Center of the Aisle

Saguaro Cactus - Symbol of the Sonoran Desert

2008-02-23T10:47:00.007-07:00

While walking in the desert last weekend, Brent and I came across a Saguaro forest. The Saguaro flower which will be in bloom in a couple months, is our state flower. Saguaros only grow in the Sonoran Desert. It is a protected plant. They cannot be moved anywhere without applying for a tag to move or remove it. With the exception of the extreme southeast corner of California, Arizona is the only state Saguaros will grow. So the next time you see the symbol of the great Saguaro cactus used in such things as advertising, or in movies and television representing Texas or New Mexico, don't believe it. This is a pet peeve of mine. Texas especially, has tried to steal the Saguaro from us, for promotion. There ain't no Saguaros in Texas - get a rope.

Happy 60th Birthday, Brent!

2008-02-19T20:30:00.006-07:00

Happy Birthday!

Brent has led an interesting and blessed life.

Backyard Nature

2008-02-18T22:47:00.003-07:00

This owl visits our backyard every once in awhile. It is on the fence - I have enlarged it to the right. This is a desert horned owl. Carrie named him Oxford.

Carrie Running 1/2 Marathon

2008-02-15T20:52:00.005-07:00

Carrie crossing the finish line in PF Chang's 1/2 Marathon. She started in Phoenix and finished at ASU stadium in Tempe.

Leisha Carpenter 1964 -2008

2008-02-13T17:41:00.005-07:00

My heart goes out to Phyllis and family.

"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." Corinthians 5:8

Our Anniversary ~ Has it been 14 years?

2008-02-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

February 5, 1994

New Professional Offices (Or where I've been this past year)

2008-02-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

This past year we have expanded our business – which is the main reason I neglected my blogs. We moved from our home office to an office condo about a mile away from our house which we designed and built the interior. We added two new employees my son, James, who after leaving the Air Force was looking for a new career, and Jeff who came to us from Colorado as a building inspector. With Brent, Derrick and I, there are now five of us. The added employees have taken a huge load off Brent. However, adding employees as great as they are, has added to my workload. I do enjoy my work, but it leaves me with little time for other things. We moved in last July. I love our new beautiful offices, and everyone truly seems to enjoy coming to work. It’s better for our clients for to have a professional work environment, even though most of our clients are in other states. The new office comes with a heavy responsibility to our employees, clients and to ourselves, but hopefully the reward will out weight the risk.

A Whole Year Has Past

2008-02-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

I have neglected my blogs – I see it has been over a year! I needed to make a decision whether to keep my blogs or delete them. I had four blogs going at one time. I have deleted the Wesley Clark for President blog - since that ain't gonna happen and he is supporting Hillary – oh, General Clark, how disappointing. I deleted my Blessings of Liberty blog. That was my political blog -- it was busy for awhile with some interesting discussion, but it had been months since I contributed. It was as though there was too much to write about and it was overwhelming. I'll keep my Moments in Time blog and when I have the time or inclination I'll add pictures to that blog. That blog has brought many people, some I didn't even know, pleasure at seeing photos from the past.

I'll keep this blog, Center of the Aisle, my original blog. I think for me, blogging is a stress reliever. It is like a diary for the world. As a slightly shy person, blogging is a way to communicate things that I may not otherwise feel comfortable saying. It’s like honking your horn on in the anonymity of your car. Time has always been a factor in my blogging. My next post will be about that which has been consuming my time.

So on this Center of the Aisle blog, I’ll write a mixture of what I feel I want to share both personal happenings and political views. As many already know, my immediate family and I are very much in to politics. We watch, we discuss, we analyze. It is easy to fall into a mindset of certain views and not see the bigger picture. I need to be careful of that. I have strong opinions about certain things and will tell you so, but I also want hear opposing views and how conclusions are drawn.

I’m back…

Winter in the Desert

2007-01-22T21:07:00.000-07:00

It has been usually cold in Arizona. We had a cold wet weekend. Last night some parts of the Valley got a "skift" of snow. This morning on my way to Derrick's place, the Superstitions were covered with snow. About 20 minutes later when Derrick took this picture with his cell phone, much of the snow was already melting. But it still made a pretty winter picture.

A New Year

2007-01-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

After a long absence from my blogs, I am back. During the Christmas holidays we were busy with the usual stuff that all families find themselves in. On top of that we have been going through the process of purchasing an office condo and will eventually move our business out of our home.

But all in all, we had a wonderful Christmas. We got to spend a few days with our granddaughter, Amyline, who sadly has moved to Dallas. We spent time celebrating with many my siblings their families and enjoyed seeing visiting relatives. We are thankful that those in our family who were on the winter roads all returned safely with great stories of their experiences and glad they live in sunny warm Arizona!

I am getting back to working on my family generation video. I am dedicating my “spare” time to finishing it this year. I have enjoyed collecting all the data and photos on our family history and am putting it in video form. I started with our family in the 1600’s and I have advanced as far as the Civil War and into Lyman Barringer’s diaries. It is very tedious work, but enjoyable.

The new year is at hand and we look forward to the unknown adventures 2007 will take us. So here’s to wishing all a very belated but blessed new year.

Happy Holdidays or Merry Christmas

2006-11-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

Last year there was a brouhaha over whether employees and marketers should say Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas. With everything going on in the world this was probably the silliest of the silly. Happy Holidays was supposedly against Christ with the Merry Christmas crowd. Yet they ignor all the other rituals that go along with Christmas, but somehow Happy Holidays has made their don't take "Christ out of Christmas" list.

As a Christian, quite frankly, Happy Holidays is as suitable as Merry Christmas. The word “holiday” means holy day. Christ's birth is the holiest of days. The word “Christmas” means Christ’s mass. Now, I am not Catholic. I do not celebrate mass, therefore Christmas really isn’t as meaningful to me as holiday. When someone greets me with “happy holiday”, I hear Happy Holy Day. You can say either greeting, I am not offended. I am pleased, as I know what this season is about.

As a Christian this is my take on the whole thing. Christians have gotten lazy. We want the media, politicians, laws, etc. to do our work. If we insist that Merry Christmas is to be the greeting of the season, and boycott those retailers that refuse to say it, then we have done our "Christian" job, right? Wrong. Very wrong. If Christ is being removed from Christmas, and He is, the fault lies at our feet, our Christian feet. If people have taken Christ out of Christmas, it is because they don’t know Christ. If they don’t know Christ, it is because they haven’t been shown or told. If they haven’t been shown or told, then it is because we as Christians haven’t shown Him to them, or told them about Him.

Romans 10:14 & 15 (KJV) How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Let's not let ourselves get caught up in the trivialness of greetings; "Happy Holiday" or "Merry Christmas", they both mean that our Savior was born, to those that know Him.

Have a Blessed Christ’s Birthday.

Blessed Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

Busyness Stuff

2006-11-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

I haven’t posted much on my blogs. When I started this blog I intended to post at least three times a week. But I got busy with “stuff”. I have no commitment to blog, so it’s easy to put it aside. I had such good responses from my Moments in Time blog. I have so many old photos to post, that if I posted one photo every day I would have enough for several years. I will try to do better!

Some of the “stuff’ that has taken my time is Brent and I are considering expanding our business to an actual office outside our home. I love having my office upstairs in my home. I can get up and go to work, and not worry what I look like. There are so many reason an in-home business is great. It definitely saves money.

However, we are at the point in our business that we are too busy for three people – Brent, Derrick and me. We have been turning away business. In fact, I said if Donald Trump called us, we would have to turn him down. Would you believe a week after I said that, an architectural firm representing Donald Trump called us and wanted us to be the accessibility consultants on a new hotel Trump is building in Las Vegas. We had to turn them down. We could not take them on without compromising our other clients’ work.

We have come to the crossroads where we are asking ourselves do we expand and take on more help. I won’t have employees (outside of family) working in our house. So we are looking at offices condos. They are very expensive – just for the shell, then you have to pay for interior construction and all the goes with outfitting an office. It’s a huge investment and a risk. It’s also a lot of work and time to prepare with loans, office interior architects, etc. etc. Acquiring a business loan is much more thorough than a personal loan. We have been in this business for 13 years we never had to take out a loan on it. I am very nervous about all this.

Veterans' Day in Mesa

2006-11-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

Vote!

2006-11-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

Have you voted yet?

Happy Birthday, Dad

2006-11-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

1897-1985

Lanny's Collection of Tractors

2006-11-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Fest Winner

2006-10-31T15:18:00.000-07:00

Amyline was the 3rd place winner in the Pumkin Fest for best costume!

Happy Birthday, Julie!

2006-10-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, James!

2006-10-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hawaii

2006-10-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

Hawaii is a favorite of ours. Brent used live there and still has friends there. His best friend lives a few hundred yards from Kailua Beach – a beautiful beach. When we first started our business twelve years ago, about half of it was in Hawaii. Now most of it is on the mainland which is better for business, but it means not as much traveling to Hawaii. I have been to four of the Hawaiian Islands. I think Brent has been to all of the major islands including Niihau which is a privately owned island. They are all magnificent. Kauai and Oahu are my favorites. The Big Island has many interesting small villages. Kauai is a rainforest. Maui is beautiful too and most people’s favorite, but it is more of a golf community and I don’t golf. While Oahu is crowded, it has many interesting out of way places for hiking and sightseeing, but of course, all the islands do! Oahu is rich in history with the Pearl Harbor Memorial, as well as Iolani Palace, which is the only real palace of royalty on American soil.

Yesterday, Hawaii was hit with an earthquake. We tried several times during the day to get a hold of our friend, but no answer. I am sure telephone wires were jammed. He lives on the Windward (east) side of Oahu.

Our family has spent much time at our friend’s home over the years. In the above photo is Carrie romping in water on Kailua Beach. This beach has been named one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world, yet there are very few people who come to this beach. It seems when travelers come to Hawaii they want to go to the popular Waikiki Beach which is over-crowed and not always that clean. All beaches in Hawaii are beautiful and they all are public.

Not long after this picture was taken, Carrie came in contact with a jellyfish which was a rather painful experience for her.

Update note: Our friend LD called this afternoon. He and his caretaker are fine. They were without electricity until this afternoon. They cooked on the BBQ for their meals. They felt the earthquake, but no noticeable damage to their home.

Movie Review

2006-10-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

We have been watching “Winds of War” and “War and Remembrance” on DVD’s thru Netflix over the last month. These were made for TV mini-series that debuted in the 1980’s, but filmed like full length feature films. There are probably close to 50 hours of this movie which starts 1939 and goes through the entire war. I saw this series when they were originally on broadcast television, but I appreciate them so much more today. The filming, acting and storyline are about the best I have ever seen – especially in “War and Remembrance”. The story is graphic, but moving as it reveals the horror of Nazi death camps and the war. It also details the story of the war in the Pacific which is why it takes nearly 50 hours to tell the story of World War II. I recommend to anyone who hasn’t seen this mini-series or anyone who hasn’t seen it since it originally aired 20 years ago. It is well worth it.

Stop the Digging

2006-09-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Brent, Derrick, Carrie and I had the opportunity to go to a Town Hall Meeting for Jim Pederson who is running for U.S. Senator here in Arizona. As his guest, he had retired General Wesley Clark to address the War in Iraq. We were glad we got there early to get front row seats because the room was packed. We had worked in the Clark 04 campaign and we were impressed that General Clark genuinely seemed to remember us.

Clark encouraged each of us to tell a hundred people about how important is that we have a change. So that is what I am doing. As a Christian, I feel the current state of our country falls sadly at our feet. Many uninformed and naïve Christians felt the current administration was somehow "Godly", when it seems almost the opposite is true. We are now seeing this nation lose some of our treasured blessings from the Lord because Christians unknowingly or perhaps even knowingly put their trust in corrupt people rather than God. We have much to answer for. I can write pages about this and I will write more at a later date.

Arizona has long been a Barry Goldwater Republican state. We are proud of that heritage which served us well for many years. However, in recent years many Republicans that are currently in power in our country, along with the current administration, are NOT traditional conservatives, just agenda pushers for wicked neo-con groups. They need to be stopped and held accountable.

I encourage everyone who reads this no matter what your political affiliation to vote against the incumbents. They have failed us miserably. Vote American and give our country a fresh “old” (as in constitutional) start. As the General said, “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging”.

She's Home!

2006-09-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

Waiting, waiting waiting...

2006-09-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

Julie was still in Qatar yesterday waiting to get out and head home. It's always a long journey to get home. So we wait.

Julie has left the Base

2006-09-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

Julie has left Baghdad. She will hopefully be home early next week.

Lest we forget...

2006-09-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

2996 victims of terrorists who attacked our nation five years ago today.

336 American heroes who have perished in Afghanistan looking for Osama bin Laden, who perpetrated the attacks on America five years ago today.

2669 sacrificed American heroes have who perished in Iraq for...

"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9

Remnents from Hurricane John

2006-09-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

Hurricane John, Tropical Storm John, Tropical Depression John... now just Rainbow John

Julie from Iraq

2006-09-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

Julie will be home in about two weeks! We can hardly wait! The following is from her:

Hello Family,
First off let me say hello! Hello! :) These pictures are of me over at CMOC (Civil Military Operations Center). My cousin Lisa put on a toy drive with her summer school class and was kind enough to send five boxes of toys over here for the Iraqi children at the CMOC. They are the biggest mob of children I have seen around one individual at a time. Individuals pass out candy, and these kids just can not get enough. I have some pictures of the "mob", but they did not turn out too well because of the lighting in the medical waiting area. Lisa's class along with the others also sent over some of the cutest letters to myself and my co-workers which helped raise our spirits and moral. Anyhow, I just wanted to send these to you...so you can see me I guess...I love you guys and thank you so much to all of you for all you do for me and the Military, and a very special thank you to Lisa and her school, co-teachers and classes!

Annie's

2006-08-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend Brent visited his three daughters in Southern California. This photo is taken from his daughter Annie’s home in Twin Peaks overlooking the San Bernardino Mountains.

Lightning Strikes

2006-08-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

Derrick took this photo from his cell phone a few minutes ago from our upstairs balcony. We have never seen so much lightning as we are having right now. Incredible light show!

Dad's Roaring Twenties

2006-08-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

Before my father became a Christian and before he met my mother in the early 1930’s, he led a fascinating life. It’s not that the rest of his life was boring, it's just that it was more subdued. Dad only gave glimpses into certain parts of his former life. He developed a love for flying and planes, and got his pilot’s license during this time which he used in his business as a tractor mechanic to fly to farms and ranches far from town. He even considered going to Russia. While he talked quite a bit about his adventures on and around the trains and planes, and his Montana life, there was a period of his life that was more spirited which was not discussed as much. Dad was in his twenties and it was the "Roaring ‘20’s".

This phase of his life also brought him heartaches. His highs were high and his lows were low. He lost his baby son and went through a painful divorce. His daughter, Virginia, whom he loved dearly, lived much of her time with his mother Aletha and his grandmother America, who were all living in Montana. Aletha had also gone through a divorce from Dad’s father Cleborn.

One of Dad’s adventures that he did not talk about, but hinted at a time or two, was bootlegging during prohibition. I was aware that my uncle Lester and my uncle Glen Carver had been involved in bootlegging out of Canada into Montana during prohibition; that hasn’t been a secret. But I learned a few years ago that my father was likely involved as well. I don’t think any less of him for this; I find it a part of his history that helped built his character which eventually brought him to that street car where he saw the John 3:16 sign that changed his life.

He was probably involved in bootlegging because of the influence his older brother Lester, who never lost the flair for living a cigar chomping, over-the-top life even into his old age. Bootlegging was very dangerous – there was the law, and there were the underworld competitors which both would not hesitate to shoot a bootlegger on the spot. I think Dad always had a sense of morality and if it is indeed true that he participated in the bootlegging era, he didn’t do it for long and certainly didn’t prosper from it. When he married my mother in 1932, he barely had two dimes to rub together. He was no Joe Kennedy, but the story does add a little more flavor to an already flavorful Barringer pot.

See photo of Dad during this period. He certainly was a dapper young man.

Julie from Iraq

2006-08-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

These photos are from Julie in Baghdad. Saddam's palace and Air Force One. Julie has a little over month until she returns home.

Happy Birthday 157th Lyman

2006-08-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today is Lyman Barringer's 157 birthday. See photo of Lyman here. Lyman is my father's uncle and was also married to my father's grandmother. Lyman kept a daily journal of his life in the late 1800's. On his 22nd birthday he writes in his journal:

August 15, 1871 8 o’clock PM

Today I am 22 years old. I have done a hard days work. I am well and in good spirits and generally I believe that I have no reason to complain with any one or any thing.
Time keeps steadily rolling on. We are changing daily and hourly. I with one solemn thought bid the past 22 years of my life adieu. I have seen each day gone once & enjoyed them. But now they are in the past. I will not ponder over them with regret but rather look and wish & work for a bright and golden future.

Alone in my house in Palo Alto County, Lost Island, Iowa
L.T. Barringer

Prayer for Kevin

2006-08-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

Younger brother Kevin is in need our prayers. He is in the hospital having some serious diabetes problems. Because he wasn't dealt as fair a hand in life as most of us, he hasn't sought or received the medical treatment that most of us take for granted. But he is getting good treatment now at St. Luke's Hospital in Tempe. He is in good spirits, but needs the healing that comes from doctors and from above.

Lacey, Daddy and Momma

2006-08-08T19:23:00.000-07:00

To see more pictures of little Lacey and proud parents go here: http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/babypage_view.asp?URLID=9D4P8Q2I8C

She is beautiful, she looks like a porcelain china doll.

Whack Smack...

2006-08-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

...we love our Diamondbacks. A good afternoon for some baseball, made even better by the win over Houston.

New Member of the Family

2006-08-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

Lacy Miranda was born early Saturday morning to Ben and Katie Bright. She weighed 7lbs 2oz and was 20 inches long. Congrats Ben and Katie!!

Take Two

2006-08-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

The movie "The Kingdom" is continuing its shoot this weekend here in the East Valley as a back drop for a Middle East country. Today Derrick, James, Amyline and I tried to get close to the set, but where they were shooting on the freeway wasn't easily accessed. We probably could have walked to get closer, but it was pretty hot out. Notice the Arabic signs. They will take those down when they are done, won't they? Or lots of people around here are going to be a little confused.

Here's a shot that totally looks like a Middle Eastern country. Oh wait, it is. It's Iraq from James' perspective last year. East Valley, Middle East -- almost the same.

For Amyline Jean

2006-08-02T19:11:00.000-07:00

God made the world with
towering trees,
majestic mountains,
and restless seas.
Then paused and said,
It needs one more thing....
someone to laugh and
dance and sing.
To walk in the woods
and gather flowers....
to commune with
nature in quiet hours."
So God made little girls
With laughing eyes
and bouncing curls,
with joyful hearts,
and infectious smiles,
enchanting ways and
feminine wiles.
And when He'd completed
the task He'd begun,
He was pleased and proud
of the job He'd done.
For the world, when seen
through a little girl's eyes
greatly resembled Paradise.

~Author Unknown

The House that Esther Built

2006-08-02T10:33:00.000-07:00

Carrie invited me to an event last night at the Wrigley Mansion once owned by the chewing gum magnate William Wrigley,Jr. It is a beautiful mansion, now a private club, built in 1929. It overlooks Phoenix. Dad always used to say when we drove past it, that it was the house the Esther built. Esther was never without a pack of Wrigley's chewing gum.

Happy Birthday Fern!

2006-08-01T23:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Fern!
Fern is the forth child of Arley and Viola, and was born a teacher.

Quiet on the Set!

2006-07-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

Universal Pictures is shooting a film here for a few weeks. They have, and are shutting down a couple of miles of the new freeway near our house over the next three Fridays and weekends. The movie is called “The Kingdom” and is set in an Arab country (i.e. Saudi Arabia) and our freeway is similar to one in an Arab desert. So this afternoon Brent, Carrie and I moseyed down to the “set” to see what was happening. Apparently, according to the police officer who was there, they had just finished blowing up some cars. Missed it! The film stars Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman. We will go back now and then to see if there is anything interesting going on.

Mr. De Mille, I am ready for my close-up!

They call it rain...

2006-07-26T14:25:00.000-07:00

It was this wet stuff that fell from the sky last night. Water in droplets, big droplets, starting out slow, then came faster and faster until the ground was completely wet. I’ve heard old timers talk about this water that falls from the sky, they call it rain.

Along with rain came wind. One of our mesquite trees fell into our neighbor’s yard. We didn’t notice it until this morning. It had fallen into their window but didn’t break it. Brent has most of our trees secured with chains as roots of the trees don’t go down very deep. But the wind was strong enough to break the chains.

The rain broke our heat wave. As I write this it is a very cool 95 degrees. It hasn't been below 100 during the day since May.

Hot, Hot, Hot

2006-07-21T23:23:00.000-07:00

How hot is it? It was 120 degrees this afternoon when I was out running errands. I said 120 degrees!! The air conditioning in the car couldn’t keep it cool. I can take 100 plus degrees, even 110. But when the thermometer hits 116 degrees you feel the heat. There was a slight breeze this afternoon which felt like a hot blow dryer in my face. It is hot.

So how it hot is it? It is so hot…

• the birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of the ground.
• the potatoes cook underground, and all you have to do to have lunch is to pull one out and add butter, salt and pepper.
• farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying hard-boiled eggs.
• the cows are giving evaporated milk.
• the trees are whistling for the dogs.
• you no longer associate bridges (or rivers) with water.
• you can say 113 degrees without fainting.
• you eat hot chilies to cool your mouth off.
• you can make instant sun tea.
• you learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron.
• the temperature drops below 95, you feel a bit chilly.
• you've experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
• you can attend any function wearing shorts and a tank top.
• The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!
• you discover that in July, it takes only 2 fingers to drive your car.
• you discover that you can get a sunburn through your car window.
• you notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
• hot water now comes out of both taps.
• it's noon in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person is out on the streets.
• you actually burn your hand opening the car door.
• you break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 a.m.
• your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?"
• you realize that asphalt has a liquid state.
• a sad Arizonan once prayed, "I wish it would rain - not so much for me, cuz I've seen it -- but for my 7-year-old."

It is hot!

Professional Flower Girls

2006-07-19T18:20:00.000-07:00

In the summers of 1957 and 1958, Velora and I loaned ourselves out as flowers girls. In return for our professional services we received beautiful dresses, shoes, attention and of course a slice of the tasty wedding cake. In about a year’s time we had engaged our services in four weddings. Our debut wedding was our cousin, Alverna’s. Then our brother, Lanny’s wedding came next, followed by our sister Fern’s. By the time we got to Fern’s wedding, Velora and I were well on our way to being wedding coordinators. We didn’t need anyone telling us how to walk, drop pedals, stand still, not talk, keep our dresses down and smile; we were experts.

My sister Phyllis’s wedding was the following year. Our dresses were made and we were ready to march, until Velora came down with the mumps a few days before the wedding. Rather thoughtless of her to get a childhood disease at that time. Could the show, I mean wedding, go on? We were partners in our pedal throwing. If Velora wasn’t next to me would my timing be off as I strode down the aisle? I was scared. But I mustered all my nerve and did it alone. The truth is, I could have always performed the flower girl routine alone and still have my cake and eat it too. I just didn’t know it.

See the photos for Alverna’s, Lanny’s and Fern’s weddings at Moments in Time.

Julie from Iraq

2006-07-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Julie sent this picture of her and her co-worker, SSgt Darby, at work at Baghad International Airport. She has settled in to the hot and dusty life in Iraq. Although, she is anxious to come home to James, Chompers and maybe even her in-laws.

Greyhound Summers

2006-07-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

Summertime takes me back to the summer days of being a child on an Iowa farm when times were much different than they are today. When I was a kid I couldn’t wait to be grown up and away from the farm; to see exciting places and big cities. Summer meant my sister, Velora and I would get to take the Greyhound bus to spend a week at our oldest sister Arletta’s place in the biggest city on earth, Omaha, Nebraska. Well, maybe Omaha wasn’t the biggest city, but you couldn’t convince a country girl that any other place had more houses or buildings or even bigger and taller buildings.

You have to think about the time and place. Late 1950’s and early 1960’s is the time, and the place is Iowa. It seemed like the safest time and place to be in. These trips to Omaha started when I was six and Velora was just nine and we did them every summer for about three or four years. Our parents would take us to Spencer where there was a hotel on the main street which served as the Greyhound Bus stop. It was usually mid morning when we got to the bus stop. Velora and I were decked out in our freshly pressed cotton dresses. We had a sack lunch and a couple books; books that would not be looked at by me, only Velora.

Mom and Dad would say a few words to the bus driver. I am pretty sure it was always the same man year after year, and we would be put on the bus. We usually found our seats about halfway back. The passengers were businessmen in suits who were probably salesmen with territories far from home. There were military men maybe going away or coming home, and ladies with hats and gloves going to visit relatives in Omaha or a town along the way. There may have been a few dressed more casual, but most everyone was dressed in traveling clothes which meant Sunday clothes. We waved to Mom and Dad through the window as the bus drove away.

Velora would likely bury her head in one of the books, but I would look out the window as the big bus transported us southwest towards the Missouri River and into Omaha, Nebraska. Now Omaha was only about a three hour car ride from home, but on a bus, that ride was about 5 hours as it stopped at various towns along the way.

I watched as the flat corn and bean fields slowly become hillier the farther west we went. We usually stopped at some 50’s diner for a noon meal. Yes, a real 50’s diner because it was a diner and it was the 50’s. But we had been told by our parents that we were not to get off the bus until we got to Omaha. We would never think of disobeying them even though they probably would have never known. So we stayed on the bus and ate our lunch Mom made for us in our brown paper sacks while other travelers got off and got a quick meal. This was a time for the driver to stretch his legs. Before we departed he always came back to see how we were doing.

Once the landscape began to look like big bluffs, I knew we were getting close and the excitement of soon being in the big city was too much. I would yank Velora’s book away and make her look out the window! See we are almost there! Pretty soon houses became closer and closer together and the farms were disappearing, and tall buildings were appearing as we crossed the big Missouri River from Iowa into Nebraska. The sounds of the city were different than farm sounds; horns honking, police sirens and city buses snorting. And there were people of all colors walking hastily down the street. The buildings seemed to go up in the sky. And of course there was the beautiful Brandeis Department Store.

We were at our destination when the big bus brought us into a huge garage with what seemed like hundreds of more Greyhound buses. We got off the bus, said good-bye to our driver, and Arletta was there to meet us. We would then get to take a city bus to her apartment. Life does not get more exciting.

Fast forward to today. Imagine putting two small girls on a bus today and sending them five hours away into the downtown of city. Parents would be prosecuted for child endangerment. Children couldn’t be expected to behave that long without adult supervision, let alone stay on the bus and not get off before their destination. “Amber Alert”. Young girls alone on a bus would be easy prey for depraved individuals. No bus driver would be willing to supervise unattended children. Brandeis is replaced by shopping malls and that 1950’s diner is replaced by McDonald’s. Although Greyhound has filed bankruptcy, you can still see a few on the interstate from time to time for those who dare to ride, but most of us take the “air” buses now. Such a time and place no longer exists, but it once did.

Revolutionary Family Heroes

2006-07-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

The reason we celebrate today.
In honor of our ancestral Revolutionary War heroes:
Joseph Root -- Minute Man from Connecticut serving in the Lexington Alarm
Petrus "Peter" Barringer -- Livingston Manor Regiment, Battle of Saratoga
Henry Barringer -- War of 1812
Samuel Ward -- War of 1812

Fragile Freedoms

2006-07-03T09:59:00.000-07:00

While driving down Main Street in Stockbridge, Massachusetts with Velora and Derrick a few years ago, I commented how this quaint little town looked like a Norman Rockwell painting. As I found out, it was one of Norman Rockwell’s recognizable paintings. I have always been an admirer of his work for its folksiness but also for its drama.

We visited the Norman Rockwell art gallery near Stockbridge. I was moved by the realism and emotion, as well as the symbolism in Rockwell’s paintings. Seeing these life size originals of so many familiar paintings was poignant. As I entered a room in the middle of the museum, before me as I turned around in place were the “Four Freedoms” on the four sides of room. The impact of seeing these huge four paintings brought me nearly to tears, and I am not a person who cries easily. Mr. Rockwell captured the American way in the faces of his cast.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his address to Congress in January 1941, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, spoke about the four freedoms which was the inspiration for Rockwell’s paintings. The four freedoms according Roosevelt and Rockwell are:

The first is freedom of speech and expression
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way
The third is freedom from want
The fourth is freedom from fear

On this Fourth of July holiday, let us remember our freedoms and how precious they are. We do not always appreciate something until we no longer have it. As terrorism becomes the boogeyman looking in a nighttime window, we find our freedoms slowly being peeled away in the name of this enemy. If we loose the fragile freedoms that make us great nation, we end up feeding the boogeyman instead of conquering him. If we give up liberty to obtain a security, we deserve neither liberty nor security, to paraphrase Ben Franklin. We live and die with and for those freedoms.

Old Photos

2006-06-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

I have a new blog for sharing old photos called Moments in Time. Click here to go there.

"Why We Fight"

2006-06-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

There is a video just out on DVD that I recommend to all to watch. It is called “Why We Fight”. It is a must see for all Americans over the age of 18. The film’s premise is from President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s farewell speech. Eisenhower warns us, “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.” This film is not intended for liberals or conservatives, it is intended for Americans. Buy it, rent it, watch it. You can borrow it from me.

Love hate relationship

2006-06-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

I hate my computer! But I love it too! It makes my work in our business fairly easy. I back-up my business folders every Friday. It's stuff I CANNOT lose. But I don't always back up my other stuff. I do video editing as a hobby. I have 4 hard drives and an external hard drive. The video hard drive that stores my work in progress videos crashed. Now it is going to cost lots to have the information recovered. I was working on a video for a friend's parents anniversary which was on the crashed hard drive. I promised myself that I would not do anymore video's for anyone else until I am finished doing my family history video that I have been working on for about 4 years. That too was on my crashed hard drive. I don't know if either will be able to be recovered. It's hours and hours of work. I put in about an hour or two for every minute of finished video, and now it all may be gone. I am ready to get a Mac for my video editing. But I have so much invested in this PC, I am not sure what to do.

Where the Buffalo roam...

2006-06-25T22:49:00.000-07:00

...up north and out of the heat. When the temperature is over 105 degrees every day, it is time to head for cooler pastures. This weekend we went to Fern and Paul's up on the Rim in Heber to cool off for a day. Even though it was 90 up there, it was a welcome change. We took Amyline to Bison Ranch where she was thrilled to see these big beasts. It was four years ago this month that the Rodeo fire swept through this area. The RV Resort where Fern and Paul have their summer home was destroyed. It was great to see how well the people in the area have rebounded and rebuilt. Although it will take nature much longer.

Happy Birthday!

2006-06-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Velora and Kevin.

Thoughts of my Father on Father's Day

2006-06-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

Someone once said that how you view your father might be a reflection on how you view God. If your father was cruel, unloving, unforgiving or absent, then you may have a difficult time understanding the fullness of God. My father was wise, loving, forgiving, and Godly. He was far from perfect and but he was humble.

It’s been over 20 years since Dad went to be with the Lord. But I can still hear his voice as clearly today as the last time I saw him. Unlike my older siblings, I didn’t have a very young dad. He was 55 years old when I was born, so I always saw him as an old man. But I saw him as wise. He was a man who was very informed and in many ways ahead of his time. He was an eye witness to many historical events. One of his first memories was hearing about the assassination of President McKinley in 1901. He watched the age of automobile being ushered in and saw trails turn into roads and roads into highways. He always had a fascination of trains and in his youth worked on steam locomotives as they carried him across the West. Then in his later years he had set up HO gauge and N gauge hobby trains to the wonderment of his children and grandchildren.

He loved taking roads that he hadn’t been on before. It was never about the destination and always about journey. I think he instilled in all his children the thrill of discovering serendipities that could be found on the roads we never traveled before.

He loved politics. He ran and won a congressional seat in the Iowa legislature.
He loved his music. He loved hymns, easy listening music, big band and classical music. When Velora and I were very little he brought out his reel to reel tape player with Tchaikovsky's “Nut Cracker Suite” on it and as the music played told us the story. Even in his last days he listened to music in his easy chair on his “quadraphonic” system. No one I knew had a more elaborate sound system then him for the time.

He was on the cutting edge of technology as demonstrated in his sound system, but also it was seen on the farm too. He had a milking operation to milk his dairy cows that was state of the art for the forties and fifties. His set-up to bring the cows into a milking parlor where the cows stood on a platform at chest height to be fitted with milking machines was ingenious and I’m sure the envy of many dairy farmers that were still milking by hand bent over on a stool.

His Biblical wisdom was astute. He studied many different religions and knew them better than most members of their respective religions – even the “cult” religions as experienced by many door knockers that were invited in to our home. Dad would let them proselytize, then he would treat them with his insights about their beliefs and explain to them the real gospel of Christ without ever making them feel “less than”. “Let’s see what God’s Word says”, he would say without being argumentative.

I have never had a difficult time viewing God as omnipotent, loving, kind, forgiving and real, because I saw Him through my father’s eyes.

Pretty Puppy

2006-06-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

(photos removed for space)

These are our puppies.
Top photo from left is our dog Dakota, then Frodo and Sam (Derrick's), then Chompers (James & Julie's) Bottom photo is Monroe, Carrie's dog.
While they are all cute dogs, Dakota is the prettiest!

House Rules
The dog is not allowed in the house.
Okay, the dog is allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.
The dog is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off the furniture.
The dog can get on the old furniture only.
Fine, the dog is allowed on all the furniture, but is not allowed to sleep with the humans on the bed.
Okay, the dog is allowed on the bed, but only by invitation.
The dog can sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but not under the covers.
The dog can sleep under the covers by invitation only.
The dog can sleep under the covers every night.
Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers with the dog.
Author Unknown

Desert Sunset

2006-06-07T19:43:00.000-07:00

After the storm is the sunset. This was taken in our upstairs office. It was even prettier when I first caught a glimse of it, but by the time I got my camera it was starting to fade. But I think it is still beautiful. God is an artist.

Desert Storm

2006-06-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

Summer in Arizona means magnificent dust storms. This photo, actually two photos cropped together, was taken a few minutes ago as this storm rolls across the Valley. It is taken up on Microwave Mountain looking west towards Mesa and downtown Phoenix. (click on photos to enlarge)

Julie from Iraq

2006-06-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

Julie sent this picture today. She is the third from left in the front row. She says she is doing fine. She is working nights. Iraq is ll hours ahead of Arizona time. Since she works nights, she is basically up when we are and sleeps when we do.

Promotion Day

2006-05-31T20:10:00.000-07:00

James being promoted to Staff Sergeant (SSgt)on April 28, 2006

Happy Birthday!

2006-05-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my daughter, Carrie. How did I get so lucky to have a daughter like you?

Also, Happy Birthday to Roger Schmidt.

John F. Kennedy would have been 89 today. Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

And Patrick Henry was born on this day. He would have been 270! "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

Memorial Day

2006-05-29T15:52:00.000-07:00

(photo removed)
Memorial Day was a day for walking through the cemetery visiting the graves of my ancestors when I was a child in Iowa. Crown Hill Cemetery nestled on the outskirts of Ruthven was and still is one of the most beautiful and well cared for cemeteries I have wondered through. Each Memorial Day we would meet up with my aunt Evaline and put flowers on the both the Hansens’ and the Barringers’ graves. As a kid I wasn’t terribly interested in these past-on folks I didn’t know, but hearing some of the stories over and over again did make an impression on me. What I wouldn’t do now to once again walk the cemetery with my mother and father to hear family history. I would have many questions to ask that I have always regretted not asking because I just wasn’t interested back then.

One story my mother told was about my Grandpa Hansen’s sister. When Grandpa Hansen’s family came to America in 1885, his 14 year old sister stayed behind in Denmark. The story is this young girl later died of a broken heart. I have often wondered what it meant to die of broken heart? And why did she stay behind in Denmark? Did they not have enough money to bring her too? Those are questions I would now want to ask to complete the story, but most likely my mother may have not known the answers either because she probably never asked her father. So the story goes on about a young girl never growing up, never coming to America to be with her family because of a broken heart.

On this Memorial Day weekend I took my 3 year old granddaughter Amyline (pictured), to put flowers on my parent’s gravesite here in "not so green" Arizona. Little by little I will tell her about these people she never knew, but are a part of who she is. Note: Our city is currently not watering areas of the cemetery apparently as a punishment for their citizens voting against the property tax, thus a very dry and sad looking gravesite.

Memorial Day is in honor of those brave men and women in uniform who sacrificed their lives for our country. But it is also a day that we remember our loved ones who have gone before us. It is a privilege to honor all of them.

ROOT Roots

2006-05-24T19:58:00.000-07:00

Thomas Root was a founder of Hartford, Connecticut. He was born in England in 1604. I don’t know when he came to this country, but he was a soldier in the Pequot War in 1637. The History Channel had a documentary series on the “10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed America”. One of the documentaries was on the Pequot War called “Massacre at Mystic”. As I mentioned in my first post, genealogy makes history personal. It tied that event in history to my ancestry.

My son Derrick, my sister Velora and I were in Connecticut a while back and we went chasing after a few of our ancestors. We went to Hartford where a monument is erected in the Old Center Church Cemetery to these founding fathers. And of course Thomas Root’s name is etched in stone.

How is Thomas Root related to me? My father was Arley Barringer, and his mother was Aletha Root, her father was Palmer Root, his father was Joseph, then Oliver, then another Oliver, then Joseph again, whose father was Eliakim, then Thomas, another Thomas, until finally we get to Thomas Root, soldier and founder of Hartford. Eleven generations back.

This is one of many our family history stories. How did our Barringer ancestors come in contact with President Bush’s ancestors? That’s another story.

The Blue Star

2006-05-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

Julie left for Iraq a week ago yesterday. She will be at Baghdad International Airport until at least September. Julie is my daughter-in-law. Once again my Blue Star banner hangs in my window. It is faded. It hung in my window for the better part of the year last year for my son, James. He served on a convoy as a Combat Airman.

Julie writes that her new living conditions are, well, let's just say it's not the Hilton. For those who watch "Friends", Julie is "Monica". Cleaning and organizing is what she loves. Iraq is not organized, but with Julie's help it will be before she leaves. I am proud of both Julie and James. They have a job to do and they do it. Both James and Julie are proud members of our US Air Force.

The Blue Star Mothers started during World War II and the banners hung from nearly every household and business in every farm, town and city. Some houses bore the Gold Star Banner for a fallen serviceman. Today not so many banners hang from the windows of our community. Maybe the plastic car ribbons have taken the place of the banner. The Blue Star Banner hangs not just for my family members, but all those are brave enough serve their country in time of war.

What is this about?

2006-05-19T17:05:00.000-07:00

Strolling through numerous blogs, I often thought; I should do that, I could do that. I had a website years ago that centered on genealogy, but it wasn't a blog where others could share their thoughts. I wanted something that was free and easy to use. After starting out on a couple of other sites, "Blogger" seemed the most user friendly. Please be sure to share your comments with me.

Genealogy is a favorite subject of mine, (and no I am not Mormon). Genealogy is a great way to make history personal. The paths of our ancestors intertwines with who and where we are today.

I will also use this blog to talk about my family. Our families are our reality. They are greatest allies and our biggest critics. They surround you like an army when you need them and bring you back to reality when you start thinking you are a little more than you really are.

I may even write about my political thoughts. I invite anyone share their comments with me. All points of view are welcome.

Oh, a side note. I am slightly dyslexic. I have a penchant for leaving out words as I write -- especially words like "the" "is" "a" or changing the order of words. So I ask that you bear with me if and when this happens. I think faster than I type and I actually see words that I haven't written. I have been told that people who are dyslexic use the left side of the brain more than the right. Hmmm interesting.