What Oddities Dream Collection

                Last night I had a dream that we had gone to the Enchanted Forest and somehow ended up with a book of names.  The names were written in my father’s handwriting – or so I believed.  The only name I can remember was Priddy Meaks – who is an ancestor on my mother’s side.  So maybe it was my mother’s handwriting?  I, of course, do not remember the details as I had when I initially woke up.  I remember telling Jaime that we should collect all the pressed pennies that we could for they each had the names of our forefathers.  Lies.

               First of all, Enchanted Forest didn’t even exist when Priddy Meaks crossed the plains with the pioneer company.  There is some monument or structure that bears his name.  I have never seen it but my mom said she did when she was in Illinois.  It is not in Oregon.  It is not in the Enchanted Forest.  I think the furthest west that Priddy had ever gone was Salt Lake City, Utah. 

               Odd dream.  Though I can figure out the triggers.  I just recently looked up the schedule for Enchanted Forest.  They MAY be open March 24 – but no other info is available.  Both Come Follow Me and the lesson for this Sunday’s RS lesson focus on genealogy.  Jamie has been collecting pressed pennies for a number of years.  Apparently my mind encompassed them all into a single focus.  Weird.

Inconsitency

 Before Thanksgiving I had gone to the emergency room for a sinus infection – not that I really consider that an emergency, but getting into the regular doctor is like a three month wait . . .

Then again, just before Christmas.  Unbelievable pain in my mouth – but it isn’t dental.  A pain I was hoping would leave my body before Christmas – but did not.

Unfortunately the Z-pack did not heal in the way it used to.  The first dose went right through me before it had a chance.  I wondered if it would do anything to take the rest.  It didn’t.  My mouth was sore through Christmas and the New Year.  Every day I took a pain reliever – sometimes as often as four times a day, but have slowed down.  I’m now down to one pain pill and one tooth. 

I understand why people may abuse the drugs and become addicts.  I get it.  The pain is real.  I hate taking medication.  I hate the side effects, the dependency.  I hate that I forget to take meds when they are prescribed to me.  I would rather get rid of the pain or problem through priesthood and not medication.

My seven year old granddaughter is on medication.  She has to have shots twice a day – probably for the rest of her life. There are many side effects. That’s gotta be tough.

8 Pages

 

               I was issued a new role for 

Relief Society 

    though I haven’t used the ones 

I’d been given prior.  

                There were 8 pages containing over 

250 names. 

I have kept 60 on my own list and 

mark role from that list and 

transfer attendance to the computer.  

That’s a lot of names of supposed members living 

somewhere within the ward boundaries.  

        Not all the names are recognized by many – 

not even the sixty that have at least been 

more consistent than the rest.  

            I have never seen the numbers go 

above those sixty.  

Good thing I am not focused on statistics.

Different Strokes For Different Folks

               I remember attending a month long theatre camp when I was 15 years old.  For the most part the youth who attended the camp resided in the dorms which housed BYU students during the school year.  There was one youth who had traveled with his parents.  He was eleven.  Very talented and gifted child.  I don’t know if he was an only child but that is how I saw him. 

His mother doted on him 24/7.  She would accompany to all the rehearsals, activities and whatever else we had going on.  She was an older parent who wouldn’t allow Trevor to be out of her sight.  I felt bad for him.  As gifted as he was with the piano, he lacked social skills.  He behaved differently the few times his mom was out of sight – which was rare.  I think he was abusing his freedoms.

Clair told me that her sibs will dote on Ally just as she does.  Neither Jaime or I dote.  Neither one of us are especially fond of being around children as a whole.  Of course there are exceptions.  We will become a friend but neither one of us dote.  Clair says that Ally doesn’t understand what her relationship is with Jaime as she doesn’t dote as her other aunts do. 

Jaime and I are more about self-reliance – but as with Trevor (in the example above) she will only try to do things herself when she doesn’t have permission – like reaching for items in the fridge that she isn’t supposed to have or scaring the dogs with her remote control car.

Lighting Candles to Hanging Lights

 

This morning Richard was watching one of his cowboys which was Christmas themed.  Those that were in that particular episode were discussing decorating a tree and adding candles.  

It triggered a memory with hot lights that replaced the candles as they were fire hazard.  Still, a dry tree and hot lights were still cause for fire.  There have been a number of homes destroyed due to Christmas tree fires.  Anyway, I remember my mom and I having attended one of those “selling items” party similar to Tupperware or Usborn Books or the Pampered Chef – only it was for Christmas items.  Among the items shared was a smoke alarm ornament.  The idea of it was appealing, but the idea didn’t seem to carry over to what we believed would be a helpful item to have.

        We decided to test the product before we hung it and ended up melting part of the babble.  We returned it and tried it again with our replacement.  Both had failed.  Neither would have alerted us if there had been an actual fire.  Throughout the years the lighting devices have improved so that there is light without the heat.  How ingenious. 

Health and Temperature

               I don’t know how often I had to go to the orthodontist during the (almost) three years that I wore braces.  I was just recently reminded about how painful it felt having my braces tightened. My teeth have been bothering me since Sunday – maybe before. At first I thought it was dental related but have come to realize that it is part of my newest sinus infection.  Bah, humbug!

          It seems to be the most painful once the sun goes down.  I looked up what I might do to ease the pain.  Steam was a suggestion.  I thought it would make the room more hot but knew that it would work as I have felt better during a shower.  Many of my body parts have bad reactions to the cold lately.  NOOOOO!!!! 

I think about friends I’ve made here in Oregon that have moved to warmer climate (I think all of them ended up in Arizona) as the cold had bothered them physically.  I don’t want to move to Arizona.  I already know that it’s too dry. I hate the heat. I suppose I could get used to it.  But not the dry.  Dryness makes it hard to breathe.  I need moisture. 

So that’s my choice?  I can be miserable in the heat and dried out or I can be sore because of the cold?  That sounds very negative.  I need there to be a happy medium.  I need the consistency I thought Oregon temperatures would be.  I am a grouch when I am too hot or sore.  I don’t wish to be a grouch. 

I need to say another prayer.

Mailbox Surprise

 

         The Amazon account is in my husband’s name.  

It doesn’t matter which one of us places the order, 

it comes in his name – except today.  

There was a package addressed to me.  

Do I open it?  

Is it really for me?  

Inside is a book.  

No explanation.  

I don’t know who it’s from. 

At least I didn't when I started this post

Steven sent a text to let me know of its arrival.

The book is from my brother.