Somehow this summer I neglected to get myself over to Burgerville for the Walla Wallas. I don’t quite know how that happened. I guess none of my kayaking outings led us back by one of the many Burgervilles in our area. Until yesterday, where I discovered, to great disappointment, that the Walla Wallas are gone and in their place are the batter-dipped-deep-fat-fried green beans. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that, even with the garlic mayo dip, they are not a reasonable facsimile.
School started up here this week. I always loved school. I especially loved the beginning of the new school year. I loved learning new things, seeing old friends, the smell of new school supplies. It was always a special occasion when Daddy got out his drafting tools and beautifully lettered my name on everything. Mother always made sure I had something new to wear — especially shoes. I remember some crepe-soled oxfords for first grade.
This is the style I favored for my little girls when they started nursery school.
We shopped for them during the summer, and I told Katherine that we would save them for September, so forever after they were called the September Shoes.
Here are some first-day nursery school shots
You can see I had a red, white and blue theme going on there, but before you knew it, they were in uniforms.
One year, there was a first-day-free-dress day.
Katherine was already away at college by then. And soon Elizabeth was off too. Here she is just moving into her dorm room at UCSD.
I still love the new things that September brings. Choir starts up again. I will be tutoring a new subject this term at the Mid-Valley Literacy Center. (I have some new shoes to wear.) And once again the school bus goes down my street early in the morning.
I just received the new school calendar from the girls’ old prep school. This year, they published the school mission statement and philosophy on the back. I don’t remember that this had been officially articulated when the girls were there (and I worked there), but it was generally understood. I am glad we were able to send them there. I hope they are too. I especially value the part about critical thinking, and I see this in each of them today.
