The Big Yellow Rope

Hopefully everyone knows what the big yellow rope looks like. this is a photo with some of the clowns holding on to the rope. There are also the places for others to hold. Now where do you suppose those clowns have gone!??

The other photo is "Joytoo" after she evolved from the shy 3 year old into a tomboy. Thus the bibbies and sneakers!

The Saga of "Joytoo"

This is aother story that is out of sequence. I ran into an old friend this past week and these memories surfaced so here they are.

I was sitting in the choir loft at church in late August 1991, listening to the sermon. The pastor was talking about a program that a local hospital had initiated. It was called The Clown Connection.

Little bells went off in my head, letting me know I should check out this program. I did check it out. The hospital had a new session beginning in September. So I signed up. We would be meeting weekily in the chapel at the hospital. The class was called "Introduction to Spiritual Growth and Hospital Visitation." The first part of the name is accurate but I am not sure about the last part. We would be receiving 100 hours of training over a two-year period.

The first class occurred at a very good time for me. It was the week after I was fired from my job.

The people who did most of the teaching/training were Tom, the head of the hospital chaplaincy (we referred to him as our clown "Papa,") and Kay was our clown "Mama." There was another person or two who also were active in our training.

We were told to visualize our clown in one class. Each one of us went to a different spot in the chapel. We closed our eyes to meditate on who our clown would be. When we came back together, we discussed our clowns. When I said my clown's name was "Joy," one of the other ladies looked so disappointed because her clown was named "Joy," also. I told her not to worry about it. Her clown could be "Joy" and my clown name would be "Joytoo." And that is the way it was.

I visualized a polka dot dress, white tights, lacy white anklets and black Mary Jane shoes. "Joytoo" is a redhead, wearing a red yard wig with a poolka dot ribbon in her hair. She is a bashful 3-year-old.

We were the second class to graduate with the 100 hours of training. We were trained to visit patients in the hospital. Then after the visit we were to write a "verbatim" - everything we said and the patient said. Then we'd talk about how the visit turned out and what could make it better. I never felt comfortable visiting patients and I hated writing the "verbatim."

We also marched in the Freedom Festival Parade, volunteered at Fun Fest, visited nursing homes, marched at the parade at Brandon Days, and helping with church services. We even went to Des Moines as a group where the hospital was going to talk about what the program was doing, etc. When we went places as a group, we were to hang on to a large yellow rope- just like pre-schoolers or kindergartners when they take a field trip. We behaved worse that the little kids. When we didn't hang on to the rope, we'd wander off to talk to people - and it was always hard to get us all back together!

It was interesting driving in clown makeup. Either people smiled and waved or else they quickly looked away. Sometimes it made me feel like I was invisible!

"Joytoo" evolved into a little older clown and so did her outfit. The second year she wore 3/4 length bibbie overalls made of jungle print material, sneakers with rainbow shoe laces, a gold Clown Connection tee shirt and gold "slouch" socks.

We all learned how to play again. We became more spontaneous. We were taught to be very careful with children - because everyone does not necessarily like clowns. If a child acted afraid, we learned to mirror their fear and take it slowly. Sometimes parents would shove their children at us and we knew to back away and respect the child's reaction.

"Joytoo" met some special children and she wrote weekly notes for a couple years to several of them.

Some of Joytoo's special friends were Smiley, Pansie, Cherish, Meoldee, Barnabeth, Music Man, Rountuit, Smedley, Joy, Snookie, Heppy, Tag Along, and Mopsy.

Clown Connection was disbanded several years later. It was a great learning experience. I refer to "Joytoo" as she and her - because she was an individual. When "Joytoo" went places, BJ was there but it was "Joytoo" who talked, etc. That may sound strange but it truly is the way it was. It was like I was two people - BJ when wearing regular clothes and "Joytoo" when in her clothes.

The photo of us in street clothes was our graduation photo. The one of "Joytoo" alone was taken by the hospital photographer and the other photo shows part of the group dressed as clowns.

Our Life

The first 3.5 years of our married life found the two of us doing everything together. We were inseparable. We went to movies, to the lake with some of the teachers and their hubbies, to "ham" radio fests, shot at tincans with the .22 under the bridge, and just generally spent the hours we weren't working together.

Chuck was an amatuer radio operator. So I began studying Morse code with the idea that I might get my own conditional license. However, other things intervened and I never went forward with it.

I found out in summer school that I was pregnant. Morning sickness was no fun! I continued taking night and Saturday classes to renew my teaching certificate. I took an astronomy class in the evenings during first semester of 1958. We went to the teacher's house one evening where we were able to use his telescope to look at the stars and planets. It happened that Sputnik took its death fall that night. I was the first of the class to spot it. Our final test in Astronomy was supposed to be January 21 and that was my due date. The prof told me if I was happy with my grade, I didn't need to take the final. I agreed!

Every year there were students who made it easy to get through the day. In the fall of 1958, there was a delightful little girl named Patty Jo. Whenever I looked at here, she always smiled at me.

I taught until Christmas vacation and came back to the classroom when our baby was 6 weeks old. When I brought Patti to school to show the kids, they all looked at Patty Jo when I told them the baby's name was Patti.

We went to the Junction City Hospital January 14. Our baby girst was born at 2:07 a.m. and weighed 5 pounds 16 ounces. She had peach fuzz hair!

Her daddy wanted to name her Bonnie Eileen (after two of his old friends) He compromised and we named her Patti Eileen. The name Patti came from the little 4th grade girl. We spent a week in the hospital - and then one extra day because there was a snow storm.

Our life changed in a major way with a new baby to take care of. I found myself at home taking care of Patti when Chuck went off to do other things. That was hard.

Some more Jewelry

The abalone shell pendant came from a pair of earrings. I didn't like the earrings very well but loved the abalone shell. So I paired it with crystals with the colors that showed up on the shell. I really liked the outcome. Then I took the other earring and made another necklace for Patti. Actually, her necklace was prettier than mine because it had a bit more black showing in the shell.

The bracelet is another "sidewinder" bracelet. It is one of my favorite bracelets to make. This one belongs to my daughter-in-law Lisa. It is the prettiest one I created. - And it is not a color that I wear. The matching earrings are fun, too.

However, I am very pleased with the way the necklace, the "sidewinder" bracelet and earrings turned out.

Teaching

The class pictures were taken each year in the fall, I think. The first photo with a shawl was taken as a joke by my father-in-law - this was supposed to represent the "old maid" school teacher. The second was 1959; the third 1957; the fourth - ? -; and the last was 1955. (sorry I didn't put them in order)

I really enjoyed teaching at Fort Riley. My contract for 1955-56 was $2,850; 1956-57 $3,050; 1957-58, $3,250; 1958-59, $3,450; and 1959-60, $4,050. We were paid once per month throughout the nine months of school. Then in June, we would receive a check for June, July and August.

My first year one of my students had epilepsy and his parents didn't see fit to advise the school nurse, the principal or me. It was very short-sighted of them because their son had a seizure in class and it was very traumatic for everyone. It turned out OK but it was wrong that I wasn't made aware of this so I could be prepared if anything happened.

The first two or three years, my principal was a lady. I really enjoyed working with her. The final years, we had a man principal at Fort Riley. He was a joy to work for. Both of them were very good at their job.

There were several sections of each grade. There were three of us teaching 4th grade. One lady was the wife of a Colonel stationed at Fort Riley. She was very helpful and encouraging to me. The other was an older local lady - her demeanor to everyone was very forbiding. She seemed to be "looking down her nose" at young teachers like me.

I was one of the younger teachers since I started teaching when I was 20. The age range included some teachers in the mid-20s right on up to those who were probably in their 50s. I am not sure because we never discussed age.

I don't know whether I was a good teacher or not. All I can say is the school district offered me a contract with a raise each of the four years after my first year.

We had an older lady, who was probably in her sixties, who acted as our supervising teacher. She would visit our classrooms two or three times a year. That could be a little nerve wracking but she was a gentle person who offered suggestions to help us become better teachers.

The students ranged from very bright to those who had low IQs. It made teaching every subject challenging. We had two or three reading sections. There were those who could do everything requested of them and do it very well and there were those who could do very little. They were all different. Some were a joy to have in class and some were problems. It kept me on my toes!