So Much Going On

When I took these cards to the mail box, 

I realized they represented the ups and downs of our earthly journeys. 

-weekly letter to our children

-congratulations on high school graduation

-sympathy for death of a classmate's husband

-birthday thankyous

-thinking of you to friends with health challenges

So much going on - all at once

Interfaith Dinner Dialogue

 FIRE, Fostering Interfaith Relationship on the Eastside

This group sponsors dinner-dialogues twice a year. We've enjoyed attending. 

Past topics include The Common Good, Life After Death, and By Whose Authority?

The theme for May 17th was “Prosperity and Poverty” 

The program is outlined below

The panelists vary at each dinner dialogue. We've heard representatives from the Greek Orthodox Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Unitarian, Buddhism, Bahai, Hindu - in addition to those listed for May 17

Each potluck dinner is held at a different church. We’ve attended at Kirkland’s Unitarian church, our meetinghouse in Rose Hill, and this month at a Jewish temple in Bellevue. 

Following are the suggested questions for discussion during dinner and after the panelists' comments

We've met some fascinating people and had very interesting discussions

Orphan Lessons

****************************************************************

Monday, Feb. 27 1995

ORPHAN LESSON TIME

Yesterday the Ohio branch of the family gathered for lunch and I took the opportunity to summarize our financial situation. We discussed this briefly with ... in a phone call last night. This letter is to give ...  the numbers and to put all this stuff in writing for the rest of you.

Let me preface this recounting with the mention that this is not being done in anticipation of death. We are both, thankfully, in good health & of sound minds, and anticipate remaining in this happy state for some time to come. However, you all have the right to know the state of our affairs if only to set to rest any thoughts you may xxx have had about needing to take care of the Old Folks in their declining years. 

You also need to know that we are attempting to order our affairs such that transfer of our assets to you can be affected promptly and simply. Furthermore, that we do not place any restrictions on what you do with any assets you receive.

Here’s the picture: [a detailed accounting of finances follows]

........

Questions?  Comments?  Suggestions?

Granted, none of us like to contemplate the End Times. But they will come, and it is only prudent for us to set our affairs in order as best we can. I hope you will each take a realistic view of this material and give us your thoughts. 

***************************************************************

Orphan lessons - I do remember those conversations around the kitchen table. Dad would pull out his "End Times" notebook and say, "It's time for orphan lessons. When I die, just take this notebook to Morty*, and he'll have everything he needs. We did. And he did. Thanks Dad.

1997

***************************************************************

*family lawyer

Note - image at top. Dad used NCR, no carbon required, paper for most of his correspondence with his children. Over time the letters have faded. Some, like this one, are barely legible. The letters need to be transcribed or they will be lost.

Military - Harry E. Floyd

Harry Edmond Floyd

served in World War I

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MORE BAY CITYANS

BACK FROM EUROPE

No Smallpox Among Men

Who Arrived on the 

Mobile.

     "Four Bay Cityans, one man from Auburn and one from Essexville are among the Northeastern Michigan men reported as arriving in New York from overseas Tuesday. The overseas men who arrived Sunday and were placed in quarantine because of a case of smallpox on their transport, the Mobile, have all been given passes from camp as there were no cases of the disease found among the men.

     The arrivals yesterday include the following: ... Lieutenant Harry E. Floyd, Saginaw; ..."

Wednesday, July 30, 1919   

Paper: Bay City Times (Bay City, Michigan), Page 2

genealogy.com

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LIEUT. FLOYD 

HOME FROM

OVERSEAS

"The first [illegible] out of Saginaw and among the last to return is the distinction won by Lieutenant Harry E. Floyd, who arrived at this home 623 South Fourth avenue, Sunday after participation in four major engagements in France and experience with the arm of occupation in Germany. Lieut Floyd was the first man to leave Saginaw for Fort Sheridan, where he entered the officers' school and won his commission. He sailed shortly afterward for overseas and has been in active service until recently. He has come through his exciting experiences unscathed, even minus the proverbial "scratch." 

copy of article in family records, no newspaper name

handwritten date "8-19" [August 1919] 

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Harry Floyd, my grandfather, was from Saginaw, Michigan

Click on the "Military" label to the right for additional family who served in the military

Journey

When I went back to Ohio in April, I found myself driving up and down High Street quite a bit. I thought about the hundreds, probably thousands, of times I’ve driven High Street between Worthington and downtown Columbus. I thought about the conversations I had with God as I journeyed back and forth to work on Glenmont Avenue in Clintonville – those were some intense, and often teary communications as I pondered and prayed.  What does it mean to be a daughter of God? What does God want me to do with my time here on earth?  How do I handle personal challenges? What do we do about family situations? When should we go on our mission? ….. Those were very intense times journeying up and down High Street over the years. As I traveled the route in April, some of those strong feelings came back to me.

During my April trip I spent a day with my best friend since second or third grade. I am thankful we’ve chosen to stay close throughout our journeys. Our conversations and friendship over the years have strengthened both of us. It’s precious to have that much history with a friend. 

Family  - getting together with three generations of family in Columbus is precious beyond description. I think it’s really four generations because I feel Mom’s and Dad’s pleasure that the family is close and enjoys getting together. DNA and marriage link us. Love and loyalty keep us together. The choice to share each other’s joys and sorrows results in blessings and relationships that are beyond measure. 

When I went to church while in Ohio, I was overwhelmed by intense feelings of love for my Worthington church family. Some of the people in the congregation have been with us from 1981, the very beginning of our discipleship journey. We’ve served together, learned together, grown together – cried, laughed and supported each other through good times and hard times. The quick hellos, hugs, and “how are yous” at church were nice. Even better were the longer visits I was able to have with a few of these good people. 

My life’s journey certainly didn’t turn out the way I thought it was going to. But then, how much do we know when we’re thinking about these things in our late teens and early 20s?! I started on one path. Divorce and remarriage were unanticipated reroutings. Discipleship and yoking myself with Jesus Christ added a depth and breadth to my life that was unanticipated and is totally awesome. I even got a transfer to Seattle – who would have thought I’d end up in the Pacific Northwest! 

The specifics and timing of our future are unknown. Part of me would like a lot more answers than I’m ever going to get. While we don’t know the exact route, the detours, the bumps in the road, we do know that the journey leads back to life with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We have the word of God to hang on to. We have communication with God, the example and teachings of Jesus Christ, and the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, to guide us.

Journeys are easier, and more fun, when you have companions. I am thankful for Joe, my eternal companion. I am thankful for family and friends who have chosen to accompany me and let me be part of their journeys. The adventure continues!

Catsup-Ketchup

Every time I use catsup, I think of Grandpa. 

When pouring catsup, he ALWAYS said - 

shake and shake the catsup bottle

none el come and then a lot el!

Is it catsup or ketchup? 

Evidently it all started in China. 

Check out this article and video

Make a Joyful Noise

In February we attended a concert by the Ensign Chorus & Symphony. See post here. Their wonderful performance brought back memories of the Columbus Ohio Mormon Chorale. 

What a joy it was to sing with the talented and dedicated musicians in the chorale. I can't remember how long I sang in the group. I remember loving every minute of it. 

On the poster - "The Columbus Ohio Mormon Chorale; patterned after the great tradition of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This Chorale has been performing since 1984." 

We gave several concerts a year. This poster was for a concert on Saturday, April 26. I'm guessing the year was 1986. 

I do remember auditioning to be in the Chorale. I was very anxious about trying out. I've always enjoyed singing. I was in the children's choir at the Methodist Church and took part in various choral groups in high school. I was nervous about the tryout because I knew my voice was changing and I probably couldn't be a good enough soprano. I didn't have much confidence in being able to sing alto on my own. If I sang next to a strong alto, I did great, but I wasn't so good at finding the notes on my own. Since I was relatively new to the church, I wasn't familiar with all the hymns - and we were supposed to select one from the hymnal for the audition. I couldn't find an easy one that was familiar from my Methodist days. So I prayed for help in selecting a hymn. "Did You Think To Pray" came to my mind. That was very interesting because I wasn't familiar with the hymn. I looked it up and it had an alto part that I could do on my own. I sang the hymn and "passed" the audition!

The people in the Chorale and the music we made together greatly blessed me and my life.

 "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise."  Psalm 98: 4

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Celebrations

The first week of May we were blessed with three out of town visitors 
- a cousin and two of our sons

Lots of reasons to celebrate 

Birthdays - many birthdays in April & May

Mother's Day

The rainbow cake sang "Happy Birthday." The toothpick marks the spot to cut. Our family tradition is to put a music box in the cake. When the cake is cut, "Happy Birthday" plays.

Read about adventures with our cousin here

We had fun going through Joe's high school scrapbooks 

& hearing stories, many stories

Picnic at Denny Park on Lake Washington

It was a bit windy & chilly - but it was beautiful

That's Mount Rainier in the distance

As beautiful as the lake is, this part of the park is gorgeous too

Click  here  to see our whale watching adventure

Happy Times

So many reasons to celebrate

Recognizing Teachers

Our mother loved learning and wanted others to be excited about learning too. She was a great advocate of teachers and felt teachers didn't get enough recognition and support. 

When Mom died, the four of us and Dad donated money to the London Schools Foundation. The interest from the money enables us to give a monetary gift to a high school teacher each year. 

Each Spring high school students nominate teachers who inspire them to develop a love of learning. The teacher with the most nominations receives the gift. According to the principal, school board members, and friends, truly deserving teachers have been recipients through the years. 

This is the 11th year for the Mary F. Holton Inspirational Teacher Gift. My brother presents the gift to Michelle Sambas. In addition to the check, the teacher receives an inscribed memento. 

some of the past recipients

 Stacy Hallowes (2011), Michelle Sambas (2015), Todd Boyd (2012), 

Amy Hiles (2013), Hana Wiegel (2010), Tim Coudret (2006), Stephen Clines (2008)

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Click here for a blog post in 2014
Click here for presentation in 2013

Thanks Mom!

Not long ago I sat on the floor to do some pinning and measuring for Joe's slacks. 

I thought about all the times Mom did the same thing as she sewed and mended for us. 

Thanks Mom for insisting that we learn these skills. 

Her example and teaching not only gave me skills 

but also gave me confidence that I could (and should) do these kinds of tasks. 

Thanks Mom!

photo  1955 - Jan & Mom

Whales

While our son was here we went whale watching - a first for all three of us. We drove an hour and a half north to Anacortes where  Outer Island Expeditions picked us up. The boat stopped at Orcas Island to get more passengers. There were about 30 people in our group – from California, Bellevue, Redmond, Miami, New York, and France. Three staff were on board – Captain Matt, Captain in training Josh and naturalist Katie. All three were very knowledgeable and clearly loved and respected these animals. 

Patrick as we're leaving Orcas Island

Captain Matt posted the following on the company’s Facebook page about our adventure – “On Monday we took out our brand new vessel Blackfish III on its first whale watch expedition and boy were we in for a treat! Started off with a humpback whale near the Canadian border, then when word of a group of transient orca came in we just had to go the extra mile to see the T101 group. From there it was a long ride home but in the end it was very worth it as we got surprised by a very large group of transient orca just minutes from our dock in Anacortes. After reviewing my pictures I identified the large group at the T36A's, T36B's, T37, T49C (the big male) and T124's. …. ~Capt. Matt”

the humpback whale - it was really something to hear the 

sound of the blow when it breathed

much of the time it looked like a HUGE log

Click here for an article and video of a humpback whale

This rock was full of harbor seals. Some people saw porpoise. 

They were quick; we didn't see them. 

Members of the Pacific Whale Watch Association exchange information about what's been sighted and where. After watching the humpback whale for a while, we got word of orcas in Canadian waters - and away we went. 

We knew we were getting close when we saw lots of other boats

You're probably wondering about noise and crowding the whales

There are MANY rules about the kind of boats you can have, how much noise they can make, how close you can get to the animals, and so forth. From what we were told, there's a lot of self policing by the tour operators. If you violate the rules, not only are you apt to get a hefty fine, you are also cut out of the Pacific Whale Watch Association and lose access to real time information about what's been sighted where. 

None of the whales "mugged" our boat - that's the term used when the whales come so close that you can't move your boat. You have to stay still in the water until the whales decide to move on. The mammals were close enough for us to see them pretty well even without binoculars. 

beautiful - even without whales in sight

Naturalist Katie gets off the boat when we return to Orcas Island. 

We changed boats and continued to Anacortes. 

Just before we reached the Anacortes dock we spotted more orcas. 

Captain Matt followed them and we watched for quite a while. 

Quite an experience.

Check out the website for the Pacific Whale Watch Association. There's much interesting information about the whales who live in the waters around the San Juan Islands year round and those that pass through. The map is also very interesting.

This was a grand adventure!

Flashback - Katie

Recently I visited a friend and was surprised when a big dog rushed out her apartment door when she opened it. I immediately corralled the dog and felt the years slip away. Before I even got a close look at the dog, I stated rather than asked, "This is a border collie, isn't it?" Somehow I knew. My friend just got 5 year old Morgan from a rescue shelter. As Morgan sat by me, it was very strange how strong the connection was - it was the feel of the dog, his behavior and who knows what else that took me back to my childhood.

Katie, our border collie - 1954

Katie was Jan's guardian - November 1951

Mom, Dad & Katie with Jan

When I saw posted this picture, I thought, "Boy, they look young." I did the math. Mom is 25 and Dad 28. Dad's looking at Jan and thinking "I'm 28 and have four children - how neat is that!"

Katie was very patient with us - Tom in 1951

This photo is dated November 1950. That's got to be Tom in the playpen 

and either Susan or Julia under Katie.

As I was assembling photos for this post, it occurred to me for the first time ever - did we name Katie after our Union Street neighbor Katie (Kathryn) Murtaugh? 1949 photo shows Julia, Susan & Katie in the raft/swimming pool at Union Street.

I remember Katie's eyes (1954)

Katie shared people, food & space with lots of animals (1954)

Katie helped with the numerous kittens we had at Oak Street

I have wonderful memories of special times in front of the fire with Katie - 1954

Katie had puppies - LOTS of them in April 1953

 Dad with Katie in March 1956 - Puppies April 1953

Katie, Tom, Julia, Jan & Susan

December 1955

More to the story - I have several memories of Katie's last days. We went on a trip and Katie stayed with friends. One day she ran out the door and into the street where she was hit by a car and killed. In my memory Katie died about the same time as my mother's mother, in April 1957. This timing is probably about right. We have pictures of our next dog dating from 1958. What did we name our new dog? Katie II!