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| Jackie Johnson, new principal Farmin-Stidwell Elementary School |
This morning---briefly, I'm sure---I have that luxury. When "Twitterdeedum" appears as title for a Tuesday, my daily pace has turned almost manageable.
The photo above was taken several days ago as I was on my way home from a gathering in town. Several times this summer, I've driven past the Farmin-Stidwell parking lot hoping to see a car with an Oregon license plate.
No, I'm not stalking----just hoping for the occasion to welcome back a beloved former student.
On that day last week, the Oregon plate appeared, so I parked, walked through the open entrance to the school and headed straight to the office.
It was empty, almost, but I could see a light in the back room on the right and stuck my head around the door.
Jackie looked up from some work she was doing at the computer and smiled. Good thing. That was always the Ponderette theme: SMILE.
A second or two passed, and suddenly, the welcoming expression switched to recognition of a face, much more wrinkled and worn than the one she used to see every morning during drill team practice back in the early 1970s.
It's probably been that long since I've seen Jackie Reader Johnson, a truly creative, upbeat and popular young lady and student leader.
She hasn't changed much, and she's the same lovely person I knew way back when.
During her senior year, Jackie served as Ponderettes Drill Team captain, and what a year we had. Those were the days when we still had a full-fledged district basketball tournament in Coeur d'Alene.
Basketball squads, bands, drill teams and huge cheering sections represented each school. Performance groups took turns putting on halftime entertainment.
Those were also the days when young women could not participate in competitive sports-----before Title IX changed everything.
So, many of Sandpoint High's female students tried out for drill team. We had a marching team of about 36 at the time.
Besides marching at home football and basketball games and in the Fourth of July Parade, the Ponderettes worked extra hard for their performances at the annual tournaments.
I shall forever think of Jackie Reader in the same frame as "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves." I'm thinking the drill, set to that song, was one of our most memorable performances, and if it were revived today, I think folks would still love it.
I love the fact that Lake Pend Oreille School District chose Jackie, who's been down in Oregon for years, to come back home and serve as principal at Farmin-Stidwell.
I promised my sister Laurie that she could expect a fun year working with Jackie.
So, dear friend Jackie, welcome back. I'm sure I don't have to tell you to SMILE.
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My sister Laurie and I put in our stint of judging creative writing at yesterday's edition of the fair, spending four hours reading essays, fictional works and poetry.
Our superintendent Erica Curless kept us on our toes and entertained with good laughter and good direction.
So, one more year of that assignment under our belts.
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The veggie judges weren't too impressed with my entries---two reds, one white, but at least the two squashes and the plate of beans won ribbons.
I almost did not enter anything this year, but, at the last moment, decided it was un-Bonner Countyish for a native to not participate in the fair.
There's one more requirement on the fair docket, and that's to connect with my outlaw buddy Rose Marie for this year's moments with the brats.
As usual, we'll meet over by the indoor arena, select our sandwich and chips, sit on a bale of hay and do some catching up on our respective lives.
I'm hoping the vendors and the fair staff have figured out how to make sure we don't get extra condiments with our sandwiches---ya know those black and yellow things with wings and stingers.
Could be a challenge this year, but what's one more sting after half a dozen or so!
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In other news, Mr. Mojave, the giant dressage horse, has been here for a week now and seems to be adjusting nicely.
We've reached the stage where today he'll go out in the pasture WITH Lily instead of in the pasture NEXT to Lily.
I think Lily's met her match cuz Mojave refuses to allow her to intimidate him.
He has been in the pasture with Lefty for several days, and, after watching the two of them together, Bill came up with a Gonzaga basketball analogy. [Long time since you've seen Gonzaga mentioned on the blog, right . . . only three more months til the season starts].
Anyway, Bill figures Mojave is the Kelly Olynyk of the Lovestead pastures while Lefty is the David Stockton. I tend to agree.
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Guess that's enough for this Tuesday. I'm hoping to use the day to catch up on lots of projects that have had to wait.
Happy Tuesday.
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