I'm back!

Guess I should really update this blog! Since I started in Facebook, I have neglected my blog. but my family put together a lovely celebration for my 85th birthday. (I still have trouble thinking of myself as being that old. All my life , I have lived as though I was going to go on forever here on the earth. Now, of necessity, the realization is becoming clear - I'm not. As my physical abilities diminish, I am feelind OLD. For awhile, it was OK, and I was not noticing a lot of difference from 10 years ago, but lately, the differences are becoming very apparent.) Eighty-five years! As Vern used to say when a span of years was mentioned, "That's a lot of
Christmas trees to make stand upright!"

Th e party was fun. I had all eight of my children there to celebrate, and many of their children, as well.(22 of my 30 great grands Inwere in attendance.) In total, 64 members of my own family came, and ten more attended-representatives from my sister's family, Vern's sister's family, and some dear friends. The recreation hall in Cedar City's Old Rock Church was quite full. We left one end bare so that some basketball could be played. Most of the tenn-aged boys, their cousins, fathers , and uncles enjoy the competition, and the others watch and just visit with each other.

We started at 10 am with a brunch, and the girls had prepared a beautiful spread! After the food,m little great-grandchildren gathered around to 'help' me open the presents. They loved to rip open the paper and discover what is inside. then they all sang "Happy Birthday". Tessa took pictures of each famiy present, and lots of snapshots as the morning progressed. Two beautifully decorated cakes were cut and served.(In deference to Ryan - a fire marshall - we didn't try to have 85 candles!)

We all enjoyed being together in one group. As Steve and I have talked since, we are thinking of re-instating the monthly summer Family Home Evening dinners we used to have in St. George.
More about that later.

Great-grandbabies!

I have 2 new great-grand boys - both born just last week! (One born in Utah (to Jeremy and Marcy) and one in California to Rachel and Ryan.) So that leaves one more Utah boy to arrive at Victoria and Wes' house (he's coming soon) and one Utah girl child to be born in the Fall (to Nate & Shannon). My family is growing!

Doran Reunion

Last Saturday, June 20th, the annual Reunion of the Lew and Velma Doran descendants was held in Cedar City in Steve’s backyard. Barbara was in charge of the entertainment, and Paul was to be in charge of the food. However, Paul had a cardiac procedure (3 stents put into his arteries) on June 10th, so Steve stepped in and said that he and Kris would do the food, except for the brownies that Debra had ordered. Keith took a lot of pictures, and I put an album of 33 reunion pictures on Facebook. We had a good time visiting, eating, and playing games. We didn’t have a genealogy presentation this year, nor a report on what has happened during the past year to each family present. Barb focused more on keeping the young people occupied, and they loved it.
The original family had Maurine, Ray, Ruth (a cousin who was raised as a sibling), Beverly, and me . Only Beverly and I are left. She is turning 90 this year, and I turned 84. My mother did not even see ANY grandchildren (she died in 1942 at 52 yrs. of age), and Dad lived to be 72, so he saw several grandchildren before his death in 1962. Our parents would be thrilled to see all these descendants enjoying themselves together.

Early June

I am so frustrated thus afternoon. For 2 hours, I have been trying to upload some photos onto Facebook. Couldn't do it alone, so I enlisted Jaden's help (he's 11 yrs.old). We still couldn't do it, so I am blaming the failure on VISTA. What a challenge that Operating System is! After hearing on the TV news that Windows is going to launch a new system in the fall (too many complaints about VISTA) I almost want to cry. Will it be easier or harder? Shall I invest any more of my time in trying to learn the present OS, or just give up, stumble thru my email and an occasional online purchase, and then grab a comforting book.

I have been crocheting for months (one half inch takes one hour and a half, and my arthritis limits me to crocheting about an hour at a time) on a pink blanket which I started before I made Sara's white blanket. (Kate was born on Feb.18th). I have the pink blanket done now to the point of adding a wide, fancy border. But I am using a border pattern designed for a different crocheted 'body'. Hope I can do it. We are expecting 3 great-grandboys this summer, and I have three 'boy' blankets ready (2 are blue and 1 is yellow). I haven't heard whether Shannon is having a boy or a girl, though. I may need to make another blanket before the fall.

I have procrastinated starting that border because I am a little unsure about it. I guess that is why I have been fooling around with Facebook. I must get at it, though, or the blanket will never get done - and it really is beautiful so far.

I guess that being old makes procrastination an easy way out. But somehow, in the back of my head, there is a niggling little voice that says,"You don't have 20 years to do this, you know,
so get at it." I will. Really I will.

May catch-up

I can’t believe how long it has been since I posted here. I developed a nasty chest cold the latter part of April and spent 3 weeks getting over it. I am better now, but I forgot almost everything I ever knew about Vista.
I have been struggling with that new computer’s OS. Going from XP to Vista is not as simple as I had hoped. I finally had to order a couple of ‘how-to’ books about using Vista. They haven’t come yet. Sigh. I need help especially with pix which arrive via email. It was so simple with XP, and Beverly tried to help me with the Vista method, but I didn’t get the steps written down, so after my illness, I didn’t remember them! (Getting old is the pits!)
I have also been trying to get established on Facebook. So far, I’m not batting 1000. I don’t think that I am posting the right kind of stuff there. If you have suggestions on how I can improve, please don’t hesitate to straighten me out. I would really appreciate it.
We have had such pretty weather the last few days, but the high clouds are back. Oh well, we need the rain.

Busy Week

We have had a busy week. We drove to S.L. for Tessa’s wedding. We arrived in S.L. on Wednesday evening, and drove to the big hospital in Murray to see Mark. He seems to be in good spirits, although his body is not in very good shape, so he will have to remain there for several more days for continued testing.

Tessa’s wedding was in the Salt Lake Temple on Thursday (the 12th of March). I was happy to be able to go to S.L. for the wedding as I had not been in the S.L. Temple for many years. Vern & I were married there, but in 1943, the many large sealing rooms that are currently there did not exist, and we were married in a sealing room just off the Celestial Room. I realize now what a special experience that was! But of course, because of the large number of weddings these days, accommodations have had to be made. It was still exciting to watch Tessa & Brent as their vows were said. With misty eyes, everyone is remembering his/her own wedding, and hoping that they still measure up!

Between the after-wedding pictures (Oh, it was so cold outside in the shade!) and the dinner, Keith & Sherrie, Emily & Brad and I toured the Conference Center. K & S had been there before, but I hadn’t, nor had E & B, and we enjoyed it. We did so much ‘touring’ that the battery on my Jazzy became very low. So at the restaurant, they sat me near a wall socket, plugged me in, and during dinner, my chair was completely re-charged! The wedding dinner was scrumptious and worth the hassle of finding the restaurant! (No one in our car had even been in the Gateway Mall before!)

The reception that evening was so unique in so many ways, that I would need another posting just to tell you about it. It was GREAT.

On Friday morning, part of our group went to tour the Draper Temple, and Barbara, Emily and I went to see Aunt Mae. We were impressed with her! Physically, she is weaker than she was when she visited St. George just before we moved to Cedar, but she is 93 and ½, and is still quite sharp.

We came back on Friday evening, and as usual, I was happy to be home. It was great to see so many family members at the reception, but old people thrive on routine, and it is hard when we have to change that. I just love being in my own place. I am so lucky to have Kris and Steve to take care of me, and chauffeur me around. But (three clicks of my heels), there’s no place like home!

New Computer

Keith came up from Las Vegas and spent most of the weekend setting up my new computer (HP Pavilion) and transferring my files, etc. What a job! Of course, you know how time-consuming that is. I am hoping that learning this new operating system (Vista) will help ward off Alzheimers! (I have Vista on my laptop, but I don’t use it a lot.) I have a stack of notes on how to do stuff, but I think I am really enjoying the little “shortcut”buttons on each side of my keyboard. The picture quality is superior to my old computer and so is the music. I think using it will be a lot of fun.

New great-grandchild

Good news! I have a new great-grandchild. Sara & Jason are welcoming baby Kate who was born yesterday. She weighed 6 lbs.and 4 oz, and she is not too excited about being here! Well, - she is a very calm baby, so maybe she doesn't seem excited. But the Dr. says she is OK to go home this afternoon.

early February

Nobody told me that it would be so easy to postpone writing a blog entry! I love reading the ones others have written, but I drag my feet on making a new post. What’s my excuse? (1)“There is so much to tell that no one would want to take the time to read it all” or (2)”Oh. I would have to really concentrate for at least a half hour, and I just don’t want to do that tonight” or (3) “I wish I knew what my readers would like to see – old memories? Or just current stuff of every day? I just don’t know what to write.

Oh well – here goes --- We had a fun shower for Sara and Tessa! Sara attended by way of Skype! She had her computer camera on, and we had one on here on my desktop. So she was able to watch the shower, and we were able to watch her as we opened her gifts! That was neat. Tessa, of course, was here, and she received a lot of fun gifts (some useful), but the picture of the aunts holding up her scanties is one for the books!

We were inspired by the Beaver Stake Conference on Feb 1st. Elder Russell M. Nelson, of the Quorum of the Twelve presided, and Paul was released as Stake President after 9 years of service. What a thrill to be introduced to Elder Nelson and have him hold my hand while we had a short visit. It was an experience never to be forgotten.

Mark is still in the Intermountain Hospital in Murray. It has been 3 weeks. He is in the rehab unit now, but the terrible injury to his brain is difficult to adapt to. Please remember him in your prayers.

I have purchased a new computer, and when Keith & Sherrie return from Costa Rica (after the 18th if February), he will install it for me. My current computer is 4 years old, and Emily tells me I need a new one. So – am I up to adapting to a new computer? I guess time will tell!

January

I received the invitation to the shower for Tessa & Sara today. I am looking forward to seeing a lot of “Thomas women”(of all ages) on the 31st. It is so much fun when we can get together, and this year, we have two chances because this is the Thomas Thanksgiving year! Psychologists tell us that it is good to have events to anticipate. Maybe that is what gets us out of bed in the mornings. (What’s that you say? Oh yes, crying babies can do the same thing! So can puppies scratching at the door to get out! Another thing that will do it is your husband calling,”Honey, come and eat breakfast with me before I go to work. I’ve got it all ready!.”)

Have a fun January day!

Old Christmas Cassettes

It’s almost Christmas, and I am listening to my old Christmas cassettes. What memories they bring. (Emily dug these out of my closet when she was here yesterday. Maurine copied a lot of these, years ago, from my old LPs. The sound quality isn’t as good as the CDs, but the memories are there anyway.) When I heard the Barbara Streisand one, I could almost hear Vern say,”Oh, play a different one.” He didn’t like Streisand, so I haven’t heard that one all the way through very many times! But the Robert Goulet tape is so nice. I guess I should look for a CD of his songs. I think he is dead now. Anybody know for sure? (Well, I Googled him and found out that he died in Oct 2007 while waiting for a lung transplant.) He had a great voice that I really enjoyed. One of my Bing Crosby cassettes, "that Christmas Feeling", has a picture taken in Sun Valley on the front. The LP had the picture, and I was able to find a commercially-made cassette that also had it. I love the Tab Choir recording of "White Christmas". Glen & Jackie gave the LP to us for Christmas years and years ago,(at least 40 years) and it became a favorite right away. The title is still listed on the Tab Choir website, but the recording is no longer available. I wish they would re-master it for re-release. I played my Fred Waring cassette today, too. I have so many really old tapes. So I am listening to the old music and watching the finches and juncos at the bird feeder. We have about 5 inches of snow. It will be a white Christmas for us.

Christmastime

I think I have found an advantage to being old. Now I have time to enjoy the music, the lights, and the spirit of Christmas. When you don’t have meals to prepare, a job to go to, or anyone to care for but yourself, you have all the time you need. When I was younger and teaching, December always seemed to be a mad dash through the days and nights. There were college finals to prepare and the results to correct and record, before Fall Quarter at Dixie was closed, usually about the 10th. Then the focus turned to home, and all the decorations to put up, inside and out, and special parties to arrange and attend. I always did my Christmas gifts in August & September, before the Fall Quarter began, so they were already done. I had a special December Party calendar on my desk at school, with all the parties on it, and I celebrated when there weren’t two scheduled for the same night!

It’s funny, but I still get that urge to get my Christmas gifts going in August! I had thought that I would make more of my gifts after I retired, but that hasn’t happened. It takes longer to do the little things, and the incentive isn’t as strong, either. If it isn’t done before 2 or 3 in the afternoon, it isn’t going to get done that day. It is so much easier to sit in the big chair and just let the day pour over you!

I have a large collection of Christmas music – both in the old cassettes and the new CDs. I gave away my LPs when we moved, but I had most of my favorites copied onto cassettes. Some of them are pretty old (from the 40s & 50s), but I still enjoy hearing them. But they are only about 15 – 20 minutes of music each, and the CDs play for an hour. The radio was a good source for Christmas music, but they also had commercials. Now I can hear commercial-free music from the TV, and I often play it for a background when I am reading from my collection of Christmas books. (Yes, I have time to read some of those books now!)

So take heart, you young folks, there will come a time when you can do all the things you want to do during the holidays. Well, there will be time for it, but you may not feel like doing it, if your health isn’t top notch. I think Brother Wirthlin had the right idea when he said that we should take what comes, and love it!

Merry Christmas to all.

Courthouse Week

It has been an interesting week; a week spent largely at the courthouse for Steve & Kris and their family. The man who shot Jason in January 2007 was finally on trial. Monday, the jury was impaneled. Tuesday, the trial itself started with Jason on the stand. The tapes of his call into dispatch were played: at that time, he thought he was dying. It was almost a miracle that he survived. Witnesses testified all day. On Wednesday, the Doctors who had examined Featherhat testified to their professional conclusions. The Defense did not deny that the man had shot Jason, only that he was not sane at the time. So – today, Thursday, testimony wound up, and the case went to the jury, and he was found guilty – and not insane. The sentencing won’t take place until January. Most of the tension over the trial (and how the re-living of the shooting would affect Jason) is gone now, but there is still that last bit – the sentencing – before it can really be finished.

Keri and family are leaving on Saturday for Florida, and DisneyWorld, as the guests of the ‘Make a Wish’ Foundation for a week. Kody will have his next cancer scan after they come home.

Next week is Thanksgiving, and I am planning to spend the day with Beverly in Ephraim. I hope we have good weather for traveling.

Ward Directory & cold weather

I haven’t posted for awhile. I have been doing a lot of church work on my computer. I had 150 Invitations to the Relief Society’s Christmas Party to design, print, and cut up.(I put 4 to an 8x11 page). That is always a big job, especially since this computer refuses to recognize the disks with my old, favorite images! I have a hard time using some of the pix the new programs have: they just aren’t as good as some of my 30-year-old images. (OK, OK, I know I am just old.) Anyway, I found a way to get around that. Many of the old calendars, or greeting cards, that I have saved on this computer, have some of those favorite images, and I just copy & paste them into the new work. Yay!

When I finished the RS stuff, I dove into the Ward Directory for 2009. Keith’s ward doesn’t even use a hard-copy directory. They are all so technologically savvy that they just use the info the church posts on the Ward website. The Bishopric even puts all kinds of announcements on the web site. That won’t work here. Our Ward doesn’t have enough members who even own computers, let alone know how to use them. Of course, we have lots of college students living in apartments, and they are very savvy. (This positive is counter-balanced by the kids moving – a lot – and that makes our directory go out of date almost as soon as it is printed.) Sigh. Right now, I have everything done that can be done, I just have to wait for the Bp to decide what time he will have correlation meetings, etc., to coincide with the new meeting times. Then my part will be done. (We’ll start at 12:30 in 2009. It will be nice to sleep in a little, but finding a parking space will be harder!)

Does your back ache? Most families have back problems, and we have had our share of surgeries, and just miserable pains. But now, we are having a new version of a back ache. A series of recent xrays show that Taylor has developed Scheuermann’s Disease.(It is not a disease, per se, but a progressive condition of the vertebrae.) He is on bed rest for 30 days, with lots of calcium added to his diet, to build up the bones. (You can Google this and get details of the condition.) Please remember him in your prayers.

Winter is really coming . The mountain that I can see from my window has snow at the top. It doesn't look very deep, but it is a sure harbinger of cold weather to come. What am I saying? The 'cold' weather is here - now. But I am certain that it will get colder before it warms up again.

Snuggle down in your big chair with an afghan around you - winter is coming!

Sheep Parade, continued

Boy, am I frustrated! I couldn't edit the end of the first blog I did tonight, so I made a new one, complete with pictures, and it has flown off into outer space, I guess. Anyway, it has disappeared. I will try once more - but that will be the end. I guess I need some 'blog lessons'.

Here they come! They had several men with coiled whips(which they didn't use) who controlled the sheep. They kept the dog on leash, but he was anxious to round them up.

All in all, it was a fun parade!

We had an interesting day yesterday. Keith & Sherrie were here in the morning to watch the 'Sheep Parade' with me. There are only 2 sheep parades in the U.S. now: one here and one in Ketchum, Idaho. Jason was driving the Stagecoach (belongs to the Iron Mission) and Ryan was riding shotgun.

There were literally dozens of sheepherder 'wagons': from very old ones to very modern ones. the first sheep we saw were riding on a float.

There were handcarts, bagpipers, and old and new farm equipment. But, of course, we were waiting anxiously for the 1500 sheep.

The first arrivals ran ahead of a couple of parade entries, and they had to be stopped to let the vehicles go by.

They had several guys (with coiled whips in their hands - which they didn't have to use ) who walked along to control the sheep. I was surprised how easily they kept them together. Their sheep dog was unloaded from a pickup, but kept on a leash. Look how anxiously it is to 'get at 'em'.

DUP Decision

Well, I have decided NOT to volunteer to work in the Museum. I am not as sharp as I used to be, and I am afraid that I might make some embarassing mistakes. I think I will leave that job for the young kids who are in their 60s and 70s., and I will just enjoy being in my 80s. Is that a selfish or wicked idea? It kind of feels that way, but it is so nice to just sit down and read a book and not have to worry about having to go somewhere and be useful!

When my kids were still living at home, and I was working in the Library, I remember how good it felt to come home on a Monday afternoon and think, "Oh good! It's Monday, and I don't have to go anywhere tonight." Our Family Home Evenings weren't perfect, by any means, but time has dimmed the sharp edges now, and I remember them fondly. (Even when I remember that sometimes one of the boys would be sitting, reluctantly, on the stairs, instead of on the couch, and not taking a turn reading a few scriptures. Ah yes, the teenage years!) Oh well, the refreshments were always good! I feel better when I remember hearing President Hinckley's daughter saying that their FHEs were not perfect either when they were growing up. Take heart, but keep trying.

DUP

Yesterday, I attended my second DUP (Daughters of the Utah Pioneers) meeting. I have been thinking about joining for years, but I kept thinking I could wait until I retired and my life was a little less hectic. After Bev and Rene told me how much they were enjoying DUP in Ephraim, I decided that this was the time. I’m hoping to make some friends there who are close to my own age. So – at the first meeting in September, I saw a lot of older ladies; I recognized several members of my ward, so I felt a little more secure. When they passed out a paper with the officers’ names on it, I noticed that they didn’t have a chorister. I volunteered to fill that position. (My Jazzy can raise me high enough for those in the back to see me.) I’m not so sure that I did the right thing, though. I think they usually just sing without a director, but of course I didn’t know that at the time. So yesterday, I met the accompanist for the first time (she missed the 1st meeting), and I struggled a little. For instance, they like to sing a lot of verses, but they sing 2 verses and then the Chorus, and then 2 more verses and the repeat of the chorus. Well, I can adapt to that. The practice song (one I had never before seen – nor had the accompanist!) was something else. I tried to teach them the first verse. Why, I will never know, because they probably will never sing it again! (FYI: in DUP, the music is chosen for you. And it didn’t coordinate with the lesson about the old Salt Lake Theatre. I’m not sure whether the music is chosen locally or is decided in Salt Lake. But that is OK, now I have a list of all the songs to be sung throughout the year, and I can prepare myself.)

After the meeting, Steve took me to the DUP museum, where I intended to purchase a songbook. But no one was there, even though we were within the posted hours. I think they staff the museum with only volunteer help. Steve suggested that I might like to do that. The Museum is open from 1-4pm, and I could maybe go twice a week. I have been thinking about it all day and wondering if that is something that I could do. I have mixed feelings about taking on an away-from-home job. I am just getting really comfortable with living sitting down, and do I want to take on something like that? Steve thought I could use my laptop down there – for sources of information, etc., and I could take one of my “grabbers” to reach high or low objects. But gosh, life is so nice when I don’t have to leave the house more than Church on Sunday and my hair appointment on Wed. What do you think? If I were 10 years younger, I would jump at the chance, but now? I haven’t called anyone about volunteering for the museum yet – I am still mulling it over. Your ideas are welcome. I will let you know when I decide, OK?

My First Post

Well, Keith has 'held my hand' to get this set up. We are getting ready to go to dinner at Jason & Joni's house. We will be celebrating Kailee's 13th birthday. Should be fun.

Keith has been here this weekend while Steve & Kris attended her aunt's funeral in Southern California. We have been doing online genealogy almost all day with both of our computers. I'm not as sharp as I used to be. 'Getting old' is a good excuse though, isn't it?