Locks of Love

Lynnel D. is a teacher at my school. She teaches Social Studies and leads the choir. She's a card-carrying SAG member. I like her and enjoy working with her. She's good about accommodating my kids with disabilities.

So when she decided to finally cut her hair to give it to Locks of Love, she came up with a great plan - students and teachers could buy a raffle ticket for a chance to cut off her pony tail. The money went for ASB activities.

I bought a few tickets - but didn't win. Here she is with her shorn pigtails. She got a free style job at a local salon afterwards.

And who says public education is on the skids??

We aren't a California Distinguished School for nothing!!

"Be of good cheer."

There was a quote in the back of a woman's magazine I perused recently. It said, "Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never happen."


The speaker was American writer and philosopher James Russell Lowell. I don't remember much from that era of literature - I can remember my professor's face, but not his name!! Apparently the material we read was forgettable - I don't remember much of it anyway! And I'm afraid that was the year of Cliff Notes for me - probably why I don't remember much!

But I thought of how my mother used to always say, "Don't borrow trouble." And how I have a tendency to do just that!

I'm the one who says, "What if we encounter traffic?" "What if no one comes?" "What if it rains?" "What if the Internet is down?"

We've been stuck in traffic, sometimes not a whole lot of people have shown up, it has rained, and the Internet is down now and then. And we have survived - we are here to tell about it!

In spite of the traffic we've made it to wherever we were going and usually had a good time. Some of the best events are intimate gatherings. Rain keeps the grass green and my lilies blooming. And when the Internet is down, I seem to get a lot of other stuff done!

Especially with this big upcoming event, I'm trying hard not to borrow trouble. Trying hard to make lists of things to do that are doable. And committing to making lists of things to have other people do when they ask if there is something they can do to help!

And if it rains, I guess we will pack ourselves into the Cultural Hall!!

"What's that you're reading?"

So, Clifton Middle School adopted a "Study Hall" in February. We took 5 minutes from every class period and the previously designated "Sustained Silent Reading" minutes and combined them into a 40 minute Study Hall at the end of each regular class day. (Wednesdays are minimum days, so we don't have it then.)

The motivation for this was the disturbing news that almost 20% of our students were below a 2.0 gpa. We have lots of interventions in place - after school tutoring, study skills classes for struggling students, special counseling sessions to address issues surrounding poor academic progress, remedial classes in math and language arts and regular meetings with parents to update them on what is happening.

We can only do so much - ultimately it is up to the student and their parents to turn things around - but we have to do something. So we started this program. It was the principal's idea - not every teacher was in favor - but it has been used successfully in other places, so she wanted to at least try it.

The way it works is every teacher gets 25 kids - alphabetical by grade level - and those same students will stay with the same teacher for all three years. Students are graded daily on having their reading log correctly filled out, having their Binder Reminder (a planner that each student is required to have) listing all of their assignments, and circling the assignment they plan to work on that day.

Since I teach RSP students all day long, it was certainly different to have a room full of regular ed students - many of whom are also honors students. It was also different to have 25 kids - my biggest class has 12 students in it! Because I usually teach such small classes, my room couldn't accommodate 25 kids - so my aide has half of them in the room next door.

On Friday, it was the Clifton Mile Run for 8th graders. Arvin W. has left Clifton so the Clifton Mile as the Terrill kids remember it is different. For one thing, it's run during the Study Hall period. (The period is also used for assemblies and other events that might disrupt the academic day - which is a plus - any teacher will tell you how disruptive it is to have your classes chopped up by an "assembly schedule.") For another, it's run by grade level on different days.

We had the option of going to the run and sitting on the field while the kids who had signed up ran. It was my day to work in the temple on Friday, and I leave from work so I had to be a little more "dressed up" than usual. Sitting on the field in a dress and pantyhose didn't appeal to me. I also had a significant amount of work to do before the end of the day and had planned to do it during Study Hall (the group I have is good about working independently, so a little bonus for me has been the ability to get work done on the computer during that time.)

The aide next door offered to take the whole group - which was not very large, since about 8 of the kids were running. I offered to stay with those who didn't want to go.

I bustled around getting my classroom ready for Monday morning, and then typed up the pages for the 2 IEP meetings I have on Monday. The 4 girls who had opted to stay sat quietly in their chairs - reading!! I decided to walk around and see what they were reading.

The results - Twilight, The Host - both by Stephanie Meyer, a book called Feast of Fools and I don't remember the author, and the 4th girl was reading her History text book. (apparently Feast is about vampires too though.)

The last few minutes of the period I asked them how they were enjoying the books they were reading. The two Stephanie Meyer girls said they were "loving " the books. I told them I had read Twilight but didn't think it was very well written. Since I never want to discourage reading, I suggested that it all depends on whether you are reading for pleasure or want to identify something as good literature.

We had an interesting discussion. I told them about The Historian and suggested that if they enjoyed the vampire concept, they might enjoy this long, but well-written and critically received novel even more.

I also told them that I had graduated in English from BYU - just like Stephanie Meyer. One girl said, "Then you could write a book." (That would be a whole other post - how often we say, "I could write a better book than that" but we don't! Writing is work - hard work - and even poorly written novels take time and effort.)

But what a treat to discuss books with 4 lovely young ladies. I love my students, but by and large they struggle with reading. And even if they read well, many of them don't like to read - it represents all things difficult to them and they don't like to "go there."

Just letting you know how things are on the literary scene in my little corner of the world. I don't ever recall a teacher talking to me about books he or she had read - do you?

Wednesday Night Ruminations

I'm not real clear on all the particulars, so don't quote me. But the Pasadena Ward is moving into the Foothill Building. I know that there are some construction issues at their building - there was some damage, etc.

Anyway, the upshot of all this was that we had to move our Stake Relief Society stuff out of the room they had allocated for us in that building.

Into 4 cupboards at the Stake Center on Duarte Road!!

We had "purged" that room a couple of times already, but we had way too much to go into those 4 cupboards. And I didn't want any of it in my house!!

You may ask, what did we have?

Lots of old props from previous Stake Relief Society events - conferences, programs, leadership meetings - some of them looked suspiciously like roadshow props too!

Leftovers from a number of Humanitarian projects.

Lots and lots and lots of fabric! Does everyone who purges their own house of fabric just assume that the Relief Society can use it?? (The answer is yes!)

Way too many white paper plates, plastic cups, knives and forks (where are the spoons??) and a veritable rainbow of colored napkins in many sizes.

A nice box of equally nice dish towels - these I think we can use - I can quit hauling mine to every event!

A fair amount of ziploc bags - but where are they when we are trying to find containers to send left over food home with people??

A lot of colored paper - in a variety of colors and weights. Pens, scissors, labels, and miscellaneous stationery items.

Batting - some of it attached to fabric - ready to go!!

An incredible number of white lace tablecloths of less than acceptable quality.

Lots and lots of bud vases. Where do they come from??

Floral wreaths, American flags, straw cornucopias, tiny baskets - "But we can use them as favors." (there are always either too many - or not enough!) Some big vases and some flower pots.

Old videos. No books though!

What to do with all this stuff?

Lucky for us the DI bin is in our stake's parking lot - I put a lot of the stuff there. I think my counselors were slightly aghast - but I said, "The D.I. will know how to get this stuff where it can be used. If we keep it here, it will languish on the shelves for another couple of years and then someone will throw it out because it's old and doggy looking. Let's give it away before it gets old and doggy looking!!"

I'm the president, so I got to have the final say!!

Of the piles of fabric - they are in the trunk of my car - and on Sunday I am taking them around to the wards - and women there can take what they want - and the rest will go in the D.I. bin.

Our little shelves in the stake center are full of the paper goods - the consumables I like to call them. And I think we need to rethink our next Women's Conference - our theme can be "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" and we can eat on the paper plates and drink from the paper cups - and bundle up the rest in nice gift bags - because everyone has a drawerful of them at home - and give them out as door prizes!

And run off our programs and flyers on different colors - since we have a few of every color there.

And I put the props in the "go to the dumpster" pile - but I bet someone rescues them.

I wish it was so easy and quick to purge around here!!

Just like it's easy to spend other people's money, it's easy to get rid of other people's junk.

But I do feel inspired!!

Mother of the Bride Dilemma - solved!!

In case you were worried about it - I did find a dress for the wedding reception. Now I just have to find shoes. Found the perfect ones online - so of course they were sold out!!

And just like you shouldn't tell people what you are going to name your baby - because then they will feel free to offer an opinion - I don't think I will post a photo!!

Besides, I have a lot of blogging to catch up on - 216 photos worth in fact!!

Suffice it to say, I was thrilled that I had to send the size ten back for a size 8!! That alone will make me feel like a million bucks!!

But it's comfortable, flattering, and I won't have wear a tight girdle to make it fit!!

See you there!!

This is the weekend that was!!

It's been crazy around here - Friday was hotter than blazes and the a/c went out in my car - the drive to LA that afternoon was reminiscent of scaling the Baker Grade!! Not pleasant!!

Saturday was a scorcher too - I spent it indoors making floral tote bags for the YW Transition to R.S. - "Blossoming in Relief Society!" Jennifer Menlove was our guest speaker and she did a great job!! She was one of my Beehives back in the day and I couldn't be prouder of her!!

We had 4 of the 5 senior girls in our stake attend with their parents and the ward YW and RS Presidents. It was a nice way to spend part of a Sunday afternoon - these young ladies will do us all proud!!

Then I raced home and finished putting together the dinner for Noah and Dawn's belated birthday celebration - at their house, since it was still very hot! Porter and Eve enjoyed the candle blowing!

And then my good friend Pam was in town, so on Monday afternoon - after she drove me to pick up my car - with repaired a/c function - we managed to squeeze in a nice visit!!

Now I'm racing around trying to get things in order for the arrivals of Hannah, Eliza and Theo!!

It's pretty crazy at school too - 11 IEP's to go - and got requests today for 2 more!! How can I call a halt to all this madness??

But Monday is a holiday!! And we are going to spend the weekend with some pretty special people - watch for photos - I know how to upload them - just don't have scanning capacity at the moment!!

Not sure when the anniversary posts will resume - it is a millstone around my neck, a to do item I'm itching to get checked off!!

Let's see how we do.

What is the world coming to??

So I posted on our family book blog about the new movie coming out based on the best selling novel Twilight.

I'm not sure why I stress over this so much. Maybe it's because I teach school and am reminded more than once a day that we have a culture that is driven by the media - for good or ill - and sometimes it seems more like for ill!

And maybe it's because the author is an LDS, BYU English major grad - and you know you should be happy that a "clean" novel is popular. But I'm really not.

There is a running dialogue in the world of the arts in the LDS Church that says that a Mormon can't really produce great art because an active, practicing member cannot dedicate his life to art and still be an active, practicing member. (I assume this refers to the fact that service in the church is a large part of an active member's life. And that such service would preclude having time to dedicate your life to art.)

Just looking at the life of Minerva Teichert negates the viability of such an argument. And there are probably other artists we could cite too.

But I'm really more concerned about the fact that the public continues to embrace mediocre writing as "great" writing. As if they don't really know what great writing is - and they probably don't.

I read Twilight - and it was tough - it was pretty badly written in my opinion, and I resented spending time on it - and even reading the ending first didn't clear things up for me, so I had to read the whole thing - I did skim, but it's a thick book!

The scene with the baseball game was pretty good - and the "stalking" in Phoenix was the best written part of the book - but the rest was pretty dispensible!

I usually like to read the stuff that is popular with the students at our school - and the whole series is very popular at my school - but I'm passing on this one.

Besides, the virtue of a predictable plot is that they are so - predictable!

FHE at the Temple

Tonight we attended a special session at the LA Temple for those who work the Friday shifts. The temple presidency officiated at the sessions. We had a chapel session beforehand that was inspiring. It was a pretty great experience!

And we had a potluck afterwards in the temple cafeteria, which was also pretty great!

And I ended up sitting next to a man who joined the church in the Monrovia East Ward back in the 60's. His first bishop was Claude Adams. And his wife is Betty McMaster's older sister. So we played "Walk Down Memory Lane" - which means I throw out names and she tells me if she remembers them.

I love reminiscing!!

I'm losing my mind - and that's not all I'm losing!!

So, there's big, giant calendar on the wall in the kitchen - right next to the whiteboard.

And on the whiteboard is written the name and phone number of a couple who asked us to sub for them at the temple.

And under that is the date they needed us to sub. (Tuesday the 29th)

And under that is the gal's email address.

And none of that info is on the calendar.

But I've been looking at that whiteboard for 2 weeks now.

And all day today I thought the schedule seemed light - I seemed to have nothing pressing. I sat in my room after school and finished the book I was reading. (Parenthetically it's not all that good - the one by David Baldacci.) (And I should have been entering my grades - due tomorrow night at midnight.)

Then I walked home.

And checked my email and started dinner.

And got a call from the Tuesday night supervisor at the temple - wondering where we were.

Talk about feeling bad!

Dad said, "We're doing too much!"

We have been discussing it off and on all evening. And I said, "Well, maybe we should make it a rule that we won't take on anything without running it by the each other first." (I agreed to give blood yesterday - and then just didn't go!)

And later Dad said, "The trouble is, I don't want to be thought of as programmed and scheduled as some people we know." (Who probably wouldn't blow off sub days at the temple!!))

And he also said, "That's why people move away."

I read Sunset magazine in the salle de bain and thought, "We need to take off for a weekend to one of these great places they are showing in this magazine."

Maybe I will do that.

After school ends, and we have the wedding, and we go to South America, and we do the Hood to Coast.

Wait, then it will be time for school to start!

This seems to be a circular discussion.

Thanks for listening!!

I'm not looking for ideas or advice - just sympathy!!

The Mother of the Bride dilemma:

So, this is the "sparkly" dress - and the cumberbund effect at the waist and the length are very flattering. But the top is sparkly. And the jacket is mother- of - the - brideish looking. But it was on sale, and it's a size 8 and it fits!! (That alone makes me want it - "oh heavens, yes, it's an 8!!)

But, I was brainstorming with a friend, and we thought maybe a dressmaker could put a new top on it and we could chuck the jacket - or put it in the dress up basket. Or give it to the Cornwalls or the Gutierrez's who would find a perfect place for it in a Halloween theme ensemble!

We need Hannah's bridal dress gal - this would be right up her alley. Maybe a brocade or even some kind of lace. The possibilities are endless.

This is the Nordstrom dress that I tried on in a size 8, which was too small, and then ordered a bigger size. (All size 8's are apparently not created equal.) But it's really not long enough - I would have to wear heels and hose to carry it off - trust me on this one. And I'm not up to that.

This is the Coldwater Creek skirt - which is too big - that was a nice change! So I'm going to send for the smaller size and keep looking at tops. Suggestions and referrals are welcome.

This is where I am. I feel like having Hannah choose brown with white polka dots because I have a new dress like that and it's cute, flattering and comfortable.

And I have cute brown shoes that are flattering and comfortable too!

Where does the time go??

So, this is not what Hannah and Robbie's invites look like - in fact, they look nothing like this. I included this for contrast. (Okay, so mostly just to have a picture - since Karl says I need short bytes and pics to be readable - what does he know??)

But Melanie's mom brought them back with her from Utah - where she went for Melanie's graduation - congrats Melanie!! - them being the invitations for the wedding.

So I guess I have to get to work. And set up a work station for getting them addressed - hand addressed - we are totally traditional here - but I haven't even finished my Christmas cards!!!

I have a dress and a skirt from Coldwater Creek - they came Friday and Saturday - and I have a dress from Nordstrom - and I'm not excited about any of them.

Well, I kind of liked how the Coldwater Creek dress fit - it was flattering anyway - and Noah said, when I modeled it for him, "Gee, Mom - it, uh, sparkles!!" (this was all said while barely supressing laughter.)

And Dad said, "It looks like all those mother-of-the-bride dresses you've been making fun of." (It is sort of similar - but not completely mother-of-the-bride looking!)

He also said, "Where would you ever wear it again?" (The answer is "nowhere" but maybe I could take it to a consignment shop.)

Why is finding something to wear always such a chore???

The Girls of '45 get together

A few years ago, we figured out that there were 4 of us on the staff at Clifton who were born in 1945!! (The shot below is November of 2005.)


So we went and had a "glamor" shot taken! (In this case, "glamor" means fuzzy - so we look better!!)


Michele - in the burgundy sweater - retired almost 2 years ago - so we had a little mini-reunion tonight - at Mimi's restaurant.

There really is something to be said about coming from the same era. And 3 of us went to LA Unified high schools!! (so we can talk about what our P.E. clothes looked like, since all LA Unified high schools wore identical P.E. clothes, back in the day anyway!!)

Here's to friends - of any vintage!!

More Wedding Belles!!

Thought this one would raise a chuckle or two out of my viewing audience!

This is my cousin Pam and her husband Ron after their wedding in the LA Temple in 1960 I think. You didn't come out and pose in your wedding dress in those days - you came out in your "going away outfit" and it was usually a fashion statement!!

This is certainly a fashion statement - it's a veritable "shout out" I think!!

A Mother's Trials

Calvin's recent brush with the tooth fairy brought reminders of Hannah's famous episode - back in 1991. The photo below was taken a couple of days after the "wreck!" I thought we had shots that were much more "gruesome" but I can't find them. Hannah may actually have them.

Since Calvin told the story! in his own words, I thought I'd let you all hear Hannah's own words about her accident. She recorded this a few years later in her scrapbook - but it's still pretty poignant!

This shot is of Hannah about a week after the accident - kids do heal quickly.

So here's her story:

The Story

Eliza and I were going to race on our bikes down the street (a very steep street.) As I was going down, I fell over my handle bars, knoking (sic) out my front teeth (baby teeth), and popping 3 buttons off of my dress. I had to wash my mouth with hydrogen peroxide. After that, I lived a good life of Jello, pudding, and T.V.

Let me add that it was very traumatic - I guess you had to be there, but Eliza came sort of quietly up the driveway and said, "Hannah is bleeding." When we went to investigate, there was Hannah, bleeding indeed, and pushing her bike back home! I think they were both somewhat abashed because I am sure we had told them to be very careful since the street was steep.

The very poignant part was the way Hannah said, after seeing her face in the mirror, "Will I always look like this?"

I'm sure we've told this story countless times before - and probably on the blog too - but it is indeed a cautionary tale.

But the other alternative is to let your kids live in a hothouse instead of the real world.

It's the price we pay!

Charm!!

I find pithy sayings throughout the ubiquitous women's magazines that end up collecting in my magazine basket - or on the back of the toilet!

And they often strike me as useful little life lessons.

So I will share one: "If you have charm, you don't need to have anything else; and if you don't have it, it doesn't matter what else you have."

This comes from none other than J.M. Barrie!

And charm usually is connected with talking about women, but I find many of my students charming - and many of them not.

But just like Mr. Barrie said, without it, nothing else matters!

Who do you find charming? And why?

There is a huge emphasis on "going green" these days. And it's long overdue. I'm glad to see it coming back in style. (For you "young types," being eco savvy seems to go in and out of fashion.)

I've been advocating canvas grocery bags, recycling, walking instead of driving, and always looking for ways to "walk lightly on the earth as its other creatures do."

But I saw a quote today that I really liked, so I thought I'd share it. Maybe even make it my new email signature:

"Nature provides a free lunch, but only if we control our appetites."

William Ruckelshaus

How are you "going green?"

Oh those photo booths of yesteryear!

Dad and I recently attended the wedding reception of a good friend of Hannah's - and she had a photo booth there for the guests to get their pictures taken - and then put in a keepsake album for the bride and groom to enjoy.

I really thought said photo booths had gone the way of malt shops and bouffant hair. Apparently they are all the rage.

We really did used to use them a lot - they were a fun diversion. Something to do at the 5 and Dime.

You have to understand - we didn't have Wal-Mart or Target or digital cameras - even Polaroid cameras were for the well-to-do - or those aspiring to look well-to-do!

Joy and I were on a double date when this shot was taken. We went to some exhibit at USC - and then to Taix's French Restaurant in LA. It's not in the same location anymore - it's hardly the same restaurant either.

If I find the shot with our dates, I'll post them. It was a fun date - these boys went to high school with us - and were fairly avant garde for their time.

But that's a subject for another post.

The Little Sparrow

For FHE last night, Dad and walked down to Blockbuster and rented "La Vie En Rose."

I've wanted to see this movie for a long time. It was long and sad and somewhat depressing. But I thought it was pretty well done.

I read her "bio" and found that they had most of the facts straight. Then I read some reviews that were less than complimentary.

Upon reflection, some of the criticisms were well-deserved. But I like the "film noir" aspects - I thought they conveyed the sorrow and despair of her life quite well.

And even the reviewers conceded that the scene when she learns that her lover Marcel has died in a plane crash was shot "brilliantly."

And you just can't go wrong with Piaf's larger than life voice. Tom Moore introduced your dad to Edith Piaf - and then Dad introduced her to me.

Vive la Piaf!! (loved the scene where the 10 year old Edith sings the Marseillaise!)

"The Power of Song"

A few weeks ago, I was browsing the Calendar section in the LA Times and came across a review of "The Power of Song" which was a movie about Pete Seeger. I vaguely remember it running in the theaters, but didn't pay much attention - I really don't pay much attention to movies these days, which is good in some ways, but I probably miss some good stuff too.

Anyway, it was going to be broadcast on KCET, so I actually made a note on my calendar, and Dad and I sat down and watched it. We taped it even, because Noah wanted to watch it too. It was great! Dad and I were sitting there, so impressed with a man we knew something about
but certainly didn't know everything about - even if we are children of the 60's!

(For one thing, he finally achieved a modicum of fame in the 50's with the Weavers - they had songs on the Hit Parade and everything - and then he quit - because they were doing a cigarette commercial. The Weavers told him, "We need the money." And Pete Seeger said, "Not that much!")

But once again I digress, as I am wont to do, and I'm missing the point of this post.

The point is, Pete Seeger represents a time and a place and some key individuals in my past that have shaped me over the years - and I'm just now realizing all of this.

I spent a fruitless half hour looking for a photo that I know I have, but I can't put my hands on it. It's not a particularly good photo - as most of my old photos are not - but it's the only one I have of John Johnson, a young man I met my freshman year in college. I have no idea where he is now - and with a name like John Johnson, it might be hard to find him - and be sure you have the right one!!

Let me back up. My freshman year in college, I lived with my high school friend Joy - and 4 other girls I had not met until then. One of them, Marlene Carpenter, was from SoCal too. And she had a friend named Curtis Clayton - no relation - at least no direct relation - but we were fond of telling people alternately that we were siblings, married, cousins, or even total strangers!

(And Marlene and I were fond of telling people we were fraternal twins. In those days, everything at BYU was done alphabetically, so we were always together, we were both blond, both from SoCal, and we thought it relieved the boredom of all the lines we were compelled to stand in!!) (In which we were compelled to stand??)

Anyway, Marlene had a younger brother who was very close in age to her and Curtis and her brother were close friends, so Curtis hung out with us a lot. He lived in Stover Hall I think. And he became friendly with a boy on his floor named John Johnson, so John Johnson hung out with us a lot too.

John was from the East Coast - actually I think he was from Northern Virginia, but he liked to say East Coast, with emphasis!! And we thought he was terribly East Coast - in a good way! He wore pressed chinos, blue oxford cloth shirts open at the collar, and highly polished Bass Weejuns without socks!!

He was kind of short, and had a complexion problem, but he was clever, witty, smart, a great conversationalist - and he could dance! (I groan now to think that his height and complexion problem were even an issue, but we were only 18 years old - and not very savvy!)

Let me explain about The Cannon Center Stomps which were held on Saturday nights. We spent all day Saturday getting ready so we would look absolutely fetching for these weekly events. (So we could go into the semi-darkness and get hot and sweaty dancing our heads off!)

And it wasn't like today's studied casual look - we wore skirts and sweaters and button down shirts and hose and cute shoes. And we had to rat and tease our hair into stylish bouffants to boot!

It was at the Cannon Center Stomps that I first heard the Beatles - and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" - which is a really great tune for "stomping" BTW.

I loved dancing with John - and he would gallantly dance with all of us - and taught us some great moves too.

But John taught me much more - about music. He was very into folk music and knew all the greats - and except for Bob Dylan, I'd never heard of any of them. We would go up to the listening center on the 5th floor of the library and he'd tell me all about the songs and the artists.

I'm not sure I understood all the politics - but I loved the songs and the singers. And the love of those songs has continued - albeit at a somewhat subliminal level at times.

And listening to Pete Seeger "brought it all back" as they say. So I ordered the CD of his 1963 Carnegie Hall concert and have been playing it pretty much non-stop - all Terrill family members know of my predilection for listening to something I like over and over and over and over - and not getting tired of it. (I'm the same way about hard boiled eggs and light bulb cookies - I never get tired of them either!!)

The most interesting thing to me is that now, after 40 years, I know so much more about the songs - and am amazed that a young kid like John Johnson was that aware at age 18. It's taken me a lifetime of living through the Vietnam War, the peace marches, the Civil Rights movement, reading books and seeing movies and just living to figure a lot of it out.

In my sophomore year, I had a History class with John - and another friend of his, D. Todd Christopherson, who you may recognize as a general authority. (Todd went with me to a Preference Ball that year, so I like to say that I've dated a General Authority!) The three of us sat at the back and talked a lot - it was a European history class full of History majors headed for Law School - Todd included - but we weren't real focused on the class.

And all of this, with nary a photo to document any of it, because I watched a documentary on Pete Seeger - called "The Power of Song" - and I highly recommend it to any and all of you!

School Daze

When I was substitute teaching, I made the comment to a friend that I didn't even remember having a sub in school - except for one time in 5th grade when our teacher had to leave early every day for a period of weeks. The vice-principal - whose name I can't remember but I can picture him clearly in my mind - came each day for the last hour and closed the blinds, turned off the lights, and read us "Wind In the Willows."

The book didn't seem as charming and compelling when I perused it as an adult. Or when I tried to interest my own children in it. But I loved it in 5th grade. Maybe it was the dim room and the vice-principal's very dramatic voice and intonations.

But I digress. My friend said, when I made my comment, "Oh Barbara, don't you remember how we used to make that one sub cry?"

I was flabbergasted. I had no memory of it at all.

And so when I observe middle school students daily, I wonder if my memory is very selective.

For example, my room was moved from the main hall to the edge of the lunch area. I hate this location - I truly do - hate's not even a strong enough word - I despise it!

Why? Because when I come back from lunch each day, I have to step over a trail of tossed baby carrots (why the cafeteria gives little bags of carrots to students is beyond me - all they do is throw them at one another), smashed plastic containers of salad, rivers of chocolate milk and half-eaten hamburgers, burritos and pizza slices.

These kids just leave or toss food on the walk way in front of my room. I really don't remember kids doing that with food. But maybe I never went in the lunch area where kids did that.

And so many kids just don't do their work. You say, "Do you have your homework?" And they say, "No." And you say, "Why?" And they say, "Because I didn't do it." End of conversation. At least a third of my students say that on a daily basis. We use all kinds of behavior modification techniques - I randomly give treats to those who do their homework. Or punishment to those who don't. Nothing changes.

My friends all did their homework - maybe I just didn't hang around the kids who didn't do it. I don't remember teachers asking for it either though - maybe I just tuned out when the teacher harassed those slackers who hadn't done their work.

(Which reminds me of a story I've told many times about a 2nd grade teacher Harry F. had. I thought she was terrible - we were new to Monrovia so I didn't feel brave enough to go complain so I worked in his classroom all the time to be sure he wasn't ever the victim of her wrath! A few years later I was in Ralph's and ran into someone who also knew her and we talked about how the district had put her in an "office job" since she wouldn't retire. We went on about how bad she was. Later Harry said to me, "I liked Mrs. Atwater." And I said, "But she yelled and screamed at kids in class." And he said, "Only the ones who deserved it!")

And kids routinely are out of school for a week or even two weeks at a time - to go to Europe or Arizona or Mexico or Disneyland - you name it. They are out random days too - for all kinds of strange reasons. (I know I will incur the wrath myself of some parents who do this - I used to do it myself, but think differently about it now that I am on the other end.)

Nobody did that when I went to school. But maybe the rich kids I didn't hang around with did.

I guess I'm saying that maybe things haven't really changed all that much. Maybe school has always been like it is now. Maybe I'm just more aware. Maybe I'm just looking at it from another perspective.

And that is probably the truth. For example, I used to keep Bonny home from school to babysit sometimes. She always assured me that she wasn't missing anything important at school and I was usually desperate. Now, I regard kids who are absent for any reason as a pain in the neck!! It is the biggest hassle to put together make-up work for absent students - and my classes are small. It must be a real headache for general ed teachers who see 150 students a day.

And it is so discouraging to see a student who is failing or getting a D just because he or she doesn't do their homework. It makes me want to do away with homework and just grade kids on what they do in school! (But the truth is, we don't have kids long enough each day to teach them all they need to know - they have to do some of it on their own.)

But I can't think of any good excuse for throwing food around. I have complained about it a lot - now I think I am going to take pictures of it and send them to OSHA or something.

That might do the trick!

More Wedding Belles!!

So this was my roommate Marlene's wedding in September of 1965 I think. (At least it's the lineup of the lovely bridesmaids.)

She was from Los Alamitos - a place I'm actually familiar with now but had never heard of then! I remember the ride out to the reception in Krenz's car with Joy, of course. It was hot and most cars didn't have A/C, and his certainly didn't!

And Marlene had had knee surgery and had a huge cast under her dress! And they had their reception the night before the wedding - so they could just take off for their honeymoon after the wedding!

The headgear is pretty fetching - it was very au courant! I'm just a born fashionista I guess!

Where do all the years go?

There was a bridal shower for Michelle Moore a week ago - she is getting married this Saturday. Here is a shot of Sue, Bonnie and Jennifer. Sue gave the shower.

And I should have had Jennifer in this shot, because these are girls who were "mine" - at least I was their Young Women leader at some point - Sayde, Michelle and Melissa. (P.S. Jennifer had her baby on Friday!!)

And here's a shot of the "old ladies" - me with Denys Lytton, Donna H. and Helen M. We are all definitely older - and we were older than anyone else there! (What does that say??)

Got a phone call yesterday that Jean Henderson died. Harry and Bonny probably remember her as the crossing guard at Clifton. She did that for many years. She told me often that Harry showed up every day - late! (And he never got reprimanded for it - his homeroom teacher was Mr. Kelly - he either didn't notice or didn't care - or both!

I can't put my hands on a photo of her - she was 89 and did die peacefully. But it's the passing of a time and place. And there have been so many lately in our ward.

Just reflecting on life and how it changes - and then changes some more. And I wanted to post the photos from the shower.

Next year we will have been here in Monrovia for 30 years! I've never been anywhere else for than long!

More sorrow to report

We got a call Sunday about the untimely death of a former ward member - Celeste Coleman - she was Phoebe's age, and one of my Beehives.

This was at a sewing activity we had - we made shorts and modeled them at a Homemaking Night Fashion Show. I think Phoebe has the photos from that event.

We finished things up at the church. These photos are from 1989 I think.

I have just been dealing with so much death - not family - except for my Aunt Audrey - but people whose lives are connected to ours.

I am reminded of a comment Carolyn Maxwell made - her daughter died after giving birth to her 7th child, her best friend died of cancer 2 years after marrying a high school sweetheart in a fairy tale 2nd marriage, and her toddler granddaughter was accidently run over by a truck.

She said, "I told the Lord, enough!"

There are lessons in all these tragedies - and I'm sure they will become apparent over time.

But for now they are sorrowful and sometimes oppressive to reflect upon.

I believe in blogging!!

I was delighted to discover a comment on my post about my friend Janice - from her daughter!!

I am feeling that the photos from that era are very deficient - blurry, unidentified. But Lisa has some very sharp and clear memories of that time period. I hope she will comment more - I don't even remember exactly how old she was at the time - she was in school, I remember that.

I am pretty sure that these two photos are of her and her brothers - I don't recognize the couch, so it must be someone else's house.

And this photo is Bonny and Harry in the window seat of the kitchen in the old rock house in Centerville. I spent many an hour in that window seat talking on the phone with Alice or my mom or one of my friends - like Janice!

I like this photo - when I look at it, I see some of Porter, some of Baby Harry, some of Ara and some of Annika.

And of course, a lot of Bonny and Harry!

I must be getting old - I love to reminisce about the past! Isn't that what old people do??

Wedding Bells Through the Years

All this talk of weddings makes me think about how simple ours was! This is a polaroid my Uncle Paul took - that's where our wedding photo collection comes from! (At least some of them. Various and sundry others took snapshots too - we have a nice little collection of varying quality. But we don't really need photos to remember the details. At least not yet!)

And Alice made my dress - the fabric was about $20.

And the serving ladies - maybe this look should make a comeback! I could make the aprons. Start a new fad! (Seriously these women were my mom's right hands - they "made" it happen!)

This was Joy's wedding line in 1966 - from her first marriage. I'm not sure why I am always making a face in the photos from her wedding. You might look carefully and see that I borrowed my veil from her.

Harry and I observed that we are really from a different generation. It was pretty simple back then.

We don't begrudge the brouhaha that weddings now seem to entail. We just smile and shake our heads and write the checks.

And I keep surfing the net for the perfect mother of the bride dress for me!

"Each life that touches ours for good"

I feel like I am too young to have my old friends dying. But there was a message on our answering machine today from a friend whose voice I hadn't heard in over 30 years. I have maintained contact with Janice and Roger Rowley since our days in the Butterfield Arms on 5th South and 10th East in SLC, and every few years would hear back from them at Christmastime. I hadn't heard from them in several years, and then I got a letter from them while they were on a mission in New Jersey.

So when I got a message that said, "This is Roger Rowley from Helper, Utah and I have some news. Give me a call," I told Harry, "This can only be bad news."

I called back but only got a machine, so I left a message. When I got back tonight, I called again. Janice had died in January, from a combination of a malignant adrenal tumor and congestive heart failure.

Janice is in the center of the back row of this rather poor quality picture. Alice is on the left in the back row, and the others are people you wouldn't know. The occasion was Harry's first birthday - he is in the high chair on the left. Bonny is on the front row, in plaid shorts.

We lived in a 4-plex owned by the Butterfields - hence our own name for it was "Butterfield Arms." Kind of a commentary on how deluxe they were not! We moved there when Bonny was about 7 months old and left when Harry was 2.

The duplex had a great back yard; we even planted vegetables in it one summer. There was a big swing set too. It was connected to a complex of houses and apartments that were on these short private streets - a tiny hidden away neighborhood. I wish I had photos - but you will just have to trust me that it was like a kingdom unto itself - a nice little world of its own.

We had a cat named Elizabeth and one day I was out calling her and a woman came through the back fence and said, "Are you calling me?" (Her name turned out to be Elizabeth!) We were still attending a student ward, so we hadn't gotten to know any of the neighbors. Turned out there was Elizabeth and her children and Janice and her kids. We became friends - and it was a wonderful neighborhood kind of friendship. We mostly just hung out together with our kids - mostly outside. Janice and Elizabeth's kids were older - some were in school - so their lives didn't really parallel mine, but we enjoyed our time together. In the winter time, we would go into one another's houses sometimes, but not as often as we would hang out in the good weather.

When we moved to Centerville, Janice and I would meet at the zoo, or at a park. And over the years, I faithfully sent them a Christmas card.

She hadn't really gone into details about her life, mostly just Christmas letter kind of stuff. They have 6 kids - and 4 are not active. He was a bishop in Helper when a terrible mine disaster happened there back in the 80's. It was in the Church News. It prompted me to write to her about it, and for a few years her letters were more personal and detailed.

She and her husband were school teachers, so when I got involved with education, we had that much more to talk about.

There are people who come into your life for a brief period of time. They are important in your life for that period of time. Even if you never see them again - and I haven't seen Janice since we left Centerville in 1979 - they are significant friends.

And their loss is real.

I grieve for Roger - who said he's doing okay, "just gets rough at night." And grieve is too strong a word for that sorrow we feel for days gone by that really won't ever come again. But it's a loss, nonetheless.

Loss has been a component of my life lately. I'm not sure how well I am dealing with it. I know it is part of life, but I am new to this sense of time, and people, slipping away.

If any young women are reading this - treasure and value your friends. Stay in touch with them. And remember that it is true that "When such a friend from us departs, we hold forever in our hearts, a sweet and hallowed memory, bringing us nearer, Lord, to thee."

I am grateful for my friendship with Janice Rowley. I think I'm a better person because of it.

Sometimes you get a great laugh just when you need it!

I got an IM from my old roomie Marlene last night. She was lamenting that our "roomie letter" was taking so long to get around. This last one was started over 3 years ago - and she just got it!

So she proposed that we go to an email format. I have been trying to get them on board with a roomie blog, but I've had no takers. I figure if you can do email, you can do a blog post.

So we are going with an email group - and I will link so often to the blog, they will be motivated to get on board!

(Email is great - and it's better than a letter that takes 3 years to go around - but I like the blog format better - maybe I'm a snob, but I like pictures and text that flow.)

So then she finished up by sending me this photo. Is this laugh-out-funny or not??

Note that I am wearing an apron - in addition to curlers!!

What a cutie!!

(Just an FYI, but Alice Merrill Horne was Minerva Teichert's agent - got her works sold and got commissions for her - I was delighted to read that!!)

A day off

I love days off. I used to hate school holidays - probably because my routine was disrupted. Now I love having my "routine" disrupted with a holiday. Guess it's all about perspective.

I used to feel guilty because I didn't like planning activities for the kids to fill up the "day off." I hope they didn't feel bad about just hanging around the house all day. Maybe I did things - I can't remember - I know they will remind me. ("Mom, how can you forget . . . ?")

Actually I remember taking Bonny, Harry and Phoebe to the show at the Santa Anita Mall on the first President's Day we were here in Monrovia. But I don't remember what we saw.

I am really feeling the need for a "day off" but I never seem to get as much done as I think I will. In fact, I usually get things "ready to go" and then the day is over - and I need another day.

I hope I'm making myself clear. I think there's a line in a poem or a story somewhere that expresses the thought clearly - to me anyway. It's hovering in the back of my mind but not emerging. A sign that maybe I need a day off??

I like to spend days off doing things like catching up on my ironing while watching old movies. (I love to iron - especially while watching old movies.)

Or writing letters.

Or blogging.

Or sorting through drawers and "getting organized." And going to Target to get containers for my organization.

Or making aprons.

Or browsing through the racks at Marshalls.

Or curling up with a good book - but I never seem to be "caught up" in a book on a holiday - I was up late last week finishing a "page turner" but they never seem to be there when you need them!!

Or dreaming that I'm going to spend the day getting all the photos sorted!! (In my dreams!)

In recent years, my days off have often included doing things with the grandkids - which is the best use for a day off, frankly. It's fun to be with them, you feel good at the end of the day, and you can save your "to do" list for the next day off without feeling guilty!

And Dad doesn't really do "days off" - at least not the predesignated kind - he's pretty random.

Like we are going to go up to Oakland next week to see the daughter of the 12 year old girl Dad baptized in 1967 - he got a letter from the woman a week or so ago - emailed her and she'd like us to go visit her daughter - who is now on a mission in Oakland - it's a long story - and a great story - and I may have to be the one to tell it because I don't think Dad will get around to blogging it anytime soon.

Anyway - I'll have another "day off " next week- I'll let you know how it goes. (we are flying up in the a.m. and back in the p.m. - don't ask!)

What do you like to do on a day off?

Pumpkin Cookies a la Frazzled

We have had a death in our ward, and I am the visiting teacher to the wife in the household, so I was making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I also made dinner, so I took the bowl of cookie dough with me so the kids could help me bake them.

They didn't come out well - I was perplexed. Then decided it was the stove - the one daughter said, "Yes, it doesn't work very well. It's vintage." People were eating them and not complaining, but they really didn't look right.

So I went home and thought, I'll bake them and drop them off in the a.m. on my way to school. But they were just as bad in my oven! What was wrong?

I checked the recipe thinking I hadn't used enough flour. Well, I'd forgotten the eggs!!!

There's something to be said against multi-tasking - the distraction factor!

So I stirred an egg into the remaining dough and then scraped the ones on the cookie sheet into the bowl too. They had been in the oven maybe 90 seconds - and the chocolate chips had melted. So the dough turned chocolaty brown. They tasted fine - a little different - more gingerbready Harry thinks. But they looked suspicious!

So I whipped up another batch - and they were lovely!!

And I dropped them off this a.m. on the way to work with a typed sheet explaining the mystery of the failed pumpkin cookies.

There might be a lesson here, but I'm not sure just what it is. I plan to remember it though and use it in a lesson or talk someday!

10 years ago today it was 1998

Eliza correctly pointed out that I had not said what I was doing 10 years ago when I was "tagged" recently. (I am so not into the complexities of bloggerdom.)

This photo is from Christmas of '98 - I am asleep again - holding Ella. That's why I'm good at getting babies to sleep in my arms - then you get a little snooze yourself. So I was grandmothering 10 years ago.

And this was when David came to Monrovia to meet all the Terrills - so I was contemplating a wedding 10 years ago too.

And here are the "little kids" clowning around with Ara - so I was mothering too ten years ago.

And just for fun, and to let you know I'm not the only sleepy person around here, here's a shot of Ara, waking up Hannah!

And Eliza, waking up on her own I guess!! (Or not!)

I was teaching 1/2 time at Clifton 10 years ago - RSP - it was a great job. (I love half time - not the pay and lack of benefits though.) I was also taking classes at APU, serving as Young Women President, planning a wedding, loving having a granddaughter and one on the way, Dad was still bishop, Hannah played softball, Noah played little league, life was crazy and busy.

"I'm it!"

So Hannah "tagged" me and hopefully I'm doing it right!

5 things on my "to do" list to day:

1. Fast
2. Fix dinner for 14 people
3. Write thank you notes to the teachers who taught today - because they did a a great job.
4. Type up handout for R.S. for next week's ward conference - I still don't have a secretary - they took her to be a ward R.S. President.
5. Do the rest of the 1993 anniversary post.

5 snacks I enjoy:

1. Lightbulb cookies
2. Kettlecorn microwave popcorn in 100 calorie packs.
3. Clementines
4. Cut up Pink Lady apples
5. Baked Cheetos 100 calorie packs - Mini Bites

(somehow the 100 calorie designation brings me solace and comfort!!)

What I would do if I was given a billion dollars:

Buy a Craftsman house - a big one - and remodel it to look like the Gamble House and put in a pool and hire a lifeguard so I could enjoy the pool! Or maybe buy a Mediterranean house - an old one, like the beauties on Orange Grove - and do the pool thing there too.

3 Bad Habits:

1. Staying up too late.
2. Suggesting events, projects, etc.
3. Staying up late implementing aforementioned events or projects.

5 places I have lived:

1. Burbank, CA
2. Long Beach, CA
3. Grenoble, France
4. Centerville, Utah
5. El Monte, CA

5 jobs I have had:

1. Summer playground aide - LAUSD
2. Laundress, BYU
3. Transcript clerk, U of U Registrar's Office
4. Expediter, Century Record Mfg. Co.
5. Office Manager, HPT, Inc.

5 things (most) people don't know about me:

1. My "car" was once a '41 Chevy 3/4 ton flat bed truck with a sheepherder's cabin on it.
2. I was on a high school Homecoming Court.
3. I was on the student council that implemented a 3.5 GPA rule to be on Homecoming Court.
4. I hitch-hiked in eastern France for a period of time in 1966.
5. I had spaghetti for Thanksgiving dinner in 1963.

5 people I am tagging: (how will they know about this? - this is a time-consuming process - no wonder people don't do it!)

1. Scott
2. Karen
3. Amy
4. Heather
5. Melissa

I feel so au courant!!

Roll Call

So, I like this concept of "roll call" for the blog. (Although I am afraid I will discover that no one reads it much.)

I think I like it because the answers tend to be funny and clever and make good reading. And "great lines" seem to emerge quite often.

So my questions are,

1. How did you get to my blog? (that seems to be obligatory)
2. Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
3. And who was your least favorite teacher - and why?

You don't have to name them - you can just describe them or give them a pseudonym - after all, maybe they will read this blog.

Which reminds me of a story Dr. Elliot Landau read at a Children's Lit class I took from him at the U - he reads it at the beginning of every education class he teaches (or taught - I don't even know if he is still alive!!) About a young man who comes to visit a former teacher. She is elderly and can't remember him too well and he goes on about the memories he has and they get darker and darker because she was pretty mean and unkind to him - he was apparently a "loser" and everyone treated him that way. Anyway, he either was just out of prison or had just escaped - and as I remember it, he was planning to go harm all these people who had been so unkind to him. And he was starting with her!

The details are pretty foggy but the creepy feeling it gave me has never gone away!

On that cheerful note, I will look forward to your contributions!

"Grow old with me, the best is yet to be."

I don't necessarily feel old. Sometimes I look in a mirror and am a bit surprised to see what I see. (Other times I don't look so bad.) Sometimes I see a photograph that makes me feel like Methuselah. (And sometimes the photo is very flattering.) Sometimes I squat to get things out of a lower cupboard and hear my joints creaking. (And other times I outstrip dawdling middle schoolers and feel fast and furious.)

But then things happen and upon reflection I think, "They see me as old!"

Let me explain. The box boy seems incredulous that I intend to haul my groceries out myself. I realize that I'm older than his grandmother and he's sure I need assistance. People younger than me open doors for me - thinking I'm sure that I need them opened by someone else. Students will stop running in the hall when I shout "Walk!" because I'm someone who looks like she needs to be reckoned with. (translate that: old!!)

This realization has come to me upon reflection. I feel like I've always felt. I used to help old ladies with their groceries - and on occasion still do. I open doors for people who look like they need help - often young mothers with their hands full. And I used to have to yell "Walk!" more than once. But somehow the newest inductees at Clifton see me as ancient - and they aren't sure how I will react, so they err on the side of caution.

This state of affairs is not without its merits. I like only having to yell "Walk!" once. I like getting assistance in markets and post offices. I like being deferred to because I'm older - and maybe even wiser. This has been especially apparent the last few years at my school. As kids who knew me as the parent of Eliza, Hannah or Noah - often the younger siblings of their friends - have left, the new crop only know me as a graying RSP teacher who can bark out commands with the best of them. My status is my age - and showing it! (Which is why I like to walk fast and outstrip them - that always gets their attention!)

I've never been a "young" teacher - I started my career after age 50 for heaven's sake. But I used to feel like I could be the students' mother - now I'm their grandmother - easily! (A student once asked me how old I was. I said, "I'm old enough to be your grandmother." "Oh," he replied, "are you 32?") But a young lady today said, as I was telling her that she really belongs in a regular ed language arts class, "but your class is fun."

So it's apparently not all about age. Thanks goodness!

"To market, to market, to buy a fat pig"

Okay, so maybe you won't be duly impressed, but I sure was! I was trying to get organized today to get things done. One of my "piles" in my office was a stack of coupons and the coupon supplements that come with the Sunday Times. I am always planning to go through them, cut them out, put them in order and go use them to save a bundle.

This doesn't usually happen - but today I was more determined or something. We really didn't need anything at the store, so I decided to go and just get the coupon items that truly were products that we used on a regular basis. I would just "stock up!"

It took me an hour from start to finish. The cart was heavy, and it was tough going up and down the aisles. I ended up discovering that several of the items weren't really a bargain after all. I left a little trail of coupons under the rejected items - and hope some shopper came along and thought it was a little manna from heaven.

But the payoff came at the cash register - $265 worth of groceries cost me $179!!

Not bad for an hour's work.

P.S. I also got lucky. At Pavilions right now, the computer randomly selects shoppers to receive a 10% discount on the total, and I was a lucky random shopper - so $26 of the $86 I saved came from that. But $60 in coupon savings is nothing to sneeze at.

I feel like Mrs. Frugality - with a crown on my head!!

And we're going to be having a lot of soup in the coming weeks - I think half of my coupons were for various kinds of soup. But in our "empty nesting" years, soup and sandwiches has become my meal of choice - and Dad doesn't complain. (I think he makes sure he gets variety at lunch!!)

"But I'm back again" said Nora, with a monumental crash!

I try to "reflect" on my own blog at least weekly. But the holiday season somewhat overwhelmed me. (And I was also caught up in a pretty good book that used up a considerable portion of my time. But a good book is my way of coping with stress, so it was good I had it.)

But after Matt, Eliza and Theo left early Saturday a.m., I walked by the room they had occupied and noticed that the "Shh! Baby Sleeping" sign was still up. I'm not sure if Eliza positioned it thusly because of the Mr. Hitchcock or not, but it was effective.

However, it reminded me that everyone was once again headed home to their own homes. And we really didn't have to be very quiet - our neighbors never hear us even if we are loud on occasion!!

The hardest part for me when everyone comes - or even when we go to someone's to stay - is the way it looks so empty when you pack up to go home.

Once there was chaos - and you sort of wish it could be calm and peaceful again. But when everyone is gone, it's a little too calm and not as peaceful as you thought it might be.

The feeling passes - life goes on - the busyness takes over once more - but it's kind of a little dress rehearsal of "empty nesting" and how it is to be (mostly) just the two of you again. (Noah lives here once again, but he's in the presidential suite and we don't see a lot of him.)

I'm always surprised at the depth of my feelings. I find that if I plunge into cleaning things up and washing sheets and towels and discarding clothes I really won't ever wear again that the hollow, empty feeling goes away.

Until the next trip or visit.