Driving Into the Unknown

         It’s been a number of years since Roland had purchased a suit.  An embarrassing number of years.  We used to go to the Big and Tall or the Men’s Wearhouse to get a proper fitting.  Douglas County doesn’t have the same variety of clothing stores (or any store for that matter) as is offered in the larger cities.

          Roland had seen an ad for Shaquil O’Neal wear at JC Penny.

We had gone to the JC Penny in Roseburg.  Though there was a small selection of suits he could try on, the formation around the shoulders gave one that he had been propped into his suit as a scarecrow hanging from a pole.  We needed something else.

          The clerk had told Roland that Eugene would have a much larger selection.  Thus on Saturday we took the time to make the drive to Eugene.  We drove through fog practically the entire way there. It feels weird having such a limited view of where we are going – having faith that the road will take us to our destination though it feels like we are driving through the unknown.

rest stop mile marker 179

 As we approached Eugene, the fog had cleared and we could see more scenery again.

          I had considered taking my kindle as I really don’t like shopping and it would help pass the time as Roland tried on suits, but I knew I was getting low on battery and did not want to gamble on taking it there and having the battery need charger after only two minutes or so. 

          When Roland told me to hold his phone, I downloaded a game to pass the time.  I don’t know that the variety of suits was any larger at the Eugene store – not in his size.  He is limited.  We did end up with a suit coat and pair of pants and ordered another pair of pants and a vest.  Plus he got two more white shirts. 

          We went to Red Lobster for lunch.  The lobster pizza is fantastic, but I don’t recommend the lobster mashed potatoes.  I didn’t care for the sauce.  I really did enjoy the pizza.

          Afterword we went walked over to the Men’s Wearhouse as Roland wanted a raincoat that would fit over his suit.  Nada. Well, they did have a wool coat.  Wool coat in rain.  Smart.  440 dollars.  No thank you.

          We passed a site called “Good Feet”.  Roland has flat feet and has been hurting.  We were there for maybe 20 minutes as he answered questions and walked in their shoes as opposed to his own shoes.  We did not make a purchase.

          We drove to Springfield so that we could pick up some cables and transmitters at Best Buy and then we started home.  What a long and expensive day!

on the return to Myrtle Creek

Circle Colors

Is it possible that the elements could be so cold that the signal for internet is lost?  The outside has gotten below freezing between 1:00 and 5:00.  Jenna, who has gotten up as early as three (strange child) was trying to sign up on the internet yesterday and was frustrated with it not coming up. If she couldn’t get on her devise (which she would seriously give up for non-electronic entertainment) I wasn’t even going to bother trying mine.  Mine has been having problems ever since Roland received a new updated computer from his work.  It must be sucking up more signal or something.  That isn’t fair.

As Roland was toying with Jenna’s device, I got up and checked the status on the box.  One light was solid green, one light was blinking green.  One light was blinking orange.  The other two were out.  I mentioned that it was probably the internet – and the last time we had encountered that problem it was not so much a household thing – but all of Myrtle Creek had been affected (it must be really great for people living in the sticks).

The TV had been turned to the news.  It would be cold all day in Eugene, so bundle up.  Eugene’s whether doesn’t always mirror Myrtle Creek.  I didn’t figure it would do a lot of good to ask Echo as Alexa is on the same power as the internet – yet I knew I wouldn’t be able to pull the forecast upon the internet.  Either Jenna or Roland asked, “Alexa, are you working”

The red glow came on and she apologized that she was not working but to try again later.  Jenna than made a comment about the friendly blue that is received when Alexa (or Echo) is working but referred to the red color as the circle of death.

Dental Tools and Novocain

          I went to the dentist yesterday so that he could fill/replace my tooth.  I was loaded up on Novocain – I think it affected my mental state.  I remember going to another dentist many years ago.  He was my very first dentist when I lived in Midvale.  He would ask patients if they wanted gas to help them relax or the walkman and maybe something else.  I wanted it all.

How the right side of my mouth felt each time I tried to eat

          I don’t know why when my mouth is getting worked on, I somehow feel so relaxed in the dentist chair.  I’m really not.  I could sense my body tension as I sat in the dentist chair yesterday, but in my mind, I thought I was relaxed.  Somehow my mind detaches from my physical body when I am in the dentist chair.

          They had given me sunglasses to block out the glare.  I had also closed my eyes and went back in a time when I had gone to the dentist in Midvale and also when I was loaded up on epidural the time I gave birth to Jenna.  They kept telling me on telling me to push.  In my mind I was pushing.  Apparently I wasn’t making any physical effort.

          My mouth was open wide.  It felt like I had nine different instruments in my mouth in addition to gloved human fingers. They had invited another person to assist.  Are you kidding me?  How many hands can I fit into my mouth?  The one called to assist was operating another machine and was never directly in my mouth.  Even if I had had my eyes open and there’d been a mirror, I don’t think I would have been able to see as the doctor hands would have been in the way.

This is sort of how it felt - but no tie around my head.  It felt like gauze on the inside of my mouth

          One instrument felt cold against my mouth – as though it had just been removed from the freezer.  One assistant held my tongue – my overly long tongue which has pushed my teeth out and most likely undone three years worth of braces torture and expense.  What a waste.  What a shame.

https://www.nowlaugh.com/6-reasons-dentists-are-evil

          My face itched.  I tried scratching but my face was so numb I wasn’t even feeling it.  I drove myself home and tried to enjoy the turkey dinner that Roland had prepared.  Just when I thought my taste buds were coming back from the D3 problem I mentioned here, the Novocain has set me back again. I could not taste what I was eating and therefore didn’t finish.

          I will be staying away from crunchy stuff for a while so as not to upset my tooth.  The Novocain has since worn off my face – though I suspect I may still have some in my mouth as things still don’t feel back to normal for me.  Roland starts his vacation today.  The work assignment I had set up for today fell through.  Just as well.

People Don’t Come With Instruction Books

          For the last two days I’ve accepted work assignments from two different schools to fill in for aides who have been given the assignment to keep an eye on specific students.  I feel for the students who are trying their best but allow themselves to get distracted by the one who is “unique” or has “special needs” and may be treated with “kid gloves” when they, themselves are not and wonder why a certain classmate is allowed to get away with things that they cannot.

          I understand the need to allow a “special needs” to have the same opportunity as those who are considered the norm.  I think it equally important for the “norm” to be exposed to “special needs” as they learn about discipline, social skills and other things that are not a part of academics but still need to be learned.  But at whose expense?

          Though the student body is less populated than the area that we had moved from five years ago, the class sizes are huge in size for lack of teachers and/or space.  Many kids need more personal attention than given – though the system does its best to accommodate.  There seems to be a fine border between education and discipline.  The schools, desperate for teachers, have hired many that have not been trained in finding tricks in order to discipline.

          Still, no one method is going to work for every student – just as no one method will work on each child in any given family.  It doesn’t seem to matter how small or large the family is, there seems to always be at least one that will move to the beat of a different drummer.  I know that whatever method of discipline I may have used on Tony would not work on Randy and vice-versa.  Two totally separate personalities with different thought process and ways of learning.

          Jenna hates having group projects in which children are assigned to work together.  I hated that, too.  But I do get it.  We need to have good communication skills to get things accomplished as adults.  It’s better to learn how to be a team player at a young age than try to apply it to one’s job or career responsibility later on down the road.  “Kid gloves” shouldn’t even be an issue in the workplace – and yet there are some companies that seem to skirt around them. 

          How much further ahead are those who allow God to be a part of our lives and include Him in everyday decisions.  Communication is essential. Frustration occurs when we don’t, won’t or aren’t able to communicate.

Dash # 750 Bucket List

If you were to make a bucket list, what is one thing that would be on it?

          I have always wanted to see New England in the Fall.

https://www.americansky.ie/new-england-holidays/top-10-things-to-do-in-new-england

I would not mind visiting Ben & Jerry’s in Vermont, visiting an inn or two, take in a pumpkin festival perhaps. 

https://newengland.com/today/seasons/fall/10-places-to-visit-in-new-england-in-fall/

I would want to visit some historic sites in Massachusetts and of course get some New England clam chowder.

https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/new-england-clam-chowder

        I haven’t gone as there is always something else that seems more pressing to spend my money on – like a new roof, new shoes, an overcoat, etc.  We have pretty falls in Oregon.  

https://oregonfallfoliage.wordpress.com/2018/10/05/find-your-oregon-fall-this-week/

We have a coast and little tourist traps.  I have lost my desire to travel – but if I did, I would like to go during the fall.  Jenna still has two more years of school and does not wish to travel while school is in session.

          I’m grateful to have books and imagination to take me to places that I might not even know about otherwise.

Rumors and Speculation

I remember hearing about the Hostess bankruptcy (here and here) back in 2012 – the year I started my blog.  I’d written down some ideas and had collected some pictures to go with a post that never got posted.  I would miss the delicious cream-filled treats.  I would not be able to make “Twinkie” trains with Jenna

https://www.somewhatsimple.com/how-to-make-a-train-cake/  © 2019 SOMEWHAT SIMPLE, DESIGN BY LINDSAY HUMES.

But as I was working on my post, it was announced that Twinkie would stay (here) and so I never posted it (as the title was "No More Twinkie Trains").

or purchased Ding Dongs or Hostess Cupcakes again.

In 2016 Hostess announced a rebirth for their products (here and here).  However, the icons no longer appear on the box (eg Captain Cupcake, King Ding Dong, and Twinkie the Kid)

and the snacks are about a third of the size from what I remember (for example, the foiled ding dong covered my palm and didn’t appear to be lost in it;  and keep in mind that I really do have small hands)

 

The ding dong no longer comes in foil

But hey, what a great marketing strategy.  Disappear for four years and come back smaller and perhaps the public will be so grateful that they might not notice the decrease in size – and maybe even taste.

  

The only snack that appears to have gone up in size is the Hostess Zinger which was a parent company to then Dolly Madison (here and here). 

Not much difference in size when comparing the twinkie side by side the zinger.  There was a vast difference in size when the zinger was marketed under Dolly Madison.  

Lots of parent companies that seemingly own everybody else.  Too many hands in the pot if you ask me.

Another Day In the Life

Another restless night and stomach pains

What did I eat that made me so sore?

I didn’t have anything scheduled for work

but checked the availability as I was

willing to work at the middle school today.

No jobs were posted.  Just as well.

I thought perhaps I would sleep for much

of the day and then I received a text.

I really like working with the aide who text me.

If it had been anybody else, I would have said “NO”

but I got dressed and scraped my things together.  

Roland fixed me a lunch.  And then I was off.

The morning drive was in thick fog. 

I thought that would mean sun and

heat during the day, but it was cold. 

All day.  I only had to be outside two times for recess.

In each class I’m supposed to help with phonics

And letter sounds.  What a confusing language!

ONE – a word that rhymes with “sun” or “fun”

– where are the phonics?

Nobody looks at the “O” and expects a “wwww” sound.

What the hey?

One student asked for the pronunciation of “doughnut”

which is often spelled “D_O_N_U_T”.  That makes sense. 

Well, sort of.  Can “u” and “a” be pronounced the same?

I think “a” has a variety of sounds:

dance, carnation, awesome, alligator

and what is up with the “gh” sound?

Laugh, ghost, dough   or  “oo”

Cook, food, door

And once again why is the spelled a

different from the written a? Lest we not forget

c as in city or c as in cake?

                                      chocolate, school, charade

and what is up with the spelling of “choir”?

The only part to be read phonetically is the “r”

The i is pronounced, but in the wrong place. 

So how does the letter “O” fit in that scenario?

Oh, the things I think about when I am at my job.

Aliens in my Mouth

                I don’t know how many months I have lived with this incredible pain on the bottom right side of my mouth.  I wasn’t even sure which tooth was causing the pain.  The last time I was at the dentist earlier this year, I pointed into my mouth at where I thought it was – somewhere between my wisdom tooth and front teeth.  But when the dentist touched each tooth and moved toward the front, the pain became more severe.  I made an appointment to have my teeth looked at by a dentist I had never been to before (one who is in our insurance network whereas the other is not) not realizing that Monday was a holiday and both Roland and Jenna would be off for Veteran’s Day.

          In Salt Lake, Veteran’s Day seemed like just another excuse to take time off, whereas in Oregon, they really go all out to honor those who served our country.  I always feel a happiness when I see the flags out revealing the patriotic pride that goes with – not just Veteran’s Day, but every day there is a reminder to display the flag.

          The Elk’s club is responsible for lining the streets and bridges with flags.  It looks really cool and respectful.  Veteran’s Day means something.  There are parades and ceremonies and other events that take place throughout the state.  I think that is great.

          So back to my tale of woe.  Whenever I would eat, I would try to keep the food on the left side of my mouth in order to avoid the blown up amount of pain that became more painful with each passing day.  It wasn’t even hard food for the most part – nothing that crunched.  On Sunday I was in so much pain that there were tears falling out of my eyes. 

          My stomach started sending me messages that it needed food and I had a light snack shortly after six.  I kept the food on the left side of my mouth.  Before I swallowed, I could feel something hard.  I knew it was a tooth – or partial tooth anyway, but could not find a place in my mouth where it might have come from.  But the pain was gone!

          On Monday morning I met some friends for breakfast, and for the first time in months was able eat my meal without having pain.  I could chew on both sides of my mouth.  It was great!

          Two hours after I returned home, Roland took me to the dentist in Winston.  I showed the doctor the tooth part that had come out of my mouth and he said it was from the bottom left wisdom tooth.  I really didn’t think the pain was that far back in my mouth.  He said the root is solid.  And unless wisdom teeth are removed before the age of 20, it is a painful procedure to have them removed at my age.  Fine.  I’ve already dealt with pain.  I really rather not pay through the nose to be tortured.

          Thus we set up another appointment to have the gap filled in next week.  Roland will be on vacation and will be able to drive me again (though I do now know how to get back there on my own) and so I will have an dental update to maybe write about next week (isn’t that exciting?)

          When we drove back into town we saw a crew starting to take down the flags.  It was only 3:30, but with all of the flags put out, it probably takes over an hour to set up and take down.  Going back to standard time may have given us a bit more daylight in the morning.  But now it appears to get dark early.  (I consider between 4:30 and 5:00 early).  That sight is sad like taking down the Christmas tree at the end (or very beginning of) the year.

Dash #607 Never Stop Writing

          When I was younger, I enjoyed reading poems and would often write nonsense poems just for the sake of rhyming.  It wasn’t until I was in high school and taking a creative writing class that I learned about many different types of poetry and have often attempted writing different styles.  Some styles I prefer more than others.

          I wrote poems for many years.  I wrote poems and started many different story lines, but I don’t think I ever finished a single one.  My mind has mostly raced ahead of my pencil.  The word processor seemed to add an ease to writing stories and biography.  I now have the ability to add things and delete things and not worry about marring the paper in any way. 

          I rarely write poems anymore.  Sometimes I will work on stories with Jenna.  But mostly what I write are truths and journaling.  Once in a while I take out a pen and paper to accumulate thoughts or take notes.  But mostly I do it electronically.  It is faster and tons easier to read.  I write letters and emails electronically. But I do print letters and send them through the mail.  I mostly write my eldest granddaughter – well I address her personally, but the letter is really for the entire family. 

          Once in a while I will send a letter to someone I have never sent to before, for example this letter was sent along with heirlooms – one before she was even born.  On Thursday I sent a letter to my grandnephew who has cancer.  He is four.

          I enjoy writing.  I don’t enjoy poetry as much as I used to – though I have my moments enjoying certain styles like those mentioned in posts here and here. I have since purchased Mirror, Mirror and Follow, Follow. see here

My favorite poets are Carl Sandburg and Langston Hughes. I especially love Langston Hughes and have read most of his collections – many of which are not poetry.  He has written books about a character named “Simple”. Very Funny!

Throughout the beginning of my blog there have been some styles of poetry added to some of my posts – most seem to be about the weather, but there are some others.  Perhaps I’ll share a few of my earlier works if I make the time to look for and compile them and post them.  It will be a while if it indeed happens. Don't count on it.

Movies and Showers

          I once went to a wedding shower in which all the gifts were part of a movie theme.  I don’t have the original invitation, but I do remember the envelope was decorated with movie reels or other decorations.  I don’t remember if there was a director’s cut with instructions or if it was written on the reverse side of the ticket that the gift purchased needed to relate to the title of the movie somehow. 

          Mine was easy.  “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.  I purchased a laundry basket, six white hangers and a bottle of cheer.  I figured that the laundry basket and each of the hangers could represent each dwarf – and the whole theme because Snow White was always so “cheer”ful and didn’t mind doing laundry.  She would actually sing about it. I think “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was the only movie the bride-to-be had even heard of – let alone seen

          There are only four other movies I can remember that were represented: “Napoleon Dynamite”, “Anne of Green Gables”, and “Benny and Joon”.  I had seen the latter two at the time, but not the first one, nor did I really have a desire to see “Napoleon Dynamite” but have seen it since.  It is basically the day in the life of my son, Tony.  At least that’s what it reminds me of.

         

          I know the person that received the “Napoleon Dynamite” movie ticket had seen it many times and thought it was hilarious.  I think her gift was several boxes of macaroni and cheese (or whatever it was he liked to eat).

         

          The gal that received the ticket marked “Anne of Green Gables” had never heard or seen the movie (nor the books for that matter – how could she not?) went out and purchased several cleaning products – anything that had a “green label” figuring it was close enough.

          The gift that made everybody laugh (except for the bride who was very puzzled by the gift) which I thought was clever and think about that shower every time I watch “Benny and Joon” and remember the look on the bride’s face when she pulled out of the box a loaf of bread, a brick of cheese and an iron.  If you have no clue what I am talking about, I highly suggest that you watch the movie.  It is such a sweet love story where I never suspected a love story would be.

Acronyms and Anagrams

          I have been doing several puzzles that involve anagrams.  Anagrams are words made from the same letters.  For instance, I could take the letters E-S-S-T-A.  I can make the word “state” or “taste” from the same letters. 

          Acronyms are generally words made up from initials or abbreviations.  For example, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is more commonly known as NASA.  Some acronyms are easy to pronounce as one word while others may not be.  

           The word Pemdas, for instance, is not one that I will recognize right away.  I am more familiar with “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” which is just a play on words that might be easier for students to remember than  “Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction” Either way PEDMAS or the “Aunt Sally” phrase are supposed to help young minds know in which order they are expected to do a math (specifically algebra) problem (see here).

          Acronyms help allow us to memorize techniques – though they do not work for all people.  Likewise, there are some people that will only see one word with any given set of letters and may not see the other anagrams that are waiting to be arranged into other words. 

          For more acronyms see here and here. 

Though Fog is Clean, it Can Be Eerie

I still have not written my word post.  Let me share with you some pictures of the fog.  It lingers longer in the morning creating an illusion of no background and driving into the unknown.

can you see the school?

I love the fall