Beneath the Wraps

  Today is stake conference. There are several who are eager to go to the Church to attend in-person meetings that haven’t been an option for many.   In October they had encouraged it.   “Attend where you can but a zoom option will be available for those not comfortable to meet in person” My desire to zoom vs. meeting in person has nothing to do with the pandemic or fear.   I don’t like crowds nor do I appreciate sitting in the back rafters.   For as much as I normally get out of in-person attendance, I might as well be in another building.   I am surprised there is still that option.   Thus far I haven’t been in awe as I was with the last meeting – wishing that it could have been recorded just as general conference so that I could/can rewatch some of it.   I am grateful that I am able to review the general conference meetings.   Have been reading posts left on the "Come Follow Me" facebook page and continue to be grateful for those who p...

 I  can’t find a picture of the Brother Word Processor I had purchased back in the day.   I don’t even remember what year it was.   This photo is the closest to what I remember – though I could be way off base.   I just remember a huge monitor and connecting keyboard.   It came with a black screen but instead of green words (the illustration looks it has blue lettering) my screen was orange words on black background.   I preferred the orange to the green.   I don’t know why.   I think it may have been easier on the eyes.   https://www.quora.com/Why-did-early-computers-use-green-on-black-text   Computers were around at the time.   They also came with huge monitors.   I remember the salesman telling me why they were so much better.   For one thing, you could do so much more – play games for instance.   I wanted a word processor so that I could begin my autobiography (if you can believe that).   I loved wri...

          As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, Jenna received an envelope with some activities.   One of the suggestions was to make energy bites – which really didn’t turn out to be as wonderful as had hoped.   But I wasn’t watching to see Jenna measure all things.   I don’t think there was as much peanut butter and honey as the recipe called for as it was really too dry to mold.   We spooned into our mouths like a cereal.   It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either.   It seemed sweet enough.   We both got the impression that I enjoyed the taste more than she.           Last night I suggested that we add flour to the mixture.   I added flour and eggs and should have added some sugar or more honey as well, but did not.   The mix came out more like drop biscuits or definite unsweetened cookies.   Roland and I did not care for them, but I notice...

                I think there are gremlins bugging the social media right now – or some aspects of it anyway.   I have noticed it on facebook and YouTube, but I don’t know which order – probably facebook.   Each time they try to improve the site, there are millions of bugs that cause havoc for the user.             Lately facebook has ignored my requests of who I would like notifications from and have been throwing in notifications at random.   Just the other day I received a notification for someone I wasn’t even aware I was facebook friends with (which goes to show how close we are) and so I have been typing in the names of family members just so I am updated about their latest thoughts.             As I have mentioned in at least two other posts, I created a Relief Society pa...

        I remember someone posting this cartoon to facebook.  I laughed as I read it as I relate, both to having been the child and now the mother.  But it isn't just a relationship with mothers and children when this sort of magic happens.  It happens among husbands and wives as well - at least in our family.         I remember many times mom would used to say to dad, "There is something wrong with the car"  and so he would take the problematic car to work and of course it would ride smoothly for him and give absolutely no indication of ever having any kind of behavior problem.  It seemed that way with all appliances - and it wasn't because my dad was mechanical minded.  I think electronics and mechanics just have a way of playing pranks on the female mind.         Take my computer for instance - the pop-ups, the constant threats, ...

            Modern Technology in some aspects has made our lives easier, but at the same time has seemed to create more challenges - particularly when there is a glitch or breakage.  Last week I had both my laptop and pc on my desk.  I could seem to receive the internet on my pc so long as my laptop was near - like an insecure child unwilling to go through with it on its own.  Oh, brother.              I've been using Internet Explorer on the PC as chrome seems to provide a tremendous amount of pop-ups (even though the blocker is set to BLOCK)  which is extremely annoying when taking an exam.  But lately I've been having issues with explorer as well.  I don't know why, but I have never liked Firefox.  And I can't open Yahoo in the PC at all.               I've be...

        Almost every Christmas tree I can remember being in my house had a wide variety of ornaments – not just colored baubles, but Santa Clauses, snowman, bells and stars – even partial nativities.  It seems like there were some ornaments that made their way up and down and around the tree as someone would take it off to looks at it and hang it back in another spot, or parents would move clumps from one branch to even out the tree.  I noticed that our tree this year had several bald spots - and I could sense that some of the ornaments had traveled throughout the tree once again.         On Saturday night, we watched the Disney’s 2009 “Christmas Carol”.  Don’t much care for that particular version – though not my least favorite version of "the Christmas Carol".  I did enjoy watching behind the scenes.  It always amazes me how much time goes into each shot.  With Disney’s 200...

                This wasn't even one of the posts I had considered writing yesterday - and so I still have those thoughts to put together.             When we first moved to Myrtle Creek, we had looked into a health clinic.   Certainly we wouldn't have to go all the way to Roseburg if a check-up was needed.   In order to establish credibility, the staff expected a full physical in several visits.   Okay, my co-pay is not that outrageous, but when I am going to the doctor four to six times in one month to create a doctor/patient relationship, that is ridiculous.   I can't afford that!   I've been blessed with pretty good health.   I go to the doctors perhaps once a year.   I don't need to go every blessed week.    Needless to say, I did not ever complete what had been expected.            Because I had gon...

            As with everything, there are always pros and cons to having a cell phone, internet service, cloud storage, etc.   I must be old fashioned in my way of thinking.   I would like my phone to act as a phone and my watch to tell time . . . although the watch has nearly become a thing of the past for me as I refer to my cell phone for the time and since I don't wear my cell phone around my wrist, it hasn't bothered me the way a watch often does.   It's a nice feature - though not necessary.   It is convenient.               My first cell phone was through Voice Stream.   My mom and I had both purchased a phone plan that came with this Nokita - a phone my mom refused to give up until after she got dementia.             I had mine for over ten years and may have had it l...

      I am currently using an ancient Mac laptop – one that was purchased at a pawnshop at what we believed was a reasonable price.   Roland needed it for his class.   Frustration set in as he toyed with this problem for more than a year.      The keys on the top row would stick.   Well, 1-6 did.   It was okay.   He didn’t need the numbers.   But when the top row of letters (particularly the e, r and t) started sticking – well, that was a problem.  Most often, the keyboard from the computer was plugged into the unit.      We took it in to be serviced.   Less than a month later, the “r” key started sticking again and is often missed into the words now, unless one pounds on it.   So often when I am typing, the “r” doesn’t make it into my word.   It can be frustrating.      A spell check will usually pick up on my missing “r”s, but it will ne...

          I remember seeing mailboxes in my neighborhood and at different corners when I was growing up.  I remember getting two Dr. Seuss books to give to my siblings.  I remember walking from our house to the nearest mailbox and counting the steps that I took and recording the number in the book. I don’t actually remember the number, but I know it was less than 100. Well, in one of them it was.  I don’t think I did them at the same time and so they may have had two different numbers.           I have considered the mailbox an endangered species for some time.  Mailboxes started vanishing to very far and few between.  I used a mailbox I passed between transfers when I rode the bus to one of my places of employment.  The last time I walked passed said location – the mailbox wasn’t there.  It was gone!  I didn’t know where the next near...

            I was never hospitalized as a child – except for when I was born.   But until I gave birth to Jenna, I had never been a hospital patient.   But I do remember visiting various hospital patients.   I remember that there was more than one patient to a room and only a thin curtain separated the patients from one another.   Each patient wore a plastic bracelet that would protect the descriptive paper that identified the patient’s name and medical information.   There were clip boards that hung from the foot of each bed. Patients were asked if they preferred smoking or non-smoking rooms.   And visitation was always limited to certain hours and certain ages.               Today each patient has his or her own room.   They wear bands made of unrippable material somewhere between paper and plastic foam.   I...