My Favorite Place to Hang Out

I love sitting in the swing overlooking the patio and next to the creek. I like to say that Matt built it for me. It's very romantic that way.

A Sweet Experience

I spent last weekend with Karin, mom and my two sisters Peggy and Kelly. Mom had tickets to the Relief Society General Meeting and invited us to attend with her. Kelly is not in the pictures because Jerry raced 100 miles on his bike and she was supporting him and didn't have time to get all the way to Salt Lake City (isn't she a great wife). Karin and I loved the meeting. It is sweet as a mother to have spiritual experiences with your daughter. I will never think of Cumorah's Hill, the Sacred Grove or Palmyra without thinking of our mother/daughter trip there. It's one of my favorite memories.

A Bad Day

Yesterday Thomas came home from school and announced it had been a bad day. He had to be last in line all day, the puzzles were all taken when he finished his math, and he had to drink strawberry milk at lunch (because he was last in line, the regular and chocolate milk was all gone). Thank goodness Friday was crazy hat day, he needed a break.

So Much Joy

Black Rascal Creek runs through my backyard and is an attraction for all sorts of animal life. My backyard is always filled with animal sights and sounds. I've seen raccoons, coyote, skunk, herons, egrets, hawks, hummingbirds, bullfrogs, and foxes right up on my lawn. For the past few mornings several mallards and grebes have gathered early in the pre-dawn hours calling to each other. This creek and the animals that come to visit, is one of my favorite things about my life. In this picture two mallards are just going around the corner away from me. When Matt went out to BBQ our dinner this evening, 12 ducks flew off from the creek.

Motherhood

Do you realize that Americans oppose mothers working outside the home by 2 to 1. However as of the year 2004, 77 % of working women had children between the ages of 6 and 17 and 62% of working women had children under the age of 6.

What Do We Have Against the White Male?

Last week I listened to Bill O'Reilly discuss with a guest as to whether or not Sarah Palin is a good choice for Vice President. The discussion centered on whether or not a "mother" could and should hold such a position. However, this part of the discussion didn't bother me, what did bother me was O'Reilly's comment about her husband. He said that if she became Vice President, he (her husband) was going "to have to step it up". What I wonder is this - is Mr. Palin lounging around on the couch drinking beer and watching Sports Center waiting for his wife to come home and do all the work? I don't know why we can't give any credit to men. I know plenty of them who are hardworking and responsible, but for some reason we continue to belittle the white male. I see this all the time in church meetings. The praise of women is often accompanied by the belittling of men. While I'm sure that there are some male slugs out there, I hate to have my teenage boys hear this kind of talk. I feel like it gives them an excuse to be incompetent, in fact they shouldn't expect anything else of themselves. Let the women rule the world. I imagine that in a family where someone is the Governor of a state both spouses are "stepping it up" even if they are not perfect. I am not making excuses for a family I don't even know. I just think we need to give more credit to the white male. OK one last pet peeve. Why is it that when a mother (without her husband) is on an outing with her children she is credited with caring for her family and when a man (no wife) is out with the children - he is merely babysitting?