The Stranger

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger. . . he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to our first major league ball game.

He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home,... not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.

My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol, but the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked and NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name? We just call him "TV." He has a younger sister now. We call her "Computer".

Faster Than A Speeding Bullet

There is nothing more beautiful than Ivins on a cool summer morning. I am the first to admit that exercise consistency is not my strong suit, so Kent needed to document this event.

My Favorite People in this World and the Next

This group would be perfect - Bryce and Bambina are even there tucked safely away - except we are missing Grace, Ethan, and Chris :( I love you all and thank you for indulging Dad and I for this family photo shoot. You will understand one day why this is so priceless to us.

Tagged, I'm It - But What is IT?

The old phrase "better late than never" may not apply here, but this is my tag anyway. Now I can sleep at night.

4 Jobs I’ve Had

1- Assistant Butcher

2- Receptionist/Secretary at place that sells electronic innards

3- Snack Bar hostess at roller-skating rink

4- Maker of babies (maybe I really shouldn’t classify that as a job – sorry Kent)

4 Movies I Can Watch Over and Over

1- Friendly Persuasion

2- Pride and Prejudice (the five hour job)

3- Emma

4- Shrek 2 (I know, there is a bit of dichotomy here [look it up, I am in school and have to use it or lose it]. Maybe it’s the line “I love the ogre I married” that gets me – sorry Kent . . .again).

4 Places I’ve Lived

1- Redondo Beach

2- Davis County – Bountiful/Centerville/Farmington

3- Salt Lake County – Sandy/West Jordan

4- Ivins

4 Places I’ve Been

1- CA, from San Diego to San Francisco

2- Hawaii – thanks to Thompson’s

3- Ohio

4- New York, state - not city.

4 Favorite Foods

1- Not candied yams

2- Not oysters

3- Not liver

4- Everything else

4 Websites I Visit Every Day

1- Dixie College Homepage

2- Gmail

3- Google Search

4- Blogs

4 Places I’d Rather Be

1- Hawaii with family

2- Cabin with family

3- Beach with family

4- With family

4 People I Want to Tag

1- Cami Ellis

2- Hillary Kirschman

3- Amber Thompson

4- Kent Cook

Not too exciting a life, but I have absolutely loved it and hope it is only half over.

p.s. - could someone please teach me how you fit your pictures in so nicely, sometimes framed, and sometimes even in a slide show?

Rear Window

Diane Cobey was in for a visit and, as St. George is now the proud possessor of a professional baseball team and the co-owner’s wife sits next to me in class and offered free tickets, we went to a Roadrunners game. Arriving late because of a field mix-up, I backed into the first available spot and we hurried in. Unease brushed by as I watched one of the foul balls fly in the general direction of my car. Surely they wouldn’t put a parking lot close enough that cars could get hit, I reasoned in my baseball naiveté, and settled back to enjoy the game and the company. After the third high-flying foul I decided, just for peace of mind, to move my car. As I got to the parking lot, which I must add has no warning signs of any kind, I found my sweet little car nestled between to huge pseudo-protective SUV’s with its back window smashed out and a small white baseball lying innocently among the shards of glass. Diane took pictures; I fumed. The assistant manager, (a used to be football coach with “cowboy-up” oozing out his ears) was a perverse kind of sympathetic. “Shouldn’t park there (duh!), it’s the foul zone. Hope you have good insurance,” he says as he laughs, like having the back window smashed out of your brand new car was some type of lark. I brought my injured car and parked it at the front entrance, right in the no-parking zone, and mentally dared anyone to challenge me. I sinfully took pleasure at the adverse publicity I hoped I was creating. Diane, Kent, and I got it cleaned up and went back in to watch our team get slaughtered. Reno got 9 runs the inning we came back in. I like to think it was heaven wreaking justice on a heartless management, discounting the fact that the fledgling team’s record is 2 and 12. $300 insurance dollars later my car is almost as good as new. The back deck is scarred up a bit, but you know the old saying – “chicks dig scars,” which just goes to prove once again that I am no chick, spring or otherwise.

I Am So Grateful for Fathers.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

These four men bless my life immeasurably;
never to be repaid but always to be loved.

And What to My Wondering Eyes Should Appear

When I awoke a few days ago, this vision presented itself in my front window. I thought "Oh, it's a boat." Kent said "That is some boat." He then proceeded to point out what I, in my ignorance, had missed. Two Viper V10 engines, all leather interior, tri-hulled, sleek aerodynamic design, and speed speed speed. He talked to our neighbor who said, with a sigh, "Yeah, it's my son's and he says it will do 100 on the water." Having sons that own bullet bikes, we understood the sigh. Kent was impressed; I saw a flaming leather lined coffin. Our personal world truly is subjective.