School Ends

School is finally over! Now I can start teaching Fishies for PSA! 

       This may be the last time to swim for a while since the college pool may be closing due to issues with piping. We hope that soon/eventually we will be able to afford a pool cover. Like other pools around Oregon, such as Mt. Hood's pool, we would be able to swim all year in a 50 meter pool and host many more meets increasing income. It all can start with an increase in swimmers. At PSA, swimmers who have been through the Fishies program or similar programs, help teach levels 1-3. I help teach level 1 with an adult mentor. Level 1 is for very beginners. The youngest I have taught was 3 or 4. Then the levels keep increasing until level 4. There are two "swim meets" separating each "semester" of summer swim. Many children enjoy them but it is understandable if they do not want to participate. The races are based on the children's level and skills (such as whether they can kick on a kick board or swim freestyle). If a participant is older, they could join Age Group which is less embarrassing for 10 and 11 year olds. Many children love our swim groups and continue on each summer and PSA would love it if your child joined too.

Kittens... AGAIN??

How many cats does a farm need??

     It has been years since I have talked about my kittens. One of my cats, Wild, is an offspring of Tulip. She had five kittens last year, three fluffy and two short haired. We gave away one fluffy and one short haired to friends. Out of the three remaining, only one has survived to this year. The one that survived is a gray short haired girl with white stripes. Her name is Lemon.
      About a month ago, Wild had four kittens. Two fluffy and two short haired. The fluffy ones have white stripes and the short haired ones have dark brown. The fluffy ones' names are Lily and Liliac. The short haired ones' are called Lavender and Lucifer.
     So as I said in the earlier, I also have a cat named Lemon. She is a very petite cat. Since she is small, I don't think she can have kittens. But I think wrong. Her stomach has started to enlarge and recently, she has gone missing. If she isn't having kittens, she must have ate another cat.
      Also since we are having more kittens, that means we can sell them. If you want any, they are free but have no shots or medications. They are either feisty barn cats or calming lap kitties.

Apparently 10

Operation Purple Camp

      I am so disappointed, this year I am not going to OPC. They have made it so you have to pay to go and it is not strictly for military kids. I don't think it is worth going since I have over 4 hours to go. I wish we had one near Pendleton. If there was one near us, more children could be connected. I personally only know a few other military kids. It would be amazing for everyone to know they aren't alone during a deployment. If OPC had more donations, then it could go back to normal. Even though I know there won't be one near me, it would be nice if there could be one open for Oregon military kids for free.

A quote from http://oregonsummerstar.info/ 
"...Unfortunately, we no longer have a relationship with Operation Purple, a program of the National Military Family Association due to a lack of funds available for camps in Oregon.  However, we still plan to serve 120 campers age 8 to 16 this year.  Youth of military families, grandchildren of military families and friends of military-connected youth are all welcome to join together during a full week of summer camp for only a $150 registration fee. Oregon Summer Star is our State’s most admired military-family support program.  It’s a low-cost week of summer camp that allows us to look inward, smile outward and have the best week of our summer together. We built a community that once never was in Oregon and look to YOU as the campers and families to move it further. It’s not about promoting military service or endorsing any political policy.  It’s about preparing our youth with skills for a balanced life and about maintaining a healthy next generation of Oregon families..."
     There are many places that lead to links that you can donate to!