New Years Day

           I remember taking down the tree on New Year’s Day each year.  It became tradition I would suppose for many families.  And gosh, darn, I will definitely miss the lights and decorations that had popped up in so many yards even before Thanksgiving.  The Myrtle Creek – Tri City area is always so dark.  It is nice to have the Christmas lights to remove some of the darkness.

          On New Year’s Day this year I read a couple of thoughts which helped ease the pain of this tradition that I have come to hate.  David Butler has a facebook page in which he shares uplifting thoughts.  On New Year’s Day he compared taking down the tree to the first Christmas – perhaps a week after the fact – when Joseph and Mary had to leave the manger and move on.  They could not stay where they were nor could they take the manger with them.  And why would they want to?  It wasn’t really a bed – a crib fit for a king.  And yet that is what it became.  The manger is a symbol.  The tree is a symbol.  Decorations.  They all have symbolic meaning.  And just because they are removed visually  does not mean we can’t still continue to hold them in our hearts.

          Meanwhile Corey has started a new blog.  Unlike his first blog in which he wished to remain unknown he uses his actual first name.  His goal is to provide uplifting messages.  I am certain he will be successful at it.  He mostly always lifts me up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candlepower

         He and Joh happened to be married on New Year’s Day. In his post he comments on spending their anniversary together and inviting another to attend a concert with them.  In his post he makes the comment that some think it is odd that they would invite another to celebrate their anniversary. His response “ . . .  seeing his eyes light up and seeing his spirit lifted is very joyous to us, and shouldn't that be what life is about--lifting others and making them feel good?”

          I admire my brother and so many others as David Butler and Emily Freeman for sharing their light. Thus even in darkness we can carry a light in our hearts.  May I keep that in mind with every new year I start by taking down the tree.

Jumping Out the Old and into the New

          Roland had agreed to pick up a friend of Jenna’s in Winston and take them both to the stake dance.  We allowed ourselves to agree to stay to chaperone.  It was fun watching the kids dance – or jump rather.  To every song!  I may have had the energy to do that when I was a youth but not now.  I can’t even go four minutes of jumping – let alone four and a half hours.  I hope that all of the youth may continue with that energy and never lose it.

         The last two weeks of December felt bleak.  It snowed after Christmas.  We had purchased sensor system last year so that we could be alerted to any packages or company that might drop by.  It is solar powered – needless to say we haven’t had many days of warning during those last two weeks of December.

         Currently the sun is shining.  The snow is mostly melted. What an awesome way to start the New Year.  May 2022 be more favorable than the last two.  At least 2021 didn’t feel nearly as long as the decade we call 2020.

Game Night to end 2021

 We had a game night with a two couples we have played with before.  We introduced them to “Virus” which tends to go faster when only two or three are playing as opposed to seven. 

There were some who got bored with the game and started using vaccination cards to assist other players who looked close to winning.  The one who finally won is the one who had come close to winning two times prior.  I’m glad he won.

              We played a second game called Five Crowns. 

              That turned out to be a long game too.  Roland has decided that we should order it for us – probably because he won the game without even trying.

              I LOVE playing games!  Well, many games.  Rummykub which we have all played before.  Roland didn’t want to overstay our welcome and we left after the two games as we had been playing games for two and a half hours.  Both Jenna and I could have played longer.  Perhaps some other time.

I Write For Me

           So often I will write down my thoughts as I ponder over the scriptures.  I write them down in hopes I will remember.  Sloppy cursive that I can’t always read.  I certainly don’t expect anybody else will. 

          Sometimes I jot down ideas when the computer isn’t available.  I plan to transfer my thoughts into something legible.  I still have many ideas stored in a folder for blogging reference.  Most of the time it gets ignored or else I move on from whatever thought I had.

          December 17 for instance.  I had looked up articles featuring Tik Tok and the disturbances it can cause.  It’s said that a fourteen-year-old was arrested for his part in upsetting the school systems and law enforcement who assisted with the safety of the students throughout the nation.  Two weeks later I still haven’t put it all together.

          I write for me.  If someone else can feel something because of my words – that is just a bonus.

Church is Cancelled Today

 Our bishop and second counselor are out of town.  The first counselor lives over an hour away - on good days.  Today would put him anywhere between 2 or 3 hours at best.  His house is probably buried beneath the snow along with any path that might lead to the off off grid property.

Here's how it looks in my neck of the woods - which really is a storm by western Oregon standards but seems an average day to someone born and raised in the Salt Lake area:

Christmas 2021

               We had signed up to feed the missionaries at 4:00.  We watched “An American Christmas Carol” and Jenna and I took Bonnie for a walk.  I think we talked with all three boys before Roland started dinner.

          Jenna says it’s tradition that we always have a breakfast meal for our Christmas Eve dinner.  So guess what the elders got? It wasn’t the traditional breakfast that we normally have.  Roland started cooking the meal just after 3:00.  Our meal consisted of steak, eggs, cornbread and hash browns with bacon.

Three elders arrived shortly before 4:00.  We put Bonnie in my room and fed the elders in the back room where we have the tree. Jenna does not like steak and could have made a meal out of corn bread alone. I think she had at least four pieces.

After the elders left we watched “Encanto” – well, Jenna did.  Roland and I watched part of it and fell asleep during most of it.  Shortly after 5:00 Jenna announced that she’d be going in her room.  Still tired, I asked Roland if he thought it was too soon for me to fill stockings and place the rest of the gifts under the tree. 

Jenna knocked on our door at 5:00 a.m. the next morning and told us that Christmas had officially started as she believes our waking up at 5:00 is also family tradition.  I guess it is, but then so is going back to bed after all gifts have been open – at least for the older folks.  But only Roland went back to bed and I fixed a light breakfast as I didn’t want only candy.

Jenna and I had learned to play a new game which Roland had received from Tony and Rochelle’s family.  It was fun.  We took Bonnie for a walk.  We each wore Santa caps and I wore a new outfit that I had received for Christmas and she was dressed as an elf. Jenna pointed out the snow capped hills behind the clouds that surrounded their base.  The rain has washed it out since our walk. 

At 4:00 Roland started getting hungry and we had our simple dinner of sausage and cheese.  Another tradition as of Christmas 2018 (see here).

The Yellow Ring

 

        I’ve written at least two posts regarding Alexa echo.  One mentions how we’ve separated the two by referring to them as Emily and Stacy (here) and the first post about the two colored rings that appear when voice activated. But there is a also a third color which appears by itself on occasion.  That circle is yellow in color and will provide notifications at random.  The last six were in reference to the weather as a storm is in the midst and has been for the last couple of weeks – though we haven’t seen the storm.

       Currently it is pouring – HARD- hard like the first rain we had encountered at Newport April 2015 (here).  I tried taking Bonnie for a walk.  I was okay with the rain falling down, but she was not.  Needless to say our walk was the shortest walk yet – perhaps the length of ten houses and back. I like the sound of rain.  I like the green grass.  I don’t see a storm. Some MC residents believe that there will be snow on the ground tomorrow.  I have my doubts.