A Mom's Year

We’re in an in-between stage where a lot of the wall art from our old house doesn’t work in the house we’re renting, but until we figure out what we want to do next, we don’t want to spend much money on what might just be temporary art. But blank white walls don’t feel very homey.

So I was really happy to see this art wall project on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”

I sort of feel like I should explain why I was watching “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” It all started when I read Yolanda Hadid’s book, Believe Me, about her battle with Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a big deal back in Wisconsin. I had it once, but because we lived in a place where it’s so common we caught it right away and I haven’t had any issues. Tim’s had it a couple of times, but we’re not sure if some of the neurological stuff he deals with is from Lyme disease or his spinal cord injury. But I was curious to read about her experiences.

Anyway, after reading the book I had to check out the show. And next thing I knew, I’d watched all four of the seasons that Yolanda was in. It’s addictive! During the course of the show, Yolanda battled Lyme disease and, while she was stuck at home, she came up with this idea of having friends and family paint squares to add some fun and color to her house. I thought this would be a perfect way to commemorate visits from the people we love—art and memories all in one.

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The Grey Heron

by Shannon Taylor

The patio, at twelve o’clock on a sunny day in August, was oppressively hot. The shade from the large banyan trees that surrounded the restaurant provided some relief, and occasionally a light breeze from the Pearl River stirred the air. Ned Lewiston sat under a bright blue umbrella studying the menu. He was trying to picture the Chinese version of quesadillas, but when the waitress—”Doris” according to her name tag—appeared he decided to err on the side of caution and order sweet and sour chicken.

Doris smiled and took his menu. “Thank you very much,” she said in careful English. She turned and began to make her way back to the kitchen through the crowded maze of tables and chairs that were starting to fill with the lunch crowd.

Ned leaned back in the plastic chair and took a sip of iced tea. Sparrows pecked at crumbs on the pavement at his feet. He watched a boat full of tourists sail by, then picked up the newspaper he’d brought. He started to read but after a while realized he’d been reading the same sentence over again. He put the paper down, took another sip of iced tea, and watched his fellow diners settle in.

He knew, of course, that many tourists on Shamian Island were families staying at the White Swan Hotel while they waited for appointments with the U.S. Consulate for final approval to adopt Chinese babies. Minnie’s Restaurant was popular with the families, with its offerings of burgers and shakes and other western-style food. Ned had found himself returning every day for lunch since his arrival in Guangzhou a week earlier. He enjoyed practicing his Chinese, rusty though it was, with the wait staff, and they in turn were eager to work on their English with him.

More than anything, he was glad to be distracted from his thoughts.

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Tim and I are terrible about going on dates. Some of it has to do with busy schedules, of course, but mostly it’s my fault for not wanting to leave the house if I don’t have to. It’s funny because when I was young, I always wanted to Go Out, but now I just want to Stay In. Preferably in my pajamas with a good movie on Netflix.

But we found ourselves with a couple hours early on Saturday morning with nothing on the calendar, so we decided to bike down to Lynwood Center, via Pleasant Beach, and call it a date. We set off through Fort Ward Park, but instead of turning left to go to South Beach, we turned right and biked the trail along the water. Normally, we’d have a gorgeous view of the Olympic Mountains to the west, but the haze from the wildfires in Canada is still lingering.

After a mile or so, the park ends and the trail becomes Pleasant Beach Drive. Houses start up here, on both sides of the road. Isn’t that the most inviting driveway? I do love hydrangeas.

Bainbridge has more than 60 Road Ends, which is nice because of course all the shoreline property has been gobbled up. You can walk or bike down to the water and there’s usually a bench or some rocks to sit on to enjoy the view.

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