Camping with Grandsons

We had a terrific time playing with our three grandsons for a week. Our camp offered lots of fun hiking and exploring. Notice on this hike that the photographer was trailing--that's generally the case, especially uphill. My brain is willing, but the body requires several rest stops.
Grandpa knew where to go and we ended up in a lovely meadow.

Naturally, one cannot possibly camp without making S'Mores over a fire. Who cares if they are messy, they're required.
We also caught a few fish, played games, went for rides on the ATV (with helmet), practiced our target shooting, ate lots of good food, got a bit dirty, talked, and laughed a lot.

We took a day to visit Bryce Canyon National Park. Hubby and I hadn't been for many years and the boys not at all. It is still an amazing place!

Some of the formations are called HooDoos and we thought this one looked like two people standing on a precipice.
It was a fun time with three wonderful kids who don't get to see each other very often. We were sorry to have to send them back to their parents and sisters.
The three younger grandkids are our granddaughters (8, 5, and 3). We'll soon need to find a way to do something fun to get them together too. Darn these sons who end up on different coasts. The boys (and grandpa) are already planning to camp again next summer.

The Garden Update

It is gorgeous again. It survived a week without my father-in-law (while he was cruising) and he will have another bumper crop. This is a shot of some of the potatoes and corn.This shows the peas, cabbages, onions, lettuce, and cucumbers and squash in the far end.
This view is carrots, beets, (you can still see the peas), with the pole beans, and two other kinds of beans at the end. Off to the picture's left are about 50 tomato plants (there may be more, I'm just guessing), and we've begun to enjoy the fresh tomatoes.
The radishes are gone, as is the Swiss Chard, and I'm sure I've missed stuff.

In addition, he has at least 8 peach trees, 3 pear trees, a plum tree, and a half dozen apple trees--most of which have fruit. It is turning into a bountiful year, and much of the work the rest of us can do is yet to come. Boy, it is worth it though!

Panic on the Zuiderdam

I'm not sure how many people who occasionally read this have cruised, nor am I sure how different cruise lines handle luggage, but this experience gave a serious panic attack to a normally calm traveler--me.

We dock in Vancouver during the night. In order to make leaving the ship organized and efficient, they ask that you set your luggage outside your stateroom the night before. They have already provided color-coded tags and paperwork so your suitcases get to the correct bus or airport.

We gave thought to what we'd need to carry, packed, put the luggage in the hall, and peacefully slept our last night on the ship.

At 6:00 the next morning we woke to clean up and leave the ship. MY PANTS WERE GONE! In hubby's packing zeal, he'd taken the britches I was planning to wear. It was my fault because I hadn't made it clear to him and they weren't with the rest of my clothes, but knowing that didn't stop the helpless panic. I knew the ship's shops were not opening that morning. I called the office and was told they could not get to our luggage; it was crated for transport. If I hadn't had a shirt, I could have used my pajama top and my jacket and been okay, but no pants?! The bottoms to my pjs were short, and very pj-looking.

Then the office told me that they had a collection of left-behind clothing and I could come and look. I threw on the robe that came with our stateroom and went down three decks to the front office. There was a pair of women's capris, but they were at least 4 sizes too big and wouldn't have stayed on without a belt. There were some white stretch pants, but they were very thin like long underwear. And there was a pair of blue scrub-type pants, just a couple of sizes big, and with an elastic waist. I was saved.

With the top I had planned to wear, they actually matched, and with the top out and my jacket on, it wasn't too obvious that they were kind of baggy.
I was saved from severe embarrassment holding up oversized denim capris, and probably no one even knew what we had done. Thank goodness that some people accidentally leave clothes for those of us who send too many away. It was a rocky end to a lovely trip, but all's well that ends well.

More Alaska Cruising

One of our shore excursions took us by "motor coach" into the Yukon Territory, then we rode the very scenic narrow gauge railroad back down. It was a fascinating journey, hearing about the gold rush and seeing where people actually traveled in the quest for wealth. This was one our our stops: Emerald Lake.

This strange place is call Tormented Valley because it looks unlike any other place. The guide told us they sometimes film science fiction movies using it, because it's different enough to look like another planet.
I admit that I don't remember the name of this lake (there are so many), but it was so calm that I got a beautiful reflection picture from inside the bus.
Our last shore excursion took us to this gorgeous Cirque. That is a steep-sided, half open valley where a glacier once began. We were very lucky to get a sunshiny day, but it is so difficult to get the majesty and size of everything from a 2-dimensional photo. Clicking to enlarge will help, but one truly has to be there.
We spent a day on the ship while visiting Glacier Bay. It is so cool (pun intended) to be close to these rivers of ice. I was taking the pictures from Deck 10 so you have to enlarge the picture to see some kayakers. Every so often we'd hear the cracking sound and hurry to look, but the park rangers on board told us that meant we had missed the ice falling: you could see it before you could hear it.
Those of us who had brought binoculars enjoyed watching several large brown bears wandering along the edge of the water. The biggest one had an interesting black and brown coloration.
Hubby's sister wanted to show her family how pretty the inside atrium of the ship was, so we took a few (this one with her dad and sister hiding behind). She has MS, but she got along beautifully and loved everything about the cruise--her first.
I've spoken to a number of people who have done way more cruises than we have, but I've not met anyone who didn't love the Alaskan Inside Passage. If you like magnificent scenery, it is one to try.

Cruising the Inland Passage

When we arranged our cruise, we opted to fly to Seattle and take the "motor coach" (bus) to Vancouver. Of course ships leave from Seattle, but to get the specific date and tour we wanted, this was our choice. We actually arrived in Seattle the day before and stayed in a lovely hotel, because we did not want to worry about airline delays or tight schedules. We spent some time the next morning in the SeaTac Airport waiting for our turn to be called.I'm cheating with the chronology a little because this picture wasn't taken at the Vancouver dock, but it does show our ship, the Zuiderdam--along with hubby and his two sisters.
Holland America really knows how to take care of its guests. My father-in-law celebrated his 82nd birthday and, without our saying anything, he was brought a birthday cake and fussed over and sang to.
The dining room option was nice. They had two formal nights when we dressed up, but the food every night was fabulous. This picture is a little dark because of the light from the window (stern of the ship), but that's okay because I didn't ask permission from the family to put their pictures in here anyway. If a dining room was a bit too...serious....there was always the more laid-back buffet, or the grill, or the taco bar, etc.
This cruise took us up into what is called the Tracy Arm. It was just beautiful with the glacier and all the mini icebergs. The ice in the bottom of the glaciers is very blue because of the pressure from above. Something about the way the crystals change and oxygen is forced out.
Our first shore excursion was in Juneau. Of course we had to visit the Mendenhall glacier. There is a trail that leads clear out to the ice, but we didn't have quite enough time to walk it. All the pictures can be bigger with a click, if you enlarge the one below, you can see some people in a canoe. If you enlarge the glacier above, you get a much better look at the blue ice.
We had to take our whale-watching dinner cruise. That was very exciting because we saw humpbacks bubble-net feeding. The person narrating the trip said she had been doing these excursions for three years and this was the first time she had seen that behavior. Hubby and I were lucky enough to have seen it before on an earlier trip, but it was just as cool the second time. We also caught a very young whale playing near the surface. It wasn't at all shy and gave us a lively show. It is, however, very difficult to have the camera pointed at the right place at the right time. Hubby did get a little video of the youngster.

I think that's enough for today. I'm driving back home tomorrow, then I'll have some time to share some more of our trip.

North, to Alaska

This afternoon we're flying to Seattle: hubby and I, his parents, and two of his sisters. Hubby's brother is in charge of the garden, and his other sister is making progress fighting off the effects of her stroke. She is doing better all the time, but there is a long and tedious road ahead.

We stay in Seattle tonight, then travel to Vancouver where we board the Holland America Zuiderdam headed for Alaska. It seems a little callous to have fun when family members are struggling, but this has been planned for months and hubby's hospitalized sister insisted we not change plans. Maybe she'll have good surprises for us when we get back.

We're not taking computers because it's iffy as whether we could get them to work on the ship's system, so I'll be quiet until we get back. I hope to return with beautiful pictures and fun stories. I'll catch up after Independence Day.

It's that time of year again

My father-in-law asked for some pictures when his garden started growing. I took this first picture a month ago. My mother-in-law was skeptical about getting it all planted before the end of May, because often they have a freeze before mid-June. But, he was optimistic and eager to get it going, so he took the chance.

The reason it looked so weed-free and healthy is shown in the above picture: dedication.

This was the way it looked on Sunday. He was disgusted with the wind blowing because it was drying things out too quickly.
It is too big to get in one picture, so I snapped from a couple of angles. The corn rows are separated by rows of potatoes. The corn was planted at slightly different times to try and keep it from all being ready at the same time. Sometimes it doesn't work.
There are rows of tomatoes, carrots, radishes (won't be good for much longer), beans, onions, peas, cucumbers, squash, Swiss chard, beets, cabbage, and other good stuff. What you won't see are weeds.

He will turn 82 while we are on our cruise next week. We think his beloved garden is what keeps him young.

Decency and Responsibility or Laws and Rules?

I've read a couple of pieces written by Walter E. Williams, a professor of economics at George Mason University. I found myself agreeing with many of his points about how people seem to have changed--and not for the better.

His contention is that somehow parents have failed to completely pass along the values and traditions of preceding generations, and that some of today's accepted behavior would have been "despicable" a number of years ago.

1. Television advertisements that promise to help people get out of paying half of what they owe. (Included in one of my old posts--bothers me too.)

2. Ads that promise help getting someone out of paying their tax debt. (Also in my post.)

3. Foul language spoken even by children, often to adults and teachers.

4. Baby showers for unwed mothers.

5. Men sitting while a woman or elderly person must stand.

6. The fact that it is a newsworthy event when someone returns some valuable thing to its proper owner.

7. Big, white weddings for couples who have lived together for years, and may even have children.

Today, besides being told that we are not responsible for our own debts, we are constantly reminded that we "deserve" a new car or a well-paying job. Why?

As Professor Williams states, ...do "high rates of illegitimacy make a positive contribution to a civilized society?" Do couples or children benefit from living in uncommited, temporary situations. It used to be controlled because it was considered shameful and undesirable.

Talking back to a teacher would have immediately earned a trip to the principal's office and a call to parents. And parents probably would have sided with the school. Now even a stern talking-to comes with a potential for litigation, because children (and parents) cannot be held accountable.

Now we seem to require ordinances that set aside bus or train seats for "Seniors or Disabled," because no one would think of it otherwise? The behavior of gentlemen used to shield women from "coarse" behavior. Today, we used sexual harassment laws instead.

Professor Williams explained that during the 40s, his family lived in North Philly, in a housing project. He goes on to say that there were no bars on windows, no locked doors during the day, and on hot nights many slept outside on lawn chairs. He continues, "Keep in mind that the 1940s and 1950s were a time of gross racial discrimination, high black poverty and few opportunities compared to today. " His conclusion is that these neighborhoods were far more civilized and that should make one wonder about the excuses that try to blame today's problems on poverty and discrimination.

Laws and rules are poor substitutes for traditions, morals, and values. His final sentence was, in my opinion, powerful. "Our increased reliance on laws to regulate behavior is a measure of how uncivilized we've become." When did it become so unusual or difficult to just do the right thing?

Living brings trials..

I haven't posted for a week because thoughts have been difficult to pull together. I am very worried about the direction of our country. I'm afraid my children (and grandchildren) are going to have a big price to pay for the enormous and growing government debt. (A post by itself.)

I am concerned about the level of education and intelligence of our population. Did you ever watch "Jaywalking" on Leno, or listen to the mangling of our language on television and radio? Does it concern anyone else that young people know more about Britney Spears and Kobe Bryant than Abraham Lincoln , Ben Franklin, or today's leaders? (Another post.)

Finally, our own family has had its own stresses including a younger sister-in-law who just suffered a massive stroke. We're all saying prayers for her.

One a fun note, I'm traveling tomorrow to watch four of my fabulous grandchildren while my son and his wife move to their new house. In reality, I'll mostly be trying to contain and entertain the 3-year-old (nicknamed Tornado). I don't think I'll take my laptop because I'm not sure when their Internet connection will be switched, and I doubt I'll have much time to spend on it anyway.

Hopefully, by the time I get back home, my sis-in-law will be improving, and family struggles will be subsiding. Then watch out, because I'm likely to get prolific and opinionated. Wait, I'm already opinionated. Aren't we all?

Desert Springtime

<
Believe it or not, this is the sun.  It has been windy all day and I love the variety of the sky.  We have high cirrus, fluffy-looking cumulus, and kinds in between.  It is still warm at 7 p.m.--I'm guessing low 80s, but hubby says I always guess too cool--so I had a lovely walk.   

I have a couple of serious posts working around in my head, but they're not ready yet.  So I decided to join SkyWatch Friday.  I hope hubby's flight home isn't too rough tonight.

Congratulations!

Saturday, I cheered at a graduation.  My brother's daughter graduated with her Bachelor of Science Degree as a Registered Nurse.  I was particularly proud because hubby and I were allowed to share her a bit as temporary surrogate parents for three of those years.  Never having had daughters, it was fun to have her (and her younger sister for a while) in the house during the week.

When she was accepted into the nursing program before her junior year, the advisor told her she would have to choose: nursing or basketball--it was not possible to do both.  Since the basketball scholarship was what made it possible for her to attend this private college, and she was determined to become a nurse, she was not deterred.  Maybe everyone could use a slice of her optimism.  Her basketball team made it to the second round of the NAIA national finals, she finished her nursing degree, and--in addition--she got married midyear when she found 4 free days.

She is a terrific girl and we are nearly as proud of her as her parents are.

New Camera

Well, I did it.  I broke down and bought a new little camera to replace the one that disappeared.  I know that one of the rules of life states that as soon as I popped for a new one, the other one would turn up.  I told hubby that the purchase was certainly worth it if only to know where the other one has been.  So far, though, we haven't seen it.

I read the reviews to see if I maybe should switch to a Nikon Cool Pix, but this camera won me over.  With some little cameras you could get 12 megapixels, but who needs that?  I don't plan to make posters.  And some reviewers say because of the difficulty of squeezing in that many pixels, some of the pictures are "noisier."  This little camera is a lot like the one I lost, with a few new features.  I am taking VERY good care of this one.  When my other one shows up, I'll tell you where it has been hiding.

Finally, it was less money than I paid for my older one, and from the Costco pack I also got a leather case and a bonus 2 GB SD card.  Pretty cool. 

A new collection of vanity plates

I had 13 recordings on my phone of new personalized license plates I've seen.  I'm not sure why they are also called vanity plates, although there are a few that lend themselves to that way of thinking:  A silver sedan was BUILDT; a black BMW coupe was SO SEXY; and a big, black Sierra truck was NICE HUH.  But there is the difficulty of whether the plate is referring to the vehicle or its owner.  The occupants are much harder to read.

Then, on the other hand: a big, red Dodge truck was OLD DUDE, but the old dude's wife was driving.  And I wasn't sure about the charcoal-gray Dodge truck that was DIRT DR.  Can just anyone be a soil physician?  Exactly what does that entail?  Is there much study involved?

Some plates convey an attitude like the white Honda sedan that said HOME (too much time in the car?), or the PT Cruiser convertible that was COZZEE.  Another PT Cruiser (black this time) was TUMCHFN, and a pretty blue Jaguar was LOCAL (but I don't remember whether or not it was a Utah plate).  Maybe the Jag is comfortable anywhere.  I'm guessing a Jaguar owner can afford to be.  

Somewhere I saw ITHAPNS.  I made the recording standing outside in the wind and I couldn't tell what I said the vehicle was.  It would have been very clever on an older car with dents and paint problems.  BUBBSY was on a red coupe, and I am assuming that it was an endearing nickname; a gray Honda said ANT HIL.  That could mean a lovely aunt named Hilary or Hilda, or a home for 6-legged insects--maybe both.

My favorite, though, was on a cute yellow convertible Thunderbird.  It's a favorite quote from a movie my family has watched multiple times: ASUWISH.

Until next time...

What's in a name?

A columnist in my newspaper really made a good point, and I want to share part of his column.  I know that every child is unique, and every parent wants to make sure we all recognize that individuality.  But, pleeaase, have a heart.  Any of us who have spent time in large groups of children (from preschool up) know that names can be a source of great amusement.  You young parents to be need to be aware of the difficulties when names are too odd, spelled in unusual ways, or require constant repeating.  

The columnist is Doug Robinson: 

 Apparently, my recent column  on weird people names struck a nerve. There are strong feelings about alternate  spellings — Soozy, Mychal, Stefanee, Arika — and “made-up” names— Diggery, Moon Unit, Lea (I’ll explain later) and so forth.

  One reader wrote:  At my job, I take appointments, and I’m required to write down the person’s name with correct spelling. The strangest spelling I’ve ever seen is the name “Susie”— spelled “Siouxzy.”

That poor girl would automatically have to spell her name every time!  He continues:

  From a reader named Jo Ellen:  Two true stories from a niece who worked as a nurse in a St. Louis, Mo., hospital: A baby named “Le-a.” Want to try to guess the pronunciation? “Ladash-  a.” (Note: This name was reported by several readers, as was Da-Da or “DaDashda”).  There was also a baby boy named Marco. Want to try to guess the pronunciation? “D-marco.”

   To quote the mother,  “The d is invisible.” 

Invisible letters...quite a trick.  Besides, Le-a should really be pronounced Lahyphena, but maybe I shouldn't give anyone ideas.

He has some general guidelines he thinks parents should follow.  I think they are pretty darn sensible.

1. If you can’t walk into a truck stop or gift shop and find a key chain or a coffee cup with that name or the same spelling, then try something else. 2. You must be able to determine  the gender of the child when you hear/see the name.

  No more girls named Stevie, Mychal, Jordan, Chase, Devon, Drew, Kyle or, for all we know, Harold and Arthur.

There are lots of unisex names: Morgan, Tyler (yes), Tracy, Kelly, Kris (Chris), etc.

  3. You must be able to say it when you see it. Use of punctuation  doesn’t even come up for consideration. Le-a is out. If you plan to name your next kid “& Smith” or “* Johnson” and expect anyone to call him/her “Asterisk” or “Ampersand,” think again.

  4. You should be able to spell the name when you hear it — for the most part, people should not have to ask. Let’s nationalize the spelling of some names and move on — is it Shayne, Shane, Shain, LeShane? Attention,  future parents, if you have doubts about the spelling  of a name, ask for help.

Different can be good, but it can also be a real pain.  He has more general rules.

 5. Please, enough already with using last names for first names — Taylor, Kennedy, Madison, Johnson, Anderson, Lincoln.

  6. No naming kids after weather phenomena— Misty, Dusty, Smoky, Winter, Autumn (Autymn), Spring, Stormy (Stormee), Windy (Windee), Nimbus, Precipitation,  Humidity (Humiditee) and so forth. Those are pony names, not human names.

  7. It must be a name for people, not for objects, etc.  “Apple,” doesn’t cut it, and neither does Avocado nor Celery nor any other fruit or vegetable.

  8. If you get too cute with the name, you’re probably trying  too hard. A reader named Derek (Darrick?) reports that a co-worker gathered these names from his Facebook account: Jermagesty, Tequila, Bacardi, Champagne, Abcde (pronounced like “rhapsody”).

I heard a young mother in a store, calling to her runaway toddler, "McCartney, come back."  Obviously, I'm not sure of the spelling, although I thought immediately of Paul--must be my age.

His last bit of wisdom was about using great characters, like from the Bible, for names.  Lots of pressure for Abrahams, Isaacs, and Jacobs.

Mom and I have talked about this too and we agree that if a child is exceptionally bright, friendly, and beautiful, he/she can survive a weird name.  But, woe be to a child who has any weaknesses.  

As I have many young nieces and nephews who are planning parenthood, I hope they read his last thought: “A man’s name is not like a mantle which merely hangs about him, and which one perchance may safely twitch and pull, but a perfectly fitting  garment, which, like the skin, has grown over and over him, at which one cannot rake and scrape without injuring the man himself.”  

He ended by signing, Duhg Robynson, but he could have used another y.

Newspaper Corrections silliness

Just a quick thought before I go to exercise this morning: I need some language help again.  I've posted before about the strangeness of newspaper corrections, and I'm still confused.

My newspaper printed a couple of corrections today because a man accused of a crime was "incorrectly identified" in the paper yesterday.  Does that mean the wrong man was identified yesterday?  The picture is the same.  Shouldn't he have been identified yesterday?  Was the middle name they used yesterday not his?  

Even more confusing: a city was "misidentified."  Just how does that happen?  Is the city in the correction accurately identified?  Was a different city in the paper before?  Did someone spell something wrong?  

I hope my city isn't misidentified, unless it's for something bad, then maybe it is okay, but what if it is incorrectly identified?  Is that different?  Is it better to be incorrectly identified or misidentified?  I'm so baffled.

Lost forever?

I'm having trouble with a real mystery.  I have a Canon EOS Rebel camera that I got quite a few years ago.  It is a lovely camera, but when planning our trip to Italy last year I wanted something smaller.  So, I bought a little Canon ELPH.  It was so convenient and easy to carry, and the menus were much like my other Canon so there was little to learn.  It took good pictures and because it was so small, I carried it around all the time.

I can't find it!  I used it for the SkyWatch posting on April 23, and I took it when hubby and I went to visit our parents a couple of days later.  That's where my memory ends.  I don't remember getting it out at either place (and our parents don't remember seeing it).  I drove back to the city early the next week and made sure to pack the battery charger, but don't recall packing the camera.  We have looked everywhere!  

This really bugs me because I don't normally lose things.  Hubby has been known to misplace stuff from time to time, but I usually know where things are.  Until now.  This is soooo frustrating.  I've checked in the logical places, the weird places, and the bizarre places.  Where could it be?

Hubby's solution is that we'll buy me another one before our cruise in June.  You know what will happen?  As soon as I have a new one, the lost one will turn up.  But that's not possible, I've looked everywhere.  There must be a hole in the space/time continuum.

The last one?

Maybe this is the final installment.  There are some real truths underneath the humor.

I'd better go now and check my Facebook page to see if anyone wants to be my "friend."  Then I think I'll go out and actually converse with people for a while.  Moderation in all things.  

To Twitter or not to Twitter?

I guess Brian Crane is thinking about the technological world in sort of the same way I have been, only he's funnier and a much better artist.
I'll be interested to see what's in tomorrow's newspaper.  In the meantime, I'll try and figure out something to post that actually belongs to me.

Follow up

Here's the next Pickles about blogging.  I thought I'd share. 

Of course, I don't advocate violence....but it is a comic strip and it made me chuckle.

Blogging sounds bad?

Don't have much time for a thoughtful, considered post today.  I have to do a couple of things then be ready when hubby finishes his work week.  We are in the city and he will drive our 300 miles home with me this time.  But, this comic was in my newspaper this morning and I thought others may enjoy it too.  

My youngest son tells me I need a FaceBook page and although I'm considering that, I refuse to Twitter.  I'm not sure anyone needs to know--or cares--that much about what I'm doing.   Are young people forgetting how to socialize and speak to each other in person?  I hope not.

Finally gotten around to it.

I've finally taken the time to post and give credit for several awards fellow bloggers have bestowed on me.  I do, and did, appreciate them.  It just took me almost forever to do something with them.  Even that was with the patient instruction of one of the award presenters.  Thank you.  

Next, I need to figure out how to give an award myself.  I'll work on that; hopefully it won't take nearly as long.

Last old slide.

This is the last of grandma's slides that show the dresses my mother made for me--at least since I was about 12 years old.  I know my sisters could put together a similar set.  She was so much more clever than I realized at the time.

When I was a senior in high school, the music/theater director led us in writing a play (or maybe it was an operetta).  The plot was about lonely miners and a bunch of women who are looking for husbands.  My part was that of a tomboy, a pal of the miners, who naturally falls in love with their leader.  He doesn't look at me as a bride, until I dress like the other women and show my feminine side.  

Of course there was a predictable happy ending with lots of brides and grooms.  

I'm not certain this was the only killer red dress.  I remember another one too, but apparently there was no picture taken.  Okay, that's my stroll down memory lane.  Besides making me more aware and appreciative of my mother's talent, I took my sewing machine in to be serviced.  I think I'll try a little sewing of my own.  I'll start small.

Spring in the Utah high desert

I went for a walk yesterday in the late afternoon.  That is the warmest part of the day here, but it felt good to me.  The picture is looking southeasterly, and I could see that rain was trying to fall in the distance, but probably not reaching the ground.  I loved the different blues of the sky and the reds of the mountains.  It is windy today which might mean a cool down for the weekend.  I like the heat, and always feel bad for those people who seem to have a comfort zone of less than 10 degrees.  You know the ones: too cool below 69, too hot above 78.  They probably have seven days all year when they are truly comfortable.

There are other wonderful shots at SkyWatch.

More inadequate appreciation of Mom

Here are more photos of the dresses I know were made by my mother.  At the time, I just accepted that she would put together something for me.  I suppose, as an ordinary, self-absorbed teenager, the fact that she was darn good at it flew right by me....whoosh.

The young man with me was a classmate and also part of the cast of Showboat.  The white dress was fabulous.

I decided to put a couple more dress pictures in, even though my eyes seem to be closed in the pictures.  Appreciate the dresses, not me.  This one had a collar of sequins.  I have again cropped out my date--not because he wasn't a nice guy, but my romantic history is not the point here.

Mom must have made this suit too, probably just to wear with the boots.  I sang "These Boots are Made for Walking" at some event.  I know I'd ham it up a lot more now than I did then.  Oh the confidence and wisdom of age--if we could have that and the youth and beauty at the same time.  Watch out.
This dress is another one I remember.  It was a pretty brocade with fake fur on the sleeves.
I really liked this dress because there are at least two pictures of me wearing it.  This was after our wedding and the birth of our son, so it must have been for a sibling's  special prom or something.  Oh my gosh, we are so young and skinny!

Is everyone tired of my memory lane yet?  I haven't found too many more pictures among grandma's slides showing more cool clothes, but I know there is a killer red dress somewhere.  Maybe I'm almost finished.

You have to smile.

I just spent a week with my son's family in South Carolina.  I got to go to a baseball practice with my 11-year-old grandson and a softball practice with my granddaughter.  The baseball practice was familiar.  I had sons who played, students who played, and I knew what to expect from boys that age.  It was baseball practice.

On the other hand, my granddaughter's softball practice was...entertaining.   First of all, she is barely 5--the youngest in the coach-pitch league that goes through 9-year olds.  Let me tell you, there are a lot of differences between 5 and 9 year old girls.  Second, she is a very girly girl.  She even runs delicately.  She gently and gracefully puts her toe on the bag, she sometimes spins around before picking up a ball from the ground, and when she comes in from the field she is often skipping.  One of her coaches made a circle on the field so she would remember where to stand.  

Her mother says that when she comes to bat, the audience smiles and "aaahs" because she is so small.  Once the coaches have managed to get her to stand in the right place and hold the bat correctly, there are no expectations.  She does, however, occasionally hit the ball.  It doesn't go very far, but enough that she can sometimes dance her way to first base. She says that makes her coach call her his secret weapon.  They are very sweet with her.  (You can click to see the picture better.)

I don't know if she will always like softball, but she does like to visit with others and play games so she's having fun.  That is really what matters now.

Underappreciated Mother

I hurried back through the many slide copies to find a few that I could quickly recognize as me.  I wanted to put them in a better order, but loading pictures so they turn out where I want them seems to be beyond my technical ability.

On the left is a dress for Pioneer Day, which is a very big deal in the place where I grew up.  I must have been involved in some special performance.

I don't know what dance the red dress was for,  but I did crop out the guy I was dating at the time.   I have several more shots with he and I together.

I think the orange suit was for something  like an interview for a beauty pageant or something.  I needed to look polished and respectable, but stylish.

The blue shift with ruffles and the lavender dress remain a mystery in my memory.  I have a corsage in one, so it must have been a dance.  But, my hair was up in the other so it was also obviously for something I thought important.  Those shapeless dresses were cool in the mid-sixties.

This very young me was for my first big dance.  The high school held a "post prom" the day after the real deal, especially for junior high students.  I was in 7th grade and had a date with a boy in my class.

This last shot is a real keeper although I don't remember why we took it.  It is my sisters and I with my grandmother, who passed away when she was far too young.  As near as I can figure, I was about 18 (which would make my sisters 16 and 14--give or take a year).  

I am pretty sure than my mom made most of these clothes.  I'll have to show them to her and see how many she remembers--probably more than I do.

I do know that I took her for granted.  I don't now.