Beneath the Wraps

            The discussion for this week is to: "Think about a time when your mind was successfully changed either by a message delivered in print, on a screen, or in person from someone else. What factors swayed you?"   The first thing that came to mind was accepting gay rights.   As with many others, I grew up believing in the influence of society.   "Homosexuality was wrong and therefore anyone who practiced was wrong" and I think made to feel worthless. It was something I had been taught all of my life.   But through Corey, I've come to realize that to be gay or attracted to the same sex is often NOT a choice.   Really, why would an individual go through all the pain and prerecession in addition to having desires that he/she can't seem to control or explain? Why shouldn't they have the same rights as others who develop feelings for the opposite sex? No person has control over developing a love for anot...

          Jenna has early morning seminary.   She started this morning.   Arrangements have been made for taking the students from the church to the school - though I had planned on assisting with that this morning.   From the time she left the house to the time I arrived at the church was one of the quickest hours I have ever experienced in my life.             I had forgotten about her being in seminary or school traffic or buses or how much I loathe driving in school traffic.   I had somehow managed to forget all of that during the summer.   As soon as I pulled out of my driveway and saw a school bus, I thought "Oh, no." And then I had to fight the brightness of the sun on top of that.   Good grief.           How is it possible that my baby had just barely turned eleven before our official move to Ore...

Ever since preschool, Jenna has had this unbelievable talent of being able to talk AND to listen at the SAME TIME! Who does that?  I could never work in telemarketing as I know I will have co-workers around me that will have louder voices than what I’ll attempt to be hearing over the phone.  I’ve always had a problem concentrating on one sound or voice when there is a louder sound penetrating my ears. I also find it hard to concentrate on speaking if my voice is in competition with other sounds. Last night Jenna asked if she could watch “What Would You Do?” as it is truly one of her favorite programs.  The entire time it was on, she was jabbering at me – telling me about different friends, certain plans, responding to whatever might ail her, personality traits . . . on and on.  The entire time she was talking to me, she would also respond to the T.V.  “No!  That isn’t right!  Why do people do that?” and then she would turn back to me, “. . . a...

                After we had picked pears in Medford for the Church, we gleaned about four bags of pears for us to take home.   Roland took 24 pears to give to friends he had made at the theater, and   I took 18 to my friends.   Most of the pears were not ripe at the time.   We continued to pass them out to neighbors until they became too ripe.   It got to the point where we needed to do something - such as pear sauce or pear cake or something.   I made pear sauce last week.                 Roland is the one who loves to bake and cook.   I was disappointed that he didn't do more of it during his time off.   I prefer not being in the kitchen for a huge length of time.   But Roland has returned to work and more than just the pears have ripened - but bananas as well.   In addition t...

            Roland brought some ham home the other day and thought about making a sweet and sour with some of it.   We already had sweet and sour chicken leftover in the fridge.   I told him to make ham fried rice.   He said he needed a recipe.   I could not find one that listed all ingredients that we had on hand, and so I printed a couple in order to demonstrate that not all recipes contain the ingredients and that it is possible to alter ingredients.   People make mock recipes all the time.                I am a substitute who works with what I have.   Roland is a letter-to-the-law recipe follower - even down to the measurements.   I told him to half the recipe that he chose, but no.   He insisted on four cups of rice.   And yet we are only two people - sometimes three, but mostly just two as Jenna is a fussy e...

            There were thirteen of us in the pool this morning.               Most came believing the pool would not be crowded and yet it was.             Josh was behind the counter collecting fees             I asked him if he would be teaching as I had not seen Carolyn. She was home sick.             So everyone in the pool did             his or her own thing. No instructor Not many lifeguards are left             during the final week. Many return to or             start school.     ...

         The roots of my hair are white like they were when I was one.   My last dye job was a brown or red.   The white is more noticeable against the dark color.         I am sick of my hair.   Sick of changing the color.   Sick of putting it up.   Sick of the weight of it on my scalp.   I told Roland that I need it cut.   We cannot afford the expense right now.           He tells me to cut my own hair.   What?!?!?   I can't see the back of my head.   How am I supposed to make it even?         I've been cutting his hair for the last six months.   I don't think I've done a good job.   As I look at myself in the mirror, I wonder.   What if I cut my pigtails off?   How would that work?         I take the scissor...

            The class I am currently taking is a social studies class which was not part of the curriculum I had pulled from the 2016 student catalog.   Apparently, it's one that has recently been introduced into the system.   Many of the other students whose names I see are ones that I recognize from several classes before.                            Most of the videos I have been watching are ones I can relate to the class - well sort of.   I have actually used one as a reference already.   Friendship Field is a story that takes place in Idaho.   Three sisters are obligated to work the farm as the youngest sister, Iris who goes by Ira, enjoys he last summer of "freedom" as she will be obligated to work the following year.   Meanwhile, a family from Mexico, hard on their ...

                I don't know how old the "Feature Films for Families" is.   The earliest date I can find for my research is 1991.   But it seems like my mom purchased films through the company long before then.   Perhaps I am mixed up with my memory thinking that Kayla and Corey were still in elementary school, but maybe it was 1991 and the children were Ellen and Kimball.                                 I remember "Banjo, the Woodpile Cat" which I believed was an original of the FFFF company as the story takes place in Payson, Utah before Banjo runs away to Salt Lake City.   According to Wikipedia ( here ), the release date was December 21, 1979.   It makes more sense that FFFF got its start in the 70s rather than in the 90'...

            Shortly after I started my schooling online, I made a list of all the required classes that I'd be taking.   Thus far there have been three assigned classes that were not on the list.   One of them is this one I'll be taking for the next four weeks.   I don't quite understand why it's been assigned to me - especially since I've already taken one that has a similar description.   I had received an email from the instructor on Sunday.   She is over the freshman and has presented a guideline for those who have never taken an online course before.   I am nearly a senior.   I think someone entered me into the wrong class as the description sounds very similar to one I recently just completed.  This is nuts.             The wind has changed and pushed the haze back into the skies and pushed our green back to yellow air q...