Beneath the Wraps

            As a child I remember hearing idioms such as "a penny for your thoughts", "too big for your breeches", and "you can't go home again".   What????   I thought adults were such morons.   First of all, I was always certain that my thoughts were worth more than just a penny.   "breeches" was a term we hadn't used and so I had no idea what that was.   And "you can't go home again"?   Of course, you can.   In my childish mind, I took the phrase literally.   If I went to a neighbor's house, for instance, I was expected to come home.   Even as a college student I knew that I'd be going home again.   It wasn't until many decades later that I finally figured it out.             "Home" is not necessarily a residence and family.   The "home" referred to is the past.   It's not just time that has put the dista...

          The first location of Salt Lake's Equitable Life and Casualty was housed in the old Eagle's lodge building on 4th South and West Temple. According to this website Roderick Ross had established the company in said location in 1948.   The building itself did not seem the ideal for the insurance business - at least not with the Eagle's Lodge floor plan. Perhaps in the late 1940's it didn't matter that the building contained skinny stairs and a balcony, but it seemed quite inappropriate in the 1980s.           My dad had been hired as a computer programmer.   I think he used a different entrance to the building than the majority of workers.   On occasion I had opportunity to visit him at his place of work. As a child I remember seeing parts of what I believed to be the basement.   My dad worked with one those huge wall-to-wall computers   (or maybe several) th...

          Assignments for accounting classes are always done in Excel.   I don't have to worry about referencing or APA format, which (as I mentioned before) appears to be more important to the instructor than the content itself.   It does not help any when instructors tell us to refer to the owl   Perdue here  which for me personally is neither helpful nor received well on my part.   I, fortunately, have had an instructor, the dean of English at that, who didn't seem to be a big fan of Owl Purdue herself and sent us tutorial videos, which I think are much easier to understand. I have had to create assignments in APA form for all my non-accounting classes.   Most classes will give a topic such as          "name some types of real estate and give some examples" or           " Using the website above or another website of you...

          As mentioned in prior posts, the beginning of the year started out with a huge attendance of children in the Valiant class.   The average was from 12 to 16 students.   It seems like we were introducing ourselves every week as not everyone was acquainted with those who were either visiting or those who had recently come  back to church.           Danny would generally give the lesson and I would be there to discipline.   When Danny wasn't there to teach, I would teach and ask someone else to sit in with me.   Often I would ask Roland, but when I did the lesson on creation this year, it was Danny's mom that sat in the class with me.           I introduced the class to Sugardoodle's Passports by Melanie Day (found here ) -   as I am currently unable to open the Sugardoodle sight, I am hopefully giving credit t...

        We were told that snow in this part of Oregon is really rare, and yet we've seen it every year since we've been here.  Oh, nothing like Salt Lake, mind you.  It is only one or two days - and usually just on the trees and hills,  not on the roads.  Currently, it is on the road.         The schools called to say that all schools in the district are closed.  They were supposed to take a field trip today.  Hopefully, it will get rescheduled.         I actually have more ambition today than I did yesterday - or all week rather.  Not wanting to study.  Not wanting to post.  No desire.  No emotions.  And now I think I could.  And Jenna's home.  I would rather spend time with her.         Yesterday I wrote this pathetic poem.  It sounds much better if you imagine ...

          Roland has always wanted to have his own business. ALWAYS.  And I have made it absolutely no secret that business DOESN'T interest me.  We are both taking business courses, although my current classes are neither as tough or as boring or need to go into as much detail as his did.           It seems the entire time we've lived here, his business plan has always had to do with senior daycare - a service that is desperately needed in our area.  He has done some amazing research.  He has felt excitement and he has felt defeat.           There were six weeks where he had changed his plan from doing senior daycare to selling ice cream and if we opened under our own name (rather than a franchise) we would call it the Happy Hurricane. The idea of selling ice cream did not last for long as he was unable to get past the first hurdle of finding a...

        I remember someone posting this cartoon to facebook.  I laughed as I read it as I relate, both to having been the child and now the mother.  But it isn't just a relationship with mothers and children when this sort of magic happens.  It happens among husbands and wives as well - at least in our family.         I remember many times mom would used to say to dad, "There is something wrong with the car"  and so he would take the problematic car to work and of course it would ride smoothly for him and give absolutely no indication of ever having any kind of behavior problem.  It seemed that way with all appliances - and it wasn't because my dad was mechanical minded.  I think electronics and mechanics just have a way of playing pranks on the female mind.         Take my computer for instance - the pop-ups, the constant threats, ...