Beneath the Wraps

                    We had lived in Douglas County less than two months the first time we had gone to the DC fair.   I know we overspent.   It was worth the smile on Jenna’s face.   It seems like there was more distance to cover that first year than this year.           Though the fair is held every year, we have not gone to it each year.   I think it was just a matter of lack of funds in 2016.   Jenna and Roland went for a few hours in 2017.   The elements that surrounded that year were hot and smoky and I chose not to go.   They   had dressed vegetables and were gone for just a few hours.           I don’t know that Jenna had even considered last year as she and Roland were performing in Robin Hood.   This year she decided she wanted to go and we would take Marie. ...

          Compare means estimating or measuring a difference or similarity.   For instance, you may compare the prices that are in one store compared to the prices in another.   Or you may notice the name brands generally have higher prices than the brands you have never heard of.   Albertson’s used to have a knock off brand called Janet Lee and Smith’s Food King had actually marketed one called “No Name” if you can believe that.   Today the most common knock off that I am familiar with is “Great Value” found at Wal-Mart.           I’ve compared my life to Salt Lake with the one I have in Oregon.   I’ve compared the library systems, the transportation, the road conditions, and education.   I am always comparing the weather to itself.           We may test the waters by first getting our feet wet.   We may practice for even...

When I woke up this morning, I looked out the window.  The skies were gray and there was a haze which hid my view of the towers.  Was that fog or smoke?  I was not the only person who had wondered.  How long would the sky be grey before it turned blue? On Saturday Roland and I had gone to Roseburg.  The closer we got to the city, the more overcast the skies.  We went to Home Depot.  Surprised we were not there for long before we traveled across the city to a store we had never looked at before.  Still overcast, but when we came out of the store, it was like we had entered with the weather of one day and left the store on a completely different days as the skies were blue, no clouds whatsoever and hot. I enjoy going to the pool when it is overcast because there are usually fewer people who show for the workout.   The fire is 65% contained now.  I haven't seen the blackened over 13,000 acres that re...

          My mom’s birthday is June 29 th .   Our neighbor, Peggy, had been born on June 28 th .   Mom had been raised in San Francisco, California while Peggy had been raised in American Fork, Utah.   Peggy already had one son when she and my mom were both pregnant with Danny and me.   I was born at the end May and Danny was born in early June.   We were raised together by both moms.   Until Jimmy was born in 1970, there were six of us:   Daryl, me, Danny, Patrick, John and Matt (in that order).   We would spend time together doing different things. They’d invite us to go on outings and do things with them.   I remember camping with the Bird family when Jimmy was just a baby.   I remember going to the amusement park with them.   I also remember Patrick and I going to Birds’ house after school after mom had gone to work for a few weeks.   I also remember staying the night ...

I found the following assignment still in my files.  I remember submitting it to the writing center.  The person giving me feedback suggested I lose this first line - which I do tie into my closing statement.  As I recall, even my instructor had said it was a poor way to start out a paper.  It is called an attention grabber.  The idea was suggested to me by the dean of the English department.  I can't remember whether I stuck to my guns or not.  I think I did but did not receive full credit.  Ironically, I was not stressed about it.         “Many a calm river begins as a turbulent waterfall, yet none hurtles and foams all the way to the sea.” – Mikhail Lermontov (Sweatt, 2016).              There are many things that cause stress such as relationships, finances, health issues of loved ones, not being able to meet deadlines due to heavy traffic, power out...

A field is a plot of land used for farming or playing ball.  Sometimes fields are filled with weeds and are neglected. Pull is the opposite of push.  When I pull something, it generally has a handle.  Pull often has a different sound than pole or poll - but some people pronounce all three the same way.  A Pole  is a rod or a stand like in a flagpole or fishing pole.  A Poll is a survey. I had an instructor introduce me to the word complement which is a form of completion.  I needed to add to my documents in order to improve them - to complete or make perfect.  A compliment is a polite expression or greeting. A chord is associated with music while a cord provides extension or can be wrapped or tied around something. To be on the lam is to run away and hide.  This is mostly associated with hiding from the police.  Lamb is a baby sheep.  The "b" in lamb is silent. A bleating lamb is not. ...

                 I was driving when the phone signaled that I had received a text.   Jenna opened it and announced it was a picture sent from a furniture company!   She didn’t understand why they were sending a picture of their logo.   She placed her foot on the dashboard, took a picture of it and hit the reply button to the furniture company.   I don’t know if the company received this picture or not, but I was amused.  I smile each time I look at it.           It turns out that there was a survey attached – which may come up right away in the average touch-screen phone but not my flip phone.   I did not take the survey.