I will be providing a picture on this blog to show what I saw in the church nursery tonight.
I figured that I would face some trash problems and some crumbs on the floor, because there was a reunion and a recital. But as I walked by the church nursery I was appalled! There were crackers crumbs and animal crackers in whole pieces all over the floor; dolls and toys thrown in the center; the toy kitchen set was open; Legos all over the place; missing puzzle pieces in the stuffed animal bin; puzzle pieces all over the floor. It really looked like a tornado had hit it. I have never, ever, never seen it look that bad!!!
Where was the supervision during this "train wreck?" Apparently whoever was in charge did not do a good job of it. There was also a huge mess in a basement, in one of the classrooms. What possess people to leave a church in such a shambles? Do they secretly hate the custodian? Do they think that a "cleaning fairy" will magically clean up their mess? We spent most of the night cleaning this up and getting it ready for church tomorrow.
Now I know I shouldn't complain (after watching "Adventures in Dry Gulch" this morning on DayStar) but still!!! Things like this shouldn't go on. People need to be mindful to leave things as they found them and have a little respect for the use of the church.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
One of those days
Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to go right? That was Thursday for me. I should have known it that when I backed out of my driveway and another car was on my back bumper that this was the start of a bad day.
When I get in the car, I look back making sure that there is no one behind. But yesterday, bam this SUV was right there. So I had to pull back into my driveway even though technically I was out in the street first. Whatever.
I get to work and suddenly feel a calmness that I am there. Ahh, maybe this was going to be a good day. Ha! There was a box in the trash that I thought, "Well I'll just take that out." So while I'm out there I noticed the trail of packing peanuts coming out of the box. Great! It's windy and running after these little things.
At noon, S notices that the peaches are frozen! Frozen in the lower part of the fridge. This is not good. Later on I notice that the thinly sliced turkey meat is iced up pretty good too. Do we have to buy a new fridge? We ALMOST did last year, but it's a good thing that we did not, then. I needed every bit of that money for my "vacation" at the hospital.
While watching TV yesterday all of a sudden the TV went to one bright vertical line. Oh no! The picture tube was going out?! My mind started to ponder what type of flat screen we could get to replace this one and how much. J went over and restarted the satellite. It was still the same picture. Then I thought I would turn it off and "rest" it. Thankfully that worked!! But I'll be keeping an eye out for any other problems it could have in the next few days.
Then while walking out of the porch my eyes looked up in the laundry room and black mold had appeared!!! YUK!!! I urged L to call someone about the roof. I would have called RandyK but he was busy and suggested that we call this other roofing company. I would have prefered Randy!
L calls later and gets the company answering machine. L cleans off the mold with Tilex. We have always had problems with our flat roof. We will have to have someone build it up soon and see how much that will run us!
Finally the grass dried up enough to cut it. I had no problems here except the front yard where we have little grass under the trees. Then I got to the obstacle course!! (the inlaws yard!) I was coming down my usually way in the yard, next to the garage between their neighbors fence when I heard this awful noise. I thought I do not need my brand new mower to tank on me. So I turned off the blades, raised the deck and rolled it into neutral. I had hit a huge ROCK!! Some pieces were cut off thanks to my blades. I didn't see the rock because of the high grass it was "hidden." Why can't people put their rocks next to the garage and not in my path? I am pretty sure the blades were bent if not worse. I was nervous that it also killed the mower. I said some "Frank Barone" words. I apologized to L for nearly killing the mower and explained about what happened.
Then I heard that Kearney, Nebraska was having a tornado!! Kearney is where Morris Cookbook Company is located, this is where OUR church cookbook is being produced! So I checked the tracking number on the proof and it had just arrived today. However, I'll bet it was delayed because of the weather. I hope that the cookbook company people are okay.
(I had added this to the blog! But today, I am having problems with the computer!)
I hope that I NEVER have a day like that again!! After mowing I took a nice hot bath and relaxed the rest of the night, I needed a Calgon moment!
-----
S is taking driver's education at the high school. They have a lot of book learning to do. Thankfully, S, Carina and Josh E., from our town carpools from Harper to 5 miles out to CHS. I know that there are probably other Harper people there too. So this is a good thing! S just hates getting up so early for the class.
When I get in the car, I look back making sure that there is no one behind. But yesterday, bam this SUV was right there. So I had to pull back into my driveway even though technically I was out in the street first. Whatever.
I get to work and suddenly feel a calmness that I am there. Ahh, maybe this was going to be a good day. Ha! There was a box in the trash that I thought, "Well I'll just take that out." So while I'm out there I noticed the trail of packing peanuts coming out of the box. Great! It's windy and running after these little things.
At noon, S notices that the peaches are frozen! Frozen in the lower part of the fridge. This is not good. Later on I notice that the thinly sliced turkey meat is iced up pretty good too. Do we have to buy a new fridge? We ALMOST did last year, but it's a good thing that we did not, then. I needed every bit of that money for my "vacation" at the hospital.
While watching TV yesterday all of a sudden the TV went to one bright vertical line. Oh no! The picture tube was going out?! My mind started to ponder what type of flat screen we could get to replace this one and how much. J went over and restarted the satellite. It was still the same picture. Then I thought I would turn it off and "rest" it. Thankfully that worked!! But I'll be keeping an eye out for any other problems it could have in the next few days.
Then while walking out of the porch my eyes looked up in the laundry room and black mold had appeared!!! YUK!!! I urged L to call someone about the roof. I would have called RandyK but he was busy and suggested that we call this other roofing company. I would have prefered Randy!
L calls later and gets the company answering machine. L cleans off the mold with Tilex. We have always had problems with our flat roof. We will have to have someone build it up soon and see how much that will run us!
Finally the grass dried up enough to cut it. I had no problems here except the front yard where we have little grass under the trees. Then I got to the obstacle course!! (the inlaws yard!) I was coming down my usually way in the yard, next to the garage between their neighbors fence when I heard this awful noise. I thought I do not need my brand new mower to tank on me. So I turned off the blades, raised the deck and rolled it into neutral. I had hit a huge ROCK!! Some pieces were cut off thanks to my blades. I didn't see the rock because of the high grass it was "hidden." Why can't people put their rocks next to the garage and not in my path? I am pretty sure the blades were bent if not worse. I was nervous that it also killed the mower. I said some "Frank Barone" words. I apologized to L for nearly killing the mower and explained about what happened.
Then I heard that Kearney, Nebraska was having a tornado!! Kearney is where Morris Cookbook Company is located, this is where OUR church cookbook is being produced! So I checked the tracking number on the proof and it had just arrived today. However, I'll bet it was delayed because of the weather. I hope that the cookbook company people are okay.
(I had added this to the blog! But today, I am having problems with the computer!)
I hope that I NEVER have a day like that again!! After mowing I took a nice hot bath and relaxed the rest of the night, I needed a Calgon moment!
-----
S is taking driver's education at the high school. They have a lot of book learning to do. Thankfully, S, Carina and Josh E., from our town carpools from Harper to 5 miles out to CHS. I know that there are probably other Harper people there too. So this is a good thing! S just hates getting up so early for the class.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
School Starts When??
I was looking through the CHS website yesterday. On there it said, "See you back in August." There was the starting date...August 14th!!! WHAT??? That's a little early. I originally thought we had 13 weeks off, but we had 12 weeks off of school. It seems as though school is starting earlier each year. I thought we were starting August 21st and had scheduled an orthodonist appointment for J that week. "Oh yeah, that'll be good. He won't miss school." He would have missed school. So I rescheduled that appointment for a week earlier.
We all know what time Wally World will be putting out their latest school supplies most likely right after the 4th of July. I've already seen fireworks at Dillons this week.
Later on I find the old school calendar of last year. Huh? We did start pretty early last year too, so I guess this is just par to start now.
When my mom went to school (now that was in the dark ages!) She didn't start until after Labor Day and they still got off in May. When I went to school there was no such thing as spring break for us until I hit college. If you live in Oregon, they start after Labor Day and school ends for them in mid-June. Either way you look at it everyone has to deal with hot weather.
-----
The price of gas is ridiculously high in Harper. At Doms it is 3.99 a gallon and at the other place it was 10 cent cheaper. When we went to Wichita on Tuesday it was 3.72 a gallon. When we got there in the afternoon the price was at 3. 73 and when it was after 5 it dropped a penny! We saw the long lines at the Dillons because if you have a Dillons card it can be even lower than the reported price of 3.72. I checked online for gas price back west. There is still no way that we can vacation in Oregon. Darn! It is at least 60 cents higher than it was last year at this time. It makes me wonder what the price of gas will be next year?? Very scary!
----
So much for a summer vacation!
We all know what time Wally World will be putting out their latest school supplies most likely right after the 4th of July. I've already seen fireworks at Dillons this week.
Later on I find the old school calendar of last year. Huh? We did start pretty early last year too, so I guess this is just par to start now.
When my mom went to school (now that was in the dark ages!) She didn't start until after Labor Day and they still got off in May. When I went to school there was no such thing as spring break for us until I hit college. If you live in Oregon, they start after Labor Day and school ends for them in mid-June. Either way you look at it everyone has to deal with hot weather.
-----
The price of gas is ridiculously high in Harper. At Doms it is 3.99 a gallon and at the other place it was 10 cent cheaper. When we went to Wichita on Tuesday it was 3.72 a gallon. When we got there in the afternoon the price was at 3. 73 and when it was after 5 it dropped a penny! We saw the long lines at the Dillons because if you have a Dillons card it can be even lower than the reported price of 3.72. I checked online for gas price back west. There is still no way that we can vacation in Oregon. Darn! It is at least 60 cents higher than it was last year at this time. It makes me wonder what the price of gas will be next year?? Very scary!
----
So much for a summer vacation!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
My College Story... 30 years later
It's been 30 years since I attended college out at SC. Hard to believe at times, and yet not so hard to believe.
I look back and remember how shy I was. No one really knew me back then. I was "Crane" in the "Bird Family." I was the crazy one doing (as I recall) pretty dumb things that I care not to blog about. LawR named close friends different "birds." LBD was "Flamey," because of the 21 candle birthday card salute we gave her. We taped the candles to the card and lit them all up. She had to blow them out, quickly!! MAK was nicknamed "Jr. Birdman." Donna was named "Demobird," for obvious reasons. ;-)
Of those three friends, I was the only one who had children. LawR was married to her first husband for about 14 years. She was a teacher down at a small town 15 miles east of here. Then she met her second husband through the Internet and moved to his town, Capital City and she quit her job as a teacher. MAK's husband died and LBD never got married. I haven't see LBD for quite a while, I think S was just a year the last time I saw her. She is a lab manager in Stillwater.
The guy whom I was hung up on eventually went back to school playing basketball for Mac College. His team played SC a few times and I would see him. I also traveled to Bethel College to watch Mac play. Little did I know at that time, there was another player on the Bethel team who eventually became my pastor at the church we are currently attending. About 12 years later got to know Weldon quite well until he moved on to a larger church in Nebraska. After the guy went to Mac College he left my hometown and I never saw him again.
S saw pictures of the guys who I dated back in college. The term "losers" came up. Hey, it was the 70's everyone looked different back then! I'll be keeping pictures of her former boyfriends when she is married too...ha ha and we will see what her kids will think of them when they are her age. :)
My lab partner and I broke up after I graduated from SC. I lost track of him until I found the alumni directory. I haven't seen him in 30 years either.
Rod L., my first boyfriend, who was six years old than me, died a year or so after we broke up. He had drowned in a swimming pool because he had an epileptic seizure.
----
I've had great times, sad times, and funny times. I laugh remembering how I couldn't rewind a film projector and so my friends kept the teacher busy talking while I wound the film manually backwards! I remember the art teacher (even though I didn't have a class with him). LawR would say in a nasal tone, "SH-ARP!" The pranks throughout the times. I wasn't immune from the pranks either. I remember driving away and hearing a clunk as pop cans fell out from under my bumper. Then the times when me and MAK would serenade LawR outside her window with "When I'm calling you." Taking showers and after using the toliet we had to yell "Flushing!" If you didn't yell it then the water would go from a nice pleasant temperature to a scalding hot one pretty quick! If you knew someone was in the shower you didn't like, then you could think, "well they got theirs." Tee hee! Not nice but true. The visitation of the boys coming over to the dorm. There were rules on where they could and couldn't sit and the door had to be open. A lot of the times these rules were followed and a lot probably not.
We had Super Bowl parties in the Parlor; engagement showers; and floor meetings/parties. We would pull all nighters in the basement and sometimes do laundry downstairs. Some would have coffee pots and hot plates (although it wasn't too allowed). We used to get little packets of tea and sugar. I remember stuffing my sweater pockets with these things. We payed for the food service so we figured we were entitled to these little packets. We would eat in the cafeteria killing flies with salt and reviving them with water. (this was usually the guys). Then we would play "Pomp and Circumstances" on our water glasses. We enjoyed driving 8 miles north for Pizza Hut, Sonic, and Peter Pan. Or staying in Sterling eating at Broadway Pizza (no longer there). Going down to the drug store for a fountain drink.
I had a History Methods class at Mac College and I usually rode with Don or Kerwin. I had a major crush on Kerwin but he had eyes for Trudy H. I had to sit there and listen to him talk about her. The final class time the entire class (which consisted of students from the Mac College and Kansas Weslyan) went to eat at the "Happy Chef." We all had to press the button to make the "Chef" talk! I paid more attention to the other guys in that class than Kerwin. I think he knew that I was "mad" at him. Oh well..that was then.
That's how my college life was 30 years ago. I'll always remember the guys playing football in front of Campbell Hall and cardinals flying around in the early spring.
Yes...it does seem like eons ago that this all took place!
I look back and remember how shy I was. No one really knew me back then. I was "Crane" in the "Bird Family." I was the crazy one doing (as I recall) pretty dumb things that I care not to blog about. LawR named close friends different "birds." LBD was "Flamey," because of the 21 candle birthday card salute we gave her. We taped the candles to the card and lit them all up. She had to blow them out, quickly!! MAK was nicknamed "Jr. Birdman." Donna was named "Demobird," for obvious reasons. ;-)
Of those three friends, I was the only one who had children. LawR was married to her first husband for about 14 years. She was a teacher down at a small town 15 miles east of here. Then she met her second husband through the Internet and moved to his town, Capital City and she quit her job as a teacher. MAK's husband died and LBD never got married. I haven't see LBD for quite a while, I think S was just a year the last time I saw her. She is a lab manager in Stillwater.
The guy whom I was hung up on eventually went back to school playing basketball for Mac College. His team played SC a few times and I would see him. I also traveled to Bethel College to watch Mac play. Little did I know at that time, there was another player on the Bethel team who eventually became my pastor at the church we are currently attending. About 12 years later got to know Weldon quite well until he moved on to a larger church in Nebraska. After the guy went to Mac College he left my hometown and I never saw him again.
S saw pictures of the guys who I dated back in college. The term "losers" came up. Hey, it was the 70's everyone looked different back then! I'll be keeping pictures of her former boyfriends when she is married too...ha ha and we will see what her kids will think of them when they are her age. :)
My lab partner and I broke up after I graduated from SC. I lost track of him until I found the alumni directory. I haven't seen him in 30 years either.
Rod L., my first boyfriend, who was six years old than me, died a year or so after we broke up. He had drowned in a swimming pool because he had an epileptic seizure.
----
I've had great times, sad times, and funny times. I laugh remembering how I couldn't rewind a film projector and so my friends kept the teacher busy talking while I wound the film manually backwards! I remember the art teacher (even though I didn't have a class with him). LawR would say in a nasal tone, "SH-ARP!" The pranks throughout the times. I wasn't immune from the pranks either. I remember driving away and hearing a clunk as pop cans fell out from under my bumper. Then the times when me and MAK would serenade LawR outside her window with "When I'm calling you." Taking showers and after using the toliet we had to yell "Flushing!" If you didn't yell it then the water would go from a nice pleasant temperature to a scalding hot one pretty quick! If you knew someone was in the shower you didn't like, then you could think, "well they got theirs." Tee hee! Not nice but true. The visitation of the boys coming over to the dorm. There were rules on where they could and couldn't sit and the door had to be open. A lot of the times these rules were followed and a lot probably not.
We had Super Bowl parties in the Parlor; engagement showers; and floor meetings/parties. We would pull all nighters in the basement and sometimes do laundry downstairs. Some would have coffee pots and hot plates (although it wasn't too allowed). We used to get little packets of tea and sugar. I remember stuffing my sweater pockets with these things. We payed for the food service so we figured we were entitled to these little packets. We would eat in the cafeteria killing flies with salt and reviving them with water. (this was usually the guys). Then we would play "Pomp and Circumstances" on our water glasses. We enjoyed driving 8 miles north for Pizza Hut, Sonic, and Peter Pan. Or staying in Sterling eating at Broadway Pizza (no longer there). Going down to the drug store for a fountain drink.
I had a History Methods class at Mac College and I usually rode with Don or Kerwin. I had a major crush on Kerwin but he had eyes for Trudy H. I had to sit there and listen to him talk about her. The final class time the entire class (which consisted of students from the Mac College and Kansas Weslyan) went to eat at the "Happy Chef." We all had to press the button to make the "Chef" talk! I paid more attention to the other guys in that class than Kerwin. I think he knew that I was "mad" at him. Oh well..that was then.
That's how my college life was 30 years ago. I'll always remember the guys playing football in front of Campbell Hall and cardinals flying around in the early spring.
Yes...it does seem like eons ago that this all took place!
College story part 4
While at SC I was required to take a few courses in order to graduate. Some I really liked and others, well they were just really tough to get through. I was a History major with a minor in secondary education. I thought I was going to teach. At least that was the plan when I was going to school. I had no idea what I was getting myself in when I decided to minor in secondary education until I took student teaching then I found out that was a dumb idea. A little too late to switch majors or minors in my senior year!
I had some really great History profs while attending SC. None of them are at the college any more. The hardest prof who really made us write essay answers with complete throughness was Dr. Belk. When I first arrived on campus he was my advisor. I took a couple of History class from Dr. White and just barely got by on writing brief answers in my "blue book." By the time I was a "sophomore" until my 5th year senior status I got somewhat better when it came to essay answers. Dr. Belk was an interesting teacher. Often times he would be dressed as the character that we would be studying about. Once he dressed as a Nazi guard and stayed in complete character while we asked him questions and he would answer like that person. It was an unique way of studying History. One time I was in an Intro to Civ. class and a student was on the front row. Asleep. Dr. Belk REALLY didn't like seeing that at all!! He cautioned the class to be quiet and then he dropped a book loudly on the floor. The student woke up startled. Dr. Belk just glared at him! He suggested to that student that he should take No-Doz or go to bed earlier. I was scared! There was no way that I wanted to cross Dr. Belk, ever!!
Dr. Belk was also a Presbyterian pastor in Zenith, KS. He also wrote a book about the "Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites." I can remember one of the student even drawing a cartoon about Dr. Belk for the campus newspaper. I have a scrapbook of some of those cartoons!
-------
Professor Carls was a History teacher AND he taught French. The year that he was on sabatical I took French 1 from a little old lady. She was MEAN!! She was cranky too. Once she made me cry in class. I didn't like her at all!! So I waited a full year and a semester to take French 2 from Prof. Carls. He was a very nice man. When we would see him on campus we had to say "Bonjour" to him and then he would answer us in French or vice versa. It was fun!
-------
Dr. Stone was an education professor. I remember taking a class with "Dash" and Stickel. We would always noticed that he was somewhat color blind by the way his tie did not at all match his shirt. We could hardly concentrate on the class because of his wardrobe faux pas.
----
Dr. Vogt was another education professor. He would often tell me that "I needed to clean up my act." I still remember that "direction" he gave me. I guess I dressed sloppy back in those days and needed to style my hair differently. I didn't look the part of a teacher. He would crack me up with his accent "magazen." I was like what is that? A magazeen! Oh, yeah, now I get it!
---
Dr. Hanna an English professor. He was the most entertaining English teacher that I have ever had. He would call us "sister" this or "brother" this. I learned a lot from him.
---
Mrs. Wellman, the music director/teacher. As a part of that competency curriculum, Campus Chorus was a requirement. She made us feel worthy. When she would direct she would look at us and had this big grin on her face. We couldn't help but smile back and therefore, smiling at our audience. It was a pleasure taking this class. She was the best!
------
Mr. Hancock, the Botany teacher. I was in need of taking a math or science class as I needed at least 12 hours in that particular subject area in order to fulfill my education requirements. Since there was no way I would take a math class I opted for a science class. It was tough! It was interesting to see the cross matches of the different flowers, etc. I took it as a pass/fail class because I figured I wasn't doing so well in it. Science isn't my thing, no offense. I did date my lab partner, Mike. He was nice, but he was like four years younger than me! He was like around 6'6". Yep, I remember Botany class a little and my lab partner a little more. ;)
---
Dr. Renfro, an education prof., registrar and substitute dad. I had great respect for him!! He was LawR dad. I got to know the family quite well. He was the nicest man I ever knew. I could talk to him really well. When we had a dinner as Seniors we (LBD and me) borrowed him. We always called him "Doctor Daddy." One time I remember I really miss Dr. Renfro since he passed away in 1986!
There was a prof (who is still there) and he wouldn't let me graduate! I was missing one class (a religion class of all things) to fulfill my competency curriculum. There were like 4 of us who were in the same boat. However, there was one girl who had the same class missing YET, she was allowed to graduate. It wasn't fair. Dr. Renfro told me this and told me that I should talk to this "prof" that that wasn't right. So I asked him that question. He got flustered and angry.
So when I graduated (plus the other 3) we sat there as the rest of our graduating class stood up. Our degrees were not conferred until August of that year. Everyone else got to move their tassels over and I couldn't even do that! It was unfair!! We who passed the summer class and got our degrees in August didn't have our own special ceremonies. I'll always remember that incident for the rest of my life. Thanks peaches!* (name that I gave him).
----
Conclusion...part 5 next.
I had some really great History profs while attending SC. None of them are at the college any more. The hardest prof who really made us write essay answers with complete throughness was Dr. Belk. When I first arrived on campus he was my advisor. I took a couple of History class from Dr. White and just barely got by on writing brief answers in my "blue book." By the time I was a "sophomore" until my 5th year senior status I got somewhat better when it came to essay answers. Dr. Belk was an interesting teacher. Often times he would be dressed as the character that we would be studying about. Once he dressed as a Nazi guard and stayed in complete character while we asked him questions and he would answer like that person. It was an unique way of studying History. One time I was in an Intro to Civ. class and a student was on the front row. Asleep. Dr. Belk REALLY didn't like seeing that at all!! He cautioned the class to be quiet and then he dropped a book loudly on the floor. The student woke up startled. Dr. Belk just glared at him! He suggested to that student that he should take No-Doz or go to bed earlier. I was scared! There was no way that I wanted to cross Dr. Belk, ever!!
Dr. Belk was also a Presbyterian pastor in Zenith, KS. He also wrote a book about the "Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites." I can remember one of the student even drawing a cartoon about Dr. Belk for the campus newspaper. I have a scrapbook of some of those cartoons!
-------
Professor Carls was a History teacher AND he taught French. The year that he was on sabatical I took French 1 from a little old lady. She was MEAN!! She was cranky too. Once she made me cry in class. I didn't like her at all!! So I waited a full year and a semester to take French 2 from Prof. Carls. He was a very nice man. When we would see him on campus we had to say "Bonjour" to him and then he would answer us in French or vice versa. It was fun!
-------
Dr. Stone was an education professor. I remember taking a class with "Dash" and Stickel. We would always noticed that he was somewhat color blind by the way his tie did not at all match his shirt. We could hardly concentrate on the class because of his wardrobe faux pas.
----
Dr. Vogt was another education professor. He would often tell me that "I needed to clean up my act." I still remember that "direction" he gave me. I guess I dressed sloppy back in those days and needed to style my hair differently. I didn't look the part of a teacher. He would crack me up with his accent "magazen." I was like what is that? A magazeen! Oh, yeah, now I get it!
---
Dr. Hanna an English professor. He was the most entertaining English teacher that I have ever had. He would call us "sister" this or "brother" this. I learned a lot from him.
---
Mrs. Wellman, the music director/teacher. As a part of that competency curriculum, Campus Chorus was a requirement. She made us feel worthy. When she would direct she would look at us and had this big grin on her face. We couldn't help but smile back and therefore, smiling at our audience. It was a pleasure taking this class. She was the best!
------
Mr. Hancock, the Botany teacher. I was in need of taking a math or science class as I needed at least 12 hours in that particular subject area in order to fulfill my education requirements. Since there was no way I would take a math class I opted for a science class. It was tough! It was interesting to see the cross matches of the different flowers, etc. I took it as a pass/fail class because I figured I wasn't doing so well in it. Science isn't my thing, no offense. I did date my lab partner, Mike. He was nice, but he was like four years younger than me! He was like around 6'6". Yep, I remember Botany class a little and my lab partner a little more. ;)
---
Dr. Renfro, an education prof., registrar and substitute dad. I had great respect for him!! He was LawR dad. I got to know the family quite well. He was the nicest man I ever knew. I could talk to him really well. When we had a dinner as Seniors we (LBD and me) borrowed him. We always called him "Doctor Daddy." One time I remember I really miss Dr. Renfro since he passed away in 1986!
There was a prof (who is still there) and he wouldn't let me graduate! I was missing one class (a religion class of all things) to fulfill my competency curriculum. There were like 4 of us who were in the same boat. However, there was one girl who had the same class missing YET, she was allowed to graduate. It wasn't fair. Dr. Renfro told me this and told me that I should talk to this "prof" that that wasn't right. So I asked him that question. He got flustered and angry.
So when I graduated (plus the other 3) we sat there as the rest of our graduating class stood up. Our degrees were not conferred until August of that year. Everyone else got to move their tassels over and I couldn't even do that! It was unfair!! We who passed the summer class and got our degrees in August didn't have our own special ceremonies. I'll always remember that incident for the rest of my life. Thanks peaches!* (name that I gave him).
----
Conclusion...part 5 next.
College story Part 3
At Sterling College there was a program in place called "The Competency Curriculum," we had 9 items to check off. When I transferred in some of my credits didn't count as hours but they did count as "life experiences," which in essence fulfilled one of the 9 items on this Comptency Curriculum. We called it the incompetency curriculum...it was one huge pain. So there were classes that I HAD to take and then I had to take different ones to fulfill my major/minor.
One such class (for the C.C.) was a class in P.E. Most of the P.E. major's (guys) were in this class with the exception of me and this other girl. She would come in from music class singing this odd song "you done stepped on my heart," something to that effect. She was the most friendliness person I had yet met on campus. (the spring of '76 when I had to deal with that poor excuse for a roommate). We would talk and then the teacher wrote something on our paper. We asked now who is LawR and who is MB?" Well, of course it was us and we had different views about individual and group sports so our teacher suggested that we talk to each other (which we had done previously in class). This is how and when I met my friend. We continue to still be friends, although she has moved to a different part of the state. She was the one who was instrumental in introducing me to L, twenty-one years ago.
I had met other people from Tulsa, Oklahoma; Albuquerque, NM; Kenya, Africa; Salina, KS; and Kansas City, KS. I met these two nice girls from Birmingham, Alabama (correction, Selma, AL), Bernice and Ella. Bernice was three years older than me and she was always so friendly. They were amazed that I hardly knew anyone there (only Jolene W from my hometown was the only person I knew) and yet I knew a lot of people. It was a small campus and most of the people were just so nice. The parlor people were my favorite ones: Mary Y, (OH), Heidi (MN), Diane H. (IA), Louise E. (NE), Donna (KS), LawR and LBD (KS, both from Sterling), and Susan M. (KS). MAK, lived on another floor (she's the one needing prayers), and Marva D (NJ) she had such an accent! I met a lot of great guys there too: Kerwin (KS), Rick M. (CO), Mike D (KS), Don G (KS), and Lyman, (IN).
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Traditions: There would be ring ceremonies at our dorm. If some lucky girl got engaged, she would tell dorm council (I guess) and then during the night we would hear the bells ringing. It was a signal for us to come to the front lobby for the ring ceremony. We would sing some songs and pass around a candle with the ring on it. We would oooh and ahh at it then the candle would go around quicker the next time with the girl blowing out the candle. Then of course the guys had their tradition of throwing the engaged guy in the lake (whether it was warm or cold, more likely it was cold) and then driving up around the hall honking; then they would tie him to a tree outside of the dorm. The engaged girl would have to untie him (if she could) and rescue him. This will be one ceremony I will always remember.
Other traditions were the pranks pulled. Someone or some two or three would go into Cooper Hall late at night and stack chairs in front of the entrance. It would make it impossible to get in and often times classes that were held there would be cancelled. The Administration didn't like it much but from a student's point of view it was great! :)
Once I remember someone put a motorcycle on top of the student union.
Things like this would probably never happen at a big university only at this small Christian College.
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Some of the parties were Sophomore Garden Party where everyone would dress up in formal dresswear and walk down the front of the campus led by the President and his wife from the college. There would be old movies played on Friday night. One time one of the films burned up while watching "Paint Your Wagon." Then we always made fun of "The Wizard of Oz."
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Our student union featured a small bookstore, a lounge where we could watch TV after supper (usually mystery meat), and we had an area to play games. Pool, foosball, bumper pool and a bowling alley. We had to set our own pins (and only one lane). Later on we got a student radio station and Lyman started that up!
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I am still in contact with some of these people thanks to reunions I've attended in the past years. Don G (is a History teacher and head of FCA in a Topeka area high school); Rick M (a councilman in California); Lyman (a radio station owner/program director/dj in Wichita); LawR (who moved up to Capital City with her second husband), and now recently Susan (the Reformed Angler's wife).
Small college life isn't for everyone, but I enjoyed my 3 years at S.C.
----
Last part the Profs and other odd incidents.
One such class (for the C.C.) was a class in P.E. Most of the P.E. major's (guys) were in this class with the exception of me and this other girl. She would come in from music class singing this odd song "you done stepped on my heart," something to that effect. She was the most friendliness person I had yet met on campus. (the spring of '76 when I had to deal with that poor excuse for a roommate). We would talk and then the teacher wrote something on our paper. We asked now who is LawR and who is MB?" Well, of course it was us and we had different views about individual and group sports so our teacher suggested that we talk to each other (which we had done previously in class). This is how and when I met my friend. We continue to still be friends, although she has moved to a different part of the state. She was the one who was instrumental in introducing me to L, twenty-one years ago.
I had met other people from Tulsa, Oklahoma; Albuquerque, NM; Kenya, Africa; Salina, KS; and Kansas City, KS. I met these two nice girls from Birmingham, Alabama (correction, Selma, AL), Bernice and Ella. Bernice was three years older than me and she was always so friendly. They were amazed that I hardly knew anyone there (only Jolene W from my hometown was the only person I knew) and yet I knew a lot of people. It was a small campus and most of the people were just so nice. The parlor people were my favorite ones: Mary Y, (OH), Heidi (MN), Diane H. (IA), Louise E. (NE), Donna (KS), LawR and LBD (KS, both from Sterling), and Susan M. (KS). MAK, lived on another floor (she's the one needing prayers), and Marva D (NJ) she had such an accent! I met a lot of great guys there too: Kerwin (KS), Rick M. (CO), Mike D (KS), Don G (KS), and Lyman, (IN).
-----
Traditions: There would be ring ceremonies at our dorm. If some lucky girl got engaged, she would tell dorm council (I guess) and then during the night we would hear the bells ringing. It was a signal for us to come to the front lobby for the ring ceremony. We would sing some songs and pass around a candle with the ring on it. We would oooh and ahh at it then the candle would go around quicker the next time with the girl blowing out the candle. Then of course the guys had their tradition of throwing the engaged guy in the lake (whether it was warm or cold, more likely it was cold) and then driving up around the hall honking; then they would tie him to a tree outside of the dorm. The engaged girl would have to untie him (if she could) and rescue him. This will be one ceremony I will always remember.
Other traditions were the pranks pulled. Someone or some two or three would go into Cooper Hall late at night and stack chairs in front of the entrance. It would make it impossible to get in and often times classes that were held there would be cancelled. The Administration didn't like it much but from a student's point of view it was great! :)
Once I remember someone put a motorcycle on top of the student union.
Things like this would probably never happen at a big university only at this small Christian College.
-----
Some of the parties were Sophomore Garden Party where everyone would dress up in formal dresswear and walk down the front of the campus led by the President and his wife from the college. There would be old movies played on Friday night. One time one of the films burned up while watching "Paint Your Wagon." Then we always made fun of "The Wizard of Oz."
----
Our student union featured a small bookstore, a lounge where we could watch TV after supper (usually mystery meat), and we had an area to play games. Pool, foosball, bumper pool and a bowling alley. We had to set our own pins (and only one lane). Later on we got a student radio station and Lyman started that up!
----
I am still in contact with some of these people thanks to reunions I've attended in the past years. Don G (is a History teacher and head of FCA in a Topeka area high school); Rick M (a councilman in California); Lyman (a radio station owner/program director/dj in Wichita); LawR (who moved up to Capital City with her second husband), and now recently Susan (the Reformed Angler's wife).
Small college life isn't for everyone, but I enjoyed my 3 years at S.C.
----
Last part the Profs and other odd incidents.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
College story part 2--roommates
When I came to SC in the fall of 1975, I knew of only one person on campus. Jolene W., who was the editor of the creative section of the campus newspaper. I remember getting together with my "big sister" (she was the same age as I was) Jill T. She would write and tell me things about SC and we had a picnic at the lake.
Instead of living on campus in that fall I drove 40 miles round trip from my home in Hutch to Sterling. I got to know some people. I met some friends, but I was not getting that campus experience that I "needed," (as my mom said). So my parents thought I should live on campus. So in 1976, I moved to McCreery Hall. I was once told this was the "women's dorm," whereas the other one Evans was the "girl's dorm." Big distinction, huh? The distinction was that at McCreery there was only one other person to share a room with and three others or so in the other dorm.
When I got into McCreery there was a flip board in the front. We would flip it one side if we were in the building or the other side when we left so the person manning the phones would know what to say on the other line if we were there or not. Unique little system back then, I'm sure they don't do this any more...however, I could be wrong.
So I walked to the first floor off to the right, past a little kitchen and stairwell until I found my room. I can't recall my room number, but unfortunately I can remember that roommate from heck!
I walked in and instead of being friendly to me she glared at me like a cat in the dark. I can remember her crossing her arms and telling me what I could and could NOT do. Then she pushed my bed to the other side of the room. Growling that SHE did not want a roommate, especially ME! Well, thanks for that welcome, not. Her name was Alma C. She was on the basketball team. She might have been friendly with some people but she was at best hostile towards me. I started to wonder why I ever transferred here.
I would find other people to hang out with and talk to others on campus. They told me that I needed to talk to my room assistant and ask for a room change. Well of course the RA thought I was causing the problem. Walking into my room was the problem, I didn't cause it at all, it was Alma's problem. I would stay in other people's room until the situation was changed. Thankfully it was!!
So I roomed with Ronda W., she was nice to me and fun to hang out with the rest of that semester. Then the fall of '76 she was very strange, especially who she hung out with. So I was back to looking for another roommate. I made friends with Nancy D., who was at least two or so years younger than me. We got along pretty good. She had a bad roommate experience before too so we talked things over. I asked if she liked this music and she had other music that I grew to enjoy. So we roomed together in '77.
They were getting room assignments for the fall of 1977 and the elite part of the dorm, the parlor, had an opening and I jumped on it. I didn't even bother to ask Nancy if she wanted to move. But she didn't want to move. She liked her first floor room. There was nothing wrong about Nancy, I just wanted to be near other friends up in the parlor. So it was arranged that I would not have a roommate. I had to pay a little extra but it was worth it. (My parents had to pay a little more, but they knew by this time I was sick of roommates).
So I was near my friends, Law. R and LBD. (Whom I will blog about later). I remember picking out my paint to paint the room. Since I didn't have a roommate, I had to paint it myself. It sure wasn't easy painting on that concrete wall. LBD gave over and lent me a hand. That was pretty nice of her.
-----
Part three--the classes, my friends, and campus life.
Instead of living on campus in that fall I drove 40 miles round trip from my home in Hutch to Sterling. I got to know some people. I met some friends, but I was not getting that campus experience that I "needed," (as my mom said). So my parents thought I should live on campus. So in 1976, I moved to McCreery Hall. I was once told this was the "women's dorm," whereas the other one Evans was the "girl's dorm." Big distinction, huh? The distinction was that at McCreery there was only one other person to share a room with and three others or so in the other dorm.
When I got into McCreery there was a flip board in the front. We would flip it one side if we were in the building or the other side when we left so the person manning the phones would know what to say on the other line if we were there or not. Unique little system back then, I'm sure they don't do this any more...however, I could be wrong.
So I walked to the first floor off to the right, past a little kitchen and stairwell until I found my room. I can't recall my room number, but unfortunately I can remember that roommate from heck!
I walked in and instead of being friendly to me she glared at me like a cat in the dark. I can remember her crossing her arms and telling me what I could and could NOT do. Then she pushed my bed to the other side of the room. Growling that SHE did not want a roommate, especially ME! Well, thanks for that welcome, not. Her name was Alma C. She was on the basketball team. She might have been friendly with some people but she was at best hostile towards me. I started to wonder why I ever transferred here.
I would find other people to hang out with and talk to others on campus. They told me that I needed to talk to my room assistant and ask for a room change. Well of course the RA thought I was causing the problem. Walking into my room was the problem, I didn't cause it at all, it was Alma's problem. I would stay in other people's room until the situation was changed. Thankfully it was!!
So I roomed with Ronda W., she was nice to me and fun to hang out with the rest of that semester. Then the fall of '76 she was very strange, especially who she hung out with. So I was back to looking for another roommate. I made friends with Nancy D., who was at least two or so years younger than me. We got along pretty good. She had a bad roommate experience before too so we talked things over. I asked if she liked this music and she had other music that I grew to enjoy. So we roomed together in '77.
They were getting room assignments for the fall of 1977 and the elite part of the dorm, the parlor, had an opening and I jumped on it. I didn't even bother to ask Nancy if she wanted to move. But she didn't want to move. She liked her first floor room. There was nothing wrong about Nancy, I just wanted to be near other friends up in the parlor. So it was arranged that I would not have a roommate. I had to pay a little extra but it was worth it. (My parents had to pay a little more, but they knew by this time I was sick of roommates).
So I was near my friends, Law. R and LBD. (Whom I will blog about later). I remember picking out my paint to paint the room. Since I didn't have a roommate, I had to paint it myself. It sure wasn't easy painting on that concrete wall. LBD gave over and lent me a hand. That was pretty nice of her.
-----
Part three--the classes, my friends, and campus life.
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