Home Activities

Son Ben's girls, Alexis and Jacqueline

I am a free spirit by nature.  Being of this nature, I relish open time.  Time that I am free to do anything with!  I was investing in such thoughts when son Ben called to see if I'd babysit some of his babes while he and Jes went out of town.  Of course I said I would.  So the three oldest kids came on a Wednesday and stayed until the following Sunday evening, when our family time climaxed in an extended get-together to celebrate Cliff's birthday.  It turned out to be a lot of fun, as being with the kids is.  I felt tired at the beginning of my time with the little kids, but got into it.  I'm always pleasantly surprised by my adaptability.  I think we can do and enjoy more than we think.  Often I find myself entering into some activity I don't feel up to, only to find that I have it in me!  It's a happy surprise each time.  I love those kids!

This past while has been full of activity but not much of what I planned on.  It seems like life is mostly like that.  I have array of projects that I hope to accomplish only to find myself leaving those to the very last.  So I rarely get to them.  I need to change that by being a bit more disciplined.  I'm a wild woman with open time; it goes to my head as I fill much too much of it with hopes and plans rather than action.

Balloons at Carmen's grave

Layne and I worked in the temple twice last week.  It was one of those things I didn't want to do but did.  I had so much fun!  It is a joy to  have a place where I feel embraced by the place itself as well as the people that work there.  There seem to be a number of things that I don't look forward to but should.  I wonder how to go about acquiring a happier anticipation of such things.

 Our granddaughter Carmen would have been 11 this year, on August 10th.  We celebrated her life by meeting up with her family at her grave in Antioch.  We talked about our memories of her, put flowers on her grave, prayed for her and released ballons.  I love having a set-apart time to devote to her memory.  As the time passes, it is easy to not think of her as often.  There are now small members of our family that don't know her.  I feel the need to keep her memory ever before us.  I'm glad for these times of remembering.

One of my walking views

I am resolved to exercise regularly.  Again.  This time I determined to use Rayne's newly acquired tread mill.  It's located downstairs in the "dungeon", our room without windows, where the kids often go to play video games.  I was explaining my plan to daughter-in-law Dorothy when she said, "you have 6 acres; why don't you walk around your yard?"  That was a rather obvious suggestion, I thought.  So, taking her advice, I've been walking around our wild and hilly property each morning.  Why do I forget how nurturing it is to be outside, among other living things?  I love those walks.  They take me up hills and down, through the orchard for a peachy snack and through the garden for the latest ripe and ready vegie.  Often the cats follow me and keep me company.  I love it!  Oh, and I'm feeling stronger too.