What does apprehensive expectations mean for me? I’m hoping that we’ve gotten close to the bottom of the economic freefall but I’ve not seen much to convince me that has happened. It’s late afternoon on New Years Eve and like it or not, 2008 will go away in a few hours here in Pocatello, despite the people who control time adding a second to the year. I like that I can fill up my car for less than $20. I don’t like that my 401(k) has given up 30% of it’s value. 2008 has certainly been a year of highs and lows. It won’t be sorely missed, I’m sure.

In 2009 we get a new administration, one that has promised “change” without a reasonable definition of what that change would actually be. On the other hand, President-elect Obama has named (for the most part) a very high caliber team. While he’s busy doing that, Illinois proves once again that money corrupts politicians and the most arrogant become the most corrupted.

Our Social Security goes up in January by more than 5%. That’s definitely a bonus … probably the largest pay raise we’ve had in four years. However, that doesn’t translate into very much money! We’ll continue to chop spending out of our lives. Still no cruise in our future!

So, tonight we’ll go to the Stake New Years Eve party, even though they cancelled breakfast because they’ve no idea how many (or how few) people will be there. So, uncertainty reigns supreme as 2008 ends making it difficult to be very optomistic about the coming year.

Today we’ll go back home to Pocatello and what seems to be a copious amount of snow. There have been a couple of serious storms since we left Pocatello to come down to North Salt Lake and I’m expecting to find some deep drifts in front of the garage door.

So, we’re packing things up after spending a fun and delightful Christmas with our daughter Heather and her family in North Salt Lake, Utah. We arrived on Christmas Eve and spent two full days here.

On Christmas Eve we did Heather’s traditional Christmas nativity program. During the program we got to sing many of the traditional Christmas carols in addition to being reminded of the story of the birth of the Christ Child. The program ends with this conclusion:

As we reflect on this Christmas story, can we see ourselves? Have we been like the prophets of old — praying for the blessing of peace that only Christ can bring? Have we been like Joseph and strengthened and protected the testimony of others while moving forward in faith ourselves? Have we rejoiced in being chosen as instruments of the Lord as Mary did? Have we hastened to boldly share our testimony of the Savior and what we have witnessed in our lives as the good shepherds did? Like Simeon have we listened to the still, small promptings of the Holy Ghost which allows us to see Christ in our own lives? Have we watched for the signs that show us where Christ lives like the wise men and have we sacrificed so that we may worship our Lord?

On Christmas Day we spent the entire day here at the house. After unwrapping presents and eating a lovely breakfast, we spent the day playing games and napping. The day after Christmas we fussed around at the house in the morning and went to the movie “Bedtime Stories” in the afternoon. The kids thought the movie was fun. I found it to be “two thumbs extended way down” and somewhat insulting to one’s intelligence. Later that evening we played three rousing hands of Mormon Bridge (a variation of a game by another name where Rook cards are used instead of the standard card deck). The best part of the game is that there is plenty of time to talk and laugh and there is plenty of talking and laughing with Heather’s family!

Tomorrow is a full day of Church meetings. I’m speaking in a ward at 9 a.m. and will be in meetings until about 4 p.m. Monday we’ll go over to Soda Springs to meet up with my favorite brother and his wife at mother and dad’s home. The holidays are rapidly coming to an end.

Happy New Year!

We’re spending this Christmas at our daughter’s home in North Salt Lake. We got here mid-day yesterday and will stay until mid-day Saturday. We’ve had a really fun time being here.

Yesterday evening was the traditional Christmas Eve activities, including delivering secret Santa things to people in the area, a delicious dinner, doing the Nativity program, and opening up a gift before heading to bed. I crashed about eleven p.m. and Nina came to bed sometime that evening. They rousted me out of bed at 7 this morning to open presents.

All of our kids have been very nice to us this year. We’ve had a delightful Christmas. The weather outside has been fairly warm, but tonight it’s getting quite windy and some serious winter weather is supposedly on it’s way. Hopefully it’ll be finished and cleared off the roads before we leave on Saturday.

Spending Christmas with family is always very special! Following are some more pictures from the day. Clicking on the picture brings up some info about the picture. Clicking again on the picture opens up a larger picture.

The Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center is a three-hundred bed State of Idaho prison for female offenders located high on the west bench in Pocatello. The Christmas season is a difficult time for the women at the prison as they are separated from family, children, and all the trappings that make up this time of the year. Consequently, it also becomes a difficult time for prison officials as depression takes over some of the inmates, others act out in strange ways, and the number of attempted suicides increases. To help combat those problems the prison encourages volunteer groups during December to provide programs and activities for the inmates and also encourages the inmates to participate in those programs.

During most of the year the inmates “earn” the privilege of attending programs or participating in activities. However, in December all but the most recalcitrant inmates are allowed to attend and participate. Since the prison is located in an area where the predominant religion is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), the LDS Church has programs and activities for the women at the prison almost every evening of the week. My wife Nina is the Relief Society President at the LDS Branch serving the prison and she spends every Sunday morning and every Thursday evening there providing religious activities for the women inmates.

One of the LDS Church activities offered to the women who are interested is to sing in a choir. They practice on Sunday evenings and between thirty and forty women actively participate in the choir. On the Sunday before Christmas the PWCC Women’s Choir puts on a Christmas program for the other inmates. Tonight was the program and we’ve just gotten back home from a wonderful evening.

Some of the women in the choir sing very well. But, like many church choirs, most are there just because they want to sing, not necessarily because of any particular ability. They put on two programs a year, one in the spring and one at Christmas.

The program is open to the other inmates and to the LDS volunteers and spouses. I truly enjoy going there and have to say, this is my favorite Christmas program each year. They are so happy to be able to perform. They sing from their hearts and just beam when the audience claps and cheers for them. Most of the time they are prisoners … locked in their units and cells. They have little freedom which can be quickly taken away for almost any infraction. Most have almost nothing. Some have been written off or abandoned by their families. Many have families so dysfunctional that it’s no wonder that they ended up in prison.

But this evening they were the stars. They earned the applause which was loud and long. They brightened our day and added to the Christmas Spirit. It was a very good evening. Thank you to the women at the prison in Pocatello. Merry Christmas!

The snow was forecast to begin before midnight and put five inches or more on the ground by tonight. So far it hasn’t quite lived up to the hype, but we do have a snowstorm going on here. There was maybe a half-inch of snow on the ground as we got up this morning. There was some wind this morning which died down during the afternoon and we had some periods of sunshine. Tonight when we came of of The Nutcracker, a light snow was falling and looks to be a fairly steady snow. We may get another inch by tomorrow morning. So, winter has indeed arrived.

The Nutcracker was delightful. The venue was Frazier Hall on the ISU campus. This aging facility was for many years the best Pocatello had to offer. Now with the Performing Arts Center, Frazier Hall has a lot less activity. Tonight was the first time that Nina and I have been in the facility. The performance was spirited and well done. I had no idea there was so much ballet talent in this little town. Tonight’s performance was the last of three this weekend. Next week the program will be presented up the road in Blackfoot.

I think The Nutcracker was the first ballet that Nina and I saw. Nina had been given tickets by a friend when we were living in Chardon, Ohio, and after attending we were hooked. For the next several years we bought season tickets to the Cleveland Ballet (which no longer exists). Then we moved to Utah and became aquainted with Ballet West. They put on performances both in Salt Lake City and in Ogden. We were season ticket holders there as well. Then we moved to Japan and haven’t been to the ballet since. The wonder has been reawakened. It’s time to start going to the ballet again. I wonder what the schedule is for Ballet West? Do they still exist? (They do … and The Nutcracker is playing until December 27th.)

As we left the Stephens Performing Arts Center tonight on our way home from the Christmas Pops concert, Nina remarked, “It’s just amazing the difference that one man can make.” She was referring to Chung Park, the new Music Director of the Idaho State Civic Symphony. The difference from last year to this year is phenomenal … and one man made the difference.

The hall was packed tonight and people were standing around the edges to watch and participate in the program. This is their third concert of the season and each one has been significantly better than the previous performance. While I was watching, listening, and singing (in the middle of the program the audience joined in singing four Christmas carols) I was reminded of a video I had seen a bit ago from a PopTech conference. The presenter was Benjamin Zander, the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. In the presentation, he brings up a fifteen-year-old cellist and works with him. The youngster has an wonderful talent and after playing a Bach tune he receives a well-deserved standing ovation from the crowd of about 400 people in the room. Then Maestro Zander goes to work with the young man and pulls out of him a virtuoso performance that brings tears to peoples eyes (mine included). What a difference one person can make! The video of Mr. Zander and the cellist is here. It’s thirty minutes long and well worth the time whether one likes Bach or not. It’ll pull you to the edge of your seat and teach a whole new way of looking at possibilities and mistakes.

Tonight was the first in a string of concerts and events and the Idaho State Civic Symphony started it off with a bang! Tomorrow night we’ll be at a performance of The Nutcracker. Sunday evening is the annual Messiah Sing. Next Wednesday night is Kurt Bestor’s Christmas Program. Thursday night is a performance of The Christmas Carol. I’m loving the Christmas season!

We like to, when possible, attend functions where our grandkids are performing. A couple of weeks ago our daughter Heather gave us a list of possible events. We decided to go down this past week on Wednesday and stay through Saturday evening. That way we were able to go to the Salt Lake Festival of Trees to see Michael perform with his dance group. I went to the monthly CTO Breakfast in Provo on Friday morning. On Saturday we went to two indoor soccer games where Danielle was playing, and then go to her International Children’s Choir Holiday Concert on Saturday evening.

So we drove down Wednesday afternoon. Nina had to be at the prison in Pocatello on Thursday evening, so I stayed in Provo while she came home, did her job at the prison, and then drove back down to North Salt Lake on Friday.

We had a nice time at Heather’s house. That is a very busy family and it’s fun to watch all the activity. Our lives are so much more quiet and laid back than theirs are!

We didn’t get home until after midnight last night (or rather this morning) and we both had fairly normal Sunday schedules today. It’s getting to be bedtime, though! I’m out of here for today.

One of those pithy sayings from my youth was to say that something was “better than a poke in the eye!” That kind of meant getting poked in the eye was the worst possible thing to happen. Well, today’s activities included a trip to the eye doctor with dad and mother. Dad is being treated for wet macular degeneration. The treatment consists of regularly getting a shot of an anti-VEGF drug directly into the eyeball. These drugs are also used for treatment of colon cancer but have become a primary treatment for wet macular degeneration. The drug shrinks the blood vessels that have gone wild on the retina and dries up the blood that they leak.

For dad this treatment has been reasonably effective in maintaining what eyesight he has. He went through the initial series of injections in both eyes, but the problem has returned in his left eye. As a result the doctor has put him on an extended series of injections for both eyes.

I do not like hypodermic needles. Actually, one can say that I am afraid of them and unexpectedly encountering one is a bad thing. A couple of years ago my admin, who was diabetic, jabbed herself in the thigh, right through her jeans, as I was walking by. I fainted dead away onto the floor for a few seconds. It took quite a bit of persuasion not to get transported to the hospital. So, in this case, I put my iPhone between me and the doctor so I could get the picture without having to watch the procedure. It worked nicely.

The doctor heard the shutter sound (there isn’t a shutter on these digital cameras, so Apple added the shutter sound as feedback that a picture has been taken) and invited me to come closer and watch (I declined). He then said he wanted to get a video of the procedure to show patients, but didn’t have the equipment plus he was the one doing the procedure and didn’t know how to video and do at the same time.

Dad will come back to Pocatello on the 23rd of December for another shot in the left eye and once again on January 6th for the next one in the right eye. I expect I’ll have more several opportunities to not watch the procedure. Not watching is definitely better than a poke in the eye….