Beneath the Wraps

  What city do you consider your "home town"?           I grew up in an unincorporated area which meant our town did not have its own jurisdiction . Though we used a Midvale address, we were not really a part of it - or at least that was my understanding.   I do remember just before or shortly after I went to junior high, there was talk of our unincorporated being annexed to Murray.   That was a proposal brought up by one individual named Mr. Card.   I remember several people being upset about it.                           I remember a meeting had taken place at East Midvale Elementary School.   We had gone there like so many others to understand more about what was taking place.   I remember one individual in particular who spoke up for the boundaries to be left alone.   His son,...

Hard is the opposite of Easy .   Hard is also the opposite of Soft .   I have made several hard boiled eggs in my life time.   I have eaten my eggs soft boiled before.   I have had them over-easy, but not easy boiled. I have sat in chairs that have been very hard. I have sat in chairs that feel soft.   I've had an easy time sitting on some chairs I've had a very hard time with others. Take the theatre chairs at Jenna's school for instance. They are not easy to get into.   They may be soft to the small teenage buttox, but I am a plump woman who finds it difficult - or hard to sit comfortably.   I have learned that those teeny bop chairs are hard er to get out of. Our carpet is not soft to the naked foot but I would not say that it's hard; it is rough. I have a hard time keeping my slippers over my toes; they seem to come off very easily. I have a hard time keeping focused on my accounting material....

   Normally I try to stay clear of politics, but with government shut down  , it has been on my mind.  My post is meant to be on our reactions and not what is currently taking place (or not taking place) at the white house.           Roland is an avid follower on Sunday Morning on CBS.  Following Sunday Morning is "Face the Nation" though the station generally gets changed to another before  Face the Nation  comes on.  This program was on this morning when Jenna and I planted ourselves on the couch and looked up to see Margaret Brennan ask questions to Secretary of State,  Michael Richard Pompeo , who for the most part seemed robotic with his answer - or somebody's answers anyway.   Jenna and I laughed as he obviously read the answers and showed no facial emotion whatsoever - actually there were a few times where he smiled.   Jenna and I suspect he had lost his place on the screen and was...

          Yes, it is unusual to see a bubbled syringe under the title "Smile" as there are so many children who view this as a torturing device.   They run and hide, fidget, scream . . . and why would a mother look upon this reminder of such dramatic uncooperativeness as something that would put a smile on her face?   She wouldn't.   But I was blessed with a child who was more than cooperative.   Jenna enjoyed the bubbled syringe.   Unlike most children, Jenna was amused by this devise.   It must have tickled her nose when I attempted to suck out the snot.   She also laughs about Vick's vapor rub because "it smells funny" - and not "funny" as in questioning the expiration date of a product.   Whenever I try to rub it on her she does squirm - but only because she is laughing so hard claiming that it tickles her.   Weird.   But awesome.   I don't know of any other mother who has sha...

          I try to keep the room cool so I can fall asleep more easily.   Last night it was cold.   I still managed to sleep.   But I felt overly warm at 3:30 this morning.   When the heat kicked on I moved into the bathroom and stood by the window until the heat shut off.   I then wrote the following: From where I stand I can hear the traffic moving over I5 but I cannot see it Even if the fog wasn't there From where I stand I cannot see Old Pacific Highway I can barely see the street where I live From where I stand I can hear the trains I know the tracks were not completely abandoned But had never seen a train in Myrtle Creek until the other day when I went to meet my friends for coffee. I parked between Good Dogs and the park and I saw the train passing the tracks where Jenna and I have explored and taken several pictures. From where I stand I somehow seem ...

          Before school was back in session I had accepted two job assignments - one was for yesterday.  I had worked with the person I was replacing, but had never worked in her place.  Meanwhile, I had received a call from an aide at one of the other schools.  In a way I prefer her schedule over the one I had lined up for myself yesterday. She primarily works with the middle schoolers and does not have an assigned recess.  She is there for breakfast duty but doesn't have lunch duty.  I like that.                     After I returned home, I turned on the computer to view at least one missing lecture.   Both had been posted - but once again,   the accounting instructor just read through each slide and problem.   There was no mention of discussion, assignment and so forth.   Like I'm going to purposely s...

Home and Health #4:  "In  childhood, did you share a bedroom with siblings or have a room to yourself?"             I believe it was in 1961 when my parents purchased the three bedroom house in Midvale.   I joined them a year later and had my own room.   I'm certain that I must have started my life in our new house in my parents' bedroom sleeping in a white bassinet.   I don't know how old I was when I was given my own room or why I ended up where I did.   My room was the furthest from mom and dad's room.   I think they put me in there as I was a light sleeper and heard every sound.   That is the first room I remember being mine.           I don't know how old I was when I requested that my room be painted pink, but I remember I had to take down my posters.   I had three of girls with big eyes.   I don't even remember what each was do...

          It is the first Sunday of the year and the year of change as we have dropped an hour.   There will now be two Sunday schools per month, two RS (YM/YW, Priesthood) per month.   Apparently all the organizations except for the primary will meet together on the 5th Sunday.   Primary is still its own separate thing.   Whereas, two hours of primary seemed way too long at times, this one hour deal is like blinking your eyes.   At least that is how it felt today.                     On the first Sunday last year there were 15 children the valiant class alone.   I don't know how many were in the others.   This year we have only two classes: CTRs and Valiants.   There are no Sunbeams this year, and only three Valiants.   Two instructors are definitely needed in CTRs this year - what a wide assortment o...

I have seen two different cats hanging around our house.  Jenna has named the three that she has seen and Roland says he's seen four. None of them appear to be scroungy or "homeless" and I have wondered what it is that attracts them to our yard in the first place.  Perhaps it was when Roland put up the bird feeder - though we haven't seen too many birds this winter.   I'm pretty sure that the black cat is a tom.   He wants nothing to do with people.   He runs away if we open the door - and he always dashes off as if he is trying to escape whatever he's guilty of.   Jenna calls him Midnight. I don't recall ever having seen Ghost before we came home from our Christmas vacation.   She is really friendly, well kept.   We're certain that she belongs to somebody, but we don't know who.   She likes attention.   She wants to cuddle.   She has very soft fur.   Jenna loves her. I took several pictures of Ghost.   ...

Well, I was going to save this for next week, but might as well post this right now as I have learned one of my assignments for next week is quite time consuming and I'm wondering if I will be able to post at all.  Only two and a half accounting classes to go.  June will be here in no time. The word " Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia" has 15 syllables.   15!   It's a real word that rolls of Jenna's tongue the way "sunset" or "syllable" might roll off my own tongue.   The word "Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia" means "the fear of long words".   Well, that is just rude to saddle on one who has said phobia.   The origin and breaking apart of the 15 syllable word are found in this post by Jacob Oleson. Jenna LOVES long words.   The more syllables it contains, the better the word, in her opinion.   Oh, she is not an avid speller of words, not even phonetically (which Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia appears t...

When Jenna was younger, we  would sometimes watch shows on demand.   I cannot remember the name of the program we  watched geared toward young children on development.   I thought it was called "Baby Genius" but  am unable to find a series under that name.   There are only two episodes I remember more  detail than others.  One was a special during  the Christmas holidays on how candy canes  are made.    Another I remember teaching colors.  I remember  yellow specifically.  An egg was cracked open.   The yolk was identified as "yellow".  And then the egg was whisked, and milk was added to it for  "light yellow"  I think the yolk appears to be more orange than yellow. I haven't thought about that show for years until  the last two times I have been beating the eggs I've made for breakfast.  I watch the yolk mixed  with...

                  In September I created this post about "Dashes" and how they're to be defined by each of us as we write our memories that spell out our life.   One of my goals this year was to answer one of the dash questions once a week until I got through all 52 of them.   But there are actually more than 52.   Twelve topics provide twelve questions each here though only 52 are highlighted here .   5 each from 6 topics and 4 each of the remaining 6.               Some I have already answered without the intent of answering - they just all happen to be subjects that I've posted about.   So I will "define my dash" with some dash questions and some others that I picked up from journal jars or Relief Society handouts (assigning random numbers to the ones not suggested on Family Search.   Mix them up a little. ...