Earley Family News Page

2011-12-28T10:19:00.001-07:00

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the last chapter:

The point I've tried to make — that exercise is the single most powerful tool you have to optimize your brain function —is based on evidence I've gathered from hundreds and hundreds of research papers, most of them published only within the past decade. Our understanding of how the brain works has absolutely exploded in this relatively short period, and it's been an incredibly exciting time for anyone interested in the human condition.

This was another eye opener. After reading "The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain: The Surprising Talents of the Middle-Aged Mind" by Barbara Strauch and "Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength" by Roy Baumeister, I was ready for this informative, well documented book.

Exercise makes us feel good, but now you can have documentary proof that stress, anxiety, depression, attention deficit, addiction, hormonal changes, and even aging are dramatically helped by exercise.

View all my reviews

Grandma Hansen stories

2011-07-15T11:35:00.002-06:00

I should probably have started with an earlier part of Grandma's life. In reviewing some of what I have typed today, I ran across this story. Since I think all of us are part of the reason why Grandma's life was spared, you might be interested in this story.

"When I was 3 ½ years old we were living on McClelland Street and 13th South. It was next to the Emerson Elementary School. I used to love to watch the children play at the school. On wash day, Mother made us go outside or in another room when she lifted the boiling water off the stove. She always boiled our clothes. This day in October she sent us outside to play, and I wanted a piece of bread. I went back in just as she had lifted the water off. She told me to run outside until she got it emptied and then she would give me one. I turned to go and bumped into the tub with my legs an fell in on my back. Mother grabbed me out and pulled my little dress off and all the skin with it. She put me in a buggy and headed for her sister’s, Aunt Edna. She lived at 1401 South 10th East.
As she passed Mrs. Hutchenson’s home, she came out and asked what was wrong. Mother told her and she had Mother take me into her home where she called a Dr. A. L. Brown. He took care of me and then every day for the next 6 weeks at around 8:55 A.M., Mrs. Hutchenson would arrive at the front door and Mother would head for Aunt Edna’s. Shortly after Dr. Brown would arrive and scrape all the scabs off my back. He always said, “Is she still alive?” when he arrived. At the end of 6 weeks, he said that I must have quite a mission in life. He knew I would make it now."

Grandma Hansen's History

2011-07-14T17:22:00.003-06:00

I have been for the last few summers (it is long, and I tend to get distracted) typing Grandma Hansen's life history. Grandma was a great storyteller. I think because she told her stories a lot, she was able to remember much of her life as she began writing it down in her later years. I think on this blog I will record some of the stories I find particularly interesting as I run across them. Here is one I typed the other day.

"Tess had a baby boy on April 17th. The first of May, she and I took our babies down to Dr. Brown for an examination, and then went to town. We were walking down Broadway or 3rd South between State and Main. There was hole in the sidewalk, and I turned my ankle and went down. There was a loud crack and everybody around thought Greg had bumped his head, as he was really screaming. But my elbow had kept his head from hitting. Tess and I went up in the restroom of the Paris Dept. store, and I stopped Greg’s crying, My elbow hurt a bit, but when I tried to walk, I wanted to cry. My ankle hurt so badly. I said that I was sure that I had sprained my ankle. Greg weighed 20 lbs. and still couldn’t walk, so I carried him all over town with my ankle hurting. We caught the bus and went home. All that week, my ankle bothered me. Sometimes it felt like the bones rubbed together and I would fall down. A couple lived in Aunt Edna’s basements that were our friends. They came over and he looked at my ankle and said it looked like a broken bone he had seen at one time. I told him I could walk on it, so it probably wasn’t broken, but he said he thought a broken foot could be walked on.
So, Royce made an appointment with Dr. Brown and took me in. I t was broken, and I had walked on it so much the bones were rubbed smooth, so I couldn’t put any weight on it for 5 weeks. He put it in a cast, so, I ended up on crutches with a 20 lb. baby!
Royce’s youngest brother, Keith, was just getting out of the Navy and came up every day and helped me, and got Greg down for a nap. Then he came back for supper each night and helped Royce clean up after. It made it a lot easier for me. I really appreciated his help. I would carry Greg and crawl or put my knee on a chair and move it, or hop as I needed to."

The Best Day Ever

2011-06-19T10:58:00.005-06:00

"Charles Francis Adams, the 19th century political figure and diplomat, kept a diary. One day he entered: “Went fishing with my son today—a day wasted.”

His son, Brook Adams, also kept a diary, which is still in existence. On that same day, Brook Adams made this entry: “Went fishing with my father—the most wonderful day of my life!””

Saturday June 11^th 2011, Keaton remarked at the end of a short fishing expedition, that this was “The best day ever”. Having not caught any fish, his Dad, Lee and I would not have been so positive, but hearing this five year old say it, that made our day special too. I for one was reminded of what the two Adamses taught us about perspective.

A Lesson In Godly Love

2011-03-06T13:30:00.004-07:00

January 25^th, 2011, I was having a black, depressing day. My trading business was doing lousy, and the job search was fruitless. Depression was overwhelming me. I did not want to talk to anybody. Everyone and everything annoyed me. Since I had accepted a Church welfare assignment at Deseret Dairy for that morning, I showed up for my scheduled assignment but remained unresponsive to the usual banter of the production line. Our job was truly mindless, counting out and placing packets of powdered gelatin in boxes -just what I needed to forget my perceived troubles.

One of the volunteers was an old man, born and raised in Utah, a redneck, retired carpenter, who volunteers there a couple of times each week. He happily babbled on and on about nothing at all. I heard about his breakfast cereal and what he put on it and why, a horse he once owned. On and on he rambled I only wished he would just shut up and leave me alone.

Then surprisingly, he said that he has a son who is now his daughter. I perked up, waiting to hear the standard blather about how awful this was. To my astonishment, he described how he now speaks to her by phone every day and is so proud of all she accomplishes -accomplishments he of course described in annoying detail.

After confessing that his wife and family did not and would not accept this gender change, he declared, "They are still your child". Continuous, honest and heartfelt love and respect was needed for this and any valued child, he assured us. Another gross misjudgment on my part. My first impression, as usual, was totally wrong. Here was a true father in the highest and best sense. We only understand these confusing issues in part. That requires tender restraint on our part in dealing with it.

This of course leads to the much broader lesson for parents. "They are still your child". Our children, family members and friends will likely, at some point in our lives, disappoint us deeply. Even when they wound us to the very heart, they are still our children or friends. Our responsibility is to love them for what they are and can become. For those who were blessed to be part of Margaret Hansen’s family extended family, you know from first hand experience how one of God’s choicest Saints loved and praised everyone without exception.

Finally, by sending me this sweet experience on one of my worst days, God plainly taught me the lesson that I am his child, and that he loves me enough to pull me out of a deep hole. Can he do that for all of us? Are we too far gone? He says, “Never, Never, Never.”

Two Letters To Isabelle

2011-02-15T09:51:00.015-07:00

We were asked to describe our lives when we were Isabelle's age for a family history section in her class. We thought it might be of interest to the rest of the family. Here are the 2 letters.

Dear Isabelle,

I was your age more than 50 years ago. It is hard to understand what that means when you are just going on 9 years old. Maybe you can understand a little better if I can describe how different the world was then.

When I was your age, I lived in the east part of the city of San Diego. It was an old neighborhood, where the houses were built in the 1920’s, so in the 1950’s, our house was old. In fact, my grandparents used to live there and we rented from them.

My room was the only upstairs room. It had windows all along the front looking out over the street. There was a sink which I rarely used, since most 8 year old boys see little use for sinks.

I do remember riding my bike very freely all over our neighborhood, and got very good at riding. My friend and I quickly found the hills where crossing streets made good jumps. Without helmets or any kind of padding, we rode as fast as we could down those hills and into the air. We thought we were really flying.

The other memory is of spending entire Saturdays at the San Diego Zoo. All by myself, I would bring 2 dimes to ride the number 7 bus running along University avenue directly to Balboa Park to get off at Zoo Place. I always saved the second dime for the return trip. Since I was not such a good planner, I usually forgot to pack a lunch, so drank a lot of water and usually found unshelled peanuts people dropped. That was part of the adventure. I spent hours watching the monkeys and the hippos and came to memorize the zoo’s layout. I knew where every animal enclosure was located.

At the end of the day, I would go back to the bus stop and use my other dime to ride home, never concerned for my safety, or worrying about getting lost. In those years a young boy or girl could go almost anywhere without fear or concern for his safety.

A couple of years later, we moved to Lemon Grove. La Corta Street was in a housing development where most of the houses looked the same. I learned that La Corta Street was an uphill dead end so it had very little traffic. It was perfect for daredevil boys with wheeled vehicles.

About this time, I learned that you could use old skates to make a “skateboard”. I thought this would be a perfect way to ride down La Corta Street. Skates were then metal wheels with clamps to fasten to your leather soled shoes. If you unbolt them, you had separate front and rear wheels.

I cut a 2” by 4” board about 18 inches long, pounded the skate’s clamps flat and nailed the wheels to either end of the board. Now I had a “vehicle” with no brakes and no real steering –perfect for flying down a steep sidewalk. Without any “safety” equipment but my sneakers and shorts, I determined to give it a try after gaining my balance riding down my short driveway. Steering entailed leaning and shifting weight. I was now a skateboarding “expert”.

I carried the skateboard about halfway up the hill, and jumped on, barely able to hang on down the hill, and got better by falling off less and less frequently. When I got to the corner, I could not make the turn. Luckily, there were no cars coming on that quiet cross street as I flew off the sidewalk and onto the asphalt. A couple more tries and I was able to negotiate the curve of the sidewalk to an even steeper street and jump off.

That emboldened me to carry my now battered skateboard to the top of the hill with the determination to ride all the way down without falling off and getting around that corner –at a much faster speed. What I would do after turning that corner onto the steeper downhill, I really gave very little thought.

At the top, the street actually looked much steeper and longer. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, but I launched myself down the sidewalk hoping that there would be no kids or dogs wandering into my path. With no helmet, no knee pads, and no elbow pads, I sincerely hoped I would not crash, though what else could happen I did not consider.

On the way down, I was feeling very good, like I was some kind of an expert, invincible rider. That meant that I remained on the sidewalk and the nails holding the wheels on did not fall out. So far, so good.

When I got to the corner, I had to face the reality that I was going much too fast to make that turn. That was actually a good thing since the prospects of going down the cross street were even more dangerous than the track I had been following. As I started into the turn, I had the feeling that I just might not slide too much and stay on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, metal wheels do not grip concrete sidewalks so well, and I went off the sidewalk. When the wheels hit the parking strip grass, it abruptly stopped, sending me into the street.

Fortunately I hit the asphalt on my side, and except for plenty of scraped skin on my legs and hands, I suffered little damage. No truck ran me over, I had no broken bones, and there was no concussion though my head was wholly unprotected.

You are growing up in a wonderful time, Isabelle. There are great adventures and experiences awaiting you. It is however, a different time. In many ways better and more protected than when I was growing up, but in many ways more dangerous. God bless and protect you in all you do.

Love, Grandpa Earley February 13, 2011

Dear Isabelle,

How nice to be able to share something with you about my childhood. It will be interesting for you to see where your life differs from my life as a child.

My home life was a little different from yours in one way because where you have 2 sisters, I had 4 brothers. I was the oldest girl just as you are though, so in that respect maybe we are a little bit alike. Although, I had an older brother, my parents depended on me to take care of my younger brothers just as you are depended upon to help with your sisters. Having 4 brothers and no sisters made me the “princess” of the home. My dad always called me princess, and I truly thought I was. I had my own room, but all four of my brothers were in the same room. We only had a 3 bedroom house, so that was the logical solution, right? Other things that were a constant in our home are that we went to church every Sunday and ate dinner together every night at home—except on Friday night. On Friday night we went to Arctic Circle and got hamburgers 5 for $1.00.

As far as activities that I enjoyed, the one thing that will be most different from the way things are now is that we had a lot more freedom. I had friends that lived on the same street. Because the world was different then, my friend and I would ride our bikes for long stretches—sometimes taking the whole day. We would eat our lunch by a stream and eat wild currents. I would also go with my brothers over to the local lake and go spear fishing from their raft, or ice skating in the winter. Your great-grandma Hansen never worried much about us because it seems the world was safer then.

I also liked to play with my Betsy McCall doll. Playing for me was having my dad set aside a place in the yard for my dollhouse. I planted lawn around the doll house. Your great-grandpa helped me pour cement for a swimming pool, patio and sidewalk. I decorated the orange crate house with carpet scraps and made drapes for the windows. My friend and I made furniture for the rooms. Honestly, after I finished the whole creation it wasn’t that much fun to play with my doll anymore. I think I enjoyed the creation of the house more.

I remember having a pet horned-toad for awhile that I kept in my room. He didn’t fair very well. Neither did the ants in the ant farm that I created in a canning jar.

Music was a big part of my life after I turned 10. My parents wouldn’t get me a piano until I turned 10, but after that, I learned how to play and would play and sing for hours. No iPods then. We had radio, record players, and TV. I loved to watch the Hit Parade on Saturday Night, but mostly I created my own music

In school, I tried to always do my best. I loved to learn, and still do. In the third grade I got a prize for reading the most books. (Maybe that is why I am a school librarian now). I always loved books. I loved the Nancy Drew series so much that I tried my hand at writing my own Nancy Drew type novel in the 5^th grade called the Mysterious Staircase.

I realize Isabelle that you love reading and you love to do your best, and that you love music. You are already a talented singer and dancer. Maybe we are the same in a lot of ways even though I grew up in a world much different than the one today. I am so glad that you have part of my name in yours. You are wonderful Isabelle.

Love, Grandma Belann Earley February 13, 2011

The Backslider

2011-01-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

A surprise.

I did not expect to enjoy this book. It would not appeal to those not familiar to Utah/Mormon culture, since it so very specific to that culture. It spoke to me though very strongly about the foundational principles of Christianity without beating me over the head with it. The story stands on its own. You have to like Frank. He exudes common sense and honesty, and his obvious flaws make him endearing.

Frank is a young man who decides he must straighten out his life. He has however, a truly flawed sense of who God is and how He sees his wayward children. He sees God with Frank in his rifle sights, just waiting to pull the trigger. Frank feels he must "balance the books" of behavior, so that his "good deeds" outweigh the bad. He tries and tries, but finds it just impossible to do more good than bad. Growing up, he never came to understand the role of the Savior, Jesus Christ, though his parents were themselves devout Mormons.

His new Lutheran wife is the surprising catalyst to help him understand the role that the atonement of Jesus Christ plays in our recovery and acceptance by God. They help each other toward balance -mainly by making plenty of painful mistakes, and then coming to the realization that the process of making mistakes and redemption is the narrative of a full and complete life.

As Deja continued to tell me, "...just wait until you meet the cowboy Jesus". That is when Frank finally gets it.

This book could not be recommended for young readers. There are adult themes here, even though handled with discretion.

Understanding the Book of Mormon

2011-01-28T15:13:00.001-07:00

I gave this book 4 stars because I was so pleasantly surprised at how much I appreciated Hardy's exhaustive treatment of the three narrators, Nephi, Mormon and Moroni. But then, I usually do not go far wrong in taking Deja's book recommendations. A brief example:

The narrators provide a controlling perspective that can bring together diverse incidents, voices, and documents in the service of major themes such as the nature of faith, the reliability of prophecy, and the role of Israel in God's providence. Indeed, it is through the narrators that we are most likely to ascertain the primary message of the Book of Mormon. Nevertheless, the meaning of the text is neither unitary nor static. The editors/historians are portrayed as living, thinking individuals who develop as characters over the course of their writings. In addition, there are differences of approach between the narrators. Mormon and Moroni, in particular, appear to have quite distinct ideas about how to best persuade their readers.

By evaluating the text, Hardy reveals so much more about these three prophet/historians we might not so readily uncover ourselves. In examining the extensive use of parallel and allusion, we see the connections between these prophets and others whose material they draw on so heavily. We also see the great care these editors took to instruct readers.

I particularly enjoyed the connections he drew to Isaiah. Isaiah continues to be quoted and applied throughout the entire Book of Mormon, more in fact, that we would think.

Not all of Hardy's assumptions are strong. I would not agree that this book might be so appealing to a non-Mormon. He makes a case for the Book of Mormon as literature, but when he constantly tries to point out its powerful meaning whether one imagines the author as Joseph Smith or Mormon, I doubt that this analysis would hold much interest. His real audience is believers, and he would have been better served if he had not tried to make his appeal so broad. This is not a book to read before you read the Book of Mormon.

Even believers who have read the Book of Mormon once or twice without digging deep would be lost here. Few will follow or recognize the many references back to the scriptural text.

If however, you are an avid student, and regular reader of the Book of Mormon and are looking for a fresh perspective to gain a new appreciation for its power and depth, this will be a breath of fresh air. You will experience many "aha moments" whether you agree with each of Hardy's conclusions or not.

Maxine Vallieres

2010-08-27T07:35:00.001-06:00

Joseph Smith said that women generally have by nature, generosity and largeness of soul. That is what I think when I consider my time with Maxine. She is the acme of that characterization.

I think of my 3 oldest girls who still, after 15 years have (and use) the quilts that Maxine tied for them when they were married.

I think of Kira, whose first car immediately blew its radiator, so Maxine and Sid quietly arranged for a replacement when we could not.

I think of the many times she would not come out of the kitchen to be recognized, but would work herself to exhaustion serving and cleaning up at countless events. Her car was always the first at the kitchen door and the last to leave.

I remember two daughters, sharing a wedding reception when we had no funds at all to pay, Maxine stretching our meager $700 to make it a memorable affair. Those decorations had been used dozens of times before and dozens of times since.

I remember that every single conversation we had when she served as our ward Relief Society president ended with her question, “Now Bishop, what can I do for you?”

As I sat through her services Monday, I looked around and realized that every single person in that room had been served in some way by her. That is why they were all there, to honor her.

How can a family or a ward replace such a woman? I am afraid we cannot. She is truly one in a million. The question is, could we be just a little more untiring as servants to others because she touched our lives?

Finally, when I read Revelation 7:13-17, I always think of my friend, Maxine, who now serves on the other side of the veil as her Savior smiles on her continuing efforts.

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

How we spent our summer vacation

2010-08-01T14:50:00.005-06:00

OK OK, it has been over a year since our last post. Sorry.

This past week, we were able to spend along the Northern California coast. We stayed at a cheap hotel, but enjoyed walking the beautiful beaches and redwood groves from Arcata to Crescent City.

From July 2010 Eureka Trip

A bonus was to spend some time with our granddaughters and their parents in Roseville on the way out and on the way back.

From July 2010 Eureka Trip

Secretly, playing with these girls was as much fun as the rest of the trip.

Still, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves once we got used to the 50-60 degree weather. Good news was that it did not rain during the entire week, so we cannot complain.

If we go again, we may just stay in Crescent City, a nice little town. Arcata was also nice in its way, since we found a vegetarian restaurant and organic grocery near Humbolt State where we felt right at home.

To see all the pictures of beach, redwoods and grandkids, click this link or the links under the pictures above.

The Healing of America

2009-10-18T17:05:00.002-06:00

America has been arguing about health care reform for 100 years. Each time it becomes apparent that “something must be done”, the politicians fail to muster the political will to overcome the heavy resistance of vested interests to reform the system in a meaningful way. It is happening again.

TR Reid, in his new book, The Healing of America, A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care makes a compelling case that it can be done. Other major, industrialized countries have extended care to all. Surprisingly enough, covering all actually brings down the cost of care for individuals.

Before this can happen, a country must first make the moral decision if health care should be restricted to only the wealthy and fortunate. Only in America, among major industrialized countries, is health care distributed in a market-driven model. The countries which have recently reformed their systems looked at and rejected this model as fundamentally unfair.

Reid reviewed systems in France, Germany, England, Canada, Japan, as well as in the third world, where people use the “pay as you go” system. That is what happens here unless you are employed, covered by Medicare or the VA, the last two being closer to “socialized medicine” than any of the countries Reid reviewed.

If you contract a major disease and must leave your job, you lose your coverage, just when you need it most. If you have any assets at all, you do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid until it is too late to treat effectively. Listen or read about Nikki White.

I had many misconceptions about medical care in other countries. Reid explodes these myths (see pp 226-232):
1. “Its all socialized medicine out there”: Wrong. European care is actually less “socialized” than ours.
2. “They ration care with waiting lists and limited choice”: In many countries people have quicker access than Americans do. Some countries do, but Americans see the same with their private carriers.
3. “They are wastful systems run by bloated bureaucracies”: Wrong. Americans pay around 20% admin costs. National systems pay less than half that. Tiawan pays 2%.
4. “Health insurance companies have to be cruel”: In countries where private insurance companies administer universal care delivery, they are doing just fine and competing for customers.
5. “Those systems are too foreign to work in the U.S.”: For elderly, veteran and for native Americans, we already use models based on “foreign” countries.

As you listen and watch the process unfolding here, it will be helpful to get a dose of reality instead of the emotionally charged sound bites used by vesting political and business interests. Reid helps shed real light on the process. Don’t be a “ditto-head” and become informed about what the real fight is about.

Read or listen to more about this seminal book:
http://www.powells.com/biblio/9781594202346
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112172939

China Study

2009-10-04T08:50:00.010-06:00

China Study

I just finished the book China Study by T. Colin Campbell. After reading it, I feel it important to jump onto the "soap box" again and reaffirm my feelings about diet and nutrition. The information is not new. I still have an East West Journal from Sept. 1990 that has a feature article on the China Study. The cover reads "Broccoli to Bush: Veggies are Best." I used to quote from it when I was teaching at the health institute in Playas, Mexico. The take away from what is called "the Grand Prix of epidemiology" is that a plant-based diet is the way to long lasting health and longevity.

In the book, Campbell takes on government agencies for caving to big business--dairy industry, and corporate foods like McDonalds, Taco Bell, etc. and watering down the results. We did get the food pyramid from the study, but most people in the 90's thought that if you just lowered fat, you would be fine. Campbell reminds us in this book, that it is not just fat that is implicated, but the over consumption of animal products. He feels dairy is particularly bad. It is interesting that the traditional Chinese actually eat more calories than western eaters: 2,636 vs. 2,360, (or at least this was true when the study was done), but they generally do not have a weight problem or the disease associated with western culture.

Campbell claims there have been a lot of reductionists trying to isolate this or that vitamin or mineral and give it prominence in the role of nutrition, but Campbell reminds us it is the whole food that is healing, not isolated parts. The study proves that to be true. He does feel that if you go totally vegetarian, however, and do not live in the sun belt, you need to supplement B12 and D.

The amount of research that went into the China Study and other studies Campbell cites is incredible. Veggies really are best. Does this not reaffirm the Word of Wisdom revealed by the Prophet Joseph Smith? I don't think animal products are evil or bad, but it is important to use them in cold or famine. Eat them sparingly and focus on grains, vegetables, and fruits. Your health the the health of your family will be better for it. Read the book, and see what you think.

The Importance of Fathers

2009-08-02T12:57:00.003-06:00

We discussed in church today the crisis of "fatherlessness". That is word coined by David Blankenhorn in his book, Fatherless America: Confronting our Most Urgent Social Problems.

Blankenhorn contends, and I agree, that the breakdown of the family and more importantly, our society's acceptance of children being raised without fathers lies near the roots of the most difficult social issues of our day.

What does that mean to our own family? Fortunately, we enjoy a network of support among our family members, which, when working, strengthens our individual families. As we try to become the best fathers we can be, our families are better able to cope with the negative influences of the world where we live.

As we discuss family dynamics with our friends and associates, we could go further in promoting strong fathers in our society. Here is a short excerpt from Blankenship's introduction to the book. The full text can be found from this link.

The core question is simple: Does every child need a father? Increasingly, our society's answer is "no", or at least, "not necessarily." Few idea shifts in this century are as consequential as this one. At stake is nothing less than what it means to be a man, who our children will be, and what kind of society we will become.

This book is a criticism not simply of fatherlessness but of a culture of fatherlessness. For, in addition to losing fathers, we are losing something larger: our idea of fatherhood. Unlike earlier periods of father absence in our history, we now face more than a physical loss affecting some homes. We face a cultural loss affecting every home. For this reason, the most important absence our society must confront is not the absence of fathers but the absence of our belief in fathers.

Focusing on Our Kids

2009-07-24T14:45:00.005-06:00

Monday, I caught part of Doug Fabrizio's Radio West Interview with Susan Linn.

Dr Linn had some pretty important things to say about giving kids the opportunities to play, pretend and explore. Currently, the make believe world is quickly disappearing for them.

Her book The Case for Make Believe sounds like a good one for mothers and fathers -grandparents too.

40th Anniversary of Apollo Moon Landing

2009-07-20T08:36:00.003-06:00

On July 20, 1969 I was a young missionary in West Germany. My companion and I wanted to watch the live telecast of the moon landing. Having no television in our rented room, we arranged to watch the event with an elderly widow, Sister Mueller in her apartment.

As we watched with her, we were struck by the remarkable advance of technology during her lifetime. We were not so impolite to ask her age, but as we discussed the tremendous changes that had taken place in our world, she told us a story from her childhood.

She remembered the first radio that came to her village. Her father had bought it and brought it home. When he turned it on, everyone was amazed that a voice could be transmitted over many miles to come out of that wooden box. The most puzzled of all however, was Sister Mueller’s grandfather. He kept going outside to see who was standing outside the window and talking. His mind simply could not comprehend such a miracle as radio.

Now, his granddaughter was watching live, a man step onto the surface of the moon. She was as amazed as we were, but her perspective was that anything is possible in our world.

Each time I see something I was sure could never happen in my lifetime, I recall that afternoon watching the moon landing with Sister Mueller.

Eating for Pleasure and not for Nutrition

2009-07-12T16:22:00.006-06:00

Last Friday I was listening to Science Friday segment "Snacks, Overeating and Sensory Science", and was struck not really by the first guest who spoke of fat, sugar and salt, how they have become so addictive that we overeat for the rush and not for the taste.

That was interesting, but the second guest, Gail Vance Civille, president of food consulting firm Sensory Spectrum, discussed how companies design foods to make them more addictive. Among other things, she describes how processed foods are designed to be eaten with much less chewing, 12 chews or less, instead of 20-30 for whole, real food. Food research has not been intended, for some time, to make foods more nutritious, but to make them more attractive and pleasurable, and thus, salable. This is why the amount of fat, salt and sugar has increased significantly. -then they get "super-sized". Where we are going is scary.

Her advice: buy fruits and vegetables in season, and make them the major part of your diet. Sound familiar?

In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—

Every herb (vegetable) in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.

Download and listen to the podcast

Fun at Ski Beach

2009-06-20T09:34:00.008-06:00

2009_06_14 Brinlee Blessing Trip

**Added some pics from Gavin's camera to album above (See if you can spot the one he doctored). Click on picture link above to see the album.

Monday, June 15th, we took the kids to Ski beach for a couple of hours.

Adventures in Babysitting

2009-06-18T17:41:00.003-06:00

Tuesday night during our visit to San Diego for Brinlee's blessing, we sent the parents out on the town while we babysat the grandbabies (except Savannah and Brinlee) with the movie Willy Wonka and pizza in our room at the Days Inn. It was happy chaos as you can see below.

Green Aura

2009-06-09T19:49:00.004-06:00

Indulge me while I share a treasured memory of the last day of school. I have one student who was part of my library group who has struggled all year. He loves reading, so I saw him a lot. As we (my aide and I) talked to him, we learned that his mother was in jail, and he didn't know where his father was. For a while he stayed with his aunt, but he told us she really didn't care what he did, and that seemed to be true as he would show up with a high powered energy drink (Jolt?) for breakfast most days. He picked it up on the way to school. The last update was that his aunt was tired of him and had turned him over to foster care. He was one angry kid--flunking his classes, spending every other day or so in "In School Suspension," because he couldn't control his anger. A couple of times I had to kick him out of library group for the day for swearing. But, we (my sweet aide and I) still talked kindly to him and encouraged his reading.

Anyway, the last day of school he came in and asked me to sign his yearbook. I wrote glowingly about how intelligent he was, and how he was one of the best readers in the school (he is). He read it as soon as I finished, then walked away. He walked around the library for several minutes then came to the desk.

"I think you have a green aura," he said.

"Why do you say that? Do you see auras?"

"No, but I know yours is green."

"Why?"

"Because people with green auras are kind and care about people."

"Thank you, _______."

"See ya next year Mrs. Earley."

And, I hope he makes it here next year. I must have a green aura because I really do care about what happens to him.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

2009-06-02T10:06:00.000-06:00

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This futuristic novel is one I thoroughly enjoyed. It's rated right up there with Hunger Games for suspense and action. In this dystopia, troubled teens are "unwound" for their body parts. Connor is a troublemaker, so his parents decide to have him unwound. Risa lives in an orphanage, and the decision to have her unwound is a cost saving measure. Lev, another teen is going to be unwound as a "tithe" for his religion. The three cross paths when they are able to "escape" their fate. If they can survive until they are eighteen, then they can no longer be unwound. But can they survive to eighteen? Truly a great read.

View all my reviews.

Savannah

2009-05-28T07:13:00.004-06:00

Well, she is much more inclined to stick out her tongue than to smile, but we gave it a good effort.

Since Kira could not come Sunday, we enjoyed having Lee, Keaton and Savannah.

Brinlee and her brothers

2009-05-07T08:46:00.003-06:00

Waiting for Normal

2009-04-29T12:20:00.003-06:00

Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Addison is an optimistic girl in an extremely difficult situation. The story begins as Addison and her mother are being moved into a trailer under the railroad tracks. Her mother has divorced her step father, whom "Addie" has learned to love. Her two little sisters--born to her mother and step father also love Addie, but now Addie must separate from them. The story is a typical one in many ways--about child neglect. Mommers, as she calls her mother, always disappoints. Addie seems able to rise above her situation, however, as she waits for normal.

View all my reviews.

Founding Faith by Steven Waldman

2009-04-15T19:01:00.002-06:00

After listening to Waldman's interview with Krista Tippett, I looked forward to reading this one. Waldman does a superbly balanced job in describing the beliefs of the major founders of America: Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, Adams and Madison. These men's beliefs, like everyone's, evolved over time. You cannot simply apply convenient labels to them.

Toward the end of the book, he summarizes 8 conservative and liberal fallacies described in the book. There is not room here to list them all, but here is a sample of each.

Conservative Fallacy 1:
Most Founding Fathers were serious
Christians.
Of course it depends on how we define the term, but if
we use the definition of Christianity offered by those who make this claim—
conservative Christians—then the Founders studied in this book were not
Christians. Jefferson and Franklin overtly rejected the divinity of Jesus.
Jefferson loathed the entire clerical class and what had become of Christianity.
Adams became an active Unitarian, rejecting much Christian doctrine. And
Franklin, Jefferson, and Adams abhorred the Calvinist idea that salvation
was determined by divine preference rather than good works. Madison and
Washington remained the most silent on matters of personal theology and
continued to attend Christian churches, but in their voluminous writings never
seemed to speak of Jesus as divine. If they must wear labels, the closest would
be Unitarian.

Liberal Fallacy 2:
The Constitution
demanded strict separation of church and state throughout the land.
Actually, the original Constitution called for the federal government to
keep out of religious affairs but allowed states--which governed most matters—to
mingle church and state as much as they wanted. Had the original
Constitution attempted to impose separation of church and state throughout
the land, it probably would not have been ratified. Liberals can certainly argue
for strict and pervasive separation, but they cannot claim all the Founders as
agreeing.

Deja is The Fifth Child

2009-03-19T15:41:00.005-06:00

Well, she is literally our fifth child, though not in the literary, Doris Lessing way. Lessing's book, The Fifth Child is disturbing and important. Often the idyllic life we lay out for ourselves gets sidetracked and sometimes destroyed through no real fault of our own, though family friends and strangers judge parents as somehow culpable.

Harriet and David did everything right, and still, their handicapped child, Ben drove a dump truck through their perfect world. Lessing does not really provide a denouement. We are left to wonder if Harriet can resolve her plight. Maybe that is the message. The damage is done and she can never really recover.

Late in the book, Harriet and David try to make sense of a senseless situation:
A scapegoat. She was the scapegoat—Harriet, the destroyer of her family.
But another layer of thoughts, or feelings, ran deeper. She said to David, "We are being punished, that's all."
"What for?" he demanded, already on guard because there was a tone in her voice he hated.
"For presuming. For thinking we could be happy. Happy because we decided we would be."
"Rubbish," he said. Angry: this Harriet made him angry. "It was chance. Anyone could have got Ben. It was a chance gene, that's all."
"I don't think so," she stubbornly held on. "We were going to be happy! No one else is, or I never seem to meet them, but we were going to be. And so down came the thunderbolt."
"Stop it, Harriet! Don't you know where that thought leads? Pogroms and punishments, witch-burnings and angry Gods—!" He was shouting at her.
"And scapegoats," said Harriet. "Don't forget the scapegoats.
"Vindictive Gods, from thousands of years ago," he hotly contended, disturbed to his depths, she could see. "Punishing Gods, distributing punishments for insubordination . . ."
"But who were we to decide we were going to be this or that?"
It is so interesting that I seem to read books in pairs. Not consciously, but it seems to work out that way. I am reminded of the wolf cub raised by the Chinese student on the Inner Mongolian grassland described in Wolf Totem. The cub grows to be a wolf, unresponsive, intensely independent, and without any loyalty or affection, just waiting for an opportunity to escape.

Ben was Harriet's wolf cub. She had no control, and could only wait for the inevitable.

A word or two...

2009-03-15T19:27:00.002-06:00

Well, there is no way I can keep up with Terry's vast and impressive reading list, but I did read another interesting YA novel called The Adoration of Jenna Fox. Because of my job as a middle school librarian, it is imperative that I keep up with what the students are reading--and most of the time I quite enjoy it. This was one of those times.

The story takes place in the future and is obviously about Jenna Fox. Jenna is coming out of a coma and is remembering small parts of her life as she views home videos from the past. Only, she remembers other things as well, things about her childhood that most people would not remember. She also remembers entire books, but cannot remember other important details of her life. Little by little she finds out what she is and how she came to be as she is. I won't spoil the story for you, but it is worth reading.

The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers

2009-03-07T08:02:00.003-07:00

Harry Bernstein's memoir, The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers was famously published when he was 96 years old, a vicarious triumph for greybeards everywhere. Bernstein is certainly not a new writer. This memoir is a result of decades of writing and the retelling of his unique childhood experiences.

Though often compared to McCourt's Angela's Ashes, this memoir describes people living in the same neighborhood who cannot cope with conflicts born of their unique, religious heritage. Jewish families deal with their gentile neighbors on the opposite side of the street. The demands and tragedies of life serve to break down these barriers and reveal the humanity of neighborhood families, both good and bad to a young boy and his sister. As in Angela's Ashes, the glue in Bernstein's story is a powerful, loving mother.

I am looking forward to reading his follow on book, The Dream about his immigration to America in the 1920's.

Animals Make us Human

2009-02-17T13:02:00.005-07:00

I heard an interview on Teri Gross's "Fresh Air" on NPR a short time ago with Temple Grandin about her book Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals. She discusses dealing with dogs, cats, chickens, pigs and cattle. We are happy to be petless now, but this was pretty fascinating stuff.

Grandin, autistic herself, makes the case that animals see and deal with the world more like autistic people do. You may enjoy reading just the chapters on dogs and cats -or one or the other, but then, her work with the livestock industry is also very interesting.

Here is a link to the Teri Gross interview

Also a link to another interview

A childhood example from her chapter on how cats are essentially OCD:

"The whole dishwasher tray pulled out like a big drawer the way a trash compactor pulls out. Someone had left the dishwasher drawer pulled all the way out, and Bee Lee (the family tomcat) went through the sink cabinet and crawled all the way up under the drawer. Then he just kept trying to go forward to get out into the kitchen even though the space between the floor and the decorative panel at the bottom of the dishwasher was only about an inch high. His paws were sticking out and he was yowling because he couldn't get the rest of his body out.
His SEEKING emotion made him go under the dishwasher to explore the environment. But when he reached the front of the dishwasher, he couldn't put himself in reverse. The sight of the kitchen floor up ahead was "pulling" him forward.
1 had to slowly push the drawer in all the way to make him back up to the wall. Once I pushed him most of the way back to the wall he went back under the sink cabinet and got out.
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a lot of elimination disorders have OCD-like qualities."

This was a short, informative book which I enjoyed. I relate to animals much better now. --We still do not want another pet.

How We Met

2009-02-15T16:39:00.003-07:00

Terry:
In the Fall of 1967 I came back to BYU for my second year with the intention of entering the mission field at the conclusion of the Spring semester. Meeting my eternal companion and the love of my life was far from my mind.

The previous Spring, however, I had joined an on-campus club, “Young Men” and there was a party scheduled for a Friday night soon after the beginning of the semester. I was required to bring a date, but I had no prospects whatsoever. My new roommate, Merrill Blair, older by 10 years or so that any of us, suggested that I ask Belann Hansen from our ward. I assured him she would certainly turn me down. She was far too attractive to agree to go out with me.

I postponed asking anyone, believing that problems certainly go away if they are ignored, until the very night before. In desperation, and expecting the worst, I finally called Belann, asking her if she would consider going with me to the club party at Bridal Veil Falls. To my utter astonishment, she said yes.

We rode to the party with my friend, Fred Hansen (no relation) crammed in the back of his yellow Carman Ghia, which nearly cost us our lives. Fred had to take the winding road at no less than 60 miles per hour, using both lanes to straighten out every curve. When we got to the base of the falls, we boarded the tram for the ride to the top for dancing, pizza, and soda. Fred insisted on riding on top of the tram. We decided his death wish was serious, and maybe his recklessness would necessitate our finding another ride back down the mountain.

The date went well and we had a good time, all things considered, and I felt I had dodged a bullet, filling my club obligation. She was gracious and kind to a bumbling fool who called and asked her the night before, which violated every social rule at BYU. I figured that was the end of that.

How surprised I was when I ran into her on campus the following Monday and nearly did not recognize her. She had dyed her hair from blond to brunette after our date. For some reason, I was emboldened to ask her out for the following weekend to see the Sidney Poitier movie “To Sir With Love”, and she said, “I would love to”. We talked about teaching, which turned out to be her passion. From that point, our friendship deepened, and within a few months, we found ourselves irreversibly in love.

Belann:
My sophomore year was turning out to be a great year date wise, as opposed to the lame dating year as a freshman. I had met a couple of cool guys and I had had a few interesting dates. The weekend was approaching though, and I only had one date for the weekend. Then Terry called. I was thrilled to go with him. I had seen him at an apartment party, and I thought he was really cute. Besides that, then I would have both weekend nights filled.

Our trip up the canyon was as exciting as Terry described. I kind of enjoyed being stuffed in the back with Terry on the way up. He really was good looking, and he seemed to be interesting to talk to.

I loved the party at the clubhouse on top of Bridal Veil Falls. (It really is a shame they didn’t develop the whole Bridal Veil Falls resort further. It was such a romantic date to ride up to the top of the falls in the dark, and then have a party at clubhouse at the top of the falls.) Unlike my mother, I didn’t hear any voice except the voice in my own head that told me I really liked being with Terry, and that I wouldn’t mind if he asked me out again. Had I known he hadn’t served a mission at that point, however, I would have forgotten the whole thing. I had already waited for a missionary, and found out he was a different person when he got home—really weird. I certainly didn’t want any more of that. But, before I knew, I was totally “smitten.” I really did like being with this guy. Pretty soon, we were inseparable. We would sit in the Wilkinson Center music listening room and just look in each other’s eyes while listening to Tony Bennett and Nancy Wilson, or go rock skipping. Nothing fancy, being together was enough. And, in my mind nothing has changed. I still love looking in his eyes—being together is enough.

Woodenheadedness

2009-02-13T13:57:00.005-07:00

Barbara Tuchman is a wonder.

She won a Pulitzer for The Guns of August, the lead up and the first disastrous month of WWI, and was overwhelming in A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century when she detailed a century though the life of a French/English nobleman.

In The March of Folly, she further solidifies her case for Folly and "woodenheadedness" on the part of political leaders with four significant examples: The foolish generals of the Trojan war; The mismanagement of the church by the Renaissance popes; how the British government bungled the American Revolution; and, her main example, the French and American short-sighted decisions which prolonged and deepened the Vietnam war.

This book should be required reading for every high school senior. I do not remember it even being mentioned in high school or college. I have a totally new perspective on the Vietnam war and the waste of lives and devastation of countries it caused.

The comparisons to the Vietnam war by modern commentators may not always be fair, but the need for basic transparency in government begs the comparison. The participants and locations change, but when leaders make decisions in a bubble, millions suffer.

It should be required reading for every informed voter.

Suspend Disbelief and You'll Love Middle School Fiction

2009-02-06T13:21:00.010-07:00

My job requirements these days allow me to immerse myself in books. The drawback sometimes is that they are children/YA books that require too much suspension of disbelief. It's not they are bad books for the market intended, but certainly leave a little to be desired for an aging librarian. Here are just a few titles that may be of interest to some of the younger set.

First, is a book called H.I.V.E., which stands for Higher Institute of Villanous Education, by Mark Walden. This is a story about an orphan boy named Otto, a genius who was making the best of his time in St. Sebastian's orphanage. When the government threatens to close the orphanage, Otto takes matters into his genius hands and concocts an elaborate scheme to make sure the orphanage stays open. But, the way he does it attracts the attention of H.I.V.E, and he is kidnapped and taken to the school. The training in the school, as you can imagine, is different than any other school. Some of the courses include Villany Studies, Tactical Education, Practical Technology, and Stealth and Evasion. Otto and his friend Wing do well in their studies, but their only thought is escape. Can they do it? And at what price? The story is exciting until we get to the man-eating plant part. Too much suspension of belief for me, but middle schoolers love it.

Next book is East by Edith Pattou. Young readers today really love fantasy, and this book meets that need very well. East is the story of a young girl, Rose, who lives in a time when it was believed that people inherit the qualities of the direction in which they are born. Rose is a North-born baby, but her mother claims she is East born because she doesn't want Rose to have the qualities of a North born child. North born children are by nature wild and destined to break their mother's hearts because they are wanderers. Based on the folktale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," the story has a white bear appear that takes Rose away. Of course the bear is magical. There are echos of Beauty and the Beast as the story unfolds. I really enjoyed this story, however. The magic seems to fit in with the elaborate description of the icy medieval northlands, the setting for the story. I was told by a friend that they cannot keep this book on the shelf in her school. The students absolutely love it. Again, there was a necessity to suspend disbelief, but I enjoyed this book a little more.

Last one for today is a book called Eagle Strike, by Anthony Horowitz. My students from last year and many of the boys this year really love the Alex Rider Series. I felt it my duty to read one just to see what they find enjoyable. I had a really difficult time in the beginning of this book. Talk about suspend disbelief. Alex Rider, the 14 year old hero in the book is on holiday with his girlfriend Sabrina and her family. While there, he unexpectedly sees his enemy, a paid Russian assassin. It isn't long after he sees the Russian that there is an explosion at his girlfriend Sabrina's house. He is sure he is the intended target. Of course, it is up to Alex to bring the whole incident to justice. As he begins his pursuit he finds that a famous rock star, Damian Cray is involved. The story takes on a modern movie spy thriller quality as Alex goes from one exciting event to another trying to figure out how the Russian killer, Damian Cray and Sabrina's father are connected. The problem is suspending disbelief enough to not laugh at loud at the improbability of it all, but then I am not a middle school student. Maybe it is not so hard when at 12-14 you know everything there is to know, and you are invincible.

Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East

2009-02-05T11:12:00.002-07:00

I listened to Robin Wright on a panel discussing Iran--US relations this morning on the Diane Rehm Show. It reminded me how much I enjoyed her very informative book, Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East and her refreshing, and deeply informed comments on middle east issues.

She details in this book just how unique each government and culture is in the middle east. They each must be approached in a unique way.

If you want a good, foundational understanding of Arab and Persian countries, read Robin Wright, and listen when she is interviewed.

1434: A Chinese Fleet visits Italy and influences the Renaissance

2009-02-02T08:52:00.005-07:00

A couple of years ago, I read Gavin Menzies' book 1421: The Year China Discovered America and was surprised about the influence that Chinese mapping and navigational technology had on European exploration. See the book's website for more detail (and shameless promotion). Note that the title has changed to "The Year that China Discovered the World"

This past weekend, I finished his followup book 1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance. Its website is at this link.

Both books, whether Menzies' speculative conclusions prove correct or not, illustrate that our Euro-centric attitudes about history must give way to acceptance that there are more possible sources of our business, science and culture. Both books will challenge conventional wisdom about history.

China has been for the West, a mystery. Our experience with Chinese medicine has been enlightening as we have come to understand how a three thousand year tradition of health and healing has much to say to us. Read these books. They will both be eye openers.

New Blog Direction

2009-02-01T17:04:00.010-07:00

We have decided that since all of our children have blogs, and the excitement in our lives revoles around our children, that maybe we need to change directions for our blog. As anyone who knows Terry very well knows, he reads widely on a vast array of topics. I like to read a lot as well, but, now that I have a job as a librarian in a middle school, my reading is devoted mainly to books I have included or wish to include in the library.

My first review will be about the book Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It has been on the bestseller list for the last 20 weeks. And, rightly so, it was one of the best books I read last year. This futuristic story is about a girl named Katniss who lives with her mother and sister in District 12 located outside the Capitol, a dictatorship that governs all 12 Districts. Every year the Districts have two people selected by lottery to fight in the Hunger Games. The 24 contestants are sent to fight each other in a specially designed arena. There can only be one winner. The only rule is that they cannot eat the dead contestants.

Katniss ends up in the arena when she volunteers to take the place of her little sister chosen as one of the contestants from District 12. The other contestant from District 12 is the son of a baker, Peeta. The two are sent to the Capitol to prepare for the games. The glorious before game proceedings as well as the games are transmitted to all of the districts by television. And the games begin.

Because of the violence in the book, real and implied, this is a book for some of my more mature middleschoolers, but I guarantee the action and the romance that blooms between Katniss and Peeta will keep you turning pages long past bedtime.

Ari turns 8!

2008-05-19T07:31:00.005-06:00

Ari had her 8th birthday this week. She is all excited about Baptism, the "fire" cake her mom made, and presents. All she talked about for 2 mos was Rollerblades. Grandma took the plunge and got them for her, complete with wrist, and shin guards. Ari could hardly contain herself (that is the beauty of Ari). We love Ari so much and couldn't imagine life without her. She sure has brought spice to the last 8 years :)

P.S. I am including a picture of the swords Grandpa gave Kai and Keaton. I think they liked them :)

Some Easter pictures ..

2008-03-27T20:59:00.005-06:00

Happy Easter! This was the "before candy" picture. Tia graduated to "assistant bunny" this year, and as a consequence, we had some really
happy kids.

Here's Kai

And Ari

And the assistant bunny, AFTER candy

Maggie's Laugh

2008-02-29T21:27:00.002-07:00

Maggie's first shots

2008-01-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

Maggie wanted to tell us what she thought about getting her first immunizations.

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-12-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

Here is some video I shot at Thanksgiving.

Deja makes it big!

2007-12-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

Deja is just finishing up her doctorate at Mississippi U. She just had a few of her poems published on one of the top 10 poetry Web sites. Click here to check it out. For extra entertainment value you may click on the speaker next to her name to have her read them to you :)
http://2river.org/2RView/12_2/poems/earley.html

Keaton loves the "snowman"

2007-11-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

Well....our first real snow. Keaton woke up all excited to go play in the "snowman"

(snow and snowman are interchangeable to him). He had to put on his jacket, his 99 cents e-bay snow bibs, and his favorite grandma Eardie happyday boots. He loved to throw snow at mama.

You see in his hand the sprinkler. He was really trying to convince me that if we added a little sprinkle to the backyard it would be PERFECT! okAAAAAy?

Maggie Earley

2007-11-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

Here is our video of little Maggie. Hope you enjoy it.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1578260052427229152&hl=en

Erin and Gavin getting ready...

2007-09-22T23:47:00.000-06:00

Here is a little video that Erin I made about getting our apartment ready for the baby.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5694503278901869175

Cool Hand Puppet show

2007-08-24T15:25:00.000-06:00

I don't know how many of you have seen this yet, but it is pretty cool. I wonder if this guy went to hand-puppet college.

See how easy it is!

2007-08-21T14:38:00.000-06:00

Just thought I'd post some pictures on here of the kids summer, seeing how today was the first day of school. The One of the girls is with their butterfly farm they made with --I think-- every girl in the neighborhood. Kai just wanted his picture taken too. The kids are going to miss this free time all day, --but we trade it in for my free time, so I guess that's fair. Love you all, Amara

Happy and Sad Reunion

2007-08-12T16:50:00.000-06:00

Despite the very late start, loss of use of the trailer, the clogged port-a-potty, near hurricane force winds on the afternoon we went to the beach, the truck getting stuck in the sand, and one serious medical emergency, it was still a memorable camp. It will not be forgotten. The Kearls were very kind allowing us to use their camping area and beach toys, and the kids got to play, play, play. Lee's peach cobbler Friday night was truly a show stopper.

Deja, our official family photojournalist got some very good pictures of the kids. Including the one here.

Click here to see all the pictures

Books and Reading

2007-07-28T12:56:00.000-06:00

Reading has always been an important part of my life. From the links I have included on the right, you can see my taste is, to say the least, eclectic. Some novels, some biographies, and some non-fiction.

This is a very pared-down list from favorites I have read over the past 20-30 years or so. Your recommendations would be appreciated and I would be happy to share the rest of the list I have been keeping, or provide more detail about why I found a listing important to read.

George Earley History

2007-06-22T15:37:00.000-06:00

Written by John Lyman Earley born Oct. 30, 1886 Laketown Rich County Utah.
Died Jan. 23, 1979 San Diego, Calif. Son of George Earley born July 19, 1848 at Brockenhurst Hamps England died Nov.23, 1917 Logan, Utah-buried Laketown, Utah. Son of George Earley born March 25, 1824 Brockenhurst Hamps. England died Nov.4, 1887 Round Valley, Utah. Son of Stephen Earley born Jun 5, 1794 W. Brockenhurst Hamps. England.

George Earley was born July 19, 1848 in Brockenhurst Hampshire England. A little place ten miles inland from Southhampton and about 75 miles south of London. He was the son of George Earley and Jane Burton. His parents joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1853 and George was baptized by William Budge, a local missionary Sept. 18 1858.

Brockenhurst was a farming district and he used to herd cows from the Green fields for about a shilling (25 cents) a week. At age sixteen George became restless and wanted to join the Navy. His mother didn’t want him to, so he ran away. His father tried to find him but without success. While he was away his mother had a dream of him. She saw a long street in Southhampton with a large building at the end and saw George coming out of the building. She had faith in the dream so took the train to Southhampton the next morning. She found her husband at the station and they followed the instructions in the dream. When they arrived at the building George came out exactly as her dream and they were all glad to be together. George was rejected by the Navy because he wasn’t old enough and didn’t have his parents consent. His parents decided they must do something for him so they decided to send him to America to her brother William Burton who had joined the church and was living in Grantsville, Utah.

His parents wanted to emigrate, but because of a fire that had made it impossible at this time. They decided to send his only sister with him. He was 17 and she was 15. Her name was Elizabeth. They left England in April 1865 and spent six weeks on the ocean. They arrived in Winter Quarters in June. He was sent to Utah with Captain Jennings' freighting outfit leaving his sister to come with a company later in the season. He drove a double Ox team across the plains. George was sent with the freighting outfit to pay his way to Utah. Captain Jennings wanted him to work for him and make the trip back, but George had had enough so went on to Grantsville to his uncle. His sister arrived in Salt Lake in Nov. He went to Salt Lake to meet her. She said she was never was so glad to see anyone in her life.

When he arrived at his uncle’s he went to work on the farm. His uncle told the hired man George had come out for the Gospel’s sake so you must cut out your swearing. When they got to the field the hired man said George knew all and more swear words than him.

George went to work for a James Kearl who was a relative in law herding and driving cattle. He finally went with him to Bear Lake to help with his cattle and made his home there.
His parents and family came in 1875 having arrived in Utah in 1874.

He spent some hard winters in Bear Lake Valley and Wyoming mostly herding and wrangling cattle and horses. He was considered an excellent cow hand. He was among the first settlers of Laketown, Rich County, Utah.

He married my mother, Mary Elizabeth Neslin Busby on June 4, 1877 in Laketown, Utah, and they moved to his home in Round Valley. She was living with her parents in Laketown who were pioneers having moved there in 1864. He was eleven years older than his wife. They made their home in Round Valley.

After a few years they acquired property in Laketown and built a frame house, one of the first and it still stands today.They received their endowments and he was made an Elder Oct. 2, 1879 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah. He received his citizenship papers Oct. 2, 1879.

In the spring of 1892 he traded his farm and home in Laketown to Joseph Gibbons for his ranch and home in Round Valley. This trade made them better farmers and saved a lot of time and traveling. There wasn’t a ward or school so it wasn’t the best that way as Laketown was four miles away. Father donated the ground for the school also the church and helped to build them.
In January 1893 a ward was organized also a school started in the fall. He was considered the most thorough farmer in the Valley, raised more grain and hay per acre thru good farming. He always kept about 100 head of good cattle, a few milk cows, hogs, chickens etc. and always had a good vegetable garden and fruits, such as apples, pears,raspberries, strawberries etc.

He loved good horses, so he raised a lot of them to sell, mostly matched them up and sold them in teams. He always had one price $150 each or $300 a matched team. He was always on the school board and took an active part in the church. He was the Y.M.W.I.A president in the new ward.

In May 1897 he went on a mission to California stayed a year and a half and was released in Dec. 1898. He spent some of his time in San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland and also Stockton. I remember when he came home. He brought a limb from an orange tree covered with oranges, the first we had seen like that. He continued to farm until 1907, when he moved to Garden City and went into the Mercantile business, and built a nice home there.

In 1909 he went to England to visit his home country and gather some genealogy. He was not very successful in that and wasn’t very kindly received by his relatives. He bought a home in Logan where his children could go to high school and he and his wife could work in the Temple. He sent two of his boys, William and Lyman, on missions. He and his family lived in Logan in the winter and Garden City in the summer where he worked in his store.

He was the father of 13 children, 6 sons and 7 daughters, four who died in infancy. He was a good provider and we always had plenty to eat, and some to spare to take of those in need. In the spring of 1917 he became ill. The doctor was called in but was unable to do much for him. He passed away November 27, 1917 in Logan Utah. His funeral was held in Garden City and he was buried in theLaketown cemetery. He never held a high office in the church or blessed with riches but was always a good helper.

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