Tammy Fish's Blog

Nearing the end of construction in 1913.

 This morning I linked to the Multnomah County Library website to see the stats on my novel. Yes, I admit it; on a routine basis I see how many people have  checked out Spring Thaw. Good news.  No Availability today.  Usually, I move on with the demands of the day, but an  image in the corner of the website caught my eye, and for the first time it dawned on me that I had no idea when the Portland library was built.  And so the search began.  

The Multnomah County Library dates back to 1864, long before Selena stepped off the train to meet Julia. At first patrons created a subscription library and reading room for the city to enjoy  called the "Library Association of Portland".  The library's services bloomed and grew over the next half century. After the population growth following the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, city leaders realized Portland needed a larger facility than the one they owned on Stark Street and Seventh Avenue.  In 1911, head librarian Mary Frances Isom "  traveled back to New York City to see the finishing touches on the grand library on 5th Avenue.  The original plan was to use a New York architect to design the new building, but overtime the board decided to hire a local architectural firm headed up by Albert E. Doyle.  Isom and her fellow librarians pointed out the flaws of other libraries which focused on beauty and design, but missed the important element of usage. Taking Ms. Isom's advice,   Doyle designed the multistoried stacks in the center with the reading rooms around the perimeter, a architectural first.  This minimized the corridors leaving more room for books.  

Now, over years and numerous renovations later, the library continues to serve over 4,000 patrons a day providing books, ebooks, wifi, periodicals....and even Spring Thaw.

 
https://multcolib.org/about/multnomah...
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http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/art...

Amber used to tuck Wade into bed at night and say, "Love you to the moon and back". My heart would melt. I guess that I was one of the few who had never heard that phrase.   Now that Wade is almost five the distance has morphed  with his vocabulary. Now he loves as far as "the sun", "infinity", even to "God and back" depending on the day.   When I found this sign at a local store, I had to add it to Grammy's room.  Love ya "to the Moon and Back!" 

Today that sign took on new meaning.
I read in 1 Peter 4:7,8,  "...Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins."  

The words struck a chord that resonated with clarity.  "Love deeply."  Sometimes  I feel the world cries a different message... loudly! It yells, "Look out for yourself, no one else will."   "Don't let others walk over you."  "That driver just cut you off- Beep!"  The message clouds my vision of Christ.  But today  God's word  brought His view back into focus.  Romans 5: 8  "For God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Colossians 3: 13: "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."  
Gratitude overwhelmed me.  God WANTS  the believer  not only to  love, but  to love deeply.  We do not have to think we are enabling, or being walked over, we can love because "He first loved us."  And finally in 1 John 2: 6 "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did."  

So I challenge you today, look for opportunities to love others  as Christ loved you..."to the moon and back".





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Two weeks ago, I stepped back in time.  "How?" you ask.  I flew back home to my New England roots.  Cruising down I-5 from Boston's Logan Airport toward Rhode Island, I remembered again the differences between the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts.  In New England, spring is delayed.  Sunday morning, I left Oregon with trees in full bloom, lilacs bursting in color, and lush grass already mowed countless times.  Not so, in Rhode Island.   Spring is just arriving here, creeping slowly from the ground, unsure of its welcome.  And it has good reason for caution. Last week  a heavy frost nipped the small buds of the peach trees from New England to Pennsylvania, destroying the year's crops. Like the disheartened farmer, I walked by my parents' lilac bush to see the mid-winter buds shriveled black, few survived the harsh temperatures.   But despite the setback, spring will arrive, but it will not last long. The seasons must catch up; summer's heat and humidity will offset Spring's delay and march forward. And so, the animals nibble the new grass, content.  The snow is gone.  I walk the roads, seeing more animals than people.  The deer graze in the fields; the Canadian geese bellow their intentions and then, in perfect synchrony rise over the pond and fly into the distance.  The snapping turtle meanders through the yard to lay her eggs under the deck. Confused by Man's encumbrances, she perseveres to overcome the obstacle  before lumbering toward the pond...slowly. Resting every few steps, even in the middle of the road.  

I continue to stroll down the buckled road, heaved and bulging from the frozen ground, past the rock walls, the bubbling brook. Returning to my parent's yard, I smile at the bird feeder, heated. Yes, I'm home, back in time.

Last week I found an intriguing blog about coloring Easter eggs with silk ties. A few days later at a garage sale, I stumbled across a pile of old ties.  It must be Providence, I thought.  I selected some obnoxious print and bought it for a dollar. I know, I know, an exorbitant amount. I'm a sucker for paying full price at yard sales!

Home with my treasure and my grandson, I decided to surprise my daughter-in-law and actually pull off a craft on my own.  Now to fully appreciate this story, you have to understand my family. My daughter and daughter-in-laws are all amazingly talented. Me, not so much. Not that I'm not crafty, I can follow instructions as well as anyone, but my girls are super talented.  Amazing artists and decorators. They do not just paint a wall; they stripe walls. They draw detailed pictures of animal creatures while sitting at coffee shops, just for fun. They tell me how to put together my outfits. "Mallory, does this go?"

Amber, loves to draw me into her projects.  "Hey, Mom, want to build Christmas Stars? What about this new glitter Chevron print for a baby gift?"  I shudder.  You see, frankly, I'm a slob when it comes to crafts.  Things do not have to be perfect for me.  Exact lines do not exist in my nature. Perhaps I'm an undiscovered Picasso. Not so, for my girls.  So I try, super hard, but usually more glitter ends up on the floor than the project.

But not today! Today, I was initiating the project. I set my laptop in front of me with pride and began. Cutting open the old tie, I sized a square of the material large enough to wrap around my egg. Using cooking twine, Wade wrapped it several times to secure the silk on the egg during boiling. As you can see we did not wrap it well. Next time I would secure it completely. Using an old white rag, I wrapped up the swelling egg one more time and tied it with a knot.  The instructions called for 1/4 cup of vinegar to be added to 4 cups of water in a small to medium saucepan. Placing the eggs into the pan with care, I brought the water to a boil and then simmered for 30 minutes. I used raw eggs, but if you wanted to keep the egg as a decoration later, you could blow the eggs out first....Remember, it's me not my daughters completing this craft, so whole eggs it was!  And tadah! A craft completed all on my own.  You can see why the string matters, the pattern was a little helter skelter, but it showed. Success! I will definitely try this process again next year because this egg turned out much  better than my spotted PAAS eggs....Sigh.  And so to my girls, I did it!  My crafting days are done for the whole year, and who knows maybe this will count for next year as well....:)

​Love you! Mom

As I spent time this morning in  Matthew 27, the overwhelming gift of God's sacrifice on the cross struck me once again.  Ever fixed on His purpose, Jesus Christ put aside His pain, He put aside his desires, to "finish the work set before Him."  He bore the penalty of our sins on the cross.  He fulfilled Galatians 3:13-14,  "redeeming us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a ple'...so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit." (NIV) 

Those around the cross mocked him, "He saved others...but He can't save himself." "Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him..." But God did not need to prove Himself, He needed to fulfill God's will.  And so He remained.  He remained to bring salvation to all who believe in Him.   Today on Good Friday, may you reflect on His Amazing Grace  and look forward to the celebration of His resurrection with praise.

I stumbled across this image on Facebook and had to shudder.  I'm surprised anyone is healthy in Florida. I mean who would want to stay in shape just to be a mid-morning snack for these hungry spectators?  Once again, I found another reason to love Oregon.  I'll take rain any day over danger, and I do.

Of course, its not as if Oregon does not have danger here. There is the wandering bobcat up the street, and a cougar now and again. When we lived out in the country, a cougar took down a calf 1/4 mile from my house. My children were young then and played outside in our yard.  I called the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife number.
"Is it true? Did a cougar really take down a cow up the street?" The story grew a little in my excitement.
After confirming the story, the game warden, or whoever I spoke to told me, "Lady, you've always had cougars out in your area."
My sage reply, "Yes, but I didn't know it."  

And so we moved. Not really for the cougars, more because of the house size, but it was a nice benefit. That was until I found out that within his home range a male cougar roams anywhere from 50-150 square miles. As we only moved 10 miles away, I dealt with the news by pretending not to think about it.  Overall, it works fairly well. I figure it this way. Why would a hungry cougar want to come into a neighborhood full of cats, dogs, and the coyotes that walk up the middle of my street stalking them when the mountain lion can traipse the abandoned woods hunting squirrels? I like this logic; it works for me. 

I run a little, alright, maybe running is a far stretch, some might call my pace a very fast walk. Whatever the speed, it happens routinely, a couple times a week for sure. I used to have a dog, but now I just bring my friends. I'm sure we intimidate these hungry creatures while we walk through the wooded park.  At least I hope we do.  The point? Well, alligators can run 11 miles an hour, much quicker than my pace, so I've decided to take my chances with a cougar. They run faster, but I think I have better odds.  With a cougar, I'm not supposed to run because they like to chase. That works for me. Wardens warn me to stand firm, not to turn my back, but to stare them down. A given; I will be frozen in place. Instead, I am  supposed to stand up tall. Maybe my friends and I could build one of those human pyramids. I'll take the top, thank you.  

The warden reminds me to not stop and look at dead animals I find along the trail as this may be the cougar's lunch for later in the day.  As I take no delight in looking over dead animals, I think I am safe in that category.    

On the Washington Fish and Wildlife website, http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/cougars.html, yes, we have cougars to the north of us as well, they give further instructions:If the animal displays aggressive behavior, shout, wave your arms and throw rocks. The idea is to convince the cougar that you are not prey, but a potential danger.If the cougar attacks, fight back aggressively and try to stay on your feet. Cougars have been driven away by people who have fought back.

You know The Parent Trap movie wasn't too far off base.  I think instead of carrying weights next week, I'll grab a couple of sticks. 

Do you ever jump to conclusions?  I do, usually to my detriment.  This past week  the Lord has been shaping me more into His image. It's painful. God points to my sin, exposing it until I choose whether or not to address it. I want to keep the issues i.e. pride, conceit, criticism, a judgmental attitude... covered, pretend they do not exist. Somehow that deception makes me feel healthy when in reality, the festering wound eats away at me and those around me. I feel holy, but it's a facade. God knows the truth and taps His finger on my heart exposing another area left to face. Image by Christopher Horner @Hornerfoto1 Today was no exception. Starting the day, I flipped on the morning news and this picture flashed before me. My focus skewed the truth.  I reacted with emotion as I saw these two men arguing to the detriment of the young boy by their side. My mother's heart rebelled. I felt the pain as the man's elbow smashed the young boy in the face.  Then the news reporter commented and my paradigm shifted. The same man became a hero. Why? Because I knew the truth.  Truth changes our viewpoint.  Image taken by Christopher Horner @Hornerfoto1 I moved downstairs, but the image remained with me.  How many times have I jumped to conclusions? With righteous indignation, I judged another. Did I feel holy? Did I feel wise? How far from the truth.  Matthew  records the Lord's own words in  his gospel.

Matthew 7: 1, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

John Piper tweeted this morning from Luke 6:41-42, "My sin against God is a log. Your sin against me is a speck. Before I do eye surgery on you, I need heart surgery from God." 

As many of you know, the impetus for uploading my book came from a local library.  Last November while attending a baby shower, I had a few minutes to talk with another author who has mentored me along this journey with my novel. She mentioned that the large Portland library downtown had posted a Writer's Project for local authors.  Any author interested could upload their novel on Smashwords.  Those selections accepted would be purchased and added into the Multnomah County Overdrive system.  Nancy highly encouraged me to consider this opportunity. I did and the fury of  final editing and formatting began. Personally, I find formatting and editing much more difficult than the actual writing of a novel, but I digress.  After weeks of work, I uploaded the novel on December 21st just days before the contest deadline.  Those of you who did not receive a Christmas card now understand why!   Christmas came; Christmas went. Valentine's Day came; Valentine's Day went.  I picked up my phone to call and laid it back down time and again.  Trust God's timing or pursue and pester, the endless questions assailed me.  I decided to leave the outcome in God's hands and moved on to live life.

Thursday the e-mail came.  It was a busy day. I was running out the door to meet my daughter for lunch.  I stared at the unknown name and address sitting in my inbox unsure whether to open this unsolicited mail. Without even thinking of the contest, I did.  
"Congratulations!  Your book, Spring Thaw, has been selected to be added to the library’s e-book collection as part of the Library Writers Project.  We had nearly 150 submissions to the Library Writers Project this year and yours was a standout.  Your book will be featured on the Multnomah County Library OverDrive web site, which is accessed by 20,000 unique users monthly.

Thank you for submitting to the first ever Library Writers Project.  Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns."

And there it was when I least expected it!  I happy reminder that God's timing is best. A encouragement to obey His leading and then leave the results up to Him...a lesson to be learned and relearned time and time again.

 http://multco.lib.overdrive.com/11226863-0AC7-4ED5-A6DB-ADA6D6C69515/10/50/en/SearchResults.htm?SearchID=59979582s&SortBy=Relevancy

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Did anyone else see this precious commercial about the dog?

​This month my baby turned 23! When you are a young mother everyone tells you to cherish the moments! Before you blink an eye, your children will be grown. I remember feeling, "A blink, is that anything like sleep?"  That sounds wonderful.

God blessed my husband and me with four children in 5 1/2 years. Now, don't fret, those statistics really sound worse than it was. My children were each about two years apart, but by the fourth child, sleep was at a premium, a desirable dream very often denied. My youngest, despite my many efforts, did not sleep through the night until he was eleven months old. Now that he is 23 and almost 6'2", I imagine the poor little guy was just extra hungry. But with my naive, "I'm going to be a disciplined mother, I stopped the nighttime feedings at four months. I regret that.  I  probably would have gotten more sleep had I caved and treasured those special moments together. I would rub his back, pop in his binky, and encourage him to doze back into the la-la land I just left. He would, what an obedient little guy, only to wake up a few hours later to begin the scenario all over again.  

A friend once stated, "While raising children, the days are long, but the years pass quickly."  So true.  To all those young mothers struggling to be structured, to set boundaries, I encourage you to keep perspective...before you blink an eye your children will be grown. Take it from someone who knows!

I try and stay out of the political arena, but wow there is some truth to Andy Griffith's philosophy! With the television full of candidates wooing their constituents with glowing promises, I've been struggling with this idea of free college.  I mean if this law passed, wouldn't we all like to go back to school? I've thought about pursuing a new career several times, but wisely I count the cost. I realize that by the time I finish a four year degree costing between $20,000-80,000, my husband will be retired.  I hardly want to begin a career then. And how many years would it take me to earn back what I spent for that education. But if that education was free, wouldn't I try? Why not? It doesn't cost me a thing, or does it?  

​In America we have lost the idea of working hard for something we want. Struggling for an education and earning the reward of its accomplishment brings value; counting the cost, prudence. I mean in practical terms, who doesn't love the idea of free school, right? But when we are over 18 trillion dollars in debt as a country, where in the world will America find the money to fund this program? Oh yes, from the taxes of those who paid for their schooling. That makes sense! May I remind the nation, that we already offer free education for those willing to serve in the military, but it is costly. What will happen when education is free? What about those faithful soldiers who risked everything for the opportunity of free schooling? We will devalue their sacrifice. 

I just spoke to someone yesterday whose company outsources with a European company who pays for the education of their citizens. From the standpoint of this foreign native,  this free education only produced  a country full of employees with numerous degrees working minimal paying jobs. Because let's face it folks, we must remember the law of "supply and demand". Education is not the only answer. There must be jobs for these educated citizens; otherwise, money spent on education is in vain. Ok, I vented.....Sorry.Clic k to set custom HTML