Another Week Down!

Starting back to church was the big excitement of the week.  I've gone out a few times to the store but I do always wear a mask.

Deseret Industries opened  for donations but it is 'by appointment only'.  I had to go on-line and get a ticket that said a specific time for my 'drop off'.  Actually I got 2 tickets for 2 different days.  Matt borrowed a truck and dropped off an old bed for me and then on Saturday, George and I dropped off a car load.  They told me that they had been super busy since reopening.  Lots of people used their 'stay at home' time to clean out!  They have lots of rules.  You have to sort you donations into 3 categories - clothes, electronics, or 'as-is'.  You pull up, stay in your car until directed forward and must wear a mask.  They prefer that you take things out of your car and put them in the appropriately labeled box without assistance, although the young workers did help us.  I guess they were being kind to the elderly!

My other two accomplishments this week were to go through our 72 hour emergency kits and update them.  Ours still had 'child sized' rain ponchos and since my baby is now 6 ft. 3in, I don't think those would help.  I have it all organized in our backpacks and one large container.  I even have each labeled with what is in each pocket and I've noted what needs to be rotated.  Miss Super Organized here! Now I need to move them to convenient shelves in the garage.  And if we ever have to use them, I'll be hoping that we can go by car.  The packs are a bit heavy!

 The other accomplishment was buying containers for all my 'keepsake' treasures and completing the inventory as to what is in each box.   When I am gone, I hope my children will appreciate this effort.   Now if they want to look at my papers from 1st grade or my mother's scrapbook from 1948 or see the cards George and I exchanged while dating, they will know exactly where to go.  Or if they get the sudden urge to wear a hat from the best barbecue place in the world, "The White Pig Inn", they can find it with ease!

The next weeks projects include digitizing all our 3000+ slides.  Is there a reason to pass on 20 photos of Alcatraz from 1979 or the San Francisco Aquarium or Yosemite?  My inclination is to keep the really good ones and throw the rest away. I have asked the kids to weigh in on this decision.  Of course I will preserve all the ones of 'people'....I've already found some real treasures there, like the ones I used in the Father's Day posts.  This project could take a LONG Time. I'm set in case we have to 'shelter in place' again!

One project that I'm really excited about is refinishing this little cabinet.  It was my mother's and is definitely not fine furniture.  She bought it to have in her kitchen and used it to store pop and chips.  Matt, my woodworking expert, thinks it was built in the 30s or 40s.  I love the old leaded glass.  I haven't done anything like this in years.  To make it look 'shabby chic' I'm using chalk paint and wax.  So far so good.  It helps that it doesn't have to look 'perfect'.  Little nicks give it character!  This one should be finished this next week.  Yeah!

I'm also just about to be totally caught up on the photo books I make after each trip that we take.  The Dubai Book is only a few days away from being finished.  With no trips on the horizon, this feels a bit sad but I am sure we will get to travel again someday....maybe not until after a vaccine but it will happen.

This week we are trying a social distancing ladies lunch.  It is bring your own lunch, a chair and meet at the park. 

 I may even go get a pedicure so I can wear my sandals with pride!

So life is still good and my days are busy with projects!

Back to Church!! Yeah!

It's been 16 weeks since I attended church.  Last time was in Mary's ward in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia on March 1st.  We missed the next two weeks because we were traveling and then President Nelson announced that all church services worldwide would be discontinued.

 I have loved our 'home church'.  It has been sweet to have George pass the sacrament to just the two of us and to discuss what we have learned as we've individually studied 'Come Follow Me' during the week.  I even played the opening hymn for us once.

We've also had some excellent 'Zoom' meetings with our ward with missionary reports, talks, lessons, and even special musical numbers.

Even though I did enjoy the "home church"  and "virtual church" it felt good to go back today.

Our Bishop received 5 pages of very specific instructions as to how this was to happen.  There are 8 wards or congregation in our Stake.  For the 'reopening' we are using 2 buildings, 4 wards to a building.  Each ward is assigned one week per month so for the foreseeable future we will attend church services one Sunday a month, have 'Zoom' lessons or meetings on the other 3.  1/2 of our ward attended a 45 minute meeting at 10:30 and the other half at 12:00.  The building was cleaned in-between meetings.

The building was set up like this. As you can see, we sat on every other row.  This made it possible for the Priesthood holders who passed the sacrament to walk down the unoccupied rows rather than having us pass the tray down the row as we usually do.  Everyone who blessed or passed the sacrament wore a mask and gloves.  The water was set in every other spot on the tray.  The bread was  also in the small cups usually used for water.  We didn't return the cups but were asked to put them into ziplock bags which were provided and then throw them away.  Inside the bags, there was an antibacterial wipe for us to use to clean all hard surfaces around us when the meeting was over.

They asked us not to use the water fountains, to maintain proper social distancing and to not 'linger' in the building.  That was the hardest part since we haven't seen each other in the last several months. We really wanted to visit!

I felt perfectly safe and protected.  My only problem was that I felt my 'dry scratchy throat cough'  coming after we sang.  I didn't want anyone giving me the stink eye, so I quickly went outside before the 1st cough, coughed a few times and then went to the kitchen where I found some Dixie cups so I had a drink and then went back into sacrament meeting carrying some water.  It worked.  I didn't create panic by having a coughing fit!

The rule is that if anyone who has attended any of our meetings tests positive. we have to immediately stop all meetings.  Idaho is having a bit of a spike in cases so that could happen.  However, I feel confident following the direction of my church leaders.  It was also made clear that no one should feel that they are OBLIGATED to come to church.  If you are not comfortable attending the meeting with others, then you should stay home and continue 'home church'.  

Happy Father's Day to Johnny and Mark

I can't forget the two newest fathers in our family - Mark and Johnny.

Mark took to being a Dad, well like a duck to water!  Jackson absolutely adores him. I believe that his first word was Daddy.  As soon as Mark comes home, Jackson is his little shadow and 'assistant'!

Sometimes Jackson waits for Dad right by the door, just to be sure that Daddy can't miss him.

I would love to show you a video of Mark making the new little guy laugh and giggle but we can't show him on social media yet.  You'll just have to trust me that #2 loves Mark like Jackson does.

Wherever Mark is and whatever he is doing you will find Jackson right there.  That's love!

Isabella has had Johnny wrapped around her little finger from day 1!  Those two adore each other.  I love that John goes on such fun adventures with his family.  And I love Isabella's big trusting smile when she's in her Dad's arms.

He has done a great job loving and guiding this very strong willed, super intelligent and stubborn little angel.  I love this photo of him helping her down the steep hiking trail.  Isn't that a perfect metaphor for fatherhood?  Fathers guide their children down life's paths....and sometimes those paths are steep and scary!

Happy Father's Day - George Lewis

Almost 42 years ago, George Lewis became a father when our first child, Mary was born.

42 years filled with triumphs and tragedies....soccer games and camping and homework and bike rides, stories and jokes, dogs and cats, piano lessons, sickness, tired kids, angry kids, energetic kids, sad kids, happy kids, moves to new states and a new country, Christmases, Thanksgivings, Family Home Evenings, family prayers and scriptures study, beaches and mountains, airplane trips, backpacking, fishing, skiing, vacations, hiking, adventures, Disneyland & Disneyworld, meal times, bedtimes, disappointments and joys, victories and defeats, state championships and runners-up trophies, mission, callings, priesthood ordinations, baptisms, graduations, weddings, grandkids

And through it all George Lewis remains calm, steadfast and immovable, abounding in good works!

Father's Day - Jake Montgomery

One of my early memories is making the conscious decision to stop calling my mother "Mommy".  I must have been about 9 or 10 and that word just sounded too much like what a little girl would say and not what the sophisticated pre-teen that I thought I was becoming would use.  From that time on I called her "Moma", which is very normal in the south.

Yet here I am at age 66 still referring to my Daddy!  And yes, I do get some strange looks from non-Southern friends who aren't used to an adult woman calling her father by that name.  Even after all these years away from the South, another name for him just never fit.  You've probably heard the expression, "Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Daddy".  Well, my Daddy was special.

Jake Montgomery was gentle, soft spoken and kind.  I only remember one time when he got mad at me.  I had gotten a ride home from a junior high football game with my friend's older brother.  My parents expected me to come home immediately after the game but instead we drove to the neighboring town to drop off the brother's girlfriend so it was probably 10:30 or 11:00 before we got home.  I was 12 or 13 years old and the junior high games were on Thursdays so it was a school night.   As we turned the corner and my house came into view, I could see my Daddy standing on the porch with his arms folded across his chest.  I knew that he was not happy!  I don't remember exactly what happened but I know that he let me know that he and my mother were worried.  They didn't know where I was and that scared them.  I don't think I got in trouble but I didn't like the feeling that I had caused them to worry.  That's a good example of the way I was raised.

My Daddy loved dogs and children - and they loved him back.  The children who lived next door would come over and ask my mother if Daddy could come out to play.  They loved to follow him around when he worked in the yard or garden.  He was always patient and answered their questions.

Mary was only 10 months old when he died.  During her fussy times, Daddy could always calm her down.  He would put her on a pillow and then walk around the house talking to her. Daddy could get her to sleep better than anyone. I am so sad that he didn't get to spend more time with her or meet his grandsons.

This is the only photo I have of Daddy with Mary.  Mary was born in July.  Moma and Daddy came to visit in Colorado in September.  We went to Arkansas at Christmas time and then Mary and I went back in April when we learned about his cancer.  He died in May.  I can't explain why we didn't take more photos but I am sure glad to have this one, especially since it is a 4 generation photo - Mary, me, my Daddy and his mother, my Grandma Maudie Finch in December 1978.  

Dogs also adored him.  Our dog Tony thought that Daddy was the best person in the whole world.  Each evening, Daddy would walk around the block and hand feed Tony.  My mother said that the only time she really saw him mad was when Tony was accidentally shot with a BB gun.  Luckily he wasn't seriously hurt but Daddy was mad because it COULD have been tragic.

When we moved to California and couldn't take our dog Arthur with us, Daddy and Moma graciously took him into their home.  I'm not sure if Tony was as thrilled with his 'brother' but they made it work. The two dogs vied for the chance to be closest to Daddy!

My mother had this photo hanging in her home until the day she died.  I can see why she loved it so.  And you can tell that this man was a 'Daddy'! 

Father's Day - Walt Lewis

A salute on Father's Day to Walt Lewis from an article in the Salt Lake Tribune in 1999.

Walt Lewis has spent most of his 82 years providing sight and insight.  The slender white haired man recounts a remarkable life sitting in his Provo home surrounded by memories.  A stuffed pheasant takes him back to a memorable hunt.  A painting of a favorite mountain, given him by a now deceased hunting friend, adorns a wall.  The large house is quiet since Walt's wife Orpha died last year.

Lewis is a reticent hero whose inventions play roles in our everyday lives.  Anyone who has taken an eye examination at school or while getting a driver's license has used a machine like the one he perfected while working for the Chicago-based Stereo Optical Company.  He also invented a retina scope and a device that tests children for lazy-eye syndrome.  

After retiring in 1979, Lewis and his nephew Greg Wilson developed a plastic mold that helped transform Utah county based Mity Lite into one of the world's most successful table manufacturers.

Lewis never expected to be an inventor.  He followed his brother Ben into the banking business, getting a degree in accounting and business administration.  When inducted into the army in World War II, he spent two days taking an aptitude test.  It was his first clue that banking wasn't for him.  The results suggested he consider engineering.  After a stint in the Pacific, he gave it a try.  A lack of math education frustrated him.  He eventually gave up and tried optometry.  He worked for his brother Chris at the Stereo Optical company, a place filled with sophisticated machinery.

"My world changed", says Lewis,. "I learned how to make things."  The self-taught optical engineer had found his calling.  He loved his work.  "The pleasures of life come in creating, not spending," he says.

His daughter Tamara calls her father a workaholic who labored from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. six days a week.  Still, she says, Walt made time for his four children, three of whom have medical degrees and one who is an engineer.

"He was always there, sitting and reading." says Tamara, a medical administrator in Salt Lake City.  "He was interested in what you wanted to talk about.  It is hard not to excel when your parents tell you how wonderful you are.  They expected the best.  We felt that appreciation."

Many times, Lewis would quote poetry as a way of answering a complex question.  He once wrote a single spaced 8-page poem about his 1938 ocean voyage to South Africa where he served an LDS mission.

One silent night in southern Utah, Walt suddenly began reciting Wordsworth's 'Daffodils' to explain his feeling to his fellow campers.  He treasures Kipling and recites Harris Merrill's "Christmas Eve on the Desert' each holiday season.

Nowadays, Lewis rises six days a week at 5:10 a.m. to play tennis and racquetball, often adding a swim.

"Psychologically, that leaves me feeling that I have my whole life ahead of me and not behind me." 

One fun memory - the first time he met his 1st grandchild Mary in August 1978.  It was a great day!

We all miss him since his death on June 3, 2002. Love this great photo of Grandpa hiking into the light!

Happy Father's Day - Dad & Grandpa!

Goodbye Fence!

We've owned this house for 20 years.  That is by far the longest we've ever owned any house.  Our first house in Loveland, Colorado was HOME for 6 years.  The 2nd house was HOME for 5 years and then we moved in Idaho and built a house that was HOME for 7 years before we moved to Spain for 5 years.  Now we've owned his house for 20 years.  20 years!  That seems like a long time.  Of course, for 9 years of that time we lived in Portland but we still owned the house and it kept aging!

Our fence showed every one of those years.  Truthfully the only thing that was holding this side of the fence up, was the tree!

 When our neighbors decided that they needed a fence but wanted a metal fence, we decided to just tear ours down.  We didn't have a dog anymore so it seemed like a good decision.  Tearing it down seemed easier than painting it again!  And I think even Matt and George would agree.

Matt and George work well together! They both are perfectionist and think like engineers. Occasionally they have long 'discussions' to figure the best way forward.  I just stay out of their way.

Unfortunately, the day they did the bulk of the work on the fence was also one of the rainiest days I remember in Boise.  It reminded me of living in Portland but they persevered and got it done.  The rain would stop and they would dash outside and work until the next deluge.  Repeated several times!

Lots of hard work and lots of carrying heavy loads.

Matt's friend Russ is taking the bulk of the wood.  He will use some for kindling and other pieces will be donated to the community garden for their projects.

 I love how big it makes our yard look.

Now it is on to our other landscaping projects!