Washington Voices

They are getting to know their new buildings, getting to know the teachers, filling out the necessary paperwork and checking to see if they have all of their school supplies. The first day of school can be exciting and full of anticipation and nervousness. Even for the teachers.

St. George’s School drama students will kick off the school year with two musicals that will take audiences back to the 1950s. The performance season will begin Wednesday with “The Taffetas,” starring Hailey Hyde as Kaye; Natalie Johnson as Peggy; Stephanie Hammett as Donna; Alaina Jacobsen as Cheryl; and Kyler Hayes as Gus Gunderson. A second show will be Sept. 14.

At my own peril for going there again, I once again bring up the topic of friendships dissolving over differences in political viewpoints. I do so because I have new (to me at least) information. I wrote on this subject two weeks ago, about how I’ve been unfriended after twice asking an old high school friend to stop sending me unsolicited third-party politically themed material. I was always glad to talk about things – her words and my words, even where we differed – but I didn’t want to be the recipient of unwanted material from other sources sent without her own insights accompanying them. That’s not a conversation; that’s a siege. She didn’t take kindly to that, and so I’m now out on an iceberg somewhere.

By the end of the summer, if people are honest, an exhaustion sets in. So much light and heat, so much pressure to pursue evening and weekend fun. September’s routine offers a return to “ordinary time” to borrow a term from church liturgical calendars. People are back in the saddle, nose to the grindstone. You get the drill.

Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute celebrated its 10,000th student and its new executive vice president at a tree planting ceremony last week. The private women’s college just west of Spokane is the United States branch campus of Japan’s Mukogawa Women’s University. It opened in 1990.

Pond improvements: Mallard ducks and Canada geese share the west end of Mirror Pond at Manito Park on Saturday in Spokane, as the water is drained for renovation. Through a large valve in its side, the pond will be temporarily lowered about 1.5 feet this week, according to the city of Spokane Parks and Recreation Department. The drawdown is part of a series of improvement projects paid for by the Friends of Manito and designed to improve the water quality of the pond. This round of work is being done by contractor Land Expressions and will focus on restoring five areas of the pond with new plants and shoreline work. The new plants will be fenced off until they are established. Up to 5 feet of water will remain in the pond, leaving plenty of space for the birds, turtles and other wildlife.

Laura Brunell , of Spokane: “Don’t do it! It applies to everything.”

There will be poultry aplenty at the 68th annual Southeast Spokane County Fair in Rockford, which seems only fitting since this year’s theme is “Poultry in Motion.” The annual fair is always the same weekend as Valleyfest, which can present a dilemma for local families. But it’s possible to do both events in the same weekend with a little planning.