Geyser This Week – May 13-May 20

Happy Spring!  Have you enjoyed the singing birds?

Sunday-Today:
And a very happy Mother’s Day!  Enjoy the sun!

Monday:
**Lunch at the Senior Center:  Beef Barley Soup/Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches, Garden Salad, Creamed peaches, Variety of chocolates & candies
**Athletic Banquet:  6pm Geyser School MPR

Tuesday:
*Elementary Track Day & Wildfire Education Day
*Freshman Field Trip to Lost Lake

Wednesday:
*Wind Tower Safety Meeting – 2pm Geyser School MPR
*School Board Meeting – 7pm

Thursday:
*Lunch at the Senior Center:  Chicken Parmesan, Garlic & Herb Pasta, Jello Fruit Salad, Pear Nests
*HS Divisional Track Meet-Great Falls
*Elementary Spring Program – Geyser School MPR 7pm

Saturday:
*Geyser Graduation – 2pm

Quote of the Day:
“I began to have an idea of my life, not as the slow shaping of achievement to fit my preconceived purposes, but as the gradual discovery and growth of a purpose which I did not know.” – Joanna Field

Future Dates:
May 23rd – Last day of school!  Our very own “Super” Chef, Dale Bernard, is once again creating his award-winning Cheese Steak Sandwiches. These sandwiches are made with select Montana Beef and will give your taste buds one of the best taste-sensation ever known to man-kind.  Join Our Super Chef Bernard and the Geyser School in a Community Luncheon in celebration of the last day of school!
May 25/26 – State Track in Butte
June 3-Pitch Play Extravaganza- 2pm-5pm-Community Hall
June 7-Geyser Community Plant Sale (to be held during a Senior Center Lunch)
June 8 – (rescheduled!) Geyser Mercantile Customer Appreciation 6:30-8
June 12-Book Club at the Olsons
July 4 – Community Potluck & Fireworks at the baseball fields
Sept 9-Geyser Flea Market & Raynesford Community Garage Sale.  This year be ready for   “Geyser-Pretty As a Picture”  (we’re looking for community input)
October 7 – tentative community clean up & kick off of National 4H week

I Got Nothin – No, I mean it this time…….

People are kind really.  I think of that often when I receive the odd compliment or comment on one of my little articles.  Every now and again, I get a “I just don’t know how you come up with your ideas.”  Yes, I’ll admit, I’ve struggled – and quite often.  I’ve searched for ideas in the sky and in the trees and, of course, there’s the car. (which, as you know, is mentioned alot)  Many times, when my mind is bobbing along like a leaf in a lazy creek, an idea begins to jell.  Before I lose some of my ideas in their early infancy, I manage to jot the idea in my little notebook. (did I mention that I’m driving during this time?) (sorry for those of you are aghast at my lack of safety) Well, this time, I got nothin………….no ideas, nothing cooking on the back burner, nothin’.

I’ve known since the third grade that I’m considered a ‘verbal’.  Blah blah blah all day and night is my world.  Even when my mouth is closed, my brain is still talk talk talking.  Is this largely because I’m a woman?  Probably.  However, I DO know women that are not ‘verbals’.  They are the deep thinkers.  They are the problem solvers.  I’ve had my times when I’ve longed to be more like them – serious, brainy and accomplished.  Some years ago though, I gave up and just decided to be myself.   When I get in a group situation, as any woman does, I look around the room at the other ladies-what they are wearing, what purse & shoes they are sporting and positively, their hair.  I sort of sigh when I see someone so put together and accessorized.  It seems in these instances, I look down at myself and see I have a ketchup or coffee stain.  My very favorite though, is thinking that I look pretty darned good at an event. I’ve gone all out.  There’s me, smiling, laughing, chatting,charming and at the end of the evening while getting ready for bed, I spy a piece of spinach or cracked pepper in my teeth!  Oh come on!

Since I have been attending our Geyser book club, I have been keeping track of the books we have read.  Largely, this is because I can never remember if I’ve read a book or not.  Even if a book makes an impact, I soon forget the title and rarely have I remembered an author.  Sometimes, I savor a good book but mostly, I consider them fast food.  I consume. I enjoy the moment and then the moment is gone and I’m on to my next ‘meal’ without hardly a thought as to what I’ve just devoured.  Because of this trait of mine, I decided to start writing down quotes or phrases from the various books.  I enjoy the author’s artistic license in putting words down that I’ve thought were interesting and maybe even inspiring.  Today, I was looking back through and found this – which I deemed appropriate – from the book Red Rover. (page 64 if you must know)  “She had discovered very early in a hard life that style is a way to keep from being bled to nothing by disappointment.  It’s a way to have a hand in the aspect if not the direction, of your own fate.”

Maybe in these times when I feel that I have nothing to offer, I should consider the two things:  1.  I don’t always have to have something to offer in every situation and 2.  I do have something to offer in every situation.  My style, while not as polished as I’d like, is indeed my very own.  Maybe the cracked pepper in my teeth is my current style but there’s always room for improvement.  I can easily have a hand in my own fate, I just have to take it out of my pocket first.

Geyser This Week – May 6-May 13

On this week’s slightly hectic agenda:

Sunday:  Today:
**4H Meeting – 4pm

Monday:
**Lunch at the Senior Center:   Tilapia w/ White Wine Sauce, Lemon Basil Potatoes, Green Beans, Applesauce, Strawberry Shortcake
**JR/SR Banquet:  Geyser School MPR:  6:30.  This is a free community meal sponsored by the Geyser Booster Club.  If you haven’t done so, please make reservations with the School office ASAP.

Tuesday:
**Elementary Track Day  (CORRECTION !  IT IS THE 15TH!)

Wednesday:
**Community Work Meeting:  6:30.  We will group up on Main Street.  We need willing hands please.  We will be relocating the community planters into groupings, while that is going on, we will be staining the planters.  Our plant sale is just around the corner (June 7th)  Please bring a small brush & container to do some staining.

Thursday:
**Lunch at the Senior Center:  BBQ Chicken, Cole Slaw, Deviled Eggs, Rolls, Melon, Fruit Parfaits
**District Track Meet – Lewistown

Friday:
**Birthday Celebration & Benefit for Nicole Michel’s – Geyser Community Hall
6pm – 10pm.  Potluck.  Music. Auction.

Saturday:
**Stanford Graduation

Sunday:
***Mother’s Day!

Quote of the Day:
“Wisdom doesn’t automatically come with old age.  Nothing does – except wrinkles.   It’s true, some wine improves with age.  But only if the grapes were good in the first place.”  – Abigail Van Buren
Future Dates:
May 14-Athletic Banquet
May 15 – Elementary Track Day
May 15-16 – Rural Community Conference-Bozeman
May 17: Elementary Music Program
May 19-Geyser Graduation
June 3-Pitch Play Extravaganza- 3pm-6pm-Community Hall
June 7-Geyser Community Plant Sale (to be held during a Senior Center Lunch)
July 4 – Community Potluck & Fireworks at the baseball fields
Sept 9-Flea Market during What the Hay!  (we have an exciting new plan in the works also!)
October 7 – tentative community clean up & kick off of National 4H week

So, I’ve Been Thinking About Rainbows…..

These last weeks, with the turbulence of spring storms, it seems to me that there have been a great amount of rainbows.  I’ve wondered, is it me or am I seeing rainbows all the time?  The little voice whispers, “maybe it is a sign” and my brain tells me that there is moisture in the breeze and sunshine finding its way through weak areas in the cloud cover.   How do I really know?

I’ve stopped several times these last weeks and grabbed for my handy little lime green Sony pocket camera thinking I could capture the breath-taking spectrum of colors with the gorgeous and gloomy dark background of the brooding clouds.  I’ve tried and tried and what my eyes see and what the little lens sees seem to be entirely different.  Just a couple of days ago, I spotted a rainbow in the distance and instead of stopping and attempting to capture its magic I pushed down the accelerator keeping my eyes on the rainbow and on the road at the same time.  My heart was racing and my mind was saying, ‘this is it, this is it-I’m going to get the perfect picture.’  I would finally be able to capture all the colors of the rainbow with a very perfect and spectacular backdrop.  Perfection at its best.

This is not the first time that I have chased down a rainbow.  In fact, I’ve done it several times over the decades.  In my first memory, I was probably in grade school and I had decided to walk in our pasture and up over the little rise behind the house.  I had to cross at least a couple of fences and it seemed that I walked and walked.  You guessed it, I came home disappointed. The rainbow was not to be found and there was no pot of gold.   At that age, I really thought I might find a treasure if only I could find the end of the rainbow.  Of course, I know differently now that I’m a responsible adult and nearly middle aged.

Or do I?  Racing along and keeping an eye on my rainbow, making sure that I could capture it…… and yes, I never did this time either.  In that instance, I wondered how many times I’ve looked or waited for a version of perfection that was not realistic.  How many times have I missed an opportunity or turned down a chance at something because I believed that there might be something better.  It seems that there’s a fine line somewhere in there because a person doesn’t just want to settle for  ‘good enough’ either.

I did realize though the other day that I had lost sight of what I was really searching for.  While I was busy watching the landscape passing by, I missed so many other sites along the way.  I missed the clouds hanging low over not one but two sets of mountain ranges.  I missed the happy little calves running and kicking up their heels in the newly- greening pasture and really, who knows what else I missed while I was looking for my holy grail.  The Knights of the Round Table wasted away their lives in their search as did Ponce De Leon in his obsession with finding the legendary Fountain of Youth. Were they heroes or were they fools?  Is it then, in the very inner part of our natures, to search and hope for things that may or may not exist?

I could go round and round with myself on this subject.  If we do not have hope then what do we have?  If we do not have faith then what do we have?  You are correct, we have nothing.  Here’s the challenge to us all – while we are searching for that perfect thing in our lives, let us not lose site of what is also right in front of us.  We will call it the “stop and smell the roses” theory.  It is in my nature to always still think about capturing all the colors of the rainbow but my goal is to let my eyes and mind see it first and then, maybe, just maybe, my camera will be within my grasp to capture the memory of the moment.  Perfection?  Every day is a perfection, we just don’t always know it.

Geyser This Week – April 29 thru May 6

On this week’s agenda:

***The Newly Purchased Sound System is set up, plugged in and ready to go in the Community Hall!

Sunday Breakfast today!

Tuesday:
High School Career Fair in Lewistown
Top 8 Meet – Memorial Stadium 4:30 !

Wednesday:
Book Club Meets – 7pm – Meridith’s House

Thursday:
Lunch at the Senior Center: Spaghetti & meatballs, Tossed salad, Breadsticks Apricots and a Variety of Cakes

Friday:
State Music Friday Good Luck- Bart, Chase, Katherine, Onna and very especially, MRS. ANNALA!
JH Track Meet in Centerville
Customer Appreciation Event – Geyser Mercantile – 6:30-8:30pm

Saturday:
Track Meet in Laurel- Bus leaves around O’Dark:30

Quote of the day:
“One man may hit the mark, another blunder; but heed not these distinctions.  Only from alliance of the one, working with and through the other, are great things born.” -  Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Future Dates:
May 7:  Jr/Sr Banquet (have you made your reservations?)
May 9 (note the change):  Community Planter Project:  relocation & staining
May 11;  Nicole Michels Birthday Party & Benefit – Geyser Community Hall
6-10pm – Pot Luck & Fundraiser
May 13 – Mother’s Day
May 14-Athletic Banquet
May 17: Elementary Music Program
May 19-Geyser Graduation
June 3-tentative-Pitch Play Extravaganza
June 7-Geyser Community Plant Sale (to be held during a Senior Center Lunch)
July 4 – Community Potluck & Fireworks at the baseball fields
Sept 9-Flea Market during What the Hay!  (we have an exciting new plan in the works also!)
October 7 – tentative community clean up & kick off of National 4H week

There’s No Manual

I was whining to one of my very wise and knowledgeable friends this week – mostly about parenting.  “It’s so hard!” I said and after a moment she told me that another friend had once told her, “Well, there’s no manual…….”

I’m pretty positive she has told me this same thing before, probably a couple of times given my many fits of worry over life it’s just that the comment stuck with me this time.  I’ve often yearned for something in writing that would specifically tell me what to do in a certain situation.  I know what you’re thinking though and yes, I’ve perused the many self-help shelves at Barnes and Noble many times. Now I know what the rest of you are saying and yes, I do own a bible.  I apologize but truly, I prefer the easy road, the straight path and or the one that does not require chains…..

I do long for an easy to use manual or booklet designed especially for me.  I would like great big color-coated reference tabs marked:  community, daughter, employee, health,misc, mother, neighbor, sister and wife.  (you may notice that the subjects are also listed in alphabetical order for extra ease of use)  My manual will cover all questions specified just for me.

The bible gives us great teaching lessons and specific rules for life.  The commandments are very cut and dried – thou shalt do this and thou shalt not do that – boom! done! easy…right?  Seems like it should be but life isn’t exactly always just cut and dried or black and white.  Mostly, every day life is in varying shades of grey.  There’s a song lyric that I ponder quite often, “If I had everything, would I still want to be alive.”

In some of my ‘greyer’ days when I feel like I’m completely at the end of my rope, sometimes my inner voice whispers to me.  I’ve often wondered though, is that inner voice mine or is it God’s?  Yup, I know at least some of you will shout the answer, “GOD’S!” But some will answer, “It is your own and you already know the right answer.”   No, there’s no manual for each of us specifically but there are resources available.  Sometimes help is a friend, sometimes it’s a book, sometimes it’s professional and sometimes, we only need listen and trust those whispers inside of ourselves.

I still laugh sometimes when I think back to my pregnancy all those years ago.  I read every month what I should expect in my development.  Oddly, what sticks out in my mind was month four and that I was to expect flatulence.  I can only say that some manuals are very correct, even for me.

Geyser This Week – April 22-29

Wow – Gorgeous Weather and I believe we deserve it…!  Seems that we are still harboring a bit of horror of the 2010-2011 winter and days like this make it all just blur away.

Congrats to our very talented Geyser Musicians and Song Birds for earning a Superior during District Music:  Bart, Chase, Katherine & Onna!  Good luck at State Music.

On this week’s agenda:

Monday:
**Lunch at the Senior Center: Cheeseburgers & French Fries-with all the trimmings, Pears, Carrot Cupcakes

 Wednesday:
**Community Council Meeting – ‘Old Fire Hall’ 7 pm – We’ll have a quick meeting and then we have a short field trip planned.  We’re putting out creative heads together and we’ll be able to introduce our new Plan – “Geyser – Pretty As a Picture” to the community.  It’s going to be quite exciting and very awesome.

Thursday:
***Lunch at the Senior Center:  Coq a Vin (Chicken baked in wine), Root Vegetables, Buttered Herb Biscuits, Mixed Fruit, Ginger Cheesecake
***Frosh/Soph Track Meet in Power

Friday:
*** JH Track Meet in Power
***Little Wolverines Bball in Stanford 4:30/5:30

Saturday:
***Track Meet in Lewistown

Sunday:  Yayyy!  Breakfast at the Senior Center:  Featured menu items:
Apple Cinnamon Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Fried Potatoes & Onions, Sausage links & Bacon, Cinnamon Rolls, Melon

Quote of the day:
“A writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, because everything she does is golden.  In my view, a writer is a writer because even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway. ” – Junot Diaz
(I found that I like this because you may substitute many words for ‘writer’ such as artist, photographer, rancher or musician)

Future Dates:

May 2:  Book Club
May 4:  Customer Appreciation – Geyser Mercantile – 6-8pm
May 7:  Jr/Sr Banquet (have you made your reservations?)
May 9 – Elementary Spring Program
May 14-Athletic Banquet
May 19-Geyser Graduation
June 3-tentative-Pitch Play Extravaganza
June 7-Geyser Community Plant Sale (to be held during a Senior Center Lunch)
July 4 – Community Potluck & Fireworks at the baseball fields
Sept 9-Flea Market during What the Hay!  (we have an exciting new plan in the works also!)

An Ambassador of Hope

What defines Hope?  What makes it be a positive four letter word?  Why does a tiny little word like hope give us insurmountable expectations of something yet unseen?  In a way, I understand hope.  I understand having it and yearning for it but when it comes time to give a hard definition of the word, I’m not sure that I really can.   Maybe the word is just overused.  “I hope the weather is good for our  get-together.”  “I hope I get a raise.”  “I hope I get a good grade on my test.”  All terms we’ve all said a million times.  Think about it like this:  have you ever heard anyone say something like “I hope I get in a car accident” or “I hope my trip to the dentist is really painful today.”  No, no they haven’t.

This last week, I attended a community wind meeting.  The meeting was designed to raise awareness and answer any community questions or concerns about the wind turbine project that has just begun.  Of course, the project has been in the works for years but it’s actually going to happen and halleluiah, it’s happening right now!  While I enjoyed a fabulous meal by Hilltop Catering, I also learned some truly interesting facts.  For instance, the crane alone will have to come in on 28 truck loads – 28!  How big is that exactly?  HUGE.  I also found interest all the entities involved in the project:   wind engineers, construction crews, General Electric, Northwestern Energy, land owners, county government and our school district!  My favorite most fact was that Geyser has a 39% wind efficiency rating.  In normal terms, 39% doesn’t seem like all the much.  If we’re shopping the sales racks, there’s not many of us that would get excited by that amount.  50-75%-now we’re talkin’!  In the context of the wind generation, 39% is alot.  This basically means that the wind blows nearly 40% of the time.  Yikes!    When this fact was mentioned during the meeting, there were more than a couple of chuckles from the audience, including myself.  In Keri world, 39% means many bad hair days…….

When our communities first began getting involved with Horizons.   The most important tool we were given was not financial – it was Hope.  We excitedly spoke with one another about the positives in our community and area.  We gave ourselves a free season pass to dream.  I’m feeling it again.  Those seeds sprouting inside my soul that are giving me new-found energy to keep dreaming and keep hoping of a phenomenal future.   I walked in my door a day or so ago and as normal, my hair was a complete disaster.  My husband quipped, “new hair do?” and right back at him, I said, “Nope it’s our 39% wind efficiency at work!”

If the wind can solve problems and give hope.  What else is there that we have and take for granted?  What else might be in our midst that we are overlooking?  The potential and possibilities are simply endless, are they not?  People, I’m am standing on my soap box at this moment – It’s all here, in front of us.   Allow yourselves just a single seed of your own hope to sprout deep within your soul.  Dare to dream!   Hope.  Feel it, live it, breathe it.

 

Geyser This Week – April 15 thru April 22

Greetings and Good Day!

On this week’s agenda:

Monday:
Lunch at the Senior Center:  Panini Sandwiches, Italian Wedding Soup, Garden Salad, Tropical Fruit Salad, Chocolate Éclairs

Tuesday:
Twilight Track Meet in Lewistown
Wind Meeting – Geyser School MPR – 6pm

Wednesday:
Pre-District Concert – 7pm

Thursday:  Early Out
Lunch at the Senior Center: Turkey Roulade w/ gravy, Stuffing, Roasted Root Veggies, Fruit medley
FCE Meeting – 6:30
School Board Meeting

Friday/Saturday:  District Music in Lewistown

Saturday:  Wow!
District Music, Track Meet, PROM!

Quote of the day:

“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

Future Dates:

May 2:  Book Club
May 7:  Jr/Sr Banquet
May 9 – Elementary Spring Program
May 14-Athletic Banquet
May 19-Geyser Graduation
June 3-tentative-Pitch Play Extravaganza
June 7-tentative-Geyser Community Plant Sale
July 4 – Community Potluck & Fireworks at the baseball fields
Sept 9-Flea Market during What the Hay!  (we have an exciting new plan in the works also!)

HAVE YOU VOTED FOR YOUR COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER?  It’s not too late…..

Be sure to nominate a “Volunteer”  All nominations due by April 25th.  There are ballot boxes at the Geyser & Raynesford Post Offices, The Geyser School and the Geyser Mercantile.

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I would like to Nominate__________________________as the honored 2012 Geyser/Raynesford Community Volunteer of the year.  Tell us why………….
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

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When Did It Happen?

…..”instead, I find an Appalachian doll, withered and spotty, with dewlaps and bags and long floppy ears.  A few strands of white hair spring absurdly from its spotted skull.” This quote was taken from Water For Elephants.  The old man was looking in a mirror.  He was remembering the young and handsome man he had once been and instead….

This last week, I must say, has been quite a bit more than just interesting but not quite to the point of phenomenal.  Twice in once day, I noticed that I had been demoted from being a ‘miss’ to a ‘ma’am’.  When did it happen exactly.  I’ve been wondering ever since.  I realize that calling women a ‘ma’am’ is the appropriate and polite way of expression.   I’ve said it myself many many times believing in my young and inexperienced way that the lady I was addressing would find it appropriate when I would say something like, “Excuse me ma’am” or maybe even something more casual in a grocery store like “thank you ma’am”.  Why oh why then, did it suddenly strike a chord in my life when I was addressed in the same manner?

I think of aging so often as it appears that none of us has found the fountain of youth or any other magical concoctions that will make us young or younger.  Every women’s magazine that we open offers some sort of miracle cure for everything.  We can lighten age spots.  We can decrease cellulite.  We can inject poisonous chemical into our faces – all in hopes of ‘decreasing the signs of aging.’  Of course, I didn’t even begin to list exercise equipment options that will easily make our bodies firm and toned with glowing, beautiful skin besides.  Ahhh, if it were only all the easy.  A pill and a shake and voila’ we are new again!

I so often wonder what my future might be.  I admire the older ladies sporting the red or purple hats with a certain amount of style, flair and penuche.  I’ve chuckled in the past at these obviously MUCH older ladies.  Not a chuckle as in -making fun of – but a chuckle in admiration.  Will I wear red or purple someday?  I’m thinking this ladies might be a bit too upscale for someone as base as me.  I think then, that I will begin my own older matriarch society.  My best idea is the “I’ve Given Up On Dusting Club”  Huh? Huh?  I kind of like it only I probably should get started organizing that club right now…….I may not even make it that far into aging.  I keep hoping I’ll somehow be excluded from the whole process by some new found magic that hasn’t yet been discovered.  In all reality though, I’ll probably just lose my mind and be forgotten in a dark corner of society.  Sad but true.

On a sunnier note though, I enjoy me and my gal pals sharing stories with one another about the changes in our lives, bodies and spirits, especially in these current days.  It seems as a person gets older, a certain level of embarrassment also diminishes.  How fun it can be!  I was actually warned (or informed) several years ago that the veil of truth gets further lifted as our wrinkles increase.  Being a rather personal sharing type of person, I adore the fact that there are now others out there who also don’t mind sharing those rather embarrassing facts of age.  It’s my current reality check about my bladder.  I swear that if I have one little sip of water before I get in the car, just a few miles down the road I’m already looking for a public restroom or yes, a bush if need be.  The tastiest part though is that IT’S NOT JUST ME!  It’s all my friends too!

When did it happen?  I’m still not sure but maybe it’s just the realizations when I look in the mirror and sometimes my mom is looking back at me or when I see the wrinkles in the corner of my eyes and know without a doubt they got there through the hard work that life can be  – tears of laughter – tears of grief – there they are the little folds of skin that represent when I turned from a Miss to a Ma’am.  When did it happen though?  I think when I decided that I might need to pick up olive oil for a weekend getaway with my gals as a ‘just in case’ measure.