Souvenirs #SOLSC24 31/31

On this the last day of the 2024 SOLSC I’m thinking about souvenirs. Wearing our Route 66 caps. These were $7.99 a piece in Oatman. On Day 22 Kim Johnson and Denise Krebs commented on my post That’s Not the Right Church after reading about my husband’s reaction to seeing a gift shop. Kim observed…

Dribble #SOLSC24 30/31

Last night I laid my head on my pillow and heard an echo, the sound of basketballs smacking a gym floor, each searching for net, some kissing orange rims, many slapping the rim and rejecting the invitation to swoosh through the net before smacking the ground in a disappointing thud. Yesterday I listened to the…

Non-scriptural Handwriting #SOLSC24 29/31

A ten-hour drive in a rickety van that occasionally broke down during trips to college debate tournaments necessitated finding ways to entertain ourselves in the late 1970s and early 1980s before smartphones or even iPods were part of Steve Jobs’s imagination. We performed van olympics, rewrote hymns, practiced our speeches, did homework occasionally, and composed…

Self-Appendectomy #SOLSC24 Day 28/31

Yesterday my friend Barb wrote about things she dislikes doing. Her post struck a chord, especially following two conversations I had Wednesday morning with the medical community. I dislike having to talk to anyone in the medical community. They often fail to follow through on requests or completely misinterpret the patient. At my March 13…

Carrying Books #SOLSC24 Day 27/31

I feel naked whenever I leave the house without a book in hand. Will readers I encounter give me the stink eye if they spot me without a book? Did I develop this book-carrying habit/addiction as a church-going child who carried my bible every Sunday to church and to Wednesday night prayer service? Most importantly,…

Antiquated #SOLSC24 26/31

The phone rang. I noticed the call because my watch notified me. Caller i.d. informed me it’s Val, my district’s substitute teacher coordinator. Correction: I have the sub system in my contacts as Substitute Calling System (Val). It’s an antiquated system begging to be replaced, but I answered the phone since experience has taught me…

Grandpa’s Favorites #SOLSC24 Day 25/31

I was my Grandpa Cowen’s favorite granddaughter. I know this because my cousin John told me so many years ago after grandpa shared this secret with him and told John he was the favorite grandson. Verdi River in Clarkdale, Arizona. John and I revisited this anecdote and others last week when we met up in…

Skywalkers #SOLSC24 24/31

We’re doing the Skywalk. Ken announced as I exited the restroom at Grand Canyon West on the Hualapai Reservation. Okay. Whatever you want, I said. Until Friday evening the Skywalk had been at the top of our *to do* list for our spring break roadtrip, but last night Ken made a discovery that nearly derailed…

That’s Not the Right Church #SOLSC24 22/31

Babe, I screwed up. Those were my first words to my husband Thursday morning. What did you do? That church across the street is not the right one, I explained. Sunset view of the church across the street from our hotel. What do you mean it’s not the right one? It’s not San Xavier mission.…

Questionable Cause of Death #SOLSC24 21/31

After his hanging for a botched robbery resulting in the death of four Bisbee, Arizona citizens, John Heith was sentenced to life in prison. The citizens of Bisbee and Tombstone did not like Heith’s lenient sentence, so a mob raided the jail where Heith was being held and forced the jailer to relinquish the accused…