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!

Of Sleepless Nights and Early Mornings by Konnie Enos

Monday night I knew I had to get up in the morning because both Jerry and my daughter had places to be, so I would have to drop Jerry off so my daughter could make her appointment. But I couldn’t get to sleep. When I finally did lay down, I was doing far more tossing than sleeping.

My attempts at sleep were disrupted by someone ringing our doorbell at 5:08 in the morning. Which immediately sent two of our three dogs running to the front door barking.

Even half asleep I knew Jerry was in the bathroom because I could see the light on. (He’s the only one that uses the light in the morning. The rest of us use the nightlight.)

I had no desire to answer the door in my nightgown, so I stumbled around to find my phone and glasses so that I could view the door cam app and see who it was.

While I’m doing all this, I hear my son head for the front door and Jerry finally gets finished in the bathroom and heads that way too.

I finally get the camera open and see a car pulling away from our house. Apparently, they did not want to wait for us to answer the door. I switch to viewing the motion activated recording and see a woman walk up with a package, put it down by the door, and ring our doorbell. Then as the dogs go running for the door, and can be heard on the camera, she leaves. Of course, she had no reason to stick around once she delivered the package.

It was a moment or two after I’d viewed the recording when my husband and son finally figured out it was a package delivery and opened the door.

I went back to trying to get some rest because at that point I had a headache from lack of sleep.

Such efforts were futile since Jerry was already up and preparing for his day, which included shaving. He had to wake me up for a band-aid because he cut himself. Also, my son was awake. They were not only talking to each other, but to our dogs.

I didn’t hear my daughter get up, but I did hear my son telling Jerry that apparently the doorbell had woke her. She later told me that Ivan had even barked, which I assume I didn’t hear over the noise the two other dogs were making. She also said, Ivan barked twice, coughed a bit then curled up and went back to sleep.

I was then rather jealous of him. He could get his old body comfortable and ignore the noises in the house to go back to sleep. Meanwhile, I continued to toss for the next hour or so then gave up.

I had to drive Jerry to his appointment anyway, even if I didn’t feel awake enough to be driving. I figured I could get some more rest after I got back, and fortunately, I would not have to drive my daughter to her appointment or even pick Jerry up later.

Of course, I didn’t a nap.

I spent the whole day doing all the things I normally do on a Tuesday morning plus what I always do within the first week of every month, which is pay our bills. And being as it’s already March, I also gathered as much of our tax information as I could because I’ve been lazy this year and haven’t even filed yet.

Then, about the time I needed to take my evening pills, I realized I was already dosing off. At that point the rest of my family were doing their own things but none of them were making any moves to prepare for bed. Not even my early bird daughter who gets up at the crack of dawn every day. Or Jerry, who gets up before the crack of dawn.

Being so tired, I took the next half hour or so to get some food so I could take my pills, then made sure my cpap was set up. Then I got ready for bed, which included putting on my cpap and my face mask because Jerry was still up the lights would keep me from sleeping without it.

I passed right out. I was that tired. I couldn’t even tell you when Jerry got in bed. I could tell you that his alarm woke me up way too early in the morning, but I went back to sleep. I finally got up when my alarm went off and started writing this.

And as I’m finishing it, I’m starting to hear the house waking up. My daughter has come out of her room and the dogs are moving about. At least I’m awake now.

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.

YouTube and Raising Children by Bonnie Le Hamilton

 

Recently, I saw a YouTube post in which a mother told her nanny, “Don’t parent my child.” I was totally confused as to why the mother would say such a thing.

From what the nanny said, she dealt with two preschool-aged kids, throwing heavy and or breakable objects at her face, tossing food everywhere, scribbling on the nanny and the walls and furniture, and even more concerning, doing things that jeopardized their five-month-old younger sibling. The nanny herself had been punched, kicked, and bitten, as well.

And I’m totally confused as to why this mother thought it wasn’t in the purview of a nanny to discipline her children let alone how this mother thought a professional caregiver could take care of children that old without disciplining them.

Man, am I glad I don’t babysit anymore! I can’t imagine taking care of children for several hours without having to correct their behavior. For any mother to think that the help shouldn’t need to do so is massively narrow-minded or just plain stupid.

To give you an idea about how dumb this is, I once performed a skit in a high school drama competition all about what a holy terror kids can be when left with a babysitter, based mostly on an incident that happened to me with a family of boys who were highly mischievous, and I never had to deal with the things this nanny in the post had to deal with.

I mean, this post was not about kids testing the limits, but rather about kids who have probably never been told “no” which totally brings to mind an old movie about a girl named Tammy who lived on a houseboat, and how she got a job tending four boys for the evening; four ill-behaved cretins who she soon taught some manners to, only to discover when the parents returned home that they never used the word “no” with their children.

Tammy, being the naive country girl she was, couldn’t understand how it was possible to raise well-behaved children without telling them “no” once in a while.

Frankly, being the mature woman I am, I know, what you get from never disciplining your children is a bunch of mannerless entitled brats.

I’m sure many of you have heard the saying, “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” It is an accurate saying. And I am not saying beat your children into submission, nor am I advocating spanking. Those really don’t work anyway. But this saying could be reworded to say, “Refrain from teaching children manners, and setting limits on them, and you spoil the child, i.e. you turn them into entitled brats who refuse to take no for an answer.”

If you want a more modern take on the subject, read Harry Potter, and note how the Dursleys raise their son. This is a prime example of how to spoil a child, or in other words, raise a brat.

And yes, I said, read the books. Those movies leave way too much out! You will not get the full picture of how awful Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were as parents from the movies.

Then again, watching the movies you don’t get to see how useful Ron was to Harry, mostly because lines he actually said in the books were given to Hermione. Case in point, the scene just after Malfoy called Hermione a filthy mudblood. Everything Hermione later says in Hagrid’s hut telling Harry what mudblood means were actually Ron’s words.

In the book, Hermione was as lost about why Ron reacted the way he did to Malfoy’s slur as Harry was, rightfully so, because both Hermione and Harry were raised in the muggle world not the wizarding world. They didn’t know the wizarding world’s social mores. I particularly like the scene where Ron doesn’t know any of the children’s stories Hermione and Harry grew up with but could tell them a whole list of stories he grew up with. Well written actually.

Of course, the movies also leave out the best bits about Ginny and who she really was. Ginny was one strong and forthright little lady. She could stand up against anybody, but then she did have six big brothers.

Anyway, I’ve found that books are always better than movies and I know, that not teaching children manners is what’s wrong with the world today. Don’t beat them; teach them! Gently train them to be considerate and kind.

Happy writing everyone!