Copper Basin at BYU's Museum of Art

Free-Standing Basin  by Tedi Tuttle Wixom 5/21/12

  Copper basin, oh copper basin freestanding and tall

   at least three feet in height; heavily budded tendrils

   woven as large lattice panels on the basin--used for

    child bathing, hand washing, or washing dust from

     weary feet Burnished art beneath of daisy on daisy

      on lily under dotted buds with glossy copper, on

       background of tiny flowers dot to dot around

           heart-shaped petals flowing together forever

           Reflection from a mirror above reveals in-

               side of a five-row pattern of rosettes

                    lilac-like leaves 40 around and

                       more ending in blossoms

                                   next level

                                    forming

                                     a stem

                                of art--again

                               smooth petals

                               on rough back

                                      more

                                     tooled

                                  daisy daisy

                               tooled hearts on

                          background appearing

                  sandlike in texture, but in reality
               flower patterns around and around in
             intricate fashion for all to see and know
         the true designer is the God that dwells inside.

Here's a horse story. I enjoy riding horses. In this picture I am riding Chili Pepper to The Lakes. When I was about 9, I began praying for a horse. My mother from her youth was a horseman and had many stories to tell of outriding some of the boys in High School, and herding cattle. She rode horses of necessity, while being raised in a wild untamed mountain valley in the Rocky Mountains. However, after getting married, she owned no horse for several years. Mother acquired Smokey, a Shetland Pony, for Christmas the year I turned 9; he was a dappled sort of brown with cream colored flowing mane and tail. My older sister decided to give him a Dutch haircut with Mother's fine sewing shears one summer day while Mother was in town shopping. Mother about blew up when she noticed that Smokey looked like a little Dutchman with his mane cut straight across, above his eyes. We should have bought him some wooden shoes to complete the look. Mrs. Tuttle's story can be found in, "Oh Mother! Oh Father! 1947-1967" on www.Amazon.com/author/tedi Tedi Tuttle Wixom, co-author, 410 p. 200+ photos. @tedibooks on Twitter, Pinterest, and "Tedi" on FB, tedibooks.com new eBook website

An Uphill Battle

"It's an uphill battle," Mother always said to me. 
An uphill battle sounds like a fight and struggle to stay free.
If I'm battling uphill it takes guts, hard work, and pain;
But if I never do hard things there is never any gain.

Sunday 9-10 am Everyday People Guests are...

Sunday 9-10 am Everyday People Guests are... Check out my radio spot with Ann in New London, CT. Easter Sunday 9:06 a.m. at 980-AM Talking about Life & Death about book A Whisper of Springtime: Jason's Heart Transplant Miracle. My grandparents settled in New Haven, CT Listen to podcast after it airs.

To the Moon Alice! To the Sun Mr. Obama!

To the Moon Alice! To the Sun Mr. Obama! January 29, 2012 by Tedi Wixom Aug. 31, 2012

Remember on The Honey Mooners with Jackie Gleason as Ralph?

When he was displeased with his wife, Alice?

He’d double up his fist and say, “To the Moon Alice! To the Moon!”

Oh really! How about “To the Sun Mr. Obama, To the Sun!”

The sun is about 93 million miles from Earth.

That is nearly 100,000,000 miles away – 100 million!

Now let’s compare miles to dollars for visualization.

I could travel roundtrip in miles to the Sun and back 5 times

To equal 1,000,000,000 (billion) miles – only 1 billion!

Now think of this as dollars.

However, our national debt is just over

15,000,000,000,000 dollars – that is 15 trillion!

I could travel approximately 75,000 times roundtrip

To the Sun and back to Earth again in miles.

That is why I believe a balanced budget is good.

Mr. Obama says being in debt to China is more important

Than taking responsibility for our national debt..

“To the Sun Mr. Obama – 75,000 times. To the Sun!!”

Who wants to join me in wishing him happy bon voyage?

Does this number representing our National Debt seem possible?

Mr. Obama is caring for each of us, (the father of our nation)

So we will never have to worry our pretty little heads about

Awful, nasty, national decisions like the US spending, debt, or budgets.

“Who wants a budget anyway? These are the modern times,” he croons.

“No need for things that sound so inconvenient or old fashioned.

Go to your homes; all is well. I am so popular that I can fix everything!

Plus, I am very suave, handsome, and brainy--I did attend Harvard!” (Wink wink.)

“All the social programs I implement will be for your wellbeing, because you are . . .

I didn’t mean to say stupid, naive, middleclass, or poor, oh no-no-no I would never

Say that out loud for anyone to hear, because I can relate. Been there, done that!

But for today, I am your King! You are my loyal subjects, so fork over the taxes.”

 I say, “To the Sun Mr. Obama. To the Sun!”

(NOTE: August 31, 2012. National Debt is now 16 Trillion)

Noah Built an Ark, song

Noah Built an Ark by Tedi Tuttle Wixom 3/23/1991, transcribed 3/28/12

To be sung to Mozart’s Turkish March

Noah built an ark

By the Lord’s command

And he blessed the animals

To gather in the land

And they marched up to the mighty ark

And bowed to Noah’s hand.

Chorus:
There were horses, cattle, and some goats.

Eagles, egrets, flamingos, hawks, and doves

Elephants, rhinos, hippos, buffaloes

Tigers, jaguars, cougars, no one shove.

Honey bees in swarms; snakes in Noah’s arms

Ham, Shem, Japheth showed their guests

The rooms where they would park

And the animals came marching, crawling,

Flying into the great big ark.

My Heart

My Heart by Tedi Tuttle Wixom 4/29/99, transcribed 2/28/12

My heart pumps gallons of blood

Throughout my entire body every day.

The blood is flowing, receiving oxygen.

It goes and flows on and on

Giving life, keeping me alive.

Have I ever said, “Thank you,”

To God for this miracle?

Today, I say, “Thank you

For all the intricate things

I don’t comprehend and yet,

I continue breathing

Without thinking about my breathing

In and out, in and out

With my heart pumping,

Whooshing the blood along,

     Along it’s way.”