Adam Miller and Family

Well, I'm involved in a discussion of how to ...

December 17, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Well, I'm involved in a discussion of how to kill a lobster in a humane fashion, so you can tell that Sadie made it home safe. Her plane, but not her luggage, arrived at 1:45 last night. The roads were iffy, and we borrowed Adam and Jamie's Subaru wagon - we didn't really have any problems.
Seraph called in, and she will try to take the train down from Portland this afternoon. Sadie is reading one of the Twilight books, reading choice sections to us in a breathless voice. The last one included our hero facing a
"horde of bloodthirsty vampire newborns." Oh, what the hell, my generation had "Peyton Place".

News of Sadie and Seraph

December 17, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

News of Sadie and Seraph. Seraph made it into Portland fine and called around one pm from her house. Sadie wasn't so lucky calling to say that her 5:20 pm flight was delayed until 8:10 pm. She's scheduled into Denver, where she'll possibly catch a flight into Eugene, or a later flight into Portland. If into Portland, she'll take a cab to Seraph's and they'll come down on the bus tomorrow.

Tomorrow is one of those boring phone-call, p...

December 11, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Tomorrow is one of those boring phone-call, paperwork days which I dread. The last couple of days have involved long hours on the phone, internet, and standing in line geting
land-line, internet, and Comcast bundled. We actually found both the Comcast and Qwest sales people really helpful. I got my new cell phone, one I can use with a Sim card in England.
Bob and I are going to combine our Verizon accounts and add
a line for Sadie. To think that the first telephone I remember in our house had a crank on the side and our phone number was three longs and two shorts (three complete rotations and two half rotations.)
I forgot to say that Ripley had a fitting burial, under a big pine on the hill, with mushroom fairy circles all around. It was sunny, and Sarah and Nate took us to see their chickens and chicken coop. The farm is always lovely in the winter. The neighbor is deternined I should thin the trees and make a truckload of money, but I can't bear to yet. Think I'll let God manage the forest for awhile longer. He, she, or they have been doing a fine job for several billion years now.

Adam, I need to ask a favor

December 08, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Adam, I need to ask a favor. Let me preamble it (ooo, a noun
verbed; I too can be a 21st Century FOX) with the reminder that you'd get stuck doing this after I die if we don't do it now. I have gone through all the family photos from 1985 to the present and have dated them. I talked to Jamie, who will cheerfully give you a kid free day. Seraph and Sadie will be here about the 17th, and Robbie and Isa don't get here until the 22nd. I know that Jenny is going to take a
couple of weeks off at the holidays, and I'll call her this evening. I also want to get all the family heirlooms divvied up. Seraph and Robbie will have the U-Haul, and they
might as well take the table. I remember having a huge expense and hassle arranging for shipping the china closet Aunt Clare gave me, and I might as well give Seraph a chance to take the table. Would you figure out with your cute sisters a good time for us to get together, without
kids, to do this?

Friday am, and I had my Emma Elixer while Jam...

December 05, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Friday am, and I had my Emma Elixer while Jamie and Angie worked out this morning. She and I were into an elaborate
role playing game (she was a wild kitty left in the desert, as well as a variety of characters prompted by her trip to see Kung Fu Panda. She loves these games, though occasionally I'm called to switch characters a bit quickly for my elderly brain.) In the middle of today's game, she looked at me and said, "You're a weird Grandma!"
Bob and I are shortly off to the farm to bury Ripley. Seraph didn't have time to bury him and he's been hanging out in her freezer compartment. (Thank heavens prospective
buyers never wondered why she had a large box marked Radio Shack, or whatever, in there). Bob went up on Wednesday to spend some time with Anna, and stayed over at Seraph and Robbie's house to see his sister, who came down from Seattle on Thursday. So he put Ripley in the trunk, and has been grousing at me all morning to get going so we can dispose of Ripley appropriately before the trunk gets smelly. The
stuff I do for you kids.
Love, The Evil Queen of the Kung Fu Kingdom, the Fierce Lion, the Kitty Owner, etc, etc...and old mom

Hi, I talked with Seraph this morning; she wa...

December 01, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, I talked with Seraph this morning; she was heading into
Colorado. Had a nice chat with Sadie yesterday; she spent Thanksgiving in Maine, with Greg's family. Much love to all, Mom

It's 7:30 Thanksgiving evening, and for a cha...

November 28, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

It's 7:30 Thanksgiving evening, and for a change, we had an early dinner, around 1:30 or 2:00. Thanks to Seraph, who arrived yesterday with her cookin' shirt on, we had an amazing variety of dishes, artfully presented. Thanks to Bob, who started the dishes, we did get the dishes done. Not, however, before bemoaning the fact that Yayoe and Hanni weren't here to shoulder the bulk of dish-doing!
Hope all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Oooh, Sadie, your absence will be especially ...

November 25, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Oooh, Sadie, your absence will be especially noted, as will Anna's, Robbie's and Isa's. All the grown ups will be elsewhere for Thanksgiving Dinner (not that you guys aren't grown-ups) and it will be Aric, Adam and Jamie and kids,
Jenny and the boys, and Seraph. Many hugs to all, om

Here I am, back in Eugene, watching an interv...

November 17, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Here I am, back in Eugene, watching an interview of President-Elect Obama on "Sixty Minutes". What a relief to hear someone intelligent at the helm of our rather shaky ship of state. I had a delightful week with Seraph in Portland. She had people touring her house nearly everyday, and two open houses, one for realators on Tuesday, and one scheduled today. Her house does look lovely, very shiny and
pretty. However, it's obvious that the bottom has fallen out of the market there. Some friends wanted to have their wedding at Seraph and Robbie's, so we scurried around like
Martha Stewart clones, liberally spreading flowers and candles hither and thither. I had a couple of "garlands"
(90% off, end of season sidewalk sale at Hiron's - where else?) which I beefed up with various other Hiron's goodies.
They looked quite artsy-fartsy on the railing at Seraph's house. I performed the wedding ceremony (nothing like an all-purpose wedding service!) my seventh. Everyone seemed to have a good time. As always, it was fun to spend time with Seraph.

Hi, Fam, Seraph is down this weekend

November 07, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, Fam, Seraph is down this weekend. Since it's her birthday, I'm going to do an early dinner on Sunday for her.
I thought I'd aim for two or three, but can do a late brunch, now that I finally figured out how to do that puffy egg thing.
I'm still euphoric, though I feel as though the country went
to the brink of greed and almost to the brink of civil unrest. It feels as though some one gave us permission to speak out loud about Race and Race issues to each other;
Black people and racial minorities are full of joy, and White people feel as though some of our sins are washed away. United in good will, we can finally talk about the
griefs which separated us.

This is in memory of your great-great uncle J...

November 06, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

This is in memory of your great-great uncle Joseph Stallsmith. He was an 18 year old soldier in the Union Army
when he was killed in the Battle of Bushy Run. That war was fought to take away the ability of wealthy people in the south to treat people like animals. The war has been long, but it's nice to see a victory.

Happy All Saints Day

November 02, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Happy All Saints Day. Stay in touch with your ancestors. Vote! (Those two imprecautions are unrelated!) Seraph, Robbie, Hanni and Isa, have fun, fun, fun.

Oh, Seraph, I'm so sorry

October 23, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Oh, Seraph, I'm so sorry. Ripley was a nice kitty, a real
Jellicoe cat (From TS Eliot Book of Cats- that's not quite the right name, though.)

What a nice Sunday! It didn't include a hike ...

October 20, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

What a nice Sunday! It didn't include a hike in the woods, but it was lots of fun visiting with family. I'd missed Hanni's birthday lunch earlier this month, so it seemed like a good day for a birthday brunch. Jenny and the boys cancelled at the last minute; she called to say that she still had one kid in his underwear and the other totally nekkid, and she was already late. (We just watched Tampa Bay
clinch the pennant, and I'll bet Greg and the other nor'East Coasters are mourning...) Seraph had come down to spend a weekend with Hanni, and Yayoe was able to carve out some time from her duties at Uketoberfest to come by, and Jamie and Emma came by, bearing home made cinnamon rolls. Seraph and Hanni stayed on for the afternoon, and we looked up the house Robbie and Seraph made an offer on. It's an amazing house - built in 1900, it looks like an adobe house from a western movie.
I'm hoping that it's not been too much remodeled, because the basic log beam/plaster roof is lovely, as are the thick walls. Lots of work, but hopefully much of it could be done
prior to move-in. Having redone two late 1800's houses, I know it can be done, with lots of elbow grease.
Bob and I had fun at the Uketoberfest. Yayoe had an active part in planning the festival, and we missed her group's "gig" at Cosmic Pizza on Friday night; Bob had an
Elder Ombudsman conference on Friday and Saturday, with a
banquet on Friday evening. We did make the ukelele concert on Saturday night, and it was very trippy. My notion of ukelele playing is based on Arthur Godfrey in the 50's, and
this was from a different galaxy. What a great town to live in!

Again, I remind you that there are four seaso...

October 09, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Again, I remind you that there are four seasons in Eugene -
Winter, Spring, Summer, and the season Before the Rain Comes. We're taking a quick break because this is one of the days on which the rain already came. I got to spend a lot of time with Dez and Jordan over the last three weeks, helping Jenny get the house ready to put on the market. We really should paint the benches and work table on the back porch, but really, everything is in pretty good shape. I'm not sure if I mentioned that her new house deal finally went through, after lots of waiting, and finally, setting a deadline for the Sellers.
Seraph will be spending Saturday with Lohring in Lincoln City, for his boating speed record and then will be down to spend some time with Adam and Jamie on Sunday.
I got to spend some time puttering with Emma yesterday while Jamie and Grandma Judy had a quick lunch at King Estate. It turned out that Sam had cut his hand in a fall, and fortunately Grandma Judy hadn't lost any of her nurse's skill during those years of hospital administering, and soon she had him bandaged up to his comeplete satisfaction.
Happy belated birthday to Hanni. Seraph and I are going to
try hosting a Belated Birthday Brunch on October 18th for Hanni combined with a General Celebration of the Ukelele for Yayoe, possibly with a lecture on its Place in History and (perhaps) a Sing-A-Long. (You can always tell when I've been reading Winnie the Pooh or a Victorian Novel.)
For my Trashy Jokesters, I'm sending on a funny Hallowe'en video.

We are now the proud owners of a 1997 Lincoln...

October 06, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

We are now the proud owners of a 1997 Lincoln Town Car. No joke. Ron was buying a new or newer car, and could only get $1,000 as a trade-in, so he just gave it to Bob. Our vehicle fleet is now a 1965 BMW motorcycle, a 1969 Oldsmobile, a 1973 Isuzu, a 1997 Lincoln, and a 2002 Honda. The 1972 pickup finally bit the dust. Bob's State Farm agent loves him.

Seraph, try Greece, where university educatio...

October 03, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Seraph, try Greece, where university education is free if you score well on a national test. Or try Botswana, where
university education is free to all citizens. But not here in the richest country in the world.

Or stay in the US and potentially have to listen to Sarah
talk and smile at the same time forever and ever...

So, are we all impressed by America's leaders...

September 30, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

So, are we all impressed by America's leadership?

We had a fun, but busy, weekend

September 29, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

We had a fun, but busy, weekend. Saturday morning found me trekking across town to meet with a friend of Jenny who is getting a divorce and just wanted to talk to someone. I scurried home and Bob and I prepared to drive up I-5 to Woodburn Shopping Mall to meet Seraph. We met up and Bob sat in the car with the kitties while Seraph and I power shopped. Then we three went off to Marsha and Steve's where there was an end of the summer fiesta. All their family, old friends, and the Mexican guy who rents from Steve and Marsha and his family... Bob, Seraph, the kitties, and I left around eight, and were quite happy to hit the sack.
Seraph had breakfast with Yayoe and Hanni, and then we shopped for dinner In the meantime, Anna had come down from Portland and Bob's cousin Ron brought his pick up down to take back the double bed to Portland for Anna. The group increased in size, and we would up with ten for dinner. Good times!

Seraph and Sadie, remember Abel's Island

September 23, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Seraph and Sadie, remember Abel's Island. I sat with Sam a bit today; he had a cold and Jamie had to take Emma to school. I read him several chapters, and we discussed it from a Joseph Campbell myth perspective. Next is Jung.

Sunday evening, taking it easy until the Mad ...

September 22, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Sunday evening, taking it easy until the Mad Men program comes on. This has been a hectic couple of weeks. I spent two days in Portland with Seraph getting her place on the market. I spent some time over at Jenny's doing the same thing. Bob, bless his heart, helped me with some fall housecleaning. I did some phone bank stuff for Jeff Merkley, who's running against Gordon Smith for a Senate seat. I think I can safely say that people in general are furious about "smear" campaigning. Apparently there's a photo team paid by Gordon Smith which follows Jeff Merkley
around trying to catch him in a gaffe. Amazing!
I had fun taking Jordan to see "Kung Fu Panda" this afternoon, and Aric, Adam and Jamie, and the kids came over for dinner.
Talked to Seraph tonight.

Hi, all, I'm sitting here in a lovely motel r...

September 09, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, all, I'm sitting here in a lovely motel room at the Mill Casino, where the Veterans Affairs Grantwriting workshop which Bob is attending here in Coos Bay has reserved a block of rooms. They have free Wi-Fi, which is a real treat! Bob and I drove over this afternoon, and it's hard to imagine that it was only two weeks ago that we were leaving Athens.
We did have a wonderful time in Greece. Athens is an interesting city because, while it is a sprawling city, all of the "historical" sights are in a fairly small area known
as Plaka. And the Parthenon (which is the famous building
in the ancient complex of religious buildings known as the
Acropolis) is on a steep hill in the middle of the Plaka area, so it's easy to get to.
Later, olmom

My body is here, but my soul is still in the ...

August 29, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

My body is here, but my soul is still in the warm clear water of Crete. When it gets back to Eugene, we'll post. Love, the not-quite-as-ancient-as-the-buildings-we-saw Old
Mom.

Hi, I posted from Athens, but I now realize t...

August 25, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, I posted from Athens, but I now realize that it didn't actually get through cyberspace to the site. We're about to take the ferry from Crete back to Athens. Sam and Dez, this is the next trip after England. We saw lots of the things we studied about,all of which are more amazing in real life. The water really is crystal clear aquamarine, too. Love to all, Mom

Hi, Sweeties all, a quick check in from the b...

August 14, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, Sweeties all, a quick check in from the blissful land of
Isa Visiting. We got in Tuesday afternoon, and she spent yesterday morning hangin' with Yayoe. Then we did a bit of shopping in the afternoon, picking out an ice cream cake for Jordan. Jenny had a lovely family birthday party for Jordan, and we put on a dress rehearsal of the Oregon Trail play. Much love to all, Mom

Hi, a quick note about our plans

August 11, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, a quick note about our plans. Bob and I are driving to Portland late in the day today and staying overnight with Seraph. We're going to bring Isa down, hopefully for a day at the fair and to have a little birthday dinner with Jordan and
some play time with Sam and Emma. We'll go back up on Thursday. Margie will be in this weekend, and I'll hope to see her. We leave for Greece on Monday.

Isa and I are safe home from our Chicago trip...

August 05, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Isa and I are safe home from our Chicago trip - Buckingham Fountain, Millenium Park, fireworks on Navy Pier, the Chicago Art Museum, and the ultimate, the American Doll Museum. Lots of good time with cousins, especially with Derek, almost exactly Isa's age, and a good intellectual match. John and Anita the perfect hosts, as always. As Adam says, Good Times.

G'day, mates

July 27, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

G'day, mates. We had fun yesterday evening, with Jenny, the boys, Aric and his "just friend" Cecily over for dinner. Hanni, bearing a tray of her world famous cream puffs, Seraph, Robbie, and Isa stopped over for an hour. Jenny
was very solicitous about the implant bruising, and even called Lohring. He's still the best dentist I've ever had,
and I actually felt quite relieved. I should have used her boss, not the guy my dentist recommended.
I'll go to Portland with them this afternoon, and Isa and I will leave at 2 tomorrow afternoon. I need to make reservations at the American Girl doll museum so we can have tea.
Much love to all, old mom

Hi, much love from Mom

July 25, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, much love from Mom. I had the posts for my tooth implants put in on Tuesday, and I am still a sight! My face is bruised and swollen, and I wasn't prepared for how much it would hurt. So I'm sort of drugged up.
However, I'm looking forward to my trip to Chicago next week with Isa to visit Anita and John.

And a very happy birthday to my funny, nice, ...

July 19, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

And a very happy birthday to my funny, nice, and (don't forget) handsome, son!

Sunday night after a whirlwind weekend

July 14, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Sunday night after a whirlwind weekend. Sadie's friend Morgan got married yesterday evening. On Friday night, I picked up Anna from the Portland airport at the appointed time, planning to pick up Sadie, who'd carefully made travel plans to arrive at the same time. However, given the vagaries of travel, her plane was delayed. Anna and I used the time to have a delightful dinner with Seraph and Robbie. Sadie got in about 9:30, and we didn't get into Eugene until about 1 am.
On Saturday morning we had a brunch for Sadie's friends, also in town for the wedding, as well as some of the parents
so it was really fun. This was such a nice bunch of kids.
The wedding was lovely, outdoors next to ERB Student Union on the U of O campus, under the huge pine trees. We all danced until midnight.
Today the family got together for dinner, and then we sent
Sadie and Anna up to Portland with Hanni.

Good Monday morning! The plan for today is to...

June 23, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Good Monday morning! The plan for today is to finish up phone calls and paper work, and start summer projects tomorrow. We're starting that regime by having the lawn mower repaired. We had Jenny, Dez, Adam, Sam and Emma for brunch yesterday. Very nice to see everyone.

The sun is out, I've finished my colonoscopy,...

June 20, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

The sun is out, I've finished my colonoscopy, and my bronchitis has disappeared. The only glitch on the boring
health radar is that I cracked a rib last Friday when I slipped while trying to plug in the computer and came down hard on the arm of a chair in the doctor's office. I had the
colonoscopy this morning; they had to take out a couple little polyps, and will send them off to be biopsied.
We are finally getting settled in and finding places for Bob's stuff. I'm looking forward to a nice weekend! Love to
all, mom

Alas, I caught Bob's bronchitis, and I'm now ...

June 07, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Alas, I caught Bob's bronchitis, and I'm now heavily fortified with Prednisone and a Z-Pak. I was looking forward to going to Portland tomorrow morning to see Isa's
Irish dance recital, but according to the Internet, this bronchitis stuff can be contagious, and I don't want to spead plague and pestilence throughout Portland. I will be sending good thoughts. We have had a quiet couple of weeks of new co-habitation, pretty much laid low and generally medicated.

Hi, back safe and sound, and struggling with ...

June 01, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, back safe and sound, and struggling with my ATT e-mail, so many apologies if I should have responded to something.
It's Sunday afternoon, and we're recuperating from our trip and our respective ailments; bronchitis for Bob and a sinus infection for me. Notwithstanding those ills, we had a delightful time in Northern Ireland. It was a fascinating history lesson, particularly because the Scotch-Irish part of the family, the McCords (central Pennsylvania, circa 1720) is fanatically proud of being Scotch Irish. Apparently in the late 1600's, the English gave the troublesome Scots big chuncks of northern Ireland. Beginning around 1720, the Scots headed off to the US, as the Ireland breathed a sigh of relief. However, we found the
Irish so gracious, and we really enjoyed our time there.
The last week has been pretty delightful, too. We were met at the Eugene Airport on Friday evening by a smiling Sadie and her gentlemen friend, Greg. The next few days were crammed with everything we could do - Emma's birthday, dinner with Aric, dinner with Jenny's and Seraph's gang, and Anna, a trip to the coast, and food at some of our old faves. It just went too fast!

Well, Sue, Sam also wants a puppy

May 20, 2008 by Adam in Wielesek

Well, Sue, Sam also wants a puppy....which gives "places to go" a whole new meaning! :-)

(Edit: this is the real Adam. I'm guessing Jamie really posted the above, not me.)

Oh, dear, yesterday's posting should have sai...

May 20, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Oh, dear, yesterday's posting should have said that the Irish do NOT move at the same breakneck speed as Londoners do. Derry is also the only completely walled city in Ireland, and some four hundred years ago, withstood a siege of 105 days.
It's brisk up here along the coast, but this morning is quite clear and sunny. This would sure be a good place to have a farm, and all the hedgerows and stone fences have been in place for the last five hundred years.
Adam and Jamie, you know Sam wants a trip to England, and I have been thinking about all the best places to go.

Hi, all, and sorry for not posting sooner

May 19, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, all, and sorry for not posting sooner. I've been having trouble with internet connection on my laptop. This trip to Northern Ireland has been a good end of the trip, since we both caught colds/flu and have not wanted to gallivant around at breakneck speed. Fortunately, people in Northern Ireland do move at the same speed as in London, so we are having a lovely time. Ireland looks a lot like eastern Pennsylvania, and Oregon. On Sunday afternoon we sat in an ocean front cafe admiring a scene, including mountains coming right down to the ocean, which looked just like Florence. We're in Derry right now, where the McCord part of the family came from. Apparently the Scots were lured here by the British with promises of lots of land, all taken from the Irish, and, according to what we gathered
at the Migration Studies Centre, part of the Ulster Folk Park, realized that the Irish didn't like them and they weren't going to get rich anyhow, so around 1700 started off for America. (There's some religious persecution in there somewhere, as well.) Although the locals all deny any
nationalist/loyalist/Catholic/Protestant conflict, we've seen quite a lot of political graffiti here in Derry. (The
city was originally named Derry. When the English took over,
about 350 years ago, the English renamed it Londonderry, I suppose just to rub the Irish's nose in the defeat. The "London" part has been spraypainted out on a lot of the
traffic signs. If there's anything I've learned it's that
people consider a particular place home, and they're sure unhappy if someone else tries to take it away. We've sure learned a lot of history on this trip. Much love, mom

off to Belfast on Friday, Bath tomorrow

May 14, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

off to Belfast on Friday, Bath tomorrow. Love, mom

Back in London, catching up with laundry, e-m...

May 14, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Back in London, catching up with laundry, e-mail, and planning. Trying to book a flight to northern Ireland, Derry, where our Scotch-Irish ancestors are supposed to have come from Scotland prior to coming to America. Love to all, mom/grandma

Cafe du Artistes kids, thanks for letting me ...

May 11, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Cafe du Artistes kids, thanks for letting me use your laptop.
E-mail us, or post! We loved La Roche and the house there.

This morning, at our lovely hotel in the lovely countryside, I
was greeted by Jenny in her jammies, cup of coffee in one hand and a equally welcome bouquet of French wildflowers she picked for Mothers Day! What a woman. I would highly recommend her as a travelling companion - very organized and competent, and her usually quick witted self. We've had fun on this trip.

Back in Orleans for the night for Bob and me, then the plan is to go to Normandy tomorrow; Jenny and Jeannie back to Paris by train tonight. Love to all, and Happy Mothers Day.
Thank you for calling, Sadie! Hugs to Seraph, Robbie and Isa, too.

Oh, Isa, we love you and Jenny and I are so sorry

May 07, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Oh, Isa, we love you and Jenny and I are so sorry. Get better soon. Love, Grandma Susie and Auntie Jennifer.

Hi, sweeties, I can't possibly convey how be...

May 07, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, sweeties, I can't possibly convey how beautiful it is in a seaside town on the southern France coast, with ancient castles on the hills guarding the town. Adam and Jamie, we have to make a trip to France. Emma will leave speaking fluent French, and your high school and college French will certainly be adequate to get around. To tell the truth, I could get around easily with high school Spanish, and there is nearly always someone in every establishment who speaks English. It's easy to drive, and the roads are good. I personally want to rent a place for a month some time in Paris and go to every single museum. The
pre-history is amazing. Bob and I went to a museum under Notre Dame which is an excavation of the early Roman town.
Later this week, we're going to one of the caves in Southwest France which has cave drawings. This country has something for everything. Seraph and Robbie, how about a trip to England, with Sam, in the summer of 2009, and Adam and Jamie, a trip to France the next summer. And Sam, it's time for you to learn Greek, and we'll sneak off to Greece
some spring break. Anna says Greece is amazing. Sadie, did you get the message that we don't get in until May 23rd? I'll send you the exact time, and info about the key. I miss you, and I look forward to meeting Greg. Love to all, the old mom

Dammit, Jim, we need to standardize keyboards...

May 04, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Dammit, Jim, we need to standardize keyboards around the world, and Im fine if its some way other than American style.
We are in Paris, where all future family reunions should be. We leave for Orleans tomorrow, and on to Perpignon the next day. Glad to hear Dad and the home boys and Yayoe are bearing up. Jenny and Jeannie taking Paris by storm at night, and hitting the cultural highlights by day; the Louvre today, the
Eiffel Tower yesterday, and the Luxembourg Gardens and Champs de Ill???? the afternoon we got in on the Chunnel. Anna has been a great guide. Alls well, and thanks for the message, which made perfect sense. We dont get bqck until the 23rd, Sadie. Ill e-mail you where the key is. Love to
all, Mom

What a wonderful Easter, and special thanks t...

April 30, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

What a wonderful Easter, and special thanks to Seraph for taking two days off work to do all the cooking, while I puttered around doing trip and cleaning stuff. Jamie came over to do perogis, and Jenny made her usual heavenly shish kabobs. Seraph and Robbie stayed until 11 on \monday, then headed off to Portland, as they were expecting Alex for dinner. I went over to Bob's, and we finished packing most everything by 3:00 a.m.. Getting up at 4:00 was a challenge, but the trip went smoothly. The only thing not co-operating is the weather; it's raining hard as we sit in this Internet cafe. We do the Big Bus Hop on and Hop Off tour tomorrow. Oh, to be in England, now that spring is falling down around us. Much love from mom, Bob, Jeannie, and Jenny

I'm not sure how Bob and I planned to have Ea...

April 22, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

I'm not sure how Bob and I planned to have Easter, move-in day, and the beginning of a three week trip all come at the same time! Just good planning, I guess. We had breakfast this morning with Marie-Pierre Wolf, the woman who is renting us the house in Pepingnon. It sounds as though it will be fun, though a longer trip from Paris than I thought.
I had a good time this weekend; it was work, work, work on
Saturday, but it was very fun to go up to see Isa's recital. She did very well, quite poised and focused. The kitties are really cute!

How about we call them all Jesus, since I gat...

April 19, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

How about we call them all Jesus, since I gather the general belief was that Skippy was chaste and had no carnal knowledge of the neighborhood boy kitties.
I got to go to the Art Museum with Jordan's class. Very fun, and I see why the teacher likes Jordan. He just chugs along cheerfully!

Ha! It's taken 14 years for me to notice it

April 11, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Ha! It's taken 14 years for me to notice it. You think forgiveness will be instantaneous?
It's a beautiful day here. I'm accessorized and my home has a decor. As you know, these are things which I said would not happen until my next life. However, I want to tell you right now that the dishwasher won't be in before Easter. Mr. Poole, my contractor for the last 15 years, went to Yemen to visit his son, and he has to replace the underlayment before they can put in the Marmoleum (which is, I understand, "green".) The real problem I have is whether to pay an extra thousand bucks to have the edges coved, which would be much easier to keep clean, which is always a problem because of the way dirt washes downhill into my kitchen. On the other hand, I lost $15,000 in my retirement fund in the last three months. For some reason, though, I've never been able to believe that stocks and mutual funds are real, so it doesn't feel like I've lost anything real. I'll just keep shopping with the poor folks at Canned Food Warehouse.

Hmm, I want to know who recorded over my Mist...

April 09, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Hmm, I want to know who recorded over my Mistaken Identity tape. Lots of Ani DeFranco...

Totally forgot (I know, and when is that news...

March 30, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Totally forgot (I know, and when is that news) to say that I had my first Family and Friends trip to the shrink, with
Aric, who is at least as nice as you kids, and sometimes more willing to go along with the gag, as Mom used to say.
It was good; we talked about kid-stepmom roles, and about my desire to be a helpful resource but not bossy. Dr. Webb
obviously was impressed with Aric's good nature; at the end of the session told Aric he admired him for being willing to come in (I believe
his rather earthy compliment was, "You have b....") Okay, Adam, you're next. I talked with Sadie about doing this with me. She said she'd better write some stuff down, because the meeting could fall on one of those days she and
I are nuts about each other, and it would just be a big waste. I'm expecting a laser pointer and a flow chart.
Emma, you know how Sam was trying to teach you not to be
afraid of spiders by taking you down to the furnace room and turning out the light (not to worry, A. and J, I was standing there with my finger on the switch in case she started to scream.) Anyhow, Emma, I got you a rubber spider
to put in Sam's bed when he's not looking. Don't tell Sam!

After waking up yesterday morning to find the...

March 30, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

After waking up yesterday morning to find the ground white with hail, this morning is sunny and clear. I'm hoping tho that the geranium starts I left overnight in the trunk of the car are not cursing me and my progeny. Bill Poole has been here doing the small loose end things like putting in the bathroom mirror and other stuff on my Honey-Do list. I'm going to try to pin down Sadie's summer vacation so we can plan the picture distribution I scheduled for last winter. Boy, if that doesn't make her want to come home, I don't know what will! Had fun with Jordan at Brushfire.

A quick hi from Mom

March 23, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

A quick hi from Mom. We drove up to Portland yesterday to visit a cousin of Bob's in the VA Hospital, and to stop at Seraph and Robbie's for a brief visit. A lovely day weatherwise, as well. Love from mom

Nice breakfast with Adam, and a delightful Ir...

March 18, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Nice breakfast with Adam, and a delightful Irish dinner last night prepared by Jamie. Very much fun to see the kids;
Emma did a little Irish dance for Bob and me. Tons o' hugs to all.

A quick "I love you" and Good Morning from th...

March 12, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

A quick "I love you" and Good Morning from the elderly one.I've had so much fun the last few days. Friday Bob and I took the bus (through Amtrak, which confuses me somewhat) to Portland, where Robbie and Isa picked us up. Isa went to play with her friend Issac, who is such a cutie pie, and we grownups went to the fund raiser for Chief Joseph School. The parents whose kids go there are very hip, and it was a fun, light hearted crowd. I got a framed antique travel poster for $65 and a reading lamp with a figure of a little mouse reading for $65. The next day, Saturday, we drove down to Lohring's birthday party. It was also fun, and Lohring and I got to talk a little about my hoped for oral history of Dorothy during the family reunion. She has some great stories about the early days of being a doctor's daughter in Reno. She talked once about having babies born at their house. Hope this oral history thing works out.

Also, Jamie is going to come and help me organize family photos. I would like to separate the old photos by family - Miller, Steane, Jones and Stallsmith, and ask each of you kids to take the photos and memorabilia, letters, etc. from one family branch to pass on.

On Saturday night, Jenny, the boys, Seraph, Robbie, and Isa all were there for dinner. Lots of fun and trip planning. Earlier on Saturday, I took Seraph shopping at Folkways. You
know how hard it is to get her to go clothes shopping, but she finally acquiesed. (I know, how many parents have to make their kid accept a clothes shopping trip?) I wanted her to get a dress, but, as she pointed out without a hint
of sarcasm, she has two dresses. I should add that she looked lovely, and quite stylish, at Friday night's soiree.
Isa and I are planning to put on a Pioneer play when Sadie is here in July, so save room on your calendar, and we practiced over the weekend. We had a pretty day on Sunday, driving out to the farm to look for the cougars we've heard
live there (and Seraph and Robbie found poop which might be
cougar poop), and look for areas to dam to build up water resources during the summers since I don't see people grasping that global warming is with us. Isa and I had fun
looking for places where the faeries might be hanging out.
Last night was fun; I picked up Emma while Jamie went to work out and the boys went to fencing. We were supposed to go to the Tunnel of Doom for a car wash, but never got farther than our stop at Bob's to visit the kitties and do art work with his incredible collection of magic markers. We stopped for Spanish before going home.(I have yet to meet a non-anglisized south of the border person who refers to himself or herself as something other than Spanish. I also hate to use something other than the word Mexican for someone from Mexico; it's like validating the idea you should be ashamed of being Mexican.)Emma is such a kick!
Love to all, Mom

Sadie, you have to find the last few Doonesbu...

March 05, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Sadie, you have to find the last few Doonesbury strips for Greg. Much love, Mom

Here we are in sunny Sunnyside, Washington, o...

March 01, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Here we are in sunny Sunnyside, Washington, on a short sidetrip after the Junior College basketball tournament in Tri-Cities. The Lane team didn't win either of their games, but they really did well to get into the playoffs. It has been fun to stretch out my Mom days a little longer.

No wonder women want to leave the home and jo...

February 26, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

No wonder women want to leave the home and join the workforce. This little Susie Housewife stuff is pretty darn dull. Ive been trying to mix in some fun tasks, like using
art store fancy wrapping paper sheets for drawer liners, but I haven't really fooled myself into thinking that it's useful work.
Bob and I have a short trip planned. Aric's basketball team at LCC is getting to go to the Playoffs in Richland, Washington, and we're going to drive up on Wednesday, and stay, probably through Friday. I think the coach is pretty happy; last year was his first year, and their win-loss record was awful. Should be fun!
I've had fun with grandkids. Sam and Emma were over Friday night, and both Dez and Jordan were home today with the flu,
and spent the afternoon with me.
Lots of hugs and kisses! mom

And I had a nice breakfast, too! I needed the...

February 20, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

And I had a nice breakfast, too! I needed the energy in order to spend the day cleaning out the basement. The bad news is that it's a boring job. The good news is that with the exception of Sadie's stuff in the bedroom closet, and
the tools, the downstairs bedroom is cleared of everything but the essentials - bed, dresser, desk and book shelf. What's even more amazing is that the only stuff left in the laundry room are a few canning supplies, and one set of shelves with paint, painting supplies, and the like. Am I
Martha Stewart or what!

Sunday afternoon, and our lovely sunny weathe...

February 17, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Sunday afternoon, and our lovely sunny weather has disappeared and we're wondering if we should just go to the movies. I spent yesterday afternoon digging out and consolidating cans of paint. I finally have put together one large (five gallon plastic bucket) for all the off-white
interior latex odds and ends. I intend to keep it forever, sort of like that sour-dough starter, adding an occasional leftover and lending it out when someone needs off-white paint. I also have about three gallons of left over yellow, the curse of the depressant.
We had fun last night, driving up to Mt. Hood Community College for one of Aric's last two basketball games, after stopping to pick up Seraph, Robbie and Isa. Robbie and Seraph had one of their usual hysterical long running arguments (I think it had to do with whether Robbie would tell the truth about not eating meat for a week, one of the things they're doing for Lent, or whether he would compound his sins by eating meat AND lying about it...) Anyhow, Seraph, Robbie and Bob enjoyed the game, and I enjoyed Isa;
we pretended that we were one a wagon train on the Oregon Trail. I had a good visit with Sadie this morning, and told her that it was time for her to come home. Adam, can't you load that 70's song about "I'm the number one fan of the man from Tennessee"? She was, no surprise, accepted to the grad school in Minnesota, and the Vista guys are trying to suck her in to working for Vista in Minneapolis, but it seems ridiculous to go some place that cold. She must have heard of Brain Freeze. Come home, Sadie. We need you. It's
time to plan the housing, irrigation and fields out at the Farm. Springfield needs you. The segregated classist Eugene
School system needs you. Morgan's grandpa just died, and Morgan needs you. Plus, we love you better than anyone else in the world, and there are a lot of people who love you better here. And all you need is love. And we won't boss you around or treat you like the baby of the family.

Tuesday afternoon at the office, and a decrea...

February 12, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Tuesday afternoon at the office, and a decreasing number of loose ends linger. My hope is to have some help on Friday, borrow the pickup from Bob, and clean out the last few things. I just realized the irony of that - almost 30 years to the day from my first day as an attorney, Feb. 14th, 1978.
We had a lovely time in Portland; Seraph and I had a spa day
on Thursday, and Friday morning after Isa went to school Bob took us big people to breakfast. He and I went on to Seaside, where we hit the Nike factory outlet store at its
"50% off-plus-another-30%-off" sale, loading up on stuff for
the boys. Gray and soggy in Seaside...

My son, the rocknroll hero! What mother would...

February 11, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

My son, the rocknroll hero! What mother wouldn't be proud?

Congratulations, Julie and Callie

February 07, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Congratulations, Julie and Callie. (Though you may wonder why you're being congratulated on events which will result in years of hard work and poverty!) But we're so fortunate to have wonderful responsible kids in the family, and we are certainly very proud of you both and your career choices.
Bob and I are going to spend tomorrow in Portland, and then
going to spend Friday night in Seaside with Bob's sister and
brother-in-law. Many hugs - love, mom

Just a quick hello to all

January 19, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Just a quick hello to all. I spent Thursday and Friday taking things to the dump, Goodwill, South Eugene (purple and white ribbons, which you know will turn up as decorations at some Prom), and the computer recycling place, etc. with the help of a CentroLatino worker guy. The office is almost completely cleaned out, and I feel a certain calmness; it hasn't been nearly as bad as I expected. My closet at home is full of pictures which need to be hung up and miscellaneous things which need to be repaired, as well as all the Memory Box stuff to be organized and photos to be labeled, but that's not too bad either. I also took everything from the Museum of Ancient Word Processing Equipment to the computer recycling place except the Smith Corona Electric Typewriter,
Dick's manual typewriter, which needs repaired, and the CPT,
which is complete, and which, the last time I tried it, worked (and for which I have the manual, the big floppy disks, etc.). When you sell it for $20,000 on e-Bay, then you'll be sorry you laughed at me! Amazing to think that it cost $15,000 in 1979 dollars and does much less than my $700 laptop.

Ha, easy for you to say

January 16, 2008 by Sue in Wielesek

Ha, easy for you to say...! But thanks for the reassurance. Now, if you'll only tell me it's again fashionable to have the components of one's attire match, I'll have a goal in life.

SHE'S GOING TO TAKE MY FILES!!! The woman I'm...