greaterthansparrows

We broke down and got a smallish artificial tree last year.  It came up from the basement, finally, on Wednesday and was set up for our first Christmas in a new place.  It doesn't have to be watered, trimmed, or vacuumed after--and it's proof that we have gotten old and poor, that we decided the time had come that we weren't going to wrestle with live trees, which I love, anymore.  Thank you again to our youngest, who made this our gift for last Christmas. It still has the tree skirt of crocheted Christmas squares made by Janette Draper and bought by us at the Bryant Elementary bazaar so many years ago.  They moved to Oregon some twenty years ago, and every time I bring this out of the box, I miss them. We don't have a top to our tree, something I guess I need to solve, but that bluebird was a tender gift last year, somewhat in token of this blog.  My dear friend tried to find a sparrow, but couldn't--so if there's a "blue bird of happiness" i...

My Grandfather Bennett used to make variations on famous songs.  He was always well behaved in a public setting, but at home, he would have a little fun.  We have a hymn, "Welcome, welcome, Sabbath morning, now we rest from every care," which would translate into, "now we rest on every chair" just to make us smile.  The chorus, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, lift up your gates and sing.  Hosanna in the highest, hosanna to your king," he sang for us once as, "You're losing 'em, you're losing 'em, lift up your skirts and see--you're losing your hose, Anna, they're way down around your knees."  Those are the only two I remember right offhand, I'm sure there are many others lost in the recesses of my brain. When I was maybe nine (ten?), the second  joint summer trip west with my sister Carolyn, we were pressed into service for the Bennett family reunion to sing in memory of our great-grandfather, John Bennett.  My Aunt Rosemary...

We do words, play with words, compare words, and craft words.  We were a very verbal family, and we liked puns, parodies, songs, poems, quotes, and multisyllables. We siblings wanted to do something fun for our folks, and it's probably no great surprise that my sister Carolyn came up with an idea which centered on words, a  Wordle .  This, if you have never had the pleasure, is a construct of words as a "cloud" which can originate as an existing text--in which case the algorythm pumps up the size and placement of those words which occur most often, or you can set up your own input.  She asked us to send in those words and phrases which evoked memories and associations for us growing up, and she would create a--drum roll, please!--Unique Wordle to present as a keepsake.  We understood that not every suggestion would make it, due to the limitations of space, and anything we wanted together had to run without spaces, as all one word, though we could capitalize wh...

A few days ago, Hubby said, "I had a thought...we could list the piano for sale and get a little money that way." "You promised that wherever we moved to, it would have room for the piano, that you would never take my piano away." "Oh.  I guess I did.  But you never use it." Well, it's true that since the last two injuries I haven't sat down to really practice, and that my fingers have reverted to limp spaghetti status, but that doesn't mean that I am ready, EVER, to not have a piano.  I guess it means that I need to start playing.  Even if I can only tolerate five minutes at a time. Really, the practicing was impacted by middle age, specifically the need for bifocals.  I can't see well to play--it requires a separate pair of glasses for a single-vision middle distance, and we haven't had the money.  I need new glasses now, but there's no way to do that, and my eyes haven't changed so badly that I have to.  The thought o...

Taken when Geoffrey was born We are heading south tomorrow morning, and going to stay until Saturday afternoon with very dear  friends .  Last year our plans for Thanksgiving with them were cancelled when our little  grandson was ill. They moved in across the street when I was six months pregnant with Geoff, and they were just feeling their way back into the Church, because of the love and encouragement of another terrific family where they had been living before.  We went through a lot together, crises and challenges on both sides, and provided spiritual and emotional anchors for each other. This picture gives you an idea of how long it's been.  Carole wasn't even thought of yet, and she and Hannah grew up together literally from birth, with the Almighty giving Hannah a six-months' head start.  It was such fun to watch those baby stages as Hannah would leave one stage and Carole would enter it.  It made us realize how universal those stages ...

One of the interesting things about having a child who writes about family experiences is that you go read a different point of view to things you also remember.  It's not like having a four year old parrot words to some other person that you've said in a thoughtless moment that make you wince, but it stops you for a second sometimes. I guess I'm taking a turn today. My oldest daughter speaks of a rough patch in her adolescence as part of her Nauvoo Times column here recently, when she quit piano.  She had real talent and an affinity for music, and we actually got a second car finally so that I could get her started on piano lessons, for which I needed to know I had transportation that wasn't dependent on my husband's schedule.  She was starting third grade; I would have started her a year earlier if it had been possible.  I was anxious not to let it get any later; I knew she needed this. I did not know where to find a teacher.  I had prayed for a piano ...

I, Marian, having been born of goodly parents.... I could start so many of my contemplations that way.  That I was loved, that I was taught, that I have been given counsel, listening, and support.  That my life was shaped for the better. My parents celebrated their 60th anniversary this week, and had a wonderful party on Saturday, to which we were originally going.  Because of scheduling problems with other siblings, the family party with all of their children was postponed four weeks, and we changed our tickets.  If I were rich (a common and totally empty refrain around here) I would have just gone to both. I remember the family meeting when we were all together in Maryland, I think for Dad's 80th birthday.  There haven't been a whole lot of times when all of us have been in one place, we're so scattered.  Dad asked us what we remembered, what mattered most to us from our growing up.  My answer was that we could always catch our parents kissing...

It's beet season, and that may gladden your heart or be something you care nothing about. Beets were the only food that my oldest daughter, in her high chair, ever spit right back in my face. Daughter #2 didn't like them either, though her reaction was less vehement.  Daughter #3 was favorable, but I made the mistake of trying them on her while her older sisters were present--you know, dinner time--and both of them immediately clamored at her that those were awful, you don't want them!  So she didn't.  (She eats them now as an adult.) Hubby and I like beets a lot.  Jonathan and his new fiancee were having dinner with us, and they were still finding out things about each other.  I had either cooked beets or the topic came up, I don't remember which.  Jonathan turned to Maeby and asked, "Do you like beets?" "Not really, no.  Do you like beets?" "I despise beets ."  He turned to me and said, "That's settled. ...

A most unusual thing happened last week.  I woke up to find that all the blankets were on my side of the bed, all the way to the floor.  Now, it does happen from time to time that the covers end up all the way to the floor--on HIS side, not mine.  Meaning, that I was often left cold. He had pulled the bottom corner out with his feet and his tossing, apparently, and he wasn't cold yet--the temperature being only marginal--and had pushed them off; whereupon--no longer anchored to the mattress--they came to me (since I was a little chilly and pulled them up), and kept going.  All of it unconscious, both of us asleep. Now, before I was married I liked to be snug in my blankets, and I liked to nestle down; but I did not like to have that top line tight across my neck.  That means I would kind of pull the center down, like a cowl neckline, snug over the shoulders but not confining under my chin.  I knew just how I liked it. (When my mother wanted to break ...

Jonathan was an obedient child even before he was born. I had undiagnosed borderline gestational diabetes, and I was really miserable. I was ready to be done. All of my babies so far had been late, at least by a couple of days, and I didn't want this one to follow suit.  My LDS obstetrician was going to Salt Lake to attend general conference, so I didn't want the baby during the weekend that he was gone.  But he would be back on Monday, the single friend who was going to cover for us with the girls worked graveyard shift, but she had Mondays off.  I told my unborn child that he could be very helpful and come four days early on Monday, when Dr. Huish was back and Denise was most easily available.  So he did.  I went into labor about 8:30 p.m. Monday and delivered about 3:30 in the morning.  The tired daddy said, "Why do you always do this in the middle of the night?"  What popped out of my mouth in response was, "Because that's when I know where yo...

Hubby got up, a little after I did, and said, "Good morning--although it's debatable whether it's a good morning."  A line I might have heard before, once or twice. He was dragging from a bad night where he didn't sleep much, and wasn't looking like he would be very lively very soon. I was making my usual morning visit to Planet Kathy yesterday, about making memories--which is an idea we also promote and cherish--and one of the things she talked about was visiting World's Fairs in New York and Vancouver (where we had also been) among others. I was ready to chime in and wanted to be accurate in making a comment, so I asked my  bleary sweetheart if I remembered correctly that his trip to the New York World's Fair was part of his National Boy Scout Jamboree trip.  It was. But he didn't stop there--he proceeded to launch into his whole New york itinerary with his brother, what parts were with their group, which were on their own with their leaders...