Of Being Twins and Mix-ups by Bonnie Le Hamilton

 

The one thing about living so geographically far apart is that neither Konnie nor I have to worry about total strangers approaching us, thinking we are our twin. It has been years since such a thing occurred.

In fact, the last time someone I had not previously met approached me with a welcoming smile of someone seeing a friend, she actually knew full well I wasn’t Konnie. Her first words to me were, “You’re Bonnie, aren’t you?”

Of course, thanks to Facebook, I knew who she was on sight, and thanks to Konnie and her own big brother, she was fully aware that Konnie is a twin as well as that Konnie doesn’t live in this town, but I do. Logically, she knew I had to be Bonnie when she saw me, because logically she knew Konnie couldn’t be here.

Konnie has in the past been approached by someone knowing full well she wasn’t me, but also knowing she was my twin, but in that case, Konnie didn’t know the woman, or rather women, who approached her.

In that long-ago case, a coworker of mine quit and moved to the Tacoma, Washington area to help her own twin, who was in a wheelchair by that point. I let her know my twin sister was living in the area as well, but we both knew, because of the size of the area, the chances of them meeting were slim. A little over a week later, Konnie let me know that a set of older twin women, one in a wheelchair, approached her in the mall with the news that the one walking knew me.

At any rate, it has happened, but it is rare. Usually, we have instances more on the lines of the year I went to the Idaho Falls airport to fly down to Vegas for Christmas and a young lady already waiting at the terminal approached me at first with that familiar smile of recognition but then realization dawned on her and she switched to a more cautious approach asking me if I knew anyone by the last name of Enos.

Obviously, I do, several people actually, but knowing what information the young lady was after, I informed her that Konnie Enos was my twin sister.

And this is a story I’ve told before; the young lady was a friend of Konnie’s two oldest daughters and was on her way home from BYU-Idaho for Christmas. We were taking the same flight to Vegas.

Though in all our lives, I think the funniest occurrence that happened because of how identical we are was back when we both lived in Idaho Falls. Back then, we lived within a couple of miles of each other, and for both of us, the same store was closest.

I should point out that both of us sometimes went shopping with our families, and as at the time I had two boys and three girls, and she had three girls, let alone the size difference between our husbands, we should have realized the employees of that store were a little confused.

All of it came to a head one day when I left my family home and ran to the store to pick up a few things we needed, mostly milk, as I recall. When I arrived at the checkout, the salesclerk remarked something about forgetting something. I was totally confused by the statement because she didn’t ask me if I found everything I needed; she made a comment, which sounded like she thought I was making a return trip because I forgot something.

I frowned at her and told her that I had gotten everything I’d come for. Her response was to point out that I had supposedly been through her checkout less than an hour before. I chuckled at that and informed her I’m a twin. She hadn’t wanted to believe me but as I described Jerry and Tom and let her know which husband, and children were mine, and which were Konnie’s she eventually realized I was speaking the truth at which point to yelled for her coworkers at the other registers to hear, “She’s not cheating, she’s a twin!”

As I recall, the next time we went to the store, we coordinated and went together to drive home that we were indeed twins.

The last time we went to a store together, I recall a lot of people turning and staring at us as we went around the store, though no one approached us and asked us if we were twins, which is sort of what got me thinking about these sorts of incidents that and I’ve seen a lot of posts about identical twins getting confused for their twin, and or mixed up on social media lately.

At any rate, we don’t generally have that problem living so far apart.

Well, happy writing, everyone!

Of Sleeping and Tech Issues by Konnie Enos

Okay, picture this.

It’s 11 p.m. Tuesday night and I’m fighting sleep. Just as I give up and decided to go to bed, I realize it’s Tuesday and I not only haven’t written my post, but I yet again have no idea what I’m going to write about.

I moan but decide it would be better to get some sleep then get up earlier than I normally do and write it then. But as I’m preparing to shut off my computer I get this vague realization that I’d already posted twice this month. (This was last month.) So, I quickly check and low and behold it isn’t my turn.

Whew!

Then I went through all the steps necessary to go to bed, which if you know anything about women, especially menopausal women. It isn’t as easy as just laying down and going to sleep.

First, there was still the computer I had to put away because I certainly couldn’t sleep with it in my bed all night. Then there was insuring any other paraphernalia I had in the bed was also put away for the night. This could include any or all of my phone, my tablet, my planner, my purse, my water bottle, my pencil pouch, and both notebooks I use for tracking information. There is also the slim possibility my backscratcher was in my bed.

Though admittedly I clear most of that out when my husband climbs in bed, so at this time I only have my laptop, the external 10-key, and the lap desk that I use when I’m in bed. I put them away.

Once I have cleared everything in front of me, the next order of business is assuring that my cpap was ready for use, which of course, only takes a minute or so to do.

Then I can move to the next issue, which is not sleep. Because I am in fact a menopausal woman, if I don’t want to be woken up by a full bladder two or threes times before morning, I need a quick bathroom break before I do attempt to go to bed.

Now, when I came out of the bathroom, the issue became that Xavier wanted his own bathroom break and not being able to reach the doorknob or turn it, he asked the only person he could see who was up and about to do that for him. I reluctantly obliged but then realized my son was not asleep. His bedroom light was on. I did check his room. He wasn’t in there. He was in the kitchen getting a late-night snack.

I told him were Xavier was, and he’d have to let him in because I was already “dead on my feet”.

Then I went to my room, arranged my pillows and blankets, put on my cpap and turned it on, lay down and then turned out my reading light. I was still awake enough sometime later to be aware that my son come into my room and helped Xavier up onto my bed as he cannot jump up high enough to get on the bed himself. At his age, his only back leg is just not up to it. (He is a tri-pod.)

You would think that was the end of my saga, but it proceeds.

Come morning I get up and check to see if Bonnie had her post up yet, which she did not. I thereby woke her up to remind her it was indeed her turn. She then proceeded to write about all her woes pertaining to misplacing her phone. (Last week’s post.)

When she had it up, I attempted to open it so, one, I could read it, and two, I could share the link like I always do.

I could NOT open it. After all my attempts did not work, I urgently texted my residential tech support. Moaning, and rubbing his eyes, he dragged himself out of bed and to my room complaining about being woken up.

He could not actually fix the problem. (He said he needed more sleep first.) But he did figure out that it was an issue with our tower, not the site, and therefore was able to find a work-around for me. Thankfully we all have mobile hotspots.

I was one, able to read her post and spot three errors she needed to fix (which she did) then post the link. (She said she was able to find those three and two others, all because she was rushing to write it last minute.)

When I went to back to check if the issue was fixed several days later, I was able to get on to our blog without any trouble. So apparently, either my son was able to fix it, or it fixed itself.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

 

Phone Problems by Bonnie Le Hamilton

 

I’d like to say I’ve been really busy the last few days, but the reality is that I have only been doing a ton of reading, and not sleeping as much as I should, so right now I’m yawning my head off.

There isn’t much more to say about my life. Unlike Konnie, I live alone unless you count Patches, so a whole lot more happens at her house than at mine.

The most exciting thing that happened this last week was last Thursday. I got a ride from a friend to attend a church dinner, and when I returned home, I discovered I didn’t have my phone in my pocket anymore.

Now, as I live alone, and I have difficulty getting up the hill from my apartment, not having a phone is a huge problem, let alone that Konnie and I had made plans to brainstorm Friday morning, which of course I couldn’t do without a phone.

The first thing I did was email Konnie asking her to ring my phone, except by then no one was near where I dropped the dang thing. So, there was no answer.

Now I tried hard to think about when it could have fallen out of my pocket, which made me realize I hadn’t heard the thing hit the floor. It had to have fallen out onto a soft surface, as in the backseat of my friend’s car.

The biggest issue for me was how was I supposed to contact anyone local without my phone? It took Konnie reminding me I could access our church’s app which provides the contact information for all members in a person’s area on my computer.

I booted up my computer and accessed the app and was able to email my friend and my Relief Society President, letting both know that I felt my phone was in my friend’s car.

By Friday afternoon, I’d had no word from my friends, and I was wondering how I could manage without my phone. How was I supposed to even get help without it?

I briefly considered traipsing up the hill to my other friend’s apartment, but the hill and the steps up to her door seemed too daunting for me. Instead, I took a nap.

  I’d barely woken from that nap and returned to my living room to read my book when my phone announced I had a call from the friend whose car I’d ridden in the night before. The only problem is, I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.

I even illogically considered that I accidentally put my phone in my coat pocket the night before, even though I knew if that were true, I’d heard my phone when Konnie called it.

For some reason, I was slow on the uptake, or a little dimwitted, but I eventually remembered that when the friend in question had anything to give to me and I didn’t answer my door, she would put the item through the cat door I had jerry-rigged into the living room window. When I walked over there, I immediately saw my phone on top of the cabinet below the window.

Now my friend isn’t the one who found my phone, it was her husband. It seems even before she got up Friday morning, her husband took their car to the Pocatello Temple. When he returned home, he walked in telling her he found a phone in their back seat.

And my friend immediately took it over to my place to return it. She said she called me when she returned home to make sure I got my phone. As her home is fairly close by car, and the timing for when she called me, I’d say, I woke up from my nap only seconds after she left the phone on the cabinet.

But I have my phone back!

I did reflect that if this had happened to Konnie, she has other people living in her home who would have access to the church app and could have called whoever she’d been with right away about the missing phone while I had to rely on sending emails, once I remembered to access the app on my computer. Before that, I really didn’t know how I could contact anyone local, short of wearing myself out to get to my neighbor’s apartment.

This drove home the fact that without my phone, I am cut off from talking to anyone, while for Konnie, it would have been just a mild inconvenience; for me, it was a major problem. That’s the problem with living alone and having mobility issues.

Of course, it wouldn’t have been so hard if I didn’t have to deal with that hill right outside my front door.

Anyway, happy writing, everyone.

Of Plans and Other Annoyances by Konnie Enos

I started this week thinking I had a busy week ahead of me. Church on Sunday, plus an extra women’s meeting Sunday afternoon. Dinner guests on Monday. Wednesday, today, we have a date planned. Thursday I have another women’s meeting to attend, and Saturday is our week to go work at the Temple.

How is it going?

Let’s start with I have been having some eye issues including some eye strain headaches, which are compounded by some insomnia. Sunday I had a pounding headache and my one wonky eye watering. Jerry ended up going to church without me, and I didn’t make my women’s meeting either.

Monday, I still had the headache but managed to do my part in preparing dinner for our company. I even managed a nice conversation with them, part of which included the fact that it was Saint Patrick’s Day.

Then yesterday it got worse.

The ringing in my ear started periodically reminding me what a bad ear infection feels like. It is not constant nor increasing to the point of agonizing but clearly something I have to monitor because I do not want to break an ear drum again.

Then I found myself bundled in my blankets, shivering. Generally, if I’m this cold the entire house is cold, and we need to turn up the heater. And as a rule, Jerry is under at least three blankets before I decide it is that cold. Yesterday, he was not cold, and we did not need the heater turned up.

I still had Jerry turn off our ceiling fan. You know, the one I keep on almost constantly, even in the middle of what passes for winter here.

Obviously, I’m sick.

It was about the time I had my shivering fit that I realized I wasn’t hungry despite the fact I had barely consumed enough food to take my daily medications, which I have to take with food.

It was about the time we were all preparing for bed that I realized my lack of appetite also come with some mild nausea. Not enough to feel like throwing up, but enough to further suppress my appetite.

As mentioned, Jerry and I had a date today.

Don’t worry, Jerry has already told me to cancel our plans. I’m pretty sure the only place he’ll take me right now is to see a doctor. Being just a cold, I’m not sick enough to need medical intervention. At least not any beyond what I can provide for myself while comfortable in my own bed.

I won’t let him take me in unless I feel the need to take my prescription strength pain relievers for my earache or I actually start throwing up and can’t keep anything down.

Until then, rest and plenty of fluids.

And apparently I’m not the only one under the weather in my household.

Monday, our oldest fur family member lost his appetite so yesterday my daughter took her baby to see his doctor. At his age it could have been anything from his age to his underlying conditions. He is fifteen, which is pretty old for a dog.

Now I personally wasn’t to concerned about him being under the weather because my daughter always takes excellent care of him. She is a veterinary nurse after all. But when I realized she’d been gone for over three hours I became rather concerned that she would return without him and in tears. Like she did when she had to put down Gunner because of liver failure. At Ivan’s age and with both Congestive Heart Failure and his liver not functioning adequately, it wasn’t an impossible outcome.

Thankfully, my daughter returned home with her arms full. Her purse, water bottle, a bag of medicine and an eight-pound dog, very much happy to be home.

Apparently, they were backed up at the vet’s office. Among other issues, they had to hospitalize several dogs because they were extremely sick with the flu. Thankfully, Ivan isn’t that sick. My daughter is, of course, taking care of him and making sure he takes his medicine so he can get better without having to be hospitalized.

It was while we were discussing how Ivan and I are feeling that my daughter told me she’d had a total lack of appetite on Monday. Which at least explains why she didn’t join us for dinner on Monday.

So, something is going around the house and I will probably end up cancelling my plans for tomorrow night too. It remains to be seen if I make it to the temple on Saturday. So much for my busy week.

Also, I had planned on writing something about birthday’s today because a beautiful young lady is turning six today. And this Grandma loves her very much.

Smile. Make the day a better day.

Of Being Twins by Bonnie Le Hamilton

 

Not too long ago I saw a video of a woman with infant twins going out in public on several different occasions and being bombarded with the question, “Are they twins?”

And it got me thinking. I myself had a set of twins at one point in my life and I certainly went out in public with them, yet I don’t recall anyone asking me if they were twins.

I can remember one trip out shopping with Konnie and all our children at the time, but I don’t remember asking if the pair in the infant seats were twins. I do remember a child saying (while pointing in our direction), “Mommy, look! Twins!” And the mother glanced in our direction briefly and told the child there was more one set in our group.

Actually, we turned tons of heads that day, but no one stopped us asking us any questions or just to chat. All we saw was a lot of people doing the classic double-take.

I myself have stopped to chat with moms of twins at least a time or two when I spot them out shopping, but I have never asked if they were twins. I have commented on how cute or tiny they were and mentioned what a load of work two such tiny beings are I have never asked if they were twins.

I do recall once when I spotted a couple of toddlers who were very close in size, but I was unsure if they were the same age, so I approached her and commented on how close they were size and said something to the effect of trying to gauge their ages, but I did not at any point ask if they were twins. I do recall that conversation, they were twins, and I looked them over again (a couple of boys) and said, “Fraternal of course.”

She looked me right in the eye and said, “You have experience with twins.”

“I am one actually, identical.”

I do recall one time (and I think I’ve mentioned this before) when I was at a family reunion. I had my twins in their stroller, my one cousin was there with her then teen twin daughters and one and a half sets of first cousins once removed were in the group too. We were discussing where the other twins in our family were when a couple walking past us looked us over and said, “What is this a twin convention or something?”

“No, just a family reunion.”

They didn’t ask if my infant daughters or my cousins teen daughters were twins, and that one set of female cousins were identical too, so it was clear we were a cluster of mostly twins, two moms, and one extra. Since Konnie had not arrived yet nor was the twin sister of that one cousin in attendance, those ladies had no way of knowing the only one in that group who wasn’t a twin was my cousin with the teen daughters.

The only thing is we were standing just feet away from the parks shelter where the rest of our family were gathered and setting up. There wasn’t one twin in the shelter. We had all gathered to one side to discuss where our missing twins were.

Of course, Konnie did show up with her family a few minutes later.

And yes, twins do run our family. Big time.

But, again, I never once had anyone approach me and ask if my two daughters were twins. Konnie and I rarely had people approach us when we were out in public together to ask if we were twins. So, I don’t understand that video I saw on social media this past week at all.

Or have people become bolder, or maybe more inclined to ignore polite boundaries as in the past, or if that video was a lie.

I mean I have approached a mom of twins a time or two to chat with her, but I, like I already said, I never ask if their children are twins, I general comment on being a twin myself.

I can recall one time being approached by someone who did ask a question, but he didn’t ask if we were twins. He said, “You two look a lot alike, are you sisters?”

I know that is how he started the conversation because I remember thinking that was the dumbest question anyone could have asked us! You see, it was the middle of the school year, and it was our first day on that bus because we had just moved over the weekend.

So, since there was only one new family on that route, and we were sitting together looking so much alike, it seemed logical, at least to me, that we were indeed sisters. And I have mentioned this incident before. So, I’m going to just end here.

Happy writing everyone!