Outdoor Pooling

            There were thirteen of us in the pool this morning. 

            Most came believing the pool would not be crowded

and yet it was.

            Josh was behind the counter collecting fees

            I asked him if he would be teaching as

I had not seen Carolyn.

She was home sick.

            So everyone in the pool did

            his or her own thing.

No instructor

Not many lifeguards are left

            during the final week.

Many return to or

            start school.

            The sky rained upon us

while we were in the pool.

            I don't remember ever

            being in the pool when it rained

The skies alone would

            prevent outdoor pools in Salt Lake

            from being open

It was fun to be in the pool

in the rain.

            The water was cold.

            But not like June or July.

This is the last week

            this year.

change in hair and morning sky

        The roots of my hair are white like they were when I was one.  My last dye job was a brown or red.  The white is more noticeable against the dark color.

        I am sick of my hair.  Sick of changing the color.  Sick of putting it up.  Sick of the weight of it on my scalp.  I told Roland that I need it cut.  We cannot afford the expense right now. 

        He tells me to cut my own hair.  What?!?!?  I can't see the back of my head.  How am I supposed to make it even?

        I've been cutting his hair for the last six months.  I don't think I've done a good job.  As I look at myself in the mirror, I wonder.  What if I cut my pigtails off?  How would that work?

        I take the scissors to my hair.  There is no turning back.  I'm surprised at how it turned out.  I had a similar haircut before.  My head is no longer weighed down by a mass amount of hair.  I am happy with how light it feels.  

        I have a bottle of blonde hair dye.  It was on sale.  I may put it in next week to even out the contrasting colors. Jenna doesn't want me to be blonde.  I don't know why.  Could be because her sisters' mother tried to maintain a blondness and we don't want the reminder. 

        On the other hand, the white roots that are there are the same as my mother's.  The white hair she had when she died.  I can live with that.

        This week will be the last week that the pool will be opened this year.  I thought I would complete the summer by going. 

        The clouds are heavy and the air is filled with moisture - finally.  I notice all the gravel in the driveway is wet  - except for under the car.  I like the misty fog surrounding the hills and watching as it lifts into the air.

        Beautiful!

World Culture and Featured Films

            The class I am currently taking is a social studies class which was not part of the curriculum I had pulled from the 2016 student catalog.  Apparently, it's one that has recently been introduced into the system.  Many of the other students whose names I see are ones that I recognize from several classes before.  

           

            Most of the videos I have been watching are ones I can relate to the class - well sort of.  I have actually used one as a reference already.  Friendship Field is a story that takes place in Idaho.  Three sisters are obligated to work the farm as the youngest sister, Iris who goes by Ira, enjoys he last summer of "freedom" as she will be obligated to work the following year.  Meanwhile, a family from Mexico, hard on their luck, cross the border into the US looking for work and end up on the family farm in Idaho to assist the girls unable to get the crops in on time by themselves.

            The youngest boy, Oscar, befriends Ira and they spend the majority of summer together being kids.  Oscar enjoys meeting Ira at the cemetery as his culture recognizes the death symbols with peace and respect.  Ira, like many of us raised in white culture, sees the cemetery as something spooky and to be afraid of.  Oscar had explained his culture to her and I was reminded of the Disney movie Coco and how much time and respect went into the production in order to make it authentic as possible.

             The next movie I watched started with a flashback of a woman dying.  The story focuses on her husband and their daughter.  They are well-to-do financially, but no amount of money can buy the comfort of one's loss.  

I forget the name of the little girl who goes through a series of nannies but has established a friendship with a waitress, Faith, who "lives on the wrong side of the tracks" (so to speak) who eventually becomes a nanny to the girl.  Possibly more, as the story ends with the girl's father making a connection with Faith.

            I enjoyed the narration in Lost in the Barrens.  Jamie, a white orphan, tells the story about being removed from an all-male academic school and riding a train to live with his uncle.  I thought it was a part of rural Alaska, but as he took the train there, probably not.  He meets another boy, Angus, about his age.  Angus has a huge chip on his shoulders as he is treated with disrespect by the white man and doesn't seem to fit in with his own people although he'd like to.  He becomes angry with Jamie when his father goes on a hunt without him;  he feels like he has been asked to babysit Jamie who is curious about things but obviously has no connection to the wilderness.  He disrespects what Angus views as sacred.  It is a story about survival evolving to friendship.

            

            I tried watching Words by Heart and Girl of the Limberlost but couldn't get sound for either one of them.  I had seen both before but do not remember much of Words by Heart.  I was sad about Girl of the Limberlost as I do remember liking that show.  

            Tomorrow's primary lesson is about Wisdom.  I will be teaching the class in Valiants.

No Dice

                I don't know how old the "Feature Films for Families" is.  The earliest date I can find for my research is 1991.  But it seems like my mom purchased films through the company long before then.  Perhaps I am mixed up with my memory thinking that Kayla and Corey were still in elementary school, but maybe it was 1991 and the children were Ellen and Kimball.

               

                I remember "Banjo, the Woodpile Cat" which I believed was an original of the FFFF company as the story takes place in Payson, Utah before Banjo runs away to Salt Lake City.  According to Wikipedia (here), the release date was December 21, 1979.  It makes more sense that FFFF got its start in the 70s rather than in the 90's as the quality of film I've come across has been screaming 70's - although the dates on the case imply years from the 1990 decade.

                FFFF (here) was created with the intention of wholesome entertainment to not only watch with the family but establish conversations and learning.  "What was the purpose of the film" broken down into "Why do you think this character made a certain choice?" and "What did he/she learn?"

                Last year I came home with a box of videos that the library had given away.  There were many from the FFFF collection - some I had seen before but thought I might like to see again.

                I don't know why I hadn't tried viewing any of them sooner, but they stayed untouched for almost a year.  Recently I decided I would watch some of them.  So far, while the stories themselves have been okay or even good, the acting and/or quality of film have been disappointing.  It doesn't know that I was bothered by it before, but a lot of it thus far has appeared amateurish to my eyes.   Some I have finished watching.  Some I watch in parts.  Others I have stopped and rewound and will never finish.

                I have started a pile of antique relics that most people may not even have machines for.  They will go in the next yard sale at 10 cents or less.  I hope that they will find a good home.  I like the concept of the FFFF.  I even see some on their list that I have enjoyed and would watch again.  But thus far, I have not seen it among the VHS tapes that are currently in our possession.

Back to the Basics

            Shortly after I started my schooling online, I made a list of all the required classes that I'd be taking.  Thus far there have been three assigned classes that were not on the list.  One of them is this one I'll be taking for the next four weeks.  I don't quite understand why it's been assigned to me - especially since I've already taken one that has a similar description.  I had received an email from the instructor on Sunday.  She is over the freshman and has presented a guideline for those who have never taken an online course before.  I am nearly a senior.  I think someone entered me into the wrong class as the description sounds very similar to one I recently just completed.  This is nuts.

            The wind has changed and pushed the haze back into the skies and pushed our green back to yellow air quality.  

            I went to the pool this morning.  It was cold like it was in June and July when the heater was broken.   Carolyn thought it was fine, but the majority of class members seemed to be on my side.  Even the lifeguards agreed with me when some were required to get in when our class had ended as swimming classes start right after our class ends.

            I guess I'll start on my discussion.  I don't foresee any struggles for this current class.  No accounting involved!  Should be easy.  I'm thinking perhaps too easy.

Dinner on the Deck

                Dinner was very nice.  There was a lot of food.  Halibut steak cooked to perfection, clam chowder, shrimp, carrots, jumbo baked potato and roll provided by Midtown Grill.  I enjoyed the food but did feel like a fish out of water.  Some people have money and are willing to share.  I think others just want to make an appearance.  But that's all speculation on my part.  I had four of the five people at our dinner table - my "close-knit-pool-group" and Sue's husband.  I saw a couple from our ward and Susan who has come to our swim class this year and whom Jaime and I had assisted with the Riddle booth during SummerFest here.

 

                There were over a hundred people for the turn-out at the pool.  The deck had been set up for 18 tables with six chairs at each table.  Carolyn seemed to know a lot of people - mostly former students that she had taught - or their parents.  Dan made jokes about how prestige it was to be with a near-celebrity which Carolyn didn't agree with.  I think Dan probably knew the least amount of people from all of us.  

                Of course, we all know Josh and many of the lifeguards by name.  Sebastian, who had been Jaime's swim instructor the year we had moved in, had been assigned as our waiter.  I really enjoy how the community pulls together and create a positive environment.  The man at our table whom I had not met until last night had given a brief history of the project of building the pool back in 1963.  Evidently, there had been statics given for each year children had died playing in creeks and rivers.  One of the ideas behind building the pool was to teach the community's children how to swim.

photos by Joe Glaspie

                Sue's husband took several pictures.  I hope I will have an opportunity to see some of them.

                 I brought my cheesecake home mostly because I didn't have room for it, but also wanted to share with Roland and Jenna. 

Clearing Up the Sky to Blue, Yellow and Green

                The wind has been blowing each morning Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  Carolyn said she had a surprise for the class for Wednesday morning, but I did not go.  Roland and I had gone to the Roseburg Cinema to see Dog Days - which I really liked. 

                 I had left my phone with Jenna in case she needed to get a hold of us.  She spent the day with her friend, Marie.  She reported to me that the dentist had called, but neglected to tell me about Coffenberry; she decided it was not important as she is no longer a student there.

               

                A couple of hours after Roland and I had returned to Tri-City, Jenna said there was word from the theatre to get there ASAP to be fitted for costumes.  Wednesday night was the dress rehearsal and I had invited my close friends from the water group to come and see the performance as I cannot afford to buy tickets for the regular productions.   

I asked how the "surprise" went for the morning class and was told that it was too windy and had to be postponed. Thursday morning seemed a bit windy also - although we did introduce Carolyn's surprise that day.  I wrote about that in my last post "Deceiving Skies" which they were.  Skies filled with smoke gave the appearance of an overcast sky with the promise of rainfall - but it never did.

                My friends all enjoyed the play very much.  I took pictures with my phone as Roland's phone and I don't seem to get along.  Too bad.  His produce better quality. 

Before rehearsal - Roland helped with the scenery

Jenna with the owners who play her mom and dad

Little John, Friar Tuck, Young Scarlett and Alan Adel

Jenna and Roland are not in many scenes together.

                                   This would be a better pic if Roland didn't look like just a shadow

Little John, King Richard, Friar Tuck and Salome outside theatre

My friends Dan and Sue hang in gallows outside the theatre

                You can see better quality in the photos in the News Review here.                

                Roland plays Friar Tuck and really got into character when he asked if I would shave a bald spot on his head.  It also shows bravery by allowing me to use a razor on his head.

This pic is horrible quality - worse than the haircut

                On Thursday night, I happened to check my phone while Jenna and Roland were on stage performing the opening show. I found my messages from the dentist (who I had called back as Jenna had mentioned it to me) and Coffenberry.  I had put in an application as an instructional assistant and was being contacted for a job interview for Friday morning.  Thanks, Jenna. 

 I contacted the school and left a facebook message for the principal to let her know that I'd be there - though neither message was received as I was contacted again on Friday morning, this time by the secretary who seemed excited about the possibility of my working at the school.

                The wind was a bit overpowering - nothing outrageous but enough to disturb an outdoor picnic.  It felt cool and blew away much of the smoke bringing back the blue sky - so much of Douglas County has gone from Yellow back to green (65 on my Thursday post to 38 right now) and even more surprising was cutting Medford form 161 (very red) to 70 (orange) though it started out green as we headed there this morning.  

 It was our day to go and pick pears.  I thought Alexa was wrong when I heard that the air quality was only 48 but maybe.  The air quality wasn't near as bad this year as it had been last year. 

                Last year Roland had purchased a box of 20 respiratory masks which Jenna and I had both used.  He may have also, though I don't remember.  I did post pictures of me and Jenna here.  

 I could have really used a respiratory mask last year but did not have;  this year we took the box and whatever contents were left but did not use.  Breathing has been challenging end of July to beginning September.  I'd rather have the 4-6 weeks of breathing irritation during Oregon's fire season than the 4-6 months of inversion and an additional 2 months of other breathing challenges in Utah. 

                Tonight I'm going to a charity dinner with my friends.  I am so touched that they wanted me there badly enough that they were willing to pay for my ticket to get in.  Fundraiser for our community pool.  Perhaps I will write about it tomorrow or later on next week.

Deceptive Skies

                Carolyn picked me up at 6:45 this morning.  I was happy to see misty clouds or fog hanging over the hills ahead of us, but from behind the appearance told us it was a hazy smoke.  From the pool, the skies gave the impression that it might rain, but to the north of us, there was also a musty haze covering the hills, trying to hide them as it had all of the blue that had been there last weekend.  What happened?

            Two weeks ago after the smoke started to descend upon us, the haze made gave the sun the appearance of being blood red - like in this photo by Richard Bartz. 

It was taken for an article for a station in Portland, I think.  The name of the article is Poor air quality could affect your dog or cat: Tips to avoiding respiratory stress in pets which you can find here. 

            I don't have that great of a sense of smell, but I can smell it - even taste it - as I sit at my computer writing this post.  I have not even had the windows open all week as to not let the bad air in.  The air quality guide tells me moderate, but it feels like the number should be higher and orange rather than yellow.

 I realize that in comparison to other areas in Oregon, California, and even Utah, the quality of air is worse than here.  I don't understand.  According to the fire map, there aren't even any fires that close to us - not like last year when we were surrounded by fires.  How fortunate that we did not have to evacuate - where would we have gone?  What roads would we have taken to get there safely?

            The pool was nice.  There were only five people in Josh's class.  It was an extreme workout.  I felt out of breath and was grateful for the opportunity to rest between classes - though we did not fully rest.  Carolyn and I put up a net that Josh had started for us.  And then she pumped air into nine beach balls while I plugged up the holes.  We put the balls in the water.  It was fun to watch where the air carried them.

            There weren't as many participants as usual.  The class has been getting 16 - 20 people on average.  On Tuesday there was 20.  Today there were twelve.  .  We did not have a routine workout in the morning.  Carolyn had wanted to try something different, and we did.  First, she incorporated some of Josh's routines into our morning exercise and try something different that she hoped would be fun.

            We attempted to pass the beach balls to one another over the net, but the wind generally sent them to directions other than what we were aiming.  It appeared that everyone in the water was having a good time, and I know the lifeguard was enjoying watching us

            I still need to write my assessment.  I am having the hardest time getting into it.  If I don't post something new tomorrow, it means I am working on my assignment . . . still.

Hodgepodge of Thoughts

          The skies cleared up this last weekend.  The smoke had cleared from the south and the skies were blue.  For two nights and mornings I had my windows   Now we have smoke coming in from the east. The windows remain closed.  I think it's wrong for the skies to appear overcast as though promising cooler weather and learn that it is 80 - 90 degrees outside.  

          Roland has taken off for a week.  Monday felt like a Saturday to me.  Yesterday felt like a Wednesday.  I don’t know what today will bring (as it really hasn’t started yet) Not a normal day for me.  Roland and I will be going to the theatre in Roseburg this morning.  Jenna will stay in town with a friend who stayed the night. 

          They have their dress rehearsal tonight.  I have invited my small group from my water fitness class.  They are excited to see Jenna and Roland perform.  It will be fun for all of us.  I am happy that they are looking forward to this.

          I just barely started my research for this week’s assessment.  It is all that is required this week.  165 points for 1,000 words 975 words (it might as well be 1,000).  I don’t know when I’ll be able to continue working on it today.  It’s a doozer.  Starting Monday I will be taking a break from accounting.  I have a social studies class coming up for the next four weeks.

          I’ve started a new book called “Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles” by A.L. Herbert.  Thus far, it is actually kind of funny.  Halia and her cousin find the body of an arrogant investor in her restaurant’s kitchen.  At first, they believe he is passed out, but when Halia can’t find a pulse, she freaks out.  She was about to call the police believing that death may have occurred as a result of a heart attack, but then sees her cast iron frying pan and realizes that the investor has been murdered.

          She doesn’t want the murder to ruin the reputation of her restaurant, and so she and her cousin move the body to a nearby alley.  When she returns to the restaurant the following day, she prepares herself for rumors and investigations, but as the day progresses without any word of a murdered victim, she learns the body is no longer where she  left if. 

          I am not even halfway into it.  It’s been five days and she has learned that a body was just retrieved from a body of water.  At this point, she does not know if it’s her investor.  It is fun reading about her suspicions and panic.  I am going to attempt reading another chapter before I return to bed.  Though it might be better if I could start applying my references to my assignment.  That seems more likely to return me back to slumberland.

Assorted Thoughts on blog, school and blossoms

        I notice my brother has not posted to his blog for over a year now.  My niece seems to gradually be returning to her blog.  She has created seven posts called “Define your Dash”.  It appears as though she has reached into a journal jar and writes on whatever subject she’s been given – although in her Dash#1 she explained in better detail what she’s doing.  She also uses actual names unlike Corey and me.

        I’ve obviously slipped at posting myself, and my reading has been even more pathetic.  I have so much to catch up on.  It’s just a matter of prioritizing.  This will be my last week of the two accounting classes I'm currently taking.  I have only one assessment and discussion for my favorite class.  I have a normal week for the class I don’t like.

        I have another comparison I have made for the relationship between me and the instructor.  Have you ever watched a Peanuts cartoon and the focus is always on the childish characters and you never actually see the adult?  And when an adult does talk there is only sound but no formed words?  That is what my instructor sounds like to me.  I’ve decided that I’m not alone.

        I mentioned that there are two students who are in both of my classes.  One is a returned missionary I’m guessing in his early 20’s.  He’s been in a few of my other classes before.  He is going for his bachelor’s in forensic accounting.  Dare to dream.

        The other, I'm guessing, is a woman - possibly around my age.  That is basically all I know about her.  Except for she posted her phone number on my discussion post addressed to me.  Could I call her and help her with the assignment?  I don’t know why she singled me out – unless it is because I am in both classes and I have been to the live lectures (when the instructor calls us by name, other students can figure out who attended the live session)

        My grades in that class are not the greatest though are better than my current understanding.  I have been on the President’s List ever since my first two classes, but my understanding of Acct 213 has robbed me of making the President’s List for the next five or six months (however often they are sent)

        It was late when I received her message – well, maybe not so late my time, but I didn’t even know what state she was in; it appears to be on eastern time and landline.  At this point I don’t know what kind of grades she gets.  But I feel her frustration.  I wish I could get a hold of her to see how she’s doing.  Her line was busy when I tried to call on Friday morning.

        Jenna was home from school and I took her to parent/teacher conference.  She showed me the memorabilia that hang the walls of the hall –

tribute continues for Nick and Andrew.  The students released hundreds of balloons into the sky and left daffodils at the flagpole.

I tried calling my unknown classmate a couple of times but her line was busy.  I couldn’t even leave a message for her.  I hoped that she was receiving help from another.   

        Jenna and I ran several errands.  It was such an awesomely beautiful day.  After months of rain, there was sunshine.  Just that day.  I came home and finished my last assessment.  I wish it had been the final.   

          On Saturday, Savannah came over and spent some time with Jenna. Roland took them to the movies and brought them back to hang out.  I spend some time with him before he went into his office to study.  I took advantage to create a few posts. 

             Yesterday I noticed the pink and white blossoms gracing several trees between our house and the church.  Last year the flowers were blooming in February - which the residents said was unusual.  This year was quite different from last.

            I tried contacting my classmate again.  Now my phone insists that it is not even a working number.  What?