WHAT A MESS!

Bye-bye Colors

Sadly, autumn leaves don't last. This week saw a lot of wind, so pretty soon the trees were - as Analiese put it - bald. It also meant those leaves ended up on the ground. And on my porch. And on my floor. Between the leaves and dried grass, I cannot keep my carpet clean...and yes! It bugs me. My carpet is a dark color and every little thing shows up on it!

Also, both the front and back yards are swimming in them! It's going to take the whole crew a bit of time to rake and bag them all. No, no fires, that's illegal here. Besides, I think our landlady would freak out about that. I know I would.

The funny thing about the leaves is that they act a bit like snow on the ground. They edge the roads or, in some cases, linger in the center area like natural lane dividers. Some people like to crunch around on the leaves...kids think the sound is fun.

Sweet Sixteen

Scary to think of, isn't it? Analiese turned sixteen on Tuesday. We had her birthday dinner Monday, but in Seminary on Tuesday morning, her teacher had a card and candy bar for her (wink). She also had the class sing to the birthday girl, which she found embarrassing. Hey, we do it for every birthday!

She received some nice cards and gifts from family far away.

Reading sweet birthday message

At home, she received pretty blue crystal earrings from her parents

Believe it or not, her dad picked those out!

and a how-to-draw Marvel comic book characters book from Jonathan.

You know what she likes!

We teased her a bit about being able to date boys now. She teased us about "wouldn't you like to know who" she had lined up! Seriously, who?

She went with the youth to a barn dance at a farm outside of Noble (past Norman) Saturday evening. There was a barn there, but they danced outside (we've had freezing temps lately, they were COLD, even with a bonfire!) I asked her afterwards if any young men she knew had realized she was now "prime dating pickings." Nope. Bummer. I just wanted to tease her more. (As it was, I teased one of my students on Sunday because I guess he brought not one, but TWO girls with him to the dance. I guess his parents said he had to because one girl meant a date and he's not 16 yet! LOL.)

Yes, driving is on her mind, too. We had agreed, she kept up with her studies and we would let her take driver's ed. She's been doing great this year with her school work, so, come January, she gets to start. The really nice thing? The cost comes out of charter school funds!

Light 'er Up!

City workers have gotten busy at the park the last week or so setting up the light displays for the Festival of Light, which is held here between Thanksgiving and New Years. Analiese and I discover new ones each day we go walking. She wants us to take an inventory with her for the FHE after thanksgiving because she's assembling a scavenger hunt that our Branch is hosting for other nearby ward/branch youths. It'll be held mid-December. She volunteered to do it and is very excited.

Gearing Up for Winter

The little critters have been busy. Those Kamikaze squirrels are everywhere, zipping back and forth! One morning, on the way to Seminary, Analiese and I actually saw a live raccoon (we see plenty of dead ones on the highway) crossing the road on the USAO campus (we drive through the campus to get to the main road closest to the church). I don't think I've seen a live raccoon since I was a younger girl visiting my grandparents when they lived in Lake Arrowhead.

My landlady was over recently to make sure we covered our outside faucets with foam protectors. We had a night of freezing temps and so have started dripping water. I had Ken put the electric blanket on the bed and the thermostat is turned to heat.

Yes, I get cold! Not as quickly as others, perhaps, but I do. So I've pulled out jackets and sweaters and throws for the sofa. I also put on socks. My feet have been so dry, one actually cracked on the ball and bled a little in Seminary. It hurt to walk on for a couple of days. So it's lots of lotion and socks. Lotion for my hands, too, and lip balm. I tend to dry out quickly. And my achy turning-arthritic hands need my compression gloves. My pinkie joints in particular do not like the cold!

The Primary Program

Was this Sunday. So what does this have to do with me? I don't have a calling in Primary. Ah, but I do play piano. The last couple of weeks their regular pianist was out of town and asked me to sub for her. They've been working on the program and figured I might as well do it today for the actual thing. They had a couple of special numbers in particular that I was aware of how they wanted it done, so I guess I was stuck.

My favorite was playing "I am a Child of God" for the last number with the kids. One of my Seminary students played the descant on her violin along with us. It was very beautiful. But then, I love the violin. I also got a kick out of the two kids and mother singing "A Child's Prayer." At the end, the youngest, a boy, had gotten confused. He looked up at his mom afterwards and said, "I got lost." Right by the microphone. It was adorable!

PH - My Early Years

Obviously, I remember very little of my babyhood and young childhood. I am, therefore, very grateful to my parents for writing THEIR personal histories, so I have some idea of what it was like.

Here's an experience I had as a baby that my Dad records: When Michele was about 9 months old, her mom was feeding her one day in her infant seat and Michele lunged forward and hit her head on the corner of the plaster wall. She cut her head open right on the eyebrow line and was bleeding profusely. Our neighbors took Linda and Michele to the base and a doctor sewed up her head with tiny stitches. He stated he felt sorry for the doctor who had to take out the stitches. A short time later he was on duty at the right time and did the removal also. To this day you can only see her scar if you spread her eyebrow apart.

The way I heard it was that Mom cried harder than I did in the doctor's office. She felt really bad about it. I get it, now that I'm a mother, too. When Jonathan was born and discovered to have club feet, he went to the orthopedic doctor at three days old to have them looked at and casted for the first of many times. As our story goes, Ken held Jonathan (for the doctor) and Mom held me. Ah, new mothers! I've since learned that babies are made of sterner stuff than we think...that's how they survive their siblings!

Now I KNOW there is a photograph out there of me with those stitches in my eyebrow. But my folks have it and I don't. If I ever can get a hold of it, I'll post it. And, yes, underneath the brow hairs, is that scar line from my fall at nine months!

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