Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

          Martin Luther King was born on January 15, but as with so many Federal holidays, his birthday or MLK day is celebrated on the third Monday in January.  

The first year for this nationwide holiday was on January 20, 1986.  I happened to be on my mission at the time, but I do remember receiving a letter from my mother that the holiday had been created after quite an ordeal here. 

          Whenever I think of MLK day, I think of my sister, Kayla, who (according to mom) was ecstatic about having the day off from school as it was her birthday.  Mom said Kayla felt that the holiday was designed especially for her.  Funny.  

My niece, Ellen, thought it was for "milk" day and will celebrate MLK with dairy products here.

          MLK was designed as a day to promote equal rights.  Many have been encouraged to volunteer their services for citizen action here.  How blessed we are to have this reminder as "we all have a dream".

         

My Baby Girl

                I can remember my mom taking pictures - many pictures.  She wasn't much of a photographer.  But she did her best to preserve memories by taking photos. 

Patrick, my cousin Michelle, me and my cousin, Ross

Corey with Grandpa Ralph

many of mom's photos make it seem
like the background was her focus

The painting (or at least parts of it) above
has made it to several photographs

brother Patrick, me, Corey's head, Great Grandma, dad
 behind her, great aunt who recently past holding Kayla

Kayla and Corey at Butchart Gardens, Victoria, Canada.
We do not know the people in the background.

I must have picked that up from her and added to it - so I would take pictures of material things as well as people. 

Patrick with his oldest two Ellen and Kimball

I love this picture of Biff reading to Jenna

when Jenna was in 6th grade

Roland at Umpqua River

Riddle Library

graham cracker houses

                After a while my mom no longer took mounds of pictures.  She relied upon me to take the photos - which I did.  Neither of us had ever attempted taking selfies.

Kayla, Anna and my mom

Christmas in July 2009

                When we first got to Oregon, I took hundreds of photos. 

Over the years they have all seemed to blend together.

                 Both Jenna and I had taken pictures to enter into a contest here in town.  The winning photo would be made into a postcard.

I took this one - the boy found a rock we had
left on the trail.  I thought he was cute about
finding his "treasure"

This is the one I selected of the many that Jenna had taken

                Neither of our photos won, but I was later contacted for permission to use in the Myrtle Creek calendar.  Jenna brought home a brochure last night.  The brochure gives a calendar outline of community activities.  On the cover is the picture that she took.  I am so proud!

                Now it's Jenna's turn to hold the camera and take millions of photos - including selfies

and my turn to sit back and let her. 

                 

Good-Bye to my Aunt Gertrude

Aunt Trudy passed away on Monday night. 

Her funeral service is today and

I am unable to attend as the funeral is

in Utah and I am in Oregon. 

My thoughts are with my family today

along with my sweet aunt who lived a long

and beautiful life. I wish I could be there for

all of my family and show my support to a dear

woman whom I truly do love and will miss -

and have missed.

Dementia became a thief in Trudy's life after

our move to Oregon. I was

unable to put in time in helping to

take care of her and Uncle Ted. 

In a way I felt bad that I wasn't

there to participate.  Yet in another way

I was grateful for the excuse to not have to

go through that again.  

Should it rain today (which I am told the

sky has been doing - and is doing here

in Oregon) I hope that my family members

think of the drops as tears of joy at the

reunion that must be taking place.

I had believed that Ted and Trudy would

outlive us all.

Perhaps they already have.

How many of us will live to see

97 or 100 or even older than that.

What a legacy.

Well written and such thoughtful

words on her obituary. 

Thank you to those members who were able

to provide the time and emotions to

care for her in Utah the way

that I could not from Oregon.

I wish I could be there for every one of

them today.  Thank you Ted and Trudy

for your wisdom and your love.

Thank you to my Heavenly Father for

allowing me to feel all of this love.

Love you all!

Precipitation

I was in a science class the other day

where the students had gone outdoors to

collect one of three tubes that would measure

the precipitation.

They were to record their findings,

use barometers,

study the clouds,

etc.

The tubes showed 0 precipitation.

It had been foggy that morning.

I remember when the school bus would pass

our house

the last two years

I would look out my window and see

clouds surrounding the hills across the way

but they surround us now and

it is often too foggy to see what's

behind my neighbors houses.

I had to drive in that fog.  I

followed a truck for as far as I was able

It got off the same exit, but did not

go in the same direction.  I was

left on my own

Why is it that there isn't any moisture

in these clouds?  in

this fog?  Is there inversion mixed in

with the clouds.  It does lift

eventually

unlike big city smog that never lifts

always linger.

The fog has been lingering too.

And the rivers, although they look full

and raging in some areas

still look shallow in others.

I wonder why that is.

Finals

 

https://forum.300hours.com/discussion/819/ifrs-vs-gaap-for-level-1#.XD62PVxKiUk

          A 1,250-word report? 

          Are you kidding me?

Accounting final. 

          Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah . . . .

give me a topic I'm

          at least interested in. 

         

          Thus far I have been

in high demand for substituting

          at three schools all

at the same time, and

          there's only one of me.

          I have to take some time off for

          this stupid report -

                                      as if I believe anything

I write - or care. 

                                      Blah, blah, blah.

          There are different aspects of accounting. 

I can do the basics but I

          have no desire to go         

any further than that.

          One more accounting class to go!   

          I have the rest of the schedule.  I will

be taking some fun classes again!

          along with some

okay classes,  and then

                             I will graduate!!! 

And I will be done with accounting

           Meanwhile,  I have lost more sleep
           The topic of my final only makes it harder
to stay awake
            I'm starting out my morning

            with this.  It can only go

uphill from here

                                                 right?

Dash HH #10

  What city do you consider your "home town"?

          I grew up in an unincorporated area which meant our town did not have its own jurisdiction . Though we used a Midvale address, we were not really a part of it - or at least that was my understanding.  I do remember just before or shortly after I went to junior high, there was talk of our unincorporated being annexed to Murray.  That was a proposal brought up by one individual named Mr. Card.  I remember several people being upset about it. 

           

            I remember a meeting had taken place at East Midvale Elementary School.  We had gone there like so many others to understand more about what was taking place.  I remember one individual in particular who spoke up for the boundaries to be left alone.  His son, Louie, was in my same grade and he had at least one other son named Phil.  I did not care for either Louie or Phil, but have never forgotten their dad standing up for us.  Mr. M. lived on the other side of 7200 which was not a part of the annex but he said the annex, though maybe not directly, would affect him because we were his neighbors and that did affect him.  We allowed him to be our voice when he said things about Mr. Card's proposal, and that if he wanted to be a part of Murray so much, he should just move there and leave the rest of us alone.  Almost everybody cheered.

           

            I don't know if the proposal ever made it to the ballots or not as I didn't vote and my viewpoint of the annex I'm certain was not the same as the adults who paid taxes.  I only know that the non incorporated boundaries using a Midvale address remained using a Midvale address.  I don't know what became of Mr. Card or if he took Mr. M's advice and moved to Murray.  It doesn't matter.  I didn't care about him then.  Why should today be any different?  He may be deceased right now along with many others who were at that meeting.

            Several years later - when Kayla was old enough to vote, an issue that had made it to the ballot for incorporating the boundaries as part of Midvale or becoming our own independent city called "Union" - I remember several who campaigned for the idea of "Union" believing it would create more jobs and result in being a positive thing.  Evidently not everybody felt that way however as "Union" never came about and we were incorporated into Midvale.  I must have voted for Union as most every issue or person I have voted for throughout my life has not won.  But I never did like that name for a city.  

           I grew up with a Midvale address.  It is the one place where I have lived longer than all other cities combined.  When I get asked the name of my hometown or where I'm from,  I am from Midvale, Utah.  Love Oregon, but Midvale is my hometown.  Or was.