Yet another little one

Great news from Seattle!
We have a brand new grandson.
8 lbs 5 oz
20 1/2 inches
Name to follow
Congratulations to the happy, but very tired, parents.

The Old 11th Ward

I stumbled upon a write-up about a famous mural in the 11th Ward in Salt Lake where I grew up.

The old chapel was located at 131 South 10th East.  I don't remember much about it since I was six or seven when we moved out of it into the new chapel on First South.  So I was excited to see photos of the old chapel.

As a bonus I was able to learn more about the famous mural that was painted on the wall of the chapel circa 1919 by L. Ramsey.  The story goes that he was not too impressed by the painted vines he had to stare at behind the podium during Sacrament Meeting.

So he offered to paint the mural.  He actually had some financial support from the members to carry out the project.

The painting was of Joseph Smith receiving the plates from Moroni.  The title: The Restoration.

So, what did they do with the mural when they tore down the building?  They chiseled around it, encased it in concrete and sent it off to storage.

...and then forgot where they put it.  A family member asked about it and some brave soul went looking for it.  They found it not so well preserved behind a Deseret Press building.  It was falling apart.

After careful restoration of "The Restoration" it was placed in the 11th Ward once again.

What I recall being behind the choir seats was a blue ceramic tile background with some plants and shrubs.  The mural is a definite upgrade.

If anyone cares to check, there is a short video of the project here:
http://mormonartconservation.org/murals/mural-of-the-restoration-by-la-ramsey-found-and-restored/

And here's more about the artist and the original work:
http://home.comcast.net/~laramseyart/Joseph_Smith_Site/Restoration_Paintings.htm

(Note that there is a copy that found its way to the Chicago Temple courtesy of the Mickley family.  I'll be on the hunt to find it.)

ANOTHER addition

Huzzah!!  Huzzah for Israel!!
Another new baby has joined the family.
Congrats to the proud parents.

New Addition

It has become necessary to update our profile due to expansion.

We now have SEVEN grandchildren.

Congrats to the new parents and welcome to our newest family member.

Malinda, the Entrepreneur

I was thinking about all the small stores in Peru.  There were a couple of them on every block.  They would turn the family garage into a 7-11.  You could buy soda pop, candy bars, soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, bread, cheap toys…maybe 200 SKUs in all.  And no computer or even cash register to keep track of things.  The employees were mom and the older children.

Then I got to thinking that my Grandmother Esplin had a similar set-up.  As a young widow with five children in the early 1930s, she needed to do something to provide for herself.  Here’s the story as told by her daughter Cleone:

Mamma had a route of Glendale, Orderville and Mt. Carmel (about seven miles from one end to the other) where she and us girls would go to the homes and take orders for hosiery of all kinds, and some spices and flavorings.  Excelsis products they were called.  We would walk to the town in the morning, take the orders, and walk back home in the afternoon, always sure to be home before dark  We never just one went.  Much of the time Velna and I would go.

This brought in a little income, so Mamma decided to try setting up a little store with hosiery, Excelsis products, and a line of five-and-ten-cent jewelry.  Aunt Anne’s brother, Bill Turcsansci, was a manager in the Salt Lake City Kress’ store.  He would pick out a good selection of jewelry items that would sell in Orderville, send them via parcel post, and she would mail him the check when the items and bill arrived.

This worked out very well for quite some time, and we were able to sell lots of the fun things that you normally had to go to Salt Lake City for.

Now, for the remodeling of the once-kitchen for the five and dime store.  I think Mamma and Uncle Howdy did the work.  It was nothing fancy, just a new coat of paint, some wide lumber shelves, a little counter for wrapping or bagging some items.  Mamma had it organized neatly and kept it clean.  I don’t remember tending the store much.  There wasn’t that much business, and Mamma was home much of the time and would hear the door open if she was in another room.

All the girls in town were steady customers.  They loved to get the Kress’ of Salt Lake jewelry.

(from Cleone’s Life Story, by Cleone Esplin Judd, December 25, 2009)

Is a Righteous Man Electable?

I recently read a 1999 book by S. Michael Wilcox called, "A Nation at the Crossroads: Spiritual Decline in the Promised Land."
He analyzes the scriptural record of fallen civilizations and determines that they provide warning signs to us regarding wickedness.  They are:

• Violence
• Secret Combinations
• Lack of civilized behavior
• Perversion of procreation
• Fascination with evil
• Materialism
• Militarism
• Oppression of the poor
• Failure to protect women and orphans
• Rejection of values and absolute truths

That's a pretty good list.  And it frightens me to see all of them alive and well in our society today.

But it got me thinking about what our electorate would do if a righteous man were to actively campaign for president.  I think Romney holds back on any talk of the very things that will save our nation.  Things like prayer, fasting, worship, obedience to the commandments.

Obviously it isn't good politics to do too much preaching, but that's exactly what a righteous man would do.

We haven't seen that kind of talk since Eisenhower.

Sure, when there is a tragedy, the president says, "Our hearts and prayers go out to the families....blah blah blah."  But that always sounds more like a trite phrase than a call to kneel down.

I blame the media for their attacks on religious remarks.  I honestly believe there are large numbers of religious people who are afraid to speak up.  It seems somehow impolite to talk freely about religious beliefs these days.

Religion is a negative in campaigning these days.  But righteousness is exactly what we need in our candidates.  And a bold call for return to God.  But such a move would lose the election.  We can't get the very thing we really need.

Stuff that works

Here's to a great idea.
WD40 with a built-in straw.  All you do is flip it up into place and spray away.
No more straws taped to the side of the can.
Kudos to the engineers who came up with that one.