Judy and Bob Come to Salt Lake 2012

I have no idea if these were posted before.  I was sorting through old photo files and came across them.  If you have seen them before, you can look at them again.  Judy and Bob were actually in Zion among their own kind.

A Little More History: Velna and Carolyn, Elizabeth and Dorothy and Cat

Has anyone ever seen this picture?

What are Judy, Laura, Ann (not Beth) and Dad Looking at?

Another photo rescued from the dark ages

Roscoe Blood's Grave Fort Collins CO Cemetery (Father of Russell M. Blood)

photo taken 1981

Dad and Elna at Roscoe Blood's grave in the Fort Collins CO cemetery 1988

Dad (Russell Blood), Grandson and Namesake Russell Blood with Daughter Lori 1981 Fort Collins Cemetery near Roscoe Blood Grave

Happy Birthday to Dear Dwight

There is one very important thing about these family pictures.  You can see the smiles and laughter that occur when we are together.  Dwight has probably had a witticism to share in each one of these pictures, taken at various times and places.  On this very important birthday, we all sent our happy birthday to you.  You are a most beloved brother, father, grandfather, uncle, etc., etc. etc.  We love you and hope that this day is good for all.

Wasden Family Gathering

This photo of a family gathering at Grandpa and Grandma Wasden's is probably one of the most important family pictures ever taken in the Wasden family.  I don't know where I got it or   who took it, but I wonder if Dad did because he is not in the picture.  I took out some of the dark spots so people are a bit more easily recognizable.  Now we need the history of the picture and the identification of the people in the picture, row by row.  Use the edit feature in Blogger to add your information so that it shows directly under this photo.  Blood children seem to be absent.

Judy Strangling the Poor Cat

I know we've all seen this picture many times, taken by Uncle Norman, I think, on the day he took pictures of all of us.  However, I don't know if we've seen it in a lightened-up version.  So many details appear in this photo.  I was going to list them, but I am leaving that task up to the five of you. I'm looking forward to your list.  I think the comments we make back and forth about these photos and the memories they stir are really important in our family history.

OK here's the list:

• The original chicken house was just south of the coal bin when we first moved to Penrose.
• The sawhorses, already noted.
• The coal bin
• The copper boiler we used to heat wash water and bath water
• We had sugar beets right up to our doorstep the first year we were in Penrose.  I suppose Dad was looking for every extra dollar he could find.
• The telephone poles that anchored our sturdy clothesline.
• The wooden boxes that kicked around forever under the clothesline.
• The polka dot dress Judy is wearing:  Is that the same dress Louise wore in her famous picture?
• Anything else?

Dad, Dwight, Russell Trip to Nebraska 1988

Not great pictures, but images likely worth saving.  Dad and Elna came to Fort Collins and Russell and I went with them to Nebraska to see one more time the locations of importance to Dad.  Not sure which cemetery this is, probably Alliance Nebraska.

Dad, Ann, and Beth in Washington date unknown

Sorry, Ann, I know its a poor picture of you and Beth but I thought the picture coming out of the black was worth saving for the image of Dad.

Blood Family Photos 1956

I fixed these two pictures the best I could.  I'm glad they were never deleted.  I think these must be in 1956 possibly from our trip to Penrose before we headed for Ann Arbor.

Judy and Steve in the Wheaties Box on Penrose Front Porch

Have you seen this picture before?  I sort of resurrected it this morning.

Louise, Diana, Velna at the Los Angeles Temple 1956

I had a research meeting for my marketing project I was working on in Tucson so after the meeting, we drove over to San Bernardino to see Louise.  This picture hadn't seen the light of day until now.

Three Sisters in Orem Date?

Aren't we having fun?  Another coal black negative that has a memorable picture underneath.  Skin tones aren't great, but would you delete this picture?  Absolutely not.  I'll leave you all in suspense until the next one comes along.

Here for Good Measure is a Resurrected Photo of a Pretty Vase and Lace Curtain at Judy's

Since I was having so much fun with the photos below I salvaged from 55 years of outer darkness, I started to see what else was pitch black and found this one.  I don't know who took it, but I thought it was rather pretty and I am glad to see what is under the dark layers of film.  Another chapter about the vase by the window.  Much writing and clarifying to do.

Judy in Fort Collins Summer of 1956

Here are three pictures of Judy (and Velna and Russell) taken in Fort Collins the summer of 1956 when Judy came to stay with us and I wangled a job for her in our Department of Economics on the top floor of the administration building.  No one had ever seen these photos until this morning, including me, so they were a complete and pleasant surprise.  The negatives for these pictures were almost completely black and I remember how disappointed I was at the time not to have some pictures of Judy to remember her stay with us.  But then I didn't have fancy schmancy photo editing software in 1955.  I hesitantly began to edit these three black pictures a few minutes ago, and look what came out! Velna and I were living on South College Ave in Fort Collins by the Spudnut Shop, a block from the north end of the campus.  And, of course, the railroad went right through the middle of town and right through the Colorado A & M (then, now Colorado State University) campus.  We had cheap rent since the upstairs was a sorority annex and we were the sorority girl tenders and had to break up the porch clinches at ll:00 p.m. at night and send the little darlings off upstairs to bed. 

Velna is expecting second son Ron, who we did not know then was Ron in the dark ages of OB-GYN, who was born August 17.  Two weeks later, baby Ron, Russell, and Velna took off for Ann Arbor Michigan to begin my work for a Ph.D. in economics.  We had no place to stay when we got there, barely enough from our meager research assistantship funds to buy some groceries at the A & P, and discovered that everyone in Michigan drank gallons of Vernor's ginger ale.

But how delighted I am that these three photos of Judy have come to light after nearly sixty years of reposing in darkness!  And now Judy must write another chapter titled "My summer in Fort Collins" just like I used to report on "What I did over Saturday and Sunday" in the second grade.  At least for the first six weeks, when I was kicked out of the second grade for what?  Utter boredom?  Creative fiction on what I made up about what I did over Saturday and Sunday?  Or maybe Miss Black just couldn't stand me any more and wanted to pawn me off to Miss Joneson, my wonderful third grade teacher who didn't try to get rid of me.  And then I had her again for junior high math.

Judy and Robert in Penrose 1960

I must have had a primitive camera when I took these pictures, but at least we have these.

Robert and Steve in Penrose

Possibly Measuring for the new Dairy Barn?

We're Leaving Cheyenne, We're off to Montan

It turns out there is a whole lot more to the story that connects this picture with the earlier pictures I posted of Judy and Bob in Cheyenne, with the picture of Judy and Bob in Penrose.  I discussed this story for a considerable time today with Judy and she will tell you the rest of the story.  I hope.

The Mountain Climber and the Paper Carrier: Judy and Bob, Penrose, in the 60's

This picture was just too good to led molder in the archives.  Robert here shows the Happy Days type person that charmed Judy.  I think it was the hat that done it.  Plus maybe the glasses.  Or maybe it was the insouciant devil-may-care but life is good pose.  What do you think?

After I posted this, I had a sharp pang of recognition.  Does Robert's shirt look familiar?  Well there may be a little difference, but not much.  Nice style, though.  I'm now through editing this post.

Annie's Golden Mums

The thing about shopping at Costco is that you never know what you want or need until you see it at Costco.  And that is how Velna and I got these gorgeous copper-colored mums on our front doorstep. My sister Ann, our Costco fairy, made a prompt and very wise decision when she saw big containers of yellow and golden colored mums at Costco.  As written earlier, she knew yellow was for spring, gold for fall.  So next thing I knew she was lugging a big pot way too heavy for anything she should have been lugging up to my front porch.  So now we and our neighbors will enjoy this beautiful splash of color from the proper-colored fall mums until frost thanks to a wise and prudent Costco fairy who never saw an infomercial she didn't like or a botanical remedy that wouldn't cure or wasn't at the ready with the latest from the Wizard of Google.

We got cheated out of seeing what we thought would be a spectacular harvest moon last night by the dark and stormy clouds.  The morning is just as foreboding and weepy and right now the thunder fairy is busily showing off and thundering just to show who is in charge here.  Does anyone (Louise and Liz) remember when we used to hide under the quilts on the big bed at the little brown house during the ferocious summer Penrose thunder storms?

And please, we need everyone's comments so we don't feel so lonesome out here.  Just a word to let us know.  

Yesterday:  Call from Judy.  Call to Ann to see why nose numb.  Judy called back. Neighbor came bearing two ears of corn.  Velna went with sisters to Olive Garden for sister's birthday.  Brought home leftovers.  Made bread, chicken noodle soup, and finished laundry while they were gone.  Earned many, many points to offset rare egregious comments and behavior.  Watched Ballykissangel.  We'd seen it before.  Watched Father Brown.  We'd seen it before.  Went to sleep woke up with stiff sore hands couldn't find little rubber squeeze ball found it at 3:00 a.m. over by the cabinet said one or two encouraging words to the little squeeze ball about improper behavior and worked out the kinks.  Took another 67 pictures of clouds and mountains this morning.

Just went out to check the golden mums.  Beautiful!  Thank you, Annie.  You can make it to St. George in no time at all.  It will be a test of your desire to repent and continue practicing on me.  A crucial test is forthcoming.

Annie's Zinnias

Thursday Annie, aka Kathryn Ann, aka the Swedish Meatball Fairy, aka the Costco fairy, aka the Costco Toilet Paper Measuring Queen, aka the honey butter lady, came bearing, among other things some gorgeous zinnias she had stripped from her garden.  Note the bottom picture in which a new zinnia is growing out of the dying zinnia on the bottom.  Who knew of such zinnias until Annie brought one to show me?  And, oh yes, she said Costco had big containers of gorgeous fall mums and they were either copper colored or yellow and she thought yellow was for spring and that brown was for fall and therefore she brought the big huge container of gorgeous fall mums and somehow wrestled it up to the front porch and said something like there it is.

But the zinnias were not all.  The Costco fairy, for the third time in the past summer, came laden with all manner of necessities, luxuries, goodies, produce, and good cheer.  Most important, she told me I was looking better?  How can I look better?  I must have looked awful before, but I was glad for the encouragement.  Having taken her morning to check out stuff at Costco and Allred Orchards and who knows what else, besides harvesting her garden, we were the recipients of a veritable cornucopia of wonderful and necessary stuff.  From her garden, besides zinnias, we received a beautiful big fat green cabbage, lovely tomatoes, a monster zuke, summer squash, and who knows what else.  From Allred's Orchards, we received two gallons of incomparable apple juice and some lovely, lovely early Elberta peaches.  And then the usual harvest from Costco.  Since Costco inconsiderately and incompetently was out of honey butter, Annie donated one of her own from her stash of honey butter.  

Earlier in the summer when I complained that Costco was stiffing its customers on the width of toilet paper, advertising it as bigger and stronger, we suckered into that only to find their wonderful tp was about a half inch narrower.  So Annie, the Costco Toilet Paper Queen, takes a measuring tape to measure it and forthwith Costco will never deceive us again.  Of course, TP is the number one seller at Costco, in case you didn't know, so when you see those big Costco semis roaming the land you can be comforted in the knowledge that they are hauling toilet paper hither thither and yon, trying to convince you that Charmin is bigger, stronger, but not necessarily wider.  So along with butter, OJ, a rotisserie chicken which can be stretched into 7 or 8 meals by the time you cook the bones with noodles and extract the last bit of chicken flesh from the bony carcass, and oh yes, an urgent phone call from Costco in Orem, "Do you want a pumpkin pie?"  Did the sun come up this morning?  So upon arrival and unburdening the contents of her shopping bags, she comes up with an aerosol can of pure whipped cream.  She deemed that Costco pumpkin pie was certainly worthy of more than mere Cool Whip. Perfect.  And then she was laden with Ikea Swedish meatballs and Lingonberry sauce which she claims are really, really good although don't buy the cinnamon rolls since they may have been baked in Sweden months ago and taste like cardboard.  After two nights, the pumpkin pie, alas is half gone and I know not what I will do when it is finished.

So then we visited for awhile and discussed Judy's book, Liz, Louise, and Steve, the only four who weren't here.  I learned nothing new since everyone apparently is holding in the good stuff and not divulging anything at the present time.

And then, unfortunately it was time for Annie to leave.  And I thought, "What have I done to deserve such generosity and kindness?"  And my answer was, "Nothing."  I did nothing to deserve all of this bounty. And therein lies the goodness of a Good Samaritan.  Good Samaritans do good (irr)regardless of the worthiness or lack thereof of the recipient.  So Annie, bearing her own bushel of pains and woes, took another day and spent hours rounding up stuff and driving to Salt Lake, and arrived with a smile and encouraging words and I thought,  why did I tease you so much, Annie, when you were a precious little child?  But then Judy intimates rather strongly that Ann and Steve weren't all that pure and well behaved as little children anyway.  My sisters and brother have been so kind to me, and I feel so blessed to be the recipient of their caring, love, concern, and acts of kindness.  

Maybe we can gather once more around the Christmas tree on Christmas eve in the living room of the white Penrose house and decorate Mother's last minute bargain Christmas tree with tons of tinsel and turn on the colored lights and write a letter to Santa Claus and hang up our stockings already knowing a rare orange will appear in it tomorrow and for the moment feeling nothing but joy and hopefulness and being spared the knowledge of the future and all of the challenges and journeys and trials and blessings and long, long roads we would travel.  And then 60 or 70 years later, here is my little sister on my doorstep, ringing my doorbell, with a carload of wonderful things.  Oh dear, dear Annie, I feel so sorry for you that you don't have a new bread machine but I will willingly give you my Ronco Rotissserie in case Judy's has fallen to the floor.  But how glad I am to see you and how thankful Velna and I are for your caring.  Please go scold your hens and tell them to behave and start laying or they will land in the dumpling pot.  With love, from your brother Dwight.

A Short Letter to the Petersen Family

Dear Judy and the rest of the Petersen family:
I have just laughed, cried, and marveled my way through every written word and photograph in Judy's wonderful life story.  In my most brilliant imagination, I could not have known the extent of your incredible years  of devoted and inspired church service and of the countless lives you have touched. Nor did I know or understand the number and extent of health crises bravely faced and conquered through faith and perseverance.  I knew Robert was a hard worker, but the range of his skills and the incredible accomplishments from his ability to work and learn and apply so many skills is utterly amazing. Judy, if I were you, and Robert wanted to go to Lowe's to get even one nail, I would say, Robert, Dear, go get it!  And here is a $20 bill, so go buy yourself a whole sackful of nails, plus an ice cream cone! The details of family life after I left home in January 1950 are invaluable and insightful. Judy, your prose is clear and, in many places, absolutely eloquent and inspired.  For a few golden moments, I was back in Penrose, back in the only place I still consider home, listening to the river run over the dam, looking at the old Penrose Church across the sagebrush lots, sitting on the middle pier of the old Penrose bridge, the only True bridge in Penrose, with Liz, waiting for the suckers to bite, and they never did, but oh what a joyous time we had.  Once more I walked across the well worn diagonal path in the field between our house and Grandma and Grandpas's, up the lane by the ditch to the upper fields, smelled the sweet smells of alfalfa blossoms and growing crops and listened to the irrigation water gurgle as it soaked into the hard clay soil of Penrose and produced another crop for another year. And I thought, my entire life was blessed and enriched by those wonderful moments of re-mopping the floor when the job that was worth doing apparently wasn't done good enough, or going with Dad every Saturday morning of the school year to haul hay or go do whatever needed doing.  And, yes, the details about the lives of Louise, Elizabeth, Judy, Ann, and Steve are all enlightening and remind me once more that we were born and raised in a safe haven where danger was absent and love was present and that the Good Lord has allowed us to remain here for awhile longer to share what each of us has go give to the others.
\
To the Petersen Cbildren and extended family:  Your mother has lived an exemplary life, spared often from medical issues and crises that might have flattened a less valiant soul, and you know that your parents have seen the fruits of their labors and sacrifice in the lives of service and devotion to the timeless and eternal principles you learned from them.  I marvel at all of your accomplishments and your courage in overcoming adversity and forging on no matter the roadblocks.

Cheyenne Wyoming 1960