Weird Dreams

Monday evening around 9 PM as we returned from a successful softball game, we noticed the Sheriff's Office traffic car parked near the intersection where we turn off the highway to come home. Will was making an approving comment about them working traffic here, when it lit up and followed me around the corner. I realized my lights weren't on and turned them on as I was pulling over. He directed me to go to the next intersection, so I ended up in front of the neighbor's house, three houses down from my own.

So the young deputy approached my car, asked for my driver's license, registration, and insurance. I asked Will to get the things from the glove box and I gave him my license. The deputy looked at it, then bent over and peered into the car, seeing that the passenger was indeed the Undersheriff, and he had just pulled over Mrs. Undersheriff. Do you suppose a deputy would view such an event as a stroke of good fortune or a horrible, no good, very bad day? "Good evening Sir. How are you Sir," he said. "Sir" was chuckling as he pulled everything out of the glove box and dumped it on my lap instead of actually just finding the needed documents.

I found the documents and handed them over. He mentioned noticing that I had turned on my lights and asked why I was driving without them. I explained that I always left them on Auto, but we had stopped at Home Depot. I waited in the car and turned the lights off so no one would come and point out they were on during the minute it takes them to go off, then I forgot to turn them back on. He gave me a short lecture about using my lights and let me know how concerned he was that I get safely home. Then he leaned over to see Will and said, "Have a good evening Sir." I believe the "Sir" word was used several more times but I can't remember what he said. No wonder Will has occasionally been heard to mutter under his breath that he doesn't get treated with enough respect at home.

So anyway, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling very upset. I dreamed that this deputy came back to the house a little later and told me that I needed to take a breathalyzer test. I said no problem, I don't drink at all. To my amazement, the results read .15. The deputy was very unhappy, not wanting to arrest me but knowing I couldn't get by with such a crime. He asked me what I had been drinking, which made me realize I could not remember what I had been doing the past few hours. I knew I had gone out for pizza but I didn't know where or with who, or what I had eaten or drank. So had I actually been drinking? Why would I do such a thing? I had no idea. I was so confused. Fortunately I woke up just then, and as consciousness returned, my confusion dissipated and I realized how ridiculous it was. Obviously they can't get you for driving drunk if they come to your house later on! And obviously I hadn't been drinking, I had been playing softball!

Then last night I woke again in the middle of the night, very glad indeed to be home in my own bed. I had dreamed that I was visiting someone and they had a pet lion in the house, an enormous creature who followed it's owner everywhere he went. I have no idea who these people were or why I was at their house, but I was very uncomfortable about sharing a house with a lion.

I must need a vacation or something! Metolius, here I come!

A Tour of Linn County

Good grief. Almost two weeks have passed since my last post. I've been having too much fun to spend time at the computer. The reunion was great and camping at the coast was fun. we returned home on Tuesday and are enjoyed hosting my aunt and uncle from Missouri, Ves and Jan Oswald. They are staying in our lovely new fifth wheel.

Will was a bit under the weather for a couple of days earlier in the week, but he recovered sufficiently to take us on a tour of Linn County in his pickup today. Along with Galen and Carol, we drove up to McDowell Creek Park and walked the trails to view the waterfalls.

Galen and Ves could probably solve most of the world's problems if they were just able to spend more time in earnest conversation while viewing Majestic Falls.

We relaxed with bottled water, cookies and fresh blueberry muffins before returning to the truck for a ride through the scenic backroads to the posse camp. Will entertained us with his commentary...."After harvesting a marijuana grow at that house, I had flu-like symptoms."...."I spent half a night here on survelliance and ended up following a car all the way to California."...and so on.

After touring the posse camp, we had dinner at the Homestyle Restaurant in Scio, which Galen hoped was a place run by the Holdermans, but it ended up having terrific Mexican food. As we drove home through the idyllic countryside with the sun turning the horizon pink, Ves was saying how blessed we were to have family close by to spend time with. Just then Will put the window down so that the irrigation sprinkler would come in the window and get Carol wet. After the howls of annoyance and laughter subsided, Ves was not so sure of that comment!

We dropped Galens off a little after 9:00 p.m. and while driving home Will got a call about someone lost in the mountains. So he gathered a few items and took off after we got home. It was a lovely day, but I'm very glad I get to go to bed now!

More Softball

Last night was the big game where our two church teams played each other. We lost by quite a bit but we had fun doing it! The other team has a lot of people who have actually played softball. Our team didn't have many players, and Craig recruited some of his friends. They haven't played ball for years but they are having a lot of fun doing it now!

Last week we had only 8 players. Fortunately, so did our opponents. Then one of our players got injured and Will had to give up the score book and play center field for an inning. Our former pastor got up to bat and told me he was going to make Will run. What he didn't know was that our right fielder, though he is a man about Will's age, can run like the wind. The ball was hit between right and center, and our right fielder easily ran over and caught it!

Last night we had plenty of people, but we just aren't as good as the other team. The ball only came to me (in right field) once. I picked it up and wisely handed it off to Nick, who had run to cover me. He made an amazing throw to third base and a runner was out!

As we were heading to the car after the game, a little girl whose parents play on the other team asked Nick, "So do you like falling on the ground?" She had apparently noticed that his style of play includes some falling and diving when he is in pursuit of a ball. I think he may have even done a sort of somersault at one point!

Way back in the good old daycare days (when I sometimes had 8 or 10 kids!) we played a lot of whiffle ball in the back yard and sometimes went to a park or school to play real baseball. Now I'm playing softball with some of those kids, and I like to think I taught them everything they know! I was much better at whiffle ball than softball!

Craig's friend Jon loaned him a hat to wear to the games. He likes it. Will looks like maybe he's jealous? I think Will would make an awesome softball coach. He's an excellent scorekeeper too.

This weekend is our family reunion! I can't wait to see all the folks from the midwest! Pray for sunshine! Maybe we can even play a little softball!

Happy 17th Birthday Nick!

For the first time in several years, we are not camping or on a family reunion trip on Nick's birthday. He was looking forward to having a party with his friends but discovered to his chagrin that important friends were not around, so we postponed a friend party.

We went to Albany and met Will for lunch at a Mexican restaurant. I always like to get a picture of the boys with their father on their birthday, and I have no pictures of Will in the new green uniform they started wearing a couple months ago so I planned ahead and brought my camera. Believe me, it was not easy to get this picture. Will declared he would not cavort around a parking lot and pose for a picture in uniform. So I had to make it really really quick! I have no clue what to buy this boy so we went shopping "together" for his birthday present. I followed him into Radio Shack at the mall and was immediately bored. I asked, "Do you think we would both have more fun if we shopped separately and you call me when you find something you like?" His affirmative response came almost too quickly. So we both enjoyed some shopping time and he called me from the electronics department of Target awhile later. I found him there with a pleased grin on his face and a great sale on the desired object. I was a little surprised that he would want this but he assured me he did. So I bought him a new wireless internet router that he says is 20 times faster than our other one. He started to tell me more things about it but we both realized it was pointless because I just don't speak the language!

I can't believe my baby is going to be 18 in one more year!!! Will he be as tall as his father? He's getting close.....

This is too boring to even bother reading! (But the last paragraph is slightly entertaining.)

How time flies. Only two more days of work and then I am hopefully off for the month of July. Am I excited? Can't wait. People often express surprise that I would have to work part of the summer. What is there to do? Here is what I have done since school ended two weeks ago:

1. Our school traditionally gives each student a card which staff members have written friendly and encouraging words to the student. Each year, many students are either absent the last day or carelessly leave them lying about. I then get to address them and mail them.

2. I caught up on work that I had not had time to do the past two weeks of school because of the busyness. That means I was way behind on depositing lunch money. I also spent a good part of a day preparing deposits for yearbook money, drama, band, library, horticulture and various other accounts.

3. Year end reports were expected by the district office for the Mealtime computer program that we use for lunch money.

4. Daily attendance and tutoring attendance needed to be finalized and have reports printed out.

5. In the absence of the office manager who was using vacation time, I prepared many purchase orders to take care of bills that needed to be paid.

6. Also due to the above, I tracked down invoices/receipts on many purchase orders that needed to be paid but couldn't be processed until the district office received them. That particular job involved a lot of detective work and phone calls, but I was able to track them all down.

7. I cleaned out files, boxing up the attendance and Mealtime reports from the past year to be stored away.

8. I cleaned up the workroom and office.

9. I made phone calls and sent letters to parents of students who have been selected to come to summer school in August.

10. I met with administrators to go over the school information pages of our student planner, (about 18 pages of attendance, discipline, academic, incentive, and other information) so I can get them revised and ready for the printer this week. Also prepared a calendar of next year's activities for the planner. Finished typing it Friday afternoon.

11. I stuffed report cards into envelopes (about a week late because of glitches in another department) and noticed an anomaly in the way one teacher's final grades did not average with the three six-week term grades, which caused a bit of a commotion. Some final grades ended up being changed, but it all worked out in the end and thereby saved us some phone calls from upset parents and having to print a corrected honor roll in the newspaper.

12. Prepared an honor roll list and emailed it to the newspaper.

13. Shared our facilities with 600 American Legion members for their annual convention on Thursday and Friday, made copies for them when requested (at 5 cents a copy), smiled when several of them came in at different times to ask us to turn on the air conditioner (welcome to our un-airconditioned world), and called the custodian for various other requests they made. We'll see if they kept their promise to sweep up all the cigarette butts off the sidewalk out by the street where they congregated on breaks.

14. Answered many phone calls from parents wondering why report cards weren't out yet (some actually suspected their child may have removed it from the mail!) and from people wondering what was going on due to all the cars at our school.

Isn't that just fascinating?! Now you'll know better than to ever ask me, "So how's work?" I have actually been a little stressed the past week about getting it all done so I can get out of there! Monday should be my last day, but I have to attend a half-day training on Tuesday on a new computer program for purchase orders.

Then I will stay home lolling on in my back yard and enjoying my flowers. At least for one day. For example, isn't this pot of bell flowers (campanula) lovely? If only it wouldn't tip over every time it gets windy!

My four men are all off helping Molly move from her apartment to a house her dad owns. I wish they'd hurry up and get back because strawberry shortcake is waiting!!

Nick just got back from a week in San Francisco on a youth mission trip. It was really quiet here last week without him. Not that he's a noisy child. But he does things like rest a mayonaise covered table knife on Craig's arm and they end up running all over the house slamming into walls and various objects as the mature older brother tries to exact revenge, and I am yelling "Out, out out! Take it outside!" He also managed to spill a glass of strawberry lemonade all over the carpet at lunch today. His suitcase and clean laundry are messing up my living room. Yes, I missed him indeed.

Weekend on the Metolius

The Metolius River. What a balm for a weary stressed out soul! I drove there Friday after work and joined Will who had been there a couple of days. When we walked Saturday morning, a little boy at a campsite eagerly informed us that there was a bird on the log. Sure enough, an osprey was having a little snack!The wildflowers did not match the prolific show they put on in July, but I got to see iris blooming. They will be long gone by July. And of course there's lots of yellow flowers and lupine.
This was the view out our back window. We swiveled the chairs around and drank our morning coffee there. Mornings were a little chilly before 9:00.

The desk is a perfect setup for Will's ham radio gear. No more cluttering up the table with it.
Will cooked the meals in his Dutch ovens. He treated me like a queen.
After dinner I was just thinking I would ask if he wanted to go on an after dinner stroll, but before I could speak, guess what he said? Yes, the exact question I had been about to ask!!

One hike I took without him involved taking a trail up above the road then freestyling it to get some good views of some mountains. Here's Mount Jefferson, carrying a lot of snow.

And here's Mt. Washington. It was worth getting my legs a little scratched up to see these gorgeous views.
There is one place along the river just down from our campground where there is a view of Mt. Jefferson also.

We came home this afternoon and Will enjoyed sitting in his Father's Day gift, a rocker for the front porch. Unfortunately, Eric had to work. He'll come home at 9:00. This is the picture I like. (I said, "Everyone smile phony like your dad!")
This is the picture they like.
Craig barbecued some steaks and we had dinner on the deck. Then they played some catch in the park and are now watching the NBA game while they have dessert, a cake that Nick baked. Craig does more shouting than anyone else! It's an exciting game.

I love the Metolius! I put my pedometer on and I think I walked about 10 miles from Friday evening through today. But after my last walk today it reset itself and is now on kilometers instead of miles! So I have to find the instruction book and set it right again.

Nick is Half-way Through High School!

Nick really impressed me on Saturday. I was out working in the yard when he came to the back door and asked where he could find a needle and thread because he needed to sew a button on his work pants. As I walked to the house, he put his hand in front of his face. I asked why. He said “I just can’t look at you right now.” I had no idea why I would be so hard to look at. “You just wouldn’t believe how goofy you look,” he said, face averted. By then I was at the patio door and looked at my reflection in the glass. What a sight! I had pulled some of my hair back in a clip so it would stay out of my face. When I put headphones on, the clip was in the way, so I pushed it forward. I had quite an amazingly high hair poof going on. Combined with my becomingly thick glasses and my baggy sweats, I guess I was pretty difficult to look at. Good thing my husband was still far, far away.

But I digress. How impressive is it that Nick did not ask where he could find a safety pin (as his older brother recently did when in that situation, but I gave him a needle and thread instead), neither did he ask me to sew the button on. I complimented him on his maturity and felt very encouraged that at the youthful age of 16, on his own initiative he actually sewed on his own button. There is hope.

That evening when he was on his break at Taco Bell he texted me that he was working the cash register for the first time. I texted back that I needed dinner so he should watch for an unspeakably goofy-looking female. (Although I had removed the hair clip by then.) I got there behind four teenagers who attend school with him. There was much giggling from the girls, and one of his coworkers who was taking a break told Nick to quit hitting on them. (He wasn’t, he was very professional. Of course.) I ordered a Mango-Strawberry Fruitista Freeze, which Nick made for me. He even added more strawberries when I requested them. It was absolutely delicious.

Besides being very responsible and hardworking, he has a great sense of humor. I forgot my cell phone one day last week and asked him to drop it off at work on his way to school. He was messing with it when he walked in and had a big smile on his face. I suspiciously checked it out immediately and saw that the screen says, “I will give Nick $100.” Hopefully I will figure out how to remove that message before the repeated viewing of it brainwashes me into following those instructions!

Tomorrow is the last day of school!!!!!! We are all SO excited!!!!!