Greek Town- From D. Benson


Death info on Annie C. Weist

Annie Elizabeth Lewis Carroll Springer Weist was one of Birda's older sisters.
Photo from the personal albums of Bryce Merkley
Cropped from larger group photo
According to this document the following dates apply:
BIRTH: 8 May 1878- Holladay, Salt Lake, Utah
DEATH: 5 Nov 1964- Vernal, Uintah, Utah
She was 86 years old when she died.

Obituary:
SOURCE: SL Tribune 1964, Nov 6, p.B7
Obituary transcribed:
Annie C. Weist
VERNAL- Mrs. Annie Carroll Weist, 86, Vernal, died of causes incident to age Thursday at 5 a.m. in a Vernal hospital.  Born May 8, 1878, Salt Lake County, to Siney and Elizabeth Coleman Lewis.  Married to Joseph H. Carroll, January 1899.  He died.  Married to Nathan Springer in 1925, Midway, Wasatch County.  He died.  Married to John W. Weist in 1943, Vernal.  Member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Survivors: husband; sons, daughter, DeVere Carrol, Vernal; Mrs. Axel (Afton) Birch, Pleasant Grove; Dearl Carroll, Ogden; Veldon Carroll, Arco, Idaho; Norman Carroll, Marietta, Ga.; 11 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren; brothers, sisters, Frank Lewis, Charles P. Lewis, Mrs. Jennie Hullinger, all Vernal; Mrs. Birda Merkley, Pecos, Tex. Funeral Saturday 11 a.m., Glines LDS Ward Chapel.  Friends call Vernal Mortuary Friday 7-9 p.m., Saturday prior to services.  Burial Maeser Cemetery.

Local Obituary:
SOURCE: Vernal Express 1964, Nov 12, p. 7
Local Obituary transcribed:
Funeral Honors Annie C. Weist
Funeral services were held for Mrs. Annie Carroll Weist Saturday at 11 a.m. in the Glines Ward chapel.
Mrs. Weist died Thursday at 5 a.m. of causes incident to age in the Vernal hospital.
Services were under the direction of Bishop Garth Batty.  Prelude and postlude music was played by Ruth Walker.
Bishop Batty gave a short history of Mrs. Weist.  Don Hullinger gave the invocation which was followed by a vocal duet, "In the Garden", by Roberta Ufford and Pat Stewart.
Harold E. Hullinger was the first speaker.  This was followed by a vocal, "Oh, My Father", by Max Gentry.  The concluding speaker was Harmon Sowards.
"Whispering Hope" a duet, was sung by Lois Erickson and Don Walker.  Benediction was by LeRoy Carroll.
The grave was dedicated by Joseph Price and burial was in the Maeser Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Clyde Carroll, Bert Carroll, Bruce Carroll, Lynn King, Floyd Kind and Fletch Leming.
Mrs. Weist was born May 8, 1878 in Holladay, Salt Lake County, a daughter of Siney and Elizabeth Coleman Lewis.
She married Joseph H. Carroll in 1899.  He died.  She married Nathan Springer in 1925.  He also died. Married to John W. Weist in 1943 in Vernal.
Survivors include her husband, four sons and a daughter, DeVere Carroll, Vernal; Mrs. Axel (Afton) Birch, Pleasant Grove; Dearl Carroll, Ogden; Veldon Carroll, Arco, Idaho; Norman Carroll, Marietta, Ga.; 11 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren; brothers and sisters, Frank Lewis, Charles P. Lewis, Mrs. Harold E. (Jenny) Hullinger, all Vernal; and Mrs. Asher (Birda) Merkley, who is on a mission in Pecos, Tex.
Out of town people who attended the funeral included all of her children and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hullinger, Bountiful; Don Hullinger, Granger; Mr. and Mrs. Hugo Hullinger, Salt Lake City; Mrs. Glen (Venita) Probst, Pleasant Grove; Douglas Merkley, Heber; Mrs. Dallas R. (Geneve) Workman, Centerville; Mrs. R.D. (Lenore) Nielsen, Salt Lake City; Clyde Carroll, Price; Bruce Carroll, Provo; Mr. and Mrs. Fletch Leming and children, Pleasant Grove; Mr. and Mrs. Bert Carroll and children of Craig, Colo., Rhea Carroll, Reno, Nev., and Mr. and Mrs. George Foster, Columbia, Carbon County.

Photo from personal albums of Patty Stewart

Because Annie died within the last 50 years, her death certificate will not become publicly available until sometime around the year 2014.  When it is available I will post it here.

Eunice Turman








 Eunice Irene (Camp)
Turman died peacefully after a long illness on August 31, 2012.  Eunice was born January 27, 1913 in Greenwood,
AR to Matthew Madison and Ida Mae (Caldwell)
Camp.  She moved to Poteau in 1927.  She graduated from Poteau High School
in 1931.  On March 31, 1934, she married
the love of her life Woodrow Wilson Turman. 
As a member of the First
Baptist Church
of Poteau, she taught church school for many years.  She was involved in the 20th
Century Club, the Garden Club and the Camera Club.  She enjoyed cooking for her family and
friends, traveling, reading and crossword puzzles.  Eunice was preceded in death by her husband,
her parents, three sisters and six brothers.





Survivors include
her son, Woodrow Turman, Jr. of Shreveport, LA; her grandsons, John Turman of
Oklahoma City and Steve Turman and wife, Julie of Poteau; many nephews and
nieces; and her special friend Sharon Preston of Tulsa.


 The family thanks
the many friends and caregivers who allowed Eunice to live independently for
the past ten years.


           Services will be 2
pm, Tuesday, September 4, 2012 at the First Baptist
Church in Poteau.  Burial will follow at Oakland Cemetery,
Poteau.  In lieu of flowers the family
requests that you consider donations to the First Baptist
Church.










Conforming to Society but Still Resisting the Cookie Cutter

Despite my sample set being just two students, my children, whom I homeschool, and what I know about myself and my husband, I think I can say this is true of humans and organization and managing their schoolwork.

One type of person is naturally organized and can self-manage easily. Sometimes the lessons are learned after making mistakes in real life and we adapt our behavior easily and quickly after one or a few mistakes.

Some people need monitoring to get into a groove.

Some people seem seriously challenged with self-managment and need to be directly told some things that may seem intuitive or common sense to the rest of us. Put your book in that spot when you are finished. Keep your papers in one place in an organized manner. Know what you did with your homework assignment. Know your schedule. Update your schedule when changes occur.

New systems such as getting used to a new internet platform for an online class can be a big challenge for some people.

I seem to have kids on the opposite side of each spectrum. I am more mature than they are and the way I am today is not the way I was when I was young. I am wiser and more organized and neater now than I was when I was a preteen and a teen. It is hard for me to shift gears from what I know is best (that sometimes borders on perfectionism) and what is reasonable to expect and then to figure out how to deal with each kid to shift gears to teach them these things without sounding like a critical complainer or a nag.

Homeschooling more rigorous academics in the junior high and high school years is a challenge. I thought that outsourcing some of the teaching to others this year would be less of a burden on me but so far it is more work for me! I am happy to report that the classes I selected are rigorous which I wanted, but they are harder than I thought, and this is a both a blessing and a curse. My kids are being pushed to do hard work, (and some busy work in some cases). They are doing some quality learning too, of course. They have to comply with external deadlines, report to an authority who is not me and take quizzes, tests, and get graded by unemotional third party teachers. While this does not seem unreasonable to those who live the school life you need to know that my kids have had an alternative education using unshooling, then Charlotte Mason, then an eclectic largely "learning by doing" experience. All those things were the polar extreme from reading boring textbooks and answering homework questions and memorizing the periodic table and being tested on terms.

I can't say my kids are at a place where they are doing learning for the sheer joy of learning in all of their classes. They are being tested and tried by the rigor. They are both doing a college prep program, one is the classical education model. These are basic courses that will more than fulfill high school graduation requirements. They are learning and they will grow their minds in this process so it is worth it. They are doing these things in order to keep the door open to seek the career of their choice. They are doing these things because they have to if they want to do those careers.



The last thing that remains a challenge for both of my kids is having a full academic load and continuing to play a four season sport plus do Boy Scouts. My older son is also juggling participation in the year-round FIRST Robotics team. I don't want them to not fulfill their passions, to not have a social life, and to not do the sport they love which also has or is getting them into top physical condition.



If my kids had it their way they would narrow their academics to their passion areas and skip doing what they hate. They would avoid history as they think it is meaningless in their lives. My sophomore says he would like to spread his academics over six years (not four) so that he could do the robotics at a high participation level, do Boy Scouts with its leadership roles and for the fun of it, and do the sport at an intense competitive level which he now craves for physical fitness and for the full social life it provides.


But we live in America where high school is supposed to be only four years and where colleges still want (practically demand) that students enroll as freshman at age 18. So we are trying to squeeze our alternative education kids into the cookie cutter as much as we can while still allowing them to have time to do the extracurricular activities that provide them the personal fulfillment they love and which helps make them the unique people they are developing to be.

What's Next?

Typically after an International Convention is over, one of the first thoughts to cross my mind is, “what’s next?” After spending close to a year focused on a single event it’s easy to find one’s self on the other side with no clues as to what to do now. Quite often it takes me a few days to get my bearings and find the next project to work on.

This year, however, is quite different because I already know what comes next.

Next week I’ll be helping out the American Fraternal Alliance, reporting live from their annual meeting via social media! About a month ago they called and asked if I’d be interested in helping them increase the social media coverage of their big event and build more engagement with those who belong to the Alliance, but were unable to attend.

If you aren’t familiar with the Alliance, they were formed in 1886 and unite the not-for-profit fraternal benefit societies operating in 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.  Alliance member societies represent nearly 10.5 million individuals, making it one of America’s largest member-volunteer networks.

Obviously I jumped at the opportunity! To me, this is exactly what fraternalism is all about: helping others. Being asked to assist an organization that has done so much for Sons of Norway and other fraternals throughout North America was a no-brainer decision for me. I’m really looking forward to helping the Alliance engage its members and share a bit of the annual meeting experience with them!

So, next week, from September 5-9, I’ll be a guest writer on their Fraternalsblog, tweeting at @Fratalliance and posting on their facebook page! I’ve included links to their social media outlets, because I hope that you’ll continue to follow me via their channels while I’m away. If you do, you’ll not only learn a little more about an organization that is fundamentally important to the fraternal industry, but you’ll also learn about a number of topics that are important to Sons of Norway membership, like governance, dispute resolution, social media, leadership and more! 

As you can see, the event promises to be extremely entertaining and educational, so I hope you’ll follow along as I share an insider’s viewpoint of the annual meeting!

Norwegian Experience Day 2: Kongsfjorden and North West Spitsbergen National Park

Spitsbergen Cruise Map
It is time for an Norwegian Experience update! Day 2 of the trip is underway and Rob and Donna Kodalen, our recruitment contest winners, will be making their way along the west coast of Spitsbergen aboard the MS Fram. Haven't been following our blog coverage of the big trip provided by Borton Overseas and Sons of Norway? Catch up by reviewing the previous blog posts here and here.

The first leg of their journey will take them to Kongsfjorden, the largest fjord on the northwest coast of Spitsbergen. The landscape varies from large tundra plains to alpine peaks with dramatic glaciers breaking into the ocean. Two glaciers, Kronebreen and Kongsvegen, are at the head of the fjord. At 78º 55’N, Ny Ålesund is the world’s northernmost permanently inhabited community, where a number of countries run their own national research stations. Activity here swells from around 30-35 permanent resident researchers to around 180 in the summer months. To take a peek at what daily life is like in this remote research settlement, click here

The next destination will be the Magdalenefjord, which is home to a very important piece of cultural heritage; a whaling station from the 16th century, including a graveyard of whalers who died during the first oil “gold rush”. This area is also part of the North West Spitsbergen National Park, which is filled with mountain peaks, glaciers and offshore islands. The park is also home to seabirds, reindeer, arctic fox, polar bears and walrus.

What's on deck for the rest of the weekend? Stay tuned to find out!

Author Eddie Upnick and Time Will Tell

Once confined to fantasy and science fiction, time travel is now simply an engineering problem.
~Michio Kaku, Wired Magazine, Aug. 2003  

Because of this blog I am offered review copies of books on a fairly regular basis. I try not to take very many because my reading stacks are fairly backed up. Of those I do take I don't read as many as I'd like because, as the saying goes, "my eyes are bigger than my stomach."

Nevertheless, the concept in Eddie Upnick's Time Will Tell was interesting on two counts. First, because I have written a few stories related to time and alternate histories (see Unremembered Histories ) and because of my father-in-law's own superb volume about his World War II experiences, a second theme of Upnick's story.

We're all familiar with H.G. Wells' classic The Time Machine, and who has not enjoyed Hollywood's three part Back to the Future series? Here's Upnick talking about why he wrote this book.

EN: What prompted you to write this book? 
Eddie Upnick: I wrote Time Will Tell because of a chance meeting I had with a man named Sidney Dowse in 1995 in Antigua. Mr. Dowse was one of the men who escaped from Sagan, the prison camp portrayed in the 1963 movie The Great Escape. He was one of 76 men who escaped from the German prisoner of war camp. 50 of the men were murdered by the Gestapo, Sidney was recaptured. The stories that Mr. Dowse finally shared with me, after three days of trying to get him to talk, were amazing. Before the war started, Sidney Dowse worked with Stewert Menzies, who headed up MI-6, British intelligence. Menzies had daily meetings with Churchill. The shocking hidden details of World War Two history were the reason I wrote Time Will Tell.

EN: Having written a book titled Future Tense, you are obviously fascinated with time. When did this kind of interest emerge in your life? 
EU: I was influenced in early childhood by Rod Serling's Twilight Zone and the Outer Limits series. Rod Serling was my greatest writing influence. His Twilight Zone episodes fascinated me a child. Gene Roddenberry was also a strong influence with the original Star Trek series. I hope readers will be both entertained by the story and learn a little lost history as well.

EN: Your book was finished in 2009. Were you surprised when Stephen King published a time travel novel about a man trying to alter the Kennedy assassination? What was you reaction to that?
EU: Stephen King's novels are interesting to me, but they had no influence on me or my writing style at all. All of his novels that relate to time keep the genre alive and well. So I wish him well.

EN: I suppose you'd like to see this as a movie. How would you compare this story to 13 Monkees with Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt? 
EU: Yes, I think all three books in this trilogy would make for great movies. 13 Monkees was certainly an interesting, yet dark film with a time travel theme. I would envision my "movies" as more uplifting and humorous.

EN: What are the biggest challenges in writing this kind of fiction? 
EU: I call my writing style reality-based science fiction. Beginning each book with a real life premise and slowly morph into the Sci-Fi elements keeps the books believable and entertaining.

2052, the final book deals with the end of life on Earth and how our heroes attack the problem, battling enemies and getting help from allies in outer space. 2052 answers all the open questions left from the first two books.

40 years of stories told to me by top level people in many industries helped me piece this trilogy together. These novels are a fast read, that much I can promise your readers.

* * *

EdNote: Though the book will never be considered classic literature there are readers who will enjoy the game. It's always interesting to see where another person's unrestrained imagination will take a reader if they choose to follow. Like all fiction of this type the enjoyment requires the usual suspension of disbelief. There is a lot of improbable to impossible here, but isn't that a given in time travel stories? The book is available in paperback as well as the digital version on Kindle. Download the beginning free and if it grips you, go for it.
In the meantime, make the most of your weekend.

Breastfeeding your child Part 3: 3-12 months

If you've made it to three months breastfeeding, congratulations!!!

Setting small goals (get to the end of the day, get to the end of the week, get to 1 month, then 3 months, then 6 months) can be extremely helpful in making breastfeeding work, and is exactly what kept me going until the three month mark.  I promised myself that I would trust in my body and give myself small, attainable goals.
Once you make it through the first few months of breastfeeding though, things can be just as tricky as they were in the start.  Let's talk about a few problems that can trip up a nursing mama and cause her to stop breastfeeding.

(If you are a working mama, a lot of this will pertain to you!)

Many women return to work around three months after their baby is born.  To be able to continue to breastfeed while working requires a significant amount of work to coordinate/plan pumping your breastmilk in your workplace.  I would HIGHLY recommend having a discussion with your boss or manager prior to returning to work about your needs regarding pumping space and time.  This can be tricky, but you are covered by law to have a place to pump your milk and time to do so.  

I had the luxury and the curse of wonderful and terrible pumping accommodations in my various (current) jobs.  Two out of the three jobs at which I currently work have amazing pumping facilities.  Private (or semi-private) rooms with comfortable chairs, hospital grade (multi-user) pumps supplied, and even a television in one of the pumping rooms!  My third job?  Not so great.  To be able to work at my third job, I'm a little embarrassed to say that I've pumped in offices (locking and non-locking, one office actually that the door didn't even fully shut all the way, and I had to push the back of my chair against the door), empty patient rooms, staff break rooms, and yes, even bathrooms.  These were not ideal and definitely not optimal situations, but I need/needed that job and tried to make it work for me.  When I return to work after my next maternity leave, I will be requesting better pumping conditions fromemployer #3, and I highly recommend for you to do so if you are a first or second time mama that anticipates less than optimal situations.

Once you are actually at work, many women find it difficult to tear themselves away from their work to actually have time to pump.  Before I went back to work, I promised myself that time wouldn't be a reason why I quit breastfeeding.  I promised myself that even if there were 10 patients waiting to be seen after, that I wouldn't let those people become more important than what my son needed from me.  Because I viewed it like this, I had an easier time sticking to it.  And, to be totally honest, it became a time in my day that I enjoyed.  In the beginning, I would get three breaks a day (I work extended hour shifts) where I pumped, but I also spent time doing catch up charting, talked with our daycare provider, and (gasp!) just relaxed sometimes!  Seriously though, if breastfeeding is important to you and your family, just allow yourself the freedom to have that time without worrying about work.  It will still be there waiting for you when you're done pumping, ready for you to pick right back up where you left off!

The next problem I had was clogged ducts, which eventually led to mastitis.  A key part about breastfeeding is that demand helps to determine supply.  If you and your baby are lucky enough to stay at home together, your body is only producing just as much as your baby needs.  However, any time you add in the pump, to either replace a feeding your child misses while you are away or for other reasons (increase your supply, decrease the firmness of the breast before baby nurses, build a freezer stash, etc.), you run the risk of changing the message you're giving to your body. 

The message I gave my body was produce, produce, PRODUCE more milk!

By a few months in to pumping, I had pumped my way into a significant oversupply.  Since I left for work much earlier than little man had to wake in the morning for DH to take him to daycare, I pumped first thing in the morning every day.  Some days, I was able to pump up to 16 ounces total, in one pump session.  I would also pump three more times additionally at work, and then come home and nurse my son 1-2 times before bed.  I could pump 30-40+ ounces per day, when he would only be taking 20-30 some days at daycare.  Our freezer was always full of bags of milk (in my favorite Lansinoh bags!), however, so were my breasts, especially on days when I didn't work. I began to have clogged ducts- hard, uncomfortable sore spots on my breasts- at least every week or two.  Between months 3-7ish I don't think I made it through a month without having at least two clogged ducts per month.  



The problem is, though, that #1- almost no mother can ever ALWAYS be at home with their child.  #2- There are multiple other things that can lead to clogged ducts as well, such as growth spurts, initiation of solid foods, incorrect or inadequate massage to the breasts, wearing too tight of clothing or bras, nursing strikes, and many other reasons as well.  My main cause was overpumping, but again, clogged ducts can come from many different starting points- and are equally frustrating and painful no matter the cause.

I tried everything I could scour on the internet, hot packs before nursing, cold packs after, nursing in different positions and holds, pumping to release the clog, hand expressing (typically hanging upside down like a contortionist in a hot shower), vitamins/supplements, etc.  You name it, I tried it.  Looking back, instead of trying to fix the problem, I really should have just pumped less, and eliminated the oversupply by decreasing the demand, but at the time I really didn't get it.

Then came the clogs that I had a really difficult time clearing, one of which led to mastitis.  I was caring for my son, at home from work on one of my days off, when all of a sudden I had a significant fever (at the first feeling of discomfort, I took my temperature and am pretty sure it was at least 102 degrees) and just felt so unbelievably horrible all at once.  It was so difficult taking care of my son during that time, as he and I were the only two at home that day, but we made it through, and thankfully my Ob called in prescription medications for me to get me through it.  It took a few days of significant medications, but we kept nursing through it (per their recommendations) and when I felt better, we were right back on track.

If you are dealing with an oversupply, clogged ducts, or mastitis, I highly recommend to you to take a look at your pumping routine.  Look at how often/how long your baby is nursing and try to use that as a guide.  I know it is really tempting to take all the extra you make and stash it in the freezer for later, but if you are making more each day than your baby is taking, you may want to either decrease pumping session length or number.  Or, if you really want that freezer stash, make sure you pump once a day or so on the weekends (based on how much extra you are making) to maintain that consistent amount your body is producing every day, instead of only a few days a week pumping SO much more out.  Again, it is all a demand vs. supply issue here!

During the time I had mastitis, I am pretty sure I said to DH several times, "This is it!  I'm done!!!"  But then the fact that I'm really, really cheap came to mind, and I said, okay, just until the end of this week.  When I got through the mastitis and the end of that week, I said to myself, okay, just another week more.  And so on.  Those really small goals got me through so many hard times during the middle of our breastfeeding journey, and I am so thankful for it.  My supply eventually evened out, I stopped having clogged ducts, discomfort, and pain, and things became normal, and dare I say, easy!  

Once you're able to get through the first 3-6 months of breastfeeding, a lot of women have told me that it gets to be simple, easy, and good.  I experienced just that.  We were able to stick it out that long, and at that point, it became very comforting to both of us, very sweet, and a routine thing.

Well, until my son became a toddler.  :)  But that is for the next post on Sunday! :)

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For the Kids Friday #78

Welcome to the party!!!
Ack!!!  Sorry this is posting late!  SOOOO many awesome ideas at last week's party.  Thanks so much for being here each week to share your great ideas!

 Check out my favorites from last week's party!
These posts have been pinned to the SunScholars THE BEST OF... For the Kids Fridays on Pinterest!

If you've been featured below
grab my A++ and brag about it to your friends :)
A++




Chocolate Snack Cake Bats
at Hungry Happenings


DIY Captain America Shield Pinata
at Sunshine and a Summer Breeze


Curious George S'more Pops
at Kitchen Fum with My 3 Sons


DIY Bottle Rocket Shooter
at Craft, Interrupted

 
Alphabet Busy Book & Let's Play Dress-Up (Links to Free Printables)
at Playing House


Kids Castle Desk Tidy
at Red Ted Art


Fish in a Bottle
at H is for Homeschooling
Now, on to this week's party!
For the Kids Friday



1)  I would LOVE for you to first be a follower of my blog.  (And why wouldn't you want to be?!)

2)  Grab my For the Kids Fridays Button and place it somewhere on your blog.  Be sure to link back to me!

3)  Link up as many KID-RELATED activities, games, recipes, parties, gifts, clothing you've created, crafts, traditions, lessons, and so on... that you would like to share.  Please add a different link each week.  They can be old or new... this is just a place to share ideas for our kids to enjoy.  Bonus points to those that serve some educational purpose too!  Link must be to the specific post, and not your general blog page.  Please don't link to your store.

4)  Share the love and comment on at least one other link.  Everyone loves to get feedback.


That's it!  Have fun, and thanks so much for participating!

Give Thanks Giveaway and a Labor Day Sale

I just wanted to pop in really quickly to let you all know we thought it would be fun to have a little sale in honor of labor day weekend! The sale starts now and will run through Monday evening at midnight EST.

And we also wanted to do a little giveaway for one of our give thanks pillow covers!


How can you win this pillow cover?
All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. 
You don't have to have a blog to enter, either. If you aren't a blogger, just enter a comment and then where it says "comment as" scroll down near the bottom and click on anonymous. However, if you do that, make sure to leave your e-mail address so we can confirm that you are the winner. If we draw the name of someone who doesn't leave any identifying information we will simply draw a new name. Make sure to check back here on the blog to collect your prize!
 And if you want to up your odds of winning you can "pin" any of the above photos onto Pinterest for one more entry. 
Just write "Pinned" on a separate comment below!

Or you can "share" the link on facebook with your friends. If you do that you get another entry.
Just write "shared on FB" on another comment below!

 This giveaway will run from now through the weekend.
 
I hope you all enjoy the last few days of summer!
 

Margret Merkley & Rulon Hansen

Margret Jane Merkley was Asher's youngest sister.

She married Rulon Hansen (of Alamosa, CO) in the Salt Lake Temple (Salt Lake City, UT) on 28 April 1927.
Thus, she became Margret Jane Merkley Hansen.
Photo from the personal albums of Ellen Fletcher.
Newspaper notice:
SOURCE: Vernal Express 1927, Apr 29, p.8
Newspaper notice transcribed:
Hansen-Merkley
Mrs. Nelson Merkley announces the marriage of her daughter Margret.... J to Rulon Kershaw Hansen of Alamose, Colo, in the Salt Lake Temple, Thursday, April 28.  Mr. Hansen is the son of Mr. and Mrs. N.J. Hansen of Vernal.  The young couple will make their home in Alamosa.  Miss Merkley, for several years, has been a teacher at the Vernal Central school.  Mr. Hansen is an employee of J.C. Penney Co. and was formerly a resident of Vernal where he was in charge of the shoe department of the Ashley Co-op.
*Punctuation adjusted by me, and extra repetitive line omitted.

Marriage License:
SOURCE: familysearch.org

Norwegian Experience Day 1: Longyearbyen & Barentsburg

Svalbard © Jens Henrik Nybo/www.visitnorway.com
Picture it: You’re aboard the MS Fram in the waters of Northern Norway experiencing the incredible scenery of Spitsbergen’s most remote areas. Watching the midnight sun create “unearthly hues” on the sea’s surface, ice, and glaciers. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it?

Starting today, our Norwegian Experience winner, Rob Kodalen and his wife Donna will be embarking on the trip of a lifetime, an 8-day Hurtigruten cruise of the waters surrounding Spitsbergen, courtesy of Borton Overseas and Sons of Norway. Svalbard is home to seven Norwegian National Parks and over 60% of it is protected land. To learn more about our winner, check out our blog post here.

To kick off their cruise, Rob and Donna will be exploring Longyearbyen and the surrounding area on a guided bus tour before embarkation. Longyearbyen is a Norwegian settlement often referred to as the capital of Svalbard. This is a lively small town, situated amid some incredible Arctic landscape. Barentsburg is a Russian settlement with an exotic collection of Russian artifacts and architecture. This “Company town” was built in 1935 around the entrance to the coal mine.

Be sure to check back to the blog tomorrow as we fill you in on the next destination in Rob and Donna’s Norwegian Experience journey, the largest fjord on the North West coast of Spitsbergen, Kongsfjorden.

Trying an Online Live Spanish Class with Native Speaker

At the homeschooling convention I learned of a service which I'd never heard of. A thing on my list to set up for the fall was Spanish instruction for my 7th grader. He is asking to learn Spanish (having abandoned Italian via Rosetta Stone). Now that we live in Houston we are surrounded by Spanish signs and labels on foods and Spanish speakers. It would be nice to know how to converse with others and having people all around you to practice on enhances learning and helps with memory retention.

I was surprised to see a booth for a 1:1 Spanish class, online (voice only) via Skype with a native Spanish speaker. My son's teacher lives in Mexico.

We purchased a trial session to see how it goes. They speak online and then printable worksheets for homework and reference lists to use as learning tools are emailed to us. They claim these courses are "enough" for a full class and go up through the high school level.

I am pleased with the service so far. Due to my lack of familiarity with teaching a foreign language course I am unable to compare how rigorous this is in comparison with a textbook based program. However solving the issue of having access to not only a fluent Spanish speaker but a native Spanish speaker may be worth it. I wonder also if families could supplement whatever learning they are doing with this in order to get in more talking time with a native speaker. Prices vary depending on the number of classes that you take. Today they advertise the fees can be as low as $6 per hour.

The company is Homeschool Spanish Academy.

To further complicate matters for our family right now, after I paid for these classes I enrolled my son in a big group learning experience which includes Latin (which is new to him). I am unsure if my son can do all the work in the other subjects plus Latin and if continuing with Spanish is possible or overkill this fall. We will see how it goes.

Disclosure: I am a paying customer of Homeschool Spanish Academy and have no incentive to mention their services. I am not getting paid from them to advertise or tout their services.

Calls for Artists and Opportunities for Patrons

It's exciting to see new venues open up for artists to show their work. The art call from Edgewood Vista caught me by surprise, though it shouldn't have. Throughout our lives we're nourished by the arts, and why not be surrounded with it in our sunset years as well.

If you're an artist who missed any of these "calls" for art, it's not too late to assemble something for one, if not all four, of these shows. The first here invites all artists, with no entry fees or requirement to be a professional. It's an opportunity for closet artists to gain an audience. The second is a call for submissions to the PROVE Gallery's September show, curated by the Collective's newest team member Kathleen Roberts. The third is for the next round of Phantom Galleries Superior events. Funding came through for the program to continue. And fourth is the Duluth Art Institute's juried show for 2012. The deadline is tight for all of these but it's not to late to make contact and see which one is suited for you.

And for friends of the arts, I hope we'll see you at the openings. Be sure to mark your calendars!

Art for the Ages

Art Call - "Art for the Ages"
Edgewood Vista has announced a call to artists for an exhibition to be held September 9-12, 2012.The event helps increase awareness for National Assisted Living Week .

The invitation it open to all 2D and 3D artists. Amateur or professional artists welcome. (Paintings, illustrations, woodwork, pottery, photography, fiber art, quilts, glasswork, jewelry, sculpture, etc...) No entry fee required. Artwork can be available for display or for sale - with a portion of sales donated to the Alzheimer's Association.

And for the public:

"ART FOR THE AGES" RECEPTIONS
Thursday, September 13 from 3-6pm
A professional reception with local businesses and health care providers.
Saturday, September 15 from 2-4pm
An open house for the community.
Questions? Please contact Rachel Larson at rachell@edgewoodvista.com or (218) 723-8905. Edgewood Vista 4195 Westberg Road Hermantown, MN


PRØVE Gallery announces an Open Call for Submissions for the show “Playground”

Show Description: With autumn now fully upon us, it’s time to return to school, work, and dwelling indoors. In honor of years past, when the return to school meant finger-painting, eating paste, and hitting other children with your lunchbox, Prøve Gallery invites you to submit to “Playground.” Art that addresses the idea of play – whether by approaching art in a playful way or incorporating lighthearted subject matter – will be considered for this show. Every form of art is welcome; we just want to have a little fun!

Prøve Gallery, Duluth, Minnesota’s independent and artist run contemporary gallery, is proud to announce “Playground,” opening September 14, 2012.

An extensive description of the show, and requirements for submission can be found on the Prøve Gallery Facebook page. Deadline is Sept 1 for artist submissions for consideration with drop off dates September 6-8. The Opening will be September 14. Mark your calendars.


Phantom Galleries Superior 

The Phantom Galleries call reads like this:  
Hey savvy creative ones! We're excited to invite you to submit proposals for the 2012 and 2013 Phantom Galleries. Deadline Sept. 1, 2012. Pass the word.

Artists in all media, including live art and performance, where some component can be made visual 24/7 are encouraged to apply. Scroll down on this invitation to find the details/call and what's new in an earlier post.

Request a pdf version of the application by sending an email to erikamock@gmail.com
Or contact: Erika Mock at 715.392.1150


DAI 2012 Arrowhead Biennial Exhibition

The call for submissions went out some time ago and the deadline is just around the corner. Like, September 1. This important show is a juried event and a wonderful showcase for serious artists.

Full details are available here at the Duluth Art Institute website.

AND if this isn't enough... there's another big Gallery Hop brewing for October. Very special two-night event. Watch for details here, there and everywhere. Hope your day is a great one.

SLOW BUT SURE

Holy cow.....yes, this bovine lover really said, holy cow!!  Progress is going slowly on this piece.  Seems for every 10 beads I add, I take 12 off!  Because I'm just doodling.....but probably with way tooooo much thought, the beading is going slowly.

That's okay, as I always tell my students....try to think marathon....not sprint.


I'll admit to be fairly distracted while stitching last night as we had a reprieve from hog round ups & car shows.  Our son and his wife, who put so much thought into gift giving....gave us the complete TV series 'Wired'.  Many claim this is/was the best show on TV.  We are delighted to have the youngins' to keep us up to date!!

Well.....it's full of scoundrels for sure....always a plus for drama.  Problem is, that it was filmed in such dark light, it's very difficult to see which bad guy is doing what.  I had the same complaint about the original 'Homicide' (and I think these two are connected via actors and perhaps directors).  So.....it requires more than a casual glance at the screen to follow the dirty dealings!

Tonight....and realize...I've only made one reference to the NFL so far......the Green Bay Packers will be on TV here.....YEAH.....let the season begin......

Vivian L. Duboise








 Vivian Lorene
Duboise, 94, of Shady Point, OK passed away Tuesday, August 28, 2012 in Shady
Point.  Vivian was born November 26 1917
in Cameron, OK to Luther & Francis (Tucker) Bridges.  She was a homemaker.  Vivian lived most of her life in the rural
area of Cameron.  She was a member of Liberty Hill Baptist
Church.  She and Rosser Duboise were married May 26,
1934 and were together until he died December 2, 1989.  Vivian was preceded in death by her husband,
Rosser; grandson, Dean Currens; her parents; stepfather, Charlie Mooneyham;
great grandson, Zack Moore; 3 brothers, Bob, Clyde & Otho Mooneyham; and
special friends, Claude & Inez Farrar.





She is survived by
3 daughters & sons in law, Betty Ann 
& Leo Burden of Upland, CA, Gloria Jean & Johnny Currens of
Shady Point, OK, Katie & Larry Sockey of Pocola, OK; son & daughter in
law, Paul & Margaret DuBois of Cameron, OK; granddaughter, Virginia Ann
& Doug Moore of Austin, TX; 7 Grandsons, Wayne & Susie Currens of
Poteau, OK, Randy & Lettie Burden of Upland, CA, Bill & Angie DuBois of
Mustang, OK, Joe & Trisa DuBois of Shady Point, OK, Mike & Kristi
DuBois of Blanchard, OK, Jon & Kelly Sockey, Ronnie & Mindy Sockey of
Poteau, OK; 17 Great Grandchildren; 7 Great Great Grandchildren; 2 sisters,
Elizabeth Farrar and Mattie Lee Fox of Cameron, OK; 1 brother, Bill &
Lucille Mooneyham of Poteau, OK; 1 sister in law, Mary Mooneyham of Torrance,
CA;  her many special “adopted kids” that
she hauled to Sunday School & Vacation Bible School; other relatives &
loved ones; many beloved friends.





Services will be 2
pm, Friday, August 31, 2012 at the Liberty
Hill Baptist
Church with Rev. Charles
Caughern and Travis Cook officiating. 
Interment will follow in New
Providence Cemetery,
Slatonville. OK.   Pallbearers will be her grandsons.





In lieu of flowers
donations may be made to the Liberty
Hill Baptist
Church Building
Fund, 25952 Claudes Rd,
Cameron, OK  74932.





The family will be
at the funeral home on Thursday evening from 6-8 pm to visit with relatives
& friends.

Why Rigid Homeschool Schedules Make Me Twitch

I hate detailed homeschooling schedules. To me they are a recipe for showing failure. Intentions to do math that hour fail when half the time is spent on the toilet in that hour. Now we are behind a half hour. It's like a domino cascade of failure as one typical thing after another happens as the day unfolds.

We have mostly used checklists by day of the week. Each day is an hour of math. Read an hour of fiction books of your choice before bed to unwind. Do one spelling lesson a day with Spelling Power. So forth and so on. That works best when Mom plans the studies and when the kids are only accountable to the parent-teacher.

When outside classes are used that require homework the vague checklists are useless. Now the work centers on deadlines. The top priority is to do what needs to be done on time. Second is do studies that Mom oversees which have softer deadlines.

Using online classes from home requires paying attention to the time when home. Our favorite days have always been when we could wake when our bodies told us they were finished, and when we had nowhere to be and learning just flowed. And we got to stay in our pajamas if we wanted. We could kind of forget time in general and had a feeling of freedom. We'd set a timer to go off in an hour to signal when to stop the history read aloud and move on to something else. When you have an important live class you have to keep a sense of awareness of the time and also give yourself preparation time to get online and ready the websites and have your notebook and pen ready for notetaking.

This fall each son has online live classes. They also each have online classes which don't meet at a certain time but deliver lessons with due dates via the Internet. My younger son is enrolled in a classical homeschooling group who uses one day of in-person classes but doles out assignment checklists, worksheets, and learning tools via a website. This fall we have the most appointments for home education than we ever had. This means we have to get more formal with our scheduling.

My grade 10 son's work is independent work. He does not need me or should not need me for this work. This lack of being taught directly and me not saying "It is time to do history together" puts him in control. I would like to see him organizing his own time and getting the work done under his own guidance.

The biggest struggle right now is that my sons are spending time doing things that are not homeschool related. When going online to check email to see what the teacher sent my son takes a sidestep into what I call time suck activities. He will go to Facebook and poke around. He will listen to music and go off into a daze. He will do other things like research song lyrics and ponder them. Next thing you know an hour went by and no academic work was done. He also will choose to do enjoyable easy work with a far out deadline (listen to Tom Sawyer on audiobook) instead of read the world history text that he is supposed to be prepared to discuss in today's class.

I am trying to figure out a way to organize the assignments that makes the due dates obvious and at the forefront. We also need assignments that are things they should do every day such as math which I oversee at home.

The student planners are organized by current day. Students are to write the assignments in the book on the day that the teacher gives them the assignment. This may be simple for school kids who meet five days a week and often have assignments due the next day but it is not ideal for homeschoolers. Some classes have already published their assignments reaching out one month from now and the deadlines are all over the place. Some assignments my son has now are due in 4 weeks, 5, 6, and one is due in 5 months. The large projects need to be doled up in smaller pieces that are done over time in doable portions.

I am trying an Excel spreadsheet which has a column for a due date. I think typing it in is faster for me or either of my kids, than using a paperback book based planner that requires handwriting in tiny slots. Let's not even get into sloppy writing and the problems that could cause.

How do you keep track of assignments due? Do you use a schedule? What format do you use?

Wordless Wednesday: Glimpses of Paradise