Dutch Roots: Welkom!

Dutch Shoemaker
Singing Trio
Shriners
Taekwondo Kids
Youth church group singing beautifully
Carnival
Squaredancing in skirts embellished with tulips
Shuttle to airport with tulips
Kilts and bagpipes!
Neighboring high school bands
Street Fair
A "Whale" of a float

This weekend is a major holiday weekend for OH. They celebrate their Dutch roots with a parade, a carnival including rides and food, outdoor booths the length of main street selling everything from windows to elephant ears. Instead of the 'pinewood derby' race that I've been accustomed to for the kids, there is a 'klompen shoe race", where the kids paint little wooden shoes (a pair or single) and race them down a small wooden miniature 'canal' that's stationed in the middle of main street between all the vendor's booths. The booths are much the same thing one sees at any carnival: lots of homemade sweaters and hats, quilts, lots of Asian clothing in styles only very thin women can wear, baby clothing silk screened with cute pictures and sayings, glassworks, pottery, jewelry, leather bags. Items from Holland was the unusual local special. The one extraordinary booth was the older Dutchman making wooden shoes using hand tools. Amazing. Of course there was a accompanying booth with wooden clogs in all sizes, decorated or not.

This parade was much more appropriate to the town's enthusiasm, I think. There were bands (although I didn't see the local High School's band, I'm going to assume it was at the front of the parade, which I missed), a couple of 'floats', various children's groups represented such as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, lots of youth church groups, even a horseback therapeutic riding organization (which I was thrilled to know was available here on the island). There were some businesses, the classic cars and service organizations represented also. And a clown! Of course, the tail end of the parade, as in the Christmas parade, was the Pirate Ship (sans Santa but with fancifully dressed pirates). Finally I found out that the pirate ship is an advertisement/donation to parades from the Yacht Club. Lots of folks, mostly those in their 70's and up, were dressed in traditional Dutch costume.

I think the whole town as well as outlying areas attended, as there were cars parked everywhere. I'd gone to the laundromat to do laundry at 8:30 a.m. and when I got done at 10 a.m., it was bumper to bumper traffic to my apt. Weird to be in that kind of traffic here! I'm really glad I live close enough to walk to the festivities.

There was the proberbial entertainment stage at one end of main street with different music groups presenting. When I was there, a trio of ladies in traditional Dutch dress were warbling away on some really old tunes (I'm talking 1920-'40's here) with an older man acompanying them on a tuba. Young families and singles from the Navy wandered around getting food.

The tide had receded. The shore birds were nowhere to be seen with all the commotion going on. But it was sunny and warm and a perfect day for a parade and street fair. The natural beauty was still there beneath all the tawdry glitter which will be gone by Monday

I may buy a pair of soft slippers made to look like wooden shoes as a memento of this spring happening. They looked warm for next winter's cold in WW! And, of course, I couldn't leave before having drooled over and chewed up one elephant ear with cinnamon and sugar!

Sunday PS: Another glorious sunny day, though a bit too breezy. Watched the "Klompen shoe race." Cute! Was in the mood to buy, but didn't have much money with me. That's a good thing! Found two booths about opportunities for kids with special education. Can't wait to share it with my families.

Weekend Activities

I made vegan Manicotti. It was good, but more like tasting vegie lasagna.
Lilacs picked from an apparently abandoned garden in back of the apt. which I am going to have to take outside, as they are making me wheeze! What a sad state of old age!
Tulip Festival: The day was perfect. Sidebar: Tulips are not allergenic to me! Are they to anyone?

Going Down the Drain

The work week is finished. My emotions are drained. One of my assistants, with whom I thought our teaching processes were symbiotic, turned to sabotaging new strategies we tried on her favorite student. I'd pretty much followed her lead the whole year as she had been the 1:1 assistant for this kid for the previous 2 years. The kid is moving on next year and he needs a whole new set up to survive, even in a life skills class. So I contacted the coordinator to come observe and help us come up with a plan. She's best buds with the coordinator and that's when it all started to go downhill. Finally the tension between us was so thick you could, as the saying goes, cut it with a knife. It was affecting our teaching. So I had to talk to her. I hate this part of the job, because I'm so insecure as to want to say everything just perfectly so as not to hurt feelings, get my point across and yet, let my feelings be understood, too.....leaving our mutual respect intact. Not possible. I wanted to call her on it the day the behaviors became intolerable, but I waited till the next morning, to let my own feelings calm. I called her at home for us to talk privately when we arrived at school. She was all peaches and cream on the phone. Bluch. I tried to state the "I feel" thing, so as not to place blame. She simply said, "I'm not responsible for your feelings." Oh, how I wanted to deck her! She nit picked the little things, saying she wanted to be told what to do, which was denying the fact we'd worked so well together the rest of the year! I feel a lot less stress about the situation now, but realized today I was still probably reacting out of anger, rather than using logical thinking. I know she is still angry, too, as her behavior has improved in the classroom, but she refuses to 'chit-chat,' curtly says hello and goodbye and avoids eye contact unless absolutely necessary.

When I left River city I had to talk to our assistant there, as several other staff were complaining about her and I, too, had noticed some problems in her ability to handle the tasks. It was traumatic for both of us. She was a dear friend. I haven't heard from her at all.

All this makes me very wary about dealing with staff in yet another new setting. I know I can be very demanding and judgmental. Every day I have to pray about this in myself. I make an effort to get to know people on a personal level because then I come to love them for their souls and not the outward behavior. I guess that's why it hurts so much when issues arise. I always want to 'fix' things, and with my judgmental compartmentalizing, others don't see the same 'things' need to be 'fixed!' Ugh. Sometimes I just hate being me.

I distracted myself by house hunting and reading novels. Thank Heaven for the weekend!

Weighed and Measured

I spent the weekend, as you read, weighing the pros and cons of moving my life once again. The grandbaby won over the soul refreshing, salty ocean breeze, the tide going in and out, the sailboats in the sunset, bald eagles. .....Sigh..... I'll miss them. Trading them in for the sweet smell of new baby, wheat fields, colorful sunsets and hope for a better church community. I won't bore you with the list of all the pros and cons. But I turned in my resignation today. I hope it wasn't premature. I haven't signed a contract yet in WW, just have that verbal okay with all the paperwork in a pile in my living room. Despite all the idealistic thoughts about a life well lived, I fall far short. I only chase that ideal. I guess that is what spurs on the hope, unless I forget to take my antidepressant!

My leaving has produced some interesting transitional emotions and reactions in me and my workmates. My assistants have become a bit distant, as have I. Our patience with the kids and each other wears thin more easily. Of course, it is April, nearly the end of the year and all the goals for and work of finishing the school year well for the children is heavy on our hearts and in our hands. We are changing plans for some children and getting them ready for the next step in their educational experience. We have children just entering our program who need that extra boost from us to get them into the preschool routine. Some still need one on one to be successful and there aren't enough of us to go around. We're tired, the parents are stressed as many of them are being moved by the military in the next few months. Moving is difficult under the best of circumstances. Think of having a child (or children) with special needs, who have difficulty with day to day changes in routine and are 'dropped' into a subculture (and possibly language base) of another school, state, country! It would be like us trying to get out of a room with no doors! Feeling claustrophobic already? Yeah, me, too, as I think about moving once more.

Every thing of beauty I now see, I try to store in my memory. The bald eagle soaring over the school today. Warm misty sunshine at noon. Tulips so beautiful and abundant. Small town so easily traversed from one end to the other. Friends laughing, sharing, supporting each other.

Marching on. There's a Christian song that goes, "This world is not my home, I'm just a stranger here...." It keeps running through my mind as I make more changes in my life.

Oh, yeah. I know I Chose to make these changes. I'm still emotional and insecure about them. But I've found that staying stuck is even more painful and insecure, plus throws me into a deeper pit of depression. Depression? Oh, yeah. I could tell you stories. But I won't bore you. Just know that if any of you are struggling, you are not alone. And yes, change can be good and happy. (Okay that's enough sermonizing to myself.)

Spring Break Updates and Back to Reality

Guest room sign:
The end of my spring break was as glorious as the beginning but in a different venue. I went back to River City and thoroughly enjoyed catching up with friends, trying new make-up at a party and enjoying Saturday with my church friends and then the afternoon in a beautiful back yard catching up on the lives of more dear, dear friends! I feel rich indeed! It was just so great to see everyone! On my trip home, I saw four deer (two and two) eating the lush greenery beside the freeway. And when I drove past D-Bay, there in the field were a pair of huge bald eagles! I've never seen them on the ground like that before. I wondered if they were eating or mating. They seemed to just be sitting beside each other, enjoying each other's company. Some people had stopped to take pictures of them. I tried to, but my little camera didn't have enough telephoto to get a good shot.

Some of River City's profuse spring beauty!


Home again, reality hit. I have lots of school work to do, a repeat of packing to complete (I never completely unpacked), money to save (oh, sure), a new home base to find, and inexpensive sight-seeing to squeeze in before this year, too, is a memory.

And to greet me on return was a Northern Flicker pecking a hole in the side of my apartment wall. It definitely was like Chinese water torture and Lilo was very upset thinking someone was knocking on the door! Of course, upon relaying this info to the landlord, they just told me they couldn't kill the bird because it was an endangered species! WHAT! I don't want the bird killed! I just want him/her to stop pecking a hole into the side of my place! Good Grief! I suggested that perhaps there was a bug infestation that they'd like to take care of, as the bird was just getting his dinner! So they called pest control and now I have the hole covered and fluorescent pink streamers hanging from the side of my green box apartment. Hey, the bird is gone and safe, probably pecking on someone else's house! And my apartment? Well, its beginning to look more and more like a garrishly wrapped gift!

I will miss Oak Harbor. I hope to come stay here again, perhaps in retirement. It's a funky little place. I do see plans for city expansion and lots of condos going up, so it may not stay the funky little place I've enjoyed, but I can always hope. There's an underlying international culture with the Navy people coming and going, yet roots of the Dutch immigrants who farmed here remain, though their farms were displaced by the Navy when it moved in during the World Wars. I'll also miss the little "Mouse" and the friendship begun with Queenie and her hub-unit.

I'll just have to come back to visit, that's all. Maybe at tulip time....or in the summer to escape the heat! Okay, Queenie, you'll have to buy a house with a big guest room, so I can come stay (how long could you stand me?)

This month is the tulip festival with an "Eagle Run" (marathon) and "Holland Happenings" at the end of the month with parade (I can't wait to see how outlandish this parade will be, considering my experience of the Christmas parade!). It will be fun to observe and I might even walk the 5K. Not sure, yet. I haven't kept up on my exercise this year, so I'm not in good walking shape.

Okay, enough blathering. I'm so thankful for the weekend!

Another Fun Day

Our trip Sunday didn't turn out to be as warm as our one the day before, but it was fun, anyway. We rode one of the ferries as 'walk ons' which was quite cheap. A man gave a Celtic Harp concert on board (while having his CDs and DVDs available for sale). The concert was a delightful surprise. Upon landing, we walked around Port Townsend. Very interesting place. We had 'high tea' at an English Tea Room and Jean and Dave were quite thrilled to have people to talk to about England. I learned a lot about their excursions. It was great to catch up and learn a few 'English terms.' They enjoyed sharing memories with the proprietor at the tea room and in a few other small shops we browsed.

We ate a cold picnic on the pier. Not only was the picnic food cold, but the weather was cold, which made us cold. We finally gave up and headed for an indoor coffee shop to warm ourselves. All in all is was fun day, just cold! Jean and I identified even more shore birds. We had anticipated staying in town till sundown and then watching the sun as we rode the ferry back, but gave up about 6 pm, as it was rainy and all. We kept hoping to see whales and even considered a whale watching expedition, but they were too expensive for us!

I introduced Jean and Dave to a couple of vegan meals while they were here and they cooked for me a couple times as well! Ah. Friendship. The stuff life is made of.

Glorious! Idyllic.

What a wonderful day! The weather forecaster was wrong (ha!) and the day was calm and beautifully warm for a walk along the trails to look across at the San Juans, a stroll down the main street of the quaint little town, to watch hungry, winter-coat-shedding,black-tailed deer eagerly munching fresh, green spring grass, to smile at little bunnies nibbling that same sweet grass near the deer and to gaze at the gorgeous sunset over the sound. Oh, and to sit on the deck in the WARM SUN eating a cafe lunch while watching and labeling shore birds.

We found a wonderful B & B for friends to stay on another trip.

Idyllic.