Garlick Family

Life Update and Cupid Cheesecake

2011-01-30T07:22:00.001-08:00

It has been a long time since I have written here so some brief notes on what has happened.

Michael is in Washington with his wife, Shawna – I wish I saw them more – I am so impressed they seem happy and Shawna is a very talented woman who has a beautiful voice I wish I could hear more of.

Phillip is attending school in Web design and is such a comfort for me. He jumps in and helps me so much as I have lost some abilities to complete things I am working on and he fixes things I mess up – I can’t seem to be able to remember how to do so many things with the phone or any electronics.

Tanya is in Idaho with her small family – Berret her husband and Hallie her 2 year old daughter.They have brought me great joy as they maintain a blog that allows me a glimpse of their lives with pictures, video clips, a narratives as they grow as a family. I am very amazed at the beauty they are developing as they strive to create a great family.

Sam is in Utah working and making great strides in maturing as an adult. I miss him greatly – his ready smile and willingness to serve others. The hardest thing for me at this time is letting him develop without trying to take over advising him -- untying my apron strings has been hard for all the children but the hardest for Sam, he is my youngest.

Don is working some and sort of retired. I am doing dialysis – a form of life I never expected to try – not something I would advise for a goal – Now the trick is to learn how to cope.

Don & I went to a get together of some friends where I had to take a dessert to share. When I was thinking of ideas Phillip wanted me to be sure the dessert was easy to prepare – the decisions was amazing. The dessert was so easy I could not believe it and the people all liked it – one exception was Don! The dessert was called Cupid Cheesecake --

Cupid's Cherry Cheesecakes

prep time 15 min

total time 2 hr 45 min

makes 12 servings

What You Need

12 NILLA Wafers

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup cherry pie filling

Make It

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Place 1 wafer in bottom of each of 12 paper-lined medium muffin pan cups; set aside.

BEAT cream cheese and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing just until blended after each addition. Spoon evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.

BAKE 30 minutes. Turn off oven; open oven door slightly. Let stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove from oven; cool completely. Top with pie filling. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Store leftover cheesecakes in refrigerator.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Size-Wise

Sweets can add enjoyment to a balanced diet, but remember to keep tabs on portions.

Special Extra

Garnish with fresh mint sprigs just before serving.

This is an easy keeper.

I will try to be more diligent in updating this blog in the future but for now I am out!

Condition Update

2010-02-25T18:24:00.001-08:00

Yes, I have started the dialysis treatment for the kidney failure. I have had some adventures with it. The jury is still out as to if I can do this – I am giving it a good try.

My first dialysis run was last Saturday. A very good friend took me and stayed with me the entire time. I was dialyzed for 2 hours to start building up my body for the changes. I was having difficulty breathing if I even walked a few steps – like 5. The first time did not do enough for me to register any improvements but I knew it was a start.

My second time was Tuesday, they tried several times to get the machine hooked up correctly – lots of needle pokes and ended up with an infiltrated needle which meant they had to stop for that day. I was sent home to come back the next day at 7:15 AM. Would I do it, I was not sure at the time but after several conversations with family & friends I did indeed go back on Wednesday.

My friend took me to the dialysis center and stayed with me. They tried to start the process again, had needles inserted but they did not perform correctly. They kept working, called a doctor over and worked some more. Next they said I had to stop because they got another needle infiltrated and the doctor wanted to let the arm rest. A specialist came down and started making arrangements for a catheter be put in (doctors recommendation ) to allow the place for the dialysis site to heal. After some time arranging for the procedure I was sent to Good Samaritan Hospital to have the procedure done – they were going to squeeze me in. They apparently like to check the performance of the catheter after it is inserted but were too busy that day to do that so I was sent back to the dialysis center I started from. I got there and they started to the process and so I was dialyzed with a shortened time but they did do more cleaning – I was able to go about 10 feet before I had to stop to catch my breath. I was put on oxygen for the entire day and did indeed walk out of there being just barely able to get out – lots of stops to catch my breath. I got home a little after 7:30 that night really wondering if I would really go the next day for a treatment.

A friend picked me up early, maybe that was why I actually got in the car but I did. I got to the dialysis center, rested inside the door, was coaxed into the center, rested again and did go in for the treatment – I just had so much trouble breathing. I got hooked up OK, there were no alarms going off all the time while the treatment was going on, did not have oxygen the entire time (next time I will) and was able to walk clear to the other end of the room before I had to stop to catch my breath.

I was so swollen I could not put my shoes on with socks, Phillip had to help me get them on at all. When I had to take my shoes off at the hospital, we could not get them on again when it was time to leave so I was wearing hospital socks. The catheter is about the same height as the defibrillator on the opposite side, I guess I am balanced now. Anyway, seat belts over the shoulder are a real problem now. I am going to post a few pictures of what the areas looked like today because a friend thought I should let my children know what is happening.

Here they are:

This is my arm where they kept poking me.

The lower right corner is a big bump that does not show very well.

Here is the answer for giving my arm a break, the red spot at the top is up at my neck and the rest is the stuff they use to hook me up – dangling down my front.

I get a day off from treatments tomorrow and will be back at it on Saturday. Thank you Tanya for posting pictures that help me to focus on trying to feel better. Thank you Mike and Phillip for helping me in staying willing to work at feeling better.

Back to the blog …

2010-01-18T10:28:00.001-08:00

What have we been doing – I guess we are just trying to get by day by day. Since I last posted we have had holidays which involved a visit from my daughter and her family for Thanksgiving, our son Michael drove down from the Seattle Washington area to visit with us and when he arrived he had an extra passenger in the car, our son Samuel flew from Utah to Seattle to drive down to Portland to visit with us for Thanksgiving. That made all our living children in Portland for Thanksgiving time, what a treat. The only real down side was Sam was involved in a traffic accident while driving Michaels car. Luckily, Sam was not injured but Michaels car was totaled.

Christmas brought Sam a quick flight to Portland – he got here on the Monday before Christmas and he had to fly out on Christmas morning. Quick but neat trip. I enjoyed having Sam here even for the short time. Phillip, Michael, and Sam figured out how to allow Michael to see us celebrate Christmas from a computer in the living room in Portland Oregon to a computer in Mikes new home in Renton Washington. What an experience that was. We do not have much in the way of pictures for our Christmas as a result.

Tanya and her family had Christmas in Idaho, I think it must have been wonderful and I am most grateful for her diligence in posting pictures and text on her blog about her holidays. She has also posted some things on Facebook that help us enjoy her life away from us.

Hallie has turned 1 year old in January and Tanya did an excellent job of showing her life through the blog at www.berretandtanya.blogspot.com -- There are some amazing pictures of the event and so much fun to see. Tanya’s blog chronicles the growth of Hallie through pictures and text. She has a nice set of monthly progress pictures and lists of achievements.

January also brought the loss of Don’s job and we are now in the process of trying to figure out how we are going to maintain our lives. The challenges are ahead and we look forward to learning new things.

Another Week

2009-09-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

I am still around. Things are happening but no pictures this period.

Mike has the keys to his new home and is now getting it ready to move into in a couple of weeks. He has installed a new chandelier and I guess Shawna likes it. I hope so -- this is a special home for them and the area with this light fixture promises to be a high traffic area I think.

Mike has appointments for carpet installation and hardwood floor work to be done. I think most of that will be starting on Tuesday and keep going from there. It sounds like the home will be a new home by the time they finish.

Don and I are thinking of going up to see the house next weekend. I believe Phillip is thinking of going also as that is his short week. It should be fun to see them.

I have been excited to finally learn how to make my own mayonnaise. I have always been afraid of it but found it to be very exciting -- besides now I know exactly what I am eating.
It was really easy to do and it truyly surprised me.
I opted for the blender recipe which is:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 clove garlic
10 ounces olive oil -- poured slowly in blender as other ingredients were blending
1 teaspoon vinegar very last
Salt and Pepper to taste if desired

I followed the recipe and probably would not put the garlic in again for regular mayo.

Some options listed that sounded interesting to me were:

Add 8 ounces blue cheese at end for a blue cheese dressing
Increase mustard to 1 Tablespoon + add 1 teaspoon Worchestershire + a few drops of Tobasco Sauce for a Spicy version
Add 3-6 cloves garlic for a garlic mayo -- may be a good spread for a garlic bread
Add onion slice and herbs for a salad dressing

Because there is raw egg in the recipe it should be refrigerated and used in a short time -- not for a long storage time even in the refrigerator

I had fun -- hope you enjoy

The Web Marketing Checklist: 37 Ways to Promote Your Site

2009-09-15T18:41:00.001-07:00

The Web Marketing Checklist: 37 Ways to Promote Your Site

Shared via AddThis

Just a Quick Update

2009-09-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

Just letting you know that I am not forgetting to talk here. I have just been busy doing another blog which I hope will help the family out. I have been learning lots of things about computers and the world of "social networking". My head is very full.

I have started another blog just to try some things out. I have learned how to copy and paste better from one program to another program -- I do not know how many times I was very frustrated getting extra lines in my pastes into new programs -- this is getting better.

I am trying to figure out how to make a header for a website from several pictures that I want to put together. I guess the trick will be to get them so they do not look funny. I seem to have a problem with some of the pictures looking right when I upload them to the sites.

I have decided to try and put the cooking cards that Dale took on his mission up thinking that most of them were good old "family favorites" but there were some new ones he wanted also. They were supposed to be quick and easy but make him feel more comfortable with familiar foods. They will be going up in division groups he had. Those cards were originally printed on 1/4th size sheet of cardstock and Dale poked 1 hole in them. He put a big ring through the hole and then just flipped to the recipe he wanted. He could make notes on the backs of recipes if he decided to. The original cooking cards he had never made it back home when he returned from his mission. It did not matter because I had the file still in the computer and I am not sure if I will keep it after I enter it into the blog.

I may go back and insert comments on some of the recipes -- I have not decided yet. Maybe you have a suggestion as to what I should do.

I have also started entering a copy of the "genealogy cards" Dale wanted while he was out. He kept asking questions about our genealogy and for a birthday gift while he was on his mission I sent a copy of these cards out. I fixed them like he did the cooking cards. I have not seen them since he got back either. Anyway the information is still pertinent to our family and is in bite sized pieces. I welcome any comments and will include them with the files if you make any.

Just letting you know, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I am still here.
Love,
BJ

Mike' New House To Be

2009-08-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

Mike got the word today that his last counter offer on a house he was working on is going accepted. They have been working on this particular house seriously since Friday when the price dropped $50,000.00. They arranged a walk through immediately and made an offer and went through several counter offers. Today an offer was accepted. It will be his!!!

Here are a few pictures although Michael has more on his blog. If you visit Michael's blog be sure to enlarge the pictures.

This is probably my favorite -- the stariway is beautiful and the special place on the landing looks beautiful.

This is my next favorite, what a stove.

You are right, it has a double sided fireplace between the master bedroom and the jetted two person bathtub.

Check with Mike for further details, I am sure he would appreciate your comments.

Still Around – Getting Back in the Groove

2009-08-07T10:19:00.001-07:00

It has been quite awhile since I last entered a post. A lot has happened but I will be brief about what is happening.

We have been having a great summer. Tanya and Hallie came to visit – they arrived in the Washington Oregon area on July 5th and left July 21. Michael arrived in Portland on July 11th and left on July 19th. Sam got into town on July 15th and left on July 20th. What a great treat to have all of my living children here at the same time.

Tanya showed off our grand daughter, Hallie and helped me a lot. We went to Fabric Depot with Jill Harris, Tanya’s mother- in-law and to IKEA. I am more impressed with the wonderful woman Jill is and am very grateful Tanya has very wonderful in-laws. I do not really know Jill’s husband as well but my exposure to him has left the impression he is a humble, great, hard working, talented man.

Michael came down to see us while Tanya was in town and managed to fix, update, or redo our computers in the house. What an experience that is, watching my three boys do so many amazing things and working together and having fun. I am very grateful Michael came down – his wife had to stay up north to work and to hold down the fort as events were moving quickly in the upcoming sale of their home. (Thank you so much Shawna for letting us share Michael)

Sam blew into town with all kinds of exciting news. He will be changing apartments August 22. He went on a unique double date where he and his friend built a huge cardboard chess set and played a game of chess with their date partners. It was a great success and I am sure he had a good time. He is working in Provo and seems to be enjoying it. He was in town to support the annual Forest Grove to Coast (Cape Lookout) 2009 bicycle ride.

While the children were here we were able to have my sister Donna and her husband Charlie over, and my brother Ken with his wife MaryLouise over. It was really nice. We were concerned Phillip would not be able to be here because of work but when he was riding on the MAX Train a child had a problem and Phillip had to change and the MAX had to be changed and Phillip had to come home and be with the family. Talk about Blessings in Disguise. It was great.

After Tanya, Michael, and Sam left Portland – Phillip left Portland for a few days. He went down to San Diego to a Comic Convention. He flew down with Alex Tippery ( a friend) and came back with lots of video, some memorabilia, and a few stories of a good time.

Bye for now, BJ

My 1st MAX Trip

2009-06-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

Don asked me if I wanted to ride Max on Saturday -- I have wanted to for a long time but was unsure I wanted to by myself. The family knew it and so on Saturday Don asked me if I would like to ride MAX out to Hillsboro. It was so much fun, but when he asked I forgot to pick up the camera -- I figured out a way to get some pictures by trying to use the cell phone and in a moving MAX -- that was interesting!!

Above is a picture of a transit stop -- the best picture I was able to get -- this one happens to be downtown Portland -- the tents in the background are some of the activities preparing for the Starlight Parade that would take place that evening.

The above picture is the best I got showing Saturday Market -- a place I usually like to go but it was so busy Saturday we did not stop here.

You can see part of the parade route being staked out for places to view that parade already -- the parade would be much later in the day.

This is a wierd picture, the MAX is underground in a tunnel where it stops for the Washington Park Zoo -- and from inside the MAX through the windows with the cell phone I was amazed at how good the picture actually came out. Don was sure I would not get anything because we were in the tunnel -- the reflection of Don in the window is also interesting to me.

This is a restaurant in Beaverton -- probably the sharpest picture of all the ones I took. I am amazed at how well the camera did for me and am very grateful I had it. We did make it to Hillsboro -- we passed where Phillip gets off MAX to go to work -- we did not remember which stop it was but when we asked about it later we remember seeing the stop -- it is ORENCO -- for future reference.

We had a great trip and I was home about an hour before I went to Stake Conference -- Saturday evening was really great and on Sunday we had a new counsellor called because President Peacock and family are moving to Indiana this month. The new 2nd counsellor is President Jack Powell.

From an earlier post on my daughter and son-in-laws blog I got some information about Berret's great-great grand mother -- Amorett -- where Hallie's middle name came from. It was interesting to try tracing the genealogy in a descendant form -- something I do not usually do -- I usually go for ANCESTORS. I am fairly confident I have the right line but the interesting events of life are missing -- I was just gathering the line at the time. My ususal interest in genealgy usually runs along the stories the people lived, the events and challenges they met. Some of that will come in the future for me. I like knowing what qualities people have that helps them be reverenced by their descendants. She must have been a wonderful woman, she had 12 children and the heartache must have been great when she lost a little girl four years after her birth while her youngest daughter was only about 5 months old -- in addition to all the adventures the other 11 children must have been involved in. She must have been a wonderful woman.

All in all it has been a big weekend, hotter than I am used to, but we will continue building memories. May the memories be exciting, prosperous, and educational.

Lawnmower from Michael -- THANK YOU !!!!

2009-05-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

Michael gave us a lawnmower when we saw him last weekend. It is a battery operated lawnmower that has the electrical parts away from my defibrilator so I can run the lawnmower. It has been charging since we got home and I got to try it out this morning. It started with no problem, runs without having to worry about a cord being drug around, and goes up and down for height adjustment real easily.
Above is a sample of the grass I would cut and below is a picture of the front yard after cutting the first time. The grass was so long I did not think I could push the mower when it was as low as I like to keep the front lawn. I will wait a day and cut the grass again at a lower setting. Did a pretty good job for the old lady doing the mowing --
I am happy -- Thanks again Michael and Shawna.

Not a golf coarse but it will be better as I work on it. I am so happy.

The first strawberry starting to get ripe -- looking forward to that day. Need to get out and get those weeds again at the bottom.

Below is a picture of a raspberry plant I put in the ground this year, it is still alive and has some green starting to grow -- this could be a very good year.

And the pansy I got on Mother's Day at Church is Still ALIVE!!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

Surprise at Michael's

2009-05-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

Michael is moving out of his house in preparation of selling. He was going through a lot of things and as we all do at a time like that weeding out his unnecessary things. He has not been blessed with children so he is getting rid of some equipment he had when they had company with children. You know who is now a new grandmother hoping to see her children and grandchildren decided to take some of the baby things for when a granddaughter may come to visit. Hopefullly that will be a frequent experience. A shape sorter, big lego's, and a toy were some of the things I was able to find.
Safety plugs and cord shorteners for the little fingers to be protected from electricity outlets were available as well as a rolling toy.

The blue item is a pack and play pen that is 24 inches high from the inside and 38 inches long. It has a mesh pocket on one end to help keep the inside from being too cluttered and still able to keep things close by. The unit is made of like PVC pipe and nylon fabric. It has a nice bottom and a carrying bag for storage.

Hopefully it will get the kind of use I dream of. Looking forward to its use.

Michael's Home near Seattle Washington May 2009

2009-05-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

Part of our Memorial Day weekend was a trip to our Son -- Michaels home near Seattle Washington. I had never seen the home except in pictures and I was amazed at how beautiful it was. I loved the exterior rock work on some of the outside of the home. It really brought me comfort because it immediately reminded me of my grandfathers cabin near Sandy Oregon where I have so many great memories of my mothers parents and their families.
The living room fireplace was beautiful, from someone who is cold constantly now and loves fires this room made me feel like it may have been my favorite room.

The hot tub area was gorgeous. The above picture is under the shelter and is visible from inside the house. The cover is in place but it must have been a lot of fun when guests were over.

The bottom picture shows the landscaping around the side of the tub, I fell in love with the stool placements so people who did not wish to be in the water could still be involved with the conversation of those who did. So versatile and easy going. The plants are beautiful and the backyard is green and lush. The miniature lilac plant gives a wonderful smell and it is beautiful.

Some of the major fun was seeing two of my sons pouring over things together. In the background you can see lego's still being used. Pictures on the wall show some of Michaels years with us, some of his growing up pictures and some of his Eagle Court of Honor pictures. Also in the background are some round doily like hangers that Grandma Garlick made that Michael is still protecting. The rest is electronic and computer stuff -- high interest areas for my two boys, Michael works for Microsoft and Phillip for Intel.

Unfortunatley, I had trouble with the camera so did not get any other pictures. There was so much more that I would have taken if I had figured out the problem. Anyway -- We had a wonderful meal with Michael and Shawna before we left and I was treated by Shawna starting to sing along with some backgound music, she has an awsome voice and she quit singing much too soon for me. I just need to comment how fortunate I think Michael is to have found such a good wife, she is very intelligent, hard working, has a beautiful voice and has friends, really good friends that help make their lives full and enjoyable. Thank you Shawna and Michael for your love and friendship.

Ariana Evensen, May 2009

2009-05-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Some of the highlights of the evening for Ariana Evensen was a number by the Evensen Family, sang "You Never Walk Alone", the family really do sound well when they are singing together. (Camille did not sing but she gave the piano pitch for the rest of the family)
Bishop Powell commented for a few minutes, he even began singing a few bars that was a signal between Ariana and himself.

Recognition of Ariana's beautiful smile and her bubbly personality were expressed by President Peacock.

Ariana spoke a few minutes thanking people at the end. During the evening, Ariana did play a musical number that she wrote and it had some beautiful words that we were able to read as she was playing the piano: "Greater Love by Ariana"

He was despised and rejected of mankind.
And when "they hid their faces from him",
It may have been mine:
But still he said, "Come follow me",
Be fishers of men.
Share with them the love of he that gave light to them.

Chorus:
Greater love hath no man than this,
That a man lay down his life for his friend.

"Peace I leave unto you" was all he said.
And when the others slept, he suffered and bled.
Alone in the world he'd made by hands,
He paid the price for my weak soul,
Gave life to men,
Our Lord,
Our Lord.

Then came Jesus down, wearing a crown of thorns.
And the purple robe.
And they smote him with their
Hands.

"Oh righteous father, the world hath not known thee"
The world hath not know thee,
O Lord.

Chorus

And soon, we'll all be with him again,
Becuse of his Love, we can return
Resurrected with
Our Lord.

The evening ended with a chocolate fondu table which was well received by the fortunate people who attended such a beatiful young women's recogition for Ariana Evensen.

Happy Mothers Day

2009-05-10T20:32:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of the flower I got at Church for Mothers Day. I am excited with it. I found out that plant is one that can be eatten and I will probably try it out later in the summer.

I shared this little tid bit with the sisters that I visit teach. I love the sentiment expressed and hope you might enjoy it also.

Mommy to Mom to Mother -- author unknown

Real Mothers don't eat quiche;

They don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils

Are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors,

Filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough

Doesn't come out of carpet.

Real Mothers don't want to know what

The vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'

And get their answer when a little

Voice says 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth

Is not measured by height or years or grade...

It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother...

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Birthday

2009-05-10T19:28:00.001-07:00

My birthday is Sunday, May 10th and a lot of neat things have been happening. My family, all of the members, got together and gave me a Vita Mix machine. I have been trying to eat to help regain my health and thought going to a raw foods diet might be part of my answer. I have been eating a green smoothie using my blender but it left chunks of green leafy vegetables in it. The Vita Mix made the smoothie without leaving the chunks -- it was also a lot faster and easier to blend. The smoothie even tastes better. The Vita Mix was delivered to the house Friday night and Phillip told his Dad he bet Mom would make a green smoothie first -- He was right. There is a green smoothie pictured made from Pear and Kale.

The picture above also shows the Vita Mix, and a blueberry muffin (still warm) given to me by the Evensen's (Scott and Camille brought it over - lighted a candle -- sang Happy Birthday -- & visited a few minutes with the old lady.) What a surprise and joy. Thank you Evensen's.

The surprises of the day kept adding up. After Church, Sister Ilene King gave me the heart above from her husband and herself. We are so lucky to have such good friends. Too bad my picture taking skills are so low. The statement on the heart says "Friendship is a flower that blooms in the heart,"

Still not the best picture, it is my dinner, raw chinese rice. The rice is cauliflower put through the Vita Mix with vegetables also going through the blender. Mine has carrot, celery, garlic, raw ginger, and I sliced some green onion (like the looks better). I mixed in some sesame seeds, sesame oil, and green peas. I added just a little liquid aminos for the oriental taste. This has become one of my all time favorites though I am still very new at figuring out how to eat and am sure I will discover new foods to excite me. Happy Eating!!

Beautiful Week

2009-05-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

Monday, what a day. I had to get lab tests done this week and because of my schedule I had to have them done at a lab I do not like. By Tuesday morning my phone was ringing off the hook with bad news upon bad news from the doctors offices. I was not dealing well with the news and allowed myself to get into a very bad mood.

Then, I had 2 very special visitors that changed everything around for me. Thank you Colby and Michael!!

Colby Turner and Michael Tippery came over and said they would mow the lawn. It was a very big job with lots of dandelions and tall grass. I have been worried about it because I am not allowed to use gas engines or tools with electric cords because of the defibrilator I have. I did not know how I was going to get the lawn mowed as Sam is in Provo Utah, Phillip is working a lot of very late hours, and Don does not have the health to help at this time. What a predicatment and these two young men came to my rescue. I am so grateful for their help and enthusiasim. I am only sorry I am not very good with a camera. This surprise started on Tuesday and they came back on Thursday. What a blessing.

Wednesday started out a little grey but certainly looked up when I saw the sight below. I rode Trimet bus down to 30th and Division, then walked from there to the Colonial Heights (old Portland Stake House) building where the Family History Center is. I enjoy helping people there on Wednesday morning and usually feel real good walking to the building from the bus stop.

I was cold, the day was wet when I started and the weather was sort of super heavy misting as I walked. I was not in the best of moods when I looked up and saw that beautiful pink dogwood tree with the blue lithadora around its base. The grounds looked magnificient to me then -- what a joy.

Sam called and had some good news for us. He is well and I am much happier after hearing from him and hearing a little of the happiness back in his voice.

Just a little more about this very special place. This is the Stake House I went to as I was growing up.

We used to attend Stake Conference and between sessions have a picnic lunch on the grounds. Parking was very difficult around there, especially during conference -- we could not get home and back in time for the second session -- that was WHY we had picnics there.

I saw leaders of the Church there (usually sitting on chairs on the stage), attended lots of dances and activities there, was baptized there, bought our first house in the ward boundaries of that beautiful building, and now have the opportunity of helping people with family history in that building.

Pink dogwood is a favorite plant of some of the Garlick ancestors and BLUE is my husbands favorite color. What a beautiful memory the picture above represents for me.

Beginnings

2009-05-03T15:39:00.001-07:00

I decided our yard needed some changes and I decided the smoker that Phillip built an few years ago was no longer needed. He said it never worked correctly anyway. So I started stealing the cement blocks and using them for another project. Sam was able to help me finish lining out the next project for the cement blocks -- construction of a raised bed in the greenhouse. The picture above is the smoker being taken apart. The picture below is the bed starting to be assembled in the greenhouse.

The outside edge is complete and the interior is being filled up with grass clippings, clipped brances, and other yard debris as if it were a compost pile. I am in hopes of being able to create a good growing medium before next fall so we might be able to grow some easy vegetables throughout the winter.

The project is going very slowly as Sam has moved out of the state looking for work and growing up. My resources for help have been slashed and I am going to continue doing it myself. It does not go very fast but I have hopes I will become stronger as I work through my ideas.

I would like to share a poem I ran across awhile back that I feel indicates some of my feelings. The poem was written Audrey Hepburn one time when she was asked to give some of her "beauty tips" The poem was later read at her funeral.

For attractive lips,

speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes,

seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure,

share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.

For poise,

walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, even more than things,

have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed;

never throw out anyone.

Remember,

if you ever need a helping hand,

you will find one at the end of each of your arms.

As you grow older,

you will discover that you have two hands;

one for helping yourself,

and the other for helping others.

Been a long time

2009-04-07T09:04:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have done anything with this blog. I have not been idle so I will give a quick run down of what has been happening.Since I last wrote I have been to the doctor many times, had some medical procedures and tests, started volunteering at the Family History Center, started planning and preparing for the garden, and celebrated Don's birthday.I guess I will elaborate on some of the activities.

Medically I have continued pursuing help with my kidney and liver problems. The liver is now resolved, not exactly sure how it happened but I seem to be free of the anticipated problems. The kidney is still holding its own which in my mind is an absolute miracle, I seem to be learning how blessed I am with such good health when they say I am not healthy. I have taken my health for granted and abused my body for a very long time. Repentance and education seem to be a never ending process and not just restricted to our spiritual well being.

My left eye has been not healthy for many years and had gotten to the point it was in constant pain. When I visited with my daughter and her family the condition worsened to the point the eye needed to have surgery to remove a band of calcium deposit from my eyeball. Today my eye is absolutely pain free, an absolute miracle. I have even been able to look at the computer screen for extended times and the sun is not causing pain when I experience its rays.Returning to the Family History Center shift has been a real joy. I am so excited about some of the new things there. Of course the newest asset at the Center is a machine that can digitize records from film and fische. What a marvelous advance -- this allows us to document with images of events and data about our families, the documents can be viewed with close up technology, writing and pictures can be better interpreted, and we can download the information to media formats to take them home and add to our records. The only problem I have is I still have to learn how to fully operate the machine -- but I am very grateful to be exposed to it. The last good thing is the Center is allowing us to download the information with their special machine for free, another miracle in this day of economic upheaval.

I have not been well enough the last few years that we have not had a garden and this year I am hoping to revitalize the greenhouse and the garden. I am making plans for a parimeter garden for our family and really excited to see if I can do it. I have taken out the rosebushes along the north side of the front yard and am now preparing the soil for planting. I suggested to Don we plant dandelions (something I have started eating since last year) along the front but he is not going to allow me to do that -- oh well I will come up with something. My sister Donna is going to help me sort of plan other features in the backyard, hopefully easy care, visual pleasure, and high productivity.

Lastly, we celebrated Don's birhtday most of the week last week. The boys surprised Don with some computer software and updates he is going to really enjoy but as usual when something gets updated something else has to be done to allow the update to work properly. Don received some exercise equipment to help his back and I really hope it will. Tanya and Berret sang Happy Birthday on the phone to him and he was pleased to get a call from them. He has been real pleased with The Harris blog and seeing is grand daughter growing up before our eyes so far away. We all enjoy their posts.

Michael and his wife are doing well -- we are very fortunate to hear from Michael almost every weekday as he travels to and from work -- high tech work world has allowed us to keep track of our family with computers and cell phones and I am so grateful -- my apron strings are so long.

Last week I had a choice experience and tried to take a picture and I just did not seem to be able to get what I saw in a picture. It was a pussywillow tree in bloom. I have never seen a mature pussywillow tree in bloom before and when I saw it I remembered how my mom loved pussywillows and had a special song she used to sing as we were growing up. Such a wonderful interlude.

Pussy Willow

2009-04-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Recently I talked about my mother and her teaching us the "pussy willow" song as we were growing up. My mom loved pussy willows and she tried to grow a pink one according to my sister Donna, but alas it did not survive. When I originally found the tree in bloom it was absolutely covered with the blossoms. This picture shows how unique it is formed which was not visible when it had so many blossoms.

This is a picture of the pussy willow tree 1 week after I originally discovered it. The day was grey with showers the day I took the picture and many of the blossoms had gone away. I tried taking the picture with the cell phone, I did not take the picture the day of discovery because I forgot how so I had to learn how -- Sam taught me that night so I took the picture the next week when I was in the area. Today, Sam helped me email the picture to myself & now I can finally do something with it. Isn't it great to be able to capture these moments?

Below is a try at a closeup of the tree and some of the pussy willows.

I thought about it & I decided to see if I could remember all the words and had some trouble so I searched the Internet and found it. It really brightened my day to see the words in print.

I know a little pussy

Her coat is silver gray

She lives down in the meadow

Not very far away

She'll always be a pussy

She'll never be a cat

For she's a pussy willow

Now what do you think of that?

Meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow

Scat

Start singing on the lowest note and each lines goes up a note - start with hand low and as you sing higher and higher bring hand up a little bit.

On the Meow's go down a note at a time and then a loud scat at the end.

I found the song in an area of the music teachers instructing children how to sing going up and down the scale with their voices. It used each note of the scale and mom taught us motions to go along with our singing.

Thanks for the memories.

38 Years

2009-01-26T21:36:00.000-08:00

Don and I celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary this past week. Don had a hamburger and I had a fish sandwich. We were alone in the house and had a very enjoyable celebration. The next day we continued celebrating and had dinner with Sam and Phillip. We spoke to relatives and remembered some of our special times. A few of the events and images that crossed my mind are:

Don with Phillip, Sam, and Dale just before Dale shaved.

Phillip and Michael at Phil's Court of Honor
Phillip, Tanya and Sam on a ride with the family.
Dale with my sister Donna at his gradution.
Sam at his graduation.

Tanya and Berret playing.

2008-10-19T15:56:00.000-07:00