Technology: Interference and Unlimited

          I don’t know what platform is currently being used by stake.  There have been several complaints coming from our ward but I don’t know if it’s like that for all wards.  Recently three of the wards have been upgraded.  We are among the four that receive not-so-great viewing options.  Last week seemed fine, but we did have lots of interference yesterday.  We also had lots of rain.  So I suppose the weather interfered with – I’m guessing Frontier though I had suspected it had gone out of business as it is awful.

          We heard the opening hymn four times intermingled with Mormon Tabernacle Choir who were vibrant and definitely easier to hear.  I had the volume up as loud as it would go.  We heard the opening prayer three times.  Announcements twice.  And the first part of Elder Miller’s talk.  And then it reverted back and I finally turned it off.  But Jenna and I wanted to hear the rest of Elder Miller’s talk and so I signed in again.  We heard the end.  Nothing in the middle.

          The high counselor made a joke about the “dry council” as it was called when we were growing up. He wasn’t dry, but his deliverance somehow didn’t appeal to me and I lost track of the message.  We turned it off as Roland blessed and passed the sacrament.  And then I tried signing into Relief Society.  

        RS and SS use zoom.  Sunday School works great but RS and the Priesthood have different Zoom ID's seem to compete. At first I could only hear bits and pieces of the priesthood and then I couldn’t hear at all – though I wasn’t the only one with issues.  I could also hear another who had signed on and couldn’t hear.  We both ended up signing out and back in again.  It was about fifteen minutes before I got sound.  I could see seven aside the instructor but guessed there were at least three more as I could hear sisters I recognized by voice but did not have a view of them.

          My next stop was St. George – which worked the best of the three.  Elder Cooper showed me around Brigham Young’s winter home starting at the rear of the house.

though I was shown this hallway to begin with, we
did not use the stairs until the end of the tour - they
had been put in as part of the tour and not part of the original house

he referred to this as a "Mormon Couch" which can be used as a bed

He said that this was called a flat grand piano

The floors and much of the furniture is made out of white
 pine -though all have an appearance of something else

he said the two framed drawings are original to the house; the dishes are original
to the Young Collection but not a part of the winter house in St. George

 

this is the kitchen.  A hired helper roomed above the kitchen

another view of the kitchen and pantry through the door

though the stove is not the original the chair is

these are the stairs between the kitchen and the hired
hands' room; short skinny steps.  Not roomy at all

Amelia Young's bedroom; she never bore children

bedroom of Brigham Young.  Some original pieces - mostly copies.  I was most
interested in the dresser which my tour guide referred to as a trunk.  He said that
each of the drawers are numbered as the dimensions were of different sizes.

the cane on the bed is one that Brigham Young used

we spent a few minutes outside as he walked around 
and back; pay attention to the white bench

He referred to this as an office which I understood was not
built until after the dedication of the St. George Temple

As we walked inside Elder Cooper said the dedicatory prayer of the
temple had not been recorded and so the officials would use this office
to write down the prayer so that they would have it

The benches are originals but NOT to the house or office.  They were a part
of the 4th floor in the St. George Temple but were removed as the forth floor 
in temples (I think he said there were five of them) is no longer used

This shows behind the office. The colors
on house match original coloring

         When the tour was near its end and after I had thanked him, a group of four entered the gate and Elder Cooper let him know that the inside is for virtual touring right now but he would be happy to show them around outside and answer any questions.  Perhaps I should have stayed and listened but chose to sign off so that he could devote his attention to them.

If you would like to take a virtual tour in one of St. George historic sites click here to set up a time.

A Year Ago This Week

One year ago today – Friday the 13^th.  They tried to pass it off as an extension of Spring Break and were confident it wouldn’t last.  How did they think it wouldn’t last? Last day at school for the remainder of the year. Well, maybe not for everybody.  It was for me.  And in person for Jenna – who has friends in quarantine and reminds them about last year at this time.

March 7^th was a Saturday.  Ester was scheduled to be baptized and Gary would be the following week.  But Bill and Kayla changed it so that Gary would be baptized at the same time as Ester’s baptism.  Different wards. 

March 8^th was a Sunday – unbeknownst to us, the last Church meeting’s to be held for over six months in 2020. 

On the 9^th this year I received a memory that was written in 2011.  It said “It sounds like now days that it is going to come down to the fact for parents to take it upon themselves to home school.”  Wow!

We had scheduled an activity for the 14^th.  On the 11^th we were wondering if we should postpone – or cancel as it turned out.  For on the 12^th (the day before our last day of school) the Prophet announced “Church at Home”  What???  Our ward is small enough that surely we would be able to meet.  But the lockdown applied to us as well.

So Spring Break is coming up.  Last year they dismissed the students early.  Told them that they would have an extended spring break - they didn't know it would be for five months!  In addition to spring break is daylight saving.  Why the heck do we still have daylight saving???? When will this nightmare end?

How Great the Passion

Last night I booked a tour to tour Winter Quarters this morning.  It wasn’t anything like what I had imagined.  Oh, but Elder Anderson shared his testimony through his passion of explaining historic moments through paintings and artifacts.  I think he was a little frustrated that I was not as live as he.  My laptop rarely gets turned on anymore, because it is always such an ordeal as though I am using AOL dialup (that is a reference to old school internet) and overall prefer my PC which does not include camera or microphone and so I have to use the chat box.  Of course my fingers don’t fly as quickly as my tongue.

I’d been introduced to Zoom almost four years ago when I started taking classes online. But I have never used Google Meet until this morning and didn’t know where the chat was located.  As I was searching, I inadvertently chose the closed caption and it played as I took screenshots of various pics – none which I might choose to keep if it weren’t for the captions which are more meaningful than the pictures.  Some of the captions don’t really go with the pictures that I took but are continued from something we just saw or where we are headed.

Elder Anderson would often focus on that which
was meaningful but did not "zoom" as well from
my perspective and often came out blurry

The weird brush-looking thing above is used for splicing tares from plants to make threads for sewing

Brigham Young's violin

More explanation of the Mormon Battalion – though not as much detail.  I forgot to mention in yesterday’s post that the white band was the most important part of the uniform.  The soldier’s HAD to wear the white band.  Rather than don themselves with the uniform in it’s entirety (blue uniforms pictured within frame to the right) money was sent to the pioneers in winter quarters

Elder Anderson focused on the dirt road and pointed
out a spot to represent where the Mormon Trail Center
(Winter Quarter Museum) is located.

 I thought the tour would include more outdoors than it did.  Truth is we never even left the building.  He pointed out the temple and the cemetery across the parking lot.  He even pointed out a man who was mowing the lawn, but the pictures were so distorted I couldn’t see much of what he was telling me about.

I took several pictures of this same replica as he said to me “You may want to write this down” – oh, as though I can write that fast.  I waited for words to move and took several screenshots as he spoke.  It was interesting but I know I wouldn’t have been able to write down even a fourth of it.

This was Orson Hyde's printing press
or at least a replica of it

The captions are still about the printing press though the subject had moved to blacksmiths and carpentry

I’m not certain who this rifle belonged to.  He talks about Jonathan Browning pistols and rifles in the picture but caption did not come until the screenshot below

He would zoom in on the maps and other features that would either blur or pick reflection.  I had laughed at the armature filming knowing fully well that I would have probably done worse.  Bless those missionaries who may have never had to work with modern technology before

 I also had many pics of this area as Elder Anderson explained the roles of Brigham Young and those circled in the chart to his right (well, Brigham Young’s left, our right) but kept many of the same picture with the different captions

This is an example of the blurriness that just didn’t convey through to my end.  Though Elder Anderson may have been frustrated at times not knowing I was still with him, I am grateful he could not hear me laugh as I know it must have sounded disrespectful.  Of course I would have muted my mike if I had made that option.  But I am not disrespectful about anything he said.

This is what was on the screen when Jenna came in to ask if I would like to take a walk with her and Bonnie.  She asked me if we had been there before.  I said the layout looked a lot like the Church Museum in Salt Lake City – and so did many of the displays.  But I really did love Elder Anderson’s enthusiasm as he shared his love and gratitude for the pioneers and the many sacrifices that were made.

I love Elder Anderson's tender explanation as
he zoomed on this part of the painting

 

I didn’t realize until the end I had gone through my screenshots that I made the connection of having a view of the Nauvoo Temple when I started the tour and ended up at the Salt Lake Temple (or what represented the Salt Lake Temple) Elder Anderson had summarized Pres. Gordon Hinckley’s quote on bookends but I did not make the connection right away.  

  “Today, facing west, on the high bluff overlooking the city of Nauvoo, thence across the Mississippi, and over the plains of Iowa, there stands Joseph’s temple, a magnificent house of God. Here in the Salt Lake Valley, facing east to that beautiful temple in Nauvoo, stands Brigham’s temple, the Salt Lake Temple. They look toward one another as bookends between which there are volumes that speak of the suffering, the sorrow, the sacrifice, even the deaths of thousands who made the long journey from the Mississippi River to the valley of the Great Salt Lake.”  - Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, “O That I Were an Angel, and Could Have the Wish of Mine Heart”, Conference October 2002 (here)

When COVID hit all of the church’s historical sites were shut down, but they now offer virtual tours for everybody.  Tours are offered in many languages.  Please go to this site to sign on.  Pick a language and find your options.  Have fun.

Enjoying the Virtual Touring

          Some people have told me

“Oh, you’ve got to see this site!” 

“You’ll have to visit that place!”

I don’t like crowds of people.  I can view things through books and/or video and probably be happier with it than going there in person – not to rule out visiting said destination if I happen to be in the area – but I don’t necessarily have to visit said sites in person and I’m okay with it.

 On February 4 I took a virtual tour of Palmyra in New York (here).  Today I took a virtual tour of the Mormon Battalion Historical site in San Diego, California.  It was GREAT!!!!  I didn’t have to stand.  I didn’t have to get up and move.  There was no crowd of people – not even online. The tour was my personal tour.  I feel so blessed for having had the opportunity as I had the missionaries to myself.

Who knew that acting might be a requirement of missionary service?  Not all missionaries are called to perform as in a skit.  The sisters called to serve at the Mormon Battalion Historical site become a part of the great story as they introduce us to real life characters that left the pioneer company in Iowa to join the soldiers that President Polk had ordered to serve in the war against Mexico.

I took more screen shots.  Some turned out nice.  Some not so great – they either blurred or changed more quickly than my fingers were able to press.  I enjoyed the creativity of the tour and learning more about the historical events.  

outside building

Sister Curtis and Sister Collins starting the tour

it was interesting to watch the portraits move

you'll notice that most of the portraits have left

Sister Collins demonstrates the equipment used

couple behind the window

Sister Curtis holds a washboard. Behind the
window is a viewing screen (see above)

mapping out the trek

more reenactment displayed on this screen

bringing the tour to a close/answering questions

moving to the display cases

a closer look and discussion about the shoes

 

For more information visit this facebook page (here)  and book a tour of your own.

What Now?

        We are still moving too quickly in my opinion. Yes, precautions have been taken and mostly met at some places – but what about those who travel outside of the perimeters? Those who still don’t believe in COVID or the mask mandate or social distancing? Why are there so many who have the mentality of “to each his own” and not consider ALL those they come in contact from day to day? I have made it no secret that I was never in favor of watching the schools reopen. It’s true that several students do so much better with in learning – and while the percentages are down of students who have been infected they are STILL CARRIERS! 

        A friend of Jenna had called to report two classmates who are now under quarantine due to someone having tested positive for COVID – though Jenna had already known as we had been informed that in-person seminary learning would cease to exist for the next ten days at least.   A request was also made (I would assume out of embarrassment) to please respect said individual and NOT pass on confidential information. However, at least one of the students tested positive and had posted it online. I don’t think he provided his source or possible co-conspirators (though I do not know for certain as I haven't had the resources to read his post - it is only second-hand information)

         As I have reread what I have just written, it doesn’t even make sense to me so I will attempt with false identities. Quincy has Covid. I had heard that he’d been sick from a very reliable source. Quincy lives in the same household as Doug who attends the local high school. Doug carpools with Heath and Morgan who attend seminary with Jenna. We learned about Quincy on Thursday night – six hours after Jenna and I had volunteered service hours for one who is 85 years of age. I don’t believe either of us have COVID though I have had a sore throat and some irritating coughing. 

     Jenna had worn her mask the entire time we were serving. I had removed mine when addressing the 85-year-old as the mask (and her aging ability to hear) distorted my words.  I thought it was too soon to visit and not totally comfortable with the idea – but the other three I serve with have been making visits all along. 

         Anyway, either Heath or Morgan had reported the results online. Positive. I think that is very responsible to let others who may have had contact aware. The other tested negative. I don’t know Doug’s results. But there are others in the household who have also been sick. I learned that from another family member. So it is not just their lives that have been upset but those that they associate with either directly or indirectly. Though Jenna may not have rubbed elbows with Quincy personally but does have contact with the other three – although at least six feet apart from two of them, she does sit less than six feet from the one who tested negative. 

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-04-07/91-of-students-isolated-amid-COVID
-19-girls-suffer-most-UNESCO-Pv4Hqqi2mk/index.html

         The school has also contacted parents of students by association and I suspect there are several others who are now responsible for being in quarantine and back online as they are not able to meet in person. We have also been asked not to attend Church tomorrow. Truth is, I don’t wish to return to church at all - not under these circumstances. Not right now. It’s not that I am fearful of getting it myself but rather being a carrier who can inadvertently spread it to others. Hopefully the 85 year old has been vaccinated.

        Jenna reminded me that this happened last year just before spring break.  Not wanting to place fear into the students, some passed off that there would just be two extra weeks of spring break.  The whole spring break fiasco turned into not returning at all - even for those who graduated in 2020.  Just because the vaccines have been introduced in 2021 doesn't give us the right to return (or try to return) to how things were exactly one year ago.  Not everyone in the country has been vaccinated.  Not everyone in the country wants to be vaccinated.  I, for one, do not qualify for the vaccination at this time.  I'm too young.  

        I hope for the sake of everyone (more than myself) I have been in contact with during this past week I am not a carrier and that those I have had contact with remain healthy and don't pick up the virus.  Or this cough or sore throat (which has been this morning thing and not before)

That’s Gotta Bite

Long before I was born my grandpa took the opportunity to invest in oil lands.  From my understanding his investment had paid for a certain amount of land which different companies would lease in order pump out oil and distribute under their name.  I had heard of Shell, Amacco, Texaco and Conoco but there were many other names that I did not recognize.  I don’t know how often checks were written to each share holder but each check would bear the name of the company who had leased the land.

 After my grandpa had died the checks were made out to my grandmother.  When she died she had made arrangements that each of her children would get 30% of the royalties and the remaining ten percent would be divided among her then eleven grandchildren. I never saw what my parents were getting, but the checks made out to us had always come with a mountain of paperwork.  We had always found it to be such a great waste of money that it would often cost more to send the check than the check was often worth.  Checks that were cut to my sibs, cousins and I would range anywhere from one cent to 35.00.  Two digit dollars were rare.  The average seemed to be two and change if I remember correctly. 

At times we were offered to sell our property or lease it off to another company which also required a huge mountain of paperwork which included duplications that not only had to be signed but witnessed as well.  Often we would go to the neighbors across the street and create an assembly line of signing and passing the papers.  Often companies who had asked would change their minds as I suppose the size of the property wasn’t worth it – not among the grandkids anyway who had grown into twelve of us.

As the years went by the amount of checks had lessened – either we had sold the property off or the land had dried up or what have you – and had exchanged hands so many times that it was hard to keep track of where our checks might be coming from.  I don’t think the amount was ever worth all the hoops we had to jump – particularly those of us whose names and addresses had changed.  Most companies could either get my married name or current address but never both.  Thinking that the address was more important I still get mail addressed to my maiden name.  In fact, there was one address where we had lived that Roland was also receiving mail in my maiden name.  I thought it was hilarious.

Anyway before the coronavirus hit the states but while the pandemic was going on in China we had an outrageous offer on our property rights.  OUTRAGOUS on the part of the company – quite unbelievable for us.  Corey had asked them about the amount on three separate occasions but was told the amount was correct.  He decided to go for it but advised the rest of us to wait in case it was a hoax.  It wasn’t a hoax.  He got paid!  And in turn the rest of us did too.  I mean it would take several years to acquire enough pay checks to equal the amounts we had already sold for.  This offer would have been at least forty.  It was unbelievable. 

The individual we had dealt with had been so enthusiastic for acquiring all this property for his company.  I sounded as if he had been more excited for the gain than we were to sell.  And then COVID hit.  I wondered what had become of him or the company he worked for.  Corey learned that he is no longer employed with that same company but did not know if it was because his choices may have cost the company (well, the pandemic did – but that hadn’t even been a consideration;  what company is going to say, “Oh, we can’t afford to pay that much – there could be a pandemic tomorrow and people might not purchase crude oil anymore”) or if it was just because along with so many other companies in the nation layoffs were necessary.

There have been so many who have struggled in 2020 not just because of COVID but because of weather conditions.  People lost homes due to floods and fires and other elements. And we remain blessed.  We may not have a lot but I know we are better off than so many others.  For that  I am grateful.

Alexa Has Attitude

 

Jenna's rough drawing of what Echo
and "Attitude" might appear as icons

I think I have created a couple of posts in which I refer to “Alexa”.  We have two, an echo and one built into the sound system for the TV. 

Jenna had won the echo two and a half years ago when we had gone to Salem for an open house for the online school that Roland works for.  We kept it over the fireplace for over a year before Roland purchased a new sound system for the television.  He had a choice of making it “Okay Google” or “Alexa”.  I told him to go with “Okay Google” so the two wouldn’t both activate at the same time but he chose not to listen to me and go with Alexa and moved the Echo into Jenna’s room.  But her room is too close and both would activate – at least simultaneously.

We now have the Echo in our room and have an alarm set to go off at 5:15 each weekday morning. Our room is located right next door to Jenna’s and so often both will activate (depending on who is making the request) though there is a four to seven second delay.  Usually the information is exactly the same but sometimes the Echo provides more interesting or need information whereas the one built into the speaker has attitude.  I kid you not.

Jenna has tried drawing what she thinks in her mind – the echo is a helpful student (probably kindergarten age as Alexa had said she was five years in age) while the speaker seems more like a teenager irritated about being interrupted while she is on her cell phone.  There have been times that she has flat out refused to respond.  That isn’t nice.  But seems to fit her personality.  How can an “Alexa” device feel so much different from the other.  Jenna and I like Alexa Echo but do not care for Alexa the other.

Running Out of Options . . . Best Stay Put

                 After my eldest son’s wife passed away he was given options on how to continue.  An aunt from his mother’s side had offered for him to come live with them on the farm in Freedom, Wyoming.  His in-laws offered to allow him to continue living with them.  Of course Roland offered for him to move to Oregon.  I don’t know what it was that kept him in Utah.  I personally thought Freedom would have been the best choice.  Ali would have gotten to know cousins on the Warner side of the family.  Biff told me that she loved cows (that was when she was two – I have no idea what her interests are at present - wolves?) and she would have had the opportunity to interact with them and learn the ways of dairy farming. 

        Eventually Biff met Claire and thus stayed in Utah for her.  They finally got married.  She had fallen in love with both Biff and Ali.  Ali doesn’t remember Jeanie as she was only two years old when her mother passed.  Clair is her mom – perhaps the only mom that she will remember.  Claire didn’t want to move to Oregon because she was licensed in whatever practice in Utah but does not even work now from what I understand.  She spends a huge amount of time doting on Ali – lately at the hospital.  Ali has been in and out since December.  I recall Jeanie being in and out of the hospital quite often after we met her.  Could Ali be following in her mom’s footsteps?

        I wonder how different things might have been if Biff had brought her to Oregon three years ago or if he had gone to Wyoming.  It sounds like he and his aunt are of similar mind.  Perhaps Ali would have been diagnosed with COVID in Wyoming as well – though I think the exposure would have been less risky there than the wall-to-wall population of people in some counties in Utah.  I don’t know.  We can never know how differently life would have been if we had chosen another path.

        Now it doesn’t seem as if either Oregon or Wyoming are options as Salt Lake and surrounding areas have a wide option of hospitals and clinics.  They may be medically advanced in Portland – but Biff and Clair cannot afford anything in Portland – not that they’d want to come.  I think as long as Ali remains in and out of the hospital, they really need to stay put and take advantage of where they are.