TRAINS THEN AND NOW

In 1869 the railroad was connected from the east and the west at Promontory Point, Utah. That was a very historic day in transportation in the country. Today, April 26, 2008 another historic day occurred here in Utah. The Front Runner was put into operation along the Wasatch Front. As a public relations effort Utah Transit Authority gave free rides to anyone. Grandma and Grandpa went to explore the Front Runner. We had to stand in a block long line for two and one half hours to get on the train. We then had an hour ride to Salt Lake City and another hour ride back to home. We now can say we have traveled the new Front Runner.

WELL WHAT ELSE DO US OLD FOLKS HAVE TO DO ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN MAY??

GRANDMA'S WAR!!!

Grandma Bob does not like birds! Any kind. Any shape. Any color. The only kind of birds she likes is the kind she cooks (i.e. chicken, turkey etc.). Our daughter Jana recently posted a blog about the macrame owl we used to have at our old home to scare away the birds. Well she is at it again. She went to the store the other day and came home with a life size ugly old owl. It now sits on the railing of our deck to scare away the magpies that come around, and most importantly the small sparrows that love to hang out (and built nests) in her lovely ivy covered home. We have ivy slowly, but surely, digesting our whole house. We have ivy everywhere inside and out. Well so far the wise old owl is working. We will keep all advised of the long term effects of this old sentry that is causing all the passerby pedestrians to look with wonder.

One Eyed Bob

This week I remember an old joke we always looked forward to hearing at Golden West Horseshoe Review at Disneyland. It went: "I once knew a man with one eye named Joe...I don't remember what his other eye was named"!!!

Well I am now "One Eyed Bob" and trying to remember the other name. I went to the dentist last week and got brutally attacked. This week I went to my eye doctor and guess what? I need surgery on my left eye. He said I had a "Cadillac" but I doubt that as I have always drive a Honda! (A little Horseshoe Review humor).

As I am going to Mesa for Nick's high school graduation and to Laguna Beach with Jana's family I determined to postpone it until June. So I will have mom lead me around with my white cane until then.

BRUTAL ATTACK!

Today I was the victim of a brutal attack! I went to see a longtime friend of mine who I have been very close to over the years. I went in and to my surprise I was taken into a small room and immediately thrown flat on a couch and his accomplice started to whack, poke, jab, pinch, and scrape on me. After a long bout of torture the friend came in and talked over old times as I lay flat suffering from my ordeal. To top it all off they then relieved my wallet of over a hundred dollars. Oh well I guess every six months I will still have to go to my friend-- the dentist! After all he was my counselor in the stake presidency a number of years ago.

Journey for Groceries

Today we went to Macey's for groceries. We took "the worm" with us and what a challenge. He does not want Grandpa to push the cart. Only NaMaa can push. Then he proceeds to handle anything and everything put into his cart. We try to please him with his own pencil and paper (Grandma has one to check off her list of items to buy) and he would not even have those. Well after a bit of screaming and fussing we finally got him satisfied with a free balloon (the color of which is of some foreign origin and that is the kind they give out free). He came home and thinks it is funny to see it go to the ceiling and then screams for us to get it down. Then his favorite TV show came on and I caught him in a cute pose with his beautifully colored balloon:

As I have said: "He would be a lot easier to tend if we liked him!"

Raymond Sanders 100 Years Old

TODAY MARKS THE 100TH BIRTHDAY

Today, April 4, 2008 is the 100th Birthday of my father, Raymond Sanders, who was born in Salt Lake City. His parents were Sondra Sanders Jr. and Annie Caroline Steffensen Sanders. Dad grew up in Salt Lake City and fulfilled a mission from 1927 to 1929 in the North Eastern States Mission. He labored mostly in Ohio. When he got home he married my mother, Elda Marie Searle, on March 31, 1930. Earle was born in 1931 and I was born in 1934. Mother died in 1936 and dad remarried Margaret Evelyn Nelson in 1937. Dad moved to Ogden and began work for the Weber Central Dairy. In 1941 he was hired on the Ogden City Police Department and worked there for many years. He was Bishop of the Ogden 10th Ward. He retired as a Captain and on two seperate ocassions he was appointed acting Chief of Police during transitions of administration. After retirement he was appointed Director of the Weber County Civil Defense Office. He served a term in the Utah State Legislature. He was working in the Ogden Temple and early one morning in 1972 he was getting ready to go to the temple and suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side. He lived for a number of years and died on December 11, 1989.

What's Left of our $87k Snowfall

This is what is left of our $87,000 snowfall during this last winter. "The Worm" is throwing and eating it.

Compare my Condo Problems with Jana's

This past winter here in Utah has been a bear! Here it is April and we still have January weather. Today we have a bit of hope...the sun is coming up. I read Jana's blog this morning and thought "She didn't have any problem as big as ours". We had record snowfall and that is the big problem here in our condo association. Our yearly budget was set last November for 2008. In this detailed budget they put in a little extra for snow removal. They budgeted at whopping $20,000 for the snow removal. This is a little above the year before. In fact the year before we even saved a little. Well guess what? This year the cost of our snow removal was $87,000 which if you can add and subtract left us with a $67,000 shortfall. Now to pay for what we already have received (removal of snow) we all have to anti up nearly $900 bucks! And Jana thought she had problems with a lady snoop. On top of all that we have to anti up $4,000 in the next few years for new roofs. So all of us have problems and unfortunately money can't solve all of them. So much for the story of my Chimney Hills saga. Here is picture of what happened all winter long.