Kathy DeFord's Blog

I Like This Sweater

2012-01-24T17:09:00.000-06:00

Here's a Kindle Sweater I like. I'm not going to waste any more time knitting sweaters for my Kindle. I'm going to spend more time actually reading on my Kindle.

A Sweater for My Kindle

2012-01-19T21:21:00.000-06:00

My office staff gave me a Kindle for Christmas. I love it. It's compact and I can read and store tons of books on it. It's great on the eyes, better than the iPhone Kindle. Recently I knit a sweater for my Kindle. . . such a grandmotherly thing to do. I used some yarn I had on hand and I'm not crazy about the yarn color choice, but I just wanted to see how it would turn out. I think I'll knit another one using colors I like better.

Today I had lunch with a friend who is selling nutritional supplements. David and I joke sometimes because there are so many miracle food supplement companies out there. The current trend in this industry is to find an exotic plant that grows in a country far away from the US, and claim that it can do wonderful things like strengthen the immune system, or help the body deal with stress, or cure some disease (they can't really claim that, so they just insinuate . . .) I use a supplement that is made from "magic" pears from New Zealand. I have been taking this supplement for several years and it really does help my joints to be supple and non-arthritis-like. David uses a supplement drink mix from a different company whose product are made from a "magic" tree in Africa. It helps him maintain his health while he's on the road. The products I heard about today are made from plants used by ancient Chinese AND other plants only found in Siberia AND "magic" berries from some other exotic country. I laughed out loud when I read the brochure. I'm not saying these product don't do what they claim. But the "magic" ingredient thing makes me laugh. I thought we were supposed to eat foods grown locally, sold at the Farmers' Market. It's like the definition of an expert as someone who lives more than 50 miles away. Same idea with "magic" ingredients. . . the farther away it's found, the more exotic and wonderful, and the more money they charge.

Christmas Cards and Letters in January

2012-01-14T12:28:00.001-06:00

I really enjoy the tradition of sending and getting cards and letters at Christmas. It's always such a busy time of year that I don't get a chance to sit and read everything right away. But in January, after things calm down, I like to take some time to sit and read them in peace. I did that today.
I like seeing the passage of time measured in news of kids my daughter Sarah used to babysit, getting married, having babies of their own. It touches my heart to see the shaky handwriting on letters we received from people of our parents' generation. People from our generation are returning from missions or planning on serving missions soon, retiring, moving to be closer to children and grandchildren. One of the teenage boys David worked with when we first got married, just turned 50. We hear from friends from Kentucky, Indiana, Texas - all places we have lived in our nearly 40 years of marriage. We have friends who travel the world, and friends who stayed put their whole lives.
One card I missed this year was from my aunt and uncle in California. My cousin wrote and told me he and his siblings had to move their parents into a facility where they could get additional care. And no card from them this year.
I even found a utility bill and a government sales tax form in the pile of Christmas cards!

It's So Glamorous to Own a Business

2012-01-13T15:45:00.000-06:00

Add caption

I'm proud to be a business owner. It's so glamorous. Besides networking and getting to know the members of the business community, providing great dental services for my patients, and managing the finances of a growing business, one of my jobs is to clean the two toilets in my office. We used to have Karen clean our office once a week, but my staff talked me into allowing them to clean the office themselves. I felt guilty having them clean toilets when I hired them to be office managers and dental assistants, so I agreed to have them do all the cleaning except for the bathrooms. That would be my job.

I have the greatest staff. We had a staff meeting this week, and their feedback was awesome. They have really good ideas for improving the flow of our office, and they make me feel like they really care about the dental practice, that it's more than just a job for them. I always leave these meetings thinking about how fortunate I am to have such a good staff.

My dental assistant is looking into making a career change, going into sonography . . . taking heart sonograms in a hospital setting. I will be sorry to lose her because she is so outspoken and smart, but she needs a job where she can work her way up and get promotions and make more money. Dental assisting is a good job to provide a second income, but it's hard to support yourself on just the income from this job. She used to have a second job tending bar, but she really needs a higher paying career job.

Yesterday I was listening to my office manager talk to a patient about paying for his dental treatment. She was so clear, understandable and friendly. She's very kind. A typical office manager would have to be somewhat mean to collect the money people owe us, but she can collect and still be kind. She often has things done before I even ask for them. And she just finished compiling a big e-mail list so we can send out regular informational/promotional announcements to members of the community. She's great.

We have had our hygienist working three days a week, and will increase to four days this month. The first year in business we had an average of 70 new patients a month. The second year our average was 60 new patients a month. That is REALLY GOOD! When I first opened I was hoping for 35 a month. My goal is to sustain the 60 new patients a month forever.

I'm very fortunate. Even if I have to clean the toilets.

A Nice Thank You

2012-01-08T19:14:00.001-06:00

Here's a nice e-mail I got from my friend whose kids I have taught or am currently teaching in Primary.

"Kathy,

Alex said the prayer for dinner tonight and said, "please bless Sis. Ford to come over. Please bless Sis. Ford come play fish". Kevin then explained that you had a pond in nursery today. Our boys are so lucky to have had you for their teacher. You put so much preparation into your lessons and they appreciate it. Alex was also singing "Book of Mormon Stories" during dinner. Thank you for all of the energy you put into being their teacher.

And a million thank yous for the mittens, hat and head band. It was so sweet of you to make the head band for me. Thank you. The boys have loved their mittens."

Alex and Ethan

Alex calls me "Sissa Ford." And his cute friend Max calls him "Awekth."

Calder called me this morning and asked me if I could come over on Tuesday. Calder lives in Louisiana and I live in Nebraska, so it's not too easy to just come over. I asked him if there was something special on Tuesday. He said there wasn't. He just wanted me to come over on Tuesday.

Happy New Year 2012!

2012-01-01T11:16:00.003-06:00

Calder, Max, Genevene, Leah, David, Matt, Kathy, Bess,
Julie and Atticus

Here's a picture of David and I with Matt's family in Natchitoches the day before Christmas. Matt shaved off his beard, and left a mustache only. So he and Julie got mustaches for everyone and took a family picture.

I wrote about our Christmas visit in the Carrier Pigeon Blog here http://carrierpigeon11.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-eve-at-matt-and-julies-house.html
in case anyone is interested.

I am thinking about 2011 and evaluating my goals for last year, and making new goals for 2012.

2011:
For my first year in my dental practice, 2010, I used loan money for working capital. And in 2011, I got by on money we collected. Finances were very tight, putting it mildly. It was a stressful year financially for us at work and at home, but I'm anticipating that 2012 will be better. My business is growing steadily, and I feel like it will continue to grow and keep us busy and able to pay the bills.

I achieved my goal to read the New Testament, and I also read the Book of Mormon.
I didn't achieve my goal to do Yoga twice a week and a cardio workout twice a week. Instead I did cardio twice or three times a week, at they gym or walking out at the lake. The Yoga thing kind of fizzled out.
I achieved and exceeded my goal to knit ten hats and ten pairs of mittens. I was a knitting maniac in 2011, and knit way more than 10 pairs of mittens, and a few more than 10 hats. I also knit a few scarves and some headbands for people at work after they found a cute winter headband on Pinterest and asked me if I could make them each one, which I did. Knitting was my Yoga, to relieve stress. Very therapeutic.
I achieved my goal of having three one-to-one BNI meetings a month. I even got a BNI award for having the most one-to-one meetings with chapter members.
I didn't achieve my goal of submitting one referral a week to BNI members.
I didn't achieve my temple goals either. I'll try again in 2012.

Some things I particularly enjoyed in 2011 were knitting, the trip with my sisters to visit our brother and his wife in Washington, Thanksgiving and Christmas with the kids, helping my friend Muriel move into senior housing, and others.

Here are my goals for 2012:

Read the Book of Mormon
Work out three times a week
Learn to knit socks
Continue to schedule three BNI one-to-one visits a month
Submit at least two BNI referrals a month
Organize a family reunion in Salt Lake City for this summer
Pay off two personal lines of credit, even if it means moving the money to the lower interest equity line
Pay off a small business loan to Patterson Dental
Refinance my business
Equip my third treatment room

This month's first presidency message in our church magazine advises all of us to implement the ABC's for the coming year: A = have a good attitude B = Believe in ourselves, and C= Have courage

I like this advice, and I'm going to try to remember it.

2012 is the end of the Mayan calendar, and according to some, the end of the world. And 2012 is predicted to be a year of dramatic solar events, according to a "Universe" documentary I watched on TV. It could also be the year that Adam becomes a business owner (big secret, at this point . . . don't tell anyone!), Willie could be made partner in the law firm, Sarah could have a second book published, Willie and Sally could have another baby, Simon could get his driver's license, we could have a really fun family reunion in Salt Lake City, and countless other wonderful things.

I will have a good attitude, believe in myself and have courage.

What Dentists Give Other Dentists for Christmas

2011-12-14T20:13:00.000-06:00

A plate of delicious handmade chocolate candies

Cookies with Christmas icing

A giant and very clever card with candy bars glued to it

And . . . a bag of gourmet chocolate, nuts, licorice, peanut brittle, bath gel, hand lotion, gourmet pears and apples, etc.

Fun times.

Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest

2011-12-11T19:15:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow evening I'm going to a Christmas gathering where we will have an ugly sweater contest. I don't really have the traditional ugly Christmas sweater, so I made my own. I like it. I think I'll wear it when we visit the kids in Louisiana. My grandkids will really like it because it's silly.

Christmas Decorations Are Up

2011-12-11T10:14:00.001-06:00

I put these pretty origami flowers on the tree.
Sarah and Charlotte made them for me for
Mother's Day.

I debated whether or not to decorate for Christmas since we usually spend our holiday in Louisiana with Matt, Julie and the kids. But I made myself lug the stuff upstairs from the basement and decorate. I'm glad I did. I feel more Christmasy and cozy.

Christmas has actually been fairly simple ever since our kids have been grown up. I do very little shopping anymore, just gift cards. I feel somewhat selfish because my holiday focus has become more on receiving than on giving. I focus on the Christmas music others provide: the lights at other people's homes (the house down the street from us has the best Christmas lights in the world . . . professionally done, I'm sure), the goodies other people provide (at work the dental specialists shower us with sweets during the Christmas season as a thank you for referring business to them during the year . . . even my Hindu friend who is a Pedodontist sends a basket of chocolates every Christmas.) Maybe I will attend the Nutcracker or A Christmas Carole or the Air Force Band Christmas Concert. I will attend a few Christmas parties, but I won't host any. I spend most of the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, with my kids, and they do all the work and provide all the holiday spirit I get to enjoy so much. There seems to be plenty of holiday bounty to go around, even if I don't provide any of it. If I can get over the guilt of not being a provider of anything except a good attitude and maybe doing a few dishes, it's really fun.

A couple of years ago we hosted Christmas at our home, and I enjoyed it. When our kids were younger, I always preferred spending holidays in our own home, and I assume my kids now feel the same way about their own homes (but I'm not sure they actually feel that way.) I always enjoy hosting and will be glad to host anytime any of my kids tell me they want to come to Omaha for any holiday, but I now prefer spending the holidays at my kids' homes. We have new traditions: Thanksgiving in Grand Junction, Christmas in Louisiana. This year when we spent a few days after Thanksgiving at Sarah, Tyler and the kids' home in Salt Lake City, we got to help/watch while they put up their Christmas decorations. Sarah said she would like to make it a tradition for us to be there after Thanksgiving to inaugurate their Christmas season. I think that is a good idea.

This is my Thursday 7 am BNI group. We each brought a child's
gift to donate to the Open Door Mission. Each gift was supposed
to be related to our business. I donated a Play Dough Dr. Drill 'n Fill
set (and some mittens). The home and car insurance guy brought a toy
house and a toy fire truck. Cute. I am kneeling next to Jeff my financial advisor
who donated a Monopoly game. The personal trainer gave a Transformer because she
transforms people's bodies. Ken from Chem Dry carpet cleaning donated a toy vacuum cleaner.
So I have contributed something to the Christmas season.

Paperwhites

2011-12-07T20:55:00.001-06:00

The Paperwhites Sally gave me for Christmas bloomed today. Beautiful! 16 degrees out, snow, and flowers blooming in the house. Thanks, Sally

Moving Day

2011-12-04T12:11:00.001-06:00

Every muscle in my body aches from lugging boxes. My friend Muriel moved into a senior housing apartment yesterday. For the past seven years she has lived in an apartment in Bellevue at the top of a hill, second floor with a steep staircase and she he had become unable to safely manage the stairs. She is a member of the Bellevue First Ward (LDS church), and her Bishop helped her get into a nice, low-income apartment. I love the senior citizen's complex of cabin-looking apartments, in a wooded setting. It reminds me of a summer camp.

Muriel is a hoarder, but an organized hoarder, with boxes and boxes of memories, all categorized and classified. I have enjoyed going through her belongings with her, getting to know her former life, before aging and medications have made her less able to function efficiently. I talked her into renting a storage facility for some of her books and memorabilia, which she was reluctant to part with - she likes to have all her stuff with her. Her stuff is her life-blood. At first I tried to get her to get rid of some of her belongings but I came to realize how much they meant to her. She agreed to donate a few things to Goodwill, but she would not throw anything away, so storage was really the only option. Her son Paul will have to have a huge estate sale someday.

Muriel was concerned because the weather forecast for moving day, Saturday, called for rain and snow, and she didn't want the boxes that would go into storage to get wet. So I got Adam to come with me on Friday, and we piled about 50 boxes into the back of our van and moved them into the storage area she had rented. We also tried to get the rest of the stuff packed so everything would be ready for the men from the church who would show up on Saturday morning to move everything.

I took Xena and Mimi, Muriel's cats, home with me to spend the night so they would be safe and warm and out of the way during the move.

Saturday we lugged more boxes, packed, moved, vacuumed . . . in the rain and snow. And now I'm so tired. I worked hard.

Here's my attempt at accessible poetry . . . a summary of the feelings Muriel was having as she watched us store her things away.

Moving Day

Watching, as boxes of books she read to Paul when he was young

bleed out the door on their way to storage . . .

Boxes: biographies of famous people, magazine stories of Princess Diana,

and art books from her college Alma Mater, now closed . . .

Collections: wooden boxes - her mementos of past vacations, rocks gathered from around her world, stacks of photo albums and shoe boxes with negatives organized and dated, catalogued . . .

Reminders of her Native American blood: porcelain horses, ceramic Indians, wooden figurines, bird feathers in glass vases, shards of broken pottery she hopes to mend someday . . .

Lovely Things: China tea sets, candles that lit former homes, delicate wine glasses lovingly wrapped and packed so as not to break, a black and white wedding photo of her parents . . .

Memories: Letters from her mother - long dead, her father’s paintings on wood, photographs of happy times after she and her father had made peace . . .

These were handmade in Europe.

Those belonged to her father.

This was her 11^th grade English text book.

That sled with rusted runners - a tangible remnant of her own childhood . . .

All bleed out the door.

Her history is moving out

Into storage.

Three Generations of Priesthood Holders

2011-11-29T18:56:00.001-06:00

Adam, David, Tyler, Simon, Hank

Our oldest grandchild was ordained a Priest on Sunday. David and I attended church with Sarah and Tyler's family in Salt Lake City (Rose Park First Ward). After Sacrament meeting all of us DeFords and Williamses attended priesthood meeting (my first time to attend priesthood meeting . . . that I remember) to see Simon ordained a Priest. His father, Tyler, ordained him. David, Simon's other grandfather Hank (Williams, yes, Hank Williams, but not THE Hank Williams), and a few friends stood in the circle to participate in the ordination. It was very moving to me to have a grandchild ordained to the priesthood . . . third generation LDS.

Years ago when Willie went to college at North Texas State University, he was a Priest. Most of his friends were not LDS, and didn't know much about the Church. They were all very impressed that Willie was a Mormon Priest. I think they thought he was like the Dali Lama, or the Pope. When Mormon boys turn 12 years old, they are eligible to be ordained to the office of a Deacon, and when they are 14 they can be ordained a Teacher, and when they turn 16 they can be ordained a Priest. Then when they are 19 or so, they can be ordained an Elder. These are all offices in the priesthood, and all worthy Mormon men and boys hold the priesthood. It's a great privilege, but at the same time, available to all males who are living the standards of the church.

Later, at Sarah and Tyler's house they put up their Christmas decorations, which was fun for us since we've only spent one Christmas with Sarah's family, and that was just after Matt and Julie got married. Matt and Julie have six kids now, so it has been awhile. We got to see the decorations the kids feel sentimental towards. I tied a little bell to a string, and tied it to a chair for the cat to play with. Ellen was lying on the floor playing with the cat and the bell. She said she'd like to trade places with the cat on Monday. Ellen: I'll play with the string all day, and the cat can go to High School.

Charlotte and Ellen

Sarah

Simon

Ellen

Tyler made sourdough pancakes for dinner. And he gave me a small container of his starter to add to Sadie, my starter. Tyler got his starter which is 35 years old, from his mother before she died. Tyler's mother kept this starter going by adding evaporated milk and flour to it. I have been adding only flour and water to mine. Tyler used to work as a baker, and he told me something that made me feel better about not being able to get that sour-y flavor to my sourdough bread. He said at the bakery when they made sourdough bread they added sourdough flavoring to the dough. Ha! They cheat! That's how they get that nice flavor.

I enjoyed my visit very much. I love my children and grandchildren and in-law children.

Me and Alice the Dog From Outer Space

On Monday we drove 13 and a half hours from Salt Lake City to Omaha, and all the while I felt like I was coming down with a cold. Today, back at work, my nose was running like a faucet. My eyes were so red they looked like I had been crying all day. I visited a new neighbor to my dental office: a physician at a new emergency care clinic, and he prescribed an antibiotic for a sinus infection. I'm hoping to feel much better very soon.

Salt Lake City Cemetery

2011-11-26T22:07:00.001-06:00

Today we are in Salt Lake City visiting with Sarah, Tyler, Simon, Ellen, Charlotte and animals Licorice (outdoor cat), Alice (dog), Tuesday (indoor cat) and Chilly (fish).

Tuesday, Drinking from Chilly's Fish Home

Sarah took us, excluding the animals, to the Salt Lake City Cemetery to explore and look at the graves. There are many prominent Mormon pioneers buried there, as well as Tyler's mother who died a few years ago. Most of the past Church presidents lie there, and as we looked around we noticed many familiar surnames affiliated with the Church. We saw graves of Joseph Fielding Smith who was the President of the Church when David and I joined the Church on June 8, 1972, Wilford Woodruff, David O. McKay, Widtsoes, Cannons, Heber J. Grant and many more. We visited the grave of Tyler's mother, Jo Ellen Braesher Williams. And we saw interesting epitaphs and headstones from pioneer times, and from modern times. It's a huge cemetery, with lots of history and legends. Not having lived near the headquarters of the Church, it was interesting to see the evidence of people I had read about in Church history. Many of the graves of the early pioneers also included graves of their multiple wives.

When we returned to Sarah and Tyler's house, Sarah made homemade pizza for us. Yum. We watched a couple of movies and relaxed and laughed. Nice day.

Charlotte has probably changed the most of the three kids since we have seen them last. She's a tweener, and I'm pretty sure she's going to skip the awkward phase and go right into the graceful, beautiful phase. Her voice is different since I saw her last, more grown up and mature.

Sarah, Simon, David, Charlotte, Adam and Ellen

Day After Thanksgiving Hike

2011-11-26T09:44:00.001-06:00

Willie and Sally took us on our traditional Day After Thanksgiving Hike. This year we hiked a mountain bike trail called Rustler's Loop. It was a three mile loop trail that began over meadowy grassland, paralleled the Colorado River along a steep ridge, passed some red rock walls, and back to the parking area. The trail was magnificently beautiful with perfect walking weather. I love loved loved it!

David

Willie and David, Overlooking the Colorado River

Hank with his rock shaped like pizza

Willie named this rock formation "The Three DeFord Brothers"

Willie, Hank, Sally, Wyatt, David, Adam and Heather

Willie said in all the seven years of Day After Thanksgiving Hikes, we haven't done the same hike twice yet. Although I wouldn't mind repeating any of the lovely walks we've been on.

Wow, What a Great Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T09:56:00.001-06:00

The day before Thanksgiving Adam, David and I drove to Grand Junction, Colorado to spend Thanksgiving with Willie, Sally and their family. We made a pit stop in Brush, Colorado and here's a text exchange between Willie and I:

Kathy: [picture of a restaurant/gas station] Scenic Brush, Colorado

Willie: Enjoy Brush now, before it gets all touristy.

Of course I brought my knitting along, and knitted while David and Adam took turns driving.

Kathy: After I knit for a long time, I see double.

David: Good! You get to see two of me.

We spent our seventh consecutive Thanksgiving with Willie, Sally and family. Our friend Heather Roberts joined us as well this year.

The first time Willie and Sally hosted Thanksgiving, Sally had watched a Martha Stewart video and tried to prepare everything just so . . . chestnuts in the homemade stuffing, a magnificent chocolate cake, etc, etc. She has evolved to "simple is better" and it truly is. Boxed stuffing is delicious. Pumpkin pie is just fine . . . no need for 100 different dessert choices. The dinner has become a joint production, with Adam taking charge of the mashed potatoes, Willie the turkey-meister, me on dishes.

Sally always sets a lovely table with her collection of different colored goblets and some type of beautiful centerpiece. This year she is sprouting some Paperwhites to give as Christmas gifts, so she used some of them to decorate the table. She is so artistic with an eye for beauty.

I got to play Go Fish, and Skip-Bo with Wyatt and Hank. The Go Fish deck consists of different kinds of sea creatures. Hank kept calling the Hermit Crabs, the Kermit Crabs.

Go Fish . . . Wyatt and Nana

Both boys are so cute. When the dishwasher overflowed (after I had plugged the garbage disposal up with potato peelings . . . I fixed it, but not until water was dripping into the basement.), four year old Hank showed up dressed in his firefighter outfit, and asked "What's the problem. How did this happen?" And he proceeded to help with the emergency. Hank likes to put his Batman action figure into a glass of water and put it in the freezer. He likes to freeze Batman.

The Dishwasher Emergency

After dinner all eight of us took a bike ride down to the riverbank. Willie and Sally's neighbor likes to tinker with bicycles and has a large collection we borrowed from. We left the house in late afternoon, and after skipping rocks in the Colorado River, the sun set and we watched the sky change from grey to brilliant orange and pink, and on to night. We rode through downtown Grand Junction which was deserted. And we rode around the train station, pausing for photos on a parked train engine. Grand Junction is a great bicycle riding city because it's so flat. Willie rides his bike to work every day, about four miles. I loved riding the neighbor's bike, which she uses for her daily commute, and I'm thinking about selling my recumbent and buying an Electra like the one I rode. It looks a little like a Pee-Wee Herman bike, and has three speeds, like the bike I had when I went to school in Boston, ages ago.

In the evening, another tradition has been to have friends over to play music. John Rizzo, the bicycle guy, came by with his dobro. He, Willie, Sally and Adam played music for a couple of hours. It sounded great. Willie, Sally, John and other friends have a band, The 17th Street Bank. And now Willie is playing with another band, Lowlands, which is a little more rock and a little less bluegrassy-country-folky. Lowlands is being considered as an opening band for the Reverend Horton Heat when he plays in Grand Junction in February.

Willie plays guitar (electric, acoustic, dobro), banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and anything else that might have strings on it. Sally plays guitar and upright bass. I love hearing them play music. They get better and better all the time. Once, many years ago, a parent asked me how I got Willie to practice the guitar. Ha! The trick was always to get him to leave it alone long enough to do his homework.

Here's a link to some of Lowland's music. http://soundcloud.com/lowlands-1

I have such talented children. I'm one lucky mama.

It was also fun visiting with Heather. She is just completing her training in nutrition and medical counseling, after working in nursing for a few years. I was interested to hear some of her ideas on nutrition, and have some books and websites I plan to study to learn more. Heather and David worked on putting together her resume so she can apply for a corporate health care position with Aetna.

Wonderful, wonderful day.

David with Firefighter Hat

Adam Helping With Dinner

Hank, Always Ready to Help

Five, Combined for Yesterday and Today

2011-11-22T21:08:00.001-06:00

1. I'm too busy to write up ten more things for today! Horray, busy! Root canals! Crowns! Fillings, Extractions! Bring 'em on!

2. I'm thankful for my hands. I love working with my hands, at my job, at my knitting, etc. I have good hands . . . not beautiful, but they work really well. I finished knitting a hat the other evening, and it's one I'm keeping for myself because I like it. I made it for me.

3. I'm having fun spending time with David. He's been home since Saturday. We've had dinner together every night. Ahhh.

4. I like music. I podcast I listen to occasionally is called "The Concert" and features a concert recorded live at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Another podcast I like is the Tiny Desk concert series from NPR. It's a video (or just audio) podcast recorded live at the NPR offices. The musicians stop by and do two or three numbers for a short concert. I like to listen to my kids and grandkids play music.

5. I'm tired right now, looking forward to going to bed. I'm thankful for my bed. My mattress has a nest-like indentation in it where I sleep. You might think I need a new mattress, but the nest is quite comfortable.

Ten

2011-11-20T09:25:00.001-06:00

Five for Yesterday:

1. I got to go to the temple yesterday evening. David and I volunteer in the temple every Saturday evening, and I really enjoy the joyous spirit I feel there.

2. Yesterday I got to drive to Lincoln because David missed his connecting flight in Denver so they rerouted him to the Lincoln airport, instead of Omaha (where his car was parked). I enjoy the drive between Omaha and Lincoln. Someday it might be all city, but now it's beautiful farmland and the Platte River valley. It took me about 45 minutes to get to the Lincoln airport, as opposed to about 25 minutes to get to the airport in Omaha.

3. I'm starting to see Christmas lights. I like the feeling of this season, and I enjoy the decorations even though I'm not a big decorator myself. (Like animals . . . I like other people's animals but I don't want any of my own.) I always put up a few decorations around the house, but I have never put out lights. One year, when we lived in Texas and our kids were teenagers, one of their friends felt sorry for us because we didn't put out any lights, so they decorated one of our bushes for us. I always put out a wreath on the front door. And this year around Halloween I nailed a small shelf to the window sill of our tall living room window so I could put a pumpkin in the window. At Christmas I'll put a Christmas tree on that shelf, and that will count as an outdoor decoration.

4. I got to go to the gym. Our gym has several locations, one near our home and one on my way home from work. Very convenient, and as I mentioned before, free to us.

5. David is not working now for a whole week and a half. So I get to spend lots of time with him, which I am looking forward to.

Five for today

1. Our religion teaches us to keep the Sabbath day holy. I love Sundays. For many years I taught the adult Sunday School class at church, and the course of study is the scriptures, so I've gotten to be friends with the scriptures. (At the last church General Conference, one of our church leaders spoke about becoming friends with the scriptures.) On Sundays I take some time to immerse myself in the scriptures. I read a chapter or so of scripture every morning, but on Sundays I get to read as much as I want. I don't feel distracted by thoughts of things I "should" be doing, like vacuuming or doing laundry, because I just don't do those things on Sunday. It's a gift. "Wherefore the sabbath was given to man for a day of rest; and also that man should glorify God . . . " Mark 2: 26-27 JST.

2. Sometimes, if I'm particularly lucky, David will read to me while I knit.

3. Once a month, David goes through the Reader's Digest and reads me the good jokes.

4. I have good Indiana memories of visiting in-laws on Sunday evening, and having popcorn and soda pop.

5. Once, when we were visiting Sarah's family on a Sunday, in the morning she had the Mormon Tabernacle Choir playing quietly on a CD player in her kitchen. It created a nice feeling in the house. It reminded me of my mother-in-law Phyllis, who likes to play the radio in her kitchen. When I was a kid, my parents always played the radio in the mornings in the kitchen. Now, most Sunday mornings, I like to have Sunday music (mostly Mormon Tabernacle Choir) playing in the kitchen. It makes it feel like Sunday. David has a Sunday playlist on his iPod, and I think I will put one together on my iPod, with a variety of religious music. Anyone have any ideas for good Sunday songs? What's your favorite Sunday song?

Five More

2011-11-18T19:55:00.001-06:00

1. This afternoon I got to help my friend Muriel sort through her belongings, as she is preparing to move into Senior Housing. The complex she'll be moving in to reminds me of a summer camp . . . lots of pretty trees, and cabin-like apartments. nice landscaping.

Muriel has lots of stuff . . . not much furniture, but lots of stuff. She has letters from her parents, lots of photo albums, a nice collection of wooden boxes she picked up at various gift shops during her travels, a rock collections, a room full of books including an English text book like the one I studied from in high school, People magazines filled with Princess Diana pictures, a collection of wooden art done by her father, a collection of pretty glass bowls, boxes of frames, knick knacks and more knick knacks. She's going to need a storage locker because she can't get rid of anything.

Going through her things reminds me of when Judy, Trisha and I cleaned out our mother's place after she died. All her things told the story of her life. Muriel's life is well-documented.

I thought of Shel Silverstein's poem "Hector the Collector." Here's the last verse, after listing all the things Hector has collected:

Hector the Collector
Loved these things with all his soul -
Loved them more than shining diamonds,
Loved them more than glistenin' gold.
Hector called to all the people,
"Come and share my treasure trunk!"
And all the silly, sightless people
Came and looked . . . and called it junk.

2. I just made a batch of granola from Matt's recipe. The house smells sooo good.

3. I get to relax, watch a movie and knit after I think of two more things I'm thankful for.

4. David won't be working for a week and a half after he gets home later tonight. Yeah!

5. I'm glad I live in a time of dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers, stoves, refrigerators, etc. The older I get, the more I appreciate comfort and convenience.

Daily Five

2011-11-17T21:14:00.001-06:00

1. Today I got to work with a hygienist I used to work with at Dodge St. Melissa was sick (I'm not glad Melissa was sick) so Londa filled in for her, and it was fun catching up on what's going on with everyone at Dodge St. (even though Londa is no longer working there either.) Londa is working at an office that uses the same software I use, so Londa was able to show me a few more applications that will help me out and make my records a little more complete.

2. My office people found a picture of a winter knit headband they wanted me to make for them. So I tried it out and it turned out cute. Carolyn and Abigael will get some yarn in colors they like, and I'll knit them each a headband. They are cute. I'll take a picture sometime.

3. I really enjoy my BNI business networking group I meet with on Thursday mornings at 7. Once I sang a silly song for my 60 second presentation about my business. So today, the 10 minute presenter, at the conclusion of his monologue on Chem-Dry carpet cleaning, did a hilarious rap song he wrote about carpet cleaning. He said I inspired him with my song about dental work. We laugh a lot for a bunch of people up so early in the morning. It's a great group.

4. We have a great recycling system where we live. We have a regular trash receptacle for ordinary trash, and a second one for recyclable items. We just have to throw in all the recyclable items together: glass, paper, plastics . . . no separating things out. We recycle more than we throw away.

5. I am thankful I live in the age of the iPhone. What a marvel! Something smaller than an old transistor radio (which were the marvels of my time as a teenager!) that can hold my entire music collection, movies, TV shows, all of my address book contacts, scriptures, other books, a camera, a grocery list, a To-Do list, games, an alarm clock, a dictionary, the internet, a phone, a compass, maps of anywhere in the country, several musical instruments (piano, drums, ocarina), a music store, all of my business cards, radio stations, a knot-tying guide, all of my genealogy information, e-mail, text mail, a voice recorder, photographs, a mileage log, a flashlight, The Weather Channel weather report, a place to log daily caloric intake, Facebook, The Omaha World Herald newspaper, The Yellow Pages, and lots more. I never would have believed something like this could exist when I was younger. Even sci-fi writers wouldn't have dreamed up anything like this.

Five More From Yesterday and Five More For Today

2011-11-16T08:13:00.001-06:00

Evidently, the blogposts I enter at work haven't gotten posted to my blog. So here's what I wrote yesterday.

1. Thankful and looking forward to a jewelry-making class tonight, sponsored by the women's group at church (Millard Ward). I'm bringing my friend JaNean from the Conestoga Branch. She's a floral designer and tends to be good at artistic things like this.

2. My whole staff is here at work today. No one is sick, and no one's kids are sick.

3. I love the Fall weather and this year we have had exceptionally great weather.

4. My schedule is full today, and my hygienist's schedule is also full.

5. I got to fix someone's front tooth this morning, which is one of my favorite things to do.

And for today

1. Yesterday I ran into a networking friend at the Sarpy County Expo (like a trade show for small businesses in the area). The friend is the wife of a dentist, and she was very encouraging concerning my business. She told me I would soon be too busy to network, and would have to hire someone to do my PR.

2. I'm happy that it's light out on my way to work.

3. I look forward to visiting my kids in their homes over the holidays. I really enjoy being with my kids in their homes and feeling the good feelings of their families. I like it when they visit me in my home too. Then they can feel the good feelings in my home.

4. I enjoy getting to know my patients and a little bit about their lives. Today I have a patient who recently moved into a brand new home. One patient is about to leave on a tour with a musician. She's the tour manager (not sure if that's the right title.) Another who leaves next week to tour with a traveling theater group who is performing "A Christmas Carol" in various cities throughout the country. One just had a stroke and can't sign his name anymore (I'm not thankful for that . . . I 'm just thankful to know him and his situation.) One is a very bright African (Nigerian? Can't remember) woman who homeschools her kids. Her oldest is applying for college right now, and will probably get into anyplace he chooses to go. David would love the part of my job that connects with so many people. I do too, but I also love the other part that fixes things and makes them look nice.

5. We will soon have a new neighbor at work. The Donut Professor is moving in a few bays down from my dental office. Smart doughnuts? Seems like they should know how to spell "doughnut."

Five More

2011-11-14T21:34:00.001-06:00

I almost forgot to come up with five more things, and it's only day two.

1. I love my family . . . husband, kids, grandkids, sisters, brother, nieces, nephews, parents, grandparents. This is the number one blessing on any list of blessings I will ever make.

2. I had a busy day at work today. I'm always thankful for busy days.

3. David and I have free gym memberships for a year, and maybe for another year next year. I'm thankful for that. I like to go to the gym a couple times a week, and today was one of those days.

4. I'm thankful for a strong and healthy body.

5. I'm thankful to have such a big choice of music to listen to, with Pandora Radio and other App and internet music sources, as well as my kids sending me interesting music every now and then. I love the iTunes store. One of my current favorite songs is "One Voice" by the Wailin' Jennies. Sarah sent me the song. I like to listen. Music, podcasts, audio books, church General Conference talks . . . I just like to listen. I'm not much of a TV person, but I am a radio person.

"Contentment Starts With Thankful Hearts"

2011-11-13T18:46:00.001-06:00

I have a needlework picture hanging in the dining room. It says, "Contentment starts with thankful hearts." I made it a long time ago, and it's still hanging. Today in Sacrament meeting at church, people spoke about gratitude. Don, who conducted the meeting, challenged us to list five things we are thankful for. One of the speakers said we should avoid saying, "I'm thankful for . . ., but." No buts. I am going to list five things I am thankful for today. And tomorrow I'll list five more things. And the next day five more things. Until Thanksgiving. This will be good for me, because I tend to focus on my challenges in life rather than all the good things.

1. I'm thankful to have reconnected with kids at church the past few years. I hadn't worked with kids in a long time until we started attending the Conestoga Branch where I have taught Primary for a few years. It's been great getting to know the kids. When I spoke in sacrament meeting a few weeks ago, several kids waved at me when they saw me at the podium. And Julie said rather loud, "Hi, teacher!" She always calls me "teacher."

Lesson: "I Am Thankful for Insects"

2. I'm thankful that I can work with my hands. I like my dental work and I like my knitting.

Knitting gives me something to do at baseball games.

3. I'm thankful that I've become a good teacher. At church I have taught kids, teenagers and adults. For my profession, I get to do presentations occasionally. When I was practicing in Bellevue, a third grade class adopted me, and I would visit them twice a year to talk about taking care of teeth, and about the job of a dentist. In Papillion, near my current office, I have been invited to present to the group of retarded kids who are close to being too old to be in school anymore. They are a fun bunch. I also get to present to my business networking group occasionally. Later this month I get to present to a group of eighth graders at a magnet school in Omaha.

4. I'm thankful I like to cook. Here's a picture of some winter vegetables, just before putting them in the oven to roast. Mmmm.

Potatoes, Carrots, Squash, Parsnips, Turnips, Yams
Tossed in Olive Oil
Roasted for 45 Minutes

5. I'm thankful to have my own room . . . not my own bedroom, but a room that's mine. I have a bookcase with books and knick knacks made mostly by Sarah and Matt, my pin collection hanging on the wall, a rocking chair, a desk, a printer and other things that make me feel comfortable.

My Pin Collection

I have pins from cities, countries, states,
campaign buttons, sports teams, Harley-Davidson stores,
jobs, schools, clubs, the Post Office, places I've visited, places
people I know have visited, Hard Rock Cafes, concerts,
miscellaneous events, the Olympics, name tags, and lots more.

Poetry

2011-11-06T12:09:00.000-06:00

Willie and Sally had some of their poetry published in "Fire in the Pasture," an anthology of twenty first century Mormon poets. I got the book in the mail this week and loved reading the poems: Willie's, Sally's and others. I have been stressed and worrying about paying bills and growing my dental practice lately, and it was refreshing to my soul to sit and read poetry - especially that written by my family members.

Poetry feeds my soul. Much of it I don't get, like jazz. But the poems that speak to me, I love. A few years ago Willie gave me a book of poems by the National Poet Laureat at the time, Ted Koozer (from Nebraska), whose poetry is "accessible". . . accessible, meaning even I can understand it and enjoy it's message. Some poetry, like some jazz, seems to be a private conversation I'm not understanding. I'm not that interested in learning more about jazz, but I am interested in learning to understand poetry better. I remember years ago when I first started reading the Bible, it all seemed so complicated, and now that I've read, studied and pondered it over the years, it makes much more sense and I enjoy the messages and the language. I think I will study and ponder more poetry so I will become more familiar with the language. And then I can graduate from "accessible" to being a part of the private conversation.

Here are a couple of the poems from "Fire in the Pasture"

Sally's:

Inheritance

I wear her name
and a two carat diamond
which, like a heavy rock of salt
falls to the side between my fingers.
I'm sitting on a pink velvet chair
holding a tape recorder,
but she is asleep,
mouth open, skin loose
like pie crust draping over apples.

I want her to wake up and tell me stories
about how she slid down the banister
to meet the missionaries for dinner,
or when grandpa wouldn't let her eat,
so the green sequined dress
she wore to the country club would fit,
like a waterfall of thin emeralds.
Still, she would eat chocolate
in the shadows of her closet.
Then she would say, "It always fit."

Soon this bed will be empty,
the electric blanket smooth
over her place.
reading glasses on the table
reflecting the afternoon sun.

Isn't that wonderful? Skin like piecrust! Eating chocolate in the closet!

Here's one of Willie's that had also been published previously in a Heber Valley collection

Stripping the Kitchen Floor

I peel up linoleum like juniper bark,
Scrape at the glue, sand to discover
The white pine of this kitchen floor.

Black streaks scatter like bugs.
Four generations dissipate to dust
And settle in cracks beneath the boards.

Since nineteen-five, these planks
have born the scuffs of children's shoes,
Blackened nail holes stained with paint.

I sand through the houses this house has been:
Patched-up three-family tenement;
A condemned pile near the street's dead end,

Hovel of spiders and stray cats;
A hobo stop by the tracks.
Leaves heaped at the foot of the stairs;

A dowery and a family home;
A farmhouse in alfalfa fields . . .
I feel the lines, the amber grain

Of pines that stood in the canyon
When this valley spread out
Birdloud and empty of towns.

Wonderful!
I think my next project, after knitting almost steadily for a year, will be poetry. My soul needs filling with good art and well-placed words. My living room trunk is filled with mittens and hats; now I can fill my mind and spirit with lovely words, well-chosen and well-placed.

To change the subject . . .
I had a nice experience on Friday afternoon. My friend Muriel and I took a drive around Bellevue. She doesn't get out much and I could tell by talking with her on the phone she was a little stir-crazy. Cabin fever. We drove around looking at what is left of the fall leaves and made a stop at Haworth Park where I would sometimes eat my lunch when I worked in Bellevue. It had flooded this summer. The park was still closed, although the water had gone down and everything was dry, but covered in silty dirt. Someone had been by with a plow and tried to remove the dirt from the roadways in the camping area, but still everything was covered in dirt . . . the picnic shelters, the playground equipment, the electrical hook-ups. Everything.

Later as we drove by some dried grasses along a ditch bank, Muriel asked if we could stop and pick some. We gathered a big bouquet of the lovely grass, and then drove on to discover a neighborhood hidden in a canyon-like place, covered in trees.

Then we happened upon the Bellevue Cemetery where, according to Muriel, Big Elk was buried. We decided to check it out. We found Big Elk's grave at the top of the hill, and Muriel spontaneously placed the bouquet of grasses on his grave. That was a thoughtful gesture. Big Elk was a good friend to the Mormons when they were in the area at Winter Quarters in 1840 something. His portrait is in one of the stained glass window panes of the Winter Quarters Temple.

Mmm . . . Street Noodles

2011-10-22T14:18:00.001-05:00

Yesterday for lunch six of us business networking ladies had lunch at PF Chang's. There were a graphic designer, a litigation attorney, a Three-Day-Blinds saleswoman, a bank loan officer, a sign marketer and a dentist. We got on the topic of Christmas giving, and we remembered last year when our BNI group had each member bring a gift to donate to the local homeless shelter. The gift was supposed to represent your profession, so Staci, the lawyer, brought a toy ambulance that would flash lights and go "Woo Woo Woo" when she pressed the button. Funny. I happened to be out of town that week, so this year I'm either going to bring a bunch of toothbrush/toothpaste/ hygiene packets, or a Dentist Play Dough set . . . probably the hygiene kits.

For lunch Staci recommended the Singapore Street Noodles, so that's what I ordered. And were they delicious! In fact they were so good, I talked David into going back that night for dinner so he could try the street noodles. I had them again, and was wondering if PF Chang's might be open for breakfast on Saturdays?

Mmmm . . . Singapore Street Noodles

David and I hadn't been downtown along the river since the big flood abated about a month ago. So we walked over the pedestrian bridge across the Missouri River into Iowa. Here are some pictures. Where the water used to be during the flooding is now all sandy. A boat washed up into the woods along what is now the riverbank, and it looks like someone is living in it.

Former bushes and wooded area.

There used to be baseball diamonds, soccer fields and a concession stand here. Now it looks like the moon.

Pedestrian Bridge over the Missouri River

Someone is living in this boat.

We have had two light freezes this Fall, so it was time to clean up the yard this morning. I picked all the good basil leaves off my gigantic basil plant, cut the thyme and the lavender, and pulled up the tomato plants. Here's the result. The basil leaves are currently drying in the food dehydrator.

Roses, Thyme, Lavender, Tomatoes and Basil
Final Harvest

Ouch

2011-10-13T21:16:00.001-05:00

Yesterday after work I attended a town hall meeting put on by the Nebraska Office of Oral Health and Dentistry. The state is working on creating a State Oral Health Plan, so they are hosting a series of town hall meetings to get feedback from oral health care people. There were 10 of us there, two dentists, the executive director of the Omaha District Dental Society, some anti-tobacco people, some public health people, someone from Creighton Dental School, a dental assistant and a few others. Good discussion, upbeat and positive. I was concerned it might just be a gripe session, but it turned out informative, and we all felt we had been listened to.

As I was leaving the meeting thinking about going to the gym before heading home, I was walking towards the door, and BAM! I walked right into a really clean glass wall that I didn't even see. I'm glad my daughter Sarah wasn't there because she would have been crying from laughing so hard. In fact, no one saw me, which was a relief. But it HURT! I banged my nose really hard. The glass wall didn't break, my glasses didn't break, but my nose did.

After I got my wits back somewhat, my first thought was to skip the gym. . . then to get home and put some ice on my face. Then when I discovered my nose was bleeding, I decided to drive myself to the ER. The doc looked at my nose and told me that even if I had a broken nose, they wouldn't do anything about it until the swelling went down. So she told me to have it checked out by an ENT in a few days.

This morning I was relieved to have no visible bruising and only a little swelling, but sore still. I was concerned I might have two black eyes, just in time for my presentation I'm doing at the Multi-Stake Single Adult Conference on Saturday . . . . and my sacrament meeting talk on Sunday. But, thankfully no black eyes. At work I had my dental assistant take a panoramic x-ray of my jaw and nose, and to me it looked like I could see a little fracture line, but no displacement. I had an ENT look at the x-ray and he said it looked like my nose would heal just fine.

Now I'm tired. Getting hurt is stressful.

Resumes

2011-10-03T18:59:00.000-05:00

Adam was here this evening. David worked with him on sprucing up his resume for an upcoming appointment at an employment agency. In the resume, David concluded the "strengths" section with "uncommonly handsome, like his father."

For the past few years David has been doing some volunteer work where he helps people improve their employment-seeking skills and find jobs. He has done workshops on employment, and has helped many people put together resumes. One time, when he was helping someone put together a resume, David instructed the person to list their positive traits and accomplishments. Later, when David was proof reading the resume, there, at the top of the list of accomplishments was written . . . "No felony convictions." I guess each of us has our own standard for excellence.

General Conference Weekend

2011-10-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

I didn't knit all of these during General Conference weekend.
I've been working on them all year.

I love General Conference weekend. Each year our church presents two conferences, one in April and one in October, broadcast worldwide from the Church headquarters in Salt Lake City. There are four general sessions, two on Saturday and two on Sunday. Years ago we would get to hear (sound only) maybe one session, broadcast at our local church building, maybe a month or so after the conference had been held. Later, we would get audio and video for a limited number of sessions. Now, we can get all the sessions via satellite at church, and even better, on the internet at home . . . or on cable or satellite TV.

Yesterday after sleeping a little late David and I walked out at the lake, and after coming back home and showering, we watched the first session of conference via internet, in non-dress-up clothes, sitting on the sofa in the living room. The Church leaders speak on various topics, always very inspiring and motivating. I love it. It feeds my spirit.

Another nice thing about watching General Conference at home is getting to enjoy the prisms that hang in our front window. On sunny mornings they cast rainbows all over the living room. Conference .. . knitting . . . . rainbows . . . . sunny cool weather . . . windows open . . . . smell of sourdough bread baking. What could be better?

The little rainbows look much nicer in person . . . colorful and dancing all over the room.

I really enjoy doing handwork, mainly knitting and crocheting, while someone reads to me. So sitting at home, knitting mittens, listening to General Conference is one of my favorite things. When David and I were getting to know each other years ago, traveling across the country, I started crocheting a blanket. Whenever I could get some yarn, no matter what kind or color, I would add it to the blanket. Some of the yarn was machine washable, and some only hand washable, but it didn't matter for this blanket. Over the years it has been washed in many washing machines and has places where it has felted, and places where it's all stretchy. While I was making this blanket years ago, David would read to me. We read the Book of Mormon for the first time as I crocheted the blanket. Sarah claimed the blanket when she went away to college. And last time we visited Willie in Colorado, I noticed he has the blanket. Adam used it on the bed he slept on in Willie and Sally's basement.

The Blanket!

I have improved in my mitten knitting this year. I've lost count of how many pairs I have knitted, but many of the first ones I made I haven't saved because they didn't look right or fit right. I've tried a couple of different mitten patterns and have finally developed one I like, a variation on "Helen's Basic Mittens" that I found on Ravelry.com. Now it's "Kathy's Basic Mittens."

Kathy’s Basic Mittens

Cuff:

With needles two sizes smaller than you will use for the hand, cast on 25(33,41) stitches. Divide stitches onto three dpn. Join by k2tog, and work in k1p1 for 3(3.5,4) inches.

Change to larger needles while increasing. Increase by repeating *k7, k1F&B* around.

Knit two more rows, increasing one stitch (kF&B) in each row.

Next row: k3, place marker, knit around.

Thumb Gussett:

Row 1: k1F&B, knit to one before marker, k1F&B, slip marker, knit around row.

Row 2: Knit around.

Repeat these two rows until there are 9(13, 15) stitches on the first needle before the marker.

Hand:

Knit across 9(13, 15) stitches and slip them onto holder for thumb. Knit around to where you put the stitches on the holder. Join to first stitch after the holder and knit around. Continue knitting in the round until hand is just longer than the pinky finger.

Top Decrease:

Row 1: k1, ssk, k7(12, 16), k2tog, k1, k1, ssk, knit to three before end of row, k2tog, k1

Row 2: Knit around

Row 3: k1, ssk, k 5(10, 14), k2tog, k1, k1, ssk, k to three before end of row, k2tog, k1

Row 4: Knit around

Continue this decreasing pattern until 10-16 stitches remain. Use darning needle to pick up stitches off knitting needles. Cut off yarn. Pull yarn through remaining stitches. Cinch up tight and weave in end.

Thumb:

Place 9(13, 15) stitches on three needles, picking up two more stitches by using the extra slack at the join, not casting on new stitches.

Beginning at the gap, k2tog and continue knitting around until the knitted thumb is just past the fingernail.

To form top, decrease continually by k2tog. Cut yarn and pull yarn through using a darning needle. Cinch up tightly and weave in end.

Finishing:

Weave in any ends. Use yarn end at thumb joining to close any holes and reinforce area where thumb and hand meet.

My size: 3 – 4 inch cuff. 8.9 inches from end to beginning of top decrease. 2 inch thumb.

Caron Dazzelaire yarn, use sizes 6/8 needles.

Medium yarn, try 5/7

Kind of bulky use 6/8

Bulky, use 8/10.5

Unique Cat

2011-09-27T20:30:00.001-05:00

Today I saw a lovely white cat that had one distinctly green eye, and one distinctly blue eye. Wish I could have gotten a picture.

Ten Year Reunion

2011-09-18T17:54:00.000-05:00

Creighton Dental School Class of 2001

This weekend Creighton Dental School hosted it's annual meeting for alumni, with continuing education courses, dinners and reunion celebrations. It has been 10 years since I graduated from dental school and most of my classmates live out of state. Many of them returned to Omaha for the big weekend, and I enjoyed seeing them again, as young married people with little kids. Most of my classmates are around the age of my kids, many younger and a very few older. So I felt very mother-ly/grandmotherly this weekend seeing my old classmates pushing their kids on the swings and talking about when their babies first slept through the night. It was cute. When I was in school, I didn't feel motherly towards anyone except my own children, because dental school was so hard it was all I could do to keep up. But this weekend I felt motherly and proud of my collegues' accomplishments (our accomplishments.) A few mentioned they had a better appreciation for how hard it must have been for me going through such a hard program later in life.

Some of us local class of 2001 grads got together a few weeks ago to plan some extra activities for people visiting from out of town. I organized a family picnic at Elmwood Park. I thought it would be nice for my classmates who brought kids with them, to get together for some family play time. The picnic was my favorite time of the weekend because the other times all involved lots of drinking. I enjoyed the other events, but left early when things started to crank up and get rowdy.

Steve (Kansas)

Matt (Omaha . . . practices close to my office)

Priya (Omaha) and Sarah (Colorado)

Chris (Omaha)

Mary (Utah) and Husband

Eltania (Georgia)

Some of my classmates played golf on Friday, and some played again with the larger Creighton group on Saturday.

Katy reserved a big table at her family's restaurant, for dinner before people gathered at the Blue Jay, a bar everyone but us Mormons hung out at during dental school. I went to dinner, but skipped the Blue Jay bar.

Amy (Phoenix), Eltania (Georgia), Katy, Kathy and Cathy (all Omaha)

Saturday evening Creighton hosted a nice cocktail party-like event at a local restaurant, The Blue Sushi, at the Old Market in Omaha. It was a perfect setting for the get-together . . . just the right size, good food, perfect sound level so people could visit (many were hoarse from yelling at each other at the Blue Jay the night before.) A professional photographer took a class picture, and I took a bunch of pictures with my iPhone. It was a little dark in room, so the pictures turned out dark and grainy, but I posted them on Facebook anyway.

Cari (Illinois? Kansas?) Kelly (California, I think)

Aldrin (San Francisco) and Friend

Rick (Arizona) and Carly (California)

Kelly (California), Cathy (Omaha) and Amy (Phoenix)

Chris (Omaha) and his Wife

One thing that has always amazed me about my dental school class is the number of beautiful women in our group. We could have made a really nice calendar, "Women of Creighton Dental 2001." They are still beautiful. Most people hadn't changed much in 10 years . . . even Mary Draper who has had six kids and maintains a dental practice with her brother. Her husband has been a stay-at-home dad for 10 years. Some of they guys look more distinguished than they did 10 years ago, with a little grey around the edges. When you practice dentistry it helps to have a little grey . . . adds to the credibility and trust level.

Meet Sadie

2011-09-15T21:03:00.000-05:00

Bread Cooking in the Oven. . . Can you smell it?

This is Sadie, my sourdough starter. Her parent is Seymore, my brother Clint's starter. See how bubbly Sadie is? I made my first two loaves of sourdough bread from Sadie yesterday. The bread was delicious, but I have to admit I cheated on this batch. It takes a long time to make sourdough bread, with multiple long risings. Instead I used a recipe from my handy Betty Crocker cook book, and the recipe called for yeast in addition to the sourdough starter (Horrors!) It's a good recipe for busy working people, but the bread didn't really have that sour-y delicious taste . . . just the usual delicious home made bread taste. And it was fast! Sometime I'm going to explore doing a slow rise in the fridge while I'm at work so I can make some real sour-y sourdough bread.

Mmmm

After I used some of the starter, I fed Sadie and put her to sleep in the refrigerator. I'll wake her up again in a few days.

Toast with Butter and Paula's Blackberry Jelly

Another Vacation

2011-09-11T18:55:00.003-05:00

David and I just got back from a weekend in Kansas City. I had back to back vacations! Lucky me.

On Saturday and Sunday David attended a training conference at the Fred Pryor headquarters in Mission, Kansas. We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Overland Park, a few miles from the conference.

While David sat in meetings (one of his favorite things to do, as long as they are good meetings which these were) I went to the Arboretum and spent some quiet time looking at flowers and exploring the woodland paths through the park. I spent some time in a bird blind, which was a little house with windows on all sides, and bird feeders outside the windows. I saw Tufted Titmouses (Titmice? not sure the plural), Chickadees, a Red Bellied Woodpecker, a Downy or Hairy Woodpecker (not sure which since they look alike to me), Cardinals, House Finches, American Goldfinches, Mourning Doves, and others. Two college student girls were in the little house with me. They were there for a Biology assignment, and were trying to ID the birds. They were relieved when I helped them out. (I used to belong to a birdwatching group in Houston, Texas years ago.)

After a picnic lunch, I parked myself on a bench under a tree and knitted for a couple of hours. I could have gone into Kansas City, but I enjoy the city way more when I have some extra money to spend. I'm fairly broke right now, so the arboretum it was. It was free, and I ended up enjoying the beauty and peace more than I would have enjoyed a shopping day in the big city.

View from my Knitting Spot

I spent about 15 minutes with a kindergarten aged girl who stopped by (with her parents and little brother) to watch me knit. She walked past me a few times before she got up the courage to ask me what I was doing. She told me all about some potholders she made (you know those potholders many of us wove when we were kids . . .) After we visited for awhile, she told me she was going to learn to knit when she grows up. Her mom knows how to crochet, so I told her to get her mother to teach her how to crochet.

I finished these black mittens, and started on
some "Stop and Go" mittens, at Judy's
suggestion: Red mitten for Stop, Green
mitten for Go.

My cute Knitting Bag . . . I didn't make it.

When I was knitting, I saw lots of Hummingbirds on a patch of blue flowers nearby.

I feel really refreshed after my two consecutive vacations. Ready to go back to work tomorrow. Busy week coming up.

Inner Child

2011-09-11T18:27:00.003-05:00

When Clint, Judy, Trisha and I were riding the ferry from Seattle to Bremerton, it was very windy. Trisha kept laughing about a girl who was wearing a short skirt. Trisha couldn't resist taking a picture. Here's an e-mail I got from Trisha today.

"Sooooo in touch with my inner child.."

Trisha is really fun to be around. The rest of us siblings are way too serious!

Thoughts Following a Good Vacation

2011-09-08T21:23:00.002-05:00

Many times when I have been away from my usual routine for a few days, I feel like I can think more clearly about what new things I'd like to do. I can kind of step back and look at my life from the outside looking in. Here are a few thoughts about things I'd like to do when I get home.

1. I want to make a sourdough starter, name it (Clint's is named Seymour) and get good at making sourdough bread. Clint told me to check out TheFreshLoaf.com. I think I might name my starter "Sadie" after Clint and Paula's dog. I think Sadie would be a cute name for a jar of sourdough starter, don't you?

Sadie nearly always carries something in her mouth.

2. I want to learn to tie decorative knots. Back in the '60's and 70's I used to do macrame, and I'm sure this is similar, but more sailor-like. I want to make some sennits and maybe add some beads for bracelets or necklaces. I'd like to make a floor mat similar to the one at the top of the stairs of our cottage. I'd like to make a small knotted ring to use as a stand for my new beautiful handmade marble.

3. I want to ask my friend Janae about her timeshare she bought for a dollar on e-Bay. She paid the $500 transfer fee, and the yearly maintenance fee. It would be fun to have a timeshare to use for our sistahs vacations, and for family vacations. I don't have any extra money right now, but maybe later . . .

To Commemorate our Sistahs Vacations, Along With a Brutha This Time

Here are some comments on few notes I made of things we talked about on vacation.

I learned two nick names for those food trailers where they might sell enchiladas, or barbecue, or hot dogs. One is a Roach Coach, and the other is Maggot Wagon. Appetizing.

Clint mentioned, as we were taking the ferry from Bremerton to Seattle, after being out at sea, when you approach land you can smell it. It smells like dirt. I never thought of that. I thought of how much I like to smell the ocean, but I never thought of smelling land.

View of Mt. Rainier from the Ferry

Judy works on a farm in Maine. She is a landscaper, does twice weekly farmer's markets in the summer, and generally helps out around the farm. She was telling her daughter Chris that she got to help deliver a calf. After thinking about it, Chris asked Judy how she got it in her truck . . .

I made a note to remember the name of the river near our cottage, and in the rain forest: The Skokomish River. And the other river near Mount St. Helen's is the Toutle River.

Skokomish River

Toutle River

There were so many stories Clint told. He compared being in the Navy to working as a Merchant Seaman. Merchant Seamen enjoy much better living conditions on a ship. They order food from a menu. Clint learned his fancy knot work when he was at sea.

Some of Clint's Fancy Knot Work on a Letter Opener He Carved

Clint's Photos

2011-09-08T00:07:00.000-05:00

My brother Clint is an extraordinary photographer, and he took lots of photos of our Washington trip. Here are a few of the 700+ pictures of his I downloaded onto my computer.

Kathy

Judy, Trisha, Clint and Kathy

Trisha, Judy and Kathy

Cushman (?) Lake near the Staircase

The Rainforest

Mt. Rainier, always looked like it was floating

Volcano Fountain in Bremerton

Judy and Trisha on the Ferry to Seattle

The Market in Seattle

Seattle

Paula, Trisha, Kathy

Beaches: Westport and Washaway

Plants near our Cottage

Kathy

Tim's Flame Working Studio

Making a Marble

Trisha Watching Through A Filter

Judy, Trisha, Tim and Kathy

Kathy, Judy and Trisha in Paula's Art Gallery

Kathy and Trisha in Downtown Shelton

Sadie

Mount St. Helen's

Trisha, Judy, Kathy . . . Windy

Kathy, Judy, Trisha, Clint

Kathy

Mount St. Helen's

Toutle River Valley, Filled in With Ash

Mount St. Helen's

2011-09-07T21:53:00.001-05:00

Today we went on a scientific exploration. Clint, Judy, Trisha and I drove to Mt. St. Helen's. When Trisha tries to describe the area, she just says, "No words" because it's so hard to explain the beauty and the interesting-ness of the area where a volcano blew in 1980. The forests are growing back, but much of the area is still somewhat barren, with wild flowers struggling to sprout through rocks and ash.

Trisha

Traveling up the mountain, we could see what looked like steam vents all along the Toutle River, and smoke coming from the caldera at the top of the mountain. The river valley was full of ash with some trees growing, and the river looking like a small trickle in places.

At the end of the road at the Johnston Ridge Observatory we listened to a Ranger give a lecture on the volcano eruption, and later we watched a movie about it. It was fascinating. We found out to our disappointment, the "steam vents" were/was actually just wind blowing loose ash around.

Great day trip, ending at Clint and Paula's place for dinner and good byes. We have had such a great week, we sistahs hate to see it end. We have been to a rain forest, sea shore and a volcano all in the same week.

Vortex Marbles and Some Really Good Food

2011-09-06T23:21:00.000-05:00

Judy, Xinh, Trisha and Kathy

Trisha

Clint and Paula had this special day planned for us, doing things we would never have gotten to do if we three sisters had been on our own on this vacation.

Clint

We started out at Clint and Paula's place where we downloaded pictures Clint had taken on our vacation. He's an amazing photographer, and I will do a special blog post of just Clint's photos . . . later.

Clint with Hand Carved Walking Stick with Knotted Handle

Clint is a real artist with his photography, and also with various other media. He carves wood and he ties knots like a real sailor, which he was for many years. I told him before we came here that I would really like to have him teach me how to do some of his knots. He has made bell ropes, and lots of other sturdy and decorative items. Today he showed me his knot tying books, and he happened to have an extra of one of them because he had lost it, ordered a new one, then found the old one. So I got the extra. I can't wait to try it out. My next book to read and study:

Paula had arranged for us to visit an artist friend of theirs, Tim Keyzers, who makes glass marbles that he sells all over the country, and in Paula's art gallery in Shelton. Tim is a great teacher, as well as an artist. We could tell he had explained his craft many times before. He explained that he doesn't do glass blowing. He does flameworking. We donned our special dark glasses and Tim narrated while he made a vortex style glass marble. He melted a glob of glass and used a special saw to make the framework of the vortex. He twisted, melted, poked, dotted, smoothed, cooled and then put the finished marble in a kiln to complete the process. It was fascinating to watch.

After

Afterwards we joined Paula at her art gallery, Art Talks, in downtown Shelton, where I purchased one of Tim's marbles.

Art Talks is a great place with all sorts of local art: some of Clint's photography, paintings, jewelry and lots of odds and ends of different things. Paula does picture framing in her studio, and business is booming. Her shop was technically closed today but at least three people came in while we were there.

Paula gave each of us three sisters a gift bag containing nice soaps and lotions. She had us each choose a necklace with a glass pendant made by Tim Keyzers. So generous. Thanks, Paula!

Exploring downtown Shelton we visited the local historical museum where I saw this board containing a collection of interesting shaped twigs that someone had saved in the early 1900's.

We capped off the evening at Xinh's place down the block from the gallery. Xinh (pronounced "Zinn") is a renown chef who has been featured on the Food Network. In her restaurant she has framed pictures of herself with Anthony Bordain, Julia Child and other notable foodies. Xinh was a champion oyster shucker before she opened her restaurant, and won medals at oyster shucking events (such as the one near here "Hama Hama Oysterama.")

I ordered the Mediterranean Mussels with pasta, and Clint had a beautiful looking soup with all kinds of fish. We had to try goe duck ("gooey duck"... the neck of a giant clam) so we ordered it as an appetizer, along with Xinh's famous egg rolls. All the food was delicious. And we even had dessert (I had lemon sorbet.)

Mussels . . . Yum

Clint's Seafood Soup

Paula and Her Curried Mussels

What a great day.

Day At Our Cottage

2011-09-05T22:43:00.000-05:00

Today we spent relaxing and preparing a meal for Clint and Paula at our place. Judy made lasagna. Trisha made appetizers and an incredible salad. I made a crumb top blackberry pie from the berries I picked at Clint and Paula's yesterday.

After we got things organized this morning, Judy, Trisha and I spent a few hours hanging out on the dock across the street. I fully intended to swim, but never actually got my whole body into the water. Trisha dove off the dock, but I wimped out. Judy likes the beach, the sun, but not the water.

Kathy and Judy

When Clint and Paula arrived at our place, Trisha put together a nice appetizer plate and brought it down to the waterfront for us where we visited, ate, drank (beer, wine and for me Club Soda.)

We three sisters really worked well together today cooking, cleaning up, sitting in the sun. Judy's lasagna was delicious although she said she was disappointed in the sauce. I thought it was great, moist and light. We were all awed by Trisha's antipasto made from mozzarella cheese, proscuitto, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, artichoke hearts, Calimata olives, fresh basil and olive oil. Mmmm.

We were all stuffed after the main course, so we had dessert later in the evening while we sat on the deck and had a fire in the fire pit. We talked about our neighbors on South Street in Grafton, Massachusetts where us four siblings grew up, and how we knew who lived in every house on our street. We talked about who died, who moved to what city. We talked a lot about corporate greed. And we talked mostly about food, food and more food. We all like to eat. And we are currently all stuffed.

Paula and Clint

Beach Day

2011-09-04T23:06:00.000-05:00

When we arrived in Seattle on Thursday, we sisters each chose one thing we want to do while we are here. Judy wanted to go to the market in Seattle (done). Trisha wanted to visit Mt. Rainier or Mt. St. Helen's, which we haven't done yet. I wanted to spend some time at the ocean. Today was my day.

The area where we are staying is along the Hood Canal. It's brackish water, which I always thought meant polluted water, but it actually means part salt, part fresh water. I tasted it, and it's just a little salty. It's not open ocean. Today we drove west on the Olympic peninsula to Westport and open ocean. The weather was perfect . . . a little too cool for swimming but great for beach walking. The water along the coast here is really cold, but the Hood Canal is nice for swimming. It's supposed to be warm the next few days, so I'll get my swimming fix in the canal. There's a dock we can use across the street.

Kathy

Judy and Paula

Judy

We visited Half Moon Bay and walked along the beach at Westport before lunch at Bennett's (crab salad sandwich). And afterwards Clint took us to Washaway Beach, called that because every year the beach washes away more of the land in the area. There's driftwood all along the beach. And we also came upon a dead shark (Nurse Shark, according to Clint who seems to know everything about everything). The sun was warm. The air was cool. The water was freezing, but OK to wade in after getting used to it.

We saw lots of Brown Pelicans and gulls that are different than I have seen in the past on the east and Gulf coasts. We picked up rocks and shells.

Clint Taking Pictures

Judy Arranging the Sketches

Later in the day at Clint and Paula's house back in Shelton, Judy, Trisha and Clint worked on a book project Judy and our mother started years ago. Judy had a really nice book made of some of our mother's best sketches. Before she died, our mother organized the book, wrote a forward and dedicated it to us kids. But she left it for Judy to finish. Judy had it printed a few years ago, but the printers did a terrible job scanning the sketches, and it didn't turn out well. Today, Clint photographed all the original sketches that Trisha had not already re-scanned (Trisha brought the sketches with her so we can finally finish this project . . . Clint is a magnificent photographer). Clint and Trisha talked Photoshop. And Paula and I picked blackberries so I can make a pie for dinner tomorrow. After we get home I'll look online to see how we can have our book printed up.

Before we arrived on our vacation, Clint made some sourdough bread . . . really good. He gave us a loaf to take to our cottage, and I've had it toasted with Blackberry preserves for breakfast. Today, I grilled Clint on how to use a sourdough starter. He told me how to make a starter from scratch, but I think I will see if he will give me just a pinch of his to add to the one I will make at home.

Good day. Nice to spend time at the ocean. I love water.

Seattle

2011-09-03T23:35:00.000-05:00

Today Clint took us girls to Seattle to the fish market. We parked in Bremerton and took the ferry across the Puget Sound to Seattle.

When Clint first entered the Navy around 1966, his first ship assignment was out of Bremerton, and currently the Navy ship he served on in Vietnam (the USS Ranger) is parked in Bremerton, sealed up and out of use. Clint says old ships that will not be used anymore are stripped of everything except metal and are sunk. That will most likely be the Ranger's fate eventually.

For the past couple of days we have been catching up on what Clint has been doing for the past 40 years. I knew he was in the Navy during the Vietnam War, and later worked as a merchant seaman for many years. As a merchant seaman, Clint was a government employee for the Department of Defense Military Sealift Command, an unrep boatswain, and traveled on scientific survey trips, delivery trips and lots of other trips to places like Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Diego Garcia, Russia, cities along the east and west coast of the US, and other places in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and the Mediterranean Sea. Clint didn't like the military, but really liked his sea years with the Department of Defense.

My favorite part of Bremerton was the volcano fountain, a series of cone-shaped sculptures that erupted water at various intervals. After the water erupted a small plume of smoke came from the cone. Shallow water surrounded each little volcano, and kids can play in the water and get splashed by the water eruptions.

The ferry ride was great, about an hour long, cool air, sea gulls, beautiful view of the distant Mt. Rainier, and a great view of Seattle as we pulled into the harbor. Every view of Mt. Rainier has been eerie because the mountain looks like it is hovering in the air, unattached to the ground, because there has been a layer of haze at the base of the mountain, hiding it's connection to the earth.

Us four siblings spent the afternoon exploring the Pike Street Market, or as some people call it, the Fish Market, or the City Market . . . depending on who you talk to. Fresh fish, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, hand made items, restaurants. Since this is Labor Day weekend, the market was swarming with people and we four got separated a couple of times, but found one another OK via cell phone.

Lunch was Greek? Armenian? I had a bowl of delicious lentil soup, with Greek salad and Baklava for dessert. Later I bought a fresh, ripe peach which the vendor cut up for me and put it in a little paper plate. Really yummy peach.

The flowers were especially beautiful. And many of the vendors strung various colored peppers in hanging arrangements.

We walked our legs off, and were glad to sit for awhile before taking the ferry back to Bremerton. There were three kids (teenagers) who played lively Irish traditional fiddle music on the ferry ride home. I talked to the kids afterwards. They were siblings who had begun playing music for tips at the market place years ago when their grandmother would take them. Now the oldest is in college majoring in music and art, and then next oldest will start college soon. The three kids continue to play for tips at the market, now old enough to do it on their own. The older sister said they asked the captain of the ferry if they could play for tips on the ride back to Bremerton and he consented. It was a great, upbeat and lively concert. I hope they made a ton of money in tips.

Paula met us at our place where we put together plates of cheese, salami, fruit, crackers, smoked salmon and salmon dip for dinner on the patio.

Another really memorable day.

The Staircase

2011-09-02T22:57:00.003-05:00

Today Clint and Paula took us sisters to the Staircase National Park on the Olympic Peninsula. We walked a trail through the only temperate rain forest in the world. The trail followed along a beautiful river whose name I can't recall, even though Clint told me multiple times. Trisha and I said numerous times we didn't have words to describe how beautiful this place was. There were huge Red Cedar trees and Douglas Firs, thick with moss. I've never seen so much moss and so many ferns. But it wasn't dripping wet and sticky humid. In fact, it's more humid in Omaha than in this rain forest. The air was fresh and cool, perfect for hiking around in.

There were some great rocks to climb around on by the river's edge. Some rocks were covered in moss that felt like animal fur. Any dead tree that had been on the ground for any length of time was covered in moss. Everything was stunningly beautiful.

We spent the rest of the day eating ice cream, buying a fresh salmon to grill for dinner, playing with Sadie the dog in Clint and Paula's back yard, and eating.

Back at the cottage where us sisters are staying, the three of relaxed in the hot tub out on the deck at dusk. Cool breeze, and hot water.

Great day. Hall of Famer.

Four Siblings

2011-09-01T20:05:00.003-05:00

My flight from Minneapolis to Seattle was delayed due to engine problems, so Judy, Trisha and I arrived in Seattle around the same time. And Clint met us at the car rental place. I rode with Clint and we caravanned to his house in Shelton, Washington.

It was fun seeing his and Paula's place, eating a lovely salad Paula made for us , and walking the property. Clint cleared trails he had made in their woods and we went exploring. We ate wild berries and picked some rhubarb (rhubarb crisp is cooking in the oven right now.)

Judy had some cute caps made for all four of us . . . and Trisha gave Judy and I some beautiful hand made earrings, made by a friend of hers. No gifts from me this time. Judy spent a night at Trisha's house in Plymouth, Massachusetts before they left for Seattle. When they went walking on the beach, they picked out a small rock for me "Plymouth Rock." Later they wrote "1620" on it. Very cute.

Our cottage is across the street from the Hood Canal in Union, Washington. There's a nice view from the living room window of the canal, and also of the big house in front of our cottage. We wish we could cut the roof off for a better view. There's a hot tub on the deck, and a dock for sitting on and swimming off of across the street. The weather is wonderful, cool but not too cool.

Paula has some wonderful plans for us, including Judy's choice to visit the fish market in Seattle, and Trisha's choice to visit Mt. St. Helen's. I'm good with all of that.

Now us three sisters are relaxing in our living room, porch door open, rhubarb cooking in the oven. I'm sleepy after getting up at 2:30 AM.

Up Early

2011-09-01T04:21:00.005-05:00

This is me, knitting at an Omaha Storm Chasers baseball game at the new Werner Stadium. Baseball provides a great knitting opportunity.

I'm at the airport waiting for my flight to Seattle where I will meet my sisters and brother. I'm so excited to have a vacation. I've been working hard at my dental practice, trying to pay my bills, and learning lots about being a small business owner. I love it, but I will love it more when it's easier to pay the bills.

I need a vacation, and am very eager to get out of town for a few days. I'm anticipating spending time with my siblings, since we have only been all together twice that I can recall, in the past 40 years. I'm anticipating some beautiful scenery, and a fun place to stay close to the water. I'm anticipating smelling salt air.

David was kind enough to drive me to the airport at 3:30 AM. After his car was pummeled by hail at the airport not long ago, I decided I'd rather leave my car at home, in the garage. I don't have a ride home yet, but I can work on that later.

Spotlight

2011-08-21T11:16:00.006-05:00

At church, the women in our congregation have been asked to fill out a questionnaire concerning their life experiences, talents and interests. I started to fill in the blanks, and then, being the perfectionist I am, I decided to type it out and add a few categories. I was having fun writing about myself, and got a little carried away. Here's the survey:

Kathy Lynn Ferrara DeFord

I was born in Framingham, Massachusetts on May 24, 1952. I grew up in Grafton, about 30 miles from Boston, and about 20 minutes from Rhode Island. My parents both grew up in Boston. My father was a wholesale florist and owned several greenhouses. My mother worked part-time as a commercial artist, doing drawings for a department store, for their newspaper advertisements.

Currently I have a sister in Maine, a sister in Massachusetts (Plymouth), a brother in Washington State, a daughter in Utah, a son in Colorado, a son in Louisiana, a son in Omaha, my mother-in-law and other in-laws in Indiana, a sister-in-law in Nevada, and a brother-in-law in Pennsylvania. We have lots of fun places to visit.

Kids:

We have four children and 11 grandchildren.

My daughter is a published author (Palace Beautiful, by Sarah DeFord Williams).

My son Matt is the chairman of the Art Department at Northwestern Louisiana State University.

My son Willie is an attorney in Grand Junction, Colorado.

My son Adam is a bar tender in Omaha.

Places I have lived:

I have lived in Massachusetts, Kentucky, Indiana, Texas and Nebraska.

I really like Omaha because it is a nice size city . . . not too big and not too small. There are lots of really good cultural activities and places in Omaha, including our wonderful Josyln Art Museum. I love living close to a temple. I love the four seasons, including winter. I have lived in Omaha nearly 15 years, longer than I lived in the house I grew up in, in Massachusetts, which is hard for me to believe!

How I Met My Husband

I met my husband when he picked me up in Bloomington, Indiana when my friend Susan and I were hitchhiking across the country. It was love at first sight. I loved his shoulder-length blonde hair and his big smile.

We ended up taking the missionary discussions in Provo, Utah and were baptized two days before we were married in Bloomington, Indiana

Hobbies:

I have been obsessed with knitting ever since I took a knitting class last fall. I have knit 11 hats, a few scarves and countless pairs of mittens. My next project will be socks.

When we lived in Texas I was an avid birdwatcher and served as secretary of the Houston Ornithological Society.

I have also ridden my bicycle on several multi-day trips and camped at night. Once I rode my bike 100 miles in one day (a “Century Ride”). I left my house at 6:30 AM and got home at 7:30 PM.

Something no one knows about me:

I saved someone's life using the Heimlich Maneuver . . . at a church Christmas Party.

My Dreams:

I have accomplished many of my dreams in life, but there are two yet to be fulfilled

I would like to serve a mission doing dental work

I would like to have a house built . . . a cottage-y house someplace scenic.

A movie or book that describes my life? How about a scripture that describes my life?:

I am a pioneer in my family and this is the scripture that describes my life:

Isaiah 58:11-12 “And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought . . . and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.”

Church Callings:

I have served as president of everything except Stake Primary.

I taught Gospel Doctrine class for about 15 years.

I enjoy my current calling teaching the 3 and 4 year olds.

I am abundantly blessed by my calling as a temple worker and hope I can serve in this capacity until I’m too old to bring my right arm to the square.

I really enjoy teaching, and don’t enjoy leadership callings as much.

Favorite Latter-day prophet:

Gordon B. Hinckley. I enjoyed President Hinckley’s talks and advice. I met him once at the dedication of the Chicago Temple. He shook my son Willie’s hand.

Temples:

David and I were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple, as were three of our children.

My favorite temple is the Winter Quarters Temple, because I have been a worker there for 10 years.

I think the most beautiful temple is the Nauvoo Temple. I love the clear windows and the dark wood floors, and the lovely painting in the celestial room of a flat wetland area, which brings to my mind the scripture that every valley will be exalted and every mountain and hill made plain . . . a symbol that eventually everything will be made fair. We will no longer be able to say “Life isn’t fair.”

My favorite family recipe:

When my kids come home to visit, they want me to make spaghetti sauce. Each of my siblings makes their spaghetti sauce different, but it’s all good.

Profession:

I was a stay-at-home mother when my kids were young. When they got to be teenagers, I returned to school, and graduated from Creighton Dental School in 2001, the same year two of my kids graduated from BYU, and my youngest graduated from high school.

I worked as an employee dentist for nine years before opening my own practice in 2009, in Papillion. I’m now a small business owner, and learning how to manage and grow my business.

I currently serve on the board of directors of the Omaha District Dental Society and as a delegate to the Nebraska Dental Association.

Personality:

According to a seminar my husband teaches on working with multiple personalities, I am a Thinker, which means I am a perfectionist (I can sometimes drive myself crazy . . . but wouldn’t you want your dentist to be a perfectionist?) I am slow to make decisions. I am somewhat reserved. I value accuracy and thoroughness, and I don’t like to be criticized. And I nearly always finish what I start.

According to my daughter’s studies of the Meyers-Briggs personality testing, I am an INTJ.

I feel like one of the blessings of living the gospel over the years, is getting to know one’s self better. I have been blessed to discover many talents I never dreamed I had. The gospel brings out the best in us!

Hail Storm

2011-08-20T15:46:00.003-05:00

David just returned from teaching seminars in California. While he was gone we had a terrific hail storm. The storm actually missed where we live and where I work, but it hit the airport hard, and David had left his car at the airport. The van was pummeled with large hail. The windshield was smashed, and there were glass shards all over the inside of the van. David drove it home from the airport, but I'm sure it was hard to see. The van is a mess. It looks worse in person than in the pictures.

Shark

2011-08-14T18:28:00.005-05:00

There is a missionary couple in our branch at church (They are from Louisiana, and Matt and Julie know them), whose 6 year old granddaughter Lucy got attacked by a shark in North Carolina a few weeks ago. This little girl and her family visited our branch today because they were in town to see their grandparents.

Three of the four siblings were in Primary, and one of them was in my class. She was a talker, not at all shy. Right away she asked me how old I was. I said, "59. And how old are you?" (4) She talked quite a bit, and every now and then she'd point to someone else in the class and ask, "Can she talk?" or "Can he talk?" I think the rest of the class was a little overwhelmed by her energy, and were much more quiet than usual.

While we were playing with play clay after our lesson, I asked Lucy's sister (can't remember her name) about the shark attack. She told us the whole story. She and her sister were riding the waves in shallow water on boogie boards. Their mother was not far away, and saw the shark coming, but they didn't see it. The shark bit Lucy and there was a lot of blood. She told us about the doctors and police coming and making a bed for Lucy and putting her in a truck to take her to the hospital.

During the group meeting in Primary, after our lesson, Lucy told her story, with many interruptions and additions from her more chatty sister. She said the shark was in a wave, and she didn't see it coming. Lucy said it bit her leg two times because he thought it was a fish. She said it hurt and there was a lot of blood. After her ride in the truck (ambulance?) she got to ride in a helicopter to the hospital. At church today her leg was in a large cast and she had a wheelchair with one leg extended, but she didn't spend much time in it. She said she will start physical therapy soon, but by the way she was getting around on her own, I don't think she'll need too much extra help retraining her leg.

Here's a link to a TV news story http://abcnews.go.com/US/north-carolina-shark-attack-survivor-lucy-mangum-family/story?id=14159069

Just after the accident, Lucy was on the news, and the headlines were "Girl Forgives Shark." Lucy told us she forgave the shark for trying to eat her leg. I think she's telling herself the shark thought her leg was a fish. I don't think she knows that sharks might prefer little girl legs to fish.

I Am Woman

2011-08-07T18:02:00.005-05:00

Ellen now, and Ellen then. She keeps getting cuter and cuter!

Happy 14th birthday, Ellen . . . from your Nana.

Cerulean

2011-08-04T20:36:00.002-05:00

Never ask an artist what color they like.

Muriel and I spent some time together at the library. She likes to take her time and browse while I sit and knit.

I was knitting some lime green mittens, which she liked because they reminded her of when her mother used to knit mittens for her. She asked me if I'd knit her some mittens. I said, "Sure! What color do you like." (I was thinking maybe red or blue.) And without even thinking, she said, "I really like cerulean."

Just out of curiosity I checked on the internet to see if I could find cerulean yard. I found a website for a yarn warehouse with inexpensive yarn, and yes, they had cerulean. I ordered two skeins for a total of $5.00, and they arrived in the mail today. It's nice yarn, soft and very cerulean.

Yellow Boots

2011-07-31T18:14:00.002-05:00

Nick wore these cute bright yellow boots to church today . . . 95+ degrees out, with a heat index over 100. I asked if I could take a picture of him with his cool boots on, and he had me take several.

Wedding Shower

2011-07-29T19:47:00.004-05:00

I went to a wedding shower for a friend from church last night.

My friend Heather met her fiance through a dating service, and was very reluctant to take the step to actually meet him in person, worried that he might be psycho. Heather decided for their first meeting she would fly to Arizona to his place. Heather's sister lives in the same city as the fiance, so she felt safer knowing someone she could stay with, and someone to rescue her in case the meeting turned out badly.

It turned out very well. Very nice guy. Cooks. Owns a home and has a good job. Handy around the house. Smart.

Turns out David and I knew this guy when he was just a baby. I remember when he was born, because he was born in the car on the way to the hospital. I was probably his nursery leader or Primary teacher when we lived in Kentucky many years ago. We know the family, and they are very nice.

At the shower instead of little wedding shower games, we had to make the future bride a wedding dress out of paper napkins and Scotch tape. I arrived a little late because I came right from work, so I just watched and took a few pictures. I was amazed what these women could do with paper! It looked amazing!

Heather and Chad will get married next month in the Sacramento, California temple, near Heather's family.

Leah and Nana

2011-07-24T18:16:00.002-05:00

Breakfast With Calder

2011-07-19T15:08:00.002-05:00

Five year old Calder is an early riser, unlike the rest of his family. For the past two days, I have gotten up early to get ready for work. When I have opened the door to my bedroom, Calder has been lying on the floor, waiting for me. Yesterday, Calder had set out two Phineas and Ferb little plastic cereal bowls so we could have breakfast together. He had the cereal box and milk set out, and he had poured me a GIANT glass of juice. He said he thought maybe he gave me a little too much juice (since he had used one of those big-gulp sized plastic cups, filled to the brim).

Today Calder set out a cereal bowl, milk, juice and had a glass of ice water for me, because yesterday morning at breakfast I got myself a glass of water. He noticed what I ate and drank yesterday, and tried to set things out that I like. So kind.

Last night Genevene, Leah and I watched a Harry Potter movie in the basement, while their parents went to the theater to see the new, and last Harry Potter adventure. I didn't get to finish watching the movie because I had to go to bed early, but I liked hanging out with the girls, and enjoyed their movie commentaries.

Matt, Julie and family will be leaving today, and I will miss them so much.

One Lucky Nana

2011-07-17T09:59:00.006-05:00

Matt, Julie and the kids are visiting from Louisiana. From the start the girls kept telling me they had a surprise for me. Julie told me not to plan anything for Friday afternoon because I would be busy. There were giggles and whispers, plannings. I was really curious and excited to get my surprise.

When I got home from work on Friday just before noon, I took five year old Calder for a ride in my car (He loves my car, and cool cars in general.) Whenever we came to a stop sign or traffic light, Calder got to choose if we would go straight, right or left. And we got to go fast over a couple of speed bumps. Then Calder asked if we could go to my work to see if there was a motorcycle in the prize box, which there wasn't, but there was a purple car - almost as good.

After our car ride, back at home the girls were ready to give me my surprise. Since last summer during their visit here, I took each kid individually on a date, the girls decided this year they would take me on a date. It was Leah's idea, and each of the three girls saved up money so they could treat me. I thought all the girls would be going, but Julie stayed behind. She said it was something Genevene, Leah and Bess wanted to do with just them and me . . . no Mom.

First they gave me some ideas for fun things to do, and I chose to go to Scheel's and ride the ferris wheel. Bess paid for the four of us to ride. Then we visited the candy section of Scheel's for a free sample of fudge (appetizer for lunch).

We had lunch at Wendy's (Genevene's treat). The girls had me order whatever I wanted first. Leah told me I could have the blueberry and walnut salad if I wanted. When I told her I was thinking of a side salad and chili, she reminded me I could have the blueberry and walnut salad if I want. When I hesitated again, Leah said again, "You can have the blueberry and walnut salad if you want." So I got the blueberry and walnut salad, and it was delicious. They paid for my lunch, counted their remaining money and ordered their lunch with what was left. We all had chocolate Frosties for dessert.

After lunch, the girls told me it was time to go shopping. They suggested Bath and Body Works where we could buy little hand sanitizers that clip on your purse. Or we could go to the mall. Or Target. I suggested Hobby Lobby, which we all like. The shopping was Leah's treat, and whenever I looked at something at the store she said, "You can buy that if you want, Nana." I chose two skeins of yarn, one lime green and one hot pink.

The culmination of the date was a stop at SuperSaver's bulk candy section. Genevene had us each pick out some candy to save for later when we would watch a movie at home. The girls picked out treats for the guys at home too: Tootsie roll pops for Calder and Max. Chocolate covered raisins for Julie. And Sixlets for Matt. I got chocolate covered almonds, which I ate before the movie, and some nice Jelly Bellies which are saved for a special occasion, or when I have a bad sugar craving, which happens often.

We later watched a one hour episode of the Candleford series.

What a great date. I will remember it always as one of the most thoughtful gifts I have received. I am one lucky Nana.

Yesterday, Max discovered my mop, and I promised him we would mop the kitchen floor together after the dinner dishes were done. So, after dinner, I told everyone except Max they had to leave the kitchen while the two of us mopped. Max loved mopping, especially after he discovered the button that squirts out the cleaning solution. I have the cleanest kitchen floor around.

Calder made my favorite comment of the visit so far. As we were sitting around chatting, Calder blurted out of nowhere, "My mom's an alien!" Really funny. She is an alien. She's from Canada, and recently Julie had to go to the nearest immigration office which is in New Orleans, to have her green card renewed (it lasts 10 years.) That might be when he found out his mom was an alien . . . No, Julie just told me Leah found out a couple of years ago, and loved telling her friends that her mom was an alien. Leah said that makes her part alien.

Spending a Week With David

2011-07-10T18:37:00.004-05:00

I'm preparing for a lively fun social week. Matt, Julie and the kids are coming tomorrow. I can hardly wait. We've moved things around so people have room to sleep. I plan to put vases and other breakable things up high. And I'l get out the cabinet door baby locks . Someday Matt, Julie and their family will see my house like it usually is, but for now everything will be up high or locked!

I have such a good time when they visit. They are unusual guests, because I feel like I am the guest when they are here. They take over, Julie cooks much of the time, and I really don't "take care" of them. They cake care of themselves, and I can just enjoy the kids and have fun.

A few years ago Julie brought a delicious recipe with her to try. Ever since that time, I make it before they come, and it's baking in the oven right now. It's my favorite cookie bar recipe but I don't dare make it when we aren't having guests, or I would eat the whole thing myself. Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Raspberry Squares

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix together:

1 3/4 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter or margarine

1 egg

1/2 tsp almond extract

Set aside 1 cup of this mixture and press remaining into the bottom of a greased 9X13 pan

Spread 1 cup of raspberry jam over the dough

Add 1 cup of chocolate chips and 3/4 cup sliced almonds to the 1 cup dough, and spoon over the top of the raspberry jam. Press down.

Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

I finished knitting my tenth pair of mittens today. My goal this year was 10 pairs of mittens and 10 hats. I'm enjoying it so much, I'm sure I'll make many more than that. Each pair is a little better than the last. I'm such a perfectionist. The ones with little flaws in them bother me, but some of the mittens are really cute. I have a whole box of left-over balls of yarn that I'd like to make into mittens. This is a good way for me to learn to knit, and to get better at it. This is my practice year for knitting.

When I was taking a knitting class at "Personal Threads" knitting shop here in Omaha, someone had a yarn bowl, a ceramic bowl in which she could place a ball of yarn, and then thread the yarn through a little swirly design on the side of the bowl. It kept the yarn from rolling all over the floor, and helped keep it from tangling. I checked out "yarn bowls"on the web and bought one from an Etsy shop. It's very handy and I like it.

Originally Matt and Julie and the kids planned to come this past week, but Genevene had girls camp so they are arriving this coming week instead. Before we knew about camp, David arranged to have last week off work, and I blocked some extra time out of my schedule. So David was home all week, and I had a couple days off. We had fun spending time together. We rode bikes, which we hadn't done together in over a year. We rode part of my favorite trail, The Wabash Trace, a rails to trails that starts in Council Bluffs, Iowa, just across the river.

David and I even did some Yoga together at home. We had dinner together almost every night. It was a nice week. Financially, things have been stressful at work, and it was nice to have David at home to listen to me complain.

Since we both have started new work ventures a year and a half ago, we are still barely getting by financially. Last year we lived on credit. Now, we have to pay our own way and it's hard. People tell me the first couple of years are tough financially with a new dental practice, and even though we are growing (at least 70 new patients a month, still, even after a year and a half), it's still hard to pay the bills. David's sales have done well, and he is beginning to be able to contribute more to the family income which helps. But we are living like students for now. It's an adventure.

Happy Independence Day

2011-07-04T15:54:00.004-05:00

It's nice to have a four-day weekend, and as a bonus, David is home for about a week and a half. He has been promising to help me set up a fan page on Facebook for DeFord Family Dental, but whenever he is home, I don't feel like working. I just want to hang out with him. Finally this afternoon he helped me set up the site. So all of you out there, feel free to "Like" DeFord Family Dental on Facebook. Nothing is posted yet, but I hope to post useful and interesting information periodically.

This morning David and I rode bikes. We rode around Wehrspann Lake near our house, and then decided to ride over to the neighboring Lake Zorinski (which has been drained temporarily to kill some pesty creatures that were harming the ecosystem). So we also rode around Zorinski and back home in time to attend the annual neighborhood Fourth of July picnic at the park.

I really was wishing for a few grandkids to be with us to enjoy the bounce house, the slip and slide house, and the firetrucks that sprayed water into the air so the kids could get all wet, and the cookies with sparkly icing.

We hadn't been to the picnic in a few years and it has really grown in numbers since last time we were there. There were probably about a hundred people there, and I am ashamed to say, after living in the neighborhood for 14 years, I didn't know a single one of them. I would have recognized our immediate neighbors, but they weren't there.

The food was yummy Fourth of July picnic food: hamburgers, hot dogs, potato chips, fruit and a few assorted other things. We were really hungry after our long bike ride.

Family Reunion

2011-06-26T12:37:00.006-05:00

David and I attended the annual DeFord Family Reunion in Indiana yesterday. It's mainly people from David's father's side of the family, Rex and Janet's family with Janet's kids, grandkids, great grand kids, and now a great-great. Instead of holding it at McCormick's Creek State Park as in past years, Tonya DeFord (wife of Shane or Seth) arranged to have the picnic at her parent's place. They run a meat packing plant, and have a beautiful acreage with a picnic shelter they built, two canoes they built, a lake they built, a wonderful "outhouse" (with real plumbing) they build from an old silo (has a painted wooden indian, which they made, standing guard next the the toilet), two buffalo made from pinecones, a zip line and pulley which they strung across the lake they made, a dock which they built, and lots of lovely gardens. The weather was ideal, high 70's and sunny.

After a couple of the young boys rode the zip line by holding onto the T-bar, jumping off the landing (which the owners built) into the air, riding out over the lake, and letting go of the t-bar and splashing into the water . . . I just had to try it. It was great fun, a little scary at first not knowing how hard it might be to hang onto the t-bar, but it wasn't hard at all. I loved it. I'm going to post a video of my zip line ride. It's kind of long at the beginning when I was on the landing working up my courage.

David doesn't care for zip lines because when he was 18 or 19 years old he fell when a cable broke on a zip line he was riding across a gully. He fell about twenty feet, landed on hard ground and broke both of his wrists. Having water underneath is much better than a valley.

I spent most of the reunion afternoon on the dock or in the water with the kids. I took little four year old Anya (one of Janet's "greats") in the water and we played and splashed until I spotted a snake swimming right towards us. Fast! I pushed Anya up onto the dock and I ran out of the water. Everyone else rushed out of the water and onto the dock. Anya screamed as the snake slithered really fast towards where all of us were gathered. I scooped her up and went back up the hill to the picnic shelter, and the snake disappeared, probably under the dock. That was the end of swimming for the day. I thought snakes tended to avoid people, but this one wanted to get in on the party. Creepy.

After the picnic David and I arrived at Phyllis' place, and as soon as I entered her home I thought of Sarah and how she would love walking in and feeling the MaMaw-ness of her home. She is the tidiest person I know. In the bathroom linen closet the towels were arranged in little groups with each group of the same color consisting of a bath towel, a hand towel, a color coordinated wash cloth (warsh rag) and a white wash cloth. The white wash cloth is for general body washing and the colored wash cloth is for feet and butt. I'm going to clean out my linen closet when I get home.

This morning I thought about how much I like to visit people in their homes. I thought about how much I miss my parents, and especially how much I miss their homes. I have always liked the feeling I got in my mother's home, her creativity and her life in general. And I liked visiting my father at his condo, sleeping on his fold-out couch in the living room and smelling coffee and bacon early in the morning.

I love visiting my kids at their homes and feeling the personality of their places, each one so different, but really representing their unique selves and their families.

I loved visiting my grandparents homes when I was a kid. The smell of whiskey, old wood and good food reminds me of my grandparents' home in Boston. My all-time favorite house was my grandparents' home in Pembroke, Massachusetts. All good smells bring back memories of this home. Pine grove smell, honeysuckle, rolls cooking in the oven.

Since we attend the Conestoga Branch at church, when I do visiting teaching I have to drive a long ways into some really bad neighborhoods. Sometimes at night. And sometimes (usually) by myself. It would be OK to just visit the ladies individually at church, but I really like going into their homes. I've loved getting to know JaNean's home, which is the house her grandparents lived in when she was a kid. Her art work is all over the house, and her home is filled with her personality.

Today David, Phyllis and I attended church in Plainfield where we used to attend when we lived in Mooresville. We had to attend a different ward than the Plainfield Ward because of time constraints so we didn't see very many people we know.

After church we picked up Lois and the four of us ate at Gray Brother's, a cafeteria-type restaurant that has been around for a long time. They have had really good food for many many years, and the line of people sometimes goes out the door and around to the back of the building.

We drove around Mooresville, saw our old home, the park where the boys used to play baseball, our old neighborhood park, schools etc.

We are planning to have our next family reunion next summer (2012) in Indiana someplace. I checked out McCormick's Creek, and they have a group campground we might be able to get. It holds up to 100 people and has cabins with bunk beds, bathroom (toilet and sink only . . . showers are at the shower house not far away.) There's also a dining hall. But, the cabins aren't air conditioned and July in Indiana is really hot and humid. It would be really uncomfortable sleeping, since in the midwest the night times don't cool down much because of the humidity.

I checked online and found several lake houses that might work. There are a group of three houses on Lake Lemon, near Bloomington, that could hold all 20 of us. It would be nice to be someplace where we could swim (but not too snaky.)

I'm also checking into renting dorm rooms at Indiana University. That would be really fun, since we have teenage grandkids now, and a college campus might be fun. They probably won't rent out dorm rooms for a family reunion, but I'm going to check anyway.

If anyone has any suggestions for places to stay, let me know.

At the reunion, we could have a picnic at Pioneer Park in Mooresville, and invite old friends and family. We could spend a day at the Indianapolis Children's Museum.

Whatever accommodations I find, I'll probably reserve them for five days in mid July sometime. That seems to be when everyone is finished with Girls Camp and Scout Camp. If anyone in our family has any preferences, let me know.

2011-06-23T21:02:00.002-05:00

Our friends Cheri and Randy are leaving soon to serve a two year mission in the Philippines, with our mutual friends who left about a year ago. Randy, Cheri and several friends got together at Outback Steakhouse last week for a good bye dinner. They are not sure where they will live when they get home in two years (they sold their house) so I don't know when I will see them again. They have been serving with us in the Conestoga Branch of the church, so David and Randy usually have gone to church early for executive meetings, and Cheri and I ride together later. It's about a 30 minute drive so during our trips to and from church, I've enjoyed following her progress in getting ready to leave the country. I will miss them.

The College World Series (baseball) is going on now in Omaha at a new venue. For years and years the CWS has been held at Rosenblatt Stadium, near the Zoo. But this year a new stadium was built and for the first time the CWS is being held at TD Ameritrade Park in downtown Omaha.

Tuesday evening I was downtown to visit my friend JaNean, and before going to her home, I parked the car and walked a few blocks to check out the CWS celebration. There were vendor tents set up all along the streets, lots of people, souvenirs (I bought a pin for my collection), beer, hot dogs, etc. Adam told me earlier he was working at the Slowdowner (an Indie music bar) during the CWS, so I found the bar and related tents, and then found Adam. He had just taken a food break, so we got to sit and visit for awhile.

So far the flooding has held off. The Missouri River is about five or six feet over flood stage and rising. Downtown Omaha is on the river, with levees all along for many miles. So far the levees have held. The people in Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the river, are more worried about levees breaking on that side of the river. I think Omaha is on a little higher ground than Council Bluffs. I hope the levees hold through the summer, as the water is expected to be over flood stage until at least September.

As I was driving home from downtown, I thought about what I might say during my 60 second presentation for BNI. People often ask me if I do certain kinds of dentistry, so I thought, for my minute, I would summarize what I do at work. So I wrote a little song, and this morning at the meeting I sang it. Here it is, and it's sung roughly (very roughly in my case) to the tune of Supercalifragilistic . . .

If you need a root canal or maybe just a denture

If you broke a tooth while you were on your last adventure

If your jaw is sore because you are a teeth ca-lencher

If you have a cavity and need a filling, then

Sure!

I can do a filling or a bridge or made a crown

I can give you drugs that perk you up when you are down

I can make your teeth so that they match your wedding gown

I can do most anything, so bring your friends around.

I got a good laugh.

Flooding, CNG, and 39th Anniversary with Saint Lucia

2011-06-12T18:58:00.008-05:00

The Missouri River is rising. Omaha and Council Bluffs across the river have been sandbagging like crazy, and the river continues to rise. We haven't had too much rain, it's just the excessive runoff from the Rocky Mountains that's causing the river to swell, reservoirs to over fill, and the Army Corps of Engineers to release lots of water from the dams along the river north of Omaha. Flood stage is 29 feet, and the river was 31.6 last we heard. . . and predicted to be 32.6 by Friday.

I think downtown Omaha will be OK, but parts of Interstate 29 are closed in Iowa. Some parks along the river are flooded, including Hayworth Park, where I used to eat my lunch on nice days when I worked in Bellevue. On Friday, Muriel and I checked out the park, and the whole thing was covered with water. We could see the roofs of the picnic pavilions.

We are told the water will continue to rise for awhile, and will stay around at least until September. They are saying I 29 might be closed until December. Besides the people who live along the river and have had to evacuate, the biggest inconvenience has been traveling, and finding alternate routes where roads and bridges have been closed. David drove home from Sioux Falls, South Dakota last week, and a couple days later, the interstate was closed. We live a long way (12 miles?) from the river, so we are not in any danger.

Friday was our 39th anniversary. We decided to have dinner at Rick's Boatyard Cafe by the side of the Missouri. We were curious to see the river. We had a great meal, followed by a walk across the pedestrian bridge where we could get a really good look at the flooding.

There were supposed to be two festivals going on along the riverfront, but they were moved to higher ground. The first festival was the annual festival of St. Lucia, a holy person, a martyr canonized by several churches as the patron saint of those who are blind. So, to show reverence to this sacred individual, they hosted a carnival and placed a statue of Saint Lucia next to the Tilt-A-Whirl and not far from the cotton candy vendor. I couldn't resist taking a picture, even though I suspected they might have been charging a fee to have photos taken next to SaintLucy sitting in her carnival throne.

Next David and I walked downtown to where the summer arts festival had been moved. They blocked off a couple of streets, similar to the arts festival I went to last year in Kansas City. We heard several live bands, and saw lots of creative crafts and arts. The weather was perfect for strolling, and we had a wonderful evening.

Earlier in the day on Friday I attended a grand opening of one of Omaha's newest businesses. . . a CNG station. Compressed Natural Gas is the next new fuel to power our vehicles, although it's been around for many years. Honda has a version of it's Civic that runs on CNG, and there are specialists who can convert a car or truck so it uses CNG instead of gasoline. There are also vehicles who can use either.

The advantages of CNG is that it's all domestic . . . no foreign oil. It's cheap. It runs clean with almost NO emissions. You don't have to have the oil changed very often because it runs so clean. You can have a CNG pump installed in your garage at home (for a mere $5000). CNG is the same gas we use to heat our homes (as well as gas stoves, hot water heaters, etc), so the gas lines are already in place.

The disadvantages are the lack of CNG stations when traveling. There are none between Omaha and Denver. So they are out, for now, for long trips.

CNG vehicles are great for fleet vehicles that don't have to drive very far out of town. In Omaha, The Happy Cabs have all been converted to CNG. Metro Community College has a fleet of service vehicles that run on CNG. Some school bus companies are changing over as well. I love the idea of a clean, readily available fuel. I think it's the wave of the future.

The Day After

2011-06-04T13:34:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was a looooong day at NMOM, and we all worked hard. Up at 4AM, we arrived at the Exhibition center by 5. There were about 900 people in line waiting for free dental work. One of the patients I saw during the course of the day said she arrive at 10 PM the night before the NMOM event, and was about 110th in line. Her in-laws arrived at 3AM and were about 410th.

Abigael is a take-charge person. She and Melissa claimed two spots early on, so we could work next to one another throughout the day. We set out immediately to set up our respective areas with supplies we would need. And found out immediately some of the basic supplies we counted on having would not be available.

Melissa was set with her teeth cleaning supplies, but Abigael and I were there to do fillings, and there was no silver filling material, and the tooth colored material was available only in containers that required a special "gun" to express it, and there were no "guns." Hmmm. Since I have worked as an employee dentist for a number of years, I'm used to using what was available, and in past years when I have volunteered at NMOMs there was plenty of everything required to do any kind of dental work . . . maybe not exactly what I normally use, but adequate nonetheless.

This year Abigael and I improvised a way to get the filling material out of the little cartridges without a "gun" by using the wrong end of a dental instrument to push the material out. Later in the day we found a tube of filling material that we could squeeze out onto a mixing pad . . . much easier to use than the little cartridges.

We also had to improvise with burs. In past years there was a nice, basic variety of dental burs (the things you put in the drill, like drill bits, only really small.) But this year there were two kinds, not nearly what we would need to do some nice, finished-looking tooth colored fillings. So we made due with what we had. After fixing one guy's front teeth that, previous to my fixing, had looked like they had been damaged by meth, I invited the guy to come by my office in Omaha if he was ever in the neighborhood, and I would polished his fillings. He was thrilled with what I did, and now felt he could smile without embarrassment. But I'm a perfectionist and would have felt better with a smoother finish. It was like doing woodworking without being able to really smooth things out very well. I missed my little tiny sand paper disks (they are about as big as a finger nail, and work well for polishing tooth colored fillings on front teeth.) and my finishing burs.

Abigael kept track of how much dental work we did throughout the day. I haven't got the stats from her yet, but I'm sure we donated several thousand dollars worth of dental work.

David's volunteered as a roaming security person. He enjoyed walking around the event center talking to people and helping them get where they needed to go. He tried to pair pre-dental students who where there to help out, with dentists who might be able to put in a good word for them when it came time to apply for dental school. David talked with one guy who volunteered at NMOM two years ago, when David was in charge of recruiting and organizing all the non-dental volunteers. This guy had been accepted at dental school, and thanked David for finding opportunities to do some volunteer work with some dentists at the event two years ago.

David made friends with the State Dental Director, Dr. Karen Sorensen, who was supervising volunteer dental health instructors. David had fun visiting with some of her volunteers, some of whom where Sudanese. They were surprised that David knew they were of the Nuer tribe.

David also would come by to visit me occasionally to see how I was doing, and to see if any of us wanted any water or anything at all.

In past NMOMs I have volunteered at numbing stations, giving injections to patients prior to their receiving their dental treatment. I have also been in charge of the adult restorative section of the clinic, organizing people and making sure things ran smoothly in my section. I've also done fillings, like I did this time.

Next NMOM I'd like to volunteer in triage, where they screen patients to see what dental needs they have. I think I am good at listening, and finding out what people's chief concerns are. I would also be good at explaining, if we were not able to do everything they needed to have done in one day. I'd be good at seeing what needs to be done, finding out what the patient's concerns are, and together making a plan for what we could reasonably do that day.

Another NMOM

2011-06-02T19:52:00.002-05:00

My dental assistant Abigael, my hygienist Melissa and I arrived in Grand Island not long ago, in preparation for a long day of dental work tomorrow. We will volunteer at the Nebraska Mission of Mercy at the Exhibition Hall where the annual State Fair is held in Grand Island.

After registering and receiving our respective shirts (light blue for dental assistants, lavender for hygienists and greenish for dentists . . . I like the greenish) the three of us explored the Exhibition Hall setup, all empty of people and full of chairs and supplies. We located the rest rooms, the break room for volunteers, the different dental treatment areas, and talked to a couple of people doing last minute setting up. There were already about 50 people in line, ready to spend the night in folding chairs so they can be the first ones through the line for their free dental work at 5AM tomorrow.

David presented a seminar in Des Moines, Iowa today and should arrive in Grand Island soon. He's going to volunteer, most likely on security detail. (I think his shirt will be lime green.)

Now, I'm going to prepare for my 5:30 AM to 5 PM long day tomorrow by knitting and watching TV.

The Cannery

2011-05-30T10:43:00.003-05:00

David and I have enjoyed working at church canneries in different places we've lived. In Indiana, the cannery specialized in green beans and tomatoes. In Texas we canned peanut butter. In Omaha the Church has a dry pack cannery, which means we only can dry items like beans, wheat etc.

The Church teaches us to do the best we can in storing a year's supply of emergency food (wheat, dry milk, oil, sugar or honey, salt), and a three months supply of food we normally eat. The Church helps it's members in this endeavor by building and staffing canneries where we can preserve food and buy it at cost for our food storage.

Associated with each cannery is a grocery store-like place where the church provides food for it's members in need. The whole facility is called a Bishop's Storehouse. Each month on the first Sunday every member of the Church who is able, fasts for two meals, and donates the money he or she would have spent on food to the welfare program of the church. That money goes to pay for the food for those in need. And the Bishop's Storehouse provides work for people who receive food, and who are able to work, so they can earn what they receive. That's the basic welfare program of the Church.

On Saturday I had the opportunity to work at the dry-pack cannery, which is located a couple of miles from our house. I helped can black beans, cocoa, oats, dried refried beans (they are yummy, reconstituted,) powdered fruit drink mix and powdered milk. I took home oats, cocoa and refried beans for our food storage.

It was fun, easy work. I operated the can sealing machine, and helped clean up afterwards. I worked with people from Lexington, Nebraska; Phillipsburg (?) Kansas who had left at 4 AM to drive to the cannery (I had met some of these people from Western Kansas before when I volunteered in the temple. Talk about rural living ... they live two hours from the closest Walmart!); Council Bluffs, Iowa; and some others from Omaha.

I like the feeling of "equal-ness" among the cannery volunteer workers. There are people from all walks of life working together as equals. One mom in the group was very proud of her 17 year old retarded son whose job it was to put labels on the cans. She had me take a picture of him so she could show his case worker how capable he is.

My Birthday

2011-05-25T20:08:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I celebrated my 59th birthday. I assumed it would be a normal day, because David and I celebrated my birthday on Sunday evening, since he planned to be out of town for a seminar on the 24th.

The day began with a flood of Facebook "Happy Birthdays" from nearly all of my Facebook friends. My dentist colleague posted that he hoped I get a pony for my birthday. There were other funny posts, and lots of well-wishes which made me feel loved. All those people thought about me at least once yesterday.

Before I arrived at work my friend JaNean called to see if she could take me out to dinner after work. That made me feel great. We not only went to dinner, but she also brought me a card, a tea rose plant, and a birthday cake! We ate at Panda Express near my work, which was also very nice of JaNean to meet me at my work instead of having me drive to where she lives, which is a significant distance.

At work, my co-workers gave me a nice birthday card and a big box of Panera's bagels for breakfast. And one of the specialists we sometimes refer patients to, sent our office a giant frosted cookie that said, "Happy Birthday, Dr. DeFord."

I got e-mails from my sisters and friends, phone calls from kids and grandkids, a text from Ellen, and a text from Adam. Sarah e-mailed me a pretty song (One Voice) which I loved. Matt sent me an antique postcard of a large building in Framingham, Massachusetts, the town where I was born.

I also got a text from Willie. I have had Willie's cell phone mis-labeled in my contacts section of my iPhone, so when I get a text from Willie, it says it's from Matt and Julie. I have since fixed the problem, but when I got a happy birthday text that said it was from Matt and Julie, I was a little puzzled because Matt and Julie aren't texters. Willie, David and Adam are texters, but not Matt or Sarah. The text said, "Happy Birthday, Mom I love you." After thinking about it, I realized it must be from Willie since he is a texter. I thought about replying and saying, "Thanks. I love you, too. And, by the way, is this from Matt or Willie?" But I knew it was from Willie. So thanks, Willie. And I love you too.

And I got a beautiful card from Phyllis, containing a ten dollar check, as usual. She signed the card "Know I love you, Mom." It's sweet that she signed it "Mom."

On Sunday David gave me a really nice Jambox small speaker for my iPod. It's Bluetooth enabled so it can be wireless for up to 33 feet. At work I can play my "office music" playlist and wander around the office with my phone in my pocket. The sound is really good.

On Sunday the Primary kids sang "Happy, Happy Birthday, Sister DeFord Dear" to me. And my friend Joyce gave me a funny clown card. The parents of one of my Primary kids gave me a restaurant gift card, which David and I will probably use on Friday.

I had a very nice day, and I could feel all those kind thoughts coming my way. Thanks, All!

Visiting Day

2011-05-20T18:55:00.005-05:00

On Fridays we finish work at noon, and I usually use the afternoon for visits and errands. Today I began my afternoon with a one to one BNI visit with my banker friend Mack. We went to lunch at Olive Garden and I talked his ears off about the basic financial situation of my dental practice, including my plans to refinance at a lower interest rate and my plans to equip the third treatment room. It was nice to talk to someone who can give me financial feedback and encouragement that I'm on the right track.

I asked him about his college wrestling, since I heard that he went to the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) on a wrestling scholarship. He was an All-American four years in a row, and was disappointed he never came in first in the nation, but he came close four times. He did some wrestling coaching at Scutt Catholic School here in Omaha after he graduated from college, but with a young family, and time at a premium he's been focusing more on his banking career. Like many of the members of my BNI group, he's probably younger than most of my kids.

Next I met with another young and up and coming member of my BNI group, Staci, who is an attorney. She's a fun member of our group, and I can picture her giving it to those nasty insurance companies in the courtroom. In our group meetings she tells us how you can't trust those insurance companies, and you need your money if you've had an accident. In person, I found out she grew up in small town Nebraska, and really trusts everyone. If the law thing doesn't work out for her she could be an actor (which she considered before deciding on law school.)

After years and years of David and I promising and making goals to have a will made, I'm finally getting around to it. Staci is writing up simple wills, one for David and one for me. They will say to divide up our possessions between our four kids when we die. And the will will specify Willie as the one who will be in charge of discharging our affairs when we die, since he's a lawyer and might be more familiar with the detail work of cashing in our life insurance, etc. I'm going to work on making a list of insurance, investments, etc that we have, and I'll file it with the will. Both of my parents did a good job of organizing their affairs before they died, and Judy took care of everything. She wanted to do it, our parents wanted her to do it, and us kids were glad and wanted her to do it too. She did a great job. Thanks, Judy.

Listed on a sign in Staci's office building was a dentist who teaches at Creighton Dental School, and his part-time private practice is upstairs from Staci's office. So I poked my head in and said a brief hello.

Next I paid a visiting teaching visit to Earlene. Last May we went out to dinner together because our birthdays are one day apart . . . one day and 10 years. This year, after having a mental breakdown, and after having one of her neighbors take out a restraining order against her, and after I called the police when she called my office and ranted on and on to my office manager for about a half hour before abruptly hanging up, and then having to be transported kicking and yelling in the back of a police car to a psych hospital . . . this year I brought her a bag of fried chicken and we visited at her home. She's heavily sedated, and always has a family member there taking care of her. Today it was her grandson Mario. He's a nice kid. Earlene can't come to church, even though she'd like to, because the medicines she takes make her sleepy and she always falls asleep in church, which embarrasses her. She's really very sweet when she's in her right mind. She has a picture of the two of us eating out, hanging on her living room wall.

Next I stopped in to say a brief hello to my friend Diane who is a dentist and has an office close to Earlene's home. We serve together on the board of directors of the Omaha District Dental Society. I'm the secretary and she is the chair of the necrology committee, which means she keeps up with news of local dentists who died recently. I really like Diane. She's been a dentist for a long time, and has been very encouraging to me.

My last visit was to Kim, who is assigned to visit teach with me, but doesn't often go with me. She's a large person and I was a little concerned she might not fit in my little car. But she fits. She can't fasten the seat belt so I fasten it behind the seat. She can't do stairs very well so Earlene is the only one she visits with me. Everyone else has stairs. Today I just wanted to stop in to say hello. She has a cell phone with a limited number of minutes on it, so I usually can't get ahold of her by calling. I just stop in, and that's OK with her. I brought her some fried chicken. She wasn't feeling very well and said she has pneumonia. I just stood while we chatted for a few minutes, hoping she wouldn't invite me to sit on the couch, since there was an opened package with a label that said something about getting rid of bed bugs. I was out of there pretty quick.

I really enjoyed my afternoon. I so appreciate the interesting people I've gotten to know through church, my work, my professional organizations, and networking with people from other professions. I'm a fortunate person.

Cool Sign

2011-05-19T14:48:00.005-05:00

I had a sign made for my office, to advertise the clear braces we do (like Invisalign, only it's ClearCorrect, a different brand.) The sign can be seen from the outside, but on the inside, from the waiting area, you can look out the window without seeing any advertising. Slick! I had it made at SpeedPro, a large format graphics place.

The Usual Crazy Spring Weather

2011-05-14T11:14:00.004-05:00

Earlier this week, when I got in my car to go home from work it was 100 degrees outside. Yesterday when I left work it was 49 degrees. Crazy weather. Typical Nebraska spring, more or less. When David and I want out walking this morning I wore a shirt, a sweatshirt and a windbreaker because it's cold and windy.

Our yard is looking good, despite the chill the past couple of days . . . no freeze, fortunately. The lettuce I planted along the front of the front yard landscaping is coming up already. I put in a couple more hostas, and I plan to put in a Rose of Sharon bush/tree at the corner of the house later in the season when it warms up a bit. I planted a tomato plant in one of those upside down planters and hung it from a tree in the back yard, but might have to move it to a sunnier location sometime.

Thursday evening I attended Josh Wood's hooding. He is Emmett's father, and just graduated from Creighton Medical School, and will be moving his family to Memphis in the next couple of weeks, for his ENT residency. I will miss their family.

I am really enjoying my BNI group, and am getting a lot done that I've been procrastinating for a long time. I had our furnace and AC cleaned up and checked by the BNI HVAC guy, a couple electrical issues taken care of by the BNI electrician in our group, and I have an appointment next Friday with the attorney in our group to have a will made up . . . something we should have done a LONG time ago, but have just procrastinated. Every year we set a goal to do it, and every year we have put it off. I have a request in to the general contractor in our group to add a railing to our front steps, something we have needed for a long time. It's not easy to pay for all this stuff, with money still tight, but it's getting done, and so far everyone's gotten paid.

I don't have anything really exciting to write about, and I'm not feeling particularly creative or energetic. It' s the Spring Mental Block, which will pass soon. I feel way too mellow to write any interesting blog posts. Meanwhile, I'll knit, read, work in the yard, attend my meetings, go to work, teach my Primary class, etc. Now, I'm going to cook something good for lunch.

New Project

2011-05-11T10:49:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of my latest knitting project. I really like the warm colors of the variegated yarn. A guy at the yarn store talked me into trying a lightweight sweater/jacket, which is a challenge for me with new lacy type knitting that leaves intentional holes here and there. We'll see how it turns out. I'm still learning.

Royal Family

2011-05-01T10:50:00.005-05:00

On Friday my work schedule fell apart. We had only one patient, first thing in the morning, and the rest of the morning Carolyn, Abigael and I watched a replay of the Royal Wedding, William and Kate (Duke and Duchess of Cambridge? Is that their title now? I forget.) I loved it! Kate's dress was so beautiful, simple, with a simple but very valuable tiara in her hair holding her gauzy veil. The tiara was a loan from the queen. I loved the outfits the kids wore, ivory dresses with flower hair garlands for the girls and red military looking uniforms for the boys. I loved the music, some of which was composed especially for the event. I loved the women's hats. I loved the trees that were brought in to line the red carpet in Westminster Abbey. I loved the camera shots from the ceiling of the Abbey. I especially loved the feelings of hope and promise.

One of the clergy spoke of every wedding as being a royal wedding. I thought of weddings in an LDS temple. During the temple wedding ceremony the bride and groom are promised blessings of heavenly kingdoms, contingent upon their faithfulness. Think of some of the words from "The Messiah" which are taken from scripture: "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" which refers to Christ and all of us. We are the kings (and queens) and he is the King of us kings. So in that sense temple weddings are all royal weddings and I am a member of a Royal Family.

Speaking of weddings, my sister Trisha recently attended a wedding in Colorado. Here's a quote from her e-mail, "The wedding was so much fun...I sat back and watched. The bride's dad is black and she married a black man. The reception was small, but very energetic... It was like watching a dance movie. The traditions are a little different (We clinked glasses and they didn't know what that meant) and there was singing, speeches and dancing. It was so much fun to watch...all the talent and energy. Everyone there treated each other like family. I never felt so old and white in my life!"

African America weddings can be really fun. We white people are so boring in comparison. I'm pretty sure I told everyone I know about a wedding David and I attended in Houston at a Black Baptist church, a long time ago . . . where the bride emerged from a cloud of smoke at the back of the church (they had a smoke machine in the back room) , and she belted out into a wireless, hand-held microphone, "You Bring Out the Woman in Me" as she walked down the isle. They should have charged admission.

David presented seminars in Arkansas all last week. He said the weather was the craziest he's ever seen. He had a lot of trouble getting from one town to the next after each seminar since many of the roads were closed due to flooding. His GPS was constantly saying, "Recalculating, recalculating" as David tried one route after another. There was really bad tornado damage all along the way: power lines down, trees snapped in half, telephone poles broken like toothpicks, farm fields that looked like lakes, roofs blown off everywhere. Schools were cancelled. The ironic part of the whole thing is that David said he had 100% attendance at every seminar all week long, which has never happened before.

Regionalisms

2011-04-25T11:55:00.003-05:00

After listening to a funny podcast this morning on how people pronounce things differently in different parts of the country, I started thinking about all the regionalisms in our family.

Since David has been doing so much public speaking, he has dropped most of his regionalisms he had when we first met. He now calls a green pepper a green pepper instead of a mango. He no longer calls a knit winter hat a toboggan, unless he's talking with his mother. The first time I heard my mother-in-law tell someone to wear their toboggan, I was very confused. But not as confused as when my father-in-law said he grew mangoes in his Indiana back yard garden. Now David calls Italians, Italians instead of Eye-talians, and a warsh rag has become a wash cloth.

Since I am a native of Massachusetts, I am automatically disqualified from being an expert on how to pronounce words correctly. In fact when David was a kid he thought President Kennedy had a speech impediment. And I thought, "Finally, a president who knows how to talk right." I'm sure David could tell you some of the ways I say things and used to say things that were unusual. We from Massachusetts take the r's we drop from words like "car" and "park" and add them to the end of words that end in vowels and are followed by words that start with a vowel. It's a complicated rule, but when you grow up with it, it's second nature. Cuba? No, Cuber. As in "Cuber is an island south of Florida." "Philadelphier is a historic city." "Naner is coming for a visit." Etc. When my teenage sister Trisha came to my wedding in Indiana, she met David's three year old sister Kim. After a day or so of listening to each other, Kim said to Trisha, "Can't you talk right?"

One of my favorite people to listen to was my father-in-law Fred DeFord. He was the best storyteller I have ever listened to, and I regret not having any of his stories on tape. But there would have been no way to tape him because his spontenaity was part of what made him so funny. I love the sound of his voice, his regionalisms, his humor, and how he could spin a story. When my sister Trisha visited for Sarah and Tyler's wedding reception, she hung out with my father-in-law and mother-in-law, and they kept her laughing the whole time she was with them.

I have adopted some Midwestern regionalisms, mostly so people don't look at me funny. In Massachusetts a handbag is a pocketbook. I call it a purse, more Midwestern. I'm thinking of adopting Julie's Canadian name for a knit hat, a tuque. Did I spell it right? Instead of talking about my "fahthah and muhthah" I say my "Dad and Mom." And for my father or mother's sister I say "Ant" instead of "Aunt" as I was accustomed to as a kid, except when I talk with my sisters about my father's sisters: "The Aunties."

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T19:19:00.006-05:00

Adam and his girlfriend Jessie came over for dinner today. It's the first time I've met Jessie, and I really like her. Cute and nice. She's a nursing student at Clarkson, but isn't sure she really wants to be a nurse. She likes school and does very well. The two of them are planning a trip to Florida to Jessie's father's house, to swim, fish, and relax for a week or so, leaving soon.

I got to speak in sacrament meeting today, and felt it a priviledge, even though I know I was the third choice for speakers. The original speaker cancelled on Friday, so Brother Wood asked David to speak. David had a previous commitment so he wasn't going to be able to attend our branch Sunday, but David told Brother Wood that I was available. So I got asked. And I was glad to do it, even though I feel like I'm not as good a sacrament speaker as I used to be. I spoke about the Atonement, for Easter.

In Primary class today I taught the kids about the Resurrection, and how after Jesus died they wrapped his body in a cloth and put it in a tomb. I told them about how the soldiers rolled a giant stone in front of the door so nobody could go in. Then I told them how some angels came and rolled the stone away, etc etc. Later in the lesson we were reviewing. I asked Shelby about where they put Jesus after he died. She told the whole story of how they wrapped his body in cloth, and put him in "that house" and then put a big rock over the door. Then Shelby said, "And then the fairies came and took the rock away." I can just picture her imagining a bunch of fairies with magic wands and pixie dust! So cute.

Here's another cute one from Emmett, age 4. Emmett brought a book of facts about each state in the US, to look at during church. Together we were exploring the "Tennessee" page, since Emmett and his family will be moving there soon.

Me: Emmett, look! Aretha Franklin is from Tennessee! She's a really good singer!

Emmett (puzzled look on his face): Is she a turtle?

Me (puzzled also): Ah . . . no.

Turns out Emmett has a story book about Franklin the turtle, and he was thinking he and Aretha might be related.

One video podcast I have been enjoying lately is NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts. Musicians drop by the NPR office in Washington DC (I think) and they tape a short concert (2 or 3 songs) in the office area.

I enjoyed Liz Wright's concert. She's friends with the "Sweet Honey in the Rock" people but the songs I heard her sing were less about causes, and more like just music.

A wonderfully fun Tiny Desk concert was Pokey LaFarge and the three guys who play with him. The music was great, but the video really added to the experience. One of the musicians played a washboard with all kinds of percussion things (such as things that look like can lids, tambourine like things, etc) nailed to it. Great harmonica, upright bass and rhythm guitar. A really fun and upbeat video. I especially like the "La La La" song. The music sounds traditional but from what I read on the website, it's original, and I think very creative and fun.

Cute Remark in Primary

2011-04-17T19:26:00.002-05:00

Today in Primary sharing time when all the kids gather together, one of the leaders was discussing "Primary manners." She asked questions like "What should we do with our ears in Primary?" [listen...] Then she asked, "What should we do when we want to answer a question?" Emmett, with his hands by his side, yelled out "Raise your hand!"

Another Knitting Class

2011-04-17T11:20:00.003-05:00

I took another knitting class at String of Purls yesterday. It was a class on correcting mistakes, and other helpful hints. It was very helpful, especially after I had been knitting awhile, and have made all the mistakes they talked about.

While I was there I asked my teacher Becky for suggestions on how to dress up a pink baby hat I made. She suggested some very pretty ribbony yarn, and I like how it turned out.

Judy sent me some of her yarn, including some yarn made in Lincolnville, Maine where she lives. She said she used some of the same yarn to make a very large pair of mittens, which she then felted. She said they are the warmest mittens she's ever had. I think I'll try it for my next project.

Busy Week, NIce Day

2011-04-09T10:55:00.003-05:00

David and I just returned from cleaning up the outside of the church. We raked, fertilized, weeded, mulched, and raked some more.

It's still early spring in Omaha and things are just beginning to get really green. The trees have buds, and a few early flowers are blooming, like the daffodils and forsythias at the temple, but it's not full-blown flowery spring yet. It's supposed to get up into the 80's today, but that's a fluke. Mostly it's highs in the 60's and maybe 70's most of the time. I'm sitting in my back yard right now, so beautiful outside.

This year I'm going to get rid of our vegetable garden. It's a hard thing to do, but I'm not willing to put the time and effort into keeping it up, David travels all the time and doesn't want to weed when he's home, and a garden overgrown with weeds really bothers me. I like neat and tidy, so bye bye garden. It seems like I should like gardening, and for some it's therapeutic, but for me it's just work. I really like having fresh basil and tomatoes, so I think I'll plant a basil plant in our front yard among the landscaping, and maybe a tomato plant somewhere.

Last Thursday evening I attended a Habitat for Humanity fundraiser sponsored by the local realtors. A realtor friend from BNI invited me. Each group of friends had a table of eight they were asked to decorate, and each person was supposed to dress in theme. Our theme was "The Roaring 20's" so Cheryl the realtor had feather boas for the women. The men wore dark suits and white ties, with cool 20's looking hats.

The best table in the room, out of about 30+ tables, had a Monopoly theme. Their table cloth was a giant Monopoly board, and each person at the table was dressed as a Monopoly character: a jail person, the Monopoly man with money in his hat, etc. It was very clever. Another group was the Gooney Birds, with very colorful decorations, all bird-themed.

There were some pop culture themes that I didn't get, like "The Hangover." People were raving about how they looked just like the Hangover people, but I don't know if it's a movie or TV show or what. I've lost touch with popular TV and movies for the most part. One popular thing I recognized was a table-theme based on reality TV. One girl was dressed as "Teen Mom." I posted on our family blog awhile ago that I know one of the teen mom's sister, so I've watched a few episodes of "Teen Mom." (Not really my kind of TV show.)

I ate way too much junk food, no one at our table won any prizes, but I had a fun time with friends socializing and admiring the creativity in the room.

Today I plan to cook a nice meal, something I don't always have time to do during the week, and especially this week. Maybe chicken? I think I get David to refill the propane tank so I can cook outside. Sounds yummy. I'm getting hungry after raking all morning.

Business at work is picking up, collections are up and bill paying is getting a little less stressful. I hope it keeps up. Next week we add an additional half day having a hygienist at the office, so I can focus more on real dental work instead of so much cleaning, that someone else can do. Business seems to go up and down , with the ups a little higher each time, and the downs not as low each time. We've just had a nice up, and hope the forthcoming down isn't too low.

Three Hat Weekend

2011-04-03T18:14:00.005-05:00

What a great conference weekend! First, the best NDA conference ever, and next the best church general conference ever. That's 14 hours of meetings = three knit hats. Each time I knit a hat, I get a little better than the last time.

Since I have been reading the New Testament this year, I've been thinking of the change in philosophy the Jews were asked to make when Jesus taught the gospel. He wanted the people not just to do good things, he wanted them to want to do good things. He was requiring the heart, the whole person, not just the actions.

At general conference today I heard a couple of the speakers allude to the fact that at the end of our lives, it's not just a list of good deeds we add up that matters, it's who we have become that matters.

I think that's the message of the New Testament: Do the things the Savior taught; Do them with our hearts and our actions; and we will become much better than we could have on our own.

Meanwhile I'm becoming a much better knitter with all these meetings.

Conferences

2011-04-02T14:11:00.005-05:00

I'm in the middle of a really good conference weekend. Church General Conference just finished the first session, with the second beginning in an hour. I love watching conference at home on TV. It's so comfortable.

This weekend is also the Nebraska Dental Association's annual Session. This year it's in Lincoln at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, the same place where I attended the legislative session earlier this year.

On Thursday I got to attend the semi-annual House of Delegates meeting. My position on the board of directors of the Omaha District. Traveling to the meeting I didn't get lost once, coming or going . . . . except in the hotel trying to find the meeting room.

Friday's session was great, one of the best I've been to. The six-hour seminar I attended was about dental procedures on geriatric patients, and the presenter was entertaining, funny and well-informed. I think they should make a rule that anyone doing a presentation longer than 30 minutes should be required to be funny and at least a little entertaining. This guy was from Tennessee, and he joked about being a hillbilly and having an accent. He said in New York, they provide a translator for him. At the beginning of the seminar he said he wanted to prove to us that people in Tennessee are just as technologically advanced as anyone anywhere, so he showed us a slide of a group of run-down trailers arranged on multiple levels in a trailer park. Later he was discussing the benefits of chewing sugar-free gum containing Xylitol. He mentioned a popular brand and said he liked that kind best because he could get it at Walmart. He told us Walmart is an important cultural center in Tennessee, and then showed us a slide of a newspaper article where a woman was quoted as saying she liked to go to the Dollar Store because she didn't have to dress up like she did when she went to Walmart.

The seminar also contained really good, helpful material too, along with the funny stuff. I have a hard time sitting through six hours of lecture, so I decided in advance to bring knitting with me. I asked David, since he is a professional presenter, if he thought it would be rude, and he said he's had people knit in his seminars and it didn't bother him at all. My knitting made the seminar much more enjoyable than it would have been if I had to just sit still for that long. I made a ribbed, dark pink baby hat.

Even though I didn't get lost driving to Lincoln, I got lost on the way home. (I am my father's daughter . . .) I found my car in the parking garage (that's usually the hardest thing for people who are directionally challenged, as I am, but it was after five and the place was nearly deserted, so my car wasn't too hard to spot), but then I turned the wrong way on "O" St. As I passed the state capitol building, I thought, "I don't remember seeing the capitol building on the way. Maybe I wasn't paying attention." and then, "There was some construction here this morning. Maybe they finished and cleaned it up already." You'd think I would have turned around that that point, but no. I waited until I saw a sign that said, "Plattsmouth 50 miles" and there was no interstate in site. So after I turned around I decided to take 27th St because I knew there was a 27th St exit off the interstate. I turned the wrong way on 27th St but figured it out pretty quickly, and turned around. I finally made it out of Lincoln, and home via I 80.

Knitting has also made church general conference even better. I always love general conference, even if I have to sit still, but I like it even better when I can wear jeans and a t-shirt, and knit while I listen. This time I'm knitting a red, grown-up hat with ribbing around the edges and the rest plain knitting in the round. I'm using my favorite kind of yarn. It's native western Nebraska yarn, and a beautiful red.

Twice this week I went to the Mormon Trail Center to a bronze sculpture exhibit of stories of Christ from the New Testament. The first time I went with my friend Muriel, and the second time I went with my friend JaNean (I'm JaNean's visiting teacher from church.) I don't always appreciate religious art, but I really loved this exhibit. I have been reading the New Testament this year, and this art inspired me. I especially liked the sculpture of Jesus walking on the water. The bronze of the water was beautiful! I also liked the scene of the woman taken in adultery where Jesus told the accusers that if there were any among them who had never sinned, they should cast the first stone. And they all left. I wish Matt could see the bronze work. I noticed a signature on the back of one of the sculptures that said 1/100, so there are other casts of this work around.

Well, back to general conference and my red hat.

Money, My Least Favorite Subject

2011-03-26T14:54:00.009-05:00

Since I've been involved in a BNI group, I've been getting to know lots of people who own their own businesses or who work with money as bankers or investors. I'm realizing how expensive it is to start up a dental business compared to many other businesses.

I'm gathering information for next time I get to present a 10 minute blurb about my business at BNI. I'm going to compare my tools and equipment to standard tools people have, and also compare the costs. The pictures I've posted show some of the comparisons I will make.

One picture shows three pairs of glasses. One pair is my normal glasses, about $500 ( including exam and one pair free.) One pair is a gift one of my patients gave me. She collects antique eyeglasses and she gave me a pair. The third pair is one I use for working. They are magnifying loupes and cost around $1200 on sale.

One of the pictures shows a pair of pliers that are part of a ten dollar tool kit I purchased for my office from Ikea, compared to the plier-like extraction forceps that cost $60. We have about ten different kinds of forceps to extract teeth.

We use digital x-rays in our office. People say it saves money because we don't have to buy developer, fixer or have a darkroom of any kind. That's true, but one sensor that we use to take x-rays (Melissa is holding one in the picture), costs ten thousand dollars. We have two of them. We could buy a lot of fixer for ten thousand dollars.

One picture compares screw drivers. The large screw driver is part of the $10 tool kit from Ikea. My dental screw driver kit cost $250.

The little round colored circles next to the pen are sand paper discs I use to polish fillings on front teeth. They come in graduated grits, like regular big sand paper discs people use to sand furniture or decks. They cost about $100 a package, compared to about five dollars for non-dental sand paper discs.

We use a special kind of carbon paper called articulating paper to check the fit of dental restorations. You bite down on it when the dentists says, "bite and tap, and grind your teeth side to side." If it leaves a big blue mark, that's an area that most likely needs to be trimmed down. A pack of dental carbon paper costs about $10, whereas a pad of 8 1/2 x 11 carbon paper at Office Depot would cost a couple of dollars.

When I seat a crown that I'm placing over an implant, I borrow a torque wrench from the dental lab to tighten the crown to just the right tightness. If I lose the dental torque wrench (which is about three inches long), I would have to pay the lab $600 so they could replace it. I'm not sure how much a normal, Home Depot torque wrench costs, but probably not $600.

My couch at home cost about $500, and each of my dental chairs cost just over $7000.00.

And on and on.

I love my tools, and it was really fun spending $300,000. 00 to equip my office. Now I'm building my practice, working to make it profitable, so when I retire I will have something very valuable to sell.

Apologies to My Siblings

2011-02-25T08:06:00.004-06:00

This morning on the drive to work I listened to Judge John Hodgman's podcast that featured two grown siblings Michael (the younger) and Evan (the older). Evan wanted Michael to apologize for stealing his cool toys and giving them away or losing them at Michael's pre school, when they were kids. Michael claimed he was just a kid and didn't know he was doing anything wrong, so he shouldn't have to apologize. Of course John Hodgman has no legal background whatsoever, and it's all tongue-in-cheek. After lots of really silly discussion, the "judge" ruled that Michael should apologize.
This sibling situation got me thinking about a trip my two sisters and I are planning for September this year. We planned to visit our brother Clint and his family in Shelton, Washington. We've been planning the trip for awhile, and finally told Clint we'd like to visit him this fall, and he told us they are moving to Hawaii. They're not sure if they'll still be in Washington in September, depending on the sale of their house. After listening to the podcast this morning, I pictured us four siblings all together, a rare occurance, and what misdeeds from my childhood I would apologize for. Here are the apologies I thought of:

To Clint - I'm sorry I was such a pest. I'm sorry for coercing you into hitting me so I could go crying to our mother and say, "Clint hit me!" and getting you in trouble. I knew she wouldn't believe you when you'd tell her that I told you to hit me. I'm sure I did lots of other pesty things I don't remember. You were my hero, the next older sibling to me, and I was very envious of all the cool things you got to do like Scout Camp with canoes, and fishing with Grandma and Grandpa. I think this is why I'm a little bit of a tom boy, because I watched you do all that cool stuff. I really wanted you to pay attention to me and I was sad when you went off to the Navy.

To Trisha - my next younger sibling. I'm sorry my friend Anne and I told you, on many occasions, that we weren't Kathy and Anne, but French speaking friends named Lynn and Francis. It probably made you crazy to have your sister tell you she wasn't your sister but some foreign girl, speaking gibberish, wearing the same clothes as your sister. And there are many other things I should apologize for, especially to Trisha. I wasn't always a very good big sister.

To Judy - I'm sorry I played with your eyelash curler and the stuff on your bureau when you were a teenager and I was still a pesty little sister. Clint, Trisha and I all got to have our own bedrooms when we were teenagers, but you had to share your room with two little sisters who got into your stuff all the time. To this day you have never had your own bedroom. I'm glad as an adult you have had your own private office in your house. I think it's important for people at some point in their lives to have a room of some kind they can call their own.

One regret I have about my childhood is that I wish I had somehow explored Dave O'Keefe's creepy house next door to our house. I was so afraid of that house. The house was empty, and neighborhood legend said it had been Dave's mother's house, and he wanted to keep the house just the way it was when his mother died (think Psycho.) In truth, he just didn't want to spend the money to fix it up. I always wondered what was inside the house. I went as far as going up on the porch and looking in the windows, but was too afraid to even try to get inside. I heard that Clint might have gone inside (envious again) but I was too afraid. My friend Jane and I broke a window one time, but that was as far as I'd go. I wish I could have seen the inside of that creepy house. If Clint and I had been closer, I would have asked him to take me in there. So curious. Too late now. The house is gone. Clint, did you ever go inside? What was it like?

Now here are some thinks I'm not sorry for:
Trisha, Chipper, Mom and I camping out at the Mohawk Trail in the station wagon.
Going for walks after a big meal.
Trisha and I cleaning out the old chicken coop building between the greenhouses, and making it into a playhouse.
Judy and Gary, before they were married, taking Trisha, Kevin, Kenny and I to an amusement park.
Listening to Judy's West Side Story record album at her house on Millbury Street.
Picking up Clint after he had been skiing at Ward Hill (envious, again.)
Taking sailing lessons on Lake Quinsigamond, no siblings involved.
Backyard cookouts.
Sledding and skiing on the rock garden hill under the apple tree in the side yard.
Trisha and I making a house inside the forsythia bush in the back yard. I always liked making houses: out of leaves, bushes, chicken coops, in the basement, in the Weeping Willow tree, on the porch . . .
Trisha and I staying out on the porch during thunder storms until it got too scary and we had to run into the house.
The time our mother had to do drawings of dolls for an RH White's Christmas store ad, and she brought all the dolls home in her big blue bag. The next day when she took the dolls back to the store, Trisha and I went with Mom, and the store manager let us each pick out any doll we wanted in the whole store.
Playing in the attic (making houses, probably)
Playing whiffle ball in the side yard.
Hanging out with our Ferrara cousins, and playing "The Boston Strangler" running up and down Worthington Street (screaming, most likely) near our grandparents' home in Boston.
Bringing flowers to the flower market in Boston, and listening to stories on the radio on the way home, hoping we didn't lose the station before the story was over.
Waking up in the morning to left over Chinese food Dad had brought home from one of his flower delivering trips to Boston. Or waking up to little paper umbrellas that had been in someone's drink the night before . . . great Barbie doll accessories.

I hope us four siblings can somehow get together in September. As kids we really did live very separate lives. Trisha and I were probably the closest of friends. I'm still envious of Clint's adventures, but I like my own life just fine. I don't totally agree with the "Judge" about apologizing for things we did when we were kids, but just in case I've damaged anyone psychologically or caused pain lasting into adulthood, I'm sorry. I love you all.