The OLD Folks

It is my personal opinion (Myrna) that wheel chairs could be reinvented to do a better job. Dad has been glad that we didn’t paint the living room before his surgery because there are now paint chips all over the place where the chair has hit the woodwork. (LHT: And the door jambs, walls, doors and furniture.) However, he was able to go to church in the chair on Sunday, May 1, so that was good. I finally figured out how to open and close the thing (after Dad showed me how) so that it is not so difficult on me. I have been secretly blessing (“Stupid chair!”) the thing ever since I brought it home. He could use crutches but he is really not very good at using them. One point of pride: Dad is the athlete and I am not. I can use crutches, he cannot. He says it is because I can dance (or once could). 

If Dad tells you that the doctor told him he could put 20 percent of his weight on his foot, don’t believe him. It was the technician who put the cast on his foot. The doctor said: “No weight bearing!” In fact, he gave him quite a lecture about it and how a bone graft heals. So keep praying that it heals well.

I carried the old computer upstairs for Dad. I would have taken the new one up but it is far more complicated to move and I wasn’t certain I could get it back together correctly. Dad has been faithfully

working on his memories of his mission so that he can get you all a copy. He spends almost as much

time at the computer as I normally do. (LHT: I do my scout work over the telephone.)

Dad has moved, temporarily, into the pink bedroom because it has more room for the wheel chair, crutches and is easier for him to get to the bathroom. He gets sponge baths but can have his hair washed in the kitchen sink. We could wrap his leg with plastic and let him take a shower now but . . .

With David’s long-distance technical help, Julie and I moved the “black-box” for the dish upstairs to the pink bedroom so that Dad would have some company, besides me. We are using the little television that Shawn and Kimberly gave us for Christmas. Eric brought his DVD player and lots of DVDs for Dad to watch. Kirsten sent a book and all of you have been calling and keeping him company. Our new neighbor to the south, Ron Creer, has been to see Dad and so has Russ Bender. Julie has treated me like a shut-in (as well as Dad) and has brought food and, for two weeks, took over the babysitting.

One week, Jim and Eric blessed the sacrament for Dad and the next week Russ and Harold Ealey did.

(LHT: This week I will be teaching my priesthood lesson at church.) All in all, things have gone very well. Thanks to all of you (and I do mean all).

I am taking a month off from the temple. I do feel quite good about it. I did go on Saturday and was in

the youth center. While there, I took care of some children who are grandchildren of one of our fellow

temple workers (Barneys). The mother of the children turned out to be an old neighbor, McMann, who lived next door for a while. The grandparents were the Higgens. When I first started at the temple, she was one of the women who really helped me.

We didn’t get the potatoes planted, so don’t plan on a harvest of those for this year. I have put in a few

things, between rainstorms, and so there will be a few vegetables to enjoy.

All of you get the paper, so you know what I have been doing besides taking care of LHT and teaching

Primary.

LHT: Your mom has taken me for a few rides. We went up the canyon and have been to Mona to look at the new subdivisions and around Nephi. After we went to the doctor’s last week, she took me into Payson’s Wal-Mart. She got a motorized cart for me to ride around in the store. She said she couldn’t keep up with me, as usual. (I walk too fast for her and now I drive the cart too fast for her.)

Dad should get a walking cast on May 25. At least, if the bone graft is healing well, he may. He goes to the doctor that day. That cast will be on for another month or so.

LHT joke of the month.

Why is it that men know so much about the world and how it works but know so little about women?

It’s because Adam was asleep when Eve was created.

The Runnin' Utes, Ist Post

Runnin’ Utes

Sorina is 2-years old and full of energy. She is talking a lot and seems to be eager to learn about everything. Kimberly can understand most things she says. She calls both of her brothers “Dane”—mom likes to call them Dane 1 and Dane 2,

but no one else thinks that’s funny. Sorina also loves to watch Dora the Explorer and Blues Clues.

Toren is 6 and most of the way through his Kindergarten year. Mom is all ready for 1st Grade, as he gets a little bored after school. His friends have afternoon kindergarten and he has morning. He’s done well this year in soccer and the t-ball season is just beginning. He enjoys doing Cub Scout activities with his Mom’s Den and his brother’s Den. He built

his own boat for the rain-gutter regatta this year, and was disappointed that he could not race with the cub scouts (he had to wait until they were done, and only got to go once, can you imagine the devastation?). He cannot wait to be a Scout. Toren likes school, and likes to be dropped off and picked up on time (ask Dad, who picked him up late once). Toren also

watches some educational shows with Sorina, and is learning his numbers in Spanish.

Dane is 10 and just finishing up 4th grade. This has been a great year in school for Dane. He loves to go to school, loves his teacher and loves to read and do his math. He is really good about doing his homework. We have to work on spelling, as that is not his favorite. He is also in soccer this year and just starting baseball. He is also doing piano, with his first recital coming up in June. !Dane started Webelos in January and he will have his Webelos Badge in May. He took 2nd place in his pack’s Rain Gutter Regatta this last week (he was undefeated in the runs, but one other boy (who had lost once), had the fastest time after Dane’s dad helped the boy fix his sail). Dane has also been helping his Grandpa Wilson

build a new deck this past week. Dane is happy taking things apart or putting things together. Anything mom brings home that needs to be assembled, Dane puts it together (and he even reads the directions----sometimes).

Brigitta is 13 and just finishing up 7th grade. Wow, what a year. I think Mom had a harder time than she did making the adjustment and I know Dad has not had sleep since last September as he’s had to keep up with her in Algebra this year. Summer will be a nice and needful break. Brigitta plays the trombone this year and she beginning to enjoy herself. For

their Spring Concert she talked her teacher into playing “Happy Birthday” for her mom (the concert was on mom’s birthday). Her teacher even made her mom stand up to be recognized while the band played. Brigitta also played soccer this year and her piano recital is also in June. Brigitta is enjoying her second year in Young Women, and playing sports

like basketball and futsal with her mutual friends (although she complains that her Dad didn’t teach her to play basketball – maybe Aunt Julie can help her there).

Kimberly: I dropped my work hours per week to 30 starting in April and still my house is not clean! (It’s hard to type, Shawn is making lame “Shawn Jokes”.) !!!! I am the Wolf Den Leader currently. I combine with the Bear leader and none of our boys are active in Church, but they are starting to come out for Scouts. Baby steps. I really don’t seem to have

anything to tell about. I work, watch kids, clean, go to Church and read and watch a few late movies when I get the chance. I spend a lot of time running kids here and there. I have finally made it to those years where you think you will never get out of the van. Shawn reminds me that Brigitta will be able to drive in 3 years. Come to think of it, maybe I don’t

mind running kids around so much. 

Shawn is currently the Scoutmaster. I think it is less busy than Bishopric, at least on Sundays. Now he can tell you what he’s been up to. Shawn: I just presented at a national user group conference on expanding the usage of a software tool, I am trying to get scouts motivated and moving towards getting their Eagle award, I coach Toren’s soccer team, I try to attend the other kids soccer and baseball games and practices when they do not conflict with mutual or coaching, I am relearning algebra (and Brigitta and I were the only ones in her class to get a finance-type algebra question right last week) and am looking forward to geometry next year, and I read a story to Toren and Sorina most nights. I seem to always be

busy, stressed, but I really enjoy learning and doing things with the family. In fact, one of the things I like most about being scoutmaster is that I hope I will have it down somewhat by the time Dane and Toren are in (hoping that I get to stay in the calling for a few more years at least) – as the General Young Men’s Presidency said, in scouting and Young Men

you spell tenure “T-E-N-Y-E-A-R”. I am looking forward to going to Woodbadge this summer, except that it is the week of July 4th, and I was really concerned about missing visits with my brothers and sisters on the 4th.

Family: We’ve had our first campout to Moab already this year with Kimberly’s Family. The weather was slightly warm. The kids had a blast in the campground pool, three hours at the pool, two days in a row. We got to so some hiking around

Arches. The kids love Sand Dune Arch. Shawn was able to hike to Dark Angel with the adults (Kimberly and Grandma Nonie stayed with the kids) and he really enjoyed himself : no kids, slow wife or Scouts. It’s been a good 15 years since that has happened. We are planning on attending Woodbadge with Shawn this year as a family. The family camp is at

Camp Bartlett and goes Monday through Saturday in July. Then, two weeks later Shawn takes his group up to Loll. Dane is 10 and is heading to San Francisco in later September to attend a Navy Ship Reunion with Grandpa Wilson’s friends the Ed and MaryAnne Tostanoski (we had our reception at their house in San !Francisco). Toren is going to Disneyland, again, this fall with Kalii for her 5th birthday (she went with him on his 5th birthday).

We love you all.

Shawn, Kimberly, Brigitta, Dane, Toren, Sorina (and

Sophie and Joshie the cats, and Lady Frankie the Dog

[she has blue eyes, like old “Blue Eyes”]).

Dane and Brigitta’s Piano Recital

Thursday, June 2, 2005 at 7pm

Layton Library at 155 Wasatch Dr

Less than 1 hour

Baseball Schedules

TOREN MON/WED

MAY 9 !!!!!!!!!!!!!6PM !!!!ADAMS/CTR FIELD

MAY 11 !!!!!!!!!!!6PM !!!!ADAMS/CTR FIELD

MAY 16 !!!!!!!!!!!6PM !!!!ADAMS/CTR FIELD

MAY 18 !!!!!!!!!!!6PM !!!!VAEVIEW FIELD 2

MAY 23 !!!!!!!!!!!7PM !!!!ADAMS/W FIELD

MAY 25 !!!!!!!!!!!6PM !!!!ADAMS/CTR FIELD

JUNE 6 !!!!!!!!!!!!6PM !!!!ADAMS/E FIELD

JUNE 8 !!!!!!!!!!!!5PM !!!!VAEVIEW/ FIELD 2

JUNE 13 !!!!!!!!!!7PM !!!!ADAMS/W FIELD

JUNE 15 !!!!!!!!!!7PM !!!!ADAMS/CTR FIELD !!!!!!

!

DANE MON/WED

!MAY 9 !!!!!!!!!!!!!6:15PM ELLISON FIELD 2

MAY 11 !!!!!!!!!!!6:15PM WENDALL

MAY 16 !!!!!!!!!!!6:15PM ELLLISON FIELD 1

MAY 18 !!!!!!!!!!!5PM !!!!STARKEY !!

MAY 23 !!!!!!!!!!!5PM !!!!ELLISON FIELD 2

MAY 25 !!!!!!!!!!!5PM !!!!WENDALL

JUNE 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!5PM !!!!ELLISON FIELD 1

JUNE 6 !!!!!!!!!!!!5PM !!!!STARKEY

JUNE 8 !!!!!!!!!!!!5PM !!!!ELLISON 2

"siovhan.lorelle"

How we love to hear from our beloved grandchildren even if is only in short notes like the following:

Grammy--
 
I am planning on dropping off my car next Monday. I will leave it full of gas and leave a key with you. My mom said that she talked to you and informed you that you might need to go and start it up every few weeks or so, so that the battery doesn't die completely.  I'm bringing Heather down with me so that she can drive me back up to Provo. I am going to be staying with her so that she can drive me to the Airport--as you will have kids and Grandpa is going to be laid up. 
 
I love you and I will talk to you soon.  I will also get the information for the "Trauntvein Times" in soon. 
 
Love,
Siovhan

clothes make the man. naked people have little or no influence in society.                                            --mark twain--

I haven't forgotten you!

In answer to your question, Barbara, I am still here.


I think having a husband who has had foot surgery and is bed-bound must be as close to having a new baby in the house as you can get. He is, of course, grown-up about it all but I still have to get up two or three times a night to give him meds and he has to have help to do most everything. We got him a wheelchair on Saturday and that has helped us both. He just had the surgery on Wednesday. He must be off of his foot for at least three weeks, meaning that he can not put any pressure on it at all, so that the bones will grow and heal. It is not much fun for him and I am tired.

I hope all is still going well. Tell Erin that I found her necklace under the edge of the basket of flowers in the blue bedroom when I was dusting. I will send it soon. (Depending on whether I ever get to the post office when it is open.) Tell the little ones that we love them very much.

Take care. 

Love, Myrna

Were you there, Charlie?

When I was small and would seem to be bragging and stretching the truth, my grandmother would say: “Were you there, Charlie?”

My grandmother was born in 1894 so a lot of the stories and quotes she used were from a time two generations before I showed up on the scene. She told me that the saying came from an old radio program but she didn’t ever say which one. She said that the star of the show would tell impossible stories and, when questioned, would say: “Were you there, Charlie?”

I decided to look up the old saying after I ran across a story using it. It was a news story discussing the closure of the GM  Janesville, Wisconsin, plant as written By Charlie LeDuff and Danny Wilcox Frazier. The teaser for the article included the words: “Were you there Charlie?" 

It turns out that the saying was the creation of radio comic, Jack Pearl. In the show, the Baron Munchausen, Pearl’s creation, was a braggart whose wild anecdotes, uttered with a Jewish/”Mittle European” accent testified to his unlikely acts. The Baron character was loosely based on the real Baron Münchhausen, a teller of tall tales.

Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, Freiherr von Münchhausen, who lived in the 1700s, was known as Baron Münchausen in English. He was a German nobleman born in Bodenwerder and became famous for his tall tales.

The real Baron served in the Russian military and was a soldier in two campaigns against the Ottoman Turks. When he returned home, Münchhausen, according to contemporary reports, told some outrageously farfetched stories about his adventures. For example, the Baron's astounding feats included riding cannonballs, traveling to the Moon, and escaping from a swamp by pulling himself up by his own hair. In some versions, he reportedly said he had pulled himself up by his own bootstraps.

Pearl’s Baron always addressed skepticism with a catchphrase that once was as familiar to Americans as "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" is today. Uttered as: “Vas you dere, Sharlie?” The phrase translated to: "Were you there, Charlie?"

When the straight man (originally Ben Bard, but later Cliff Hall), expressed doubt about the story being told, the Baron replied: "Vass you dere, Sharlie?" His coined catch phrase soon became part of the national vocabulary.

Jack Pearl (Jack Perlman) was born on October 29, 1894, in New York City, and died on December 25, 1982.

He began his carrer as a vaudeville performer. He was then a star of early radio. Pearl made an easy transition from vaudeville to broadcasting when he introduced his character Baron Munchausen on The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air in 1932.  

All this searching began because of some political quotes I read in a news report where the “The Speaker’s Quote Book” by Roy B. Zuck, includes the following quote on Page 115 under the heading, Creation: “Joe and Charlie were arguing about Genesis 1:1. Joe said he believed the record of creation just as it was written. Charlie was an unbeliever, and went to great lengths in giving his own theory of how the world began and then how life developed from a primordial cell through reptiles, monkeys, and up to man. When he was all through, Joe looked at him and said, “Were you there, Charlie?” It was a good question. “Of course I wasn’t there,” he replied. Joe said, “Well, God was. He was the only one there and I’ll take the word of the Eyewitness rather than the guesses of those who rely on their own imagination.”

The same quote is used (no author is attributed at either source) by M.R. De Hann, on the radio program, “Our Daily Bread” on the show aired on April 9, 2000.

I suppose I am passing the saying along to another generation just as are the news reporters of today. We are using a quote that originated back in the 1930s on a radio show that most have all but forgotten. The other day, one of my little granddaughters told quite a tall tale. I asked her: “Were you there, Charlie?”

Erin and Donovin Visit

To Barbara:


I hope the little ones had as much fun here with me as I had having them here. They are great fun. Donovin is learning to talk really well and everyday he says some other new and wonderful thing. Of course, we all think that Erin is the little princess. Uncle Jim, in fact, calls her, “Erin Lenora Princess Trauntvein.”

We had the Howard cousins stay overnight on Wednesday so they could have fun together. The little girls: Alyssa, Megan, and Erin even shared one queen-sized bed. They said they slept well and had fun. They boys also camped out but Donovin gave up and slept with me because he wanted to “hold me.” So we slept on a regular-sized bed and the other boys slept on a queen Leonard got a bed to himself, poor boy.

In addition, on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, the Eric Trauntvein kids were here during the day. Just the two youngest, Maddilyn and A.J. Until evening. Then the other two boys and their mom came and picked them up. But they had fun riding bikes, playing on the swings, playing dolls and cars and just having fun. 

Bree did look better--healthier. So, for that matter, did David.  


Bree also said she was worried that the daycare you and David picked out was not clean. You can tell me if you think that is true. David says he thinks it is clean. If it weren’t then it couldn’t be licensed. The facility is inspected.

Give the little ones hugs and kisses. I do love them so very much. They make my heart happy. I hope they will have good and happy lives. I also hope that David and Bree have happy lives. I know that being a daddy makes David happy. Being a parent has always made me happy. For that matter, being a grandparent has always made me happy. I just love young people.


I am still working on being what I hope is a good parent and what I hope is a good grandma. I hope someday that I really do get it.

It is back to you, Grandma.


Love, M

Todd and Family Moved to Ohio

We all have new e-mail accounts.  

Todd = ttrauntv@columbus.rr.com
Amy = atraunt@columbus.rr.com
Michael = mtrauntv@columbus.rr.com
Tyler = dinodig@columbus.rr.com
Emily = emilyjessie@columbus.rr.com

Our new address is: 

78 Weeping Willow Run Rd
Johnstown, OH 43031

Phone: (740) 967-0756

We kept our cell-phones; however, our service here is not the best I have seen.  Sometimes, we get the calls and sometimes it goes straight to e-mail.

The cell numbers are:

Todd = 8013687591
Amy = 8013687987

Things are working well.  We have most of the stuff out of the boxes and are working on cleaning up the garage and extra items.  We have a couple of pieces of furniture to buy, such as a couch and a dining room table with chairs.

The kids all started school today.  All of them came home saying they wanted to go back tomorrow and each of them made a number of new aquaintences today--we'll see if any of them pan out to be true friendships, but it looks good.

Thanks for all your assistance in getting us prepared for the move and lending your support physically and emotionally.  We appreciate it all.

Siovhan Loves the TNT Family

Gram--
 
Do you have Todd and Amy's new address in Ohio? I'd love to write those kids some letters just letting them know that they'll be fine and that I love them dearly. If you could send it to me that would be great. 
 
Love,
Siovhan

clothes make the man. naked people have little or no influence in society.                                            --mark twain--

Package

Melanie wrote:
I sent some Easter candy to do Easter baskets with. I sent some to give to Julie and Jim as well. I put Mary's birthday presents in the box. Thank you for being there for my daughter. I am glad that she is coming to spend time with you.
 
Love you!
Melanie

Myrna wrote:
Oh, oh! Jim and Julie had bought candy for her as well. Jim doesn’t like chocolate. He developed a dislike for it on his mission when that was all he had to eat one day and it made him ill. So I told Julie to keep her candy and trade it back to the store. I gave all the candy you sent to Siovhan and told her to share with the guys and with Heather.

I had some candy chocolate Easter eggs and kept those for Dad LHT.

Siovhan is fun to have around. We enjoyed our visit with her and hope she enjoyed hers with us. I made butter flake rolls and sent a few back with her. We had smoked turkey breast, Dad’s favorite. We sent a bit of that back with her as well.

I’ll send some photos another day.

Love, Mom

Please Send to Helen

Hi, Myrna- I sent an e-mail back last week on the one you sent requesting some information on the Trauntvein family indicating Eva would probably have that. I also asked if you would send Shawn and Kimberly's e-maill address. The one I have and have used in the past has worked. One I sent to them last week came back from the service indicating the receiver not know.  I haven't heard back from you so don't know whether you received mine. Would you please send me their correct e-mail. When I spoke with Tim last night he said it is Marys' birthday- What a wonderful milestone for all. Have a special Easter- love Helen