I'll tell you what I dreamed...

Last night, I had a very vivid dream. So, I thought I would share the dream with the people who were in it, expecting that they might have something to say about it, but actually, only David commented, and all he said was “odd.” And it was that, it is true.

So here is the dream: In my dream, I went with David and Josie to this house (a basement apartment) because there was this girl there who was going to help with doing taxes. While she was working on taxes, there was this baby crawling around, and she (the baby) really liked all of us—she went to each of us in turn wanting to be held. In my dream, I remembered that I was actually planning to take my taxes to the accountant, so I told the tax-help-girl not to finish, and asked her how much I owed her. And she said I owed her nothing...but that we could take the baby with us, if we wanted to, because she (the baby) liked us so much. So I said, "Okay, thanks! I love babies!" And I picked up the baby to take her with us. (Apparently, my dream-self did not find it odd that this girl just gave this baby to us!)

When we got to the stairs leading out the apartment (which were behind a door), I realized that I didn’t have my purse, and this worried me, because while we were trying to go OUT, there were many, many people trying to go INTO the apartment. So I handed the baby to Josie, and she and David pushed their way through the crowd to go through the exit door and up the stairs, while I went back.

The people who were coming in were all setting up folding chairs and sitting down, because there was going to be some kind of musical performance. I looked for my purse in places I had been, going around all the arriving people, and then looking more places in case someone had moved my purse. I was very worried about the key fob that makes the car work, because if someone stole my purse, they could also steal the car, theoretically. I mean, they could do that even if it was an actual key, but somehow the key fob had me really worried. (I guess in real life I worry about that a lot too, mostly because it is David’s car.)

After lots of looking, I found my purse. I got back to the stairs and started going up then, but then noticed that they ended, and then there was about four feet that you just had to haul yourself up without the benefit of steps, and I thought "That's weird! I don't remember the stairs being like this on the way in!" (And in my dream I thought “Well, you might not notice that going down because you can just jump. But it is hard to jump UP that high.”) And I vaguely worried about how David and Josie handled taking the baby out that way. In my dream, I had to throw all my stuff up, and then pull myself up, though also, there was someone behind me pushing me, but I didn't know who it was. (I did say “Thank you,” though!)

Well, when I got out of there, David and Josie had already left. (Apparently we had two cars all of a sudden?) So I drove home alone.

When I got there (but not to this home—maybe it was the house in Port Coquitlam?—no, not quite), Kelli was there, in the midst of making bread. She had a huge tub of bread dough that she was kneading. Like bigger than a baby's bathtub. It was this great huge oblong plastic tub of bread dough. So much bread dough! And there was the baby, crawling all over the place in the house, and she crawled over to the couch, which was right beside the table, climbed up onto it, and then onto the table. And then she was all giggling and happy, and climbed into the tub of bread dough and was playing with it. I imagine that climbing around in bread dough would be kind of fun, and it was making her so happy, and Kelli, David and Josie were all laughing at the baby having so much fun in there. And I was like "You guys! Why are you letting the baby climb around in the dough?"

And then there was this weird noise, like a thunder clap that coincides with lightning, and the lights in the house flashed, and all of a sudden, there was AMY climbing out of the tub of bread dough! She was wearing the same dress the baby had been wearing, only it still fit her! And I was like, "Oh, Amy was the baby!" And poor Amy had flour and bread dough all over her beautiful dress. And then I woke up.

Going, going, gone

Today was a tender day.  I went to Dave Baxter's funeral. I always liked him a lot! He always was active, working, helping, doing. He was very kind and solicitous to his wife Beth, who died ten years ago. He was a great neighbor, growing extra fruits and vegetables and sharing them with others. He was a World War II veteran, signed up at age 16 or 18, spent most of his service in the Marshall Islands. He was quiet, but also talkative.  I just thought he was such a nice man. When I worked for Orem Public Library, he and Floyd Gowans were two people who came in a lot, so I knew them both as library patrons, and as a part of Northridge 4th Ward.

 It was fun to see pictures of Dave as a little child, young man, and more recent pictures. Apparently he loved to have his picture taken--he was very good-looking as a young man, and very photogenic, too! He and Beth had seven children, one who died as a small child. She fell out of a moving car. Tragic! On the other hand, Dave was 92, and ready to go. As my father would say, he "died with his boots on." A hard worker all his life, we kept working until the end, and then he died. Well, he had a stroke, and was in hospital, and all the six living children and many grandchildren had time to say adios to him. And then he died. But it was a good death, I think.

People in the old ward were feeling sober because also Larry Perkins just died yesterday. He took a fall, and then never really recovered.  It was very sudden--no time to say goodbye. I sat with a bunch of my old friends--old as in known for many years, and old as in they are older than me. Bonnie Bezzant was having a hard time with Larry's death, because the exact same thing happened to her husband Jim--he also took a fall then never recovered or woke up really. (Josie and I went to that funeral, but I can't remember when that was.) Bonnie had been over to cry with Dawn Perkins, and her eyes were still all teary.  Marie Taylor's husband died a  long time ago, and she has been hanging out with Bonnie a lot--they had a sleepover last night, because Marie knew that Bonnie was upset by the recent deaths.

Marie has had a hard life in the past few years. She had to sell her house, and since then has not really felt that she has a home. Sometimes, she goes to Pennsylvania and lives with her sister, and sometimes she is in Utah with her daughter, but she feels like she lives out of a suitcase.

The Botts are going on another mission--to Australia, in May. As long as they are healthy enough to go on missions, they are happy to have Ryan and Shanna to look after their house. Ryan says they may one day actually get a house of their own after their kids have grown up! Floyd Gowans was there, but not Shannon, because she is not doing very well. I asked Floyd if it would be okay if I stopped in to visit her, and he said she would like that very much.

But first I felt like I should stop to visit with Darlene Ostlund. I have not visited with her since the death of her husband Jim, about a year ago. Darlene, Bonnie, and Shannon were my die-hard Spanish students for the three or maybe five years during which we did neighborhood Spanish classes on Saturday mornings.

Darlene broke her hip six weeks ago, while at Disneyland with her daughter Julie and family! She suffered through three days of pain, just lying on the couch until it was time to fly home again, and then went to the doctor here.  Darlene is in her eighties--nearly 84--but she usually looks like a million dollars. Hair, clothes and make-up immaculate.  Today, she did not feel well enough to get dressed or do her make-up.  I said, "I have never seen you without make-up before!" And Darlene said, "Well, you're seeing me now!"  She is so funny, and fun, and I love her to pieces. It made me sad to see her like that, but I was really happy that I stopped to see her!

And then Shannon! She is very frail. I hope that I did not hug her too hard and break anything! I told her that we need to take a picture together, and so we did.

We talked and laughed. She said she came across all her Spanish materials the other day, and was feeling regretful that she didn't ever get as good at Spanish as she hoped she would. I said, "Well you got to use it! One of my favorite stories is about that time you called out "Silencio!" in the temple." And Shannon started laughing, because she loves that story, too!

So, Shannon was a temple worker, and one day, there was a group of Spanish speaking sisters, and they just kept talking! And they would get louder and louder. Shannon would say, in her quiet way, "Please be quiet" or "You are getting a little bit loud and might be bothering other people. Please quiet down." All her words did not work; they seemed to ignore her. She wasn't sure if they understood English or not, so she thought over her Spanish vocabulary, and finally called out in  a commanding voice, "Silencio!" And they all turned in surprise to look at this tiny pink and white lady, and they quieted right down. The first time she told me the story, she added, "And I didn't even remember to say "por favor!" I just COMMANDED them!"

Well, I was glad I went, but it made me sad to see my old friends looking so...old. There was a man sitting a row in front of us.  He was asking Floyd how old his father lived to be, and Floyd said 97. The man said, "Oh, that's too old! I don't want to live that long! I'm 94, and I hope that I don't live to see 95!" (He was smiling and laughing while saying this.)

Well, now Floyd is pushing 90, Shannon and Darlene are past 80. I am not sure about Bonnie and Marie--late 70s at least.  They are all such dear people.  So nice to see them. So nice to hear all the good stories about Dave Baxter.

I had texted Aunt Judy to tell her about her old neighbors dying, and she responded that she didn't know Dave. I was astounded--how could she not know him? Without him, there would be no Northridge Park. There would be no Steeplechase Building. He provided the land for both to be built upon--I am not sure if he donated the land, or just sold it literally dirt-cheap. But he has been there for a long, long time! But apparently, he never went to church.  But for me, he always went to church. But he and Beth had been married 60 years before he went to the temple. That was 15 years ago. Beth died ten years ago. Well, I am glad that I knew him! Those are good people, those oldie-goldie friends of mine.

Busy, wonderful February

It was not until I read Nancy's post that I realized she was right: I have seen all of my children during the month of February! I do not think that has happened for a long, long time. Like a decade, probably!  I guess it started with the appearance of our son in law Andrew on February 1 or 2.  One of those days.

Then on February 3, Patrick and I (with our cousin Scott Navratil and his friend/neighbor Amelia) did a mad dash to Canada. We left about 1 pm, and stopped in Idaho Falls to pick some milk powder up from Camilla Hardy Harrison for Kim Hardy, and then we just drove like mad to Raymond. Super slick conditions in Monida Pass--I was ready to turn around and go back, but I was texting Nancy who was checking the weather for me, and we decided to press on.  Snow greeted us at the border, and we were certainly happy to arrive safely at the home of Scott's parents, Dwayne and Janet. In the morning, Michael Torrie picked Patrick and I up and we drove to High River, where we met Abra and Deklan for lunch at the restaurant where they both work. (Deklan was still working when I snapped this picture.) We ate, paid, drove to the school (which is the building across the street in this picture) and watched Piper in "Pajama Game." She was fabulous. The play was good; but Piper was amazing.

Michael T., Patrick and Abra

Piper is in the black with the red/pink kerchief

Piper on the right in the black pencil skirt. Still the red/pink kerchief

I think that if Piper can make peace with the statuesque physique she has been blessed with, she could seriously make an acting career for herself playing female character roles.  Piper is not typical leading lady material, but oh my goodness, can she play a role! Piper made a wonderful Mabel (secretary to the leading man.) She has two unbeatable qualities: she has stage presence and she stays in character.  Even when she tripped and hit her shin on the desk, it was not Piper that happened to, but to Mabel. When it came to her duet song-and-dance number, "I'll never be jealous again," Piper did not disappoint.  I have not seen her dance, at least not since she grew tall and womanly.  I knew she could sing, and she had already proven she could act, but I did not know how she would do as a dancer, but she hit it out of the park. I was so impressed.

I know that I am her grandmother, but I think I am pretty honest in my appraisal of everyone, including my own people. Like, if you suck, I might not say it quite like that, but almost like that. So, when I say that Piper was good, then you can know that she really was. She was good. A triple threat.  Now, she is not built like a high school girl; she is built very womanly. And she is tall. And well-endowed. Buxom.  But that is part of her charm when she plays a female character role! I sincerely feel that her stately body could be a real asset to her in winning roles of females of all ages. Piper's look certainly contributed to the overall presentation of her character, Mabel, in this play. I was so impressed with all of her--her elocution, her general appearance, her mannerisms, the delivery of her lines. She could do so many wonderful roles, besides this one, because she has the knack for becoming someone else on stage.  Well, as you can probably tell, I am so glad that I got to watch her with my own eyes! Even though it was a crazy trip!

Proud mommy Abra, and her daughter, Piper

Piper and part of the cast after the show

 We literally raced the storm that was about to inundate Alberta--when we left Raymond on Sunday morning just before 6:30, there was already plenty of snow on the ground and falling, but we beetled out of there, and by Great Falls, we were in good weather all the way home. However, Alberta got dumped with snow, and all the schools were closed on Monday and Tuesday. Had we waited to leave, it would have been a long wait, since the highways were closed too. Was it slightly insane to drive so far for such a short amount of time? Yes, it probably was. But I got to see people I love. I could have sworn there exists a picture of all of Abra's kids with us, but I have no clue where it is!

Michael, Patrick, Piper and Me

Then came the middle of the month, with David's visit from England. I took no pictures, but it was great to have him home! Rosie came over to play games one night, and we had the loveliest chat with her. Then, I spontaneously invited Judy, Wally, Carlie, Bruce and Sara to come to my Hymn Sing program at the library, which David and I were going to, and while we were gone, Bruce picked up pizza, and we had a great visit. Then on the way to the airport, David and I met Kelli and Allen and we went for lunch at a mideastern restaurant called Mazza which was really excellent. And had another great visit!  David and Patrick went to a movie together, David and Josie watched a movie together at home--we had lots of time to hang out with David in small groups of people. It was tech week for Josie with the Young Ambassadors, so we did not see as much of her as we all would have liked, but we did indeed see her when we could.  When I took David to the airport, I cried.  (He did not know. I did it after.) I have been doing that a lot lately--I am really feeling the fragility and shortness of life, people. 

Then, just a few days after David left, I took Josie to the doctor, and she found out that her malaise that has been lingering for awhile is down to a Vitamin D deficiency.  She is now on the mend.  And then, Patrick was driving to the airport yet again (we have been doing that SO MUCH lately!) to take me to my Wednesday 4 AM flight to Orlando. Four days of conference, then I was on the plane to Durham to visit Nancy and her family.

Zoe is almost smiling at me in this picture on Monday Feb. 27

Ben is smiling at me. For reals.

 

Miriam smiling and climbing.

Miriam upside down

Zoe and Ben climbing

 

Rachel exists, too! She was often busy with chorus or school, but on Tuesday, she joined us.

All four kids at the museum

Ben sailing

Miriam sailing

Nancy and Rachel sailing. Zoe spectating.

More sailing, just before Miriam ran right out of steam.

Nancy and Zoe in the tree house.

Happy sisters

Science experiment

 

Miriam had to stay home because of her fever, but she got feeling well enough to build a lego city with color-coded buildings.

Another view with better light

Ben the leprachaun home from pre-school

Lots of creative fun going on

 

And soon after this, I was on my way again. Hours later home again!

Today was garbage day, and I was sorting mail in order to throw junk mail away. I came across an unopened letter from Nancy--it was valentines for us, and a couple of new bookmarks for me after i accidentally lost one Nancy and the kids had given me for Christmas, or maybe it was my birthday.  I was so touched to open that, and it made me cry a little bit. Both because I miss them, and also because I didn't open it several weeks ago when I clearly should have, but I didn't even realize we had it.  I was especially touched because Ben loves me so much! What did I do to deserve that?  And then were was the most touching little letter from him all about how much he loves me.  

This letter was mailed to me on February 10, but Ben and I did so many of these things this week: I pushed him on the swing; we went to the park; we hugged; we went to the museum; and even we were in the SAME HOUSE. So weird to have just done those things, and then to read this sweet letter.  Ben even shared a room with me, and he was so respectful of my space (no jumping on the bed, even though it was his bed. He had given it to me to use, and so he left it alone.) and of my belongings. I really appreciated it. Nancy tells me that Ben is praying that I can be happy without him--let me tell you, it is hard. It is hard to be happy with many of my favorite people so far away. (I can even imagine how Ben's voice sounds saying that prayer--like he can hardly believe it is possible that I could be happy without him!)

But I am awfully glad that I got to see SO MANY of the people I love this month! I sure do love them all a ton!