Wildlife is abundant...

With spring in full force we started seeing lots of wild life around our house. We have a few deer that wander through taste testing now and then. Even though one neighbor has been trapping and relocating raccoons we have noticed one or two passing through our yard, sometimes in broad daylight. Unfortunatley they have avoided having their picture taken. We have also noticed a couple of chipmunks that forage for food in our garden area. Research has revealed they are probably Townsend chipmunks. They are so cute eating a strawberry and it sure takes the little guys a long time to eat just one berry. There is an old stump that is very popular and sometimes we have observed a Stellers blue jay claiming the high point with the chipmunk scurrying around until the jay leaves so they can clam the stump. We also have several Douglas squirrels which are also small but bigger than the chipmunks with black tufted ears. The squirrels and chipmunks are constantly on the move and hard to photograph but fun to watch.

Ray ended the month with his oral surgery on the 27th. He came through very well, with almost no pain but eating will be a challenge for a while. He is scheduled to have a partial plate fitted sometime in September or maybe as late as October.

January 2008

January: – We made it official by setting our retirement date for June of 2008. That means it is time to start working on last minute trips, sorting and getting ready to leave Germany. With a retirement date set the end of school, pressures are double the normal stress. We have to complete the school year as well as pack out, clear post, clear DoDDS and prepare to move. In the States it is normal for a retiree to work the last day and go home to start retirement. In DoDDS retirement means moving out of your house, leaving the community and starting all over somewhere else.

Spring brings flowers...

Front and Side yard

On May 1st, at the end of our road trip, we met our Roseburg Gourmet Group (been together over 30 years) for a wonderful dinner at the Culinary Institute in Portland where Anita Totman works. It was a wonderful dinner with lots of visiting. Being home for much of the month of May we were able to really enjoy the colorful rhododendrons, azaleas, tulips and other flowers in their prime. As this was our first spring in Hansville we had not seen the multitude of colors and varieties before. Pictures are better than words so this entry is mostly of views taken at our our place. The house sits back from the road with a wooded area near the road and behind our house which makes it seem like you are in the middle of the woods. We can see the neighbors on either side to remind us we are not totally isolated.

Back yard