Part two of our SoCal trip was to visit my parents. My mom was diagnosed with Stage IV Lymphoma cancer. Because of her age, health and severity of cancer, they decided she should not undergo treatments (more harm than good) and she was not expected to last long. By the time of our trip she was bed-ridden and getting hospice care at home.

We wanted our visit to bring some joy into her day by seeing us and the boys in person. We went to great lengths to make sure the boys didn’t get sick so as not to cause my mom any problems but despite our efforts Corbin managed to get sick (a rare thing indeed). Since we were already there we couldn’t change plans but it didn’t matter since she was never awake or alert enough to know we were there.

My dad thought it was a reaction to her first dose of morphine (5 mg?) but a call to hospice suggests she is entering the next stage of her cancer meaning she has a couple a weeks like this then the final stage which last a few days. Then we will say good bye. We did not expect her to see Christmas. She ended up passing Monday morning.

She loved her Red Hatters group and Christmas decorations (she used to sell Christmas Around The World ) so to make her more comfortable, my dad dug out all the best stuff and decorated the whole house from top to bottom in Christmas decor. He even bought a new pre-lit tree (with colored lights). It was a wondrous sight, especially since he and a couple Red Hatter ladies did it all in one day and before Thanksgiving.

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

I had some old voicemails in my Google Voice account so I downloaded a few to share with anyone who also misses her voice.
Catchup 5/30/12
Money for dad’s gift 6/11/12
Hacked website 3/22/12

For those interested, Julia Shiras wrote a brief account of my mom’s last six months. It brings me joy to see so many happy pictures of my mom, the way I remember her. For me, hearing her voice is a sweet reminder of a wonderful woman.

I thought I’d get to hear your voice again

And then you try finding it by searching the web only to find out your spelling is far too close to other words so search suggest is not helping at all…

Me either

Penchant: A strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something.  As in My boys have a strong penchant for pirates and swordplay

Pirate Red Felt Chemical Elements Pillow image via: http://goo.gl/f8VXW
Available here: http://goo.gl/lPEoY

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You know how sometimes you know a word and use it regularly in thought and conversation…

I was right.

Corbin colored his own mural and +Julia Shiras taped it on his wall.  Benjamin was the project's Foreman.

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I brought home some "end of roll" paper from our large format plotter at…

First, I lived in Southern California for over 30 years and everyone I knew called it Coke. I was the odd ball who called it soda/cola and that's because I was tired of hearing the server say "is Pepsi okay?" (I didn't care)

Second, while 120,464 respondents sounds impressive and a good size sampling, that means there are on average around 40 respondents per county. That's hardly a suitable number when you have counties with populations in the 2-3 MILLION range.

So before you go quoting that study, check to see what their data is based on and if you could stand behind those numbers.

More stats - http://www.popvssoda.com/countystats/total-county.html

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This looks interesting but demonstrates how surveys and polls are so unreliable and…

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me….
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

T’was Grace that taught…
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear…
the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares…
we have already come.
T’was Grace that brought us safe thus far…
and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me…
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be…
as long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.

When we’ve been here ten thousand years…
bright shining as the sun.
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise…
then when we’ve first begun.

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me….
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

Amazing Grace (House of the Rising Sun)

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.
We pillage we plunder, we rifle and loot.
Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho.
We kidnap and ravage and don’t give a hoot.
Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.

We extort and pilfer, we filch and sack.
Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho.
Maraud and embezzle and even highjack.
Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.

We kindle and char and inflame and ignite.
Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho.
We burn up the city, we’re really a fright.
Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho.

We’re rascals, scoundrels, villians and knaves.
Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho.
We’re devils and black sheep, really bad eggs.
Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho.

We’re beggars and blighters and ne’er do-well cads,
Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho.
Aye, but we’re loved by our mommies and dads,
Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho.

A Pirate’s Life For Me (Yo Ho)

The king and his men
stole the queen from her bed
and bound her in her Bones.
The seas be ours
and by the powers
where we will we’ll roam.

Yo, ho, all hands,
hoist the colors high.
Heave ho, thieves and beggars,
never say we die.

Some men have died
and some are alive
and others sail on the sea
– with the keys to the cage…
and the Devil to pay
we lay to Fiddler’s Green!

Yo, ho, haul together,
hoist the colors high.
Heave ho, thieves and beggars,
never shall we die.

The bell has been raised
from it’s watery grave…
hear it’s sepulchral tone?
a call to all, pay heed the squall
and turn your sails to home!

Yo, ho, haul together,
hoist the colors high.
Heave ho, thieves and beggars,
never shall we die.

The king and his men
stole the queen from her bed
and bound her in her Bones.
The seas be ours
and by the powers
where we will we’ll roam.

Hoist The Colors

The tomato plant in the "main" garden is taller than me and I'm 6'-4"

In album July 12, 2012 (8 photos)

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+Julia Shiras, how does your garden grow?

So after earning a small fortune (in child dollars) he used that money to purchase a much loved Lego style train from the California Railroad Museum.  And when I say Lego style, I mean Lego bricks without the Lego branding.  All of the pieces are available from Lego so much so that I could probably build a replica from pieces we already own.

Based on his satisfaction, I looked online for more figuring I could get a better price online than at the gift shop but after shipping the price is about the same.  In fact, online is slightly more but not everyone lives near the Train Museum.

Amazon – goo.gl/5cV4Y

#archshrk

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Corbin's been working for the railroad