The Beginning

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Lorinda's life began on a lovely summer day -- June 28, 1962. It was a Thursday afternoon (3:10pm) that she came weighing in at 8bs 9oz and and 21 inches long.

~To my good fortune, I joined the family of Junior Allen Cook and Mary Hendrix Cook. (There is some confusion regarding my father's name... it could be Allen Cook, Jr. or maybe even Emerson Cook. Someday I'll know for sure...) The totally incredible thing is - I'm the tenth child of Junior and Mary. My oldest brother, Les, was 12 when I was born. Next were Darryl, Jaylyne, Randy, Karleen, Danna, Eddie, Lyndon and Corwin. The favored was saved for last -- ME!

~There is a story about my name... apparently my mother was planning to name me "Darla Jean". My sister suggested "Lorinda" and it was liked by all. I don't know if that is correct, but I'm so very relieved that I'm not a Darla Jean. THANK YOU Karleen!

~Pocatello, my birthplace, was also my hometown for 28 years. They were good years. I felt grounded with my large family and the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Interesting word -- a couple of Webster's definitions of "ground" are 'to instruct in fundamentals' and 'basis for belief or action'.) I felt emotionally stable growing up as the youngest "COOK" for so many years. We weren't extremely affectionate amongst ourselves, but we felt very loved by our mother.

~My father bought two city lots for $500 cash in the early fifties and built a basement house. It was about 3 or 4 feet above ground and he had framed and enclosed the upstairs before I was born. Those were the days. He was constantly improving what we had and made all repairs himself in the house (plumbing, electrical, take this wall out, etc.) and on all cars and other machinery. He worked at FMC as a mechanic and before that was trained to be a carpenter. He admitted that as a young man he considered banking as a career. He never had debt and I remember that at one time he considered buying a house in the country - but the bank wouldn't give him a loan. He didn't have a credit rating.

~The biggest turmoil in our home came around 5:30pm, Monday through Friday. At the time, I didn't understand the storm of anger that racked through the house when my father would come home from work. He would come in and find laundry baskets of clothes sitting nearby and clothes hanging up in the doorway. Obviously that was disturbing to him and they would often be kicked out of the way. Well, it wasn't pleasant. I think about it now and try to imagine the pressure he must have felt being physically and financially responsible for ten little bodies and a wife. It makes my judgment less critical... and he was a great father in many other ways.

~He was a younger twin to his sister June. Would you be surprised to learn they were born in June? I don't understand much of his childhood. But as an adult/father, it was obvious to all that he was hardworking

, dedicated to his family, and always kept his word. He loved his parents and we often spent weekends visiting and helping them in their yard or garden. My father didn't cry unless you caught him talking about family. That included his ancestors, parents, brothers and sisters, and children and later grandchildren. He didn't verbally express his love. But he was proud of his children and was supportive of their endeavors. He also had a great love for genealogy work and made yearly trips to Salt Lake City to study and delve into records with the intent of locating more names and information.

~I was well cared for and nurtured by my mother. She taught me at a young age to pray, to trust in God, to be happy and to have fun. She is an incredible woman of faith and was often found up to her elbows in bread dough (making 12 loaves three times a week) and laundry. She worked hard to keep our large family well fed. A typical dinner consisted of 12 small hamburgers (with onions, carrots and sometimes tofu to stretch the meat), potatoes, green beans and a very large cobbler with canned milk on top. She sewed all of our clothes as children and a lot of them in our teens. The girls had matching Christmas dresses every year and new flannel nightgowns under the tree, while the the boys had pajamas. I remember that she'd remove the elastic off my brother's undershorts and use it in new pants and shorts for other kids. She would dry most laundry outside - spring, summer, fall and yes - even winter. Towels would often hang out in the winter wonderland of snow. Granted - they didn't create a 'post card picture'. For that you had to look west and then your eyes would behold the snowcapped mountains along the ridge of our valley. One of my favorite mental pictures. It was funny to watch her bring in frozen towels. They were stiff and icy. Every fall we were all included in the process of canning tomatoes, pears, peaches, apricots, beans, beets, chicken, and any other produce we could get. She tried making catsup, cottage cheese and many other things that I've tried and successfully forgotten. She sprouted wheat and beans, made her own penicillin from moldy cheese, dried bananas like their going to be extinct tomorrow and is healthier than any horse. Speaking of which, she adopted a title of "old gray mare." It fits since she's been gray haired since 40. I've always felt so blessed to be her daughter.

~This is just the beginning... a part of my story... a sample of my wonderful life!