Gearing up for Reunion 2011

I am therefore getting excited by putting together a little slideshow from some of the pictures I took last year... :)

Nelson Family Reunion 2010 - create free slideshows

Christmas 2010

This is the posting that SHOULD have been this past Christmas..... unfortunately that didn't happen, but better late than never, right?! So here it is, Christmas in July! ;p

Birthday Bash

In January there was a girl who had a birthday and this is a very very short blog about that day!

Falcon Babies Update....

Earlier tonight, Mary, Livie and I went down to Temple Square to attend the falcon field trip and volunteer orientation meeting. We were able to hear a lot from the people who work with these wonderful creatures on a daily basis.

The fledgelings are now about four weeks old, and are showing signs of being ready for flight training. A week or two called “Hell-week” by the experts and volunteers, due to the speed and lack of control on the part of these youngsters. With them hatching on a building in Down-town Salt Lake City, there are many and varied dangers.. Including but not limited to shiny windows, cars/trucks and physical hurt due to falling. These birds are pretty high on the food chain as far as other animals go, no other animals really prey on them. But many times they can attract illnesses from the food they are fed (such as city birds/small rodents) Fortunately pesticide that put them on the endangered-list have been banned for years and the population is now healthily climbing.

So the meeting tonight was basically to petition for and inform volunteers to help keep an eye out for these four.

In our family we’ve named them of course, and they are in order of birth: Junior, Turkey Basting, Nameless (adapt. from “Toothless”) and bibi-bibi (aka. the baby or the runt).

Basically they need help with paying attention to these four when they start flight training, by watching them and following them, if they fall to the ground; to catch them for release on top of building, or if hurt, hand them over to the rehab. people. With four young it might be a little busy too keep track of them all, so they were asking for more volunteers this year.

Rob Walters of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, has worked with these birds for many many years (since the mid ‘80s I think) and is in charge down there on Temple Square. He is expecting “hell-week” to start around July 4th which I think is fitting for these majestic creatures. :D

Dinner Night...

Tonight's been my dinner-night and I decided a few days ago I wanted Hawaiian Haystacks... So that's what I made... Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of it before it got put away, so you'll all just have to deal with other people's pictures.... *giggle*

Haystacks (as we call them for short) are quickly becoming a family favorite here at our house. It's delicious, it's nutritious and everybody gets to build it to their taste.

There are a multitude of recipes, all as different as our personalities. BUT the basics are the same.
You start with your regular sticky rice... and shredded chicken in a white sauce, but here the variables and changes start.... I've found the easiest way is to just put pieces of chicken in the crock-pot and let them cook for a couple of hours. Right after they are cooked enough to cut easily, shred the pieces with two forks and put them back in the Crock Pot. Then make a white sauce, I season with salt, pepper, onion powder, ground ginger, a little oregano and a LOT of Basil. When your white sauce is thick add it to the chicken and let it simmer for a little while. In the meantime, cut up your onions, green onions, cashew nuts, mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, pineapple, whatever you want and feel like... I also shred cheese, put out a bowl of craisins, open a can or two of canned mandarin oranges....

Basically from the white sauce out you're looking at a hodge-podge of whatever your taste buds desire. So you start by putting the rice on your plate, add the chicken "sauce", and then add the toppings as much or as little as you want. In the end dig in and enjoy!! :)
ALOHA!! :)

FANFICTION

Normally I'm super super picky when it comes to my favorite stories/novels... and so fan-fiction is a delicate area for me. But my very very dear friend has written a fan-fiction of Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice that is really good, and I highly recommend it to you all. If you're into this sort I would be delighted if you would check it out!!

One Thread Pulled Chapter 1: The Assembly Ball, a pride and prejudice fanfic - FanFiction.Net

Our new Pets....

Okay so the title is a bit of a tease.... To clarify, we don't have any new pets at our house, (Hilda is very,VERY allergic and sensitive!!!!)... We get to enjoy them 24/7 (if we want to), and we don’t have to clean up after them or feed them or anything!!! In short they are the PERFECT PETS (for this household at least).... So wanna meet them???

Here they are... our babies.... Peregrine falcon cam It’s actually quite funny.... the kids crowd around the computers, we have the falcon cam running on at least ONE computer every hour... and we all watch mesmerized... Even the boy!!! :) We love these little tykes, AND their parents! The services provided by the state, with the cameras and all the info, not to mention all the hours of service that goes on in regards to these beautiful creatures, is quite amazing!! To be able to see these wild animals up close and personal... and the fact that they’re thriving in such an urban community is awesome.... A TRUE DELIGHT!!!! :)

For more see also this blog by Liz Schubert...

More Peregrine falcon facts

• Scientific name: Falco peregrinus (In Latin, peregrinus means wandering.)
• Distribution: Cosmopolitan, but mainly in arctic to temperate regions
• Status: Formerly listed by the U.S. government as endangered, but recently delisted
• Life span: 10 to 12 years; 20 years in captivity
• Length: 10 to 20 inches (females are larger than the males)
• Wingspan: 36 to 45 inches (females are larger than the males)
• Weight: 1 pound 4 ounces to 2 pounds 12 ounces
• Plumage: In most plumages, the dark head appears hooded; slate grey-backed (dark brown-backed as juvenile) with cream-colored underparts, thick dark "mustache" (malar) mark below eye
• Eyesight: Up to eight times better than human vision
• Song: In protest, a loud, rapidly-repeated "kak, kak, kak"
• Flight speed: Clocked at 175 to 200 mph in vertical stoop or when diving from great heights upon prey
• Appearance in flight: Active flight is with shallow, but stiff and powerful wingbeats; soaring is on flat wings and a widely fanned tail; gliding is with wings level or with writs below the body and the wingtips up
• Abundance and seasonal status: Nests in Utah; occasionally seen during fall migration and sometimes is a winter resident
• Nesting habits: Tall, sheer cliff faces, often within 14 miles of water; occasionally on bridges, buildings and towers
• Number of eggs in clutch: Typically three to four
• Wintering habits: Southern North America, Central America and South America
• Food: Almost exclusively birds, nearly always caught in mid-flight; fledglings often chase after and catch flying insects, such as dragonflies
• Factors responsible for decline: Pesticides, habitat loss, pollution, poisoning and shooting
• Factors responsible for recovery: The ban in the use of the pesticide DDT in 1972 is believed to have contributed significantly to the recovery; in recent years, the outlook for the birds improved enough that they have been delisted from the federal endangered species list.

Desert Pyramidal Saxifrage

As a Scandi-hoovian living in the desert, it is a good idea to be very friendly and generous with sunscreen and sunblock..

I seem to forget or miss this fact, as I get sunburned over and over and over again... and it's not good!!! And I know better, and I guess I'm just careless... to the point of stupidity... so what am i going to do about it? Well that's just it.... I don't know.... haven't figured that out yet... meanwhile it's another agonizing night ahead for me.... I'll probably have to sleep on my stomach, which is bad for my sunburned arms, but better than being on my back and suffocating my poor sunburned neck..... *sigh*......
Anywho, sorry for the pity-party... I'll just pour more Aloe on myself... and hope I get the message.... WEAR SUNSCREEN!!!!!!!!



by the way, the title is a reference to the Norwegian State Flower... and living in UT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chondrosea_cotyledon

COOL WORDS!!! :)

(yes, I’m such a geek)

What does one call a lover of words?
- A Logophile! The word comes from the Greek source “logo” which means speech and “phile” meaning friend/lover.

Some of my favorites are:

• Nefarious
• Defenestrate :P
• Kerfuffle :)
• Persnickety :)
• Juxtapose
• Discombobulate (yes it has become a “proper” word!)

ONE HOUR LIFE HISTORY part 2

You might want to think about your Life History again. You can add more to your life history in one-hour increments. Try one of the following options. When you finish a project, make a clean copy and put it in your file/folder/binder.

• Write a story about an event in your childhood. The story doesn't have to have earthshaking significance; it just has to mean something to you. Begin like this: "I remember when I was seven...." You will be amazed at what you remember!
• Elaborate on any of the topics in the first history. Add the details you had to skip before.
• Perhaps you have already written some stories about your life and your family. Locate them and add them to your files.
• Add photographs to your history. Seeing the faces and places described in the text can help it come alive. You can purchase archival-quality pages to hold photographs; or copies of your photographs can be made on a copy machine and include in your documents.
• Write down your testimony. Schedule a special time and seek the Spirit of the Lord.
• How about a romance chapter? Write the story of your courtship, engagement, wedding and honeymoon.
• Write some memories of your children. Reminisce on their babyhood and the cute things they said and did.
• Write about yourself as you see yourself. How do you feel and what do you think? Describe yourself, not just physically, but with the other interesting details: that you cry over sentimental movies, love baseball and hate beets... ;p
• Write about your best Christmas, summer vacation or annual family outing; write about any holiday or vacation for that matter.
• Make lists, for example what are your favorite foods? What is your favorite TV show?
• Write about items in your home that have a special meaning to you. If your son cut his teeth on the back of a chair, write about it. And mention any furniture handed down to you from a loved one.
• Write a one page annual update of the highlights of the past year.
• Make a fancy for for your documents, add index tabs, or think up more topics. (On a personal note, I would add getting letters and notes from other family members about the same times/details you are writing about... for example does your little sister remember you feeding the do your dinner also?)

Gradually, you will write a life history rich in detail. But don’t think about that. For now,  have fun in just one hour :p

ONE HOUR LIFE HISTORY

This is from an article I found in a magazine from 1994, by a woman named Carol Huber... That is all the reference I have I am sorry. It's great advice! :)

Writing a life history sounds like a monumental task but it can be done in an hour. It's easy, It's even fun. Here is one way to begin:

• Set aside an hour - use a timer to ease your mind, and find a comfortable place to write.
• Use a legal pad and a ballpoint pen, a typewriter or a computer. Or if writing is difficult for you, talk into a tape recorder and have someone else transcribe it.
• Begin with your name. Simply write "My name is...." Tell how you got your name what it means, your nicknames etc. If you were named for Aunt Matilda or Grandpa George, write that down.
• Now write everything you know about where you were born: the name of the hospital or the address of the house or the location of the farm. Add details about the weather, the time of day, and the day of the week.
• List the names, birthplaces, and birth dates of your parents, brothers and sisters.
• Name the schools you attended, including college. You may be tempted to begin a long story about the time you and your best friend got lost collecting for a paper drive. Resist the temptation. Straying from the assignment will run into overtime and make you reluctant to return to your history!
• List the organizations you joined as a child - Primary, Brownies, Girl Scouts, Boy scouts. Did you play the tuba in a marching band?
• List important Church dates, such as your baptism and other ordinances, and your Church callings.
• List the date, location and other significant details of your marriage. Then list your children and their birth dates. Mention important changes in your family - - a child's marriage, deaths, divorces, moves and jobs. Remember, keep to the bare bones of your life. You only have one hour so stick to the facts.Describe how you have spent your adult life - at work, at home, and so forth.

You're done!
Make a clean copy of your work. Use page protectors and insert it into a folder or a binder. The binder will make it easy to add material later on. Keep this history with your baby book and journal. Continue to write in your journal. Your one-hour life history will be a fair representation of your life. You never have to worry about writing your life history again if you don't want to.

Picture from Rose Briar.

To GEEK or NOT to GEEK... that is the question.....

When I first came back to UT. abt. a year and a half ago, I was in Twilight Mode with a bit of Regency Era thrown in, I am not ashamed to admit I was (and still in some was am) all about Edward and the immortal.... The kids here made fun, baited me and in general tried to harass it out of me, but unbeknownst to me the geek was deeply rooted and being as stubborn as I am they made no headway..... Then, in a sheer moment of brilliancy, (on their part) they introduced me to the Doctor.... Who might you ask.... (as well you should....) My first episode was "Blink" and boy was it it a whooper...

To make a long story short I was continually reluctant for about a couple of months and my attraction was at first to the Brilliant LOVELY "tall, lanky lad" from Scotland; Mr. David Tennant. I had watched him before and had sort of a "super-like"'ish crush on him, but after I'd watched a few episodes of Series 4 my fan-girl'dom (for the Doctor) was solid and irrevocable.... Since then the "damage" went from bad to worse, and the geek in me came waaaay out of the (Geek) Closet!!!! At that point we had caught up to the last season/series of Davids' and I was at my first regeneration.... (that's how the doctor changes and the actor can move on... I'll get back to the technical stuff later...) The new guy was an rather unknown actor named Matt Smith and I was scared an skeptical yet hopeful at the same time..... Well, as hard and emotional (YES, I cried!!!! Bawled like a baby!!!!! Complete mess and lost it at the end.....) as that experience was, the next year brought a new Doctor, a new companion (those who travel with the doctor) and new adventures, I grew in fondness and love for the 11th Doctor and the actor who portrayed him. It's now the middle of the second season for Doc. 11 and his comps, and I'm still going strong.... So why this long chronicle about my history with Doctor Who????


Because that is what started the whole madness of letting out the Geek inside me... it had been hidden and oppressed for so very many years, but after the Doctor came into my life, it was able to fight it's way out and proclaim itself... Am I still a fan of Twilight? YES!
Am I still a fan of Jane Austen et all?? HECK YEAH!!!!
But I am definitely also a GEEK!!!!!


My FANDOM index:

• Doctor Who
• Torchwood/Sarah Jane Chronicles
• Superman/Smallville
• Star WARS (NOT trek!!!!!!)
• Lord of the Rings/Tolkien
• Chronicles of Narnia
• Iron Man
• Other Comics (include Elf Quest, Astrix, the Phantom, SilverArrow, etc.)
• Firefly/Serenity
• Charmed
• Jane Austen/Brontes/et all

The list is longer and more plentiful, and I'm sure I will continue to add to the catalog the rest of my life... but hey, this gives me more to blog about as well so it's all good... lol.


Granted, it depends largely on my surroundings and environment, and I'm sure the intensity for some things will come and go (as with everything in our lives) but the Doctor has forever a place in my heart, and so (though I won't admit it to them) do these kids for doing this to me! ;p


However, I have to affirm, Mr. Darcy is still number one for me!!!!



Look for yours truly in this:

Pias verden: Baby, vanlig mat, spising og grising.

A fabulous piece (sorry that it is in Norwegian... but let google chrome translate it for you!!!! ) about children and eating!!! GOOD JOB PIA!! :)

Pias verden: Baby, vanlig mat, spising og grising.: "De fleste foreldre gjør sine egne erfaringer og kommer dermed med klare konklusjoner. Som de da tror gjelder for alle barn. Dere har vel a..."

The Fam... :D

There's Grandma Verda and Grandpa Willard, they have 7 kids:


Nadine (Terry)
Steve (Tami)
Neil (Pat)
Diana (John)
Toni (Larry)
Susi (Seth)
Heidi (John)


and these guys all have children and grandchildren:) of which I am an "adopted grandchild" as I "belong" to Heidi's "gang" Heidi, however, is older than me but not old enough to be my mum... so (in my eyes) she's more like my older sister :) (by 15 yrs).


I consider myself very fortunate to be part of this large, crazy, wonderful clan of people. 

Varied Tastes

I'm a bit of an eclectic when it comes to taste of music, books, films and other such interests....

PARTICULARLY when it comes to music... for example, I LOOOOVED the 80's puffy rock, the nineties Hard (and somewhat alternative) Rock, but I am absolutely in LOVE with Classical music, and Opera in particular. I remember as a little girl I would watch the New Year Concert from Wien with my grandmother each New Years day and I would stand behind a chair, do little ballet poses, swing with the Waltz and practice my opera... you see I was going to be an opera singing ballerina!! Fortunately in my life, I've been able to surround myself with friends who actually managed to become Opera singers, and I enjoy their talents immensely! :) (needless to say that didn't happen for me... either of them...)

Last night I was able to attend a recital at one of our neighbors' of one of my dear friends singing with two of her co-students who are getting their Doctorates at the University of Utah in Vocal Performance (correct me if I'm wrong Erin!)

And boy was it a fantastic way to spend the evening! (Not to mention the yummy treats afterward!!!) These ladies are sooo talented and it was such a pleasure to see the relationship between the three singers and also with their accompanist. The program was magnificently put together with varied yet comparable songs, from a handful of composers. There was even a piece by George Gershwin and one by Stephen Sondheim!! :) (For those not in the "know", they are not generally considered Opera composers.. though there is certainly debates about it.. )

Anywho, I was going somewhere with this, but it's after one in the morning and the conclusion to this post has left me a long time ago... so here is the substitute ending...It was a fun evening, with wonderful Opera music, the end ;)

Marjorie Morgan Gray Wagstaff

Today I said goodbye to an old friend.

Marge or Gramma Marge as she was also called was a cankerous, grumpy, outspoken, beautiful and kind generous woman.

She was born in Salt Lake City, UT. in April 1914 and was 97 when she died. She passed away in her sleep, in the wee morning hours, last sunday and it was not wholly unexpected as she'd been feeling a little "off" for a week.

She had a quick wit and a bright and winning personality and was loved by many. Me included. I was fortunate to be able to spend some time caring for her in her home and she could make me smile and laugh like no one else. Even when she was in pain or uncomfortable, her focus was elsewhere.

Marge was a great lady and a beautiful person (fitting, as she was a beautician). She took me in and loved me with open arms, and I am a better person for having known her.
The funeral today was lovely.. funny, sharp and a little sad. Not because Marge had died, but more because she has left us behind.

A great life lived and continues on elsewhere. Thanks for your love Marge!

GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Living with Autism is hard! Living with teenagers is hard... put the two together, and sometimes you want to scream and tear your hair out!!!!!

And, I'm not trying to lessen anyones burdens or make light of a difficult situation... but sometimes I can't help but wonder if living with High Functioning Autism is almost worse.... Why do I make this claim??? Well, because, with some "issues" it might be easier to acknowledge that there are issues and one remembers it better I think. With the HFA, people seem more capable and "normal" (for the lack of a better word or term...) and it's easier to forget about the things they just can't do..

The unfortunate problem, in my experience, is topping it off when there are simple ways of tricks or tools one can implement in order to lessen the burden for all involved, and not everyone involved are on board... That makes it REALLY REALLY HARD!!! Not to mention frustrating!!!

Now of course, everyones' experience is different and unique, and I only claim my personal experience with this disorder and living with it!

To start of with, let me tell you what Aspergers is:

Asperger's syndrome is a developmental disorder that affects a person's ability to socialize and communicate effectively with others. Children with Asperger's syndrome typically exhibit social awkwardness and an all-absorbing interest in specific topics.

Doctors group Asperger's syndrome with other conditions that are called autistic spectrum disorders or pervasive developmental disorders. These disorders all involve problems with social skills and communication. Asperger's syndrome is generally thought to be at the milder end of this spectrum.

Parents often first notice the symptoms of Asperger's syndrome when their child starts preschool and begins to interact with other children. Children with Asperger's syndrome may:

Not pick up on social cues and may lack inborn social skills, such as being able to read others' body language, start or maintain a conversation, and take turns talking.

Dislike any changes in routines.

Appear to lack empathy.

Be unable to recognize subtle differences in speech tone, pitch, and accent that alter the meaning of others’ speech. Thus, they may not understand a joke or may take a sarcastic comment literally.

While there's no cure for Asperger's syndrome, if your child has the condition treatment can help him or her learn how to interact more successfully in social situations.

Now, of course this is just in technical terms. And with each individual it reveals itself differently, and at different times/ages.

For me, living in a house with one definite and three possible Aspies, life can get pretty rocky.. and sometimes downright depressing! So I have to remind myself that this is a real proper issue and to be more patient... But BOY is it HARD!!!!