EXPERIENCE....A MOSAIC OF MANY COLORS

I was asked by my friend John Burton, co-director of music at St. Stephen Martyr Church to sing with his group for a special mass with Archbishop Sartain. St. Stephen was asked to be the host for the South King Deanery.
Not many people showed up for practice. It was apparent that help was needed.
I mentioned to John that Joanne Deacy was a great soprano. He asked if I would to try to recruit her for the mass. Joanne and I are used to a different type of choir but after I explained the situation to her, she agreed to help out.  Joanne worked overtime on Thursday so she would be on time for practice at 5:30.
This was a true act of kindness on her part.

Before mass, Marijean led the prayer and thanked those who came from other parishes. Then, someone said,
"What about thanking Martha."  Bernie answered (with a smile on his handsome face) " Martha's a re-tread."

The alto section had only two women while the soprano section had eight including Joanne and me.
I sang alto on two hymns and soprano on the rest.
After a less than impressive practice, the men actually sounded good. Nice blend.
 Joanne did a great job, especially since she had very little practice and most of the  music was new to her.
John deserves credit for his direction. He had no idea who would be there. This is always a disadvantage.  
He handled it well and told the choir to relax and enjoy the service.


The assembly was very responsive.  My  husband (always honest) said it was the best he'd heard at St. Stephen, so I guess it was OK.
The next day I asked Joanne if she was still speaking to me . "It was a different kind of fun." she answered.
I agree.

Archbishop Sartain  gave a homily which was well received. I could see people smiling while he spoke (this included my husband Joe, who has trouble staying awake during most homilies).
The Archbishop was situated near the choir. I enjoyed listening to him and actually seeing the expressions on his face as he spoke the words that seemed to be from his heart. and soul.

The Archbishop made a special request to meet each person after mass. We were in line for quite a while. During this time I was approached by several who remembered me from my  days at St. Anthony,  Kent, St. Stephen the Martyr, and St. Anthony, Renton.
 

My past caught up to me when a woman remembered me from H.C.C ( I returned to school in 1989).  She said," I remember you Martha, your number was "Lush Life."
Her husband was in the H.C.C. band led by Ed Fish.

 It was  fun except for one encounter that I should forget.

This involves a woman  standing behind us in line.  She said she was disappointed that I hadn't sung a solo.  I told her it didn't work that way.  Then she mentioned the music at St. James, another plus, then she started on barrage of comments about how she hated the fact that we all wore robes. " "Too much pomp and ceremony, too much pomp and circumstance.  You're like the Knights of Columbus wearing all that stuff."
I can't recall whether she said pomp and circumstance or pomp and ceremony but you get the idea.

I can handle if someone insults me, in fact I rather enjoy it, but if you insult a friend, I'll fight you. I guess in this case the robe was my friend. I explained to her that it was a matter of humility, being unified in our dress etc.  She continued... "Too much pomp and circumstance".   Joe told me later that my face was so red he thought I was going to blow up.

I was disappointed in myself for letting her get to me. After all, she has a right to her opinion.
Another experience from which to learn.

When we reached the Archbishop he asked our parish. When we said St. James Cathedral Parish, Joe mentioned that I was a chorister at St. James.  Archbishop Sartain  commented that our choir is always excellent.
It was certainly worth the wait.
We didn't have our camera with us so I'm posting the card we received.

Great Day

Joe arrived home from an early appointment( having his blood checked) and announced, "Let's drive to Silver Springs."   We wanted to  check out the campsites for our annual family camp-out.
We ate a quick breakfast, threw a lunch together, grabbed our warm coats and were on our way by 10:30 a.m.
It was a beautiful day for a drive. As we got closer to our destination we noticed a dusting of snow on the hillside. The closer we were to Silver Springs the more snow was present.
We had planned to walk around the campground and write down the numbers of the best sites.
Unfortunately, I didn't think to bring my hiking boots or even heavier shoes.  The thought of snow did not enter my mind.
We got out of the car and started trudging along in the snow. The first thing I did was sink one leg into a hole. Joe pulled me out and we continued.  After a bit I decided it was not a good idea to risk slipping on the icy snow and sent Joe on a solo run since he had been smart enough to wear his hiking shoes.
While he was gone I walked in the snow far enough to take some photos. Just as  I decided to go find Joe, I heard his voice.  He was finished. We sat in the truck and had our lunch, then headed home.

On the way home we decided to go to our Grand-daughter's  basketball game after dinner.
 This is a big deal as Joe does not like to attend games of any kind. It was a quarter final game between St. Philomena  and Holy Rosary.

The girls play rough.   It was a very good game, score was tied at least four times.  Holy Rosary was one point ahead, got the ball passed it around to use up some time then  scored a basket to win the game. They'll play in the semi-finals on Saturday where I will be there in spirit.

  I love the games as it is the only time I get to see my son's former wife who we really enjoy and love.
John was happy to see us as well, and that's a good thing.
I'll miss Alex's game tonight but once again, I'll be there in spirit. (Always a good thing to say if you'll be absent, however, I mean it.)

Searching for Wilderness

Joe and I decided to drive to nearby lakes and walk a few miles.
  He wanted to check out Shady Lake,  a small lake where relatives own a strip of land.
We used to swim there before we were wed. When we finally found it we were unable to walk to the water as it was gated and locked.   This is rather sad as I actually own a pebble or two of the property.  I wonder who has the key?

We then headed for Lake Wilderness and got lost again.  The county was doing road work and apparently removed the sign so we didn't feel quite so stupid. The first thing I needed to do was use the facilities.All we could see was a Porto-potty!   I decided to walk the trail to find a bathroom before resorting to that.
After walking about a half mile we found a bathroom so I was saved from the dreaded P.P.

Relieved ,we then took a leisurely walk along the lake. Lots of trees, ducks, very few people. Ice in the puddles.

Photos:
Creek on the path along the lake.
Duck  swimming in Lake Wilderness

Yosemite Treasure

Joe has been going through his slides and found one of our favorites from a trip to Yosemite.
This tree was a favorite of photographers for obvious reasons.  It is no longer there which makes it even more special.
We felt it was worth sharing.

Sami and Alex....

This photo reminds me of the spiritual, "I've never seen such love". It is on the cover of a calendar made by their father (our son) John.
I have it on good authority that they do have their occasional spat.
Most siblings love each other but there is something special about twins. Or is it just me?

DesMoines Pier

We walked along the pier yesterday in surprisingly calm weather. No breeze whatsoever.
I'm trying to wrap my brain around my new camera. Joe is a good teacher. The problem is that he is also my husband.  I prefer to learn on  my own, through mistakes. Photos can be deleted!
Holding the camera away and trying to see the subject is proving to be difficult especially if the subject is small.
I have several shots of just water, or sky. then there is an accidental video.

I managed to take a few good ones that I will share.  The belted kingfisher is by Joe.
  I've only seen a belted kingfisher a few times so it was fun.

We saw a boat on a semi-truck wrapped and marked Forest Service. A passer-by asked the driver
why a Forest Ranger would need a boat. The driver gave him a story about needing a boat to patrol the Tonga river in Alaska.
  This  may or may not be true but anytime there is a body of water on the Forest Service property,  the Ranger needs to be ready to act if anyone is disobeying the rules. This is not unusual. Forest Rangers also have trucks, snowmobiles,  etc. to do there job.

I think I may have missed my calling!




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Inspirational!

Our Grand-daughter Zoe attends Denny International Middle School and plays percussion in the Senior Band.
We attended the Winter concert on Thursday and as always were impressed with the music program.
Not that all the groups are spectacular but of the 705 students attending the school , over 300 are in the music program. That's impressive.
The  choral group began this year...about seven students, standing on the stage of an auditorium of about 1000 people. They were nervous and uncertain of the whole process. It was rather painful but they tried and I'm sure they will grow and improve.
The Jazz band is excellent ...the Senior band and Steel drum Ensemble are  also very good.  The director is a dedicated, fantastic musician who is perfect for this job. His name is Marcus J. Pimpleton.
He is also a fundraiser (not by choice). The bands go on trips to perform, their big trip is to Disneyland. They auditioned and will march down Main Street (apparently this is a big deal) Many of the families cannot afford the expense so they are having several concerts to raise the needed money.  They had a collection box on the stage and every so often Mr. P. would remind the audience of the need for funds.
"This is the first year that the concert was not held in the cafeteria.   Isn't this a great place to hold our concert? You won't have to fold the chairs"   Everyone cheered.  Quickly he responded. " So, give money".

I forgot to mention that Mr. P. is also the director of bands at Chief Sealth High School.
Dedicated man.