September 1, 2020

August 26, 1970

August 26, 2020

Wedding Day August 26, 1970

  The month of August 2011 was month that will always be remembered in our family with joy and thanksgiving but also with loss and grief. We had three precious grandchildren born that month.  Halle and Anderson had not survived but we were grateful that Sayde, Halle’s twin had survived and though it was expected that she would have CP, she was thriving and feisty. She still is thriving and feisty and she does have CP. All three would have turned nine this past month but only Sayde was here to celebrate though we remember and think of them all and miss our two angels who chose heaven. The Bull family sent 9 balloons heavenward yesterday on Anderson’s birthday.

Liza’s family arrived yesterday to spend one last week of summer with us. Both Sayde and Liza have bad colds and are trying not to share them. Sayde was tested for covid and the results were negative. 

The children of our family are starting to return to school in the new covid world and we will just have to see how that goes. Jadyn leaves for BYU Idaho in about a week and she has been told that if she comes down with covid the school is asking that students isolate in place and not return home. In that way they hope to prevent further spread of  the virus.

We celebrated a major milestone in our lives on August 26th - our 50th Wedding Anniversary! We started discussing this event while we were on our honeymoon in Hawaii. We felt then that we wanted to share that future event with our children - perhaps in Hawaii. When we left on our mission we decided we would instead celebrate it alone by driving to the White Cliffs of Dover where the old song indicated that you should celebrate your Golden wedding day. Who knew that we would be in the middle of a pandemic and unable to even be with our children and grandchildren or even Dover for that matter. The Hardy family are  the only family near us and they were leaving for Kelowna that day. Well our children and our grandchildren made it a special day for us anyway. They all messaged video clips to us throughout the day sending good wishes and Cindy and the younger boys came over with beautiful flowers, a gourmet cake, wishes and gift certificates from all of them. Joanne called and she and Dave sent wishes and after Cindy posted the event on Facebook we received kind wishes from many and a phone call from Bob and Pat and flowers from our neighbour Jean and family. We went for High Tea at the Little White House in Langley which was so fun and then we ordered Italian food for dinner and enjoyed our yummy cake. It was a lovely day and we were able to share it with our family. But mostly we were able to share it with each other as we have the last fifty years. We were in love on that honeymoon when we started planning our 50th and even more in love when the day arrived. We could have never guessed that possible. We have been so blessed in being able to have our wonderful family, to share remarkable experiences, to add very special people to our friend list and to support each other thru cloud and sunshine over many years. We have tried to make the gospel our constant path and it has opened heavenly vistas to us. Our hearts are full and we are are very  grateful for all these things and so much more.

August 25, 2020

 My knee concerns are slowly improving. My doctor had me take another blood test this week which showed normal white cell levels and no infection present. She also had me see an orthopaedic specialist yesterday, Doctor Boyer. He had an X-ray taken of my knee which indicated my knee is in good shape and the bursitis healing. He thinks the lancing done previously on my knee has contributed to more swelling and bruising and that I am healing from that procedure as well as the bursitis and infection.

We made it a point this week to complete the addition to our privacy barrier which we had originally built on our covered deck. The neighbours are close and we use our deck almost daily in good weather so we decided more privacy would be a benefit to us and the neighbours. Tom cut the 2x2’s that he had bought with Paul and Cindy and I painted them out in the backyard. I helped Tom screw them up and it looks very nice. I spray painted an outdoor sun/moon ornament that hangs on the finished project.

I have listened to seven audio books while my knee has been healing. That has been one of my keep busy projects. I also taught the Relief Society lesson this week for our ward. The lesson was on the new “Proclamation of the Restoration”. I enjoyed preparing for it and I love to teach but the main thing that concerns me with the zoom teaching is the technology. I had a few things that I wanted to share with the class and with the help of Tom, Paul, Sam, the Neisners and pray everything worked out well. I am now going on short walks with Tom each day and I love it. We also ventured out to do some clothes shopping this week and with the way you shop these days with covid concerns it is an adventure.

David Leavitt called Tom and I to be joint music chair people for the ward on Saturday and it was announced on Sunday. With covid things are a little different. The ward wants special musical numbers for our zoom sacrament meetings but we are unable to have any singing by individuals or choirs. They also want us to organize the Christmas program and music - again probably without singing. This will all take some thought and ingenuity.

Cindy did an overnight hike with some friends up at Manning Park this weekend and Liza ran a 32 km three mountain peak trail race up at Big White. Liza won for the women and beat most of the men.  The girls were both happy and both are more adventurous than their mother.

We have had rain storms and sunny days this week and we have needed both the rain and the sun.

Privacy Wall Update On Deck

August 18, 2020

 I have been asked to teach the Relief Society lesson this coming Sunday on the Proclamation of the Restoration and I have been preparing for that zoom meeting. I love to teach but I have never taught by zoom before and I still need to have at least one grandchild show me how to bring things up on the screen as part of the lesson. I think I will need a dress rehearsal to make sure things are working properly.

I have been doing some short walks with Tom in the mornings before he goes on his longer walks. I feel like I need to keep moving and keep my strength up and my blood flowing. The knee concern is still there and gradually, very gradually improving. I have a phone appointment with the doctor this afternoon. I have been cooking, doing a little yard work and cleaning as well as reading. I read David Butler’s book “Almighty” and Michael Wilcox’s book “What Seek Ye?” this week. Both were very good.We went to the plant nursery to buy a couple of new plants and Cindy and Paul took Tom for some lumber at Home Depot and he and I have been cutting 2x2 pieces to add to our “privacy” divider on our back deck. I will stain the pieces and Tom will screw them up. We got Tom’s hair cut this week and I coloured mine. We are looking better.

It has been very, very hot this week and on some days almost impossible to be outside. Our children have all had warm weather too. Trevor had surgery on his other elbow last week and hopefully that will be the last for awhile. We appreciate our children and their phone calls and FaceTime calls. Staying in touch with them means a great deal to us.

We are excited that the Vancouver Temple is moving to a stage two opening this month. Our neighbour Jean has been waiting for the opportunity to go thru the Temple for the first time as has our grandson Max. His girlfriend Jacqui needs to go through too but she is in Australia near Sydney and they are not open yet for endowments.

We continue to pray for the alleviation of the affects of the virus on the world and on our Temples and missions.  We would still like to complete our mission.

View From The Deck

August 11, 2020

This was a happy day for me. With the covid virus Tom has been doing his best to cut my hair and for a skilled dentist he has done very well, however,  I have been longing for a haircut from Karl my long time hair dresser on the North Shore. I had let my hair grow longer than usual and today we finally made the anticipated trip to Karl’s salon. I have no words. When people used to tell me they loved my haircut and wantEd one like it I always felt like saying, “Well, you need my hair, my head and my Karl” and my Karl is the real key. Feeling good!

Liza and Cindy’s families were in Shuswap camping this week with many of the Burgess family members. Sayde celebrated her 9th birthday while they were together.  Cindy and Paul left their two oldest boys Max and Ross home to work so we had them over for dinner together on Friday and Max came for church with us and again later for dinner on Sunday. Ross had gone camping with his fiancé’s family by then. Sarah picked Ross up from our house Friday evening and we were able to see her engagement ring and a picture of the wedding dress she has already purchased. Max’s Jacqui is shopping for dresses online as she cannot get to the necessary stores in Australia at this time.

Our daughter Larissa in Montana went camping with her family on the weekend too and they celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary. They are growing a successful vegetable garden. Our son Trevor and wife his Tammie in Tennessee are preparing their daughter Jadyn for her first year of college at BYU Idaho and their son Zachary to play hockey for the Boise Steelheads. The start of Zach’s season is still up in the air as covid has thrown a curve into professional sports. Trevor’s youngest, Treyvn is already back at school zooming. His oldest, Justin, was named Vice President of his PT grad school. Everyone is busy.

My bursa concerns are somewhat better but it is not a quick heal and sometimes just when I feel we are making progress things seem to slide back. My pain at night is less, I am helping more with cooking, cleaning and things around the house. The pain has certainly decreased so we are hopeful and prayerful. I am getting more books read than usual and have really added to my online cookbook recipes. 

We are excited and somewhat surprised that the London Temple is moving to stage two reopening. The Vancouver Temple is still at stage one. We are pleased though that the Vancouver Temple is moving forward with an exterior fence around the Temple grounds. We were not sure if this was going to happen or not and we are so happy to see it going up. Tom checks on it when he goes for walks without me. I am anxious to be with him again on every adventure.

Karl “Cut”

My Happy Cut

August 4, 2020

We celebrated Tom’s birthday last Thursday, July 30th and Zachary’s birthday on Sunday, August 2nd. Our celebrations are mainly just online these days but Cindy brought us over some healthy desserts for Tom. I felt badly on his birthday as I am still a lame duck and was unable to do much to make it a special day for him.

I went to the doctor’s office last Wednesday for her to examine my knee in person. She just looked at it as she entered the room and said it needed to be lanced. I already realized that and even when she told me it was going to be painful, I was eager to have it done. It has improved somewhat but is still swollen and  a little red and warm. I am able to bend it now but it still feels tight and it definitely does not have full mobility. She took a sample of the fluids and put me on another round of antibiotics. I think the infection has improved but I think the bursa is still inflamed and will take some time to settle.

Tom goes on walks alone and is still doing much of the work around the house but I am trying to do more. I have been entering recipes on my recipe app and now have 111 entered. I think I have all my essentials there now. The app proved to be very helpful on our mission for our meals but should even be more beneficial now. I have listened to Emily Belle Freeman’s book on “Grace”and enjoyed that. I am ready to get going on some other books now.

Cindy and Liza’s families left yesterday for Shuswap Lake with the Burgess family. Liza wanted Cindy’s family to be with them this year. Her sister is a good support for her. The weather is warm and they should all have a good time. The two youngest boys went with Cindy and Paul and Max and Ross are home working and planning weddings.

Mary and Laurel Harvey brought me over a hand held massage device to stimulate my blood flow. They are so kind. Marilyn Rolfson called to see how I was doing and the Elders had a Zoom meeting with us last night. We discussed the “Restoration Proclamation”. We appreciate everyone’s contact and kindness. The Elders have challenged us to write our testimonies in some copies of the Book of Mormon that they might be able to hand out to individuals and they offered to pray for our neighbour Gene who is struggling with cancer.

At this point I am looking for small improvements with my leg and trying look for and appreciate my many blessings. Slowing down with covid is one thing and this knee concern is just an additional braking mode for me to learn from.

Burgess Family

Hardy Family

July 28, 2020

It has been an interesting and difficult week. Last Monday evening my left knee began to suddenly swell and become very painful as we were getting ready for bed. I had a terrible night and the days and nights have not changed much since then. I have been on the phone with the doctor who first diagnosed it as gout but after seeing a picture of it and reading the results of blood tests she had me take, changed the diagnosis to an infected bursa on the knee cap. I have been on antibiotics and painkillers and been thru lots of ice packs. Fortunately I have usually gotten some sleep each night. After talking to me today the doctor booked an in office visit for tomorrow. I think she will get a better understanding after seeing it. We are praying and Paul is coming tonight to help Tom give me a blessing. Tom has taken over everything this week, the cooking, shopping, cleaning and laundry. He is so good and I feel badly as I sit with my leg up. The weather is hot and the yard needs tending so he has been working at those chores on his own too.

I have taken this time to listen to Sheri Dew’s book on the life President Nelson. It was excellent. He is such a remarkable man and there is much we do not know about him. Certainly a man prepared for our time. We also had a carpenter come to add some millwork to two of our walls and repair some baseboard damage in a few other areas. We have scheduled a painter as well to seal and paint the areas but they cannot come until August. Both these trades people worked on our home when we built originally and know the home and needs well. It will look good when all is done. This is what happens when you have time to think about and come up with ideas for your home during covid isolation.

Our big news this week is that our grandson Ross proposed to his girlfriend Sarah yesterday while they were boating with her father and stepmom and his family and her Mom were watching on the beach without Sarah knowing others were observing. It was a surprise for Sarah who is difficult to surprise and the ring did not fall into the lake which we were concerned about. Ross’s older brother Max was engaged three weeks ago to his Australian girlfriend Jacqui but neither of these marriages are going to occur too quickly due to current circumstances and schooling. Our daughter Cindy’s life is changing rather quickly. Her two younger boys are still in high school so we should have a pause in that family for a little while.

I am eager to see the doctor and hopefully next week will find a few solutions for my situation.

Ross and Sarah

July 21, 2020

As I was getting ready for bed last night my left knee suddenly became very painful and swollen. I have no idea what is happening and I am debating calling the doctor today as the pain and swelling both continue. I did not have a very good sleep to say the least even though I was tired and excited to get to bed. It was a normal day yesterday with our walk, cleaning the house and bit of watering in the yard. Justin has been doing his best to advise me as a PT today and Tom went to London Drugs to get some tensor wraps but they are too painful to wear. I am mainly icing the knee and taking pain killers. I did some bush trimming while standing. It is hard for me to do nothing.

Maureen Fairburne has been in the hospital with shingles, sciatica and pseudo gout - all in and on the same leg - so we made bran muffins, soup and salad and took it to her on Thursday as she is home now.  We gave some muffins to Gene and Marie next door. He is suffering with cancer. We gave more muffins to Cindy and her family and we have been enjoying the rest. 

We had the young man who did the mill work in our house originally come and evaluate the house for some baseboard repair and some accent molding on two other walls. He will come back next week to do his part and we have the painter scheduled to come in August. He too is the original painter who did our house. With more time at home I tend to come up with projects. Poor Tom.

We continue work on family history. Tom had another meeting with George Hara yesterday and we have been taking pictures of Grandpa Tanner’s material so some of it can be posted on Family Search and made accessible to other family members. Tom inherited two boxes of Grandpa Tanner’s pictures, talks, etc. when Ruth died. We sorted it awhile ago and we are now trying pass along pictures that might interest the rest of the family. Like the prophet Mormon, we cannot publish but a hundredth part if even that. We have been trying to add pictures to our parents, grandparents and other’s memory portions of their Family Search sites. We have never had the time before to do these things. We are asking our children to add their own  family portrait pictures and memories.

We enjoy our FaceTimes with all our children and Justin and JayLynn even FaceTimed us on Sunday and that was a treat. Jadyn has scheduled her classes at BYU Idaho and is still planning on going to Rexburg to start in the fall. Zachary does not need to be in Boise for hockey now until the fall and he plans on driving out with Jadyn and their mother Tammie. Tammie will get them settled and fly back.

I am waiting now to have  telephone appointment with the doctor so we will see where this knee concern takes me from here. I hope not into too much adventure. Talked to her and she has me starting treatment for gout.

Justin and JayLynn