"I Got the Call Today" (Don Henley words in a song)

SBA called and I leave Sept 7 to 14 for a week of training in Fort Worth. This is training on the new computer loan processing program which they started in 2005 but I wasn't one of the few that learned it at that time. I was instead surpervising a group in the "old" program

As I have said before, because I am a loan officer instead of Customer Service and they mostly use loan officers that live in the Fort Worth area so they don't have to pay them per diem, I will not necessarily be working after the training.

However, if this current hurricane is bad enough they plan on using some loan officers in Sacramento and I may get called to go there. Keep your fingers crossed for me. They questioned whether I was able to go if called.

But at any rate I am one step closer to earning a little money and get a free trip and one week's pay. Sounds good to me!

Who wants to keep Bandido if I go for months???? My sister in Orem would if I could get him there...she enjoys Bandido.

Things That Go Boom in the Night

What do you do when you are awakened by a load crash, like a plank following on wood and can't find anything inside or out, crashed? It is definitely hard to go back to sleep, thus the need to find something to do.

Bandido was restless for awhile but has finally given in to sleep. Lucky him. Reminded me of the time I was alone in our big house on the hill in Glendive. No idea what age I was or why I was alone. But I was sleeping in the basement with the dog. Was it Star or Poika? If I could remember that, I would have an idea what age I was. Why was I sleeping downstairs? That is where the boys slept after an individual bedroom was given to each of three of us girls.

At any rate the memory that is so clear is how frightened I was by some noises I had heard. I was wide awake listening and imagining, all the while the dog was making low growly sounds which frightened me even more. The basement had a separate outside door on one side and a door that led from a very old 'under the house garage.' It was so narrow it must have been used for a horse and buggy. But you can imagine how either door was a tool to feed my fright. Never did find out what the noise was all about either but I know I didn't sleep till someone finally came home.

That old house was very old and had lots of creaks and sounds of it's own even when no one was there. Berta Mae and I discovered that when we were in grade school and because we were always playacting out different stories, we would hide behind one of the chairs when no one was home and scare ourselves silly imagining what or who was making the sounds. I remember one time we ran in and climbed on the kitchen table before finally running outside into the sunshine and away from "it".

This fear of "sounds in the night" stayed with me. When I started dating Bill in San Diego I was living with three other girls in a house which was two story on one side and one story on the front side. I was the first one home from a date one night so Bill checked the whole house before leaving me alone. Unfortunately the doors were not locked evidently. As I was drifting off to sleep I heard a clumping sound but convinced myself I needed to stop imagining things, it was nothing at all, I was just overreacting. Later, when Marta and Colleen came home with their dates, they woke me to tell me there was a drunk passed out at the kitchen table. He had climbed the outside stairs from the back alley...

OK, I am now convincing myself it must have been a large branch that fell on the roof, so guess I will try to go to sleep.

So Far, So Good

I think the Republicans are going to have a hard time to match the convention the Democrats have put on so far. It has been very well presented with some great talks even though there have also been a lot that say the same thing like they are scripted and the people don't really know what they are talking about. A lot of promises though, a lot of promises that a President cannot keep without a lot of cooperation and where is all the money to do everything to come from?

I am happy to say that Sen. Biden showed a side I have not seen before. He was not snarling at anybody and actually was presented very well! Beautiful wife and handsome son, too.

Still...

I was wondering..

When will this political stuff be over?

Five Things

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago:

1. Working for a Mortgage Company
2. Living in Pacific Beach
3. Bicycling daily at the Bay with Nadine (and Bandido in the basket)
4. Planning my escape from San Diego
5. Attended Meagan's Graduation in June

5 Things On My To Do List:

1. Figure out how to make money
2. Finish my Life History
3. Organize my Genealogy (again)
4. Finish the quilt I started 8 years ago
5. Start Yoga or something!

5 Favorite Snacks/Food:

1. Nachos
2. Fuji apple with peanut butter
3. Fuji apple with caramel dip (homemade)
4. Tootsie Rolls
5. Fruit Smoothies and homemade Wendy's Frosty

5 Things I Would Do If I Was a Billionaire:

1. Have a second home in Sweden
2. Have a lavish garden with beautiful flowers
3. Have a yacht on the Mediterranean/Agean Seas
4. Have a Lakeside home with a Sailboat and Goodlooking Captain
5. Have a maid/cook/personal trainer/gardener

5 Bad Habits:

1. Eating sugar and butter treats
2. Procrastination
3. Avoiding Exercise
4. Being unfriendly
5. Selfish with time

5 Places I Have Lived:

1. Ogden, Ut
2. Glendive, Mt
3. Provo, Ut
4. San Diego/San Diego/Pacific Beach/La Jolla/Rancho Bernardo, CA
5. Lake Almanor, CA

Persons I'm Tagging (Kristi already tagged most of the only ones that read my blog)

1. Linda

Fini!

Well, the last rock is in sand and it is finished!!! When the wind blows my cedar makes a mess but I am leaving it in sand so it drains very well. Will see how it does through the winter.

Happy Birthday, Mike!

I just remembered Kristi's husband Mike shares a birthday with Richard. That is one birthday I won't forget. Happy Birthday, Mike, surely appreciated the use of your truck!

Happy Birthday, Richard!

I was reading last week that the spirits are nearby and know our thoughts and feel our sorrow so I hope Richard knows how much I miss him. He used to tell me I would never miss him when he was gone. It was just that he always liked someone near him whether he was working, reading, watching TV or what and I always had little projects I wanted to work on that didn't necessarily include him.

I found this note in my journal about his recovery from his first heart attack. "Richard finally did recover and was home for another month. It was a wonderful month. We were more appreciative of life and each other and Richard was on valium, so did not even think about his work. It was like the honeymoon we never had. We also had a lot of visitors--surely appreciate all our friends."

I am glad we had that honeymoon because we married on a Friday, and were back to work on Monday morning.

Old Age is For the Pits!

I thought this was an interesting contrast in what happens to you in 55 years of living.  Of course, there is the obvious white haire, a "given" if you abstain from the bother of hair color.  The wrinkles (of course, I never did have the beautiful skin like Melissa's even in my good days), droopy eyes, yellowed teeth, brown spots on the skin, the shortened neck (is tht where those 2 inches went)?  Viva la youth, Melissa is a beauty.

 

Janet in better days at BYU, about a couple years older than Melissa.

If I Knew You were Coming, I'd Have Baked a Cake!...

...was a song from my youth.

Well, we did know she was coming and I did bake a cake. It was called Italian Cream Cake in honor of Maria coming back from her "educational trip" to Italy. While looking in my journal I found this about Maria's patriarchal blessing experience which I was able to share with her.

It was really a beautiful blessing. He (Patriarch) asked me if I knew what a choice person she is!

Maria hadn't slept for 36 hours but looked relaxed and managed a big smile before Melissa took off for college in Chico.

A fond farewell to Melissa before she embarks off to Butte College.

New Proposed Location for Solomon's Temple

For those of you who might be concerned about the Temple being built in Jerusalem before the Second Coming of Christ, there is very interesting news. As you probably know, there has been concern about disturbing the Dome of the Rock, the magnificent Muslim mosque, to restore Solomon's temple.

However, a team was sent to Jerusalem last April to research the Temple Mount and surrounding area. I won't list who they were and all their credentials but they had them. And they came up with a new proposed location of where the Temple was and there is nothing on it to prevent the Temple being restored!

Unfortunately more research is still needed. At present, most on-site research is strictly prohibited. Additional careful measurements need to be made. Nevertheless, the evidence is much more solid than anything for other proposed locations, much of which is based on groundless speculation. It definitely appears that some ancient building stood there, and it is about the right size, shape and orientation to have been Solomon's temple.

Evidence has been presented for the location of Solomon's temple having been situated between the existing Dome of the Rock and dome of the Tablets. If this location is indeed correct, then the exact location and orientation have been pinpointed in a place where no building currently stands. Thus the temple could be restored there without impacting the Dome of the Rock in any way.

To read the full article with pictures and all details and specifics, go to Meridian Magazine and read the article with the same name as this blog.

Nightmare! Nightmare!

Wow, am I ever glad that nightmare is over!!!

The last thing I read before I went to bed is that Barack Obama had chosen Sen. Biden as his running mate and I had thought, "Did he ever shoot himself in the foot, I can't believe it." Sen Biden, to me, has always been one of the most unlikable Senators there is. What are they thinking? Good for McCain, anyway.

Then I had this nightmare where I went to work for him and the work conditions were so appalling. I was just admiring this other woman who very cleverly told him what she thought of the "office" and I was thinking, "Why can't I speak up like that?" Then, thank heaven, I woke up.

Mitch was the Man today!

Mitch came up and we made two trips to the creek for river rock. I am hoping this will be enough to finish the patio, yea!!!

Then he climbed the roof and cleaned it off plus cleaning out all the gutters, big job!!!

Then he loaded the last wood I have to the deck...I have been promised more wood coming from the guys at church. Last year I was totally empty when they filled my bin also.

But he wasn't finished yet! He started digging five holes for me to put my white birch trees that I am ordering. This is so that when you look out my dining room you see fluttering pretty leaves rather than somebody else's deck. when you dig holes here you have to keep filling them with water and dig over a period of weeks. It is almost solid rock!

While I was outside I discovered the deer have been in one of my enclosed gardens which makes me wonder why do I have a wire fence around them? I watched a mama deer leap in and later leap out with beautiful form...so the only ones not able to get in easily now are the baby deer and me. The squirrels also jump on the fence and then in. Frustration.

Anyway we did good today and I really appreciated all of Mitch's hard work! Thank you, Mitch.

Summer Under the Stars

This has been a delightful summer of excellent movies from TCM. They have been having "Summer Under the Stars" and feature movies for one movie star for one or more days. I record them and then watch at my leisure. By turning on my TV in the living room and bedroom I can get my whole house cleaned while watching a good movie.

And I can't say too much about the wonderful movies of the 40's--the old black and whites and then some of the 50's. Last week I enjoyed Kim Novak. She was an idol of mine for her looks. This week it has been Greer Garson.

She is one special lady and supposedly has the most beautiful voice in movies. She has always been an idol of mine in the way she carries herself, the way she speaks. Yesterday I watched "Random Harvest" a truly romantic film of WWII.

It just seems the movies of the 40's have so much more depth and personify the best and worst in all of us which such clarity. They also leave a lot to the imagination, which is always best, I think.

Billy Joel - Uptown Girl

Yesterday I saw an intriguing article on 10 musical videos that had been made by musical star couples when they were "together" who later broke up.

Most of them were trash as far as I was concerned but I really enjoyed "Billy Joel - Uptown Girl". It was made in 1983 when Billy Joel and Christy Brinkly were a couple and he takes the part of a mechanic in a garage and she drives up with her chauffeur in a fancy car and gets out and does a dance with him and the other mechanics. He was young and small then and she was a classy model.

It is worth the watch and listen but the embedding was removed so you have to go to You Tube and put in Billy Joel-Uptown Girl to enjoy.

News from Italy

In view of Maria's experiences I was interested in this news out of Italy today!

No sandcastles please, you're in Italy

Mon Aug 18, 8:59 AM ET

When in Capri, don't wander off the beach in a bikini. If you go to the sea in Eraclea, near Venice, remember that building sandcastles is forbidden. And don't even think about mowing your lawn at the weekend in Forte dei Marmi.

Emboldened by a nationwide crackdown on crime and a government decree giving them extra law-and-order powers, Italian mayors have issued a string of often bizarre by-laws to enhance "public decorum."

Public displays of affection in a car can earn you a fine of up to 500 euros ($745) in Eboli, feeding pigeons is off-limits in the centre of Lucca while in Novara groups of more than two people are forbidden from lounging around in parks at night.

Italian newspapers have dubbed this year's holiday season "the summer of bans." But this week one town hall was forced to acknowledge things may have gone too far.

Rodrigo Piccoli, 33, called national radio to protest after he was fined 50 euros for lying down in a park in the northern city of Vicenza to read a book. The mayor has since promised to drop the ban.

Happy Birthday, John

August 18th, the anniversary of John's birth. Richard and I were living in a small apartment in Pacific Beach when John was born. We were very happy. Here is an excerpt from my journal written in December 1960:

John Eric is waking. I'll leave him till he cries for me, he seems to enjoy his crib and looking at the bunnies--probably even babies enjoy a little privacy. He's 3 1/2 months old now and so very alert and active. He weighs around 14 lbs. and is 25" long-- a husky fellow who laughs and smiles for everyone. Most people think he is older and I do believe he was about 3 weeks past due when he was born. He was due July 27th and not born till August 18th. Even then I had uteri inertia and they had to take him caesarean. The doctor says I should have only two more babies and have them two years apart. I'm not sure how much confidence I have in Dr. Shephard though, even if he is a Mormon. I may change next time. Baby John wants me now, he doesn't cry much, just fusses to tell you things. He always lets me know when he's messed his pants so guess he'll be a particular boy about his clothes!! Funny fellow, he's almost back to sleep again--he sleeps much more lately it seems. Yesterday he had his casts removed that he had worn for 3 weeks to tighten his heel cord. It was not serious and looks much better. We received our processed roll of film back. I'm so anxious to see our first movies--hope we really keep a good movie record of our children.

December 7, 1960 Poor John is feverish and unhappy today. He had his second polio shot yesterday and it has affected him. I've been getting a few things ready for Christmas--I'm so anxious to get a tree up, the wrapped packages look so pretty. Saturday we bought our projector and screen. We've shown our Thanksgiving film over and over. I never tire of looking at baby John, I believe he is such a sweetie. I never dreamed I could have such a darling, lovable baby.

TAGGED

OK, I took the challenge, this is not easy...one word doesn't say it.

Where is your cell phone?.........................PURSE?

Your significant other?...............................CARING

Your hair?.........................................60’s

Your mother?...................................KIND

Your father?....................................GENTLE

Your favorite thing?.............................MOVIES

Your dream last night........................HAZY

Your favorite drink................................WATER

Your dream/goal..............................JOY

The room you're in..........................OFFICE

Your children?...................................AMAZING

Your fear?.......................................POVERTY

Where do you want to be in 6 years?.............HERE

Where were you last night?.........................HERE

What you're not?....................................SOCIAL

Muffins?.........................................BLUEBERRY

One of your wish list items?.........................MONEY

Where'd you grow up?................................MONTANA

What'd you read last?......................... THE MEDIATOR

What are you wearing?.........................WRAPAROUND

Your TV?......................................COMPANION

Your pet?.................................FOLLOWER

Your computer?...............................NECESSARY

Your life?.....................................PLEASANT

Your mood?................................GRATEFUL

Missing someone?............................RICHARD

Your car?.........................................OUTBACK

Something you're not wearing?..................UNDIES

Favorite store?..............................COLDWATER CREEK

Your summer?....................................LOVELY

Like someone?.....................................FAMILY

Your favorite color?................................RED

Last time you laughed................................KARAOKE

Last time you cried?.....................................TESTIMONY

I TAG MARIA AND MEAGAN

Just Kate!

Great Grandbaby Kate is a delightful child and Kristi is such a great Mom. Kate really enjoys being with everybody and is busy, busy, busy all the time. She usually won't look in the camera but I caught her four times here, just couldn't get her to smile.

Looks like she is always eating but she is a good eater. Cute, cute, cute. Every day's a good day for Kate!

Looking Good!!!

The Pulsipher children stopped at the river last night after their supper and brought the rocks over this morning and I couldn't resist going out and working on it.

Then Gary, Tanner, Linda and I did one more run and I have it this far tonight!!! I can't believe it after 4 years it is almost finished!!!

The Pulsiphers have really been super about giving so much time to gathering river rocks--thank you, thank you, thank you.

Fun on the Lake and Happy Anniversary!

Linda and Gary have been married 26 years today. Wow, if Richard were alive, we would have been married 49 years!! Anyway they went to Dianna's at the Club for prime rib and said it was good. Hard to believe how quickly life passes by.

 Today I was on the boat with them while they did their wakeboarding. They are all so good and it was quite smooth. Great lake and it was beautiful as always!! I took a lot of videos but haven't figured out how to put them on my computer yet???

 Tonight Kelly, Craig, Amy, Sarah, and Tanner all sang karaoke at Teen Karaoke. That was entertaining. I am always amazed how many want to sing and dance and how few are really talented. Makes you appreciate to pros but it was fun. The kids had made cake for their parents so we finished off the day with that. Nice day!!

Oh, yes, I worked from 6 to 8 am putting down the rocks they brought me yesterday. A little back breaking for an old lady but keeps me young I guess.

River Rock Patio

The patio is almost half done!! And it is looking great. The Pulsiphers have made about three trips to the creekbed--(only need about 200 more). Oh well, Matt first starting digging the area out 4 years ago so if it takes a little more time, that is ok, I am patient.

Summer Concert and Work on the Patio!

Every Sunday night in the summer there is a music under the stars.

But first comes a surprise!  Before Matt leaves with his truck to go back to Reno late Sunday afternoon it looks like my patio is getting a little closer.

Gary somehow finangled some sand from a landscaping place and everyone helped shovel it out and smooth it in my area. 

Pizza Time on Tuesday night.

After pizza at Taratino's they all helped gather some rocks from the river. I can see it will take me years though because a car full of rocks really doesn't go very far!

I really appreciate Gary going to all the effort to find sand before Mike took his truck back to Reno and everyone helping so much. Thank you, thank you, Pulsiphers and Stewarts!

Tijuana

When I came to San Diego to teach in 1956 one of the first places we went was Tijuana to shop. When my parents came that summer we also went across. In fact, all of the tourists that visited us went to Tijuana. It was a fun place to go in those days.

We also had exchanges with the Tijuana ward and ate down there with them and they with us. Each Christmas we would have a ward drive for Toys for Tijuana and this would go to the ward and also to the orphanage there.

I just read an article in the Washington Post about the severe Aids epidemic in Tijuana--one in every 125 people has aids from prostitution and drug use. But it says Aids is a hitchhiker into the United States with the many that go back and forth across the border. Just another "signs of the times" and very sad. Richard loved the Mexican people and enjoyed helping them whenever he could. We always had them as day workers in our home and often as yard workers. It is sad to read this.