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| He could be a new superhero! |
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Cannonball Lou
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| Great landing!
Lou is a Star Scout and just yesterday finished the requirements for his fishing merit badge. We have the proof.
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| First fish - well, moss and fish. Can you see the tail sticking out of the moss? Check out Lou's expression too! |
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| The second fish...
Lou was brave and ate one bite of his fish. Grandpa does a great job cooking fish. Then he went for the hamburger! Can you believe it? He said that the fish tasted good. It was a milestone. We also taught him to play Shanghai yesterday. He picked that up really fast. Look out Uncle Allen.
Lou still plays golf every week and has golf lessons. He often wins tournaments. He will be attending 8th grade at Aliso Viejo Middle School this year.
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Sunday, August 17, 2014
A Golden Opportunity!
This is your Golden opportunity!
Golden will start 8th grade this coming week at Thomas Edison Charter School in Logan. He had a lot of fun at Scout camp this year and has been getting a nice array of merit badges.
Wilderness Survival (they lived through a pelting rainstorm during the night)
First Aid
Citizenship in the Community
Rifle Shooting
A few others that that he received recently were:
Finger Printing
Music
Welding (that sounds so great!)
At the latest Court of Honor he received his First Class Scout Badge.
Golden will start 8th grade this coming week at Thomas Edison Charter School in Logan. He had a lot of fun at Scout camp this year and has been getting a nice array of merit badges.
Wilderness Survival (they lived through a pelting rainstorm during the night)
First Aid
Citizenship in the Community
Rifle Shooting
A few others that that he received recently were:
Finger Printing
Music
Welding (that sounds so great!)
At the latest Court of Honor he received his First Class Scout Badge.
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| Golden with a box of Perler Beads |
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| Some of Golden's Perler creations.
Golden was selling some of his creations to his friends at school until they told him it wasn't legal! His work is in great demand. It takes a lot of patience and creative imagination.
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Sunday, August 3, 2014
Some random Teen happenings...
It's not so random that James David left for Mexico this week to learn Spanish. He gave a great talk in church and Lily gave her first sacrament meeting talk the same day on "Example".
Noah sang a duet. It combined Come Follow Me" and "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go". The Ostergar's took over their sacrament meeting and lots of relatives filled the benches. They all did a great job.
Bright is working in Price and will go to school there again in the Fall. She is working at a Museum and at a Pizza Parlor. She now has a car and delivers Pizza too. Sunny is working in Bear Lake at the same place that Bright worked last summer. She doesn't like customers who are mean! Rae has a doctor's appointment in SLC this next week and we get to go to lunch with her.
Julia is in Nicaragua doing a teen service project. She drove Cynthia's car to Laguna Niguel from San Francisco after their family vacation and then lost the only key to the car. There is a funny story of her Mom and Jane cleaning her room to find the key while she is Nicaragua. They found 89 pens and pencils and a few calculators and her camera but no key. After some prayer, a call to AAA to open the car,and more searching, a key was found that Allen IV lost a few year's ago. The other key is still missing!
Ruth was here for EFY this week with some of her cousins. They loved it!
Peter returned from their family vacation to England, Scotland and Iceland. How fun for their family.
Noah sang a duet. It combined Come Follow Me" and "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go". The Ostergar's took over their sacrament meeting and lots of relatives filled the benches. They all did a great job.
Bright is working in Price and will go to school there again in the Fall. She is working at a Museum and at a Pizza Parlor. She now has a car and delivers Pizza too. Sunny is working in Bear Lake at the same place that Bright worked last summer. She doesn't like customers who are mean! Rae has a doctor's appointment in SLC this next week and we get to go to lunch with her.
Julia is in Nicaragua doing a teen service project. She drove Cynthia's car to Laguna Niguel from San Francisco after their family vacation and then lost the only key to the car. There is a funny story of her Mom and Jane cleaning her room to find the key while she is Nicaragua. They found 89 pens and pencils and a few calculators and her camera but no key. After some prayer, a call to AAA to open the car,and more searching, a key was found that Allen IV lost a few year's ago. The other key is still missing!
Ruth was here for EFY this week with some of her cousins. They loved it!
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| Ruth with her cousin Madi Sedgwick |
James Atticus has spent 3 weeks in Australia visiting his Dad and family there. We had a nice visit with him on our recent trip to California for Mary's concert. I saw a photo of Mary and Anna Belle on Instagram today eating Yogurt at Yogurtland...They introduced it to us while we were there. It is yummers! Go get some.
We did a little camping this week at Payson Lakes. We took the canoe, bicycles and Anna's family.
Clara and Daisy look very good paddling in the canoe. We did some Beaver art and generally had fun. Daisy got her driver's license this week and passed two summer on-line classes all on the same day.
What have been some of your favorite summer reads? I have enjoyed Rump, The True Story of Rumplestiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff and another was West of the Moon by Margi Preus. Both were based on fairy tales...but West of the Moon was not a fairy tale itself. The heroine is a story teller and uses a Scandinavian folk tale to tell her own story.
Grandpa and I will celebrate our 49th wedding anniversary this week. That's a long time. Do you think we will make it to the big 50th? I think we will. How should we celebrate?
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Happy and Grateful for Pioneers - Happy Pioneer Day!
This wonderful story and poem was given in church last Sunday. Walter Whipple is speaking. He was the first mission president to Poland. He is our ward organist. He played the organ on a mission at the Jerusalem Center a few years ago. He has a collection of carved Polish religious folk art and does woodworking himself. Often on Christmas day he is the one who will play the organ concert on Temple Square. Enjoy this message that touched me.
Walter Whipple:
My maternal grandmother, Mabel Atkinson, one of ten children, was the daughter of a Danish
immigrant who had sailed to America at age 9, accompanied by her 4 year-old brother, over whom
she was in charge. Grandma Mabel taught school in Dayton, Idaho until she took early retirement due
to ill health. In her final ten or twelve years she took up writing poetry. I remember her pacing the
floor as she tried various ways of fixing a “dead line” that didn't flow just right. When she finally
found the desired word, she celebrated by taking the hatchet to the chicken coop. Within a short time
she served delicious fried chicken with freshly baked rolls, apple pie, and even green Jello.
From the early 1950's until her death in 1962, her writings appeared regularly in the Relief Society
Magazine. Her epic poem, Miracle of the Gulls, seems appropriate for this occasion:
MIRACLE OF THE GULLS
Singing, they blazed a highway to the West –
The Mormon pioneers. The desert sod
They conquered, even to the mountains' crest,
To build a great imperium to God.
“Come, come, ye saints,
We seek the place where God would have us dwell.
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
With joy, gird up your loins, for all is well.”
A reverent people asking but to be
Allowed, in peace, to worship Him they loved –
Their right within a kingdom of the free –
Were driven by the lash of slander; shoved
From their ancestral homes with rams of hate:
To coax the dormant life from desert sand;
To keep their shrine of faith inviolate;
Release an Eden in primeval land,
Where high above the ravens of despair
White wings of hope would bid them build their dream;
Where, clarionbclear, through elemental air
Tolerance would echo in the eagle's scream.
Day after day the covered wagons rolled
Across the startled prairies. Light hearts sang
With violins in gladness. Mourning told
Of graves beside the trail . . . Yet ever rang
The carillons of truth. A retinue
Of angels listened to their muted song,
“And should we die before our journey's through,
” they sang,
“nor labor fear.
All, all is well.” Hearts quailed to hear the long-
Drawn howl of hungry wolves . . . A prophet's death,
Mob violence, were left behind; ahead,
Cathedral mountains and the challenging breath
From desertlungs. When their great leader said,
Viewing the valleyland,
All eagerly they plowed and sowed and reaped;
Laid plans for Templed cities. The embrace
Of toil was sweet, and life in earth's womb leaped
To greening beauty: Thirsty acres drank
From cool canals and “blossomed as the rose.”
“This is the place!”
Then came black wings of doom, and laughter sank
In depths of horror: Hordes of cricketfoes
Came swarming from the mountains till the sun
Was veiled in darkness by them flying, creeping,
And field on field was barrened, overrun
By the marauders. Wives and mothers, weeping,
Fathers and children fought with fire and flail
Unceasingly, while sending fervent prayer,
Pleading for Heaven to save. To no avail
They toiled, then waited: On expectant air,
There came the ominous sound of rushing wind –
Great whirring wings alighted like a cloud.
The gaunt, worn pioneers, griefdisciplined,
Saw death descending swiftly in a shroud:
Rising from waters of the lake came gulls,
Great whitewinged birds that brought but added fears.
Could nothing save now but God's miracles?
The cup of joy became a cup of tears.
“All is well!” rang out the victory cry,
Then,
“God has delivered us! The crops are saved!
Great joyful wings!” Their paeans reached the sky –
“Praise God for mercy prodigally laved!”
The gulls would gorge, cast up, then gorge again.
Exhausted toilers stood in awe to see
The feasting birds eject the crickets, then
Refill their craws . . . Their dark Gethsemane
Was lilybeautified.
As strong men knelt
And wept like children, with new tenderness,
Mothers held babies to their breasts, and felt
Anointing hands of angels in caress.
Within God's shadow, weary hearts (grown old)
Leaped with the pulse of April. Pioneers,
Young as tomorrow, in a rescued wold
Sang,
“All is well! Dispersed are all our fears.
Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?”
For God's sure fingers held His world in place.
Their hearts returned unto love's harpsichord,
They joyed within the peace of His embrace.
Today, beside a timeless monument –
Great silent wings — their children's children tell
The sacred tale of how the gulls were sent,
And sing the stirring anthem,
“All is well!”
Mabel Law Atkinson (1956)
Walter Whipple:
My maternal grandmother, Mabel Atkinson, one of ten children, was the daughter of a Danish
immigrant who had sailed to America at age 9, accompanied by her 4 year-old brother, over whom
she was in charge. Grandma Mabel taught school in Dayton, Idaho until she took early retirement due
to ill health. In her final ten or twelve years she took up writing poetry. I remember her pacing the
floor as she tried various ways of fixing a “dead line” that didn't flow just right. When she finally
found the desired word, she celebrated by taking the hatchet to the chicken coop. Within a short time
she served delicious fried chicken with freshly baked rolls, apple pie, and even green Jello.
From the early 1950's until her death in 1962, her writings appeared regularly in the Relief Society
Magazine. Her epic poem, Miracle of the Gulls, seems appropriate for this occasion:
MIRACLE OF THE GULLS
Singing, they blazed a highway to the West –
The Mormon pioneers. The desert sod
They conquered, even to the mountains' crest,
To build a great imperium to God.
“Come, come, ye saints,
We seek the place where God would have us dwell.
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
With joy, gird up your loins, for all is well.”
A reverent people asking but to be
Allowed, in peace, to worship Him they loved –
Their right within a kingdom of the free –
Were driven by the lash of slander; shoved
From their ancestral homes with rams of hate:
To coax the dormant life from desert sand;
To keep their shrine of faith inviolate;
Release an Eden in primeval land,
Where high above the ravens of despair
White wings of hope would bid them build their dream;
Where, clarionbclear, through elemental air
Tolerance would echo in the eagle's scream.
Day after day the covered wagons rolled
Across the startled prairies. Light hearts sang
With violins in gladness. Mourning told
Of graves beside the trail . . . Yet ever rang
The carillons of truth. A retinue
Of angels listened to their muted song,
“And should we die before our journey's through,
” they sang,
“nor labor fear.
All, all is well.” Hearts quailed to hear the long-
Drawn howl of hungry wolves . . . A prophet's death,
Mob violence, were left behind; ahead,
Cathedral mountains and the challenging breath
From desertlungs. When their great leader said,
Viewing the valleyland,
All eagerly they plowed and sowed and reaped;
Laid plans for Templed cities. The embrace
Of toil was sweet, and life in earth's womb leaped
To greening beauty: Thirsty acres drank
From cool canals and “blossomed as the rose.”
“This is the place!”
Then came black wings of doom, and laughter sank
In depths of horror: Hordes of cricketfoes
Came swarming from the mountains till the sun
Was veiled in darkness by them flying, creeping,
And field on field was barrened, overrun
By the marauders. Wives and mothers, weeping,
Fathers and children fought with fire and flail
Unceasingly, while sending fervent prayer,
Pleading for Heaven to save. To no avail
They toiled, then waited: On expectant air,
There came the ominous sound of rushing wind –
Great whirring wings alighted like a cloud.
The gaunt, worn pioneers, griefdisciplined,
Saw death descending swiftly in a shroud:
Rising from waters of the lake came gulls,
Great whitewinged birds that brought but added fears.
Could nothing save now but God's miracles?
The cup of joy became a cup of tears.
“All is well!” rang out the victory cry,
Then,
“God has delivered us! The crops are saved!
Great joyful wings!” Their paeans reached the sky –
“Praise God for mercy prodigally laved!”
The gulls would gorge, cast up, then gorge again.
Exhausted toilers stood in awe to see
The feasting birds eject the crickets, then
Refill their craws . . . Their dark Gethsemane
Was lilybeautified.
As strong men knelt
And wept like children, with new tenderness,
Mothers held babies to their breasts, and felt
Anointing hands of angels in caress.
Within God's shadow, weary hearts (grown old)
Leaped with the pulse of April. Pioneers,
Young as tomorrow, in a rescued wold
Sang,
“All is well! Dispersed are all our fears.
Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?”
For God's sure fingers held His world in place.
Their hearts returned unto love's harpsichord,
They joyed within the peace of His embrace.
Today, beside a timeless monument –
Great silent wings — their children's children tell
The sacred tale of how the gulls were sent,
And sing the stirring anthem,
“All is well!”
Mabel Law Atkinson (1956)
Monday, July 14, 2014
A night to remember!
I haven't posted anything since May. I will have to go backwards for a while maybe. June was a very busy month for us. But here is a grandpa's corner that should make us all happy!
A BIRD IN HAND!!!
On a recent Saturday night Nancy and I had just gone to bed. It was just after 10:00
PM. As I lay there something hit me in the head. The first thought I had was that Nancy
had bumped me with her elbow. But, I opened my eyes and saw this winged thing flying
across the room. The wing span was two feet wide. It flew to the wall opposite the bed
and perched on the frame of Sara’s wedding picture. My next thought was that it was a
bat. but it seemed to big to be a bat. It then flew off the photo and landed on a small
lamp on the dresser. I told Nancy that there was something large flying around in the
room. Then I got up and closed the bedroom door so that it would not fly out and
around the house. I turned on the light. There on the lamp was perched a small gray
owl 6-8 inches tall. I could tell it was an owl because of the round head the round
eyes looking at us and the little hooked beak with the feathers ruffled around it.
Nancy left the room to look for her phone so we could take a picture. I thought, “How
can a catch it without hurting it”. I thought about throwing my robe over it, but the robe
is heavy and might hurt the bird and break the lamp. I thought of a towel, but decided
that a towel is too small. I got a sheet and folded it double. Nancy could not find her
phone so there is no picture. (She later found the phone right under the lamp where the
owl was perched). I held the folded sheet up in front of me and walked slowly toward
the bird. The light was still out. I walked right up to the owl and slowly laid the sheet
over the top of it then gathered the sheet at the bottom and lifted the sheet with the owl
inside off the lamp. As I carried it out to the back yard the owl moved a little and made some
clucking type noises but not much. I placed the sheet on the grass and slowly pulled it away.
The owl was freed and flew toward the trees next door in the Call’s back yard.
We wondered how the owl got into the house. The next morning I went into the living
room and saw that the screen in front of the fireplace was partially open and leaning
over. Then I notice that there were several black streaks on the ceiling and walls of the
living room. The mystery was solved! The owl had somehow come or fallen down the
chimney and into the house. As it flew around the house the soot on its wings left the
marks on the walls. We also found one small bird dropping on the back of the leather chair.
The next day in church I told Duane Call Jr, who lives one back yard from us, about the
incident. He told me that there are six Screech owls that live in a tree in his back yard. We hear
them hooting every day. He then said, “Every night before I go to bed I go out on our
back deck and whistle and the six owls fly to the railing on the deck. I talk to them and
even pet them. Last night only five came and I wondered where the other one was.
Now I have the rest of the story!”
We live in a wonderful world, full of beautiful creatures, plants and even people. I am
glad that we had a close encounter with one of those creatures.
Below is a link that shows what a screech owl looks and sounds like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOMCHegQA7A
A BIRD IN HAND!!!
On a recent Saturday night Nancy and I had just gone to bed. It was just after 10:00
PM. As I lay there something hit me in the head. The first thought I had was that Nancy
had bumped me with her elbow. But, I opened my eyes and saw this winged thing flying
across the room. The wing span was two feet wide. It flew to the wall opposite the bed
and perched on the frame of Sara’s wedding picture. My next thought was that it was a
bat. but it seemed to big to be a bat. It then flew off the photo and landed on a small
lamp on the dresser. I told Nancy that there was something large flying around in the
room. Then I got up and closed the bedroom door so that it would not fly out and
around the house. I turned on the light. There on the lamp was perched a small gray
owl 6-8 inches tall. I could tell it was an owl because of the round head the round
eyes looking at us and the little hooked beak with the feathers ruffled around it.
Nancy left the room to look for her phone so we could take a picture. I thought, “How
can a catch it without hurting it”. I thought about throwing my robe over it, but the robe
is heavy and might hurt the bird and break the lamp. I thought of a towel, but decided
that a towel is too small. I got a sheet and folded it double. Nancy could not find her
phone so there is no picture. (She later found the phone right under the lamp where the
owl was perched). I held the folded sheet up in front of me and walked slowly toward
the bird. The light was still out. I walked right up to the owl and slowly laid the sheet
over the top of it then gathered the sheet at the bottom and lifted the sheet with the owl
inside off the lamp. As I carried it out to the back yard the owl moved a little and made some
clucking type noises but not much. I placed the sheet on the grass and slowly pulled it away.
The owl was freed and flew toward the trees next door in the Call’s back yard.
We wondered how the owl got into the house. The next morning I went into the living
room and saw that the screen in front of the fireplace was partially open and leaning
over. Then I notice that there were several black streaks on the ceiling and walls of the
living room. The mystery was solved! The owl had somehow come or fallen down the
chimney and into the house. As it flew around the house the soot on its wings left the
marks on the walls. We also found one small bird dropping on the back of the leather chair.
The next day in church I told Duane Call Jr, who lives one back yard from us, about the
incident. He told me that there are six Screech owls that live in a tree in his back yard. We hear
them hooting every day. He then said, “Every night before I go to bed I go out on our
back deck and whistle and the six owls fly to the railing on the deck. I talk to them and
even pet them. Last night only five came and I wondered where the other one was.
Now I have the rest of the story!”
We live in a wonderful world, full of beautiful creatures, plants and even people. I am
glad that we had a close encounter with one of those creatures.
Below is a link that shows what a screech owl looks and sounds like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOMCHegQA7A
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Cousins hanging on the Beach!
The Loganstergars have spent a fabulous week+ in So Cal. What was everyone's best moment?
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| Sand between the toes!! |
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