[email protected]

[I'm sending this to a couple of lists, so if you see it twice, I'm sorry,
and you can delete it unread; they match.]


Feburary 27, Thursday at noon my husband took me to the airport. I was
really well prepared. I had been ready to go for over 24 hours. That has
never happened before. It happened because I was afraid.

I left Albuquerque around 2:00, stayed a long time in Minneapolis, and ended
up in Saskatoon at 11:30 at night.

Customs was only concerned about my jerkey. It was sealed, and American, so
I could keep it.

Ian and Barbie, who were the conference coordinators who had arranged for me
to be there, met me right away. I had planned to get cash at the airport,
but spaced it, being tired and my foot hurting, and their car being RIGHT
there, right outside the door.

The Saskatoon Inn was really near the airport and GORGEOUS inside--kind of a
jungle in the middle, with walkways and places to sit, and a pool, and just a
maze of pretty little nooks and turns. Restaurant and bar and hot tub and
little lounge areas all mixed in there in that open area with big tropical
plants.

Up on the second floor, where there was a balcony/hallway overlooking all
that, I met Ian's #1 and #1 children, young adults, and a son-in-law. Very
nice people.

When I got to my room, 627, with a view of snow-covered flatness and a few
businesses, but mostly bare prairie to the horizon, I realized I had not one
dollar of Canadian money, and my tapes were being delivered the next morning.

Luckily, I had half a sprite and half a bottle of orange juice in my pack,
and a bunch of nuts and jerkey, so I wasn't going to starve.

Downstairs was an ATM but it didn't deal in VISA, only Master Card.

Things eventually worked out, though.

February 28, Friday I went to put my things near the conference rooms, and
went toward the restaurant. Someone called me from up on the ramp, "Mrs.
Dodd?" I almost didn't hear it because of the water and all. I went back
and it was a TV reporter who wanted to interview me. So I went all the way
back up to the ballroom. She and the cameraman were especially friendly and
open, unlike what I was used to with dressed-up and officious and abrupt TV
people. Very nice. She asked me to summarize my opening talk, and asked me
a bit about homeschooling in general. I asked when it would be on and she
said that it was a local station, and the news repeated every hour, so if I
turned it on at the top of any hour I'd see it. Except when the hockey game
was on.

I was the first speaker, at 1:00. The announcements and greetings were after
my talk. I had just sent Ian a list of all the talks I'd ever done and he
had chosen some, so I was doing "What Teachers Know that You Don't Know."
There being no alternative, everyone who was already there was at that
presentation, and I'm not good with numbers, but I'm thinking it was over 300
people. Very big group. I've never spoken to a larger group, I don't think.
That particular talk is better suited to a smaller group, but it worked
out, and when I finished a bit early, I was really glad that there were a
couple of teachers in the audience who were willing to come to the audience
mike and back up my assertion that most of what teachers learn isn't useful
to homeschoolers anyway, being as it is mostly about group management, tests
and measures, school politics and record keeping, and so forth.

There was a break after that, and I set up a table in the hall to sell tapes
and Thinking Sticks. I don't think I sold any that first session, but I did
talk to people without pause for the couple of hours between sessions, and I
spoke at 4:30 on Unschooling. The group was smaller, but still over 100.
Maybe 175 people? (If anyone reading this was there and actually counted or
is better at estimation, feel VERY free to correct my numbers.)

That talk went really well and everybody got a Certificate of Empowerment,
but the photos of the kids didn't make it all the way around. I brought them
out again the next day, though, and also kept them out on the table for
people to see.

After that I sat at the table some more, sold some tapes, and officers of the
group gave me a Subway sandwich which was homey (foodwise) and friendly
(because I didn't have to put my stuff away to go and eat).

I had planned to go back to the room , put my foot up a while, and watch "An
American in Canada," a sitcom which had been advertised the night before on
TV. And then, I figured, the hour would turn and I'd see myself on TV, and
then I'd venture back out and socialize.

The sitcom, turns out, was the premier episode. It involved a guy moving
from Phoenix to Calgary to do the morning news show. (I read later that it
was filmed in Toronto and that the actor playing the American was from
Toronto too, but that's okay.)

On the local channel 10, the hockey game was on. Minor leagues, I think,
local team, Saskatoon Blades, happy to have a guy who had grown up there
having lately left some other team and come to play for them. I'd switch
channels, and read, and check back. Next hour; game still on.

I called home and talked to Kirby and Holly. Keith and Marty had gone to see
Daredevil. I asked Kirby to e-mail two unschooling lists to say I was having
a good time.

Hour; hockey.
Hour; hockey commentary. Discussion of the game, of other teams, of hockey,
of the fund raiser involving tie-dyed jerseys on tie-dyed night (or
something).

It was 10:00 and I was getting sleepy, but forced myself to stay awake until
11:00.

Saw myself on TV. Also the president of the provincial group hosting the
conference. Her last name is Dodds. She looked and sounded marvelous. I
sounded great, looked like a person who should REALLY get a haircut, wear
makeup and maybe lose 50 pounds before ever being on TV ever.

Decided 11:15 was too late to hobble downstairs and socialize, and my foot
was fat. Went merrily to sleep in a big bed in a dark room all by myself.

March 1, Saturday, went to breakfast. Ended up sitting and talking to a
couple who had heard me the day before. Another couple of moms had also
asked if I wanted to sit with them, but they'd already actually eaten, and
the young couple had a baby, so I told them getting to sit with a baby won
out, and they totally understood.

I went and sat with my tapes and sticks. Sold quite a few. Talked to lots
of people. Spoke twice in the afternoon, Dwindling crowd, which was totally
understandable, because the alternative talks were interesting and some
people had heard me already.
The first talk was Having Confidence in Yourself, and was (naturally) also
about unschooling, but was pretty much the same outline as the article
"Disposable Checklists," because that's where that article came from. Then
I did the game "That's Not Educational," and gave a prize for baggie twist
ties. Only one person in there had not already heard me speak, and after a
few items thrown out to be shown to be educational, it just turned into
questions and answers and that was fine.

I had moved my sales table inside the room and had been selling things
between talks, and sold some more after.

People had been wonderfully friendly and open and complimentary and
communicative. I had a GREAT time talking to people. Even those who were
disagreeing with me were really nice about it. ("Of course, they're
Canadians," one person who wasn't born Canadian or American either one told
me when I said that.) But both attendees and organizers were thanking me for
being so available between talks, and for being so down to earth and
friendly. It made me feel really good.

Then I packed up and went back to the room, having fulfilled my obligation.

But I wasn't through.

A largish group of unschoolers had chosen not to attend the conference for
socio-political reasons. I was sympathetic, because the New Mexico state
organization totally broke down and dissolved when unschoolers ran the state
conference one year. We couldn't survive unless we let the Christians run
everything, and they were unwilling to really share power and opportunity.
So something at least vaguely similar was going on in Saskatoon. Rather than
ask to be told the details I just said I would talk to the other faction as
well.

Perhaps that wasn't wholly right and good, but Saskatoon's a long way off,
and my personal motivation is to help people unschool more confidently and
peacefully. Yes, it would have been easier for me if they'd just gone to the
conference, but I do understand when groups split out over such philosophical
issues. And I had no contract saying I couldn't speak anywhere else. So
although it was unfair that the smaller group piggybacked (the word used by
someone in the larger group when complaining lightly about it) on the
conference, I didn't feel too guilty, because I had gone above and beyond
what I had been paid to do. Except for the evening waiting to see the news
blurb, I had been fully available to anyone who wanted to talk to me, and had
done four presentations.

I was fetched and taken to a Unitarian Church where there were desserts and
maybe 25 people. Some had been at the conference as well. That session just
turned into me telling stories, which seemed okay. There were some questions
and answers about younger kids reading and writing, about older kids' social
stuff, about parents' fears and the world changing. I enjoyed it.

Then I was privileged to stay in a guest bedroom which was a Barbie museum!

In the morning, March 2, a breakfast buffet at a different hotel was attended
by maybe (you'd think I could count a group THIS small) fifteen people. We
laughed and told stories and were philosophical and ate good food, and then I
was given a ride to the airport!

Two or three hours with a stop in Regina without changing planes. Very white
and cold. Minneapolis for four hours of magazine reading. I thought of
calling Susan Bundlie but I was afraid she'd feel bad for not picking me up
and I didn't really want to eat and I was almost too exhausted to think. So
I read about Ben Affleck and watched CNN news and kinda vegetated.

I had been afraid customs would question me about the leftover tapes (though
I'd sold more than half of the hundred I had had copied in Canada). I had
traded my sack of cash to someone with an American account for a check.
Canadians don't have $1 bills anymore. $5 is the smallest, so selling things
for $8 and $15 nets a bunch of $2 and $1 coins. But all customs cared about
was the egg decorating kit. Juxtaposed with my necklace (a brass pierce-work
plaque) it came to look like a knife in the x-rays, so my backpack was
searched. They didn't care anything about my carefully documented tapes with
the shrinkwrap and the Canadian receipt. Oh well.

I was met in Albuquerque by Keith and Holly, who had happy stories of the
weekend. Nobody had told Keith I had called on Friday. I had only brought
gifts for Holly. A Canada patch for her jean jacket which has lots of
patches (and she did go to Ontario a few years ago), a girls' magazine, a
math workbook (because she finished her Animaniacs workbook a couple of weeks
ago, and this one looked like the kind of geometrical and fractions stuff she
likes), and I gave her the egg decorating kit I had been given as a gift from
the unschooling group Saturday night. Carol Narigon made and gave us a
decorated Easter egg and Holly had said she thought she could do that, but I
said I didn't know how and special equipment was needed. Tadaaa! Special
equipment and instructions.

I was just brain-tired for a couple of days after getting home. I've finally
done my laundry, but haven't yet put papers away.

People in Saskatchewan were very friendly. I had a way better time than I
thought i would have. I was afraid I'd be all alone surrounded by strangers,
but it never felt that way from the moment I saw Ian and Barbie at the
airport.

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/5/03 9:17:52 PM, starsuncloud@... writes:

<< I know there are going to be lovely memories of
the SC conference this year too, I just KNOW it! >>

There are LOTS of lovely memores of the SC conference.

You mean you think *I* will have lovely memories?
(I'm looking forward to the possibility.)

The progress on the leg is this:

It didn't set off any airport security alarms. Either they're not looking
for internal metal, or they didn't use metal. What does anybody know about
that? After the security lovely assistant telling people in the Albuquerque
line to take cowboy boots off because the nails would set off the alarm, my
leg with it's 12 screws and plate just goes through not a single beep.

But... three weeks ago I nearly whimpered (no wait, I did say "I can't walk
that fast, I broke my leg a few months ago) when I asked for help finding
oven cleaner at Smith's and the very nice and quick-paced young checker said
"Oh, I'll show you where it is!" and where it was was about 1/3 of a mile
over freshly waxed floor. I was scared and in pain and wanted to say "Never
mind oven cleaner, I only have enough strength to limp to my car."

BUT this weekend I myself without ever flagging down the golf cart things
walked a long long way (sometimes on moving sidewalks in the Minneapolis
airport). Well over half a mile each time, but not on scary floors.
Northwest Airlines has more gates in Minneapolis than most airports have
total of all gates. And I was going to disposable towns with funny names, so
those are at far ends.

So I can walk wherever I want to without getting too exhausted, and I only
limp a little, and my ankle is fat when I see it at bedtime, but I go to
sleep with hot cornbags on either side of it and wake up better every day.

Sandra

susan bundlie

On Wednesday, March 5, 2003, at 09:13 PM,
[email protected] wrote:

> <<Minneapolis for four hours of magazine reading. I thought of
> calling Susan Bundlie but I was afraid she'd feel bad for not picking
> me up...>>

THAT was a bad reason for not calling!
>
> <<...and I was almost too exhausted to think.>>

That one I'll accept.

Seriously, I certainly would have picked you up. You could have come
back to my filthy house (we just had auditions and the first
read-through of our next play, so EVERYthing else, especially the
house, had been put on hold) and rested there--no tornadoes in sight
<g>. Next time....

Glad you had a good trip, though.

Susan

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/5/03 10:04:16 PM, strandbe@... writes:

<< Seriously, I certainly would have picked you up. >>

I know.

I should have read my ticket more carefully sooner, and arranged something.
But maybe next time. There might be a next time. Maybe not Saskatoon, but
maybe somewhere.

Sandra

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/5/2003 10:31:19 PM Central Standard Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:


> Either they're not looking
> for internal metal, or they didn't use metal. What does anybody know about
>
> that?

They might have used a kind of metal that doesn't set it off, like titanium
or something like that. All my metal is coming out in October, is yours
staying?

Glad to hear you are on the mend. sometimes when I glance at my ankle on the
support cushion at the end of the day, it's impossible to think it is
improving. But I took the kids to the children's museum alone and stood for
an hour and a half on it, so it must be.

Elizabeth.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/6/03 8:37:07 AM, ejcrewe@... writes:

<< All my metal is coming out in October, is yours
staying? >>

I don't know. I don't know the advantages really, to taking it out. They
said if you choose to have it out, your leg goes back in a cast for a while,
until bone grows into the holes.

Sandra

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/6/2003 12:00:12 PM Central Standard Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:


> << All my metal is coming out in October, is yours
> staying? >>
>
> I don't know. I don't know the advantages really, to taking it out. They
>
> said if you choose to have it out, your leg goes back in a cast for a
> while,
> until bone grows into the holes.
>

That and the surgery is what I'm dreading. The surgeon says that because I'm
fairly active, enjoy exercising every day, like to snowshoe, etc. the screws
and pins are going to bother me eventually. Particularly the pins, which are
going through the joint. Screws can pop and poke up painfully against the
skin. I've felt that already.

But it might also depend on the location of all this metal. Maybe because
mine is at the ankle and through the ankle joint, it's more likely to be
bothersome? My sister just had a couple of screws taken out of her
collarbone, but she's a triathlete and insanely active. I can't imagine that
being a place that gets a high proportion of stress from normal activity.

Bone growing back through holes. Yuck, that makes me squeemish and makes my
wrists hurt (for some reason the insides of my wrists always tingle when I'm
reacting to a gross thought). But the recovery has to be quicker than the
break.

Glad you didn't set off the metal detectors. People are always telling me I
will, but I haven't flown in three years now.

Elizabeth


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lucie Caunter

I had the same thing done 5 years ago. The plate and screws are still
there. They told me that the bone would eventually integrate itself
with the plate and screws (wonder about that).
I also wondered if my leg would trigger metal detector in airport?
Guess, from your experience, that it doesn't.
You are brave to have traveled from warm temperature to the cold of
Saskatoon that soon. I found that changes in temperature got my ankle
swollen for almost a year after the accident.
Glad you had a nice trip.
Lucie

SandraDodd@... wrote:

>In a message dated 3/6/03 8:37:07 AM, ejcrewe@... writes:
>
><< All my metal is coming out in October, is yours
>staying? >>
>
>I don't know. I don't know the advantages really, to taking it out. They
>said if you choose to have it out, your leg goes back in a cast for a while,
>until bone grows into the holes.
>
>Sandra
>
>
>To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>[email protected]
>
>
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>
>
>

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/6/03 3:50:06 PM, lucie.caunter@... writes:

<< I found that changes in temperature got my ankle
swollen for almost a year after the accident. >>

Plane rides do it too. I had one fat foot!

Sandra

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/6/2003 9:20:01 PM Central Standard Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:


> << I found that changes in temperature got my ankle
> swollen for almost a year after the accident. >>
>
> Plane rides do it too. I had one fat foot!
>
>

I'll add in changes in humidity. We've finally had some six inches of snow
here and my leg is swollen.

But you are making me wonder why I'm having all the metal removed.

Elizabeth


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/7/03 11:09:04 AM, ejcrewe@... writes:

<< But you are making me wonder why I'm having all the metal removed.
>>

Because I'm a sloth and you're active?
Because I'm old and you're probably not as old?

I'm unlikely to exercise the screws out of my bone in the relatively short
time I have to live. If I were a 20 year old gymnast I'd be scheduling me
some surgery. (And I might anyway, to do it before the considerations of
who's paying for it are too old.)

Sandra

[email protected]

> Because I'm a sloth and you're active?
> Because I'm old and you're probably not as old?
>

OK, now I take offense! I'm the queen of the sloths. I just happen to like
exercising to get my brain going - and my goal is breakfast. But I am 39, a
bit younger than you.

Actually, I was more thinking about how I'm blindly following my surgeon's
schedule and not seeking other advice about my screws and pins. He's just
always said it would have to come out and it never occurred to me there would
be another option. You two have opened my eyes and got those wheels turning
in my head.

Elizabeth


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]