That Was Weird

            Roland and I were both on

our computers when the power

went off and then back on. 

            I was trying to do my assignments. 

He was at work. 

            The sky outside had darkened as

if the power had not been fully restored. 

The porch light shone on

the yellow house across

the street,

            but that was it. 

No sign of life anywhere for

a minute or two.  Then there was a

            brilliance in the sky.    

my camera did not capture the brilliance that I saw

Jenna took this from the church parking lot

she said the power had gone off and on there also

It was several hours before

            I received a call from the

school district informing

parents of all students that

            a 911 had been called in

about a shooting that would

take place in the principal's

            office

We don't know which school

Just about where the call was made

Parents are advised to explain to

their children that calling 911 is a

serious offence if it's being used to

            prank others. 
             Two students from the 
middle school were arrested.

It did make me wonder if the brief

power surge may have been related.

I Should Have Recognized the Signs

            For a couple of weeks my right eye has been tearing up.  It's quite annoying as it will create a fogged up view through my glasses.  I have also felt somewhat dizzy and lightheaded at times.

            The air has been so dry which I'm sure has been a contributing factor to my health today.  I had thought it was all allergy related when both eyes went balistic last Tuesday but I may have a cold underneath - or worse - the dreaded sinus infection may have weaseled its way into my life again because the air in Oregon isn't providing the moisture which brought me out here.  We may need to move closer to the ocean.

            The fire levels are back to low and moderate - at least here, but there is still a hazy sky to the west of I5 between Grants Pass and Glendale.  Where is my rain?

            Before we had moved to Oregon, we had visited in April.  We had gone to Newport on Easter Sunday.  It had rained that day.  Hard.  It was cold and wet.  I was under the impression that is what Oregon would be.  I left behind my white coat with the bears and trees thinking it would not hold up in the moisture.  I also left behind some cute red boots for the same reason. 

            Turns out I could have brought them both and used them and they would have been fine.  Too late now.  Perhaps somebody else was able to use them.  I don't believe Rochelle did though.   

            I felt fine last week.  I felt fine on Saturday.  Yesterday my throat started hurting.  I went to church but did not sing.  My throat got worse.  I tried to doctor the hurt away.  I may have made things worse for myself.

            I won't be working this week.  I feel fine as long as I'm sitting down or reclining.  But I cannot stand.  And I don't wish to share my germs with others in the event that I am contagious.  I will have to look for a new doctor however as I am quite disappointed with the medical center in Myrtle Creek.  Perhaps I could go to the one in Tri City if they're still accepting patients.  It would be even nicer if it just went away on its own.  However, I am getting to the age where it would be wise to have a routine doctor.  I don't think I've ever had a regular doctor except for my pediatrician and then my OB/GYN when I was pregnant with Jenna.

          Drinking lots of liquid.  Mostly grape juice thus far.  I need to get better. I think a Z-pack would make me feel better. 

The Power in Position

My initial post is costing more time than I am able to give for the moment anyway.  Guess this one will have to tie my readers over:

            The meeting ended early today and so the bishop decided to call a few members from the congregation to come and bear their testimonies.  I smiled as I thought about how often meetings were based on impromptu due to short meetings or just lack of speakers.  In this post I mentioned the majority of youth had their favorite impromptu meeting which was sharing one's favorite hymn and a little bit about why it was/is our favorite (or one of our favorites) and then we would sing that hymn as a congregation.  I think that is something we could do in this ward with our regular pianist, but I know there several in the ward who would not be comfortable playing some hymns out of the blue that they hadn't practiced for a while.

            Singing hymns brought reverence to our meetings and some of the reasons behind the individuals' liking the hymn was inspiring.  I related this to Jenna and she said she would like that opportunity.  I suspect the youth in this ward may know the hymns better than in my last ward when I lived in West Valley.

            Danny was not at church today, but did send her laptop and a cheesy video about Ester - a musical that we would not be able to finish - and didn't.  I interrupted some of it to say "Hey, I just want to let you know what's going on"  - and relate the Biblical version of Ester instead of just the video.  I do believe in the power of music, but I think this particular version took some liberties with their interpretation.

            We're not going to be able to watch starting January as lessons are now going to be only 20 minutes long as well as singing time.  There will no longer be a sharing time.  Church will only be two hours instead of three.  I am personally looking forward to the change.

My Custom Heirloom Walking Stick

      Jenna and I first met Chris just over a year and a half ago.  We met him at Millsite Park.  Jenna and I had been walking around and Chris was looking for the perfect stick as he had a request for making a cane similar to his (see this post)

      I thought that would be nice to have a custom-made cane for myself, and thought I would start collecting words that might describe me and ask him how much he charged.  Chris said he walked in Millsite all of the time.  That was the only time that I saw him.  I don't even know his last name. 

      When Roland was playing Friar Tuck in Hi, Ho, Robin Hood, he had stripped one of our wild junipers to make a walking stick for the character.  I decided that when he was through with it, I would adjust it to my own needs.  I would strip the wood, sand the stick and start a decoupage.  I decided to use more photos than words. Instead of multi colors, I hoped to keep them in the same color as the wood.  It didn't turn out as I expected, but there you have it: 

My custom heirloom walking stick:

stripping down the bark

printing pages full of words and pictures

Remembering Dottie

            I had purchased a package of "Strap Perfect" as it was on clearance.  Jenna and I both seem to lack in the shoulder area.  I thought we could each have three, only three had already been removed from the package.  Perhaps that is why it was on clearance.  I recall Jenna breaking one trying to get her bra off.  I kept one for my swimsuit in the event that I ever misplaced my swim shirt which I did the entire month of August. 

            After Jenna started going to the pool with me last year, she had a suit that didn't fit quite right.  I don't remember what it even looked like or what was wrong with it.  Dottie had brought us a suit that she used to wear and had given it to Jenna.  Dottie was always thoughtful of others.

            It was in August when I noticed Dottie using a binder clip to keep her swimsuit up.  I had misplaced one of the "Strap Perfect" clips but decided I would look for it harder so that I could give one to Dottie, but I couldn't find it.  One day she asked me where I had gotten my clip.  I told her that I had purchased it at Dollar General but have not seen it there again until today.  As I made my purchase I thought about Dottie and would give two clips to her if I were to see her again.  I don't imagine she'll have a use for it in the hereafter.  Dottie isn't with us on earth anymore.

            My hair is starting to come in white.  Whenever I look in the mirror I see my mom.  Except for when she kept the white she was thinner than I am currently.  But that wasn't always the case.  She had dark hair and I started out with white hair (when it finally came in) and looks like I'll be ending with white hair.  Dottie was the first to comment on my white hair and said that I should keep it.  

           After I chopped off my pigtails, Dottie told me how pretty my hair was and thought it would look great when I grew it out white with brown chunks at the end.  She was always so sincere with her compliments.  I don't know what color my hair will be in the hereafter.  I don't suppose it matters.  I won't be seeing Dottie again until it's my time to go.

            She evidently had a lot of health issues, but never complained about her condition.  None of us were aware of how many health problems she had or the severity of what was going on.  I think it was fortunate that she passed away peacefully in her sleep.  I hope her husband knows that.

            I don't recall ever having visited with Dottie outside of the pool except for a few times when she would join our group for coffee.  When I had my job interview in Canyonville, I received a text from Carol to come and join them at a cafe that had just opened up.  Dottie was there with the group.  I think that was the last time I saw her.  I will miss seeing her at the pool next year.

Welcome the Fog

                After fire season, the misty fog and rain are always welcome signs for our thirsty part of the world.  It does impair the vision to see far ahead.  I drove in it yesterday as I had an assignment through the school.  At least the light can be seen through the fog, unlike the darkness I had to drive the day prior.  I told Roland that when we set the clocks back, I will need him to drive as I won't be able to see at the time that I've been going.  But I would do okay to leave just an hour later - I think.

                Currently, the fog covers the sky and hides everything past the neighbors' house.  Usually, it lifts by 10:00 or so.  I don't think the sun peeked through until 11:30 yesterday.  I was on recess duty and had to find my sunglasses.

                I have been at the middle school most of this week, but not today.  It is teacher intervention and all of the students and subs are off today. I would like to spend time with Jenna but have been neglecting my room with each assignment that I've accepted. This week I've had four math classes each day.  Most of the classes have been learning about integers.  I would rather help in history or English than in math.

                Even though there is no school today, there is a homecoming dance tonight.  Jenna plans on attending.  She would like to be dropped off at the school at 5:00.  I think she is currently getting ready for it.  She still has seven and a half hours before she leaves.  Silly girl.

I DO NOT Accept the Challenge . . . at least Right Now

                The RS president sent an e-mail to the sisters to remind us of some challenges given to us in Conference yesterday. I am not prepared to accept the challenge of the 10 day fast from social media.  I am taking courses online.  Sometimes YouTube videos are required - though not always.  Sometimes I will search for tutorials on my own.  Giving up facebook will not be tough as it's been somewhat pathetic or disappointing overall lately anyhow.  I need to use my email for updates regarding my classes and to view confirmation on assignments that I accept for work.  Yes.  I got a job.  I have subbed as a teacher's aide for three different schools now and have at least two more for this week.

                I remember when Jenna took the challenge.  For the most part, it was not a big deal.  Steering away from YouTube was her biggest challenge as she enjoys cartooning videos and singing with videos.  She did this at a time when the internet was not a requirement for one of her classes.  I suppose I could do a partial fast.  There are some talks from conference and news article updates that I will want to review.  If I talk to Alexa, does that count as social media?  I am constantly asking about the temperature. 

                When I am on vacation, I am on vacation - or at least would like to be.  If I were to go on one right now, I'd still have to take the laptop in order to fulfill my school requirements. I don't have a touchscreen that I am glued to.  I update my blog post occasionally but not regularly.  I may be able to do a fast once my classes end, but not right now.  People still come before technology.  I know that I am rationalizing, but aside from school, I really don't get into it that much.  And I have NEVER nor will be surgically implanted to my cell phone.  It's not a big deal.

Sidenote

For a year I believed that my youngest granddaughter, Liz, shared her birthday with my son Tony, who is her dad.  It wasn't until I wished a "happy birthday" to both her and Tony that I was corrected.  It's true that Rochelle had gone to the hospital on his birthday, but Liz did not arrive until after midnight making her birthday November 4th instead of the 3rd.

This year Rochelle has been carrying extra weight with our only grandson who was also due to make his appearance in November but decided to come a month to six weeks early.  They must have checked into the hospital late last night after Tony had called to wish Roland happy birthday.  Their baby arrived before 2:00 this morning.

Recap:  Roland was born on the 3rd.  Two of his children were born on the 3rd.  Daddy daughter combo born different months on the 3rd - in fact, he and Jenna are exactly 50 1/2 years apart.  (see here) Tony and his oldest daughter are both on the third.  All four in different months.  Tony's second daughter was born just after his birthday and now our only grandson (who does not yet have a name) was born the day after Roland's birthday.  How uncanny!

 I haven't shared the birth or this discovery on facebook as it is their place to be the first to share their news.  I don't know how many mutual friends we have that may read my blog.  If you don't see a post from them on fb, mum's the word.

I'll provide more info at a later time. 

Another Ugly Cake . . . Happy Birthday

            Roland believes that every person should have a cake for his/her birthday.  It doesn't matter if they can have cake or want cake or don't like cake.  I believe that his motto is "No Birthday is Complete Without Cake"

            Usually when Roland's birthday is coming up and people ask, "What do you want for your birthday" he doesn't ask for a cake, but rather a homemade card.  But this year was different.  I asked what he'd like for dinner and he said he wanted me to make him a birthday cake from scratch.  Okay.  How very brave of you.

            I looked up a recipe under the topic "Birthday Cake" and followed the directions to this one.  (recipe at the end of her blog post before comments)

 I used blue and white sprinkles as that is what we had.  Fortunately for us, his favorite color is blue.  Jenna thought I ought to make an even simpler cake using ice cream sandwiches.  We already had orange frosting (orange in color, not flavor) in the fridge that I could spread over the sandwiches to look like a cake.  I don't think what her final creation was really what she had in mind.  We did not get a picture of it before she put it in the refrigerator - which probably was not the wisest move as the ice cream melted, but I suppose it is the thought that counts.

            Meanwhile, I had put my cake in the oven to bake while Roland and Jenna ran an errand.  I had them pick up some frosting while they were out.  My cake wasn't bad looking until I tried to take it out of the pan.  Apparently, I did not spray either pan well enough and the second layer crumbled over the bottom.  I used the entire can of frosting trying to at least make it look somewhat decent.  I think underneath the cake looked even worse than the ugly cake from this post.  Jenna took these pictures with her camera though we did not get any of the batter.

Jenna's melted "ice cream cake" creation

He did eat a lot of it - even though it was overly sweet.

Roland always lops off the top to make it flat.  I thought

would try putting the round on top.  Big mistake.

Beautiful, isn't it.  Like somebody had already broken into it.

  

We did light the candles and sing happy birthday

 Jenna did not get any still pictures of the cake with lit candles.  We sang happy birthday and she used her film feature.

Death happens

                Death is inevitable.  It's bound to happen to all of us at one time or another.  Some deaths are more expected than others though it seems to come as a surprise to most.  Such was the case of Dottie,  who was part of the water fitness class.  She didn't go out with our group often when we'd meet at the coffee shop or bakery but had been there a few times including the last when the group had gone to a new cafe for morning breakfast.

        Dottie had given Carolyn her cell phone number and would occasionally make phone calls just before class to find out if she was coming.  Carolyn didn't know her last name.  It didn't appear that any of us did.  When she asked, I wondered and so the news did not surprise me nor affect me the same way as it had Carolyn who had been teaching at a school - I would guess Canyonville as it is her favorite.  She received confirmation about the obituary she'd seen.  She took it hard and started crying and asked to leave her position.

        I liked Dottie.  She was always pleasant and sincere with paying compliments.  I did not have the same sentimental attachment as Carolyn did.  I don't mean to appear callous or unfeeling but my reaction to Dottie's death wasn't any less than it was to Jeanie's or my mom or my dad.  Death happens.  Not everybody has the same reaction to it.  Carolyn and I, for instance, have two very different ways of understanding death.  I don't see it as the final stage of life.  There is a life beyond this planet.  When we leave this mortal existence, we will be reunited with others who have already passed.  But she seems to view death as the absolute end to existence.  But why?  What would be the point of how we live if it all comes to end and all that is left of us is memories for some?   There's got to be a purpose for our existence.

        I remember when Joh's father died, he tried to explain to Corey about "Day of the Dead"; in turn, he tried to explain it to me, though I know I didn't fully get it.  Since Disney's release of "COCO" I'm certain I have a better understanding and appreciation.  It's just one example of life after death.  I don't buy into the floating on clouds and playing harps bit.  I do believe in a greater life after this one.  I do believe that the way we live here on earth will determine our rewards in the hereafter.  Death happens.

It's Almost October . . . What is Up With the Haze?

                The air quality has gone down again.  

                You would think I would have figured

.that out on Tuesday when I couldn't stop sneezing.  

 

                Yesterday morning I'd gotten behind

                some school buses and watched their red tail lights

flicker off and on.  When I neared the school,

I looked over the hill and appeared puzzle at the sight of

                what looked like the tail lights - but way too high in the sky. 

                       

                My view was through the trees until   

   

I stopped the car.  Blood red sun. 

                I knew that met the smoke came back.  

                Air quality has been going down again.

Noooooooooooooo.  The air is supposed to be producing

 a misty fog.  Why isn't fire season over?!?

                  Why are the river beds so dried up they

don't look like rivers anymore?  

                 And what is up with the temperature?

It shouldn't be this hot at the end of September.

I should never be this hot at all.

What Am I Supposed To Do Now?

                Wednesday is generally my busiest day with school.  Generally.  When the libraries reopened and had asked for volunteers, I said I could - however I couldn't be scheduled.  Sometimes Mondays will work for me, but not always.  I could volunteer on Fridays regardless of my scheduling - however, no one else can work that day; therefore, the library is closed.

            I said I could substitute, which I have done before, but not for a long time.  I told them when I might be available and when I would not.  Wednesdays and Saturdays are definite NOs as I am trying to finish my schooling by Wednesday or Thursday and Saturdays are for family.

            Wednesday is also the designated day for potluck luncheons on 2nd Wednesdays every month and movies on the 3rd Wednesday, though on occasion I have missed both due to schooling.  Today my brother is in town - though it's not taking away from school.  It is the school and program itself that forbids me (among many other students) from viewing the textbook or pdf (mentioned here) in full content.  Students aren't expected to fulfill assignment or assessment at this time as we don't have the information in its entirety.  Gads!

                I will meet Corey and Joh this morning and introduce them to one of my friends over breakfast. I am happy to spend time with them and would not be doing any schooling today even if it was available.  But come on.  I don't want to repeat this course due to an error that I, myself, didn't create.  I don't suppose turning assignments in late is going to affect our grade, however.  As is, I just barely received my assignment grade from last week.   Unlike my database instructor who grades assignments right away, my accounting instructor seems to put it off as long as possible.  I would think that would create more work for him as he teaches at least three classes. 

            It's an accounting class, but thus far the discussions have made it seem more like a management class.  How odd.  It's okay though.  I'd rather Write my opinion than have to come up with an exact number with calculations.  Blech!