The Doctor is in.

September 2020

A New Family Means
a New Washer & Dryer

We'd had our old Maytag washer and dryer since long before the new house was built in 1992-93. The washer could no longer advance automatically from wash to spin to rinse and on to spin again. The dryer worked fine if you didn't mind the grinding squeal.

I was happy to stay completely out of the shopping, purchase, and installation of the new Electrolux units from Albert Lee Appliance that arrived on Saturday the 5th. Each unit was over $1,000. (Thank you Annie and Thomas!)

The see-through front loading doors have high entertainment value for Charis.

Baby Days

Mr. Reuben H. Sleight turned 6-months old in September. Before we know it, he'll be a toddler and the baby in the family will again be a Disher.

While we were enjoying an eclectic dinner I'd whipped up on the 4th, Reuben grabbed a Franz KETO hamburger bun off of Cynthia's plate and casually downed half of it. It was his first solid food.

On his next visit it was pickles he was enjoying. Then, the next time, it was pasta.

And up in Charis's room, the three older children played a musical number to entertain Reuben. While Grandpa Dick played the melody, the younger musicians played harmony with a pseudo-jazz styling. To prevent social discord, each of us has his or her own harmonica. And when not in use, their preservation is ensured by the eldest band member. All are German made. Jonathan's is an F. A. Böhm given by Uncle Randy. Charis's harmonica, an M. Hohner Echo that Grampy Bob passed down from his father, played so well I found myself a pre-1937 M. Hohner Echo which also plays very well.

I often call the next Disher baby "#4," when he or she is actually Disher baby #2. His/her arrival is just three months away.

Laurie's West Seattle Letter Sweater

While doing some research for a talk I am scheduled to give, I was looking up the athletic histories of the senior Sleight kids at West Seattle High School. I was delighted to receive this item from Laurie. Like brother Randy, Laurie was a multi-sport athlete, and like brother Don she was also a ski racer. Like brother Dick, she was on the West Seattle swim team in 1972-73. And it must be admitted that she was the faster twin in the pool.

Title	West Seattle High School blue letterman sweater, 1973
Caption	This sweater belonged to Laurie (Sleight) Kleespies who lettered in multiple sports at West Seattle High School after the passage of Title IX in 1972. Title IX banned discrimination on the basis of sex in federally-funded educational institutions and included sports and recreational activities. Laurie was born and raised in West Seattle and grew up playing tennis with her brothers. During her junior year in the spring of 1972, she was invited to join the boy’s tennis team, as there was no girls team at the time. Before the first match, the principals of the Seattle School District voted that girls could not play with boys and thus Laurie was not allowed to play. (The team had a 2-8 losing season.) Title IX was passed that summer on June 23, 1972. In Laurie's senior year, she was the captain of the newly-formed girls tennis team and was voted most inspirational (as represented by the star on the W patch). She lettered in tennis and swimming and was voted "Best Female Athlete" by her senior class.
Subjects	Sports, 20th century; Education, 20th century; Clothing, 20th century
Places	United States of America __WASHINGTON __Seattle
ID Number	2013.131.1
Rights URI	http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en
Credit Line	MOHAI, 2013.131.1
Repository	Museum of History & Industry, Seattle (MOHAI)
Object Type	artifact
Physical Description	1 Sweater; Materials: wool; Dimensions: 25 in.H (back of neck to hem) x 50 in.W (cuff to cuff)

Second Floor South Room Progress

Bit by bit, the 15'x31' gym is being emptied so that its hardwood flooring can be laid. The maple wood that has been stored for many years in the basement has finally been carried up. Nancy is investigating installers.

Sleeping Beauty

Charis doesn't nap every day, but when she does, she reminds me of Shadow, finding the most comfortable spot to curl up in or sprawl across.

How Did My Garden Grow in September?

Every day that I go out to pick tomatoes, I return with a full bowl of sweet ripe cherry tomatoes. The larger Oregon Spring tomatoes have been slower to ripen but they now regularly help top the game-day pizzas. Whenever I need green onions, there are more than enough. Parsley grows in abundance. Basil was transplanted to replace the the lackluster bush beans. Last year's peppers produced more and larger peppers that Thomas judged highly. Green bell peppers will have to winter-over to produce next year.

Many rose cuttings are ready to find a new home in the ground.

But there have been sufficient disapointments to encourage my, "better luck next year" attitude. The few beans that survived critters supplied only two meals. None of the five pumpkin plants set on pumpkins.

But the biggest result of the entire spring and summer farming adventure is the desire to plan and prepare for next spring.

Charis Sings

It's interesting to watch grandchildren grow and develop socially and emotionally. I admit that I missed some of the early events in my own kids lives as I was head down between 1987 and 1989 finishing my dissertation.

One great advantage of being required to stay home is getting to spend time with Charis. Now, I get to see nearly every new talent (or attempted talent) in my grandkids. Charis may confuse the Bible with a hymnbook, but she is anxious to try new things. She's seen here practicing, Jesus Loves Me.

Happy 1st Birthday Corvin!

Corvin and his big brother Rowen recently moved into their brand new house in Lake Stevens, with their parents Richard and Alicia Pastrick. But all the adventure of moving in stopped to make room for a celebration of Corvin's 1st brirthday on the 27th.

Corvin has some issues with his eyesight and some developmental delay, but he is greatly loved and seemed to really enjoy the party and the Sleight and Disher "cousins" that came north to help him celebrate. "Uncle" Randy and Julie Adams, who might as well be another surogate "aunt," also joined the party.

Corvin had his own cake to enjoy/demolish. The rest of us had two more cakes plus cheesecake. I did not bother to check my blood sugar when we got home. (My A1c was a high 8.6 when measured earlier this month.)

With five under three, the party was basically an extended play date!

(Richard was kind to put my phone on their charger in the kitchen so I could watch the last of the Seahawks vs. Cowboys game on the Seahawks app on my Android phone. It was a 31-38 win for the now 3-0 Seattle Seahawks.)

A Booklover After My Own Heart

This "collage" of books was a Charis creation from start to finish. She carried them down from her bedroom and carefully made her horizontal display.

When asked which one was her favorite, she picked out Cleo the Cat's Online Adventures, and then insisted Grandpa read it to her. But turning the pages seemed more fun than letting Grandpa get to the bottom of each page.

When asked to pick them up before Mommy got home, she stacked them all neatly in the center of the bottom step of the stairway.

Bits and Pieces

The big wind and rain storm that passed through in the wee hours of Thursday the 24th not only took off the flashing on the north half of our roof (again!), but a roof drain on McKenna Hall failed so my building was shut down for inspections and repairs. At home, Nathanael brought his family with him on Saturday, the 26th, and he and I and put down protective roof felt and used screws instead of nails (this time) to reattach the flashing. Nancy managed to get on the roof to help seal up the flashing.

Monday night, September 28th, I taught my classes from my basement office. Who could have imagined that one could stay home and teach over sixty students over the Internet?!

The talk at the West Seattle Monogram Club I was originally scheduled to give on August 6th was postponed to October 1st, and now to December 3rd. Ted Foss, Club President, called on the 25th to report the second COVID-19 caused delay. He worries the the club membership is declining as its most senior members pass on.

Every time I went to QFC and saw a great price on something, only to then see it was for those with a "digital coupon," I'd pass on the item and feel bad. But I finally took the time to go online and set up a QFC account. Then first chance I got, when sent to pick up some medicine for Charis, I tested the digital coupon process, buying three pizzas. We eat two with every Seahawks game now that Annie and Thomas are permanent residents. They do enjoy the pizza, if not the football. The keys to great pizza here are, 1) added toppings, 2) Oregano, Basil, and Parsley seasonings, and 3) my special pizza pan for a crisp crust.

I watched just one minute of the first Trump-Biden Presidential debate. It was not Presidential. I described it as a circus, even before I saw news outlets describe it the same way. I loath both candidates.

My Quote from September

I, Too
Langston Hughes - 1902-1967
I,Too was written in 1925.

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,

I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.
Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

Emotion

Helen Reddy, Oct. 25, 1941 – Sept. 29, 2020. There’s a name I haven’t heard in recent years, the Australian/American pop singer (and feminist icon for her 1971 song, I Am Woman), died on Tuesday. It was her cover of the song Emotion that touched my life. The song was on a 1974 album she released, but then came out as a single in January 1975. A year later the song gained added meaning for me.

In late December 1975, my high school/college relationship with Kathleen Finney finally came to an abrupt but amicable end. The fact that she attended WWU and I was at the UW helped, but her sudden acquisition of faith in Christ was the true cause of our separation. I was happy for her, and certainly even more happy for my own new unattached freedom. I was only a cultural Christian at the time.

That next month, I became incredibly energized. I began an exercise routine that had me running the twelve flights of stairs at my dorm, Terry Hall, over and over again. By the end of January 1976, I was surprisingly fit. And at the end of that month I went on a double date with Ed Haynes (my future Best Man) and his girlfriend and her roommate from WSU. I’d met Kimberly Sanders very briefly around the time of the amazing (for the Huskies) 1975 Apple Cup in Seattle. But I took little notice of her at that first very brief meeting. But two months later, it was love at second sight. Meeting at her family home in Kent, riding in the back of Ed’s VW bug to our dinner date at Horatio’s on Westlake (my suggestion) — by the ride home I was twitterpated. The girls had to return to WSU the following week, but I had a chance to see Kim one more time before they left. I walked her on a cold evening from the IMA building at the UW to my dorm. It was there we had our first dance, to Helen Reddy’s awkward yet passionate song Emotion. The UW/WSU relationship did not last two years, but the emotion lasted a lifetime.

How fitting that Helen Reddy’s first big hit was a cover of I Don’t Know How to Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar.

After a disappointing 5-5 start to the season, Husky fans were unsettled with the team and first-year coach Don James. Tensions only escalated after the Huskies fell behind the Cougars (3-7) by 13 points late in the game, after entering the contest as a double-digit favorite. The Cougars had the ball and the lead in Husky territory when WSU coach Jim Sweeney opted for the knockout punch rather than settling for a field goal that likely would have iced the game. On fourth-and-one from the UW 14-yard line, WSU quarterback John Hopkins threw a pass over the middle that was picked off by UW safety Al Burleson and returned 93 yards for a touchdown.

The Huskies got the ball back with 1:58 to play and needed a touchdown to win. Quarterback Warren Moon heaved a deep pass toward wide receiver Spider Gaines. Two WSU defensive backs couldn’t pick it off, and the ball was tipped into the arms of Gaines, who took the ball the rest of the way for a touchdown and a 28-27 UW victory.

The game was one WSU fans never would forget. For the Huskies, it was the beginning of the program’s greatest era to date, with Don James at the helm.

(from The Seattle Times.)

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