Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Traces of Time . . . January 30-February 5, 2017

Traces of Time . . . Happy New Year
This week 
January 30, 2017
to 
February  5, 2017


Winter
December   January   February

Monday - January 30, 2017


This morning we stayed home and caught up on laundry and other things that needed to be done.



Tuesday - January 31, 2017


This morning we drove to Utah to see our kids.  The dry snow was blowing across the Interstate like a sand storm.  Then at Sweetzer the wind died down and we were in fog.  Some places I was only driving 35 mph.  We had fog most of the way from then on -- which later on the news it said it was an "inversion."

It's always great to be with our kids and grandkids.  We had dinner together at Golden Corral in Provo.  And later in the evening I was able to catch up a little on the blog.



Wednesday - February 1, 2017


At the start of each new month, it's surprising to see how fast the previous month has zoomed by!
This morning we drove back to Burley and rendezvoused with Dale and Connie for the 1:00 session at the Twin Falls Temple.

It's my turn for our Sibling Book Club to choose the book for February.
I have chosen In This Together by Ann Romney.





Thursday - February 2, 2017


This morning 


Friday - February 3, 2017


This morning we worked with Kathleen...


Saturday - February 4, 2017


This morning 

Sunday - February 5, 2017





This morning 





Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Traces of Time . . . Happy New Year
This week 
January 23, 2017
to 
January  29, 2017


Winter
December   January   February


Monday - January 23, 2017


This morning we drove to Twin Falls for Walt's appointment with Dr. Kurtis Reed to have Mohs Surgery to remove a squamous cell carcinoma on his right jaw line that was diagnosed in December.

He asked Dr. Reed about another spot below his right ear...and it also was a squamous cell carcinoma, so the Mohs surgeon cut that one out also.  Plus Dr. Reed said one on Walt's left arm just below the elbow was a basil cell carcinoma, so that, too, was cut out.

Each one was nicely bandaged, along with the nurse explaining to me that I would need to put fresh bandages on each day, and then next Monday I could take out the stitches.

I told her that I would put on new dressings each day that she showed me step-by-step how to do, but that I would not be able to take out the stitches.  She said if we wanted to drive back to Twin they would be glad to take them out.  Walt told her that we had a neighbor who could do it.

I could never be a nurse and have someone's life depend on what I did.  And in sixth grade I told  my friends I would never be a school teacher because of the names I heard some of the kids call our teachers.  

So I went to Business College, with my major "Executive Secretary," which I have mostly enjoyed using those skills at home. 

Also, after I worked a year in the Executive Offices of the headquarters of the First Security Bank at First South and Main in Salt Lake City, I went to Brigham Young University for two years, also majoring in business, but also taking a lot of homemaking classes that last semester after I was engaged to the second year medical student.

And during our first three years of marriage I worked full time--two years at the Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, as secretary to the physician who was head of the Hematology Department.

In Minneapolis, the year Walt did his internship, I was the secretary for two specialist physicians who were Internists, right in downtown Minneapolis.  Our first child was born on the day Walt began his internship at the Minneapolis General Hospital.  

Since Walt earned 17 cents an hour during that internship year, I needed to work.  We were so blessed to have a wonderful wife of another L.D.S. intern, Margo Ward, take care of Janie for the first nine months.

In the middle of that internship year, in January 1964, the hospital was changed to Hennepin County Hospital and they raised the salary for interns enough--I think to $250 a month--so that Walt told me he wanted me to be able to quit my job to stay home with our baby.  So in March of 1964 I became a full-time mother.  What a blessing!

The next two years, Walt fulfilled his military duty through the Public Health Department as a physician and surgeon at the Talihina, Oklahoma Indian Hospital.  Our second child, Gary, was born in Arkansas, then after we moved to Burley, Idaho in 1966, just after we had been married five years, we had five children born in Burley, Idaho--Steve, David, Julie, Brian, and Jennifer.  

We feel so blessed to have been able to have these seven children and love them all dearly.  As the Mom in "Family Circus" answered when asked how she divides her love among all her children: "The love is not divided, it is multiplied."

And the same is true for our 35 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren...the love keeps multiplying.

Tuesday - January 24, 2017

Today we drove to Dr. Michael Taylor's opthamology office here in Burley for Walt's appointment.  I had mentioned maybe we should call to make sure he was able to get through the snow from Twin Falls.

As we walked in, his receptionist said: "Oh, I'm so sorry I was not able to get a hold of you because we didn't have your new phone number on file.  Dr. Taylor lives in Kimberly, and he was not able to get our of his lane at his home."

So she rescheduled Walt for the first week in February.

Just before we had left, LaRae Crane had called to tell us that all classes at CSI (as all the schools in the area) are cancelled today.

This afternoon LaRae Crane and I were scheduled to go visiting teaching. LaRae said Ken Weeks had come that morning to shovel their driveway and his pickup got stuck on their road.  Some men came and helped him get out.

So LaRae told me to not try to drive to her home to pick her up.  I had the bread baking in the oven to take to each sister, so I did go.

I looked for a handout for this month's message on "The Purpose of Relief Society."  I found this one on the pinkpolkadots.com site.
My printer is at Valley Greener Computer getting fixed, so I just wrote this quote out by hand, and e-mailed this "fancy-dancy" one to each of our sisters: Cindy Young, Karen Taylor, and Debbie Harrell.

I was able to drive to each place without getting stuck.  They told me later they enjoyed the freshly baked home-made bread.  I thought it would be some comfort food during this long, snowy winter.


Wednesday - January 25, 2017
W
We drove to Twin Falls and the Interstate was quite clear. We talked about whether to take the 182 Exit, going across the Hansen Bridge and on in on Addison, or just staying on the freeway and taking the Perrine Bridge and back west a touch to the Temple.

We agreed to take the Hansen Bridge.  I was driving and the minute we turned on to Addison we knew it was the wrong decision because the road was covered with snow with high drifts along each side.  

I drove about 35 mph.  Walt would say...."There's a car off," as I just kept looking straight ahead driving slowly.  Four times he said: "There's another car off," but I just kept driving.

We finally pulled  in to the temple parking lot at 10:59 a.m.,
so missed the 11:00 a.m. session.  We did initiatories...which is always good to hear again all the blessings in those sacred ordinances.  

We rendezvoused with Dale in the Celestial Room, then he chose McAlester's to go to for lunch.  Walt and I chose nice hot soup--I got loaded potato in a bread bowl and Walt got brocolli with whole wheat bread on the side.  Dale got French Dip, with potato salad. (I get the feeling Dale loves potato salad because he orders it often.)

Connie is in Salmon taking care of Jenny's kids.  Jenny had an emergency appendectomy last Friday, and had some complications, so is recuperating in the Pocatello Hospital.

We ran an errand in Twin before driving home.  It was such a pleasant surprise to have the total Interstate clear and dry all the way across in both lanes.  I even got up to the 80 mph speed limit some of the time.

We just relaxed the rest of the evening when we got home about four o'clock.  I think we watched Jeopardy and the evening news. 

Thursday - January 26, 2017

Today we went to the "Over 60 and Fit" free walking class at CSI. We walk from 11:00 to 11:45.  Some of the gals go over to an Institute class at noon taught by Nancy Blauer, so we went over today.  It is "Doctrines of the Gospel" starting this Spring Semester with Chapter 23 "The Restoration of the Gospel in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times."

A DISPENSATION of the gospel is a period of time in which the Lord has at least one authorized servant on the earth who bears the holy priesthood and the keys, and who has a divine commission to dispense the gospel to the inhabitants of the earth.  

When this occurs, the gospel is revealed anew, so that people of that dispensation do not have to depend basically on past dispensations for knowledge of the plan of salvation.  

There have been many dispensations since the beginning and each of the dispensations has been unique in some way.  Each dispensation had knowledge of the Plan of Salvation.

Keys of the Kingdom = power, right, authority to preside over the kingdom of God on earth (the Church) and direct its affairs.

Sister Blauer is a great teacher and we learned several new things...one being that the angel in Revelations 14:6 "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,..." is a composite angel of all the resurrected beings who helped in the Great Restoration...including Jesus Christ, Moroni, Michael (Adam) Enoch, Gabriel (Noah), Abraham, Moses, Elias, Elijah, Melchizedek, John the Baptist, Peter, James, John...

Also that the Meridian of Time is the "High Point of the History of this Earth."

Sister Blauer had an interesting visual of L__
                                                                    _ O__  __E
                                                                             V           
printed on the board that was connected and then
she wrote in "Pre-Earth" at the top of the L, "Creation" along the vertical part of the L, then in the middle of the O she wrote "Earth," and the first inside part of the V was "Death," the vertical part of the V going up was "Resurrection," and the line over to the E she wrote "Judgement."   On each horizontal line of the E she wrote on the top "Celestial," on the second "Terrestrial," and on the bottom was "Telestial."  By "Celestial" she drew a sun, by "Terrestrial" she drew a crescent moon, and by "Telestial" she drew a star.

I wish I knew how to do this on the computer because it is a great visual aid for The Plan of Salvation.  Of course, the word "LOVE" is symbolic of the Love of the Savior and His Great Atonement for each one of us.

Friday - January 27, 2017

This morning Kathleen Hedberg came to help us with family history for two hours.  She is still working on Walt's line of his grandmother from Sweden--Nellie Katie Olson.  She goes into the records on line that are actually written in Swedish and is very careful about finding the right ancestors and searching out each entire family on Nellie Katie's line.

When I was in familysearch.org, a photo popped up of Jane Dunmire on my Dad's line, but I couldn't get it to copy.  I also verified some information on my Grandfather Clarence Albertson's sister Salome Albertson Justice and her husband.  I was sad to see that they were never able to have children.

The obituary of my Dad's brother, Warren Albertson, was also online and I was able to copy it.  I typed it and added it to some inforamation that his wife, Vida, had told me during a telephone conversation in ______ and copied it into the "Memories" section of Family Search, but before I could hit "Save" my computer went weird and knocked me out of familysearch, so I've got to do it all over again.

At least I had typed it into my Word program, so it is still saved there.

Computers!  Can't live with them or without them!  

The rest of the day Walt and I spent preparing dinner for the missionaries--Elder Towers and Elder _______ (I didn't write it down and can't remember right now.)

We had stew and scones, plus homemade apple pie for dessert.
I brown the meat and then let it simmer for a couple of hours before adding the vegetables.  

Then I mixed the dough and put the pie in to bake during this time. This pie made from the apples from our trees in the fall that we had peeled and added the sugar and spices to before freezing turned out much better than the one I made from our frozen apple filling last week.

Walt is always so good to peel and cut all the potatoes, carrots, onions, celery and cabbage for the stew.  I had a pint of beef stock to add, plus I had finally found a little tin of bay leaves at Smith's so I could add a bay leaf.

We had invited Ruth Melling and Kathleen Hedberg to join us.
We enjoyed our hour with these four.  The Elders are working hard in this area.

As I was deep frying the scones, I had two loaves of bread to put in to bake while we were eating, which I was planning to send a loaf home with them, along with a jar of stew.  Somehow I hit the wrong button on the oven, and it turned off.  So when the 30 minutes was up the loaves were still "white."  I turned the oven back on, and they kinda got baked finally.

Saturday - January 26, 2017

We went to the Open House for the Smithsonian Water/Ways Exhibit at the City Hall. Gary Eller was singing old Idaho river songs that he has found in city records and archives throughout the state.  It was delightful!

And the refreshments were delicious -- meatballs in a sweet-sour sauce, veggies, and the macaroon cookies were out of this world.  

Julie Woodford and her Burley library staff always do a great job with any event they are over.

From there we went over to the library to view the exhibit which will be at our library from January 28 to March 11.  Don't miss it. Just a few cities in Idaho get to have it and Burley is one of the few!!

Also the Water in Idaho and the West Conference is February 16, 2017 from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Superior Conference Center at 1051 Oakley Avenue in Burley. (This is a new conference center that Walt and I had never heard of.)

On Thursday, February 9 at 1:30 p.m. at the Burley Library is the Oakley Dam Book Discussion with Kathleen Hedberg discussing the book she wrote about the 1984 situation when we were almost flooded in Oakley and Burley and the miracles that saved us.  The book A Flood Canot Happen Here received the "best non-fiction book" in Idaho written that year.

Also on Tuesday, February 21, the Historical Oakley Dam Flood, will be presented by Rex Gerratt, with historical footage by Keith Ramsey  at 7:00 p.m. at the King Fine Arts Little Theatre and 1 Bobcat Blvd. in Burley.

Lots going on in Burley.  Some describe Burley as "the center of the universe."

Sunday - January 27, 2017


Our testimonies were strengthened today during our 3-hour block at Burley 3rd Ward.  Taking the sacrament--the highlight of each week--plus great talks by Ellie Garrard, Karen Taylor, and Randy Parish.  Sunday School Gospel Doctrine lesson by Sherry Ormond, and Relief Society Lesson by Bonnie Fronk.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, restored from God and Jesus Christ by the Prophet Joseph Smith.  President Thomas S. Monson is the living Prophet of God on the earth today. The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ, as the Bible is the Testament of Jesus Christ.

We are blessed to live on the earth at this time.

We are thankful for each and every blessing.

Of this we testify at the end of this winter Sabbath Day .

And when I find my camera or figure out how to download photos from Walt's cell phone, we will have pictures again on our blog.

Walt and Eileen Petersen - Burley, Idaho, U.S.A.




Monday, January 16, 2017

Traces of Time . . . January 16-22, 2017

Traces of Time . . . Happy New Year
This week 
January 16, 2017
to 
January  22, 2017



W I N T E R 
December - January - February

Monday - January 16, 2017

(hope to add photos soon)

Walt got an MRI this morning at the Cassia Regional Medical Center.  He has been having some lower back pain for a few months now, so before his surgeon in Salt Lake who did his back surgery in May 2012 can check him, Walt is required to have a current MRI.  So that got done this morning.

Walt has claustrophobia so was wondering if he would be able to stay in the MRI machine long enough.  But he said it is no longer this tiny tube that they roll your body into.  It is more open, so he said it was the difference between night and day, and he didn't feel claustrophobic in this more open MRI machine.


We had a great time at Family Home Evening tonight at the home of Gary and Colleen McCall.  They always set a beautiful table.
Here is one table...with Sparkling Apple Cider ready to serve.
  
G'lenn, Scott, and Steve enjoy talking together 
just before dinner is served. 
Dan, Gary, and Sherry are getting the 
final preparations for dinner done. 
Bloxhams put some lovely fruit kabobs together.
Dan brought a healthy veggie tray. 
Eileen baked rolls, and 
Sherry made a nutritious tossed salad.
Bonnie brought some of their yummy frozen corn.
And Gary and Colleen always choose delicious meat to serve...here are spare ribs that Gary smoked then bar-b-qued....hmmmm! 
They also added a tri-tip roast, 
in case some didn't want the bar-b-que.
I was so delighted with the colorful cups of fresh fruit and wafers in whipped cream that Marilyn brought for dessert, I plumb forgot
to take a photo of them.   
She brought them and went back home to take care of Dave, who,
also missed Church yesterday because of a bad cold.
Sherry shared everyone's sentiments when she said she was sorry about Dave's being ill, but appreciated 
his not coming to expose the rest of us.  
She's been able to avoid getting a cold that she
usually gets during the holidays.

After dinner, we went into the living room by the fireplace,
where Gary and Colleen introduced their idea for the lesson.
They said that Steve and Sherry had touched on it
during the conversation at dinner, when they shared
their experiences of going to the Family History Library
to do some family history.

Colleen asked us each to share a story about an ancestor...who came across the plains...or who didn't come across the plains.

Now I will share snitches of what was shared.
[If I get your stories wrong, please let me know.]
Colleen shared about her Dad's Grandmother McGraw Carey...who was a character, smoked a pipe which she carried in her garter when she wasn't smoking.  She taught--or had her children each learn--a musical instrument.  They formed a band that played for various dances in the area they lived.  (I don't remember where her Dad's father grew up...seems like it may have been Oregon.)
Her Dad was the only one in his family converted to the Church.

Gary's ancestors in Switzerland...
I think he said his mother's name was Barbara Stucki. Gary's ancestors from Switzerland ended up in the Driggs/Victor area of Idaho where Frank Bauman's family had also emigrated to from Switzerland, and they all grew up together.
Gary shared that his Great-grandfather, John Stucki, in 1857 at age 9, came across the plains in a handcart company.
Even though they weren't snowed on like the Willey and Martin Handcart Companies, it was still a hard trip pushing those handcarts.  They did not have sufficient food, and they were pretty much out of food by the time they got to Western Wyoming. The party came to a group of buffalo and shot three of them. Each family got a big roast that they wrapped to save for dinner the next Sunday.  As this 9-y-o boy helped push the handcart, he would take his pocketknife and cut little pieces of the buffalo meat off to chew on because he was so hungry.  
On Sunday, when his Dad unwrapped the roast to cook for the Sunday dinner, only about half of it was left.  Gary's G-gf didn't get in trouble like he thought he would, but his father cried because he knew his little boy was so hungry.
When they got to Salt Lake Brigham Young had them to go Santa Clara.
Steve shared a story about his ancestors who emigrated from England via ship to Florida through a "hole in the rock" on the ocean, docked at New Orleans, then came up river to Missouri on to Council Bluffs, then came across the plains from there in 1856 when the trail was well established. 

Sherry's great-grandfather Neil Johansson, during the grain harvest, got his hand caught in the cogs of the binder when trying to unclog them. If they'd taken the cogs apart it would have taken three weeks to get the part, and the other farmer's would not have gotten their grain harvested, since they all used the same binder.
So he had his finger cut off so the others would not lose their crop for that season.  Her g-gf did what had to be done.
(Sherry, if I didn't get that right, please let me know. Thanks.)
Ken Hansen couldn't make it through the snow and ice to walk over, so Bonnie fed him supper, then came over to McCall's.
Bonnie shared that her Dad, _______ Blauer was born with a club foot that was never operated on.  His brother, Cecil, a fourth child, was also born with a club foot, but they did operate on his when he was a baby.  His fourth child was also born with a club foot.
Bonnie's Grandmother Blauer was born in Switzerland and joined the Church at age 17 and came to Utah via the Perpetual Immigration Fund.
Her Grandfather Blauer, at age 25, was on the same ship, and had worked in the vineyards. He was planning to go to Australia, but someone who wanted to go to Australia asked him to trade tickets with him, so Bonnie's g-f decided he would trade his ticket to Australia and go to Utah to see him family before he then went on to Australia. When he went to Utah he met Bonnie's g-m, fell in love and married her instead of ever going to Australia.
G'lenn's Great-great-grandmother would always make her daughter wear her bonnet when she went outside.  G'lenn's Great-grandmother would wear it till she was out of site of her mother, then get off her horse, take her bonnet off and tie it to a fence post and ride the rest of the way on her horse, 
letting her hair flow free in the wind.
When "Nana"--as G'lenn said they all called her--headed back home, she would stop and retrieve her bonnet and her mother thought she's worn it the whole day.

Scott's Grandmother was born with club feet and could never walk because her feet wouldn't hold her up.  She had to crawl her entire life.  When Scott would go with his family to visit his Grandfather and Grandmother, they would have to wait outside while his Grandfather got his Grandmother up onto a chair and, put a blanket over her that covered her feet, before they went in. He never did see his Grandmother crawling on the floor.
She had a drawer behind her where she always had homemade oatmeal raisin cookies for them.  
Scott doesn't know how she made them.  He said his Grandfather must have lifted her up onto the counter to make and bake them.
To this day he loves oatmeal-raisin cookies.
Dan said his mother's G-g-g-grandfather, Phillip Delamare, was commissioned by Brigham Young to go to England and bring back the equipment for the first sugar factory in Utah.  It was called the U and I Sugar Factory and was in South Jordan.
On his father's side--Elizabeth Snow--his grandmother Black's G-g-grandfather was a brother of Lorenzo Snow.  (So he would also be
a brother of Eliza R. Snow.)

Eileen adds:  Dan comes from a long line of famous Church leaders--on both sides of his family.

Eileen shared a little about her mother's family.  Her maternal Grandfather Simpson "David" Huffaker homesteaded his farm in Rigby, having grown up in Willow Creek (now just a little north and east of Idaho Falls).  He married in 1913 and her mother, Verna Beth Huffaker (Albertson) was their third child, born in Rigby in 1920.  When she was a year old, someone told Dave and Ella that the growing season in Wendell, Idaho, was longer and the soil better, so they--along with two other families--moved there.  And that's how Eileen was born in the Magic Valley and graduated from Wendell High School in 1957; Walt is a 1952 WHS graduate.

 In 2000 when her Mom turned 80, Eileen helped her Mom get her hand-written life story typed and by the Christmas of 2000 had 450 pages done.  But before printing it, her Mom wanted to add photos.  Eileen is still adding photos.  Her Mom lived to age 93--passing away in July 2013.
Eileen ended with the story of her mother's .conversion
On Easter Sunday, when Verna was 8, their Sunday School teacher,
Sister Bessie Kassins, had them go outside. The girls sat on the lawn, but Verna didn't want to get any grass stains on her pretty, new Easter dress, so she stood up.
Sister Kassins told them about the First Vision.
As Verna was listening intently, she heard a voice say: "It's true."
She never doubted from that day that Joseph Smith saw God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ.  Her testimony was unquenchable for the rest of her life!

Walt shared about his Uncle Tom Prescott.  He shared that his four Prescott uncles, John, Hebe, Dean, and Tom were all strong men who enjoyed getting together to hunt.  However, none of them liked snakes.  Uncle Tom didn't want to be afraid of anything, so he would carry a snake in his pocket.  He never did really like snakes, but he was never afraid of them again.
Walt added, "I'm like my mother, I am still terrified of snakes," adding, "I would never die of a snake bite, I would die of fright."
Here is the group photo:
Front row: Dan Black, Colleen McCall, Walt Petersen, Bonnie Hansen.  Back row: Scott and G'lenn Bloxham, Gary McCall, Sherry and Steve Ormond.
Bonnie Hansen took this group photo so Eileen could be in it.
We always enjoy being together.  However, it didn't seem the
same without Ken Hansen, Dave and Marilyn Gibbons, and Ken and Bonnie Fronk there. The Fronks are out of town for two weeks.
We thank Gary and Colleen McCall for always being such a gracious host and hostess.

I forgot to add one of the best, most important parts . . .

In closing, Colleen said: We've all enjoyed hearing a story about your ancestors.
Now...for your children and grandchildren to have a story about their ancestors, we each need to write our life story.
The challenge for us is: Start your life story.
Which for some of us will mean, 
if we've started it, 
bring it up to date.



   Next month - February 20th - we will gather at the home of Walt and Eileen Petersen.
     Sherry said that Darrell and Mary Ann Roskelley will be home on February 3rd, so they will rejoin us.
     George and Jacque Gorton finish their mission in July 2017, we think.




Tuesday - January 10, 2017

This morning our College of Southern Idaho - Burley Branch walking class began for winter semester.*  It is taught by Raedean Gillette.  I think it's called "Over 60 and Keeping Fit."  
I counted about 43 in the class.  We walk from 11:00 to 11:50.  The instructor has fun peppy music to walk to. (It's old-time like from the 1960s and 1970s) and also has the class add arm exercises, and sometimes weighted balls or elastic bands to lift and move during part of the walking time.
She closes with good cool down routines.

*When we went to the office of CSI--Burley Branch to report that my camera may have been dropped outside the south door of the gym, I saw a sign that said: "Sign up for Spring Semester--starting January 17." So even though we are in the dead of winter--it's called Spring Semester.  I guess because it goes till Spring it's called that.

We spent the rest of the day taking down more of our Christmas decorations, getting ready for my Serendipity Book Club that will meet here this Thursday evening.

Wednesday - January 18, 2017

We were planning to drive to Elwood, Utah, today for the funeral of Walt's second cousin, Earl Petersen, son of his Dad's Uncle Willie.  However, the weather report said: "Winter Storm Warning in effect from 11:00 a.m. today until 5:00 p.m. tomorrow night." So that kept us home.

We found out the next day--when our back left tire was going flat--that it had a screw in it, and we probably would have had a flat tire on the way to Utah.  So we were blessed to not be along side the rode in snow and ice with a flat tire.

We made some more preparations for my book club being here the next day.  And a great help was that our home teacher, Ethan Kemp, and his friend, Bryce Hale, from our Teachers' Quorum, came over before mutual and carried about 12 boxes of Christmas decorations from our family room and living room to the storage room and lifted them high onto the shelves there.

Then they switched the couch and love seat in the family room that we change each December to make room for the kids' Christmas tree in the corner by the fireplace.  What a great help that was for us!  Bryce's dad, Russell, also helped with taking two old office chairs to the basement.

Now our family room is back to normal and more ready for my friends to come for the book review Thursday evening.


(I have a couple of photos of them, but they are on Walt's cell phone, and I can't get them loaded onto my computer.  I must have lost my camera coming out of walking class this morning.)

Thursday - January 19, 2017

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Friday - January 20, 2017
I N A U G A R A T I O N   D A Y   O F   P R E S I D E N T
 D O N A L D   J.   T R U M P

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Saturday - January 21, 2017

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Sunday - January 22, 2017
Today was our Burley 3rd Ward Conference.
I am sharing parts of the testimony of our Bishop and our Stake President who were the two speakers in Sacrament Meeting.

Bishop Steven M. Gerratt...
Heavenly Father loves us. 

I have a testimony of the Atonement, just as Joseph Smith saw what he said, in our General Conferences the First Presidency and Apostles--who are Prophets, Seers, and Revelators--share testimony of Joseph Smith.

He translated the Book of Mormon. 

I have a testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ is on the Earth. 
I also sustain and bare testimony that President Thomas S. Monson is our Prophet. 

The Holy Ghost bears testimony to me that the one purpose of the First Presidency and Apostles is to help us draw closer to Heavenly Father.

One of my favorite scriptures is Helaman 5:12:
   "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fail."  

We will be safe if we build our foundation on the Savior.
No matter what Satan throws at us, we can never fall if we build
our foundation on the Savior.

Yea, I have faith in and a testimony of Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father, and the Holy Ghost.

Yea, I have faith in and a testimony of the Restoration.

Yea, I have a testimony in the President of the Church of Jesus Christ, the Prophet who exercises all of the Priesthood Keys.
Yea, I have a testimony in the Apostles.
In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.


President Chad Jones...






Saturday, January 14, 2017

Traces of Time . . . January 9-15, 2017

Traces of Time . . . Happy New Year
This week 
January 9, 2017
to 
January  15, 2017

W I N T E R 
December - January - February

Monday - January 9, 2017

(hope to add photos soon)

Had a great time watching the National College Football Championship Game - defending champs Alabama beat by
Clemson Tigers - 52-49.
Ruth Melling invited us to watch the game with her.
We love being with our neighbor and good friend.
Tuesday - January 10, 2017

Dr. Spackman ordered a chest x-ray for Walt today because he has had a cough for three weeks now.  He does not have pneumonia, just a virus.
He also had his ears irrigated, and now can hear much better from having so much wax removed.

Wednesday - January 11, 2017

We went to the viewing for Milford Mabey.


Thursday - January 12, 2017

We went to the funeral of Milford Mabey, son of Velma Jean Mabey. His brother, Duane, did a great job speaking, as did
President Guy Redder, and Bishop Darby Hawkins.


Friday - January 13, 2017

n Kathleen Hedberg helped us with family history.
Then I was able to get the three ink cartridges for our HP Laser Jet Printer....so now I can print things from my computer again.

Saturday - January 14, 2017

First, today, I'm doing a Birthday Remembrance for my Mom.
V E R N A   B E T H    H U F F A K E R   A L B E R T S O N
Born January 14, 1920 in Rigby, Jefferson County, Idaho
Died July 26, 2013
                   
                 So she lived 93 years on this Earth, and now she
                 is living in heaven.

Oh....I don't have my photos transferred to this new computer...so I'm going to start this over on my old Dell Computer....


I also need to transfer this photo from today's Twin Falls Times News...about Hudsons' Hamburgers in Couer d'Alene.



Sunday, January 15, 2017

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and
all that goes with it.

Of this we testify at the end of this Sabbath Day.
Walt Petersen and Eileen A. Petersen
Burley, I D A H O

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Traces of Time . . . January 2-8, 2017

Traces of Time . . . Happy New Year
This week 
January 2, 2017
to 
January  8, 2017

W I N T E R 
December - January - February


Monday - January 2, 2017
Our tradition for New Year's Day--which was celebrated today:
Watch the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl football game.  We were cheering for University of Southern California vs Penn State, so were happy with the final score of 52-49.
    Walt said it's the best football game he has ever seen.  And they broke a record for the most total points scored in the Rose Bowl.

Our tradition was also to have an "indoor picnic," after the rich foods in December. We'd usually have ham, homemade potato salad, baked beans, fresh veggies and fruit, rolls, and Texas chocolate cake.

We were able to get a color TV back in the late 1960's before most of our extended family had one, so we always invited Walt's parents, his siblings, nephews and nieces to come to our home and watch the parade and the Rose Bowl in color.
     It is always great when family and extended family can be together.
Tuesday -  January 3, 2017

Walt's choice for January for the SBC - Sibling Book Club
Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics
Book by Charles Krauthammer

Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics is a nonfiction book by Charles Krauthammer. It was at the top on The New York Times Non-Fiction Best Sellers List for four weeks, in January 2014

Wednesday - January 4, 2017
 Because of a severe winter storm warning, we didn't drive to Twin Falls today to rendezvous with Dale and Connie for our weekly temple session.
   Good thing....Burley--as most of southe central Idaho--got 13 inches of snow, with a steady wind blowing high snow drifts.
We just stayed inside--warm and cozy--getting the flash lights and candles ready in case the power went out.  
Thank heavens, the electricity stayed on throughout the day and night.


next

Thursday - January 5, 2017
Today I typed the invitation for our Serendipity Book Club gathering for Jan. 19.  
It will be at our home.

SERENDIPITY BOOK CLUB – 2016-2017
                        
Thursday, January 19, 2017
at the home of Eileen Petersen
 2457 Burton Avenue
at 7:00 p.m.

Whet your Appetite: Delores Green

Book Review: Bonnie Hansen
Lois Lowry’s quartet series:
The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son

Refreshments: Delores Green

Please come.
It’s always nice to bring a friend.     



 Friday - January 6, 2017

It was good to have Kathleen Hedberg, our ward family history consultant, come to help us with family history.  She has Walt's Swedish line of his grandmother Nellie Katie Olson back to the 1600's with Matt Mickleson married in 1714...so born in the late 1600's.


Saturday - January 7, 2017


Sunday - January 8, 2017
Church for our stakes in this area was cancelled for today because of the bad weather and storm warnings.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true.  And we still revere God and Jesus Christ whether we are in Church or not.
We are thankful for all our many blessings and all the tender mercies that Heavenly Father gives to us each day.