Happy Anniversary to Us!

June 10, 1976

Warm & Fuzzy

I took this blanket out of the dryer and was taken back to a wonderful experience with Mom. I was in the basement at Oak Street when she took a blanket out of the dryer and wrapped it around me. It felt so good.

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This blanket has been around a long time. Our grandchildren enjoyed using it because it felt so good. The blanket is obviously very old, but it's held up well. It's still fuzzy and ready to wrap visiting family and friends in love and warmth. 

Shoes

Family together

precious times

July 2006 - family reunion - The Wilds, Cumberland, Ohio

June 2012 family reunion - Leavenworth, Washington

November 2014 - Family in Dublin

April 2018 - family in Kirkland

Anniversary - Hand in Hand

My sister and her husband sent us this anniversary card

with a beautiful message

Easter Sunday

“Easter is a celebration not only of the Resurrection of Christ but also of the universal resurrection. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all people will be resurrected. Their bodies and spirits will be reunited, never to be separated again. ... Easter is a celebration of the promise of eternal life through Christ.”

With Job we say, "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God" (Job 19:25-26). (lds.org)

Our church’s semiannual General Conference was this weekend. It’s always a big event when Easter and General Conference fall on the same weekend. We meet all over the world, united by faith and technology. On Saturday and Sunday there are 10 hours of inspired and inspirational messages about Jesus Christ and His gospel.

We had a delicious Easter dinner with family.

a weekend of light and love

From August

I made an eclipse viewer from a cereal box. 

This was our granddaughter's cereal pick when she visited in August. 

Forest fires sent smoke and ash into our area several times in September. We had hazy skies for days and ash was heavy enough to come into our enclosed garage (our car bumper above) and condo windows. 

Joe's ready for the game!

Peonies

This peony display at a nearby grocery brought back memories.

Mom loved her peony bushes. They were planted on the south side of the driveway. Before bringing the cut flowers inside she would put them in a pail of water on the back porch for a while. The hope was that all the huge black ants that occupied the peonies would move out of the flowers before they were brought inside. 

June 2009 - blooms from Mom's peony plants 

that Jan moved to her garden after Mom's death

December 1982

Wind Boisterous

Sometimes it's windy at the lake and the waves crash against the rocks. 

I am reminded of the "wind boisterous" that caused Peter to fear and falter when he tried to walk on the water towards Jesus. 

"But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" Matthew 14: 29-30

Dad used to say "O ye of little faith," to assure us things would work out. 

When I think of "wind boisterous," it's often followed by thoughts of the scripture and hymn, "Master, the Tempest Is Raging." 

     

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Master, the Tempest Is Raging

      The winds and the waves shall obey thy will:


Peace, be still.


Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea


Or demons or men or whatever it be,


No waters can swallow the ship where lies


The Master of ocean and earth and skies.


They all shall sweetly obey thy will:


Peace, be still; peace, be still.


They all shall sweetly obey thy will:


Peace, peace, be still.

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It's interesting to me that peace doesn't necessarily mean an absence of "wind boisterous." It has more to do with the condition of my heart and soul. I can feel peace, and "be still" even when the waves and winds are whipping up things around me. Christ and His gospel are the source of that peace. 

                        

The Stockings Are Hung

Over the decades most of us accumulate lots of Christmas decorations. When we moved out here we gave away all but what fit in these two bins. 

This year I went through the bins in the storage room and brought up just one bag of decorations - keeping it simple.

A friend made Joe this wonderful stocking out of glass

The felt decorations Mom made for an Advent calendar are just the right size for our little Christmas tree.

The camel & owl were Mom's & Dad's symbols

blue & green - Seattle's colors

We have a number of Nativities. This year we put out the one painted by three of our grandchildren in 2006. Two wise men from Joe's childhood and an elephant from India join in the adoration.

a gift from a friend

It wouldn't be Christmas without our stockings. My grandmother, Mildred Floyd, knit mine probably about 1953. My siblings have matching stockings. When Joe and I married, Mom knit a stocking for Joe. 

Christmas Morning

Christmas Morning - December 1956

Precious Memories

Music

I drafted this post back in the summer of 2011. A granddaughter and I had gone to BeadWorld in downtown Kirkland and made necklaces. 

BeadWorld played music from the 1960s. I found myself singing and remembering the words to almost all the songs even though I hadn't heard many of them in more than 45 years. I mentioned to Granddaughter that 45 years from now she could be sitting with a granddaughter when a Justin Bieber (her favorite at the time) song comes on and she'll remember every word. Then I said that's a good reason to be very careful what you listen to because it stays with you forever. "That's Grandma talk," said Granddaughter as she smiled.

Back to 2016 - When Granddaughter said, "That's Grandma talk," it brought back a memory. Grandma (Florence Holton) and I were doing the dishes at Oak Street. The song was released in July 1962 so I was ready to go into 10th grade. I was singing "Strangers by Day, Lovers by Night." Grandma very quietly and gently suggested that I might not want to sing that song. I asked why. She didn't say why. I didn't have a clue about the meaning of the song (as she was interpreting the words I was singing). Click on the picture to hear the song by the Fleetwoods

Back to summer 2011 - Lauren, Joe, and I talked about our favorite music. I wrote in my journal, "[Granddaughter] didn't know what to think about Grandpa's high school favorite, "Wild Goose." Click on the image to hear Frankie Laine sing this 1950 hit. Lyrics here

This summer two granddaughters were staying with us. Joe played "The Cry of the Wild Goose" for them. They didn't know what to think of it either. 

We often have music playing throughout the day. It's usually classical music during the day. Lately we've been listening to music from the 1960s, "Golden Oldies," as we wind down our day. We find it very soothing - and I still recall most of the words to most of the songs. In fact, I'm very surprised when I correctly guess the song after just a few opening notes. That music has stayed with me forever. 

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Click here for more about the Wild Goose song

Mom's Example

Mom was a great note writer. After her death a number of people commented on how much her notes meant to them. At some point in my adult life I decided I wanted to follow her example. It's been a wonderful experience. 

I make notecards from photos I've taken. I enjoy sharing favorite images with family and friends. I enjoy sharing thoughts of gratitude, thinking of you, hope you're feeling better, I'm sorry, or whatever else comes into my heart or head to share. 

Thanks Mom for your example!

December 1982

UL2

This phone was in the basement of my parents' home when they died. 

I remember our phone # being UL2-0874.

Eventually the UL was dropped and 852 was used. 

I wonder if the new owners kept it, tossed it, or sold it? It's definitely an antique -  UL2 label, rotary dial, AND the cord is cloth covered!

Mom and Dad built the house in 1950. I wonder if this was the original phone? When they died, the phone in the kitchen was a rotary phone, but it had a coiled rubber or plastic cord (It was a VERY long cord that gave you quite a good range of motion while talking on the phone.)

This article gives an interesting history of exchange names such as Ulrick.

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Phone related memories 

No phone calls during meal times

Phone calls were supposed to be short. Mom sometimes set the timer. I don't recall how long calls could be. This same timer was used to remind us about acceptable duration of showers. 

That long cord made it possible to sit on the top of the basement stairs with the door closed in an attempt to have a bit of privacy during a phone call. 

After we children left home, Mom and Dad would get on different phones (kitchen and basement or den phone) to talk with children and grandchildren. This was before the days of speaker phones.

One of my siblings gave Mom and Dad a wireless phone that untethered them from the corded phone. They often took it outside with them. 

Long distance calls were very expensive. They were for special occasions or emergencies. Dad liked to tell this story about one of his cousins. Dad received a telegram from K. The message told him to ignore the first telegram. Dad called K to let him know he hadn't received a first telegram. "I know," said K. He then told Dad he'd read about a situation with the family and wanted to talk with Dad - but he wanted Dad to incur the cost of the long distance phone call!

When I was in college we had a phone in the room. It was connected to the dorm switchboard. The operator/receptionist could call to tell you about a visitor or some other message. I don't recall if you could make calls to people on campus. I know you had to use the pay phone in the dorm if you wanted to call home. I think people could call you on the pay phone. Someone would answer the ringing phone and seek out the person being called on the pay phone. 

Things have certainly changed!

Peonies

Peonies always remind me of my mother. She loved her peonies. She'd cut them and then put them in the metal saucepan on the back porch hoping the big black ants would escape before she brought the flowers into the house.

I like the peony against this beautiful lamp that belonged to family.

I tried to capture several memories in this picture - Peonies to remind me of Mom; the vase was hers. The lamp belonged to Joe's parents. The table came from my grandparents' home. 

Family Fun

Patrick was in Michigan for a visit before he came to see us. Jennie sent Vernor's Ginger Ale back for Joe. Vernor's is a Detroit tradition and isn't sold in this part of the country. (Although you can order it through amazon.com) Read more about Vernor's here.

Michael came over for lunch

We took Patrick to the recording of two shows for Imagination Theater, at the Kirkland Performance Center, just down the street from our place. 

from their website - "Mystery, drama, and laughter abound in America’s leading radio drama series regularly featuring Private Detective Harry Nile and tales of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Recorded live at KPC, America’s leading radio drama series is heard from coast to coast on over 50 radio stations in North America, including KIXI in Seattle."

We enjoy watching the sound effects guys (left in picture below). It's fun to see the actors interacting with each other - and seeing how they handle flubs (go back & say it again). In some of the recordings we've attended, people have set each other off and they have to stop until they recover their composure. All in all, it's a great experience. 

gelato break

birthday (May 13)

David arrived Wednesday. We're glad his & Patrick's visit overlapped one night.

Michael stopped by before Patrick left 

David & I went to the nearby Farmers' Market Saturday morning

another gelato break!

Thanks everyone!

Friends & Family in Salt Lake City

In early February I flew to Salt Lake City for the annual RootsTech Conference. The days were filled with wonderful learning, friends, and family. Thanks to our son David for coming to Kirkland to keep Joe company while I was gone.

 This was my first experience with Alaska Airlines. It was a a good one. 

Alaska Airlines paints their planes with interesting designs. This one had a plane-long salmon. I saw others decorated with Mickey Mouse and one with dogs pulling a sled. 

a reminder that we live on the edge of the Ring of Fire, an arc that includes more than 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes. (Didn't think to check that out before we moved :))

 I haven't felt temperatures like this and this much snow in a long, long time. 

There were tall piles of snow but I didn't venture out to photograph them :) 

RootsTech is the largest genealogy conference in the world. As you can guess from the name, the conference focuses on how to use technology to do family history. More than 26,000 people came from all 50 states and 37 countries. Around the world thousands more watched live-streamed classes. 

Sometimes the halls were crowded, but the Salt Palace Convention Center is huge. Most of the time it didn't feel crowded at all. Somehow in amongst those thousands of people, I managed to run into two acquaintances from Ohio, one from Mansfield and one from Marysville. And, to close one small world loop, at breakfast one morning I was talking with a couple from Utah? and they said their son was in our church's congregation in Marysville. Our Marysville friend knows him!

260 classes over 4 days 

Very difficult to decide which presentations to attend

Then there was the exhibit hall 

360 exhibitors including this company 

which boasted the biggest family tree chart in the world

 Every morning there was a general session – intimate :) setting for 12,000 people! These events were very high energy. All the keynote presenters talked about the importance of collecting and sharing people’s stories. Some but not all of the ones I heard - Stan Ellsworth, host of the TV history show American Ride drove his Harley though the room and onto the stage. Steve Rockwood referred to genealogists as “heart specialists,” people who put others in touch with family through stories, pictures, and other ways that touch hearts. Paula Williams Madison had a fascinating story. She grew up in Harlem. Her mother’s parents were Jamaican and Chinese. Paula has written a book and produced a documentary about her search for her Chinese family. You may have heard of Bruce Feiler. I've read a few of his books including "Walking the Bible." Several years ago, after a cancer diagnosis and successful treatment, he turned his focus to families and the importance of telling stories. I missed Saturday morning's keynoters because I was with grandchildren.

Everyone in this room has a story!

 Josh & Naomi Davis talked about why and how they share their life experiences in their blog about living in and raising their children in New York City. Check them out at lovetaza.com

Paula Williams Madison & Bruce Feiler are interviewed by media after their keynote presentations

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I spent a wonderful evening with dear Ohio friends who moved to the Salt Lake City area a few years ago to be closer to family.

Sunday morning I  walked to Temple Square to attend Music and the Spoken Word. 

They were just finishing the rehearsal and singing "On A Clear Day" when I walked in. As happens so often when I attend the Spoken Word, I had a soul-filling experience. My whole being filled with light, love, joy, and surety that God exists and there is truth. It was one of those experiences that can’t really be put into words. The feelings fill my body and spill out my eyes. I’m sure anyone watching me wondered what in the world was going on. I pulled myself together and enjoyed the music and the message that was on “choosing to act” and not just react. Then the closing song was “Praise to the Lord, The Almighty” and my whole being filled up again. There is a God. He knows us individually and loves us. 

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I've always enjoyed RootsTech. I come away with so many ideas about things I could (and should) do to help our family get excited about our ancestors and their stories. I enjoy learning about new techniques, being reminded of old but still useful methods of research and sharing, talking with exhibitors about their products, meeting new people, and being totally enveloped in something I find fascinating, worthwhile, and which I enjoy.

“We inherit from our ancestors gifts so often taken for granted. Each of us contains within us this inheritance of soul. We are links between the ages, containing past and present expectations, sacred memories and future promise." – Edward Sellner 

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