|
|
  Nancy Kept Their Secret . . .
 On the 27th, Nancy called me up from the basement for dinner and to
video chat with Jean, Joel, and Galen. I was not greatly surprised
to learn that Jean was pregnant with Baby Sitte #2. What was
surprising was that Nancy had known for a few weeks and had kept the
wonderful news to herself. It's too soon to know the gender, and
the ultrasound shows it's not twins, but a tentative due date of October
3rd was mentioned.
I visited them on the 29th and stayed over to March 1st, and had a fun
two days with Galen.
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|
|
  Monogram
Club, February 1st
The West Seattle Monogram Club continues to
meet but attendance still languishes. We had eight men and one
women (and one baby!) there this month. Valerie caught a bug at
David Eby's memorial service from little Isaac, so Nancy and I
kept Irene with us while Thomas cared for Valerie.
Lunch conversation covered military
experiences, careers, and of course stories about high school athletics.
 No formal program had been planned for this
luncheon, but club president Ted Foss asked Randy and I to explain all
the bling on our letterman's jackets. Mine has three bars
representing that I earned varsity letters as a sophomore, junior, and
senior. My W letter shows varsity letters in
Track & Field, Cross Country, Swimming, and Yell Leading.
The most unique things on my letter are the
five stars. Captain, Most Inspirational, and Most Valuable Runner
in Cross Country my senior year earned three of them. Captain and
my All-Metro 4th place finish in the two mile run in Track earned me the
final two.
|
 In the Garden in February
The Music hardneck garlic, my own cloves planted in
mid-November, are well up through their extra thick layer of
leaf mulch.
They look a few weeks behind last year's crop, which is
reasonable since they were planted a month later. Last
year's garlic is a staple in the big batches of Lentil soup I
cook up regularly.
The bed of green onions made it through
the mid-January
freeze and will produce thousands of seeds if they are not
harvested in this their second season.
Over two dozen tiny tomato plants are
doing well in my warm under-the-basement-stairs grow space.
And I was surprised on March 1st to see at least 14 Jalapeño and
Habanero peppers just poking through the soil in their own seed
starting trays next to the tomatoes.
|
|
 Help
with
a Haircut
Nancy really is an accomplished barber.
I have not visited another barber since getting married.
Nancy reminds me now and then that my wedding
haircut was not what she'd hoped for.
My take is that if she's happy with my
hair (what's left of it), I'm happy.
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   A
Lesson in Democracy
On the 17th, Annie,
Nancy, and I attended the day-long 48th District Republican Legislative Caucus at Rose Hill Middle School in Redmond. It turned out to be
a seven hour lesson in democracy in action.
We heard from many candidates running for State
offices, but the main task of the day was to elect 29 delegates and 29
alternates to the State convention.
Annie and Nancy put their
names forward in hopes of being elected as delegates to the Washington
State Republican convention in Spokane. Each potential delegate
was allowed to give a brief 30 second introductory speech. Alas,
some effective work by the Trump/Bird faction got their delegates
elected ahead of any Nikki Haley supporters.
Irene attended as the only one not of voting
age!
I had fun speaking briefly with John Carlson,
KVI talk show host, fellow West Seattle High School grad, and father of
Matthew Carlson who ran Track & Field at Bellevue Christian School.
I took this picture of John sitting next to Kemper Freeman, Jr., the
major Eastside developer and owner of the Bellevue Square properties.
Kemper was the final delegate elected. The vote results for
Alternates was announced via email on the 19th. Both Nancy and
John Carlson made that cut. However, being so far down the Alternate
list, Nancy does not plan to go to Spokane.
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|
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  Emeriti
Faculty at the Falcons/Nighthawks Games on the 3rd
 Emeriti
faculty get in free to SPU home games. And one night each season
is chosen to invite all emeriti faculty. I visited Royal Brougham
Pavilion on Saturday the 3rd to enjoy the SPU Falcons play the Northwest
Nazarene Nighthawks.
In the 2:00 PM early game, the SPU men avenged
a January 4th 52-55 loss to NNU. The Falcons trailed 9-8 early but
then went on an eight minute 19-7 run and led the rest of the game.
The Nighthawks kept the game close for all of the second half, usually
trailing by five or less. In the end however, SPU
 survived with a
66-64 win.
In the women's game which followed, it was quite
a different story. The Lady Falcons never led in Saturday's game
until Olivia Mayer hit a turnaround 12-footer with 51.9 seconds left for
the last of her career-high 31 points and a 70-69 Falcons edge.
NNU tied it up with free throws at 71-71 with 17.1 seconds left.
In the final possession, Freshman guard Layne Kearns caught a quick pass
as she broke under the basket and put in a reverse layup leaving just
2.2 seconds on the clock. A desperation half-court shot fell short
and the SPU women got the surprising 73-71 win. Again, like the
men, they had avenged a 47-50 early season loss to NNU.
George Parker |
Dan Lepse and Dr. Bill Woodward |
I shot the game with my little but fast 50mm f1.8 lens
and remembered to set the camera on shutter priority at 1/500th of a
second, like at a Wrestling dual. Any faster and these indoor shots would be
too dark. Any slower and the action would cause the shots to be
too blurry. I sat on the floor near the Falcon's offensive basket,
just as any official sports photographer would. Of course, I was
shooting for the EmeriTimes newsletter for the June edition.
During halftime of the men's game, season ticket
holders and the emeriti faculty met in the Falcon Lounge overlooking the
court and heard from Men's Volunteer Assistant Coach George
Parker, and at halftime of the women's game, Athletic Director Dan Lepse
spoke with us
while we enjoyed light refreshments. I got faked out because the men
played two twenty-minute halves, while the women played four ten-minute
quarters. (I missed the start of the women's second quarter
because I thought it was halftime and that I'd beaten everyone to the
snacks!)
Emeriti Day at Royal Brougham Pavilion
was an exciting experience. Count me in for next season!
|
|
  The Inauguration of
SPU President
Dr. Deana
L. Porterfield
The inauguration of Deana L.
Porterfield, Ed.D., the 12th president in Seattle Pacific
University’s 133-year history, was held on Friday the 23rd, at
First Free Methodist Church.
Dr. Porterfield, who is SPU’s first female president, assumed
her new role on July 1, 2023. She previously served nine years
in the dual role as president of Roberts Wesleyan University and
Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, New York. Her 35-year career
in Christian higher education included multiple positions in
admissions including serving as vice president for enrollment
management and senior vice president for people and organization
development at Azusa Pacific University in California.
Although I was invited to progress with
the faculty and dignitaries in my UW regalia, I had already
planned to find a front pew seat in the balcony with my Nikon
D750. I used a
Nikon Nikkor AF 28-200mm F3.5-5.6 G lens. The results are
good enough for the next edition of the EmeriTimes
newsletter. SPU's two official photographers shot from
right down front and wouldn't have gotten the nice perspective
my shots from the balcony achieved.
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   Nancy
and I had attended the inauguration of President David C. Le
Shana at the Seattle Opera House back in March 1983. The U.S.
Senator from Oregon Mark Hatfield was the invited speaker.
All the doctoral robes inspired me. I would begin my own
Ph.D. studies six months later.
 The SPU
faculty gave Dr. Porterfield gifts of a book, microscope, and
globe for her office. Douglas R. Cullum, Ph.D., Professor of Historical
and Pastoral Theology at Northeastern Seminary introduced us all
to our new president who he had worked closely with for many
years.
The only place one sees four bars on a
doctoral robe is on a sitting university president.
The SPU choir was excellent and the
entire program was elegantly conducted.
I got there early to get a prime seat
in the front row of the balcony. But the sign said BALCONY
CLOSED. I had a suit and tie on and passed myself off as
an event photographer, which I actually was as the editor of the
EmeriTimes newsletter. The staff directing
traffic in the narthex recognized me and let me head upstairs.
Then after the first floor filled up, they opened the balcony
anyway. Afterwards, I followed the platform party to their
robing room. There I enjoyed chatting with former
Accounting Professor Dr. Kim Sawers. Kim had been the
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the business school
when I retired. The following year, she returned to the
university administration as SPU's Vice President of Business
and Finance. The platform party included past presidents,
Board of Trustee members, and dignitaries from other
universities. They get the best treatment. But I
acted like I belonged there, including grabbing a maple bar from
their pre-event snacks on my way out!
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|
 
Another
Year Gone By
The official "February" birthday party was on
Super Bowl Sunday. But I got two gifts on my actual birthday.
Alas, I appreciated both too much. Jean again baked me my favorite
cake, and Nancy bought me these fabulous caramels. I could not
resist finishing the bag in three days. She didn't tell me she'd
expected me to share. For Valentine's Day, I got her her own bag.
My blood sugar was excellent the week before my
birthday and awful the week after. When I couldn't get my blood sugar numbers
down, I offered the rest of my cake to Nancy, Thomas, and Annie.
But I still want one next year!
Then on the 9th, Nancy asked me to bake more of
my Tollhouse cookies for the party on the 11th. It's been
impossible for me to resist them. On the up side, three-year-old
Valerie was especially helpful as my baking assistant this time.
For the first time she stuck to the task even when watching a movie, a
favorite activity of hers, was the alternative.
When it arrived in the mail, Annie and Thomas
gave me their present. To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy
Shaped the Modern World came on the 13th. It's the sequel of
sorts to the author's earlier book, How the Scots Invented the
Modern World. Both of these are on my mental "must read" list
once I'm done preparing my four lessons on Galatians.
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|
|
  Celebrating
February Birthdays
On Super Bowl Sunday the 11th, February birthdays were celebrated for me
(5th), Randy (14th), and Annie (28th).
Minor illnesses kept the attendance down. Cynthia stayed home with
Jonny, and Jean delivered cupcakes and frosting on Saturday.
Festivities began at 1:00 PM with lunch. Julie Adams brought
sandwiches and Annie had picked up a watermelon.
Conversations continued right up to the 3:30 PM Super Bowl between San
Francisco and Kansas City. The party broke up at halftime as I had
agreed to drive to Joel and Jean's to watch over Galen who had a mild
bug. The Sittes had a concert date. The extra long halftime
show allowed me to watch nearly all of the second half with Galen by my
side in Berrydale.
I was rooting for San Francisco, mostly because I am a fan of their
running back Christian McCaffrey. He rushed 22 times for 80 yards
while catching all eight of his targets for another 80 yards and a
touchdown. Yet, despite his stellar performance, the Chiefs QB
Patrick Mahomes passed for 333 yards and led his team in a final
touchdown drive in overtime to clinch his third Super Bowl win in four
tries over the past five seasons 25-22 . Mahomes was named the
Super Bowl MVP for the third time.
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|
|
   Fridays
with Galen
Friday the 16th marked the first of
seven Fridays that I'll be hanging out with Galen in Berrydale.
The first Friday was so that Jean and Joel could get away for a
long afternoon on this their fourth anniversary. Jean will
be away at a six-week Bible study on the other six Fridays.
As soon as I got home on the 16th,
Annie and Thomas headed out to Taproot Theatre, so I had all
three granddaughters to care for. For a while, Nancy
helped with Irene. Charis and I played three board games
back-to-back-to-back, Pirateer, then Monopoly Jr. (the Shrek
version), and finally Parcheesi.
Galen is now two-years and three months
old. He's got "Dada" and "Mama" down and he responds
correctly to the words he hears, but his own verbal skills are
behind schedule. But then I recall that Nathanael was the
quiet one in our family. As an only child so far, Galen
doesn't have a sibling to prompt more language practice.
In Bellevue, Valerie at age three seems especially verbal.
And Irene at just thirteen months is very vocal if not yet at
all verbal.
Also on the 16th, while I was busy
showing Valerie and Charis where Japan was on a globe, I didn't
notice that Valerie had discovered a small pair of scissors and
was busy giving herself a haircut. Fortunately, she was
shearing much of the long hair that usually hung in front of her
left eye. See her new look below.
|
|
Grandkids Corner
Charis is first to lose a tooth.
She says, "I'm going to rent it to the
Tooth Fairy!"
 |
 |
 |
He shows me he is two years old.
 |
|
Daddy's eyes and Mommy's
mouth. |
Need a barber? I do
myself! |
Everything is a toy. |
"Er lobe." |
Verin has her safe
1st floor spot. |
That's a great
toasted cheese sandwich. |
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 |
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Regarding Robert Moffat
An
elderly preacher was rebuked by one of his deacons one
Sunday morning before the service. “Pastor,” said the
man, “something must be wrong with your preaching and
your work. There’s
been only one person added to the church in a whole
year, and he’s just a boy.”
The minister listened, his
eyes moistening and his thin hand trembling. “I feel it
all,” he replied,
“but God knows I’ve tried to do my duty.” On that day
the minister’s heart was heavy as he
stood before his flock. As he finished the message, he
felt a strong inclination to resign.
After everyone else had
left, that one boy came to him and asked, “Do you think
if I worked
hard for an education, I could become a preacher—perhaps
a missionary?”
Again tears welled up in the
minister’s eyes. “Ah, this heals the ache I feel,” he
said. “Robert,
I see the Divine hand now. May God bless you, my boy.
Yes, I think you will become a preacher.”
Many years later an aged
missionary returned to London from Africa. His name was
spoken with reverence. Nobles invited him to their
homes. He had added many souls to the church of Jesus
Christ, reaching even some of Africa’s most savage
chiefs. His name was Robert Moffat, the same Robert who
years before had spoken to the pastor that Sunday
morning in the old Scottish kirk.
Lord, help us to be
faithful. Then give us the grace to leave the results to
you.
Found many
places on the web. No source cited.
|
|
 
Robert Moffat
(born Dec.
21, 1795, Ormiston, East Lothian, Scotland
— died Aug. 9, 1883, Leigh, Kent, England)
Scottish missionary to
Africa and Bible translator, who was known for his
efforts to improve local living standards in Africa. He
was also the father-in-law of the missionary and
explorer David Livingstone (1813–73).
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Bits and Pieces
|
| |
 Around
the 13th of March I should receive my first Social Security payment.
On February 3rd I got the official notice from them. "Beginning February
2024, the full monthly Social Security benefit before any deductions is
$3,344.80. We deduct $174.70 for medical insurance premiums each
month. The regular monthly Social Security payment is $3,170.00."
Lecture
writing for my lessons on the Book of Galatians continued this month. On the
10th, I completed number two of four. On the 22nd, number three of
four got finished. Chapters 1, 2, and 3 contain
74 verses and chapters 4, 5, and 6 contain 75. I have most of
March to finish #4 of 4 by the 28th.
My Quote from February
O God, you made us in your own image and
redeemed us through Jesus your Son:
Look with compassion on the whole human
family;
take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts;
break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love;
and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on
earth;
that, in your good time, all nations and
races may serve you in harmony around your
heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. ―Amen.
A prayer from The Book of Common
Prayer
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