More to come, sometime!
Not sure what these are -- dahlias maybe . . .
Geraniums . . .
We made it -- to Disneyland and back in a flash. Last week at this time, we were all frantically getting ready to head out on our summer vacation. We're home now and it's hard to believe we were actually there. We had a great time! Highlights -- too many to describe -- it will take me awhile. I know the kids loved the rides and the "fast passes" to short lines. I loved the visits to the beach before and after the days in Disneyland. I was so proud of my kids and kids-in-law and of course my little grandson. We all got along fabulously and enjoyed laughing and screaming and talking turns spoiling Elliott.
Meranda graduated from Hunter High (she's going to SLCC); Maddie from USU; Natalie from Kearns High (she's going to the U of U); and Rubie from Cyprus High (she's going to BYU). Haley, Willie, and I attended two of the four commencement exercises. They were good. There's just something about a graduation that renews and rejuvenates.
Happy Birthday Annie --the age span of my children is now 30 and 13. Thank you for being such a great daughter, sister, grandaughter, mother, niece, cousin, . . .
I don't know what it is about the lilacs (shape, color, scent), but they are just so awesome!History:
Lilacs in the United States date back to the mid 1750's. They were grown in America's first botanical gardens and were popular in New England. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew them in their gardens. Lilac bushes can live for hundreds of years, so a bush planted at that time may still be around. Lilacs originated from Europe and Asia, with the majority of natural varieties coming from Asia. In Europe, lilacs came from the Balkans, France and Turkey.
Willie was in the Granite District Junior High Track meet today. He threw the shot put 26 ft. 7 in. -- the best throw ever! He also had to run in the 7th grade relay -- how about that! If you know my kids very well -- especially Willie -- you know he can be a little slow in the running department. However, I must say that he "ran like the wind" in the relay. It was definitely, absolutely, remarkably the fastest I have ever seen him run!
My baby brother (36 years young) is in the hospital. He had knee surgery on Wednesday (torn ACL). He is the kind of person that no matter what happens to him, it always ends up worse than anyone else. The surgery was done in a surgical center in Provo late Wednesday afternoon. He and his wife got home close to midnight Wednesday evening. He's has had a terrible time -- the knee surgery is painful enough. He didn't do well with the pain medication (combined with anti-nausea meds); he had to arrange for his own physical therapy for Friday, and the PT he went to wouldn't touch his leg; luckily, a PT in his ward finally came to the rescue. He started getting congested on Friday and by Saturday he couldn't breathe without intense pain. In the middle of the night (Saturday-Sunday), he was vomiting blood, so the hospital was the next option. At first, it was thought he had a blood clot (maybe he did) but after some divine intervention no blood clot -- he has a serious case of pneumonia -- hospital time for the next three days. Needless to say, he's a basket case (as is the rest of his immediate and extended family). 
Willie had a track meet yesterday afternoon (Wednesday), 3:00 p.m., at Skyline. Karl and I both planned to attend I got delayed in a meeting and I felt assured that Karl would be at the meet to support Willie. Karl, however, at the same time was pressed to get some last minute shipping out the door and just knew that I would be there for the boy. At 4:30 p.m., we realized that neither one of us had made it too the track meet. Rats! Needless to say, we both felt like we had let Willie down.
Willie and I had dentist appointments yesterday (Monday). The dentist always presents the good news and then the bad news -- never fails. Good news: Willie came away with no cavities. That's a perfect record for the teeth currently in his mouth. Bad news: His teeth need the braces. After x-rays and cleaning, the dentist and Willie left the office and headed down the hall in the same building to visit the ortho-dentist. Willie is proposing that we don't start the braces until after Disneyland. (Yes, it's official -- we are going to Dizzyland, June 13-17.)
It's in the bedroom, through the family room, in the car, near the kitchen, on the couch, down the hall, (no, this is not an exercise in prepositional phrases), it's everywhere! What is it you ask? The scent of a 13 year-old, the one who lives in my house. Can't describe it. Don't want to remember it. It's fueled by food, drink, and air. It comes at times when you least suspect it. It's essence is one of denial. Ah! The scent of a 13 year-old!
Annie and Ross (+Elliott) are celebrating their 5th anniversary today -- very nice. 
I look forward to Sunday afternoon. Sunday is really the only day I take time to plan and prepare a nice dinner. There is always so much going on during the week, that my last priority ends up being "what's for dinner?" Needless to say, Karl and Willie are attended to and they don't look like they go without, it's just that planning and preparing dinner require energy, and energy, and more energy. Most late afternoons when I get home from the D.O., I am more interested in talking to the men in my house and listening to their experiences of the day than I am in preparing a meal.
Happy Birthday, Haley!
We had an impromptu "Guitar Hero" competition tonight. I am sad to report that Mernada, Willie, Parker, and Karl are all better than me. (Sniff, sniff . . .) I am just not good at video games. 
Wednesday night I ventured downtown to the Tabernacle on Temple Square with the stake RS ladies for the annual auxiliary orientation for presidencies (connected to General Conference). It was my first time in the Tabernacle since its renovation and re-dedication. It looked and smelled crisp and clean, the benches are wider in the seat and spaced to add more leg-room. As I sat through the orientation (which was absolutely excellent), I couldn't help but remember some of the times I "sat" through something there.The Tabernacle is an awesome structure -- I remember seeing an old photo of its roof with a huge arrow and the words AIRPORT painted on it. I guess the message let planes know they were close.
For four weeks now, Karl and I have been working with Willie's scout troop on the Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge. It's actually been kind of fun. We have completed just about all of the requirements, culminating tonight by attending a West Valley City Community Council Meeting. It was a good meeting. The meeting opened with a movie -- a Pixar cartoon, For the Birds -- it was a nice way for the meeting to begin and capture the scouts' attention. I guess they (WVC Council) do an "opening" instead of a "reverence" as in most public meetings. Then the public comment issues included a request for ongoing consideration of a skate park; efforts by young people to clean up graffiti; and where to locate a new animal shelter. We also learned of plans to revitalize the area surrounding the Valley Fair (ghetto) Mall. Plans are in place to build an Olive Garden and TGI Fridays where the tire store once stood on the corner of 2700 West andf 3500 South. That information was encouraging -- but we miss Francesco's. All in all the merit badge process has been good. The boys have been well-behaved and interested. We have learned a lot and also had some fun.
I am behind on my bloggings, sorry. On Easter Sunday, Willie decided to wear his sports coat from Haley's wedding (a year ago). It was a little tight, but it worked for a three-hour block of church meetings. He looked so grown up.
It's Easter Sunday -- the earliest I can remember. It's also the first weekend of spring. The pansies survived the winter, the tulips and daffodils are poking their leaves through the cold soil.
Fifty-seven years ago today, March 19, 1951, my parents were married in the Salt Lake Temple. Then Elder Harold B. Lee (a good friend of the family) officiated. Dad was just about to graduate in mechanical/civil engineering from the University of Utah, and Mom was working full time as an administrative secretary for Salt Lake Knitting. They had a nice reception at the Yale Ward and then they were off to Las Vegas for a short honeymoon. It was spring break at the "U" so that meant back to school when the honeymoon ended. A few months later, Dad was drafted and reported to Fort Lewis, Washington for basic training and then Fort Ord, California for additional training. Fortunately, Dad was assigned stateside for his tour of duty in the military, and Mom was able to join him at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. I think the years in New Jersey were some of the best -- time together, away from family, totally on their own. Neither Mom nor Dad hesitate to share their New Jersey experiences.
As Willie and I drove into the junior high parking lot this morning, we carefully checked and read all signs. One sign, on the right side of the parking lot entrance, states, "This parking lot is NOT a student drop off." Please note that the sign is bent and twisted and not obviously visible. I guess I will need to reconsider my thoughts from yesterday. However, there is no sign that indicates, "If you come in this parking lot, a mean teacher will harass you and scold you!"
For the past couple of weeks Willie and I have been exposed to the "mean and nasty teachers" at the junior high school. I choose to drop Willie off in the faculty parking lot where the parents who just need to make a quick drop off tend to go. (Parents needing to linger longer in the parking lot and watch their students socialize and then walk into the school, drop their students off in the east lot.) There are a couple of signs in the faculty lot that say, "Faculty Lot," "Student Drop Off East Parking Lot," -- but there is no sign that says what the mean teachers want it to say, "Parents are not allowed to drop their students off in this parking lot, and if they do they will be yelled at by us!" An explanation -- when we arrive in the morning at the same time as any one of these 3 mean teachers (they have all pointed at me and then pointed to the east parking lot like I am suppose to feel bad about what I am doing). Teacher A must be arriving at school earlier -- we haven't been reprimanded by her for quite some time. But Teacher B is determined to set me straight, and the anger has not stopped with me (the parent), now Willie is getting harassed. Teacher B has scolded him twice now as he is walking in the school --"tell your mother she needs to drop you off in the other parking lot!" This morning was even more exciting, Teacher C, left her parked car and aggressively approached the driver of each car dropping off students and shook her hand at them in disgust. One parent just drove right by her and two parents actually rolled down their windows and engaged her. Guess what, I was one of the lucky recipients of her angst, and I refused to roll my window down for her, and all I could do in response was mouth a nice message to her, "Have a nice day!"
Dementia (from Latin de- "apart, away" + mens (genitive mentis) "mind") is the progressive decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the brain beyond what might be expected from normal aging. Although dementia is far more common in the geriatric population, it may occur in any stage of adulthood. This age cutoff is by definition, as similar sets of symptoms due to organic brain dysfunction are given different names, such as developmental disorders, in populations younger than adulthood.
In dementia, affected areas in cognition may be memory, attention, language, and problem solving. Especially in the later stages of the condition, affected persons may be disoriented in time (not knowing what day of the week, day of the month, month, or even what year it is), in place (not knowing where they are), and in person (not knowing who they are).
Maybe I am not quite there -- I do know who I am and I know where I am . . . at least for today!
