The current school year is waning, and I dare say so are most teachers and staff. Summer vacation is just a few weeks away, thankfully. I always look forward to each new school year with anticipation, seeing the enthusiasm on the faces and in the voices of the students I transport to school is a delight. But by May, I’m beginning to wear out physically from the long days and wish for the lazy days of summer to begin! Then we can all sing with Alice Cooper, ‘School’s Out for Summer…!’
Starvation Valley - Logging Museum
Saturday, March 6, 2010 late afternoon found me on some back road near Enumclaw WA and I stumbled upon this place, covered in logging equipment. From the road, I could see many huge pulleys hanging in a yard, so of course having my camera gear beside me in the seat, I stopped to take a couple shots. A man standing in the yard yelled down, ‘Come on up the driveway, I’ll put the dog in and open the gate!’ So I did. I met Red and Frankie whose whole place was simply mind boggling in scope and variety of found objects. The collections were amazing, every where one looked there was more to be enjoyed. Red led me around their place explaining the various types of logging equipment, showing me photos of his dad (now I can’t recall his name) but a life long logger, who won ‘Bull of the Woods,’ at the King County Fair in Enumclaw. Photos of Red and a friend, champs at the railroad handcar races locally as well. There also was equipment his granddad designed, made and used to hold the
Frankie and Red
huge hand saws (buck saws?) while he sharpened them. Amazing that two men would use these saws to cut trees as big as ten to twelve feet in diameter, by hand no less, prior to the use of chain saws. Red had a old chain saw that his dad used in the woods, that had a bar that was easily four to five feet long! Besides all of the many and various types of logging equipment (including some of the oldest and biggest chain saws I’ve ever seen!), there were collections of blow torches, glass juicers, glass insulators, cookie jars, dolls, christmas decorations, Avon bottles, Jim Beam bottles, beer cans, lanterns and much more! It was a delightful hour or two with two very nice, interesting and knowledgeable people about their interests. They’ve invited me back to Starvation Valley anytime, ‘Bring your husband,’ they said! I will, I think I will.
Still feeling sick and with a terrible cough, I drug myself to my Weight Watchers meeting this morning at 0700. The weigh in was worth the effort, as 20.6 pounds are now missing from my body, hopefully never to return! This 20.6 pounds are the equivalent of eighty-one, that is 81, sticks of butter!! Rather eye opening isn’t it? A bit gross as well, don’t you think? Some of the 4.2 pounds lost this week must be due to having been ill, but I’ll take whatever I can get! Smaller clothing is feeling very good, moving easier, with less effort. I’m looking forward to the next twenty pounds which will be another big change. I also put a new battery in my pedometer today, hopefully, by the end of the week, this terrible cold with my asthma will be better so I can start walking. I’ll start with 2,500 steps per day and work up from there.
I received a tweet today from Capt. Johnathan (F/V Time Bandit) asking for prayers for Capt. Phil Harris of the F/V Cornelia Marie, one of the crab boats featured on the hit tv show “Deadliest Catch,” on Discovery Channel. According to the Discovery Channel website, Capt. Phil suffered a stroke on January 30, 2010 while the vessel was off loading crab and was transported to a medical facility. Today’s update says, “No one ever said Captain Phil Harris wasn’t tough. Today, dad showed some good signs of improvement, squeezing our hands and even summoning his trademark Captain’s bluntness by telling the doctors and nurses, “Don’t f*ck up.” We are encouraged but still very cautious. It is a long road ahead, but its made more bearable and comforting knowing your thoughts and prayers are with us. We are strong because of you — our fans. Thanks and we will continue to update you as best we can going forward.” Fan of the show or not (I am, my nephew was a 10 year veteran crabber on the F/V Time Bandit with Capts. Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand), please pray for Phil’s recovery.
This week has been routine. I find that I eat in a rather habitual manner, much the same meals from day to day. Mostly fruits, veggies, a little lean protein, legumes and some fat free dairy products. Fridays, I have a delicious breakfast (two eggs over easy, about a cup of country potatoes and an english muffin without butter but a little jam) at the Pancake Chef with my best friend Jane and sometimes some other friends from work as well. Then up early on Saturday mornings and off to the Weight Watchers meeting in Burien at 7am. Before arriving, there is a quad venti, skinny Cinnamon Dolce latte and an eight grain roll that calls my name and I munch and sip and read the weekly materials prior to the meeting beginning. That Starbucks latte and roll are my weekly treat, and I do enjoy them! This afternoon, after book scouting at the Goodwill in Ballard, my husband and I had an early supper at Georgia’s Greek Restaurant in Greenwood. I had a veggie gyro with a small serving of Greek fries and an iced tea. It was delicious!
I wish I could exercise, but I have a very bad right knee which makes even walking painful, but I am hopeful that after another twenty or so pounds I’ll be able to again limp my way through a mile a day. In the mean time, I eat about 13 to 15 points per day. I am not consuming as much food as WW would like, but it does insure I’ll lose, and I have.
February is beginning Monday, I am hopeful for a good month and would like to be down at least an additional ten pounds by month’s end. We’ll see.
Panhandling, What’s a Person to Do? - Many years ago, when I worked in downtown Seattle and rode the Metro, the homeless men on skidroad who came by would bum cigarettes. At the time I smoked and would give them one. I recall another person at the bus stop saying I shouldn’t do that. But it is interesting, during that same time when I was running to the bus (near the Union Gospel Mission I tripped, falling in the middle of the street. Other business people neither stopped to help nor asked if I was alright. But a homeless man did, both stop to help me up and ask if I was okay. Another time, while sitting under the Viaduct eating lunch in my car, a fellow came by asking if I could spare some change, I said, ‘No, see I can’t even pay the parking meter.’ He paused, dug into his shabby clothing, withdrew a handfull of change, fed my meter and walked on. There are men who have been frequenting an exit from the freeway I traverse in my personal vehicle as well as my school bus on a daily basis. Several of them have been panhandling at that location for several years. YEARS! I have made it a habit anymore not to give money, but when I have unopened food items I will give them. This man’s sign read ‘Homeless Veteran, Hungry, Will Work, God Bless.’ I had a grapefruit left over from my lunch. I rolled down my window, proffered the fruit, to which the man replied, ‘Oh, I can’t eat grapefruit, it interferes with my heart medication.’ I was dumb struck to say the least.
But I also recall another situation not too long back, a dirty, skinny, man approached my husband as he went in to use the restroom at Jack In the Box, my husband turned him down. As I sat there I realized the dogs hadn’t eaten breakfast, so I got out of the truck to go buy them each a buck burger. The man asked me for money. I said, ‘No.’ But as I was standing in line to to buy burgers to feed my dogs, I kept thinking about the man outside. So I bought him two one buck burgers and gave him the sack on my way back out to the truck, he said, ‘Thanks.’ As we pulled away, he was sitting on top of a garbage can eating the burgers I’d given.
I gave money to a gal looking for gas money at Fred Meyer once and then felt very foolish afterwards.
There have been other situations as well, some I gave wisely, some not. The best conclusion I have come to is as the Lord prompts me to give, I do, as wisely as I know how and then leave what they do between them and Him.
Week one is over, and I’ve lost 5.8 pounds in the last seven days. It has been both easy and difficult at the same time. Difficult to eat so much less and to return to eating lots of fruits and veggies, less starch, less protein. It also has been difficult to admit that I cannot seem to permanently lose weight on my own, that I need the support and accountability of the meetings. But I’d rather admit that truth, than to be stubborn and let me weight gradually climb. I’d like to me below 215 pounds by my 60th birthday on April 8th. That’s my challenge. So I can get around easier when I go back to the Palouse to photograph more of that beautiful region of Washington state.
This new year bring 2010, the year (Lord willing) I’ll turn 60. Time for some reflection upon my health, or perhaps I should say lack thereof. I went back to Weight Watchers yesterday. Two years ago I lost 83 pounds and then have been up and down between 20 to 45 pounds several times since. I have tried diligently to lose without the accountability and support of the WW meetings, but haven’t had great lasting success though have been within 20 pounds of my goal weight. Thankfully, I only want to lose 40 to 50 pounds and that is doable. I want to glorify the Lord in everything I do and that includes in what I eat, moderation that is key and He gives me the desire and control to see this through.
Well it’s up! After all my daughter’s hard work and a bit of my own, the skeleton of my new website is up and running. My daughter is SO talented and has created several great websites: http://www.bullyroundup.org and http://www.nitrok9.com. I’m tickled to be back up online!
A quirky, 50 something schoolbus driver who when I'm not behind the lens of my camera, I'm wrangling 3rd graders at their bus stops. Howdy!
