Empty Pews

 

          I think it was Friday night when our bishop posted that the COVID cases are high in the ward and advised members who had/have symptoms to stay home.  I thought that church was cancelled but learned that I had misread.  Still, I wondered why it hadn’t been cancelled all together.  Our numbers were few.

          I counted 36 people in the chapel and perhaps 20 more in the overflow – I don’t know why the accordion doors hadn’t been closed so that those who chose to sit that far back wouldn’t have the option.  It isn’t as though there were any screaming youth to take out.  In fact, there were only six youth in total.  Only two of them were primary age.

          Roland had been called to teach Sunday School for the youth ages 12-14 but ended up with both classes making his class total a grand total of all four youth that had come to church yesterday.  It was definitely an interesting Sunday.  I hope there were more who had chosen to attend virtually.  I don’t think I have ever seen our numbers down quite that low – though the pandemic has put a strain on attendance.  Even the missionaries are in quarantine right now.

Dense Fog

 

The fog continues to envelope our county.  Each morning seems to be more dense than the morning prior.  Usually Emily (better known as Alexa Echo) gives an warning from Amazon about the weather conditions and air quality.  Funny, she never mentions the air quality during fire season when it is much harder to breathe than anything the Oregon air currently offers. 

Usually I will look across the street and see my neighbors’ houses and some of the trees behind them.  But now it appears I am looking at the houses through a dirty screen.  And everything is white.  And the back hill is a frosty overgrowth which hasn’t been mowed since last year.

That is Too Funny

 Roland has always played mind games with telemarketers, scammers and what have you.  He keeps them on the line pretending to be interested by asking a bunch of irrelevant questions to show his interest although the caller isn't prepared to answer said questions and begins to feel inadequate about product, service or whatever it is.  Eventually they hang up.  Sometimes Roland is the one who hangs up.

I am in awe about his approach the last few times.  What a work of beauty.  Most often the caller number will show along with location of said number.  Roland will pick up and say,: "Salt Lake City (or whatever area happens to be calling) you're on the air.  Go ahead."  The caller hangs up immediately!  I LOVE it!!!!

Nature Moves

         Last year when I walked Bonnie, I took my cell phone or camera but have not done that for the past four months or so.  I can’t seem to find all the camera chargers and corresponding batteries and the cell phone I have weighs too much and is too big to keep in pocket and Bonnie is so strong that I’m afraid of dropping it.  Thus I have missed out on some spectacular views  I suppose I could just recharge one of my older flip phones.  Picture may not be the best quality, but I’m not using it for anything other than to look up numbers that are not on my current phone.

         As I watched the clouds surrounding the hills rise to the top I thought about how nature changes within seconds.  Snow melts.  Rivers dry out.  Moisture evaporates.  Clouds move across the sky.  Always different than it was before.  ALWAYS.

Golden Dox

               This morning I took Bonnie for a longer walk than usual – or rather she walked me.  I don’t know why she thinks she has to move at freeway speed.  I know it isn’t comfortable for her to have her collar choking her as I am leaning against the leash trying to slow her down.  She never learns.  For the most part she has pulled either me or Jenna along. 

          I don’t know what triggered my memory of Houdini or entering him in the pet contest at Cinco de Mayo celebration that Kearns does every year – or at least each year we had lived there.  We had this hairy dog who loved his boys and would often “escape” to look for them – sometimes ending up at the elementary school or pound. 

          There were several categories in which we could have entered Houdini.  He would have blown all other dogs out of the water if we had remembered his toys.  Houdini could catch darts in his mouth, bounce a basketball off his nose, and of course, fetch.  Since we didn’t have a ball or other object to use we had entered him in “The most fluffy” category.  I think he took second.

          There had been a category for most “unique” or something to that effect.  A little girl had entered her dog as not many people have ever seen anything like it.  I know I hadn’t.  I wouldn’t consider it ugly necessarily but certainly not beautiful - as a whole.  His head was beautiful.  It just didn't seem to match his body - at all. His head was that of a golden retriever while his body was that of a dachshund – as though Dr. Frankenstien had sewn the two together.  The oddest part was that his head seemed to be the same exact size as the rest of his body. 

          It didn’t matter how oddly shaped he was or that he wasn’t the most sought after pet among all that were there, the little girl loved him unconditionally.  He was her friend.  It didn’t matter if others thought he looked flawed.  In her eyes he was beautiful and she was overly grateful to have him in her life.

          It reminds me of a talk I heard at sacrament.  Given by Brother Brown.  We have several Brother Browns in our ward.  Each seem to shed a stream of tears before he even make it to the pulpit.  He talked about a statue he’d seen recently – someone’s interpretation of how Jesus must have looked after he had been lifted off the cross.  Bro. Brown said the image was of one who had been weakened and appeared to be in despair – not at all beautiful.  Not someone others would follow. 

          As he stood and gazed at the statue and allowed emotions to take over, he thought about unconditional love and what it means.  We need to love others regardless of their backgrounds or misshapen pasts.  We need to love others we may not agree with.  We must love them regardless of the choices they make.  It was a really good meeting.  I wish I had that kind of love, but I know that I don’t.  It is something that I need to work on.

May the Fleas of a Thousand Camels Infest Your Armpits!

               I HATE  scams.  I hate that criminals are preying on the weakness of others.  I keep an email account open just for junk – it’s not an account I have used often but some businesses require an email and so I give them one.  It would take me forever to wade through it if I thought there was anything serious about any of them that I would take the time to look more closely rather than scan, but since the holidays I’ve just been deleting without looking – which is kind of sad but definitely faster.

              It used to be that I could click on all in one sweep just by checking the junk box and all would be checked.  But they won’t all delete if there are red flags.  Those I have to do separately.  I get scams from hackers claiming to be Lowes, Paypal, Bank of America, Home Depot .  . .  mostly Lowes.  I have to scroll through to mark off each red flag and delete them separately from the normal junk.  QUIT LYING TO ME ALREADY!!!   It’s bad enough I have so many unwanted advertisements – let’s not throw scams on top!  ARRRRGGGG!!! 

 

 

 

 

Taking Precautions

               The last three times I was with Roland when he had driven to the VA it seemed like a big ordeal.  Instead of going the usual way which leads directly to the hospital, the back roads were required in order to keep all traffic moving in one direction  - only one way in and one way out.  

Along the way we would see masked workers who would come up to the car, ask questions, take temperatures – I think they may have even offered testing but I’m not sure. 

 

https://kcby.com/news/local/roseburg-va-health-care-system-holds-veteran-influenza-clinics

You had to be healthy to get a pink slip (see here) which was the ticket into the hospital.  If you were not healthy, no pink slip for you!  I’m at a hospital . . . that’s where sick people come to be treated.  Isn’t it?

          Yesterday we learned we could have gone in the normal route as we saw no workers – health workers that is.  We did see construction workers and orange polycones and signs.  Lots of detouring and a roundabout drive more than what has been expected since COVID. 

          Normally I just stay in the car and work my puzzles while Roland goes for whatever visit he is there for.  Yesterday it was his eyes.  I should have had him roll down a window as it was hot in the car and I was getting a glare – but he had the keys and I did not.  About ten minutes and two puzzles later Roland called to tell me that I could come into the building.  He did not tell me that there was a screening set up inside.

          I put on a paper mask – and it turned out to be a good thing that I had selected paper as cloth masks are now discouraged.  I was asked first what had brought me there.  I said my husband had called me to come be with him.  I was asked to look at a list of symptoms and report if I had any of them.  I said no.  I was asked if I had been around someone who might be sick.  I said my husband.  I was given a green ticket.  I don’t know if colors really mean anything or not. 

          This area is normally empty as pictured, but all the chairs were full when I entered.  It was the only part of the hospital that I saw people.  

The VA hospital always appears as a ghost town to me – like it was abandoned by all life except maybe the janitor because it is clean. 

      

  I sat down in the waiting area where Roland had his appointment.  A veteran sat caddy cornered from me and pulled down his mask and half yelled that he can't always wear it because he has asthma and the mask makes it hard to breathe.  A worker walked through a door and turned on the TV and said he was sorry it was not already on.  The maskless vet asks if he could turn the TV to the Hallmark channel.  I smiled behind my mask.  First of all, I don't think that the Hallmark channel is available at the VA.  Secondly, it didn't seem like something he would ask for but really was refreshing from anything sports.

        His cell phone went off.  I was amused that he had set his ring tone to Golden Girls' theme "Thank You for Being a Friend"

           I posted these three pictures to my facebook page.  

We had seen these on Saturday when we had gone to Roseburg so that we could get a booster shot for Jenna.  The caption of my post was “History in the Making” as there was a convoy of National Guard who was called in to assist with the high volume of COVID cases currently in the state of Oregon.

It’s Backwards – Welcome to My Laundry Room

               Often when we have been out walking Bonnie we will generally walk the same four streets.  Occasionally, we will allow her to lead.  She likes to go up where the new houses are being built.  Some are stick houses and some are manufactured – like this one.  

          It was in the street for a while as the equipment that was supposed to move it went out of commission – I don’t remember how long it had been in the street before it was moved – unfortunately with the front facing the backside (maybe a yard though that part doesn’t appear to be promising right now) and the backside facing the street.   

          It is understandable why they did it that way.  Not totally, but the mistake may have been in the awning.  After all there is an arch over the backdoor and two lamps at what should be the front.  Big windows – living room.  That is where the front door should lead, right?  But all that is visible to the neighbors below – not that either view is rather spectacular.  The home owner has a view of houses either way.  No checking out the living room window to see who might be in the driveway though.

          The way the house sets right now may have one saying, “Welcome to my house.  Here is the laundry room – right next to the door – just in case you would like to remove your clothes and come into the kitchen . . .”

          Roland and I had actually looked at a house that was closer to the high school.  It was turned around so that we had entered the back – oh, and there are my appliances right next to the door.  Hello.  Oh, if it’s spaciousness you want, continue to the back of the house which is really the front.  You will have a view of a rock from your living room.  What the heck?  Roland didn’t want to move there because the house was backwards.  I didn’t want to move there because of the shared driveway.  That can get annoying when the neighbors seem to have more vehicles than drivers.

          I think all housing came to a halt when it snowed followed by rain. There have been several popping up and mailboxes going in.  Thus far the mailboxes haven’t been assigned numbers. Further up the road is an unfinished stick house.  The roof had been outlined but not completed.  Must have been murder on those building the house, but from mine and Jenna’s point of view it appeared as a gingerbread house the way the snow covered the beams. 

          Weather has warmed up enough for the crew to fix the damage and continue with their work.  But I still think the other house should be turned around.

Wearing Me Down

 

              It seems that Roland has had a cold each year – usually as a way to start off the New Year.  Each cold seems to linger longer than the last.  This year could be different with all the COVID related illnesses going on.  We haven’t been checked.  According to the news the last batch of testing kits may not be providing correct results anyway.  I think it’s just a cold.

          Every time he gets a cold he senses drafts that really aren’t there.  He is always wearing thermals and wrapped in blankets.  I, of course, am hotter than normal.  We are generally in two different rooms so that each of us can experience a temperature that is unlike that of the other. 

          I fortunately do not have his hacking cough – though I have had a dustball type cough on occasion – nothing as proficient as his.  I have started in with a runny nose.  I’ve experienced aches and pains. And even weirder that . . . I haven’t had a period for over eight years now and it seems to be making a comeback.  Are you kidding me?  I’m almost sixty.  Let’s lose this menstrual pain and blood already.  What the hey? Time to make a doctor’s appointment.  Find out what is going on. 

          AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Really? I Have to Make an Appointment Now?

               The first time that Roland and I went for a vaccination shot we had to make an appointment as I recall.  We parked in a parking lot and went through a tented area and were led to separate rooms to fill out paper work and receive a shot – which I never felt at the time it was given.  My arm felt a bit bruised the next day, but really not a big deal.

          When we had gone to get our second shot I don’t think there was a designated time.  We drove through the parking lot and the health guides came out to us and gave us our second shot. 

          Jenna was not old enough to qualify for the moderna which Roland and I had received.  When Pfizer came out with a vaccination for those 12-18 we took Jenna to the fairgrounds to get her first vaccination and returned less than a month later to get her second shot.

          We all believed that we were fully vaccinated.  We didn’t think we would get COVID.  Then there was a scare at the theatre and everybody in the cast and their family members were all tested.  Once again, we just drove through to get tested.  I thought it hurt – like the health worker was jamming the stick up my nose.  She wasn’t.  But that’s how it felt.  More pain that the quick prick of the vaccination. 

          But then came Delta and now Omicron.  It was suggested that vaccinated people get a booster.  Roland and I drove to the Casino.  There was no line.  We received our booster within minutes.  We hadn’t taken Jenna but she currently has an appointment to get a booster with the Pfizer.  Meanwhile, we think that we all need to be tested – probably before she receives the booster? 

          I understand that we have to schedule an appointment.  Thus far I have not had success in getting us scheduled.

New Years Day

           I remember taking down the tree on New Year’s Day each year.  It became tradition I would suppose for many families.  And gosh, darn, I will definitely miss the lights and decorations that had popped up in so many yards even before Thanksgiving.  The Myrtle Creek – Tri City area is always so dark.  It is nice to have the Christmas lights to remove some of the darkness.

          On New Year’s Day this year I read a couple of thoughts which helped ease the pain of this tradition that I have come to hate.  David Butler has a facebook page in which he shares uplifting thoughts.  On New Year’s Day he compared taking down the tree to the first Christmas – perhaps a week after the fact – when Joseph and Mary had to leave the manger and move on.  They could not stay where they were nor could they take the manger with them.  And why would they want to?  It wasn’t really a bed – a crib fit for a king.  And yet that is what it became.  The manger is a symbol.  The tree is a symbol.  Decorations.  They all have symbolic meaning.  And just because they are removed visually  does not mean we can’t still continue to hold them in our hearts.

          Meanwhile Corey has started a new blog.  Unlike his first blog in which he wished to remain unknown he uses his actual first name.  His goal is to provide uplifting messages.  I am certain he will be successful at it.  He mostly always lifts me up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candlepower

         He and Joh happened to be married on New Year’s Day. In his post he comments on spending their anniversary together and inviting another to attend a concert with them.  In his post he makes the comment that some think it is odd that they would invite another to celebrate their anniversary. His response “ . . .  seeing his eyes light up and seeing his spirit lifted is very joyous to us, and shouldn't that be what life is about--lifting others and making them feel good?”

          I admire my brother and so many others as David Butler and Emily Freeman for sharing their light. Thus even in darkness we can carry a light in our hearts.  May I keep that in mind with every new year I start by taking down the tree.

Jumping Out the Old and into the New

          Roland had agreed to pick up a friend of Jenna’s in Winston and take them both to the stake dance.  We allowed ourselves to agree to stay to chaperone.  It was fun watching the kids dance – or jump rather.  To every song!  I may have had the energy to do that when I was a youth but not now.  I can’t even go four minutes of jumping – let alone four and a half hours.  I hope that all of the youth may continue with that energy and never lose it.

         The last two weeks of December felt bleak.  It snowed after Christmas.  We had purchased sensor system last year so that we could be alerted to any packages or company that might drop by.  It is solar powered – needless to say we haven’t had many days of warning during those last two weeks of December.

         Currently the sun is shining.  The snow is mostly melted. What an awesome way to start the New Year.  May 2022 be more favorable than the last two.  At least 2021 didn’t feel nearly as long as the decade we call 2020.