Beneath the Wraps

Each morning as Jenna and I walk to the bus, we notice the sprinklers watering the lush green grass on the corner     and I think how nice it would be to have lush green grass. Never in my life has the yard outside of whatever house I’ve lived in, has there been lush green grass inviting my bare feet to run through it. For the most part, if ever I have been brave enough to go barefooted, my feet scream at me and remind me that there are dry patches among the green but still non-lush. I find that when I just wear sandals outside of the last two houses I have lived, the thorns and stickweed chock the life out of whatever we’d like to be growing.   They scratch at my feet and my legs and imbed themselves  into the soles of my shoes and often hitch rides into the house. We did not water this year.   Water pressure is down  devoting four hours a day to my less than promising lawn was not a priority.   Rather a waste of time ...

Yesterday was the first day of school this school year. Before the bus pulled up to the curb, there had been only one passenger. I predicted that the bus before it was running behind and overflowing with passengers. I learned that my predictions had been accurate as we boarded the overflowing bus this morning. Right after we boarded, the frustrated driver called into dispatch to make a complaint that he was already running twenty minutes late – picking up passengers from the bus prior to his as well as those waiting for the bus behind him. It wasn't fair that he should be late because the one before him had been late or in an accident or whatever. By the time Jenna and I reached our bus stop, I saw the driver reach for the phone for the third time. This time it was with a request that he would only drop off passengers and not pick new ones up. He must have been granted clearance, for when I went back to catch the return back to my house, it was the same driver and...

            A week after Jenna’s first art class had finished, UTA had a problem when one of its trains derailed downtown.   The same train we would have been on had we still been commuting downtown. I guess it wasn’t just UTAs problem, but anyone driving that particular path downtown.   It appears that it was covered by all of the media during some point of day.   But I hadn’t heard about it until after 6:00 p.m.   I guess by then it had become “old news” and I didn’t know anything more about it until the following day when I typed “UTA derailment” on Google.               The Tribune article was the first one that I came across.   Comments can be submitted and read at the end of the article. Many hurtful comments were made toward UTA and thus UTA passengers, but just as many had come to the defense of UTA and those ...

On the day that my oldest nephew was married Jenna and I had lunch and played in the park with my youngest niece and her brother who used to be the youngest but another brother will be born I’m guessing in July.   Kayla’s due date is August 2 nd but she looks like she’s ready to pop any minute. We both believe that B.J. is on his side. Kayla says he moves around much more than the other two Anna and Garrett (we call him Gary) are replicas of their mother at least they LOOK like Kayla I bet their brother looks like Bill and has Bill’s personality. Hence my nickname for him – B.J. = Bill Junior Today we could not meet in the park for lunch.   This afternoon Jenna and I took a bus out to their house and took them back to the same bus stop and rode to the next TRAX station where we boarded the train Gary was especially awed by this new sensation. We took the train back to where Jenna and I had started out....

Yesterday morning was quite interesting.   It started off with Jenna and me taking the bus.   We were running late and saw our regular driver zoom by before we arrived to the stop.   The other route was not so far behind him and so we were okay. I had volunteered to be the subject of a hair specialist but was unable to make it to the designated area at the scheduled time and so the one who made the appointment offered to drive me there.   We agreed to meet behind Jenna’s school.   Turns out that Megan has the same sense of direction as my mom had, and so it took a while before we actually got together.   It also took a while to get her car turned in the direction we needed to go (as she was very turned around) As we were headed to our destination, the hairdresser called to tell Megan that she had mono and NOT to bring me – though the message was not received until we were near the location.   I wasn’t bothered really nor did I feel ...

            Jenna and I got on the more crowded bus this morning but I took the less crowded one back to the house.   I was actually the only passenger for the first three lights.   And I was thinking that UTA really missed out for not hiring Roland as one of their drivers.          He may have only applied that one time.   I don’t know if it even resulted with an interview or not.   Roland is a great driver.   I doubt he would be intimidated by the size of the bus.   He is a master behind the wheel in all kinds of weather.   He has exceptional people skills.   And I believe he enjoys driving.          Not me.   I remember taking the bus one time – cold wet snowy day.   I got talking to the driver about my job and searching for another.   He said that UTA was hiring drivers. ...

When I was younger there were two bus routes that I could catch on State Street near my mom's house.  The #7 to Highland or the #5 to Parley's way.  One of them went all the way to the zoo - but I don't know which one. When I was working downtown, the route names or destinations had changed.  There were four busses that ran along State Street between 6400 and 100 South.  I could catch the 25 Midvale or the 22 West Sandy where I had caught the two mentioned in the first paragraph.  Or I could walk over to the mall to catch the 24 East Sandy or 12 Murray.  It wasn't that big of a deal to walk from 6400 to my mom's house.  And even though 25 and 22 were closer, I preferred the coming home on the 24 only because I didn't have to cross the street to go back home. Thus far Jenna and I have been fortunate not to have to cross the street when we have ridden to school.  We even have the option of catching a bus near the school without hav...