Doing it again and I still haven't been told what we are doing so I look kind a dumb, normal I guess.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Hi Alex n Kiki, Vallen n Cathy
We are in the monster er dinosaur museum and I am just getting out of the restroom and they want me to join in without explaining what is going on.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Dad in Sports
I hadn't heard this one in the past!
Sports – Me personally.
Well I went to a school – went to a small school that didn’t have football or baseball until I was a senior in high school. Consequently the only sport I played was basketball and there I made the team while I was a freshman. And the coach told me that if I quit doing some of the things I was doing I could play basketball next year but if I continued doing some of the things I was doing which I was – had taken up smoking and I liked to play basketball better than I liked to smoke and it was no problem to quit and I have never touched it since. So the first year we went to the state tournament and in the district tournament a good friend of ours , he was a senior at the time, they had quite an article in the paper of how the rest of the team was in the dressing room when he shot the final shot and he shot it from the dressing room door and it went in, of course he was on the court but it was a longgg shot it was a hail Mary shot and it went in and we went to the tournament. We went to the tournament all four years I was in high school. We never won the state tournament any year but we got to go. Then the year after I graduaed from high shool - they got rid of me they went to state tournament and took the state tournament!
So that is about all I can tell you about sports.
Sports – Me personally.
Well I went to a school – went to a small school that didn’t have football or baseball until I was a senior in high school. Consequently the only sport I played was basketball and there I made the team while I was a freshman. And the coach told me that if I quit doing some of the things I was doing I could play basketball next year but if I continued doing some of the things I was doing which I was – had taken up smoking and I liked to play basketball better than I liked to smoke and it was no problem to quit and I have never touched it since. So the first year we went to the state tournament and in the district tournament a good friend of ours , he was a senior at the time, they had quite an article in the paper of how the rest of the team was in the dressing room when he shot the final shot and he shot it from the dressing room door and it went in, of course he was on the court but it was a longgg shot it was a hail Mary shot and it went in and we went to the tournament. We went to the tournament all four years I was in high school. We never won the state tournament any year but we got to go. Then the year after I graduaed from high shool - they got rid of me they went to state tournament and took the state tournament!
So that is about all I can tell you about sports.
Cowboy Football
How is this game?
Like I say our senior year we got to play football and we played 6 man football as we didn’t have enough kids in school to play 8 man or 11 man football on the team so we played 6 man football. And we went to Iona to play and they’d been playing every year fer all my high school years but I didn’t get to play as I stayed home and helped on the farm till I was a senior and my senior year we went and they put me in as quarterback and we went over to Iona and we had 8 men dressed for our 6 man team. Well like I say they’d been playing every year and they just literally wiped the field with us, we didn’t know what we was doing really, we was trying but… and at half time the coach said they have been murdering you guys, he says I’ll turn my head and you guys go out there and get even with them and they had 12 men dressed for football and they didn’t have enough players to finish the game. They was all bruised up so bad they couldn’t play. Now that isn’t saying much for sportsmanship but they weren’t good sports to start with so we just retaliated. (But Iona won.)
Like I say our senior year we got to play football and we played 6 man football as we didn’t have enough kids in school to play 8 man or 11 man football on the team so we played 6 man football. And we went to Iona to play and they’d been playing every year fer all my high school years but I didn’t get to play as I stayed home and helped on the farm till I was a senior and my senior year we went and they put me in as quarterback and we went over to Iona and we had 8 men dressed for our 6 man team. Well like I say they’d been playing every year and they just literally wiped the field with us, we didn’t know what we was doing really, we was trying but… and at half time the coach said they have been murdering you guys, he says I’ll turn my head and you guys go out there and get even with them and they had 12 men dressed for football and they didn’t have enough players to finish the game. They was all bruised up so bad they couldn’t play. Now that isn’t saying much for sportsmanship but they weren’t good sports to start with so we just retaliated. (But Iona won.)
First date according to Dad
Almost exactly like mom told me.
I got out of high school in May and this was in June I mean August that I had been dating this girl and,, her sister was Darlines friend. And Darline had got in trouble last year, her and her friend so they didn’t go to scout camp this year. A friend of mine, one of the kids I run around with in school all the time, he had a date with Darlines friend and she asked Darline to come down that night cause Jerry had asked her to go out on a date and she didn’t want to go o a date with him and she didn’t want to go with him so Darline said yah Ill come down. And so she came down and so when we got there Darline was there and I didn’t have a date – didn’t figure on taking a date but Darline was there and Darlines friends mother asked me if I was going to take Darline on a date. I said I don’t know, I hadn’t thought about it. I says do you want to go out on a date? And that was the beginning of a long romance. And it is still continuing today!
I got out of high school in May and this was in June I mean August that I had been dating this girl and,, her sister was Darlines friend. And Darline had got in trouble last year, her and her friend so they didn’t go to scout camp this year. A friend of mine, one of the kids I run around with in school all the time, he had a date with Darlines friend and she asked Darline to come down that night cause Jerry had asked her to go out on a date and she didn’t want to go o a date with him and she didn’t want to go with him so Darline said yah Ill come down. And so she came down and so when we got there Darline was there and I didn’t have a date – didn’t figure on taking a date but Darline was there and Darlines friends mother asked me if I was going to take Darline on a date. I said I don’t know, I hadn’t thought about it. I says do you want to go out on a date? And that was the beginning of a long romance. And it is still continuing today!
Dad dating
Another I don't remember.
Once I went out with two or three girls the same night, not together but individually. Now if you can figure that out more power to you. I asked “Out to diner or something?” Oh no, I never spent any money! That’s what my mother said, she said you could give Rex twenty dollars and you could give Delbert a dollar and he’d have fifty cents left when Rex was out of money.
Once I went out with two or three girls the same night, not together but individually. Now if you can figure that out more power to you. I asked “Out to diner or something?” Oh no, I never spent any money! That’s what my mother said, she said you could give Rex twenty dollars and you could give Delbert a dollar and he’d have fifty cents left when Rex was out of money.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Cows and bulls
I do not remember hearing this one.
Question: What was the naughtiest thing you did?
Mom: Mother would ask me to take the kids (her brothers and sisters) and she would say “make sure you don’t get the sun in their eyes.” Of course when I got away from the house I knew that if you got the sun in their eyes they would go to sleep, so then I could take them home and go play.
Dad: One of the naughtiest things I did was when I was a kid. And we had a corral – we had a barn and a corral and the corral came out around the barn and we had a shed out behind the barn a hundred yards or so behind the barn. But there was a big low spot in the corral and when it would rain or snow and then melt then we would have all this soupy stuff in the corral.
Every morning we would have to get up about 4 – 4:30 in the morning and go out and get the cows in and milk them by hand. Well he’d (Rex’d) make mego out and bring the cows in from the shed. Well I’d rebelled one day and made him go get the cows and he didn’t know we had – he knew we had it but didn’t know how to do it because he went into the shed and turned the light on. That woke all the cows up including the bulland the bull took out after him. Here he come running across the (corral) and there was an ice pond there at that time but the bull broke through it and the bull would come through and just butt Rex in the butt end and push him a little ahead until he got to the barn doorand I had the barn door which was a door with a top half and a bottom half were you could open all together or separate and I had the door open so he could get in. just as he got to the door I shut the bottom half of the door and the bull hit him in the butt and just put him through the top half of the door all covered with manure. I wouldn’t do things like that on purpose! (Of course you wouldn't!)
Question: What was the naughtiest thing you did?
Mom: Mother would ask me to take the kids (her brothers and sisters) and she would say “make sure you don’t get the sun in their eyes.” Of course when I got away from the house I knew that if you got the sun in their eyes they would go to sleep, so then I could take them home and go play.
Dad: One of the naughtiest things I did was when I was a kid. And we had a corral – we had a barn and a corral and the corral came out around the barn and we had a shed out behind the barn a hundred yards or so behind the barn. But there was a big low spot in the corral and when it would rain or snow and then melt then we would have all this soupy stuff in the corral.
Every morning we would have to get up about 4 – 4:30 in the morning and go out and get the cows in and milk them by hand. Well he’d (Rex’d) make mego out and bring the cows in from the shed. Well I’d rebelled one day and made him go get the cows and he didn’t know we had – he knew we had it but didn’t know how to do it because he went into the shed and turned the light on. That woke all the cows up including the bulland the bull took out after him. Here he come running across the (corral) and there was an ice pond there at that time but the bull broke through it and the bull would come through and just butt Rex in the butt end and push him a little ahead until he got to the barn doorand I had the barn door which was a door with a top half and a bottom half were you could open all together or separate and I had the door open so he could get in. just as he got to the door I shut the bottom half of the door and the bull hit him in the butt and just put him through the top half of the door all covered with manure. I wouldn’t do things like that on purpose! (Of course you wouldn't!)
Grandfathers brother
This is one I never did understand until I watched this!
Mother was the youngest of eleven children. There was quite a few years between my mother and her parents in fact my aunt Jane which was mothers oldest sister, her daughter married dads brother. Brother just older than he was (how much older was he than she) Frank wasn’t much older than June was he? Delbert I didn’t know them. There wasn’t too much, Frank was just a little older than your dad wasn’t he? Frank was just two years older than dad (3 Sep 1902) but Frank (11 Feb 1900) married aunt (Sarah) Janes oldest daughter (Selma) June CHARLESWORTH (9 Jun 1905) That made my dads brother his uncle.
Grandma would have been Junes Aunt and therefore dad was a bit mistaken as grandpa (Lenard) would have been Franks uncle.
Dad, Mom, Me
Mother was the youngest of eleven children. There was quite a few years between my mother and her parents in fact my aunt Jane which was mothers oldest sister, her daughter married dads brother. Brother just older than he was (how much older was he than she) Frank wasn’t much older than June was he? Delbert I didn’t know them. There wasn’t too much, Frank was just a little older than your dad wasn’t he? Frank was just two years older than dad (3 Sep 1902) but Frank (11 Feb 1900) married aunt (Sarah) Janes oldest daughter (Selma) June CHARLESWORTH (9 Jun 1905) That made my dads brother his uncle.
Grandma would have been Junes Aunt and therefore dad was a bit mistaken as grandpa (Lenard) would have been Franks uncle.
Dad, Mom, Me
Saturday, November 04, 2006
What to say - What to say?
Diana and I are planning a trip to visit my parents this coming weekend and like I said I am going to purchase a tape recorder with several tapes and talk to mom and dad to get the best of their life tales. Mom has told me that she wrote a lot of this kind of stuff for Wendy at one time (probably ten years ago or more, some people are really on the ball) and so I will get a copy of that as well.
Now I hope that dad is feeling up to the task of remembering as many tales as possible. I know that if dad can remember all of the tales it will take about a full week of just listening and I know that mom can tell just as many only she liked to hear dad’s tales and didn’t say a great deal while we were growing up, I remember her telling a few. I do remember how fun it was to hear each tell of how they met and started dating, it is almost like a different tale with pretty much the same ending. The following is how mom told it to me over the phone today then sometime next week I will be able to tell dad’s “getting to know you” storie:
Mom and her friend had done something at camp the previous year and so they weren’t allowed camp that year, but her friends older sister, who was dating dad at the time, had gone to camp. One day my mother went to her friends house to find the boy she had been gowing around with there with dad. (My words or the words I am adding will be in brackets). Somehow mom, her friend and dad and the guy mom was dating (but didn’t like) decided to go out. Now moms friends mother (who didn’t like dad can you imagine) suggested that Delbert go with Darline so (he got down on his knees) he asked her if she would go with him and she said “I’ll have to ask my mother”. (wouldn’t it be so much better if we could get snywhere close to that kind of obedience today?)
Oh, mom also told me that while at the Lee reunion she was given a book explaining how we are related with President Harold B. Lee. If interestted let me know and I will get a copy of this book for you.
Is there anyway that you all can tell me what kind of info you like from this blog?
Hopefuly I can get a few pictures to go along with each tale.
Love you all, dad
Sunday, October 29, 2006
My fathers flat tire
This one is hard for me to believe; however, I have never known my father to lie and mom also says it is true apparently she was along.
One night my father had a flat tire and so he went and found a couple making out. He took his jack and jacked their car up and traded his flat tire rim and all. Then he let the car down and the couple never even noticed. He then took the tire and put it on his own car and drove home.
Oh, BTW Alex dad told me each of these and uncle Rex verified several. I need to go back and talk to my parents with a tape recorder as I remember so few of the great many stories he has told!
One night my father had a flat tire and so he went and found a couple making out. He took his jack and jacked their car up and traded his flat tire rim and all. Then he let the car down and the couple never even noticed. He then took the tire and put it on his own car and drove home.
Oh, BTW Alex dad told me each of these and uncle Rex verified several. I need to go back and talk to my parents with a tape recorder as I remember so few of the great many stories he has told!
While my father was reading in class
As my father tells it he was asked to read in class one day and so he stood to read and as he was reading he held a firecracker out so a friend sitting next to him could light it. While still reading he flicked the lit firecracker up underneath his teachers desk. Well the firecracker exploded as can be expected and the poor teacher was up and out of the class room in three steps.
When the teacher came back with the principal she had the whole class under suspicion except for my father as he was standing up reading when the vile firecracker was thrown under her desk.
When the teacher came back with the principal she had the whole class under suspicion except for my father as he was standing up reading when the vile firecracker was thrown under her desk.
When my father and his brother had an argument
When my uncle Rex and my father would have an argument my father would run til he got to with eyesight of his mother and then fall to the ground and Rex would jump on top of him and start to beating on my father. Well they both wore the bib overalls that were what farm kids wore in those days of the early thirties and my father would wrap his arms threw uncle Rex’s overalls and hold him so that he could not get in a very good punch as the distance was so short.
Well my grandmother would see Rex beating up on Delbert and she woould go out and beat on Rex until he stopped beating on his little brother. Seems that Rex always got the worst of it.
Well my grandmother would see Rex beating up on Delbert and she woould go out and beat on Rex until he stopped beating on his little brother. Seems that Rex always got the worst of it.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Zachary being funny!
Kiki taught me how to use YouTube!
This was taken before they moved to Utah!
I wish everyone would get back to blogging once a week at least. Do you think that is possible?
This was taken before they moved to Utah!
I wish everyone would get back to blogging once a week at least. Do you think that is possible?
Monday, October 16, 2006
Health questions
I went to the doctor today and told them that I was continually getting bumps on my arms, neck and head that I didn't understand why they were there. The doctor looked at them and told me they were caused by an over production of skin that some people get. Because my mother gets the same type of umps on her I thought I would write and say this as it is probably caused to me as a hereditery type of problem and as I was visiting with Alex this past week he told me that he got some bumps on his head. So I thought I would explain these type of bumps for any other children.
I know that mom was always wondering what caused these things on her, so I though I might answer any possible speculations by the rest of my family. Because some of the bumps on my arms have gotten quite annoying the doctor burned three of them with liquid nitrogen to see if this would get rid of them and told me that it would take up to three weeks to find out a definite answer but if this works then she would try with other problem areas.
I know that mom was always wondering what caused these things on her, so I though I might answer any possible speculations by the rest of my family. Because some of the bumps on my arms have gotten quite annoying the doctor burned three of them with liquid nitrogen to see if this would get rid of them and told me that it would take up to three weeks to find out a definite answer but if this works then she would try with other problem areas.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
One from Texas
After bring me here to visit with Alex, Kiki & alex, Diana and sister Linda left to go visit Greatgrandparents or their parents in Mission, TX or way down south. Probably 400 miles south. I'll bet you can't guess who is oldest.
As I am having a hard time sleeping I think I will send a short note from Alex & Kiki's computer. I have been having the best time laying around with little alex. He is the best natured child I can think of, at least I don't remember any of my children being this sweet. I think he always has a smile on his face unless he has hurt himself and these episodes only last about 2 minutes or less.
Kiki framed this picture and alex gave it to me as a gift. How special!
But Grandma Diana gets along with alex better than grandpa Keary. Of course this is not surprising as Grandma Diana gets along with everyone better than grandpa Keary.
I really hope and pray for Alex to find one of those do nothing jobs at the fire department, but I think he will find there is more to do than nothing. BTW Alex did not say they were do nothing jobs, we were talking and he said that a lot of hopefuls had that thought. If he can get some experience he will not have to work so hard in finding a job as it seems that most Fire departments are looking for experienced help.
Good night and have a great day.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
I guess there is no more ideas!
As Diana and I get ready to return to Texas for the LAST time. I figure there will be no more ideas that will pop up in my weary old head. The one thing I would like to do is to remember to take the Temple Locker Key from the Dallas temple back with me as I have had it for so many years without ever using it while living here in Vancouver. I was issued a locker key at the Dallas Temple while I worked as an ordinance worker there. I got ill and before taking the key back to the temple we moved and I just never could find the little old key through three moves while living here in Vancouver.
The other day I found this key in my desk drawer and asked Diana about it so she told me the history of said key. I guess I am going to put it on my key ring now as I don't want to leave it here at home while I go visit the Dallas area and my Son and grandson Alex.
Call and remind me to take the key if you read this before we leave for the airport.
Well I think we are going to be there with Alex, Kiki and alex close enough to alexs birthday that we can do a little pre-birthday cheer before we leave for home. It'll only be ten - elevyn days prior to alexs birthday. Guess we should have left about 8-9 days later. Diana likes to go for her fathers birthday 10/08/1921(1922)?? But she is going to miss his birthday by a day and her grandsons by 11-12 days, I guess this trip for her is a real waste of time.
The other day I found this key in my desk drawer and asked Diana about it so she told me the history of said key. I guess I am going to put it on my key ring now as I don't want to leave it here at home while I go visit the Dallas area and my Son and grandson Alex.
Call and remind me to take the key if you read this before we leave for the airport.
Well I think we are going to be there with Alex, Kiki and alex close enough to alexs birthday that we can do a little pre-birthday cheer before we leave for home. It'll only be ten - elevyn days prior to alexs birthday. Guess we should have left about 8-9 days later. Diana likes to go for her fathers birthday 10/08/1921(1922)?? But she is going to miss his birthday by a day and her grandsons by 11-12 days, I guess this trip for her is a real waste of time.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Othello Trip
Diana and I went to visit my parents this past weekend and found that we went on a perfect weekend. As we approached Othello on Highway 17 from Mesa to Othello I noticed a house that I remember going to home teach when I was between 14 and 15 then I noticed another house that I remembered a certain family lived in when I was a child. Then finally I noticed a house as we approached Othello tht belonged to the Weibel family and I told Diana I had graduated from high school with a daughter of this family. Later I asked my father if the Weibel family still owned this property and he told me that yes Herbert Weibel still lived there and that the girl I had graduated with had given birth to a baby by a guy by the name of ? Jemkins and mom had said the Jenkins were all a wild lot.
Enough for the nostalgia. I just thought it quite interesting that I was so able to remember these things at this time and had never befre emembered them. There seems to be a lot of things that I am just now remembering and learning that was a part of my earlier years.
Now for the reason of the perfect weekend. It seems that Matthew was scheduled to be given the Melchizedek preisthood on Sunday after church and ordained an Elder. As we were there I was asked to help in the ordination. I was also asked to give my father a blessing of health just after this ordination which I thought was quite special in the event there were many others in the room who could have done just as well or better than I.
Diana and I were able to get home last night at about 11 PM after a very enjoyable weekend. We took the game Blokus with us and everyone who played it had a wonderful time.
Enough for the nostalgia. I just thought it quite interesting that I was so able to remember these things at this time and had never befre emembered them. There seems to be a lot of things that I am just now remembering and learning that was a part of my earlier years.
Now for the reason of the perfect weekend. It seems that Matthew was scheduled to be given the Melchizedek preisthood on Sunday after church and ordained an Elder. As we were there I was asked to help in the ordination. I was also asked to give my father a blessing of health just after this ordination which I thought was quite special in the event there were many others in the room who could have done just as well or better than I.
Diana and I were able to get home last night at about 11 PM after a very enjoyable weekend. We took the game Blokus with us and everyone who played it had a wonderful time.
Dad's blessing Matthew's Orrdination
Cameron n Samantha , Melissa's children
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
So where has everyone gone?
I really do know!
One of the happiest moments of our later years was a few years ago when we had the whole family here for Adam and Ciria’s wedding and since then we have gone from everyone to Andrew, Shawnie, Aden and Jocelyn who now live here in Vancouver, WA with Diana and I.
I guess that is alright since we haven’t spent a lot of time with Andrew and family since we moved here in 2000. Of course part of the blame for that is on Andrews shoulders but most of that blame is my own. At any rate this will change now that there is no one left here in Vancouver except for Andrew and family and Diana and I. Is there enough ands in the previous sentence?
While I was working I earned quite a lot of money but I was too busy trying to earn money to really enjoy it. We are far happier now that we are dirt poor than we were when we had quite a lot of money. The most important thing is to enjoy life and not to worry about what one has. Diana and I have six wonderful children and currently 10 wonderful grandchildren. This is real joy and happiness.
When Diana and I were first married she wanted me to get a good education so that I could make a lot of money and it would not have been as hard on me as a manual laborer. Well if Alex gets hired on as a fireman, he will make far more money than I could have and Andrew has just got a job with Christensen yachts and he will shortly be earning more than I could. I guess what I am saying is that I hope each of my children will take it to heart that happiness and joy do not come from how much mone one has but rather what one does with what one has.
Now the five wonderful grandchildren we had living here with us.
Aden has a haircut just like mine
or at least just like mine when I was five years old on July 4, 1956
Jocelyn the model of Andrew and Shawnie is playing with Aden, Zachary, Tonia and Zeke.
Of course Tonia and Zeke are also getting ready to leave us here in Vancouver. I hope Tonia will be able to continue with her ridinng of horses and she will continue practicing her guitar.
One of the happiest moments of our later years was a few years ago when we had the whole family here for Adam and Ciria’s wedding and since then we have gone from everyone to Andrew, Shawnie, Aden and Jocelyn who now live here in Vancouver, WA with Diana and I.
I guess that is alright since we haven’t spent a lot of time with Andrew and family since we moved here in 2000. Of course part of the blame for that is on Andrews shoulders but most of that blame is my own. At any rate this will change now that there is no one left here in Vancouver except for Andrew and family and Diana and I. Is there enough ands in the previous sentence?
While I was working I earned quite a lot of money but I was too busy trying to earn money to really enjoy it. We are far happier now that we are dirt poor than we were when we had quite a lot of money. The most important thing is to enjoy life and not to worry about what one has. Diana and I have six wonderful children and currently 10 wonderful grandchildren. This is real joy and happiness.
When Diana and I were first married she wanted me to get a good education so that I could make a lot of money and it would not have been as hard on me as a manual laborer. Well if Alex gets hired on as a fireman, he will make far more money than I could have and Andrew has just got a job with Christensen yachts and he will shortly be earning more than I could. I guess what I am saying is that I hope each of my children will take it to heart that happiness and joy do not come from how much mone one has but rather what one does with what one has.
Now the five wonderful grandchildren we had living here with us.
Aden has a haircut just like mine
or at least just like mine when I was five years old on July 4, 1956
Jocelyn the model of Andrew and Shawnie is playing with Aden, Zachary, Tonia and Zeke.And Zachary is getting ready to leave the area of Vancouver and playing with Aden and Jocelyn for the last time in Vancouver. I seriously hope Zachary will be able to make a bunch of friends in Utah like he has here.
Of course Tonia and Zeke are also getting ready to leave us here in Vancouver. I hope Tonia will be able to continue with her ridinng of horses and she will continue practicing her guitar.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Labor Day weekend
We went on a trip up the mountain through overhanging branches only bits of the sky could be seen at first and then we were going up and up and we kept going up.
Then there was the mountain up ahead.
And there were roadside shops such as the 7/11 you see here. Oh don't believe all you read. This isn't really a 7/11 but rather a 911.
Then there was the mountain up ahead.
And then we finally saw an elevation sign about a fourth way up.
As we got up to the top as far as we could drive there was still this much further that we should have gone but Diana would not let me walk any further. So we started for the bottom and our dreary little lives once again.
On the way down we were lucky to find a few places to rest.
OH by the way the mountain is Mount Hood.
Tomorrow will be another Journal.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Nephew 4
Matthew Tyler Wall has been called to serve a mission in Guadalajara Mexico y ya va a hablar en espanol tambien, and is now going to speak in Spanish also. I am so sorry that my mother was so dead set on the fact that her grandchildren were not going to speak in spanish or each of our children would also soeak spanish.
Matthew will report at the mission home in Provo, Utah on December 6 2006 where he will be discomforted by all the young ladies of BYU and where he will be asked to shave his beard, the hardest thing he will have to do for the next two years. Then will come the hardest thing, that of leaving his beloved people of Guadalajara. He will also have to leave the beauty of Guadalajara.
The funniest thing about Matthew is that he hates to sweat, he bathes and changes his clothes at least 4 times a day according to mom. I think this will change a little as he serves a mission in one of the hottest places he could serve. This will be interesting. I remember a missionary in North Carolina who packed his clothes and rode his bike about 15 miles to the airport and caught a flight home after being in the mission field less than two weeks. This would be a terrible thing to happen for any missionary this came to mind as I write this note and definitely do not think Matthew capable of this type of action.
Matthew is the fourth nephew of mine and the fifth grandchild of my parents to accept the will of our Heavenly Father.
Good Luck Matthew
Monday, July 24, 2006
Funerals 2
I went to a friends funeral today in a Catholic church and was amazed at the differences between my brothers funeral and the one today. Noone spoke except the Preist who was foriegn and I could barely understand him. They also paid some lady to come and play the piano and sing some songs, she was pretty good.
It is also funny to see the differences in the design of their chapel compared to that of our own. Their chapel was almost all glass. I imagine that it s so for the benefit of people driving by so they could see how impressive it is to be of their church. There was at least three podiums the Priest spoke from, I had a hard time trying to find him as he kept changing positions with each change in topic.
Boy I would hate to have to try and keep up with him. At least I wouldn't fall asleep, it is too interesting to watch the traffic go by.
And the worst thing about the funeral I went to today was that there was no funeral potatoes. In fact I had to go home to eat as they were to cheap to feed us for paying our last respects.
It is also funny to see the differences in the design of their chapel compared to that of our own. Their chapel was almost all glass. I imagine that it s so for the benefit of people driving by so they could see how impressive it is to be of their church. There was at least three podiums the Priest spoke from, I had a hard time trying to find him as he kept changing positions with each change in topic.
Boy I would hate to have to try and keep up with him. At least I wouldn't fall asleep, it is too interesting to watch the traffic go by.
And the worst thing about the funeral I went to today was that there was no funeral potatoes. In fact I had to go home to eat as they were to cheap to feed us for paying our last respects.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Funerals
I never thought I would go to any of my families funerals but they would all attend my funeral while here in this eaarthly life. Was I ever wrong! Not only was I wrong, but it looks as if I am healthier than several in my family. Of course looks are decieving and I may be the very next one to go on to the spirit prison not that Allen went there but I am sure I will.
It is a great shock to learn that your youngest brother has passed on when I felt that I would be the very first. It is even a greater shock to learn that he was strangled to death with no marks left to identify the one who might have strangled him. Actually it wasn’t a person who strangled him but his own body strangled him to death.
After all of the suffering I have gone through because of diabetes I feel this was a very good way to die and it took less than ten minutes. Allen even took the time to tell his wife that he loved her before he passed on according to Lisa.
I was given the honor and difficulty of offering the Family Prayer. I did't know how this should have been done but I offered a prayer of thanks to our Heavenly Father for the opportuniy of knowing Allen and of being a family then I asked a special blessing upon Lisa, my parents and all who would miss Allen that they would be comforted and I said a few other things that I don’t remember so they must not have been important.
As Diana and I talked we decided that we would be of the least to be saddened by Allen’s passing and this gave us some reflection on how we should have taken more time to get to know Allen and then we thought of the last time we had seen him and remembered that he chose to walk by us without even saying hello so I came to the conclusion that I need to take more of a possitive role in dealing with each of my brothers and sisters and to not let small things get in the way of my responsibility to have a good relatioship with each of my brothers and sisters. I need to follow the example of Jesus as Calixta would say.
It is a great shock to learn that your youngest brother has passed on when I felt that I would be the very first. It is even a greater shock to learn that he was strangled to death with no marks left to identify the one who might have strangled him. Actually it wasn’t a person who strangled him but his own body strangled him to death.
After all of the suffering I have gone through because of diabetes I feel this was a very good way to die and it took less than ten minutes. Allen even took the time to tell his wife that he loved her before he passed on according to Lisa.
I was given the honor and difficulty of offering the Family Prayer. I did't know how this should have been done but I offered a prayer of thanks to our Heavenly Father for the opportuniy of knowing Allen and of being a family then I asked a special blessing upon Lisa, my parents and all who would miss Allen that they would be comforted and I said a few other things that I don’t remember so they must not have been important.
As Diana and I talked we decided that we would be of the least to be saddened by Allen’s passing and this gave us some reflection on how we should have taken more time to get to know Allen and then we thought of the last time we had seen him and remembered that he chose to walk by us without even saying hello so I came to the conclusion that I need to take more of a possitive role in dealing with each of my brothers and sisters and to not let small things get in the way of my responsibility to have a good relatioship with each of my brothers and sisters. I need to follow the example of Jesus as Calixta would say.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Responses to Church Callings
"Church callings!"
Alex said...
What a dumb stake president. But i'm sure he had his reasons other than what we can imagine.
Kristy said...
sometimes i wouls like to be put on the do not contact list! But instead i have caller ID!
Kiki said...
Alex and I have both put in our aplications for bishop and relief socity president respectively, but as of yet we haven't heard anything back...suprizingly we haven't been given any callings.
Response: When I was younger I thought I could do better than some of the Bishops we had; however, I am very happy to say this calling nevr came to me.
Cathy said...
I remember you helped translate Spanish on Sundays... was that a calling or just something anyone could help out with?
Response: Translating was a calling. I guess I forgot, you are only going to get the things I remember. Soo sorry!
"Church callings 2!"
Alex said...
I remember that north carolina had a problem with racism. It was weird being called cracker and then the white people not knowing how to treat you. all in all I still loved it there. It was a ton of fun.
Response: That is only because that is where you grew up. I'm afraid you even have some of that racism in your makeup! Should I exorcize it? Maybe next time I see you I can call in a Catholic priest.
Cathy said...
Growing up in Washington we had really strong priesthood leaders in our wards, then moving to NC we were so surprised to see some of the "interpretations" that were going on...very interesting. I didn't remember your callings. Thanks for sharing them!
Kiki said...
What did the mouse look like?
Response: Kiki, I don't understand!
Ciria said...
Thinking back on the few callings I have held in my life, I really enjoyed being in the nursery. However, I do agree sometimes having parents in nursery is not the best thing for the children. I check up on Zoë all of the time and I always want to help her, but I know that I really won't be helping.
Kristy said...
I really don't remember a lot of the race stuff with in the church you are talking about. Every place you go to has it's problems...but I agree with Alex, I still loved it there. Would go back, too.
Response: Sorry to burst your bubble but I believe it was there.
"Church callings 3!"
Ciria said...
Funny thing, Adam and I were just discussing callings. I am amazed at all the different places you serve. What a great example!
Response: I am not an example; I just believe that one must serve where one is called as the Lord is directing His church!
Alex said...
I remember sometimes having to take you all the way out to the temple. but who did it the other times? i never knew it was a calling
Response: Well now you know. This was the easiest calling I have had.
Kristy said...
All my callings seem to be in primary....which sometimes I have a hard time not resenting b/c I am with children all the time already. I don't know which is worse though, primary callings or having to go to relief society.
Response: Well I believe we are called to where we need the experience as the Lord is directing His church!
Alex said...
What a dumb stake president. But i'm sure he had his reasons other than what we can imagine.
Kristy said...
sometimes i wouls like to be put on the do not contact list! But instead i have caller ID!
Kiki said...
Alex and I have both put in our aplications for bishop and relief socity president respectively, but as of yet we haven't heard anything back...suprizingly we haven't been given any callings.
Response: When I was younger I thought I could do better than some of the Bishops we had; however, I am very happy to say this calling nevr came to me.
Cathy said...
I remember you helped translate Spanish on Sundays... was that a calling or just something anyone could help out with?
Response: Translating was a calling. I guess I forgot, you are only going to get the things I remember. Soo sorry!
"Church callings 2!"
Alex said...
I remember that north carolina had a problem with racism. It was weird being called cracker and then the white people not knowing how to treat you. all in all I still loved it there. It was a ton of fun.
Response: That is only because that is where you grew up. I'm afraid you even have some of that racism in your makeup! Should I exorcize it? Maybe next time I see you I can call in a Catholic priest.
Cathy said...
Growing up in Washington we had really strong priesthood leaders in our wards, then moving to NC we were so surprised to see some of the "interpretations" that were going on...very interesting. I didn't remember your callings. Thanks for sharing them!
Response: Thanks for always being so supportive Cathy.
Kiki said...
What did the mouse look like?
Response: Kiki, I don't understand!
Ciria said...
Thinking back on the few callings I have held in my life, I really enjoyed being in the nursery. However, I do agree sometimes having parents in nursery is not the best thing for the children. I check up on Zoë all of the time and I always want to help her, but I know that I really won't be helping.
Kristy said...
I really don't remember a lot of the race stuff with in the church you are talking about. Every place you go to has it's problems...but I agree with Alex, I still loved it there. Would go back, too.
Response: Sorry to burst your bubble but I believe it was there.
"Church callings 3!"
Ciria said...
Funny thing, Adam and I were just discussing callings. I am amazed at all the different places you serve. What a great example!
Response: I am not an example; I just believe that one must serve where one is called as the Lord is directing His church!
Alex said...
I remember sometimes having to take you all the way out to the temple. but who did it the other times? i never knew it was a calling
Response: Well now you know. This was the easiest calling I have had.
Kristy said...
All my callings seem to be in primary....which sometimes I have a hard time not resenting b/c I am with children all the time already. I don't know which is worse though, primary callings or having to go to relief society.
Response: Well I believe we are called to where we need the experience as the Lord is directing His church!
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Journal 01!
I found a part of my journal and thought I would share. I did not write a lot in journal form so this is probably all you will get. I wish I could say differently but there it is. The parts in brackets are not in the journal.
01/29/1981 Last night I could not sleep. I kept thinking of my situation at work and decided that I must look for another job that is with a secure institution and that pays me more like what I feel I am worth. I set this figure arbitrarily at $2000.00 a month or more. (Not worth much am I?) I am so sure that Diana will feel that I am worth at least this much and hope dearly that she will understand my need to go out in search of another job that is rewarding, challenging and tha I can enjoy as much as I have enjoyed working for the city of Moses Lake. (Never did find a job that I enjoyed as much as working for the city of Moses Lake.)
and I pray the Lord will bless me with enough money to go out into his vineyard once again only with Diana this time. I feel that my Heavenly Father has something in store for me so as to make my patriarch cal blessing so specifies. And I can see no other reason why He would put up with a sinner such as I unless He wants me to repent and finish the job He has set for me to accomplish here on the earth.
Just to let you know; it took me a little over two years to find a new position.
01/29/1981 Last night I could not sleep. I kept thinking of my situation at work and decided that I must look for another job that is with a secure institution and that pays me more like what I feel I am worth. I set this figure arbitrarily at $2000.00 a month or more. (Not worth much am I?) I am so sure that Diana will feel that I am worth at least this much and hope dearly that she will understand my need to go out in search of another job that is rewarding, challenging and tha I can enjoy as much as I have enjoyed working for the city of Moses Lake. (Never did find a job that I enjoyed as much as working for the city of Moses Lake.)
and I pray the Lord will bless me with enough money to go out into his vineyard once again only with Diana this time. I feel that my Heavenly Father has something in store for me so as to make my patriarch cal blessing so specifies. And I can see no other reason why He would put up with a sinner such as I unless He wants me to repent and finish the job He has set for me to accomplish here on the earth.
Just to let you know; it took me a little over two years to find a new position.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Church callings 3!
As we left the Chapel Hill Ward I was almost totally blind and for this reason Diana, Ciria, Alex, Andrew and Calixta all got out of the car and refused to go another inch with me driving. I wonder they let me drive as far as I did because we were in Arkansas when they rebelled against me. It is also the reason that I was called to few church callings from then on.
It is amazing to me at the number of callings there are that can be done by people with almost no physical abilities. The Lord truly loves His children. It is amazing to me that I was called as a name extraction person. It also amazes me to know that I am most effective when I am most faithful and I do not feel very faithful right now as it has been at least six months that I finished my last packet of names, the current one seems to have too many problems. Oh, I already I need to get on the ball or get busy!
Back to the story, when we finally got to Harrah, OK I was called to be the Elders Quorum secretary and while in this position the Elders Quorum president taught me how to use both Microsoft Access and Microsoft Publisher with the idea of writing a Ward newsletter on a monthly basis. We got no support and although we did put out a few publications we were stymied at a feasible way of distributing to those who were unable to get to church on Sundays. We thought of mailing them to everyone, too cost prohibitive; to those who did not get to church, we were afraid of stepping on toes. All in all we were always boggled with another problem with each new idea. The only good thing that came of it was that I did put together the Ward ulletin each week, and even that had problems in that the auxiliary leaders were always late in announcing what was about to happen this week let alone this month.
We moved into the Allen 4th Ward and there I was ordained a High Priest, I was called as an Employment Specialist, something I was and am little capable of doing, and I was called to work in the Dallas Temple a calling I dearly cherished as long as I could get to the temple on time. Well, I will talk some more tomorrow.
It is amazing to me at the number of callings there are that can be done by people with almost no physical abilities. The Lord truly loves His children. It is amazing to me that I was called as a name extraction person. It also amazes me to know that I am most effective when I am most faithful and I do not feel very faithful right now as it has been at least six months that I finished my last packet of names, the current one seems to have too many problems. Oh, I already I need to get on the ball or get busy!
Back to the story, when we finally got to Harrah, OK I was called to be the Elders Quorum secretary and while in this position the Elders Quorum president taught me how to use both Microsoft Access and Microsoft Publisher with the idea of writing a Ward newsletter on a monthly basis. We got no support and although we did put out a few publications we were stymied at a feasible way of distributing to those who were unable to get to church on Sundays. We thought of mailing them to everyone, too cost prohibitive; to those who did not get to church, we were afraid of stepping on toes. All in all we were always boggled with another problem with each new idea. The only good thing that came of it was that I did put together the Ward ulletin each week, and even that had problems in that the auxiliary leaders were always late in announcing what was about to happen this week let alone this month.
We moved into the Allen 4th Ward and there I was ordained a High Priest, I was called as an Employment Specialist, something I was and am little capable of doing, and I was called to work in the Dallas Temple a calling I dearly cherished as long as I could get to the temple on time. Well, I will talk some more tomorrow.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Church callings 2!
When we moved into Spokane I was first called into the Elders Quorum Presidency where I served as second counselor to a guy who was the son of a man my father was in the bishopric with in Stevensville, MT. This Elders Quorum Presidents name was Paul Skaggs who worked as a electrical engineer for Hewlett-Packard and he showed us the mouse he was designing at the time. I don’t believe I have ever seen the like.
I had only served in this position for a few months when I was called into one of the hardest positions I have held in the church “Ward Financial clerk”. It would have done me more good than any thing I could have done if I had paid good attention to what I was doing. Unfortunately I didn’t have a strong enough testimony at the time to really learn anything and so we suffered financially for many years after this calling.
After moving to Durham, NC I was called to serve in the nursery and then in the Sunbeams class. In this position I had Andrew in my classes both years before I started traveling away from home so much. I probably did Andrew more damage than I did good for the poor tyke. You see he was in the same class as Skip Lezzettes son (name not remembered) and I was always protecting Andrew from the roughian. I was also called into a genealogy class while we lived in Durham or the “Chapel Hill Ward – Durham Stake”. This ward consisted of Parkwood, Chapel Hill, Carrboro and a couple other little towns in North Carolina.
I think I came closer to totally apostizing from the church while we lived here in the Chapel Hill Ward as a result of the way the black converts were treated. And you all have heard both Diana and I say that these people in North Carolina still acted as if the civil war was still in progress. And I am saying that the south still wants the black people to be slaves and I believe there is no greater harm anyone could do to one of Heavenly Fathers children than to take away his/her freedom to choose for himself. After all this is the only reason anyone came to this earth for, to make correct choices. And if ones chance to make those choices is taken away then we are in essence following Satans plan. And I don’t believe some the Chapel Hill Ward quite follow that line of reasoning.
And finally while in this ward I was called as Sunday School President where I believe my greatest efforts were in trying to teach some of the parents that if they do not attend class then their children will not go to class. And on till tomorrow or next week or at least next time.
I had only served in this position for a few months when I was called into one of the hardest positions I have held in the church “Ward Financial clerk”. It would have done me more good than any thing I could have done if I had paid good attention to what I was doing. Unfortunately I didn’t have a strong enough testimony at the time to really learn anything and so we suffered financially for many years after this calling.
After moving to Durham, NC I was called to serve in the nursery and then in the Sunbeams class. In this position I had Andrew in my classes both years before I started traveling away from home so much. I probably did Andrew more damage than I did good for the poor tyke. You see he was in the same class as Skip Lezzettes son (name not remembered) and I was always protecting Andrew from the roughian. I was also called into a genealogy class while we lived in Durham or the “Chapel Hill Ward – Durham Stake”. This ward consisted of Parkwood, Chapel Hill, Carrboro and a couple other little towns in North Carolina.
I think I came closer to totally apostizing from the church while we lived here in the Chapel Hill Ward as a result of the way the black converts were treated. And you all have heard both Diana and I say that these people in North Carolina still acted as if the civil war was still in progress. And I am saying that the south still wants the black people to be slaves and I believe there is no greater harm anyone could do to one of Heavenly Fathers children than to take away his/her freedom to choose for himself. After all this is the only reason anyone came to this earth for, to make correct choices. And if ones chance to make those choices is taken away then we are in essence following Satans plan. And I don’t believe some the Chapel Hill Ward quite follow that line of reasoning.
And finally while in this ward I was called as Sunday School President where I believe my greatest efforts were in trying to teach some of the parents that if they do not attend class then their children will not go to class. And on till tomorrow or next week or at least next time.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
I want to complain!!!!
It seems as if no one is writing a blog anymore, rather they are calling Diana and telling her stuff. I just as well not even have a phone for all the calls I get on it. It seems as if I have absolutely no communication with my children and I feel useless as a result.
Is there a fix for this? I do not believe I can do anything to aid this fact as I am willing to talk and or read. I realize that I am not as fun to talk to as Diana is but I have feelings just like you.
And this post will stay up just long enough to make you all feel guilty.
I guess I am defeated in that I don't believe that gossip is a very good thing for anyone to do and it seems as if all my children want is gossip!
I think I will write a short note from Calixta. She got a brand new 2006 Hyandi because she got the Job. And Andrew says that he is very happy now as he has a car that does not break down on him. I was told both things from Diana. I guess gossiping isn't that bad when a wife tells her husband all that she is told. Now aren't you scared?
And I love you all too.
Is there a fix for this? I do not believe I can do anything to aid this fact as I am willing to talk and or read. I realize that I am not as fun to talk to as Diana is but I have feelings just like you.
And this post will stay up just long enough to make you all feel guilty.
I guess I am defeated in that I don't believe that gossip is a very good thing for anyone to do and it seems as if all my children want is gossip!
I think I will write a short note from Calixta. She got a brand new 2006 Hyandi because she got the Job. And Andrew says that he is very happy now as he has a car that does not break down on him. I was told both things from Diana. I guess gossiping isn't that bad when a wife tells her husband all that she is told. Now aren't you scared?
And I love you all too.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Church callings!
As I stop to think of each of my church callings, I remember none in my youth except for that of Teachers Quorum secretary and of this I have no remembrances; however, I can remember most callings since I served as a missionary but not all or I am not sure I want to admit to the poor job I did in some callings, such as ward financial clerk.
Shortly after Diana and I were married, we were called in Laredo to be the young men and young women leaders. I don’t think I ever understood what it was that I was supposed to do as I had a very hard time associating with the young men. I couldn’t seem to et them to understand the importance of setting goals to make them want to plan on a mission and this frustrated me to no end. I think if I were asked to serve in this position again today I might have a better chance of helping the youth to have a good time and of making plans.
I did not hold another calling until we moved to Moses Lake, WA. Once we moved to Moses Lake I was called to the calling of ward membership clerk, which I think is the best calling I have ever held. While serving in this position I was responsible to report to the Bishop who was less active and then which members were totally not active. Once these people were identified we would go out as members of the bishopric to visit these people and ask them what they wanted to do with their membership records, to which approximately 1/20th of the people would ask to have their names removed from the church rolls and the Stake President wanted to get them off the records to lessen our inactive members but the Bishop disagreed. When we were asked to remove the names we would work even harder to get these people activated and involved with the church once again. If this were not possible we asked if we could just mark their records with a “DO NOT CONTACT ORDER” where the home teachers and/or visiting teachers would be relieved from trying to visit them. I believe our Stake President was a person who was very interested in showing good numbers and not so interested with what happened to the people.
While we lived in Moses Lake both Diana and I took the teaching course. It was only Diana that obtained anyrhing from this though; I don’t think I will ever learn how to teach someone else anything. Tomorrow we will go on to Spokane.
Shortly after Diana and I were married, we were called in Laredo to be the young men and young women leaders. I don’t think I ever understood what it was that I was supposed to do as I had a very hard time associating with the young men. I couldn’t seem to et them to understand the importance of setting goals to make them want to plan on a mission and this frustrated me to no end. I think if I were asked to serve in this position again today I might have a better chance of helping the youth to have a good time and of making plans.
I did not hold another calling until we moved to Moses Lake, WA. Once we moved to Moses Lake I was called to the calling of ward membership clerk, which I think is the best calling I have ever held. While serving in this position I was responsible to report to the Bishop who was less active and then which members were totally not active. Once these people were identified we would go out as members of the bishopric to visit these people and ask them what they wanted to do with their membership records, to which approximately 1/20th of the people would ask to have their names removed from the church rolls and the Stake President wanted to get them off the records to lessen our inactive members but the Bishop disagreed. When we were asked to remove the names we would work even harder to get these people activated and involved with the church once again. If this were not possible we asked if we could just mark their records with a “DO NOT CONTACT ORDER” where the home teachers and/or visiting teachers would be relieved from trying to visit them. I believe our Stake President was a person who was very interested in showing good numbers and not so interested with what happened to the people.
While we lived in Moses Lake both Diana and I took the teaching course. It was only Diana that obtained anyrhing from this though; I don’t think I will ever learn how to teach someone else anything. Tomorrow we will go on to Spokane.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
There is so much to tell!
One day this will all be just a nonsensical story with absolutely no meaning to anyone, but for now I will write what happened next in my working life. Before going to work for Merck, Sharpe & Dohme I stopped in Cary, NC for a few months and read all of HP’s manuals of their MM3000 manufacturing software so that I could write some changes that would be acceptable for Austin Quality Foods under the HP standards. This I did within about three months and was accepted by Austin Quality Foods with great aplomb.
So while working for Merck, Sharpe & Dohme, Hp also had me go back to work on occation to do some special work for Austin Quality Foods from time to time. I despised the work at Merck, Sharpe & Dohme as it was mostly report writing and I had always hated to do that type of work. Whenever I could pull it off I would get some one else to do the report writing for me if I could in any way. Many people enjoyed writing reports as it didn’t take many brains to do it so I would always look for the lazier sort of person to ask them to do this. They thought I was crazy in trying to get out of the work when they relished doing it.
While working at Merck, Sharpe & Dohme I met for a second time a gal I worked with at General Electric during my first assignment in the consulting world by the name of Sandy Mathers who had a son the same age as Cathy and who was an LPGA woman while she was younger. She said that she could not support her son with golf so she started programming and to be honest I was very happy that she had as she taught me a great deal about Quiz QTP and the other supposedly easy to use HP programming languages.
While in school I was taught three languages, RPG II, FORTRAN and COBOL, and while working I taught myself several new languages to go along with these three, I guess I could say I know SPL, BRW, PASCAL and APL along with these previous three. I used to love to read manuals and learn to do the things I learned while reading them. This is what led to my getting a job with Bahlsen, Inc. or Austin Quality Foods after I had the stroke.
After working for Merck, Sharpe & Dohme I went to work for Austin Quality foods for a short time while waiting on the Kidney transplant. Then shortly after the transplant I went to work in Harrisburg, PA for a very large electric motor manufacturing company. Don’t recall the name of this company but thjis is were I met up with the Arthur Andersen consulting company and it the first job that was not satisfied with the work I did. So then I didn’t have a job until after I had the stroke when I went to work as an employee of Bahlsen, Inc. where I worked until I decided to accept a disability package. This disability package was for sixty percent of what I was earning at that time which was about ½ what I had been earning as a consultant. And that is the end of my working life. So there.
So while working for Merck, Sharpe & Dohme, Hp also had me go back to work on occation to do some special work for Austin Quality Foods from time to time. I despised the work at Merck, Sharpe & Dohme as it was mostly report writing and I had always hated to do that type of work. Whenever I could pull it off I would get some one else to do the report writing for me if I could in any way. Many people enjoyed writing reports as it didn’t take many brains to do it so I would always look for the lazier sort of person to ask them to do this. They thought I was crazy in trying to get out of the work when they relished doing it.
While working at Merck, Sharpe & Dohme I met for a second time a gal I worked with at General Electric during my first assignment in the consulting world by the name of Sandy Mathers who had a son the same age as Cathy and who was an LPGA woman while she was younger. She said that she could not support her son with golf so she started programming and to be honest I was very happy that she had as she taught me a great deal about Quiz QTP and the other supposedly easy to use HP programming languages.
While in school I was taught three languages, RPG II, FORTRAN and COBOL, and while working I taught myself several new languages to go along with these three, I guess I could say I know SPL, BRW, PASCAL and APL along with these previous three. I used to love to read manuals and learn to do the things I learned while reading them. This is what led to my getting a job with Bahlsen, Inc. or Austin Quality Foods after I had the stroke.
After working for Merck, Sharpe & Dohme I went to work for Austin Quality foods for a short time while waiting on the Kidney transplant. Then shortly after the transplant I went to work in Harrisburg, PA for a very large electric motor manufacturing company. Don’t recall the name of this company but thjis is were I met up with the Arthur Andersen consulting company and it the first job that was not satisfied with the work I did. So then I didn’t have a job until after I had the stroke when I went to work as an employee of Bahlsen, Inc. where I worked until I decided to accept a disability package. This disability package was for sixty percent of what I was earning at that time which was about ½ what I had been earning as a consultant. And that is the end of my working life. So there.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Tag Game from Cathy
The tag game
What's in your fridge?
I have no idea except my water and milk
What's in your purse/wallet?
license or ID, Kiaiser card, Safeway card, Soc Sec Card, some dollar bills and some receipts
What's on/in your DVR/DVD?
Nothing, last thing was an educational DVD from Hanger the Prosthetic company.
What's in your car?
That is Diana’s area and I have no idea.
Who's tagged next?
Ciria
Adam
Alex
What's in your fridge?
I have no idea except my water and milk
What's in your purse/wallet?
license or ID, Kiaiser card, Safeway card, Soc Sec Card, some dollar bills and some receipts
What's on/in your DVR/DVD?
Nothing, last thing was an educational DVD from Hanger the Prosthetic company.
What's in your car?
That is Diana’s area and I have no idea.
Who's tagged next?
Ciria
Adam
Alex
Friday, May 26, 2006
Responses 2 Here we go again!
Alex said...
I had no idea that you worked for so many different companies. Was it ever hard to find a job
Response: No it was never hard to find a job as I worked for a consulting company and they found jobs for me. The only trouble was that when my salary got too high companies could find cheaper help more and more. I asked to have my salary lowered but the consulting company, wTw or Wesson, Taylor, Wells, would not hear of it. I suppose they didn't want to be sued or something.
Cathy said...
Vallen has thought a lot about consulting like you did... I'm not too excited because I remember how many hours you worked! I'd rather he worked close to home. I'm sure you liked it better too!
Response: My Advice would be to work for a Consulting company as I did. But then he probably has out bid himself before he gets started as his current salary is more than what most companies are willing to pay for that type of consulting. They, the companies looking for help, can get it from college grads much cheaper, not as good but cheaper and that is what most companies want. I probably do not know what I am talking about but I remember working for Arthur Andersen just after my transplant and they had such strict rules to follow that I didn't do a good job. I felt bad about this. Oh well, ramblings of an old fool. One last thing, I hated being away from my family so much which I had too do as a consultant regardless of the hours I worked. And I worked so many hours so that my children could have whatever Diana said they needed.
Ciria said...
It's good to see you blogging again. It is always a learning experience. Since when did you fish with friends?
Response: I fished as a child with my uncle Steve and then later as a teenager with Jimmy Brasheers and then finally with this friend Steve as I was trying to influence his life. Feeling bad about the way he had been treated or something like that. To tell the truth I wouldn't have given up the trips out on his yacht.
Kristy said...
Dad it's like you had a secret life that none of us or at least I never knew about. I guess I always wondered exactly what you were doing while you were away... I just figured working. Interesting insight.
Response: I always thought no one was interested in what I had been doing. Sometimes I would tell Diana but not always. I had the impression that none of my children liked me very much. That is why I treated yall the way I did. Childish I know but there it is.
Fortunately I have grown a great deal as I have gotten older, and your husband has taught me alot as most of my childrens spouses have.
And here is one from Trips are scary.
Alex said...
I keep waiting for your new blog dad. Please think of something to write about. I miss hearing about what's going on
Response: I have written three since then and two have not been commented on. So I guess it is only a one way street for yall. JK LOL :)
I had no idea that you worked for so many different companies. Was it ever hard to find a job
Response: No it was never hard to find a job as I worked for a consulting company and they found jobs for me. The only trouble was that when my salary got too high companies could find cheaper help more and more. I asked to have my salary lowered but the consulting company, wTw or Wesson, Taylor, Wells, would not hear of it. I suppose they didn't want to be sued or something.
Cathy said...
Vallen has thought a lot about consulting like you did... I'm not too excited because I remember how many hours you worked! I'd rather he worked close to home. I'm sure you liked it better too!
Response: My Advice would be to work for a Consulting company as I did. But then he probably has out bid himself before he gets started as his current salary is more than what most companies are willing to pay for that type of consulting. They, the companies looking for help, can get it from college grads much cheaper, not as good but cheaper and that is what most companies want. I probably do not know what I am talking about but I remember working for Arthur Andersen just after my transplant and they had such strict rules to follow that I didn't do a good job. I felt bad about this. Oh well, ramblings of an old fool. One last thing, I hated being away from my family so much which I had too do as a consultant regardless of the hours I worked. And I worked so many hours so that my children could have whatever Diana said they needed.
Ciria said...
It's good to see you blogging again. It is always a learning experience. Since when did you fish with friends?
Response: I fished as a child with my uncle Steve and then later as a teenager with Jimmy Brasheers and then finally with this friend Steve as I was trying to influence his life. Feeling bad about the way he had been treated or something like that. To tell the truth I wouldn't have given up the trips out on his yacht.
Kristy said...
Dad it's like you had a secret life that none of us or at least I never knew about. I guess I always wondered exactly what you were doing while you were away... I just figured working. Interesting insight.
Response: I always thought no one was interested in what I had been doing. Sometimes I would tell Diana but not always. I had the impression that none of my children liked me very much. That is why I treated yall the way I did. Childish I know but there it is.
Fortunately I have grown a great deal as I have gotten older, and your husband has taught me alot as most of my childrens spouses have.
And here is one from Trips are scary.
Alex said...
I keep waiting for your new blog dad. Please think of something to write about. I miss hearing about what's going on
Response: I have written three since then and two have not been commented on. So I guess it is only a one way street for yall. JK LOL :)
Here we go again!
Ever wonder where I am going with this life story? Well Ill tell you… at the end. For now we go on with my dreary life. We left off in Raleigh, NC at Emco Wheaton who made Gasoline nozzles for gas pumps. Now we go to Durham, NC and Northern Telecom Recycling where I worked for a short period of time. So short that I don’t even remember what I did there or why I left but I did leave to go to work in Columbia, SC for Shakespeare fishing equipment Inc. while working here I wrote software to keep track of the amount of line coming off each machine. This was a grand experience as I was talking directly with a machine and only had to talk to people when this project finished and they fired my friend, Steve, the manager of this DP Department and asked me to take over for him until they found a replacement, which I thought they never would.
Before they let him go Steve and I would go out on the lake fishing on his little 40 foot boat er yacht. We would go to the USC ball games and wander around the campus where he had gone to school while he explained to me all of his good times while living there and going to school. I was so sad at some of the things he told me that I tried to tell him of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the resurrected church but he was to stuck in his ways and didn’t want to create ripples. He had been married a long time ago, as he put it, and I later found out had only been two years since she had left him for his drinking and dating other women. The other thing we always did was to go to “Applebee’s” to eat and where he found all of his old chums and would start drinking the night away, it was on our third trip to Applebee’s that I realized I needed to take my own car so that I could get home at a decent hour.
Once they finally found a replacement for Steve I moved on from this part of my life and went back to North Carolina to work at Merck, Sharpe & Dohme a pharmaceutical manufacturing company and we will discuss this next time I get time to continue my story.
Before they let him go Steve and I would go out on the lake fishing on his little 40 foot boat er yacht. We would go to the USC ball games and wander around the campus where he had gone to school while he explained to me all of his good times while living there and going to school. I was so sad at some of the things he told me that I tried to tell him of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the resurrected church but he was to stuck in his ways and didn’t want to create ripples. He had been married a long time ago, as he put it, and I later found out had only been two years since she had left him for his drinking and dating other women. The other thing we always did was to go to “Applebee’s” to eat and where he found all of his old chums and would start drinking the night away, it was on our third trip to Applebee’s that I realized I needed to take my own car so that I could get home at a decent hour.
Once they finally found a replacement for Steve I moved on from this part of my life and went back to North Carolina to work at Merck, Sharpe & Dohme a pharmaceutical manufacturing company and we will discuss this next time I get time to continue my story.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Trips are scary!
As we went to see Calixta graduate with her Medical Assstance degree there were very many great moments that I should dwell on; however, I am going to talk a little about the scares I went through first and then I will talk about the best part of our trip. After being there in Utah for a day I started finding it hard to breath and the longer I was there the less I was able to breath’ so we tried using a nebulizer to help me breath better and I do not think that did me as much good as the blessing Adam gave me after he had taught Nate how to ordain me with the consecrated oil. Adam was the best teacher I think I have ever heard while teaching Nate how to ordain me. And I don’t think Nate made even one mistake.
Well I think the Lord must be getting tired of all the blessings I have been given through the years. He must realize by now that I am not worth all the blessings.
I know Alex told me one time that I did not want to start taking oxygen yet. But I think I need to be prepared so that I can continue going to see my children/grandchildren. Now I will tell the best part of taking trips.
I love more than anything seeing my progeny. Each and every child are so special to me and even though I loved working as a consultant it6 was this that took me away from my family so much and I wish everything I had taken a job where I could have spent more time with my family. Now we have moved to this dreary place where no one wants to come visit us. I truly look forward to a time when we will be able to visit at will.
I love the sights of Utah; I think Utah would be a great place to live except the heights and the cold. Oh well we have the rain and the cloudiness. I suppose there are great things about every location as well as the drawbacks. I know California is one of the greatest places to live if they didn’t have the earthquakes, which scare me to death just like the lack of oxygen as well as tornadoes.
I love to give the kids rides on the scooter, which we need to fix the batteries on before anymore trips. I love to take off my legs and get down to the kids size to play with them. I would do this more if I weren’t so rough with the little ones
Well I think the Lord must be getting tired of all the blessings I have been given through the years. He must realize by now that I am not worth all the blessings.
I know Alex told me one time that I did not want to start taking oxygen yet. But I think I need to be prepared so that I can continue going to see my children/grandchildren. Now I will tell the best part of taking trips.
I love more than anything seeing my progeny. Each and every child are so special to me and even though I loved working as a consultant it6 was this that took me away from my family so much and I wish everything I had taken a job where I could have spent more time with my family. Now we have moved to this dreary place where no one wants to come visit us. I truly look forward to a time when we will be able to visit at will.
I love the sights of Utah; I think Utah would be a great place to live except the heights and the cold. Oh well we have the rain and the cloudiness. I suppose there are great things about every location as well as the drawbacks. I know California is one of the greatest places to live if they didn’t have the earthquakes, which scare me to death just like the lack of oxygen as well as tornadoes.
I love to give the kids rides on the scooter, which we need to fix the batteries on before anymore trips. I love to take off my legs and get down to the kids size to play with them. I would do this more if I weren’t so rough with the little ones
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Healthy and unhealthy
I changed my primary health care provider recently and it will be 12 May before I am able to go visit him for the first time and yet I was not feeling well at all yesterday and so I called to make a same day appointment, seems one must do this first thing in the morning and not wait till noon so I did not get an appointment. After talking to the in charge RN it was determined that my case needed to be handled with utmost care and concern as my case obviously needed delicate care so I was asked if there was someone who could take me to the hospital to which I said my wife would not be at home till 5:30 PM so this nurse said she would call 911 for me and was the address correct? My opinion of ambulance people is very low, sorry Alex but in Washington it is critical they get an IV started before they start transporting a person. Anyway I asked if this nurse, Diana later found her name to be Stephanie, would allow me to try to get in touch with my wife before she called 911 to which she agreed. Before this I asked if she thought I could go to the Kaiser office just a few blocks from our house to where they were and was told the Keyto-acidosus they suspected I was sufferring with was life threatening and the once a year sun we had would not be good for me. So I called Diana and told her what they had said and would she come take me to the hospital. I don’t know how it works that it takes her twenty minutes or more to get to work and she was home yesterday in ten minutes and I didn’t even hear any squealing of tires.
Anyway, back to the story. We got to the hospital and waited a very short time before we were taken back to a room where they would be able to strip me to see how I worked; normally it takes three to four hours of waiting. I guess everyone was being real careful not to spoil their one day in the sun. After I was stripped and strapped to the table they drove spikes in me and we left 5 hours later with a result of no keytones but a slight rise in the abc’s of my chf or something heart failure. Anyway I felt like a new man with all the new things they had added, some bands around my wrist and a band aid or two. I also felt like a newborn as I was extremely hungry. And at last I have decided to leave my leggs to science.
All the way from home Diana said that I had almost made it a whole year without going to the hospital. When we got to the hospital she told the same thing to each nurse and doctor we saw. Diana started telling people that we had been to the hospital at least once a year since 1987 and I just let her say what she was going to say.
Before we left I was out at the nurses station to ask something or other and the doctor taking care of me started reading my health history and thought it was so funny she looked up and saw me and asked if I had written it. After I had gone back into the room this same doctor came in and asked if she could share it around. We said ok but I have since thought I should have asked for copyright rights.
Finally I was supposed to be unhealthy but actually we can still make it more than a year between hospitalizations and therefore I am still healthy
Anyway, back to the story. We got to the hospital and waited a very short time before we were taken back to a room where they would be able to strip me to see how I worked; normally it takes three to four hours of waiting. I guess everyone was being real careful not to spoil their one day in the sun. After I was stripped and strapped to the table they drove spikes in me and we left 5 hours later with a result of no keytones but a slight rise in the abc’s of my chf or something heart failure. Anyway I felt like a new man with all the new things they had added, some bands around my wrist and a band aid or two. I also felt like a newborn as I was extremely hungry. And at last I have decided to leave my leggs to science.
All the way from home Diana said that I had almost made it a whole year without going to the hospital. When we got to the hospital she told the same thing to each nurse and doctor we saw. Diana started telling people that we had been to the hospital at least once a year since 1987 and I just let her say what she was going to say.
Before we left I was out at the nurses station to ask something or other and the doctor taking care of me started reading my health history and thought it was so funny she looked up and saw me and asked if I had written it. After I had gone back into the room this same doctor came in and asked if she could share it around. We said ok but I have since thought I should have asked for copyright rights.
Finally I was supposed to be unhealthy but actually we can still make it more than a year between hospitalizations and therefore I am still healthy
Monday, April 24, 2006
Working again (I wish)
Along the northeastern border of Ohio was a small town about thirty miles west of the border of Pennsylvania right next to lake Erie is a small town Redbird. Anyway I was sent there to help move the computer to Raleigh, NC where this British based company had decided to reestablish their headquarters. I went there to get to know the people of the company and to take over for the head of the data processing department as the previous head had said that she would not leave Ohio for any reason. How narrow minded I believe as I have been in several locations around the US.
I remember the trip up there was like a visit to a third world country. I flew to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania rented a car and drove to this small town. Pittsburg was the last bit of a US that I saw and it was not that great. While traveling west north west from Pittsburg I was shocked at the number of toll roads I had to go through. I probably spent twenty dollars just on tolls! And Pennsylvania was probably the most strict state with speed limits I have seen. I was warned and didn’t get any tickets, but almost as I was two miles from Ohio when I sped up. I should have waited for the half mile point. And to answer your questions I was stopped and lectured as I had a NC drivers license, if it had been from Pennsylvania or Ohio I definitely would have received a ticket. I was told that my name and license number would alert any future Pennsylvania police
There were a young couple who moved with the company who were not married though they had marital relations and I could never understand this as both were in their early twenties and he was an alcoholic and she looked like a two legged bull dog. After getting back to Raliegh I worked with this guy, she worked in a different department, for several months before I was called into the comptrollers office and told to fire him by this totally British guy who had no idea that I was at the end of my rope, so when I refused to fire him he wanted my resignation then and there so I called my bosses and told them, it was no more than twenty minutes when I was called back to the comptrollers office again and begged to stay. The drunkard was an ingenious person with programming but it was only a little time longer before they fired him
I guess that is my story for today. See you tomorrow.
I remember the trip up there was like a visit to a third world country. I flew to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania rented a car and drove to this small town. Pittsburg was the last bit of a US that I saw and it was not that great. While traveling west north west from Pittsburg I was shocked at the number of toll roads I had to go through. I probably spent twenty dollars just on tolls! And Pennsylvania was probably the most strict state with speed limits I have seen. I was warned and didn’t get any tickets, but almost as I was two miles from Ohio when I sped up. I should have waited for the half mile point. And to answer your questions I was stopped and lectured as I had a NC drivers license, if it had been from Pennsylvania or Ohio I definitely would have received a ticket. I was told that my name and license number would alert any future Pennsylvania police
There were a young couple who moved with the company who were not married though they had marital relations and I could never understand this as both were in their early twenties and he was an alcoholic and she looked like a two legged bull dog. After getting back to Raliegh I worked with this guy, she worked in a different department, for several months before I was called into the comptrollers office and told to fire him by this totally British guy who had no idea that I was at the end of my rope, so when I refused to fire him he wanted my resignation then and there so I called my bosses and told them, it was no more than twenty minutes when I was called back to the comptrollers office again and begged to stay. The drunkard was an ingenious person with programming but it was only a little time longer before they fired him
I guess that is my story for today. See you tomorrow.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Taxes
That is taxes not Texas Alex. Diana and I paid all of our meager savings to the IRS for taxes that we owed so Alex could go to Texas to start his life. You see we paid the government as much as the government paid Alex to move to Texas. I guess one might say we are still supporting our children. Well this is not my story, I just thought I would give Alex a hard time.
Since we paid so much on taxes – Diana and I have been left this week as broke as scrooge was mean. We have been waiting all week for the disability check to get here from the insurance company. I thought it would have been here on Monday – then Tuesday – then Wednesday – then today and it finally got here today. I was going stir crazy in that I couldn’t have even gone to Wal-Mart for some water as we were that poor. Finally I was going out of my mind and remembered Diana’s little basket of loose change that we never seem to use except for times like today. So I took about 1/4th of it and put it in a little sandwich bag so I would have some money for lunch as I just wanted out of the house after all the waiting. The check came after lunch today bye the way. While I was at the mall getting ready to eat a burrito I sat at one of the tables and dumped the cash out on the table to count how much money I actually had and while counting I dropped several nickels to the floor. I knew where they were so I left them while I finished counting. Well, some lady came over and picked them up for me and I said “Thank You, I am just counting the money to see what I can afford”. I can imagine now what it must have looked like (A little old man with no legs and no money trying to get something to eat).
Well, I went over to "Taco Time" to get a burrito and as I ordered and was waiting for the waiter to tell me how much I owed, this man came over and started talking to the waiter. I was getting upset at the rudeness of the guy to come and cut in so when he turned to me and said “I’ve got it” I didn’t understand what he was talking about and asked what so he told me again and I finally had sense enough to say thank you. And as the waiter gave him the change he dropped it into my sandwich bag for which I thanked him again. Then after I went over to the tables and started eating, as I had not brought out my water, this same man brought me a large drink, that I had not even asked the waiter for!
I told Diana that I wasn’t going to wait for any more money, when I need anything I would just keep the dark glasses on and hold out my hat! That should bring in a couple hundred a day.
Love you all.
Since we paid so much on taxes – Diana and I have been left this week as broke as scrooge was mean. We have been waiting all week for the disability check to get here from the insurance company. I thought it would have been here on Monday – then Tuesday – then Wednesday – then today and it finally got here today. I was going stir crazy in that I couldn’t have even gone to Wal-Mart for some water as we were that poor. Finally I was going out of my mind and remembered Diana’s little basket of loose change that we never seem to use except for times like today. So I took about 1/4th of it and put it in a little sandwich bag so I would have some money for lunch as I just wanted out of the house after all the waiting. The check came after lunch today bye the way. While I was at the mall getting ready to eat a burrito I sat at one of the tables and dumped the cash out on the table to count how much money I actually had and while counting I dropped several nickels to the floor. I knew where they were so I left them while I finished counting. Well, some lady came over and picked them up for me and I said “Thank You, I am just counting the money to see what I can afford”. I can imagine now what it must have looked like (A little old man with no legs and no money trying to get something to eat).
Well, I went over to "Taco Time" to get a burrito and as I ordered and was waiting for the waiter to tell me how much I owed, this man came over and started talking to the waiter. I was getting upset at the rudeness of the guy to come and cut in so when he turned to me and said “I’ve got it” I didn’t understand what he was talking about and asked what so he told me again and I finally had sense enough to say thank you. And as the waiter gave him the change he dropped it into my sandwich bag for which I thanked him again. Then after I went over to the tables and started eating, as I had not brought out my water, this same man brought me a large drink, that I had not even asked the waiter for!
I told Diana that I wasn’t going to wait for any more money, when I need anything I would just keep the dark glasses on and hold out my hat! That should bring in a couple hundred a day.
Love you all.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Do you want some more of my working life
Or would you like some more of me and my life? I guess I will tell you of my impressions in each location I worked. Will that be better?
I explained why I decided to move to Spokane and I believe it was best for my family but I really struggled while there and because these struggles are personal I will not explain them. Then I was offered the opportunity of taking a job in NC which I wish I had thought more carefully on. Even if it was the favorite job I ever had, I wonder how much my family suffered and therefore I think now that I should have thought more on the subject. When I first went to NC I was awed by the beautiful dogwoods blooming all around and I had seen some postcards showing the beautiful fall season in NC. So just the beauty of the place was a big reason why I wanted to move there, but we had just been through a very cold and snowy winter in Spokane, snow on the ground from early Oct. to early Apr., and I did not want to face another, the weather was quite warm in NC and it was far enough south that I didn’t think we would have to face another cold winter like in Spokane. So I accepted the first job offered in NC but wonder if Texas might have been better.
There are so many memories of the travels I did while the family stayed in NC and I will share most with you as we go along but for today I think it will be enough to talk about two or three. So we should go chronologically and will begin with Newtown, CT where I went after working for GE in the Research Triangle Park. The first time I went there it was a November day and while NC was so beautiful with colorful leaves Newtown was plenty of trees but they were all completely bare, not even one leaf. Well I went there to work for DuPont, Inc. and the entire nine months I was there I was miserable except when I went to New York City to visit on some weekends. The reason they wanted me there in Newtown was that they were switching from an IBM to a Hewlett-Packard and since I had switched the other way they thought I would be a great help.
The next place I went to was Allendale, SC where I worked for Westinghouse. One of my experiences here in Allendale was that I went for brunch one Saturday morning and as I was eating at a local restraint when two young men were coming to eat aso and as the one closest to a pickup sitting there and he ran his hand along the edge of the pickup bed while talking to his friend and all of a sudden he didn’t have an arm. You see there was a live alligator in the bed of the pickup. Why the alligator was there has me baffled but apparently they moved alligators in that fashion. Why one would stop to eat breakfast while moving an alligator is a mystery but ill bet he doesn’t do that again.
While working here I worked a great deal and one week I worked 106 hours, to which my boss asked why I had taken Sunday off.
I explained why I decided to move to Spokane and I believe it was best for my family but I really struggled while there and because these struggles are personal I will not explain them. Then I was offered the opportunity of taking a job in NC which I wish I had thought more carefully on. Even if it was the favorite job I ever had, I wonder how much my family suffered and therefore I think now that I should have thought more on the subject. When I first went to NC I was awed by the beautiful dogwoods blooming all around and I had seen some postcards showing the beautiful fall season in NC. So just the beauty of the place was a big reason why I wanted to move there, but we had just been through a very cold and snowy winter in Spokane, snow on the ground from early Oct. to early Apr., and I did not want to face another, the weather was quite warm in NC and it was far enough south that I didn’t think we would have to face another cold winter like in Spokane. So I accepted the first job offered in NC but wonder if Texas might have been better.
There are so many memories of the travels I did while the family stayed in NC and I will share most with you as we go along but for today I think it will be enough to talk about two or three. So we should go chronologically and will begin with Newtown, CT where I went after working for GE in the Research Triangle Park. The first time I went there it was a November day and while NC was so beautiful with colorful leaves Newtown was plenty of trees but they were all completely bare, not even one leaf. Well I went there to work for DuPont, Inc. and the entire nine months I was there I was miserable except when I went to New York City to visit on some weekends. The reason they wanted me there in Newtown was that they were switching from an IBM to a Hewlett-Packard and since I had switched the other way they thought I would be a great help.
The next place I went to was Allendale, SC where I worked for Westinghouse. One of my experiences here in Allendale was that I went for brunch one Saturday morning and as I was eating at a local restraint when two young men were coming to eat aso and as the one closest to a pickup sitting there and he ran his hand along the edge of the pickup bed while talking to his friend and all of a sudden he didn’t have an arm. You see there was a live alligator in the bed of the pickup. Why the alligator was there has me baffled but apparently they moved alligators in that fashion. Why one would stop to eat breakfast while moving an alligator is a mystery but ill bet he doesn’t do that again.
While working here I worked a great deal and one week I worked 106 hours, to which my boss asked why I had taken Sunday off.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
And on with my working life
One of the reasons I went to work at KeyTronic was that they were using an Hewlett-Packard computer which I fell in love with while working at the City of Moses Lake and I wanted to continue working with the HP. Ask Diana and she will tell you that I was more in love with my computer than I was with her. It might even still be true if I were still able to work. Anyway, I still wanted to work with the HP while KeyTronic was converting to work with a larger IBM computer. Because of this switch and because I was sick and tired of working as a supervisor, and not doing a good job because of it, I was afraid that I might loose my job with KeyTronic so I started looking for a new job in Oregon, in California, in Texas, in North Carolina, and in Minnesota. Well as part of switching to the IBM several of us at KeyTronic were sent to a training session in Winston-Salem, NC and on returning from this training I was totally convinced that I would love to live in NC, so when I was offered a job at around the same rate as I was earning at KeyTronic $46,000.00 per year, I accepted it. With a little talking to Diana we decided that we would be better off in NC than we would be doing in Spokane in a couple years as Spokane was in a terribly depressed state about then.
After taking the job in NC I was totally in love with the equipment I had to work with but also with the job I was doing with General Electric Semiconductor. I worked with the HP 950 once again but also I was working as a systems programmer where I wrote the code to determine when we would need more disc space or cpu megs or tape drives and so forth. We ran two systems where the first is what was used on the semiconductor floors and the second was to always be completely in sync so there was never any down time for errors nor for backups as backups could be done on the in sync system. When there was an error on the system that was normally on the floor we could switch from that t the in sync system within two minutes, 60 seconds was the fastest I was aware of. Anyway this programming was done with the Pascal programming language and a little SPL which was used for the system to system communications.
And this is the very first job I worked at in the consulting effort. Again tomorrow.
After taking the job in NC I was totally in love with the equipment I had to work with but also with the job I was doing with General Electric Semiconductor. I worked with the HP 950 once again but also I was working as a systems programmer where I wrote the code to determine when we would need more disc space or cpu megs or tape drives and so forth. We ran two systems where the first is what was used on the semiconductor floors and the second was to always be completely in sync so there was never any down time for errors nor for backups as backups could be done on the in sync system. When there was an error on the system that was normally on the floor we could switch from that t the in sync system within two minutes, 60 seconds was the fastest I was aware of. Anyway this programming was done with the Pascal programming language and a little SPL which was used for the system to system communications.
And this is the very first job I worked at in the consulting effort. Again tomorrow.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Our weekend!
Calixta where she belongs at home
with her husband.
Kristy, Diana, Keary and Calixta at home.
Kristy, Tonia, Diana and Calixta the belle of the ball.
And Tonia, Kristy and Calixta at home...
And more of my working life…
When Calixta was born it was early on a Sunday morning and I had just accepted a job giving me a $30,000.00 a year raise. And Calixta almost killed Diana but all I could think of was obtaining that great big paycheck. Vallen probably laughs as he probably makes that much per month with his new job. Anyway I think I was the biggest jerk around as I ran off to get that job after Calixta was born. We then lived in Moses Lake, Washington making three of our six children being in Moses Lake or Alex, Andrew and Calixta or the little ones as they came to be known to us in our family. Cathy and Kristy were born in Laredo, Texas. Leaving poor Ciria to be the black er lost sheep of the family and the only child being born in Othello, Washington, which she should be very proud of as that is were I graduated High School from. One might say that most children were born in Washington State. The one good thing about the day Calixta was born was that Verl and Michael-Jean Hansen also had a baby that same day, however, this baby was a very pre-mature baby and I was asked to help give the baby a blessing. Spiritually I was doing a little better than I was doing with Diana.
Well I ran off to work my fourth job after college in Spokane, WA. Then I hurried Diana to come up there to help find the house we would live in. another silly or thoughtless action on my part. I was batting zero in my familial abilities but quite high in my work abilities. I didn’t even have to interview for this or any further jobs as my name and work ethic and ability got to be quite well known especially along the east coast.
Working at KeyTronic Inc. I was given the ability to work in a managing position and found that I was not the type of person to give one of my workers a raise and not another. I had one individual who I continually found sleeping at his desk and I could not convince myself to fire him, he had struggles as he was trying to move while working or something else, instead I kept finding excuses for him. Never again did I want to be in a management position although I did find myself there once for a few months while working as a consultant. I even remember the name of this company “Shakespeare fishing equipment Inc.” I had to look it up. LOL
The only person I was responsible to was the controller and that made no sense to me as the controller should be responsible for finances and not for the manufacturing part of the Computer Science staff should be under the manufacturing manager or VP. I always get upset over the near-sightedness of some business men. What does a comptroller know about the workings of a shelving sequence? Most would say nothing or give you a dead answer as they really know nothing and are trying to impress everyone around.
Anyway after working for KeyTronic I moved cross country to work as a consultant. My favorite way of working in North Carolina where I moved the family to and most if not all can now speak as if they are from the south. Bye for now.
Well I ran off to work my fourth job after college in Spokane, WA. Then I hurried Diana to come up there to help find the house we would live in. another silly or thoughtless action on my part. I was batting zero in my familial abilities but quite high in my work abilities. I didn’t even have to interview for this or any further jobs as my name and work ethic and ability got to be quite well known especially along the east coast.
Working at KeyTronic Inc. I was given the ability to work in a managing position and found that I was not the type of person to give one of my workers a raise and not another. I had one individual who I continually found sleeping at his desk and I could not convince myself to fire him, he had struggles as he was trying to move while working or something else, instead I kept finding excuses for him. Never again did I want to be in a management position although I did find myself there once for a few months while working as a consultant. I even remember the name of this company “Shakespeare fishing equipment Inc.” I had to look it up. LOL
The only person I was responsible to was the controller and that made no sense to me as the controller should be responsible for finances and not for the manufacturing part of the Computer Science staff should be under the manufacturing manager or VP. I always get upset over the near-sightedness of some business men. What does a comptroller know about the workings of a shelving sequence? Most would say nothing or give you a dead answer as they really know nothing and are trying to impress everyone around.
Anyway after working for KeyTronic I moved cross country to work as a consultant. My favorite way of working in North Carolina where I moved the family to and most if not all can now speak as if they are from the south. Bye for now.
Friday, April 07, 2006
And finally Calixta!
Calixta was such a disappointment to me that I cried when Diana told me she was expecting once again. To be honest Calixta was not a disappointment but the fact that we were going to have to support another child and all the pampers and all the clothes and allll the shoes and all the food. And at the amount of money I was earning. I just couldn’t think of how we were going to survive having another child. Calixta would probably say that I never forgot that moment, but I will never forget the great blessings that were poured out on all of my family since we were willing to support another of our Heavenly Father’s spirits.
Diana and I found how much our Heavenly Father loves us and how much He will bless us with if we simply follow His commandments. And I remember one of those commands is to be fruitful and multiply and I am so grateful that we did follow this commandment as we could. I now realize that everyone is unable to follow this commandment, but many are to selfish to follow this commandment as they do not realize how much Heavenly Father will bless those who do follow each of His commandments. Isn’t it amazing the efforts satan goes to to convince us that we only need follow one rule – that of being selfish.
It is amazing to me all of the blessings Diana and I have shared in through our lives while raising our children and then I feel that I have not yet done something that I should have done already and for this reason I have slowed down a great deal on the life story. If I finish it I might have finished something that is keeping me alive. Maybe there is something completely different but I have no clue what it might be if it is not this then I think it might be a mission, as I understand that one is forgiven his/her sins for every child of god who one teaches the gospel to and must follow ones patriarchal blessing.
As Calixta grew older she was such a delight to us as she has always been an extremely fun person. I was extremely frustrated with Calixta as she turned a teenager and started hanging with a bunch of, in my opinion, losers. I can think of not one who has made something of her life except Calixta. I realize I should have been kinder to these girls as Diana was, however all I could see was the loss of one of my Heavenly Fathers children and I didn’t think Andrew would such a thing. Just goes to show you that no one might be perfect without my or our proper teachings. Hopefully by teaching the gospel to a rew people I might be forgiven all the wrongs I have done my family.
Calixta was a challenge for me to accept and she was always one to correct me with what I found to be what she had been taught in church and I would be very embarrassed at what I should have done.
I was so proud to see five of my six children in the celestial and the sealing rooms when Calixta was married and I wondered what had caused Andrew to decide not to follow what Diana and I had tried to teach our children.
Diana and I found how much our Heavenly Father loves us and how much He will bless us with if we simply follow His commandments. And I remember one of those commands is to be fruitful and multiply and I am so grateful that we did follow this commandment as we could. I now realize that everyone is unable to follow this commandment, but many are to selfish to follow this commandment as they do not realize how much Heavenly Father will bless those who do follow each of His commandments. Isn’t it amazing the efforts satan goes to to convince us that we only need follow one rule – that of being selfish.
It is amazing to me all of the blessings Diana and I have shared in through our lives while raising our children and then I feel that I have not yet done something that I should have done already and for this reason I have slowed down a great deal on the life story. If I finish it I might have finished something that is keeping me alive. Maybe there is something completely different but I have no clue what it might be if it is not this then I think it might be a mission, as I understand that one is forgiven his/her sins for every child of god who one teaches the gospel to and must follow ones patriarchal blessing.
As Calixta grew older she was such a delight to us as she has always been an extremely fun person. I was extremely frustrated with Calixta as she turned a teenager and started hanging with a bunch of, in my opinion, losers. I can think of not one who has made something of her life except Calixta. I realize I should have been kinder to these girls as Diana was, however all I could see was the loss of one of my Heavenly Fathers children and I didn’t think Andrew would such a thing. Just goes to show you that no one might be perfect without my or our proper teachings. Hopefully by teaching the gospel to a rew people I might be forgiven all the wrongs I have done my family.
Calixta was a challenge for me to accept and she was always one to correct me with what I found to be what she had been taught in church and I would be very embarrassed at what I should have done.
I was so proud to see five of my six children in the celestial and the sealing rooms when Calixta was married and I wondered what had caused Andrew to decide not to follow what Diana and I had tried to teach our children.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Andrew… My most sensitive child!
When Andrew was born he was so special to both his parents and as we got to know him better we could see that he could be a very great man if he so chose. There was a very significant light in his eyes that looked so much like his mothers eyes. Andrew was always mischievous like his father, but he is better than his father. Andrew was born exactly one day after our wedding anniversary, I wanted him to be born on our anniversary so I had Diana stand on the toilet and jump off it until he was born, but she wouldn’t do that. When Andrew was born we made a walk-in closet for his bedroom and he was only a baby for such a short period of time as Calixta was born 12 months later. Cathy always took care of him till he wanted no more of it.
As Andrew grew older, he got very mischievous and was extremely jealous of his brother and sisters. Andrew pushed Calixta down the stairs, while she was in a baby walker, as one of his first acts of tyranny. JK But he went on to do many things that were both very intelligent and almost as many as many things of villainy, because he is so smart.
While Andrew was a child in Parkwood, we would ride our bikes on the wooded trails around Parkwood and we would even ride out to the Research Triangle Park. We both loved to do this and as he grew a little older he would help me out whenever I had an insulin reaction. I remember once when Andrew was about four I started having an insulin reaction when Andrew was the only other person in the car and he helped me find the way home. Poor child and what a brave child Andrew was. It was about here or maybe even a little earlier when Andrew started disliking our Heavenly Father. Andrew thought that Heavenly Father had allowed me to have this horrible disease and he did not like it at all. Andrew thought it very unfair and he started not wanting anything to do with a God who would allow such suffering. Diana told Andrew that he had to go to church as long as he lived beneath our roof but could make his own choice once he left our house. Well he waited till he was out of our house before he stopped going to church.
Uncle Rod always said that Andrew would be a very rich man and if he were not so much like his dad he would already be a multi-millionaire. The problems are that he always wants to help other people and he has a total lack of respect for any authority. I will say that I have lately learned to appreciate some authority.
Much of this is my own assumptions and if Andrew disagrees with them then he can correct these assumptions.
Love Dad
As Andrew grew older, he got very mischievous and was extremely jealous of his brother and sisters. Andrew pushed Calixta down the stairs, while she was in a baby walker, as one of his first acts of tyranny. JK But he went on to do many things that were both very intelligent and almost as many as many things of villainy, because he is so smart.
While Andrew was a child in Parkwood, we would ride our bikes on the wooded trails around Parkwood and we would even ride out to the Research Triangle Park. We both loved to do this and as he grew a little older he would help me out whenever I had an insulin reaction. I remember once when Andrew was about four I started having an insulin reaction when Andrew was the only other person in the car and he helped me find the way home. Poor child and what a brave child Andrew was. It was about here or maybe even a little earlier when Andrew started disliking our Heavenly Father. Andrew thought that Heavenly Father had allowed me to have this horrible disease and he did not like it at all. Andrew thought it very unfair and he started not wanting anything to do with a God who would allow such suffering. Diana told Andrew that he had to go to church as long as he lived beneath our roof but could make his own choice once he left our house. Well he waited till he was out of our house before he stopped going to church.
Uncle Rod always said that Andrew would be a very rich man and if he were not so much like his dad he would already be a multi-millionaire. The problems are that he always wants to help other people and he has a total lack of respect for any authority. I will say that I have lately learned to appreciate some authority.
Much of this is my own assumptions and if Andrew disagrees with them then he can correct these assumptions.
Love Dad
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Cathys Questions...
1. What is your occupation? Retired drug pusher.
2. What color is your underwear? Pink with purple pok-a-dots.
3. What are you listening to right now? Sweet silence.
4. What was the last thing you ate? Oatmeal.
5. Do you wish on stars? No, did once but that turned out very BAD!
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Black.
7. How is the weather right now? Haven’t looked outside yet.
8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My sweetheart.
9. How old are you today? 55 years, feels like 110 years.
10. Favorite drink? Wal-Mart Water.
11. Favorite sport to watch? Football and college basketball (the NBA is rediculous).
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Once black while in high school footbal we all did it as a joke on our coach. Blonde went to Black or brunette, Black or Brunette went to Red and Red went to Blomde.
13. Do you wear contacts or glasses? I have worn both but now I only wear reading glasses.
14. Pets? None anymore.
15. Favorite month? August.
16. Favorite food? Dianas cooking except oysters.
17. What was the last movie you watched? Yours Mine and Ours.
18. Favorite day of the year? Fathers day.
19. What do you do to vent anger? Never get angry LOL.
20. Hugs or kisses? Both by anyone.
21. Cherry or blueberry? Blueberry.
22. Living arrangements? With my sweetheart in our apartment.
23. When was the last time you cried? I don’t remember, I cry more more now than I did .
24. What is on the floor of your closet? Nothing.
25. Who is/are the friends you have had the longest? My wife or sweetheart.
26. What did you do last night? Watched a movie and wrote a blog Post.
27. Favorite Smell? My wife.
28. What inspires you? My wife.
29. What are you afraid of? My wife.
30.Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Both together.
31. Favorite car? Saab.
32. Favorite dog breed? Huskie.
33. Number of keys on your key ring? 3.
34. How many years at your current job? 12 Longest ever.
35. What is your favorite smell? My wife. Least favorite smell would be a fried body.
36. How many states have you lived in? 10.
37. How many cities have you lived in/name them? Idaho Falls, ID, Blackfoot, ID, Victor, MT, Stevensville, MT, Othello, WA, Rexburg, ID, Seattle, WA, Provo, UT, San Antonio, TX, Laredo, TX, McAllen, TX, Houston, TX, Austin, TX, Woodville, TX, El Paso, Connell, WA, Moses Lake, WA, Spokane, WA, Durham, NC, Newtown, CT, Allendale, SC, Columbia, SC, Orlando, FL, Miami, FL, Harrisburg, PA,, Memphis, TN, Detroit, Michigan, Harrah. OK, Allen, TX, Vancouver, WA.
38. What was the last book you read? The Book of Mormon.
2. What color is your underwear? Pink with purple pok-a-dots.
3. What are you listening to right now? Sweet silence.
4. What was the last thing you ate? Oatmeal.
5. Do you wish on stars? No, did once but that turned out very BAD!
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Black.
7. How is the weather right now? Haven’t looked outside yet.
8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My sweetheart.
9. How old are you today? 55 years, feels like 110 years.
10. Favorite drink? Wal-Mart Water.
11. Favorite sport to watch? Football and college basketball (the NBA is rediculous).
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Once black while in high school footbal we all did it as a joke on our coach. Blonde went to Black or brunette, Black or Brunette went to Red and Red went to Blomde.
13. Do you wear contacts or glasses? I have worn both but now I only wear reading glasses.
14. Pets? None anymore.
15. Favorite month? August.
16. Favorite food? Dianas cooking except oysters.
17. What was the last movie you watched? Yours Mine and Ours.
18. Favorite day of the year? Fathers day.
19. What do you do to vent anger? Never get angry LOL.
20. Hugs or kisses? Both by anyone.
21. Cherry or blueberry? Blueberry.
22. Living arrangements? With my sweetheart in our apartment.
23. When was the last time you cried? I don’t remember, I cry more more now than I did .
24. What is on the floor of your closet? Nothing.
25. Who is/are the friends you have had the longest? My wife or sweetheart.
26. What did you do last night? Watched a movie and wrote a blog Post.
27. Favorite Smell? My wife.
28. What inspires you? My wife.
29. What are you afraid of? My wife.
30.Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Both together.
31. Favorite car? Saab.
32. Favorite dog breed? Huskie.
33. Number of keys on your key ring? 3.
34. How many years at your current job? 12 Longest ever.
35. What is your favorite smell? My wife. Least favorite smell would be a fried body.
36. How many states have you lived in? 10.
37. How many cities have you lived in/name them? Idaho Falls, ID, Blackfoot, ID, Victor, MT, Stevensville, MT, Othello, WA, Rexburg, ID, Seattle, WA, Provo, UT, San Antonio, TX, Laredo, TX, McAllen, TX, Houston, TX, Austin, TX, Woodville, TX, El Paso, Connell, WA, Moses Lake, WA, Spokane, WA, Durham, NC, Newtown, CT, Allendale, SC, Columbia, SC, Orlando, FL, Miami, FL, Harrisburg, PA,, Memphis, TN, Detroit, Michigan, Harrah. OK, Allen, TX, Vancouver, WA.
38. What was the last book you read? The Book of Mormon.
Monday, March 20, 2006
And then there was ?Alexander?
About a month after Andrew was born I was at the local hospital in Moses Lake and saw a sign talking about a support group of Diabetes and as I had never had any training about diabetes, I decided to go to this meeting. While at this meeting I saw a real need for what the hospital dietician had to say. I also saw many other people there who could definitely use what was could be offered if we were to start a local American Diabetes Association as the dietician wanted to do. I got very excited after we were given an the OK from the National Group to go ahead and start a local support group with the details we had supplied them from our first meeting. I worked very hard to get everything setup properly and made many suggestions as to what might be a more sensible ways of organizing the group. And to my complete astonishment they elected me as the first president of the silly group. And I certainly did not think I had time for that, but to my surprise I was still president eleven months later when we moved to Spokane and the group was growing most months. Never did get involved with another diabetes support group.
One day, when getting home from something to do with this support group I looked out the window and saw Diana coming across the road from a very large corn field whipping Alex all the way. I was totally shocked and couldn’t believe my eyes! Diana spanking one of her children would seem a bit out of the question; let alone whipping one of them, and we then had 5 children. So when she came into the house I asked her what was going on? So she explained that she had seen Alex go across the street into the corn field! She was afraid that we would never find him again. So Alex was only self concerned as he said once in Oklahoma ”do you ever wonder if life is all about you? I always think life is only for me.” And when he said that I remembered him going out in the corn field and watching Diana whipping him all the way home.
One day, when getting home from something to do with this support group I looked out the window and saw Diana coming across the road from a very large corn field whipping Alex all the way. I was totally shocked and couldn’t believe my eyes! Diana spanking one of her children would seem a bit out of the question; let alone whipping one of them, and we then had 5 children. So when she came into the house I asked her what was going on? So she explained that she had seen Alex go across the street into the corn field! She was afraid that we would never find him again. So Alex was only self concerned as he said once in Oklahoma ”do you ever wonder if life is all about you? I always think life is only for me.” And when he said that I remembered him going out in the corn field and watching Diana whipping him all the way home.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
After Ciria What?
Ciria was a true joy to have in our family after we moved from Connell to Moses Lake and stopped driving so much to visit my parents. Cathy and Kristy also enjoyed life better also, away from grandmas house. They didn't like the mice in Moses Lake though. We still went to visit grandma and grandpa every so often, but not nearly as often as we would while we lived in an apartment in Connell.
I think I will tell one more story of life in Connell before we moved to Moses Lake. While Cathy was in kindergarten she studied dinosaurs, one day she went home and asked Diana if when she was little “did the dinosaurs bother you?”. This came from a five year old mind and so for all who still have children under ten, guess what strange things they might think up? And maybe even older than ten! There is no way of trying to figure out what children will think of.
So we moved from Connell when I got a job working for the city of Moses Lake and purchased our first house there in Moses Lake. I think the job I had in Moses Lake was the favorite job I ever worked at. The only thing it lacked was the ability of teaching others as I enjoyed as a consultant. If that job had paid me enough to live on I would still be working there. I guess we were just greedy in wanting more for our children to eat. I guess they could have breast fed for a longer period of time. Anyway we lived ther in Moses Lake for five years. During which time Alex was born and born again in my opinion. As Diana had a miscarriage before Alex was born and I am not sure if this is another child that we will raise during the millennium or if Alex was just mean enough to push the fourth little girl out of the way so he could have his chance to be born to Diana.
Then Diana told me that she was expecting again and I think tears came into my eyes but I was too big of a man for this to actually show, or I thought I was. But again Diana had a miscarriage and I was on my knees asking the Lord not to let this happen again, but He didn’t pay me any attention. You see I still didn’t know where babies came from. Well it was only a few months later when Andrew was born and again I don’t know whether we will be raising an eighth child in the millennium or if Andrew also pushed the next little girl out of the way so that he could be born after Alex but you know what I truly believe that they both pushed Calixta out of the way so they could be born first. As they both were very ornery to her while we were raising them!
Gotcha guys…
Just before Calixta was born, I was offered a job for $40,000.00 a year were at the City of Moses Lake I was only earning $10,000.00 a year. I knew that I really enjoyed my job there in Moses Lake so I went to my boss and asked him for a raise and he said he would have to ask the city manager. After which they both had to go to the city council and finally my boss came back to me and said they had been authorized to offer me $.25 an hour more for my services. I guess one can see why I gave up my favorite job.
I think I will tell one more story of life in Connell before we moved to Moses Lake. While Cathy was in kindergarten she studied dinosaurs, one day she went home and asked Diana if when she was little “did the dinosaurs bother you?”. This came from a five year old mind and so for all who still have children under ten, guess what strange things they might think up? And maybe even older than ten! There is no way of trying to figure out what children will think of.
So we moved from Connell when I got a job working for the city of Moses Lake and purchased our first house there in Moses Lake. I think the job I had in Moses Lake was the favorite job I ever worked at. The only thing it lacked was the ability of teaching others as I enjoyed as a consultant. If that job had paid me enough to live on I would still be working there. I guess we were just greedy in wanting more for our children to eat. I guess they could have breast fed for a longer period of time. Anyway we lived ther in Moses Lake for five years. During which time Alex was born and born again in my opinion. As Diana had a miscarriage before Alex was born and I am not sure if this is another child that we will raise during the millennium or if Alex was just mean enough to push the fourth little girl out of the way so he could have his chance to be born to Diana.
Then Diana told me that she was expecting again and I think tears came into my eyes but I was too big of a man for this to actually show, or I thought I was. But again Diana had a miscarriage and I was on my knees asking the Lord not to let this happen again, but He didn’t pay me any attention. You see I still didn’t know where babies came from. Well it was only a few months later when Andrew was born and again I don’t know whether we will be raising an eighth child in the millennium or if Andrew also pushed the next little girl out of the way so that he could be born after Alex but you know what I truly believe that they both pushed Calixta out of the way so they could be born first. As they both were very ornery to her while we were raising them!
Gotcha guys…
Just before Calixta was born, I was offered a job for $40,000.00 a year were at the City of Moses Lake I was only earning $10,000.00 a year. I knew that I really enjoyed my job there in Moses Lake so I went to my boss and asked him for a raise and he said he would have to ask the city manager. After which they both had to go to the city council and finally my boss came back to me and said they had been authorized to offer me $.25 an hour more for my services. I guess one can see why I gave up my favorite job.
Monday, March 13, 2006
One fine day…
It was a beautiful June Sunday when Diana and I went for a long walk in Othello and found that walking is good for a pregnant lady. She was so tired when we got back to grandma’s house Diana could barely raise a leg up the steps. And I, being a jerk, made fun of her and finally helped her get up the stairs so that she could say bye to everyone, as she has always tried to be very courteous to everyone she meets. This is a behavior that I have always admired but could not figure out how she did it, so would get angry with her. Anyway we went home and slept the night away. The next day I went to Richland to work once again or as always and around ten o’clock AM received a call from Diana saying that it was time and she would have to get to the hospital. I was totally confused, flabbergasted and just didn’t know what to do.
So I said that I would leave right away and Diana said that she didn’t think she could wait that long as we lived about 45 minutes from Richland unless I broke every speed law between home and work. Well that would take me even longer as I would probably have ended in jail for what I would say and do to anyone who would stop me. So Diana found her own way to Othello to the hospital as there was no hospital in Connell were we lived at the time.
I got to Othello as fast as I could and found that she had already delivered our third child without me, as Laredo Mercy hospital would not allow the expecting husband into the delivery room nor labor room. Different from today, isn’t it? And I was serving a mission when Cathy was born!
Well when dad saw Ciria he said to Diana “you burn everything don’t you?” and the fact that Diana burned things from time to time was stuck to her for life. Ciria was a very happy and bright baby until Diana got out of the hospital and ate her first hot sauce. We didn’t know that hot sauce would do that to a child. Poor Ciria had her brains fried and she became colicky from then on. Poor baby, I wanted to leave her on the side of the road, but Diana would not hear me and she even thought I was cruel. Who besides my siblings would think such a thing?
So I said that I would leave right away and Diana said that she didn’t think she could wait that long as we lived about 45 minutes from Richland unless I broke every speed law between home and work. Well that would take me even longer as I would probably have ended in jail for what I would say and do to anyone who would stop me. So Diana found her own way to Othello to the hospital as there was no hospital in Connell were we lived at the time.
I got to Othello as fast as I could and found that she had already delivered our third child without me, as Laredo Mercy hospital would not allow the expecting husband into the delivery room nor labor room. Different from today, isn’t it? And I was serving a mission when Cathy was born!
Well when dad saw Ciria he said to Diana “you burn everything don’t you?” and the fact that Diana burned things from time to time was stuck to her for life. Ciria was a very happy and bright baby until Diana got out of the hospital and ate her first hot sauce. We didn’t know that hot sauce would do that to a child. Poor Ciria had her brains fried and she became colicky from then on. Poor baby, I wanted to leave her on the side of the road, but Diana would not hear me and she even thought I was cruel. Who besides my siblings would think such a thing?
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Let’s go back to Laredo twice
This story happened just before I had the accident and after Kristy was born. One day Diana and I were driving north on the I-35 frontage road, I think Texas has the best road system in the US, and as all couples do we were having an argument. I am sure the argument was about me going back to college, she wanted me to make something out of my life and I thought I would be fine as a dock worker or truck driver or whatever. I am so glad she is most always right.
As we were arguing I changed gears in the car and brought my hand up off the steering wheel more forcefully than I normally would, and in doing so I hit her in the jaw with the back of my hand. I swear it was totally on accident as I did not realize she was in that area at the time. I decided right then that I would never strike her again in any way unless we were playing. And to my recollection, I never have. I think it is very cruel for a man or wife to beat up on their spouse. I wish NOW that I had made the same decision about my children.
I had a few friends before marriage and decided that my wife was going to be my only friend from then on. I think the reason for this is that I was so insecure about myself as a result of my youth, even as a child I was always giving up to my uncle Steve. While we were in Othello a few weekends ago my aunt Renae was there and she told me about her and my sister taking a tea set from the house and being on top of a haystack while my uncle Steve were playing in the corral and seeing me fall from the cow and come up with a face full of cow pie. She also asked me if I remembered the gun that blew up; she heard it differently than I remember it happening though. Oh well it seemed to verify my memory at least.
As we were arguing I changed gears in the car and brought my hand up off the steering wheel more forcefully than I normally would, and in doing so I hit her in the jaw with the back of my hand. I swear it was totally on accident as I did not realize she was in that area at the time. I decided right then that I would never strike her again in any way unless we were playing. And to my recollection, I never have. I think it is very cruel for a man or wife to beat up on their spouse. I wish NOW that I had made the same decision about my children.
I had a few friends before marriage and decided that my wife was going to be my only friend from then on. I think the reason for this is that I was so insecure about myself as a result of my youth, even as a child I was always giving up to my uncle Steve. While we were in Othello a few weekends ago my aunt Renae was there and she told me about her and my sister taking a tea set from the house and being on top of a haystack while my uncle Steve were playing in the corral and seeing me fall from the cow and come up with a face full of cow pie. She also asked me if I remembered the gun that blew up; she heard it differently than I remember it happening though. Oh well it seemed to verify my memory at least.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Working with computers
Now we go on to my first job in computers in Pasco er actually in the city of Richland and for the city of Pasco. Now that’s a mouthful of words. But then you all must realize by now that I can’t be hushed up, kind of like Calixta when she starts talking. Actually like any of my girls except… no except… no except… I guess there are no exceptions.
When I started working for the city of Pasco I thought I was the best person my parents had ever known and I expected them to say so, and I waited and I waited and I waited. Nothing ever came of all my waiting. Well it seemed they were always saying how good my brother Anthony was doing but they never said anything to me. Needless to say, I was crushed. And I wondered what I was doing that was so wrong. I ad no idea then, but now that a couple of my children are grown and I want to keep those, who have yet to grow up, well supported. On the other hand I think that the ones who have grown up do not need my support nearly so much. So why did I have to grow up so quickly??? Or why were my parents afraid of me and my actions?
There were many times when I had figured out how to do something on or with the computer when my supervisor would say that can’t be done and I would say watch this and they would be completely amazed at what I had done. I remember one time while working in Richland the boss there had asked me to try and write and extension to the IBM operating system so the operator would not have t o watch as intently for every thing that he/she was asked to respond to. Kurt asked me to do this as he could not figure out how to keep me busy. I did it even though it would benefit the city of Richland as Pasco was only renting time from Richland and the cost was a fixed amount per month. Kurt didn’t think I would be able to do this assignment. I had to do a lot of after hours reading and calling friends from college to find the answers for specific things but I finally figured out how to do it and it totally shocked Kurt as he thought I was just wasting my time. Once I had written this software I remembered how to do it on the next job I had and it proved very useful in my very next job. This only worked on the IBM System 3 and this machine went to its grave about three years later as this was the very beginning of the computer chip race. You see the IBM System 3 was one of the older type computer where the boards were wrapped in a specific way to get it to work.
Well I won’t bore you any more with technical information that has been out of date for twenty-five years. So we will start on more interesting things about me and my life.
When I started working for the city of Pasco I thought I was the best person my parents had ever known and I expected them to say so, and I waited and I waited and I waited. Nothing ever came of all my waiting. Well it seemed they were always saying how good my brother Anthony was doing but they never said anything to me. Needless to say, I was crushed. And I wondered what I was doing that was so wrong. I ad no idea then, but now that a couple of my children are grown and I want to keep those, who have yet to grow up, well supported. On the other hand I think that the ones who have grown up do not need my support nearly so much. So why did I have to grow up so quickly??? Or why were my parents afraid of me and my actions?
There were many times when I had figured out how to do something on or with the computer when my supervisor would say that can’t be done and I would say watch this and they would be completely amazed at what I had done. I remember one time while working in Richland the boss there had asked me to try and write and extension to the IBM operating system so the operator would not have t o watch as intently for every thing that he/she was asked to respond to. Kurt asked me to do this as he could not figure out how to keep me busy. I did it even though it would benefit the city of Richland as Pasco was only renting time from Richland and the cost was a fixed amount per month. Kurt didn’t think I would be able to do this assignment. I had to do a lot of after hours reading and calling friends from college to find the answers for specific things but I finally figured out how to do it and it totally shocked Kurt as he thought I was just wasting my time. Once I had written this software I remembered how to do it on the next job I had and it proved very useful in my very next job. This only worked on the IBM System 3 and this machine went to its grave about three years later as this was the very beginning of the computer chip race. You see the IBM System 3 was one of the older type computer where the boards were wrapped in a specific way to get it to work.
Well I won’t bore you any more with technical information that has been out of date for twenty-five years. So we will start on more interesting things about me and my life.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Let’s go back to Laredo once
I found out how ignorant I was concerning women when having a baby when each of my children was born. First of all was when Kristy was born. There are so many things it could be about, but I chose to write about the most embarrassing thing I could think of. As Diana got more and more pregnant she looked more and more like a watermelon being carried around on two toothpicks.
Well as the day of Kristy’s birth came along Diana and I went to bed she would almost always sigh and say that she wished the baby would get here soon. Between two and three AM I was sound asleep and all of a sudden I was all wet. And I thought I had quit wetting the bed when I was still a little tyke so I was confused as to why I was so wet now. Then I said to Diana that I thought she should still be able to go to the restroom instead of wetting the bed. Then she told me that she had just lost her water. This let know nothing so I said that she should still have used the restroom as I was so ignorant as to childbirth.
Then she explained to me what loosing ones water was all about in a pregnant woman. So we got ready to go to the hospital and I never drove so slowly in all my life. When we got to the hospital I left Diana there and went for some breakfast as she had asked me to tell the people at her work that she was in the hospital with a new baby.
This all happened before I broke my limbs, so I was able to drive without any problem. Kristy was born and Diana had gone back to work I would take care of Cathy and Kristy so we would go into Diana’s office to visit. One time we went in and Cathy was always taken off by the first co-worker of Diana’s we would see and I was left with Kristy in Diana’s office. I was wondering what Diana put in all her file drawers and found one drawer that was almost empty so I put Kristy in it in her baby seat. I watched down the hall while watching Kristy with the other eye, when I saw Diana coming down the hall I closed the drawer and waited and waited for Diana. Apparently she had been called into the office where Cathy was and she stopped to get Cathy then came down to see Kristy and I. when she got into her own office she wondered where Kristy was, it didn’t take long until Kristy started crying. I thought I was never going to hear the end of it.
Well as the day of Kristy’s birth came along Diana and I went to bed she would almost always sigh and say that she wished the baby would get here soon. Between two and three AM I was sound asleep and all of a sudden I was all wet. And I thought I had quit wetting the bed when I was still a little tyke so I was confused as to why I was so wet now. Then I said to Diana that I thought she should still be able to go to the restroom instead of wetting the bed. Then she told me that she had just lost her water. This let know nothing so I said that she should still have used the restroom as I was so ignorant as to childbirth.
Then she explained to me what loosing ones water was all about in a pregnant woman. So we got ready to go to the hospital and I never drove so slowly in all my life. When we got to the hospital I left Diana there and went for some breakfast as she had asked me to tell the people at her work that she was in the hospital with a new baby.
This all happened before I broke my limbs, so I was able to drive without any problem. Kristy was born and Diana had gone back to work I would take care of Cathy and Kristy so we would go into Diana’s office to visit. One time we went in and Cathy was always taken off by the first co-worker of Diana’s we would see and I was left with Kristy in Diana’s office. I was wondering what Diana put in all her file drawers and found one drawer that was almost empty so I put Kristy in it in her baby seat. I watched down the hall while watching Kristy with the other eye, when I saw Diana coming down the hall I closed the drawer and waited and waited for Diana. Apparently she had been called into the office where Cathy was and she stopped to get Cathy then came down to see Kristy and I. when she got into her own office she wondered where Kristy was, it didn’t take long until Kristy started crying. I thought I was never going to hear the end of it.
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