Barbara J. Hamby

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A Happy Mother

I spent several hours visiting with my kids this afternoon while we nibbled on juicy California strawberries and other finger foods. My daughter-in-law is visiting her mother, so my son came alone and my daughter and son-in-law came together. They listened to my pleas not to bring gifts—I don’t need anything except their company—so I am delighted. My son-in-law’s parents are at Willamette National Cemetery, as is my daughter’s father, so they went there from here.

Even though we communicate often by email and occasionally by phone, it’s always good to see them in person and hear how their lives are going. When the computer lingo gets above my head, I start to know how my mother felt at family gatherings in her later years. Computers were a total mystery to her. I know just enough about them to be dangerous. I’m a word person; code and languages are out of my realm.

Today was the start of an exciting week. Tuesday I have a lunch date with a friend I’ve known for at least twenty years. We went to the same church when we both lived in Vancouver, Washington. Now I live South of Portland and she lives even farther south, about 30 or 40 miles away. Next weekend we will be at the coast for several days.

Meanwhile, I have to finish voting. I still need to study the ballot measures and vote on them. The sooner I get the ballot turned in, the sooner the phone calls will stop, or so I’ve been told. Of course all the ballyhoo will start in earnest when the primaries are all over.

I love the slogan a fan provided for Hilary recently: “It’s not over until the lady in the pants suit says it’s over.”