Mexican Food

Picture of the Day for 3/31/2014. My niece Chantal and I stopped in Beaver, Utah for lunch on our way down to Las Vegas. As you can see, we had Mexican food. I've eaten at this restaurant several times and I never fail to be amused by this sign which is genius in its simplicity. It gets straight to the point.

Admiring the Crossbow

Picture of the Day for 3/30/2014. We celebrated my niece Chantal's 41st birthday a couple of days early. She received a Daryl Dixon (a character from The Walking Dead) blanket. Chantal admires Daryl because he's a badass.


Her son Ethan is seen below admiring Daryl's crossbow. Trust a henchman to zero in on the weaponry. 

"SDC"

Picture of the Day for 3/29/2014. My great-niece Sadie was baptized today. I took about 1,000 photos and I'd like to post them all because she's SDC- so damn cute. I suspect I shouldn't be using the word "damn" in a post about baptism, but I can't help it. She's just that cute. Even the bishop who was presiding over the meeting couldn't help but comment that "she is so cute." Aside from being cute, Sadie is terrifyingly smart, affectionate, and kind. Is it any wonder I'd like to post 1,000 pictures of her? I'll show restraint and just post two.

Past Its Prime

Picture of the Day for 3/28/2014. Hmm...do you think it's time I bought a new purse? I hate to see this one go. It's been a favorite of mine.

There's a Cat in My Planter

Picture of the Day for 3/27/2014. I was getting into my car when I noticed there was a cat hanging out in one of the planter boxes on my porch. It was such an unexpected sight that it totally cracked me up. 

Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree

Picture of the Day for 3/26/2014. Here is a song every Mormon child has sung.

I looked out the window, and what did I see?
Popcorn popping on the apricot tree!
Spring had brought me such a nice surprise,
Blossoms popping right before my eyes.
I could take an armful and make a treat,
A popcorn ball that would smell so sweet.
It wasn't really so, but it seemed to be
Popcorn popping on the apricot tree.

(Words: Georgia W. Bello, 1924-2007. (c) 1957 IRI
Music: Georgia W. Bello, 1924-2007; arr. by Betty Lou Cooney, b. 1924. (c) 1957, 1989 IRI)

I can still sing it from memory even though it's been over four decades since I was a young Mormon child.

If you want to hear the music, click on this link and then click on the "play" icon at the top of the sheet music. 

I was reminded of this song as I looked out my back window today and saw that yes, indeed, it looked like popcorn was popping on my apricot tree. 

Website Redesign and Shameless Self-Promotion

Picture of the Day for 3/25/2014. I've spent the past few days overhauling the content and the design of my company website (www.teachspeechnow.com). You should check it out. It's a lot more streamlined which makes it much easier to read.

Before, I had only included my sister Robynne's biographical information on the "About" page since she is admittedly the "face" of the company and the creator of the materials we sell. With this latest incarnation of the website, I decided to engage in something that served me very well at my previous job- shameless self-promotion. I decided it wouldn't hurt to include a brief paragraph outlining my work history and role in the company, although as you can see from the first sentence I don't take myself too seriously.

I also decided it wouldn't hurt to add a couple of pictures of the two of us when we were little girls. Can't go wrong with the "cuteness" factor.

Thinking Deep Thoughts

Picture of the Day for 3/24/2014. I have what appears to be the world's deepest vertical crease in my forehead. This vexes me. I guess I should be careful about being vexed since I'm sure that only deepens the crease. 

I wish I could say this crease comes from scrunching my forehead as I concentrate on the deep thoughts I am pondering, but I can't. I used to think deep thoughts as a teenager and early adult, but I grew out of it. I suspect I met my quota of deep thoughts at an early age and I'm now working my way through my quota of frivolous thoughts. And boy, do I have a big quota of them as anyone who has read my blog can testify. 

Molecular Consciousness

Picture of the Day for 3/23/2013. I have a general rule when it comes to books, movies, or television. I merely want to be entertained. I don't want to be edified, learn anything, or feel any deep emotions.

OK- I'm joking. Mostly. I an avid fan of the History and Science channels on cable and I'm a documentary junkie. But on the other hand, I do like a good movie where stuff blows up and I follow Project Runway religiously and I mostly read fluff novels. 

I broke my "don't learn anything" mantra with the latest book I'm reading, Molecular Consciousness, which does a very good job explaining the structure of atoms and molecules and chemical reactions and the laws of thermodynamics. It's been a fascinating read. 

Green Drink: The Day After

Picture of the Day for 3/22/2014. I usually start the day off with a "green" drink made of baby spinach and whatever fruit I have on hand. I didn't finish yesterday's drink nor did I wash out the cup. This is what a green drink looks like the "day after." Ick. It looks like toxic green sludge. 

Beautiful House

Picture of the Day for 3/21/2014. Nearly four years ago I blogged about how my "dream house" appeared on my street. The man who owns it is named Tom and he invited me and my sister Paula to a party he was throwing since he knew we were both anxious to see the inside of the house. Man oh man, it did not disappoint. Tom and his girlfriend did all the interior work themselves and it is meticulous. Everything is brand-new and clean and beautiful. Not a pink kitchen or mauve carpet in sight. 

Tom proudly showed off his laundry shoot that you access by opening a picture hanging on the wall in the upstairs bathroom. Naturally, I had to take a picture of this!

Up and Walking

Picture of the Day for 3/20/2014. My brother-in-law David has been given the go-ahead from his physician to ditch the walker. His leg is still weak from not carrying any weight on it for the past three months so David is using a cane until he becomes more stable. His sister Karen sent him a baseball bat cane which could not be more perfect since he's a baseball fanatic. It's also appropriate that I took this picture in a sandwich shop that has sports-themed sandwiches. 

Voyeuristic Gnomes

Picture of the Day for 3/19/2014. Years and years and years ago when I was still living at home with my parents, the gnomes pictured below showed up on a shelf in the downstairs bathroom (i.e., MY bathroom) right above the toilet. I thought it was creepy to have gnomes staring down at me, but despite all my pleas and arguments, my mother refused to remove the gnomes and she also forbade me from moving them myself. As a compromise, she put tape over their eyes to prevent them from watching me. That was totally my mother's smart aleck sense of humor. 

She used to do stuff like that to my dad all the time. The stories are legend. I guess one time he complained that she wasn't folding his pajamas correctly (mind you- this is the 1950s when such things were expected of wives). She took some cardboard and folded his pajamas neatly around it so it looked like they had been recently purchased and just taken out of the wrapping. The thing is, she used about 100 straight pins to pin it in place. I think it took forever for my dad to unpin his pajamas from the cardboard.

Another time, my dad suggested that he'd like the dinner table setting to be a little more formal. She responded by using newspaper for a tablecloth and tin cans for candleholders. (I think I'm telling these stories correctly. They pre-date my arrival.)

My dad's reaction to all of these pranks was to laugh and say, "I guess I should have known better than to say anything."

Anyway, back to the gnomes. My sister Robynne ended up with them (as she is a collector of gnomes), but she graciously agreed to let me have them back. I was feeling nostalgic about mother and the gnomes. And just where did I end up putting them? You guessed it! On the windowsill above the toilet of course!

Milton Lubar is Gone

Picture of the Day for 3/18/2014. When my dad was in the Navy in World War ll, he was buddies with Milton Lubar, a Jewish man from Massachusetts. I love the fact that these two men with such disparate backgrounds became friends. "They" remained in contact for the rest of their lives. I use the word "they" loosely since it was mostly my mother and Milton's wife Louise who corresponded. I believe they only saw each other once after the war- either in the 1980s or 1990s when my parents had a layover in Boston. I remember my parents saying that Milton said he would have known my dad anywhere- that he hadn't changed that much. That's quite true- my dad looked pretty much the same his whole life. 

I realized I had never sent a note to the Lubars letting them know my dad had passed away. When I was doing an address search online, I discovered Milton's obituary. He passed away last year. I have felt so sad about this, but on the other hand I like to think my dad and Milton have met up on the other side and have reminisced about the war and and their life experiences. I hope they're still buddies. 


And in honor my dad and his World War ll buddy, I'm posting some pictures of my dad from that time.

Corrupted Barbie Board Game

Picture of the Day for 3/17/2014. The 1961 version of the Barbie board game has provided countless hours of fun for not just one, but two generations of my family. My niece Corinne was showing me the updates she and her friend Kellie made to the game several years ago when they were teenagers. They painstakingly modified every square of the game. Let's just say their updates don't do Barbie any favors in terms of her socioeconomic status. The game now reflects what would happen if Barbie lived a white trash existence in the 'hood. Corinne's mother Paula just shakes her head in resignation at these shenanigans. 

More Than A Passing Resemblance

Picture of the Day for 3/16/2014. Back in 2012 I posted a picture of myself that I thought showed I had a faint resemblance to my mother. Which is weird since I'm basically a clone of my father. I'm essentially Bob Merrill with breasts as I like to joke. I came across a photo recently which shows that resemblance to my mother. 

Secret Niece/Auntie Language

Picture of the Day for 3/15/2014. Today is my niece Michelle's birthday. (And my friend Suzanne's birthday as well!) A few years ago I accidentally texted Michelle some gibberish and she didn't miss a beat and responded in kind. It's become a running gag that we'll text each other random letters and symbols out of the blue. Since she's my niece and I'm her auntie and we're both named Michelle, we ALWAYS know what the other person is talking about of course. Naturally, I sent her birthday message to her in code.

Menacing Cat

Picture of the Day for 3/14/2014. I was driving home when I saw this cat lurking in a neighbor's driveway. Is this not the creepiest, most menacing cat you've ever seen? I was definitely a little spooked. I was also intrigued and decided to go investigate. The cat was initially wary when I approached her (I don't know if it's a girl or a boy, but I'm assigning gender since I don't want to keep referring to the cat as "it"), but once she allowed me to pet her and coo over her, she decided she LOVED me. She wrapped herself around my legs and ended up following me home. I checked out the window several minutes later to see the cat fixed in place, staring at the house. Eek. I choose to think she was staring at the house in hopes of my return rather than cursing me for disappearing.

Who is Barbara Lunt?

Picture of the Day for 3/13/2014. I love mysteries. And I love doing internet searches and seeing where they lead you. This photo of my mother from the early 1940s provided a mystery to solve. Do you see the sign in the background advertising a performance by Barbara Lunt? It made me ponder the following question: Who is Barbara Lunt?


Turns out she was a big band singer. Couldn't find out much more than that sadly.

I did find out that she was a singer with Buddy Rogers' band. 


Hmm. I hadn't heard of him before. That required another search which led me to a YouTube video of The Fighting Seabees, a 1944 film starring John Wayne and Susan Hayward. I had never heard of this movie before and now I'm watching it- all thanks Barbara Lunt!

Creepy Shadow

Picture of the Day for 3/12/2014. I was taking a walk tonight around the neighborhood when I noticed I was casting a rather creepy shadow in light of the setting sun. I've always wished my legs were longer, but not this long!

Book Report - Norwegian By Night

Picture of the Day for 3/11/2014. I picked up this book, Norwegian by Night, at the library the other day. It caught my attention because it was on the "recommended" shelf and I'm one-quarter Norwegian. That's part of my heritage I know the least about so I thought it would interesting to read a novel set in that country. Below is a plot summary from the Amazon.com listing:

"Sheldon Horowitz—widowed, impatient, impertinent—has grudgingly agreed to leave New York and move in with his granddaughter, Rhea, and her new husband, Lars, in Norway: a country of blue and ice with one thousand Jews, not one of them a former Marine sniper in the Korean War turned watch repairman, who failed his only son by sending him to Vietnam to die. Not until now, anyway.

Home alone one morning, Sheldon witnesses a dispute between the woman who lives upstairs and an aggressive stranger. When events turn dire, Sheldon seizes and shields the neighbor’s young son from the violence, and they flee the scene. But old age and circumstances are altering Sheldon’s experience of time and memory. He is haunted by dreams of his son Saul’s life and by guilt over his death. As Sheldon and the boy look for a haven in an alien world, reality and fantasy, past and present, weave together, forcing them ever forward to a wrenching moment of truth.

Norwegian by Night introduces an ensemble of unforgettable characters—Sheldon and the boy, Rhea and Lars, a Balkan war criminal named Enver, and Sigrid and Petter, the brilliantly dry-witted investigating officers—as they chase one another, and their own demons, through the wilderness at the end of the world."

I'm about halfway through the book. This isn't normally a novel that would appeal to me, but I am really enjoying it!

Space Article

Picture of the Day for 3/10/2014. My friend Diane Stuckart sent me this October 1968 article from Newsweek that she found among her late mother's papers. I'm so glad she did! It was a lengthy piece written right before the launch of the manned Apollo missions (beginning with Apollo 7). 

It was so very interesting to read something written from this perspective- before any of these missions had taken place. The author could only speculate on the crew members through Apollo 10. Neil Armstrong wasn't even on the public's radar at this point. 

It was equally interesting to read this from my perspective- where all of the events are now part of a history nearly a half century old.

Red Hot Tacos!

Picture of the Day for 3/9/2014. LOVE this t-shirt my nephew Rob (not to be confused with my nephew "missionary Rob") was wearing tonight.

Line of Demarcation

Picture of the Day for 3/9/2014. The lush green lawn on the left-hand side of the picture belongs to my neighbor. The pale, winter-worn lawn on the right belongs to me. The line of demarcation is very clear which I find fascinating. What does my neighbor know that I don't?

Pack Up and Leave Early

Picture of the Day for 3/7/2014. My sister Robynne and I exhibited at the Utah Speech-Language Hearing Association's 2014 conference up in Park City, UT. You'll notice a lot of empty booths in the photo below. That's because we've learned, along with any other vendor who has experience exhibiting at conferences, you should never stay to the bitter end of a conference in the hopes you'll make that one last sale. Or stay because someone promised they will come back after the last session to buy your product. 

It. Just. Doesn't. Happen. 

Ever. 

Until today. Robynne and I packed up early and wouldn't you know, we missed out on someone who came back at the end of the conference hoping to buy all of our books. Fortunately, that person contacted me through our website and I was able to walk her through buying the materials online for the discounted price we offered at the conference. Phew. 

Hugging the Jiffy Lube Guy

Picture of the Day for 3/6/2014. I took my car to Jiffy Lube yesterday to get my brakes fixed. They were starting to squeal and since I knew I'd be driving down a steep canyon incline today, I figured that would be a very bad time for them to go out completely. After the repairs were completed and I was getting ready to leave, the clerk pointed out he had put the tail light back into its proper place. It had been loose (hanging by the wires) for the past couple of years. The tail light was still working and that repair had been low on my spending priorities so I had just tucked it in as best I could. It was like Christmas morning when the clerk showed me the repair he had done just to be nice. I was soooo excited that I told him I could just hug him. He spread his arms wide open so I did give him a big hug! 

Hello Pony

Picture of the Day for 3/5/2014. Today was my great-niece Sadie's 8th birthday. Cute girl!


As Sadie was opening up her gifts, I noticed someone had given her a card that looked, from my vantage point, like there was a My Little Pony on the front. I asked, "Is that a Hello Pony card?" 


Sadly, my inadvertent mash-up of My Little Pony with Hello Kitty immediately earned me a spot on the family's "Quote Hall of Shame." It's not a metaphorical hall of shame either. There are actual quotes posted on my sister Paula's refrigerator. They are all amusing, but my all-time favorite is:

"Eleanor Roosevelt was not a skank." Courtesy of my brother-in-law David. Can't argue with that. This statement was such a hit that my niece Chantal even devoted an entire blog post to it. 

50th Anniversary of the Valley View 9th Ward Relief Society

Picture of the Day for 3/4/2014. I attended the 50th anniversary of the Valley View 9th Ward's Relief Society (a women's religious organization for my blog readers who don't speak "Mormon'). 


At each of the tables were pictures of the current and past Relief Society presidents- 18 in total. My mother was, I believe, the 2nd person to serve as Relief Society president in the ward. Here is her picture that was on display. I love the animal print collar!


Being the picture-taking fanatic that I am, I went around to the tables and took pictures of all the other Relief Society presidents who were in attendance at the event:

Colleen Smith


Robyn Park, Verlene Healy, Susan Funk


Carol Scott, Carol Zimmerman


Betty Gundersen


Shirley Montgomery 

No Selfies for Me

Picture of the Day for 3/3/2014. Sadly, my iPhone took a flying leap out of my hand the other day and landed screen down on the concrete floor of a parking garage. It did not end well for my phone. The screen is severely cracked which means I can no longer take selfies. This is probably a relief to my blog readers who have had to endure an unseemly number of self-portraits I post to this site- usually when I'm desperate for a "picture of the day" topic.

Corinne and Joey

Picture of the Day for 3/2/2013. I was over at my sister Paula's house tonight to watch the Academy Awards. As I was saying good-bye, my niece Corinne was hanging out on the steps and Joey the beagle decided to snuggle up next to her. Joey will be turning 14 shortly and he's the equivalent of a grumpy 95-year-old man waving a cane in your face. He's still cute though. 

The Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association's 2014 Conference

Picture of the Day for 3/1/2014. I always like to post a picture of our booth (which always looks the same) and the conference hall whenever we exhibit at a speech therapy conference. We're at the George R. Brown convention center in downtown Houston exhibiting at the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association's 2014 conference. We've had a WONDERFUL time here. This has been our most successful conference to date. We LOVE Texas and apparently Texans love us since we've made a ton of sales and our materials have been well-received. It's been a very gratifying experience.

We made a last-minute decision to attend so our booth is at the very back of the exhibit hall. It's not a great location, but that hasn't seemed to stop people from finding us there.


This is our row.


There are always vendors at these events who sell non-speech therapy items like jewelry and scarves. These vendors always seem to make a killing. My sister Robynne and I joke that we should be selling scarves, not speech therapy manuals.