Author: admin (Page 19 of 89)

The Chetek Alert had 6 letters to the editor slamming me this week. It is more than I can take. I’m seriously considering resigning and we’ll just move to Rice Lake and try to make a new start. I may look into suing for defamation of character, because a large percentage of what was written was lies and can easily be proved so. But I just don’t think I can even continue to live here after all that has been printed about me. Even before this, I didn’t like to be out in the open or in crowds here, because I don’t know what total strangers think about me. But when the same lies are written by multiple people, the public is bound to believe them. There really isn’t anything I can do about it, either. I’ve written my one letter to the editor, which was in last week, but this week’s letters pretty much nullify any good that letter might have done. I just don’t understand why a paper will print lies.

I did the practice at the college yesterday. But the instructor was sick again, so I ended up working with all the students myself. That makes for a long day, but we got a lot accomplished.

Then today was the all-afternoon (12:00 – 3:00) practice at Cameron Elementary. They still have another music class before the program, which isn’t until Friday, so they have time to learn their words better (I hope.) There are really, really a lot of kids in Cameron Elementary. Not like when you guys were here. I think it is bigger than Roselawn now. They have 5 or 6 teachers in each grade level, too. They will be in their new building north of town by the next concert I play for them at Christmas! Exciting times!

Church was at 6:30 this a.m., but at least I didn’t have to get there 45 minutes early to practice with the choir, because we didn’t have choir this year. I just had to be there at 6:10 to practice with the soloist. Dad came along, then we stayed for the Easter breakfast. I brought Dad home and had about an hour before I had to head back up for the 9:30 service.

It has been a busy week! Things are not a lot better this week and next. Somewhere between work, lessons, and learning music, I need to get in a day up at the college (tomorrow), all afternoon practice at Cameron Elementary (Tuesday), three more practices with high school solo/ensemble (Wed, Thu, Fri), the Cameron Elementary program (Friday afternoon), solo/ensemble contest (Saturday), two rehearsals for Red Cedar Choir (Thursday and Sunday), the Red Cedar choir concert (next Monday), 4 days rehearsing at Roselawn (next M – Th) and the Roselawn program (next Thursday evening.)

But once I do all that, I get to go on vacation. Yaaaaaayyyy!

This is one unusually patient little dog, although she eventually hid out under the bed for a while!

And Chloe can entertain herself with a couple of mattresses!!

We also went out to the property, where I got 30 minutes of walking/jogging in while the dogs and kids chased me a while, then rested a while. The last of the clothes are finishing drying, then we’re going to go to the deli for more cheese, make lunch, then head home.

It has been a load of fun!

Watching a movie together in the new recliner.

Pippi LOVES having visitors that play!

Morning smiles. Seems one of them isn’t really such a morning person!

I had breakfast with some gals from work (next door at the cafe) because it was one of the gal’s birthday. Bumpa stayed home with them until between 9:30 and 10 when he dropped them off at the Center with the laptop, to watch more movies on.

They played with the big exercise balls in the hallway while I finished my classes, then we wrapped things up and headed home for lunch and playing with the dogs. Josiah is now sleeping on my bed with Sherlock, because I have a lesson scheduled for 1:00.

Later, Bumpa and I will trade cars up at the college and he will bring them home and feed them and play with them while I have an instrumental rehearsal with all the percussionists for the choir concert piece that is also the piano duet. (Carmina Burana, by Carl Orff.) Then I have a Maundy Thursday service at 6:30, before I can come home. But I should be home to help put them to bed tonight.

Tomorrow I am not going in to work (unless there is an emergency), so we’ll have lots more time to play before I pack their things and head home with them.

Chloe changed the perpetual calendar for me.  She didn’t really have as much of a problem as she appears to be having in this shot! She had a system and it worked great!

They came to work with me for just two hours, but that was plenty. Then we took the dogs to the property and all four ran and ran for half an hour. Home for lunch and Josiah fell right asleep!

Later today we go to the choir room to practice with a few kids during choir, then home for a lesson, then quick run to DQ, then back to practice with a gal for Easter music, then to the New Auburn Community choir concert in New Auburn this evening. Full day!

I thought the meeting last night was handled well, but it is still very scary to be in a room full of people that hate you. We went into closed session after about 10 minutes of introducing new board members and all of us telling a little about ourselves (I didn’t say much, because I figure they all know me well enough). But in closed session, we still had a board member that was totally on their side. She opposed the action the board decided to take, which was to expel 7 individuals for a minimum of 60 days. They will be getting this notification by certified mail, which means they can still show up (as they did today) until they get the letters. Who knows how long that will be if they refuse to sign for them and pick them up?

There is a lot more to tell, but I’m tired of even thinking about it.

On the good side, I worked at the college yesterday and during the first lesson, the first song we worked on was something that was so soothing to my soul that I knew it was God that had arranged it that way. I just needed to relax in the music yesterday and forget about the Center for a while. I also had a great rehearsal with my duet partner for the college choir concert over the lunch break. Everything went together just fine, so I’m not worried at all about that now.

I’m doing okay, but it is starting to get the best of me. Please continue to pray, because it is far from over.

We woke to the sound of rain on the roof this morning – it was nice! Then the temperature dropped a few degrees and it was not so nice, because it was freezing on the windshield. But that didn’t last too long. This was the first good “wash off the yard” rain we’ve had. It makes me think that it won’t be long until things start to get green.

We sat down with Gary Mohr yesterday to make a complete materials list for the garage we are planning to build on the property in July. Now we we can get a quote on all the materials and know how much money we need to save. We can save about $1500 a month right now (thanks to a job that I’m struggling to tolerate), so we should have enough by July. I’m excited. It has been a while since we’ve built new – like about 15 years! Anyone want to help?? It shouldn’t take long to put up – we aren’t going to pour the concrete or finish the inside – just do the shell, so we have a place to store all the stuff that is in the back of the youth center.

We had another membership meeting at work yesterday and didn’t invite the police and other city officials like we did at the last one in January. BIG MISTAKE. The “mean ladies” took over the meeting and said horrible things to and about me. I was angry, but people who care about me were in tears afterwards because they were so mean to me. When I could see there was no way we were going to get back to the agenda, I asked the president to simply adjourn and I went in my office and shut the front desk window and the door and stayed there until they had left.

I’m not sure what the next steps will be, but I’m not leaving, so they are going to have to, some way or other. I can’t be subject to that sort of treatment on my job. My first action today will be to inform the 8:15 exercise class (which several of the “mean ladies” go to) that the building will no longer be available for their class. I know it will make them mad,  so I’m just going to leave the front desk window closed until they leave.  But I shouldn’t have to welcome them into the building where they scowl at me and say who knows what behind my back while they do an exercise program they basically stole from me when I left a year ago.

I’m getting a little tired of all the stress this situation is causing me, to say the least…

This is always a crazy time of the year, right up until we leave for our trip. I have concerts at least once a week, plus preparing for solo/ensemble contest. So I basically work, have a couple hours (at the most) off, then go to school, or vice versa, then do lessons and then something in the evening three days a week.

No doubt I need vacation when I get it!!