Yea....Flowers

In my little red wagon.. awaiting attention

Lots of flowers are anxious to find their new home...
I love petunias... they're so hardy and colorful

The Front Door

I just planted and placed these flowers...they will blossom out huge... they do every year.

The Champlin Creek & the Canoe

Yes... for my birthday, Brad rummaged through his farmer's workshed and found the perfect gift! It's the original cattle-branding iron used by Henry, Irvin and Jay. It had a prominent place (out of place?) in my elegant home...

Brad shows Dayton the new 2800 walnut trees they planted on the 30 acre Kansas Ave. orchard... they're looking at the grafting he did and seeing if it took.

Emily and Rebecca take the canoe out after their ride down the Champlin Slough

Emily, Rebecca & Grandpa

Grandpa always feel good when he has these two beauties with him (who wouldn't?) Dayton's girls.

BYU's Coach LaVell Edwards and my son

This is the coolest picture.... years ago (obviously) I took Christian to a BYU game.. now everyone knows that the famous and crusty ole Coach Edwards never smiles (I mean, have you ever seen him smile?) He was coming out of the locker room after the game, so I told Christian to run up and stand right near him, and I'll try to sneak a picture... and just then, he saw what was happening, and he put his hand on the little guy's head and SMILED. What a champ! They should name a stadium after him.

Now he's older and has gone to the dark side.. I mean blonde side..

Steve and Melissa in NYC for the weekend

I love these people.. all so good and faithful, and kind and fun and funny and talented. How fun for Melissa to have sisters finally! This is her father-in-law, Doug Fowler at the end... and assorted brothers and sisters-in-law. But I keep thinking, how lucky they are to have Melissa join the gang.

They do enjoy a good (re: expensive ) meal.

More pics Minnesota Tornado

The Tornado

This is one of the least damaged houses hit by the tornado that took out 5 houses only ONE BLOCK away from my daughter's home in Rochester, Minnesota yesterday.... she called to say they hid in the basement, and when they emerged... Oh what devastation! She put the kids at the babysitter's and spent the next day helping with neighborhood clean up.

The Help

What a great book... set in 1963...it's about the black women who are the hired help for the society women in Jackson, Mississippi... there are SO MANY levels...and boundaries to discover. I highly recommend it... and especially... read the section on page 311 .....there are so many constraints that the woman and society put between each other....and I love the 'colored' dialect... the white-trashy Miss Celia is my fav character. I plan to open my first day of school in my literature classes with this page (311) and solicit discussion. Make this your summer read.

Trip to California

A beautiful sunset over the mountains near Wells, Nevada.

Here at the Salt Flats, and 80 mile stretch in the west desert of Utah.. I stopped for a few great shots

Here I am (in the car, can't you see me?) backing out of my driveway in Ogden, Utah.. the back is filled with goodies, treats, and lots of meals I've cooked for my dad in California, in an ice chest ... now that school's out, I want to spend some time with him. My trip has begun.

Macy the Dancing Queen

Beyonce... move over

My Vacation to Minnesota

Tough guy

The Cash man.. tough guy .. wearing the shark shirt I bought him..but here he looks like Spikey, my cockateil.

No toughness here.. just 3 sweet girls.... ready for church

Love Letters from the Front --- WWI

My grandfather, Henry D. Call, was just beginning his teaching career when he was called up to serve as a soldier on the front lines during WWI. Just before he left his home in Bountiful, Utah, he gave a diamond engagement ring to his sweetheart, my grandmother, Violet Wood. I have been transcribing their 1918-1919 historical and passionate love letters .... letters that were flying across the sea on wings of love (ok.. corny but true). This has been a wonderful project for me... see the sidebar on my blog and read some of them... There are 130 letters... I have typed up 30 so far. I am sending them out to my cousins/brothers/children/uncles..... Grandma and Grandpa Call both lived to be 84.. 5 children, 25 grandchildren and 92 gr. gr grandchildren.

To Violet from Henry

Henry Call

Violet Wood

more Hollywood Squares

Gary and Peter Marshall '78

Hollywood Squares

Isn't this funny? Gary was on Hollywood Squares in April, 1978. He was a UCLA student... Here he was contending against Miss L.A.County... Gary won $1,100 worth of prizes and cash.. It was in huge amount to us, poor students... Gary actually won $300 on a Bible question alone..."What did the Lord tell Moses from the burning bush?" (don't know the answer? see.. it pays to read the Bible)

Almost 35 years married! Wow...

And I'm still CRAZY about the guy... August 15th will be 35 years married...

Palindrome Paragraph

A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward . This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward . Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite..


This is only a 1 minute, 44 second video and it is brilliant. Read as well as listen...forward and backward.

This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20-year old. The contest was titled "u @ 50" by AARP. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause.
So simple and yet so brilliant.
.

Eric Call arrives home

hummmm, looks like Eric won't miss his companion... cute girl...

This is Eileen, Elder Eric Call, and my brother, Dayton. Safely home.

Honor our Veterans

Here is the story of a brave soldier... Richard W. Call... my dad.... He was awarded the Bronze star for:

Here is Dad... he was just married to my mother a few months before he was sent to Europe with the 44th Infantry Division in the fall of 1944.

All gratitude to these heroes!

Bishop House sends off 4 missionaries from the ward...

I took the mission photos for Robby, Hunter, Jordan, and Eric. They are all 19 and have received their mission calls, but haven't left yet. These are smart, wholesome, clever, funny, moral, top-of-the-mark, personable young men. Eric and Hunter were my English students five years ago. Love them! They will be gone for 2 years, teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. They live the strict mission rules and pay their own way, usually saving for years to earn it.. you have to respect that..... but best of all, they have strong unshakable testimonies of the Gospel.

L-R: Robby is going to Spain, Hunter to Mexico, Jordan to Peru, and Eric to Mexico. These are the first missionaries Bishop House has sent out.. he's so proud of them. Next in line is Christian, Eric, Jacob... and then there are 14 others just a year younger than that ready to go.

The 7 Miracles that Saved America

This was the book for our bookclub this month... what a tremendous read it was! Very interesting. The Stewarts chose 7 different historical events that 'saved' America... I could have guessed three of them, but the others were real eye openers...
Here are the SEVEN:

• The unlikely discovery of America by Christopher Columbus
• How (and why) desperate English colonists were able to survive the “starving time” at Jamestown
• The Battle of New York during the Revolutionary War
• The miraculous creation of the United States Constitution
• Abraham Lincoln’s desperate prayer that turned the tide of the Civil War at Gettysburg
• How a series of extraordinary events changed the Battle of Midway during World War II
• The preservation of Ronald Reagan’s life from an assassin’s bullet, allowing him the time he needed to help extend freedom around the world

Swagger Wagon

I love this commercial for Sienna.. All those who have a minivan can relate (although I was one kid short of having to buy a minivan) I LOVE this....
If you click on it center, it will enlarge by going through You Tube.

A New Baby

Meet my niece's new baby, Beckham Jenkins... born last Tuesday... Congratulations Christie and Trevor, and big brother Tanner, too!

There's another...

There's another mother I love very much. She is always close to my heart... Here's a shout out to you, Amy... Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to All Mothers

This is my mother, and a wonderful, wonderful mother. Mostly, I know her as a great mother, an English teacher, and someone who loved learning, reading, animals and especially horses, any stranger, traveling, and a stellar example of someone who loves the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She also loved Dad and taught us all how it was done by her actions. She treated her own parents with such respect and tenderness. She was the BEST grandmother, and loved her nieces and nephews, too. In honor of you, I am going to make your famous homemade noodles tomorrow for Mother's Day...

The Faculty Dress Code Rebel

Here is a picture of my mother in the 1971 Red Bluff High School yearbook. They did a feature story on her because she bucked the system.... She tells the story in her journal:
"One day, I just chose to wear a pant suit... it was a very nice cream colored knit pantsuit.... I didn't think it would cause the stir that it did, but apparently there was a faculty dress code forbidding teachers from wearing pants, and I found myself in the middle of a district-wide uproar.... soon afterward, there was a vote and the school board allowed a few more freedoms. I'm not the type to cause problems, I just wanted to wear pants that day. I never intended to be a rebel."

Here's from the yearbook:

Miss my Mom...

First Daughters

These three daughters made their mothers MOTHERS.. Happy Mother's Day

Family picture

More 'Mother's Day' pictures

This is such a great picture. Mother was in Florida while Dad was in Officer's training School.. Probably about 1944? The best part about this pic is the woman looking back at her. Just what is she thinking?

Happy Mother's Day, Mom

These are some early pictures of my mom, but I love them. I love her.. miss her...