Rick – Page 7

Memories of Childhood

December 23, 2009 by rickety 6 Comments

It is interesting to read about people’s childhoods, to see if they were similar to yours, or different. Here are a few snippets of my early years. Do you have pleasant memories of your childhood, or was it difficult? Did your parents stay together? What was life like for you where you lived?

I was born in Cheshire, England. My father was serving at that time with the United States Air Force, stationed in England at Burtonwood, during the Korean War. I was the first of three children—all boys. My grandmother, Florence, liked my father very much and he would tease her and call her “Flo-o-oreee” in his Missouri accent.

My parent's wedding day

New Dad

Father had been transferred back to the United States before my youngest brother was born. Mother was to follow on with the children but she didn’t. Dad had no choice but to start proceedings and eventually they were divorced.

Mother remarried and I had a stepfather. While they dated we boys called him Geoff. Mother told us we will need to be calling him Dad, and I was fine with that.

We lived in a Council house. When I was four I made the coal fire early one morning to please Mother and save Dad some work. This was the only fire in the house. It would go out overnight and had to be started each morning. I overbuilt the fire, choking it of oxygen, and it went out. Still, my parents were positive in their praise, even though it took Dad much more time to completely rebuild it and get it started.

I began school at four years old. For my first day at school Mother took me but thereafter I had to find my own way there. I recall thinking that I must remember how to get to school if I was to find my way again the next day. There was a morning and afternoon playtime (recess). When afternoon playtime came around I thought it was hometime. The teacher, when she saw me leaving, figured I had had enough of school and was going home to Mum—so she let me go. I started walking out the school gates and I wondered why no-one else was leaving. Nevertheless I pressed on.

As I neared home I saw a lot of children playing at the school and thought that they were lucky children, waiting for their mothers to come and collect them. My mother and grandmother were at home. I opened the back door slowly and they thought it was an intruder. When they saw it was me, they were relieved and presumed I didn’t like school and had come home. It was not until years later when I spoke of the incident to my mother that she found out what really happened.

Father and Mother in Blackpool in 1953

Name Difficulties

I had to learn to answer my name when the register was called. A boy with a one syllable surname, Keith Flood, had trouble answering “here” when his name was called. I also had trouble answering “Willoughby”—I was only four years old and it is a long name to remember. I felt dumb like Keith Flood. There was even less room to doubt our dumbness when the teacher rebuked us: “Keith Flood and Richard Willoughby will have to learn to answer their names!” I felt really stupid.

A similiar experience occurred when the class was learning to write their names. Derek Farr sat in front of me, and when the teacher saw that I had difficulty writing my name she said, “Derek can write his name, why can’t you?” I thought, “Farr, that’s f-a-r, then add r again, only four letters. There are, hmmm, 1, 2, 3 … 10 letters in my name and which way around does the gh go?” This was my first realization that teachers don’t know everything which placed me on the path to later learning to check important information for reliability. When I was taught the word though it made it easy to write Willoughby, especially as the pronounciation matched.

Reading

I recall learning the alphabet and as soon as I could read a few words I was excited to try out my skills at home in reading whatever book I could find. I spent hours figuring out how to read words out of an adult encyclopedia, which was one of the few books we owned.

I was fascinated by astronomy. I couldn’t grasp the concept of constellations so I focused on the planets. In the first sentence of reading about Jupiter I came across the words aphelion and perihelion. I couldn’t hardly read the words, much less pronounce them. However, in the context of the distances from the Sun, it dawned on me that perihelion was the closest distance that Jupiter came in it’s orbit and aphelion was the furthest. I spent days trying to figure out the math section in the encyclopedia, which was silly of me because it was way beyond my years. I look back on those early school days when I was taught to read with very fond memories. It opened up a world where I could choose what to learn, at a very early age.

Held by my father

East Park

I would go with my brothers to the East Park. We used to take the long walk to the park, rather than take our bicycles, for we feared they would be stolen. We made The Park an all day event, with activities like boating, bowls, soccer, running around the band stand and hide ‘n’ seek. The neighborhood bully asked us how to get to the park—we wouldn’t tell him, and we ran off. The next day, about a third of the way to the park, the bully jumps out from behind a wall. That surprised us and we couldn’t get away but all he wanted was for us to show him the way to The Park. We did and he disappeared for the rest of the day and gave us no trouble.

Another day, my brother and I were returning from the East Park when in the distance we heard a shout behind us, “Come here!” We carried on walking and soon an angry boy, The Big Kid rode up on his bike. He said, “Why didn’t you come when I called you?” My brother said, “It’s a free country!” for which The Big Kid gave him a fist in the face, and a bloody nose flowing freely, spilling onto the footpath.

My brother was out of the fight so I put up my fists, and with resigned trepitation, was ready for the worst. The Big Kid said “That won’t do you any good, you can’t hurt me.” To prove his point, he told me to try something. I punched him in the stomache but it did no good. I turned to my brother and said, “Come on, let’s get him together” but he was understandably still tending to his nose. The Big Kid then said, “Next time, come when I tell you to,” and took off. I diplomatically refrained from making any comments about freedom. I never saw him again.

Prayer

Mother was Catholic and my stepfather never mentioned religion but was a hard worker and was a good influence. If I asked him to do something that he thought I could do for myself he would say, “Use your own initiative.”

We never went to church as a family or individually but when I was very young I recall my mother telling me that there was “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.” She said I can pray to God the Father and ask for what I needed. I could understand asking for what I wanted, a young child knows how to do that. She then said that you have to have faith. I didn’t understand that, I said to myself, what’s faith? But the seeds were sown for my faith later in life.

Girls

One girl that I remember was Jean Tilley. Jean was brilliant at math and I would compete to try and finish before her. I was never able to, she was too smart and too fast and would always finish before everyone else.

One morning, just before the big math test, I turned around to Jean to make a comment. We used fountain pens, every student providing his own, unless you used a school pen which had to be dipped in an ink-well every few seconds. As I turned around I inadvertently knocked Jean’s fountain pen to the floor with the back of my chair. The nib was bent on impact so Mr. Bellfield straightened it with a pair of pliers he kept for that purpose. The weekly Monday morning test started and after a few minutes Jean muttered something. She increasingly got more agitated and frustrated and eventually burst into tears. Mr. Bellfield put her into the storeroom so that she wouldn’t have to be crying in front of the whole class. Nobody could figure out why she was so upset. After the test I noticed Jean’s pen had a small gap in the nib, preventing the ink from flowing freely. Jean had difficulty writing, and wasn’t able to finish first and maintain her record. I thought, “Oh, no, that was my fault!”

Expeditions

My brothers and I used to cycle the country lanes in the summer, our goal being to reach the old church. Not for any religious reason but just because it was a convenient landmark. The grounds around the church were quiet and we liked to feed the ducks in the nearby pond. Sometimes we would get tired and turn around and come home.

Alderly Edge was another place in range of our bicycles. The reward was a magnificent view of the Cheshire plain, seen of course from The Edge. Having sinced lived in the Rockies, that view now seems minor in comparison but Cheshire is flat (except where it meets the Pennies) and to us The Edge seemed quite elevated. Jodrell Bank was another worthwhile destination for a bicycle expedition. Then it was the largest mobile radio telescope in the world. As we would cycle towards it, we would see that it had changed its position since we last looked.

With my mother

So Sick

A friend, Jan, suffered from asthma and was not a very strong boy. He lived just a few houses from me. Sometimes when he couldn’t breathe too well and had to go home he would send word via another student for me to walk home with him. I would start out, Jan hanging on to me and breathing so heavy. Then a teacher would intervene and say that the headmaster would take him home in his car. I don’t remember why Jan would send for me, he just did.

I used to run home from school, enjoying the thrill of moving along at speed. I may have been weak at sports but I was a good runner with my long legs. One afternoon, when I was seven years old, I didn’t run home from school. I only had the energy to walk home. At home I felt ill and lay on the couch. I told Mother to get a damp cloth to place on my forehead. I was taken to my bed and later that evening an ambulance was called. I thought my Dad would carry me down the stairs to the ambulance but no, the ambulance driver did. I remember the slight feeling of disappointment. I had Meningitis and was hospitalized a month. As I recovered, on one of the visits to the hospital, my parents told me that Jan had died of the same illness.

A Dunce

When I left the hospital I had some time at home. So vivid in my mind still is the day Mother asked me to go and get the milk from the doorstep. I went to the front door, opened it, and couldn’t remember what I had been sent for. I returned to Mother in tears, telling her I couldn’t remember what it was she wanted. The meningitis had affected my memory.

When I returned to school I was put in what the school children called “the dunces class.” It was a class of thirty or so students, drawn from the entire school, who were not able to keep up with their regular lessons for whatever reason. I was not a very bright student to begin with, so after missing more than a month of school, I suppose it was thought prudent to place me straight into this special class. It went well for awhile.

The teacher was a beautiful tall woman, with long flowing hair who had been to Tanganyika (now Tanzania) at one time. Once she read a letter to us from someone from that country. Stars for your work and profusions of praise would be the order of the day, coupled with a relaxed learning atmosphere.

My friends came to visit me one dark rainy day. I showed them some of my good work. They laughed and thought it ridiculous that I would get so many stars for such average results. I was crushed and still can feel the insult in my heart. That was the day I never wanted to feel that way again. Thereafter I worked harder and smarter and was promoted into Junior I. Ages 5, 6, and 7 were Infant I, II and III and ages 8, 9, 10 and 11 were Junior I, II, III and IV. I had a tough time keeping up in Junior I but gradually improved. Memory was still a problem but very early I developed ways to compensate, which in the long run proved to be an asset.

At eight years old.

Games

At playtime we played King. You need one tennis ball and some boys—girls can’t play (1950’s rules). We stood in as wide a circle as necessary with your two feet two feet apart. Your right foot touches my left foot and your left foot touches his right foot and my right foot against another’s left foot etc. to form the circle. Bounce the ball hard and let it bounce until it goes through someone’s legs. That someone is IT. The unfortunate IT then throws the ball at the rapidly dispersing group to try and get a HIT.

When IT hits someone then he has a partner to help in getting the remaining players, who are now very much scattered. IT and HIT can now pass the ball to each other to get within throwing range. No running with the ball is allowed though running without the ball for the players still unhit is very much encouraged (if not imperative). Steven Wolstenhulme’s tactic was to leap high at the last moment when the ball was thrown whereas mine was to duck low at the last moment. It was surprising how well it worked. As more players are caught, it becomes easier to get the remainder. The last player hit is named King and gets to bounce the ball in the circle, which gives him a slight advantage, at the start of the next game.

We played Wall by kicking a soccer ball against a wall. Each player had only one kick to get the ball back to the wall and maybe have enough velocity to give the next player some difficulty. We had the perfect school wall—no windows and wide and high.

Winter found us making huge slides to run up on at high speed and see how far you could go. In fine weather the girls played hopscotch and seemed to enjoy skipping ropes.

One of the sports taught by the school to boys was soccer (no girls allowed, they played Netball — 1950’s rules again) and every player, with the exception of the goalkeepers would chase the ball in one great, mad mob. I decided that was no strategy.

I went to the opposite end of the pitch to wait until the ball was kicked my way. Of course the mob wasn’t into tactics and I didn’t get the ball. Mr. Bellfield stopped the game and pointed at me way down the pitch and said that was a clever position to be in, and to illustrate how easy it would be to score a goal, he kicked the ball to me. I shot wide of the goal with only the goalkeeper to beat. The rest of the players didn’t think it was such a good point of Mr. Bellfield’s but I think he deserved credit for observation.

Groaners

In my last year at primary school I recall trying to sing. Mr. Bellfield walked around the class by each student and singled me out, along with Robert Axon, as groaners. We had to sit away from the rest of the class and weren’t allowed to sing. It wasn’t very encouraging and I dreaded music for the rest of Primary School and all through Secondary School.

I liked to hear people sing and I loved listening to music but I would not sing myself. I recall Pamela Hollingsworth singing Gloria in Exchelsis solo one Christmas season. I thought it was beautiful and a great achievement. I had to go after school to the assembly hall where Mr. Bellfield played notes on a piano and I would have to sing them. I managed four notes but all I wanted to do was to forget about singing forever.

Failure

By age 11, at the time of the 11+ (eleven plus) examinations, my parents were confident that I would pass this crucial test. The 11+ was the exam given in the last year of primary school, at age 11, which determined whether one got a higher standard Grammar school education or went to a Secondary Modern school. The Grammar school taught languages such as French and Latin, dealt with higher level mathematics, and generally was much more advanced academically. The “+” part of the 11+ meant that the exam could be retaken at age 12 and 13, if failing at 11. Years later, when I did so well at Weber State College, the story about me in the Crewe Chronicle began: “For someone who failed his 11+, he’s improved a lot since….”

So what happened? I recall that on the day of the exam, I felt that I really didn’t care about it and I didn’t try very hard. The thought of Grammar School was a little intimidating and I would have to travel to another city. Whatever, I failed and never retook the exam. I was destined for the local Secondary School until my mother stepped in and altered my educational destiny. But that is another post.

Do you have a childhood story of success or failure?

Rick Speaking on Mother’s Day

May 9, 2009 by rickety 2 Comments

On Mothers Day 2007 Jill and I spoke in Sacrament Meeting. I am publishing my words from two years ago to celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday. Be sure to read Jill’s words also.

It is a great responsibility to speak on Mothers Day. My view of motherhood comes from observation which is not always accurate. Therefore I will include some quotes from the women in my life, the ones that raised me and had an influence in who I am.

Grandmother Florence

Grandmother Florence

After school my cousin Philip and I would go straight to grandmother’s house to eat. We would open a can of stewed tomatoes and eat them with bread that we dipped in the juice. After several weeks we switched to a can of baked beans (pork and beans) and bread. Later I got very sophisticated with my meals and would prepare beans on toast. Mother was often short of money and although grandmother had much less to live on she would give me a two pound bag of sugar and some cans of food to take home. Once, in despair she said, I did not raise your mother that way. She then turned and looked at me and said words that are etched deep in my soul:

You first pay your rent, ‘lectric, and food.

Translated I understand it to mean first take care of your shelter, utilities, and food. Add to that tithes and offerings and you are set for life. Resilience will be your middle name.

I was interested in a toy and grandmother asked me if I wanted it. Thinking that she would buy the toy for me I replied, Yes, I want that. She said, This is how it is done. You save your pennies in this box and when you have enough we will purchase it. I didn’t want the toy that badly to have to save but I couldn’t back out now. This experience benefited me for life for I learned early grandmother’s law of acquisition—save.

When difficulties came to me I would sometimes talk to my grandmother (there were no grandfathers) and she would say, It is always darkest before the dawn. (Thomas Fuller, Pisgah Sight [1650], bk. II, ch. 2) As I experienced more of mortality I learned to apply that phrase when life was blackest by telling myself Richard, you know that it will get better—and it always did.

At 21 I told grandmother that I was going to be baptized and she said, Oh, the Mormons, they will never let you go! I was baptized and she was right and I am grateful that the Spirit of God will always move somebody to reclaim me to the Fold of Christ if I should wander from the safety of a Stake of Zion.

In town with my mother Sadie

Mother Sadie

We never went to church as a family or individually but when I was very young I recall mother, who was a Catholic, telling me that there was God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. She said I can pray to God the Father and ask for what I needed. I could understand asking for what I wanted, a young child knows how to do that. She then said that you have to have faith. I didn’t understand that, I said to myself, what’s faith?

Fast forward to age twelve and I am having a difficult time at school such that I felt I could not talk to anybody. I lay quietly in bed, tears in my eyes, no-one to turn to. I remembered my mother’s words from years ago and so I prayed as best I could to God the Father. In my mind’s eye I pictured Him as a grandfather, a real person. I started the prayer something like this: God, I don’t know if you exist but please help me…. I don’t think that was very good faith but I did have my prayer answered.

During the coal miners’ strikes of 1972 and 1974 the electrical power to our neighborhood was cut off for several hours. The power would be cycled on and off to save coal. Our home had a gas range but many people used electric ranges. In the winter evening when the power was cut, mother was immediately thinking of others. A single mother lived close by and mother exclaimed, Valerie will be frightened in the dark, and she is all electric, I’ll fix her a meal and take it over.

When I was small, mother said, The little baby birds in the nest, when they are grown, they leave their mother and fly away and start a family of their own. When you are grown, you will leave and have a wife and you will look after her and have a family. It is right that you do and I only ask that you remember me. In 1999 my mother died alone in an apartment in England. All her children were living in America. In 2001 Elder Jacob de Jager with my wife as proxy for my mother, my son as proxy for my father, and me as me, sealed my parents to me forever in the Bountiful temple. Now she will always be remembered.

Mary

President Hinckley:

Notwithstanding this preeminence given the creation of woman, she has so frequently through the ages been relegated to a secondary position. She has been put down. She has been denigrated. She has been enslaved. She has been abused. And yet some few of the greatest characters of scripture have been women of integrity, accomplishment, and faith.

We have Esther, Naomi, and Ruth of the Old Testament. We have Sariah of the Book of Mormon. We have Mary, the very mother of the Redeemer of the world. We have her as the chosen of God, described by Nephi as a virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins (1 Ne. 11:15).

She it was who carried the child Jesus into Egypt to save His life from the wrath of Herod. She it was who nurtured Him in His boyhood and young manhood. She stood before Him when His pain-wracked body hung upon the cross on Calvary’s hill. In His suffering He said to her, Woman, behold thy son! And to His disciple in a plea that he care for her, He said, Behold thy mother! (John 19:26–27). Gordon B. Hinckley, The Women in Our Lives, Ensign, Nov 2004, 82.

I add my testimony that the most beautiful of all God’s creations is woman. Women have been an influence for good in my life and I am happy that Mothers Day is celebrated and women are honored. The Father of us all is pleased when His daughters are treated with kindness and respect.

Jill with her children

Mother Jill

In July 2003 I was arguing with my wife one evening, I cannot recall what about. Jill was calm as usual and I was annoyed. She remembered she had an appointment and went upstairs to leave. I sat down fuming. Let me describe fuming. Years ago I took a mandatory hazard materials class. I recall that the instructor was insistent that we know the difference between vapors and fumes. For example when I fill the gas tank I smell gasoline vapors and not fumes. Fumes denote burning, hence when I start the car engine I now smell gasoline fumes from the exhaust. Hence I say I was fuming about Jill.

At the very moment the kitchen door closed when Jill left, the phone rang. It was Sister Kelson who was on a Relief Society committee. Relief Society was spotlighting a sister and she asked, What are the things you like most about Jill? Whoa, how that turned around my thinking! Try asking this question (but substitute the person’s name for Jill) when you are annoyed with someone and remember, if you fume, you will burn up inside. Extracts from what Sister Kelson wrote:

Her husband says, Along with her beauty, it was her brains that attracted me to her.

She has a Bachelor’s degree in computer science. She plays the piano and sings. She is always the first to say sorry if there is an argument. Her husband feels he does better at this now because of her example. Her husband feels that he is the one who is high strung and she is the one who is easy-going and calm. She is practical.

She has two brothers and a sister and she enjoys family get-togethers with them. She loves camping—she will camp in a tent. The guys at her husband’s work can’t believe he is that lucky. She enjoys going for walks with her husband so they can have time to talk.

Her favorite treats are red licorice, chocolate, cheesecake, cinnamon rolls.

I asked Jake to write something for me to use in my talk:

Feel free to quote as you need in your talk. Print the rest out, put it in an envelope to give to her just before the phone call on Sunday. The Bible says that we should honour our mothers and fathers that our days may be long. I would like to have more days, so it sounds like a good deal. There are various meanings of the verb honor. One is to regard or treat with honor or respect, and another is to confer honor on. I think the scripture refers to the first, but right now I’ll settle with the second. My mother is a mother of five children. Not your average family size in the world. My mother maintained the home with four boys. Not your average number of rambunctious males.

My mother prepared me to serve my mission.

Together with my father, my mother patiently taught me to keep the commandments; that we have an Eternal Father in Heaven; that we must pray to Him frequently and keep His commandments; that we must study the scriptures; that we must keep the Sabbath Day holy, including partaking of the sacrament each week; that we must follow the prophet; that we must keep the ten commandments; that we must live the law of chastity; that we must obey the word of wisdom; that we must always pay a full tithing; that we must fast and pay fast offerings; that we must obey the law of the land. My mother helped me live and understand to keep the commandments by word and example.

My mother encouraged me to save my money for my mission—both by word and by helping me with other expenses. She has worked hard for many years to help support the family. The extra money allowed me to focus on saving for my mission.

My mission right now is what her mission was from the day I was born. My mother’s mission was to bring a child into the world and teach him to follow the example of Christ—both by word and by example. My mission is to invite others to come unto Christ—both by word and example. The success that I have in my life and in my mission is a tribute to the effectiveness of her life and her mission.

Mom,

Thank you for your love, work, and sacrifice.

I love you.

Martha with her children

Grandmother Martha

Excerpts from her journal:

I was twelve years old when daddy gave consent for Dollie, Bessie and I to be baptized. Mamma had wanted to be baptized when we first came to live in Independence and she learned the gospel was true but daddy refused to give his consent. Mamma cried bitter tears but President Samuel O. Bennion said, No-o-o-o, a woman must have the consent of her husband. Mother and Minnie were baptized in 1921. We three sisters were baptized by Elder Given on 5 August 1923.

Across the street from our house the Stephenson family moved in; they are from the State of Tennessee and are members of the Re-Organized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her church had its Headquarters in Independence, therefore most of the townspeople belonged to her church. My oh my, how we did fight over who’s church was right. Each time we always ended up screaming and pulling each others hair. I was taught at my church that it was the right church. Joseph Smith was the head of my church and Joseph Smith was the head of her church, too. It was many years later before I learned the Prophet was truly the head of both churches and the church in Independence were the Mormons who had not gone to Utah after the prophet’s death.

One day [Eli] ask[ed] me for a date which I accepted telling him there was a play at our church if he’d like to go with me. He said that was fine; my parents were agreeable; I am eighteen years old. I thought I was old enough to make my own decisions so when the play let out at 8:30 P.M. my date suggested a 9:00 P.M. movie at the theater a short distance away. I did not alert my parents of my theater treat so they became worried; by the time I got home it was 11:00 P.M. We went straight home but daddy had his old trusty double-barreled shot gun out. Dollie and Mamma rushed to meet us and got between me and my date so daddy couldn’t aim his gun at us. Now, Will, we don’t want any trouble! The young man hurriedly left and I was ordered into the house.

I was able to teach (by mail) the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to a precious grandson whom I have never seen. He lives in Crewe, Cheshire, England. He is the only member of the family in Crewe to accept the gospel—so far. His name is Richard Jewel Willoughby, Jr. and is the son of an English mother married to my soldier Airman stationed in England during the Korean War. His mother chose her family in England instead of America and divorced my son, thus, I have never been able to see them. This precious spirit knew so much about the Gospel by the time the missionaries in England contacted him he was ready for baptism. He is an Elder now looking forward to filling a mission for the church. However, the Church authorities advised him to find a girl and get married which he did—by visiting his grandmother in Salt Lake City, Utah [and in] 1980 was married to an American girl—Jill Holst—in the Ogden Temple. Jill is a very lovely girl.

I close, hoping that all women will enjoy this day, and that mothers everywhere will feel of the Spirit of God and know that He lives and that He most dearly loves His precious daughters. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Family Home Evening With Teenagers: Just Wing It

October 27, 2008 by rickety 4 Comments

Just Wing It

My advice for Family Home Evening with teenagers is to just wing it. If you get to fussing about it you may never start. Just get up and go and make it up as you go along. If you can plan ahead then that is great but don’t let lack of structure hold you back.

Lighten Up

When our children were young we held reasonably structured Family Home Evenings. They went well and our children learned a lot, especially as we gave them responsibility for a portion of the proceedings at the earliest possible age. As they became teenagers we moved to a loose program which went over just as well.

This Evening

For example, consider tonight’s Home Evening. We only have one teenager left but the relaxed approach works just as well with our returned missionaries. Sometimes we use our little wooden rickety house to figure out who is on what assignment but most times we go from memory — that is one advantage to holding Family Home Evening every week. Daniel is on conduct so he tells me to start on the music. I distribute the hymn books and pick the hymn. I choose “Count Your Blessings“, hymn number 242, which Paul plays on the piano. Jake gives the prayer. Jill teaches the lesson which will turn into an activity (Jill loves to have an activity). To begin she quotes a well-known Book of Mormon scripture:

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. (Mosiah 2:17)

She continues: The September Ensign has an article about how service can be done in quiet and simple ways. For example one person purchases unstained baby blankets at yard sales, washes them, and donates them to charity. Another member gives the extra items from her buy-one-get-one-free coupons to the sisters on her visiting teaching route or to families with children. Another sister has gorgeous rose bushes and shares a vase of them with the sisters in the ward during the summer.

Jill told how when she was single and had some time to spare she would spend two hours a day at a school helping the teacher. She would grade tests and help in small ways to keep the classroom running. A few years ago my wife and children went to a nursing home and sang for the residents. Our daughter Sarah played the accompaniment.

Jill then had each us write our names on a piece of paper along with something we would like done in the next 15 minutes. Here is what we wrote:

Rick: Clean the garage for five minutes.
Jill: Put all the winter clothing in the closet and remove all the summer stuff and put in boxes.
Paul: Put the blue basket of laundry in the washer.
Jake: Make me two sandwiches.
Daniel: Vacuum my room.

I ended up with Daniel’s service request. Jill went to the garage while Paul made sandwiches for Jake, providing an extra one for Jill. Daniel put the laundry in the washer and then helped Jake fulfill Jill’s request, which no-one wanted to draw.

We came back for the lesson conclusion. Jill asked that we share our feelings about our service. Now that is one losing request — ask four males to share their feelings. Jill said that she didn’t know that the boys had so many roller blades. Paul commented that we should do it again next year. Jake said it was a good lesson. Daniel mentioned that his was easy so he was able to help Jake. I said that I knew it would take a long time to vacuum Daniel’s room because it is the first time in five years I have seen the carpet. It seems that departing for a mission on Wednesday was incentive enough for him to pick up his room. Jill finishes with this quote by President Monson:

Along your pathway of life you will observe that you are not the only traveler. There are others who need your help. There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save. (Thomas S. Monson, “How Firm a Foundation,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 62, 67–68)

The most important item of all was furnished by Paul — FatBoys for the treat.

Conclusion

Rather than listen to me you may want to check with the experts before you leave tonight. If you are still reading I advise for Family Home Evening to just let your hair down and relax. For the lesson Jill picked up a nearby Ensign and flipped to an article and began. Most teenagers enjoy just winging it. If they are in seminary then they will likely do well with scriptures and quotes from the prophets. At times we would have a seventeen or eighteen year old just lay on the floor and sleep rather than participate. I found it best to leave them alone and in a few weeks they would become involved again. Family Home Evening works in raising faithful members who are not afraid to be involved because it encompasses much of what happens at church: prayer, lessons, teaching, singing, listening, activities, and yes even preparation at times.

Past Pictures: Temple Site

August 29, 2008 by rickety Leave a Comment

The Temple Lot

In 1979 I visited the United States for the first time. This photograph was taken with my camera while I was in Independence. Independence is an interesting place to visit. The most fascinating spot is the Temple Lot, mostly because of its history. There is nothing on the two-acre site except grass with a church building on it and the sign you see me standing by. The building is the headquarters of the Church of Christ (Temple Lot).

History

On July 20, 1831, the Prophet Joseph Smith received another revelation with more details about the temple site. Joseph Smith who originally dedicated the temple site in 1831, and his followers, were evicted from Missouri in 1839 before a temple could be built on the Temple Lot. In 1847, the city of Independence formally incorporated with the Temple Lot. The Church of Christ Temple Lot returned in 1867 and purchased the temple lot properties, including the dedicated site for the temple. In 1891, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, sued in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri to take possession of the property. It won in lower court but lost in the Court of Appeals on the basis that it had waited more than 20 years to make a claim. The United States Supreme Court refused to review the case. Ground was broken on April 6, 1929, for the construction of a temple, with instructions that the temple was to be completed within seven years. The Church of Christ (Temple Lot) never completed construction of the temple.

The Temple Lot Today

The Church of Christ (Temple Lot) maintains a visitor’s area on the lower level of the church. They have stated that they will not cooperate with other Latter Day Saint organizations in building a temple, nor will it sell the Temple Lot.

Some American words rendered in English

August 16, 2008 by rickety 2 Comments

When acquaintances learn I am from England one of the first things they talk about are words. Everyone knows that the hood of a car is really a bonnet. Or that gas should be called petrol. But Rickety is Rickety the world over. Over the years I have compiled a list of American words and their counterparts in English. Some of the English words are really slang, for example an American who is sarcastic would still be sarcastic in England. Cheeky is merely slang for sarcastic. However, the table below for the most part represents some true differences in American and English word usage.

Before proceeding I must mention one short conversation I had with a lovely American lady. This illustrates that there are more differences than just a few words:

Are you from England?
Yes.
I could tell by your accent, it is really cute.
My wife thinks so too.
Where in England are you from?
From Crewe in Cheshire.
Do you have Thanksgiving in England?
No, but we do give thanks the pilgrims left.

American	English
Apartment	Flat
Baby stroller	Pram
Bad guy	Rotter
Bar	Pub
Candy	Sweet
Cookie	Biscuit
Cop	Bobby
Crib	Cot
Diapers	Nappies
Elevator	Lift
Expensive	Dear
Extravagant	Posh
Flat	Puncture
Freeway	Motorway
French fries	Chips
Garbage can	Dustbin
Gas	Petrol
Good-bye	Cheerio
Grandma	Granny
Guy	Bloke
Hood	Bonnet
Line	Queue
Liquor store	Off-licence
Mom	Mum
Movie	Film
Overcoat	Mac
Pants	Trousers
Parking lot	Car park
Popsicles	Ice lollies
Potato chips	Crisps
Rest stop	Lay-by
Rest room	Toilet
Sarcastic	Cheeky
Senior citizens	Old age pensioners
Soccer	Football
Steal	Pinch
Subway	Underground
Television	Telly
Thanks	“Ta”
Truck	Lorry
Trunk	Boot
Underpass	Subway
Vacation	Holiday
Welfare	Dole
Yard	Garden

What Rick Needs

August 7, 2008 by rickety 11 Comments

Searching for What Rick Needs

Here is something I found amusing. I saw it on Titania’s blog a few days ago. The idea is to search on Google with your name first and then needs, for example Rick needs. I tried using Rickety needs but the results were nonsensical. Here are the first ten Rick needs that Google listed when I searched on Wednesday:

Rick needs a massage.
Rick Needs YOU!
To run a strong race Rick needs our help, including financial help.
Rick needs to be cloned.
Rick needs bail money.
The only weight Rick needs to be trying to deal is to see if NutriSystem, Jenny Craig, Atkins, Slim fast and Weight Watchers will let him be the spokesperson for his next rap album.
Rick needs to borrow your engine hoist.
Rick‘s cool but he needs to open up more.
Rick needs to tag the load instead of letting the guy wire tag it for him.
What Rick needs now: partnerships with ad agencies that want to deliver big, beautiful graphics to their clients.

Amalgamating What Rick Needs

Now try and connect the ideas of all ten results together in one sentence. I have numbered the part of the sentence that matches the search results. For example, in the sentence below to pay is the essence of search result number 3, including financial help.

Cool (8) Rick needs you (2) to pay (3) for his massage (1) with bail money (5) to help him lose weight (6) so he doesn’t need an engine hoist (7) to lift him but he really should tag himself (9) before he is cloned (4) or produces any graphics (10).

If you try it yourself, share your results in the comments.

Results may vary by location and could be skewed by personalization based on your web history. Results may not amuse and are not insured by the FDIC. No animals were harmed during computations and all-electric search engines were employed to protect the environment.

Bear Lake Trip

August 2, 2008 by rickety 4 Comments

Rick riding a Jet Ski on Bear Lake

On this trip we had Rick (me), Jill, Paul, Daniel, Derek, and Sarah in our van. In the Excursion hauling the jet skis were Kent, Susan, Byron, Shauna, Melissa, and Miguel. Connie and Mark will arrive tomorrow after work as will Scott, Conner, and Ashley. From Kaysville we slipped onto northbound I-15 to Brigham City to pick up the keys to the cabin. We then headed through Sardine Canyon to Logan. Then Logan Canyon took us to Bear Lake. The forecast for tomorrow is 100 degrees in the valley so this is a perfect time to go to higher elevations.

While Jill drives I am putting my new Eee PC to the test, typing this report as I ride. Before leaving I synced my Google Docs using Google Gears so I can work off-line. Then when I get home I will sync back to my online Google Docs. The keyboard is surprisingly easy to type with and the screen is easy to see. There are four modes to help with battery life. Power Saving, High Performance, and Super Performance which I surmise will really crank up the CPU speed. For laggards just slip into Auto. On a trip there is always some dead time so I purchased this little Eee to write my blogs. The battery looks like it will last at least six hours. After an hour of driving we stopped at a Wendys to eat. One can get a little peckish after an hour on the freeway. Bear Lake is two hours away so why not break at the half-way point? Let’s not overdo it. At the cabin the light was beginning to fade so we hung around playing games like Rumba Cube and I gave Frozen Bubbles and Crack Attack a spin on the Eee. Paul and Daniel always beat me at Frozen Bubbles. Jill and I shared a room with Derek and Sarah and once she stopped giggling we were all able to get to sleep.

About Bear Lake

Bear Lake is a natural freshwater lake with a unique turquoise-blue color, the result of suspended limestone deposits in the water. It is the second largest natural freshwater lake in Utah and has been called the “Caribbean of the Rockies”. Bear Lake was formed at least 150,000 years ago by fault subsidence that continues today, slowly deepening the lake along the eastern side. The lake was discovered in 1819 by Donald Mackenzie, an explorer for the North West Fur Company who discovered the lake in 1819, and named it Black Bear Lake.

On Bear Lake

After a pleasant night’s sleep Shauna took off at 7:30am to the beach to throw down some blankets to reserve a spot. We launched the jet skis and each of us took a turn riding them. I decided to have Derek drive a jet ski and I be a passenger and take some pictures. As I was climbing on Daniel wanted me to leave the camera. I kept it, but being my usual rickety self, could not keep my balance. As I fell off backwards into the water I stuck my hand in the air holding the camera. As I went under Daniel grabbed the camera out of my hand.

We had lunch at the beach and when Scott arrived with the boat we went tubing. This was the first time I had rode a tube. I just had to hang on. I tried leaning to each side as the boat turned and I leaned the wrong way and fell off. I got back on and Daniel drove the boat faster. I was doing very well until Jill told Daniel, “Sharp turns! Sharp turns!” She caught me on video rolling over — it looked quite spectacular. I will mention here that it is advisable to let go once you are in the water. It is a little hard to hold on and to breath. After a few seconds I figured this out and let go. The water was warm and clear blue. Byron, Daniel, and Miguel made sand castles and Ashley threw buckets of water at a dog for it to catch. The dumb dog thought the water was a ball. It chased the waves that were breaking and tried to catch them. In the afternoon the beach got busier. It is a private beach so that we didn’t have to mix with the peasantry. However, it didn’t seem that private with all the people arriving. Derek had to wrestle the beach umbrella back to land when a breeze blew it away. Scott also had to chase after his boat when his it lost its moorings and was floating away.

Return From Bear Lake

The next day five of us left for home after a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Scott is a very good host, letting us use his cabin and boat. He let us use his bedroom while he slept in his truck. In the morning he asked if I had slept well and when I was leaving he told me to get a bottle of cold water from the fridge for the ride home. We enjoyed our time here and will be returning soon to eat our bear lake raspberry shakes which we missed out on this time around.

Past Pictures: A Double Blessing

July 17, 2008 by rickety 4 Comments

The picture quality is not that great. It is a scan of a photograph from twenty-one years ago. My brother is on the left with his son David and I am holding my son Jacob. My wife Jill and sister-in-law Susan were both pregnant and due in the same month. We all liked the name of David so we agreed that whichever child was born first would take the name David. Susan’s baby came prematurely and so we chose Jacob to be our son’s name.

The photograph was taken shortly after we arrived home from the baby blessing at Church. That is why David and Jacob are dressed in white. Though Ray is not a member of the Church I asked him if he would like me to bless David along with Jacob.

[Read more…]

Eye of the Bighorn Sheep

July 9, 2008 by rickety 2 Comments

Bighorn Sheep on the road in Canada

Jill and I were on vacation in July 2007 in the Canadian Rockies when we spied several bighorn sheep on the road. I stopped my car to take some photographs and soon one of the sheep came right up to my car. I stuck my camera out of the window and turned it at an angle to get the picture.

It wasn’t until I got home and looked at the photograph that I noticed the reflection of the car in the sheep’s eye.

If you look closely in the enlarged eye you will see the outline of my white Nissan Maxima. You can view my enlargement on this page or click on the photograph of the sheep to see it. Anyway, the rear wheel can been seen in the bottom left of the eye with the rear door and the trunk also showing. You would think the sheep would have had its eye on me in the driver’s seat and be ready to bolt if I moved. I emailed the photograph to two friends, one of whom asked me if I had had any food in the car. Yes, I did have food laying on the back seat of the vehicle. Then I realized how hungry the sheep must have been. Controlled burns were in progress in the area and perhaps this had reduced the availability of food, along with the drought.