THE PRANK WAR

Monty Zundel was 15 and I was his Sunday school teacher. I had taught young women for years but this was the first time I had ever been called to teach in a co-ed class.  Little did I know what I was in store for. Monty was the vivacious one, or in other words, the one that wanted to be entertaining the class on a regular bases. There came a day that he discover my passion and love for cats.  That was all she wrote.  He teased me constantly.  One day he told me that he saw my cat running across the street and tried to run over it but missed. Another time he drew cat paws on the black board with a big “splat” at the top. Normally a person is called to teach a class and the class moves on the next year. Well in this case they moved me on with the class. This happened for three years in a row.  It by far was a wonderful experience for me. There were about sixteen in the class and out of that group there were 12 that served full time missions.

Many years passed and of course we found ourselves living here in this fabulous community.  We have loved this area and the people.  We had lived here about two or three years when Monty Zundel and his wife April moved in with their two sons, Chance and Justin.  My first thought was to take them a welcome basket with two baby kitties in it. Later I told Monty this and he told me he would just had to drown them.  Monty is now in our bishopric as one of the counselors and the feud goes on. I was sitting in Sunday school class when someone passed me the role. Next to my name was written “Meow.”  I turned to find Monty sitting  behind me with a grin from ear to ear. One night while Monty was at the church I went to the church and put a bumper sticker on his front chrome  bumper of his truck, it read…..”I (heart) (side silhouette  of a cat). The bumper sticker was 5 inches tall. Bold black letters with a bright red heart, the cat was solid black. The next morning I received a call at 8 a.m. from none other than Monty.  He is a physical therapist and had a packed schedule of patients to visit at their homes that day.  Instead, he canceled his appointments, and spent the next fours hours at his mom’s scraping off the sticker. The warning came loud and clear, “It’s On!”

Things were pretty quite for awhile until Christmas day. I was relaxing in a hot tub when the door bell rang. Karl got the door. It was Monty with a gift???  He asked Karl if we wanted our CD player back, of course he had no idea what Monty was talking about. Seems that morning at 5 a.m. Monty and April were awaken by some cats screaming. Within minutes the two boys were in their room wanting know the cause of the noise. One of the boys went to the front door to find a CD player with Christmas music by cats screaming to the top of their lungs. WHO? Of course LINDA…….. Nada! I had nothing to do with it.  The next Sunday came accusations but I knew someone else was in on the game. Sure enough it turned out to be Steve Gossett, my next door neighbor.  The gift Monty brought  Christmas day was a “CAT-A- PULT.” It was a plastic gun with four plastic cats that were to be inserted into the gun and shot at a target on the back on the card. 

Josh, Lukas and Noah agreed to help me build a snow sculpture of Garfield. The plan was to make him life size and put a sign in front saying “Monty Loves Cats.” The local paper was having a contest and wanting pictures. Karl and I had build one of these years ago and he turned out spectacular. Well, there was a problem……..the snow was too dry.  Josh finally got a bucket and would carry water from the bathroom in the house. We would put  snow in it and stir it until it was the consistency of cement, then piling it on our object. Finally after three h0urs we had a pile of snow about 2 1/2 to 3 feet high.  When we tried to sculpted it we found it frozen and chipping apart as we craved.  In this case it became all about the journey and not the desatanati0n.  In the end all we could say was we had fun, which was plenty good for me.

A NIGHT OUT WITH NOAH

As I have previously mentioned, I have been doing a bit of catch up since last fall. Just two to go and I should be there.  I would like to tell you about our ”Little Man.” Noah is Kami and Joe’s third son and he is 10 years old and in the fourth grade. Last summer he discovered that he could get on the internet and find piano lessons.  There home is a four level split. The computer is on the desk in the family ro0m on the second level. The piano, a 100 year old upright with chewed up keys and sound that resembles something a little less than a normal piano, is on the second level. Noah would study the lesson 0n the the computer then run up to piano and give it a whirl. By the end of the summer he had learned 2 or three songs.

As he showed such an interest, Kami put him in lessons with  Becky Arrington. She is a well known singer and musician in our area that gave up her Nashville career for her family life and now teaches out of her home. He has taken off like gangbusters. Two weeks ago Becky gave him two pieces that she designated for his recital in May. She explained that she was giving a trophy for the first person to memorize their pieces. I was at the house watching Amanda and Noah for Kami while Kami was in class. Noah was filling me in with all these details. As we talked I asked him if he wanted to be good, excellent or spectacular? Of course he wanted to be spectacular.  So I recommended that he play each piece 10 times a day.  When Kami heard this advice she placed a bowl on each side of the piano with pop 10 caps in one bowl to be transferred to the other each time he played the piece through. This week at his lesson Becky was flabbergasted when Noah could play each of the pieces of music by heart.

Last fall Karl and I took Noah to Salt Lake to Abravanel Hall to the Utah Symphony and performance of pianist  Jonathan Diss. I thought he would be bored but nothing of the kind,  he was spell bound. He now has the play book hung on his wall in his bedroom. Keep your eye on this guy….he is going to be famous some day. He already is famous in my book.

THE CAMERA BUG

Christmas this year was awesome for one, Linda Henderson, yup, me. Because, you see, I was given a wonderful Nikon 5000 by my sweet husband.  But that’s not all………..it also came with an 18 week photography course from Inkley’s Photography in Ogden.  So far I have been to three classes. Yes, I am learning and that is a good thing. As most of you know I love art, any kind of art.  My first experience with the camera as I mentioned before was on Christmas day when all my pictures turned out blurry. The switch by my lens was turned to manual.  And of course I am not smart enough to be manual yet, but I will be.  Last Saturday Karl and I try-outs for “Arise.” I left the house with camera in tow.  I took several of the youth as we visited two different stakes but had Karl back me up with our Cannon point and shot, just in case. I am happy to report that ALL my picture came out clear. On the way home we were awe struck by the beautiful scenery. There was a lot of humidity in the air and with the cold temperature there was a shimmering frost everywhere. I am pleased at this time to present my first gallery entitled, “Crystals in the Country.” Taken January 16, 2010. Comments welcomed………..  

LITTLE GIRL’S MAKEOVER

As promised, here I am once again in the quite moments of the early morning suffering the results of a accidental three hours nap late yesterday afternoon. After struggling to sleep I told myself that I mine as well be productive.  There are still some catch up stories from last years meaningful moments.  So first let me tell you about “Little Girl.”

 

My PT Cruiser was dubbed “Little Girl” is the very beginning. She will turn ten years old this month.  I bought her when the PT’s first came out.  As a result of my OCD cleaning habits she pretty much looks brand new inside.  Last year I had some engine work done along with purchasing new Michelin tires.  All last year I kept thinking that I would love to get her painted.  I even went around to three different shops and got bids. Yowsey……the least expensive was two grand and all the way up to four thousand dollars.  A few times when Karl was driving and someone would pull in front of him I would say let him hit you then I could get a new paint job.

 

It was a Saturday and the first snow storm of the season. I got home from a meeting in town. Karl was shoveling the walks. With about two inches of snow on my car I decided to leave it in the driveway for Karl to brush off so as not to let it melt in the garage. The first mistake I made was not telling Karl what I was thinking. When he finished the walks he came in the house leaving “Little Girl” is the driveway. A few hours later Kami called to see if he could come help Joe with the wiring of the boys bedroom.  As he walked out of the garage he saw “Little Girl” and thought to himself that he needed to put her in the garage.  He went to his shop for his tools, jumped in his truck and backed out of the driveway, at least until he ran into the front of my car. I was laying on our bed trying to get warm and resting when Karl came in the house and said; “Well, I guess you’ll get that new paint job you wanted.”

When the adjuster looked at the car he nearly totaled it but because she was in such good condition he changed his mind. Kort and his boss came with the tow truck and off she went to the hospital for her makeover.  It took about five weeks. She had to have a new radiator, air conditioner, battery and front hood and bumper. In the meantime I had Ray Clark the painter touch up the rest of the dings and adorn her with a few blings. Like a fin on the back, a chrome grill,  chrome shields under the door handles, chrome gas cover and antenna, (Kort’s contribution).  It all came to about $4,800.  It only cost me a few hundred dollars out of pocket. Kort did all the engine work and had her looking brand new when I picked her up.

I feel like a million dollars.  “Little Girl” truly looks fabulous and better than new and I still have NO car payment. It can’t get much better than that.