The Way They Were

We went to the basketball game last night. It was the first game of we’ve gone to this year. Quite different than when we were teaching and went to all the home games or when the kids were playing and we went to every game. It was snowing like crazy when we left home and usually we wouldn’t have ventured out. But last night was the big game honoring McKenzie and the 1989 team that won third place in the state that year. They were the first Clark County team to make it to state and it was a big deal then and last night proved it is still a big deal...at least to those of us who remember.

To honor the team, the game was played in the middle school gym. Which was nice for us old folks who remember games there. It’s much smaller than the present high school gym. But it’s also much louder and more exciting. The fans are right there on the court. The players sit on the first row of the bleachers and the fans are right behind them on the second row. They can hear what the fans are saying–both good and bad. I want to talk to some of the players and see what they thought. Whitney played her first three years in that gym and then played her senior year at the present gym. About midway through the season, she said that the fans just don’t care anymore. I told her we still care; the gym is just bigger and they are physically removed and it’s just different.

Anyway. Coach John McKenzie was back. He’s pretty much the same talking a mile a minute and joking one minute and serious the next. The biggest change is his hair, what he has left, is totally white.



He and Betty are divorced-five years ago- and he’s remarried. Betty, Emily, Johnny and Sarah were there too. Betty is in the KC area working an administrator in charge of special programs in a school there. Emily works in Overland Park, KS with a staffing company. Johnny and his wife and little girl live in Liberty, MO. He works in a bank. It was the first basketball game his 2 year old had ever been to! Wonder how many Johnny had been to by the time he was 2? Sarah and her husband and 4 year old daughter were there too. I can’t remember where they are. It was the first time the kids had been back since they left in 1990. Emily said Kahoka was much smaller than she remembered! It was great to see all of them and get caught up. We spent a lot of time together at each other’s houses while they were here.

Between the games they introduced the team, the coaches, Johnny the ball boy, the statistician, Chief Stomp ‘Em, and the administrators. Players there were Jason Church, Jason Harper, Todd Saxton, Travis Riney, Matt Nimmo, Roger Daniels, Bill Bryant, Daniel Boatman. Emmett St. Clair has died and was represented by his sister and mother. Megan Church Karr and Harper stood in for her dad. The team had a lot less hair over all. Todd Saxton looked just like he did 20 years ago. For some reason the cheerleaders weren’t represented.

In the commons were photos and newspaper articles and a video tape of the games and the medal ceremony. One of the comments heard was how short the uniforms were! This was back in the day when basketball uniforms were form fitting and short instead of baggy and knee length.

The game was in Springfield, MO. A major trip for us at the time. David and Jackie kept our kids and we stayed on Laura Derrick’s floor for the weekend. And that’s about all I remember from the event.

I had several former students come up and introduce their spouses and children during the evening. I had just told a new teacher, who is having a hard time this year, that she’s reaching more students than she thinks is this year. And that she may not find out about it this year or even next year. And last night proved that when I had a former student come up and tell me I had been her favorite teacher. And I’d had no idea then or any time since.

Clark County has had three teams go to state. The 1989 boys team, the 1995 girls team and the 2008 football team. And since high school sports and band are big deals at Clark County, I’m sure the girls will be honored in a few years too. So get ready Whitney.

The Quilt

Since I haven’t done anything on my quilt for a week, I thought I’d tell you the process I’m using to turn six pieces of material into a work of art. Or at least that’s how I see it.
I’ve wanted to make a quilt for years. I have bought books and magazines for years. I started hand piecing a wedding ring quilt when I was in my twenties that sets in a drawer. It’s made from scraps of clothing I’ve made over the years and has a lot of sentimental value, but may never be finished.

The pattern is called the broken star. It is a diamond pattern made from straight lines. So each of my material pieces has a curve in it. I have a paisley, a poke-a-dot, a random teardrop, a fleur de lis, a tulip with a curving stem, and a solid. All of the pieces are in shades of blue. The patchwork diamonds will be set together with white. I found out that picking material for a quilt is quite different from picking material for a dress or a decorating project. You have to look at the patterns and the colors and how they blend together.

The first step is to cut the material into 2 inch strips. You use a rotary cutter, which looks like a pizza cutter, and a quilting ruler. I’d never used a rotary cutter before, so it took some experimenting to find the right angle to hold it and the right pressure to use. But after cutting 4 yards of material into 2 inch strips I feel pretty confident now.

After you have cut the strips, you sew one of each strip together side by side. There are three sequences for placing which piece of material next to which piece. To me this has been the easiest step! Just zipping along sewing straight pieces of material together in straight lines.

The third step is to cut 64 sections of each set of the sewn together strips into two inch sections. You use the ruler again to cut them at a 45 degree angle. My ruler is 6 inches wide and 12 inches long with one inch lines marked down the length of it. It has a 45 degree angle marked on one end and a 60 degree angle on the other end. It’s made from clear plastic so you can see where it is on the material.

Once the sections are cut, they are sewn together making a diamond pattern. This step has been the hardest for me. The seams have to match perfectly! So that means a lot of matching and pinning, and I usually don’t pin the material together when I sew. The problem is the seams you are matching go at 45 degree angles opposite each other. I’m not for sure this makes sense, because it’s a geometry thing, and the only way I got through geometry was thanks to Harry Leopold. Just take my word for it, it’s hard. Plus the material stretches because it’s cut on the bias. And some pieces stretch more than others because of the material.

Once you have diamonds, they are sewn onto white squares. And this is as far as I’ve gotten. I’ve learned a lot and had a lot of fun. Most of the women in the class knew each other from other classes. It’s been good to meet them. While I’d never say we’ve become best friends, it’s been good to share in "the sisterhood." I can see how quilting bees would be therapeutic–your hands are busy but your mind is free to wander and so thoughts and feelings would be shared.
The plan is to hit the quilt hard this weekend and have a fourth of it done by Wednesday. I’ll let you know how it all works out.

(I apologize for the weird justification of this blog. But it's the first time I've done pictures and so I don't know what I'm doing. And not knowing how to do it on SLOW dial up is terrible. So I'm taking what I can get and giving it to you.)

The Flu

The flu bug has flown through us. I subbed on Wednesday and everyone I talked to felt crappy or was recovering from it. I came home and fell asleep and woke up thinking “I think I better get to the bathroom NOW.”

But it wasn’t as bad as some tales I’ve heard. My sister-in-law was struck at the mall and threw up for 10 minutes in Penney’s. No, not in the Penney’s restroom. In the actual store. She was mortified, but praises the employees who offered her help.

Why is it that when people are sick, they have to go into all the gory details about what their symptoms? I have one friend who also tries to top any detail I relate with one of her own. Like if I complain of chilling, she has been so cold she had to drink hot fluids, get out the heating pad, and lie under two blankets. I don’t need a blow by blow description of your illness. I just need a little sympathy. A little motherly stewing over me.

Monte came down with the stomach rumblings yesterday. So we spent the day feeling crappy and feeling sorry for ourselves.

But today is a new day and I feel fine. No chills, no headache, no stomach distress. The plan for today is to get out of my pajamas, take a shower, and wash the sheets. I even feel so good I may shave my legs and put on some makeup.

Saturday Night on the Ranch

I’m having a pretty exciting Saturday night watching the doubles finals of the Australian Open–at least Monte is happy– and knitting. I’ve finally started knitting the second sock. I’m not happy with the pattern, but will finish the pair. The next pair will have a heel in the them so they fit better. But I like the way the yarn works up and since this is my first pair, I’m ok with them.

I’m looking for knitting patterns for hats and have run across Queer Joe’s blog. He’s "a 40 something gay man who loves to knit." One of his patterns is for a Willie Warmer "a great gift for kilt wearers." Since I only know one Scottish fellow, and I don’t know him that well, I think I’ll pass on this site.

But I did find some hat patterns. I think I’ll try to make some for next fall.

We saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button last night. It’s very good. Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt are both good. The makeup is extraordinary. And when Blanchett is dancing, she's so graceful.

I also caved and bought the blue striped material I was longing for. Not sure what I will do with it yet. But it is really neat. Also picked up some material to recover two pillows for the camper. The mice ate the fringe off the pillows last year and it makes me mad every time I look at the pillows! I HATE MICE. So I will recover them so I don’t have to look at them.

We finished putting in the new carpeting in the camper today. Have a bit of cleaning to do yet. We haven’t decided where or when we will head out, but it will be in the next month. I want to get my quilt top done before we leave. Monte is ready to go now, so it will be a compromise. There don’t seem to be as many jobs out there this year. So we may just take off and work at Habitat for a while. Or we may just head south live oak country. We’d like to check out the Ninth Ward in New Orleans and see what has been done.

I need a job

I need a job to help me pay for my crafting addiction and to keep me out of craft stores. Yes, my name is Jane and I’m a craftaholic...

I’ve sewn for years as a hobby and have a large box full of material and patterns plus two dresses, a pair of pants, a blazer, and two other quilts started. (I’m sure there are other things started in past years that I can’t recall just now.)

But since I’ve retired I feel like I have more time and so have picked up a couple of new hobbies. Like right now I’m in a quilting class and have a quilt about a third of the way done. I’m also knitting and have one sock done. I made a pair of pj pants last night and have two other pairs started and material for three other pairs. I also have beads laid out to string into a necklace. I have yarn to make a baby afghan when I learn how to crochet this winter. Oh and then there’s this blog.

I have made a couple of birthday cards for friends and really enjoyed making them. So I’ve been taking pictures and collecting paper and ribbon that will be great on cards when I ramp up that hobby.

Decorating is also becoming a bit of a hobby. In my mind I have the vision of a Roman shade, a bed skirt and shams for our bedroom, the guestroom has paint samples and magazine pages taped to the wall to transform it, and I’m looking for material to make new curtains for the bedroom in the camper. On the wall in my sewing room, I have taped a shower curtain embellished with sea shells for the kids’ bathroom.

Did I mention the woodworking magazines I’ve borrowed from a friend? Monte bought a scroll saw last year for the two of us and I’ve played with it some. I made a Christmas ornament for the kids this year. But I also planned to make a Santa puzzle and snowflake candle holders for Christmas to give as gifts. I just have to start earlier next year because my friend has two years worth of magazines and I know there are lots of cool things in them just waiting for me.
I have a folder full of pictures of our travels I want to print, mat, and hang.

I have a whole file of garden projects for the future when we stop traveling and I’m home in the summer.

Yes, I need a job. Maybe if I have a job I won’t have the time to go to JoAnn’s or Hobby Lobby or Michaels and see all the cool craft supplies. I won’t have time to call Jackie my enabler, I mean friend, and hear about her newest project. If I have a job, maybe I won’t have the energy to go to the library and check out another book on knitting because I want to find a pattern for a hat. And if I’m not in the library I won’t see the book on making purses and check it out also and start sketching the purses I want to make.

I’m trying to control myself. And I’ve had some success lately. Last week when I was in Hobby Lobby I didn’t buy a single bead even though they were 50 percent off. And then when I went to JoAnn’s, I only fingered the material and didn't buy the blue striped material that was on clearance that I still can’t get out of my mind. So maybe I can control this habit without a job.

But I don't know for sure. Today at quilting class Barbie, the teacher, showed us the next quilt for the next class and man is it cool and that blue striped material I've been jonesing about would be perfect for it.

President Obama

While I've never wanted to be president, be married to a president or raise a president, I spent most of yesterday watching the inauguration. Some part of me would have liked to have been there just for the feel of the crowd. The excitement of "history being made," as we were so often reminded by the news media, and the goodwill which seems to have been in abundance.

It also finally dawned on me that America is pretty special in its transfer of leadership. This was the forty-fourth time that one president has left office and another has taken over without blood shed or fighting. Which is really pretty amazing when I think about other countries where only violence causes a change in regimes.

I just hope that the Obamas can live up to every one's expectations. The girls will have to find all the hidden doors in the White House, burst into the oval office at least twice a day and continue to be darling girls as they grow into teens. Michelle will have to attend all the PTA bake sales looking like a J. Crew model, work on her First Lady projects while making sure the girls make their beds and be available so Barack can reach her at all times for a pep talk.

And Barack... well, he must solve our financial crisis, unite the red and blue states into purple states, lead the way to make America green, bring peace to the Middle East, bring the troops home, restore America's name in the rest of the world, and show all the fatherless boys in America that they can rise above their beginnings, graduate from an ivy league school and become president.

I truly feel sorry for the Obamas. I pray that they will succeed and restore America's good name in the world. I also pray that people-- and the media--will give him time to succeed. I hope we realize that while he may have good ideas, we must all do our part also. And that may mean we will have to grow up as a country and realize that it takes work and sometimes sacrifice to be a success.

Good luck, Mr. President.

Pizza at 3 AM

We spent three days and nights with Whitney last week in Ann Arbor. People gave me flak about going to Michigan where it’s so cold. But we were in a cold spell here and the temps were the same–cold, damn cold. But Michigan was much prettier as they have about a foot of snow on the ground and it snowed all three days we were there. Ahh... heaven for me, being with my daughter and having snow falling.

We did what we do with our kids-- Monte fixed a cold air leak with rags, a trash bag and painter’s tape. I did laundry going down three sets of stairs into the creepy basement where the washer and dryer are. We also did a bit of shopping and opened all the forwards we received because we had access to high speed internet rather than slow dial up.

Whitney gave a tour to prospective students and we tagged along. Ross, Michigan’s business school, has a new building that just opened. Quite a nice facility. And, though we may be prejudiced, we thought Whitney gave a great tour, pointing out not only the educational aspects, but also the after hours networking possibilities.

We went out on Thursday night and met some of her friends. All Whit’s male friends seemed to be named Mark, Joe or Mike, but it may have been the pitchers of beer we drank at happy hour. Thursday was also the coldest night we had and we walked quickly the half mile to the Sportsman Bar and Grill. It’s the main hangout of the grad students in the early part of the evening. By 10 or so, the grad students leave as the undergrads invade. You can tell the undergrad females because they are all in high heels and skimpy tops. The grad females are in sweaters and boots. Another difference between grad and undergrad students is that grad students look at you when you talk. Undergrads look over your shoulder when they speak to you, searching for someone else... someone more interesting, someone better, some future friend or date.

On Friday night Whitney cooked dinner for us and a couple of her friends and then we went to a Michigan hockey game. While we don’t know a lot about hockey, it was fun to sit in the student section. The cheers have definitely gotten more explicit. After the game we headed back to Whitney’s for more "antifreeze," talk, and laughter. About midnight, when I thought we should probably head to bed, we took off for a house party, meeting more friends. We ended up at Happy Pizza chowing down on pizza and bread sticks at 3:30 AM! That’s right, Monte and Jane with no dozing in front of the TV before hand were out enjoying pizza and drunken laughter at 3:30 AM, keeping up with the kids.

I want to take this time to apologize to Whitney for outing her. She is a great cook and I jumped in when Mark was praising her meal, and said "She’s a great cook. She’s been cooking since she was 6 and did all the cooking when she was at home." The look that she gave me let me know that I’d let the cat out of the bag about her cooking. Then the next day, the high cost of home repairs came up, I again outed her, "Has Whitney told you about her tools?" She informed us that she’d kept her cooking and tools a secret, but yes, she did have a wide selection of tools in storage. So I apologize to you, Whit. But at least I didn’t have any pictures with me.

Movies

We've recently seen a couple of good movies that I want to recommend. The first was Valkyrie. In many ways it's the typical Cruise action movie only in this one he wears an eye patch much of the time. I liked it because of the story. I did not know that there were about 15 assassination attempts on Hitler made by Germans. This gave me a new perspective on the German people and especially some SS men.

The thing I really liked was the junior officer to von Stauffenberg, the German office who plans and attempts the assassinate Hitler. I know Lieutenant Werner von Haeften is a fictional character, but I like the way the role is written. I like the idea that a man believes so strongly in righting a wrong that he knowingly risks his life. And I think Jamie Parker does a great job playing him. Monte said the movie was ok. I liked it. If you don't go to a lot of movies, wait and rent it.

But do go and see is Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood. We went opening weekend and had to wait in line for tickets. Something that doesn't happen often. Eastwood does a good job playing Walt Kpwalski the crusty, old bigot who does the right thing.

I liked it because it shows how right can supersede age and race. Again that bravery thing. It also brings out the idea that family is not always who you are related to. Traces of Dirty Harry and other Eastwood characters were present and who doesn't like them? A good movie worth the price.

The Wolverine # 352

I'm in the land of snow and ice or as it's more commonly called Michigan. We took the train yesterday to avoid travel delays. Who knew, other than my father-in-law the trainman, that trains can be delayed because of snow on the tracks? We drove an hour and 45 minutes to Macomb, IL to catch the train to Chicago for a 7:00 AM ride. And no I still don't like mornings. Especially after 4 hours of sleep. The road was snow covered and at times we had to drive 40 because of slick roads.  But once on the train, the ride to Chicago was pretty uneventful and we felt pretty smug to not be on the highways.

The ride from Chicago to Ann Arbor was not so easy. First the train was an hour late. Then once we are on it, the conductors are apologizing for the delay by telling us the train had some "mechanical" problems that were now taken care of. Hey, I believe in truth but sometimes I'd just as soon not be told the whole truth. Tell me that the train had an extra inspection to make sure we are safe on this cold and snowy day.  

Then we are sitting on the train waiting for departure and the conductor once again comes on and tells us that we are ready to roll as soon as the engineer gets on. He's delayed because he had witnessed an infraction and is giving his statement. Now I'm wondering about the safety of the trip if one engineer is ratting on another engineer.  Where's the loyalty? The brotherhood? Us against the man? Man it must have been a huge infraction! 

Once we are on our way, we run into stops and delays because of snow on the tracks and meeting other trains. The trip that was to be 4 hours turned into over 6. Poor Whitney waited patiently by the phone to get updates as to when we were going to arrive. 

The first call was

 "I have no idea when we will leave, but they are saying at least an hour delay." 

Once we were on the way, the conductor had "no idea when we'll arrive. I'll be able to tell you after Battle Creek." 

So I'm back on the phone to Whit. 

"They can't tell us when we'll arrive. But I'll let you know as soon as we know." 

"Ok. I wonder when I should put the chicken pot pie in the oven? It even has home made crust." 

This was great news to Monte's ears. We had eaten depot sandwiches at 11 and it was now 6:15 and he was starving. 

The conductor did give us an update after Battle Creek. 

 "Sorry we are going so slow, but the signals are all yellow and we're proceeding with caution. " 

Yeah, 20 miles an hour.

 

Five minutes before Ann Arbor, we get the word--"Five minutes to Ann Arbor! Five minutes to Ann Arbor!"

So I'm back on the phone, which now has one bar of battery, to Whitney:

        "We're five minutes out."

"Oh! I'll put the chicken pot pie in and be on my way."

But we made it safe and sound. And if we would have been driving, we wouldn't have come. The roads were snow covered all the way and there was snow falling all day.  So despite the delays  it was a good trip. And what else do we have to do? The to-do lists are never ending and grow each week. 

The chicken pot pie? Very good! Very good indeed. 

Am I Being Negative?

I'm sitting in front of the TV eating hard, oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies that I really don’t like and watching Oprah spill her guts. If you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple of weeks, then you may not know that she’s gained 40 pounds in the last two years and has decided that this year she’s going to take care of herself and lose it.

Now I know this is supposed to be a positive show for people. We’re all supposed to say it’s ok to fall off the wagon as long as we get back on because Oprah has and whatever she says is ok. Don’t get me wrong. I think she truly wants to help the world and that she does a lot of great things for the world. Yes, I do watch her show a lot, and yes, she does influence my thinking and actions at times. But please!!

As I sit here watching her and her trainer talk about what happened to cause the weight gain, I keep thinking how can the average person ever hope to get her life in order if Oprah can’t. I mean let’s look at her life. She is one of the richest women in the world. She’s one of the most admired women in the world. She rubs elbows with presidents and Nobel prize winners. She has Bob Greene as a friend and trainer. Drs. Oz and Phil are probably on her speed dial. She has a gym and a kitchen in her studio. And even though she says she makes turkey meatballs on Sunday afternoon for the week and to check out the recipe on Oprah.com, I’m thinking she has a chef at each of her homes. She has assistants and dressers and make up artists and hair stylists. And yet I’m supposed to believe that she fell off the wagon because she’s missing something in her life and didn’t take time for herself? I’m supposed to believe that her doctors didn’t realize she had a thyroid problem that started all this and then not one friend said to her, "Hey! You aren’t taking care of yourself and you need to."

Come on! This is one time I think she’s deluding herself. She needs a new doctor and new friends who will take better care of her. And while I think she will help many people get their lives in order this time as she has in the past, I wonder if she should be the leader this time. I think she’s still deluding herself. I keep thinking what a real mess her life would be if she weren’t Oprah.

I wish you well, Oprah. But I keep thinking that if you can’t get your shit together with all the resources you have, what hope do the rest of us have?

I don’t have the answers either. So I’m just going to cheer myself up with another cookie.

My New Year's Resolutions

I've just decided I’m not going to make any New Year’s resolutions this year. It’s January 2 already and I haven’t made any and I’m still alive and still functioning. So I don’t think they are necessary to make me a worthwhile person. Besides I’ll eliminate 9 days of my life of being sore or smiling at strangers or reading the dictionary.

Like most people I make the same resolutions every year. Lose weight, be a nicer person, strengthen my spiritual life or improve my vocabulary. They may be worded differently–exercise, watch what I eat, or live a healthier lifestyle–but they are the same.

And for nine days I try to fulfill them. My brother, whose birthday is January 4, always receives a birthday card because it comes so early in the year. His wife; who is the one who buys the card my brother sends me, addresses it and puts it in the mail; usually doesn’t get a card because hers is April 27 and by then I’ve given up the pretense of being a nicer person.

I exercise and write down everything I eat for six days until I find the bag of chocolates I bought for Christmas and lost and devour it in one evening. Besides after four days I still have that roll around my stomach, so what good is exercising?

I’m not going to dust off the bible and plow through the "begats" or rattle the rosary beads at 4 AM when I can’t sleep. I'll not carry a notebook to jot down any words I run across that I don't know the meaning of and then say to Monte, "I'm so glad I didn't make a resolution to exercise more this year and so I don't have to worry about hidrosis."

Yep. I’m going to admit from day two of 2009 I’m weak and have no self-discipline. This year I’m not going to beat myself up because I didn’t follow through on my resolutions. And besides if I see that you are a nice, holier, thinner person with a great vocabulary the next time I run into you, I can always start a new self-improvement program on January 26, the start of the Chinese New Year.