weekend

Saturday today. Sun in the sky. Good to have folks around.

Just today, what is of worth?

The question might be, whether the events of the day show something new, or confirm an outside hand in a life, or whether the events are just the predictable outcome of prior days? Should I look within or look outside myself today as I ponder the days events?
Pain in moving one of my feet today and to much thought about a tired frame have made the day seem a challenge but then events confirm more than an internal focus for the day what is of worth.
Two young men brought a thought to our home tonight and then suggested something of more value than an internal look at self. They proposed that how we talk to each other may be of more value than how we feel about our self? They proposed that if "I believe" that it can help others and I ought to say so. So then I"do believe"so ok.
Wondering if that is then what today was for but then someone calls asks if I like fruit? What is really being asked is "are you ok"? I am thinking of you? I want to bring you something? Maybe what they are saying to me is "they believe". Glad to be thought of.
Maybe we believe because we care or then we care because we believe.............

wish I had the picture but it is upstairs

To bad I can't post the picture of "her" standing by the river in Idaho Falls 43 years ago. I took the picture and it was indeed a great picture.

Didn't get to wear a hat either

Hard to figure what to say about this new year just yet.................

Friday PM, story of a special box

I should have posted a picture before of the very nice box that Zach made for me for Christmas. The story of this Christmas Box is also special. He had noticed my black shoe boxes that I had on my shelf and that I was using for finished genealogy names and thought up this idea for a box. He measured it out, planned it out, and started on his plan. That took him along with me to the store to buy the lumber. I of course was never told who the planned project was for or what it was and thought it very well could be for Mike. Since I wasn't told it probably was a "tip off". Later we went together while he looked for stain for the box. He spent many hours on several trips to a family friend's house, Arlo, using the power equipment and getting help. Likewise a lot of time was spent here in the garage working on "the project". The four drawers will handle a lot of names and it is something that will be a great way to keep those names. What a really nice Christmas present.

Friday

The weather has been cold. We even had some cloudy days. On the other hand things are pretty nice out.

Thursday

The issue is not what we have done but what we
have become. What we have become is more
than our actions. It is also the result of our

attitudes, our motives, and our desires -Neal Maxwell

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It has been several weeks since I had a chance to tell my own "life's story" to a group of friends in a church meeting. The goal of that occasion was to get to know each other. One of the nice things about getting to know people at church is that they often are just friends. They could, but don't necessarily do, relate to you in terms of "what you can do for them" so it could be consider somewhat "safe ground". Even so I have noticed that "men" do not take such opportunities to just be themselves and really associate with each other openly very well. Going to a game together, for example, is not the same as telling someone "who you really are". I suppose if I were to try to offer some real reasons for a life that includes a church would in part get down to just being with some "good people" regularly. Well anyway this day a few weeks ago it was my turn again and I shared some thoughts about myself. I found that more so than in years past I was willing to share some of the things that have not, at the time, seemed like they went all that well or that were "good things?". Sharing some failures, if they indeed were failures and that is probably the point here, is also more interesting that sharing successes.

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"The issue is not what we have done but what we have become".

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Who we are eventually shows up as our attitudes, motives and desires define us. I suppose whether we like it or not we are refined and polished. "Come what may, and love it". I think we should enjoy recalling our challenges, course they keep coming. Another good piece of wisdom:

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"Careful out there"

Working through Change

Brother Wirthlin's words of "Come what may, and love it" came to my attention, again, in an email from a friend in our ward. She mentioned the quote as a comfort in a time of some change. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin is best known as an Apostle of the The Church of Jesus Chirst of LDS. I remember him also from earlier days when he ran a meat distribution business in Salt Lake. One time many years ago I made a call on his company and sold them a few items. I have always been impressed with the companies reputation in those days. He was indeed a good man.


http://vodpod.com/watch/1732551-come-what-may-love-it

how we see it, I guess was "Brown"

So "How Now, Brown Cow" seems like a pretty deep thought for today, January 2nd 2010. Then again a blog can be pretty routine and just reflect the same old stuff. Guess that is why I like the family blogs we watch.

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I remember a couple of years ago I found a blog of a guy somewhere around the Great Lakes and I really liked the pictures he came up with day after day. I went on and looked at the blog several times a week for a few years and was often surprised at what he posted. Then all of a sudden he stopped posting? It just ended and in fact the whole site went away. Wish it hadn't. Not sure I can remember what all the great pictures were about.

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Today I checked out some of the "other blogs" that I have looked in on occasionally........The first was an old neighbor's home blog from up North. The blog now has just ended and it is now a business blog. Not at all as interesting. Guess that is par for the course. Then I looked in on the "Pioneer Woman's" "slick" blog about being a cow girl in the mid west sort of Martha Stewart's cowboy clone? Pretty slick blog. Good pictures of some horses on it today. Well done. Did I mention "Slick", cause I meant it. Even so, it pretty much is the same as it has been. and is still interesting. Next I went to a "Mission Presidents" blog in another country. Always feel guilty "peaking in" on this probably private blog, since it was passed on to us, but it is interesting to see what a lot of very nice people seem to be doing with their lives. Love the mixed culture this blog reflects.

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Good thoughts for the year ahead.......

*I believe in Christianity as I believe that the "Sun
Has risen", not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. C.S Lewis

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

*
The real voyage of discovery consists
not in seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes.- Proust

It was just different than it seemed

If you were to walk into my library and office, at home, you would find books on all the walls almost floor to ceiling. Over the years I have read a few books and the variety is in many ways pretty broad. At year end or anytime I suppose it is enjoyable to just look around and see what catches my interest.

With a lot of blogs over the years I have on occasion just mentioned a book or two. This year what catches my eye, and pauses me to ponder some, is that

four of the most interesting and different

books I can recall reading just "happened"

to me and were read over these last

few months.

They were "so" different than what I had read before and really in their own way were sort of life changing type books. One just does not continue on unchanged after these books.

What it is that causes me to think that they are life changing has to do with the subject of the books and a new insight into things that I thought I knew something about before and found I didn't. In addition a "personal connection" with the books theme can be a big thing when you venture into something different. Our son's mission was the connection to the two Hmong Books. Lots of things connected us with the book, When Faith Endures. It was about the fall of Saigon. A pretty big event in our lives but still mostly just a news story watched. The Van Nguyen (pronounced Tay Van Win) was charged with evacuating members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from his war-torn country and he tells it right up to and then after the helicopters so many. He was the President of the only Saigon Branch for the church. The national tragedy was added to by his hope to get his own congregation out of harms way.

Getting to know about something you thought you

knew something about and didn't is the common

theme in these4 books.

My connection was just "living through the time", learning about the Hmong who offer their own perspective of all of those events, of course, and knowing the Mission President in Hong Kong who helped this man through it all.

Then a book about a Doctor, "The Best........in the West" and he really seemed to be just that. It was in the 1800's in Soda Springs Idaho, and again through new eyes it was another look at a time when my own ancestors were going West. It was Kathy's Grandparents that provided the connection probably having gone to this interesting Doctor themselves.

So all things considered it was a good year. Needed my own Doctor by years end. Guess "my" book will have to wait.

2009 stuff

When I put together this collage of pictures I was hoping to capture some of the things done and even thoughts that captured 2009. Great things happened. I suppose I will personalize the thoughts a little more and send them on as an email or two........................The collage looks better when you click on it and it gets bigger...............

Little Girl

Love that little Girl. Course how we see ourselves now might have a lot to do with how we remember ourself then.

Holiday Food thoughts

I was just reading about a person I know very well who thinks of Fruit Cake around this time of year, and it isn't the guy standing in the hallway in these pictures. Course I changed this picture a couple of weeks after I first posted it and it would be a mircle if anyone noticed that and it ever comes up again? Seems as though her, the lady who loves good fruitcake, Grandma used to send a very good fruit cake to her family when she was growing up and it is now a good Holiday memory..........With this inspiration I wondered a little what food item might have a good holiday memory for me. Two things come to mind. Not because I particularly love these items but my Dad did. Cherry Chocolates were an easy gift for him. We knew he liked them. Also I often got him some "orange sticks". They were orange inside and covered with chocolate and in a long box. I can't think of a brand name. I just know that I bought them for him a lot of times. I suppose I would associate the holidays, food wise, with good dressing and good yams both of which KJ is the one that does them best. So this next part is about some good foods or food memories......................Good Jello salads or another type of similar salad that I like that again is a KJ speciality. I just don't remember a real "favorite" food of my own when I was a kid, myself. I liked RC Cola, Red Pudding, French Toast, Artic Circle ( or the 7 for $1 ones from Albertsons) hamburgers, chicken fried steak from the truck stop, ice cream , cream soda, and fresh peaches and raspberries. Corn on the Cob was always good. Candy Corn and cotton candy was good. I don't think I every had lasagna until I was married and of course that is another KJ produced favorite. Should have mentioned Creamsicles and Fudgesicles. Peaches ought to be mentioned twice on a list like this. So a little holiday food trivia. Ho Ho Ho.

truth is

I will have to admit I am getting a little blog weary. I have used this blog to record a lot of daily thoughts over the last few years. I also have used it to put pictures of the thoughts and moods and events that have been on my mind. Some pictures have made it to the blog several times. Guess I ought to find a way to print it all up and have it made into a little book and then just tuck it on a shelf somewhere. Might do that. Guess the more I think of doing it the more inclined I am to just put a family shot or something more about us. I have to admire KJ's blog. She never intended it to be anything other than for a few folks and it is far more interesting.

Thoughts Between

My first thoughts when looking through a lot of pictures I have on file was to just pick some favorites. Now I am thinking "they are all my favorites" and maybe I can get KJ to make them all into a layout but then I went ahead and started started to pick them. It didn't take long to see that I was picking "black and white" shots. Maybe it is just me today, but you really see things different in black and white. Just the choices of each pictures seemed like it added to and expanded the thoughts. presented.

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Maybe in some small way bringing these pictures together would be a little like "finding some new thoughts" and painting them. Each stroke adding to the ones before. Starting as a small boy and moving on to an older man "and thoughts between". So I suppose this is an odd post, for Thanksgiving, but then more thanks is always needed as the journey unfolds............

lucky guy

I guess I see myself in "all the pictures" here. The easy one is just getting to eat the food that will result from the last picture, tomorrow, as we celebrate being here together and are Thankful for that. Course we have family that won't be here but we have a nice group that will be. Seems like Thanksgiving is as much about being together as it is about the food. More really. Anyway I just like the other two pictures. See myself in both. On the one hand my favorite person, KJ, kisses me as I get on the train heading out prepared for life. Course that was a long time ago and in fact I didn't know her then but would have liked to. The other has me dancing on the wall with her. Guess both are just products of the imagination. Or maybe they are real enough since I see myself in them.

home brand is better

Love good piano music. Great music coming from the room next to where I am at. Good day. Sunday thoughts. Good food. Rice smells great when it is cooking. Later this week we will have some turkey and dressing of course. Mike brought one, a turkey, today. KJ does a good job fixing Turkey. I suppose the only reason to post the brand he brought is to remind us that he brought it. I figure it will be our brand by the time it is ready. Times change. Then too, lots of folks probably don't fix a turkey.

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Some music seems seem so familiar. Soft piano music almost has a voice of it's own.

Could be a better "Tree" year just ahead

Thinking back to Christmas 2008.............. I figured "this Tree to the left" ought to live in infamy. It indeed takes the award for the least impressive tree ever to be in our house. Course I take the responsibility for putting it up. Last years Christmas was one that we could have gotten by without a tree, here at the ranch. Then this year one can only speculate and imagine what "this years Tree to come" will be like. Could it make a blog next year looking back again due to some great significance? Could it be an award winner? Will it take a little more floor space or height? What about all those all time great trees we have had, will it be like those? At this very moment it is in a box in the garage waiting for unveiling.

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Course today is just another regular Saturday. Blue skies. Good morning walk through the neighborhood with my returned walker perhaps runner. As we speak, or more accurately, as I write, one guy is to my right, not really, reading about some politics and the other one to my left again not really but out the window on the patio sharpening the shovel. I notice that one of "the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" listed on a little note by some other quotes just to my right, really, suggests that we be

1. Proactive,

2. Begin with the end in mind,

3. Put First Things First,

4. Think Win-Win,

5. Seek First to Understand Then to Be Understood,

6. Synergize, 7. "Sharpen the Saw".

So there you go. A little wisdom right in the middle of all these pictures.....................................

tomorrow

This will be updated tomorrow. This is the 2 years ago version.....................

2 years of service for Zach

This last week we went to California to bring Zach home from his Mission. We spent a few days with him and visited a lot of very nice people. Lots of pictures. I wondered what to post as a memory of the week. The older people were the most interesting. Many did not speak English so we were not able to visit but listening to Zach visit was well worth it.