Monday Morning Grandma--Darren's Amazing Map

Sorry I’m late this week. Perhaps I should have written about something else, but I already had a plan:

It took longer than expected to finish staining and applying polyurethane to the frame around this amazing map of our 2012 trip to visit all 71 (at the time) temples in the contenental USA and Canada. (If you want to see more, go back on my blog. I’m deleting the posts between Monday Morning Grandma and the trip, so it shouldn’t take too long.) We only visited a couple of them under construction or renovation that were in the area we were visiting. I have a picture of each temple we visited under the Temple page of this blog.

Already there are several new temples finished. To answer the question we usually get, “No, we aren’t going to go back and see them.” It would be nice, but one magnificent trip like that is enough for a lifetime. The orange flags are where the Latter-day Saint temples are.  

One more big thank you to our son Darren for making this map. You can see the detail in the close ups.

Monday Morning Grandma--My Writing

This blog is mostly about my writing, or will be once I get published, so I thought I’d bring my readers up to date on what I’m doing in that vein.

I finished the first draft of Escape from Fire (temporary title). I’m re-editing Hidden Heritage while I let EFF rest. I plan to submit HH again in the next few months. I’ve started one I’m calling Car Crash for lack of a better title. Then there’s Divine Love, my first novel, and the second one called Diane’s Story (centered on the heroine of DL’s roommate). I need to decide whether DL is strong enough, or if I should drop it, and write DS after I finish the Car Crash story. On-going is my life story that I’m going to write as a semi-autobiography about growing up in the 50’s because there is no way I could get permission from my childhood classmates to use them. There are a few other bits and pieces hanging out on my computer, but those are the main ones. Everything BC (before computer) has been lost or thrown away. 

Monday Morning Grandma: Alaska

Today I thought I’d post some pictures from our trip to Alaska:

Our ship the Norwegian Jewel

My husband, me, our son-in-law, our daughter

Whale watching in Juneau

Lumberjack show in Ketchikan

Sawyer Glacier

Skagway train ride--Dead Horse Trail from gold rush of '98: White Pass 

Sunset in Victoria, British Columbia

Monday Morning Grandma--Washy Washy

I was right about not having Internet access--$.75 per minute. I’m home now. I know it isn’t Monday, but we got in late last night. Today’s post is about doing something special with something simple. The job of spraying hands with sanitizer at the entrance to the dining room on a ship may seem like a mundane boring job, but Rowen brightens everyone’s day with his “Washy Washy” song. That is called going the extra mile. In the video clip, he is probably on a tropical cruise. Ours was to Alaska, thus the more formal white shirt. If you want to see him in action, go to the youtube link below, or on the U Tube web site type in "washy washy" he was the second one when I went there. 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRaUayv-wWY

If we all put that type of extra effort into whatever we do not only to enhance our own life, we can touch and cheer other people. I’m going to try and follow his example. 

Monday Morning Grandma: Watch that Middle Name

Today’s posting is short and sweet. My schedule has been hectic.

I was reading a friend’s book today, and I read something to make me pause to think. Since I don’t have time to ask for permission, I’m going to change the first name.

Be careful what middle name you give your daughters, you never know who they might marry. Take the middle name May. It’s a pretty name, I like it. However, when Diane May got married, it sounded ominous. Diane May Dye. Maybe she’s about to change her hair color or something, but I’m glad it wasn’t me.

I may or may not have Internet access next week, but promise to have a good one in 2 weeks.

Monday Morning Grandma: Keep Busy

I heard of a few senior citizens that were complaining that life was boring. They play golf 3 or 4 days a week, and have nothing else to do. I can’t imagine that.

I know some of my readers with small families think that might sound great or that it’s so far off this post isn’t for them. They are wrong.

While young, develop an outside interest. You plan financially; do you plan on what you want to be doing? Long hours of doing nothing aren’t as fun as they sound. A few suggestions:

Begin a collection, whatever you are interested in.

Needlework, I hear you guys, but my uncle crocheted. I inherited the tablecloth he made for Mom during World War II.

Volunteer, there are opportunities all around, the library, church, hospital, local food bank, give parents a break and babysit for a couple of hours, care for an invalid to allow the parent/child some time for themselves,  Meals on Wheels, the senior patrol—the list goes on and on.

 Life is too short to sit around and whine there is nothing to do. 

The Birth of Our Nation

July 7, 2014

Three days ago, we celebrated the birth of our nation. Do we really appreciate what we have? I don't think so.

We take for granted the ability to attend any church we want without a monetary penalty, or at worst, threat of death.

We take for granted the ability to vote our conscious.

We take for granted the ability to move wherever our means will allow.

We take for granted the ability to have as many children as we choose.

We take for granted the ability to go anywhere in the country we have the means to do so.

We take for granted the ability to bear arms.

We take for granted the ability to ... I could go on and on.

For our Independence Day we went to a nearby park to watch fireworks. They had booths for food, but we brought our own sandwiches, potato salad and such.

What a great opportunity for young people to be able to perform in front of crowds.

We enjoyed a lovely sunset.

The highlight for me was the Marine Corps band playing stirring patriotic numbers.

Naturally, the evening ended with outstanding fireworks.