Beneath the Wraps

           For my facebook page I had attached two scrapbook pages. My celebration started the evening before - unbeknownst to our friends whose home we had gone to.   We played three games.   Two of Smart A** - amazingly I did not land on any donkeys the entire first game (except for the one with the bullseye to declare the winner) and won the game.   I did get stuck in the second game and Jenna won that one.   We had fun.           Our friends then taught us a new game from their collection – one I had played before but had not enjoyed the first time.   It was more fun the night of the 27 th .   I declared myself a winner in my mind from having completed my original journey first.   Jenna also declared herself a winner as she was the first to complete all of her cards.   I was right behind her.   The winner is actually declared through points total – which requires...

  It’s only been five days since my last post and I have had ideas – even disconnected paragraphs. Problem right now (a very personal thing) is time management – which I used to be good at – but I’ve let myself slide – along with my memory which, by the way, is horrid.     I was supposed to pick someone up on Sunday.   I had even called her on Saturday night to give her a time.   A reminder went off that morning.   Two hours later I was in the car and then the church without her.     I guess that wasn’t as bad as picking up Bonnie after Jenna walked her to the theatre.   Jenna also gave me a bag of poop as she didn’t know where to dispose of it.   Not cool.   But okay.   It wasn’t okay.   I forgot about it.   Of course I can’t smell.   But Roland can.   He has a hyper sensitive nose. Apparently he spoke harshly at Jenna and told her not to assign me responsibilities because I don’t remember things. ...

Last week the temperature would start out in the mid-forty’s and go up another 40 degrees throughout the day.   That’s not nice.   This week we have had consistent weather and have included wind and rain.     I prefer the cooler weather – especially for walking Bonnie.   We all feel deprived when it is hot.    

           Even before Bonnie came to live with us, Jenna found a comforting sound (to her) to drown out the noise of the chickens and roosters who crow all hours of the day.   She turns the phone setting to rain falling.   I don’t recall having heard it until after Bonnie had come to live with us.   That is because Bonnie snores loudly.   LOUD.   Like “wake up the dead” kind of loud. Jenna has turned up the volume in order to drown out the noise.

  At the beginning of the school year we had been asked to participate in a school meal program – even though Jenna does not currently attend in our district.   At first meals were being delivered on a daily basis.   At 9:30 in the morning they would drop off a breakfast and lunch.   Now they drop off just once a week.   Watching Jenna bring in a grocery bag full of treasures is certainly fun to watch as she is like a kid on Christmas morning.   Every bag has included five snack size packages of baby carrots.   She enjoys most breakfast and chicken items. Lately some of the selections have been weird – well for school cafeteria or with most children in general I would imagine.   She has received snack size packets of radishes.   What child enjoys radishes? Whole radishes.   Jenna and I both thought it was weird. On Monday most of the items she removed from the bag seemed colder than refrigeration cold.  Oh, a frozen bag of clam ...

  I have tossed a few ideas around on what to post.  Meanwhile I received these in the mail.  Enjoy. For the sweetest Grandma! Happy Mother's Day! Doesn't Rochelle have the most fabulous hand print?  I admire her creativity.

                 Are chickens even teachable?  We have put up so many barricades to keep the chickens out.  The neighbors to the west of us have called the police about our backyard neighbors’ menagerie at least four times.  The chickens didn’t bother me when they were at the top of the hill.  I wasn’t even bothered about them venturing into our yard.  Taking over the front yard seemed a bit much.  I drew the line at their overtaking the deck . . . which in itself would have been no problem but their bowl movements were/are.  I don’t like that!                 I recall 3 Nephi 10 in which Christ compares himself to a mother hen.   He gathereth his children as a hen would gather her chickens.   I have personally never seen that happen.   There are several hens that will invade our yard – no peeps though.   The you...

             Glo-E Bear             I think it was the Christmas after she had turned three when Tony gave Jenna a Glo-E teddy bear for Christmas.   It came with a wand and a story book.   Jenna kept the name Glo-E and was fascinated that the bear was able to change color.   Glo-e was only a fad, however. Hi-Five had always had a special place in her heart and has always been her number one. The above is not the best picture we have of Hi-Five – the way he looks at present.   You can read more about Hi-Five in this post. On December 3, 2008 the preschool had sent home notes that they were having a teddy bear party in honor of the letter B.   Bear starts with B.   But so no child would feel left out about not having his or her own teddy bear the note said that another stuffed animal was welcome in its place. Jenna was torn.   She really wanted to take Glo-E...

  I heard the truck pull up and heard the footsteps come up our driveway.   I looked out the window and saw a man whose expression said he definitely was not happy.   I was alone except for Bonnie.   Roland had taken Jenna and a friend to Roseburg for the youth stake activity.   I opened the door and cautiously peered my face around the deck.   It turned out to be the couple from behind us.   She said that Penelope had fallen out from the fence that they had put up (I would think a repair is now in order?)   Penelope appears to be three times larger than she was in this picture:   Our neighbors had a large carrier with them to put her in.   They climbed the hill and got her.   I was in awe watching them.   They both wore flip-flop type sandals  – not the appropriate hill climbing shoe.   I forgot to ask them if they are getting enough eggs for themselves.   I will have either Jenna or Roland ask next time one...

             Jenna always asks before hand: “Are you excited about Mother’s Day?”   “Are you excited about your birthday?”   “Are you excited for Easter?” or whatever it is.   Generally I’m not.   But I’m not necessarily unexcited.   For the most part I just think of it as another day.   There may be moments when the whatever event is showcased or spotlighted – particularly Easter but then it seems forgotten.           There was a Mother’s Day Tea Party scheduled at the Grand Victorian.   I have never been to a tea party other than the pretend parties I would have with Jenna and her stuffed animals.   I really don’t care for tea and I haven’t worked my way up to socializing with a bunch of woman I probably don’t know.   Thus Jenna and I resorted back to a time when we had still lived in Kearns.              After we returned ...

                 Pre-pandemic I loved Wednesdays.   It was my short day whenever I would sub – usually for Coffenberry.  The staff there would work with me on my schedule.   The third Wednesday was the day that seniors could meet up at Roseburg cinema to watch a featured movie.   It was cool to have sponsors which made that possible.                  Though I enjoyed the opportunity of seeing movies for free on the third Wednesday, I looked forward to  the second Wednesday of each month.   That is when the ward offered a pot luck luncheon.   Afterward there was a group of us that would hang around and play games for an hour or two.   Though I enjoyed the luncheon itself, I enjoyed the games even more. Pre-pandemic we had scheduled nights to play with different couples in our ward or sometimes we would invite my friend, Carol.   When we would...

          As mentioned in prior posts – to get from point A to point B in Salt Lake city did not require the same route.  In fact, there were several options – unlike Douglas County where the option has been “Go this one way” or “Don’t go at all.”  Pre-pandemic an alternate route to Dillard had been pointed out to me.  On Thursday I decided I would take said route when I volunteered to drive to Roseburg to pick up some dry cleaning for Roland.  Of course I took Jenna with me.   I took the long scenic route to Roseburg.           So the red line indicates Main Street.  At the end of Main Street there is the option of veering to the left or veering to the right.  The left (marked in dark red-brown) crosses the bridge over South Umpqua River.  Your choices beyond the bridge are a parking lot overlooking the river, or getting on the 108 ramp that will lead to either Roseburg ...

             I don’t know who came up with the brilliant idea to add salt to all desserts; leaving out just a pinch of salt flattens the dessert and disappoints the taste.   Then again, too much salt will also ruin the dessert as it becomes the only thing one can taste.           When I was in college I remember a girl from next door providing a recipe for the easiest ever peach cobbler.   It was combining 1 cup each of flour, sugar and milk, two tablespoons of baking powder, a little salt and a jar of peaches (or whatever fruit desired).   Oh, and lest not forget the half stick of butter that melts in the pan as you preheat.                        In her recipe one of the steps required cutting up the peaches and cooking them on the stove before they were added.   Over the years I elim...

I drink a LOT of water.   I have gone through several water bottles and have replaced over the years.   Many have not been to my liking as the water doesn’t stay cold.   I don’t know of any water bottles that can go into the freezer without cracking or somehow damage the container.   Thus I have used regular bottles from bottled water or sports drinks.   I can fill them up half way and put them in the freezer.   I will remove it from the freezer and fill the rest with water.   Throughout the day the ice will slowly melt and allow a cool temperature of water that I need.              I have used various socks to act as a cozy around the bottle.    But I know it is not the best method especially when Roland constantly harps on how bad the bottle smells – even if I just purchased and washed one from the store.    But the water hasn’t been a problem for me until just recently.    I don’t know...

            It’s been nearly a year since my first mention of the neighbor’s chickens.   They used to lean a ladder near the fence so the chickens could climb back into their own yard.    At first it was just a few on the hill – not the 15 plus that have accumulated in our yard during that time.   Roland doesn’t want them under the deck and I don’t want them on the deck.   We don’t want them in the garden and so have been putting up barriers all over the yard.   we had to add netting to the steps to prevent them from going through   I did find at least three of them on the inside; they had dug under the wire to make it wide enough to go though. Roland used some stakes for the bottom.  Hopefully that will work. Despite our efforts the chickens have managed to dig under, fly over, or somehow manage to squeeze themselves into areas where we’d rather they not be.   The chickens always stop near ...