Grandma's Attic

I know I already posted that poem before, but I just feel like that today. The sun is shining, after a week of rainy days and I'm thinking about how grateful I am that Heavenly Father let me be alive and come to this beautiful earth he created. One of my grand-daughters, Brooke has a new baby girl and she posts the cutest photos on her blog. I got an announcement with photo and I carried it around in my purse for a month. She is just beautiful (plus her middle name is MAY which is my maiden name, made me happy) She is great-grandchild # 10


I have lots of other beauty also. We have a fruit orchard, almost all pears, some apples and peaches, one apricot (which is plenty since I don't like them and tend to avoid doing anything with them)


It all started back in 1980 something, when he was practicing medicine, and needed a hobby. Just a few trees at first, then every time I turned around, there was the UPS truck in the driveway, bringing more trees. Now total we have about 225. A lot to take care of, what with pruning and spraying and thinning and picking, then either canning, selling, or giving away.


Dee has always had a garden or fruit trees and many years we moved and left the fruit behind for the new people coming in. There's just something good about helping God take care of the earth, something really good.

SOMETHING TO LAUGH ABOUT

1. The minister of a rural church deep in the Ozarks suggested to his parishioners that they purchase a chandelier. It was put to a vote and all the members voted it down. "Why do you oppose the purchase of a chandelier?"
"Well, drawled one of his flock, first we can't spell it, so how can we order it? Second, even if we did get it, no one can play it, and third, what we really need is more light"
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CATCHING UP WITH THE WORLD

Guess what? we got a direct TV dish! Living out here in the boonies we've only had 5 channels, which faded in and out depending on the weather.

We got this flyer in the mail for 18.00 a month off, so David and I signed up for it. I'm sorry to say, I've spent quite a bit of time flipping from one bad show to the next, but I've found several that are fun for a change. BYU will be a good one for me. Even old talks are good. David is happy with the all sports all day channel, doesn't have to go to a friend's house or Denny's to watch the NASCAR races.

Best of all is I learned how the remote works. When we went to Elaine's I could never figure it out, had to call 5 year old Colton to change the channel for me. But now, I have mastered a new talent : REMOTING


Dee still just likes his one 4:30 NBC news, but maybe he'll convert later on. We had to sign up for 18 months, so that gives us a goal for staying alive, to make the payments

I have been a Mother now for 54 years. Or, adding up the number of years I've spent with each child, that's a total of 323 years! No wonder I feel old most days!

We had a really nice week-end, Elaine and her family were here live, and all the rest called or sent cards and gifts. 5 year old Colton came in with this huge bouquet of mixed flowers, with a big smile. (Where was the camera, Grandma?) The flowers are still gorgeous on the glass top table, but the smile is missing in the photo

I heard the Primary kids once more sing "Mother dear I love you so" and got a flower to pin on, which is much more sensible than getting a little potted plant with water dripping through the napkin around it, having to hold it for 2 more hours of meetings.

I love being a Mother, that's why I came to earth, to be a Mother.
xoxoxoxo

Our grand-daughter Sarah is serving a mission in Charleston, WV. Below you will see the latest photo of her, holding the pet possum of someone she was visiting. It wasn't til later that she realized he had scratched her arm. A quick trip to the ER assured her that major medical follow up was not required. Such a cute little face, I don't think I've ever seen a possum, let alone held one. All in all, Sarah is loving it back there, working in the Mission Office, and we all look forward to her letters every week.

Another famous church musician is Crawford Gates. When I was a freshman at BYU, back in 1951 (so ancient) he was a director of the Women's chorus I sang in. Barely out of college himself I think, he was so good-looking, and young, and talented, we all thought he was wonderful.
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To this day I've never sung under someone who had more influence on me. Every time we sing a hymn in church that we sang in his chorus, I remember the feeling of BYU. A favorite was:
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COME SING TO THE LORD...which was written by Gerrit deJong, also a professor at BYU. We sang at a fast tempo, really feeling like praising the Lord, and every time we sing it in church, I think, "Oh, don't drag it, be joyful"
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He also taught us one written by his friend, at the time of the death of his child, I remember every word

There is a new section in the Deseret News called MORMON TIMES which has articles of interest on LDS themes. Today I found one on Michael McLean celebrating his 25th anniversary of writing music.

I've met Michael McLean. Back in 1992, he came to present a youth conference program in LaGrande, OR. I had just purchased a video camera, one of those huge heavy ones that you held up on your shoulder. I had nothing to do with MIA at the time, but I loved his music, so I went to every part of the conference. The first song he wrote I think was "You're not alone."

I stood back by the door and took a video of the whole thing. After the program, he was standing in the hall with his wife and others, with his clothes on a hanger over his shoulder.

He said, "Well, I'm going out to my car" and no one followed him, no one that is except me.
We chatted going in and out. Since I didn't think it too cool to try and video him, I left the camera cap on but with the sound recording. I so admired his talent, and being a novice poet, I wanted to learn all I could.

The next week I wrote him a note, thanking him for coming, and mentioned that I was bi-polar (and more than a bit manic the day of the program) He wrote back, saying he could understand the depression because he'd shared the same feelings.

In the article in the Deseret news, by Carma Wadley, he was quoted as saying:

Once upon a time we were all bornjesteres0854

I realize that makes no sense, but I'd never tried that font before, and thought I'd get your attention. On Friday my cousin Laurie Chandler from Weiser Idaho and his wife Ruth came to visit. I'd loaned him my Dad's picture book from his childhood and he brought it back, along with a history of his mother, my Dad's sister Naomi.

I've had great fun reading her story, a woman just writes things in such a different way than a man. Plus she told things about my Dad that he'd never written in his book (like seriously thinking about marrying a girl named Rose when he was 18) Luckily he didn't or I'd be someone else right now.

She also talked a lot about my Grandmother Nettie May, who died back in 1923. Her death certificate said the reason was melancholia, which today is depression. My Dad had mentioned it but Aunt Naomi was the one who tended her for the last year when she was partly an invalid, so I learned so much more about her. My grandfather Frank had died just a year before, and she never got over the loss.

Having had so many years of depression myself, I'm always interested in hearing about others in the family who have a similar mental illness, or are bi-polar, since they are both genetic.

WHY WE DO GENEALOGY

The thing I like best about genealogy is the histories and the photos. Names and dates and ages are fine, and we need them to do the temple work, but for me, I want to SEE what that person looked like, and how he thought, and what his hopes and dreams were, and how he FELT . You know, sad and happy, up and down, miserable or on top of the world.

I find with myself I have to write when I'm in a really bad mood, depressed, as well as on the up manic days, when I'm flying high. Otherwise I don't get the feelings out. It is so fun to go back later and read what I was feeling on those days.

I try to be careful when I'm angry and not say things that might hurt others later if they ever read it, but just writing them down is like going to a counselor (and much cheaper). My best writing is done in the middle of the night, when everyone else is asleep and all the space in the house belongs to me.

SO, IF YOU HAVEN'T WRITTEN A JOURNAL, GET BUSY.