Back on Track . . . perhaps . . .

 

          In addition to all the “Come Follow Me” videos that I watch each week, I also refer to the “Come Follow Me” page on facebook – not that I have ever read entirely through every post or comment made.  My brain is simple and not complex in understanding things like Isaiah or The Temple Pattern. But there have been gems worth digging for. 

          In the beginning many contributors would post links to their videos – which became a bit tiresome and seemed to distract for the purposes of the page.  There was a vote and contributors would be allowed to post their videos on Mondays . .  or something.  I actually lost sight.  Book of Mormon last year seemed to be monitored better than Doctrine and Covenants of this year.  Maybe not so much that way at the start of the year as . . . was it during the summer?

          A month ago one contributor posted: “What happened to this page? There are, like, five people posting 90% of the content, and the content is mainly reels.”

          It made me laugh as I had thought the very same thing.  I think there were seven comments made before an admin posted “Thank you for bringing problematic posts and comments to our attention”

Doesn’t appear that anything was done though with the death of President Nelson and conference the following week, it did seem understandable that there would be posts made not related to the Doctrine and Covenants or current study assignment..  Still a lot of shares not related to the topic at hand.  I get it.  It doesn’t upset me, but it did make me wonder if the page was even looked at by its creators – or if all the comments just seemed so out of control and the creators just stepped back and weren’t involved anymore.  I still wonder. 

Today the page appears to be back to normal.  Either way there are still gems to be had.  It’s just a matter of digging.

Up, Up and Away

 

Richard’s new guilty pleasure is Hulu’s “Inside Airport Lost and Found” which focuses on objects left behind.  When there is unclaimed luggage security is contacted to bring a dog to sniff the luggage.  The story unfold with an entire set unclaimed bags that had been setting in said destination for over ten minutes.  Ten minutes?

I recall returning home from my mission.  I don’t remember the airline – Continental I think.  I was the only sister missionary who was returning.  When we landed in Atlanta our connecting flight was just one gate over – but we had time to ride the shuttle and so got on it just for fun. The holdup happened in Denver as I recall.  I don’t remember the exact number of elders who were on the plane with me.  We had missed our connecting flight and had to be rescheduled or else the plane was running late or something.  One plane was overbooked.  They asked for volunteers to take another flight and were bribed with tickets for future plans.

I recall one elder wanting to take the opportunity and another counseling him not to since the tickets were arranged by the church and not the individual.  Turns out they wouldn’t have worked for said bribe anyway.

Meanwhile families had turned out to welcome back their missionaries.  This was back in 1986 when families could wait at the gates.  Mom said it appeared that the entire ward of someone had turned out.  When passengers started to disembark the crowd waited.  They waited and waited.  When the flight attendants followed by the pilots disembarked one of the family members who’d been anxiously waiting for his missionary turned to the crowd and implied that his son was some kind of jokester and we were all still aboard the plane.  But we were not. They had a LONG wait. 

My sister was hungry – everybody was hungry.  But Shelly was the only one willing to eat lentil soup which (at the time) was the least expensive thing on the menu.  People left.  How much longer would they have to wait around.  There were inquiries – where are the missionaries who should have arrived.  Some calls were made and some names were given.  I think there may have been six elders coming home – but I don’t know if all were by way of Salt Lake City.  Regardless, they had the names of whoever was supposed to arrive.  They had all the names of the elders but not the sister.  So of course my mom seemed to panic.  Where was I?

I arrived an hour and a half later with the number of missionaries headed to Utah.  My luggage didn’t seem to be on the carrousel so I told my family that we could go eat and just return for my luggage the next morning.  It was well over ten minutes.  Probably over twelve hours before I even called the airport to ask about the luggage. 

          I was asked about the color of my luggage.  Blue.  Like how many possible blue pieces could there be?  500?  1000.  I remember explaining to someone that I had come on Continental whatever number it was.  He said he remembered seeing it in the United terminal.  How?  What?  How could you possibly know those bags were mine out of the many pieces of luggage you much see each hour? but that I had initially been scheduled to fly United.  We all had.  But the elders’ luggage had been transferred to Continental.  Mine had remained with United which is why there wasn’t a record of me being on Continental. 

          I was grateful that I hadn’t stuck around to pick up my luggage with another 30 minute to how many hours later? I was impressed with the knowledge that this individual had regarding my luggage.  Perhaps it had been reported and that’s how he knew.  As I recall I did have to pick it up at the United unclaimed luggage and show proof that it was mine.  I hadn’t thought about that until just this very second.  Did the airport have dog security back then? 

Good-Bye My Electronic Friend

 

          On February first 2021 I

created a post about how I

felt that my first owned kindle

was giving out. 

Happy to say it lasted almost

four years later. 

Almost.  

            Loading puzzles became more of an

ordeal as the poor thing must have been exhausted.

           The kindle had not recognized the internet for

some time and I could only play games that were

left in the cloud.

Last week the battery was completely

dead and wouldn’t come back to life. 

Thank you for the many times we

had together. 

I will miss you. 

You led a good life.

Oh Dear . . . Not Going Your Way?

  

          He wanted to get rid of Tiktok.

I think it became more popular.

          He wanted (still wants I would imagine)

to take away Freedom of Speech 

from certain comedians by bullying networks

        But He didn't get his way.

Why did he not get the Noble Peace Price?

Who in the hell nominated him?

The same mindless people who elected him

in the first place.

Do they understand why the Noble Peace Price is awarded?

Recently I subscribed to a news-in-a-nutshell with included scripture

I need the uplift.

Everybody does.

Government Shutdown

 

          Today is Richard’s birthday. 

Jai had suggested that we drive to

the Redwoods today.  

Redwood National Park is only two and

a half hours from where we live. 

We figured the cost would be on

whatever we spent and gas and food. 

Only the weather forecast presents

more moisture than Richard would

care to deal with. 

Monday looks great but Jaime is

not able to go with us on Monday. 

Turns out we couldn’t have gone anyway

due to government shut down as all

national parks are closed. 

I don’t see them opening up real soon. 

Our country seems so corrupt. 

There is too much violence. 

Not just here but in the world. 

STOP!

Another Great Trip to the Dentist

 

          I am such a Big Baby about going to the dentist.  Nothing personal against the dentist or his assistance -  I just don’t like to be flat on my back as it is – and especially with my mouth open trying to breathe with tools in my mouth.

          I’ve felt fatigued the last few mornings and Richard wanted to run some errands today.  I figured riding in the car would put me further into a coma and so I took one of those energy shots to keep me awake.  Not only did it NOT keep me awake, but I think it interfered with the Novocain that the dentist gave me.  Thus I was more disoriented than I had been before we left the house.

          So the dentist lowers me down in the chair and I asked for a pillow so that I wouldn’t get a neck cramp – but that just invited him to lower me even more.  I understand the need for him to have me in that position so he can better see and work in my mouth – but for the most part I feel a little lake of saliva forming in my throuat and though I tried really hard to breathe through my nose I gagged.  I gagged at the pool of saliva and wished the suction would find it and remove it from my throat.

          I swear he used enough Novocain to knock out a large elephant. It felt like he poked me three times in the same exact area.  I was already numb from the first poke.  Why did he have to poke me again? So this is what is going through my head as my mouth was being prodded.

          “Ow, OW!  OW . . . Oh, my gosh that hurts!  If there weren’t tools in my mouth I’d probably scream.  But that would probably make my mouth more painful . . . what with risking the tools impairing me even more.

          “Ow.  OW.  Why are you prodding me in the same exact area where you have already poked?  What about the other side of my face.  OW.!  Holy cow!  The left side of my face is numb.  Why can I even feel that!  Ow”

          The assistant uses the suction cup and trickles of water.  I think she is doing a good job.  And I feel the dentist poking his pinchers into my gum again.

          “OW.  Holy Cow.  Are you kidding me?  What happens to the right side of my face?  My mouth already feels the size of a bouncy house.  My left side is numb – except where that pinch is.  OW!  Stop it already!  . . .”

          I am shaking.  Weird.  I don’t remember ever shaking in the dentist chair.  Half of my face is numb – even my left nostril.  I feel disoriented and they ask if I’m doing okay. 

          “No.  No I’m not doing okay.  I feel like I’m going to die.”

          They assured me that they would keep me alive.  That’s good.  I don’t particularly wish to die in a dentist chair.  I wasn’t quite in a coma, but felt myself slipping away.  Has Novocain ever made me tired before?  Why was I shaking?  It wasn’t until later that I decided it was the caffeine that was making me shake.  Guess that was a very unwise decision on my part.

          I was so dizzy when I left the dentist chair.  Good thing Richard was driving as I was in no condition to drive myself.  It took over four hours for the Novocain to finally wear down.  I can now drink a glass of water without dribbling.

Random Thoughts . . . very random

 

          All summer long I have been able to open the windows and allow fresh air to enter the house early each morning.  And this month has been great for early morning air – that is until recently.  Smokey skies since Saturday.  I don’t even know where the smoke is coming from.  There are three fires just below the California border. 

          Alexa tried to tell us it was the Bootleg fire – the biggest fire in the nation – in 2021.  I don’t think the smoke that lingers outside is from that fire. Emigration, perhaps.  But I don’t know.  I am currently not able to open the windows or door as I will start coughing.

          Watched Jimmy Kimmel’s return – suspended indefinitely but less than a week later . . . I had never seen his program before but am happy to see not only his return but the support for freedom of speech.  It’s the principle of the thing.  I am happy to learn that abc has not allowed the bullyism of some to pull the plug on one-sidedness.  Forget dictatorship. I support Jimmy Kimmel’s message and endorsement to continue.

          Pres. Nelson passed away Saturday night.  On Sunday a congregation gathered for a stake conference in Grand Blanc Michigan.  Another crazy shooter and arsonist upset the meeting.  Lives were lost and several others were injured.  We don’t know the motive or intention.  Did the individual specifically target the LDS church or an individual who happened to be there?  Freaky.  And no flags were flown at half mass for any of them.

          Signs of the times.  More reason to turn to the Lord.

Shortly after I posted the above, Richard and I went to Roseburg to pay a bill.  We were blessed with a rain which thus far has cleared out the smoke.  I have the window open once more.  And it is beautiful!