A Day at the Zoo

Kelsi waits by the entrance for Kate and Ryan.

Yea, Linda arrives with Ryan and Kate.

Ryan and Kate are a caterpillar and a butterfly.

Petting goats at the Children's Zoo is fun.

Cute Bugs.

Always fun to climb on the turtle.

Good ride, Ryan.

Dipping in the ice with the Seals.

Ryan pops up.  This is all a new attraction to the Polar Bear exhibit.  The bears were having

great fun showing off but the children were more interested in playing in the ice caves.

Climbing in the helicopter is also a new thing at the Zoo!

Meagan came to join us and I forgot to get her picture...darn it.

Dinner and Games at the Pulsiphers

First party since arriving in San Diego was at Linda and Gary's house on Sunday night, the 9th.  Linda made some pulled pork for sandwiches and beans and Camber and Maria brought salads.  Yummy.  Oh, yes, and the Pulsiphers had made wonderful cupcakes.

We played silly games and it was fun having all the grandchildren old enough to join in the games.


Linda and Kristi

 
Meagan and Matt

Jacob and Camber

Jacob, James, and Jimmy

Johnny and Maria

More Pictures at Pulsiphers

Matt S, Kelly, and Matt V

Kate, Sarah, and Lea

Kelsi

Tanner

Janet and Mike

Selective Memory

My sister, Marilyn, called and said she loved reading "The Montana Years" and that there was a lot more detail than she remembered. 

She did say I had forgotten that we had an 18th Birthday Party for Marilyn at Norma Kay's house.  Kay was in my grade, not Marilyn's.  I do not remember it at all. 

It is very interesting what "selective memory" we have.  I am not sure that term applies here but I did look it up and this is what it means:

Lacunar amnesia is the loss of memory about one specific event. It is a type of amnesia that leaves a lacuna (a gap) in the record of memory.


According to Steven Johnson, (the author of Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life):

"Scientists believe memories are captured and stored by two separate parts of the brain, the hippocampus, the normal seat of memory, and the amygdala, one of the brain's emotional centers...   the brain is designed to preserve emotionally strong memories. Even amnesiacs, under the right circumstances, can remember their past feelings."



Furthermore, according to Alex Chadwick speaking on NPR:

"Some scientists now believe that memories effectively get rewritten every time they're activated...  Theoretically, if you could block that chemical reaction in a human brain while triggering a specific memory, you could make a targeted erasure. Think of a dreadful fight with your girlfriend while blocking that chemical reaction, and zap! The memory's gone."



Daniel Goleman, in his book Vital Lies, Simple Truths, defines a lacuna as :

"...   Lacunas, in short, create blind spots "

As I say, I can't imagine why I would selectively forget Marilyn's birthday party, but the above has certainly happened in the selective memories I have regarding relationships that fall apart.  I simply have erased certain memories from my brain, absolutely.  I also would erase from my mind disagreements with my husband.  It certainly makes for a more peaceful coexistence.  Richard, on the other hand, could remember everything--this is not nearly as good for the psyche.

Selective memory is a great survival mechanism.

Marilyn, a few years ago, at the Anderson Cabin.

Dad's Birthday

Back Row: Dave and his wife Dorothy, Janet, Dick

Front row: Jeanne, Mom, Carole, Dad, Marilyn

Wednesday, Jan 5,  was my Dad's birthday and my brother called to wish me a Happy Birthday.  That is OK, mine comes a little later in January. 

He said they both enjoyed my book "The Montana Years" but I had forgotten he went to Dawson County Junior College in Glendive before he went to Utah State and he had two years there, ever though he did not graduate.  He went straight from college to marriage and then managed one of the several stores my Dad and his brother had at that time. He said he also didn't remember me being with the folks when they picked him up in Idaho after he burned his legs in an accident.  Neither one of us could remember what car we had.  I just remember seeing his feet stick out the back door whenever we stopped and I was cautioned not to close the door on his feet.

Dave and Dorothy eventually ended up in  the Anderson's store in Miles City.  Miles City was about 80 miles from Glendive.  One time when I stopped there on my way to or from  someplace he let me out the alley door where my car was parked.  It was early in the morning and someone he knew came by and was gawking.  Dave called out, "She's my sister."

Dave and Dorothy 2009


Kathy Bishop's Family

This is a picture of my brother Dick's daughter Kathy (center in red) and his wife Mary ( with dog) and Kathy's husband Myron Bishop (holding baby Matthew in rear) and their children and spouses. Nice picture.

Mary lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Kathy and Myron live in Lander, Wyoming.

New Year's Resolutions

Yes, I think this is a good time to review my personal goals, habits and determinations.  It is never to late to make a fresh start.  Seems the things I want to improve on are always the same but that just means I am probably not trying hard enough.  What do I need to do for 2011?

More Exercise--although I am busy all day long, it is hard for me to stick to an exercise routine, especially since I have problems with my left metatarsal.  This has resulted in Bandido and I each acquiring a few pounds this year.  Yes, I will work on that.

End mindless snacking--I do this when I have a project, when I am thinking about something, when I am stressed, when I am bored, when I am lonely--it seems the reasons for mindless snacking are endless.  I need to try and understand that outlet and stop it!!!  I have given up so many foods such as gluten products and it has not been hard so I know I can do it.  I just need to keep my head in gear instead of drifting into a daze.

Make time for things I enjoy and stop tasking all the time.  Yes, I am great at finishing my tasks.  I need to be better at doing what I enjoy which is????  I will work on that.  Smile, smile, smile is the first order of every moment.  And laugh out loud at least once a day.  Things don't seem as funny to me as they used to...

Sleep more, yes, sleep more.  I am sure I am sleep deprived--eat those cherries before bedtime,  Stop staying up late.  Get back to my habit of early rising, exercising, and then dressing for the day.  I have spoiled myself with too many pajama mornings, just because I can.

Reach out more--I am too satisfied with my little world--I need to get more involved...although this is just a goal, it is not a prerequisite for my happiness, it is just something that would probably add to my life.

Oh, yes, Janet, and don't forget to get back to your 30 minutes of dancing a day...you ditched that for 2010...put it back in your life for 2011.  Now print this off and put it front of your face once in awhile!!!

On Waking Up More Beautiful

I thought this was an especially helpful article--I already do several of them, but I surely haven't heard of the rooster pill???

1. Get an Early Start
Make a habit of washing your face a few hours before bed. If you wait until you're tired, you're more likely to blow it off -- allowing "toxins and dirt to stay on there all night," says dermatologist Laurie Polis of N.Y.C. Another consequence? You miss the best time to treat your skin. "At night there's more blood flow to the skin's surface, and there's nothing else on your face to interfere with absorption," Polis says.

2. Sleep on Your Back
Note to Audrey Hepburn fans: Lying on your stomach is bad for "beauty sleep." The average head weighs 7 to 8 pounds -- a lot of pressure to be putting on your face every night. In fact, many dermatologists say they can tell what side of the face people sleep on by the number of wrinkles there.

3. Get a Lift
Sleep with your head elevated on two pillows, or put the headrest area of your bed on 2- to 4-inch pieces of wood. Gravity helps lymph and blood flow so fluid won't accumulate, Polis says.

4. Save Money, Not Wrinkles
At night you don't need to worry about eye treatments smearing your makeup, so slather on the richest formula you can. Polis swears by Aquaphor: "It conditions lashes and hydrates the delicate eye skin really well."

5. Sneak a Glow
Mix a drop of self-tanner into your night cream or use a cream that contains a bit of tan-producing DHA.
Try: Clarins Radiance-Plus self-tanning cream, $52; clarinsusa.com.

6. Avoid Carb Face
To wake with defined cheekbones, eat a high-protein, low-sugar dinner (try salmon and asparagus, a natural diuretic). Skip the rice, pasta and potatoes. "When our diet's high in glycemic carbohydrates, our features take on a soft, doughy appearance," says Connecticut dermatologist Nicholas Perricone.

7. Wrap It Up
To minimize A.M. frizz, sleep on a satin pillowcase or put your hair in a silk scarf. "Those fabrics are much softer than cotton, so there's less friction," says Harry Josh, a John Frieda stylist.

8. Find Your Inner Ballerina
Pile hair into a twist on the top of your head (use a scrunchie to avoid crimping). "In the morning you'll have major volume and beautiful waves," Josh says.

9. Turn on the Hair Conditioning
Sleep with a moisturizing treatment in damp hair overnight. We like Philip B. Katira Hair Masque, but any rich conditioner will do. Rinse in the morning.
Try: Philip B. Katira Hair Masque, $40; philipb.com.

10. Pop a Rooster Pill
Trust us, we were skeptical. But after swallowing two Wake Up on Time pills at 11 P.M., we found it much easier to get out of bed seven hours later. Created by a sleep-deprived single mother, the pills contain an energizing blend of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamins B6 and B12 and guarana-seed extract. It's formulated with a coating that releases ingredients into your bloodstream toward the end of your last sleep cycle, so you wake up feeling clear-headed, not fuzzy.
Try: Wake Up On Time, $30/40 tablets; wakeupontime.com.

Everything I Never Needed to Know About My Birth Day

Your date of conception was on or about 1 May 1932 which was a Sunday.
You were born on a Sunday under the astrological sign Aquarius.

The year 1933 was not a leap year.
Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/6/1932 and ending 1/25/1933.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Monkey.

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 16 April 1933.

Your lucky day is Saturday.
Your lucky number is 4 and 8.
Your ruling planet(s) is Saturn and Uranus..
Your birth flower is CARNATION
Your birthstone is Garnet
The Mystical properties of Garnet
Garnet is used as a power stone
Your birth tree is Elm Tree, the noble-mindedness
Pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, tends to a know-all-attitude and making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humour, practical.

The moon's phase on the day you were born was waning crescent.
Sunday, January 22, 1933
Moon's age (days): 25

Anderson Family August 1967

This was taken after my father's funeral in August 1967.

He passed away while fishing his favorite fishing place on the Lamar River near Silver Gate, Montana. Linda had just turned 5 and Jimmy 1 in June.

You can see my brother Dick and Mary and Roddy on the left. Then Carole and Len, then Marilyn and Arky (holding Randy) and their children Sherry, Debby, Laurie and Bobby, Jeanne and Stan with Carole, Steven and Doug, then Richard and I with Jimmy and Linda (Maria and John were home with Richard's mother) and then my brother David and Dorothy. In the front row are Dick's girls Kathy and Cheri and Jeanne's boys David and Brian.  Where is Stephanie, Carole's daughter?  The baby must be Carole's Eric?

I flew up with Linda and Jimmy.  Richard flew up just for the funeral and went right back.  I stayed longer and helped Mom with some things.  It was hard on Maria with us being gone so long and Richard being at work most of the time.

The Day After Christmas 2010

In Church on Sunday, Mandy, one of our vacationing regulars from Reno (they have a second home in LACC) told about her six year old boy declaring "That's not true!" when I spoke at the November Fast Meeting and told the story of a tender mercy of the Lord in my college days.  (Refer to "An Answer to Prayer in the Mountains" in 'The Montana Years').

She went on to say how they used it for a 'teaching moment' and gave a very good talk about the importance of these teaching moments with our children.   She also said that every once in awhile he will now say, "Remember that lady who Heavenly Father helped up the slippery hill?" 

When her husband Andrew spoke, he also talked to the son in the audience about when the son's prayer was answered as well.  They both gave very touching talks.  Their families on both sides had been at their Lake Almanor vacation homes for Christmas and they were able to have their eight year old daughter baptized on Christmas Day in our Chapel.  That will be a nice memory for all of them.

Afterward I said to Mandy that I hoped she had convinced her son I was not a liar.  I then reminded her that I had commented before I spoke that for some reason I felt I needed to tell that story that day.  She said, "It was for us, it was for us."  She also said that for some reason he was listening very attentively to everything I said and that was most unusual for him.  However, she was very embarrassed when he blurted that out quite loudly and was trying to cover his mouth.

When he told her later in their "teaching moment" that it couldn't be true because he had prayed to Heavenly Father and He didn't do what he wanted.  Then they went over many times in their life when prayers had been answered.  They referred to the day in February when the father, the daughter and he had been stranded out on the dark mountain when their snowmobile had run out of gas.  They had prayed for help and that help had come.

Very lovely family and very interesting talks.  We always enjoy having someone besides our few members visit and especially when they share their lives with us.

Lovely side yard in the snow.

Christmas in Lake Almanor 2010

This was our Christmas Family this year.  Matt, Mitch and Me plus Bruce and Bandido.  It is only the second time in the 11 years I have been here that I have been home for Christmas.

However, we had the traditional Hardy Christmas.  Christmas Eve dinner followed by our Christmas program--minus the Nativity Scene but we looked at the pictures of Christmas in Rancho Bernardo in about 1991 when all the grandchildren were dressed as shepherds or angels and Kristi was Mary, Mike was Joseph and Meagan was an Angel.

We then opened Christmas presents.  There were not too many and we did not have the traditional White Elephant.  I was touched that the boys gave me a beautiful card and that lovely red Christmas throw on my lap plus a darling glass house to hide secret things in (like hershey kisses).

As usual when Bruce is here, Bandido was very serene but he slept mostly in Matt's room.  Bandido always did like men better than women.  What is that about?

We then learned a new version of Hearts, Black Maria, and Janet lost to the boys.  Next day it was Mitch that lost.  We also had lots of television to watch.  Christmas morning the boys went fishing at the lake.  We had lots of left overs and goodies to eat so it was a very pleasant Christmas weekend.  Mitch enjoyed an outing with a friend and Matt and Bruce went snowshoeing with Leo.

 

The boys each had a couch and I had my rocking chair.  Very comfy.  You can see the cute house on the Christmas table.

Christmas Card 2010

Happiness is Getting Your Picture Taken with Santa

Santa and Kelsi

Salami and Pepperoni--What is the Difference?

Christmas always reminds me of salami and I like it with french bread and butter, and sometimes cheese or a top a ritz cracker.  It was something I remember eating as a child with hot chocolate. 

So today I was wondering what was the difference between salami and pepperoni--because pepperoni is something I could do without.  Here is the answer.

Pepperoni is a corruption of 'peperoni', the Italian plural of peperone, referring to the bell pepper in it.


It is a spicy Italian-American variety of dry salami made of beef, pork and often veal. Pepperoni is a descendant of the spicy salamis of Southern Italy, such as salsiccia Napoletana piccante, a spicy dry sausage from Naples. Pepperoni is frequently used as a pizza topping in American-style pizzerias.

A 'Salame' (plural: Salami) is any cured (fermented, salted and air-dried) sausage made in the Italian tradition. The name comes from the Italian verb 'salare', meaning to salt.

Further, pepperoni is for pizza and salami is for sandwiches.  Since I never had pizza until I was about 24, it is understandable why I love the salami of my childhood more.

Jimmy and Cool Dog

Is that Bruce with you Jimmy?  Or somebody else's dog?  He surely looks cool, just like you.

Jacob Takes it Laying Down

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas.

Uncle Gary uses his skills on Jacob.

Aspiring Dancer and Model

Lea poses with a mouse as she prepares to dance in "Nutcracker Suite"

I love that Lea loves her dancing.

Kelsi always has a model pose.

I think she is extemely photogenic.

Yes, I think Kelsi has a career as a model.

Hardy Family Christmas 2010

The James Hardy Family--Christmas 2010

Kelsi meets Santa Claus

It is a Big NO!

You can't make the traditional Christmas Cookies with gluten free flour. It is the texture. They puff up and lose their shape and they become very fragile when cool. Ok for eating with milk, the taste is good but just not the same. Same as I found with my favorite cookie recipe.  Anyway I found a can of frosting I bought at the Dollar Store and frosted the blobs.  No use spending a lot of time decorating these strange things.  Do taste good though.

I will just have to wait for good  cookies until I get to San Diego and can buy some of the Betty Crocker special Gluten Free mixes. They are really good but they are not sold up here. I am lucky I can get the UDI's bread and chocolate muffins.

The gluten free spaghetti is very good, I make up a big batch and keep in the fridge. The bread is good. The bread mixes are good. Someday I will try the pumpkin bread but not this year. I am through with baking for 2010. So another year without the traditional frosted Christmas Cookie that started when I was in college and lasted for 50 plus years. I guess I have eaten enough.

Angels and Shepherds Amongst Us

Great grandson Ryan is a Shepherd and great granddaughter Kate is an Angel for Christmas 2010. How Precious!

Snowed in Till Morning

Tomorrow I will be freed. I finally called a snowplow service. It will be my Christmas present to me and Matt I guess. I don't think he could have cut through the huge berm that has developed the last four days and another three to go!!!  I know it doesn't look too formidable from here but it is also very wide and very hard.

I had my nice path all the way out to the street and the second snowplow came by and laid on a huge, hard berm over my path and on top of what was already there. I had to climb up, and over and back again to get the mail. Of course, I fell, but hard snow is softer than concrete! There is just nothing to get hold of to get back up but I made it. That was when I decided to make the call.

It is now snowing hard and heavy again so guess it is good he is not coming till morning.

And Still Learning...

I am continually amazed that I am continually learning new things...or have I just forgotten...

At any rate it was time for my annual physical this week and as I was chatting with my Dr--bingo, I learn something new.  I do not have to have Medicare D if I don't want to.  Good I will take care of that.

Then I am getting my blood drawn and the technician is telling me about his fire stove.  He fills it so full it will burn for eight hours at night!!!  The only problem with filling it too full, he said, is that sometimes you burst the welding (that doesn't sound good).  Why have I not been filling my stove full?  I don't know...

Wow, another scary drop of snow outside.  We have had two days of  very cold and the snow has been stuck on the big pines--now it has warmed up enough to be snowing all night and some of the trees are dropping their glory in one big plop.

By the way, I did not like the movie, "Going the Distance"--it is just a lot of trashy talk.  I do not understand why classy stars allow themselves to act in movies like that.  I read it more closely represents true life.  Well, all I can say, if true life is having the women talk like that, this country is in even more trouble than I thought, and furthermore I worry about these kind of women being the mothers of the next generation.

I have always heard that men will rise to the standard of the women and this determines the morals of the country.  Younger generation women need to, "step a little higher" as my Mom used to say.  They don't have to be influenced by whoever they are getting their trashy mouths from...

I liked a movie I saw recently where a detective was having to guard a classy woman and really began to admire her and care for her.  His wife realized this especially when he asked his wife why she had to talk like she did (swear words).  She said she had always talked like that and he never minded before, why now...

Why now, because he saw how lovely a woman could be, that is why, and he liked it.