Party Time

Being an ignorant buffoon can be difficult at times. There are a few upsides though. If people realize you aren't the brightest bulb in the box, they have a tendency to not expect too much from you. Plus you can usually get some kind soul to help you out in your time of need. Such was the case today when I couldn't remember how to download my pictures onto a flash drive so I could come up to the library and do this blog. Fortunately, family friend and Stanford grad, or is it Stamford grad, well, whatever she is, Candy is really intelligent and she was kind enough to help me. I really appreciate the fact that she is so patient too. I know that I have a tendency to try even the most docile teacher who ever lived. I just don't pick up on things too quickly. Anyway, I got the help I needed and was successful in getting the pictures I wanted for this blog.

Back on the tenth of this month we had an open house. It's been an annual event for awhile now, though last year we didn't do it for some reason. I'm always surprised at how many people show up. This year we had 49. There would have been more but several folks were sick, and a handful didn't have access to a babysitter. Several years ago we had over 70 visitors. That was a blast!We don't do anything special- buy a bunch of food and open the doors- and here they come. Kind of like Ghengis Khan, only they're welcome here. Everyone seems to have a good time. It gets pretty hot and noisy in the house, and I always secretly hope that the floor joists don't buckle under all the weight, but once again they held up so I was pretty happy. We didn't even have to clean up any coffee or punch off the carpet. An added bonus. We had a handful of new teachers show up. I was hoping to get to know them better, but they moved out of the kitchen area and I didn't want to be too far removed from the food, so I still don't know who they are.

My good friend Jim Carey caught a ride in from Game Creek with someone just so he could come to the party. In a few months he will be 89, so I was really stoked that he chose to endure the trip during a very cold spell just to be there. He used to work as an illustrator for General Dynamics prior to moving to the farm in the eighties. Until recently he gathered Bear Breads, a fungus that grows on the old growth trees, and painted them white. Then after they dried he would paint diffent scenes on them. Everything from eagles and bears to fellows out fishing in the streams. He sold them at Tideland and I think some of the tourist shops in Juneau. They're really beautiful. I love talking to him because he has such a positive attitude. I guess opposites attract. He's so much like a child in the way he views things. He sees the beauty in everything. He's got a great sense of humor too. I was joking with him at the Thanksgiving dinner at Game Creek several years ago. He was drinking a second glass of punch and I asked him if he felt like he could handle it. " I'm an overcomer Tom!" he said. That was a word we heard a lot of out on the farm in the early years.
It's always a scramble at the end of the evening when folks decide to leave. As you can see, there's an abundance of boots and jackets here in the foyer. I ran to the church and grabbed extra hangers, and pulled all of our coats out of the closet to make room. There's still mass confusion when people are looking for their stuff, but I guess everyone left with what they came with. It never fails though, after the smoke cleared, aside from some left over Little Smokies, chips,crackers and broccoli spears, we had two canvas bags and a metal tray with Santa Claus on it. I tried to give away the stuff to who we thought it belonged to, but no such luck, so I guess I have to make some more room in the house. All in all though it was a delightful time and I hope we can do it again next year.

On a different note: I spoke to Gene the technician who is supposed to set up the Hughes Net sattelite for us. I hadn't heard from him for a week or so- I knew he was waiting for a replacement for his direction finder which had been stolen. When I called, he told me that he recieved the equipment, but then he suffered a small stroke. What are the odds? Of course I can't very well start bothering him about setting up my sattelite now. I'd be the hands down jerk of Hoonah if he was climbing on my roof and fell off because I wanted the stupid internet set up. Soooo... I guess I'll just wait and see what happens. There's never a dull moment in Bottsville.