Beneath the Wraps

  Ever since Jaime was born, I knew that I would be 60 years of age at the time my baby graduates.   I am 60 today.   She graduates on Friday. Wow. The weather has been perfect.   But my allergies have not been.   I haven’t enjoyed the day as much as I would like.   As of now, I don’t plan on attending church tomorrow.   Perhaps I shouldn’t have done so in the first place.   Perhaps I would be over this.   Perhaps.   I still don’t know for sure. Richard did make a cake for my birthday.  Perhaps he shouldn't have as he has been really good with his diet until today.  Jaime and I watched Soul .  I played a few games on the kindle.  Not much celebrating.  

               It is Jaime’s official last day of school – though she does not graduate until June 3.   There is a mandatory graduation practice at noon – and she has a concert performance on the first.   So much for the last day.   I don’t think Jaime is ready to give it up.   As I had mentioned before, she only needed two class credits to graduate from SUHS – though she could have theoretically graduated from ORCA last year.   But she is making the most of her senior year and has been assisting instructors with some of the freshman classes.             She had just turned 11 when we initially moved to Oregon in 2015.   Now look at her.   She’ll be starting college at SOU in the fall.   Sunrise, Sunset . . .  

 I must have fallen asleep with the fan on last Friday night, for when I woke up on Saturday (this was the week when Richard was out of town) I could feel a sore throat coming on. I needed to go to Church on Sunday. There was a training scheduled for the Relief Society. Perhaps I could just go to that and skip the other two meetings. But Jaime wanted to go to her meetings – even though Young Women’s had been on the agenda and she is not as comfortable with it as she is with Sunday School. I had planned on asking the missionaries if they would be teaching but learned that the primary had been invited to the instructor’s class and asked the instructor if I could be in the class also. There were only three other students in attendance and so I was welcomed. I had not enjoyed church. By the third hour (training) my head was throbbing and I had wished I had just remained at home. I did not feel like I had been trained and that the meeting had not been worth the effort on my part to be t...

  If you could talk with only one person for the rest of your life, who would it be and why? I would pick my brother, Steven, though I am certain I would not be his first choice.   Steven is not only knowledgeable in a wide variety of subjects, but we share so many of the same memories and feelings and values.   I miss him on so many levels.   I miss talking with him on a daily basis.   I miss his insight that was more instantaneous in person than now.   I miss his ability to understand me when it feels like nobody else does (husband included).   He ’ s my youngest brother and has been there for me for most of my adult life.   (We did have a falling out for a couple of years – but we ’ re good now) https://lattice.com/library/how-to-create-a-culture-that-encourages-communicati Talking with only one person would be hard however.  I would miss Jaime's voice and singing.  I would miss other friends as well.  I am happy that I don't ...

  Did you or someone you know ever talk a police officer out of writing a ticket? Richard likes to share a memory of a time when his mother was driving.   She had been pulled over and did not know why.   The officer told her that she was being charged for speeding. “ In this old thing? ” she asked and was serious. The officer was laughing so hard that he did not issue her a citation but did give a warning.

Which is greater, love of one ’ s parents, one ’ s children, one ’ s spouse, or one ’ s friend? Love comes in various sizes and definitions.   Unfortunately we do not all define love the same way when it comes to relationships.   My initial response was the parents ’ love toward their children but I know for a fact that not all “ parents ” feel the same way about their children that they would make the ultimate sacrifice for them – even if that means teaching them with “ tough love ” which is often harder on the parent than the child.   Some people may have children but have absolutely no parenting skills or feel positive emotions toward their children.   Some people don ’ t know how as they were never taught themselves.   That goes the same for spouses.   Some will make small sacrifices for the other – such as cleaning the floor or ironing their shirts – it ’ s a sacrifice when one person does it not because of obligation but out of respect and l...

  What ’ s the best way to resist peer pressure? I have never been one to give into peer pressure.   I spent far too much of my life feeling sad or discouraged.   I never had the confidence that I tried so hard to instill in Jaime.   She is good at avoiding negative peer pressure, but does seem to give in to positive peer pressure.   An example of that would be whenever she follows suit when youth in our ward tend to challenge one another to bear their testimonies every fast Sunday.   Best way to resist?   Live for God and for yourself.   It doesn ’ t matter what your peers think. Peers should encourage not discourage.   https://www.verywellfamily.com/negative-and- positive-peer-pressure-differences-2606643

  Richard did not return last night as planned.  He is currently somewhere in the sky or at an airport waiting to be flown.  He says he ’ ll be in at noon.  Theoretically I could go get him, but my car is currently with a couple who graciously said that they would go pick him up since I do not drive at night. He has gone a few days without meds before and has been okay.  He has diabetes.  But he will be okay.  He is probably in better shape than either Jai or I right now.  She is staying home from school for the first time this year.  We won ’ t be going to the airport.  I am so grateful to the couple who have agreed to collect him.  I think it will be good for them to bond.

          At the end of last month/start of this month, Richard ’ s only living sister said she had been wanting to go to South Carolina to see their mom.  Richard has too and thought that perhaps they could go together – or else at least meet up.  His sister Jean feels somewhat in the dark because of a feud that has taken place between her and the youngest brother – who has taken it upon himself to become mom ’ s caretaker – although I think more responsibility has fallen upon his wife.  I don ’ t know if it ’ s something she has dealt with before, but Richard ’ s sister does not understand.  She believes that the youngest brother and his wife are preventing phone calls and supervision.  What a mess.  It doesn ’ t sound to me as if Jean has ever dealt with dementia.  That ’ s where there mom is at.         Last week Richard heard from Jean ’ s husband. They were in the process of traveli...

  Can you remember the address of one of your childhood homes?             I lived at only one address for the majority of my life.   Just so happens the home where I spent my childhood is also the same as the one my mom had to leave when we put her in assisted living.   She, herself, had lived in that home for over 50 years.    As I mentioned in this post the streets in Salt Lake are numbered around the temple.   We lived in a non-incorporated area.   Our street number was 6850 South which apparently some neighbors knew as the name “ Twin Peaks Drive ” though I remember mom telling me she knew of only one family who addressed their mail with the “ Twin Peaks ” caption.   6850 is going to be so much easier to find than “ Twin Peaks ” .   Twenty or thirty years later we were incorporated into the city. New street signs were installed all over the neighborhood.   Our street was marked “ 6850 Sout...

  How much of a people watcher are you?   When we lived in Salt Lake I watched people all the time.  Mostly while waiting for the bus or the train.  I would watch people in cars – observe their expressions.  Share emotions with those around me – seeing the looks they would give to one another or to the surroundings.   https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2021/02/25/lawmakers-unveil-massive/ I ’ ve also observed patrons at a mall.  I ’ ve never done it to be nosy – only to make the time pass.  It is often fun to pick up an expression of disbelief or wonderment.  I don ’ t seem to do it so much since I ’ ve lived in Oregon.  I think because I ’ m observing nature.

  Richard and I had gone to Roseburg yesterday to run some errands.  Just before returning to Myrtle Creek, he took me to a used book store which he has gone to quite often.  He purchased four books and I got two.  One was a Complete Book of Questions.  Another journal or conversation prompter.  I have exhausted the dashes (mentioned in this post ) and am now taking a new approach – though I doubt I will be posting all 1001 QA ’ s.      CBQ#314 & 316   How many bones have you broken? How many times have you had stitches?           I have not broken any of my bones.   I have experienced torn ligaments and tendentious ( here )  but no broken bones – at least on myself.   My brother, Patrick, broke the same arm at two different times.   The first time was my fault.         My mom had dropped my brother and me off at my cousins ...

           Sometimes the chickens behind us will fly to various branches of the cherry tree.  They will roost there for a while.  Bonnie will often climb the hill to watch them in hopes at least one will fall into our yard.  I don ’ t know if they were in the tree of Friday night, but evidently the storm knocked at least one into our yard.        She ’ d been clucking all night.  I guess she was scared and wished to return to her own yard.  I would have not anything about it except for Jai and I left the house on Saturday via the back yard – and there was a white chicken near the door.  Thankfully, Bonnie was not behind us or the white chicken would now be a corpse in my yard.          Jaime and I had used the back door in order to dodge Bonnie.   I took Jai to the hair salon.   We also went to the store to get some clips for her hair.   I was co...

           I cannot believe tomorrow is Mother ’ s Day.  The weather isn ’ t speaking volumes of how Mother ’ s Day has looked in years past.  Yesterday we had sun showers all day.  The rain has been pouring all night and this morning.  Not to mention the hens have been cackling.  I can ’ t sleep with that!  Nobody rescued them from whatever they were cackling about nor did the rain drown them out as they seemed to be louder than the pounding rain. https://funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/1577805/Chicken/          I must have slept at some point – and hard as I had another weird detailed dream.  I don ’ t know where Richard and I were or why.  The neighborhood was not one that I remember.  Somehow we got separated and I went to a house in which I know the woman but chose instead to go to the house next door to wait for Richard when I heard his voice inside of the first house.   ...