Beneath the Wraps

 One of the pigs got out of his/her yard and into ours.  Isn't the first time.  Could even be the same pig as last year.  I don't know.  It sounds as though they have been more trouble than what they're worth.  Neither one of these guys were particularly happy as it cost two hours of time they could have spent elsewhere.   When you view these (some not great quality due to a dirty window) pay attention to the pigs in the background.  They seem intrigued. not the most durable climbing shoes in my opinion appears to be a standoff LOL the details don't stand out so great in this photo but the pig in the background does

Like the Holderness Family ( here ), I have lost track of days.   It did not help matters to see the mail truck come down our street twice yesterday.   Usually the time drags and doesn’t move quickly enough that it would have really been the next day, but I questioned the day when we saw the mail truck the second time.             I don’t know that I have ever seen the mail truck repeat the route on the same day.   I like to think because I received a package that was so incredible large that there was not enough room in the box for the other three items.   But I think it had more to do with the ambulance across the street.             That was also a unique situation – not that we hadn’t seen the ambulance at that house before during pandemic but it was the first time we had seen a fire truck pull up behind it with a group of about 5 volunteers gather...

                It is so hard trying to get back into the swing of school assignments etc. after a holiday weekend or vacation.   For the last three years I have had classes at the end of the year for two weeks before the winter vacation (or Christmas) and am expected to finish the next two week after the New Year.   I'm certain it's equally hard on the instructors.   Perhaps even more so.                 So on MLK day, I was to start a new class (my last accounting class folks.   I had miscalculated before and thought this would be two more.   But I was wrong.   Hallelujah!).   Didn't do much for it on Monday as we had invited a few friends over to eat pizza and play games. The lectures don't happen until Tuesday at 6:00 MST and so I decided I would just wait before posting to my discussion. ...

          It is the first Sunday of the year and the year of change as we have dropped an hour.   There will now be two Sunday schools per month, two RS (YM/YW, Priesthood) per month.   Apparently all the organizations except for the primary will meet together on the 5th Sunday.   Primary is still its own separate thing.   Whereas, two hours of primary seemed way too long at times, this one hour deal is like blinking your eyes.   At least that is how it felt today.                     On the first Sunday last year there were 15 children the valiant class alone.   I don't know how many were in the others.   This year we have only two classes: CTRs and Valiants.   There are no Sunbeams this year, and only three Valiants.   Two instructors are definitely needed in CTRs this year - what a wide assortment o...

Scenario: You are an instructor about to present a lecture that you will need to record anyway.   It is 11:30 mountain time - the time announced to students when live lecture takes place.   You turn on your computer ready to start the meeting and there is no one there to listen to you live question:     Do you start the lecture on time? Do you walk away from your computer and decide to return a few minutes later?   Do you wait half an hour after designated time before you start?   or would you start on time even though there isn't anybody with you at the start? I would hope you would start on time.   five or ten minutes after the designated time, maybe, but not half an hour.    I was late for class, I'll admit that.   Maybe 15 to 20 minutes.   There was somebody else signed on beside the instructor.   Why isn't he talking?   I am late for class.   What am I missing?   How come the sign on sc...

          Thus far I have watched one lecture - a talented individual who has experience in law enforcement and can evidently carry on several conversations at once - as he was able to talk without pausing, read comments and answer them in the chat box while he spoke . . . or perhaps he has someone sitting in his live sessions with him who can /will answer his questions.   But the guy is so monotone.   Oh, my gosh.   He says something that requires a sympathetic voice, but there is absolutely no sympathy in his voice.   On the other hand, he says something riveting and really . . . how do I know he means what he says? I don't think public speaking is his strong talent.   Not if he's suppose to relate sympathy or empathy.   Nope.   Not there.           The management class I'm taking feels like a prerequisite to anyone having any desire for any kind of law.   I understand th...

            I had quite a full agenda yesterday.   After the sun rose, I drove to Riddle as Jenna had a dentist appointment.   On our return, I stopped at Dollar General for just a few items to add to her lunch and then I took her to school.             I meant to turn in my assignment before my assessment, but I somehow had allowed myself to become frazzled and instead of submitting the assignment I clicked my assessment and started the quiz.               Once the quiz starts, there is no turning back, there are no retakes.   Most tests are timed. I had less than two hours.   And though it is open book, the e-book appears on just one third of the screen and I have to control plus each page I am on in order to view something bigger.   As I had explained in my last post, it is very time consuming.   And while...

                It was at the end of August or the beginning of September when the library treasurer mentioned a grants program workshop she had signed up for and said the tuition would cover up to four participants.   I don't know if she had mentioned it in hopes I would volunteer - but I did.   She said the program would start in October and I would be receiving email from the instructor - and then I forgot about it.             In September I attended a meeting in which clipboards were passed around in order for us to sign up for teams which would guide financing, library training, public relations and one other.   There were two that I definitely didn't want to belong to and signed up for training.   But wait . . . what happened with the Grants Magic ( here ) I had been signed up for?   I told the treasurer I had not received an email.    ...

        I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by!   Winter Break will take place during the two classes I am currently taking.   It doesn't seem like it's been too long since the last winter break.   I know a few months have gone by, but not 12!   Not even 10.   Only one month left of 2017. What the heck?   How can the year have gone by so quickly when there were so many spurts of activity that almost seemed/felt endless ( here and here for example) Jenna painting ornaments         Last year I had participated in a posting class offered during winter break - students shared Christmas memories and recipes.   I remember one recipe for salt dough ornaments, and made up some batch for family home evening, but waited until yesterday morning to cut out the dough as the recipe suggested a four hour baking time, and I knew I wouldn't want   to be checking the oven after 8:0...

My mom was a teenager in the 50’s at a time when the cinemas offered either beach pictures or lame science fiction.   Some of those science fiction movies indicated the possibility of man one day traveling to the moon.   Of course that was never going to happen.   Mom didn’t believe that traveling to the moon would be possible.   Yet almost two decades later (1969) Neil Armstrong was the first man to step foot on the moon on the moon.    The moon travel is just one of many realities that started out as science fiction.   The cast of Star Trek used cell phones long before they were introduced to planet earth. Before mom got dementia, she believed that it was possible for time travel to be invented.   I did not agree with her reasoning, but now I wonder. As mentioned before, I have been taking a family history class – more for Roland’s sake than my own.   We have been challenged to find a particular ancestor to find ancest...

  One day a month, Roland and I try to set up a double date with one of our boys and his wife.   At least two have suggested that we go see a play.   But we cannot just drop by a playhouse and expect to get tickets.   They have to be reserved. In March we had gone to the park for picnic with Tony and Rochelle. After we got home I looked into buying theatre tickets for the date this month.   I purchased four tickets to Desert Star’s “Into the Hoods” for yesterday afternoon.   I first approached Jeanie and Biff. Jeanie declined, as she and Biff would be celebrating their wedding anniversary – ALL DAY and Not With Us.   Okay.   If they had already made plans, no big deal.   I could call Randy and Carrie and if they couldn’t go, there’s my sister Kayla and her husband, Bill or we could go with Tony and Rochelle again – though they are notorious for NOT being on time – and that could put a damper on our plans. Rand...

         Jenna and I would have made the 7:36 bus yesterday morning, if we hadn’t had to reenter the front door to get her hat and pocket my cell phone. I figured it would be less than a fifteen minute wait for the next one.   I was wrong! We stood in the cold for 25 minutes before we saw the 8:51 ( finally !) – which passed us.   The 8:06  was right behind and stopped for us – and just about every stop between where we got on and where we needed to be dropped off.            I don’t know why the driver waited three to five minutes before turning around at the college.   Both buses were running late.              The  8:06 driver was a bit ticked off that he had to stop for everyone that the 7:51 driver had missed.   He seemed to take it out on the token machine as he kicked at it several tim...