My mother's birthday, Lola Samantha Nelson Brimley, 2 March 1899.
My daughter's birthday, Lola Janeen Schiess Scaggs, 2 March 1968.
My grandson's three-week birthday, Benjamin Saxby Larsen, 9 February 2014.
Hallelujah!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Friday, February 28, 2014
Not particulary cheery, this message
Every morning, or
almost every morning, I wake early, by 5 or before. Yesterday morning, no exception,
but yesterday morning I heard my mother's voice call my name. It was so clear that I
sat up and answered, "What?"
When I was fully
awake and able to think, I knew I was scared. It scared the soup out of me, in fact. I do not want her to call me home. Not yet.
Such
things have been on my mind since that Friday night, two weeks ago, when
Kathy called to tell me our very dear and long-time friend Mary Ellen
had died. It was a strange call, much later than Kathy knew, because I
was still in Pennsylvania and we were up with the baby. And it was a sad
message.
Mary
Ellen--Mame, as her husband and sisters called her--was a striking tall
woman, who knew how to dress and who played tennis with friends as long
as I knew her. For so many years she cut my hair--yes I
paid her--and for many more years than that we went to Petersons' house
every New Year's Eve. They, Petersons, moved to Utah a couple of years ago. She
was 75. Two years older than I.
Then
Wednesday of this week Jackie told me Val Feller died. He of round
trampoline sales and the little amusement place up on Canyon Hill, The Chalet,
that never quite made a go of it, even with its miniature golf and go-carts. Val had
served his mission in Switzerland and from then on loved all things
Swiss. Don't know his age. Jackie said, "He was old, old for a long
time." I'm not sure what that means.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Two Things
On the flight back to Pennsylvania I read Under the Wide and Starry Sky, a novel by Nancy Horan, about Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, etc.), and the American woman he fell in love with and married.
I like the book very much, have given it to Ann and bought a copy for Alyce's mother-in-law.
When I was a child, we played a card game called Authors and Robert Louis Stevenson was among those authors whose names I learned early in my life. And so he became, so to speak, mine.
Back then I also read some of his poems in A Child's Garden of Verses. Stevenson, known as Louis in the novel, was an only child and was sick as a child, troubled by tuberculosis, from which he suffered all his life, thriving when at sea and eventually settling in Samoa, where he could breathe and have fewer traumatic episodes.
One of his most famous poems reflects his childhood of constant illness. It's a favorite of mine. I learned it as a child. I'm sure many of you know it, too.
The Land of Counterpane
When I was sick and lay a-bed,
I had two pillows at my head,
And all my toys beside me lay,
To keep me happy all the day.
And sometimes for an hour or so
I watched my leaden soldiers go,
With different uniforms and drills,
Among the bed-clothes, through the hills;
And sometimes sent my ships in fleets
All up and down among the sheets;
Or brought my trees and houses out,
And planted cities all about.
I was the giant great and still
That sits upon the pillow-hill,
And sees before him, dale and plain,
The pleasant land of counterpane.
I like the book very much, have given it to Ann and bought a copy for Alyce's mother-in-law.
When I was a child, we played a card game called Authors and Robert Louis Stevenson was among those authors whose names I learned early in my life. And so he became, so to speak, mine.
Back then I also read some of his poems in A Child's Garden of Verses. Stevenson, known as Louis in the novel, was an only child and was sick as a child, troubled by tuberculosis, from which he suffered all his life, thriving when at sea and eventually settling in Samoa, where he could breathe and have fewer traumatic episodes.
One of his most famous poems reflects his childhood of constant illness. It's a favorite of mine. I learned it as a child. I'm sure many of you know it, too.
The Land of Counterpane
When I was sick and lay a-bed,
I had two pillows at my head,
And all my toys beside me lay,
To keep me happy all the day.
And sometimes for an hour or so
I watched my leaden soldiers go,
With different uniforms and drills,
Among the bed-clothes, through the hills;
And sometimes sent my ships in fleets
All up and down among the sheets;
Or brought my trees and houses out,
And planted cities all about.
I was the giant great and still
That sits upon the pillow-hill,
And sees before him, dale and plain,
The pleasant land of counterpane.
* * *
Benjamin Saxby Larsen is two weeks old. They wrap him, swaddle him. That's the way with infants, you know. But he has a mind of his own and always works to get his hands out. Then he may put one or both hands by his cheek to sleep.
It is cute.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
bbl is here
When we have a grand and great experience, it's hard to tell about. Words fail. They not only fail us, they just plain old fail.
I've had such an experience in Pennsylvania. Alyce. Labor. Delivery. Long. Hard. Very long and very hard. Then the miracle. He's here, and it's like he always has been here.
Benjamin Saxby Larsen. Born 2/9/14. That's a Sunday. Kind of a holy thing, you know.
He brought a lot of love with him. We felt it as soon as we saw him. His love filled the room and filled us up. It's true. We, I, love him immediately and forever. As I love his mother.
I am happy for her and Ben. That's her husband. I am proud of her, worried about her, worried about the baby, worried about everything, even worried about myself because I worry. I can't seem to help it. But I am hopeful about everything, too, and confident. I learned a lot about Alyce, my daughter, whom I do know well. But this is new and I love how she is responding to it, to her little boy.
His mother's little treasure
His father's little joy
Benjamin Saxby Larsen
Their much-wanted, long-awaited, very expensive, well-loved, blessed, sweet and precious boy.
I've had such an experience in Pennsylvania. Alyce. Labor. Delivery. Long. Hard. Very long and very hard. Then the miracle. He's here, and it's like he always has been here.
Benjamin Saxby Larsen. Born 2/9/14. That's a Sunday. Kind of a holy thing, you know.
He brought a lot of love with him. We felt it as soon as we saw him. His love filled the room and filled us up. It's true. We, I, love him immediately and forever. As I love his mother.
I am happy for her and Ben. That's her husband. I am proud of her, worried about her, worried about the baby, worried about everything, even worried about myself because I worry. I can't seem to help it. But I am hopeful about everything, too, and confident. I learned a lot about Alyce, my daughter, whom I do know well. But this is new and I love how she is responding to it, to her little boy.
His mother's little treasure
His father's little joy
Benjamin Saxby Larsen
Their much-wanted, long-awaited, very expensive, well-loved, blessed, sweet and precious boy.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Correction
It is tomorrow, Bryan's birthday, not today.
I dislike getting things mixed up. And I know why I got this wrong, but nobody cares.
Happy 20th birthday, Bryan, tomorrow. I'll be gone. But I'll give the birthday card to Lola.
I dislike getting things mixed up. And I know why I got this wrong, but nobody cares.
Happy 20th birthday, Bryan, tomorrow. I'll be gone. But I'll give the birthday card to Lola.
It's a Good Day
And today Bryan is 20. If I say he's a good boy, a nice boy, you don't know much about him. But take my word, he is those things.
He is completing his first year in college, and he works at Fred Meyer. He has a car, but he doesn't cat around in it. A responsible guy.
We have 15 grandsons, and here they are in birth order.
Shane
Patrick
Jacob
Bryan
Davis
Aaron
Noah
Nick
Logan
Clayton
Peter
Charlie
Johnny
Axel
Edmund
And the granddaughters' count.
Sarah
Cory
Anna
Caroline
Penelope
Willamina
And soon Benjamin will make the boys' list. I figure he'll be as beautiful and smart as all the rest. And I do not say that about him or the rest idly or just because I'm their grandmother. Trust me.
He is completing his first year in college, and he works at Fred Meyer. He has a car, but he doesn't cat around in it. A responsible guy.
We have 15 grandsons, and here they are in birth order.
Shane
Patrick
Jacob
Bryan
Davis
Aaron
Noah
Nick
Logan
Clayton
Peter
Charlie
Johnny
Axel
Edmund
And the granddaughters' count.
Sarah
Cory
Anna
Caroline
Penelope
Willamina
And soon Benjamin will make the boys' list. I figure he'll be as beautiful and smart as all the rest. And I do not say that about him or the rest idly or just because I'm their grandmother. Trust me.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
This day in history
Today is Clayton Oliver Scaggs's birthday. He's eleven. And he's sick. Bummer. Clayton is a sweet, smart boy with a big heart, a good heart. Remember the yoyo story?
It is also the 81st wedding anniversary of my mother and father. We on earth mark it by word and heart-felt gratitude. They are celebrating in heaven, I do believe.
When they married, my mother was 33 and my dad 41, and when I was a child I thought these were very advanced ages. Now not so. My dad had been married before and had three children, Dorothy, Don, and Patsy. I know Don and Dorothy are gone. I do not know about Patsy.
My mother had not married until she and Wilford found each other. Lola and Wilford. Theirs is a wonderful story about things that were meant to be, but I have told it elsewhere.
Together they have five children, all still alive and kicking. Janeen, Bill (Anthony Wilford), Sterling, Carol, and Lucile. That is the Brimley family. They started out in Salt Lake City and shortly after discovered Santa Monica, California, and moved there.
Praise be.
It is also the 81st wedding anniversary of my mother and father. We on earth mark it by word and heart-felt gratitude. They are celebrating in heaven, I do believe.
When they married, my mother was 33 and my dad 41, and when I was a child I thought these were very advanced ages. Now not so. My dad had been married before and had three children, Dorothy, Don, and Patsy. I know Don and Dorothy are gone. I do not know about Patsy.
My mother had not married until she and Wilford found each other. Lola and Wilford. Theirs is a wonderful story about things that were meant to be, but I have told it elsewhere.
Together they have five children, all still alive and kicking. Janeen, Bill (Anthony Wilford), Sterling, Carol, and Lucile. That is the Brimley family. They started out in Salt Lake City and shortly after discovered Santa Monica, California, and moved there.
Praise be.
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