final post in the month of pink

 We need more rain!  We had a lot in the beginning of the year, and these trees were blooming all over my school's neighborhood.  One man told me they were early because of all the rain.  But they aren't blooming so much anymore.  I hope the rain comes back soon.

Samantha and I started listening to Charlotte's Web while running errands.  This version is read by Meryl Sheep with a full cast.  I love it.  I love children's books in general and this was one of my favorites as a child - with that cute little pink pig, Wilbur.  An introduction on this reading talks of E.B. White's inspiration for the book.  He had already written enough books for he and his wife to purchase a beautiful farm in Maine.  He watched the animals and came to love them.  Though he knew death was part of life on a farm, he was upset to see their pig get sick and suffer and die.  He said that some day he was going to save a pig.  He also especially noticed a spider building an intricate web in the corner of the barn.  He asked his editor if anyone had ever written a children's book where the main character was a spider.  The answer was no.  So now he had his inspiration for Wilbur and Charlotte.  He researched and researched - especially spiders and how they built their webs, and then spent 3 years writing the book. Some say Charlotte's Web is a Hymn to the Barn.  Some say it is a tribute to the cycle of life.  From the book:

"These autumn days will shorten and grow cold.  The leaves will shake loose from the trees and fall.  Christmas will come, then the snows of winter.  You will live to enjoy the beauty of the frozen world.  Winter will pass, the days will lengthen, the ice will melt in the pasture pond. The song sparrow will return and sing, the warm wind will blow again. All these sights and sounds and smells will be yours to enjoy Wilbur - this lovely world, these precious days."

Here are some of my favorite quotes from book reviewers trying to describe the meaning and lessons of Charlotte's Web:  

"Human beings must always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder."  "This astonishing world is ours to love".

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Mariah & Ross' visit

Family of 5!  We were so happy to have Mariah and Ross and girls visit last week.  I was going to go to their place to meet the baby and help out, but they had business in the city and so came to us.  With Ross still on Paternity leave it was the perfect solution.  

We went on a "pink hunt" at a walking place I had never shown them before.  Avonlea's favorite color is pink, so the hunt came with us in her comfy sweater.  They also went to the zoo and saw pink flamingos and painted some pictures of them at home.  I experimented with pink-lemonade bars while they were here, which turned out pretty yummy.

While Ross and Avonlea spent a day tending to business in the city I took a day off to be at home with Mariah.  We got in an extra good visit, and she was able to take a long nap with the baby while Emmy and I had some quality time together.  We read stories and played and she helped me clean the backyard.  She is such a cutie!

And yes, at one month old, we finally met and held Lillian!

crisp morning air

After dropping Samantha off for work yesterday morning I had a chance to take a walk in the bright, clear, 40 degree weather.  I mean 40 degrees - that's almost freezing, right?  I noticed the frost on the plants and I had to laugh because it reminded me of the name of the lotion I've been wearing this month "crisp morning air".

Reggie's birthday weekend

 This was a most unique birthday weekend for Reggie.  He got home from a 2 week business trip back east.  He had a couple of days off and spent them helping others.  I had car trouble Friday and Saturday which he and his brother Matt were able to fix.  The registration for Luke's car must have come in the mail 6 months ago but we don't remember seeing it.  Since it is in Reggie's name he needed to go into DMV with Luke to get it resolved.  A good friend, who is like a niece to us, bought a piece of furniture across the bay that ended up not fitting in her car, so Reggie went and picked it up.  Luckily he was able to have some time in the evening hanging out with Mariah and Ross' family, which most importantly meant meeting our grandaughter Lillian. 

 On Saturday Reggie got a huge truck and helped Hillary and Andrew's family move into their new house in the Sacramento area.  Thankfully Matt & Maya drove Samantha and I up there and were a big help in the whole process.  Also, thankfully, people from Hillary and Andrew's old ward helped load up the truck and people from their new ward helped unload it.  We spent the rest of the day helping set up furniture, unpacking boxes, babysitting and working out a water issue.  We were happy to see neighbors and the Bishop's family come by to introduce themselves.  We left much later than we had anticipated but that was okay - it was satisfying to see their family all settled in. And we made sure to sing Happy Birthday to Reggie before we left, with the cupcakes I had made. Samantha stayed there for the rest of the weekend and I rode home with Reggie in the giant truck.  It was a bumpy ride but I enjoyed having some alone time with Reggie, to talk and reminisce about our lives and our family. 

 Can't wait to see what these wintery trees look like in Spring.  

Sunday we got up for church, which was impressive since we had gotten home so late and were so tired.  But it was good and the rest of the day was relaxing - though I "crashed and burned" with a nap and we ended up having canned soup and ramen for dinner while watching my pic - Father Brown, and Reggie's pic - The Eternals.

But, we made up for that by Reggie and I going out to breakfast Monday morning and Luke treating us to Round Table Pizza in the evening while we watched Samantha's movie pic: the most recent "Cruella".  Reggie also spent the day picking Samantha up from the train station across the bay and packing for his next business trip, to Alabama.

It was quite the weekend.  I hope Reggie knows how loved he is.  

February Birthdays

 Julia wanted to celebrate Talia's birthday a few weeks early, while they were still home.  So we were lucky enough to get this picture with Grandpa - her February birthday partner.  I love it.

and a few more

communicating through cookies

 Sometimes I don't see Luke for days at a time.  It's almost like he's got his own apartment downstairs, and his schedule is often the opposite of mine as far as work and being home.  And that's okay, it does seem age appropriate - all of his sisters were away at college at age 20.  Since coming home because of the pandemic Luke has decided to stay here, do online schooling and has a good job. 

 But anyway, I've realized that there are a few unspoken clues that show that he has been home throughout the week.  One of them is cookies.  When I make a batch of cookies in the evening, and leave them out overnight, I wake up in the morning and notice several are gone and think to myself okay, Luke made it home.  On nights that I don't make cookies I wake up in the morning to his favorite version of cookies - ones that have been made in a cast iron pan, and I think to myself okay, Luke made it home.  

I love it.  And since it is February, here is my favorite picture of homemade cookies:

I'm gonna cry right now and that's okay

 

Why do we sometimes feel we need permission to cry, or to give an explanation when we do, or to try to put it off till we are alone?  Well, actually, all of those situations make sense.  But when I heard the above song recently it hit me that the man just put it out there "I'm gonna cry right now and that's okay".

It's been 6 months since my Mom passed.  I don't think I've been in constant tears or depressed.  But I do miss her and think of her all the time and cry sometimes.  I found myself, in church today, silently saying "Mom, I need you". 

 I love that her room is still her room and that we - especially me - but whoever wants to spends time in there.  I love that so much of her stuff is still here - pictures, furniture, notebooks.  I keep thinking we've finally gone through her papers - and sent a good chunk off with Tom, who my Mom designated as the historian.  But tonight I was organizing a drawer and came across a letter my parents wrote to me while they were in Argentina on their mission.  I don't remember it, and I'm not sure I can read it.  I've gotten as far as:

"Dear Nancy, your letter touched my heart.  Speaking of hearts - you have a fine heart, a beautiful soul.  When you were a little girl you were so sweet I would find myself wishing the you could be my little girl as long as I lived and that you would not grow up until I was gone."  

So - I'm gonna cry right now and that's okay, and try to get through the rest of the letter.

The World

 Been thinking of this song lately - so I request that my daughters grab their family members and press play and have a dance party, on us, and never forget how much we love them!

pink plans

 This month's color is PINK because I wanted to focus on my Mom's flowers again.  I've been thinking a lot about her.  I just finished a project of writing her stories, from papers and pictures she left behind.  This month makes 6 months that she's been gone.  

      

      

I also can't help but think of baby girls and how blessed we've been by them. 

 Included in my "pink plans" for the month are to

  - go to the tide pools and look for pink coral or whatever it is that I've seen there before (Remembering the pink seaweed that was all over the beaches in San Diego).

 

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   - listen to "Charlotte's Web" in the car as I do my driving: it's one of my favorite childhood books about the cutest pink piglet named Wilbur. 

 - drink pink lemonade, make guava bars instead of lemon bars, which hopefully turn out even a little bit pink, and maybe buy a treat of salmon for the family for dinner one night.  (Huckleberry lemonade and Cactus Pear lemonade pictured here).

 - listen to at least one song from the artist Pink (hmm, might be harder than I thought - so many of her songs are listed "explicit" - but I seem to remember that there were a few I liked so I'm going to find at least 1!)

- look for pink in the sky

 

Before February goes any further . . .

 We need to say HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY to our grandaughter, KAIA!  Her birthday is New Year's Day! Unfortunately she was sick on her birthday and we didn't get to see her.  But we did a couple of weeks later.  She is so sweet and a lot of fun and getting as precocious as her siblings.  We are so grateful to have her in our family.

Lillian Keilani Last

On January 14th we were blessed with a brand new baby grandaughter, Lillian Keilani Last. I love looking at her pictures. I am so looking forward to meeting her and holding her, when this covid world and circumstances make it safe to do so. In the mean time I posted the following on facebook - my way of shouting it from the roof tops! She is a bundle of good news!

"I'm passing out IT'S A GIRL chocolates at work today to celebrate our new grandaughter, born to Mariah & Ross on Friday! We won't meet her for a little while as the doctor has strongly recommended isolation in this Covid world. But that's okay - just knowing she exists makes me so happy!"