Happy Birthday Julianna and Dena!

This picture was taken days after Dane was born and about a week after Thomas was born.  They are focusing on Marianne's camera, not on me.  I am lucky I have this picture since we wiped out our computer about this time.  Anyway, Happy Birthday to you Julianna.  Your Unker Clyde has been walking around today telling everyone that today is Happy Juliannuary!  Then he has to explain.  We love you and are very proud of you.


Today is also my sister-in-law, Dena Brugger's birthday.  I think it is wonderful that two of my favorite people share a birthday.  I guess this is one way to get me to blog!

Happy Birthday Marianne!

My mother, Carolyn Brugger, with my sister, Marianne and my brother Bob.  This was taken the day my brother was given his name and a blessing in our Church.  Behind my mother was one of 2 air conditioners we had in the house.  There was one in the living room and one in my parents room upstairs.  They did a pretty good job of cooling most all of the house as I recall.  I was comfortable but then when this picture was taken I was 5 years old!

Left to right, my sister's husband - Frank Dittmar, my sister Marianne Dittmar, my step-mother Doreen Brugger, my father Archie Brugger, me and Clyde.  This picture was taken on the 4th of July this last summer at Marianne's house.


Today is my sister Marianne Brugger Dittmar's birthday.  Marianne has been my best friend my whole life.  We have had each other when we moved all those time growing up and we always knew we could rely on each other.  Our daughter's are really extensions of our own family's.  We love each other's daughters as our own.  We have been taken for twins most of our life.  In fact just a few years ago, someone thought I had moved back to Utah!  I am not as kind as my sister or as quiet.  She is much more Christlike and has always been one of my heroes.  I have spent most of my life in her shadow because she is light years ahead of me spiritually and in so many other ways.  I am so grateful she is my sister.  She has kept me balanced and anchored when I have needed her.  The Lord truly blessed our house when Marianne was born.  I love you, Marianne.

The Peach Keeper

I have not done a book review in months but my daughter Pam got me hooked on Sarah Addison Allen's books this summer.  I have been waiting for my copy of The Peach Keeper all summer long and finally received it Thursday.  I had a hard time wrapping my head around one of the main female characters being named Paxton simply because growing up one of my male friends had that name, but pretty soon it fit her and went with the flow.  Ms. Allen's books grab me and hold me to the end - which is what I love about reading them.  They are mysteries but not so caught up in the mystery that they are even considered that genre.  It is really a book of friendship, service and love but more than that Christlike friendship, service and love.  It just takes the novel for everyone to figure out that life is happier when you serve in a  Christlike way.  I think that is why I liked this book so much- it ended on such an upbeat and beautiful note.

First Day of Seminary

This morning at 6 a.m., we started seminary for the year.  The course of study is the Old Testament.  The Church gives only a selected part as mandatory reading but a special award if anyone chooses to read it through in its entirety. I wonder if anyone in my class will choose too?

The dynamic is a little different.  Three replaced three, so we are right at the same number we had last year but one less young man.  It looks like it will be an excellent year - as always.  The Church has amazing young people and they really do seem to shine in Early Morning Seminary.

Tropical Storm Lee

I  am currently sitting here with my head pounding from a sinus headache.  My allergies are so bad from all of the mold from Hurricane Irene and now Tropical Storm Lee.  Hurricane Katia is brewing off the coast and though we won't get the full force of her, we may get a bit of rain along with waves and rip tides.  Why are we getting all of this weather and Texas is literally burning up?!  Every rain drop that falls here, I wish it was falling on Texas - anywhere!

We Are Safe!

Hurricane Irene hit us with more wind than rain.  She quickly was downgraded to a Tropical Storm but the winds were still sustained in the upper 50 mile per hour range.  We lost a lot of trees and one member of our ward had a tree go through her shed.  Another member lost shingles off of the their home and one lost the roofing cap of their garage. There was no loss of life but at 10 a.m. Sunday morning we lost power which meant we were without telephone too.  Clyde and I read a talk from the Conference issue and read next weeks lesson for Sunday School.  Then we played a couple of games in which Clyde trounced me in Scrabble - twice!  We do have a battery powered radio, so we were not completely cut.  Just hearing what was going on in the world made easier and time go more quickly.  The interesting thing to me is I could not read.  I read hours every day!  But Sunday I could not concentrate.  It was really weird.  Yesterday, once things calmed down, I was fine and could have read all day.

We have a little two burner camp stove so we were able to have some soup.  We lost milk and some leftovers from our refrigerator but nothing from our freezer.  I packed it with everything I could find that I could fill with water just before the storm.  Sunday morning I cranked it up to the coldest setting.  I actually kept most things fairly cold in refrigerator until yesterday morning but the milk wasn't cold but cool so I didn't dare keep it.

Yesterday morning Clyde and I went out visited about 10 families in the ward because cellphones and landlines were not working.  We were able to see damage firsthand and find out from people that did have cellphones that were working how other members of the ward were doing.  While we were out, our power came on.  We got home about 4 - tired but knowing we had visited with people that needed to be seen and others that knew what was going on.  Plus we saw our home teaching and visiting teaching families.

So all is well.  Except for cleaning out our refrigerator - which was long overdue, there is not damage to us.  We do have ward members that are still without power though and it it looks like it could be this weekend before they do get power.

Hurricane Irene - She's Bearing Down

Irene is still a category 1 because she is so big.  We just now getting the rain and the humidity - even with the air conditioning on it is very oppressive.  That is very unusual for this area.  Ordinarily it is not this humid.  We are bracing ourselves for up to 90 mile an hour wind gusts but sustained winds of between 60-70 miles an hour.  We are still in our apartment.  We are not in an evacuation area so we will just hunker down and ride it through.  I don't know where we would have gone to get a way from this anyway.  With Pam no longer in Pennsylvania, all of our friends are within the arms of the storm. 

I am sure that we will be fine.  There is not church today because of the storm.  All of the weekday anchors and weathermen are handling this because it is such a big deal - including the national media anchors.  Last night there was no other news on the national news stations but Hurricane Irene.  She eclipsed all other news events for 30 minutes. 

We are prepared for the inevitable power outage that will come this.  I am clearing out the refrigerator of things that don't have to be refrigerated or could live without refrigeration for a few hours.  If we do have a power failure I will pull out the eggs and fruits and vegs and add ice to the refrigerator to keep the things in the refrigerator longer. 

In something totally unrelated.  Our neighbor across the hall has lived there almost as long as we have lived in this apartment.  He has been gone most of the week, which is so unusual for him and his precious motorcycle has been left out in the elements.  Yesterday some friends came to get the motorcycle to take it to their garage for the storm.  It turns out Brian has had a massive heart attack and is in a coma in a hospital in Providence.  That leaves your Dad and me the only people in our stairwell to wait out this storm.  I thought I had better let everyone know we are fine in case there were power outages since our landline depends on electricity because of the way it is hooked up through our cable line.  Clyde will go over and use a his second counselors cellphone if the power outage goes on too long.