When Monday Doesn't Happen

For several Mondays now, we have not had school - MLK, inservices, Winter break, etc. And actually there are more Mondays off coming up. And it is strange how not having a regular Monday throws the week out of whack. (And when a real Monday does show up, we say, "aack, it's really Monday!!")

Since much of teaching school has to do with routine, not having a regular Monday throws off the routine. And kids say, "What about our Monday night homework?" And you say, "Well, we won't have any Monday night homework since there wasn't a school Monday this week." And my students tend to be confused all week about it.

Not having a "real" Monday also makes the weekend seem longer and more relaxing. So when I do have to get up for a "real" Monday, it can feel oppressive. I could go for a 4 day work week - let's start lobbying!

And I got confused tonight. Yesterday was an Inservice and I went to a conference in Arcadia (at the Masonic lodge next to the library) on Asperger Syndrome. It was pretty boring and I was disappointed that it wasn't more helpful, but it was a change!

And I didn't have to be there until 8:30. And they supplied lunch and snacks. And we sat outside on the Arcadia Libray lawn to eat our box lunches. And afterwards, since there was a lot of congestion in the parking lot, I went and browsed in the "Friends of the Arcadia Library" shop - and found a great recording - on vinyl - of the Weavers singing lots of cool Pete Seeger stuff - and it was only 60 cents!

And on the way home I stopped at the LDS Bookstore and browsed. Then hit the 99 Cents store and found these great strawberries for 99 cents a box - and ran into Jane Andrews from the Nursery School.

And came home to the fact that Dawn was there fixing dinner for all of us!!

Gotta love a Monday off!!

P.S. I got confused tonight when Harry went off for basketball - I was waiting for FHE to start!

P.P.S. The photo may seem to have nothing to do with the post - but if I had every Monday off, I bet I'd spend a lot of them either with my wonderful grandkids, or planning how to spend time with my wonderful grandkids, or making things for my wonderful grandkids, or writing letters to my wonderful grandkids, or maybe starting up a blog featuring my wonderful grandkids!! And it all started with Ara!

What I Do All Day!

This isn't really what I do all day - but I thought you might enjoy a shot from the teacher's lounge - which is where I have my lunch every day - and pretty much have the same thing for lunch every day.

It is interesting how eating with the same group of people day after day becomes a bonding kind of experience.

Some days I think I'd rather be in my room reading, but I think it's good to get out of my room. If I stay in it, someone might come in with a need for me to take care of - and there would go my break. That sounds worse than it really is - for me anyway, I have to "step away mid day" or I don't have as much to offer my kids!

The Blues Brothers on Monday Night

Noah is watching "Blues Brothers." At least I think that is the title. Hence my title.

I was going to make Sunday night my regular posting time, but we had a power outtage last night. I had commented on the winds last week, but they were mere breezes compared to last night!

The streets and lawns are littered with fierce looking palm fronds with sharp spikes! But the air is clean and clear and the foothills stand out in dramatic relief.

An unusually large number of students stayed home from school today - that's to let you know how unsettlingly strong the winds were.

And I was going to do a remarkable piece of literary genius and post it - but Harry came over with the kidlets.

Then I started making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies - and didn't have any pumpkin. So I went to the store and Eve went with me.

And of course I got in the worst line - it looked like the shortest but there were computer snafus with the registers.

By the time I got home - with four 9 volt batteries for the 4 sets of walkie talkies I had found in the pantry - it was time for Harry and the kidlets to leave. (But not before discovering that none of the walkie talkies worked, even with new batteries!)

By then it was time to have FHE - we had told Noah to be home at 7 for FHE. And we had a great FHE.

Another late dinner a la Continental Mode! And since I'd made a double batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, it was a chore to get them all baked - but I did.

You know, you give a mouse a cookie - and you could be up all night!

"Blow, winds, blow, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!

I do not even remember who wrote that - I will have to ask Dad - he remembers those kinds of things. But the Santa Anas are howling fiercely - and the cracks in this old house are letting in the cold. But I have my trusty space heater to keep my toes warm, so I am set!

Another Sunday night - but this one is the night before a holiday featuring "NO SCHOOL" and so it's a special Sunday night. Although I have to get up early enough to go for a fasting blood test - just depends how long I want to wait for breakfast I guess! There is something about not having to get up at a specific time!

I do not have my new camera yet - although I could take pictures with my old one - but Dad has been taking work pictures and I don't feel like wading through "construction shots" anyway.

It has been a good Sunday - and a good Saturday. Dad and I went and saw "Walk The Line." (On Saturday, not Sunday!) I enjoyed it - mostly impressed at how someone could so exactly become Johnny Cash. Upon reflection, Mr. J.R. Cash is not a particularly stellar fellow - I suppose he redeemed himself - but then movies about "stellar fellows" probably wouldn't be terribly entertaining or engrossing.

Which leads me to the thought that is it possible as you strive for perfection to become a great artist? I have often heard it postulated that great Mormon art and artists are not to be - because great artists seem to be self-absorbed. And they seem to focus on the seamier side of life. Or maybe in their self-absorption they neglect the finer things? These are just random thoughts.

In the meantime, I guess I will continue to read the artists who are busy being self-absorbed - and comment on it now and then.

And it was William Shakespeare, in King Lear - a fellow who may or may not have been self-absorbed (Billy boy, not Lear!)

Sunday Night Ruminations

This may seem extraneous - but it's not - however, it may be circumlocutious! At any rate, we finally are getting elders, not sisters - and I am very sad - but that could be a whole different blog in itself - I will just say that I think every ward ought to have a pair of sisters and a pair of elders!

But I digress - since the sisters are leaving, we are waiting around for them to come by to say good by and take pictures and have your dad offer them mini cups of Ben and Jerry's. (Is that the key to his phenomenal success as a Ward Mission Leader?)

I keep digressing! So, we can't get casul and put on our p.j.'s - your dad is considering the LA Times crossword puzzle - but if I went up front, he's probably fallen asleep over his new Joseph Smith book.

And there is lots to do, but it doesn't seem appropriate for Sunday - and it's back to school tomorrow - boo, hoo!!

So a new post seemed like a good compromise.

I'm trying to be philosophical and think that blessings will come with elders - even if I feel like I'm losing two right arms! The women of my ward will just have to step up to the plate and start delivering the service that the sisters were able to deliver to the elderly sisters in the ward who live alone and need someone in the daytime - when I'm at work!

As Wilford Woodruff always said, "God moves in a mysterious way!"

Wrapping Up Christmas

Queen Anne Cottage
Originally uploaded by grannybabs.

Maybe it was the gray raininess of the day, but when Matt, Eliza and Hannah drove off Sunday, I felt a pang of melancholy! And then when Phoebe, David, Henry and Calvin drove away, I felt lonelier still. By the time Bonny, Bruce and girls left (which was a bit later - but that's a whole other post!) I was feeling a physical ache.

Harry, Dawn and kids then showed up for dinner. Dawn could relate to my feelings of melancholy - she said she always had the same experience when family left or she left from home. So I didn't feel so alone.

After everyone was gone, Dad and I went through the house picking up, putting away, vacuuming, washing dishes, sweeping, mopping, moving furniture back where it belonged, putting futons away, folding bedding, washing clothes, finding lots of little treasures that had been left behind. I thought that should all have been "closure" but I still really "missed" everyone.

Today dawned rainy and cold. I usually don't watch the parade, but Dad and I checked it out for a bit. Maybe it was more interesting in the rain!! Those clear plastic ponchos have a certain panache! Harry showed up with Eve and Porter, and we were still in our p.j.'s and hadn't even eaten breakfast yet. A true holiday morning!

So I started putting Christmas stuff away - not all of it - I didn't feel up to the task - but I did move all the traces of Christmas out of the bathroom, kitchen and bedrooms. Then I cleared off the mantel and the hutch - and put the regular pitchers back.

And Dad made pancakes - from a recipe - a first for him - he said, "Where's the pancake mix?" Since there was none, he did it the old-fashioned way!! (With the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook!)

I started piling up Christmas stuff in the family room and put the Christmas dishes back in their boxes. I packed up the Christmas tee shirts and sweaters and linens. And it kept raining - we had fires in both fireplaces.

As Christmas faded away, I thought about all the things I should have said and done. One of the problems with a large group of people is that sometimes it's hard to have private conversations of any length. Especially if you're the mom in charge. And large groups of people can have "difficult" moments, and we don't always show our best side.

Dad and I talked about what worked and what didn't - now the key is to write it all down and look at it before next year's celebration!

I think we made some positive changes this year - assigning meals was a stroke of genius - thanks to all who did them - they were great! Clocker's Corner, Kidspace, Burminco and tandem bike riding were plusses too. We didn't communicate perfectly, but we did better than other years!

So why the Queen Anne Cottage pix? Maybe it's to say that a house is only a building when no one is in it. A loving family makes it a home. And when some of those family members leave it, they take something with them - something we miss - and when they are back for awhile, we start thinking we've gone back in time. And we have for awhile. And we have to readjust everytime.

But it's worth it - missing you guys, welcoming you back, saying goodbye -and looking forward to the next visit!

Movie vs. the book

Eliza, Hannah and I went and saw "Memoirs of a Geisha." And then we had a rousing disucssion at dinner tonight - better than most book groups in fact!

My take on "Memoirs" was typical for me - sometimes I wonder why I go see the movie! I guess I do because sometimes the movie is different from the book, but good in its own way.

Not the case here: the book was informative and a good read. The movie was true to the story line - maybe too true - there was a kind of predictability that detracted. I knew what was going to happen next - and then it did!

I don't know if it was the Chinese actors portraying Japanese characters. Or if it was the lack of a true historical context - which the book established but I didn't feel that the movie did. Or if it was the lush cinematography that was like the great wrapping paper on a fairly mediocre gift. (It's all in the packaging is what we all like to think. And that's true for some things - but not movies.)Or maybe it was the excessive length of the film - 2 1/2 hours.

But I'd still recommend the book.

Hey, what's this?

Hey, what's this?
Originally uploaded by grannybabs.

Grandma Clayton has taken down "the wall" that has graced the living room on Horace Street for over 40 years! (I know that because it went up the year I graduated from high school - Joan and I got hers, mine and Lyn's pictures framed and gave them to Mom and Dad for Christmas that year. It just grew from there!)

So yesterday she brought my pix back to me - not sure what I will do with it - seemed to have more class (no pun intended) when it was up there with the rest of the crowd!

For now it's hanging up in the guest room - there was an empty nail there!!

West Meets East

I recently finished reading "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden. It was for a new bookgroup I've been attending. The plan is to go see the movie and compare it to the book. It turns out that the movie is in an exclusive run here, so we may not end up going to see it. (Who wants to battle going to the West side at 4 in the afternoon?!)

I am always struck by how different Asian culture - specifically Chinese and Japanese culture and history - is from Western culture. The whole Geisha concept is mind boggling if you think about it for any length of time. Especially in this novel, the girl is basically a slave - since she has no say or choice in her life.

I guess the part that doesn't set well with me is the fact that women are definitely 2nd class citizens. However, they do manage to exert influence anyway - guess you really can't keep a good woman down!

I read that the author researched the novel for 15 years before finishing it - and his credentials in Japanese art and history were pretty compelling - so did he want to be informative? controversial? or did he just want to tell a story.

It's not quite as Eastern as China and Japan, but India offers some interesting insights also. I had been given a copy of "Life of Pi," but hadn't gotten around to reading it, so H. and I bought it and listened to it up and back to Phoebe's. It makes for great listening - I'm not sure how it reads, but it kept us awake!

I'm inereseted in other's insights and opinions on the symbolism in the boat, the boy and the animals. And of course the overwhelming question - which one is a dream? I always wonder, when people start seeing things as symbols, if the author had that in mind or just wanted to tell a story.

I'm about a third of the way through "Death Comes for the Archbishop." I watched a PBS documentary about Willa Cather last week - now I want to read some of the books I hadn't even heard of - because it seems to be that her work should probably be studied as a body of work, not just individual novels. She certainly is an interesting character - and burned all her letters before she died - and instructed those she had sent letters to to do the same!

I am going to dig into C.S. Lewis - my kids have all read him but I have not - it took me a while to read the Anne of Green Gables books and the Betsy Tacy books - I think I was too busy when they were reading them to read them myself. Or maybe since they were absorbed in a book, I took the opportunity to read what I wanted to read!! (that's how I explain that I never watched "Princess Bride" all the way through until I showed it to my students!!)

The Daffodil Principle

The Daffodil Principle
Originally uploaded by grannybabs.

I used this story - and the poem "I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud" by William Wordsworth (someday I will learn how to do links) - in my Visiting Teaching Seminar address last week.

For those of you unfamiliar with the story - it's a true one. High in the San Bernardino mountains, five acres of daffodils burst into glorious bloom every spring - and they are all planted by one woman, one bulb at a time, over 35 years.

The message is simple - start now to change the world - your world - one step at a time.

It's a great principle - and I think it answers the query posed when I said sometimes our best is not good enough, we have to do what is required. (If I was a true blogger extraordinare, I'd have a link here too!)

I think what is required is that we do good continually - one step or one bulb at a time - no need to run faster than we are able - just one at a time - I can do that!

And keep the "big picture" in mind all the time - so the little steps don't seem too small to be significant.

And of course, that's how to be an excellent visiting teacher - one sister, one action, one call, one visit, one note in the mail, one plate of cookies, one prayer, one thought at a time!

Jury Duty!!

Jury Duty!!
Originally uploaded by grannybabs.

I got a summons for jury duty a few weeks ago. I contemplated postponing it until summer - but they only let you postpone for 3 months - and I didn't want to do Christmas vacation - although I suspect that when you call in each night they probably say they don't need you the next day - I mean, who schedules trials at Christmas?

So I bit the bullet and called in to register and get my number!! Day one was October 31st, Halloween Day - a scary thought! Since we left on the Thursday before to go to SLC, I not only had to make sub plans for Friday, but for Monday too, in case when I called Sunday night, they told me I had to report.

Called Sunday night - do not report. Called Monday night - after leaving sub plans at school, because you can't call until after 7 p.m. - and they said, do not report. Ditto for Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Thursday afternoon, I figure I'd better leave sub plans for Monday too, in case I'm called in on Friday. The instructions say that if you are called on Thursday or Friday, you need to plan on possibly having to serve the following week. "Plan your schedule accordingly" they say!

Then Thursday night I call - everyone at work said, No one will tell you to report on Friday!!

Wrong! I get the word to report at 8:30 a.m. SHARP!! Fortunately it was to El Monte - not a long drive.

So I reported - and since I worry about finding unfamiliar places, I got there 30 minutes early!! Fortunately I had a good book to read. And I did read - for over an hour until they did the "new juror orientation."

Then we waited some more - and some more - and then the judge came in and thanked us for being willing to serve - but he was sorry they didn't need us! And it was only 10:15 a.m. So I went over and visited Grandma Terrill and Susanne.

2 1/2 years ago I had a jury summons too - and went and waited - and didn't have a good book with me. Fortunately it was in Pasadena - so when they gave us a 2 hour lunch, I went to the Paseo. Window shopping is a good way to pass the time. After lunch, we waited some more and at 2 p.m. they came in and dismissed us.

Maybe one of these times I will serve on an interesting jury - Harry enjoyed his jury duty experience on an attempted murder charge. I'm just happy to have my certificate that lets me off for the next 18 months!

And I have enough sub plans on file to go on a nice trip somewhere!!

The Family Photo 2005

The Family Photo 2005
Originally uploaded by grannybabs.

We had a very brief, but fun, visit to SLC. Drove to St. George, up early and drove to SLC. Went to the wedding, the dinner, (with some shopping in between) then back to Eliza's. The Saturday A.M. brunch was fun - even if the invited guests didn't come - those of us who did had a nice visit. Left that afternoon for St. George - the only plus was the fact that we got to set our clocks back 2 hours since we were headed for California! And got to Monrovia at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday!! In time for the fireside - more on that later - and even got unpacked, and called and found out I didn't have to report for jury duty - yet! (I have to call nightly for a week!!)

I will confess to a little melancholy that the visit was so brief. Sometimes you don't realize what you are missing - until you have a taste of it and then you miss it all the more. We are looking forward to Christmas!!

Rockin' and Rollin'

Rockin' and Rollin'
Originally uploaded by grannybabs.

We recently went to Portland, Oregon for Wade Nebeker's wedding. As we were about to leave the festivities, Rye asked me to dance - and it was a fast dance!

It was fun - even if I was convinced I was going to slide out of Phoebe's slick silver mules I had borrowed for the occasion.

Fast dancing - something I have not done in a pretty long time - unless you count racing through the house with my little kids to "In the Hall of the Mountain King" or "Super Trouper," - brings back many memories - especially the Y Center Grand Opening in 1964 when I met Harry - at a dance!

I also remember going on special dates in borrowed finery - must be the Cinderella Complex in women - roomies can't let someone go out without "something borrowed" now can they??

Remembering things fondly is one of the perks of old age.

So is dancing fast if you want to.

Dick Clark would be proud!!

All That Is Required

At Weight Watchers, they had a quote up, from Winston Churchill, "Sometimes doing your best is not enough. Sometimes you have to do what is required." You can guess what their drift was.

It's a statement that is certainly meaty! (no pun intendend either!) I recently completed my clear credential - I have been plugging away at this for 5 years and this summer, since time was almost up, I took two classes online to meet the requirement. Then last week I took CPR. I had my appointment at APU with the advisor - who had neglected to tell me that the check I needed for the state (there is always money collected by the state!)- had to be a cashier's check or money order. So I had to hustle over to the local 7-11 to stand in line with all the riff-raff and buy my money order. Of course, that was the day there was a lightning and thunder storm - and a big rig jack-knifed on the 210 by Mountain - so the traffic on Foothill was horrendous - and the lightning had also knocked out power, so the traffic lights weren't working. You can see this ugly picture in your minds I am sure! But I finally left with a light heart, thinking, "Yes, I'm done!"

Yesterday I got the form back in the mail. I had not dated the signature page!! My best was not enough - the date, in my handwriting, was required!!

Then Wednesday I left school early to go give blood at Ryan H.'s Eagle project. My hematocrit was 37 - the requirement is 38. Needless to say, they wouldn't take my blood, regardless of my efforts to come and be supportive of Ryan and the Scouts.

I think you see my drift. I thought, well, this could discourage someone. There are some times when trying your best is sufficient. A poor math student who studies his or her heart out but still gets a C, is probably doing his or her best. And unless they need a specific GPA for something, a C in Calculus won't ruin their life. But what if they do need a specific GPA for a program or job - then the best you can do doesn't cut it - the requirement needs to be met.

So now I'm seeing things a little differently. And I'm thinking that trying to get my visiting teaching done, my scriptures read, my prayers said,my calling fulfilled, just may not be enough. The Lord asks more than just doing our best - there are requirements. And those requirements should drive our thoughts and actions.

On the plus side, fulfilling those requirements will bring great blessings - well worth the extra effort required.

Summertime Blues

This would more accurately be called the "End of Summertime Blues." School starts tomorrow - I'm not really ready, either. I will survive - they are middle schoolers and I pretty much know more than they do - at least about teaching Language Arts and Math!

End of summer and start of school is fraught with so many memories and feelings and sensations. It's something that most of us can relate to also. We can mark off time with such designations as "the year I started high school," "the year I was a senior," "the year I went off to college," "the year my first child started school," "the year my last child started school."

So this year it's "the year my last child started college" and "my first year in MUSD without one of my own kids enrolled." I'll let you know how it goes.

Meanwhile, I will try to carefully chose my outfit for the first day of school. And maybe have Noah take a picture of me!

Granny Babuska!

Granny Babuska!
Originally uploaded by grannybabs.

My blog has been bereft of pictures, but no more! The Terrill Family reunion was sparsely attended, but those who came had a great time!! I feel like such a matriarch - planning and executing family reunions!! Watch for more exciting details!!

Never thought I'd run out of stuff to say!!

One thing about online classes - they require a lot of writing on the old computer - at least the classes I am taking. I am tired of trying to think of interesting ways to write essays about coronary heart disease and managing stress. And this guy doesn't even do threaded discussions.

The SPED class is another story - we have to do a devotional each week, then reflections on our reading, then assignments - and threaded discussions (where I feel like I am always losing the thread!) I thought I would enjoy the anonymity, but that is not turning out to be the case. I usually am not at a loss for words either, but sometimes I'm just tired of writing it - it's much easier to just say it!

I wonder how I would feel if these were literature classes?

Coming up 50 years!

We took the sister missionaries to the temple for the early a.m. session. They can go to the temple with a ward member as long as they are back "on the job" by 10 a.m.

It was fun to drive to the temple and point out all the unique things we don't even think about unless a tourist (or missionary) is in the car! The Wrigley Mansion, California's oldest freeway, the cluster of Victorian Houses, the Lummis House (what is the Lummis House? Polly says it's quite interesting.), Dodger Stadium, China Town (we took a "short cut"), the Mormon Battalion Monument, the Shrine Auditorium, ad infinitum. It was foggy, so the temple was pretty close when we saw it - missed the drama of seeing it from afar!

It is nice to go early in the morning to the temple - no lines, no rush, every worker eager to help you (they are usually eager, but we were their first patrons of the day) - about 35 or 40 in the session. Moved along nicely - there were several elders and 2 other sisters from the Arcadia Mission.

It was nice to see things through other eyes. To talk about being there 50 years ago for the open house and dedication, shaking President McKay's hand. The spiral staircase as imposing as ever but we're so used to it now. Showing them the room where we were married (we got engaged 38 years ago this Thursday!!)

It was nice to come out after - still foggy and cool - taking pix in front, admiring the flowers - you know, the temple wasn't always awash in bright, colorful flowers. It used to be lots of bushes and hedges - flowers in yards were not in vogue - I guess you didn't realize that there's a landscape equivalent to avocado green appliances and shag carpet!

Your dad had to go to Beverly Hills to drop off plans - so we cruised the ville - Rodeo Drive, lovely mansions, sculpted yards, Jewish schools, Koreatown, San Vicente Blvd - traffic - good thing your dad knows the shortcuts.

And got back to Monrovia at 9:58 a.m. - can't beat that with a stick.

The jRoom In The Garage

The room in the garage is something of a barometer of life here at the Terrills. For one thing, it only gets worked on in the summertime. For another thing, it's started to become the repository of our lives. Finally, it actually is getting some food storage in there! (for the uninitiated, the room was orginally carved out of the garage to be a food storage room - and it has never been just a food storage room - at some point it did have a lot of empty Mason jars in it though!)

Yesterday I took everything out of there and put it on the patio. Harry is putting more shelving in - I am convinced that shelving will help. Hauling the boxes out was enlightening. A Batmobile, baby pictures of me, some great little Sunshine family-type dolls and accessories that Eve already loves, old clothing as in a sweater I took away to college, the corporate seal that Harry has been looking all over for, three large Raggedy Ann dolls that belong to Bonny, Phoebe and Eliza I guess - there's another doll too, some seashells and the rock collection that belongs to Bonny. There's a lot more - and I keep thinking - Didn't I just go through all this? I guess we are acquiring stuff faster than I get rid of it - because I do get rid of trunkloads of stuff on a regular basis.

Maybe I'd better have someone take a picture of me in that old sweater and then I can toss it!

The Senses of Summer

I went walking this a.m. and it was cool and quite overcast. I hoped against hope that it would stay that way - but it didn't. But I was reminded of other overcast days - and wondered why they stand out in my mind.

I remember an overcast summer day in Centerville, Utah when I was pregnant with Phoebe. We were living in the Cook Apartments, and so I decided to sew. (You need to understand that this was long enough ago that not only did we not have air-conditioning, we didn't even have a fan!) I made a red checked top for Bonny - with appliqued strawberries on the yoke. It was cute, and there are a number of photos of Bonny wearing it.

I remember going to UCSB for Parent/Student orientation in July of '88 - and not only was it gray and overcast, it was downright cold. We kept saying to ourselves, "It's July - why is it so cold?" Come to find out it's the norm for SB - they are hot at odd times too!

I also remember a gray overcast day in 7th grade - it was a Saturday and the Student Council was going to the beach! You need to understand that even though I was not truly deprived as a child, I pretty much never went anywhere very exciting so a trip to the beach was a BIG DEAL! It was also drizzly and cold - it was May or June, and Marguerite Hardin and ended up huddled in the bus eating our lunch!

Another cold July also comes to mind - about 4 or 5 years ago - we had just come back from the Scout Pancake Breakfast and it was cool and overcast, so I decided it was the right time to can apricots. What is memorable is the way Hannah carried on - she claimed it was child abuse to make her work so on a holiday! (I think she doesn't like canned apricots either!)

It seems strange that a gray day can evoke so many specific memories. I suppose a sunny day or a rainy day or even a snowy day could evoke specific memories too, if I thought about it. But that's not what I thought about this a.m.