Happy Valentine’s Day

                I will be surprised if school is not cancelled today.  I got up at 4:30 this morning and went into another room as I was hot in the bedroom.  When I looked out the window in the backroom I noticed the snow that we had heard about yesterday. Too many people on the west side of Oregon do not know how to drive in snow.  They haven’t had to deal with it nor is the state equipped to make the roads safe as they are in Utah for instance.

        My granddaughter and her mother worked on Valentines yesterday.  The craft fairy looks like she blew up on my coffee table.  Her box isn’t finished.  It’s a dog that still needs its tail.  She will be devastated when she hears the news that school is cancelled.  Everything in life that happens is for or against her.  She doesn’t realize that there are other people who may feel the same way. 

            Valentines happens to be a holiday that I have never cared for.  The only reason that I ever received as many valentines as I did was because it was mandatory in school.  I remember delivering Valentines from door to door.  I guess I didn’t mind it.  But as the years evolved so did my attitude about Valentine’s Day.  For me, the holiday sucked big time.  With each passing year I have loathed Valentines Day more than the year prior so that when I was finally married and had someone I still couldn’t bring myself to love the sappy, gag-me-with-a-spoon, gross holiday.  Nothing against Richard.  It is just how I had conditioned myself all of this time.

            We did go out for lunch yesterday.  Richard said it was count as our valentine celebration.  Good thing.  My attitude and being stuck in the house with the other family members is not how I would like to celebrate.  What unChrist like love on my part.

Object Comparisons

 In his “Teaching With Power” John 2-4 video, Brother Wilcox shares this slide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ7QShWWP7U

with the challenge to find a way to use an object as part of a lesson on teaching the scriptures or more importantly, Christ.  I then turned to “Don’t Miss This” where Emily Freeman compared a discarded titanium bicycle that one might see as worthless.  She talked about the value in restoration and compared this to the “worth of souls” as viewed by the others and how the Savior sees us before we are restored. 

Even in our "discarded" state, the Savior knows
us and what (or who) we can become

 I have accepted Ben Wilcox’s challenge and am excited about this quest.  I may create some posts about how I would use each of this (though the rubber duck seems to be stumping me the most of these)  It may take a while.  I hope to be guided by the Spirit as I embark this journey.

The Banker Makes the Rules

           Recently Richard purchased the game “Roseburg-opoly”.  

He had wanted to buy “Salt Lake opoly” for a while now – not available in Oregon.  I wonder why.  Or Disneyopoly.  It really does not matter what version, it’s still Monopoly – a long drawn out game with only one winner who diminishes every other player with greed and absolutely no mercy.  I hate it.  Too much like real life in many cases with the business world.  I’m not business minded.  Never have been.  Never will be.

          Richard is a stickler for the rules but will add the luxury of reason the “free parking” space (or in this case “I love Roseburg”) exists: 

to collect all of the money that was thrown in the middles of the board due to paying taxes, hospital bills and so forth.  Also in the Roseburg addition properties can be mortgaged for face value and not just half or partial as the authentic monopoly. And instead of buying houses and hotels players buy blocks and keys to the city.

          When Jaime and I are bankers we will add all kinds of rules more out of convenience and less from a business perspective.  Properties can be bid on once they are landed upon.  Players don’t necessarily have to pay full price.  Players can also stay in jail (or traffic jam) for as many turns as they need before rolling doubles and do not have to fork out 50 dollars (in the Roseburg addition it is 100) automatically after three tries. Most importantly player does NOT have to build evenly.  You want to purchase a hotel without buying houses - go for it.  It doesn't have to be an even build. Neither Jaime nor I often are banker.  Both would prefer playing something else.

Marking Scriptures

               When I was in high school I can remember circling certain letters to indicate if the footnote was a Joseph Smith Translation or another translation of a certain word.  

I brought those set of scriptures with me into my marriage.  Unfortunately I have not referred to that particular set for quite some time. I like using the internet as I can change the font size.  I have referred to the footnotes on occasion but am not always satisfied with the results.  I can’t mark scriptures on the Internet in the same manner that I can mark a book.

          I don’t have the Internet on my phone and will still bring a physical Bible to read.  The physical Bible I use had belonged to my dad.  It isn’t marked with circles the way my high school Bible had been.  I just started to go through the footnotes yesterday to mark the way I had in high school.

Bees Buzzing

         They’re really not.  It just sounds that way as our flooring is being ripped out.  Flooring that we just had put in.  But there was a leak.  And now the entire floor must be replaced – though I don’t think it does.  The flooring that needs to be replaced the most is in another area.  One that was serviced already but needs to be replaced again. 

I was going to take pictures of what is taking place but haven’t had the ambition.  I don’t feel well.  Didn’t each much of a breakfast because of aches and pains – that haven’t stopped.  Bonnie is currently in my room and is sad as she would like everyone in the house to pet her.  And there are a lot of them.  Or were.  Our life currently in boxes.  Buzzing bees.  I’m in a trance.

Did Bonnie Drag Her Bed Into Our Room?

 

         Ever since Biff and his brood moved in, Bonnie has been whinier during the night – especially after Christmas break.  She misses Jaime, obviously.  But more importantly it isn’t fair that Char gets to sleep with his people and Bonnie has to stay in a different room by herself.  She doesn’t know how loudly she snores.  She could seriously put a fog horn to shame. I have never heard Char snore. I rarely hear him at all.

         When I heard Bonnie whining last night I got to let her outside.  Instead she charged into our room and wouldn’t leave. Richard doesn’t like Bonnie wiping herself on our carpet and so I went and retrieved Char’s cushion (which has now become Bonnie’s second bed as Char doesn’t use it) so that she could lay on that and not in a place where neither Richard nor I would trip over her. 

         This morning Richard made some comment about Bonnie’s presence.  I told him about her barging in.  Richard asked if she had dragged her bed into our room.  Funny.

Pan Am Conference of 1910

           My brother Steven has always been well read.  Long before Google and the Internet, Steven was avid at finding reference materials.  He read about various subjects until there was nothing left to research.  He has always been well informed about so many subjects – except maybe the Pan Am Conferences of 1910 – not even a subject of his choosing but rather one that had been assigned to him in school.  The encyclopedia included perhaps an entire paragraph for the Pan Am Conference of 1932 or 36 or some year in that decade.  I can’t remember.  But it was a couple of decades after the assigned year which had even less documented.

          I don’t recall what the word count was assigned to the students or if they all had the same topic or exactly how it worked.  Steven was miffed as he’s been required to come up with more information that he could find.  And so he got creative with his report and wrote it in form of a detective novel searching for clues.  In the end his report had more than the required amount – possibly too many words.  I don’t remember what kind of a grade he received, but I think his creativity had worked to his advantage.  I see Wikipedia has much more information that he was able to come with.  But then again, maybe not as over a century of conferences are mentioned – but nothing detailed.

          So what triggered this memory for me?  Richard’s ranting about required writing and using peer reviewed references and language so explicit that even the average professor wouldn’t understand – let alone the common folk that hopefully he will be able to supervise when or before he is through with all this nonsense.  I am a majorly bored sounding board.  But it somehow helps him to think out loud.   I get fed up with professors who nit pick at the format rather than the context.  What are we learning?

Don't Give Me My Own Space - I'll Work In Yours

 

          There was a time when Jaime was three and her sister Pamprin was visiting.  Pamprin laid out a coloring book so that she could color one page while Jaime colored the other – only Jaime wanted to color the same page as Pamprin.  It didn’t even matter which page.  When Pamprin switched sides or found new pictures, Jaime wanted to color the very same picture that her big sister was coloring. Pamprin reluctantly shared her space.  I think it made Jaime feel closer to her.

          I was reminded of that memory this morning while working on a puzzle that Richard and I had started.  We had already rolled it up and put it away for another time.  My daughter-in-law, Claire asked if I would like to continue.  And so I set it up.  She started one side of the puzzle and I another.  After a while she abandoned her side and came to help me with the areas I had been working on.  I don't know that it had the same results on either of us that it had on Jaime and Pamprin.

They Call Me Mary Cooper

          Young Sheldon is a spin-off CBS’s popular TV series Big Bang Theory starring Jim Parson as Sheldon Cooper.  Young Sheldon is also narrated by Jim Parson who explains further about himself and his family.  His mom is Mary Cooper, a very religious woman who often turns to God and encourages her children to do the same.  I, too, encourage others to allow God to be a part of their lives by thanking Him or asking Him for assistance.  For example we each had a chaotic day yesterday though I think Claire and Biff had more unexpectancies to deal with.

         One of our lights had busted at the front of our car – we don’t even know when or how but finally got around to asking someone to look at it.  We had an appointment for yesterday.  Richard was going to take it in and have me follow – only the other car wouldn’t start.  We tried starting it on our own a few times before we said a prayer.  Biff pulled into the driveway.  An answer.  I pulled the Nissan out of the driveway.  Biff and Richard pushed the Saturn next to Biff’s car and Biff was able to give the car a jump.

         We were on the freeway on our way to Roseburg when Claire called to report that the bottom freezer had gone out and our refrigerator wasn’t working properly.  Richard and I had already looked at other fridges – problem is they have all been too wide for the allotted amount of space that we have for a refrigerator.  Looking at fridges was a much better time than cleaning out product and transferring whatever was salvable but ended up throwing a lot of food in the trash.  I don’t even know how much.  I think an entire garbage bag.

         Their initial plan was to go to the DMV to change their expired plates – something they should have done three months ago, but it obviously hasn’t been a priority.  Tough that was their intention they were unable to find the title to the car.  I suggested that they pray and invite the Lord to help them.  Whether they did or not, I don’t know.  I did.  But I think my prayers may not work by themselves but they also need to let him in.

         Richard was all set on buying a fridge.  Because of the size we need, we are quite limited with our choices.  As I had suggested Biff and Clair pray about the title I thought it only right that we pray about the decision on the fridge.  Biff loaded the dishwasher with all the used containers and other dirty dishes and washed and dried a load of laundry that I had left on top of the machines.  They were definitely busy. 

         I thanked them both for all they had done.  We ended up calling the appliance store for the fridge we didn’t find as appealing as the one we’d rather have but felt guided to go that way.  Also another expense that we didn’t want – but at least we don’t need to get a plumber which seemed to be the solution when we encountered a flood on Saturday night/Sunday morning.  I thought we would need to call a plumber come Monday but it was taken care of.  We are truly blessed.

         Anyway, because I always ask others if they had prayed about whatever, Jaime has dubbed me as Mary Cooper.  I should feel honored.

What Oddities Dream Collection

                Last night I had a dream that we had gone to the Enchanted Forest and somehow ended up with a book of names.  The names were written in my father’s handwriting – or so I believed.  The only name I can remember was Priddy Meaks – who is an ancestor on my mother’s side.  So maybe it was my mother’s handwriting?  I, of course, do not remember the details as I had when I initially woke up.  I remember telling Jaime that we should collect all the pressed pennies that we could for they each had the names of our forefathers.  Lies.

               First of all, Enchanted Forest didn’t even exist when Priddy Meaks crossed the plains with the pioneer company.  There is some monument or structure that bears his name.  I have never seen it but my mom said she did when she was in Illinois.  It is not in Oregon.  It is not in the Enchanted Forest.  I think the furthest west that Priddy had ever gone was Salt Lake City, Utah. 

               Odd dream.  Though I can figure out the triggers.  I just recently looked up the schedule for Enchanted Forest.  They MAY be open March 24 – but no other info is available.  Both Come Follow Me and the lesson for this Sunday’s RS lesson focus on genealogy.  Jamie has been collecting pressed pennies for a number of years.  Apparently my mind encompassed them all into a single focus.  Weird.

Inconsitency

 Before Thanksgiving I had gone to the emergency room for a sinus infection – not that I really consider that an emergency, but getting into the regular doctor is like a three month wait . . .

Then again, just before Christmas.  Unbelievable pain in my mouth – but it isn’t dental.  A pain I was hoping would leave my body before Christmas – but did not.

Unfortunately the Z-pack did not heal in the way it used to.  The first dose went right through me before it had a chance.  I wondered if it would do anything to take the rest.  It didn’t.  My mouth was sore through Christmas and the New Year.  Every day I took a pain reliever – sometimes as often as four times a day, but have slowed down.  I’m now down to one pain pill and one tooth. 

I understand why people may abuse the drugs and become addicts.  I get it.  The pain is real.  I hate taking medication.  I hate the side effects, the dependency.  I hate that I forget to take meds when they are prescribed to me.  I would rather get rid of the pain or problem through priesthood and not medication.

My seven year old granddaughter is on medication.  She has to have shots twice a day – probably for the rest of her life. There are many side effects. That’s gotta be tough.

8 Pages

 

               I was issued a new role for 

Relief Society 

    though I haven’t used the ones 

I’d been given prior.  

                There were 8 pages containing over 

250 names. 

I have kept 60 on my own list and 

mark role from that list and 

transfer attendance to the computer.  

That’s a lot of names of supposed members living 

somewhere within the ward boundaries.  

        Not all the names are recognized by many – 

not even the sixty that have at least been 

more consistent than the rest.  

            I have never seen the numbers go 

above those sixty.  

Good thing I am not focused on statistics.