Dear Family,
Kaaren left for England Friday at noon and has by now spent a couple of busy days with her brother, Terry, and her mother, Paddy. The home and even the office and yard seemed very empty without her here. Kaaren called Saturday morning ( her evening) to say she wore Terry and her Mum out her first day there - they did some touring. She sounds well. You might know that Kaaren is there primarily to visit with her mother who has not been well for about 3 months with shingles - a form of childhood chickenpox that lays dormant for decades and then re-erupts usually in old age and can be miserable since its much worse than childhood chickenpox and takes a long time to heal. I hear she may be on the mend.
Last weekend Kaaren and I and Skye and Jared drove to Seattle on Friday, stayed with the Engstroms in Bonnie Lake, south of Seattle, and then enjoyed a day in a large old Seattle home with about 50-60 others at a Sunstone NW Symposium. We heard a talk on Mary Magdalene and her possible marriage to Jesus from Margaret Starbird, the author who inspired Dan Brown to write The Davinci Code; a talk on LDS blogs (wow! The world is changing!) , a talk on Mormon Mantras, a talk on the LDS church’s role in the defeat of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment in the ‘70's, a talk on The Vitality of Mormon Hymns, and a group talk - almost like a testimony meeting - on The Best Ideas in Mormonism. I gave the talk on hymns, with help from Skye and Jared (live) and Courtney and Clayton and Bryce and Brittany and Kyrstyn and Kaaren (on CD) and I have a recording and there should be an mp3 to download from http://www.sunstoneonline.org/ sometime soon. It was a good day.
The next day, Sunday, our family sang at a Stake Fireside of the best musical selections from each ward. Courtney sang "Give Me Jesus" very, very beautifully. Her accompanist was especially sensitive and supportive and stunning on the keyboard. They our family - at least Kaaren, Courtney, Skye and Jared, Clayton, Bryce and me, sang "Amazing Grace" with Ardeth Fullmer accompanying us on the piano. She was frustrated, she said afterwards, because we were not singing at an amplified mike (it was just for recording purposes) and because of the bad building acoustics she could not hear us. In fact there was some disconnect between the guys at one point in one verse and the piano behind us - we couldn’t hear it well either. Next time we need to practice in the hall where we will be singing - a lesson learned. Anyway, overall it was effective and I’m glad we did it. It bonds us to sing together. Not every piece performed was worth hearing, unfortunately, but it was good to be invited and to give something of ourselves. That was a busy week.
Yesterday, Bryce and I and Courtney and Logan and Caden gathered at Skye and Jared’s place to watch Notre Dame clobber BYU and eat popcorn and pizza. Bryce and I painted shelves and pretty much stayed home. It was a bright clear day, horizon to horizon. Today’s weather was goopy, hazy and overcast. I came home after Sacrament Meeting and went back to bed, feeling very fatigued. Much better after the nap. Met with Greg Stevens to talk about callings for the Activities Committee and rehearsed with a male chorus planning to sing "More Holiness Give Me" in church next Sunday. Clayton brought Olivia to the rehearsal. She is a doll.
I made dinner for our family dinner Sunday (today) and quite enjoyed making it: baked salmon in salza marinade, baked potatoes and butternut squash, the last of our garden tomatoes in white basalmic vinegar, Skye brought a green salad and I provided a cake (raspberry filling on white cake) with
ice cream from Zupans and pumpkin pie from Costco with cream. Caden and Logan kept asking for more cake. It was good. Clayton and Amy and kids didn’t make it this time. Attached is a picture of us who were here today. We had a good time together and afterwards mapped out a plan for me to get my weight coming down. Think I’ll go finish off the leftover cake.... No music together this time except a song before dinner - "Popcorn Popping on the apricot tree". We just a had a nice, relaxed time talking and such.My community Chorus is moving along nicely. Lots of work and lots of music yet to learn and polish but everyone is trying and wants to succeed. Next week we will rehearse in a Lutheran church pastored by one of our former basses - John Rutter-Harrah. While listening to some sample CDs music publishers send to me, I happened quite unexpectedly across a recording of one of the obscure Hannukah songs we are singing - Ocho Kandelikas. Now I understand it better and I will change the way we sing it, too.
Friday night our home was one of the stations for a youth activity race - like a scavenger hunt. They had to come to the house, sing a hymn for me (or in the alternative, put together the words from a sack of individual words cut up and jumbled. I had two overwhelming impressions with these 30 or so kids who came into my home. 1) I knew perhaps 3 of them by name and 2) I felt a wave of compassion wash over me for each of them in their struggle to be accepted and loved and learn about life. My teen years were so very traumatic and I suppose that is true for most kids. I need to get to know some of these kids better. It is hard for me to reach out that way.
The garden is going wild - as soon as Kaaren left, I think, the grass sprouted up from its summer dormancy all uneven, the roses have dropped their leaves, the beans are finished, the tomatoes are done and what’s left is rotting; things seem pretty much going to winter state. We’ll need to trim up and cut lawn and ready things for colder weather and then prune.
Kyrstyn drove her diesel chevy truck with a girl friend to Eugene where she plans to trade it for a diesel Surburban - trading one ugly vehicle for another more uglier vehicle, I guess, in pursuit of the one truly ugly but efficient diesel convert-able to used vegetable oil for fuel. Also camping at the coast. So she wasn’t here today.
Bryce started working with us in the office this last week. He is growing in his capacity to maintain focus and his interest in his computer and playing more music on his own and contributing his talent and gospel education and maturity to his calling in the Elder’s Quorum are all good evidence of healing and growth. I am very grateful to see this happening.
Addison and Eli and Olivia are turning 18 months in less than two weeks. There are very difficult to manage in church but were pretty good today. Olivia still doesn’t want much to do with me but she’s warming up a bit. I think I’m a pretty crusty old dude. Eli decided it was fun to pound his head on the pew this morning. Addy liked the idea, too. They are pretty funny and sweet and very good looking little kids. They are going to be a terror team.
Caden’s vocabulary is exploding and he challenges his brother, Logan, constantly. What a job Courtney and Jason have in front of them.
Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh. Shadows of the evening steal across the sky. Father, give the weary calm and sweet repose, with thy tender blessing may our eyelids close.
Goodnight.
Dad
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