Beneath the Wraps

             I don’t know how many times there have been dogs that have wandered into our yard.   Somebody’s pets at that.   Some have had collars.   Two had even come with names.   Only one had come with a phone number.   Weird thing was it was for the animal shelter in Roseburg.   I personally would not be thrilled to have to drive up all the way to Roseburg to fetch Bonnie for instance knowing that she had been found in my neighborhood in Myrtle Creek.   But we do have tags attached to Bonnie’s collar.   One of them has her name and a phone number that will contact her owner. Duke did not even have a collar on him when he showed up in our yard.            Whenever lost pets wander into our yard we will try to keep them there and pray for the owner to come find it before Richard calls animal control – which is always his solution.   But Jaime and I said to give the owners a ch...

            Today a sister had asked why we call each other Sister so-and-so and not address first names.  I understood her question.  There are some sisters who have such beautiful names that are often lost in the shuffle when they are addressed by their last name. I do think that you get used to addressing a person one way and may have a hard time making your mind remember to call them something else.  (For instance for years you may have been calling the neighbor lady Mrs. Loren twenty years later you are expected to call her Amanda.  Huh?) According to  this site , the title “Brother” or “Sister” is a sign of respect which I understand but I do not think of calling a person by first name is a sign of disrespect.  It is more intimate and familiar.  I like hearing people called by their first names.  But I do get the respect of the title just as addressin...

   Every Summer my mind seems to be displaced from my body.   I am so sleepy ALL OF THE TIME.   It’s not healthy.   Every Winter my mind always believes it is later than it is because the sun sets BEFORE 4:00 p.m.   What’s up with that?   Temperatures change and send me into a coma in the summer and a stupor in winter.   But changing the clock from one time to another does not help with my sleeping habits either.   I have NEVER had good sleeping habits.   I have allergies all year round.   Spring has always been the worst though I have experienced a runny nose, itchy eyes and sinus problems in summer and winter as well.   Can’t we just keep the temperatures of fall for the entire year?   None of the weather record highs or record lows.   No snow, no fire, no comas. Please keep the   sunrise and sunset at reasonable hours and so forth. ...

            In addition to making cards Richard has taken up another hobby: repairing watches.   He buys broken watches at yard sales, estate sales and second hand stores.   Often they just need a new battery but sometimes they require a backing or strap.   He fixes them up to running and donates them to a homeless shelter.          On Thursday the shelter handed him two large bags of broken watches.   Jai and I have joined his cause and made the watches a family project.   We have sorted the watches into piles of “ probably just needs a new battery ” to “ no straps ” “ straps only ” “ backings ” “ without backings ” and so forth.   I have decided to wear a new watch each day – just to make certain that it is working.   Problem is I find that I haven ’ t looked at it often enough.          I had set a green watch aside as one I might ...

            Just over a year ago a couple moved into the house next door.  I remember family members working on the roof and house trimming and paint.  They spruced it up nicely.  We were really excited to have them move in.  I remember them watering their lawn on a daily basis.  I thought they had money as they could afford to do that.          Ally played with a girl that Jai and I had been introduced to just over a year ago.   I was under the impression that Jeremy was the father of the three children but that they all lived with their mom.   However when Biff and Clair moved in it appeared that Holly was living with Jeremy and Amanda.   Amanda also had another child.   They also had two huge dogs which reminded me of wolves.          The dogs would bark up a storm every time they were let into the back yard.   Jeremy and ...

                 Richard had decided to buy me a 12 X 12 scrapbook with extra pages as I had enjoyed scrapbooking. This purchase was made at the time when we still lived in West Valley.  8 ½ by 11 always seemed more practical for me though I had made up four or five 12 X 12 scrapbook albums when I was single.  After I had married I had made a couple of pathetic attempts of scrapbooking in order to preserve the memories of my new instant family – but I had given that up after Jaime was born.  I didn ’ t have the room I needed.           Before we had even moved to West Valley Richard had given me a CD set to download to the computer. The program allowed me create scrapbook pages on the computer. No longer would I have to spread out photos and lay them out for placement and seek for stickers or die cuts to go with whatever themes.   I could see benefits for both. The pages I print from the computer...

             I scanned several photos with the intent of mailing them all to Ryan’s family.   I thought his kids might enjoy looking at them.   There are quite a number of photos and postage will be costly – unless I send just a couple of them at a time.   Thus I started with four random photos and a message to his family to keep an eye on his ever changing hair (or lack thereof) for Ryan has had a head full of hair similar looking to Sideshow Bob (from the Simpsons) and has also been completely bald.   He has gone through a blond stage.   Dreadlocks.             We had an unused scrapbook in our yard sale.   It was not purchased and I have recently decided that I will place some photos within and send it out when it is full.   I will start with Ryan’s 14 th birthday.           Richard and I had been married just over a...

  When I was in junior high (the year indicates I was in my ninth grade year) I had an English instructor who seemed kind of strict and thought he might be a hard grader.   I really don’t know much about him except for he had pronounced my last name correctly and since that rarely happened I thought we must related. I don’t know for how long he was my instructor.   I think at least one semester.   But we had a substitute finish out the year.   He was a very easy grade.   For the most part we didn’t even receive instruction (as I recall) but were subject to every Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton movie.   I kid you not.   I’m surprised to learn that apparently we had been given an assignment.   But there it is – his comments following the four A pluses.    I must have referred to this paper at least four times within the letters I had sent to my mom while attending Ricks College.   I knew that if I ever came across it that...

  Long before digital cameras we used film.   Film cartridges were dropped off or mailed. After the film was developed into pictures they were ready for pick-up.   They would come in envelopes with two pouches.   The larger pouch contained the photographs and the smaller held the negatives. Jai and I found a large number of negatives among the photos we had discovered.   Jai seemed to take more pleasure out of looking at the negatives than the pictures themselves.   Silly girl.

      Since I have been married  each ward we have lived in  has  offered a small primary.   When members go out of town  the primary appears to be even smaller.   The primary president had recruited Jaime as  a sunbeam teacher for the next two weeks -  starting the other day.   There were five children in the primary -  more leaders than youth.   They combined the younger children and  older ones for just two classes.   Jaime was not sad to learn  she was not needed after all.

  This is the only composition I had scanned.  My first paragraph ends with the comment good .  My last paragraph ends with the comment disarming .  I received 22 points.  I don ’ t know what that is in relation to.  If there were 25 possible points I think I did rather well.  But the paper itself was an atrocious mess.  So maybe it ’ s 22 out of 100?  I don ’ t know. I think I went overboard on the contractions.  My instructor may have docked me for at least one spelling error but as I type this I have found some others that he hadn ’ t underlined (or pointed out).  My typewriter did not have spell check but word does.  Thus my spelling errors have been corrected but I tried to leave paragraphs and commas as what I had turned in.  I have included two paragraphs from the original I had handed in.  That particular English class was a rather easy grade as I recall.  So I ’ m thinking 22 was a decent grade.  Bu...

                 Among the photos that Jai and I have gone though were several letters that evidently had come from my mom ’ s house. I have many memories from my past.  I remember a lot of details. I have mostly positive memories but there are a few that aren ’ t so pleasant.  For the most part I have succeeded at blocking out the bad memories. I thought I had been pretty good about keeping the pleasant ones but am learning it is only for up until a certain age – or so it seems.  I attended Ricks College from September 1981 to the end of April 1982. (Keep in mind that this is back in the day before personal computers, emails and social media.   Our communication was written correspondence and telephone calls – NOT cell phones, but phones that used dials and curly cords)       It appears I had written to my family at least three times a week.   I have few memories of my college days.   The le...

       Jaime had the most awesome kindergarten teacher.   We both loved Miss Webb.   She had the ability to teach all the children on their own level.   Of course it helped to have parents volunteer whenever the children were put into groups.     and would have liked to finish the year.   Jaime was in the learning advanced group.   She was in the top three academically. Miss Webb had given those children a composition notebook which they used to communicate.   Often she would comment on what they had written or use a prompt to get them started.   Jaime rarely ever needed a prompt.   What an imagination my child has! Sadly we moved and put Jaime in another school. Miss Webb continued to communicate with Jaime via my facebook account – or so I ’ m guessing.  There is evidence of conversation but all in my handwriting instead of theirs.  It has been a fun treasure to explore. I scanned this check list.  L...