Joy

Being with my niece Serena when she received her endowments in the Washington DC temple was pure joy. Added to that was being in the temple with Chantel. Below, me, Serena, her mother Katheryne and her step-sister Christina.

Books!

Well, I finally finished the two handmade books. They were a lot of fun, and good teachers for what to do and what not to do when making future books. The psychedelic one I'm going to keep for myself. The larger one I gave as a gift at a birthday party. The recipient loved it.

Soren Included

Soren wanted to play on the glider swing with me and Owen. I tried taking his picture frequently but he was wary and I didn't get very many shots.

Swingin' with Imagination

Last week Chantel and I took the boys and drove to Oak Ridge, Tennessee to visit my nieces and nephews. The first day Owen and I sat outside on the glider swing and played his favorite game--imagination. Right now we're on a story about a boy named Owen who has a pet rat, Scabbers, (he does in real life) but this rat can talk. Sometimes Owen objects to his picture being taken, but this time he didn't, probably because I held the camera at arm's length and kept snapping away, while playing imagination the whole time. That's why most of the pictures aren't centered, but they capture the expressions on his sweet face.

Owen demonstrating how his rat eats corn on the cob.

Demonstrating how Scabbers 'smells' danger.

My favorite picture.

Eva Grace

Chantel with her cousin Emily's new baby, four weeks old, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Pretty Pretty Paper

Today I drove into Baltimore and went to the St. Charles building, an old row house type building owned by the University of Baltimore. It houses the Creative Writing department and was originally a brothel--back in the day. The ceilings are high, the window wells deep, and the stairs between floors steep and narrow. I love it. Luckily there's an elevator now.

I took part 1 of a 2 part book binding workshop. It was so much fun!!! I re-learned how to make several types of handmade books (Originally learned in the book arts class I took at Mills College.) The creative process--handling paper and scissors, starting with a form in mind but not an end result--was so energizing. I wrote a poem while I was cutting and folding. After the 4-hour class I went straight to an art shop for paper for the hardbound books we'll be making next week.

There's nothing like hand-made paper. It's gorgeous and relatively inexpensive. The textures can feel almost like fabric. And since my book arts prof took our class to a paper making company in Berkeley once, I have a great appreciation for the process of handmade paper. I took some pictures of what I bought today, but they don't do the paper justice. Next time you're in an art store, just ask to see the handmade paper if you don't already know how fantastic it is. I'll post pictures of my finished projects next week.

Soren and Mr. Squirrel

There are squirrels in my neighborhood. And not just one. But one in particular comes around every day scrounging for handouts. The other day I happened to be home when he came by. As I walked toward the sliding door, he ran--toward me. As I opened the door, he ran up to it! I thought he was going to run inside and make himself at home. As it was, I had some graham cracker pieces for him which he nibbled up right away. He also eats soda crackers and apples. I named him "Mr. Squirrel."After eating he climbed up the bricks and peered at me from my neighbor's upstairs balcony.

Sitting on the air conditioning unit which is right outside the patio.

The next day I took care of Soren for a couple of hours while Chantel and Owen went to the gym. Soren couldn't go because he still had a cold. It was the first time I've watched him without Owen. I think he enjoyed the attention. We read books and spent some time outside. I told him about "Mr. Squirrel" and we walked around the complex looking for him. Soren called out, "Mr. Squirrel, Mr. Squirrel, wheh au you?" But we didn't find him. Maybe next time.

Happy Birthday Rachel!

Wish I could be with you to celebrate! You have always been cheerful, upbeat and encouraging. I'm glad you're my sister and my friend. Happy Birthday! I love you.

You at Pop's house, Easter 1966. Mamaw made our dresses that year out of black velvet.About age 6.

In our driveway on Oak Grove Rd. About 1967

The Cutest Baby Ever

It's been awhile since I've posted any pictures of Rolan. Is he adorable or what?! I think he's about 7 months in this picture. He seems to have the same happy disposition that Clayton had as a baby. I miss Rolan so much and look forward to loving on him while he's still little.

Announcement

Found out recently that the Mormon DC choir has a policy against public display of choir event recordings--both for copyright law reasons as well as the quality of home videos--which are never as good as the live performances anyway. In light of this information, I will be taking the Boogie Woogie number off of Youtube within the next day or two. If you want a copy of it, respond to this post or send me an email, and I will burn a copy on cd and mail it to you instead. Happy singing.

A Little Anectdote from my Hospital Roommate. Golly I Love Non-Fiction...

She Don’t Take It From Nobody

Lying in bed in the dark

someone with a flashlight

carving lines and circles on her walls

searching

she rolls, ducks the flashlight’s beam

closes her hand around her red tennis shoes

slips out the front door

charges the corner of the house screaming waving

a big silver blade

sees surprise sudden fear

in the eyes staring from behind the black face-mask

his retreating figure

growing smaller in her sight

while she chases him

screaming

dew grass clawing

the hem of her long nightgown

She thinks probably she would have caught him

if she hadn’t been carrying a machete.

Boogie Woogie Video

Link to video removed. (See more recent posts).
Leah suggested that I use Youtube as a place for videos, so I created a free account and uploaded the video. It took a reeeeeeeeeeeeaaaly long time, but it was worth it. Thanks Leah!

So, next techie question: How do I go about or what would one need to transfer cassette taped material to cds? I found some really cool stuff...but it's old...

Boogie Woogie

I was very fortunate after surgery to be well enough to drive to one of the Mormon DC choir concerts recently. I had been to a couple of their practices with Chantel, so I knew the music was going to be great. It was. They sang patriotic, spiritualist, folk songs and hymns. The program included a couple of soloists from the choir and a trumpet solo by Andy Alphin, who is the top trumpet player for one of our military bands. This choir always sings for free and we had a large audience. As it turned out, I got a front row seat and was able to video a special number Chantel was in: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy". However, I finally figured out how to get it off my camera and onto my computer only to discover that blogger doesn't allow videos more that 100 MB. Phooey!! Any suggestions? With the exception of the first photo, the rest are from the Boogie Woogie number done as an encore at the end of the show. The audience loved it and I loved being the proud Mama. Rachel heading to the mike for her solo line.

Chantel singing hers.

I hope that Chantel has many opportunities, if she wants, to sing and perform. She is a natural in front of an audience.

Me and my beautiful girl. Don't mind the splotchy mascara. But I did go to a salon for a 'boy hair-cut'. I couldn't stand the hair on my neck and I knew I didn't have the patience to grow it out either.

Funny Baby

I can't take credit for finding this. I first saw it on my niece's website, but this little guy is hilarious. Take a look.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to my Apartment...

The day that I was moving into my new apartment, June 18, is the same day that I got a call from Dr. K (my oncologist) telling me to check myself into the hospital. I had had a CT scan done earlier the same day and the results showed some problems with my lungs. I told him that I couldn't go because I was in the process of moving. He paused--I'm sure he wasn't anticipating that kind of response, and then he said, "But you can't breathe!" I realized he was right--I was having a tough time of it. Then a friend from church called just to check in and see how I was doing, and she ended up taking me to the hospital while Chantel supervised the others as to where to put my furniture in my new place.

That night Dr. Henry appeared at my bedside in the ER and I felt immediate confidence in him as he explained my options. Later, Austin and another elder came over and gave me a priesthood blessing which gave me instant comfort. Dr. Henry operated the next day by doing a pleurodesis--a fancy word for a procedure to permanently prevent the accumulation of fluid around the lung. This is a surgery that I had talked with Dr. K about several times and had already decided to have done. I had even made an appointment to see Dr. Henry--and thought I would have the surgery later in July or August. The way it happened was so sudden that I didn't have time to worry or stress about it. And the recovery is going just fine. When I came home from the hospital, it was to my new apartment and almost everything unpacked and put away, thanks to my amazing girl.

I love my family so much. And when I say that I don't mean just my children and grandchildren, but my mother, my siblings, their spouses, their children. I'm grateful for each one of you, for what you contribute to each others' lives and to mine, for the way you choose to live, for your love for each other. We are a blessed family.

Paint Party!!

Friends gathered on the Saturday before I moved to help me paint the apartment. As it turned out, I wasn't in very good shape so I wasn't much help. I am so thankful for this selfless act of service. My place is really beautiful. This is the only shot I could get of Mary G. She kept turning her head. But she brought a happy spirit with her while she worked. Thanks, Mary!

Chad did most of the directing.

Lori was really fast at taping off. I've always painted without the tape but I'm so glad I bought it this time. It really was an amazing time saver.

Kim, home from college. Cheerful like the rest of her family.

The finished dining room. It really isn't pink, I promise.

View from my bedroom looking toward the living room. I love how the colors turned out and how quickly the work got done. Three rooms in under four hours.

The paint "Krew" (They'll get what I mean) Chad, Kim, Kory and Lori. A great family and wonderful friends. Thank you all so much. This place has a wonderful look and feel now, thanks to all your hard work.