Wood curls, Radios and Picnics

There was a lot to do when we visited our grandparents in Utah.  When Grandpa was home from working at the mines, he would let us go with him to his little work shop and play with the wood shavings from some project that he was making with just old fashioned hand tools.  We loved the designs that the wood curls from his plane made, using them to make doll hair or necklaces.

In Grandma's living room she had a lot of bookcases with glass doors and many missionary stories, but best of all she  had a large floor radio.  When she was out in the garden, if we turned the knobs just right we could listen to popular music, a Stella Dallas soap opera and baseball, but we were careful when we were finished to put it back to her church station. 




Some Sunday’s we might take a trip into Salt Lake City, go to church and then have a picnic in the park across the street from a huge church.  It was fun to run in the grass, and play among the large green shade trees, something we didn't have at our ranch.  Then everyone would pile in the car and we would head back to Grandma's for a snack, and then bed.

Friday Favorite Things

These are a few of my favorite things this week

Prescott Bluegrass Festival--perfect day, warm with a slight breeze

Virtual Strangers perform

Festival food, something for everyone

Daughter and littlest great granddaughter--She didn't want anyone touching her flower balloon 

Prescott courthouse square--horses both live and statues.

Legos are now for girls--Playing dollhouse with granddaughter

1.       _Our puppies _makes me laugh.  They just discovered how much fun it is to tear up a roll of toilet paper.  They are so proud of themselves.

2.       Sometimes_looking at old pictures_makes me sad

Annie Marie Boles--my grandmother (Daddy's mom).  I never met her, but she was a good influence on my daddy. She was a granddaughter 19 generations back of Robert (Stuart) king of Scotland

3.       My _granddaughter (son's daughter)__ looks _like a model even__ after _a busy day__

                                                    

4.       When I hear _political commercials__ I _want to throw up (sorry!), and its only June.__

Pondering with a Purpose

This Week's prompt is: Punishments you've Received

Through the years I have received various punishments, most of them well deserved.  But when I was a kid, I remember one spanking I received from my dad that I did not deserve.  One of my brothers lied about something and said that I had done it, so I ran and hid under the bed.  My dad found me and had a devil of a time trying to get me out, and needless to say I got a sound spanking--probably as much from him having to fight to get me out as from whatever it was that I was supposed to have done.  I still remember the hurt of that undeserved punishment.

Probably one of the most effective punishments that I received as a teenager was from my Algebra teacher when I was a freshman.  Most of the time I was a model student, but one day I was caught joking in class, and I can still hear my teacher say--"For your assignment tomorrow, you are to give a report to the class on the meaning of your name."  I prepared my report, and imagine my embarrassment when I had to get up in front of the class and state the meaning of my name was LADY.  Needless to say, I behaved it that teachers class the rest of the year.

Generally, in recent years, I punishment myself for perceived failures.  I am pretty hard on myself, and often have to take a step back and remind me that no one is perfect, and it is alright to mess up once in awhile as long as you learn from it, and that carrying guilt is not healthy.  So--just get over it!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What do the words 'freedom' and 'liberty' mean to you? Does your mind go more in the direction of not being persecuted or discriminated against or does it head in the direction of doing what you please?

When I think of freedom, I think of liberation from the power of another.  As a country when America was freed from the authority of England, personally when I became a Christian and was freed from the bonds of sin.

2. Nathan's sponsors a hot dog eating contest every 4th of July. Last year over 40,000 people attended the event and almost 2 million watched it on TV. The winner ate over 60 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. How do you like your hot dogs?

Burnt on the grill, then with French mustard, none of that cardboard tasting stuff. And two would be my limit, and only one bun.

3. If you were going to enter an eating contest what would be on the menu?

Seafood

4. Do you run your house more as a dictatorship or a democracy?

Since I am the one who both makes the rules and carries out the duties, I pretty much do what I want to.  Its a good thing that I don't like my house to be too messy, or I would have to crack the whip on me.

5. Where was your favorite summer place when you were a kid?

The only trip we took when I was a kid was to visit my grandma in Utah.  It was a change, but I truly loved being on the ranch in the mountains.

6. Do you have a guest room? Would you want to stay there?

Yes, I have a guest room and it is nicely decorated.  I could stay there.

7. Next Wednesday America celebrates her independence. Do you have any special plans for the 4th of July? If you live outside the USA when and how does your country celebrate its own patriotic holiday?
I will probably watch the fireworks from my front yard.  The Brewers spring training stadium is just a few blocks away, and there always is a nice fireworks display.

Hair style I wanted

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I am very upset!!! I had a picture of how I wanted my hair cut--just to the bottom of my ears, and the stylist, and I am using that term very loosely, cut it way too short.  It is about a half an inch ABOVE my ears, and I have to go on vacation looking like a boy!!!  The only good thing is that I can shake my head and it will be dry.

Hair style I got

A day at Grandmas

During the day, Grandma and Mom would visit, sew dresses for an orphanage in Korea, pick fruit from the orchard, and can.  Us kids liked to walk down the road to the railroad track, waiting for the train to rumble by, its power making us shiver.  Sometimes  if we could find a penny we would put it on the track and after the train had passed we would add the flattened coin to our treasures. 
There was a water well out front covered by a heavy door.  We would beg our Uncle Rodney to lift the lid just a little bit so we could see the spiders inside, shiny black with red hourglasses on their tummies. 

Sometimes we would feed the chickens, being careful not to get in the way of the mean rooster, it was fun to throw out the corn and watch them all rush to it,  no matter which direction we threw it, they would all flock over there, even when there was still plenty left from the last handful--reminds me of my greedy little puppies.  We always kept an eye out for the mean rooster, who thankfully disappeared the evening we had chicken and dumplings.

Meet me on Monday

1. What was your favorite childhood toy?

I had a cellulose head doll that I loved to make clothes for.  She was my very favorite.  Sorry to say, my brother broke her head one time when he was mad at me.  But I forgave him--some 40 years later.

2. Where did you go this weekend?

I went to the Prescott Bluegrass Festival

Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand was the headliner

3. When was the last time you shopped for yourself?  What did you buy?

Last week I went to Burlington Coat Factory and bought a couple of pair of jeans, and some tee shirts for vacation.

4. Paper, Plastic or Reusable?

I hate to wash dishes, so since it is just me eating at home, I use paper.  Outside of that, I am a fan of reusable.

5.  And now a question for you--What is your favorite type of music?
Mine is country, especially the old country western favorites,  Do you remember "The Sons of the Pioneers"?

Sunday Meditation--Beauty

We have all heard the saying that beauty is only skin deep. I take that to mean that a person's character is more important than their appearance.  So often we judge a person by how they look, ignoring those who don't fit our definition of beauty.  We can miss so much.

When the focus is turned to how one looks as opposed to what one is, we are in trouble.

Proverbs 21:2  We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives.  (The Message)

In the Presence of My Enemies

I just finished reading In the Presence of My Enemies by Gracia Burnham.  In this honest and unaffected memoir,she tells the story of her captivity in May 2001 at the hands of Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim extremist group in the Philippines. For just over a year, she and her husband Martin, a missionary pilot, lived with their captors and a variety of other hostages in the Philippine jungle. Burnham hauntingly depicts the reaction of deep Christian faith, Stockholm Syndrome and the unremitting terror of hostage life. The odd intimacy among the hostages and captors comes across in surprisingly frank conversations. 

At one point, Martin boldly refers to all the bad things the captors have done to the hostages, only to have one of them look at him puzzled and claim he has never done any harm to the hostages. 
The captors, in fact, do unspeakable things, such as beheading hostages or taking them as unwilling "wives"; Impressively, Burnham makes no attempt to dramatize these events for shock value, nor does she use this book as an occasion for Christian triumphalism. Instead, she chronicles both her high and low moments as a Christian during that year, and shows tremendous respect and love for members of other faiths with whom she lived. While some of the book is written for a Christian audience, a much wider audience will appreciate Burnham's brave, artless account of these horrific events.  It gives a view into the beliefs of the extremist Muslim "religion" and their behavior.  I would highly recommend this book.  I just downloaded it on my Kindle as a free book.

Friday Favorite Things

These are a few of my favorite things this week

Dinner with my son's family and friends--grandson  at end of table, granddaughter next to me, DIL across from me.

On a hot June 22nd a few years back, actually 44 years ago, I had a sweet, independent little girl.  She has always kept me real.

She is a talented computer programmer, whose motto seems to be "get er done"

She took me on an Alaskan cruise--this is the ships lounge.

She got married at sunset on Kauai (Hawaii) last year--she took the whole family.

She is spontaneous.  So happy birthday, sweet, independent, opinionated daughter.

1.       I love a _quiet day so I can work on my art__

2.       If I could _vacation_ anywhere I would _love to go to Australia_

Near Trinidad, Colorado

3.       When I grow up, I want to _be a rock star, actually I would love to live in the mountains_

4.       The best _advice_I ever _had was to be true to yourself and to God_

Pondering with a Purpose

This Week's prompt is: Punishment???"Let the punishment fit the crime" a phrase from a Gilbert and Sullivan opera The Mikado, pretty well sums up my philosophy on punishment.  And for every action there is a reaction or consequence. 

With my puppies, they learn that if they make a mess they will get scolded and put outside.  And   since they want to please me, they are learning to control their behavior.

With my children, they have learned that no matter what they do, there are consequences.  For good actions, they not only feel good but others also appreciate their effort; and conversely, bad behavior results in negative responses.

I firmly believe in the necessity of punishment--It is how children learn acceptable behavior. Two things that I try and remember: reward is just as important as punishment and there must be a balance; punishment not abuse, there is a difference between the two and abuse is never acceptable neither from the parent or the child.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Summer officially rolls in with the Hodgepodge this week, for those of us in the Northern hemisphere anyway. What song says summer 2012 to you?
Roll out those lazy, hazy days of summer by Nat King Cole--click to watch on You Tube

2. What's your favorite quintessential summer food?
Hot dogs cooked on the grill, and watermelon or home-made ice cream.

3. I've spent a lot of time traipsing up and down the NJ Turnpike in recent weeks. Did you know the rest areas on the turnpike are named after people who lived or worked in NJ? Clara Barton, Walt Whitman, James Fenimore Cooper, Molly Pitcher, Joyce Kilmer, Thomas Edison, and Gover Clevland just to name a few. Of those I listed, who would you most like to have known and why?

Clara Barton--She was a pioneer in humanitarianism.  She was a teacher and nurse. She risked her life when she was nearly 40 years old to bring supplies and support to soldiers in the field during the Civil War. Then, at age 60, she founded the American Red Cross in 1881 and led it for the next 23 years. Her understanding of the needs of people in distress and the ways in which she could provide help to them guided her throughout her life. By the force of her personal example, she opened paths to the new field of volunteer service. Her intense devotion to the aim of serving others resulted in enough achievements to fill several ordinary lifetimes.

http://www.redcross.org/museum/history/claraBarton.asp

4. At what age did you move out of your parent's house and what prompted the move?
I was thirteen.  In order for me to go to high school, I had to live in town, as our ranch was too far for a daily drive and there were no school buses.  I got a job as a nanny, and was paid $2 a week (plus room and board).  I had to share a bed with one of the girls that I took care of.

5. What's more satisfying to you-saving time or saving money?
Definitely saving money.  Being brought up poor, I learned the value of a dollar.

Grandson cracking up on fishing trip 

6. Name something you think brings out the good in people.
Children's laughter, you can't help but smile when you see when you see their joy.

7. This last question comes to you courtesy of Kathy over at Reflections...will you be taking a vacation or a staycation this summer? If so where will you go? If a staycation is on the calendar have you made any special plans to fill the time?
I am looking forward to my vacation in about three weeks.  I will fly into Portland, Oregon, rent a car and then send some time in Olympic National Park, a day in Victoria, B.C. and then 10 days visiting various relatives in Washington and Oregon.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Summer must officially be here in Phoenix, it is 110+ now during the daytime.

Wednesday 6/20/2012
Hi: 114° Sunny and hot. Highs 107 to 112. East wind around 5 mph in the morning becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Lo: 77° Clear. Lows 71 to 81. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday 6/21/2012
Hi: 114° Sunny and hot. Highs 108 to 113. Light wind in the morning becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Lo: 78° Clear. Lows in the lower 70s to lower 80s.

Friday 6/22/2012
Hi: 113° Mostly clear and hot. Lows in the lower 70s to lower 80s. Highs 107 to 112.Lo: 79° Mostly clear and hot. Lows in the lower 70s to lower 80s. Highs 107 to 112.

Saturday 6/23/2012
Hi: 111° Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Hot. Lows in the lower 70s to lower 80s. Highs 105 to 110. Lo: 79° Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Hot. Lows in the lower 70s to lower 80s. Highs 105 to 110.

Sunday 6/24/2012
Hi: 109° Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s to lower 80s. Highs 102 to 107.Lo: 78° Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s to lower 80s. Highs 102 to 107.

Monday 6/25/2012
Hi: 110° Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the lower 70s to lower 80s. Highs 102 to 107.