Irene Jeannie Disher Arrives
on Schedule

The newest Disher was scheduled to arrive in the early afternoon of January 5th.  She was born at 2:13 PM at EvergreenHealth  Medical Center in Kirkland.  She was 20.75" long and 8 lbs. 5 oz.  And between her birth and the 4:15 PM Zoom meeting when many family and friends first met her, parents Annie and Thomas settled on her name.  We were all delighted to welcome a peacefully sleeping Irene Jeannie Disher. 

Aunt Jean teared up when she heard the name. 

Annie remarked that she was already eating like a champ and everyone declared her lovely.

Irene arrived home on the afternoon of the 7th.  Charis and Valerie had long been prepared to meet their new sister, yet their excitement was far beyond what was expected.  After a good long photo opportunity, we had dinner and then two tired parents took their new gift from God off to bed, while Grammy Kim continued to watch over the older girls.

Home Improvements: Framed Artwork and New Dining Room Upholstery

Upon news of the passing of my art teacher, Professor and Native Artist Marvin Oliver, I purchased one of his early prints, Spirit of the Past, in July 2019 for $200.  That print is selling for $500 today. 

Looking back over my journal to Christmas 2008, I see that Annie gifted me a small piece of oak from the original H.M.S. Victory, Vice-Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar (October 21, 1805), the action in which he was killed.  She'd purchased it during her study abroad time in Great Britain.  I bought the Geoff Hunt print Victory Breaks the Enemy Line for £142.00 ($227.00) in January 2011 to go with it.  That print sells for $600 today.

The cost to frame these pieces was significantly higher than the art itself.  But together they represent my two most significant non-Christian interests that have stayed with me over the years.

Annie and Thomas each had a piece to frame.  Eleven years ago, during their first year in Korea, one of Annie's school friends bought her an oil painting when she visited her in Cambodia.  While the subject of the piece may seem odd, the colors were a good match to go on the north wall of the living room.  We'll certainly come to love the "Elephant" painting over the piano.

Many more framed items will go on the walls in February.

Another home improvement has been the reupholstery of our dining room chairs.  This was a most generous Christmas gift from Susan.  Nancy and I agreed on the elegant (and stain resistant) "Jupiter" blue pattern and the work was done by Marco at Expo Interior Upholstery Inc. in Redmond, a company of which Susan has been a regular patron.

After over twenty years of hard use, all of the chairs showed wear and tear from our family.  Now with the Disher family in residence, we have a whole new generation to enjoy the new cushions and upholstery. 

Not only did Marco replace the cushions and recover the six Ethan Allen "Georgian Court" style side chairs and two end chairs, he refinished the wood on all the chairs at Susan's expense.  She bought us this dining room set when she was serving in the Navy in Japan.  She got the military discount.  We thought it odd that the set was shipped to her in Japan and then shipped to Bellevue from there. 

The January Garden

On the 14th, I saw that the first few Centiflor tomatoes had formed in my little basement grow space under the stairs.  I expect more to join them as many flowers have appeared.  As I wrote earlier, this tomato is needed so that I can harvest some of its seeds for Spring planting.  That should begin indoors in February.

That same day, an inspector hired by PEMCO stopped by to do a routine outdoor inspection of the house.  When we passed by the garden, I was surprised to see half of my little raised bed box with dozens of little garlic sprouts poking through the leaf mulch.  It looks like every one of the "Music" hardneck garlic cloves I planted in October has spouted.

I also planted hundreds of "Evergreen" bunching onion seeds from my own seed harvest.  These will be transplanted to thin them out in a few months.

Surprising Seahawks Make NFL Playoffs

The Seattle Seahawks were picked to finish last in the NFC West this season.  Their quarterback, Geno Smith, was ranked last among starting quarterbacks before game one was played.  Then Geno's team (9-8) beat the Russell Wilson led Denver Broncos (5-12) in their first game 17-16.  Geno went on to lead the entire NFL with the highest passing completion percentage with a final number of 69.8%.  Geno Smith’s 4,282 passing yards is not only a new personal best, but the new passing record for the Seahawks.  Previously, it was held by Russell Wilson at 4,219 yards. Smith also broke the team single-season completions and completion percentage mark.

Alas, while the Seahawks managed to lead the 49ers 17-16 at halftime in the Wild Card playoff round on the 14th, San Francisco came back to win 23-41, ending Seattle's 2022-23 season.

SEAHAWKS UNEXPECTED PLAYOFF SPOT VALIDATES OFFSEASON CHOICES
From FOXsports.com. 1/9/23

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Ten months to the day the Seattle Seahawks entered the next chapter of their history, they qualified for the playoffs in a season where pundits believed they would be in the league’s basement.

On March 8, 2022, Seattle started that new chapter with the decision to trade Russell Wilson to Denver, choosing coaching continuity and draft capital over the power of a franchise quarterback.

And on Jan. 8, 2023, with once cast-off QB Geno Smith (left) at the helm, the Seahawks found themselves back in the postseason through a confluence of their 19-16 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit’s victory over Green Bay in the final game of the NFL regular season.

The overall success of the season coupled with making the playoffs is validation for coach Pete Carroll in his 13th season in charge of the Seahawks. His methods and decisions were questioned and yet Seattle ended up in the place it has been most often since Carroll took over in 2010 — playing meaningful games in January. This is Seattle’s 10th playoff appearance in Carroll’s tenure.               Tyler Locket's touchdown catch against Rams on January 8th.

And in that context, no matter the result of Saturday’s wild-card round matchup against San Francisco, this season has been a success for Seattle.

Asked on Monday in general if he liked proving people wrong, Carroll said: “Heck yeah. I love doing that. I have no problem with that, I don’t mind telling you that.”

WHAT’S WORKING

Kenneth Walker III ("K9" left) put quite the exclamation point on the regular season. Walker rushed for 114 yards on a season-high 29 carries in the win over the Rams. Walker closed the regular season with three straight 100-yard games after more than a month where he struggled to gain traction in the run game and was slowed by an ankle injury.

Walker became the second rookie 1,000-yard rusher in franchise history and finished the regular season with 1,050 yards and nine TDs. He needs a bigger day than the 12 carries for 47 yards he had in the previous meeting with the 49ers if the Seahawks are to pull the upset.

WHAT NEEDS HELP

The Seahawks need to find a spark in the passing game and specifically getting DK Metcalf more involved. In the past two games, Metcalf had a combined four receptions for 43 yards and he didn’t find the end zone in the final four games of the regular season. Metcalf was hounded by some pretty good cornerbacks the final two weeks facing the Jets and the Rams, but it’s vital the Seahawks find ways for Metcalf to get the ball in his hands against the 49ers.

STOCK UP

It’s not outlandish to say the Seahawks playoff spot was saved by safety Quandre Diggs (right) with his interception in overtime against the Rams.

Van Jefferson had broken free from coverage and was wide open for a potential game-winning touchdown, only to see Diggs flash in front of him for a leaping interception, his second straight game with a pick.

Diggs’ play was reminiscent of Earl Thomas when he was an All-Pro safety manning the middle of the field for Seattle. The Seahawks have struggled at times to force turnovers this season and Diggs continuing his late run of interceptions against the 49ers would be an important boost for Seattle.

Auman: Nobody saw Seattle coming out better offensively without Russell Wilson, and Geno Smith has put up a 4,200-yard, 30-touchdown season at age 32 after totaling nine touchdown passes over the previous seven seasons. To complete 70 percent of his passes over an entire season in any offense is ridiculously rare, and he's done it.

Vacchiano: Is there a bigger surprise in the last decade than Geno Smith turning into a Pro Bowl quarterback? In eight seasons, with four teams, there was no indication he'd ever be more than an adequate backup. Who would have guessed the Seahawks knew what they were doing when they kept Smith over Russell Wilson?

Nathanael's Birthday Party

As I turn 68 on the 5th, Nathanael will be half my age.  It's his age, not my own, that makes me feel old.  On his actual birthday, Nate took Thomas larping at Millersylvania State Park. So we held his party a week later on Saturday the 28th.

The Sleights, Sittes, Dishers, and Ebys had cake and playtime in Auburn.

Nathanael shared the news that he'd been hired as the wrestling coach at Nelson Middle School where he teaches.  He missed out on the position last year, but then the 2022 season was cancelled due to COVID.  He is excited and energized about the opportunity.  He told us that the first matches begin on February 28th, and that the season has seven competitions in total.

With Irene, the seven children now outnumber their six parents.  It's fun to see that any grownup can shepherd any of the little wild flock of lambs.

Don and Judy gave me two of her art pieces to offer to Nate and Cynthia.  They selected the framed photo of her painting of two Irises.  The original still life of shells created with colored pencils was claimed by Nancy.

We were happy to learn that Jonny is already reading.  Charis has learned to read a few words herself.

My Take on "Global Warming"

The latest "crisis" promoted by the mainstream media and the political left has been global warming, AKA "climate change," (which is not to be confused with "weather").  Many other global catastrophes have been predicted periodically over the years, only to be supplanted by yet more menacing global dangers to come.  Overpopulation and the Ozone hole come to mind.  Yet, since becoming a Christian in 1980, prompted in great part by the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens, I trust God to manage His Earth's environment for the benefit, and chastisement as is often required, of His beloved human race.  With that is mind, I have often noted that one intense volcano can alone reverse any current temperature rise across the planet.  An article from the BBC this month made a similar point.

The greatest menaces to the Malacca Strait, which separates the Malay Peninsula from the Indonesian island of Sumatra, lie in the natural world. Of the many intriguing maps of activity in the region, the most arresting is the one that collates the world's active volcanoes and recent earthquakes. Along the coast of Sumatra and the more southerly part of Java, following the course of the Sunda Trench, is a band of earthquake activity, and several volcanoes.

On Java, two volcanoes, Semeru and Merapi, have recently erupted. In the Sunda Strait, which separates Java from Sumatra, is Krakatoa, and further west is Tambora, whose eruption in 1815 caused crop failure as far afield as in Europe and the eastern United States.

The Tambora eruption was magnitude VEI7 in the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), on a logarithmic scale going up to VEI8. An event like 1815 might occur once or twice per millennium. But an eruption need not be of quite so high a magnitude to cause severe problems at a global choke point.

In 2018, researchers at the University of Cambridge's Centre for Risk Studies envisaged the effects of scenarios including a VEI6 eruption at Marapi. The eruption, they suggested, might produce ash clouds and fine tephra – fragments of rock ejected into the air – that waft across the Malacca Strait towards Singapore and Malaysia. The resultant damage to local infrastructure and supply chains, with aviation particularly badly affected, would combine with a global temperature drop of 1C to wipe an estimated $2.51tn off global GDP over a five-year period. That figure dwarfs the estimated $5bn that the VEI4 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, in Iceland, wiped from the global economy.

Note:  The last "glacial period" ended 25,000 years ago.  The next glacial period is expected to begin in 18,800 years. So, we are closer to the next ice age than we are from the previous one.  While the short term trend is warmer on a global scale, the long term trend is decidedly chillier.

Bits and Pieces 

I brushed the hair out of Valerie's eyes long enough to get this two-year-old photo montage similar to the one I took of Charis at two.  As with the one of Charis, I gave a framed copy to Grampy and Grammy and kept a copy for Grandpa and Grandma.

Because Irene was born in January rather than before Christmas, I've seemed to enjoy Annie's maternity leave more.  It's not the best when maternity leave overlaps with Christmas Break. 

Charis started her first gymnastics class on Friday the 27th.

I made two large buys in the Stock Market on the 30th.  Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund ETF Shares (VYM) and 3M Company (MMM),
about 45% of my Charles Schwab Roth IRA. This despite my expectation of a looming recession.  I don't need the money soon so I thought to invest it a la Matthew 25:27.

At the end of January, I must report that I'm disappointed with myself that I've only completed two of eight hour-long lessons in Jeremiah.  The urgency of needing to have five talks ready for March, and three after Easter in April, will propel me to make good progress in February.

Interesting stats.

Here are the 10 states with the longest life expectancy (2020 data):

1. Hawaii-80.7
2. Washington-79.2
3. Minnesota-79.1
4. California (tie)-79
5. Massachusetts (tie)-79
6. New Hampshire (tie)-79
7. Oregon (tie)-78.8
8. Vermont (tie)-78.8
9. Utah-78.6
10. Connecticut-78.4

My Quote from January

"This Christmas stuff is a lot of work!"

― Grandpa

"Ya, Mary would have agreed."

― a very pregnant Annie