A Book And A Hat

We simply cannot pass up an opportunity to share Grandpa's professional reading talents, good books and a few props with our Grandchildren!

Another Reason For The Season

I love Christmas. My house keeps some of it all year. But putting up a tree and doing all the work of decorating with only two of us here and no little ones, well, it's just not the same.

What really keeps me going and doing is our children. From the shopping and wrapping and mailing to the cleaning and cooking, the other reason for doing what I do at Christmas is them. I'm sure I'm not too different from anyone else here, I am just extra thankful to be able to spend time with Suzanne and her kids!

Mark is coming, too, and then Shannon and maybe Dawn! And we're going to see Sam and Dawn and Celeste! I look forward to going and doing or just staying in and hanging out. Happy times!!

The Christmas Candlelight Concert

Tonight David and I had the opportunity to attend the annual Tulare High School Choirs' Candlelight Concert. There were 9 of our LDS youth in the choir and it was beautiful! Three of these young people are my former Seminary students and it was such a pleasure to hear them sing in praise of the season.

I love how Carrie Bryant, their director, doesn't worry about "political correctness" and selects songs that truly celebrate the reason for the season.

The morning radio team at 98.9 asked today how listeners would fill in the blank: "It isn't Christmas until __________." People were supposed to call in with their answers and I thought, "It isn't Christmas until we've had the chance to properly celebrate Thanksgiving!", but after tonight I realize that it's not Christmas for me until I've experienced a Christmas Concert.

The Spice Of Life

In answer to, where was the favorite place he'd ever traveled, Gus Pike said, the Spice Island". He said you could "smell 'er on the sea".
Well, I may not be into really spicy food but the spices of the holidays are true favorites of mine, so much so that they aren't limited by season at our house. My Grandma Shipp traditionally made my Grandpa his favorite spice cake for his birthday in February, and I share his passion!

Cinnamon is among our most adored and beloved spices. For me, it's even a necessity. I love to make a Cinnamon Bundt Cake and top it with apple filling and whipped cream ~ a cold weather version of strawberry shortcake ~ Winter Apple Shortcake! (But I make it in the summer as well).

Another favorite is Spiced Caramel Popcorn, with Cinnamon, Allspice and Nutmeg (or mace). YUM! Those spice brothers create a delicious family of flavor!

And last night we made Cinnamon Ornaments with Suzanne and her great kids! They are drying at her house right now and I can hardly wait to bring some home and fill up my house with that tantalizing aroma!

P.S. The Spice Island is Zanzibar which is in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of southeastern Africa.

~ Cinnamon is found in Sri Lanka, an island just south of India, between the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.

~ Nutmeg grows on the Banda Islands, in Indonesia, also in the Indian Ocean.

~ Allspice is almost a local. It's South American, or Caribbean.

A Quiet Sabbath Morning

It's been such a very busy week there's hardly been a moment to breathe. It's been a good week, just busy. We've shopped, written and mailed letters, prepared for and held our Primary activity, taken pictures of the activity which are now printed and ready to go on our bulletin board, spent some time doing a temple session, attended and spoke at a baptism, and took Chandler and Jacob to a High School play, which was quite fun.

So I let myself sleep in this morning and now, as I sit here at this computer in blissful silence, I am allowing myself to do abolutely nothing for about an hour before I need to get ready for church. I love the many and varried opportunities this life brings. I'm truly thankful to be able to be busy much of the time, but I'm also thankful for this quiet Sabbath morning.

More Than Dreaming Of A White Christmas

Today I get to spend some time with Pam Machado getting ready for our Primary Christmas Service Activity this Saturday. It's called, "Feed My Sheep". We will have the opportunity to begin a canned food drive and we'll be decorating the boxes for the food. We are also making greeting cards for soldiers to send home, cleaning chairs and toys in the nursery, and then practicing for the presentation of the birth of Jesus as part of the program for the Ward Christmas Party.
I am excited at the chance to involve our young ones in giving and doing for others. And as a reminder of the importance of service and kindness we are ending with a poem written by Kelly Reagan, attached to a hand made white felt stocking for each child to take home:

"Our stockings are hung by the chimney with care
In hopes of the presents Santa will bear.
But let's not forget it's the Savior's birthday
And we, too, have gifts for Him on this day!

'This stocking of white, let it hang next to mine
To remind me to give at this Christmas time.
For the Savior taught this truth plainly,
'If you do it for these, you do it for me.'

'So let me write down the gift I can give
To help another, or even forgive.
As I follow His steps, and do as He does
My gift will be accepted by the Savior above."

The Frost Is On The Punkin

When The Frost Is On The Punkin

"When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;
O, it's then the time a feller is a feelin' at his best,
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock.
When the frost is on the punkin' and the fodder's in the shock.

'They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here -
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossoms on the trees,
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees;
But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock -
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

'The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves as golden as the morn;
The stubble in the furries - kindo lonesome-like, but still
A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they grow to fill;
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed;
The hosses in theyr stalls below - the clover overhead! -
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the stock.

'Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps
Is poured around the cellar-floor in red and yaller heaps;
And your cider-makin's over, and your wimmern-folks is through
With theyr mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and sausage too!...
I don't know how to tell it - but ef such a thing could be
As the angels wantin' boardin', and they's call around on me -
I'd want to 'commodate "em - all the whole-indurin' flock -
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock."

James Whitcomb Riley pegged just how I feel today!

Brrrrr!

We go walking almost every morning ~Me and Melinda, Lilly and Ginny. We walk Lilly to school and then around the park beside the school 6 times (because it adds up to 3 miles), and then home.
Today was different, though, and we felt like we needed to reconsider the time of our exercise ritual. We weren't driven home by wind or rain or sleet or hail, but it was the cold!
Right now, it's still Autumn, and soon Winter will appear as barren and sleeping trees and other foliage, sprinkled with evergreen, but no snow. Even so, our walks are destined to be scheduled for later in the day in order to keep us going. Not only will this help us to be warmer, but we may actually get some things done at home before we venture out!
Anyone want to come?

About Kids!!

Well, our kids did it! They grew up and then they moved out on their own! But we all want our children to take wing and fly, as long as it isn't too far or for too long. Couldn't there just be a rule that says they must stay within a 10 mile radius?

We have 6 children and 11 grandchildren and now another beautiful baby on the way. We are very excited, but Shannon's new little one will be born in Japan! I hope to be able to go to Japan when the time comes, but a little visit is never the same as living close and being able to share Family Home Evenings, Sunday dinners, holidays, and caring for grandchildren while parents are out. Don't get me wrong, I truly do enjoy and appreciate those visits but the "good-bye's" are very hard to do and the "hello's" are too far apart.

Celeste doesn't live very far away, only a 2 1/2 hr. drive, but we still don't get to spend enough time with her and her family. Then there's Dawn and Mark and Sam, who live in Utah. I love Utah, but once again, it's not conducive to having a day-to-day relationship.

Our daughter, Suzanne, has moved here with her children while Jared is deployed to Iraq for a year. I wish he didn't have to be separated from them but then I'd want him to be here, too, but without this deployment they'd all still be on Oahu; all the way across the ocean and might as well be a million miles away! And now, I am so thankful to be able to have a real, tangible place in their lives on a daily basis. It means the world to grandparents everywhere to be able to spend time almost whenever they want, with their children and grandchildren.

I suppose that children should be able to have a life of their own, and that they deserve the opportunity to "do their own thing", but please, do it a bit closer!

Bob Hope and Me

Thanksgiving Day has come and gone from this year's calender of events but as the shoppping, cooking and storing the food of the feast is done, I've begun a bit of a sentimental journey. And I, along with the ever famous and beloved Bob Hope, must sing, "Thanks for the memories".
I remember back, a long time ago, when my Grandma and Grandpa Shipp stepped up and let us live in their house; my Dad and Richard, and me. Those bittersweet years were made so much brighter by the warmth of caring grandparents.
Today, our traditional Thanksgiving dinner looks very much like the ones that were prepared every year at Grandma's.
When I grew up and moved away from San Francisco, I took notice of how my childhood memories seemed so dark. It wasn't because they were bad memories but it was because of the fog! I still to this day find comfort in quiet lights and overcast weather.
At the approach of Christmas, as we deck the halls and trim the tree, I am taken back to the shimmering, silver streaming icecicles individually placed on the tree, that Grandma called, "rain" in honor of where we lived and what would have meaning for us.
Now it's time for us to trim our own tree again. This year the tree is small. With no little ones of our own here and with our limited space, downsizing seems in order, but this year, I think I'll bring home a sprinkle of "rain" to put on our tree in honor of my family and how my early years were blessed by my Grandma and Grandpa.
Bob Hope lived an entire century, bringing fun and laughter to thousands, helping them lift their spirits and see the good and the humor and the "hope" in life and I want to be more like him. I believe that much of our happiness in life comes from gratitude, and so I, like Bob, sing again, "Thanks for the memories".

Ten Free Days

In answer to this last Priesthood blessing, I was not given instant relief from complete drug withdrawal but after two sleepless nights, I called the Master Herbalist and was told about a little herb called Valerian. When the root is taken in dried form it calms nerves without causing drowsiness, but the fresh extract will help you sleep. You also can't overdose with Valerian, it's completely safe. WOW! It has been an amazing help. Between the two, and Tylenol I am truly never going to have to use Hydrocodone again, and I couldn't be happier!!!

Final Report ~ As of December 4th, I have been 4 days and nights without Tylenol or Valerian Root and have now become symptom free!

Our Intrinsic Value

As is usually the case in Priesthood blessings I did not receive the answer I thought I wanted.
Usually I am told that I will know what to do to bring about the desired result, and I've wondered, "Why can't I just have my wish?" (as though Heavenly Father was in the Genie business!) I am thinking that I just want to be healed like other people seem to be. But after many years and many blessings I have come to realize that in my blessings I am promised a greater gift if I will do a bit of research, along with prayer and follow through ~ the gift of Knowledge through practical experience.
In tonight's blessing again I'd hoped simply to be healed. I'm wanting to be free of pain pills. I don't like the anxious pains of withdrawal and I just want it to go away! I've worked hard for this blessing and I've been constantly aware of withdrawal for about 6 weeks as I've decreased dosage amounts and frequency of use.
In my blessing I was told that my plan would succeed and I would, by the end of this bottle of pills, be free of addiction; it was not taken away. No free gift. So I feared the pain of the path and I wished I could somehow escape. I wondered what else I could do.
I thought I might find some answers in church tomorrow, or in the scriptures, but instead I found the answer in various talks from last April's General Conference we began to listen to on our drive home.
After a little pondering and prayer I have begun to see that the Lord has something else in mind. He wants to spend more time with me. He wants to walk and talk with me and give me gifts along the way, as I place my hand in His.
It also makes me wonder why. What would He have to gain by keeping company with someone like me? My understanding deepens as the words "intrinsic value" are brought to mind. It's even more than love. The word "intrinsic" is defined as "belonging to (someone) by (their) very nature; as the very essence of (Himself/His Family); innate, inherent, inseparable from the (person Himself); comprising, being part of a whole (Eternal Family)." And He values me because of it, just because I am His. This is very humbling and at the same time, uplifting. It gives greater faith and hope.
So, once again, I did not receive the answer I thought I wanted. I am getting something much better.

Almosts

Now that memories of the car accident are beginning to fade and discussions about it are finding their way to the shelf, I have consciously seen what it means to "go home and GET well".
I guess to explain a bit about the "getting", I would have to say that healing and 100% recovery aren't the same things. A wound can heal completely, even almost all by itself, but without the Physical Therapy that sometimes needs to go with it, there may be residual long term (perhaps life-long) consequences.

I never knew this before!
But it's a happy thing, indeed, to finally be able to make this list of almosts!!

- It almost doesn't hurt very much to do those PT exercises! Yes, I will be doing them for a while still, but it's becoming much easier.
- I can almost reach up my back with my left arm.
- The "road rash" is almost gone.
- I can almost sleep on my left side again.
- I can almost reach straight up whereas before, I couldn't even place my hand on my hip.
- And speaking of my hip, the site where they took the bone for the graft is almost gone; practically healed both outside and in.
- I can almost look side to side without too much pain and the range of motion increases every time it's measured.
- The scars above my eyes are fading.
- The shower doesn't hurt anymore when the water hits my head and the sensitivity to touch is almost gone.
- The numbness in my face is also almost gone. Most of the time I don't even realize it's still there.
- I can almost feel no stress on my neck when I sleep on my pillow.
- The long cut I had on the back of my head almost doesn't hurt anymore when I rest my head back in the car.
- I am almost able to drive myself wherever I want to go! I stick to driving around town but I'm happy with it. :)
- This "almost" is all about balance. So how does a person decide what good posture is anyway? I don't wish to walk around like there's a board under the back of my shirt, after all! But at least I don't feel so stiff anymore! haha!
- But here's the final "almost". Last but not least is the gradual "getting" off those addicting little pills for pain. I am down to just one dose a day instead of every 4 hours. I had t0 learn that the only way to tell if I actually needed them for pain was to NOT take them to see if the pain would come back. These are things I never have had to think of before, but now I am decreasing my doses and should be completely free of them by the middle of November. I never would have thought that I would come to know anything at all about drug withdrawal! But as my doses are decreased I can tell. All the nerve endings in my whole body seem to be standing on end, like a huge case of the flu when you can's stand for anyone to touch you because your skin is so sensitive. But with the withdrawal, the nerve endings feel like they are everywhere, both inside and out. It's a terrible feeling, but isn't that bad as long as I don't try to go "cold turkey"! (And there's nothing wrong with a bit of Tylenol to help ease it in between).
- This isn't an "almost", but I want to include that my hair is no longer falling out due to stress!! LOL!
- There is one thing, however, that will never become an almost, and that is the huge gratitude I feel to Heavenly Father, and my family and friends. My life is forever changed as I have also learned that prayer is not "the least" one person can do for another, it ranks pretty high! And that all those "little things" we do for others are exalting.

The Heroes of Iron County

We went to Salt Lake again, but before we went I did a bit of sleuthing and found out who my rescuers really were. It begins with the Iron County Ambulance and includes the Paragonah/Parowan Volunteer Fire Department. The chief EMT there is Mike Barton, who carries a pager and is on call, even on Sunday morning. They say it is not unusual to see a group of men get up from their seats and leave church to go help folks who have been in an accident such as mine. They, along with other members of the community who give so freely of their time and talents to go out and save lives, no matter the weather, the time, or the inconvenience, are unsung heroes for many. That stretch of highway, Buckhorn Pass, is notorious for accidents because of the long, unbroken scene of countryside that is almost mesmerizing. They have seen it many times and they come prepared to do whatever it takes to pull people from a wrecked vehicle, retrieve their belongings - even helping to clean them up, and then send them on their way, often never knowing if they live or die. But these men and women do indeed make a huge difference in the lives of those they assist.

My heart is full and will forever have a soft place for the citizens of Iron County. It's a beautiful area of the world, with smalltown community; where everyone knows everyone, and they genuinely care about one another, even those who, like me, are just passers-by.