Lots and Lots of Thoughts

     My head is so full right now.
I'm tired.
My fingers will never catch'
up to my brain.
I've written thoughts about
the library but have not
posted them.  I've taken countless
amount of pictures that
I still haven't viewed.
I finished my algebra and
entrepreneurship on Saturday.
Two more classes started Monday
but I haven't . . .
still . . .

I've done the daily checkpoints
and started a research for my posts
which will need references.
Right now I am just way too tired to
comprehend anything more.
We returned to Myrtle Creek about
three hours ago.  I feel the tiredest that
I have ever felt in my life.

For those who read my post on a regular basis,
you know that it contains a hodgepodge
of thoughts and posts.
You ain't seen nothing yet . . .
  I've got more
tucked away in my brain.
I would like to write and post them all.
They will not be chronological.
I can guarantee you that.

Life Changes . . . and Connections

        Before we moved to Tri City, I had a premonition that one day Roland and I would be involved in helping to raise Ally.  It's not that I was trying to write Jeanie off into the next life - although it wasn't unexpected.  There was concern that she would die before Ally had finished school.  Ally will be two in August and therefore has not even started school.  And just because I had that premonition doesn't mean Biff will be packing up and moving to Oregon any time soon.  It may not be in his plans to come to Oregon at all - unless Roland talks him into it.  Biff does have other options - or will have. 

        His mother comes from a rather large family, and although half have now moved on to the other side, he does have family in Wyoming.  One aunt wrote me to say that Biff is welcome to stay with them.  At first it puzzled me.  Why would she offer to put up this young man that she doesn’t really even know?

        She and her husband have two daughters.  One of them had actually been named after Biff’s mom.  His maternal grandparents had raised their eleven children on a dairy farm. When Roland had gone back to visit, he went out with the family to milk the cows and feed and whatever other chores are involved.  They thought he was a hard worker and had actually offered him the farm for his future.  But Roland was a city kid.  He was having fun at the farm, but wasn’t confident or even had an interest to take over.

        I hadn’t thought much about it until now.  I know there was a brother who lived in Ogden who had planned to move their with his wife and take over.  He had coached the high school wrestling team and taught classes during the school year.  By summer he would take off for three months to go boat fishing in Alaska.  I believe it would be the last Alaskan adventure he had lined up before the move back to Wyoming.  Only he went to his bed sometime during the time that the fishing boat was in the water.  One of his comrades had gone to wake him and learned that he had passed during his sleep. Wyoming wasn’t meant to be for that brother.

        But now I wonder, maybe the request came not just to assist Biff, but allow Biff to assist them at the farm.  Biff said cows just happen to be Ally’s favorite animal. 

        Before he and Jeanie were married, he spent a lot of time in Syracuse with her family.  He practically lived with his in-laws before they were married as we'd see him less and less.  Because of Jeanie's health, and then her mom's health, and I'm certain that finances were a factor, they had never moved out from her parent's house.  I would think it would be awkward for all of them to have him continue living there. But I don't know. 

       My brother-in-law Bill is really good friends with his late wife's family and keep in touch.  Even Kayla has become friends with her family. I know I have mentioned on at least two posts, that Roland and I have actually had more contact with his late wife's family than his own.  So there are possibilities. 

        I sent an email to his mother's oldest sister (this is not the same one as the one in Wyoming) to let her know.  She was actually the first person I contacted - even before my own family. I can't even explain why - except that it felt important to let her know.  Perhaps Ally and Biff could stay with her while he's adjusting to transition.  I think she lives the closest of all of his relatives - including his brothers.  Perhaps that's why I felt impressed to write her.

        Of course I had to tell Kayla.  Both of our husbands have been in Biff's shoes.  Biff was six when his mother passed away.  There will be a viewing tomorrow night and the funeral is set for Monday.  Two locations so far apart from one another.  Probably an equal driving distance from the ward where our three boys finished junior high and graduated high school. I had asked the bishop to post a link on the ward page in facebook (as I, myself do not have access to it) He wrote back to say not only would/did he post it to the pages (plural) but would announce it in sacrament meeting as well.  I hadn’t expected that.

        There are so many thoughts flowing through my brain right now.  I hope to get at least half posted.  May Biff find the strength that he will need to carry on and proper guidance and assistance from the rest of us.  We all have been truly blessed.

Social Media

            I am the administrator of two groups in facebook.  The first is a Relief Society page that I had started for the ward that I'm in as it has been the only not to have a ward or RS page, and I missed it.  The second group Jenna and I had volunteered to get started in April (I believe) after Myrtle Creek Library closed its doors and several library users wanted to form a group in hopes to reopen the library.  The group page has existed for less than three months, but twice as many members and A LOT of contributors.  Though each says she really appreciates the group page, getting other sisters to post their thoughts on the RS page is like pulling teeth.  We have twice as many members in our "Friends" group and thankfully I'm not the only one who has been posting everything.

            We had a meeting last night for the "Friends" group, and I will have another one this morning with the Summer Reading Program committee.  Myrtle Creek does a city wide yard sale each year for four years now.  It will take place in two weeks - which doesn't give our group much time for renting out booths and tables as suggested by one member.  No one in our group has a key to the library nor permission to use facility (although Marilyn often gets her way with the mayor - it's still something that has to be voted on by the council) and so we'll be setting up shop at the old laundry mat (which actually is where the last two meetings were held - it is weird hearing projected voices of the acoustics that are very different from the City Council building or Nazarene church where we used to meet) and so I posted the information last night before I went to bed.  Thus far there have been three shares - one included the Winston Wire (I'm guessing their newspaper) Wow.

            "Friends" caught on like wildfire. Would like to see that with the RS page.   

Not Quite the Same Ratio

          Since living in Myrtle Creek, I have NOT missed the horrible traffic accidents that we encountered on a daily or weekly basis - some just fender benders, but some involved lost lives - not to mention totaled cars. 

My son lived not to far from this accident and was interviewed about what he saw

           We've been in Oregon for almost two years now.  I have been in one line of slow moving cars as there had been an accident in one of the intersections in Roseburg.  I can also remember an employee at Figaro's pointing to the line of cars on I5 and reporting how far ahead the accident was.  I would have never noticed the line of cars on my own.  Perhaps my eyes believe it appears more in the distance than younger eyes do. 

          We ran a few errands last yesterday.  After we had crossed the parking lot and had gotten out of our car, Jenna and I noticed flashing lights and went to investigate.  I had seen police cars and sheriff cars before - but never with lights on.  It looked like a fender bender.  Here in Myrtle Creek.  On Old Pacific Highway.  The first I have known about in the last two years.  I like that ratio much better than in Utah.

This is the accident that held up traffic for my sister and Brother-in-law last night.

Trial and Error

We're not gardeners.  I must have mentioned that at least a dozen times.  Our marigolds went from looking like this 

 to looking like shredded wheat.   Apparently Marigolds need to live in their pots for a while before they are planted in the ground so they can get used to the surroundings.  Reminds me of goldfish having to be tempered while floating in their bags

Roland and I went out this morning to gather up the dried up marigolds to add to our compost.  We allowed the marigold seeds to fall back in the bed.  Hopefully it will make for having marigolds next year.  Or perhaps we should have planted them in pots and allow them to germinate in the greenhouse we had put together.

  

Our neighbor had given it to us;  I think she's just trying to weed out some "junk" that has collected in her yard over the years.  She sent the greenhouse parts in three bags - but no directions.  Thus Roland and I shared an Ethel/Lucy moment - or perhaps Lucy and Ricky . . . we don't believe that all of the parts were there.  Our greenhouse doesn't look like the picture that was included.

  

 Ours doesn't have as many shelves.  Roland has several plant starters in the greenhouse, along with our tools.  Can you see them?  or are they well hidden?  LOL

 I guess we're too late to start planting anything more for this year.  Spinach still doing well.  Beets are coming up.  We're learning what needs full sun and what we should have planted in the more shaded area.  Trial and error.  We're not gardeners.

Eliments

I wish God would send down some rain

to water my plants

The skies have been overcast since

Memorial Day and the

air has been cool.

Some rain

but not enough to quench a plants thirst.

Spinach is growing great.

We can go out to the garden when

we are fixing lunch or breakfast

and add spinach to an egg omelet

or a tuna fish sandwich.

We bought some plastic owls to

keep away the birds

We looked for pinwheels but

couldn't find them

we are using wind chimes and

spinning flowers but there

has been almost as much wind

as there has been rain.

Most of our vegetation looks good.

We're not certain about others.

Numbers and Nightmares

I've turned in the math assignment for this week and have taken the assessment.  One more week and assessment to go.  This is how I truly understand math:

If Bob is waiting for his bus at the corner of Lupis and Vine on a Tuesday and he is eating Strawberry ice cream, but not quickly, and his melted ice cream is dripping onto the sidewalk before the bus comes;  meanwhile, three cars have passed and none have bothered to offer Bob a ride, how far is the sun?

 If Lisa has agreed to babysit for Mrs. Brown, and walk the dog for Mrs. Green and water plants for Mrs. Plumb, what color is Lisa's shirt?

 If Hector collects rocks and balloons and gives one balloon to Kathy for nine seashells, what day of the week is it?

I do like my instructor.  I wish I had just one ounce of her passion.  But I don't.  It's math.  I've found some videos that have been helpful.  Others are . . . what??????  I came across one video in which the Berstein Bear was showing me how NOT to do the math - okay it wasn't the actual  Berstein Bear - itt just felt that way as he demonstrated at least six ways not to do it before he demonstrating the correct way.  IF he shows me the correct way.  He pretty much lost me at polyominols and what this letter could be and what this figure could represent . . . huh?

I did come across one over twelve minutes long and for the most part was easy to follow.  But what are you supposed to think when the instructor of the video starts yawning?  I'm with you Pal.  I was there before the video even started.  I know I'm not the only person who hates or doesn't get math.  My class is full of lost individuals.

Sometime between 3 and 5 this morning there were numbers and factors taunting me.  They were laughing at me while I slept.  Some were dancing to the soundtrack of La La Land.  That was weird.  I don't appreciate these numbers haunting me, bullying me.  Gosh, just let me sleep! It's bad enough I have to deal with algebra when I'm awake (actually I did take a nap before completing my assignment as the equations really did put me to sleep. 

 I HATE Algebra.  I still have two more weeks of "What the heck?"  I finally posted my discussion - which I normally try to do on Monday or Tuesday, but not with this class. My brain has a major cramp.  We're supposed to solve  - or rather break down the simplified so that it reads with complication and I can't do that if I don't understand it.  That's only part one.  In part two the class is supposed to explain why we need Quantitative literacy . . .  wha-wha-what?  Quantitative whatnow? 

I did a copy and paste for a reference I might consider using later on.  It came out like this:

Quantitativeliteracyistheabilitytoidentify,understand,andusequantitativeargumentsineverydaycontexts.Anessentialcomponentistheabilitytoadaptaquantitativeargumentfromafamiliar

that reads pretty much to my understanding.  Now onto my other class - which surprisingly I am doing quite well in.

Shop, Summer, Mail

        Sometime between the birth of brother Corey and the arrival of my sister Kayla, my parents decided to finish the basement.  I moved from my upstairs bedroom to the coolness of the basement.  They also had a phone put in at the end of the hall next to the laundry room.

        I don't know how old I was, but suspect it was after I had graduated high school when I heard the phone ring.  Mom had already answered the upstairs phone by the time I got to it.  Out of curiosity, I went upstairs to inquire about the phone call.  Mom said that it was her visiting teaching partner and she'd be leaving pretty soon.

        She had just started watching the movie "The Shop Around the Corner" with Margaret Sullivan and James Stewart and asked me to continue watching it for her so that I could tell her what she had missed.  We had a VCR, I think I offered to record it.  Or perhaps the recorder wasn't working.  I don't remember why we didn't record it.  I allowed myself to get roped into watching. 

        "The Shop Around the Corner"  is an old movie from 1940.  It surprised me that mom had not seen it already it, as she certainly had watched a lot of old movies and I had suspected everything with Jimmy Stewart but either couldn't remember or had missed this one.

        The characters' names were Klara and Alfred.  They both worked at the curio shop (at least I think they did) and didn't seem pleasant toward one another - mostly her to him. During the course of the movie we learn that each of them has a penpal they are currently writing but it is done secretly so not as to reveal each other's identity.  Eventually Alfred learns that he and Klara are penpals to each other, but she doesn't learn the truth until toward the end of the movie.

        The entire time I was watching it, the plot just seemed so familiar to me.  I know that I had never seen "The Shop Around the Corner"  before, but I was able to predict what events would happen.  How is it that I knew?  I finally figured it out  just before my mom returned.

        She had been watching "In the Good Old Summertime" just a few weeks prior and had been telling me that Judy Garland's character had been receiving anonymous letters from Van Johnson's character, and she'd been writing to him - and he knew, but she didn't.  I really hadn't been interested nor do I recall ever seeing it the entire way through.  But apparently I had watched enough to see the similarities.   

        So when she returned home to ask me about it, I turned to her and said, "This is In the Good Old Summertime without music."

      

       "No"

        I don't know why she didn't want to believe me.  So I started pointing to different characters and described what their role was.

       "Okay, that girl, there (I did not know Margaret Sullivan by name) she and Jimmy Stewart have been corresponding using false names.  And he knows it, but she doesn't know it."

        She asked me two or three questions which I don't recall, and I answered accordingly.  Finally, she came up with a question that only applies to one movie, but not the other.

        "What about the violin (or other stringed instrument; I forget)"

        "What violin?"

        I can't even remember what explanation she gave of why it was important to the story.

        "There is no violin.  But there is a curio box"

        "Oh, this is not the same movie at all."

          According to IMDB.com, "In this musical remake of The Shop Around the Corner, feuding co-workers in a small music shop do not realize they are secret romantic pen pals." We did not have (or know about) IMDB back then and so I was unable to prove my point.

       Several years later, "You've Got Mail" was featured in Theatres.  Instead of Penpals, Kathleen Kelly (played by Meg Ryan) and Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) would email one another.  Rather than exist as co-workers, they were actually business rivals.  I love that movie.  I loved Meg Ryan's character.  Of the three, it is my favorite. 

commercial values (and disvalues)

It is not my intent to promote or dissuade my followers with the following ads.  They're just observations.

I really like CenturyLink commercials, particularly this one:

I think the editing of this commercial is cleverly done. As Jenna and I have experienced both city and county life, it is something that we can relate to on both sides.

There is one commercial that shows us the talents of a guy performing on a pogo stick as he does flips in the air and bounces back to a green stage, and another of a girl on the same green stage performing a song. She strums the ukulele and starts out singing, "Early in the morning . . ." and finishes the song with yodel before she takes a bow. Yodeling is not my favorite form of music - though I would put it above Opera and Rap.  I really do enjoy this girl's enthusiasm.  Reminds me of the girls that I once was, or Jenna is now (though not everybody has had the opportunity for knowing that)

I couldn't find either commercial on YouTube nor have the ability (know how) to record them myself.  But as I was searching I found this one that made me smile.

I do smile when the Geico commercial comes on though I don't agree with how it's promoted.  One boy (boy A) gets up to ask where are mom and dad.  The other boy (boy B) says they left a note in which the first boy (A) responds that he is going to take a nap and Boy B says, "Dude, you just got up"  That part makes me laugh . . .  but the fact that their parents are on motorcycles riding the country without them - as though getting away from the boys is better than spending time with them . . . the way it's portrayed seems to bother me.

Gosh, wouldn't it be great to have all the money that Geico appears to have as it is able to introduce new commercials weekly (if not daily)

And don't even get me started on Dish in which having 88 channels of still nothing to watch has got to better than encouraging your child's imagination.  Earlier commercials promote the wonderful feature of having the hopper because you can now record up to six channels at once.  Never in my life have I had a problem of having to make the choice from six programs at once.  Once in a while there will actually be two programs on at the same time, but it is rare when I can even find one program that I would like to watch.  Most cable stations will give you two months of airing the same program again and again so that you have ample time to watch it if you'd like.  And who has time to watch all those recorded programs anyway?

I like the message of the Subaru commercials that emphasize the importance of the child's life as opposed to the car itself. 

Currently this is Jenna's most favorite commercial:

Mine is the Heinz commercial where the dachshunds are dressed like hotdogs and running toward people dressed as condiments.

Not Bad for Under Two Years

          When I was 7th grade, the mandatory history class focused on American history and Utah history.  We had first did a brief study on Europe and the reasons given for explorers making their way to the American continent. 

I don't recall a lot on either Revolutionary or Civil Wars though I'm certain that each was mentioned.  We cruise through Utah history as 95% of the class had been raised in the LDS church and obviously knew more about Utah's history than the text book - which had Joseph Smith martyred by hanging - in Utah.  Joseph Smith was not hung nor did he live long enough to see the Church move toward the Utah territory. 

          That is just one example that I remember.  The instructor was not LDS, but he could see that the class wasn't going to budge - weather right or wrong. I think we ended up skipping three chapters.  It was toward the end of the year anyway.  So how much of what we had already learned had even been accurate?  The entire book could have been done on speculation without resources to back up the so called information.

          Jenna's social studies have been focusing on pyramids and castles????? That's all well and good for those of us who live abroad, but wouldn't it actually be more useful and beneficial to start with your own state and country before expanding into places you might not actually ever get to.  I'm almost 55 years old.  The only castle that I've seen is the one Walt Disney had built for Disneyland.  It doesn't fit the history of the castles that Jenna has been learning about.

          We live in Oregon now.  I want to know about Oregon, specifically Douglas County.  I want to know the history of the things that are tangible to me - not the man-made architectures that I may never see.  All history is important - but not all are priorities - not for me anyway.  I've been trying to understand this county ever since we got here.

          The other day I was visiting with my friend Carolyn (mentioned in this post) and she showed me a Douglas County visitors guide (2017) that had come with the latest edition of the newspaper she recieves (I'm guessing Sunday's edition of the News Review)

         I'm aware that there are many who may live in a state or country all of their lives and not see any tourist attractions.  I am proud to say that I have seen (or are at least familiar with) more than half of what is considered Douglas County's top 10. 

          Before we were fully unpacked, one of the first things that we looked into was getting library cards. Roland found a video of the Roseburg Blast.  Wow!  Very informative.  It was mind blowing, heart breaking . . . very well done, I thought.  Certainly a lot more informative and more impressive than the Douglas Museum of History and Natural History.  After having visited many museums in Salt Lake City, the Douglas Museum was actually quite disappointing.  In this case, I am happy to have watched the video first.

published August 7, 1959

           I'd taken pictures of the lumber yards shortly after we moved here.  Some of these I've already posted back in 2015.

taken in Riddle

Glendale

           Even Myrtle Creek had once thrived on lumber dependency.  See here and here

from the Myrtle Creeks Day Parade July 2015

This was the picture in the News Review brochure

Ireland Trucking participates in July and December parades

           I had only learned about the owls earlier this month.

           Roseburg isn't always windy, but does seem to be windier than myrtle creek.  Just this past Saturday we had looked sheds before moving to inside the store and finding plastic owls and other finds for our yard and house.  The wind was howling something fierce and it felt like the tin sheds would rip out and blow away.

          I have been to Crater Lake only once.  This picture was taken in September when my brother Corey, came to visit.

taken September 2015

          I have not heard of Little River Rapids.  I have pictures of both north and south Umpqua rivers.  Mostly South - as the Umpqua bridge in these photos takes you from I5 ramp 108 to downtown Myrtle Creek

North Umpqua September 2015

North Umpqua July 2016

South Umpqua from railroad tracks of 4th St. January 2017

North Umpqua July 2016

South Umpqua November 2015

South Umpqua January 2017

South Umpqua November 2015

South Umpqua March 2017

         

          I have not been to Yoncalla.  I am familiar with its name and location on the map

  

now called Yoncalla High; taken from web

          I think we had gone to Drain when we were looking at houses.  I would have guessed "Douglas High" would have been in Roseburg

          I am so NOT into sports. 

scanned from News Review's Visitor's Guide 2017

          In addition to the 10 things to know were articles that featured great parks to visit, spectacular waterfalls (I had only been to Watson)

Watson falls from Corey's photos

and music.

Also a little blurb on Diamond Lake.  Corey and I stopped by to take pictures when he was here in September 2015.

I cropped this from one I had taken at Diamond Lake

Corey took this one of me

          There was also an article that featured Historic Oakland a city north of Roseburg. 

We missed the 2016 event, but I will be certain to put this on my agenda for 2018. 

Looks fun.