Beneath the Wraps

                 Doris Day and Rock Hudson made a few movies together including “Send Me No Flowers” which I had mentioned in my last post and “Pillow Talk” which is the segue into the topic of this post. 20 Things From The 1960s, Kids Today Will Never Understand! #16 mentions the party line which is not something that took place in our home but I did know of neighbors who had party lines.  I don’t know why some neighbors had them and some didn’t.  “Pillow Talk” gave me the impression that it was more common than not and yet I really didn’t know that many people who had them.           In “Pillow Talk” the solution worked out by the characters was to make or accept phone calls within a half hour time.   One could take the hour until half past while the other used the phone half past until the hour.   I don’t know that either of our neighbors had worked out anything.   I ...

            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 ...

  On March 12 I posted the following to my facebook page To which I received this comment: “I think most towns’ chicken ordinances say NO roosters within the city limits.   Just because of the noise.” My reply was that we just don’t seem to fit into that “most town” mold.   Two days later we received a knock on our door from a very angry homeowner that I didn’t even recognize.   She came here to complain about our chickens.   I told her the chickens are not ours.   She didn’t believe me.   I get it.   They do seem to spend far much more time in our yard than they do their own and will follow Roland around as though he is the Pied piper.   Roland is allergic to feathers.   Go figure. I don’t think I even knew they were there until the end of July – perhaps just before.   It doesn’t appear I made mention of them in my blog until August 2 – though I refer to the pigs more than the chickens.   Jenna and I had walked around ...

          Shortly after we had moved in, a neighbor from across the street introduced himself to me.   He told me if we ever needed anything we could call him.   I think he was genuine in his heart, but his poor body was not in great shape.   He needed a ramp to get in and out of the house and was in no condition to climb our hill to inspect the house.   He had asked what changes had been done.   Because I had never seen the house before it went on the market, there was really no way to compare it but I don't know that he could visualize what I had tried to explain.          I could see that he was in pain as he hobbled out to the mailbox and back to the house.   I don't remember seeing him after that.   I think his children must have taken turns moving in for a while as I would see others go out to retrieve the mail or be out in the yard or what have you.   They would come and s...

       Being in Oregon still feels so surreal to me – like at any given moment I will wake up and be in that cracker box house in West Valley.   Take this morning for instance.   It was definitely cooler than any day that we’ve been here since we had come out for spring break.         I had dropped by the middle school to ask a few more questions.   The front door was open, and there was a light on one of the offices.   I think I heard a vacuum cleaner in the distance. It was before 9:00 am and perhaps was too early and so I decided to return at a later time.         I drove to the pool which was still closed. I decided to sit on a bench and read until the instructor and lifeguards started filing in, and then walk down to do some water aerobic workouts.   I took a few pictures from my cell phone (as I had left my camera at home by the computer) befo...

           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 ...

Tori and Grace were friends with one another – at one time.   Grace and her daughter both worked – or perhaps it was something else that kept them away from raising Natasha, Grace’s granddaughter.   Tori agreed to watch Natasha to assist both Grace and her daughter, but developed an attachment you might say. Things might not have ended up so ugly if Grace hadn’t tried taking advantage of Tori to begin with.   Natasha’s mom abused Natasha and was later sent to prison for it, leaving Grace to tend to her granddaughter – but it appeared that Grace had abusive issues of her own. That’s how it was explained to me and that is what I believe.   I don’t know all the details.   I had just heard that after Grace moved, she would lock Natasha in the closet and fed her only one meal a day. Tori is not the most educated, but she has a good heart.   In addition to caring for Natasha, she also allowed her ex-husband to move back in.   What a sap he i...