The Temperature Has Dropped . . . Immensely

           My sister had posted a picture of the snow that fell upon the Salt Lake area.  We haven’t had snow.  We haven’t had much in the way of rain. 

          The sun teases us.  It seems to invite us to go outdoors to play.  After all, the skies are beautiful.  The trees are gorgeous with color.  It’s enticing – at least in the afternoon.

           Last month I was leaving the house at 7:00.  I would drive to the church to pick up Jenna.  I could see at 7:00 though it was more of a challenge to leave at that time by the end of the month.

           For most of this month I have not even been able to at 7:30.  I had made arrangements for someone else to bring her home.  Next month we set our clocks back.  Thus it will be even darker.

           The last three mornings brought freezing air – below freezing.  I’m okay with it.  True, I don’t like the biting cold.  But it is better than the scorching heat that we had.

           I wish it would remain a constant temperature all year long.  None of these high and lows that have been brought by Global Warming.   I want to enjoy the fresh moist air without feeling too hot or too cold.

Hodgepodge of Thoughts

  

        I have been thinking of an assortment of things lately – none seem post worthy however.  I haven’t come up with any great ways to transfer my thoughts.  So perhaps I’ll just assign numbers.

 

1.     I’ve driven many mornings without having to deal with school buses and I always forget.  Thus I have been leaving the house a wee bit earlier in order to pick up Jenna who does go to seminary in person – at least for the time being.

2.     On our return we pass the middle school which has always had a flashing light signal before the turn.  But I have not seen the signal since mid-summer.  I told the crossing guard about it.  Thus far it isn’t working still.

3.     I’ve seen a lot more construction signs and reflective cones set up all over Myrtle Creek.  And they somehow become permanent additions as they had in Utah traffic.  I don’t like that.

4.     At the end of August Douglas County was instructed to turn all fire meters to extreme.  We’ve had over twenty-five fires across the state.  I think we are down to seven now. Our country meters have gradually gone down.  This morning the MCFD was set to moderate and now they have been set to low.  But this is still considered fire season so the restrictions are still in force.

The horrible air quality has been surrounding the state for over a month now, but Myrtle Creek got only a taste of it for two weeks or so before it rained.  The skies have been overcast and the air is more breathable and appears to be clean.  Fog no longer mingled with smoke – though there is smoke north and east of us.

5.     We see helicopters flying with their buckets.  It seems like the fires are further to make such a trip to fill the buckets and haul the water to where the fires are burning.  At least we’re told that the tough winds that we recently had did not spread the fires any.  Most of them are at least 50% contained.

6.     Before the month started the news channels started off the program with the newest and total of coronavirus cases.  After the month started fires were the leading story and cornona cases weren’t reported until after the first commercial break like it was an after thought of “oh, yea, and by the way . . .” almost as though COVID had disappeared.  But it was back to the first report and then the fires

7.     I have not returned to work.  I’ll wait until flu season and Christmas break if I do decide to return.  With these new hearing aids it is probably not a good idea as I haven’t gotten used to them yet.  Or at least the right one – which is the one I really need.  I think I’m okay without the left one right now.  As though the hearing aid isn’t challenging enough I will have to learn to wear them with a mask.  Doesn’t that sound fun?

8.     Saw the black flag as a symbol of our divided nation (politically) and had some Pharisees (my new nickname for Trump supporters) rattle on about the evils of abortion if I voted for Biden as though that is the one and only thing his campaign is built upon.  Beats dictatorship.  But I never said anything about Biden.  I never said anything about race.  But the Pharisees don’t understand that the definition of a civil war is a war between two organized groups living in the same state or nation and does not necessarily have to do with race.

9.     I’ll go on facebook to post a little trivial fact about a past president or presidency.  I will no longer be viewing news feed.

That is SO WRONG

           This last Saturday was the hottest yet since our move to Oregon.  Hotter than the last week in July has always been even thought Summer Fest was not held this year. Apparently it had bee 104 on August 28 last year.  I had forgotten. We had moved to Oregon for the moisture and weather consistency.  We have seen one of the two since our move here – but neither all year round.  Three digit temperature – part of 2020’s taunting. 

     106 Saturday and was suppose to be over 100 yesterday but only got to 90.  It was overcast most of the day.  We even felt a few drops in the morning.  Roland doesn't like to work outdoors when it's raining.  Jenna and I prefer it.  If we're going to get wet anyway, why not with moisture from the sky than sweat through our bodies?

      I had taken an allergy pill that knocks me into a coma – not that I wanted to be in a coma, but the heat does that by itself so why not take an allergy pill.  I notice that I have been light sensitive.  My eyes were bothering me yesterday and a bit right now.

    I wonder what the forecast will bring us today.

COVID fog

It is very foggy outside.  Thick white air that isn’t even worth my taking a picture. 

I have enjoyed seeing fog from a distance – when the clouds have surrounded the hills 

across the way.  It isn’t as appealing when it is right in your face.  When I have 

to stay indoors due to the Covid, that is all that my eyes see.  Not that Covid 

has a color.  It’s the fog that surrounds me that descends upon us 

much like the virus.  It is ugly and haunting.  It reminds me of death. 

The breath of every bad disease and aftermath of war.    

Fog so much thicker and depressing than what
is depicted in this photo

Tomorrow is the World Wide Fast.  

Just in case the link does not work
facebook page Worldwide Fast April 10

   

Truly touched by all those who have joined and comments and posts.  How awesome it is to see how so many have banded together for this cause and we are all fighting the same demon rather than each other.  The fog will lift eventually - both literally and figuratively.

Different Variations of Frightful

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful . . . “

My sister recently posted this picture on her facebook page.

retrieved from facebook

My comment was that even though we live further up north than she does, the residents in Douglas County are more inclined to be like the first picture than the second.

I DON’T miss snow.  I don’t miss driving in it.  I don’t miss waiting in the cold snowbanks and blizzards.  I don’t miss the horrible traffic.  I don’t miss this:

retrieved from KSL NOVEMBER 27, 2019 AT 5:14 AM

 Retrieved from Salt Lake Tribune
 NOVEMBER 27, 2019 

retrieved from NBC news December 8, 2019

 The weather was quite beautiful on Christmas morning

and continued into the next day.  Jenna put on her Elf costume and we went to Millsite park ao she could pass out candy canes.

I had to take another picture after we returned home so that the socks could be seen (as they were hidden by the shoes)

Friday’s weather was “stay in your pajamas and stay inside and read a book” type weather.  Nothing as frightful as the first four pictures of snow.  The skies were overcast and everything was wet by rain. 

The last two mornings have given us lingering fog which has cleared about 10:30 or so. It rained quite a bit yesterday.

Almost There

Written Satuday

Last year we were the

only house on our street

to put up Christmas lights

and decorate our yard. 

This year everyone

started yard decorations

early. 

Our roof was being fixed

and then it rained. 

Until late today we were

one of the few houses

on our street that wasn’t decorated.

We appeared to be "bah humbuggers"

but we are really not.

Our roof is finally finished

I had noticed on Wednesday

that the flatbed trailer was gone

– the one Roland insisted remain at

our house until the job was complete.

It rained all day yesterday.  Sometimes

the rain felt like snow.  I was

doing crosswalk duty again. 

All students had been ordered to

go to the gym after lunch.  I would

much rather stand out in the

rain then be in the overly loud gym.

It was nice today.  I didn’t even

wear a coat. Roland wanted to go to

Winston to look for a coffee table.  He

took me with him.  We were gone for

a long time.  It felt long. 

I was afraid it would be dark before

we returned. We had promised Jenna that

we would decorate the outside.

We did get home before dark but

did not finish with the lights until after dark.

Jenna and I plan on finishing with

big bulbs after we return home from Church.

Up On the Roof

just before 5:00 p.m.  It gets dark early

Ever since we moved here, I had been hoping to turn the back porch into a game room.  We’ve had contractors come give us estimate but have never gone through.  I don’t know why all of the sudden Roland thinks we can afford it now.

Their trailer remained in our driveway for four days

The first counselor in our bishopric does that sort of work, and had come to our house to give us an estimate, but told Roland it would be wise to get the roof fixed first.  After all, the house was built in 1993 and probably has not had a new roof in all that time.

until they moved it out front 

Granted, this is really not the best time of the year to be roofing.  They started a week ago yesterday.  They had planned to return on Monday to do the skylights but the "storm" came.  The wet weather kept them away on Monday and Tuesday.  We weren't expecting them Wednesday as it is the day before Thanksgiving. Our skylights had been covered in black for almost a week.  I missed them. I think Roland was for getting rid of them – but it really is my favorite part about this funky house. 

you can see our bedroom skylight in this picture

I had not made my bed and had to shake out the bedding after the roofers were done - guess that will teach me to make my bed before allowing someone to open the skylight on my roof.  

debris on our sheets

In the beginning it felt like there was an earthquake going on our roof.  The vibrations knocked a picture off the wall and broke the frame.

the glass did not break, but the frame itself did

The storm passed the entire state of Oregon - at least that's what they said in the news (I personally have not been to the entire state of Oregon) and so they returned yesterday to cover the skylights with the proper material.  We now have skylights again!  And they are better!

the trailer was filled with waste before it got covered

I am grateful for the awesome weather in which the roofers were able to finish.  I am grateful that all of our other pictures and other hanging things remained on the wall.  

Monday and Tuesday weather this week

yesterday morning

Too Busy To Be Called “Vacation”

            It feels like a Saturday.  I suspect most of the days this week will feel like Saturdays.  On the 21^st my post gives a little detail about my dental experience.  The Novocain wore off eventually – long after the dentist was closed.  I don’t know when I first noticed that my teeth were not feeling right.  Well, two in particular.  Was it the tooth he just worked on?  The bite on the right side of my mouth made contact before anything on my left.  It didn’t hurt but was quite annoying.

            I remember the dentist and his assistant having me bite on a paper and saw off some more.  Wait a minute!  I don’t think I am finished.  Something is sticking up that’s not supposed to.

            That was Wednesday.  I allowed myself to “deal with it” for the next four days and called the dentist yesterday to see if I could get in before my next appointment in January. 

            I don’t know what time I called.  Something was going on.  Rather put me on eternal hold, the receptionist took my name and number and said she would get back to me.  I think it was forty minutes before she got back to me!

            I was pulling out of my driveway as I had a 10:00 meeting.  I wasn’t even trying to get in yesterday.  It was actually NOT a good day for me to try and fit into my schedule. There had been a cancellation for this morning.  Perfect! 

            The meeting could have gone better, I suppose.  Seemed like we got off track a bit.  We do get things accomplished, but never anything on the agenda. When the meeting was over I returned home and ate a sandwich before Jenna, Roland and I went to the school for parent/teacher conference.  Not much to be said as Jenna is a great, wonderful, awesome student and everybody loves her.  No questions.  Just introductions more than anything.

            Next: the Big City of Roseburg.  Jenna wanted to see Frozen II.  We purchased tickets and then went to get something to eat.  Back to the cinema and  then to Costco to pick up Thanksgiving supplies. 

            Roland allowed me to stay in the car and play on my kindle.  Have I mentioned that I really really really really (that’s probably not even enough really) don’t like shopping.  I was even willing to miss out on free samples (if there were any?) and played a few games before Roland and Jenna returned to the car.

            It was probably only 5:00 when we returned, but it always feels later when it’s dark.  Our usual routine: Roland unloaded the car, Jenna brought food into the house, I put away.

            Roland was tired and so I took Jenna with me to the dentist.  I spent an hour in the dentist chair last visit.  I think it was only ten minutes this morning.  The tooth was filed down!  No more grinding!  Evenly chew.  Well sort of.  I have jagged teeth.  Mostly where it can’t be seen. 

            Jenna and I did not return home right away.  We hit a bunch of stores – the same that we can find in Myrtle Creek, but in Winston we could have walked to each of them and stayed parked in one space.  But the weather hasn’t been too friendly the last couple of days – not just here but all across the nation – probably the entire globe as well.  Not a lot of traffic.  I appreciated that.

           

            Roland wanted to do a trial run of the food so that he knows how to time it Thursday.  When Jenna and I returned, “lunch” was ready.  We had Waldorf salad (not a part of my Thanksgiving tradition, but Roland said he really wanted to have some) yams, turkey and stuffing.  I was hungry and enjoyed the food.  I think the stuffing will taste better on Thanksgiving after it’s been inside of the turkey (what we had today was from a boneless breast)

            Roland decided to go to the barber and asked me if I’d like to come along for the ride – just to get out of the house.  He obviously had a nap and maybe hadn’t notice how long I’d been gone.  I’ve been out.  I got wet.  I’ll stay home and create a new post.  I’m good.

            Now he is on his way to purchase three big propanes in case the power does go out again – like it did in February.  It sounds as though blow out before I get this posted.  He is the one that freezes when we don’t have any power.  I am still opening the window (if only a crack) when it’s only 30 degrees outside.  I don’t like the electric heat that is the only source of heat we have to warm our house.

            The hilltops are capped in snow now.  The wind is howling.  I hope it doesn’t blow the shingles off our roof (or whatever else is up there). The elements sound very unforgiving right now.  It’s rare to hear the wind howling as we’ve not heard much of it the entire time we’ve been in Oregon.  We did in Salt Lake.  Don’t miss that at all.

I'd Rather Work Than Wait

          I think Monday might be the best day for subbing in the schools.  It’s right after the weekend.  Some of the aides would like to extend their time off.  The last time I had subbed at Coffenberry, I was asked by another aide if I had picked her shift up for the 16^th.  Unfortunately, I was told to keep that day open as Roland had a doctor’s appointment in the Big City of Roseburg and would be sedated and would need me to drive him home.  I told her I would not be able to do her shift.

On Sunday night I received another request – also from Coffenberry.  I would have liked to have said yes.  I had even double-checked with Roland who really would like to see an extra income.  Her name was on the sub list yesterday morning.  I felt bad.  Once again it feels like I am the only sub in the system.  I’m not as I met another in Canyonville.  Still, they are hurting for subs again.

We left the house at 7:30 a.m, and did not return to Myrtle Creek until 1:30.  There’s six hours of my life that I will never get back.  Not to see that I didn’t want to be with Roland or ensure his safety.  I was in the waiting room.  I, fortunately, had brought a kindle, a book, my journal – so I did have things to do.  It may have not been that big of an ordeal for Roland who was in a trance but had been told later on why the delay.

It seemed like whatever machine the staff had intended to use for the test results wasn’t working properly.  Someone from Eugene had been called to come look at it.  Eugene is over an hour away from Roseburg.  If I understand correctly, Roland was out of it the entire time and did not realize that much time had even passed.  I had looked at the time at 9:00 a.m. and then again at 11:30. I had become concerned.

Meanwhile, I received a request to work at Canyonville – which I would not have done even if I had not gone to Roseburg as the Coffenberry request had come first.  Initially, the Relief Society presidency met each Monday morning to discuss issues which I, myself, have now become a part of.  I guess that is why I couldn’t get a job in accounting – not that I really wanted one.  But an accountant’s pay would be nice.  Having the money to renovate just one of the Brady’s rooms would be nice, let alone the entire house. (see here)  

The weather was unique.  First was our drive to.  The fog was dense on one side.  No landscape could be seen.  The other side could be seen in the morning sun.  So weird that only interstate 5 separated the two.  By afternoon it was raining heavy in Roseburg.  Buckets.  30 mph was too fast for that rain.  I stopped at Arby’s in Winston.  The rain wasn’t falling in Winston.  Theoretically, Roland is not supposed to drive for 24 hours.  When we were at Arby’s I gave him the choice of either driving himself or taking the long way home with me behind the wheel. He did not wish to go the long way home and drove himself. He was fine at the time but is in a deep sleep right now. 

I have not seen any positions available for today.  A friend asked if I would spend an hour or so with her this morning.  I will not be working on Wednesdays as I asked the Relief Society if we could meet on that day instead.  I probably will be able to work on Wednesdays should I accept some long term assignments as I did last year.  Wednesday is not my favorite day to work as it is a short day and the parking lot is full of cars.  One time I had to wait for parents to move their cars before I could get out.  I don’t much care for school traffic.

Happy Anniversary – Let’s Make Grape Juice

          Roland and I went to the outskirts of Roseburg (Melbourne) last night to pick grapes in the rain.  We didn’t go with the intention of being rained on nor did we go to the vineyard with the intent of celebrating our 18^th wedding anniversary and yet it was.  I would have forgotten all about it if my sister hadn’t sent me an anniversary wish.  Wow.

          We were on our mini-vacation when the month had started.  What happened to the week after we returned?  September used to be the longest month in my opinion.  And here it’s been ten days and I have foreseen that this will be the shortest September ever. How odd.

          The weather has gone from unbearably hot to misty fog and cool temperatures except at 4:00 a.m. when the humidity is at 100 percent.  I don’t recall feeling so smothered in the humidity level while in Bandon – though I did in Coos Bay.  Who would have thought I would feel that same temperature and stickiness in Myrtle Creek during my sleep. 

          I’ve been getting up every morning to shut the windows. I wonder how much longer Roland will allow for us to go to sleep with the windows open before he attempts to kick on the heat.  He gets cold and I get hot.

          We started the grape juice last night but it was only a start.  We watched the first episode of “a Very Brady Renovation” How special that HGTV would make the premier on the date of our anniversary (LOL) We picked three and a half buckets and have almost three buckets left and possibly 13 gallons of juice by the time we are finished.  Roland says we’ll make more jam this year.  We will see if he can contain himself.

A Very Short Post

The movie we had seen on Wednesday was The Art of Racing in the Rain.  Good movie.  Lot of symbolism and parallels – and I know I didn’t get it all.  Funny how it had rained that day. It was only drizzling when we had left the house.  But as we neared Roseburg, the rain fell more rapidly. I had left my phone for Jenna and wasn’t able to call my friend who teaches the water fitness class to tell her to come join us if nobody showed.  She said she had one student attend.

          Wish we would have had the rain this week.  Yesterday was 104.  That is 34 degrees warmer than it should be.  I preferred last week’s weather to this week’s forecast.  Wicked weather.

Vegetables, Ventriloquist and Perfect Weather

         

          We had lived in Douglas County less than two months the first time we had gone to the DC fair.  I know we overspent.  It was worth the smile on Jenna’s face.  It seems like there was more distance to cover that first year than this year.

          Though the fair is held every year, we have not gone to it each year.  I think it was just a matter of lack of funds in 2016.  Jenna and Roland went for a few hours in 2017.  The elements that surrounded that year were hot and smoky and I chose not to go.  They  had dressed vegetables and were gone for just a few hours.

          I don’t know that Jenna had even considered last year as she and Roland were performing in Robin Hood.  This year she decided she wanted to go and we would take Marie.  But then again, Marie drives and her old fogie parents would most likely wish to leave before they did and so we drove in separate cars.

          On Thursdays before a certain time, patrons may dress a vegetable in order to get free admission to the fair.  I guess it’s an annual event, but as the page was dated 2018 we weren’t sure.

          Roland had started the one in the middle and Jenna added the body.  She also added a potato to her own and made the one on the  right.  Mine is the one to the left.

          Since Marie was coming with us, they decided on a new approach for another vegetable – replacing a doll’s body with a potato.  Looked a bit like one of Sid (from Toy Story)’s creations. 

I liked the baby looking one (joined creation) the best but it was also the heaviest.  I had added a sock to mine.

          Jenna and Marie left about twenty minutes before we did and made it into the fair with their two potatoes.  Roland and I had to pay to get in as the two pumpkins had been left in Marie’s car.

          I took pictures of some of the creatively “dressed” vegetables that were on display.  Though I saw Jenna’s final creation, I did not see her other which Marie had entered as her own.

          We caught up with the girls who were watching ventriloquist, Steve Chaney.  Of course, Jenna volunteered to go on stage to be a human puppet.

          The weather was perfect – well, maybe not for the fairgrounds, but for me -  I don’t recall ever having gone to the fairgrounds before when the skies showed signs that it might rain.

          The fair somehow seemed smaller in size than it had five summers ago – but perhaps it was because we weren’t packed in like sardines.  Sadly, a lot of vendors did look bored.  Enjoy it while you can.  I suspect tomorrow will be a madhouse.