First Hiatus of 2012

Check back on Wednesday, March 7 for new blog posts.

No Packing Boxes in Sight

Picture of the Day for 2/27/2012. For the first time in the 2-1/2 years since I've moved back into this house, there is not a single packing box in my dining room and living room. I adore having a clean house that doesn't look junky.

Academy Awards Party

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Empty Bedroom / Not So Empty Bedroom

Picture of the Day for 2/25/2012. My sister had movers come and pick up the antique bedroom set she inherited from my parents which left my former bedroom empty. I don't think I've ever seen this room empty in my entire life. Unfortunately, it didn't stay that way for long. I moved over 100 packing boxes filled with my stuff back into the room right after the movers left. I have dreams of making this room my home office, but it will have to wait until I unpack all those boxes.

Time Marches On

Picture of the Day for 2/24/2012. I came across this school photo taken when I was age 16.

Fast-forward 33 years and here I am at age 49. I took this picture while I was playing around with a camera app on my iPhone. The intervening years have brought deep vertical creases in my forehead. I like to think they resulted from all that deep thinking I do. (Yes- I said that with a straight face.)

I'm a Baptist

Picture of the Day for 2/23/2012. I suspect the title of this blog entry caught your attention. I'm not really a Baptist, but I did attend Baptist Bible School in the summers with my friend Sandy Minchow when I was a little girl. Pictured above is a plaque I made at Baptist Bible School that I just discovered among my childhood toys. I have fond memories of those summers. Good times.

Dang Moths

Picture of the Day for 2/22/2012. I should rename my blog "Things I Found in My Parents' Basement." I came across this dress/jacket that, based upon the style, I suspect my mother wore in the 1940s. It's so tiny it's hard to believe anyone who has internal organs could wear this. The fabric is beautiful, but sadly it is so moth-eaten that the outfit can't be salvaged. I'm having a hard time throwing it away, but I'm working my way up to it.

Lone Friend

Picture of the Day for 2/21/2012. So, I accepted a friend request through my iPhone without doing the proper research. When I had a chance to get on my laptop and check out this man, I was more than a little disturbed to see I was his lone Facebook friend. Eek.

Cute Freckles

OK, I know I'm biased, but I think my great-niece Sadie has the cutest freckles on the planet.

Beehive Cheese Co.

Picture of the Day for 2/20/2012. My friend Suzanne and I went on a field trip up to the Beehive Cheese Co. in Uintah, Utah today where we purchased, believe it or not, cheese. It was a fun excursion. I particularly liked the drive along Highway 89 which hugs the mountains and provides a lovely view of the Great Salt Lake.

Hoping for Popcorn

Picture of the Day for 2/19/2012. This is a companion piece to my Hoping for Pie blog entry from last November. Joey the Beagle is really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really hoping my sister Paula will share her popcorn. He was in luck tonight as she did end up giving him some popcorn. Occasionally, his relentless pursuit of food pays off.

Frank W. Merrill

Picture of the Day for 2/18/2012. In what has turned out to be an archeological dig of my parents' basement, I came across this photograph of my great-grandfather Franklin W. Merrill as a young man. Previous to this discovery, I had only seen pictures of him as a very old man. There's no resemblance between the young and old versions of this ancestor and I'm wondering if it's because he was beaten down a little by life. He used to be a composer, music professor, and organist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir until he lost his hearing. How is that for irony? He ended up spending the second half of his working years as a janitor. Although there's nothing wrong with being a janitor, I'm sure it's not what he had in mind when he embarked on his music career.

Lucky Me!

Picture of the Day for 2/17/2012. Last week I attended a Valentine's open house at Solissa, one of my favorite clothing boutiques in Salt Lake. I ended up winning the drawings for both prizes- a free facial at the salon where I get my hair done and a $50 gift certificate to spend at Solissa. I could get used to this. I like being a winner!

Aura Photograph

Picture of the Day for 2/16/2012. I purchased an aura camera app for my iPhone. The camera is supposed to be able to capture an image of one's aura, but the technology is a little iffy as the aura color changes each time you take a picture of the same subject. That's not supposed to happen. Still, it's a fun little app. I was snapping photos right and left of everyone who was in attendance at today's family lunch.

Bone Density Scan

Picture of the Day for 2/15/2012. This is a photo of the results of the bone density scan I had today. A local health food store was offering them for free so I decided to get one to see if all the years of my copious Diet Coke consumption were catching up to me (as carbonation is reputed to leach the calcium from your bones). It looks like I shouldn't have worried. My bones nearly have the density of a young adult and for my age group, I'm above average. Upon seeing my results, the man conducting the scan asked I worked out. He wasn't surprised to hear the answer is yes and indicated that's why I'm doing so well. The man was representing a calcium supplement company, but his attempt to sell me the supplements was half-hearted since I had such a good result.

After leaving the store, I immediately called my sister Paula to gloat since she had been desperately hoping I would have a bad result so she could use me as a warning to her daughters. I think that's the first time a clean bill of health was met with disappointment.

The next thing I did after gloating to my sister Paula was to run to McDonald's to order a large Diet Coke. It was divine.

Boromir Loves Me

Picture of the Day for 2/14/2012. I received a text to go check my front doorstep. When I did as instructed, I found an envelope addressed to "My Lady Michelle" which contained this Valentine from Boromir (from the Lord of the Rings movies). His declaration of love, "One does not simply stop loving you" is a riff off a line from the trilogy where he states "One does not simply walk into Mordor."

Hmm...it is interesting that Sean Bean (the actor who played Boromir) felt he needed my nieces to act as an intermediary to deliver this Valentine. I wouldn't have minded him showing up on my doorstep himself!

Good-Bye Trash

Picture of the Day for 2/13/2012. The 23-foot long dumpster we filled up with trash, furniture, and old food storage from my parents' basement was picked up and hauled off today. I know it's just trash, but I still felt a pang about seeing it go. My parents spent nearly 60 years in this home and it makes me a little sad to see their life disassembled so quickly. I suspect that on the "other side" my parents couldn't care less about the possessions they left behind.

Food Documentaries

Picture of the Day for 2/12/2012. I'm an Amazon Prime member which means I get access to a ton of free videos online. I've become obsessed with watching documentaries about food. (If you don't want to know about the deplorable conditions under which chickens, pigs, and cows are raised for the American food market, I suggest you avoid watching Food, Inc.) My friend Suzanne mentioned Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead so I promptly watched it. It's about an Australian entrepreneur who spent 60 days traveling across America while on a doctor-supervised juice fast. In his travels, he encountered a morbidly obese truck driver from Iowa who accepted an offer of help to lose weight. The 2nd half of the documentary focused on the truck driver who lost about 200 pounds and completely changed his life. I don't intend to go on a juice fast anytime soon, but the movie was pretty inspiring.

Uncharted Territory

Picture of the Day for 2/11/2012. After several hours of labor*, we finished clearing out my parents' basement today. We managed to fit all the items we are throwing away into one 23 foot long dumpster. Phew.

In all the commotion, I forgot to take a picture of the day's activities. I managed to snap this lone photo of the basement entryway before the end of the day. In all my 49 years, I've never seen this space completely cleared of boxes, cans of food storage, and sporting equipment. It's weird to hear an echo in this room.

Thanks to all the family members who helped out!!!!

A Portent of Things to Come

Picture of the Day for 2/10/2012. I unearthed several boxes of my childhood toys in my parents' basement. The ones pictured here were some of my favorites. Do you notice a theme? They both have to do with vehicles and travel. It looks like my raging case of wanderlust began when I was a small child. Makes me want to go on a road trip just looking at these photos!

Yowza!

Picture of the Day for 2/9/2012. Yowza! I received a complimentary gift bag today at a little dress shop I like to frequent. When I got to my car and opened it up, I was surprised to find this pair of leopard print underwear! Maybe I should wear this with my cheetah print running shoes. If I have just created a visual image that will take years of therapy to erase from your memory, I apologize!

Canada Geese

Picture of the Day for 2/8/2012. I did a double-take when I saw this large flock of geese hanging out at a local park. Based on the following excerpt from a Wikipedia article on Canada Geese, it turns out this behavior isn't so odd:

In North America, non-migratory Canada Goose populations have been on the rise. The species is frequently found on golf courses, parking lots and urban parks, which would have previously hosted only migratory geese on rare occasions. Owing to its adaptability to human-altered areas, it has become the most common waterfowl species in North America. In many areas, non-migratory Canada Geese are now regarded as pests by humans.

The Other Woman

Picture of the Day for 2/7/2012. Still working on excavating my parents' basement. Paula and I came across this picture of my dad with his first fiance, Leora. He was engaged to her until he met my mother while he was serving an LDS mission in Texas. After that, it was all over for Leora. She was a lovely woman, but no match against a southern belle.

Entryway

Picture of the Day for 2/6/2012. My sister Paula and I spent the afternoon cleaning out the basement entryway. A less welcoming entryway was never to be found. Fortunately, guests are meant to enter the house through the front door upstairs. Paula and I commented that this is the first time we've heard sound echo in this room since normally it has been crammed full of stuff.

The best find during our excavation was my grandmother Merrill's photo album. I've only seen one picture of her younger than age 40 so it was nice to see her as a young woman with dark hair. My favorite picture is of her with my grandfather and all of her sons as young boys. She's holding the youngest one, Stanley, in her arms. Stanley died suddenly in 1931 as a toddler and I had never seen a picture of him until today. He was very cute.

You Can See Me Coming From A Mile Away

Picture of the Day for 2/5/2012. I decided to take advantage of the mild winter weather and go for a walk around the neighborhood. It turns out the only clean socks I could find were these fuzzy fuchsia and black-striped ones which clashed horribly with my cheetah-patterned running shoes. Hey, at least there was no danger of any passing cars not being able to see me.

He Really is Harry Potter

Picture of the Day for 2/4/2012. When my nephew Robbie was a little boy, we always used to observe that he was a dead-ringer for Harry Potter. Who would have guessed this would still hold true a decade later? Observe the picture above of Daniel Radcliffe (the actor who played Harry Potter in the movies) wielding an axe in his most recent film, The Woman in Black.* Observe the picture below of my nephew Robbie wielding an axe to torment his aunt Paula. I'm thinking of the two, Robbie looks a little scarier.


*It's a wonderfully scary/spooky movie.

Bed Manners

Picture of the Day for 2/3/2012. I came across this book, Bed Manners and Better Bed Manners: How to Bring Sunshine Into Your Nights (published 1948), in one of my parents' bookshelves and couldn't wait to see what pearls of wisdom were inside. Here's what the book had to say about night attire:

The first great rule is: Wear correct clothes in bed, or none at all. Our ancestors either went to bed with all their clothes on, or else they went to bed raw. Good breeding now decrees the use of nice-looking nightgowns and pajamas. Women are allowed to choose between these articles. Men have no choice. It is pajamas for them or nothing.

The comfortable old-fashioned flannel nightgown, worn with bed socks, is taboo.

So is the practice, common among seamen and lumberjacks, of going to bed in one's underclothes. A man who does this in the nuptial chamber is crude...The eye of a sensitive, delicately reared girl is shocked by such an inartistic sleeping costume.

This is all good to know.

I Finally Caved

Picture of the Day for 2/2/2012. After 49 years of harboring a virulent hatred for animal prints, I've finally caved. I just bought an animal print scarf. As the judges of Project Runway would say, animal print clothing and accessories are "on trend."

It's Good to Be Prepared

Picture of the Day for 2/1/2012. Came across this sack filled with KFC utensil/napkin packets while clearing out my parents' basement today. It's amazing the things my parents saved.

I would guess these packets are about 30 years old. They date back to the time when my dad would run to the KFC (that was just a few blocks away from his business) for lunch almost every single day. (And for my family members who give me grief about my infamous food ruts, it should be noted this is a prime example of how I come by this honestly.)