Snow Dance Works Again!

Snowku
Distracted snowflakes.
Hesitate. Accumulate.
Drift gently to ground.

Wow! Can you believe almost 10 inches already? We're very excited here with the promise of defeating the cries of global warming this week with an Arctic Chill forecast and more snow on the way.

SNOW. SNOW. SNOW!

The Jensen Snow Dance Tradition

I'm not sure when the snow dance tradition started, but it has grown and evolved over the years. It is key to do the snow dance when the weather is looking and "feeling" like snow. Forecasts for snow are a plus. This increases the level of faith for the Snow Dance, thus increasing its likelihood.
The snow dance is performed similar to an Indian Rain Dance. Simply hop and dance in a circle while moving your arms like snowflakes.
We did not have a "snow chant" until this year. I wanted to ramp it up...

Snow, snow, we want snow.
Snow, snow, let's go!
Snow, snow, please come.
Snow, snow, its lots of fun.
Snow! Snow! Snow! SNOW!

Some of the Jensen's best snow memories:

In Mt. Vista next to the Drapers...

• We had a very steep driveway. It was the best hill ever for sledding with pine bushes and garage doors at the bottom. Our kids hit the Drapers garage and they hit ours.
• It looked like so much fun! Once, I went down the hill and hit the drain bump. I caught some air and broke my tail bone! I was in pain for weeks. Wisely, that was the last time I went sledding.
• The kids and I would watch out the girls window as Dad would try to make it up the driveway so he could go to work. We always hoped he wouldn't make it. He would start in the garage, rev up the engine then take off. Half way up the hill he would lose traction and the car would start rolling back down the driveway.
• One year there was an "Arctic Chill". We had a lot of snow plus freezing temperatures, it was really too cold to play in. We had the Foltz children over since school was canceled and the kids had lots of fun. It lasted almost a week.
• The same Arctic Chill froze our fountain, waterfalls and ponds. Because Dad was out of town I went to a tack store to get a "cattle trough heater" in a vain attempt to keep it thawed. The kids went out every hour or so to try to break up the ice but it was a lost cause. I'm sure they all remember that!

Sunriver...

• The snow was part of the attraction of Sunriver. There were sledding hills and Mt. Bachelor to ski. The kids were still beginners when I took them skiing. It was great! There was virtually no one else skiing. That's when we got hit with a blizzard. Angel's ski came off, others skis were not properly bound and with other complications we had to be rescued off the hill.
• The hot tub was especially fun when there was snow. The kids would wear their boots out to the hot tub.

The teen years...

• The kids were not allowed to drive in the snow. I think Dad took them to a parking lot to get a feel for it, but we didn't let them drive on the roads.
• One year Andi prayed for snow. Snow fell more often than any other year. Each time it snowed a major dance at school or church had to be canceled. New Years, Preference, Valentines...a great teaching moment on what to pray for!

The mission...see above picture...

The first winter of the mission I could feel snow in the air. We didn't watch news or forecasts, this was strictly a gut feeling. I invited the office Elders to do the Snow Dance with me. Within a day or two it snowed! They were duly impressed! It was only a few inches but hey, snow is snow. That was the only snow of the mission and it is very rare for Italy

So, keep up the tradition everyone. Do the Snow Dance!

The Conundrum of Halloween Candy

Do you buy the candy you like so you can eat the leftovers...or buy what you don't like so you won't eat the leftovers? What a conundrum!

What Do You Clean?

When you are going to have guests to your home, what do you clean?
Another way of saying it, when you go to someone's house what do you notice is clean? Not clean?
Our stake has been doing preparedness classes. I volunteered to host the last class in the series this Thursday. I have been in the process of re-organizing bathroom cabinets, the playroom closet, food pantries and storage room. The last two in case someone asks to see my storage systems and the others just because...I don't know why but it seemed important at the time.
The playroom is/was a total waste of time because there are about 6 kids coming and they will play in the playroom (see irony of the playroom blog). The first mothers that take their kids in there will be duly impressed I guess.
The other wrinkle, which I know will get me no sympathy, is that the person who helps with the cleaning comes on Friday, the day after.
Come clean! Where do you look, and where do you clean?

Changing Clothes

Sometimes Change Is Not Good!

This memory is from my childhood...
I remember mother and daddy getting mad at me for changing my clothes “10 times a day”. "They’re my clothes, why can’t I change them whenever I want?"
Of course I didn’t understand the mess and the laundry resulting from that practice…
Angel was the same way, changing her clothes constantly. I told her my story, but said if she picked up her clothes after she changed them, it was okay.
Then… there was laundry.
To her, picking up her clothes meant putting them in the laundry basket. I told her if she did her own laundry she could change as much as she wanted. That pretty much took care of her changing clothes all the time, or at least how it affected me.
I realized that my mother couldn’t just throw in a load of clothes like I could, she borrowed my grandma’s wringer washer at that time and hung the clothes outside on a line. It was a lot of work for my mother with our large family.
Now, Angel has two little girls who change clothes constantly! Angel scolds them about it but I don’t think you can fight genetics!

The Fascination of Impending Doom

(dialogue of me to myself)

Today's self-psycho-analysis session will focus on your fascination with impending doom. The format for today's self-psycho-analysis will be the Who/What/Where/When/Why/How format. Please keep your answers short because you are paying by the hour.

Who are the likely recipients of impending doom?
In my mind, (since that is where self-psycho-analysis takes place and does not necessarily follow a rational thought process) only the wicked or foolish will suffer.

What are your impending doom fascinations about.
1. Armageddon. That is my number one. I say get this whole thing over and done with so we don't have to worry about wars and wickedness and R-rated movies anymore.
2. Bombs. Destroying only the wicked, of course. Mainly that Abbameanajob guy. I say nuke him before he nukes us or the Israelis.
3. Widespread viral outbreak. That season of "24" was not to be missed or taken lightly. If we are all confined to home I hope we will still have internet and cable connections. I have food in my freezer and enough antibiotics to protect a small army.
4. Weather. Hurricanes get the most news coverage. Personally, I look forward to snow.

Where do you look for impending doom information?
For most of my news I go to Fox News. They have great financial and political doom scenarios. Also Glen Beck. He takes impending doom and puts it on a platter. It would just be rude to not have at least a taste of it floating around my head.
TV series have great impending doom scenarios I might never think of on my own. Jericho, for instance, took a nuclear attack to a whole new level.

When do you expect this impending doom to arrive?
Hurricanes are the best because you get a real timeline updated in real time. I hope no one gets hurt except the "unwise" who go surfboarding. That is just natural selection at work. I wish no homes would be destroyed but when you build your house on the sand below sea level in a hurricane zone...well we know how that song ends.

Why do you think you have this impending doom fascination?
There is a line between being prepared and being paranoid. I need reading glasses so that line can become fuzzy at times.
Being prepared is good a thing. When I think of a disaster, but know that I am prepared for it, I feel secure.

How does your thought process work?
Now, if I knew that, I wouldn't think it! Basically, I think planning for the worst and hoping for the best is ideal, but not a characteristically familiar thought process. I see the possibility for impending doom and figure out a way to make it bearable if it happens to me.

Have you ever experienced impending doom first hand?
I've blocked out that memory.

Top Ten Reasons to Buy a Segway

In San Diego we went to the Wild Animal Park and went on a Segway tour.
In this picture we are not moving but standing still on Segways, with a mean looking Bison in the background.

To ride, you simply put weight on your toes or heels to move forward and back. By turning the handle you can turn 360 degrees. Segways are balanced with a gyroscope and run completely silent. So-o-o-o...I need to think of some ways to convince Dan we should buy Segways.

Top Ten Reasons to buy a Segway

10) Emergency Preparedness. A great evacuation vehicle, it can travel 8-10 mph for about 20 miles on a single charge.

9) Save the Planet. It uses no gas, emits no fumes.

8) Cost effective. If gas were $10 a gallon and we could save...maybe 2 gallons of gas a month...a Segway could pay for itself in only 20 years!

7) Exercise. More distance = more exercise. Think how many miles we can "run" without ever breaking a sweat.

6) Coolness Factor. "My Grandpa has a boat." "Yeah? Well my grandpa has a Segway."

5) Visits from relatives. Be honest, wouldn't you be creatively thinking of a reason to visit? Perhaps, a spontaneous desire to bring us homemade chocolate chip cookies?

4) Date night. Forget $75 for dinner and a movie. We can see the world (within 20 miles) and probably be invited to a neighbors barbeque.

3) Christmas Cards. "Dear friends and family, We are well, the kids are swell. We have Segways. Happy Holidays"

2) Easy access. Access to fast food has never been easier. A front storage compartment will hold a Big Mac, fries and an extra large Sprite. Loan payments are conveniently made with easy access to drive thru banking.

1) And the number one reason why we should buy a Segway? You tell me. Believe me, Dan is a hardsell on this one so make it good!