Beneath the Wraps

            “ When did we get this dog rug? ” Roland asks for the umpteenth time as we all step over Bonnie to exit dad ’ s office. Bonnie is a Saffordshire Terrier mixed – mostly with the appearance of Pit Bull – a fat one at that.   She is definitely a sweet dog. She ’ s also a bit insecure. Jenna loves dogs.   She will go out of her way to look at them and ask if she can “ pet your dog. ”    She ’ ll ask the owner the dog ’ s name and thank the owner and be on her way.   Jenna prefers dogs to humans. Bonnie is opposite.   She LOVES people.   Given a choice of encountering and barking at the ten dogs down the street or spotting one human in the distance going the other direction – she will pick the human every time.   After all, isn ’ t the entire reason the person is standing outside in the first place is because they want to pet the Bonnie?   There are many who seem to love Bonnie just as much as...

                 My mind is so full right now.  I fear the ideas that are in my head may not make it to a post for this blog so let me start with the most recent . . .           Myrtle Creek Visitors Association had posted to facebook about an upcoming Easter Egg hunt – which Jenna has been looking forward since our “ business activity ” on St. Patrick ’ s Day.   This time 12 specific businesses hiding a wooden egg.   And Jenna has been determined to find them all.   Though we physically entered more than half of the businesses, we had only hunted in five – well – she had hunted.   I am not great at picking out items when they are in my face let alone having to physically look for them.             This morning Jenna was at her photograph class and learned she had to pick an assignment to do.   There were at lea...

        Another member joined the fowl menagerie team. Well, no.  Not quite.  Joining would imply that he would travel in their pack – which he does not.  He seems to keep to himself.  There also appears to be a puzzled look on his face – but perhaps it ’ s just the mask he wears that is throwing me off.  I wouldn't have even known it was a pheasant if Roland hadn't said anything (He was the first one to spot the pheasant and then Jenna.)  If Roland hadn't said anything I would have thought that he was a rooster trying to disguise himself.   It wasn't long ago when Jenna and I watched a goose imitate a flamingo.   The goose standing on one leg         The pheasant stands by himself – sometimes observing the other chickens.   His cry is worse than Mitch ’ s. I don ’ t know what he ’ s thinking.   I can only guess.   Jenna took this one with her cell phone  ...

                 “ The land never dies ” is the last line spoken Lynn Redgrave ’ s character, Charlotte to her grandson in the 1978 mini-series “ Centennial ” .  The series is a time period piece about settlers in Colorado during the 1700 ’ s.  Roland had watched the movie shortly after watching a documentary featuring the rise and fall of Blockbuster video.  https://www.netflix.com/title/81354557   I remember Blockbuster.   I remember going to the video store to find videos when they were available on both VHS and Beta.   I remember the days long before Redbox and Nextflix.   I had never thought of the details or evolution.   I remember going for VHS – I don ’ t remember ever having checked out DVDs.   But there is still evidently one location in which renting DVDs is still a commodity.    https://www.businessinsider.com/blockbuster-survives-in-bend-oregon-2018-8 Bend, Oregon is home t...

 Jenna won a prize!  She is so excited. if all goes according to plan, they will reopen April 1 and we will go later that week for Jenna's birthday. toothpick from cupcake and button from library sugar cookie wrapper and indication

  On March 12 I posted the following to my facebook page To which I received this comment: “I think most towns’ chicken ordinances say NO roosters within the city limits.   Just because of the noise.” My reply was that we just don’t seem to fit into that “most town” mold.   Two days later we received a knock on our door from a very angry homeowner that I didn’t even recognize.   She came here to complain about our chickens.   I told her the chickens are not ours.   She didn’t believe me.   I get it.   They do seem to spend far much more time in our yard than they do their own and will follow Roland around as though he is the Pied piper.   Roland is allergic to feathers.   Go figure. I don’t think I even knew they were there until the end of July – perhaps just before.   It doesn’t appear I made mention of them in my blog until August 2 – though I refer to the pigs more than the chickens.   Jenna and I had walked around ...

             I don’t know where Jenna came up with that number but that is how she had rated St. Patrick’s Day this year.   After being denied the opportunity of the annual Grunge Plunge (see here )  for the last two years not to mention the annual Halloween tradition of trick-or-treating downtown (thank you so much COVID) it was decided to involve several of the downtown businesses to participate in a St. Patrick’s Day celebration which Jenna has been looking forward since the beginning of this month it seems.           Jenna started out the day by eating a bowl of Lucky Charms for breakfast. She  decked out in green because Spirit dressing is a large part of personality.  We left the house later than we had hoped.   She said Scooby Doo would be at Good Dog’s Bakery.   Though he represented the bakery, he was really across the street.    We made our way around a few...

             I was not the only one signed up to tour Nauvoo yesterday.   I thought we would see more of the city, but it was raining and thus we did not see much of the outside.   The tour covered only three houses. There was a set of missionaries for each house we saw. Those residing at the homes had names I was not even familiar with – nor did I have the correct spelling on the first and so had to look it up – though I still did not find many references for those residing in the first house. This first house belonged to William and Ester Gheens ( here ) The final pic shows the outside view.    They did not take us outside but did show a picture inside - just behind the yellow door (from above) standing in the kitchen of the Gheens home Behind the tree is the Nauvoo Temple. The second house we saw was that of William and Caroline Weeks ( here ).   The ceilings are quite low and everything looked so small - like we wer...