Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Can I Remember How To Do It?
Today is Tuesday, June 20, 2017. It is sunny today and very hot (108 degrees). Oh my!!!
I have spent several hours trying to get to this spot AND I figured it out - now the question is can I remember it when I try to log in tomorrow? That is the BIG question.
Yesterday the temperature registered 113 degrees. Super hot!! About 4 in the afternoon we went swimming and that was a delight. For me, the water was just right. Not cold, cold, but pleasantly warmed. By 6 o'clock more family members had joined us to cool off. Lots of splashing going on. Everyone was having a wonderful time, even our little great granddaughter who is just past her one year birthday.
We decided to have our barbecue supper out on the patio. It was a bit strange since I had a roast and veggies cooking all day in the slow cooker. And we added hot dogs and zucchini slices cooked on the grill. Yummy! We had fruit salad and brownies as dessert. Chips, of course. You must have chips with a barbecue! I don't think anyone went away hungry.
Of course, the best part on that hot day was the wonderful water in the pool which made us more comfortable.
We did a lot of reminiscing about our above ground pool in Bakersfield. It was our summer life saver for so many years there. Usually our children just spent the day in their swimming suits and were in and out of the pool most of every day. The only rule was that you had to wear a shirt when we sat down to a meal in the house. We created various games - like Marco Polo - and - Run Against The Current. Night time swimming was the best way to cool off just before going to bed.
The boys and their dad put plywood panels on the inside of the fence so we didn't have a neighborhood audience while we were swimming. And we used the panels to create our own original art work. Lots of fun creating and painting those pictures.
Only one of our family had the unique experience of watching the sides of the pool collapse and the gallons and gallons of water flowing down the alley. It was quite a sight and made a wonderful story to tell. Thankfully we were able to get it all fixed again for more swimming fun.
Of course, a hard part each year was the "mucking out" from the winter time before we could get everything in working order, get the pump working again, and start the filling of the pool to keep us cool and comfortable in summer.
Ah, those were the good old days! (Maybe that will be the phrase I use to close my blog.) Ah, those were the good old days! No, it probably would not fit everything. Maybe just "Over and Out."
I have spent several hours trying to get to this spot AND I figured it out - now the question is can I remember it when I try to log in tomorrow? That is the BIG question.
Yesterday the temperature registered 113 degrees. Super hot!! About 4 in the afternoon we went swimming and that was a delight. For me, the water was just right. Not cold, cold, but pleasantly warmed. By 6 o'clock more family members had joined us to cool off. Lots of splashing going on. Everyone was having a wonderful time, even our little great granddaughter who is just past her one year birthday.
We decided to have our barbecue supper out on the patio. It was a bit strange since I had a roast and veggies cooking all day in the slow cooker. And we added hot dogs and zucchini slices cooked on the grill. Yummy! We had fruit salad and brownies as dessert. Chips, of course. You must have chips with a barbecue! I don't think anyone went away hungry.
Of course, the best part on that hot day was the wonderful water in the pool which made us more comfortable.
We did a lot of reminiscing about our above ground pool in Bakersfield. It was our summer life saver for so many years there. Usually our children just spent the day in their swimming suits and were in and out of the pool most of every day. The only rule was that you had to wear a shirt when we sat down to a meal in the house. We created various games - like Marco Polo - and - Run Against The Current. Night time swimming was the best way to cool off just before going to bed.
The boys and their dad put plywood panels on the inside of the fence so we didn't have a neighborhood audience while we were swimming. And we used the panels to create our own original art work. Lots of fun creating and painting those pictures.
Only one of our family had the unique experience of watching the sides of the pool collapse and the gallons and gallons of water flowing down the alley. It was quite a sight and made a wonderful story to tell. Thankfully we were able to get it all fixed again for more swimming fun.
Of course, a hard part each year was the "mucking out" from the winter time before we could get everything in working order, get the pump working again, and start the filling of the pool to keep us cool and comfortable in summer.
Ah, those were the good old days! (Maybe that will be the phrase I use to close my blog.) Ah, those were the good old days! No, it probably would not fit everything. Maybe just "Over and Out."
Saturday, June 17, 2017
Hello Again!
Today is Saturday, June 17, 2017. It is sunny and very warm in Citrus Heights, California. It is 100 degrees (hot) outside.
My last blog was Monday, April 9, 2012. And today I decided to check it out, reread some of the things I have written in the past and write some new things.
We have a different computer so a whole set of things to get used to. How will I fair? I am 5 years older, somewhat slower, and less confident of my abilities. BUT I can still do many, many things. I have a long "can-can" list.
Today I played the piano for the baptism of two eight year old boys in our Ward. I love playing the piano and I love the beautiful Primary songs and the Church hymns. I started the prelude music quite early and then while the boys dressed, after being baptized by immersion as Jesus Christ was baptized, I played more of the lovely Primary songs. Maybe someone else enjoyed the music, I hope so. I enjoyed it. One time when I was playing at the Oakland Temple a gentleman said to me, "No one is here to listen." I told him that I was listening.
I copied all of my old blogs today. I have a notebook to keep them in and I will read them. They contain much history about my life. Glen found some of his old letters to his parents - ones he wrote when he was on his mission and in the Army. I think we have more history than he realized. I think we must transcribe them for our posterity. Someone might find them interesting someday.
I am making this short in case I have not done something right and it might disappear.
May you have a wonderful day!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Consistency
Today is Monday, April 9, 2012. The sun was shining this morning but now it has gone behind a cloud.
When we came home from Nauvoo, Illinois, in November 2011, my plan was to write a blog at least once a week. How have I done? Well, not so well. This is my fourth one since the beginning of the year. That is 13 weeks of 2012. As you may guess, consistency and living up to my goals are not always what I do. Even though I mean well, and have writing ideas nearly every day.
Yesterday was Easter. Such a wonderful day! Our Church Sacrament Meeting was very inspiring and made me appreciate my Savior, Jesus Christ, even more so than I did on Saturday. I am grateful to know that He lives, that He was resurrected and that He gave His life for me. The music yesterday was especially beautiful. I had asked a certain young mother to sing a solo. She chose a thought provoking new song entitled "For Me Alone." The choir sang "A Redeemer For All," words and music written by a husband and wife (talented friends of ours). The other musical number was a duet - husband and wife - strong singers and a beautiful couple. Their song was "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." There were 4 speakers - a sweet young teenage girl, and three fine men - each sharing a part of the Savior's life from the Scriptures and then their personal testimony of Jesus Christ. An awesome worship service.
The day continued to be uplifting and special in many ways. We treated our three grown up daughters who came to dinner with surprise Easter baskets. They haven't had an Easter basket for years andthey were just as excited as they could be. Dinner was ham, escalloped potatoes, fresh broccoli, and deviled eggs. (We wondered why they are called deviled eggs and joked - Is it okay to eat deviled eggs on Easter? Maybe we should call them de-deviled eggs.) And to top off that menu, we had strawberry shortcake. What is there that beats Strawberry Shortcake? And it tastes the best with the rich red sweetened strawberries in plenty of juice over a rich bisquit shortcake. Rich bisquit shortcake is better than sponge cake or angel food cake or white cake. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream and you have food fit for a King (or Queen).
Visiting with family finished off the evening and we all rejoiced in our personal Easter Celebration. When it was time for evening prayer we expressed our gratitude for many, many rich blessings of the day. Thank you, Lord, for thy rich bounteous blessings.
Will I be more consistent is my writing of a blog each week? All I can say is I plan to try.
That's all for today.
When we came home from Nauvoo, Illinois, in November 2011, my plan was to write a blog at least once a week. How have I done? Well, not so well. This is my fourth one since the beginning of the year. That is 13 weeks of 2012. As you may guess, consistency and living up to my goals are not always what I do. Even though I mean well, and have writing ideas nearly every day.
Yesterday was Easter. Such a wonderful day! Our Church Sacrament Meeting was very inspiring and made me appreciate my Savior, Jesus Christ, even more so than I did on Saturday. I am grateful to know that He lives, that He was resurrected and that He gave His life for me. The music yesterday was especially beautiful. I had asked a certain young mother to sing a solo. She chose a thought provoking new song entitled "For Me Alone." The choir sang "A Redeemer For All," words and music written by a husband and wife (talented friends of ours). The other musical number was a duet - husband and wife - strong singers and a beautiful couple. Their song was "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." There were 4 speakers - a sweet young teenage girl, and three fine men - each sharing a part of the Savior's life from the Scriptures and then their personal testimony of Jesus Christ. An awesome worship service.
The day continued to be uplifting and special in many ways. We treated our three grown up daughters who came to dinner with surprise Easter baskets. They haven't had an Easter basket for years andthey were just as excited as they could be. Dinner was ham, escalloped potatoes, fresh broccoli, and deviled eggs. (We wondered why they are called deviled eggs and joked - Is it okay to eat deviled eggs on Easter? Maybe we should call them de-deviled eggs.) And to top off that menu, we had strawberry shortcake. What is there that beats Strawberry Shortcake? And it tastes the best with the rich red sweetened strawberries in plenty of juice over a rich bisquit shortcake. Rich bisquit shortcake is better than sponge cake or angel food cake or white cake. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream and you have food fit for a King (or Queen).
Visiting with family finished off the evening and we all rejoiced in our personal Easter Celebration. When it was time for evening prayer we expressed our gratitude for many, many rich blessings of the day. Thank you, Lord, for thy rich bounteous blessings.
Will I be more consistent is my writing of a blog each week? All I can say is I plan to try.
That's all for today.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Goals
Today is Friday, February 24, 2012. It is 5 minutes after my last post. The sun is still bright and beautiful.
I've been thinking a lot about this new year and goals I had set for myself. They are not really resolutions - just some goals.
While we were in Nauvoo for the last year and a half, each day was pretty well scheduled for us. As it came time for us to be released as Temple Missionaries and return home, I bagan to wonder what I would do with all of those hours. I decided I would practice the piano everyday, write in my journal every day, spend time identifying photos, and do some sewing and write a blog at least once a week.
Here it is nearly the end of February. How have I done with those goals I set for myself? Well, I've written in my journal at least once a week (sometimes I play catch up on Sunday). I've done some sewing (made 6 or 7 hot pads from quilt blocks my mother cut out years ago). The;re have been days when I have not even touched the piano - other days when I have spent more than an hour playing it. Blogs - well, I have done ONE so far this year. This is my second one for 2012. (Well, actually my third.)
I've been sorting through possessions. We have many possessions. And I am such a saver. I have school programs and certificates for each of our children. I have a file folder for each one with all the things I find. I need to ship them off to each one now that they have their own homes. That would make a lot of room in my filing cabinet.
I am trying to be very selective in what I keep in the way of paper stuff. In 1991 Christo, a world renowned artist, had an unmbrella display through the Lebec and Grapevine area of Hwy 99. The Bakersfield Californian did a whole section about it. Should I keep that thing any longer? And I have a large calendar from the Californian where I wrote our activities for each day. It is packed with family history. And pages and pages of Valentines from when I was in the second grade and the third grade. I decided to pick out one or two that looked special and sent the rest to recycling.
Fabric - oh my gosh! My grandma loved fabric, my mother loved fabric and I love fabric. I am trying to be relentless is sending fabric to DI. We only have so much space and when will I ever use it? Most of it was given to Mother or me by someone else who collected fabric and had to clear out their supply.
And costumes I've kept over the years - I have been involved in many plays and productions and used many of them. I am narrowing down from 7 boxes to only two and considering just saving one. Nowadays, unless the costumes are vintage or wonderful looking, no one would wear them. I used to think our grandchildren would like to play dress up but not so. Our grandchildren have too many electronic devices to play with. Dress up only happens once a year, at Christmas for the Nativity Scene.
And dishes and pots and pans. I remember my mother's kitchen when she lived all alone. She had a huge cupboard (it had been the storage place for the washing machine) FILLED with pots and pans. Some she hadn't used in 20 years. Guess what? I have some I haven't used for 3 years. And guess what got donated to DI. Dishes, too. We lived for a year and a half with 8 plates, 8 bowls, 8 sets of silverware, 4 pans, 2 skillets, 8 glasses, 2 mixing bowls, 2 cookie sheets, 2 or 3 serving bowls. And we got along just fine.
We have spent these first months sorting things in the house. Now we are working on the "keepsakes" in the garage. We are de-cluttering. It's a great feeling. Maybe we are helping someone else, too. But I want to do better at my first plan - play the piano every day, write in my journal every day and blog at least once a week. The other activities I can enjoy as well. My Grandma McG used to say you have 24 hours everyday and just as much time as the President.
That's all for this blog.
I've been thinking a lot about this new year and goals I had set for myself. They are not really resolutions - just some goals.
While we were in Nauvoo for the last year and a half, each day was pretty well scheduled for us. As it came time for us to be released as Temple Missionaries and return home, I bagan to wonder what I would do with all of those hours. I decided I would practice the piano everyday, write in my journal every day, spend time identifying photos, and do some sewing and write a blog at least once a week.
Here it is nearly the end of February. How have I done with those goals I set for myself? Well, I've written in my journal at least once a week (sometimes I play catch up on Sunday). I've done some sewing (made 6 or 7 hot pads from quilt blocks my mother cut out years ago). The;re have been days when I have not even touched the piano - other days when I have spent more than an hour playing it. Blogs - well, I have done ONE so far this year. This is my second one for 2012. (Well, actually my third.)
I've been sorting through possessions. We have many possessions. And I am such a saver. I have school programs and certificates for each of our children. I have a file folder for each one with all the things I find. I need to ship them off to each one now that they have their own homes. That would make a lot of room in my filing cabinet.
I am trying to be very selective in what I keep in the way of paper stuff. In 1991 Christo, a world renowned artist, had an unmbrella display through the Lebec and Grapevine area of Hwy 99. The Bakersfield Californian did a whole section about it. Should I keep that thing any longer? And I have a large calendar from the Californian where I wrote our activities for each day. It is packed with family history. And pages and pages of Valentines from when I was in the second grade and the third grade. I decided to pick out one or two that looked special and sent the rest to recycling.
Fabric - oh my gosh! My grandma loved fabric, my mother loved fabric and I love fabric. I am trying to be relentless is sending fabric to DI. We only have so much space and when will I ever use it? Most of it was given to Mother or me by someone else who collected fabric and had to clear out their supply.
And costumes I've kept over the years - I have been involved in many plays and productions and used many of them. I am narrowing down from 7 boxes to only two and considering just saving one. Nowadays, unless the costumes are vintage or wonderful looking, no one would wear them. I used to think our grandchildren would like to play dress up but not so. Our grandchildren have too many electronic devices to play with. Dress up only happens once a year, at Christmas for the Nativity Scene.
And dishes and pots and pans. I remember my mother's kitchen when she lived all alone. She had a huge cupboard (it had been the storage place for the washing machine) FILLED with pots and pans. Some she hadn't used in 20 years. Guess what? I have some I haven't used for 3 years. And guess what got donated to DI. Dishes, too. We lived for a year and a half with 8 plates, 8 bowls, 8 sets of silverware, 4 pans, 2 skillets, 8 glasses, 2 mixing bowls, 2 cookie sheets, 2 or 3 serving bowls. And we got along just fine.
We have spent these first months sorting things in the house. Now we are working on the "keepsakes" in the garage. We are de-cluttering. It's a great feeling. Maybe we are helping someone else, too. But I want to do better at my first plan - play the piano every day, write in my journal every day and blog at least once a week. The other activities I can enjoy as well. My Grandma McG used to say you have 24 hours everyday and just as much time as the President.
That's all for this blog.
Computer Frustration
Today is Friday, February 24, 2012. The sun is shining and it is a beautiful day outside.
And I am so so very frustrated with getting onto my blog. Yesterday I had 30 minutes to spare after getting showered and dressed to go to the Temple. "A great time to write a blog, " I said to myself. I sat down at the computer, clicked on Favorites, went down to my blog. Clicked on it. Everything came up just right but when I tried to sign in, I couldn't. I clicked on all the right places. Then I had to reenter everything again and add those crazy little words. Well, my eyes aren't what they used to be. I was sure I typed in the right letters but another crazy word just kept appearing. I typed it in - I can't remember how many times - but too many. Then I got the message that they would send me an e-mail with instructions for getting onto my blog.
Well, by this time my 30 minutes was all used up and we went off to spend our afternoon at the Sacramento Temple. And I tried to not think
about my computer frustration.
Home about 5:30. I decided to eat supper before I checked on the crazy blog problem. Sure enough, there was an e-mail.. I followed everything it said. LOL that anything worked. Same old process as in the morning. Finally I gave up and went to my iPad to send a text.
Wouldn't you know it? Even that "computer" caused me problems. I put a new contact in the other day. (I read all the info in textplus, my texting program, followed the instruction and got this new "contact.") I pulled up the new number, typed my message and pushed send. Within two minutes I had two answers - but not from the person I sent the message to. What's up with that?
I totally understand better the Biblical description of "the great and terrible day of the Lord. " I love all the things computers can do and I consider them great. But some days nothing seems to work right and they are "TERRIBLE."
My biggest challenge is I can't figure out why they are frequently inconsistent. I am not a stupid person, I know that. And it seems to me if I do the same action, the computer ought to behave in the same way. But it doesn't. And "help" doesn't HELP very much either.
Okay, that was yesterday. Wednesday wasn't much better. We were working on Family History. I went to the PAF program to find my files. Guess what? I couldn't bring up my records. We went through a box of disks, found the last back up disk, put it in and got them on. Finally!! For some reason we had more than one back up disk. (I will take the blame for that.) And we did throw away 4 disks that seemed to bring up nothing on the computer. (Was that all we accomplished on Wednesday?) And the big problem is - we don't know that we learned anything. And for some reason I have dozens and dozens of duplicate names. Did I have more than one back-up on the same disk? Who knows? Anyway it has been two days of computer frustrations.
Now the big question is - Why, why, do the games all work right all of the time? It has to be a conspiracy of some sort. When I want to be productive - work on family history, or my blog, or e-mail, or something really constructive I am faced with challenge after challenge. Yet if I click on a game, it comes right up, everything works just right and I could play it forever without a hitch. Talk about temptation!!! Thankfully, I can resist spending hours with some silly game - leave the computer and go play the piano or sew or do dishes or sort pictures or write in my journal.
I am going to do more than one blog today - that is to make up for what happened to me yesterday. Yesterday I was planning to write a blog about my goals. I am going to do it today.
That is all I have to say about computer frustrations for the time being. It's going to be a great day.
And I am so so very frustrated with getting onto my blog. Yesterday I had 30 minutes to spare after getting showered and dressed to go to the Temple. "A great time to write a blog, " I said to myself. I sat down at the computer, clicked on Favorites, went down to my blog. Clicked on it. Everything came up just right but when I tried to sign in, I couldn't. I clicked on all the right places. Then I had to reenter everything again and add those crazy little words. Well, my eyes aren't what they used to be. I was sure I typed in the right letters but another crazy word just kept appearing. I typed it in - I can't remember how many times - but too many. Then I got the message that they would send me an e-mail with instructions for getting onto my blog.
Well, by this time my 30 minutes was all used up and we went off to spend our afternoon at the Sacramento Temple. And I tried to not think
about my computer frustration.
Home about 5:30. I decided to eat supper before I checked on the crazy blog problem. Sure enough, there was an e-mail.. I followed everything it said. LOL that anything worked. Same old process as in the morning. Finally I gave up and went to my iPad to send a text.
Wouldn't you know it? Even that "computer" caused me problems. I put a new contact in the other day. (I read all the info in textplus, my texting program, followed the instruction and got this new "contact.") I pulled up the new number, typed my message and pushed send. Within two minutes I had two answers - but not from the person I sent the message to. What's up with that?
I totally understand better the Biblical description of "the great and terrible day of the Lord. " I love all the things computers can do and I consider them great. But some days nothing seems to work right and they are "TERRIBLE."
My biggest challenge is I can't figure out why they are frequently inconsistent. I am not a stupid person, I know that. And it seems to me if I do the same action, the computer ought to behave in the same way. But it doesn't. And "help" doesn't HELP very much either.
Okay, that was yesterday. Wednesday wasn't much better. We were working on Family History. I went to the PAF program to find my files. Guess what? I couldn't bring up my records. We went through a box of disks, found the last back up disk, put it in and got them on. Finally!! For some reason we had more than one back up disk. (I will take the blame for that.) And we did throw away 4 disks that seemed to bring up nothing on the computer. (Was that all we accomplished on Wednesday?) And the big problem is - we don't know that we learned anything. And for some reason I have dozens and dozens of duplicate names. Did I have more than one back-up on the same disk? Who knows? Anyway it has been two days of computer frustrations.
Now the big question is - Why, why, do the games all work right all of the time? It has to be a conspiracy of some sort. When I want to be productive - work on family history, or my blog, or e-mail, or something really constructive I am faced with challenge after challenge. Yet if I click on a game, it comes right up, everything works just right and I could play it forever without a hitch. Talk about temptation!!! Thankfully, I can resist spending hours with some silly game - leave the computer and go play the piano or sew or do dishes or sort pictures or write in my journal.
I am going to do more than one blog today - that is to make up for what happened to me yesterday. Yesterday I was planning to write a blog about my goals. I am going to do it today.
That is all I have to say about computer frustrations for the time being. It's going to be a great day.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
A Trip To The Dentist
Today is Wednesday, January 11, 2012. It is too early in the morning to tell whether it will be sunny or cloudy. Hopefully it will be sunny. That will make my trip to the dentist better.
Saturday night I was eating potato chips along with my yummy sandwich that one of our daughters had made and I crunched on something hard. When I pulled it our of my m0uth, lo and behold, it was a piece of my tooth. Great! Just what we needed! A costly trip to the dentist.
Now that we are senior citizens we have had no insurance coverage for dental work. No coverage for eye glasses either and none for hearing aids. How crazy is that? Just when you need the help the most. Oh, well!
Then I remembered that with our new enrollment in November we were able to choose dental insurance. YEAH! That makes it a bit softer. And thankfully, even though little pieces of my tooth kept breaking off on Sunday, I was in no pain. The filling is totally exposed and the edges are very jagged. And as always, I can hardly keep my tongue away from moving right over to that jagged edge.
I tried to remember to chew on the other side but how hard is that? Anyway, first thing Monday morning I called the dentist's office. Couldn't see me Monday. (If I had been in pain, I'm sure they would have seen to it. But I wasn't and so they wouldn't.) And Tuesday I was substituting in the Temple Office. It would be very hard to get a substitute for the substitute. AND I wasn't hurting. "How about Wednesday?" the receptionist asked. (She's probably not called a receptionist anymore. Everyone seems to have new titles and I am far behind the times.)
Today is Wednesday and at 10:45 AM I will be in the dentist's chair to take care of my broken tooth. I feel certain it will need a cap. Already I have a bunch of gold in my mouth. I told my family that when I die they should take all the gold and turn it in for money.
Oh, well! All that gold just makes me more valuable , right? That gices me a lot to live up to. I guess I ought to try being a better person.
I am glad I like the dentist. He's so kind and caring and reassuring. I had a horrible thought in the night that maybe he won't take my insurance. There are many variable nowadays. "Oh, please, God, help us not to have given up $72 a month for insurance that he won't accept. Why did we not call him first? "
Today will give me that answer about the insurance but whatever, at least I will not have a jagged sharp place in my mouth and I will be able to chew on both sides. That will be worth whatever it takes. And I still have no pain. That is a tender mercy from the Lord.
That's all for today and it will be a good day, I know.
Saturday night I was eating potato chips along with my yummy sandwich that one of our daughters had made and I crunched on something hard. When I pulled it our of my m0uth, lo and behold, it was a piece of my tooth. Great! Just what we needed! A costly trip to the dentist.
Now that we are senior citizens we have had no insurance coverage for dental work. No coverage for eye glasses either and none for hearing aids. How crazy is that? Just when you need the help the most. Oh, well!
Then I remembered that with our new enrollment in November we were able to choose dental insurance. YEAH! That makes it a bit softer. And thankfully, even though little pieces of my tooth kept breaking off on Sunday, I was in no pain. The filling is totally exposed and the edges are very jagged. And as always, I can hardly keep my tongue away from moving right over to that jagged edge.
I tried to remember to chew on the other side but how hard is that? Anyway, first thing Monday morning I called the dentist's office. Couldn't see me Monday. (If I had been in pain, I'm sure they would have seen to it. But I wasn't and so they wouldn't.) And Tuesday I was substituting in the Temple Office. It would be very hard to get a substitute for the substitute. AND I wasn't hurting. "How about Wednesday?" the receptionist asked. (She's probably not called a receptionist anymore. Everyone seems to have new titles and I am far behind the times.)
Today is Wednesday and at 10:45 AM I will be in the dentist's chair to take care of my broken tooth. I feel certain it will need a cap. Already I have a bunch of gold in my mouth. I told my family that when I die they should take all the gold and turn it in for money.
Oh, well! All that gold just makes me more valuable , right? That gices me a lot to live up to. I guess I ought to try being a better person.
I am glad I like the dentist. He's so kind and caring and reassuring. I had a horrible thought in the night that maybe he won't take my insurance. There are many variable nowadays. "Oh, please, God, help us not to have given up $72 a month for insurance that he won't accept. Why did we not call him first? "
Today will give me that answer about the insurance but whatever, at least I will not have a jagged sharp place in my mouth and I will be able to chew on both sides. That will be worth whatever it takes. And I still have no pain. That is a tender mercy from the Lord.
That's all for today and it will be a good day, I know.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Christmas Is Coming
(Oh, my! For some reason my screen is red! I can't seem to make it white again. And typing on red is hard on my eyes. But I will try anyway.)
Today is Tuesday, December 20, 2011. It has been sunny most of the day. We are preparing for more Christmas festivities. Last night we had a caroling party. As a family we have gone Christmas caroling since we had very young children. We would walk from our house to the neighbors and sing carols. As the children got older they began to learn parts and by the time our youngest daughter was able to sing all the words, our carols were in four parts. The neighbors loved it.
About 4 years ago we decided to change our caroling plan. We had changed from walking to our neighbors to climbing in and out of cars as we traveled to close friends who were members of our Church. The climbing in and out was getting harder and harder. Some of us were getting older and some were babies who had to be in and out of car seats. Consulting with those friends who loved to have us come, we hit upon a new plan.
The new plan was that on Family Home Evening the Monday before Christmas we would issue a general invitation to anyone who wanted to come to our Family Home Evening. (Every Monday night we have family home evening where all the family gathers for a special time - prayer, songs, a lesson, and treats.) All our guests love it. We begin with a prayer and then we pass out the song sheets. And everybody sings. Having the words for everyone helps with the enthusiasm. The family has 3 or 4 special songs we love to harmonize on and we just say "Okay, pretend we just knocked on your door and we will now sing to you. You get to listen." And we perform. (Maybe next year we should stand but we usually just sit and sing. Interesting stereo effect.)
The family has changed over the years. The last 4 years we have had pretty much the same singers - three daughters, one son and his family - now 5 children - and the two of us. Last night our oldest son was here. He has a few days of work in our town and sang with us. A special time for all.
We always have treats, too, and last night I think that was the most popular part. Well, maybe that was second to playing the bells. A number of years ago my husband made lovely sounding bells from electrical conduit pipe. We got the directions from a friend. They had to be a certain length with a hole drilled at a certain spot for the hanging string to go through. It was a very precise length and drilling and then filing to get each pitch exactly right. They make a lovely Christmas sound and people like to try their skill at playing the music. Last night was no exception. Old and young enjoyed the experience.
I think I am about to end. And this has truly been a "babbling." I had a hard time getting the correct page to come up and I feel a bit frustrated. Anyway, that is all for the day. Last night was a joyous Christmas event.
Today is Tuesday, December 20, 2011. It has been sunny most of the day. We are preparing for more Christmas festivities. Last night we had a caroling party. As a family we have gone Christmas caroling since we had very young children. We would walk from our house to the neighbors and sing carols. As the children got older they began to learn parts and by the time our youngest daughter was able to sing all the words, our carols were in four parts. The neighbors loved it.
About 4 years ago we decided to change our caroling plan. We had changed from walking to our neighbors to climbing in and out of cars as we traveled to close friends who were members of our Church. The climbing in and out was getting harder and harder. Some of us were getting older and some were babies who had to be in and out of car seats. Consulting with those friends who loved to have us come, we hit upon a new plan.
The new plan was that on Family Home Evening the Monday before Christmas we would issue a general invitation to anyone who wanted to come to our Family Home Evening. (Every Monday night we have family home evening where all the family gathers for a special time - prayer, songs, a lesson, and treats.) All our guests love it. We begin with a prayer and then we pass out the song sheets. And everybody sings. Having the words for everyone helps with the enthusiasm. The family has 3 or 4 special songs we love to harmonize on and we just say "Okay, pretend we just knocked on your door and we will now sing to you. You get to listen." And we perform. (Maybe next year we should stand but we usually just sit and sing. Interesting stereo effect.)
The family has changed over the years. The last 4 years we have had pretty much the same singers - three daughters, one son and his family - now 5 children - and the two of us. Last night our oldest son was here. He has a few days of work in our town and sang with us. A special time for all.
We always have treats, too, and last night I think that was the most popular part. Well, maybe that was second to playing the bells. A number of years ago my husband made lovely sounding bells from electrical conduit pipe. We got the directions from a friend. They had to be a certain length with a hole drilled at a certain spot for the hanging string to go through. It was a very precise length and drilling and then filing to get each pitch exactly right. They make a lovely Christmas sound and people like to try their skill at playing the music. Last night was no exception. Old and young enjoyed the experience.
I think I am about to end. And this has truly been a "babbling." I had a hard time getting the correct page to come up and I feel a bit frustrated. Anyway, that is all for the day. Last night was a joyous Christmas event.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Home Again
Today is Monday, November 14, 2011. I can't say if it is sunny or cloudy because it is 5 AM and dark outside. I woke up about 3 AM and couldn't go back to sleep. I just decided I would get on my blog and "babble."
We left our mission in Nauvoo, Illinois, on Monday October 31. Had a wonderful trip home. Coming west at this time of year can be a challenge because of snow and winter weather but for us it was great. Our first day was sunny and beautiful as we traveled across Missouri to visit my sister and her husband. One of my neices was there to visit, too. A wonderful afternoon. We left their place about 5 PM. Stopped to view the Kansas City Temple (seems like it should be called the Liberty Temple since it is so close to Liberty) and take some pictures. The outside looks nearly finished and the Angel Moroni looks beautiful on the top. Then we went on to Lawrence, Kansas, to spend the night.
Tuesday was sunny and beautiful, too. As we approached Colorado, weather reports were for a pending storm. We had contemplated spending the night in Denver with some friends but changed our minds and decided to get past Denver before the storm hit. Denver traffic time was the most traffic we've seen for a year and a half.
Vail, Colorado, was lovely, all snowy and cold. The clouds at dusk were very picturesque. The roads were dry and it looked like a wonderful place to spend a wintery week but we passed right on through the pass and made it to Glenwood Springs about 8 PM in the dark. Driving in the dark is not for us anymore as we are older and less capable of seeing well in the dark with lights shining in our eyes.
We stopped at the first motel we saw - a beautiful Ramada Inn. We had not made a supper stop and when we asked about a place to eat the desk clerk said they had a cafe downstairs. Yessir! That's just what we wanted. Can you believe a bacon and tomato sandwich that was the tastiest we've ever had (except maybe a homemade one)? It hit the spot.
When we woke up, the ground was covered with white, fluffy snow, maybe 3 inches. And the car was all snowy. The roads were wet but not icy. It was like a winter fairyland. After breakfast downstairs, we hit the road to the west. We had traveled maybe an hour or two when we left the wet, snowy area and came out into the sun with dry roads. Sunny all the way to Salem, Utah.
We made several stops along the way. After about two hours of traveling I always need to use the bathroom. The bathroom stop near the highway to Moab, Utah, was interesting. It's called Crescent Junction, painted in a bright yellow with purple and green trim. And, of course, noted for it's bathroom. A sign on the wall inside says "Extra bathroom, out the back door. Third (or is it Second?) bush on the left." And all around the bathroom area are pictures of people who have stopped to use the bathroom. Pretty cute! I had to buy something - couldn't use the bathroom without buying something. I got a small bag of Trail Mix - big deal. How can a person stay in business with the purchase of a small bag of Trail Mix?
In Helper, Utah, we stopped to have some lunch - a cute place in a cute town. It was called Balance Rock Eatery. Large library tables with comfy padded library chairs. Food was good, decor was sort of antiquey with lots of sunflowers and pumpkins. On our way from the parking place to the eatery, we passed a second hand store with a huge box of baskets selling for 25c each. I can't pass up a box of baskets - only bought two. Didn't have much more room in our fully packed van. Of course, Glen has to tease me about my baskets.
Arrived in Salem about 3 to be greeted by the whole family. Oh, what joy! To have such a wonderful family and to be able to rest a few days in one spot before heading home to California.
More about the rest of the trip later. This thing is long enough. Bye for now.
We left our mission in Nauvoo, Illinois, on Monday October 31. Had a wonderful trip home. Coming west at this time of year can be a challenge because of snow and winter weather but for us it was great. Our first day was sunny and beautiful as we traveled across Missouri to visit my sister and her husband. One of my neices was there to visit, too. A wonderful afternoon. We left their place about 5 PM. Stopped to view the Kansas City Temple (seems like it should be called the Liberty Temple since it is so close to Liberty) and take some pictures. The outside looks nearly finished and the Angel Moroni looks beautiful on the top. Then we went on to Lawrence, Kansas, to spend the night.
Tuesday was sunny and beautiful, too. As we approached Colorado, weather reports were for a pending storm. We had contemplated spending the night in Denver with some friends but changed our minds and decided to get past Denver before the storm hit. Denver traffic time was the most traffic we've seen for a year and a half.
Vail, Colorado, was lovely, all snowy and cold. The clouds at dusk were very picturesque. The roads were dry and it looked like a wonderful place to spend a wintery week but we passed right on through the pass and made it to Glenwood Springs about 8 PM in the dark. Driving in the dark is not for us anymore as we are older and less capable of seeing well in the dark with lights shining in our eyes.
We stopped at the first motel we saw - a beautiful Ramada Inn. We had not made a supper stop and when we asked about a place to eat the desk clerk said they had a cafe downstairs. Yessir! That's just what we wanted. Can you believe a bacon and tomato sandwich that was the tastiest we've ever had (except maybe a homemade one)? It hit the spot.
When we woke up, the ground was covered with white, fluffy snow, maybe 3 inches. And the car was all snowy. The roads were wet but not icy. It was like a winter fairyland. After breakfast downstairs, we hit the road to the west. We had traveled maybe an hour or two when we left the wet, snowy area and came out into the sun with dry roads. Sunny all the way to Salem, Utah.
We made several stops along the way. After about two hours of traveling I always need to use the bathroom. The bathroom stop near the highway to Moab, Utah, was interesting. It's called Crescent Junction, painted in a bright yellow with purple and green trim. And, of course, noted for it's bathroom. A sign on the wall inside says "Extra bathroom, out the back door. Third (or is it Second?) bush on the left." And all around the bathroom area are pictures of people who have stopped to use the bathroom. Pretty cute! I had to buy something - couldn't use the bathroom without buying something. I got a small bag of Trail Mix - big deal. How can a person stay in business with the purchase of a small bag of Trail Mix?
In Helper, Utah, we stopped to have some lunch - a cute place in a cute town. It was called Balance Rock Eatery. Large library tables with comfy padded library chairs. Food was good, decor was sort of antiquey with lots of sunflowers and pumpkins. On our way from the parking place to the eatery, we passed a second hand store with a huge box of baskets selling for 25c each. I can't pass up a box of baskets - only bought two. Didn't have much more room in our fully packed van. Of course, Glen has to tease me about my baskets.
Arrived in Salem about 3 to be greeted by the whole family. Oh, what joy! To have such a wonderful family and to be able to rest a few days in one spot before heading home to California.
More about the rest of the trip later. This thing is long enough. Bye for now.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
O What A Beautiful Mornin'
Today is Sunday, August 14 2011. The sun is shining beautifully and it is not too hot here in Nauvoo, Illinois. And I am singin' "O What A Beautiful Mornin". That is one of my all time favorite songs.
And it is a daughter's birthday today. We'd love to be with her but here we are serving a Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in beautiful Nauvoo.
In Relief Society today we were talking about families and the things we can do to help keep our family ties strong and teach correct principles. Glen had wonderful parents who taught him well and my mother was a wonderful teacher for me. She taught me to be honest and to work hard and to love the Lord and obey His commandments. Mother especially loved the stories from the Old Testament. We had a big book called Hulberts Stories of the Bible. However, Mother knew most of the Old Testament stories so well that she could tell them as well as that Big Old Story Book.
One of her favorites and the one that offered her the most comfort in the days after my father divorced her was the story of Elijah and the widow. A widow was out gathering sticks to make a fire to make the last little cake for herself and her son. It was all the meal she had left and then they would die. Elijah asked her to make a little cake for him. She told him that she would share what she had. From that time on the barrel never emptied and she and her son were blessed.
Mother felt that if she did what the Lord wanted her to that somehow she and I would be blessed. And it was true. We were. I will ever be grateful for the faith of my dear mother. I hope my children and grandchildren will know that I, too, have strong faith. I pray that they will develop strong testimonies of the truth, that they will keep the commandments, and build strong relationships with all of us who try to do that, too. We need to help one another.
Glen would share the same counsel. He has many stories to share about his parents and his growing up days. His father was a Bishop for 20 years and had great faith and conviction. And his mother was stalwart and true and supportive to that wonderful husband she had. I loved them both and am very grateful for what they taught all seven of their sons. Such a wonderful family.
We want to be an example for our chidren, our grandchildren, and all who come after us.
May this day be wonderful for you. That's all I want to say for today.
And it is a daughter's birthday today. We'd love to be with her but here we are serving a Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in beautiful Nauvoo.
In Relief Society today we were talking about families and the things we can do to help keep our family ties strong and teach correct principles. Glen had wonderful parents who taught him well and my mother was a wonderful teacher for me. She taught me to be honest and to work hard and to love the Lord and obey His commandments. Mother especially loved the stories from the Old Testament. We had a big book called Hulberts Stories of the Bible. However, Mother knew most of the Old Testament stories so well that she could tell them as well as that Big Old Story Book.
One of her favorites and the one that offered her the most comfort in the days after my father divorced her was the story of Elijah and the widow. A widow was out gathering sticks to make a fire to make the last little cake for herself and her son. It was all the meal she had left and then they would die. Elijah asked her to make a little cake for him. She told him that she would share what she had. From that time on the barrel never emptied and she and her son were blessed.
Mother felt that if she did what the Lord wanted her to that somehow she and I would be blessed. And it was true. We were. I will ever be grateful for the faith of my dear mother. I hope my children and grandchildren will know that I, too, have strong faith. I pray that they will develop strong testimonies of the truth, that they will keep the commandments, and build strong relationships with all of us who try to do that, too. We need to help one another.
Glen would share the same counsel. He has many stories to share about his parents and his growing up days. His father was a Bishop for 20 years and had great faith and conviction. And his mother was stalwart and true and supportive to that wonderful husband she had. I loved them both and am very grateful for what they taught all seven of their sons. Such a wonderful family.
We want to be an example for our chidren, our grandchildren, and all who come after us.
May this day be wonderful for you. That's all I want to say for today.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Comments! WOW!
After days and days of not getting on my blog (lack of info on my part - about my blogging address), I finally figured out what to do and the blog has some new features. Or at least, new to me. And I can click on comments and read your wonderful comments about my older blogs. What fun! Sorry I missed them before. To my children - you are all so good and complimentary to your Mother. Just made my day so bright and wonderful. Thank you very much.
I just have to comment about recipes. In the last few weeks we have been to several lectures about South American history. I have been quite impressed with the knowledge of the speakers and have said to myself that I am very dumb. I know very little about very few things. Then I started thinking about what I should learn. Well, where can you go with that? I directed my thoughts to what I am interested in - well, music for one thing - but over and over I think about how much time and how much I like reading recipes. And to think that I have passed it on to the next generation. I DO like to cook but not as much as I like to READ recipes.
Here in Nauvoo, there is a lady who has a kitchen store. It's a fun place to visit. She sells kitchen gadgets as well as dried foods, spices, candies, etc. Her husband told us she wants to open a bigger store so she can display her collection of cookbooks. She has over 2000. Oh my, I thought I had a lot. Nothing compared to her collection.
Well, when I figure out what I want to become an expert on, I will let you know.
I just have to comment about recipes. In the last few weeks we have been to several lectures about South American history. I have been quite impressed with the knowledge of the speakers and have said to myself that I am very dumb. I know very little about very few things. Then I started thinking about what I should learn. Well, where can you go with that? I directed my thoughts to what I am interested in - well, music for one thing - but over and over I think about how much time and how much I like reading recipes. And to think that I have passed it on to the next generation. I DO like to cook but not as much as I like to READ recipes.
Here in Nauvoo, there is a lady who has a kitchen store. It's a fun place to visit. She sells kitchen gadgets as well as dried foods, spices, candies, etc. Her husband told us she wants to open a bigger store so she can display her collection of cookbooks. She has over 2000. Oh my, I thought I had a lot. Nothing compared to her collection.
Well, when I figure out what I want to become an expert on, I will let you know.
A Letter To My Grandchildren
July 24, 2011 - Today in Relief Society our teacher challenged us to write a letter to our grandchildren about something in our life - she suggested that we do it one thing at a time. That way our grandchildren would not have to wait until we die to know what it was like in "olden times." I decided to accept her challenge and write something.
I never saw a TV until I was about 12 years old (maybe I was older, I can't remember for sure.) Not very many people had a TV and we didn't feel we could afford one. There was only Mother and me. Remember, my father had divorced her and my two older sisters had gone with my father and his new wife. We didn't have a telephone - to save on expenses, and we didn't have a newspaper. When Mother and I would go to the movie there was a newsreel that told us about current events and there was always a Disney cartoon before the feature film.
We had a little radio about the size of the large set of Scriptures we have now. On Sunday afternoon we could listen to "The Shadow," "House of Mystery," and "The Green Hornet." We could also listen to "The Lone Ranger." Then Mother decided to buy a TV. The screen was about the size of a piece of computer paper and it was all in black and white. No color. We had two channels. My favorite TV show was "Our Miss Brooks."
The TV station signed on in the morning at 8 AM with a little song and signed off at 10 PM with the national anthem.
When I listened to the radio, I saw everything in my mind in color. But when those same programs came on TV, they were only black and white. I liked it better to listen to them on the radio when I saw everything in color.
Can you imagine watching TV in only black and white? Now everything is in living color. Have fun watching TV. Love, Grandma
I never saw a TV until I was about 12 years old (maybe I was older, I can't remember for sure.) Not very many people had a TV and we didn't feel we could afford one. There was only Mother and me. Remember, my father had divorced her and my two older sisters had gone with my father and his new wife. We didn't have a telephone - to save on expenses, and we didn't have a newspaper. When Mother and I would go to the movie there was a newsreel that told us about current events and there was always a Disney cartoon before the feature film.
We had a little radio about the size of the large set of Scriptures we have now. On Sunday afternoon we could listen to "The Shadow," "House of Mystery," and "The Green Hornet." We could also listen to "The Lone Ranger." Then Mother decided to buy a TV. The screen was about the size of a piece of computer paper and it was all in black and white. No color. We had two channels. My favorite TV show was "Our Miss Brooks."
The TV station signed on in the morning at 8 AM with a little song and signed off at 10 PM with the national anthem.
When I listened to the radio, I saw everything in my mind in color. But when those same programs came on TV, they were only black and white. I liked it better to listen to them on the radio when I saw everything in color.
Can you imagine watching TV in only black and white? Now everything is in living color. Have fun watching TV. Love, Grandma
Friday, April 22, 2011
This Electronic World - Oh My!
Today is Friday, April 22, 2011. It is too early to know if the sun is shining or if we will have rain.
It has been a long time since I wrote anything and I decided I wanted to this morning. And what a challenge I have had to get to this point in this electronic world that I think I understand and then don't. It used to be very easy to log onto the computer, click on favorites, bring up my blog and "Create a new blog." I don't know how it all happens but now I have to do all kinds of clicking and asking myself the question, "What have I done that I shouldn't have done?" or "How is this different than the last time I logged on?" But, YEAH, at last I got to the place where I could just click on Create a New Blog and it is all good.
We just made a short trip to Arkansas to visit one of our sons and his family. The Temple in Nauvoo is closed for two weeks. The second week of that time we will be helping the new Temple missionaries but the first week we could do whatever we wanted. Several couples went to visit Kirtland. Others went home or to visit relatives somewhere here in the Midwest. We decided it was a good time to go to Arkansas.
We had a beautiful day to travel on Monday - not totally sunny but warm and pleasant. We left home about 6 AM and got to their place by 4 PM. A long stop for lunch in Houston, Missouri, at Miller's Grill. A nice steak - lunch time special. The scenery over Missouri and Arkansas at this time of year always makes me a little homesick for Missouri green hills. I love to look out over the farmland with the big white houses and barns. Of course, if I lived in Missouri, it would not be on one of those beautiful farms, but I can dream, can't I?
At their place, I love to look out the windows into the forest of trees that surround their home. They now have a front porch - well, just the floor of it - to sit on and soak in all that greenery. (It will be a wonderful porch when it is all finished.)
Our grandchildren are growing up. Their oldest daughter graduates in May. One son is a Junior, the next son goes into 9th grade (High school where they live) and the youngest daughter will be in 7th grade. The time has flown by. This week was Senior Prom and there was much excitement as the two oldest prepared for that. They have a busy life. They are mostly well and happy with all their busy-ness. The oldest son is on a mission in Arizona and they got an e-mail from him while we were there. We loved being with them for a few days.
Thursday, we traveled home - well, home to Nauvoo. Another beautiful day for traveling. Had lunch somewhere along the way and arrived at our apartment before dark.
Of course, the first thing to do after we unpacked the car was to check with this electronic world of e-mail and blogging to check up on what we had missed in the world outside the little realm in Arkansas. What an amazing time to live! Glen's brother and his wife have a new blog about their mission call to Romania and have posted wonderful pictures of their family- children and grandchildren - telling them goodbye. If it weren't for this electronic world, I wouldn't be able to keep acquainted with them. What an amazing time to live!
I need to go use some other amazing electronic things like the washing machine, the vacuum cleaner, and the oven, before the day is gone. Once again, I repeat, THIS ELECTRONIC WORLD - Oh My! That's all for today.
It has been a long time since I wrote anything and I decided I wanted to this morning. And what a challenge I have had to get to this point in this electronic world that I think I understand and then don't. It used to be very easy to log onto the computer, click on favorites, bring up my blog and "Create a new blog." I don't know how it all happens but now I have to do all kinds of clicking and asking myself the question, "What have I done that I shouldn't have done?" or "How is this different than the last time I logged on?" But, YEAH, at last I got to the place where I could just click on Create a New Blog and it is all good.
We just made a short trip to Arkansas to visit one of our sons and his family. The Temple in Nauvoo is closed for two weeks. The second week of that time we will be helping the new Temple missionaries but the first week we could do whatever we wanted. Several couples went to visit Kirtland. Others went home or to visit relatives somewhere here in the Midwest. We decided it was a good time to go to Arkansas.
We had a beautiful day to travel on Monday - not totally sunny but warm and pleasant. We left home about 6 AM and got to their place by 4 PM. A long stop for lunch in Houston, Missouri, at Miller's Grill. A nice steak - lunch time special. The scenery over Missouri and Arkansas at this time of year always makes me a little homesick for Missouri green hills. I love to look out over the farmland with the big white houses and barns. Of course, if I lived in Missouri, it would not be on one of those beautiful farms, but I can dream, can't I?
At their place, I love to look out the windows into the forest of trees that surround their home. They now have a front porch - well, just the floor of it - to sit on and soak in all that greenery. (It will be a wonderful porch when it is all finished.)
Our grandchildren are growing up. Their oldest daughter graduates in May. One son is a Junior, the next son goes into 9th grade (High school where they live) and the youngest daughter will be in 7th grade. The time has flown by. This week was Senior Prom and there was much excitement as the two oldest prepared for that. They have a busy life. They are mostly well and happy with all their busy-ness. The oldest son is on a mission in Arizona and they got an e-mail from him while we were there. We loved being with them for a few days.
Thursday, we traveled home - well, home to Nauvoo. Another beautiful day for traveling. Had lunch somewhere along the way and arrived at our apartment before dark.
Of course, the first thing to do after we unpacked the car was to check with this electronic world of e-mail and blogging to check up on what we had missed in the world outside the little realm in Arkansas. What an amazing time to live! Glen's brother and his wife have a new blog about their mission call to Romania and have posted wonderful pictures of their family- children and grandchildren - telling them goodbye. If it weren't for this electronic world, I wouldn't be able to keep acquainted with them. What an amazing time to live!
I need to go use some other amazing electronic things like the washing machine, the vacuum cleaner, and the oven, before the day is gone. Once again, I repeat, THIS ELECTRONIC WORLD - Oh My! That's all for today.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
First Snow plus other thoughts
Today is Saturday, January 8, 2011. The sun is shining but it is 4 degrees. It snowed most of the day yesterday. I wanted to write then but could not get on this site for some darn reason. My computer kept telling me I did not have the correct user name or password. I tried all the little crazy words they gave me to enter. Still no good results. Today I did the same thing and I got the same message. After about the third try my blog finally came up. What's the problem? I guess I will never know. Oh, well! A part of this world of technology.
Now about the snow from yesterday. The snow fall was beautiful. Big puffy flakes falling slowly and softly. After the snow stops it gets very cold. There is not much wind today. That's good, because the wind makes it even colder. This is the first snowfall of 2011 here in Nauvoo, Illinois, and the blanket of white makes the place look beautiful and sparkly when the sun shines.
Now on to other thoughts. I just finished brushing my teeth and everytime I go into our bathroom I see the bright colored wash rags I bought at Walmart several months ago. I love the bright colors. They attracted my eye immediately in the store and I just dropped them into my basket. The first one we used made the water blue. I said to myself, "I bet they came from Pakistan." Sure enough! That's what the label said. Well, we lived in Faisilabad for awhile and loved all the beautiful fabrics and bright colors we saw there.
Faisilabad is listed in the encyclopedia as the textile capital of the world. There are shops and shops of lovely fabric all over the town. The bolts of cloth go from floor to ceiling and the young men who work in the shops pull out the bolt you want to look at. Then they furl about three yards for you to see just how it would look when it was made into a shalwar kamiz. The young men develop quite a dramatic style.
Only challenge is that the colors are not color fast. One of the college students we knew in Faisilabad was trying to develop a formula for colorfast material. I told him that in the United States we had lots of color fast material and surely there was some was that formula could be shared.
What I want to know is? If Walmart is selling fabrics from Pakistan, isn't there a way they could help them get that formula? It would be so wonderful for people everywhere. And I would feel so happy to see that "color fast" label on those Pakistani products.
I must remind myself to read the labels before I do my impulse buying.
That's all for today.
Now about the snow from yesterday. The snow fall was beautiful. Big puffy flakes falling slowly and softly. After the snow stops it gets very cold. There is not much wind today. That's good, because the wind makes it even colder. This is the first snowfall of 2011 here in Nauvoo, Illinois, and the blanket of white makes the place look beautiful and sparkly when the sun shines.
Now on to other thoughts. I just finished brushing my teeth and everytime I go into our bathroom I see the bright colored wash rags I bought at Walmart several months ago. I love the bright colors. They attracted my eye immediately in the store and I just dropped them into my basket. The first one we used made the water blue. I said to myself, "I bet they came from Pakistan." Sure enough! That's what the label said. Well, we lived in Faisilabad for awhile and loved all the beautiful fabrics and bright colors we saw there.
Faisilabad is listed in the encyclopedia as the textile capital of the world. There are shops and shops of lovely fabric all over the town. The bolts of cloth go from floor to ceiling and the young men who work in the shops pull out the bolt you want to look at. Then they furl about three yards for you to see just how it would look when it was made into a shalwar kamiz. The young men develop quite a dramatic style.
Only challenge is that the colors are not color fast. One of the college students we knew in Faisilabad was trying to develop a formula for colorfast material. I told him that in the United States we had lots of color fast material and surely there was some was that formula could be shared.
What I want to know is? If Walmart is selling fabrics from Pakistan, isn't there a way they could help them get that formula? It would be so wonderful for people everywhere. And I would feel so happy to see that "color fast" label on those Pakistani products.
I must remind myself to read the labels before I do my impulse buying.
That's all for today.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
It's Almost Christmas
Today is Tuesday, December 21, 2010. It is too early in the morning to know if the sun will shine or not. It looks clear and cold - well, only 32 degrees cold. That is balmy compared to some days here in Nauvoo.
Last night we had a special family home evening with the Temple missionaries at the Mission President's beautiful home. The house was decorated beautifully. A tall Christmas tree decorated with handmade balls, each with a folded star design. There were several huge, and I do mean huge, pots of poinsettas. Magnificient!! And many other beautiful symbols of Christmas. Our Temple President presented a most interesting lesson. And our Temple Recorder sang "O Holy Night" to begin the whole affair. Oh, he has a marvelous voice.
An interesting part of the whole evening was that when I sat down, the Temple President asked if I would accompany "O Holy Night." He had practiced with the soloist (and he is a wonderful pianist) but didn't want to be the "whole show." Oh, my!! Well, I looked at the music and said I would. Then I prayed like crazy. It was in a good key to read - B Flat Major. And after all, I am very familiar with that song - having sung and played it many times myself. But I felt some pressure. It went quite well, I thought. Probably not as beautiful as it was practiced but at least I didn't feel like I made a total mess of it. The soloist is so good I think nobody noticed much what I did. And I got to play the lovely grand piano. It is a gorgeous looking instrument as well as having a fine touch and grand sound. Wow! That will be my Christmas treat for 2010.
We have spoken much about the birth of Jesus Christ over these days in December - in Sacrament Meeting as well as in Preparation Meetings in the Temple each day. The Prophet Joseph Smith was born in Vermont on December 23, two days before the world celebrates the birth of the Savior. We learned some special things about him with this Family Home Evening Lesson. The President read Joseph's testimony from the Pearl of Great Price. He told about an extremely well educated man who said that when he read that testimony, he knew that Joseph was not a charleton. That he was a humble truthful man, sharing his special experience with God the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. I am very grateful that I have a testimony that he did tell the truth. And I am so grateful for all the feeling that I have for the restoration of the Gospel to the earth in this dispensation of time.
After the touching lesson, the Mission President's wife shared a favorite part of every family home evening, the refreshments. Yummy "apple blossoms" with ice cream. And there was much visiting before we all headed for our humble little apartments.
The beginning of this week has been joyous. Sacrament Meeting on Sunday with the songs and stories of Jesus's birth and mission. And the privilege to partake of the Sacrament. Then this special family home evening. Now we look forward to two days to be in the Temple, another day at the Information Center, caroling on the Temple steps on Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day Dinner with all the missionaries in Nauvoo. It will be a special Christmas. We all will miss families, of course. Will they miss us? Probably, but Glen and I are much closer than the Christmas we spent in India and the Christmas we spent in Greece. Phone calls and e-mails are much easier.
I just have to add the words of one of our family caroling songs -
C is for the Christ Child, born upon this day.
H for herald angels in the night.
R means our Redeemer,
I means Israel.
S is for the star that shone so bright.
T is for three wise men, they who traveled far.
M is for the manger where He lay.
A's for all He stands for.
S means shepherds came.
And that's why there's a Christmas Day!
That's all for today.
Last night we had a special family home evening with the Temple missionaries at the Mission President's beautiful home. The house was decorated beautifully. A tall Christmas tree decorated with handmade balls, each with a folded star design. There were several huge, and I do mean huge, pots of poinsettas. Magnificient!! And many other beautiful symbols of Christmas. Our Temple President presented a most interesting lesson. And our Temple Recorder sang "O Holy Night" to begin the whole affair. Oh, he has a marvelous voice.
An interesting part of the whole evening was that when I sat down, the Temple President asked if I would accompany "O Holy Night." He had practiced with the soloist (and he is a wonderful pianist) but didn't want to be the "whole show." Oh, my!! Well, I looked at the music and said I would. Then I prayed like crazy. It was in a good key to read - B Flat Major. And after all, I am very familiar with that song - having sung and played it many times myself. But I felt some pressure. It went quite well, I thought. Probably not as beautiful as it was practiced but at least I didn't feel like I made a total mess of it. The soloist is so good I think nobody noticed much what I did. And I got to play the lovely grand piano. It is a gorgeous looking instrument as well as having a fine touch and grand sound. Wow! That will be my Christmas treat for 2010.
We have spoken much about the birth of Jesus Christ over these days in December - in Sacrament Meeting as well as in Preparation Meetings in the Temple each day. The Prophet Joseph Smith was born in Vermont on December 23, two days before the world celebrates the birth of the Savior. We learned some special things about him with this Family Home Evening Lesson. The President read Joseph's testimony from the Pearl of Great Price. He told about an extremely well educated man who said that when he read that testimony, he knew that Joseph was not a charleton. That he was a humble truthful man, sharing his special experience with God the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. I am very grateful that I have a testimony that he did tell the truth. And I am so grateful for all the feeling that I have for the restoration of the Gospel to the earth in this dispensation of time.
After the touching lesson, the Mission President's wife shared a favorite part of every family home evening, the refreshments. Yummy "apple blossoms" with ice cream. And there was much visiting before we all headed for our humble little apartments.
The beginning of this week has been joyous. Sacrament Meeting on Sunday with the songs and stories of Jesus's birth and mission. And the privilege to partake of the Sacrament. Then this special family home evening. Now we look forward to two days to be in the Temple, another day at the Information Center, caroling on the Temple steps on Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day Dinner with all the missionaries in Nauvoo. It will be a special Christmas. We all will miss families, of course. Will they miss us? Probably, but Glen and I are much closer than the Christmas we spent in India and the Christmas we spent in Greece. Phone calls and e-mails are much easier.
I just have to add the words of one of our family caroling songs -
C is for the Christ Child, born upon this day.
H for herald angels in the night.
R means our Redeemer,
I means Israel.
S is for the star that shone so bright.
T is for three wise men, they who traveled far.
M is for the manger where He lay.
A's for all He stands for.
S means shepherds came.
And that's why there's a Christmas Day!
That's all for today.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Random Holiday Thoughts
Today is Friday, December 10, 2010. The sun is shining but there is frost on the ground and it is about 22 degrees here in Nauvoo, Illinois. That is not as cold as it was the other day - 11 degrees and that day the sun was not shining.
I can't believe I did not post anything in November. I have written a blog - inside my head - almost every day. But somehow I did not get it put on this blog spot. Oh, my!!
Many things happened in November. The first thing was that we left Nauvoo for two weeks while the Temple was closed for maintainance Theoritically, it was to go home and get our winter clothes. Since we don't have "winter" clothes in California, it just gave us a chance to go home to visit family for a few days. Before we went to California we stopped in Denver for a reunion with my husband's brothers and the wives. We had a wonderful time together. We always do. We missed the two brothers and the one wife who have died since our last big get together. Who knows, from time to time, how the family dynamics will change? Only the Lord knows, I think. After those few days, we traveled on to Citrus Heights.
Home was good. Here in our apartment in Nauvoo, our bedroom is larger than our little bedroom at home. We joked some about that. Of course, I love my kitchen and miss the pantry and cupboard space but I can adapt for a year. And if I think about the places we lived in Pakistan and India and Greece, this little place in Nauvoo is just fine.
It was wonderful to see the family. We didn't get to visit with all of our children and grandchildren but our youngest daughter came with her two cute boys and the others that live close to us got together on Sunday. The members of the Ward seemed glad to see us and said they will miss us during the coming year. (Nice thoughts expressed.)
We were back to Nauvoo in time to prepare for Thanksgiving. The Temple opened on November 16 with our new winter schedule. Monday is our preparation day - we shop for groceries, wash our clothes, clean our apartment, and whatever else we need to do. There was shopping, of course, for Thanksgiving food. All the missionaries met together to have Thanksgiving dinner. Each of us had assignments. Mine was to bring four pies. I like to make pie. In fact, we volunteered for what we wanted to bring. I made pumpkin pie and cherry pie to take to the big dinner held at the Stake Center. And I made a cherry pie and a mincemeat pie for us to have a home. I was lucky to find Borden's Nonesuch Mincemeat at the Wal-Mart in Keokuk. The plain kind, not the one with brandy. Yeah!! I was so excited. Anyway, Thanksgiving Day reminded us of all the things we are grateful for. There would be pages and pages if I wrote them all down.
Now we are into December, anticipating this special time of the year when so many people remember the birth of Jesus Christ and all the He has done for the world and the teachings He has given to all the people of the world. Hearts are turned with more thoughts toward others and helping others. Isn't it wonderful? There are Christmas carols in the air and decorations on all the streets. Here in Nauvoo there is Christmas Walk on the first Saturday. All the businesses in town have decorated trees outside their buildings. Certain trees have angel tags with special requests on them. It's called the bright angel program and gives townspeople and missionaries the opportunity to help someone in need. On that day the Clydsdale horses pull the wagons filled with guests to some of the Old Nauvoo sites and back and forth up and down the city streets. Well, I guess you can say city - Nauvoo has population of 11oo people. That includes all the people in town and out on the farms.
The missionary numbers are about 250 for the winter months. In the summer that number will increase because Nauvoo has lots of tourists in the summer, especially at Pageant time in July.
The leaves have all fallen from the trees and it makes the Mississippi River seem very close to us. We can see all the houses on the next block and even the brick yard. We have an eagle's nest down in one of the trees by the river and the Red Brick Store. And there are hundreds of geese that settle out on the ice in the river. Such a strange site on the cold, cold ice. Once in a while we see a deer or two and someone said yesterday they saw a coyote out on the green.
The women's monuments are easy to see now that the trees are bare. I want to go take some pictures of them but I haven't done it yet. Morning time fills up and then when we are finished with our Temple assignment it is dark as midnight - even though it is only 8:30 PM. It gets dark, really dark, about 5:30.
We manage to keep busy and we are never bored, that's for sure. Each day we have one or two very special experiences, sometime more than one or two, but always something special about each day.
This is why I need to write more often. It makes a long blog when I write so seldom. My plan is to do better - to actually blog, not just in my head. I think that is all for today.
I can't believe I did not post anything in November. I have written a blog - inside my head - almost every day. But somehow I did not get it put on this blog spot. Oh, my!!
Many things happened in November. The first thing was that we left Nauvoo for two weeks while the Temple was closed for maintainance Theoritically, it was to go home and get our winter clothes. Since we don't have "winter" clothes in California, it just gave us a chance to go home to visit family for a few days. Before we went to California we stopped in Denver for a reunion with my husband's brothers and the wives. We had a wonderful time together. We always do. We missed the two brothers and the one wife who have died since our last big get together. Who knows, from time to time, how the family dynamics will change? Only the Lord knows, I think. After those few days, we traveled on to Citrus Heights.
Home was good. Here in our apartment in Nauvoo, our bedroom is larger than our little bedroom at home. We joked some about that. Of course, I love my kitchen and miss the pantry and cupboard space but I can adapt for a year. And if I think about the places we lived in Pakistan and India and Greece, this little place in Nauvoo is just fine.
It was wonderful to see the family. We didn't get to visit with all of our children and grandchildren but our youngest daughter came with her two cute boys and the others that live close to us got together on Sunday. The members of the Ward seemed glad to see us and said they will miss us during the coming year. (Nice thoughts expressed.)
We were back to Nauvoo in time to prepare for Thanksgiving. The Temple opened on November 16 with our new winter schedule. Monday is our preparation day - we shop for groceries, wash our clothes, clean our apartment, and whatever else we need to do. There was shopping, of course, for Thanksgiving food. All the missionaries met together to have Thanksgiving dinner. Each of us had assignments. Mine was to bring four pies. I like to make pie. In fact, we volunteered for what we wanted to bring. I made pumpkin pie and cherry pie to take to the big dinner held at the Stake Center. And I made a cherry pie and a mincemeat pie for us to have a home. I was lucky to find Borden's Nonesuch Mincemeat at the Wal-Mart in Keokuk. The plain kind, not the one with brandy. Yeah!! I was so excited. Anyway, Thanksgiving Day reminded us of all the things we are grateful for. There would be pages and pages if I wrote them all down.
Now we are into December, anticipating this special time of the year when so many people remember the birth of Jesus Christ and all the He has done for the world and the teachings He has given to all the people of the world. Hearts are turned with more thoughts toward others and helping others. Isn't it wonderful? There are Christmas carols in the air and decorations on all the streets. Here in Nauvoo there is Christmas Walk on the first Saturday. All the businesses in town have decorated trees outside their buildings. Certain trees have angel tags with special requests on them. It's called the bright angel program and gives townspeople and missionaries the opportunity to help someone in need. On that day the Clydsdale horses pull the wagons filled with guests to some of the Old Nauvoo sites and back and forth up and down the city streets. Well, I guess you can say city - Nauvoo has population of 11oo people. That includes all the people in town and out on the farms.
The missionary numbers are about 250 for the winter months. In the summer that number will increase because Nauvoo has lots of tourists in the summer, especially at Pageant time in July.
The leaves have all fallen from the trees and it makes the Mississippi River seem very close to us. We can see all the houses on the next block and even the brick yard. We have an eagle's nest down in one of the trees by the river and the Red Brick Store. And there are hundreds of geese that settle out on the ice in the river. Such a strange site on the cold, cold ice. Once in a while we see a deer or two and someone said yesterday they saw a coyote out on the green.
The women's monuments are easy to see now that the trees are bare. I want to go take some pictures of them but I haven't done it yet. Morning time fills up and then when we are finished with our Temple assignment it is dark as midnight - even though it is only 8:30 PM. It gets dark, really dark, about 5:30.
We manage to keep busy and we are never bored, that's for sure. Each day we have one or two very special experiences, sometime more than one or two, but always something special about each day.
This is why I need to write more often. It makes a long blog when I write so seldom. My plan is to do better - to actually blog, not just in my head. I think that is all for today.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Everyday Experiences - October 4 2010
Today is Monday, October 4, 2010. The sun is shining here in Nauvoo and the grass in our back yard is beautiful and green. There are no geese in the yard this morning but the sky overhead is filled with jet streams. They go every which direction over the city. Is there an air show somewhere? I wonder.
We need to go grocery shopping before too many days pass. And shopping at Duck's is a favorite experience. Duck's is a small, locally owned grocery up on Mulholland Street. One unique thing about the store is that they sell sandwiches - hot barbequed beef or pork, taco salads, and sloppy joes. Oh, let's see, I think they sell hot dogs, too. Of course, we always buy the barbequed pork. It is such a good sandwich. We recommend it to everyone we talk,too. (It was recommended to us when we first got here by our neighbors across Parley Street.)
"Where's a good place to eat in Nauvoo?" someone will ask. Our reply "There's Grandpa John's, Dottie's Red Front Dining and the Hotel Nauvoo. (During the summer there are several other places open. Oh. yes, I forgot to mention Nauvoo Mill and Bakery.) We think the best thing in town is the Barbequed Pork sandwiches at Duck's Grocery Store." Then we explain how to get to the place. We plan on trying a taco salad sometime but for now just give us that yummy sandwich.
I decided several years ago that I like shopping in a small store. Of course, while we were on our mission in Pakistan and on our mission in Greece, we only had small stores. Let's see, I guess I need to clarify about Greece. There was a big store, Carrfours, but we had a little store just up on the corner. We shopped there most of the time. Anyway, I can walk through a small store with no pain. That's not true if we go to a big store.
And for the things we buy, the price is not much higher, maybe a few pennies on some things but if we travel somewhere then there is the cost of gas to figure in. Mostly we buy the same things every week anyway.
Our main staples are milk, eggs, butter, cheese, V-8 juice, some meat once in awhile and of course, ice cream and graham crackers. We add to that some canned veggies, or frozen, and fruit, fresh or canned. I also pick up potatoes, onions, lettuce, celery and carrots. Then we add cottage cheese which is my nighttime protein snack. Each week we add some variety to the staples list. As you can see, we use many milk products.
Well, last week we volunteered to feed the Young Sister missionaries. We said we could fix dinner for 4. I planned the menu - crockpot enchiladas, lettuce salad, and ice cream and cookies. Then I found out that one of the sisters was lactose intolerant. That made me totally aware of how much I cook that has milk and cheese in it. I went into high gear to figure out a meal not using any milk products.
Here's what I did and I think it turned out to be a tasty meal. My rice and chicken casserole calls for Cream of Mushroom Soup. That's out. I tried it using chicken broth instead. Glen and I liked it and I thought they would, too. Green beans always seem to be a bit. Lettuce salad would have been okay but I decided to do jello and fruit instead. Then I started thinking about dessert. I wanted to do strawberry shortcake. Strawberries were okay but what about the shortcake. Well, I went to work. I substituted apple sauce for the butter and used water instead of milk to make the sweet bisquit that I always use for shortcake. It worked beautifully. Then I made gravy. That's easy without milk. We did buy some whipped cream, you know, in the squirt can, just in case the other sisters wanted it on their strawberry shortcake.
I think the day was a success. And who knows, maybe I will need to make other meals for someone who is lactose intolerant. At least, I have one meal under my belt. (In more ways than one.) Well, two meals, since I did an experimental meal with the two of us before I made it for the sisters. I know somewhere there is a cook book with lots of recipes for lactose intolerance. That's just what I need!! Another cook book!!
That's all for today.
We need to go grocery shopping before too many days pass. And shopping at Duck's is a favorite experience. Duck's is a small, locally owned grocery up on Mulholland Street. One unique thing about the store is that they sell sandwiches - hot barbequed beef or pork, taco salads, and sloppy joes. Oh, let's see, I think they sell hot dogs, too. Of course, we always buy the barbequed pork. It is such a good sandwich. We recommend it to everyone we talk,too. (It was recommended to us when we first got here by our neighbors across Parley Street.)
"Where's a good place to eat in Nauvoo?" someone will ask. Our reply "There's Grandpa John's, Dottie's Red Front Dining and the Hotel Nauvoo. (During the summer there are several other places open. Oh. yes, I forgot to mention Nauvoo Mill and Bakery.) We think the best thing in town is the Barbequed Pork sandwiches at Duck's Grocery Store." Then we explain how to get to the place. We plan on trying a taco salad sometime but for now just give us that yummy sandwich.
I decided several years ago that I like shopping in a small store. Of course, while we were on our mission in Pakistan and on our mission in Greece, we only had small stores. Let's see, I guess I need to clarify about Greece. There was a big store, Carrfours, but we had a little store just up on the corner. We shopped there most of the time. Anyway, I can walk through a small store with no pain. That's not true if we go to a big store.
And for the things we buy, the price is not much higher, maybe a few pennies on some things but if we travel somewhere then there is the cost of gas to figure in. Mostly we buy the same things every week anyway.
Our main staples are milk, eggs, butter, cheese, V-8 juice, some meat once in awhile and of course, ice cream and graham crackers. We add to that some canned veggies, or frozen, and fruit, fresh or canned. I also pick up potatoes, onions, lettuce, celery and carrots. Then we add cottage cheese which is my nighttime protein snack. Each week we add some variety to the staples list. As you can see, we use many milk products.
Well, last week we volunteered to feed the Young Sister missionaries. We said we could fix dinner for 4. I planned the menu - crockpot enchiladas, lettuce salad, and ice cream and cookies. Then I found out that one of the sisters was lactose intolerant. That made me totally aware of how much I cook that has milk and cheese in it. I went into high gear to figure out a meal not using any milk products.
Here's what I did and I think it turned out to be a tasty meal. My rice and chicken casserole calls for Cream of Mushroom Soup. That's out. I tried it using chicken broth instead. Glen and I liked it and I thought they would, too. Green beans always seem to be a bit. Lettuce salad would have been okay but I decided to do jello and fruit instead. Then I started thinking about dessert. I wanted to do strawberry shortcake. Strawberries were okay but what about the shortcake. Well, I went to work. I substituted apple sauce for the butter and used water instead of milk to make the sweet bisquit that I always use for shortcake. It worked beautifully. Then I made gravy. That's easy without milk. We did buy some whipped cream, you know, in the squirt can, just in case the other sisters wanted it on their strawberry shortcake.
I think the day was a success. And who knows, maybe I will need to make other meals for someone who is lactose intolerant. At least, I have one meal under my belt. (In more ways than one.) Well, two meals, since I did an experimental meal with the two of us before I made it for the sisters. I know somewhere there is a cook book with lots of recipes for lactose intolerance. That's just what I need!! Another cook book!!
That's all for today.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Everyday Experiences
Today is Tuesday, September 21, 2010. The sun is shining and the grass is green and beautiful.
Yesterday we got an e-mail from one of our sons about school expenses when all our chidren were in school. As we reflected on our activities with them over the years, I was thankful that I had always stayed involved in PTA. PTA is a national parent - teacher association which has been around for more than 100 years. As I was involved with PTA at Pioneer School, I had good experiences. I graduated from college with a degree in elementary education because I wanted to teach school. Over the years I did teach some but most of my contact with schools was as a parent. Each local PTA unit gets involved in helping with certain finances at the school level. We had activities which earned money to help the local school program. My favorite fund raiser was the Annual School Carnival. How many years was I the chairman of that event? I also liked the Book Fairs we sponsored and the Santa's Secret Shop. These were services for the school children and the teachers as well as earning money to provide a few extra books for the library or special assembly programs for the school clientele.
When I first got involved, nearly every school had a PTA, a part of the national organization. Then bit by bit, local principals encouraged their parent groups to disassociate with the National PTA and form PTC's or PTO's or some other name. The rationale was that PTA required the local group to send a certain amount of dues off to Council, District, State, and National. If you were just a parent group, you could keep all the money at your own school. That sounded pretty good to me, too, at first. Thank goodness, I worked with school principals who understood the broader expanse and encouraged me to stick with PTA. PTA offered a wide range of individuals who knew much about school governance and how parents could help make better schools, not just by earning money but in other ways as well. I will ever be grateful for Mr. Handley, Mr. Thoman, Mr. Pruitt, and Mr. Jacobus for their advice and counsel.
No questions, every school could use more money. Couldn't everyone? Parents can absolutely work themselves to death with fund raisers to provide serious school needs. And they always want to do what the Principal and teachers ask them to do. Do we really want our children always involved in selling stuff for the school? I certainly didn't. And, certain school areas could never raise as much money as other school areas. It's the dynamics of neighborhoods that one school is in a more affluent area than another school. Therefore, if you stick with PTA, the whole group can encourage the school district to look out for the children in each school in the District.
Oh, I've heard the idea that after all, you need to watch out for your own children. That is true but boy howdy, I think we are taught to watch out for each other, too. If you are involved in a parent group, seriously think about it. It gets quite easy to become a yes man to those who influence your children. It is helpful and more productive in the long run to listen to the counsel and advice of those who have been over the road before you. I enjoyed working in PTA in the unit, at district level and on the state level. I've learned a great deal.
Thank you, wonderful principals concerned about all children, for your encouragement to stick with the PTA.
I wish I were more eloquent in writing but I've tried to speak out from my heart.
I guess that's all for today.
Yesterday we got an e-mail from one of our sons about school expenses when all our chidren were in school. As we reflected on our activities with them over the years, I was thankful that I had always stayed involved in PTA. PTA is a national parent - teacher association which has been around for more than 100 years. As I was involved with PTA at Pioneer School, I had good experiences. I graduated from college with a degree in elementary education because I wanted to teach school. Over the years I did teach some but most of my contact with schools was as a parent. Each local PTA unit gets involved in helping with certain finances at the school level. We had activities which earned money to help the local school program. My favorite fund raiser was the Annual School Carnival. How many years was I the chairman of that event? I also liked the Book Fairs we sponsored and the Santa's Secret Shop. These were services for the school children and the teachers as well as earning money to provide a few extra books for the library or special assembly programs for the school clientele.
When I first got involved, nearly every school had a PTA, a part of the national organization. Then bit by bit, local principals encouraged their parent groups to disassociate with the National PTA and form PTC's or PTO's or some other name. The rationale was that PTA required the local group to send a certain amount of dues off to Council, District, State, and National. If you were just a parent group, you could keep all the money at your own school. That sounded pretty good to me, too, at first. Thank goodness, I worked with school principals who understood the broader expanse and encouraged me to stick with PTA. PTA offered a wide range of individuals who knew much about school governance and how parents could help make better schools, not just by earning money but in other ways as well. I will ever be grateful for Mr. Handley, Mr. Thoman, Mr. Pruitt, and Mr. Jacobus for their advice and counsel.
No questions, every school could use more money. Couldn't everyone? Parents can absolutely work themselves to death with fund raisers to provide serious school needs. And they always want to do what the Principal and teachers ask them to do. Do we really want our children always involved in selling stuff for the school? I certainly didn't. And, certain school areas could never raise as much money as other school areas. It's the dynamics of neighborhoods that one school is in a more affluent area than another school. Therefore, if you stick with PTA, the whole group can encourage the school district to look out for the children in each school in the District.
Oh, I've heard the idea that after all, you need to watch out for your own children. That is true but boy howdy, I think we are taught to watch out for each other, too. If you are involved in a parent group, seriously think about it. It gets quite easy to become a yes man to those who influence your children. It is helpful and more productive in the long run to listen to the counsel and advice of those who have been over the road before you. I enjoyed working in PTA in the unit, at district level and on the state level. I've learned a great deal.
Thank you, wonderful principals concerned about all children, for your encouragement to stick with the PTA.
I wish I were more eloquent in writing but I've tried to speak out from my heart.
I guess that's all for today.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Just A-ramblin"
Today is Sunday, September 12, 2010. The sun is shining in Nauvoo, Illinois.
I decided to write a blog today and it took me forever to get on my blog to make a new post. Some days I wonder how come this computer does what it does. Surely it can't be all me that creates the challenges. Anyway, my thought for today is - I wish I could think of a clever name for this spot instead of Barb's Babblings. Maybe something I might write would be more than just a "babble." In the Bible it talks about babblings. And it doesn't seem they are very desireable. I desire to write things that might be desireable to someone, even if it is only to me.
If I try to rename this thing, will I have to start all over again or can I just rename it. Oh, help!! Where is one of our intelligent daughters or our savy internet son-in-law to give me counsel and advice? The other day I thought I could call it Barb's Everyday Experiences. Not very clever but at least not just "babblings."
In my mind I create all kinds of writings - just don't get them written out.
Nauvoo is noted for its Connections. Nearly everyday you meet a person who knows someone you know. The newest connection took us back to Greece. One of the men we work with here in the Temple is a brother to a wonderful woman we knew when we were serving a mission in Athens, Greece.
Have you heard of the six degrees of separation? That is the theory that all of us are connected by only 6 degrees (6 persons, basically). That theory has proved itself in my life many times. And usually it has been with only one person, or two, at the most. I have come to believe that it is a true theory. Think about it applies in your own life.
Well, I have put myself on a tight writing time schedule for this afternoon. My time is up. We will go out and about the city to see if we can get a phone connection to touch base with our family who are not here with us in Nauvoo.
That's all for today. Look for more Everyday Experiences in the future.
I decided to write a blog today and it took me forever to get on my blog to make a new post. Some days I wonder how come this computer does what it does. Surely it can't be all me that creates the challenges. Anyway, my thought for today is - I wish I could think of a clever name for this spot instead of Barb's Babblings. Maybe something I might write would be more than just a "babble." In the Bible it talks about babblings. And it doesn't seem they are very desireable. I desire to write things that might be desireable to someone, even if it is only to me.
If I try to rename this thing, will I have to start all over again or can I just rename it. Oh, help!! Where is one of our intelligent daughters or our savy internet son-in-law to give me counsel and advice? The other day I thought I could call it Barb's Everyday Experiences. Not very clever but at least not just "babblings."
In my mind I create all kinds of writings - just don't get them written out.
Nauvoo is noted for its Connections. Nearly everyday you meet a person who knows someone you know. The newest connection took us back to Greece. One of the men we work with here in the Temple is a brother to a wonderful woman we knew when we were serving a mission in Athens, Greece.
Have you heard of the six degrees of separation? That is the theory that all of us are connected by only 6 degrees (6 persons, basically). That theory has proved itself in my life many times. And usually it has been with only one person, or two, at the most. I have come to believe that it is a true theory. Think about it applies in your own life.
Well, I have put myself on a tight writing time schedule for this afternoon. My time is up. We will go out and about the city to see if we can get a phone connection to touch base with our family who are not here with us in Nauvoo.
That's all for today. Look for more Everyday Experiences in the future.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Beautiful Nauvoo
Today is Sunday, May 23, 2010. The sun is shining in Illinois. And it is quite humid.
I cannot believe it has been this long since I last wrote on my blog. What are my reasons? Who can really tell? Anyway, here I am - back again.
What thing shall I write about first? I think I will talk about rain storms. When it rains in the midwest, it really rains. One night we had such a thunder storm. Now a thunder storm in this area usually means plenty of lightning, too. And that night the lightning played all over the sky and the thunder claps nearly shook the house. And the rain poured down. Someone said they thought there was 5 inches of rain. A neighbor tried to measure the rain the next morning (by the way it was still raining the next morning) but couldn't wade through the water puddles to get to the back of their pick-up truck.
So we have the lightning and the thunder and the rain. Then about midnight it began to hail. It sounded like the hail stones were pretty good size. Next morning someone heard on the news that the hail was as large as marbles. I think the ones on our house were like big, big marbles.
All this moisture keeps the grass green and the trees all beautiful and green. Driving around Nauvoo is like driving around in the Garden of Eden. The flowers, at least those, who weren't beat to death by the rain and hail, are in beautiful bloom. Each day when it clears a little the gardeners plant more and more flowers.
We love to drive down the river road. The Mississippi is a beautiful wide river. About every day there are barges going up and down the river. That is quite a sight.
Yesterday we drove north along the river road to a place where there were dozens of turtles sunning on the logs in the shallow part of the river. And lo and behold there were two pelicans there also! I was shocked to see pelicans. I think I will have to study about pelicans. Glen said I could find out more if I read "The Pelican Brief." Too funny.
It's a beautiful day here in Nauvoo. Wish you were here.
I cannot believe it has been this long since I last wrote on my blog. What are my reasons? Who can really tell? Anyway, here I am - back again.
What thing shall I write about first? I think I will talk about rain storms. When it rains in the midwest, it really rains. One night we had such a thunder storm. Now a thunder storm in this area usually means plenty of lightning, too. And that night the lightning played all over the sky and the thunder claps nearly shook the house. And the rain poured down. Someone said they thought there was 5 inches of rain. A neighbor tried to measure the rain the next morning (by the way it was still raining the next morning) but couldn't wade through the water puddles to get to the back of their pick-up truck.
So we have the lightning and the thunder and the rain. Then about midnight it began to hail. It sounded like the hail stones were pretty good size. Next morning someone heard on the news that the hail was as large as marbles. I think the ones on our house were like big, big marbles.
All this moisture keeps the grass green and the trees all beautiful and green. Driving around Nauvoo is like driving around in the Garden of Eden. The flowers, at least those, who weren't beat to death by the rain and hail, are in beautiful bloom. Each day when it clears a little the gardeners plant more and more flowers.
We love to drive down the river road. The Mississippi is a beautiful wide river. About every day there are barges going up and down the river. That is quite a sight.
Yesterday we drove north along the river road to a place where there were dozens of turtles sunning on the logs in the shallow part of the river. And lo and behold there were two pelicans there also! I was shocked to see pelicans. I think I will have to study about pelicans. Glen said I could find out more if I read "The Pelican Brief." Too funny.
It's a beautiful day here in Nauvoo. Wish you were here.
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