Beneath the Wraps

             My brother Steven has always been well read.   Long before Google and the Internet, Steven was avid at finding reference materials.   He read about various subjects until there was nothing left to research.   He has always been well informed about so many subjects – except maybe the Pan Am Conferences of 1910 – not even a subject of his choosing but rather one that had been assigned to him in school.   The encyclopedia included perhaps an entire paragraph for the Pan Am Conference of 1932 or 36 or some year in that decade.   I can’t remember.   But it was a couple of decades after the assigned year which had even less documented.           I don’t recall what the word count was assigned to the students or if they all had the same topic or exactly how it worked.   Steven was miffed as he’s been required to come up with more information that he could find. ...

            My first daughter-in-law is a lot more creative and frugal with money than I have ever been.  Both skills I am certain that she learned from her mother who was able to make her husband ’ s paycheck stretch among feeding seven children and providing for medical and clothing needs.  I don ’ t know what her dad did for a living, but I highly suspected that there had been struggles.  I, unfortunately, never got to know her mom as she passed two months after Tony and Rochelle were married.            Roland sent each of the boys a check to use for Christmas gifts this year.   I don ’ t like going to the post office in December as it is.   And we always end up spending more on shipping than for the items themselves. Of course this year presented even more challenges.   For the last couple of years we have sent out gifts to Tony ’ s family and sometimes my sister.   ...

           I once went to a wedding shower in which all the gifts were part of a movie theme.  I don’t have the original invitation, but I do remember the envelope was decorated with movie reels or other decorations.  I don’t remember if there was a director’s cut with instructions or if it was written on the reverse side of the ticket that the gift purchased needed to relate to the title of the movie somehow.            Mine was easy.   “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.   I purchased a laundry basket, six white hangers and a bottle of cheer.   I figured that the laundry basket and each of the hangers could represent each dwarf – and the whole theme because Snow White was always so “cheer”ful and didn’t mind doing laundry.   She would actually sing about it. I think “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was the only movie the bride-to-be had even heard of – let alone seen...

                    We had lived in Douglas County less than two months the first time we had gone to the DC fair.   I know we overspent.   It was worth the smile on Jenna’s face.   It seems like there was more distance to cover that first year than this year.           Though the fair is held every year, we have not gone to it each year.   I think it was just a matter of lack of funds in 2016.   Jenna and Roland went for a few hours in 2017.   The elements that surrounded that year were hot and smoky and I chose not to go.   They   had dressed vegetables and were gone for just a few hours.           I don’t know that Jenna had even considered last year as she and Roland were performing in Robin Hood.   This year she decided she wanted to go and we would take Marie. ...

The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians is one of nine federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments in the state of Oregon. The Cow Creek Tribe has a rich history in southern Oregon that reflects hard work. The Tribal Government is responsible for establishing the policies and procedures for the administration of tribal programs, economic development ventures and other governmental business.  Jenna attends youth center that is governed by the Cow Creek Tribe.  She is able to learn things of their culture and make great crafts.  She's made a terrarium and a rain stick, jewelry among some others.  She made this choker last Thursday.  She was taught a tradition to give away the first one that is made.  She gave it to me.  I think it is gorgeous. I am grateful for the opportunities that we have been given. For more information about the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, see this site.

Just what do you do when you have put the hot dogs on the stove and realize you have no bread?   You get creative.

I’ve seen three socks and five socks in a package entitled “mix and match” I remember purchasing two five packs of the same prints so that I would have mates.   Selling socks by odd number seemed more foreign to me than mismatching.          They actually work out perfectly for Jenna, who doesn’t pay much attention to whether they are even the same length or color.   I think she started a fad when she wore her mismated owl socks that I mention in this post          So I’m sorting socks this morning and since the Joe Boxer socks can be mated with whatever I decide that I can mismatch whatever other socks I can’t find mates for.   I tried to make mine match but took all the left over printed socks and mated them by length and didn’t worry about the print.   I put all of the foreign pairs into Jenna’s drawer.   And she’ll not even care. ...

Both of my brothers listened to Dr. Demento .   I remember Patrick and his friends singing the words to “dead puppies” and “shaving cream”.   I don’t believe they were fanatics.   Corey, on the other hand, was a true Dr. Demento fan. He would record the programs and save songs that he liked.   He would play them over and over and laugh at the demented humor.   In 1985, Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie got together with 46 other stars to record HelpingHands USA for Africa .   The song was called “We are the World” and proceeds went for Relief of famine and disease in Ethiopia. I don’t know if it was Morton Downey Jr. who created the “We are the Worms” parody or if his name is associated with the song as he introduced it on radio program in Cleveland, Ohio, 1986.   Corey loved that song.   It would make him laugh.   I’ll admit that I smiled about it, too.   It was rumored that those associated with USA fo...

My brother just recently shared this post on his facebook page: When Mom was 13 her parents divorced. When she was 16 her mom remarried. Both of these events were very difficult for Mom for reasons I won't go into here. In this entry of 1982 she says the following: "It was also during my teens that I made some vows: 1) I would never raise my children in an apartment 2) With all my heart I would do everything to avoid a divorce 3) I would do my best to be home with my children 4) I would try not to lay guilt on my children 5) My children would be involved in family councils in which they could present their ideas." Check, check, check, check, and check, Mom. Well done! I remember mom clipping coupons from the back of the carton of Highland Milk.  Even on a budget, those coupons provided us opportunity for going to the zoo, amusement parks, and so forth.  Mom and dad held strong family ties and taught us values – though we didn’t know ...

As I mentioned in a previous post, Roland enjoys watching “Chopped” (or at least he used to) on the Food Network.   I think we were living in West Valley when we’d see the advertisements for the new upcoming show “Sweet Genius” hosted by Ron Ben-Israel a renowned chef and cake artist extraordinaire.   I allowed the ads to lead me to believe that the show would be similar to “Chopped” but with just desserts.   Roland watched it maybe twice, but would not take it seriously.   It was a squirrely show in his opinion.   He didn’t like the second surprise ingredient being introduced while in the process of trying to create something with the first one. He didn’t like the fact that the chefs need an “inspirational” theme.   But mostly I think he just doesn’t care for Chef Ron.   There is just such a bizarreness about him.          Just on his appearance alone, he seems to fi...

  We planted beans, beets, onions, and peppers.   Roland asked if we should do corn or tomatoes again.   I don’t really care about the corn, but I do enjoy being able to eat tomatoes off the vine rather than paying an outrageous price at the store for something that just isn’t as good. But there were plenty of tomatoes with the community garden last year – and as Roland donated all our tomato cages to the cause – we decided that we would just use the tomatoes from the community garden and that would be enough.   It was overcast and cool.   Roland wanted to finish before any rain fell down.   The dirt looked light and dry as it spit around the cultivator.   We dug holes for seeds and plants and planted stakes at each end and tied string from one end to the other and were pleased.   Though Roland seemed to want more. Lacy and her husband have a fair amount of property.   I would guess roughly about three or four acres – but that is ...

          Jenna had made a gumdrop ornament in preschool one year.  We’ve had it for four or five Christmases now.  The neighbor asked if he could eat it.           “The candy is really old.  It probably doesn’t taste good.  And it may make you sick either way.”           He had invited himself to decorate or tree.  I thought that was presumptuous of him.  But it was dark.  I couldn’t see well.  Roland had gone into the other room.  And so I left Jenna and Trume to decorate (they actually were better at spreading out the ornaments than Ooki had been with his first tree ).           Before he returned home, I gave him a small tree that we had put in Jenna’s room last year.            I had confiscated...

all written by my daughter Jenna Shilo The sun was shining and Shilo was exploring.   We wanted to go on a picnic.   We had everything we needed but we couldn’t find Shilo. But Shilo was at the pond.   But they didn’t see him.   He was chasing the duck and swimming. He had a great time and had lots of fun.   Shilo came back and we had the picnic.   The end The Magic Chocolate Box Once there was a chocolate box. But it wasn’t any chocolate box.   It was a magic box.   Each time a person took a chocolate one appeared in its place.   And always fresh.   It was a heart shaped box.   Kids fight over it a lot.   [There was] Milk chocolate. There was semi-sweet and major mint and lots of others.   There were always 20 chocolates.   A wise wizard carved the box and gave it away to a kind family [with] two kids and [and the] one to take care of them.   Their father had died when they were three. ...