As seems to be my habit, I spent most of this month of February feeling not so good. Haven't been able to decide where I got the winter blahs this year, as the weather in Seattle has been spectacularly beautiful.. which makes it even more annoying that I haven't been able to get out and enjoy it. I've been hosting some kind of bug that seems to come and go. Heather wrote that the bug must be strapped to a bungee cord, so I now know what to call it.. Bungee Bug. Putting that silly name on it made me laugh, so I am now feeling much better. A good laugh helps every time.

     Our yard is showing signs of Spring. Daffodils and snowdrops are blooming, as well as the forsythia and camellias. We have had flowering kale and pansies in constant bloom on our back porch, brightening the area around our big bear (from grandson Ryan) that warns one and all to "wipe your paws". The enormous flowering crabapple tree on our front bank is putting out buds, and it all gets better and better from here on.

     My family all came to my 89th birthday party at Hildy and Dan's. It was delayed a week, due to my ill health, but 4th or 11th, it was beautiful. The big ice cream cake (chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream) was yummy. Hildy had topped it with two of those numeral candles, 89, which some of the clowns in the group kept changing around so that sometimes they were 86 or 68 and once even 98. Whatever! The cake was delicious, no matter what the candles said.
     So far, 89 doesn't feel much different than 88.

     Newsletter from the Pend Oreille County Historical Society made mention of the Memorial Donation I sent to the Tiger Store Museum in honor of Mom and Dad and their homestead years in the area. "A Memorial Book has been started with their story and will be added to as donations are received".

     Cousin Helen in Wisconsin sent us a clipping from their newspaper saying her grandson, Scott Nordstrand, has just been appointed acting attorney general for the State of Alaska by Alaska's governor, Frank H. Murkowski. Very impressive!

Scott Nordstrand

      She also said the arm she broke on Christmas Eve is healing up nicely and she is looking forward to being able to drive her little, red Escort next week. At a very young 92, she has my admiration for spunk.

     Heather keeps us up to date with pictures of Skyler. So far, my favorite is the one where he seems to be reading his "spider' book, given him by his Grampa Dandy (Dan) who finds spiders fascinating and charming.

Saturday, the 26th, Hildy and Dan picked me up to go to the "get together" to celebrate the wedding of my grand-nephew, Michael Osterfeld and Shoshanna Stepak. The wedding was several weeks ago, since which time they have been honeymooning in Hawaii and in Yukatan. History house was decorated with branches of flowering cherry and some gorgeous Mexican banners of white paper, cut into pretty patterns and hung across the ceiling in several rows. My favorite among the many lovely and delicious party food items was a three-tiered fountain of warm, melted chocolate, surrounded by trays of fresh cut-up fruit and fresh strawberries just waiting to be dipped into the cascading chocolate!

     Thought for the day: With all the talk of genetic codes and such I get the impression that the only problem with the gene pool is that there's no lifeguard.

Dixie/Dorothea, Senior Editor

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