A Big Change May Be Coming

Yesterday began very early for me. Kathy was on assignment from the Indiana Department of Education and heading out to observe two teachers who were finalists for Indiana's 2025 Teacher of the Year. She and another former Indiana Teacher of the Year were meeting at the halfway point between their homes in Kokomo and Kathy asked if I would drive her there to meet the other teacher.

I am always happy to give Kathy a ride. Kokomo is an hour away so that gave us lots of time to catch up as we drove. Icing on the cake? Tate came along, too!

I brought one of my sewing machines along - there is an excellent shop in Kokomo that services sewing machines, and my embroidery machine had not had a tune up for two years.

And... er... um... I may have bought myself a new sewing machine while I was there, too.

I have been using a Janome Memory Craft 3000 since 1999. I bought Hawkeye Sarah the same machine as a gift, fell in love with it myself, and bought me one, too. That was 26 years ago.

Here is a clue as to just how old my Janome is:

It was one of Janome's very first computerized machines! Now they all are and it is no big deal, but in 1999, that was a real selling point for this machine.

I have never regretted that purchase, and in the 26 years I've had it with countless hours of near-daily sewing, I have never, ever had a problem with it. Not. One. Single. Time. 

Until a few weeks ago.

I sat down, powered it up, slipped some fabric under the needle, and stepped on the foot pedal. There was a loud SCREECH and then the machine stitched normally the rest of that day.

The same thing happened the next morning - SCREECH and then sewing normally. And again and again. Now it is an expected part of beginning to sew every day.

I've looked at new sewing machines before, mostly out of curiosity, but I never bought another one because I liked my Janome 3000 so much. It's been a workhorse in every sense of the word.

But, since I was in the shop to drop off my embroidery machine, and because I know and trust the folks who run the shop, I asked about getting a new machine. I explained what I had and how reluctant I was to replace it, and, so they'd know what I might need, I told them about the constant sewing I do, mostly for 18th century events but for other things, too. 

Believe it or not, the Janome 3000 has been so reliable and such a best seller, that there is an updated iteration of it on the market. I looked at it and several others, and then I took the plunge and looked at the professional grade sewing machines. One was $30,000 - not for me! But several were more in my budget, and I sat down at one and discussed it with the owner of the shop.

I really liked it plus it was on sale, and the owner knocked the price down even more for me. I'm thinking about it and when I go back to Kokomo to pick up my embroidery machine, I'm going to take another look and let them know my decision.

In the meantime, I am using my Janome 3000 despite the initial screech when she starts up and it is still stitching things out beautifully.

Ian's shirt for this year's Feast. 

A trade shirt to sell in an unusual all-red block print.

The sleeve buttons in its sleeves.

Another just finished trade shirt

with sleeve buttons. (I am discontinuing the horn and bone buttons, although I will still put those on a shirt upon request.)

It feels a little sad to look at these and realize that they may be some of the last things I make on my Janome. I've created so much on it over the years - prom and bridesmaid gowns, jammies, clothing for the kids, quiet books, pillow cases, haversacks and 18th century clothing, wedding dress jackets and sashes, workshop items for Breyer, mending, alterations... the list goes on and on. (I've even made a Christmas jacket for Nacho, Kathy's previous guide dog, to wear to a holiday appearance!)

The decision is not yet final, but I am leaning towards buying that professional grade Janome machine. The possibilities of what I could do with it are so exciting.

Boy howdy, stay 'tooned on this one for sure!

Guide Dogs are Incredible

Second Post of the Day

Guide Dogs are incredible. They are attuned to their partners and form a very, very close bond with them. And when that partner needs some extra help, they take care of them well.

Kathy sent me this picture of herself with Tate yesterday. He is out of harness, and so that means he can play, meet and greet other people, and simply relax. Clearly he also takes that seriously, although at 100 lbs, snuggling into her lap ::OOF!!:: is a bit of a stretch! 

She recently posted this snippet on social media about a recent time where he took care of her. She knew something was up, but trusted Tate to keep her safe. It was only later when onlookers told her what had happened that she realized just how well he had cared for her.

Here is her account of the incident:

Good boy, Tate. Very, very good boy. 

And as I sit at my desk writing, I glance down at my own partner, retired for years, but who continues to stay close to me throughout the day every day, just in case I need her.

Like I said, Guide Dogs are incredible.

It's the Size of the Heart, Not the Body

Special Note: Don't miss the Breyer Second Chance sale today at 1:00 Eastern Time! It's for those who had VIP, All-Access, and Online tickets to this year's BreyerFest.

Ticket holders can purchase up to two Special Runs along with special, BreyerFest only, tee shirts, a mug, and other things.

I am looking for the crystal, Fortitude, so you can bet I have got my alarm set.

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There are three Guide Dogs, all Labrador Retrievers, in this photo (and one something-doodle. Look closely.) All three who are trained to do the same thing, all who performed well and made differences in their partners' lives. And all very different size-wise. 

Pepper is quite petite for a Lab and is on the couch next to Marianne. Nacho is the yellow Lab on the bottom right. He is retired and lives with Marianne and Bill, Kathy's parents. Nacho is a medium sized Lab.

By Marianne's feet is Tate, Kathy's current Guide. And he is absolutely enormous.

Just look at that massive head!

Pepper and Tate nose to nose.

Kathy and Tate when they were first paired together.

Kathy and Nacho when he was her guide. He is brilliant and to watch him in action was, at times, jaw dropping. There were times Kathy had no idea what challenge he had guided her around or through until someone who had seen it happen told her.

Kathy, Nacho, and I being interviewed by Korean radio station eBUSAN-FM. Culturally, blind people and others with disabilities are not considered as someone who can contribute much to Korean society. 

Interested in exploring that and maybe even changing that perception, the radio station was doing a series investigating how other cultures treated their disabled. They had flown two reporters to the USA to interview Kathy about being a teacher who was blind. I was invited to offer my perspective as her colleague.

Nacho, of course, did his usual exceptional job of getting Kathy there for the interview. He made a striking impression on the interviewers as to what a Guide could and would do in facilitating a blind person's abilities and empowering them for the work force.

Originally this blog post was going to be a humorous look at the size difference between the three dogs. But as I wrote, I was struck again at how much these three dogs, regardless of their physical size, have contributed - both to the person they were partnered with and to those that their partner impacted in turn.

In Kathy's case, it was hundreds of high school students early in her career, and then later it has been as she oversees, instructs, and mentors 75 - 100 new teachers annually. Both Nacho and Tate facilitated that along with Elias and several other Guides before them.

Kathy and Elias at the White House after meeting with President Obama (and Bo, who shared his water bowl with Elias.)

For Pepper, she enabled Sarah to get her doctorate in divinity and become a minister, then guided her as she ministered to her congregation at her church. 

Pepper meeting Sarah's mother, Cindy for the first time. 

More than once Pepper has gotten all "guide-doggy" with me. "The smoke alarm is ringing; get out of the house!" "There is a car coming and you are too slow to beat it across the street so I am going to stand in front of you so you can't move forward. There, it's passed by us. You may cross the street, Lynn."

Clearly, the size of the Guide doesn't matter - it's the heart they have and how much they love and want to protect their partner from harm.

Guide dogs' hearts are huge. They make a difference in many, many ways. How lucky our society is to have them out and about, making life better. And not just for their partner, but for us all.

As Kathy once said, "Two (feet) + Four (paws) = 1 (heart.)

How right she was.

Sick

I'm not feeling well this morning. I got up and took my friend Kathy to the clinic at 7:00 this morning and when I came home after her appointment, I was feeling quite ill. Luckily Kathy and I were both masked up so I am hopeful she will not get sick, too.

Getting to sit with Tate in the waiting room is always a plus when I take her to the clinic! I don't pet him or interact with him because he is still in harness and working, but with him under my chair, my ankles and legs get a little Tate contact!

Anyway, no post today - I'm going back to bed.

Stay 'tooned for that post on the Freeman Leidy mystery tomorrow or maybe even Thursday depending on how long I feel so sick.

.

A Morning with Models/An Afternoon with Kathy

There was even MORE rain yesterday (and it is spattering against my window as I type this morning) but I still got a lot accomplished.

The morning was a model horse one coupled with some sewing. I got the show drape for Midwest Mini Mayhem finished and ready for a final pressing.

Shannon asked for blue and I had several shades in stock. Thinking of those teeny, tiny models and how hard they can be to see, I went for a lighter one. I recorded all measurements in one of my sewing sketchbooks (where I draw diagrams and figure out measurements when I am drafting a pattern) as I've learned that you never know when you might be asked to revisit a project and make it again.

Breyer Boot Camp is getting ready to begin. Entries are being accepted and the galleries open for entry April 26. That's when my work begins; I am one of the stewards for this show.

Liz Cory and Jamie Rott have been introducing the judges and the stewards on the Breyer Boot Camp Facebook page and my turn came up.

I will be stewarding the OF Foals and OF Light Divisions this year. It's a lot of fun and something I can do from home any hour of the day. If I find an entrant has made an error in the formatting of their entry or put their model in the wrong class, then I work with the shower to get their entry corrected and ready to be judged. 

Just before lunch, I hopped in my car and drove around the corner to pick up my friend, Kathy, and her guide, Tate. She had been invited to come to Kentland, Indiana and speak at the elementary school there about guide dogs, asking me to join her.

I've driven her to speaking engagements many times, and while she uses Tate to get around safely, my role is to do what Tate cannot - tell her where the microphone is, how close she is to the audience, when the audience is coming in and about how big it is, and more. I also make sure she has a chair if one is not provided, watch her purse and coat if she asks, and keep my eyes open if other dogs are around.

The school was having a "Doggy Day" and had invited other service, therapy, and performing dogs to visit throughout the day. A group of dogs were in the gym on the other side of ours and we could occasionally hear that group barking while Kathy spoke.

Chill guide that he is, Tate was unfazed by their noise, even when one handler opened the door, walked her dog through the gym while Kathy was speaking, then proceeded to walk back through and out!

Kathy could tell that another dog was in the room and turned and asked me about it. I confirmed that there was and reassured her that I had been keeping an eye on it. Tate had seen the other dog, too, but he continued to ignore it. (I once saw the handler of a therapy dog ignore Kathy's repeated requests to keep her therapy dog back because Nacho was in harness and working. A distracted guide compromises Kathy's own safety. That handler boldly ignored those requests because "my dog needs to meet other dogs. It's good for him." It was incredibly thoughtless and very irresponsible.) 

 

Anyway! She first spoke with a large group of first and second graders and then one of fourth and fifth graders. 

I think it was quite eye opening for the students to see a guide dog work but also to discover that Kathy was a teacher despite her blindness. The older group asked her some very well thought out questions about how she was able to call on kids if she could not see their hands up, what Tate did while she taught, how she got around her classroom safely, etc.

After her second presentation, Kathy and Tate had a very touching and meaningful moment. A fifth grade girl was in the audience, and, just as had happened to Kathy at the same age, she was losing her eyesight and would eventually be totally blind. Her teacher asked if we could stay and meet her.

E's face lit up when Kathy came over and sat down on the bleacher next to her.

While Kathy did a lot of listening, she also answered a lot of E's questions about being blind. E was learning to read Braille and had attended a summer camp at the Indiana School for the Blind, but she was still very new to the process of losing her vision.

Kathy took Tate's harness off so that E could pet and explore him. I didn't get a picture of it, but he licked her hand, smothering it in kisses (which delighted E.)

Always, always teaching and aware of the needs of the students around her, Kathy had E help her figure out the gift the school gave her to thank her for coming. (Kathy is reading the Braille on the tee shirt in this photo.)

Using her new Braille skills, E told her that it was a heart with the alphabet in Braille running around its perimeter. It was a really cool gift and, as Kathy said, "I can't tell one tee shirt from another in my drawer at home. But I'll always know when I am wearing this one!"

 Traveling with Kathy is always awesome. We taught together before I retired, we are neighbors, and she is one of my closest friends. Never does she fail to leave a place better than it was before she came - that's just the kind of person she is.

But to watch her reach out to E, engage her in a successful activity like that, and offer her a vision of life where blindness is not a detriment, where life can be full and happy, and show her by example that there are opportunities that may look like hurdles but that can be overcome...

Kathy made a big difference in someone's life that afternoon. 

And I was lucky to be present and witness it unfold.

News of All Kinds & a Question at the End

Good News! 

Mountain Mama's family have plane tickets to come for Thanksgiving! From a real ticket site this time and not from scammers! Our family is thrilled that they will be joining us after all. (And I am looking around at my house and realizing that I'd better get some cleaning done!)

Not Good News 

After a three month hiatus and settling back into my normal life's routines, I had two migraines yesterday. I had suspected that this might happen as a few of the symptoms had recently resurfaced, but I was hoping I was not going back into the daily migraine(s), droopy face/speech issues, and lack of hand coordination routine again. That was a seven months that I'd rather not repeat, but in reality I had suspected that whatever this is would ultimately return. 

Fingers crossed that the recent symptoms are just a fluke. Prayers and good thoughts are welcome and appreciated!

Helping News 

My friend and former teaching colleague, Kathy, became ill and asked me to take her to the doctor. She brought her guide dog, Tate with her, but left him with me in the waiting room while she saw the doctor.

I always love to spend time with a guide dog - they are the smartest of the smart, passing many tiers of intelligence tests before qualifying to be trained as a guide. They are even taught "intelligent disobedience," which means that they will refuse to do something that puts them and their blind partner in harm's way. (Such as refusing to go forward into the path of an oncoming car.)

Tate slipped under my chair as trained and I pulled out my Kindle to read while we waited.

Except that there was a bit of a problem. Tate is one of the biggest Labrador Retrievers I've ever seen and he needed two chairs in order to fit underneath as his training dictated. 

He shifted around quite a bit before he was happy that he was finally completely underneath. It was sweet and funny at the same time. Good dog, Tate!

Celebratory News

Speaking of guide dogs, our dog Pepper retired from her guiding partnership and came to live with us four years ago October 30.

She's an amazing dog and is very bonded to me now. Guide dogs are trained to focus on and be with one person, and while she loves Craig, I am the one she has transferred that strong allegiance to and keeps tabs on.

Even now, at 5:00 AM, she has followed me upstairs and is lying by me as I write. Trained as Tate was, she used to go under my desk while I worked, but I retrained her that it was okay to be next to me instead. There just wasn't room under my desk for a stretched out, snoozing Lab and my feet together!

Happy Anniversary, Pepper. I cannot imagine life without you. 

Horsey News - Can You Help?

Did you know there are wild horses in Missouri? I did not until yesterday. Hawkeye Daughter Sarah, a wildlife photographer, is going there next week to photograph them and asked me for information about them.

Since I don't know anything about them, I'm reaching out here. If you do, or have links to information about them, please send them to me at horsiemama8@gmail.com. Thanks!

Retirement & New Beginnings

My friend Kathy had to retire her guide, Nacho, this spring after six years of faithful guiding and leading. This was a big deal in our community. 

Since Kathy is the administrator of the school corporation's mentor program for new teachers, she and Nacho are in every school building (all twenty of them!) throughout the year. As a result, Nacho is well known and quite beloved by students, teachers, and staff alike. Several teachers put their heads together and decided to hold a retirement party for Nacho. 

Pepper was invited to come, and so Teacher Daughter Lisa, Pepper, and I joined the throngs to thank him for his service and have our picture taken with him.

There was a yummy cake for the adults 

and one just for Nacho, both baked by the head chef of the high school culinary school.

Kathy and Nacho do a lot of public speaking outside of school and around the community, and so his retirement even made the news.

As you might imagine, Nacho's retirement was very bittersweet for Kathy. Their lives were so interwoven, she even wrote an insightful book called Two Plus Four Equals One about her relationship with her guides. But it was time, and so Nacho is now living with Kathy's parents. (Kathy's parents live a few blocks from her so she sees her beloved boy often.)

Meet Tate, Kathy's new guide. A big, strapping two year old black Lab, Guiding Eyes for the Blind matched the two in April and she traveled out to New York for several weeks of training with Tate. (The matching process is lengthy and detailed, but Guiding Eyes for the Blind works hard to match the personalities and needs of both partners.) 

Look at those jowls!! Kathy and Tate meet for the first time.

He is a massive boy. 

Kathy and Tate learning to work together in New York City.

After a week of letting Tate settle into his new home and routine, Kathy texted and invited me to come over and meet him. She asked that I bring Pepper, too.

Both black Labs, but look at the size difference. 

They got along well, but I think Pepper was a little intimidated by him. 

Meanwhile, Nacho is thoroughly enjoying his retirement. I see him frequently when he is out walking with one of Kathy's parents, and he's even been over for a play date with Pepper.

Tate, Nacho, and Pepper are getting together tomorrow for a field trip with Kathy. She is taking the dogs (and her mom and me) out to a local school to read with a group of second graders.

That is something Pepper is familiar with and enjoys. Last week she went into Teacher Daughter Lisa's classroom and was read to by her students.

As you can tell, Pepper enjoys that!

It's the end of the school year and graduations and other retirements are happening. But there are also new beginnings, and Kathy and Tate's partnership is just that.

I look forward to seeing this partnership grow and thrive.