Galen's First Birthday is a November Family Party

Galen got his first birthday cake right on schedule on the 14th.  Quite a birthday breakfast!  But his party had to wait until Sitte sniffles cleared up.  The family joined him for presents and cupcakes on the 20th.  I went down on the 19th to play with Galen so Jean and Joel could pick up their living room and prepare for the crowd. 

On the 19th, I made another extra spicy batch of my Mexican salsa.  Joel, who loves it spicy hot, declared it his favorite salsa ever.  It was my contribution to the party the next day.

Still wary of sharing any viruses that might be going around, the Sleights arrived earlier and mostly stayed in the yard.  Former roommate Tanner brought his son Lucas to be with his future friend Galen.

Galen was as delighted with his birthday cupcake on the 20th as he was with his official first birthday cake on the 14th. 

Jeremiah and Lamentations Marathon in Berrydale

I got in some study before Thanksgiving.  That left the 25th through the 30th for more study, punctuated by dog walks, snacks, and a few streamed movies.

Jean and Joel decided to fly to Massachusetts for Thanksgiving.  But flights being difficult to book, they needed to leave on the 21st and return on the 30th.  I agreed to hang out with Luna for nearly all of those days, beginning on the 19th.  

I got their Christmas lights up!

On the 26th, I drove to Renton to enjoy the Apple Cup at Don and Judy's.  The next day, I had to listen to the Seahawks game on the radio as Joel and Jean only use their TV for streaming over the web.  Alas, the Oakland Raiders won 40-34 in overtime.

Snow on the 29th came as a surprise.  Because this is a La Niña year, I've been expecting a cooler and wetter winter,
but not this early.

Thanksgiving
at Susan's

On Thanksgiving day, Cynthia stayed home with Isaac and after lunch drove up from Auburn to check on Luna.  This allowed me to drive home so I could do my laundry and join the family for a ride up to Susan's.

Nancy again cooked the turkey that I had bought the Friday before. 

Unlike the Thanksgivings in my West Seattle days, when our only guests were members of the Sleight and Moody families, Susan invites single church friends and missionaries.  To this we added the Pastrick family who count as part of our extended clan.

With the Sitte's back east, Julie Adams brought the stuffing instead of Jean.  I especially enjoyed Nancy's turkey gravy and fresh homemade cranberry sauce.  I did not overeat but had a small meal and smaller seconds!  I think I counted six different dessert options.

This year, the junior generation took over the sunroom.  The four-year-olds moved up to the big round table while the younger ones stayed at the small kids table.  

Apple Cup: UW Huskies 51 WSU Cougars 33

I took a break from Luna on the 26th to join Don, Judy, and Randy for an Apple Cup watch party.  The annual battle for State bragging rights moved from its normal Black Friday time slot to a late 7:30 PM game on Saturday.

Don and Judy are big Dawg fans.  Randy and I are proud Huskies too.  Laurie and Tom watched at home in Colorado. 

Randy brought dinner and I brought cranberry drinks, which we enjoyed before the game.  Don supplied chips and homemade dip at halftime.

The Huskies were only up by one point at halftime, 28-27.  But UW quarterback Michael Penix, Jr., the national passing leader, threw for 485 yards and the team ended with 703 total yards, just two yards short of surpassing their all-time record.  The Cougs kept it close for three quarters, making the game an exciting contest.

The Huskies have won 75 of the 114 games played between the two schools.  I like this quote from the Spokesman-Review: "Cougars fans grow up understanding that no matter how much crimson and gray they wear on game day, the Huskies are probably going to win the Apple Cup."

The Midterm Election on November 8th

Hints of a good night for the Republican Party began to build in October.  I was ready with my rum to celebrate or drown my sorrows (see Prov. 31:6-7).  (I did remember to have "a tot of rum" on October 21st in memory of Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson's death at the Battle of Trafalgar.  FYI, a "tot" is officially 71 ml.)

Alas, I don't think any of the candidates I voted for were elected, nor were the many ballot measures I rejected, mostly tax increases, actually turned down.

The only positive this month was the attainment of a Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.  And even that took many days of counting for the GOP to record their 218th seat in the House.  This will be a necessary check on the Democrats who controlled the Legislative and Executive branches of government during the first two years of the Biden administration. 

I am convinced that uncontrolled government spending is most to blame for the high inflation which is the hidden tax on all of us.  Higher prices for everything are being chased by dollars of ever decreasing purchasing power.  I feel like I'm back in Professor Michael Hadjimichalakis' ECON 301 National Income Analysis class.  (The class where nothing made sense until, aha!, everything suddenly did.)

Grandpa On Call

On the 1st, I had agreed to drive to Berrydale and play with Galen.  I love it that I don't have to miss out on seeing how each of my grandkids are growing.

That afternoon, Cynthia called to ask if I could help out in Auburn the next day.  Grandpa David had been admitted to the hospital and Grandma Helen was staying with him during the day.  Cynthia had multiple doctor and dentist appointments.  So Jean suggested I just sleep over and drive down to Auburn in the morning.

I had fun at both homes, but needed a nap in the early afternoon at the Sleight/Eby house.  I changed and fed Isaac for the first time.  Reuben proved surprisingly attentive and helpful as he retrieved many items for me that I mentioned, without me even asking him to do so.

I am the most available backup for all the millennial parents in the family.  And since Thomas gets my help when Annie is at Seattle Christian, it seems only fair that I help out in Kent and Auburn too. What these first two days in November taught me was that I need to keep a modest "go bag" packed and ready to grab when duty calls.  This service is a big part of why I retired last year. 

A Burke Museum Visit

On November 3rd, I rode with the Dishers to take advantage of the museum's "First Free Thursday" opportunity.  I have to say I liked the old smaller version of the Burke museum on the UW campus. 

Given the sheer size of the new building completed in 2019, I expected a much expanded museum.  What we found was a modest set of displays spread across three floors, wedged between academic research areas which were off limits to museum patrons.  I learned more about the "Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture" from Wikipedia than I did from my visit.

The most interesting fact I learned in my visit was that there were 39 different languages spoken by native tribes in what became the State of Washington.

This museum, known for its collection of native art of the Pacific Northwest, had only a modest amount on display, with most of it from coast tribes of British Columbia.  My favorite piece was this Haida hat with its frog design.

Jean and Galen joined us, and then I rode with her to Auburn to help watch the Sleight boys so Cynthia could get to another doctors appointment.  We dropped Galen off with Joel before Jean drove me home and headed off to a friend's church event in Issaquah.

Many Hands Make Light Work: "Save the Date" Project

When Debra Westwood discovered that a cruise she had paid for got rescheduled due to COVID, to overlap with our 50th high school reunion, she was forced to bow out from our reunion planning committee.  This then meant that the "Save the Date" mailing project, so important to the first phase of our work, fell to me as the committee chair.

I prepared the mailing labels from the data I had received from the West Seattle High School Alumni Association.  I purchased the stamps, paper, labels, and envelopes.  And, with the help of sister Laurie's suggested text for the "Sponsor/Donation Form," desktop published the pages to be mailed.

Annie and Thomas, and especially Nancy, did most of the physical work of putting the mailing together.  What had felt like a daunting project turned out to go very smoothly. 
I was able to get the 380+ letters into the mail on the 12th.

Much of this project was like jobs I had performed at SPU.  Creating forms, writing newsletters, and preparing mailing labels were common tasks for years.

Donations toward the event began to come in including $1,000 from Mark Robison who gave $500 five years ago.  At the end of in November, donations are at $1,600.

Wrapping Up the Autumn Harvest

Friday, November 4th, I had a rare morning to devote to the garden.  The night before I'd made a list. 1) Add a layer of mulch to the garlic in its raised bed. Thanks to Susan, I had a good supply of leaves for mulch. 2) Water the two pots of cilantro growing in the dining room window. 3) Start a few Red Centiflor tomato seeds in my little seed-starter grow spot under the basement stairs.  I only have 10 seeds so I want to get a small indoor crop in order to save more seeds. 
4) Harvest all the remaining peppers. 
5) Harvest the horseradish.

Because the Serrano peppers I'd grown from seeds got a late start outdoors, I'd bought other varieties at Carpinito Brothers in Kent.  Then it turned out that the Serranos, Jalapenos, and a single Habanero plant produced the best yields.  I'd been picking peppers for pizzas and salsa for over a month. 
I'm delighted with this good harvest.  Most of these will go into the freezer to be retrieved for cooking.

The 5 oz. piece of horseradish I planted in late February and transplanted to a big pot in March grew into a two pound set of roots.  I replanted two pieces in the same pot.  Horseradish can go right back in the ground anywhere that any snow can be expected over the winter.  I can't imagine needing much of the jar of horseradish I prepared.

Bits and Pieces 

During my long stay in Berrydale, I managed to locate the rake and appropriated seven bags of leaves.  As I refresh my garden soil for my many pots, I'll mix the old soil with layers of leaves to add more nutrients (NPK) to the soil.  These leaves will become good compost over the winter.  Outdoor potting begins in March or April depending on the weather.

An anecdote from the Bellevue Presbyterian men's Bible study I led for 17 years:

On one occasion, Nancy stopped in to drop off something she'd noticed that I'd forgotten.  No doubt I was off to a Track meet or Wrestling match after the study.  She was only in the room for a moment, but Microsoft Executive Warren Burger's first comment when she left was, "Dick, you married WAY up!"  Indeed I had. 

When I arrive at the Sitte home, Luna
is easily the happiest to greet me.  It still takes Galen a few minutes to warm up to me, and should either of his parents come into view, any interest in me instantly transfers to them.  I suspect he'll run to me soon enough, but now he's just on the verge of walking.  Here he is on 11/9.

Sadly this month, Nancy learned of the passing of one of her oldest family friends Helmuth Horvath, Ph.D..  The Rutherfords first met him as the ski instructor to Bob, Ginger, and Susan.  As a single person with no family in the US, he was often invited to dinner by Bob and Ginger.  Their hospitality made a lifelong friend. 

At home in Austria, Dr. Horvath was a much published and highly respected Professor of Physics (Aerosol Physics and Environmental Physics) at the University of Vienna. He had retired in 2006.  Still an active scholar, he served this year on an international advisory committee for an international science convention in Greece.  In Memoriam  Photo 1  Photo 2

On the 15th, I made an early morning drive to 175th in Shoreline where my dermatologist, Dr. Tiffany Shih, looked me over.  She froze a few spots on my face and nose and told me to wear sunscreen and a broad brimmed hat when I work in my garden.  She also carved a small something off of my left arm.  The biopsy proved to be a "superficial basal cell carcinoma."  I'll be going back on December 20th so she can carve deeper to get out the rest of it.

On the 16th, I retuned to Shoreline to have Dr. David To take the impressions for my new implant crowns.  That was followed by an overdue cleaning.  My two new teeth are due on December 7th.

Before the rains came later this month, Nancy continued replacing old boards on the second floor deck. The new composite boards look great. 

I found this particular strip especially personal.  Although I taught well, I often felt out of place as a Lecturer in the UW College of Engineering from 1978 to 1989, having been hired with just a B.A. in Economics, with only two years in General Engineering, at the age of 22.  Yet, I could not have begun my doctoral dissertation to complete my Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies if I had not already been working as a faculty member in the College of Engineering.  My service on the Mechanical Engineering admissions committee gave me the "policy issue" for my dissertation topic, and my faculty status helped me gain access to the data I needed to fully answer the important research question I'd posed.

 My Quote from November