Beneath the Wraps

             I remember so many cold winters when I was living in Utah.   Occasionally we would have surprises when no coat was required but for the most part we had to bundle up and trudge through snow.           Our first winter in Oregon was so different.   It had snowed once but didn’t last.   snow on the 10th of December 2015 It did not last Jai's snowman kept shrinking By February there were signs of spring.   I don’t remember having experienced blossoms and blooming growth so early in the year before. Today I was reminded of this post I had created 8 years ago “When I was living in Utah, it never occurred to me that one day I would believe that February would offer perfect weather for walking, riding bikes, hearing motorcycles and lawn mowers. I am really enjoying the outdoor temperature right now. ” We’ve had one really nice day in February this year.   We had seen ...

             Richard had a 9:00 appointment with his doctor this morning and I had a dentist appointment at 11:00.   With only one car we drove to Roseburg together in the pouring rain.   The rivers and creeks are always feast and famine. The rain has made them really high to overflowing.   I smile when I look at the murky brown color as I think of Jaime comparing it to chocolate milk.                     I haven’t been to the dentist for over a year and now have an abscessed tooth which will need to be removed.   I set up three dentist appointments for myself.   One in March and two in April.   Ugggh . . .

  Richard and I slept in yesterday morning.   He had turned the news on just as it was ending.   He said there had been filmage of our news anchor outside of his apartment building showing us the fallen snow and advising all of Lane county to stay indoors if at all possible.  None of the stations even offered local news this morning.  The elements have created somewhat of a Sci-Fi feeling - sort of like the pandemic in April and May of 2020 Last week Jaime had a six day weekend as school was cancelled due to weather.   So much of the nation is experiencing the severe snow storms and cold.   It ’ s been cold in Myrtle Creek though the snow hasn ’ t stuck in Tri-City we have seen snow in the hills.   Lots of moisture and cold.   But the elements have not effected us the same way as north or south of us.   I don ’ t know if Eugene is experiencing what the rest of the nation is currently.   It ’ s weird to think about. We also have ...

 weird weather going around everywhere across the nation snow, cold, storms . . . . we have had rain off and on

 On Thursday night it rained not a heavy rain but enough to change the mood of the sky. Jaime and I took Bonnie for a walk yesterday. The colors were brilliant all throughout the day. I took this picture through my window just as the sun was getting ready to set I never reset the date on the camera; it really was taken yesterday

          I didn ’ t want to jinx things by saying something sooner but the news this morning said we can expect a warmer hot forecast next week. And surely by the end of the month.  After all what is a Myrtle Creek summer fest without scorching temperatures? The weather and elements have awesome for about two or three weeks.   June had up and down temperatures but seemed quite pleasant for the most part.   Mornings are always cold and then it cools off at night.   I don ’ t even think it hit the 70s yesterday.   That was nice.   The rain isn ’ t so bad.   Better than the blazing sun. I honestly don ’ t remember the low temperatures this late in the year.   When I looked at the map there were only seven fires in the entire state.   None up and down I5.   I wish it would stay that way.   I wish the dark skies would always be due to moisture and never smoke.   I wish to breathe in the clean air alway...

  I feel like it is a safe guess to say that my family has been to Yellowstone at least 15 times from the time I was born and up until my father ’ s death.     I remember fires having closed Yellowstone Park – but never flooding.   This weather has been so strange. I know that I mentioned how tired I get each time the wind blows.   I don ’ t know why it has sent me into a coma so often – like I ’ m taking sleeping pills that knock me out into another week.   The fact that it really does happen is strange.   I also get hot whenever it rains.   When I am sound asleep and the rain is pounding on the roof, it is not the sound that wakes me up.     It is the rising temperature in my body.   Why does it do that?   Why would I get hot when the rain itself is so cold?   That is also strange.   I never referred to the summer as “ fire season ” until I mov...

                My Baby graduated high school last night. There were ten students representing the honors list.  If they had picked twelve – Jai would have been up front with them wearing golden sash.  Yet just having four year cords was pretty cool – again because she did not attend the school during 2020-2021.  But it sounded like a wasted year for all of them.        Without meaning to, I had compared her graduation to my own and the HUGE differences between them.   The only similarity I saw was with the weather.   Both were overcast – though I don ’ t recall as much rain at my graduation as with hers.          She had called to ask if we would like to be seated in the very back so that I could lean against the wall or if we wanted to be the second row in front.   I was visualizing the bleachers and not three rows of chairs added to the front –...

           I cannot believe tomorrow is Mother ’ s Day.  The weather isn ’ t speaking volumes of how Mother ’ s Day has looked in years past.  Yesterday we had sun showers all day.  The rain has been pouring all night and this morning.  Not to mention the hens have been cackling.  I can ’ t sleep with that!  Nobody rescued them from whatever they were cackling about nor did the rain drown them out as they seemed to be louder than the pounding rain. https://funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/1577805/Chicken/          I must have slept at some point – and hard as I had another weird detailed dream.  I don ’ t know where Richard and I were or why.  The neighborhood was not one that I remember.  Somehow we got separated and I went to a house in which I know the woman but chose instead to go to the house next door to wait for Richard when I heard his voice inside of the first house.   ...

         It rained yesterday.  An Oregon downpour - but nothing on Salt Lake forming puddles in the street - only the streets that have potholes.  It was a welcome drench.  This morning is muggy.  Still cool on the outside, but have the A/C running currently in the house.  This week has been so nice we have not used the A/C or the heat.  I wish it would just stay like this.     Though I had written  the following on Monday did not post until this morning: It  is much nicer weather this week than last week – cooler than I remember June weather being but closer to the temperature that brought me out her in the first place.   Cooler weather for Levi to build a deck/room as compared to last year’s front deck built in July – though not scalding.   I think each July has been hotter than the last since we arrived in Myrtle Creek although there was no Summerfest last year.   I will have to search online fo...

            Currently there have been over 57,600 recorded cases in Oregon and over 700 deaths due to the cornavirus disease.    As of this week Douglas County makes up for 862 cases with 10 deaths.   Douglas County is 5,134 square miles with a population of just over 112,000.   The largest city within the county is Roseburg with the geographic size of 10.93 mi²  (whatever that means . . . math) with a population of almost 24,000.    Douglas County is considered to be a part of the Red zone. As of tomorrow to at least January 22 all students attending Roseburg schools will have to do so online except for K-3.   Apparently they are to remain in school until the authorities learn that it was probably never a good idea to do that in the first place. I don’t know about the other surrounding cities, but the two school districts within the area in which I live seem to be in full operation right now and will contin...

          I think Monday might be the best day for subbing in the schools.   It’s right after the weekend.   Some of the aides would like to extend their time off.   The last time I had subbed at Coffenberry, I was asked by another aide if I had picked her shift up for the 16 th .   Unfortunately, I was told to keep that day open as Roland had a doctor’s appointment in the Big City of Roseburg and would be sedated and would need me to drive him home.   I told her I would not be able to do her shift. On Sunday night I received another request – also from Coffenberry.   I would have liked to have said yes.   I had even double-checked with Roland who really would like to see an extra income.   Her name was on the sub list yesterday morning.   I felt bad.   Once again it feels like I am the only sub in the system.   I’m not as I met another in Canyonville.   Still, they are hurting...

           Roland and I went to the outskirts of Roseburg (Melbourne) last night to pick grapes in the rain.   We didn’t go with the intention of being rained on nor did we go to the vineyard with the intent of celebrating our 18 th wedding anniversary and yet it was.   I would have forgotten all about it if my sister hadn’t sent me an anniversary wish.   Wow.           We were on our mini-vacation when the month had started.   What happened to the week after we returned?   September used to be the longest month in my opinion.   And here it’s been ten days and I have foreseen that this will be the shortest September ever. How odd.           The weather has gone from unbearably hot to misty fog and cool temperatures except at 4:00 a.m. when the humidity is at 100 percent.   I don’t recall feeling so smothered in the humidity...

The movie we had seen on Wednesday was The Art of Racing in the Rain .   Good movie.   Lot of symbolism and parallels – and I know I didn’t get it all.   Funny how it had rained that day. It was only drizzling when we had left the house.   But as we neared Roseburg, the rain fell more rapidly. I had left my phone for Jenna and wasn’t able to call my friend who teaches the water fitness class to tell her to come join us if nobody showed.   She said she had one student attend.           Wish we would have had the rain this week.   Yesterday was 104.   That is 34 degrees warmer than it should be.   I preferred last week’s weather to this week’s forecast.   Wicked weather.

          Since spring break, the skies overall have been grey and have produced a huge amount of water.   The rivers are not overflowing, but                     definitely not dry as they were in winter.  The temperature has been 47 – 52 degrees on average.   On Thursday it was up to 82.   What is up with that?!?   Yesterday was not quite as warm – maybe 10 degrees less.   Now we are back to rain and clouds.