Everyday Photos by Jodi Anderson

dreamy diana and dreamy winter solstice planning

 

(The above photo was snapped with the Dreamy Diana lens that I purchased from Photojojo.  Oy, the learning curve.  So, if you see some not-so-pretty photos on my site, just pretend that you are dreaming, please, and hopefully not having a nightmare.) 

Otherwise, today is all about planning for tomorrow -- Winter Solstice!  My favorite dark day of the year.  I I purchased Sting's new album, "If On A Winter's Night" and I'm listening to that now while multi-tasking -- writing this little post, planning food and events for tomorrow, prepping the house for a season of celebration.  I am so at peace.   

I can not end this post without acknowledging that my dad died 33 years ago today.  He left, but he is not lost.  I see that my hands are the feminine version of his hands.  My science-minded view was directly influenced by his own.  My eyes squint when I laugh, as his, and my eyes squint in the bright snow, as his.  I know that he lived as though every day was his last. 

I live every day. 

 (1976)

nostalgia

[ where my grandma grew up; wisconsin river is just behind the house ]


[ great-grandparents therkelsson-malone ]


[ back of photo lists boy as Bobby K ... not a sister; grandma is back row, second from left ]


[ basically, all malone family minus two; grandma, back row second from left ]

mom

Photo taken by my stepdad, circa 1977.

grandma anderson

I've been wanting to write a nice post about how Grandma Anderson is my greatest female role model, but I'm not too wordy lately, not too into writing blog posts.  (Obviously.)  So, I will type that another day, and for now, more snapshots ...

*She is on the right in the last two photos.  My dad is on the left in the last.

locked-up browser, i hate thee

I wrote a really nice post about my grandpa, Garland Anderson, and his service during WWII, which included defeating the enemy at a concentration camp in Italy.  Unfortunately, my browser froze up and I lost the post because I was relying on Typepad's new auto-save feature ... which FAILED. 

Aargh.

Instead, I'm going the easy route second time around and posting a photo of him.  He received one purple heart and two oak leaf clusters for his service. 

Below, Grandpa and Grandma (who had total-knee replacement surgery today, at age 85), Grandpa and my dad, and Dad, who was in the service but did not fight in the Vietnam War.  My grandpa and dad have both long-since passed. 

Oh, and look!  There's my dad with my mom, Uncle Tim (in uniform!), and wee me.

I've been meaning to do a post about Grandma Anderson, pictured above, and how much I look up to her.  Maybe next week, or the week after, once I have scanned some new photos.

In the meantime, theother23 will be home in less than two days!!!!

 

My stepdad sent these photos to me.  The first is a picture of me, age seven, and the second is my grandpa.  Both are from the late 1970s.   

Please excuse me for this personal moment, but I need to do this every year.

Richard Garland Anderson (May 13, 1948 - December 20, 1976), this is your life ...

[ April 1948 ]


[ 1948 ]


[ 1949 - Love this shot of Grandpa ]


[ 1961 ]


[ 1964 ]


[ 1965 ]


[ 1967 ]


[ June 14, 1969 ]


[ December 31, 1969 ]


[ 1972 ]


[ 1975 ]


[ 1975 ]


[ 1976 ]

---

I can't shake the memory of approaching the open coffin for the last time, with my grandma and her sisters, and all of them breaking down at once.

---

On the upside, theother23 comes home this evening.

EDIT:  He won't be home until tomorrow.  His second flight has been delayed due to problems with the plane, so he'll be home around noon on Friday.  *SIGH!!!*

In honor of Veteran's Day, I present Garland Anderson, recipient of one purple heart and two oak leaf clusters.  Photo circa WWII, Italy.

Circa 1978.