Author Archives: Lampornis

Christmas 2020 – Covid Style

Going to be honest. This was the loneliest Christmas ever in so many ways. The pandemic in full swing and both sets of kids, including our one and only grandchild, stuck on the east coast. It is simply not right that parents/grandparents should have to spend Christmas alone. But it happened. Even so, it would not have been the right thing to put our beloved Cody on an airplane without an inkling of protection against the nasty virus. So, a virtual Christmas was the best we could do. The solution, make the best of it.

We were determined to make this Christmas as “normal” as possible. Theo would make our traditional lasagna and I got up early to make fresh pasta noodles because….fresh past is always best. I put on the new loungy pants that Theo got me and gave her her Christmas stocking which is always a joy for me to put together every year. We opened some bubbly and got on with the day. The Christmas tree was stunning as usual, we exchanged gifts, but we still missed the kids.

Those who know me know that I am not a huge dessert kind of person. Even so, Theo make the best carrot cake on the planet and she makes it for me on my birthday and at Christmas. So, I did get to enjoy that tradition along with a wonderful Christmas dinner

Here’s hoping that next year things can get back to normal.

Thanksgiving 2020 – Covid Style

I really enjoy Thanksgiving. Arguably my favorite annual holiday. This year, however, was a bit lonely. Both boys and their families live on the east coast so travel was not an option meaning that Theo and I spent Thanksgiving alone. The previous few years we had traveled east for Thanksgiving alternating between New York and Virginia where the kids live then they would come west for Christmas. Not to let circumstances totally thwart my enjoyment of the day I smoked a turkey which over time would get turned into many different dishes and Theo did her magic with the remaining dishes. We opened a celebratory bottle of champagne given to us our nephew Anthony and had an old bottle of wine for dinner. The worst part about the day was that we were unable to meet our first grandchild who was born to Ryan and Hillary in October. We hoped hard that vaccinations would come our way sooner rather than later so that we could safely go to New York for a visit. Even so, all-in-all it was a good day.

Life Changing Day – Birth of our First Grandchild!!

This was a day I had dreamed of for a long long time. Today our first grandchild, Cody Danger Powers, was born! He came into the World at 12:39 pm weighing 7.1 pounds and is absolutely beautiful. Mother Hillary and baby are doing great. The next major challenge for Theo and I will be waiting until we can safely travel to meet him. Sadly, the way things are going it will likely be several months.

I know the big question on everyone’s mind will be how the heck did they come up with a middle name “Danger?” Well, when Ryan was working at Domaine Serene (a winery for those not wine savvy) a few years back he crawled into a grape crusher while it was still turned on. That can sort of kill you. So, they nicknamed him Danger. Apparently Ryan and Hillary thought this was a fun way to name Cody after his dad. So there you go.

Being the very proud newly minted grandfather that I am expect to see a lot of Cody going forward. Cheers!!

Theo’s Birthday Trip to Hood River

Every year at the end of October or early November we take a trip to Hood River to do a bit of wine tasting. While her birthday is actually October 4 we go at the end of October or early November because that is one of our clubs, Marchesi Vineyards, has their club release. We joined Marchesi’s club several ears ago because Theo loves their winery as well as their wines as a birthday gift. The previous year we also joined the club at Syncline because, well, we seemed to spend enough money there anyway to justify it. So we make sure to visit both when we go. Anyway, we look forward to the trip each year packing lunch and enjoying the day. Here are a few photos from the adventure.

Zoie’s Last Week

Today we said goodbye to our beloved dog Zoie. She had been part of our family for almost 13 years. While it was a hard day we had made the decision a week earlier to end her suffering and pain so had the time to process, pamper, and love her before she slept forever. Theo and I are forever grateful for my former student and Corvallis area vet Melody who insisted we let her come to our home and take care of this so Zoie could pass in her own yard on a beautiful sunny day. While cried a bit and were filled with grief we know that now she is pain free. Zoie’s health had decline for the previous year as she developed a neuropathy that sapped the strength from her hind legs and prevented her from doing many things that she loved including climbing the stairs in our home to sleep in our bedroom and take long walks at Champoeg State Park. The last couple months she developed bone cancer in her right front leg that progressed rapidly leading us to this decision as we were not going to put her through cancer treatment at almost 13 years old. We will miss her forever. Theo decided that we will plant a Zoie Garden right outside our den window where her desk sits so she can see it each day. We had Zoie cremated and a scoop of her ashes will go in to every plant’s hole. The garden will be a long term memory for us.l