Fish

Throwback Thursday



Yep, I used to fish a bit.  Wasn't real keen on ice-fishing since I didn't really care for standing out in the cold, but some of the lakes around the town I grew up in had a lot of walleye.  Was considered really good eating in the day, but now I don't think I could hardly handle it.  Not that good of a taste and way, way too many bones to deal with while eating.  Loved that wool shirt jacket though.  Had another in my early teens.  Wish I could still find something like that.  Comfortable and warm.  Probably about fourth or fifth grade here. 

A difference made

Whatever Wednesday

As a teacher, you hope that over the course of time and the hundreds of students that walk through your door, you make a difference in one of those lives.  Upon retiring, that question has seemed to dwell in my mind more often as what I did all those years is now set in stone and it is too late to try and correct things anymore to be even better since I am no longer in the classroom.  This is part of a Facebook message I received today from my former Assistant Principal and colleague.

Steve, I have been working hard to transfer all of our accounts out of Wells Fargo to Matanuska Valley Credit Union. I have spent at least 4 hours with a young married women in the Eagle River Branch named C V.  She is fabulously bright, professional, detail oriented and personable. She delighted me today to regale me with stories about her time at PHS and her two favorite teachers Mr. Cook and Mrs. R-A. She credits you both with your kindness, teaching style and compassion. She stated she entered business because of you, BRAVO.  She says hello to you.

Well, nothing like making my day.  I count amongst my former students that credit me with many things, a writer for the Corps of Engineers who is also a musician and has released a CD, an actor who has been nominated for an international award, a scrub-nurse in training, a fellow teacher who credits my keyboarding class as the most important class in her education and has challenged both my writing and that of her students, and several who are now involved in various educational aspects. 

It's been a good day.

Scissors

Textile Tuesday



Three by three by three.  Three generations, three specialties, three scissors.  The top pair are my Gingher scissors.  I'm mostly a quilter and taught Business and IT.  The middle pair are my Mom's Gingher scissors, now mine because of her dementia, she at one time mostly sewed clothing but ended up being a quilter, and was a Home Ec teacher.  The bottom pair are my Great Aunt's pair of Hartfort Buttonhole scissors, she sewed her own clothing and some embroidery, and taught math, specifically upper level math and mostly Calculus. 

Monday Memories


This is the Sowle Farmstead.  In the picture is my Great Grandfather John Sowle, his wife Viola and my Great Aunt Mabel.  Viola would die before Mabel was 20 years old and John would marry Pearl and their son, Leland, would be my Grandpa.  There was 20 years age difference between Mabel and Leland.  Mom lived here through high school when the farm was sold.  The house was there until after I was born, although I'm not sure how much longer, and I would have still been a baby so I have no recollection of ever seeing this in person.  The house and barn are long gone and corn now grows there. 

Flower Friday

     This is a wild rose of some sort at the Lakeview Campground east of Tok.  This is where we started our summer road trip and our first night camping, both of the trip and ever camping together.  A small campground of only 12 spots and that night only three spots were used.  We heard a crane sounding and several loons calling most of the night.  The campsite we chose was right next to the lake.  Was a great start to our 11,300 mile, 56 day road trip.  We travelled the Alaska Highway to the Cassier Highway, through Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, Badlands, Duluth, across the Mackinac Straits to Alden, MI and family for a couple of weeks.  Then continued on to through Michigan and crossing at Port Huron to Canada to Buffalo, NY to Montrose, PA and more family for a bit.  Left and travelled up through Toronto and around Lakes Huron and Superior, through Winnipeg, Manitoba and then headed towards Edmonton, Alberta.  Caught the Alaska Highway where it officially begins in Dawson City and back through Yukon and into Canada.  It was a fantastic adventure.

Lupine

Canola Fields in Manitoba

Dryas

Throw Back Thursday

John Sowle

     This is my Great Grandpa John Sowle.  I can't trace my family history any further back with him as he came to Ithaca, Michigan on an Orphan Train from New York City.  That is all that he knew and when he reached St. Johns, Michigan, a farm family plucked him off the train.  In his early teens he ran away from the Sowle farm as he was basically an unpaid laborer more than an adopted son.  For a while he worked in a livery stable and slept in one of the horse stalls, but that ended abruptly.  The undertaking had a shop above and one night a body fell down the oat shoot into the stable below.  He left.

Sowle Farmstead

     He eventually made it to Ithaca and set up in farming and married Viola and they had my Great Aunt Mable.  Viola  died young and he then married Pearl and my Grandpa Leland Sowle was born.

Working Wednesday - Drapes and Insurance

 

 

     Today has been more of a work day than usual in such that there is a work day in retirement.  Started out by answering emails related to my small business of conference planning, which dealt mostly with informing prospective guest speakers that we don't have the money this year and filling out insurance forms, for the second time, for the underwriter even though what the insurance agent had me fill out was almost a duplicate.

     And then we finally got started on the new drapes.  We've had the fabric, seen above, for about two years after taking advantage of a 60% off on the fabric with a 50% off coupon even on sales items.  Was quite the deal.  Then we had to special order the traverse rod since here in Alaska, we're apparently the only people that ever want that kind of rod form Home Depot.  We've had that for about a year.  So, it's time to start and today we got the rod up.  I wanted to be able to do some actual measurements before cutting any of the fabric.  Will do some serious math tomorrow and then probably get started on the sewing.  Wish me luck.