Beneath the Wraps

Biff has always kept his body in great shape inside and out.   I wish I could say the same for his room.   I don’t have a picture of how it looked before I started cleaning.     These pictures truly represent half-way done.    Anyone who has been in Biff’s room can tell you that this is the cleanest it has looked from the day we moved in. Actually it was clean one other time.   I took a picture for evidence.   But somehow I have misplaced that evidence.   Doesn’t matter.   I told Jenna that when David moved out, she could move into his room.   Not that her room looks any better I had eight garbage bags FULL of Biff’s stuff (clothes mostly) I think three or four full of garbage.     And four loads of towels.   FOUR LOADS.   This is a fraction of what I washed         Jenna’s room was fine when we moved in four and a half ye...

          As a child, my perspective of Mothers’ Day was certainly different than it is now.   Mothers’ Day meant going to the store with dad to pick out a gift to give to mom.   Mothers’ Day meant singing to my mom on Sunday.   Mothers’ Day meant going to Grandma’s – often seeing my cousins.   Mothers’ Day meant more than just hot dogs for dinner – though from a child’s point of view that may have been the more satisfactory dinner. I don’t know how my mom felt about Mothers’ Day.   I think that she enjoyed being honored.   Did she feel honored?   My mom, overall, was a positive person.   I don’t remember when she wasn’t smiling or showed gratitude on Mothers’ Day.   I know she enjoyed being a mother.   And she enjoyed visits from the grandchildren on Mothers’ Day. Peggy, who lived across the street, loathed Mothers’ Day – or so that seemed to be what was projected. ...

          I don’t know why I didn’t notice that Jenna didn’t have a hat on when we left the house.   It was drizzling.   I did have an umbrella.   But we hadn’t used it before we got on the bus.   We did when we got off.   Wet rain fell upon the umbrella that somewhat shielded us both.   I was willing to walk her to the front doors of the school, as I knew she would be allowed in the building yesterday.   But she didn’t want to go inside.   I asked her if she would like my hat.   She said no at first but then changed her mind.   So did I.   I kept the hat and let her keep the umbrella. It was a gamble on my part.   Last year her umbrella got stepped on and broke.   She lost my green one that I let her use.   We both got umbrellas at the beginning of this school year.   The wind tore the fabric from one of my spokes.   She misplaced hers. ...

I understand the desire for those who wish to segregate Mothers’ Day Jenna asks, “What would you like for Mothers’ Day?” “I would like you to clean your room?” “No, really.   What do you want?” “That is what I want.   To have my daughter show me some responsibility.” “Mooooommmm.” Are you honoring my motherhood?   What are we celebrating exactly?   Taking a break from the dishes and finding them in the sink on Monday is NOT taking a break.   I don’t even think half the chores I do is what makes up a mother. I am certainly not a housewife.   I did not tie the knot with any building – especially this one.   I’ve looked into home improvement.   But the expenses all add up and I need to budget for just one thing at a time – not empty out my bank account and then some. They got me chocolates.   I know because Jenna told me.   She and her friend were wrapping the boxes and came to m...

  This morning we got ready to start the day   I grabbed a sweatshirt to wear to the bus stop   I could hear rain falling but did not see at first. The skies are grey and cold like early March or November.   I put my overcoat over my sweatshirt.   I shouldn’t have to wear such a heavy coat in May. We waited for the bus. It feels so much longer in the rain. I took a different route on the return home I didn’t have to wait at all I did have to run to catch a transfer bus Fortunately the driver waited for me. I have since returned home.   I am dry.   a little cold perhaps.   I would like to return to bed.

     I believe there are seven traffic lights between the bus stop nearest our house and the bus stop nearest to Jenna’s school.   Three of those lights are at major intersections – though the middle through street doesn’t seem to have as much traffic as the other two.          Truth be known, I would go out of my way for that particular street – but this morning there was a terrible accident and I would guess all of the emergency vehicles that arrived on scene had blocked the traffic in all directions.   One could move west and south initially, but that probably came to a halt.      I had gotten off the bus at that particular intersection because I wanted to purchase three ingredients that were needed to make my enchiladas.   After I had made my purchase, I returned to the bus stop and saw that the bus would be delayed and I might be better off finding a different route....

     When Roland and I lived in Kearns, we spent time volunteering at the pasta plant.   We once purchased a very large order while there.   A mammoth order actually – which was good, because it carried us through several years of hardship.      I think it was just right after Christmas when we passed out the remaining pasta to our boys.   Within a week I found a huge box of food had been left at our door step.   No note.   No hint of who may have left it. I didn’t know if the church was taking up a collection and Roland had given our address as a drop off – but it was on Sunday when I found it – meaning whoever dropped it off was a lot faster getting home from church than we were.   It was odd.   And so I actually started taking things out to sort them into groups.      It was an odd assortment really.   Bags of pasta.   A variety of canned goods.   A box...

     I decided I would take an early bus and get some snacks for the girls.      When I first walked in the store, I noticed the display set up for Mother’s Day.   A sign said, “Don’t Forget MOM” Tears welled my eyes as I thought, “I won’t.   I can never forget her.   I wish she were still here with us.”      After I purchased the snacks I went on my way and passed drug store advertising some kind of Shingle prevention shot – at least that’s how it appeared.   I thought about the commercial that advertises that if you have had the chicken pox the virus is already in you.        Mom told me that she could find only three chicken pox on my entire body.   It’s quite unfortunate that the worse case of chicken pox she had ever seen was that of my brother Patrick.   She said he had chicken pox on top of chicken pox all over his entire body.   She said he ...

           Each year in May the dual immersion students will put on a program with songs and dances in featured language.   Last year there were two students from the fourth grade who had hosted the program.   They may have in previous years, but last year was the first year I had noticed them. Jenna had come home last month to ask me what it means to “M.C.”   I told her M. C. stands for “master of ceremonies” and asked her why she had brought it up.   She said that she (along with another student) had been picked to M.C the dual immersion program performance. She said she wanted to learn some jokes to tell.   We went to the library and found three or four books that were either too “over the head” or just very lame.   And so she turned to the Internet and found four or five that she thought might work. She handed me an invitation earlier this week.   The performance for the parents was yesterda...