Beneath the Wraps

When I was younger, I remember my Aunt Trudy using the word "discombobulated".  I knew the meaning had something to do with a state of confusion.  I did not recognize this as a real word, however, as I have never heard anyone ever having used that word before except for Aunt Trudy.  Then just a short while ago when I was watching a rerun of the Match Game.  Tom Bosley had said that he felt discombobulated and it sparked a memory. I think the word itself is funny to hear as it sounds as if it was just made up by one in a "discombobulated" state.   Research tells me that the word has been around since the late 19th century.   Aunt Gertrude was born just 21 years after the start of the 20th century.  She obviously knew people who had been born in the 19th century who were still using that word.  I have been curious to know about where it had come from or why it was said.  From one site ( here ) I learned that it is sugg...

          For many of us change is a difficult thing.  We change instructors each time we advance a grade in school.  Our insurance doesn’t allow for a certain expense and we change doctors as a result.  Death always creates change.  We must deal with the void in our lives.  Some do this gracefully.  Others may complain.           Often, we are asked to accept responsibilities that we certainly hadn’t stood in line for. Some of the responsibilities accepted force us to grow in ways that we may have not otherwise understood.  Take my brother, Corey, and cousin, Michelle for example.  Both had been placed in situations regarding finances attached to an estate.  Corey took over what Patrick had been assigned to do initially.  We had all voted on it.  Patrick seemed the logical choice.  He could have easily cheated each of us out of our inheritance but we al...

         If you could pick a best friend and your true soul mate from the world of fiction and make them real, who would you choose and why?       In the classic series "Anne of Green Gables" there is an amazing friendship between Diana Barry and Anne Shirley.  I would love to have a friend like Diana who is always there to route for Anne and love her for who she is.  Diana is more attractive than Anne but does not allow her good looks to interfere with her loyalty.  She is kind and respectful and will keep confidences.       I would have loved to have a friend like that - someone who has been there for me no matter what.  I have had friends, but not solid friendships like the one between Anne and Diana.  I would pick Diana.

          The thing I love most about living in Myrtle Creek is the close knit community - people who care for one another and express concern more for people than things.  The first couple of years we lived here, I was able to breathe much better than I did in Utah.  I still believe that I do but I haven't done well with the extremely bogus weather we've had.  8 months of no moisture to two weeks of cold and too much moisture -my breathing is not where it should be in my opinion.           I love living in a relaxed atmosphere as opposed to an uptight bustle.  But I have made no secret of this.  Several of my posts have explained this already.

Though my communications class started on Monday, the lecture isn’t given until Wednesday morning.  I am not able to attend the live session when I am working and cannot listen to the recording until after I return home.  The instructor does have a question-answer period on that same day but I don’t want to just pop in and start asking questions she may have already covered in the video and yet if they are not covered in the recorded lecture, I have missed my opportunity for asking live.  I feel like I am working with a two-edged sword.  I don’t like it. Our initial discussion post is due on Wednesday, but I like to have it done by Monday or Tuesday.  Sometimes the discussion doesn’t get covered in its entirety anyway.  Thus I did post what I had written based on what I read.  But I had missed the point of the assignment and did not get that turned in until just several hours ago.  There was something mentioned during the lecture that made me...

            It's uncanny how much of my life or programs will fall into my path during courses I am taking, and I can use those experiences or episodes to tie into school discussions or assignments.  Take this week for example.  I have just started a class in communications and public speaking.  It started on Monday.  It was the same day that at least one of the elementary schools in our area had a fire drill.  I know this because I was there.             Yesterday the fire alarm went off again. Word came over the walkie-talkies that "Everyone needs to be out of the building. This is NOT a drill."  Some of the students heard that, but not everyone did.  The drill took place during class.  The more serious threat was during lunches.  The children were safe.  I suspected that the fire was not a major fire but more of a trash-fire although I had no way...

The fog looked worse when I left the house than it does in these three pictures. I used to watch fog and clouds surrounding the hills south of us.   The longer the fog lingered in the morning, the warmer it was in the evening Not that 65 or 67 is especially HOT -but when you consider the snow storms just three weeks ago.  Dreary skies.  Grey and Drab. But afternoons bring blue skies with enough coolness in the air that it's bearable But by 3:30 and 4:00 it is unbearable.  The fog has moved to the north side where we are and surrounds the entire city like we've been sucked into an endless vapor It doesn't have an order nor is it bothersome like smoke from burning leaves, but still envelops us as though we are on an eerie set of a Halloween movie.   I don't know what time the fog starts.  I'm not up that early.  I know it lifts before 10:30.  We had a fire drill today and it was nice outside....

Who is Your Favorite Person in the Scriptures? I like Peter, the senior apostle of Jesus Christ, found in the New Testament.  Peter has many human qualities.  (John 13:36 -38) He is not perfect. Sometimes his faith is waivered.  (Matthew 14:27 - 30) He isn't always in control of his emotions.  (John 21:7) He seems a bit hard-hearted at times.  (Mark 8:32) Though he tries to understand certain things, sometimes he just doesn't get it.  (John 13: 8 - 10; 21:15-17) He tries hard to please his Master. (Matthew 26:35, Mark 10:28; John 2:37) He tries to defend him. (John 18:10) He makes mistakes. (Luke 22: 34; Mark 14 :70-72) He is forgiven. (D&C 64:2-4) I relate to Peter because so many of his human qualities are represented. He's not perfect.  But the Savior loves him no matter what.  And He forgives him.  Peter gives me hope. (Matthew 16:18)

Another word for correct is the word "right" It's opposite is "wrong", you can check this site But let me ask a question if I might "Isn't 'left' the opposite of 'right'?" For example, I am right handed, yes indeed Writing with my left makes the paper hard to read Eating with my right hand also feels right to me As eating with my left-hand feels wrong and sloppy In school, we learn to read from left to right But if I apply that to math, I won't seem so bright For we go from right to left when doing math Solving problems from left to right is not the right path There is only one right answer but many that are wrong If I try to line the digits where they don't belong. So is it left and right or right and wrong I am now finished with the left-right-wrong song.

          I didn’t realize how common, familiar or recognizable my face was until my mission.  People allowed me to enter their homes when they thought I was somebody else.           “Oh, you are not my niece, Pam,” one woman said after she let me in and then read my name tag.           I predicted that she and her niece must not have been that close.           I’ve had people seek me out to ask me questions or confide their entire life-history to me as though there was a neon sign on my head that said, “Please, tell me your life story.  Share all your woes with me.”           It didn’t seem to matter if I was looking at a book or engaged in another conversation.  People would horn in on my territory and pounce on me.  I hadn...

          A member of the ward had told me about the Burger King in Canyonville - which by the way is not called "Fast" Burger King or "Express" Burger King with good reason.  I'd forgotten about his comments until one day I decided to stop there on my way home from working at the school.  I could have seriously driven home and back before my order was ready.   And I had only ordered two items!           I don't know how long it was (a couple of months, I would guess) when I decided to give them a second chance.  No.  The post office would beat them in a race.  I have usually just parked the car and gone in and didn't realize that the drive-through would be faster (though not by much).  Roland and I were at the DMV in Canyonville and decided to stop off at Burger King on the way home.           A...

Knock-knock jokes are question-and-answer jokes, playing off of words typically ending with a pun.   For example: person 1:          Knock-knock person 2:          Who's there? person 1:          banana person 2:          banana who? person 1:          Knock-knock person 2:          Who's there? person 1:          banana person 2:          banana who? person 1:          Knock-knock person 2:          Who's there? person 1:          banana person 2:          bana...

          I can't even seem to pinpoint the month when Marva and Shelly came back into our lives - or even why. Roland would cram gospel truths down their throats and Marva really did want to learn.  Shelly was more interested in having a father-figure in her life.  Unlike her mom, she is not interested in boys.  But neither of them are in relationships.  Marva is usually quite positive but doesn't know when to give her mouth a rest.  Shelly is too needy and clingy.            I believe the Elders started teaching her in November.  We had set up an appointment in our home.  We were stood up twice when she was having the discussions in our home.  I don't know how many more times she was stood up after they moved her to the church.  In this case, it was Marva who had chased after the Elders rather than the other way around. She begged for them to start teaching her ...

Right next to Penny Pinchers Gas Station is the road that leads to Pioneer Cemetery.  UP to Pioneer Cemetery It goes UP and just one lane. One lane going up and houses on the way. Are you kidding me? Which of the lucky drivers gets to back up if there are two that meet? We didn't know how steep the road was nor how small the cemetery is or that it is fenced in. Roland said he had been curious and so we went to see it right after we got gas. Neither of us had our cell phones - nor had I thought to bring a camera photo by Steve Mattos We were just going to the store to return some items and hit Penny Pinchers on the way. The cemetery was interesting I guess.  But it was a one time trip I'm certainly not going to drive there No, sir-ee, Bob! I'm not driving UP UP UP and risk falling to my death. Most of the markers did not have any kind of identification to indicate who might be buried beneath...

              Okay,  this will be my last  post about last weeks fire.             We have been more prepared than many others, but still not as much as we had hoped or believed.  There is only so much that can be stored and used before we run out.  As Roland couldn't get the generator working that first day, he used a jump start from the car to hook to the fireplace.  It was our only source of heat for a while.  But the car jumping device did not provide the amount of power that the generator had.  I was also afraid of killing the cars.              Roland had gone to the store not just once but two or three times to replace items we had used (such as gas and batteries).  How fortunate it was that he was able to use a credit or debit card as there have been many who have not had the oppor...

            Even before Jenna’s two friends and most of their family had perished in a fire (see  here  and  here ) I have been paranoid of open flames and space heaters and such. During the power outage we had candles.              At first, Roland had placed a candle in one of the sinks so that we could have light in the bathroom.  Gradually it moved above the sink so that we could use the sink without putting out the flame.  He made sure there were no towels near or anything that could catch on fire.  So a few days later when I told Jenna to do the same thing, Roland went with her to make certain that the area of the bathroom she picked would be safe.  She started her candle in the sink also.  But her sink is evidently shallower than ours and the faucet was made out of plastic which I hadn’t even known was a thing.    ...

            Before we had the generator hooked up, we decide to move everything from one freezer to the other.  The ice cream was extremely soft.             “Jenna, would you like to have ice cream for breakfast?”  “Like I’m going to say ‘No’”  On Tuesday morning Jenna had ice cream for breakfast. I am such a great mom.