Righty Tighty - Left Loosey

I am in Fallon, Nevada. Grandma is doing well and is an inspiration to me. She showered by herself and is walking around like she doesn't have a stomach full of staples. My brother Rick picked me up today and when we went to get a car for me at the farm we discovered that one of his kitchen sinks was leaking. After visiting Mom and Dad for a while -- trying to get more family history information I went to the hardware store and bought the needed part and plumber's putty.

The bad thing about helping on the farm is that there is always work to be done. The good thing is that you can tackle about any job because it doesn't have to be done perfectly. So I say to myself that I can put the sink drain back in and it will at least leak less than before. I painstakingly remove all the old plumbers putty from the drain part and make the little rope with the new putty. I deftly put the drain back together and............. it leaks!!!

Since B.Ann and Rick are putting bags of carrots, and onions together for the basket company I am not working alone and decide that I need to make this work. I start to unscrew my handiwork. For reasons unknown to me, somehow I have now tightened a part so tight that I can't unscrew it. I ask for Rick's assistance. Now for those that know my dad he is a super fixer upper type of guy and his children did NOT get his handy genes. Asking Rick for help is a leap of faith. Can you unscrew this for me? He actually found a pipe wrench -- ahh but now the big question. Which way do you turn it. I had only screwed it on minutes before -- but alas I can't figure out which way is righty tighty or lefty loosey. After a bit of discussion and trying both directions he does get it off.

I now make a huge putty rope to seat the drain on. I have putty everywhere -- but am determined not to let the sink leak. I screw everything back together and to everyone's delight the sink no longer leaks. There is thick plumber's putty under the sink, but no one really looks there. The real test will be if it doesn't leak tomorrow, but at least for the moment, I have succeeded.

So as I am driving back to Mom and Dad's and contemplating why I have never been able to get a washer going the right direction, I finally have an ah ha moment. Yes I get it!!!! If my palm is facing up righty tighty is one direction and if my palm is facing down righty tighty is the other direction. Now I suspect for you handy types this is no revelation, but to me I can figure out why when I was under the sink that screwing two different pieces on -- righty tighty was NOT the same direction. I can now sleep well, knowing that I am not crazy for all those years that I couldn't understand that concept.


Farm Reflections: There is an unending amount of work to be done on the farm. Vicki has become a city girl. Fallon is dark at night. I remember why I hated the dark because it seems so very very scary, but as I get older I can appreciate the beauty of the stars only seen when it is so very dark. Fallon is an interesting study of contrasts. The wind blows almost as much as Rexburg. It is a desert, but amid those acres of vast nothingness are the most beautiful fields of green reminding me that beauty and joy can be found amidst darkness and trials. I am always amazed and thrilled at the sight of a Fallon sunset. I thank Heavenly Father for his abiding love that makes this world so beautiful. I thank Him for my ability to appreciate the beauty that He has provided. And I thank Him for the contrasts that make it so we can appreciate the beauty.

Annapolis -- More Pictures

Here are some more pictures of Annapolis



Naval Academy Chapel

James is a little tired here
Creating some baseball players

Annapolis - April 2008

A follow up on the Boston trip. Rich, Mike, and James flew from Salt Lake to the Baltimore Airport. Baltimore is less than 30 minutes from Ashkii's house in Annapolis. Daija, Jonathan, and I drove from Boston down to Annapolis. We both arrived there about the same time. Thanks to the Garmin GPS -- we arrived with no major wrong turns. Actually no wrong turns -- Jonathan actually listens and does what the GPS says to do. He doesn't argue with it.

Sunday: We attended church with Ashkii. We took up a whole bench. We decided that when we drove up in the Mangum they would think we were investigators. But when we pulled out our scriptures, our cover was over. Ashkii drove us over to the Naval Academy and we watched some sailboat races.


Monday: Air and Space Museum. We took all the kids to DC to the Smithsonians. We drove to a metro station and then rode the metro in. Ashkii went to work and Brooke stayed home until later in the afternoon when they hooked up with us for dinner. They gave Mike their car and he headed to Dulles to pick up Heidi Gilbert. We had a nice dinner where James said his fries were the best he'd ever tasted. There was a carousel on the "Mall" and the kids including a few big boys had a great time riding. Savannah got to ride it twice since after having lunch at McDonald's she reminded me that I told her she could ride it.

There is something magical about trying to balance on anything.



We attended a "Cosmic Collision" show at the Air and Space Planetarium. Savannah was frightened at the beginning because it seemed so real she thought she was moving through space. We snuggled and I assured her that the pictures were moving but we were pretty stationary. As you can see some were more stationary than others.



Lincoln Memorial/ Washington Monument
After dinner Rich, Vicki, Trevor and James went to the Lincoln Memorial. We rode in a taxi because by the end of the day we were all pretty tired. In fact James said he was ready to go home on Wednesday because his legs were very tired.

The sun was shining on the monument and while the boys were more interested in their airplane than the view was breathtaking, even though the cherry blossoms were all gone. James did comment that the Gettysberg Address on the wall of the Lincoln Memorial had "lots of words"




Tuesday: We had a wonderful tour of the Naval Academy. We watched the midshipmen assemble and march to lunch. Tuesday evening we went to Savannah's ballet class and Trevor's baseball game. We got to the game early so the the boys got to practice with Ashkii, Jonathan, and Richard before the game. It was so fun to have James in Annapolis with us. And yes he did beat me at Settlers, but don't let it go to his head -- I'm sure I could win if I tried. :):):)







We took the kite because the wind had been blowing earlier. Savannah had unlimited energy and ran up and down the practice field trying to get the kite to fly. Daija was trying to help her, but no matter how fast you run if there is no wind, it just bumps along the grass.


Wednesday: We helped Ashkii move some boxes and a couch downstairs. Rich mowed the lawn and I was able to prune stuff. I tried to get the shovel out -- but there were just other things to do before I could find a shoveling project. There are universal weeds that really don't care if they are in a humid climate or in the desert.

Ashkii and Brooke are great hosts. There was plenty to do, but also some time to rest. The meals were wonderful and Rich and I commented that it was nice that we didn't have to spend time going back and forth to a motel. The nights were a little late, but that happens at any Linton gathering.


Reflections on the Annapolis Trip: I am so thankful for my family. The "east coasters" have etched out their own family units. They will be a blessing for the wards and stakes of which they are part. I am thankful for a husband that provides the resources for me to be able to visit when I can. I am thankful for grandchildren that are obedient to their parents teachings. I am thankful for the spouses of my children. It was wonderful having Michael join us. He is a joy to have around and he was a wonderful help with the little boys, even though sometimes he and Rich are just grown up boys.

Boston - April 2008

I had a Sports Nutrition Conference in Boston April 10-13 so I had to go to it. The only problem was that once I got there I was much more interested in spending time with Daija and Jonathan than spending time learning about supplements and NCAA rules.

Wednesday: Vicki arrived in Boston. Daija picked me up at the airport and we went shopping at the fruit and vegetable market. It really is a great place to buy fresh fruit and veggies. I cooked them dinner.

Thursday: Daija went to work and Jonathan went to school to take his last test for the block. My conference didn't start until 1:00, so I walked from their apartment to the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge. It was probably about 4-5 miles. It was beautiful and I got to walk along the Charles River. They came and picked me up Thursday afternoon and we tried to find the Cambridge Galleria Mall. After a couple of wrong turns, we parked the car in front of MIT and walked to a shuttle stop. After getting to the shuttle stop at 7:00 and noticing that the last shuttle had already left, we hailed a taxi and finally made it to the mall. We went shopping for some cute maternity clothes for Daija. Then we ate at the cheesecake factory. The portions are huge, but the food is excellent. I then went back to the motel to try to get excited about the conference.

Friday: I went to most of the morning lectures. Then in the afternoon we had to go get the rental car. When we got there we got the "magnum". It feels like a car from "the hood" but it was the biggest one they had. The plan was to go the Saturday morning sessions of conference and then head out for Annapolis in the afternoon.

Saturday: I got up and exercised and then was planning on going to the conference. Daija called and said they were ready to go. I didn't think they would be ready until noon. We left Boston around 9:00 a.m. ( I really did ditch the conference)

Reflections on my Boston experience. As much as I think that I want to be a "working, professional" woman -- when the choice is between my family and working -- I choose to be with my family. I am so grateful Jonathan and Daija are in Boston. I love to visit that city. I feel like I am in the midst of so many smart people. Some of the greatest intellects are hanging out in those college communities. What a great experience for them to be part of that.

Dancing With The Stars Tour Feb 2008

Debi Heaton and I went to Boston this past weekend to see the kids. We had a great time -- I'm pretty sure that is a we comment. Debi did say going with me was an adventure and I being a positive thinker am taking that as a compliment. Debi is a wonderful travel companion. A special thanks to Jonathan for being accepted at a school in a city with non stop flight service from Salt Lake City.
We helped Daija pick out some curtains for her apartment, had a tour of Tufts Dental School and attended the Dancing With the Stars Tour.
Since Julianne and Derek are Jonathan's cousins we had first class treatment. We were able to eat dinner with Julianne and Derek at the venue. We met the other dancers, Helio, and had table seats. (Thanks to Julianne). It was a wonderful night, but as you can see I have no pictures to post. As I was starting to take pictures, I realized my camera had no memory in it. I'm usually out of battery, but this time I had full battery and no way to take pictures. While I was a little irritable about that, Daija reminded me there were plenty of cameras to go around. If you would like to see pictures of this event go to: http://www.jonathananddaija.blogspot.com/ and watch the slide show.

Rainy Days

The warmer weather is melting our beautiful snow and our 4 wheeler track. On Saturday Rich's brother Robert (Bob) Linton died. Rich was down in Navaho land when he got the news. We are saddened by his passing but understand that he will find joy in reuniting with his mother on the other side of the veil.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Trevor was excited to help shovel snow. He must have his grandma's genes. Although after you see how much snow we now have, I'm thinking that a snowplow or snowblower would be a good investment.


Trevor, Savannah and the little neighbor girl enjoyed being pulled by Grandpa Goldy and his 4 wheeler. I am amazed at how many times the kids can go around in the same circle and think it's fun.


January 21, 2008
Welcome to the Linton's winter wonderland. It must have snowed 10-12 inches. It felt more like 2 feet though when you are trying to clear it. I kept thinking -- don't I have friends that have snow blowers or snow plows? As much as I like shoveling, this pretty much filled my "need to shovel" for the year.

Do you see Bull?" Linton L&L really stands for Linton Land and Livestock. Needing to live up to our name..... At thanksgiving, thanks to Grandpa Lattin, we were able to procure some bull horns. Rich used his ingenuity, a bale of straw and some logs to construct our very own livestock. There is so much snow that you can barely see his body, but at least his horns are still showing.

Seeing the tire tracks, gives you an idea of how much snow fell after we left for work. This is what we came home to and had to shovel. We can now see parts of the driveway.

Christmas 2007

For those that are also following Alisa's blog you know that Sammy bypassed Santa this Christmas in asking for a "Jeep Hurricane". We decided to help him get what he wanted for Christmas. Thanks to a very generous family we were able to get a "real" 4 wheeler that was just the right size for the kids. Sammy loved it and I will post pictures later of him riding it in our back yard.


Our annual Christmas dinner would not be the same without the addition of the Clarks. It is wonderful to share this time of year with family and friends.


Luke is enjoying his camera and taking pictures of the skiers in our back yard. For those that appreciate my holding on to "things," this is the same winter outfit that I bought for Ashkii when he started skiing at age 4. I paid so much for it, I could never give it away. Now it is being recycled through the grand kids. Who said throwing stuff away is a good thing????



Banging pots and pans to bring in the new year. The boys were pretty excited they got to stay up late. At 10:00 p.m. we couldn't convince them that it really was midnight where Trevor lived. We did our usual toasts to the New Year which we look forward to with renewed hope and faith.

17-16 GO COUGS

Las Vegas Bowl December 22, 2008. I can hardly believe that we won that game. It was a whirlwind weekend. Daija and Jonathan flew in from Boston Friday Evening. Rich and I drove down on Friday afternoon and met Daija and Jonathan at the Sunset Station casino/motel. Ashkii and Brooke flew into Salt Lake City Friday evening. Ashkii, Trevor, Mike Linton, Heidi Gilbert, Nick Gilbert and Josh Madsen drove down and met us at the game. Jill Chistiansen, Kevin and his friends stayed at our motel Friday night. We had a nice breakfast, and a great game of bowling Saturday morning. The game was a nailbiter, but at least we won. Rich, Vicki, Mike and his gang all drove home after the game. There was a wreck on the freeway, so we found an alternate route but we still got home at 5:00 a.m. Rich and I sang in our Choir Sacrament Meeting.

LEVAN CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

After church we all packed up and went down to Aunt Cheryl's Christmas program. If you have been reading Alisa's blog you know that Sammy had been asking for a jeep hurricane. When he asked Santa for a jeep hurricane, we asked him if he thought a real four wheeler would be o.k. A big yes accompanied his big smile. Stay tuned.



All the Linton/Stephenson kids


It's been along time since the brothers have been at this function together. Yahoo!!!

Shovels

I learned something last night and today. We had an enormous snow storm. I am extremely grateful for the moisture. I still can’t let mother nature melt the snow on my driveway although Rich’s theory is starting to make some sense. So I was out shoveling last night while it was still snowing. Rich always tells me that it is futile to even start shoveling until the storm is passed. I feel like if I shovel twice, then it’s not as heavy. But the bottom line is: I like to shovel. I suppose I get it from my father. He is known for always having a shovel in his hand. . Fixing a ditch, moving something from one place to another, whatever the project, he would have his trusty shovel with him. Snow shovel or garden shovel I feel at home moving stuff – at the present time that stuff is snow. Last year Rich and I tried to shovel the driveway together. He doesn’t get it. Shoveling is a work of art. Zig, Zags, crosses, curves. The works of art you can make in the snow while shoveling a walk are immeasurable. He kept trying to go in straight lines. Let’s put our shovels together it will go faster. Faster is not the object. Holding the shovel and moving something is the object. The Linton OCD kicks in when shoveling snow. There are also rules. You can’t dump the snow on certain plants. Now I wouldn’t expect anyone else to know which plants I protect, so I think I will continue my work of being the snow mover. Today I found out he took my favorite snow shovel to Valcom. He didn’t know that I had a favorite until I heartily complained. I will await the next storm eagerly as long as I have my favorite shovel.

Hawaii -- December 2007 - Mahalo

Polynesian Cultural Center Friday December 7th, 2007


We spent Friday December 7th at the Polynesian Cultural Center. They had lots of shows and fun activities. Don't you think Rich would have made an awesome dancer?



Tap was a Samoan that did the Fire Dance at the evening show. His bi's weren't that much bigger than Rich's. :):):)



On Saturday we went to the temple. After the session we went over to the BYU Hawaii cafeteria and had lunch. Reminded me of the galley days with Daija and Michael. Rich watched the BYU-Michigan game on the TV although it was pretty blurry. I bought a book at the bookstore and was very content to read.


Sunday evening we took a walk on Sunset beach. It was a beautiful sight.



Monday morning we went on a hike to Waimea Falls. The park was closed, but we had met some locals and they told us to just walk up anyway and pay on our way out. Good plan, but we got busted and they park lady wasn't very happy with us. It was a beautiful park though and there weren't many people there. Only us and a couple of other "locals."



Helicopter Tour Monday December 10
On Monday we also went for a helicopter ride of the Island. It was awesome, although it took a while for my heart to stop racing. We were at least able to see Pearl Harbor from the sky because I hadn't looked into seeing what time they closed and when we got there Tuesday they were closing and so we didn't really get to tour Pearl Harbor.




The falls is over 1000 foot drop. A few years back 7 hikers were killed trying to hike to it. The falls is closed and you can only see it from the helicopter. Rich and I both had the thought that before they closed it -- this would have been a great Gutzman adventure





Dolphin Swim -- Sea Life Park





One of the highlights of the week was the Royal Dolphin Swim. It was at a Sea Park. We have a video of it and sometime if you are interested you will be able to see the Dolphins pull us and give us what is known as a foot push. It was amazing. Thanks to Trent and Jen Eckmen who took some pictures of us, we have a couple of shots of us in the pool with the Dolphins. Grandkids - get ready -- because Grandma thought this was so much fun that everyone should have a chance.

Philosophical Observations: It is amazing what you can grow when there is plenty of water. The shades of green are innumerable. The flowers are plentiful. The colors are brilliant everywhere - flowers, birds, fish.... This reminded me that we really do live in a desert.
The Hawaiin people are always saying Mahalo which means thank you. Are we too busy to thank people? When you are in a group it is expected that when someone says Aloha that you respond back with that greeting. Are we too busy to greet our neighbor?
The north shore is very country, the top speed limit is 45 mph (and yes Rich did go the speed limit) and you don't pass. People are very friendly, even to the tourists. The Polynesians seem to be gentle giants, ever ready with a beautiful smile and a warm handshake. The locals take your orders on paper, you wait in line and aren't wondering why they won't hurry(even if you do wonder -- it won't help)

The church is still a 3 hour block and they start on time even at 8:00 a.m. Brown skin, white skin, long hair, no hair, old, and young all come to worship and be grateful for our Savior and for this time of year when we get to celebrate his birthday and hopefully be a little kinder, a little gentler, and little more like HIM. Mahalo

Going White

Everybody talks about going "green" these days. In an effort to be PC, Rich and I are doing our part to be kind to the environment. We will no longer shovel the snow on our driveway. We want nature to do her part. We will shovel the sidewalk because if you should come visit us before Mother Nature does her part we don't want you to get hurt.



I didn't get these pictures taken before someone had walked on our lawn, but these are the views out of my new office location. I love looking out and seeing the mountains. I am extremely grateful for the snow.

I spent a couple of hours today at the dinosaur museum with James, Sam, Luke and their cousins Steven and Andrew. I don't think we learned much, but we made some awesome dams, castles, pools, and lakes in the play area. We missed you Mike L., I don't have much of an imagination, but the boys seemed to do pretty well on their own. We uncovered bones and had dinosaur bites for dinner. (For all those that wonder -- NO I didn't do it alone, I took along Felicia Jones to help me - she was awesome and then there were enough hands and laps to go around for the little guys)

Festival of Trees

Better Pictures to follow ( well maybe -- if I could get Alisa to take them)

Each year The Festival of Trees is a fund raising event for Primary Children's medical center. People donate trees, and then they are sold. All proceeds go to Primary's medical center. Valcom donated a tree last year and this year. Tonya Steel had great ideas, did all the work and put together a wonderful tree this year. Rich's and my part is to actually put up the tree. You have to put pvc or rebarr down the middle and then rebar the tree to the stand. Since we had just been to Nevada, we found a great piece of copper pipe that we used. We did a fine job of getting the tree up and getting all the ornaments ready for the "decorators."

My other job was to get a mantle that looked like Grandma's house. I had our "garden worker" Sam construct the mantle and Emmalee Glauser painted a beautiful fire for our mantle. My last job was to get a rocking chair, which I did at the very last minute. (Sorry Tonya for making you worry) Thankfully Vintage Oak had just what we needed and they gave us a great price for the festival.


Melanie and Sue came from work to help decorate. They didn't know that part of a decorators job was to put together an end table. We only ended up with a few extra screws. After a few last minute dashes to the store the tree was complete. Thanks to all that helped.

Thanksgiving 2007 - Fallon, Nevada

Even though none of our children were able to travel to Nevada for our annual Thanksgiving Celebration we made the "Fallon Trek." We picked up Adam, Leanna, and Dakota and drove to Fallon on Wednesday.

We had a great dinner in the "barn" and then the little kids got to break the pinata at Jean Lattin's home.

There were lots of babies and so the "playing" part of Thanksgiving was taken over by changing diapers and putting children to bed. Rich finally won at "nurstz" thanks to Lynda's capable partnership. Even though LauraLee was in Idaho for the holiday we enjoyed playing games in her new home. Thanks LauraLee for being a good host. Christmas tree hunting was beautiful. We left early and made a quick side trip to the old Anaconda copper mine, near Yerington, Nevada. There was huge lake in the bottom of the pit and then there were some moon like dirt formations on the other side of the mine -- maybe some sort of reclamation project.


Kevin took care of getting the BYU-UTAH game for us by ordering an upgrade to Jill and Jeff's cable. Rich happily watched the game while I spent time with Mom and Dad looking though some of Dad's old prison stuff, which was extremely interesting. I kept asking myself -- would Brooke and Alisa throw this out? Probably, but I will need some hand holding with a waste basket near by to actually throw anything out. I read Playing for Pizza by John Grisham I was expecting it to be a thriller like some of his other books, but alas it was a book about football in Italy. It was an easy, mindless read so I actually enjoyed it.

Super Saturday Nov 17, 2007

I've never understood crafts and so to do them as an organized activity is beyond my capabilities. But thanks to a great enrichment committee we had a successful "Super Saturday."

I've decided that I will leave the crafts to those that are good at it and actually enjoy it, and I will stay close to my yard which I actually enjoy.


We also did some baby knit hats for newborns in Africa.


Sister Taylor and her very talented young apprentices helped us learn how to braid bread.