Friday, December 21, 2012

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas all you readers
I will be taking a short break from the blog, until January 4th, 2013.
Love, Joannexx

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Late Night Soup

     I am on a diet but I sensed I was losing weight too fast and it felt too much to be safe so I am up again at 10.20 p.m. making potato-onion soup with bay leaf and rosemary and milk.

Quip of the Day

      Sometimes I hear a song and think, "That poor singer didn't get enough breastfeeding when they were a baby".

Mr. Postman

     Once upon a time there was an ant known as Mr. Postman.  He did his job in a lively sort of way.  He trundled along with his mail.
     One day he met a bee.  It stung him.  End of story you think, but no, he finished his route and went home and lay in bed, sneezing and coughing, for it had given him a cold, that bee.  Amen to that you think, but no, he lived and was much the wiser.  He never met with a bee again, you think, but yes.  But he avoided them like a plague.  Amen to that you think, but no, he had to as part of his job, for they were on his route and had to receive mail too.  

Journal

     Yesterday I noticed that my health was better than usual and has been for most of the last week, ever since I have been drinking Stinging Nettle Herb Tea every day.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Easy Reader: The Printer

      I have a printer.

      The machine makes a whirring sound.

      The light goes on.

      The paper is in the right place, I'm told.

      But somehow, it won't print.

      I don't know what's wrong.

Christmas Party

     I attended a Christmas Party today.  It was at the Mental Health Clinic and I was invited because I am mentally ill.  (I'm much better than I was...I've made a great improvement.  I'm no longer lying on my bed wondering what to do with the rest of my life, I'm doing it!)  The food was very good and I met two of my friends.  Then I went home you think, but no, then I went to an artist's materials store and bought canvas stretchers to put my canvas on, to make a painting!

Song Of The Train Driver

     I love to hear the sound of a train.  Last night I heard a train and here is what the train driver seemed to sing to me.  Sing it to the tune of "Clementine".

You are not going through the veil, dear,
Though you think you're going through the veil.
It is just the sound of a train, dear,
And you're so elated
You think you're going through the veil.

Journal

     Yesterday I made Christmas presents.  I was all tuckered out afterward and didn't even have puff to sew a 1940s Retro dress for myself.  Eventually it will get finished.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

My Favourite Book This Month: Letters From My Windmill by Alphonse Daudet

     When I want a special treat, I oft times go on the Web to the site of the Gutenburg project and read from an online translation of a book by French poet Alphonse Daudet, entitled Letters From My Windmill (Lettres De Mon Moulin).  It is exciting, funny and wise.  It is also a refreshing change, being from a different culture and time in history than I am used to reading about.

Easy Reader: The Tudor Lady

     Once upon a time, there was a little girl.

     She had a homework assignment she couldn't complete.

     It was easy to some, but not to her.

     At ten o'clock at night, when all her other work was done, she came to it.

     "How do I do this, Mummy?"  she quipped.

     Mummy didn't know why she was crying.

     She asked her why.

     "Because I don't know how to make a costume collage of a Tudor lady."

      Her mother helped her and it was done.

    

Journal

     At dinner last night with two of my boys, Paul and Somerset, I asked them to tell me about a movie they had just seen, The Hobbit.  I thought I would like to read the book again.
     For Family Home Evening, we made up our own version of The Twelve Days Of Christmas.  We put up a Christmas tree and made rice pudding for treat.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Temper Tantrums And Where They Go

      I find a solution to temper tantrums is in words to the self.  So instead of screaming and crying,  or jumping up and down, I say, "Just be patient", in a calming sort of voice and the temper tantrum doesn't happen.

Adventures I Had At U.B.C.

     When I arrived at the bus terminal on my first day at the University of British Columbia in 1980, I thought wistfully, "I wonder why I'm here - I wanted to be at Art School".  But U.B.C. turned out to be an adventure.
      First I went around campus and collected cards from all the courses I wanted to take that year - that was how they did registration in those days.  My choices for first year were Sociology/Anthropology (The Inuit), English - the professor died and I was so sad, Portuguese which has increased my appreciation of Samba songs, Linguistics and Psychology.
      I loved to sit in the Arts lounge with my friends during a break.  When people saw me on campus, they didn't know quite what to expect.  I changed my appearance so often, someone said, "If you see someone you don't recognize, it's probably Joanne!"
      Some other courses I attended later on were Spanish 100 and 200 (200 had a fabulous professor and I took it over the summer semester when the weather was nice), 300 and 400 level Spanish courses (Spanish was my major) in Literature - I especially enjoyed reading the poetry of artist and flamenco dancer Federico Garcia Lorca, another Linguistics course, Art, Swedish, Theatre Stage Set Design and Costume Design, Classical Studies - the myths and legends of Greece, and Astronomy and Geophysics.
     I had a wonderful time in Dance Club of U.B.C. as well and in Amnesty International.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Chocolatey Fingers On My Wedding Album

     I let my children look at my wedding album with chocolatey fingers and I'm sure it has made them do well in school!  You may not believe me, but I think it helped them feel free to be themselves.

Acting

     When I was younger I attended Simon Fraser University for a short time.  What a splendid place that is.
      One of the courses I attended was an acting course where I performed a short monologue of an immigrant talking to customs officials at Ellis Island.  I remember feeling embarrassed skipping around the class singing On The Good Ship Lollipop on another occasion.  One day my class partner and I were rehearsing a squabble we had been assigned to act, while we happened to be in the washroom.  Another student came in to use the washroom and not realizing we were acting, thought I was really telling my partner off for real!  Suddenly I paused and said, "Oh, no, I've forgotten my lines!"  and then she realized we were just acting!  So funny.
     The other courses I attended there were: The History Of The Theatre which was marvellous.  We had lectures downtown and also watched thirteen plays of our choice at the Fringe Festival which was exciting.  At the end of the course we got to hand in our stream-of-consciousness notes in which we wrote whatever we were thinking about during the plays (this freed me up for a long time from years of torment from writer's block) and a wish-list of what we would like to see in the theatre in the future.
      Also included was a Theory Of Music course which I also enjoyed, where we got to fill out a workbook which was fun, and write a theory exam and an exam where we had to play the piano briefly (I was so nervous I fainted forwards towards the keyboard and just caught myself).  We learned a bit about composition which I found exciting.  Later I attended a Contemporary Music course where we got to choose the topic for our term paper.  I chose Klezmer.  We also listened to a variety of music and had lectures on it, and attended an early music concert and wrote an essay on what we heard.

Journal

     Last night two of my boys, Brigham and Somerset, and I attended the Ward Christmas Party (a ward is a congregation).  The dinner was delicious and I specially noted the coleslaw salad which contained cilantro, which is a favourite of mine.  I sang in Spanish.  It was nice to have something to contribute.
    
      Today I attended the Temple with my daughter and other family members came too, later.  Joy filled our day.  When I returned home I started baking focaccia bread and making lasagne for supper.  The kitchen smells good!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Chislehurst Caves

     One of the places my mother used to take visitors to see when we lived in England was Chislehurst Caves.  It was the spookiest place I've ever been.

Drinking Ginger Ale In Norway

      One year while my family and I were living in Sweden, we paid a short visit to the neighbouring country of Norway.  A family we stayed with had a daughter who showed me the trick to drinking ginger ale through my nose.  Oh how I wish I hadn't tried that!

Things My Mum Did For Christmas

     My Mum is gone now, but when she was alive, she did these things for Christmas:  she baked mince pies, bought a Christmas pudding, made turkey with all the trimmings, gave us presents, took us to church for a carol service on Christmas eve.
     One Christmas when I was quite young we lived in a big old house in England and I had the idea of peeking at the Christmas presents during the night.  Oh dear!  Mum had wisely locked the door to the room with the tree and presents in it, but the kitchen had a cupboard in it which went through to the living room where the presents were.  I snuck into the kitchen at about 2 a.m. in my jammies and housecoat and quietly slid the dishes out of one of the shelves and onto the kitchen table, and then slid myself into the living room and peeked at the presents!!  I was quite slim in those days.  My parents were not very pleased the next morning.  Oops!!!

Journal

     I practiced a song ready for the Christmas party.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Every Christmas Is Special

     Every Christmas has been special, but this Christmas I made homemade Christmas wrapping paper and homemade Christmas cards for my children.  I used a stamp and felt tip pens on art paper.

Journal

     Last night I attended a very nice meeting for the women of my church, the Relief Society Christmas meeting.  There was carol singing and treats including my favourite crab dip with crackers.  We sang The Twelve Days Of Christmas with new words with religious meaning from LDS Living Magazine.  We played a Christmas trivia game and we chatted with the sisters.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Skating In Sweden

     When I was a little five year old, we lived in Sweden for a short time.  While I was there I went skating and skiing.  The playground at a local school froze over and that is where the Swedish children I knew went skating.  I earned two diplomas in skiing.
     Another thing about winter in Sweden is there is very little light.  Flowers do not grow, so to brighten things up, the winter open air market in Stockholm featured brightly coloured feathers, dyed different shades to put in vases at home and beautify the dwellings of the people.

Adam And Eve


Journal

     I awoke in the night for a while and read a book, The Incredible Dream, by flashlight because my power had gone out in the lamp by my bedside.  I learned about all kinds of things.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Heaven - sent Blessings

1.  First of all, I want to say that I'm thankful for my piano.  I play it every time I can so that Heavenly Father might let me keep it, because I know sometimes He takes away blessings if we don't use them properly.
2.  I am of course most thankful for my family.  I love our family.
3.  I am thankful for rainy days.  They provide variety in our lives, as well as moisture for the crops.
4.  I am thankful for my eternal companion, wherever he is these days.  (He is my future husband, in case you were wondering who I meant by my eternal companion.)
5.  I am thankful for Konos, the homeschooling curriculum.
     That's it for today, folks!

Journal

     Yesterday I did laundry and attended Family Home Evening with my family.  We had a lesson on breaking through self-limitations, the treat was a fruit smoothie, and the activity was a video -The Legend Of Johnny Lingo.  It made us laugh.
     Today I got some work.  Hurray.  I dried some dishes and helped decorate a Christmas tree.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Burns Lake Special

     When I was in my thirties, I was married with children.  One day my husband and I decided to go to Vancouver to visit relatives.  We were living in Burns Lake at the time, in central British Columbia, fifteen hours drive away from Vancouver.
     While we were there we stayed at a relative's house and I attended private dance classes with Flamenco dancer Rosario Ancer.  Her husband played the guitar.  James, my husband, videotaped the classes whilst my son Brigham, a toddler, toddled around the dance floor.  Rosario called these classes Burns Lake Specials.

Brigham's Antics

     When I was a young mum, my son Brigham was always into things, he was so curious and intelligent.
     One day, when he wanted to be funny, he made his first sandwich, while I was on the phone.  He got bread, retrieved the mustard out of the fridge and made a mustard sandwich and ate it. I have it on camera and here it is.
     Another time he tried opening a canning jar by punching it to get the pickles out.  Nothing happened.  I opened it for him.
     On another occasion I found him with an orange and a can opener.  He was trying to get the peel off.  Amen.


Easy Reader: Olives

     My mother told me that mice come and eat your food if you leave it out.

     Later she left out about seventeen olives on a plate for visitors.

     They hadn't arrived yet.

     She went out of the room.

     I didn't want the mice to eat them.

     I was four years old.

     When she returned, all the olives were gone.

     I had been munching on them, I said.

     All seventeen green stuffed olives.

The Gypsy Dancer

      When I was young, I took a trip to Seville.  I travelled on the train and boat down from England.
      In Seville I did some art.  When it came time to return home, I still had not achieved my mission of attending Spanish Flamenco dance classes.
     At the station was a gypsy girl.  She had a bucket with which she was begging for money to make a trip to Madrid, the capital city, to live with her grandmother.  There she was going to make a living as a Flamenco dancer.
     We boarded the train and she sat opposite me.  She told me her story.  I shared my lunch with her of crystallized gourd and pears.
     At Madrid, she alighted from the train.  I travelled on to Paris, where I changed trains and took a boat across the Channel to England.  I arrived in England cold and wet and hungry.  My Aunt Gwen put me up for the night.  We parted company and I took the train to London where I attended classes with Flamenco dance teacher Tani Morena.
     About that time, I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was called on a mini-mission (in London).  I went back to say goodbye to my teacher Tani.

Journal

     Yesterday was Stake Conference at church.  It was all most uplifting.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Friday, December 7, 2012

Once Upon A Time There Was A Potter

      Once upon a time there was a big potter with a big, bad attitude problem.  She had her quirks, dear.  She lived upon an island and kept pigs.  Once a year she went carolling.  Apart from that she didn't do much and people looked down on her, thinking she hasn't much money and what does she know.  But she thought she had the most exciting life of the lot.  After all, she had a lot of enemies.  They used to come after her and try to get her, but she always got away in time.  She was basically a good-hearted person underneath it all and was warned of danger.  Somehow she was always saved.

Journal

     I was inspired to pray to be filled with light, love and well-being.  This helped me feel better.
~
     I peeled and chopped 5 apples to make homemade apple sauce as we are eating latkes tomorrow for lunch.  While the apples were cooking, I danced to music on the stereo.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Easy Reader: How I Used To Skive Off School

     When I was at school (a long time ago) I used to skive off school.

     I used to pretend I was sick when I was just sick of school.

     I used to stay home and take the whole day off.

     Other days I would go to school and suddenly fake sickness at Gym time.

     I skived off recess in the playground and hid in the library.

     I once skived off an particularly long essay I had to write on the History of Art.

    

Easy Reader: Abbotsford

     Abbotsford has a cheery smile in the clouds.

     It has the most beautiful clouds I've ever seen.

     There is a special quality about the light.

     It is unlike the light anywhere else I've ever been.

     The City in the Country.

     That's what it is called.

Journal

     I had a good day yesterday at the Temple.  When I returned home I washed the floors.  I suddenly felt so much energy, the most I'd felt in months, that I went for a fast walk (usually my walks are very slow!)  Had an excellent sleep, and felt much purpose in life, which is always a nice way to start the day.  I've been praying for ideas.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The Scandalous Man Who Had Many Wives And Didn't Treat Them Fairly (Puppet Show)

Transcript:  Once upon a time there was a scandalous man who had so many wives he didn't know what to do with himself.  He didn't treat them all alike.  He treated each one worse than the last.  Eventually they all rebelled and ran away.

Dressmaking (Puppet Video)


Journal

     I've got two more Youtube videos to make to make it to my goal of fourteen Youtube videos.  The ones I've made already are:

1.  Part one of Songwords Of Birds And Planes
2.  Part two
3.  Part three
4.  3 Paintings
5.  The Waiting Room
6.  Grandpa
7.  Puppet Alphabet
8.  Okano Puppets In Switzerland
9.  Embarrassing Tales From My Youth
10.  Caring For Sick Ole Grandma
11.  Mr. Seaweed's Song To His Wife
12.  The Princess And The Conjuror

     Yesterday I continued making a modelling clay sculpture of a little girl holding a cat under a blossom tree.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Children, Don't Worry

     Once upon a time there was a happy family.
     One day the boy in the family, Patrick, said a surly thing to his Ma.  She knew he loved her but he was just a little surly to her because she didn't listen to him.  He'd had it.
     She knew he meant well, but he was so hard on himself.  He thought she didn't love him anymore, for why would she?  he surmised.
     She wrote him a note to tell him she loved him, just incase he forgot.  So children, don't worry if you make a mistake.  Parents still love you and want the best for you.  Amen.

Journal

     On Friday night, I had yet another night without a boyfriend.  But on Saturday, I had a wild adventure.  I overslept.  No, that was Sunday.  I missed part of church.  Oops!

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Journal

     Paul washed the dishes and was unplugging the sink afterwards with the plunger, when the drain blew and water came out on the floor.  My landlord came immediately when he found out about this and fixed it.

Friday, November 30, 2012

From The Book Of Joanne

1 A Latter-day Saint girl went to work in a restaurant.
2  She was in extreme financial difficulties.
3  Her overseer didn't like her very much.
4  Everyone was swearing except for her and a few others.  Her overseer noticed this and said,  I've never heard you swear.  I'm going to teach you how.  Repeat after me.
5  He didn't know she was a Latter-day Saint, but his boss did know this and took him aside and explained the situation to him.
6  He never tried to get the Latter-day Saint to swear after that, and he was from that time forth, kind to her and tried to make her feel welcome.  He was a changed man.
7  The Latter-day Saint was so relieved he didn't make her swear, because she didn't want to.

Journal

     Last night I felt so happy and excited about life that I didn't want to go to sleep all night.  I just wanted to stay awake and celebrate.  But I did sleep, and well.
     This morning I felt very grateful and remembered with dear feelings the time when I was singing a lot of The Sound Of Music, and my then two-year-old sang out from the back seat,
     "She's a cat, she's a dog, she's a bunny!"

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Life In Holland

      When I visited Holland when I was younger, on more that one occasion the lady wives of my cousins took me on day trips sightseeing.
      Hanneke was the first one.  She took me sightseeing in Rotterdam.  I thought at the time what a sweet kind person she was to do such a thing.
     A second time, my other cousin's wife Claudia took me on a sightseeing visit around Amsterdam.  I thought that was very kind of her.
     The Dutch are very kind people.

The New Girl

     Once upon a time there was a school, a boarding school.  It was the first day of term and several new girls had arrived, some from foreign shores.
     One new girl was particularly lonely.  She was the farthest from home.  She sat at the breakfast table feeling incredibly despondent.  What was she going to do without a friend at this new school?  There was nobody there from her country.  Who would understand what it was like to be a foreigner?  No one at her table was from abroad she suspected.  No, there was one girl.
     When it came time for her to ask for someone to pass her the milk, she hesitated.  Would they be friendly?
     Please pass the milk, she said.
     Nobody near her responded.  But then the other foreign girl at her table looked at her understandingly and passed it to her.
     Here, she said.  What's your name, little girl?  she asked.
     Mildred, said the shy little girl.
     They became firm friends.  So when you see someone who needs a friend, could you please be friends with them?
The End

Journal

     I am sick again!

               ~

     I just had a miracle happen.  I drank the juice of a lemon, and suddenly felt marvelously better.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Addie Made A Fearful Mistake

     Addie made mistakes.  One of them was that she called God a No Mind, and went her own way occasionally.  Not in so many words, but you know what I mean.
     One time she needed something and she had the money so she went out and bought it - a tie for her brother - and he liked it so much.  And did she thank God for it?  No, I'm afraid not.  She did not thank God for it.  And do you know what He did?  He left her with no money and she had to thank Him for everything or she didn't get anything.  So there you are, children.  If you're ever left with nothing, did you ask God for things and not thank Him for things afterwards?  Don't overdo it though.  If you thank God for the selfsame blessing three times in two days, like I do sometimes, He might get a little bored.  Addie just made a mistake.  She can make it right by repentance.

Journal

     Many years ago I took a sensational magazine article writing workshop from writer John Lekich.  I wanted to write a magazine article and I've decided this morning to aim to write one when I'm 60.  Or maybe on second thoughts, I should submit lots.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

I've Come Such A Long Way

     I've come such a long way since I got out of the mental asylum!  I used to lie on the bed and wonder how I would get motivated to do anything, because I felt so down. 

The Tale of Addie And The Stand Up For Herself Day

     One day Addie had had enough.  The Monster was getting her down.  He was always getting his way.  And she was never getting hers.
     So she stood up for herself.  Do you know what that means?  That means she said, No, I want to do it my way. 
     She had done it his way about a million times and didn't get anywhere.  Sometimes his way was just plain wrong.  Sometimes her way was right.  And this time it was.
      So she did it her way and won.  Boy, was he mad.  He stomped down the mountain and knocked on her door with a mad look on his face.  She wouldn't let him in. 
Until tomorrow, children, when I will come back with a new episode of Addie's life.

Journal

     I got better!  Isn't that amazing?  And then I did my Christmas shopping...all $11 of it.  I did some errands for my business.  And for Family Home Evening, a friend showed us how to make Christmas decorations out of cookies, we learned about the story behind two Latter-day Saint hymns and we ate meringues and fruit.  Paul made dinner and I washed up. 

Monday, November 26, 2012

The Tale Of The Scary Monster Called A Bigfoot And How He Chased Little Addie Down The Snowy Mountain To The Mall

     Once upon a time there was a mountain.  On that mountain lived two people or rather two beings:  one, a Scary Monster called a Bigfoot, large and hairy with big feet (you might have guessed that) and the other a little tiny girl with nothing better to do all day than smile at people and her name was Addie.  You might have guessed which I like the best:  yes, it was Addie.  She was kind and you might think that was all she cared about, but she liked going to the mall.
     One particular day, the sun was shining brightly, and to signify that we would have a harp play a few notes, as the snowflakes drifted down in the sunlight onto the mountain.  Addie, represented by the piccolo, was just getting ready to go out for the day.  She uttered a little prayer, that God Almighty would help her
be safe and do her best.  Then she threw on her coat, hat and scarf and started off skiing down the mountain to the mall.
     She had just got started when you know who, the Bigfoot, happened to look out of his window on the mountain above her, and to the sound of the trombones, went into a rage.  How dare she go shopping!  How dare she go out and have fun!  he raged.  He set off down the mountain after her, trombones roaring, and the drums beating, stomp, stomp, stomp.
     Addie, who fortunately had quite good hearing, heard all the commotion and turned around to see the snow flying around the enraged Bigfoot, just metres behind her.
     I prayed for safety!  What's going on?  she wondered.  The piccolos sounded alarmed.
     Just then an avalanche happened behind her and she skied swiftly away, only to fall in a lake!  What would she do now?  Help me, Heavenly Father, she prayed fervently and little woodland creatures came to get her out, represented by triangles playing.
     Thank you, said Addie and hastened away before the Bigfoot could reach her.  She got as far as the mall and was sharing smiles with people there, especially those who didn't have the dough to enjoy Christmas as much as they would have liked, (dough is money in this context), when the Bigfoot landed in his helicopter on the roof of the mall.
     Oh, help!  cried Addie.  He's going to get me!  she said.
     Fortunately the security guards, with the sound of the trumpets and tuba, came running and told the Bigfoot that landing on the roof of the mall to get little girls was definitely not cricket and to go away and bake Christmas cookies instead and at the very least, stay out of trouble.
     The Bigfoot was disappointed, but he liked cookies, and hadn't thought of anything as fun as that.  So he flew home and the trombones played happily as he baked his cookies.
     Addie did all her Christmas shopping and walked home with her skis, up the mountain and had a very merry Christmas.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Birth

     I don't think newborn babies need music at the birth.  I think they just want to hear Mummy's lovely voice!  The music might be for the mother though.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Journal

     I did laundry yesterday.  I was still sick, but at the end of the day I set up a workspace to do a painting today, so I am looking forward to that.  I had a good morning.  I made Vegetable Cheese Soup which I like from Pam Crockett's cookbook, Wheat Cookin' Made Easy.  In the evening I missed my children, so I wrote them an email.  Boy, am I grateful I'm going back to church on Sunday.  This morning I plan to bake Havurah Hallah out of the same book.  Havurah Hallah is Jewish Sabbath bread.  This evening I hope to see my children.

Easy Reader: We Can Receive Answers To Prayer

     When I was a pregnant Mum, my doctor wanted me to have an ultrasound.

     An ultrasound is a picture of the baby inside the mommy.

     They take the picture through the wall of the belly of the mommy, and through the uterus.

     I was running late and I didn't have the location of the four cup jug.

     I needed it to fill with water to drink, for the ultrasound to work.

     It was somewhere in Grandma Nobuko's large kitchen.

     But where, I didn't know.

     I kneeled and prayed.

     Dear Lord, Where is that jug?

     I need it now please.

     In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

     Right away I found it in a corner cupboard.

     I filled it with water.

     I drank the water all up.

     I made it to the appointment on time.

     Everything went fine with the ultrasound.

     God answered my prayer.
    

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Easy Reader: Peace

     I wonder what the world would be like if everyone prayed for peace.

     If everyone tried to give a soft answer to turn away anger.

     Or to stand up for themselves in an inspiring way when called upon.

     I wonder what would happen if all the vegetables in the mental asylums were made to come out.

      And dance in the streets.

      Would there be peace?

Journal

     I got a lot done even though I was sick, so it was a good day yesterday.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Easy Reader: Pregnancy Cravings

      Mummies get prone to certain kinds of foods when they are expecting.

     Different babies need different foods, it seems.

     With my first baby, I craved brussel sprouts.

     With my second baby, I ate dandelions.

     With my third baby, I ate ice cream and pickles.

     With my fourth baby, I ate everything in balanced proportions.

Easy Reader: Scapula, Vertebrae, Who Knows?

     I was eating my chicken soup one suppertime.

     I noticed the bones.

     I am an anatomy student.

     I wondered what the names of them were.

     One looked like a scapula.

     One looked like vertebrae.
    

Easy Reader: Henry Moore's Farm

     Out in the countryside in England is Henry Moore's Farm.

     Henry Moore is a famous sculptor, children.

     I went there one day on a school outing in my sixteenth year.

     We met him.

     He was kind and told us about his art.

     He was a little old man with white hair.

Easy Reader: No More Lies

     If someone tells you lies, should you follow them?

     I don't think so.

     They might lead you down to hell.

     End of story.

     That's a very short story, isn't it children?

      That's my quip to you today.

Journal

      I really enjoyed my day yesterday, even though I was ill and didn't get as much as usual done.

The Danger Of Making Assumptions

     When we make assumptions, we place ourselves in jeopardy of making wrong decisions.  The thing to do is ask the Lord.  He'll tell us the right way to go.  Amen.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Easy Reader: Gratitude

     I am grateful for the snow.

     Grateful for snowmen.

     Grateful for mittens.

     Grateful to be warm inside afterwards.

     Grateful for a warm fire.

     Grateful for warm cups of hot chocolate.

Journal

      Last night I had my boys in for a fun time having fantastic Family Home Evening songs (one of which I don't even know the name of - my boys came up with it), a thought-provoking lesson from the teachings of prophet George Albert Smith, an activity we did to the sound of Pirates of the Caribbean, The Sound of Music, Called to Serve and Can A Little Child Like Me? which we played on the piano. For a treat Paul made Bundt cake (which the boys ate) and I made honey and lemon juice to drink (I am still sick).  We had a glorious time.  Oh, and I forgot to say, we had hamburgers for dinner.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Easy Reader: Rain

     I hear tapping on the window.

     What is that sound caused by?

     I puzzle for a second.

     It's raining!

     I love the rain.

     It makes me feel all warm and cosy inside.

Journal

     I didn't have a very nice weekend, because I was ill, but I saw my boys and talked briefly to my daughter on the phone, and that was nice.  I haven't been to church for the last three Sundays because I was ill.  I slept a lot.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Mummy, She Said

     I have a lovely daughter who has a blog of her own.  Her name is Shoshana.  When she was a few days short of two years old, we were out on a walk.  She was in the baby carriage.  We heard some people speaking Chinese pass us by on the street as we walked.
     "Those people are speaking Chinese," I said to her.
     "Chinese is a kind of food too, Mummy," she replied to my shock.

Journal

     Sequestered in my humble abode, I have the flu.  I am making a big pot of lasagna for the boys to come over and eat with moi.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Reader: Weight Loss

     I feel full.

     So full it is like a sack of potatoes attached to my tummy.

     I think my stomach is shrinking.

     It didn't used to feel like this when I ate this amount.

     Hallelujah.

     I'm starting to lose weight.

The Story Of The Spider

     I was living in Abbotsford, British Columbia.  Two nights in a row I had horrible nightmares of HOUSE-SIZED SPIDERS crawling in my room.  Is there any special significance to these nightmares I wondered?  "No," I thought each time nonchalantly and got some rest for the night.  On the second night I sat up in bed as I wasn't tired and felt guilty I hadn't studied my anatomy book.  Whist learning about joints of the upper limb, a GIANT SPIDER ran over my bedcovers.  I weighed up in my mind what I should do and shook the bedcovers a little.  Where was it?  It seemed to have disappeared down the side of the bed by a wall.  Usually at an earlier hour I would throw a spider outside, but as it was late I didn't.  I put away my books and pens and settled down for the night.  Again I couldn't sleep so I read about wild grasses (another of my interests) and a few pages from a biography and went to sleep.  Soon I was in dreamland, when suddenly I awoke to feel something crawling on my hand.
     I imagined a little voice saying: "I crawled along her leg and there was a spider at the end of it -"
    "- her hand," said God.
     "What," asked the spider, "was her hand doing on the end of her leg?"
     I swept the spider off my hand and onto the carpet with my other hand and wrote down the whole story.  What a night!
The End

Journal

     I'm so old, 50 years old, I'm from the days when they still had ink pots on the desks in the schools in England!  For those of you who don't know, the ink pots were for filling the cartridges of your ink pens with so you could write your essays and Math and geography and so on.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

The Waiting Room In A Station by me


I painted this after sitting at the Waterfront Station for an hour or two of my life.  Seated on the left is a perky poodle with her owner.  "I'm a typist" says her owner in a thought bubble over her head.  Above her you see two gentlemen passing by the window, one in raingear ("Rain, rain, always rain" he says to himself) and the other a sea captain ("My ship is in" is his quip).  Standing at the doorway with a cap full of money, small coins mind you, is a fiddler and his fiddle with a dancing girl standing next door.  ("Dance, little children, dance" thinks the fiddler, and the girl's thoughts are "I'll dance and you play - Righty Ho").  Sitting down on a bench for passengers next to them is a workman, auto mechanic by trade (his thought quip is "I'm going to fix a car") and lastly but not least is President Monson ("I'm looking forward to General Conference where I'll be a speaker" he says in his thoughts).

Reader: My Tummy Is Full

     I am on a diet.

     I am trying to lose weight.

     I used to eat a lot.

     Now I eat less.

     I wish I could stop.

     My tummy feels as full as a refrigerator jam-packed with food.

Didgeridooing It By The Stream

Didger want to go in
Or didger want to stay out?
I said to myself
At the sight of the stream.
I think I'll go in and paddle.

Cold remedies for me

I like to take garlic
When I am on my own
It takes away my symptoms -
And leaves me all alone.
It scares away the onlookers
With quite a scary smell
But kills the virus and bacteria
And leaves me feeling well.
My latest find is honey
With cinnamon to boot.
I'm really not sure if it works
But it really is a hoot!

Journal

     Last night I stayed up half an hour later than my usual bedtime and painted a scene in a waiting room.  I like people-watching so this is a people-watching scene.  I painted a man with a long white beard, shoulder length white hair, smiling and wearing blue overalls.  His compatriot is a portly man with a red face, a big red nose, a black overcoat, a green coat and green shoes and a big soppy smile.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Reader: Elevenses At Five

     I was just having elevenses, I said to myself.

     At five.

     I wonder how that happened.

     I know.

     I was just answering the door, when I noticed my hot chocolate cooled off, not a few minutes ago, but hours ago.

     Oh well.

    

Reader: Snazzle Loves Us

     Snazzle has a ball.

     Snazzle loves us.

     We are sleeping.

     He wakes us up.

     Please could we play ball, he says.

     We've had more than enough.

     Doesn't look like we're going to play ball today, says Snazzle to himself.

     We are snoring.

     We abruptly awaken.

     Oh well, I guess we could.

     Joy unbounded, says Snazzle, tail wagging.


Reader: Lots Of Love From Sparky The Dog

     Sparky is a dog.

     Sparky wants out.

     I let him out.

     He rolls in the puddles.

     He scampers back into the house.

     No, Sparky, no!

     He rolls on the sofa.

     He leaves trails of mud throughout the house and on the sofa.

     Lots of love from Sparky.

     Bad dog!

     Sparky is in the dog house.

     This will take me all day to clean up.

  

Reader: Dogs Are Fun

     Snazzle is a dog.

     Snazzle loves dogs.

     Dogs love Snazzle.

     Snazzle loves you.

     You love Snazzle.

     Dogs are fun, and so are you.

The Bedtime Story Monster

     One day, a little boy named Larry had a bedtime story conundrum.  (That means he didn't know what to do.)  He HAD to have a bedtime story, or it just wouldn't work.  Going to bed, that is.  It was like a monster, this need.  Do you know how this bedtime story monster got tamed?  By having his sister tell him a story.  His sister was an old maid who had no children, who looked after him herself because their mother was dead.  Their father was, too.  She sat beside his bed in a rocking chair and told the following story on the day we are talking about:

     There was once a bad boy who didn't do anything he was told.  He was scared.  What if he was found out?  People would know how rude he'd been to his parents.  He had told them "no" all the time if they asked him to be polite.  He had run away when they tried to take him hand-in-hand across the street.  And so on.  But that was not all.  He was rude to his teachers too.  I wonder why?  Do you know?  He didn't know right from wrong.  That's all.  But one day Jesus came to see him and asked him to come home with him if he wasn't going to be better, and he was.

     And I was that boy, said he, wasn't I?  I knew you would make that into a story some day.
The End

Journal

     Hi there, children!  I'm not completely better yet, but I thought I'd try and write you something so you wouldn't have to go to bed without a bedtime story!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Friday, November 9, 2012

Reader: The Composer

     The composer had a smile on his face.

     Something had come to him.

     Can you guess what?

     A song.

     He wrote it down.

     Then he played it.

Journal

     I was feeling down and lay down for a nap for a while, yester even.  I got up and played the guitar and felt intensely better.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Journal

     I passed a happy day yesterday until I realized the lights were off and the computer was off, and then it came to me what a blessing they are.  They help me see what I'm doing and communicate with friends and family.

Reader: The Haloed One

     One day a mother came into my life.

     The haloed one.

     She lived with her family down a road nobody went on.

     A happy family.

     A happy husband, a happy wife, happy children.

     Isn't that nice?

Reader: The Cat And The Dog

     The cat and the dog loved each other.

     They used to sit together in the sunshine.

     The dog would wag its tail.

     The cat would purr.

     Then the puppies came.

     They were cat-puppies, but nobody minded.

Reader: The Two Ladybugs Go On Holiday

     Once upon a time, there were two ladybugs: a gentleman Fred and a lady Lila.

     Come here, lady-wife, said the gentleman bug Fred.

     Yes gentleman-husband, said the lady Lila.

     Let's go for a holiday.

     So they flew over the hills together.

     They were so in love because they were so kind to each other.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Journal

     Obama won and we are pleased.  I don't agree with everything he does, but I think he's trying to do his best and he is kind.  I think Romney has good qualities too, mind you, and is most generous with time.

Reader: The Surprise At Fraser Lake

     There is a surprise at Fraser Lake.

     I wonder what it is.

     Do you know?

     If you live there, you will know.

     I wonder if we can see it.

     Yes, lots of trumpeter swans!

    

Reader: Shoshana's School Year In Burns Lake

      Shoshana went to school for a year in Burns Lake.

     Too easy, she said.

     She went back to homeschooling again.

     "Been there, done that", was it?

     No, it was too easy.

     Later on it was hard enough so she went back, in the Lower Mainland.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Reader: Sister Robin

     My sister is named Robin.

     She is very good at kickboxing.

     She runs far, sometimes up mountains.

     She surfs.

     She does Bowen and Reiki.

     She does much travelling.

Reader: My Mother

     My Mother worked in hospital.

     She was a physiotherapist.

     She learned how to care for the sick.

     She was very loving and kind when I was sick in particular.

     She brought me scrambled eggs and toast in bed.

     She talked kindly to me and then she went away.

Reader: Aurora Borealis

     The family went out for a drive.

     We took friends with us.

     They pointed out the aurora borealis.

     It was light in the sky.

     It came when they whistled, like a dog.

     It made a whooshing sound.


Reader: The Creature Who Lived Under The Garage

     Under our garage in Burns Lake, lived a creature.

     It was brown and looked like a large prairie dog.

     It was funny and made us laugh.

     Every so often it would appear.

     Then it would go under again.

     I never did find out what it was.

Funny Moments With Joanne

     I have a blind spot which is that I have difficulty following verbal directions from one room to another.  If I had a map I would be okay, as I have followed maps of Europe from one country to another on the train by myself, but one room to another, no way.  ~

Reader: Pine Beetles

     Forestry is a big industry in Burns Lake.

     Then the forest was invaded by pine beetles.

     They made the wood blue-coloured.

     They even changed the weather, by eating away the trees.

     What can we do?

     Does anybody know?

Reader: Homeschooling In Midwinter

     I am a Mama.

     I homeschooled.

     Right up to the roof the snow was.

     It was fun.

     The children thought it was funny.

     They learned so much, and had fun at the same time.

Readers: Swimming In Francois Lake

     The ferry goes over Francois Lake.

     You can also go swimming there.

      You have to shower off afterwards.

     Otherwise you can get something called Duck Itch!!

     The birds like it.

      And the people like it.

Reader: The Midwives Drove To Burns Lake

     The midwives drove to assist me in my birth.

     They drove a long ways.

     The doula came from next door.

     The baby came.

     He cried.

     But he was alive and well - hallelujah!

Reader: The Loons On Burns Lake

     In the evening in Burns Lake, you could hear the loons.

     Loons are a kind of bird.

     They live on the water.

     They make a sound I like.

     They live in the north.

     They are the sound I like best up there.

Reader: I Love Michaelmas Daisies

     Michaelmas daisies grow up north in Burns Lake.

     They grow along the road.

     I used to live right in Burns Lake village.

     I liked it there.

     It was beautiful.

     It was peaceful.

Reader: The Apple Tree

     Red juicy apples on the apple tree.

     The apples are ripe.

     We pick them off the tree.

     We place them in a bucket.

     We place them on the kitchen table.

     We eat them all winter long.

Reader: Pleasant Family Times

     My family has pleasant family times.

     The Prophet said have Family Home Evening.

     It comes on Monday evenings.

      First, we have a lesson.

      Next, we have an activity.

     Then we have a treat - hurray!

Journal

     Yesterday my family had one of our pleasanter Family Home Evenings.  We occasionally watch a video for family night.  This one was a funny show about everyday make-believe events in a child's life in 1950s England.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Reader: God Rewards People

     God rewards people for doing good.

     When it rains, he is rewarding us for righteous living.

     Then there will be enough water to drink.

     In the Bible this happened.

     It happened in Elijah's time.

     There was so much rain, he ran.

Journal

     This month I plan on writing some readers, so be on the alert for them, children.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Reader: Dad's Pancakes

     My Dad is a pancake maker.

     He makes pancakes well.

     Dutch pancakes.

     Thin pancakes, crepes.

     He tosses them in the air.

     And they land perfectly.

Reader: Auntie Mabel's Art

     Auntie Mabel was my auntie.

     She was very old when I knew her.

     One day I saw a book.

     There were drawings in it.

     Those were Auntie Mabel's drawings.

     In her seventies she became an artist.

Reader: Uncle Tom's Spectacles

     Uncle Tom wore spectacles.

     He knew more about spectacles than most people.

     He looked at people's eyes.

     He was an optician.

     On weekdays he was an optician.

     In spare moments he played golf.

Reader: Auntie Pam's Teddy Bears

     Auntie Pam knitted.

     She knitted teddy bear vests.

     She was kind.

     She loved me.

     And she still does.

     And she knits baby clothes too.

The Man Who Helped

     One day Roland got up out of bed and looked at the sunrise.
     There is someone to help, said a voice, don't you know why?  He needs you to pick him up from the station and bring him to your house and put him up for the night.
     It was someone from his high school who had nowhere to live all of a sudden.  He went and picked him up.  He helped, and the man found his way home to a new house where he was welcome.
The End

Journal

     When I gave birth to my son Somerset, I called him a "lovely Japanese baby".  He cried heartily because in his view he was a lovely baby from Heaven. 
     My son is so like Justin Bieber, it is hard to tell them apart.  He is talented musically too.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Uncle John's Downfall

     Uncle John helped the police keep the area free of criminals with a citizens' organization where he freely helped.
     One day he gave up, because he moved to another province, and everything went wrong.  Next thing he knew, he was up to his tricks and he was one of the criminals. 
     Be on your guard, children, when Satan tries to get you away from your good works.

Journal

     It is my opinion, Reader, that thumb-sucking could be eliminated in this nation if babies and toddlers were nursed at the breast enough, not only for nourishment from the milk when hungry but also for suckling for comfort.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Children Used To Play Outside More Often

     When I was a little girl at Baston School in England, I disliked the cold so much that I used to hide in the library at lunch break and read a book instead of going out to play in some winter months.  I found many treasures there and that is probably one of the principle reasons I am a writer today.
     But other times I used to play outside often.   My neighbourhood for much of my childhood was in the countryside and we used to play that we were living in our adventure playground, as we used to call it.  We spent hours outside in good weather, weaving our adventures, imagining we were running our own civilization in the jungle and had great fun at it.

Journal

     I attended the Temple again last night and I am glad I did.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Journal

     Last night I helped clean the Temple.  I'm the grasshopper of the ward.  I nearly always have to be told what to do and even then sometimes I still don't understand.
     In the night I dreamed of Mrs. Cook, my mother's late cleaning lady.  Her husband was descended from the famous Captain Cook.

Mopsy And The New Mop

     Mopsy mopped the floor.
     Mummy, I don't like doing this.  Could you do this please?  she asked coyly.
     Darling, if you do it with vigour, it will be fine, answered her mother sharply.
     Like this?  asked Mopsy.
     That's right, said Mother.
     Like a race?  asked Mopsy.
     Yes.  Not flatly, but with gusto, said her mother sonorously.
     Okay, Mummy.
     Mopsy mopped the floor, not flatly, but with gusto.  Then the mop broke.
     Not with that much gusto, dear, said her mother.
     Well, I mopped it with gusto, said Mopsy.
     Mopsy did very well, don't you think?  Yes, I think she did.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Italy, The Wonder

     I have had the privilege of visiting Italy several times, but two visits stand out in my mind.  The first of the two was when I was sixteen with my school.  And the second of the two was with my mother.
     Members of my school spent six weeks in sunny Italy learning about the history of art and practicing our Italian language skills.  It was fun going to the market and asking for food for lunch in Venice.  In Cortona, a hill town in Tuscany, we didn't have to go out for lunch.  There we ate lunch at the convent where we stayed.  Every day we had a different kind of pasta!  We had a good time.
     I was not a member of the Church at this time and was unfortunately a coffee drinker.  The Italian coffee tasted good enough but was unwise to drink - it even gave me heart palpitations afterward, it was so strong. 
     I was the height of fashion in my bright pink pants and pink blouse and long hair.  The Italians were very wisely dressed in less conspicuous fashions, and were all trim and lean for the most part.  So was I slim, in those days.
     In Florence we visited a world famous ice cream parlour with many different flavours of Italian gelato ice cream, where the night was warm and the ice cream eaters sat outside on the sidewalk and leaned against the storefront eating their dessert.  Mmm.
     When I visited Italy with my mother years later, I was a baptized member of the Church.  She wanted me along to translate for her.  We went to the sights, but she had hurt her foot and had to stay in the hotel room part of the way through the trip.  So we didn't see much together.  But we did see Sorrento and Capri and a little bit of Rome together.

Journal

     In Family Home Evening last night, I learned about goal setting.

Monday, October 29, 2012

The Little Boy's Dream

     One day a little boy named Terry and his mother were walking down a country lane in England.  They stopped to pick up a pebble.  Terry especially liked pebbles and was making a rock wall in his yard for his toy farm.  He had sheep and goats of clay and a farmer and a tractor and a farm house.  His dream was to become a farmer when he grew up.  He just had to build a barn out of clay and a hen house and a few other things and his farm would be ready.  They baked the clay in the kiln his mother had built.  She had learned how to build a kiln in school when the teacher did an outdoor demonstration and had kept her notes through the years and produced one for Terry.
      When the house was sold, the toy farm was sold with it and another little child played with the farm.  Terry was a farmer by then!  Wasn't that nice?

Journal

     Once when I was much younger and an inexperienced seamstress but eager for new challenges, I offered to help sew some of the costumes for an amateur stage production of Oklahoma!  The poor people didn't realize what they were getting themselves in for!  I was just getting into sewing the bright green circle skirts when I realized that at my rate of sewing, I wouldn't have enough time to finish sewing them all, if I did it all myself.
     Sometimes when you do all you can and can't finish the rest in life, God sometimes sends you a helper to assist you.  That's a spiritual principle.  I think it comes from having a prayerful heart.  That time, God sent my mother and she had the remaining skirts finished in almost no time (as I remember, it took her one day).

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Songwords Of Birds And Planes - video Part 3 of 3 by Joanne Okano


Journal

     When I was 25, I was good but I was only half-having fun.  So the Saviour threw me in the deep end so I was really having fun later on.  He's doing it now. 
     God is funny.  Most people think he's very dour and dreary , but he's not.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Journal

     Today I went to the town hall and purchased a business license, put it up on my wall and did a bit of housecleaning.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

The Story Of The Goat

     I used to milk a goat as part of my job when I was a nanny during the days of my younger years.  The reason for this was that my boss' husband who previously milked the goat did not get along with the goat and had a minor heart attack while chasing the goat around the yard and falling in the mud, when he was trying to get her to her milking stand to milk her.  So I took over.
     As it turned out, I also did not get along with the goat at first.  She ran away from me too and I repeatedly fell down in the mud and, unfortunately I say, shouted rude words at her.  (I don't usually do this!) 
     That night I prayed to God that he would help me have a Christ-like love for the goat as I hated her.  I had just been baptized recently before this happened and I did not think it becoming of myself to behave in the above-described manner, rude words and rankling.  So I tried singing to her, humming Hungarian folk melodies and suchlike.  Well, you should have seen her face.  She didn't know what to make of it.  She peered round oddly at me while I was milking her, holding firmly onto her kicking leg, so she couldn't kick the milking bowl over.

Journal

     When I was a little girl my mother used to recite chunks of Shakespeare for me at night when I went to bed, instead of a bedtime story.  I like this so much that I used to ask her for "Speare, Mummy, Speare!"
   
     Yesterday I attended the Temple.

      I read a General Conference talk in which Thomas S. Monson said his mother regretted his not keeping up his piano playing even with all the other good things he had done.  I had renewed enthusiasm for the piano after this, and even thanked the Lord for my piano in my prayers this morning.  I played a few hymns, in a scrambled manner, before attending the Temple yesterday.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Journal

     I picked up my stretched shoes.

Script Of Songwords Of Birds And Planes

(Early morning)
CROW song:  I can't sing, but I try my best!

(Before the sun comes up)
SPARROW: I wonder what the sun is doing?

(English country garden bird concert.  Early morning 4 a.m.)
SOLO:  Why are you all looking at me?
CHORUS:  I wonder what you're doing in this part of the garden?  You should be with your mother.

(Another English country garden bird concert, outside the home of a Shakespeare enthusiast.)
CHORUS:  Brutus is here - where is Cleopatra?

(England: Pigeons at bedtime - English country garden)
1ST PIGEON:  Evening is here - why can't I go to sleep?
2ND PIGEON:  I don't know - why don't you try harder.
3RD PIGEON:  Oh, go to sleep you two.

(Canada - early morning.)
CROWS ARGUING:  Oh, go away.
ANOTHER CROW, HORATIO, SAYS:  I can't find my mate.

ANOTHER CROW SAYS:  Why am I flying for no known reason?  I can't find a place to sit.

ANOTHER CROW:  I can't fly any harder.

CHORUS:  Oh, it is breezy today.  Why is it so breezy?  I don't know.  God said so.

CROWS:  You never know what will happen when you fly around.  You might find a mate that way.

ANOTHER CROW:  I don't know why, with your looks.

CONVERSATION BETWEEN CROWS:
Oh I give up.
What?
I can't get any help.
Help with what?
Help with my mate.
You give up easily.  I searched for days.
There she is.  There she was.  She's gone again.
Give up oh go on.
I don't care what she looks like - I want her.  I haven't got a mate.
How hard is it for you to understand, she's taken.
I go upsetter and upsetter about this.
She's white with brown hair is she - is she a person?

BIRDSONG:  All I want to do is stretch out in the sun - But there is no sun.

(English country garden)
SOLO:  All day long I fly around this garden and I never get anywhere - it's all the same - green.

CATERPILLAR:  Awesome view.

RAVEN:  I'll be kind to myself and sit down for a while.

CROWS:  (A plane flies overhead)  Cavendish is coming.  We call the plane Cavendish because it's plush with seats inside.  Oh, when will it go away.  It makes so much noise.  It goes on and on.

PLANE:  I am flying high in the sky.

CROW:  I like it when I make this sound in my throat - caw!

CROWS:  Oh what a while it has been since a plane has flown overhead.  I wonder when the next one's coming.

CROW:  Oh what a bother.

LOTS OF BIRDS ON A TREE:  We're all flying around.  Nobody seems to mind what we do today.  Except the wind.  It keeps blowing us around.

PLANE:  I'm having a blissful time, up in the sky, flying by, high oh high.  Why so high?  I don't know why.  My oh my.  You fly so high, you come down low, you go real slow.  Oh you never know where you will show.  I fly away, I take a day,  Away, away (fade)
High oh high
Fly oh fly
Fly away
Gone today.

NARRATOR:  Another plane is coming.

PLANE:  Oh how weary I am of carrying these passengers.  I'm an old plane you surmise.  No, a very old plane.

PLANE:  I am a brand new plane.  I have spunk.

PLANE:  Oh what a day - what a glorious day.  I am fine, and everything is fine on board.

PLANE:  (low rumble)  I'm coming.  See me fly!  And up again.  And now I'm going to do something special - (somersaults) there we are.  I did it.

CROW:  What a whopper!  He should see us fly!

PLANE:  Here I'm coming again.  Get out of my way.  I'm going down - there.

PLANE:  A chrysalis is coming - me.  I'm not there yet.  Steady on my feet - not yet.  I wonder what I'll do today.  The instructor is telling me what to do...Impossible!  I can't do that.  Oh yes I can.  He's talking me into it - I did it!  Yes I can.  Oh I wonder what I'll do tomorrow.  Oh, worries are plentiful - how do I get down?  There, I did it.

PLANE:  My lumbago is getting me down.

(After lunch)
CROW:  Oh, pass along the crackers.

PLANE:  (Sputtering by happily)  I'm just sputtering by, I said.  What more do you want from me?

CROW:  Oh, go away.

PLANE:  Ah,  what a fine day it is...Away to the left.  There we are.  What a view.  I'm coming down, down to the airport, mind out the way sailor (he says to the seagull).

CROW:  Oh what a washout.

NARRATOR:  Could we please hear more about the crow who was looking for his girl?

PLANE:  (deep voice - hight up in the air - British accent)
I wonder what's going on down there.  A fairly big city of thousands of people.  I'm not going down there, but I'd like to.  I'm going to Vancouver.  British Airways, you know.  Tiddley-pom.  Still flying overhead, no washout here.  I'm going to get to my destination.  (Narrator looks up from rock on the heath).  Oh what a long way it is down.  I hope I don't fall.  Just kidding, although the passengers don't find it funny.  Bit of turbulence, I say, bit of turbulence.  Ah there we are, free again.  The winds are to the south.  We are going down.  Tallyho.
Away to the left there's a stranded crow.  (Esmerelda)  Seems to have lost her way.  Esmerelda Dickens she says.  She has no money, nothing left, and she's lost her mate.  Crows don't have money do they?  Oh well, it fits with the story, says the author.  She's crazy about him, she caws.  Where is he?  Seen him?  She's lost her crow, she says - a man.  Have you found him?

NARRATOR:  He was here today, outside my apartment, searching for her.  Near the fig tree.  If she waits on the fig tree he might find her.  He was most distraught.

PLANE:  She's coming in to your right she says.

ESMERELDA DICKENS CROW:  Caw caw here I come to the fig tree by the washing line.  I wonder where he is?  Will he be coming back?  I'm most distraught.

HORATIO CROW:  Ditto I'm here dear (he says swooping in - they kiss)

PLANE:  What a happy ending says the British Boeing 747.

NARRATOR:  Now I don't have any word cards because I'm up to my ears in them but here's a closing song:

I found my guy
My man is back
I found my guy
My man is back
He stuck to me
Like glue today
When he came back to me
(Repeat)
The End



Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Why I Like To Cook

     When I was a little girl my father invited me into the kitchen to learn to make Dutch pancakes and Indonesian food with him (he is Dutch-Canadian and Indonesia used to be a colony of the Netherlands).  My mother taught me to make fruit cake, scones and marmalade chicken.  When my oldest three children were young, as soon as they could stand on a chair I taught them to prepare food.  The floor might be covered in flour afterward, but they were so pleased.  My son was beaming with happiness when he accomplished a task.  My fourth child baked focaccia bread with me (his favourite) when he was thirteen and was so grateful to me for teaching him.  I gave the boys lessons in Family Home Evening on how to cook for their future wives!  Two of my teens did such a great job preparing Ratatouille and Sarah Cake that I told my seventeen-year-old he could get a job as a chef.

Journal

     My favourite prophet is our present prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, because he's funny and kind and he wrote A Christmas Dress For Ellen.
     My second favourite prophet is President Brigham Young because he said that men should eat dinner with their wives, so that the wives would get enough to eat and not die in childbirth from malnutrition-related causes.  In those days - and still in some parts of the world today - it was common for women to eat after their husbands had finished dinner.  I even named one of my sons Brigham.

Monday, October 22, 2012

The Dragonflies Of China

Once there was a beautiful lady dragonfly.
Her name was Kai Lang
Or bright one.
She lived on the edge of the pond.
She was in love with Shi Yi,
And sent him a note in the breeze:
Shi Yi, you poetic one,
I have love in my heart for you.
But it only wafted away,
And she was left alone.
Next there was Shuang Lang,
Her littlest loved one,
But he was much too little,
And so they left each other alone.
Last of all there was Wu Lai,
A big brat!  but she loved him the most.
Ah, what to do.
She would have only one loved one,
But none of them was right it seemed.
Perhaps it was Shi Yi and she had only
To try again to write him a letter of love,
But oh, she was much too old now,
And had lost her charm.

Journal

     I went to a Fireside last night, after a Potluck, at church for Single Adults.  We learned about music and how to identify what we like and dislike about it.  I thought of a new storytime on the way home and here it is:  dragonflies with Chinese names in a romance story.  Doesn't that sound funny?  I thought it was original.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Journal

     I am trying to save for a mission, but I seem to be spending the money on food!

Friday, October 19, 2012

My One Regret In Life

     My one regret in life is that I didn't tap dance more!

Somebody out there likes me like this and I'm writing this for them

   Once upon a time there was an old lady who had been married but was now divorced and who lived in what she called a chalet where she lived on takings from odd jobs when she could get them as well as her disability pension and spousal maintenance.  She had no money for things like shoes you think, but yes she did and she made do with cheap shoes and hats to make things look sparkly.  She had no money to go to the hairdresser but she made it up to herself and went out for lunch each month.  Her children went to visit her from time to time and there was joy all around when they did.

Sockses by Joanne Okano

When you put on sockses and shoeses,
Do you put on redses or blueses,
Or orangeses or greenses,
And look like a queenses?

Journal

     This morning I phoned my visiting teaching companion and confirmed my visiting teaching visit with her.  Visiting teaching is a Church-wide program for the sisters where they visit each other monthly, or phone or email or write, teach a message, and find out if the family has any needs the visiting teachers or the Church can help with. 

     It is date night and I still do not have a boyfriend.  Is he out there somewhere?

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Auntie Jessie's Storytime

     When I was young I had an aunt, named Auntie Jessie.  She came from Liverpool and was a telephone operator in her youth.  At night she told us stories when she came to stay.  Here's how they went:
     First, she wanted us to choose a protagonist.  Next, she wanted to choose something they did, like knitting or baseball.  Lastly she wanted us to choose an ending, if I remember correctly.  Then she would make up a tailor-made story and tell it to us.  She was very good to do this. 

Journal

     I was thinking last night and I remembered that for part of my teenage years I wore a green pair of pants, a green blouse and smelled of apple perfume and apple shampoo.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Tatlow The Sailor - Part Eighteen by J.M.Okano

      Saskia, Tatlow and Kazuhiro packed up their belongings, to go their separate ways.  Tatlow wanted to go back to the sea.
     On their way out, they saw the neighbour.
     "You know you really are the funniest man I've ever met," said Tatlow.
     "It's all on account of my mother.  She said, "I put you in discreet charge of the children.  I put you in charge of them but I'm not telling them that.  You watch them and tell me everything they do."  I learned how to be very observant," said the neighbour with a grin.
     Everyone said goodbye.  Saskia and Sponsible went away, Kazuhiro moved locally and Tatlow and Honesty the monkey boarded a cruise ship for a long round the world trip.
     Tatlow earnt his keep by steering the ship, washing the floors (a job which he loved to do as he was taught to love it by his mother) and entertaining the passengers with his jokes.
     "What is a car window?  A device which when rolled down, messes up women's hair," he quipped.
     For something to do, he bought an accordion and a how-to-play-accordion book at the concession stand.  He studied accordion in his room in the evenings and played his way across the sea.

Journal

     I sauntered into the mall and went to get my shoes stretched.  They can stretch them widthwise or lengthwise, I learned.  Lengthwise, please, I replied.
     I went out for lunch, bought hair elastics and bought an herbal tea.  My daughter has received her mission call, I learned on the phone.  That means that she will find out tonight where she has been called on her mission. 

Mama Grinds Wheat by Joanne Okano

     My Mama grinds wheat. 

     She grinds wheat to bake bread.

     First, she bought wheat berries.

     Next, she bought a wheat grinder from a friend.

     She poured two cups of wheat berries into the wheat grinder.

     She placed a large bowl underneath to catch the wheat.

     And then she turned on the wheat grinder.

     The wheat grinder made the most terrific noise.

     And we all ran into the bedroom to get away from the wheat grinder.

     The vibrations from the wheat grinder shook the house.

     Then it was over.

     We returned to the kitchen.

     Mama turned off the wheat grinder.

     She used the wheat to bake bread.

     Yum!

The End

Pavel's Story Concludes

     Let's have a prayer, said Mama.  They prayed for the Dad of the family and then had supper.
     Later that evening, after the Father had been discussed at length, Dmitri came in saying hopeful things:
     I got some money!  They paid me!  I can't believe it.
     Who?  Why?  asked Pavel.
     The gardening job - they paid me.  I thought they weren't going to pay me, I did such a dumb job.  I'm no good at gardening.  I just took the job because it was free.  I'll do better in future I think in this country, he said.  They told me to take a horticulture degree too.  I think I'll do it.
      And Dmitri was happy as a sandboy for the rest of the evening.
     Do you two want to come with me to party tonight?  he asked Pavel and Mama.
     No, thank you, dear, said Mama (panic), let's stay home and have Family Home Evening.  Why don't you play a board game with us?  she asked hopefully.
     Well, alright, said Dmitri and sat down and played with them.  He won.  Hands down.
    
     One day Daddy came home from the mental asylum where he had been kept, and Mama, Papa and Pavel went out for lunch together.  Pavel was so excited and so was everybody else.  He was fine.
When they came home Pavel helped Mummy bake Mince Pies for the family and they ate some and then they all went out for a run in the snow, Pavel riding his tricycle.  They were so happy.
     Then the novel ends, children and my, my, wasn't that the shortest novel you ever did read!  And easy on the nerves.
The End

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Journal

     Enjoyed the spectacular views on the way home!  Also, I saw many people, and had a fascinating time watching their features.  I'm glad I'm an artist, because I have a chance to pass on what I've seen, my impressions of it, that is.

Mummy Returns From Seeing Daddy At The Place Where He Lives

     When she came back, she was sad.
     Was Daddy there?  asked Pavel, his face shining.
     Yes, dear.  Well, Daddy was well enough to talk to me, but he wasn't very well.
     What do you mean, he wasn't very well?  Did he have flu?
     No.  He had Pygmalion Syndrome, he said.  Put me in a better place, give me a better life and I'll soar, but this isn't working.
To Be Continued

Monday, October 15, 2012

Journal

     This weekend I spied twelve geese or so flying south for the winter.

Mummy Got A Facial At The Hairdresser

     Mummy was going out on a date with Daddy, don't you think so?  No, she was going to see him.  Like a date I suppose.  She wanted to take Pavel, but it was too dangerous she said.
     So I will have a facial and my hair done and new clothes and I will go, she said.  She made a new dress on the sewing machine, a cotton one (the dress I mean) and went off to see Dad.  Dad was a long way away, she said.
To Be Continued

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Joanne Okano's Reader

     This is a reader to help children learn to read.

     This is dedicated to my Auntie Gwen.


1

Hundred Mile House is a great place.

Clinton is swimming.

The weaver is at her loom.

Art is good for the soul.

The toast is hot.  I like it with jam.

The farmer is growing cherries.
"Want to see a cherry farm, children?"  he says.

Paul is on the phone.  He is taking a pizza order.

Shoshana is playing her ukelele.  She is good at it.

The missionaries tracted my street today.  They wanted to talk to the people about God.

2

Sheron is feeding her chickens.  James is catching them.  He runs fast.

Maude is seated in the cockpit of her float plane.  The flight has just begun and she is in the air.

The horses are wearing blankets, it's so cold.  The pasture is white with frost. 
 
The Japanese are dancing the Dance of the Dead at the park.  It is a graceful dance.

We are in a hurry.  It is a long way to the ferry.  Come on road, don't be so long!

Mommy has gone to deliver the mail.

The canning jars are full of pickles.  
"I want one too, please."

The squirrel is running across the road.  I hope we don't hit it.

The B.C. Museum is an interesting place to go.

The raccoon is in the roof.  It has built a nest.  I hear it scurrying about.  We'll have to phone the S.P.C.A.

Sheila is wearing a purple outfit to her interview.  She hopes to get the job.

The Jews are at the synagogue.  They are having a festival, dancing.

Peter dazzles us, as usual, with his musical abilities.  Wow!  Can he play the horn!

Mom's making cabbage rolls for supper tonight.

The fish shop is open.  Yoshiko is selling fish.  She is happy.  Bobby is making sushi.

Lyle has cavities.  He must go to the dentist.

I am so happy to live in B.C.  I love the weather.  I love the mountains and the valleys and the sea.

The kind man took his child to the Pow-wow.

3

Stephen has his ham radio at the ready, to save everyone.

The heron looks so beautiful, I am aghast.

Rupinder has gone fishing.  Usually she drives a bus.  She is a bus driver for the school board.

The crew is doing a good job of paving the road.

Somerset is a good boy.  He is making breakfast so Mummy can go to church too.  He is flipping pancakes.  Mummy has to do her hair.  It takes a long time.  She uses hot irons.  Careful, don't scald yourself!

Grandpa made lunch for us of Chicken Calcutta.  Then we had fruit plate.  We put out the grapes, cantaloupe melon, strawberries, and pineapple on the plates.  Delicious!

Summer camp is in full swing.  The children are walking in a line along the sidewalk, singing.

The prairies are having an electric storm.  Heavy clouds gather.  The clouds burst.  Rain ensues.

"Father made stir-fry for dinner,"  said Karen.  "Wasn't that nice?"

Northern people take a long time to get to their appointments sometimes.  It all depends if there is a moose on the road.

The boats are bobbing on the sea.  The ocean liner is blaring its horn.  Sea breezes waft into shore.  I hope I go to sea when I get older.

4

The home schooling mother is in a good mood and so is the principal.  They have come to an agreement.
"I will come to your school to borrow books if you don't mind."
"No, not at all."

The family is having fun.  It is hilarious to be reading their Great-Grandpa's memoirs.
"I slid down the roof and tore off my britches!"  it says.  It gets funnier.  "Then Mom saw me and put me under the hose pipe, to get the soot off."

My mother says if I go north, I'll see the aurora borealis.  These are lights in the sky.

Granville Island is where I like to go most in B.C.  I wander round the shops, the market, and see the art and the view.  Many people go there.  There is a hubbub and I like that.

The little Mennonite school children are dancing at the seaside.  They are in a ring, their braids bobbing as they dance in their check dresses.

5

We are busy knitting and having a fun time of it, too, telling stories.  Baby clothes are fun to make.

The Japanese had to leave their belongings and go into internment camps.  It was very sad.  They came back after and started again.

6

I looked out the window.  The moon was in the sky, brightly shining.
"Hallo, hallo.  Where are the cattle tonight?"  said Father.
"In the canyon," I replied.
"Then we'll bed down for the night, after we have some supper," he said.  "What's for supper?"  he asked.
"I don't know why we're having beans again, but that's all there is.  Better make some biscuits," said Mama.

The skunk smells so bad that I have closed the cabin window.
"I wonder why skunks smell that way?"  I asked Mama.
"So they don't attract danger," she answered.
 "I don't want to know why they smell that way," said Wyatt.  "I just want them out of our range."
"Yes, dear," said Father.  "I know what you mean.  What shall we eat for supper?"
"Beans again!"

Everyone comes to earth with a gift.  Some don't know what it is yet.  Some are good listeners.  Some are good cooks.  Some are good at music.  Some are good at languages.  Some are good at caring for children.  Some are good at almost anything they do.  You know why?  Because they try hard.

The End