Beneath the Wraps

          I love the movie “Coco” and for the respect that Disney put into the movie just as those who celebrate the holiday pay respect and honor those who have gone before them.   It is a two day event of celebrating life and staying connected.   This article compares the holiday to Thanksgiving as we are grateful to those who have gone before us.   “Dia de los Muertos” should not be associated with Halloween.   There are some who have misunderstood because Day of the Dead celebration takes place the two days following Halloween.   (See here and here ). https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/north-america/mexico/how-to-survive-the-day-of-the-dead           I don’t remember having ever heard of the Day of the Dead until after Corey and Joh were married.   I don’t know if it is taught in schools every year now or if it may be taught at all.   I know it ...

Today I was going to post about “Day of the Dead” and my last sub assignment but I’m afraid it will have to wait as lately I feel like a chicken with my head cut off – though so fully flustered I had told Roland that I felt like a head with my chicken cut off.    And I suppose I can explain the phrase as well.  Just have too many projects in the fire today.  And perhaps I don’t need to post on Saturdays anyway as the blog doesn’t receive much attention on Saturdays.  I think it receives its most views on Monday. The weather has been bitter cold in the morning.  It is bitter cold only the mornings when the mountains can be seen.  This morning the fog is thicker than I have ever seen it since we have lived here and so it is not as cold and will be warmer today than has been in October.  Okay.  That’s weird. We’re going into town.   I forgot I was going to attend an activity this morning.   Good thing my alarm went off. ...

One of my goals this year was to post a specific word at least every other week.   I don’t know that I posted any words in the month of October.   I haven’t been making good use of my time and didn’t post what I had in mind for yesterday.   I had to take the car in but figured I would write my post after I returned home. While at the mechanics I received a phone call but couldn’t seem to answer it in time. I saw that it was one of the elementary schools and tried to return the call, but it didn’t go through.   I realized there was a message and listened to it.   The assignment is not until next week.   I called back to let them know that I can only work one of the two days that were mentioned. I went home and looked up available sub jobs to accept the assignment, only it wasn’t listed.   Instead, I saw a position at the middle school for yesterday – though it was passed the time posted.   I called the school to ask if someone was still n...

                 I would guess that I have been to Yellowstone Park at least 15 times.  I have mentioned it in ten posts and posted at least five pictures of my family over the years.  Yellowstone always feels brand new as it changes.  For the most part we found lodging in West Yellowstone and would just drive the west entrance to the park each day.  But there were at least four times we got lodging inside the park.           I couldn’t find any photos when it was just me and Patrick.   Kayla would have been a baby when this one was taken in 1976 This one is of me with Kayla probably 1978 or 1979 Corey and Kayla in 1982 My missionary farewell was in August and my grandma was in town from San Francisco.   We took both of my grandmas to Yellowstone park in 1984.   We stayed at Old Faithful Inn which we had never done before....

            I remember a time when I stayed home sick from school.   My mom was also ill.   We both shared strong colds.   I remember she made us a beautiful lunch: halibut, baked potato, cottage cheese, corn.   Only the textures were different.   All of it was tasteless because of our stupid colds.             When I was younger, I remember my dad using Fisherman’s Friends to cure a sore throat.   Those things were nasty!   Until my taste buds freaked out on me I have never been able to handle keeping a Fisherman’s Friends in my mouth until it was completely dissolved.   I am now able to keep one in there for the duration. I can barely taste it.                                             I thin...

Last year I took a job as an educational assistant for the school district.   I sub for aides who need time off for whatever reason and will accept assignments at three of the five schools in our district.   I briefly mentioned in my last post about an instructor creating an assignment for her students to create their own personal time line (as they have been learning about historical time lines) and passed out papers of a horizontal time line starting in 2005 I believe.   I’ve gone back just a few years prior to that and have created my own time line – but changed the scale from horizontal to vertical as it will be easier to post it that way. She had her students start with their birth, but as I did not choose to go that far back, I started with my marriage.   Her instructions were to have ten events and three pictures.   I have twelve events and blog references for more detail and well over three pictures.   I found it to be kind of a fun project. ...

                I remember my niece had some kind of surgery and had worn a pink cast in the hospital bed.   Her dad, who is a professional photographer who always takes huge amounts of pictures, did not document any of Anna’s time at the hospital.   It was a sad event not to dwell on and he didn’t want any of the family to have that painful memory.   That doesn’t change what happened.           My sister and I have a great four-year-old nephew has cancer.   His parents (or other family members) have taken lots of pictures.   It’s a sad event – one the family just assume forget and yet it’s a milestone that may need to be documented so one day the family will have proof about facing a challenge and learning things that perhaps they would rather learn another way.   It’s not a pleasant milestone – but there will be growth and learning...

I can remember staying home from school one day when both my mom and I were sick.   She made us a really great lunch consisting of halibut, baked potato and corn.   Neither one of us was able to taste anything on our plate.   The only real difference about the food itself was the texture on the tongue.   Otherwise the taste was pretty much the same. I had forgotten about that incident until yesterday when I added salt to the chicken noodle soup and later on the spaghetti (never in my entire lifetime have I added salt to spaghetti before) because I couldn’t taste them.   I couldn’t taste the pancakes or egg I had this morning.   I couldn’t taste my orange juice or medicine.   Great for the medicine.   That stuff is nasty – and I wonder if that is what dulled my taste buds in the first place or if it is this sinus infection. I still don’t feel   as unhealthy as I did in May when I wanted to die.   Still, I don’t feel great. ...

          The Roseburg Stake had a blog which would refer members to stake conference.  It provided a list of speakers and the meeting agenda.  I remember the leaders referred to it in years’ past, but did not have any information for it this year.  I unfortunately did not write down the name of the speaker who gave a beautiful talk comparing physical walls and bridges to what wills us.            She started out her talk with a brief history of the Berlin wall which was built in 1961.  Citizens were informed that the wall was for their protection.  Whether we choose to call it protection or defense, for many the wall was a personal prison.  The wall did not come down until almost two decades later.  That is a long time to feel trapped and apart.  It isn’t healthy.           The speaker then went on to talk about the bri...

I took over 250 pictures on the coast and on our return yesterday.  Here is a taste of what we saw: Bandon This is Sunset Bay where we usually go pictures of us on this beach found here  and here Shore Acres shore Acres

I was on my computer Tuesday morning when I received a call from one of the schools.   It was 8:35 and the shift started at 9:00.   It was for the school that is farthest away, but I thought I could be there on time.   At that point I didn’t know if I’d be working with the elementary or middle school age children.   I wish it had been the older kids instead of the younger ones. I was over my sore throat but still had that darn dry cough, and because I was using my voice all day (except for recess) my cough became stronger and my throat started hurting again.   I did not work yesterday. The RS presidency meets once a week.   Initially they met on Monday but had changed it to Wednesday to accommodate me.   I don’t particularly enjoy working on Wednesdays as it is the short day and school lets out at the same time I get off.   I’d rather not deal with school traffic – which I don’t on any other day.   If I know there is not going to be...

           I   may have had other embarrassing moments, but the one that comes to mind involves a two-piece swimsuit when I was 12 to 14 – I think. I can’t remember if Kayla was around yet or not.   If so, I would have been older.           I had worn the swimsuit only one time and knew it had gone through the wash.   My family was on our way to Lagoon Amusement Park and I went to the laundry room to retrieve my suit.   I was saddened   to see the bottoms had discolored as there had been a bleach spill.   My top, fortunately, had not been bleached.   The bottoms had become an ugly brown resembling soiled diapers.   The top, fortunately, hid the bottoms.   I figured it would be okay to wear them. this is not the exact suit but does resemble the style           Until that day, I was unaware how harmful too much...