So here's the short of it, 
We stand at the Gate of the Year...

And here's the long.  

King George VI used this quote in his address to the British Empire at Christmas time in 1939.  It sure has been a guiding light for me over the past few years.  I don't know much about Poet Minnie Louise Haskins, but whatever else about her -- she got it just right on this one.


     And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
     "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
     And he replied: 
     "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. 
     That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way. 

So here's the short of it, 
 Happy New Year Kitty Annie!

And here's the long.

After the incident with Plato being kidnapped (or would that be catnapped) and finally being rescued but going to live with another family - then Hershey going to live on a big farm, Mom has taken in another cat.  Our vet had an older cat who had been surrendered by her family.  She's a small calico cat who is probably 10-12 years old and has been an indoor kitty her whole life.  The Vet knew that Mom was looking for a calico, and Mom was happy to have Annie coming to live out her life there.

Now - the only thing is that winter is coming on and Annie had to understand when she came to live with Mom that she was going to be an outside girl.  I've been worried that as the weather got colder that she would be uncomfortable outside.  I've been trying to help Mom figure out something.  Mom had fixed up a box with styrofoam around it, but we really worked it out today! We built a cat house!

Here's the master plan we ended up using to make Annie's house.  Our tub was 18 gallon not the larger 25 gallon.  We used some Tyvek scraps leftover from a project and cut them to fit into the crate.  It's big enough for little Annie Cat to get in, turn around, sit up, and curl up, but small enough to conserve her body heat.  I'm on a mission to get a mylar blanket and some straw to finish it up.  Everything I've read says that straw is the very best bedding - but Mom and I only have wet straw that's been out in the weather at this point.  

I got Mom about 2 this afternoon and we came up to the house and worked on Annie's new home.  Within about an hour Alan, Mom, and I had it pretty much put together.  Mom and I took it down to her house and put the finishing touches on it.  We got it set up in the place where the other one was for the time being.  We took the styrofoam from the box Mom had built and used it to further insulate.  Mom used the old throw rug that had been in the bottom of the old box in the new digs. Before I left, Kitty Annie was investigating her new house.  I'm pretty convinced that she'll get into it when the temperatures drop.  And I'm pretty relieved to think that she's got a place to stay dry and get in out of the cold. 

If you want to see the directions the link is here.  You can also google outdoor cat shelter to see some other variations for this.   Just below is a picture that's really similar to the way Kitty Annie's shelter turned out!

So here's the short of it, 
Mom's heat went off!

And here's the long.

I've been at Mom's twice a day since she's been gone to Atlanta.  This morning when I got to the house it was a little cooler than I thought it had been, but I was on my way to a haircut and to run errands, and didn't really think much about it.

This evening when I got back to turn off the TV and feed Kitty Annie, it was markedly cooler.  Alan came down and helped me look around.  We checked all the breakers - fiddled with the thermostat - and then called Mom. She gave me the contact information for the Heating and Air company and we got on with figuring something out.

It turns out that the lovely young woman that I spoke with remembered the house and the work.  She had lived in Brainerd for some years and knew exactly where we were located.  She helped walk me through several things to check on, but nothing really helped.  So I'm glad Mom is safely in Atlanta in a warm house for tonight, and I'm hoping that we'll get someone there to get it fixed before she's home tomorrow.  It's supposed to be getting pretty cold these next few nights!

So here's the short of it, 
This one is in memory of The King.  

And here's the long.

Tonight I was inspired to have an Elvis Presley style dinner.  You know he was famous for loving grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches.  I've read that he would eat 12 - 15 of them at a sitting.  I looked and looked for a recipe so I could provide a link, but every single recipe looked to me like a cook or chef wanted to fancy it up a bit.

Elvis liked good thick white bread.  I understand that he didn't like the bananas mashed - but preferred them cut lengthwise.  He also wanted the peanut butter on both sides of his bread.  Apparently sometimes he liked bacon, fried up very crisp, on his peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

I did something a little bit different - since Elvis was just the inspirational starting point.

I started off with two slices of Honey Nut Stollen, my Christmas bread.  Both of them got peanut butter - then the long slices of bananas.  They grilled up just wonderfully.  I added a little extra of the icing and honeyed pecans that I use on the loaf and for a little extra touch.

Thanks Elvis for the dinner inspiration!

So here's the short of it, 
Today was a kind of lazy day! 

And here's the long.

Well, I did get the refrigerator cleaned out, but except for that I was not particularly productive today -- and it felt pretty good too!  Alan and I did venture out to see The Hobbit late this afternoon.  I read that book.  I don't remember it being one fight, after another.  I thought there were much more interesting dialogues and lessons in goodness.  Maybe those things don't sell?? The special effects and the location were just wonderful.  But lordy, lordy, this interpretation sure does make some mighty strong statements about our society values!

I got a bit of a chill during the movie -  feel a little like I'm trying to come down with something, but I had the flu shot, so I'm thinking I'll be fine. I'll try to get good sleep tonight, and maybe tomorrow I'll be all good.

So here's the short of it, 
Such a wonderful gift from Pat and Steve.  


And here's the long.

This lure came from Dad's fishing stuff that all went to Steve.  The picture was one taken probably that last summer before Dad died.



Thanks Pat and Steve!!

So here's the short of it, 
Ready to go. 

And here's the long.

The candy is made.  The Honey Nut Stollen is made.  Everything is in the bags, and we'll be headed out to Atlanta to spend the day with family tomorrow.  Pat and Steve's kids are on the every other year schedule, and the even years are their years with the Howards, so we'll get to see all of them and the 3 cute little grandkids!   Mom took the shuttle down and has been there since Friday.  When I talk with her she sounds like she's having a great time. Liga and Valdis will be going with us and I'm hoping that they'll be able to get into the every other year commitment as well.  Russ and Greg are already there - they arrived Russ from the south on Saturday, and Greg from Montana late Sunday night.  Shelley and Daniel and Elizabeth will be our absent children.  We'll have them there in spirit though.

In the morning we'll load up the car and head down the road.
But right now, I suspect I'd better go try to get some zzz's.

So here's the short of it, 
Little hens. 

And here's the long.

I've been seeing lots of advertising for cornish hens as an alternative to the traditional turkey or ham or chicken for Christmas dinner.  I succumbed to the marketing. We had cornish hens for dinner tonight.

Liga came over and helped me cook this afternoon.  We made a batch of Great Aunt Ruby's Pulled Cream Candy first of all.  Then we decided to cut the hens in half to cook them - they really turned out great, too! I never ate parsnips when I was growing up, but we've been adding them to the other vegetables that we throw in to roast with the chicken.  I'm learning to really like them.  This was just delicious.

I think we may start making hens a little more frequently.

So here's the short of it, 
Today was a fun candy cooking day. 

And here's the long.

Every year at Christmas time for at least 20 years I've made chocolate sauce for the neighbors for Christmas.  It's a great, simple recipe and just a nice way to stay connected to our neighbors.  For all those years, I've had children or young adults around that I could press into service as helper elves to deliver.  Of course when they were really young, I went with them, but since this is homes only in the circle and a few on the street that leads into the circle, so by 15 years ago they had this chore on their own.  So today for the first time in a long, long time, I was the delivery person.  I'm really glad that I did that!!  I had a chance to visit with everyone that was home - some visits were short, but I had a nice chat with several of them.  Now that was a nice part of the afternoon.

This evening I made a batch of Great Aunt Ruby's Pulled Cream Candy. It's an old recipe that seems to have had it's origins in Kentucky.  Great Aunt Ruby was my Grandfather VanSant's sister, and apparently she made this candy quite frequently.  When I was in my late twenties - I don't think I know how old she would have been at that time, but this candy was legendary.  She was visiting at Mom's at the same time I was and so I got a good lesson and she gave us the recipe.  It's become a tradition to make it.  I've found several variations of the recipe (and of course it's not got Great Aunt Ruby as a part of the name).  Today I tried one of the helpful hints I'd seen.  I put the big slab of marble outside and got it really cold while the candy was on the stove top.  I didn't really think that through - the butter wouldn't spread on the marble so the candy stuck in a couple of places.  It was all good though.  And the batch turned out really well.  Now I liked having that big old hunk of marble cooled down, so maybe for my next batch, I'll butter it up good and then put it out and let it get cooled down.  -- we'll see how that works.  And -- I have a batch of candy ready to go to Atlanta!

So here's the short of it, 
Teacher Vacaton!
And here's the long.

Today was my last day of work for 2 whole weeks.  It's days like today that I appreciate being a "teacher".  I've promised myself that I'm not going to look at e-mail, or plan anything, and I will not go down to the office, "just to check on a couple of things".   It's going to get cold, so I'm just going to huddle down in the house and enjoy being warm and cozy.  My plan is to sleep late.  I'm laughing as I write this as every time for the last year that I've planned to sleep late, I've been awake much too early to have considered that I "slept late'. But one thing I've discovered is that if you don't have to get up early and you wake up anyway, it's like a gift!

I'm going to have something to say about today's statement by the NRA. But I'm not ready to write anything just yet.  I can actually hardly believe what I've heard in the news.  But before I speak about it, I'm going to read that statement completely, and I just didn't want to do that yet tonight.

Tonight, I'm headed to snuggle under warm covers and hope that sleep comes and stays!

So here's the short of it, 
Lynn, the Artist - nice ring, huh... 

And here's the long.

Tonight some of us from work paid a visit to Spirited Arts.  It's a local business that hosts groups of people to paint.  They have all kinds of opportunities - open classes, classes for children, private parties (which was what we did), and probably lots of other things. We had a short social hour and then we painted! It was a relaxing, fun evening with people I usually only have a chance to interact with at work!  What a great idea for our holiday get together!

Here's my painting.  We all painted from the same model picture - and they all looked a bit alike, but they were all very individual as well.  It was easy for me to see how an art historian would be able to look at an art piece and be able to tell which artist created it - especially if there are lots of known pieces to compare with.

So here's Lynn - Not quite calling myself an artist yet, but certainly I'd like to do this again!  I could even grow to like doing this kind of thing.

So here's the short of it, 
Tomorrow.....

And here's the long.

I have an all day long seminar scheduled tomorrow.  I'm worried that I'll misbehave.  I'm going to have to really rein in myself and take copious notes so I won't be inclined to make too many comments or send notes to my colleagues, or sneak a look at Facebook.  I've already had 3 of my colleagues who were also scheduled into this training say it's going to be a day they aren't looking forward to as well!  And some of them are just the kind to egg on any kind of misbehavior.

Maybe part of the problem is that we only have a day and a half of work left, mountains of work to do, and .....

It's a webinar so it will be over a speaker with a powerpoint from the internet - I hope we have a very entertaining presenter - that will help keep me focused.  Anyway - tomorrow - give me strength - it's going to be a long day.

So here's the short of it, 
Happy Holidays debate. 

And here's the long.

So I'm on Facebook -- probably more than I should be.  Every third or fourth post these days is about "keeping Christ in Christmas", or  "Merry Christmas, I'm sorry if this offends you".  Or "Don't wish me Happy Holidays".

I'm pretty tired of it.  I live and breathe a pluralistic life.

I have lots of friends and family who are Christian.  They are "good" Christians.  And by good, I mean they are good people who try every single day in every single way that they can, to live the life they believe that God called them to live.  They worship Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

I have lots of friends and family (including my children) who are Jewish.  They are "good" Jews.  And by that I mean that they are good people who try every single day in every single way that they can to live the life they believe that God called them to live.  They sincerely believe and practice Tikkun Olam, the belief that it is our responsibility to do all that we can to repair the world and to bring about a better tomorrow every single day.

I have many friends who practice other religions as well.  I have friends who are Muslim, Buddhist, even a few who are Pagan.  In addition, before I left the classroom - I taught children of many Christian denominations as well as other religions. Good, beautiful, and wonderful children and young people.  I also have highly moral friends who are Agnostic or Atheist; yes really, they are not just people I know, but friends. So that's where I live.

Why would I look at one of my Muslim friends and say "Merry Christmas"?  I don't get it.  Of course I'll wish my Christian friends and family a Merry Christmas.  And I hope they have not only a Merry one, but a real spiritually uplifting one.  But here's the thing.  I know that not everyone is Christian and celebrates the holiday.  When I say Happy Holidays to someone, I'm saying to them, "Whatever Holiday you celebrate, I hope it's a Happy one."  I particularly like to say this when I don't know someone.  If I don't know you, I find it very presumptuous to say "Merry Christmas" to you.  If I know you celebrate Diwali, I'll wish you that - and I'll try to get the time of year right too!

On my electronic calendar, I've loaded up the religious holidays for most of the major religions.  It helps keep my consciousness raised that there are people who come in and out of my life - beautiful people who do amazing work with children - or who are great friends busy doing magnificent work in our community - who do not share my beliefs.  It keeps me from wishing everyone "Merry Christmas".  It helps me to honor the stranger by not presuming that they are just like me.

If you wish me a "Merry Christmas" and I don't know you, I'm not going to get mad at you; I'm not going to think or accuse you of waging a war on everyone who isn't a Christian; I'm not even going to tell you I'd prefer a different salutation.  I'm going to wonder though - do you really live in a world so isolated, so insulated from our pluralistic society that you think it's an appropriate greeting for every stranger you meet to say "Merry Christmas".

Happy Holidays to all of you. I genuinely wish you a very Happy Holiday - whatever Holiday you celebrate.  I hope you are surrounded by love and family.  I hope you are healthy and have enough.  I hope whatever you celebrate you leave the holiday with a renewed sense of doing good things in our world -- this wonderful, mysterious, and pluralistic world that we live in.

So here's the short of it, 
I thought I'd share something that has really inspired me over the years. 

The Paradoxical Commandments were written by Kent M. Keith in 1968 as part of a booklet for student leaders. This website provides information about the origin of the Paradoxical Commandments and the many places they have been sighted over the years. You can purchase books and products based on the Paradoxical Commandments, join the "Live the Paradoxical Commandments Anyway" Facebook page, and share your story about how the Paradoxical Commandments have made a difference in your life. You can also learn about the author and contact him directly. For more than thirty years, the Paradoxical Commandments have circled the globe. They have been put on walls and refrigerator doors, featured in speeches and articles, preached from pulpits, and shared extensively on the web. They have been used by business leaders, military commanders, government officials, religious leaders, university presidents, social workers, teachers, rock stars, parents, coaches, and students. Mother Teresa thought the Paradoxical Commandments were important enough to put up on the wall of her children's home in Calcutta. The Paradoxical Commandments have touched the hearts of millions of people all over the world.

And here's the long.

The Paradoxical Commandments
by Dr. Kent M. Keith

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

© Copyright Kent M. Keith 1968, renewed 2001

So here's the short of it, 
We had our Family Hannukah Celebration tonight. 

And here's the long.

Happy Hannukah 

(a little late)

Yes, we know it's a day late, but we wanted to have everyone here. Joyce came down from Knoxville and brought Daniel who's in visiting from Vegas.  Mia and Clyde joined us.  And of course Mom, and Liga and Valdis.  We were really happy that Kalie was with us as well.  

The candles were especially beautiful tonight.  We had lots and lots of Latkes, and all the fixin's! And more important than anything else, we had a great time with family.  

So here's the short of it, 
Congratulations on your Graduation Jamesia

And here's the long.

This evening I went to a graduation celebration for a young woman I first met when she was in the 3rd grade.  I managed to keep up with her through the years as she moved on to Middle School, then to High School.  Then I lost track of her after she graduated from high school.  About a year and a half ago, we caught back up through Facebook.  She's been finished with classes for a little while, but didn't actually go through her graduation ceremony until today -- and it was her Birthday too!  What a great birthday present.

It was such fun to be asked to speak a bit about my memories of her. And it was such an honor to be asked to share in this family time.  I suspect that this young lady isn't finished with her schooling.  She's pretty determined and I can tell she can see the possibilities out there.

So Good Wishes to you young lady.  Do good out there!

So here's the short of it, 
Such sadness today...

And here's the long.

I was at an elementary school this morning -  in a meeting with a school psychologist, an assistant principal, a couple of teachers, and a parent.  The news about a shooting in CT, beeped through on my phone.  I was expecting a text from someone about the meeting I was in so I looked. I had that headline rolling around during this meeting that there was a shooting at an elementary school in CT.  I didn't learn any of the details until about 2 hours later when I got into my car to head to my next stop (also an elementary school).

I can hardly think - I certainly can't even wrap my mind around what would prompt a person to kill Kindergarten children.

Our whole nation is mourning.  We really need to have a national conversation about why Americans are so violent.  We need to discuss all the aspects from what kinds of gun control might be appropriate to what's going on in our culture that causes people to turn to gun violence.  I don't pretend to have the answer, but we sure need to have the conversation.  

So here's the short of it, 
Dr., Dr.

And here's the long.

Today one of my great educator friends defended her dissertation.  It was a great success.  It's not quite official yet, but she will soon be officially Dr. Anderson.  I couldn't be more proud of her success.  I know it's been such a journey -- working, raising a son, helping taking care her Mom.  Cannot wait til I click on her e-mail - you see at work when someone has earned their Doctorate, it gets a change in the e-mail, just like women changing their name when they get married.  Can't wait!  Congratulations to you!

And tomorrow one of my former students will be awarded her doctorate!  And she too is one of those amazing women who has just done it!  She's a very young widow who lost her husband just a little over a year ago -- not too long after losing her father.   Lots of people would have just crumpled, but not Dr. Jenny.  I have this memory of her talking about her martial arts class - I can't remember if it was judo or karate.  When she earned her black belt, she said she was so bruised, and that she considered those bruises badges of pride.  (My own Dad would have said something about what the other guy must have looked like!)  So tomorrow she'll have the reward of all those years of working.  What's next in this wonderful woman's life.  We'll just have to stand back and see where she goes.  I know it will be some amazing something!

So Dr. and Dr.  Congratulations to you!

So here's the short of it, 
I almost saw snow!

And here's the long.

This morning I had an early appointment up on Signal Mountain.  As I was leaving at a little before 10 AM, the temperature was 31 degrees. (It's always colder up on the mountain than we are "down here in the valley").  It was misting and for sure and certain that mist was almost like snow.  Well it wasn't, but it was almost....

Considering that the weekend was shirtsleeve weather, it's really turned off cold this week.  I'm actually glad to have winter weather.  After all, it is December.  And let me tell you this - our fur kids coats are getting heavier, and they have so much more energy!  They're glad to have the cool weather too.  Let's hope we get a few days in a row that are really cold this winter so we'll kill off some of the fleas and other vermin.  None of us would mind a few days of snow either -- especially if it happened to come on a week day!

So here's the short of it, 
Another doctor gave me the all clear...

And here's the long.

I had my annual follow up with my surgeon today.  She reviewed my mammogram results and did a quick physical.  She says that I've got some water retention at the surgical site, but that it's not unusual and that it may or may not reabsorb.  She says it's nothing to worry about.  I think it's fine.

Anyway I got the all clear and don't need to go back to see her for another year.

Get your mammogram.  Tell all your friends to get a mammogram!

So here's the short of it, 
Here it is December and we had shirt sleeve weather. 

And here's the long.

Now the Farmer's Almanac has said that this would be a colder than normal winter.

Well, here's exactly what it says:
Winter will be much colder and drier than normal, with the coldest periods in mid- to late December, early January, and early February. Snowfall will be near to above normal, with the snowiest periods in the north in mid- to late December, early January, and mid-March, and the best chance for snow in the south in mid-February.   

Starting tomorrow we are supposed to have some thunderstorms and some cooler weather. I have yet to really drag out my winter weather clothes.  As a matter of fact right now I'm sitting here in a sleeveless pajama top.  It looks like we might have some cold days coming our way soon though. So I'll have to get out my thermal pajama top and get ready for the chill.

So here's the short of it, 
New trees for the Chattanooga National Cemetery.

And here's the long.

Mom and I went to the Cemetery today.  Mom made a bouquet using things from her property and a neighbor.  It was absolutely as pretty as anything that she could have found at a store!  It had severa; shades of greenery, some holly with beautiful bright red berries, and  some gorgeous pink Camillas from a bush Dad had planted.

When we arrived at the Cemetery, there were people swarming all over the place.  It didn't take long for us to figure out that lots of the folks there were young people. It turns out that we had arrived not long after the tree planting had begun.  Here's the article from the Chattanoogan.com about the plans for the tree planting.

Chattanooga National Cemetery To Get New Trees

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Dozens of volunteers will gather at Chattanooga National Cemetery on Holtzclaw Avenue, beginning at 9 a.m. this Saturday, to plant about 80 new trees.

 

"The National Cemetery was once almost completely shaded with big beautiful trees," said Noah Long, coordinator of the tree planting and past chair of the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council (CAVC).  "In the past five years over 110 trees, including 55 in the last two and a half years alone, have been lost due to storms and age.

“Many of the trees in the cemetery are 100 to 125 years old and are reaching the end of their normal lifespans.  The replacement trees will help preserve the feeling of serenity throughout the cemetery for the next century,” he said.

 

The CAVC was instrumental in gaining Federal approval for the trees to be planted and is co-sponsoring the effort with the City of Chattanooga Urban Forestry Division.   

 

The trees, which were provided by the Urban Forestry Division through a foundation grant, are two to three inches in diameter and stand 10 to 12 feet tall.  The selection includes 17 different species native to Chattanooga such as Oak, Tulip Popular, Redbud, Dogwood, Linden, Eastern Cedar, American Elm, Birch, Holly, and Magnolia.

 

The volunteers include patriotic individuals as well as members from various veteran, civic and patriotic organizations such as Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 203, American Legion Post 95, JROTC units from Soddy Daisy and East Ridge, Girl Scouts, Knights of Columbus, Garden Clubs, as well as members of the Navy Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve.

Individuals or groups interested in participating in future tree plantings may contact Noah Long at 423 886-3820 or “noahlong.mil@gmail.com”

 

So here's the short of it, 
It's the Anniversary of Pearl Harbor...

And here's the long.

I can remember my Dad telling the story of Pearl Harbor.  He was a young boy in high school.  His Dad had died and as the oldest child and only son, he felt the responsibility of helping take care of his Mother and little sisters.  He worked at the Boston Store and as an usher at the Margie Grand Theater where he would have seen the news reels about the war.

His recollection of that day -- he went to Sunday School and Church and then came home for a quick lunch. He went with some friends "up on Ivy Hill" as he would say, to play ball. He heard that "the Japs had bombed Pearl Harbor" in the late afternoon on his way home.  He would always say that was the day that changed his life forever.  It was years before Dad would talk with his children about exactly how that day changed him forever. But he did finally share - A Name In The Sand became his voice not only for us, but his scions.

Dad raised his children to be patriotic, thoughtful, and reflective.  The three of us have grown into good people who have different views on many things.  All three of us love our country.  The anniversary of Pearl Harbor is always a time of reflection and of course a time of remembering Dad and the strong influence he was in our lives.

Today on FaceBook one of the people I grew up with said that "in this day and time and under this current president it is important that real Americans never forget".  I'm reflecting on that.  I wonder what a real American is.  I think I'm one; I think my brothers are as well.  We are all three patriotic; we all three want what's best for our country. Of course we have different views of what that "best" really is.  But, we really are all three real Americans.  I'm really sad that there are those on both sides of this political divide that believe those who don't believe as them aren't "real Americans".  I hope we can get through that and begin to see our diversity as our strength.

Today, all day, I've thought about those men who were at Pearl Harbor - and especially those who  made the ultimate sacrifice.   I've also thought so much about those like my Dad who would have their lives forever changed.

So here's the short of it, 
This has been a long week. 

And here's the long.

Wow I thought Friday would never get here.  I don't really know why this week seemed so long, but Wednesday and today I thought it felt like it should be Friday!!! So you know I'll be glad to hear the alarm go off in the morning when Friday will really be here.

Today I decided to take Sophie for a walk in the morning before I left for work because I had a few minutes before my first appointment which was at a school in a nearby neighborhood.  Well, she went out and decided that it was so much fun to be out that she didn't want to come in!  Alan had to go out and use his grumpy voice.  That made her come running!  If I decide to take her out on a work morning any more, I'll be sure and make it a leash walk!

Here's to another week down.

So here's the short of it, 
"You are not your brain; You are the user of your brain." Dr. Rudi Tanzi

And here's the long.

I'm watching Super Brain on pubic TV.  Dr. Rudy Tanzi is the presenter.  He just gave a way we should respond every time our fight or flight response is activated.  He used the example of someone being cut off in traffic and how that gets us ramped up.  Here's his suggestion. S.T.O.P.
The acronym stands for:

Stop
Take Three Deep Breaths and Smile
Observe What's Happening Inside of You
Proceed with Awareness and Kindness

He promises that if we do this frequently enough when confronted with these kinds of situations, we can actually activate parts of our brain that will keep us from getting into the chaos that somehow keeps us in that high anxiety state.  I'm too tired to watch the whole thing, but this whole new frontier of knowledge about the brain is just fascinating to me!

Rudolph E. Tanzi, Ph.D., the Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at MassGeneral Institute fo Neurodegenerative Disease at Massachusetts General Hospital, will present a Director's Lecture on March 23, 2011. 

So here's the short of it, 
Today was one of those stressful days. 

And here's the long.

It will all be OK. and I'm quite sure I'll make it through yet another week.  

So here's the short of it, 
Mother-Daughter mammograms today. 

And here's the long.

I took the afternoon off today so Mom and I could go to have annual mammograms.  We used to go together and then we got off schedule when I had to go on an every 6 month schedule. Mom was supposed to have gone a few months ago but she wanted to go at the same time as me, so she postponed her visit until it was time for me.  Now we are on the same schedule again.

Since I have to take sick time off in 1/2 day increments, we just had an afternoon together.
We ran an errand over near Hamilton Place and got some lunch.  We had a nice visit with Mommy Anne and Mom saw her friend Lillian Samuels.  We got Mom's package mailed, and we made a visit to WalMart so that she could pick up some things for tomorrow.  Her women's group is buying gifts for the Chambliss Children's Home.  By the time we got home, I just had a little daylight left for getting a Sophie walk in.

Tomorrow's another day!!

So here's the short of it, 
It's hard to believe that it's December!

And here's the long.

Wow, it sure was beautiful outside today.  This afternoon our little circle was a family busy place.  Our neighbors were out with their little girl. It was such a sweet picture.  They were all three sitting in the middle of the circle - her little wagon was just nearby.  Their golden retriever was playing with them.  It was just so cute.  Then over on the other side, there was a Dad playing catch with his son -- while his next youngest son was a little ways away practicing his golf swing with a kid's golf set.

Sophie got a tree up an electric pole and she was so excited.  When they get up a tree she gives up pretty quickly because they just move through the branches to the next tree.  But this little fellow had to scurry up quickly because she was very close to catching it.  The pole wasn't close enough for it to do anything except just stay up there!  Sophie aggravated that squirrel for quite awhile before she finally lost interest.

Looks like we're going to have another beautiful day tomorrow!

So here's the short of it, 
How in the world did it get to be after 11:00!!!

And here's the long.

This has been a good weekend day!  I've been home all day and feel good about the stuff I've gotten done.

The next door boys came over and helped me get the tomato plants discarded.  We cleaned up the tomato cages and stakes as well as pulling weeds and grass.  I still am planning to get a load of straw and put it out on the garden - hope I can make that happen sooner rather than later.

The neighbors donated their Halloween pumpkins to the cause.  I thought they'd be rotten and we'd just compost them, but they weren't, so the boys helped me cut them up and I baked them up.  I've got pumpkin in the freezer -  gonna have to look for some pumpkin recipes.

This evening the kids came over for the first half of the Georgia - Alabama game. It was nice to have them here.  We almost finished off a big pot of chili.  It was an exciting game even for someone like me who never watches football.  I suppose for this household the only thing that would have made it better would have been a Georgia win.

So here's the short of it, 
Today Jesse Matthews pleaded guilty.

And here's the long.

In 2011 Chattanooga lost police officer Tim Chapin.  I didn't know Officer Chapin, but from all that I've heard about him, he was just a wonderful person. He responded to a burglary in progress that April day, and Jesse Matthews shot him to death.

Jesse Mathews in front of Judge Barry Steelman 
- photo by Brent McDonaldtion

Chattanooga has spent the weeks and months following preparing for a trial.  The prosecution had planned to seek the death penalty.  Today Matthews was sentenced to life plus 15 years ensuring that he will never get out of jail.  He has given up all rights to any kind of appeal.

I hope Matthews lives a long life.  I hope that during his time in jail he'll become stone cold sober and that the chaotic ranting of an outlaw brain ceases.  And then in that time, within the setting that he's in, it's my sincere hope that he finds a way to turn from the life that he has led so far and make one step and then another in the right direction.  Nothing he can ever do will bring back Officer Chapin, but perhaps he can do some good where he finds himself if he wants to do that.  I hope he will. If not, I hope that he will come to know that he chose his life.

And I'm glad that Officer Chapin's family and our community don't have to continue reliving that awful day.

So here's the short of it, 
Sleep didn't come very easily last night and morning came mighty early.

And here's the long.

I imagine that I would have gone to work even if we had won the lottery - at least for today. But we only had one number so it was off to work!

I ended the day on the north side of the river so I decided to visit the Chattanooga Area's last remaining K-Mart.  I picked the name of a young girl in the family that our department has adopted for Christmas gift giving.  I had lots of fun shopping for her. I sure hope she likes the "outfits" I put together for her.  I'd sure have liked to just taken her with me and let her pick out some things.

I'm excited that tomorrow is Friday!  Can't wait to finish up this week of work and get thinking about a wonderful weekend!

So here's the short of it, 
Sand Man...where are you!!

And here's the long.

I've got a really early morning tomorrow, but I'm not sleepy enough to go on to bed tonight -- at least not yet.

Everyone else is snoozing away.  The dog is lightly snoring, the cat just woke up enough to stretch and change positions and go back to her sleeping.  Alan has been asleep for quite awhile.  I'm still sitting here.  I think I need to get my brain to slow down.  Last year, someone gave me advice to put a cool towel over my head - maybe I should try that again!

Or maybe I should try counting sheep.

So here's the short of it, 
Is it only Tuesday!

And here's the long.

HaHa.  Today was a long work day.  We had a teacher help session that lasted until 6:00 pm.  I suppose that's why it seemed so much longer than it really was.

I work with some of the greatest folks.  They know what they're doing, they are open to sharing, and they are darned fun to be around most of the time.

-----

Shelley got away just fine with the guys this morning.  Alan took her to the airport.  And Alan heard from her just awhile ago saying that they were home safe and sound.  It was such a good time to have them here for a visit.

-----

So if today really is Tuesday, I suppose I'd better get myself into bed since that would mean that tomorrow is Wednesday and another work day that will get me out of bed early!

So here's the short of it, 
Back to work and then our last visit with the Steins.

And here's the long.

Well, I'm back at work. Today was a rev it up and get moving day. But that's as good a way to get started back to work as any.

This evening we went over to Marjorie and Issi's and brought dinner in - we had a great visit.  We sure will miss Shelley, Max, and Caleb.  I know they are eager to get home and get settled back into their routine again. But it was really so much fun to have them in town.

I've stayed up later than I expected, so I'm going to head off to the bed so I'll be ready for the second day back on the job!

So here's the short of it, 
We sure had a great day with Max. 

And here's the long.

Today was a great day with Max.  We did the Creative Discovery Museum, Tried to take a nap, played with Poppa and Mama Lynn's "stuff", and helped out with supper.  The Sophie issue was solved with a benydryl and having her stay in the back room.  The benedryl kept her drowsy enough not to be barking all the time.




One of the fun spots at the Creative Discovery Museum was the face painting station.

Every time he added a line, he asked, "What do I look like now!"  The paint stayed on (well mostly) until we got home and washed it out before we attempted to nap.








Later in the afternoon Max helped out by "cutting" some cucumbers.  After this job, he said, "I'm done with this".  He wasn't up for much helping after that!  But it was fun to watch him cut the cucumbers.  He ate a piece for every three or four pieces that made it to the bowl for the table!






We sure are going to miss them when they head home!

So here's the short of it, 
I'm a happy person today. 

And here's the long.

Not in the order that they happened but here are three things that really made my day.

...Mom arrived home from her time with Steve and Pat in Destin.  She had a wonderful time. And she seemed glad to be back home.  It looked like she really did well on the flight back home. I'm glad she went and had a great time, and I'm glad she's back home!

... Alan got our kitchen TV mounted so that it's no longer sitting on the counter!  There is so much more room. And I got really motivated to rearrange a couple of things and get that counter space I've been wanting!

...I spent an hour with Kelly!  She worked on my left side a bit today, and spent some time working that soreness out of the front of my right thigh.  I always feel tons better after Kelly's magic touch.

So here's the short of it, 
I can hardly believe that I have two more days without having to be at work!

And here's the long.

Today I woke at 6:30 AM.  It doesn't seem early when you don't have to get up! And even though I was up early, it's been a pretty relaxing day.  I didn't really set myself any tasks, but did do a couple of little chores.  Shelley and Max met us for lunch at Chili's. We had a nice visit and it was a treat to get to do lunch with family on a Friday!

Our weather is supposed to get down to 27 degrees tonight  so I harvested the rest of the tomatoes and got them into the house this afternoon. Tomorrow I'll figure out what I'm going to do with them.  There aren't really enough to do pickles --

By the time I was in the house, I had gotten a bit of a chill so I sacked out for an afternoon nap.  That's something that is a real luxury!  It's hard to nap when you are a working girl - and besides, I'm not usually a very good napper anyway.  But this afternoon I got some zzz's in.

I'm really cherishing this time off.

So here's the short of it, 
We had a lovely Thanksgiving celebration.

And here's the long.

Here's a big shout out to Marjorie and Issie for a great Thanksgiving feast!  The food was wonderful, the company was great, and the evening was just perfect.

Here is a collage that Liga sent me of all the sibs.  You can tell it's from her since there's one of her with each of her siblings!

And of course that last one -- of all of us with Mommy Anne. 

Happy Thanksgiving. 

So here's the short of it, 
We had a great day with Max today. 

And here's the long.

Our Thanksgiving break started today and we had the great pleasure of having Max visit for the day.   Here are a few of the things we did.

...played soccer on the circle


...played with Legos


...played with the crane and a toy jeep.


...did not play with Sophie


...ate a great lunch


...took a nap

...walked to the playground at Brainerd Baptist


...climbed on everything in the playground


...met the neighbor boys


...climbed the evergreen in the front with Caden


...played with Keva planks


...played the musical toy at the playground

...charmed his Poppa and Momma Lynn.

So here's the short of it, 
I'm trying to live it...

And here's the long.

So here's the short of it, 
Watching the Ken Burns The Dust Bowl.

And here's the long.

Tonight is the second installment of The Dust Bowl.  I just really do enjoy how Ken Burns handles our history.  Each piece of our history comes to life under his hands by telling the stories of the people who lived in that time.

This was such a difficult time in our history, but hearing these folks who were youngsters during this time is just amazing.  I would have loved to have had Ken Burns documentaries when I was learning history.

I think that reading Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath gave me an understanding of those folks who left.  Apparently it was the largest migration in American history.  But I had no idea that 75% of the folks who lived there actually stuck it out.

I've always been fascinated with the photographs of this era.  You can see some of those photos Here and Here and Here and Here as well as many other places.

I'll have to say. I got caught up looking at the pictures at the links I provided above.  I hope you enjoy looking at a few of them.

Here's one of my favorite quotes from Grapes of Wrath - I suppose that literature has helped shape my beliefs as much as anything else in my life.

"Wherever they's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there.  Wherever they's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there.  If Casy knowed, why, I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad an' - I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry n' they know supper's ready. An' when our folks eat the stuff they raise an' live in the houses they build - why, I'll be there."
  - John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

So here's the short of it, 
four generations...

And here's the long.

This weekend, we had four generations of Richelsons together.  Shelley, Caleb, Mommy Anne, and of course Alan!  We couldn't convince Max to get in the picture at the moment --  he was busy playing under the table.

So here's the short of it, 
Today we had a great day of visiting. 

And here's the long.

We met with a bunch of the Richelsons, some friends, and a bit of my family at the CountryPlace Restaurant  today for lunch.  It really was nice!  Max had told his Grammy before they left that he might be shy -- but he really seemed to be in such a great mood. ''

Shelley, Dan, Liga, Valdis

This evening we had time for visiting and a light supper.  Here's a picture of the four siblings.  It sure was good to have them all home.  Here's hoping we get in some really good time together.

So here's the short of it, 
We had a great visit with Shelley and her boys tonight. 

And here's the long.

This evening Marjorie and Issi had us over for dinner.  Liga was able to come after work as well. We had a nice visit with everyone and so enjoyed having some time to see Shelley and the kids.

We're looking forward to seeing lots of family tomorrow.

So here's the short of it, 
I'm having another bout with e-mail.

And here's the long.

After being out of town for three work days with little time to take care of e-mail, I got back to work to find myself in e-mail prison once again!  And this time it took me way too much time to get out!

I do have a new system though.  One of my lead teacher colleagues introduced us to One Note the other day.  So today I spent a bit of time getting that set up and starting to move my "can't delete" stuff over to binders.  Actually I only have one binder at this time, but I have lots of tabs within the binders already.  I think this may actually save me!  I'm going to have to invest some time in it though, and I'm having trouble figuring out where that's going to fit into my schedule between now and the break!

Anyway, by this afternoon, I was out of e-mail prison, but I'll be back again pretty soon if I'm not careful.

So here's the short of it, 
I'm home ... and happy to be so!

And here's the long.

Today was a long ride home from Memphis.  It was sure nice to have a colleague with me.  It's never such a long drive when there's someone to visit with.  This was such a great opportunity to be with someone has the same core values in education as I do --- and to attend a conference that reinforced those values.

But it's always so good to be home. Sophie was really excited and running around all over the house.  Lola curled up in my lap to welcome me home.  I had lots of good food while I was gone, but home to a nice cup of my yogurt and strawberries -- YummY!

Another couple of days of work - but Shelley's arrives with the boys tomorrow.  Can hardly wait to see them all.

So here's the short of it, 
I had a wonderful day in Little Rock, Arkansas.  

And here's the long.

The second day of Facing History and Ourselves  today was in Little Rock.  I got up really early; Wendy wasn't feeling well enough to go, so I headed out myself. We started out at Central High School.  Yes THE Central High school, where in September 1957, 9 really brave young African American teenagers walked up the sidewalk to go to school, and walked right into history.

Today Central High school is a vibrant very ethnically diverse school.  I had an opportunity to interact with two students who were acting as docents - wow! was I ever impressed.  And the two young ladies I encountered in the ladies room were just as nice as they could be!

We heard, 3 of the Little Rock Nine as they've come to be known, as well as two other adults who were students at Central High school that year speak on a panel about that year.  It was quite interesting to hear the things they had to say, and it gave me lots to think about.  One of the things I've thought about all evening long is about how the parents knew that their children were really soldiers on the front line of the desegregation movement.

I was so glad to see Central High the way it is today.  And I know that there's much work left to do.  I hope I can be some small part of that work.

So here's the short of it, 
Great dinner tonight! 

And here's the long.

My colleague and I had a wonderful day at our conference today.  We learned lots about some of the latest research into urban education.  At the end of our day we heard Sonja Sohn from The Wire - that TV show on HBO that I've never watched, but now think I will.

This evening Lauren met us with Madison Claire for dinner.  It was SO nice of her to travel into town to have dinner with us.  I brought a pair of fairy wings for Madison - and had so much fun watching her flit around the restaurant!  We had a great visit with her Mom as well!

So here's the short of it, 
Veteran's Day

And here's the long.

Here's Dad!  He volunteered for the army shortly after he turned 18.

There was D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and Operation Varsity.  And many, many small towns and villages along the way.

World War II shaped Dad in ways that I don't think I can even imagine -- and I really knew little about it until we were all gone from home, he had retired, and the stories began to emerge.

In a moment of great clarity Dad decided to write his story down for his children and grandchildren.  We are so lucky to have it in his words.  He spent many years remembering, writing, and editing.

Dad, on this veteran's day, I thank you for your service.
I also thank you for giving us A Name In The Sand.  

So here's the short of it, 
Crunched up weekend!!

And here's the long.

Today is my weekend.  Tomorrow I'm driving to Memphis for a conference.  So Saturday and Sunday got crunched up into today.  I didn't get it all done, so I'll be up really early in the morning.

But we did move Sunday Family dinner to Saturday Family dinner.  It was nice to have everyone together for the first time since Liga's return.

By the time I return from my conference Shelley will almost be here. Can't wait to see her and the boys.

So for now, it's climbing in the bed for some zzz's so that I can get up way early!!!

So here's the short of it, 
It is sure good to have a Friday evening!

And here's the long.

Well, work is done for another day.  And that closes down another week.  This week I learned that two more of the people I work with will be retiring this year.  I remember when I first started out I really didn't know many of the people retiring at all. So things change.  And someday I'll be one of those folks!!

Next week I'm traveling to a conference on Urban Education - and I've never before travelled with the colleague who's going with me. She's really one of my favorite principals and I'm eager to have some extended time with her -- gonna pick her brain about bunches of stuff!!

This evening I'm wondering why I feel like it's almost midnight and it's really not even 8:00 PM.  I think it's that dratted time change that gets so much more difficult every year! I'm glad to have tomorrow before I go on my trip to get a bit of relaxing in.