Posts

Visiting Salem

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                It seems highly possible that we will be moving again within the next 2-3 years.   Roland wants to start a business, and we considered an adult day care in Myrtle Creek - we had even found the most perfect building and location - but the business will need to be open 6-8 months before we can get the benefits for Veteran and Medicare support.   It would be less costly just to take over someone else's business or become a sub company and partner with a business that already has a name; they would be our parent company, I suppose.           He has talked to a woman in Taggart who offers adult day care as well as residency.   We are just interested in doing the daycare portion at this time.   Or he is, rather. I have not made it a secret with how I feel about business.   I don't want to get into food.   I think Roland woul...

Honoring the Memory

                The school held a hat day sometime last month.   Jenna couldn't find any of her fedoras and so she took the plastic tiara that she had received during a young women's lesson earlier that week.   Meanwhile she found a fedora but ended up taking the plastic crown anyway.                   Through the course of the day she would ask guys to try it on and take pictures.   On February 10 she posted pictures other friends on facebook.   At least nine guys proudly wore that crown.   One of them was Andrew.   She did not get one of Nick.   The last words she said to him was to ask him to put the tiara on his head.   The last words she had said to Andrew was to let him keep a pencil that he had borrowed.             ...

Let's All Wear Red Tomorrow

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            Our local news comes from Eugene - located in Lane county which is north of Douglas.   The news stories usually start off with some criminal activity in Springfield or Eugene.   Sometimes human interest stories in Eugene.   Rarely is the focus ever on Douglas.   Except this morning.   And updates throughout the day.             Tri City recorded population is 3,931, but Myrtle Creek says 3,439.   I would guess both cities put together fall somewhere between the two numbers as we use the same zip code.   The city of Riddle lies just south west of us.   Their recorded population was 1185.   That number has gone down by four due to a tragic fire.             I first heard about it after Jenna returned home from school.   She reported that one of h...

That was a Painful Week

          As I mentioned in my last post, I am up to two classes again. In one accounting class I am required to used QuickBooks online.   The other feels like a refresher course - though I think I'd get more out of it if I had the same instructor that I had for 101 and 102.               My payroll instructor wasn't exactly monotone, but his voice did seem unenthusiastic for the most part - as though he'd rather be sitting in a dentist chair getting his teeth drilled than having to teach a class.   One instructor that I have is at the other extreme - trying to compensate for the less-than-exciting material by being "overly" enthusiastic.   I almost feels like I am taking a class taught by my brother-in-law.             The instructor I like listening   to the most is the one I have for QuickBooks. ...

Recognizing Effort

                My appreciation for art is so-so.   There are certain paintings that appeal to me for various reasons - and perhaps on a subconscious level, it is the lighting and balance and whatever other techniques are used by the artist.   Usually, it is the subject of the painting.   That is what I am focused on, not the colors, tones, hues or layers for example.   All the detail that is put into a professional painting seems overwhelming to me and actually seems to detract from the beauty that I had seen there initially.             In college, I once took an art appreciation class - just to force myself to understand and hopefully appreciate it more.   It backfired. I was so put out by the symbolic gestures and the history, it's a wonder I didn't drop the class.   I would struggle with these foreign concepts and tri...

My Hair Loved WEN, my Scalp . . . Not so Much . . .

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          I had heard that a lawsuit had been brought against WEN® Hair Care Products,  although I hadn't known when or why.  I recently looked it up on line.  I don't know how many articles share this information as I read through only a few.  I personally haven't had a problem with the product itself.  If there was any hair loss, it went unnoticed.   I LOVED the product.  I immediately felt a tremendous difference with the texture of my hair and Jenna's hair.  I could actually attempt to style our hair without cringing.  I loved the feel of my hair and heard that it smelled great.  I wasn't happy with the "build-up" that seemed to be forming on my scalp - though I never blamed WEN.  As I have stated in several posts before, I have a LOT of hair.  Often the thickness gets in the way and my scalp doesn't always get a proper rinse.       ...

In the Event that Heidi may be Searching . . .

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            When commercials come on, Roland will usually watch them and critique them.   Depending on the station, he will sometimes tire of them and start changing channels.   Recently during his channel hopping, he landed on a program focusing on individuals searching for   biological connection.   As the story unfolded, a connection was made due to a facebook post in which the biological mother wished her unknown daughter a happy birthday.   It matched the same birthday of the child who was seeking her mother.   It got me to wonder if the boys half sister on their mother's side might be looking for her biological past.                 About six months before Roland met his first wife, she had given birth to a part white/part Asian daughter.   She'd given her up for adoption and said that the adoptive...

Quality Customer Service?  A thing of the past

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          I'm actually quite impressed with Roland's phone skills.   I got rid of cable as we were paying outrageous amounts each month.   We have been able to pick up six stations with an antenna we purchased, but there was a day when I'm assuming the weather had interfered and we were only down to two.           As mentioned previously, Jenna and I could live without the TV or cable.    We watch it because it's there, but would not miss it if it wasn't.   But Roland likes having the TV and had called another company to see how much cable would run.           So our internet was with Charter.   We NEED the Internet.   Roland works from home online.   We both go to school online.   We need the Internet.   We do not need the cable.   Nevertheless, Roland found a great deal in whi...

Back Off!

            Roland comes off as a domineering parent sometimes.   Jenna absolutely hates it when she is told to comb her hair or wear a coat or dress nicely or what have you.   The more he makes suggestions or "harps" on the subject, the more rebellious she is about it.             I will admit that I am not as observant.   For three and a half years I have tried fixing her hair and seeing it wreck before we get to school.   I stopped fighting.   Richard has only begun.   Although he has been a teenager, he's never been a girl.   We have hormones.   There seem to be chemical imbalance just before that time of the month.   Let it go.             The rain in Oregon is different from rain in Utah.   Desert rain is wet.   It soaks you.   Oregon rain - even wh...

Where I'm at With College

            I am now in my eighth mod ( school credit courses crammed into a four week period) at school.   I have taken thirteen classes (ten credited), have had twelve instructors, 33.6 credits and have maintained a 4.0 average (which for me is quite an accomplishment)             For three weeks we are required to post and participate in a discussion. Only five of my classes offered a discussion during the fourth week.   Thus far all of my female instructors have made comments to each student on the discussion board except for one week my English instructor (see here ). I think that week was just an exception for that class, or so I am guessing.             Each week for three weeks students are graded upon discussion, an assignment, and an assessment.   References are required when pos ting...