Family Time

I have a weird, quirky and fun family and I have photos to prove it.

25 Below

It has been a bit chilly here this week! Sunday night into Monday morning I believe the temperatures dropped about 60 degrees! This is not my favorite kind of weather.

It occurred to me this morning that not everyone knows what it is like at 25 degrees below zero so maybe I should share a few things with you.

At 25 degrees below zero you may wake up to frost on the INSIDE of your house. You leave full size blankets on the living room furniture because it just doesn't ever seem to get warm enough in your house. Still, I'm so very grateful to have a house and a furnace!

At 25 degrees below zero I crave hot baths. That's not necessarily good, though, as it robs your body of natural oils that keep your skin healthy. It is so hard to keep skin from cracking and bleeding when it is so cold. My hands can get pretty rough. It is really hard to pull on a pair of pantyhose as my fingers get so rough they catch on the pantyhose. Anyone know what I am talking about?

At 25 degrees below zero cars do not like to start. We used to have a heater attached to our car engine. You could tell who had them because there would be a cord dangling out from under the hood. What you would do is plug it in to an extension cord and your car was much more likely to start when needed. Some parking places even had little outlets on posts just for that purpose. Here's a funny side story. We had a Ford Taurus with the heater on the engine when we moved from Montana to New Mexico in 1995. I drove that car to class at college and one day, when I came out, there was a little crowd around my car. When I approached, they asked me if it was an electric car (that was before electric cars were common).

Anyway, our cars usually start now but this week has been a bit hard on mine. To ensure it starts at the end of the day I am going out in the cold halfway through the day and letting the engine run awhile. That isn't my favorite thing either, but it is better than not being able to drive it home at 5:00.

At 25 degrees below zero everything is crunchy and stiff.  The snow doesn't make soft swishy sounds as you walk through it but it makes painful crunching sounds. I crunched out to our mailbox this week to find that it was frozen shut. I worked and worked to get it open, only to find there was no mail. I expect the mail carrier had given up on opening it.

At 25 degrees below zero it hurts to breathe. Really. It also hurts to move my fingers. This weather can be so dangerous. I hate seeing children out waiting for the school bus. It doesn't take long for serious injury to occur.

Here's another story about cold weather. It occurred when we lived in Minnesota while Mike was going to seminary. There were quite a few families living in married student housing who were from other countries, countries with no snow. One family from Africa had a little boy named Moonga. One day I came out of our building and Moonga was stuck to a pole by his tongue. Apparently one of the kids had told him to lick the pole. In case you don't know, that is a very bad move when it is cold. He was frozen to it. I ran in and got a glass of warm water to pour on to melt him off. He started pulling and the first glass wasn't warm enough. I ran for a warmer glass of water and was able to get him detached but he was bleeding and left a bit of tongue on the pole. Teach your children about that danger!

Still, there are a lot of good things about 25 degrees below zero. Soup tastes really delicious. That is not always true in July. Freshly baked bread smells like heaven. OK, that IS true in July but still... There are no bugs bugging us right now.

25 degrees below can be quite beautiful. Yesterday, on my way to work, I saw the biggest sun dogs ever! If you don't live in cold country you may not know what I am talking about. I'm sure there is a scientific name for this phenomenon but I know it as sun dogs. When there are a lot of ice crystals in the air the sun reflects in a way that makes it seem as though you've been transported to a planet with three suns. I was in traffic when I saw them yesterday and couldn't find a good viewing spot to pull over but I found a lot of great sun dog photos at Google Images.

(credit to gopherboy2956)

The ones I saw had even more of the rainbow colors mixed in. They were absolutely gorgeous! 

At 25 degrees below zero you pray that there is no wind.  Luckily, it has been quite still here this week. That almost never happens! There is always something for which we can be grateful.

Jazzing Things Up

After hearing the Kid Symphony (see previous post) Cordelia was still interested in musical instruments. I got out my saxophone and let her give it a try. I really didn't expect her to be able to make much noise with it but she turned out to be a natural!

I really like saxophones and so was happy to see her enjoying it. Terry B., do you recognize that saxophone?

I've done all I could to save her parents from needing to buy the big harp that Cordy's so admired. I even told her she could have my saxophone if she still wants to play when she is a bit older. She seemed pretty happy with that plan!

I never became much of a musician myself. I started with the violin in 6th grade but when we moved to a small town in Minnesota, there was no orchestra and no violin teacher. I took 2 years of piano lessons after that. My teacher was a high school girl and I really enjoyed piano with her. When she graduated and went to college, I did not restart lessons with anyone else. I have only a few regrets in life and that is one of them.  

When my family moved to Turner, MT I decided I wanted to join band. The instruments were owned by the school and my first year I played the bass drum as that was what was available. It was a good place to start, especially as I had zero band experience.

My junior and senior year I got to play the baritone saxophone. I really liked that, but I didn't usually get to play very interesting musical parts.

Years later I purchased an alto saxophone from a dear friend. I was so excited to get to play it! By then, though, I was having some problems with my jaw, TMJ problems, and playing the saxophone became very painful. Now you know how I came to have a saxophone available. Maria played it awhile in her younger years but did not keep up with it either. She does look good with it, doesn't she?

Do you play an instrument? More than one? 

Kid Symphony

So I got to attend something fun this morning. The Wyoming Symphony put on a Kid Symphony. Maria wasn't able to attend with her family so I went in her place. My son-in-law, Eric, came to pick me up. We were there early enough to get comfortable.  The girls were excited! Cordelia entertained us by trying to look serious then giggling.

I finally got a decent photograph.

This Kid Symphony was a teaching experience designed to let kids have a chance to learn what was really going on with the music. All of the instruments were introduced as a group, such as woodwinds, then individually, such as the clarinet. The kids got to hear each one separately as well as all together. Cordelia quickly chose a favorite instrument. Do you want to guess what she wants to play? I will get back to that.

When they introduced the instruments they explained HOW each made music, such as by blowing air through or over a hole, running a bow across strings or plucking strings, etc.  They also showed how to make music by blowing over the top of a bottle or even through a garden hose with a funnel on one end.

Near the end of the concert the conductor called for four volunteers. Cordy was very disappointed to not be chosen but we weren't sitting close enough to the front. Anyway. They did kind of a cool deal. The first volunteer got to listen while they played three different melodies and then she was asked which she liked best. Then, they played three different versions of the harmony and the next little kid got to choose from those. They did the same with the percussion to find the preferred beat. They played the chosen mixture as a Walt, a March or a tango. Once the choices were made, one little boy got to be the conductor and the symphony played their new composition. 

I thought it was a clever way to teach a bit of what goes into composing. It probably meant more to the older kids. I noticed some kids were kind of tuned out by then.

So, did you make a guess regarding Cordelia's chosen instrument? She wants to play the harp!

I think we would all agree that music is important. There is so much work, years of practice, that goes into achieving something as simple as this concert for children.  I am so appreciative of dedicated musicians and I am grateful for these musicians today for sharing their work with these children. I hope some of those children will be inspired to learn to play an instrument as well. Maria and Eric, better start looking for a harp!

Big Bites

We're so messed up! We live in a world where little kids are dying from lack of food.  Every day. Dying. Little children. How can that be when so many of us are worrying about our waistlines growing?

What got me started on this topic, you ask? Well, it was our spoons. We still have the same silverware we have had since our wedding in 1978.  Additionally, I have purchased some newer silverware to fill in for some that seems to have disappeared. 

Since acquiring this newer silverware I keep getting confused when I am putting them away. We have one of those divider trays with slots for the knives, the serving spoons, the forks and the regular spoons. Our newer spoons are so much bigger than their 1970 version.

The spoon on the left is one of our newer spoons and the spoon on the right is the 1978 counterpart. Isn't that ridiculous?

This is my conclusion. We are taking bites that are too big. This madness has got to stop!  We need to pass some of those bites along to others, those not getting their share.

There are many good organizations that provide a way to share food around the world. We recently had a guest in our home who was representing Food for the Poor. It is one of many organizations who are trying to benefit the poor. You can check them out at foodforthepoor.org to learn more.  Mike and I also like to donate through Compassion International. You can read about them at compassion.com .  

Those are two of the places we know of to help those with lesser resources. Where do you like to donate?

John Denver Tribute

Last night was fun! Mike recently received a sweet gift of two tickets to a John Denver tribute concert by singer, Jim Curry.  This man is not an impersonator but he did seem like he could have been a brother to John Denver. He sounded so much like him!

A special bonus to the evening was the addition of John Summers, who sang with John Denver in the past and was the songwriter of 5 songs recorded by John Denver. He is the one who wrote "Thank God I'm a Country Boy!"  

The best part for me was this smile! I realize this is a grainy photo but I took it on the sly, in the dark. It still makes me happy, grainy or not.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Carol

Amazing Flashmob - (Library Singing)

Leaves and Bees

Some bumblebees and some adults in gawky Halloween vests stopped this evening.

Wait! What is Grandpa doing!?

I am not sure what is going on!

Hey! Grandpa, you threw leaves on my Mommy! What would you do that?

It is ok? Really?

Oh! This could be fun!

Getting To Know Myself

I like to think I am a person who is pretty self aware.  I know that I like baths over showers. No matter what others think, wearing orange makes me feel happy ( I was once told I looked like one of those road construction barrels). I realized long ago that I can do the same thing over and over for quite a long time (think crochet). I know that I am a hard worker but deep down I really want to be lazy. I could go on and on but really, I also know that I am not a terribly fascinating person. I don't mean that in a bad way; I am ok with that.

So, I was surprised by myself this week. I was surprised that I had any surprises left in me! It was a pretty big shock, as a matter of fact. Something I had always known about myself turned out to be untrue.  For over 50 years I have known that I strongly prefer red Tootsie Roll Pops, with the brown ones coming in second. This week, I suddenly realized my favorite Tootsie Roll Pop is grape!

So, now I am trying to come to terms with this.  What does it mean? Am I even still me?

Moriah Peters - You Carry Me (Official Lyric Video)

Maybe someone is needing these words this morning...

Fighter Tree

In Wyoming I pretty much appreciate any tree with the gumption to grow. The cotton-less cottonwood in our front yard has charmed me now for eleven seasons. It is a lot older than that but this is our 11th Fall in this home.

Each Fall I look forward to that afternoon I walk down the hall and see the golden glow in our living room. That magnificent tree can really put on a show and the afternoon sun pushes all that beauty through our front window. It can be absolutely dazzling! This is how it looked two years ago, although the photo doesn't really give the dazzle effect quite as I remember it. Where you see leaves that look bigger, that is because they were falling and were closer to the camera. It does give you an idea of what it was like to stand under it during the showering of the leaves. They were raining down on me as I took this photo.

Last October, though, nature did a brutal pruning of that tree.

I think it must feel a bit embarrassed by it's diminished glowing capacity now. I try not to talk about it where the tree can hear me.

That tree is a fighter, though! It hasn't given up!

As I've been resting in bed quite a bit these last few days, I've enjoyed hearing big leaves whack into the window. Yes, the wind is blowing. It is Wyoming. Anyway, sometimes I look up and the wind is holding one of those big leaves against the window for me for a few seconds. I kind of like that; its a little treat for me.

I think there is a lesson in all that somewhere. One of the things about life is that nothing is constant. A person may be strong and healthy but we all age, we are all vulnerable to accidents and illnesses. I think we are still responsible to do the best we can with what we have left. That sounds kind of preachy, but it is Sunday and I am married to the pastor. What do you expect?

Get Well Cards

I had the sweetest get well cards in the mail today!

I think this one looks like Cordelia and Elise bringing flowers. I especially enjoy the sun with the streaks of blue sky between each ray. Also, I notice they are both wearing orange. They know I appreciate a happy orange color!

Delightful little two-year-old Elise likes to share her optimism. I love that!

Those girls are such treasures to me.

Orange Candle

This sick stuff is getting old already. I just got up to do a little experiment and was surprised at how exhausting it was. One advantage to being at this stage in my life is that when sick, I don't have to take care of little kids or anything. I can just focus on getting past the fever, aches, cough, etc. without wearing myself out around the house. For all you young parents out there without that advantage... sorry.

Want to hear about the experiment?

I have my phone, my Kindle and my laptop all on or by the bed. Mostly I just had Netflix playing episode after episode of "Bones" but last night I looked at Pinterest. I saw a pin about lighting oranges to burn as candles. Doesn't that sound refreshing! This morning I started breathing a little through my nose again (progress!) and realized that this little room could use some freshening up. I remembered the Orange idea.

I tried and I tried to light my orange but nothing happened. It was a waste of some good Vitamin C if you ask me.  Maybe I missed a vital instruction from the Pin. Maybe I was supposed to pour gasoline on it first or something.

Then!

I had a brainstorm!

I suddenly knew what I could burn like a candle, something with a lovely smell... one of my many candles!  That works. I am eating the rest of that orange!

The View From My Sickbed

When I was hospital-hopping with my Mom last week we both noticed there were a lot of sick people around us. It was almost like sick people were drawn to places like that. Anyway, I prayed that I wouldn't get ill. I washed my hands and used the alcohol gels so much my knuckles started to bleed. That wasn't so bad as it gave me an excuse to run to Bath and Body Works for yummy lotions. I knew that in order to be helpful to Mom I needed to stay healthy, and I did. For that, I was very grateful. 

Today is a different story. Tuesday night I felt like I was developing a sinus infection but by last night I was sick all over. I had to take today off so I don't share this with coworkers and patients. I have taken up residence in our guest room, trying not to share this with Mike. People need him, you know. 

So, what to blog about when you are sick in bed? I looked around me this morning and was enjoying the art in this room. I may have shared some of these with you before but if so, they are worth the repeat.

My mom painted this first one when I was a teenager. I loved how she used a palette knife, giving it a lot of texture. I don't think she actually ever gave me this painting but I pretty much just claimed it. It was probably the first piece in my now extensive family art collection. Possession is 90 percent of the law, right?

This piece is a photograph taken by our son-in-law. I purchased it way back when he was not yet our son-in-law because I loved it.  I still do.

This is another of my Mom's paintings. I expect I borrowEd it and just didn't give it back. She painted it from a photograph of my Grandma Rose. Grandma always, always kept her hair pretty but she really outdid herself when she was wearing it like that. Mom did such a nice job as this looks just like Grandma, right down to that dimple on her cheek. Below the painting is a plate I found in a thrift store in Denver. I just felt happy when I saw it so now it is mine.

The last wall in my sick room is this watercolor by our daughter, Maria. I think she produced this when she was in high school. I was drawn to it! I make up stories about this lady. She is a young singer, still kind of nervous, who is wondering if the audience can tell she is in early pregnancy.  By the way, she has a tremendous voice, sweet but powerful.

So, there you have it, the view from my sick bed.  Now, I need to rest.

Stress Relief

Last week, when my Mom was hospitalized, I cut my hair... in the hotel bathroom...with pretty scissors I bought at Target

...without a comb or a hand mirror.

Just so you know, I did clean up the hairy mess in the hotel bathroom.

This is not the first time I have done such a thing but it is the first time I wondered if it is my own little form of stress relief. 

In my defense, I did go to a hairdresser first. I showed her a photo. She glanced briefly at it and then told me she didn't need to see it anymore. Then, she gave me a haircut that she thought I would like, with not much regard to that photo. Later, back with Mom, we found long hairs hanging out that she hadn't cut and big chunks of hair she'd attacked with one chop, leaving the hair looking rather weird in the back. I was going to try to live with it but it was so uneven! And I desperately need "even"!

Sometimes, you just have to take things into your own hands!

Mom's Vacation

Last week my Mom had some adventures. It isn't my story so I won't go into details but I will say that my Mom has a funny way of vacationing. Some people enjoy special attention at a spa but Mom received her special care in an ER followed by some days in ICU. She didn't have to cook or clean or even choose her own clothing each day. That must have been relaxing.

When Mom seemed to be getting kind of tired of the fun she was having at one hospital, she accepted an offer for a 2 hour ride with a comedian in the back of an ambulance. It was actually a trip out of state. Again, she got a lot of special attention. Again, she had people waiting on her hand and foot. They brought her injections, bags of fluid as well as special drinks that she usually did not get to enjoy at home... barium, potassium, etc.

While I was doing the tag-along thing on my mother's vacation, my family at home tried to get their own special attention. At least 3 other family members during that week required medical attention, including 2 trips to the ER. Talk about trying to steal Mom's thunder! We received word of the most recent one just as Mom was finally discharged from the hospital. It upset us both and kind of took the "fun" out of the whole experience. You can read about that situation right here. It is actually kind of a horrible/sweet story so I hope you will hop on over to my daughter's blog for a second.

Anyway.

I think the drama may be over. Mom is recovering well, although a bit worn out. You know how vacations can do that to a person. I am home. Life is getting back to normal. I am doing laundry and it just does not get any more normal than that!

When I first returned to town yesterday I went directly to check on the little granddaughters. I was so sweet to get hugs from Cordelia and Elise. Elise greeted me with, "I'm okay!" She told me the doctor made her all better. I noticed that she pretty much just ignored her broken arm and did fine with just one.

As a special bonus, my niece, Stephanie, and her boyfriend stopped in as well. That was a nice surprise!

So, what did you all do last week? What do you like to do for a little time away from it all?

Get Well

Mom is better! She is much, much better!

I wanted to share with you the get well wishes sent to her by my daughter, Maria, and her little girls.

Rejoicing Through Times of Trial

Philippians 4:4-7 is a scripture I have read many times and even memorized in the past. This week, however, it is like a stabilizing anchor.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything. But in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (NIV)

This is a difficult week, not so much for me but for my Mom, who is sick and suffering. I came upon these verses again and decided I needed to memorize them and keep them right on the tip of my tongue while also tucked deep into my heart.

It is hard to think about rejoicing during the bitter days of life but that is what we are called to do so I am going to try.

I rejoice that God is God and no matter what is happening He is in charge. That's a big deal! He loves us and he is... Well, he is God.

I rejoice in the fact that we are living in a place and a time with medical care available. I especially rejoice in choices, specifically the choice to go where better care is available.

I rejoice that God has me wrapped in a loving web of family and friends who give me the support and assistance I need to better offer support to my Mom.

I rejoice in small things that bring her comfort...warm water, heated blankets and soft pillows. We know that many sick people don't get even that much.

I rejoice in technology so that I can remain in touch, even from Mom's hospital room.

I rejoice that Mom has so many people who care about her. She knows she is loved by family and friends. (If you are one of her NutriSystem Friends, know that she gave permission for this post mainly so you would know she had not dropped off the face of the Earth.)

I rejoice in big hospital windows and sunshiney days.

I rejoice in hope. I know there will be better days.

I Hope I Don't Get Grounded

 I'm still at my Mom's house and I am currently unsupervised. I needed to use my Mom's computer to do some work and having finished that, I decided to look through her photos on her computer. I'm pretty sure she won't mind that I did that.

She may mind that I'm posting a photo I found of her. I love my Mom and this photo make me feel happy so I'm posting them... She looks so pretty, don't you think? She won't mind my snoopiness and illegal use of her photographs (or whoever's photographs), will she?

Really, what's she gong to do about it anyway?

I sure hope I don't get grounded!

Cheerleader Quilt

I am at my Mom's home today and I woke up to admire this pretty quilt. It was one made by my Grandma Rose many, many years ago. I love it!

As pretty as it is, the fabrics aren't typical quilt type fabrics. There is a reason for that.

Although there were five girls in my Mom's family, I don't remember hearing that any had been cheerleaders. Nevertheless, my Grandma was the cheerleader seamstress. I guess she made their uniforms for a long time. She was a talented lady. Anyway, this quilt is made from scraps from those uniforms. Grandma never left anything to waste! 

I enjoy anything that brings Grandma Rose to my mind.

Betty and the Piggy

The girls are adorable, of course, but Betty the Basset is the one that steals this show.  Well, that is not all she steals!

A Capitol Wedding

Mike and I had business in Cheyenne today so before we came home, we took time to wander through our Capitol building. Did you know you could do that?

We thought it was quite well maintained and such a pretty building.  Nothing is in session right now and there weren't many other visitors around but we did keep coming upon this couple. It seems they had just gotten married and their photographer was taking their photograph throughout the building. I didn't realize that they were actually standing on those stairs posing for the photographer until Mike made the suggestion we photo bomb them.  Thankfully, I was able to stop him.

I did zip around so I could take their photograph from above as they came on down those stairs. I'm always on the look-out for a blog post opportunity!  Well, really, how often does a person happen upon a wedding on a Thursday afternoon in the Wyoming State Capitol Building?