I recently re-read the introduction to my blog (see above) and did a self-assessment on how well I have or have not met the intentions of this blog. It seems to me that lately I have been heavy on the mindless-train-of-thought type blogging, and very light on the liberal rants and raves. Don't worry, you're not in for a rant today. Today will be quite a potpourri as I have a teeny bit to say about like a zillion things.
First of all, Saddam Hussein. He's dead. Anyone who gloated or was actually happy about this: you are off my In List. The whole affair is so so so sad and I only wonder why we could not have stopped this man's despotism before it killed so many people. One more death does not resolve the larger problem in my mind.
However, I am reminded of the day of September 11, 2001. I worked at a middle school in the next tiny town over from this one, and all the staff were exhausted, distraught and just wanted to go home. Our principal held a called, mandatory faculty meeting that afternoon and ranted at us for 35 minutes about what a tragedy this was. Duh, and duh-huh. I kept wondering, "who the hell cares what she thinks?"
The difference is that you have checked this blog intentionally, and presumably to see exactly what I do think. You're not captive in a smelly lunchroom just wishing you could go home and snuggle on the couch with your family and thank God they are ok.
Next: New Years' Resolutions. Most of you know I am a big resolution-maker. Some I actually keep. Like, giving up wearing my watch as a visible reminder to not be so A-personality. After the first year, I renewed the resolution last year and now I am so not-A they have to scrape me off the floor to get me to do anything. I am soooo laid back. However, I am not renewing my anti-watch resolution as I may head back to the workplace soon and may well need to know what time it is on occasion.
I am reading a pretty good book called Julie & Julia, subtitled, "365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny apartment kitchen." It's the semi-true book about a young woman trapped in a dead-end job in NYC who feels really crappy about her boring life, so she decides to make every recipe in Julia Childs' cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, or MtAoFC, as she refers to it. She makes all the recipes, and eats them, even though she was a pretty picky eater before. I mean, she had never eaten an egg in all her 29 years and suddenly she is making omelets of every possible persuasion. I'm about halfway through it. It's a riot. So far, the best part is the marrow bone.
I call it semi-true because of her own introduction: "For the sake of discretion, many identifying details, individuals, and events throughout this book have been altered. Only my self, my husband and certain widely known public figures, including Julia and Paul Child, are identified by real names. Also, sometimes I just made stuff up. Case in point: the scenes from the lives of Paul Child and Julia McWilliams Child depicted throughout are purely works of imagination, inspired by events described in the hournals and letters of Paul Child, the letters of Julia McWilliams, and the biography of Julia Child, Appetite for Life, by Noel Rily Fitch. I thank Ms...." and she goes on with her acknowledgements.
How cool to start with the true story and freely make stuff up on the way and not be committed to having written something entirely original, (very hard) or something very real (also very hard.) It's not really a novel but not non-fiction, either. In our library it was shelved near the cookbooks in with the theory of cooking stuff.
I have a new story coming out in the paper later this week about one of the garbagemen with whom I worked last year. I mentioned it last week with hyperlinks and stuff to the article. It's scheduled to print either Friday, 05.Jan or Sunday, 07.Jan.
Little One has one more day before returning to school. Hallelujah. I love love love having her home -- she is great company, but she really needs the structure of going to bed, getting up, doing things, actually doing things, and...so do I. She's been up till after 10 almost every night over Christmas Break, and sleeping to at least 10am in the mornings. Her days have consisted of TV, Internet, music (stereo, piano, flute, in that order!) and of course, Fly Pen. She has done a little work on her Social Studies project but none on her Science Fair Project. She has read 2 books but the next in the series is checked out of the library, overdue, in fact, and she sort of refuses to read anything until she has completed the series.
She is the absolute best candidate I ever saw for a Montessori school. She loves to learn, explore, practice her music, learn for the sake of learning, but wants to do it all on her own schedule. Try to make her do something at a given time and ho boy, you better have your Tactful Hat on for sure. I spend half my time trying to outfox the eleven year old in the house.
I am so so so intrigued by Barack Obahma I went to the library to get on the waiting list to read The Audacity of Hope, NYT Bestseller List #1. Is this someone in whom we can believe? Could he be as smart as he appears? As good? As directed? Could he rub off on some others?
I'll have to report on the book later, much later. I am #12 on the waiting list at our Small Town Library. Seems half the town wonders the same thing. They have 2 copies and 2 more on order, though, so it could be as quick as six weeks for me to get the book, or it could be quite a while.
Sunday, December 31
Tuesday, December 26
Ultimate Christmas Gift
Maybe you've seen the TV commercial that shows 2 little kids opening a Christmas gift, in matching pajamas, and when they see the contents, they yell, "Yes, yes YES, YES!" They are jumping and high-fiving and smiling from ear to ear.
I have seen it a few times this season and each time thought, "Wouldn't that be a great feeling, to give a gift that gives so much pleasure?"
Well, we did not have the instant replay of that commercial, but we have had something almost as good.
LO played with her Main Christmas gift ALL DAY yesterday, and commented several times, "This thing is awesome." I have to admit, I did feel a little warm all over each time she said it.
Her main gift was the Fly Pen, created by Leap Frog. When the Leap Frog stuff for little guys came out, she was just on the older side of that age range, so we never got any of their stuff -- till now.
She said in September that she wanted it. I went online and pulled up all the reviews of it I could find. I found a zillion raves for it and only one pan. This is in contrast to a few years ago, when she wanted the Girl Tech Password Journal II and all the reviews for it said it SUCKED. I told her as much and she teared up and said, "I really, really want it." So against our best judgment, we got the thing for her and of course, it sucked. She spent about 3 afternoons yelling her password at the thing and it's been in her wooden box of tech toys ever since.
When I saw that the Fly Pen actually does what it says it will do (novel concept), I went to Ebay and got several great buys on accessories for it. Having a closet of games, faceplates, the charger and speaker, I set out to find a great buy on the Pen itself. DH came home from work one day to report that Target had a coup for the Pen and get a Journal free. One of his buddies at work had tipped him off to it. They had even cut out the coup for us.
I set out the next Saturday afternoon, as she had a playdate and I was free. It was a cold rainy blustery day, and I had to hit THREE Targets to find the Pen available. Our new SuperTarget only 22 miles away was out. The guy used his scanner tool to shoot the shelf tag and said it was available at a Charlotte Target only 15 miles further down the road. He checked further and said they had only 3 -- if they were out by the time I got there, to go on to another Target 7 miles further, that Target has little traffic.
So I went to Target #2, which was already out, and finally found it at Target #3.
Have had a closet full of Pen stuff for 3 months and in the meanwhile, LO has expressed the desire for several other things, seemingly having forgotten that she had wanted the Pen. I was really starting to sweat.
About 3 days before Christmas I shared with her that she was not receiving either an MP3 player or a cell phone. She seemed to accept this news pretty well -- she really is a good sport -- and seemed truly happy when she opened the Pen.
She can draw a piano, place the pen on the drawn keys, and make music -- in the notes of the drawn keys. She can draw drums and play them in 4 different modes, including African steel drums.
She can mix DJ tracks. She can play a game of "repeat the sounds" with it -- and when she is unsuccessful in repeating its tones, it says, "You ain't too good at this."
She can enter her appointments, and did so Saturday night, when we opened gifts. Yesterday when she turned on her Pen, it said, "Monday, December 25. 9am: breakfast."
She has software to help develop her writing skills and the Harry Potter Marauders' Map. Last night she was stretched out on the floor in front of the fire, playing with the Map, and said 2 or 3 times, "This is so cool."
The journal software prompted her to write what her dream vacation would be, what kind of friend she thinks she is, and who her dream guy would be. It has an old-timey lock and key on it, too.
At lunch she was playing trivia with it, remembering her states and capitals, and doing exponents.
I am glad we went for the charger as we would have gone through 3 sets of AA's by now.
So far, Spanish is the only language software offered for the Pen, and she prefers French, so we are waiting. Surely they will come out with French soon.
So often with tech toys, the truth is not quite the advertised concept, and it's so nice this time to have something that is truly as cool as is advertised. You can go online and play with its features as if it were the Pen, to get acquainted with it. The website is: www.flypentop.com.
I have seen it a few times this season and each time thought, "Wouldn't that be a great feeling, to give a gift that gives so much pleasure?"
Well, we did not have the instant replay of that commercial, but we have had something almost as good.
LO played with her Main Christmas gift ALL DAY yesterday, and commented several times, "This thing is awesome." I have to admit, I did feel a little warm all over each time she said it.
Her main gift was the Fly Pen, created by Leap Frog. When the Leap Frog stuff for little guys came out, she was just on the older side of that age range, so we never got any of their stuff -- till now.
She said in September that she wanted it. I went online and pulled up all the reviews of it I could find. I found a zillion raves for it and only one pan. This is in contrast to a few years ago, when she wanted the Girl Tech Password Journal II and all the reviews for it said it SUCKED. I told her as much and she teared up and said, "I really, really want it." So against our best judgment, we got the thing for her and of course, it sucked. She spent about 3 afternoons yelling her password at the thing and it's been in her wooden box of tech toys ever since.
When I saw that the Fly Pen actually does what it says it will do (novel concept), I went to Ebay and got several great buys on accessories for it. Having a closet of games, faceplates, the charger and speaker, I set out to find a great buy on the Pen itself. DH came home from work one day to report that Target had a coup for the Pen and get a Journal free. One of his buddies at work had tipped him off to it. They had even cut out the coup for us.
I set out the next Saturday afternoon, as she had a playdate and I was free. It was a cold rainy blustery day, and I had to hit THREE Targets to find the Pen available. Our new SuperTarget only 22 miles away was out. The guy used his scanner tool to shoot the shelf tag and said it was available at a Charlotte Target only 15 miles further down the road. He checked further and said they had only 3 -- if they were out by the time I got there, to go on to another Target 7 miles further, that Target has little traffic.
So I went to Target #2, which was already out, and finally found it at Target #3.
Have had a closet full of Pen stuff for 3 months and in the meanwhile, LO has expressed the desire for several other things, seemingly having forgotten that she had wanted the Pen. I was really starting to sweat.
About 3 days before Christmas I shared with her that she was not receiving either an MP3 player or a cell phone. She seemed to accept this news pretty well -- she really is a good sport -- and seemed truly happy when she opened the Pen.
She can draw a piano, place the pen on the drawn keys, and make music -- in the notes of the drawn keys. She can draw drums and play them in 4 different modes, including African steel drums.
She can mix DJ tracks. She can play a game of "repeat the sounds" with it -- and when she is unsuccessful in repeating its tones, it says, "You ain't too good at this."
She can enter her appointments, and did so Saturday night, when we opened gifts. Yesterday when she turned on her Pen, it said, "Monday, December 25. 9am: breakfast."
She has software to help develop her writing skills and the Harry Potter Marauders' Map. Last night she was stretched out on the floor in front of the fire, playing with the Map, and said 2 or 3 times, "This is so cool."
The journal software prompted her to write what her dream vacation would be, what kind of friend she thinks she is, and who her dream guy would be. It has an old-timey lock and key on it, too.
At lunch she was playing trivia with it, remembering her states and capitals, and doing exponents.
I am glad we went for the charger as we would have gone through 3 sets of AA's by now.
So far, Spanish is the only language software offered for the Pen, and she prefers French, so we are waiting. Surely they will come out with French soon.
So often with tech toys, the truth is not quite the advertised concept, and it's so nice this time to have something that is truly as cool as is advertised. You can go online and play with its features as if it were the Pen, to get acquainted with it. The website is: www.flypentop.com.
Monday, December 25
Christmas Day
Our Christmas Day, like everything we do, is a bit out of the ordinary. Alas, DH has to work today, but after our sad little Christmas 3 years ago (facing layoff), we will just be thankful for his job and keep on going.
We opened gifts last night after dinner, between the 2 church services we attended, the Children's Service at 4pm, and the Festival of Light at 9. We gaily remarked on the way to the latter that LO is finally old enough to go to a "grownup" service at 9pm and remembered these words as I propped her on my shoulder halfway through the service. She slept soundly but did not snore. The perfect church nap.
She had to wake up to leave the church so we drove to the downtown business that was thoughtful to project a light show onto the rear wall of Small Town's only "skyscraper" -- 12 stories high! The light show was a series of animated slides set to Christmas carols, looping in 12 minute increments. We parked across the street and stood up through the sunroof of the car. It was great fun and such a novelty. Headed home and LO went straight to bed.
DH had asked me to prepare a Breakfast Casserole for him & his coworkers to enjoy today, so I had it ready in the fridge and he took it with him as he left this am at 4:30. Little One and I slept in til 10 and she has been enjoying her new Fly Pen ever since. I have been hanging around, on the computer, enjoying her, enjoying her gift. She is still in pj's and I am ready to start the homemade bread for tonight's dinner. Little Dog is stretched out on her rug and the cats are curled up somewhere. It's chilly, gray, rainy day and I will build a fire before DH comes home.
We opened gifts last night after dinner, between the 2 church services we attended, the Children's Service at 4pm, and the Festival of Light at 9. We gaily remarked on the way to the latter that LO is finally old enough to go to a "grownup" service at 9pm and remembered these words as I propped her on my shoulder halfway through the service. She slept soundly but did not snore. The perfect church nap.
She had to wake up to leave the church so we drove to the downtown business that was thoughtful to project a light show onto the rear wall of Small Town's only "skyscraper" -- 12 stories high! The light show was a series of animated slides set to Christmas carols, looping in 12 minute increments. We parked across the street and stood up through the sunroof of the car. It was great fun and such a novelty. Headed home and LO went straight to bed.
DH had asked me to prepare a Breakfast Casserole for him & his coworkers to enjoy today, so I had it ready in the fridge and he took it with him as he left this am at 4:30. Little One and I slept in til 10 and she has been enjoying her new Fly Pen ever since. I have been hanging around, on the computer, enjoying her, enjoying her gift. She is still in pj's and I am ready to start the homemade bread for tonight's dinner. Little Dog is stretched out on her rug and the cats are curled up somewhere. It's chilly, gray, rainy day and I will build a fire before DH comes home.
Friday, December 22
Remembering Christmas
This year, for the first year, EVER, I was done shopping for Christmas by November. Oh, I've had to pick up a few items for stockings, and a special gift I ordered in September was hand-crafted and ready for pickup earlier this month, but for all intents and purposes, I was done.
I have always envied, and somewhat resented, the organized ladies (it's never the men) who smugly mention, "Oh, I've been ready for months." I berate myself: "we know on 26.December that another Christmas is coming; why can't I go on and get it done?" But for whatever reason, I never started (until now) til late fall. Sometimes, it was late, late fall.
All year I have anticipated having the PERFECT CHRISTMAS. I selected just the perfect gifts, made some, bought others. Envisioned lovely smells in the kitchen and sparkly lights throughout the house. DH and I bought a few Christmas gifts on our vacation in August. It's truly been a year of getting ready for Christmas.
So now of course our little Christmas is not perfect. DH has to work all day Christmas day. Other events have conspired to suck the joy from the season. Sheesh.
I have been thinking back to other Christmases. I remember 28 years ago when DS1 was 4 and DS2 was a 3. DD was a toddler. We had little or no money but somehow it did not matter a bit. I made slippers for all, red corduroy with white terry lining. Made a rag doll for DD, with a yellow gingham dress and embroidered facial features. Their dad made them a brightly-colored abacus from dowels and wooden beads. We built a puppet stage from plywood; I made curtains, backdrop and puppets, all animals. We even stayed up late one night and made homemade lollipops, cooking corn syrup, sugar and water to the hard-crack stage, separating it into 4 or 5 batches for different colors, and spreading it thin to harden. Then we rolled it into a fine powder with the rolling pin. Using washed tuna cans with both top and bottom lids removed, as a mold, on a cookie sheet, we sprinkled the colored powder into the circular mold, with little designs in the center. In one mold we sprinkled a green Christmas tree shape in the center, then filled the remainder of the circle with red. And so on. Once all our designs were made, we removed the cans, inserted shortened thin dowels, and baked. They were the most beautiful lollipops you ever saw. I remember wanting to hang them in the window. They were like beautiful little stained-glass windows. Thinking back, I can almost recall the smell of cooking them, there in that tiny little kitchen.
The children loved their gifts and I was so proud and pleased that we had made it all. It was a Christmas to remember.
I have always envied, and somewhat resented, the organized ladies (it's never the men) who smugly mention, "Oh, I've been ready for months." I berate myself: "we know on 26.December that another Christmas is coming; why can't I go on and get it done?" But for whatever reason, I never started (until now) til late fall. Sometimes, it was late, late fall.
All year I have anticipated having the PERFECT CHRISTMAS. I selected just the perfect gifts, made some, bought others. Envisioned lovely smells in the kitchen and sparkly lights throughout the house. DH and I bought a few Christmas gifts on our vacation in August. It's truly been a year of getting ready for Christmas.
So now of course our little Christmas is not perfect. DH has to work all day Christmas day. Other events have conspired to suck the joy from the season. Sheesh.
I have been thinking back to other Christmases. I remember 28 years ago when DS1 was 4 and DS2 was a 3. DD was a toddler. We had little or no money but somehow it did not matter a bit. I made slippers for all, red corduroy with white terry lining. Made a rag doll for DD, with a yellow gingham dress and embroidered facial features. Their dad made them a brightly-colored abacus from dowels and wooden beads. We built a puppet stage from plywood; I made curtains, backdrop and puppets, all animals. We even stayed up late one night and made homemade lollipops, cooking corn syrup, sugar and water to the hard-crack stage, separating it into 4 or 5 batches for different colors, and spreading it thin to harden. Then we rolled it into a fine powder with the rolling pin. Using washed tuna cans with both top and bottom lids removed, as a mold, on a cookie sheet, we sprinkled the colored powder into the circular mold, with little designs in the center. In one mold we sprinkled a green Christmas tree shape in the center, then filled the remainder of the circle with red. And so on. Once all our designs were made, we removed the cans, inserted shortened thin dowels, and baked. They were the most beautiful lollipops you ever saw. I remember wanting to hang them in the window. They were like beautiful little stained-glass windows. Thinking back, I can almost recall the smell of cooking them, there in that tiny little kitchen.
The children loved their gifts and I was so proud and pleased that we had made it all. It was a Christmas to remember.
Wednesday, December 20
More Trash!
I was thrilled yesterday to receive a call from the local manager of Solid Waste. I worked as a trash lady a little over a year ago,
(see http://maggiesattic.blogspot.com/2005_09_01_archive.html and scroll down to 28.Sept)
and worked with a fellow who has been emptying garbage for 33 years. He is retiring today and they are having a drop-in reception for him from 11am to 2pm. The manager called to ask would I attend? Would I! The mayor is dropping in at about 12 to present him with an honorary award to recognize that he has not had a single driving offense in 33 years of driving the garbage truck.
I asked if the paper had been notified and the answer was no. Would he mind if I cover it? We were hoping you would, he said. So a few calls to my editor and the photography editor set it all up.
The paper is philosophically opposed to "handshake" type photos, the type showing the fellow receiving the plaque and shaking hands with the Mayor. They are too pose-y. They prefer "action shots."
The fellow who is retiring is working today, of course, --I can't imagine this particular fellow doing anything else but working to the very end, and so a photographer is going to catch him in action today and photograph him. I got his locations for the day and gave them to the photography folks so they can find him.
I so enjoyed working with him and the other fellow I worked with on that hot September day. They were both so so so gentlemanly and sweet to me. Treated me like a china doll. (You'd have to know me to realize how unusual that would be for me.) I truly look forward to seeing him again today and honoring him with a good writeup.
In preparing for the interview today, I pulled up my earlier article, (http://archive.salisburypost.com/archive_detail.php?archiveFile=./pubfiles/sls/archive/2005/October/02/Lifestyle/30378.xml&start=20&numPer=20&keyword=maggie+blackwell§ionSearch=&begindate=1%2F1%2F1983&enddate=12%2F31%2F2006&authorSearch=&IncludeStories=1&pubsection=&page=&IncludePages=1&IncludeImages=1&mode=allwords&archive_pubname=Salisbury+Post%0A%09%09%09)
and also my blog account of the event, see earlier hyperlink.
Looking over the blogs for September, 2005, truly took me on a trip down memory lane. Three weeks prior to my riding garbage, DH had had an accident with the table saw and lost his left pinkie. The September blogs are a compilation of sadness, hope, patience, discouragement, worry, and ultimate victory. Altogether, if something really crappy had to happen in our lives, this crappy event turned out in what I believe was the best possible outcome. DH was overwhelmed with how many people really really care about him. His sense of humor about it cannot be believed. He is constantly saying things like, "Gimme 4!" or "Pinkie swear!" These remarks sometimes take people aback, but this is his way of accepting the loss. Just about every day, I see him looking at it, rubbing it, or stretching the ring finger, which was quite damaged but not lost in the accident. As recently as yesterday, he found a way to joke about it. More on that at the end of this entry.
Reading the daily blogs about the accident made me realize what a good team we really are. We had a crisis, we worked together through it, and came out well in the end. As always, the terrible things turn out to be the best things. We grew closer emotionally and spiritually. His musical talent actually GREW as an outcome of the accident. It really did my heart good to read the blog about it.
Yesterday. Our dear little friends H and W, 5 and 2.5 yrs old, stopped by to visit yesterday afternoon, and brought their mom, J. W loves to sit at the island in my kitchen and have a snack, so much so, that when he stops by, he sort of expects to have a treat. This is great with me and I try to have healthy treats on hand for just such a visit. This all worked out yesterday so that the boys were seated at the island drinking an Izze, eating organic string cheese and eating raisins, and the three of us adults were standing around in the kitchen just gazing at them and enjoying their presence. W spoke up. "When I was a little boy," he began, (remember he is 2 1/2 now) "I saw a crocodile and the crocodile bit off my finger." As he told us, his eyes grew wide and he nodded his head.
"Me too!" DH exclaimed, and held up his 4-fingered hand. Fortunately this was 'way over W's head so he wasn't horrified to see that DH truly is missing a finger. This kind of teasing is DH's way of reconciling to the loss. How cool is he.
(see http://maggiesattic.blogspot.com/2005_09_01_archive.html and scroll down to 28.Sept)
and worked with a fellow who has been emptying garbage for 33 years. He is retiring today and they are having a drop-in reception for him from 11am to 2pm. The manager called to ask would I attend? Would I! The mayor is dropping in at about 12 to present him with an honorary award to recognize that he has not had a single driving offense in 33 years of driving the garbage truck.
I asked if the paper had been notified and the answer was no. Would he mind if I cover it? We were hoping you would, he said. So a few calls to my editor and the photography editor set it all up.
The paper is philosophically opposed to "handshake" type photos, the type showing the fellow receiving the plaque and shaking hands with the Mayor. They are too pose-y. They prefer "action shots."
The fellow who is retiring is working today, of course, --I can't imagine this particular fellow doing anything else but working to the very end, and so a photographer is going to catch him in action today and photograph him. I got his locations for the day and gave them to the photography folks so they can find him.
I so enjoyed working with him and the other fellow I worked with on that hot September day. They were both so so so gentlemanly and sweet to me. Treated me like a china doll. (You'd have to know me to realize how unusual that would be for me.) I truly look forward to seeing him again today and honoring him with a good writeup.
In preparing for the interview today, I pulled up my earlier article, (http://archive.salisburypost.com/archive_detail.php?archiveFile=./pubfiles/sls/archive/2005/October/02/Lifestyle/30378.xml&start=20&numPer=20&keyword=maggie+blackwell§ionSearch=&begindate=1%2F1%2F1983&enddate=12%2F31%2F2006&authorSearch=&IncludeStories=1&pubsection=&page=&IncludePages=1&IncludeImages=1&mode=allwords&archive_pubname=Salisbury+Post%0A%09%09%09)
and also my blog account of the event, see earlier hyperlink.
Looking over the blogs for September, 2005, truly took me on a trip down memory lane. Three weeks prior to my riding garbage, DH had had an accident with the table saw and lost his left pinkie. The September blogs are a compilation of sadness, hope, patience, discouragement, worry, and ultimate victory. Altogether, if something really crappy had to happen in our lives, this crappy event turned out in what I believe was the best possible outcome. DH was overwhelmed with how many people really really care about him. His sense of humor about it cannot be believed. He is constantly saying things like, "Gimme 4!" or "Pinkie swear!" These remarks sometimes take people aback, but this is his way of accepting the loss. Just about every day, I see him looking at it, rubbing it, or stretching the ring finger, which was quite damaged but not lost in the accident. As recently as yesterday, he found a way to joke about it. More on that at the end of this entry.
Reading the daily blogs about the accident made me realize what a good team we really are. We had a crisis, we worked together through it, and came out well in the end. As always, the terrible things turn out to be the best things. We grew closer emotionally and spiritually. His musical talent actually GREW as an outcome of the accident. It really did my heart good to read the blog about it.
Yesterday. Our dear little friends H and W, 5 and 2.5 yrs old, stopped by to visit yesterday afternoon, and brought their mom, J. W loves to sit at the island in my kitchen and have a snack, so much so, that when he stops by, he sort of expects to have a treat. This is great with me and I try to have healthy treats on hand for just such a visit. This all worked out yesterday so that the boys were seated at the island drinking an Izze, eating organic string cheese and eating raisins, and the three of us adults were standing around in the kitchen just gazing at them and enjoying their presence. W spoke up. "When I was a little boy," he began, (remember he is 2 1/2 now) "I saw a crocodile and the crocodile bit off my finger." As he told us, his eyes grew wide and he nodded his head.
"Me too!" DH exclaimed, and held up his 4-fingered hand. Fortunately this was 'way over W's head so he wasn't horrified to see that DH truly is missing a finger. This kind of teasing is DH's way of reconciling to the loss. How cool is he.
Tuesday, December 19
No Problem is Too Great to Conquer
There's the coolest story on the news today. It seems a little town in Italy, pop. 200 or fewer, gets virtually no sunlight between the dates of November 11 and February 2. It lies in a deep valley surrounded by steep mountains. The citizens, many of whom are elderly, sit huddled in their homes til spring. It's cold and dark outside all winter. It's been this way forever. Pretty bleak, eh?
So the mayor developed an initiative and spent 100,000 euros, I believe that's about $150,000 US, to build a 416 sq ft mirror on top of one of the mountains. With the help of a computer and remote control, it tracks the sun, and sends light down into the town square.
They raised the money from local citizens and a local bank. Now the old folks can sit on a bench in the town square and chat.
What a story of hope! Of inspiration! I don't know that I would have thought of this. So often the forces of nature seem to me to be insurmountable, and here these folks just decided to grab some sunlight and reflect it down on their town. Very, very cool. They say towns in Canada and the US are contacting them to learn how to copy it for their own towns.
I hope to remember this story next time a situation seems insurmountable to me.
Here's the link in case I missed any details:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061218/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_italy_mirror
So the mayor developed an initiative and spent 100,000 euros, I believe that's about $150,000 US, to build a 416 sq ft mirror on top of one of the mountains. With the help of a computer and remote control, it tracks the sun, and sends light down into the town square.
They raised the money from local citizens and a local bank. Now the old folks can sit on a bench in the town square and chat.
What a story of hope! Of inspiration! I don't know that I would have thought of this. So often the forces of nature seem to me to be insurmountable, and here these folks just decided to grab some sunlight and reflect it down on their town. Very, very cool. They say towns in Canada and the US are contacting them to learn how to copy it for their own towns.
I hope to remember this story next time a situation seems insurmountable to me.
Here's the link in case I missed any details:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061218/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_italy_mirror
Tuesday, December 5
The Post Office
It occurred to me that the Post Office is one of the great equalizers of our society.
Yesterday, after dropping LO off at the middle school, I went to the Post Office to pick up Christmas stamps for our Christmas cards. It was early, as she wanted to go in early to practice her flute. The band concert is in a couple of weeks, and she has her eyes on First Chair. One of her best friends has first chair now, and in her own words, "No offense to SK, but I'm taking that first chair."
So, I got to the Post Office at about 7:45. I was under the impression that our PO opens at 7:30. Apparently not. Apparently it doesn't even open at 8. I joined a line of about 7 folks inside the PO, and we waited, somewhat patiently, till 8:08, when the security doors and gates in front of the clerks' windows were opened.
The mix of folks in line was quite varied. There was me, quite normal of course, in fact, I find in so many situations, I'm the only normal person around. (You'd have to know me to get that joke.)
There were two people with black jackets with writing on them; one was a bearded, skinny, over-40 gentleman with a chain looping to his front pocket where I would guess his keys were. The writing on his jacket was motorcycle related. The other was a black lady about 50 or older with airbrushed writing on her jacket about a beach music group. There was a lovely lady in her 40's with very very long bleached hair, tight jeans, and boots with spiked heels and one of the most expensive pocketbooks I ever saw. The two ladies behind me were dressed in mid-priced clothes like me, LL Bean or Land's End, and we chatted as we waited.
One of them remarked how typical it was that the PO couldn't even open on time; they can't do anything right. I had to reply that we love love love our postal carrier. DH and I shopped for Christmas cards last week. We bought a box of cards for friends, and special cards for his parents and his brothers. We looked at the Pastor cards but did not see any for our pastors that seemed just right, and I said we would just send them cards from the box. Then , I saw a card for the Best Postal Carrier ever, and had to buy it. DH remarked that it was a shame that I wouldn't buy a special card for our pastors, but would for the mailman! I shared with the ladies how our mm slides a doggy biscuit into our mail slot every day. If we are not home when he comes, our mail gets scattered all over the LR floor as our dog roots and snuffles through the mail searching for her cookie. Last Friday, the mm must have been out of biscuits as he put through a homemade one, a saltine cracker with a little peanut butter on it, made into a little sandwich. Little Dog loved it and ate it up right away.
One of the ladies said that was quite a contrast to her mm, who smokes and leaves butts on her front lawn every day. No one in her family smokes, and she is quite frustrated with his thoughtlessness.
So we made conversation in this line, and all of us had to wait, regardless of normalcy or extreme dress, income level, or affinity for the PO. It seems to be one of the last great truly democratic institutions. You can pay extra to get your passport expedited, you can call your congressman to get approval for your 501(c)(3) expedited, you can hire an attorney to get your speeding ticket overturned. But at the PO, you have no choice. You just stand in line like everyone else. Somehow I find it comforting.
Yesterday, after dropping LO off at the middle school, I went to the Post Office to pick up Christmas stamps for our Christmas cards. It was early, as she wanted to go in early to practice her flute. The band concert is in a couple of weeks, and she has her eyes on First Chair. One of her best friends has first chair now, and in her own words, "No offense to SK, but I'm taking that first chair."
So, I got to the Post Office at about 7:45. I was under the impression that our PO opens at 7:30. Apparently not. Apparently it doesn't even open at 8. I joined a line of about 7 folks inside the PO, and we waited, somewhat patiently, till 8:08, when the security doors and gates in front of the clerks' windows were opened.
The mix of folks in line was quite varied. There was me, quite normal of course, in fact, I find in so many situations, I'm the only normal person around. (You'd have to know me to get that joke.)
There were two people with black jackets with writing on them; one was a bearded, skinny, over-40 gentleman with a chain looping to his front pocket where I would guess his keys were. The writing on his jacket was motorcycle related. The other was a black lady about 50 or older with airbrushed writing on her jacket about a beach music group. There was a lovely lady in her 40's with very very long bleached hair, tight jeans, and boots with spiked heels and one of the most expensive pocketbooks I ever saw. The two ladies behind me were dressed in mid-priced clothes like me, LL Bean or Land's End, and we chatted as we waited.
One of them remarked how typical it was that the PO couldn't even open on time; they can't do anything right. I had to reply that we love love love our postal carrier. DH and I shopped for Christmas cards last week. We bought a box of cards for friends, and special cards for his parents and his brothers. We looked at the Pastor cards but did not see any for our pastors that seemed just right, and I said we would just send them cards from the box. Then , I saw a card for the Best Postal Carrier ever, and had to buy it. DH remarked that it was a shame that I wouldn't buy a special card for our pastors, but would for the mailman! I shared with the ladies how our mm slides a doggy biscuit into our mail slot every day. If we are not home when he comes, our mail gets scattered all over the LR floor as our dog roots and snuffles through the mail searching for her cookie. Last Friday, the mm must have been out of biscuits as he put through a homemade one, a saltine cracker with a little peanut butter on it, made into a little sandwich. Little Dog loved it and ate it up right away.
One of the ladies said that was quite a contrast to her mm, who smokes and leaves butts on her front lawn every day. No one in her family smokes, and she is quite frustrated with his thoughtlessness.
So we made conversation in this line, and all of us had to wait, regardless of normalcy or extreme dress, income level, or affinity for the PO. It seems to be one of the last great truly democratic institutions. You can pay extra to get your passport expedited, you can call your congressman to get approval for your 501(c)(3) expedited, you can hire an attorney to get your speeding ticket overturned. But at the PO, you have no choice. You just stand in line like everyone else. Somehow I find it comforting.
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