The Story OF The Winter Easter Lily

Sometime around Easter Ed bought me a beautiful lily, it was covered in blooms and buds and really lifted my spirits. It bloomed for a month or more and like most house plants that I get I enjoyed it a lot. But it finished blooming and I watered it and one day I noticed that it was really wilted and I thought I think I'll throw it in the planter in front of the window in the planter box. I planted it there and chopped it off at the bottom of the stem. I haven't thought much about it for a long while, as I thought it was supposed to bloom in the spring. Now there are lots of plants out there Rosemary, Roses, Sage, and others so we water and feed those plants, and the lily has grown up over the height of the window and now it has 2 beautiful white blooms, and 4 buds, as if it doesn't know that it is Fall and almost winter. Since it is protected by the house the two freezes we have had haven't bothered it and it continues to look lovely. I can't believe it really, it has to be totally confused about when it is supposed to bloom, or maybe it thought I'll bloom now to give Janell a lift. It smells really wonderful too. I think it is wonderful how sometimes Heavenly Father creates something that does something unusual, and does something that it is totally out of character as is the case of the lily. I don't know why it chose to bloom at this time of year, but I will enjoy it's loveliness and be grateful for it blossoms. I have really enjoyed the fall this year, as it has really been beautiful, the trees have really had dresses of red and gold. The sun has been out most days, and it usually rains on Halloween, but this year it was pleasant. It wasn't cold as in past years, quite unusual also. I hope you all enjoyed the Autumn this year at your house. I have had my flu shot, and then one of my old crowns broke, I really shouldn't complain as it has lasted for thirty five years or more. Tom Elliott the first dentist I had here put it in and it was the first one I had. I hated losing it as it is so expensive to replace. I have to do it though, as it braces and supports my partial, and without that I wouldn't have any teeth to chew with. I tell you all don't get any older as it brings on all kinds of troubles, and pains. Not that I am complaining as I have it a lot better than most of the people with my problems. I can walk and do my own house cleaning and laundry, so I am thankful that I don't have false teeth like some of my friends do. I am grateful for all of you and your sweetness and love you all show for both grandpa and I, we love and appreciate you all. I especially appreciate my own children and their spouses ( I have had them the in-law children so long that they seem like my own) I am so blessed to have such caring and loving children. They have always been so good to me. I love them so much. It is a wonderful blessing to have been their mother. Well I need to go to bed so I can get up in the morning for church. Ed went to the Temple to do the spanish today, and he enjoyed being there, that is another thing I am grateful for. He rides with Brother Nebecker and his wife, and Pres. Jensen. He is fortunate to be able to go and not have to drive, as I don't think he would make it if he had to go by himself. It would be too hard and dangerous, as he would fall asleep. I went to Time Out For Women with Sharon, Judy, Debbie, and my friend Cathy. It was wonderful and I loved every minute of it. It was my birthday gift from Steve and Sharon. It was truly a special one and a lot about Joseph and the pioneers also on Friday night. Really wonderful! Catch all of you later.

I Love The Gospel Of Jesus Christ

We had an area Stake Conference broadcast for Oregon today, and I really got a lot out of it. I enjoyed Elder Uchltdorf"s talk and it started me to thinking of my roots in the gospel. As some of you know I joined the church when I was 11 years old, and was the first of my family to see the light so to speak. If I hadn't of seen that light I don't know where we would all be at this time. It is sobering of me to think about. I started to go to church with my great uncle Jeff Ricks, and his wife Susie my grandmother's brother on my mom's side. My sister Leona went sometimes, but she was 4 years younger than I so it was harder for her to be committed. Also I was the oldest of all of the children in my family and that makes you a little more mature than the others sometimes. I loved to go to church and we met over the union hall upstairs. It was just a small place as the church wasn't built at that time. It must have been in the works, as I was one of the first ones baptized in the new ward building. I just don't remember that part of it, and I don't know the year that it was finished. I had a teacher named Annabelle Jackson for SS and I truly loved the stories about Daniel in the Lion's Den, Adam and Eve and their Sons Cain and Able, Moses, Abraham, the book of Mormon stories, of Samuel, Alma, and all of the others she told. She had a big flannel board and told lots and lots of stories. Sometime later the missionaries started to come out to our house and teach the folks, I am sure uncle Jeff put them up to it, but I suppose they could of come because of me. They went through a few missionaries before they started to really get interested. We lived in a small house at Spicewood Springs( wish I had that 10 acres of land today, it is worth millions.) We moved to a place on Herrigot lane and the missionaries still came and taught the folks. My mom had a hard time quitting smoking, and for Dad it was the coffee. Dad worked most Sundays at that time as he worked 7 days a week at the Tally Ho restaurant. After we moved he went to work for Arkies's Grill and only worked 6 days of the week. All of this time I am coming to know more and more of the church and it's teachings. I am getting older and I watch someone get baptized and I think of it for myself. I start to pray for me to have the opportunity to get to know more, so I start to read more of the Bible stories myself. I don't have a Book Of Mormon at this time, I don't know why, maybe the missionaries thought I couldn't have read it? I become really more and more interested, and at about 10, I start to bug mom about getting baptized, each day my testimony grows stronger, and I continue for the rest of that year to ask mom if I can get baptized please, please. She always says the same thing, that she will talk to dad and they will decide, and once she said I could wait until I was 16, and I told her that I wouldn't wait that long, please talk to dad about it. By the time I was 11 I know the gospel is true and that I am a Child Of God(even though that song had yet to be written) I save my money to buy a white dress and mind you I didn't have much money at the time, I save anyway and continue to pray for the folks to let me join the church, as I knew that it was the only true church upon the earth and that Joseph was a prophet, I knew and no one was going to tell me differently. I was so positive I continue to talk to my mom, and she says she will speak with dad. One day I was walking with daddy or at the store with him, and I decide to take matters into my own hands and ask him myself. He asked me if I believed it to be true, and I said that I was positive it was. He then said he would speak with the missionaries and uncle Jeff and as far as he was concerned I could. I couldn't believe it!!!! I felt it taken so long for me to be baptized, however I had only been attending for two years. Time goes so slowly when you are that age, I wish it would go more slowly NOW! I have a great respect for time and how it is spent in our lives and I feel we need to use our time here on this earth more wisely and enjoy all of our moments. Savor all of the joyful moments, and the ones of trial also, as you will not pass that way again. I know that when the children are small or you are waiting to get some, it is hard. Stop and enjoy, as time goes by on wings of lighting and enjoy to trip. I can truly say I have loved my life and I would not change anything or the way I have grown from my trials and all of the joy I have experienced. I will say that I don't think it would have been as wonderful without the gospel in my life. I joined the church of August of that year and I have been going in it ever since. Just 3 months after my eleventh birthday I joined The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. What a memory that is to me and as I said in the beginning, think of all of my family, it is the most wonderful thing in my life. I am so grateful for all of my four children, 19 grandchildren, and now the cute little 8 great ones. Not to mention my good husband without whom none of this would be possible. My parents joined about 2 years later and all of my sisters and my one brother. Four of my sisters have temple recommends and are active in the church. Of these my sister Leona has a daughter that will be married in the temple she has 5 sons also that were raised in the Catholic faith. Marie has 7 children of these 5 have been sealed in the temple and 3 of her boys served missions. Sherry has 4 boys one deceased and one single holding a temple recommend one sealed in the temple and 2 that served missions. Linda has 7 children and only one has really embraced the gospel and she has 8 children and of those 7 are sons and will probably serve missions and be sealed in the temple, my other siblings aren't active in the church. I have one son that has served a full time mission and all 4 have been sealed in the temple. I have several grandsons that have served full time missions and 8 grandchildren that have been sealed in the temple. It is a great blessing to me to look at all of you and think that it all started with a 9 year old's dream of getting baptized. I think also of all of the converts that have been baptized by all of the missionaries that have served in our family and I am humbled by the work of a wonderful Heavenly Father who knows and sees all and his Son Jesus Christ who gave us the ability to repent of our sins through the Atonement and become like Him. What a blessing and a privilege it is to have lived in this time when so many wonderful things are happening on this earth. How richly blessed we are to have this most precious thing in our lives and to be able to know that He Loves Us and Cares For Us. On another note Mike and Amy came to our house today and had dinner after the broadcast and we so enjoyed having them. It is a wonderful blessing to have grandchildren. I appreciate them so much and I love how they are so interested in the things that are happening in our world and the sane way that they all look at it. Abe came yesterday and took his voting ballot with him after he took the time to vote. I love you all and pray for all of you that you may have all of your needs met. Love Grandma aka Nonnie

CANNING LOST PURSE & LIFE!

It has been so long since I last posted, and most of you won't check for awhile, so I may have to wait for the comments. I have canned fruit for the first time in about 3 years. I just haven't had the energy and it has been too overwhelming for me. But with Ed's help thank goodness I have peaches 21 pts. pears 21 pts. and apples lots of apples on the tree this year, so we have frozen 12 pie fillings, and canned 22 pts. Plus I have made a lot of jam from the peaches and pears. I am so grateful to be done now. I need to clean the floors, and I will get help with that, so it won't be so hard. I have also been working at the beauty shop some. They are slow this week so I was able to finish the canning. I am so grateful that Ed made me a place to can out in the shop, so we doesn's heat the house up, and that has been wonderful. I do make the jam inside, but all the jars of fruit was cooked outside:) Wonderful! Ed also put a new motor in the car, and we have had the dings of paint fixed. So we have a nice running car, thanks to the genius of Ed. I have to tell you about losing my purse, I went shopping in Trader Joe's last week and as I finished, I got my keys out in the store, and put the sacks in the car, got in the car and drove home. I didn't notice that my purse wasn't in the car until I got home :( and when I looked for it to go into the house, it wasn't anywhere to be found!!! I left it in the cart. Oh brother, I thought I will have to cancel all of the credit cards, debit cards, etc and not to mention the gift cards, plus the $60. cash in it. We had just changed banks and all of the debit cards and checkbook were there. I couldn't believe I had done such a careless thing!! Besides the fact that I loved that purse, I knew it would be gone for sure. So I started to cry as I went into the house yelling for Ed and was so upset. I called TJ's and explained the situation to him and he asked "what color is it"? I said blue, and he said "I have it here" I couldn't believe it! Truly amazing. We went back and picked it up, and everything was there, so very honest soul had turned it in. Thank God!!! I was never so grateful in my life, I thanked Heavenly Father all the way home and for days after, I was so thankful, I later realized that my Temple recommend was there also. It would have been so hard to replace all that was in that purse. It has renewed my faith in people, and I feel so blessed by Heavenly Father, for this and I am so grateful for having more enegry and other blessings. I am so thankful I can read the blog each night and share a little of your lives with each of you. I love hearing about each of you and all of the things that are going on with you. I am joining a book club with some of the sisters of the ward, I think it will be wonderful. We have just finished reading our first book, The Giver by Lois Lowery. It was interesting, and has a lot of food for thought in it. It is a book for young adults, and is very well written. I plan to try to find a watercolor class for this winter. I don't seem to paint unless I am with a class for motivation. I will try to post more often, to let you know what is going on with us. Love you all

Summer Time Activities & Little Things

I haven't posted for a long time, because I have been too involved in other things and reading your blogs. We have been kinda busy also, and at times I think about it but it is too late or I have other things to do. I enjoyed my birthday a lot. We had a wonderful time and everyone came it was great. The 4th was really exciting as all of the grands were here and it's always fun to see them all together and to have fun with them. Jess and Crystal came from Portland and brought a lot of fireworks from Washington. Wow that was a blast in more ways than one. Grandpa is as big of a boy as the younger ones. He had a lot of fun throwing some small balls that exploded and lit up. All I did was watch the show and it was quite something. The neighbors really thought it was great. They all commented about it the next day. My garden grows and I am going to post a picture but I keep forgetting to take one. I have harvested a lot of lettuce, and there are peppers that are getting bigger each day, and tomatoes also. We went to Portland this past weekend to see the body building show that Ed Jr is in. It was really something to see as he won the masters in his age of men over 50 and then went on to take the trophy for the best all round master from 0ver 40 to 0ver 60. He is going to the east coast for nationals this week on Friday and if he wins that he gets money I think. I hope he wins. It is a lot of work for the short time he is up there competing, but it seems to make him happy, so I guess that is the most important thing. Grandpa has been going to see doctors for a pain that is in his calf muscle, and today they are thinking it has to do with the hip bone pinching the sciatic nerve and is causing all of the trouble, translated it means that he is probably going to have another hip replacement. What a pain for him, I pray it will go as well as the first one did. Abe is staying with us for awhile and he has been helping grandpa and looking for a job. Abe went to church yesterday, and had a wonderful time. It has been awhile since he has attended so it was good and he really enjoyed being there. I am glad for him, tonight he went to a family home evening social at some one's house for root beer floats I am doing well and trying not to fall again, as I had a small set back early in the month when I fell on my hip and knee on the kitchen floor. Somehow I caught my toe on the hem of my pants and lost my balance. I spent the next several hours getting ex rays and RX to help with the pain. The meds were hardly worth it as I only took one pill. Nothing was broken, but I was sore for a few days. It set me back for my walking a while, but I am working on it again. I am working at a small beauty shop really part time, and get my cuts, and perms free. Cindy the owner is a good friend, and Friday she is going to put some gel nails on me for practice. So I am just doing trading really. It is nice as I have sold some of my BeautiControl. Good for me, gives me a reason to get things more organised. That is about all of the news I can think of so I guess I will catch all of you later. Love you all

Mother's Day and Feeling Better

Well I have learned a lot in the past few weeks. I saw Donna the nurse practitioner that knows all about this device that I have in my chest. It was informative and interesting to say the least. They have a little machine that they put over it and it reads everything that has happened to my heart since I have had it. Truly amazing!!! It shows when the heart has went into bad rhythm and corrected it. All and all I think it is something that is really great for people like me. I am walking a little each day as much as my legs will allow me and I rarely get out of breath, but I don't push myself, so that I become overtired. All of the info goes to a computer and it tells them what they want to know about my heart. I truly feel much better, and people say I sound and look better, not so tired. I went outside today and planted some flowers and Grandpa plans to put me a bed on the edge of the patio and I will be able to put in a few veggies and lettuces and flowers. It should be easy to work in and will be 12 ft long and 1and 1/2 feet wide. I will be able to reach across it well. I think I will make some jam tomorrow with some berries that we have in the freezer. We are out pretty much and I didn't feel like making it in the summer last year. It is supposed to get warm tomorrow, I pray it does as I have been cold all spring. A wet and cold spring this year. Had a wonderful Mom's day, at Ed's and Judy's, the kids and Ed cooked on Sunday and we had a great dinner. On Saturday us girls went to lunch and shopping for awhile and it was fun. First time in a long time I looked in stores and really enjoyed it. Yea!! Fairy's birthday fell on mother's day this year and so it was fun to take her to lunch and embarrass her at Red Robin. Sat. night we went with Nicole and Crystal to a karaoke place and they sang their hearts out, all went and even Ed Jr sang a couple of songs. It was fun. I haven't heard the kids sing in a long time. I think I can start to sew a little now, I hope I can hold the ruler so I can cut the squares now. I am looking forward to work on the quilting again. Our High Priests have an outing planned, remember most of them are OLD for this summer. This is our new Group Leader and he planned it. He wants to take a bike ride up to a park 5 miles outside of Cottage Grove, and bring your own lunch!!!! Everyone is planning to do an outing so we can invite non members to learn about the church. I can't believe it, but he decided this all on his own without asking his other group leaders, which grandpa is one, about it. I and about two thirds of the ward don't plan to go. I haven't been on a bike in years, and to ride it for 5 miles on a highway is really silly. Most everyone I know doesn't plan to go. Oh well it takes all kinds to make the world go around. If you want to you can take your car up, you can, but who wants to go to a park without any tables and dusty gravel walks and no water. I shouldn't complain I suppose, I just can't believe it, nor do I think non members will like it. I suppose it is getting late and I have to do the dinner dishes still so I better get at it. I love you all and pray for you the best of everything. Love Grandma

Getting Better And Not Sleeping! I am tired of not sleeping!!!! It seems that I go to bed and fidget and can't get comfortable. What a big pain that gets to be. I think I slept Sat. about 6 hours and about the same on Sunday and now it is about 2 in the morning and I can't go to sleep. I sometimes take calcium and once in awhile I take melatonin but lately nothing seems to work . I am SICK of it. I haven't blogged because it is hard or was hard for me to use the keys. I finally figured out that it was what was causing the pain in the surgery site. So I stopped doing very much at a time. Now I am doing a lot better, and I go to the nurse practitioner next week to find out just what I can do. I have been really limited as to what I can do with the left hand or it causes pain. Also they want the wires in the heart on the left and on the right to make a scar tissue grove so they will stay in place. Grandpa has really been great with helping me. I have a hard time putting away dishes and sweeping vacuuming mopping and a lot of things. He has done the vacuuming for awhile. I wouldn't get a lot done without him, I'm really grateful. At least I can sleep on my left side now. We saw a great movie, you should all check it out, called August Rush, wonderful music and a really good story. I loved it and so did grandpa. I have enjoyed looking at the blogs so much especially the pictures. I hope to get started on a bed cover made with some blocks that granny Grace gave me a couple of years ago. They will make a great bed cover, however I have to cut a lot and I don't think I can do that yet. Or sew probably:( Maybe after I see Donna on the 5th I will be able to do some. I really want to get started on it soon. Speaking of movies, we caught Penelope the other day and it was great I loved it also. It should be out on video soon I think. I will be soooooo glad to welcome summer, I am so tired of the Winter this year. I has been a real cold wet and snowy one this year, and in April it snowed and we had to cancel church as Cottage Grove where we go had 4 inches. Definitely want it to stop raining also. I want to plant some flowers and some lettuce and herbs and maybe a tomato or two, I'm looking forward to that. Well I think that's all of the news I have. Love you all Grandma

Came Home Saturday

I have a really sore shoulder and can't lift anything over 5 lbs. for a month, with my left hand. And lots of things, weigh more than that, my purse sometimes. I really have to rethink that. I am tired, but they say you will be for a week or so. I suppose I should expect to be as they were inside my heart arteries and shocked the heart 3 times.

Can't drive which is a bummer and no shower until Tuesday:( The doctor laughed and said that I'd just have to stay dirty. Doesn't know me very well, talking to Clorox Annie here. I have some of those cloths that you can heat in the microwave and sponge off. I got some nice food brought for dinner yesterday and today. I have some wonderful friends that are good cooks. I think I will have Ed get a chicken tomorrow and that will last a couple of days. I plan to ask Cindy who owns a beauty shop in Creswell if she will wash my hair for me, as I can't put my arm upon my head for awhile, until the surgery site is healed. She is our bishop's wife and a great gal, so she will if she has time. But all things considered I am doing well and I pray that every thing heals and that I get over the tape rash. I have a rash everywhere they put one of the sticky leads and where they used tape plus the shock site. I'm sure it will go away in a few days, it just itches a lot! I am really grateful though with all of my complaining for the wonderful science that we have today and that they are able to do something for heart failure as it has come a long ways in the past 10 years. What a blessing to have such great surgeons and doctors to help people like me. Tagged! How did you meet your spouse? Good question Ed was stationed at San Marcos AFB and the closest church was at Austin TX and so he came to church and I saw him there for the first time and he didn't really see me as he was so busy flirting with all of the other girls there. It was Christmas and he had just finished basic training and so he had leave and went home, and we didn't see him again until Jan. I made sure that he noticed me, that time as I was afraid that he wasn't going to come back and was just visiting. Turns out that he was engaged and while he was home he and she decided to call it off. So the field was clear and I moved in. Where did you go on your first date? I was really too young to date and Ed came to visit me at my house on Sunday after church and my folks really liked him . He was only 19 and had no one except the church family and his parents had just gotten a divorce and his only brother had just gotten married. So I think they felt kind of sorry for him. In those days we had Gold and Green Balls at church and we were planning one in March. We were working on my dad to let me go with Ed. We saw each other at Mutual and church. And of course He came to my house after church each Sunday . Dad finally agreed to let me go with Ed to the ball if we went with the branch president of the church and his wife. Who eats more? That's a toss up I eat more treats than he does, however that has to change, and has really since the middle of Jan. and so now he eats a lot more sweets than me. Who is taller? Ed is. How long have you been together. We will be married 56 years in December. Wow I can't believe it. Who sings better? Ed can read music and used to have a beautiful voice but somehow he lost it when he started to have heart issues. I sing fairly well at least for the grands and great grands. who seem to like my songs. Who said I love you first? Ed did. And immediately asked if I loved him and I said I did. Who is smarter? Well it depends on what is being discussed. Ed knows a lot about the Gospel and is way better at studying than me, however I have a great memory and so things stick with me. Ed is really great with anything that has to do with teaching and anything mechanical, I am not there and could never pass the tests that he has for all of the licenses he has. He can't spell and he really doesn't do grammar very well. Computer him. Reading me. Who does the laundry? Me Me Me I would never trust him with clothes everything would be gray!!!! Who does the dishes? We both do I usually load the dishwasher and he unloads it . He will load it in a pinch but he doesn't like to. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Ed does. Who pays the bills? It is a joint effort, Ed pays all of the business bills and some of the house ones and I do it sometimes and usually take care of the medical and household bills. Who mows the lawn? Ed does, we have a lot to mow!!! He got a new riding lawn mower this year and he really deserves it. Who cooks dinner? Me! Who drives when you are together? We both drive, if it is night and raining Ed does unless he is to sleepy to drive. I have a hard time seeing when it is rainy and dark. Who is more stubborn? Probably me. Who kissed first? Ed kissed me. Who proposed? That's a funny story, as Ed was being shipped to Korea so we thought. Turns out as he was the morning report clerk like Radar in Mash and was really close to the Commander of the base who told him to volunteer for the shipment to Alaska, which wasn't for a few months, so Ed had to go to Victoria AFB TX. which was a few miles southeast of Austin and we didn't like the idea of being separated so we decided to get married. We skipped mutual on Tuesday night and got married by the justice of the peace in Austin. We told no one except our friends the Rasmussens and Ed went back to the base and I went home. We told my folks about 5 days later, as my dad decided that we couldn't see each other so much. Too Late!!! Who is more sensitive? Ed is very emotional. I cry at sad and happy movies though and get my feelings hurt also. Who has more friends? I do Ed has a lot of people that love him but he doesn't hang out with them. Who has more siblings? Me I have 6. Ed has only one brother now deceased and three half's and several steps. Who wears the pants? We both wear them it depends on what the issue is.

News You Might Be Wondering About

Dearest Children, I went to the doctor yesterday, and talked to him about some test results (ie) Echo Cardiogram. This test tells how your heart performs. How the blood flows through the valves and so forth. Not to be confused with the veins or blood vessels of the heart. (ie) Does not tell you if you have a blockage. As far as we can tell I do not have any blocks, although it has been 12 years since I had an angiogram. It does tell how the heart's electric system performs. Since there is a question of why this was done, I hadn't had one since 2004. Also my blood pressure was elevated and they keep it low so my heart doesn't have to work so hard. So they went checking to see if the heart had a problem. I am the same as I was 4 years ago. That is I have 29 to 30% of the pump, cardiomyophy,an enlarged heart) any of you could get the weakness from me and have this, I get it from my mom) a left bundle branch block( this has to do with the electric system) caused by a virus earlier and a moderate to severe leaking of one of the valves. This long explanation is simply to tell you that as far as I know and the doctor knows I am the same as I was 4 years ago. It actually isn't a lot different from 12 years ago when it was diagnosed. This explains why I don't lift, walk fast, climb stairs, dance and jump around anymore as I used to do. (Or go shopping until I drop HA! which makes grandpa happy.) In fact I rarely walk very far as I get out of breath, which is why I no longer do some of the things I used to love to do like take a long walk on the beach. I walk in the water and do some easy strengthening exercises. I tell you this so if someone says they are concerned about my heart don't worry, I am the same as I was yesterday, I am totally thankful that they have some medications to help with this. I am also very grateful that I found out about it while I could still do most of the things that I usually do, clean my house cook and grocery shop. I can still go shopping He! He! I just park close to the store I want to go in and only go to one or two places and stay at it an hour or two. Sometimes when people have heart failure it isn't discovered until the heart is damaged to the point of functioning 5 to 8% which really limits them and their ability to function. I have a great doctor and cardiologist. We are doing well, grandpa is having a little down time because of the loss of his brother. He was pretty close to him and you know how you feel about your siblings, and he only had the one. I have a hard time imagining how it would be as I have so many. But I think it is probably the same as you love them all so much. I have to stop, grandpa will be needing dinner early as he has to go to plumbing school tonight. This one is at Lane C. C. thank goodness, the one last month was in Salem. So the drive isn't so long for him. He has to get 16 hours a year so he can keep his plumbing license, just one of the small things he has to do to keep up. Love Grandma

Grandma Grace's Graveside Service and Cliff Cook

Well today we went to the Willamette National Memorial Park in Portland Oregon for the buriel of Granny Grace. It was a nice service, however we had a double trial, as Cliff Cook passed away this AM from cancer at the hostpital in Vancouver. It was truly fast as the dignosis was given for him to last for a year or so. So his family was there for granny and then tomorrow they will need to plan his funeral. We had a really nice service and all of Cliff's family was there except for Michael Deb's son and Patrick Randy's son. Great grandchildren of granny. They had to work. A few of Grandma's neices and nephew were there. Roy came and he told a story of the geneolgy work that she did. We all went to Olive Garden and had lunch, Ed Jr treated and wouldn't accept any help from any of us though all offered. What a nice thing for Ed and Judy to do for a last tribute to Grandma. We all had some happy memories of her, and I think we will all remember the blessings that have come to us because of her. Ed Jr has brought this to our attention through his reading of the journals that she kept. We all are mentioned there so many times and the wonderful appreciation she had for all of her children, grandchildren, and the greats. What a legacy she has left us with her work for the ancestors and for all of her service to family and friends in the church. I am sure she was pleased with all that came to see her off and the ones that were there in spirit, if they were unable to come. She truly loved her family and I for one am glad to have been blessed to have had her in my life for so many years. I know that she is truly in the room in heaven where all of the people she blessed with the genelogy work she did. She had a dream once that she was escorted to a large room filled with people and was introduced to them as the one that had done the work for all of them. I know that her calling and election are sure because of this work. She crocheted hundreds of afagans for the vetreans along with slippers and did that until she went to the other side of the veil. There were finished and unfinshed lap robes there in her closet when we went to get some of the things she wanted us to have. She was always busy and working for someone else, she had lots of energy until the very end of her life. I have sometimes said negative things, about her and I truly am sorry that I have as her journals say that she truly was a repentant person. She deserves only to have the good remembered and I want to strive to always look at all of the postive thing she accomplished while she was here. I loved her as a daughter and I know she love me and all of mine. God bless us all to live to be as good as she thought us to be. The grange will take all of the lap robes and finish them so they can be donated to the vetreans. I love all of you and pray for us great and happy moments as granny wished. Love Grandma

Let It Snow!!!!

Well as everyone knows it did snow a bit today. We have a lot of it out here, around 5 to 6 inches I would say. Our church was cancelled also, and it was a good thing I think as we have so many little widows in our ward that drive themselves to church. It snowed some more tonight and is supposed to do more in the morning. I think it is about 30 degrees out there now. I wasn't very happy as I couldn't go out and trudge around. I would have loved to go out and built a snowman and grandpa wanted to but he has caught what I had. So we stayed in and watched the snow and movies and ate good food. Notice I said good food not junk. We spent some time at the hospital on Friday because my doctor sent me there to have a bunch of tests. It was too late for him to do them in his office. I spent my whole afternoon sitting on a gurney being hooked to a bunch of machines and being poked and prodded. Heavenly Father blessed me and my heart tests were just fine. So the diagnosis was adult asthma.... I have been told that I had some but it hasn't ever been diagnosed as such. I now have a nebulizer and I also have 5 days worth of Prednisone to take. It is interesting that they gave me a whopping double dose in the ER and I was told it would make my blood sugar rise and I would have energy and maybe be a little jittery. The reason that I can't go out into the snow is because it will constrict the airways and make it hard to breathe. I feel like I am a medicine cabinet. I have such a lot of pills and now all of this stuff to help with the asthma. This cold really compromised my lungs and they say I can't take a chance with it as it can cause a lot more problems hence the intensive treatment. I am really grateful that every thing with the heart worked well. I haven't had that through of a check on it in a few years. The moral of this story is of course NEVER GROW OLD!!! It is a royal pain....however as my little mother used to say time waits on no man. On that thought I will say so long until next time. Love Grandma

No Blocks

Well we spent the day at the hospital and it was long and tedious, but the news is good. There are no blocked veins. Grandpa still has to figure it out and why he is having the pain, but we can eliminate the heart being a problem. Thank goodness. I still am fighting the asthma problem and the cough. The antibiotics are slow I think, but they are working. I was going to mention a movie that we saw the other day I thought it was pretty good. It is Amazing Grace and based on a true event in history. We enjoyed it. I am about two hundred pages or so in the last book of the Twilight series and I am thinking that they are better than I thought in the beginning, maybe I wouldn't be afraid of a good vampire:) Who am I kidding I would probably run as fast as I could and that isn't very fast any more. Ha! I really do enjoy books about legends and these books have a lot of that in them. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel good enough to clean this house a little. Grandpa wants me to make him a bib of all things so tomorrow if I am too tired to clean at least maybe I can sew one. I love and miss you all Grandma

My Cold And Grandpa Going To The Hostipal

Well Didn't intend to post for a few days however I have to tell all of you the news. Grandpa is going to the hospital to have another angiogram his 4th stint it will be if he has one and he probably will. He is having the same symptoms that he always has and has been taking nitro for several days now. It is a real bummer, and I have the worlds worst cold, not a good thing to take to the heart patients I feel pretty nasty myself. Had a breathing treatment, chest exray and a blood test, yesterday and spent 3 and 1/2 hours at the doctors. I think I really don't like to go to the doctors anymore. It takes way too much time not to mention the high powered expensive antibiotics I am taking. I am not a happy camper about this at this point. Pray for us will you, we need it. I really pray that the surgeons will get it right and that this will be the last one for awhile. I need to call the kids so they (the boys ) can run down or up is they want to. I don't know for sure if Ed Jr is in town, and Alan is in LA. We Love All Grandma

Just A Little Post

Rebecca says I need to post again. I haven't really felt like writing as I have been a little under the weather. Yesterday I went to the club and walked in the water for the first time in a week. I have been trying to get back on track with the dieting game ever since Christmas. I have prayed and thought about it and I still can't seem to make it happen:( A big FAT pain!!! I came home from swimming and I couldn't get warm. I sat around and felt sorry for myself as I was so cold. Then towards evening I made dinner and noticed that my throat was a little raw. I woke up in the middle of the night and I was really wheezing and coughing with it. So I get up and spit up a bunch of phloem and used my inhaler:( and think I must of caught a cold somewhere. Bah!!! I have been so careful to wash my hands and sing happy birthday twice so they have a good thirty seconds to be really clean and somehow I have caught a germ or missed one or someone gave it to me without knowing they had it. So today I have been on the computer and read some more of Twilight and I am almost done with it and I still can't decide whether I like it or not. I really enjoyed the Wednesday Letters, but I just can't seem to get into this vampire series. I have read some really good books this past year so I do know what a good one is. I will continue to read and see. I went to Tops this Wed. gained a 1lb. so I was depressed about that, but on a positive note I won $25.92 for them drawing my number which is 39 meaning I was the 39th person to join last year. It is the quarters we put in a can when we eat a no-no food. It changes from week to week, it is sometimes pasta, chips, salty, or popcorn or ice cream. If we eat it we pay and so that is how the money is raised. I don't know how often they draw the number, but I think it is once a month. Today I have also had some stomach problems so I haven't eaten much. I will have Grandpa pick up some more Chicken Noodle soup and bananas and I'll go to the store on Monday, by then hopefully I will feel better. I am sorry to have seemed to be whiny and not my usual upbeat self. I have decided to throw away or give away the white fudge that is left along with the pecan bars that I made for the holidays. (they have been frozen) I took them out the other day and managed to eat the chocolate fudge and some of the bars. But I have totally decided to rid the house of what is left. I made grandpa some date bars and I don't like them so I'll leave them alone. I have put the chocolate bars, and the chips in a large container in the freezer so it will be hard to get to them. I think for awhile I will think of only healthy foods and try not to dwell on anything good until Valentines Day:) I will go to the club on Monday if I am feeling better. I will not go and give this to anyone else!!!! I truly dislike people that do that. I probably won't go to church tomorrow, as we have so many little old widows that I don't need to cough on. I need to qualify the above statement, I will think of GOOD HEALTHY FOODS and enjoy that and stop thinking that chocolate and sugar are the only decent tasting foods on the planet, after all it isn't leaving the place it will be around when I am able to indulge a little again:) On that note I will say so long until next time I love you all Grandma

An Unusual Sunday

Today church was cancelled, because of the ice on the highways. We had snow Saturday evening around five and then it got really cold and froze on the roads as they were wet from the rain= ( so today the first Sunday of the year we didn't go to church. I have felt really strange all day, like I missed something. We had a great blessing on Saturday, grandpa went to the Temple as always on the first and third Saturdays. Everything went well and he was almost home at the exit off the freeway and the truck died and wouldn't start again bummer!! He said some people helped to push him on the edge, and then he got out and started to cross the street and our neighbors came as they had been eating at the Chinese restaurant, they pulled the truck to the parking lot and would've pulled it on home but grandpa wasn't going to let him risk his family on the icy road, so they left the truck there and brought him home. I think Heavenly Father really takes care of us when we are doing his work. Our neighbors had taken their four wheel drive pick up truck and planned to go to Eugene to eat and go to a movie, but they were prompted to stay in Creswell rent a movie and eat there a blessing for us= ) I am so thankful they were there to help grandpa or we would've had to pay a wrecker to tow the truck. Grandpa fixed it today, something about a hose breaking, he just cut it and repaired it. Thankfully nothing was stolen from the truck overnight, a miracle here as things sometimes disappear even in broad daylight. I suppose it was too cold for thieves and mischief makers you think? This has been a long story about a small incident, but sometimes I think Heavenly Father watches out for us a lot more than we realize even the small things. It has restored my faith, and trust I can testify to you I am truly grateful I didn't have to go out into the icy storm last night and pick up grandpa and pay a tow truck bill. Funny and typical grandpa turns on the TV and guess what the snow had frozen the dish and it didn't work. No News!!! How Sad= ) Of course he can fix that handy man that he is and he had the ice knocked off and the news on in minutes. I hadn't been informed all day, what could possibly be the matter with me? Ha! Ha! Most of you know that I would probably only watch TV when conference or something important was on, some people think I am clueless but that is the way some of us are. I do read and listen to the news on the radio in the car and contrary to what some people think I do know what is going on in the world. Danielle asked what TOPS is and it is a club for people to lose weight. It stands for Take Off Pounds Sensibly. It is very inexpensive and quite fun. They use the members to talk and motivate us and usually the assignment is for a month. So I took January to speak so mine would be done for the year. We have all kinds of different contests and things so it is a really good thing if the club is good and made up of women that really want to lose weight. This club has about 45 members and we have a pres. Sec. Tres. and other leaders and meet every Wed. morning. Out in Thurston my old stomping grounds. I think it is raining again out there and it is only about 34 degrees, so you know what that means tonight it will snow again, I wonder if all of the school kids are praying for it so they will have another day off? Catch all of you later keep on blogging. Love Grandma

Happy New Year!!!!

I haven't posted for awhile, as I have been tired from all of the run around at Christmas. I loved every minute of it though. We went to Judy's and Ed's on Sat. before and spent time with them for Christmas. We had a fun time there and Judy and I made pies, rolls, stuffing, and homemade cranberries. Then we made clam chowder and potato soup. It was great with salad and french bread for Sat night. Then we had turkey and the works on Sun and opened our presents and Ed took us to catch the plane at 5:40 and we have to be an hour early. By the time we landed in Salt Lake I was tired, but we only stayed about 20 minutes, there was a lot of snow out the plane window. We had a really great time at Alan's and prime rib on Christmas. I made it and it really turned out perfect. Which was just good luck as I haven't cooked a lot of it. We had a lot of movie watching and game playing there. The kids really love to play games. We had some excitement on Wednesday as there was an accident just in front of their house and Brenda witnessed it. No one was hurt, but the power, went out as he hit the power pole and knocked it over and rolled his van. There were two car loads of missionaries just behind him and the paramedics, were Mormon so the priesthood was really strong. Not to mention that Alan pulled him out of the van and he was an older man, what he was thinking as he was going way too fast on that long sweeping curve I'll never figure out. I do know that he was very lucky. Alan said he thought he may have been drinking. The power was out for a few hours and the kids couldn't download their music and they were really sad=( We even had to go out to dinner as we couldn't cook and Alan didn't want to barbecue in the cold. We had to get up at five am and go the plane, and I didn't sleep very well so I was pretty tired when we got to Sharon's house. It was so beautiful there with decorations everywhere. We got a wonderful night's sleep and felt great the next day. The ocean is so restful, and I love it there. When we came home I was so glad to sleep in my own bed again. I truly love this little house as it is so very comfortable, warm, and Ed has changed all of the windows now, and next year we plan to insulate the floor more, as grandpa feels the floor is too cold. Today I signed up for a quilting class at the paramount sewing center. It will be a wall hanging and I will learn more about piecing quilts. I also will try to find a watercolor class to take for this year. Today I went to Tops and of course I had gained a few pounds, but I chose not to focus on it and be glad that I was still down a lot and my blood sugar is great. I gave a talk about keeping a food journal and I really plan to do one. I will be speaking for the rest of the month, and then I can relax for the year and someone else will have a turn. Next Wednesday I plan to talk about portion control and goals. The cat is a real character, he still trys to get into things, but he is growing and really cute. He climbs up on the edge of the toilets, trys to get into the clothes dryer, climbs to the top of the desk where my computer is and of course can't get back down so he meows until we come and rescue him. He gets sprayed with water if he gets on things he isn't supposed to, he climbs up on grandpa's lap and sits while we watch TV. He is so grandpa's cat and waits at the back door when he hears grandpa in the shop. If dad isn't available he follows me everywhere, and will often sleep in the utility, or the sewing room if I am sewing. He loves people and doesn't enjoy being alone. Kind of like us humans, sometimes we enjoy solitude but most of the time we enjoy being together. I am excited for the new year and the new course of study, the Book of Mormon and JS. at RS this year. We have a wonderful SS teacher and I love SS class. I love you all, May our Heavenly Father grant unto you all many blessings. Grandma