Anniversary Bouquet

The Seattle PI and WaMu

Washington Mutual ended first. Now the Seattle PI is gone (from print.) I've lived in NW Washington since 1976. Before we paid off our mortgage, our last mortgage holder was WaMu--over time, with one acquisition after another, they were the surviving institution that held our mortgage. The first one was Pioneer Savings and Loan in 1976 with a couple of others in the intervening years. During the years we made house payments, we paid almost $50,000 in interest, which more than the price of our house when we bought it. They did not use our money wisely, did they?

Over thirty-two years ago we began subscribing to the Seattle PI. Today we had to quit because they quit. At current rates (I understand that their subscription rates are not the same as they were in 1976) we paid about $20 a month for the PI. In today's dollars, then, we have paid almost $8000 for the daily paper. It was worth it. But they did not use our money wisely either, did they?

It does not speak well about our socio-economic philosophy that two once-respected institutions fail as these two have. What does it tell about our ethics? What does it tell about our greed? What does it tell about our need for instant gratification? What does it tell about today's generations' understanding of what is and what is not important?

I don't know the answers. I wish I did.

My Brother's Duck

County Fair

Midway, rides, preserves
Garden produce, quilts
See my heels
I run to the barns
Prize pigs and draft horses
Have messages for me.

Monday, March 9

Maya, 3, at 'Bounce'

Finley, 8 mo.

Just got back from Oregon--Springfield & Eugene. Saw The Rabbit Hole at the Lord Leebrick Theater in Eugene. Saw my granddaughters in Eugene.
Well, I guess the part about spring being here was premature, huh? Got home and there was snow like January.

Great trip, fun, lots to eat and a good motel--the Village Inn Motel and Restaurant in Springfield. Just off Hwy 126.

Whoops!

I spoke too soon about spring . . it snowed all morning, though none stuck on the ground.

Spring

Doesn't the approach of spring feel good? Look good? Smell good? When the air takes on a balmy feeling and primroses vibrate in the light breeze, the imminence of the new season becomes exciting. Rain feels like a spring freshet instead of winter's gray, endless mist. Broken clouds with blue sky intervals cause one to remark on their beauty instead of hunching down for continuing squalls for the next few months. The earth begins to soften. Days grow longer--3 or 4 minutes each day. Green shoots pop up through damp soil--blue bells, crocus, tulips, daffodils--all promise color galore in just a few weeks. You can see purple on lilac buds. Sun makes dandelions magically appear in the lawn.

Spring is anticipation. Spring is youth. Spring makes summer worth the wait.