Other Gifts

          Shortly after we moved to Oregon, Jenna and I had gone to a second hand store in search for some game cards – or puzzle cards – something that we could cover to create our own version of.  We ended up purchasing a child’s alphabet learning game including four boards and 28 cards. 

this is not the exact game we had purchased, but one similar

We covered the backs of the cards with clip art pictures we had printed off the computer. 

shows a small piece of the board that we made

 We didn’t have a use for the boards but continued to hang onto them until earlier this month.  We decided that we would send them to our youngest granddaughter for Christmas and spent a family home evening painting letters so place on the boards.           

          For our oldest granddaughter I had purchase a bead kit which reminded me a lot of one that my mom had given to Jenna one year. 

Jenna really enjoyed making different necklaces and I thought Ester might enjoy them also.  I hope that she enjoys it as much as Jenna did. (see here)         

          For our youngest grandson we purchased a counting book – not that he is counting yet.  He turned one the 4^th day of October this year. 

Their family has purchased gifts for us each year.  There were nine items in the box they sent this year.  Two cookie mixes, a cupcake mix and two presents for each of us. 

          I already mentioned Jenna’s Encore here.  The kids gave her a container of what appeared to be leftover Halloween candy.  Rochelle always picks out a book for me – a mystery that she enjoyed and would like to share.  There was a lap blanket from the kids which looked like a candy cane pattern to me.  Jenna calls it my toothpaste blanket.

          Roland received a Three Stooges video which he had never seen before.  The kids gave him a book for creating Scrabble words.

          In addition to the Batman and Superman in his sock, Jenna had picked out four more characters.  I wrapped each of them individually.  Roland was surprised but seemed to see a message that we view him as stressed – which was not the case.  We had purchased them to go with the many other super heros he has collected. 

          In my sock was this cute Snoopy ornament which will hang above my desk when Christmas is over.

          I’ve been toting my insulated bag to both school and church

but had picked out this purse to carry with me – even though I’m really not much of a purse person. 

 I like it for the many pockets that it has.  That is what Jenna wrapped for me from her.

Jenna also brought me “card holders” to attach to my hat as I am always losing them.

           Roland got me Murder with Collard Greens and Hot Sauce and a book collection called The Land of Stories. 

 It really was a simple Christmas.  Jenna received a bell for a bicycle that Roland had purchased for her

After I started my initial Christmas post, I realized that we had not opened the gift from the couple in our ward and retrieved it from its “hidden” place and we opened this bear candle and angel statue. 

.

Different Variations of Frightful

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful . . . “

My sister recently posted this picture on her facebook page.

retrieved from facebook

My comment was that even though we live further up north than she does, the residents in Douglas County are more inclined to be like the first picture than the second.

I DON’T miss snow.  I don’t miss driving in it.  I don’t miss waiting in the cold snowbanks and blizzards.  I don’t miss the horrible traffic.  I don’t miss this:

retrieved from KSL NOVEMBER 27, 2019 AT 5:14 AM

 Retrieved from Salt Lake Tribune
 NOVEMBER 27, 2019 

retrieved from NBC news December 8, 2019

 The weather was quite beautiful on Christmas morning

and continued into the next day.  Jenna put on her Elf costume and we went to Millsite park ao she could pass out candy canes.

I had to take another picture after we returned home so that the socks could be seen (as they were hidden by the shoes)

Friday’s weather was “stay in your pajamas and stay inside and read a book” type weather.  Nothing as frightful as the first four pictures of snow.  The skies were overcast and everything was wet by rain. 

The last two mornings have given us lingering fog which has cleared about 10:30 or so. It rained quite a bit yesterday.

Oh, Holy Night

I always associate this song with my dad as I remember him singing it each year. 

I would like to share this rendition which combines the voice of Kenneth Cope with the art work of Liz Lemon Swindle:

Wooden Houses

         Monopoly is still not my favorite game, but it is one of the few that Roland will agree to play with us.  However the rules vary quite drastically depending on whether he or Jenna are banker.  One of the last times we played, each of us had monopolies but Roland was banker hoarding houses and we were not allowed to buy hotels until we slowly built up and then traded in.  When Jenna’s banker, hotels can be purchased without having to first build up a housing empire.  There aren’t enough houses – at least there weren’t.

          Roland found some extra houses at good will and purchased what appears to be vintage pieces.  Not original 1936 pieces but a remake done in 1947. 

We decided to incorporate the extra housing in with our game pieces that were made this century. We played a came the day after Christmas.

The hotel sizes are different and the house colors range in an assortment of greens.

          The color variation for the money is not as obvious between the 20s and 50s as they are today

          And the game pieces were not the cool shapes that they are today,  Wooden pawns and tiny dice.

          The instructions had been creased and torn.  When we taped it back together Roland asked if that wouldn’t ruin its value.  Jenna and I threw puzzled glances at him thinking the creases and tears had probably already disvalued the game.  Also the fact that there was no board included.

          Jenna found a misshaped hotel and thought it funny and purposely used the edge/corner to stand the hotel as she thought it was funny.

          The game came with a booklet to advertise other Parker Brothers games (this one in Salem, Massachusetts – though they also had locations in New York, Chicago and London.  The monopoly game sold for 3.50  A game called Camelot sold for 1.50 and 2. 00 or with a large board and ivoried pieces for 5.00.  Sorry sold for 2.00 and a game called Pollyanna (which suspiciously looks like Parcheesi) sold for 2.00 also.

           Jenna and I laughed as Roland started mortgaging properties in order to buy others – NONE of which gave him a monopoly.  We kept landing on community chest, chance, taxes, and our own properties but rarely our own.  Jenna and I had both purchased hotels for the monopolies we had – but as no one was landing on properties except for the owner, we failed to purchase more because what would be the point.

          We played for two hours and declared Roland the winner just so we could stop.  We played some other games yesterday.  Jenna and I really enjoy playing games.

Roland’s Favorite Gift

Whenever Roland has been approached by Jenna or the boys for whatever occasion (Christmas, birthday) they ask what he wants and he has always answered a homemade card – which Jenna did when she was younger.  But it seems a bit hopeless to make a card for someone who makes cards like these:

 

Christmas 2016

Christmas 2018

Christmas 2019

2019

I had looked for something to give Roland for Christmas and when I started wrapping other presents I realized that I might not have a gift to have for him on Christmas and quickly wrote this poem:

He thought it was great.  I was more surprised by his reaction than I was pleased as I had felt somewhat ashamed of not spending as much time on it as he believes I did.  I am happy that he liked it – or likes it rather.  He shared it with his mom over the phone.  She also thought it wonderful.  Okay.  Cool.  I seemed to have succeeded without really trying.  How awesome is that.

Because a single sheet of paper does not carry a lot in weight, I included a puzzle which was already in our possession.  I did it to add weight, but Roland didn’t remember having it and thought it was a part of the gift and we put it together Christmas afternoon.

Christmas Morning 2019

Each year that we’ve been here we have mailed four packages to Salt Lake -  one for each of my boys and one for my sister and her family.  This year we mailed only one package.  We sent out gift cards to each of my sons and presents to the children of my middle son – not to play favorites among grandchildren, but I knew we’d be receiving a package from them and so wanted to make a gift exchange to the only son that it seems to matter. 

The first gift under our tree was one from some ward members we had had over for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago.  The gift was moved when the carpet was cleaned and we forgot to return it.  We had three small gifts under our tree, presents from my sister and her family.  Jenna guessed what they were – but did not know all of the details that awaited on the inside.  Randy’s gift to Jenna arrived unwrapped, but I took it out of the box and put it in a decorative Christmas tin and put a tag to Jenna from Randy, Carrie and Devin.  Gradually other gifts appeared.  This is how it looked on Christmas Eve before Roland and I finally went to bed:

Roland creates cards and sends them out each year.  He sends cards out the last three months of the year focusing on Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Each year it seems we receive more Christmas cards than we did the year before.  This is what our two doors looked like last night before we went to bed:

And here is the way the fireplace looked last night before Jenna went to bed:

I had purchased some stocking stuffers for Jenna when Roland and I had gone to Eugene (here)

We ended up purchasing another sock to fit all of Jenna’s loot.  So this is what she woke up to on Christmas morning:

Our tradition is to open our stockings first.  This year we opened our socks one at a time – starting with Jenna. I thought she would be more excited over the silicone straws than she appeared to be.  She did express pleasure for the flamingo and pineapple ice cubes.  Her favorite item that she retrieved was a plastic dinosaur that Roland had bought for her.

In Roland’s socks were the first two “stress” super heroes:  Batman and Superman.

I was surprised by the amount of items that my stocking contained – including two pairs of socks.  I selected the warmer of the two and put them on my feet.

My sister’s gift from her family to ours was a pair of socks for each of us.  Minons for Jenna, an almost “cat-in-the-hat ‘thing’” socks for me, and superman socks with capes attached for Roland:

Roland and Jenna put their socks on right away. Jenna continued passing out gifts and we continued opening them up one at a time. 

We had each recived a hat for Christmas – all “wrapped” the same way.  Each in a tin can.  Roland’s to Jenna, Jenna’s from Randy and although Jenna had picked out the hat I was wearing, it had been marked from Santa.

Though Jenna wasn’t wearing her hat until the final few pictures. The last two gifts beneath the tree were for her.  Tony has always managed to sent give Jenna her absolute favorite gift of the season.  Last year it was a lap blanket featuring a tiger. 

The year before it was the first six seasons of Psych (see here) 

She opened the gift from Tony first.  She screamed in delight at discovering the game “Encore” which she has asked for each year since we have lived in Tri City. 

The last gift was from her brother, Randy and his family.  It was a Pokémon hat.  So now she has a Pokémon to wear in summer and one for winter:

 Jenna's top three gifts this Christmas:

Just Like Mom

Even Before my hair started turning white, I would pass a mirror and see mom’s reflection in myself.  It seemed more apparent with white hair – not that mom always had white hair.  I don’t think she let it go white until after I had gotten married and moved out.  I miss my mom.

I remember some quirky things that mom always seemed to do – like complain about having to use construction detours.  She would refer to having to “drive clear around the world”.  It made us laugh.  There were many things that she said that would put a smile on my face.  She wasn’t even trying to be funny which made it all the more humorous.

Often Jenna will laugh at things I say the same way I laughed at mom.  It doesn’t bother me.  Progressive has several commercials that state, “We can’t prevent you from becoming your parents . . .”  Well, good.  Both of my parents were rather awesome people and I am grateful when others compare me to them.  They are wonderful examples and staples of my life.

Mom and dad both wore glasses.  I remember how blind my mom was without them.  I couldn’t understand how she could not see a clock above a pool for example.  She would merge from the water and ask me what time it was and the clock was just right there!  Now I understand.  Many things are blurred or out of vision when I don’t have my glasses on.  

 She would be wearing her glasses whenever she would gravitate to any car that somehow resembled the color of our own.  We would search for the car in a parking lot and she would often go to cars that weren’t ours.  We would tease her about it.  Now my Jenna and Roland tease me when I head toward cars that aren’t even the same model.

I think of my mom often.  I have followed in her footsteps in many ways.  I love my mom.  Whenever I find myself doing some of the quirky things that I remember her doing, I think of it as a compliment that I am so much like her in more than just looks.

Taking in the View

          I’ve seen many landscapes in different view

                   from my friends houses

                   Medford pear orchard

and during drives beyond city limits

and touring the coast or McMinnville

            

I have missed some views

such as the solar eclipse two years ago             

but the skies were filled with smoke

from the fires that had burned that year

          I have missed seeing stars

due to the heavy clouds and rain

though my view of the sky has been

spectacular this year

Fog can be eerie –

not much of a view when

it envelops us

  

I’ve seen both nature and manmade

                   I watched a person above a cherry picker

reach up into a McDonald’s sign. 

That was interesting.  

Never had seen anything like it before.  

A bit freaked out at the       

mass size the “M” appeared to be.

I have viewed different works of art

including paintings and quilts. 

I have had the opportunity to view

“dressed” vegetables

I am grateful for the opportunity that I have

to view pictures online to see family members

who are so far to see each day in person

I am grateful that daily quotes

that uplift and remind me

that I am a child of God and

His point of view matters more

than what any human may think

There is definitely a different point of view

with each religion and scripture read

          I appreciate the differences

My favorite point of view for book reading

is first person. 

I like the creative approach that some authors

have used,  such as

the “Dear Mr. President” series.

R.J. Palacio’s “Wonder” or

Rob Buyea’s “Mr. Terrupt”

in which several characters take a turn

at telling the story – written in first person

and different points of view.

One of his characters likes what he refers to as “one dollar words”

which is another way to view

spelling and math combined

I have gone on countless job interviews

and Jenna was able to interview Bill

for an assignment last year

She has also used a creative approach to book reports

          by pretending to interview         

a character from whatever book       

she may be reading.

I have always tried to review my work

before I’ve turned it in. 

Our county newspaper is called

The News Review. 

Jenna had her picture taken and

put on the front cover on

                      August 8 this year.