Flower trivia

We planted these a couple of years ago and of course, cannot remember what they are. Does anyone know? They are just the prettiest little light blue flower, kind of a bushy plant. 

Love this book

I am a sucker for charming. And Fannie Flagg. And Aunt Elner. I want to be like her. When I found out that God's name is Raymond, I was hooked.

Now Twilight was another story. I wanted to like it. I really did. But it left me under impressed. Anyone want to tell me what I missed????

Girls gone wild in Buffalo

Sorry Christy, just had to use it!

Hear are some good doula friends at our advanced training in Buffalo today.

This is Christy and Adriana

Our trainer Pat (in pink)

Christy being adorable with the rebozo. Gorgeous purple, isn't it?

And Adriana with her pretty curly hair

Then there is me - I had just woken up from a hypnobirthing nap. AND you get to see the braces!
We learned all sorts of new things like about the hormones that play such an important part in birth and how interventions interrupt the hormonal interplay of normal birth. We learned why men fight, while women tend and protect. Fascinating subject that all makes sense. 

For instance, when you first heard about the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, what did you do? Most women wanted their families around them. Larry was at work that morning and when he called me I said, "PLEASE COME HOME."  But he was fine at work and stayed, but I had that reaction to tend to my family and be together. It's the female hormones. 

So after our training was over and we got back to Rochester, I went outside to plant flowers and herbs. It was a good day. Thanks Christy, for driving! 

Memorial Day and baby geese

Chester the Lame Gosling is better. (I named him Chester in honor of the guy on Gunsmoke who had a hitch in his giddy-up.) Yesterday he was keeping up pretty well with the rest of his family. He wasn't last in line anymore and can almost run! It will be interesting to watch him get older and see if the limp goes away. It made my day to see him doing so much better.

Memorial Day was just perfect - weather and activities both! Our ward picnic was fun with good food and good people. I love our ward. Afterwards we went to our friend's home who happen to be our next door neighbors, for a birthday party/picnic. Again, good food and good company.

This is Shawn 

This is Brother Locke playing grandpa - Larry could barely reach him, yet the kiddo was hollering to go higher!!!!

Just one of those all around nice days!

More geese

Here are some more shots of the Canada geese families we have living behind our houses. The top one shows the family with the little lame gosling. He is WAAAY over to the left. Just his head is visible. Yesterday Larry and I went down to the pond to see if the  gosling was still there, or dead or forgotten, because we didn't see him up by the house. (See my "photo a day blog")  Thankfully, he was hunkered down in the reeds while his parents and siblings were munching on the grass. Today we saw him hobbling along with his family again and seems to be a bit better. Either he really is recovering from whatever is ailing him or he's just getting used to the disability. 

The joys....

This is kind of a tag (from Kristine)

Joys in my life:

1. Larry the husband and eternal companion. He is a good man. Everybody loves Larry! He loves me and supports me in all my crazy endeavors. He actually likes to shop, too.

2. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I would be lost in space without the gospel.

3. My extended family. Chuck and Kathy, Joe and Joanne, Rick and Susan, Gene and Ann, Dolores and Bill, Mary and Paul, Judi, Kathy, Chuck and Kerry. Even the cat.

4. Pam. More than a friend. Closest to family without the DNA. She loves me and supports me in all my crazy endeavors, too. We have been friends for 32 years.

4. Sonnia, my sisters in the gospel, my girlfriends; they all know who they are. I do not know where or what I would be without all of them.

5. Music. More of that will come later.

6. Family history (genealogy.) I think that without any descendants, my mind naturally and easily looks back to the ancestors and wants to be connected to them.

8. My doula babies and their parents. Helping a new soul come into the world is one of the choicest blessings in my life. Except for getting up in the middle of the night.

9. Books. I do not know what I would do if I could not read, or listen anyway to books on tape.

10. My volunteer work at the Red Cross. I truly love helping out. Also, human nature is fascinating. I like meeting different people and seeing the dynamics of different families.

I have a new calling

Gospel Doctrine teacher! Holy guacamole. 

I really do love to teach and have taught adults, teenagers, children and toddlers but Gospel Doctrine? These are the big kids.

Pray for me... wish on a star... rub a lucky penny... something! Our ward is in for a rousing good time with me and my braces.

A funeral for a dear friend

Today our friend Gary Witt was buried. It was awful. When someone dies so unexpectedly it is just such a shock. Larry spoke at the service today, along with Gary and Linda's two daughters and a member of the bishopric. It was beautiful, and oh so sad at the same time.  

Brrrrr

It was 63 degrees in the house this morning. I bit the bullet and turned the heat on again. It is May 16 and I turned the heat on. This is ridiculous! But 63 was just a tad too chilly.

Have any of you heard of Anuschka bags and wallets? Look at these bags, they are gorgeous. And expensive. But maybe I could afford a wallet on sale someday.

Closeups

Larry took some really great pictures in our backyard today, with our new camera. The lilacs are in full, gorgeous bloom!! The backyard is beginning to look pretty again!

Our friend Gary.....

This morning at 7AM my friend Linda called with the news that her husband Gary had died suddenly at work last night. He had been fine, so this was a total shock, and so hard to believe. It hit me hard. He was my age and we have been friends with them for almost 25 years. We'll know what happened after the autopsy. Again, it is truly a blessing to know about and have faith in the plan of salvation. They have been sealed and can be an eternal family.

Larry the Chef

Here he is making scones.

The flour....



The mess....



The dough....



The finished product!  And they're good, too!

Don't kill me

No kids, no grandkids, no doula babies, no nieces or nephews - so you get Elbie the Cat. You have to admit she is pretty dang cute. Right? Right?

No babies, but a 5AM fire call

Okay so I was on call this morning from 4AM until 10AM. Not a big time for fires. So of course, this morning there is a two alarm for a vacant building. So we go to the scene to serve refreshments to the firefighters. Not hard, but very interesting to see them fight the fire in this dilapidated old building which will end up coming down anyway. Here are some pictures I took this morning with my new Canon camera! I thought this was a really smokey fire, so I came home smelling really bad. I am so grateful for showers!!!

Apple tech support

The scroll on my mouse stopped working. I was very sad. So I called tech support and guess what I had to do? He told me to take a drop of water and rub it on the scroll button, then take a cloth and kind of wipe it around, then turn the mouse upside down and tap it. Voila! It works now! It was fast, easy and the guy didn't make me feel like a knucklehead.

This is a tree in our backyard. It always looks so pretty in the spring. It's leaning. Larry says it's fine. I think it's going to fall over someday and squash my lavender.

Katrina, who is my new friend in Utah is having a shoe party tonight. Can you imagine how fun that would be??? If anyone knows of such a thing here in Rochester, I want to know about it. I love shoes. They are better than Tupperware.

We bought a new camera......

and I think I love it! It's a Canon. I was visiting with my cousin Judi today and she gave me these two pictures. The first one is me as a baby. Don't laugh. The second one is a painting done by my cousin Mary Ellen. I really like paintings of doors and windows. Lines in general give me a a sense of balance. This painting hung in my grandparent's home for over thirty years and now I have it!! Thanks cousins!

My camera died!!!

My poor Nikon camera. The lens won't close. New batteries don't help. It's deader than a doornail. NOTHING. I am very sad. How am I going to post a picture every day (on the other blog) if I can't TAKE any pictures???

I looked in Office Max at a Sony but if I don't like it I can't return it!!! What in the world. Does anyone have a great camera they would recommend? 

Maybe I will just get another Nikon Coolpix.....

New Neil Diamond CD coming out next week!!

Here is what's coming up next week -

Monday - errands 

Tuesday - new CD comes out so I will be with Pam, my best and eternal friend in all the world as we buy it and listen together

Wednesday - work at the Red Cross

Thursday - doctor appointments and Red Cross meeting

Friday - on call

No babies due,  (very sad face.)