wind storms this winter.

My mom has been making really cool silver clay jewelry and playing with her new kiln. The pieces she has made are really cool. I have been trying to make her do more. She really knows how to design nice things and has been collecting things from nature for inspiration. My momma has so many ideas.............................so little time!

Love to all.

IRIS