Beneath the Wraps

       Facebook has added a new feature.   If you would like, it will give you notifications of what you posted each date however many years ago.   Roland, Jenna and I had spent the day driving and spending time with friends in McMinnville. I happened to check facebook with only an hour left on September 5th - or else I would have missed reminiscing some great posts of years past.       In 2010 I posted that I enjoyed spending the day playing games with the family.  At that point Bill and Kayla were not married.  Corey and Kayla were both at home and Roland and I decided to visit.  Patrick's family had also come.  They were about to leave to go home and make dinner, but I had actually made a huge chicken salad sandwich which I had put on a loaf of French bread and cut it into pieces, but there was still plenty left for Patrick's family.       Ellen and Candy loved the...

            We all make decisions.   Each choice we make has consequences whether good or bad as mentioned in this post             When we were living in Utah, Jenna had the opportunity of learning Spanish through the dual immersion program.   While some parts of Oregon offer this same program, the particular county we live in doesn’t offer any foreign language until high school.   I really did not wish to pull her out of the program.   She’s no longer learning Spanish at school, but she does have other opportunities here that she did not have in Utah.             She would not have been enrolled in band while in the sixth grade.   We may not have been able to afford the instrument.   We have the opportunity to do so here.        ...

Just off of I5 sits Myrtle Creek. There is a Dairy Queen near the freeway’s exit. My first introduction was on June 5 th when sweet Denise drove me back from Roseburg to Myrtle Creek so that I could secure the property where I currently live.   We ate at the Dairy Queen before we went back to Roseburg and parted ways.   (See this post ) Roland and Jenna also visited the same Dairy Queen just a week later.   We’ve been there a few times, but not often.   Occasionally Roland has surprised Jenna and me with DQ treats that he’s picked up when he’s been out driving – or as with this photo from this post Jenna and I have enjoyed Dilly Bars, ice cream cones and peanut butter parfaits.   It now appears that our ice cream treats may be a thing of the past – at least for the remainder of this year.    Yesterday we decided we would go to DQ for Family Home Evening – eat a little something – listen to Jen...

        Jenna's Utah friends have been in school for two weeks.   Her first day was today.   I told her not to be nervous as all of those who attend Coffenberry today will all be new to the school.   6th graders start middle school.   I think she was excited and nervous.      The bus picks up at 7:00 a.m.  We left the house early, not quite knowing where the bus stop is.  We crossed the street and waited - hoping that there would be at least one other student who would know if we were standing in the correct spot.  Close enough.      Fall is in the air - finally.  Some trees have started to turn.  For the first time we saw rain yesterday.  We've been praying for rain.  Rain without lightening. Our county has been in extreme fire danger since we moved here.  Everybody has told us that the summers have never been as hot as this one has.  I think the ...

        Recently I posted to facebook that I really LOVE Oregon - but did not give details. One friend who lives in Oregon asked for details.  I answered her in a private message. I have many friends and family in Utah who may not share my feelings about the hoop-jumping that so many have to deal with in the state of Utah that I did not want to post my number one reason why I like living in Oregon.  I love being in Oregon because it isn't Utah - or more specifically Salt Lake City. I guess it's wrong of me to judge the entire state by just one county.         Thus far I have not had to jump any hoops - not even to get a driver's license or state plates.  Nor did I have to wait.  I have been treated like a person and not just a number.  I count!  I may have counted in Utah, but I didn't feel like I did.  Especially when it came to voting.  Seriously.  Utah's a Rep...

            After finishing "The Rent Collector" by Cameron Wright, I started "Letters for Emily", by the same author.      While I did not care for the story itself, I did enjoy the message of the letters and the profound metaphors, and even some of the poems that a character in the story leaves as clues for his granddaughter. There is a lot of wisdom given in his advice.  I even found interest in the entire "puzzles" concept - that is a bunch of poems that each contain a password.       The characters names are Harry, Laura, Emily, Cara, Bob, Michelle and Greg.  I've formed an opinion on just about each of them which may have damaged my relationship with them.  For much of my attitude (toward the characters themselves) was somewhat cynical.      The first chapter is written in first person.  We are introduced to Harry - who has been...

             When Jenna was three she had learned what goes into the recycling can and what waste goes into the garbage - something her dad and brothers never seemed to catch onto no matter how many times I tried to spell it out for them.   They either just didn't get it, were just too lazy or just didn't care.   Often Jenna and I would scold them.   It was pretty funny when she was the one who called them on it.             Since we've been in Oregon Roland has improved a great deal.  Still not perfect, but much much better at recycling in Oregon than he was in Salt Lake.             In Salt Lake there were few who would actually collect the aluminum cans and physically take them to a recycling and get paid so much per pound.  Here, in Oregon, deposits are paid at the time of purchase.  In order to ...