She's The Greatest Star

My sister and I have quite a few things in common. We both love good coffee, Funny Girl,chocolate chip cookies, and gardening.  If you asked us to pick a song to perform onstage, each would have "I'm the Greatest Star" from Funny Girl on a short list of favorites.

Saturday when I attended Sixth Street Theater's production of Here We Sit I had the pleasure of watching my sister Silver Valley Girl perform this showstopping number very convincingly.The play consists of sixteen scenes about attending the theater.

There were many memorable parts of the play, but I have to pick my sister's rendition of this song as my favorite. Can you tell by the number of pictures I took? Bravo to the cast and crew and two thumbs up for the hilarious performances in Here We Sit.

 

Here is another scene where she is discouraging a guy from putting the moves on her in the theater.

In another scene she played a member of a community theater group gathering feedback from the audience ... and back to the showstopper!

The Promise

The promise Creator gives us
Comes with every new day,
The gift of breath, the gift of life,
Opportunities in a vast array.
How do we count our blessings,
Through the choices life can bring?
Is it through joyful lessons?
Or the fears to which we cling?
Are we learning to show gratitude,
For the victories over human pain?
By honoring the feeling choices,
We grasp the will we've regained.
Can we change our focus,
With no need to defend?
Acknowledging joy and sorrow,
Without judging foe or friend?
Tomorrow promises the fullness
Of every human way to know:
How we master each challenge
Determines our balance -
reflecting how we grow.

The Promise of Tomorrow

Jamie Sams
"Earth Medicine"

Happy Birthday Cousin Cyndi

Today is the birthday of my cousin Cyndi. We have recently been reconnected on Facebook and learned that we have quite a bit in common. I don't think I was present when the picture above was taken, but I loved looking at this picture and others of Cyndi after she was born. She was the first second cousin I had ever known. For some reason I thought this picture were taken at Moscow at Aunt May's, but Mom thinks it was taken in Orofino.

Wherever it was taken she brought joy to all our lives. Have a very happy birthday Cyndi!

Garden Ghosts

November and December before the snow settles in for the winter are the two months we notice the "garden ghosts". Margaret Roach in her book A Way to Garden used this term to describe what we leave standing after the last frost. There are garden plants that add interest to the death and afterlife of the gardens.

 a lone bean which is drying on the vine

There are also plants that will self-sow, some that will feed birds, and others that just look magical. The structures left after the harvest are also called the bones of the garden. A gardener can see a clearer picture of the design of gardens and flower beds when all that is  left is the bones.

Today I caught some images of my garden ghosts and bones as I toured right before dark.

....remember the time?

 brother Raymond Pert

 All

all he would have to say is,

remember the time I came home

with a beard and Dad didn’t know me,

and we would all laugh,

 Raymond Pert carving his first turkey

Mom would say, just by your voice,

I knew your voice, and my sister

would say, the dog kept barking, and

I would say, that was the

summer I got a camera.

it pulls around us

like a drawstring, that time,

when we come together,

awkward and older,

our frayed conversations

trying to thread some memory

of each other,

one of us will only have to say,

 remember the time you came home

from the bush with your beard,

and we were all easy again

with each other,

some will say how

 Mom knew his voice, someone

will remember how the dog barked, I

will remember my new camera,

 and we are a family again,

young and laughing on the front porch.

 -Leona Gom

Ten Places That Make me Thankful

November is a perfect time to reflect on what I am thankful for. Recently time has been spent organizing and reorganizing photos when I need a break from studying.  A reoccurring theme keeps emerging in my photos. I often return to the same places over and over again...these places of beauty.

Ten Places That Make Me Feel Thankful

10. Bangs Mountain

9. Canyon Creek

8. Beaver Lake

7. Sherman Pass

6. my hometown

5.Lake Roosevelt

4. Priest Lake

3. The Palouse

2. our trees

1. our gazebo