Beneath the Wraps

Two of our boys had said they’d come for a visit this week.  Roland took the days off so he could spend time with them. They both cancelled, but Roland still has the time off. Neither Jenna nor I have classes and so are on vacation as well.  Let us vacation – do something we don’t normally do.  We’d like to have Roland eliminate the TV.  We wouldn’t seriously be watching TV if the boys came?  Roland said we’d probably go to a movie? Are you kidding me?  I’m not spending 13 hours of driving so that I can go see a movie.  I want to visit.  I want to play games. After Jenna and I returned home from our jaunt downtown yesterday, we made a gingerbread house.  Roland and I held the house part together and Jenna did the majority of decorating. Roland added to it a bit when she was through.  I think we played three different games before Roland announced he was getting tired and would watch TV.  Jenna then fired quest...

                     Today’s challenge is to think about the best parts of my life while waiting in line or at a stop light.  I am done waiting in line this season.  There is one traffic light in Myrtle Creek and one in Tri-City.  I am never at either light long enough to reflect my life.  The best part of my life may be now or since we moved to Oregon because I am not so uptight.  I miss my sibs and families, but overall, I really am happier living in Oregon.                 Day four I had a problem.  I wrote a lot of detail about why.  Roland wanted to go shopping.  I don’t like shopping.  I try to remain positive.  It was a Saturday in December. He wanted to go furniture shopping.  He wanted to take Jenna with us.  The idea of shopping with both Roland...

        My brother had posted the above photo to facebook earlier this month and I thought it I would try doing these myself.   Day Three says to have lunch with someone you admire or run into today.   The chances of me "running into" anyone other than Roland would be slim - though he is someone I do admire.   I suppose I could have just had lunch with him but  I actually chose another to come have lunch with me.           Aurelia lives   45 minutes away and I said that we could meet halfway - though I'm really not familiar with what eating places are offered half way.   It turns out that she had two appointments in Myrtle Creek and so had planned on being in town anyway.   Gosh, what gratitude she expressed for my rather simple meal.   Well, actually not the meal itself, but the incentive I had taken just to invite her.   I am grateful that I had as we both ...

            Currently I am taking two classes through the University and one for the library.  All three are online.  Currently two have to do with project charters.             I hadn't made the connection of the Grants Magic class being related to any of my schooling courses until after I contributed my thoughts to the discussion of my other charter class.  We were supposed to come up with a scenario in a situation gone wrong and how more productive it would have been to use a charter.  I had read some material and looked at countless videos and was still at a loss.  I sent a few links over to my husband and asked him to please review and dummy it down for me.   How would I possibly be able to explain how a charter would work for me if I haven't ever remembered using one before.              Roland ...

         I don't know how long my brother-in-law, Bill, had known his first wife before they had married.   They had dated in high school - I don't know if it was serious and if she waited for him to return from his mission, or if she just happened to be available when she returned.   It wasn't until her funeral that I had learned she had been born with eleven toes.   When she was still an infant, an operation was performed to remove the extra toe.           Her mother spoke at her funeral and had mentioned that AnnaLeigh had been in and out of Primary Children's Hospital at least forty times before she turned eighteen. I'm guessing she had health problems when the two were married.   Six months after they were married, she was diagnosed with another medical problem.   I'm thinking Hodgkin's.   I know her health became a trial for both of them - though not many people saw it from Bill'...

                I have just completed and turned in my assignment for my psychology class.   I should be working on my discussion post for my other class.   I am at such a loss as to come up with a scenario or a situation that makes sense in my mind.   The lecture does not take place until tomorrow.   I HATE when the lecture is on Wednesday.   I would like all my lectures on Monday - but not on the day that the lecture is due.             There are pre-recorded lectures from another instructor.   I don't follow his instructions as well as I do my own.   And though I can tell from her post what it is that is expected for the discussion post, I am still at a loss.   Writing a post for my blog won't help the situation either.   Many emotions have been triggered since I started this psychology class.    ...

            I can remember working for one company in which two part-time employees shared a desk.   Marilyn preferred having a mat on the floor in order to easily slide her chair under her desk, but Connie was in a wheel chair; it also slipped on the mat, but not in a positive way.   She did not want the mat anywhere near the desk.             Two different people.   Two different needs.   And who's to say either one of them may be wrong.   It is only one example of one size does not fit all.             I had watched an interview once in which the interviewer discovered that Kelly Clarkson hides her trophies - or at least kept them away from public display. I can't find the reference however, but I remember thinking "Good for her."             ...

        I was asked to help set up for the ward dinner.   There was still fog lingering when I left the house in Tri-City.   The clouds have always been to south of us, but seem to be making their way north. I had my headlights on but did not need them as the sun was blaring.           I drove to Myrtle Creek and took these pictures of the clouds surrounding TriCity.   I drove back and forth between the grange and our house.   The clouds had all lifted by the second trip.         We stayed for the light parade.   It was fantastic!   After the last truck had gone by, people started heading to their cars.   Fog had started to settle in. There were large patches between the grange and our house.           Fog didn't seem as thick when we left for church this morning.   But it is s...

           For the majority of the school year,   Jenna will leave to catch the bus and I will admire the clouds hanging so near the hills that I know it's creating a fog. For the past three days the fog has been settling over the hill we are on.   It doesn't lift as quickly as it used to.   I don't like to drive in the fog. sun-fog-mark-unseasonal-weather-in- western- oregon/David Davis, SeattleTimes Yesterday I thought I would drive out to Dollar General and pay some bills along the way. The fog did not life until noon.   By then I had already stamped the envelopes and had them in the mailbox.   Mail is collected later and school bus seems to be later at picking up. Between 3:00 and 4:00 the sun makes its way across the sky and positions itself in a way that is irritating to drivers who are headed west.   And then the sun sets and the fog sets in again before the mor...

       During one of my lectures, the instructor had included the following at the bottom of her slide keep in mind that my view of this was about a forth this size         It appeared to me that the person on the right was drinking a soda and the one on the left was looking through a telescope.    I thought the instructor had said something about cell phones and looked at the image again.   Yes, I suppose they could be cell phones.   It wasn't until I had adjusted the picture that I saw the line between the two props         Oh, it's two cans and string communication!   That is what I can see here.   But I can still see a telescope and a soda bottle.

        I seem to be on an emotional kick since my psychology class started last week.   I've dealt with a lot of emotions the last couple of months - so have many members of my family and Jeanie's family as well.         Jeanie is the late wife of my eldest son.   She passed in June and Biff stayed with his in-laws until November 1 or just the end of October.   Biff has experienced a lot of loneliness, some anger, not always positive emotion during his lifetime. He's most happy at the gym.   Working out gives him motivation.         Jeanie was protective of him much of the time, but not always.  Often there would be meds or demons that would interfere with her thinking.  Sometimes she was nasty and would kick Biff out of the house and would not allow him to see Ali.  Many of us envisioned a repeat of Roland's choices.      ...

I think Roland woke me up to ask me something I don't remember what I guess he didn't wake me but I did get out of bed I dragged myself into the living room.   I don't even know what time it was Jenna asked me if I would make her lunch. I made a sandwich and cut some potatoes and the remaining ham and put them in the crock pot with 2 cans of milk and a   can of corn. I went out to the shed for bubble wrap and boxes and started wrapping ornaments to mail to the boys. I had planned on sending letters and the "legend of the candy cane" thought. first package: Tony's family.   Large box. Extra items.   First I put in bubble wrap for padding boxes of cookie decorating kits hats, ornaments.   Seal box.   Whoops.   Forgot the letter.   Go to computer.   Type and print letters. Put Tony's in an envelope.   Tape it to the box. Next:   I open box of hats for Randy's family wrap ornaments.   Take off t...