SUMMER'S GONE!
It's been a really good year.  We had lots of snow in the winter...cold, but not too bad. Beautiful spring...kind of late, but didn't freeze my apples. Frost got them the last two years, but this year the tree was full with plenty to share with friends and lots of deer and birds.  Summer was really nice with a good rain now and then.  And the rain! Wow, how great that has been. Snow came the first time in October, but turned into a beautiful Indian summer.  The colors were spectacular till the snow hit.  It has turned cold earlier than usual.
 The High Priests brought me a couple of loads of wood that I have been using quite regularly.  I love my fireplace.  It is so comforting to watch and such a nice warmth you don't get from a furnace. I think we are in for a long cold winter.  Kind of like it  used to be.  20degrees below was expected and tolerated even without furnaces and electricity.  We used a lot of wood and coal.  Floors were cold and so were sheets.  No carpeted floors, but I usually uses flannel sheet/blankets.  They only cost a dollar and a half or such.  Now they are expensive.  How do you figure that?
     Things sure have changed. I remember how wonderful when the baby slept all night. Getting out of bed on to the cold floor, putting wood or more coal in the kitchen stove to heat the water in the teakettle to warm the bottle while I shivered waiting. It was an everyday chore to sterilize the bottles and nipples and make the formula from canned milk deluted and a little brown Karo syrup and boined water. Now they have throw away bottles!
     Then were the diapers to deal with.  We made them from white flannel material. Two and a half dozen to start with. I had a diaper pail to soak dirties in before washing. It was so wonderful when they invented these little liner paper things to put in the diaper to catch the eeww stuff. They were like the little sheets we use in our dryer machines.... Then came diapers that were long and thinner. The flannel ones were square. You had to fold a little different. Big safety pins were used to pin them on the baby. They even made pins with little duck heads of pink and blue. Even the fashions were different. We always dresses babies in pastel colors till they were a year or so old. Now they even dress tiny babies in black and bright colors.
     Wash day was a whole day job. I had a #2 wash tub I heated water on the coal stove and in the reservoir on the side of the stove. It was wonderful when electricity entered our lives. The gas motor washing machine was dirty and noisy.  It was also a blessing when we got a cistern for water so all you had to do was pump into a bucket and empty it into the rinse tubs. Summer was nice to hang the clothes outside on wire lines. Everything smelled so fresh. But winter was another thing. Sometimes it would take a couple of days to dry and even then the corners where the pins held them on the line would have to finish drying in the house.
     Are we spoiled or what?  We have throw away everything. From doing things from scratch to just opening a box or push a button. From one phone for a whole community to phones that do everything. The idea that you could see the person you are talking to was so far fetched was crazy. My mind is completely boggled by the technology of today that will be old stuff tomorrow. Is it good or bad?  Seems like things have just moved so fast that some of the basic things are being left behind and forgotten.  I liked creating things from nothing into something I could be proud of...now you can just order it on the internet already made to perfection.  Children in my early lifetime had time to be children. They could take time to figure things out for themselves.... to dream  dreams.. Now parents seem driven to see that every minute of a child's life is organized by stuff....sports...dancing...karate.... All these things are important if used appropriately.  They also need down time and work time and time to think about others.  Children need to realize that parents are people too.  They need to know that Mom and Dad need to be themselves sometimes too.  So much of the time today parents lives are so wrapped around the children's needs and wants that they wear themselves out seeing that they have everything they think they want that the kids don't learn to look outside of themselves to see the needs of others. If the kids are pushed so hard that they feel the pressure to perform, everyone has a breaking point...even grownups.  Society puts so much pressure on everybody today that too many feel like just screaming.  That's not being happy,  I pray every day that all my children, grandchildren, great=grandchildren might take time to see where they are on the thermometer of happiness.  I hope they can look at their lives and be able to see where they and their families are  on that gage. Too much pressure is dangerous.

Where do I start?   August has been a busy short month.  We've had hot and cool and rain. Plans were for Education Week at BYU in Provo.  It is the highlight of the year for me and my girls getting together for this week of learning and enjoying being together. Even Chrystal and Megan were with is this year.  Choosing the classes and instructors is the hard part.  I love the musical classes, Marvin Goldstien with Vanisa Joy and Janice Kapp Perry, the Heartbound ladies and James O Miner.  They are all so great musically and special messages.  I am always so impressed with the intelligent people there.  I took classes on Christopher Columbus and Washington that were so good. Classes on angels, temple symbolism.........Too much to name.  Symbolism in the temple helped me a lot.  We have to think of Adam and Eve as symbols representing ourselves. I guess I have had a hard time doing that as I always seem to take things at face value.  Adam was the first flesh.  It was clearified to me that meant the 'first mortal flesh' which is different than animal flesh.  The new Temple Film is really beautiful and different than before...not is substance, but in filming. There is more emotion in this one than before too.  I think it will mean more to me now.
Jay A Parry taught the classes on America ... Columbus and Washington ... warnings of the last days are here and yet we can be comforted knowing that this is still the promised land where Christ will come. Many hard times are ahead, but if we stay firm in the gospel we will be protected.  One thing that I love going out there is to see over 30,000 people trying to be better people.

The Wednesday before going, Aug. 14th, I was at Wanda's watering her plants with a hose while they were gone that week and as I reached up to turn the hose on, I stepped up one step and as I turned around the hose caught my foot and I really crashed on my head, right side shoulder and hip.  I was bleeding all over and couldn't get up without my leg hurting terribly.  I finally struggled up and dragged myself up the steps to the deck on over to the door ( that was unlocked - they never leave a door unlocked)  through the kitchen to the phone where I called Gay. I was so glad to hear her voice. She is outside so much away from the phone.  She and Duane came and he carried me to the car and they took me to the Urgent Care place.  I left a trail of blood everywhere.  Got Xrays and 5 stitches in my head, but nothing seemed to be broken.  I couldn't believe not even a concussion. I stayed at Gay's that night and then to Wanda's for a couple of nights before coming home. Had a wheelchair.  I was determined that I would continue to get better so went with Wendy on Monday to Ed Week.  My hip still hurt a lot, but they pushed me all over when I couldn't do it my self in the walker. The wheelchair would have been better, but harder to bring.  Being a handicapped person got me some perks getting into classes sometimes.  I made it through all but one class on Tuesday but had to take breaks on other days. Friday was bad. It was cold, can you believe? and I had to go to the room 4 classes early.  Gay went with me on the van and put me to bed where I got warm and went to sleep till they came back. They ordered pizza in and we went to the big room with tables etc to eat and share our class information.  That was so good, but I was ready for bed again.  As Gay tucked me in I started to cry because of the love I felt for my girls.  They were so good and caring even though I robbed them of some classes.  Well, you don't cry around Gay. She started teasing me and I asked for a Kleenex so Chrystal gave me one and I said, "Don't tell Wendy!"  She has this way of making me feel better by covering me with kleenexs till I'm ready to punch her.  We all started laughing and Wendy shows up wanting to know what she missed. They couldn't tell her 'cause I said not to...Finally, I told her Chrystal had given me a Kleenex and we didn't want her to be mad.  So she had to do her part. Anyway, laughter is the best medicine.  And Gay is named rightly.  Nobody can be sad around her for long.  She and Chrystal always turn on the jazzy music every morning and go dancing around like they didn't know better. Wanda put her hands up and said, " I'm not a morning person!"  but she loved it too. 

Wendy wasn't ready to go home so she took us the long way. .. through ParkCity and then to Francis where we got lost trying to find the Wolf Creek Pass road. Her GPS thingy kept trying to send us back to Heber.  We finally made it home the beautiful way through Hanna where I hoped to pick up my painting that is there, but it was closed again. Guess I need to call to be sure they are there and make a special trip.

My hip is not feeling much better. I have just laid around for two days, except for this morning Gay and Chrystal came and took me to get my stitches out and we ended up there for two hours. My left ear was plugged up so they tried to get the wax out of both ears and it didn't work. So I came home really deaf and will go back tomorrow to finish. My glasses should be there too.  I did make an appointment with Dr Mason on Friday to check my hip. Hope it is just slow to heal.

Camping in Style

Wow! Summer is here again.  It has been hot lately.  We did have a couple of wonderful rains last week. It really poured and felt so great.  I just need to record our most special weekend.  July 7th we (Collett's, Vanny's, Wendy and I) Went camping like rich folks do it.  Carl Ray fibbed and told us he has reserved a couple of cabins at Trapper's Lake and we didn't have to take camping things...just food and clothes and water?  Brent Brady runs his Uncle's Elk ranch at Hamilton, CO.  That is between Craig and Meeker near the Thornburg place that Grandma Vena sold.  Cheril Brady works for Carl Ray in the Steamboat shop and they were to do a BBQ for us on the way to Trapper's (we thought). Well, we stopped at their place and they took us up the mountain to this three story Lodge that their hunters stay at $350 a person a day.  It is just amazingly beautiful on the top of a hill overlooking a small lake and surrounded with pines, quakies and flowers.  We oood and awed as they showed it to us and low and behold!!! We stayed there. Brent insisted that we have full run of everything. Cheril fed us royally....Steaks, Twice baked potatoes, salad and Cheesecake as if we were paying people!  It was so neat.  Gay and Wanda have the pictures to prove it.  I forgot my camera. We just did whatever we felt like doing.  Sleeping, TV, reading, walking, boating, for two days we pretended we were rich people.  It was great.  Then we went on over the mountain where the flowers and scenery was  unbelievable. I have never seen flowers so thick and beautiful before. We must have picked the perfect time. We passed Vaughn Lake where we used to camp some times on over to the Trappers area.  What a Shock!! We had forgotten the fire a few years ago. It burned all the mountains bare.  We couldn't even stand to have our lunch there.  The cabins were spared and a part of the campground, but mostly just dead and bare. Even Himes Peak where we always camped was bare.  We went on toward Meeker and ate on the White River and on home. We had to stop at Meeker for Ice Cream though, where we always stopped when we camped  through the years.  So many memories. 

APRIL 12, 2013

Wish I was more faithful in this. By the time I get to it, I have forgotten the spirit of the occasions.  I think it was in February that Barry had a kidney stone and a heart attack from the medication they gave him.  He was on his way to work when he was struck with terrible pain.  He drove to the hospital and called Temi and Chelsie. Chelsie rushed over and got him in the hospital where they gave him some medication and put him in the CTscan thing or was it the other machine???  Anyway, his heart stopped and they had to shock him to make it work again.  He had sore ribs for a while. I am sure the details about this experience is different if Temi was telling it, but I just wanted to have this to remind me of how fragile life is.  They flew him to Grand Junction to St. Mary's Hospital where they took care of the kidney stone. He was there a couple of days.  He seems to have recovered fine. I worry about how hard he works in the cold weather. It's hard to accept that I have a son  sixty one.  That makes me eighty one in June this year.  Most of the time I don't believe it, but sometimes, more and more, I believe it!

He, Barry, has been working in Texas for the past couple of months and it looks like he will be staying there for a few more months.  Temi will go down every couple of weeks to visit him. I think they have gotten someone to do the farming this summer. They found a place in Texas that would be wonderful for them, but they would have to sell the ranch.  That would be hard to face, but if it would make life easier for him, that is what is important.

Landon is still in the Las Vegas Mission and has had some growing experiences there.  I think he has done quite well considering being in a big city area. Most of his companions seem to have been good for him.  One kind of challenging though.  He is such a great guy.

Wendy has moved into her house now and I do miss her.  Nights especially.  The builders have not been too good in finishing up things so she is struggling with problems every day.  I am so surprised at the character of these men who don't seem to be bothered by not following through with the work they do.  Her builder has given her nothing but grief, not remembering what she says she wants done, the plumber and electrician don't show up when they say....But, when she ever gets it all together, it will be wonderful.  She has created a beautiful house from an old homemade one. She shows so much talent in figuring out things.  She completely changed the whole house.

Gay and Duane are finally back home in their newly refurbished house.  He has been in Alaska for three ? years??  Seems like a really long time .  So now he will be working for the same people from down here.  Not sure how it works, but at least, they are home. Gay is doing some kind of geneology work for a cousin of Carl Ray's.  Right up her alley and she gets paid!  Sure is good to have them back.

My dear friend Doris Burton is having a real struggle. She fell and apparently bruised her bone in her knee and is in constant pain, not able to get around without a wheelchair. Today I visited and she is suffering with a bad head ache also.  She spent a couple of months in a Bee Hive House but decided she would do as well at home.  She worries me a lot.

I have been trying to do yard work this spring and it is really painful.  Seems like my back just aches no matter what I do.  It is hard to see so much to do and not be able to just get after it and do it.  Except for my back, I do very well.  I mentally do not think I am eighty.  I have been going out once in a while with a friend, Venil Johnson  who is ninety one.  He surly does not seem  like it.  He is lonely and we have lunch every once in a while.  He is a really nice man.  Wanda invited him to dinner one Sunday and made us play dominos after.  I think he enjoyed it. I did too, but I don't let the girls know it. They have fun giving me a bad time.

This past winter has been very cold and we had more snow than I can remember for many years. I think we had at least eighteen inches here.  The mountains not so good.  It is finally starting to warm up and then we get really cold for a few days and wind.  Today was better so hope it stays and doesn't freeze the fruit.  It got the apples the last two years.

The state of our country is fast disintegrating.  There's a new tax coming up called a rain tax.  Unbelievable.  There is a new thing with the schools called the Core learning  that is another strike against what our children will be taught.  It is so bad.  People really need to teach at home.  When it is not safe to send a child to a school it is time to keep them home.  We have no control of what they are being taught and it is not good.  Parents don't have rights anymore. Sooo depressing. Time to close.