Let's Talk About My Birthday

          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 counting and math.  It took just as long to count points as it did to play the game – or at least it felt like it.  If I was in charge we would not be counting points.  Yuch!  But I did come in second.

   Jenna had been looking forward to various event all week long and would continually ask, “are you excited about . . .”

 On Friday morning I opened the gifts that she had placed in a box that she had decorated.  I think I opened the Disney figures first;  we will be using as game pieces in the future. I then opened the book which Jenna said would be from Roland and then the CD would be from her.  The CD was not a total surprise as I had mentioned it to them.  The other three were surprises.  I love Dr. Seuss and was happy to receive and happy that Jenna read it to me.

On Friday we went to Roseburg to get something to eat on the way to the movie theater as "Cruella" was released on my birthday and so had to make it a part of my celebration. 

Yesterday we had gone to Roseburg to pick up a rental as my youngest son and his family would be arriving today. I went to church by myself.  I’m glad that I did for sacrament meeting was really awesome.  That will be a separate post along with more about family history, my stupid laptop and a trip to Riddle to borrow a playpen and introduce Bonnie to some other dogs to see how she would react with them.  Probably won't be posting until my son and family return to the airport and we have said our good-byes.

 

Where is LaTiesha?

 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.  Finally.  He admits that my memory is slipping. But then again so is his - to a degree.

Our goal right now is to tidy up the house a bit as we have guests coming.  They will feel cramped, I’m sure.  We all will.  I predict it will be an exhausting vacation - for them at least.  We have already reserved a van to pick them up from the airport and drive ourselves around in just one vehicle instead of two. 

We don’t know all where we will be going or how long we will spend in each area. We had wanted one of our stops to be The Enchanted Forest (here) – but they seemed to have problems recovering from snowmageddon back in February 2019 (here and here) 

COVID didn’t help matters and it sounds like Tofte family (here) has been satisfied with their forty plus years and are ready to retire the place (at least that is how I read) and haven’t given a specific on when (if) they’ll be reopening – and yet their facebook page seems to indicate that they are hiring for the season.  So I don’t know if that will be on our agenda.

Anyway, I will be spending time with them after they arrive and so may not be posting again until the second week in June.  Just a heads up for those that may be following my blog.

Ever Changing With Mother Nature

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.   

The Sound of Rain

          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.

Who's Hungry? More food pics

 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 chowder –

 enough to feed three or four people.  Frozen.  Takes two hours to thaw and another two to cook.  That isn’t cafeteria normal.  Not only that, it came with an entire set of Hawaiian King rolls. 

That is not cafeteria normal.  We’re not complaining mind you.  It’s just . . . unusual.  Jenna doesn’t like anything that contains any form of fish although she will eat tuna fish sandwiches on occasion.  But NOT clam chowder.  Roland and I had some today and enough there for tomorrow.  We have several nuggets and at least two chicken patties that Jenna will be eating.

 Yesterday Roland and I had a pizza that was not part of the school lunch.  I had never tried Amy’s pizza before but the pizza looked good on the box.  The pizza looked NOTHING like the picture on the box.  

Oh, wait.  It did have mozzarella cheese seen on the box.  The tiny green specks did not appear to be spinach but perhaps oregano or basil.  The pizza was not bad – sort of a tomato Florentine shall we say.  But my mouth was not satisfied as it was hoping for what my eyes had seen on the box.

 I should have added some spinach before I cooked it.  After Roland and I had eaten half of it I decided to add the spinach. 

 That’s better.

 

Belated Mother's Day

 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.

Some Chickens Never Learn

                 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 youngest I’ve seen were small in size but still able to identify it as rooster or hen.  The hens overall don’t seem protective – especially when we find eggs that have been pecked.  That is definitely NOT a motherly thing to do.

                The white chicken refuses leave our porch.  We have shooed her off more times than the neighbors have called the police.  She finds ways to get  back in but then has a problem figuring how to get back out.  She seems to look for the most obscure spot to lay her eggs.  There have been seven that I know of – though the most I have seen at one time was four.  That was yesterday and I found her on the porch again this morning.  Perhaps she does have maternal instincts and has chosen that particular spot in order to hide her eggs in hopes that they will become children.  Perhaps that was why she was trying to get back in – to make certain her eggs weren’t being  pecked or stolen. 

Unfortunately for her they will  never hatch.  They now live in our fridge or have long since been eaten.  It almost makes me feel sorry for her that we are not able to communicate with one another. I don’t want to be a threat to her but I don’t particularly wish to raise chickens either.  I don’t want them gone as badly as the neighbors to our west – but I do understand where they are coming from.  That is a lot of animals for that plot of land.  Again, I don’t mind sharing my yard but I should not have to deal with cleaning up their large mess from my own porch.   At the same time I would much rather deal with the chickens than to have the drug house in our neighborhood as we had in West Valley.

Things That Glow

           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 to show him off but she didn’t want to leave out Hi-Five who wasn’t a bear, but she loved him so much (still does) and ended up taking both.

I happened to be there that day and remembered Jenna sitting with her teacher as she answered questions about the toys and filled out the form with both names.  I did not hear the entire conversation but have this as a momento

 

Constellations

 

I was never into astrology but I do remember watching the star shows at Hansen Planetarium.  For the most part I was puzzled as how they were able to get certain images out of a set of stars.  Some I could see, but others required a lot of imagination.  For the most part I have not been able to see the constellations for real in the sky except for the swan (whose proper name I don’t even recall) and the Big Dipper.

As I have mentioned in some other posts, I don’t normally have an awesome view of the night sky nor have I seen stars all that many times usually because the skies have been overcast or on occasion full of smoke.  Thus I appreciated the times that I am able to view the stars – which has lately been in the form of the Big Dipper.  

I tried taking a picture of my view but it was just too dark.  Even this illustration isn’t accurate to what I see.  The sky is a dark blue and if I move my head back and forth, the stars appear to be twinkling. It is really the blinds that block the light while the opening through the slats allow the light to shine through.

 Butterflies

Jenna and I were visiting on the front porch when a UPS truck pulled up.  I hadn’t ordered anything but my birthday is coming up.  I thought possibly something that Roland had ordered for me.  No, it was a Mother’s Day gift from my eldest son, his wife (who I’m certain was the one who sent) and daughter.  What a surprise.  So unexpected.  Wind chimes that Jenna decided needed to be hung up right then.  We had each taken several pics as we had hung them, before the wind blew them down.  She took a couple of pictures at dusk, but I did not get any pictures of the glow.

You Missed the Excitement

 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 of them climbs the hill.  I am glad that Penelope chose our yard to escape to as the neighbors west of us probably would not have allowed them in their yard.

After they had returned to their house, I saw them hammering reinforcers into the ground.  Now if they could just get a reinforcement for their chickens.

Yesterday's Mother’s Day

           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 home from church Jenna returned to the corner where we had passed some children who were selling pink lemonade – a very weak drink at that.  We had inherited a tea set from a hoarder and Jenna asked them to fill up the teapot while I prepared a tray filled with crackers, cheese and the “almond bark” the girls had made in young women.  Jenna had already warned me that there would not be much in the way of almonds. 

          Midway through our “tea” I announced that I had to have some real food and took out some leftover chicken out of the fridge and she decided to have a leftover pizza.  It was a simple Mother’s Day, no hoopla.  I already posted about my early gift (the Yeti water bottle) which I have used from the moment I received it.  Roland also purchased chocolates in three forms: a chocolate almond candy bar, package of chips ahoy and some glorified milk duds (which seem to bring on a headache whenever I eat them)

          Once again, there hadn’t been a Mother’s Day program or even just a performance of primary Mother’s Day songs.  It’s different.  Not a terrible difference – just a change I still haven’t gotten used to.  But I think I actually like it more than not. 

          I’ve been reading facebook reminders all week about what Mother’s Days past have been.  One year I was told that I would not have to do the dishes.  I thought that meant that either Biff, Randy or Roland would do them (Tony was out of town) but they didn’t.  They saved them for me to do on Monday.  How thoughtful.  Tony said he would have done them if he had been home.  He would have.  Ooki had also volunteered if he was still with us.  That was a given. 

            No breakfast in bed.  We all tried the new cinnamon cheerios together.  I thought they tasted like I think wood would taste - kind of a nuts and twigs assortment. I don't know why we continue to try new Cheerios products.  The multi-grain are the only ones I have liked.  The rest of them have gone from "not so great" to "kind of horrid". 

Anyway, that was my mother’s day this year.

Let's Make It a Game Night!

             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 play in teams, it was usually her and Roland against Jenna and me – not always but quite a bit.  We had even tried to set up a game night with a couple who had just moved into our work only one or two weeks before the stay-at-home order was given.  Thus fourteen months later we finally set up a game night but made it a night to eat dinner first – which I don’t think is necessary but Roland thinks he needs to feed anybody and everybody who happens to drop by.

We decided to have it at their home as they have a lot more room and we wouldn’t have to feel crowded.  She made the dinner and Roland ended up making the dessert as mine had failed.  We’d taken out a handful of cards – at least one per game we had brought and asked which they would like to play.  Any sounded good and Roland ALWAYS wants to play Baulderdash and so we numbered the boxes and picked the first game that way.

After dinner we ended up playing a partial game of Whatzit and then played a game of Baulderdash.  We are hoping for another night (or regular set up) to play the two plus games that we hadn’t played (or even brought with us) on Thursday night.  I think we need to cut out the food so that we have more time to play games without cutting into anyone’s sleep schedule.  We may have overstayed our welcome.  I hope not. 

It was fun for Jenna and I to play our party games with other people and not just her and I.  Pre-pandemic we had even played games with the missionaries on occasion. We have missed playing games. 

Thursday Trip to Roseburg

          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 or Grants Pass. 

 

                  I have personally never driven the road on the right – the one marked with pink – the one that leads to NE Dole Road.  The next three shots I have used the snip tool for this site.  This is the scenic view.  This is the long way around.  This is less traveled.  I cannot even visualize Roland taking this route. 

 Here is the view of the bridge (same as what's marked in red-brown above) and Dole Road (marked in pink) which is what I drove on Thursday.

It is awesome to have multiple views of the same river.

          Jenna and I walked along these railroad tracks in this post.

 

We stayed on Dole Road until we got to Dillard 

We remained on Highway 99 through Winston

And continued back side to downtown Roseburg (which I have driven once before using exit 120)

I chose to come in on Stephens so that I could be on that side of the street when I made a left hand turn onto Garden Valley Blvd. The only left hand turn I had made during the entire drive was the one from Stephens to Garden Valley.

The cleaners in located between the Jack-in-the-Box and Walnut Street (though access to Walnut is on the the opposite side of the cleaners).  I could not make a turn into said area from Garden Valley Blvd. if I had taken exit 124.

After we retrieved the items from the cleaners, we continued onto Garden Valley Blvd and came home by way of I5 starting at entrance ramp 124.  

 Thus coming home was quicker than going to Roseburg.  I think it was worth our time. I was especially excited that I had only had to turn four times during my trip and that only one was a left-hand turn.

Peach Cobbler Thursday

           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 eliminated that step and would often use pie filling as a replacement.  I had brought the recipe into my marriage and used it for plums.  Roland had it committed to memory the first time I made it and took over.

          He had wanted to make a peach cobbler to take to a dinner we had scheduled with friends last night.  He also had some dry-cleaning to pick up in Roseburg and planned on doing both after he got off work.  That was really pushing it I thought.  And so I volunteered to drive to Roseburg to get his dry cleaning and took Jenna with me.   

          I was in no hurry and took Jenna on the scenic route which for the life of me cannot see Roland purposely taking.  When I returned home Roland had asked if I would like to make the cobbler – though we wouldn’t be going to our friends’ house for another four hours.  I could not remember all the ingredients or how much though I thought the measurement of flour, milk and sugar was the same.  I should have asked him but chose to find options on the Internet.  Big mistake!  The recipe I chose did not call for salt or baking powder.  It didn’t rise.  It tasted okay but had a terrible texture for cobbler.  

Roland remade the cobbler.  We had a very nice visit with our friends.

I LOVE My Yeti!

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 if it was the bottle itself or the filter in the fridge or some other reason, but I did throw the bottle away.

            I think it was for Mother’s Day last year that I had received a water bottle from the family of my middle son.  It was blue, no more than 12 ounces (12 exactly – but only when the cap is off; I checked it yesterday and had to dump out two ounces so that it wouldn’t spill when I screwed the lid on.) It is not conducive to my thirst, though I’m sure I could pack it with ice.  I left it in Roland’s office as he does not drink as well as he should.

            Cute cup.  Three of my grandchildren have their faces on the cup.  I do like it.  It just isn’t practical for me.  By the end of April, Roland and Jenna presented me with a water bottle to count as an early Mothers’ Day gift.  The bottle is insulated and holds up to 26 ounces.  I cannot freeze, but it will definitely keep my water cold. 

            It also works for hot drinks, but I am not big on hot drinks.  Those I would not be filling up to the brim.  But I don’t think my Yeti will ever be used for anything but cold water.  I don’t necessarily need it river cold – in fact I’d just assume it wasn’t (I know that isn’t especially healthy) but colder than room temperature.  I’m not opposed to room temperature.  I just don’t like WARM.  Not for quenching thirst.  I also don’t like flavor in my water.  Give it to me plain.  No lemon.  No fruit of any kind – but especially lemon.  Some people may find that refreshing.  I find it makes me even more thirsty.

Just Stay at the Top of the Hill

         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 the deck and look longingly on how to get inside and have found ways to get in and will need to be chased out until we can plug up what we had managed to miss. 

a few of the chickens discovered they could enter through this hole

our temporary solution

It’s just a temporary fix at that.  We have wanted to turn the deck into a back room since we moved in.  We finally have the finances to do so (or good enough credit in order to borrow) but cannot find a contractor who will commit to any earlier than December.  Someday.  Meanwhile, we’re continuing to battle the chickens to certain boundaries – which doesn’t seem to be setting well with them.

I thought I could make some profound comparison to God’s commandments for us or certain restrictions that citizens may feel toward the mask or getting the vaccination (looking at the staff of Moses – Numbers 17: 10-12) and the reaction of the natural man.  Instead of belittling the laws or commandments and searching for a way to get back into our own comfort zone maybe take a moment to understand WHY the net is there, why the fence has been put up, why the commandment was given. 

When I saw the chickens at the top of the hill my initial thought was, “Oh, good.  They got the message.” 

They don’t understand and they return.  I think many of us do that.  We don’t understand.  We return to what was familiar – like Pre-COVID for example.  Circumstances change and often we have to change with it.  That’s just the way it is.  Hopefully we will come to terms and learn better than the chickens do.  But there will always those who disagree and voice their opinion – which they are allowed. 

We all have free agency to think of others or think only of ourselves and how the last year has affected us or our business or uprooted our personal lives without a thought of how it has been for others.  ALL OF US HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PANDEMIC but not all reactions have been the same.  I for one like to believe I have become stronger. 

I suppose I am like the chickens to some degree.  I was okay with staying home.  I don’t wish to go back outside because I know it will never be what it was pre-COVID.  We’ve gone (or are going through) another evolution.  There’s always been hate, disagreement, hostility, etc.  just as there’s always been kindness, love, service . . . but it just seems more obvious right now.  It’s a matter of knowing where to look and choosing to follow your peers or the example of our prophets and our God. 

I had the opportunity of adding a “Vaccine” frame to my facebook profile pic. 

I know it will open a can of worms from some of those I am facebook friends with – none of whom I’ve defriended but have unfollowed many. I KNOW that not everyone feels comfortable about the vaccination for reasons other than feeling forced into it.  Some people have had bad reactions to the required vaccinations for being in public education.  But I also believe that the exceptions are few and far between.  I also believe in personal revelation.  I pray about major decisions such as traveling or health.  Prayer works.