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?