A Unique & Influential Teacher of Mine has Died

A teacher of mine just passed away at 100 years old. She was a remarkable woman and very much a groundbreaker for other women. This memorial posted on Facebook by Women Band Directors International speaks to Mrs. Wright's influence.

She provided incredible opportunities for her band students. I've marched on the racetrack of the Indianapolis 500 on race day, and visited seven countries, thanks to her leadership. 

Me, getting into a boat on a canal in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1974.

I've played my flute in Mexico, Canada, England, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland. I've played it in the World Music Festival in Steenwyk, Holland and still have the gold medal that we won for placing first. (We were one of ten high school bands from the United States that were invited to play in that competition.)

A newspaper clipping from my time in Steenwyk. I couldn't read it, but it was coverage of a horse show so of course I cut it out!

My senior year we were invited to be one of the bands at the grand opening of Disney World in Orlando, Florida. I skipped that trip as I was focusing more on vocal performance rather than flute.

And of course, due to the history of the Lafayette area and the fact that our high school was named after Willian Henry Harrison, 12th president of the United States and a key player in the Battle of Tippecanoe, we wore 18th century military uniforms and had a mounted dragoon. (Cee and me, white saddle pad, in middle.)

I've twirled a regular baton, I've twirled a musket, I've twirled a burning baton that was on fire at both ends. I've marched, twirled, and ridden in countless parades.

I was inducted into my high school's very first honors group for musicians, the Music Masters, thanks in part to Mrs. Wright's sponsorship.

Me, bottom right, Mrs. Wright top left, Mr. Barnard (vocal music teacher) bottom left. 

All these were opportunities that I was able to participate in because of Mrs. Wright. 

Her personal accomplishments outside of leading our high school band go on and on while her influence continued at my high school for several decades after I graduated.

As I look back now through my own lens of teaching experience, our approaches to teaching are strikingly different. But that doesn't make one right and the other wrong. She was distant but still approachable, and she got incredible music out of us, her students. (We even recorded a vinyl record album, 33 RPM, that I still have.)

Where we were similar in our teaching styles was that we worked to give our students opportunities to do things they might not otherwise get to do. Her opportunities tended to be traveling ones; mine were hands on - gyotaku with octopus, creating a Conflict museum, folding 1,000 paper cranes for peace, meeting Ebenezer Scrooge at a banquet, and more.

It's those opportunities at life and learning that a teacher gives their students that can influence and even change the life of a student. Gladys Wright was one of the best of the best at that. 

Thank you, Mrs. Wright. May you rest in peace.

No Regrets

As you probably know, I missed posting yesterday. I hope you saw my note that that might happen. I'm in the middle of a lot of tests, both here and in Indianapolis. The last is scheduled for June 17, so hopefully that will wrap all these appointments up and we will have some answers.

Tatanka is in his new home and proudly displayed in Sarah's home office. I think he looks really nice there!

I continue to be delighted that she wanted him and have no regrets about my decision to let her have him now rather than later. A bonus about an early pass-on is that I can enjoy seeing her enjoy it. Can't do that if I am gone!

Now here is something random. Music City Son Cole sent me this picture. Out of the blue and with no explanation.

Cole's text about it was as minimalist as the drawing! LOL

But the more I look at it, the more I see and appreciate the beauty in the simplicity. (And those short three words from Cole speak volumes to me - he took time from a busy day to send a photo of something he knew I would enjoy.)

That simplicity in the Picasso horse speaks to me, just as does the real, bought from his son Roger, Sam Savitt pencil drawing I have hanging here in my office.

I'd really hoped for a painting except that the price points on those were higher than I wanted to go. But just as I have no regrets about passing on Tatanka to Sarah, I have no regrets about purchasing this 8 x 10 pencil sketch. (I have another Sam Savitt hanging here in my office, but it is a copy, not the real deal. I love it, too.)

Another thing I have no regrets about? Sending Craig off on a trip west with Hawkeye Sarah!

They are heading to Idaho and she's taking him through some National Parks as they go! They will visit JC and his fiancé Jaycie (yep, they have the same first names!) in Rexburg and then come home, again, stopping at more parks along the way.

My turn comes next summer when she is taking me to Missouri to go see the Shawnee Creek herd of wild horses! A mother/daughter trip would be fun regardless, but throw in wild horses and I am already counting the days!

Staying with Millie and Molly

Note:
This was posted accidentally to Horsiemama instead of another blog, one that I started writing specifically for Pepper's handler, Sarah. Sarah was very sad when Pepper's Addison's Disease made it so that she could no longer work as a guide dog, and I thought a blog where I wrote about her former partner would make her smile and keep her posted as to how Pepper was doing in her new life as a pet. Entries are written in letter form and from Pepper's perspective. 

Dearest Mom,

I am sorry it has been a week since I last wrote you. I have been at Millie and Molly's house (which was an absolute blast) while Craig and Lynn went to Florida to visit Beach Son Kyle and his family. (Lynn says to be sure to tell you that he isn't really a beach bum or anything. She just makes up names to go along with where her kids live. Music City Son Cole lives in Nashville, Denver Daughter is Sarah who lives in Colorado, and so on.)

Anyway! Staying with Lisa and the girls was fun. I loved having a doggy door where I could run in and out at will. I asked Lynn to put one into our house, but she said that it wasn't a good idea since our yard is not fenced in. Doggone it!

 Millie is the queen of the house and so I let her get into my bed and try it out. (Photo of Millie in the princess and the pea stacked beds and all comfy while Pepper stands next to her and looks up at Lisa who is holding the camera.)

I didn't mind if she slept in my bed - that meant there was more room for me in Lisa's bed!

Photo of Pepper sprawled on the comforter among the pillows. Molly can be seen sitting on the floor in the background.

Sometimes Millie and I both stretched out on the living room floor to snooze. Here we are side by side, but her nose is facing right while mine is facing left. My favorite toy, my rope tug, is handy nearby.

Lynn packed my antler in my travel tub and I spent a lot of time gnawing it. I like to lie on my back, legs akimbo, and chew, chew, chew with it held between my front paws. Do you like this picture Lisa snapped of me doing just that? Oh, that's Molly you can partially see.

Sometimes I didn't want to share my toys. Being a smart girl, I figured out that if I lay on them, like I am doing here on my rope tug, then Millie couldn't grab it. (Funny thing about Millie, she never plays with any toys. Ever! But now she seems to want mine. What is that all about?)

How do you like my Christmas collar? It has peppermints on it - get it? Peppermints for Pepper! Lynn got it for me from Serendipity, an Etsy shop who gives part of their proceed to support guide dogs like me.

Lisa is a teacher and she gets home around 4:30. If I thought she wasn't petting me enough, I'd put my head on the couch, just like in this photo, and give her my puppy eyes. Worked like a charm on her!

Lisa took Molly and me out for a walk every day in the evening. (Millie went separately after us; she can't walk nearly as far as the two of us as she is elderly.) I loved getting to be with Molly. She's really nice, and she told me a little bit about her previous home before she became an Isenbarger. It was a sad story, and she is very scared, especially of men, as a result. But Lisa makes her feel very safe and she is so happy to live with her. I like Molly; she's very sweet, and I keep inviting her to play with me. Maybe someday she will!

Much as I loved my visit, I missed Lynn and Craig. They actually came home a day early; usually it takes them two days to drive to Florida, but they wanted to get home to me so they drove it all in one day. They were very tired, but we were glad to be reunited. I wagged, and licked, and practically danced around them when they walked in the door!

This last photo is of me at home again at last. I have climbed up onto the princess and the pea bed (a stack of Millie, Molly, and my beds) which is my favorite place to sleep. It was good to get home with my family and settle in.

Well, Craig is calling me. He walks me twice a day (and Lynn will take me once, so I get three walks a day!) I love you, Mom, but you know that exercise is important, so I had better answer Craig's call.

Love, licks, and wags,

Peppermint

Kentucky Again!

I'm on the road again. This time I am heading to Florida with Craig to visit Kyle and his family. Addie is being baptized on Saturday and we want to be there for that.

I always ask my kids if I can bring them anything. Kyle asked for a cherry pie.

 So, I made two.

I don't think he really expected me to do so, but I know he loves pie and so he got some!

We started the day already tired. Tuesday night we always serve in the Indianapolis temple, and we'd driven the hour home after that and gotten to bed around midnight. Then, we were up at 5:30 to pack the car and start the long drive. We got away at 6:50 AM, a little later than we had hoped.

For the third time this summer, I  was in my favorite state!

Kentucky!!

We had to pass through it again as we drove down 65. We were not in a horsey part of the state (although we did pass Churchill Downs), but I was still happy to be back in Kentucky again.

Our trip took us through Nashville, Tennessee, and by Murfreesboro where Cole and Emily live.

Nashville. Cole works somewhere in that urban jungle.

We told Cole and Emily that we would stop in on our way back home for a visit. Kyle's home in St. Augustine is about ten hours beyond Cole's, and we felt it better to push on now while still relatively fresh.

Our drive down was uneventful, but the conversation and company were good! We arrived at 10:40 PM, so it took us sixteen hours. We stopped to say "hi" to Kyle and Ashley (the kids were in bed) and  have some cherry pie, and then headed to the motel. 

A shower and quick unpack, and I crawled into bed at midnight. Looking forward to seeing the kids in the morning!