A Gardener's Memories

The Spirit of Gardening

Months and Seasons

Our Gardens in Red Bluff, California, 1998-2017

Bare Root Planting Time in January and February

Red Bluff, California

Pulling Onions

Ongoing Home Improvements

Our garage in July of 2017.

Our garage in February of 2018.

Vertical shelving installed, everything organized into plastic storage bins and fully inventoried on a spreadsheet, new washer and dryer installed, workbench area set up on west side of garage, room on east side to park a car where I am standing or use the same cleared space for an exercise area.  

Moving keeps you quite busy.
Having fun may be habit forming.

Our fireplace corner in June of 2017.

Leaving Autumn, Entering Winter

Photos around our home in Vancouver, Washington.

The Spirit of Gardening

Green Way Research

View from One Window

Steady Progress

Karen and I have been busy working on making our new house our home.

We have improved the back yard with new plants, trellis, pots, fencing, steps, pavers, etc.  

There are still some boxes remaining in our garage waiting to be unboxed, sorted, and moved.  We want to park one of our cars in the garage for easy loading and unloading in the garage, especially during our coming wet autumn-winter season.  With 45 inches of rain per year average, a sheltered place for our car will be useful.  

I joined the local LA Fitness gym.  It is 2.8 miles from my new home.  It has all the facilities, equipment, and amenities I will need for exercising.  It also has a very nice heated lap pool.  I will try their yoga classes.  

Walking for 30 minutes in the morning and/or evening.  Beautiful summer weather here in Vancouver for pleasant walks.  

My new (6/6/17) pacemaker seems to be working OK.  My sprained right hand and broken right ring finger are steadily healing.  I now have a team of physicians and good health care support here in Vancouver.  

I had hoped to study Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong here in Vancouver with Sifu Brian Knack. However, unfortunately, he retired and moved from the area.  I am researching Tai Chi Chuan training options in Vancouver.  There are many options in nearby Portland.  However, commuting from Vancouver to Portland and back to Vancouver is very time consuming and inefficient considering typical traffic patterns.   

Work Completed: Phase One

We define "Phase One Completed" as when a room in our new home has no storage boxes in it, most of our current belongings fill the room in a relatively normal manner, the room is functionally useful, and we are both satisfied with the progress.

We have completed Phase One for the front entrance living room, the main large bedroom, and Karen's office in the first small bedroom, and the two bathrooms.

The golden retriever dog is my daughter's dog.  This is the front entrance living room.

Karen's office in the first small bedroom.  This is her main "communications" center.  A comfortable rocking chair behind her makes for a good place to stay in touch with others with the phone, texting, or social media; and, a nice place for reading books or her Kindle.  She is the family business manager.

We are now working on our large family room that we call the "Wood Room."  Not near Phase One Completed.  

Busy Moving 2

Got the Main Bedroom back in order.
Got an office workstation set up for Karen in 2nd bedroom.  Cable TV and high speed Internet.
Set up an area for potted plant nursery in southwest corner of back garden.  
Set up hoses and watering areas.
Cleaned off the outside back porch.
Keep a close eye on Bruno in the back yard: temptations include chickens, dogs, ducks.  Bruno can dig under fences.
Working today on installing wood shelving in Wood Room (large room with wood floor).  
Moving books from boxes to shelving.
Install sliding screen door on outside of sliding glass doors in the Wood Room.

I will include some photographs later today or tomorrow.

Busy Moving

Karen and I are now moving into our new house.  "New" to us in June of 2017. This well maintained house was built back in in 1972.  It is 45 years old.  

We are very busy!  

We got the keys to our new home on Friday, 6/16, at 3:30 pm.  

On 6/19, we got connected online via our provider, XFinity/Comcast, to 266 television channels (news, sports, movies, documentaries, community, health), many HD quality channels, DVRs, 200 Mbps Internet, pay per view or pay channels, streaming, Wifi, applications, and a telephone with unlimited nationwide calling and messaging.  I think it is called the X1 Premier Triple Play Package.  What a substantial WiFi Internet upgrade from Red Bluff, at less cost. 

On 6/19, my son helped me replace all the door latches and deadbolts.  He assembled the new Toro lawn mower, and mowed the back yard and Karen mowed the front.  

I am trying my best to not do any strenuous lifting or pulling, not lift more than 10 pounds, and rest more until September of 2017.  I am hoping my heart pacemaker implantation surgery on 6/6 will continue healing well.  

  
On Wednesday, 6/21, we drove 500 miles south to Red Bluff.  We met the Valiant Moving Company movers at South Main Mini Storage at 3:30 pm.  We  rested in the Comfort Inn motel room.  They finished loading at around 10 pm. 

On Thursday, 6/22, we checked out of the storage office, rested indoors, and enjoyed Mexican dinner with Debbie, Marya, Jordan, and Tami.  Since temperatures soared to 107F, we rested in an air-conditioned room.  

On Friday, 6/23, Karen and I drove 500 miles north to Vancouver, Washington.  

On Saturday, 6/24, the movers arrived and unpacked all of our belongings.



On Sunday, 6/25, Alicia and Sean helped us get our beds set up, and moved our belongings from their house to our new house.  Both girls also helped.  We slept in our new home for the first time on Sunday night.  

On Monday, 6/26, Mick helped us with shelving installation and other projects.  

Obtaining and storing needed household supplies.  Learning and discovering.  Sorting boxes, unpacking, shelving ...  We have moved something into this house every day since 6/16.  

Since we live so close to our children now, we all help with house sitting and dog care and house care, when we travel.   We keep a security eye on all our homes.  
Travel in the Northwest USA and British Columbia

What Do They Here?

"But these are all landsmen; of week days pent up in lath and plaster─tied to counters, nailed to benches, clinched to desks. How then is this? Are the green fields gone? What do they here?"
- Herman Melville, 1851, Moby Dick, p. 13

Could we not add, in 2017, transfixed by televisions, glued to computers, plugged into AC/DC, moving things endlessly, wrapped in chores, ... "What do they here?"


So, what we are doing here is moving into our home in Vancouver, Washington. Our realtor gave us the keys to the house today.  

Living in a nice home, in an established neighborhood, will be one foundation of our upcoming experiences and adventures.  

Lots of family have volunteered to help us move.  I've hired movers to transport our stored belongings from Red Bluff to Vancouver.  We will hire other people as needed to help us move into the house.  

Personally, with my left arm, I cannot lift objects over ten pounds, push or pull vigorously, or lift my elbow above my shoulder.  These restrictions, because of my recent 6/6 heart pacemaker implant, will last until July 10th or later as needed.  I seem to be doing fairly well thus far.
  

^^^^

Vancouver, Washington, Northwest USA is located in the Columbia River Valley. The general area has variety of many big plants: evergreens and deciduous trees, ornamentals, shrubs, broad leafs, pines, firs, spruces, cedars.  Trees are everywhere here in the "Evergreen State."  This is quite a dramatic contrast with the North Sacramento Valley orchards and farms where we lived for the last 19 years.  For anything to live in Red Bluff, we needed irrigation for seven months of the year.   

Annual Rainfall (Average) in places we have lived:

Los Angeles, California        14.93 inches 

Red Bluff, California            24.52 inches

Biloxi, Mississippi                64.89 inches 

Vancouver, Washington        39.30 inches

Alexandria, Indiana             41.00 inches


^^^^^

A Home for Us - Maybe

We sold our old home on 5 acres in Red Bluff, California, where we had lived for the last 19 years, on April 5, 2017.  We moved to Vancouver, Washington, on April 10th.

We are proceeding with steps to purchase a home in Vancouver, Washington. On 5/15, this house will be formally inspected.  On 5/18, the house will be appraised.  On 5/19, the fireplaces and chimneys will be inspected.  We hope to be close to a deal on 5/24.  Guild Mortgage is handling our VA loan application.

A tentative date for our move in is June 15, 2017.  It might be earlier, since the house is currently unoccupied.   

This house was built in 1972, has 1,702 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 fireplaces, and sits on a .3 acre lot in a suburban neighborhood.  Lots of grass in the front and back yard, and very large fir/pine trees in the back yard.  The front door faces south.  Sunny front yard and part of back yard for landscaping, flower, shrubs, and a vegetable garden.  The property is on a corner lot on a cul de sac.  

This house, on NE 100 Street, is in the general area of Padden Parkway (78th Street) and 94th Avenue.  The new house is 7.6 miles from my daughter's home.  Our son's home is 5.3 miles away.  Fred Meyer Supermarket, Lowe's and numerous other Big Box stores, restaurants, and smaller retail and service stores are just 2.6 miles away. Home Depot and CostCo are 2.5 miles away. Gold's Gym at the Vancouver Mall is 5 miles away.  Two public libraries and two bookstores are within 6 miles.  The 205 Freeway, at Exit 32, is 1.2 miles west of the home. Curtin Creek is .3 miles to the west.  Sunset Elementary School is four blocks south.  Some signs and maps list this as the "Sunnyside Neighborhood," or "Five Corners Area" of Northeast Vancouver.    

Karen and I could enjoy living here in Vancouver!  

Finding a New Home

Karen and I are spending a lot of time looking for a home to purchase, establishing residency in the State of Washington, and taking care of business matters.  

Don't have much time for reading, writing, blogging, and website development.  

I'm sure our lives will settle into normal by July.  

Best wishes for a wonderful springtime for all my readers.  

Hello, Vancouver, WA

We moved to Vancouver, Washington, on April 10th.

We have been settling in with my daughter's family in a large Salmon Creek area home.

The usual transition issues, as with any family in a move, have occupied our time.

I have enjoyed the Portland weather, for 19 years, in four visits per per. Vancouver is across the Columbia River, north of Portland.  We live in the Columbia River Valley.  The Pacific Ocean is 80 miles from Vancouver.  So, it is cooler and cloudier and wetter here where I now live than in Red Bluff, California.  There are many naturally growing, and obviously flourishing, evergreen firs, cypress, pines, cedars, and shrubs in this area.  This week I have seen seven different trees in bloom, camillas, shrubs in bloom, tulips, etc.  

Just set up our computer and connected back online this afternoon.


Here is the view from our two room apartment, from the adjacent second story porch.  A very enjoyable place to read, stare, enjoy the gentle rain, have a smoke, drink some coffee, ponder life's obvious and obscure realities, and listen to the dull rumble (like surf at the seashore) of traffic around Interstate 5 and 139th Street.

Goodbye Red Bluff CA

On April 3, 2017, we signed the escrow closing papers at the Placer Tile Company in Redding.  Our home and property in Red Bluff were finally sold.  We occupied our old home until the morning of April 10th.    

This will be my last Cloud Hands Blog post from Gushen Grove, Valley Spirit Center, Red Bluff, California.  

Today, 4/10, is the day that Karen drives our 2007 Chrysler 300 and I drive our 2003 Ford Explorer to the City of Vancouver, Clark County, State of Washington. The drive is 500 miles on Interstate 5 from Red Bluff to Vancouver.  Vancouver is on the north side of the Columbia River across from Portland, Oregon.  The City of Vancouver has about 157,000 population.  We are moving from a rural area in Northern California, population 14,000, to the Portland Metropolitan Area with over 2.2 million people.  I lived from 1946 until 1998 in Metropolitan East Los Angeles.  

Both of our cars are packed with essential belongings.  Our dog, Bruno, rides with Karen. We stop and rest , and sometimes switch cars, at the numerous clean public rest stops along I5 (e.g., Canyonville or Klamath River Crossing). We also stop and eat at restaurants along I5.  We stop at two gas stations.  




We lived for and worked for 19 years in a rural area, seven miles south of the City of Red Bluff, Tehama County, North Sacramento Valley, California; from June of 1998 until April 10, 2017.  

We enjoyed meeting new people, contributing with our coworkers, serving and educating children, making friends, serving in our community, and helping other people.  We both worked part-time for 17 years for local school districts.  

We both loved gardening on our five acres of clay soil, outdoor activities, and natural history studies.  We both enjoyed the dramatic seasonal changes in the North Sacramento Valley, California.  Our neighbors, all senior citizens, were all pleasant and freedom loving.  We sold our home to two women who support their aging grandfather, and are raising many children.  

We liked traveling and camping or moteling in Northern California from the Pacific shores near Fortuna to the high desert near Susanville (California State Highway 36); and all the mountains, forests, lakes, and valleys in between.  We visited our children and their growing families four times each year in Portland, Oregon, from 1999 to 2017.    

I enjoyed developing all of my hypertext notebooks and my Cloud Hands Blog during this period.  Each year, one to two million documents were served to people around the globe.  

I enjoyed teaching from 2002-2016 at the Tehama Family Fitness Center in Red Bluff.  Over the years, I taught yoga, tai chi chuan, qigong, mat pilates, spin cycling, Silver Sneakers, and personal fitness training.  

I enjoyed working for the Corning Union Elementary School District from 1999-2016.  I worked part-time, during the school year, as the District Librarian (Certificated) or as the Technology and Media Services Supervisor (Classified).  

Karen worked part-time for the Tehama County Department of Education for 15 years as a Special Education Instructional Assistant (Classified).     

A very positive experience of nearly two decades for both of us.  We left behind many friends, and many good students in the schools and gym in Red Bluff.  

Goodbye to our beautiful Red Bluff Home and our many delightful experiences since 1998.  

Can't turn back, life goes on, the moving finger has writ.      

Hopefully, we can arrive safely, a bit tired, in Vancouver this evening.