Author Archives: tbavendam

We returned from our trip to DC only to find the mouse or mice that we thought we had rid ourselves of were still here – “when the cats away” is totally true. They chewed parchment paper, hot mitts and left plenty of droppings. Craig did a thorough cleaning of the “food areas” Sunday andContinue reading “Craig hates “meeces to pieces””

The first daffodil buds appeared before my surgery on Feb 15th and it is nice that later blooms are still around. The grass started turning green over night and it is time to start mowing again. I still have 10 days to go before I am finished with my activity restrictions. I can’t wait toContinue reading “Spring has arrived”

This post was written on November 5th 2023. I was waiting for a photo of Danny and Brent’s wedding to include and then forgot…. In the past 2 weeks, we were present for the unexpected death of Craig’s best friend, James Peters and joyful wedding of Danny and Brent. I had the incredible privilege ofContinue reading “Sorrow and Joy – Hug those close to you!”

After reading my latest blog, Craig said “you forgot Valentines Day”. I assured him I had not forgotten but it deserved its own blog. As VD approached, we were both a bit distracted because my surgery would be on the 15th. We both tend towards spontaneous gestures/gifts rather than “big” ones so we both indicatedContinue reading “Our First Valentine’s Day”

I have started several blogs in the past 4 months but for one reason or another they did not get finished. I just saw the automatic renewal for this website and decided it was a waste of money if not used. I also heard from a couple of people that they missed my blogs soContinue reading “What a 4 months it has been!!!!”

During my first meeting with Craig on July 16th, he told me that his best friend from Vietnam would be visiting for several days in October and that there was several things he wanted to get done before the visit. “Oly” Olson lives in Coeur d’Alene, ID. They last saw each other in 2008 inContinue reading “What a week!!!”

It is a brisk 43 degrees this morning. The skies and blue and clear. While there are plenty of leaves on the ground the trees have not really started turning colors yet. It has been a challenging few weeks emotionally as we made the decision to re-home both of our dogs. Buckley’s jealousy of CarliContinue reading “Fall arrives”

It is so fun to be joined by the herd of cows at various times of the day. The major outdoor work is completed and now we are moving on to cleaning and organizing the shop including installation of a hydraulic lift for car maintenance. It is fun to have so many various ways toContinue reading “A fuller life”

There is a bit of lull in activity this morning so I am able to catch up on blogging. I think of lots of things I would like to blog about but am too tired at the end of the days to do them. When I decided to go on Match.com, I was looking forContinue reading “While I was looking for a playmate, I found myself as well”

The herd of cows joined us for morning coffee. It seemed that the entire herd passed by through Magic Forest. Carli went right up to the fence had had a short conversation with one of the adults. Her barking scattered a cluster of spring calves. Carli is getting braver at exploring around the property –Continue reading “Company for morning coffee”