Mountains everywhere

I have been to the west many times. Years ago, I drove over the Rockies into California from Nevada at dawn and was amazed by the mist and sunlight. Still have a hard time describing it. It was glittery and bright, then shady and moist in no particular order. The mist held close to the ground, but when it rose, it left moisture on the window that defied the windshield wipers.

This trip to the west, I expected to find the mist and coolness in Seattle. But was surprised by a lot of sun and light breezes. It did rain the last day that we were there, but we had three beautiful, memorable days. We saw Mt. Rainier from the coast of the bay. Watched the ferries cross to the islands and return. And watch some really big ships come and go in the bay.

In Utah, I was especially drawn to the mountains this time. I stopped in the parking lot at the airport just to take a good look at them. They seem to surround the area, higher in the east and north and lower in the west. I wondered if we lived there would we become imuned to their beauty? Would we use them only as a point of reference when traveling? Or would we still sit on the porch and watch the clouds gather around them and the sun rise and set on them?

The picture above is heading east out of Orem toward Sundance, just past Bridal Vail Falls. The falls were just a trickle as everything above was still frozen. We drove up Sundance almost all the way. The lifts were there, but there were no skiers. It was a beautiful day, sunny and not terribly cold. And there was plenty of snow. There was a creek that ran by the road that had a lot of ice on its shores, but was running pretty fast. Lauren pointed out where she and Beck went skiing. But the road was narrow and windy so we left.

Next time, I hope that we can go in later in the spring or summer and get a good look at the mountains. Maybe even go for a hike.

Kitty cat! Kitty cat! Kitty, Kitty, Kitty cat!

Snowy, Germantown, TN, 1989

Snowy, Germantown, TN, 1989

Snowy, Marshall, about 10 years old

Dad, with beard, Ann Arbor, and Fido, 2006

Spike, Ann Arbor, Christmas, 2008

Pets were not a big deal for us when you kids were little. We had tried a dog when we lived on Westminister, but he kept running away and that got old. We also acquired a kitten who was sickly, which we gave away not long after she arrived.

Snowy was the only pet I wanted to have. But Beth "saved" Spike and Fido from the "crack house" in Marshall. And now we have two kitties, one of whom loves Dad and only Dad. She cries pitifully when he is out of town for a few days. When he returns, she follows him, talks to him, and waits patiently for him to "spank" her. The girl needs some perspective on this "love the Dad" thing. It's almost embarrassing!

Spike is happy to be petted by everyone except Johnny-boy. When he is well-scratched and contented, he slobbers all over the place.

All in all, having kitties has been a good experience for eveyone, I think. We have learned to make sure that they are taken care of, safe, and that they don't get outside. When you were little, it helped you to identify with someone smaller and less capable than you. But Snowy and now Spike and Fido love us unconditionally, and share their purrs and softness with us all.

Nina and Johnny's Birthday

Nina's due date was at the end of 1978. That year December 31 fell on a Sunday. Dad went into church for early meetings, and told everyone that we were having a baby today (!). When I showed up later, they were very concerned. "You should be home resting." "What are you going to do when labor really starts?" "John said that the baby would be born today!" I said that John was dreaming and there was no way she would make it today. He wanted to tax break, but Nina did not agree.

She made it on January 3, which was a terribly cold day. We had three days in the hospital in a semi-private room. In those days, they provided a steak dinner on the day that you left the hospital for you and your husband. I could not sit long enough for Dad to finish chewing all of the bones and licking the plate. So, I went back to bed.

We had only been in Michigan for a few month before she was born. I was not a fan of the cold. We stayed home almost all of the time until Spring came. And even then, I bundled everyone up before we went out.

***

Nina was so thrilled that she was going to have a baby brother on her birthday. She was 6 at the time. She insisted that he was going to be born on her birthday. The doctor put his birthdate at December 25. Well, December 25 came and went. And Nina was still insisting. I have to admit to being a bit cranky, what with being overdue and all. Back in the day, they did not induce on your due data, if you had not delivered on your own. You waited. It is exactly 10 days from December 25 to January 3. It was a long wait. But then, on January 2 near midnight, my water broke. We raced to the hospital fearing that he would be born in the car. But labor stopped, and started a number of times. At one point, Dad said that he was very tired and he wanted go home to bed for awhile. I could call him when I was really ready to have him. No, I said, if I was there and awake, he could be there and awake. It was about 5 am when the boy finally made his appearance. We had a private room in the new wing of Foote Hospital for three days. It was again terribly cold, but we were snug and warm.

When we lived in Jackson, every year about this time, the students of Mrs. Beatrice Baker Thorpe would be invited to the Westwood Mall to play for the shoppers. It was a big treat and people came from all over to see the kids, bring the kids, shop and hang out. Generally, it was on a Friday evening.

The photos above have Nina and Annie, top, and Annie, bottom in the front row. The older children got on stage first and played the harder music, then stepped back. Then younger children would get on stage, play some less hard music, then step back. And so it went until the youngest took the stage and played the Twinkles. It was always the last song, from Motorcycle, to Just Plain Beautiful Twinkle.

Nina must have been one of the youngest when she was on stage, because it seems very crowded and Annie is behind her. Lauren is not there, so it must have been before she mastered all of the Twinkles. You had to be able to play the Twinkles, all of them, at tempo before Mrs. Thorpe would invite you to play in the group.

The fellow at the piano had been her student years before. At this time, his daughter was among the children on the stage. He accompanied all of the recitals and concerts. Mrs. Thorpe sat in the front row and watched. You were all trained to listen to the piano and start on cue. It was amazing though. I have seen many concerts and Suzuki groups play with far less success than Mrs. Thorpe's students. She was very precise and demanding, but she loved the kids.

Remembering the holidays

The holidays were always a big deal when you girls were little. We made gingerbread houses, cookies by the hundreds that were given to friends, teachers, and sent to family. The stories of Monkey Joe, and trips to look at lights and surpising Santa, and explaining it all will wait for another week. This week, I want to tell you about when you older girls were about the ages above.

During this time, Dad's job was tenuous at best. Every other Friday, there were engineers laid off. Dad did his best to stay on projects that needed his particular skill set. He is and has always been an excellent engineer. Things were pretty somber at his job. So, we tried to lift his spirits when he came home. We baked, cooked, decorated and tried to be as happy as we could.

This one particular Friday, Dad came home without a smile. We made chicken soup, and biscuits for dinner and about 100 holiday cookies that afternoon. Annie, being the observant one, noticed that Dad was not smiling, so she grabbed a cookie and followed him to the closet where he was hanging up his coat. She offered him the cookie and he smiled and took it. They sat down on the couch and shared it, while talking about what we had done all day.

The pall around work did not go away that day. We worried many, many weeks that he would lose his job. But Annie showed him that she felt his sadness and wanted him to feel better. Nina and Lauren joined in as they could - they were still pretty little. But they followed Annie's example and let Dad know that they loved him.

Maran's Visit Part 2

The thing that I forgot to mention in the previous post was about the mailman. You guy often would sled in the front yard when you were young. The mailman would get sooo upset because it caused the walkway and the surrounding lawn to be slick as ice and he had to walk up it. After a while he stopped complaining and just walked through the grass/snow. I felt bad for him but not bad enough to tell you not to sled on the front walk. It was just too good for sledding!

Bob and Mary Helen's visit to Marshall

In the early 1990s, Bob and Mary Helen Maran took the trip to visit us in the middle of winter. Their kids, Sarajane, Ninamarie, and Julieanne had never seen snow. While they were with us, Uncle Charlie died and Dad and Mary Helen went to Chicago to attend the funeral. You kids were not in school. So, Bob and I were alone with 9 kids! Good thing that we had a big house!

On the day that we took the pictures in the snow, you were showing the Maran girls how to sled. You also had an outdoors tea party. I don't know why.

Dad and Bob built a barrier at the street, so that if you went too fast you would not end up in the street. There used to be a tree in that location, but the city had taken it down the previous spring. You all stomped up and down the walkway, then swept it smooth. Then it was ready for sledding. Jackie Ullman came over, too. The Maran girls did not tolerate the cold well even with layers of sweaters, socks, snowsuits and boots. They played for a little while, but it was too cold. However, you kids had a blast!

Bob discovered Louie's. He took walks down there at least once a day. You kids were thrilled to death because there was always Louie's in the house. He even would take any child who was ready to go with him. He took the sled sometimes and tried to coerce his girls to go with him. They liked the Louie's but the walk in the cold, not so much. Most of the time, he went alone. But there were times that one or all of you were willing to take the walk with him and show him the sights of Marshall.

I don't remember much more about the Maran girls during that visit, except that when Julieanne got angry, she slammed doors. I was glad that they were solid oak! Also, they did not know what to make of Snowy. Mary Helen does not like cats. Snowy was pretty shy as I recall, except when Mary Helen tried to sit in her chair. She was having none of that!

All in all, it was a good visit.