Owls

Tonight we were surprised to hear two owls hooting in front of our house, likely in the trees on the other side of the street. They were so loud, and so close! Kevin and I were on our way out to the grocery store and Kev stepped back in the house to tell Vanessa to lock up the chickens. It reminded me of our owl experience a few years ago. Some of my readers will remember this poem and pictures, but for others it may be a first. Hope you enjoy!

The Noise in the Coop

I think I hear a noise,
In the chicken coop out back.
The chickens are asleep,
And the sky is nearly black.

My mom built us a coop,
For the roosters, ducks and hens,
Where they can all be safe,
When the foxes leave their dens.

So why is there a noise?
I better wake my dad.
To lose any of our chickens,
Would make us very sad.

The sky is changing color,
From black to morning light.
My dad is going out,
To make sure things are alright.

I can see a shape with wings,
Flapping frantically within,
But it's far too big and dark,
To be one of our chickens.

"Oh, my gosh! Can it be?"
My mom and dad just cried.
The noise I heard was coming,
From a young owl trapped inside.

It must have made it's way,
Through a hole we didn't see,
Then couldn't figure out,
How to set itself back free.

My mom is in the coop now.
It's snowy on the ground.
The owl is just keeping still,
And looking all around.

Those great big yellow eyes,
Have my mom locked in a stare.
Now, she's reaching down above him!
Oh... I would be so scared!

The owl didn't even move!
He's in my mother's hands.
They're wrapped around his wings,
And she can finally stand.

Wow! Is he a beauty!
A Great Horned Owl, I think,
Talons tucked up underneath,
And eyes that never blink.

"Can we keep him?" I ask,
But my mom shakes her head.
"He wouldn't be too happy
In a cage, locked up" she said.

"A creature that's so lovely,
One so wild and free,
Belongs back in the sky" she said.
No one could disagree.

"Let's take the owl out in front,
Where everyone can see,"
My mother held him in the air,
And there she set him free.

He's flying over all the oaks,
Past the ridge and far away.
The owl might be out of sight,
But this memory will stay.

"Now, to the coop," I cry out,
How distressed we are to see,
A duck and two hens lay silent,
As dead, as dead can be.

Although, we feel the sadness,
At the loss of our few pets,
Our time with the great horned owl,
Has left us no regrets!

Until... the next day when we find,
Two more chickens dead!
"That owl might've looked real good
Stuffed, on the mantle," Dad said.

Oh, well... live and learn,
As my mom will always say.
We'll just fix our chicken coop,
And remember our owl day.

-Donna van Uitert
September 7, 2007

Happy Birthday, Gerrit!

Seventeen years ago, today, Gerrit John van Uitert was born into our family. I can honestly say that he has been a pure joy ever since. He was a cute little baby with already very wide feet, copper red hair, and a wrinkly nose when he yawned. He had an infectious smile and laugh, with dimples in both cheeks and a small cleft in his chin. My brother, Karsten, used to say he looked like Kirk Douglas with that chin. Gerrit was almost always smiling and pleasant to be around, if not a bit exhausting, as well. Go, go, go!... was the motto for this little tyke; dancing on the table, shaking the torch lamps, pulling the videos and books off the shelf...go, go, go! My sister, Barbara, even asked me once if I thought he might have ADD, because this kid was so active and engaged in one thing after another. My other sister, Karen, might remember babysitting Gerrit and feeling the heart attack at realizing that Gerrit was running through the parking lot to the car. He didn't walk much...he ran! It was a fun activity, indeed, to sit this little guy on your lap and play patty cake and peek-a-boo, because of the reaction he always gave...hysterical laughter and the hugest grins. Carolyn, my oldest sister, used to sit him on her lap for that very thing and they would laugh, and laugh, and laugh. What a joy Gerrit has been!

Gerrit doesn't sit on my lap anymore to play patty cake or peek-a-boo; he doesn't pull the movies and books off the shelf; he certainly doesn't dance on the table! Gerrit DOES still play games, though, but now more with his friends, and he still smiles and laughs through them all. He's still ticklish and still has those dimples and that little cleft in his chin. His copper red hair is only obvious in direct sunlight, but his feet are still just as wide. Although he doesn't dance on the table anymore, he still loves to dance at ballroom dance classes and school/church dances. He's a natural at playing the melody of music he hears on the piano and still lights up the room with that smile. Gerrit is a straight A student with a 4.0 and excels at anything he does. He is a responsible, down to earth, friendly, forgiving, and worthy Priesthood holder who makes friends easily, leads inherently, and has an honest desire to do what is right. I love to hear him bless the Sacrament in church, and note that he performs his duties deliberately and with reverence. He is President of his Priest Quorum and an active Home Teacher. How could I ever want for more in a son? I thank my Heavenly Father for my first son, for the joy he has brought to our lives, and for the example he is to his brother and sisters, as well as the youth in our community who look to him and trust in his judgment. A special thanks goes out to all of our family and friends who have taken part in Gerrit's life, in any and all ways, and have impacted his life for the better. Here's hoping for another successful year in the life of Gerrit John, one full of memories for his old mom to cling to when we see him off on his own in two short years! Cheers!

It's Time for a Change...

Better late than never, huh? The last few weeks have been a little off for me, and thus...not much motivation for the blogging! You see, one of 2009's changes has thrown me for a loop, but I am adjusting and shifting gears and will hopefully be up to smooth sailing anytime now! Just a week or two before the year ended, we found out that Kevin was no longer going to be allowed to work from home. Big deal, right? Actually... it's a HUGE deal for me. I have truly loved having him home this last year...not because I asked him to do things for me around the house or escape with me all the time (I just didn't)... but because it was just so dang nice to have him here. Even if he was working...he was HERE. Kids could pop in to say hi, bring him lunch, have him at school activities, etc. Gasoline expenses just went up by another $500 a month, and had we known about this a year and a half ago, we would have bought a house closer to Kaysville. Ah, well... no regrets. We love Beaver Dam and have learned a lot here. Still, we will probably move to either get closer to his work or at least closer to the kids' school in Cache valley. Something's gotta give...

Putting our kids in school full time has definitely been a change for 2009. We love their charter school; love the Principal; love the students...don't love the drive. It's worth it, though. Feeling good about their educational environment has always been a concern for us (thus the homeschooling) and finding a school that actually sits well with us is a huge blessing. We took Audra out a month or two ago, though. She needs a little more quantity/quality time with her mom. I'm just glad I have the ability to do what needs to be done. Many mothers do not have the choice of homeschooling because of employment necessities and/or single family households. For the blessing of 'choice'... I am grateful.

Last, but not least... I think I was probably more distressed and depressed in 2009 than in any other year to date. The last FEW years (maybe even five) have been filled with changes and stresses that just kind of built up and finally pinned me down. This is not to say that I did not enjoy happiness this last year, because I certainly did. I just kind of passed out, emotionally, spiritually, and even somewhat physically. But, from the depths of the chasm comes the realization that there's only one direction to go (well, not really...things could have been much, MUCH worse), or at least only one direction I WANT to go, and that is UP. Sadness, pain, loneliness and discouragement have motivated me to search for ways to improve my life and have given me a wake-up call that I cannot ignore. They are all symptoms of something inside of me that needs healing and are little warnings that there definitely are WORSE things to come if I don't take care of myself. So, here's to hoping that 2010 is the year that I find the solutions, make the commitments, and learn to smile just a little bit more. :0)

The Case of the Baptismal Finger

I just have to relate this story that I heard from one of our sweet six year old primary kids today! In class, Kevin and I were teaching the kids about choosing the right and the significance of the CTR insignia. I told the kids that Jesus wants us to be happy and that choosing the right will help us live happy lives. After asking them if they remembered a time that they were particularly happy and telling them that I was especially happy on the day of my baptism, Cami Jo shot her hand up in the air.

"Yes, Cami Jo?" I said.
"Uh... when my brother got baptized his finger fell off."
Smiling at her, Kevin and I shot each other a look and Kev said, "How did that happen? His finger fell off?"
"Yes, Cami Jo... tell us. It happened when he was getting baptized?" I added.
Bobbing her head up and down she answered, "Yeah...when he was saying the prayer it came off! His pinky!"
"Wow. Did he stick it into something in the baptismal font, or something?" we questioned.
"No... it just fell off. His pinky... gone."

I looked around the class and told them that my fingers had never fallen off when I prayed and one little girl piped in, "Me neither. I wouldn't be very happy if my finger fell off." Kev and I stifled our chuckles.

After church was out, Kevin approached Cami Jo's parents about the supposed missing pinky finger on Carson, who didn't appear to have any digits missing. Her parents explained to Kev that when Carson was getting baptized, his pinky finger came up out of the water whilst he was being submerged and they had to do it again. Kevin and I started laughing hysterically! His finger didn't come off...it came "up". What a sweet girl! She was completely serious about the finger falling off and no doubt has figured it all out in her head how the pinky grew back or was put back on her brother. Aww... the innocence of youth!

Same Old... Same Old

Howdy, howdy to all you 2010 enthusiasts! We have decided that this needs to be the year that we see some significant changes as a family. However, this is my entry about three things that have NOT changed this last year, and so I'll just have to get to some of those needed changes later. Or, perhaps, the three things that didn't change in 2009 might just end up being the very things I want to see altered for this next year. I guess I'll find out as I get writing...

The first ingredient in our stagnant pond of 2009 is our church schedule. Nope... no changes with the ole nine o'clock church schedule. Here in Beaver Dam, one can count on nine o'clock church for the rest of their life, or at least, into the unforeseeable future. These sweet people have not realized that change is good and that they just might find a whole new activity level in the ward if they just rotated schedules every year. Even every other year would be a big bonus. All of my good friends know just how excited I get about nine o'clock church and have already heard me weep and wail about this particular stagnancy that I will just quit typing about it right now. Ssppbbtt... (that's my attempt at typing the sound I might make as I stick out my tongue and spit... or what the world calls 'blowing a raspberry') I'd say this particular pond ingredient was akin to the slimy black mud on the bottom of the pond - the compost material of fish feces and decomposing plant matter. Let me emphasize that the never-changing hour that church begins is the slimy gross part, but let us not forget that although compost materials might stink and basically sick us out, they are vital for the enrichment of the earth and other things that grow. What we get from our attendance at church, no matter what the hour, is definitely enriching and helping us grow and expand in our relationships with others and our spiritual progression. See how I whipped that one around into something positive? Gotta pat myself on the back every once in awhile.

Next on my list of 2009 unchangeables is the love of my own sweet Goliath, Kevin. This man is amazing in his patience, understanding, work ethic, humor, and all around ability to share of himself. He found himself teaching a lesson every month in Elder's Quorum, home teaching some awesome folks from church, playing basketball in the church league, coaching Dayton's Jr. Jazz team, working his buns off providing for our family, and supplying humorous entertainment for all of us! I am certainly glad that HE is, at least, one positive thing I can count on through the thick and thin and everywhere in between. We celebrated our twentieth anniversary last August and find ourselves not only 'still' in love, but even more so than we could have ever hoped. He worked from a home office all year and I am so grateful to have had him with us and spend more time with him than any other year of our married life. He's an angel and we are blessed by his influence on a daily basis. In keeping with the pond analogy, I'd say Kev was like the beautiful green moss that floats on the surface of the water, nourishing the fish and little critters that shelter themselves in and around it. It keeps the water still and gives the appearance of solidity to an otherwise movable surface; vibrant and lush; broad and sweeping, yet soft and tender. Aww... my little mossy Kevin! What a sweetie-pie!

Pond ingredient number three might just have to be my garage. It is still packed with a bunch of boxes of stuff that we obviously don't need, don't want, or just simply don't KNOW that we really WANT to NEED! Hmm... did that make sense? I think not. We have not mustered up the gumption to attack the garage and sort through the residue of our lives, our moves, and our disorganization, in general. This third unchangeable should probably not be dictated as 'the garage', per say, but rather just our disorganization...period. Didn't change this year in this department. We had little hopes and glimmers and thoughts of it changing, but, alas, it stayed the same. This is one of those things that is on our list of MAJOR changes for 2010. One step at a time, I guess. Big works are brought to pass by individually small efforts and experiences, right? Tonight, as we drove into Logan for some groceries, we spoke about this and decided that if we chart out the progress we want to see this year in our 'organization' efforts, and then accomplish these set goals, we should see the major changes in this arena that we so hope for. I would say that our disorganization and procrastination, this year, have been like the big stinky carp that feed on the mucus-y grunge on the bottom of our pond, that each year grow bigger and fatter and perhaps even stinkier! This year, we're gonna expunge those carp and trade them in for beautiful goldfish, rainbow trout, or... if we're lucky... maybe even some striped, swimming, water turtles! Wouldn't that be great?! Maybe if we planted some striper or perch in our little pond of 2010, my dad would even visit on a regular basis and bring my mom along for a little sun bathing on the banks! *wink wink*

Okay, y'all... I could go on and on, but looking back at my decision to focus on ONLY three things that didn't change this year, I realize just how smart that really was! Stagnant ponds are quite lovely at certain times of the year, but let us not forget that if they are left alone too long, they breed mosquitoes and leeches and all sorts of nasties that I would NEVER want to irritate my guests with! So, on that note, I will bid you adieu and will meet you on the next round of my investigations of 2009!