When I start thinking about my childhood I see a picture in my head of a place or an event. One picture or memory will trigger another and then I think of things I haven't thought of for years. I don't really know if that is what really happened or just my perception of what happened. Probably most of our life experiences are our own take on things. Life as always seen through our "ME" glasses. That is a good reason to write a journal or diary so that things are recorded soon after they happen and may have a chance of being accurate.
Linda Weiser Leeper personal history. Instalement #2
I played the violin in elementary school and played with the Ricks College symphony. I hauled the violin 2 blocks to school and then 5 blocks through town, up College Ave and to my lesson from Prof Dietmar. He was patient since I wasn’t very good but I was learning the vibrato. I used to practice upstairs in the mortuary because there was a piano there and sometimes a body was quietly lying in the next room. At the time it didn’t seem unusual. I played in the orchestra in Jr. High school but abruptly quit when a friend teased me by saying it was a stupid instrument and that I should be in the cool band instead. I then started playing the French horn in the band. My friend, Elaine Ritchie, and I played a French horn duet in a competition and I was so scared I couldn’t make a sound come out of the horn. “Please give me another chance”, I pled to the judges. After several attempts I finally was able to toot a weakened rendition of what we had practiced for so many weeks. That was one of my worst childhood memories.
I crashed the symbols in the marching band because the French horn was not a good marching instrument. Early one morning I did a terrible thing to my father. He was bending over while getting eggs for his breakfast out of the refrigerator. I crept up behind him and crashed the symbols a few feet away from his head. He jumped so high I had to help him off of the ceiling. “ *#+$%^&*” , was all I remember him saying, He was very mad at me but we later laughed about it when his hearing finally came back. Sometimes I do things out of impulse without thinking though the consequences you know like sticking my tongue on ice cube tray.
Music adds much joy to my life. Besides the violin and French horn I played the guitar and piano. If I had only stuck with one instrument I could have been good but no I had to keep trying different ones. Part of my personality demands lots of different things going on at once. I have had a zillion hobbies over the years and still like lots of projects. In fact there is hardly a subject which doesn’t grab my attention and make me want to participate. Favorite interests of mine include genealogy, gardening, cooking, golf, knitting, reading, movies, stained glass, hiking, photography, grandkids, gospel study, birds, crossword puzzles, travel, bridge, yada yada, zzzzzzzzz.
When I was 12 an event happened which had a marked impact on my use of time. My brother, Paul, had returned from his mission to Mexico and Guatemala. He was in Medical school at the University of Utah. When my parents and I visited him in 1952 a passing comment he made caught in my mind and has influenced my life ever since. Paul said of his roommate, “He is always busy and never wastes a single minute.” I don’t know why but I thought to myself that I want to be that way. As a result I have never let my time pass idly unless that is part of my plan for the day. I am hyperactive and over programmed most of the time but that is when I am the happiest. I may be busy for business’ sake but later in my life I have tried to stay involved with things which have eternal consequences. I’m not sure how golf fits into this scheme but I use the excuse that it is one of the few things that Larry and I have in common besides the children and a love of dark chocolate and movies.
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