bethdayley

Indian Paintbrush

I am angry. Spread out like an old fly on a dissecting table, unable to move up or down. I am furious at the girls, especially my teenage daughter Diana. If it were not for them, I would not be stretched out on this rocky slope, with the rocks sliding beneath me, and the birds—areContinue reading “Indian Paintbrush”

An Idaho Farmboy

My husband Ed was an Idaho farm boy who mentally never really left the farm. He grew up in Southern Idaho where his close and extended family grew potatoes. He got this rich dirt into his veins and could never get it out. One of his earliest memories is as a small child out onContinue reading “An Idaho Farmboy”

For Such a Time as This

She was ten years old when she was captured by enemies and carried away into captivity. There she was raised as a servant, learning the language and skills of her new people. At the age of sixteen, she was sold to a white trader who made her his wife. It was at that time whenContinue reading “For Such a Time as This”

How Flu Affects Teens

(circa 1985–Italy) I don’t need to look at the calendar to know what time of year it is–by all of the coughing, sneezing, and suffering going on at our house it must be the cold and flu season. And this year’s strain of “B-Victoria” flu can be far more dangerous than you expect. Not onlyContinue reading “How Flu Affects Teens”

The Key to My Dreams

As a teenager, I was a major Grinch. During my senior year especially, I was surly and uncommunicative. It wasn’t just our family’s financial situation—we were not the poorest family in our neighborhood, but we were not well-to-do. I’d grown up in West Bountiful (on the other side of the tracks) and we’d moved toContinue reading “The Key to My Dreams”

Shivaree

I was very nervous about going up to Burley, Idaho for our Open House after our wedding in 1963. We’d been married the week before, gone on our honeymoon, and now a week later we were having an open house reception at his brother’s home in his hometown to celebrate our wedding. It wasn’t thatContinue reading “Shivaree”

The Night the Sky Exploded

Vicenza, Italy military housing complex Fall 1984 ‘Even the cornstalks seem menacing,’ I thought as we followed the narrow path through them toward the military housing. The cornfields back home had never seemed as tall or as threatening. They hadn’t blocked out the sun or shed strange menacing shadows as these did. I tried toContinue reading “The Night the Sky Exploded”

My Mother’s Cooking

My mother was not a great cook. To her cooking was the way to prepare food so your family didn’t starve, and in as inexpensive a manner as possible! She had a large family, seven children, too much to do, and it was just another chore. She was an artist, and she saved her creativityContinue reading “My Mother’s Cooking”

The Luck of the Irish

My husband, Ed, has the luck of the Irish. He can find a parking place right by the front door of stores (even in Los Angeles where there are no parking places), whereas I feel lucky if I find a parking place in the a mile away. He win raffles, is chosen first for teamsContinue reading “The Luck of the Irish”

Artifact or Junk

We had been stationed at a military base in Northern Italy for 2 ½ years, and at never had the chance to get to Greece. So, in Easter of 1987, we celebrated by taking our children, 18-year-old Athena, 17-year-old Marc, 10-year-old Diana and baby Bryan to Greece for spring break. Our oldest, Marlowe was onContinue reading “Artifact or Junk”