IRON MOUNTAIN — A friend asked me this week if I was getting tired yet, since I was the only one working in the store six days a week and running all the behind-the-scenes work and books. I smiled and said no, not yet, and that it was actually really satisfying to me. I told her I was tired for different reasons. She perked up immediately, thinking I was pregnant, which I quickly shot down and while we both had a good laugh, my heart was still tired. Just a few hours earlier, we had found out that Rob’s shift was once again going to be changing, without any real warning or reason.

He had been hired at a second-shift position and working at it for nearly a year, but over the past few months they had switched his hours to working a shift in between second and third, and then finally last week they simply switched him and everyone on his shift to third; the company had decided they were going to completely eliminate second shift. To say the least, we and the rest of his co-workers were not happy. It wasn’t the schedule they’d been hired for, and instead of 50 hours they’d now be working close to 60, with barely a 36-hour “weekend” between when they finished work Saturday and started back up again on Sunday. This wasn’t the first time this had happened. When we first moved here, he worked for a different company and they, too, changed his schedule, hours and pay, without any consequence.

I had hoped that after a year and a half of living at home, we would feel settled in terms of our careers. Rob was finally feeling secure and stable at his job, and so I decided it was time for me to shake things up, and I opened Mully & Mo’s, but then, Rob’s work decided they wanted to shake, rattle, and roll, too.

Thus began the ever-stress-inducing job search, because while he still loved where he was working, a third-shift position just didn’t seem plausible with our schedules. But in Iron Mountain, jobs are limited, and if you don’t meet a very specific skill set that is being sought, you aren’t always considered, Furthermore, jobs where you do meet the skill set often require certain certificates and licenses or years and years of experience, and in the chaos of it all, I became exhausted. Then I thought about my grandpa. My grandfather is one of the smartest men I know, but he never got a college degree or even a high school one; he proudly puts “general flunkee” on his business cards, and yet he is able to work in multiple fields. He understands furnaces and construction, manufacturing, installation, electrical work, just to name a few. He’s worked as a truck driver and a foreman; he’s been the boss and the bossed, and yet, in all his years of experience, he’s never obtained any formal education, but no one who meets him would assume that was the case because he has proven himself successful through hard work and determination. Back when he was my husband’s age, the world allowed that to happen.

When my grandfather was young, skill and drive mattered more than a piece of paper. My husband also is a jack of all trades and, like my grandfather, doesn’t have a degree. He does, however, have a two-year technical certificate but even that isn’t good enough. Even though he has experience in multiple fields and is fully capable and willing to learn, his career potential is stifled because the words on his resume don’t match the words on the minimum requirement checklist.

Back “then,” they would teach you to drive a forklift; now you need a license. Back “then,” you could learn a trade as an apprentice; now you need at least an associate’s degree. Back “then” you could apply to jobs as many times as you needed, and go in and talk to an actual person; now, everything is online and if you’re rejected once, the technology system prohibits you from applying again.

Imagine if George Washington or Abraham Lincoln lived today. With no formal education, would they still make it to being president of the United States? Be honest. Probably not. Lincoln didn’t even finish grade school. Yet they both were two of the most influential men in history. So was Bill Gates, Microsoft; Larry Page, Google; Steve Jobs, Apple; Oprah, too much to say; F. Scott Fitzgerald, author; John Mackey, Whole Foods CEO; Ralph Lauren, fashion; Wolfgang Puck, renowned chef and restaurateur; Walt Disney, do I need to say it?; and Coco Chanel, fashion. Again, all dropped out in high school or university.

I’m not meaning to devalue education — I have a degree that I’m very proud of — but I am more than that piece of paper that claims I am qualified. Suddenly, today’s society has decided to demote people and uphold paper.

So, I was tired. I was tired of feeling secure only to be made insecure. I was tired of watching my husband see rejection letters even though I knew he was suited for the position, but then, amid my exhaustion, our wedding song played on the radio. On that particularly warm summer afternoon, as I walked down the aisle toward the man I knew God had made just for me, “Come thou fount of every blessing” echoed through the Botanical Garden. We chose that song because we believed the words, and so when I was in the middle of searching through the online plethora of underwhelming and “not qualified for jobs,” my tired heart suddenly released. After the song had ended, instantly another entitled “Forever on Your Side,” by Need to Breathe sang, “They’ll beat you up, but you don’t let them keep you down. You’re always tough enough, and I’ll always be around. I can’t promise that a day will never come where the ground beneath us falls out and you have nowhere to run, but you won’t be alone when the water starts to rise up; no, you won’t be alone darling when the rains come.”

The song is talking about God, but I also believe that it’s about the people God has placed in our lives. I was tired. I felt like I didn’t know where else I could run, and I didn’t know if I could swim as the waters rose. I felt like it wasn’t fair what kept happening to Rob. I kept rationalizing in my head and saying, “if it were only ‘back then,'” and I was wrongfully feeling alone. I was tired, but when those two songs played and my mind relaxed, I remembered a vital truth: I’m not alone. When the rains come, I won’t be alone, because I had Rob. I had my family, friends, customers, readers, faith, pets, God… I could feel the rain, but my support all carried umbrellas, and they made sure to wait out the rain with me. I still have no idea what the future holds, and I don’t know where Rob will go next or how we’ll make it through this chapter, but I remembered that in every season, He sends fountains of blessings, and He won’t allow me to be alone.

——

Freeman

Kingsford

Contact the home for Thursday through Saturday schedule.

Scenes and sounds, 11:45 a.m. Monday through Saturday.

Sunday: Uno, 1 p.m.; dunking donuts, 2 p.m.; church, 2:15 p.m.

Monday: Pretty nails, 10 a.m.; Resident Council, 11 a.m.; library cart, 1:30 p.m.; birthday party, 2 p.m.

Tuesday: Crafts, 10 a.m.; reminisce, 11 a.m.; Kentucky Derby, 2 p.m.

Wednesday: Room visits, 10 a.m.; Rosary, 11 a.m.; Woodland trick or treat, 2 p.m.

Iron County

Medical Facility

Crystal Falls

Room visits, 1 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Exercise, 11 a.m., Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Sunday: One to one church visitor, 8:30 to 11 a.m.; reminisce, 10 a.m.; bingorama, 2 p.m.; Church of Christ, 3 p.m.

Monday: Cooking, 9 a.m.; DT luncheon, noon; bingo, 2 p.m.; Sunshine Club, 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday: Kids visit, 9 a.m.; CF library, 9:30 a.m.; Mass, 10 a.m.; travel film, 1:30 p.m.; current events, 2 p.m.; spooky movie, 6 p.m.

Wednesday: Costume prep, 9 a.m.; employee costume parade, 1 p.m.; Halloween party, 2 p.m.; night bingo, 6 p.m.

Thursday: Puzzler, 9:30 a.m.; bowling, 10 a.m.; wildlife film, 1:30 p.m.; St. Mark’s, 2 p.m.; happy hour, 2:30 p.m.

Friday: Crafts, 9 to 10:30 a.m.; room visits, 1 p.m.; penny ante, 2 p.m.; Activity Council, 3 p.m.; musical movie, 6 p.m.

Saturday: Room to room bingo, 10 a.m.; Yahtzee, 10 a.m.; geri gym, 11 a.m.; intergenerational social hour, 2 p.m.

ManorCare

Kingsford

Wet your whistle, 9:30 a.m. daily.

Movie, 10:45 a.m. daily, and 3:15 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Gathering place, 11:40 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 11:40 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Popcorn Day Fridays.

Protestant church service, 3 p.m. Sunday.

Exercises, 10 a.m. daily.

Sunday: Just jokes, 10:15 p.m.; morsel’s and more, 1:30 p.m.; Protestant church, 3 p.m.

Monday: Did you know?, 10:15 a.m.; Marian Linder entertains, 2 p.m.; pokeno, 5:45 p.m.

Tuesday: Trivia, 10:15 a.m.; bingo, 2 p.m.; movie and a manicure, 5:45 p.m.

Wednesday: Halloween trivia, 10:15 a.m.; Halloween party/Paula D entertains, 2 p.m.; flip five, 5:45 p.m.

Thursday: Crosswords, 10:15 a.m.; Good Neighbor bingo, 2 p.m.; magic moments, 5:45 p.m.

Friday: All about November, 10:15 a.m.; Mass, 2 p.m.; chips n’ chatter, 2:30 p.m.

Saturday: Current events, 10:15 a.m.; bingo, 2 p.m.; movie, 3:15 p.m.

Maryhill Manor

Niagara, Wis.

Rosary, 8:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

Parachute, 1:30 p.m. daily.

Monthly support group for grief and loss, 2 p.m. second Monday of the month.

Weekend pet visits.

Sunday: Rosary, 8:30 a.m.; Mass, 9 a.m.; bingo, 10:15 a.m.; help your neighbor, 1:30 p.m.; Protestant service, 2:30 p.m.

Monday: Soul stories, 10:15 a.m.; line dancers, 1 p.m.; penny ante, 2 p.m.

Tuesday: Men’s breakfast, 7 a.m.; candy corn bingo, 10:15 a.m.; Crystal Hogan entertains, 2 p.m.; Yahtzee, 6:15 p.m.

Wednesday: Halloween jokereno, 10:15 a.m.; trick or treaters, 1:40 p.m.; chaplet of divine mercy, 3 p.m.; drive in move, 6:15 p.m.

Thursday: Mass, 9 a.m.; Scattegories, 10:15 a.m.; “Saints” movie, 2 p.m.; whammo, 6:15 p.m.

Friday: Mass and adoration, 10 a.m.; trivia, 10:30 a.m.; happy hour, 2 p.m.

Saturday: Crafts, 10:15 a.m.; pamper and polish, 2:30 p.m.; Yahtzee, 5:45 p.m.

Victorian Pines

Iron Mountain

Exercise, 11 a.m., Monday through Friday.

Coffee clutch, 9:30 a.m. daily

Shopping days: 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Fridays, must sign up.

Sunday: Bible study, 1:30; Packers vs. Rams, 3 :25 p.m.

Monday: Bingo, 2 p.m.; birthday party, 3 p.m.

Tuesday: Wheel of Fortune, 2 p.m.; refreshments, 3 p.m.

Wednesday: Bingo, 2 p.m.; refreshments, 3 p.m.

Thursday: Left, center, right, 2 p.m.; rosary, 3 p.m.

Friday: Bingo, 2 p.m.; refreshments, 3 p.m.

Saturday: Movie and popcorn, 2 p.m.

Florence Health Services

Florence, Wis.

Morning news, 6 a.m. daily.

Sunday: Bingo, 10 a.m.; Yahtzee, 2 p.m.

Monday: Bingo with Bette, 10 a.m.; pumpkin painting, 2 p.m.

Tuesday: Pastor Doug, 9:30 a.m.; caramel apple party, 2:30 p.m.

Wednesday: Halloween party, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday: Pastor Jason, 10 a.m.; manicures, 2 p.m.; one on one time, 2 p.m.

Friday: Catholic church service, 10 a.m.; November craft, 2 p.m.

Saturday: Bingo, 10 a.m.; board games, 2 p.m.

Pinecrest Medical

Care Facility

Powers

Life connections, 9:45 a.m. every Monday.

Busy bee, 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Rosary 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Sunday: Grace church, 10:15 a.m.; trivia, 10:30 a.m.; Lutheran service, 2 p.m.; Packer party, 3:30 p.m.

Monday: Sensory, 10 a.m.; song service, 1:30 p.m.; sensory, 3:30 p.m.; Yahtzee, 6 p.m.

Tuesday: Baking group, 10:30 a.m.; bingo, 1:45 p.m.; bunco, 3:30 p.m.; Scrabble, 6 p.m.

Wednesday: Baking, 10:30 a.m.; trick or treat, North Central kids, 1 p.m.; Halloween party, 2 p.m.; rummy, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday: Spa treatments, 10:30 a.m.; bingo, 1:45 p.m.; cards, 3:30 p.m.; one on one visits, 6 p.m.

Friday: Mass, 10:30 a.m.; happy hour, 2 p.m.; fish fry outing, 3:30 p.m.

Saturday: Current events, 10 a.m.; beach ball toss, 10:30 a.m.; bunco, 2 p.m.; trivia, 3:30 p.m.

SENIOR CENTERS

Note: All centers ask for 24-hour advanced reservations for lunch. If you have meals delivered and will not be home, notify the center.

Alpha-Mastodon Center

906-875-3315

Meal noon every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Amasa Center

906-822-7284

Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Lunch at noon.

Bingo on Tuesdays.

Free meal drawing on Thursdays.

Breen Center

906-774-5110

Meals Monday through Friday.

Pasty sale every third Saturday of the month.

Cards and games available 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 2 p.m.

Hostess on duty Monday through Friday.  

Treats and coffee, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Center retail store is open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday; volunteers and donations are welcome.

Birthdays acknowledged every day.

Evening meals are on the first and third Thursday of the month. Salad bar opens at 4 p.m., with dinner at 5 p.m. Donations are $4 for those 60 and older and $5 for 60 and younger.

Crystal Falls Center

Head cook

Lucy Korhonen

906-875-6709

Meals will be served on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 5 p.m., with the salad bar opening at 4:30 p.m. The dinner donation is $5 for those age 60 and older and $6 for those younger than 60. There is a $1 charge for take-out containers. All are invited. 

Cribbage will be played at 1 p.m. Wednesdays and be concluded in time for dinner.

Monday: Soup, salad, meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, vegetable and homemade dessert.

Tuesday: Soup, salad, barbecue country ribs, buttered noodles, vegetable and homemade dessert.

Wednesday: Soup, salad, chicken and dumplings, corn, and homemade dessert.

The center is closed Thursday through Sunday. 

A blood pressure reading can be taken by request at any time while the center is open.

Crystal Lake Center

906-774-5888

The center is closed on weekends.

Monday: Woodcarvers, 10 a.m.; mahjong in dining hall, noon; Les Artistes Art Club, noon; Bridge Club, 12:15 p.m.

Tuesday and Thursday: Pinochle, 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: Billiards, 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday: Spinning Spools Quilters Guild, 1 p.m., crafters, scrap bookers and others also welcome; knitting and crocheting class, 1 to 3 p.m.

Friday: Smear, 12:30 p.m.

Last Saturday of the month: Music jam starting at 1 p.m. Admission is free. 

Dances take place from 7 to 10 p.m. on the second and fourth Fridays of the month. Admission is $6; coffee is free. 

The Photo Club meets 1 to 3 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month.  

Evening meals are usually on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Salad bar opens at 4 p.m., with the meal served at 4:30 p.m. A donation of $4 is accepted for seniors age 60 and older, but not required. 

Home-delivered meals are for seniors 60 and older can be delivered seven days a week. Christine McMahon has information for all meals and can be reached at 774-2256 ext. 235. For transportation rides call “Buzzin’ Around Town” at 906-282-0492. Rides are $3 donation for age 60 and older, and $3.50 required for younger than 60.

Transportation is available from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Felch Center

906-246-3559

Meals served at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Wednesday.

Bingo after lunch on the first and third Wednesday of each month.

A congregate jigsaw puzzle is done daily.

Aging and Disability Resource Center of Florence County

715-528-4890

Director: Tiffany White

Suggested donation for seniors older than 60 is $4 per meal. Residents younger than 60 must pay $7. Reservations and cancellations needed 48 hours in advance.

The ADRC can assist area seniors and those with disabilities with transportation Monday through Friday. Transportation reservation should be made with meal reservation. 

Four senior dining locations are listed below:

Fence Center/Town Hall

715-336-2980

Meal at noon Wednesdays only. Reservations are requested. Cribbage and cards are available.

Florence Community Center/Town Hall

715-528-4261

Meal is served at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. 

Jigsaw puzzles, cards, cribbage and board games are available. The coffee is always on as well.

Tipler Town Hall

715-674-2320

Serving lunch at noon on the second Thursday of the month.

Hillcrest Senior Dining Center, Aurora

715-589-4491

Meal is served at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday. Jigsaw puzzles, cribbage, cards and board games are available. The coffee is always on as well.

Hermansville Center

Coordinator: Pam Haluska

906-498-7735

Meal is at noon Monday through Friday. Suggested donation is $3 for age 60 and older and $7 for those younger than 60.

Morning coffee is available daily.

Fifteen games of “fun bingo” are played each Tuesday and Friday, along with a 50-50 drawing.

Tuesday: Bingo, 12:45 p.m.

Wednesday: Cards played in the afternoon. Call ahead to see if a game will be going on.

Friday: Bingo, 12:45 p.m.

Monday through Friday: Walking in the gym, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A treadmill also is available.

Friendly interaction with other crafters.

Iron River Center

906-265-6134

Meals served 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; a $4 donation is encouraged from those 60 and older, and a $5 payment is required from those younger than 60.

Thursday meal, 4 p.m. salad bar, with dinner at 4:30.

Christine McMahon has information for all meals and can be reached at 906-774-2256 ext. 235. For transportation rides call “Buzzin’ Around Town” at 282-0492. Rides are $3 donation for age 60 and older, and $3.50 required for younger than 60.

Niagara Northwoods Senior Cafe and Center

Corrie Maule, Meal site manager, 715-251-1603

Jill Anderson, senior center director, 715-251- 4154

Noon meals served Monday through Thursday.

Transportation to the meal site from the Niagara, Wis.,  area is offered.

They welcome any senior groups that would like to use the meal site as a meeting place — join them for lunch and then stay for a meeting or social time.

Wii games, cards, puzzles and board games are available to play.

Other activities are in the works — suggestions are always welcome.

Those who have not been at the meal site/senior center are invited to give it a try. Those who haven’t been here in a while are encouraged to come back.

Norway Center

Director: Susie Slining

906-563-8716

Monday through Thursday: Meals served at noon, with salad bar. Soup also is available at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Milk, juice, bread, fruit, tea, and coffee served daily. Meal donation is $5. Reservation for the meal should be made in advance.

Two special-themed meals take place each month, with bingo, prizes and a 50-50 drawing.

Two evening meals offered at 5 p.m. on the first Monday and third Wednesday of the month, with bingo, prizes and a 50-50.

If Norway-Vulcan are schools are closed due to snow days, so is the senior center. If the schools are on a two-hour delay, the center remains open.

Cards are played daily after the noon meal.

Craft and exercise classes: Mondays and Thursdays.

Ceramic and art classes: Wednesdays.

Puzzles always in the works.

Telephone reassurance is available for any senior who doesn’t get out much and would like a friendly daily phone check to see that all is well.

Tuesday — Halloween dinner with lasagna, green beans, garlic toast, soup and salad bar, fruit, juice, and dessert. Bingo and prizes with 50-50 and costume contest; prizes will be awarded. Please sign up early.

Note: A CSFP food card (green card) is available to income-eligible seniors. Make an appointment to get signed up. File of Life packets available at the center.

Note: Ask about the Medicare Savings Program. This program helps people pay their Medicare part B premium. You may be eligible. The local MMAP counselor can be reached at  1-800-803-7174, or dial 211.

Sagola Center

906-542-3273

Meals: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11:45 a.m.

Cards: Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday.

Commodities every other month and quarterly commodities are every three months.

A puzzle table is available to enjoy.

Volunteers are always welcome.