The Long and Short of It

2012-02-12T22:55:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Early Valentine's here on the circle.

And here's the long.

Tonight we decided to do an early Valentine celebration since Liga and Valdis and Mom would be with us and probably not on the actual day. We had a nice spaghetti dinner. I liked the spaghetti for Valentines and kept thinking of the Lady and the Tramp picture and how appropriate it was for Valentines. We even had meatballs like in the movie. I think I should watch that movie again sometime.

Everyone gave cards and got cards. Mom shared the chocolate covered strawberries that Russ and Tina sent her. (They came packed in dry ice!). And they were delicious.
I'd never had Shari's Berries before. But for sure they might have a repeat performance at our house.

Mom also brought candy hearts. We had lots of fun comparing the sayings to the ones we remember from our childhoods. It seems that I remember them being higher quality printing as well. Actually Liga said that first - that she couldn't remember not being able to read the candy hearts when she was younger.

"Text me" and "UR IT" are pretty clearly this generation. "For Ever", that's the one I like.

Happy Early Valentine's to everyone!

2012-02-11T22:27:00.003-05:00

So here's the short of it,
We're finally getting a bit of winter!

And here's the long.

I thought winter was going to just pass us by this year! The jonquils and daffodils did as well, They are already pushing their way up and blooming all over the place. Now we're having a taste of the winter we should have had. The temperature is supposed to get down to 18 degrees tonight! And tomorrow it won't get really warm. And if we are lucky we'll have another low temperature night.

We've had all sorts of speculation from weather people and other news folks about how bad the mosquitoes are going to be this year if we don't get some cold temperatures. And I've been worried about the fleas for Sophie and Lola! So I hope there's lots of truth in the weather forecast!

Besides, we are all in this warm house and going to snuggle in for this cold night.

2012-02-10T21:55:00.002-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Good Doctor Report!

And here's the long.

I had a follow up appointment with my oncologist Dr. Schlabach today.

In case anyone doesn't know how I feel - he's absolutely the best oncologist that there is! I'm pretty lucky to have found him. Actually I don't think it was about luck. I do believe that finding Dr. Schlabach was one of those moments when prayers were answered.

Today was a good appointment. It's time for another bone scan, since I'm taking Arimidex, they have to keep an eye on my bone density. That's scheduled for a couple of weeks from now. Everything else seemed to be in order. I have a really bad rash at the bottom of my right breast. I got a prescription for a cream that should take care of it in no time.

2012-02-09T23:10:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
The moon is so lovely tonight.

And here's the long.

I love hearing about the names of the full moons. Most of the names come from the Native Americans. Since it seems that Ma Howard was half or a quarter Cherokee, maybe some of that genetic memory runs through my blood.

We are just two days out from the full moon of February. Our Native American ancestors had lots of names for the moons. Here's a quote from Indian Country - a native American online news source - about the names for the February full moon.

“Some tribes also referred to it as the Full Hunger Moon or Little Famine Moon, since harsh weather conditions in their areas made hunting very difficult,” the Farmers’ Almanac says. “Forced to gnaw on bones and sip bone marrow soup for sustenance, the Cherokee named it the Full Bony Moon.”

The Algonquin name may have the world abuzz, but it is just one of dozens of tribal names for the February moon. Some samples are below, thanks to the site AmericanIndian.net, which actually lists the Algonquin name for February moon as wapicuummilcum, or Ice in River Is Gone.

Other tribal February moon names, according to the site: the Abenaki call it piaôdagos, Makes Branches Fall in Pieces Moon; the Anishnaabe (Chippewa, Ojibwe), from the Great Lakes, named it the Sucker Moon, or namebini-giizis. The Apache had a cheerier epithet, Frost Sparkling in the Sun, while the Assiniboine called it Long Dry Moon, and the Choctaw nicknamed it hotvlee-hv’see, or Wind Moon. Back in the wintry realm, the Comanche of the southern plains called it positsu mua, Sleet Moon, while the Canadian Cree of the northern plains called it the Old Moon. Up north in Alaska it’s also known as cepizun, or Old Moon, among the Haida, while the Hopi call it powamuya, Moon of Purification and Renewal.

On a more pessimistic note, the Kalapuya of the Pacific Northwest, in what is today Oregon, called it atchiulartadsh, Out of Food. Cannapopa wi was the name given the moon by the Lakota of the northern plains, Moon When the Trees Crack Because of the Cold.

Read more:http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/02/07/get-out-your-shades-for-the-brilliant-algonquin-snow-moon-96361 http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/02/07/get-out-your-shades-for-the-brilliant-algonquin-snow-moon-96361#ixzz1lwpXvmFy

So whatever we want to call it - the sky is clear and the moon is large and yellow over the circle. My pictures with my little phone camera turn into a small bright circle in a huge swath of black. But standing on the porch the moon is large and bright. It's hovering over the circle and it almost seems as though the light is puddling on the road. It's a really peaceful feeling.

We are in for a cold weekend, and the full moon on a cold, clear night is just really special.

2012-02-08T22:20:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Our little leadership group in the special ed. department is going to go through a radical change.

And here's the long.

We have 5 people who will be retiring at the end of June from our lead teacher group. And we have another 2 who are going to be applying for assistant principalships.

If we really do have 7 new people, I can't imagine how different the dynamics will be. It's a long time til the end of June and we have lots of work to do in the meantime, but it's one of those indicators I think of being one of the "old timers". I have been around a long time and I've seen lots of things come and go, and I've worked with some amazing people. And there are many younger people who are becoming amazing educators; I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to work with them. So one of the things that I will benefit from is the chance to work with great people in a new kind of relationship. I imagine that I will really miss the old guard, but as my former boss used to say, I'll be able to see things through another set of eyes when the new folk come on board.

2012-02-07T21:33:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Working on the back pain...

And here's the long.

Last night I took my first Flexeril. I had a really hard time getting up this morning. I'm going to try taking it for the rest of the week and maybe try taking it earlier. I don't think I'll be able to use it if it makes me so tired in the mornings. But I'll keep pushing it back earlier and maybe I'll get into a routine that has me taking it early enough to not be so tired and sleepy in the mornings.

I suppose that it wouldn't hurt me to try to go to sleep a little earlier as well!

2012-02-06T22:28:00.004-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Today was a long day.

And here's the long.

Each year we have to do assessments of every student who attends school even if they are not able to take the state assessment. Today and tomorrow the teachers of our most significantly cognitively impaired students turned in their portfolio assessments. This is a mountain of work for our teachers, that shows how their students are progressing toward meeting the goals that the team has set for them that year. The teachers are always so stressed on the day that they have to turn them in.

This year, our lead teacher who runs the turn in process is in the hospital. She was in for a procedure, then she was back again, and then she ended up last thursday back once again. Even though she was in the hospital, we had 4 or 5 pages of annotated instructions for getting everything checked in, checked over, and then set up for shipment to Nashville.

For the last several years that I've helped with this it's all been done on one very long day. I think last year, we didn't get to leave until about 7:00 o'clock! This year the turn-ins are two days long. I think it will be better. Most everyone was on schedule today - so we are in good shape, although I really don't think we're half way through.

I'm starting a prescription of Flexeril for my back pain tonight. I know it's supposed to have drowsiness as a side effect - that might not be such a bad thing!

2012-02-05T22:12:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
This really was a super Sunday.

And here's the long.

We got to see both of our in-town kids and my Mom for a good visit today.

Jennifer Richelson's wedding shower was this afternoon. She's Alan's cousin. Her Dad is Alan's double first cousin. I hadn't seen her in so long! She looks so happy to be moving to this next stage in her life! And I had a chance to meet her fiancee. He seems like such a really nice fellow! It was nice to see Aunt Miriam since I had to miss her birthday party last night. And it was lovely to spend a little time with everyone.

Then this afternoon, Sarah Stoloff got married to her Marine, Kevin Bowman!

It was a lovely wedding at Mizpah! She was beautiful, and the groom and most of his attendants in Marine dress blues made a stunning sight. This was such a breath taker. Sarah is quite a young bride, and it just took our breath away to see her so grown and getting married!

Then tonight we had the Liga and Mom here for the first half of the super bowl. I'm not much of a pro-football fan, but I do usually enjoy this game. I was sincerely disappointed in most of the advertisements! I liked the dog and the VW... but some of them were just wrong. The dog burying the cat??? Not funny to me.

2012-02-04T23:37:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
So happy to be home.

And here's the long.

I had a good, but pretty long day in Athens. The training was good, and we had a great contact with Bonnie Cramond who is the director of the Torrance Center. I'm looking forward to some good outcomes from this trip.

There was a birthday party for Alan's Aunt Miriam tonight. (She's 90!!) I was sorry not to get home in time to go to the party. But Alan went and took his Mom - Miriam is her baby sister. I think they all had a great time. I hope I'm up for a big party on my 90th birthday.

Alan said that at about 4:00 this afternoon, Sophie went out and sat in the rain on the tennis court and waited for me. (That's about the time we left Athens!). He said that he called her in several times and that she'd come in, but then go back outside and wait. He said that she goes outside every afternoon and waits for me. That's so sweet. Wonder how she knows when I'm not coming home like last night.

She's lying on the floor really near me just snoozing away. She's such a great dog! We are going to move to the bedroom in just a few minutes.

2012-02-03T22:13:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
At the University of Georgia for a training tomorrow.

And here's the long.

Tara and I drove to Athens, Georgia this afternoon for a training we have all day tomorrow at the University of Georgia. Leah is here too, but drove separately because her grandfather is not doing well and she wanted to be able to get back to Chattanooga if needed.

We took the back roads from Calhoun Georgia to Athens winding around the mountains and countryside. We had plenty of time so we made a couple of stops. The trip was so gorgeous. We drove through Jasper, Georgia the home of the Georgia Marble Works and the famous Tate House. It's made from pink marble. We tried to get into a driveway to see it close up, but it seemed that no one was there and we couldn't get in. It's been a restaurant, and a bed and breakfast. My poking around on the internet says that now it's used mostly for weddings and other events. There were about 6 or 8 cottage type buildings off to the side and to the rear of the building. So I imagine that there's a place for people to stay as well.

Tonight the three of us went to dinner at a place called Farm 225. It's a neat concept for a restaurant. Here's a blurb from their own website which you can find here.

Farm 255’s cuisine is comfortable yet innovative. Food is farm-fresh, first and foremost, Mediterranean in influence with a Southern culinary drawl. The source of our food is local, sustainable, and apparent: ingredients come from our farms as well as other local sustainable producers, with a great emphasis placed on our personal relationships with the people whose food and drink we incorporate into our menu. Hoping to revive lost culinary traditions, we reacquaint customers with the narrative behind their meal by using historical recipes and artisanal cooking techniques from around the globe.

We are back in the hotel room and ready for bed. The training tomorrow goes from 8:30 until 4:00. It promises to be a long day with a long drive home afterwards. So a good night's sleep will be great.

2012-02-02T23:05:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Another day another dollar!

And here's the long.

Training all morning in CPI (Crisis Intervention Prevention) for students on the Autism Spectrum. Then trying my best to get caught up this afternoon so that I can be out of work tomorrow. I have a doctor's appointment in the morning and professional leave in the afternoon so we can get to Athens, GA for an all day training tomorrow. Here's hoping we can get through or around Atlanta before the Friday afternoon traffic gets started.

This evening Alan and I went to the Chattanooga Symphony to hear the Russian Spectacular. I would characterize it as Big Music. We heard Glinka, Prokofiev, and Tchaikovsky. I love the music, but I love the quiet now that I'm home!

Alan is already sleeping - so are Sophie and Lola - I'm headed that way!

2012-02-01T22:31:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Getting home the fast way or the best way...

And here's the long.

I really don't like commuting home from work coming the freeway. It is never predictable, and you can't tell from the ramp where I get on whether it's going to be fine or if it's going to come to a screeching halt. And I do mean a screeching halt. Traffic can be moving right along and then without warning it will be inching along at less than 15 miles an hour going up the ridge cut. Sometimes I approach the ramp to get on and the traffic I can see is just moving right along. So I get seduced into geting up on the freeway and get right to a spot way beyond the last truck you can see in the upper right of the picture - way at the bottom of that incline, and traffic including all those big rigs that can't pick up speed very fast start inching along. And I'm stuck one more time.

Now I'll have to admit, that even if I'm crawling along up the freeway, it's probably faster than going the way I go. But I don't have to worry about the big trucks. I keep moving at a fairly steady rate of speed (unless I'm stopped at a traffic light). So I go the slower, but in my mind, the safer way.

Tonight the roads were wet. The freeway was backed up and I came up Main Street through the tunnel and down Brainerd Road to the house! It was good to be home...

2012-01-31T20:39:00.002-05:00

So here's the short of it,
I had a great lunch today!

And here's the long.

Today was our New Teacher Consortium, and in order to save time we had teachers choose between bringing lunch or ordering in. I coordinated the order in part with the Fox and Hen - a great little deli/restaurant on Highway 58.

Lunch was really good. I'd recommend a visit there if you're ever out on Highway 58 around lunch time. That's R.C. the nice gentleman on the right in the blue shirt. He's the fellow I worked with to make it all happen.

When I was working out the details one day I was there in the middle of the afternoon after the lunch crowd had gone. He was bringing me small samples of the sandwich fillings - all home made by the way. I had thought I wanted egg salad, but since it had olives in it I was changing my mind. When I couldn't decide between the pimento cheese which I would highly recommend or the chicken salad, which I liked a whole lot, he said, "I'll tell you what, I'll make you a half of each." I had to promise not to tell anyone, since that's not something he does on a regular order. I thought it was a really nice gesture. And It was great to have one of each for lunch!

I really like what we do with New Teachers. I know they're thinking about changing that all up for next year and the coming years, and whatever training and support is offered will be good, but getting these newbies together several times throughout the year as they are learning their craft is really a good thing. And having a lunch deal so that they can take a break and visit without having to leave allows them to really behave as a cohort.

Tomorrow is a morning at the office and afternoon at the office with a lunch meeting in between. I think it will fly by because it's so busy!

2012-01-30T20:11:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
What a day, what a day!

And here's the long.

So by the end of the day today, I thought I'd like a job that involved much less interaction with human beings. Like maybe data entry from a computer station in a corner of my living room!

I know that tone of voice and attempts at humor are not conveyed well on a blog post, so I'll be clear. I know I couldn't really do that. I just had a day with more difficult human interaction than I've had in a long, long time. And these folks are all people I like, respect, and think are good people (workers). I think that's what made it the most difficult. I don't think it's over. I think I have more interactions coming along as an outgrowth of this.

Anyway, I'm home. Sophie's had a walk. We've had dinner. And I've listened to Governor Haslam's State of the State Address. Now I'm ready to get ready for bed I think. Tomorrow is a very early morning.

2012-01-30T00:05:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
It's almost midnight. I'm not sleepy. I'm not really tired.

And here's the long.

Tomorrow morning will be here and I will be struggling to get myself out of my bed.

Tonight we had a great dinner cooked by Liga. Chicken stir fired with cashews and vegetables!
Yummy. She even made some apricot oat bars for dessert.

Wish that relaxation and sleep followed on all that - but it didn't.

I'll post more tomorrow if I can stay awake after a long work day with little sleep.

2012-01-28T22:24:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
I do love the weekends!

And here's the long.

Weekends are so lovely...

Sometimes I wonder what I love the most about the weekend. Is it not having to awaken to the alarm clock? Or maybe it's the luxury of staying in PJs until mid-morning? Or maybe it's being able to go shopping in the middle of the day? Actually, I think it's just all that - a day to do as I wish and not be in a rush and hurry for someone else's agenda!

This morning was a take it easy morning - good hot coffee, perfectly cooked oatmeal, and no hurry to get anywhere. I was out of my PJ's by lunch time and headed off for a girls afternoon of errands with Liga, and Mom. We spent the most money and time at Pet Smart (oh, those lucky dogs and cats of ours). But we had several other stops as well.

We stopped at Elmcroft for a visit with Mommy Anne. Mom went upstairs to find her friend Lillian Samuels who now lives there, and they came down to the front parlor where we were sitting. It was a nice visit.

After dinner I decided to go ahead and get grocery shopping out of the way. I'm glad that I went because the morning will be so much more relaxed tomorrow. But I was reminded of why I go on Sunday mornings! The aisles were crowded and there were "holes" in the stock, so I didn't find everything I had on my list. But I'm still glad to have gotten that out of the way. I'll sleep in a little bit longer in the morning and get up and make French toast for breakfast!

2012-01-27T22:18:00.003-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Thanks fo Kathryn Lynn Venable.

And here's the long.

This post is a hat's off to Kathryn Lynn Venable - a former Pineville High School Band Mate and Facebook friend. And one who share's that - growing up in small town Southeastern Kentucky past.

I made a post about my morning oatmeal routine that I share with sweet Sophie most mornings and I lamented that I don't get my raisins because I don't want Sophie to have any. Kathryn posted on Facebook with an idea to help me get out of my rut of thinking. I tried her suggestion. It didn't work exactly as I wished, but it made me remember that I it's not so hard to think of alternative ways to try things. So now I have raisins in my oatmeal.

I still want to make sure that Sophie doesn't get any raisins - they are potentially very bad for dogs. So I am putting a small jelly jar of raisins covered with water in the refrigerator. Then in the morning after I have my oatmeal cooked, I just put a spoonful into my oatmeal after I take Sophie's portion out. Their time in the refrigerator has them softened up just like I like them. And they have time to get warmed up.
And I get the extra umph of raisins in my breakfast.

One more reminder not to give up, but just think in a different way to solve the problems and complexities of our lives.

Thanks friend.

2012-01-27T00:20:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
It's been a rainy day in Chattanooga!

And here's the long.

Wow. For me this was not a day I enjoyed the rain! I couldn't just hole up in one place to work and the rain was too heavy for me to be able to run through the raindrops without getting wet!

Thankfully I'm now warm and dry!

Poor Sophie was wet when I got home. Of course it's probably not as big a concern for her as it is for her owners to have a wet dog in the house!! I have noticed though, that she doesn't particularly like to go do her potty business in the rain. However, if the rain isn't coming down too hard, she doesn't mind running out to the back gate or over to the fence to bark at a passerby! And she certainly still wants to have her walk no matter what. What a fun and funny dog she is.

I'm glad no rain is predicted for tomorrow. It will be good to come home and start the weekend with a cool but dry evening!

2012-01-25T21:34:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
It's the end of January, and I'm wondering where in the world winter went.

And here's the long.

We're having unseasonably warm weather here in Chattanooga. Now, I'm not such a great fan of long drawn out winters with mountains of snow for weeks at a time. That might be one reason I moved a bit further south! But I do like a bit of winter. I like to have enough freezing weather to really put a dent in the flea population the next summer! I like to have at least two snow days from school - and I want days when there's really snow on the ground, not just a few flakes here in the valley and snow on the mountains and in the county to keep us home. I want enough to make a snow ball and have Luther tell me to be sure to get bread and milk in case I'm snowed in for the rest of the winter. I want enough so that the dog wants to roll around in it and the cat doesn't want to get out.

But it's warm and rainy not cold and snowy.
The farmer's almanac does say that early February might bring us some wet snow. Tomorrow is supposed to be warm with thunderstorms! I'm hoping the times that I'm out and about I'll be able to run between the raindrops and lightening strikes!

2012-01-24T22:26:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
I'm listening to President Obama tonight.

And here's the long.

I'm listening to my President tonight and some of my family is boycotting his State of the Union address.

I wonder how I was raised in my family in the place and time I was and came to such a different place politically than my parents and siblings.

I don't know how that happened. How they got there and I got here. I love them all very much, but we see the world in such a different way. It's so strange to me.

However it happened, it's good we can embrace one another as family and set aside our political differences.

I love you all.

2012-01-23T21:07:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Nice evening here on the circle.

And here's the long.

Nice dinner.

Quiet House (the husband is at a meeting).

Sweet animals keeping me company.

Call from Mom - she's home from church and locked in safe and sound.

A bit of Facebooking.

A bit of Reading.

Going to bed early.

2012-01-22T22:41:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Two day weekends are just too short!

And here's the long.

I can't believe this day is already over and tomorrow is a work day. These two day weekends just don't last long enough!

I had a pretty good Saturday which included a trip down into the countryside near Ringgold to buy a small refrigerator that I found on Craigslist for the office. I enjoyed the ride and once again was amazed to find a fairly large subdivision plopped down in the middle of the countryside! When I look at it on MapQuest it's surrounded by woods on the north and farm land on the south. Inside the subdivision though, it just looked like another middle class family subdivision - 3 or 4 houseplans, 5 or 6 streets that wind around to a main road, and lots of evidence of kids of all ages. It looked like a good place to raise a gaggle of kids.

Last night we went to an event sponsored by the Jewish Federation. The topic was the afterlife. There was of course, a Rabbi, an Imam from Atlanta, a minister from Brainerd Baptist Church - the big church right in our neighborhood, and a priest from the Greek Orthodox Church. I was so interested in the point of view that each religious group holds. I was especially interested in what the Imam had to say - because I don't really know so much about the beliefs of Muslims. Well, I've heard all the stereotypical things but had never heard a scholar before. I was also really intrigued by the Greek Orthodox point of view. It seems to have a center of mystery that I don't think I was quite aware of. Of course, I suspect that the views vary greatly among the congregants of these groups! I like diversity. I like it that we aren't all the same!

Then today, I tried making a homemade spaghetti sauce. All these years as much pasta as we eat, I've always used "store boughten" sauce. I like the idea of making my own as I can control the preservatives, the amount of sugar, the amount of salt, and all that. But I didn't really like it very much! So I'm going to wait a few weeks and try a different recipe. In the meantime, I sure did make a big old mess in the kitchen today - not that I don't usually make a mess when I'm cooking...

All that fun stuff! Tomorrow morning will be here soon. I'm headed to bed.

2012-01-21T23:20:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
So today I had a massage.

And here's the long.

I just cannot figure out why insurance does not cover massage therapy. Massage, without a doubt, is the best thing I have ever done for my back. I keep wondering if Mom had gotten started with massage therapy 20 years ago, if her back would be in better shape.

I've still been able to walk up steps ever since my massage two weeks ago. Going down feels a little more precarious still. Today she worked lots at the place on my back where my surgery was years ago and the area right at my right hip I think she called it the inguinal ligament. She says it's all tight right in the hip. She also worked on my thigh and a bit on my calf. She says that my thigh is really tight. I think she was working on the satrorius muscle - but that's not what I remember her calling it. But for sure it's the one that goes diagonally across the front of my thigh.

I remember that two weeks ago it was the next day before I really noticed a huge result from the massage appointment. Today my thigh has been achy all afternoon. I've been trying to stay stretched out - think I'll sit in the floor again in a bit before I head to bed.

Anyway. I'm sold. This massage is making such a difference in getting me back to normal. I keep thinking about spending 2 years of negotiating stairs like a 2 year old, and am just thrilled that I can now start working on gaining strength and more endurance for actually climbing stairs.

2012-01-20T23:05:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
What a special day!

And here's the long.

Today our youngest daughter invited Alan and me to go to lunch, and she picked up the tab!

What a pleasure it is to have our adult daughter think about wanting to treat us, and then following through! It was a fun lunch at one of our favorite little local spots. Na Go Ya, Chinese restaurant.

Thanks Liga. It was a wonderful lunch and so fun to see you taking on such an adult role!

2012-01-19T22:03:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
I never did get warmed up good last night.

And here's the long.

I was so chilly last night. So why did I not have a thought somewhere in my brain that I might need another blanket on the bed! I went right off to sleep, and then I just didn't wake up enough to think -- old girl, get a blanket. So I didn't have the most comfortable night's sleep. Tonight it's a little chilly. Even though I'm not as cold as I was last night, I promise this. I will have another blanket on my bed!

This evening when I got home, it was still light enough that Sophie and I did a good little walk. The two oldest neighbor boys came out and I asked if they wanted to walk with us (the older one often asks). He said, "I'd like that, if you give us permission to go with you." I was pretty wowed by that. He's about 7 and just the nicest young man. Sophie hasn't really warmed up to him, but I do hope that will happen. I think it would just be a good thing. Anyway, we walked and talked, and talked and walked. His little brother was more interested in seeing how muddy he could get his shoes, in that gooey, thick, black mud that gets left over as water slowly evaporates. I understood from my walking buddy that little brother would get in really big trouble when he got home. When I probed a bit about "really big trouble". he said, "well, Mom will really scold him, and that's not very much fun."

He says he's going to try to walk with Sophie and me more often. I'll enjoy that.

2012-01-18T21:49:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
It's not really that cold, but I'm chilly and tired this evening.

And here's the long.

I worked in three "spots" today. The first was next to a window in the Hickory Valley Office. It was quite chilly! Next we went over to the board room, so called because it's the place our school board holds their meetings. It was freezing. Then I came back to our conference room for a short meeting, it was warm enough, but the meeting wasn't long enough for me to get warmed up. Then I was back next to that window.

By the time I got in the car I was blasting the heat on high. I never did get warmed up. I sure wouldn't have gone back outside if Miss Sophie didn't need her walk - but if there aren't rain drops falling or I'm not collapsed on the bed, she can usually drag me outside at least for a little bit! Of course, that chilled me down again.

My warm covers are calling me. I'm headed that way in just a little bit. I'm going to warm up my bed buddy (a non electric heating pad filled with something that feels like feed corn). It warms in the microwave and works to help relax me and get me soothed to sleep when I put it on my sore back. Then I'm going to snuggle under the covers and sleep... after all tomorrow is an especially early schedule.

2012-01-17T22:32:00.002-05:00

So here's the short of it,
A Monday holiday really makes for a nice work week!

And here's the long.

I'm feeling like the week is already half over - oh tomorrow is hump day! How wonderful to start the school week a day late.

This was an old rainy day and I had to be out and about. I don't like getting in and out of the car and toting things around when it's a rainy day! I just have to remind myself that on the glorious days of the fall and spring, I love being out and about!

Tonight I went to a training on the district's new math initiative. I've often thought that I would have done better in math if I had begun higher math classes about 3 to 5 years later than I did. I like math, but even though I made good grades in math classes, I don't think I ever really "got it"... those higher level math concepts that is. I'm not interested in going back to school to learn the math, but I sometimes think it would be fun. We did a little math at the training this evening, and our table did a pretty good job of figuring out the problem.

Tomorrow is another day when almost every minute is spoken for - those days fly by!

2012-01-16T23:43:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
So on this day I'm celebrating the impact of Martin Luther King, jr. on our society.

And here's the long.

I'm going to do that by posting some of the quotes that are most meaningful to me.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

The gospel at its best deals with the whole man, not only his soul but his body, not only his spiritual well-being, but his material well being. Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of men and is not concerned about the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them and the social conditions that cripple them is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial.

The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.

The time is always right to do the right thing.

We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.

2012-01-15T21:06:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
It's the end of another great Sunday!

And here's the long.

Up early and hit the grocery before the Sunday crowd got there. It was a WalMart day just because there are a few things that Bi-Lo doesn't carry and it's a trip to go out to Publix. Alan prefers to shop at Food Lion, but we got the news this week that they are closing down all those stores. Anyway, I love to get it all out of the way on Sunday morning when it's not so crowded. WalMart didn't even have Sophie's dog food! They had put cat food in a similarly colored bag in the spot where it should have been. I stood there in the dog food aisle looking at cat food and wondered who in the world made that decision - the stock person or his/her supervisor. Oh well, had to stop in at Bi-Lo on the way back home.

Liga commented that dinner was really a southern dinner - pinto beans, mixed greens, roasted potatoes and onions, roasted butternut squash, spoon bread, Mom's cole slaw, and her marvelous cooked apples. Both the kids and Mom were here - that's such a good week starter to have Sunday night dinner with family. Even Sophie joins us and lays around the dining room while we're having dinner.

I'm excited to have a day off tomorrow. I'm sleeping in a bit and not getting in a hurry about much of anything. I'm going with Mom to get her stitches out - or at least looked at. But I'm not going to have a list of stuff to check off tomorrow.

2012-01-14T23:38:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
What a full day!

And here's the long.

We had a great day visiting with Shelley, Max and a few other special folks!

Uncle Steve and Pat drove up last night and were at Mom's helping cook breakfast when I arrived a few minutes before eight this morning. Shelley and Max were pretty close behind and just a little later Liga arrived. We had Mom's yummy pancakes and fruit for breakfast with plenty of coffee! Steve and Pat were headed on to Birmingham for a visit with Meredith and Ben, so they were on their way by mid-morning. It sure was good to get to see them.

Then we moved the party up to Tuxedo Circle. Max got some good time running on the circle, playing with Sophie, and kicking a soccer ball around. He also played with the crane that Aunt Frances left at MaMa's house. That was so much fun it had to come up to our house for awhile as well. Aunt Betsy and Wayne drove up from Atlanta for a visit as well. We had Mom, Liga, and Marjorie and Issie with two big bags of Rib and Loin potatoes! What a great and easy lunch.

Here's a great shot of Liga and Max "napping". What fun. They had a good time.

Shelley and Max are in Nashville tonight visiting with good friend Erin. She and Erin have posted a couple of really cute videos of the boys playing!

We'll sure miss them!

2012-01-13T23:05:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
We had a two hour delay!!

And here's the long.

What a great Friday. We had a two hour delay so I got a chance to sleep a little later! That was a great thing. Even though it was a late start it felt like a very long day. I'm sure glad that we have a long weekend!

Tonight we enjoyed another evening with Shelley and Max - hosted by Marjorie and Issi. It sure was nice to spend some time together. We're looking forward to one more day of getting in some visiting with them before they're headed out of town.

2012-01-12T21:39:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Will it snow?

And here's the long.

We've had such warm temperatures and no real evidence of winter yet, so today's weather forecast was almost hard to believe - a chance of snow! It was actually rather pleasant this morning - not even any frost on the car windows. By the time I headed home from work the temperature had dropped, the wind was roaring, and teachers were beginning to talk about snow and whether or not we might have a snow day or at least a delayed start.

The wind has continued to howl and here in Brainerd it has spit snow/rain/sleet off and on all evening. I don't expect enough snow for a snow day even if the mountains get that predicted inch, but I suppose there is a possibility that there would be enough ice to have us go on a delay. And that would be a fine way to end this week!

It looks like we're in for a few days of much cooler evenings. But the daytime temps are still going to be pretty warm and after tomorrow early morning it looks like there won't be any precipitation. So it will be a nice long weekend.

2012-01-11T21:44:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Started work early, got lots of stuff done, ended late.

And here's the long.

A couple of meetings that seemed to go very well - office time in between. Then I spent the afternoon at the Hickory Valley office. There weren't many people in, so it was easy to really get a bunch done. Sometimes when everyone is there, it is so hard to really concentrate.

This evening we had a nice dinner at Provino's with Shelley, Max, and Mom. No, I have no pictures to post. My phone camera does NOT have a flash and it was too dark to take a good picture, but take my word on this - Shelley is beautiful, and Max is adorable! We had a great time. I keep thinking I should try something different, but every time we go I'm seduced by the Eggplant Parmesan -- so good.

Mom is looking much better. I think she's feeling a bunch better too. Her face doesn't look nearly so bruised, but she told me she had on a heap of make-up. I'm glad her fall didn't turn out to be disastrous!

Some of our teachers are making facebook posts about snow tomorrow. Apparently there's a slight chance, but I don't expect it - I'll have to say I wouldn't mind having a couple of snow days this winter season.

2012-01-10T22:36:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Getting back into the swing of work after a couple of weeks off is . . .

And here's the long.

Wow! Spent the whole day in the office - and really needed to do that. But I am SO tired. Headed to the pillow pretty soon here. It's really hard to get back in the swing of the working thing. This week and then we are off on Monday for MLK. That will certainly help some.

Thanks to Marjorie and Issi we got to have dinner and visit with Shelley and Max. Valdis was there too. It was fun to spend time with them. Too bad I was so tired and unthinking that I didn't even snap a good picture of them. Here's one from a couple of days ago that Alan took at a park. That's cousin Evan with them. Glad, so Glad that they are here for a visit.

A bit of aside. After two days of a really achey butt (even waking me at night!), I realized I can go up steps better now. Maybe the massage is helping.

2012-01-09T22:30:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
I was about exhausted today!

And here's the long.

I decided to take a half day sick leave and then worked in the middle of the day. I went in at 10:30 and left at about 3:15. I'm glad to have come home. I changed into some lounging clothes and went to bed and napped for about 2 hours! Wow, I was tired.

I'm tired enough that I don't think my nap will really impact me falling asleep tonight.

Alan is back and we had a nice quick visit with Shelley and Max. He had a good time chasing Sophie around the living room. I promised him that when he comes over and it's light, we'll take Sophie outside and play with her.

In the meantime, Dexter is visiting with us with his kitty mommy, Liga. He is such an elegantly beautiful cat! He and Sophie are getting along nicely enough although they are both a bit skittish of the other. But Lola is not happy to have another cat on the premises. She is letting him know it too! She hisses at him every time he comes near her. Poor kitties. Poor Lola for feeling so insecure, and poor Dexter for having an unwelcoming hostess!

Isn't he a gorgeous GrandKitty.

2012-01-08T22:33:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Something about those massages is working...

And here's the long.

Well, this morning - the morning after - I woke up to a really sore butt! The thing that's so interesting is that it's the side that Kelly did not work on yesterday that is the most sore.

I am just constantly amazed at the way our bodies work - and the notion that as one side compensates for the other and will react to whatever is going on on the other side is so interesting - and so apparent today. I'm thrilled though, because I believe that means that these massages may be bringing about some real change and not just temporary pain relief. I'll keep up my stretches and hope that will bring about some relief. I'll be eager to see how going through a work week causes the pain to move around.

It's a rainy, rainy night. I'm tired and glad to be in my cozy home tonight.

2012-01-07T22:03:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Prior Planning - well, we'll see.

And here's the long.

Liga is going to spend a few days here with us while a couple of things get straightened out at her apartment. It will be nice to have her around.

Today was a slam, bang, busy, busy day. But if I've really done good prior planning, I should be able to stay in all the livelong day tomorrow!

Mia came over for breakfast early this morning and we had just a wonderful visit. Then I had a massage with Kelly - I'll tell you she is an absolute miracle worker and I feel so much better! I'm going to try for 2 times a month. Maybe if I do that for several months, I'll start to get some more permanent relief.

Then we did a ladies lunch at the new Hibachi Grill - one of those endless Chinese buffets. Mom, Liga, Aunt Joyce, and I had a great time. Mom wore her sunglasses because her eye looks pretty bad, but she had a bit of trouble seeing since the restaurant was a bit dark. Since we were seated at a table way in the back with not many people around us, she eventually took them off. Some of the swelling and bruising is beginning to make its way down her face so her cheek looks a little swollen, and it's beginning to discolor a bit. But we had a great time.

Liga and I spent the afternoon together. We visited with Mommy Anne and ran a few errands over on Gunbarrel - then came home and got weekend grocery shopping out of the way! That means that I don't have to get out tomorrow.

So this is the plan. I'm going to sleep until I wake on my own. These last couple of days have me whipped and I'm really ready for the sleep to come my way!

2012-01-06T20:39:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
When it rains it pours!

And here's the long.

Today I needed to get to work pretty early as I still had a few things to get done before our PD started at 8:30, so I stopped by Mom's at 7:00 to check on her. I thought I'd just sneak in and make sure she was sleeping soundly or bring her something to drink and encourage her to rest up. I pulled into the driveway to see lights on and the TV going! Mom was up watching the news, working on a quilt pattern for Elizabeth with samples of each block so Elizabeth can make Avery a quilt, and having morning coffee with a piece of Hershey milk chocolate with almonds for breakfast! So much for my sneaking in!

I took a great picture of her and sent in to my brothers, but I'm following the golden rule here, because I don't think I'd want her to post the picture of me on the internet if I had that big a shiner! Her eye is terribly swollen and very dark purple. The stitches almost blend into the bruising. From a distance it almost looks as though she is wearing an eye patch.

My plan was to go home for lunch and bring something in for us to eat. In the meantime she sent me a phone message and asked for some Boric Acid (that may be another post altogether!!!). On my way to get us lunch (and her Boric Acid) I got a text from Valdis saying to call him as soon as I can.

..... Valdis began to describe a horrifying night of throat swelling and discomfort to which I respond, "Honey, that sounds like you might have strep. You should probably go to a minute clinic." "Mom,"he says, this is not strep, I've had strep lots of times and it doesn't feel this way." So he called his prescribing doctor, and after wrangling with the front desk staff 3 times before he finally got them to agree to tell the doctor instead of leaving a message for him to return after office hours, Valdis got a call telling him to go immediately to the Emergency Room. So I grabbed stuff, dropped it off for Mom and made a beeline down to the ER (yes, again) where Valdis was already checked in and waiting for the triage nurse.

Sure enough as soon as they took a look at him in triage and heard his symptoms and his meds, they got him into a space in the ER so that he could be seen at once. It seems that the doctor, physicians assistant, and nurses all thought there was about a 50/50 chance that it was strep. He couldn't breathe through his nose, his tonsils, throat, and uvula were swollen and covered in white blisters. While they waited for the strep test to percolate, they went ahead and gave him benedryl, Solu-Medrol, and prednisone. This was a precautionary measure! We sat, chatted, and waited. As the clock ticked down, his color started calming down, his throat became less inflamed, his breathing eased, and even his voice began to sound more normal. By 4:00 this afternoon, when the strep test came back negative, he was well enough to be dismissed to home. Since he'd had a huge dose of benedryl, he had a friend pick him up and take him home - and we stopped at a pharmacy to get his prescription of steroids.

WOW! what a night and day.

After I got Valdis handed off to a good friend, I came to Mom's where I found Aunt Joyce. We are SO fortunate that she lives so close by. She hopped in the car this afternoon and came down to see about Mom! That included bringing a pecan pie (a small piece of yummy peanut butter pie) and her loving self! I'm so glad she's going to be with Mom tonight.

I think all together, I may have gotten about 2 or 3 hours of sleep last night. I'm beginning to feel the need to find my pillow and settle in for the night!

Whoever you are - wherever and for whatever reason you dropped in to read this post, I know your positive energy can have a powerful impact on our lives here in Chattanooga. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

2012-01-06T02:17:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Home at 2:15 AM

And here's the long.

Mom took a tumble at her house.

We went to the ER - arriving about 10:30.
A clear CAT Scan, 11 stitches and an awful swollen and black eye later we are home.

I've got an early morning so this post will be the shorter of it and the short.

More on the story in another post sometime.

2012-01-04T22:11:00.004-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It's off to work I go.

And here's the long.

HaHaHa. I just looked up the lyrics for the Disney song from Snow White. On the website I found the lyrics are not about going to work! They are, "It's home from work we go". That's so funny to me. By the time the day is over - well most days anyway, I'm not feeling like singing. But I think I'm going to start trying to have a singing attitude! After all, I'm going home! I was just sure they said It's off to work we go! I'll bet if I looked at a few more lyrics sites I'd find some that supported the off to work we go!!

Anyway, all of that thought came about because tomorrow is a work day. Teacher folks will be back at it tomorrow and Friday to get ready for the kiddos to arrive on Monday. You know the teacher calendar is really a pretty good thing. Having a short break every so often throughout the year really does give me an opportunity to restore and relax and go back to work with renewed vigor to make a difference.

So tomorrow I'll be back at it. I'll be spending the day working on Professional Development and then yes, for those who follow the blog, I still have e-mail to deal with! I'm hoping I can make the deadline!

It's really time to go to sleep, but I'm not tired and I'm not sleepy. Maybe I'll go on to bed soon and hope I can fall asleep. I wish that looking over at Sophie snoozing at my feet would put me in in a bedtime frame of mind.

2012-01-03T20:33:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Well I'm not feeling so hot this evening.

And here's the long.

Today I went in to work on the e-mail project! I worked from 9:30 until 2:30. I had a snack at my desk and only took restroom breaks! I was the only person on the 3rd floor so I didn't have any interruptions and I made awesome progress.

When I got home it seemed to me like the house was really cold -- Or like I had gotten a chill on the drive home. I put on a big fleece and settled in for a nap. I'm not sure I slept very long, but Lola curled up right next to me and we snoozed for a bit. Just having her share my nap made me feel a little better.

When I woke up I still felt what a friend of mine used to call "the gonks". I've had about 3 cups of hot chai tea and some supper, so I'm not really chilled any more. But I'm tired. I hope a good night's sleep will make me feel a little better. It would not be good to be sick right as I'm supposed to go back to work!

2012-01-02T21:53:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
It's really nice to have former students, now adults, as friends in my life.

And here's the long.

Today I had coffee with Greg Wilkey, who went to school at Tyner. Actually his wife was my student, but he hung around enough that I knew him fairly well too. They are both educators and he's now an Assistant Principal at Tyner Middle School.

He's a writer and we were talking about the book he's working on now. It's the third in his series about a young man named Mortimer Drake who discovers as a teenager that he's really a vampire! I've read the first two and I can really see why they appeal to teens. He's specifically targeting young men.

Before the break a group of young men at his school read the book with him - the author! I just think that's great.

The books are available on both Kindle and Nook. And if you don't have either of those, you can download an app to your PC or MAC and read them there.

Growing Up Dead (The Life and Undeath of Mortimer Drake) Kindle edition

Growing Up Dead (The Life and Undeath of Mortimer Drake) Nook Edition

Out of the Underworld (The Life and Undeath of Mortimer Drake) Kindle Edition

Out of the Underworld (The Life and Undeath of Mortimer Drake) Nook Edition

And the third book is under construction now!

2012-01-01T21:45:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Today was an awesome way to start the New Year!

And here's the long.

Liga and Valdis gave us a coupon for a prepared dinner for our Christmas/Hannukah gift this year. Tonight was the night!

We had the two youngest in the house keeping the kitchen lively while Alan and I sat and visited with MaMa and Mommy Anne in the living room. Sophie and Lola kept us company!

The menu was salmon, asparagus, wild and long grain rice (ala Uncle Ben), and spinach salad with raspberry dressing. Brownies and ice cream was dessert!

It's really nice to have grown up competent, capable children to share a lovely evening with.
And what better way to spend the very first day of the year!

2011-12-31T21:58:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
So another year's over and a new one is beginning.

And here's the long.

I've never done very well with keeping resolutions, so I've decided not to make any New Year's resolutions this year.

I am going to focus on one thing though.

Beauty - I'm going to try to notice something that I think is beautiful every single day. Of course this world holds so much beauty that shouldn't really be very hard - actually when the days get a little longer, we often start the day with a beautiful sunrise right out the front window! And I'm really lucky that my job has me in schools so often. There's really nothing more beautiful than our children.

So this year whenever I'm feeling sadness, pain, fear, or regrets, I'm going to try to remember to focus my mind on the beauty around me.

2011-12-30T22:17:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Mom is home...

And here's the long.

Mom got home about mid-morning. She took the red eye from San Jose to Atlanta, then a long layover, and then right in to Chattanooga. I had a gate pass to go get her, but the line of folks leaving was amazingly long for little old Chattanooga! So they had a fellow roll her out to security, then the police officer on duty brought her through - I think so the volunteer guy didn't have to go back through the line, and then I got her!

Hershey was thrilled to have her home. I talked to her a little while ago and she's settling back in. Her back is still bothering her a bit - that's probably par for the course after such a long flight in an airplane seat. She took a good nap this afternoon and has worked on the pile of mail that accumulated while she was gone.

She was really tired, but she was eager to talk about how much she enjoyed spending time with everyone. Even though we really missed her, I'm really glad she went - and glad she's back.

2011-12-29T21:56:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Sophie is acting very strangely today.

And here's the long.

Alan said that Sophie stayed outside almost all morning. He says that she usually goes out for 15 or 20 minutes at a time coming back in when the weather is this chilly. Then this evening when I took her out she really didn't want to walk. I was visiting with a neighbor and didn't do a lot of walking myself, but she's usually nosing all around the circle visiting her friends or sniffing to see who's been in the territory whether I'm walking or not.

Today she stayed right by my side, then when I didn't come in when she wanted she went and sat by the front door. Then when I still didn't come after about 10 minutes or so she came out and sat right in the front yard. She's been wanting to stay right near me all night tonight. I wonder if she's worried about me? I came home about 1:00 this afternoon and after I grabbed a bite of lunch I took a nap - since she never sees me sleeping unless it's night maybe she thinks I'm sick again??

I'm fine - I hope she's not the one that's feeling poorly. Right now she's in her usual place napping while she waits for me to get ready to go to bed. Love that Sophie...

2011-12-28T20:57:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Home Day!

And here's the long.

What a wonderful day to just be at home all day long - that happens so rarely. Well, I did go down to Mom's two times to check in, gather up the paper and mail, and feed Hershey and give her a little attention. But the rest of the time I was here in the house. I got a big pot of Navy bean soup with Kale going this morning and it kept the house smelled up nicely all the live long day and on top of that it was scrumptious.

I tackled a big house project today - and I got a good start on it. Of course now I'm distracted and want to start on something else... maybe I can stay focused.

But tomorrow, I'm going in to work for a few hours to work on the *#% e-mail project.
And right now, I'm headed to bed as soon as my pajamas come out of the dryer!

2011-12-27T21:02:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
E-mail!!!

And here's the long.

We have an ultimatum from work that our e-mail must be below 150 mg.
We had until December 20th to get our e-mails compliant with the new limits. Then we were rescued by having the deadline pushed to January 9th! Of course lots of us needed that extra time. I am WAY over the minimum!!

I went in to the office today - well not a full day as I went late and had to come home at 3:30 because they were closing the building. I worked on e-mail the whole time - and I'm still not low enough!

For a long time they told us that if we would get them out of our in-box and put them in folders that we'd be OK. Turns out that was not true. It was still taking up space! So I've been diligently putting my e-mails in folders all this time. Now I'm just deleting them! I've even stopped worrying about deleting "something I might need". I probably have a couple more days to get this accomplished. I'll probably go in on Thursday for a bit and work on it a little more.

I'm glad to have good work to do. I'm glad to have an office to go to. I'm glad to have e-mail and not have to rely on interoffice paper mail anymore. This e-mail limit is hard - but I'm glad for it. I have a hard time throwing things away, and this is good practice. After I get all the e-mails deleted, I'm going to tackle one of my file cabinets, and then another one, and then another!

Wish me luck and send my positive good vibes for support!

2011-12-26T19:26:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
My breakfast routine.

And here's the long.

I like to have Bob's Red Mill Organic Extra Thick Rolled Oats for breakfast most mornings. I like the heartiness and fiber in the extra thick variety. I make them with a 1 part oats and 2 parts water ratio. If I'm the only one eating I use a 1/2 cup of oats and 1 cup of water. I add a teaspoon of brown sugar and a pinch of kosher salt to the water before I dump in the oats. On school mornings, they get started before I jump in the shower and then turned to the lowest setting - they're ready when I get back to the kitchen.

When they're done, I get two bowls. One gets about a quarter cup or a little more of oats and the other gets the rest. They (both) often get topped with some chopped almonds or other such (I keep the chopped nuts in a little jar right next to the stove for just this purpose. Then each dish gets a bit of milk poured in over the hot oats. I also pour a little small bit of milk (or cat milk) into one of those tiny measuring bowls. At the table - I get the big bowl of oats. Sophie gets the small bowl on the floor next to my chair. Lola gets the little bowl of milk or cat milk up on the divider between the dining room and living room. That's a nice, good breakfast routine. Not every morning, but certainly most working mornings - Sophie and I really like our oatmeal...

I really enjoy raisins in my oatmeal, but I haven't quite figured out how to do that without having to make Sophie's separate from mine, since raisins are so toxic for dogs. And while I'm really glad to make enough to share with her, I somehow can't see myself getting into the habit of cooking her a breakfast of her own on a working morning! Sometimes I do use other dried fruits in the mix - like cherries, or apricots, or that dried fruit mix. Those are nice variations that keep me faithful to my oats routine!

I have a hard time always finding these oats in the stores. Even our specialty markets don't always have just exactly these. I haven't had success getting any stores to carry this specific variety even when I've asked either. Maybe they just get confused - they get the organic but not the extra thick, or they get the extra thick but not the organic, or maybe they get the organic, extra thick, but also gluten free which is about 3 times as expensive. So I just order them by the carton online. I order about every 2 or 3 months and keep the extra bags in the freezer. It has worked out just great and really encourages me to stick with the oat routine!

So this morning it was good to have oats and good black coffee with Sophie and Lola.

2011-12-25T22:46:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
This has been a very different Christmas.

And here's the long.

This is a very different Christmas night.

Mom is gone to spend time with Elizabeth and Greg. I got this picture of her with Avery and when I've spoken to her she's sounding very happy to be with them. Betsy sent the picture of Mom with Avery yesterday! Steve and Pat are in Destin having Christmas with only Patrick as this is the year the girls are with their in-laws. So we didn't do our rather "normal" Christmas tradition of heading off to Atlanta for the day to celebrate with family there. So it was quite different for us here in Chattanooga.

We started the morning off with brunch for just the two of us, and we ended the evening with the kids coming over for a Christmas/Hannukah celebration. We had Latkes with all the fixin's and Cheese Blintzes with some of the preserved cherries from the fall canning - we lit the candles and exchanged gifts. What a lovely evening.

The kitchen is clean and the leftovers are packaged up so that they'll be easy to get to tomorrow. And now the kids are gone; Alan's gone to bed; and I'm winding down my own day as well.

My Facebook and professional friend posted this on his wall today.
"The Word Became Flesh... and Moved Into the hood."
One of his friends that I don't know posted this in reply -
"I like the version that says, God put on skin and moved into the neighborhood."

So this is Christmas.
May it all be well with us, those we love, and those we have a hard time understanding.
And may we all occupy the hood with as much love as we can muster.

2011-12-24T21:58:00.002-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Remembering Christmas past ...

And here's the long.

When we were children, Santa's visit was always a big production at our house. I learned later that Dad really didn't like getting up before the crack of dawn and part of the production was staged to allow him those extra hours of sleep on Christmas morning.

We always went to a church service on Christmas Eve. After that, we came home and opened one gift each. Of course we always had to ask and ask and ask before Dad would finally say OK, just one. Then we'd be off to bed trying hard to sleep. We might hear bells jingling outside the window or hear a HO, HO, HO!!, but we never went looking. My brothers always shared a room near mine, and we'd talk from our beds for awhile. Eventually we'd be sound asleep. But not for long! Dad would be in the bedroom shaking us awake and whispering that Santa was by the tree and that if we'd be really quiet and hurry we might see him leaving the presents. Of course we'd head for the tree just as quickly and quietly as we possibly could. There'd be presents under the tree, and, of course, no Santa! Dad would be right behind us saying, "You just missed him! He was just here!!" And in the houses that we lived in with a fireplace, there might be something a little awry about the ashes and soot. Outside there might be footprints on the roof, or hay where the reindeer had been munching while Santa was inside doing his job.

And there would be three sleepy headed kids looking at the presents under the tree. We'd make a beeline for the ones that Santa had left. They were never wrapped, and if needed they were assembled and ready for play. After we spent some time with the amazing Santa gifts, Dad would say something like, "Well, since we are all up already, let's open the rest of the presents." And he'd do that slapping his hands together as if anticipating something wonderful. So there in the middle of the night we'd open our gifts, then it was off to bed often I had a doll next to me. Sleep would come a bit easier than it had earlier in the evening, and we'd be up much later in the morning for a traditional Christmas Day breakfast and then off to Church.

It's a quiet and lovely evening here on Tuxedo Circle. Alan's back home safe and sound. He's snoozing and I'm just relaxing while Sophie sleeps at my feet and Lola is curled up on my lap. I'm keeping an eye on Santa's journey. He was in Uruguay when I started this post and he's now getting ready to land in Prince Edward Island, Canada - so I'm thinking in just a little bit if I go out the front door, I might get to see Santa landing on one of the rooftops here in the circle! I think Dad would want me to look.

2011-12-23T22:22:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Last night the Crock Pot, Today the Kitchen Cabinet!

And here's the long.

I've lived in this house for 24 years. When I first moved in and got the kitchen cabinets organized, the cooking oils in tall containers went on the top shelf to the right of the stove. They've been there all these years. Whenever I needed to use cooking oil, I had to drag out my step stool or tiptoe as tall as I could possibly reach in order to get what I needed.

As the years have passed and usage has changed and packaging has changed, nothing in my kitchen changed. But that tiptoe feat has gotten harder and harder over the last couple of years because of the continuing neuropathy in my feet and the fact that I am now prone to muscle cramps when I press my muscles as far as they will reach like that tiptoe pose.

Then came today...

I was getting ready to use some cooking oil when it occurred to me that the cooking oil containers I now buy (and have been buying for maybe the last ten years) will easily fit on the second shelf!!!

I reorganized things around a little bit and now I have things that I use very infrequently on the very top as well as things that are still too tall for the second shelf, but the cooking oil fits very nicely all on one lazy susan on the second shelf and it's easy peasy to reach.

Wonder what I'll think of tomorrow. And more importantly, I wonder what changes I could easily make that would make my life so much easier that I just haven't "seen" because I'm still doing things out of habit.

2011-12-22T21:11:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
All these years ... and tonight I think of the Crock Pot.

And here's the long.

For almost 20 years I've been making a chocolate sauce recipe that I serendipitously discovered when I was making an ice cream pie that called for a layer of chocolate fudge on the graham cracker crust before the ice cream went in. Pennie always asked me to bring it along when we were planning who would do what for dinners at her house. And because it's just so darned easy it became a go to for gifting the neighbors on the circle and a few others.

For all these years I've made it in small batches in the microwave - which involves lots of interrupting and stirring and making at least 4 batches because of space. Tonight I thought about just using the crock pot! What a great discovery! I'll always do it this way from now on!

The recipe is really simple. It is my variation of the fudge sauce in the Classic Mud Pie recipe from Toll House Treasury which was published in 1986. (it's on page 9 in the pie section)

Chocolate Sauce
1 12 oz bag of Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
2/3 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream
4 Tablespoons of butter.

Melt ingredients above together
Do NOT boil.

Add 1 Tablespoon good vanilla

Stir until smooth.
Refrigerate in microwaveable container

This is good on ice cream, cake, cookies, well for that matter on your finger.

I've discovered that it is especially delicious paired with some of the preserved cherries that I made earlier - poured over some really good vanilla ice cream.

----

Well tonight I made the recipe X 8. Usually I can double the recipe in the microwave. Tonight I just dumped everything in the Crock Pot and went and did some other things. I did keep going to check on it because I'm in the habit of having to be right there to get this recipe to come out right. But I've learned a lesson. I can just put this on and go about my business and hours later put it in the containers and be ready to go. I got 20 of the ziplock 1 cup containers and all at one time!

So here's loving the Crock Pot!

2011-12-21T22:54:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
This post is for Shelley's husband, Lou.

And here's the long.

Lou's mother passed away last night. We didn't get to know her very well. We saw her at Shelley and Lou's wedding and at Max's bris. But we never really got to spend enough time with her to get to know her. I know that she must have been a pretty special person to have a son like Lou.

I wish I could go with Alan. He's leaving tomorrow to go up for the funeral.

Please remember Lou, Shelley, and Max as well as the rest of Lou's family in your thoughts and prayers. Even when a death is expected there is a depth of loss that's so hard.

Carol Stein, we will honor your life and the sons you brought into the world - especially your baby son who has joined our family through Shelley.

2011-12-20T20:31:00.002-05:00

So here's the short of it,
And we are home.

And here's the long.

What a wonderful weekend - we celebrated Katie Jane's Bat Mitzvah, got hugs and some time in with Shelley, Lou, and Max, and had a bit of time to do a couple of things in New York.

I am sure glad to be back at home.

You know there's just something about your own place. No matter how fun any other place in the world might be there's a really right feeling about your own shower, your favorite chair, where you keep your coffee cup and all that jazz. I know it's crazy but there's even something familiar and nice about your own toilet!

So it's good to be back home after a wonderful weekend away!

2011-12-19T20:55:00.001-05:00

Here's the short of it,
Today was our last day in NY.

And here's the long.

Today we took in the 9-11 Memorial in the late morning and then spent the rest of the day at the Natural History Museum on the edge of Central Park.

The exhibits were great and being together with our two youngest was a memory I'll cherish forever!!

I was trying to figure out which exhibit I liked most - maybe space (history I actually remember) or maybe the origins of humans - I've always been fascinated with this. Or maybe it was our stroll through mammals of North America. I could go again tomorrow!

But it's a better plan to head out tomorrow and really be back home!

-- Post From My iPhone

2011-12-18T22:11:00.001-05:00

Here's the short of it.
The Lion King!

And here's the long.

Late this morning we had a lovely brunch with the family at Bubby's on the river. It was a great time to visit, say some good byes, and enjoy some delicious food.

Back to the hotel for a quick rest up and then out for an early dinner at a place called Tramonti's and then off to the Minskoff Theater for a performance of The Lion King.

It was a great evening. We are back at the hotel now and this bed feels really great!

-- Post From My iPhone

2011-12-17T22:17:00.001-05:00

Here's the short of it,
We've had a wonderful day of celebration.

And here's the long.

We've spent the day helping family and friends surround and support Katie Jane in her Bat Mitzvah. And it's been a lovely day.

Services this morning were lovely and different enough that I was really glad for the kids to participate in them. The congregants were warm and welcoming. It was obvious that there's a good and vibrant group of kids Katie's age in the congregation.

This afternoon we had a great party and then evening with family at Keith and Ellen's home.

I'm just SO tired - came back to the hotel on the earliest bus! Alan's still there. Here's hoping for a restful night.

-- Post From My iPhone

2011-12-16T22:03:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
We are here in New York for Katie's big weekend!

And here's the long.

We had a great drive to Atlanta this morning. I was expecting heavy traffic when we got to commute traffic, but with four of us in the car we jumped in the HOV lane and made great time. But even without that there was not nearly the traffic I had expected. Our flight was good. And we had a relaxing afternoon at the hotel.

This evening we went to Keith and Ellen's synagogue. It was great to be in a small service with so much family. Both kids (and even Alan at one point) commented about how glad they are to be reform. But it's nice to be in another slice of world for A bit.

We are all looking forward to the big day tomorrow.

-- Post From My iPhone

2011-12-15T21:45:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
What a day!

And here's the long.

Yesterday Alan came home to a very definite problem with our hot water! Our plumber came but wasn't able to get it fixed so we didn't have hot water last night nor this morning - well not in our bathroom, or the kitchen, or the laundry room. I just didn't try to gather up all my bathing stuff and go to another bathroom this morning, so I did a sponge bath and baking soda in the hair! It was OK. But I'm sure glad the plumber got here this afternoon and got it fixed. I'm looking forward to a great hot shower in the morning!

I didn't have a minute to spare today. I was in three places for three different meetings from the start of the day to the end of the day, and each of them were meetings that demanded my full attention. I'll have to say I was pretty zonked by the end of the day.

Now I'm packing for our New York Trip. Katie Jane is becoming a Bat Mitzvah this weekend and we are going to help celebrate. I'm looking forward to the trip - even though it's very bittersweet to have Pennie's grand-daughter at this milestone without Pennie there. But it will be a wonderful weekend and a good time for much reflection.

2011-12-14T22:29:00.002-05:00

So here's the short of it,

Here's to another good day.

And here's the long.

A half day of work and a half day sick leave to take Mom to the doctor. We drove down to see David Judge at his Gadsden office for her follow up from the left eye cataract surgery. It was great to see him. He pronounced her in great shape and said she could be turned back over to her regular ophthamologist.

We had a nice visit on the drive down and back. I'm glad I'm at a place in my work life when I can take off some time to be with Mom for such things.

One more day of work for me tomorrow and is it ever a busy one. AND I've got a couple of things to do tonight to get ready for that!

We have hot water issues today. This afternoon when Alan got home he discovered that in our bathroom and the kitchen there was very little hot water and pressure. It seems that we have a broken line somewhere under the house! Alan thinks our plumber can get here tomorrow. A cold or low pressure shower might be in the works for tomorrow morning though. That could be a great morning adventure!

2011-12-13T22:30:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
I finished today in a great way.

And here's the long.

I met a former student for a coffee at Starbucks after work. I do love staying in touch with former students.

I walked in and Lydia (beautiful Lydia) stood up and wrapped her arms around me and just gave me a most wonderful hug. Wow. It's been a long time since I've seen her and it was great. We drank coffee (well a chia tea latte for me) and talked for an hour and a half. I left thinking - "gee that gave me enough goodness to last at least another year"! Thanks for that Lydia.

Sometimes when I visit with former students they say lots of thank yous and such. But you know, I'm the one that has a thank you. So many of them taught me and helped me grow professionally or personally. I have been so blessed to have had the opportunity to teach so many fabulous students.

Thanks Lydia - You are amazing. And I am so excited for the students that you are going to be teaching and reaching in the years to come.

2011-12-12T21:24:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
The office environment is getting a bit difficult.

And here's the long.

As I mentioned before, we are playing musical offices at the West 40th street place. We had to move out first in order for all the other moves to happen. And we are moving into the last office that will be vacated -- and that's not happening until next week!!!

I've been working in a little makeshift space just with a little table for my computer to be set up. It's working, but I'm really feeling ready for a more permanent space. Since it's only a week until we're off for winter break, I'll be fine. It's pretty clear that I won't really be able to get straightened up until I'm back from the break.

Between now and then I'm spending lots of time in schools and so not having much of a place to accomodate me isn't such a big deal afterall.

2011-12-11T22:03:00.001-05:00

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

And here's the long.

Liga was over for most of the day helping us out with some house cleaning. Thank Goodness! It was great to have some help.

Today's family dinner was pasta with a choice of meat sauce or marinara with lots of veggies to stir into either one. I used a wide noodle - but I had told the kids we were having spaghetti.

When Liga's boyfriend got here, she was trying to explain to him that we weren't really having spaghetti - I overheard her say, "well it's not really spaghetti, Mom's using Jewish noodles". I thought that was pretty funny. The meat sauce especially was a hit!

I also made a huge pot of navy bean soup - so between the leftovers and the soup we'll be good for lunch and dinner for the rest of the week!

It's been nice to be in this routine for almost a year. Mom - the kids when they can with their girl/boyfriends when they can - all here for Sunday night dinner. It's nice for us.

2011-12-10T20:11:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Yummy!

And here's the long.

Well, today is coming to an end -- had the house to myself for most of the day.

My friend Max came over to have a lesson in making Pulled Cream Candy. This is an old Kentucky recipe - and handed down from my Great Aunt Ruby. She made it every year and sent it to her brother at Christmastime. My Grandpa VanSant. I started making it in my late 20's and have made it almost every year since.

One year I made it and went to Atlanta to my brother Russ's house for Christmas. The batch that I took was gone in no time so Russ requested that we make some more. He went out and bought a marble slab, but none of us could exactly remember the recipe. Mom called Aunt Frances, but she didn't have the recipe. She called Great Aunt Ruby in Oklahoma, got the recipe, and then called Mom back. And we had the recipe.

It's an extremely simple recipe. And it's not really lots of work - it does take a good bit of time and attention. Here it is for any who would like to give it a try.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE IF IT'S RAINING

Great Aunt Ruby's Pulled Cream Candy

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tsp butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla

more butter

Put sugar in a large (4 quart) heavy pan. Pour boiling water over sugar. Set over medium low heat. Stir gently and as little as possible with wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved. When sugar begins to boil, add butter and whipping cream slowly, so it does not stop boiling.

Cook at a slow boil until crackle stage when dropped into cold water.

Pour out on a buttered surface such as marble or granite. When cool enough to handle, pull candy. Keep hands buttered. Add vanilla while pulling.

Stretch candy into a long piece - like a rope- Cut into small pieces with buttered scissors. Leave on marble until it creams. (may cream quickly or it may take up to 24 hours)

Do NOT stir after sugar is dissolved
Use only a wooden spoon for testing
Do NOT make when raining!

Here's a link to a couple of other recipes (that I've never tried) Kentucky Cream Candy

2011-12-09T19:44:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
I'm pretty glad it's Friday!

And here's the long.

What a week it's been. I've got SO much to get accomplished before the winter break and I really do need to work 3 days in every work day to get it all done! But I was so ready for the week to be over.

This weekend I'm hoping to get some good hard sleeping in. ...and well a few more things as well.

Russ has headed back to Florida. We'll miss having him just down the street. I've never lived in the same town as one of my brothers since I've been an adult and really our visit times haven't usually been very lengthy - mostly just long weekends or less. So it was great to have him there for almost a week. Maybe he can make that happen again sometime or we can get there for a good long visit.

I had to do too much chair sitting in my work day today and my back is letting me know about that. I'm going to pay attention to it here in a bit with some good stretching.

So today is Friday and I had my PJs on by 7:00 PM. (Alan beat me). I'm going to turn in early after I take care of that stretching. And I'll see what the weekend holds!

2011-12-08T21:44:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Today I took a sick day to take Mom to the doctor and go to the doctor myself.

And here's the long.

Mom had a good report. Her tests on her brain - both MRI (brain tissue) and MRA (brain circulation) were fine and showed no evidence of stroke. Her carotid artery and her heart echo tests were fine as well, so that was a great report. Dr. Cannon cautioned us all to make sure that we stay on alert for any changes and call 911 if any occur. So we'll be watching out for all that.

Russ, Mom, and I had a nice breakfast at Wally's and then spent the morning talking about getting a medical alert in place. I think all of us will have more peace of mind when that happens.

Then this afternoon, I had an appointment. We talked back pain. I'm going to have an MRI and then a referral to a surgeon just to talk about what's going on. In the meantime, I'm getting a muscle relaxer and a lidocaine patch. I'm also continuing massage and stretching. As a matter of fact, I had a massage right after my doctor appointment. Kelly found a spot right on top of my pelvis where my muscles were just tied up in knots! She said she can't really even work on that until she gets some of the periphery muscles loosened up. So she began to work on them. She also worked over my right shoulder. I feel so much more lengthened - standing taller. I can't believe that massage helps so much and that insurance doesn't pay for it because -- well I guess I really don't know why they choose not to pay for it.

2011-12-07T21:57:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
It's nice to have the big brother here.

And here's the long.

Russ is still here - so once I got home, we went out to eat.

We decided to try the Hibachi Grill. One of those ubiquitous Chinese Buffets. This one is fairly new and is occupying a place that used to be a Ryan's steakhouse. Now, I like that combination of a buffet paired with a Hibachi Grill.

Mom didn't try the Grill, but the rest of us did. I chose a vegetarian fried rice and liked it quite a lot.

It's good to have Russ here for such a nice long visit. He's been lots of help to Mom, but more importantly, his visit's given her such a good piece of companionship with her first born! How really great it's been.

Russ and Alan have also had a chance to spend a bit of time together. They've been on a couple of shopping trips and had a couple of lunches. We've also had great visiting time at dinners together. Oh yes, it's nice to have the big brother here!!

2011-12-06T20:56:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
We are playing musical offices at work.

And here's the long.

There are four of us relocating to "new to us" office spaces. I have an office mate. We had to move first before the other two could move - but couldn't move into our new space because it's still occupied. So the other day Valdis came and helped us get our stuff that's all boxed and crated up into a small empty space just to stage it until we can get into the office we'll be moving to - it will be the last one to be empty.

Then the office mate that needed to move second (into our now emptied office space) needed to have a space to stage some of her office things. I really understand that. So today Valdis came and moved seven filing cabinets (full) out of our eventual office space and then hauled all the stuff out of the area where we had staged the boxes of our office stuff and stacked it up into the space where those filing cabinets had been. He worked like a big horse!

In the meantime I'm working in a little small temporary space where my computer's hooked up - but I don't have access to files now, and I even have to borrow a paperclip!

Oh well, I can do this. In a couple weeks it will all be done and we can get settled in.
And I can borrow paperclips, staplers, and post its until then.

2011-12-04T23:15:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Brother Russ is here for a visit.

And here's the long.

Russ drove up late Friday evening but didn't get to see him until yesterday. He's looking good!

He spent the day yesterday working on Mom's gazebo roof. Now that's really been a project. She got it ordered and then Steve came up and got it raised with Valdis pitching in some help. Then Valdis worked 2 or 3 days doing some finish up work on it. When the rains came in Alan and Valdis went down and wrapped it in a tarp. Now Russ has worked on it and he's got the shingles almost finished. Mom is going to be really pleased to have it this spring.

This evening we all went to church with Mom to a Christmas Concert. The group was a quintet of young women called Magnify. They are between the ages of 17 and 21. The songs weren't the usually known Christmas carols, but lesser known ones. Their voices were really beautiful.

It seems that they've got a deal in Nashville coming up to make a recording! Isn't that exciting for performers who are so young!

2011-12-03T20:46:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
I had a great massage today. Kelly is awesome!

And here's the long.

Kelly Mantovani

Now, this woman really knows her stuff! I get what would be called theraputic massage.

Here's a link to Center MedSpa describing the massage services that are available.

One of my plans when I hit the lottery is to just put Kelly on retainer for everyone in my family - and visit her every 3 days. That's how long she says it needs to be between massage treatments for the muscles to recuperate enough for the next one.

The rest of the day was great as well. Liga and I had some nice Mother Daughter time - we had a little shopping that needed to be done. And then this evening we had dinner with Mom. Russ is in for a few days and we had a chance to have a nice visit with him this evening.

Now I'm home with a husband already asleep, and my pup and kitty snuggled really close by.

2011-12-02T22:25:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Wow - another week is over and I'm glad!

And here's the long.

I'm so glad that this is Friday night and that in a few more minutes, my head will be on my pillow and I'll be falling sound asleep.

Today I was running all over the place. I don't mind that, it sure makes the day whiz by - but today it was particularly tiring. This evening we went to the First Friday dinner at Temple tonight. We had a lovely time with friends.

Now I'm so tired that I can hardly hold my eyes open!

So Good night to all.

2011-12-01T21:43:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Today I want to say thank you to a young girl.

And here's the long.

I don't remember your name.
I was a young teacher. It was my first full year of teaching and I was working as a Language Arts teacher at Tabernacle Elementary outside Covington, TN in an elementary school - I had the 7th and 8th graders. I thought I was pretty good - and I worked hard to make lessons that would be meaningful. So naive!

You missed lots of school.
Most of the parents in this community were sharecroppers. Yours were. You were the oldest child, I think. And come the month of October I only saw you on days when the rain was pouring down. Your shoes were always caked with mud, and your thin dress would be wet from the rain soaking through your coat while you waited on the bus. It took me until the end of the year to understand that October was the month of harvest and you were staying at home to take care of your younger siblings or working in the fields. The county had only recently implemented a conventional calendar. Just a few years before school would have been closed for the whole month of October so that all the students could help with the harvest. You were needed at home. This happened again in the spring when planting time came around. I didn't really understand.

You were pretty quiet.
You didn't really have lots to say. I wasn't very skilled at manipulating classroom discussions and I could have done a much better job of drawing you in and making sure you had opportunities to share. I had a small collection of books that were our classroom library - you always had one checked out as well as one from the library.

You always tried to get work in that you had missed.

You seemed eager to learn. You were probably overwhelmed with trying to keep up with everything that you were responsible for as well as keeping up with your school work so that even though you didn't stay caught up, you tried your best. If I had been more experienced and if I had known what you were experiencing in your life, I might have been able to send home enough work to let you stay caught up.

You were back in school when we read an excerpt from Richard Wright's Black Boy. This excerpt is a searing description of hunger.
"Hunger stole upon me so slowly that at first I was not aware of what hunger really meant. Hunger had always been more or less at my elbow when I played, but now I began to wake up at night to find hunger standing at my bedside, staring at me gauntly. The hunger I had known before this had been no grim hostile, stranger; it had been a normal hunger that had made me beg constantly for bread, and when I ate a crust or two I was satisfied. But this new hunger baffled me, scared me, made me angry and insistent...I would feel hunger nudging my ribs, twisting my empty guys until they ached. I would grow dizzy and my vision would dim. I became less active in my play, and for the first time in my life had to pause and think of what was happening to me."
I probably couldn't have assigned a more insensitive reading - although I believed that I was providing a culturally sensitive readings - as I was taught in teacher preparation - literature that would offer something my students could relate to.

You loved to write.
You loved to write and I never had to push you to express yourself.

After we read the Black Boy excerpt and discussed it in class, you were to write a response. I sat down to grade them - there on my sofa in my nice 2 bedroom apartment with a hot cup of coffee - my feet propped up on my coffee table and that proverbial red pen in my hand. I had probably read 6 or 8 essays before I got to your paper. I don't remember your whole response. Here's what I do remember;

You said
"I've been hungry before, but I've never been as hungry Richard was. The longest time I've ever been without food is from lunch at school on Friday til breakfast at school on Monday at the end of the month when we don't have any money or food."

I left Tabernacle Elementary at the end of that year. You were going on to the high school. I don't know what happened to you. I often wonder about your life. Were you able to move out of the poverty that gripped your family and much of your community in the late 70's? I would love to know because I would love to tell you thank you.

You taught me so much more than I could have ever dreamed of teaching you.
You planted a seed that would take a long time to find fertile ground. But I think of you often and when I do your memory gives me a renewed passion for the work that I have found to do in this world.

2011-11-30T23:35:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
e-mail, e-mail, e-mail

And here's the long.

About a week or maybe a little more ago, we got a directive from our district saying that we have to significantly pare down our e-mails. Off and on over the years, we've gotten messages telling us to clean up our in-box. But now we have to clean out our whole storage. We've all been working on it, and of course since everyone is on every chance they get it is really slow.

I have until December 20th to get this accomplished!
We have someone coming from the IT department tomorrow to talk to us because many of us have e-mail that we think we need to keep for legal purposes! Oh well. I'm going to be busy cleaning up e-mail for awhile it seems. I don't think I'm alone in this according to what I'm hearing every time I have a conversation with someone!

I'll appreciate all the good thoughts and positive vibes you can send!

2011-11-29T22:17:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Snow today!

And here's the long.

This Photo by Dan Henry in the Times Free Press

Wow the weather took a turn toward winter this morning! I don't ever remember snow this early in the year in Chattanooga! But snow it did. We already had a 2 hour school delay this morning because of the flooding. So that worked perfectly! It really didn't snow very much here in the valley, but I heard that it was really beautiful on the Mountain. There are lots of pictures around on the news and online. Here's one of my favorites from the online version of our daily paper. As you can see the roads were absolutely clear - it was just awfully cold.

The Farmer's Almanac calls for this winter to be wet and wild, but our area is not expected to get much snow. So at least we got to see one snow - well those of us in the valley got to see pictures!

2011-11-28T20:36:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Today I've been thinking about Green Bean Chili. And passing along this family tradition to a new generation

And here's the long.

Sarah, Pat, Meredith, Lauren

While we were in Atlanta over Thanksgiving we were having a conversation about things we like to eat and traditional foods in our families. Liga said something about Green Bean Chili which is such a good standby for us when the weather cools down. None of Steve and Pat's girls had ever heard of Green Bean Chili! So this post is for you Lauren, Sarah, and Meredith. I hope you'll try this recipe and maybe if you like it, it will be something you pass on to your own children. Liga makes it often - and sometimes she drops off a serving or two for her dear old Mom and Dad. Valdis hasn't learned to make it yet, but I expect that he will. I'm not sure that either Shelley or Daniel have incorporated it into their meal plans either.

This recipe is a recreation. Sometime in the 1980's Dad and his sisters were visiting and reminiscing about their childhood. They all remembered Green Bean Chili. They remembered it from visits with grandparents more than from their own Mother. After that conversation Dad spent several times together trying out recipes and came up with something that they all agreed resembled what they remembered from their childhood. The recipe that we use has taken on a few adaptations from our house over the years - but of course that's what happens to good family recipes. Recently when Mom and I were visiting the sisters in Ohio, Aunt Dot told me that she could remember sitting on the porch and watching her grandmother cut the beans up into very, very small pieces. (I'll have to say I don't do that). The sisters all remembered having it as children.

I posted a basic recipe for Green Bean Chili at the beginning of this year - on a cold day when chili was the perfect option! Click here for a link to that original post. But, girls (well Patrick, too, even though you weren't in the discussion) below is a way to take the Howard family recipe and make it your own.

-----------------
Green Bean Chili
as Remembered by Ola Dean Wright Howard's children

- Chop and saute one large yellow sweet onion. (more or less to your taste)
- Brown one pound of whatever meat you want to use - ground beef, ground turkey, (or you can use meat substitute) I'm going to try this recipe meatless one fine day.
- Your favorite chili seasoning (I use McCormick mild chili seasoning)
- One quart of canned tomatoes. If you can get your hands on some home canned ones - that's great!
- Green Beans of your choice. I like Kentucky Wonder which I can find frozen at the grocery. They are a big fat green bean, not too beany. But any bean you like will work - they should be broken up like your MaMa Lambdin and MaMa Howard broke them for just making green beans.

- Add in any other things you might like. I sometimes put in carrots or zucchini. The zucchini can go in about an hour or 45 min before serving so it doesn't get really soft - or you can just let it get really soft!

Put it all together in a large pot, cover with water, and let it simmer. for at least a couple of hours. You may need to add water. This is a good one to dump in the crock pot in the morning and then it's all ready when you get home. It tastes better if it cooks slowly for awhile giving the flavors time to come together.

About 15 or 20 minutes before serving add a bag of super sweet corn (or you can use canned corn)
-------------------

Happy Cooking as the cold days settle in!

2011-11-27T23:18:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Tonight was really a perfect ending to this Thanksgiving Break.

And here's the long.

Daniel was in town, and he joined us for dinner. Liga had to work this weekend, but she was able to break away on her dinner break and come join us as well. And we had Mom and Valdis and Kalie.

I managed to pick up a turkey breast on post Thanksgiving sale so decided to have a mini-Thanksgiving meal. It turned out pretty well. And more important than the food it was so nice to be together.

After dinner, Daniel helped us get video chat up and going on both of our laptops and we had a short video chat with Shelley and Max. Mom enjoyed that as well.

I understand from a teacher friend on FaceBook that we have only 17 work days left before our winter break. I can do that! So tomorrow I'll get my game on and knock the first one of them out!

2011-11-26T23:53:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
This long weekend has been really nice.

And here's the long.

Today was just a stay at the house and get a few things done day - and I'm having another of those tomorrow - except we'll have company for dinner.

I've spent most of the day working on stuff in the kitchen! I did get over to the grocery store late this evening so I don't have to get out at all tomorrow.

This evening Mom made dinner for us. She's still feeding us from her garden! Tonight she had some swiss chard and some arugula from the garden that she cooked up with cabbage and onions. It was really good!

We walked down to Mom's and took Sophie with us so that she could have a visit with Hershey. She enjoyed getting out and going for a walk out of the circle and then romping with a playmate. She is ready for me to cash in and go to bed tonight!

2011-11-25T21:39:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
I've never heard of the piriformis before...

And here's the long.

Today I did not participate in Black Friday. I did not go out to stores. I did not shop online.

I did go see Kelly this morning for a massage. She really worked on my right side - my shoulder and lots of attention to the region of my piriformis muscle. I've been reading up on Piriformis syndrome and it seems that it is fairly rare. But it sure does seem descriptive of what's going on with me - especially the reference to the deep buttocks pain. AND Kelly says that is the muscle that is so knotted up. When I look at this illustration it so accurately locates my pain! She does really deep tissue massage - I've finally convinced her that she's really not going to hurt me so she really works my muscles over. It always seems to help. My next doctor visit, we'll have a discussion about the piriformis! In the meantime, I've got another appointment scheduled for next week.

This afternoon I took a nap! Sophie and Lola joined me. I hardly ever can do that, but today after a great massage, and some time with Alan at lunch my bed just seemed to be calling. And even with my nap, I'm feeling pretty ready for bed tonight.

I'm loving this long weekend!

2011-11-24T21:29:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Happy Thanksgiving!

And here's the long.

We drove to Atlanta to spend Thanksgiving with Steve and family. We are trying to get into the every other year mode with Liga and Valdis. So we picked the odd year since that's the year that Steve's kids are with them. That way we figured at least sometimes we might be able to be together. But we do know that as families expand even that becomes more complex.

But today was pretty great.

So here was this year's line-up. Steve and Pat; Lauren, Ryan, Madison, and Buddy as Lauren is calling little Ryan; Sarah, Ryan, and Jacob; then Meredith and Ben; and Patrick and his new husky pup Skye. Mom went down on Tuesday via the shuttle and so she was there. Then Alan and I and Liga and Valdis were there. Betsy and Wayne came over for a bit late this afternoon after our lunch. And I mustn't forget - Steve and Pat's dog, Nutmeg; Sarah and Ryan's dog, Lucy; and Patrick's new puppy, Skye.

Down and back to Atlanta in one day is a trip, but it's always worthwhile for everyone to be together!

We didn't get to see Shelley, Lou, and Max, but they kept us included by sending several videos (and a post on FB) of Max enjoying his Thanksgiving! It's so great for technology to keep us so in touch!

Now finally we are back home. I'm here on the recliner with the cat on one side of my lap (laptop on the other side), Sophie snoozing at my feet - our grown children off on their own - my husband falling asleep in the bed - and me just thinking of how grateful I am for it all.

Sometimes I think Thanksgiving is so contrived. And sometimes I think about how much we have and how decadent our celebrations are and how little so many in the world have - including those in our own city. But in some way I know that coming together as a family and celebrating with food is the right thing to do. And we can also take strength from those celebrations to help us work on ways to help those who are are less fortunate.

So here's to Thanksgiving - - - from the Turkey to the pumpkin pie - and the babies to the great grandmothers! And of course to the meaning of it all - our Giving Thanks!

2011-11-23T22:55:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
We had a really nice visit with Mommy Anne today.

And here's the long.

I had my Mammogram this morning. This is a reminder that if you haven't had yours yet (or if you know a woman who hasn't) it's time to get that done! I had a great technician - or a new kind of machine. It was one of the easiest ones I've ever had!

Mommy Anne and Alan

This afternoon Alan and I went over to Elmcroft for a visit with Mommy Anne. We went out to the front parlor and sat near the fireplace and chatted. Today she was talking about how much she likes living at Elmcroft. She says the food is good, the people are nice, and they keep the bed made and the carpet vacuumed! It was nice that she was in such good spirits.

They've already got the Christmas decorations up (I wish they would have waited until Friday). I like the sentiment I saw on Facebook, "One must end a holiday to fully appreciate the next, Grasshopper." That was from cousin-in-law Mathieu Poag. I echo those sentiments! I was at the good old Wal-Mart this afternoon and Christmas is all over the store. They have a very large selection of Christmas trees real and fake and everything from Grinch bathrobes, to paper plates, and bathroom towels! It started before Halloween and has just gotten more and more - earlier and earlier.

We'll get on the road with Liga and Valdis tomorrow morning. Object - get to Atlanta in time for the early afternoon Thanksgiving Feast with Steve, Pat, and all their children, grandchildren, and granddogs. We're looking forward to seeing everyone!

2011-11-22T23:04:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Lucky Me!

And here's the long.

I had dinner with two of my favorite men tonight - Alan and Daniel. I tried to take a picture to share, but there was not enough light so it didn't turn out well enough to post. We went to The Chop House and had dinner and a nice visit. I was really glad Daniel had time to join us tonight.

Today was move out day at W. 40th street. We are playing musical offices, and it turns out that we have to move first for everyone else to be able to move. But the office we are moving into is the one that will be moved out of last! So we've got a couple of work stations set up and the office furniture is all out in the hall way! I hope it's not too awfully long before we can get into our space!

No more work this week!
I'm looking forward to doing some other kinds of things!
So tomorrow I'll be up fairly early, but it won't be for work.

2011-11-21T21:39:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Lucile is retiring!

And here's the long.

Lucile Phillips

Today I had an afternoon meeting at our Central Office. When we were done, I had a nice visit with one of my friends who is retiring at the end of December. In the last couple of years our work hasn't really put us in much contact, but we've managed to stay in touch anyway.

She said that for a long time she just couldn't imagine not working, but that in the last few months she has come to the realization that she's just ready to go home. Of course she has a grandbaby who may have helped convince her of that! It was nice to chat with her and I know that she's going to have a great retirement! She's really been one of the best colleagues I've had over the years. I'll miss her, but once I've retired, we'll do lunch and compare grandmother stories!

2011-11-20T20:17:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,

Oh wow!

This is a two day work week!!!!!

And here's the long.

I'm sure looking forward to a short work week!

Aunt Joyce is down to spend the night with Mom and then headed to Gadsden to take Mom to her follow-up appointment for her last cataract surgery. She came down down early this evening in time to have dinner with us. I made meatloaf for the first time in a long, long time. It didn't turn out very well and I was pretty disappointed.

But it was sure nice to have time for a more leisurely visit with Aunt Joyce and it might be the first time in a long time she's been able to have that much visit with the kids.

I can hardly believe that we are right up on Thanksgiving! This year is really flying by!

2011-11-19T21:53:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Bishop Spong was great.

And here's the long.

Alan and I spent the day at Grace Episcopal Church at one of their Grace Speaks event. I love the work the church does and they are such a benefit to our neighborhood. They have such good things going on all the time! They host a local farmer's market every Saturday as well as a local community garden. The Grace Speaks event brings contemporary scholars and theologians to the community.

This is the second time I've heard Bishop Spong speak - and I've read several of his books. His work really speaks to me. His topic today was "A New Christianity for a New World." He is a champion of inclusive faith - something I can really buy into.

The day was an all day event including lunch. We had a chance to visit with lots of folks and then went out to dinner with two couples where we continued the conversation.

It was a good day.

2011-11-18T21:16:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
I have a pain in the butt.

And here's the long.

Notice, I did not say I am a pain in the butt!

Today I was working on a project in a school. I did not have good choices of chairs to sit in! So even though I stood up off and on and tried to stretch, I ended up with a really achey butt. Then we went to Temple tonight for a special occasion - the confirmation of friends' daughter. So I've really done too much sitting on bad surfaces!

I've been able to do a bit of stretching this evening and it's helping some. I've got the Lidocaine patch on and have my max of Advil. Tomorrow we are going to a whole day program at the nearby Episcopal Church. I'm hoping the sitting will be OK!

2011-11-17T20:30:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Today was a sick day for me.

And here's the long.

This morning I went in for a massage. I was planning to only take off the afternoon, but my lower back, (well my butt) is hurting so terribly that I scheduled a massage and took the morning as well.
I got on the table and Kelly went to work with deep massage. She's always a little hesitant that she's going to hurt me, but her deep muscle work is really just exactly what I need. I feel much better, but I'll have to say, I'm still not OK. I'm using the lidocaine patch at night. In a couple of weeks I have a doctor appointment and will see what to do. In the meantime, next week I have another massage scheduled.

This afternoon I took Mom to Memorial for some tests. She had an MRI workup on her brain, and some scans on her heart and carotid artery. She had a scary episode the end of October and these tests will help determine if there is anything such as a stroke or other problem that might have caused it. I got started on a book

We didn't get home until nearly 5. I helped Mom make her travel arrangements for San Jose over Christmas, and she made us soup and cornbread for dinner.

Tomorrow I have a heck of a work day scheduled and so I'm going to try to go to sleep early. Looks like I'll take Dianne German's advice and brew a cup of sleepy time tea and tell myself that 4 out of 5 doctors recommend it.

2011-11-16T22:36:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Today was a rainy, rainy - severe weather day!

And here's the long.

Late morning we got an announcement that there was a Tornado watch in effect. Mom and Aunt Joyce were in Gadsden and getting ready to travel home to Chattanooga. When I checked the weather map, the storm line stretched all the way from Huntsville to Chattanooga and on up towards Knoxville! I was pretty worried about the two of them being on the road. They said they'd eat lunch and then decide whether or not to stay over another night or come on back home.

Then at noon I got in the car and headed for a meeting in Ooltewah. I got onto the freeway and headed up the ridge - and the sky opened up! What a trip! A couple of times I thought of turning around and going back and then I thought how little that would help! There were a few cars pulled over on the side of the road, but I just slowed way down and got there OK.

In the meantime, Mom and Aunt Joyce left me a phone message that they were heading home!

Thank goodness they got home OK.
And I did fine as well!

The weather cleared up and we had a nice enough late afternoon and evening.
Thank goodness the rain, rain, and more rain was all we really got of the severe weather!

2011-11-15T21:21:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
This year is certainly slipping away!

And here's the long.

Today I was planning up some future activities and trying to get my calendar sorted out. I found myself being surprised - really surprised that Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

One of the many things I have loved about a teaching career is the Thanksgiving holiday. We can always count on Thanksgiving Day and the day after plus the weekend! I am at "that certain age" when that's a good amount of time for me to get rested up and revitalized enough to tackle it again until the winter break! For the last several years we've gotten the Wednesday before off as well, so I'm already starting to look forward to a 2 day week next year!

But in the meantime, I have so much to do.
I've got this problem with the new evaluation system. It apparently has to do with my name. My evaluations are going in under my first name. My log in is my second name. I can't get into it.
I've got a help request in, I hope I hear something tomorrow or the next day.

2011-11-14T21:37:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
I was a cranky worker today.

And here's the long.

I was cranky because I didn't get enough sleep, and my back hurt all day!

My back bothered me more than usual this past weekend and cut into my sleep time.
I'm using a Lidocaine patch and up to the max on Advil, but I'm still not quite comfortable. So I think that played into my work day. I also was not near the office until late this afternoon. That means that I didn't have access to my office chair. It was such an amazing gift those years ago when Donna Palmer bought that chair for me because of my back issues. I've taken it with me to every office I've been in since that day! Anyway, today I had lots of regular chairs that did not do much for my back which wasn't in good shape anyway!

I've scheduled up a massage Thursday morning. I'm taking that day off to take Mom to some tests and there's enough time for me to work in an appointment. Usually that helps more than most anything! Wish I could figure out what it is that makes it go on a bad spell like this!

So here in a bit, I'll head off to bed. I can only use the lidocaine for 12 hours then I have to take a 12 hour break. I decided that using it at night to help me sleep was more important than using it during the day - it's already on and boy can I tell! I'll put one of those microwave heating pads on as I drift off to sleep and I'll be able to sleep for 2 or 3 hours anyway!

Thank goodness for the people who thought up the microwavable heating pads and the pain relieving patches!

2011-11-13T23:34:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Today was Green Tomato Pickle Day!

And here's the long.

Well, the tomato plants are up the garden cleaned up, and the remaining green tomatoes are now pickled.

Liga came over this afternoon and helped me gather up the last tomatoes and then get them cut up and ready to make the pickles. We layered them up with some sweet onion and salted them down, and then it was on to the rest of the day. While we worked on that, Valdis cleaned the plants out of the garden and put up the cages and stakes.

This evening after everyone left and the kitchen got cleaned up, I pickled them up and processed them.

There are 11 jars - the tall jelly jars. I used a different recipe this year - (mainly because I couldn't find the recipe I used last year). They need to sit for a few weeks and then they'll be ready to try.

So here's wishing good pickling!

2011-11-12T21:31:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Nice to have both our Chattanooga kids here helping out at the house today.

And here's the long.

I went out on the porch this morning to get the grooming tool to give Sophie a good brushing and she pushed right out the door. I threw on a coat and shoes and went out with her, but she was not one bit interested in coming in and getting groomed! I ended up following her all the way down to Mom's where she had to go talk to Hershey before she was willing to come back home. She really doesn't mind getting a bath or getting a good brushing, but she acts as though she's not going to have any of it until you can get her started, then she calms right down like - "Oh, if is this all you're going to do then OK" - then she just settles down and enjoys whatever it is.

So after I got Sophie back in the house, I made good on my promise to have a stay at home day today.
We were moving lots of stuff out of the house that we are getting rid of, so Valdis came over and helped with the muscle stuff. He helped Alan get the basement cleaned out and they got the exercise bike set up. It really will be a nice place for him to get his exercise now that it's too chilly for him to enjoy a real bike ride. Then this afternoon, they took two loads of stuff off and Liga came over and gave me some help with a couple of projects.

It's only 10:30 and one more time, I'm heading on to bed. The time change is supposed to be rejuvenating since we "gain" an hour, but I'm just exhausted by he end of the day. I'm not able to do that burning the midnight oil right now! So night all.

2011-11-11T20:31:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Today, Veteran's Day, 11-11-11, I honor Dad.

And here's the long.

Dad, Gene Howard, was a high school kid. His Dad had died in a coal mining accident. He went to school and worked to help his Mom provide for his four little sisters. On December 7, 1941, Dad was in the woods hunting to help supplement the food for his family's table. When he came off the mountain and back into town, he heard the news about the attack on Pearl Harbor. In January he turned 18, and at the end of the school term he joined the army.

Dad finished his basic and advanced training and found himself in England with the responsibility to help load the ships that would be filled with supplies for the impending invasion. When he got a really bad case of tonsillitis and was hospitalized a couple of days before D-Day, the doctor told him he would not be able to move out with his unit. Rather than not be there with his squad, he snuck out of the hospital and rejoined them in time to load onto the ship headed for Normandy. He used to laugh and say they were probably still looking for him!

That "escape" from the hospital took him onto that ship bound for Normandy - to Utah Beach where he and his squad unloaded men, tanks, gas, food, everything that the forces needed for the assault on the beaches. All around him men were dying; a ship next to one they were unloading was bombed and sunk. It was a place to run away from, but they stood their ground and unloaded supplies to support the men fighting their way from the beaches up to the villages as the liberation of Europe began.

Not too long after D-Day, Dad volunteered for a new assignment and became a replacement in the 17th Airborne where he became a member of an anti-tank gun squad. This assignment would take him into Belgium for the Battle of the Bulge, across France in pursuit of the Nazi army and finally in a Waco glider across the Rhine in Operation Varsity.

Te defeat of Germany brought about an occupation force and then training for the invasion of Japan. He's pictured here having earned his paratrooper wings. There's that one awful story about the jump when his chute didn't entirely open, and then the emergency chute got tangled in his primary chute. Somehow he landed in a newly plowed field which he always credited with saving his life. Dad was always very proud of his service with the 17th Airborne.

Dad came home after the war and finished up high school. He married his sweetheart Emily, and built a great life. And he continued to serve his country in the Army Reserves until he retired.

Many years later he returned to Europe with Emily where they visited some of the places he had first seen over the sights of a gun or from a foxhole.

Then a few years later, he returned to Belgium at the invitation of the King. He and Pete, his squad leader from those horrible months of intense front line combat, were honored by the citizens of Belgium. He really seemed to take in the gratitude of the Belgian people and their embracing of the American servicemen who they credit with saving them from the horrors they were experiencing under Nazi occupation.

Dad was amazing in so many ways beyond those years that he served in the war. He was, according to my Mom, an amazing partner. He was a wonderful father for me and my brothers. He had an incredible work ethic and taught me a love for the written word and gardening. His faith was just unshakable and he was a role model for so many. And within all of those life achievements, you could always see that those years in World War II had informed the way he lived the rest of his life.

My heart is full tonight with love and admiration for all of our veterans, but most especially for Dad.

2011-11-10T20:51:00.001-05:00

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

And here's the long.

I spent the day at a school that's only about 5 minutes from the house. The principal is a colleague from my very first years of teaching in the Chattanooga City Schools system. And we had a very nice reception in all the grade level meetings. At the end of the day the principal and I spent a good hour just being chatty and catching up We are both growing closer to retirement and had such a good time revisiting some of the "old" days and catching up on family and friend news.

It's pretty rare that I have the luxury of being so close to home (tomorrow I'm going to be way out on the other side of the county and have to be there way early! And it's even more rare to end the day in such a jovial way with such good company.

I'm so thankful for work that's engaging and meaningful that allows me to work with people like Carol.

2011-11-09T21:10:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Mom bought a gazebo kit.

And here's the long.

Mom's been talking about having a gazebo built for a long time. Probably even from before they moved to Chattanooga. So she finally did it!

They delivered a kit a couple of weeks ago, and it's been just waiting.

Today Steve came up from Atlanta and worked on getting it put up. Valdis came over after his classes and they got a really good start on it.

Of course they worked in that chilly rain turned to drizzle, turned back to rain for most of the afternoon.

Mom's excited about getting it erected to have for company next summer. Steve had to go back to Atlanta this evening, but Valdis is going to try to get over to do some more work on it tomorrow.

Thanks Steve and Valdis. You made Mom smile!

2011-11-08T21:47:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Time - I know the history - but I don't like messing with the time!

And here's the long.

Wow - I suppose I could just re-emphasize it.
I dont like the time change at all!

It seems like it messes with my internal clock and I'm in a much grumpier mood. Of course I got that extra hour of sleep, and I'd think that would be great, but it doesn't generally happen that way for me.
As the day comes to the end, it seems to stretch out interminably. Then when I do get home the darkness is just slamming down. I do think it's such a good thing that I didn't migrate to Alaska or northern Canada! I'd be in really bad shape if I had to live in darkness half the year!

So, I'm working through this. I wish I could say I'm sleeping through this, but in a week or two, I should have gotten my body all accustomed to the new time and be feeling better about it all.

2011-11-07T21:14:00.000-05:00

So here's the short of it,
I'm ready to join the revolution against Daylight Savings Time!

And here's the long.

Several of my FaceBook friends have a version of this.

There are lots of folks, me included, I think, who would like to just pick one time or another and stick with it! The older I get the harder it is for my body to adjust to the change in time. I used to have a harder time in the spring - the spring forward piece. But now even the fall back gets me all out of sorts.

I'm tired, but not sleepy!

Dear Sun and Moon.
Did you know that the crazy people down here on planet earth don't believe you show us the time of day! We have these clocks, and twice a year we move them around to represent a different time! We are a pretty crazy bunch aren't we!

2011-11-06T22:26:00.001-05:00

So here's the short of it,
Today we had a "Celebration of Life" for Pennie.

And here's the long.

We had been talking since we left Tampa after Pennie's funeral about how it would be really nice if we could do something for the community here in Chattanooga who knew and loved Pennie so much.
David and Brian drove up from Tampa to be with us and Myra came in from Pennsylvania. So many of Pennie's family and friends from Chattanooga came as well as several of Nathan's cousins from out of town.

Of course we are tired - it's been a long and very emotional day. But it was wonderful to be together with so many people.

Those who knew Pennie werefortunate.

Those who were her friend counted themselves lucky.

Those of us who got to countPennie as family were blessed.

Those of us who were luckyenough to be her family and count her as a friend have a treasure thatwill be with us for the rest of our lives.

2011-11-05T23:30:00.000-04:00

So here's the short of it,
This is birthday week for Liga and Valdis.

And here's the long.

There could be so many things to post about tonight, but I think birthdays are going to take precedence.

Liga was born in 1987 and Valdis in 1988 - a year and 3 days apart. This was at the beginning of the events that would lead to Latvia declaring itself once again a free and independent state in 1991. What a time to be born! It was an exciting time just to hear about it here in the United States, and that was before we had any idea that our children were living there in an old hunting castle that had been turned into an orphanage.

It was the summer of 1994 before they became our children, and it's been a great adventure.

Tonight we celebrated birthdays by going out to eat with grandmothers, girlfriend and boyfriend, and Aunt Myra! It was a great evening for us to be together and have a chance to visit a bit. I love to reminisce about those first days and months and share stories I remember with the kids.

So the kids celebrated birthdays 23 and 24!
They've been with us now for 18 years! Wow, what an amazing time that's been.

2011-11-04T20:48:00.001-04:00

So here's the short of it,
Today was meetings and sessions - food not so much.

And here's the long.

I stayed in at dinner instead of accompanying the group out to another New Orleans place. Fruit, a croissant, and milk suited me just fine.

I seem to always land on at least one session that really makes me stop and think and, I hope, professionally grow. Today it was a session (actually two) by Joshua Aronson, a social psychologist who has studied at length how stereotypes impact test scores and the ability of students to do well in testing situations. He refers to this phenomenon as Stereotype threat. He also has some great ideas about how to battle some of this!

I have lots to think about and then perhaps there will be an opportunity to turn some of that thinking about into doing. I could use your good thoughts and prayers that I move in the right direction with this!

Tomorrow morning we have a presentation at 7:30 AM - you just know I'm glad this is Central Time and I've not quite habituated to it! Then just a bit of time to finish packing and head out for my flight.

It will be good to be back home.