A Winning Smile

When Jenna was a tot, all she had to do was flash her smile and a member of an older generation would whip out a quarter and hand it to her.  She hasn’t outgrown her charm and charisma, but I’m happy to say no one financially pays her for it anymore (I think with the age she is now that I’d be worried) 

One time we had gone to Big Lots and some guy on his way in had asked if I wouldn’t mind hanging on to his enormous Great Danes while he went inside.  I was hoping to get Biff’s attention so that he could get a picture of me hanging onto the leashes of these gigantic animals.  The owner had called them “Scooby Doo” dogs.  So now everytime I hear the name "Scooby Doo" I think of that time with Jenna.

 

                                    https://saveadane.org/2012/03/great-dane-ranking/

When he had finished his business, he came out of the store and presented Jenna with a five (maybe it was a one?)  dollar bill for watching his dogs.  Are you kidding me?  I think I did all the work.  I think she may have sung “You Are My Sunshine” to him for she had just learned the song and loved singing it for others.

It Was Always Personal . . . Now Even More

            I was just thinking about the need for human touch and how many articles have been written on what a wonderful therapy the human touch is for mankind and how some are trying to distance themselves and wear masks while others refuse.  The stay-at-home/lockdown order is slowly being lifted. It’s supposed to take place in phases though I KNOW for a fact there are some people who are NOT following the guidelines.  There are those who have never followed the guidelines to begin with.  There are those that believe they are beneath it.  These people aren’t even looking for human touch.  They are inconvenienced – hey, we all are.  But some of us are wise enough to understand that the reason we wear masks and social distance aren’t because we are sheep being controlled by the government.  Some of us understand that good hygiene protects not only ourselves but those we come in contact with. 

 This morning I saw the following posts on my brothers wall quoting his husband on his own wall.  I asked if I could share it on my facebook page.  I decided I would share it to my blog as well.

 

My brother’s post on day 57 of quarantine:

 

“It’s sadly ironic that just as Nevada is starting to gradually reopen that COVID-19 is touchin us in a very real and scary way.

 

He quotes his husband:

 

 “Just as cities across the nation are reopening, we would like to share some difficult news from my family.  My mother and my brother are currently in the hospital with COVID-19 and my other brother and sister-in-law, who have also tested positive for COVID-19, are quarantined at home with symptoms.  Although [Corey] and I have not been exposed ourselves, we do have other members of the family who have been exposed, but we do not have the results of their tests at this time.  This is our reality and COVID-19 is very real.

 “Because there are many things not know about this virus we can be fearful of the unknown, but we can also choose to be hopeful.  Our hope is that all of my family members recover quickly and feel better soon.  We believe in the power of prayer and good thoughts.  We are asking that all of you who know us please pray for a swift recovery for all of our afflicted family members.  Please join us in this walk of faith because with great faith we move forward and we believe that with each day new miracles are born.  Keep believing in the power of faith, hope, and love.”

 

Corey:  “We do not know how this will turn out.  We are, of course, looking and praying towards a positive outcome.  Many have come out of this well.  But we also recognize that many haven’t.  We are choosing to be cautiously optimistic and ask you to continue to send us your thoughts, prayers, vibes, mojo, and whatever else you’ve got.  I do think it’s worth recognizing, though, that the virus is still her and right now it’s very personal.  Please continue to be safe and smart, everyone.  Please continue to follow health directives to the best of your abilities.  You are not only protecting yourself, but you may also be saving a life that isn’t your own.

 

I know Jenna yearns for human contact from others besides just mom and dad.  I do, too.  Especially when I know we are standing more than six feet apart.  I want to hug without rubber gloves and cellophane.  I want to reach out to others.  If the virus doesn’t kill us perhaps hate, stupidity, and carelessness will.

Alexa, What Day is It?

Like the Holderness Family (here), I have lost track of days.  It did not help matters to see the mail truck come down our street twice yesterday.  Usually the time drags and doesn’t move quickly enough that it would have really been the next day, but I questioned the day when we saw the mail truck the second time.

            I don’t know that I have ever seen the mail truck repeat the route on the same day.  I like to think because I received a package that was so incredible large that there was not enough room in the box for the other three items.  But I think it had more to do with the ambulance across the street.

            That was also a unique situation – not that we hadn’t seen the ambulance at that house before during pandemic but it was the first time we had seen a fire truck pull up behind it with a group of about 5 volunteers gathered behind the ambulance as though they were meeting there for a social and were visiting with one another while waiting for the rest of their brood.  None of them were wearing masks nor were they social distancing. Jenna and I took our walk around the neighborhood after returning the package to the house.

            The package was marked from my middle son and his family.  We read this book after returning home.  

Four hours later we heard the mail truck again.  That’s when I questioned my sanity.  For the most part I do prefer being home – but these last six two and a half almost three years months have felt really long. It’s been worse for my sister, Kayla.  Even Corey, who is more introverted than I, seems worn out from it – but probably because his husband is extraverted.

            Tried adapting a routine.  It didn’t work.  Still have a puzzle left.

Lehi's Dream

            In 1 Nephi 8 (here) the prophet Lehi tells his family of a vision that he had received.  In his vision he see’s many people hanging onto an iron rod which leads to the tree of life. (video found here) There is a river along the path that leads to the tree.  Across the river is large and spacious building where several people are engaged in worldly activities.  Lehi sees people from his day as well as others – perhaps even our day.  He does not tell us that those toward the end of the line are wearing face masks and are standing six feet apart for instance.  The people in the spacious building laugh and point fingers at those holding onto the iron rod.  They have tried to convince the rod-holders to let go – especially those who are wearing masks and distancing themselves.  The people in the spacious building think that the rod holders are giving up their freedoms and are doing their best to convince them that they are allowing the government to control them. 

             The people in the building are saying things like, “We have jobs over here”   
             “We have many markets and stores”  
             "You can stand as close to one another as you’d like” 
            “If we so desire we can embrace other people who don’t live in our same house” 
             “We don’t have a government or a god.  We control ourselves”

                                                                                             

             Meanwhile, many of the people that are holding onto the rod continue to clutch even tighter.  Some have believed the words of the spacious building people and have let go.  Some of them are standing near the river trying to decide if it’s worth crossing.  Some have already been swallowed up by the mist of darkness.  They don’t quite believe the “spacious” people but have lost sight of the rod.  I think my boys fall into that category.  At least two think that this is a conspiracy and I have just shaken my head in disbelief.  Would the prophet, who is the mouthpiece of God, really lead us astray?  The government, perhaps, but not the leaders of the church.  They have been telling us this and preparing us for years – though none of us imagined this.

             COVID 19 may be scary, but not as scary as the aftermath.  Violent shoppers who don’t respect the distancing.  Many who have the idea that the universe revolves around them.  Riots.  Crowds.  Yea, crowds.  That in itself does not even appeal to me.  Though there are many who want to believe the words of the people from the spacious building, they don’t know how to get to the other side.  There has been too large a number of people drowning in the river as they try to cross.  They don’t have the insight that let’s them know we have to SLOWLY get back to normal – a new normal.  But they are impatient.  I believe that there impatience will set us back even further.

Thank U FrontLine - Chris Mann

I was listening to pandemic parodys yesterday when Jenna and Roland were in Roseburg.  For the most part I laughed and related to everyone.  I relate to this one to, but from the side of the grateful one for those on the frontline.  The video makes me cry . . . everytime.  It's a beautiful song and message.

and if the video is ever removed the words and music here without the pictures (which make the message more powerful)  Thank you, Chris Mann for this message and beautiful song.

Fire on the Freeway

The Relief Society Pres has felt impressed to make little banana breads and plates of cookies to be delivered to some of the sisters in the ward.  I volunteered to help with deliveries and had Jenna with me as we drove around to deliver cookies.

 Two of the sisters we had delivered to live off the same exit as our friend Caroline.  So after we had finished delivering the cookies, we stopped by Caroline’s house to visit.  I think we were a bit closer than six feet apart but did keep our distance.

 We could hear the sirens and then followed by a noise between a “pop” and a “boom” – it didn’t sound like gunfire exactly, certainly not an explosion.  I still don’t know if it was related to the sirens or not, nor do I know what happened.  Caroline  said she could smell something resembling like burnt plastic. If I had gotten back on the freeway and headed south, driven through Canyonville and back through Riddle I would have missed the “stand still” traffic – but I didn’t know I5 had been turned into a parking lot until I was part of the non-moving traffic.

I had even pulled over to allow a firetruck to pass.  We didn’t know that we would see at least eight more emergency vehicles use the shoulder to pass the long line of trucks and cars.   We could see the smoke.  Black smoke to the west and white smoke to the east – or so it appeared.  Some drivers exited their vehicles and walked around in search of answers.  I don’t know if they ever came.  I watched three different news shows and there was no report.

 I don’t know how long those toward the front of the line had been waiting.  Jenna and I had only been a part of the line only twenty to thirty  minutes though it seemed longer as it was over 80 degrees outside.  I think the smelly smoke just added to the heat that was felt.  I don’t know if plastic was involved.  By the time we got pass the “source” it wasn’t identifiable.  According to this report which I found this morning, the remains had once been part of a motor home.  

rough example of where I think fire was.  Red line indicates
the area we were delivering cookies.  Purple path is alternative
of not using freeway.  Orange path shows path firetrucks had
to take in order to get to the fire.

This view was taken from above - I have no idea where the
photographer was standing.  I didn't know there were roads there

This is how the smoke appeared on the west side;  photo cropped from this link
 https://kobi5.com/news/i-5-temporarily-closed-north-of-canyonville-due-to-fire-128192/

Jenna took most of these.  I think I may have taken this first one

There were several cars between us and the ones in photograph

Taken from our car

I took this one of Jenna handing out paper
cranes she had made during our wait

after about 20 minutes or so

all of these vehicles had passed us on the shoulder

hard to believe it had been a motor home as this was all that remained

 

Feeling Blessed

                On April 20 I received an email for a work assignment for the 13 – 28.  I was scheduled to work at Coffenberry for the rest of the year.  I posted this assignment on facebook and proposed two questions:  If they wanted me on the 13^th, why did they wait until the 20 to tell me?  The schools are closed, but do you think if I show up that I will get paid? 

            Roland had suggested that I qualify for unemployment, but he was still working and I didn't want to take away from somebody else who needed more than we.  As it turned out I didn't even qualify as I hadn't put in enough hours or made enough.  And that was okay.

            I haven’t been to any of the schools since March 13.  The school district has payments available on the 10^th but today I received a notification about the automatic deposit into my account.  I WAS paid.  Early at that.  Today is only the 8th.  Roland says that the school systems may be allotted so much money per year and are faced with a "use it or lose it" decision at the end.  I hope that they were able to pay the instructors at least three times the amount of their normal paycheck as they have worked harder during the pandemic than in the public classrooms.  It seems unfair as I haven't contributed to the online education in anyway. I haven't even volunteered at the library.  I understand books can be reserved online for drive-by pick up now.

            Currently there are people who are afraid to work, jobs made available to those who quit, businesses reopening too soon (in my opinion anyway) and people struggling.  I thank Heavenly Father for all the unexpected blessings that have come my way during this pandemic. 

Two Leaders

All of my life I have heard about the signs of the times and what will take place in the last days – the speculations and the truth.  I hadn’t questioned a lot of it as I planned on being on the other side long before the majority of the signs came to pass – which I still might.  Things will only get worse before they start to get better.  I don’t say that to be morbid or because I’m pessimistic.  It is fact.

One of the things I was taught was that the people may choose one of two leaders.  In today’s case it would be either the words of a prophet or the leader of the country, state, whatever a person feels.  There are Trump supporters.  There are those who know that Pres. Nelson is a mouthpiece for God.  Not all people are in favor of Trump.  Not all people recognize Pres. Nelson as a prophet.  Not everybody has a testimony of God’s love. 

I am choosing to follow the counsel of the prophet.  Regardless of whether the world reopens or not – if the Church doesn’t open for meetings and communication remains virtual, then so-be-it.  I will continue with the stay-at-home order.  I will continue wearing a mask and distancing myself.  Even if it is no longer required.

Poor Jenna.  How horrible this situation is for our youth right now.  I don’t know how to make her feel better.  It’s an unpleasant situation if we make it that way.  We can’t control other people’s choices.  We can only control our own.  This may only be a dress rehearsal.  It won't last forever.  But I predict it will continue for quite a while before it gets better.

Uplifting Quotes

Among the Silly Memes are more seriously themed messages.