And of course there’s much to do for fun and much to do for tradition. I’ll be posting slides of my travels to Northern Europe in September. And perhaps I can round up my pictures from two trips to Hawaii — one last year and one in about 2014? Plus the new dog, outings with Will, and the ever present involvement with Eastrose UU. You can see their website at eastrose.org and enjoy the fruits of my labors there. Yes, Amateur with a capital A, I know.
Yep, a long time.
So much has happened. The biggest is the arrival of a guy named Will in my life, and then the dog Lucy. Combining households, camping, traveling to Africa again, and working as a volunteer at my church implementing the PowerChurch accounting system and entering 2015 and 2016 data.
Goals *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+
1: make a market link on this website so you can see and buy the jewelry and art that I’ve got in my collection.
2: To make links to the groups I am part of now — Oregon Power and Light, Lyceum of Trees, Eastrose, and Nadaka Park.
3: To become adept at word press while I assist Eastrose in updating and keeping their website current.
4: CAMPING in my new Tin Tent! 
the bedroom . . .
The glow of new adventures is fading, but not gone. There’s been a paper bag floor at the house the church owns, the chart of accounts for the church finances, church personnel contracts, and getting ready to be church treasurer with a fully implemented finance program still about a month off.
The living room with the fireplace . . .
The paper bag floor —
it turned out B – E – A – U – T – I – F – U – L – !
It’s a tough project, that finance stuff. I hope by the next budget cycle (October, 2015) that the software will be smoothly functioning. I didn’t realize that membership, contributions, and a bunch of other data besides the money part will have to be set up in tandem. It is lots more fun to do other stuff than focus on the chart of accounts, but I DID promise to do it!
The hardest part is that this finance project feels just like my old job . . . I’m SUPPOSED to be retired, eh? And yet, I can work on it at my own pace and not worry so much about getting fired!
The great mosque in Djenne — the largest mud building in the world gets a new coat of mud this month. It takes the whole city to get it done!
Vieux at dinner.
We did our Timbuktu and Back worship service at the end of March. It was so well received that we’re doing a West African dinner and the show — in October — a fundraiser for the church. Talked to Mamadou today and they are spending the second Sunday in a row putting mud on the mosque in Djenne. It is great to keep in touch with the new friends from Mali. I got to meet Vieux Farka Toure on Monday night — he played a concert at the Melody Ballroom after he visited at the Ko-Falen dinner at the Queen of Sheba restaurant. Such an exciting evening.
1400 miles touring Oregon, mostly east side, lots of good stuff at work, and a new niece . . . the daughter of my oldest brother. We lost track of her for about 30 years (family drama, yep, you betcha). Sadly, my my brother died in mid-June. I’ve been trying to gather pictures and family tree (thanks cousin!) and I’m looking forward to meeting her this weekend. We’ll see.
Another friend is moving to Portland, and I’ve finished my volunteer obligations at church. Feels good to be free of the obligation and the worry of having to deal with surprises related to the community.
I”m also checking out the finances of retirement . . . seems a shame to work if I don’t have to. Someone else might really LIKE my job!
Heatwave coming. Happy Summer!
It is Earth Day today, with all the promise of spring and the summer to come. Do you plan ahead for trips and activities? Or do you prefer going with the spur-of-the-moment possibilities and staying flexible? I do a combination, and it keeps me from staying home all the time. I like to have something to look forward to. And I like being spontaneous. There’s a satisfaction to taking advantage of circumstances to experience something different.
It was a spontaneous circumstance that happened to me about three years ago. Three men asked me to come to the minister’s office because they had a question for me. Would I be willing to serve as President of the Church Board?
Of course, I was flattered. It’s a very visible role. And I was wary. I told the Rev. that he couldn’t retire on my 2-year term and he agreed. And so began the adventure of the last three years.
Right off the bat, our administrator resigned. She was moving downtown to serve as a full time administrator for the larger church. One lady stepped up to help in the office, and later another administrator came on board.
Then, in August, just before the beginning of our church year, our Director of Religious Education (DRE) resigned for personal reasons. We wished her well, and scrambled to find our Acting DRE to launch the fall season and begin the search for a DRE. Our new DRE was seated the following May
St. Nikolas Orthodox Church in Juneau, AK
There was Calling our Minister and Installing our Minister – that was a real treat for the congregation and the minister. Seeing all those robed ministers processing around our tiny church really added dignity to our festive occasion.
There was revising the by-laws. Fifteen minutes of every board meeting until it got done.
One year ago, the nominating committee was struggling to find a willing candidate for the president’s position on the board. Right about then, the minister announced his retirement. I offered to serve another year. It would mean finding an Interim Minister, and managing all the occasions of celebration and loss that go with saying goodbye to our friend and locksmith.
Then, late last summer, an alternative high school needed space in East County to start their program for two local school districts. They rented the entire facility; house, parking lot, main building, and basketball hoop. It was our first venture as a landlord, and it didn’t turn out bad at all. A lady who is still a member, still pledges, and never comes to service, was the link that brought the alternative high school to us. Another school district has followed, and rents the house 4 days a week.
And the 179th Avenue house: Now the Warren James House. To buy or not to buy, that was the question. Even as our budget was clearly a reality check, buying the house was a leap of faith into the future. How else do we learn to fly?
St. Nickolas Orthodox Church in Juneau, AK
So, I thought the church ship was in for smooth sailing with the arrival of our Interim minister. Close. Except that the part-time office administrator accidentally
found a full-time job with benefits, and of course we wish her well. Hiring another administrator was a good process with a good candidate. . . who also found a full-time job with benefits and turned us down. It must have been fate, because we found a third candidate, and she is doing a great job for us.
May 8th will be my 36th and last board meeting as President. May 22 will be the last congregational meeting (an evening, dessert pot-luck meeting, just for fun). New leaders will be serving on the board, and many changes are afoot. Some projects still need work, and some are cruising right along on autopilot. There is a lot of excitement as people step up to help in areas that may be unfamiliar to them. It’s our love for each other and our affection for this little church that makes this little ship sail along smoothly. I’m grateful to be part of the adventure. I hope the leadership continues to have fun and enjoy the accomplishments as they come along. I’ll be cheering from the sidelines for awhile.
and a volunteer commitment will be completed and I can take a break. The drama has been endless — not much time in the last year to be satisfied with the work completed. Always moving on to the next thing with a sense of urgency and being incomplete. I’ll be glad to shed the worry and the concern.
Spend more time with my children, yep. work in the yard, yep. Paint that spare bedroom. Decoupage the map of the Alaska Inside Passage on one of the closet doors. Take a summer nap on the patio on a Saturday afternoon. Camp. Yep. Definitely time for a hiatus from volunteering! Silver wire and crystals are beckoning, as is the serger. Time for some creative fun. Stay tuned.