You Missed the Excitement

 I heard the truck pull up and heard the footsteps come up our driveway.  I looked out the window and saw a man whose expression said he definitely was not happy.  I was alone except for Bonnie.  Roland had taken Jenna and a friend to Roseburg for the youth stake activity. 

I opened the door and cautiously peered my face around the deck.  It turned out to be the couple from behind us.  She said that Penelope had fallen out from the fence that they had put up (I would think a repair is now in order?) 

Penelope appears to be three times larger than she was in this picture: 

Our neighbors had a large carrier with them to put her in.  They climbed the hill and got her.  I was in awe watching them.  They both wore flip-flop type sandals – not the appropriate hill climbing shoe.  I forgot to ask them if they are getting enough eggs for themselves.  I will have either Jenna or Roland ask next time one of them climbs the hill.  I am glad that Penelope chose our yard to escape to as the neighbors west of us probably would not have allowed them in their yard.

After they had returned to their house, I saw them hammering reinforcers into the ground.  Now if they could just get a reinforcement for their chickens.

Yesterday's Mother’s Day

           Jenna always asks before hand: “Are you excited about Mother’s Day?”  “Are you excited about your birthday?”  “Are you excited for Easter?” or whatever it is.  Generally I’m not.  But I’m not necessarily unexcited.  For the most part I just think of it as another day.  There may be moments when the whatever event is showcased or spotlighted – particularly Easter but then it seems forgotten.

          There was a Mother’s Day Tea Party scheduled at the Grand Victorian.  I have never been to a tea party other than the pretend parties I would have with Jenna and her stuffed animals.  I really don’t care for tea and I haven’t worked my way up to socializing with a bunch of woman I probably don’t know.  Thus Jenna and I resorted back to a time when we had still lived in Kearns.

 

          After we returned home from church Jenna returned to the corner where we had passed some children who were selling pink lemonade – a very weak drink at that.  We had inherited a tea set from a hoarder and Jenna asked them to fill up the teapot while I prepared a tray filled with crackers, cheese and the “almond bark” the girls had made in young women.  Jenna had already warned me that there would not be much in the way of almonds. 

          Midway through our “tea” I announced that I had to have some real food and took out some leftover chicken out of the fridge and she decided to have a leftover pizza.  It was a simple Mother’s Day, no hoopla.  I already posted about my early gift (the Yeti water bottle) which I have used from the moment I received it.  Roland also purchased chocolates in three forms: a chocolate almond candy bar, package of chips ahoy and some glorified milk duds (which seem to bring on a headache whenever I eat them)

          Once again, there hadn’t been a Mother’s Day program or even just a performance of primary Mother’s Day songs.  It’s different.  Not a terrible difference – just a change I still haven’t gotten used to.  But I think I actually like it more than not. 

          I’ve been reading facebook reminders all week about what Mother’s Days past have been.  One year I was told that I would not have to do the dishes.  I thought that meant that either Biff, Randy or Roland would do them (Tony was out of town) but they didn’t.  They saved them for me to do on Monday.  How thoughtful.  Tony said he would have done them if he had been home.  He would have.  Ooki had also volunteered if he was still with us.  That was a given. 

            No breakfast in bed.  We all tried the new cinnamon cheerios together.  I thought they tasted like I think wood would taste - kind of a nuts and twigs assortment. I don't know why we continue to try new Cheerios products.  The multi-grain are the only ones I have liked.  The rest of them have gone from "not so great" to "kind of horrid". 

Anyway, that was my mother’s day this year.

Let's Make It a Game Night!

             Pre-pandemic I loved Wednesdays.  It was my short day whenever I would sub – usually for Coffenberry.  The staff there would work with me on my schedule.  The third Wednesday was the day that seniors could meet up at Roseburg cinema to watch a featured movie.  It was cool to have sponsors which made that possible.  

            Though I enjoyed the opportunity of seeing movies for free on the third Wednesday, I looked forward to the second Wednesday of each month.  That is when the ward offered a pot luck luncheon.  Afterward there was a group of us that would hang around and play games for an hour or two.  Though I enjoyed the luncheon itself, I enjoyed the games even more.

Pre-pandemic we had scheduled nights to play with different couples in our ward or sometimes we would invite my friend, Carol.  When we would play in teams, it was usually her and Roland against Jenna and me – not always but quite a bit.  We had even tried to set up a game night with a couple who had just moved into our work only one or two weeks before the stay-at-home order was given.  Thus fourteen months later we finally set up a game night but made it a night to eat dinner first – which I don’t think is necessary but Roland thinks he needs to feed anybody and everybody who happens to drop by.

We decided to have it at their home as they have a lot more room and we wouldn’t have to feel crowded.  She made the dinner and Roland ended up making the dessert as mine had failed.  We’d taken out a handful of cards – at least one per game we had brought and asked which they would like to play.  Any sounded good and Roland ALWAYS wants to play Baulderdash and so we numbered the boxes and picked the first game that way.

After dinner we ended up playing a partial game of Whatzit and then played a game of Baulderdash.  We are hoping for another night (or regular set up) to play the two plus games that we hadn’t played (or even brought with us) on Thursday night.  I think we need to cut out the food so that we have more time to play games without cutting into anyone’s sleep schedule.  We may have overstayed our welcome.  I hope not. 

It was fun for Jenna and I to play our party games with other people and not just her and I.  Pre-pandemic we had even played games with the missionaries on occasion. We have missed playing games. 

Thursday Trip to Roseburg

          As mentioned in prior posts – to get from point A to point B in Salt Lake city did not require the same route.  In fact, there were several options – unlike Douglas County where the option has been “Go this one way” or “Don’t go at all.”  Pre-pandemic an alternate route to Dillard had been pointed out to me.  On Thursday I decided I would take said route when I volunteered to drive to Roseburg to pick up some dry cleaning for Roland.  Of course I took Jenna with me.   I took the long scenic route to Roseburg.

          So the red line indicates Main Street.  At the end of Main Street there is the option of veering to the left or veering to the right.  The left (marked in dark red-brown) crosses the bridge over South Umpqua River.  Your choices beyond the bridge are a parking lot overlooking the river, or getting on the 108 ramp that will lead to either Roseburg or Grants Pass. 

 

                  I have personally never driven the road on the right – the one marked with pink – the one that leads to NE Dole Road.  The next three shots I have used the snip tool for this site.  This is the scenic view.  This is the long way around.  This is less traveled.  I cannot even visualize Roland taking this route. 

 Here is the view of the bridge (same as what's marked in red-brown above) and Dole Road (marked in pink) which is what I drove on Thursday.

It is awesome to have multiple views of the same river.

          Jenna and I walked along these railroad tracks in this post.

 

We stayed on Dole Road until we got to Dillard 

We remained on Highway 99 through Winston

And continued back side to downtown Roseburg (which I have driven once before using exit 120)

I chose to come in on Stephens so that I could be on that side of the street when I made a left hand turn onto Garden Valley Blvd. The only left hand turn I had made during the entire drive was the one from Stephens to Garden Valley.

The cleaners in located between the Jack-in-the-Box and Walnut Street (though access to Walnut is on the the opposite side of the cleaners).  I could not make a turn into said area from Garden Valley Blvd. if I had taken exit 124.

After we retrieved the items from the cleaners, we continued onto Garden Valley Blvd and came home by way of I5 starting at entrance ramp 124.  

 Thus coming home was quicker than going to Roseburg.  I think it was worth our time. I was especially excited that I had only had to turn four times during my trip and that only one was a left-hand turn.

Peach Cobbler Thursday

           I don’t know who came up with the brilliant idea to add salt to all desserts; leaving out just a pinch of salt flattens the dessert and disappoints the taste.  Then again, too much salt will also ruin the dessert as it becomes the only thing one can taste.

          When I was in college I remember a girl from next door providing a recipe for the easiest ever peach cobbler.  It was combining 1 cup each of flour, sugar and milk, two tablespoons of baking powder, a little salt and a jar of peaches (or whatever fruit desired).  Oh, and lest not forget the half stick of butter that melts in the pan as you preheat.          

            In her recipe one of the steps required cutting up the peaches and cooking them on the stove before they were added.  Over the years I eliminated that step and would often use pie filling as a replacement.  I had brought the recipe into my marriage and used it for plums.  Roland had it committed to memory the first time I made it and took over.

          He had wanted to make a peach cobbler to take to a dinner we had scheduled with friends last night.  He also had some dry-cleaning to pick up in Roseburg and planned on doing both after he got off work.  That was really pushing it I thought.  And so I volunteered to drive to Roseburg to get his dry cleaning and took Jenna with me.   

          I was in no hurry and took Jenna on the scenic route which for the life of me cannot see Roland purposely taking.  When I returned home Roland had asked if I would like to make the cobbler – though we wouldn’t be going to our friends’ house for another four hours.  I could not remember all the ingredients or how much though I thought the measurement of flour, milk and sugar was the same.  I should have asked him but chose to find options on the Internet.  Big mistake!  The recipe I chose did not call for salt or baking powder.  It didn’t rise.  It tasted okay but had a terrible texture for cobbler.  

Roland remade the cobbler.  We had a very nice visit with our friends.

I LOVE My Yeti!

I drink a LOT of water.  I have gone through several water bottles and have replaced over the years.  Many have not been to my liking as the water doesn’t stay cold.  I don’t know of any water bottles that can go into the freezer without cracking or somehow damage the container.  Thus I have used regular bottles from bottled water or sports drinks.  I can fill them up half way and put them in the freezer.  I will remove it from the freezer and fill the rest with water.  Throughout the day the ice will slowly melt and allow a cool temperature of water that I need.

            I have used various socks to act as a cozy around the bottle.  But I know it is not the best method especially when Roland constantly harps on how bad the bottle smells – even if I just purchased and washed one from the store.  But the water hasn’t been a problem for me until just recently.  I don’t know if it was the bottle itself or the filter in the fridge or some other reason, but I did throw the bottle away.

            I think it was for Mother’s Day last year that I had received a water bottle from the family of my middle son.  It was blue, no more than 12 ounces (12 exactly – but only when the cap is off; I checked it yesterday and had to dump out two ounces so that it wouldn’t spill when I screwed the lid on.) It is not conducive to my thirst, though I’m sure I could pack it with ice.  I left it in Roland’s office as he does not drink as well as he should.

            Cute cup.  Three of my grandchildren have their faces on the cup.  I do like it.  It just isn’t practical for me.  By the end of April, Roland and Jenna presented me with a water bottle to count as an early Mothers’ Day gift.  The bottle is insulated and holds up to 26 ounces.  I cannot freeze, but it will definitely keep my water cold. 

            It also works for hot drinks, but I am not big on hot drinks.  Those I would not be filling up to the brim.  But I don’t think my Yeti will ever be used for anything but cold water.  I don’t necessarily need it river cold – in fact I’d just assume it wasn’t (I know that isn’t especially healthy) but colder than room temperature.  I’m not opposed to room temperature.  I just don’t like WARM.  Not for quenching thirst.  I also don’t like flavor in my water.  Give it to me plain.  No lemon.  No fruit of any kind – but especially lemon.  Some people may find that refreshing.  I find it makes me even more thirsty.

Just Stay at the Top of the Hill

         It’s been nearly a year since my first mention of the neighbor’s chickens.  They used to lean a ladder near the fence so the chickens could climb back into their own yard.  

At first it was just a few on the hill – not the 15 plus that have accumulated in our yard during that time.  Roland doesn’t want them under the deck and I don’t want them on the deck.  We don’t want them in the garden and so have been putting up barriers all over the yard. 

we had to add netting to the steps to prevent them from going through

 

I did find at least three of them on the inside; they had dug
under the wire to make it wide enough to go though. Roland
used some stakes for the bottom.  Hopefully that will work.

Despite our efforts the chickens have managed to dig under, fly over, or somehow manage to squeeze themselves into areas where we’d rather they not be. 

The chickens always stop near the deck and look longingly on how to get inside and have found ways to get in and will need to be chased out until we can plug up what we had managed to miss. 

a few of the chickens discovered they could enter through this hole

our temporary solution

It’s just a temporary fix at that.  We have wanted to turn the deck into a back room since we moved in.  We finally have the finances to do so (or good enough credit in order to borrow) but cannot find a contractor who will commit to any earlier than December.  Someday.  Meanwhile, we’re continuing to battle the chickens to certain boundaries – which doesn’t seem to be setting well with them.

I thought I could make some profound comparison to God’s commandments for us or certain restrictions that citizens may feel toward the mask or getting the vaccination (looking at the staff of Moses – Numbers 17: 10-12) and the reaction of the natural man.  Instead of belittling the laws or commandments and searching for a way to get back into our own comfort zone maybe take a moment to understand WHY the net is there, why the fence has been put up, why the commandment was given. 

When I saw the chickens at the top of the hill my initial thought was, “Oh, good.  They got the message.” 

They don’t understand and they return.  I think many of us do that.  We don’t understand.  We return to what was familiar – like Pre-COVID for example.  Circumstances change and often we have to change with it.  That’s just the way it is.  Hopefully we will come to terms and learn better than the chickens do.  But there will always those who disagree and voice their opinion – which they are allowed. 

We all have free agency to think of others or think only of ourselves and how the last year has affected us or our business or uprooted our personal lives without a thought of how it has been for others.  ALL OF US HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PANDEMIC but not all reactions have been the same.  I for one like to believe I have become stronger. 

I suppose I am like the chickens to some degree.  I was okay with staying home.  I don’t wish to go back outside because I know it will never be what it was pre-COVID.  We’ve gone (or are going through) another evolution.  There’s always been hate, disagreement, hostility, etc.  just as there’s always been kindness, love, service . . . but it just seems more obvious right now.  It’s a matter of knowing where to look and choosing to follow your peers or the example of our prophets and our God. 

I had the opportunity of adding a “Vaccine” frame to my facebook profile pic. 

I know it will open a can of worms from some of those I am facebook friends with – none of whom I’ve defriended but have unfollowed many. I KNOW that not everyone feels comfortable about the vaccination for reasons other than feeling forced into it.  Some people have had bad reactions to the required vaccinations for being in public education.  But I also believe that the exceptions are few and far between.  I also believe in personal revelation.  I pray about major decisions such as traveling or health.  Prayer works.