Cataractless at Last!

Today Ted had his last cataract removed. It was a little later in the day so it was easier in a way, but he could not eat or drink (except for a tablespoon of water with his blood pressure pills) until we got home at almost 4 o'clock. He is doing very well. No complications.

We had a wonderful visit with Kelly and Chel Tuesday through Thursday. He took us to Mandalay to the Acquarium. It was fascinating. Also fascinating was the buffet that he took us to later.

I have triet to attach as many pictures as I could of all of the above events.

We love you. Dad and Harriet

A Call To Action

As a family, we've always been rugged individualists, and the things we are passionate about, we are VERY passionate about. So it might surprise no one that I am no different in that respect. Fortunately however, my particular passion, is one that impacts all of us (in a positive way)--I'm dedicated to fighting against the current bailouts and stimulus packages that our government is hell-bent on foisting on us. We as a nation are now trillions of dollars in debt. Those of you who watch or listen to Glenn Beck are very aware of how much our national debt has multiplied at the tail end of the Bush administration and now under the loving guidance of the Obama administration.

Would it surprise you to know that the majority of the US Senators and Congressman (and yes, even our illustrious President) are complicit with the banks in giving us this bank bailout. We are 85% complete with our research (following the trail of money between the bank's lobbyists and the nation's lawmakers), and here's a little preview of what we've found. 93% of all the TARP money was received by 21 banks, 2 car companies and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The remaining 7% was split between 475 banks. When you consider the fact that there are 8,533 banks in the United States, and that our lawmakers assured us that this was a national emergency and that the need for a bailout was urgent--the fact that so few institutions got so much of the money when allegedly our nation's financial system was on the verge of collapse smells just a little bit fishy to me, how about to you?

So we found out that, sure enough, 65 to 75% of all the money received by the US Senators and Congressmen for their campaigns came from those very same 25 aforementioned institutions. And we've now grown our organization from myself and my partner now to over 1,100 volunteers all over the country in 46 states who are ready to build a network of campaigns to toss 40% of our current crop of legislators out of office in 2010.

So if you're interested in getting involved in making sure your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren don't have to pay 80% of their income in taxes because we fell asleep at the wheel, I invite you to join us in taking back the government so that once again, it is We The People who run the show and NOT our "bought and paid for" legislators. You can learn more by going to this website here:

www.tellyourneighbor.com/icaucus/

And then go to our main website at:

www.icaucus.org

...and watch the videos (start with Article II Part 1 first). Then on Wednesdays and Saturdays you can watch our live streaming internet video broadcast at:

www.justin.tv/icaucus

Wednesday's show starts at 7pm MDT, and Saturday's show is at 10am MDT. Our organization got mentioned on Glenn Beck's radio show a couple of mornings ago, and when we get done with our research, Zelden Nelson from the National Center for Consitutional Studies has promised us he will personally hand it to Glenn Beck. I think this is going to be big! Anyways, part of this rant and ramble is to let you know what's going on in my life right now, and the other part is because I'd like to have you all join me in this effort to take back our country from the big money special interests. Besides, this kind of falls under the category of "when you have been warned, you need to warn your neighbor." Well my family is more important than my neighbors, so I'll start with you all first, then move on to my neighbors next. Love you all.

Nobel Prize

Dad wanted to let you all know that he is continuing his weight-loss diet. He plans to win the no-belly prize! Can't you just hear him saying that!! He is in compittion with Noelle.

Love, Dad and Harriet

Happy Birthday Kierra!

Here is my Kierra. She turned three years old today. What a big girl! While I appreciate that as a pre-schooler she may not have as much going on as a teenager, she still has her very own, set, personality.

Kierra loves being a girl! She would wear a skirt every day if I would let her. I actually would let her if she had enough clean skirts, but since I don't do laundry every day, sadly she does have to wear pants sometimes. Her sister Janica has some lip gloss, and Kierra loves to wear it. She'll wear it on her lips, nose, cheeks and everywhere else that she thinks needs make-up! She also loves princesses. She sings Disney songs and talks about finding her "true love." Yes, she is only three!

Like most younger children, she wants to do everything her older brother and sister do. Sometimes that gets her into trouble, like when she was running too fast and fell and skinned her knee, but it helps her learn and grow. She is also very sweet and concerned with other people's feelings. She doesn't like to see other people sad and does her best to help them feel better.

Happy Birthday Kierra! I love you!

Some of my memories of "Faline and Teddie" together

Happy Birthday Teddie!

From the very beginning, I can always remember how old Teddie is because for most of each year she is 2 years younger than me! (for the next 3 months and 29 days she is 1 year younger than me!)

"Lambs-tail Stew?"
When we lived in North Logan, I remember some incidents that involved animals. We had a lamb (sheep?) one spring and one day Dad cut his?her? tail off. I can't remember why lambs can't have tails. I do remember him lifting it up to show us, and the blood dripping down onto the ground.

"A Lotta Bull"
There was a fenced pasture next to our yard. We weren't supposed to play in the pasture because of the big dangerous bull that lived there. Well, going across the pasture was a shortcut to our friend's house. So one day Teddie and I were hurrying home. Teddie wanted to go around the long way, but I insisted on climbing through the fence and into the pasture. We couldn't see the bull. Maybe it was sleeping... We got almost all the way across the pasture before the bull. He was looking at us. He looked big and mean. My heart started pounding and I yelled to Teddie, "Run!" and I started running for the fence. When I looked back, Teddie must have fallen because she was getting up from the ground and crying. I was scared, she was scared, I ran back and took her hand and we ran together to the fence and crawled through. Whew! Safe! We got to the fence before the bull got to us! (Looking back, I'm not positive the bull even moved, except to watch us run!)

"Little Eskimos"
Mom was a dance instructor when we first lived in Merrill Michigan. There were four of us in our class. Teddie was her star student, and I was the gangly one. Our class learned a dance to a song called "I'm a Little Eskimo" - the music was on an old 45 record - and we learned to sing the song also. The sheet music may still be in a stack somewhere. Yellow spandex leotard, a short yellow satin-y skirt and hood with fur along the edge, and fabric "boots" that slipped over our ballet slippers. There is a picture of this somewhere... We performed for a talent show. We were cute! We all danced it, but Teddie was the only one who danced with grace.

"Harmonize the World"
Mom taught Teddie and me to harmonize very young - she was setting a precendent that continued through Rachelle's young years! We learned a duet called "Mother Goose on Parade" that I can't really remember anymore. It got us harmonizing on our own. I remember "Catch a Falling Star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day." I think Teddie made up more words. I remember singing that song together when we rode the long drive home after church on Sunday nights, singing outside on the lawn looking up at the starry sky.

Sundays were long. There were meetings before Sunday School in the morning, and Mom started a children's choir for all the kids whose parents were in meetings, just to keep us from running all over the church in the Saginaw Ward. We learned "Beautiful Savior" and "Pretty Dream Mama." Mom bought those pretty china bells for us in the children's choir to wear when we sang in church.

We lived in Merrill Michigan, our ward building was 25 miles away in Saginaw, and we went to Stake Conference in Detroit, hours away! One time in 1957, we went early to a stake conference, and a children's choir was preparing to sing for the morning session. Teddie and I both joined in that choir that morning and we sang one of the first public performances of "I Am A Child of God." Yes, the words back then were 'teach me all that I must know..."

I think we learned "The Lonely Goatherd" when we were in Girls Chorus in high school, and "Syncopated Clock."

All that singing and harmonizing with Teddie was probably why it seemed so natural and right to me to teach my kids to harmonize, and they each have to have their own part!

"Grandma Died"
In April of 1963 our Grandma Bronson died, the only grandma we ever knew. We did have our grandpa and grandma Kelly. Grandpa Kelly was a musician and he loved our family of musicians. He gave Teddie her first cello, and me my first viola. I think there was some persuasion that I didn't see, so that Mom made sure Teddie and I played a viola-cello duet at Grandma's funeral of one of her favorite hymns, "Lead, Kindly Light."

"Play it again, Teddie"
I wonder if Teddie still sits down at the piano sometimes and plays the song she composed in college. It was showy! and fast! and I listened in awe to her playing.

"College Breaks"
I loved it when Teddie came to visit us for a few days from BYU when we lived in Colorado. She often was in the middle of arranging a piece of music for her singing group... you know - the one where John and Gayla got together, and Teddie and Craig... Well, Teddie's music was GREAT!

"Home Birth"
Only two of my sisters have ever expressed interest in home birth. I remember the day when Teddie called asking me about my home birth experiences. In my view, people should choose home birth from a commitment and dedication to a safe, healthy, positive, and 'in-my-control' experience and be well-educated about it. Teddie and I share that passion for quality home birth.

"A child just like you!"
We all heard Mom's hope for each of us! There have been many conversations between Teddie and me about our children, how to help them, and guide them. Our children made choices - as we also did - that saddened their parents. And we learned to love them no matter what. We hoped that our children (cousins) would be good for each other. Teddie invited Malauna to join their family, and Shanna, on a Disneyland vacation. Matt and Lance have had some good times with Conan and Colle.

"Sunday afternoon peace"
There was a long stretch when Sunday afternoon/evening became an oasis of friendship for Teddie and me. Potluck dinners, with the kids playing and finding things to do for hours, Teddie and I just sat and talked about anything and everything.

"In the Hospital"
While Teddie was in ICU and unable to speak, she asked me to bring Sam to visit her. It had been over 3 months since he had seen her. I believe she knew that I knew how important it was for him to see his mom, and for her to reach out to him, and in person. He was dwarfed in the sterile gown he was wrapped up in, and his hands disappeared in the sterile gloves he had to wear, the hat and mask all but covered his little face, and he climbed up on a stool beside her bed in order to see her, and there she was, there was his mom...

"The String Quartet Resurrected"
Actually I never got to play in a family string quartet when we were growing up. Maybe I just never passed the audition! When Teddie invited me, through Rachelle, to play in a string quartet with her and Brennan for Christmas, I was thrilled! It was delightful to go to her home every Sunday evening and practice together, and laugh, and make beautiful music together.

"Teddie's Stories"
It's been interesting, no, fascinating! to read Teddie's stories/memories of Mom, and see events I remembered but now with Teddie's eyes and ears. Keep 'em coming! You are creating a treasure trove.

So, how old is Teddie this year? (Hint: I'm {almost} 59... sh-h-h-h)

Love ya Teddie!

Happy Birthday Teddie!

Teddie is very good at telling stories about all of her siblings. I have a feeling, though, that she will be hesitant to write a story about herself and post it here on her birthday. I love reading her stories, and she gives me a great perspective on who our family was before I was born. So rather than tell a funny story(which I am not good at) about Teddie, I thought our family would record us playing and singing "Happy Birthday!" It's all for you Teddie - I hope you like it! We love you!