14 November 2020 journal entry

As I wrote the date just now I realized that it is an important one.  On this day in 1964 Marjorie and I had our first date.  Jim Howard had invited me to be his friend and companion at a Boy Scout activity that his troop in Sumpter, Oregon was sponsoring.  The activity was a dinner.  Each scout was to invite a friend, and each scout and his friend were to invite dates.  Jim's girl friend was Sharon (Narn) Reagan.  Sharon's friend was Marjorie Hunt.  Jim and I invited the two girls, and we had a wonderful time.  That date led to many others, and Jim and I both eventually married our dates.

It was also on this date back in the 1980s that the weather was so beautiful and balmy that the kids and I decided on the spur of the moment to go camping up on Hunt Mountain.  We drove up above the Markle place, and pitched our tent on a flat prominence.  The night was warm and pleasant.  I fixed that date in my mind as being unusual, and the activity as being one unlikely to ever be repeated again so late in the season.

I was right.  I've never been tempted to go camping in November again.  Indeed, yesterday was a particularly windy and snowy day.  The storm came out of the east.  We already had 2-4 inches of snow on the ground, but it snowed all day, and gave us a foot more.  I don't exactly know how much snow we got because a blustery wind blew it all around last night.  It is still dark this morning, but I can see a  big, curling snow drift out our back window.

Winter is two weeks early.  I always formerly planned on starting to feed my cattle on Thanksgiving day.  That is when the snow always came and stayed.

I don't believe that I'll go camping tonight.

I don't believe that Marjorie and I will go on a date, either.  We wouldn't be able to get out of our driveway, and  Oregon's governor yesterday announced another COVID-19 lock down.  Restaurants are to be closed, church meetings are restricted to no more than 25 attendees, and Thanksgiving gatherings are to consist of no more than six people from two families.  (Whatever are the 12 Bradfords going to do?!).

I believe that these actions are unconstitutional, unprecedented, and uncalled for.  I will obey the directives; but I believe it is my responsibility to keep me safe and healthy, and to decide what I will or will not do, and where I will go.  These COVID-19 lock downs have unnecessarily and unfairly destroyed the livelihoods of many people.

These are tumultuous times.  All things are in commotion.  These are the times that were prophesied long ago.  (D&C 88:91).  The future is today.  Eleven days ago the nation had an election.  We still don't have an officially-declared winner of the presidency.  The two sides are in a war of words and of litigation.  Demonstrations and riots have been taking place in cities from one coast to another.  Things will probably get worse before they get better.

We will just lay low up here on our hill and be happy.  We have plenty of supplies, and are surrounded by family.  We're happy and content.  We don't need to go anywhere.  We can go back to having sacrament meetings at home, if necessary.  I can keep giving patriarchal blessings unless the stake president tells me to cease.

I wish we could go to the temple.  We haven't been there since March.  We are invited to accompany John and Holly Densley to Meridian next Tuesday to be part of their endowment session, but we'll probably have to forego that.

The roads are going to be awful anyway.