Memorial Day Weekend

Where exactly did May go? Before too much time goes by I wanted to post some photos of Memorial Day weekend. We had three different Memorial Day visits this year. On Friday we picked up mom and dad and drove up to the Salt Lake City cemetery. Such a grand old cemetery with prophets and apostles galore buried there. Here we are next to Grandmother Nan's grave. She was the only grandparent I had and I thought the world of her. When we would come to Salt Lake City to visit, on our way to Iowa City, I would be SICK with excitement as soon as I saw the lights of the refineries on the North end of Salt Lake City. We were there! The big city, the lights, the traffic, the exits! Grandmother's house with the curved stairs and the apartment in the bottom where nameless law students lived, and the little stained glass window at the curve of the stairs and her bedroom at the bottom, and the serene veranda and grape juice with 7-up in it and toast with honey.

Doesn't grandpa look sporty with his cane? The ground is so uneven at the SL cemetery that I wished I had a cane myself! Before we left I called Uncle Steve to see if he knew the location (I always forget) and he told me he remembers being a boy and running around through the headstones while grandmother and her sisters would visit and clean the headstones and spiff up the plot and make sure the grass wasn't growing over the edges. He said he was going to go up on Monday and bring a shovel and do that, but his knees were too bad now so he couldn't kneel down to wash off the headstones, so I told him we'd do it. Windex and bottle of water we brought are in the background.Uncle Steve will always be 28 in my mind. And I will always be eight. But alas, he's 82 and I'll be 62.

The Russell headstone is quite grand! You can find it on the far west side of Salt Lake City cemetery. It's in that first quadrant if you park on the street on the West close to the North end - second little cemetery street from the top. It might be" P" street and 6th Avenue. I already forgot. When we were first married, we lived across the street from this cemetery, at 1023 3rd Avenue. I would take Angie over and she'd trace the letters on the headstones with her fingers and I'd tell her what they were. Come to think about it, we did that day after day after day! Much more exciting than buying Fisher-Price toys. And she was only 9 months old and speaking in full sentences..........really!.......

After we were done visiting the cemetery we drove by mom's old house on Harvard Avenue and gaped at the beautiful homes and streets and trees. Dennis spent his entire boyhood at his cousin Mardy Jolley's house on Michigan just a stone's throw away from mom's childhood home (Uncle Joel and Aunt Mary's house where I spent many happy hours as a newlywed, bless their hearts). Uncle Aaron and Aunt Dorothy's house is just across the street from mom's Harvard house and I never realized that!

Then we took our annual Sunday night drive to Valley View cemetery with Tony and Cindy and the kids. Dennis and I have plots on one side (don't know which). It will be a nice place to rest. I hope great-grandchildren bring whirlygigs and mums for us on Memorial Day if they live close by! Last year Calvin LOVED the whirlygigs when we went to the cemetery so I bought two mostly for him, although I think he was kinda over them this year.

Earlier in the week Tony and Cindy stopped by the cemetery in Heber City on their way home from St. George. While they were at the graves, I guess Calvin spontaneously flopped down on the headstone, kinda in the attitude of a Muslim prayer. So Tony asked him to do it again and here he is bowing to Mohamad in the East!. Grandpa Ranquist always included all religions so I think it's a fitting tribute, for as grandpa was once overheard saying to a stranger: "Hello! I'm from the tribe of Ephraim! What tribe are you from? ".

In the sideways photo below, Lauren is holding a picture of grandma and grandpa Ranquist. I bring that along because she is the only one of Tony's kids who remembers Grandpa Ranquist (and she only remembers riding in his Jazzie). Grandma Ranquist has been gone for three years and Grandpa for eight years (I think eight years, now I can't remember for sure). He died on my birthday.

I have flipped these pictures to be going the right way twice in my photo file on my computer and they are straight when I download them, but then they download sideways. Such is life.

On Monday dad and I headed up to Heber City to finish off our Memorial Day weekend. Such fond memories of Memorial Day picnics in Heber and softball games in the rain with the Hjorths!

This year we didn't run into anyone we knew and wouldn't you know it, another family there had a gas-powered weed eater and were "whraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang-ing" the dickens out of the reverie that is usually that little spot of paradise.

Below in the background: The "whraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang-ing"family caught in the act!

Remember the "Rasband" headstone? This is so engrained in my memory that I had to take a photo of it!

And finally, it has been so beautiful here lately. We've been working hard on the yard, with much left to do, but it looks kind of like retired people live here.

Is that a happy man? He LOVES being retired. He said Sunday night is his favorite night. I concur. Sunday night is like Christmas Eve every week - it's the night before NOT HAVING TO GET UP AND GO TO WORK the next day. It's sweet! He also loves getting a good night's sleep for the first time in decades. He has been working out at the gym religiously (and teaching sunday school and going to the temple once a week, speaking of "religiously!" AND doing family history too). He goes to Lifetime fitness and works on the treadmill. He tried swimming but that didn't work. He likes the treadmill although it's still hard some days. His blood sugar is down like 40 points, his blood pressure is down, he's dropped some weight, he doesn't have headaches, diarrhea or leg cramps any more.It's marvelous.

He's also selling the motorcycle. He said now that he's retired he doesn't want to take the chance of someone turning left in front of him! He puts it out in front of the house every night and lots of people slow down and look at it but nobody's called with any offers yet. I get wistful and want him to take me on a ride through Daybreak on warm summer nights. It's time though. They are dangerous. Don't ever buy one children!

We had quite the month at our house as all four girls (Angie, Amy, Andrea and Cindy) were all serving as Relief Society President at the same time for about an hour last Sunday until Andrea was released as a result of Andrew's new calling into the Stake Presidency. I honestly can't wrap my head around that happening. It's just beyond belief, and I smile with wonder and gratitude each time I think about it. Love all of you!!!
XO
Mom