Poor Bandido

We all know Bandido  has poor eyesight.  Today he almost froze because of it.

I let him out on the back deck where I had shoveled a nice snow free area for him to go pee.  Since there was so much snow I did not hook him up to his leash for a run (slow walk) to the backyard.

While I was busy at the computer at the dining room table I soon wondered why he had not come back to the door to be let in.

Lo and behold he was nowhere to be seen, until I noticed a wandering trail of a paw marked tunnel in the snow that went round and round below the deck and then trailed off in to the side yard.  I ran to the front door and looked out to see if the trail led to the front of the house.  Not so.  I ran back and peered over the side of the deck and there was Bandido wandering around in the deep snow in the neighbor's yard.

All tuckered out after his snow trip.

  He had so many balls of snow stuck to him I had to put him in the bathtub and warm his legs with warm water and melt the snow. 

Poor thing, this is the first time in a year or so that he stepped off the deck by himself.   With the snow about the same heighth I am sure he just went the wrong way.  What if I had forgotten I let him out????  I shudder to think.  With his bad eyes and deaf ears and my bad memory,  we are a dangerous duo.

Old Man Trees

"Darn, we thought spring was here!"

Fear Thou Not!

As I was listening to the TV today I heard someone say "I have never seen so much fear in the faces of the people as I followed the campaign trail this year."  And then he listed all the reasons we have to fear and I understood well what he was saying.  And then I turned to the Church News and on the back was an editorial 'Fear Thou Not'.

I quote "In these times, many people are pessimistic toward the future...and then a list of all negative things going on and then "However, as valid as these issues may be, we do not need to lose hope. The adversary would seduce us into pessisism for, with that attitude, he has greater control." 

And then  a list of suggestions of how to avoid this fear and finally a quote from the best example of optimism President Thomas S. Monson.  This is what he said in October 2011.

"In this world where nearly everything seems to be changing, His constancy is something on which we can rely, an anchor to which we can hold fast and be safe, lest we be swept away into uncharted waters.

Some of you may feel restricted by the code of conduct to which we in the Church adhere. My brothers and sisters, I declare to you, however, that there is nothing which can bring more joy into our lives or more peace to our souls than the Spirit which can come to us as we follow the Savior and keep the commandments. That Spirit cannot be present at the kinds of activities in which so much of the world participates.

We must be vigilant in a world which has moved so far from that which is spiritual. It is essential that we reject anything that does not conform to our standards, refusing in the process to surrender that which we desire most: eternal life in the kingdom of God. The storms will still beat at our doors from time to time, for they are an inescapable part of our existence in mortality. We, however, will be far better equipped to deal with them, to learn from them, and to overcome them if we have the gospel at our core and the love of the Savior in our hearts.

As the winds of change swirl around us and the moral fiber of society continues to disintegrate before our very eyes, may we remember the Lord’s precious promise to those who trust in Him: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10."

What a Promise!  How great to have a consistent light of hope in this dark world.

A Train In Winter

I just finished the book Maria sent to me 'A Train in Winter'.  It is the story of 230 women who were a part of the French Resistance in WWII and who were hunted down and imprisoned and eventually sent to Auschwitz. 

Only 49 survive and return to France after the war.  The saddest part to me is that these 49 who survive do not really have happy lives after the war.  It is as if they cannot get the horror of what they went through out of their memories or out of their physical health.  They feel they cannot really put into understandable words what they went through either.

I myself had not read such personal descriptions of life in Auschwitz.  I did not know there were many others there besides the Jews.  Although the mission was to exterminate the Jews, many others were there to work for the Nazis, but they were horribly treated and most of them died also.  (Actually the Nazis had these women sign papers that they would not tell what went on in the camps.)  How could they ( the Nazis) who were losing the war at this time, expect them to honor that?

I cried for awhile after I finished.  I felt so ashamed of my every feeling sad about any experiences I have had--they cannot, of course, be even a particle of what these women had gone through.

One thing that was interesting is this quote: "Their own particular skills as women, caring for others and being practical, made them, they told themselves, less vulnerable than men to harsh conditions and despair.  Adaptability was crucial, resignation fatal.  The inability to undo a vision of life as it should be and not cope with what it was, led, as they had observed. to apathy and the condition of musulmans, those more dead than alive.  They did their best to stay clean, to wash their faces in the snow or icy brooks, believing that it made them both healthier and more dignified.  And they wanted, passionately, to live, to survive the war, and to describe to the world exactly what they had been through and what they had witnessed."

Also interesting was that the older women (30-50s) could adapt more than the younger ones (20 and younger who were healthier).  They also knew they needed each other and so kept that friendship and caring throughout their imprisonment.  You could not survive alone.

Toward the end, the Nazis were speedily trying to get rid of the emaciated bodies before the Yanks would discover them.   "One night, Marie-Claude heard terrible cries; next morning she learnt that because the gas chambers had run out of Zyklon B pellets, the smaller children had been thrown directly on to the flames. 'When we tell people,' she said to the others, 'who will believe us?'  The Gypsies had many babies while at Auschwitz and the Nazis would bash the baby heads to the wall to kill them.  If a mother fought them, they beat her to death also.

'A Train in Winter'  is written from interviews with these women and their families; German, French, and Polish archives; and documents held by WWII resistance organizations to uncover a dark chapter of history that offers an inspiring portrait of ordinary people, of bravery and survival--and the remarkable, enduring power of female friendship.  This was written by Caroline Moorehead.

I had to ask myself.  Would I have been brave enough to be a part of the Resistance or would I have fled to the country  with my children?

The saddest line was  "Didn't we pray enough?"  asked by one of the younger women. 

Shingles are On!

I'm finished working on my Seven Dwarf House for awhile.  I can't find the furniture I made in San Diego though.  But Matt is here and we are going to clean the garage tomorrow so maybe I will find them.  Oh, well, I think this view is prettier anyway.

All in a Day's Work

If I get nothing else done in the day, at least if I did my hour of family research indexing I can feel I have accomplished something.

Today I also completed one half of the shingling on the doll house.

And I tested the Gluten free Snickerdoodle recipe.  And amazingly they are the best Snickerdoodles I have ever tasted.  Who needs wheat?  And only 65 calories in a cookie!

Furthermore I watched "Breaking Dawn" and although I still don't think the star is much of an actress I must say it was filmed pretty much as I imagined it.  I really like it when the movies follow the books.  It is not a film series of much depth but I was amazed to hear it had won a British Award for Best Child (Teen) movie of the year.  Really?  The photography is great, anyway.

Bruce continues to be downhearted because I never take him for a walk.  I think my throat is getting better, maybe next week, Bruce.

Silver Gate Cabin 1963

This is a picture of Carole a year before she married. At the cabin, of course.

This is my brother Dick, his son Roddy with Mom, Carole and Dad.  Carole is the only one of these still living.  Mom and Dad would have been 61 in this picture.

Happy Birthday Keira!

Here is Keira dressed in the Raggedy Ann dress I made for Meagan on her first birthday and holding the Raggedy Ann doll I also made.  I had no idea Meagan still had this.

I love it.  Now If I can only find a picture of Meagan!

Here is Keira with her Birthday Girl Hat but no birthday smile!!

Island at War

Today I watched all six episodes of "Island at War".  At times I wondered why I suffer through these WWII movies because the mean German soldiers get me so upset but...  There were also some very nice German soldiers that made you realize they did not want war either.  They were forced to do what they had to and after all they are all just people, no matter whose side they were on.

The human dynamics were so interesting.  It was very well done and I wished there had been more episodes!!

A side note of interest was the Grandma making potato flour from potatos and commenting  on how many potatos it takes to make flour.  Until I started making gluten free pancakes and such from cornstarch and potato starch I was not even aware there was potato flour.

Swimming Pool in Glendive in 1924

One of my childhood friends, George, sent me some pictures of my hometown.  This was taken in 1924 and I did not move there until I was 15 months old in 1934. 

This is a picture of what was called the Heights and was the North Side of town.  The swimming pool, which later had walks and diving boards and a lovely grass park built all around it with a lovely building with rooms to change your clothes and etc., was just down from our house.

In fact, I can see the Northern Pacific Hospital in the top right and right in front of it was the big house we bought in 1940.  I had heard it was about 50 years old when we bought it.  We had it remodeled when I was in high school.  On the left side of the chimney was a small garage only wide enough for a horse and buggy.

The swimming pool was all cement and had lots of cracks that would be tarred over every year.  It was deep enough that we later had a 10 foot diving board, a 5 foot diving board and a big slide.

Below is a picture of my friend Carla and I with some of the boys from our class.  We were sitting at the edge of the pool.  This was probably about 1947 or 8 or so.

Shingling

Well, I finally started shingling the roof of my dollhouse and I am not enjoying it at all. It is going to be a tedious job, I can see. And what am I going to do with the house when I am finished. I don't know why I start these things as I never want to finish them.


The other day on Dr. Phil the psychiatrist tried to tell these fat ladies that they ate too much because someone made them feel unloved. I do not believe that at all. I had a sweet tooth when I was young, skinny and loved just as much as I do now when I am alone. I do not believe that is why some people like to eat and some others are so disciplined.


Dr. Phil did not let Donny Osmond finish telling about why he has so much energy today. Donny said he had been taking protactim for two years and really believed in it. Dr. Phil did not let him elaborate but I looked it up on the internet and it is very expensive. $40 for a 30 day supply and it looks like you have to commit to having it shipped every month. Not for me even if it would be give me more energy and new cells.


Today I made pancakes again even though I thought I was going to stick strictly to protein for awhile and drop some winter weight. I just can't commit to giving up the comfort foods.



One positive thing, the moon has been spectacular the last few nights. It is so big and bright through the trees, very beautiful.


For some reason I have been filling out my timeline on Facebook. Why??? I don't know, but it is a nice program to remember the important things in your life. What I will ever do with it, though, I cannot imagine.

Being Chosen

Today I really enjoyed the Sunday School Lesson on the Atonement given by Jane.  And one point was made so well about receiving tender mercies from the Lord.

It was taken from a talk David Bednar gave at Conference in 2005 just six months after his calling to be a General Authority.  He was talking about how some us feel we are not privileged to be the chosen by the Lord. And then went on and used scripture to explain who the chosen are.  It was quite enlightening.

Who Are They Whom the Lord Has Chosen to Receive His Tender Mercies?

The word chosen in 1 Nephi 1:20 [1 Ne. 1:20] is central to understanding the concept of the Lord’s tender mercies. The dictionary indicates that chosen suggests one who is selected, taken by preference, or picked out. It also can be used to refer to the elect or chosen of God (Oxford English Dictionary Online, second ed. [1989], “Chosen”).

Some individuals who hear or read this message erroneously may discount or dismiss in their personal lives the availability of the tender mercies of the Lord, believing that “I certainly am not one who has been or ever will be chosen.” We may falsely think that such blessings and gifts are reserved for other people who appear to be more righteous or who serve in visible Church callings. I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are available to all of us and that the Redeemer of Israel is eager to bestow such gifts upon us.

To be or to become chosen is not an exclusive status conferred upon us. Rather, you and I ultimately determine if we are chosen. Please now note the use of the word chosen in the following verses from the Doctrine and Covenants:

“Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?

“Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men” (D&C 121:34–35; emphasis added).

I believe the implication of these verses is quite straightforward. God does not have a list of favorites to which we must hope our names will someday be added. He does not limit “the chosen” to a restricted few. Rather, it is our hearts and our aspirations and our obedience which definitively determine whether we are counted as one of God’s chosen.

Jane also gave "the Bicyle" story from Robinson's book "Believe in Christ"or something like that.  It was the book Roddy read just before passing away and he challenged everyone with "I know you believe in Christ but do you believe Him?"  I am glad he received that testimony of understanding the atonement before he passed away.  It was a good reminder that it is not working to do our best everyday that makes us worthy for the atonement but our realizing the need for the Savior in our life no matter how much we do.

Favorite Picture

I love this picture taken in the backyard of our Pacific Beach home in about 1964.

Maria, Johnny and Linda already to go some place, Church, probably.

Johnny liked to sit on the front row and Linda with him.

Joan Allen was usually liking to have Maria sit on her lap throughout Sacrament Meeting.

Woe is Me...

My sore throat and earache have returned--why?  I had antibiotics for five days which was supposed to be good for 10 days but I figured it was the night of the 10th day when the sore throat returned, so what is that all about?  

Today I watched "Edward VIII" miniseries, in preparation for watching Madonna's W.E.  I am also interesting in watching Madonna at the SuperBowl tomorrow.  I think she is an amazing intelligent and creative person who works very hard to do what is important to her.  Lots of discipline I think.  Will be interesting to see how she does on both counts.

I was interested in some Widipedia info about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor--they were called the greatest parasites of the 20th Century.  She had jewels worth millions and their furnishings ended up selling for millions.  They were obviously supported by the British Government--but she stated it was very difficult to keep the "great romance" going.  It was obvious from what I read and saw that they did not really think the Brits would make him abdicate and I am sure it did not make Mrs. Simpson happy at all.  Also they may have been sympathetic with the Nazis.  There have been so many movies and books written about them, how would you know what was really true.

Since I will be watching the Super Bowl alone tomorrow as Mike has to work (doubt he would watch it anyway) I had him bring home some Buffalo Wings and Nachos stuff and I made a gluten free chocolate cake.

Oh, yes, more gluten free excellent recipes.  Yesterday I tried the Raised Doughnuts and today I tried the Chocolate Cake.  Both excellent, which is not really a good thing for me.  The recipes are so simple and so delicious, it is a good thing I am out of potato starch.

I always want to spell potato with an e on the end...spellcheck does not like that.  Where did I learn that?

I talked to Myrna for a long time tonight.  Her daughter wants her to make decisions about what to do with her Manhattan Beach house and all her collections and furniture in it.  It makes Myrna very sad, though she realizes she is very lucky to have those kind of decisions to make.  She had spoon, special plates, and Merrry Go Round music box collections.  It is so hard to know what to do with all those treasures and whether to rent or sell her house.  I don't envy her decisions.

Happy Endings Please!!!

I just enjoyed watching another BBC Masterpiece Series "Downton Abbey" but there was no happy ending.  I don't like that.  It is so amazing how they were able to carry out those class distinctions for so long in Britain...and maybe they still do.

Last night I finished the audio of the "The Shaken Earth" and I skipped some of the middle cds as it was just too long as they looked for the daughter's mother after the earthquake.  I just couldn't take it anymore as she talked about her "mama" so I put on the 10th CD and at least there was the happy ending finally.

I just don't have any energy for completing any of my projects right now, not sure why but I am spending too much time reading, listening to cds and watching TV!!!  And even then it takes a lot to hold my interest--I must have the winter boredom blues or something.

The sun has been shining but there is a chill in the air and I build a fire about 4 every day amd keep it going til 10 or 11.   Very comfy.

Yesterday I went back to Shelley to cut my hair.  I showed her what I wanted and after giving me a hard time about the fact my hair was nothing like the ladies in the pictures she did a super job of cutting it just the way I wanted.  Of course, next month I may want it all different but she is very good.

She was telling me she sold 17 houses last year which is truly amazing.  She has learned how to sell the short sales and foreclosures.  The last one on the peninsula she sold for $375,000 right on the lake!!  Good deals out there for those with money.  Wish I had the ambition to learn how to do it but I don't. 

Surprise, surprise, the last two days Bandido has run as fast as he can and loved it.  Mike spoiled the dogs by putting something delicious on their dry food and now they beg every day for more.