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May 27 2023 Boulder

Maple and I went to the Farmer's Market this morning and she did very well for the nearly two hours that we were there. She is usually fascinated by new places and people and, when she isn't she just falls asleep!

I was happy to run into Richard and Laura, the founders and main employees of MASA, the community garden and seed foundation with which I worked on behalf of Social Venture Partners' Board Development Resource Team last year to help them better organize their board and improve their interactions with their staff, volunteers, and customers. They are doing well and have been working with other SVP resource teams, including fund-raising.

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May 23 2023 Boulder

Tonight we went to a dinner that Shannon had purchased at the Bridge House auction last year with her and Vinny and other people she had invited. It was held at their Community Table location. We knew some of the other people attending, including Midge and Jean Dubofsky, but I hadn't met her husband, Marc, so I was happy to be able to get to know him. Midge's husband, Hal, who has recently been diagnosed with cancer, wasn't there, and I was sorry to hear about his health situation and to miss seeing him.

The chef took us on a tour of the facility, including the kitchen, and it was very impressive. We heard about how Community Table trains and employs clients of Bridge House, a non-profit which helps our unhoused neighbors with their own apartments and a chance to rebuild their lives.

The dinner was AMAZING and we were really grateful to Shannon for inviting us and giving us this opportunity to know about Bridge House, which we have supported for many years.

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Maple's First Birthday cake at our party for her May 21 2023

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Maple with Mitzy, the kitty, from great-grandmother, Laura, and the doll Cousin Debbie gave her, at her First Birthday party on May 21 2023

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May 21 2023 Boulder

Today we hosted Maple's First Birthday party at our house. Maple stayed overnight last night and after her nap she was ready to greet the family members who came to wish her a Happy Birthday.

Unfortunately, Katie wasn't able to be with us because she had a migraine, which was debilitating, and she needed to stay home and rest. But, in addition to Bruce and myself, cousin Debbie and great-grandmother Laura, who we call GG, were in attendance. Maple LOVED her gifts, especially her Grogu doll. If you are a Mandalorian fan you'll know about "Baby Yoda" and, if not, well I guess it's just one more reason to watch the Mandalorian series!

She also really liked the doll from Cousin Debbie, and it reminded me of the time when SHE was nearly that tiny, only a year ago!

Maple was also very excited about her new stuffed kitty from GG, which isn't pictured here. She hugged and hugged Mitsy and wouldn't let her out of her sight! This was such a memorable occasion and, of course, I sent all the photos to Katie so she could see her little darling enjoying herself.

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Maple was SO happy to eat her FIRST birthday cake! May 18 2023

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May 18 2023 Boulder County

Happy First Birthday, Maple! She was delighted to receive this tricycle and I was happy that Katie sent me a picture of her riding it. We are grateful that our little granddaughter completed her first pass around the sun today with a history of a very healthy and happy life so far!

Bruce and I made a video that I sent to Katie saying Happy Birthday to Maple and we'll say it in person in a few days. Katie and Hobie wanted to spend today alone with her, which is understandable.

I really love my little study in the wing of our house on the other side of the meditation garden. It gives me my own space to work, write, ruminate, and meditate, and now it's also where Matilda lives because she still hasn't become comfortable with our "kittens", who have grown up to be pretty big cats.

While I'm not really much of a painter, there was a time when I took "Passion painting" classes and I loved the experience, which seemed more like art therapy than anything else. It was during one of the more challenging times of my life and the painting helped to keep me sane. I was also reading "My Geisha" at the time and that inspired the painting that hangs on the wall of my study, just above my grandmother's rocking chair, which is one of the only things of hers that I am lucky to still have.

I also had fun painting this jungle scene, with all the animals, including snakes, monkeys, butterlies, and spiders. The kangaroo mother represents me and the little joey in her pouch represents Hobie. It fits well with the wooden banana tree we brought back from Bali many years ago.

This afternoon my friend, Virginia, and I did a site visit to HomeAhead at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church and spent time with their Executive Director, Mary, and the chair of their board and founder of the organization, Joe. Virginia and I are on the Board Development Resource Team at Social Venture Partners and we signed up to help Mary and Joe by training their board on the responsibilities of board members and the best practices of effective boards.

HomeAhead is a truly unique nonprofit organization and I'm happy for the chance to work with them. They collect and provide household necessities to formerly unhoused residents of our community when they move into apartments provided by other organizations which work with this population. HomeAhead provides furniture, bedding, tableware, and other things which help turn the apartments into homes for their clients.

We toured the big storage space on the grounds of St. Andrews, which is only one of four they have in various locations and then we went into the church to see the rooms which were completely full of housewares.

Virginia and I will work on our presentation this week to be prepared to present it at the HomeAhead board meeting next week. I'm grateful for this opportunity to help build capacity at one of my now favorite nonprofits in Boulder County.

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Maple playing with Puppy and coaster in her little dress from Jamaica May 17 2023

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Grampy swinging Maple at Chautauqua Park May 17 2023

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May 17 2023 Boulder

Bruce loves being a grandfather and takes advantage of whatever free time he has to be with Maple. Today we all went to the playground at Chautauqua Park, just up the street from our house. I was grateful for Bruce to push the stroller uphill because I have to do it when I'm alone with Maple and she's getting heavier every day!

Maple LOVES swinging on the swings! Next to taking a bubble bath, it's her FAVORITE thing. Grampy, which is what we call Bruce, now, LOVES pushing her on the swings too!

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May 16 2023 Boulder

I love spring planting and I usually begin planting in the many pots on our patios and decks right after Mother's Day to avoid a frost, which might kill anything but the hardy pansies. Bev, our gardener, and our other landscapers, Jonathan and his father, and I designed and installed this new garden in the front of the house last summer and it's encouraging to see the plants coming up stronger and healthier than ever. We've been replacing grass everywhere on our property for years in favor of pollinator-friendly gardens and hopefully this summer we'll be able to expand the gardens even more.

I love this little meditation garden alongside the front entry into our house and come out here to sit on the bench often to enjoy the peace and quiet. Our gardeners are doing their best to remove all the dead leaves which fell last fall but it's a big property and it's taking some time to complete the clean-up.

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Dancing at Mother's Day service at BVUUF on May 14 2023 (One of the once a month mask-required services to protect vulnerable people attending)

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Child blessing at the Boulder Valley UU Fellowship on Mother's Day, May 14th 2023

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May 14 2023 Boulder County

Happy Mother's Day to all those mothers out there! I'm grateful for the opportunity in my life to be a mother, to our son, Hobie, as well as a mother figure to other people, including my siblings. A wonderful mother I will always remember was Martha Arnett, my dear friend and a member of our Soul Sisters women's support group for many years, seen below in a winter holiday group picture in the white sweater. She was also my first employee at our retail store, Ecology House, and a member of the Boulder Valley UU Fellowship for many years.

A few years after Martha died our Fellowship purchased a church in Lafayette, which we remodeled to make suitable for us. One day as I was weeding in the front of the building I received from Martha, I believe, the inspiration to plant a memorial garden. When the board approved a memorial garden in Martha's name, the other Soul Sisters helped me to fund the hardscape and the plants and we created a very special garden which was loved by us and many people at the Fellowship.

Unfortunately, during the remodel of the church a few years ago, the garden was destroyed. But, just as Martha's memory was stronger than Death, the garden is rejuvenating in front of our eyes and, with the Fellowship's new landscaping plans, will hopefully regain some of its former glory.

This garden won't be called Martha's Garden anymore, but there will be a place on the grounds, we have been assured, where Martha and other members who have passed on, will be remembered and honored.

Of course I always remember my mother, Nicki, on Mother's Day and all she did for our family. She was a kind, loving, nurturing mother and a smart, resourceful, and hard-working business woman. She was an inspiration to me and my sisters, as well as anyone who knew her.

After the Fellowship service, which was lovely, I drove to meet Bruce, Hobie, Katie, Maple, and Katie's family in Longmont at the TGIF restaurant for brunch.

Katie is a wonderful mother to little Maple. She is continuing to study for her Masters in Psychology and to adjust to a very big change in her life, and we are doing all we can to help her and Hobie with child care as well as the additional expenses which arrived with the growth of their little family. Katie's mom, Courtney, and dad, Bill, also share with us this commitment to spend as much time with Maple as they are able to do given that they have full time careers.

It was really great that we could all be together on this special day and that Katie's brother, Jack, or Uncle Jack as we now call him, could join us, too. Maple was happy to have all this attention from so many people who love her and she behaved very well during the meal.

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Remembering Father Ed at the Locally Haiti fundraiser dinner addendum on May 8th 2023

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Remembering Father Ed, one of the founders of Locally Haiti May 2023