"you shouldn't judge a book by its cover" - what lies beneath could bear an element of surprise
Fog has lingered in the morning, but not today. Jenna had wanted to meet with her friends downtown so they could take pictures with a foggy background. It ended up just me (the photographer) and her - no fog. Here are some pics with her in her homemade costume of Trick or Treat's Sam.
Let’s talk Men’s Wearhouse – perhaps not all locations but the one in Medford specifically. Jenna, Roland and I had gone on an outing on September 20. Each of us purchased clothing at one store or another – Jenna and I found items in different stores throughout the Rogue Mall. Roland’s purchase was at the Men’s Wearhouse located at the Sky Blue Plaza.
There were some pairs of pants that needed custom fitting and alteration. The pants were then to be shipped to our address in Myrtle Creek. As it has been a few weeks since the purchase was made, Roland decided he should contact the store. He had meant to call on Monday but never got around to it or forgot or whatever. (He had written down the names of five phone numbers to contact throughout the day). Thus he tried to contact them the following day but there was no answer. According to Google the location was open, but when we contacted the headquarters in California and learned that the Medford location is closed on Tuesdays. Weird. But okay.
He couldn't afford to be on eternal hold with them yesterday as he was in Eugene training for a job position to open up in Roseburg. Anyway, since he could not afford to be on eternal hold with the store, I volunteered. They seem to play this one stanza of sleepytime music over and over again so that customer will fall asleep before the “next available representative” will get back on the line – that way if you or I are calling to complain we will forget who we are even holding for let alone what made us call.
The order came in and was filed under “closed” or "complete" apparently waiting for us to come get it. And we knew that how? It’s not as though we were contacted to say: “Hey, your pants are in.” I’m baffled really. I was told the pants will be sent out today. I guess we’ll have to turn on our person detector should the pants arrive – though Bonnie will probably let us know. But sometimes we’ll ignore Bonnie because sometimes she will just bark at the wind.
Roland had to make a trip to Roseburg the other day. Had to go to the VA hospital to have some work done. Prior to COVID there had been more than one option to enter and exit the campus as the space is composed of more than one building. But since COVID – there is one way in, one way out, and guards on watch to make certain the one way driving is enforced. Also there are teams of health screeners to take one’s temperature before one is able to park. If the driver or those entering any building doesn’t have a temperature is given a pink slip to prove that he or she has been scanned.
I don’t know what becomes of those who do have a temperature or a cough or flare-up or anything that might become worse if not treated – I mean, wouldn’t they still have to get in? Isn’t that why they came?
I just stay in the car and play on my kindle and so have not had my temperature taken or received a pink slip for myself. I’m grateful that they are taking precautions. I wish every business in the county would take precautions. Only 65% of Oregon is vaccinated. Until more people accept this pandemic thing as REAL, it’s NOT going to go away.
Once a month, the church holds a sacrament meeting known as “fast and testimony meeting”. This meeting is normally held at the first Sunday of the month. The exceptions are just prior to or after General Conference. Conferences take place the first weekend in April and October. The ward I reside in has always done the testimony meeting the last Sunday in March and September. This gives members of the congregation the opportunity of standing at the pulpit to express their understanding of the gospel and to share their testimonies.
Yesterday’s meeting was quite powerful
and the Spirit was delivered in such reverent manner. I had worn a clean mask which was no longer clean as it was filled with moist emotion. It had started before the bishop had invited the congregation to come and speak. The sacrament hymn was "I Stand All Amazed" (here) which I have memorized because my eyes are always to blurry to see the words. It was awesome to partake of the Spirit.
After I returned home I had checked my
facebook account. One of the memories
that popped up was concerning a fast that was held last year – also before
conference. We had been asked to fast
and pray about five specific things. I
reshared the post to two different groups that I’m a part of. One of them was the “Come Follow Me” group that
I have been a part of for less than a year now.
When I checked my notifications this
morning I noticed several comments had been left on my post. One was a sincere question about the fast and
several others left their comments in response to the question. I have always appreciated being a part of the
group. This morning I was especially grateful for the support it offers so many.
I don’t feel the need to add to what has already been said. I am grateful for
those who took the time to address the concern my first commenter had.
Technology can often be
frustrating. It can invite evil but it
can also invite good. So impressed to
have this technology that I can use for good.
I am so thankful to all of those involved.
I recently learned that Brigham Young had told Ephraim Hanks to shave his face. I have probably heard the story (here) several times but did not resonate like it does at present. “Wear a mask”. How hard is that? Few people enjoy being told what to do. We all have our free agency. Not everybody will wear a mask – or if they do, they will wear pretend masks or fail to cover both mouth and nose.
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| https://www.amazon.com/Mustache-Handmade- Washable-Copyright-Protected/dp/B08DK461YP |
Ephraim Hanks had free agency. He didn’t have to shave. He chose to obey the council. It’s not that he needed to prove anything to
others or even God. He had to prove to
himself that he was willing to obey.
This act played a huge role with his ability to lead others.
This article reinforces that wearing a mask is showing Christ
like love. We wear masks in order to protect others – even those that have received the vaccination. Asking some people to get a vaccination shot is even worse than asking them to wear a mask. Really? What is the big deal?
According to several sources (here) we could have avoided prolonging the pandemic if we had all cared about one another in the first place rather than how uncomfortable it might make for ourselves. I don’t mean to wish bad upon these self absorbed people but sometimes I think how would they like seeing a family member in need of surgery being operated upon by a team of unmasked surgeons? Or have their dentists breathe into their mouths while working on them? But too bad for all those unmasked surgeons and dentists.
My brother purchased a book called “Would
You Rather” and each day he posts a question.
A recent one was “Would you rather to be able to control the elements or
go back in time?”
I have always questioned time
travel. It’s fun to watch in movies, but
what would it change really? Different outcomes? Better?
Worse? There are all kinds of
scenarios. The thing is going back in
time to warn others about the pandemic will not change what is going on right
now. We were already warned. We’ve been divided. We’re at a civil or cold war with one
another. Even at church. There are those who still refuse to follow
the prophet.
How hard is it to wear a mask or shave? How hard is it to look at the staff that is stretched before us?
I don’t understand all the pride. For what? Things will only get worse before they get better. Why is it so difficult for so many to see what is right before them? Especially when it parallels with scriptures.
Our current situation may not be
exactly like Zion’s camp or the movement of the pioneers or picking up our
tents to move even further into the wilderness and crossing the ocean into the
unknown. We put our faith in God that He
really does have our best interest at hand.
I would rather follow God into the unknown as I know the He does know
what’s ahead – even if I don’t.
I have seen far too many westerns, sci-fis and other movies to recognize that human leadership is often faulty. Though not always, but often, bad things happen to those that follow – maybe not all of them, but a good number of them. For example the movie Poseidon Adventure.
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| https://www.cinemaessentials.com/2017/11/the- poseidon-adventure-1972-review-gene-hackman.html |
How many souls were lost? Not all humans know what they’re doing.
It’s mind boggling, too, that there are
those who are still defending Trump. I
don’t trust a man who desecrates religion.
So many of his followers are portrayed as idiots. I think there’s a difference between being
ignorant and being stupid. Evidently I am surprised at the large amount of stupid
people that exist.
Still judging though I’m trying really
hard not to. Currently I am just shaking
my head in disbelief. I also pray a lot.
Each year after the smoke leaves
the fog descends
and the hills seem to disappear
as before
but the air is clean and moist
and breathable
It has rained
the
last two mornings.
Sweet Beautiful Rain.
It has pounded over the skylight
and has woken me up.
I don't mind.
It's such a pleasant sound to my ears.
The rain has cleaned the air and
swallowed up
the hills –
but in a
positive way –
unlike the
smoke.
I enjoy looking at the clouds.
The elements are awesome
Roland took a warehouse job with GREAT benefits – less than ten minutes away – but graveyards. He had done that kind of work before. He was doing that when I met him – graveyards. His body was younger and in better shape 20 years ago. Just three days in seemed to take a toll on him and he quit. Dang.
He is now training for a sales job
at a jewelry store. Jewelry. Sales.
Blech! I was much more excited
about the warehouse. NOT excited about
sales or jewelry. But it’s his comfort
zone. To sell. He seems excited about it I guess.
He has felt the need for new
clothes. He has also wanted to purchase
clothes for Jenna – who does enjoy shopping at the dollar store, discount
stores and even second hand store. But
not for clothes. A teenage girl who
hates to go shopping.
Roland has taken Jenna by himself a
few times, but neither one of them are good at finding items in her size. That is probably what we hate most about
shopping – finding cute things in smaller sizes but a limited choice in our
own. Three ugly dresses, shirts, pants
or what have you. This time Roland
dragged me into it. What we couldn’t
find in the Big City of Roseburg we would surely find at the MALL in Medford.
After seven years of being away from
the mall Jenna was quite thrilled with being there – especially to ride
escalators. What a dream, right? The stores in Roseburg had not been crowded –
especially the dressing rooms. I was a
bit put off that there was the option of trying on clothes when none was
offered a year and a half ago when the pandemic had started in the U.S. and the
cases were not as high in the state then as they are currently.
But then again we are a red
county. Citizens who vote republican and
abuse their “freedoms” without understanding why we even have said
freedoms. I’ve seen more people wearing
masks than not. Thankfullly there are
still some businesses who enforced the mask rules and at least one store had
closed its dressing rooms.
I remember when the pandemic first happened and there was that stay-at-home order and several businesses closed and the ones that remained open seemed to have a non-verbal “no touch” policy. “If you touch the item, you buy the item – we cannot return it to the shelf”
Carts were wiped down for a
time. I don’t know that anyone does that
anymore. Even though we are required to
wear masks the social distancing definitely not enforced. I felt like I was being swallowed by the
disease.
I have been coughing though I don’t
believe it’s a COVID cough – although after today I suppose that could be the
case. However it didn’t start out that way.
The smoke comes and goes. There were two days of sunshine and blue
skies and yesterday I retrieved Bonnie’s leash and had opened the front door
and saw the smoke descending over the hills and went back for my mask – not that
it added great protection from the smoke but would help my breathing just a
bit.
I ended up not taking Bonnie out
until later in the day when the hills reappeared and the sky was no longer murky.
That was weird. But it did leave a
cough. But there are a number of people
who have COVID and I could have easily come in contact – especially today. But neither Jenna or Roland are coughing and
they venture out way more often than I do.
I should have several days of posts
as I have had time to write. The drive just
hasn’t been there. Even now. But somehow I feel obligated to post
something. I need to come up with
something profound and inspiring. Still
working on it.
One of the pigs got out of his/her yard and into ours. Isn't the first time. Could even be the same pig as last year. I don't know. It sounds as though they have been more trouble than what they're worth. Neither one of these guys were particularly happy as it cost two hours of time they could have spent elsewhere.
When you view these (some not great quality due to a dirty window) pay attention to the pigs in the background. They seem intrigued.
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| not the most durable climbing shoes in my opinion |
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| appears to be a standoff LOL |
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| the details don't stand out so great in this photo but the pig in the background does |
Every essay needs a thesis statement, at least three body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph. Jenna is now taking an English based on writing letters to solicit scholarship funds. Her first theme currently is “Beat the Odds Scholarship”. I looked over her first rough draft and we changed some of it. It’s still not perfect but we knew that going in.
One of the suggestions that her
instructor has was that she should focus on overcoming disabilities or
hardships that affected her life. Jenna’s
only comment was the pandemic which is definitely NOT a personal struggle. It is still a struggle nonetheless – and the
only one that either of us can think of.
The fact that Roland and I are college
graduates has already kept Jenna from the summer program that at least one of
her friends had gone to this year. Our
family way of life offers many benefits over that of most of her friends. Many come from broken homes. Some have ambitions and some do not. Each student is struggling in ways that Jenna
often doesn’t or just can’t relate to.
Jenna has ALWAYS enjoyed
learning. She has ALWAYS looked forward
to school. Her greatest years thus far
(I kid you not) were the years spent in middle school (I haven’t known many who
have relished the “junior high” years – but she truly did). Jenna is her own person and is not swayed by
others.
The global pandemic is not a personal
problem but is definitely an issue that has somewhat deflated her soul. She tries so hard to remain positive but
seems to be walking on broken shells on an unfriendly beach trying hard to get
to the water but hasn’t reached it yet.
She said she is going to start recording the days that she doesn’t cry
about some sort of frustration. She’s
been in school only three days and I’m certain that things will pick up. Currently she is in her bare feet standing on
the sand.
Because she was taken out of school she
was also taken out of the system – meaning any logins or passwords she used as
a sophomore are null and void as a senior.
She has to start over. Because
one of the staff encountered COVID, all others had to quarantine – which put
them behind.
Jenna has a physical copy of her
schedule, but it is not in the system to check.
It has been frustrating. But
perhaps it’s the booster that Roland thinks she needs to leave high school
behind and enter into the real world.
When we moved into this community Jenna
and I became a part of it. We were eager
to assist one another. It was a great
place to be. Now everybody is so torn up
about the economy and making everything so political that there are civil wars
taking place all over the nation. I don’t
know what states and/or cities are the safest to be in right now. Roland and I each want Jenna to succeed in
whatever she does. Question is where? And what can we afford?
Roland just accepted a position as a
salesman at a jewelry store. Not a job I
was anxious about and still not comfortable with – although it won’t wear him
out as did the warehouse position that he had attempted for three days but his
body is not in the greatest shape to continue.
And he loves sales and is good at it.
He’s currently learning his lines and
I am trying to bite my tongue though I’m doing a really lousy job at using the
word “snake” to describe the average salesman.
His “acting role” is putting me out even further. If he is successful at this job and can
provide an education for Jenna, great.
But my fear is he will make too much in order for her to qualify for
benefits – “rumor has it that he sells engagement rings and therefore is
wealthy enough to provide for his little girl”.
Having a representative working at a jewelry
store does not a Rockefeller make. Jenna
may not appreciate that we have been financially struggling since before she
was born. We moved because of lack of finances. She had received reduced lunch and was on the
receiving end of the school charity drives.
At the time she did not see it as a setback but truly did appreciate
wearing new shoes that she was given at school or whatever it was. She and her friends will joke about it now,
calling it the drive for the poor kids, which doesn’t sound nice but seems
easier to accept when you realize that you are or have been one of them.
We don’t have riches but are definitely
not struggling anymore – even though Roland was let go from the online position
as the school closed. He’s really not
ready to retire as he seems to have the drive to do something. Jenna has been involved with volunteer work
and earned money picking blueberries for three summers. Her passion is now in the theatre arts. She believes everyone needs to be entertained
– especially during this time of uncertainty.
She does entertain.
I don’t like to see my baby struggle but
I realize just as this pandemic has been a growing time for me it will be
her. She just might not see that now.
Yesterday marked the 20th year of my marriage with Roland. You think a couple might want to spend their 20th anniversary with some kind of milestone celebration. But both of us managed to forget – and yet I had just mentioned it to Jenna the day prior. And thus our anniversary was celebrated in the same manner that many birthdays and anniversaries have gone during the pandemic. We labored.
We moved the freezer into the back
room. We emptied the water barrel moved that as well. Refilled with water. We unstocked and
took apart shelves in the office and put a couple up in the backroom and one in
the laundry hall and restocked them. We
finally did take a break between 10:30 and 11:00 to grab some food. I had hoped for breakfast and NOT Mexican,
but we ended up at a local Mexican that we had never tried. The food was good
but the prices were a bit steep, I thought.
We came home and continued with
moving items and rested more. We did set
up the table in the back room and had moved a few chairs in this morning. The shelves are stocked with games. It looks much nicer. I had gone to check facebook and was reminded
that of my anniversary and “celebrations” in years past:
Speaking of 20th – my sister,
Kayla, and husband, Bill, have their wedding anniversary coming up on – you guessed
it, the 20th of this month. I was hoping that one year we would/will be able to
do a cruise in September to celebrate both of our anniversaries. Disneyland would work as well as it will be
dressed up for Halloween later on this month – or at least had done it
mid-September in the past. I don’t know
how much COVID may have changed that.
Until this pandemic ends I do not wish to travel – even just to the Big
City of Roseburg.
20 years.
From the beginning of the pandemic, the horrific pictures in the media, the stay-at-home and lock down orders, mask mandates, verbal battles, etc. has been a reminder to some cheesy sci-fi that gets played on the Comet station. Only we are really living it – though some are still in denial about it doesn’t change that it is and has been part of our lives for one to two years.
Jenna is currently in the high school library with a bunch of other students who have not yet received their schedules. At least she’s not alone. She has always been enthusiastic and fired to return to school – even last year when I wouldn’t let her. This year is worse than last year was – more deaths, more cases. That is why she doesn’t have a schedule and is in the library waiting.
We had recently discussed how each generation has had its challenges. She wishes she could experience the childhood that I did – back in the day before school shootings were all too common. Back in a day when there were definite roles between men and women. A day without internet. People somehow seemed more humane and kindness mattered in the business world – at least if you were white. I think there may be a large number of non-whites who would describe my childhood days with a different description.
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| photo credit source here |
I have been on my knees pleading with
the Lord that Jenna may make it through her senior year with the same attitude
she has always had prior to COVID. If
she does happen to wear a smile no one will be able to see it unless there’s a
twinkle in her eyes – which comes and goes.
I suspect it has in all of us.
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| photo credit source here |
