questionsandanswers

Questions and Answers: We have put the two most requested questions here at the top: Who is your favorite grandchild? The last one who visited, of course! Who is your favorite child? You know who you are. But, lets keep it a secret, Steven. What is your very first memory of Dad/Grandpa Orrock? At Monroe Hot Springs, when I was 15, I was putting a nickel into the jukebox, and he said, “Did YOU play that?” when a cowboy song came on, and I said, “No, I did not,” and walked away in a huff. What was your first date with Dad/Grandpa Orrock? A few days after we met at the Hot Springs, his friend, who knew me, called me first and asked if I had a date this Saturday and if I wanted to go with his friend, Scott. He said, “I know him. He’s a good guy.” I was embarrassed because I didn’t have a date. Then he put Scott on, who asked me to go to the dance with him. He asked me if I remembered him, and I didn’t. I only remembered someone irritating asking that. I asked him how tall he was because I had bought some new wedgies and wanted to wear them. He gave me some ridiculous answer, so I still had no idea. I was pleasantly surprised when he came to the door. We went to a dance at the Legion Hall in Elsinore, where they always had a Saturday night dance, which included a piano—Chitester’s Band. Everybody came to the dances, all ages, from the town and all over. Scott was taller than anyone there, so I could see him all over the dance floor. What was your second date? It was a steak fry up Richfield Canyon with his friends. I didn’t know them. Just he and I sat on the picnic table and talked. I was so uncomfortable and didn’t know what to wear. They were all from the big city of Richfield, and I was worried. But he was easy to talk to. What was the most memorable experience you shared before you got married? We were coming home from a dance after he had gotten out of the service, and Scott reached over to give me a kiss, and he went off the road, hit a covert and sent the car rolling over and over. We climbed out the back window. I got cut near my left eye, right eye and a big gash on my right arm, and Scott just had a bump on his head. I started walking into the field and realized what I was doing, and I laughed. “This is dumb. What am I doing?” We went to the hospital, got stitched up, went home, and Scott said, “Make a little noise so they know we’re here.” My mother, who had not yet met Scott, came to the top of the stairs. Scott felt like an absolute jerk when I said, “We’ve been in a little accident.” She said, “I wondered when that was going to happen.” Then I introduced him. How did you get engaged? We had been writing during his mission. Nothing was actually said about marriage, but there was “an understanding”. After he came home from his mission, he moved to Provo into our house, where he got work at Geneva Steel Plant. He slept on the couch. One night, we were talking in the livingroom alone, and I said, “Well, when are we going to get married?” because everyone had been asking about it. He never let me forget that. Later, we were sitting on the couch alone, and he gave me an engagement ring, which I didn’t really believe was a real diamond, because he would tease me all the time. I said yes. Nothing exciting. What was yours and Dad’s/Grandpa’s favorite song? It was called, “The Girl That I Marry” from a Broadway show called, “The Girl From Utah.” What was your first impression of Grandpa? When I met him, it was a pleasant one, because he was nice and tall. [See the videotaped interviews on YouTube of both Mom/Grandma and Dad/Grandpa for more details about their beginnings.] When did you take specific interest in Grandpa as far as courtship was concerned? When he challenged me about a specific fellow that I had dated often before I met Scott, whom he had seen drinking, and wasn’t going to be a competition for someone like that. What stands out about Christmas when you were young? When my father would bring in the pinion pine, I was lost in Christmas! What are some of your favorite activities that your family did together when you were younger? Going up Cottonwood or Red Canyon. We didn’t do anything special otherwise because we had no money and never traveled. What color are my eyes? Hazel. What is your favorite movie? I have two right now: “Enchanced April” and “Prince of Persia.” What is your favorite TV show? (This is exactly how she answered): I go to bed with Perry Mason. Also, “The Closer” and “NCIS”. What is your favorite meal? Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad, any kind of corn and a hot fudge sundae. Hamburgers (I prefer them charbroiled) are my comfort food, because Scott used to get them for me when I had been working hard inside or outside. He wouldn’t always get one for himself, but he knew I was very tired and loved them. I also really love crunchy cookies, like overdone sugar cookies or any kind. What is your favorite snack? In my computer room, I have mixed nuts with a little candy thrown in, like Peanut M&Ms. What is your most memorable vacation after you were married? There are two that really stand out: When we went with Julie and David for a trip up the coast where she had lived. That was when we had the big blue van in Page, Arizona. The second was the first time Scott and I went to Hawaii when he was directing the BYU tours. What is your most treasured thing? My wig! What is your favorite piece of music? I’ve always liked the music from Broadway shows. What is your favorite bird? Songbirds and ones with color. What is your favorite flower? Honeysuckle, lilacs (they were Grandma’s, takes me back), plumeria (from Hawaii), and sweat peas (I hope when I get to the other side, I will find sweat pea blossoms to greet me.) What is your favorite gun? The kind I played with when I was young. I just didn’t have a holster to put it in. What is your favorite house you’ve ever lived in? The house in St. George. What side of the bed do you sleep on? Facing the bed, the left side. If you could visit anywhere in the world that you haven’t been, where would it be? I would like to see Winston Churchill’s estate because there is a garden there that he designed and created himself. If you could be famous for something, what would it be? Writing. What skill or ability do you wish you had learned when you were young? To play the viola. I gave up on it and I wish I hadn’t. The orchestra teacher, Mr. Hilgendorf, and Mother begged me to continue because I had a natural ability (I was First Chair), but I wanted to taking Typing instead. What are some of your pet peeves? People leaving the toilet seat up; and people who live behind me, across the tracks, who turn up their music and the bass booms horribly when they are outside working, bless their hearts. Who was your favorite pet? Troubles when I was young, and Tiny. What is your favorite color? Red and yellow. I think of them in flowers. What household chores do you enjoy when you’re not feeling crummy? I just enjoy cleaning. I make lists, and I enjoy crossing off my lists as I complete my tasks. I like completing things. What household chore do you wish you never had to do again? Dusting my computer room. There’s too much stuff around. What church ward do you wish you had never had to leave? My current ward, right here, right now. I love and enjoy the people. I sit and listen to the mostly big women talk about food and where they’ve been to eat and what was wonderful there, etc. But that’s not the whole of it. I just enjoy my friend, Ivonne. We could do anything together and it would be really fun—shopping, movie, whatever. What swear word do you wish you could say when it would seem appropriate? Dammit. (That doesn’t make me sound very nice.) I heard my mother say that once when she dropped the turkey on the floor. First and last time I ever heard it from her. How tall are you? Used to be 5 feet, 4 and a-half inches; now I’m 5 feet 2. How tall do you wish you were? I’m happy where I am now, but I wish I had a longer waist. If you could change anything about yourself physically, what would it be? To have nice, thick hair. What is your favorite room of any house you have lived in? A toss up between my bedroom in St. George; but I also love my computer room in St. George because it had built-ins and a better setup. I loved being there because I had always wanted it and never had it, and then we moved. It was a pleasant room to be in. That’s where I started writing family history. Daddy (Scott) was in the house and we could talk. He would be watching TV, and I knew he was happy. What movie star did you have a crush on when you were young? (I had a lot of crushes, but I can’t remember their names.) Oh: Paul Newman, Clark Gable (after “Gone with the Wind”). What movie star do you have a crush on now? I don’t have a crush on anybody now, but I like good acting. I liked the guys in “Sherlock Holmes”: Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law. I’m too old for a crush. But I like a really good actor. I bet Michael Kitchen would be enjoyable to be with. He was the owner of the place in “Enchanted April”. Now, he’s in “Foyle’s War” on BBC. If I were younger, I could go for him. I like his style, his demeanor, he’s smart. What was Dad’s pet name or what did he call you? Sometimes he called me Gert because he knew me down in Salina. There was a girl in Aunt Jean’s classroom with problems named Elmy Gerber, so Aunt Jean started calling me Elmy Gerber. Then she and her friends shortened it and started calling me Gert. When we were living in St. George, he would walk in the house and say, “Where’s my mommie?” Sometimes, he would come up behind me and quietly say, “Gotcha” and I would jump. Aunt Jean conditioned me because she used to do that when we were young. She would hide and jump out and say, “Gotcha!” and scare me to death. Scott picked up on that. What is your favorite hymn? The one I want sung at my funeral, but I don’t remember what it’s called. What is the most boring thing you can imagine to do? Being someplace without a book—Doctor’s office, stuck in traffic, etc. I used to read when I was doing the dishes. I would prop up a book in front of me and wash dishes when we lived in the pink house. If you could do any one activity all the time, guilt free, what would it be? Read. What is your favorite book? I’ve read lots and lots of books! Jane Eyre was one of my favorites. I also loved Rebecca. Another one is Dandelion Wine. If you’d had another child, what would you have named it? I can’t say Tiny, can I? Okay. I really liked a girl name Marie and one named Nancy. I can’t think of another boy’s name I would have used. If you could ask Dad any question, what would it be? How soon can I come? What is the first thing you will say to Dad when you see him again? I told you to put the bug spray on! Oh, and I love you! What is the first thing you will say to your mother when you see her again? I love you! What is the first thing you will say to your father when you see him again? I love you! What was your favorite candy growing up? Hershey’s chocolate. They were bigger and thicker then. What was your favorite subject in school? Drama. I was in five or six plays. I got an A in Drama and in Gym. Some of the teachers were nice to me because of the plays I was in. What was your least favorite subject in school? Geometry when I was a senior. Nightmares for years. The teacher would give us the assignment, then he would walk out of the classroom, get a Coke, come back, tell the smart kids that if they won their basketball game that night, you wouldn’t have any homework. He made fun of me if I asked any questions. I hadn’t had math since 8^th grade. Really smart guys were in my class, like Jay Ballif, who wrote math books for BYU later and taking college credit as juniors. No one could help me at home. It was a nightmare. I got a D+ in that class and in Chemistry, even though I really worked hard to try and figure it out. That’s not how my brain worked. This was at BY High School, where I went only my senior year, because we moved to Provo from Salina after my father passed away. I took English with the juniors, who all knew each other and the teachers all knew them but didn’t know me. That teacher never helped me. I may have gotten a C+ but no more. My grades were not that great my senior year. Where did you like to go when you were young to just think or read? Either up in the barn or up in the apple tree. What were some of your favorite things as a child: a Didy Doll (it had a diaper and would “wet” when you gave it a bottle of water); paper dolls of movie stars, like Alice Faye, Sonya Henny, Shirley Temple, and the famous five quintuplets born in Canada—I loved the gowns. A girl drew paper dolls for me—a blond, brunette, red head and one with black hair and drew dresses for them. I cut them out and they were some of my favorites. She was very creative. What were some of your favorite things as a teenager? Evening in Paris cologne that my sister gave me; Tabu perfume; a peach colored robe with a tied waist that I really loved; I might have been 14 when my cousin, Shirley, sent me a circular black skirt, the funnest skirt I ever had because I would twirl and twirl in it. What were some of your favorite things as a wife and mother? Being able to play all my records of Broadway musicals and others, such as “Grand Canyon Suite”, on the record player. It made my work much easier and happier when I put the music on and worked through the house. I always had music on. What are some of your favorite things now? Computer with everything, including the music on it; my car to take me everyplace I want to go; my bed with the electric blanket in the winter; almond milk that has made my life easier because I can eat cereal and enjoy it; my deck so I can be outside and so I can look out and see my flowers—when there is a cool breeze blowing, it’s very, very nice; and my house. What is your current favorite piece of clothing? I like my colorful jacket when it’s cool weather. What are your favorite shoes? Sandals, because everything hurts my feet. What is your favorite wig? My new one. As a young child, what did you want to be when you grew up? A mother, and I wanted to raise dogs. I just loved dogs. I was glad I was not a boy because I didn’t want to have to go to work. What is your favorite smell? Sweet peas. If I could smell them all of the time, it would just be happiness. I also like the smell of fresh lumber; cut grass, too. And I love the smells in the mountains. The barnyard, if it isn’t too strong—from my childhood. And nothing like the smell of rain on the concrete and road. Outdoor smells are the best. And fresh-baked bread. What is your favorite sound? Music. Running water, like a stream. Wind going through the trees, like our big poplar tree when I was young, and the quakies when you’re camping. If you had 3 wishes, what would they be? A house for Lana, a car for Jim and that I weigh 30, no let’s say 40 pounds less than I do. Favorite fruit? Watermelon. Favorite vegetable? Corn (even though it’s not technically a vegetable, but who cares?) What is your favorite decoration in your house that you cherish most? The picture of Christ has been with me since the kids were little. The frame and mats have changed but it’s always been the same picture. What is your favorite gift from Dad? He gave me some copper jewelry once. It was very exciting, very “in”, very wonderful. What is your favorite place? The mountains. What is your favorite drink? Strawberry shake, but it upsets my stomach because of the dairy.

If you have a question that you would like Dawn to answer, please email it to lputman@lcsd2.org