Answers

The first line of "yarns" was true. I went Yellowstone with Mark and Dan. We did see two bears and one moose. We did see a buffalo walking down the center of the road leaving doo doo in two spots. We saw lots of elk including some new little ones near the road. We did see lots of tourist in shorts. We did see a bald eagle. We did catch a lot of fish, mostly little brookies between 4 and 8 inches. We did not see any wolves or pelicans or huge biting insects. It was wonderful to hang out with two of my brothers. They are both great examples. Dan is heading to South Africa for a CES mission in a couple of weeks. We are in awe of the Ross family stamina as they make their way east. Hats off to the Illinois Stones for finishing their first year in the heartland. Nick has about a year to go at BYU and Eric has 7 more months in Colombia. Emily will be in 8th grade and she was just called as Beehive president. I went golfing today and shot 3 over par with a birdie at the last hole. The church is still true.

Yarns from Yellowstone

Last week I went to Yellowstone with Mark and Dan, two of my older brothers. We caught 500 fish altogether and saw 40 moose, 300 bald eagles, and 4 different packs of wolves. A buffalo, who was walking down the middle of the road stopped to talk to Mark, so, Mark rolled down his window and they discussed the chemical makeup of mountain grasses. We also stopped to examine the two pies deposited exactly on the yellow line about two and four miles from where we stopped to talk to the buffalo. They were definitely his. The elk herd was near 1000 with baby elk walking in a single line along the road so that the 32 buses could stop and admire. I counted 500 pairs of burmuda shorts and at least 150 men wearing black knee socks with their shorts. Yel-owl-stone is what the early explorers called the place because of a certain yelling noise by an owl species who made their nests among the stone formations. But somebody misheard and thought it was yellow-stone. We didn't see any owls but we did see a pelican with a 5 pound mosquito on its back. Old Faithful was spewing coins and the mudpots smelled like pizza. Your job is to find the one sentence in this yarn that is true.

Jury Duty

Today, I had the distinct privilege of going through the jury selection process. I was not selected. But, (we all have them) I had a great experience. It was a rare moment when I felt really proud of our country, our founding fathers, and the principles of the Constitution. Doing one's duty to one's country comes with a spiritual experience akin to doing one's hometeaching--only better somehow. I really wanted to get selected! The fact that I was willing to do my duty heightened my spiritual feelings. Most of my peers who were there were joking about how they could get out of being on the jury. I have to admit, I felt that way initially. But as the day wore on, I started to get into it. I felt something in my constitution about the Constitution. It was cool. I'm not dejected over the fact I was dismissed. But it would have been fun to go all the way to trial.

Moving on, moving out.

Yes, I am supportive of my children moving out of the house. Yes, I am supportive of the idea of them moving to far off places. A mission is acceptable. But this moving so dang far away that it has to be a earthshaking-logistical nightmarish-how-are-we-ever-going-to-do-it type of thing, well, that just isn't right. Jon and Michelle you are causing me to wish I'd never left Cache Valley and you never learned how to drive on the freeway farther than Ogden. What makes you think you can put this many miles between us? Well, when you're done with your running off and leaving your aging parents so you can get educated, we might just go off ourselves one day. Mission to the Canary Islands. Or Maui. That would serve you right.

So you think you can teach seminary?

Most of you know how much I wanted to help out my Mom and Dad when they were so ill. We asked for a transfer and ended up at Orem Institute. We were shocked but felt good about the assignment. It meant I wouldn't be giving care to my parents, but at least we could make monthly visits. First Dad died of old age. Then Mom followed, two years later. With them gone, I have become the patriarch of my family here on Earth. What a lousy way to obtain a stewardship. I have missed them terribly and I have wanted to council with them so many times. Now, I must count on God as my Counselor. Maybe that's why Christ is called by that name by Isaiah. The same thing happened to him: lost his parents. Yet, my beloved children have become so wise. They don't need a lot of direction from me. Just a word here and there. Jean is so grounded and secure in her testimony of Christ, I never worry about her spiritually. Physically, she is pioneer stock. But she has a gene or two she could do without. Breast cancer runs deep in her family. Most recently, her mother and sister. We pray she got her dad's genes there. But he suffered Alzheimer's disease. Bad gene number two. Her mom's side doesn't have that problem. The reason I titled this post "seminary..." is because I made a leap of faith to teach at this level. And we finish the school year on Friday. It was an amazing experience. Harder than heck. But self-fulfilling. Right now I'm ready to retire. I'm tired. But I made it through one more year. Maybe I have 6 or more in me. More and more I become dependent on the Counselor. He must love me. Lord, help my unbelief. I am so prone to wander. I love my dear family. Please be patient with my less than polished patriarchal ponderings: pitiful.

talking to Elder Eric Stone

I must say that Eric the boy has turned into Eric the man. What a great accent. He said he had spoken only Spanish for 8 straight months. Talking to him on Mother's Day was wonderful. He is 100% obedient and is reaping the spiritual rewards. He is fully committed to the Lord and we were all inspired by talking with him. May the Lord continue to watch over him, keep him safe, and bless him with his Spirit.

Born in '54; Turn 54; May 1, 2008

The planets have aligned and all who were born in 1954 are turning 54 this year. My day was greeted by white frosting on the lawn. Thanks, Mother Nature, for remembering my birthday.