Pioneer Day Sampler

We go back in time to celebrate sacrifice and success.  So, here are fast-food excerpts from years ago.

[2012] We remember the pioneers, some of whom are my Cannon and Rich ancestors.  Pioneer stories are intrinsic (“belonging to the essential nature or constitution of a thing”  -- Merriam-Webster) to the history of Utah, as well as other areas all over the world.  ...  Something close to two thousand Latter-day Saints in thirteen companies had arrived at the Salt Lake Valley before the end of 1847.”  -- George Q. Cannon – A Biography (©1999, Deseret Book Company) by Davis Bitton, page 55)

[2013] The highlight of the day for Kay & me was attending, with dear friends who saved second-row seats, the free annual concert put on by Layton City ...  Riders in the Sky performed in the amphitheater to a standing-room-only crowd ... and also the fireworks afterward.

[2014] "... the Riches [and Cannons] arrived at their destination ... on October 2, 1847. The company ... numbered about two thousand persons.”(Charles Coulson Rich / Pioneer Builder of the West by John Henry Evans, ©1936, p. 131)

[2017] About ten days of celebration ended on the 24th of July ...  We honor the Mormon pioneers who endured the westward trek to Utah, some dying along the way, others arriving in 1847 and subsequent years before the railroad.

[2018] Ben Tullis wrote for the Deseret News (July 23, 2014, seen now on deseretnews.com):  “What life was like for the Mormon pioneers after entering the Salt Lake Valley”. ... President Young ... looked down at the Salt Lake Valley from Emigration Canyon on [Saturday] July 24. ... he said, “It is enough. This is the right place. Drive on.”

[2019] Pioneers Close to My Heart: ...  Charles C. Rich, an Apostle and a leader in the second group.  George Q. Cannon and his siblings ...  John Taylor, George Q’s uncle who taught the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Cannon Family in Liverpool, England, 1840.  Ira Nathaniel Hinckley, called by President Brigham Young in April 1867, to build strategic Cove Fort at Cove Creek, central Utah.  My family and I are grateful for our pioneer heritage.  We honor the women, men, and children who endured the trek west “with faith in every footstep”.

Working Out

How many times have you heard, “Things will work out all right.”  Or maybe, “Everything will work out in the end.”  Reassuring, encouraging, hopeful, or wishful thinking.  I know — that can be a stretch.  Sometimes we  just get what we expect, such as a favorable outcome.

I believe in the power of positive thinking, sometimes saying, “Don’t worry; be happy.”  After all, it’s a great life we have here ... with the right attitude.

For example, the weekly Tai Chi workout in our apartments’ activity room helps us seniors maintain a healthy mindset.  Stretching exercises and mental workouts called brain games are on our daily schedules.  Life seems to be working out alright for me, especially when I take time for healthy meals in our dining room — no fast food there!

Celebration with pictures

A day full of sweet memories, celebrating our 51st wedding anniversary.

Pictures say more than I can think to write tonight ... with love for my eternal companion, Kay.

 

on a walk around our block

in Roseville Michigan 2018

Independent Living

It isn’t just for seniors in apartment communities like mine, designed for “independent living”.

Peace

Freedom!

Lifelong education

Interfaith celebrations

Abundance in the promised land

Summer outdoor concerts 

(Kay & I enjoyed them at Deer Valley Resort, Snowbird, Kenley Centennial Amphitheater, and finally with Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Ford House by Lake St. Clair.)

God bless our United States of America!

Puzzling

It must be fun and not a passing fad.  People have been creating, selling, buying, and solving jigsaw puzzles since around 1760, according to Wikipedia.  I was surprised to learn that a jigsaw was never used — a fact that puzzled me.

It seems many young people have fun solving them.  Good for the brain at most any age, I believe.  Senior independent living fosters mental activity.  Here and in my community last year, some women have a passion for puzzling, spending maybe 20 hours every week doing jigsaw puzzles in social rooms.  (A man in Bountiful was interested, but none here in Ogden that I’m aware of.)  One day last year, I walked to the social fridge, and the puzzle lady said without looking up, “Ned, you’re too quiet.”  “Trying not to distract you,” said I.

So, it’s puzzling — why am I missing the fun of sitting quietly for hours assembling 500 pieces ... instead of watching it done in 150-second time-lapse videos?  What would take me three weeks, I see (noted at the end) enthusiasts complete in three hours or less.  Reminder for seniors: never too late to start. 

or 620 pieces for more fun

Long Story Short

As a man of few words, I prefer to skip extraneous details and get to the point.  For example, to make a long story short, our favorite vacation retreat was Cannon Beach, Oregon Coast.  My wife Kay & I walked the expanse of sand to Haystack Rock in quiet solitude.  The sight and sound of ocean surf were heavenly, healing.  Glorious sunsets were another gift from God.  No question about returning again.

We are still one ... in love. 

our idea of a getaway

Fast Food at 4:44

A routine got me going at four forty-four every morning in East Mill Creek for years of work.  My alarm in the kitchen woke me (too far to wake my wife Kay, of course) at the magic hour.  A tempting snack at hand in the fridge was my instant reward.  The living room floor by a heater vent was cozy for prayer, reading, journaling, and planning; (added warmth for winter comfort).  By the way, for years I’ve been urged to write my personal history, and I’m still putting it off.  Too many memories to fit into a book ... until I lose some.

Family history: our five children were content to sleep through two hours of early morning, the best part of the day.  “You can wake up now,” I liked to softly say to little Angie and Katie for school and adventures.  ( I forget — did it make the girls smile?)

Some neighbors lined up at our 7-Eleven to get their charge.  I always passed it on the way to work, often riding the UTA bus after running to catch it.  I was primed for racing up and down stairs in downtown SLC, where a sack-lunch snack kept me going til family dinner.

An alarm, fast food, and the floor at 4:44 — a fun formula for success.  So, what was or is your winning routine — 6:00 AM at the gym or court?  Make it historical, if not hysterical.