Oh, What Do You Do In The Summertime

It was fun to see Elizabeth's post of the photos from what seems like forever ago.
I thought I would share just a little bit of how our summer has gone.  I think I need to revamp my little family blog so more people have access to it, but for today I will share here.

One of Paul's top priority projects was to solve the water dripping off the roof of the chicken coop so there would not be any ice in front of the door to the coop (do you wonder why??  Not!).  So, note the gutter and the down spout on the coop.  Happy Day!

 I read a book and found the suggestion about building a trellis for the cucumbers.  If fall doesn't come soon, this will climb over the fence and head into the neighbor's yard.  I would say that has been very successful. And the cucumbers hang through the trellis so picking them is much easier than fighting the prickly plant.

 And then there was the door to nowhere.  When Paul leveled the floor in my sewing room that at one time had a major slant to it because that room  was originally an outside porch (long before we bought the house), the north door was about 8 - 10 inches above the original cement steps (as was the south door, but we had already solved that problem long ago).  For the past several years we have talked about one solution after another, and this year was the time to put something into action.  Although this door is never used because I have shelves in the sewing room blocking access, at least now it could be used.  I love the end result.

The garden looking east.

This is how the garden looks, looking west through the grape arbor that I am sure won't work, and Paul is determined to make work.  The flowers in the garden are a Penrose tradition.  Everything has really taken off.  What a fun year it has been, in spite of the intense heat.  If you wonder where the rows are, just know it has become a losing battle.

This photo is just a little blurry, but has to be shared.  The egg on the left is a "normal" egg, the egg on the far right is the size the little red hens normally lay, and the rather large egg next to the ruler from the little desk drawer is a double yolk egg.  What a good day!  May your Saturday find things going well at your house.

BEFORE THE "AFTER" PICTURE

When Ann published the photo of their reunion I called and asked her if it was even legal to have that large a family in America these days.  I had meant to publish this picture of "before" a long time ago but I might have procrastinated a little.

Happy 49th Anniversary to Ann and Paul

So here's how the day went.  Judy woke me up at 10:a.m. since I was having a nap to make up for my sleep deprived night.  While talking to Judy, Liz tried to call me according to call waiting, not just once but twice.  I called Liz back after Judy's call but she was then busy, talking to Ann.  We were leaving soon for Provo so I told Liz I'd talk to her later.  Russell took us to Provo where he was going to meet with a client.  Russ, Ron, three of Ron's girls, and Lani met at La Dolce Vita for lunch, one of my favorite lunch places from my years at BYU.  After lunch, we went to Wells Fargo to go over our accounts and then stopped by Ann's.  We discovered that today is Ann and Paul's 49th wedding anniversary.  So here are some posies from Ann;'s gorgeous flower pots on her front porch and a picture of the happy couple.  Happy 49th from all of us.  And,. seriously, don't any of us have anything else to do?  But we wouldn't want it any other way, would we?  P.S.  Judy instructed me to take pictures and post them.  So I have followed instructions.

Tanner Family

Because our family blog (Grandma's Fried Oatmeal) is private and some of you can't get access to it, I thought I would post a couple of photos here that are kind of fun.

We are missing John's four children from New Hampshire and one of Jim's daughters who was in a play that night.  Names (with no last name): Back row:  Brooks, Spencer, Colby, Braden (Kelsey's husband), Jerry, Jim, Greg, John, Madeline, Nathan; Next row:  Kristen, Matt, Kelsey, Beth, Kim, Shea, Shaun, Laura, Bridget holding Gwen; Third row from back:  Eli (Not looking real happy), Savannah, Lucas, Jacob, Kaitlin, Isabel, Shane, Jessica, Jonah, Jack;  Front row is happy Mom and Dad

We lost Laura in this photo, but some of the expressions are kind of fun.  There is one other photo that is coming with just the seven Tanners in it, so when it comes, hopefully you won't mind if I share it here.
How thankful we are for family.  Life is full of such amazing experiences and opportunities because we have each other.  No matter what our circumstance is, there is great comfort that comes from knowing we aren't alone.

Wedding Day

While I am waiting for the photos that were taken of the Tanner group at Kelsey's wedding, I thought I would share a few from the day.  It was a beautiful day in Manti.  After the ceremony, one of the temple workers gave us a brief tour of the incredible stairway.  All I could think of was the story of Grandma Wasden polishing the railing a gazillion years ago.

                                                      Wedding Day, April 26, 2013
Kelsey is our first grandchild to get married.  We are thankful for her example to the 21 others who are to come along a similar path, in their own time.  Kelsey has been the pied piper of all of our grandchildren.

Trying to get this "herd of kids" to cooperate wasn't going to be easy.  This is as good as it got!  I think there are about 10 grandchildren standing on the curb.

This is a little better controlled group.  From left to right, Brooks and Savannah (Kristen), Shea and Shane (Greg), Jack and Jonah (Nathan).

This is taken just outside the front door to the Temple. I think Kelsey and Braden were really happy to finally get to this point.

This is taken on the west side of the Temple.  Happy Day!

This is taken in front of the really tall west doors of the Manti Temple.  Seriously?  How many photos are you guys going to take?

Nathan drove down to Manti for the wedding and then Bridget brought Gwen to Orem for the evening craziness.  The smiles on their faces are great indicators as to how things are going these days.

When other photos become available I will share.

Chicken Cave and Other Important Stuff

As you can tell by the depth of the snow on the roof of the chicken coop and run, snow has been falling in our corner of the world.  I suspect our snow amount is a pittance when compared with what Steve has in New York, or what Elizabeth has in Preston. We are thankful for what this means for next summer, as in water for the garden and yard. Because of the snow, our chicken project has taken on a whole new perspective.
The depth of the snow means there is no going outside the coop for the chickens and any running to look for anything green or wiggling on the ground has been put on pause(as in they are all "cooped up" and are now suffering from "cabin fever").  Each time we go in the run to check their feed and water, we are greeted with a chorus of scolding chickens, each in their own cleff.   Each morning either Paul or I go out and turn on the light in the coop so the chickens think there is sunshine.  We have had to put a light bulb under their water container to keep the ice at bay.  And lots of straw in the run and coop seems to help with the scratching impulse - something to kick around is evidently a happy thing.  Yet, we are finding it very amazing to gather between 10 - 12 eggs a day.  Hmmm, it is starting to feel a little like the zucchini wars in the summer.  I wonder who can use a few eggs today.  If we go over the "fiscal cliff", will this be our bartering chip for a little milk??  Or, should we just eat one or two?

May you all be warm and safe, wherever you are.  I must admit, having animals of a sort has brought back warm memories of our Penrose world.  Do you remember what winters were like, with the cows, pigs and chickens trying to survive the Wyoming winters?  I think it is such a blessing to know how difficult things can be, but to be able to live in such incredible comfort.  If you are ever close to my house, please stop by for a dozen eggs.

Harvest Time

As I am putting the garden to "bed" for the winter, there are still carrots and beets to pull.  However, as I started that little project, I ran across this really big carrot and have come to the conclusion that I will mulch that bed in with straw (thank you for the reminder, Judy) and just pull them as needed.  This carrot will feed us for two to three meals.  It has been a good year in the garden.

And then there are the chickens.  This is what happens when academics get together and try to solve non-academic challenges.  One of Paul's colleagues told him to put golf balls in the nesting boxes to encourage egg production (Huh!) and to teach the chickens to not peck on the eggs when they do appear, so the next morning when I went out to check the nesting boxes and found golf balls nestled in the pine chips, I have to admit my first instinct was to throw them out.  I asked Paul if I could post this on the blog, and he was just a little hesitant.  However, what if it will help?  Chickens are 22 weeks on the 29th so by Thanksgiving there should be something besides golf balls to gather!

As many of you know, we made a quick trip to Glendale, Arizona to go to church with Greg and Kim and to participate in their son's, (Shaun), ordination to the Aaronic Priesthood.  Their ward now has a new, handsome deacon to help out.  While we were there, there wasn't much time for doing anything, but we did manage to drive by where their new temple is being built.  It is about 10 minutes from where Greg and Kim live, and will be such a blessing to the church members in the northwest part of Phoenix.  After getting through so many obstacles, the framework is up.  Needless to say, this is an exciting time for them.

Ann is Always Right

After a Sunday dinner of fish, which was yummy, I put one last uncooked piece on the stove to cook and promptly got distracted downstairs.  Bob went to the kitchen for a drink and found the kitchen in stinky smoke.  Yes, the smoke alarm, even with new batteries,  had failed.  I scrubbed and scrubbed, but the oder has lingered with us.  Today I called the expert:  Ann.  She said to put white, not red, vinegar in an open glass, not plastic and not metal,  container.  It sounded like the routine Grandma used to tell us when we wanted to get rid of our warts, but I followed Ann's instructions to the letter.

That was 4 hours ago.  We left for a couple of hours and just came back home.  Opened the door.............and you are right if you think that it worked!  Thanks, Ann!

New Technology To Watch

"A company in American Fork has announced the release of its M-DISC, which is the first permanent file backup disc technology that will protect your information for up to 1,000 years." This is quoted from an article in Tuesday's Daily Herald. Two BYU professors came up with idea. I have included their web site so you can research this on your own. Can you imagine someone coming across this disc in 1000 years, looking at it and wondering if it was just a shiny frisbee? However, the idea of being able to preserve photos and genealogy and whatever else we have, without the data deteriorating would be wonderful.
The projected cost of the discs in a 20 pack is $26.95. I suspect there would be an additional purchase of the drive to burn the disc. At least that is what I gathered from their web site. Happy learning and let us know what you find out.

http://millenniata.com/

What A Difference a Year Makes

Ok, I know, I need to have my own blog, and I just may surprise you one of these first days. However, it is important to put the next chapter on the blog to follow up on a post dated Wednesday May 12, 2010.

The photo above seems to ask, "who needs a garden gate?". The squash and melons have a mind of their own.
The flowers across the front of the family room windows have been beautiful this year.
One days' harvest. It is time to make catsup and beet soup, maybe even some dilly beans. Work to do, work to do! The tomatoes are a jungle, the squash and melons (including 12 watermelon) are merrily filling in any empty space they can find, and life is good. This has been a great team effort this year, and feels really good.

What I Learned on Wednesday

Wednesday was one of those days when I learned how much I didn't/don't know and how good it is to keep working on "stuff". The day started with a load of bark/mulch being dumped in the middle of our driveway. Thankfully we had the cars already parked on the street so we avoided one major challenge there. Lesson no. 1 - try to stay ahead of the "what if's".
Then there was the quick trip to Costco to finish buying stuff for Steve and Mary Lynn's Jackson adventure. While there I saw the red velvet cake, which seemed to be the perfect way to finish off lunch at Louise's - who could resist? Evidently not me. Lesson no. 2 - do not look in the dessert cases at Costco. It is way to easy to justify buying something yummy - at least I didn't buy the pineapple upside down cake!
I had called Dwight's house on Tuesday evening and then again on Wednesday morning trying to see if we could talk with him in the afternoon while Steve, Louise and I, along with Cheryl and Lynn Styler, Paul and Mary Lynn were together, but there was no answer. I was honestly concerned. And then Dwight called me and said I had been leaving messages on Velna's cell phone for the past little while, and they don't use that phone very often, and therefore didn't know I had been calling. Lesson no. 3 - when reprogramming phone nos. into a new phone system, do not confuse cell phone nos. with home phone nos., otherwise you may start to think sad thoughts when you don't get a return phone call. Problem corrected!
When we got to Louise's, Steve and Mary Lynn were already there, having driven up from the SLC airport, with their flight arriving at 12:30. I was concerned that we had kept everyone waiting (we had a lot of the food with us), and Steve told me they had been there about an hour. Lesson no. 4 - Do not believe Steve, check with Mary Lynn.
And then, as things started to wind down, after a lot of chatting, Steve talking with Dwight on the phone, all of us talking about everyone who wasn't there, it was time to get out the cameras. Lesson no. 5 - always check the setting on your digital camera. Taking photos as though the setting is on Automatic exposure, when it is not, gives the above results (blurry photos) - and I can't go back and have a do over.
And then my almost final lesson for the day needs a little background. When Patsy Sorensen and I were visiting the first part of June (she is cousin Julian's wife), she talked about how Cindy hated to have her picture taken, and I believe she was referring to Cindy in her later years. After I looked at the photos of me from yesterday, there came Lesson no. 6 - I'm tempted to join Cindy in my lack of enthusiasm for having my photo taken. If my hair cut looks like a stack of loosely stacked gray straw, I have to either learn to accept it or change the hair cut - this lesson remains to find a conclusion, other than to say "Oh, well!".
However, the final lesson of the day came as I crawled into bed, and this is the best lesson of all. The six of us have our own families to focus on, worry about, cheer on and above all to love. And along with that, we have been blessed with a relationship that just picks up when we get together as though time and distance is non existent. Penrose Mornings has been such a great connector - we have shared memories and every now and again we have shared our struggles, as well as our joys. So my very final lesson for the day was a reminder of good things and blessings in my life that help to make it all complete. Whew! It must be nap time.

Family pictures in Olympia in 1981

Tanner family

These pictures are the end of the pictures I took in Olympia on the day of Mother's funeral.  We all searched within ourselves for a shred of humor and lightheartedness to ease the burden we all faced that day.  I had to fly home immediately afterward because I had to start teaching at BYU on the first day of school the next day and we had just barely accepted the position there and moved to Utah.  I still have many questions to ask Mother and even a gripe or two.  She wrote me a letter every week of my struggles to get through college working nights and going to school days.  These letters bolstered and supported me more than any financial help they might have given me but were unable to do.  Some times her pen or pencil drifted off the page of the letter late at night while she was writing but it was always waiting for Ezra the mailman the next day to begin its journey to Laramie and help me keep going another week.  And then another.  And then she came to my graduation from the University of Wyoming in 1953 a degree she earned no less than I.

Tanner Family, Olympia, 1981

See? I was right!

Kristen and Laura Tanner 1981 Olympia

Kristen Tanner 1981 Olympia

Ann, 1981

Another Piece of the Story

Remember the photo Dwight posted of Jack Davidson playing with little Tanner boys on the grass? This is the companion photo that shows those of us who were watching. Again, it was Dwight taking the photo. So, yes, that is Mother's dress hem that is showing in the previous post.

Suzy Q

I threatened to post this shared photo before Christmas, but that would have spoiled the surprise.  The wonderful doll was made by Ann for one of her Granddaughters.  I think the doll looks like Kristin.  What a great doll to love and a grandma to go with it.  Great job, Ann.

Just Some Thoughts

In the fall of 1981, Elizabeth, Judy and I were working with Dad in doing some house cleaning, as we were all attempting to help each other adjust to life without Mother. Tucked back behind the bottles of canned fruit we discovered several quart jars full of coins. As we talked about that amazing find, we came to the conclusion that Mother was never again going to be without the means to take care of their (Mother's and Dad's and family) basic needs. For some reason this little incident keeps coming back to nudge me to share it with other family members with a little thought, from my perspective. And yes, I know the jar in the photo is a pint not a quart.

There are some amazing things we all learned from Mother and Dad, although our education was most often the hands-on type. For me, the standouts are many, but because of the time of year, the political upheaval, friends losing jobs and/or homes, family members struggling to find ways to survive, and people all around who are hurting and passionately looking for something to hold on to, I want to share just a few.

First, we were always taught to respect others, although there were times when it was difficult because there were major disagreements. I truly believe we have all been given a gift to look at our lives and do the best we can, but in that process the respect for others who see it differently is sacred. I can remember Mother's quiet demeanor when things would get just a little out of hand, and I usually knew I had crossed a line that was not appropriate.

Second, we were always taught to realize how blessed we were to always have food (even if it was asparagus), and shelter where we were warm and snug when the Wyoming winds blew. The garden, cellar treasures, and farm animals created a very safe haven for us when others were not quite so fortunate.

Third, there were always the underlying ties of family love, gospel principles, home, and mutual respect, even when everyone's lives went in directions other than the choices our parents hoped for. I will always be grateful for their unconditional love and support.

So, where is this going? I'm not sure, but perhaps this is my ending thought. I don't know how many of you read the Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright, written in 2005. May I suggest this is a Christmas where it will be good to remember our heritage - and to reach out to others by creating our own Christmas Jar, regardless of what we put in the jar and then finding someone in need to share it with.

We are so blessed, even though times are hard, and to lose ourselves in helping others just might be good medicine. If this sounds preachy, please forgive me. You know how it is when there is something else I should be doing and I don't want to do it.

The Next Generation

I know, if I had my own blog I would post this there, but since I don't, and since I have been encouraged to post this on Penrose Morning, here it is.

This is a link to an article that features Nate and a piece of his world. To be featured in this particular magazine is quite and honor, and to have the cover photo is another honor. Nate works hard and deals with some very difficult health challenges, so this is nice recognition for what he is doing.  I did forward this to brothers and sisters, so this is just in case other family members want to check out the article.


http://www.hotelfandb.com/biol/jul-aug2010-larkspur-tiburon-grill-local-surveys.asp