Writing My Life

Now and Then

Category Archives: … just another entry …

I refuse to state the obvious!


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… celebrating fall in farm country …

On the most perfect of autumn days, with temps in the low 70s, GrammaNae took her little brood of grandchillins to historic Wheeler farm. Assisted by daughter-in-law Kara and grown-up grand daughter Taylor, the 8 of us wound our way through a mini-maze, visited the “Pumpkin Pie” – as Connor called the Patch, checked out the animals, toured the farm on a hay wagon, climbed trees AND rode horses.

Picking out the BIGGEST pumpkin took some time, and I don’t think there was ONE gourd that wasn’t scrutinized, picked up, and THROWN back down. (I feared we’d be expelled from the “PiePatch,” but miraculously, NOT one splattered!)

To see the great fun we had that day, check out this super slide show! What BLAST!

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… 85 reasons we love Rebecca by her daughters …

Rebecca H. Barrett was born in Arimo, Idaho 85 years ago today. She is a darling, fun, delightful, supporting, rascal of a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Her family loves her VERY much, and here are 85 reasons why her daughters adore her! (We could have kept going & going & going!)

Our mom …

  1. LOVES our Daddy who loves her from heaven!
  2. was Daddy’s loving and loyal care-giver for so long.
  3. loves & adores her Nae!
  4. loves & adores her ConnieB.
  5. loves & appreciates her sons-in-law.
  6. gets a kick out of her 7 crazy grandsons.
  7. is thankful for 2 beautiful grand-daughters.
  8. thinks her 22.8 GREAT grand-children are AMAZING.
  9. never thought herself as poor even though she was raised during the depths of the Great Depression.
  10. survived the teasing of 6 older brothers.
  11. still loved those rascals in spite of their shenanigans!
  12. is SPUNKY – always was!
  13. did NOT marry her high school boyfriend, but married Henry Dale Barrett.
  14. knew a good thing when she saw HIM.
  15. dressed her 2  little girls alike.
  16. dressed her little girls in the cutest of clothes.
  17. stayed up through the night to sew dresses for her girls’ special occasions.
  18. puts on her make-up first thing in the morning, EVERY morning!
  19. is NOT afraid of hard work.
  20. would NEVER  let us lie about our ages to get into movies cheaper.
  21. is NOT afraid to “tell it like it is.”
  22. will say “I’m sorry” if she is wrong.
  23. is forgiving of those who wronged her or those she loves.
  24. is a wonderful confidante.
  25. is eager to LAUGH.
  26. would NOT let her grandsons beat her at golf!
  27. can perform household repairs as good as most men.
  28. was as cute as ANY World War II pin-up!
  29. could really “cut a rug” at the USO club – even that time she got leg make-up all over a sailor’s whites!
  30. taught us the words to lots of fun old songs as we traveled on our  wonderful vacations.
  31. and Daddy took us to Disneyland the FIRST year it opened!
  32. took us clear to Idaho Falls to shop for school clothes!
  33. took us clear to Salt Lake City to shop for school clothes.
  34. tried to teach us manners by taking us out to nice restaurants.
  35. introduced us to Chinese food at the Shanghai Restaurant.
  36. introduced us to smorgasbords at the Colonial Inn in Blackfoot, ID.
  37. introduced us to “fancy-schmanzy” food at the Bannock Hotel dining room.
  38. made sure we got our polio shots at the Green Triangle.
  39. carefully managed the household budget so she could spoil her daughters.
  40. bailed Daddy out of jail when he failed to pay a dozen parking tickets.
  41. searched for and rescued Daddy when he got lost during his one AND only deer hunting expedition (and that was long BEFORE cell phones!)
  42. is a faithful friend.
  43. nursed us through the Asiatic flu.
  44. could copy the cutest and most expensive dresses AND coats for her girls and sew them herself.
  45. has always been a talented home-decorator.
  46. created enchanting Christmas trees that looked like those featured in Better Homes & Gardens.
  47. made sure Santa brought us MORE than we asked for or thought we deserved.
  48. thought of such original Christmas gifts like cute ice skating outfits!
  49. cheered for our successes.
  50. cried with us when our hearts broke.
  51. always gave us adorable “shortie” pajamas for our May and June birthdays.
  52. created wonderful birthday parties for us even when she nearly amputated her finger once.
  53. made Nae’s favorite angel food cake with orange frosting for her birthday.
  54. let us grow up, but …
  55. wouldn’t let us date until high school – except that time in 6th grade when she drove Billy Grimes and me to the Chief theater and back; and that other time when she let Connie go on a date at age 13!!!
  56. trusted us even when Nae gave her reasons NOT to.
  57. fixed the BEST holiday dinners, except for that time we went to the Yellowstone Hotel for Christmas dinner.
  58. hated to see her little girls grow up and go away.
  59. traveled 100s of miles 100s of times to be with us when we had our babies and to be with our growing families.
  60. helped our families more than once when times were tough.
  61. taught us the importance of education.
  62. sent us to college even though she nor Daddy were college educated.
  63. supported us when we dropped out of BYU to marry our sweethearts.
  64. CELEBRATED when we went back to college and graduated 20 years later.
  65. tells us a million or more times how proud of us she AND Daddy are.
  66. can’t get over the fact that her squeamish Connie became an incredible nurse.
  67. still loves Nae even though she is ALWAYS late.
  68. didn’t get too mad when we borrowed her things without asking, even though a teacher had to cut a yellow scarf off Nae’s neck before she choked to death.
  69. defended us to the death if we were innocent.
  70. was furious when ConnieB was FALSELY accused of shoplifting, but sent Daddy to confront the store manager!
  71. let 16-year-old Renae defend herself in traffic court when she swore she did not cause a car accident.
  72. surrendered us to the authorities (usually teachers) if we were in the wrong!
  73. followed through with her threats.
  74. wasn’t afraid to spank us when Dad wouldn’t – which was always.
  75. hated being the disciplinarian, but did what she had to do.
  76. wouldn’t let us get away with back-talk.
  77. made sure we went to church.
  78. is ALWAYS there when we need her, no matter what the need is.
  79. isn’t afraid to change no matter her age!
  80. helped pay for 7 missionary grandsons.
  81. remembers the important things in life.
  82. forgets the unimportant mishaps of life.
  83. lives for lots of hugs and kisses.
  84. overcame some HUGE challenges, including depression and losing Daddy
  85. is the PERFECT mom for Renae & Connie!



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… outer space, Wienerschnitzel, AND dinosaurs …

As summer tried to sneak away, I took a trip to outer space, Germany, and pre-historic Utah. It was exciting because I was with my Utah grandsons!

Spencer is interested in SO many different things, including space travel. BUT at the top of his list is ANYTHING German. Maybe this is because he loved learning about his great-grampa’s adventures as a B-17 top-turret gunner during World War II. Or maybe he’s curious about the land of his dad’s birth. Regardless of the reason, we enjoyed a great day learning about our universe, space pirates, and yummy German food.

Spencer and I had the Clark Planetarium and Museum nearly all to ourselves that August day, but when I took Connor and Carter to Thanksgiving Point’s Dinosaur Museum on Connor’s birthday, we shared the event with nearly ALL of Utah County. But the boys were so excited that they didn’t mind the LONG line that wrapped half way around the building! (That’s what happens on $2 Tuesdays!)

I’m lucky I got so many pictures of Carter because he was off and running between the focus and the click of the camera! Gramma was tuckered at the end of that day!

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… a saturday in september …

September is one of, if not, my favorite month of the year. And while I won’t go into the reasons here because I listed a few on my “other” blog, I do want to share some fun photos from yesterday’s trip to Big Cottonwood Canyon for a picnic with our Utah kids.

I love occasions like this one, but the down side is that I miss our California kids all the more, and I want them to know we feel their absence. Nevertheless, it was a great day in the mountains. Sunshine, trees, rocks, streams, hamburger, hot dogs, potato salad, watermelon, AND fine company! Loved EVERY second of the afternoon!

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… what CREATURE am i trying to recreate? …

As I dived into my beauty(?) routine this morning, I had to wonder what I was concocting with all these crazy products.

  • First I wash my face with good old H20 and facial cleanser to remove all that gunk that accumulates during the night.
  • Next I apply WITCH HAZEL – OooooooOOOOOOoooooooo – casts a spell to close pores and fight against evil grime.
  • REgeneration SERUM – SpOOky! To regenerate means to …
    • To reform spiritually or morally.
    • To form, construct, or create anew, especially in an improved state.
      • To give new life or energy to; revitalize.
    • Biology. To REPLACE (a lost or damaged organ or part) by formation of NEW TISSUE.
  • After ingesting the SERUM, I apply micro-SCULPTING cream. Are you curious as to what I’m sculpting? A protruding brow? A hook nose? Sunken cheek bones? CrEEpY!
  • The FINAL step requires moisturizing HYDRATION! And voila!

Notice the amputation of the double chin!!!


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… Connor and Carter go to the farm … and Miss Taylor, too!

Before autumn inches its way into the valley, I want to finish posting my fun-in-the-sun photos and video clips. Then when the wind swirls, and the snow falls, and the temperatures plummet, I can review them and warm right up.

Today’s feature stars Taylor, Connor, and Carter, along with the animals at Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point. Too fun for words!

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What a great way to spend a summer day!


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… summer fun: kidfest #2 of 3 or 4 …

As summer winds down, I want to post more fun time photos of the good times I enjoyed with my grandchildren. The first kidfest was in San Jose, CA. But these next 2 or 3 feature my Wasatch Front kidlets.

In a seven-day period in the latter part of July, I visited two petting zoos – well, the one at Thanksgiving Point was more of a Pet Peeking Zoo. While a few goats romped free on the square,  little visitors could pet MOST of the domestic animals through the wire fence.

The petting zoo at This is the Place Heritage Park, on the other hand, was an up-close-and-personal experience as you will see in this slide show of Misses Mia and Evie.

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It was a GREAT day.

Stay tuned for the Thanksgiving Point Pet Adventure!


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… i have a garden, a lovely garden …

For nine years I attended church at the LDS Pocatello Fifth Ward – that’s what we Mormons call our parishes. I have many fond memories of my religious upbringing there, and among them are the songs we learned in Primary.

Now a reception center, this chapel is where I worshiped.

Every Wednesday at 10:00 A.M. in the summer and 4:00 P.M. during the school year, children from 3 to 12 years old gathered at the meeting house on McKinley and Elm to sing songs and learn about the gospel. Sister Stolworthy was the chorister who taught me songs and melodies I sing or hum to this day.

While taking a walk in my yard last Wednesday to monitor the progress of our year-old plants, flowers, and trees, I remembered the first couple of lines to one of those old favorites from that long-ago time, and that heightened the joy I found in my garden that morning.

The little song, “I Have a Garden,” also reminds me of my grandmothers’ gardens that I enjoyed so much. They inspired me to create a miniature “secret garden” beneath their lilac bushes.

While the young flowers, bushes, and trees of my garden in the western desert have to mature into back yards like Grandma B.’s and Grandma H.’s, I enjoy it still.

I invite you to sing along as you peruse a few pictures of my growing patch of happiness . (Just follow the bouncing ball – oh, wait. Dear Mitch Miller passed away recently. There will be NO bouncing ball. Sorry.)

I have a garden, a lovely garden ...

with flowers blossoming ever-fair ...

Where sun shines brightly, and rain falls lightly ...

and breezes gather sweet fragrance there.

Song birds come singing out of the sky ...

butterflies winging, hovering by.

And in my garden, my lovely garden ...

there’s always beauty to greet the eye.

Oh, and we have veggies, too! A true MIRACLE!

Can't forget ZUCCHINI!

The rewards of tucking veggies amongst the flowers! From garden to grill! YUM!


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… the monkey bites again, part 2 …

If you read part 1 on this topic – which really isn’t about monkeys but about lying – you will know I suffered a truth-telling disorder when I was young. And while I work very hard to be completely honest now that I’ve reached the ripe old age of 62, I find that once in a while I slip into that bad habit.

The most recent blatant lie once again involved a monkey. This past June I was driving home from work, not feeling well at all. In fact, I had suffered through a lingering yuckiness for a couple of weeks. G.E. also felt under the weather with many of the same symptoms. (Perhaps this weakened physical state can justify my lapse into immoral turpitude.)

As I neared home, I received a call from my California son. (Or maybe I called him; I honestly can’t remember.) While talking to him, I also heard Arctic Circle calling me. It was screaming something like, “A chunky-MONKEY milk shake will really make you feel better. It’s waiting for you NOW.) With hardly a thought, I turned my P.T. Cruiser, aptly named Cream Puff, into the drive-through lane of this popular restaurant.

Remember, I am still chatting with my son Andy who is healthy, fit, and fine! As I draw closer to the intercom where patrons order their goodies, I heard myself saying, “I’m here at Arctic Circle to order Dad a chunky-MONKEY milkshake because he’s not feeling very well either.”

Andy replied, “Oh, that dad and his junk food! He’s just gotta have it, doesn’t he?”

“Uh, yeah, he does,” I answered, feeling the twinge of guilt and the revelation that this little deception would come back to haunt me.

Sure enough it did. A couple of weeks later when we visited our California kids, we were barely in the door when somehow or other the topic of milkshakes appeared out of nowhere. And wouldn’t you know, I was caught with my mouth on the straw. No babbling or rationalization could halt the accusations that pelted me.

All I could do is bow my head in shame and confess, adding that the chunky-MONKEY made me do it: the ice cream, the banana, the cashews, AND the bits of cookie dough. YUM! Who could blame me? …. well, I can think of a few. Sigh.