Marjorie and I Go to Lake Tahoe

 

Jimmy at the Zoo

Jimmy's Day at the Zoo with Grandma Janet started out with a Bus ride--which are not as good as the old days when the bears would perform and there wasn't so much greenery hiding the animals...

Always fun to climb on the metal animals located everywhere.

And investigating what the goats are doing in the Children's Zoo. And the gorillas were up close and personal today--good for Jimmy.

Lunch time is always a fun time. Besides seeing three shows and the hippos swimming close, and the polar bear performing with his toy for a long time, and riding the skyfari, we also managed to munch a bunch and saved the funnest part for last...Riding on the Merry Go Round. Next time we will try for the brass ring. The time from 9 to 5 went fast...what a day!

Thanks, Jimmy, for a fun day, you are a delight.

Meagan's Shower at Crosby Club

Meagan, her mom Jennifer, and sister Makayla.

Camber and Kristi tending the babies Kelsi and Kate while friends chat...

Meagan's sisters Marissa, Mahlini, and Maya

Meagan and Aunt Suzanne and Aunt Nancy

Three of Meagan's friends plus Aunt Linda, Maria, Camber, and cousin Lea and cousin Kelly.

Mom, sisters and Aunt Linda and Aunt Maria...

It was a lovely day in Rancho Santa Fe...thanks to James and Camber for providing the lunch and place and Linda the cake and game gifts...it was all lovely.

Meagan and her friend Ann...

Sweet Eighteen

Beautiful Melissa is off to college at Shasta College. Maria and I dropped her there on our way to San Diego for Meagan's Shower. It will be fun to see what she does with that room with all the things she brought!

Sweet Sixteen

Kelly with her boyfriend Matt (17)--what a darling couple!

Kristi's Wedding Revisted

Keeping Ahead of the Deer

I know I must seem obsessed with my yard but every time I leave for a week or two, the critters eat the flowers, and I want a picture of what flowers were there before I left. I move all my pots down in the flower bed so the soaker can water them. I have sprayed them with liquid fence and shook cayenne around so we will see how they look when I return.

Anna Karenina

Today I thought about Virgil--in one of my kindergarten classes over 50 years ago-- I had been reading "One True Thing" by Anne Quindlan in which one of her characters said you could tell "Anne Karenina" was written by a man because a woman would know that a woman might leave her husband for a lover but she would never leave her child. Virgil's mother had left him and he was a very angry child. He said he hated his mother but I have never forgotten the image I have of him holding on to his mother's ankles, trying to make her stay, when she came back for a visit. Evidently there are some mothers who leave their children. Leo Tostoy said in "Anna Karenina" that "every happy family is happy in the same way, but every unhappy family is each unhappy in their own way". I came from a happy family, I think we raised our children in a happy family (I hope my children think so) but I see on television and read in books how much unhappiness there is in the world. I feel such gratitude for always being surrounded by good people, good family, good friends, good roommates in college, good faculty at schools where I taught, terrific husband, good employees in my business, good SBA family I won't forget, and of course, wonderful children and now delightful grandchildren. In today's world, the "happy days" of the 50s cannot be taken for granted and I thank everyone in my life who has contributed so much happiness to me. "Anna Karenina" was a book I really loved and yet didn't read until just a few years ago. I think of the busy times in my life when months would sometimes go by in which I didn't have (or make) time to read. I wonder how many more great books I will discover in my old age...

New Mourning Garden for Laurie

New Mourning garden in memory of Laurie is being created. I have ordered Iris and Hosta to fill it with so it will be a thing of beauty next summer and since deer don't bother Iris, it should be ok. I love that I can get top soil from the back of my lot and find rocks and interesting pieces of wood to create little gardens on my lot. And go to the river and find rocks for paths.

John's Mourning gardens are winding down and getting ready to sleep through the winter. I have ordered new lillies to fill them with for next summer. Each year I learn a few new tricks to deal with the deer and squirrels.

I love that I find joy in creating my own little spaces of beauty without the need of landscapers and designers and all that cost...The simple life is a good life...

Now I just need to borrow a truck so I can put sand down and finish my flagstone patio...maybe next summer.

Sad News...

This was a Notice in a Denver newspaper: TWENHOFEL, LAURIE ANNE Died unexpectedly July 31, 2007. Loving mother of Holly; daughter to Charles and Marilyn Smith; sister of Sherry Smith, Deborah Brusehaver, Robert Smith, Randy Smith; and a large extended family. She was loved by all and will be greatly missed. Service Monday, 11AM, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 610 Coors, Lakewood, 80401. Visitation one hour prior to service. Laurie was born in 1958. I was not able to attend the services but heard this report: Her sister Sherry opened with a beautiful prayer and her sister Debbie gave an upbeat eulogy about their family life and things they loved about Laurie. Her boss expressed he did not think they could get along without her. She had transformed their office, added so much in skills and friendship to their group. Laurie worked in the industrial world, with a group of people who made beautiful countertops, etc from marble, etc. Many expressed their love for her. My sister, Jeanne, gave a beautiful and stirring message on the resurrection and the surety of life after death and the need for hope and faith in our lives. A trio sang "Where Do I Go for Peace" and "The Lord is My Shepherd". This trio has sung together for many years and it was very, very lovely. Randy, Laurie's brother gave the closing prayer and Bobby, her brother, gave the dedicatory prayer at the Gravesite. The Relief Society from two wards prepared a bounteous luncheon for all those that had traveled from Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Texas. It was such a sad occasion but so much love and support expressed by so many for Laurie and her family. Everyone gives their love to daugher Holly as she goes off to her senior year of college and her life without her Mom. Life is so fragile... Laurie joins her grandparents Ethel and Ferrell Anderson, her uncle Dick, her uncle Stan, her uncle Richard, her cousin Rod, and her cousin John in her postmortal life. We miss them all very much and will see them all someday.

Happy 90th Birthday, Bishop Beeler

The family of Vernon Beeler is having a celebration for his 90th birthday and have asked for memory sheets for his book.

This is probably the way Bishop Beeler might have remembered our family. Since then the children have all grown up and have children of their own. Richard, my husband, passed away in 1996. John, the eldest boy, passed away in 2004, with the same heart problem that Richard had. Linda is married and has six children and one grandchild. Maria is married and has four children. James is married and has four children.

Both Linda and James still live in the San Diego area, while Maria and her family live in Northern California, Susanville, and I, Janet, also moved to Northern California to Lake Almanor in 1999.

The memories I have of Bishop Beeler is he was always prepared with a memorable message whether it was at a Sunday School Board meeting or from the pulpit. Even when he did some woodworking on our home in La Jolla, he was giving out good advice.

One talk he gave from the pulpit which I never forgot was about exercising his eyes. He evidently had eye problems and he was told by the Doctor to do certain kind of exercises "to work as hard as he could". His talk was on "how do we know when we have worked as hard as we can or when we have done our very best". What is our very best? It was very thought provoking to me--it must have been 35 or so years ago but I never forgot it.

Bishop Beeler was a great role model to me in my life. He was a counselor in the bishopric when we had a very young family and before we were transfered out of 7th Ward in 1969. He later did some work for us at our home in La Jolla. He taught me a great indexing system for my genealogical work. I admired his Grandfather clock so much that he had made that we bought a Grandmother clock for our new home in La Jolla.

I am pleased to have known Bishop Beeler and wish him a very Happy Birthday!