Ride to the Ferry

Ride to the Ferry  as told by Jan
   Coleen and I had a good day in Seattle.  We decided to take a day off from work, go shopping and have lunch.  We left the guys at home and just walked on, (the ferry).  The old terminal is being torn down and there was major  construction going on,  so the walkway was long.  For fun, we turned on our Fit Bits.  It was sunny, the tides were low and there was  the scent of salt sea in the air.  We were people-watching as we went.

   A cabby stopped and dropped off a gray haired  man and helped him into his wheel chair. He was a man of rumpled brokenness, and yet he inched towards the ferry dock. (For us to  walk it took ten minutes.) He had arthritic hands, a foggy eye, and at least two teeth missing in front.  He was gaunt, and didn't look strong enough to make it that far.

   Colleen and I  glanced sideways at each other as we were about to pass by.  Then we stopped.  We decided to help out.
   "Hi,   do you want a push?"  I stated in my most persuasive voice.
   "I'd appreciate it",  he said,  with a twisted smile.  He told us that his name was Leo, and he was a Vietnam veteran.  He'd just flown in from Denver, and was catching the ferry to go to Bremerton to pick up his dog.  I wondered if it was a service dog,  but I didn't ask.

   The elevated walkway wound for several blocks around the construction area. When Coleen or I hit a bump ,  Leo groaned.  The poor guy must have been in pain.  How hard it must be for him.  Even so,  he thanked us for getting him to the ferry,  and for being angels.  

   As we walked away from the waterfront, and  towards Anthropologie,  Coleen reflected on our encounter with Leo.  "There may have been a quicker way,"  she said.  "The cabby could've dropped Leo off one block over, where most likely, there's  an elevator he could have taken."
   "Oh well, it was good,"  I said, lifting my shoulders.    "Besides,   now  I know if I'm ever old like that, and in a wheel chair, and in poor condition,  I won't let it stop me from taking a cab to the ferry.  Someone is bound to come along and give me a push!"

"Small rain on the tender herb,"  at HollyhockJunction  

Prune Juice Junction

  
  

Stamp of Approval

handmade felt bag

  Tara, an occupational therapy assistant, has chapped cracked lips, and she doesn't want her elderly client Roberta, a pert southern belle - a Scarlet O'hara in her day,  to think that she, the helper is sick!  Most likely it's from stress,  and  jumping  in and out of her car and the cold,  during home health visits. 
  She's an outdoor girl with a pony tail and natural skin, but off she goes to the local pharmacy for something that will help.  She purchases a tube of bright red lipstick, and puts it on thick.
  What a reception she  gets when she reaches Roberta's house, (Roberta with bright red lips.)   She thinks,   "Ah yes, the stamp of approval, now I'm hip."    

National 4 - H Week Oct 6 - Oct 12

Remembering 4 H  in  1959.

My apron won prizes in 1959.

  Rural farm families gathered at each other's homes.  Monthly 4 H meetings were held with parents, small siblings, and best cousins included! As members, we had things to learn and do, and it was our parents who worked together as  leaders and teachers helping the 4-H group to hone its youthful skills. 
BAKING: Pie crusts rolled.

MAKING: Weeds in gardens pulled, and little animals fed and growing.

SEWING:  Mastering button holes.

AIMING with our exhibits for  crowns and blue ribbons,and a fun day at the county fair. 

Sixty years later, these are still good skills to have.    This week I'm shortening a pair of slacks for my mother - with a blind stitch hem.

  The four H's on the 4-H clover stand for  
Head; clear thinking 
Heart; greater loyalty
Hands; larger service
Health; better living.
  
Small rain upon the tender herb, at Hollyhockjunction.
Deuteronomy 32:2