Beneath the Wraps

  https://www.idahopress.com/opinion/editors_notebook/forget-national-monument-craters- of-the-moon-should-be-a-national-park/article_084c0496-ad13-53c9-99f0-75e374fb6af5.html              I was on my mission the first time my family visited Craters of the Moon in Arco, Idaho.   I had only heard about it – but not in full detail as I learned the second time my family had gone – just to make sure I had the opportunity. Patrick was with the family the first time but had managed to miss out the second time.   I still did not experience the fullness that the family had endured the first time around. They told me that everything looks the same.  The picture above, the picture below, whatever is behind it - it looks the same.  The scenery does not change.             Jenna had reminded me of this as she was asking about church policies and state policies on precautions with COV...

              Randy really wants us to come to St. George – like now – which would be fine but the pandemic is far from over.   Almost half of all adults have received a vaccination shot – but there are still a high percentage that refuse.   They are too macho.   They are too proud.   They are determined NOT to let the government control them.   The same people who refuse to get flu shots or wear seat belts or have convinced themselves they are immune to any other law. So I read this article from Yahoo.   I hope that Oregon continues with its restrictions and those that think we ought to reopen can go spend their summer in Florida and see how well that works out for them.   International Travel is still a rare occurrence.   Other countries don’t wish to let Americans in.   I don’t blame them.   Americans are spoiled and have attitude.   The entire world belongs to them a...

             Brace yourselves.  This is almost as exciting as having a pantry/office.  Roland started out his vacation by washing the cars!  I know.  I can hear the envy.  We really do know how to live it up.  As a result, I may not be posting as often until he returns to work.  Meanwhile enjoy the pics.

                  When we had initially brought Bonnie home back in September, she spent her first morning running from room to room – anxious to greet all of us.  Man, that dog was hyper!  She still gets excited like that whenever we’re about to go for a walk.  Other than that, she seems to have adjusted to less bounce until last night.             I allowed myself to accompany Roland and Jenna to Roseburg as he was insistent on buying some new clothes for her and she is never all that thrilled when the very word “clothes” is mentioned.   Not your average teenager by any means.   I knew she didn’t want to shop for clothes.   I don’t like to shop for clothes.   We made a few moments of our night being miserable together.             Poor Bonnie.   Left alone for over three hours.   And ...

                Shortly after Roland and I had married he had invested in a sales program featuring Roger Butcher.    He had tried a number of suggestions, but the one we used the most was for sending out letters to home owners whose physical addresses were different from the property itself.   We would form an assembly line as someone would write the letter, another would fold it, another would insert it into an envelope.   One would adhere the mailing lable, stamp return address and add a stamp.               The more hands that got involved, the quicker the process.   For the most part it became an activity that we would force the boys to assist.   Often we made it a family home evening project.   There was at least one time we had involved the YW of our ward.           ...

               I don’t know how many times Roland has cleaned up after the chickens which aren’t even ours.   I don’t mind them in the yard.   I really don’t.   But I do not care for arrogance or assumptions.   We purchased netting for the deer a few years ago and the chickens have gotten entangled in it.   I asked Roland if we could use it to surround the deck.   Last night we went out and he used a staple gun which is holding thus far, but seems like it would be easy to tear.              Roland decided to repurpose the green wire shelves that were once a part of our cheap greenhouse.   He had stapled those to discourage the chickens from getting under the porch.   Now it just looks more like we are trying to capture them and keep them – which isn’t the case at all.                Roland continues to feed them and we do collect the ...

               Roland has purchased several 3 pound jars of peanut m&ms over the years.   We all snack on them, but do so in moderation.   The candy will gradually go down to empty at which point we will refill with dog food and refer to the jar as “Bonnie’s m&ms”.      She is fine with our feeding her a handful of her "m&ms" while we are trying to eat our own food.    Catch is, we need to pour it from the jar onto the floor or give Bonnie her own plate.    Tastes so much better than eating it out of her bowl.    Yet she has no problem eating hearts or scrambled eggs from her bowl.              We had dropped some jelly beans on the floor which of course went into Bonnie’s mouth the second they hit the ground.   She is not the fussy dog that we had in West Valley.   She’ll eat almost anything – whether we intend it that way or not. ...

            I remember the weather when we first went into lockdown last year.   It was nice.   Jenna and I would walk around the neighborhood (or just our yard – pre the neighbors' arrogant chickens and Bonnies) and take pictures.   This year has been overcast, windy and cold – except when it’s not.   It’s like mother nature has a endless case of PMS and is wreaking havoc with the skies.   Sending awful turbulence and bleakness – at least in my neck of the woods.   Strange, but as I write this, the sun is shining like it has been there all this time.   Never enveloped with clouds or darkness.           I have blamed the weather for my being tired - though I have probably OD’d on sugar since Easter.   It did not help matters when yesterday after feeling bloated, Roland insisted I take some Alka-Seltzer -which would be fine but the only Alka-Seltzer we ...

          Every once in a while I will click on Ancestry just because it ’ s there.  For the most part I don ’ t know if the information is accurate or not.  My passion isn ’ t there to remember if Uncle Harold was born in one place or another.  I mean, I think I could narrow it down to state or region that I could figure out the inaccuracy such as knowing the birth took place in Utah although I don ’ t know exactly where in Utah, I think it is safe to rule out Texas or Florida should they come up.         Today when I went into Ancestry I noticed that there were hints for my dad.   Okay, I can do that.   I can break it down more easily than any of his uncles or cousins.   I clicked on the census and grave information.   Both were correct and I added to others as well.   And then I found my own name.   I clicked on my name – which came up as my maiden name.   Eleven hints. ...

                   It’s going to be cloudy today  except over there           What is it appearing on the horizon?   The sun The blinding sun coming to you from the east for two hours only but that is only if you live in Myrtle Creek   Over to the west you will see grey skies overlooking the Tri-City area Sunny skies just east of Myrtle Creek and possible showers for Tri City two cities sharing the same zipcode but hey . . . Let us give them different weathers.   Why not?   Cool to downright Cold winds wherever you may choose to walk Bonnie or rather wherever she may choose to walk you or attempt her own keen sense of direction And after you return home, Let us allow the sun to peek its head                    From the sky.   ...

          During the pandemic it has been up to each state government to lay down the law of mandating mask, social distancing, reopening, etc.   It wasn ’ t long before facebook became flooded with this message: “ Having some states lock down and others not lock down is like having a peeing section in the swimming pool ”.  Yet there are some companies that seem to be encourage traveling?   “ Hey, come and pee in my state!   We don ’ t have enough of it? ”   I am a guilty party as I traveled with my family to New York last June.   Did we bring some pee with us?   Not intentionally.  Did we bring it back to Oregon? Possibly. But not from New York. It had been our flight from Detroit and our stop at Salt Lake airport that felt the most concerning.          Roland had asked for some time off the end of this month as we have arranged to have our floors done (i...

            Jenna likes surprises and says she would like to be surprised for her birthday.  But things started showing up in the mail that she herself had picked out.  She knew the packaged CD was Panic at the Disco.  She recognized the stickers that Roland had asked her about.  I didn ’ t even bother telling her that her stylist had arrived and enclosed it in a CD case with a note about surprises.  I also opened her sticker package and did the same.  Then I hid her Panic at the Disco CD and wrapped the two CD cases along with a chocolate orange and a Tee Shirt that Roland had purchased.            I ’ m sure I could have wrapped the Hamm piggy bank that he purchased at a later time, but chose not to as she was in the house ever since we brought it home – except for going to seminary (I am pressed for time as it is – wrapping the bank would have lessened whatever time I gave myself to get ready)...