We made a long-overdue visit with my mom a few days after Christmas, finishing up the year in a special way.
My brother and sister-in-law (is she really my sil? She's been part of the family for so long that I think of her as a sister) from Idaho and three of their children visited as well. Oh the fun we had! Howling with laughter over Winnie-the-Pooh, telling old stories again, the lunch where everyone seemed to have solid wax in their ears and so couldn't understand what anyone said the first time around, my deep embarrassment at sleeping in until 8:30 (!), experiencing a headache easing after an application of an essential oil called Valor (of all names!), and seeing Mike and Clint wearing glitter.
Okay, let me explain the glitter part first. Mom has three strips of recessed lighting in her kitchen ceiling. I don't know how long the strips are, not being possessed of the ability to cast a casual eye across an expanse and gauge the distance to within three inches but I do know they're long enough to seat two pairs of standard fluorescent tubes end for end. These strips were fit with ceiling panels of a silvery plastic open waffle-weave design that could not be removed without breaking them. How dumb can a contractor be? Putting ceiling panels up in front of the stove that cannot be removed for cleaning? Both Mike and Clint tried nine ways to Sunday to get those panels out with no success. So we went took Mom to the store so she could pick out the panels she would be happy with and they got what was needed. Then they CUT the old panels out with a circular saw. I did mention that they were a silvery color, didn't I? There was glitter all over the kitchen and all over them. Clint even managed to get some in his eye despite the safety glasses and as he was washing it out Mike said, "Clint, you seem to have a glint in your eye and I don't think it has anything to do with anticipation."
We love the Winnie-the-Pooh stories and we even have one book here at home but it's become the tradition to read these stories at Grandma's house, usually as a bedtime story. Mom isn't a reader, preferring to knit, crochet, sew, bake, or work the occasional crossword in her leisure time. However, she isn't opposed to listening when I read to the kids. In fact, when she hears us settling down for a story, she usually finishes whatever she's doing and joins us in the front room with her knitting in hand. Everyone should read Winnie-the-Pooh at least once each year. That Bear of Very Little Brain is good for what ails you. This time I had not just Richelle and Mom as audience but my nephew, niece, and sister-in-law, as well. I don't remember how many times I had to swallow my own laughter so I could get the story read.
But I went to visit Mom with a purpose in my heart to learn how to knit. I'd learned how to do the knitting stitch but never had learned how to cast on, purl, bind off, or read a pattern. Richelle and I learned it all in those few days thanks to Mom's expert teaching and example and I am now working on a...um...well...a something. Haven't figured out yet if it's a potholder, washcloth, scarf, or a really big coaster for water glasses on the coffee table. I don't feel like getting up, locating the camera, taking a picture of it and uploading it to the computer and then to here so you can see it. Actually, what I don't feel like doing is letting you see the uneven hem, the knits where they should have been purls and vice versa, and the *ahem* hole where I dropped a stitch and didn't see it until four rows later and didn't want to unravel that far to fix it so justtieditupwithasmallpieceofyarn(gulp!)
The kids spent quite a lot of time outside walking the dogs several times each day, playing on the swing, and getting the mail for Grandma. I love these times together - these "memory-making times" as my cousin's wife calls it.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Monday, December 22, 2008
Cameron's Eagle Ceremony
We held Cameron's Eagle Ceremony yesterday afternoon and there were only two minor glitches. I think that's incredible because we didn't rehearse beforehand. About a week ago, I gave the major players a copy of the script with their parts highlighted but we didn't do a run-through before the real thing.
I think the reason it went off so well without the rehearsal is because Cameron is the twelfth Eagle Scout from our troop; four ceremonies held in the past eighteen months. I guess you could say that they've rehearsed four times for Cameron's!
Not quite sure why the boys are looking so grim. Richelle must have caught them just at the wrong moment. Something I never thought of until the Scoutmaster mentioned it was that Nick and Cameron are the only brother Eagle Scouts in the troop. That got us to thinking about how many brothers are Eagles in our district and came up with only three other families. The rank of Eagle is elite anyway so having two in one family is pretty special.
Mike and I with Cameron getting ready for the presentation of the mother's and father's pins and of Cameron's Eagle pin. Cameron has just taken the Oath of Eagle.
The Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster with nine of the twelve Eagle Scouts from the troop. Nick is second from left in front row, Cameron is third from right in back.
Our troop tends to have boys earn Eagle in bunches. One earned his in 2002, two earned theirs in 2003, three in 2006, one in 2007, and two in 2008. To finish the roll call, there was one in 1999, one in 1997, and one in 1995. It'll be a couple of years before we have another one but there are three boys in reach of Eagle in that time frame.
I have more pictures coming and I'll post them when I get them.
I think the reason it went off so well without the rehearsal is because Cameron is the twelfth Eagle Scout from our troop; four ceremonies held in the past eighteen months. I guess you could say that they've rehearsed four times for Cameron's!
Not quite sure why the boys are looking so grim. Richelle must have caught them just at the wrong moment. Something I never thought of until the Scoutmaster mentioned it was that Nick and Cameron are the only brother Eagle Scouts in the troop. That got us to thinking about how many brothers are Eagles in our district and came up with only three other families. The rank of Eagle is elite anyway so having two in one family is pretty special.
Mike and I with Cameron getting ready for the presentation of the mother's and father's pins and of Cameron's Eagle pin. Cameron has just taken the Oath of Eagle.
The Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster with nine of the twelve Eagle Scouts from the troop. Nick is second from left in front row, Cameron is third from right in back.
Our troop tends to have boys earn Eagle in bunches. One earned his in 2002, two earned theirs in 2003, three in 2006, one in 2007, and two in 2008. To finish the roll call, there was one in 1999, one in 1997, and one in 1995. It'll be a couple of years before we have another one but there are three boys in reach of Eagle in that time frame.
I have more pictures coming and I'll post them when I get them.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Teamwork pays off
Back in September, Richelle joined a FIRST Lego League team and I was catapulted into becoming a coach through no desire of my own.
Well, our team of five girls worked hard on learning enough about computers to run the programing software, researching a climate-related problem in our area and the solutions used to combat it, finding another area in the world with the same problem and what their solution is and coming up with a way to present their information to others. The final part of the project was to come up with an innovative solution but they didn't get that part done. They also problem-solved how to earn the most points off the board by completing pre-set missions with the Lego robot they had programmed.
They also learned about teamwork, stress management, working on their own with only guidance from adults, time management, and understanding gracious professionalism and friendly competition.
Saturday was our qualifying tournament. There were supposed to be thirteen teams competing from Klammath Falls area, Coos Bay area, Roseburg area, and the Eugene area and one from as far away as Bly but because of the inclement weather there were only eight.
The teams are scored in four areas: teamwork, technical, the project, and the missions. The scores are tallied and trophies awarded at the end of the competition but no one except the judges and Tournament Director know what the scores are. This is to foster the idea of Friendly Competition and Gracious Professionalism.
There are several categories for trophies. Champion's Award, a Champion's Runner-Up Award, Young Team Award, Rookie Team Award, and Honorable Mention Award. The first three awards advance to the State Championships in January. A team wins only one trophy regardless of the score. For example, if a rookie team scores the highest overall, they only get the Champion's Award; the Rookie Award goes to the next-highest scoring rookie team.
Our team won the Young Team Award. The girls were so shocked and excited! Their smiles stretched from one side of their faces to the other and it was great to see them enjoy the fruits of all their hard work.
On to the State Championships January 17 and 18!
Well, our team of five girls worked hard on learning enough about computers to run the programing software, researching a climate-related problem in our area and the solutions used to combat it, finding another area in the world with the same problem and what their solution is and coming up with a way to present their information to others. The final part of the project was to come up with an innovative solution but they didn't get that part done. They also problem-solved how to earn the most points off the board by completing pre-set missions with the Lego robot they had programmed.
They also learned about teamwork, stress management, working on their own with only guidance from adults, time management, and understanding gracious professionalism and friendly competition.
Saturday was our qualifying tournament. There were supposed to be thirteen teams competing from Klammath Falls area, Coos Bay area, Roseburg area, and the Eugene area and one from as far away as Bly but because of the inclement weather there were only eight.
The teams are scored in four areas: teamwork, technical, the project, and the missions. The scores are tallied and trophies awarded at the end of the competition but no one except the judges and Tournament Director know what the scores are. This is to foster the idea of Friendly Competition and Gracious Professionalism.
There are several categories for trophies. Champion's Award, a Champion's Runner-Up Award, Young Team Award, Rookie Team Award, and Honorable Mention Award. The first three awards advance to the State Championships in January. A team wins only one trophy regardless of the score. For example, if a rookie team scores the highest overall, they only get the Champion's Award; the Rookie Award goes to the next-highest scoring rookie team.
Our team won the Young Team Award. The girls were so shocked and excited! Their smiles stretched from one side of their faces to the other and it was great to see them enjoy the fruits of all their hard work.
On to the State Championships January 17 and 18!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
High Achievement
ANNOUNCING
the
EAGLE SCOUT COURT OF HONOR
for
CAMERON MILLER
Sunday, 21 December 2008
2:oopm
at the
SUTHERLIN COMMUNITY CENTER
SUTHERLIN, OREGON
Cameron officially achieved the rank of Eagle Scout on April 29, 2008 but it's taken this long for us to pull the ceremony together. You can read about and see his project in the May archives.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Pass or Fail
Schools used to bring in a trailer once a year and test the sight and hearing of grade school kids. They may still do it, I don't know; I homeschool my kids.
Each year, I'd enter the trailer with fear and trepidation. I was frightened that I'd fail the eye test. I was more confident with the hearing test but I was so afraid of some unknown thing because I couldn't read the eye chart. There was such a relief in passing the test and being allowed to return to the classroom with the others!
In fourth grade, things got a little worse when Mom took me to an eye doctor. It was bad enough worrying about failing the eye test in school, now I was faced with failing it at the doctor's office. The only comforting thing about failing it at the office was that the doctor fixed the machine in a way that I could pass the test in the end. It meant getting glasses but at least I could see!
Mom took me to the eye doctor every year after that and every year I tried to pass the test and every year I failed and had to get new glasses with a new prescription.
Now let's jump ahead about three decades to last Monday when I took Cameron and Richelle in to get their eyes checked.
I suddenly realized that as an adult I've always referred to these appointments as getting our eyes "checked" and not "tested". For a split moment I wondered why, tasted the phrase "get your eyes tested," and a faint memory of anxiety returned. Knowing the kids would love the story, I told them about my pass or fail anxiety and how each year I would be disappointed at failing yet again. They thought it was the funniest thing ever.
Richelle had her eyes checked first (see? I still do it!) and her prescription (reading) hadn't changed. She was so disappointed because she wanted new frames. We were in the waiting room while Cameron was getting his eyes checked, Richelle trying valiantly to control her disappointment, when a thought struck me.
"Richelle!" I exclaimed sitting straight up, eyes wide.
"What?" she replied warily. The waiting room of a doctor's office is hardly the place for excitement and, besides, she was familiar with that particular tone of voice.
"You passed the eye test!" I shrieked in a hoarse whisper.
The post script to my childhood story is ironic. About twenty years ago, I asked Mom why she decided to get my eyes checked in fourth grade. Was it her personal policy to have us kids' eyes checked at that point?
She looked at me rather oddly and said, "No, I took you in because I got a note from the school saying you needed to see the eye doctor."
Each year, I'd enter the trailer with fear and trepidation. I was frightened that I'd fail the eye test. I was more confident with the hearing test but I was so afraid of some unknown thing because I couldn't read the eye chart. There was such a relief in passing the test and being allowed to return to the classroom with the others!
In fourth grade, things got a little worse when Mom took me to an eye doctor. It was bad enough worrying about failing the eye test in school, now I was faced with failing it at the doctor's office. The only comforting thing about failing it at the office was that the doctor fixed the machine in a way that I could pass the test in the end. It meant getting glasses but at least I could see!
Mom took me to the eye doctor every year after that and every year I tried to pass the test and every year I failed and had to get new glasses with a new prescription.
Now let's jump ahead about three decades to last Monday when I took Cameron and Richelle in to get their eyes checked.
I suddenly realized that as an adult I've always referred to these appointments as getting our eyes "checked" and not "tested". For a split moment I wondered why, tasted the phrase "get your eyes tested," and a faint memory of anxiety returned. Knowing the kids would love the story, I told them about my pass or fail anxiety and how each year I would be disappointed at failing yet again. They thought it was the funniest thing ever.
Richelle had her eyes checked first (see? I still do it!) and her prescription (reading) hadn't changed. She was so disappointed because she wanted new frames. We were in the waiting room while Cameron was getting his eyes checked, Richelle trying valiantly to control her disappointment, when a thought struck me.
"Richelle!" I exclaimed sitting straight up, eyes wide.
"What?" she replied warily. The waiting room of a doctor's office is hardly the place for excitement and, besides, she was familiar with that particular tone of voice.
"You passed the eye test!" I shrieked in a hoarse whisper.
The post script to my childhood story is ironic. About twenty years ago, I asked Mom why she decided to get my eyes checked in fourth grade. Was it her personal policy to have us kids' eyes checked at that point?
She looked at me rather oddly and said, "No, I took you in because I got a note from the school saying you needed to see the eye doctor."
Friday, November 14, 2008
Veteran's Day Parade
The scouting thing to do in our county is to participate in the Veteran's Day Parade. I have done so every year but one since 1992 when I first joined Cub Scouting. I have marched or ridden in the hot sun, the cold and windy rain, and everything in between. This year it was rain. Everything from drizzle to downpour. Most of the girls had umbrellas but all that did was divert the water from their heads down the backs of the girls behind them so I had them put the bumbershoots away. We're from the Pacific Northwest after all....a little rain doesn't bother us. Much.
You can't see Richelle or me and probably half the girls on there are from three other troops but this is what we looked like Tuesday.
Skating
Again, I haven't posted in a while but that doesn't mean nothing's happening around here!
Yesterday, Richelle and I attended our monthly homeschool roller skating event. This is nothing outstanding, just a day out of the month when the homeschoolers converge on the local skating rink for a couple of hours. Some parents are out on the rink with their kids, some (most) sit at the tables and kibbitz while obeying the command of "Mom! Dad! Watch this!!"
Richelle was given a really nice pair of rental skates that she described as "so smooth you don't even feel the floor!" Evidently, they were so smooth that she couldn't feel to stop, either, because I heard a "Hey, Mom!" and looked up just in time to see her come flying off the rink, bounce against the padded opening, narrowly miss a little boy, dodge around a young girl, brush past an adult, and come to a crashing stop against a table and two chairs....all in about one second and ten feet.
Yesterday, Richelle and I attended our monthly homeschool roller skating event. This is nothing outstanding, just a day out of the month when the homeschoolers converge on the local skating rink for a couple of hours. Some parents are out on the rink with their kids, some (most) sit at the tables and kibbitz while obeying the command of "Mom! Dad! Watch this!!"
Richelle was given a really nice pair of rental skates that she described as "so smooth you don't even feel the floor!" Evidently, they were so smooth that she couldn't feel to stop, either, because I heard a "Hey, Mom!" and looked up just in time to see her come flying off the rink, bounce against the padded opening, narrowly miss a little boy, dodge around a young girl, brush past an adult, and come to a crashing stop against a table and two chairs....all in about one second and ten feet.
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