It really doesn't take a lot...part 2

Before I went to sleep last night, I included in my prayers the hope for the gift of rain.  Our parched earth in this part of the world really needs all the moisture it can get.  My newly adopted plot of "alleyway" was going to be impossible to break up without some kind of help from Mother Nature.  In the early morning hours I heard it coming down and what a relief to go out and find that the heavens had opened up over Valley Center.


Once the sun came out in the late morning, I went back to check on the condition of the soil in the flower bed.  I knew how dismal it had looked only a few hours earlier and realized it would take more than a miracle to make it workable already today.  With shovel in hand, I gave it a quick test.  It turned over so easily and so without waiting any further, I began to spade it all up.  30 minutes later, it looked much different than the overgrown area filled with weeds that my neighbor Jean had shown me.

                                                                yesterday

                                                                         today


While I was working out there, I had the chance to meet yet another "neighbor" in the alley, only this time the "new guy" wasn't quite as friendly.  On the opposite side of the wooden fence that runs next to the flower bed, lives a dog, a big black dog.  He made it perfectly clear, from the moment our eyes met this afternoon, that he wasn't happy with me being there.  In other words, he wasn't a charter member and chairman of the neighborhood "welcome wagon".  Far from it.....but I kept on working, keeping one eye on what I was planting, one eye on the nearest gate to me, and another eye (oh wait, I only have two) well I was really watching out for what my new found friend was going to do.  Luckily for me, he surrendered after about 10 minutes and went on to look for "bigger fish to fry than Peggy Miller."   I'm not sure if we will ever be on a first-name basis.  Perhaps not.


Eight packs of zinnia seeds later, I was finished.  As I looked at the row of sticks that I used for markers, it reminded me of Hutchinson and my old home.  I swore this year that I wasn't going to plant flowers, that I was going to take a break from it.  But here I was, looking at what I had just finished and you know, I felt a little sad and yes, kind of homesick for what used to be home.  And I kind of feel a little homesick right now.....but I know that it's normal and as I've said before~If I were a city, I would feel so honored that someone might miss living in me.  Don't worry.... I'm ok.


Well, by the time I get home from Maine in the middle of June, I hope to take a photo of lots of little colorful zinnias that have popped up from that abandoned soil and given off their first blooms.   There will be many beautiful shades of color in that little plot of ground.  Every year I make a prediction as to which color will arrive first.  Guys, no question about it....it's the color purple.  You can place ALL your money on that bet :)  


Day is done~"old lefty" is very tired from all the digging.  I just noticed dirt under my fingernails...dang it's been a while since that happened.  My good friend, Dennis Ulrey, says that I have dirt in my blood and he's probably right.  The best cure for sadness, the best medicine for depression is playing in the dirt.  Sure glad that it was still in "the plan" for me this summer.  I know that I  would have missed it had it gone away.  


good night friends from Valley Center.....

It really doesn't take a lot.......

Bucket list item #6-"to make a difference somehow in my new community of Valley Center."




You know  in all of my time of living in Reno County, I don't believe I ever had a "back alley" neighbor.  A person would think that after 56 years of being around that somehow it would have happened before, but it didn't.  And friends, if you have to ask what a "back alley" neighbor is, then you haven't had one either.  Don't feel bad if you have to ask...I didn't know myself until last night.


I was out mowing in the back yard last evening when I noticed an elderly lady from across the alleyway, coming out of her own back yard and walking towards me.  I shut the mower off and walked over to see who she was and if she needed some help.  


Turns out she lived in one of the houses across the alley and she wanted to meet me.  We exchanged hellos, introductions, and a hearty handshake with one another.  Her name was Jean and she had lived in Valley Center for many years now.  We talked a while and she showed me the strip of grass that was mine to cut in the alley.  And then she showed me something else.


It was a strip of ground, bordered by cement edging that put me in mind of what the curbing looked like when I crashed my bike last August.  The whole patch didn't measure much more than a couple of feet across by about 12 feet long.  It was covered with old grass and weeds and the soil appeared as though it hadn't seen the "sharp edge of a shovel" for many long years.


"Now you don't have to mow this one off.  It's someone's old flower bed and the lady who did it is long gone.  It's been neglected now for about 10 years.  Used to be so pretty, the way she fixed it up. I always loved to look at her flowers", Jean explained.  


I looked at that former "flower bed" and figured out pretty quickly that it would need more than TLC to bring it back to life....it would need a horticultural miracle of sorts.  Soon Jean and I finished visiting and said good night to one another.  As I watched her walking back to her house I realized that I had now met person #.......uhm, I don't know what number she is.  I think that means I no longer have to count them and that's a good thing, right?


All day long, I thought about what she had said.  I remembered the look in her eyes and on her face as she described the once beauty of that little spot.  I knew that she would be really glad if someone would just take the spot over once again.  The longer I thought about it, the more I knew what I  had to do....Bucket List Item #6 was there for a reason...and this would probably be the first of many.  I had to do it~it was time to start making a difference in Valley Center.


Now many of you, no let me say that a different way....ALL of you reading this blog post have made a difference in the communities that you live in.  Maybe you've been a Sunday School teacher, a volunteer crossing guard at your child's elementary school, or donated blood any time that the Red Cross had a blood drive.  Chances are that some of you have painted a total stranger's house, donated food to the local food bank, or bought a meal for someone on the corner who really needed to eat but had no money to buy food with.  The list goes on and on of the things that people do to help others and make a difference in their communities.  And the really great thing is this~they do it because they know it's the right thing to do AND they do it every single day.  YOU ARE ONE OF THEM!


Friends, I used to think that the only way to make a difference, a real difference, in the life of someone else would always have to involve money, an elaborate plan, and an army of volunteers to carry it out.  I'm thinking pretty sure that I have forgone lots of wonderful opportunities to help out simply because I didn't think that any thing I did alone could really be of that much importance.  I was sure wrong about that!


Late this afternoon, armed with only a shovel, I headed out the back gate and towards the spot in the alley.  This is what it looked like before I started tearing into it....

Ok, Ok, I know...it's a "real fixer upper".  It took about 30 minutes of digging and pulling out the weeds and dead grass before I could even start to turn over one shovelful of dirt.  I'd love to tell you that the soil is just "perfect" for growing prize winning flowers, but then that'd be lying.  It's gonna take adding a little of this and a little of that for several days before I'm even ready to put any flowers in.  This is just the start~so just close your eyes and imagine this little piece of earth colored with the most beautiful and assorted zinnias that you've ever seen!  By late June, that's what I hope it will look like.  


Kind of strange, I had no plans at all to plant zinnias this year.  I was going to take a break from that kind of stuff this summer.  I didn't want to mess with the responsibilities.  But gotta tell you, if you are looking to plant flowers that thrive on little care and moisture, then zinnias are your best bet.  Now I can't wait to get the seed into the ground and see what happens.


As I was digging up the ground this evening, Jean came over again from her back yard.  I told her what I was doing and that I'd be trying to get some zinnias growing in there.  I promised her that by late June and clear through out the rest of the summer, she'd be "treated" to a brilliant display of color.  She had a nice smile on her face as she thanked me for doing it.


We talked a little more.  She wanted to know, what everyone else on earth wants to know about me, why did I come to Valley Center?  I told her that even I wasn't exactly sure but I just felt that it was the place where I should come to meditate on what I'd like to do with the rest of my life.  I jokingly said to her, "I'm 56 years old Jean.  You'd think that I'd know what to do with my life!"  She responded back to me..."Hey, I'm 84 and I STILL don't know!"  And with that we both laughed hard enough to bring tears to  my eyes and we said "good night" to one another.


Day is done...Soon bedtime for old people like me!  I have had a good day, filled with a lot of fun and surprises.  When I lay my head on the pillow this night it will be here in Valley Center, Kansas.  For the folks that I've already met, I give thanks.  I anxiously wait to meet even more people and make new friends.  For whatever reason God has brought me here, I stand by my belief that it was a part of "the plan."  All I can say is that it must be for something really, extraordinarily special.  I'll let you know as soon as I do!  :)


By the way, will my planting those flowers in that abandoned and neglected flower bed make a difference to the whole town of Valley Center?  Nah, probably not.  But they WILL make a difference to one person......my new friend, Jean.


good night!

                  These are green zinnias that I grew last summer.  They are called "Tequila Lime."

These are my "driveway" zinnias from a couple of summers ago.  I love the variety of colors, shapes, and sizes they produce. 

Filling up my bucket.....

As I find myself down to 2 remaining items on the "Miller Bucket List"~"to learn how to sew something for the first time" and "to travel to Maine and see a lighthouse"~I'm thinking two things.
     ~First, I'd better hurry up and get a new list started, remembering the advice of a dear friend who once told me "Peggy, you can't "kick" an empty bucket.
     ~Second, surely something on that list ought to involve continuing to work on not taking this life for granted.

You know, I  realized last night as I was thinking about all of the fun I had yesterday on my day off from teaching, that I have prayed more while riding my bike in the last 2 weeks than I EVER did before my accident happened last August.  The day that I wrecked, now 9 months ago, my odometer read 1,500 miles.  All of those miles had been ridden in the course of the 5 months previous.  And I'm going to tell you right now, that I can't recall ANY serious visits with God during most of those miles which averaged about 300 a month.

Oh yeah there were several days, especially during the 4 days that I was on the Bike Across Kansas in June, that we had several visits with one another.  There were more than a couple of times then that things got a little serious.  One more very steep hill to climb, 25 mile per hour winds constantly out of the south, packs of riders way too bunched up together, and yet one more car that would speed by with little concern to the 800 cyclists travelling ahead.  And the day I had to drop out because of near sunstroke, the same prayer over and over "God, just get me home please, I don't want to die out here!"  (ok, I wasn't going to die out there but it sure seemed like it!)  God knew.

Since returning to riding, now 2 weeks and 63 miles ago, I believe I have prayed enough to write a book for cyclists to use for at LEAST a day or two.  I never thought I would have to ask for courage enough to put my foot into the toe clip of a bike and make the very first push down of the ride, but I sure did!  I used to NEVER think about giving thanks for making it up the very "NOT steep" hill on the bike trail, but I do  now.  And since all this happened, I have found myself expressing my gratitude for things that used to be among the most mundane of my ride.....no flat tires, no dogs chasing me, no pedestrians or other vehicles meeting me in a near-collision place along the route.  And the list could go on and on.......

I hope to continue to do better in having "an attitude of gratitude" for every blessing, every wonderful thing that I have in this life. It's not always easy, especially this morning.  When my eyes popped awake at 3:45 a.m., 45 minutes ahead of my 4:30 alarm, it was sure tempting to start my day off by moaning and groaning, griping about losing that last 3/4 hour of sleep.  But hey, at LEAST I woke up...something really special must be waiting for me this day.  Time to go out and find it!  Have a great Friday, April 27th, 2012 and all things considered my friends, it is a great to be alive in!  Don't waste a minute of it......


"Miller Bucket List"-2012
1.  To travel to Maine and see my very first lighthouse.
2.  To learn how to sew something for the very first time.
3.  To power parachute once again.
4.  To canoe down the Ark River on an Indian summer day in the fall.
5.  To continue to meet all of my FB friends in person and buy them something to drink and talk about life    for a while.
6.  To make a difference somehow in my new community of Valley Center.
7.  To ride my bike in the 20-mile Sterling 4th of July Bike Hike this summer.
8.  To reconnect with as many former students as I can to see how life is going for them now.
9.  To meet my FB friend, Patti, for the first time.
10. To NEVER let my bucket go empty-You cannot kick a full bucket!

From the days of "long ago and so very, very far away."  Two women who helped to shape my life-my mom, Lois Scott and my grandma, Bessie Scott.  Both long gone from this earth...still remembered and loved by me.

upon the advice of a friend

I found something in my documents on the computer the other day that made me stop and smile.  It was one of the original "for sale" ads that I had drawn up in order to try to sell my bike after my August 4, 2011 accident.  It was only one of many that I had thought of.  Seemed like I went back and forth for weeks on end as to whether or not I'd get back up on a bike again in my life.  Heck, the day the accident happened I almost left the stupid thing right there in the driveway in the hopes that the Stutzman Refuse truck would smash it to smithereens for me and put me out of my misery.  Thankfully, I came to my senses and had Grahame drag it onto the porch before we sped away to the emergency room.  


Over the course of the next 8 months I continued to weigh the "pros and cons" of ever attempting to return to cycling, a hobby/sport that I had grown to love.  All I had to do was to look at "old lefty's" misshapen form to remind me that bicycle riding can indeed be dangerous.  With 3 major surgeries and at least 7 casts I had to question my own sanity in even "thinking" that I should/could/would return to riding.  I even tried hiking and walking as an alternative form of exercise and hey, they were ok, but it was not bicycling.  99% of the time I was just about sure that I would never return to riding but friends, I tell you this~That 1%, that small flicker of hope that someday I would get on a bike again, shone pretty strongly.  It kept me going when all other hope seemed to be fading away.  


And then there's my good friend named Patti.  She's my facebook friend, and even though we have never met in life, we feel as if we have known one another forever.  Patti is good at sensing how people really feel and she has this way of imparting advice that always make me stop "dead in my tracks" and pay attention.  In mid-September, she wrote me a message about what she thought I should do with regards to returning to cycling as soon as I was all  healed up.  The message was that a person should NEVER give up something they love just because they were afraid of it.  As I type these words, it has just come to me that probably after reading her message, that "1%" (the tiny flicker of hope for getting back on a bike again) was actually born.  And Patti, if you are reading this, well friend, thank you!  Your inspiration, given so  many months ago now, is what allows me to write this blog post today my friend.


In the last 2 weeks I have put 50 more miles on the odometer of my bike.  The first 10 came over a week ago now.  After one "scary" initial push down of the pedal, I was off and I gotta say, I NEVER LOOKED BACK AGAIN.  Each successive ride has gotten a bit easier and every climb of a hill has been less challenging than the ones before.  Oh, and of course.....the wind still blows and as always, since "Murphy's Law" and "Miller's Uncanny and Bad Luck" are first cousins most days....the wind direction is ALWAYS from what ever way I am riding into.  Yet as I have said before, I dang sure would rather ride 20 miles straight into a Kansas 25 mph wind than to never ride a bike again.  And I mean it!  It gets easier, better, and more fun each and every time I go for a ride.


In 36 days I will be leaving to fulfill the #1 item on the Miller Bucket List-To travel to Maine and see a lighthouse.  That desire, to travel to a place nearly 2,000 miles from  my home here in south central Kansas, was born years ago.  Just like whether or not I should ever get on a bike again, I have gone back and forth as to whether or not to make such a faraway journey.  The blue line on Mapquest doesn't look too forbidding at first......but when you click "get directions" and it comes up a total distance of 1,731 miles well, I guess it makes you stop and think a moment.


The bottom line is this~At age 56, I'm definitely not getting any younger and probably if I'm going to do this then the summer of 2012 is about a good of a time as any other to "hit the road".  Driving there affords me the opportunity to see states that I have never seen before and perhaps will not see again.  What a blessing to be able to see parts of our country in which many good people also live.   Looking forward to stops near St. Louis, Columbus, OH and Owego, NY.  I'm positive that it's part of "the plan" of my life or I'm thinking I would have given up this dream long ago.


A couple of people, ok...ok...a lot of people have been concerned for my going alone.  Just rest assured that I am not afraid and all things considered, I am a pretty decent driver....at least in a car :)  I promise to be careful and check in often with family and friends.  I will be in good hands...God's been hearing some prayers of thanksgiving as I stayed upright on my bike for 50 miles now.  He'll be hearing the same ones coming from me as I travel to the north east.  What is there to be afraid of?  


My dear friends....I've said it before and here it is again.  Are you afraid of trying something?  What is holding you back?  What would it take for you to try it?  My advice, worth practically nothing :), is to give it a chance.  I'm glad that I finally get the chance to fulfill my wish of seeing the beautiful state of Maine and that "protector of the sailors at sea."  Once I get there, I will have no regrets.  Life is too short and I can't waste another opportunity in it.  


Have a wonderful Wednesday, April 25th in the year 2012....the greatest day EVER to be alive. 

 To my good friends, LeRoy and Anne Willis, getting back on that trainer helped to keep the 1% burning pretty bright.  You two dear folks helped to "lift me up" that day.  Now it's time to get back to normal again.  :)  

You know it gets better every day....

I actually had to stop and ask my son Grahame last night, just how long it had been that I'd been living in Valley Center.  Honestly, I had no idea.  "Three weeks now, Mom." was his reply.   Had it really been three weeks?  A quick check of the calendar verified that indeed, Sunday April Fool's Day, was now long ago history.  I remember saying once that when I could no longer readily tell anyone just how many days it had been since I left my life in Hutchinson and moved to my new community of Valley Center, that I would consider myself "at home" here.  Guess what?  I'm home.


A whole lot has happened to me since I opened the door to my new home on Abilene Avenue that early April weekend.  The mountains of boxes that were filled with my life's necessities and treasures have dwindled down to just a few remaining ones~the leftover stuff.  If you've ever moved then you know exactly the kind of stuff I'm talking about.  They are tucked away in one of the spare bedrooms and when I have time, I'll get to them sooner or later.  I've met some wonderful neighbors, both to the north and the south of me, and rest assured friends that if I ever need anything, they'd be the first to come and find me.


I've made a new friend named Karter, a seven-year old who just now got out of his cast from his broken right arm.  He's reminded me several times this past week to bring "old lefty's" last cast home from school so he can see it.  Kind of a "show and tell for the "broken arm club".  He's even invited me to go fishing with him some time and by the looks of him in the yard as he practices his casting techniques, well I'd say Karter could more than likely "outfish" me any day of the week.  But hey, it'd be fun to try!


I've picked out some places to explore and visit in and around town and have learned quickly that this 6,000+ population of people town is much more spread out than I could have ever imagined.  I found Leeker's Grocery Store (where they STILL ask you if you want "paper or plastic?"), stopped in at Bartel's Hardware Store (reminiscent of the 13th and Main Street Westlake back home in Hutch), and accidentally found both the carwash AND the post office standing "side by side".  


This past weekend was a good one for me, perhaps one of the best weekends that I've had in a long time.  I attribute much of that to the good attitude that I woke up with on Saturday morning.  Don't know how to describe it, except that it was a better way of thinking than I had known in days prior.  Just two weeks ago, I was in tears as I drove home from school during one of those first days gone.  I spent the better part of two full days just second-guessing my decision to leave Hutch and move to Valley in the first place.  But Saturday morning, all of those fears, questions, and the unknown that accompanies a big change in life were gone.  I decided that I wasn't going to wait another minute for Valley Center to come and find ME....I was going out to find IT.


One of the most beautiful places in this town is not even a quarter mile from where I live.  McLaughlin Park is just down Abilene Street a ways, due north of my home.  Besides a wonderful play area for kids, picnic area for families, and one heck of a frisbie golf course, there is also a beautiful pond with a walking path around it.  I'd never seen it until this weekend, but now that I am finally aware of its presence, I intend to return to it often.  4 laps around the path will put you in at a little over a mile.  With the natural beauty of the place, it would be a piece of cake to do 3 miles and never even realize it.  I intend to find out.  A photo of it is shown below.

Many people have asked me over the past week or so how life was going for me in Valley Center.  Did I like it there?  Were my boxes all unpacked?  Had I met anyone yet?  Did I miss Hutch? And of course, the number one question to be asked, "Why on earth did you choose Valley Center?"  So to answer those questions.....  "yes", "almost", "15 people so far", "sometimes", and "hey, why not?"  And once again, my dear friends and family I want you to know that I am doing just fine....no need ever to worry about me :)


There is still much that lies ahead of me but I think I have a good start on everything.  I potted 12 geraniums for the front porch and deck and my friend Mike brought over the last of the outdoor furniture that he helped us store in his garage.  So Amy, Craig, Dennis and anyone else who wants to, the pretty colored chairs are now available for your sitting pleasure!  It really IS starting to look like home.  


Friends, even I don't have a real clue as to why I chose Valley Center but this I will hold on to for as long as I am alive and kicking....it just has to be a "part of the plan."  I eagerly await what still lies ahead of me....I am more determined to stay than I would ever be afraid enough to leave.  Have a great Monday you guys!  A pretty decent day to be alive in this world.

The best lessons learned-part 2

It was "going home" day this past Friday afternoon for the remaining 21 little quail "cheepers" that have made their residence in my classroom at Lincoln Elementary for the past 3 days.  I packed their suitcases and put them into their original transport box, unplugged the heat lamp, and handed over the bag of food to their new owner Dylan, his daddy, and Dylan's two little brothers.  And with that they were gone~in the arms of one little smiling-faced 7-year old boy who fell in love with them the minute his eyes laid upon them.  I paused to listen to them as they left the building and I swear I don't know who was the noisiest~those 21 baby quail or those 3 brothers.  

Hosting those little creatures, who more resembled giant bumble bees than birds, has been quite the experience.  Between keeping them fed and watered, warmed by the heat lamp, and just generally providing crowd control from all the little people who wanted to see them, they occupied a good deal of time in my life this week.  But you know,  I wouldn't have had it any other way.


Having live animals in my classroom for 3 days this past week has been an interesting sociological experiment for me.  I knew their presence would make a difference but I was surprised to see just how many "good" things came from it.  


One of the greatest things I observed was how children, especially the ones who at times might present the greatest of challenges to me as a teacher, reacted to the birds being there.  Most of them loved holding them in their tightly cupped hands and even the older boys holding them didn't mind one bit that my hands were securely wrapped around their hands.  The birds had a calming effect on all my students, thus for that 3 day stretch of time, I experienced few problems with discipline or paying attention in general.  What an amazing sight to behold~21 baby quail, who altogether wouldn't weigh one pound, being able to affect whether or not a kid had a "good" or a "bad" day.  I'm thinking we need more animals in school.....just a thought!


Our original brood of 24 appeared to be quite healthy when we put them into their box at school on Tuesday evening.  I did notice 3 of them who appeared to be a little smaller, perhaps a little weaker than the others.  I had hoped that all would be well when I returned to school on Wednesday morning.  When I opened the door and heard their loud cheeping, it was like "music to my ears."  But when I peered over the top of the box, I found the first "casualty" of the bunch.  There it was, a little tiny quail now "belly up" in the box.  Dang it!


The trip to the dumpster to dispose of the carcass was the first of three.  Thursday morning, two more died within an hour of one another.  This time a group of kids was there to witness it and when they yelled over to me, "Hey Mrs. Miller, another one is dead!", I really didn't believe them.  But when I looked in to see fatality number 3, I realized that those 5th graders  do indeed know what a dead bird looks like.  Thankfully Mark, a good friend at school, came to my rescue and quietly slipped in and out of my room to transport the newly deceased birds to the "dumpster cemetery".


And out of the "mouth of babes", maybe even the more important lesson those quails taught us.....I noticed a young man, a 4th grader, standing by the box at the end of our reading rotation time.  He called over to me to look at what was then happening in the box.


"Look Mrs. Miller, they are picking on that one!"  All of the rest of us, 7 in all, stood looking into the box, witnessing one act of "bird unkindness" after another.  I asked the kids to just take a moment and watch what went on.  When asked, they were quick to tell me all of the signs of "struggle" that they had seen.  Birds pecking at the ones that were weaker, pushing birds away from food and water, birds that tended to stay off to the side by themselves.  I believe those fourth graders began to see themselves in those little birds. 


Finally, one of them commented....."Mrs. Miller, I think that bird is a bully!  He won't leave the others alone.  They try to mind their own business and he just keeps pecking at them."  As so those 10-year olds learned the life lesson, that even in the world of birds just like in the human world, the weaker ones can sometimes find life to be a very hard and difficult struggle. 

By the time Friday morning rolled around, I almost dreaded arriving at school to see the current death toll.  I had this sick feeling that there would be at least one more dead one in the box.  I knew it would be a happy day when the first words out of my mouth were "Yeah!  You are all still alive!" which gives some credence to the fact that it takes very little to make me happy these days!


When we return to the classroom on Monday, it's gonna be awful quiet!  6 more weeks of school and then everyone gets to head home for the summer.  So much time, so many resources have been expended to educate the children of our school, Lincoln Elementary.   Teachers will pack away the books and the lesson plans will have been completed for yet another school term.  Most likely the 250+ students won't remember everything that we teachers have taught them, but I venture to say that there will be one thing that they don't forget~the day that 24 baby quail came to live with us.  Gives a whole new meaning to "It takes a village...."


Enjoy the beautiful weekend family and friends!

 Baby quail from last year's project at Lincoln Elementary.  Can't help but love these little guys!

The best lessons learned

As an educator for over 34 years now, I think I'm at the stage in my career as a teacher to say "I've just about seen it all!"  (kind of a foolish idea 'cause you know that tomorrow will bring a new and better way to do things!)  When I first started teaching in the "dark ages of 1979", teachers were still running copies the "old fashioned" way, via the mimeograph machine.  When I tell my students of today that there were times when I used to go home with purple hands, they look at me as if I'm from another planet or something.  


Back in the good old days of the late '70s there were no "Smart Boards" or "white boards", just chalkboards.  On Fridays, only a few "lucky" kids were given the responsibility of taking the chalkboard erasers outside and banging them around on the tree in front of our window to clean out the chalk dust.  Forget DVDs, the now antiquated VCR tapes, and for crying out loud, don't even think of a TV...even a black and white one.  We teachers back then used this awful machine called a movie projector that was FOREVER eating up the films that we attempted to show.  I even had a class in college called, "multi-media"that was supposed to teach teachers how to run those stupid things.  And by the way, they tended to use that term "multi-media" rather loosely. Their meaning of the word multi was "2 things"....a slide projector and that ridiculous movie projector thing.  


Oh how education has changed in the more than 30 years I've been at it.  I used to the "baby" of the bunch but now in my building I'm almost the oldest.  Teachers wear jeans to school on Fridays and special occasions these days.  When I first began teaching at age 24, we had to fight for the right to wear slacks once a week.  Wow, the good old days!


Yet even in as much as some things have changed for me, there is ONE thing that remains the same in my way of thinking as a teacher, something that I know will stay with me until my dying day and that is this:


I maintain that the best lessons that a teacher can offer his/her students will NEVER be found in a text book or in our lesson plans.  Hey, they might not EVEN be tied to any of the State of Kansas standards for reading and math.  They are the kinds of lessons that children will recall far longer than they will ever remember how many sides a septagon has, what the author's purpose in writing a story was,  or who the 30th President of the United States was.  (By the way, my friend Dennis Ulrey, if you are reading this I'll give you 25 bonus points young man if you can come up with the answer to either of those!)


There is a young first grade boy at our school who is a very happy child right now, because today he became "a quail father" to 24 little tiny baby quail.  Meet Dylan, a great 7-year old kid, who is one of the charter members of the Lincoln Elementary 4H club.  One of his 4H projects is WILDLIFE 
thus he decided that it would be fun to raise some little baby quail.  We went to Pretty Prairie after school tonight to pick them up from the "nursery" and bring them home to Hutch.

I wish you could have seen the look on his face, such a priceless one, as he buckled into the back seat of my car this afternoon, box full of loudly cheeping baby quail.  Oddly enough and an "imagine that" moment, baby quail are called chicks or cheepers.  Those 2 dozen little things certainly lived up to their name on the 20 minute ride back to Hutch.  


From the back seat, Dylan called up to me saying, "Mrs. Miller, if they are singing a song then I think it is already stuck in my head!"  And then he asked me the question I dreaded, "How can you tell which one is the boy and which one is the girl?"  I was ready with the answer to THAT one.  


"Dylan," I said, "Can you tell which ones are noisest?  Well, THOSE are the boys!"  Guys who are my FB friends, no offense intended.  I COULD have just as easily told Dylan..."Hey, see the ones that brought more than one carry on bag for the trip home to Hutch?  Well, those are the ......" I think you get the picture.


During the next 3 days of school, Dylan will be learning how to take care of those noisy little cheepers.  He has to change the litter in the box, keep them watered and fed, and make sure they are staying warm enough.  He wants to show his classmates in the first grade room his project and will be giving them a demonstration talk on Friday just before the chicks leave the comfort of my classroom at Lincoln.  And it doesn't stop on Friday for Dylan as his family will be taking all of them home and then to a new home in the country with Dylan's grandfather.  


There's an additional lesson for Dylan to learn, certainly not one of the fun ones.  I tried to break it to him before we even left school today.  I called him into my room and reminded him, "Dylan, these birds are going to be very little and sometimes we may come in the morning and one or two will have..." I didn't even have the chance to get the words "died overnight" out.  He already knew and he put his hand on my shoulder and said..."I know some won't live Mrs. Miller".  Friends, I say to you again, never underestimate  the possibilities of everything a child may well know.  Actually I think little Dylan will probably handle that part about as well as I would ask him to.


So for the next 3 days, if you are looking for my classroom at Lincoln Elementary, just follow all the racket and it won't be from kids, either.  A great lesson to learn and I'm glad that Dylan is the one learning it.  By the way, in this my official "2nd year in retirement" (I crack up laughing every time I think about that.) I give thanks with a grateful heart for working with the finest staff of people ever at Lincoln Elementary.  What one of us "might" not know, another one does.  We work together for all the kids, Dylan included.  And as they saying goes, "If you could read this blog, be sure to say thank you to a teacher."  Good night everyone!

Baby quail are just about my favorite type of bird.  They are so tiny and beautiful in their color and pattern.  When you see them hatch out of their eggs, they just remind me of popcorn popping!  But alas, Dylan's quail are indeed wildlife.  Sooner or later, they have to return there.  But until then, we're going to enjoy them.

Just be there tomorrow.......

"At least you sure have good taste!", the lady sitting next to me at the MCC Relief Sale Quilt Auction said Saturday morning.  She must have noticed the look of shock on my face when another one of the quilts that I had tried to vie for went well into the hundreds of dollars.  And you know, I had a feeling after the first auction item of the day, a loaf of home made bread that went for $60, chances were good that I probably hadn't saved quite enough money just yet.  In fact, all five quilts that I had planned to bid on ended up going for nearly a thousand dollars each.  Ouch!  That would have hurt my pocket book pretty badly.

Going into it, I definitely knew my limit.  My "secret" amount was the $500 that I had saved back from cashing in my change for the last 4 months as well as my after school tutoring money.  I told my good friend Mike that if I even thought of going over that amount he was to do something about it!  Kind of glad he didn't have to now.  :)  Looking back, I realize that $500 wouldn't have taken me very far on most of those works of art and beauty.  But I was able to bid on two other things and win them.  The wonderful thing was that I used less than half of the money that I had saved for the occasion, meaning that I not only came home with two items from the quilt sale, I was returning with  more than half of the money that I had allotted.  The two items that I bid on and won are shown below.

The top piece is a comforter that will fit a twin size bed.  It was made by Doris Weber during something called the "Comforter Blitz of 2012".  Not sure what that refers to but it sounds pretty serious to me!  The bottom one is a table topper that was made by an Emporia woman, Beth Krehbiel Hanschu.  Its name is "Village Square".  I love both pieces and was glad to finally fulfill Item #3 from the Miller Bucket List, "to bid on and buy a quilt from the MCC sale in April".  Even though it was a comforter and not a quilt, I'm still quite satisfied and the morning was spent having lots of fun watching what others were interested in buying.

It was actually quite entertaining to watch all the people who had come to participate in the auction. There was a gentleman sitting behind me who was a successful bidder on 3 quilts.  In fact, he was the top bidder for a beautiful one that I saw right before leaving.  His bid of $8,200 was the top one and at one point in time, I toyed with the idea of asking him if he'd like to buy one for me.  LOL, but nah, I wouldn't do that.   


Having never really been to the quilt auction before, I wasn't even sure what to expect.  As I had hoped earlier, it actually was an entertaining time.  The auctioneers did a great job and they knew what to do in order to try and get a higher bid.  Several times during the 90 minutes I was there, quilts went well over the $1,000 mark and each time a quilt was won, the spectators in the audience would send up a hearty round of applause.  At the end of the bidding on the quilt that went for over $8,000 several in the crowd rose to their feet with shouts, whistling and clapping.  The bottom line was this, every item in that quilt auction, heck every single, solitary thing on that fairgrounds yesterday was donated, with love, from a person who truly believed that was what they were supposed to do in this life.  Proceeds from yesterday's activities will be used to help people both here at home and throughout the world.  I'm glad that I finally got to take a small part in it. "Miller Bucket List Item #3 can now be "checked off".


Although I am thankful to have purchased what I did, I don't believe that buying a quilt was the only thing that God had in mind for me as I made that trek to the Kansas State Fairgrounds.  I met a very nice lady who lives in the far western Kansas town of Satanta and the 90-minute time that we shared together was truly a blessing to both of us yesterday.


As we took our seats on the front row of the auction Saturday morning, an elderly woman made her way to the seat next to my friend Mike.  We exchanged pleasantries..."Good morning.  How are you?" but said little more to one another.  After a few moments, I noticed her gazing at the tattoo on my right leg.  It's the one that I did in memory of the man from Missouri who donated the bone material that I got in "old lefty".  After a while, she spoke up with a question for me.


"Excuse me, may I ask you if the "Mo." stands for Missouri?" she asked.


Before I answered her, I thought a moment about the tattoo.  I remembered the reason that I got it in the first place.  I had done it back in mid-December, just prior to the third and LAST surgery that "old lefty" needed.  My mind had been made up to do it but I refused to put a "permanent" marking on my leg that didn't serve some type of very meaningful purpose.  And I vowed then and there that if having the tattoo could spark some meaningful and informational conversations about the need for organ and tissue donation, then I was going to do it.


Her name was Mary and with the kindest of eyes, she listened to me explain the story of my accident and how Dr. Chan and his team at the Kansas Orthopaedic Center had put my "Humpty Dumpty" arm back together again.  I told her about shattering the radius and how the only way to get even a part of my wrist's normal usage back again, was to graft in the bone material of a donor. When I finished telling her, I noticed the most endearing look come over her face.  This time it was Mary's turn to tell me a story.


Nearly 16 years ago now, Mary's son had been killed in an auto accident.  What would be horrible enough to lose your child, another person died there as well~Mary's best friend.  The cars that each were driving collided with one another in one of those "infamous" wide-open intersections that rural Kansas, especially western Kansas are noted for.  


She explained to me that it was her son's wish to have been an organ donor upon his death, but because they were located in such a rural area, now 16 years ago, that the closest organ procurement team was in faraway Wichita.  Because it would have been impossible to do anything like donating major organs (heart, lungs, liver) they decided to do the next best thing.  They gave the gift of their son's eyes and bone.  And when she had finished telling me the story, I knew there was another reason....maybe even far better than attempting to buy a quilt, that I had come there that day.


Last night's first trip to my "safe room AKA as fraidy hole"  gave me some time to think about the day's events.  When I headed down there, the only things that I took with me were my laptop and my purse. And had I not been given the luxury of a half hour's notice, I probably wouldn't have taken those two things either.  I couldn't think of one possession that I needed down there, even the "coveted" comforter. I pulled out my phone to let someone know that I'd gone to the basement and that I was ok.   Several friends and family messaged me back and forth to keep me posted as to what was going on outside and that I should "stay put!"  I thank them all for the connection to the world outside my home on Abilene Avenue.


And to my dear nephew Brian Dwyer, living in faraway Florida, I say a special thanks.  You reminded me of what I already knew but had been quick to forget.  The goal for any person, no matter whether in a tornado warning, a harried trip on a busy freeway, while fighting an illness, or just surviving this sometimes crazy life...."JUST BE THERE TOMORROW!"  It's tomorrow Brian...Your Aunt Peggy made it and so did you!


Prayers for all of the people affected by the weather in the last 24 hours....yet with even all the destruction and loss, Sunday the 15th of April in the year 2012 is still the greatest of days to be alive!

Some food for thought

I headed up to the MCC Sale at the fairgrounds after school today because I wanted to be able to take a look at the quilts on display before the 8:45 auction tomorrow.  I had my 5 special ones picked out that I wish to bid on and I just had to see what they look like "up close and personal".  I wasn't disappointed in the least, to be sure.  There, all through out the west end of the Meadowlark Building, they were.  Over 200 quilts, comforters and other examples of fine handiwork were available for me and all of the other folks there to see.  


I stood in line, #30 in position, to buy a couple of reserved seats for the auction tomorrow.  Can't believe how fortunate I was to get "lucky" seats number 8 and 9~both happen to be smack dab in front of the rotating table on the stage that shows off every quilt as it's being auctioned.  So even while I'm not interested in bidding on all of the quilts, it will be kind of fun to watch and see how much each individual one will bring.  


As I checked in with the ladies at the quilting table, I happened to ask a couple of questions of them that were kind of important to me.  "I'm a schoolteacher" I explained. "Is there a chance that I might be able to get one of those beautiful things?"  Both of the ladies just smiled at me and said, "yep" even school teachers could bid and win them.  They were quick to point out, though, that sometimes they can go pretty high.  Last year's top quilt brought in a bid of $4,000.  Rest assured, that's not in the plan for me.  I have my "secret limit" and I will be sticking to it.  My good friend Mike knows what that figure is and he assures me that there's no way he'll bid over it.  So one way or the other, I'm either going to come home with a quilt or my money.  Looking at it that way helps to keep things in perspective.


Before I left  for home, I took a walk through the myriad of quilts that are on display, most of them hand crafted by the women of any number of Mennonite churches through out the state of Kansas and even beyond our borders.  Really, seeing all of them is a "treat for the eyes".  Every imaginable color, size, pattern, and style can be seen as you wander down the aisles.  Pictured below are two of them I am interested in.  Will I get one of them?  Remains to be seen but one thing I do know is this...I have to bid on them to have the chance.  

Cannot even imagine all of the hours of work that went into either of these quilts.  I have the utmost admiration for anyone who can make a masterpiece such as these are.  I'm hard pressed to be able to sew on a button on any given day, much less put colorful geometric shapes together in a pleasing pattern.  So kudos to all of you quilters out there.  What a gift to be able to do something like that!


Before I left the quilting area I stopped to take a look at a couple of the informational signs that I saw posted at the ends of the quilt displays.  Reading those signs gave me pause , perhaps they shall do the same for you...

I'm spending the night here in Hutchinson so that I don't have to get up and drive back over early in the morning from Valley Center.  The motel room I am staying in costs $69.99 for this night.  When I filled my new car up this morning, it cost me $36.00 and I grumbled about it.  The tab for my supper tonight at Wendy's came to $6.00 and I was able to pay for it with the loose cash I had at the bottom of my purse.  I am blessed beyond measure my friends and so grateful that my home is not in Lebanon or Zimbabwe.  With shame, I must admit that I have taken for granted so many things this day that others living either in my own country or any other will be doing without this night.  So you know, EVEN IF I don't get the highest bid on any of the quilts tomorrow, I will take my "meager" stash of money back home and spend it on something else that I need.  What I have already spent this day, in the "land of plenty", would have been stretched beyond belief in any third world country you can name.  I vow to continue to do a better job of counting my blessings each day, lest some day it be me.  Have a good evening family and friends.  Stay safe tomorrow in the crazy weather headed our way, all of you in Ks. and Ok.  Love you guys all!

Returning to the list and it's about dang time

When this blog started, now nearly 12 months ago, its intent and purpose was to chronicle my desire to fulfill my "bucket list".  It was a compilation of 10 things that I wanted to do in this life of mine before it came my time to "kick the bucket".  Since its inception, many things have been accomplished and crossed off the list, some ideas have been abandoned because they weren't, well... they just weren't what I thought they would be, and still others have arrived "newly" thought of to take over the empty spots.  


In early January of this year when it appeared that "old lefty's" problems were not going to be solved any time too soon, I shortened up my bucket list to contain only 5 items~one of which I am going to "tackle" soon, come this Saturday, April 14th.  


Bucket List Item #3-"To bid on and purchase a quilt at the MCC Sale in April".


This Friday and Saturday, April 13th and 14th, the City of Hutchinson plays host to the 44th Annual Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale, held only a few blocks from my old home in Hutch, at the Kansas State Fairgrounds.  For those of you who have never been there....wow, maybe you should give it a try this year.  In the early evening hours of Friday and pretty much the whole day on Saturday, visitors can be treated to a vast array of items including home made crafts and foods, a live auction, garden plants and trees, a 5K run down at Rice Park, a silent auction, and my favorite, the quilt auction.  If you can't find something to do, see, or eat during those two days then it's your OWN fault friends :)  Consider this my "shameless plug" for the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and all of the hard work and love they put into this event.  The proceeds from this annual gathering go to provide (according to their brochure for this year) " relief, development, and peace in the name of Christ in 55+ countries".


I've been to the relief sale many times, the first being the year I was a sophomore at Bethel College in North Newton, KS.  I was just beginning a 3 1/2 year journey in a 4 year teacher education program that ended up taking me 6 years to finish.  Did I lose anyone there?  Because Bethel is a private college affiliated with the General Conference Mennonite Church, I was exposed to many of the cultural aspects of a religion that was rather unfamiliar to me.  I learned early on what verenika, bohne beroggi, and borscht were (sorry to my Mennonite friends reading this, I never learned to like them) and marvelled at the beautiful quilt work that many of the mothers of my college friends did.  



Later, as a teacher at Yoder Grade School (a predominantly Amish school) for 20 years, I learned even more about the Relief Sale.  I'll never forget the day I took a young Amish student home after school and happened upon a "quilting bee" where a dozen Amish women, wearing head coverings and plain color dresses, were working on a quilt they were going to donate for the sale later in the spring.  I admired their handy work and how the tiniest of stitches were sewn with such precision and great care.  I thought to myself that day, "Some time I am going to have one of those beautiful quilts."  Well, I'm hoping that "some time" is this Saturday.


When I decided back in January that this was my bucket list goal to fulfill in the month of April, I knew what I would have to do......save my money and a lot of it!  I was determined to amass sufficient funds in the four months ahead to have at least a small and tidy sum to take with me to the auction.  I filled my coin jar up with spare change until it was overflowing, then emptied it and started all over again.  I taught after school programs 3 days a week and saved what money I earned from there.  The money that I didn't use for pop at school or in the Bogey's drive through went into the "kitty" as well.  And before I knew it (actually last week) I had saved a respectable enough amount to at least TRY to bid on a quilt.  


I checked out the quilt offerings, over 200 of them, on the MCC's online page.  Although they all are beautiful works of art in their own ways, I narrowed my search down to 5 possibilities.  One of the special ones, called "Double Dutch", is shown below.  Because my favorite color is blue, it was a given that this one would catch my attention first and knowing how "Murphy's Law" and "Miller's Uncanny and Bad Luck" are now first cousins to one another, it will probably be the one that goes for over $1,000.  We'll see~can't hurt to dream.  

Hopefully "183" is my lucky number!  I guess I'll be finding out soon enough.  I've never bid on anything at an auction and with my "limited" bidding abilities I'm a little concerned that I may say "yep" to a bid of $10,000 instead of $100.  Being a school teacher, as you can imagine, there's no way that's going to happen.  So I'm taking along my good friend Mike who has more experience with this kind of stuff than I do, to help do the bidding for me.   


I've put off bidding on a quilt now for more years than I can even remember.  I could never quite justify spending what could be the equivalent of someone's house payment on a covering for a  bed.  There was always something else that I thought I should  be spending that kind of  money on...say, for oh I don't know, maybe bills?  LOL  This year I still can't justify it and you know what?  I'm not even trying to!  I can't explain why it's important to me to be able to purchase a quilt....it just is.  And if the turn of events that morning don't go my way and I leave empty handed, well at least my pockets will be that much richer with funds that can purchase some other needed item.  And I'll have the fun of bidding and watching what others buy.


Friends, it's been a while since I asked you...so here goes again....Have you thought about a bucket list of your very own?  Have you given thought to the brevity of life and decided what you want to do before you are no longer able to accomplish it?  I encourage you all, after reading this post, to sit down somewhere and grab a piece of paper and think of at least ONE thing that is important to you to do.    Write it down immediately~don't wait to have to write it while lying in your hospital bed like the character named Carter from The Bucket List had to.  Do it right now and don't waste another moment in time.  And by the way, I'm not your boss, just bossy!  You all are the ones that have to decide what are the most important and meaningful things left to do in your life.  I pray peace will be your journey friends....and by the way, "thanks" for being my friend!  Life for me is so much better because of you.

What started out as a dream...

You know I have to say that Sunday night's dream was one of the strangest that I've ever had...and believe me, I've had some real weird ones.  It was such an odd dream that when I woke up yesterday morning,  it was the first thing I thought of.  And the dream kind of went like this....


I was in my house....not necessarily the one in Valley Center nor was it the one in Hutch.  I was just there and the problem was that I couldn't leave to go outside.  There was a darn good reason for that by the way~just outside the door and standing in the front yard, the most gigantic and fierce looking lion that ever lived and surely the prototype for the MGM trademark, was waiting  for me.  And friends, it wasn't there to pick me up to go to Sunday School and church.  It was there to devour me.  Try as I might, I could never be brave enough to open the door and make a run for it.  When the dream was over, I woke up and knew exactly what it meant to me.


I'm thinking pretty sure that my dream was a manifestation of the uncertainty and doubt that I felt about getting back on my bike and riding again.  Since Dr. Chan dismissed me, now well over a month ago, I've hesitated even considering whether or not to get back on and ride.  The good doctor gave me the "go ahead" but of course with a "catch" and his words sounded like this..."just don't crash and burn again."  I've taken those words to heart and for the past several weeks have thought of a thousand reasons why I probably shouldn't try to ride again.


Friends, are you like me?  Do you try to analyze your dreams and figure out the "hidden message" that they bring to you?  Well this was one that I HAD to try to determine the meaning of, dangerous as that might be!  :)  The lion in my dream didn't represent my bike nor did it represent the accident of August 4th, 2011.  That "King of the Beasts" was my "fear" and "uncertainty" in this life.  Just like that lion kept me at bay in my house, my fears, especially those of riding a bike again, kept me from enjoying a pastime that I have loved for many years now.  And borrowing the words of my dear friend from long ago in Haven, Barbara Kincaid, it seemed to be the perfect time to "run to the roar."  And so yesterday, Monday the 9th of April in the year 2012,  I decided to do it.  I was going to ride my bike for the first time since my accident.  


When I left home in Valley Center yesterday morning, tucked deep into my backpack were my biking shoes, helmet and gloves.  It felt good to have them in my hands once again and to know that at the end of school that day, I'd be perhaps flying down the bike path once again.  All day long I thought about the ride and how I would feel, how much courage I would have to summon up before I could even put one foot  into the toe clip to push down.  Could I do it?  I went to the experts at school, my students,  for their opinion and advice.


I asked the kids if they thought I'd do ok if I tried to ride my bike once again.  They could tell how nervous I was about it and because they've been through all of this with me, I knew their advice would be sound.  The overwhelming consensus was "yes" I should do it...but equally overwhelming was their best advice, "act your age Mrs. Miller, no more curb jumping!"  With that vote of confidence, I didn't see how I could go wrong.


After school was finished for the day, I put on my biking gear and with my bike at my side, I knew that the time had come.  I said a prayer for safety and without hesitation, I stepped onto the bike and off I went.  It was a now or never moment and obviously too late to turn back now...and it wasn't because I was falling in love...ok, ok...unless you are a child of the 70's and grew up listening to the music of the Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose,  that comment is totally lost for you.  Ask a grownup to explain it to you, ok?


Friends, going into 5 foot deep water, riding on the back of a motorcycle at 124 mph, riding my bike halfway across the state of Kansas,  moving all of my belongings from the security of my home in Hutch to the unknown of Valley Center~none of these things required even half of the courage that I needed to put my foot into the toe clip and trust enough to pedal away.  That first "push down" of the foot was pretty dang scary but I did it and off I went!  I headed straight for the bike path and I knew without even looking at the odometer that by the time I went off of it and headed back to school that I would have gone 12 miles.


The ride itself was uneventful....well as far mishaps go.  But barely into the first mile of it, I knew that it would be a blessed ride...couldn't help but be.  I had only been on the bike path for 10 minutes before I came upon my dear friend, Sally.  She had suffered a similar mishap with her "old lefty" two years prior to me.  Sally was the one who said Dr. Chan was the ONLY one she would recommend for a surgeon and 3 days after the first of many surgeries to repair my arm, it was Sally who who showed up at my house bearing gifts that would help my recovery time speed along more smoothly.  I hadn't seen her since that time, now almost 9 months ago.  But there she was today, walking along the path for exercise and encouraging her crazy friend Peggy Miller to have fun but be careful!  It was no accident she was there....Sally was there for a reason.


I don't think I've ever had a ride in my whole life where I did not have to stop, not even once, for traffic or pedestrians walking by.  Basically for the entire 75 minutes that I was out there I never had to stop my bike for any reason.  Kind of a weird feeling to get every green light and folks there were plenty of them.  Oh boy that was a good thing...because as sore as my "sit down" was, I don't think I could possibly even dream of starting the pedaling process all over again.  If you've ever been in that position (literally) you will know exactly what I mean!  Even the one snake I saw on the bike path was pretty much overly complacent as to my presence there.  It just continued to find the best spot for sunbathing that it possibly could and minded its own business.   It was about as close to a "dream ride" as I could have ever asked for.  But I need to be careful saying that...the last time I had a "dream ride" ended up being the first day of 8 month's worth of a broken arm!


Even though I was probably overly vigilant, I made it just fine!  "Old lefty" got a little tired but as long as I rested it off of the handlebars from time to time, there were no problems.  I huffed and I puffed, a couple of the hills on the path were a little tough to climb, and by the end of the 12 miles I knew I'd had a workout.  But the bottom line is this....I did it and I didn't crash.  


Dear friends, may I ask you.... are you afraid of trying something?  What is it that keeps you from doing it?  I'm sorry that I haven't even one bit of good advice as to how you might give it a try.  I just believe that if you are indeed meant to do it, that when the time is right, it will happen for you...heck for any and all of us.  


I'm not ready to do a "century" ride yet, that's for sure.  But I "stared down" the lion and turns out, it wasn't such a mighty beast after all.  I only "thought" it was.  Should you ever find yourself "face to face" with one, may courage be yours.


Have a great Tuesday everyone!  

Thankful that they didn't have to cut off my "happy feet" in the ER that August day!

On keeping the focus and why it isn't always so good...

A blessed Easter afternoon to all of you dear friends.  Today marks the beginning of the second week of my new life in Valley Center, and I will know that I feel at "home" when I stop keeping track of the days that I've been here.  LOL  Rest assured, I am just fine...ok, maybe a little homesick at times for my old life in Hutch but truly it gets a little better each day.


Since moving here a week ago Saturday now, I've been very focused on the things that I needed to do in order to establish myself here.  At first, it was move all the stuff out of my old home in Hutchinson and get it over here in Valley Center.  Then it was the methodical unpacking and putting away of life's necessities and treasures here in my home on Abilene Avenue.  And then of course, the daily commute from Sedgwick County to my teaching job at Lincoln Elementary in the south part of Hutch.  All in all, not so bad....find your place in line with the other "ants" and just head west.  The drive now is just marked by the amount of time it takes for one Kenny Loggins or Dan Folgelburg CD to play all 14 songs.  


Many people have been worried for me as I make the 40+ miles drive each day but I say to you all, it's really an easy journey.  Sure does offer a huge chunk of time to think about life and what you want to choose to do with it.  So, please take heart in knowing that I'm not afraid of the trip in the least.  I'll be fine.  By the way, I am "sold" on Honda Civics now.  With an average of around 38 mpg, the high cost of fuel doesn't have near the "bite" it used to when I was driving the Chevy Colorado.


Little by little I've learned more about this place, the home of the "Hornets", and all that it has to offer people who live here.  It's an "ok" place to be~peaceful and so far, very quiet.  I now know 12  people which is probably a very good thing for Tom "the mail man".  Yesterday I was feeling particularly lonely and homesick for the "days of yore" and had turned on the tv just for the noise it would provide.  With my front door open, I saw Tom (coincidentally the first person I met last weekend) coming up the walk with my mail.  Without even thinking, I swung open the door and yelled "good morning" never imagining  how he might perceive it.  I was so glad to actually have at least "minimal" contact with another human being here that I didn't care.  He said "good morning" with a puzzled look on a face that had written all over it-"lady, it's just a piece of junk mail".....So hey, if I was the only person on his route who offered a hearty "good morning" well then at least I did.


Normally speaking, I would always say that for me "keeping my focus" should be at the top of my list of priorities.  I know of many things I want to do in this life and I know the path to get there.  Deviating from it, even one little bit, sometimes gets me in a lot of trouble!  Just ask my friends, they'll tell you!  :)  But this morning, well this morning I decided to do  things differently and the results were actually very rewarding.


Usually as I walk my mile route each day here, I just head straight down Abilene Avenue to the south and go to where I know a mile will be by the time I return home.  I put my music on and out I go.  I'm interested in going rather quickly, keeping the focus on doing that 5,280 feet in 15 minutes or less.  Very seldom do I look at the scenery around me as is evidenced by the fact that I walked right by Abilene Elementary (one block away) and never even realized there was a school there.  Geesch, still trying to figure out that one.  Today I said "to heck with routine...I'm going a different way"...so I did.


I learned a lot of things about my new community in just a short amount of time.  Just two blocks north of me is a beautiful park where families were gathered today for Easter egg hunts and picnics.  Just a little further down the way is the middle school and the ball diamond where the high school kids have their games.  No wonder I heard voices on loud speakers a couple of days ago.  The neighborhoods are pretty here and the houses well cared for.  I got so lost, kind of happens when you lose the focus :), that I walked 6 blocks out of my way.  And as I learned as I rode my bike, you can go 10 miles all you want but you still have to turn around and come home.  Yet, I didn't care because in that probably 2 mile walk, 6 people passed me on the street, smiled and said "hi".  So glad that I didn't stick with my original walking route.


But perhaps the best thing that happened to me occurred when I got back to my own front yard.  As I walked up to my porch I heard a little voice from the house next door say "hello" to me.  I looked over and there he was~this little boy who looked to be about 7 was smiling at me.  And I noticed one other thing that made my heart and spirits lighter...he was sporting a cast on his right arm.  In my mind I said to myself, "Oh little kid, do I ever know what you are growing through!"  


I walked over to meet him and his family...good folks who have been Valley Center residents their whole life.  Like Hutch is to me, Valley Center is to them.  The young boy, Carter, is a first grader at West Elementary.  He had the misfortune of breaking his arm while jumping on a trampoline.  He saw "old lefty's" scars so I told him that I too had done the same thing to mine.  When I mentioned that I had broken it by trying to jump a curb with my bicycle, he got the sweetest little grin on his face.  Thankfully he didn't roll his eyes and say "Uhmm, you are an old person.  Why did you do that?"  Turns out his grandmother broke her wrist last summer as well but at least she had the good sense to fall off a kitchen chair.  Now THAT one can be explained.


As the evening hours start making their way here to south central Kansas, I am finishing up this day with a heart and mind just a bit more at peace.  Tonight when I lay my head on my pillow to sleep, I will know the folks living right next to me.  I know that if I need help, then they are friends that I can call on.  I waited an entire week to make contact with them because I was so intent on keeping the focus, never veering off the path from my car to the front porch.  I almost missed the opportunity.


Carter doesn't know how his "smile and hello" affected me this day.  Two tiny things coming from one little boy with a cast on his arm, had the power to make my day much more tolerable....even almost pleasant.  And for the record, and this I do so believe, it was no accident that he and I should meet on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012.  God knew just what He was doing when He "lifted a few of the scales" from my eyes so that I could meet a new friend.  


Keep your eyes open friends for all of the tiniest of things that we may all be passing by.  And for the very, very least of all these things I do so give thanks.  Peace always to you guys. 

I think this may be my favorite room in the house here.  Just a part shown here...a good place to "think" about what I want to do when I get older.  I'd say when I grow up, but my good friend LeRoy Willis will set me straight on that one every time.  According to LeRoy, we only have to grow old, not up!  

so far, so good

Soon coming up on the one week mark of life in Valley Center, Kansas.  Man, forget "time flies when you are having fun!" and make that "time flies when all you are doing is moving stuff back and forth."

I would love to tell you that all has gone well and that I've had nothing but "happy feelings" about the move.  But that wouldn't be exactly the truth....it's not always been that way in the past 6 days.  Remember that I'd been a Reno County resident for, well FOREVER, and truly it's the only life I've ever known.  To uproot myself from a place that some may consider boring and ho-hum, was actually pretty traumatic.  When I left school on Monday afternoon late, I left with a sense of dread and impending doom.  The 43 mile drive back to Valley Center was tough and I'm going to admit it, a couple of pretty big tears fell down my cheek as I turned to the east onto Highway 96.  Seeds of "self-doubt" started to appear in front of me and I wondered if I had done the right thing.

The more I drove towards Wichita, the more I realized just what was happening to me.  Even though I was more than ready to move to Valley Center, I began to realize that I was holding onto the "predictability" that life had to offer me in Hutch.  Kinda happens to you once you've been here as long as I have.  It may have been a "routine" kind of life, a bit lackluster on the excitement part, but at least I mostly knew what to expect each night.  In Valley Center, I had no idea what would await me or how I would manage to get through it all by myself, alone.

 I thought for awhile about what I'd be doing if I was still living there on 14th Street.  For one thing, I'd be home already~having lived only 1 mile from school.  I'd be heading through the Wendy's drive-thru and ordering my "usual" order of a large chili with croutons instead of crackers.  (sorry, I'm weird that way)  Then I'd head home and take a mile long walk around the neighborhood.  I might see my friend, Michael Lucia, outside his home on 17th and Maple and wave or even stop to talk.  And the night would go on and on just like it has forever.  But not that night.

45 minutes later, with one stop at the 53rd Street WalMart, I was home.  Opening that front door without Grahame or Oblio the "round head" cat to meet me was a sobering experience.  Even though I knew they were living in Wichita, only 20 minutes away, I still half-expected them to be at the front door when I arrived.  But it wasn't like I was alone....at least a gazillion unopened boxes were still waiting for me to open them.  Dang, I'd heard stories about the "helping get stuff unpacked fairy" that often visited the good citizens of Valley Center once they had moved to town.  But alas, I guess that's all it was, a story  :)

Monday night, I found one of my countertops and the top of the dining room table.  I broke down many of the card board moving boxes, took a ton of newspaper to the recycle bin, and did one last thing that made me feel good again...I took a walk in my new neighborhood.  And friends, you know what?  That simple mile long walk was the turning point for me and Peggy Miller's "that sucks" attitude.

I didn't know where I was going to walk, all I knew was that I WAS going to walk.  I headed straight south on Abilene Avenue for one-half mile and then turned around to come back home again.  I learned a lot about life there in a very short time.  Valley Center folks are just like Hutchinson folks.  They have grass to mow, their kids play in the front yard, neighbors visit with one another over their front porches.  And sooner or later, I knew that I'd meet some of them and one day have several that I could call "friend."

As I was heading back, only a half-block from home, I was astonished to realize that one of Valley Center's schools, Abilene Elementary, was in my area.  For crying out loud, I'd been there several days already and I honestly hadn't even seen it.  And ok, you guys already know more about me than I ever thought I'd tell anyone...so here's the rest of the truth...I had walked right past it on the way south and ahem, hadn't even noticed it.  Pathetic, isn't it?  You young folks reading this, some day you will grow up to understand how that may indeed happen.  Until that time, enjoy all of the brain cells you still have.

A 3-day weekend lies ahead of me and I'm kind of looking forward to tomorrow and the chance to stay around Valley Center without making the commute to school and back.  I'd love to tell you that by Sunday everything in my house will be in order but I'm afraid that's a bit of a stretch.  Little by little, box by unpacked box, things will be taken care of.  The future is unknown to me right now, as it is to all of us.  I still feel strongly that there was indeed a real reason for me to make this move.  Until that reason is shown to me, I pray to just be able to be patient with life, patient with myself.  Sure, I might be a little nervous about this change for me, but I remain more determined than I would ever be afraid.

Have a good evening friends and a blessed Maunday Thursday.

Our "round head cat", Oblio, making one last stand at getting into stuff~She always wondered what it was like in that china closet.  Guess now she figured it out :)

starting life's do over~

Hello Dear Friends!

I made it to Monday and I'm going to say right off the "get go", my 56-year old body is saying to me "What in the heck happened here?"  From the top of my head to the tips of my toes, I'm beat!  This moving stuff is not for the "faint of heart" to be sure and I'm telling you that I'm subscribing mighty soon to the "100 thing" movement....and believe me, it's NOT going to be "100 SETS of things", it's going to be "100 THINGS".  (please feel free to remind me of that anytime you see me thinking about buying ANYTHING else in this life  LOL)

After more trips back and forth from Hutch to Valley Center, I finally can call myself "half ways moved".  Thank goodness for my two sons who provided the "muscle power" I needed to get the job done and for friends and family who helped in the packing and unpacking.  What little we couldn't fit into the UHaul, my good friend Mike hauled to his house here in Hutch.  And with that, yesterday late, we were about finished.

Didn't take long to figure out that life in Valley Center would be much different than that in Hutch.  Sunday morning I got up very early while it was yet dark outside to make the first of many trips to Hutch and back.  I couldn't believe it when I heard the eerie howling of a pack of coyotes somewhere outside of town.  I grew up on a farm and am used to their sound but can't remember any time that I was in my 14th Street house backyard and heard it. I figured as long as they weren't ringing my doorbell and waiting to introduce themselves to me, that I was pretty safe.

And then there's the train....I'm also used to the trains that continually run through Hutchinson.  In fact, the 3:40 a.m. arrival of the Amtrak each day is a sound that I soon grew used to hearing.  But THIS train seems different to me and I am still amazed at how the track runs through the heart of Valley Center...I'm used to seeing trains run across the landscape in a straight manner.  This train runs on the weirdest slant that I've ever seen.  Can't describe it to you.....you'd just have to see it.

I've started to get a little of the "lay of the land" in my new community.  Even though Valley Center is much smaller than I am used to here in Hutch, it still has much to offer the folks that live there.  I can't wait to be able to finally look around and find out more about it.  One huge perk for me is that the "super WalMart" located at 53rd and Meridian is only 5 minutes from my house.  It will take a while to get used to where stuff is at but I figure it will have most anything I'd be needing.  Nearby is a McDonald's where I have been stopping each day to pick up the "usual" for breakfast....an egg McMuffin sans the Canadian bacon and orange juice.  So you see that I am well taken care of.

Many have asked me about the drive and I must say that even though it is long at 43 miles it is still very tolerable at this point in time.  Now ask me some day when there is a dense fog outside or a snowstorm has dumped 12 inches of snow on the ground and I may have a different idea.  I figured out this morning that I can listen to one Dan Fogelberg CD in its entirety on the way over to school each day.  The new Honda is getting about 37 mpg on the highway and boy does that ever make a difference.  Glad that I traded my pickup in for that car and all things considered, I surely cannot complain about the drive.  I just get into line behind the rest of the "ants" and head towards my destination each and every day.

After school is finished today, I'll head east once again and make my way towards home.  I made up my mind to at least keep one room of the house neat and orderly until I got the whole mess unpacked and put away.  Since I kind of like what little sleep I manage to get LOL, I decided THAT room would be my bedroom.  I can locate my bed and trust me friends, haven't had to worry about having trouble falling asleep yet.

With all the changes from the past month or so, I've had little time to think about concentrating on the "Miller Bucket List" items, but one thing for sure, my number 1 item "to go to Maine and see a lighthouse" is still scheduled for early June.  As soon as I get things straightened around at my home in Valley Center, I'm going to get back to the planning of my trip.  One thing is already taken care of by the purchasing of a more fuel efficient car.  With escalating gas prices that seem to have no limit at all, I needed all the help I could get in journeying there.  I miss my pickup but I think it's a "no-brainer" that a Chevy Colorado is going to drink in way more fuel than I really want to have to purchase.

One last thing....and I never cease to be amazed by what children will say to me.  When I told a group of students this morning that I'd moved to a place called Valley Center, this one little boy in particular had the most puzzled look on his face.  Later, after all the kids had gone out before him he asked me..."Mrs. Miller, I didn't think you were old enough to have to go into a nursing home."  For a second there, it was a "deja vu" kind of moment as I remembered the 5th grader who said to me after I tried to jump the curb on my bike back in August, "Mrs. Miller, aren't you a little old for that kind of thing?"

After I stopped laughing, I explained that Valley Center was a city not a home for the aged and that there was no need to be concerned for me.  I'm feeling old these days but hopefully not near old enough to need to be in a care home....least wise not just YET.  And as always in this, I take heart and give thanks for the least of things these days.

Have a good Monday evening friends .....   God has been good to me.