Book Review

Today I want to write about Natalie S. Bober. She wrote a book about Abigail Adams that I read last summer. She didn't interject her opinions, she just used letters and journals of Abigail to let Abigail tell her own story. As I have read other works of Natalie's, I have noted she works the same way. I just finished reading Thomas Jefferson, Drafstmans of a Nation by Natalie. The reason I read it was because I was watching a Ken Burns special on President Thomas Jefferson and he had Natalie Bober on as one of the authorities. I suddenly started noticing her more and more on PBS specials about famous people. She apparently has caught other peoples attention for her honest approach to her subject matter. I highly recommend her writing because she lets the protaganist tell the story.

As I have been reading so much lately I have gravitated back to what our daughters' called 'Grandma's trashy novels'. Mom loved Danielle Steele novels and looked forward to the new ones. I have not read a Danielle Steele novel since Mom's death. It wasn't because I didn't like them I just didn't have anyone to give them to me anymore. The other day someone did. I have 8 years of novels to catch up on now. I thoroughly enjoy her story telling. It is not near the trash that most adult authors go for nowadays. I found it quite refreshing. I think I will read her more often.

My heroes

Today is a tribute to our daughters' mother-in-laws. I really like them all and I think that if I lived in an area where I had a chance to develop the friendship with anyone of them - we would end up being very good friends. Since Pat Pfiester was the first one in the family, she and I have the longest relationship. She has been nothing but kind and gracious from the moment I first met her. There is something about Texas women that makes them both strong and sweet. How you can get that combination and still keep your femininity is baffling to anyone else but in Texas it works. That describes Pat. I don't know the others nearly as well. It seems that when I go to Texas I ended up staying for such long periods of time - especially when Carianne was threatening to lose both Noah and Nathanael to miscarriage that Pat and I ended up very close. We were fighting for our babies lives. But that does not diminish the other mother-in-laws. When I was with Heather because she was so morning sick, Carolyn (and Larry) came down several times to check on Heather and Bella, even though Brandon was in Kuwait. As soon as Pam went into labor, Kelly was booking her flight to be with Pam and Chris because she knew I couldn't be there. I will always be grateful to her for that. Shirley has always been closer in proximity to the Bahlmann's so they know her better than me. Each family has a grandma that dotes on them when the other is busy. I am very grateful for that. We are lucky to have the family that we have - full of loving grandmothers.

Trunk or Treat

Last night was our ward's Trunk or Treat with a Chili Cook-off (I won third place but I rigged it - trying not to win at all!). Yesterday afternoon Scott Halverson called to tell us that Josh had pneumonia. Karyn (this wife and obviously Ashley, Josh and Taylor's mom) is in Utah fussing over her new nephew. The Halverson's have a unique situation in that all of the grandparents but one grandmother have passed away - hence how Clyde and I were adopted as the surrogate grandparents. We were just there to fuss over them. I knew Ashley had Homecoming so we offered to pick up Taylor and bring her the Ward party. When Scott told Taylor that Grandma Bailey wanted to come and get her - Taylor jumped at the chance to come with us. She was cute at the party too. She stuck pretty close to Clyde or me. She was very careful about telling us where she was and who she was with. We had a really good time together - but then we always do.

The Chili Cook-off was a last minute thing for me. Clyde told me I needed to enter my Mother's Chili because I was the bishop's wife. I made the whole recipe and filled our huge crock-pot up. I hadn't signed up so every time the came to mine (we were voting by cheering) I booed really loud. There were 9 chili pots in all. A non-member's won (I screamed the loudest for his because I wanted him to win. I told everyone to cheer for him - even people that hadn't tasted it.) With someone as loud as me and the other people I had cheering for Dana - he had to win. I almost got second until I told the cheering to stop for me. They wouldn't when it came to the 3rd place prize. In fact they told me that my pot should have taken first. I know Mom's Chili is the best. I don't need a prize but for self-esteem purposes - some of the other people there would have really gone a long ways with a ribbon.

Trunk or treat was fun. As usual we didn't give candy. This year we gave light sticks. Bracelets for the girls and 6 inch sticks for the boys. Pretty soon everyone had a stick and bracelets. They love those! They came to our car first so they could have the lights for the rest of cars (even though they didn't need them). Taylor went trick or treating with a bucket for herself and then went for Josh. They actually gave her more candy for Josh. She explained why she was going around twice.

This morning I went and picked up Ashley and Taylor for Church. I took a few movies for Scott and Josh to watch togther for the next few days. I thought I would be able to leave right after Relief Society but the people that were supposed to do the lunch for the Military Students didn't follow through. My assistant, Celeste Bremer and I, were frantically pulling stuff out of the freezer, and then I had to come home and clean out our crisper for a salad. Fortunately Celeste had brought two pies (we had 14 today). We always keep a couple of lasagnas in the freezer for emergencies. I was thinking the other day that they had been in there for more than 6 months and we needed to use them. Today was the day. We will replenish them for next time. We actually have several of the students that give money to 'other' on the tithing slip - they are so grateful for this service we provide. A couple of the students had their Drill Sargeants find out about out lunches and are now no longer allowed to stay. What is interesting is that we have a Navy psyciatrist that attends our ward. Her husband is not a member but is one of the chaplains. They are looking into what they can do so those young men can enjoy the fellowship with the other students after Church.

Taylor and Ashley stayed with me and helped and then left when Clyde and I left instead of going with the many families that offered to give them a ride home. Part of that was they wanted to ride in our new car! This is the first week that I have stayed for the whole block and attended Relief Society since my surgery. I was going to anyway but hadn't intended to have to say for 7 hours! I am kind of sore tonight but I think I will be OK. I love being a grandma - real or surrogate. I am lucky to have my true grandchildren and then those that willing to adopt me. I will take grandchildren anyway I can get them! Life is good.

Book Review

I love Edith Pattou! She is a great writer. I fell in love with her writing when I read East by her. Pam had given it to me to read during my recovery. I read it very quickly because I couldn't put it down! This week I ordered from our library system her, Hero's Song. I was not disappointed. I had been reading Eragon and Eldest while I was waiting for this to come in because the YM and YW had been talking about how much they loved it. I like this so much better. It is a well written story and kept my interest much better. I truly cannot wait to read Fire Arrow. I have ordered it and am waiting for the library to call and tell me that it is in.

Another fun series that I have thoroughly enjoyed is Nancy Atherton's 'Aunt Dimity' books. The catch to these fluffy mysteries is that Aunt Dimity speaks to the protaganist through a diary. It takes place in England and is really a fun read. I really do read a lot of mysteries don't I? I love how they are so improbable and fun. My favorite thing to do on Tuesday afternoons is to watch our local PBS station. They have been running the whole Miss Marple series of Agatha Christie and that has been an absolute delight. The woman that plays Miss Marple in these 2005-2007 renditions is exactly how I envisioned Miss Marple when I was a young girl and had never seen a movie to have my mind made up. She truly is a sweet, British aunt that you would go and visit.

I know that I usually write my book review on Tuesday but yesterday got away from me with finishing Hero's Song, Miss Marple and the Newport Genealogy Society last night.

Monday Heroes

This week I have two heroes again. The first one is Carianne since she turns 31 years old tomorrow. I dreamed and waited 5 years for her birth and was so thrilled when she came into our lives. As with her sisters' she is loved and cherished. I am so proud of her and the mother she has become. She is an amazing daughter, wife, sister and mother.

The second hero is my physical therapist Joe. Today I graduated from having to visit him twice a week and to be honest there is a little part of me that is going to miss him. I am grateful to him for teaching me well enough that now I am able to be on my own. I have the tools to progress so that now, as long as I do my exercises every day, I will be pain free and quickly heal to 100% from my surgery. I will always be thankful for Joe and what he has taught me. Hopefully it will be a very long time before I have to visit him professionally again.

Memory - Bynx

Why would I write a memory about a cat we all remember? Last night I was with the Girls' Achievement Class and two of the girls are sisters. They have 6 cats because of the mice in and outside of the their house. Two cats are for inside and the other 4 stay outside and catch the rodents that roam the countryside. Emma and Sara said that they don't even have to feed the outside cats because they catch enough mice and rats. I laughed and told them the probably are being fed by other people like Bynx. They were fascinated about our cat really belonging to the neighborhood. The thing that the whole class loved the most was that Bynz only came in the house if their was a rodent to capture. She would race in, catch it and leave. She never came in otherwise. It took us a while to figure out what she was up to when she would come in but she would be standing at the door with a dead mouse in her mouth every time.

The girls' also thought it was funny when Bynx had her kittens and we gave them away. 2 of the kittens we gave away within 4 houses of where we lived, one next door and the other to Hayden. One day Bynx came home with the kitten hanging from her mouth (banging against the sidewalk) all the way from Hayden's house. She did that several times. Hayden finally gave up trying to keep her. The only kitten that successfully stayed away from Bynx as a matter of fact was Matt and Jill Neilson's 'Tinkerbell' and that was because they made her a strictly indoor cat.

She had a sweet disposition. We had a hard time naming her and one day Jason Brugger was down visiting. He insisted that her name was Bynx and so it stayed forever more. We just left her to fend for herself when we left Ephraim and we are sure she was fine. I am sure she has passed on by now - she was 9 years old about when we left. She would disappear for weeks at a time and I think people would try and make a house cat out her. It wouldn't have lasted long. She loved being outside and free but she always returned to us at some point.

The other thing I would like to write about is a comic strip I read clear last Sunday. It was Funky Winkerbean. In it they were talking about how life has all kinds of twists and turns and wouldn't it be nice if we had a GPS to guide us. I have thought about that and I am so grateful that I do have a GPS - the Holy Ghost. When I listen to the promptings of the Spirit the twists and turns of life don't take me by surprise and life is so much happier. It is truly the GPS that guides me in everything I do. The Lord has blessed us greatly by giving the Spirit to us. We just have to listen and heed the prompting. The more we listen the easier it is to hear. We are truly a blessed people.

Voting

Yesterday as I was reading Elise's blog about voting or not voting I realized that Carl made my decision very simple for me last spring. He pointed out the candidates were split on pro-life and abortion. He could not in good conscience ever vote for anyone that was not pr0-life - it was against everything he stood for. He is right.

As I have watched the debates and listened to the political commentary on the election it has reminded me of High School elections. When kids would be running for student body president they would promise things like longer lunch hours and shorter school days but you knew they couldn't do one thing about it. The people we need to look at it is the Congressional people running . And when you really examine it -it isn't Bush that has gotten us into this financial mess - it is Congress with their porkbarreling. The most vocal Senator about the things is a senator from Massachusetts. As I have examined what he has been up to he actually has holdings in some of the failed banks! This is something that is so WRONG but things like this go on all the time up here. I am sure that if you looked into other congressional people there are similar things going on (especially politians in the Northeast). Of course we have to shore up wall street! By doing that we are lining the pockets of our politicians. That isn't Bush's fault it is just a corrupt system that we have let happen. It is the senators and state reps that you really need to make sure about when you vote this year. They make more decisions than the President ever makes. The most prestigious decision the president will make will be a new judge for the Supreme Court - maybe - and in truth Congress has the final say about that. The rest truly rides on the shoulders of Congress.

Rhode Island spends more yearly on their roads than any other state in the union but the system is so corrupt that it is also the state the has the least repairs on its roads in the union! People know this and they just look the other way. We have unions and other organizations that get their palms greased until there is no money left for the actual work. Our senators are busy trying to get the federal government to pay for our roads! Why should you pay for our corrupt mismanagement? But things like this go on all the time.

My advice is vote with your conscience. But as for me - like Carl pointed out - the vote for president was easy. They are both a bit like snake oil salesmen and I am not enomored with either one but the issues are clear.