Where Yarmiks Roam

Oregon City, Oregon - Week 50 - December 16 - December 22, 2019

Our Christmas Tree finally got decorated. We used a potted Italian Cypress that mysteriously appeared on the new concrete patio - we suspect it was a 'left over' from one of Malcolm's jobs. It's real purpose is as a landscaping element, but, when in need, it functions as a slim Christmas Tree. You can see the Nativity set we brought home from Kazakhstan (lower left), but we had to remove it because little grandchildren kept trying to dress and undress Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds....the camels and donkey were fine.

It is adorned by our cute fuzzy bunnies

And by the 2019 edition of our handmade Christmas ornaments.

Speaking of bunnies. I have quite a collection of stuffed bunnies which offer hours of entertainment for grandchildren. Holland was over one morning and took great delight in heaping bunnies upon by lap.

Here she is with Warren snuggling on the hammock chair.

And speaking more about bunnies - when I go to Seattle with Vannessah, I always take 2 or 3 bunnies with me (there are lots of "comfort" stuffed animals at the chemo clinic, and my bunnies fit right in.

On our way home from the chemo session, I was lamenting about how the Haggen store in Oregon City had been sold/bye bye/gone forever...but replaced by a WINCO (with no bakery)....but the oven fired veggie pizza is gone - forever. On the freeway I posed the question, "Do any remaining Haggen stores in Washington have a deli with my longed for pizza?" Well, Google told us where the nearest store was, and on a leap of faith we left I5 and proceeded on US 101 for a ways. In the midst of a December deluge, we approached and entered the store and searched every speck of the deli - but, sadly, no pizzas.........Plan B was next

I got a chicken thigh and a container of Waldorf salad...good.... but nothing compared to the memory of the veggie pizza.

And Vannessah got a sandwich for herself and turkey and potatoes for her kids at home;.

Dad had his surgery on his left foot this week ---well, toes #3, 4, and 5---this week. His hammer toes will hopefully become a bad dream from the past. The were causing him a lot of grief - calluses, burning pressure, and whatever. He's been lying down with his foot elevated most of the week and goes back next week to get the bandages removed and get further instructions.

Jude has been a good companion for him. I think this time the two watched mouse-trap YouTube videos until they went brain dead

I took Camille to a movie on Monday, and we saw Knives Out. Camille liked it, but unfortunately I fell asleep early on and when I woke up, I had missed too much to make any sense of anything.

This week I also took Clara, Gretchen, and Ruby for their Christmas present activity which was "going to a movie". We selected Frozen 2 mostly because it was the only film suited for little girls. Even though they'd seen the movie previously, they liked this viewing even better because they "knew what was happening". Possibly, what was more entertaining was buying candy at Safeway and trying to make a couple of arcade games actually work without putting any money into the machine.

Ruby was sure that if she tried each knob over and over, that a "prize" would emerge.

Ruby's car kept crashing

And these girls could never actually shoot the deer on the screen.

Renee and the three Utah boys arrived late Saturday evening. Magnus and Tyler have already ventured into the woods on their bikes, intent on creating bike trails.

Archer and Bjorn brought Bjorn's computer and monitor along so they could edit and publish Magnus's GoPro footage of his rides. While waiting for him to go riding, they are working on their gaming skills.

A couple random pictures. Logan's favorite rubber snake vanished for weeks, but while I was cleaning the Mt Hood room upstairs, I found this cache in the cubby of one of the headboards.