Social Media Missionaries

          We haven’t fed the missionaries since the pandemic began until this past week.  For a while they were grounded to their apartment and the rule was to drop off food at the church and they would pick it up.  Perhaps that was easier for many members who unable to have missionaries come due to circumstances – for instance there are many single sisters and the missionaries serving in Myrtle Creek have always been Elders. 

           The person who was called to find families to feed the missionaries is quite diligent with her calling and somewhat aggressive as I’m certain she has roped people into feeding them when they may not have chosen to do so on their own.  The rules are quite different now due to COVID.  I don’t know how it is in each mission but in Oregon they are no longer allowed to knock on doors.  They have to stand outside until they are summoned.  They can visit with people outside of their homes but may not go inside. 

           They had the wrong address.  I had "hacked" the deck early with essence of peppermint oil in order to keep the flies away.  Roland joked that it would attract the bees.  Jenna spotted the elders in front of our neighbors and I told them to park in our driveway.  We had dinner on our brand new deck.  Jenna, Roland and I sat near the door and the three elders were near the steps – table of food between us.  Roland had made hash browns, pancakes, blackberry syrup and omelets.  There were three or four wasps or hornets that seemed interested in our breakfast also.

    Two of the elders were from Utah and we discussed the luxury of purchasing blackberries from Logan, Utah as opposed to the blackberry bush growing wild and viewed as the Oregon state weed. They’re pioneers is this “new normal” each having had to join facebook (if they did not already have an account) so that they can set up virtual lessons and teach six feet apart whenever they are physically able to do so.  Before March it was a requirement for a person to attend at least three sacrament meetings before he or she could be baptized.  Now baptisms take place without their ever setting foot in the Church prior to baptism because meetings just are not happening right now – at least in our county which has been a major discomfort for so many members.  I can’t even imagine being baptized into a faith without attending at least one meeting. 

          One elder was called to serve his mission in Japan.  He was there for four months before the missionaries were pulled out and returned to the states.  He was so in tune with the spirit, it was amazing.  All three of them shared spiritual thoughts and it was so awesome having them here and sharing His love and having such great power on our brand new deck.  Very nice visit and another huge admiration for those who continue to serve full time.  What tremendous faith!

Backs and Ladders

          Today was the day assigned to our stake to go pick pears in Medford – which we had planned on.  Jenna had even had a friend stay the night so that we could take her with us. But as I was talking with the RS president last night, she said everything had been picked clean except for the tops.  Thus the only jobs available was to climb ladders.  Neither Roland nor I are in condition to climb ladders and it didn’t seem to appeal to either Jenna or her friend either.

          Jenna does and always has liked to climb.  But there is a difference climbing with the use of both hands and standing on a latter with a heavy bag that only gets heavier as pears are loaded inside.  And then to climb back down again?  That would be the toughest part for me personally.

          I really doubt we could have gone this morning anyway.  Roland’s back has hit a snag – something triggered the pain he had felt earlier this year (see here).  We have been working on rebuilding the greenhouse with a new more solid frame (the last one assembled like tinker toys and broke during snowmegeden (see here for pictures) He got up during the night and slept in longer than I recall him sleeping in before.  I don’t think he could have driven us during the time we had planned nor could have I as it was too dark for me to see.

          I feel bad for not having served at the pear farm this year.

I Touched My Face

           The air has been so dry.  This is NOT why we moved to Oregon.  We had moved for the moisture.  Probably we should have moved closer to the ocean.  I know I would have enjoyed the temperature more.  I can’t say it was the dry air that caused the wax build up that enters my right ear.  Always the right ear, never the left.  The last time I had a wax build up was when we lived in West Valley.  Jenna was either in first or second grade, so it has been more than eight years.  I was told the blob of wax was the size of a pencil eraser.  I suspect it is now roughly the same size.  I use ear wax removal and hot water in the shower.  I think it is smaller, but not out completely.  It doesn’t hurt but is annoying especially at night when I feel the beating of my eardrum.  I don’t remember having experienced that before.

          I haven’t taken Jenna out to the blueberry farm this entire month.  Toward the end of July I would get stomach pains due to the heat.  And then she took her turn feeling crummy.  And then back to me.  Because of my distorted hearing I seem to have lost my balance – I often feel light-headed and dizzy.  Throw my left eye into the mix and I’ve really got problems.  Though Jenna had asked if I had pink eye I chalked it up to a sinus infection that I was certain would last longer than it seems to be doing.  Still have the eye pain but not as much.  Taking showers has been helpful.  Puts a bit of moisture back into my body, but not enough to sustain me throughout the day. 

          Jenna and I drink a lot of water.  I keep a bottle on my night stand.  Normally I don’t drink the entire bottle during the night.  There are a few times when I have refilled it during the night – or the wee morning hours rather. But the last two months my bottle has been empty or near empty by the time I get up for the day even if I had refilled it during the night.   

          I have tried really hard NOT to touch my face – even before COVID but when my mind is distorted I forget.  When there is pain on different parts of the face it is hard not to touch it.

Golf Clubs

 

 

           Apparently I did not include these pictures in any of my June posts of our trip to NY.  Randy had introduced us to golfing.  That is one sport he never seemed to bother with when we lived in Utah but when he moved to New York he realized that most of his co-workers viewed golf as an essential and so he learned the sport and purchased a set of clubs in order to fit in.

          One thing about Randy is he has always taken to activities like a duck to water.  Seriously.  I have yet to see any sport, craft, or interest that he is not good at immediately. I do have a few relatives that seem to thrive on golfing.  I don’t find it all that enjoyable myself.

         As I had previously mentioned New York had just gone into Phase 1 the week we arrived.  The golf course had not yet opened but the practice range was. Randy had taken us there to teach Jenna and I how to golf.  Later he took Roland who seemed to enjoy it enough to purchase a set of golf clubs at a second hand store a month after our return. 

          The golf course in our area is not open for sport however – at least not at this time.  Currently it is being used as a walking park in order to get people out but still maintaining social distancing.

          I’m happy for Roland’s investment.  I hope that he will get  him out of the house – a bit of exercise.  Perhaps he can make some new friends and talk business with someone else other than me.

Two Dishes

           I must have at least a dozen posts in which I mention that I really don’t enjoy cooking.  Roland does.  If he was not in my life and it was only Jenna and me – well, we’d be living on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and milk.  I can follow a recipe, but cooking requires heat.  I hate the heat.

          Most of the time I have cooked dinner Roland doesn’t like it.  It surprises me that there are two things he does request of me.  Two Separate dishes: Potato salad and Ham chowder.  Neither which I have a recipe for but have done from memory.

          My mom was not the greatest cook – but then I’ve never had a sophisticated pallet and so never saw my mom as a lousy cook.  She wasn’t lousy.  Her food was edible, but it was mostly survival food – at least compared to Roland’s. I never thought of mom’s food as bland until after I was married.

          I remember seeing seasonings in the cupboards though not a lot.  I don’t think she seasoned or even salted her food. We had family staples such as spaghetti, hamburger-rice casserole, and ham chowder for instance.  She seemed to do a lot more cooking when Patrick and I were younger than she had after Corey and Kayla had come along.  

          I remember mom teaching Patrick and I how to make different foods.  We each made a loaf of French bread as she demonstrated.  I also remember her teaching me ham chowder.  She said you start with a rue – a flour and butter base.  You make a ball and slowly add canned milk and stir it in to keep it thickened.  When I told Roland that was how you start, he didn’t know what a “rue” was.  I don’t know if that was the word my mom told me.  The spelling that I used does not have a definition for cooking thickener. 

               [The correct spelling is R-O-U-X.  I now understand why I couldn't find it.]

          I have made potato salad more than I have ham chowder.  It has mostly been spontaneous because the potatoes need to be used up.  I prefer olives in my potato salad though olives have not always been available at the time Roland wants me to make potato salad.  Not everybody likes olives.  I know my youngest daughter-in-law does not.

            Roland’s latest request was for ham chowder.  I personally think it’s too hot for soups or hot chocolate. Nonetheless I made chowder yesterday.  I think it is one of the better ones I have ever made.

My Theme Song Right Now

 

I was introduced to the Holderness family early in the pandemic.  I love most of the parodies that I have seen.  As of now I relate to this one the most:

No, Not the Toilet!

Before we were given the stay-at-home order, Roland and I had ordered some tiles to finish the kitchen and change out the carpet in the bathrooms.  We had asked about toilet removal and were told that the contractors worked together and NOTHING would stop the production.  I think maybe COVID could . . .

 

picture from https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/100-home-repairs-you-can-do-yourself

We do have two bathrooms and so would be able to use the one that wasn’t being worked on.  Still it seemed unpredictable.  We didn’t feel good about it.  Especially after Lowes called to say they had received half the order and they would deliver it.  Um . . . no.  We want the whole order.  None of this waiting around for what MIGHT or MIGHT NOT happen.  We cancelled the order and said we would try again once COVID had ended (because by that time the Stay-at-home order had gone into effect – and though we would have liked to support the employment of those in need of finances seriously how would the crew be able to social distance in our bathroom?  Our entire house isn’t that big.)

It seemed a good time for road construction and many home projects but NOT the toilet.  I see pictures that have been posted by friends who grew gardens and added rooms and decks and landscape and what have you.  But every time I see a toilet I cringe thinking of all the time we may have waited for delivery and installation and possibly been without a second toilet – never mind the toilet paper.

 Meanwhile we purchased a new stove and gas line.  If we have another snowmegeden in which the electricity goes out again, we would like a back up so that we don’t freeze.  Plus the range that came with the house had crooked burners and only two of them worked.  I like our new stove and Roland LOVES it.  Before Covid we had a new roof put in and just added a front deck (which also needed to be replaced) and so the tiles have moved further down the list of purchases to make.  But perhaps by the time COVID does end for real we can move it back to the top.