Amy Graduates from Grossmont High

 

My Sister Marilyn...

My daughter Linda flew home Wednesday night and my sister Marilyn flew in from Colorado on Thursday. We have enjoyed eating and shopping and making a Book of Descendants of Carl Ferrell Anderson and Ethel Sigrid Larson (my mom and dad). We will put it up in the cabin to help the cousins to know each other a little better. Dad built the cabin in Silvergate in 1960 and we had a first reunion there in 1961 when John was not quite one year old. He walked around in some sample cowboy boots my brother gave him from the Ferrells store in Idaho Falls. There are over a hundred and fifty that use it now. However, the Thayne family has purchased land in Silvergate and will be building a two story cabin within the next couple years, they hope. Jeanne wants to celebrate her 80th birthday there. Norma and Bryan Thayne also have a cabin up there. Anyway Sunday we will drive up--Marilyn, Jeanne and I and Carole will drive down from Billings, Montana. On the way up on Sunday we will stop in Idaho Falls and breakfast with my brother, David, who turned 80 years old this week. Hard to believe we are all winding down... We moved from Utah to Montana in 1934 and loved growing up there.

Fourth of July Baby--Not!

I am remembering that two years after a traumatic birth with my first baby, John, I was scheduled for a ceasarean birth on July 5th. However, Linda chose to come on June 28 and would not wait until they could do the ceasarean. I remember the panic in that delivery room as the nurses and doctor were discussing the evolving event. But because Linda came au natural, the doctors said I could have two more babies instead of one and thus there was room for James to add to our family. We called him our bonus baby, but Linda made it possible. Interesting that Jimmy's birthday is June 27 and Linda's is June 28. Happy Birthday Linda and thanks for sharing your birthday trip with me in Salt Lake City--it was lovely.

Promotion!!

James, my son, turned 41 today and was also promoted to Field Vice Chairman in the company he has been with for the past 15 years, World Financial Group. This is a big deal--only one step from the top --SVC-- and he has had to climb up five steps from a Marketing Director. What is involved is being right near the top of a worldwide organization with thousands of agents. Congratulations and Happy Birthday, James!

More Beautiful Flowers

I made these pix big so you could get an idea of these lush flowers all over--lots of pink to red, blue to lavender hues, like large jewels all around.

The flowers in back of Linda are all very tall--all the flowers are growing in this Utahlite mixture--high mounded growing areas--I put my fingers in the mixture and it is very, very light--

We attended some excellent classes today on computer filing, putting your history in books, PAF and merging files and learned lots more new tips. Everyone is so very helpful, printing is only 5 cents a copy, the desks and computers first class and very comfy chairs. Enjoying the whole experience.

Temple Square

Linda and I just ate our lunch at Temple Square. I wanted to show the flowers which are just gorgeous all over the whole area. We worked at the Family History Library today and the lady who was sitting helping us turned out to be one of my roommates when I was a freshman in Allen Hall at BYU. I never recognized her but she said she used to live in Fallon, Nev--and I said, "Oh, I had a roommate at college from Fallon, what's your name?" And it was her. I never realize how old I am until I see someone my own age. I still think of myself at around 40 something with kids that are 20 something...Ha. Anyway she is invaluable. She knows it all and loves to help so that is wonderful.

We also were able to tour the top of the Conference Center. They have an immense plains "prairie" garden as well as many, many trees and bushes and the Christmas Trees are the most beautiful I have ever seen. They grow them in a special product developed for growing on the roof. It is called Utelite and is 50% peat and 50% something else. Regular dirt would be too heavy. The trees are all in pots so the roots cannot go down too far. There is also a large fountain which is directly above the pulpit and has large directions lanes going east, west, north and south and is symbolic of the fulfillment of the D & C scripture that says "Gospel will be preached to all nations, kindred and tongue and is symbolic of the Prophet's words flowing forth to all the world. There is a picture lasered in the granite wall of people from different countries and the scripture. By next conference the gospel will be preached in every language! Anyway very interesting--since 911 you cannot wander up there without a guide. It is also quite a story about the building of the huge auditorium with no beams...

I Assume It Was the Raccoons?

This morning I saw a half eaten raisen bag in front and my garage door wide open. Some critters had unzipped my emergency back pack, strewn flashlight and batteries around, chewed through the plastic food bags and chewed open the raisens and nuts bags and had a party. The thing that boggled my mind is they unzipped two compartments all the way open!! And the middle compartment went all around the bag. Reminded me of when we were camping on Catalina Island and the hogs made a huge mess of our backpacks and food supplies and left snout smear all over everything--at least the raccoons were very tidy. I wonder when I will tire of this wilderness and seek out a condo in the city...Not.

It's For the Birds

Nothing like frustrating the birds. I keep two crocks of water out in my garden for the birds and they love to drink it and bathe in it. Today I took the crocks away in preparation for my trip and it was so funny to watch this bird looking for the water. He flys right down to the spot where the one had been and looked all over and then hopped over to where the other one had been and looked and looked and cocked his head, "I knew it was here yesterday, wha happened???" I had to laugh, he looked so cute. Reminded me of when my friend Berta Mae and I tried to save a bird's life who had fallen from a nest. I think we drowned him trying to get him to drink water. (We were in grade school).

Father's Day, 2007

I had a wonderful father, I wish my children could have known him. He was always a leader, a teacher and yet such a gentle man, so full of love for everyone. 

As a child I remember him taking us on picnics, fishing, to Silvergate, Yellowstone. He was never a selfish man though he loved hunting, fishing, golfing and could have just gone off with the guys. Most everything he did involved some or all of the family. 

He was a very hard worker and was looked up to in the community as an honest, wise, and fair person. He was head of the Chamber of Commerce, head of the Elks, leader of the Church, on the School Board. He always lived exactly who he was as far as I know. 

My friends all loved him, too. He would take us girls to as many out-of-town football and basketball games as time and money would allow. He was always in the audience strongly cheering "our" high school heroes. He was generous with his time and what little he had. 

One of the first things he taught me as I began to seek jobs in junior high was to "always be worth more than what you are paid". He loved my Mom and it showed--as I have mentioned elsewhere, one of my fondest memories of him is his dancing Mom around the kitchen and then giving her a big kiss before he went to work after our noon meal. 

In high school we found some of his love letters to Mom and we read them out loud and he just grinned. He was quite the romantic. He occasionally raised his voice, but not often and he never took a hand to anyone though he raised six children, six children who pretty much stayed in line all the time. 

My aunt once cautioned us--"Be careful what you ask for, your Dad will want to give it to you." He was a good listener but didn't try to preach at you, just let you know he was there for you. He somehow saw that we all had money to go to college but here again I remember his advice to always have a job. And I did, most of the time even while I was in college. 

He was a good, good man. And I remember he most always had a smile on his face. Happy Father's Day, Dad, you were the best!

Men Can Do Some Things Better!

Now that I am not working, I am in to washing my own car, and let's face it, it will never look as good as when a man does it or Tanner. Wow, when I go to El Cajon to visit the grandchildren, Tanner makes my car shiny and clean. Thanks Tanner, I really appreciate that. One misfortune yesterday I decided the uphostery needed a little cleaning so I sprayed some Resolve on it. Unfortunately, it was the Resolve bottle I had put Liquid Fence into last year. Liquid Fence is to keep the deer away and is the most horrible smell in the world and it stays on forever! Needless to say I have been using Faberge to try and get rid of it. I think I will be driving with my windows down for awhile and my big trip to Utah, Idaho, Montana begins next week--yikes!

Flossie

Meet Flossie, a handcrafted porcelain doll I loved the moment I saw her. The local gift shop was closing out on carrying dolls and she was half price. I have seen dolls like her for as much as $350 and that was over 10 years ago. Anyway to make a long story short, I thought about her all day, and then went back and bought her. I reasoned that I have never regretted a purchase of something I truly loved and that brought me such joy and I am sure she was being sold for less than wholesale. Richard and John both had a love for the brownfaced people and she reminded me somewhat of the pictures John took of brownfaced children from Peru and ladies from Nepal. She has a lovely expression on her face and is supposedly representative of the Columbian people.