I’m A Clubwoman

I admit that when I last tried to post, on November 3, nothing went right with the blog software. I gave up and then life got very busy So here is a short recap of the last 10 weeks of 2009, and a deep breath for a Happy New Year 2010.

This past Saturday, I and three of my fellow club board women attended a most thought provoking and practical seminar on fund raising for non-profit boards. The seminar was sponsored by our local Peace and Justice Action League, PJAL.

Summer is ending and I am just now getting to work on some nagging old clubhouse projects. A one hundred year old building always needs work and work is therapy for my soul [Repeat this mantra].

I have a list of things to do, and a list of things that need to be done, and then the real list of things that must be done. And always the balancing act of finding joy in what I do, so I can do it.

I have a handicapping genetic condition that requires constant maintenance and tuning of my reluctant body or I don’t get to play. I am accustomed to rapidly adapting to my circumstances, but I do not like to learn new routines as they confuse me. But that’s my life.

The NUSA [Neighborhoods USA] conference is coming to Spokane May 20-23.  The “big event” of the conference is the Best Neighborhood of the Year award, which is, wonderfully, not all about trimmed bushes and flowers all in a row.  The Woman’s Club of Spokane clubhouse will be a destination of one 13 scheduled PrideTours which [...]

The Woman’s Club clubhouse and my home are in a very low income neighborhood. I planted daffodils in a bleak spot at the base of the side steps to the clubhouse. A local elderly woman who walks her dog that way everyday stopped to chat as I planted them last November.

It is almost time for Earth Day, April 22. April showers and snow and hail have delayed me but there is so much to do weather or not I want to. My IRS personal taxes are done, whew, but I had to do an extension on our family business corporation taxes. It’s so hard to stay inside now that Spring finally beckons, but I must try to find a balance.

Family, business, and Woman’s Club must-do activities have all converged early in this month of March.

My son, Ryan, is returning to the USA today and moving home to Spokane next week. He has been teaching English and American culture to preschoolers and Kindergartners in Japan and Korea since June 2005. Yesterday I went to the hardware store to get an extra house key made for him. While I was there I saw these colored key rings.

Yesterday, Valentines Day, was our monthly club meeting and as always ‘twas a bit miserable. I think most club members realize that I have a genetic disability [I use a cane] but few know how much I would rather be standing up and moving. Sitting is bad; I must move to stay comfortable.

My family moved to Spokane, WA in November 2003. We bought a 100 year old fixer-upper house in Historic Cannon’s Addition, in June, 2004, to use as our home and office. GFWC Woman’s Club of Spokane’s beautiful historic clubhouse is just around the corner and a bit from my home.

My mentor, Lois Handsaker was a charismatic elder Friend [Quaker] in my Monthly Meeting.  I met Lois when I was 11 years old.  I was 24, and with her, when she had her first stroke.  A mentor is not always a comfortable or a perfect person.  Lois was a difficult person to know, but I [...]