Beneath the Wraps

On Monday I created this post . On Tuesday it was windy.        Not just a cool breeze.   Powerful winds – almost like before a storm. The skies were grey but appeared almost cloudless and yet I could not get this song out of my head Since then the temperatures have been in the three digits.   It’s not supposed to go down until Wednesday.   And then it’s still supposed to be 97 Biff said he is unable to sleep because it’s so freakin hot and we have taken out the air conditioner that was in his room and put it in the main room.   Roland says he can’t give it back until Biff’s room is clean.   And if it’s not clean, we will be moving him into Jenna’s room and Jenna can have Biff’s room.   We did set up a small inflatable pool.   It has been somewhat helpful.   But theoretically we’re not supposed to be using so much water.   There is a drought. Grass is dry and we’re no...

-->   I recently   took out my pocket tape player in order to listen to a talk I had recorded.   Apparently I never put it away as Jenna discovered it this morning.   I gave her a tape that could be used for a blank and she has been singing and playing and laughing.   Not expensive entertainment.   It’s fun listening to her enjoy herself.     Reminds me of when Corey used to do it.   He could keep himself occupied for hours.   I suppose I enjoyed it too.   But the reel-to-reel was not something I could just pull off the shelf and take control.   That was a heavy beast – and we didn’t have blank reels at hand like we had with cassette players.   

Yesterday as I drove to the assisted living I noticed the skies getting darker.   After we arrived in the parking lot, I took my sunglasses off.   The skies didn’t appear to be overcast, and yet the atmosphere was present.    By the time I returned home, the sky looked more overcast – like it does before it rains.   But the air itself said: IT IS NEVER GOING TO RAIN AGAIN – it was ugly and hot – not at all inviting.   I loved the cool breeze of the last two days before.   I’d love for the breeze to return and dwell for the duration.                                                             kfralc

-->          Roland had sent me this thought that brought humor to my mind when I first read it:   Mildred calls her neighbor and says, “Please come over here and help me.   I have a killer jigsaw puzzle and I can’t figure out how to get it started. Her neighbor asks, “What is it supposed to be when it’s finished? “ Mildred says, “According to the picture on the box, it’s a rooster.” Her neighbor decides to go over and help with the puzzle.   Mildred lets him in and shows him to the table.   He studies the pieces for a moment than looks at the box than turns to her and says, “First of all, no matter what we do, we’re not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster.”   He takes her hand and says, “Secondly, I want you to relax.   Let’s have a nice cup of coco” The he says with a deep sigh, “Let’s put all the corn flakes back in the box”   ...

It’s been almost a year since we were first introduced to Payton.   Frank and Marie had invited us to the annual Independence Day BBQ at the park hosted by Miguel, Cheryl and Sylvia who live just across the way.   Payton will visit on occasion, and she and Jenna hit it off right away.   And so often when Payton is visiting Cheryl, we will set up play dates for her and Jenna. I can’t believe how well they play together.   They can actually spend several hours without feuds or hurt feelings.   I wish Payton and Jenna could play together every day. Trume’s grandparents sent him to day camp – I’m guessing for the entire summer.   They have two incomes.   Apparently they can afford it.   Besides I think if Grandpa had to spend the entire day with Trume, he would end up killing him (or himself) It’s been equally nice for us not to have him knock on the door first thing in the morning or having daily confrontations between him and Je...

         My son Biff purchased a plane ticket and Roland drove him to the airport the other day.   His car sits in front of our house targeted by birds, unregistered, unpaid for.   He’s now in Texas – three hours from where Tony lives.          Meanwhile we’ve taken the A/C out of his room and put it in the front room.   We’ve rearranged the furniture a little bit and had to move the dog.   So Highness is temporarily parked at the end of the hall right in front of Biff’s bedroom door – which by the way is open.   And it smells bad in there.   Reeks.   I can smell it – and I have basically lost my sense of smell.   So it must be horrid.          Roland has Biff married off now – to a girl we don’t even know.   And Roland seems okay with it.   Randy (my youngest son ) is beside himself.   What was Bi...

           I remember seeing Magpies when I was younger.   Occasionally I would notice one or two – never an entire flock!   I thought they were a very interesting and beautiful bird.   I didn’t know that magpies are dirty birds with thieving habits.   I still don’t know much about them.              They must have flown here from Colorado as I have seen more magpies this year than in the first fifty combined. I now feel the same annoyance toward them that I feel toward mosquitoes. If the Magpies would just leave our gardens alone and go after the mosquitoes, Jenna and I would be willing to call the Magpies our friends.             Poor Jenna.   She’s received four to six times as many bug bites as I have.   Her blood must be succulent like Patrick’s.   No matter how many precautions ...

              My aunt Alice was 32 when she announced her engagement to Lynn Brown. Grandma Helen had a problem with it – I think her suspicions must have spread. He was okay.   I tried not to pass judgment on him.   He was an odd fellow.   But in time I could understand.             Of course Corey had his own reasons for not wanting to like him.   I don’t recall how old he was. Nine, I think.   He was already suspicious of any man who wore sunglasses or a beard or who had a bald head.   Uncle Lynn happened to have all three.              His mom gave birth to four boys before him.   I don’t recall how many years are between Lynn and the others – but it seems like it was six or more.   His mom had wanted a girl. She had planned for a girl.   She had picked out ...

           I believe that Corey was still in high school when he was asked to participate in a program that was being presented to the stake Relief Society.   As I recall he was playing a reporter and had to interview many different women who played an important part in Church history.             He’d been invited to stay for the luncheon, which would follow the program.   I don’t think he had ever been to an RS luncheon before.   The portions were smaller than usual – the luncheon committee hadn’t planned on quite so many people.             Corey downed his food in nothing flat – believing that it was just an appetizer and wondered when the main course would be served.   Corey was highly disappointed when we told him that was it.   No seconds. No leftovers.   We went out to lunch after ...

Biff does not have common sense about money management – but than it’s not as if he’s had fine examples to follow.   Roland and I have borrowed money from all four of our children.   We’ve also paid back with interest.   Except for Randy – who will constantly remind us whether we actually made a deal with him or not. Randy is a go getter.   He found someone to buy the reject truck that nobody else in the family wanted – leaving Biff carless once again.   Biff had enough money to for a down payment on another car and to build his credit back up again – only when the time came to purchase, he had considerably less money.   Randy was ticked.   Where did it go?   How do you spend that much money? I don’t know what Randy was thinking to co-sign for Biff.   Nor do I understand what Biff was thinking to let him.   But the car remains parked in front of our house – unregistered.   Biff still is not managing wisely.   I...

I rarely ever have the covers on when I’m asleep – regardless of the season.   Roland is the opposite.   He is usually all bundled up.   When I see him without blankets, I know it is hot. The weather on Friday was so awesome!   It looked like summer outside, but it felt like fall.               The grass is dry.   Our grass is always dry.   I worry about it each year there have been fires, and spend more time trying to douse our lawn with moisture.             I recall going camping when I was younger.   The weather in the mountains is a lot cooler than the city. I remember one year when we went with the neighbors across the street.   Their youngest boy was less than a year.   The mosquitoes would attack him along with my brother Patrick, has always had delicious blood.   The center contacts him every other mo...

  “Charlotte’s Rose” is written by A.E. Cannon – who’s evidently written a few children’s books. Charlotte’s Rose is a historical fiction and can be found in the juvenile fiction. It is told in first person through the eyes of a girl named Charlotte Edwards who has left Wales to travel across the plains of the US territory with her father in order to end up in Ogden, Utah.   They take a boat from Europe to Boston and a train from Boston to Iowa city where they are given handcarts and a weight limit on all possessions. Charlotte goes from being a girl to becoming a woman – not necessarily just physical change but in Spiritual and emotional growth as she travels across the plains with a newborn she didn’t realize would be so much work.   She learns about compassion, community and sacrifice.   At the end of the book there is the author’s note and references. What impressed me the most is that so many of the facts are true.   I also like the ...

I had once heard a commentary that if you kill a spider, at least three more will show up for its funeral.   My husband said that isn’t true.   But it sounds accurate to me. I went out to the garden on Tuesday.   I weeded so much of it.   I can actually tell the grass blades from the onions now.   But it’s not the naughty grass blades or even the net from this post that now give me trouble.   It’s the blasted pigweed that I wrote about in this post over a year ago.      It’s back – right after I got rid of it – I couldn’t believe the growth that had taken place overnight.   I kid you not.   It had completely grown back (and then some) overnight and I have come up with even more uncouth descriptions of the pigweed that seems to live up to my first paragraph – only a pigweed instead of a spider with over 500 funeral attenders.   Give me a break.   At first I did not realize that it was pig weed as I have...