Duckwater Recognition Award

Duckwater May 30, 1985: In Duckwater the tribe had an annual recognition dinner to honor their employees and tribal members.  I remember the first year I was there at the awards ceremony hoping maybe one of the awards would come my way.  It didn't.
However my second year the tribe did present me with a certificate of appreciation.  Jerry Millett, the Tribal Chairman, present me with the award.  Ironically it came on the same day I resigned to take employment in Utah.
My journal notes, "The Tribe honored me with a certificate of appreciation the same day I announced my resignation.  They had planned it previously"
I felt the award was well earned.  I really feel I did my best in my employment in Duckwater.  At times it took thinking of creative ways of making use of myself--but for the most part I kept busy, and hopefully I had an influence of good.

Moses Lake Stake Conference

When we lived in Othello, (up until 1963) Stake Conference was in Moses Lake, about an hour away in those days.  There were two Sunday Conference sessions, morning and afternoon.  I imagine it was feasible to run home; however a better strategy was to have a picnic lunch.  I remember the most common lunch was ham sandwiches.  I think ham sandwiches have been one of my favorites, maybe as a memory to good times with friends.  Even though it was the Sabbath, we kids would find something fun to do as we waited for the next session.  Usually we would play in the grounds of the church, tag or hide and seek.

Poetry I Like: Now We Are Six: A.A. Milne

Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne, decorations by Ernest H. Shepard, Dutton Children's Books, New York, 1927.
A.A. Milne has an incredible talent to entertain children.  He is the author of Winnie the Pooh.  These are poems as if they were written by Cristopher Robbin between ages three and six.  A couple of my favorites are:
Busy
I think I am a Muffin Man, I haven't got a bell,
I haven't got the muffin things that muffin people sell.
Perhaps I am a Postman.  No I think I am a Tram.
I feeling rather funny, I I don't know what I am--
BUT
Round about
and round about
and round about I go--
All around the table,
The table in the nursery--
Round about
and round about
and round about I go.

Swing Song
Here I go up in my swing
Ever so high.
I am the King of the fields, and the King
Of the town.
I am the King of the earth, and the King
Of the sky.
Here I go up in my swing. . .
Here I go down.

The End

When I was One,
I had just begun.

When I was Two,
I was nearly new.

When I was Three,
I was hardly me.

When I was Four,
I was not much more.

When I was Five,
I was just alive.

But now I am Six, I'm as clever as clever.
So I think I'll be six for ever and ever.

I really enjoy this collection of poems, because of the facility Milne has to paint a picture outside the box.  He encourages imagination and exploration.

Anthony's Sealing, June 13, 2009

My daughter Miranda brought tears to my eyes today by reminding me that it is seven years since we took this little gut to the temple and he became a part of our eternal family.  We had already finalized the adoption a couple months before.  This was a special day.  How Tony enjoyed running around the water fountains.

Will Rogers Quotes

The humorist Will Rogers use to say, "Well, all I know is what I read in the papers."  He made a living reciting the humor he found in the papers.  He made fun of many politicians but said, "I never met a man I didn't like."  So here is some more of his wit:
An ignorant person is one who doesn't know what you have just found out.
An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented that can make them laugh.
Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for.
Diplomacy is the art of saying "Nice doggie" until you find a rock.
Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
I never expected to see the day when girls would get sunburned in the places they do today.  (Wouldn't he really be embarrassed today.)
Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.
I'm not a real movie star.  I've still got the same wife I started out with 28 years ago.
There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.
I don't make jokes.  I just watch the government and report the facts.
When I die I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep.  Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.
Lettin' the cat out of the bag is a whole lot easier 'n putting it back in.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is to stop digging.
Strangers are just friends I just haven't met yet.
Do the best you can, and don't take life too serious.
You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is.