The painter

A local man has worked for us several times. After the first very good painting job he did for us we brought him back twice, the last time to paint our shop building. When friends came over while he was working I took the group to see his work trailer, a marvel. Paint hoses, ladders, extension cords, every bit of equipment had a place and all of it was organized and clean. He showed up on time, worked hard, and cleaned up before he left each day. When he was finished one friend was so impressed she hired him to paint her house. I don’t usually hug household workers but before he left we hugged.

He held a green card. Last January he had an appointment in Seattle to sign “immigration papers.” He arrived as requested and was handcuffed and arrested on the spot. He has been in a detention center since.

I don’t know the details of his case but I do know this is a decent, honorable, hard-working man. He has a wife, children, and extended family. The adults all work and work hard. If they’re guilty of anything it is of seeking a better life.

Plenty can be said about immigration, on all sides. But at the end of the day it’s a story about human lives. I’d like to think that we can treat people better than this.

Life is good

About a month ago we got some very comfortable Adirondack chairs for our deck. Within moments of DH assembling them it started raining. And kept raining. After what seems like an endless winter we’ve finally had a few days when we can go outside to enjoy the deck and our new chairs.

I know I’ve mentioned that I love our view. My long lens has cropped it down, but this is what we see from our deck.

A nice day. A glass of wine or ale. Adirondack chairs. This is what I call a Life is Good moment.

Flower and fruit

Here’s an example where you can see blossoms and fruit-to-be in a single frame. As best I can tell this is salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), one of the earliest fruiting berries you can find around here. They’re described as a “mushy raspberry” and considered edible. Some people consider them “insipid”; others, “one of the best.” I don’t come across them often enough to have an opinion.