frustration

 

Ever since we moved to Oregon members of our ward have indicated that finding jobs comes easy to those in the Church.  Maybe before 2020.  I didn’t get a job right away with the school system – but I did get a job.  Haven’t found another.  But I have put in MANY applications and have had interviews.  I didn’t think I was being all that picky.  Maybe.

The most frustrating thing was having Richard get on my case – also believing that it would be easier to find work than it has been.  Now (with on bachelors and two masters) he’s the one putting in applications and interviewing and not getting hired.  I feel for him – I do.  He wants to work.  I wouldn’t mind working part time somewhere.  I’m okay with volunteering at the library – though just a bit of extra income would help financially.  A lot of extra income would help keep Jaime in school.

I’d like Richard to be working again.  I am sorry he has to play the game of job hunting.  But at least he has a better understanding of how it really is and not the painted picture we led ourselves to believe.

Mostly Because I Miss Those Days

                I was volunteering at the library the other night and was given the assignment to find some missing books.  As I was searching the shelves I came across Heather Vogel Fredrick’s book – Pies & Prejudice from The Mother Daughter Book Club series. I grabbed it for the series title.  One of the books that Jaime and I had read at the library mother daughter book club was Pie by Sara Weeks (here). I did not see it as a play on words from the title “Pride and Prejudice” until later nor a book series.  Nor do I understand why something in the Juvenile section would have such a tiny font.  I have seen bigger fonts in the young adult.  So for the most part I have been reading with a magnifying glass.  That is getting tiresome.  Thus I may not finish.

            I was also reminded of the Beehive Award when reading that this particular book is an Oregon award finalist.  Jaime also loved reading and voting on Beehive books. The characters in this book are older than Jaime and targeted youth of the book club as the reading material suggestion was made for ages 8 to 12.  Jaime and I both LOVED the book club.  For me it was an opportunity to read together and explore the pages in a creative way.  Though I’m sure she enjoyed reading with me she also enjoyed getting together with girls near her age and engaging in some kind of craft.  It was fun and meaningful all at the same time.

            The characters in the book have just started high school – I’m guessing their freshman year.  But nowadays it’s hard to know what age starts at which school as the age groups are different across the nation.  I had gone to sixth grade my last year at the elementary school where I had started kindergarten.  My mom had gone to a school that went from 1^st to 6^th grade and completed her 7^th and 8^th at a school that went from first to 8^th. I was in my last year of junior high as a ninth grader and hadn’t been referred to as a freshman.  Jaime started 6^th grade at Middle School – the equivalent of my junior high and completed four years of high school as freshman to senior.

            The book club takes place not in the library but in each of their homes.  Thus far I have only been introduced to three characters – each telling a chapter in first person.  I do like that.  Thus far I haven’t relived any of the nostalgia I had with Jaime.  I don’t really expect to but did think it would be fun to try.  Mother Daughter high schoolers . . . I guess it's possible.  

            If I don’t finish the book it will be because of the font size more than anything.  But I may take up reading books that are targeted to the 8-12 year old to act as a guide for the librarian who would like to start some kind of book club here.  I’d like to see that event unfold.  I don’t know if it will though.  Happy to see that it is still a part some libraries across the nation. 

I Am an Oddball

                During the course of our blogs, my brother and I have both mentioned how our growing up years may have seemed idealistic – how our share of problems pale in comparison to countless others.  I don’t relate to dysfunctional families and am highly grateful for that.  As I looked around the room during Relief Society yesterday I noticed each one of the sisters (or most of them) had been a part of a dysfunctional family either in childhood or parenthood – sometimes both I felt a sense of sadness.  I don’t/didn’t wish to appear like I was boasting with my “unexpected answer to prayer” example compared to great struggles and hardships of others. 

       I am GRATEFUL to be an oddball.  The closest I have come to experiencing the dysfunctional thing has been on the outside seeing a glimpse of Biff’s challenges and his in-laws.  I hadn’t thought of them as dysfunctional but there are some definite issues there.  But we all have challenges.  Mine have always been financial – a worldly matter. At least that is how I’d like to view it.  I have had great respect for my parents and sibs – especially with age.  I don’t know that I receive the same respect from my boys as I gave my own parents – but they came with baggage.  All three have some form of ADD or ADHD and often (or perhaps always) offhand behavior displayed (if any) is not their fault. 

      I believe that Jaime and I have the same kind of relationship as I had with my mom.  My mom was a great friend and nurturer to all four of her children.  We all seem to have married well and have carried the torch into our families – or tried to.  One brother has four children in the same order as me and my sibs.  My sister has a girl and two boys.  My other brother has cats who are loved every much as the biological children of the other two.

     Two of us have married spouses who don’t necessarily come from dysfunctional families but have in-laws with dysfunctional issues – unglued for whatever reason.  We pray for them that their hearts will be softened – that they may return to a life without so many complications. I’ve met all of Richard’s sibs, two of the spouses, some of the cousins – just a handful.  It’s strange. 

How Well Do You Know Your Scriptures?

             When I was in seminary each student received a package of 40 scripture cards for at least three years. I managed to save 120 of the cards.  The red cards were part of a package I had received in my freshman year, green doctrine and covenants cards recived in my sophomore year and blue Book of Mormon cards in my junior year.  I don’t have old testament cards.  That doesn’t mean that they didn’t exist.  I really don’t remember one way or the other.

            Cards offered key words for reference and memorization.  I hadn’t memorized them all.  There are some I still remember.  Sometimes we were challenged to carry our scriptures to all of our classes.  Sometimes we were told the scripture cards would be sufficient.  Thus I started punching holes to carry on a large ring binder.  I don’t know how I was able to save them all of this time.

It’s Been Almost Ten Years

           I continue to receive emails from a booster program that prepares young mind to navigate into the real world.  I created a post for it 10 years ago and notice that some of my links are now obsolete. Our time spent at JA City (here) took place approximately six months before our move to Oregon.  Thus not only do I live in another state than the said activities but my child is now 20 years old.  I finally hit the unsubscribe button.  Hopefully it worked.

Sending out my prayers

                We passed a horrific accident returning home from the ward luncheon.  I don’t know how many people were involved or how many hurt.  I saw a stretcher out by a car in the ditch.  Ahead was a van all smashed up.  It had to have been going pretty fast to have been that smashed up – or perhaps it had been the other car that hit on the way to the ditch (I guess I don’t even know what direction the ditch car was facing)

            We had to slow down as we passed.  Tears formed in my eyes.  I don’t know what happened.  I would guess it could have been prevented.  I feel bad for the victims.  I hope things will be resolved and health will be restored.

20 Things Party Lines

                Doris Day and Rock Hudson made a few movies together including “Send Me No Flowers” which I had mentioned in my last post and “Pillow Talk” which is the segue into the topic of this post. 20 Things From The 1960s, Kids Today Will Never Understand! #16 mentions the party line which is not something that took place in our home but I did know of neighbors who had party lines.  I don’t know why some neighbors had them and some didn’t.  “Pillow Talk” gave me the impression that it was more common than not and yet I really didn’t know that many people who had them.

          In “Pillow Talk” the solution worked out by the characters was to make or accept phone calls within a half hour time.  One could take the hour until half past while the other used the phone half past until the hour.  I don’t know that either of our neighbors had worked out anything.  I know my neighbors from across the street knew who they shared the party line with but the others did not.  They actually did not live that far apart and Peggy’s boys had paper routes in which their party line would receive newspapers.

          From what I understand Carlton’s (I don’t remember their actual names) would call to make complaints for whatever reason and Bird’s line was always busy – it was busy because they shared a party line.  Birds knew that was why the line was always busy.  I don’t know if Carlton’s ever figured that out.

Milk Men, Bottles & Boxes

 

Dave Willock played the part of a milk man in 1964’s “Send Me No Flowers”.  I’d forgotten the now obsolete profession.  I don’t remember the milk man but I do remember the milk box that lived outside our door for years. 

Once a week it was magically filled with four quarts of milk that we would take from box to fridge.  I remember having pulled out the heavy glass bottles and placing them in our fridge.  I think it had been delivered by Winder Dairy.

 

When we finished our milk we would return the empty milk drop container and they would be picked up when the next delivery was made.  I don’t know how old I was when we started picking up plastic jugs of milk because the four quarts were no longer enough.  Eventually the delivery stopped and the milk man was gone.

 

You can read more history at this site.

20 things number 5

 

In the 20 Things From The 1960s, Kids Today Will Never Understand! YouTube video there was mention of a record player and the speeds features for various record players.  I remember the different speeds mentioned and the record sizes.  I also remember a 16 speed (not mentioned) but never saw a record for that speed.  I barely remember the 78,

33 and 78 records had holes in the middle to fit over the piece in the middle of the turn table. But the 45 speed or singles had a larger hole which required an adapter.   I remember having red plastic circles but did not use myself as someone had brilliantly invented an entire tube to fit over the stem and so the hold would fit in place over the tube.

 

I had created this post in 2015 and thought there was another that gave indication to my first phonograph and stereo.  Must have been a page I had created for a memory scrapbook. Perhaps an entry for another post?

 

20 Things Digitally Deleted

 

           This morning I watched a couple of “remembrance” videos found on YouTube starting with 20 Things From The 1960s, Kids Today Will Never Understand! found here. As I watched I smiled at some things I remembered and laughed at others.  Most I could remember first hand such as Sunday drives and record players.  There were only a couple that I either couldn’t remember or dared to try myself.  I do remember trying the pogo stick but only a try.  I never owned my own pogo stick.  I never gave myself the opportunity of perfecting it.

          I remember green stamps.  I remember having watched them dissolve – not that I was ever attached to them.  I was a kid.  I didn’t care about their existence or what could be purchased with them. 

          Though I have done “remembrance” and “evolution” posts before, I thought it would be fun to reminisce once more and reflect on some of the items mentioned in this and other videos.  I will start with #13 carbon paper.

        I remember using carbon paper and typewriter ribbon (#15) both equally messy leaving stains on the fingers and paper.  Carbon paper was often NOT a great quality for duplication as it was never as dark as the original - at least mine weren't.  Today's "copy" is a zillion times easier.  

        Digitalizing documents wiping out our past.  I watched two more videos that focused on products of the 19th turned to early 20th century.  Many I remember from historic sites but of course not from personal experience.  As I watched those I wondered if children from this century view the things I grew up with in the same way that I view the turn of the century described above.  I never thought of myself as seeing a "turn of the century" as I'm so focused at 19 becoming 20 but I have seen a "turn of the century" from 20th to 21st.  Retro to digital everything.

One More and Five More

                I have only one dose left of the nasty mouth wash I will swish around after my next meal.  I have five pills left from what I told was a day’s worth of what I thought to be pain killers.  They are actually “knock-me-into-a-coma-so-I-forget-the-pain” pills.  I found that out one evening when I took the one pill at 5:00 p.m. instead of my usual 8:00 when I am ready to retire to bed anyway.

              I bet I could cut the remaining 5 pills in half and they would still be as effective.  I wish they were memory pills.

Hard Sleep Between 4:00 and 5:30 a.m.

 

               I fell asleep early.  I got up at 2:00 quite warm and

decided to take a shower.  I did not return to bed as I had

had six hours of sleep. I took my kindle into another room to

pass the time.  If I had thought about it I would have cleaned the

carpet in Richard’s office.  Of course I did not

think about it.  I returned to bed at 4:00.  Sometime between

4:00 a.m. and 5:30 I had a really hard sleep.  I know that I was

sleeping hard as I had another really bizarre dream with no

connections to anything. 

               I was driving down a road that leads to downtown Myrtle

Creek.  A deer zoomed in front of me.  I think I stopped hard to

let it pass.  And then I saw a woman slowly moseying down

the middle of the road.  She was wearing a coat and scarf – all in

loud colors.  As the deer passed the woman, I slowed down and

called out her name (turns out it was someone that I have

worked with at the library) and asked her if she would like a ride. 

Her destination turned out to be a lot closer than either one of us

had expected (downtown Myrtle Creek is NOT that big.  EVERYTHING is

within walking distance)

               I parked next door to the bank (which is not in the same

location that it was in the dream) in an area I have never seen in real life. 

It was called Moon something.  I think it was a bar or night club or

something.  I don’t even know why I parked.  I don’t even remember leaving

the car – and yet I found myself in another elaborate building – huge – like Las

Vegas huge.  NOTHING like that exists in Myrtle Creek.  Highly doubtful in all

of Douglas county.  Yet in the dream there it was. 

 Jaime took me on a tour of the facility.  She was an actress

performing in one of the rooms.  I recognized the background from photos she

had posted (not in real life but as part of the dream) .  I suddenly remembered the

woman I had dropped off at the bank – which magically connected to the

building I was in.  But

she was gone.  Well, yeah – I had been

there much longer than anticipated.  I forgot about my car.  Oh oh.

I returned to the place I had parked to find a large sign on

the back of my car (or some kind of car – much bigger than the one I was

initially driving)  and all the tires had been removed.  I was devastated.  How

in the heck was I going to explain that to Richard?  

I am leaving out so much detail. 

It was 5:45 when I returned to the front room scribbling down my

thoughts.  The notes don’t make any sense.  But

neither did the dream.