Eliza Carleton Green

I am still going through pictures and family papers. I spent a few hours yesterday scanning a file into the picassa account of pictures of Uncle Sam. I am sending out invitations to view the pictures for all of you that I have email addresses for. I don't have Carl, Sarah, or Clair's addresses. Nor do I have addresses for the Harry Reed nieces and nephews. If any are interested in viewing the albums, let me have email addresses...

I am finding a lot of writing done by Eliza Carleton Green. They are not dated, but some of them have been sent off somewhere and have criticism written in the margins.

This is one of her poems:

The Wood Lot

Of all the past enjoyments
That still to memory cling,
I love most to ponder o'er
The wood lot in the spring.

Far down across the meadow,
Close beside the brook,
The oak tree and the willow
Their leafy branches shook.

In the soft and gentle breeze
That whispered low and clear --
Awake and grow! feel now at ease,
For summer days are near.

The birdies held a banquet.
The bunnies gave a ball.
Both were staged beneath the trees
Close by the waterfall,

Which laughed and gurgled as it fell
In sparkling radiant mood,
And hurried on to join the creek
That wound on through the wood.

There close beside its rocky bank
The violet beds we found
And farther on the sunny slopes
In lilies did abound.

I close my eyes and ponder --
A million memories cling;
And once again I wander
In the wood lot; and it's Spring.

I Just LOVE the Smell of Napalm in the Morning

Now, I may be going out on a limb, but I bet this famous movie quote is not familiar to many of my regular blog readers. It is a Robert Duvall quote from a Viet Nam movie. That being said, it is a great quote and applies to my current favorite supermarket product.

I am at the age when certain bodily functions are a little hit-and-miss. I also take several medications that have a very annoying side effect that makes going to the bathroom like laboring to have a 21 pound baby!

So, the best and most wonderful product coming down the pike is Prunes-to-go. No matter where you are, you can pop one. It is great.

Now, I probably don't need to explain the "napalm" metaphor, do I???

A Fun Day

I spent the day with the girls today. What fun! We watched "The Wizard of Oz" -- hid from the "toro-nado", Oohed and ahhed with the spectacular beauty of Glenda, the good witch, and wished that those naughty monkeys wouldn't fly!

We had happy meals for lunch, jumped on the trampoline and had a snack. They were very excited that there were cookies in the "Mancha Momma" cookie jar.

I don't have a picture of my cookie jar. It is a little better taste than this one, but I wanted to include it so you would know who Mancha Momma is.

Matt is doing baptisms tonight, so I hope to soon have names to all that want them. Let me know. I already heard from Emily and Eric. If anyone else would like to do some work let me know.

Girls Will Be Girls

Give a girl some makeup and you can expect a makeover with style and class. Ellen particularly enjoys making herself into a "movie star" and lip gloss is "exactly perfect" for the job.

After the makeover, a bath is in order. Jellybean, the cat, really enjoys bathtime. She is always interested in getting drinks, and occasionally joins the girls in the tub.

Remember the Redneck Wedding???

Do you remember the redneck wedding we passed around a couple of years ago?? The bride was large and the groom rather small... bad teeth... large ankles? Well.........

Harvey and I went to a doosie today. One of our sister missionaries from our days in Canyon got married today at the chapel. She is from Alabama and was a very colorful sister missionary. She spoke fondly of her "gramma" back home who fed her raw meat, squirrels, possums, etc. I was very taken with her mannerisms when we served steak, mashed potatoes, peas, etc. Sister _____ made a mashed potato-pea sandwich with her dinner roll and almost freaked out her sweet little Utah companion.

She found this young man in the singles branch in Lubbock. He is less active, but he is a member and I am sure everything will work out, but the picture included in her invitation is like a "Where's Waldo" picture. Can you spot the bride???

They plan to work as over-the-road truckers for the next couple of years before they start their family.

Just wanted to share.

Free At Last!

I am so very happy to report that, among all of the family challenges, I have been successful in catching up on my program. I feel a little weird thinking of all that the rest of you have gone through this week as I have been on my worldly path vicariously traveling the cosmos, but am, nevertheless, relieved to be caught up and a little disappointed at the first show of the new season. I will watch the rest, however. I am not one to give up to easily when I am committed to a cause!

On another front, I have quite a few new names ready for baptism and will save them for Matt and Josh to do on their monthly trips to the temple unless others of you need or want baptisms for some reason. There are about 30 or so. After that, I will send some out to any of you that would like to do endowments for them. They are all from the mid and early 1700's and one is in the 1600's -- a sweet little Irish grandmother of ours. . . Ilspeth Johnstone, I think.

I am going to hole up here in my bedroom and enjoy conference this weekend with a renewed sense of gratitude for all of you and for the great blessing it is to have Linda home again. I pray that she continues to recover and that she never, never gets this sick again!

I'm Obsessed!!!!

So... Why didn't anyone tell me about Battlestar Galactica???? I am completely hooked! The final season starts on Friday and I am madly trying to catch up by watching all of the previous episodes before Friday. I am ten hours behind!

They are running a Battlestar Galactica marathon on the Sci Fi channel and I am recording it. Today I wasn't able to watch all day because of a small medical emergency at Fleur's house, so tonight I have to try to watch ten hours... I'll never make it. It is like Lucy and Ethel trying to keep up with the candy... if I don't catch up today there will be ten more hours tomorrow.

It is a hard life being a retired granny...

Family Pictures ... Finally!

Well, I am up and running! There are several pictures scanned and posted on my Picassa account. I had misgivings giving access to a public account, so I have to send invitations via email to give you access to the pictures. Once you get into the account, you have full access and can make comments, etc. I think we can all contribute. Some will remember more than me about the dates, circumstances, etc.

My only problem is, however, that I am now operating on a new computer and have lost all of the email addresses. So, if you want to view the pictures, you need to send me your email address. Mine is ... lswen948@swbell.net.

We are all doing fine and very grateful that our two "sickies" are improving. I hear that Abby is home and hope all is well. The Baco-Swensons have spent a lifetime dealing with asthma and understand the stress it is. If there is anything we can do to help, we are available.

I am going to a One-Act Play competition tonight with Fleur. Her mother, Pegi, is the drama teacher at Randall High School in Amarillo and her play is in district competition. I will take a camera and document the event for us all.

Everyone here is fine. Hope to hear from all of you.