A Much Anticipated Road Trip

Because of the pandemic we haven't done much traveling this year. As a result, there are some of our kids that we haven't been able to see or spend time with near as much as we would have liked to. But there has been one event that we did not want to miss, by any means.  That was the baptism of one of our grandkids, Heidlebeere's son; so far we have been able to be to them all.  So we've really been wanting to go to this one, and things were shaping up so that it looked like we'd be able to go.  That would also give us a chance to see Moosebeere and his family as well.  We really wanted to be able to do that because it had been over a year since we were last able to visit them.  So this was a very much anticipated trip.  The plan, as it had shaped up, was to leave early on a Monday morning, hoping to get there by Tuesday evening.  But when Sunday evening rolled around and everything else was done, we looked at each other and realized that there really wasn't anything to wait for.  So we quick packed, threw everything in the car, and took off.  

And so it was that we found ourselves stopping for gas in Wyoming on Monday at a Sinclair station, you know, the ones with the cute dinosaurs that so many stations like to decorate?  This one, too.  Monday evening we pulled into Moosebeere's place after one of the better, quicker drives across the country that we've ever made.  I think we were anxious to get there.

Because of the pandemic, there really wasn't any place to go, so we just hung out at the house, enjoying this family that we hadn't seen for so long. The kids love playing on the trampoline, one of the more fun things they've been able to do with so many other things are shut down. 

It was fun.  It reminded me a lot of when I was growing up.  We also had a trampoline.  They were not nearly as popular back then, ours was the only one I knew of in the neighborhood and all the neighborhood kids loved to come jump on it.  Saw a lot of the same moves on Moosebeere's trampoline that we used to do on ours.

Anyway, one of the things we did do, since outdoor activities are generally acceptable, was drive up into the mountains for a picnic.

That was particularly nice since all the fall colors were still on.  Fall in the mountains can be really nice.

The variety of trees up in the mountains, at the higher elevations, is quite different from what we have at home.  And the added element of the mountains makes it really nice.

Up in the mountains you can see the colors stretch out for miles and miles.

We went way back in, up near the summit, which was about 9,000 feet.  Alas, there had been some cold weather just the week before we got there, including some snow, that had pretty much ended the colors up near the summit.  But driving there was really pretty.

At the top, we pulled out into a meadow, broke out the camp chairs, and had our picnic.  We had also brought our bocce ball game.  We've really liked it because even the youngest can play and have fun, right along with everyone else.  Its been fun watching the littler kids play it.  Some of them actually do pretty good with it.

Grandma got to spend some time with her youngest grandbaby, whom we haven't seen since last year when she was just a few months old.  Its amazing the difference a little over a year makes.  But what was really nice was that the little one took to her grandma right off the bat, they were good friends from the moment we walked in the door.  That made grandma really happy.

All too soon, our time with Moosebeere and his family drew to an end. It was a good visit, a relaxing visit, which I think we all benefited from.  Then it was on to Heidlebeere's for the main event.

The baptism was a little slow starting because the bishop had forgotten and was out of town.  Some last minute phone calls and juggling got the first counselor there, albeit a little late.

But in the end, the baptism took place and everyone was happy.

We also went picnicking with Heidlebeere's family, too.  This picnic was at a local park, rather than up in the mountains.  But that was okay.

The added bonus was that Stachelbeere has been staying with Heidlebeere since he graduated so we got to see him.  It has been even longer since we last got to spend some time with him.  So it was nice to see him, along with Heidlebeere and her family.

Camp chairs again, it was a good time.

Grandma had come prepared so one of the other things we did was make "slime" with the grandkids.  Kids seem to love slime, making it and playing with it. This time was no different.

So we spent time with the kids and grandkids, having fun and enjoying each other's company.  Unfortunately, all too soon it was time to head back home.  The trip was cut shorter than we'd have preferred, not by the need to get back to work but by an appointment we'd been unable to reschedule.  

So we hopped in our little Sonic and headed for home, making sure we stopped at a Sonic for lunch along the way.

I love taking our Sonic to a Sonic for lunch.  Unfortunately, they don't have them where we live so we have to make that stop when we're out west.

A good chance to get a nice hot dog; simple pleasures.

This was a good trip, a fun trip.  And now that we're retired and can go whenever we want, we might have to find an excuse to go again, certainly before another year goes by.

How Our Fathers Went Down ...

Recently we were able to make a trip out west to visit some of our kids.  This was a long anticipated trip but that's another story.  Today, it's something else.   I recently was poking around in Brombeere's family history and discovered that she has an ancestor buried not too far off the route we frequently take when we make this trip out west.  So we decided to make a stop and see if we could find the grave.

Originally, the plan had been to stop on the way out but we moved the time of our departure up which put us going by the cemetery after dark; we weren't sure we could find the headstone in the dark.  So we saved it for the trip home.  

The cemetery wasn't hard to find, but it was a bit out of the way.  Out on the plains, in the middle of nowhere.  Actually, it was a pretty nice setting.  We'd learned that this ancestor had moved out there after a conversation with a brother, who had suggested relocating.  Yeah, so that's what happened.  Unfortunately, a few years after moving they'd suffered a stroke and died and had been buried there, instead of in the county where all the rest of Brombeere's recent ancestors are buried.

So we stopped and had to hunt around to find the headstone.  But it was a small cemetery and it only took ten or fifteen minutes to find.

So we spent a while there, thinking and talking about the ancestor and their life, as we had been able to learn about it.  It was a good stop.  We were glad we had been able to stop.

Sunday Thoughts

Last week I taught the lesson in the “virtual” Gospel Doctrine class our ward has been holding during the restricted meetings held by the church during the coronavirus pandemic.  I wanted to preserve some insights I gained during that experience. 

The lesson was from the Come Follow Me curriculum, the lesson on Helaman chapters 13-16, which is from the preaching and prophesying Samuel the Lamanite did from the walls of the City of Zarahemla.  Specifically, Helaman 15:3, which says, “Yea, wo unto this people who are called the people of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; for behold, they have been a chosen people of the Lord; yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he chastened them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them.”  Samuel’s words contain many stern chastisements, but Helaman 15:3 gives a unique perspective on chastening from the Lord. 

"Chastisement" is another strong word, like "Commandment", easily taken more harshly than it really is. I like the word "Correction" better, or even "Guidance". Perhaps the Lord uses these strong words because He appreciates what's at stake better than we do. But remember what He's said:  

"Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you — Wherefore, ye must needs be chastened and stand rebuked before my face." (D&C 95:1-2)

 He also said 

"My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom." (D&C 136:31)

Anyone who is trying to get closer to the Lord and better do His will is going to bear chastisement.  In bearing chastisement, it is well to keep in mind what it says in D&C 121:41-44 (43): 

“No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy; That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.”

Take special note of the phrase, “Reproving betimes with sharpness.” My dictionary gives several definitions for "Sharpness", including these two: 

• "Having clear form and detail"
• "Clearly and distinctly set forth"

This passage is one we often associate with how we should preside or lead. But it applies to the many relationships we find ourselves in, including us on the receiving end of our relationship with Christ. This passage uncovers and explains the loving manner in which Christ works with us to help us progress toward being able to live the kind of life He lives.  His goal, after all, is to bring to pass our Eternal Life (Moses 1:39, John 17:3, 1 John 3:2). 

The Lord maintains and exercises His power of persuasion by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge our soul without hypocrisy, and without guile so that we may know that His faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.  He has done everything our agency allows to help us successfully complete this period of our eternal progression and achieve Eternal Life. He will continue for as long as there is a single soul yet to be saved (Moroni 7:36).

The Room

Let me start by saying this is in no way a complaint or an effort to disparage anyone in any way.  This is only to illustrate just how far this room has come recently in what we did to it.

Our son, Himbeere, has been living in his room for quite a while.  He is not the neatest of tenants that has occupied that room.  This has been a trend for a long time.  This was his space and we pretty much gave him free reign on it, not bugging him (very much, anyway) about what condition he kept his space in.  He had moved out a couple of times in recent years but each time had come back too soon for us to do any reclamation work on the room. So when he recently moved out in what seems like a permanent move, we decided we wanted to turn the room into a guest room but would need to do some work to it to get it to that point.

Just before he moved out I took a couple of "before" pictures.  It was full of furniture and all his other stuff.  I'm not sure how much use his dresser actually got.

Anyway, it took him a number of weekends to move all the stuff he wanted out.  The rest he said we could toss, which we did.  The big stuff he was kind enough to bring up stairs and load into the trailer so all I had to do was hook it up and drive it to the dump.  Anyway, once he gave the okay, that he was officially and completely out of the room, we began cleaning and getting it ready to make some changes.

The plan was to keep the changes simple, just some painting and changes in furniture.  However, once we got the room empty and clean we noticed some spots on the one wall that looked like they might have been wet.  That, along with the musty smell, made us take a closer look. That's where the whole project began to go south.

We turned the carpet back in the corner and saw where it had been wet, actually was still a little moist, its hard to tell with cement sometimes.  So we ended up taking the lower part of the wall covering off.  It was just panel, not drywall, which made it a little easier, at least.

But then we had to see if we could find where the moisture had come from.  We never found any place that was an obvious spot so we ended up treating the window on the outside, to make sure it was sealed properly.  Mosebeere was our technical advisor through all of this, helping us know what we needed to do, what to use, and how to do it. While all that was going on outside, we had put a dehumidifier and fans inside to dry the room out.  It took a couple of days, but it did dry out and the musty smell went away.

The first step, as we began putting it all back together, was to treat the wall with mildew retardant, to seal the wall and inhibit the growth of any mildew or mold.

Then, after getting the material we would need to close up the wall, we spent some time measuring and cutting, to piece the materials back together for the wall. 

Schwartzbeere was also a tremendous help, with actually doing a lot of the cutting, lifting, and building, as we put the wall back together.

In replacing the insulation in the wall, we ended up having to cut ten pieces to fit in between the boards that had held the paneling on; we just stayed with paneling, rather than doing drywall.

Our "shop", where we did all the cutting, was the great out-doors, the place where we had enough room.

Then we took all the pieces downstairs and installed them.

It took us a while, a bit longer than we originally thought it would, but we finally got everything back together and were finally ready to begin painting.  From the time we discovered the moisture until we had the wall back together, it seemed like Murphy's Law was in full operation, nothing went as simple as it seemed like it should have.  But finally it was done and ready to be painted.

Part of all the work to be done in the room was repairing the shelf in the closet.  It hadn't been installed correctly way back when, and, as a result, had collapsed a few years ago.  Since we were doing all this work in the room we decided to fix the shelf, too.

That meant working in the "shop" some more to measure and cut some boards.

Then they had to be stained to match the paneling already in the closet.

But after a bit, they were all done and ready to install. They just needed some drying time first.

Soon enough they were dry so I gathered everything I needed together and got ready to get at it.

We cleared out all the stuff from the closet and got started

A measurement here, a few screws there, and pretty soon the shelf was up and in place.

Much more serviceable than before it fell out of the closet way back when.

There was also the matter of the door to the room, it has never fit well since we bought the house.  We had worked at it before but this time we were determined to fix it.  That involved a lot of sanding.  But in the end, Brombeere won and the door closed and fit like a normal door.

Over the next several days work on the room continued, painting and then touching up, getting the finishing touches in place.  The detail work.

Murphy's Law continued to operate in full force as we'd find this little detail or that one that had to be altered or fixed, sometimes requiring some work to be redone.  For example, we had painted the door after all the sanding because it was too hammered and damaged to just leave.  So we taped the door knob because it was the old kind that came off by pressing a tab instead of undoing screws. Pressing the tab proved to be too much so we just carefully taped it. But when we took the tape off we found it hadn't been fully tight and paint had gotten where we didn't want it. So we worked harder on the door knob and Schwatrzbeere (to the rescue again!) was finally able to get it off.  Then we did the painting around the hole and bought a new door knob.  But when it came time to put on the new knob we found the hole from the old one was too small and more work had to be done to make the new one fit.

Then we also had to do some work on door frame, to the little hole where the strike plate went, since it also didn't line up like it needed to for the new knob.

Once the holes were in place enough to fit the new knob, we had to do some more patching and painting.  But gradually the room continued to progress towards being done.  We even had a "guest" stay in the room at that point.  Maulbeere was over for a visit and stayed a couple of days.  So she got the honor of being the first one to occupy the newly remodeled (nearly) guest room, even though it wasn't fully done quite yet.

Maybe it was poor planning, but the thing that ended up left to still be done at this point was the ceiling tiles.  There had been a time when the occupant of the room would lay on the bed and throw things at the ceiling.  Sharp, pointed objects.  Yeah, that can be hard on the ceiling, if you look close at the picture you can see myriad little holes and other marks in it.  As you might imagine, the tiles needed to be replaced.

Fortunately, at this point in his life he recognized the folly in having done that and offered to put the new tiles in.

That was nice because, as it turned out, it was more difficult than we imagined.  And it took a bit longer than we thought it would take, as well. 

Rather that totally redo the ceiling, we just got new tile.  You would think that replacing ceiling tiles would be fairly simple, but that was not the case. Cutting the tiles turned out to be a challenge. Hanging the tiles also involved some hazards,  We ended up losing some.  It's sold in packages of 10 so we only had two extra pieces.  In the end, it worked out exactly right; we needed those two extra pieces.  But when we were done, it looked pretty good

Himbeere did a good job of getting them all in and making it work.

I say that it was poor planning to leave the ceiling tile to the end.  That's because as we took the old tiles down, all the years' accumulation of dirt, dust, and other unmentionable stuff fell down onto whatever was below it.  That, along with the mess we made as we cut those tiles that needed to be trimmed, all had to be cleaned up.  Another case of doing, redoing, and redoing.  We really should have done the tiles before the carpet was installed.  But, alas, we didn't.   So we had to vacuum and clean yet again and strip the bed so we could wash the bedding again.  Then remake the bed.

But at last, it was nearing completion.  Bed made, furniture in. window coverings on, wall hangings up.

And finally, the room was pretty much done ...

... officially ready for "guests"

By and large, we don't think of family as "guests", they are more than that, they are family.  And now, Brombeere has put together a comfortable, private space for them when they come.  That's a good thing.