Fire on the Freeway

The Relief Society Pres has felt impressed to make little banana breads and plates of cookies to be delivered to some of the sisters in the ward.  I volunteered to help with deliveries and had Jenna with me as we drove around to deliver cookies.

 Two of the sisters we had delivered to live off the same exit as our friend Caroline.  So after we had finished delivering the cookies, we stopped by Caroline’s house to visit.  I think we were a bit closer than six feet apart but did keep our distance.

 We could hear the sirens and then followed by a noise between a “pop” and a “boom” – it didn’t sound like gunfire exactly, certainly not an explosion.  I still don’t know if it was related to the sirens or not, nor do I know what happened.  Caroline  said she could smell something resembling like burnt plastic. If I had gotten back on the freeway and headed south, driven through Canyonville and back through Riddle I would have missed the “stand still” traffic – but I didn’t know I5 had been turned into a parking lot until I was part of the non-moving traffic.

I had even pulled over to allow a firetruck to pass.  We didn’t know that we would see at least eight more emergency vehicles use the shoulder to pass the long line of trucks and cars.   We could see the smoke.  Black smoke to the west and white smoke to the east – or so it appeared.  Some drivers exited their vehicles and walked around in search of answers.  I don’t know if they ever came.  I watched three different news shows and there was no report.

 I don’t know how long those toward the front of the line had been waiting.  Jenna and I had only been a part of the line only twenty to thirty  minutes though it seemed longer as it was over 80 degrees outside.  I think the smelly smoke just added to the heat that was felt.  I don’t know if plastic was involved.  By the time we got pass the “source” it wasn’t identifiable.  According to this report which I found this morning, the remains had once been part of a motor home.  

rough example of where I think fire was.  Red line indicates
the area we were delivering cookies.  Purple path is alternative
of not using freeway.  Orange path shows path firetrucks had
to take in order to get to the fire.

This view was taken from above - I have no idea where the
photographer was standing.  I didn't know there were roads there

This is how the smoke appeared on the west side;  photo cropped from this link
 https://kobi5.com/news/i-5-temporarily-closed-north-of-canyonville-due-to-fire-128192/

Jenna took most of these.  I think I may have taken this first one

There were several cars between us and the ones in photograph

Taken from our car

I took this one of Jenna handing out paper
cranes she had made during our wait

after about 20 minutes or so

all of these vehicles had passed us on the shoulder

hard to believe it had been a motor home as this was all that remained

 

Feeling Blessed

                On April 20 I received an email for a work assignment for the 13 – 28.  I was scheduled to work at Coffenberry for the rest of the year.  I posted this assignment on facebook and proposed two questions:  If they wanted me on the 13^th, why did they wait until the 20 to tell me?  The schools are closed, but do you think if I show up that I will get paid? 

            Roland had suggested that I qualify for unemployment, but he was still working and I didn't want to take away from somebody else who needed more than we.  As it turned out I didn't even qualify as I hadn't put in enough hours or made enough.  And that was okay.

            I haven’t been to any of the schools since March 13.  The school district has payments available on the 10^th but today I received a notification about the automatic deposit into my account.  I WAS paid.  Early at that.  Today is only the 8th.  Roland says that the school systems may be allotted so much money per year and are faced with a "use it or lose it" decision at the end.  I hope that they were able to pay the instructors at least three times the amount of their normal paycheck as they have worked harder during the pandemic than in the public classrooms.  It seems unfair as I haven't contributed to the online education in anyway. I haven't even volunteered at the library.  I understand books can be reserved online for drive-by pick up now.

            Currently there are people who are afraid to work, jobs made available to those who quit, businesses reopening too soon (in my opinion anyway) and people struggling.  I thank Heavenly Father for all the unexpected blessings that have come my way during this pandemic. 

Two Leaders

All of my life I have heard about the signs of the times and what will take place in the last days – the speculations and the truth.  I hadn’t questioned a lot of it as I planned on being on the other side long before the majority of the signs came to pass – which I still might.  Things will only get worse before they start to get better.  I don’t say that to be morbid or because I’m pessimistic.  It is fact.

One of the things I was taught was that the people may choose one of two leaders.  In today’s case it would be either the words of a prophet or the leader of the country, state, whatever a person feels.  There are Trump supporters.  There are those who know that Pres. Nelson is a mouthpiece for God.  Not all people are in favor of Trump.  Not all people recognize Pres. Nelson as a prophet.  Not everybody has a testimony of God’s love. 

I am choosing to follow the counsel of the prophet.  Regardless of whether the world reopens or not – if the Church doesn’t open for meetings and communication remains virtual, then so-be-it.  I will continue with the stay-at-home order.  I will continue wearing a mask and distancing myself.  Even if it is no longer required.

Poor Jenna.  How horrible this situation is for our youth right now.  I don’t know how to make her feel better.  It’s an unpleasant situation if we make it that way.  We can’t control other people’s choices.  We can only control our own.  This may only be a dress rehearsal.  It won't last forever.  But I predict it will continue for quite a while before it gets better.

Uplifting Quotes

Among the Silly Memes are more seriously themed messages.

We Will Never Run Out

More Memes from facebook:

I am NOT one of these people.  I didn't even vote for him.
I think the leader of our country has a touch of dementia.

Canada and Mexico border on America.  America is full
of stupid people unfortunately for all of us

Another Project (NOT a puzzle) LOL

A couple of months after we had moved into our house in Tri City, Jenna and I were walking around Millsite Park when we met a man named Chris.  It was the one and only time our paths had crossed.  I do not know his last name.  He made custom canes.  It was a unique thing personalizing such an ordinary thing.  After our encounter I had collected a bunch and words and pictures that I could have ready should our paths cross again.  They never did.  Thus I made my own walking stick about a year and a half ago. (see here) 

          This year the quarantine has given me an opportunity to make a walking stick for Roland.  I kept his artwork (greeting cards and assignments) in color.  It does not have the results of my own and it isn’t really finished.  I still have several layers of coating to finish it off.

          I remember having done paper mache projects in school.  There was one time we were required to cover our balloon in several layers in order to harden it.  That is what adding layers of coating remind me of.  I did not take step by step photos of his cane the way I did my own walking stick.  It’s still not finished but I took three pictures of the cane and tried to piece them together. Didn’t work out too well

Here are some of the details before I printed them and glued them to the wood.

I like appearance of my walking stick better.