Sunday, February 23, 2014

Schedule for next weekend

Good afternoon, Debbie,

The DPNC met after church today to define a schedule for your visit to Monmouth/Independence and Falls City.  They decided that they would like to have more time with you and are asking if you could meet they at Christ's Church (412 W Clay St, Monmouth) at 2:00PM Saturday, March 1.  The Seventh Day Adventists use the building that day but there is a recess during which you can tour the church.  They will collaborate with you for a visit of the manse and the Falls City area and church.

They are inviting you to a dinner at the home of Carol Brown at 6:00PM that evening after which you will be able to retire to your hotel room which they are booking for you in Salem, I believe.  Sunday morning we will meet you at the church in Woodburn.  After the worship service we would like to share lunch with you in Keiser.  Eileen will be arranging a meeting between you and the COM probably for that afternoon probably in Keiser.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Another Snow Day

It's not that there's nothing that I can do without electricity, it's just that when you have a power outage, the routine is upset. Shoveling, walking, cooking, eating, reading, writing, sleeping, stoking the fire; none these require electricity, but not having electricity means that if I want to check the weather forecast on either the Internet or television, or the news for that matter, I can't. Of course, today that means I can't watch the Olympics.

I didn't even know the electricity went out. I was letting my fingers do the work on my computer while I listened to some music. The music seemed to come to the end of the CD, the room was bright from the subtle outside light of a outcast day, and everything was fine until I tried to check on the Internet for some information. But I continued my writing as if nothing had happened; while start a new CD when I get up.

Then it hit me that the refrigerator would start turning bad after several days. Gail called the neighbors down the road who reported that they did have electricity. That probably means that it's a minor problem and easy to fix but probably a low priority. So, dig out the candles and flashlights and create a new what will I do with myself this evening. By tomorrow, if things go as forecasted and projected, the snow will have abated so that we can drive to town to recharge computer batteries, watch the rescheduled basketball games and attend the PNC meeting. The driveway which I cleared this morning is down to gravel and so driving to the mailbox is a snap.

The evening lighting is settling in so only gross activities are now an option; fine detailed projects like painting and sewing cross stitching are out. Playing piano remains on the list.

Statistically, the snow measured about 16 inches this morning before the drips started coming off the roof and an hour ago that same site was about 9 inches. The sidewalk is bare but wet where shoveled. Until the electricity returns this post will sit quietly in my computer.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Snow Day

Snow days are very common this year as the Midwest and eastern half of the United States have had a record number of recording setting winter storms, dropping snow and temperatures beyond what many have seen in their lifetimes.  So titling this blog snow day is not novel or unique unless you live in the Northwest where the weather has been springlike and abnormally dry this winter.  Until this week.

The weather forecast was for some snow starting about midweek which it did.  There were two fingers of snow coming in from the Pacific, one north of us and one south of us.  We watched TV and both wondered what all the fuss was about and why we were so blessed.  Thursday we went to a couple university basketball games (WOU won both the women's and men's games) with just a inch of snow on the ground.  Coming out of the game we drove through about three inches of fresh powder with some concern about getting up the hill to our place.  We made it.

Friday only I drove to Monmouth for some Skype interviews for our new pastor at the church.  After watching it snow throughout the interviews by the time I drove home there were a couple more inches. Conditions were essentially white-out except for the weeds in the ditches.  Again we held our breaths until I slowly with a steady pedal made it up the hill.  It snowed through the evening so when I shoveled out the walkway this morning, I put a tape in the snow.  It measured a bit over 13 inches, the most we have seen in Oregon in our 19 years here.

Thinking there would still be a funeral at 2:00 this afternoon, I got out the tractor and pushed some snow aside.  After a half hour and viewing the main roadway, I decided it was impractical to try to get to town for any reason.  That was moments before Gail walked up behind me and said that everything was cancelled. With the tractor back in the barn and me in the house, we have resolved to join the rest of northwestern Oregon and just stay home.  There is a time to acknowledge defeat or at least when one should choose not to fight the weather.

Now the snow continues outside the window before me as I let my fingers do the walking and thinking and my hope is that the weatherman who is forecasting rain and warmer weather is a couple days is correct.  There are things to do beyond the end of the driveway, but for now it's time to rewarm the hot chocolate.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

What a Retired Denvy Does

So what does a retired person do throughout a day?  More specifically what does Denvy do in a day this week?

"I'm up to watch the sunrise," I state, which around Ground Hogs Day allows me to sleep, or at least lay around in bed, until the summary of the local news just before the "Today" show comes on.  During the warmer months of the year one has to roll out before the 5:33AM Stateman's Journal electronic news is delivered.

There's the early morning routine answer to the call of nature integrated with the awaking the computer and checking the overnight spam interspersed with some meaningful emails.  It's these good emails that dictate what happens for the next couple hours, well, these emails and the ones on the to-do list which were formulated during the evening transition to sleep and the morning's awakening time.

There are responses to Wendy, a recent college grad, who is creating a new non-profit organization to help educate orphans in Africa, and specifically a new website on a new server.  And the responses to Kirk, a former student, who is updating a website for the community baseball team he coaches.

Depending on the time of year and month, emails are exchanged with Katie for programming for the Western Compass campus ministry, with members of the pastor nominating committee regarding the status of candidates, with people helping setting up a pilot project to house and provide meals for homeless families, with church members for the Peace Justice and Mission business, with supporters of the Relay for Life fight against cancer and with those dealing with the computers at the Polk Community Free Clinic.  The good news is that I really like what these groups are doing.

Then there's time to open the iPad and play a game of solitaire or check the weather or read parts of a book.  That's my quiet time.

Did I mention starting the wood stove, bringing in firewood, preparing and eating breakfast, washing the dishes, feeding the dog, cat and chickens.  Some days washing clothes, watering plants and cleaning house split into the agenda.

Then there's an opportunity to write policies and job descriptions, create rosters and contact lists, and contact people about volunteering for the homeless project.  We received a letter yesterday indicating that our request for a $500 grant for this project was granted.  Laying out plans and agendas for the pastor nominating committee are a part of this time in the day, and this can extend throughout the day.

This week Monday only had a weekly PNC meeting in the evening and Tuesday had a PJM meeting with a presentation on a proposal to introduce a health system similar to the Canadian system into Oregon.  Wednesday had a 2-hour meeting with Wendy and the weekly bell and vocal choir practices.  Thursday was full with a meeting with some interns in the morning, WC meeting at one, meeting with Kirk at four, dinner with WC at SingFay at five, and college basketball games at 5:15 and 7:30.  However, it's snowing and everything is cancelled (waiting for word on the basketball games) and so there's time to write this blog entry.

Continuing on with words about the remainder of the week, there are four Skype interviews with pastoral candidates between 9:30AM and 3:00PM on Friday.  Saturday has a funeral at two, a Valentine Day dinner at Falls City at five, and two basketball games that evening.  Sunday seems routine except for Dr Lace apple cider making event about the same time as church and so we will miss that.

It's nice to catch some lunch about midday and nicer still if it's at 1:00 so we can manifest some silliness by watching the archived Zorro show.  Today the show interrupts an ongoing news broadcast following the snow storm which has closed schools, businesses and highways.

For variety in the day there are opportunities like pruning trees, mowing lawns - even in the winter, cutting firewood, working in the wood shop, pulling weeds and the like.  During colder days there's organizing pictures, writing the family history, painting on the paint-by-number project - for color blind non-artists, or stoking the fire.

Evening, if there's no meeting or scheduled event, may see us watching Dr Martin or a Blazer's basketball game on television while Gail does some handwork and I play at website design.

Oh, there is the final act of crawling into the waterbed and falling asleep as Jay Leno talks to himself.  That is what a monologue is, isn't it?