Christmas 2019

‘Twas midway December, and at last with a sigh,

Jean got the cards mailed as Christmas drew nigh…

The Mittelstaedt Monitor is here in its 21^st century incarnation!  We hope you enjoy reading about what we’ve been doing this year.

Workin’ 9 to 5…and more

Portlandia Cloud Services, Ted’s consulting company, continues to keep him busy.  He provides IT consulting services to individuals and small businesses.  He’s pretty mobile, working from his home office or out in the field.  He might install a server in the morning and troubleshoot somebody’s virus-infested laptop in the afternoon.  All this while answering a steady stream of phone calls and emails. This month, he’s assisting with the IT installation of a new methadone clinic in Seaside, which should open in January.  

I celebrated 10 years of teaching writing at Chemeketa Community College this year, and 2020 will bring 10 years at Portland Community College.  I typically have 2-3 writing classes a term.  I usually teach at Chemeketa’s Salem campus but am mainly at the Polk Center this year.  And I am based at the Sylvania Campus of Portland Community College, where I teach Writing 115 and 122.  It’s a good thing I drive a car with good gas mileage.  I also joined PCC’s Advancement of Educators Committee, which works on behalf of both part-time and full-time educators.  And I was elected to a three-year term on Chemeketa’s Faculty Senate.  My professional activities keep me busy; most weekends are spent planning and grading.   

Life, the Universe, and Mittelstaedts

As always, our personal lives are as busy as our professional lives.  I sing with my church choir at Westminster Presbyterian.   I ride my bike; I participated for the first time in the Petal Pedal in July, and I rode Bridge Pedal in August.  I also spent time when I could this summer exploring the many places that Portland offers for riding a bike.  We don’t see as many movies in the theater, but we made sure to see The Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4.  Of course, we’re looking forward to Frozen 2 and The Rise of Skywalker.  Ted and I both remember seeing A New Hope in the theater when we were kids, so the last movie in the saga will be exciting and bittersweet.

Our Seaside house has turned into a welcome and comfortable retreat that we enjoy visiting whenever we are able.  We spent several weekends there this summer and fall as well as longer excursions as time permits.  We will be there for most of the Christmas break.  Ruby enjoys rambles along the Necanicum River, which we can see from the house, and chasing birdies along the beach, which we’re two blocks from.  We have listed it with a vacation rental company, and we’ve had a few bookings already, including someone who’s clearly planning ahead to the next Hood to Coast in August 2020.    

Mittel-Nearly-Growns

Dr. Everett V. Scott, A Rival Scientist

Ian has reached the big 2-1, but he’ll always be my boy.  He has been a student in the Automotive Service Technology program at the Sylvania Campus and hopes to finish in 2021.  He recently reached his 1-year anniversary at Valvoline, which is very accommodating of his school schedule.  He is a hard worker and gets to apply what he’s learning in school to his job.  Sometimes it seems like he eats, sleeps, and breathes cars.  He and Ted often have discussions about the best ways to fix something or the merits of this or that vehicle.  I smile and nod.  He still rides his motorcycle occasionally but seems most content to drive to and from school and work in our wonderfully rainy Oregon winter weather.  

First day of junior year, 2019

Dorothy is a junior at Franklin High School and has another ambitious course load.  She is taking AP US History, AP Physics, and precalculus.  She has continued with her metals class and is learning to weld this year.  She and Ian helped the metals teacher to win a teaching award from a local credit union.  Dorothy wrote a letter for him and Ian contributed a video he had made in high school.  She continues to work on her driving skills, although now she has to learn to drive an automatic shift car.  And she is still learning German; she took German 101 and 102 at Sylvania this summer.  She would have taken 103, but it overlapped with the start of school, so she might finish that next summer.  She will take WR121 at Southeast Campus this winter term.

Ruby sniffs along the Necanicum

Ruby is 12 now and is slowing down a bit, but you wouldn’t know it when we get her out to Seaside down near the river.  She still loves chasing squirrels and anything that will run away from her, and she is not above looking thoroughly starving whenever people food appears.  She loves going for walks and for car rides, especially if they result in a nice treat from an obliging gas station attendant.  During the darker winter months, she loves chasing her laser pointer around the local schoolyard—good way to keep her exercised in the winter.

And to all a good night...

                
Peace and love to all of our family and friends in 2020!