MY DAD ... 

My dad was raised in the Mormon Colonies in Chihuahua, Mexico in 1914.  Times were hard and with eight children in his family money was scarce.

My father had a feisty spirit and to say the least he caused a little "trouble" at school and at home. His teachers could not make him mind and they punished him by making him copy passages out of the Bible. With no exaggeration, I'm sure he copied it in its entirety several times. 

He terrified his teacher more than once. He and his friends lay in wait for her to start home and when she got half way across the swinging bridge they jumped out and started the bridge rocking. Her hysterical cries brought "help" running and the boys quickly scattered. They copied a lot of Bible for that.  My dad was a "hellion" who's stories are almost legendary. 

MY DAD, SEATED ON THE FAR RIGHT

No one could control him... not his dad or mom, or the school or the sheriff. Then my mother caught his eye. She was as prim and proper as he was wild and to add to the drama she was the daughter of a Mormon minister. Not a sensible match but in the moment LOVE had very little sense. 

They married at just 19 in the middle of the depression and my dad suddenly found himself responsible for a wife and before long... a house full of kids. Without any education or real skill the only thing he had to offer was that he was a hard worker who would not give up.

For all his rebelliousness he spent most of his adult life in law enforcement and he was good at it. I guess he could see it from both sides. 

As a child, growing up, I didn't have a lot of interaction with my dad. He worked two jobs and when he was home he was tired. I would have to say we were pretty much "strangers"

Then, the year I graduated from high school, my family moved from California to Utah. I went off to college and my brothers, all except my youngest, were on their own. Somewhere in the next four years my dad and I collided in a good way. He was immensely proud when I graduated from college... something he yearned for but never accomplished. After I starting teaching school he would visit my class often. I think he viewed "teacher" in a new light.

When I married and had children he saw his "second chance" My father morphed into the kindest, most patient, involved grandfather I could ever imagine. Never once did he lose his temper with my kids... and there was plenty of opportunity. 

He use to drive my youngest two daughters on their paper route every afternoon at 4:00 They knew to be ready. Here he came in his great big Lincoln. They would pile in with their heavy bags and off they would go laughing and talking to Grandpa. 

It was Grandpa that would treat us all to Friday night pizza and root beer. It was Grandpa that taught my kids to mow lawns and pluck chickens and "mind your mom."  

He loved us, he took care of us, he taught us and he protected us. We almost lost him when his heart gave out playing soccer with my oldest. He endured a seven bypass surgery and we had him for 10 more years. 

I miss my dad. It was my profound pleasure to watch him become the "best version" of himself.  When he did leave us I thought the world would quit turning. It didn't, it kept going and so did we. My children were the lucky recipients of a life lived across the street from Grandpa. We still laugh at the endless memories and speak his name with the greatest of love.

Happy Father's Day to one and all!

THE HUMAN SPIRIT IS ALIVE.... 

A simple "orb" makes a connection that ends with a smile!

THE HEADY SCENT OF LAVENDER

The lavender is in full bloom and I'm not sure who's enjoying it more... me or the bees.

The history of lavender is fascinating. There is documentation on its use that is over 2,500 years old, dating back to the Egyptians who used it for mummification, to the vast and heady fields of Provence, France. It was used for bathing, cooking and scenting the air by the Romans and is even mentioned in the Bible by its ancient name "spikenard"

 In Luke we read... 

"Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the order of the ointment."

The washing women in  Medieval and Renaissance Europe, were known as "lavenders" They dried the laundry on lavender bushes and used its aromatic blossoms to scent the linen cupboards.

During the Great Plague in 17th century London, the people believed if they tied a bundle of lavender to each wrist it would protect them from the deadly disease. It may have helped. 




History records that after the grave diggers finished their "dirty work" they regularly washed in a "vinegar" containing lavender. They rarely contracted the disease.

Lavender has soothing, calming qualities few herbs can claim. It is widely used in the perfume industry and is found effective in treating hyperactivity, insomnia, bacteria, and fungus.

It is often linked with romance. Lavender on a pillow was thought to bring love and lavender under the bed of newlyweds ensured passion. A famous nursery rhyme written in 1680 speaks of love...

"Lavender blue, dilly dilly, lavender green. When I am king, dilly, dilly, you shall be queen."

Who can resist the heady scent of Lavender?

"FARM CAMP"

School is out and parents are scrambling to keep their kids busy. It only takes about a week before they start saying... "I'm bored" 

My daughter, clever mother that she is, signed my granddaughter up for "FARM CAMP"

Monday she came home having milked a cow. "Ooh" she said, "next time I'm wearing gloves!"  We laughed.  At least now she knows that milk doesn't come from the grocery store. 

Tuesday she planted watermelon seeds in a container made from a 2 liter pop bottle... very ingenious! I might try this next spring, it looks like a great way to grow "starts"

Today she feed sheep, built a bug box and learned about the value of ladybugs on the farm. 

When I picked her up I found she was busy finishing her activity right in the middle of a huge barn filled with hay.  

Oh what a wonderful rural smell. 

Tomorrow she will be riding a horse...

I want to go to FARM CAMP!

RUSTIC BEDROOM...

a dream or a delusion?

I have a large guest bedroom on the second floor of my house, with three good sized windows and its own bathroom. Its great for company because its very quiet in there and also very private.  But... it needs remodeling. 

I love "rustic"  I loves rock and wood and texture and I want to make that room feel like the inside of cabin, with rock on one wall and reclaimed wood on the others. 

With the interior so rugged and masculine I would make the bed (a beautiful  four poster pine queen size) the complete opposite by drenching it in femininity... a lovely dust ruffle, shams, plenty of pillows and of course a quilt that makes a statement. 

Sundance Gift Shop

The trouble is, my kids think I'm crazy... so I'm asking for opinions. I went up to Sundance Resort yesterday (one of my favorite places) and just stood in their gift shop. I absolutely love the way I feel surrounded by all that rough hewn wood.

If you have an opinion... I would love to hear it.

SIMPLE THINGS...

just being a kid on a summer afternoon

I spent the day with three of my grandkids, Jack (10) Aubrey (7) and Andy (3)   I watched while they and their three neighborhood friends played in the water in the irrigation ditch.  Jack and his friend became engineers and built dams with rocks and broken bricks, creating whirlpools and reservoirs. Simple sticks became canoes and culverts became bridges. 




Three year old Andy spent a couple of hours throwing a plastic bottle into the water, running up the sidewalk, jumping in the ditch and watching it pop up from under the culvert. Childhood imagination is an incredible thing and I skipped all the expensive tickets to the water park.







 I forgot to add that  Aubrey and her two friends kept moving the rocks in the dam so they looked "prettier" It drove the boys crazy. I loved it

ONE MAN'S TRASH ...
The Landfill Harmonic Orchestra

Cateura, Paraguay is a slum that's built on a landfill.  The 2500 families that live there survive by rifling through the more than 1500 tons of solid waste that arrives each day, looking for things to sell or recycle. Education is limited and the water supply is dangerously polluted. When it rains the entire town is flooded with contaminated water.

Out of the rubble and in an almost hopeless environment something special and truly awe-inspiring was created. An orchestra was formed with instruments made from trash.

A young man named Juan has a cello made out of an oil can and old cooking tools. He treasures his instrument and plays the Prelude to Bach's Cello Suite No 1... beautifully! 

They all agree, "Life would be worthless without music." The human spirit can't be measured and with the formation of the Landfill Harmonic hope is once again alive. 

These kids have proved that where there's a will, there's a way and in this case... 

"One man's trash is another man's treasure."

This video tells the story of how this all happened. Its not just the kids... there were some amazing adults that got involved.  Truly an inspirational story!