Appreciation
Today is my birthday.
This year I got my big wish early; my husband found a job! He’d been unemployed for three years and despite all his training and effort, he had a terrible time landing anything.
I feel that this is a great time to count my blessings, which are many. In truth, without my family and friends I would never have been able to experience the richness and depth that true love can hold.
Today I was reminded by a kindred spirit that life gets better as it goes and that the ‘best is yet to come’. Beginning a new tradition, I will spend the day making the people I love feel like they are my greatest gift – because they are.
©Kathleen Ryan-McCullough
~ About Me ~
About Me?…hmm, always a tough place to start. I hate to be boxed in, labeled and pegged. I am more than my age, marital status, occupation or religion. I have unique qualities that can’t be summed up in tiny phrases. I am more than a collection of blurbs – I continue to be work in progress.
I’ve always been impatient, stubborn and above average in charm, smarts and sarcasm. I have not left some misspent youth behind me that I need recovery from; in fact, I hope I never recover. My mother believed that you are only as old as you feel. That being said, there are days I feel like having the temper tantrum of a 4 year-old and the next day I feel the better part of a century dragging behind me.
Getting Personal:
I am of Irish and Swiss decent, although I recently discovered the Swiss connection. I have been married twice, fortunately the second time took. I have 4 adult children, 4 cats who are all sisters and one supremely beautiful 5 year-old German Shepherd. I live on an island in the middle of the Columbia River.
Life here on Hayden Island can be quite noisy. We are in the glide-path for Portland Int. Airport, so planes, including F-15 fighter jets from the 142nd Fighter Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard take off and land day and night. The mighty Columbia River is 150 yards to my north and conveys all types river traffic, so fog horns are common. The Interstate 5 bridge is one of two bridges that cross the island. The other is a railroad bridge. Both are modified to open for boats and both bring their own unique noise. The interstate bridge carries over 140,000 vehicles every day and the railroad bridge sees about a dozen trains, including two crossings by Amtrak. All of these lead to a cacophony of noise that eventually fades into the background on any given day.
Not all the noises are man-made, in fact some of the most beautiful and haunting sounds I’ve ever heard have come from the many birds who nest here year round. There is also a protected area of wetlands just south of the island that are home to many thousands of birds. Canadian Geese flock in such numbers their honking can even be heard over the train whistles. One of my very favorite birds, the Osprey, nest right off shore atop the old pylons. Each morning during the spring and early summer I listen to their piercing calls as they hunt and teach their young to fly.
It is busy island, full of life’s hustle and bustle; so if it’s quiet you want, this probably isn’t the place. Having lived here 17 years, I have to say that I am quite content to call this piece of earth, my home.
I have spent months dithering about what I would blog. After several false starts and repeated bouts of angst, I’ve decided to simply write about whatever comes my way. Writing has always been healthy and productive outlet for me and now, in our digital world I can publish without worrying about pleasing some editor. Don’t get me wrong, I do hope that what I produce is worth reading and that it has value beyond just me.
While you’re here, if you should feel the need to leave a comment, be my guest. In turn if you have nothing to say then feel free to say nothing. Thanks, I’m hoping that you enjoy what you find here and that you will stop by again soon.
…That’s ~About Me~ for now!
Wading Barefoot 