Sunday, September 30, 2007

Under the Coffee Table

My husband, the Sailor started a new blog called Under the Coffee Table. He there explains why he chose that name. It is interesting.
He is a good man.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

new cut


Picture007
Originally uploaded by AnnieOfBlueGables
This self portrait stuff with your camera phone is not as easy as RG makes it look. So this is my new hair cut. Isn't my daughter/hairdresser talented? I went to choir that night and got bunches of compliments. It is easy to do after I wash it too. Lots of fun.
Oh, and RG, you inspired me to try this style. Yup, I am a copy cat.
a

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Caleb Elijah

This is a friend of the family. He has such amazing talent. He taught my son to play guitar and he plays classical guitar beautifully. This is one of those boys you adopt as your own son, in fact, I adopted the whole family of nine children. They are all amazing and neat people.
Hey Ho

He can make any stringed instrument come to life and sound beautiful. This is a music maker.
Lullaby

This one is Ben Harper ~ Forever

another song I love to hear him play is Beloved One by Ben Harper
But I cannot get him to record it on Utube, so I had to get someone else to sing it for me

actually I just embedded some random singer from Utube. But he does an excellent job.

Fall~Summer's back is broken~Soft Rain, part 1

I guess it is officially fall, at least on the calendar, and I do hope for an Indian summer. But Saturday it drizzled rain all day. A rare and happy occasion in the West Desert.

All day I sang a song in my head, which we are singing in our choir, the Choral Arts Society of Utah Master Chorale. It is called "Soft Rain" by Janet Cox and Douglas Cox, arranged by Douglas Cox and Jay Welch. Jay is LDS and used to direct the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He also started and lead the Mormon Youth Chorus for several years. I cannot find a recording of it anywhere on the internet. Sterling, my conductor said the Mormon Youth Chorus might have it on a recording, but I cannot find it anywhere.

But here are the words. (Keep in mind as you read the poem, that the choir and piano sound like a rain storm as they start softly, then keep getting more intense, and then finish pianissimo.)

added later: I belong to the Choral Arts Society of Utah. I recorded this and finally figured out how to put it on You Tube, then to embed it onto this blog.

Our choir director is also the local Weatherman for KUTV Channel 2 in Salt Lake. Before he starts, he turns to the audience and says, "It's going to rain"


(women) Rain falls
soft rain at my window
Every butterfly has hurried away
All the honeybees have called it a day
And the columbine are bending their heads
in the rain

Rain falls
soft rain making puddles
for the children's feet
the puddles are sweet
And the skater-bug fleet finds small pools a treat
And the columbine are bending their heads
in the rain.

(men)
While the rain is falling there's a quietness about the world;
While the thunder is calling there's a quiet hush about the world
A time to remember the beautiful things,
To look for tomorrow and your fondest dreams

(women)
While the rain is falling there's a quietness about the world;
While the thunder is calling there's a quiet hush about the world

(men and women)
A time to remember the beautiful things,
To look for tomorrow and your fondest dreams

(men continue singing)
While the rain is falling there's a quietness about the world;
While the thunder is calling there's a quiet hush about the world
(as women sing)
Rain falls, soft rain making puddles
For the children's feet,
The puddles are sweet
And the skater-bug fleet
Find small pools a treat
And the columbine are bending their heads
in the rain.
Rain falls
soft rain through the tree boughs
Bringing ev'ning birds a quick friendly bath
washing afternoon dust from my wide garden path
And the columbine are bending their heads
in the rain.

(men and women)
A time to remember the beautiful things,
To look for tomorrow and your fondest dreams.

(men)
While the rain is falling there's a quietness about the world;
While the thunder is calling there's a quiet hush about the world

(women)
Rain. . . falls. . .
soft rain at my window. . .
I will go outside where sleepy rain blows. . .
Feel the wet on my face. . .feel the wet on my clothes. . .
And like the columbine. . .
I want to bow my head
in the rain. . . . . .

to learn more about my choir, The Choral Arts Society of Utah, visit our web site
www.casu.org

Added later: I received a very sweet note from Jay Welch's daughter and she sent me a copy of this song, so now I can sing along whenever I want.

This Saturday rain cooled things off a bit, and after one of those days in the fall, it just doesn't get as hot anymore. The garden is finally producing prolifically, which is always wonderful, but hard to have a frost and have it just die after it just got started.
In the summer we use a whole house fan every night. This is a 3' square fan that is mounted somewhere in the middle of the house in the ceiling and vents into the attic. Every night we open all the windows a tiny bit (about 2-3 inches) and when we turn that fan on, it sucks the curtains in about a foot. All the cool night air is pulled in, circulated around the house and vented out the attic, which is cooled off by morning. It really keeps the house cool in the summer.

I mark my seasons by when I turn that fan on and off. I think I began turning it on about June. And this last week we tried it before bed, but turned it off in the middle of the night. I think it was about Wednesday. Thursday, I removed all the box fans from the rooms, and our bedroom windows. And today, sadly, I turned on the heat. I have it set at 64 degrees. Monday I covered the tomatoes with blankets.
::sigh::
it really is fall.

I am including a link to the other post I did on Soft Rain here.

Monday, September 24, 2007

V is for violated

This is the third time Pixie's vehicle has been broken into.
All three times it was in the parking lot of her apartment complex. But each robbery took place in different place and in different parts of the valley and it was a different vehicle all three times.

The first time they took her scriptures! It must have looked like a planner. Why else would some stupid person want to steal this? It had all her personal notes that she took on her mission. She cried for a long while after this.

The second time was while they were working a graveyard shift, and her cool new stereo and a jar of money was stolen, which I had given her that day. It had about $60 in it that she had saved as a child. It was labeled "My Mission."

This time it was her husband's vehicle. They took an emergency kit and his new sunglasses she had given him for Father's day. She had placed a note inside the case that said, "to the father of our future children." The note was under the seat, the glasses and case missing.

OHMYGOSH!

I want to have magical powers and restore all the things, plus my daughter's innocence and trust in mankind. Poor little thing had to get this fixed before work because it was cold today. And she does a service to one old, blind lady, she picks her up from her house and brings her to the salon and does her hair.

This daughter, Sweet B-girl, is one of the MOST thoughtful sweet people I know, always thinking of others and doing for others. Why do these things have to keep happening to her?

I would like to get her happily settled into a proper house with a double car garage in a quiet neighborhood. I feel so bad for my sweeties.

You know the saying, "you are as happy as your saddest child", well I am terribly sad today.

Please say a little prayer for them. . .

a

Saturday, September 22, 2007

My Goodness everyone is quiet!

All week I have been busy with several dresses. First a very cute Homecoming dress. It had an immodest back and needed straps. This cute girl hired me to "modest-ify" it for her. We had to purchase fabric to match and fill in the back where there was only skin and a tiny string tie. Then I made straps. It turned out well, and I give those very cute High School girls a Modesty discount, which is about half my normal wage. When they pay for this out of their hard-earned money, I cannot make them pay more. They are so cute and I have a great time working on these beautiful formals. Then my daughter is in a wedding in about a week, and needed a Maid of Honor dress, which I finished. Now tonight I worked on half a wedding dress for my son's future bride, Cute Girl. I have to still design the top, but the skirt is mostly done. It is 8 layers of tulle, 1 layer of lining and one top layer of organza.
I don't know if everyone has been as busy as I have or if something is wrong, because most of my family and friends, with an exception of a very few are so quiet. And the two most prolific posters, Mostly Risible and Kay's Thinking Cap have not said a peep. I am really worried. Is it a particularly busy week for everyone? Almost no one has made a comment on my blogs or even posted their blogs. I hope everyone is well, no hospitalizations or injuries.
I check my favorite blogs almost every day to see if there is anything going on or to see if anyone has made a comment. I HOPE YOU ALL ARE OK OUT THERE!
a

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

W is for Wedding Dress

W is for Wedding dress. Today I met Cute Girl her Mom and little sister at the Bridal shop in the Big City and she tried on several Wedding dresses. She loved certain features of the dresses and wanted them combined, so we took notes and then headed to JoAnn's Fabric Shop. I will design my own pattern and use the best features of both dresses to produce our own creation. I assigned CG the task of designing the bead work for the bodice of the dress. I bought some great sequins and beads on E-bay. Things sure have changed from when I made my own dress, waaaaay back in the day.

We liked the cumber bunt on one dress, but the tulle skirt, with 9 layers of tulle on the other one. We will add an organdy overlay We will design our own sleeves that give her more room to move.
The price of the dresses at the bridal shop were close to $500. CG's Mom purchased all the materials for about $115. Happy birthday to CG, I will sew it for free.
Yes, if you look in the mirror over her left shoulder in the bottom photo, that is S3 looking on. I told him it was bad luck to see her in the dress. Both S3 & CG laughed. Well, I guess he won't see the actual dress. He just got to see her in two dresses that weren't THE wedding dress. They are a cute couple.
It was a fun experience. Isn't she just photogenic? What a natural beauty! S3 thinks so too.
Thanks Pixiestylist for the title of this post. :D

Saturday, September 15, 2007

First Bi-annual Family Reunion




We had our first Family reunion, consisting of all our children, their spouses (or in S3's case future spouse) and the grandchildren. It was organized by S2 & Wife. We went to a wonderful place in the mountains that was built for the sole purpose of hosting Girl's Camp for the girls in our Church. It is big enough to house 5000 girls a week. The girls have been coming here since 2003, so it is fairly new. Then they decided to allow families to come after the summer is over, and even boys to come during the winter for Winter Camp. The cost is very inexpensive, the place was very clean, and it was most pleasant. I even took the zip line challenge, which left me shaking for 5 minutes afterwards. I HATE heights.
It was great to see all of our children together. We played games, hiked, and each family prepared a meal, which made it very fun to taste everyone else's food and not have to be in charge the whole time, which in the past was what we did as a family. It still was a lot of preparation, like all camping trips are, but not as much was dedicated to food preparation.
I loved seeing all the grandchildren as well. We stayed in three cabins which are built to house 16 girls in bunk beds in each cabin. Some brought blow-up mattresses to sleep on the floor and some brought single bed mattresses to fit in the bunk beds. There were flush toilets, showers, propane gas hookups and stoves, a room with a place to store all the food, including a refrigerator and running water, and a covered place to prepare the food, plus a nice fire ring, for those who wanted to do the Dutch Oven over the open fire cooking style. The cost is $165 a night, and each family paid 1/6th of that to reserve our place, but I seem to remember that we paid a bit less. I think the price went up since our reservation. But I just looked this up on the website and the cost is now $165. My sister and her husband just got back from a 23-month Mission in Africa, and they came up to join us on Friday. We had a rousing game of Risk for the men, most girls tend to dislike that game. We take it too personally, well at least I DO. So we sat on the side and watched them and talked about girlie things. Those who weren't interested or just too tired, went to bed in the other cabins. They supply each cabin with two folding tables and 6-8 folding chairs.
On Saturday, we had to clean our campground, cabins, showers, bathrooms and cooking pavilion and were checked out by the full-time Senior missionary couples, who serve there, before we left. This leaves it clean for the next group and probably cuts the costs, which is fine with me. We know this is a big commitment, so we decided to make it an every other year event. Everyone will take turns organizing it, and I think when it becomes our turn, we just might be tempted to reserve this place again.
I think it would be appropriate to pronounce this First Family Reunion a BIG SUCCESS.
Thanks to everyone who was there and helped in any way. Pictures to be posted later.

More pictures on my Picasa Web Album.

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Y is for Yikes!

Never a dull moment.

So last night I fell asleep reading, but wouldn't you know, as soon as I awoke enough to go through the ritual of removing glasses, turning off the light and putting the book away, I was wide awake. I lay there staring at my artificial star studded sky. I found 1/4" glow-in-the-dark stars online and have been putting them on my ceiling according to a summer star chart. I finally just got up, thinking of one more thing to write my friend on an e-mail. I heard my young son and his Cute Girl friend in the next room, so I went to say hello.
They announced to me that they had been talking, and have decided to change their wedding date from June 17, 2008 to October 27, 2007!!! That is in 50 days from now!!! Plus they asked me if I would make her wedding dress! I had plans to go see my mom in Colorado in October, but I think that is out of the question if I am to make a dress AND plan an Open House reception for the couple in our town. Local tradition says we have a reception in the bride's town and an Open House in the groom's town. I am not too sure how many of the family can make it now, with such a short notice. Her family has just had two weddings in a row this last June. She is not too sure how some of their family will make it either.
But this is what keeps life exciting, right? It is good to be flexible. And if I were in their shoes, I would be just as tempted to do the same thing. I will do my best to support them. I wish them the best, now wish me luck pulling this off. I think I like challenges like this, actually. I really work better under pressure.

::Annie takes a deep breath::

I actually like Risible Girl's description of her stress when she says,

::runs off with her hair on fire::

Friday, September 7, 2007

Z is for Zoe

blogger's note: I don't know if I will do the ABC blog like everyone else seems to be doing. But this title seemed very appropriate, and besides, I chose one of the hardest letters to start with. Funny, my name starts with an A and hers with a Z.

Zoe
My best friend, growing up was Zoe. She was that perfect friend, that you love so much, because she is so kind, beautiful, sweet, and has the most musical voice in the world. Even her laugh is like a song.
We were inseparable from the time we met, when we were 5. Our birthdays are only two weeks and a few days apart. We were pretty much the same size, and could wear each other's clothes. We grew up attending a tiny 4 room, 8 grade country school that had those old-fashioned desks on runners with the ink holes.
Our Principal, Mr. Gauthier was the 7th and 8th grade teacher. We had a hot lunch room in the basement. Mrs. Lolis was our cook and made delicious meals, except for the cheese which gave me the shudders and I would stuff into my milk carton (we had to clean our plates) so I could go to recess.

Mr. Gauthier (pronounced Goat ee ay), taught us about soccer, long before the nation had ever thought of playing it here in the US. He sponsored a kite-building/flying day one time. We always had a baseball game going on.

He used to teach Zoe how to do tricks on the high bar. I didn't have the nerve to do these things, but she got so she could swing from her knees so high that she could come up parallel to the ground, her face facing the ground and then let go with her knees and land on her feet. Later Mr. Gauthier moved to the Jr. High, and he formed an after-school gymnastics group which we belonged to, and we learned things on the mat and horse. Zoe was always better and could do beautiful walk-overs and flips.
We always tried to choose our desks near each other, in every grade. I remember 4th grade, Mrs. Heffley caught us giggling and not doing our math. She sent us to the Principal, which happened to be the 7th and 8th Graders room, because that is what he taught. We had to write our times tables (1 to 12) on the board in front of the 7th and 8th Graders. That was horrifying. We LEARNED our times tables overnight, and never had another problem with them.

We played hopscotch and jump rope most of the recesses. One time when we were in 2nd grade, a girl was visiting Zoe from the city. She and Zoe were turning the rope when I came out. I asked if I could play, the city girl said NO. I turned around and went back into the school room, saddened by this. Zoe dropped the rope, leaving CityGirl to stand with the limp rope in her hands, and hurried to my side. I was surprised half-way across the 1st and 2nd grade room to have her arm around me, hurrying me towards the bathroom and whispering in my ear, "just blink fast, and the tears won't come." This is an example of her kindness.

Zoe lived one mile west of the school, and I lived one mile east of the school. We walked to school, and on Fridays, we usually took turns going to each other's houses and spending the night.

I loved going to her house, for many reasons, but one was that she had this wonderful box of dress up clothes. She also had a swimming hole with a diving board. It was a pond, and it seemed pretty deep, but I have no idea. It was located way out back of her house, near the chicken house. I remember finding a rotten egg and throwing it at the chicken house and both of us being really sorry we did that.

Another reason was her cousin, Analou, who sometimes visited. She was much older and she used to tell us these amazing epic stories. I wonder if she ever wrote these great stories down. They would have made a wonderful book.

Her father was an amazing pianist. They had two pianos! A Grand piano was in the sun room, and an upright was in the living room. He would play that piano, and I was so amazed. He was very strict, and we all had to be proper at the table, not speaking while eating, and using cloth napkins. Once, her older brother, catapulted a pea with his fork, when his dad wasn't looking while he was dishing us all up. We all had to bite our lips to keep from laughing. We had to ask to be excused at the end of the meal, and stack our dishes at the sink. Their family was so amazing. Her older sister could have been her twin. Both had thick brown hair plaited into two beautiful braids that went clear down their backs, and the most beautiful sparkly hazel blue eyes and those musical voices. I always wanted to be just like her. She had two younger brothers as well who were really nice kids and great teases. Her mom was so beautiful. She went prematurely gray at age 20. The girls got their beauty from their mother. She was a very elegant woman, and I always hoped I would grow up to be like her.

When Zoe came to my house, we usually would play Barbies. Once our Barbies were flying, in the Super-Man position, hands extended, horizontal, and in some sort of rush to get there (where? I don't know). We grabbed the weight-bearing pole in the middle of the room with one hand, and the doll was in the other hand, and run as fast as we could, hanging onto the pole and going round and round. Each round represented a mile. So her doll was about 3 miles ahead. There was no way to overtake and pass her, since she was in front of me. We were "flying" for about 30 or 40 miles, and for some reason, my foot and hers got entangled, and I tripped. I went down and as I hit the linoleum-covered concrete floor, I saw my brand new permanent front tooth fly out ahead of me across the floor.

Mom was baking bread and grabbed us both and hurried us to the dentist, about 5 miles away. A police man stopped her and she was crying, telling him her bread was baking in the oven and I had broken my tooth. He let her go.
I don't remember what happened to the bread, or Zoe, but I ended up with a temporary cap, which proceeded to fall off the rest of my life. I would then have this snaggly look, so I wouldn't talk or smile whenever I was waiting for a new cap to be made and put on. I remember Dr. Pyle greeted us and his face just fell when he saw my broken tooth. He had always commented on my beautiful teeth. In my 4th grade picture, I am not smiling. I couldn't eat Black Cow suckers any more.

I remember one sad day in about 4th or 5th grade, Zoe pulled me aside and told me that her parents were getting a divorce. That word was almost unheard of, and we were heart broken. We remained friends, of course until we got to Jr. High. Then we were separated by classes and a different circle of friends, for the rest of our school careers. This always made me sad, but I didn't know how to change it.

We have kept in touch on and off in our adult lives. She and I found the same Church and joined it somewhere along our way, and discovered that fact later. She still has her childhood phone number, I know it by heart. I should call her more often, no excuses. Her voice is still musical, her hair has gone to a beautiful salt and pepper gray, her eyes a sparkly hazel blue and she is still as beautiful as ever. She says she LOVES being her age. She always has such a positive attitude. She is still that perfect person I look up to. She has married the PERFECT man for her and had two beautiful children, a boy and a girl. Her husband is as kind and good as she is.

I imagine, that even though we are separated by miles on this earth, that we are still connected, in kind of an "honorary sister" way, and in Heaven we will be with-in walking distance of one another. Still one the very best friends I have ever had.

I hope one of my children names a daughter after her. I love that name.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

And She's Off! to Paris, no less

My sweet ZB (little sister) just worked out a much-needed vacation, using her fly miles and meeting a friend who's hotel is paid for, so basically all she needs is food and souvenir money. This sweet dear sister has had a struggle involving personal disappointments. She has struggled, but today, I just talked to her on the cell phone, she has boarded a plane which flies to Toronto, then onto Heathrow Airport, then on to Paris. She says about 1:00 AM, my time, she will have landed and be where she is supposed to be. It all came together in 5 days, no less. She was even able to use some vacation time (benefits which she didn't have a year ago), and her pay check will be about the same when she gets back. What does she have to lose? She is so happy, that I am happy for her as well. What a darling, worthy little sister. YEA. I celebrate for her, and rejoice in her overdue, much-deserved happiness.
YOU GO GIRL!

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Sorry about this

I am going to try the word verification because I got a spam comment. If that doesn't work, then I will have to make it so you have to wait until I approve it before it is published.
love you all
a

More of Mom

Gratitude:
Sweet ZB is interviewing my cute mom and getting more memories of her Platt Deutsch sayings.




These next two talk about geese who don't have any shoes.





And finally, here is a sideways video. ZB and Mom are upset by the number of flies that have decided to live near them because they have some goats in the barn behind them. The goats are owned by some friends, and I think Mom made them clean the straw out and now they are catching the flies.

Monday, September 3, 2007

Miss Fortune

We have had a lot of pets in our lives as a couple. We started out with a mouse named Raynelda Mouse. There was a anchor on Channel 4 who was named Raynelda Muse. We had a dog, Goldie Hahn, a cat named Meow TseTsung and presently an orange striped cat named Hobbs. We had two for a while.

Miss Fortune came into our lives one fall morning lurking under the truck by the trash cans, close to the fence. I have no idea where she came from, but she was one big matt of hair and yowl. She was a long-haired calico, and looked and sounded like she hadn't had a decent meal in a long time. She introduced herself to us with a scolding, telling us that we didn't have any food out back. At first I tried to discourage her by spraying her with water, telling her to go back where she came from, but Sailor has a much more tender heart, and come to find out, as I was chasing with the hose, he was feeding her in the back. So what is a Mudda to do?

She got friendly enough to let us touch her. She was deaf as a post, probably infested with ear mites, no telling how old she was, she had missing teeth. But if you picked her up, you would discover she was nothing but matted hair and bones. She was surprisingly light as a feather for as large as she looked with all that matting.
We figured she wouldn't make it through the winter, and indeed we had a rather severe winter, but every morning, Miss Fortune would yowl at us.

She got so she didn't yowl anymore, and was always there when the food was put out. Hobbs and she didn't much like each other, but she was scrappy enough to hold him at bay where food was concerned.

Hobbs was jealous of Miss Fortune. We had put a large couch cushion out for her, since she had no padding. It had been there before she showed up, but Hobbs was not interested. He preferred to sit up high somewhere or in the shop. We knew Miss Fortune could not jump that high, so we put the couch cushion inside a trash can, tipped on its side with a rug covering most of the opening. When we showed the new bed, she graciously accepted. But when Hobbs saw this, the next thing we knew, Miss Fortune was sitting on the rug and Hobbs was reigning in the trash can.

She seemed contented just to have her daily kibbles and water. Sometimes we would mix a raw egg with some milk, which was lapped up eagerly. I decided at the beginning of the summer I would try to have a pet groomer cut her hair, but had never made an appointment. Last week, I told our neighbor girl, who watches the house when we are gone on vacation, that the next time I went, I would pay her extra to make an appointment and get Miss Fortune groomed.

But that was not to happen. Today, I noticed she was licking herself by the base of her tail, and seemed to have a great abundance of flies bothering her there. I heard her familiar yowl, something I haven't heard in a long time, and went looking. She was hiding down at the bottom of the stairs that leads to the basement, her tail tucked as tight by the door and flies still pestering her. I brought her some kibbles and water, which she ate and lapped gratefully. I figured she would never get back up those stairs. But later I found her hiding behind some boards propped by the back door. She had squished herself as far as she could and was still crying for help.

This was it. I knew it, so I told Sailor.
We loaded her up in a box and put her in the back of the truck. Guns are not allowed in the city, so we drove to the prettiest part of the desert, overlooking the river, and there, with me on the other side of the truck, eyes squeezed shut, ears plugged (coward that I am) saying a prayer for this sad little scrap of life. I heard the shot, and I began to cry. We buried her at sunset in this great "pet cemetery" and drove home.

Sometimes you don't get to choose your neighbors or even your pets, but it is how you choose to treat them that will determine how you are remembered. I am glad my husband has a kind heart.

Indian Names

A long time ago, when all the children were still very young and the parents were trying to make the paycheck last from week to week, the family lived in a small house which was located in a small town in the Colorado Mountains.

They liked to go up to the mountains and chop and haul wood. They would take a picnic lunch and make a day of it. One of those times, the children asked their dad about when the Indians lived in these woods. The Dad liked to tell good stories. His head was full of many good stories to tell. So he told his children how the Indian Children used to help their mothers and fathers gather the wood, hunt, fish and cook dinner.

The Children were fascinated by these Indian counterparts, and wanted to know more. He told them how they were given an Indian name, and that would stay with them until they outgrew it. Of course the children wanted to know what their names would be if they had lived back then. So The Dad figured out names for these children. There were 5 children at the time, two older boys, and three girls. The youngest boy hadn't been born yet.

The Oldest Boy was about nine or ten years old. He took his responsibility of Oldest Brother very seriously. He was watchful and wise. He understood many things beyond his young years. He was, for the most part a protective and caring Oldest Brother. His dad named him Eye that Sees.

The Second Oldest Brother was two years younger. He was about seven or eight years old. This young man loved to ride horses. He was a good rider, and was able to stay on his horse very well. He really didn't care too much for his younger sisters, and there were many times that the mom and dad had to break apart a fight between him and his sisters. He grew up to be a very wonderful husband and father, and loves girls now, but when he was young, he didn't have much use for them. His dad named him Horse the Kicks.

The Third child was two years younger, so she was only about five or six years old at the time of the camp-out. Even though this little girl was exceptional in school related things, like reading when she was only three years old, and writing a "B" for her first name when she was only two, she had no confidence in herself and was afraid of everything. She would cry if she was given a challenge that she didn't think she could do. She would cry if someone looked at her wrong. She cried one day when her Dad was driving home from the church, and asked her to help him find his way back to their house. She didn't know the way back to the house, and was afraid that the Family would drive around the back roads forever, never to return home again. Her Dad named her Bird that Cries.

The Next Daughter was born with both of her feet flattened against her shins. The Doctor had to put her tiny foot into a cast and force it to point the toe. The other foot wasn't as severe, and he thought it would be too hard to have both feet in casts, so he made the mother massage the foot, forcing it to point the toe, every time she changed her diaper. The poor little daughter was so uncomfortable with the cast that the first 6 weeks of her tiny life was spent crying. The casts in those days were plaster of paris, so it would be warm at first, then it would get really cold and damp before it finally dried. She would get the cast replaced on a Friday, and by the time it had finally dried and was not so cold, the doctor would saw it off the next Friday and put on a new one, pointing her foot down further and further. He told the Mother that this baby was a very lucky little girl, because 100 years ago, she would have just sat in a wheel chair all her life. When this little girl grew up, she loved gymnastics, and by the time she was 12 years old, she became the National Champion of all the 12-year-old children in Power Tumbling. From the time she could crawl she was climbing and exploring. When she began to walk, she really ran. She liked to jump and wanted a trampoline from the time she knew what one was. Her father named her Bunny Rabbit.

The youngest daughter was very frail. She was one of the smallest of the children at her birth. She didn't gain any weight either. She was a very sweet baby, and never cried. She was sleeping through the night by the time she was two days old. Even though her mom had already given birth to four other children, she didn't realize that maybe this was a bad thing. She let her sleep. The tiny baby didn't gain any weight either. By the time she was 5 months old, she only weighed 10 pounds, and the doctor became very concerned. He made The Mommy stop nursing her and put her on a very strong Iron Rich milk formula. She was anemic. In two weeks, she began to grow stronger. She then began to drink goat's milk. The family lived on a farm with goats before they moved to the mountain town. Every day, the oldest brother would milk the goats after school, because his Dad had to work Swing Shifts. That is when you go to work about an hour after most people are eating their lunch. The goats would be milked in the morning, but would have had to wait until MIDNIGHT for the Dad to come home, so Eye that Sees milked the goats. This tiniest daughter grew very healthy and strong on this good goat's milk. But she always was much smaller than the rest of the children. She looked as if a strong wind would blow her away. Her Dad named her Aspen Leaf.

Later when the last child was born, a son, the other Children wanted their little brother to have an Indian name too. So the Dad watched this little one to see what he would do. This baby brother LOVED to change his clothes, just like his second oldest brother used to do. He loved to change into different personae, and at the end of the day when the parents went to tuck him into his bed, they had to wade through a pile of clothes that he had cast aside as his mood changed. His dad named him Changing Cloud.

As the children grew up, the two oldest boys were always chasing each other around, and when they would thunder up and down the stairs, the parents were afraid the house would come crumbling down around them. Thus Eye the Sees and Horse that Kicks each were given new Indian names. Ones that they didn't like as well as their first names. They were named Rock Slide and Avalanche.

Rock Slide and Avalanche, the parents never knew which son had what name, grew up to be fine fathers and husbands. They have sweet little children of their own now, and are much more careful about thundering down the stairs. Horse that Kicks would probably be named Papa Bear now. He protects his sweet family and takes good care of them. Eye that Sees still fits the Oldest Brother. He also takes good care of his family. But he still watches over his younger brothers and sisters as well. Both of the older boys have fine jobs and nice homes.

As for Bird that Cries, she still finds herself frightened. When she was about to graduate from High School and her parents approached her about what she wanted to be when she grew up, she became frightened. She actually crawled under the Coffee Table to hide. She is much braver now than she once was. She married a nice young man, and finished her schooling, graduated and is working in her field. She is happy and still very tender. Her parents are so happy that she married a sweet understanding husband who just puts his arms around her and loves her when she is afraid.

Bunny Rabbit grew up and taught gymnastics to other little "bunny rabbits". Later she went to school and got married too. She wants to become a nurse when she gets finishes school. She also had a cute baby. She no longer is in Gymnastics, but she helps her little baby do forward rolls.

Aspen Leaf is not as frail as she used to be. She also went to school and now works in a doctor's office. Aspen Leaf still looks like a strong wind could blow her away, but she is tougher than she looks. She is a hard worker and loves to be at home with her sweet husband. If a new name were chosen for Aspen Leaf, it might be Duck on Water, because she makes everything look easy. She floats quietly on the water, but look beneath the surface and her legs are kicking to beat all.

Now for Changing Cloud. He still bears that name, although he doesn't change his clothes three times a day, he hasn't quite decided what he wants to be when he grows up, thus he continues to change. He loves to paint and take photographs of clouds, but he also loves to play his guitar, and has learned to appreciate academic challenges. He had to learn a very hard language while he lived for two years in a far-away country, and proved that he is very capable of hard challenges. He has found himself a Sweet Girl who he wants to marry soon. He hasn't stopped changing yet.

And so Life continues. Sometimes when The Parents sit together on the swing and talk of their sweet children, they wonder if their children will name their own children Indian names. It was a nice chapter in their lives.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Somewhere, Over the Rainbow. . .

This is an amazing version of that song. I used to HATE it when Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz sang it, but this man, Israel Kamakawiwo`ole, does so well and I love the ukulele. I got this off UTube. Anyway I love it.



This makes me happy to hear this, and for some reason I have been singing this all week. I don't know what spurred the memory, but I love listening to it.
We had a wonderful Sunday as well. My sister and her husband are home from Africa and almost all of her children and grandchildren came, from several states, and most of my children, except the one also came. We were missing a few spouses as well, and they were missed. . .

I played with cute grandchildren, visited with nieces and nephews (some I haven't seen for years), and grand nieces and nephews. Plus seeing almost all my sweet children. It was a house full, and we had to drive 5 hours round trip, but it was all worth while. I got some great pictures, which I will embed into this blog as well.

Pixiestylist cut lots of hair this weekend. She always brings her scissors, clipper and apron, in case someone asks her to. She never expects pay when she does this, just knows someone will ask, so she takes her time off and does hair. What an angel.
For some reason this happy song makes me want to sing. I hope it has that effect on you as well.
Have a wonderful Labor Day.
a

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