Beneath the Wraps

                   We went to a primary baptism on Saturday.   I was surprised to see Azure’s dad dressed in white. According to Hannah, her husband had been inactive for eight years.   Evidently Azure had talked him into coming back so that he could baptize him – which he did.               The baptism was a lot more reverent than the last primary baptism Jenna and I had attended.   Roland actually went with us to this one. There was still the visiting between the confirmation and the baptism though everyone seemed to be more respectful and non visiting the two times we had waited in the chapel.   I don’t know why the visitation bothers me so much, but it does.               Jenna had brought along an activity book to keep herself entertained. ...

            Would it be possible to just forego our changing the clocks every six months and just do away with the whole daylight/standard thing?   Go with one or the other, but enough is enough with the falling back and springing ahead.   Daylight savings was created long before the modern technologies that we enjoy today.   From the Wikipedia map it appears that most countries no longer practice.   So why do we?   Is one hour really going to make a difference?             I remember several times (when I was working downtown) catching the bus in the dark and the cold.   It would be dark when I left the house.   It would be dark when I came home.   What difference does it make if those 5-8 hours of light happen between 9:00 and 5:00 or 7:00 to 2:00? I was at work.   I missed the daylight – except when I passed a wi...

            Near my daughter’s school is an assisted living facility – at least that’s how it is advertized.   I think it is more of a retirement home or independent living.   No memory care is provided (but there are many facilities that don’t have the memory care included). To me it appears that the residences are free to come and go.   I don’t know that for a fact.   It just appears that way.             Two months before the family assigned me the task of looking into care facilities I looked into the one close to Vantanna.   The man who showed me around was very nice and gave me a binder of all I had seen and the cost.   He encouraged me to look into other facilities but guaranteed that all would be more expensive.   And he was right.             I remember giving Core...

When I was Jenna’s age, I don’t recall Halloween being dragged out the way it is now.   At school we dressed up in costume and then there was trick-or-treating.   One day.  One night.  Not all week and all month.  Jenna dressed up in costume when she attended preschool but not with attending elementary. I don’t know of any schools who continue with that tradition.   Jenna’s school doesn’t. Before we moved to West Valley we spent a week of Halloween going to different events each day.   Jenna had dressed as a fairy – from full outfit to just wings. It started out with Sunny helping Jenna to create a wand – which we would use as a prop for her costume. There was the after school carnival that the high schoolers had put on for the children in elementary school, our own personal make-up party, a fall festival, and finally the trunk or treat.   We used to do an annual Halloween party in that particular ward, but I don’t recall ...

When I was younger I had a crush on Michael Cole  who portrayed the character Pete Cochran on the Mod Squad.  I was probably more in love with the idea of Pete than I was infatuated with Michael. Recently I watched an episode of the old TV Series and felt admiration all over again. Pete Cochran is a gentleman.  He opens doors for women.  He shows compassion.  This particular episode was shot in its final season around Christmas time.  An acquaintance of Pete asked him if he could watch his daughter for an hour.  The acquaintance said there was some business he needed to take care of but that he’d be right back.  Pete willingly took his daughter and kept on eye on her for several hours actually. Pete, estranged from his own parents, encouraged the little girl to pray.  She said that she didn’t believe in God and Pete’s answer introduced her to the world of hope.  I admired him for his carefully selected words.  And I...

I saw the leaves scurry quickly across the street when pushed by the angry wind which has been howling the last few days.  It appears that autumn is nearing its end this year. But we have been blessed with warmth and colors and really awesome weather for the most part.   Some trees remain in their brilliant state of gorgeous color while others have been stripped naked - skeletons ready for the harshness of winter.   I hope it's not a harsh winter like last year.  It was cold. Always so cold. Miserably cold.   And summer was unbearably hot. But autumn was awesome. autumn is awesome. Let us keep that awesome feel.   Mother Nature please don't strip the trees. Let them radiate throughout the year - without the wind, without the snow, without the heat, without the cold.

            My daughter LOVES arts and crafts.   In school she made a paper mask of a female skull.   She is quite proud of it and so wanted me to have my own skull, which she tried to make identical to her own.             She decided that when we boarded the bus this morning, we would hold up our masks over our faces.   She made up lyrics on the way to the bus stop and sung them to the tune “Carol of the Bells”             She made me learn her song before the bus came so that we could sing the song before we held up our masks.   I learned the song but told her that we would not be able to sing its entirety before boarding the bus.   And so she sung only the last line as we held up our masks.   Our bus driver laughed.        ...