This past weekend was our annual Summer Festival for our Senior Living Community in Yorba Linda with a Green Day theme.
In the before time, the Festival was two days and primarily populated with booths run by the different Grand Officers and their subordinate officers and other different groups of members. A few years back, the Festival was changed to a one day format, which for the past two years meant closing at 3:00 pm. And in 2010, the Festival added vendors and a car show to increase the draw from the public to attend. There is also usually a giant Estate Sale and that brings a lot of people too.
And in years past, the Festival was in June, but this year it was April. We were worried that we might get rained on, but the day was bright and sunny. We were hoping for cooler weather than June and it was some cooler it seemed to me, but it was still in the high eighties and the sun was really, really bright. (Hissssss!!! Bright Sun bad and mean - Shade good!)
The Associate Matrons traditionally have a booth selling strawberries and ice cream and this year, because no one else was selling coffee drinks, we had iced coffee drinks also. We went through five cases of mix for the ice cream machine and ran completely out by about 2:30 pm. Wow!
Unfortunately, we learned that maraschino cherry juice does not come out of clothes and I think that I will need to be buying my chairmen some Target gift cards as a thank you so that they can buy some new things. It was going to be chocolates or books, but I may have to change that intention now. Of course, when the cold water just turned the red to pink on the white shirt, I did have a moment where I thought that the thing to do was to dunk the whole shirt in the juice and then it could be a nice even pink everywhere instead of half pink and half white, but of course it wasn't my shirt, so it is easy for me to think that way.
This year was way, way easier than last year when I had the dress booth. Last year I was there for two or more hours packing up. This year after we ran out of ice cream, it was just a matter of closing up the containers, wiping everything down, packing it in boxes, taking the loose stuff back inside and letting the guys come take the machines and the tables away - less than an hour and none of it heavy lifting! Of course we did have a couple of wonderful brothers who took away the trash for us, so that helped too! :-)
We also had lots of meetings this past weekend. I had five to attend, but only made four of them. My partner had to make the other ones. I must say that texting has made that a lot easier. I went to my first meeting, he went to the other one and when he moved to the third meeting, he was able to text me when they were coming up on something I had to be there for and I popped out of the one meeting, went across the parking lot, appeared at meeting three, got done there and went back across the parking lot. Then I had to go to meeting four that day and meeting five was on Sunday - Whew! But at least I think my budgets are done - Yay!
Next weekend, I am going to be in Chowchilla, but not in Tulare. I have more meetings - Sigh!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Purple Mountains Majesty
This past weekend I attended Official Visits in Bishop and Victorville.
Until I became a Grand Officer, I never knew that there was such a thing as Eastern California. Now that I have managed to watch episodes of How The States Got Their Shapes on the digital TV thingy, I know that we have an Eastern California because we wanted both sides of the mountains with the nice, pretty metals in them. I can see that only greed would have led to such weird geography, but at least I get to see the beautiful scenery as you drive up 395.
Of course, I do wish that it wasn't quite so far since I don't do long car rides well, but I have discovered that if you sit across the back seat of a nice wide car and you have a filled jacket to cushion the door and a travel pillow for your head, you can make the ride go a lot better. You fall asleep in one place and wake up somewhere else. Better than a red eye, even, because you can put your feet across the back seat. Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate my Associate Grand Patron's willingness to do the driving? Boy is he awesome! :-)
But I didn't sleep the whole way because I wanted to appreciate the scenery. Even in years that don't have really weird weather like this year, there is usually still a fair amount of snow on the mountain peaks in April and the plains are just beautiful. Mind you, I couldn't live there - no way, no how! But it is great to visit!
This year, as in year's past, the Grand Officers were given a lovely gift of honey from one of our members whose family has been keeping bees for four generations. This time we got a great write up about the family and the business that laid out this long history and had all sorts of very interesting honey facts in it. I had always been told that the type of flowers used by the bees makes a difference in the flavor and color of the honey, but wow was it apparent when you put a bottle of the clover honey next to a bottle of the wildflower honey. Boy! The clover honey is a lot lighter in color and taste. I think I am set for the next year, but after that I might have to buy honey again. Oh well!
It was also fun to re-visit places I have been before in my travels and re-connect with old friends. I very much enjoy that District, tucked up in between the mountain ranges. Less fun was driving up there and back in a day, but we endure what we must!
The next day we were attending an Official Visit in Victorville, but we knew that right afterwards we would have to take off because we had planes to catch that were earlier than usual. Many of the Arizona Grand Officers were attending that visit and because we knew we couldn't stay to socialize afterwards, we had brunch with some of our Arizona friends, who we've known for years. We had a wonderful time and it was very fun to have visitors. One of the interesting parts is that each state does their escort and introductions a bit differently, so when you are visiting out of state or have out of state visitors, you have to make sure to help them or get help, so you go to the right place at the right time. Luckily, I could answer some of the Arizona officers' questions because I had been to a Hands Across the Border in Lake Havasu City, so I knew what Arizona escort looked like and could explain the difference in what we were going to do.
Next weekend, I am in Yorba Linda.
Until I became a Grand Officer, I never knew that there was such a thing as Eastern California. Now that I have managed to watch episodes of How The States Got Their Shapes on the digital TV thingy, I know that we have an Eastern California because we wanted both sides of the mountains with the nice, pretty metals in them. I can see that only greed would have led to such weird geography, but at least I get to see the beautiful scenery as you drive up 395.
Of course, I do wish that it wasn't quite so far since I don't do long car rides well, but I have discovered that if you sit across the back seat of a nice wide car and you have a filled jacket to cushion the door and a travel pillow for your head, you can make the ride go a lot better. You fall asleep in one place and wake up somewhere else. Better than a red eye, even, because you can put your feet across the back seat. Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate my Associate Grand Patron's willingness to do the driving? Boy is he awesome! :-)
But I didn't sleep the whole way because I wanted to appreciate the scenery. Even in years that don't have really weird weather like this year, there is usually still a fair amount of snow on the mountain peaks in April and the plains are just beautiful. Mind you, I couldn't live there - no way, no how! But it is great to visit!
This year, as in year's past, the Grand Officers were given a lovely gift of honey from one of our members whose family has been keeping bees for four generations. This time we got a great write up about the family and the business that laid out this long history and had all sorts of very interesting honey facts in it. I had always been told that the type of flowers used by the bees makes a difference in the flavor and color of the honey, but wow was it apparent when you put a bottle of the clover honey next to a bottle of the wildflower honey. Boy! The clover honey is a lot lighter in color and taste. I think I am set for the next year, but after that I might have to buy honey again. Oh well!
It was also fun to re-visit places I have been before in my travels and re-connect with old friends. I very much enjoy that District, tucked up in between the mountain ranges. Less fun was driving up there and back in a day, but we endure what we must!
The next day we were attending an Official Visit in Victorville, but we knew that right afterwards we would have to take off because we had planes to catch that were earlier than usual. Many of the Arizona Grand Officers were attending that visit and because we knew we couldn't stay to socialize afterwards, we had brunch with some of our Arizona friends, who we've known for years. We had a wonderful time and it was very fun to have visitors. One of the interesting parts is that each state does their escort and introductions a bit differently, so when you are visiting out of state or have out of state visitors, you have to make sure to help them or get help, so you go to the right place at the right time. Luckily, I could answer some of the Arizona officers' questions because I had been to a Hands Across the Border in Lake Havasu City, so I knew what Arizona escort looked like and could explain the difference in what we were going to do.
Next weekend, I am in Yorba Linda.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Plenty of Paperwork
Last weekend I was home and I am still trying to understand how I can be busier when I am home than I am when I am on the road. How is that possible? Nevertheless, it appears to be true.
This month is the month of Paperwork! Letters, Flyers, Handouts, Agendas, Information Sheets, Registration Forms, Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh MY! There just seem to be so many things to be drafted, proofed, prepared and sent out that my head is spinning. And then there are the domino projects. For example, I have to get a certain packet out, but to get that out, the price sheet has to be done. To do the price sheet, the paper has to be found and the printing has to be tested. To test the printing, I have to design the artwork and take it to the printer and to design the artwork, I have to get files from someone else. So for want of a nail, the kingdom was lost. Sigh!
Usually, a fair amount of this stuff is carryover, by which I mean that you just use the stuff from the year before. But when I looked at the forms and stuff, it just seemed like some of the contents wasn't really useful any more and that there were other things that needed clarifying or adding or modifying, etc. So for better or for worse, I am revising the various forms. I am sure that those who come after me will want to do the same, but hopefully some of what I change will be useful to them. Otherwise, their spring may be full of paperwork also.
After I got all of last week's stuff done, I had to re-write my to do list because I had half the things crossed off of several different lists and I needed to get all of that consolidated into one list of things for this month and all the things that are May and later's problem. When time gets tight, it's triage time and some things that I would like to work on can wait so they are going to have to wait while things that are less fun but more urgent get done. I think I will get everything that needs doing done on time, but even though objectively, I know I am on schedule, it keeps feeling like I am behind. Maybe that helps me stick with it?
I did take some time on Sunday to go to the gem show. I used to go three times a year, April, June and November, but usually we are busy and I cannot go. However, this time the show fell on Easter, so not only was I able to go, but it wasn't too crowded until afternoon, when people were done with church and their Easter brunch. I got some nice bling but didn't find some charms I was looking for, so that will have to wait until my next free weekend, which I think is in May.
Next weekend, I will be in Bishop and Victorville.
This month is the month of Paperwork! Letters, Flyers, Handouts, Agendas, Information Sheets, Registration Forms, Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh MY! There just seem to be so many things to be drafted, proofed, prepared and sent out that my head is spinning. And then there are the domino projects. For example, I have to get a certain packet out, but to get that out, the price sheet has to be done. To do the price sheet, the paper has to be found and the printing has to be tested. To test the printing, I have to design the artwork and take it to the printer and to design the artwork, I have to get files from someone else. So for want of a nail, the kingdom was lost. Sigh!
Usually, a fair amount of this stuff is carryover, by which I mean that you just use the stuff from the year before. But when I looked at the forms and stuff, it just seemed like some of the contents wasn't really useful any more and that there were other things that needed clarifying or adding or modifying, etc. So for better or for worse, I am revising the various forms. I am sure that those who come after me will want to do the same, but hopefully some of what I change will be useful to them. Otherwise, their spring may be full of paperwork also.
After I got all of last week's stuff done, I had to re-write my to do list because I had half the things crossed off of several different lists and I needed to get all of that consolidated into one list of things for this month and all the things that are May and later's problem. When time gets tight, it's triage time and some things that I would like to work on can wait so they are going to have to wait while things that are less fun but more urgent get done. I think I will get everything that needs doing done on time, but even though objectively, I know I am on schedule, it keeps feeling like I am behind. Maybe that helps me stick with it?
I did take some time on Sunday to go to the gem show. I used to go three times a year, April, June and November, but usually we are busy and I cannot go. However, this time the show fell on Easter, so not only was I able to go, but it wasn't too crowded until afternoon, when people were done with church and their Easter brunch. I got some nice bling but didn't find some charms I was looking for, so that will have to wait until my next free weekend, which I think is in May.
Next weekend, I will be in Bishop and Victorville.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Almost Heaven?
This past weekend, I was in West Virginia for the Tri-Line Association gathering. This is the weekend where all of the Sisters and Brothers who will be serving in 2013, 2014 and 2015, under the same Most Worthy Grand Matron, the international head of our Order, come together to find out about her plans and meet their counterparts. It was very educational, but a bit disappointing.
The first thing I learned is that southwest West Virginia, where we were, is not the area about which John Denver was singing. Evidently, you approach the Blue Ridge Mountains from the East side. That said, there were a fair number of beautiful natural sights. I especially enjoyed going over the bridge from Ohio to West Virginia and back where the two rivers forming the boundaries meet. It was pretty wow.
Another thing I learned, which was slightly less fun, was that all meals in West Virginia seem to need to involve either smoked meat or bacon or both. We had club sandwiches for lunch with smoked turkey and bacon. The dinner salad was a lettuce wedge with bacon and the dinner entree was a chicken leg wrapped in, wait for it . . . . bacon. The trouble for me is that I don't eat bacon. My dinner companion bravely threw himself on the grenade and ate the bacon off my salad, but when I asked the waitress if there was any chicken that was not wrapped in bacon, or something vegetarian I could get, she said that she would have to send downstairs to the restaurant for a different meal and it might take a while. I told her that I had no problem with waiting, since my choices were waiting or starving and eventually, I got a lovely plate of liguini with alfredo sauce. It had portobello mushrooms on top, from which my companion also had to protect me because I don't eat mushrooms, but he was up to the task and the pasta sauce was delicious. I was wondering if dessert was going to be bacon ice cream, but it turned out to be pineapple upside down cake.
But I was there for a meeting and gathering and before we got to the food, we had our morning meeting. We got lots of useful information about the plans at the international level for the next three years and then had some time to chat amongst ourselves. I have to admit that some of what I heard made me intensely grateful that I was from California.
I found out that in many Grand Jurisdictions, the lady doesn't get to choose her partner at all. In some cases, the Worthy Grand Matron two, three or even five years ahead of her chooses for her. In some cases, they are elected from the floor from candidates who are nominated on the floor that day. In some cases, they put in an intent to run and campaign during the year and then get elected from the floor. Wow!!! Of course, as they pointed out to me, many of their Jurisdictions are so small in size, that you know every single man that is eligible living in your state anyway, so no one that gets elected can be a stranger. In some states, people serve as a Grand Officer more than one time. Many of the ladies were jealous that I got to pick my man, but I think it works better if you want the heads of the Order to be a real team.
In one state, I found out that the man does five years, just like the lady does. In that state, the Associate Grand Conductress is elected from among the five Grand Star Point Officers and her man is the Grand Sentinel of her Grand Star Point year. Then as she goes through AGC and Grand Conductress, he serves as Grand Marshal and Grand Chaplain, to finally join her in the West and then in the East. So the Worthy Grand Matron only gets to pick eight officers and not ten, but she decides the man for her Grand Star Point officer, so she is picking both. Sweet California, wonderful California, I love you California.
On the other hand, the people from other jurisdictions were thankful that they were NOT from California when they heard what it costs to be an officer here. One of the topics we heard about was the Tri-Line dress that we are all supposed to buy and word on the street is that these dresses regularly run about $500 apiece. Some of the ladies were saying how much more that was than anything else they have to pay for, but I sort of shrugged. One of the ladies asked me about it and I said that my estimated budget for each of my Grand Officers was $1500 for clothes. When the shock had worn off just a little, they asked why and I explained about the multiple formals and outfits that we have in California. Most of them just buy one dress for the whole year. Then I explained that clothes weren't really a big ticket item in California because when your total year budget is $15,000 to $18,000 and you are spending $1000 a month on travel, the clothing costs are not the reason you say yes or no to serving. So now they are glad to be from where they are from.
My only disappointment was that we didn't do more when some of us had come so far and at such expense. Having spent over $900 on airfare, $250 on a hotel and fourteen hours of travel each way, I was sort of hoping for a little more meat on the bones, conference wise. We spent that Saturday morning going through stuff and then had lunch and then the entire afternoon was completely empty until dinner time, then we had dinner and entertainment and social time, but no other organized work. I would have liked to have seen us use that afternoon to have round table discussions on issues common to our jurisdictions and ideas that people have tried, table topic discussions with posed questions for us to consider and provide input to our international leaders, and report backs from various tables on the topics and ideas that they had. We could have gotten a lot of value out of that afternoon and instead it was for shopping, sightseeing and, in my case, finishing the script for our Traditional OVs.
While I am glad that I went and really learned a lot about the diversity of our Order and the views at the international level, I was left wanting more.
Next weekend, I am home getting paperwork done and to celebrate the holidays.
The first thing I learned is that southwest West Virginia, where we were, is not the area about which John Denver was singing. Evidently, you approach the Blue Ridge Mountains from the East side. That said, there were a fair number of beautiful natural sights. I especially enjoyed going over the bridge from Ohio to West Virginia and back where the two rivers forming the boundaries meet. It was pretty wow.
Another thing I learned, which was slightly less fun, was that all meals in West Virginia seem to need to involve either smoked meat or bacon or both. We had club sandwiches for lunch with smoked turkey and bacon. The dinner salad was a lettuce wedge with bacon and the dinner entree was a chicken leg wrapped in, wait for it . . . . bacon. The trouble for me is that I don't eat bacon. My dinner companion bravely threw himself on the grenade and ate the bacon off my salad, but when I asked the waitress if there was any chicken that was not wrapped in bacon, or something vegetarian I could get, she said that she would have to send downstairs to the restaurant for a different meal and it might take a while. I told her that I had no problem with waiting, since my choices were waiting or starving and eventually, I got a lovely plate of liguini with alfredo sauce. It had portobello mushrooms on top, from which my companion also had to protect me because I don't eat mushrooms, but he was up to the task and the pasta sauce was delicious. I was wondering if dessert was going to be bacon ice cream, but it turned out to be pineapple upside down cake.
But I was there for a meeting and gathering and before we got to the food, we had our morning meeting. We got lots of useful information about the plans at the international level for the next three years and then had some time to chat amongst ourselves. I have to admit that some of what I heard made me intensely grateful that I was from California.
I found out that in many Grand Jurisdictions, the lady doesn't get to choose her partner at all. In some cases, the Worthy Grand Matron two, three or even five years ahead of her chooses for her. In some cases, they are elected from the floor from candidates who are nominated on the floor that day. In some cases, they put in an intent to run and campaign during the year and then get elected from the floor. Wow!!! Of course, as they pointed out to me, many of their Jurisdictions are so small in size, that you know every single man that is eligible living in your state anyway, so no one that gets elected can be a stranger. In some states, people serve as a Grand Officer more than one time. Many of the ladies were jealous that I got to pick my man, but I think it works better if you want the heads of the Order to be a real team.
In one state, I found out that the man does five years, just like the lady does. In that state, the Associate Grand Conductress is elected from among the five Grand Star Point Officers and her man is the Grand Sentinel of her Grand Star Point year. Then as she goes through AGC and Grand Conductress, he serves as Grand Marshal and Grand Chaplain, to finally join her in the West and then in the East. So the Worthy Grand Matron only gets to pick eight officers and not ten, but she decides the man for her Grand Star Point officer, so she is picking both. Sweet California, wonderful California, I love you California.
On the other hand, the people from other jurisdictions were thankful that they were NOT from California when they heard what it costs to be an officer here. One of the topics we heard about was the Tri-Line dress that we are all supposed to buy and word on the street is that these dresses regularly run about $500 apiece. Some of the ladies were saying how much more that was than anything else they have to pay for, but I sort of shrugged. One of the ladies asked me about it and I said that my estimated budget for each of my Grand Officers was $1500 for clothes. When the shock had worn off just a little, they asked why and I explained about the multiple formals and outfits that we have in California. Most of them just buy one dress for the whole year. Then I explained that clothes weren't really a big ticket item in California because when your total year budget is $15,000 to $18,000 and you are spending $1000 a month on travel, the clothing costs are not the reason you say yes or no to serving. So now they are glad to be from where they are from.
My only disappointment was that we didn't do more when some of us had come so far and at such expense. Having spent over $900 on airfare, $250 on a hotel and fourteen hours of travel each way, I was sort of hoping for a little more meat on the bones, conference wise. We spent that Saturday morning going through stuff and then had lunch and then the entire afternoon was completely empty until dinner time, then we had dinner and entertainment and social time, but no other organized work. I would have liked to have seen us use that afternoon to have round table discussions on issues common to our jurisdictions and ideas that people have tried, table topic discussions with posed questions for us to consider and provide input to our international leaders, and report backs from various tables on the topics and ideas that they had. We could have gotten a lot of value out of that afternoon and instead it was for shopping, sightseeing and, in my case, finishing the script for our Traditional OVs.
While I am glad that I went and really learned a lot about the diversity of our Order and the views at the international level, I was left wanting more.
Next weekend, I am home getting paperwork done and to celebrate the holidays.
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