Week 6 - Oregon City - Febrary 9 - February 15, 2026

This was a good week - nothing mind boggeling....busy..a lot of guitar practicing.

Early morning facing the light of Portland to the north.  I was dumping ouy ashes from the furnace.

Dad has spent a lot of time in the berries and grapes.  He's using the little rototiller from Goldie LeMarr.

On Wednesday at Activity Day we finished the scarves...took us three meetings.  Ben loves his scarf so much that he wore it to church.

I spent a couple of afternoons in the Far West Sector cleaning out the blackberries...and everything else in the way... so I have access to the property line/fence line. I've never breen able to access this area because of the bramblers that Brer Rabbit wouldn't have been able to penetrate.  I almost havre the fence line clear.  Then Travis will help me place some new fence posts to mark the propertu line between us and "them". 

On Friday we took Gretchen, Clara, and Logan to Clackamas Town Center for their Christmas Present...the chose to go to the mall.  They lovr going to thre mall and truing out everything.  They are most fun to watch at Matteass World where they 'choose' their favorite mattress.

We finish off the day at the food court with orangre chicken from Panda Express and a Jamba Juice.

Brenden, Pamela, and Slone Gray were in town  He is a naval captain and will bre going to Janpan soon for a cople of years.  He's decided it will ber his last transfer and then he'll retire.

Jamie got his first haircut after Sunday dinner.  He did not like it!

 Week 5 - Oregon City - February 2 - to February 8, 2026

Back in December, I went to California with Jessica and Bev to visit with Natalie.  Nat lives in Palo Alto which is relatiely close to Ben Lomond, California which is the location of Hill Guitars.  Kenneth Hill is a renown guitar luthier who has a great/famous reputation for making wonderful (exquisite) guitars.  I thought it would be fun to visit his shop (store, workshop) and emailed to make an appoitment.  However, he was only available when I was not.  Previously I had talked to my teacher, David Tutmark, who told me that Kenny Hill makes a really great Torres guitar which I would LOVE.  The Torres guitar is a bit smaller guitar with a tiny bit smaller fretboard....but its size does not diminish it tonal quality.  I was smitten by the possibility that I could buy a Hill/Torres guitar which is defininently above my pay grade.  In my email I mentioned that I was interested in the Torres 4278 which was listed on his website...but he said he thought it was sold.  David, my teacher, contacted Kenny Hill and told him about his student (me) who was interested in the Torre 4278.  But Kenny said he had promised the 4278 to some guitar group to be sold at a raffle.............sigh...........but there was another one (the last "new" one at a retail outlet) in New York that he mayber could get for me.  I wanted the 4278 in California not the other New York one - besides the 4278 is a better guitar because it is made with Brazilian Rosewood (no longer legal to cut/sell/use and so forth)....so a Brazilian Rosewood guitar is rare and desireable ....(rosewood produces the best tone) and...the 4278 has two sound ports which make a better sound for the guitarist.

Well - there were a lot of conversations between David and Kenny Hill---Kenny managed to give away the New York guitar for the raffle, and send the California guitar (with sound ports and Brazilian rosewood to Oregon...to me.  

On January 15, after ensemble reheasal, in the late afternoon at dusk, I drove to Wilsonville and picked up the last guitar I will ever need to own.  It meets and/or exceeds all of my expectations.

So back to reality - I am working in Far West Sector - cleaning out the brush and defining the fence line/property line.  I want to do it before anyone moves in to the new deelopment so that maybe there will be no questions about where my side of the line is and where their side is.

Here are two flags marking property corners.

There was a big filbert tree/bush in the wahy - I took it down to the ground.

Here is pink surveyor's tape marking the way.

Here is a good ending to the week,  Zelensky likes sittong on the chair, right beside me, when I practice.

 Week 4 - Oregon City - January 26 - February 1, 2026

On Activity Day we worked on the scarves again.  I turned out to be a much more difficult projet that we had anticipated.  We almost finished...but not quite.  Next time we'll finish them.

 Friday - I took Ruby and Jane to Langer's which is a big famly entertainment venue.  The girls did three things.  1) Timbertown - which is like an interactive fun house.  They loved it.  Then 2) the arcade where theu played tons of games ...like the ones you see at movie theaters where you tell the kids, "NO!"  And 3) the climbing wall.

Sunday - we celegrated Holland's eight birthday.  It is hard to believe that eight years ago we were in Kazakhstan.

 Week 3 - Oregon City - January 19- January 25, 2026

Monday - Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  I went to help Warren and Whitney spread bark dust.  I took Logan and Jude to help out too.  It was really hard, but we all finally got into a routine where we each knew what to do and the work ewent smoothly.

I started working in the Far West Sector.  I'm cleraring out all of the blackberries (mostly) and other stuff.  the purpose it to uncover all of the old fencing so a more definite property line is defined.

This photo is viewing towards the east....what a mess.   My goal, for next time, is to work toward the west and meet up with this fence post.

What a mess!

This photo is a "victorious photo" as I finally met up with the wooden fence post in the previousd photo.  It's a good thing I get a weird pleasure about doing this kind of work.'

Sunday - we celebrated Holland's birthday.  It's hard to believe she is eight years old.

 Week 2 - Oregon City - January 12 - January 18, 2026

Our sweet cat, Jack, is gone.  He and Zelensky always go out at the beginning of the night and then come in to meet me when I get up at 5:00-ish.  But...this Monday morning he did not meet me....and we waited all day and the next night and day....and the next.....but he is gone.  I didn't realize how much I loved him and how much he seemed to love me.  There is a hole in my heart.

Yep - he's gone.

I pulled up all of the cut rounds of the maple tree....it nearly killed me, but I really needed to get it done before it started raining again.  Dad used the tractor to load the rounds into the trailer

These were the rounnds left at the end of Saturday.

Sunday aftrernoon, Ryan came over and helped me pull up the rest of them.

for Activity Days we had the kids start making scarves using loop yarn.  It was difficult for them and we didn't finish.

I had to take Zelensky to the vet.  He had a nasty abcess on his cheek - like from a bite when he and Jack were arguing.  HIs cheek was really swollen and the the wound started to drain.

Concerts at ACA were on Saturday the 17th.  Clara and the cello.

Abby and her violin.

We celerated Copeland's birthday on Sunday.

Jack liked sitting by me when I practiced.  Photo taken Tuesday Jan 13, 2026.

The last photo of Jack taken on Friday January 16th.  Twp days ;ater he was gone.