It has been awhile...

I still have dad's bright fleece.  I wear it exercising.  Sat am it was snowing.  I tied it around my head.  It is a badge of pride. 

Winter's a comin'!

We officially turned on the heat. At least for tonight. I was bundled up with the windows open enjoying the fresh air and told Craig it would be too hot to turn the heat on. He commented on how bundled up I was and said, "Oh yeah! You're used to it from growing up. You know, California's not that cold but every time I went to your house, it was freezing, especially on those cold, hardwood floors!"

Which reminded me, I think Cat and I asked our dad to turn up the heat so that our feet could be warm when we got out of bed. He replied, "I'm not going to turn on the heat so you can have warm feet when you get out of bed!"

That was my dad, always asavin' money!

I also remember Sundays after church in the August heat with no air conditioning. Just laying on the blue couch feeling so hot. Why the HECK did we only have one fan for the whole house that was always found in Cathryn's bedroom?

That's my dad

So, I read some letters that my dad wrote Carl on his mission. I just read this part:

"Susie is busy getting the homecoming float ready. She's using my paint brushes. She reassures me that they are being cleaned out perfectly, but I have not seen them yet. Oh well without my five good paintbrushes I will never have to paint again."

Want to know the rest of that story? I did clean them out every night until Friday, when I had to leave early and asked my friend to clean them out. She promised she would. She didn't. She did put them in the trunk of her car, so when I got them a week later, they were all crusted over. I, of course, hid them from my dad until he asked a month later where all his paintbrushes and rollers were. I began to cry and tell him how sorry I was. He said, did I not realize they were 40 dollar real sheepskin rollers for each one?

No. I didn't. He didn't get mad. He just said something like, "Well, okay." And then life continued on. I still feel badly.

My thoughts today? My sweet dad! I'm sorry! You were so nice to loan them to me.

Towards the kids in leadership who I asked if they would pay me back since they didn't take care of the brushes--and they voted on it and said no--I say today, Damn you selfish rich teenagers! I didn't like any of them anyway.

What an awesome Dad, I didn't realize he knew the result of his brushes before I did. I really had all the assurance that I'd get them back to him safe and sound.

Dad's hatred of cats...explained

From a letter written home to his family from his mission:

Have I told you about Frau Bolliger, she is very nice but likes cats. She has 13. The other day one got run over. She has a special room especially for the cats. In her apartment there is our bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, living room where she sleeps because the other room is made especially for the cats, with a piece of plastic covering the window which allows the cats to come in and out at will. She even has [a] stuffed cat on one of her tables. Her front room “smells,” I wonder why. I am going to try to get a picture of all of her cats lying around in the living room.

How Life Becomes Legend

This morning Sarah was remembering Grandpa Poppy. She remembers how he would give her piggy back rides, and throw her in the air when she was a baby. She said she remembered how before he became sick he used to talk like a duck. And then the story... Grandpa spoke like a duck because he had a duck inside him. One day he went swimming in a pond and came out of the water with his mouth open. A baby duck went inside and he swallowed it as he was grasping for air. This duckling grew inside him. Grandpa also began to swim...grandpa naturally couldn't swim, in fact, when he was a boy scout he couldn't even float! He talked duck and it grew so much that one day he couldn't talk any more except to talk like a duck. That's when grandpa stopped talking very much. Slowly the duck took over his brain and body. Then he couldn't live any more because he became more duck than man.

Did you ever realize Grandpa could always talk like a duck until close to the very end?

So Sweet

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  July 05, 2010

Gustafson's,
Having grown up until age 12 on Preston Street and a year behind Denny (I think he became Gus later), I have good memories and fond feelings for your son-husband-dad. The first one of Denny that came to mind as I sadly saw his obituary was one of Christmas at age 9 or 10. As we made neighborhood rounds (foreshadowing our careers, I guess) to tell what Santa brought and see how our buddies fared, I felt sorry for Denny because instead of toys he got books--science books. No kid wanted books! Any more than they wanted sox. But amazing to us, he seemed perfectly content, yes eager in fact. And that quest to know got him into Princeton, I later learned from missionary friend Keith Hilbig, and into Columbia and the medical profession, I learned from Herbert as we talked once during his visit to the Salt Lake Clinic, and now into God's good graces I learn from the obituary, having led a stellar life and left the world 7 kids better. Be sorrowful at his passing but comforted over his moving on to stage 3, and joyful at the prospect of eternal togetherness with his sound mind restored.
Blessings to you.

~

Louis Moench,

Salt Lake City, Utah

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July 03, 2010

Dear Family of Dennis,
My dad worked at Continental Bank with Dennis' dad & we have fond memories of both his mom & dad from those years. My dad passed away four years ago & my mom is living with us, now in her 92nd year. Please give Dennis' dad our love & we pray that you, Judy & your family will be comforted & find peace in knowing that Dennis is in a good place where he's among loved ones who have also graduated to another level in the Plan. May you be blessed with that peace to be with you.
Love, The Family of Leslie Fletcher & Elva Fletcher

~

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June 29, 2010

Judy and Family:
We are so very sorry for your loss. As we've watched Dennis these past few years we've been amazed at his tenacity for keeping healthy in biking, walking and just enjoying the great outdoors.
You have been so tremendously devoted to his comfort & care. We pray you will find peace in your heart at this most difficult time.
Love,

~

Betsy and Art Fowler,

Alamo, California

June 29, 2010

To The Family of Dr. Gustafson,
It was a shock to learn of the passing of Dr. Gustafson. He was a kind and gentle man. I worked with him for many years at Los Medanos Hospital and admired him very much for his caring spirit. May your memories sustain you in years to come. Remember he will remain in the hearts of many who knew him. God bless you all.
Lucille Sterling,RN
Baton Rouge,La.

European vacation

Dad's beloved pastry place, Bratislava Slovakia:

Pastries were only thirty cents each--He kept going back for more and then we packed some in our backpack for the next day.

I got to take my dad to Europe with my newborn babe in 2005 and show him all the sites where I studied abroad.

In Vienna:

Prague:

Carl und Vati in Wien. Ich spreche kein deutsch, verklich Vati?! I happened to make Dad laugh out loud at me trying to speak German to him.

Got to love this picture. It's a centuries-old flower market in Prague and Dad wanted some nuts. He asked the stand-guy (Can't think of the word-man that tends the booth?) for some nuts. Sure, how many? Dad gets a handful. The guy snorts and waves him away. Dad gets them for free. Now that's called Thrifty!

And may I mention that dad's wearing my hat? It's from high school and I thought I'd lost it. Nope, it was on dad's head five years later. It looked good on either of us.
Again "This won't turn out."

We both loved this movie! It filled Dad's music requirement and my holocaust requirement.
A later trip to SF:Dad in Brazil picking Carl up from his mission a few years earlier.
We sure do love you daddy-o! We're glad you're so darn happy right now and that you accomplished everything you came here to do and succeeded in enduring to the end! We couldn't have asked for a better Dad for us all. Thank you for setting the bar so high in your testimony of the Savior and staying close to Heavenly Father. You gave all us kids and our grandkids the best legacy of all. We love you!