What's in a Vote?

There was a primary election here on Tuesday.  I waited patiently for our sample ballot to arrive, and a write-up on the candidates.  California was good at that.  They sent information out to every registered voter, in several languages.  But I waited in vain here.  Who is running?  What do they stand for?  Since no information was forthcoming, I asked around.  No one I asked knew any more than I did, and that was practically nothing.  We organized a political discussion at our Empty Nest Family Home Evening on Monday night.  No one there knew anything either.  I looked online for information and found very little about the candidates and no sample ballot.  I was so upset by this.  We did the best we could with the election, then I made some calls to the election board and the state rep over elections.  I told them what I thought about the lack of information.  How easy would it be to put a sample ballot along with candidate information and propositions online?  Little or no cost would be involved and voters could access the information easily.  I told them so.  They listened politely.  But I didn't feel that any changes would be made anytime soon.  I could be pleasantly surprised.  And that may partly explain why voter turnout is low.  At this critical time in our history, when so many rights are being lost, we need to speak up...and vote!

Our last singing performance was last Thursday.  It was much fun but by the last day we were feeling very done.  Part of the reason is that Layne caught a giant cold and was feeling pretty lousy.  He pushed himself through but Friday he absolutely crashed.  He sat around all day, staring off into space.  It was so "un-Layne-like."  Our neighbor came over that evening and massaged his feet.  I think he liked it.  Of course he was so out of it we could have done anything to him and he would tolerate it.  Poor baby.  He's on the mend now I'm happy to say and, today, feels just about normal.

Tomorrow we begin our drive to Colorado, via Salt Lake, where we will spend some time with Layne's twin, Lynn and his wife Camille.  On the way home we will check in with my sister Maryanne and hub Bob.  We will be driving Layne's old truck, which I'm not looking forward to.  But we need it to haul some stuff from the Colorado ranch.  I had to work over many days of suggesting and nagging to get Layne softened to the idea of driving to Colorado.  I'm grateful that he has finally agreed.  So I'll put up with the discomforts of truck travel.


I'm just about ready to leave for our addiction recovery meeting.  It is spring in the yard and so beautiful.

Our cat Cherry must be with us when we are in the yard.  Here she sits between me and friend Phyllis Salsedo, on the bench in our back yard.

Singing

Layne has been reminding me lately of the blessings of being in Idaho, for me.  He thinks I have had more opportunities for growth here than I've had for awhile.  I suppose he is right.  I've had a chance to speak at a woman's conference, we are serving a local mission that is different from anything we have ever done before and I belong to a singing group that is stretching me.  Singing has not been my strong suit. I often sang to my children and they often begged me to stop.  I sing in the Church choir under pressure from Layne.  Singing next to daughter Audrey (a beautiful and accurate alto) was my choir salvation in California.  I only sing in groups, never solo except in the shower.  I am not musically trained and only guess at reading music.  So it comes as somewhat of a surprise even to me, that I find myself singing a short solo with my community singing group, the Treble Clef Singers.  We are in the process of performing our annual spring concert all around the Treasure Valley to various senior centers.  It is a safe place to sing as the audience is always appreciative and not critical.  So I'm singing to them!  Layne continues to be the token man in our group, singing two solos himself.  He does a superb job and the ladies love him.  He tends to steal the show!  It is pretty all-consuming for the two weeks of performing but seems worth the investment as we are both doing things we've never done before with music.  Growth is joyful.  Even musical growth.  And I'm thinking, perhaps I can sing after all.  Passably at least.

                                                Layne singing part of "When I'm 64".

                                   Layne and me dancing and singing to "Sweet Violets."

Layne is quite taken up with yard work these days.  He loves his time outside, moving the dirt and planting the vegetable garden.  I feel happy that he has much on his "to do" list.  It is good to have productive things to do and he is all about being productive.  Since selling our condo, we are making some plans for home improvements that we can now afford to do.  I'm so excited about this.  I feel the encroachment of time.  It seems to me that whatever it is that I want to do in this life had better be addressed pretty soon.  Time ticks by at a frantic pace and I often feel that I'm not keeping up.

Primary elections here come up this week.  As this election got closer I expected to receive sample ballots in the mail as we always did in California.  But it isn't done here.  Where do we find out about the issues and the candidates you may ask?  I am certainly asking that question.  Still.  The election is somewhat of a mystery to me.  We can't seem to find a sample ballot, even online.  How then are we supposed to vote intelligently?  I wonder.

Breezes and thunder storms add to our warming days here.  We are surrounded by beauty.  I am filled with gratitude for it all, except for the lack of election information.  I'm a bit ticked by that.

   

Mother's Day in California

Our flight into San Francisco with Isaiah last Monday went as anticipated.  Wonderful.  I am regularly reminded of the wonder of life at this time with all of its luxuries.  I hope never to take any of it for granted.  We have spent this past week at Audrey and Cliff's in their new location called Mountain House.  Their housing development lies in the middle of farm country, near Tracy.  It is lovely here and the guest accommodations are the best of any of the local kids.  So we planted ourselves here.


Here is a goofy picture of Isaiah on his 16th birthday.  Homemade pizza was his dinner choice, which he actually ate instead of the other options he offers here.

California offers such a collection of family and friends.  I tried my best to connect with as many of them as possible.  Family for sure.  We spent time with Audrey and Cliff, Ben and Jes, Reed and Dorothy and all the babes.  There is really no substitute for being in another person's space.  I love to take in all that surrounds my precious family members.  Our family here seems to radiate steadiness and goodness.  I'm so happy to feel that in them.


We went to dinner with Ben and Jes.  Here they are eating dessert in a cookie and ice cream shop in Palo Alto.

Audrey had a piano recital at her house last night.  Here grandson Vincent plays his piece.

We sold our condo!  We signed the final papers for the sale this past week.  By Friday the money gleaned from the sale was in the bank.  Wow.  The opportunity to sell it seemed to emerge from nowhere, and proceeded with so little effort on our part.  I remain amazed.  Amazed and grateful as I can now happily announce that we are completely debt-free.

We connected with our Sunol neighbors, Bev and Ernie Trutner, as well as our foster daughter Michelle Montandon, and some other friends.  I love all of this bonding.  I feel full of their news and embrace of being in their presence. As the younger ones are maturing and blossoming, so are the older ones (my age!) beginning to show signs of wear and tear.  I sometimes lose track of the passage of time until I awaken to the condition of others.  I'm so used to seeing Layne and myself that our aging and coming physical decline is somehow less noticeable.  But coming it is.  When I calculate that in another 10 years I will be in my 80s, then another 10 will bring the 90s I cringe.  So little time is left to me it seems.  What am I to do with it?  What is the best use of it?  What do I not want to leave undone?  I've yet to fully figure it out.


Here is one of our foster daughters, Michelle, with her son Steadman.  Steadman is a "special needs" young man with a wonderful heart and a strong desire to do something good with his life.

Our time here is soon to end as we fly home tonight.  Mother's Day was celebrated yesterday and today.  How perfect to be with some of the kids at this special time.  One of the downsides to Idaho is the absence of family to celebrate with.  Holidays are the hardest time for me since the move.

Reed and Dorothy's oldest son, Scott, graduates from high school this year and plans to go on a ission sometime this summer.  He's a high achiever and filled with righteous ideals.

Scott's younger brother, James, is holding youngest sibling, Bruce.  James is a brilliant boy wiht a passion for basket ball.  He has a special bond with Bruce.

Me and my Mother's Day flowers.  The pink ones are from Ben and the red ones from Layne.

Life moves forward with a breathless rush.  Tomorrow we will be home and singing in the first of our two week concert series.






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The Pleasures of a Grandson

I began Isaiah's visit with us with some concerns.  What foods would he like best?  What activities would excite him? Will his driving practice be enough? Will he be happy here?  He is easy though, so it didn't take long to just incorporate him into our lives.  I will miss him when he goes home.  He turns 16 this coming week so we decided to give him a mini-celebration this past week.   He chose the meal and dessert, and the birthday gift.  We did our best to spoil him, including enjoying the latest Hobbit movie together.


Isaiah's birthday celebration.  That's homemade chocolate pudding with whipping cream, his request.

Layne, Isaiah and I drove to Normandy Park, in Washington, on Wednesday.  Eight hours is about two hours more than I like but it was pleasant enough.  The guys drove; first Isaiah, then Layne.  We arrived about dinner time and enjoyed the embrace of Chris and Jessica's busy family.  The three kids seem to be doing very well.  They are all brilliant.  OK, so some of this is a grandma thing, but they are all pretty impressive students.  All seem to want to connect with us.  I'm so grateful that all of the grandchildren, so far, have kept their interest in a relationship with us.  Even the older ones.  That is a great blessing.

Wednesday I helped Jessica teach an art lesson in Peyton's class.  What fun.  As I watch my daughter Jessica I am struck by how much I seem to have in common with her.  She seems more like me than I have previously thought.  She is not interested in the gospel, which continues to make me sad, but her heart is pure.  She continues to love her used book store, which appears to be breaking even but doesn't offer much above that.  Still, she loves it and the collection of books it brings to her.  I must say it is the cutest and most inviting bookstore I have been in.  Really.

Wednesday night happened to be a special one on her bookstore street in Burien.  It offered an "Art Walk".  Local artists displayed their works in many of the stores, and included special treats and sometimes free activities.  It so happened that Seattle, the city of clouded skies and rain, offered us only warm sunshine during our short visit.  So walking the streets of Burien that night was especially pleasant.

I so love this Gendreau family.  Our visit was very short, but I think so worth the doing.  Isaiah seemed to enjoy the exchange with cousins and seeing a little of Seattle life.  We began our journey home Friday morning.  All went well until we missed a turnoff and wound up over an hour out of our way.  So it took some 10 plus hours to get home instead of the usual 8.  It was a longer journey than planned for sure.  But we made it safely home and I guess that is the important thing.

                                             The outside of Jessica's bookstore.

   Layne, lost in a book, inside the bookstore.

             Granddaughter Gemma, looking beautiful with her braces off.

                                                         Isaiah in the bookstore.

Easter and Beyond

Anticipation can be so delicious.  I have been looking so forward to having family here for Easter.  And it was wonderful.  Every bedroom was full of bodies.  Family bodies.  First came Audrey and Isaiah, then the BYUI gang of 4, then Cliff and Rayne.  I had a dream, as usual, for how our Easter celebration would go.  And, as usual, it didn't go as planned.  But it was lovely.  I found some Easter lyrics for the popular song, Hallelujah.  I printed copies up for everyone and we sang it before we ate our Easter dinner.  Mixed reviews on that one.  Our family sound was not exactly melodic.  We managed to share a gratitude for the Savior and His resurrection and that will have to suffice.

The week was so full of busy-ness that there wasn't much time for blogging.  So I didn't.  As you may imagine, I spent a lot of time preparing meals.  But this time everyone helped.  I loved the bonding over food!  Chase's wife Morgan studied much of the time for her nursing certification.  But we had fun around her.  I love how easily everyone just mixed as we did nothing together and sometimes we found an activity to do together.  It was Morgan's birthday, so Layne bought some air balloon tickets and she, along with others in the family, went ballooning.  That seems to be our special activity as this is the third or forth time we've done this.  Layne, Audrey and I had a great time chasing the balloon in our car and finally finding it, at landing, in a field full of new home construction.

The ballooning gang:  Trena (friend of Morgan's), Morgan, Chase, Isaiah and Allegra.

                                                   Chase having fun mowing the lawn.

                                    Morgan's birthday (Rayne shaped the candles into "21").

While everyone was here we gave a presentation on Porn to the Bishops in the stake, warning them of its prevalence and giving them ideas for helping their members avoid it.  I don't feel like it was wonderful but I do think we made our points clearly.  So that will have to do.


                                         The Adams-Hart gang relaxing in the living room.

                                     The college gang leaving.  Allegra's smile of goodbye.

At one of our Mongolian presentations, Layne sang a crazy song called, "I Am My Own Grandpa."

One of the projects Layne and Isaiah worked on was putting new lights in the living room.  Isaiah is demonstrating the wonder of it all.

By Monday all our company was gone, except Isaiah, who chose to stay with us for a couple of weeks.  Sometimes I worry that it will be boring here with us older guys.  But Isaiah seems to be a pretty easy-going guy.  He is nice to have around because of that.  He doesn't expect to be entertained every minute and seems to be happy and willing to work on the various projects that Layne has on his to do list.  He is quite a capable boy.  His latest passion is driving.  Since he will turn 16 in another week or so, he wants to drive everywhere we go.  So he does.  He's pretty good too.

This next little while will be full of traveling for us.  This coming week we plan to celebrate Isaiah's birthday, and drive to Washington to spend a couple of days with Chris and Jes.  Of course Isaiah will drive.  Next week we will fly to California with him and stay there for a week or so.  I'm excited to be spending so much time with family after a winter without them.

Palm Sunday

Lately we have given two presentations on Mongolia.  I started thinking about how long it has been since we were there.  We have been home for 12 years!  Sometimes it feels a bit alarming that so much time has passed so quickly.  By the time the next 12 years pass I'll be an 80 something.  Amazing!  Sometimes I wish I could make it all stop for awhile.

With Audrey and family here for the week, my mind is racing to think up Easter activities.  It's fun to think about it once again.  I've missed holidays with family.  This whole week will be filled with family stuff.  It should prove to be a wild and busy time.  Grandson Chase and wife Morgan, with a friend, are coming today.  Cliff and Rayne arrive on Thursday.  We'll have a full house!

Isaiah and Allegra fooling around.  The house is definitely not in order these days.  But I don't care!

We are going to speak with the bishops of our stake this coming Thursday about pornography.  Once again we are redoing our presentation.  I hope we can get it right and help them to see the extent of the problem and some inspiration for solutions.  I felt vindicated by General Conference last weekend as every point we try to make was presented there.  It feels like we are on the right track with our feelings of urgency to awaken to the serious dangers of pornography.  I know, this comes up in just about every blog, but it is on my mind almost daily.  It isn't a happy thing to think about and a big part of me will be happy to be removed from this assignment.

On a happier note, it is Easter time.  I seems to me that this is as important as Christmas, maybe even more so.  But we seem to make less of it.  This week I'm hoping to help our family here remember each day as Christ experienced it, beginning with Palm Sunday, today.  I'm so glad to know about Christ and all that He accomplished, for me and for you.

                                                      Spring from our front porch.

Worms

Layne and I have spent the weekend comfortably at home, in grubbies, watching General Conference.  I love Conference.  Several of my recent concerns were addressed:  pornography (of course) and personal change ("That's Just the Way I Am"--which was the topic I spoke on at our Women's Stake Conference).  I loved the information shared on those two topics and so many others.  As usual, many of the speakers used stories to illustrate principles.  So here is one from our own driveway.  Since the arrival of the spring rains, many of the worms that inhabit our lawn escaped the wet by wiggling their way onto our driveway, and sidewalks, where they dry out and die.  Once dry they cannot easily be swept away, by the way.  So dead worms decorate the concrete for as far as the eye can see.

                                             Worms, so close to safety, yet so far away.

This morning, after an overnight rain, the worms, dead and alive, were nice and juicy and easy to sweep.  So I did, all the while telling them how foolish they were to be there.  So here's my illustration:  often, when confronted with a challenge or some other type of trouble, we seek help in the wrong places and wind up worse off than we were before.  Sometimes lots worse off, like the worms.  They cannot know that their driveway destiny is death because they don't have the sense or perspective to think and look ahead.  But we do.  Sometimes that is what we need to do to make better choices; think:  what will be the eventual outcome of the decisions I am making right now.  So there you go.  I suppose, if we think about it, there are examples of good and bad choices all around us.  Even in nature.

Speaking of that, it has snowed since I returned home last week.  But spring is still making a showing.  I know I mention nature a lot since being here but it is so very loud with its announcements.  Spring brings an explosion of color and plants appearing where no sign of them existed during all of the winter.  It is magical.

                                                               Spring is showing.

    Bulbs Layne planted last fall are making themselves known.  Pretty magical stuff.

Audrey and Isaiah are coming for a visit this Thursday.  The rest of the family will follow soon after.  I'm excited to have family in my personal space again.  I miss it.