Beneath the Wraps

          Our ward has seemed to dwindle in attendance since we first moved in.  Some have left our ward due to moving out of the area or moving on to the other side.  We’ve had some move in – but where is the activity?  It has always been an older ward; the daytime activities seem more well attended than night time.              The activities committee had set up and decorated Thursday morning to afternoon.   It was beautiful.   A lot of work went into it.   They had set up an overflow room.   But as it was not all the tables filled up.   I don’t know why.   Last year we seemed to have had people coming out of the woodwork.   I felt smooshed as though there was no elbow room.                This year they had planned for 125 people.   I think there may have been sixty people.   Maybe.   Lot of food.   An announcem...

                                                  this photo shows the opposite.  Sky is white and sun is blood red Evacuations are taking place all around the state Douglas County has had some fires Douglas County is large and so we aren’t always directly infected at Myrtle Creek and have not seen smoke all summer and so I can’t complain about it only today did the smoke swallow the mountains It almost feels overcast outside and yet there's a yellow/orange/white reflection from the sky. The smoke has left the sun with an awesome glow that has an eerie feel to it when it peers through my windows like in science fiction movies when the aliens are about to invade.   But it is 2020 after all.   The last six months have seemed like a work of science fiction.   I think it...

            Many of us may have a destination in mind.   Some are fortunate enough to choose a path that they wish to follow.   For others, it may seem that life threw them a curve ball and the path they are on is not one of their choosing.   For example, you may be in a car accident on your way to work.   You may experience back injuries that will stay with you for the rest of your life.                 You may have a son who is a victim of a knife wound that damaged his brain.   He can still carry on a conversation, even an intelligent one, but his social skills will always be like that of a nine-year-old and it will be frustrating for you to watch a forty-year-old man resort back to his immature childish reactions.   He might not be embarrassed when others snicker at him but perhaps you are.      ...

            As a child I remember hearing idioms such as "a penny for your thoughts", "too big for your breeches", and "you can't go home again".   What????   I thought adults were such morons.   First of all, I was always certain that my thoughts were worth more than just a penny.   "breeches" was a term we hadn't used and so I had no idea what that was.   And "you can't go home again"?   Of course, you can.   In my childish mind, I took the phrase literally.   If I went to a neighbor's house, for instance, I was expected to come home.   Even as a college student I knew that I'd be going home again.   It wasn't until many decades later that I finally figured it out.             "Home" is not necessarily a residence and family.   The "home" referred to is the past.   It's not just time that has put the dista...

Dear Frances,             I am posting this letter to my blog as we don't have a current address for you - not that we ever did.  Your mom didn't (and probably still doesn't) want us to have any contact with you - even when we were living in the same state and it was court ordered.             Even if you should come across this blog and read this post, I don't know if you'll know that you are Frances - as that is not your actual name, but rather one I have assigned to you through this blog.  But I feel impressed to write this.             The last time we saw you was just over eight years ago - just before Tony left on his mission.  Jenna was only four at the time.  Unfortunately she does not have many memories of you or your other sister.  I have several pictures that I have shared wit...

              It is important to remember that not everyone is looking forward to Christmas. Some people are not surrounded by large wonderful families. Some of us have problems during the holidays and are overcome with great sadness when we remember the loved ones who are not with us. For many it is their first Christmas without a particular loved one and many others lost loved ones at Christmas. And, many people have no one to spend these times with and are shadowed by loneliness.          My uncle's family will have their first Christmas without him.  He was buried just before we moved to Oregon.  It is harder still for families who lose their loved ones during the holiday season - to always have that memory around the holidays. We have seen present neighbors and some that we left in Utah just recently pass away.  We have seen hardships and we have seen those who choose to move on and celebrate the h...

Initially when we told the boys that we’d be moving, we asked Tony and Rochelle if they’d like to move in.   Not playing favorites – it’s just that the other two are already paying a lower rent than we’d be charging.   We won’t be making any money – we just can’t afford two mortgages (one in Oregon and one in Utah)      At first Tony said no.   He didn’t realize that what we had to offer was/is a bargain – until he shopped around on his own.   Two bedroom one bath apartments cost more than our three bedroom two bath house – and we’ve 3 times the room – plus a huge yard.        Our neighbor from across the street suggested putting missionaries in.   I thought that would be an awesome idea!   I asked our ward mission leader to look into it.   Meanwhile Tony has decided that he wants to stay here after all.   And he’s looking forward to it.   And actually so am I.   The extra inc...

           I think I may have mentioned it in an earlier post that I grew up in a more established neighborhood.   Not a lot in the way of comings and goings – not that I can remember.           The first person I remember moving out of our ward was a girl named Diane.  I don’t know under what circumstances she moved.  I didn’t take it into consideration that there had been other people in the house who had moved with her.  It actually wasn’t a very big house.  Perhaps they needed more room.            When I was in Young Women’s, I can remember a family moving into that same house. They must have had five at the time and Grace was pregnant with number six.  I remember being called upon to babysit. I think all of the young women received a turn at one time or another – until the two ...

                  When I was very young (like in first and second grade) my cousins lived not far from Highland High School and Sugarhouse Park.   Aunt Fern and mom would often take us to Sugarhouse Park as it was so near by.   Problem was that the trees were not mature (as they were not much larger than us kids) and thus the park did not provide much (if any) in the way of shade.            Sugar House seemed to be an older area overall, but it seemed the park was fairly new.   I vaguely remember a playground.   My cousins and I must have spent time rolling down the hill – although I haven’t run across any photos of us at that particular park.            I wonder if the main objective for our moms was to take us to the park was to wear us down.   I wonder if it bac...