Vacation Begins
Louise, Jenni, Sharon, and I had a little celebration today after all the "Ervin and Emma Stutzman" booklets were stapled and folded (see previous post). I couldn't think of a better use for the sparkling red grape juice Marvin and Lois' family gave us. We sat around our dining room table and marveled at the head of foam the bright juice generated, and then let it all slide down deliciously while we talked and looked at the books (and cited a few overlooked mistakes--sigh. We had an offer for help with proofreading and no time to take advantage of it.)
I feel now as though Christmas vacation has started for me, although our last day of school was on Friday.
Oh, I also hope everyone buys a book and reads the story of Ervin and Emma's life. Unless you're over 65 you don't remember some of the more exciting events in their lives. If you know them as we do, you probably see them as successful in business and selfless in service, but unless you read the book you might not know about their musical, academic, and career goals--all thwarted, either through lack of opportunity or hardship. Not everyone lives long enough to see how everything "works together for good" as Ervin and Emma have been able to do. Nor does everyone who lives long have the humility to be softened by hard experiences, as they were softened.
******************
This farm has become the hub of various kinds of activity. Lowell comes and goes in the process of taking care of his beef cattle--running water and feeding hay. James and others from Oren and Jo's family check in on the hogs twice a day. Shane pops in often to work on fixing up/cleaning up this and that on the farm (which he now owns). The dogs come along and romp happily. Someone hauls water regularly to the horses and cattle across the road. When I hear the rumble of equipment or a vehicle, I can't always tell if it's the 4020 John Deere, the skid steer, or Shane's diesel pickup or another diesel truck bringing water to the tank across the road. Today the blast of a chainsaw added to the sounds of the place.
I rather like the feeling of living in a lively environment, especially among creatures that I can observe without being responsible for.
**********************
After the holiday season last year Grant obliged me and threaded the two 18-ft. lengths of icicle lights we had hung around the edge of the porch onto a large "cord" spool. I had protested the previous year when he and Hiromi decided to throw them away rather than store them. This year the students borrowed them to use in decorating for the nutrition banquet. With just a bit of coaxing, the whole string of lights worked.
Such was not the case, however, when I uncoiled them once more from the spool and hung them up. After the first attempt, I rehung them so that all the "dark" bulbs would hang unnoticed along the wall at the back of the porch. They looked just right for a few nights, except for the leftover lighted length puddled on one porch chair, which looked a little strange.
Then I noticed that a section near one corner of the porch had gone out. Last night another section along the front had joined the dark corner section. For at least the fourth time this week, I stood on chairs and clutched any nearby support I could reach, and I rehung those lights so that the lighted sections would be arranged continuously, and it would look good in the dark, from a distance.
I will beg Hiromi to throw those lights away this year if he doesn't think of it first.
************************
I love to read Christmas letters from families in our church, or from friends who live elsewhere. This year I noticed especially how well the mothers who wrote described each of their children's unique characteristics and interests. I know Christmas letters don't recount all of what transpires between a mother and her children, but I'm glad to see how each one of these mothers invests in her children's lives and takes time to enjoy the rewards of mothering.
************************
Next semester's schedule has been finalized. I will have a much lighter teaching load than I had first semester. Composition and Nutrition class have ended and I will have only typing left. I have a number of other responsibilities too, of course, but I'm not sure how all those will be distributed.
Wes is offering a literature class for upperclassmen. This is something I've dreamed of for a long time--enough flexibility in our offerings that every teacher on staff has the opportunity to teach in their area of expertise. Literature was Wes' major in college, and offering only an ACE literature course with Wes on staff seemed to be a great waste of resources.
************************
The new standards advocated by representatives from the state's regents schools have gone into effect. They call for one additional math credit for high school graduates who wish to attend a regents school. I haven't heard how this will affect our school's graduation requirements. I don't think I want to know.
************************
At this time of year, I practice a gritting-of-the-teeth routine--whenever I hear some of the reasons students give for not enrolling in a class that I'm positive that, in a very few years, they would be glad to have taken. I'm distressed at their short-sightedness (and I wonder if their parents have thought the matter through, or if they're simply acquiescing to a student's convincing influence), but more than that, I'm not sure that our curriculum offerings and requirements accurately reflect what our students would stand to benefit from the most.
***********************
Hiromi and I are putting together a very large and expensive puzzle. We bought a set of used kitchen cabinets to replace the rather decrepit ones in our Trail West house. The puzzle is to configure them in our space in such a way that everything goes where it's needed, and no space is left over. It's working, but we're going to have to "smaller" the window slightly to fit in the upper cabinets, and we probably can't make use of the Corian countertops that came with the cabinets--because . . . well, it's complicated . . . , but the main problem is that where the hole is cut for the sink would not place the sink in front of the window, and the counter end would fall short of the corner at one end and extend over the stove at the other end, and the base cabinets would not fit the available space efficiently. Corian can be cut and spliced, of course, but it costs money--probably more than it would be worth to us to have all the alterations made.
I understand why custom cabinets make a lot of sense, but I also understand why these ready-made cabinets made sense for us--because we couldn't have afforded nice custom cabinets.
***********************
Joel and Hilda's house was evaluated today by someone who is trained to do energy audits. They report that is was a fascinating process, and they learned a lot--some of it not very welcome. Apparently the house has no insulation in the walls--upstairs or downstairs. The thin layer of insulation in the attic is easily remedied; the uninsulated walls, not so easily. The house is certainly not drafty or rickety, but I guess 40 years ago, people didn't all think as much about energy conservation as they do now.
*********************
Hiromi has transitioned from being a temporary Wal-Mart employee to being a permanent part time employee. He didn't have many choices on hours and days, and I'm afraid there are 3:00-11:00 shifts in store for him. He works till 8:00 tomorrow, on Christmas Eve. They close the store at 6:00, so I don't quite understand why they need employees there till 8:00.
*******************
Hutchinson is hosting some wild and woolly behavior of late. First there was the 71-year old lady that decked an attacker with a frying pan. After he lost consciousness, she called 911. He appeared in court with a neck brace and fresh stitches. Yesterday, a 61-year old paper carrier in Hutchinson was stabbed 10 times. He travels his route on a "tri-cycle" and was a dependable employee. Officers are trying to locate the attacker and have not identified a motive for the attack. The man who was stabbed survived the attack.
*******************
Two of our high school students--sisters--have a new baby brother as of Sunday morning. He is the second son in the family. There are also six girls. The other son is six. Marvin and Dorothy Eash's newborn has been named Austin Neil (if I understood correctly over the phone--unsure of spelling).
I think the timing of this birth was impeccable. Two weeks of vacation for industrious big sisters--just commencing when the baby arrives.
******************
The food safety bill is apparently not likely to be passed during this session of Congress. Earlier, small-farm advocates voiced concerns about the burdensome regulations this would impose on many of the enterprises that have had very little to do with the most serious food safety problems of late. Then significant and helpful amendments were added to protect small farmers, and it looked like passing the bill might be a step in the right direction--giving the government some teeth in enforcing acceptable standards in food production and processing. I forget all the reasons why the bill is in trouble now, but small farm advocates are fearful that if it comes up again after the newly elected Congress takes office, if the bill passes in any form, it will likely be without the built-in protections the current bill contains.
*******************
A Catholic priest who used to work as a counselor wrote a thought provoking piece in the "Western Front" of today's Hutchinson News--the reader's write section. He reminded everyone that this season of "comfort and joy" is anything but that for those who are alone, depressed, ill, or facing some other serious crisis. He also directed people's thoughts to Jesus, Who does truly bring comfort and joy to those who seek Him.
******************
Golden Rule Travel/Golden Rule Property Management had their company Christmas event at Stutzman Greenhouse in the area that was set up earlier for Evening Aglow. Not many people have done this, but Stutzmans was very welcoming, and the setting was warm and beautiful. I wasn't there, except to look in and help during setup.
*******************
One step outside on the porch floor tells me that the freezing drizzle has arrived and made things slippery. I'm wishing Hiromi was safely home from work. The temperature is only slightly below freezing, and perhaps the treated road surfaces are not accumulating ice. I hope not. A very light snow--less than an inch--is also predicted for tomorrow.
I feel now as though Christmas vacation has started for me, although our last day of school was on Friday.
Oh, I also hope everyone buys a book and reads the story of Ervin and Emma's life. Unless you're over 65 you don't remember some of the more exciting events in their lives. If you know them as we do, you probably see them as successful in business and selfless in service, but unless you read the book you might not know about their musical, academic, and career goals--all thwarted, either through lack of opportunity or hardship. Not everyone lives long enough to see how everything "works together for good" as Ervin and Emma have been able to do. Nor does everyone who lives long have the humility to be softened by hard experiences, as they were softened.
******************
This farm has become the hub of various kinds of activity. Lowell comes and goes in the process of taking care of his beef cattle--running water and feeding hay. James and others from Oren and Jo's family check in on the hogs twice a day. Shane pops in often to work on fixing up/cleaning up this and that on the farm (which he now owns). The dogs come along and romp happily. Someone hauls water regularly to the horses and cattle across the road. When I hear the rumble of equipment or a vehicle, I can't always tell if it's the 4020 John Deere, the skid steer, or Shane's diesel pickup or another diesel truck bringing water to the tank across the road. Today the blast of a chainsaw added to the sounds of the place.
I rather like the feeling of living in a lively environment, especially among creatures that I can observe without being responsible for.
**********************
After the holiday season last year Grant obliged me and threaded the two 18-ft. lengths of icicle lights we had hung around the edge of the porch onto a large "cord" spool. I had protested the previous year when he and Hiromi decided to throw them away rather than store them. This year the students borrowed them to use in decorating for the nutrition banquet. With just a bit of coaxing, the whole string of lights worked.
Such was not the case, however, when I uncoiled them once more from the spool and hung them up. After the first attempt, I rehung them so that all the "dark" bulbs would hang unnoticed along the wall at the back of the porch. They looked just right for a few nights, except for the leftover lighted length puddled on one porch chair, which looked a little strange.
Then I noticed that a section near one corner of the porch had gone out. Last night another section along the front had joined the dark corner section. For at least the fourth time this week, I stood on chairs and clutched any nearby support I could reach, and I rehung those lights so that the lighted sections would be arranged continuously, and it would look good in the dark, from a distance.
I will beg Hiromi to throw those lights away this year if he doesn't think of it first.
************************
I love to read Christmas letters from families in our church, or from friends who live elsewhere. This year I noticed especially how well the mothers who wrote described each of their children's unique characteristics and interests. I know Christmas letters don't recount all of what transpires between a mother and her children, but I'm glad to see how each one of these mothers invests in her children's lives and takes time to enjoy the rewards of mothering.
************************
Next semester's schedule has been finalized. I will have a much lighter teaching load than I had first semester. Composition and Nutrition class have ended and I will have only typing left. I have a number of other responsibilities too, of course, but I'm not sure how all those will be distributed.
Wes is offering a literature class for upperclassmen. This is something I've dreamed of for a long time--enough flexibility in our offerings that every teacher on staff has the opportunity to teach in their area of expertise. Literature was Wes' major in college, and offering only an ACE literature course with Wes on staff seemed to be a great waste of resources.
************************
The new standards advocated by representatives from the state's regents schools have gone into effect. They call for one additional math credit for high school graduates who wish to attend a regents school. I haven't heard how this will affect our school's graduation requirements. I don't think I want to know.
************************
At this time of year, I practice a gritting-of-the-teeth routine--whenever I hear some of the reasons students give for not enrolling in a class that I'm positive that, in a very few years, they would be glad to have taken. I'm distressed at their short-sightedness (and I wonder if their parents have thought the matter through, or if they're simply acquiescing to a student's convincing influence), but more than that, I'm not sure that our curriculum offerings and requirements accurately reflect what our students would stand to benefit from the most.
***********************
Hiromi and I are putting together a very large and expensive puzzle. We bought a set of used kitchen cabinets to replace the rather decrepit ones in our Trail West house. The puzzle is to configure them in our space in such a way that everything goes where it's needed, and no space is left over. It's working, but we're going to have to "smaller" the window slightly to fit in the upper cabinets, and we probably can't make use of the Corian countertops that came with the cabinets--because . . . well, it's complicated . . . , but the main problem is that where the hole is cut for the sink would not place the sink in front of the window, and the counter end would fall short of the corner at one end and extend over the stove at the other end, and the base cabinets would not fit the available space efficiently. Corian can be cut and spliced, of course, but it costs money--probably more than it would be worth to us to have all the alterations made.
I understand why custom cabinets make a lot of sense, but I also understand why these ready-made cabinets made sense for us--because we couldn't have afforded nice custom cabinets.
***********************
Joel and Hilda's house was evaluated today by someone who is trained to do energy audits. They report that is was a fascinating process, and they learned a lot--some of it not very welcome. Apparently the house has no insulation in the walls--upstairs or downstairs. The thin layer of insulation in the attic is easily remedied; the uninsulated walls, not so easily. The house is certainly not drafty or rickety, but I guess 40 years ago, people didn't all think as much about energy conservation as they do now.
*********************
Hiromi has transitioned from being a temporary Wal-Mart employee to being a permanent part time employee. He didn't have many choices on hours and days, and I'm afraid there are 3:00-11:00 shifts in store for him. He works till 8:00 tomorrow, on Christmas Eve. They close the store at 6:00, so I don't quite understand why they need employees there till 8:00.
*******************
Hutchinson is hosting some wild and woolly behavior of late. First there was the 71-year old lady that decked an attacker with a frying pan. After he lost consciousness, she called 911. He appeared in court with a neck brace and fresh stitches. Yesterday, a 61-year old paper carrier in Hutchinson was stabbed 10 times. He travels his route on a "tri-cycle" and was a dependable employee. Officers are trying to locate the attacker and have not identified a motive for the attack. The man who was stabbed survived the attack.
*******************
Two of our high school students--sisters--have a new baby brother as of Sunday morning. He is the second son in the family. There are also six girls. The other son is six. Marvin and Dorothy Eash's newborn has been named Austin Neil (if I understood correctly over the phone--unsure of spelling).
I think the timing of this birth was impeccable. Two weeks of vacation for industrious big sisters--just commencing when the baby arrives.
******************
The food safety bill is apparently not likely to be passed during this session of Congress. Earlier, small-farm advocates voiced concerns about the burdensome regulations this would impose on many of the enterprises that have had very little to do with the most serious food safety problems of late. Then significant and helpful amendments were added to protect small farmers, and it looked like passing the bill might be a step in the right direction--giving the government some teeth in enforcing acceptable standards in food production and processing. I forget all the reasons why the bill is in trouble now, but small farm advocates are fearful that if it comes up again after the newly elected Congress takes office, if the bill passes in any form, it will likely be without the built-in protections the current bill contains.
*******************
A Catholic priest who used to work as a counselor wrote a thought provoking piece in the "Western Front" of today's Hutchinson News--the reader's write section. He reminded everyone that this season of "comfort and joy" is anything but that for those who are alone, depressed, ill, or facing some other serious crisis. He also directed people's thoughts to Jesus, Who does truly bring comfort and joy to those who seek Him.
******************
Golden Rule Travel/Golden Rule Property Management had their company Christmas event at Stutzman Greenhouse in the area that was set up earlier for Evening Aglow. Not many people have done this, but Stutzmans was very welcoming, and the setting was warm and beautiful. I wasn't there, except to look in and help during setup.
*******************
One step outside on the porch floor tells me that the freezing drizzle has arrived and made things slippery. I'm wishing Hiromi was safely home from work. The temperature is only slightly below freezing, and perhaps the treated road surfaces are not accumulating ice. I hope not. A very light snow--less than an inch--is also predicted for tomorrow.
posted by Mrs. I at
4:54 PM
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