Swimming

In the middle of swimming laps today I was suddenly taken back to earlier years; Stockton California in the latter part of the 1950's. Swim team practice early in the morning at the Park Woods neighborhood pool, a bit chilly even in the California summer. Then back after lunch to swim and dive and water tag where if you were under water no one could tag you it. Waiting for Mom and Dad outside the gates after five o'clock (there was no swimming without a parent after 5:00 p.m.) - sometimes feasting on a licorice flavored snow cone, deep green in color!

So much sun time in those summers that I was a very, very deep shade of brown! Swim meets against teams from other neighborhood pools; mostly backstroke and breast stroke, a few ribbons here and there. The tension and excitement of the competition!

On other days the family donned our swim suits and piled into our blue and white 1956 Chevie station wagon and headed to the Stockton Channel where ocean going ships would bring their cargo inland. We played in the sand and reeds along the shore until the waves from the ship's hulls would send us riding skyward-shoreward on the inner tubes we brought with us.

The Manta from Caxias, Brazil

A little over 40 years ago, while a missionary in Caxias, Brazil, I purchased a manta from the Sehbe factory. A manta is a large scarf or shawl to drape around your neck in cold weather. This particular manta is a large brown, wool shawl with fringes on the ends.

I still use it on those cold winter mornings when I go to work and it provides both physical warmth and a certain warmth of satisfaction stemming from chill winter evenings in Caxias. They had a wonderful praca (park) there in the center of town with a fountain, trees and shrubs and walkways. The "old men with beautiful manners," as Ezra Pound would have described them, strolled thoughtfully in the chilled evenings, their brown, wool mantas draped upon their shoulders; sometimes in solitary reverie, sometimes in quiet conversation.

I'm approaching that strolling age however my walks into work after getting off the bus a mile away from the COB are still quite brisk. The days of strolling are coming soon enough. I'm searching for a praca with the walkways, trees and shrubs, and the fountain tossing water into the air. And I need to cultivate those "beautiful manners."

Grandma Jeppsen

Today is the 105th anniversary of Luella Nelson Jeppsen's birth in Mantua, Utah. She lived the greater part of her life there and raised four children. My memories of her are filled with "grandmotherly moments." I remember her as always gracious and smiling and I generally see her in the kitchen in my mind's eye. She is baking cookies, raisin filled or chocolate chip, baking bread or apple pies, making chili or using the bread dough to make scones which were delicious with butter and syrup!

She loved to garden and to serve others. She served in numerous Church callings and for many years she taught primary at the Lamanite branch at the Intermountain Indian School in Brigham City. She almost always wore a dress and even going to Brigham to shop she would dress up. (Those days are long gone!) One of her favorite expressions was "my lands!"

From her journal: "Dad had a large strawberry patch and I had to tend the children while all the rest went out to pick berries. I rode the horse while Dad did his cultivating and I herded cows and all outside work. I learned to milk a cow and ride a horse. Not until I was 15 did I change from a girl to a woman."

And she was a wonderful woman indeed.

Sugar Sugar Everywhere!

I'm participating in a health challenge through our health insurance program.(There are cash incentives and last year I completed all six two-month challenges for a total of $200.)

Each two month's challenge has two aspects: one is nutritional and the other is physical exercise. The exercise goal is to participate in some type of cardiovascular activity for 30 minutes a day 4 days a week. That is a relatively easy goal to reach with a combination of walking, running, cycling (indoors at present) and swimming.

The nutrition goal for Jan/Feb is a bit more difficult. It is basically not eating sugar treats i.e. candy, cakes, cookies, pies etc for 47 of the 58 days for those two months. I'm on schedule right now but it is amazing how often the possibility exists to partake of this challenge's "forbidden fruit"!! I don't think I noticed how very frequently the opportunity presents itself to indulge until this particular challenge. And the problem is I enjoy many of those treats, especially when Christian makes his chocolate chip cookies or Caitlin makes her polka-dot macaroons!

I've found that success is based on a firm daily decision and desire to accomplish the goal which I know is good for physical health and therefore quality of life.

Still, the "quality" of those tasty morsels can be tempting!

9th Grade Night Dance

Last night my youngest daughter, KK, attended the 9th Grade Night Dance. She had a good time, although I didn't get a lot of details on the way home, or almost home because I dropped her off at a neighbor's house where a group of her friends were gathering.

I'm not sure why this seemed like a poignant milestone in her life and in mine but it did. She has attended Church sponsored dances before so it wasn't that. Anyway I suppose it was a reminder that life is sliding quickly away and sometimes I wouldn't mind if it paused a little, with a few weeks or months in slow motion. (Of course, I'd like to choose which ones!)

I'm gratified and excited to see her growing into such a beautiful young woman, developing her talents and her understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She plays the piano and basketball on her 9th grade team. She's a good friend. She has a great smile which lights up a room when she's excited.

So, the inescapable passage of time continues.

I'm glad she had a good time.

Inauguration

Time will tell how historic today's inauguration of President Barack Obama will be, but personally I found it very moving. I especially loved the music, Aretha Franklin's rendition of My Country 'Tis of Thee was certainly soulful! and the piece by the quartet was wonderful. I was stirred by President Obama's address. He has a gift for such communication and I felt he was sincere and gave the country something to think about and to feel. He was strong and forthright, yet also portrayed compassion and hope. Now the work begins. I enjoyed the prayers as well!
I kept thinking that for the expressed dreams to be realized we must be better as a people, more righteous, more thoughtful and more willing to sacrifice. I'm afraid as Wordsworth said, "the world is too much with us," but perhaps these more difficult times will wean us from our worldliness, at least for a time. So, here's to hope for the future -

The Sun Coming and Going

Visual Highlight of the Day:

The sun through this morning's fog was a brilliant white circle that by late afternoon had transformed into gold!

Audio Highlight of the Day:

Sergio Endrigo singing in passionate Italian while I cycled at the Rec Center!