Kellogg Bedroom Site of Rare Archeological Dig

(Cue Indiana Jones theme music)

The wonderful North Idaho spring weather has kept me inside today, and I have started a project. I have donned my hat and whip and decided to go on a bit of an archeological field trip...in my bedroom.

The rare artifact I am in search of has been quite illusive since after I fell asleep last night....

the TV remote.

As I began my search for this rare artifact, the project got bigger and bigger...


just like the pile on my bed...

just like the garbage bags full of stuff...

and the laundry baskets full of clothes...

But, in my search, I did unearth some other wonderful finds that I have been missing for a while...

The Regina Spektor CD...I haven't seen it in months.


And here are the Christmas CD's I didn't get to enjoy this past Christmas because I had no idea where they were.


And look at all the books that were entombed in this room....books I haven't seen in months and months....I must find some shelves to put them on.


School papers, about 10 different notebooks (I kid you not) that say "Budget notebook" on the front, CD's, DVD's, bill receipts, King Tut, a den of snakes, Steve Martin singing King Tut...

You name it, and I think I have found it in here...

I even unearthed my husband in all the mess...



Well, I haven't unearthed the Arc of the Covenant, but fortunately I don't have creepy Nazi's after me either....

Too bad I'm not looking for the Holy Grail....I wouldn't mind having Monty Python and his group of Merry Men showing up...I could use a good laugh...a good distraction as I figure out how I'm going to get this bed cleared off in time for bed.




Ah, the distraction worked...I found the prize!! It only took about four hours, but at least my room is a little bit more organized and cleaner!!!

Somewhere My Love

In my parent's album collection were a large amount of albums by the Ray Conniff singers.

The Ray Conniff singers were a group of 13 men and 13 women who sang, under the direction of Ray Conniff, a variety of popular music from 1959 to about 2000.

One of the albums I remember most, and, coincidentally, was his biggest seller, was the album Somewhere My Love, which was released in 1966.


From this album, I learned a variety of songs which included:

Red Roses For A Blue Lady / Downtown / Charade / King Of The Road / Edelweiss / Young And Foolish / Somewhere My Love / Days Of Wine And Roses / Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport / Wouldn't It Be Loverly / So Long, Farewell


As I listened to this song this morning, and sang the words, the lyrics are very fitting for today, regarding the weather and all....

Somewhere my love, there will be songs to sing,
Although the snow, covers the hope of spring...

But, this is the theme from the movie Dr. Zhivago, and those Russian winters did tend to go a bit long as well.

Snowy Days and Mondays..I Won't Let Them Get Me Down

This is what greeted me as I looked out the back door this morning.

But, I refuse to let it get me down.

Yes, it is gray.

Yes, it is cold.

Yes, it is snowy.

Yes, my raised beds are filled with snow.

But, since it is gloomy outside, I have decided to make it SUNNY inside.

And I will continue on with the record theme. I gave a clue as to what group I am highlighting today in my title....you guessed it, The Carpenters.

My sister IEG was a big Carpenter's fan. The two albums I remember listening to the most were



and



On the Carpenters album was a song called Sometimes. This song has stuck with me throughout these years, and I sing it every so often, especially when I am feeling particularly grateful to someone for what they did, but I haven't had a chance to tell them so.

I loved this video, because it gives the story of how it was written. And I also didn't realize the music was written by another favorite of mine, Henry Mancini. This song is dedicated to all of you who come and read my blog, and give me encouragement. I often don't say it enough, but thank you.

Slug Break

Well, it doesn't seem much like spring out there, so I've decided I'm am no longer on Spring Break, but rather on Slug Break.

That is because I have felt like a slug for the last three days. I am not motivated to do much of anything but play on the computer, watch tv, and lay around. I really need to get a little motivated, but it hasn't quite hit.

So, until I quit oozing around the house and leaving a trail of slime behind me, I'm am officially on SLUG BREAK.

(I'm just making sure no one spills any salt while I am around, or pours any beer in a dish. Now that could be dangerous!!!)

Drop Kick Me Jesus while I get Misty

My bedroom for most of my life growing up was upstairs at our house. You would go up the stairs, and there was an open room at the top of the stairs. Then you would go down a small hallway, and into the bedroom. For some reason, we referred to the open room at the top of the stair as "the hall".

In "the hall" was a turntable and record albums. I spent many hours playing records in this room, singing, and conjuring up performances in my head.

Some of the albums were my dad's music. I don't think I appreciated them when I was young. I didn't realize my dad had such a great taste in music. He especially like the sound of women jazz singers.

In fact, it wasn't until after his death that I realized the type of albums he had, and that those albums were his. For Dad's funeral, I was in charge of making a cassette tape of some of his favorite music, so this tape could be playing as people came in before the service. I was given some suggestions from the albums that were in the open room at the top of the stairs. PKR's family had a stereo that would play albums and make cassette tapes, so I took the albums to his parent's house to make the tape. At the time a woman was living there that was a music major, and knew a lot about music, and she was the one who commented on Dad's great taste in jazz music.

One of his favorites was Sarah Vaughan. I decided to share the song "Misty", because this song is a long running joke in our family. It didn't take much for Dad to tear up, or his eyes to get "misty". Whenever this happened, we would refer to this song. He also had certain songs that he would sing little snippets of the lyrics every once in a while, and I think "Misty" was one of them.



Another I remember Dad singing was Help Me Make It Through The Night. I still remember him singing "take the ribbon from your, shake it loose and let it fall.....".

Dad had a nice voice, too. For a while in the mid 1970's, KWAL (the local Silver Valley radio station, which was the only radio station you could get in the Silver Valley for a long time), would play Drop Kick Me Jesus Through the Goalposts of Life each morning. Dad would either have KWAL wake him up, or have it playing so he would hear this song often. He got a big kick out of this song, and would often sing these words...


Drop kick me, Jesus through the goal posts of life
End over end, neither left nor to right
Straight through the heart of them righteous uprights
Drop kick me, Jesus through the goal posts of life

Make me, oh make me, Lord more than I am
Make me a piece in your master game plan

Free from the earthly temptations below
I've got the will, Lord if you've got the toe

(Chorus)

Bring on the brothers who've gone on before
And all of the sisters who've knocked on your door
All the departed dear loved ones of mine
Stick them up front in the offensive line.

(Chorus 2x)

Oh, this is too good not to share. Here it is to listen to yourself.



Oh, I have so many regrets regarding my relationship with Dad. It seems like I didn't get to know him as well as I would have liked. I was so wrapped up in my own life, going to college, then off to Montana for my first job, then getting married, then back to Idaho, moving to Meridian, and raising children. Then, before you know it, Dad is only 65 years old, and I get a phone call at the beginning of May, 1996, that Dad has cancer and he only has a month to live. I go home to Kellogg for a couple of weeks, and by the first of June he is gone.

He was way too young to die.

Well, I certainly didn't anticipating this flood of emotions this morning, but there they are anyway. Dad has been gone almost 13 years, and I think I'm only just beginning to deal with the loss. Grieving is a funny thing.

Saturday in the Park

Raymond Pert had quite a large collection of albums by the band Chicago.

Here are some of the album covers I remember:





I remember a lot of songs by Chicago while I was growing up. One that has a particular memory attached to is was Saturday In The Park.

While we were growing up, Mom and Dad had some friends who had a cabin at Rose Lake. One of this guy's brothers had some land up the river at Cedar Island, where they had a couple of trailers. Most of the time we would go to Rose Lake. But occasionally we would go up the river to Cedar Island.

One time I remember being there, and for some reason, recall sitting at a table and hearing "Saturday in the Park" playing on the radio. Everytime I hear this song, it reminds me of that visit to Cedar Island.

We always pine about having a place up the river. "Legend" has it that Dad was part owner in a piece of land up the river, but he sold it off, so we never got to have a place "up the river". But looking back, I'm not sure Mom and Dad were the "up the river" type anyway, so it was probably for the best.

The love of the band Chicago's music stayed with me. When I joined the Columbia House Record Company, I purchased two of their later albums:

The one thing I remember about the Hot Streets album is the first time I had my boyfriend in high school come over to my house, and we listened to this album while we sat on the couch in the TV room, and kissed.

It's funny the memories music brings back.

James and the Giant Peach article

This article ran in the Coeur d'Alene Press this morning about the play The Princess opened in last night, and we are going to see tonight. She is the one on the far left, in the black dress with gold cape.

The distinct sub-class

By TYLER WILSON
Staff writer

JEROME A. POLLOS/Press
Lake City Playhouse's production of "James and the Giant Peach" is now playing and stars Dane Wurmlinger, front right, in the lead role alongside Matthew Peyton, front left, as the wizard who gives James a bag of magic crystals. Back row, from left, Molly Roberts, Brendan Souvenir, Jillian Wurmlinger, Taylor Lindsay and Sara Briggs.

Talented kids put on 'James and the Giant Peach'

There are kids, and there are Theater Kids.

Danielle Holcomb, director of the Lake City Playhouse production of "James and the Giant Peach," offers a simple explanation of what it's like to supervise this distinct sub-class.

"You take the most animated, loudest, most center of attention kids, and you put 24 of them in one room," Holcomb said.

She means that in the best way possible.

"James and the Giant Peach" continues today at 7:30 p.m. and runs through April 5 at the Playhouse.

Holcomb was, and still is, a Theater Kid. Although "Peach" is her directorial debut at the Playhouse, the 23-year-old directed an all-dance version of "The Little Mermaid" last month at her own Dance Wise Studio. She's also been seen onstage in recent Playhouse productions of "Little Shop of Horrors" and "A Few Good Men."

"I've always had that desire to have my hands in everything," Holcomb said.

She appears unfazed by the back-to-back projects with rambunctious kids, even though she says directing a show basically means living at the Playhouse for several weeks.

"This is the place I wind down," Holcomb said. "This is my time for myself."

Holcomb and her energetic cast are well suited for "James and the Giant Peach." Based on the Roald Dahl classic, the story centers on James, a young boy who is treated like a slave by his malicious aunts. When he encounters an old wizard in the woods, James is promised a magical journey full of happiness, talking bugs and oversized fruit.

Dane Wurmlinger, a 13-year-old student at Holy Family Catholic School, plays James in the production. He said it's easy to get excited about Dahl's bizarre world.

"It's a crazy story, and half of it doesn't make any sense," Wurmlinger said.

Wurmlinger prepared for his role by participating in summer courses with the Playhouse. He also appeared as Edmund in a Christian Youth Theatre-North Idaho production of "The Chronicles of Narnia" last fall.

Working on this show makes Wurmlinger think he's already found his career, and that discovery only makes him want to work harder.

"I'm getting better," he said. "I have to work on learning my lines. I have a lot of lines."

Nineteen year-old Matthew Peyton is another grown up Theater Kid. When he was just 2 years old, his mother would take him along for community theater auditions and rehearsals.

"I have a couple of pictures where I'm standing on stage holding her hand," Peyton said.

Peyton has two roles in "James and the Giant Peach." He plays the old wizard who sends James on his journey, and later in the story he appears as a pessimistic earthworm. Like Holcomb, Peyton feeds off the energy that comes from working with kids.

"Sometimes they can be a little rowdy, but kids will be kids. I like it," Peyton said.

Holcomb said her entire cast, young and old, exhibited strong work ethic during rehearsals.

"They have definitely worked as hard as any other actor in any other show," Holcomb said. "I would definitely say it's worthy to be up next to the other shows this season."

"James and the Giant Peach" runs today through April 5 at the Lake City Playhouse. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with 2 p.m. matinees on Sundays. Tickets are $10-16. Call 667-1323 to reserve a seat.

The Lake City Playhouse is located at 1320 E. Garden Ave. in Coeur d'Alene. For more information, visit www.lakecityplayhouse.org.

Sigh

I returned home from the evening conferences tonight, and let out a big SIGH!!!

I am now officially on spring break. Yeah!

And we actually had sunshine and blue skies in the Silver Valley today.

I hope it sticks around for a while.

The other night at the band concert, I saw my friend Gino White. Gino and I graduated from high school together, and he lives down in Boise, and is teaching. He is a former Idaho legislator, and I think is a bit discouraged with his political aspirations while living in Ada County (he is a Democrat), so he decided to go back and get his teaching degree. He now teaches at Boise High School.

We had fun visiting after the concert, and I started sharing with him about the book I am writing. His whole growing up life was spent living at the Cataldo Mission, because his parents were the caretakers. So he started telling me all kinds of stories about things he had learned from Coeur d'Alene tribal members, and got me all excited about my book project. He also talked about reading the book Big Trouble, which I still need to finish, and how good of a book it is. Well, after our spouses patiently stood around waiting for us to quit visiting, I said goodbye, and hope to visit with him more in the future.

Just got a call from The Princess. Opening night went really good, and they had a full house. I am really looking forward to seeing it tomorrow night. I had talked to her today, and she said last night they were having some technical difficulties, and it took them 15 minutes to get the peach out on stage. Well, everything worked tonight!

Poor Z2. She had some oral surgery today, and her mouth has hurt all day. I hope she feels better tomorrow. Keep her in your prayers.

For fun during my spring break posts, I am going to think back to the songs that I remember listening to growing up, and see what comes to mind.

Inland Empire Girl had a Boz Scaggs album, and one of the songs on it is "Lido Shuffle". I can still sing the song, word for word. Amazing what sticks with you for thirty years or more. I was fortunate to have a variety of record albums in our home growing up, and I listened to a large variety of music. Between Raymond Pert's "Chicago" albums, and IEG listening to "The Carpenter's", and my mom's love of Broadway Musicals, and Dad's unique old Jazz collection including Sarah Vaughan.

Performing Girls

Tonight Z2 and Kiki Aru performed in a band concert. This concert is fun because it has all the band student in the Kellogg School District performing. First we heard from the 5th grade band, then the 6th grade band, then Kiki Aru performed in the 7th and 8th grade band (she played the cymbals and saxophone, and Z2 played in the high school concert band, and she played the flute. It was a wonderful concert, with standing room only in the KMS gym.

PKR's brother KR and our neice KR arrived today from Nampa to be with us a few days for their spring break. KR's wife LR and other neice TR will be flying up to Spokane for a volleyball tournament this weekend, so we hopefully will be all together sometime this weekend.

The Princess has her opening night tomorrow night at the Lake City Playhouse in Coeur d'Alene. She is playing Miss Spider in "James and the Giant Peach". We are going to see her on Friday night. I can't wait!!! (Click on the giant peach on the right for more information).

Friday spring break begins. Maybe I'm putting too much stock in the healing properties of spring break, but I'm looking forward to it anyway. I need some rest...emotional, physical and spiritual rest...and I hope to get some next week.

In my Bible reading yesterday, I read this verse in the book of James. Lord, help me to live like this each and every day.

"But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritsm and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness." James 2: 17-18

I'm Trying To Be A Glass Half Full Kind of Person

My glass is always half full.

I can usually see the good in any situation.

I try and be nice to others, and think good thoughts, and help out when I can.

But occasionally, the glass looks half empty. I get discouraged.

I tried not to let a few incidents get to me this weekend.

I tried to laugh them off, or act like it didn't bother me. But then I realized, it is okay if it bothers me. It is okay to be bothered by something that upsets me.

I woke up Saturday morning, and someone had taped a sign on the front window of the house, so when I raised the window shade, I could read it. It was something about the work I do, and at first I tried to laugh it off, and make light of it, but later it really bothered me. I took the sign to my principal today, and he was a bit puzzled, and then he had me share it with our School Resource Officer, since it was school related. I may never know who put it up there. It won't make me stop doing my job. But it was discouraging, none the less. My glass was going from half full to half empty.

Then some friends came over this weekend, and shared some news that really wasn't unexpected, but it was still hard, because they were hurting, and it was hard. Again, I needed to say to myself, you care about this, it is okay to be disappointed.

So, it was a rather rough weekend, but life goes on. In both situations, I just pray something good comes of them. God is the only one who can make beauty from ashes in these situations.

Perhaps the glass is becoming half full again.

Career Day

As part of running the Gear Up program in our school district, I organized a Career Day for our sixth through ninth graders at Kellogg Middle School.

The day started out by the freshmen from Kellogg High School getting bussed down to KMS for a main assembly to hear the keynote speaker, Frank Peretti. Frank is a New York Times best selling author who writes books for young and old.

Here is Frank Peretti addressing the students.
Frank had three main points for the students:
Try.
Respect Authority.
Work.

While the 7th through 9th grade students listened to different people present on their careers, the sixth graders had four different career related activities. Frank spoke to the sixth graders about writing and the importance of language. Other activities included a computer based activity called "Reality Check" on Career Information Systems, and showmethefuture.org, also a computer activity. They also did a Tell Me Your Dreams activity.

After the main assembly with Frank, the students chose four different careers to hear presentations on during the morning. Here is who we had:

Attorney---Starr Kelso, Kelso Law Office

Banking/Finance--Rhonda Seagraves and Sharlene Fike, Panhandle State Bank

Business Management--Joe Margason--Stein's Family Foods

Construction Management--Marty Reiman and Matt James--NASCO

Department of Lands/Forestry--Jeanne Bradley, Dept. of Lands

Fish and Game Warden--Josh Stanley, local Fish and Game Warden

Hairstylist/Cosmetology--Dusty Boone, Blondie's

Helicopter Pilot--Tom McPherson, Chief Pilot for Gliko Aviation

Hospitality and Tourism--Jeff Colburn, Silver Mountain

Law Enforcement--Holly Lindsday and others, Shoshone County Sheriff's Office

Medical Doctor--Dr. Scott Reed, Mountain Health

Military--Keith McKay, Marines

Mining--JoAnne Corley and Lex Smith National Research Education Outreach (NREO) program

Nursing--Sharon Black, School Nurse and Teirza Bristow, E.R. Nurse at Shoshone Medical Center

Photography/Writing--Taryn A. Hecker, Writer and Photographer for Hire

Public Administration/Public Works--Craig Lewis, Supt. of Public Works for City of Kellogg

Social Work/Counseling--Linda Sepa-Newell, Alliance Family Services

Teacher/Educator-Teresa Baillie, Pinehurst Elementary

Veterinarian/Veterinarian Technician--Dr. Andy Broaddus and Sarah Thomas, Kellogg Pet Medical Center

Here are some pictures of some of the presenters. I tried to get pictures of all of them, but either the doors were closed when I went by, or the lights were off and they were doing a presentation. But here are some of them.

Craig Lewis is the City of Kellogg Supt. of Public Works. He is a KHS graduate.

Dr. Andy Broaddus and Sarah Thomas spoke about working as a veterinarian and veterinarian technician. They work at Kellogg Pet Medical Center, where I was the business manager before I started working for Gear Up.

Tom McPherson, a helicopter pilot our of Cataldo, sparked some interest in quite a few students talking about his profession.
Student are still intersted in hearing about the Mining industry, and careers in Mining. JoAnn Corley and Lex Smith talked to the students about these careers.

Other presents below are:
*Joe Margason, Business Manager at Stein's Family Foods. (I remember when he started out as a boxboy, and now he has worked his way up to manager.)
*Josh Stanley, the local Fish and Game Warden.
*Our School Resource Officer Holly Lindsey and other officers from the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office spoke about careers in Law Enforcement.
*Linda Sepa-Newell, another KHS graduate, spoke about careers in Social Work and Counseling.
*Rhonda Seagraves and Sharlene Fike, from Panhandle State Bank, talked about Banking and Finance careers. They are both KHS graduates, too.
*My hairstylist, Dusty Boone, talked to the students about being a hairstylist. She also gave away free haircuts in her presentation.