My Creative Friend Shirley Ann!

I was delighted to be a part of Shirley Ann and Don Hales' 70th (Did I get that right? 70 YEARS!) Anniversary Celebration. 

Shirley Ann and I have been friends since we met over 15 years ago. (I was the 3rd "Shirley" when I moved into the neighborhood!) Then it was just Shirley Ann and me, but now she's the only one left, since I moved to a place that was previously Shirley-less.

The thing about Shirley Ann and me is that we are both creative people. We are happiest when we have our tools. For her, it's wood and a carving knife. (She carves the most beautiful dolls and other figures.) For me, it's paper and something to write with.

We're both young at heart gals, not letting some arbitrary age number define what we "can" and "can't" do, or even what we want to do!

I love Shirley Ann, with her fancy name while I'm just plain Shirley, and am so glad she's my friend.

Who is one of your friends? What do you like about him/her?

Under Son

by Shirley Bahlmann
I just finished a week and a half long stint at the Mormon Miracle Pageant in sunny, mosquito-infested Manti, Utah. My routine was pretty much get up at 6:00 a.m., clean the alternative high school in readiness for Summer School classes, feed and water our pets since that's the only way I could be certain they'd remain alive, then be in my Craft Fair booth by 10:00 a.m. (I didn't have to go except when it was my turn to take the till, but more people bought books when I was there to threaten them with paper cuts if they didn't.) I stayed among the paper and glossy covers until it was time to do my part in the Pageant, which started at 9:30 p.m. (I was a wicked Shaman who led people astray from Third Nephi.) Home by 11:30, I was in bed soon after, unless my restless 8-year-old made it later.
Later, rinse, repeat.
I met some interesting people in my book booth. One fellow who appeared deceptively young had a double super hero cape velcroed around his neck. On one side was the Superman symbol, the other side showed Batman. One lady who shared my booth asked the young hero which super dude he was. "Are you Batman or Superman?" was her innocent question.
The boy fixed her with deadly laser beam eyes. "I'm Under Son," he declared, clearly irritated that she did not recognize him by sight. (How could she have known his real cape was at the cleaners?)
"Under Son?" the lady asked, unaware of the mortal danger she put herself in by questioning his identity. Her life was saved by the lad's older sister, who obviously had super powers of her own. She grabbed Under Son's shoulders and held him fast.
"It's like Under Dog," the girl explained. "Only he's Under Son."
Ah.
That boy has a big future. I could tell by his cape-swaying swagger as he left us without a backward glance. (Under Son never glances backwards.)
I'll tell you what... if I'm ever in danger, I'll run to the nearest kindergarten class and call for Under Son, the hero of limitless creativity.

Baling Twine Necktie

by Shirley Bahlmann
It can be traumatic being fourteen. When my son went to a school dance on Friday, they turned him away at the door because he didn't have a necktie on. Angry and embarrassed, he left, declaring that he wasn't going back to that stupid school on Monday. Well, he didn't go back, because he got the flu, but that's not the point.
The point is that when his 17-year-old brother heard what happened, he said, "If they told me I needed a tie, I would have gone outside and found an old piece of baling twine or something of the ground. I would have tied it around my neck, then gone back and said, 'I've got a tie, now let me in.'"
I was impressed by his ingenuity. His attitude made me want to make things work that really matter to me. I hope you'll keep plenty of baling twine neckties on hand for your emergencies, too.
Cheers!