May, 2010

I think summer is finally here.  This may be a rash statement that I could regret later, but I stand by my words.  Granted, the gas to my heater has not yet been turned off.  I'm ashamed to say I even turned it up for 30 minutes today.  Even so, it is supposedly in the high seventies outside.  I thought my house would be warmer this year since I had my big tree seriously trimmed last fall.  But I am still cold.  Next month I will be crying about the heat.

My Relief Society lesson was from Elder Oaks talk in the priesthood session, "Healing the Sick."  Great explanation of how a priesthood blessing works and the sisters had a good discussion about it.    I love those women.

It seems like all I did this month was work, several six-day weeks and many nights until six or seven.  Hope I get that under control soon.  On the 10th, I traveled to Salt Lake for a meeting the next day.  I got take-out at Zupas (great Spring Aspargus soup) then went to Cassie's to watch DWTS.  It was a good meeting, only half a day so I spent the afternoon shopping.  I did not need the clothes I bought and certainly not the books, but I did kill some time.  That night Cassie and I ate at Cafe Med and went to a movie, Babies.  It was cute but after an hour, you get a little tired of watching babies cry.  Then we went to her house and watched TV.  I spent the night and came home the next day.  An actual day off!!!

I got all three days off for Memorial weekend.  So I finally mowed my lawn, took forever.  And the lilac bushes that I had ruthlessly trimmed back last fall attacked me.  I was a bleeding mess.  And what's with all the little baby lilacs cropping up all over the place.  Ye Gads !!  What do I do about those.  I merrily mowed them down, but I suspect the lilac mommies may have revenge on their minds.  Silly to be scared of a few bushes, isn't it?  Next I fertilized the grass, something I heartily wished I had done months ago.  It looks so pathetic.  And I watered it for the first time.  I really need to live in a condo for all the time and care I take with my place.  There are a few flowers blooming, some bachelor buttons, my lilacs, a snapdragon I just planted, my catnip, and a cute orange-flowering weed.  I also plowed the furrows in my garden spot.  Then, sinner that I am, I planted most of the garden on Sunday after Sacrament Meeting.  Otherwise, I doubt if it would ever have been done.  It will probably die.  The few plants I already had don't look so spry today.  And sometime in the dead of night (who knows when it really happened, I'm just trying to be literary) a fiendish pest ate all the leaves from four of my eight tomato plants.  The one thing I truly want from this garden is fresh tomatoes.  Any suggestions?  I also planted some zuccini, winter squash, peas, radishes, pumpkins, cucumbers and corn.  I planted some marigold seeds around the squash in the hopes that it will repel those disgusting squash bugs.  It's been 15 years since I last planted squash if that's a clue as to how much I hate those bugs.  I also planted some sunflowers, zinnias, daisies, and hollyhocks.  Then I will be out of town for several days next week so it will probably all dry up and blow away.  Rigth now, it just has its furrows with a few green things sticking up and absolutely no weeds.  I feel wonderful.

Julie and Ryan held our annual Memorial Day breakfast at their house.  They have done so much work on the house, it looks beautiful.  I always eat too much at this event, but it was sooo good.  Myke made his has browns that I have never been able to duplicate.  Julie made quiche and we had sausages and lots and lots of fruit.  Then we just sat around and visited for a couple of hours.  I've missed my family.  They've spent some weekends together painting Mom's house, but I've always been at work so it was good to see them.

Books Read  I read six books (is that all??)  and quit one about half way through.  I definitely recommend The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society.  Wonderful, heartwarming story.  I tallied up my TBR list today and found that I bought or acquired twenty books in the last month.  Yikes.  There is no room left on the shelves for books.  This book-collecting habit needs to be brought under control..  Sigh.

Movies  Cassie and I went to see Babies.  On the 15th, Lisa invited me to go the matinee after work and see Iron Man 2.  It was a fun movie and I love Robert Downey Jr.  Thanks, Lisa, for including me in your family and friend outing.  This last Sunday, I watched The Philadelphia Story on KBYU.  It's one of my favorites and a true classic.  The black and white cinematography is fantastic.  Plus Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant are wonderful.

TV  DWTS and American Idol are over.  Nicole Scherzinger won DWTS and rightfully so.  I did enjoy the other two finalists as well.  Good finish to that show.  Lee won American Idol but I would have been equally happy with Crystal winning.  They were both so good.  Not sure how I will like this show now that Simon is leaving.  I hope they get someone good.  The Bachelorette just started and looks like there will be plenty of drama.  I hope no one has to leave because of work this season.  That's getting overworked.  And Gray's Anatomy had a great season finale.  I am definitely watching more TV lately.  Maybe that's why I only read six books.

Overall Impression  I will be so glad to not see any more snow for a while.  And I have three weeks scheduled to take off in the next two months.  Yippee.

April, 2010

     Another month, another . . . month?  I was trying to come up with something along the lines of another day, another dollar; unfortunately, creativity has run out the door.  Buh-bye.  It is getting warmer.  I say this despite the five inches of snow left on the ground on the last day of April.  I also had my best month at work in ages.  My boss tells me I've almost turned the corner.  Of course, that was just before we tanked the last two days of the month.  I'm halfway  back down the block now.  So I've turned in my resignation and I'm moving to Salt Lake.  It's got to be better than working until seven every night and six days a week.  I've also missed my last four weeks of working at the temple because I can't leave work early enough.  And I'm not reading the scriptures I keep at work because I don't go to lunch any more.
     General Conference was the first weekend of the month.  Susan and her family had come out for Lorin's funeral and Cassie was here as well.  That was a great treat.  Unfortunately, I didn't watch as much conference as I should have.
     On a bright note,  I bought two grow boxes at Walmart, you know, the kind with little pellets of soil that you soak with water and plant seeds in.  Now I have eighteen pea plants about six inches tall, myriad little carrot tops, some of that cute curly lettuce with red edges (the edges aren't red yet, the plants don't look anything like lettuce.  I think it's a hoax), twenty-four corn plants, eighteen sunflowers (they grow really fast), thirteen or fourteen hollyhocks (some seeds are refusing to germinate) and a bunch of daisies.  I really like watching things grow and there are no weeds in my grow boxes.  Naturally, I will have to plant them outside; and my sweet home teacher has even plowed a garden spot for me.  Too bad I am going to move.  But the plants can go with me.  My peonies are coming up and that always excites me.  Dang, I'm going to miss them.
     On the fifteenth, I drove to Salt Lake with a colleague for a meeting.  We ate lunch at the Olive Garden, great but made me sleepy at the meeting, and had dinner at Zupas.  Have I mentioned how much I love Zupas.  I didn't get home until ten that night, but what's another late night?
    The 23rd was Mom's birthday.  Mark came out and we went to dinner at JB's that night and then to Mom's to play games.  Susan snuck in as a surprise birthday gift.  That Saturday tons of people converged on  the  house to paint.  I went to work and got some much needed work done there.
     As an example of how out of whack I am, I hung my sheets out to dry on the line again.  That was two weeks ago, and I've yet to put them back on the bed.  Who does that?
Books Read  I read eight books this month.  My favorite was Inside the Dream.  It's a book about the work of Walt Disney.  While it includes some bits and pieces of his life, mostly it deals with his cartoons and films and how they evolved.  Pretty darn good.
TV  Still watching Dancing with the Stars and American Idol.  I don't have an overwhelming favorite on either show, but I do like watching them.
Movies  If  I watched a movie last month, it made no lasting impression on me and so I've forgot about it.  Jeez, no movies?  I know watched movies, Cassie was here.  What did we watch?

Weight Loss  Please, who has time to lose weight?

Overall Impression   This has been a particularly negative post and my goal next month is to become more positive about things.  I have developed the growing conviction that very few people actually read my blog.  And I'm all right with that.  But just as a check, I did put in a grossly misleading statement. I didn't quit my job and I'm not moving.  At least not in reality.  Gotcha.  

March, 2010

I waited too long to write about last month.  There's very little I can remember.  Thank heavens I wrote a few things down on my calendar.  On the first and 2nd, I finished my trip to visit my kids.  It was so warm in Salt Lake that I drove with my window down.  It was sheer bliss.  I got back to Vernal on Tuesday to overcast skies and cold weather.  Jeez.  Jordan turned thirty this month.  How did that happen?  I'm very proud of him.  He has decided to quit his job and go back to school.   What a hard decision but ultimately, it will be so good for him and his family. 
Annie passed away on the 10th after a fifteen-month struggle with cancer.  It's hard to imagine her gone since she was so full of life.  Even sick as she was, she always had that beautiful smile on her face.  The funeral was on the 13th.  Everything was spoken in English and Spanish as she had so many friends who spoke one or the other.  Her parents don't understand English much at all.  It was a very moving service.  Eric spoke and gave a wonderful tribute to Annie.  We will miss her so much.
Cassie came out for the funeral, and it was so good to have her here.  We mostly spent time at Mom's house visiting with all the other family members who came to say goodbye to Annie. 
Jordan, Stacey and Lincoln spent a few days in Vernal on the following week.  I had to work but spent one lunch hour with them all at the Natural History Museum.  Lincoln loves dinosaurs and it was watch him look at all the dinosaurs and other preserved animals in the exhibits.
The only other thing I have written on my calendar is that on the 20th, I hung sheets and towels on the line.  Yay!!  My house smelled so fresh for days because I didn't fold them for days.  It didn't stay warm but I sure enjoyed the warm days that we did have.
Books Read  I read eleven books this month.  No fives, but three books were rated 4.5 which is pretty darm good:  The Great Bridge by David McCullough (Fascinating history of the Brooklyn Bridge), The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig (I love the way he writes) and The Time Travelers by Linda Archer (Great children's book about time travel and medieval England).  One book I did not finish:  Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury.  I just couldn't get into it. 
TV  On the first, I watch the Batchelor final with Cassie and her friends in Salt Lake.  That was a lot of fun even if Jake did choose Vienna.  Dancing with the Stars started and I love watching it that.  Otherwise, nothing much has changed except I may be watching more TV than usual. 
Movies  I went and saw "Nine" with Cassie in Salt Lake.  It's a musical with Daniel Day Lewis, but I didn't love the movie.  I watched "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" on video one Saturday.  I don't watch movies at home very often even though I own twenty or so that I've never seen.  But I do enjoy the Harry Potter movies.
Weight Loss  I lost about a half pound.  I guess that's better than gaining but still . . . I think I include this in my journal just to shame myself to get more proactive.  So far, it's not working.
Overall Impression  It's getting warmer!!!  I can't remember when I've so excited to see the end of winter. 

February, 2010

February was another stressful month, but with a great ending.  I turned fifty-four on the 4th.  Yikes.  I still feel thirty.  Fifty is the new thirty, right?  No exercising at all which I really need to change.  I'm sure it would help me cope with the stress much better.  I've been doing a lot of praying just so I can hold on until things start looking better.  I'm a firm believer that eventually things will get better.  I did go out to dinner one night with some colleagues from Salt Lake City who were out for a couple of days.  I laughed so hard.  I need to laugh more often, it felt great.  I am still enjoying my Family History class.  The people taking the class are so fun to visit with and we all share some great things.  I am learning more all the time.  Annie's Spanish-speaking branch held a dinner for her on the 20th.  I went with Mom.  The food was good.  It is easy to see that Annie is failing and it is so sad.  But she is determined to be cheerful and brave.  What an inspiration she is.  And Eric is being so strong for her.  Annie's parents, brothers, sister, sister-in-law and niece all came to see her which I know is a huge comfort to her.  On the 25th, I drove out to Salt Lake and spent the night with Cassie.  She's as stressed as I am.  What a pair.  We went to dinner at Hoppers.  Really good hamburger.  Then back to her place to watch the Olympics.  I forgot to mention how much I love watching the Olympics.  Such drama and inspiration.  And it's always nice to see Apollo Ono.  Cassie had to go to work on Friday.  She looked so cute and professional in her skirt.  I got up early also on my way to Cedar City.  First stop was Jiffy Lube for an overdue oil change.  I was very impressed with their service.  It was a gorgeous day for driving and I made really good time.  It was so fun to see Stacey and Lincoln again in their new home.  It is sooooo beautiful.  Stacey has decorated it wonderfully.  You can see some of her ideas on her Chic It Yourself blog.  Jordan got home from school soon after and we had a good visit.  That night we met Susan, Audrey and Porter at Applebee's for dinner and had a great time.  The next day, we drove to St. George in the rain.  Lincoln and I slept all the way down.  I slept so much on this entire trip which is wonderful because I have not been sleeping well.  We did a little shopping and ate at the Red Robin, then home again.  Lincoln played with his balloon from Red Robin until he worked the ribbon loose.  Jordan didn't know that so when he opened the back door, the balloon flew away.  Poor Lincoln's heart was broken.  It was broken again the next day when his parents decided he was still too sick to go to the nursery at church.  It's refreshing to see a toddler who really loves the nursery.  Of course, Lincoln is pretty amazing.  He turns off his toys when he's done playing with them and is fantastic at cleaning up.  For the most part, he is exceptionally well-behaved.  For the other part, not so much.  All in all, quite a normal little boy.  I love him so much.  I hope Jordan and Stacey weren't too bored with me.  Mostly I slept a lot, ate a lot, and watched TV and Lincoln.  It was just the rest I needed and it was so good to see them all again. 
Books Read  I read or listened to nine books this month, eight were on my Catching Up Challenge and one was an audiobook read on my drive.  It's good to get some books read that have been sitting on my shelves for so long.  My favorite book this month was And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.  Great mystery. 
TV  I'm still watchng the Batchelor but only half-heartedly.  I do enjoy American Idol, Castle and Gray's Anatomy but missing them occasionally didn't seem to upset me too much.
Movies   I watched four movies at Jordan's House.  He had rented "Couples Retreat" which was pretty lame.  Then I watched "Pelican Brief" after waking from a nap.  We quit watching right after the chase scene in the parking garage because 1.  We had all seen the movie before and 2.  Lincoln was insisting on watching Toy Stoy with Ba and Wooey.  How can you resist that?  So we watched Toy Story and it is funner to watch with a 2 1/2 year old.  After Lincoln went to bed, we watched Jurassic Park.  I don't love scary movies but, as always, I enjoyed Jeff Goldblum.
Weight Loss I lost another six pounds, because I'm not eating as much.  I didn't exercise at all.  After this past weekend, I'm afraid I will have gained everything back.  I really did eat a lot.
Overall Impression  Professionally, February was worse than January.  Otherwise, I think things are looking up.  It's getting warmer.  The days are longer.  And I am enjoying my callings at church.  The temple was closed for two weeks for maintenance and I really missed my weekly assignment there.  But it's only two weeks.  It was great to have some days off from work as well.  I really needed the break.

Life History Assignment: Likes and Dislikes

A great device for including information about yourself is by making a list.  I heard an author say you can make a list about anything:  what's in your refridgerator (I just threw out some disgusting, unknown substances so maybe I should do that one) a list of what's going on in your life at age thirty, forty, fifty, etc., (I wish I had done this but now I don't have that many decades left in me), what's on your bookshelf (this would be too long).  Anyway you get the idea.  Blogging memes follow this idea very well.  I found this list in a life history book, and the class seemed to like the idea.

1.  List your favorites from any of the categories below, and add any others that appeal to you.  If you would like, add a short explanation beside each item. 

• Books - Anne of Green Gables, The Book Thief, Trinity, it's no use, I could go on and on.  I just love a well-written, entertaining book that makes me feel something.  Anne made me feel hope, happiness and the love of family and friends; Book Thief made me feel sadness and the love of the written word; and Trinity made me feel romance, danger, and determination.  My favorites change on any given day but these are three that came to my mind today.
• Songs - "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"  I feel good every time I hear the opening riff to this song.  It's just one of those songs that takes you back to a different place in your life.  I have lots of songs that I really like to listen to and so much depends on who the performer is.  It would be hard to choose just one favorite.  But this Beatles song always lifts my spirits and John Lennon seems to sing it with so much joy.  Isn't that how you want to remember the Beatles?
• Television shows - Dancing with the Stars, Gray's Anatomy, Castle.  I love watching Curious George with my grandson. 
• Movies - Sleepless in Seattle, While You Were Sleeping.  Funny how a little sleep deprivation changes your focus, isn't it?  I also really liked Four Wedding and a Funeral, especially the edited version.  Funny how I don't particularly like to read romances, but I love romantic comedy movies. 
• Plays - The Tempest
• Kinds of Music - Christmas, I own more Christmas CD's than any other type of music. 
• Colors - Soft yellow, periwinkle, lavendar, deep red.
• Foods - chocolate, Mom's potato salad, Myke's grilled hamburgers, the pina colada salad at Zupas
• Flowers - peonies, lilacs, yellow or apricot roses, wild flower mixes
• Operas - ????
• Holidays - Thanksgiving is my favorite.  Great food and family get togethers. 
• Sports - I love watching swimming on the Olympics.  I just love the Olympics, summer or winter.
• Cities - New York City, Monterey, Boston, Salt Lake City.
• Restaurants - Zupas (see above), Macaroni Grill ( had a great soup there last year), Appleby's
• Dances - ????
• Presidents - Abraham Lincoln is my favorite.
• People's names - I think Lincoln is a wonderful name. 

2.  Look at the categories above.  Do items you particularly dislike come to mind?

• Books - The Journeyer  This is one of the few books I have not finished, but I'm getting better at setting a book aside when I 'm not enjoying it.  But it is the only book I ever threw away.  Pure trash.
• Songs - There are a lot of annoying songs out there.  "Master, the Tempest is Raging" is one church song I don't care for.  Too long and tedious.
• Television shows - The Office
• Movies - That independent film based on Nephi in the Book of Mormon.  The worst acting, makeup, sets, dialog etc.
• Kinds of Music - Rap
• Foods - green peppers
• Holidays - Valentine's Day  Come on, people, do you really need a day to celebrate your love?  We could eliminate this holiday, save some money and not make those poor lonely hearts out there feel any less worthy.  And, no, I'm not bitter, just cheap.
• Cities - Aberdeen, Washington -- just not a really pretty place. 

I could probably come up with more dislikes if I let myself really think about it, but why dwell on things I don't like?  I'm glad that those things were harder to bring to mind.  Maybe I'm not in such a dark place after all.

Life History Assignment: Family Vacations

Actually, the assignement was to write about your favorite vacation of your married life.  I can't think of one but I did think of two trips I took with my kids and family after the divorce.

In 1994, Susan planned a trip to the Grand Canyon which included her two boys, Jason and Kevin, along with Cassie, Jordan and me.  I helped pay for it, but she did all the work, shopping, making reservations, even driving.  We even drove from Cedar City to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon with those three big boys crammed in the back seat of her Chevy Lumina.  That was probably not our favortie part.  We stayed in a little cabin and prepared our meals in the cabin to save money.  Susan did a fantastic job in planning and packing the food for those meals.  It was such a good time and a great way to take my kids on a trip.  I had a bit of a problem because I get vertigo when looking down huge drop offs.  But I still enjoyed the beautiful scenery, the sunsets, the lecture in the inn, spending time with my sister and watching the kids all get along together.  Here's some pictures:

I think it was the next year on spring break that Myke and Cheya invited us to go with them to Disneyland as their treat.  Can I just say that I had been to Disneyland once and didn't really want to go again, but I knew my kids would love it.  What can I say?  I loved it too.  For three days, we raced around the park, standing in lines, riding the rides and visiting with Mickey Mouse, Tigger, Winnie the Pooh, the villain from Aladin, etc.  My feet were killing me.  One night, we took a trip to Newport Beach to eat at the Hardrock Cafe.  Great strawberry shake.  There was another day that we woke to pouring rain.  Still we walked from the motel to the park and bought bright yellow duckhead slickers.  It was a blast.  There weren't as many people and we didn't have to wait in lines.  Everywhere you looked, there were people dressed as yellow ducks walking around the park.  My favorite ride was Splash Mountain, even the great plunge at the end.  I would post that picture but can't get a decent copy scanned.  Here's one that Myke took.  Jordan is missing since he decided to sleep in and joined us much later.  I can't express enough how much I appreciated Myke and Cheya's generosity in taking us on this trip.  It was a great memory.

One of my biggest regrets while raising my kids was that we didn't go on enough trips together.  I was poor but I wish I had used my credit card and gone into debt for their sakes.  Thanks heavens I have two sisters who helped with these two wonderful vacations.  I really cherish the memories of these trips and the few we took to Salt Lake touring the city. 

January, 2010

I looked over my calendar of January and see that I didn't really do much except go to work, go to the temple, go to church.  Wayne and Susan visited from Virginia, and it was great to see them.  I started an exercise program at the beginning of the month, but it soon fizzled out.  Hopefully each month I will get the motivation to start exercising again.  I guess exercising for two weeks and then stopping is better than no exercise at all.  I gave a talk in church on the 17th about family history which I felt good about.  Shared some stories from familiy histories I've read and thoughts about geneology.  The same day, I gave my first family history lesson.  There were seven people in the class.  On the 24th, I gave a family history lesson and then my Relief Society lesson.  It was based on Elder Dallin Oaks talk, "Love and Law."  It's all about how God's laws are evidence of His love for us.  By obeying these laws, we develop the characters and attributes we will need to return to live with Him again.  He shows mercy through the Atonement but is bound by the laws.  If we choose to be disobedient, he cannot overlook that disobedience.  But because of His love, he strives to help us overcome temptations.  I like how Elder Oaks doesn't pull any punches and is matter-of-fact in telling how our choices affect our outcomes.  Here's a rundown of my regular activities:

Books  I read or listened to nine books this month for a total of 2692 pages.  My favorite was Mort by Terry Pratchett.  I started The Atonement but couldn't finish it.  Too bleak.  I also re-read Jane Eyre and really enjoyed.  It's quite different than I remebered it.  Did Bronte come back and do a rewrite in the last forty years?  Seven of the nine books were for a personal challenge to read books that have been on my TBR list for over three years.  Twenty-eight more to go.  Quite often I've wondered why I put off reading a book for so long. 

TV  New seasons of the Bachelor and  American Idol started this month.  Watching The Bachelor is like watching a train wreck only this time it's less interesting.  I still watch, but Jake is just not as much fun (too earnest?) and the girls seemed determined to be witches.  Don't they realize it's all on camera?  American Idol is still fun.  They're all still in the audition stage.  I wish they wouldn't show so many of the really bad or stupid contestants and none of the ones who go off, getting merrily bleeped along the way, when they're not picked.  I'd like to see more of the contestants who do get picked.  I'm loving Castle and am getting a little tired of Gray's Anatomy. 

Exercise  4 1/2 total hours.  How pathetic.  I can only do 1/2 hour at a time and haven't exercised since the 18th.  But now I'm embarrassed so I am determined to start again.

Weight Lost  6.6 pounds.  Obviously I didn't lose much weight from my diligent exercising program.  I'm attributing it to stress.  I never thought I would be too stressed to eat, but there you have it. 

Overall Impression  January is a cold, dismal month.  Even so, we had a number of days where the sun shone and the snow melted quickly off the roads.  There were a number of foggy days as well.  I don't like driving in the fog and it was miserably cold; but I love the way it freezes on the trees and electric wires.  Things are not going well at work but I just have to keep plugging along.  Hopefully, it will start looking up.  I really think January is my least favorite month.  So here's to February.

7. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I remember reading this book when I was in 9th grade and absolutely loving it.  But I remembered so little about the story.  Of course, I knew Jane Eyre was a penniless governess who falls in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester, and he with her.  I remember the mysterious happenings on the third floor of the mansion and even the fire.  But that was it.  When I started reading this book again, it opened with the story of Jane as a ten-year-old being mistreated by her aunts and cousins.  Was I even reading the same story?  She went to a boarding school?  She ran away from Mr. Rochester after learning that he had a wife?  I thought she learned that at the time of the fire.  Where did these cousins come in?  Wow, isn't it amazing the things you can forget over forty years' time?  Since I have never seen movies made from the book, it was almost like experiencing it for the first time.  Which was pretty neat.  What can I say?  It's a great story, a great romance, and Jane Eyre is a great character.  I love how strong she is (except for when under the thrall of her cousin, St. John.  He was creepy.) She had such moral conviction and deep passion.  I love that neither she nor Mr. Rochester were good-looking, but were attracted to the better qualities of the other, and maybe even some of the faults.  The story captured me.  True, I found the dialogue to be stilted and silly; but probably true to the time the book was written.  It sure took a long time to say anything, didn't it?  But the book is a classic, and I can certainly understand why?  I should try to not wait another forty years to read it again.  Here's a quote I picked out from many good ones:

"We know that God is everywhere; but certainly we feel His presence most often when His works are on the grandest scale spread before us and it is in the unclouded night-sky, where His worlds wheel their silent course, that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence.  I had risen to my knees to pray for Mr. Rochester.  Looking up, I, with tear-dimmed eyes, saw the mighty Milky-Way.  Remembering what it was -- what countless systems there swept space like a soft trace of light -- I felt the might and strength of God."

The book is filled with some great thoughts on Diety, right and wrong, morality versus immortality, even religious over-zealousness.  Good lessons that don't feel preachy because the story is so enthralling.  If you want to read a classic, I recommend this one.

Rating:  4.5

I realized that I posted this review on the wrong post.  If you want to see my other book reviews, please visit Framed and Booked.

My Favorite Time of Day

"What is your favorite time of day? Are you a morning or a night person? Has this changed over the years?"

I love sunrises and sunsets, with a little leaning towards sunsets.  That could be because I am usually either sleeping when the sun comes up or busy getting ready for work.  I have lived in my house for over thirty years and I can't count the times I've sat on the front porch watching the sun go down.  Until three or four years ago, the field across the street from me was empty, giving me an unblocked view to the west and the mountains that circle the Ashley Valley.  Vernal has had some pretty spectacular sunsets during those years. 

Some evenings in the fall and spring, I would watch huge flocks of birds as they dart across the sky.  It's amazing how synchronized they are as they all suddenly change direction.  Sometimes, hundreds would be perched in this locust tree in my front yard and on the electrical wires by the road.  

I would have to say that I am both a morning and night person.  I prefer those times to the middle of the day.  There's a softer quality to the light when the sun is lower in the sky and the shadows are more interesting.  Has this changed through the years?  Definitely.  When I was a teenager, I slept all morning.  Probably never saw a sunrise.  Now that I'm older and my body is running down, I can't sit on the front steps like I used to.  But sometimes I glance out the window and see some pink or orange lights and walk out to see what brilliant note the day is ending on. 

New Calling

"What???" you say, "Why would you accept a new calling with the chaos that is your life?"  It's so true.  My life is a mess and I'm feeling pretty stressed.  But I have learned that, while I can do very little about the pressures of my job short of having every inhabitant of my town move all their accounts over and thus putting all my competitors out of business (slight exaggeration), I can control my own attitude and what I do with the little time when I actually have some energy to do something.  It's ironic that when I pray for strength to endure my "sore trials and tribulations", the Lord gives me another calling.  Two months ago, I was called to be the ward Family History Consultant.  I was so relieved that I wasn't being called to be a ward missionary, that I almost hugged the bishop.  And yes, the calling was extended two months ago.  Aside from buying some books on writing personal histories and some genealogy help books, I haven't done much except procrastinating the inevitable CLASS.  Two weeks ago, the bishop decided the class should start today and I could give a talk in Sacrament meeting to announce it.  Things just keep getting worse, don't they?  Well, I lived through it.  I used the first lesson in the book for my talk which went pretty well.  I had seven people show up for the class which is about seven more than I expected.  I gave the lesson using the DVD that accompanies it and felt we all had a good discussion which is how I teach.  There were even assignments.  That's right, assignments for Sunday School.  I know so little about Family History but I think I will learn so much from everyone else.  I hope they feel they are getting something out of it.  Anyway, I decided that along with finding our ancestors, we would have a weekly assignment to write a journal entry for our own personal histories.  We picked a topic from the myriads I had available:  "What is your favorite time of day?  Are you a morning or a night person?  Has this changed over the years?"  I will probably post my entries here on my blog so be looking for them.  If you want to join in by writing about the topic of the week, please leave a message with a link to your post so we can visit.  I hope this will be fun.  Some of my class liked the idea.  One brother groaned and said, "I have to write????"  We'll see how it goes.  Did I mention that I am still teaching Relief Society?  Next week, it's Lesson Three for Family History and a conference talk by Elder Oaks for RS.  I'm not feeling the stress letting up a lot yet, but I have a feeling this will all work out for my good. 

December Diary

It's my last journal entry of 2009 and I should really try to be eloquent; but I'm tired and coming off a holiday sugar rush; so we'll just have to see how it goes.

3rd  I drove to Heber with Julie and Todd to attend a manager's meeting.  It was the first time we had met with the managers in our new district and I thought it went well.  I've probably mentioned before that my new boss is very driven and intense, but he's also very funny and has really good ideas to help us meet our goals.  And he's pretty honest about the fact that we are going to have to work our butts off this next year.  (sigh)

5th - 16th  Maddy's son got married on the 11th so she took off all these days to get ready and spend time with visiting family.  Which meant I got to work every day except Sundays.  I was pretty tired to say the least.  Lisa and I drove over to Hidden Springs in Altamont to attend Buck's reception.  What a long drive.  It took over an hour to find the place, but I can understand why people have their receptions there.  It is a beautiful setting.  On the 16th, we had a manager's meeting in Roosevelt to go over strategies for the new year.  Again, very intense.

17th  My high school friend, Ann Stewart, hosted a get-together with a bunch of us from high school.  There were thirteen of us:  Ann, Nikki Sorensen, Gail Sorensen, Rosalie Sorensen (can't remember her married name), Karen Hatch, Benna Bridges (again, married name ???), Cathy Magee, Linnette Rollins, Dahn Caldwell, Julie Brooks, Judy Kurtz, Betsy Magee,  and myself.  We had a blast.  Ann had made the most wonderful food and her home is beautiful.  She is such a good hostess.  We played a game where we all drew a Christmas song and then sang it until we found our partners.  Karen, Rosalie and I had JIngle Bells.  We then perfomed a routine for the song.  We won!!!  You can see why from the picture below. :)

21st - 23rd  I took these days off because Stacey, Jordan and Lincoln came for a pre-Christmas visit.  Lincoln was very excited to see my Christmas tree which was fun.  This was the first time we tried having him sleep in a regular bed.  We put chairs and pillows all around the double bed and he slept just great.  The next morning I had to run into work and to the store.  Just as I was getting ready to leave at 7:30, Lincoln opened the door and walked out of his bedroom.  It was good that I had not left yet as Stacey and Jordan were still asleep.  It's hard to get used to him being so grown up.  Stacey made breakfast when I got home, German oven-puff pancakes, soooo good.  We opened our gifts to each other.  I bought (had Jordan buy for me) Lincoln a keyboard and stand.  It was so fun to watch him play the different beats (actually he seemed to keep to one beat) and sing into the microphone.  What an entertainer.  I have a little caterpillar with 26 legs for the alphabet.  When you push a leg, it plays a different song.  Lincoln would only push the "I" leg and would rock out to "I've Been Working on the Railroad."  And he would not let me play another song and that caterpillar plays some really cute songs.  It was so funny.  Stacey made me a baking dish that had my name engraved on the bottom.  It's so nice to know which pan you brought to the potluck without putting masking tape on it.  In fact, it was such a great gift that I had also made a simlar one for Stacey last summer.  Great minds think alike.  Then they gave me a digital picture frame with a lot of their family photos already on the memory card.  I added some of my own.  Amazing how much time I spend looking at those pictures.  Thanks, Jordan and Stacey.  Earlier, I had bought some alphabet magnets since Lincoln liked lining up the magnetic trains so well at Thanksgiving.  The letters were stuck randomly on the fridge and he proceeded to line them all up.  He would move them from the fridge to the metal trashcan and back but always in a straight line.  I could watch him for hours.  But they had to leave Wednesday afternoon and then Cassie got here that night.

24th  Christmas Eve.  I had to work but we closed at 3:00 so I had time to make pico de gallo and sour cream enchiladas for our family dinner that night.  The enchiladas were really good.  We had so much food at Mom's.  I think it took us four days to eat everything.  Of course, people kept making new stuff like soup and such.  There were lots of people so it was pretty chaotic.  We played the same Christmas song game that I had played with my friends and it turned out fun.  Everyone participated which was surprising but also made it successsful.  Greg read "The Night Before Christmas" and Cheya read the Bible and we sang some carols.  Ahhh, tradition.  Then we opened presents.  This year, Mom made a donation to help Third World familes in our names and that was her gift to all of us.  What a great idea for Christmas.  I got her some software and a book to help her write her life history.  I hope she will spend some time writing down her memories.  I always enjoy when she tells stories from her life.  I also gave her some pictures from our Thanksgiving photo shoot.  Last year, I gave her magnetic board to displays pictures of her family that can be changed when she gets new ones.  So now she has new ones of me and my kids.  Cheya and Myke gave me a WaterPik shower head.  I was a little apprehensive about installing it.  I did have to go to the hardward store to get a small converter pipe but it works just great.  I love it.  I also got an ARC of The Brutal Telling.  Cheya and I are great fans of Louise Penny.  Thanks, Myke and Cheya. 

25th  Christmas Day.  No getting up early for Cassie and I.  I don't think we ate breakfast until noon and then opened presents.  Or was it the other way around?  Whatever, it was nice and slow.  Cassie brought me great things from her travels:  a plaid, cashmere scarf from Scotland, a silver necklace and an Irish Tenors CD from Ireland, and a red coral necklace from Hawaii.  She also gave me some other really neat things.  And then she is going to make me a temple bag.  She had bought the fabric but ran out of time.  The fabric is so pretty.  We took it very easy but eventually made it over to Mom's to eat and play games. 

26th  Cassie and I went to see Sherlock Holmes at the movie theater.  Great movie.  After it was over, we saw that Greg had come also but had sat farther ahead of us.  I can't believe I actually did this, but after the movie, we went to Walmart.  On the day after Christmas!!  It was not too bad and we needed to get the trim for the temple bag.  We settled on a really pretty green color with a gorgeous bling-bling button.  I'm so excited.  More games at Mom's that night.

27th  I gave my lesson in Relief Society and spent my last day in the library.  Now I have to get ready to teach Family History.  I know nothing!  Cassie left to go back to Salt Lake.  Man, it's hard to see her go. 

31st  Mom, Susan, Cheya and I went to lunch at The Red Onion Grill.  It's right next to the Dinosaur Gift Shop so we went in to check out the sale.  I spent too much but bought some fun Christmas items.  Lunch was just okay especially considering that we had to wait so long and the service was pretty bad.  That night we had sloppy joes at Mom's and birthday cake and ice cream.  And played games.  My back was killing me and I developed a bad headache so as soon as I saw that ball drop in Times Square, I headed home to bed. 

Books  I read eleven books this month.  My favorites were The Kite Runner, Forest Born, and Ender's Shadow.  Six of the books were Christmas stories, some very short, which helped get me in the holiday mood.

Movies  On Christmas, Cassie and I watched Julie/Julia which she gave me.  I really liked it.  Meryl Streep is wonderful.  Then we saw Sherlock Holmes which was also a wonderful movie, very fast paced and action-packed.  And funny as well.  It seems like I watched another video but can't remember what it was.

Overall Impression  We got a lot of snow this month which was so pretty at first.  Then it just gets dirty and drab.  It was also very cold.  Most nights dipped below zero.  Brrrrr.  But it was a good month to spend time with the family and enjoy the Christmas spirit.  I love singing carols at church and celebrating the birth of our Savior.  Now if I can just keep that feeling with me throughout the year.  I did make some resolutions.  I have to lose weight or my back is going to become an even bigger problem than it already is.  So I am going to try to eat better and exercise more.  Plus, I am going to read the Old Testament.  And I want to do some writing on my life history to go along with the family history class I will be teaching.  That ought to do it.  Look for updates on my monthly posts.  I may post my life history entries as well, haven't decided yet.  I hope everyone had a great year in 2009 and wish an even better one for 2010.  HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Family Pics

The day before Thanksgiving, we had family pictures taken out in my mom's field.  Jordan's friend, Mindy Gale, and her sister have started a photography business.  Take a look.  There are several shots I really like that I will be getting printed, but I really need a 11 x 14 for an frame that's been hanging on the wall empty for far too long.  My main concern was that it had to be a landscape shot because that is how the frame is hung.  The shots with all five of us all have something wrong with them but all have great things as well.  I know, you can't expect five people to all look good at the same time.  Anyway, I'm posting the ones I like the best and letting you all help me decide.  Please be honest in your comments.  I'm not putting them in any particular order so you won't know which one I'm leaning towards.  All but the second picture also have a sepia version so you can try to picture that.  Try clicking on the picture to see it bigger.  I don't know if that will work or not, but ...  Please comment on which one you like best and why.  Thanks for your input.

O Christmas Tree

This year I bought a new artificial pre-lit tree that has both multi-colored and white lights.  It was a beast to put together.  So heavy.  But I love not putting on the lights.  That alone makes this a worthwhile purchase.  Plus, the remote control is fantastic.  The tree even revolves, but I can't see myself ever using that feature.  That would mean I would have to decorate that side that's up against the wall.  Jeez.  After I finally got the tree up and plugged in, I noticed a three-foot section where the white lights did not come on.  (Grit my teeth and try not to swear)  Finally, after moving the wires around, they came on.  Brand new tree and there seems to be a short in the wiring.  A few days later, I finally put on some decorations.  This year, I went with my Santa theme; and I'm quite pleased with the whole thing.  I'm posting some pictures, but the flash fades out the lights making the tree not as pretty.  I did take a couple without a flash.  See what you think.

November Notes

I love November.  It is the month of my favorite holiday.  Yes, winter is slowly creeping in and the fall leaves are faded and littering the lawn; but it's still on the warm side and Thanksgiving is on its way.  Here's what I did through the month.

1 - 6.  I took the week off to clean the house and get ready for my Thanksgiving guests.  It was a great opportunity to get rid of some stuff to take to DI and send other stuff to the dump.  I also got to start my temple shift when everyone else does.  I usually go at 5:30 pm but the shift actually starts at 3:00.  I was still late for the prayer meeting but did get to see all the sisters who work on that shift.  Sometimes, you get so busy that you go a whole evening and not see someone. 

9.  I had my first telephone call with my new boss.  He is quite different than other supervisors I've had and very different from the one just previous.  I sense I am really going to have to kick it in gear.  Since we've been moved into a new district, I also have to get used to the way things are down in a more urban market. 

11.  Veteran's Day.  The bank gave us a paid holiday this year.  I t was nice to just sit in the house and enjoy it being clean. 

20.  I drove to Moab with two co-workers for Don Cook's retirement party.  He was my supervisor for just about six months, but I really grew to appreciate him.  It was good to see some faces from the Southern Utah division.  I've worked with some of these people my whole career and will miss them. 

24.  I had my first goal setting session with new boss.  It was grueling, but I can see where I can really improve my performance and help my employees do the same.  There is a lot to be learned.  I wish I wasn't so old and tired.

25.  Cassie arrived last night and Jordan, Stacey and Lincoln came about noon.  They had had a rough trip as Lincoln got sick all over the car and carseat.  Yuck.  After tumbling over my exercise ball (the most action it's had for years), he went down for a nap and we cleaned the seat.  Then everyone got ready to go get family pictures taken.  Cassie and Stacey had to pick out what I would wear.  It started out fun taking pictures in Mom's field and by her old cow shed.  Jordan's high school friend, Mindy, and her sister took the pictures.  Lincoln was not very cooperative; but I hope there are some good shots.  Mostly, it was just good having them all there.  I got to watch Lincoln that night and put him to bed.  He's so sweet. 

26.  Thanksgiving Day.  We slept in, had a good breakfast and headed over to Mom's for dinner.  It was soooo good.  Alyson came from Las Vegas, Scott from Salt Lake; and everyone from Vernal was there.  We all wrote what we were grateful for, put the cards in a basket; and drew one to read.  Great stuff.  After dinner, we played games and talked until there was room enough for pie.  After dark, a bunch of us went outside to see the space station and shuttle as they passed overhead.  It was cold but fun.  Then Mom gave us all a scare as she got dizzy and almost passed out.  Luckily Jenny and Julie were right there to catch her.  Mark and Cheya took her to the hospital and the rest of us went home to await word.  It turned out to be dehydration and extremely low blood pressure; the doctor soon had her feeling much better.  She didn't even have to spend the night.  We were all so grateful because it was pretty scary at the time.  She got a good rest that night which is more than I can say for those at my house.  Lincoln decided he didn't like sleeping in the portable crib or with Grandma and just wanted to play in bed with Mom.  When I finally got up the next morning, he was asleep on the couch and his dad was sleeping on the floor.  Happy Anniversary, Jordan and Stacey.  I hope next year things go smoother. 

27.  Vernal plans a whole slew of activities to get ready for the holiday season.  I was excited to take Lincoln to ride the ponies and see the camel.  He got to pet the camel on the nose and talk to the ponies.  He has "Neigh" done all the way.   He was so cute when his turn to ride finally came.

 

Definitely not cute when his turn was over.  Good heavens, that kid can scream.  He was probably hungry.  Back to Mom's for a lunch of leftovers and then Jordan, Stacey and Lincoln headed for the city.  That night we played games again.  As always, Cheya and Myke had some new games that were fun.  It seemed every game we played, Scott won.  Dang. 

28.  Cassie and I went to the matinee and really enjoyed the movie.  We played more games that night. 

29.  We really relaxed this day.  I don't even remember what we did after I got home from church.  Cassie did't leave until six that night but got home safely.  So the holiday is over and it's back to work.

Books Read

I read ten books and 2928 pages.  I finally finished the Chronicles of Narnia series.  Can you believe I had never read those books?  None of the ten books really stood out in my mind.  There were a couple I wouldn't recommend but they weren't horrible.  Just kind of a boring reading month.

Movies

The movie Cassie and I went to see was Blindside with Sanda Bullock.  I really liked it and thought she was fantastic in it.  We also watched The Jungle Book and the Sword in the Stone with Lincoln.  He mostly played while the movies were on except during the songs.  Then he would dance. 

TV

Dancing with the Stars is over; and Donny Osmond won.  I was rooting for Joanna Krup but Donny was my second choice.  He wasn't the best dancer but was certainly the most fun to watch.  It was also fun to watch Kelly Osbourn.  She just improved so much over the season.  I'm still watching Castle, Gray's Anatomy and have added Flash Forward to my schedule. 

Overall Impression

This month just flew by.  I was so caught up in all the changes at work that I didn't do much of anything else.  I can't see that December is going to be much different.  Still it was fun to spend so much time with my family.  I got a new calling at church -- Family History Specialist.   I don't have a clue but it will be fun learning about family history and geneaology.

October Outcomes

In England, the first week of October is Children's Book Week.  What a great idea.  Germany celebrates Unity Day and Canada has its Thanksgiving.  Columbus is the second Monday, Apple Day on the 21st and everyone's favorite, Halloween, is on the 31st.  It is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  October's birthstone is the opal and the flower is the calendula. 

The weather really started changing this month.  The mornings had that great crisp, clean, cold smell of fall.  We even had some snow.  The wind blew for days, but there's still some hardy leaves hanging on for dear life.  How can I rake them when they're still up there?  Guess I won't.  Here's what happened in my life.

2.  I mowed the lawn for the last time this year and I turned on the heater.  (This is going to be a really slow news month)
3-4.  General Conference.  Some really great talks as usual.  Sometimes it's nice to just on the couch in your pj's, eating breakfast and getting your spiritual cup filled. 
14-18.  Mom, Mark, Susan and I drove from Salt Lake City to Reno for our annual fall trip.  Luckily it was overcast on the drive west, and we saw some beautiful skies and interesting lights on the hills. 

With a low tank, we almost stopped in a little hamlet called Puckerbush, but Mark felt like going on to a bigger hamlet.  I'm not sure there is anything bigger between Winnemucca and Reno, but we did finally find a station before the tank was completely dry.  We checked into our rooms at Circus, Circus and ate dinner at The Smokin Gecko BBQ, located int the hotel.  I had barbecue chicken with baked beans and corn on the cob.  Mmmm.  We had such good luck with food on this trip, never a bad meal.  Except for the McDonalds breakfast the next morning.  That was probably our fault as we couldn't seem to get our orders straight.  We headed west to Donners Pass.  The visitor's center there was so interesting, reading about that ill-fated pioneer group, their courage and will to survive.  While driving over the pass, we saw the worse weather of the trip, some cold rain; but the pass is beautiful with great craggy rocks and cliffs.  Then down into sunny California.  We turned left at Auburn and went down a windy road toward Sutter's Mill, passing through Cool.  We had a good time boning up on our gold history at the Mill.  Lunch was at Mel's Original Diner in Placerville.  Great hamburgers.  Next came Lake Tahoe.  What a beautiful view as we traveled up the west side of the lake.

Mark and Susan climbed some rocks overlooking the lake but it was getting dark so we headed back to Reno.  A light night snack at an ice cream shop and we were ready for bed.  Friday we did the river walk in downtown Reno. What an amazing place to have right in the middle of the city. It was absolutely beautiful. There was a sculpture exhibit right off the river that we had a great time perusing. Next, it was south towards Carson City and the the capitol building. What beautiful fall colors that city had. The capitol building is completely surrounded by trees, you can barely see it. And it is very small. The legislature and judicial branches have separate buildings. We took a driving tour and looked at some historical houses around the city. The Governor's Mansion was completely decked out for Halloween. That's a big day for Nevada as it joined the nation on Halloween. However, I thought the Governor overdid it, very gaudy. Still it was fun to see everyone put so much effort into this holiday. We drove down to Gardnerville hoping to see some Basque culture, but missed it. Heading north and west, we came to Genoa (accent on the o since we are not in Italy) to see the first Mormon settlement in Nevada. It was closed for the season but we did walk around the fort and read some of the markers. We did some shopping and visited with some storeowners, very friendly and knowledgeable. There is a great candy store where we spent some time. The owner kept winking at me. What???? We tasted several samples of gelatto before realizing that several had alcohol in them. Annnnyway, it was a fun experience. We then drove back to Tahoe to see the eastern shore. It's a gorgeous lake but way over populated now. This is my favorite shot that I took of the lake. My camera with the zoom was acting so weird and took multiple shots every time I pushed the shutter. So I would have two or three pictures of the exact thing.

Coming back into Reno, we decided to visit the temple. It is not an easy building to find. We even called to get directions but that was just a little bit of help. The problem is that it was dark, you have turn on this certain road; and we just couldn't see the street sign, drove past it two or three times. Mark kept his cool but  it was hard.  Eventually, we made it up the hill and took some pictures of that. The temple sits on a hill overlooking Reno and has a great view. Here's Mom, Mark and Susan huddling up as it was a bit cold.

That night we ate at Louis' Basque Corner. You share a table with other diners and we hit the jackpot with the two couples we ate with. Bryan is of Basque origin and gave us great tips on what to eat. He is a government contractor.  He and his wife were in town opening a major highway. Very fun people. The other couple are college professors from a small town in Northeastern California. Very interesting and fun to talk to. We had a great time. We got up early on Saturday and headed to Virginia City. Since we got there early, we were able to get a good seat at a restaurant that had been restored to fit the Old West. Great breakfast in a great setting. The town itself is way overcommercialized. We were going to take a wagon trip around the town to see the sites, but the wait was just too long. We walked up and down the boardwalks and went into a few shops. I really would have liked to have bought a deck of cards for Nevada, but every deck I saw was a used casino deck. I already have one of those. Rats. We did see the picture of the bride with the silver dollar dress. She is huge and the dress is made up of silver dollars, gold dollars for the belt and her jewelry is dimes and nickels. Then we started the long trek to Ely on the Loneliest Highway in the country. It's pretty desolate and empty. Thank heavens Mark is such a good driver.  Our last night on the road saw us eating pizza in a hotel in Ely.  Pretty good pizza too.  The next morning we walked across the street from our motel  to a park to see paintings on the library wall, the duck pond and some statutes.  Then we headed north on a road even lonelier than the day before.  Needless to say Mark made great time.  It was great to see the Salt Lake and the Salt Flats coming in from the west.  And it was great to get home. Wonderful trip.
28.  Received word that my boss is retiring the end of November.  Big changes.  I'm not excited. 
29.  First snow of the season.  It melted quite quickly but I'm still not ready. 
31.  I went to Jeffery's baptism.  I can't believe he's eight already.  I was moved as John baptized and then Grandpa Myke confirmed him.  Jeff will always be able to remember that he was baptized on Halloween.  And he and Megan were my only trick-or-treaters.  Thanks for not forgetting your old aunt. 

Books:  I read or listened to eleven books.  I am finishing the last two of the Narnia chronicles this week and enjoying them very much.  No five ratings this month, but I gave three books 4.75:  Catching Fire, Stargazing, and A Rule Against Murder.  I spent hours on Halloween reorganizing my books.  I found I was missing eleven books that I showed I owned and haven't read.  Grrrr.  After thinking it over, I realized that my sister has one, two I had already read but didn't check off the TBR list, and one I thought I had bought but apparently didn't.  Don't know where the other eight are.  If you have my copy of Pippi Longstocking, it's time to give it back.  I also found six books that I really didn't want to read so I listed them on Bookmooch.  They were snatched up almost immediately.  Did I act too hastily?  There were ten double entries plus I deleted nine I didn't want to read after all from the list.  The list would be getting smaller except I found sixteen books that weren't even written down.  Maybe I need to quit playing with my lists and read more.  Get that thought behind me.  This is my hobby and I'll hobby it as I want to.  Besides I cleared up some room on the shelves so it was a good thing. 
TV and Movies.  I am totally into Dancing with the Stars, Castle and Gray's Anatomy.  Other than that, I rarely turn the TV on.  I'm sad that Louis Vito got voted off DWTS last week.  He can't dance at all, but he's so darn cute.  Castle just gets better and better.  Saw no movies. 
Overall Impression  The end of October means we're heading into the holiday season.  I'm not ready.  I love Thanksgiving but buying gifts for Christmas is so stressful.  I just want fall to last longer. 

September Summary

September is one of my favorite months.  The change from summer to fall is so beautiful.  Cooler evenings and mornings are my favorites.  A drive up a canyon just illustrates how beautiful fall really is.  And, even though you know winter is on the way, you can still enjoy this time of transition.  Here's how I spent my month:

3rd.   I finished my personal Book Around the States Challenge.  The goal was to read a book set in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.  I started this challenge in August, 2007.  Two years to read 51  books.  There were some really good books included but also some pretty bad ones.  Here are the ones I rated the highest:

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver, Arizona

 Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury, Illinois

More Than You Know by Beth Gutcheon, Maine

English Creek by Ivan Doig, Montana

              The Valley of Light by Terry Kay, North Carolina

                 Peace Like a River by Lief Enger, North Dakota

                Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos, Washington

                                                  October Sky by Homer Hicken, West Virginia

                                                Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink, Wisconsin

3rd  I bought a new toaster.  This might not seem very momentous to you, but I've had that old four-whole toaster since I got married in 1977.  It was time.  I still need to get used to the new one and figure out the best setting, but I'm not mourning the old one.

5th  My thirty-year-old cottonwood finally got a much-needed trim.  It was expensive and I'm not sure it was trimmed enough; but it is still a vast improvement.  I'm not worried any more about a big wind breaking a limb and having it fall through my roof.  I just hope the trimmer got all the diseased portions out. 

6th & 7th Jason, Rachel and baby, Robby, came out to visit.  Robbie is such a cutie.  It was good to hold a smaller baby again.  We played games and went to breakfast on Monday at JB's.

11th & 12th  I went to Provo for Lincoln's second birthday.  It was a traumatic day for him.  He was pushing on the backend of a toy pickup when it flipped and hit him in the face.  So heartbreaking.   Two Tylenols later, he was feeling better and enjoying opening all those presents.  I was happy that he was excited about his Curious George movies.  Lincoln loves Curious George and that was the theme of his birthday party.  His two cousins wore monkey masks but Lincoln refused.  Stacey had bought balloons and had a ring toss game with prizes.  There was even a delicious monkey cake which Lincoln loved.  I can't believe he is two already and getting so big.  In some ways, it's sad because he's not a baby any more; but he just gets more fun all the time.  Wonder what he'll be like at fifteen.

26th & 27th  I went to Provo again to take Lincoln and his parents to the circus at the Energy Solutions Arena.  (Delta Center is so much easier to say.  I wish they could hold onto thier sponsors)  I wasn't sure he would make it through the entire performance, but he did.  It wasn't easy though.  We were late and caught the tail end of the horse performance (tee hee).  Lincoln loved the dogs and clapping with the audience.  Then there was a lot of singing and dancing that reallay tried his patience and subsequently ours also.  It was pretty silly.  He was mesmerized by the elephants, but we had to buy popcorn to keep him entertained after that.  Sadly, the tigers did not impress him at all and there were NO monkeys.  What's up with that??  I'm sorry to future grandchildren but I probably won't repeat that again.  Circuses aren't what they used to be.  Isn't his new haircut cute?  He looks so old.  Sunday I took Jordan, Stacey and Lincoln to breakfast and then drove to SLC to see Cassie.  She had just returned from the British Isles and I got to see all her pictures.  It was so good to see her.  It's been a while.  It sounds like she had a great time for the most part and the pictures were fantastic.  I'm going next summer if I can find someone to go. I think Mark and Mom are on board.  Anyone else?

Obviously, the highlights of this month revolves aroung seeing Lincoln; but I have to tell you how beautiful the drive to Provo and back was on that last trip.  The tree were turning and there were brilliant splashes of yellow, orange and red among the evergreens.  The weather was wonderful and the skies bright blue.  It snowed in the mountains that Sunday but I missed that.  Hopefully, we can go without snow for a little while longer; say three months????

Books Read  I read eleven books and listened to two on CD.  None of them rated a five, but I gave October Sky a 4.75.  It's a wonderful book, well-written and a great view of West Virginia.  I also read all five of the Gardella vampire series.  I liked it but don't feel the need to read it again.

Movies and TV  I watched no movies.  Good thing Cassie is back.  Maybe she'll visit soon and we can see a movie together.  Dancing with the Stars started again.  There is a great bunch of dancers this year.  The two worst got voted off the first week, but there aren't too many that aren't fun to watch.  I'm thinking Mya will win.  Donny Osmond is pretty good ad has a large fan base and Natalie Coughlin is a good bet since gold medal winners always seem to do well.  But I really like Derek Hough and his partner, Joanne.  She's just not very well known.  I'm loving Castle and Gray's Anatomy. 

Overall Impression  I mowed my lawn on Labor Day and then forgot about it until October 1st.  It's actually doing pretty good.  Still eating fresh tomatoes and even put up some corn and zucchini. Haven't tried the carrots yet.  Next year, I really need to plant a better garden.  The month started out hot and ended just right.