Ice Cream for Breakfast

            Before we had the generator hooked up, we decide to move everything from one freezer to the other.  The ice cream was extremely soft.

            “Jenna, would you like to have ice cream for breakfast?” 

“Like I’m going to say ‘No’” 

On Tuesday morning Jenna had ice cream for breakfast. I am such a great mom.

It Was on my Agenda

            Even though I knew I had two classes coming up, I had agreed to fill in for one of the aides during the last two weeks of February.  Technically, my two classes started on President’s Day which I had off.  Still, I struggled through that first week and did not make the best grades compared to the other ones I have been getting.

            It snowed on the last Sunday in February.  The next morning I had three messages on my phone:  “Buses will be delayed for two hours on Monday morning”  “Buses will be delayed for two hours on Monday morning”  and “School has been canceled for Monday."  I thought I'd take advantage of having the time off and get a better jump start on my classes than I had the week before.  I was able to listen to the live lecture and had completed one discussion post before taking what I thought would be a short break

            When I lived in Salt Lake City,  it was rare when anything closed due to snow - even with several feet on the ground.  I appreciated the many times UDOT worked around the clock trying to clear the main roads and eventually get to the side streets.  It is safer to have dry roads.

       Roads were still busy with cars regardless of the weather - some drivers had experience driving in the snow, but there were several behind the wheel who should have been taking public transportation which was my preferred method of transportation to use on those wicked snowy days.  UDOT had the equipment for dealing with the snow.

       The roads in Oregon are very different from the ones in Salt Lake.  Schools close when there are less than two inches on the ground.  Even though they call it a "snow day" it is really about the conditions of the road which are windy, only two lanes (one lane per direction) no guard rails and major drops - thus if a vehicle slides due to the ice or moisture, it may go off the road and over the edge - not a good thing for anybody but really not in favor with a busload of children.

            Aside from the roads and lack of equipment, this part of Oregon also has many wimpy plants that are also not conducive to even a light snow.  Anything more than two inches seems to be too heavy.  The plants take on a new shape if they don't topple over.  We had lost power in Utah due to trees or other items falling over power lines, but not like this. The snow in Oregon is a slushy snow.  Heavy wetness.  Nobody who lives here has ever recalled snowfall like what came down the last week of February.

            I had made plans.  Lots of plans.  There were clothes on the bed which I needed to put away.  I had only posted one discussion and would need to post for my other class.  Plus I needed to set up a Linkedin account as part of my grade. Right before the power went out, I had headed toward the closet where we keep the vacuum cleaner.  I never made it to the door. I had accomplished only one thing that was on my to-do list.  I still haven't put all the clothes away. How ironic, as that was the only chore I have had that hasn't required electric power.

            So what's the first thing we do when the power goes out?  Wait a few minutes to see if it will come back on.  Run out to the shed and make sure the lamps, batteries, propane, cords, and gasoline are where they are supposed to be. We thought we were prepared.  We had those things.  We have food storage, water, a snow shovel.

            Roland dragged out the generator as we didn't know how long we'd be without power and needed the outside light to hook up the generator before nightfall.  It wouldn't start, however.  We had to look for an alternate.

            Several years ago Roland had purchased a portable heater called Big Buddy.  We had it first in the Kearns house and moved it with us to West Valley and then out to Oregon.  We had never even used it before.  It was still in the box. 

           

            We had several batteries including D batteries.  In addition to what was in Roland's office, we kept exactly eight D batteries in a bag tied around our lantern as that is how many it took.  We hadn't stored any batteries with the Big Buddy.  Roland found enough to get it going but was short two which we borrowed from the lantern supply.

             

            On Tuesday morning Roland had suggested we drive to Eugene. He thought we could go to the library to hang and get warm.  We also needed to purchase some items.  As we passed Winston and Roseburg, there were signs of power – but not all of Roseburg.  Not all of Winston.

            Walmart was open in Roseburg.  We ended up picking up items there and at Costco.  It’s just as well that we didn’t go to Eugene.  We would not have arrived as I5 was closed from Cottage Grove to further up in Lane County.  It sounds like it was closed for quite a while.

            I took the opportunity to use the wifi on Roland's phone and looked up the phone numbers for my instructor's so that I could call the following day if our power was restored.  Even without the wifi, I believed I had a way of retrieving the numbers without wifi. I did have to call on Wednesday morning.

.

Dash #498 Power Outages

            Share an experience that you have had with when the power went out

            For the most part power outages provide positive memories for me.  I know that might sound strange, but except for one time that I can recall, the experiences have been great.  I don’t even remember all of the details about the unpleasant power outage.  In my mind, it took place during the course of several hours, but in reality, it may have only been minutes.  I would guess that I was seven. 

            Mike’s parents were out of town, and my parents had agreed to watch him – I'm guessing for the weekend.  Mike and I were the same age and my brother Patrick was two years younger.  Mom said that she and dad had gone over to a neighbor’s house for an activity.  I don’t know if they were on a different powerline or if their power had gone out and mom and dad had returned.  Or if we were in bed when they returned.  I only remember the devastation.

            We had been left with a baby sitter.  I think we had already gone to bed when the thunderstorm started.  I think it must have woken us up as it was very loud.  We didn’t have power.  I remember following the sitter around as she had the source of light – I don’t know if she used a flashlight or candle.  Patrick cried the entire time.  Mike was very brave and I tried to be brave too that I might impress him – but the thunder was really loud and I did cry – but not as loud or as long as Patrick.  That is my most horrible memory.

            When the power went out every other time I can remember, mom and dad were home.  Dad would light candles or the lantern that we had for camping.  We would play games around the table.  Power outages meant spending time with family and feeling safe.

            One time when I was in high school I had gone to an early morning devotional.  The scheduled speaker was George Durrant.  I don’t recall if the power had gone out before he was introduced or if just after he approached the stand but I do think it went out before he started speaking.  I remember two specific things he said in reference to the power having gone out.  One was it was a shame because nobody would be able to see how handsome he was.  He also made a joke about needing some Israel-Lights.

            At school, many kids roamed the halls waiting for the announcement to let us go as there was no power.  I suppose the classrooms that had windows could have had discussions in the dark, but none of the inside classrooms had windows.  In fact, there was carpet on all of the walls.  Whose brilliant idea was that?

School was finally dismissed after a couple of hours. The power was restored just as soon as they said it.  Man, you should have seen how quickly the parking lot cleared.  Great day.  I think it was Valentine’s Day. Power outages meant missing school.

The power went off quite often when we were living in Kearns.  Most of the time it was annoying but nothing devastating.  The longest it had ever gone out was the Christmas when Jenna was four.  Now that was an awesome Christmas.  No electronics.  Jenna enjoyed shining the flashlight. 

Our power had returned a few hours before Bill’s and Kayla’s did.  They lived two or three streets over and we had invited them to come and stay the night so that they could keep warm.  They were packing up their belongings to head over when their power returned.  Sadly there were some living in Kearns who were without power for up to three weeks.  Power outages meant family support.

We held Church in the dark one week.  Just one meeting.  We met in the cultural hall as it provided the most source of light.  We all kept our coats on as it was cold.  I think there was only just one speaker. Power Outages provide concern.

We played games with our neighbor from across the street the first December we were living in Oregon.  We had a gas stove but she had only electricity to keep her warm. Roland had also gone out to get a generator which we shared with the neighbor’s next door.  We both used the power from the generator to keep our food cold in our fridges.  And Roland has used the generator to power up his computer for work. Power outages lead to new resources and inventions.

I started some assignments with the generator this week.  Roland got his computer running but was unable to retrieve the information he needed for work.  He made meals for us on a propane stove he had set up out back.   He boiled water and I did dishes. It was like camping.   We also played a lot of games.  Power outages lead to opportunities.  

Roland took great care of us.  He suffered the most as Jenna and I do better with cold weather than he does.  He was focused on us instead of the TV.  Jenna and I enjoyed his presence.

After four days and the fourth promise of power (as it had already turned on but back off again three times before), we were finally up and running.  Roland unhooked all the chords from the generator.  I helped him wind the chords and put them away.  He was very tired and certainly deserved the rest.  As soon as the TV went on Jenna said she wished the power would go out again.

I would rather lose power than running water

            I recall a time when we were living in West Valley and the water pipes in the neighborhood had burst.  There were at least five of them shooting geysers.  This problem took the water company well over 24 hours to repair.  I don’t recall what time I noticed the geysers sprouting in various locations.  It must have been during the summer months when the sun sets later as it was still light enough to drive but late enough that I would be getting ready for bed within a few hours.  I don’t imagine it was a great night for Granger-Hunter as they had set up crews at each geyser and worked throughout the night and into the next morning using artificial light to help them see.

            Roland had purchased a 50-gallon water tank several years before.  We had emptied it in Kearns so we could take it with us to West Valley.  We filled it back up – fortunately – and Roland took it as an opportunity to explain to Jenna the value of having it.  He showed her how to remove the water.  We did have drinking water in the refrigerator and used the water from the barrel to wash our hands and add to the tanks over the toilet bowls after we had flushed. We were still conservative using the logic: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow.  If it’s brown, flush it down.”  I don’t know how many gallons we ended up using.  Probably 5 – 10 as we were asleep for much of the time our water had been shut off.

            Even before that experience, I was sure that I would rather be without power than running water.  With our most recent experience the was frigid like river water as we had used up our hot water source – but still.  We could flush the toilets and I have been truly grateful for that.  Losing power can have its perks.  Losing running water does not.

            Jenna had placed a cup on the table that remained there during the power outage.  This is a picture of what the cup does when you feel it with a cold beverage - only it turned that color without actually having a beverage inside.

Our house was cold for the most part.  Our source of heat had started out in only one room.  Roland had managed to get heat in our room the last night we didn't have power - but even then, we had the window open wide enough for the cords to fit through.  It was warmer than it had been but still cold.  But I don't think so cold that the cup would have turned orange.

            Though it remained cold outside and Roland is not a big fan of the cold, I think we both agreed that we would rather deal with the power going out during the cold months than during the months of heat, sweat, and flies.  I do much better in the cold.  I keep better.  My left hand was so close to being healed and hadn't itched at all during the power outage.  Now that the power has returned, my hand feels raw again.

Word: Match

I can strike a match to light up a room

or start a fire to toast marshmallows

I can play different versions of match game

For example, I've tried to learn about which flag goes

with what country by matching one to the other

I can attempt to paint the shutters and trim

to match the rest of the house.

I can mix and match socks

I get tired of trying to match assignment problems

with the responding exercise found in the book

an electronic book I might add

I would like my clothes to match

Occasionally I would like to match the face to the voice

We've been through quite a few furniture pieces that didn't match.

you remember this scene from Frasier? 
We had worse cases than Martin's chair.

Some librarians and instructors will read books and set up an activity

The activity matches themes based upon the book

There is a lot of competition in the retail business. 

So many try to match another's price

I have never owned boots that have matched my coat.

Some people display their photos in all matching frames

Sometimes I get frustrated with web sites that never match

what I am searching for.

match pictures to real items

I love it when Jenna's enthusiasm mirrors my own.

Up And Running

I was supposed to work this week but 
the schools have been closed 
first due to the storm and then 
because we were part of 
many that were without power.  

During that time I've 
had so many thoughts 
going through my head 
and have jotted a bit 
on paper - some on my 
laptop but nothing concrete.  

I still have classes next week and 
the week after that.
I am grateful for the generator
that gave me enough power to
at least start my assignments 
Amazingly I have finished up and
can finish a few other things that
got neglected during our
power outage.

I realize that four days is
nothing compared to some others
who have experienced without for
much longer.  Roland's sister
for example, had gone two months
as she lives in Puerto Rico and 
Hurricane Maria was quite unkind.

I'd rather lose electric power than
running water - even if it was 
equivalent to river water.  
Okay to drink, but not 
to bathe in.

Thoughts, thoughts
so many thoughts
I hope my mind does not
forget what I wish to write

Dash #MT42 My mom, the Caregiver

Name a strength that you really admire about your mom

            My mom was raised in San Francisco but had moved to Salt Lake after she married my dad.  His family became her family.  I remember mom as a caregiver to three particular family members starting with my dad’s maternal grandmother – though I don’t have many memories of her when she was healthy.  I don’t know why.  I was old enough that I should have more memories of her at her Magna house than I do.  It was a very teeny house where she had raised her family.  It boggles my mind, really.

            I don’t know how old I was when she was sent to the nursing home – or if her mind was slipping at the time that she was brought in. It saddens me at how many elderly are left at nursing homes and rarely, if ever, visited.  This was Grandma Helen’s mom.  I remember mom picking up Grandma H. to visit Grandma Greenwood.  Often we would go visit without taking Grandma Helen.  
            Corey still had curls in his blonde hair and would often get mistaken for a girl.  He developed a love for the elderly at an early age and would often make his own rounds as mom visited with Grandma G.  Many of the residence would claim Corey as their “granddaughter” and though Corey wished that he’d been recognized as a boy, he enjoyed the attention.  In a way, I suppose Corey believed that they were all his grandparents.

            I don’t recall how many years my grandma was at the nursing home.  I don’t remember how many visitors she received, but I do remember how diligent my mom was about visiting her.  I also remember sharing a Christmas miracle with Grandma G. when she sang Christmas carols with us one year.

            Grandma G. died two days before my Aunt Alice was married.  Grandma H. had asked me to speak at her funeral.  I mentioned how her mind and body had been so frail that she would not have been able to attend Aunt Alice’s wedding any other way except in Spirit. I believe Aunt Alice was Grandma G.’s eldest grand-daughter.

            As Grandma H. continued to age, mom would drive her to doctor appointments and the store for medication and other errands.  Grandma H. had taken a bad fall and broken her leg.  As she couldn’t get around, she was put in rehab.  She never came home.  As I recall, she was still wearing the full-leg cast when she passed away.  I believe that mom was with her.

            Corey said he remembered coming home and found Patrick was doing the dishes and wondered why.  He later recalls the phone ringing and hearing Patrick say, “I can’t right now.  My grandma just died.”

            Corey said he figured something was up when he saw Patrick was doing the dishes and was shocked at the news he had related over the phone – wondering if he had misheard, but didn’t want to ask as if he was wrong as it felt morbid to say that is what he understood.

            I helped my mom take care of my dad.  I did not have the experience that she had had with my great grandma and grandma.  I loved my dad and it was hard watching someone who had taken care of me lose his ability to physically control his legs and speech among other things.  I’m sure that it was harder for mom to watch her spouse go through that.

            I admire my mom for her service.  She is such a great example of devotion – not just to my dad, his mother and grandmother, but to each of her children as well.  I really miss my mom.

Anticipation

            Next week the class is expected to answer 3-5 interview questions for our discussion post.  We have been given 20 to choose from.  Each seems to have the ability to become a "dash" question. Again, the topic of "dream job" and "where do you see yourself . . ."

            Okay, let me get one thing clear.  I think the term "dream job" is an oxymoron.  Here is why:  The word "job" does not necessarily represent pleasure though "dream" indicates something that would be favored.  A job for many is a menial task involving a paycheck.  They go to work to collect earnings in order to make ends meet.  Some people genuinely do love their jobs.  Others struggle with their day to day efforts of being employed.  A job can be gratifying but not always.  I think a job is very different from a career.

            A career is a choice of occupation and having opportunities to advance.  This also comes with a paycheck, but a good employee will be focused more on the outcome and accomplishments rather than just the paycheck itself.  A dream for me would be to have coworkers that I look forward to seeing each day, to strive for and achieve the same goals.  A dream would be to better ourselves and those around us - whether it be in the community, a specific organization (such as a school) or the environment.  I am much more interested in creating a positiveness among others than just working for a check.  My "dream job" would be looking forward to going to work each day.  The paycheck would just be a bonus.

           I also like the idea of a job career landing in one's lap as the two examples I mention in this post. To have a job created when you hadn't even thought to dream it, well that would be a dream come true.  And as I mentioned in this post sometimes we have to go off course to make dreams happen.

            I have three more weeks of my two current classes and one more week of my assignment as a substitute aide with the school district.  I don't know how those going to school full time in addition to a full time job are able to do it.  I will have a dash post for Monday but may not be able to post again until Friday.  We shall see.

Time Spread Too Thin

Online work

Check

Turned in

Both Classes

Have even received

my first week's grade

in one class

Resumes, cover letters, references

so many weaknesses

Next week will be

setting up a LinkedIn account

and preparation for

mock interviews

I'm getting the

experience that will

take me to a job

career opportunity before

the end of the year

I even have my interview

set up

Now to build confidence

and prepare to answer

questions

word: TRANS

The word "trans" all by itself means "denoting or relating to a molecular structure in which two particular atoms or groups lie on opposite sides".  The word "trance" means "a half-conscious state characterized by an absence of response"  I have used the word "trans" in a couple of posts when I meant "trance"  Whoops!

Truth is, I didn't know that "trans" was a word all by itself and so when spell-check accepted the spelling, I did not bother to look for a definition, but just assumed it meant "a half-absent state of mind"

The prefix "trans" means “across”, “beyond” or “through”  I have "transferred" many pictures from my camera onto my computer.  I have watched Roland transfer food from the stove top into the oven in order to keep it warm.  Jenna's school records have transferred from one state to another.  I had transferred to five different areas during my mission

My blog posts are full of examples of transportation including the bus, the train, water and feet.

Translation is the ability to communicate one language into another - weather verbally or written words.  Accounting is a language I haven't fully been able to translate.

A Transgender is a person who was born one sex but typically feels trapped when he/she has the desire or the instinct to believe he/she is the other and will make that change.  Jenna has many friends who are transgender.

To transform is to change into something else - such as a caterpillar into a butterfly,  a sawmill factory into Millsite park - and even the park itself has gone through changes or transformations since we arrived in Oregon to what it is right now. I remember having the opportunity of having reels of film to film transformed or converted to VHS.  Now we are transferring things to CD rom and flash drives. Beautiful (because they're possible) transformations!  We have also transformed t-shirts into book bags.

I've had problems with the transmission on various cars.  It's always a transition to adjust to our way of living after a loved one has passed.

Sing Your Favorite Hymn

          Last week we were short a speaker.  The counselor who was conducting the meeting announced that he would be calling on some members from the audience to share their testimonies.  It reminded me of a time when I had lived in mom's ward and what took place when the speakers were absent. The bishop at the time would conduct special meetings that became quite popular with the youth - though I can only remember being in attendance for two of the meetings.

          He had announced that the scheduled speakers hadn't shown for whatever reason and apologized to the organist for not having made arrangements with her, but had invited each member in attendance to think of our favorite hymn and if we felt prompted to do so, we could each take a turn coming up to the stand to say what our favorite hymn was and why we liked it.  We would then sing the hymn as a congregation.  On those days, our congregation truly worshiped the entire meeting through music.

          I enjoyed listening to others share their testimonies on why the hymn was a favorite for them.  I enjoyed watching the enthusiasm of the youth and sharing discoveries that they had made.  I enjoyed singing.

Dash #555 Pets

 Did you have any pets during your childhood?

          There are posts that I have shared about adopting dogs during my married life.  I think the only pet from my childhood mentioned is a rabbit I had received from an aunt one Easter (see here) but Pinky was not our only pet.

A German shepherd pup had wandered into our yard one year.  We tried finding its owner and kept him for a couple of months as I recall.

          Patrick wanted to keep it and gave him the name "Junior".  He tried training the dog, and paid bail money when he was caught by the pound.  I think that happened twice before he decided he really couldn't afford the cost.  That is how Houdini was from this post.

       

          For years before and several years after Junior I had gone through at least five cats.  Mittens, Blanco, Inky . . . I don't know what happened to all of them or how long I had each one.  I don't suspect any of them made it a full year.  I don't even remember one of the names.  I don't know if they ran away or were stolen (I had attempted stealing a neighbor's cat at one time).  Mom told me that there was one that she found in the dryer. I think it was Blanco. Her neck had snapped.  Sorry for that gruesome detail.  I don't remember it personally.  Mom told me that she couldn't deal with it and called a neighbor to remove it.

          The cat that was with me for the longest was "Patch".  I don't know how old I was when we got her but I know I still had her when I was in junior high.  I considered her to be my cat and figured I was in charge of naming her and tried out different names like "Jelly Bean" and "Marshmallow".  Unfortunately I never did settle on a name.  We kept Patch in the basement.  As our washer and dryer were also located in the basement, mom would meet up with Patch whenever she was doing laundry. She started calling my cat "Patch" because of a grey mark surrounding one of her eyes.   

          I remember Patch disappearing and hunted in the basement for her and found her under the stairs along with a litter of 5 kittens.  Mom would not allow me to keep any of them.  I don't remember how many years I had her.  I would think more five to ten.  We had to put her down.  I wish I had better memories to share.

          Corey had gone through a series of cats also.  I have more and better memories of his cats than I do my own.

           Never had a goldfish - but had purchased goldfish for the boys after I got married.  I also think that either Patrick or I briefly owned a turtle.