Tag Archives: Washington State

So Many Gifts Today!

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So many gifts today!

I drove into Mount Vernon to take the steps I needed to take to donate my Cosmic Connections book to the library there. I was greeted at the counter by the ever-kind and ever-welcoming CJ, librarian extraordinaire. CJ asked me if the application explains that once a book is donated, whether they decide to put it on their shelves or not, they won’t be giving it back to me. I told him that the application mentions that, and that I’m fine with whatever they want to do with my book – I just hope it will bring some joy to whoever ends up with it. We chatted then about what my book is about. I told CJ that Cosmic Connections chronicles the experiences I have meeting cool people and sharing the joy of these connections. I told him a lot of the stories take place in Mount Vernon, and that HE would probably be in my next book, and he started cracking up.

I love people who know how to laugh with me.

After I’d dropped off my book, I walked along the River Walk down to Lions Park, taking photos of the bloated Skagit River as I went. I watched a pair of birds cruising down the river on a log, like it was there own personal yacht. That brought me a grin.

Then I walked down to the Skagit Valley Food Co-Op to get myself a mocha. There was such joy there today. Keely was behind the counter. Her hair brought me joy and I asked if I could take her photo. She grinned and gave me permission.

A young woman named Vanessa was greeted by an old friend she hadn’t seen in a while, and their happiness and excitement at seeing each other again brought me more joy. Before Vanessa left the store, I asked her if I could get her picture – explained she’d brought me joy today. She laughed and graciously agreed to a photo – you feel the irresistible joy from her, too, right?

When I stopped off at the post office, I saw a little frog hopping around in the parking lot. “What are you doing here, buddy?” I asked him. The parking lot did not seem like a good place for him. So I scooped him up and walked him down to a bank next to the slough. He hopped out of my hands and then looked up at me. I’m pretty sure he was smiling. Live long and prosper, my little friend!

And if all that magic wasn’t enough, later, when I went to the bank, I couldn’t help but notice the cool red shoes of the woman in front of me in line. I told her they reminded me of my childhood, and she laughed and nodded. We talked then about playing outside all day when we were youngsters – tag and kick-the-can. Her shoes brought back a lot of happy memories for me.

Celebrating the Friendship Between Canada and the States

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I found such joy today!

I drove up to the Peace Arch Park on the border of Canada and the States, to celebrate the friendship between our two nations.

The weather was interesting on the drive up. I left under blue skies and fluffy white clouds, but when I got near Lake Samish I suddenly found myself driving through snowfall. That lasted about ten minutes, and then I was in the sun again. “March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb,” right? – and I guess when you’re in the middle of March you get all of that on the same day.

Many cosmic and wonderful things happened today.

Before I left for Peace Arch Park, I’d needed to make a stop at an old neighbor’s house. This old neighbor now lived in a neighborhood where an old teaching friend of mine had once lived. I’d asked my old neighbors if Lou still lived there, and they said he’d moved away a while ago.

So guess who I ran into at the rally at Peace Arch Park?!! Lou!! Lou had married another teaching friend of mine, Michelle, and they now lived in Bellingham. It seemed absolutely cosmic that I should run into Lou and Michelle (and their sweet pup, Brody) when I’d just been thinking of them that morning. But I’m starting to realize that cosmic coolness is happening all the time, and we just don’t always notice it.

My friend, Tom, was there today, too. He and another friend, Haidee, were the original creators of the Peace Arch Park get-togethers. Another person I consider an old friend now, Ranger Rick, the beloved Peace Arch Park ranger, came down to the arch to see how we all were doing and if we needed anything. AND I found the sister to my TRUTH JUSTICE KINDNESS sign: TRUTH JUSTICE COMPASSION! How cool is that?!

I met new friends today, too – Cora was there with her “TOGETHER WE ARE AMERICA” sign; Arsh (an American citizen) was at the Peace Arch with his girlfriend, Harleen (a Canadian citizen) and they posed in front of the boundary marker for me as they walked their way down to U.S. Customs; Georgia from Lynden was there, to show her support for our friendship with Canada; and, afterwards, when I sat down at a picnic bench by the water, nibbling on the macaron I’d bought myself at L&L Bakery, I met Nancy who’d come up to Blaine to take pictures of birds. I learned Nancy was a retired school principal and teacher, and an avid birder. I had such fun chatting with Nancy in the sunshine at that picnic table and talking about birds with her. (I told her about that whooping swan I’d seen a couple days ago, and gave her directions to where she might find it – I hope the swans are still there for her tomorrow.) While Nancy and I were talking, a sweet pup named Finnegan wandered off the sidewalk to come say hi and get a pet on the head. He was such a sweetheart!

Pups and old friends and new friends and the inspiration that comes when two neighboring nations come together to celebrate their friendship – today was full of magic, my friends.

“Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright”

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Cosmic magic in abundance!

My friend, Rebecca, and I met for coffee and a walk at Boulevard Park this morning. We sat at Wood’s for a while, drinking our coffees, eating our pastries, and sharing our concerns, our hopes, our inspiration. It was exactly what I needed, my friends. I’d arrived at Wood’s Coffee Shop feeling discouraged and disillusioned. I left Wood’s feeling hopeful and celebrating my disillusionment. It is not a bad thing to shed our illusions.

Rebecca told me that when she woke up this morning there was a Bob Marley song in her head – “Don’t worry about a thing ’cause every little thing gonna be alright…” And as we left Wood’s we started singing that song – wanting to spread the hope in it. We hadn’t finished the first line, when two young women started dancing and joining in with us. We parted for a few minutes as they went one way around the park, and we went the other way. But when we met up again at the end of the park, we introduced ourselves – Willow, Addyson, Rebecca, and Karen – shared in a few moments of encouragement for each other – and came in for a group hug. Our new friends are so cool – young and brave and kind – and they give me hope for our future.

Rebecca and I headed for the boardwalk then, for our walk. We soon met sweet Rosie pup, who approached us for a hug – aww…look at that sweet face! And not long after Rosie, we met little Enzo pup who came skipping down the trail ready to meet new friends.

As we approached Taylor Dock we saw a woman taking a photo of her family and I asked if I could get a picture for her that included her in it. She said that would be great, and handed me her phone. I told the family that while I took the picture, Rebecca was going to serenade them with a little song. And while we sang, and I took the picture, the family joined in and danced and sang with us: “Don’t worry about a thing ’cause every little thing gonna be alright…” There was cosmic magic there, my friends. Such joy! I asked them if I could get a picture of them for myself – because they had brought me joy today. They cheerfully agreed to this. (I’m always hesitant about taking pictures of children, but they felt fine about including the youngsters.) You’ll find the family in one of the photos below (from left to right): Kyler, Drew, Tyler, Anna, Nancy, and Alyssa.

I told Nancy that I’d been named Nancy for three days, and then my dad took a poll at the office, and guess what my name became?

The family looked at me expectantly, waiting for the punchline.

“Karen,” I said. “Thanks, Dad.” And they all started laughing. I love people who can laugh with me.

Rebecca and I continued up the ramp from Taylor Dock, and then decided to take the alternate route back, going in back of the Chrysalis Inn and through the little park on 10th Street.

Rebecca is a wonderful walking buddy. She gets the joy of meeting new people and pups, of taking in the glory of nature, of looking for the magic.

By the time I got back to my car, I felt like I’d had a productive session of therapy. Boardwalk therapy.

And “don’t worry about a thing ’cause every little thing gonna be alright.”

“You Have Such Cool Names”

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I had a nice walk along the River Walk in Mount Vernon. Met sweet Indigo pup who approached me for a pet on the head and a scratch behind the ears. Exchanged “Go Seahawks!” with a couple of folks wearing their Seahawks caps. Saw a young man lithely leap over a fence from the embankment to get to the riverwalk. He was kind of shy. Ducked his head as he approached. But I had to say it – “That was pretty athletic!” I observed – and I got a big grin from him.

After my walk, I fetched my TRUTH JUSTICE KINDNESS sign out of my car and went to join the folks in front of the Courthouse. I met two new friends down there today and they both had way cool names: Osa and Selah. After they’d introduced themselves, they turned expectantly to me to learn my name. Sheeze. “You guys have such cool names,” I said humbly. “But I guess every group needs one of me. I’m Karen.” Osa and Selah gave me welcoming, inclusive smiles – as I’d expect from the people in front of the Courthouse – reassured me about my name, and took me into their fold.

I’ve forgotten to take the “SEAHAWKS” side of my sign off since the Superbowl, so I made use of it and flipped to it a couple of times today. Once, I got two people shaking their heads in disapproval at my TRUTH JUSTICE KINDNESS sign, but when I flipped it to SEAHAWKS, I got smiles and two thumbs up. You’d think that TRUTH JUSTICE KINDNESS would be something everyone could agree with, but I have found this is not always the case. The response that gave me a big laugh, though, was when I got a thumbs up for TRUTH JUSTICE KINDNESS and a tilty-handed “meh” for the SEAHAWKS.

The Way It Should Always Be

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PUPS!!! So many sweet pups on the boardwalk today! They brought me such joy, filled my heart all up with good things. There were two Lilahs; a Motley; Aspen with her human, Ash, ; Gypsy; my old friend, Daisy, with her buddy, Melody; Akira, who danced down the boardwalk; and my old friend, Baker – who came bounding down the boardwalk to greet me.

The bay was beautiful today, too – blue and shiny, with fog on one side, and the Canadian Coastals on the other.

The road above Taylor Dock to Fairhaven was closed because of construction, so I went up one block to by-pass the blocked street and then came down into Fairhaven from above. I felt Cafe Blue calling to me – I haven’t been there for a while and was missing the welcoming vibe. Cafe Blue has always been packed full of people when I’ve been there, so I mentally prepared myself for that. I figured if I couldn’t find a place to sit, I’d just get a coffee to go and take it with me on my walk back to my car.

Cafe Blue WAS packed again today, but, cosmically, as soon as I got done giving my order and started looking for a table, one opened up! It was a table for four and I felt kind of greedy sitting there – so I put myself in the corner of the table, ready to offer the rest of the table to whoever was looking for a place to sit.

My coffee arrived and I settled into the space, closed my eyes for a minute and just let myself absorb the joy around me. When I opened my eyes I saw a couple of young women who looked like they were looking for a place to sit. I offered them the open seats at my table and they sat there until the table next to mine opened up for them. One of the women, Elena, had cool rings on every finger, and I asked her about them. She said the one on her thumb had been made by her grandma, and the other rings were ones she’d mostly found in shops around Bellingham – rings with art and cool quartz and tiger’s eye rocks. I told her I love rocks, too, and reached for my amber necklace to show it off to her – and then I realized I’d forgotten to wear it today. Elena laughed and said that happens to her, too – just when she wants to show off something, she doesn’t have it with her.

I enjoy the feeling of community I always feel in the Cafe Blue – strangers smiling at each other, sharing tables, becoming friends. That’s the way it should always be.

I’m Glad I Got Out of Bed to See Them

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I’ll be honest, my friends, I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning. A message from a friend finally got me moving. “C’mon, Karen!” I said to myself. “Let’s go!”

I decided to go into La Conner to pay my monthly cable bill. Jeri was in the office today – it’s always good to see her smiling face. I paid my bill and then walked through the town, down the boardwalk, and to the Calico Cupboard for lunch. Along the way I took photos of the Valentines on display, and a little kingfisher that was chittering and chattering, diving and darting among the boats. I love kingfishers! I tried to snap some photos – but I wasn’t quick enough to get any really good pictures of him.

As always, the service and food at the Calico Cupboard was great. I ate my pesto focaccia scramble and drank my coca, while I scrolled through my phone and read my messages. And, after I paid, I gathered up my stuff and headed back to my car. I passed by the La Conner Retirement Inn and waved to the balcony where Mom used to wave to me. I felt her smile on me.

I got to my car and headed out of La Conner. When I got to Best Road I surprised myself by turning right instead of left. Apparently, I wanted to go to Fir Island. And it was on Fir Island that I found swan magic. There was a field of them there, grazing on the grass in front of the Fir Island Lutheran Church and a red barn. Perfect!

I communed with the swans for about ten minutes, snapping photos and absorbing their unperturbed peace.

I really needed the swans today, and the kingfisher, and the cheery Valentine decor. I’m glad I got out of bed to see them.

Find It! Celebrate It! Share It!

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My dear Humoristian hooligans –
There is still joy in this world. There is still beauty. There is still love.
Your mission today:
Find it! Celebrate it! Share it!
Karen

I set a mission for my fellow Humoristian hooligans to find joy, beauty, and love today, and then I went in search of these things myself. And I found them!

I roused myself from my comfy chair and went to the courthouse for the noon rally. I got there early and there was only one other person holding down the corner. He told me his name was Christian, this was the first time he’d been to a rally, and he’d walked all the way from the college to be there. He told me he was autistic. I told him I was proud of him for being there.

I’d come all decked out in my Seahawks paraphernalia today. This came in handy. At one point a man, stopped in front of me in his truck, gave my TRUTH JUSTICE KINDNESS sign a thumbs down. I grinned and revealed my Seahawks shirt and yelled, “Seahawks?” to him. He laughed and gave me a thumbs up . As he drove through the intersection we smiled and waved at each other. A man and woman gave me a thumbs up for my sign, and then when I showed them my Seahawks shirt they gave me a DOUBLE thumbs up. A sheriff’s deputy waved to me and gave me a thumbs up as he turned to go to the sheriff’s office.

The support and love the community showed to us today gave me hope for our world.

By the time I left, the corners were packed with people and signs. I told Christian to look at what he’d started. He smiled and said it was great to see so many people there.

On the way home I went though West Mount Vernon and then through Bay View and down the hill into the valley. And this is when I found the murmuration of snow geese. It was inspiring to watch these beautiful birds winging together in perfect harmony.

And now we’re driving home from the Illuminight celebration on the Mount Vernon revetment. The celebration was so fun! I bought an illuminary ball from Travis and Summer, the owners of Tr-Dee Arts; officers, there to keep everyone safe, allowed me to take their picture (I explained I’m a boomer and so it’s going to end up on Facebook, of course – oh, and I’m a Karen, too. They laughed at that.); I met Lyle, who’d made her very own illuminary with a simple paper bag; Tieron let me take a picture of him holding his instrument – he was going to be a part of one of the musical acts tonight; and the La Venture Middle School Marimba Band was fantastic! They played with such irrepressible joy! I had the cosmic good fortune to find myself standing next to Erik, the father of one of the marimba players, and I had tears in my eyes when I told him how much I’d needed that music tonight.

Beauty, joy, love!

You can find my video of today’s snow geese sighting at this Youtube link: https://youtu.be/rHAiIz7S2u8
And another one: https://youtu.be/_MFor8r-2hY

Go Seahawks! Also – TRUTH JUSTICE KINDNESS!

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Go Seahawks! Also yay to TRUTH JUSTICE and KINDNESS.

When I drove by the courthouse just before noon, there was only one sign-holder there. I honked in support, then I parked my car and pulled out my TRUTH JUSTICE KINDNESS sign to join him on the corner. Dylan had started back to his bike by the time I got out of my car, but when he saw me, he turned around and came back to join me on the corner.

Dylan was so fun! I think what had brought him to the courthouse with his sign was the same thing that had brought me today – the murders in Minnesota. But, in spite of the fact that we were drawn there by tragedy, Dylan was one of those people it’s easy to laugh with, too.

I’d worn my Seahawks shirt today, and I found that when people looked grumpy at seeing my TRUTH JUSTICE KINDNESS sign, all I had to do was reveal my Seahawks shirt and yell “Go Seahawks!” and they’d start laughing and give me the thumbs up. Dylan said I should have had “Go Seahawks!” on the other side of my TRUTH JUSTICE KINDNESS sign and then I could just flip it back and forth, depending on our audience. 😃

Not long after Dylan and I joined forces on the corner, another sign-bearer joined us: my FB friend, Tele. Now we were three! I introduced Dylan and Tele to each other and we got a group photo. Dylan had to leave to get to work then, but just about the time Dylan left, we were joined by Teri. And then Kelsey joined us. I introduced myself as the Karen in the group – because every group needs one – and we had fun putting our names together: Tele, Teri, Kelsey, and Karen. I love alliteration.

I’d been parked for an hour by then, in a spot that was limited to an hour, and it was time for me to go. But I so enjoyed connecting with Dylan and the two Ts and the other K.

I drove to Fred’s with the idea of getting a mocha and maybe a pastry. Sitting outside the store was a man, holding a sign for help. I asked him if I could get him a coffee and he said that would be nice. I asked him what kind he’d like and he said a mocha would be good.

The store was full of Seahawks fans – blue and green everywhere. I’m glad I’d worn my Seahawks shirt today.

Just inside the store was a rack of little pies on sale for 50 cents each. I got two of those – one for the man outside, and one for myself – and then ordered two mochas from the baristas.

I brought the man his mocha and asked him if he liked pies – which he did. He thanked me for the pie and mocha, and said, “God bless.” And I wished him well.

And now I’m home, watching the Broncos and Patriots do battle in the snow. Pretty soon the Seahawks will take to the field in Seattle.

Go Seahawks! Also TRUTH JUSTICE KINDNESS!

Rallying for Kindness

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I had such fun today!

I started my to-do list with a trip to the bank. There was a man with a Latino accent next to me at the counter, and we made small talk for a while while the bankers took care of us. We both finished our business at the same time, and exited the bank, smiled and wished each other a good day. And then he put out his arms for a hug! I was so touched by this. We hugged and then I unzipped my fleece jacket and showed him I was wearing my “EVERYONE IS WELCOME HERE” shirt. His face lit up in a big smile and he thanked me.

After the bank, I drove into Mount Vernon and parked near the Red Apple market. I brought out my “TRUTH JUSTICE KINDNESS” sign and brought it with me as I walked, first, to the courthouse – to put my school levy ballot in the courthouse ballot box – and then down to the Co-Op for a breve.

As I walked to the Co-Op with my sign, a couple of people honked and gave me a thumbs up, and one person yelled out her window, “I love your sign!” That made me smile.

I passed a shop window with wedding dresses topped with Seahawks t-shirts, and that made my smile even bigger. 😃

When I got to the Co-Op, I gave my breve order to a cheery cashier named Annabelle. When Annabelle asked for a name to put on my breve, I cringed and said, “Karen. It’s so embarrassing.”

Annabelle started laughing and said, “So you know about that?” And then she said, “But you’re one of the nice Karens.” And then, of course, I had to take her picture because she was so cool.

Annabelle told me my drink was going to take about ten minutes – they were very busy at the Co-Op today – and I let her know that wasn’t a problem.

As I’d been walking to the Co-Op, I’d gotten it into my noggin that I wanted a picture of me holding my sign underneath the painting of my friend, the late great John “Peace Wizard” Bromet, that was hanging in the Co-Op. I trusted I would find the right person to take the picture for me when the time came. And I did! As soon as I started up the stairs to the loft, I spied a man sitting at a table facing me, and I just knew he was the man I needed for this job! I approached him and asked him (I learned his name was Andy) if he could take the photo for me. Andy smiled and said of course he could do that for me.

Then I went back downstairs to see if my breve was ready, and this is when I heard someone calling my name. I looked over to see my old friend, Pat, sitting at a table with a buddy. Pat introduced me to his friend, Nils, as the daughter of Dee Molenaar – Nils is a mountaineer and had heard of Dad. He asked my name and I said, “Karen. Because every place needs a Karen, right?” Nils and Pat laughed and we chatted for a while, then my breve was ready, and I brought it with me back down the street to the courthouse for the noon rally.

I saw the regular noon rally crew there – Marilyn and John and Ginny – but there was a whole host of new people I hadn’t met before, too. Across the street there was a young man dancing to music and holding his rally sign, and I just had to join the “dancing man.” I learned the dancing man’s name is Isaac, and that he’s involved with the Community-to-Community organization. Isaac had picked out the music that was playing over the loudspeakers and it was great! One of my favorites was “A Change is Gonna Come.” How perfect!

I’d Been Waiting for Years to Capture This Moment

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I love Cy of Village Books. She never fails to make me smile. Today she was bopping all over the store – cashiering, manning the information desk, fetching books, giving people (me) the key to the restroom – AND she took the time to spend a few minutes chatting with me about how to prepare the perfect turkey for Thanksgiving (it involves putting an orange inside it). She brings me joy.

Regarding the cormorant photo – I belong to a group called “Crap Bird Photography” – and I’ve been waiting for maybe years to capture this moment. I don’t think any further explanation is necessary. 🙂

I was standing behind a young man at Wood’s who had a cap that said “annoyed” on the back of it and – maybe because I’m a former middle school teacher? – this just totally tickled me. I debated tapping him on the shoulder to find out more about his cap – but… would that be annoying? 😃 Finally, I could not help myself and I tapped. He turned around (he looked very much like my eldest son!) and I told him I liked his hat and asked him about it. He smiled and explained that “annoyed” was a brand name, and then he graciously agreed to let me get a photo.

At the top of the ramp to Taylor Dock I looked over and saw a sweet little family of deer – a doe and two youngsters – grazing just behind the fence. They didn’t seem at all perturbed by my snapping camera, and calmly moved underneath the ramp to munch on the apples under the tree, and get out of the drizzle.

The lights in Fairhaven were beautiful last night – reflected on the wet sidewalks and Village Green.