Sunday, May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day!


A Pile of Cousins
Originally uploaded by Prairie Brown

...To my mom and all the moms out there: thanks for all you do for us!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Happy Birthday Dad!

I'd like to wish my dad a very happy birthday today!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Pictures


The Family at the Church Before the Service
Originally uploaded by Prairie Brown

Last weekend, the family came together to celebrate Grandma's life and to mourn her death. Many of us took pictures of the various gatherings, and mine are posted on my photo page for anyone who wants to see them.

Click the picture on this post, and it will take you to my photo page.

If you want copies of any of these pictures, you should be able to download them and print them, or you can send me an email (prairie.brown@gmail.com) with your address (and which pictures you want) and I'll send you prints.

Monday, April 28, 2008

A Sad Afternoon

My grandmother, Norma Lindberg, passed away this afternoon. I'll put up a full post later, but for now, please offer up some prayers, both of gratitude that Grandma isn't suffering any more and of healing for my grandfather, mother, and family, when you have a minute.

Friday, April 18, 2008

April Shower (of Snow)


April Shower (of Snow)
Originally uploaded by Prairie Brown

Here's the scene outside our building at this very moment. How bizarre is that?!

Who Turned off the Spring?

This afternoon, my colleague in Lynwood called me to chat about the upcoming conference. As we were talking, she mentioned that it had been snowing all afternoon in Lynwood. I looked out my window (I'm about 50 miles south of Lynwood when I'm at work). The sun was shining. Sure, there were a few clouds over the water, and yes, they looked very black, but overall it wasn't an unpleasant day outside.

I hopped into my car at about 5:00 and headed north. I was about halfway back to Seattle when something thumped against my windshield. I figured it was a bug. Then I noticed the wet splotch. Something else splatted against the windshield. Then something else. It was starting to hail! As I drove further north, it hailed harder and harder. Small piles of it began to build up on the sides of my windshield. Traffic going into downtown slowed, then stopped, then began creeping northward again at a snail's pace. The sides of the road began to collect piles of hail. Then the road itself started to look a little bit white and slushy. I passed a sign that estimated the commute from that point to Lynwood: 58 minutes to travel what on a good day would be a 15 minute drive.

I got off the freeway at the next exit, watching the cars still on the freeway beginning to slip and slide a bit as the road got worse. I took the back roads the rest of the way home. By the time I got home, the hail had stopped. It was actively SNOWING! As I type this, it's starting to stick to the streets. Cars and trees in the parking lot outside the building are thoroughly coated.

You heard me--it's snowing in Seattle in the middle of April! Clearly, whoever is in control of the weather missed the memo about it being spring!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Some More Books

This morning, I dropped Michael off at work and made it to the book sale in time to join the line at the door. The building where the sale is held (a former airplane hangar) is huge--and the line stretched around three sides of it! Today is half-price day, so all the paperbacks that were 50 cents yesterday are a whole quarter today. The dollar hardbacks are 50 cents today.

This morning, my mission was to browse the historical fiction room. They allow only 50 people into this room at a time, so it was important that I be one of the first people to get there, or I would have to wait in line after waiting in line. I was number 25 into the room. I was worried for a few minutes that I wouldn't make it in time. I got stuck behind a really slow old lady who would wander one way, then just before I could squeeze past her, she'd cut the other way. Finally, she paused to look at something for long enough for me to dart past her.

I found a stack of books, ranging from novels about British kings and queens to Mexican rebels. I even grabbed a few romances--not bodice rippers (never been my thing), but more along the lines of Bridget Jones (romantic comedies). Now I just need summer vacation, a swimming pool, a cold drink, and a nice hot afternoon (we're back to clouds and drizzle today).