The End of 2016 and the Beginning of 2017

 This picture of Ron was taken about Thanksgiving time when Tony and Brianna were here.  Tony put up the Christmas tree and Brianna decorated it.  Yesterday, my friends, Abbey, her daughter, Bobby, and granddaughter, Olivia, came and put everything away.  Last year at this time, I was in the U of Utah Medical Center, and don't know who put away Christmas.  This is beginning to be a habit, I'm afraid.

 This was the view from my hospital bed last January-February.  Ron now has the same view, except he doesn't get a potted flower.  Instead, I made a draft catcher to put in the window sill.  Ron has had this bed and the view which had lots of greenery and flowers beginning in August, 2016.  Fortunately, he could move around the house quite a bit until just recently.

 Ron was in the hospital here in Preston from the Thursday before Christmas until the day after.  His home care nurse, whom we dearly love, and her son Jensen, came to visit us in the hospital - just a friendly visit.  We have so appreciated the home health care that we both have received in this past year.  Now, he is glad to be back home, and we are getting along the best that is possible.

And, to finish this entry, this is a panoramic view of the orchard and Bear River Mountains taken by Tony last winter.  Be sure to click on it to enlarge this one.

Completion of Ron's Work for the Week

Ron's plan this week was to save the garden shed (19 years old) from disintegration - the cedar was looking very old and beaten up.  His plan was to use Olympic stain to preserve the wood.  He asked me about color - I suggested either a mossy green or a light tan.  Of course, Preston didn't have Olympic stain, so he went to Logan to get some - not cheap!  He came home and set to work on the hottest and most decrepit side (south).  The dried cedar was just swallowing up the paint, so he went uptown here to see if there was some sort of a primer compatible to the paint that he could use as an undercoat.  He was assured that a certain product would do just that, so he began to work on the support boards on the front of the building.  After a while, he came in and said that he was given the wrong information - and no, the Olympic stain won't go on over this new stuff.  Frustration!  The result is that now the shed looks European - In the village I lived in in Germany, we had the white buildings with the dark brown supporting timbers - very picturesque.   Now, all we need is a window with a window box of geraniums, and we'll be finished.  Just kidding.  The fact that Ron did all of this in 85+ degree weather tells of his dedication to getting the job done.  And, he must live right, because he finished yesterday morning, the stuff had all day to cure in the hot sun, and last night came the heavy rains - and its been raining ever since.

The Mysteries in Wood

 When Ron began turning this "blank" piece of wood, he had no idea what a treasure he would find as he progressed.  How exciting to find this perfect feather in the wood of the bowl - and not only is the feather showing on the outside of the bowl, but, as you can see in the bottom picture, it continues to the inside.  I'm just trying to find a way to display this marvel.  It is truly a beauty!  Be sure to enlarge the pictures.

Flowers for Cheering Up

Snow has covered the earth for a long time - we can finally see most of the street, and some of the dried grass under the evergreen trees is beginning to show.  The weather continues cold, although we do have sunshine today, refuting the weatherman's prediction of snow.  Ron recently had a bout of a very severe flu virus that sent him to the emergency room of the hospital Saturday morning, with a stay of two days.  I thought that I would escape, but it was not to be - after friends took me to emergency, we ended up in side-by-side rooms.  My stay was short - only about 16 hours.  Julia and Mike sent us these Get-Well Flowers - a beautiful bouquet of favorite flowers that brightens our days. We think of other friends and family who are coping with injuries (Ann's broken leg and ankle, especially, and Benjamin's scoliosis surgery recuperation), and hope that things will get better soon for all with the coming of spring.

Anniversary Time

Thirty-two years ago today, Ron and I were married in the Seattle Temple (Bellevue, WA).  Lots of family was there, including Daddy and Mother, whose cancer was in remission for a couple of months. It was a foggy day, but a wonderful day, as we were surrounded by family and friends wishing us well.  This picture was taken a few years later - (we don't look like this anymore) - shared life experiences have resulted in gray hair or less hair, a few wrinkles, and some other inevitable outward differences.  Because we married in our middle years, we realize that in order to make it to 50, we would have to be in our late 90s, which isn't likely to happen.  Over the years we have shared many wonderful experiences with our combined family, and have experienced sorrows, too.  We find that, as we grow older, that enduring to the end has a special connotation that we did not really envision, but we are determined to do the best we can.  Life goes on, and we are grateful for each other.

Ron Turns a New Bowl

Ron was given a board made of bamboo that had been laminated, and he began to think about what kind of a bowl he could make. A bowl in a woodturning book was the inspiration for this creation. The result is quite stunning, and includes some dye and gold leaf. Bronchitis made the finishing a little tough, but he did it! I think that it's gorgeous!

Ron on Father's Day

Father's Day is a little different than Mother's Day. For some reason, people wax eloquent on Mother's Day about all the sacrifices, loving care, etc. that our mothers give us (all true), but we can't quite figure out how to show our appreciation for all that our fathers do, because of the stoic traits that men are supposed to display. Usually, our ward gives the mothers a Gerbera daisy for Mother's Day, and people give talks about what they learned from their mothers. Sometimes there have been talks about fathers, but more often, the subjects are generic, and in the past, have given the fathers a nice chocolate bar. That didn't happen today, but at least our Sunday School teacher baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies, which both mothers and fathers enjoyed while she taught the lesson on the second coming. We munched as we read scriptures on all of the difficult things that will occur and are occurring in the time before that, and appreciated that if we are on the path, we will be standing in good places. Eating a chocolate chip cookie provided a comfort that helped us look realistically at the world around us, and evaluate our place in it with a thankfulness for the comparatively safe place where we live. We sometimes have very strong winds, but a tornado is rare. Rain, hail, and snow come from the sky, in various degrees, depending on the year. This year, we had an abundance of snow, and the mountains are still showing lots. In places around us, people are still enjoying snow sports. Flooding is taking place south of us, but we are not affected. In southeastern Idaho, we have four seasons (this year, it's debatable - we skipped much of spring), but this fact leads us to an appreciation for rebirth in the spring.

But I digress. Back to fathers, and Ron, in particular. He was father of four children, of whom three daughters who are still living, so he has borne the heartbreak of losing a son. He has been stepfather to my five children, caring for them, trying to help them when he could, and caring for the two youngest in our home until they left for school or other events in their lives. He has been generous and gracious and kind to all eight children. The example he sets in striving to be even-tempered is a good one for my volatile family - (that means me, particularly). Having Father's Day to celebrate the fathers in our lives is a very good idea.

Happy Birthday, Ron!

This has been a very fun birthday for Ron (and me, too). First came a box in the mail which was full of Snickerdoodles for Ron from his sister, Evie in Washington. Celebration continued last night, when we went to a friend's house to watch the BYU-CSU game. (Our satellite carries CBS-C and Versus sports stations, and they have MTN, so we trade off - our house or theirs.) Our friend, Leo, had baked Ron a birthday cake - chocolate with icing, so that was the first treat. At Church this morning, the Priesthood brethren sang "Happy Birthday to You" to him. We had a special steak dinner at home, and then the fun began. We have three families with little children in our cul-de-sac. First came the green-iced sugar cookies with the fun card that you see above. Clayton, who is the next-to-smartest boy in his first grade class(by this own admission), made the card with his little brother, Cayden. Next came neighbor Carolyn with a plate of iced cinnamon rolls with a candle in the middle and a card written by her two boys. Friend Nancy dropped by with two pieces of chocolate cake, and the neighborhood trio of Jayden, Logan, and Kennedy, brought a fantastic plate full of chocolate-iced cupcakes stacked like a cake, with a candle on the top. Oh, and the home teachers brought a plate of cookies. Wish you could all drop in and help us eat these treats. Cards and remembrances were all much appreciated. We are grateful for the warm feeling that family and friends brought to this special day!

Time to Celebrate

Today, we celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. (We will have to live into our late 90's to reach 50.) Obviously, this picture was taken in younger days - about 20 years ago. We spent our wedding day in typical fashion for those of us who are more mature - I had a doctor's appointment in Logan, then Ron sat in the car at JoAnn Fabrics, we went to a book store and browsed, and then went to lunch at our favorite Logan restaurant, The Coppermill. And, one good thing about eating out when you have lived longer - you usually end up with as much as you ate to take home and make a second meal out of it.

There were many remembrances of the day we got married in Bellevue, WA. The day began very early - I had been staying with Mother and Dad; the children had already moved into Ron's house in Tumwater. He went early to the post office, pounded on the door, and explained that the wedding ring he needed for the day had not been delivered, so they found it for him. One hurdle overcome! Mother, Dad, and I got to the his house, and we proceeded to drive to Seattle. This was the short period of time that Mother's cancer seemed to be in remission, we were so happy to have them present at the temple for the ceremony. I haven't found the pictures that were taken that day - but I know that Judy and Bob, Julie and Mike, Andrea, and many others were there. Were you there, Ann? Where is that picture???? It's supposed to be in the album, but I've neglected them for years and can't find it. I remember that the pansies were blooming, and the day was warm enough to walk around the grounds without a jacket. This was during the time of the ERA, and there were pickets outside the temple grounds.

When we went back to the car, after being in the temple, it wouldn't start - a door had been left slightly ajar, and the battery had run down. Fortunately, there was help, and a man came with his battery charger. We had lunch at the Tyee in Tumwater with family and friends, and then proceeded to load Andrea's things in the car to take her to the airport to leave for the MTC in Provo. Part way there, Julie and MIke caught up with us with Andrea's coat, which had been left behind. When we got to the airport, I stayed in the car, and drove around and around and around so that the battery would be charged up, while Ron took Andrea into the airport. What a day! Memorable in all aspects.

Get-well Flowers for Ron

I can't equal Dwight's pictures of Velna's flowers, but here are the ones that my siblings sent to Ron to help him heal. We were in Logan, meeting with the doctor this afternoon, and learned that the average recovery time will be around three months. Such is life.

Ron's Newest Addition

The front - The back. This model is true to size, and tells you some of the particulars. Ron was told that this is the Cadillac model of debfibrillator-pacemakers. We are very thankful to be this far!

"Where the Skies Are Not Cloudy All Day"

When yesterday dawned so beautiful and clear with the first glimpse of blue sky we've had in ages, it seemed like a good omen. The blizzards of this weekend were over for a time. We were thankful, because it was the day of the funeral for our neighbor and friend, Don, and we were dreading the difficulties for the family with all the bad weather.

As you can see, the old picnic bench on the patio looks like a sarcophagus.

Ron posing for me as he rests from digging out the dog trail to Hampton's.

As you can see, the snow does want to fill in the path.

One of our neighbors complained that you can go 50 miles in any direction and run out of the snow. We really know that we are blessed, because it's that melting snow that sustains this little farming community when summer comes, but when the days continue gray and stormy, or gray and foggy, it's a little hard to find the light. As Mark Twain said, "Everybody wants to have something done about the weather, but no one does anything." (Or something like that.) We got above freezing yesterday - remarkable!

Ron's Birthday

I didn't get around to recognizing Ron on his birthday last Saturday. We spent a happy day. I baked a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and invited a couple of friends in to share. His sister, Evie, baked the most humongous batch of his favorite cookies, snickerdoodles, and sent them in a box - absolutely none were broken in the trip from Lake Stevens, Washington to Preston. And our neighbor, Carolyn, baked him six (yes, six) big cinnamon rolls! Her son, Lucas, 4 years old, made this portrait of Ron to include with his homemade birthday greetings. One leg has a more prominent knee than the other. That's probably because a little while ago, while he and his mother were looking at pictures of surfers in Hawaii, he announced that "Brother Gage is a surfer", a comment that caused a great deal of merriment to all. The world as seen through the eyes of a four-year-old is certainly different than the one that we "elders" live in. It is full of possibilities. Maybe we need to borrow a few? Late Happy Birthday.

Happy Father's Day, Ron!

Of course, I never knew my husband until he was in his mid-40's, when we met in Washington State, but from the looks of this high school picture, he was a charmer, with a mischevious gleam in his eye. He tried hard to be a good father to his four children, and then became an adopted father to my five. What a job! It's a good thing he has broad shoulders and a big heart!