NorcalGma2

NorcalGma2, 7 months ago to random

I am thinking about my mother this morning.
She survived Indian boarding school and all manner of hate and racial bias in her lifetime.
In those days, to live off the reservation, away from people that look like you, was hard.
Before she passed, we talked. She told me she had a good life. I was like, what about this or that? She said her life was a success because her daughters all turned out to be good people. She was content.
According to her measure, I have been a great success. My children and grandchildren are kind and generous people. Our dog is even a sweet and gentle creature.
So, with that thought, I am starting this Friday with a happy heart.
Good morning, Mastodon.

NorcalGma2, 6 months ago to random

Tomorrow is Veterans Day.
My husband wasn't afflicted with bone spurs, so he went to Vietnam, as did many people his age. He was in the Army.
I remember when I realized his experience of going to war as a young man would shape our future together if I stayed around. Out of the blue, he had started talking about his combat experiences, so I listened. The things I've heard would curl your hair.
For those who are familiar with that time and conflict, he was at Hamburger Hill.
He came home with many commendations,
and two bronze stars. In addition, he had part of his spine fused, ringing in his ears and multiple cancers and a multitude of other related maladies that came along a little later.
He says it is just part of life.
His life.
Tomorrow, I will give a veteran a hug.

NorcalGma2, 6 months ago to random

I often see photos depicting great warriors or chiefs with a reference to indigenous people.
For me, I picture family like my mother or grandmother.
Not all indigenous people looked like what we see in westerns. I'm not offended by the chief feathered headdressed men, but I don't think they really look like or tell the story of what my family looked like.
This is an early photo of my grandmother and her sister who survived to adulthood against all odds. My grandmother, who is on the left, was one of the strongest people I have ever known. 100% Wailaki and proud of her heritage.
To my knowledge, there isn't even one photo of my family in traditional native attire, so this is how I see them.

NorcalGma2, 5 months ago to random

Mastodon is really something special.
It is a place where I can give and take at my own pace. I can indulge in my feed without pressure to believe this or that and can filter anything that makes me uncomfortable.
Very unlike most of the internet where everything feels like it is coming at you at the speed of light, and you can't be sure what or who is trustworthy.
It is easy to shut down in the face of a barrage of negative, just like it is easy to open up in a space that is safe and welcoming.
Thank you to everyone who extends that welcome every day without conditions.
I think you are a lifeline to many.
Certainly to us.
Peace.

NorcalGma2, 1 month ago to random

My husband and I have been a couple for a long time. Through ups and downs, sickness and health and times happy as well as sad.
Now we navigate being old.
Even through extreme circumstances, we manage to show our devotion to each other.
Our methods have changed over time for sure, but not the core desire to love and be loved.
My husband just did something for me that might seem small, but it isn't. The other day, when I went hiking through the redwoods, I wore a new pair of walking shoes thinking the trail was maintained. It turned out the trail was muddy, and I thought I ruined the shoes. They looked pretty bad. So I left them in the garage and added, cleaning them to my to-do list.
While I was working in the kitchen today, he quietly sat outside, in the shade, and made my shoes look like new again.
That's true love.
I am pretty lucky.

NorcalGma2, 3 months ago to random

Forty years ago, I got a jury summons. Even though I was working, had a side hustle as a seamstress, and had two young children, I ended up on a jury for a murder trial. What a stressful experience.
Because I did my civic duty and was off work for several weeks, I lost my job. Lucky for me, one of my fellow jurors had a wife with some sway where she worked, and when the trial was done, I had a new job waiting for me.
It was meant to be.
I ended up with my dream job, and the trajectory of my life changed.
Life is unpredictable.
Finding the person who would be my best friend for the next forty years at that job was a bonus.
I'm pretty glad now that I didn't duck jury duty.
Tonight's sunset looks like more rain on the horizon.
#Sunset

NorcalGma2, 3 months ago to Bloomscrolling

One of the best things about Mastodon is that it gives me an excuse to stop when something catches my eye.
Because we don't get mail delivery to our house I have to drive to the post office a couple of times a week. Today's drive was accented by blooming trees. I know it is only February, but today feels kinda springy.
So if your corner of the world isn't quite springy yet, you can share mine.
Anything for our friends.
#BloomScrolling

Pale pink flowering tree with blue sky in the background.

NorcalGma2, 4 months ago to random

It is funny how we decide certain dates are beginnings or endings, but they really aren't, either.
Now that I am old, I feel like there are enough endings without adding any extras, but I'm not in charge of such things.
This is my last sunset photo of 2023, and it's a beauty.
For those of you using tomorrow as a springboard with resolutions leading to happiness and perfection, I wish you luck.
For me, it serves as a reminder to be thankful we made it through another year in one piece. Mostly.
Happy New Year, Mastodon friends.
#Sunset

NorcalGma2, 7 months ago to random

It didn't take long to figure out that getting up early had its rewards. Summer and I went outside in time to see a sunrise we might have slept through. She ran around happy as a clam while I got some photos to share with family and friends.
I even share with my favorite artist.
Sending photos tells people who care we are still here and everything is all right.
So Mastodon friends, we are still here, living an independent life, on our terms, and everything is all right.

NorcalGma2, 5 months ago to random

Summer and I talk. She mostly listens, but I feel like she understands.
It is kind of like Mastodon. Mostly listening happens, but there is always someone who understands.
Covid and my husband's health issues changed my life in so many ways. Not all of them were bad.
If I hadn't retired, we wouldn't have been able to make a home for Summer.
If I hadn't wanted to find reasonable humans to talk to and learn from, I wouldn't have signed up for Mastodon.
Thank you for being the reason I talk to our dog and take a million pictures of her and for being the humans that understand when another human reaches out looking for a friend or two.
It's true. You are the best.

NorcalGma2, 4 months ago to random

Most nights, I text my sunset photos to family and a few close friends who, because they live in town, miss much of what we see. Tonight, I had to send progressive photos because the colors just kept getting more spectacular.
Now they are all blowing up my phone in awe.
My husband bought this property when he got back from Vietnam and built the house himself. That's why we still have unfinished spots here and there, in the house, but he bought the property for the view, and the sunsets rarely let us down.
Summer and I did our happy dance on the deck in the howling wind. I'm sure the neighbors wonder if I'm ok. In case you wonder too, I feel pretty ok dancing around with Summer.
This one was the middle photo, and I think it was the best.
Dancing always makes me happier.
#Sunset

NorcalGma2, 4 months ago to animals

I'm not the most efficient laundry doer.
I wash and dry everything and then fold it all at once.
Summer really wants to help, and as much as I appreciate her enthusiasm, it doesn't help.
So I asked her to go play with my husband until I finished.
They had way more fun than I did.
She makes my husband so happy he has a tone of voice all for Summer. You can hear the love even in the other room.
Summer is the best medicine.
#DogsOfMastodon

Golden Labrador retriever is on her back under her pal's leg while he sits in his brown recliner her legs are on his leg and foot. She is playing with her purple dinosaur toy. Her pal is wearing navy blue sweatpants. There is a gray dog bed next to the recliner.
Golden Labrador retriever is on her back under her pal's leg while he sits in his brown recliner her legs are on his leg and foot. She is playing with her purple dinosaur toy. Her pal is wearing navy blue sweatpants. There is a gray dog bed next to the recliner.

NorcalGma2, 3 months ago to baking

Well, I heard through my special intelligence network that the grandkids wanted a pumpkin pie. Since I heard from such a reliable source, and it sounded urgent, I figured I'd better get on it.
#Pie

NorcalGma2, 1 month ago to random

My husband wanted to watch 1923 together. I am not a big TV watcher and not a fan of Yellowstone, but I am a fan of my husband, so Summer and I curled up with some snacks in my recliner.
The storyline has given us pause because his family and mine would have been on opposite sides. My relatives would have been in the Indian boarding schools (which they were), and his family with several Catholic priests and nuns could have been the oppressors.
He had no idea how bad the schools were. I did because I heard directly from my mother, who was second generation in her family, to be sent to boarding school.
She went from a one room school house to a school hundreds of miles away from her family. This end of year school photo of all the children she attended school with, on the reservation, represents the end of my mother's childhood. Her next school year was in boarding school, where she stayed until she was placed in household service to a wealthy family.
Not really so long ago.

NorcalGma2, 3 months ago to rainbow

It must be our lucky day because there are rainbows everywhere.
#Rainbow

A small piece of a rainbow between the rain clouds.
Double rainbow and a cloudy sky.

NorcalGma2, 6 months ago to random

This unseasonably sunny weather is keeping our roses blooming.
So, for no reason, other than just because we are friends, here is a beautiful rose.

NorcalGma2, 3 months ago to random

Yesterday, my grandson played me a song he found on YouTube. It wasn't new to me as I remembered it from my youth. The song sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford was Sixteen Tons. It is interesting that the kids are unearthing folk songs recorded before I was born.
The lyrics prompted a talk about the subject matter. My grandson thought company towns were related to coal mining. I informed him that at least three company towns were operating in Humboldt when I was a kid. I also pointed out that one was recently added to the registry of historic places. I explained that the lumber and agriculture industries found that business model very appealing. It certainly gave the companies maximum control over workers and their families.
I suggested a field trip to visit the towns that I know about here and to make sure the kids are informed about a business practice that I hear is coming back around again.
It is good to have an understanding of such things and how company towns can be used to exploit workers.

NorcalGma2, 3 months ago to random

My husband built our house. He and four friends built five houses, one for each of them. At the time, he couldn't afford to finish the inside, and when I moved in, there were some bare floors and fewer doors than were optimal. The flooring, walls, and window covers were pretty awful. The light fixtures are still uniquely ugly.
Over the past 30 years, we have made a few positive changes. We have interior doors now.
When I decided to move in, I was aware that my husband liked this house the way it was, so I gave my furniture to my daughter and moved in anyway. It turns out functional works just as well as beautiful. I know some relatives make fun of our style, but it's all right.
Now, this place with its beautiful sunsets feels like home, and I am just as content here as I would be if it was perfect.
Our home is a happy one, full of love, and that is perfect enough.

NorcalGma2, 19 days ago to random

On our last field trip with Summer, her pal hooked her leash, to her collar, on the wrong ring. Somehow, her name tag and license fell off.
We looked and looked and found the ring and the license but not the name tag.
Engraved on the tag is her name, our address, and my cell number.
This morning, I got a call, and a stranger was at our gate with her tag. It was so kind of them to return it. Summer came out to say thank you herself, and later, I sent a photo of her since I have a few, and said thank you again.
They messaged back that she is beautiful and she made their day.
I love a reminder that there are still some nice people out there.
#Summer

NorcalGma2, 3 months ago to random

On my way from here to there, I stopped to see the redwoods in the sun.
So I thought I should share.
#Redwoods

Redwood trees and blue sky.
Redwood trees and blue sky.

NorcalGma2, 1 month ago to random

Today was perfect.
The weather was perfect.
Our garden was perfect.
Summer's pal was almost perfect.
Even dinner was perfect.
Summer was perfect, and the sunset was perfect.
Summer and I basked in the gorgeousness that was our view while we did a happy grandma dance on our deck.
A splash of color for you, our Mastodon friends.
#Sunset

NorcalGma2, 4 months ago to random

I was happy to hear from my favorite artist today. He texted that he saw a beautiful rainbow and thought of me.
How nice is that.
Sometimes, a little niceness from a friend can make all the difference in your day.
I am thankful for all my friends in real life and beyond.
A stormy, almost sunset sky view courtesy of Summer and Grandma.

NorcalGma2, 2 months ago to random

There was a brief break in the rain, so Summer got her outside time.
She wanted to show off her daffodils.
#Summer #Daffodils

Golden Labrador retriever laying next to her daffodil patch with lots of flowers.

NorcalGma2, 2 months ago to animals

I have to admit that I was very hesitant to add a dog to our family. Well over a year ago, when my husband saw Summer available on the internet, he was fresh out of the hospital and had been fighting one type of cancer or another. He was weak and tired. I had recently retired to help him.
It seemed like it wasn't a good idea to bring a major project home. Not to mention, I had never owned a dog.
It was also hard to say no to my husband, who had gone through so much. It was just as hard to say no to a puppy nobody wanted.
So I caved, and the rest is history.
I followed my heart and drove hundreds of miles to bring Summer home. It turns out that is the best part of me to follow.
Good morning, Mastodon.
#Summer #DogsOfMastodon

NorcalGma2, 1 month ago to animals

Summer has a new skill.
My husband has a stick that he uses sometimes to reach things he wants to move closer to him.
Now, when he asks Summer to bring him his stick, she fetches it immediately.
She is the best good girl and a huge help to her pal.
Good morning, Mastodon.
#Summer #DogsOfMastodon

Golden Labrador retriever brings a blue plastic stick to her pal. She is standing with the stick in her mouth.