My leukemia's back.

[Blooie]

We’re home! Until Monday. <sigh.>

 

[bruceha2000]

Whoo hoo, 1.5 whole days at home!
This must be costing you a fortune if for no reason other than paying for Fiona's hotel rooms.

 

[Blooie]

He’s been in “the line” for 8 years...4 years appointed and 4 years elected. So when he was first put in the line to become Grand Master, we started a special savings account and didn’t touch it except to add money. And some expenses are reimbursed - he gets so much per mile and files his mileage reports at the end of every month, then when the check comes it’s plowed right back into that account. Then too, some of the bigger Lodges pick up the hotel rooms when the Grand Master is visiting their lodges....this last trip we only paid for 2 nights’ rooms (out of pocket) for the 9 nights. So it hasn’t been as bad as we we were afraid it would be, at least not so far. We did have to foot our own bills for our 4 days in Idaho to go to their Grand Lodge, but the registration fee and banquets for out-of-state dignitaries is usually picked up by that state’s Grand Lodge.

Our biggest expense will be when we have to put on the Grand Lodge at the end of his year. That’s the huge 3 day event when The New GM is installed and Ken’s year is reviewed and celebrated. But as long as we have that account, and keep putting his reimbursed expense checks back in, we should - repeat, should - have money left over when all is said and done. Boarding Fiona, well, not much we can do about that. She’s our responsibility, and the care she got was well worth it. Next time, though, we’ll order an end-of-stay bath! Yikes!

 

[bruceha2000]

We did have to foot our own bills for our 4 days in Idaho to go to their Grand Lodge, but the registration fee and banquets for out-of-state dignitaries is usually picked up by that state’s Grand Lodge.

It would be pretty RUDE to charge the Grand Master (and his Lady) a registration fee!
"Hey, can you come talk to us, it will only cost you $50 (*) each to register".

So are you feeling better? Still going to skip the current 2 day trip?

That is a pretty long path to Grand Master. How many people "in line" die before the get to the head of the line??

* I obviously have no idea what it costs.

 

[Blooie]

Yep, I skipped this trip. Feeling better but kinda wrung out - energy level is zip. The GM Lady doesn't pay any registration fee...but the fee for each voting Master Mason attending (and he is also carrying proxies to vote on behalf of the eligible voters in his Lodge) is around $100-150. This is the first and only year we won't have to pay it. Ken doesn't have a vote this year, since he's in charge of the meetings.

It has happened that someone in the line passes away or drops out for some reason, and when that happens the Grand Master appoints someone to fill that gap. That appointee goes to the end of the line as Junior Deacon and all of the others move up a position. It happened to Ken when one of the others had to drop out for serious health issues, and Ken moved up from Junior Steward to Senior Steward. The incoming Grand Master appoints the newest member of the line and he takes his place in line as the Junior Deacon. Everyone else just moves up one position. So every year the newest (and lowest) dude on the totem pole is appointed by the incoming and he makes that appointment before his installation as GM so that the new guy can be installed as the Grand JD.

Grand Junior Deacon - Appointed
Grand Senior Deacon - Appointed
Grand Junior Steward - Appointed
Grand Senior Steward - Appointed
Grand Junior Warden - Elected
Grand Senior Warden - Elected
Deputy Grand Master - Elected
Grand Master - Elected

It's really pretty simple, but it takes a while to go through the line. While Ken technically sat chairs for all 8 years, his Junior Steward year was short because just a few months after being appointed GJS he was advanced to GSS. So we only had 7 actual years in the line, but it still counts as 8 because he did seat both chairs.

We just made our flight and hotel reservations for Utah's Grand Lodge coming up in January, and learned that the Utah Grand Lodge pays all of the Grand Master's and his Lady's expenses except our airfare. So he doesn't pay registration (he has no vote in Utah anyway) and we don't pay for the two men's luncheons, the two ladies' luncheons, the Grand Master's Banquet or the Master Mason's banquet, nor do we pay for our rooms. Love those Grand Lodges! I think when we go to New Mexico it all comes out of our pocket except the registration, which again not being a voting member there he isn't required to pay. So it varies from state to state. South Dakota has always picked up our room for the three of us (Katie never misses a SD Grand Lodge) if Ken was acting as the Grand Master's official representative because the Grand Master couldn't go, but we paid for our luncheons and banquets. This year he'll actually be the Grand Master, so there won't be any out of pocket expenses for anything. We don't yet know what Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, Washington State, North Dakota and Washington DC will pick up, so I'm glad we have that cushion we built up. There were plenty of times over the years when it was sorely tempting to dip out of our Grand Lodge savings account - now that the time is here we are so glad we talked ourselves out of doing that. Between buying formals, outfitting Katie when she goes, tuxedos, Grand Lodge uniforms for him, and meals while traveling, and then his big end-of-year bash we'll need every penny! Katie is a Grand Lodge junkie - she loves going to them and the interaction with new people has done so much for improving the social skills that Autism seems to hinder.

And all of that is pretty boring and probably much more information than you needed. Me, I'm just having fun. I'm tired, yep, and the house and yard have gone to heck in a handbasket, but this is such a once in a lifetime opportunity that I'm going to soak up every minute of it that I can.

 

[bruceha2000]

Whoa. How does Ken decide which individual of many to appoint as a GJD??

Enjoy your couple of extra days with Fiona

 

[Blooie]

He looked at a lot of factors when choosing his appointment to the line, Bruce. He looked at the guy’s Masonic history first of all. Does he get things done? Are his integrity and reputation beyond question? Is he active in his Lodge? Has he been Master of his Lodge? Does he support Masonic appendent bodies? How well does he know the rituals? What about the line interfering with his employment? And the biggie, how would his wife (and family, if he has either or both) feel about him making this 8 year commitment? Ken started with a long list, pared that down to 10 guys, then again down to his short list of 5 and chose his final candidate from them. Then he ran his choice through the Jurisprudence Committee to see if they had any objections or knew of a reason that man shouldn’t be appointed. They gave their wholehearted approval to his choice, realizing that in 8 years that man will be Grand Master, with all the responsibility that the job entails. Ken and every other officer in the line was appointed to the line in the same way. It’s quite a process. Ken actually started his list in his GS Warden year, visiting Lodges and watching in particular that man and his interactions and conduct. He didn’t pare it down to 5 until he became a Deputy Grand Master, and had to have it all decided and the candidate notified before his Installation.

<sigh> Now I suppose I have to shoot ya.

 

[bruceha2000]

Nah, you didn't tell me about the special masonic underwear so we are safe

 

[N F C]

Nah, you didn't tell me about the special masonic underwear so we are safe

I only knew about the handshake...didn't know there was special underwear involved! you blew it Bruce, the secret is out now! Now Blooie will definitely have to shoot you.

 

[bruceha2000]

Dang, and she knows where I live! I better go silence her first