a festive weekend with a few "But First we..."

Oh yes, we have about 36 hours before we climb on a plane and fly off to Australia for two weeks, but many things have to happen before one embarks on such a journey.
Yesterday we went to Mesa to attend the temple but we had a couple of "but first we" things that had to take place before we entered the temple.  The initial "but first we" was driving to the Phoenix Valley in driving rain.  We have not had rain in Arizona for many many weeks and we have had no snow for winter either.  This does not bode well for our lakes here in Prescott or for the aquifer that runs under Prescott.  When it rains it is 'festive' for us and we go to the window or even outdoors and watch it rain.  For some people that sounds really nutty to watch it rain - but watch it we do and yesterday drive in it we did.  It came down so fast that our windshield wipers on the fastest speed could barely keep up and we found ourselves in the same predicament as many drivers - doing 40mph or less in a 75mph zone.  In all the years I have lived in Arizona I have not driven as slow as 40mph on the I-17 corridor to Phoenix.  Mostly the speed is at least 75mph and often a lot higher by the speedy little sports jobs that people love to own (but we don't).
We made it to the Phoenix valley - white knuckle driving all the way because we could barely see the white
lines on the highway.  Bill said we should go and find a member of the church who moved to Phoenix and left no forwarding address - we have some who do this - but this man did not realize that he has Bill Markham on his tail and so we found ourselves in an area of Phoenix that we have never been in before.  It is remarkable to note that the houses across the I-10 freeway from this area we were in, were very upscale and the area we were in was very low income and dilapidated.  Stark reality to be sure but I surmise that at one time when these houses were built, that they were the ones to own....but time and economics no longer make them desirable.
It rained off and on while we were in Phoenix, and as we left for Mesa (our second "but first we"), it was still touch and go with the rain.  We entered the temple in time to see a bridal party gather on the steps for photo's after the wedding.  When we emerged from the temple about 3 hours later, it was pouring rain.
Now, as I wrote, it is festive for rain to fall here in Arizona and we welcome it and it sure looked picturesque as it fell on the reflecting pool in front of the temple, but we had left our umbrellas in the car and the car was parked about 100 yards from the temple gates - so our chance of staying dry was slim to none.  Finally we got to the car - ran between the raindrops so to speak - and left for Scottsdale.  In Scottsdale we found the Apple store (our third "but first we" and our last one before heading home), and went in to see about buying a converter for our electronic devices that we plan to take to Australia with us.  I was duly impressed by the Apple store - it is large, airy, with floor to ceiling  windows on both ends and it was filled with technological wizards who knew exactly what we needed and more interesting than that, I was fascinated by the 3yr old who was playing  a game on the sample I-pad they had on the table - just at his height for his convenience.  His mother said that he even has to tell his grandpa how to work certain electronic things in the house...........and I believe it.  I asked if he was for hire to help me make my way through the electronic maze.  She said he was, but we live in Prescott and he lives in Phoenix.
One problem that might have existed with the rain was the cultural celebration that was to take place on Saturday evening in connection with the dedication of the Gilbert Temple.  We wondered if it would go on with the rain but apparently it was slated to go on, rain or shine and it did.
This morning we went to the Stake Center here in Prescott, and attended the live feed temple dedication ceremony.  This ceremony was both peaceful and festive.  That sounds strange, but it makes my heart happy to have been able to attend the dedication of one more temple, and it gave peace to my soul at the same time.  Temples are important because we learn more about God and his plan for us and it is the connection between mortality and heaven.  Marriage for time and eternity is the focal point of the temple ceremonies - the marriage bond extends beyond the grave....and that is comforting.
So now that we have a festive weekend of rain, and the celebration of a new temple dedication, we can concentrate on packing up our stuff and getting ready to go to Australia.

Seven Days to go

It is now seven days before we leave for Australia.  You would never guess it because we have not even pulled out the suitcases............planning is not a top priority - until this evening.  Bill observed that we had better do something soon because our plane leaves next week.  I just hope we are on it!  ha ha ha ha
We have not had much of a winter this year.  Only a small dusting snow shower and the air is very dry.  I have to sleep with a humidifier going otherwise I have difficulty breathing.
One magnificent thing needs to be noted.  The fruit trees and other ornamental trees are in full bloom.  My own two fruit trees, a peach tree and a nectarine tree have very swollen buds and a pin head size burst of pink color on the outer edge of some buds - they will be in full bloom before we leave.  The days are wonderfully warm and the nights cool and we desperately need rain.
Now, the saying goes that March comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb.  I hope that when it comes in that it does not destroy all the beautiful blossoms that adorn the trees and especially that it does not freeze out my fruit trees - or anyone else's fruit trees for that matter.  As I walk the neighborhoods, the sight of the blossoms is breathtaking.  My  neighbor has a plum tree that last year was loaded with fruit.  Most years it freezes out but last year we had plums galore and our friends cringed when we approached them with a bag of plums - they were already overloaded with previous gifts of the fruit.  This year, if there is a plum for each flower, she will have a bumper crop.  We hope that March leaves like a lamb and the fruit trees remain intact.
We had Community Quilts today and there was a large donation of quilt fabric from someone's estate.  When the bags containing the fabric were tipped out onto the table, the ladies gathered around and began to sort the pieces.  It was joyful and the chatter was fun to listen to. When I told Bill about it he said "It must be like opening and playing in a brand new toy box" and I guess he is correct.  Somehow, we managed sort to color and size and put the new pieces in our boxes of fabrics for use in community quilts.  Last week at the Guild meeting, we had a program by the Lumber Yard Ladies.  They cut their left over fabrics into pieces of 2x4, 4x4, 2x8, and 2x2, and they then use these small pieces to put together quilt blocks that measure 8x8 and then they take these 8x8 blocks and combine them to make quilt tops.  A truly scrappy quilt effect, but the ladies who took the class are all excited for the new process.  One thing that needs to be noted is that not all the blocks come out to an exact 8x8 measurement and this is due to various things like cutting errors, stitching errors and also that some machines do not sew a 1/4 inch seam exactly.  For example, if you begin sewing the blocks on one machine, you cannot go and sew on another machine and expect the blocks from both machines, when combined to make a quilt top, to finish out at the same size - some machines are a scant 1/4inch and others are a generous 1/4 inch.  Ah the fun of doing quilting!  And they talk about needing uniformity in various community endeavors, well, start with the quilting and we may just accomplish something.  How can you sleep under uneven seams?  ha ha ha ha
Our quilt show is coming up and I have completed finishing two sides of my 3600 piece hexagon modified grandmothers flower garden.   It is a King Size quilt. (www.paperpieces.com  and look on 'pictures' and on page 3 or page 4 for my picture with this quilt).  I will be glad when it is finished.
I am very grateful for the work of Dr. Benson.  His series of injections into my left leg have been successful and I can now walk 2 miles per day.  I have not been able to go walking since returning home from Nebraska in July last year.
Sara has sent me a few pictures on the messages portion of my phone.  One of them is baby August being quite vocal.  Another one is of him doing his level best to get to crawling - right now he is developing his upper body strength by hauling himself along with his hands and arms and dragging his wiggling legs behind him.  On facetime, I saw him get up on arms and legs and do a type of (yoga) Downward Dog pose.  I think he will be fully mobile before you know it.
I am not sure how to continue the blog while in Australia because I will only have my Ipad with me but will perhaps keep a written record that can be transcribed when I get home.
but first we have to get to the Apple Store to buy a charger for Australia's electricity.

Getting ready to go......but first we!

I sit here in very dry, warm Arizona - the warmest winter so far and the driest.  the TV is on and the totally nutty Snowboard cross is running.  It appears to be the most insane of all the Olympic events so far. 6 people with their feet strapped to a funny looking piece of equipment  hurtle down the snowy slope filled with terrifying jumps and twists and turns and the winter has moved in on the field with snow falling at the top of the run and rain on the bottom of the run - and they think that this is fun?  And now there are women skiing down the slope on what they describe as terrible conditions.  What sort of death wish do these people have to even think of taking this on.
Our trip to Australia is looming - one of my preparations for this trip has been to put on paper the family narrative to be given to my relatives in Australia.  As far as I know, I am the only one who has taken on the challenge of tracking them down.  The narrative is an outline of the good, the bad and the ugly so to speak.  In a perfect world, the princess is swept off her feet by the handsome prince and carried away on his prancing white steed to live happily ever after.  Reality talks about the move from one country to another - from one culture to a new one and to have to learn a new language into the bargain.  I can identify with all of this.....been there done that.
Our last week in Prescott is in total chaos,  On Monday I have an all day stint in the Community quilts activity for the quilt guild.  Tuesday I have a luncheon with my applique group.  Wednesday is my beading group.   Thursday I have my Pilates class and then 4 hours at the family history center.  Friday is a Family History Center training session.  Saturday we are going to Mesa to attend the temple and on Sunday is the dedicatory sessions for the Gilbert Temple over closed circuit TV to the church.  Monday we leave for Australia.
I am very happy that I have finished the genealogy report - I can now enjoy the last week here.
Now on the TV is some other insanity - the ski snow cross in the half pipe....and I thought that the snowboard half pipe was insane but these people on ski's doing the half pipe staggers my senses.
preparing to leave for Australia but first we...............but first we must to lots of other things in preparation.

Relaxing compression.

So, life has been such a rush and so much crammed into such a short time period that Bill decided we would do a relaxing getaway weekend.  Ha ha! there is no such thing as a relaxing getaway weekend.
The proposal was to leave early Friday afternoon - around 2.30pm and go to Buckeye (West Valley on Phoenix) Pick up David, take him to dinner, be at the Temple site for the evening concert at 7pm, and to see the lights at the Mesa Temple (type Mesa Temple Lights in the search box and you will see the spectacular lights they have displayed there), take David back to Buckeye from Mesa, then drive back to Mesa to stay the night and attend the temple early the next Morning (Saturday) and on the way home visit Kohls Store to look at suits for him and then get to the Dentist and then on home.  The time factor alone was mind boggling.  Travel two hours from Prescott to Buckeye, one hour travel to Mesa, one hour at least for dinner, 30 minutes for the concert, one hour to just walk the Temple grounds viewing the lights, one hour to drive him back to Buckeye, then turn around and drive one hour back to Mesa to our motel - and that was just Friday!   Do the math - 7 1/2 hours if all went as planned and a total of almost 300 miles driving give or take before we could go to bed at the motel.  Not too inviting, not too relaxing.  What really happened was this - We left Prescott around 3.30pm+  and drove a little over 2 hours to Buckeye from Prescott, David decided he did not want to go to Mesa to see the lights but gave us a detailed tour of his new housing; so we drove about 5 miles to the nearest restaurant, ate, took him back home and then drove to Mesa to see the lights; missed the concert entirely, and then back to mid Mesa to the motel.
When we got to  the motel, found that there was lots of road construction so that took a lot of time to navigate and then we found the motel parking lot deserted.  Looked suspiciously like a Norman Bates type motel (anyone see Psycho with Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh)?  Needless to say, I was looking forward to a very quiet night in the motel but they seem to have rented the room above us to a herd of Elephants who spent a lot of the night moving furniture around.  Maybe Norman Bates was upstairs - who knows?
The next morning we went to breakfast at the motel dining room with the usual waffle batter,boiled eggs, yogurt, milk, coffee, sweet breads, toast, jam, bagels and cream cheese.  The only thing I could eat in this spread was the boiled eggs.  Bill on the other hand had a feast.
We drove to the temple and attended a session there.  When we came out there were loads of people on the steps having a wedding picture taken.  Often we have thought (as a joke) to join the crowd and get our picture taken as well, but that did not happen.  They would wonder, afterwards, who are those people? where do they fit in the family?
Bill did not believe me when I told him that it would take an hour at least to get to the dentist in North West Phoenix  from Mesa.  He only allowed about 15 to 20 minutes - it really did take a little more than an hour because there was a traffic slowdown on I-17 due to a crash at Indian School road, so we were late to the dentist.  When we were finished there we found Kohl's store but he did not find the exact suit he wanted so we looked for a restaurant for lunch.  Saw a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant but my husband is not adventurous when it comes to food so we found a place that served stuff more to his Connecticut Yankee palate.  We also found D & I Beads - I have been there before - but when you have your husband with you, there is no such thing as taking one's time to look - so I had to go through the store at the "speed of light" and we left for Prescott.  All in all we traveled around 300+ miles in the space of 24 hours - oh yes, it was a change of pace I suppose, but certainly not relaxing.  I had envisioned driving to Mesa, eating dinner, seeing the concert and the lights and then going to the motel around 8.30pm and relaxing.  Life still is in a blender even when we do a "Getaway weekend".

Baby visit - the second day.

Saturday dawned early - babies have a habit of making things early.  I went in to see Sara and he was snuggling with his mother - and quite comfortable at that.
Bill went to the YMCA to do his exercise routine and while he was gone, Sara and I sat down for some serious family story and picture time.  We need to do everything we can to keep the family stories alive and passed along.  I wish I had been told more family stories than I was told.
At 10am we were all at the Prescott Public Library where we watched a performance of the Nutcracker by the girls who study at the YMCA school of Ballet.  August sat up and took note of all that was happening.  For a five month old baby, he was quite interested in the music - at times moving in time with the beat and the movement of the dancers held his gaze.  Bill and I had seen the performance at the Mall a week or so ago but a lady sitting behind us wanted me to take pictures of her grand daughter for her because we were in the front row - so I did and I missed a lot of the dance but got some great pictures for the lady.  This performance at the library was just for me to see and enjoy - no photography for other people.
After the performance, we wandered around the library - Sara was very interested in the library set up because that is what she does for a living.  While there Bill and I renewed our library cards - everything is so high tech these days - they even have a pin for access to their system.
Sara wanted to go to the library in Prescott Valley - it is the newest public library here in the area.  So we went there for an hour or two and then it was past lunch time.  We stopped at Golden Corral - a.k.a. Glutton's Garage - a smorgasbord of food selections and local hang out.
At last we were at home and the baby was able to rest a while.  We really ran his legs off this visit and he was not on any kind of a schedule.
At 6pm we were at the Church Christmas Social and we ate there.  By 7.30 we were at downtown Prescott trying to find the Safeway Christmas Dinner.  They were supposed to be eating at the Prescott Brewery Restaurant but when we got there they were nowhere to be found.  Just as we were leaving to return home, one of the hostesses from the Brewery came out to find us. She was Really glad that she found us and she proceeded to tell us that the Safeway crowd had been at PBR but there was not enough room for them all, so they left for Rosa's which is an Italian Pizzeria and Pub a few blocks away.  We walked down there in the cold but found the group, were welcomed warmly and found that they had already ordered food.  We had already eaten anyway but the wait staff offered appetizers.  I asked for the Shrimp plate and they were the most tasty things I have ever eaten.  Found out that the Pharmacy Boss is named John Cyr and that he is part of the Madawaska, Maine, Cyr clan.  We had a church member in Augusta, Maine, named Cyr from Madawaska.  I guess it is really a very small world after all.
We got home around 9.30pm and we all collapsed into bed.
On Sunday morning, we got up, ate breakfast and then off to church.  We had to leave right after the Sacrament meeting so that we could feed Sara her lunch, get the baby situated and then off to the bus to send them back to Nebraska.  This was a very sad parting to be sure, but it was really wonderful that Sara and baby could be with us for even this short time.

Sara and August visited us

It was supposed to be a surprise for me, and I do well with surprises - it is 'shock' that I do not do well with.  So Sara cooked it up with Bill that she would come to visit for Thanksgiving but we had a house full to say the least, so she came on Thursday 12th Dec and left today, Dec. 15.  I wanted to make it the most meaningful visit so we did wonderful things together.  One of the best things we did was go through the family pictures.  Many of them she has not seen and many of them she wants to have copies made for her collection. When I was growing up, we did not take many pictures - if we did, then they were few and far between and so my growing up years are not well documented and many pictures have been lost. That is what happens when a parent dies, a new spouse moves in, and all "meaningless things" get tossed.  So, on a trip home some years ago, my father gave me the salvaged photo's and they are treasures to be sure.  The stories that go with each picture have now been passed on and lives have been enriched.
On Friday, Bill had the morning off from work.  He and Sara went shopping. There are some things that always  need to be purchased for the baby.  One interesting thing is the baby formula.  The specific formula he has now comes in small packets that can be mixed with water and easily carried in the baby bag.  He seemed to go on a "food binge" when he was here and seemed to not be filled up.  So he went through two boxes of the formula.  For lunch we packed the baby up and off we went to the Olive Garden for lunch.  After that, Bill went to work and Sara and I went to the Family History Center Christmas Party.  We went home after that and rested.  We needed a rest.  At the Olive Garden, August found a friend in a little girl who is one year old and he was flirting with her.  He flirts with everyone but prefers older women.

Thanksgiving 2013 and 70th birthday

It is not every day one turns 70 years of age, but I did and it was a wonderful experience.

Well, I should back up a bit and say that I was very disappointed that David chose not to come home for Thanksgiving and also for Christmas and the New  Year.  All I could see was a gloomy holiday season without our son being home.  My hope was that he would be with us from Christmas to New Year at least with a couple of days for Thanksgiving. He told us that the people he lives with had decided to make Thanksgiving and Christmas a celebration connected with them moving into their brand new home.  At least that is the explanation that David gave.

So with such a gloomy prospect before me, I prepared to just sit at home and have no fun at all.

At this juncture, Roxana, Bill's sister called up and asked if it was still ok for them to come for Thanksgiving?  Of course it was ok.  Life looked a lot brighter in an instant.  She and her husband Gordon live in Seattle and they had their tickets bought for the trip.   A few days later I received a call from Elena, their daughter, telling me that she and her children would be here for the Thanksgiving celebration as well.  We only have a small house, but I thought that with enough floor space, we could accommodate the three of them.

In the meantime, my friend Mary from Maine called me to wish me a happy birthday.  We talked for a long time and it was very heartwarming to hear from her.  She has adopted a new Aussie Heeler to go with her Aussie Shepherd and both of these (herding) dogs, herd the 4 cats that she already has in the house.  She is also a foster parent to the stray kittens from the pound so she has a house full of critters.

Roxana and Gordon were slated to be at our home on Monday Nov 25, but Elena called and said that she was going to pick them up at the airport and take them to see some friends in South Scottsdale .  I thought it was a little strange that Elena should travel from Durango, Colorado, to Phoenix, to pick up her parents to help them not have to pay the shuttle fare up to Prescott.  It was only later that I found out that Elena and her daughter Tania had been in Phoenix for the week.  On the way up to Prescott, they stopped in Cave Creek and the four of them took a hot air balloon ride.  (a few days later a hot air balloon crashed in south Phoenix - I am glad that the family had a safe ride).  They arrived on Tuesday 26 November at about 2.30pm and then the fun began.  Elena told me that Daudi, her ex husband, was flying in to Prescott on Wednesday and would be bringing their son Reuben to stay for Thanksgiving.  Elena and the two children would be staying with a friend out in Williamson Valley, Daudi was to sleep at our home as well as Roxana and Gordon.  It got to be very confusing.  Roxana had a goal of baking the pies for Thanksgiving - 2 pumpkin, 1 Pecan and I made a custard pie.

Roxana is a big football fan so while the Turkey was cooking on Thursday morning, she watched the Greenbay Packers get sent packing by the opposing team.  What a disappointment that was for her.  Daudi left about mid morning to fly back to Durango to be with his mother for Thanksgiving dinner.  So when all the fixin's were finished, all 7 of us sat down to a Thanksgiving meal.

At 8pm on Thanksgiving night, Elena took Roxy and Tania and Reuben up to the mall to shop.  I would liked to have gone but was not invited so I stayed home and cleaned up the kitchen - it really was a mess.

Friday November 29th, Elena and the children left for Durango and Roxy watched more football or did Sudoku.  I sat and sewed more hexagons together, Gordon occupied himself on the computer and Bill was at work. 

Saturday Nov 30 was my 70th birthday celebration.  At 10am I went to Sharlot Hall Museum to pick up my Slot Canyon Quilt.  It has been wandering through a number of venues being shown with other quilts that were part of the 100 Quilts for 100 years celebration for the Arizona Centennial.  The kick off for the Centennial was in Prescott, the weekend we left for Salt Lake to enter the missionary training center in Provo in preparation for our mission in Maine.  For the year 2012 the quilt hung in the art museum in Tucson and we went down to see it hanging there when we got back to Prescott from our mission.  It then hung in the Sharlot Hall Museum here in Prescott for 4 or 5 months then journeyed over to Sedona to hang there till November this year (2013) and now it has come home from its travels and hangs in my home.  So I picked up my quilt and now it has an acid free box to sleep in should I take it down from the wall. 

We went to the bus station and picked up David.  Jim was supposed to put him on the 8.15am bus but he put him on the 7.15am bus so David came home earlier than expected.  He occupied his time talking to Gordon about computers and managed to talk Gordon into giving him the tablet that Gordon had been using for reading books.  Gordon had already given an Acer computer to Tania so that she now has her own computer and does not have to use her mother's computer.

In the early evening we went to Red Lobster where Roxana treated us all to dinner - which was my birthday gift from her and Gordon.  We left there and went to Prescott Fine Arts theater to watch a concert being given there.  It was a real tree hugger concert but rather good just the same.

On Sunday, 1 Dec. we all went to church.  Gordon and Roxy seemed to have enjoyed the services and I heard that David contributed a lot in the classes he attended.  We came home to Turkey leftovers and other stuff.  Gordon had been asking about genealogy and so he and I began a search of the Familysearch.org website and found his family there.  He was delighted and so I continued to work on it finding more people for him while Roxy made grilled cheese etc. sandwiches for everyone.  I did not get to eat because I was busy finding people for Gordon and I printed off all the stuff I found for him.  He  was so impressed with what I had done that he agreed that he would like to have a copy of Roots Magic genealogy program for himself, so I ordered one from Roots Magic to be sent to him for his Christmas Present.  Roxy became enamored with the flat griddle that I have and asked if I could get one sent to her for Christmas.  Found one on Amazon.com  and they delivered it by drone.  She found it early in the morning, two days after I ordered it and we know that it was not from the post man or the UPS man - it was delivered by drone. 

I received a phone call from Uncle Ivan wishing me a happy birthday.  I told him we were going to be in Australia next March and he said we could not stay with him due to Aunty Jean being so ill.  They are in their mid 80's.  Pam also called me.  I asked her if we could stay with her and she was not too happy about that, but said we could stay there.  It will only be for 2 or 3 nights, then we are off to Perth for a holiday for 5 days then come back to the States.

Bill went to work on Monday morning and I put Roxy and Gordon on the shuttle to Phoenix to catch their plane back to Seattle.  David wanted to eat Chinese so we went out for lunch, did the rest of his Christmas Shopping and then I put him on the shuttle back to Phoenix.

All in all we had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday but the best part was a couple of days later when I received an email from a person I knew in Japan - have not heard from or about him for 41 years but I was directed to Find a Grave website by a genealogist friend, where a memorial note was left for his mother who passed recently  and there was an email address there so I wrote to it, and now I have been able to make contact with my friend of a long time ago because his brother left a memorial for their mother.  I had looked all over the California Birth, Death and Marriage website, checked the Social Security Death index to see if he was still alive but no luck.  No wonder, he now lives in Australia, of all places.  No wonder we could not find him.