Red-shouldered Hawk on the Fence and a Bicycle

Day After Christmas Presents

Crane in my driveway enjoying lunch.

Red-shouldered Hawk just a block away.

It has been a very long time since I let myself take time and write about everything. Of course, everything would take a great number of centuries to document, so I will skip all of the weeks that I have missed and just write about today.

It is the day after Christmas. It is Monday. Brent and Nathan went to canoe on Peace River and look for fossils. Brent is, at this moment, on the internet identifying a Pleistocene hind deer leg bone. "Well, that was easy!" (direct quote). Nathan spent much of the day feeling frustrated since there were quite a few other groups also looking for fossils in the same bend of the river. Someone would yell "Hey! I found a megladon tooth!" "Hey! I did, too!" and Nathan would groan "Augh! I'm not finding anything." just loud enough for Brent to hear. They both came home with a large bag of odd-shaped black 'rocks'. Brent had a great time looking for fossils and using his new (used, but new to us) aluminum canoe. Nathan had a good time being with Brent and splashing about in the water and mud. He is 22 and a college Junior, but still, at heart, he is the boy who used to scout around each new house we moved into until he could announce "This is my mud spot! No one else can play in this mud." Actually, I think he is in his room right now, surrounded by tubs full of Legos--which, of course, no one else can play in.

Hibiscus acetosella full bloom that I planted from wild seed.

I worked on my Hibiscus acetosella project. It has been a wonderfully fun hobby this semester. Now, though, I am late in getting a finished project ready to submit to my horticulture professor. It is an independent study--under the guise of auditing one of his Botany classes--so I con't really even have to turn anything in. My pride pricks at me, though, having promised something solid and not yet possessing a finished product to turn in.

Wild Hibiscus acetosella--two blocks away.

After a few hours of that, I had to get outside. I took my bike and pedaled slowly around the neighborhood. I passed a huge bush with glossy, deep green leaves and some really cool coral red flowers. I didn't recognize it--so I will go back later and take pictures of it so that I can do what Brent does--he with dead bones, me with Florida fauna.

The most memorable part of my day was the chance to photograph a Red Shouldered hawk who was sitting on a chain-link fence at the side of the road. He watched me ride by. I watched him as I rode by. Then I rode home and got my camera. By the time that I had cycled back, the hawk was still waiting.

The hawk and I see each other--I am impressed by him; he pretty much ignores me.

At the end of the day, this is what I see before I go back inside for the night.

Of course I put my bike back into the garage, take the camera out of the basket and bring it in to get the photographs off of the memory card and into my computer. Also, the red Jeep is in the driveway as soon as Brent and Nate get home from Peace River. The canoe comes off the Jeep, Brent and Nathan come inside for dinner, and . . . well, I don't know exactly where the crane goes for the night. I know that she'll be back tomorrow. And tomorrow I can begin to work on the huge pile of laundry that Nate and Brent brought back with them from their trip.

Pneumonia

This is a picture of me being sick with pneumonia. After days and days of pills and laying around just hurting, not being able to sleep, I still feel gross. I wanted to write something, since I've done VERY little since I got home from MD.

I spent 5 wonderful days with Megan and her family. All of us but Anton came down with wicked head colds. I got on the plane with a mucky head and the change of pressure must have forced the stuff into the far reaches of my head and chest. "Just a touch of pneumonia in the left lung," the doctor at the drop-in clinic told me. With sprays for my lungs and head and pills for my lungs and head I came home. I am not impressed with my body at this point.

I am impressed with Nathan, however, has ponied up handsomely. He has fetched and carried for me. I am so glad to have had him here with me. He is good at spoiling sick people.

September 14 Post is Now Out of Editing and Up to View

The Family That Made My Life Today Possible: My Husband Brent's Family

Brent's family: (top row) Penny, Russ, Brent

(middle row) Dad Dallan, Matt, Kathy

(front row) Mikie, Mom Libby

Everyone now is married--Penny is living in Utah and often spends time with my daughter Lauren. Russ is living outside of Salt Lake City, (renting a huge, gorgeous home that the owner cannot sell) where he has just taken a new job. Brent is the most incredible person--and he is mine--and I am his. Kathy lives in Colorado and is taking care of her grandchild--with the help of her two beautiful and talented daughters--Karissa and Kara. Dallan and Libby are also in Colorado--as is Mike and his family.

I love seeing photographs like this one in geneology family trees. So often all I view are photos taken of mother and fathers and sisters and lovers when they were grown and much used by life. In these tender years, the eyes are clearer and the seed of the lives they will live and will change around them have just begun to take root and begin to reach for sun and rain.

What I Do When Brent Is Gone

This evening Brent is in DC; Nathan is at the stake center for Institute; I found out this afternoon that I got a 104% on the Trig test I took Tuesday . . . and this is how I celebrate my quiet, victorious evening . . .

Actually, this is not the beginning of my "celebration"--I should have gotten an image of when I first dumped the two boxes of stuff--kind of like "junk drawer" stuff--out all at once on the floor.

Roo and Murphy (one of our two sets of rabbits--each bunny came into our home at a different time, so it was a really tough balancing act to get each in and out of his/her cage so that each got enough exercise. Puting more than one out resulted in (literally) fur flying all over the room and rabbits with great bald patches on sides and faces) were in the kitchen for their "frisking" time. Roo didn't appreciate the plethora of obstacles covering her carpet in the kitchen. Murphy, however, was enchanted. He carefully noted each object--no chewing, no pooping, no pee-ing--just a thorough inventory of all the new, small stuff he'd never seen or smelled before.

I started by deciding that I would "fix" a plastic bin drawer that is filled with extra bunny toys, flea drops, brushes, etc etc. Since it is old (I have a hard time getting "new" for the rabbits--and they don't care either way), the front of the bottom drawer had cracked. I had been working with some zip ties yesterday, so I decided that I'd poke some holes through the plastic on either side of the crack--to put the ties through. I found my small Lithium household drill, but couldn't find my drill bits. Then I decided that I'd just get the tip of a screwdriver really hot in the flame of a candle and melt the holes through. After discovering that it would take me much longer and much much much more trouble to wing it, I got up and went outside to Brent's workshop where I quickly found one of his heavy duty drills and properly sized bits. I brought them into the kitchen where I sat while Nathan finished eating some soup. I had the drawer in my lap, when I began to drill through the plastic on the front of the drawer. Nate jumped up. "What are you doing?"

"I'm fixing this."

"Why? It's broken and really old." (Yes, he is a college student.) "You don't have to do that."

"I know--but I WANT to do it and I WANT to do it this way."

"Oh."

Anyway.

In the process of looking for the drill bit and then a candle and a screwdriver to heat up--I had emptied two of our "household junk" boxes out and all over the kitchen floor.

I drilled my holes and zipped up the neon yellow ties (very attractive mending job--like the cross-stitched scar up the side of Frankenstein's forehead--appropriate for Halloween . . .) so now the drawer holds together beautifully--OK, NOT beautifully, but . . . wonderfully. At this point, Nathan was going out the door on his way to Institute in Stuart (about 30-40 minutes). When he left, the floor was nicely layered with odd bits of stuff we always need and always use, but very seldom return to their original storage place.

In the first photo you'll notice pens, staples, elastic bands, hair pins, two glasses cases, some utility knives, stickers, LOTS of different kinds of tape (medical, electrical, double-sided, packing) and some circlets of craft ribbon. There were pins and one needle, paper clips, a pencil sharpener, computer screen towelettes, papers, 4 light bulbs to my sewing machine, markers, highlighters, safety pins, two pair of pliers, a big and cheap screwdriver and a tiny and expensive screwdriver. There was a black tipped feather--from a gull, I think--and an exquisite stain-glass tree that Lauren made and gave to me a few years ago. This photo is taken about the time that I had gotten all the nails and screws into one pile, the loose coins into another, and amassed a handful of those umbilical cords that connect kids ears to their music.

Usually about this time, I run out of steam--take in the vast mess for the work that it represents (in getting it put away) and then dump all of it back into the boxes from which it came. The Fates were kind this evening.

It has just begun to pour down buckets of rain outside. Sometimes I mistake the AC coming on and the rain outside for each other. The AC kicked on about 15 minutes ago now and the windows behind me are echoing the beats of rain on the patio cement floor.

PS If you look carefully, you can see Oops! our mostly white rabbit, keeping close to the hutch door--he stayed there the whole time that I was moving stuff about. Usually he prefers to keep to the darker, back corner of the double cage that he shares with Peter.

I just noticed it.

Home From Church, and I Learn Who to Ask

A few weeks ago, I asked Brent to take a few pictures of me after we got home from Church. I don't wear anything besides shorts and t-shirts during the week--so I wanted to have a photo of me looking "nice." Brent was not happy about it. I keep forgetting that when he is tired, he has a hard time with sudden change in the regular routine of our home. It was a stressful event for him--and afterwards Nathan quietly told me that taking photographs was something that I shouldn't ask Brent to do. Instead, I should have him do that.

This is one of the many reasons that I will have a hard time when he leaves. Both Brent and I have come to depend upon him to put in movies, record Nova, BBC, the History channel and Sci-Fi channel. He knows (almost instinctually) how the screen, internet tower, three DVD players and the cable hook ups all coordinate. I am trying to learn--but it really is easier to simply ask Nathan to find a recorded show I want to watch, pull a movie off of the Netflix list, or to put in a DVD.

Right now he is reading me a list of Church signs--from the Heavy Duty Bathroom Book. "God shows no favoritism but our sign guy does: Go Cubs!" I also like "Whoever stole our lawnmower--God will get you!" Now he is waiting for me to work on homework with him--so I am done writing for the time being.

Dad, Susan, Martha, Rob, Nate Utah Summer 2011

Wagstaff Family

Nathan Burton, Robert Burton,

Robert K, Martha Elizabeth,

Carolyn Eva, Susan Ellen

July 2011, Orem, Utah

From an email to Rob:

Today has been strange--I forgot to take my meds last night and so didn't sleep and have felt fragile all today. I loved seeing you and your children. I still remember hearing you and M talking about Europe and places that you had both visited. Hearing the two of you discuss things that I had only ever read about made me feel left out at first. Now, though, the memory leaves a sweet peace--that the rest of the world is being seen and cared for by others while I can stay safe and small in my own space. I love you. One of the best parts of my summer was being in Nate's house with you and dad and Susan, and Martha. I have been away from all of you for so long now. Sometimes it is like I have always been married to Brent--everything before that was just a fable or epic poem. For so long I believed that I was a very intelligent, very smart person--then I married Brent and I knew I was brilliant--then I had Meg and La and Nate and I knew that I would never really know anything at all. I love you and I look forward to watching Benjamin and Natasha grow up while you and I grow older.

*******

I actually do look forward to growing older. I have given up on growing up--and I do want to continue to grow.

OraBrush, My Dad, Singing (Not Necessarily in That Order)

It's me as The OraBrush. Dad's home office is in Provo, UT and while I was there in July, he gave us a tour of the place where they make the OraBrush commercials, take orders and fill them, keep stores stocked, think up new ideas, and I haven't any idea what else.

My whole life, I have been the one on center stage. Every year at Concord Elementary school in Edina, MN, each grade had a different theme for the choral concert. I was (probably) in 4th grade and we sang songs about Indians and how they lived. I got to be an Indian Princess Mother and sang with another girl. The lullaby was first sung in the native language and then in English words. It was a soft, flowing rhythm that rolled off my tongue. I sang it to myself over and over again during the weeks before the concert. That night, I stood by the microphone and sang to the invisible, dark of the audience--and mom and dad where there to hear me do my thing. There were several years when I was part of different schools' music concerts--and mom always made any costumes I needed and mom and dad always came to hear me sing. In High School, I was in several plays. Mom and dad came to each one--whether I was in the chorus or was one of the stars.

Now, I go to YouTube and my dad is there: talking, being interviewed, explaining how OraBrush was first created and how, using YouTube, his creation has become an international feature. I am so proud of my dad. He and Cindy have put tens (if not thousands) of thousands of dollars into research and development and failed attempts over the last few years. Dad has a patent on a special kind of golf putter, and he created a nutrient supplement that makes egg yolks and broiler skin yellower. (That makes it look healthier and so we want to buy it and eat it more . . . that's what market research reported, anyway.) He has more patents that are owned by the companies that he was working for when he created them. Anyway. I think you understand what I'm talking about.

I was always proud of my dad when I was a little kid. Now that I'm a big kid, I think that he is even more wonderful.