Ohio Trip—the MFHS Alumni Banquet

After our naps, we got ready for the MFHS Alumni Banquet.

Again this year, I bought my blue tops at the thrift store.  Even had a friend along, who helped with advice.
My pants were on sale from Penney’s, and I should be able to wear them to work as well.

My mom said I looked nice enough for the dinner.  She still thinks like the daughter is a reflection on her as a mother.

I promised no speech this year, I was going to just enjoy.

We used Mom’s car because of her Handicap tag.  She’s had it for a few years now, ever since she tripped in the garden and broke her ankle.  She still has pins in there, which makes it interesting for Security at the airport.

It turned out to be useless.  Even though we were 40 minutes early, all the handicapped parking places were taken.  Using her cane, Mom was able to walk several extra steps from the spot where she did park.
Going inside, David said he felt like he was visiting an old folks home.

I noticed that the new planning committee had asked for the tables to be rearranged.  Instead of a few long tables, and a large area for dancing, there were smaller tables, with breaks in between.
The walking space was wide enough to accommodate walkers and wheelchairs.  The area for dancing was less than half it had been in years past, even though the band is booked until Midnight.

The name tags were in alphabetical order, rather than by year of graduation.  I had to look over the whole table to find anybody else from my class.  There were two others.
Whew! there have been times when I am the only member.

Anita and Diane, MFHS Class of 1974

my brother, David MFHS Class of 1993

from here, either my hands or the camera went terribly wrong
the rest of the pictures that evening are blurry and dark

Each seat had a program for the evening’s activities, a school historical story page, and a beautiful 2-sided color copies of pictures taken from an airplane of the new educational complex and the football stadium.

I was impressed with how much attention to detail was going on!
The new committee definitely jumped in with spirit!

The buffet food was quite tasty, as usual.
We moved through quickly, with plenty for all.

The program included a speech from the current superintendent of schools.  He’s a fella who graduated with my sister Denise, so I still want to call up stories of the old days.
No way, teenager is hard enough the first time around.

One of my favorite parts is the Roll Call of classes.
We stand up when our year of graduation is spoken.  There were soooo many members from classes in the 1950s.

The oldest guy there was from the Class of 1935, and a special award went to a guy who has had Alumni Banquet Perfect Attendance for 63 years.

The 50 year class donation contributed for a room at the new high school building.  I hope really comfortable chairs are installed.  I’ve worked some time in our high school here, and I can tell ya, the seats can give quite a backache.

We finished the evening with singing the Alma Mater song, written in the 1930s.  It’s a good thing the words were printed in the program, and we sang without instrumental accompaniment.

The band was warming up, but we usually don’t stay to dance.

Since her eye surgery last fall, Mom isn’t allowed to drive after sundown.  David drove us home using her car and gas.

Back at the house, I pulled out my knitting loom (whaat!—you thought I had left it behind?) and worked on an adult size hat while we were watching tv.  We all love NUMB3Rs.  Both Mom and David took quite an interest in the looping and hook.

They went off to their beds.  Since I was on the couch, I stayed up until I tied off the completed hat.  I left it lying on the coffee table.

In the morning, I find Mom on the back porch in her robe, with the new hat on her head.  She said it was nice to keep away the chill, and she should be able to use it next winter while she is shoveling snow, and can she keep it?
Well, yeah, I made it to give away, so I can give it to you.

Sleeping that night was difficult.
Mom’s house is on the side of a hill, and the front picture window is big and the curtains are not used often enough to be reliable.  The full moon began shining on my face at about 1:30am.  I changed ends of the couch, so that position worked for an hour and a half, until the moon came round again.

Also, Mom has 7 clocks which make noise.
The Tick-Tocking is worse than the alligator in Peter Pan.  The cuckoo calls the number on the hour, and one at the half hour.  The kitchen clock has seagulls and a foghorn.  Something in the dining room plays The Dance of the Sugar Plum fairy.

AarrrgggHh!!!

Plus, I’d had been gone almost 3 days, I was missing Husband.
If I’m gonna be awake in the middle of the night, I should be able to hear him breathing beside me.  Maybe wake him up for something more interesting than a cuckoo clock.

Sometimes I wonder about me….

~~love and Huggs, Diane

 

 

 

 

 

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