Beneath the Wraps

What will be the greatest achievement of your life?  Is it behind you or still ahead of you?  I’d like to think that I would always strive to achieve something greater to improve who I am.  I’d like to leave a remarkable legacy – not necessarily in the public eye – but for Jenna and my posterity.

          It is said that owning one’s own business is the American Dream.   I don’t believe that’s true.   Roland majored in business and would like to start up a business and has had that desire for as long as I’ve known him.   The problem is that over 90% of those who try their hand at business don’t succeed with keeping said business open.   Over 90%!   Holy Cow!   That is not a dream!   That is a nightmare!           We have been in Myrtle Creek only four years and have seen several businesses come and go -   not that Myrtle Creek is the booming establishment of getting one’s business started.   But still . . . opening a business, regardless of location,   seems like such a gamble to me.   It has never nor will ever be my dream.   And yet it doesn’t seem satisfying to collect a paycheck on somebody else’s dream.    ...

            When I married Roland, I not only gained a new husband but three sons as well.   At the time they were 11, 14, and the 12-year-old had just turned 13.   They are now 29, 31 and 32.   My eldest two have no concept of money.   My youngest consider money a huge priority.   My eldest and youngest boys have had a number of jobs for different reasons.   Biff either can’t hang on to a job or gets bored with it and finds something else never allowing for the opportunity of benefits – like dental insurance.             The youngest one came home from his mission and decided he was going to go to BYU and major in business.   He decided to take a job at a local credit union.   He was there for six weeks and decided to find a job that would pay more.   He decided he would be a doctor, a podiatrist, a surgeon, a heart doctor . . ...

          Grocery Outlet opened a location in Myrtle Creek.  On Thursday morning they had an open house which started at 9:00.  According to an employee there, people started lining up at 5:00 a.m.  That's crazy!  Driving to unfamiliar territory without a GPS - also crazy.            Some people are offended by the word “Crazy” while others find humor in the word and may even feel honored that “crazy” was the adjective chosen to describe them.   I think of Jenna and my brother-in-law Bill as being crazy.   “Crazy” is unique or silly and a brief description of their fun behavior.   It’s not a word I use to imply insanity or being deranged . . . at least with them.  Not in a negative way, at least.             I have played the card game crazy eights and a similar game called “Crazy Countries”  http://beneaththewraps.blogspot....

             When Jenna and I trip over our tongues and say things incorrectly (or just when I hear things incorrectly) we will laugh.   For example, she once said, “I talked to this about dad” instead of “. . . dad about this”.   We usually catch ourselves before the laughter comes.               I heard a country song the other day.   I don’t listen to country and my hearing has seemed a little off since May.   I was pretty certain that I had heard incorrectly and asked Jenna, who seems to have radar hearing when it comes to music and lyrics.   “Did he just sing ‘How can my cow use my cell phone’?” at which point she started laughing and that made me laugh.              We’ve got some inside jokes that will make each other laugh.   Well, I don’t exactly laugh when she says “raw rhubarb” but rather will make a face which will make her laugh. ...

Two years ago next month, libraries across Douglas County were making attempts to reopen their doors in time for the Summer Reading Program.   We marched with our group for the Rodeo parade ( here ) and Jenna enjoyed herself immensely during Summer Fest when the “Friends of Myrtle Creek” set up a booth in order to raise awareness that the doors would be open again.   The team had set up two activities: knock down a paper cup pyramid or paint a rock.   Jenna believed in giving deals to those who wished to do both.   She had a real knack for recruiting people.   Those on the board were anxious to keep her on around the clock and Jenna enjoyed being there. We’d gone back the following year to assist, but we couldn’t find a booth for Myrtle Creek.   We did find one for the Riddle Sawdust Jubilee and we volunteered to help. Jenna and I met Annie at the booth last year. Once again, Jenna helped recruit and assisted with games which Annie very much app...

          I had gone to the pool on Tuesday and Wednesday.   Wednesday was colder than Tuesday had been – perhaps warmer with air but cooler with water.   I didn’t bother going yesterday and didn’t seem all that motivated.   I figured as the air felt cold (only 52 degrees) that the water would feel warm.   I never did find out.           I did drive to the pool.   My phone went off just before I turned in to park.   I thought perhaps it was the instructor telling me that nobody showed and would ask if I was on my way.   I was all prepared to tell her to get an early start on her trip to Portland.   But the phone number was for the Young Women’s camp leader.   Oh –oh.           She said Jenna had been throwing up and would I like to come and get her or have her weigh it out.   We have both made a commitment to help wi...

The only association I remember having with the name “Ebenezer” was the character Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol”.   Thus when I saw that word in “Come Thy Fount” ( here ) I questioned its meaning. I have looked up the word and have done some research as to why the Hebrew word Ebenezer translates into “stone of help”.   Evidently, it has something to do with the ark of the covenant and the gratitude of the Israelites who had lost but gained back into custody.   Samuel evidently raised a stone as a symbolic gesture.   This was done in recognition of receiving assistance from God. Then I questioned what might have possessed Charles Dickens to give his character that same name.   Was it because Scrooge had the feeling of a stone?   He didn’t appear to be at all helpful to anyone in the beginning of the story.   According to the Mierriam-Webster the word Ebenezer (which generally is capitalized) has two meanings. ...

          My mom told me that Flamingos’ hit “I Only Have Eyes for You” had been playing the first time she kissed dad. Therefore she had dubbed it “their song”.           Roland and I had an appointment in Medford on Saturday morning. The entire time we were driving he was listening to a book on tape and I was hearing the Flamingos singing, “Are the stars out tonight?   I don’t know if it’s cloudy or bright.   I only have eyes for you dear”             Once in a while, I would hear, “. . . they all disappear from view” which I don’t believe comes until the end of the song.   And I’m wondering, “Where did this song even come from that it would be trapped in my head?” and “Why can’t I shake this off?”   I mean 90 plus minutes is a long time for the same set of lyrics to be playing in one’s head over and over again. This video was posted t...

I recall a time when Grandma Helen had taken Michelle and I to a downtown department store.   She had given us each a dollar to spend on whatever we like.   I fell in love with a plastic bank that resembled a Martian caught in a bag of Money.   It was 2.00.   Michelle wanted a Skipper doll which she said she’d be getting from her other grandmother and she would lend me her dollar in which to purchase my beloved bank (whom I named Michael). I don’t know where my grandma had gone as we were ready to make our purchase.   The issue of leaving children alone in the department store did not seem to be a huge safety concern as it is today.   I took the bank up to the counter.   The cashier rang me up.   The total came to $2.06.   I was eight or nine and had not considered a tax fee.   Why would I?   I didn’t have six cents to spare!   A kindly man took a nickel out of his pocket and placed it on the counter.   One cent m...

She became aware of boy/girl relationships during middle school.   She thought they were stupid.   All the emotions.   All of the game playing.   All of the drama.   The entire idea of relationships was stupid.   They did not appeal to her and she was fine and secure on her own.   She remained that way throughout middle school and her freshman year. Then came summer. They were friends.   There were generally four of them who hung around one another during lunch.   Not necessarily to eat, but to play games and enjoy one another’s company. He really liked her.   First as a friend.   Then maybe something more.   Not too much more.   He had been in a relationship before.   He did not need another.   And yet he found her to be adorable.   He liked holding her hand and leaning on her.   What’s more, he enjoyed it when she leaned on him. He told her that he would not date her.   Or at le...

                Today is the 4 th annual city-wide yard sale.   It’s cooler than it has been in prior years but hotter than it has been all week.   A lot of baby stuff up and down the city drive.   I didn’t realize there were so many babies in the city as this seems to be more of a senior populated town.           Roland and I ended up leaving our own city and making an excursion between Winston and Roseburg.   We ended up with an entire dinette set (though we had initially only wanted a table) and he spotted these adorable dishes that was a reminder of the first dishes that we had ever purchased together – but a more complete and bigger set.   That would mean getting rid of ALL the dishes that are currently in our house to make room for more dishes that we really don’t need, but it was a beautiful thought.    ...