The Friday Four, Part 27

~1~

Last Saturday was my Aunt Tanya's funeral.  They'd delayed it a while so that all but one of the injured grandchildren would be able to come.  (Joshua is improving, but wasn't ready to be released from the hospital yet.)  My mom and my brothers who live on the east coast were able to be there, though I couldn't make the cross-country trek.  By all accounts, the well-attended funeral was an uplifting celebration of Tanya's energetic, kind and generous life.

Tanya Lee Evans (May 30, 1946 - July 14, 2013)
Photo courtesy Mike Evans

In lieu of flowers, the family requested donations be made to the Hodsons' medical expenses fund.  I know I've mentioned it before, but if you are willing and able to help out, here's the link one more time.

~2~

Yesterday was Gramps's funeral.  It was a wonderful time to pay tribute to an incredible, tough and tender man.  Good ride, cowboy, good ride.

William Eugene "Gene" White
(August 25, 1913 - August 9, 2013)
Photo courtesy Amanda Atwood via facebook

~3~

Our garden is producing!  We've harvested a wagon full of potatoes, bags and bags of green beans, several green onions and beets, lots of cherry tomatoes of various varieties, a few peppers, summer squash and zucchini up the wazoo.  The winter squash, including pumpkins, and larger tomatoes are getting there.

In fact, we had a meal this week that used produce from our garden, corn from my in-laws' garden in eastern Oregon, and locally raised pork.  Only the butter and salt and pepper weren't locally sourced or grown.  I was pretty pleased about that.

~4~

I just started a six-week meditation course taught at the Unitarian Universalist church by Buddhist nuns from the Sravasti Abbey near Newport, Washington.  I loved the first class, which was a basic introduction to a couple different forms of meditation, both focused and guided, and I'm looking forward to the rest.  The presentation and meditation this week focused on kindness, interdependence, and compassion, which the nuns defined as truly wishing happiness for others.  Deep thoughts...I'll let you know how it goes!