September is leaving

Can FALL be far behind? I know we have received some most needed rain and cooler weather. Our autumn leaves wait till late Oct or Nov to appear, but our sunrises are gorgeous when it's cloudy. That's our palm tree proudly displaying its new fronds after a deep freeze last winter. Here's hoping for a warmer winter this year.

LOOKING BACK...

I signed up for PinInterest out of curiosity, but never have time to look at it which is probably good cause I hear you can get lost there. They keep sending me emails to entice me. This image struck me and I wanted to blog about it. In these days of families falling apart or mutating into different forms, I wonder if the family as I knew it growing up will continue. Love to have your comments.

Found on PinInterest, from etsy.com

Article #310 Art of Conversation

While visiting family recently my adult son advised his teenage daughter not to accept a date from any guy who asks her out by texting. This concerned father wants to first meet personally face to face any potential dating partner before okaying his teenager to go out socially. I had to laugh reflecting back on my lack of dating experiences during high school. I could certainly relate to my grand daughter’s dilemma of wanting to be invited to the Homecoming dance. Not dating while in high school was traumatic but seemed normal for me as a shy tall skinny teenager with no social skills. Nowadays life has changed with cell phones, and social media on the Internet. The world is almost not recognizable.            

Talking is a lost skill in our modern day of instant texting or e-mailing. Just to sit by someone, look into their eyes noticing their body language and having a heart to heart talk is a lost skill. Returning from a weekend visit with my grandchildren, I treasure those rare moments of conversing that happened when I found myself alone with a loved one. In the car, sitting side by side having a snack or asking a question about their activities made for rare occasions to share a conversation together. One teenage grand daughter is quite curious about my dating days. How did I meet grandpa, etc. What does love feel like, etc. As she has reached dating age, I try to impress upon her that I didn’t date during high school and survived.

            I remember having this same kind of conversation with my mother about her boy friends and dating when I was in my teens. It was a way to learn life’s important lessons. Unfortunately my mom never had the facts of life or birds and bees talk with me. She came from a generation that shied away from such topics. I would have received better instruction from my mom than my giggling girl friends at overnight slumber parties or from the movies. There are many lessons that today’s youth need to learn from someone older who has experienced life and has their welfare at heart. This MUST be done face to face with love and sensitivity.

            What conversations do you recall having with your parents or grandparents? I remember writing down the details of my maternal grandmother’s courting days and marriage. What fun that was. NEXT TIME: Parental Influence. 

Waiting and PATIENCE

The other day while standing in a long line

to buy groceries for another week. I noticed

the differences in people's reactions to waiting.

Some were relaxed, enjoying the moment

while others were almost frantic with lost time

that could never be regained in their busy day.

I thought about that as an attitude many have

towards their life––not living in the moment.

Observing others can teach important lessons.

Taking time to LEARN from each experience

helps you NOT to waste time whatever you do.

Then you can progress and SMILE at life.

Family Heirlooms

The other day at my Daughters of Utah Pioneers meeting we were challenged by the teacher to take photos of family HEIRLOOMS, then write up a short description of what they are to share with our family. I decided to take a photo of my Dad's bible that was given to Stanley Harold Vernon by his mother Mildred Stevens Vernon sometime after his marriage in 1936, and before his death in 1945 at age 28.

This is a King James version of the Holy Bible printed in 1926.

It is filled with beautiful black and white illustrations with Christ's words in red. 

Color illustrations of biblical prophets are included.

Interesting historical maps of the region add to its usefulness.

Tabs and footnotes showing changes in the original translation are intriguing.

Priceless is my grandmother Mildred Vernon's handwriting.

Complete with genealogy information on my Dad's ancestors & his family.

My mother told me that my father read the bible from cover to cover before his unexpected death in an airplane accident in 1945. Although not a church goer, he was interested in this special book. May his example motivate his grandchildren and descendants to treasure the word of God and look forward to a great reunion one day on the other side.

My Dad, Mom and I were sealed together
as an eternal family in the Mt. Timpanogos
LDS temple on Jan 15, 2008.

Goodbye Summer, Welcome Autumn Coolness

Ah, my favorite season is just around the corner.

SUMMER sweating is hopefully only a memory as

coolness fills the air and welcomes a needed change.

Sometimes I feel that I am in the WINTER of my life

but then FALL comes and new energy to face challenges

ahead, and I know I have much yet to do with my life.

Patterns abound in nature's cycle and hints on coping

pacing, rest and effort can BALANCE out our seasons.

GRATITUDE is the key to enjoyment and fulfillment.

Article # 309 Lessons Learned

             The quiet consistent example of parents or grandparents can teach lessons you aren’t aware you are learning at the time. As I look back at my youth growing up with a widowed mother and grandmother, I experienced their self-reliance and strength. I would need this later in my life as a divorced mother with four sons to raise alone. My memories of my father who died when I was five years old are few, but from reading his love letters to my mom and talking to others about him I realize we’re a lot alike. Excited about learning new things, exploring the world around us with its endless possibilities is what my father did in his brief 29 years on earth. He made a ham radio set, learned Morse code to get a job on the railroad, took correspondence classes on making television sets, and bought a used airplane to start a flying company in Milford, Utah.

            Whether it’s the influence of family, friends or others, there are many lessons to learn from watching their examples both negative and positive. An alcoholic uncle taught me that wasn’t a wise way to spend your money, time or life. A hard working grandpa who was always honest and thrifty modeled those values for me. My grandparents didn’t always live close, but I knew they loved me because they remembered my birthday with cards and calls. They were excited when I came to visit. I felt they had all the time in the world to entertain me or listen to my thoughts. What a self-esteem boost that was.

            Good examples can be like a steady compass to keep you on the path of life going forward. Encouragement is a free gift my progenitors gave me. Always there to listen to whatever I wanted to share with them. Now I find myself following their example as a parent and grandparent trying to make time to be with my children and grandkids. The only problem is the world has changed since I was young over 60 years ago. There were no computers, one telephone in the house and it seldom rang, and no TV. We quietly put together puzzles, cooked, washed dishes together or just sat on the porch at night and talked. Having a conversation with your family is a challenge for modern grandparents who are almost as busy in their retirement years as their descendants are. NEXT TIME: Art of Conversation.  

Movies worth viewing...

We watch quite a few Netflix movies and occasionally there are some that I would highly recommend. The Odd Life of Timothy Green by Disney is one of those. Can't believe I haven't seen it before in the two years it's been out. I guess because we don't go often to the movies and have to wait for awhile for them to come out on DVDs from Netflix. It's a warm hearted family movie with just a little fantasy thrown in to make it interesting!

Fixing Guest Room

With the boat building project taking up half or more of the garage, most of the stuff in there ended up in our second guest casita until we decided to add a bunkbed for visitors expected in October on their way to Disneyland: Jeff-Rachel's and Daniel-Tina's families with 6 grandkids in tow. Then add my best girl friend from Sweden, we'll be camping out too on the back lawn.

Before, a messy storage room with no room for anyone

Soon a new bunk bed will provide extra comfy sleep room for grandkids 

Just a little more rearranging of boxes and stuff and we're ready for visitors.

Even the bathroom gets a shelf for extra linens!

Article #308 Memorial Jobs

                My exercise teacher Helen Hansen who is a spry chicken in her eighties shared this experience from her youth with our class. I asked her to write it down. Helen recalls her first job: The University of Minnesota experimental farm was looking for teenage summer help the summer of 1946. They were paying 50 cents/hour, which sounded like a fortune to me. My friends and I were 14 years old and required work permits to be considered for employment. We were hired to pick fruit, strawberries, hoe weeds in the fields and pick sweet corm.

            We all had visions of fat paychecks and a shopping trip to Minneapolis for school clothes as our reward. What we didn’t foresee was what a wonderfully fun and memorable experience it would be. The farm was 15 miles from home. So, transportation was a problem. The father of one in our group solved it by buying, an old used Packard, which comfortably seated the six of us. Our chariot the Packard awaited, but there was only one designated driver. My brother Bob, age 16 with newly acquired driver’s license was voted in unanimously. So off we went five days a week waving goodbye to relieved parents happy to see some of their teenagers gainfully employed for the summer.

The Packard with running boards was both a blessing and a curse. It seemed to be a reliable car in the mornings delivering us to the farm. It often proved reluctant on our trips home with its habit of  stopping without warning. Then the five of us would get out and push that huge old car down the road in an attempt to get it started. My brother at the wheel steering and trying to get it started was his part. Our favorite spot on the road was the crest of a gentle hill where we could launch the car so it could roll down that hill under its own power. The five of us chasing that car, laughing and shrieking, trying to hop on its running boards must have been a sight to behold. My brother nobly steered that car to a gentle stop at a gas station conveniently located at the bottom. The owner became our good friend that summer and always cured whatever ailed the Packard, but only for the moment. 

Do you have a fun story from your youth to share with us? NEXT TIME: Lessons Learned. 

It's OKAY!

A poem? written in response to a creativity class I'm taking.

I'm okay! I say

Just okay? he asks.

Is it that bad?

I'm okay! I say

What does that mean? she asks

then waits to hear more.

Real vs. official feelings 

authentic or hidden emotions,

when to share them? I ask.

Only my heart holds the answer.

Personal journaling forces me deeper

past surface difficulties

to the deeper levels of self

out of safety zone.

Next comes CHANGE once truth

surfaces and the decision to

remain in a rut or take action,

grow creatively or stagnate.

De-clutter Time....Again

The piles grow higher and higher
as clutter sneaks into my life and home.
Unsuspectingly as I place yet another piece
of paper or envelope on welcoming surfaces,
I hardly notice it's growth and development.

Until one day there are no paths around it.

Clutter fills my home, mind and heart.

Time to de-clutter, but that process isn't easy.

Now I have to carefully consider each piece:

keep, file-where? or throw away-oh no!

Indecision is what made this clutter
in the beginning...I'll decide later what to do.
I know better, I should be an expert after
all these years of cluttering my life with
un-useful things that seem important.

Maybe just set a fire? No, that would destroy

everything good and bad. Let my hubby decide?

Nope––he still has boxes of boy scout stuff

from long ago. Maybe just close the door

quickly and pretend it's not there? No! No! No!

Time to face the music and my reality.
Decide if I haven't used or wore something
for years––is it worth cluttering up my life.
Tossing into the trash, frees my spirit
to see the valuables I do need to treasure.

More Lessons to Learn

Or an old dog learns new tricks?? I'm trying to apply these principles in my life from the book The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz-an excellent book for personal growth. Number two is the hardest one to apply.

Article #307 Saturday Night Drive-In

 A blogging friend Linda Kay from Fredericksburg, Texas shares her memories of a family activity which most youth of this generation have never experienced. She recalls…When I was a girl, Saturday night at the drive-in theater in a town about twenty miles away was a happy adventure for our family.  We had a ’57 Chevy station wagon for some of these excursions.  To prepare for the night, my dad would pop popcorn in a three quart stainless steel pan, then dump the popcorn into brown paper grocery sacks.  After he melted the butter in a little stainless one-cup pan and poured it over the popcorn, adding a bit of salt, I remember the spots on the bag from the butter.  

The next important addition to our munchies was the Pepsi Cola.  My folks used to buy this by the case, but we were only allowed to drink it on Saturday nights.  I don’t remember how we brought along ice, but I’m sure we had those plastic glasses to pour the soda in.  My three brothers and I would climb into the back of the car.  My folks always sat together in the front, my mom sitting next to my dad on the bench seat. 

At the drive-in, my dad would look for a good spot, not far from the concession stand (and the restroom).  Then he would bring in the speaker and hook it on the window, rolling the window back up to keep out the flies and mosquitoes.  I can’t remember a single movie we might have watched.  We had blankets and pillows in the back in case we got sleepy, and usually my youngest brother would fall asleep.  I do remember that after the movie, we would drive back through town to the Dairy Queen for a cone.  There were always long lines of traffic leaving the theater, and what seemed like an eternity for that ice cream.  By the time we drove the distance back to the farm, I’m sure we kids were probably all asleep.  After all, we had to get our rest, as church on Sunday was not optional! 

            Simple childhood memories like this capture the essence of a different time and lifestyle, when life was slower with traditional family activities. I (Lin) remember cookouts in the Utah mountains with deer steaks, fried potatoes and scones. Fresh sliced tomatoes from Grandpa’s garden and homemade cookies freshly baked by Grandma. NEXT TIME: More Childhood Memories. 

Labor Day Activities

We attended the Ogden LDS temple open hour for tours

The angel Moroni on top with a lightning rod hat 

Dan and Tina's family squint into the morning sun...

Rachel and Jeff's family with happy grandma Lin

Special occasion with six of my seven grandkids together...

The boys, two sons and three grandsons all dressed up.

Eating at Golden Corral afterwards.

Lorien enjoys a great cupcake!

Home at Daniel's back yard with a visiting deer.

Lorien rests after swimming in the Hatch pool

Edmund snuggles with grandma Lin

The twins: Heather and Emilee now 16 years old.

Visiting the aquarium with Grandkids

Uncle Dan with the kiddos-Eddie and Rory at the aquarium

Rachel and Jeffrey enjoying some alone time without kiddies

Nathan oldest grandson now almost 12th and getting tall!

Dan watches Edmund, his sister Lorien and Heather

James-Dan and Tina's son, now age 8 and full of spunk!

My son Jeff with his son Edmund age 2