Beneath the Wraps

Shilo is a sweet dog I refer to him as “Highness” In my posts He was old when we got him Loved to dig in the back yard And escape. I thought it odd that The animal shelter had not Collected him Favorite activities: Go for walks And sleep Picky Eater.   He’s always been a picky eater Since we’ve had him As I mentioned in my blog before I think his owner before us Tied a bib around his neck And let him sit at the dinner table        With her Jenna and I would take him on long walks Or else I would put him in the car And walk him around After I dropped off Jenna He could jump onto the couch And into the car – but age has slowed him down He stopped digging At least two summers ago He needs assistance climbing on anything                          ...

Whereas autumn seemed to linger for several months last year, I believe that the cycle will be over all too quickly this year. I had heard the mountain trees had started turning in August.   But as for my view of Salt Lake City valley, the trees (or the majority of them anyway) did not start turning until last week.             There are still many green trees that haven’t handled the chill in the same way as those that are already starting to lose leaves.   What?   The ones that started turning last Monday are now shedding their leaves for the winter?                Toward the end of the week, I did notice more that were turning.   This morning I saw radiant beauty of yellow and orange golds, one tree that was undressing and still a wide variety of green.   I’d like to see them radiate color before the winter bring...

I don’t know when mom became an avid walker or how many years she and Pam Sanders had walked together practically every weekday morning.   I know that Corey was still in high school and driving because many times mom and Pam would end their walk at the high school and take the car.             Once, as they were leaving the parking lot, a security officer from the high school pulled them over to see their ID – wondering why the car was being driven off the high school grounds during school hours.   I guess he figured out that they weren’t high school students. They laughed about the experience of being pulled over and stopped by a diner on their way home.               The girl behind the counter started to ring up their order.   I don’t know what they ordered, but evidently it was available at a senior price.   Neither one of them were ...

I wondered which one of us (me or my brother Corey) would post about Harold first.  I came up with most of these thoughts and typed them in by 1:00 am this morning - but only drafted it as I had no title. Last year we (my sibs and I) put mom into an assisted living program as she was in need of 24/7 care.   This time last year she was trying to escape.   She wore her coat and carried her purse and would walk around the doors and windows of the facility – looking for a way out.   She wasn’t happy there – not all the time anyway. By mid April, mom had accepted her new home and was reading everything she could get her hands on.   She didn’t retain anything.   But she did read. I don’t think it was until May when she developed an attraction to Harold and soon the two became inseparable.   I find it interesting that Corey created this post on June 3.   Mom has a boyfriend.   And just one month later I created t his pos...

Before Jenna turned five she was introduced to Isaac – a cousin to Paula – who, at the time, was Biff’s platonic girlfriend.   Roland asked Isaac how old he would be (or what age he’d just turned – I forget what time of the year it was) We both figured at least nine.   Both of us were quite floored when he answered seven..   He was too tall to be only seven. He was actually quite tall for nine.    Surely Jenna and Isaac were more than just two years apart.      Isaac’s mom was involved with an Easter tradition.   Every year right after Church, the children would look for the plastic eggs that the adults had hid around the yard – her father’s yard to be exact.   Paula had outgrown the tradition and had asked Biff to bring Jenna so that Isaac and Paula’s brother weren’t hunting for eggs by themselves.   So from 2009 to 2012 Jenna has always done Easter with Isaac and his family.       ...

  Two weeks after I started my blog I became part of a search party who went out looking for mom who had dementia and had wandered from home.  She could not be left alone.  Each of us worked out a schedule so that someone would always be with her. Two weeks after this year started mom was released from the hospital and spent her last night at the house she’d lived in for over fifty years. It had been on a Sunday when Ellen found my mom passed out and called for Nate to assist.  Patrick ended up taking her to the hospital.  He and Nate were both dressed for church but stayed at the hospital all day. They did not go to Church that day. Patrick had chosen to stay with mom. On Monday mom’s four children worked together to fill out the paperwork to move mom into assisted living. On Wednesday Kayla took mom to her new home at the assisted living facility – the last place she would live. And Corey came from Las Vegas to assist and say good...

My brothers Patrick and Corey have each taken a leave of absence from their jobs.   Since she fell, all four of mom’s children have been spending several hours with her – though I’m quite certain that I have given her the least. I am the only one of her children who has not stayed the night.   (She had requested that she not be left alone) Patrick was with her all day Sunday – the first day of the month.   And Kayla and I were there on Labor Day.   I spent eight hours on Tuesday and Thursday.   Unfortunately I think she was alone on Wednesday from morning til mid afternoon. I had gone to a funeral that day.   I’d gone to the hospital afterward but mom was in emergency surgery.   The doctors were trying to save her legs.   I had to go get Jenna before the surgery was over.   But other family members had arrived when mom returned from surgery to her hospital room. She was full of conversation and smiles according visiting with fa...

  I have had so many problems with T-Mobile the last couple of years, it’s a wonder I haven’t dropped them sooner. I created this post last year and had actually taken it down for two days when I thought that the problem had been resolved – but returned it two days later as there was still miscommunication.    My brother-in-law had also switched to Consumer Cellular – but was without service for a month.   He blames T-Mobile.   I don’t have all the details, but because of my own experience, I think that sounds pretty accurate.  I decided that we would just keep our phones and have new SIM cards through Consumer Cellular.   I was pretty distraught to learn that I would still have to call T-Mobile to get the SIM unlocked as we wished to keep our current phone numbers.   I ended up going through four people before I was given instructions and could receive the rest by email. It really didn’t take as long as they said – well at least...