The earliest of the July birthdays is that of Nan’s mother, Carolyn Sheldon.  Here is a current picture of her with her daughters, Deb and Nan, which was taken on her birthday. Nan and John had gone down to help her with some chores that needed doing.

Deb, Carolyn & Nan

        Note from Carolyn in response to my birthday note to her:
        Thank you for the birthday wishes!  Yes, it was a wonderful birthday!  I worked Nan & John real hard and we had lots of fun and lots of good food.  John cut firewood and did some digging I wanted done.  Nan and I puttered around doing lots of small projects I had been putting off.  I won’t have to cook for a few days because there was lots of yummy food left over.  Deb joined us yesterday and it was great.  As Nan will probably tell you Bronwen and Rich and the cousins put a notice (with picture) in a Welsh newspaper wishing me a happy birthday too.  Fun! 
        (Bronwen and Rich are a couple of Welsh cousins Nan and Carolyn met when they were in Wales.  Us Seattleites met them when they came here the following year to visit.  Great folks.).
        Then, in order, come grandkids Jack Lightfoot, on the 13th, and his sister, Heather, (Hildy and Dan) and Dave’s son, Russ. Heather and Russ share the 31st, although several years apart.  Heather is our first grandchild and Russ is the fourth. There are eleven of them, all told.

Jack, 2007

Heather, 1992

Russ, 2006

        On the Fourth of July, I was sitting in my little outdoor garden spot, when I was surprised by Bob, Shirley’s son, coming over with a lovely plate of picnic fare. He had grilled bratwursts for them and did one for me while he was at it.  Shirley had added salad and chips, so I ate like a queen at my little, round, umbrella table. Later, I watched the fabulous fireworks on our big, new TV that Dave gave us at Christmas.  Very oooh! and aaaah! inspiring!

        In early July, I still hadn’t found the double impatients I like to plant in hanging baskets where I can see them from my kitchen window. Since my “drip system” was set up and running, each morning I watched three little drips coming down from the eave of the garage all ready for when the baskets are there. Those drips looked lonesome with no place to go except the tops of the garbage cans we use for yard waste.
        Then Nan and I found the plants I wanted and there are now three hanging baskets, one pink, one white, and one a deep rose color and the three little drips are now watering them every morning at ten o’clock.  They look as lovely as I had hoped.

        My kitchen garden (it is actually within a few feet of my kitchen door) is thriving.  Lettuces are overflowing their containers and the tomato plants are husky and loaded with blossoms.  There are many green fruits, and I have already had the pleasure of eating one, small, brilliantly red mable from the Sweet 100 plant. It looks like I am going to have a good harvest, and soon.

        July 13 is a “multipurpose day” in the Lightfoot family, with that being Hildy and Dan’s wedding anniversary and, also, Jack’s birthday.  I had a wonderful time helping them celebrate both events. Dan took me home with him after doing his usual slate of the chores he does for me every second week. 
        Hildy had brought out two fat books of pictures… the one from their wedding bringing back such beautiful memories.  It doesn’t seem possible that it was 34 years ago, but the ages of their kids (their eldest, Heather, was born in 1976) proves that to be true.  It was such a happy occasion all those years ago. John and Anne Lightfoot and Vern and I were as delighted with their choices as they were, themselves.

Hildy & Dan, 1974

        For Jack’s birthday dinner, Dan grilled steaks and there were devilled eggs, a shrimp-cream cheese-salsa dip, potato salad and a gorgeous strawberry-blueberry salad.  Jack had requested “no cake”, but it wasn’t missed… brownies with ice cream and chocolate sauce!  Oh, Yum!
        Jeremy and Teresa came to share this special day, and Heather visited by Vitaphone (on their TV) holding her and Thomas’ two squirming toddlers so we all could enthuse over how cute they are and how they have grown. We were all hoping that Maryland family would be coming out here for a visit, but Thomas tore his achiles tendon, putting him in a cumbersome cast. In mid-July it didn’t look like it was going to happen.

Teresa, Jeremy & Skyler, 2007

Note from Gordon and Alice (Bunny):

Awesome Newsletter as always!  A pretty busy month it seems.  We also visited The "Nina" with some friends - but didn't have yummy hamburgers or a delicious milkshake.  We are sorry to hear that uncle Vern is under the weather and will definitely send super good thoughts his way (and yours).  We will be leaving on Sunday for 3 weeks of "projects" in Colville - (once again we miss the party at Hildy's - sob!)
......:) Bunny

Note from Carolyn:
        Thank you for the June issue!  The picture of John and Nan brought tears to my eyes.  What a pair!
        My baby chicks are growing and doing a good job of cleaning the bugs out of the yard – also making a bit of a mess – but they are cute!  The goats are fine – in excellent health and Moonlight is giving me a quart of milk a day for me to enjoy.  Soon I will take Wonder to visit the buck so there will be milk all winter.  I have a huge crop of plums on the tree – I had to prop up the limbs.  And LOTS of pears coming as well as apples.  I even have a few almonds coming along.
Great big hugs and lots of love,
Carolyn

        July has been a hard month to document, with lots of ups and downs. Vern is still at the rehabilitation place, and we have been told he is not making any more progress, so probably he will not be able to come home as he so desperately wishes, short of a miracle.  This is the worst of the “downs”.

        There are several “ups”.  Heather, Skyler, and ‘Tasia flew out to stay ten days with Hildy and Dan.  This is a real “up” except that Daddy Thomas was not able to come with them. When he was out of the cast and into a brace, he was okay with them coming out while he held the fort at home in Maryland.

        A very special “up” for me, personally, was getting notice I had won gift certificates to Anthony’s Home Port, a very nice seafood restaurant, from Northwest Prime Time for some stories I had written for their children’s column. The latest of these can be found in the link on this site called “Dorothea Writes” entitled “A Dog Named Casey”.

        Another “up” is the getting ready for the unveiling of the J. P. Patches and Gertrude sculpture entitled “Late for the Interurban”, which will happen August 17 in Solstice Plaza in Fremont.  History House (which means John, Paul, and Nan) is doing the planning and preparation for the event.  Liz, Hildy and Dan have volunteered to help in any way they can, too.
        It is growing daily into an enormous event.  The Governor and her husband plan to attend as well as a host of other dignitaries.  There are over a thousand big, red, sponge noses, like the one J. P. wears, which will be distributed to the people who come to the event.  It looks to be a teriffic tribute to those two clowns who were beloved by most of Seattle and environs when they were daily featured on TV.  Our four kids loved them then, and still do

Thought for the day:

        “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
                                                     - Eleanor Roosevelt -

Dixie/Dorothea, Senior Editor

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