Our Times News Archive
2022
December 01/16/2023
By Cheryl and John Schmit
Frost and snow visited us several times during the month. Nothing bad enough to keep us home when we needed to go, but a couple very icy days when we did stay home.
We took advantage of time at home to bake and cook. Christmas time is a fun time to make the holiday dishes and treats.
John got to sit with Santa and even got some pictures of Santa's ride around the neighborhood.
We visited with Barbara several times during the month. We had a good time celebrating her birthday a little early, on the 18th.
Christmas was a nice time with Allen. We enjoyed the good food and conversation with him. We all headed over to celebrate with Barbara too.
November 12/10/2022
By Cheryl and John Schmit
We were able to get a few pictures of late fall color. Some trees are just late. Three days in November we were able to catch views of the mountain. It's tough to do during a cloudy month. Cloudscapes and a chance to see the Moon also occurred on a few days.
Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. Cheryl let me help cook. Allen came over for dinner and we got our family group picture. We packed a meal and headed over to visit Barbara. She enjoyed the visit, especially with Allen.
We put up the outside lights earlier in the month, when it was warmer and dry. After Thanksgiving we began decorating inside. It took some time to haul the big buckets out and began in the piano room. Next came the tree and items throughout the house.
Winter finally arrived. Frost held off until the 14th and light snow fell on the 28th. A heavy snow storm came on the 30th and gave us a very white December 1st.
Blanche Glaeser Passes 12/08/2022
By Cheryl and John Schmit
My mother, Blanche Glaeser, passed away last Friday night, December 2, 2022. It has been a busy and emotional time as we tend to her end of life activities. I would just like to share the obituary with all of you.
October 11/15/2022
By Cheryl and John Schmit
October 1st was International Observe The Moon Night. Cheryl and I participated that night and observed throughout the month. We made a special trip to the Eastgate Park & Ride for the Sunset and Moonrise. The smoke from the wildfires gave both a more colorful view.
There were many sunsets that were great to get pictures of. The smoke-filled air added to the autumn colors. It was fun to take a walk around our neighborhood. With the fall colors and Halloween decorations, it was quite entertaining. The Sun put on a good show too.
John just had to attend The Maple Valley Model Train Show. It was as good as ever. The variety of train setups and different gauges were awesome.
Visiting with Barbara is a regular on our schedule. We got over to see her a couple of times during the month. She's always happy for us to be there.
It was a long, difficult evening when Dick Hunter passed. We happened to be visiting with Mom and him at the time. He was with Mom for the past five years. Mom is having a difficult time with her loss. In an effort to make Blanche feel better, we took her to the beauty shop for a haircut. It was just the thing to lift her spirits a little.
We had a lot of fun, decorating and preparing for our Halloween trick or treaters. There were many different costumes to enjoy.
September 10/08/2022
By Cheryl and John Schmit
Our big activity for the month of September was the visit from Doug and Joni from Florida and Daryl and Jan from Texas. It was great fun to host them as the enjoyed their time in the Pacific Northwest. We had a great Family party that also included Barbara and Allen. We also had a get-together at Barbara's apartment at Brookdale. Daryl and Jan enjoyed a ride to Franklin and then we went out to dinner for Cheryl's birthday. We had a wonderful time while they were all here.
We checked on the Moon a couple of times and stopped in at Viewpoint Park to see Mt Rainier. There were some great sunsets caused by smoky skies too.
We also checked in on Blanche several times during September. There's always lots to do and see, keeping us busy.
August 9/13/2022
By Cheryl and John Schmit
Covid came to our house in August. First, John got it and went into self-isolation. During John's illness he decided to retire and began the process to be completed by the end of the month.By the 14th we were able to finally get out of the house and we went for a day ride to Kanaskat-Palmer State Park. Then, Cheryl tested positive for Covid and had to self-isolate. This meant that John had to deliver groceries for Barbara. On the way home, John stopped at the Mountain Viewpoint and got a few nice pictures. During the month, we did get good pictures of the Moon and John took some pictures when he went out for his walks.
July 8/06/2022
By Cheryl and John Schmit
Summer fun begins with the 4th of July. Good food and a night full of fireworks. Even to the Moon putting on a show hiding behind some clouds.
The Moon and Antares came together on the 10th. Cheryl got some good pictures. One bright, one faint, very challenging.
The Daisies were blooming too. It's fun to get the flowers pictures. We have a nice planting in our neighborhood park.
It's always interesting to visit Barbara. We checked out the height of her handlebars and decided they were already in the right place on her walker.
We got out for a ride on Sunday, the 24th. Cheryl needed to see some of the sights that John sees on his bus route in Bellevue and Redmond. We stopped for pizza on the way home. The place is located on the Cedar River. Lots of people keeping cool there.
Summer is the best time to catch views of the mountain and we got quite a few.
We checked in on Blanche and find she is comfortable and content. She does not like to go outside to visit when they have Covid lockdowns. She does enjoy her naps.
Cheryl collected a few images for our doorbell cam just for fun. John added a new music piece called 'Finding Time'. Enjoy!
June 7/04/2022
By Cheryl and John Schmit
We started the month of June with a surprise double rainbow. The nearly horizontal rainbow appeared as we were headed home.
We spent a couple of days having our border wall lengthened and a garden edge added in the front. Cheryl and I liked it enough to add a section on the other side of the driveway too.
There were some dramatic clouds on the 5th and an awesome blue sky with puffy white clouds on the 23rd. The sky cleared on the 23rd to show a majestic mountain.
We were happy to celebrate Blanche's 98th birthday with her and Dick. She received a variety of flowers, candies and many cards.
Frustrated with the performance of our dishwasher, we finally decided to break down and get a new one. So far, we are happy with the new machine.
With summer approaching, it was time to re-install Barbara's window air-conditioner. We had a great visit also.
We ended the month with Cheryl painting the dining room. On with the old paint clothes and with preparations she was able to complete the job within two days.
The cooler, more active weather this spring inspired me to craft a new music piece, Ode To Spring. Cheryl suggested the appropriate name.
May 6/12/2022
By Cheryl and John Schmit
Mother's Day this year was fun as we had the chance to visit both Barbara and Blanche. We had a nice time with both.
We took some time to visit Saltwater Park. The day started partly sunny, then the clouds moved in as we were leaving.
We enjoyed an afternoon walk in Covington Park. There were many interesting views there.
May is the month for Rhodies. We have some very nice ones in our front garden. The bees have been very busy.
We had a record amount of rain in May. The clouds were very dramatic.
It was a rare sunny day on the 31st. A good day to drive to Seattle to the Metro uniform store. We enjoyed the drive views and sunshine.
April 5/15/2022
By Cheryl and John Schmit
Cheryl started the month with nice pictures of the local cherry trees.
April showers brought some wonderful cloud views. Cheryl got some interesting pictures around our neighborhood. John was able to get some rainbows too.
April 12th Dick got sick and was taken to the hospital late in the evening. His condition was very serious and he is now on hospice. We were able to take Blanche to see him and spent more time with her.
John has been adding location shots to the Google Maps of different places along his bus route.
Easter was very quiet here. We did take an Easter picture.
While there were plenty of clouds, we still had to get our Mt. Rainier shot.
On the way home from work, John was stopped by a deer crossing the road. Here are images taken from the car cam video.
We ended the month with pictures of our colorful tulips. Cross pollination has turned the white ones to interesting variegated colors.
March 4/10/2022
By Cheryl and John Schmit
We had a couple of nice visits with Blanche and Dick. It was fun to get out with them doing some grocery shopping. There is always something that's needed.
Got a few household chores done this month. It was time again to get the piano tuned. Even with John's hearing loss, he knew it needed it. It sure sounds sweet now. We finally got the electrician out to fix a few things. He put a whole house surge protector on our panel and hung the stairway chandelier. That sure looks nice.
The spring clouds parted on the 5th and allowed Cheryl a chance to get some pictures of the crescent Moon. It was early in the evening, but the closeups turned out nice.
We've had a Robin banging on the piano room windows. Seeing himself reflected in them, he thought another bird was too close to his nest. He finally stopped a few days later.
Cheryl got a really nice 'Nana Cup'. Heidi saw it and the grandkids thought she needed that. Good thoughts there and it is a very pretty cup.
Cheryl was with Barbara on the 16th and got a few pictures of her in the dining room at Brookdale.
John got off the bus at the Redmond Transit Center. There, he got a few pictures of the Cherry blossoms. They don't last long, so you get them when you can.
Spring showers bring rainbows. John, driving the bus in the evening, gets to see lots of them as the Sun sets and lights up the evening rain showers. Gotta be quick with the camera though. Cheryl gets the chance to catch the magnificent sunsets that the spring weather presents. She had several evenings when they were very interesting.
Congratulations to Wesley Miller for aceing the CDL the first time and starting your long haul driving with Prime inc. It's a great career choice. Roll on!
February 3/06/2022
By Cheryl and John Schmit
Winter was holding on and even the ground hog said six more weeks. Cheryl had a chance to visit with Blanche and Dick to start the month. That night, just before John got home from work, she got pictures of dramatic clouds lit by the city lights.
The weather cleared enough later to get some nice pictures of the Olympic Mountains. Still, it's spring and that means rain. Looking out the window, we had a series of showers move through where the falling rain was very clear.
There was plenty going on around the house too. From the birds anticipating spring to making a favorite healthy snack. See the recipe in the cookbook. Then, the fireplace wouldn't start. The snow started to fall. Luckily, the repairman came quickly and replaced the broken solenoid. Just before the cold snap took us into the low twenties.
We got our shopping delivery to Barbara in right near the end of the month. It was good to see her.
The Moon came out several times in February. Cheryl got some nice pictures and even posted one on the SpaceWeather website. With the turbulent winter weather came some interesting sunsets also. We are so glad to have the west view from the house.
January 2/06/2022
By Cheryl and John Schmit
We had a very nice neighbor family move away in January. They will be missed by many here. We wish them all the best in their new home.
For us, January started when we helped Blanche and Dick do some shopping. There was a lot of fun in the car.
We did a timelapse of the snowfall from Christmas to New Years. Enjoy the 7 minute Holiday Snow video.
After all the snow and cloudy skies, Cheryl was able to get some good Moon shots on the 8th and 9th. She even posted on the Spaceweather website.
With the weather cooperating, we took the opportunity to check out the Cedar River and get some good shots of the mountain. The gate was closed at the viewpoint, but that didn't stop Cheryl.
With the continuous state of lockdowns at Brookdale it was a challenge to visit with Barbara. But we got there and had a good chat.
We had a couple of days with dense fog and at the end of the month had some puffy clouds.
2021 sure had its ups and downs. For January John cafted some music he called "Rollercoaster". Enjoy the wild ride!
December 1/02/2022
By Cheryl and John Schmit
You never know what you'll find when you turn the corner. I came upon some deer as they began to cross the road. Got those deer right in the headlights.
Cheryl spent some quality time baking. The results were some delicious puff pastry cinnamon rolls. Mm-mm good! Check out this recipe.
We were busy visiting on the 19th. First it was with Blanche and Dick. They were doing very well. Then we continued over to Barbara. She was happy and sporting a new haircut. Both were great visits.
Cheryl made us a delicious Christmas Eve dinner with pork roast, lamb, stuffing and broccoli. Allen stopped by after he got off work.
A major series of snow storms started on Christmas day and lasted until New Years Eve. After each blast, John got out and shoveled the driveway and sidewalk. It was easier than letting it accumulate.
We did have a chance to take a few nature pictures during the month. Enjoy!