As I always say "Where does the time go?" Another month has passed since James birthday and the awesome Royal Wedding. Now it is time for planting, our yard is looking good and the mature cottage garden just grows on and on in the back yard. Today I was delivered the most beautiful box from Edwards from Mack and Paul for my birthday, it made me smile all day. Then at lunch I was relaxing in my recliner when along came James and wild Miles to deliver a flat of my fav's for the ongoing garden growth. James also brought me a great bottle of Thymes Kimono Rose bubble bath. I have the greatest kids on earth, but I know many mothers in our family who would take that argument on. We are blessed with a lot of great parents and kids in our great big family.

The past month has been busy with yard work, birthday dinner for James, elder care, cabin opening, ground clearing at the cabin and then packing the boys off to build the new deck. They finished up today in hail snow and sleet and sometimes pouring rain, only one small injury to Bear when he slip on the wet wood.......but we are decked on both ends of the cabin and I plan on chasing the sun next week-end. Morning deck out front with good reads and coffee then cocktails and conversations in the afternoon watching the sunset in the back, this will hopefully be my pattern for most week-ends this summer. James is heading out this week-end towards Fairfield Idaho for camping in a tent and some outdoor concerts, Mack and Paul heading to Portland to help Mack's friend Emily from Boston apartment hunt. Mack will be home by the 8th for about two weeks for some family time, I am again preparing the Vegan kitchen for her, can hardly wait! She is going to leave the cats with us for summer camp so they can have some outdoor time in the cottage garden.

As you can see by the photo on the left there is a new creature with Paul and Mack, a stray they have opened their hearts to. They captured him, had him neutered, got his shots and now are socializing him for adoption, secretly I think they are falling in love with the little guy. They have named him Oliver for the little street urchin he was!

We lost our dear Uncle Bobby this month to his cancer. Mom was able to travel for the day to Portland to be with family at his funeral. Alison, Joe and I took the controls on airport transportation and caring for Dad...... he did well but as usual was anxious to have his Rose home. We tracked her plane online and I bought him a .49 copy of a Japanese newspaper on the Kindle for him to read while we waited, he was fascinated with the toys........We will miss Uncle Bobby immensely but know he is in heaven with God at this time.

While Joe is at the cabin I have little Susie for a couple of nights while Megan and her Mom have some girl time, that includes an overnighter with 7 girls! I remember those days tiring but lots of laughs and fun!

Right now the entire family is waiting with bated breath for Sara to bring in the next new life to our wonderful family. Go Sara I am praying for Sunday, my birthday but that darn Aadam will probably win out.......on to June.

Deb

What a Glorius day!

James is 27 today and in Denver with his good buddies and Catherine is now HRH! I wouldn't have missed a minute of it!

Time for an update! Today is Susie's Birthday! Yea for nine, nine is fine! Talked with her briefly on the phone and she was busy playing with friends and sounded like a happy go lucky nine year old. I am on vacation currently spending a week of rest and relaxation at my good friend Marian's home in Ocean Shores Wa. Her home is on the lake with the beach about a mile away. You can hear the waves from her deck. I am here babysitting my grand kitties while Mack and Paul cycle the San Juan Islands, they are being perfect little charges to take care of. Marian and I of course spend most of our day pouring over recipes determining what gourmet delicacy that we will prepare for dinner. Right now the aroma of garlic coming from the kitchen takes me off to another land which leads me to the other thing we are pouring over and that is plans for our next trip to Italy. Tomorrow is a walk on the beach and some yard work, then off to Seaview for lunch on Thursday at a beach cafe and then a massage at a spa in the late afternoon(thanks to Marian for my early birthday present). The kids will return on Friday and we will have another beach walk, a casino trip, and a Vietnamese dining experience for the evening. Oh and of course the kids have a challenge on to beat us at Farkle, Uno or Mexican train, but watch out Mac and Paul, we have been practicing and we will knock your socks off! I left grandma Marye in good hands , she just celebrated her 94th. I miss all of the family since they are a big portion of my life back home. I have included some pictures of Stomie with the Governor and a sunset off the lake and of course by grand kittiesand Marian's buddy Roxy! Until later.......Deb

Wow! as Marye would say, what happened to January and how did half of February fly by? Just returned from visiting my sister Cathy in Denver.......ran our little socks off literally. If we weren't cooking, we were shopping or she was walking the dog and shoveling snow. It was great seeing all the great nieces and nephews and I am so proud of the way the kids acted just like they saw me yesterday! Lots of hugs and kisses! Gracie was a great little helper in the kitchen with the Super Bowl snacks, and does she love to talk, felt like we had been cooking together for years. Aaron is so tall and is a great baseball player and Mitchell is preparing for his senior year. Unbelievable! Danny plays the violin like a pro and Bella Rose is just a little princess. Emily is all girl and is cute as a "bug" which is Macs nickname by dad.

We had a couple of great snow storms and it was absolutely beautiful. The tree above is just one example of the elegant force of nature.

Home now and looking forward to my Spring Break taking care of Mac's cats at Marian's in Ocean Shores Wa while she and Paul explore and cycle the San Juan Islands. James and Esti are heading to Eugene to help Mac celebrate her 24th birthday on the 19th. Paul got her tickets to Elton John for her birthday. Then it is off to SLC in April for a baby shower for Sara. Before you know it we will be planting and building the western deck on the cabin.

Yesterday I took Mom and Stomie to meet the Governor and get a Birthday picture for Stomie. During their visit Stomie found out that the Governor's mother who also lives in Nampa would turn 96 on the same day Stomie turns 96 today! Off to the men's store for pocket hankies and then to Shige's for sushi. Joe joined us and Shige sang Happy Birthday solo and the whole restaurant applauded. Papasan loved his 96 $1.00 bills and Joe threw 4 more dollars in for "many more" A very happy occasion indeed. Thanks for everyone's help in pulling it off. I miss my little "Lucca" and his funny sayings "game on" "you win" "want to watch the hulk" he is one bright little adult in a kids body!

On to Spring, or so the ground hog says! I hope the ol superstition holds true. ~DW~

Merry Christmas to one and all! It has been a very very busy year for our family. This has been a year of transitions of moving into elder care. You always know it is coming but have little understanding of how it will impact you and your family. For us it was just like an express train traveling at high speed and it hit us with a bang of reality. Joe and I took it on head first and things are running smoothly now more like a choo choo train saying "I know I can, I know I can".
Joe's Family: Marye took a couple of falls this year with two trips to the hospital with minimal fractures and a short stay in a nursing home for two weeks, before Marye stated emphatically "I'm going home!" Deb worked diligently to return her to her beloved home and she is very happy to be back there. She has a great team of personal care givers that provide about 16 hours of care for her each week. Deb spends an hour each evening with her having tea and conversation.It helps in keeping her mind active and updated on the family and current events. This is in addition to cooking for her and Fred three, or more,times a week. We had a special Thanksgiving, including family movies dedicated especially for her,which she fully enjoyed. Fred is still at home with her and we are blessed to have him there. Marye turns 94 next March.

Deb's Family: Rose, Deb's mom has had some health issues recently but takes them in stride and with some assistance from Deb she is on the road to recovery and getting back to her independent energetic self. Stomie, Deb's Dad just trucks along and doesn't miss a beat. When the car starts,he is in it, no matter where it is going. He still dresses in a suit and bow tie everyday! He will turn 96 in February! Daily trips to McDonald's are his favorite time of the day. He has taken to singing hymns aloud. It is fun to hear him burst into song!

Our Family: James unbeknownst to his parents, registered and started back to school at Boise State University working towards finishing his degree in Education. We couldn't be more proud of him. He still works part time at the Flying Pie Pizzeria and will be celebrating his 10 year anniversary there next year. He recently traveled to Eugene to visit Mackie. It is a wonder to watch the closeness of our children as they mature into adulthood.

Mackie took a year off to rest the brain from Boston, and now has returned to Graduate School at the University of Oregon. She adopted and took the final two cats, Finn and Mama, we had been fostering with her. Both Joe and I hate to admit it, but we do miss them. As much as she dislikes the rain, she is adjusting to life in Eugene.

Joe and I keep plugging along in our jobs looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. It is getting brighter and we are confident we will enjoy it once we reach it! In today's turmoil in our world one needs to stay optimistic. Deb continues in her job in worker's Compensation working with the catastrophically injured doing case management, (part of the reason she may be so good with elder care).


When prodded Joe will only describe his year as "interesting....an emotional roller coaster" He is serving on a Judicial Committee concerning volunteer lawyer services and has written a chapter on adoption for a Judge's handbook, at the request of the Idaho Supreme Court. He will close out the year by finalizing five adoptions in three different towns on December 23. He will move into a new office on January 1, 2011. He whines retirement is just a figment of his imagination!

Overall, it was a year that sped by. To those of you whom who haven't heard much from the Welches this year we apologize. We will try and do better. We want to with you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

Guess it is time to get this site updated! First a picture of my two new grandchildren, acutally left overs from the fostering kitties phase, Finney and Mama. Yes, they are moving to Oregon.

Life has been busy busy busy, really not enough time in a day to spend it on this machine. March took us (Mom, Stomie, Megan, Susie and I) off to the Oregon Coast on Spring Break. Rented a van and had lots of fun, boy did we put the miles on. Saw Uncle Bobby twice and was able to have dinner with them once. Went Swimming and Hot tubbing daily. The ocean was beautiful but most of the time we were there it was angry, typical spring storms. Fun to watch and more fun to stand in the spray! Visited the Aquarium in Newport, the Portland Zoo with train ride, and the sea lion caves in Florence.

Got a quick glimpse of Eugene, Mackie's new home come August! Yes she is going to be a Duck. She will be working on her Master's in Community and Regional Planning. We are very excited for her. On the used car watch for her right now. James just finished his semester at BSU, studying Education. Just finished his finals! He and Mac were off today to Caldwell to look at a Tandem Bike for sale. Couldn't be more proud of these kids.

Grandma Marye and uncle Fred are doing well. We celebrated her 93rd birthday in March.

Uncle Doug's brother in law Mitsuro his wife Hiromi and son Takeo were here to honor and visit Uncle Doug's and Aunt Michiko's gravesite this month. I took a day off and helped Mom and Stomie with their visit to Boise. There was a little language difficulties but we had a great day and Mom and Stomie treated us to a wonderful Sushi lunch......never seen so much food, but we didn't leave a pearl of rice anywhere.

Mac and I are starting some raised flower beds, hope to plant this week-end. We still have some snow on the mountains though. Both Joe and I are well, I am riding Mom's old bike again to work and loving it. This is such a great place to live.........still looking at the light at the end of the tunnel.............or maybe just dreaming. Cathy and Mitchell were just here to celebrate Mother's Day, mom is one lucky woman to have us three angels!

My transmission went out in my beautiful BMW, I will miss her so much. She was such a great road warrior, but I got a new ride, check it out hopefully she will make many happy trips to Eugene.

Later.....

Well here it is February and I haven't posted since December! It is not because I have been sitting around in the lounger or ocean side, the business is called family, and it is wonderful to have all of them. It is late, I have been going all day so will post more later, but until then here is a picture of Stomie celebrating his 95th birthday! Happy Birthday to our Father.

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick note and some photos to Wish You and all Yours a Very Merry Christmas. Santa's work shop has been in full gear, house cleaning going on for a few Holiday Parties, cards getting done. It will be all pulled together by Christmas Day. As I reflect on this day of Jesus' birth I thank God for my wonderful husband, children, family, and supportive friends. I hope this day is a special day for all of you. Here are a few photos of the home front and our wonderful little visitors! Without them life would be boring. Merry Christmas......and a Happy New Year!

Oh my where do I start, trust me life is not in the slow lane at this house. Joe and I were having a discussion the other night about why is our life way more busy than when we were raising the children and why does it feel like we are being tossed more work at our jobs than normal. We finally decided that on the first issue that even though you have raised your children to become independent in their own lives doesn't mean that you have less responsibility as a parent and that continues in other ways, but we also decided we wouldn't have it any other way! On the other issue it is because we are so experienced (grey haired and wrinkled and embracing it) at what we do that they just keep tossing work at us, afraid we might pull the plug and say retirement is looking much better......

Speaking of our children James has registered to return to college in January and will be attending BSU, Go Broncos! and studying education. Mac has applied for graduate school and is doing an internship with the ACLU and picking up odd jobs to keep the funds coming in at babysitting, house sitting and pet sitting.

The above picture is a reflection of our life at this time. We still have Mama from the original bunch of cats Mackie has fostered and we still have Finnegan, "Finny" who obviously was the runt of the litter and was tossed out in the foothills. He has flourished in our home and we all love him but it is evident that he will never be an outdoor cat. Little slow on the uptake but as cute as possible. He would make a good library cat... whenever you sit down to read anything, he is on your lap. Needless to say he has become Joe's best friend since he does so much reading.

We still miss our little Bailee but time is also healing that loss. Our vet also loved her and gave a donation to the veterinary school at the U of W in Seattle in her name.

Mom and Stomie and I took another road trip this time to Teton Idaho and we were able to see Aunt Fumi in Rexburg and the progress of the High School on the farm property. We also took uncle Bobby to Jackpot, that was a hoot!

Joe and I celebrated 28 years of marriage and are still shocked by how fast it has gone by. We had a wonderful weekend together and a romantic dinner, and some people said it would never last.....showed them didn't we Joe?

Still cooking all meals for Joe's mom and his brother, helping Mom prepare for our family Thanksgiving dinner, both my brother and sister will be here and we are so excited about this.

Mom and Stomie still go about 80 miles a minute and I hope I can be as active as them when I reach their age. Really looking forward to our family gathering next week. We lost a very dear friend today to Pulmonary Fibrosis and may not have Joe with us this Thanksgiving since he will attend the services back East next week for our family. This family was Mac's surrogate family while she was an East Coast girl.

We wish you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving week and thank God for our wonderful bounty of family and friends.

~~deb~~

Where did summer go?

Summer it is such a vague memory at this point......so is Autumn! Oh well we are well into fall and should be preparing for the holidays.....but at this point who cares. We have been helping Mac foster kittens all summer, again the housework is low on the totem pole. We keep the laundry up and Joe and I have spent as many glorious days as possible this summer in McCall. Joe and I laid the kitchen floor in McCall, he sawed and I hammered, it is absolutely gorgeous! Mac and I traveled to Portland for an interview, and then Mom, Stomie and I traveled back to Portland for Uncle Bobby's and Aunt Evelyn's 50th wedding anniversary. Uncle Bobby was in all his glory having so many family members present. It was such fun to see all the cousins and hear about their lives. We decided to take some extra time for dining and site seeing this trip. Stomie has always wanted to see Mary Hill Museum along the Columbia so we headed over the river for the winding drive up the hill. Found some great peaches along the way. The museum and the history behind the museum was very interesting. Over 100 chess games are on display in the basement. We toured the Pittock Mansion and the Japanese gardens also while in Portland. We found a great Sushi place near our hotel and dined on Oysters on the half shell at Jake's Crawfish restaurant the oldest restaurant in Portland. Thank goodness for the Garmin which took us anywhere our hearts desired, including a late night visit to Baskin Robbins. Ten days later I had a work trip to Idaho Falls and Swan Valley so Mom and Stomie tagged along and we were able to see Aunt Fumi in her assisted living facility. Joe and I just continue to plug along to retirement, and consider the fact that we are blessed with great children, family and healthy lives. I know I have missed a couple of birthdays but will eventually get caught up, hope none of you are in a hurry because I definitely am not....life is way to short to get stressed.

As you have probably read on Mac's site we lost our little Bailee two weeks ago. Will post in her memory soon.

The ebbing days of summer are upon us! I am anxious for the weather change but not too much. If I had small children I would be dancing the Staples Dance! We only have small cats and they dance enough for us. Talk about lots of laughter in this house. They are nutty in their circus antics. Bailee can now be in a room with them and is able to hold her urge to kill. She still thinks they are squirrels, but is beginning to see the growth in them and their similarity to Momma Cat, so they are holding their own against her. Two were adopted last week-end at Kuna Days so we are down to three kittens and the Mom. All have had surgeries and their shots so are good to go.

Mac didn't get the first position she interviewed for with Americorps but is pushing on with other options. She is one of the leaders this week at the Humane Society working with groups of 25, 9-12 year olds teaching them about caring for animals. Her small garden thrives and we have had some great salsa. I am sure she will update you soon on her new furniture buy. Mac and I took Grandpa and Grandma Hanami shopping Antiques stores on Saturday and they took us out to lunch at a great place called the Green Chile. In the afternoon we dropped Mac off to tend to kitties, Stomie took a nap in the car and Mom and I walked through the booths at the Lake View Park Arts and Craft show. Sunday it was out to the Emmett ranch with the kids' fourth grade teacher and one of her daughters Hailee. It was warm but lots of fun. Mac is off to Phoenix over Labor Day to visit a friend who is teaching for Teach for America.

Joe is extremely busy with work with several trials pending, my work never stops but I like it busy. My house sure shows it, but until the kitties leave there will be no deep cleaning. Why waste my energy!

James and two of his friends are roofing the old rental this week. Say a prayer for their safety. I have already given them my workers compensation lecture about roofing and my Mom lecture. I'm sure they will be proud when they finish. Nate has the most experience building and roofing in New Orleans after the flood, and he is just starting his Architectural Program at BSU in a couple of weeks.

Man vs Food will be at the Flying Pie on Friday to consume the double Habernero pizza!

Everyone is healthy in the family, including Marye and Fred.

Well the morning chores are calling, will chat later.....Much Love Deb

PS will leave you with some photos from our ranch visit.

Emily I have not forgotton your birthday! I am just trying to decide on Kitty or $!?!? Love Great Aunt Deb

What a week it has been! Mackie got a call from Americorps last Friday that she was granted an interview and could she be in Portland on Monday....James to the rescue and they took off Sunday, she interviewed on Monday, back home Monday night only to receive an email advising her that she made it through the first round of two rounds. They wanted her back today, but if one travels any distance they would accept a request for later in the week. She got assigned Friday at 2:30pm! Yea, she is headed back for grueling with a small panel of Americorp members this time. Wish her luck and say a prayer, she really wants this particular job working with high risk high school students with college applications, financial aid, essay writings and the whole confusing process in general. She will be supervising 14 other team members. We are all so proud of her and her ability to hit it all head on. Soon as she finishes Friday we are headed to Marian's at the beach for two nights of R&R, good food, good wine, good conversation, then home on Sunday!

Oh for those who wonder about the kittys and Momma Cat...we can't trust dad with them so another foster mother is taking them for us for four nights. Up for adoption next week.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Little Ricky!

Wow! Where is the summer going? Between housing the six homeless cats and helping Mac with their chores, Cathy and Dan's visit for Mom and Stomie's anniversary, second hand store shopping, helping Mac with furniture refinishing ideas, work, new computer conversion at work, more work and very ill injured workers, McCall (I like it the best, with the exception of spending time with my favorite daughter, my best friend) and getting to see my son(my favorite son and my other best friend) a little more often (only because his sister is home), Mac's graduation party, Mother-in-law cooking (I like this part also because I find cooking therapeutic), learning tons more about vegans and vegetarians, learning tons of new recipes, how to use Tempeh, Nutritional Yeast, (ever made Mac and Cheese without the cheese?), gardening (this can be a real chore when you go to McCall frequently), my other kid Joe, and just keeping the house and laundry current in general, but they fall to the bottom of my list. Life is way to short to worry about that kind of stuff.......Dan and Cathy were great sports when they were here, especially with the cats. Mama Cat escaped on Saturday night when they were here which created a crisis for all but Cathy and Dan......the boys went to bed and Cathy said don't worry a Mama will never leave her kids long......she was right, Mama came waltzing through the back door, just out catting around on a Saturday night. Cathy asked her if she got any tattoos or a nipple ring while she was out. She just stormed off to nurse the chillens.

Then there are the birthday's I have missed and those to come! Let's see, Hannah must be 7 now, Alyssa 8, Rick %6, still acts like a six year old sometimes as the grandchildren can testify to, and Alison and Jeff this week-end, I won't give their ages out only to say that they are aging nicely! Happy Birthday to All!

I just received my 20 year award with the State of Idaho, though it has been 22. I worked the first two years on contract while they were deciding if they liked nurses at the insurance company. They still don't like nurses, but I guess they like me, they have kept me around and it is sure helping to ensure a good retirement for us. Well the other kid Joe is calling, he is making Gazpacho tonight and not sure how to use the processor. Better sign off before he injures himself.

Love to All

Deb

We're back and had a blast! Thanks Dan and Cathy for joining us for this memorable occasion! I will have more pictures and notes later on....right now we are concentrating on the yard, McCall, water and planning a celebration for the Mac! Life just doesn't slow down.....and am I glad. Makes the years fly toward retirement.....until later ~Deb Check out the newest Blogger on my Blog list!

Happy Birthday James!

Happy Birthday James! A quarter of a Century....Wow. Dad and I are so proud of the man you are becoming. Keep up the good work. Thanks for joining us yesterday for lunch, we will have more of a celebration when we get back from Boston......Here's to a great next year, on to 26. Have fun on your trip to Seattle, tell all the guys hello from Momma Welch. Love Mom

Time is flying...way too fast. Spring has definitely bloomed here and the flowers are beautiful. I have included a photo of one of my new tulips that has five heads. I actually have two of them....not sure if this is how it is supposed to be but it happened. We have been busy preparing Mackie's room for her return. Not sure how long we will have here but we are ready! She is in her last two weeks of school before Senior Week. She was recently nominated and received another award call the Scarlet Key award and will be tapped in a ceremony with a sword 5/13/09. We moved our airline tickets up so we could attend. 40 Seniors are chosen out of about 3500 graduating! We are so proud of her.

http://www.bu.edu/scarletkey/selection/index.html

We have the truck loaded for our first Spring trip to McCall this week-end. We have a dinner out tonight for Chinese food with some good friends, and the next function will be the Mother's Day banquet at Mom's church. Mom is singing with the grandma's. I have included Marye wearing Mom's hat at Easter.

Look what came in the Mail!!! Boston or Bust May 2009!

Happy Belated Anniversary Rick and Betty! Never lose that adoration look for each other!~Deb and Joe

Happy Birthday Mom!

Had a wonderful Mexican dinner at one of Mom's favorite's restaurants. Mom's best friend Marlene was able to join us. Happy Birthday Mom!
Mom's beautiful Pink Roses from Alison and the girls.........
Mom just opened her new garden gift from Cathy and Dan, Rick and Betty and Deb and Joe

The new garden gift safely planted in the yard, she loved it. Thanks for the help Marlene!