Thursday, May 24, 2012

50th class reunion ...

Well, it's over.  The much-awaited class reunion is history.  What a wonderful day!  Words can not describe!  Everything went well, everyone had a good time (I think), and now we've gone our separate ways for another 50 years.  I'll post some pictures here soonest.

Our pre-alumni banquet get together went well!  Judy and John were super; they came early and Judy helped do some last-minute fussing.  Judy is a very special person and this wouldn't have gone so well without her.  Dick and Diane came from Cadillac, Michigan and had spent a long, tiring day garage sale-ing along the way.  Dick still has the same great personality he did 50 years ago.  Carol, a recent widow, was in attendance and enjoyed catching up with all of us.  She is still the quiet, shy one.  Leanna and Larry were there from Portland; Leanna looks just like she did when we left school.  Honestly!  And she has the same great laugh and snappy personality.  Gene and Linda came early, too with LOTS of beverages!  (Thanks Linda!)  Gene is so outgoing and full of life, just like always.  Ann and Les were there and it was soooo good to see Ann again.  We reminisced about sharing a small room on our senior trip with Carol and Vesta; four of us in two double beds!  I think everyone enjoyed looking at old and new pictures, and they all seemed to appreciate the memory book I prepared.  But the most enjoyable thing was just talking and catching up.  Ray and Deb came to the banquet but for some reason didn't make it to the pre-party ... We missed Becky, Mick and Vesta.  No one knows where John is.  Martha and Barbara did not respond to our invitation.  And Glenn, Tom and Larry are deceased.  That's us, the Petroleum High School class of 1962.  All 17 of us.

The alumni banquet was more enjoyable than I had expected.  [I must add this thought -- I have always wondered why the Petroleum Alumni Banquet is  held at the Bluffton High School.  The Southern Wells High School (which our  school was consolidated into along with Jackson, Chester and Liberty) is a perfectly good location.  But they didn't ask my opinion.]  I hadn't been to a banquet since our 25th.  What made it enjoyable was not the food or the entertainment (which was fine) but getting up and walking around to visit with former school mates from different classes.  It was very disconcerting and sometimes embarrassing to be called by name by someone I had not the slightest clue as to who they were!  (Obviously I haven't changed as much as I thought.  Just those extra pounds -- wink wink ...)  But then they "introduced" themselves and it was off and running!  Just the best part of the evening for sure!  Talking, listening, talking!  Too many stories ...

Life is good.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

My life recently, in pictures ...

We've been enjoying asparagus from the garden for a few weeks and I think it's about time to let it go to seed.  It is beginning to be not as tender.  And you can only eat and give away so much asparagus.  But it's been wonderful while it lasted.
We took a day trip to central IL and toured the Abe Lincoln log cabin recently.  This is where the Lincoln family lived from the time they left Indiana (when he was a teenager) until he left home; just a few months.  It is an interpretive setting with two farms plus a very nice museum.  But sort of off the beaten path!
I found this little original oil painting at the Goodwill Store in Bloomington.  It is so precious!  And for 99 cents ... what a deal.  I'll find a good frame for it and put it somewhere where it can be enjoyed when winter rolls around.
Since Veronica outgrew this little child's lawn chair, I cut a hole in the seat and put a clay pot in it.  When I won a shamrock plant at the March meeting of Jolly Homemakers, I thought 'perfect!'.  It looks good in the corner of the porch and is blooming like crazy.
Mother's Day has come and gone.  I hope you had a good day, too.  Adrian, Gloria and Veronica sent me this beautiful arrangement!  The mercury glass vase is especially fine.  Now how did they know that any yellow flower is my favorite?!
I've been working on these okra Santa ornaments for a looooooooong time (I dried the okra from last year's garden).  I actually finished them yesterday by adding twisted wire hangers (not pictured).  They will make nice gifts because, after all, who needs this many okra Santas?!
The last three reunion books!  When we finish these I'll be DONE.  My high school 50th class reunion is this weekend and this has been a major project for several weeks.  It was always there ... My only regrets is that the black and white copies are not as good as I had hoped.  The originals were not always good, but nevertheless they should have copied better than they did.  But you know, I'm a perfectionist and it just bugs me that they're not perfect ...  This is a good way to close.  It's my life.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

A trip down memory lane ... again ...

Lately I have been working on a sort of memory book for my high school class 50th reunion.  I finally dug out my 'senior cords' yesterday.  How many of you had these?  Anyone?

My Senior Cords ... Front of my cream-colored, hand-painted corduroy skirt.  "Wendell" is in the heart, the panther holds a diploma in his mouth.  Wendell's class ring is above the word 'seniors', our year book is bottom left.  And of course Yogi and Bobo!
Here's the back. (btw I made the skirt)  Records spun at the Hayloft (a place we went to dance), we were the 4-Way basketball champs, the movie "The Blob", a wiener dog in the pleat ... "Petroleum" down one side, "Panthers" down the other.
Preparing for this class reunion has been really enjoyable.  In addition to pictures and this skirt, I found some 4-H stuff, awards for journalism, reporting & music, class play books, and an old scrap book.  I hope the booklet I'm doing will make a worthwhile memento for everyone.  On the negative side it seems that very few are coming for the pre-party and banquet.  There were only 17 in our graduating class to begin with and three guys are already dead.  A few live out of state.  So I'm guessing, from what I hear, that only about half of the original class will be there.  

Actually I dread the drive back up to Bluffton for the reunion.  Just got back from there two days ago, helping Mom make the transition, one more time, back to her apartment from the health care unit.  She is settling in and it will be much slower this time.  Lots of hard work for her.  She doesn't seem quite as determined as she was last time ...  But she's there.

Next Sunday is Mother's Day!  I'm looking forward to this whole week in fact.  I want to rest and do some weaving as well as catch up on the garden.  Poor Wendell has had to do almost all of it.  So I'll get out there and prop up peas, thin beets, plant flowers where the others got covered up by a wild tiller, cut spinach and lettuce, and just generally whip things into shape.  Also I have a small flat of flowers I want to get into planters, so I'll be busy for sure.  I must go shopping for something to wear to this shindig and get my hair trimmed again.  And Margo and I hope to go to Amish country some day this week.  I have to bake six small cakes for the PTO carnival in Spencer on Thursday.  Then next Saturday we're going out to eat for Mother's Day at Almost Home with Jeff as our host!  Yeah ... Should be a busy but productive week!  

God bless you all.