Karaoke revolution

Okay, since Joseph began the topic, I thought I'd add some numbers I think are impressive from the Christmas break.

1. 19.5"--That's how much snow we've had in December. 8" of that was on Dec. 1, but very little of it melted, so now we have a whopping lot of snow. It made miserable trips for everyone, but it also gave the guys something to do. They shoveled snow, tinkered with the snowblower, blew snow, cut down trees in the snow, etc.

Joseph and Tracy in front of Sarah and Janet's snow fort.

2. 1.5 degrees--Our temperatures for December have been 1.5 degrees below average. That was mostly at the beginning of the month. It was actually pretty moderate while the kids were all here. The forecast right now is for a cold day or two, then it's supposed to be above normal for awhile.

3. 10--There were ten of us here for 5 days. It was so fun! Thanks to all of you kids who sacrificed to be here with us. As we all get older and our family grows, that will happen less often. I hope we will have the blessing of being all together at least occasionally.

4. 10+2--While everyone was here, we drank 10 gallons of milk plus 2 gallons of chocolate milk. It's been a long time since we've gone through so much milk. We also ates lots of bananas, but I have no concrete record of how many.

5. 40 minutes--The 40 minutes we had to talk to Joanna went by all too quickly,She sounds great and we're thankful that she's doing well. Next year, we'll be talking to two missionaries!

6. 14--The ten of us plus the four missionaries gathered around the table for Christmas Eve dinner. Despite the turkey taking 2 hours longer than we planned to get done, it was nice. Fortunately, the elders had no other plans, so they joined us for pre-dinner FHE and a rousing game of Catch Phrase.

7. 7+3--Our first Scoresby Scamper was a rousing success! Thanks, Emily, for spearheading that. Seven runners finished and three walkers walked the 3.1 miles. And congratulations to Preston for finishing first and taking home the coveted traveling trophy.

Fashionable running gear?

Yesterday, we invited some friends over to make gingerbread houses. I made and cut out the gingerbread and everybody pitched in some candy. Each family made one, so we made three total. It was so fun! There were 3 moms, four kids, Janet and a baby who mostly hung out with Rene or with me. Janet's house turned out really well, but I'll let her post her own pictures of it. Since we don't have many little kids hanging around anymore, we had to find some imports. I don't know about the moms, but the kids all had a great time. After they had all gone, I found royal icing all over the house in the strangest places.

After that, Rene, Janet and I went to cut our own Christmas trees, decorated them, and then Janet and I did some shopping. While we were gone, Rene made a whole bunch of candy of various kinds. I guess we're finally getting into the Christmas spirit after all.

So, this is a picture of the Official White House Christmas card for 2007. Some people are a little affronted because it's definitely a religious message. (It's a quotation from Nehemiah in the Old Testament.) I like it; unfortunately, we didn't get one. :( In fact, we have noticed a definite decline in the number of Christmas cards we've gotten the past few years. In fact, so far this year, we have received a total of five, not including the one the newspaper carrier stuck inside our paper, hoping for a tip. Janet got one from Sarah, but alas, we didn't.

Perhaps the fact that, due to the Internet, we are in better and more frequent communication with our friends makes them think we don't need a card. Do people send email cards now days? I have sent them for other things, like birthdays and lesser holidays, but not for Christmas. I have to admit that, although we did send a lot of cards this year, I made a conscious decision not to send cards to people from whom we've not heard in years. Maybe $.41 postage is the culprit. Or maybe it's the general pace of life now days, although that's a pretty sad reason.

I guess this is my Christmas card thinking: People who mean a lot to us, who make a difference to us even when we don't see them often, who brighten our days even when they're not physically around, deserve at least a personal thought at Christmas. It's not much, but it's a represents a real desire to let them know that we're thinking of them and are thankful for them.

What I'm really waiting for are the cute little handmade cards signed with our grandkids first attempts at writing. Now, those will be Christmas cards to treasure!

Our front yard

Our backyard

Okay, it's December 7 and I'm already sick of winter. Last Saturday, it snowed about 8 inches, followed by about three inches a couple of days later, plus about 1/2 inch last night. Plus, it has been cold. The night before last, it was -11 degrees when I got up. It's pretty to look at, but I don't like feeling "housebound" by the snow. I like to be able to get out and walk or whatever. I read that the NOAA is predicting a warmer than usual winter, with average precipitation for our area for this winter. You couldn't tell it so far! I must be getting old, because I always liked winter when we lived in Ohio. One difference there was that the first big snow of the winter didn't stay until the end of March. Last year, we had to build a fire in the fireplace on Easter because it was so cold. I do like the change of seasons, so perhaps I just need to live somewhere where winters are mild. Another annoying thing to me is that it is getting dark by 4:30 and it's as dark as midnight by 5 pm. That's just sad. We need all the sunlight we can get!

We had a really fun Thanksgiving. The Clarks came over from Minneapolis. We played lots of games, ate lots of good food, went on a fun hike at the Dells of the Eau Claire, did a couple of puzzles and Mary Ann and I even did our traditional craft day. It was fun to have the house full of people. Here are some photos. Janet even made one of the pies, a pumpkin one. I guess she's trying to compete with her brothers. The picture is of a little pie she made with the leftovers.

Here are some of the things I'm thankful for this year:

1. Two beautiful, talented, kind, and smart daughters-in-law and one wonderful, sweet, talented, intelligent son-in-law. It's such a blessing to our family that our oldest three children have found spouses who are such good people, trying to live the gospel. We love you, guys!

2. Safe travel. Our family travels a lot, for fun, for work and for school. I'm thankful for all the years of safe travel that we've had.

3. Missionaries. It's been awhile since we've had a missionary out and it brings a special spirit to our home. Now we'll have two. I don't know exactly how we'll afford it, but I'm thankful for Joanna and Sarah's desires to serve missions.

4. Health and strength. We all have our ups and downs, but the little granddaughter on the way and the return to health and strength of Sarah's knee are miracles to me.

5. I think we have the best friends in the world. They're scattered all over the world, and we don't get to see them much, but they have made us so happy over so many years. This summer, I had the opportunity to get together with one of my college roommates. I hadn't seen her for almost 30 years, but we still have the bond that existed back then. I count some of my seminary students, who are now adults, as friends, too, and that's a wonderful blessing.

There are really too many other things to list, but I know that the Lord has blessed us. I hope you will all spend a few minutes pondering all that you have to be thankful for.

Well, basketball season has started. Last night, Janet had a game in Kaukauna, which is 1 hour and 40 minutes away. On a school night, no less! She got home at 11:50 and still had homework to finish. Obviously, none of the coaches care too much about academics. None of them have kids older than elementary school, either.

Anyway, the DC Everest Evergreens lost to the Kaukauna Galloping Ghosts, 66-64. (Don't you just love these mascots?) Janet played well, scoring 13 points, including three 3's. The team has 11 girls on it and 10 of them got a lot of playing time, so Janet did well for the time she was in. Everyone is still trying to figure out the coach's strategy (or lack thereof!) Just when the starters are picking it up and coming on, he pulls them out and puts in the subs.

This was a non-conference game. The conference season starts Friday when Everest plays Marshfield. Incidentally, both Kaukauna and Marshfield's colors are orange and black. It makes me a little nostalgic!

Can't wait 'til Sarah can join us for twice a week games!

Go Evergreens!

Okay, okay. I know it's been awhile since I posted anything. I guess life has been boring here. But finally, I have something new to post.

This past weekend, we made a quick trip to Fargo, ND, to go to Brandon Hendrickson's wedding reception. It was very nice, but the best part, as always, was being with family and friends. We stayed overnight with the Hendricksons and went to church in the Fargo 2nd Ward. When we lived there 25 years ago, there was only one ward, but now there are two wards and a student branch. There were only a couple of people we knew there, but that's okay. It was fun visiting our old haunts.

Here is a picture of the chapel. It's the building where Ben, Emily and Joanna were blessed. Janet went to YW in the room that used to be the nursery. It's where Joseph figured out that if he sat at the head of the table and ate his snack quickly, he'd get another one, because the teachers couldn't remember where they started passing them out. It's also the place where Joseph was a big hero with the boys in Primary when he was a Sunbeam because he could "Name That Tune" in one note. I think it was "Book of Mormon Stories".

After church, we drove around and showed Janet the married student housing where we lived. She was thrilled. :( But Rene and I enjoyed it. Here's a picture of the very apartment we lived in for 3 1/2 years, 264 E University Village. It looks exactly the same, just a little more run-down.

Sorry, Sarah and Janet. Since we moved when Joanna was three weeks old, this probably doesn't have much relevance to you. But we have happy, happy memories of living in Fargo, ND.

We enjoyed our trip to Utah for Richard's wedding, even though it was lots of driving for a short visit. As always, the best part was being with family. I just wanted to share a few pictures of the trip. Oh, by the way, Janet is fully invested in every sport at BYU, not just basketball!

Culination

I don't think "culination" is a real word, but I like it. I know that culinarian is a real word. So to me, culination is what a culinarian does. I guess the root word would be "culinary"--having to do with or relating to cookery or the kitchen. So, this is a picture of the cheesecake I made last night when we had the missionaries over for dinner. It comes from the Libby's pumpkin company and is called Pumpkin Toffee Cheesecake. I have to admit, it was pretty darn good. Rene said I need to add it to my Best Recipes. In the description, it was listed as challenging. It was a little time consuming, but there really was nothing hard about it--no special cooking techniques or fancy terms. I was happy with it.

I don't know when cooking came to be something I enjoy. I remember well that I didn't really enjoy it as a child or teen. Miriam was always the chef at our house (besides Grandma, whom I have always considered a great cook). I remember that it was a challenge to cook decent meals on a graduate school budget. One year, Joe Giles, a professor at NDSU and a member of the stake presidency, brought us two 50 lb bags of potatoes, so we had potatoes cooked in every imaginable way. Actually, I think he did that more than once.

I guess as I had more time and more opportunity, cooking become more enjoyable. When the kids were all little, it was easy to make bread in between taking care of them. Little by little, I started to collect recipes that we liked and that fit our budget and lifestyle. Along with that came the enjoyment of reading cookbooks. I'll admit, I have looked at lots of cookbooks without cooking a thing from them. But it's fun to imagine what I could do if I felt like it. And some things that I tried, we liked and still cook them today.

I think different people react differently to different types of food. For example, Glazed Apple Pie Bars, which were such a huge hit in Ohio and requested for every potluck, have not gone over well at potlucks here. The original recipe came from Miriam. I don't know if she ever used it, but I passed it along to Mary Ann and she made them to great acclaim in Cincinnati. I don't know if she's tried them in their new home in Minneapolis.

So, I guess culination and the enjoyment of what it produces has become a part of our family synergy. And it's not just us. At the family reunion, I enjoyed a conversation with Matthew Pitts about Alton Brown's pizza dough. What's can I say? It's all GOOD EATS!

Since Janet and Emily started a trend with their posts of lists, I've decided that I will post a list too. Mine is limited, however. This is a list of the books (and genres) of books I like to read.

1. The scriptures--today was parents day at seminary and I really enjoyed reviewing the stories and scripture masteries from the Old Testament. I have to confess that it is one of my favorites in the canon of scripture. Besides that, I dominated at the game we played today.

2. Mysteries--I've read and enjoyed many different mysteries, but my favorites are the cozy English mysteries. I recently finished Agatha Christie's The Secret Adversary, one of the early Tommy and Tuppence novels. I highly recommend it. I'm not quite as thrilled by Poirot and Miss Marple, but they'll do in a pinch. I also highly recommend Josephine Tey and Ngaio Marsh. Also, believe it or not, Georgette Heyer also wrote some mysteries that I like very much. Some of them are hard to get your hands on, so I try to read them when I can find them.

3. Okay, Georgette Heyer. I started reading her many years ago. For those who don't know, she writes romances set in the Regency period in England. Many people abhor these, but I love them. The plainer, but more intelligent, girl always gets her man and there is a great deal of humor. When we lived in Fargo, I saw a complete set of Georgette Heyer romances at the Salvation Army. Since we were poor students, I only bought half of them. Now I wish I had bought them all. I've added to my collection over the years, but a few of them are pretty obscure, so I do have a few gaps in my collection. I haven't read any lately--I've read them so often that I remember all of them--but they're always good to come back to.

4. There is a certain type of novel that I call "midwestern" American novels that I enjoy. I really like Bess Streeter Aldrich and Booth Tarkington. I recently reread The Magnificent Ambersons and liked it. If you've not read Booth Tarkington's Seventeen, you ought to. I would probably include Betty Smith, author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, in this group, although she is from New York. Her Joy in the Morning, which is also set in the Midwest, is one of my long-time favorites. Perhaps it shouldn't be called "Midwest" but "Turn of the Century."

5. Sorry to all you sci-fi fans, but I heartily dislike science fiction and fantasy. I've never read any Harry Potter, nor do I want to. There are two exceptions to this: I read and very much enjoyed Isaac Asimov's The Foundation trilogy and Susan Cooper's children's series The Dark is Rising. I see that they are now making a movie out of the Susan Cooper series.

6. I have been trying to read some Shakespeare, specifically Twelfth Night, but it's a struggle. I don't think I do well with the dramatic format. If it were written in novel form, I think I would find it easier. My favorite Shakespeare at this point is still The Taming of the Shrew. The Richard Burton/Elizabeth Taylor movie version of it is very, very good.

7. Like Emily, I like children's literature. I have read some very good ones. Here again, I like many different kinds, but that does include many older books. Sorry, Sarah--I've never really gotten into the Anne of Green Gables books. Does anyone remember the books we read aloud when you were all little? I remember that Dad even came in and listened to Farmer Boy.

8. I also like poetry. One of my favorites is Robert Browning's Home Thoughts from Abroad. I helped Janet with some literary analysis of this poem by Ronsard this week and like it:
Sonnets Pour Helene Book II: XLIII

When you are truly old, beside the evening candle,
Sitting by the fire, winding wool and spinning,
Murmuring my verses, you’ll marvel then, in saying,
‘Long ago, Ronsard sang me, when I was beautiful.’

There’ll be no serving-girl of yours, who hears it all,
Even if, tired from toil, she’s already drowsing,
Fails to rouse at the sound of my name’s echoing,
And blesses your name, then, with praise immortal.

I’ll be under the earth, a boneless phantom,
At rest in the myrtle groves of the dark kingdom:
You’ll be an old woman hunched over the fire,

Regretting my love for you, your fierce disdain,
So live, believe me: don’t wait for another day,
Gather them now the roses of life, and desire.

There's much, much more in the world of literature that I enjoy. I'm thankful for parents who passed on to me the desire to read and to learn of what is "of good report" in our world.

Friday was Grandpa Allred's birthday. He would have been 79 years old. It's hard to believe that he has been gone for 7 years. We are luckier than many families, however. We have access to lots of things to remind us of Grandpa--letters, photos, the Bugle, etc. Each of you have scriptures with a personal message from Grandpa to you. I hope that all of us will remember Grandpa (and all of our grandparents) with love and try to honor the heritage he left us. His overriding concern all of his life was that he and his family would be faithful to the Lord.

Here is a copy of one of Granpa's slides. It was taken the weekend that Ben was blessed in Fargo, ND.

Okay, while our mailing address is Mosinee, we actually live in the "village" of Kronenwetter. Contrary to popular belief, the name does not mean "water kettle", but is the name of an early lumberman and state legislator, Sebastian Kronenwetter. It was just a township until 2002, when encroachment by surrounding municipalities motivated citizens to vote to incorporate the Village of Kronenwetter. This immediately raised taxes about a million dollars. Besides the fact that we live here, the other notable fact about Kronenwetter is that it is the largest village in Wisconsin, with a population of about 10,000. Actually, to me the term "village" is a misnomer because there is really no organized villageness--it's just a collection of neighborhoods with businesses scattered here and there.

For those of you who don't get to enjoy the progression of the seasons, I thought I'd let you see autumn in lovely Kronenwetter.

Thursday, we went to Helene's Hilltop Orchard in lovely Merrill, WI and picked a bushel of apples. They were darn expensive! Johnny Appleseed apparently didn't make it up this far, because there aren't as many orchards to choose from. We also bought 1/2 gallon of cider, just for old times sake. It was darn expensive, too, but it sure tastes good. We canned on Saturday, ending up with 26 pints of applesauce and 12 quarts of apple pie filling. Remember the days when the whole table would be covered with filled bottles? We really don't need to can like that anymore. But the homemade stuff is so tasty compared to store bought. And we have a lead on cheaper apples for next year.

I came across this interesting little tidbit of news today from the New York Times:

September 18, 2007
James O. Rigney Jr., Who Wrote as Robert Jordan, Dies at 58
By MARGALIT FOX
James Oliver Rigney Jr., a prolific author who under the pseudonym Robert Jordan wrote the “Wheel of Time” series, a best-selling multivolume fantasy saga, died on Sunday in Charleston, S.C. He was 58 and lived in Charleston.
The cause was amyloidosis, a blood disease, his assistant, Maria Simons, said.
Published by Tor Books, the “Wheel of Time” series comprises 11 volumes, among them “The Eye of the World” (1990), “The Dragon Reborn” (1991), “The Shadow Rising” (1992), “Winter’s Heart” (2000) and “Knife of Dreams” (2005). There is also a prequel, “New Spring,” published in 2004.
Known for its epic sweep, intricate plotting and large cast of complex characters, the series centers on Rand al’Thor, a humble messianic figure who must stave off the forces of evil that threaten to overtake the faraway land in which he lives. Along the way, there are perils and portents, fair maidens, fantastical deeds and the like.
In an essay in The New York Times Book Review in 1996, Edward Rothstein wrote, “Even a reader with literary pretensions can be swept up in Mr. Jordan’s narrative of magic, prophecy and battle.”
The “Wheel of Time” books have often been compared to the work of J. R. R. Tolkien in terms of their ability to exert a magnetic hold on readers. Translated into more than 20 languages, the books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, according to Mr. Rigney’s publisher.
Mr. Rigney was also known for helping continue the “Conan the Barbarian” series. (The character was created in the 1930s by the pulp writer Robert E. Howard and has been kept alive by various writers since Mr. Howard’s death in 1936.) Mr. Rigney’s contributions to the series, also written as Robert Jordan and published by Tor, include “Conan the Invincible” (1982), “Conan the Triumphant” (1983) and “Conan the Victorious” (1985).
James Oliver Rigney Jr. was born in Charleston on Oct. 17, 1948. He served as an Army helicopter gunner in Vietnam, earning a Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star, among other honors. He received a bachelor’s degree in physics from the Citadel in 1974, and afterward worked as a nuclear engineer in Charleston before beginning a full-time writing career in the late 1970s.
Mr. Rigney is survived by his wife, the former Harriet Popham McDougal; a son, William Popham McDougal of Housatonic, Mass.; and a brother, Reynolds W. Rigney of New Orleans.
His other books include three historical novels written under the pseudonym Reagan O’Neal and published by Forge: “The Fallon Blood (1980), “The Fallon Pride” (1981) and “The Fallon Legacy” (1982).

Despite my unswerving determination to never read a Robert Jordan book, I do have to say he seems to have been an intelligent, talented person. Apparently, he was also a very rich person. Now the big question: Has anyone in this family read all 11 volumes of the "Wheel of Time" series?

It is darn cold here! Last night it got down to about 30 degrees. Yesterday, the high didn't even break 50 degrees. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Who wants to live somewhere where the first killing frost is the second week of September?

I believe that the long-range weather forecast is for a warmer than usual winter, but you couldn't tell it by this weather. The many squirrels in our yard have been very busy and are getting pretty fat. The deer have been visiting us once or twice a day lately, too, eating the acorns and other goodies from the yard.

The upside is that it's pretty good weather for sleeping. Rene and Janet are running in a 4 mile trail run today, so it's better to be cool than hot. I guess there are some pluses.

Another Scoresby Missionary

Well, Joanna has now entered the MTC. We've had an emotional couple of days around here as we got her ready and said good-bye. For those who may not know, our family consists of two groups--those who cry over anything and those who cry over nothing. Joanna belongs to the crying group, so it's been hard. I think that once she gets settled in the MTC, and then in Florida and is busy, things will be easier for her. I certainly hope so.

It's been hard for me, too. I've gotten used to having her around. This morning, Rene left at 5 am and Janet left at 5:45, so now I'm alone with two kitties all day. My mom told me that when I went on my mission, she called my Dad up at work and said, "I don't want her to go for away for 18 months." I suppose it's a pretty universal feeling.

But Joanna will be a great missionary. She has a knack for listening to other people and feeling what they're feeling, etc. She has the wonderful examples of Joseph, Ben and Emily, who were great missionaries, to follow. When she was set apart, the stake president told her that she will be a "bright star" in the Florida Tallahassee Mission.

Joanna is also lucky to have Emily, Preston and Sarah, who picked her up at the airport, entertained her last night, and took her to the MTC today. I remember when I went on my mission. My parents could not afford to take me to Utah. So I flew out by myself, stopping in Rapid City on the way to be set apart. Two office elders from the mission met me there at the airport, took me to meet the mission president and be set apart, and took me back. (There was no stake in South Dakota then--the mission president was the ecclesiastical leader.) When I arrived in Utah, I was met by Aunt Iris. The next day, she took me to the temple. The next day, I entered the mission home in Salt Lake.

Anyway, Emily said that the MTC mission president told the families and the missionaries that saying goodbye is kind of like taking off a band-aid--it's best to just do it quickly. So, we'll look forward to hearing all about Joanna's new experiences, which we'll post on her blog.

Cahokia

On our way to Memphis to visit Ben and Shannon, we stopped on the eastern edge of St. Louis to visit Cahokia. Cahokia is the largest Indian mound group in the US. It is the oldest "city" in the US. We have been to many Indian mounds and I have to say that this is very, very impressive. The big mound actually had log stairs and was very much like the pictures of Mayan temples in Guatemala, etc. Around the center of the city, they built a log "stockade" which enclosed about 400 acres. It appears to be very much like the breastwork of timbers talked about in the Book of Mormon. A little ways down the road was Woodhenge, a calendar type device made out of poles. Although this city was at it's prime about 1000 AD, it is a very strong reminder of the great cities in the Book of Mormon. We're very glad that we stopped there. Besides, it was the perfect time for a rest stop!

Since Joanna has been home, she has been helping me with some projects I've wanted to get done for awhile. We have done corn for the freezer and also picked some raspberries and canned them. There is still painting to do, but time is getting short and I don't know if we'll get that done. Anyway, here's a photo of Joanna doing corn? Does it bring back any memories?

It was so fun to have Emily, Preston, Joanna and Sarah home for a few days. Here are some photos of what we did. The family picture is along the Wisconsin River in downtown Wausau. There is an official whitewater competition course there. We went to see some kayak events. Unfortunately, it was raining and not very interesting.

The other photo is a much more successsful activity. We all went to Briq's and the girls ate a one (1) pound ice cream cone. The rest of us opted for lesser amounts.

Three of the kids have gone back to Provo now, but Joanna will be home until Sept. 12, when she goes on her mission. It makes our house so much more like a home when there are more of the kids around. I'll glad they went to the time, trouble and expense to come.

A New Beginning

We have decided to create a family blog to stay in touch with each other and with our friends around the world. Our family is spread across the United States and we have friends in so many places. Our hope is that this blog will allow us to stay in touch and to share our feelings, our experiences, and the new and exciting things in our lives.