Amazing Grace

I really like the sound of bagpipes. To me they have a very calming sound. I have always liked the hymn Amazing Grace although it is not within our LDS hymn book. Please enjoy the music to the hymn while viewing scenes of Scotland.

Fourteen Rules for Making Every Day a Great Day!

Well over ten years ago I found an article in the Parade Magazine about making our days "great."

The article listed ten things of which I have tried and found to work, but I want to add four more things that I know work too:

• Daily prayer
• Daily scripture study
• Tell someone that you love them
• Exercise

Have a great day!

The Ice Cream Truck

The other day I heard a sound I had not heard in many decades . . . an ice cream truck. These trucks are very uncommon these days, but in my neighborhood in the 1960s its inviting, tinkling sound coming up the street was more than a small child could bear.

In the summertime, Mom had us children napping every afternoon until we were older--maybe 7 or 8. It seemed that just as I was trying to nod off, I heard the slow moving ice cream truck's music coming from a long way away. My anxiety grew everytime I could tell it had stopped for a child who had purchased a special frozen treat. My mom hardly ever let me go out and buy an ice cream, but sometimes if the tooth fairy had recently come and left me a nickle, she would let me run out.

The sound of the ice cream truck brought back happy memories for me. Maybe next time I hear the musicbox-like tunes coming again, I will run out and treat myself to a cone. I am sure it will cost more than a nickle.

Russian Olive Trees

I love the smell of the Russian Olive tree whose fragrance only lasts for about one week each season. Most years I plan on its scent in late May or early June. But because of our late Spring, this year it happened on about the 12th of June.

When I first detect the fragrance of this silver-green, small-leaved Russian olive tree, I insist that my husband drive slowly through the areas they grow. He does not share my love for them but is very patient with me.

The not-so-pretty Russian olives were brought to the United States from Eurasia in the late 18th century, have few natural enemies and can survive almost anything. They grow fast, in almost any soil, and are more drought-resistant than most native trees.

They were planted often during the 1930s Dust Bowl as shelter belts. But now Russian olives have crept to the river banks and invaded irrigation canals and create other nuisances for land owners. They thrive and multiply where native plants sometimes cannot.

Once I mentioned to a group of friends that I was enjoying the smell in the air of the Russian Olive tree. Many in the blurry-eyed group almost cursed me as they recounted their extreme allergic reactions to the tree.

So . . . it appears I am in the minority as far as a love of the Russian Olive tree. This week I will enjoy in silence!

Take a Deep Breath and Walk

I love walking--as long as its not too steep or for more than about an hour and a half at a time. I have learned that walking can: 

• Raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol)
• Lower blood pressure
• Reduce risk of or manage type 2 diabetes
• Manage weight
• Improve mood
• Help one stay strong and fit

Researchers say that brisk walking can reduce the risk of heart attack by the same amount as more vigorous exercise, such as jogging. Thats good since there is no way I could jog.

More than the exercise, I think I really need the sunlight. Scientists have found that ultraviolet light from sunshine can increase the risk of skin cancer and cataracts, but lower amounts of sunshine can be extremely beneficial. Sunshine helps to prevent osteoporosis and is able to convert cholesterol into vitamin D, something really important to good bone health.

This past winter and spring were really hard for me because of weather conditions I could not walk as much. I find that I am a much nicer person when I can get outside, take a deep breath of fresh air, soak in a little sunshine and move my lazy muscles.

I am wishing all of us a great summer of beautiful weather and alot of opportunities for walking!

Precious Time

Time is one of the most precious gifts Heavenly Father has given us. Last night I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep right away. The only things I could hear were my clocks ticking in a very unsynchronized way. It sounded strange.

Then I got nervous that I should be doing something with my time--after all it was just ticking away. Ironically, in another 24 hours I would be considered one year older--my birthday. My birthday doesn't bother me much. In fact I have considered myself a year older since my last one.

Instead of a New Year's resolution, this year I am going to make a birthday resolution to use my time very wisely--every minute worthwhile. But I am getting older and I find myself asleep in front of the television alot. That time I will never get back. Oh well, with a little extra sleep maybe I will look younger. Probably not!

Pride and Prejudice

I am not an avid reader as are my daughters. In fact I would much rather watch something while working on a sewing project. Maybe I'm just lazy or maybe it is that I feel lazy while I read. I really don't understand myself. But . . . I really enjoy reading Jane Austen's books.

If I WERE to read a lot, it would not be of fiction except for Miss Austen. My favorite is Pride and Prejudice and then Sense and Sensibility. The other books I have read at least partly but they are not as enjoyable to me.

I am not one of those who yearns to have been born in the 1800s. I appreciate modern conveniences way too much for that. Nonetheless, I cannot pass up any adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

I enjoy that the women in her books have time to spend reading, gathering garden flowers, going on lovely leisure walks, doing handwork, attending cotillions and practicing their piano forte. From what I know of my ancestors of the time, [and some of them lived in the areas written of by Jane] few would have had very much leisure time.

My husband has sat with me through alot of Austen movies and plays, and he doesn't complain. Enjoy the following clip from a BBC movie. It is one of my favorite scenes.