Inspiring Meeting

Felila, Bella, and Isi know this FANTASTIC woman both in Hawaii and in Utah. if any of you want to be blown over by all that this creative musical woman can do, just go to her web page. (I'll have to get this later......Lila, what is her web page?, do you know it?) Lila and I went to her music workshop and she was so surprised. She and her friend did a Hawaiian chant, and very well I'll have you know!! what fun we had. Once when Merilee Webb was leading the "instant choir" at Women's Conference in Provo, Utah....................Felila and I came in late and had to sit wayyyyyyyyyyyy back up high. This fantastic leader was able to get feeling out of this choir and from our back row in joyful singing. I said then that I wanted to lead music that way to involve even the back row singers in the Chapel when I lead music. Her eye contact..............gets right to you. She loved teaching at BYU-Hawaii for 3 years. Anyway, Felila invited them to dinner and we came home and told dad about it and asked if he'd make food for us all as we were galavanting around. He made a MOST DELICIOUS meal of salmon cooked in coconut milk with cabbage and onions. Then he BBQ'd some chicken and fresh corn on the cob in their husks. Table all set and ready to go. WOW ZOWIE.....and they could only stay for the eating time as Merilee was in the show as well a playing the piano for the pageant. oh what fun we all had laughing and their request is that we "talk pidgin"......as she missed that so much.
Musical workshop with Merilee Webb and Jean Turner.

When we went to her workshop, she gave this quote out from the guy that directed the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Craig Jessop. I feel it has a lot to do with all the music that I play, as it is with different intentions. Church Music....this is also how I do feel....quote.

"Music is not our message; music is our vehicle; music is our language. But our message is the Restoration of the gospel, that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that this is His work, and we of all people, are allowed to use music as the language to communicate that message."

I hope that Merrilie will always feel welcome to our home at any time.....looking forward to seeing her next year during the pagent.

Dinner for everyone, especially made by Tomasi

Tribute to Women

I often go walking down "on the flats" as it's called.....and every time pass this beautiful garden. When I was a young woman, this was all made.....hummmmmmmm, maybe when Felila was 8 years old? We as women in the Church donated a little money here and there and these gorgeous statues were made. I had NO IDEA that I'd ever see them in my lifetime. Each of these statures represent a tribute to women in her different "chapters" in her life. I see the book reader, and think of my girls reading....and the sculptor one....I think of Angelita, the praying woman and think of Bella and Lila....I see the young mother walking with her little one in her arms and the young girl behind....and see my girls ............following in my footsteps.....and the young mother dancing with her children.....I was there once....I see the mother getting older and having her hand on her young son's shoulder and think of all my sons.............and Rina with her 3 boys and #4 on the way.....I see the courting girl..........and think of Kapua and then the little toddler taking her first steps with young parents.....I think of Ma'ata....who of us doesn't remember our first child's first steps? Then there's a stature of a woman writing notes for her girl who is learning the violin.....all the musical children I have....what a blessing!!! The last one is of a older woman in a rocking chair making a quilt....that's me now a days....the statue of the woman with compassion .....I touch her hand as I go back to my car.....I love this garden full of statues.

Temple Day

This was a special day for us. Vicki loves Felila as much as I do as she had her come to live with her one summer cementing a eternal friendship with these two as well.




After the Temple session we went to the car and Felila was so suprized to see "dinnerplate hybiscus" here as well as in Hawaii. I love the Daylillies as well. We went to Zion's Mercantile for three salads. oh happy times.....

Oxen Ride

This day we went arround walking on the TRAIL OF HOPE reading all the little posts that were written "in the days of old" when the pioneers had to leave Nauvoo in Feb.....taking their wagons accross the mississippi on frozen ice. All the wagons were the same size as this one, and NOPE they didn't ride in these, but walked. The wagons were the same size so that if a wheel broke, another one the same size could be put on it. These big ol oxen walk the same pace as a man or woman. You'll have to come and ride with me as well.

Power Drink

Here is the fantabulous VITA-MIX that I wanted for 30 years. finally got one and use it most every day. She's taking this picture of all the "jazz" I put in here as well. I have a little "herb garden" out in these pots and my favorite is some broad leaf Basel. oh yummy yummy. I gather a handfull of various stuffs and put it in the Vita mix with all sorts of vegies and fruits. no neet take extra vitamins with this "power drink" in the morning.

Felila Comes to Visit

Felila came to visit us for 5 wonderful busy days. James is away in Afganistan and some of the kids were somewhere else and so it was a perfect little time to be together. We'd not had "just felila and us" sence she was 18 years old before she got married. Of course Tomasi roped her into a game of Scrabble and our dear friend Vicki came for a visit. She catches us playing music just for her. Tomasi and I have a lot of fun playing autoharp and dulcimer together. There are soooooooooooo many activities arround here that Felila must have been tired in a different way .......to go home to her busy life there. What a sweet window of time we had together.

Vicki's Storybook Houses

Some of you might not know that it was because of Vicki that we moved here and now that we're here, we do love it. Here is some of Vicki's 'handywork".....some still in the making. STORYBOOK HOMES. we "queens in a castle" and her little cottage is where she's making more progress daily and living there as well.

The Bulldozer has come and here are a few more pictures. If I keep the writing short, then you folks will have time to glance at the pictures.

When we came back from looking at the bulldozed property, the moon was rising right near the Nauvoo Temple. So took a few pictures here too. I was trying to get the moon, but she doesn't show up with my little camera. You can see the beautiful flowers though. Yesterday I learned how to use a compass so we went down to the property and I figured exactly the frontage road faces North west smack. I thought it faced West. So the sunsets will be off to the left of the front of the house. I'll have my kitchen on this side of the house as well. The main reason I wanted to start this blog site was to keep a better track of our house building, from wooded lot to round house on it.






The picture above here are all the floating logs that have just decided to stay after the flooded river has gone down. I say, 10 years supply of wood. I'm going to do some creative things with some drift wood...you can believe that.

I'm grateful for the bulldozer guy, as he's only charging $1,000 for the driveway and house pad site. It's now OUR JOB to get some bright orange paint and make and X on the trees that will be where the house will be built. I want to keep as many trees as possible. (tree hugger here) We both don't want a lawn to mow, so we have other plans on what to plant and planter boxes for flowers and foods to grow. Tomasi has other plans for all that wood that is just waiting to be used for something. Most folks here just make a big pile and BURN 'em.

Here are two pictures of the sunset on the Mississippi. We will be living at the widest place on the Miss. If you click on the picture, it comes out big as your screen. How I love sunsets.

sunset on the Mississippi

Our Land in Nauvoo, Illinois

Okay, Folks, I've been taking some pictures and forgot how to put them on. Just had some help and good thing as we had a bulldozer on the land doing some clearing and I'd not put on the first pictures of this little wooded lot.



As you can see here, this land is no longer "for sale" as there is one SOLD sign. Tomasi here is looking at all the logs that got "washed up" from the Mississippi and we're got to make some stuffs from these.

above here is the corner pin along this fence....we have 100 feet frontage and 140 feet going back to where the electric poles are.

Here I was tying to take some pictures of these darling turtles on these floating logs. I'll have to learn how to take zoom shots with the camera to get up closer to these turtles...they just sun themselves on the logs, all facing the same direction. When they saw me coming, most splashed into the water. I think that I'll have to come and sit still along the bank and then they'll get back on the logs.

Chasing down a Sunset

After a wonderful Sunday full of activities and a little program in the evening, I came out of the building I was in and the sun was sinking down....clouds, sky, and the Mississippi called my name. I first thought that I'd zip on over to our property on Sycamore Haven Drive and headed right that way. but that old sun was sinking fast. I pulled over to one side and walked along this beautifully kept grass way in front of one of my favorite houses there....I'll get a picture of this place up and put it up here as it's sooooooooooooooo quaint and I love it every time I pass it.......

There's several benches there that are close to the water's edge and I had some good choices. One whispered, "sit here next to this old tree". On the North end of the sky were dark clouds and the wind was beginning to pick up.............soooooo dramatic. The receding Mississippi had little laps of water.....weather was about 70 degrees................As I watched the sun go down, that great Orange Ball...........my minds eye took many pictures....and if I closed my eyes, I could see the full sun, then the half sun then the sliver of gold before dropping off to warm the other side of the world.....

My mind thought of "worlds without number have I created"......as the images in reverse light were all over in my "mind's eye". The sky filled with color and the wind blew the concert of the leaves around me in the trees...............wildness of the winds of a beginning storm....a prelude of excitement of the Lord's percussion section. In the distance I could hear the thunder and thought best to get on back to the car. wise choice as just as soon as I did, the big drops of rain fell.............plopping on my car as I rolled up the window.

I've thought of the many times I've chased down a sunset in my years. When we lived in Hawaii up in our Punaluu Valley, Oahu mountains.....we didn't see sunsets, but often would see the Sky overhead become bright candy pink and turn Green Valley into a glorious moment of pink on green colors. I loved those times and would stop in my busy tracks of mother.....and stand in awe and enjoy the moment.

When we moved to Ashland, Oregon I was sooooooooooooo happy to see SMACK SUN SETS that I didn't realize how much I missed them..........as well with the seasons of the year.........and fall. I love fall the best of all the seasons. This could be because I'm in the "fall and sunset of my own life now". Angelita and I would see the sunset coming on and we'd drive quickly to a place and just watch this beauty of God unfold before our eyes. The going down of the Sun behind the Western mountains of Ashland....................sigh, so beautiful............

I can recall one time going to my harp gathering in my Hanna the Vanna in San Diego. I took this trip alone as Tomasi stayed with the children and it was a trip that was in March and school was going on for them. I'm so grateful that Tomasi encouraged me to follow my harp dreams and pursuits and gatherings. I drove to San Diego from Payson, Utah and it was around 4 in the afternoon. Looking at the Sun heading down his path, I decided to find my way to the ocean front.....that was also a chase as I didn't know my way very well yet.....and when I got to some beach, parked the car and jumped out and watched that great red Ball fall into the dark blue ocean....I cried in my own joy that I drove safely and well and had time to think and pray along the way........................to count my blessings at the end of days...........to gather "joy in my spiritual basket"......

One of the things that I had on my list for my new house is that I could see the sunset from my windows and have a "long view". All of this will happen with my round house on the Miss.....

May you also find time to catch the the glorious sunsets in your areas.....and be grateful for our eyes to see them with.

alooooooooooooooha from Nauvoo, Illinois.