Ring out the old, ring in the new --

"Ring Out, Wild Bells" is a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Published in 1850, it forms part of "In Memoriam", Tennyson's elegy to his sister's fiance who died at the age of twenty-two. Some think the poem is very negative and dark. I'd like to point out that it's intent is to turn from negative to positive thinking. The poem is typically referred to with a new year, in fact we often sing its words from our Hymn Book on the first Sunday each January. I have highlighted the positive lines in green. Enjoy!

Ring Out, Wild Bells
by Alfred, Lloyd Tennyson

Ring out wild bells, top the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Happy Birthday Willie!

It's my boy's birthday today. He is 14. That says it all! But I must point out that 14 marks the beginning of a young man's attempts to finding his identity. This photo represents aviator, Nanook person.

From our house to your house . . . Merry Christmas

Willie commented yesterday that he likes the Christmas preparation and the time leading up to Christmas far more than the day itself. I think he is growing up. We try to do something special for someone or some family every Christmas. This year he was involved in the whole process of the special something, and he said that it really made him feel good inside.

Our Christmas Day lacked the fast paced, early schedule of years gone by. The "Petersen Christmas Breakfast" has been our first event of the day for at least 32 years. This year's events changed slightly because our kids lives are ever changing and we are merging into a new generation of holiday activity. No extended Petersen family activity Christmas morning -- at least not for this year. We started the day with waking Willie up around 8:00 a.m. -- he has never been a Christmas morning early riser. Haley and James made it to our house around 9:30 a.m. We opened gifts with them and then we all had breakfast here at our house -- it was very nice to have Haley and James here. Willie just doesn't find his parentals that much fun. Next, Haley and James headed to Grandma and Grandpa Huber's house and then they went north to Garland (they are not home yet --another story). Karl, Willie, and I headed to the Wood's to talk briefly to Elder Preston Wood who is in the last fourth of his mission (his Mom was to call him at high noon). It was so nice to hear his voice! Preston has had a great mission in Argentina.

Around 1:30 p.m., we headed to South Jordan to see how the little grandson made out for his first "real" Santa Claus Christmas experience. Elliott was so excited to show us his train and his turtle. He was a little overwhelmed with opening more presents! We had a nice visit with Annie and Ross and Elliott and some very good snacks, too. Annie and Ross had over a foot of snow at their house -- in some places closer to 18 inches or more.

We got to my parents house around 4:30 p.m. and they looked pretty exhausted but were very glad to see us. The Howdens joined us there. Elliott is such a good boy -- he hugged a little jogging suit Grandma had for him. We opened presents, watched others open presents, and had some snacks, cleaned up a little and moved some of the tables and folding chairs from the kitchen outside. With eight children, their spouses and kids, it's gets pretty chaotic at Mom and Dad's house on Christmas. Mom makes sure everyone has as many presents she can buy (within her set budget, so she says). It's a pretty amazing thing for someone who is 78 and on oxygen -- not to mention her other ailments.

We finally got home around 7:30 p.m., we had a lite snack and then just chilled and watched the snow. Haley called to report that they were "snowed in" in Garland and that she and James would see us on Friday.

Merry Christmas!

The longest night . . .

It's the winter solstice -- when the sun's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equator. That means that it is the longest night of the year.

This morning Willie and I watched CBS This Morning with Charles Osgood and he talked about the winter solstice (I knew it was sometime before Christmas) and then he sang the words of Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (wherein Frost makes reference to the "longest night") to his own musical compostion. It was very nice. Robert Frost is one of my favorite poets. Many moons ago, I sang in a couple of choirs at the U of U. When I was in the women's chorus, we performed a series of Frost poems set to music -- the "woods" poems. This was one of them:

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Are you ready for Christmas?

It has been a very busy month at home, at school/work, with family . . .

I realize that Christmas is just a few days away. Everywhere I go people ask me if I am ready for Christmas. What does that mean? Ready for Christmas, hmmmm ?

Does it mean -- do I have careful, creative shopping done for everyone in my gift giving sphere?
Does it mean -- do I have a clean house with coordinated and festively displayed holiday decorations?
Does it mean -- have I done some baking and some cooking and some creative gift making for my friends and neighbors?
Does it mean -- have I mailed warm and friendly greeting cards to family and friends?
Does it mean -- I have all of the gifts (I have done the shopping for) beautifully wrapped and positioned ever so carefully under my designer decorated Christmas tree?
Does it mean -- have I taken time to visit my daughters to see their festive decorations and sample some of their holiday goodies?
What does it mean??????

Nothing -- absolutely nothing! So I politely reply, "I guess I am as ready as I am going to be", knowing deep down inside that I have a million things to do and only 8-9 days to get months of stuff done. The only thing I can say I am "ready" for is a nice long nap . . . . . . .

Merry Chistmas!

Christmas is coming . . .

CHRISTMAS IS COMING
Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man's hat
If you haven't got a penny, a ha' penny will do,
If you haven't got a ha' penny, then God bless you!

Away from home --

For many years in December (I think 12), I have been attending national counseling and guidance meetings. This year my meetings have been in Charlotte, NC. It's hard to leave home to go anywhere in December, but my family always manages to survive okay without me. I head home tomorrow but not before some early morning work. I have learned a lot, and I have been inspired by the work of many great educators, but I am so very anxious to get home. Hopefully, some of my knowledge and inspiration will transfer to my family and my work in schools.

I want to get home fast -- to give my boys (Dad and Willie) a big hug, see my girls and their families -- my little grandson needs a big kiss, and I need to make sure my parents and other family members are doing okay. I need to get my Christmas decorations up, get my house cleaned, and a bunch of other stuff done -- like my Christmas shopping.

Irish, yes definitely

I met a new colleague this morning, she is a member of the legislative committee I am chairing at the ACTE Convention in Charlotte, NC. She is Megan Kirkpatrick, thick shoulder length curly red hair, fair complexion, and dressed in a dark green suit -- a person can't be more Irish than that! Unless, the person is Maureen O'Hara (40 years ago). Amazing . . .

The Scots-Irish settled much of the southwest area of North Carolina. In fact, it was a huge draw because of the rich soil and nice climate.

He was a good fish . . .

I am sad to report that Saturday evening, about 9:37 pm, our fish, Joe, swam his last stroke. We found him lying on his side at the bottom of the fish bowl. Karl and Parker carefully flushed him down the toilet (all drains lead to the ocean) headed to his final resting place. He was a good fish.

Last Wednesday Willie and Parker and I took Elliott to PET SMART. Elliott was fascinated by the fishes -- he loved them. So, being the good Grandmama I am, we bought a goldfish for Elliott. When we asked Elliott what the fish's name was he said, "JOE".

The fish stayed at Grandma's because Elliotts's parents weren't too excited about taking it home. Well, we enjoyed Joe while he was with us. He came with a two week guarantee -- I guess we could take our 26 cent receipt back to PET SMART if we wanted to, but it's a little too soon to replace him now.

Giving Thanks

All in a Word

By Aileen Fisher

T for time to be together, turkey, talk, and tangy weather.

H for harvest stored away, home, and hearth, and holiday.

A for autumn's frosty art, and abundance in the heart.

N for neighbors, and November, nice things, new things to remember.

K for kitchen, kettles' croon, kith and kin expected soon.

S for sizzles, sights, and sounds, and something special that abounds.

That spells ~~~THANKS---for joy in living and a jolly good Thanksgiving.

(We had such a nice day - - - )

Disappointment . . .

We have a flag pole in our yard. We proudly display flags over the course of the year. The flag pole is well lit, so we rarely take them down in the evening. We have been flying a U of U flag since the college football season began. With last week's victory over BYU, we have added our red rope light "U" to the front yard (just next to the front porch) -- just for celebration.

Well we left for about an hour and a half tonight to get some last minute things for Thanksgiving and to help with some preparations at the grandparents' home. When we returned, our "U" flag was missing and the rope light "U" had been damaged (not lit -- lights destroyed). Hmmmm . . . . What is that all about? I don't think a "Utah" fan did the damage. Could it have been someone annoyed with our display -- probably -- but it's our property and it's on our property. Will we find the flag in the yard tomorrow? Not sure. Can we repair the lights? Maybe. At any rate, we are good citizens, we take care of our kids, our yard, our house, and everything else. We volunteer to help others, always. We go to church every Sunday because we like to and because we believe in what's taught there. We respect others' property and their rights. But, we still have to deal with and tolerate those who feel they have the right to steal, damage, destroy . . .

It's just a major disappointment!

Who really cares about the kids?

I know of a high school that is in pretty sad shape. There are basically three major groups of kids in the school. About 1/3 of the students come every day, pass their classes with pretty good grades, and seem to be involved in school. Another 1/3 of the students speak a language other than English as their primary language, and they are at varying levels of learning and understanding English. Some of this group have limited skills in their primary language. The other 1/3 of the students are highly mobile -- that means they have attended more than one school in grades 9-12, and they have come to this school credit and skill deficient.

The school pretty much runs like it did 10 or more years ago -- white and middle class. Now, the school is definitely a school of color and mostly middle to low socioeconomic status. I worry about the kids -- that their needs are not being met. Sure the teachers teach the kids who are there, but their needs are not addressed individually, and I see many slipping through the cracks -- getting further behind, not attending, no ambition, no hopes and dreams for the future. Mind you, 1/3 of the kids are pretty much on track to graduate, but there is such a feeling on complacency and just so many things to do for the other 2/3 of the students. I don't know what to do -- I want to help -- I try to help -- I feel like I am trying to push and pull cement blocks around the school to get the staff to look at the data and respond to the needs of the kids -- especially their learning needs. It like the [the staff] don't see it or get it. Any suggestions?

It's really the first time I have been connected to a situation where I completely understand the metaphor -- there's an elephant in the room, but in this case it's in every part of the school.

Go Utes!

The U of U basketball team won, yes they did, in game #2 of the Glenn Wilkes Classic -- Daytona Beach, Florida!

And by the way, the football team won today, too. They played a team from Provo, Utah.

And finally, I have a new little great nephew -- Hyrum Scott Lafeen, 7lbs. 7 oz., 19 inches long, the proud parents are niece and nephew Melanie and Justin Lafeen.

November 22, 1963

It was 45 years ago tomorrow that the darkest day of my young life occurred. You see, I was in 3rd grade at Webster Elementary, Mrs. Thacker was my teacher. After our morning recess, Mrs. Thaacker told us all that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas, Texas. Not long after that, Mr. Johnson, our principal made a school wide announcement over the PA system. He told us that President Kennedy had died and that all students were going to be sent home from school. (We were out of school until after the funeral.) For the next few days, we (my sisters and I) were glued to our black and white TV watching the events of Kennedy's death and funeral unfold.

November 22, also marks my cousin, Scott Barnes', birthday. It was family tradition to meet for a celebration for all the birthdays back then -- cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents, etc. -- so we met at the Barnes home that evening. I remember that the grown-up discussion was all about the sad events of the day. I remember feeling very anxious about the whole thing. I was even more upset because my grandparents -- Fern and Stewart --- were in Pittsburg, PA, at that time visiting other cousins. I remember wondering if they would make it home safely.

I really liked President Kennedy then -- and now, I appreciate his presidential legacy. The Kennedys have always been so facinating to me -- they are just a very intriguing family. The first time I visited President Kennedy's grave in Arlington was a very reverent experience. The eternal flame placed on his grave is marked by an inscription of his inagural address.

My neighbor Batar

My neighbor was a refugee from Somalia years ago. He and his family were in a refugee camp before coming to Utah. They were assigned to Logan when they arrived. They were welcomed there and made many friends. His background is in law, and he eventually joined the staff of Catholic Community Services where he is the main person over refugees. He is a great man and has accomplished so much in his short time in Utah. He said he knew he wanted to live in our neighborhood when he first saw it. His home was built about a year after ours. He and his cute family -- his wife, Asa, 3 boys and 2 girls, and grandma -- are great neighbors. Willie and their youngest son Ibrahim are best friends.

Batar was a featured speaker in our counselor "professional learning" meeting today. He gave an excellent presentation on the refugee process through Catholic Community Services. It was nice to see him in a professional role. He is very articulate in English and also speaks Arabic and Somali. He said that his family had to flee Somalia to a refugee camp or die. I can't comprehend the trauma. His family still living on the African continent are now in Kenya.

Français très Facile

Mon neveu étudie le français. Je l'ai aidé à écrire un papier ce soir. Les programmes de traduction Internet le rendent très facile. Je ne l'avais pas si facile qu'un étudiant français il y a trente ans.

Viva le francais!

A UTAH "Woman" am I

So the U of U vs. BYU football game is just a week away. U of U basketball begins this afternoon. So, why is it that I, we like the whole U of U stuff so much? Is is beyond just liking the color red. Let's just begin with the number of UTAH grads in the family.

Grandpa Huber
Uncle Glen
Uncle Blaine
Jackie
Judy (Moi)
Cindy
Geneil
Dee
John
Eddie
Karl
Evan
Lori (JD)
Annie
Haley
Ross (MBA)
Gregg
Wade

U of U alums (some coursework)
Grandma Huber
Steve
Maddie
Liz
Karen
Paul

Current U of U students
James
Peter
Lauren
Natalie

Future U of U student
Willie (for sure!)

If I have forgotten someone in the family, I'll just add them in later. Isn't this a pretty impressive list? Our loyalty to the "U" runs deep. Most families have one or two college grads -- we are just a bunch of UTAH educated smartie pants -- three generations strong!

Digital Camera Class

I attended a class today taught by my daughter. She is a very good teacher. I am learning a lot. I posted this picture that displays my new skill -- putting a message on a photo. How about that!

Wait until next year?

I get calls from parents everyday. Today a nice dad called to ask why his son should wait until next year to start finding out what he can be doing now to prepare for college and university stuff. Apparently, his son's school counselor told him to ". . . wait until next year." Well, I have a problem with that. I work with counselors everyday to try to get them to help their students envision their future and to plan for it. How in the universe am I to get them to help their students think and plan that way when they can't seem to see the point. Personally, you can't start planning early enough for the big decisions that lie ahead.

Student of the Month

Willie is the 8th grade boy Student of the Month at Hunter Junior High School. He wants a newspaper article or something written about him. Since I don't have access to a newspaper, he will have to settle for a blog posting. I would say that he is Student of the Month because he is a very good student -- he attends school every day, he pays attention in class, he is respectful of teachers and students, he gets good grades, he is courteous and polite, he is good-looking, and his mother loves him. The people at the school probably don't know that he is close to getting his Eagle Scout, and he is the best uncle on the planet. They may not know about his sweet basketball skills and his international team members who play some pretty intense games in the driveway. I must say that I am very proud of my Student of the Month! His reward for such an honor is lunch from McDonalds on Thursday -- in the school library. (He thinks someone goes to pick it up and brings it back to the school.)

A call for help . . .

Saturday Night
We parked in the Michael's parking lot on 5600 West 3100 South. As we walked away from our car, a white Honda approached us, inside was an older gentleman. He asked if we could help him. He told us he was a little confused and couldn't find his way home. He said he was a little disoriented. I walked over to his car, his passenger window was down. He said he lived in Kearns and asked if I knew where that was. He said he lived alone and there was really no one to call for directions. He was familiar with 5600 West but didn't know which way it lead to Kearns. I told him to turn left at the light on 5600 West and 3100 South and that would take home to Kearns. On second thought, I asked him if he would like to follow us and he was most appreciative. He said he lived on "Dewdrop" near the Wallmart in Kearns. We loaded up the car and were just about ready to pull out when I told Karl to ask him if he [Karl] could ride with him. He agreed that was probably a good idea.

My Car
On the way up [south] 5600 West toward Kearns, I had Willie call Haley to see if she could find "Dewdrop" so I would know the general direction of the man's home. No luck, so Haley called Chris to see if the street name was familiar to her Jefferson Junior High boundaries. Chris was familiar with the street and thought it might be northeast of the Wallmart on 5600 West and 6200 South (near Beehive Elementary). Sure enough, just past Jefferson Junior High, the man in the car [Karl with him] flashed his brights behind me, passed us up, and signaled to turn left.

The Man's Car
The older gentleman told Karl over and over again that he was only needing help, no weapon, no need to fear getting in a stranger's car. He told Karl that his wife is in the Bennion Care Center and he usually visited her during the day but had stayed to visit after dark. It seems his wife is suffering from alzheimers and her doctors don't think she has much time left. He explained that he is in his mid-eighties and has family in California. He told Karl how he had served in the military. He also told Karl he is a high priest in the Mormon church and active in his ward -- his name, Clarance Davis.

The End
The old gentleman pulled in his driveway and as the garage door opened I saw a very neat, clean, organized garage. There was a home-made ramp to the door to the house inside the garage. He and Karl got out of the car and walked toward my car -- Willie and I watched. The older gentleman came to my driver's side window, I held out my hand to introduce myself, he didn't let go. He was so very appreciative for the help. I asked him if he were a member of the Church and he said yes, so I told him a former Bishop was riding with him. He was very surprised and even more appreciative. He assured us he would be okay, finally let go of my hand, walked up the driveway, into his garage, closed the garage door, and we were on our way. Karl, Willie, and I shared our stories. We called Haley and reported in with her. Then we headed back to Michael's.

A Test?
I told Karl that his mom and dad were talking in heaven and his dad wanted to see just what kind of son Ardith had raised and what kind of daughter-in-law and grandson son he had. So, they arranged a good Samaritan service test -- I think we passed.

A week for the record books . . .

• Monday morning Grandma passed away.


• Monday evening family and friends stopped by to share their love and support.


• Tuesday was a very emotional day for me. A special family brought us dinner -- they knew Willie's favorite meal. More family and friends stop by.
  
• Wednesday was cold and snowy - we had 3 to 4 inches on the lawn. We had more visitors -- sharing more kindness and sympathy.


• Thursday evening was RS leadership meeting for all ward leaders - I was in charge of the refreshments. More special people stopped by.


• Thursday night the UTES beat TCU in the battle for the Mountain West football title. Karl and Willie said it was the best game ever -- they kept warm with hand an feet warmers. Scouts are always prepared especially at freezing football games.


• Friday we viewed Grandma's body and visited with many good friends and family who came to pay their respects.


• We wished Karl "Happy Birthday" on Saturday.


• We celebrated and honored Grandma's life in a very nice funeral service.


• Saturday night we went to Willie's football team party -- it was pretty unorganized but brought our week to a positive end.

Sleepiness takes over -- foils NABLOPOMO record

I missed out on posting yesterday. I fell asleep early and didn't realize I missed out on posting Wednesday until this morning. Since I get so few comments, I don't think my oversight is too tragic.

Election Day -- Second Tuesday

I am not sure I voted for any election winners, but I voted. It wasn't crowded at all and it took all of 2 to 3 minutes to put my card in the computer and breeze through the choices.

I voted for Richard Nixon in my first Presidential Election way back in 1972. I wasn't very good at choosing winners then, and I'm not now either. Oh, well.

It's late . . .

Here I sit at the computer a few minutes before the clock ticks away to a new day. I don't have much to report except that Grandma Petersen passed away early this morning. She and I had a very nice visit last Monday (just a week ago). We talked about families and other things. We have had hundreds of hours of good talks over the years. Grandma was good to me and my kids -- we loved her a lot and will miss her love and just being here with us.

Fall back!

I kind of like the change from daylight savings time to mountain standard time. It means an extra hour Saturday night to . . . "fall back" and . . .
-- watch television
-- read a book or something
-- sit and think or eat something yummy
-- just vegetate
-- feel good about having an extra hour for whatever, even sleep!

Now, when we have to "spring ahead" next March -- that is something very stressful and not much fun at all!

Not just your average jack-o-lanterns --

Do you recognize "the Cheat" and the U of U "drum and feather"? If not, I just gave away our fantastic Halloween pumpkin carving. The pumpkins look pretty cool in the dark with the candle light. My camera (oops, Haley's camera) doesn't do night shots too well.

NAPOBLOMO#1

#8152

Guess what? I just signed up for NABLOPOMO. Last year I participated, but this year I have oficially joined the campaign. I am #8152!

Willie and I visited the "bone" doctor on Monday, and his thumb is good to go. The doctor reported that the break/fracture has healed nicely and he can play basketball and any other sport without fear of hurting it.

Today was orthodontist day. The teeth are doing pretty well. This month's colors are orange and red.

I participated on a site visit to a school in Lincolnshire, Il., last week. It was a pretty powerful experience. Adlai E. Stevenson High School is nationally recognized as a school to watch for many reasons, but the school's focus on student learning is pretty amazing. (I know I mentioned this before, but check the site and see for yourself.)

Random Thoughts

So, I am with a school district team at Adlai Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois (an hour and twenty minute train ride north of Chicago). It is a pretty amazing school -- 4500 students, 300 teachers, 16 counselors, 6 social workers, a security guard in every hallway, facilities to dream about, pretty successful students. We are here with schools from all over the country to see how they engage students and monitor their learning progress in ways we have not yet determined. I do have a criticism -- there is no guidance program in place. No organized meetings with students or developmental activities to help students PLAN for the future. Oops!

So, I advanced a year on the longevity chart.

So, I have 22 years in the Utah Retirement System. (I really have 31 years in education but part time and years I took out don't count.)

So, I have great kids. I have quite the age span among them -- 30, 28, and 13.10.

So, I have been married 32 years.

So, my nephew, Parker, turns 12 this week. He will be a deacon and passing the sacrament -- he will need to be serious.

So, I have a grandson -- he is such a quick learner.

So, I love my family, my work in the Church and at schools, and hot fudge sundaes with whipped cream and maraschino cherries.

No School Today

It's fall recess for students and staff in Granite School District. Yippee! Willie and I have had a great day. Elliott and Annie arrived about 8:15 a.m. Annie had a meeting and we got to have Elliott with us. We had dentist appointments -- but that was fine because Elliott is very good and he made friends with Dr. Boulton and Liz. Dr. Boulton gave him a tooth brush and a little toy car. Then we headed to see Grandma Petersen -- Highland Care is just down the street from the dentist. She was really excited to see Elliott. He charmed one of the nurses into putting a smiley face on the bottom of a pill cup. Then we headed to meet Annie for lunch -- Haley had a lunch appointment with her Tooele teacher friends. Elliott slept through lunch -- we wore him out. Then we all headed home -- Willie to football practice and Annie to cub scouts and me, I'm just home.

Family Ties

No matter the circumstances and situations, my family is very supportive of events and activities -- it's a priority. Sometimes I take their support for granted. My immediate family -- Karl, the kids, their spouses, and Elliott are there with 100% -- always. My extended family is just about 100% -- my parents, sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews, in-laws and out-laws. Karl's extended family is close to 100%, as well. Birthdays, weddings, and other special events bring out the support. It is just the best thing in the entire universe to have a great family! I (we) love them all!

Fall Colors

The reds and oranges of the maples and oak brush were probably pounded down by the rain on Saturday. However, the Aspens' yellows are as vibrant as ever -- at least from the top of PC Main Street.

Pumpkins for Sale

We went for a nice ride yesterday afternoon and saw this colorful pumpkin display. We included the new Legacy Parkway as part of our itinerary. It's a very comfortable road -- if roads can be comfortable. No, the pumpkin display was not part of the scenery on the new parkway. They were displayed out front of the Albertson's store in Park City.

Someplace I hadn't been . . .

Until today I had never been to the University of Utah Guest House. It is a hotel/conference center on campus. It is situated between Fort Douglas and the medical/health sciences colleges on Fort Douglas Blvd. I attend a legislative outreach meeting there. It's very nice, and the meeting was good. I scanned this image off a napkin.

Nothing to blog about . . .

My daughter is always checking on the blog postings and mine are not as frequent as she'd like. But, the thing is, there just isn't that much going on that I think is interesting.

• I guess I could blog about my niece who plays softball for SLCC. She is an awesome hitter. I caught a picture of her hitting the ball on Saturday.
  
• I could report how Red Hanger lost part of my cleaning -- I went to pick it up on Saturday and it was nowhere to be found (the missing part). So, I went back today and still no sign of the shirts and stuff. I am so dumb -- I even paid for the missing cleaning.


• I could tell you how proud I am of my parents who in spite of their failing health still manage to get around town and even make it to a ball game now and again.


• I could write about my son and the big red thumb. He broke his thumb a month ago today and barely a complaint has come from him. He has taken the whole incident in stride. He made a bigger deal about the braces than the broken thumb.
  
• I could tell you about the women's conference talks I listened to on Saturday night -- Julie Bangerter Beck speaks with passion and conviction that I so admire. Plus, she is a "west side" girl (Granger High grad.).


• I could tell you about how nice it is to have my whole family here for dinner on Sunday afternoon. It's just the best feeling ever.


• I could bog about "fall" my favorite time of year for colors and how nice my yard looks.


• I could even mention the new addition to our backyard -- the pergola -- it is b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l.
  

Guess what -- it looks like I did blog about something.

What are kids reading?

I went to junior high parent teacher conferences yesterday afternoon/evening. You know, that's where the teachers all squish into the cafeteria sitting at tables with big signs hanging over their heads. There's a small amount of space for each teacher where parents and students line up (for hours) waiting for their turn to see what's up with the student's grades -- assignments turned in, general behavior, etc. Nothing is said to let parents and students know about their LEARNING -- Do the kids get this? Do they understand that? -- absolutely NOTHING. For me, it's a chance to observe teacher behavior, look at their long lines, and decide which teachers I don't want my kids to have.

That said, the other part of P/T conferences is the Book Fair -- you know that, too -- where the hot titles of the day are on sale for parents to purchase for their kid's good job at turning in assignments (not learning). What are some of the titles this fall?

Breaking Dawn -- vampire love story
Believe it or Not -- tattoo history 1010

Secret Codes -- for video games
Top Girl Picks (no such category for boys -- I guess they read the girl stuff)
Zoey Dean's Talent -- no matter how important and famous you are, friendship comes first
The Wild Girls -- how coming of age means finding your own answers
The Clique -- bratfest at Tiffany's
The Ashleys -- girls that rule the school, they are gorgeous

If we are what we read? You be the judge -----

Sometimes in the doing of we forget the reasons for --

The phrase used as the title of this blog post is one of my favorite. I am not sure where it came from, who said it, or in what context it was used. But it has inspired me more that once.

My professional work is all about helping adults to do better things for kids. By better things I mean -- better communicating and listening, better mentoring, better planning, better at making connections with kids, better at helping kids navigate a school system, better at helping kids find out where their interests lie, better at caring about kids, better at helping kids visualize a future, better and recognizing their (adults) ability to help kids, and so on. Sometimes adults make their work with kids more complicated than it needs to be. Adults create forms and checklists; they make schedules and charts; they have procedures and processes; and so on. They really do think these things help kids. Guess what -- most of the time, they are only obstacles to create a distance between the adults and the kids. Yes, there is a need for order and procedure, but I also know that if the adults in our schools would set their forms and procedures aside and do a little better job at making kids feel like they are important and valued, the results would be astronomical.

I spent time with a bunch of very diverse and complicated kids today. At first they were apprehensive about my intentions -- their faces said it all. But, by the end of each of three class periods, some smiled, some thanked me, and they all went on their way. I wished each one a great day and shook their hands or gave my hand to them in a high five. I didn't accomplish much more than that.

Life is tough enough. Our students are getting further and further behind in what adults are thinking they can or should do. Much of what happens in their lives inside and outside of school can put a damper on their energy and motivation to succeed. I hope every day that the adults in our schools will focus more on the reasons for their work (the kids) and less on the doing of (everything but focusing on the kids) -- it makes a huge difference.

Well, for what it's worth ------

Beware of Mothers Asking Daughters for Assistance

of Mothers . . .

asking daughters to help with stuff like this . . .

. . . the outcome is guilt (Toy Story reference - "I feel guilt.")

I don't know what I would do without my girls. They are my best friends and confidants! They are talented, capable, competent, and confident younger type women. We really do a lot for each other, but tonight I was the benefit of their support, help, expertise, and service. I have been asked to plan and carry out two RS craft nights a year. Well, I have never been much of a craft person. The first RS craft I did in my life was a few decades back -- painted a reindeer for Christmas. Next came a reindeer made out of a towel (I was so proud of it, it appeared in a family Christmas picture). Well the crafts I muster up for the ladies are of a technological sort. You see, I never cease to be amazed at the incredibly amazing works (techno crafts) my girls do via computer technology. For the February craft, we (with Annie's and Haley's skills) worked on digital scrap booking and photo collections on the Internet. Tonight, the techno craft was "word art" or "word clouds". Annie and Willie created their masterpieces a few weeks back. I just knew the RS ladies would be interested. So, we pulled it off tonight -- 20 ladies, 4 computers, and three hours later a quiet house.

Everything went well until the last 45 minutes or so -- Annie was tired, stressed, and out of balance in the sugar and energy department. Elliott conked out on Karl's lap -- he was an absolute angel all evening. Willie needed dinner -- 10:00 p.m. Haley needed to finish up some editing on a paper for Peter, and she hadn't seen James all day. Needless to say, I am feeling some guilt for the whole thing. The activity went well, but it was just more than Annie and Haley and Elliott needed to do for me and the RS ladies.

Next time, I think I'll need to revert back to vinyl lettering on painted wood.

Jellystone Park -- End of Summer Tradition

For the past 7 or 8 years we have made a summer's end trip to Yellowstone National Park. It's just one of those places I can visit time and time again and enjoy the next trip as much as the first. Karl and I drug our wounded (broken thumb) son with us this time. We stayed in a nice clean Comfort Inn in West Yellowstone and visited new and previously visited places all day Sunday, August 31. The weather was perfect! We walked out to Morning Glory Pool and then hiked up and down the staircase called Uncle Tom's Trail to the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River. The animals were sparse, but we saw buffs, elk, woolly caterpillars, chipmunks, and geese. On the way home we stopped at Bear World -- interesting place.

Ethel Meranda Huber, September 7, 1906

Annie, Melinda, Haley, Grandma

(on Grandma's front porch, 427 Kensington Ave., about 1985-86)

I intended to write this blog post yesterday (Grandma's birthday), but the day came to an end and another day began. Grandma Huber would be 102 if she were still alive. She was a good grandma. I spent a lot of time with her because when I was 12 years old, I was lucky enough to work at the family grocery store during the summer. Ten years later, I was still working at the store. Grandma worked every one of those ten years, and before them, and long after them. In fact, Grandma died at 84 years and she worked a full day at the store the day before she died.

Grandma was an excellent cook. I loved her roast beef dinner, especially her gravy. If I think long and hard I can still taste it. She always had cookies in the cookie jar and cold Cokes in the fridge. We were welcome anytime and to anything in the house. Grandma's house was a lunchtime stopping place when my sisters and I were going to the "U" -- there was always something there for lunch and sometimes a note from Grandma.

Grandma was born under pretty poor circumstances in Myton, Utah, her mother passed away when she was a little girl of 7. She was raised by not so nice relatives and an ornery step-mother, Nana. She and her brother, George, were very close -- but he died in his forties.

She was a very classy lady. Grandpa always made sure Grandma had the finest -- china, linens, clothes, furnishings, and more. Grandma always had "club" -- a group of lady friends who got together a couple of times a month to play cards. In the dining room buffet, top drawer on the left, were many decks of fancy cards -- all colors and patterns on the backs. Grandma's best friends were Helen Bird and Norma Riches. I came to know these ladies almost as well as I knew Grandma. Grandma's white hair was striking -- when asked what her real hair color was she always said she couldn't remember.

Grandma worked hard to support her sons in scouting (both Eagle Scouts), sports, church, school, and everything else. She was pretty guarded in her conversations - never really complained, never really disclosed much. I knew she loved me, my sisters, my brothers, and my girls. Willie came long after she was gone -- maybe he knew her in heaven.

Eighth Grade!

I taught junior high school for four years (that was thirty years ago). It was the craziest experience of my entire career. I remember thinking many times in those years that eighth graders should be shipped to outer space and brought back to earth just before ninth grade began. It seemed then that seventh graders were innocent and impressionable while ninth graders were mature and somewhat reasonable. But, for the eighth graders -- every single day was an experience with raging hormones and bull-headed, thick skulls. I was never surprised when eighth graders wanted to hold hands or start fist fights.

I went through the eighth grade years with my girls and lived to tell about them -- mostly I tried to look past their drama of the day and their endless whining. When my girls turned 15-16, they became delightful young women, and I have enjoyed every day since.

In the past few weeks, I have been experiencing eighth grade again -- this time with my boy. I am not sure how to work through this experience. Eighth grade boys have weird voices -- like out of tune fog horns that squeak every once in awhile. My eighth grade boy has lived through braces and a broken thumb in less than a month. He also struggles to sleep without his pet manatee. And, no matter what question I ask him, his reply is, "What?"

For example --
"How do you feel?" --- "What?"
"Do you have homework?" --- "What?"
"Is Tanner in any of your classes?" --- "What?"
"Are you hungry?" -- "What . . . what . . ?" "Yeah, I am hungry!"

When I call my eighth grader to check on him while I am at work, he often answers the phone with, "Meow, meow!" He has grown four inches in less than a year. His feet are huge -- size 13 football cleats -- and smelly. His ears have cooties in them, and he rolls on the floor and lays on the couch a lot. Just about any comment his dad and I make causes him to bust up laughing. Just about everything is funny --- ha, ha! His sense of humor is never ending. At the same time he is very responsible and caring --- he worships his sisters and his little nephew, and he loves hanging out with his cousins. He will always kiss his grandparents goodbye. Then, at the most reverent, somber times, some unforeseen bodily function will explode from his person accompanied by more uncontrollable laughter.

Oh the life of a mother of an eighth grader . . . you've got to love it!

Where did the summer go?

MAAAMMA!

Another Sunday, just like any other . . . -- Church as usual, home a little later, dinner preparations underway, then came Elliott -- "MAAMMA!" He shouted with all his might as he came barrelling through the front door to find me in the kitchen. I love my little grandson! It's hard for most to tell the difference from what he calls me and what he calls his mom -- they are pretty close. But, I know the difference, and so does he, and that's all that matters!

Football: the Long and Short of It

August means football season. This is Willie's 4th year, and he is still having fun. The kids practice, and practice, and practice. They had a scrimmage on Saturday morning with Copper Hills. The Hunter Bantams did well. Although the team members are pretty much in the same age group, they come in all shapes and sizes -- Willie (#75 in case you can't tell) is the longest, and Cody is definitely the shortest. It will be a good season. Games begin on August 23rd.

I love the BEATLES!

I got my first BEATLES' album (Meet the BEATLES) when I was in 3rd grade -- the fall of 1963. That seems like a century ago but was really just a few decades back. I planned on marrying Paul McCartney because he was by far the cutest. I listen to the BEATLES' music pretty frequently. My f-a-v-o-r-i-t-e song is All My Lovin', . . . you know how it goes . . . , "Close you eyes and I'll kiss you" . . .

Well, Annie and Haley have been talking about this movie, Across the Universe, for awhile and how the soundtrack is all BEALTES' re-records. The other day I heard the Across the Universe version of All My Lovin' on niece Emily Dee's BLOG. It was so good, I had to buy the soundtrack. Yes, it is very good, but, my f-a-v-o-r-i-t-e song on the CD is, hands down, "Close your eyes and I'll . . . ."

I love the BEATLES!

Pain is only weakness leaving your body --

Willie got braces on his teeth today. Needless to say he is in pain! He hasn't realized that pain is good -- it makes you tougher, it strengthens your tolerance, builds endurance and stamina, . . .

One of my colleagues told me to tell Willie that, " . . . pain is only weakness leaving your body". Of course, he rolled his eyes at me with that comment. Millions of kids and adults are dealing with braces pain as I write. It's not life threatening and the outcome is always good. So, I guess it's just something you overcome day by day.

I was quite impressed with the whole orthodontic process this morning. It was a very positive customer service experience.

• We were greeted enthusiastically as we entered the waiting room


• Willie was taken directly to the "lab" to have ex rays and molds done while I completed the paper work


• The payment was set up electronically -- credit card and debit for the full 18 months


• The patient room consisted of four chair stations and all patients were worked on within minutes of sitting in a chair -- each patient was attended to and help immediately and efficiently


• The orthodontist and his assistants worked as a team -- in concert together and, yes, they made progress


• The atmosphere was very open and professional


• There was music other than FM 100 in the background


• They really knew their routine -- they got down to business, on task, no time wasted


• Willie got to choose up to three colors of ties to go on the bands (he chose red and blue)


• He received some detailed instructions on braces care


• He left with his private pouch of braces supplies and we were given an electronically printed reminder for our next visit
  

I couldn't help dream about a school system running with such positive customer service -- efficient, professional, individualized -- where students and parents are always important and attended to. I guess in my work I hear more reports of the opposite kind of customer service. Yet, I know this can happen some day in all of our schools!