Connections

At first meetings it is hard to know what associations will wander into our hearts and on through our lives.  When Layne and I were in Mongolia, 10 years ago, we met a young woman named Batbileg, who served for a time as our interpreter and language teacher.  She was a newly returned missionary from Idaho at the time.  We bonded with her and developed a sweet friendship.  When she mentioned a desire to return to America to attend school, we helped her to do so.  Over the years we have grown closer to Batbileg.  She considers us her American parents and calls us "mom and dad."  She is our girl.  

The name Batbileg means "firm wisdom" in Mongolian.  But it sounds a bit harsh in English.  Batbileg caught on to this early and has changed her name to "Brynn."  She was an American girl from the start, and determined that she would remain here.  She is now married to an American man named Roy Long, and is living in Arizona.  She and Roy visited us this past weekend.  It was so pleasant to spend time with them and see how thoroughly Brynn has indeed become an American girl, with a love of this country, complete with strong political opinions.  Our girl is in our lives for good, I think.

Here is Brynn and husband Ray Long, in our kitchen.

Roy and Brynn shared a video with us called, "Eat Fast Live Long" that we found fascinating.  It is based on a series of experiments on aging that have come to a conclusion that fasting several times a week is very beneficial to health.  Not the kind of fasting that we do for Church that includes avoiding all liquids and food for 24 hours, but a 600 calorie day twice a week, with all the water desired.  That amounts to about one meal a day on fast days.  We are going to try it this week.  Today in fact.  As I write this the time is nearing 10:00 AM, the time I've decided to begin our meal prep for the day.  I'm anxious already.  Hum.  Think we can do it?

As I write, my view of outside exposes a lovely scene of light snow quickly melting in the warming sun.  I guess the locals are right when they say the snow doesn't last long.  I am finding this place to be very pleasant and beautiful.  There is a peacefulness here that is soothing and relaxing.  Our days are pleasant, as we unpack and organize, then re-organized again.  Someday soon (I hope) we will truly be settled and able to think of things other than this house.

A scene from our front yard, showing the snow melting in the morning sun.

There is a new program for the youth of the Church that I have avoided learning about.  I can't explain exactly why I have done this.  Perhaps it is because a part of me feels that no time at all is given to us older guys and how to live out our final days providentially.  I'd like some ideas.  But I do understand that it is perhaps most important to meet the spiritual needs of our youth as they begin their mortal journey.  It is interesting how the Lord works things out.  I've just been called to teach the youth in Sunday School.  So I guess I will relent and learn something about the new teaching approach for our youth.  Front door or back door, the Lord has His way with us, if we let Him.  Who knows, maybe teaching the youth is how I'm supposed to spend my "final days!"         

The Idaho Banana Belt

"This is not our usual winter," say the Idaho natives, over and over to us as we shop and visit.  Indeed, they seem to be right.  The snow is gone.  The days are quite manageable, as winter goes.  Our home is beginning to look normal, at least in places.  There are still lots of empty corners that we need to fill with some kind of furniture.  But all in all it is looking much more livable.   Our garage is still filled with boxes.  My plan is to open the boxes as fast as we reasonably can and set the stuff we want to keep in piles where we want them to go.  Then we will know what kind of containers we need to get to hold it all.  I admet to tiring of the job though.  I'll be glad to have home "done."  Then we can move on to other more important things.

Sometimes I wonder what in the world we are doing here in Idaho.  It is beautiful, friendly and affordable.  But why are we living here?  I can't answer that at this time.  But I have faith that the answer will come and that we will feel that this is home.  I just miss the people I know and love.  It will be challenging to stay as close to them as I'd  like, I fear.

On the upside, I joined a singing group that performs at various assisted living centers and such around the area.  The group has asked Layne to sing a song with us.  So he is once again sucked into singing.  He loves it though so maybe this is the beginning of some fun singing times.

So far we have enjoyed visitors.  My nephew Rus and his family spent Friday night with us.  Daughter Jessica, Chris and kids spent a couple days with us Sunday through Tuesday.  I love being closer to them.  They are eight hours away by car.  It is far more doable that when we were in California.  The kids loved the air hockey and foosball games we have upstairs.  It is so fun to spend time with family.  Today our Mongolian daughter Batbileg (Brynn) and her American husband Roy arrive for a few days visit.  Wow.  We are loaded with visitors.  I love it!

Granddaughters Gemma and Peyton in our backyard.  Note Gemma
has no shoes on.  Must not be that cold!

Our lovely daughter, Jessica.

Our Gendreau family:  Chris and Jessica in back; Gemma, Peyton
(with a goofy expressin) and Miles.

The sun is shining today in this Idaho Banana Belt.  It fills our home and my spirits with cheer.

Boxes and Other Messy Stuff

Since arriving in Idaho we have mostly done just two things:  unpacked an endless supply of boxes and shopped.  This is a bigger house so more stuff is needed.  Infrastructure you could say.  So the goal is to increase the needed "infrastructure" and decrease the junk.  Have you tried getting rid of your own stuff lately?  It's much harder than helping someone else get rid of theirs.  There are so many emotional attachments to things, it seems.  But I'm giving it a go at giving away some of my formally prized possessions.  Tricky.

We were blessed by a visit from grandson Chase and two of his buddies last weekend.  They arrived late Friday night to help us unload our heavier stuff.  The three of them arose Saturday morning, ate plenty of sour dough pancakes, and worked hard moving stuff our of the last of our Pods and carrying them to desired locations, mostly upstairs.  Layne had a check list for them that he thought would take the day.  Those boys were done before lunch!  Ah, youth!  We loved them, fed them and thanked them.  What a blessing it is to have family and friends.

Layne and I spoke at Church last Sunday.  I won't ask you to guess what our subject was because you never could.  It was death.  I can't imagine ever wanting to speak to that subject.  We had lots of connections with members afterwards, so I think we did a satisfactory job.  At least it exposed us to more people and more connections were made.  So that was good.  We went to an empty nest family home evening on Monday night and met more people.  I think friendships will come easily here.  People seem consistently friendly.  I am finding this area to be embracing; not just the people but also the place.

Grandson Chase, ex-missionary companion Nick, and roommate Andrew.
These guys worked hard for us and were a joy to be around.

View from our backyard.  Note the lack of snow!  Maybe this
is a "banana belt" after all.

But I miss my family.  Happily, daughter Jessica and her family are coming this weekend.  So is my nephew Rus and his family.  They will miss each other but fill our weekend with sweet connections.  The following weekend our Mongolian daughter Brynn and her husband are coming.  So far we have had regular company.  I'm a people girl.  So I like it.   

Idaho

We walked out of our Sunol dream home for the last time on January 22.  Actually, I didn't feel emotional about the house much.  It was the people we left behind that gets to me.  How can we leave 40+ years of association?  Or three of our five children?  I never imagined that we ever would.

Thursday, after loading up the last of our stuff into a Pod, we headed to our neighbors, Bev and Ernie Trutner, for the night.  The next night we spent with Cliff and Audrey in their new house in Mountain House.  We loaded up our red car and Gerald's gray one early the morning of the 24th, with one of Audrey's cats in each car, and headed out.  Cats.  Audrey's new landlord doesn't allow pets.  So we get the "girls".  Layne and I caravanned for the 11 hour drive from Mountain House to Star, Idaho.

I worried about our girl, sibling, kitties.  But they did fine.  A bit of complaining was offered up by each of them along the way, but they arrived in good shape.  We entered our Idaho home the evening of the 24th.  No furniture, just us, a mattress carried on top of one of the cars, and what supplies we could stuff into the cars, around the cats.  We spent the first day walking around the place, trying to decide where everything should go.  Snow was everywhere. Snow.  Frozen sidewalks and driveways.  Not Layne's dream.  Yet here we are.

The drive to Idaho

We shopped next, for a new bed and refrigerator.  As we did so, we checked out this country place to see what is around us.  Lots of shopping, thank goodness, has emerged recently around this area.  Just in time for our arrival.  It was fun to shop with Layne for several days in a row.  That's never happened before with my shop-hating husband.  We are finding the people in this place to be unusually friendly and helpful.  To a person, they assure us that this winter with its cold and snow is "very rare."  After all, this is the banana belt of Idaho.

It is strange to be a place where we know no one.  Every face is new.  So it was a treat when my friend Trudy Ostler and her husband, Bill, said they were coming for a visit.  "To help you paint," Trudy said.  They came and we did paint.  And talk.  And unpack.  And eat and play games.  It was great fun.  They left yesterday.  I'll miss them.

Being members of the Church has many advantages.  Among them is the benefit of friendship.  We have been to our new ward twice now and find the people there warm and inclusive.  Many live in our neighborhood.  I believe we will make friends quickly here.  People seem to want to.  Star, our new home town, feels comfortable and happy.  But I wish we had the people we love nearby.

The feline girls wander through our home here, following us and snoozing nearby when we settle for a meal or rest.  I am finding them good company.  We finally have the internet.  Two of our Pods have arrived, bringing lots of our things with them.  It is beginning to feel a bit more homey.  There is lots of work to do to settle in.  Everything we choose to keep must find a new location.  It is challenging and fun to determine where everything should go.  Some things about this house I like better than our old one.  Some I don't.  But, before the week is out, we will be relatively settled.  At least that is our plan.

And so, at a new 70 and a settled 72, here we are in Star Idaho.  Imagine that.

Layne with Trudy and Bill Ostler

View from our back yard.  The snow is melted now.

The front of our home in Star, Idaho