Catching up a bit -

Last Monday at this time, Eve, Porter and Harry were sleeping over at our house while Harry and Dawn had an anniversary getaway to Santa Barbara - a Terrill Family Fave for sure!

Eve's first request was for a French braid!!

Husker and Simone came too.

In addition to other fun activities - like swimming and gymnastic lessons, lunch at Wendy's and a trip to the Friends of the Library bookstore - we went bowling with our good friend Emma.

Another shot of the French braid - I can't believe there's a hair do that I can do that Dawn can't. Maybe we will have a lesson or two - I told her Bonny said to me - when she was 9 or 10 - "You just need to practice on me Mom - and then you will get it!" So we sat and watched old Shirley Temple movies and I braided away til I got it right!

Then Thursday Annika came for her Grandma's Birthday Sleepover. She is lots of fun to have around.

Thursday night Scott came - he'd gone to the Dodger game for Mormon Night. He used the Presidential Suite and seemed favorably impressed!

Friday we swam at Menlove's with the Ward's Friday Swim Bunch. Annika was loving it - in spite of this photo! At least she didn't want to get out!

Dawn and Baby Harry in the pool.

Porter enjoys the water too.

And Eve has become a regular fish.

Goggles and all!

Porter and Harry W. at the computer - the game of choice is some pirate game on Yahoo Kids.

Ella is with us now - lots going on - so I will post that after she leaves. We have been shopping and sewing and eating and playing games. Good times!

Sunday visits

We enjoyed our nearly weekly g-chat with Hannah and Robbie - with the added plus of visiting with Hester too.

I will miss sharing their foreign adventures with them. Maybe their East coast adventures will be just as much fun!!

We can only hope!!

Gotta love this boy and his little sis!

This is my Uncle Peter - variously called Pete, Gilbert or Gil - or Peter Gilbert ( I'm surprised he didn't have an identity crisis!) with his sister my Aunt Jane. They were the children of my Grandpa Clayton and his second wife Helen Pratt. She had a son, but he was killed in a car accident as a boy - I'm not sure when, but it was after she married my grandpa.

Here they are a little older.

Here's a teenage Gil - I thought he was a rock star - totally glamorous to my young teen mind.

And Jane - always lovely and serene - I loved it when she came to visit.

Jane looks a lot like her mother.

As I think you can see.

Another Clayton Reunion

In March of 1987, a mini-Clayton reunion was held in St.George, Utah.

Could not resist these fetching young women - all decked out 80's style!

And the Kerksiek Family as they were in 1987.

I remember it being fun - and there are lots of photos - so we know it happened!

The Young Adult Scene from Days Past - and other times too.

The scrapbook had two pages devoted to what seems to have been one event. I'm pretty sure that's my dad in the foreground, partially turned around.

And this is Grandpa Clayton and Helen - his second wife - obviously at Big Bear!! This is the late 30's.

This is the same event as the top photo - my dad with another woman!!

Hmm - pantsuits - not all that different from the phenomenon of recent years. I think the woman with my mom is a cousin.

I think these photos would intrigue me even if they were strangers!

Tomorrow I'm branching out into some cousins, aunts and uncles!!

What is it about groups of siblings?

Well, in this case, I guess we can say that dark, horn-rimmed glasses were in style!! And that the Clayton kids went to church looking good!

It's Bill, Mary and Richard, in case you couldn't tell!

And this would be Dad, Grandpa Clayton, Ted, and Byron - around 1938. Clayton men - in all the old photos I've found - were pretty sharp dressers. I remember that about my dad - always shined his shoes, always looked neat and pressed. And really enjoyed dressing up - he always talked about his tuxedo - a young adult male just couldn't compete on the LDS social scene without a nice tuxedo!!

The Second Grandma Clayton

After my father's mother died, my grandpa married Helen Pratt. I have a number of fond memories of her - and recently I did a grandma post and mentioned her.

Found this picture of them - dated 1938 - she is my Aunt Jane's mother - and my Aunt Jane certainly looks like her mother!

The LA Scene - back in the day!!

I'm pretty sure this is a house my Grandpa Clayton lived in with his second wife Helen Pratt. I remember going to their house - but that would be in the late 40's and this shot is from 1938 - maybe he lived there awhile. This house seems familiar to me - but it could just look like lots of California houses I've seen over time.

This is a shot of my day and it says "1938"on the back. My dad would be 22 years old. It would be a couple of years before he got married.

My parents were married in the photo, but I don't know whose house it is. Click on the image and see Uncle Paul with his wife Aunt June on the far left. Seems like my Uncle Paul has always had white hair - but apparently not as a young adult!! I don't know who the others are - probably friends or maybe cousins. The Claytons were pretty social!!

That "LA Look" is pretty ageless it seems!

Reunion time - and I will be posting random photos here and at the Terrill Connection - changing daily - you won't want to miss it!!


Okay, so this is the 60's folks, in all its glory!!

My Aunt Anne - Grandma Connie was her mom - and were we ever glad they joined the Clayton Clan!!

Gotta love that girl!

Eve called me tonight:

Eve: Grandma, you want to come to Cherry on Top with us?

Me: We haven't had dinner yet and Grandpa is not home.

Eve: Well, just put his dinner on the counter and leave him a note that says to warm up his dinner and just come with us.

Me: Well, I really should wait until he gets home and I have to make dinner still.

Eve: Oh, just open some soup.

Me: Well, it's my job to take care of Grandpa, so I should really be here with his dinner ready.

Eve: You take care of Grandpa? Isn't he older than you? He looks older than you.

I do love Eve's ability to "cut to the chase!!"

What's new in the neigborhood??

So, after 26 years, we have finally planted a tree in the front yard!! It's a California Sycamore.

And I thought I'd show you how different the side yard looks now that the neighbors to the north have cleared away about 30 years of overgrowth.

Don't drive on by because you don't recognize the place!!

This brings me joy!! Thank you Lawnbird!! (that would be our good friend Paul!)

A fun Sunday

Started the day out saying goodbye to Sean, Keli and girls - what fun to have them here, however briefly!!

Found out it was Patrice's birthday today - so we had her over for a birthday dinner!!

With birthday pie - thanks Dawn!!

Harry the Son of Harry and Barbara had to work, but we enjoyed having the rest of the crew.

Eve regaled Patrice with a number of her wonderful stories.

Harry (the Dad of Bonny, Harry, Phoebe, Eliza, Hannah and Noah), and Greg played with their phones!!

Porter tries to avoid getting photographed. (But he always wants to see the picture afterwards!)

And Baby Harry likes the big chair, as opposed to a high chair - go figure!

We also enjoyed g-chatting with Hannah and Robbie and hearing about the Tour de France - check her blog for photos.

Can it be the end of July already??

I had a conversation with Bruce the other night - about trees - and the lack thereof in our front yard. He suggested a Sycamore tree.

So I did a little research - and contacted my tree guy - and we are getting one planted next week.

I know you are all amazed that after 26 years of saying, "If we'd planted a tree when we moved here, the tree would now be ______years old!"

Never say never! It ain't over til it's over! It ain't over til the fat lady sings!

I will of course post photos when the action takes place!!

Tiny Treasures

The deer eat most of my roses - a continual frustration - but sometimes they miss a few.

And so I enjoy a little spot of cheer in the house from "Grandma's Garden."

I enjoy my "tiny treasures!!"

All Things Sendak!!

Dad, Noah and I went to see Harry Potter - we enjoyed it - but I really need to watch all of them and get some details straight!! The key players have indeed improved as actors.

While there, we of course saw "Previews of Coming Attractions" and lo and behold, they are making a full-length movie out of Where the Wild Things Are. And it looks like it might be pretty entertaining.

This is of course the perfect segue into the following: I was browsing in the Friends of the Monrovia Library Bookstore today - I dearly love our new library and want to support it in every way - and I buy copies of books that I have always owned - or at least have owned for some time - and then offer them up to any takers in the family. It's a good system - I can't remember who has what - so they just tell me which ones they want. (These books go for 25 cents each!!)

Hannah commented that she had to tell Robbie all about Outside Over There and the connection to our own dear Miss Ida.

So it seemed like a good excuse for a post!!

For the uninitiated, the young lady with the "wonder horn" is Ida. The baby in the cradle is her unnamed little sister.

And those creatures in the window are goblins - come to snatch Baby Sister. (And replace her with an "ice baby!!")

I don't want to spoil the ending - you'll have to read it yourself.

Maybe next year we can do the Caldecott Winners for our Summer Read!!

(Parenthetically, the very first children's book we ever owned was Kenny's Window by Maurice Sendak - it's not a well-known work of his - except in certain Terrill circles - but it's a unique, compelling, somewhat confusing but charming story - lots of dream sequences. It was a baby shower gift. And that got us started on Sendak. Just a little history for you!!)

Have I ever posted about Crows of Pearblossom??

July 18, 1970

I was trying to get this to post - it's a long story - but Donna, Mom and Mary were cleaning out the cupboard under the stairs and came across this photo - and the date on the back said, "Saturday, July 18, 1970."

And since it was Saturday July 18th on Saturday when she called, I thought it would be fun to post!! But when she emailed it, it was postage-stamp sized. Took me until tonight, with Dad's help, to get it big enough to see.

Obviously I was pregnant with Bonny - and had long hair - we were admiring Bonny's long hair - but don't worry, I'm not growing mine out that long.

Although I did enjoy wearing ponytails!

And it was taken on the U of U campus - and I made that top myself - one of my first sewing efforts.

Just a little trivia and minutiae for you folks!!

Clayton Reunion

Be sure to keep August 8th open for the Clayton Family Reunion at Huntington State Beach. It's never a very fancy affair, and we are never quite sure who is coming, but it's always fun.

This is me with all my sisters - I don't even know the year - but it's not often we are all together - so I like to celebrate the times we are.

Watching Bonny's girls, I was reminded how much I love having sisters - I love my brothers too, but there is just something about a sisterhood!!

If you are fortunate enough to have a sister or two, be sure to let them know how much you love them!

(You can let your brothers know too - but I'm focusing on sisters today!!)

Jury Duty

I was walking in to the courthouse for jury duty, and ran into my friend and colleague Jan Marlia - who is next to me in the photo - and she had jury duty too!!

Jan had never been called - so this was a first for her - and the "officer of the court" painted a grim picture - about how the cases could go a week or longer - and if we wanted to postpone, we'd better postpone now.

She took roll, showed us a video, had us take a break, took roll again, sent us on an hour and a half lunch break, took roll again - and dismissed us at 1:45!

It works out like this for me all the time - my luck won't hold forever, but I'm glad to have it off the list for a year or two. (They say you are good for 12 months, but they tend to call me every 2 or 3 years.)

And spending the day with a friend - and going to lunch in Downtown El Monte - is not a bad way to spend the day!

(We weren't sure what they would do when they discovered we were friends - are friends allowed to serve together on juries??)

Just a year ago -

It seems impossible, but we were in South America - Chile to be exact - a year ago at this time!!

Why do I always reflect on the passage of time? Maybe because it really seems to be flying by.

I have had a lazy lovely week - I was feeling like I'd really been doing nothing - but then thought about how I'd gone swimming every day, doing physical therapy for my knees. And I've made 3 aprons and cut out 4 more. And I had a planned meal for dinner every night this week (that might not be impressive to you, but take my word for it, it is!!), and I finished one Newbery novel - but instead of starting another one, I got distracted and read an adolescent novel that was on the "New Reads" shelf at the library - where I had gone to get more Newbery books. (I finished the distraction - it was quite good - Flight by Elizabeth Ellison - about a boy who can't read.) But I've started Criss Cross. And I started writing the talk I have to give in Stake Conference on August 22nd. And of course, I've blogged and emailed and played a little Solitaire! And I visit taught one of my sisters.

So I haven't been such a slouch - but there has been a lot of time that could have been productive.

And "finish anniversary posts" has been on my "ToDo" list for almost 2 years now - and I haven't even begun to tackle it - but I don't want to give up!! Yikes!

And "Sort photos" has been on my list. And "finish the little dress for Ida" is on there too.

And now I have jury duty tomorrow - so I won't be getting many items on my "ToDo" list done - and what if I get put on a trial?

At least I'm all rested up!

On heat and other conditions of summer!!

We do not have whole house a/c - we never have. I used to think that someday we would - but it's expensive to put in, we actually need to re-pitch our roof in back to make a whole-house system efficient, and frankly I'm usually not miserable, so I don't think about it much.

I certainly didn't grow up with a/c - we thought a fan was a luxury! Stores didn't have it - nor did the church buildings - or schools. (I might object if my classroom wasn't air-conditioned!!)

Like little Harry as a toddler, we ran around in abbreviated clothing when I was a little kid. Everyone did. I think that made it much more bearable - everyone kind of slowed down their pace to accommodate the heat.

The summers when I was pregnant - and there were 4 of them - seemed pretty miserable - and I complained a lot and suggested we get a/c. My pleas fell on pretty deaf ears. We can keep our house very pleasant with window units, fans and our whole house fan at night. But it doesn't stay pleasant if little kids are running in and out. Dawn spent a pregnant summer here - and she can vouch for it!

When we moved here, we used Grandma's pool a lot!! I started wishing for a swimming pool. Grandma T. never had a/c - she'd dive in the pool at night before going to bed, swim a few laps and get her body temp down. Then she'd go to bed with a fan going - and sleep beautifully through the night. I think she's always tolerated heat well. My dad did too.

Of course, the beach is a great option for beating the heat. I don't think we went all that often when I was a kid - but when we did go, it was a major treat. After we moved here, we would go to Santa Monica Beach every Thursday - often Damond came with us. We'd take a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jam, a loaf of bread and a jug of water. We were fine.

I've been swimming in the mornings this summer - either at Seeley's or at Karan Davies. It's for my knees. And then I pretty much stay in the house. Lying on the couch with ice on my knees is very pleasant. I sit in my laundry/computer/sewing room with an oscillating fan and I'm good to go.

Just thinking about how life goes around in circles.

Addendum to Grandma Post

I need to fly Eliza out here for a week just to help me get organized in the computer realm - I came across this - my all time Grandma Photo Op - and hadn't found it when I was doing my grandma post!

It's not the clearest photo - or the best composed - in fact, it's a Polaroid taken by my Uncle Paul - but I treasure it!!

Be sure there's a grandma shot at the wedding - if there's a grandma there!!