Silver Sneakers

Yea, Curves!! Recently their exercise studio has been made available to Humana members as part of their "Fix It Before It Falls Off" [Silver Sneakers] program. Like Joanie said: Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without". In the case of my body parts, I would like to do WITH them as long as I possibly can . . . And good old Wayne, he is willing to go with me. [Actually I think he enjoys it.] These funny little machines don't look like they'd do much, but they are getting muscles that haven't been exercised since I had little kiddies to heft around all over the house!

So, this one day we went to exercise, and Wayne says, "Hey, it's closed!" I checked the clock, knowing Curves should be open, then checked the door where he was standing. He was trying to get into a manicure place two doors down from CURVES! We had a ha-ha over that.

I spent a wintery February day very contentedly, doing washing and working in the dining room and kitchen. Snow was falling outside and I had a fire going in our trashburner and was feelng very cozy going about my work and listening to the little sounds a fire makes -- little sighs, some muted pops, and sometimes a little roar when the wind blew across the top of the chimney. Very comforting and happy. Reminded me of growing up.

When we first moved to Greenville, our little home was heated by a warm morning stove in the living room and a wood-coal range in the kitchen. That light green range stood up off the floor on legs, and Sue remembers scooting under there when she was little to feel a little cozier on a winter day. Though toasty and warm on a cold day, that old range was a bear in the summer, however, when Mom had to fire 'er up in the summer in order to have hot water for Daddy to clean up in the evening after working. Add to that, the kitchen was on the southwest side of the house, and you can imagine the heat! So eventually the old range was replaced with a modern propane stove which was much more summer-friendly, but Mom found a little stove that she called the Trashburner that she could fire up on wintery days to bring that wood fire warmth into the kitchen on winter mornings. Morning chilliness greeted our sleepy-warmness then making it hard to get out of bed and get dressed for school, and we would make a bee-line for that little stove where we could warm one side while we hurriedly pulled on clothes and tried to wake up.

When Wayne & I moved into our home some 37 years ago, we needed something to take the chill out of the winter mornings, and even though it was many, many years after Mom had purchased her Trashburner, she managed to find one for us. Wayne popped a hole in the brick chimney and installed it between the kitchen and dining room, where pleasantly warms our wintery days creating memories and bringing back the warmth of older times when we least expect it.

Helper, Utah

Helper is a little railroad town north and west of Price. We drove through on our way home from Dave & Niki's in Vernal just for the fun of it.

It was so named because it is at the bottom of the 15-mile long grade up the east side of the Wasatch Plateau. Trains headed up Price Canyon to Soldier Summit and on to Salt Lake City needed an extra "helper" engine to make the steep climb. Established in the 1880's by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, Helper still has some company houses, standing side-by-side like paper dolls all holding hands. There is a great laundromat too, a place where you either lose or (if you're lucky) find socks!!

I'm not sure why Helper felt familiar . . . I have never been to this funny little town before . . . but I like the name and the connotation it bears.

Population in 2000 was 2025 souls.

Vernal in the Winter

Last time we went to Vernal was last January, when Dave and Niki moved over there. We haven't had the chance to visit since then, nor have they been able to come here, so we have been missing them. This past week, we took a couple of days to go, ironically, again in January. [Joanie tells me that the words Vernal and January should never occur in the same sentence!] But the weather wasn't as cold this time [about 25 degrees warmer] and we didn't have to wrestle household furnishings out of a truck and into a house or storage unit!!

Instead, we got to visit!! And I must say, computers are wonderful for family sharing pictures in a size that everyone can enjoy -- makes them screen-sized, not 3x5 or 4x6 -- and you can visit and share stories at the same time as you are looking!

But, one of the funniest things happened while we were sitting in the living room Friday afternoon, trying to scare up energy to have a guided tour of Vernal: all four of us dozed off and we enjoyed parallel naps!! Now, I have heard of parallel play with toddlers, but not parallel snoozing!! Made me chuckle. Guess we all needed it! Good visit with the kids! Good rest!! Nice trip!

Right: Lulu & friend Mandi

The view from the top of the world, the pass between Price and Duschesne. A winding road brings you to the top and then the view opens up!

The Castle Gate power plant is in the canyon near Helper, and the road drives right under the coal chute that feeds the plant, one of my favorite parts of the scenery. Makes me feel as though I am right in the middle of things and need to be careful not to get in the way of a man trying to get his job done.

Jeff & Laura

Guests came to visit for a couple of days --- our nephew Jeff & his wife of about two years, Laura. Kjirsten*, Jim's daughter, had supper at Jim's house one night, and we had two evenings of great visiting with the six of us altogether, which is what Jeff particularly wanted to do: renew family relationships. They visited with Grandma as well, and she was a bright as a new penny.

A very nice time, getting to know Jeff & Laura, something that we really haven't had the chance to do before.

I worried that life in rural Utah might be a little tame for entertaining, but they totally enjoyed the museum and we had some great conversations. Jeff is collecting native American traditions about the visit of a great white God and healer to their ancient ancestors, who came, taught and ministered to the people, both physically and spiritually.

A series of very nice occasions!

*Wish I had a picture of Kjirsten. She is such a kind and happy girl!

BIG & little

My grandkids surprise me. I will be talking to a little chipmunk of a person and will have the feeling that I am actually with someone who is an adult, not a child! I have a sense that they are much older than they have years to be.

So, my sister Joanie shared some pictures from her childhood several months ago, and among them was one taken in our driveway: our branch president Bro. Sims, myself, Sue and Joanie. My lands, she is so tiny, about 3. I know she was 3 once, I just can't remember that she was ever that small!

More recently, I came across pictures of Sue & me, ages 5 and 3, and we are the same size chipmunks and Joanie was in that other picture! We were little, compared to the Badley kids who were visiting at the time. The kicker is that I can never remember feeling small. I always felt BIG!

When we were babies, in fact, Mom would say, "Look at that. . . just as big as anybody!" Well, in my case at least, I was a little wild indian, hollering and running around all over the place --- that's what my Auntie Frank said when she came to visit just after we moved from the Bay Area in 1946: "My goodness, they're raising a couple of little wild indians up there!"

So here you have it: Little wild indians, who do not feel or sound little. When we would be in this frame of action, Mom would say, "Go outside and blow the stink off!" probably because our little house could not contain all that noise and energy!!

An aside or two:

1. Notice that Mom braided our hair. That was the only way to keep it neat for any length of time!

2. With a Dad who came from Texas, wild indians were cool, not politically incorrect!

JAN-uary THAW

In Utah, we have an annual tradition: January Thaw. It can last from one afternoon to a week or two, depending on what the weatherman says is coming this way. I KNEW Tuesday was the day. The temperature had to be up in the mid-40's and I celebrated by hanging my wash out on the line without a coat!! The weather was gorgeous: no wind, no clouds, just wonderful, warming sun in a clear, blue sky. I even did a little yard cleanup that hadn't happened in the fall, and I felt like I was cheating Grim Winter of one or two small victories.
My friend says, "If you just watch, there will be enough warm winter days that you can scoot out and get your spring work all done in little installments." It's true!!

The Thaw, right after the hussle of the holidays and facing the bleakness of 2 1/2 months of winter, gives me hope. I CAN accomplish things! Life WILL be better and more pleasant! But I don't have to get going all at once. I can do what I have to by little parts and rest in between! I like that idea. The January Thaw is OK in my book!!