Sibling Assignment #19: Twenty Ways You Know You Grew Up In Kellogg, Idaho

A blogging friend Mommy Dearest posted Are You Real Athol?, here, and so Silver Valley Girl decided that she and Raymond Pert and I should write a similar list about our hometown of Kellogg, Idaho for our Weekly Sibling Assignment. Here are my twenty:
1. You remember that when the ski resort was first built it was called Jackass Ski Bowl. You saw sweatshirts with a jackass and thought it was funny to say the town was discovered by a jackass. Then the resort was Silverhorn and now Silver Mountain.

2. You can find Vergobbi Gulch, Elizabeth Park, Montgomery Gulch, Little Italy, Sunset Heights, Wardner, Ross Ranch, Sunnyside, Rose Hill, Milo Creek, Haystack Peak, and Teddy Street.

3. When Kellogg had Crazy Days in July you and flocks of other women rifled through the tables at Patano’s Clothing Store to buy Jantzen sportswear at “crazy” prices.

4. You have watched a football game from Tony’s porch.

5. You remember raking leaves into the street in the fall, having your dad light them on fire, and carrying that smoky smell back into the house on your jacket.

6. You rode your bike to the new pool and didn’t have to remember your green bag number. They had brass pins you wore on your suit to help you remember. Later you could stop at the Circle K and get a treat for the way home.

7. You went to elementary school at the old Sunnyside School before the big smiley face guy with sunglasses moved to the roof when Dave Smith Motors bought the building.

8. You sledded down Chestnut Hill starting all the way at the top and flying down to Mission Avenue.

9. You grew up with the phrases “Lead Creek”, “Smelter Smoke”, and “Polio Pond.”

10. You ordered food to go at the Miner’s Hat, The Boat, and the S&R Drive In. At the S&R they put the burgers in a Wonder Bread cardboard bun holder with the fries in the bottom. At the Boat and the Miner’s Hat they brought your order on a tray that hooked to your car window. 11. You can remember the location of Sass Jewelry ( bonus points for both locations), Western Auto, Al’s Cleaners, Safeway, Blackwell Printing, The Rock Motel, the Shoe Box, Weber Bank, Donna’s, the original Greyhound Bus Depot, Pleasant Homes, and Kellogg Billiards.

12. You remember the old junior high at the corner of Division and Main before it was torn down and the students moved to the present location by the overpass. The kindergarten class was in the basement and the teachers could smoke upstairs in the lounge.

13. You bought penny candy at Walden’s, Swanson’s, Donnie’s, Pat’s Grocery, and Ben Franklin. It was cool to smoke candy cigarettes.

14.You remember the burning sensation in your throat every morning and some days the haze from the Smelter Smoke kept you from seeing much below the third floor of the high school.

15. You made a wish and threw pennies in Jacob’s Creek in the breezeway at Kellogg High School.

16. You remember the Rena Theater when the line coiled around the Superior Dairy for a Friday night showing of a Jerry Lewis movie.

17. You did the best slow dance at a Northwest Metals dance to “Cherish” by the Association.

18. You attended the Sunnyside School Chili Feed, the Oyster Feed at the United Church, the pasty feed at the Elks, and had Silver King PTA Sloppy Joes at Frontier Days.

19. You have marched, threw candy from a float, drove a car, sat on a horse, rode a bicycle or stood on the street at an Elk’s Round-Up Parade.

20. You are glad you live close enough now to drive down for the week-end so you can keep the memories of Kellogg fresh in your mind.

National Poetry Month, Poem #17

Since Hanna Moved Away

The tires on my bike are flat.
The sky is grouchy gray.
At least it sure feels like that
Since Hanna moved away.

Chocolate ice cream tastes like prunes.
December’s come to stay.
They’ve taken back the Mays and Junes
Since Hanna moved away.

Flowers smell like halibut.
Velvet feels like hay.
Every handsome dog’s a mutt
Since Hanna moved away.

Nothing’s fun to laugh about.
Nothing’s fun to play.
They call me, but I won’t come out
Since Hanna moved away.

Judith Viorst

I think most people remember that day when a friend moved away. When I had a student that was sad over a friend moving, this poem helped put their feelings into words.

a prayer

"Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." James 4:8

My prayers are with the staff, students,

and families of Virginia Tech.

Learning About My Surroundings Through the Eyes of My Dogs and Cats

As I was studying my collection of digital pictures in computer files tonight my first thought was how thankful I am that we now own a digital camera and haven't spent so much money on film and developing ( especially when we felt the need to record sixteen poses of a cat on a fence). I love that little delete button. The picture above is of Isabelle on a post observing another cat.




My second thought was how similar themes began to emerge in the collection of pictures. Many were taken from the same angle, or with the same type of lighting. I couldn't help but notice the numerous pictures of our cats and dogs as they observe the world through their eyes. The two pictures above are perfect examples. Shelby loves to observe through windows. In one picture she is watching our cat Iris basking in the sun. In the second one she is wondering why I have a silver thing over my face that flashes and why Isabelle is in and she is out.

The cats above are Sweet William, Lily, McDuff and Finnegan. They are the cats that observe a dog in "their domain" and seem a bit put out. They also observe any strange cat that comes close to the property. They never miss mice and bugs. They are a busy bunch.Here is Annie when she discovered a birdhouse yesterday that was making noise. She then observed that a swallow was building a nest in that birdhouse (The birdhouse is very high and safe). She was fascinated with the nest building project and watched intently in this position for quite awhile. Until I saw her in that position, I hadn't even notice the swallow.

I learn even more about my surroundings by observing my cats and dogs. They often notice things that would have gone right by me. Pets are a joy in our lives, especially when they are observant to the world in which they live.

National Poetry Month, Poem #16

Lines

Draw a line. Write a line. There.
Stay in line, hold the line, a glance
between the lines is fine but don’t
turn corners, cross, cut in, go over
or out, between two points of no
return’s a line of flight, between
two points of view’s a line of vision.
But a line of thought is rarely
straight, an open line’s no party
line, however fine your point.
A line of fire communicates, but drop
your weapons and drop your line,
consider the shortest distance from x
to y, let x be me, let y be you.
Martha Collins

Line has fifty-four definitions in a college dictionary. Martha Collins plays with some of them. She also uses catchy alliteration like: corners, cross, cut in.

Making Jam In April

" What zone does she live in to have fresh plums in April? "

These beautiful plums aren't fresh. Harvesting our vegetables and fruit during my hectic first month of school always makes it hard to find time to preserve the food as the garden explodes. A friend told me she just puts her fruit in Ziploc bags and gets to it later. I took her advice last September and just discovered the plums last week in the back of the freezer. April is later I guess. My husband and I decided to thaw them in the sink and make jam. We can't remember what kind of plums these are, but we think they may be Santa Rosas. Their color is closer to red than purple and they don't taste as sweet. I actually like the flavor better for jam. Last fall when I did have the time to cook one batch of jam the following recipe intrigued me in the Ball canning cookbook. I have confessed before that I love orange in combination with other foods. This blend of plums and orange is perfect. People have loved the new tastes in this jam. All our jars are gone so as spring is budding around our property, it seemed a good time to drag out the canner, the jars, the pot, my husband as a helper, and the ingredients and make Plum- Orange Jam. If you decide to try it you may want to wait until plums are ripe in late summer. Here is the recipe:

Plum-Orange Jam

5 cups chopped and pitted plums ( about 3 1/2 pounds)

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

1 package powdered pectin

5 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup orange liqueur

Combine plums, orange peel and pectin in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Stir in orange liqueur. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield: 6 half-pints.

I usually use pectin that works for other sweeteners and have used Splenda or honey instead of sugar. This time of year I didn't have much choice of pectin. I made two batches and used pint jars instead. Enjoy!