1 Don't laugh . . . your day is coming

The coming of another new year reminds us of the ongoing march of time. And the fact that each of us is getting older. A friend recently shared with me the following about how Age-Associated Attention Deficit Disorder (AAADD) manifests itself. Thank goodness there's a name for it. It explains a lot.

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mailbox earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk, where I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Pepsi aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The Pepsi is getting warm. I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye. They need water.

I put the Pepsi on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water, and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone had left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs.

But first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers. Quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels, and wipe up the spill.

Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: the car isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter, the flowers don't have enough water, and there is still only one check in my checkbook. I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.... (Do me a favor. Forward this message to everyone you know, because I don't remember who I've sent it to.)

Don't laugh--if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!

2 Quote of the month

Every good and perfect gift cometh from God. Every discovery in science and art, that is really true and useful to mankind has been given by direct revelation from God, though but few acknowledge it. It has been given with a view to prepare the way for the ultimate triumph of truth, and the redemption of the earth from the power of sin and Satan. We should take advantage of all these great discoveries, the accumulated wisdom of ages, and give to our children the benefit of every branch of useful knowledge, to prepare them to step forward and efficiently do their part in the great work.

Brigham Young (Journal of Discourses, 9:369)

3 This month in our family

Lyle's family
05: Barbara died 2001
07: JJ's birthday
12: Seaira Nichole Cleverly-Burdett's birthday
13: Lyle's birthday
14: Joshua Frederick Price's birthday
26: David's birthday
27: Sariah Elaine Burdett's birthday

Gail's family
08: Mandy Rankin's birthday
21: Gail born 1937

Kay's family
09: Marshal McAllister's birthday
09: Mckenna's birthday
16: Easton Higley's birthday
29: Ryan's birthday

Gene's family
05: Shellbi Jane Packwood's birthday
08: Jason & Gena Tully married 2000
28: Gene's birthday
31: Shannon Tully's birthday

Ray's family
29: Chris & Shauna Reher married 1988

Dean's family
10: Ethan's birthday
10: Marta's birthday
13: Claudia Susan Hodson's birthday
13: Paul & Eliza Challis married 2004
14: Claire Ruth Challis's birthday
26: Chris Taylor's birthday

Dale's family
14: Dale's birthday
29: David Asay's birthday

Everyone!
Sun, Jan 1: New Year's Day
Mon, Jan 2: New Year's holiday
Fri, Jan 6: Epiphany [the 12th day of Christmas] 
Sun, Jan 8: Fast Sunday
Mon, Jan 9: Full moon (Wolf Moon)
Mon, Jan 16: Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
Mon, Jan 23: Chinese New Year [year of the dragon]

4 Bits and tidbits

Gail's family
Claudia and I attended the wedding reception in South Ogden for Craig and Kris Foley's son Kyle, who married Cortney Stockdale on December 10 in the Salt Lake Temple. We were able to visit with Lynda and most of her kids. We spent most of our time visiting with Lynda, Debbie, and Angie. Earlier that same week Angie had sent us an update on her family:

Michelle and Dustin moved with Hastings Entertainment in July 2010. Three days after Elizabeth Diane Duay was born. They live in Laramie, Wyoming. She was born July 19, 2010, the first of the three that were due in our family last summer. Michael Dustin Duay was baptized and confirmed on November 22, 2011. I flew over for the baptism, and we drove back to Utah for Thanksgiving.

Nothing else that I know of is going on in my family. John and Morgan just moved out into their new home in West Point, and Mom lost most of a tree and part of her brand new roof with the wind. No other damage that I know of. I did lose a garbage can full of aluminum to the neighbors, but my bicycle didn't even tip over. Debbie recently retired from the IRS after 30 years. Mom is keeping very busy with Wild Bill's Gourmet Seasonings.

Dick stops every week in Laramie and visits with the kids, and he brings little Zander home once a month to hang out with the two grandmas and Dick (the only grandpa Zander has any interest in). I like the drive over to Laramie and have been able to visit quite a bit. The schools there are awesome. Melanie is in Kindergarten and got to start as a four-year-old due to the birthdate cut off. Her class has 17 children, with one teacher, a student teacher, and there are two special needs kids so they have an aide for those two alone. Michael's class has 18 kids and grades K-3 have the largest classes with a max of 22 in one class.

Christmas phone calls
On Christmas Eve I visited on the phone with one of our cousins, Kent Palmer. The next day I phoned his mother, Aunt Berniece, who reported that she is doing very well at age 88. She said she's in better shape than any of her kids. Also on Christmas Day, I talked on the phone with Jerry in Boise, Kay in Hurricane, and Dale in Nampa. They all said they were doing well and had had a nice Christmas. It was really nice having Christmas fall on a Sunday this year.

I tried but was unable to reach Lyle, Gene, or Jackie. (In fact, the number I have for Lyle, 208-571-7055, elicited a recording saying it was "temporarily out of service" or some such thing. Does anyone know if I have the right number?)