Monkey Face

The other day at work, several of us were talking about how people tend not to tell you that you've got spinach in your teeth or that you're dragging toilet paper on the bottom of your shoe.
I related how just a few months ago, I had a severe allergic reaction to a vitamin supplement I had taken at lunch. I was eating lunch with my regular lunch crowd. We usually start laughing over dumb things and get silly and rowdy. As I ate my lunch, I felt my ears burning. I was hoping that they didn't look as bad as they felt. My friends just kept talking and didn't say anything to me about my appearance. When my lunch hour was over, I had to go into the restroom to check out a mirror to see what was going on with my ears. Oh, it wasn't just my ears, my face was red as a beet. My hands, arms, and legs were getting all splotchy. Finally....my co-workers who weren't in the lunch room asked what was wrong with me.

Mike S., a very funny guy, said that he had an allergic reaction at the potluck Christmas luncheon. That was news to me. Guess I didn't notice. He said he felt something strange going on with his face and knew from experience that he was having an allergic reaction to something he ate. He jumped into his car and drove to the nearest drugstore to get some Benadryl. He said he happened to look in a mirror in the store and saw a "monkey face" looking back at him. His mouth was swollen out like a muzzle and his ears had gotten larger and stuck out from his head. He was embarrassed, but he really needed to stay in the checkout line to get the Benadryl.

Taking a Leap of Faith

Some thoughts I need to ponder at a time when I need to make an important decision about my work and lifestyle:

And then the day came, when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.- Anais Nin, Danish diarist

What leaps of faith are you willing to take? Trying new things can give you a real zest for life. Pushing beyond your comfort zone in a responsible way helps you grow confidence and creativity that you can apply to your everyday life. Do not let fear control what you do (or don't) do? While taking risks can be scary, doing nothing is a big mistake, as it produces nothing fruitful within you. There is a direct relationship between the things that we achieve and the effort we put forth to obtain them. To reach the fruit, you have to climb the tree first!

Remembering Kevin

Two years ago, my nephew Kevin took his own life. He was only 22 years old, full of life and potential. He was athletic, good-looking, and funny. Kevin's dad (my brother) saved the shotgun shell that ended Kevin's life. He has it in a glass case with a card beside it that says, "Of all the pills Kevin took to take away his pain, only this took his pain away forever."

Kevin had a near death experience about 6 months before his suicide. He had been taking assorted street drugs and alcohol. He says he tried to medicate himself because his mind had been messed up ever since his parents' bitter divorce when he was young. He had a drug reaction that made him freak out so bad the police had to handcuff him and take him to the hospital. Once he was admitted to the hospital, he went into a coma for 5 days.

When Kevin awoke from his coma in the neurologic intensive care unit, he said that he had been to heaven and met some of his loved ones there. He was warmly greeted by his great-grandmother and his maternal grandfather. They had messages to give to his mother. He was approached by a woman he recognized from photos as his father's mother. Jesus was at her side. She smiled a bright smile and proclaimed that Jesus forgives all. She told him to tell his dad that she was proud of him.

Kevin never knew his father's mom because she died many years ago. Her comments about all being forgiven are particularly poignant to me and my brother. 42 years ago, our mother drove up to North Ogden Canyon and shot herself in the head. My brother and I were the last ones to see her alive. We were home playing in the house, and she told us she was going to the store.....she never came back. Mom suffered from clinical depression so I never considered what she did to be a sin so it didn't surprise me that she would be happy and welcome in the bosom of Jesus. Despite her problem with depression, Mom was a good mother who had many talents. People loved her because she was sweet and funny. Kevin was sweet and funny, too.

Gypsy Bride

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine from work got married. Her wedding inspired me to bring my wedding photos to work. I had told some of my co-workers how my 5 year old cousin, Lisa, had a little basket of napkins to give out at my wedding reception. I gave the basket to her to have as a keepsake. My aunt told me that Lisa's kindergarten teacher got a laugh when Lisa brought the basket to school for "show and tell." Lisa told the class that the bride was a gypsy. I guess my groovy dress (circa 1972) was pretty Bohemian. My young friends at work got a kick out of looking at my photos and thought that I looked like a "flower child".

Old Fashioned Independence Day

It’s the Fourth of July and I have no special plans to celebrate with my family. Perhaps we’ll persuade my son to light up the night with some of the fireworks he has been carrying around in the trunk of his car since his cross country adventure.

I remember back in my childhood when the Fourth of July was one of my favorite holidays. My family would spend the day in my grandparents’ hometown of Huntsville, Utah. Early in the day, there would be a parade down the main street. Afterwards, there was a carnival with hot dogs, barbeque, snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn balls and games in the town park. Later in the afternoon, the crowd settled in the church to hear deep-voiced and Sterling Wood read Edward Everett Hale’s “Man Without a Country.” It was a pretty long story and I didn’t understand the historic events, but a couple of things always impressed me. I’ll never forget how the main character, Philip Nolan said, “Damn the United States,…. I never want to hear her name again!” and how Sterling Wood’s bushy eyebrows were so animated as he told his story.

After the town celebration, families would go home for dinner and have their own fireworks after dark. My cousins would be at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. My brother and I were the same ages as my two oldest cousins. They were our best friends and partners in so many adventures. We floated down the town ditch on inner tubes. The bravest kids dared to float all the way through the culvert that ran under the road. Grandpa would begin the fireworks ceremony by lighting a red flare and putting it on the fence post near the patio. He always called the flare a “fusee” and Grandma called the patio “the potio.” We lit small black pellets that produced long snakes of ash on the patio. We also had sparklers of all colors and sizes. We’d get our giant sparklers lit and then see how many times we could run around Grandma’s house before the sparkler went out. Only my dad and Uncle Bud were authorized to set off the firecrackers and fountains. They put the firecrackers under tin cans or in culverts for maximum acoustics. Now that’s how to celebrate the Fourth of July!

Man of God OR Speed Demon

Happiness and peace will come to earth only as the light of love and human compassion enter the souls of men. – David O. McKay

Karen’s quotes from David O. McKay reminded of a story that my dad recently told me. My dad grew up in Huntsville, Utah where David O. McKay lived. In fact, Dad’s grandparents lived across the street from David O. David O. McKay was a General Authority in the LDS Church for many years and was the Prophet and Church President in his later years.

When my dad was attending college at Weber State College in Ogden, he encountered David O. McKay at a stoplight near the mouth of Ogden Canyon. They looked at each other and smiled, recognizing that they both were heading home through the canyon to Huntsville. David O. always drove a big black car with plenty of horsepower. While they were waiting for the light to turn green, David O. revved his motor and looked at my dad with a smile that clearly said, “Want to race?” When the light turned green, David O.’s car took off like a rocket. My dad couldn’t keep up. He didn’t dare drive up the narrow winding canyon road at high speed.

Once my dad got home, he went to his part-time job at the only gas station in Huntsville. The big black car pulled up and David O. rolled down his window and said, “You’re Georgie’s grandson, aren’t you? Is there something wrong with your car, young man?”

For many years, the police in Ogden and Huntsville knew to turn a blind eye to the big black speeding car with the stately white-haired man inside.

Jose Can U C

My friend Karen challenged me to meme with the letter "C". She started with the letter "D" on her blog: www.ailurophile.com/karenslife/

Here's all about me with the letter "C":

1. Children: I have four children, one daughter and three sons, who have brought immeasurable love and laughter into my life. I also have two grand-daughters who are Cute with a capital C.

2. Crazy: My children and I are a wild and crazy bunch. We have code words for the funny experiences that we have shared. All we need to say is, “Blue Booger”, “Dirty Shirt”, or “Centrum” and we all crack up. My oldest son used to have a sign he made hanging up in his bedroom. It said, “Please do not lick the walls.” His sister enhanced it by attaching a photo she took of him licking the door frame. The photo was strange yet surprisingly erotic.

3. Celtic: I love all things Celtic – my Celtic ancestors, Celtic music, Celtic legends, and Celtic dance. All my children have Celtic names: Jamie, Brendan, Ryan, and Bryce.

4. Chocolate: It’s one of life’s great little pleasures. For me, it’s got to be a good quality dark chocolate. I can resist Tootsie Rolls and Hershey Kisses.

5. Candy Fairy: Shhhh! Don’t tell anyone, but I’m the Candy Fairy at work. Around Christmas time I found out that Anita loves candy canes. I bought dozens of them when they went on sale after Christmas. I’ve got a year’s supply of candy canes hidden away. Every week, I put candy canes in Anita’s mail slot when no one’s looking. She thinks that Rose is the Candy Fairy.

6. Cancer: I’ve survived 2 kinds of cancer so far. Ten years ago I had basal cell carcinoma on my left nostril. The surgeon that removed my tumor and saved the “integrity of my nostril” was the same surgeon that removed the cancerous tumor on Ronnie Reagan’s nose. With a less skilled surgeon, I might have ended up with a pierced nostril. But my philosphy is: "If life gives you a pierced nostril, you put a 1 carat diamond stud in it!" Four years ago, I had surgery and radiation therapy for uterine cancer. So far, my cancers have remained in remission.

7. Curls: I have naturally curly hair. I fight my curls with industrial strength hair gel and stiff hairspray, but they always win especially during the humid summer months. My hair refuses to Cooperate with a capital "C".

8. Cats: I love cats – both pets and collectable figurines. Here’s to the cats I’ve owned or the one who have owned me: Knitzel, Mootsie, Hunkie, Pee Von Tine, Stinkbelt, Midnight, Patches, Gizzie, Scully, and Mulder.

9. College: I began college right out of high school in the fall of 1970 as a Chemistry major. I graduated from college with a B.A. in History in January 2001. I wasn’t a perpetual student, I just took a few detours – marriage, children, jobs. Once I decided I wanted to finish my degree, I stuck with it even though I could only take a couple of courses at a time while I was working full time. I graduated Magna Cum Laude and only one of my children beat me to a college degree.

10. Crocs: My brother, the doctor, introduced me to the most cushy, comfortable footwear – Crocs. Since my office has a casual dress code, I wear Crocs to work almost every day. I started with a black pair and branched out to a hot pink pair of Airwalks (which are just as squishy as Crocs).


If anyone out there feels up to the challenge, I'll send you a letter to meme.

Wardrobe Malfunction

When I was 15, my friends and I auditioned to be in a short play – a spoof on the story of John Smith and Pocahontas combined with Cinderella. My brother got the juicy part of an English settler on the ocean voyage with the memorable lines, “I have the urge to regurge” and “Hey Jack, scrape the barnacles off my back!” An older girl got the part of Pocahontas and the other female parts were for Pocahontas’ homely sisters. We passed on those roles so my friends and I jumped at the chance to be ”Indian Moonbeam Dancers.” It was going to be SO COOL with us dancing in white dresses under a “black light.” This was 1967 when anything psychedelic was in.

The whole production was done entirely by volunteers. Our director’s day job was a counselor at the local reform school for teenage boys. She viewed the world through rose-colored glasses and had a heart as big as the moon. She got the brilliant idea that we could perform the dress rehearsal for the reform school boys since they didn’t get out much….only when they escaped. Surely our performance would brighten their cheerless lives.

We dancers were a little nervous when we saw the barbed wire around the perimeter of the school. Our dressing room was a classroom with no shades on the windows. We put on our costumes for the first time, taking turns crouching behind a portable chalkboard for cover. We were a little disappointed in our costumes. Our Indian squaw dresses were simple shapless shifts with a fringed hem and cap sleeves fashioned from donated white bedsheets. We were promised white moccasins but ended up with “one size fits all” white cloth bags that had to be tied around the ankle to keep them on our feet. It was our feet that first discovered how treadbare the donated sheets were. A couple of pirouettes and our feet were in flapping rags. Our costumes were topped off with a white headband and a 12 inch turkey feather that had been dipped in some sulfurous smelling white chemical that glowed in the dark.

When it was time for the performance, we waited off stage. On cue, we came twirling from behind the 6 ft diameter moon prop as the stage lights went down and the black light was turned on. Our audience went wild with whoops and whistling. It was pure pandemonium. Towards the end of our performance, spitwads were flying up onto the stage. My friend Joan got hit with a slimy one. Gradually, the moonbeam dancers twirled back behind the moon leaving me alone to perform the climax movement of the dance with outstretched arms. There I was an open target, in fear of getting hit with a spitwad. Somehow I managed to escape that terrible fate.

Back in the dressing room after the performance, the director called us all together and said, “Girls, you need to make sure you wear a full slip at our next performance. Under the black light, your bras and half slips were glowing bright under your thin costumes…..and a few of you weren’t wearing even a half slip so the guys saw dancing bras and panties.” I guess what we had was an “undress rehearsal.”

The experience reminded me of a popular Maidenform bra ad campaign of that era.




“I dreamed I entertained the “bad boys” in my Maidenform bra.”