I'll Try Again

I've neglected my blog for five months and haven't really missed the experience. Except that an inner voice has been nagging at me to do some writing and blogging. After all, my blogs and my daily emails to my twin sister are my journal. They are the written legacy that I'll leave behind for my posterity to peruse to get a glimpse of who I was/am. Neither my blogs nor my daily emails are great literature full of profound thoughts. Today's email topic, for instance, was a riveting account of the difficulty I'm having picking the colors for a lap quilt for my mother-in-law. So here goes...
I left the blogger world when Tom had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in February. We're new to the world of illnesses and injuries, so we weren't quite prepared for all that recovery entails. Adding to the woe was an injury he suffered two days after surgery...a fall in which he landed on his left shoulder!! My most perilous times during the recovery revolved around the fact that I had to be the family chauffeur...in the snow...in Tom's beloved pickup....Ugh. The upside of this period is that it's over, and that Tom spent time to rest, read, and to work on his personal history. He also discovered two wonderful television series: Who Do You Think You Are and The Generations Project (BYU tv..Monday nights) which are about genealogy and tracing ones roots, so we're setting his computer up so he can do just that.

Vale's had a good winter. Besides his clarinet, Vale has taken up the acoustic and electric guitar and is participating in jazz band. Basketball was the highlight of his winter. I've forgotten now their team's win/loss record, but they did well. Low grades kept Vale out of track, but he's gearing up now for high school football. He will be staying with us for his high school years, which, seems to us, to be a good decision. A small school affords many more opportunities to participate in sports, music productions, and special classes. Vale's especially excited about a Robotics program at Columbia High.

I'm still doing what Vale calls "Grandma things." I've been quilting, doing genealogy, and working a small part-time job as a data entry operator. Spiritually, I think I've really re-inforced my belief in the value of constant, daily prayer, even in the most mundane aspects of my life. There's comfort in prayer, peace, calm. I'm a facebook addict, and I'm pleasantly surprised by the number of prayer requests made on facebook. I seem to have opportunities all day long to pray for someone else, a complete stranger, often a nameless person. It's nice to know that there are many, all over the globe, who believe in the power of a heartfelt prayer to a loving Heavenly Father.

A quilt for Kobe...Brenna's is underway.

We're grateful for our sweet family.

Mark and his daughters.

The new Darla after a 145 pound weight loss
















Susan's family is growing up.

Steve (upper left) doing manuvers

Tom on his way back to Maine to see his boys.

All is well here. The Columbia River is rising, but we're high and dry on Strawberry Mountain. Love to All, Mom