Let's play catch up - not ketchup!!

It has been a while since I blogged on my own blog. Life has indeed been hectic - at home, at school, at play!! Hasn't been too hectic at church, thank goodness. Being Stake R.S. President has the major perk of having the busyness somewhat concentrated in certain time frames - that so far have not conflicted with other stuff.

I did get asked to speak at another's ward Enrichment last week - but I was pretty last minute about putting it together, so I didn't stress much. I did think about it a lot, so it came together well.

We've been to Moab for the race - and I did the 5 miler - mostly walked, but I did finish! It was so great to see everyone - reminds me how much I miss everyone. I can see why women always want their families to stay in town after they grow up - I remember noticing that when we lived in Centerville - these women would loudly lament a son or daughter moving away. It never occurred to me that maybe my folks missed me! (Maybe they really didn't!!) We need to seriously consider Moab as a mini-reunion choice for Claytons/Terrills/Kerksieks!!

School is crazy as usual - I seem to be out a lot for school business so I feel like I'm always making sub plans - my least favorite thing to do. I know now why most teachers show movies when they are gone - I try not to. I've been doing some cooking with my SDC kids - to help with some science concepts - the properties of matter, for instance, can be demonstrated by making cupcakes! (and eating them too!)

We have had Harry and Dawn move out - with all its attendant stress and strain!! They were here for almost a year - they moved in last April when we went to the marathon in Boston. Moving households is always work. But satisfying work! And the baby' s blessing, which brought Bill and Marjorie to town - always great to see them. It really was a good experience to have them all here - one I will always treasure.

And now adjusting to a truly "empty nest." Harry and I are having fun walking around talking about all the home improvements we're going to do.

We'll keep you posted.

Pi Day in Monrovia

We had Pi Day today at Clifton. The Math Department had a "Pi Eating Contest" at lunch. And you could have a chance at drawings for prizes depending on how many of the numbers of Pi you could repeat from memory.

Made me almost wish I was still teaching Math. (Just almost, not entirely!!)

When I told Dad that Pi Day was coming up, he Googled it and found this great site, right here.

Giving blood today

I think I've posted about this before. Maybe even posted this poem by Carol Lynn Pearson. But it bears repeating:

Giving

I love giving blood.
Sometimes I walk in
Off the street
When no one has even asked
And roll up my sleeve.

I love lying on the table
Watching my blood flow
Through the scarlet tube
To fill the little bag
That bears no address.

I love the mystery
Of its destination.
It runs as easily
To child or woman or man,
Black or white,
Californian or Asian,
Methodist, Mormon,
Moslem or Jew.

Rain does too.
Rivers do.
I think God does.
We do not.

Our suspicious egos clot
On the journey
From "Us" to "Them."

So I give blood
To practice flowing,
Never knowing
Where it's going.
And glad.

I gave blood today after school. They call me all the time. I usually don't show about 10 times before I finally go - guilt drives me. But I just went - and it wasn't a hassle and I didn't have to wait.

It's good to do something just to do something good.

All in a day's work

I talk a lot about the "daily grind" and how I hate going to work some days. But that's probably not a true portrait of me or my job.

The girl in the center is Molly, she is not an RSP student, she is my TA. And she won the Partnership Spelling Bee - and my students in 4th period were pretty excited for her. I had taken them to see "Akelah and the Bee" so I think they thought that she was living the Hollywood dream or something. (The boy just in front of me is my other TA - and he's an active member of the ward too. Molly's parents are members, but they are not active.)

Some days I do not like my job - or at least I don't like going to work. But most of the time I feel, as Beverly at SMCNS so aptly put it, "It's work worth doing."

I see progress. I see kids get excited about something I teach them. I see growth and development. I see maturity inching its way in to a child's demeanor. I see genuine expressions of fondness and caring. I see what praise can do for a child who hasn't had much of it. I see lives change.

(I won't mention some of the other things I see - that would be for another post. I want to emphasize the positive!!)

And every day we have 20 minutes of SSR - Sustained Silent Reading - right after lunch. I would have thought that I'd died and gone to heaven if they'd told us we had to read for 20 minutes every day at school. (What I mostly did was hide my book inside the textbook so I could read during boring lectures!) Reading every day like that in the middle of the day is very rejuvenating for me.

It really could be a lot worse!!

But it's hard to make sub plans to be gone for a day or two. And then when you get back, it takes another couple of days to sort out what happened while you were gone.

So I complain!

Hanging Out With Hannah

I had a lot of fun hanging out with Hannah for part of a day anyway!

She led us on a tour of the BYU Museum of Art "Images of the Saviour" exhibition - a wonderful exhibition by the way - I recommend it highly - it's there until June I believe.

(And Hannah did a great job being our guide!)

We had lunch at the MOA Cafe - also excellent - and I recommend it too.

I went to class with her - and the teacher's mom was there also! Seemed like everywhere we went, we kept running into people Hannah knew - that's my girl - the Queen of Provo!!

It was very cold - and we walked home - at least home to her little house. Down all 147 Maeser steps - oh, that brought back memories! Much has changed on the BYU campus - but much is still the same. Thank goodness!

It was fun to see Melanie too! And it was fun to see Hannah K. at the reception - I've included another in the collection of "The Hannahs Shots." And the bed Hannah is sprawled on is in my hotel room - she's showing off her ace bandage!

It was a cold, snowy day, but being with Hannah certainly brightened things up!

Teachers I have known - Chapter 3

Since it's Sunday, it seems appropriate to write about another favorite Sunday School teacher.

George Woods moved into our ward with his family and indeed seemed to be a man of many talents. In addition to being an excellent Sunday School teacher to us 16 years olds, he played the organ really well and played often for Sacrament meeting. He was an excellent speaker too.

He also hired me to come to his home office on Mondays after school to file - I loved feeling like I had a real job! (Although I hated filing as much then as I do now!!)

But soon everyone found out about his exceptional talents and abilities and he was called to the High Council. I remember my mother saying that good teachers for the youth always got hauled out for some executive or administrative position. The lousy teachers stayed forever!

I have found this to be sometimes true. Often very good teachers are very good at many other things too - and they are needed in other places.

I would certainly hesitate to classify any long-standing teacher as lousy. Sometimes, however, someone sees the potential in a prospective teacher and keeps them on the job so that they can learn.

And learning is what the gospel is all about.

But we did sorely miss Brother Wood! (And I don't remember who took his place!)

Teachers I have known - Chapter 2

After listening to Elder Monson last week, I realized that I couldn't remember the name of one Primary teacher I ever had! I remember loving Primary. But I can't even pull up a description!

I can, however, distinctly recall a Sunday School teacher I had when I was 12 or so.

Lydia Buck was a teacher by profession. She was tall and imposing - at least I remember her that way. She had black hair pulled back in a bun. And she usually wore a black dress.

She taught us the Old Testament I guess, because I remember memorizing the Ten Commandments . And our ward took a trip to Grauman's Chinese to see The Ten Commandments when it opened there.

If you memorized them, you got a gold-tone charm bracelet with charms for each commandment. I coveted that bracelet and worked hard to get it. And I wore it happily for years.

Her son was my age and was in our class. And I can't remember much about him. Her daughter Carol was two years older, and I wanted to be smart and funny like she was. She is still in Mom's ward - and she's still smart and funny. When I visit, I love to exchange banter with her.

Best of all, she reminds me of her mother.

And there a no pictures of her that I have.

Teachers I have known - Footnote to Chapter 1

Lest I leave the impression that Mrs. Lazurus was not one of my favorite teachers, let me say that even though she nipped my tennis career in the bud, she did lots of other good things for me.

And I really wish we had made the Grandma Terrill connection earlier, because once I figured it out, Mrs. Lazurus had died. It would have been a real opportunity to tell her how much I had learned from her. And how the things she taught me were things I used my whole life.

(Which is a good argument for telling people how important they are to you now, not later!)

She seemed to understand my frustration with P.E. In spite of dressing daily, getting A's on the rules' tests, and having clean, ironed gym clothes every Monday morning, I still always got a C in P.E. because the skills' tests had the greatest weight. So she qualified me for Corrective P.E. on the basis of my pronated ankles. I got an A in Corrective P.E. (That's a blog posting of its own!!)

And when I signed up for her Modern Dance class, she wondered if the B I'd earned would "ruin" my GPA!!

(Of course, those years, math started getting harder and harder and Trig and Algebra 3 were my C grades instead of P.E.!)

But as a high school 10th grader (the year high school started in my district - we had the 3 year variety) she addressed my P.E. class and gave me some of the best advice I've ever received. She said, you know, ladies, your periods are a fact of life - and they are going to be a regular part of your life for a long time. So you can shut down every month for a week or so and just lose part of your life. Or you can get out there and run around and feel better in the process.

My Grandma Connie gave me similar advice one summer when I was moping around. She said, go take a walk, you'll feel better. And you know, to this day, a walk makes me feel better!

I combed my high school yearbooks for a picture of Mrs. Lazurus - and they are not to be found. I don't know if she had some metaphysical objection to being photographed, or if she just wasn't there on picture day.

So just take my word for it - she was tall, striking, blond, and when she wasn't in P.E. clothes, she looked sort of earthmotherish. And her first name was Keo.

Teachers I have known - Chapter 1

I attended the Worldwide Leadership Training meeting Saturday. The focus was on teaching. Elder Holland led a great discussion on teaching. But I found myself pondering on President Monson's talk about great teachers in his life.

I started thinking about teachers who had made a difference in my life. I was surprised that the list was quite short. Maybe - and this is probably so - I have forgotten whole chunks of my earlier life!!

I hope it doesn't mean that I haven't had that many great teachers. (How else to explain who I am today!!??)

But more are from school than from church. In fact, I can't remember the name of one single Primary teacher!!

But the one Primary teacher I do remember, although not by name, actually didn't help me, rather she gave me an almost life-long complex about my ability to learn new things. Let me explain.

When I was in Primary, the older girls' class was called "Seagulls." In order to move on to "mutual" you had to make a piece of needlework - either knitting or crocheting. I couldn't seem to get the hang of either one of them. I did produce a pile of "chaining" which for the uninformed is how you start to crochet something. She let this "count" and I was moved on. She told me that some people just couldn't do certain things, and crocheting was something I just couldn't do.

I never learned to swim as a child, but when I was 14, my brother Charlie almost drowned at a Cub Scout activity. After that my mom took us all over to the public pool and signed us up for lessons. It's a little tough to learn to swim at 14 when the class is full of children much younger than you. I didn't do well. The teacher actually told me that maybe I was too old to learn. And I believed her. (And everyone who knows me knows that I'm not much of a swimmer.)

Then in high school, we had tennis in P.E., and I did badly. My teacher, Mrs. Lazurus, told me that some people just couldn't play tennis, and I must be one of them. I liked Mrs. Lazurus, and she once gave me some excellent advice that I have remembered my whole life. But her assertion in this case was probably not helpful. (And certainly everyone knows I'm not much of a tennis player.)

Many years later, a friend made some charming little crocheted Christmas tree ornaments, and I wanted to buy some from her. She said she'd show me how to make them - they were a cinch. I said, oh, I can't crochet. Well, I will teach you she said. You don't understand I said, I'm one of those people who can't learn to crochet. To this she asserted that there was no such thing as someone who couldn't learn to crochet - and she proceeded to teach me how!! (And I've been crocheting ever since!)

I guess you could say that she was an excellent teacher!! (Her name was Lorraine Gould.)

I thought I'd do one post of "Teachers I have known" but maybe this will be Chapter 1!

Thinking about Annie

Walking home today, I found myself thinking about Annie Burnham. For the uninitiated, Annie was a very large presence in our lives for a few years, until she died in 1990.

I first met Annie when I was assigned to be her visiting teacher in 1980. Saying she was hostile doesn't describe the situation very accurately. Louise Childers, an elderly sister in the ward, was my companion. The first time we went, Annie wouldn't let us in. She talked to us through the screen door. Both Louise and Annie were Southern, and I think Ann might have been sharper with us, but the accent stopped her. In fact, I was told that the Ward Mission leader had gotten in to see her once on the strength of his recognition of the county she was from in Georgia by her accent. (He was from a neighboring county.)

We kept going - and developed a pretty good rapport with her grandson Dwayne!! One time, however, I think she forgot and let us in. After that I think she realized she couldn't very well not let us in the next time. Over time, she talked about her issues with the church. It turned out that she had been baptized as a child when her parents joined the church. Her parents had been very controlling and dictatorial, and they would only let her associate with the other LDS kids in their ward. But there weren't a lot of members in Georgia, and at age 16 Annie rebelled and ran away and got married.

She was gone for 9 months - and then her husband dropped her off at her mother's house - and Annie was in labor. She gave birth to a son - a son her mother appropriated by telling Annie to go to the city and work and they'd raise the boy. And Annie did just that.

A few years later, she married again and gave birth to a daughter. She and her husband headed for the west. At one stop, their baby daughter seemed very ill to Annie, so they went to the ER. They told her the baby was fine and sent them home. That night the baby died - Annie always believed the doctors knew her little girl was not going to live and just didn't tell her.

That marriage didn't last either, but Annie did make it to California. She married again and had a son and a daughter. She told me that she occasionally went to church and even had her children baptized. But once when she asked for some assistance, she was insulted when the Relief Society President came over to assess her needs. When the Bishop and R.S. President found out that they had offended her, they came over and apologized. They tried to explain to her that it was just Church policy to be sure that aid recipients were truly in need. However, Annie was not convinced.

Years went by, and Annie had visiting teachers and home teachers of varying degrees of diligence. And then I met her.

As years and months went by, Annie came to trust me. And she was blessed with a great home teacher and a Relief Society President who understood her needs. Annie needed work - and I needed a babysitter, so she started babysitting for me one day a week. What a treat that was. It was the year I was pregnant with Noah, and it was such a treat to go off every Wednesday and do whatever I wanted to do, knowing that Eliza and Hannah were in good hands. I remember one time I went to the show all by myself - saw "Three Men and a Baby," and I was wondering who would be in the theater at 11 in the morning. I soon found out just who goes to the show at 11 a.m. - the Senior Citizen Set!!

Word got out, and soon other women in the stake and neighborhood hired Annie. She enjoyed the money and the work. It was a win/win situation for all of us. After Noah was born, Ann absolutely adored him. He could scream and cry and fuss and she would just hold and comfort him. One time she was playing with him and he laughed out loud - he was only a few months old too. She was delighted - and it was delightful to watch her joy!

Annie had smoked for many years. She did quit, but the damage had been done. She suffered from congestive heart failure, and she continued to get worse. Soon she was getting hospitalized often. Many times I would feel impressed to call her. But I wouldn't always call. And every time I didn't, she would turn out to be in some kind of crisis. One time her son - who was exactly my age - was dying of cancer at County USC. She'd had surgery and couldn't go visit. I had just given birth to Eliza, so I wasn't up to the trip either. Her son died - Eliza and I went - along with the home teacher and the Relief Society President. Ann came - as did her son's former wife and his two daughters. And that was it. I couldn't believe someone could live for 38 years and no one seemed to care when he died!

At the end, I had figured out that when the spirit prompted me to call Annie, I needed to act on that prompting. I got a call from her home teacher one night. He'd just been to see her and suggested I go over in the morning. I felt I should go right then - but it was after 10 p.m. I finally went - walked in to Santa Teresita and no one said boo! And I found Ann and sat with her for a time. She couldn't talk, but she could squeeze my hand. I left around midnight.

I got a call the next morning that she had died at 2 a.m.

I once asked Eliza, Hannah and Noah if they remembered Ann. They all said they didn't really remember her but that I had talked about her so often that they thought they knew her.

Maybe that's why I wanted to write this - I want to always remember Annie Burnham and the many lessons she taught me. I don't have a single photograph of her - but I will never forget her.

The Birth of a Mother

I've been home for almost a week now - and had intended to write this post when I first got home. In fact, I thought about it while waiting for my plane. But life happens when you get home. And this week my life included a few major events like a women's conference, some pivotal IEP meetings and an articulation meeting with the elementary RSP teachers.

But today was an inservice day, so even though I had to go to work, I didn't have to deal with students. That makes life easier! And I thought some more about this post.

What started me thinking today was thinking about Ara's upcoming 10th birthday! Ara made me a grandmother, so I thought about how Bonny made me a mom. There is a process that goes on - and if you are careful and thoughtful, you can see it happening.

I think when Bonny was born, I was overwhelmed by all the tactile forces that come with motherhood. Like Olga Coleman used to say, "I feel like a sponge!" By the time my body got back to normal, I had an infant to care for, so there wasn't a lot of time for reflection. And then motherhood just marched on, and I just took it as it came.

I was so excited to be a grandma and there was lots to do caring for Bonny and Ara - and Bruce too I suppose, although he is pretty self-sufficient. It was the kind of "lots to do" that you love doing. We read and talked and took care of Ara - and snatched naps whenever we could. We weren't too philosophical.

When I came with Ella, Ara was a toddler who needed a lot of time and attention, so we certainly didn't sit around feeling philosophical.

When Henry was born, the emergency c-section added an element of urgency to the situation. Phoebe was a trooper, but she needed to heal, along with all the other stuff that comes with first time motherhood. Needless to say, we didn't spend much time being philosophical.

This time around though, with Eliza, I found myself reflecting on the process of becoming a mother. I noticed many things that either didn't happen with the other girls, or they happened and I didn't notice. For one thing, Matt and I kept trying to get Eliza in to nap - and she resisted. Finally she said, "I don't want to go in the bedroom alone while you're all out here with Theo."

A light bulb went on in my head. This was a mom who had been denied some of the "bonding" moments because of her surgery. She hadn't even changed Theo until he was nearly a week old. She wanted to be with him - not off in the room resting without him. This was a mother coming into being.

And when I started seeing these feelings at play, it became easier to know what to do and say. And it afforded me the opportunity to truly observe the love and devotion Eliza was ready to give this wonderful little boy.

The birth of a mother is really almost as miraculous as the birth of a baby.

Anchored in Christ

IMG_3384
Originally uploaded by grannybabs.

Here is the picture of me with our keynote speaker and the class teachers we had at our Women's Conference on Saturday.

I kept fiddling around and got it to post on flickr anyway.

Saturday night . . .

One of the things that I notice about having Harry, Dawn and kids here is that I'm reminded of my own life a few years ago.

Saturday night is a case in point - Dawn was rolling up Eve's hair in curlers - an activity I was often engaged in on a Saturday night! Actually I have many memories of Saturday night hair rolling from my own childhood - I loved sitting on the floor in front of the couch while my mom either put curlers in my hair - or pin curls - I'm that old!!

This Saturday night featured Dad working on his new computer, Eve and Porter snacking on cookies and milk, Dawn snacking on cookies too, and yours truly sweeping up sand from the laundry room floor! (We had sand on the tables at the Women's Conference - and I took home some of the table cloths to wash - and someone who gathered them up neglected to dump the sand first!! But we're not naming names!!)

After all, Saturday is a special day!

"Each life that touches ours for good . . ."

I had a sweet experience in the temple on Saturday.

A little background though. I have a dear friend in the ward. She was the R.S. President just before me. We are in a book group together. We have traveled to the BYU Women's Conferences together. And we've had lots of great discussions.

While she was R.S. President about 5 years ago, her daughter Marla died a week after giving birth to her 7th child. It was a great shock, and a great loss for Carolyn. I didn't know Marla extremely well, but we exchanged Christmas cards. Marla's daughter Ashley was getting ready to enroll at BYU - which she did.

Ashley got married on Saturday. While I was waiting to finish up the session I was attending, I saw Ashley sitting with her groom and the sealer. I went over and said, "You don't know me, but I was a friend of your mom's and I'm a good friend of your grandma. I want to wish you all the best."

Then the sealer said, "She left their rings in her locker downstairs." So I said, "Would you like me to go get them for you?" And he said, rather enthusiastically, "That would be great if you wouldn't mind."

So I scurried down the spiral staircase to the Bride's Room and the ladies there opened Ashley's locker and we rummaged around and found the rings.

I hustled back to the Celestial Room with my precious cargo - and the bride and groom were genuinely pleased to have their rings.

And I was genuinely pleased to have been of service. The sealer could have very easily asked any temple worker to go get the rings. There are many of them, and they are always anxious to be of service.

But I enjoyed feeling that I was "looking out for Ashley." I enjoyed thinking about Marla and Carolyn - and how I would enjoy telling Carolyn about it.

We try to go to the temple each week. All the issues with Noah seem to derail me mentally and spiritually - a trip to the temple helps. As does fasting, praying, writing letters to Noah and sending him packages.

I hope whoever crosses Noah's path is able to "look out" for him too.

More "Vingtage" Baby Stuff

More Vintage Baby Stuff
Originally uploaded by grannybabs.

I had forgotten about this bouncing chair, because the one I have now is the plain blue one - which works beautifully - and it was one piece of baby furniture that Bruce approved of - undoubtedly because of its minimalist nature!

I think this plaid one was a shower gift with Eliza - and I think it might have "worn out" so I got the plain blue one with Noah.

And even though this fabric has a pattern, compared to the models they have now, this one could also be deemed "plain!!"

Regardless of the fabric, these bouncing chairs were a personal fave of mine. They worked better than a swing for my kids - a little tap with my foot and the boucing started!

And unlike the plastic carriers that were all the rage when Bonny and Harry were born, they molded to the baby's shape like a hammock or sling - a plus in my book.

This little sunsuit Eliza is wearing was another personal fave of mine - it was printed terry cloth - soft and absorbant.

"What do you think . . .?

I have observed that many bloggers are given to "lists" like "ten things that drive me nuts" or "ten tunes to tickle your toes." Ten seems to figure prominently in these endeavors.

I usually have a hard time coming up with more than 3 of anything. Probably because I was trained in Advanced Comp in 12th grade to give three supporting details when writing an essay. Of course, I could probably come up with "ten places I've visited" or "ten people who have had an impact on my life." But I think that's been done.

I walk to and from school. It's maybe a mile - it takes 20 minutes going and 25 coming back - back is uphill!! I walk in the morning with my friend Rene, and we never run out of stuff to talk about. But I walk home alone. And I find that I never run out of stuff to think about.

So I started thinking about what I could put on a list of ten. I thought maybe I could write about "The Best Advice I've Ever Received." I thought it had a nice sound to it, and could be elucidating and maybe even helpful. Especially since advice is often helpful - especially when we take it!

I was surprised to discover that it took awhile to come up with ten. And I know that bloggers often start with the least and go to the biggest or best. But my walk wasn't long enough for that So here they are, the ten best pieces of advice I've ever received or given - in no particular order - although I am starting with the one I thought about first!

1. Whenever I go to a baby shower and they ask you to write advice for the mom-to-be, I always share the advice my mom gave me many years ago: Never do anything when your kids are asleep that you can do when they are awake. (Advice she often took - I have many memories of coming home from school to find my mom stretched out on the couch reading - while the unfolded laundry sat on the hearth - or was still on line for us to go bring in!)

2. In that same vein, wheneverI go to a bridal shower and they want you to give advice to the bride-to-be, I always share this advice that Ida S. shared at someone's bridal shower a number of years ago: Never learn to mow the lawn - if you do, it will become your job.

3. Once Eliza wrote and asked for advice about some future choices she was facing. I was thrilled to be asked, but found that I was giving her some pretty standard - but nonetheless excellent - advice: It will never be easier and cheaper to do than right now.

4. I ended up an English major in college when my roommate Pat said, after asking me what I was going to major in, and I replied maybe math or French (don't even ask why I said math, because I have not had a math class since 11th grade, but I said it anyway), "Major in English, French takes too many units and math is too hard." I've never been sorry I followed her advice.

5. Harry's 2nd counselor when he was Bishop once said, "Have you taken the CBEST?" I said no. He then said, "Take it and I'll get you all the work you need." (He was the principal at Clifton at the time. Another excellent choice in my life.)

6. When Bishop Cornwall called me to be Ward Relief Society President, I was trying to think of some compelling information to share with him that would cause him to say, "Oh of course I'd better retract that request." Of course I came up with nothing of the sort. So I looked at Harry and said, "What do you think?" And he said, "Yes is always a good choice."

7. Back in the day when diapers were cloth and were atttached with pins, the best advice I ever got was to keep a bar of soap handy to stick the pins in - they slid in and out like a dream! (Running the pins through his beard worked well for Harry!!)

8. My sister Alice once said that her mother-in-law - or maybe it was her sister-in-law - said that if you wanted to sew, you had to learn to do it a seam at a time. It's true - and it works for me. (Of course it really only works if you have a sewing space you can close the door on.)

9. Speaking of sewing, my old roommate Marlene, said that if you wanted to get any sewing done, you just got up in the morning and started sewing - and don't worry about getting dressed or making the beds - if you stopped and did that, you'd never get to the sewing. And I believe that's true for just about anything you want to get accomplished.

10. And to wrap things up - some baby advice - which seems to be the kind we women hear the most often: Never tell anyone what you are naming your baby before it's born. Somehow no one minds saying "I wouldn't stick any kid with that name" when the baby's not here. Once here, it really is too rude to say "Your baby has a terrible name."

Except when my dad called after Phoebe was born and found out that we were naming her Phoebe Elizabeth, he said, "I'll call her Betty!"

But he always called her Phoebe! And we all know Phoebe's name is a perfect fit!

More "vintage" kid stuff!!

Umbrella strollers are almost a fact of life now - like microwaves and VCR's and cell phones. But I was there when they invented them!! And we had one of the first ones!! And we thought it was the proverbial "bee knees" as they say.

(Which reminds me that we were among the first on our block to have a calculator - and it took 8 double AA batteries and only had a red LCD screen - no tape, no memory, just added, subtracted, divided and multiplied. And we thought we were so hip and with it!)

And it cost $69.00 at Sears!!

But I digress. Here the little plaid umbrella stroller features Bonny and little sister Phoebe in front of the Cook Apts. in Centerville in 1978.

Rockin' Down Memory Lane

This baby equipment photo shows the kitchen of the Rock House - and the window that looked out onto the glassed in front porch - where I sat and had many a conversation with Alice on the phone - note the phone cord!!

And it's Harry and his Raggedy Andy - about 1973.

But the post is about the Cosco highchair, circa 1971. My dad "bought" it for us with S&H Green Stamps. It lasted through 5 kids - and only had to be retired because the attaching mechanism on the tray wore out!!

I loved how it could be hauled outside and scrubbed and hosed off and brought in all shiny clean again! And there wasn't even a tear in the plasic covering the back or seat!!

They just don't make things like they used to.

The other photo comes from the kitchen of the Cook Apts. And it's Bonny feeding Phoebe in early 1978.

Do you notice that we have Proper Nouns for the places we've lived? The House of Do Chung, Johnson's Place, The Douglas Basement, The Portia Apts., Butterfield Arms, The Rock House, Harris' House, The Cook Apts, The Duplex, The Nauvoo House, The House on Lime, The Primrose House?

I'll bet Harry P. is the only one who knows all of them!! There's a post lurking in that last paragraph!!

Help, get me out of here!!

Baby Port a crib 1977
Originally uploaded by grannybabs.

It's 1978 and Phoebe is in the portacrib - the very one that I hauled home from JC Penney in 1970 and I hauled it home on the bus and I was carrying Bonny at the same time. I'm not sure how I did it - but I remember doing it nonetheless. I think lots of kind Good Samaritans helped me along the way.

Here we are at "the property" by Mantuay - went up with the Goulds - had a little picnic as I recall.

I think Phoebe wants out. And the best thing about this portacrib was that no child of ours ever managed to climb out of it without assistance.

A Little "Stroll" Down Memory Lane

Baby Stroller 1973
Originally uploaded by grannybabs.

I started out doing a rather excellent post on baby equipment over the years. And I had researched through my photo stash to find as many shots as I could that included ancient baby gear. There were 9 or 10 of them at last count.

Blogger on Firefox has been having beaucoup problemos, so I went to Internet Explorer and up until I tried to do this post, it worked. But it wouldn't work this time.

So I gave up and went to flickr. But of course, the beginning is now at the end - because I didn't think it all through. And frankly, I'm ready to call it a night, so I'm not going to change it.

So I will just post a photo or two a day until I've got them all done. And when you read this one, you can scroll down and read the next two - and when you get to the last one, you will know how I planned to begin my excellent post that wasn't.

This is Bonny and Harry in 1973, in the backyard of the 4plex we lived in on 10th East in SLC. Joan bought us this stroller when Bonny was born, and it was the Cadillac of its time. It had a detachable car bed - that was very handy for car trips. It also had a wire basket and a canopy that I didn't use very often, because I would have Bonny stand on the back when we went for walks.

We went for a lot of walks in this stroller - especially because we didn't have a car for a while after Bonny was born. And the car bed worked on many levels - when attached to the stroller, it was like a buggy.

I made Bonny's little pink dress - and knee socks were all the rage.