San Franciso brand jeans, vintage 70's

"If you go to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair..." the song went.

San Francisco always seemed to be a part of my 20's.

My college friend and I did a road trip there one spring break. Rod and I honeymooned there, eating at the original Spaghetti Factory, a hole in the wall in a not so nice neighborhood then. We ran out into the street to hop onto open air streetcars that clinked up steep hills cresting the top for panoramic views. We watched the gulls at Fishermen's Wharf, ate crepes at the Magic Pan and fresh chocolate at Ghiridelli .

Even my favorite pair of jeans were San Francisco brand. They had a special fit and feel of their own, seems like every college girl needed a pair then; the perfect color of soft, blue, denim, and long flowing legs slightly flared over a thick soled shoe or boot.

I had a pair of brown leather shoes then that looked like a boot but really were a backless, high heeled shoe. Pretty classy look with those jeans although it made my 5'7"frame even taller. (Seems funny now to see all the young single women running around in flats.) It was a flowing look with my long, straight, red-blond hair parted down the middle.

I have very few items from those days but I kept that pair of jeans. They were in good shape and I guess I thought the look might come back someday. Was my waist ever that tiny?

I found them buried in storage the other day and decided there might be someone looking for them by now. They would be in perfect shape for being over 35 yrs old.

I didn't find any evidence of anyone looking for them, perhaps they are so rare now few know about them? Maybe I will put them on EBay and see what happens. Someone in Japan may be "up" on 70's West Coast culture and want to experience slipping on those magic jeans!

From Blue to Blue, Surviving Loss

This hydrangea was from a potted plant that was given to the family when my mom, Zona died two years ago.

It had large vivid pink blossoms then, in fact so many people in town sent pink flowers that the local florist in Prineville ran out of pink and had to special order more. My mom was serious about pink, she would have loved Barbie!

Although pink is one of my least favorite colors, I planted this where I’ve always wanted a hydrangea and thought of my mom in her favorite pink dress with the little petal cap sleeves each year when it bloomed.

Then this summer to my amazement it bloomed blue, the color I would have chosen, I guess due to moving it to an acidic soil vs alkaline.

I thought as I stood looking at it from the patio this evening that the color change seems to have coincided with the end of my deep mourning for my mom. I still miss her and think of her everyday but the deep sense of loss and pain have lifted and it is obvious that God has brought things into my life during that time that provided not only healing but joy once again.

When we lay in bed at night worrying about the future and the losses we may have to face, we never factor in that God not only knows about the losses but He has already planned the remedy.

Rod used to remind me that 95% of what we worry about never happen, but even that which does happen is firmly in God’s hands…a good place to leave it.

Now we have lost Rod's dad this last week...we are orphans now, but not without hope knowing God knew the appointed time of each departure....was it a coincidence that his large picture fell off the wall in his room at home just as he was dying in the hospital? An exit of exultation!