Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Preschool Again!

Wow, I can't believe this blog is even still alive....

Time for school and work to start again. It's fun to get back into the swing of things. The first week our preschoolers hadn't started yet so I was able to interpret each morning for our second grader. It was cool to be in the classroom that long and see if I will really like the profession I am learning to work in. (Yes, I do). Now that the preschool has started, I am a One-on-One aide for a new little girl. She is deafblind but can see and hear a little. She is so cute and sweet and says and signs very very few words. Like 4 maybe. I really enjoy working and learning with her. So far she really likes feeling the running water at the sink and she likes to lay on her tummy in the middle of Circle Time. Not very convenient... She likes clapping for the Days of the Week song and Wheels on the Bus movement - If I can keep her on my lap long enough. Every day will be a new experience figuring out what she likes to do and how to encourage her to learn and do. I have wonderful Vision support people who work with us. They give me such good ideas for tactile objects and helps for her learning. They brought into our class a cool machine that heats special paper and raises the print so our little student can feel it. And they brought a braille writer and taught me how to use it. I'm excited and am ready to start learning to read braille! With my eyes anyway... you know, memorize the dots for all the letters, but I want to work on the finger feeling part too! It seems SO hard! I have learned that they have what is called Contractions. Not like in English but that each letter standing alone stands for a specific word. for instance, B might stand for "but", and L stands for "like". So instead of typing the whole braille word just use the letter by itself. Anyway, this is a whole new dimension of my job and it very interesting and fun with my new little student!

I am taking Educational Interpreting at CCC this fall and am excited for it to start and get me smarter!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Twenty Years Ago

A Day in the life of Karen Rowley

Tuesday Feb 26, 1991

Morning activities included putting a new zipper in a pair of new jeans purchased for $6.59 with a broken zipper, exercised, organized someone's sock drawer, washed, folded and put away clothes, cleaned the cat poop out of the bathtub (bad cat)
Don does not come home for lunch on Tuesdays.
2:00 bank
2:15 picked up Jen and christine and friends Marie and Cinda & stopped at Marie's
Went to the bread store across town (we buy hostess treats there cheap (3-pack HoHo's for .25)
2:55 arrived home. Cinda and Marie are with us
1)phone Lisa for Jen
3:10 Eric comes home
3:20 Jana and Annette home - scraped knee on Jana to fix.
Lennon comes to play with Eric (they washed out an old dog house with lots of suds)
2)phone
Cinda goes home, Chris and Marie go to the park, Kimi down for a nap.
4:00 I go to Sechrist school to vote. Took Jen to meet Lisa on the playground then to Smith's Grocery for Jen and Lisa to buy flowers for friends
5:00 back home. ripped out seam in Jen's jeans to put in a pink patch.
5:10 talked to neighbor Kathy in driveway then took Lisa home
5:25 back home (mud has been tracked through kitchen and Annette thinks her fingers are frost bitten - they are not.
5:27 Cinda and Cristianne ( sisters from up the hill) come to get Jen to come up and make cookies for YW which starts at 7pm
Kimi wakes up
Me cooking dinner/put kids to work on front and dining rooms
Christine and Marie are doing homework. Called doctor about Cherise
6:10 Don called (again) and says he has a 6:30 mtg. Any dinner? No.
3)phone message - Eric should go to 7 p.m. Court of Honor
4)phone Don home - dinner: meat pieces, warm french bread, cookies
5)phone Eric is finding missing shoes then goes w/Don to Court of Honor
6)phone - doctor says come in tomorrow if she is still fevered (4th day).
Chris and Marie make soup for their dinner while I'm still cooking
Chris calls Cinda - come down for a ride to YW
7)phone - Marie's dad will pick them up for YW
He picks them up. Jen comes home.
8)phone Sister Schofield picks up Jenni. I run out and give her her husband's Blue and Gold Banquet invitation (I'm a cub leader)
7:00 I fix more meat and mac & cheese for me and the little girls
Cherise throws up
9)phone Marie's mom - Kai needs a ride to Court of Honor!
Sit down to eat
10)phone - Linda
Kimi needs a diaper change. Done.
Jana leaves a report on the table and Kimi helps her write it...
7:30 :: gasp :: gasp :: gasp ::

*******************

I love this! I remember that when I sat down for dinner I was thinking about how many phone calls there had been and I just had to write it all down.
Yesterday I happened to pull out a binder of letters I had sent to my Mom over the years and found this. It's been 20 years! Yikes!



Sunday, February 13, 2011

"She's completely bald in front!"

Last week I was still using my hairdryer which had been slowly dying and losing it's high speed blowing abilities. Then one morning I suddenly saw a little puff of ...smoke? steam? what? yup. smoke. I set down the dryer and my brush was full of singed off hair!!! Well, not exactly full but a little chunk of hair did get burned off when the dryer suddenly got super hot I guess. It smelled like Perm solution. As you can see in the photo (which I sent to the company), there is the little tuft of hair about 1/2 inch long that was left. I am SO grateful it is on the left side so it is very well covered by the rest of my bangs. I'm sure if it were on the right side I would still be in tears. As it is, I think it's funny to be so well connected to Little Women when Jo burns of a chunk of Meg's hair!

The hairdryer company has been nice and sent me a fedex label to mail the dryer to them free of charge. They will inspect it and tell me what happened. Ha! I could tell them! I guess they need something to do that is so scientific. I will let you know when I get my free hairdryer. That is my goal. hmm. This pic is backward I see.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Emma's Baptism
We had a lovely time in Mesa for Emma's baptism in December. It was really sweet and she was so very happy.
Congratulations Emma!

Annie was also blessed on the same day but I don't have a good picture from that wonderful event. boo-hoo. Jana will have to send me one to put up here won't she? Annie was so cute. She wore the dress that Jana was blessed in!
Diapering at 4:00 A.M.
by Carol Lynn Pearson

I saw a calf born once.
It really was amazing
How soon (all tidied up by tongue)
He wobbled off
And the new mother
Went back to grazing.

But you, my little creature
At the top of the animal kingdom
You would lie in the pasture for months
And wave your fists and cry

So here we are,
You and I
Tied together in all
The bathings and the dryings
They pickings up and the puttings down
And the turnings over
The dressings and the undressings
And the powderings and the feedings
And the cleanings up of the comings out.

I know-
I know what it's all about
This disguised blessing of unavoidable touch
Spinning a thousand threads
That encircle us like little lariats.
And before you know it
We're caught.

Calves come for going.
But not-not my little ones.
The Lord thought it all up
This essential intimacy
And he called it good.

He created the heavens and the earth
And the seas, and the naked, needing
Infants crying to be held.
He thought it all up
This clever stratagem.

And yet-
I'll bet he smiled
When he thought about diapering at 4:00 A.M.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

WOW! What a long time between posts!

I was recently called as a Laurel advisor. Big change from the Sunbeams! I loved them and I'm happy that I got to finish out the year with the little tykes. They are so sweet and I LOVE having them squeal "Hi Sister Rowley!!" It's the greatest.

Anyway as I was studying a lesson for the Laurels I went to my bookshelf to find a book by Camilla Kimball and couldn't find it but what I found was one by Carol Lynn Pearson. She was quite popular in the 70's - 80's and went through some very rough experiences but she writes wonderful prose poetry. I opened the book and guess what? It was given to my by the Young Women leaders and girls from 3rd ward (now Peak View), where we used to live here in Flagstaff. It is so sweet with goodbye notes from many girls (including Jana and Annette) and leaders from 1997. I do remember some fun times at girls camp and hiking down West Fork. It was a neat time to come across the book as I had forgotten where it came from. So I have been reading through it again. She writes very poignantly and tenderly and deeply. I think I will share one of the poems here. The title of the book is Picture Window and this is the poem by that name.

Picture Window

Kathleen
Who was out of control
Like a slope of oranges
After someone has taken
Ten at the bottom
Looked enviously at

Susan
Who carried her stress
As gracefully as she carried
The perfect pie
She had brought to the meeting
Last Wednesday night.

Kathleen
Who yelled at her children
Even when they were not
In danger of oncoming cars
And who slammed the door
After she told her husband
To have it his way then
And who once a week at least
Locked herself in the bathroom
And cried
Called

Susan
Who never perspired
And who taught classes called
"Toward a More Feminine You"
And who smiled all the time
And whose children
Always got awards
To ask if she could
Come over sometime
To get a little help.

Kathleen
Who was so disorganized
That she went on Thursday
Instead of Friday
Got a lot of help from

Susan
Who happened to be
Out front in curlers
And wrinkled slacks
And wild-woman eyes
Screaming at her youngest child
Who had just batted a ball
Through the picture window
That framed the lamp
With the beautiful butterflies.

*********************************

What do you think? Do you like her writing?
Here is another one.

Path of a Parent

It starts with
Meditation on the toes of a baby
And leads to spiritual exercise
That would break the best yogi
Sitting cross-legged before his lotus:

Serenity
And colic
And three hours sleep last night

Grace
And screams
In the grocery store when the
Oreos are ripped from white knuckles

Harmony
And three Halloween costumes
By tomorrow morning:
A clown and a witch
And a washing machine
To go with Stacey's dryer.

Honor
And another conference
With the teacher
And possibly the principal

Silence
And the roar of motorbike
And rock
And tap shoes on the kitchen tile

Acceptance
And all that is dear
Packing up and leaving home

Path to god-cosciousness
All begun by
Meditation on the toes of a baby.

*************************

Next time: Diapering at 4:00 A.M.


Friday, August 27, 2010

North Rim Sept 2009

Last fall we took a trip up to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It's quite different from the South Rim we always see and its very beautiful. First thing we did was stay in a little old cabin at Jacob Lake.

This rock waterfall in the cabin area had so many birds taking baths and enjoying themselves in the water. It was pretty cool.

Cute little chipmunk.

Sorry but I don't know the names of the Buttes. But this is one of them!

Bright Angel Trail. I love this shot.

Bright Angel again

Me on Bright Angel Trail

The lodge is really old and neat. Here is Don in front of one of the windows
underneath the lodge.
Observation room in the lodge.
Now from the window end of the observation room. Please notice
Don back there on his phone. Mr.Vacation!

This cool old time radio had Big Band music playing. So historical!

On our start down the Kaibab Trail.


End of the trail for us. We started back up next. huff puff. It was such a pretty day!

Hawaii 2009
Last year we went to Hawaii with Jody and Bruce Packard and had a great time. It was so very beautiful! Our purpose was to hike part of the Na'Pali Coast. We did it! We hiked the first 2 miles along the steep coast trail which ends at the beautiful beach you will see here. We also took a catamaran ride along the coast and enjoyed the fascinating mountains. They are what had made me want to go in the first place. We also stopped along the way to snorkel. Too bad I don't have photos of that. Enjoy the pictures!





Jody on the first beach.

Waimea (?) Canyon

Hike trail



These are dolphins. There were about 8 that kept swimming fast right down in
front of the boat. It was so fun to watch them.

This is the beach at the end of the first 2 miles.

The hillside the the hike is on.

Tough hikers

What sweet couple!



Aren't these all just so gorgeous???

Here are! FUN! FUN! FUN!!!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

2010 Sisters Reunion


2010 Sisters Reunion

This August we sisters got together again to celebrate our sisterhood and remember our MoM
We had a great time reconnecting , relaxing and reviewing Mom's life and memories.
I don't have pics of everything we did but here are a few.


We have all arrived!
Posing here in Flagstaff at my house for our first photo.

We give each other a little gift and this was Bonnie's to start with. Lovely fans!

Here in Flag we have a Skyride up at the Snowbowl. We took the ride to the top of the mountain where we enjoyed the beautiful view.

The beautiful view from the ride.

Ruth Ann and I rode together on the way up. Here she is!

At the top the big attraction was (besides the great view) The Highest Toilet in Arizona!!!
Elevation 11,500 ft. It was the best toilet ever!

On a little path around the side of the Mt.

Five Beauties on top of the Mountain

Sheri rode with us on the way down. We didn't think about the possibility of it being cold on the way up so at the ticket counter we bought a couple of plastic ponchos which we were very glad to have and they made a nice little warm bubble around us.

Our very important project was to each put together a scrapbook with Mom's saved photos and memorabilia which Bonnie had mailed to me the month before. We copied many photos and other pages and each of us made our scrapbook just how we wanted .
They all turned out so lovely.

Ruth Ann had to leave early Sunday morning and we missed getting a photo all
together but here are Sheri Becky and Bonnie, (the little ones) in front of my house
before they left for home.

And one last shot at the beautiful Flagstaff airport!
Good bye!!!