KnitnTeach

Making Lemonade

2012-01-28T10:36:00.000-05:00

We were supposed to take our students on a field trip to the Boston Museum of Science yesterday. We were going specifically to see the traveling exhibit of Pompeii artifacts since we study ancient Rome and volcanoes in our social studies and science classes. We were also going to view an IMAX movie about Greek archaeology, again since we also study ancient Greece. But alas! Late Thursday afternoon the superintendent asked us to cancel our trip because of an impending ice storm. The storm arrived on schedule . . . . BUT . . . ..it warmed up a whole lot faster than anticipated, and we didn't even have a delayed start!

So that meant quite a bit of scrambling. When our trip was canceled we were certain that we'd have at least the delayed start, so we planned a short day. My teaching partner wanted to show the kids Apollo 13 since they were finishing their study of space exploration so we decided that a shortened day would be a perfect time to that, plus give the kids a "fun" day since we were all disappointed about the trip. He called me at 6 am Friday to let me know that he hadn't been able to locate a copy of the movie - his wife had lent their copy to a teacher at her school! So 7:15 am found us both combing the school media collection for a curriculum related video. Then, because we had a whole day rather than the abbreviated day (2 hour delay) -- we had 2 more hours to fill than we'd planned. So I pulled out some "emergency" activities for social studies and he did the same for science.

The lemonade part of the day was due to my husband. (He runs the bus company that supplies the school transportation). He felt guilty that he'd told the superintendent the roads were clear enough for his drivers but knew that we were scrambling. (The roads were barely adequate in my opinion!) He arrived at my classroom door armed with coffee for my partner and me, and enough donut holes for all our students! What a guy!

Overall, we were pretty stressed, but most of the day was fine. I did have one incident with a student who called me a jerk because I asked her to move her seat. She is a very troubled adolescent, and we are working hard on respect. Fortunately she decided to rethink her response! Unfortunately she found herself in trouble with another teacher because when she left my room (with a pass) to use the bathroom, she decided to fling soap foam all over the hallway. On the big plus side: I had done some midyear testing with my students - the Scholastic Reading Inventory. When I gave the test at the beginning of the school year 12% of my students scored below basic. At mid year, only 6% of them are below basic, and the percentage of student who are proficient or advanced has gone up 10% . So despite the poor performance of a number of students on day-to-day assignments in reading, they are progressing and learning something! I can't tell you how happy that made me feel! I know if you are or were a teacher, you understand the feeling, especially in this day and age of high-stakes testing.

We ended the day going out to dinner with friends which made for an extremely pleasant end to the day.

P.S. I am fully recovered from my spill down the stairs earlier in the week!

And I Went Tumblin' Down

2012-01-25T20:24:00.001-05:00

It's been an interesting week. Monday began my week of lunch/recess duty and I grabbed my yogurt and coat and headed down the stairs to the cafeteria. About 3 steps from the bottom of the stairs, something happened, and the next thing I knew I was on my knees at the foot of the stairs. I landed hard on both knees, including the knee I've had problems with for several years due to a previous injury, and the wind certainly got knocked of me. After a few moments, I realized nothing was broken and I managed to rise to a standing position and continue down to the cafe. Once I got there, limping and somewhat dazed, I sat in the first available chair ---- only to discover that somebody had spilt something in it and hadn't wiped it up! So not only was I hurting, now I had a very wet seat! As soon as the other duty teacher arrived, I went down to the nurse for "injury" review --- icepacks, ibuprofen, and paperwork. I took it easy the rest of the school day -- my students were quite soliticitous all afternoon, and I left school early. Tuesday I woke up feeling a bit battered, and as the day went on I felt sorer and sorer despite the Advil regime. By the end of the day I could barely walk! Today thankfully, I am much less sore. My knees luckily seem to be fine - most of the pain has been in my back and quadriceps! Instead of my water aerobics class tonight, I stretched in the warmer therapy pool. I do not recommend falling down stairs as a way to get out of recess duty!

This and That and Not Much of Anything

2012-01-22T12:49:00.001-05:00

The weekend started out with promise. We went out to dinner Friday night with good friends and had a good meal and great conversation. When we got home, my husband announced that he wanted to go the movies Saturday afternoon, and we could combine some errands with the movie. This is a momentous occasion, because he RARELY wants to go to the movies. I, however, love to go and don't get to go very often. So I looked forward to Saturday. Unfortunately I woke up Saturday morning feeling horrible -- scratchy throat, headache, exhaustion. I never made it out of my pjs and in fact, went back to bed at 9:30 am and slept til almost 1 pm. However, even if I had felt fine, we wouldn't have made it to the movies because of the weather --- about 4 inches of slippery snow surprised us. I did manage to get up and make a homemade (kind of) chicken pot pie with the help of prepared foods --- leftover rotisserie chicken from the supermarket, some frozen mixed veggies, some cream of celery and cream of mushroom soup, fresh onion, a small can of mushrooms, and a ready-made piecrust. And I did muster up enough energy to watch "Death and Dust" - an episode of my favorite series Midsomer Murders." I did knit a few rows of a sock and I read a couple of chapters of The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen. This morning I woke up feeling fine, and went to church. We are planning to leave shortly to fulfill the errands we didn't do yesterday, and then hope to see "War Horse" at the movies. So with luck, the weekend will end on a high note.

A Sweater for All Seasons AKA Lace Notes

2012-01-02T09:20:00.000-05:00

I FINALLY finished this sweater on the first day of the new year. I started it in Jan. 2011, abandoned it to complete some gift knitting, then when on to summer knitting, and finally picked it up again in December. It is published in two Family Circle books: Easy Plus Size Knits where it's called Lace Notes, and in Easy Family Knits where it's called A Sweater for All Seasons. That's how it's listed on Ravelry too. I used Valley Yarns Goshen from Webs in colonial blue, and I knit the 2nd smallest size (plus size pattern).

It took me a long time to seam --- and that's a finishing skill I need to improve! Patience would help. I am very happy with the fit and length. Because Goshen is cotton, silk, and modal, I'm hoping it won't be too hot to wear in classroom.

An Approximate Total

2012-01-01T10:02:00.001-05:00

Just for my curiousity, I added up the number of pages I read this year. I use Goodreads.com to keep track so the number of pages for each book read come from that resource. And there were 4 books with no page counts -- I think they were only available through Kindle, and not in print. I didn't add those pages, although since they are all by the same author I could estimate that each book was about 140 pages long. I haven't gone back to previous years totals to compare . . .and I don't plan to at this point. So I don't know how this total compares. So here it is ---- 47258 pages. The average book length (108) was 437.57 pages. (Includes the 4 books with no page count, and all of the George RR Martin books.) It means I read an average of 13 pages a day. . . So I plan to keep track of both books and pages this year to see how 2012 compares.

My goal --- 125 books AND 50,000 pages.

A Book Review

2012-01-01T09:33:00.002-05:00

My first entry for the new year is a review of book #108, the last book for 2011. I didn't make my goal of reading 125 books, and I missed my 2010 record of 109 by one. Oh well. A new year, and another chance at the goal. This is the first book of a new-to-me series.

The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Joe Sandilands is looking forward to returning to England after a tour of duty in India. Just as he about to leave, he's asked to postpone his trip to investigate a series of mysterious deaths. Five Anglo women have died under odd circumstances over a long period of time. As Joe investigates, he uncovers an intricate web of deceit, and at the same time, meets Nancy Drummond and falls in love with her. This was an interesting novel set in 1920's India. My only "complaint" was the use of a lot of Indian words to describe places or situations. A few were explained, and a few I could figure out from context. My vocabulary lack didn't interfere with my comprehension of the story, but my teacher brain was annoyed that I couldn't check references or that there wasn't a glossary. Neither my Kindle dictionary, nor my physical dictionary had the references either. I am looking forward to reading other novels in this new-to-me series.

View all my reviews

In Which I Learn Something New

2011-12-30T18:58:00.000-05:00

I never knew you could sprain a jaw. Apparently I have done so. For the past 10 days or so, the left side of my jaw, at the joint, has been sore to the touch. I thought I had a swollen gland since I've also been fighting the ubiquitous cold. Then it started to hurt to open my mouth wide - like when you take a big bite of something, or when you yawn. Last week I decided that if it still hurt after Christmas, I'd call my doctor. On Tuesday, I saw the nurse practitioner who diagnosed an undetermined infection (perhaps a sebaceous cyst infection) so she put me on an antibiotic. She told me that if it didn't feel better after 24 hours on the meds, I should call my dentist. Yesterday I called the dentist, and he fit me in right at the end of the day. He examined my jaw thoroughly, eliminated a number of possibilities, and then took a panoramic xray of my jaw. After examining it, he hurriedly left the room. When he returned, he told me that he'd made me an appointment with an oral surgeon for today. He said "I maybe an alarmist, but there's something not right and I want a surgeon to look at it." Of course, that made me feel quite calm (NOT!) and I spent a sleepless night. My husband changed his work plans so that he could accompany me to the oral surgeon (about an hour's drive away) so I knew he was equally worried. The oral surgeon did a thorough exam of my jaw, took a 2nd Xray, and finally told me that he was 99% sure it was a variety of TMJ and that I had sprained my jaw! So for the next week, I am undergoing a regime of ibuprofen, warm compresses, and soft food. If there is no improvement, he will set me up with some physical therapy - who knew you could get PT for a sprained jaw! If that doesn't help there's an expensive diagnostic test he can do. I asked him if he was sure enough that it wasn't something scarier because I'd be willing to pay for the test if he thought there was a strong possibility I would need it. He reassured me, but also told me that it could take weeks for my jaw to feel better. He did tell me that USUALLY he sees this in athletes or trauma, but very occasionally it's stress related. He also said there might be a possibility that it's an arthritic condition, in which case, the treatment would be similar.

So I learned that you can sprain a jaw, and that you can get physical therapy for it. I was also reminded of how much I like my dentist - he was worried enough to send me to a specialist, but also honest enough to tell me that he might be overreacting. I also learned that I don't mind waiting in a doctor's office when the receptionist tells you the surgery the doctor was performing was taking a bit longer than usual, so he was running about 20 minutes behind and then she checks in with you twice to let you know what was going on. Plus there was a help-yourself Keurig with many varieties of Kcups in the waiting room, new magazines, and lots of lovely plants. And when the doctor finally sees you he apologizes for keeping you waiting. As I told him, I'd rather wait than have you hurry the surgery!!

Unachievable Goal: My Year in Books

2011-12-29T11:07:00.000-05:00

I set a goal this year of reading 125 books. I am not going to make it, and I may not even get to last year's level of 109 books. I was probably overly-optimistic when I set it. I did read a lot however, this year, and if I kept track of numbers of pages, I probably read many more pages this year. I realized that quite a few of the ooks I read were longer-than-usual books. One of my achievements this summer was to read the entire George R.R. Martin Song of Ice and Fire series - those books totaled over 5000 pages. Another goal I'd set was to read more nonfiction.

I read 14 nonfiction books --- from a knitting memoir to a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer to a history of the number zero--- quite a variety of topics and quite frankly, several were somewhat challenging reads. (Especially Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea. The writing was terrific, but the abstract mathematics got to me eventually.) A couple of the nonfiction books I read stand out: Rin Tin Tin: The Life and Legend , which described not only the dog(s) but chronicled the changes in American culture, and Packing for Mars:The Curious Science of Life in the Void. I was fascinated with the descriptions of astronaut training, and I learned a lot about space travel. I especially like books which answer questions I didn't know I had!

I discovered some new-to-me authors and series this year. I especially enjoyed Louise Penny's Inspector Armand Gamache series, and I loved Mark Schweitzer's Hayden Konig series! I can't wait to read new works by either author. I continued to read the Charles Todd Inspector Rutledge series and continued visiting with Martha Grimes' Richard Jury, and Lindsey Davis' Marcus Didius Falco.

Staying abreast of middle school literature is a professional goal as well as a personal goal. I read a number of books that either appeal to my students or that go along with our curricula. I read several books about the Holocaust when I was teaching 7th grade. Hana's Suitcase in particular stands out, and I also read it aloud to my students. I was also very impressed by the 7th grade novel Swallowing Stones. This book was a page turner and it really appealed to my students with its accurate depiction of adolescence and the moral dilemmas.

So what are my goals for this year? To keep reading of course. I will probably keep the 125 books read as my goal, and see if I get any closer!

To see more in-depth reviews of the books I've read, check my books out on Goodreads. com . You can access them by clicking on the Goodreads button at the left.

Knitting Content

2011-12-28T11:03:00.002-05:00

I have been knitting this sweater since last spring, but I finally finished it last week. Now that the Christmas entertaining is done, I have started it blocking. It's from Family Circle Easy Plus Size Knits (Ravelry link) where it's called "A Sweater for All Seasons." It's also in another FC book where it's called Lace Notes. I used Valley Yarns Goshen. in Colonial Blue. It was a fairly straightforward pattern, and an easy stitch pattern to memorize. My only fear is that it is going to be too big. We'll see.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T12:28:00.003-05:00

Before . . . .Notice, I never got beyond getting lights on my tree. No matter, it's the lights I like the best anyway.

Considering that only 3 people are celebrating together in this home this year, there seems to be quite a few gifts under this tree.

And the after shot . . . .Most of the boxes have been recycled for several years. Part of the fun is wondering how many other gifts the box has held! I mailed my sister her gifts in a box that someone sent us last year. She mailed her gifts to us in the same box!

We had a lovely Christmas Eve with 2 friends we'd invited over for dinner and Elder Son. We talked to Younger Son (in CA) last evening, and again this morning. Later we will call far-flung siblings. We've been laughing a lot --- some very unique gifts from my husband! All in all, an almost perfect day --- (Perfection being having the whole family here!)

Stop the Clock, Please!

2011-12-17T15:02:00.001-05:00

I had to take a sick day yesterday . . . a stomach bug laid me low for about 15 hours. I was up all night, and at 5:15 am I requested a sub. Then I had to pull together some sub plans. On the rare occasions I'm out sick, I usually have some warning. Usually I go in to school and realize by the end of the day that I might need plans so I have something ready to go and all I have to do is email the plans in. Not so yesterday. Not only did I have to pull some stuff together, I had to physically go into my classroom to pull out things the sub would need, and to clear off the mound of stuff on my desk! I have a terrific husband however. He offered to drive me in and help me. And boy, did he. He ran the copy machine and stapled a packet together while I wrote plans, and then he drove me home. I immediately went to sleep and except for some rapid trips to the bathroom, that's all I did all day. With all that being said, I lost a most of the day to oblivion, not an ideal way to try to get ahead of all the holiday tasks.

I did wake up today energized, and feeling really good. I've gotten a bunch of stuff crossed off my list, but of course still keep finding more things that should get done. I wrapped and mailed all my niece and nephew gifts, and then went with my husband on a shopping expedition to find stocking stuffers, and few last select gifts. I think we're done. Now it's time to tackle some holiday cleaning and the usual laundry. I hope also to get some holiday baking done. I just realized that Christmas Eve is next Saturday. We have invited some dear friends over for dinner so I need to decide on the menu. What's really got me a bit edgy about time, is that we have a full week of school . . . .no day before Christmas Eve off, to do the baking and last minute grocery shopping. All that will have to be done after work this week --- on top of all the regular weekly commitments. So, my ardent wish right now is to get the clock to stop ticking, or at least to tick much more slowly --- as long as I can continue working at a fairly quick clip!

Friday Five: To Do Lists

2011-12-16T10:40:00.000-05:00

Over on RevGalBlogPals the invitation is to list the things on your Christmas To Do list:
Ever since I was little, I heard that Santa is making a list and checking it twice. I can see why he has to keep checking it, because there is so much to do before Christmas! Only nine days left, and I don't have church services to plan, but there is much left to be done. My daughter-in-law tells me that she feels behind, which is how I have been feeling.
No matter how organized you are, there must be some things you still need to do. For this Friday Five, tell us five things on your Christmas "To Do" List. Include anything you have decided to skipdoing this year. As a bonus, give us something that helps you remember why this season even exists.

Here's my list as of today:

1. Wrap and mail gifts for my nieces and nephews.
2. Wrap gifts for my husband.
3. Purchase gift(s) for Elder Son and something for Younger Son.
4. Get the tree lights on the tree -- maybe even get the tree decorated.
5. Clear the dining room and buffet of STUFF so that we can eat Christmas Eve dinner (with guests!) and Christmas Day dinner on it.
6. Bake cookies
7. Oh ... I was supposed to list only 5!

Skipped: Decorating the interior of the house except for the nativity scene and the Advent candles. I haven't even started listening to my huge collection of Christmas CDs, tapes, and vinyl.

And lighting the Advent candles in the middle of the kitchen table nightly helps me focus on the season.

Chocolate Crinkles - A New Cookie Favorite!

2011-12-13T18:24:00.001-05:00

While I've eaten these cookies before, I've never made them because I never had a recipe for them. When this recipe was posted on SimplyRecipes.com I had to try them. They are yummy. The chocolate flavor is super intense, and they almost melt in your mouth. The recipe made 3 1/2 dozen and I admirably put a dozen and a half in the freezer for Christmas. The rest . . . well, they went to a couple of eager stomachs!

Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Crinkles

If you want, you can jazzify these cookies in a number of ways. Add some cinnamon to confectioner's sugar. Roll the cookies around in colored sprinkles or sugars. For something a little more exotic, pulse the confectioner's sugar in a food processor with 2 teaspoons of Earl Grey, chai tea, or matcha powder.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

METHOD

1 In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (though you can do this with a wooden spoon, too) beat together the cocoa powder, white sugar, and vegetable oil until it comes together into a shiny, gritty, black dough of sorts.

2 Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for 30 seconds each. Add the vanilla and beat in thoroughly.

3 In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and espresso powder if using. Mix into the chocolate mixture on low speed until just combined. Do not overbeat. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill the dough for four hours or overnight.

4 Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the confectioner's sugar in a wide bowl. Using a rounded teaspoon get clumps of the chilled dough and roll them into 1-inch (2.5 cm) sized balls using your hands. Roll the balls in the confectioner's sugar and place on the cookie sheets (you should be able to get 12-16 on each sheet). Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool a minute or two on the sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: Makes approximately 50 cookies.

Simply Recipes http://simplyrecipes.com

Friday Five: Random

2011-12-11T14:18:00.000-05:00

This is from Friday's RevGalBlogPal post. I'm a little late.

I don't know about you, but my life seems to have a lot of random surprises lately. Just little things,

like the doggy in the picture, who was rescued by a Good Samaritan from running into traffic, who then brought him to the police, who brought him to my neighbor's house. I took the doggy, now named Scout, to the vet on Monday, and the woman behind the desk said, "This dog looks so familiar. Were you here last week?" I told her no, that this particular dog is a stray, and she looked at me, and said (use your best Boston accent here), "Oh my GAWD! I rescued that dog on Satuhday! I took him to the police!" and then she proceeded to tell me the story. She was Scout's angel.

Random, right?

So, for our Friday Five, I invite you share five random things about you, or five random thoughts, or five random surprises in your life.

Just be random!

1. I got a few Christmas preparations completed this weekend. We bought our tree, and it's in its stand sans lights and decoration. But it smells good. I bought a wreath for the door too. The first time in 30+ years that I didn't buy it at our church's Christmas fair last weekend. One of the very few times I didn't attend that fair. I completed a very few Christmas cards earlier today. I LOVE getting cards, but the past few years I haven't gotten around to sending any. I 'm trying to get them out this year.

2. We went to visit Eldest Son down in MA yesterday afternoon. It's about a 2 hour drive, and it was nice driving home and seeing the Christmas lights. I noticed a two trends. Many homes have carried the all-white theme to extremes. White candles in every window, white lights on every bush and tree. White deer and tree and Santa "sculptures" in the yard. Too much white, not enough contrast. The other trend were how many people have the shrub netting over bushes. It a lot of cases it looked too rigid. We have a wreath, (just purchased) and yellowish candles in the windows.

3. There are 2 full weeks of school left. This year we only have one week of break.

4. We received the last CSA produce basket Friday. No more until June. We got a bushel basket filled with root veggies, potatoes, garlic, and squash. I will especially miss the greens.

5. I am not going to make my 2011 reading challenge goal of 125 books. I'm in the middle of book #96. I don't think I will even surpass last year's total of 109. However, I did read more nonfiction this year than I have in past years - 14 titles in all. I do read nonfiction more slowly than fiction, and many of the fiction books I read were in excess of 500 pages. My husband says I should count pages, not books.

Friday Five: Intentionality

2011-12-03T08:18:00.002-05:00

It's a busy season and our minds get caught up in lots of different things (a shiny new baby, in my case). We all know that especially during this time of year we have to be intentional about the things that are important or we can lose them. What are five things you try to be intentional about, whether it be for this season specifically or in general?

This is the challenge this week over at RevGalBlogPal and it's a great one. Rather timely too as I've been trying to recommit myself to some things that I've let go, and to rethink how/why I do other things. Here's my list:

1. Both my husband and I are trying much harder to DE-CLUTTER our home. We are packrats and we are sloppy. When you combine those traits with long work weeks, a dash of laziness, and a home with few closets, you can get chaos. We're also sentimental so we keep things, like a rock one of our kids painted in kindergarten to look like Frankenstein (but of course we can't remember which son, and neither can either of the kids!) And we're thrifty so we don't like to throw away things that might come in handy SOMEDAY. We are trying to spend at least a few minutes of every weekend to really think about the multitude of things that fill our shelves and drawers and corners, and why we are keeping it.

2. I am trying to slow down when I can -- to do ONE task well, rather than 2 or 3 without thought.

3. I am making sure that I take at least a few minutes everyday to just sit and breath, paying attention to the tension in my body and the intentional relaxation of those taut places.

4. For Advent, I have been lighting the Advent wreath and using a devotional reading.

5. Exercise. It's something I've let slip, and I'm the worse for it. I don't feel as well, my body isn't working as well, and the scale isn't working in my favor. Life has gotten so crazy that it's been very easy to skip my classes. I'm trying to find other ways to get exercise in if I can't make class.

6. And an extra: A dear aunt on my mother's side recently passed away. During her last few months, as we realized she was slipping away, I started recognizing easy it is to let family connections slip, especially when they don't live nearby. I've re-established contact with some cousins and an aunt whom I haven't seen in years. They are all that's left on my father's side of the family, and I've realized that I want to keep that connection. So I've been emailing them regularly and I've talked to my aunt a couple of times. I've also tried to email/talk with my own siblings at least once a week. None of us live close by so it's easy to forget to talk them. Suddenly it's been a month, and then two . . . NO more.

Book Reviews

2011-11-26T07:47:00.000-05:00

I have been reading, but I just haven't gotten too many of my reviews posted here. I do write about all the books I've read over on Goodreads, so if you're really interested you can check out my thoughts by clicking on the links over to the left. Between lack of time and my intermittent internet service, I run out of time.

Here are a couple of my most recent comments:

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I couldn't put this book down! Alice Hoffman has imagined the lives of four women who found themselves living at Masada in 70-73 C.E. The novel is broken into 4 parts, each part of the story told from one of the women's perspectives. The tragedy and triumph of Masada is brought to life through the lives of these women. Hoffman's writing is beautiful. Her descriptions of sight, sound, and sense bring the reader to the place and time. It's clear that Hoffman has thoroughly researched the time period and the culture of the first century Jewish community and its attempt to survive amid the onslaught of Rome. I will admit that I think the book was a tad too long, but I was sorry when it ended!

View all my reviews

Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was mostly a fascinating story, but it was also partly a nostalgic trip. Although I was born the year that the TV series "Adventures of Rin-Tin-Tin" first aired, I do remember watching black and white episodes of the show as a youngster. I did not have any idea however, that there had been a real dog named Rin Tin Tin, and I had no idea of the immensity of the Rin Tin Tin persona (if a dog can be said to have a persona!) In some ways this is a sad story: Lee Duncan, the WWI soldier who rescued Rin Tin Tin and his sister Nanette in France, was singularly possessed by the dog, and by the idea of the dog. When he died, he was still trying to make his dreams come true. Later, Bert Leonard, Lee's heir apparent, died a broken man after his efforts to revive the legend failed. Yet there is a lot of inspiration in this story. Two intelligent men seized opportunity and ran with it as long as they could.

I learned quite a bit from this book too. This story is in part the story of the transformation of animals, and dogs in particular, from working animals to family members. At the start of the 20th century, dogs rarely lived inside the home. They were relegated to the shed or the back yard or to a kennel. They were not considered pets; rather dogs had a job to do - herd animals, protect property, not be a companion or playmate. After WW1 and during the next decade or so, the dog/human relationship changed. As Rin Tin Tin and other animal stars hit it big in Hollywood, the public began to see dogs as companions. By the middle of the century, dogs and other animals had moved into the house, and had become family members. Another fascinating set of facts was the way that the US military built its canine corps. During WW1 other countries, Germany especially, had been using dogs on the battlefield. The US had none, and eventually managed to cobble together a program for training dogs for military purposes. After the war, the program was disbanded, and when WWII started there still was no established military canine program. So the US Army solicited the public for dogs. It was the height of patriotism to donate your family pet to the military training program. The dogs were sent to training camps and those that made the grade were sent overseas to serve as bomb sniffers, rat catchers, messengers, and suicide bombers. I also enjoyed the accompanying historical background of the movie and early TV industries, and it was fun to remember the various TV shows mentioned - the Lassie TV series (Jeff AND Timmy), Circus Boy, etc.

It was clear from the book that Susan Orlean was extremely invested in the Rin Tin Tin story. Her investigations were thorough, and she was clear about ambiguities and contradictions in the records. All in all, this was a good read!

View all my reviews

Make Your Choice!

2011-11-23T08:39:00.001-05:00

2011 Goodreads Choice Awards: Favorite Book of 2011

Vote now for your favorite books!

I chose George R.R. Martin's A Dance with Dragons.

Checking In, and a Tribute

2011-11-11T09:59:00.000-05:00

The last 2 weeks have been overwhelming - both in the number of things I've had to get accomplished, and in emotion. I had report cards, 3 parent meetings, and two doctor appointments above and beyond all the usual business. One of the dr appointments was just a routine visit, but the second was a visit to a podiatrist to have a very painful ingrown toenail taken care of. It had been bothering me for several months -- silly me didn't know what it was until I saw my primary care physician for my annual physical. Then I had to wait for an appointment. The podiatrist claimed it was one of the worst cases he'd seen! All I know is that by the time I got to see him, I couldn't wear most of my shoes, and I had trouble walking. It was not a pleasant procedure, but now it's over. My toe is still tender and sore, but it's a healing pain, and nothing compared to the agony I was feeling.

The really tough part of the last 2 weeks is that one of the dearest people in the world to me passed away. My aunt was 92, and she had been failing for quite a while so we knew it was coming. It doesn't make it any easier thought. She was more than an aunt to me. As my mom's older sister she substituted in my mind for my grandmother. (The only grandparent I knew died when I was almost 6.) Growing up we lived in the same town, and my mom and her sister spent part of everyday together. I was in and out of my aunt's house daily, and when I was in college I lived with her. By that time we'd moved several states away but I'd returned to CT for college and became an in-state student. My cousins were more my big sister and brother than cousins. My aunt was also the matriarch of our family, and she was stickler for etiquette, courtesy, and integrity. As the family historian and memorykeeper, she will be missed. One of my fondest memories was a daytrip my aunt and I took one weekend when I was in college. We went to Stonington, CT from where part of our family hails. She showed me the house that had belonged to my grandfather, and where our Revolutionary War ancestor had lived. We visited the family cemetery there too. She took 16mm movies of me in front of the family mausoleum and our ancestors' gravesites. We finished the afternoon with a very elegant meal at a harborside French restaurant, dining on Coquilles St. Jac and white wine. It was a lovely day.

As the family historian and genealogist she made sure we were aware of our family's past. (hence the above-mentioned trip). She was a diehard DAR lady, serving in local and state offices, and every year she reminded her nieces that it was time to get our DAR dues in. (We were enrolled in CAR as babies, and when we were old enough, she made sure we stayed put as DAR members. I have to admit that as a child I did go to CAR meetings and had a ball, but I've only attended 2 meetings as an adult! I will keep my membership current though as a tribute to her.)

She was also a business woman. Her husband had a printing business. My aunt was the "front office", handling all the customer service, inventory, and bookkeeping. I spent several summers working in the office with her and also filling in for her when one summer, she and my uncle, took their first vacation in 25 years. In between she taught Sunday school, provided leadership in the historical society, the hospital auxiliary, DAR, and she raised her own 2 children, as well as helped raise assorted nephews and nieces! What a woman!

A Finished Project At Last!

2011-10-29T21:11:00.000-04:00

I've been working on this sweater since May. I think I knit the sleeves 5 times trying to get the right combo of wrist width, gauge, and increases. The pattern stitch was easy, but I found some of the pattern directions lacking. Thank goodness I can consider myself a fairly experienced knitter. I'm still working on how to adjust armhole sizes and sleeves, but overall this sweater fits me well. It's exactly how I envisioned it.
It's called Ormond from Twist Collective and I used the yarn called for Rowan Amy Butler Belle Organic DK in moonflower, The body is knit from the bottom up in one piece, and the sleeves are done in the round and then joined.

Pluses and Minuses

2011-10-22T14:50:00.000-04:00

In no particular order:

Plus: The downstairs heat works.

Minus: Just about every piece of furniture has had to be moved - and most of it now needs to be moved back.

Plus: My principal bought some new LCD projectors, and now I have one for my very own use! (Not one of the new ones, but now I don't have to share the one I've been using with anyone!)

Plus: My partner and I got a set of "clickers" - student instant response system- to share.

Minus: Two days of interrupted schedule at school due to special events and a fire drill.

Minus: I sat down Monday night to watch some TV. The TV wouldn't turn on. Spent at least an hour trying to trouble shoot. No luck. Tuesday did some research, made some calls ---- TV definitely kaput.

Plus: At least the DVR worked and most of my "must watch" shows have been captured.

Minus: We've been dealing with intermittent internet service for the past 24 hours. Every time I call my tech support person, I'm given conflicting device. Internet just went down. Probably have lost all of this post.

Plus: My Lands' End order arrived and EVERYTHING fits and looks good! Even the dress I thought was a longshot!

Double plus: I have managed to lose almost 20 pounds since last winter without really trying --- just have tried to exercise more regularly, and to stop eating when I'm full. I've also stopped eating bread unless it's whole grain. I've stopped worrying about buying no fat products too - my endrocrinologist told me that because I'm insulin resistant I'd be better off eating a smaller serving of regular products because they have less sugar, and because they do contain some fat, I'd feel more satisfied. She must be right.

Plus: Went to the "city" last night to go to Sears and bought a new TV. Brought it home and got it set up myself!

Minus. Internet is definitely down again.

Overall, a pretty normal week!

Back to the Books - #70, #71, and #72

2011-10-08T07:51:00.000-04:00

This past summer I really only read one very engrossing, but long story, G.RR. Martin's series-- to the exclusion of almost everything else. I've been trying to catch up to my goal of reading 125 books this year. I don't think I will make it at this stage, but that's okay. Here are comments on the last 3 I've read.
# 70

The Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

John and Phillipa are 12 year old twins living in New York. Summer vacation is looming when they go to the dentist for their annual checkup. Everyone - kids, dentist, and parents- is shocked when it's discovered that both have sprouted wisdom teeth overnight. Things get stranger when both are awakened in the night by an earthquake, and each has an extremely odd dream involving their estranged Uncle Nimrod who tells them to come to England for the summer. The next morning both twins have grown an inch overnight and their parents are acting very strangely. Their father seems almost afraid of them!
The adventure begins as the twins head to England to visit their uncle. They soon discover an unsettling truth - both of them are actually djinn! With their uncle they set out to restore the balance between Good and Evil as they battle an evil tribe of djinn and learn to use their new powers.

I enjoyed this book. It's the first in a series set around the world. I have a copy of the next one and will put it on my to-read list. It's definitely a book for upper level readers. Although the story moves quickly, the language is not always easy. I will be recommending it to a couple of my very able 6th grade readers who are looking for something just a little bit different!

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#71

The Soprano Wore Falsettos by Mark Schweizer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another very funny entry in the Liturgical Mysteries! The Pirate's Eucharist is way better than the Clown Eucharist. Agnes Day (pun intended) has been the substitute organist ever since Hayden Konig quit his job as music director at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church. He's called into church to investigate when the hapless organist is murdered by a handbell. Who did it? The new operatic soprano Renee Tatton? Kenny, the medicinal pot farmer? There are suspects galore. And how will the church spend the $16 million it's receiving? It's all up to the church's most generous donor - who's not Malcolm. The only thing I missed in this installment was Moosey --- not enough of him.

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#72

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Twelve-year old Moose Flanagan and his family move to Alcatraz Island where his father has just taken a job as an electrician at the prison. It's 1935 and the prison houses crime boss Al Capone. Moose is very unhappy with the move, and once on the island, he's forced to watch his "10 year old" sister Natalie. Natalie is actually 15 but is autistic. Her parents have been unsuccessful in getting her into a school that might help her. The story revolves around Moose's relationship with his sister and his attempt to adjust to his new life. Gennifer Choldenko gets Natalie's character right, and I also think she did a great job developing the relationship between Moose and Natalie. Some of the other characters were somewhat one-sided believable. Piper is the know-it-all bossy daughter of the prison's warden and is terrific at getting everybody else in trouble. She just seemed too one-sided. This was definitely a different sort of story, and I was interested in reading it since I've visited Alcatraz. I think that it will appeal to some of my more able 6th grade boys.

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Something's MIssing

2011-10-07T07:38:00.000-04:00

First of all, please ignore the massive collection of dust and long-lost cat toys! We are in the throes of a massive home improvement project. We're replacing our heating system. We live in a house that's seen more than 100 years, and it's been heated with an "vintage" or dare I say, antique furnace with old-fashioned steam radiators. We have a big house -- and we use about 1500 gallons of oil to keep the house at a chilly 64° most of the winter. The furnace has been wheezing along for quite some time. We finally decided it was time to upgrade! So all of the radiators have been removed. This is under our front living room windows where a massive radiator sat. You can certainly tell how far the vacuum wand reached over the years! The new furnace is half the size of its 50 year old predecessor and we've been assured that it will easily keep the house at 70° on fewer gallons of oil. That remains to be seen! We're going to be installing baseboard hot water heat which will help with furniture arrangements and cleaning. Of course, we just happen to be experiencing the first cold weather of the season --- we've had 2 nights of frost. And although we rarely turn on the heat before Nov 1st, Spartans that we are, there is a difference from CHOOSING not to turn on heat and NOT BEING ABLE to turn it on. The biggest inconvenience however, is that we have no hot water. Fortunately, there is no school today, so the fact that I am having a super bad hair day isn't a problem. Old-fashioned sponge baths with water heated on the stove are sufficing for now. If we can get an electrician here today, the furnace can be used to generate hot water again, tho' the heat has to wait until the baseboard units are installed. If the electrician can't get here it will probably be Tuesday before we have hot water. Sponge baths will be VERY old by then. Fortunately we can go up to the local wellness center over the weekend to use the showers there, and I will call on some friends if necessary!

Over on the work front, we survived a week of NECAPS, our annual state test which determines whether or not our school makes AYP (annual yearly progress.) We have not been successful and are officially a SINI (school in need of improvement). So this has been a very stressful week for students and teachers. I won't get on my soapbox about all the things that are wrong with the testing and with the way our district has responded to SINI requirements. All I say that if I had my double-block of language arts time like I used to have, my kids would have improved scores. Instead I have half the time I used to have to cram in all the reading, writing, spelling, and grammar that I'm supposed to cover. 'Nuff said.

We have a 3 day weekend - again, the result of very odd-thinking. Our weekend starts today, Friday, even though if parents have a Columbus Day weekend, they're off on Monday. It started a number of years ago when so many teachers wanted to go the state teachers' convention, held the Friday before Columbus Day, that there weren't enough subs to go around. So the district decided to make this the day off. I only ever went to the convention a couple of times -- I found it not worth the time it took to make sub plans. So today I am home, at least for a while. I am going to go in to school a bit later. I stayed until 6 pm last night getting my progress reports finished, and getting my planning done for next week, but my room is in desperate need of a clean up. So I will go in (where it's warmer too!) and do some de-cluttering, desk washing, and new seating plans. I also want to stay out of the plumbers' way as they work on the heating system.

The rest of the weekend is dedicated to billing and bookkeeping, a visit with friends, and a possible quick visit to some relatives in another state.

A Book Review!

2011-10-01T18:40:00.002-04:00

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book fascinated me. I've heard Dietrich Bonhoeffer quoted often, most usually in a sermon at church. Last winter when I was teaching 7th grade social studies we studied the Holocaust, and I ran across this biography. It took me until now to have time to read it. Even without his martyrdon, Bonhoeffer must have been a truly remarkable man. He appeared to affect everyone he met and he seems to have an indelible mark on those who knew him well. Eric Metaxas paints a full picture of Bonhoeffer - his personal life, his spiritual life, and his political life. While the explication of Bonhoeffer's theology may not be everyone's cup of tea, I was very interested. So interested in fact, that I will be seeking out some of Bonhoeffer's books. Metaxas also did a really good job of explaining the despair that faced post WWI Germany which made Hitler's rise to power possible. I learned a great deal more about the struggles of the German church than I had known before too. This book was not a fast read for me. I found myself going back to previous letters and passages. This is one book I wish I'd read in hard copy and not on a Kindle, because of that.

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Missing Mom

2011-10-01T11:10:00.001-04:00

It's a really rainy Saturday and I had the overwhelming urge to call my Mom. Her 87th birthday would have been this past Thursday, so she's really been present in my heart and mind this week, and even this month. She died six years ago this past August, and sometimes it seems like yesterday. I can remember her saying as I went off to college - "Don't call me every week at the same time. That way I won't worry if you miss a call." It was terrific advice, and I passed it on to my sons as they left the nest. I did call my mom almost weekly, sometimes even more frequently, but I never let more than 10 days between phone calls go past. What did we talk about? Rarely anything anyone else would consider important. Of course we talked about the kids, work, weather, etc. but we also got into animated conversations about books and TV shows. And recipes! She was my "go-to" person when I needed a new idea or help with cooking roasts or new dishes. She would have loved hearing about all the experimentation I've been doing the past 2 summers with all the produce from our local CSA share --- new ideas about how to use zucchini to "What on earth do I do with celeriac?" I cook like my mom - most meals are produced without recipes, or if we use a recipe, it's just a springboard. It's always been a family joke, first when I was growing up, and now in my own family: "I tried a new recipe but I didn't have X so I substituted Y, and I didn't have Z, so I used A instead," and the family always asks "So what did you substitute?" when new items appear. It was always (and still is) earth-shattering when recipes are presented without change. Since my mom's been gone, the internet has been my main source of information, but my kids (and occasionally a sibling) will call whenever they're perplexed by a cooking question. Today's urge to "call home" was prompted by the fact that I decided to make soup for dinner. Mom always made what we called "Refrigerator soup." She'd start with a meaty bone or some stew beef, lots of onion and celery, and then add whatever veggies or even leftovers needed using up. She'd augment it with beef broth, canned tomatoes, V8 or tomato juice as needed. Today's soup is starting from some stew beef, onions, carrots, fresh herbs, and celery. I've got some beets in there and a small head of cabbage. The liquid is beef broth, a can of crushed tomatoes, a slurp of vinegar and a bit of sugar. Later additions will include some left over egg noodles and I hope to hide some eggplant in there! (My husband is not fond of this, and this has been the abundant vegetable from the CSA share this summer!) Anyway, I kept my mom's soup kettle for a really long time but recently realized it was time for it to go. She always made soup in an electric soup kettle. The kettle held about a gallon of soup, and stood on 4 legs. At some point during my youth one of the legs fell off, so for the rest of my mom's cooking career the 4th leg was always a can of tomato paste! She continued using that kettle for the rest of her life! I know that one Christmas I decided to buy her a new one, but the model had been discontinued and she didn't like any of the alternatives. I couldn't bear to throw it away when we cleaned out her house, and I brought it all the way back to NH from Indiana. It sat unused in the back of an overcrowded cabinet. This past summer I finally realized that the memory of the kettle was enough, and it got thrown out. So as my soup simmers away on the stove, I'm thinking of my mom and I'm wishing I could call her.

Gifts

2011-09-18T17:08:00.000-04:00

Today in church we started our stewardship drive aka "The Pledge Drive." This year's them is "Giving is a Gift from God" and we've been challenged to identify the gifts with which we've been blessed, and also to identify the times when we have felt blessed by our giving gifts to others. The lectionary selections were especially appropriate with the start of the campaign. We heard first the Exodus passage (Exodus 16:2-15) where the hungry Israelites grumble and complain about the lack of food. God responds by gifting them with flocks of quail and the "fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground." In the second passage (Matthew 20:1-16) we heard the story of the laborers who complained about the fact that the laborers who worked only a short time were paid the same as they who had worked all day. The meaning that I took from both these stories is two-fold. First, God provides us with what we need, when we need it. And God gifts every single one of us, equally, without regard for how hard we've worked, or how hard we've prayed, or how good we try to be. God's gift of grace and forgiveness are for everyone. I also thought about all the times I've felt cheated or resentful because I didn't get the same "reward" that others got. Instead of finding joy in whatever it was I had received, I focused on what I didn't get, or the "more" that someone else got. These two stories were good to hear today! I needed these reminders.

I'm also hoping (and praying) that as our church makes some budget decisions, we can let go of our tight-fisted Yankee frugality and caution, and open ourselves to new ways of understanding how to spend our limited funds so that we are focusing more on spreading the gift of the Good News, rather than worrying about the future. We are a giving church in time and energy. Our motto is "Always for Others" and we practice what we preach, with a food pantry, emergency shelter, space for AA, Compassionate Friends, a community mother's group, and various other ministries. Yet, I think we worry too much about "dipping into capital" and "saving for a rainy day." As I wrote in my monthly "Moderator's Musing" column for our church newsletter, it's always a struggle to decide what to spend our limited resources on - in some things we have no choice. But we do have choices and I'm praying that we stop being so practical, and learn how to gift our resources to others.

Friday Five On Saturday: Your Work Space

2011-09-10T12:49:00.001-04:00

Yesterday's Friday Five from RevGalBlogPals:

I don't know about you, but I am a notoriously ~~messy~~ creative worker. My workspace at home, and at my office is always littered with books and papers and mail and pens and keys and mugs....and tschotske (momentos, weird things, etc.)   I am looking right now at a pair of dice that someone gave me that have "God" on each side, so that anyway you roll 'em, you end up with God. Different, right?

So, this Friday Five is all about YOUR tschotske in your workplace. Describe five things in/on your workspace (however you define workspace--I tend to ~~spill over onto bedside tables, end tables, coffee tables~~...create wherever I land) that are special to you!   Bonus points for pictures!

My Workspace at 6:40 am

The two pictures are from my workspace in my 6th grade classroom. It's how my desk space looked Friday morning at 6:40 am.
Five items in the pictures:

The red clock in the center of my desk is waiting to get hung up. I have to find a longer screw, nail or hook to put it over my board. And I have to find a hammer or screwdriver to put the screw, nail or hook into the wall. Then I can hang the clock. There is already a wall clock but our automatic school clock has a habit of counting time in a odd way. Every so often, we gain/lose odd amounts of time. Sometimes it gets stuck, and time stands still! So I like to have a backup. Our school doesn't use bells, so we have to dismiss our classes on our own.
In the 2nd picture you can see a orange stick puppet with straw hat. He's on my Pass In basket. Quite a few years ago now, we did a whole grade integrated unit based on the novel Holes. As a final project, we divided all the kids up into groups and each teacher led an activity. My group created puppet shows based on the novel. This was one of the puppets a student created. I saved it and he's been guarding the Pass In basket ever since.
The paper towel roll in picture 2 is used daily to wipe up spills, clean desks, wipe off the white board.
In the first picture is a small silver bell on the front edge of my desk. A student gave it to me one Christmas, years ago. I use it sometimes to get the class's attention. I can't believe I still have it.
The desk itself is new-to-me. I had a honking large desk that took up too much valuable real estate. I traded it for a desk someone was getting rid of. The smaller desk helps me with my room arrangement, but it really is a bit small to sit behind. I keep knocking my knees against the sides. On the other hand, I don't sit there much. When I was getting ready to put my stuff in the drawers I discovered some treasures way in the back of a drawer. One of the treasurers was a school roster of all the kids and their teachers from 1992. My oldest son was in 6th grade then and there was his name on the roster. What fascinated me was that it was a typed list that had been mimeographed!!! All of our rosters are now computerized. How quickly things have changed. Although I just realized that 1992 was almost 20 years ago, now. Where has the time gone!

I had some time to tidy up my work area before I went home. So here are some "clean" work space pictures ;)

4:00 PM

I even got most of my planbook filled out for next week!

Liturgical Mystery #2

2011-09-09T06:06:00.000-04:00

The Baritone Wore Chiffon by Mark Schweizer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hayden Konig is the police chief of St. Germaine, a small North Carolina town. He's also the volunteer choir director/organist of the local Episcopal church, and an aspiring writer whose literary muse is Raymond Chandler. In this second "Liturgical Mystery", Konig is asked to assist English police in the investigation into the death of a visiting "songman" at York Minster. Hayden travels to York where he discovers some key evidence. When he returns from England, a new interim priest has been installed at the church, along with a Presbyterian Christian Ed director. It's Lent, and Hayden's significant other has asked him not to undermine the new staff. So it's hands off, as the hapless congregation is subjected to a Clown Eucharist, an Edible Last Supper, the incomparable Feng Shui Altar Guild led by the rector's wife, and the insufferable ego of the new priest who favors high church processions led by his valet/verger Wenceslas who is proud of being a dwarf. I don't know what events made me laugh more: Rev. Barna's first attempt at a children's moment, with Moosy as the star pupil or the Feng Shui Altar Guild's constant rearranging of the altar and pews. Hayden's Comparative Religion lectures are also a terrific counterpoint to the "Finding Your Inner Clown" classes led by Brenda, the Christian Ed. director. Eventually the murder in England and the new leadership at the church are connected, and Hayden is the one who sorts everything out. The added bonus to this series is the "novel" that Hayden writes and shares as the main story evolves. This series is a terrific way to unwind, and anyone who is familiar with church politics and organization will chuckle!

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The Need to Knit

2011-09-05T13:55:00.001-04:00

A Life in Stitches: Knitting My Way Through Love, Loss, and Laughter by Rachael Herron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I came across Rachael Herron's essays by chance. I was waiting for my husband at our local Wellness Center, and I picked up a copy of a "woman's magazine" sitting in the lounge. (I honestly don't remember which magazine it was.) An article on knitting caught my eye. I read it and wrote down the author's name and blog site. When I got home, I read her blog "Yarnagogo.com" and went to Amazon to buy the book from which her essay was extracted. I was not disappointed. Her collection of essays about how knitting has enriched and informed her life puts into words the experiences I've had as a knitter. Her compulsion to knit is the same compulsion I feel. She just explains it so well!

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The Glass Castle

2011-09-04T08:23:00.000-04:00

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading Jeannette Walls' second book, Half-Broke Horses, I was eager to read this one, her first book. This is memoir. Walls describes her less-than-ideal childhood growing up as the child of an alcoholic father and a free-spirited mother. Most other people considered the Walls family "poor white trash" and she shares the story of waking up in Oklahoma after sleeping in the car, surrounded by grinning adults and teasing children -- "We out-Okied the Okies" is her conclusion. Her family was poor, they were often hungry, and they lived a nomadic life: Arizona, California, Nevada, West Virginia were all places she called home. Despite the hardships, it's clear that Walls had a deep love for her father and family. It's also clear that even as a child she somehow understood that her life wasn't normal. It was interesting to see Grandma Smith (the subject of Half-Broke Horse through her child's eyes. Having read the second book first, it's easier to understand her mother's motivations. I was also impressed by the way Walls' was able to find the figurative "gold" in the way she was raised. Even though her father never found the real gold he was constantly seeking, Walls managed to mine her life for the moments of wonder and splendor: the millions of stars at night in the desert, the beauty of her geodes and rock collection, the realization that she was strong and could handle everything life threw her.

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Found My Mojo!

2011-09-03T09:17:00.000-04:00

I have struggled for the last three years to be excited and happy about my job. First I was assigned to teach a subject that I didn't enjoy, and then I got moved to a grade level I didn't want to teach. On top of that is joy-draining pressure of high stakes testing and being a school in need of improvement. Retirement seemed to be too far away and not soon enough!

I am overjoyed to find that I am once again filled with enthusiasm and excitement. I'm looking forward to working with the students I've been given. I'm back 'home", teaching sixth grade social studies and English language arts. We've just finished 4 days of school, and I love my kids! They are funny, interesting, and still eager. Yes, there are going to be the usual challenges --kids who come from dysfunctional homes, kids with ADHD, kids with Tourette's, kids who are gifted and talented, average kids, bored kids, parents who don't support the classroom or who get upset, etc. etc. But I can't remember when I've had a group of homeroom kids (23) who worked together cooperatively and successfully to complete a challenging 25 piece abstract jigsaw puzzle! Or a group of kids who actually stayed 100% silent during the first fire drill that lasted almost 20 minutes!

I'm pysched!!

Reading Updates

2011-08-29T12:33:00.000-04:00

I spent most of my summer reading George R.R. Martins Game of Thrones series which I thoroughly enjoyed. I finished the last of the 5 published books in the series last week, and have started some entirely different books. If you're interested in my comments on the Game of Thrones you can check them out at goodreads.com

Here are my comments on the 2 books I read during the hurricane:

The Alto Wore Tweed by Mark Schweizer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After my summer of George R.R. Martin, I needed a light, humorous read and this first "Liturgical Mystery" by Mark Schweizer fit the bill perfectly! Hayden Konig is the full time police chief of St. Germaine, NC AND the part-time volunteer organist and choir director at the local Episcopal church. He's also a would-be author in the style of Philip Chandler. When the unpopular sexton is found murdered in the choir loft, the investigation is on. Was the murderer Mother Ryan, the new, ultra-feminist priest at the church? Or was it one of the Walkers who each accuse the other of having an affair with priest? Schweizer's book is full of wit and laugh-aloud situations. I do think it helps to get the humor though if you are either a church musician, or a regular church goer. And Hayden's musical creations are wonderful. We Three Queens and the Moldy Cheese Madrigal are just two of them. (An aside: there is apparently a website where you can hear these gems, and others that appear in later books.) I'm looking forward to reading other books in the series.

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And this one:

Emily Goes to Exeter by M.C. Beaton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

M.C. Beaton has written a very frothy Regency romance featuring Miss Hannah Pym, erstwhile housekeeper to Sir Clarence. She is middle-aged, aching for excitement, and out of a job when her employer dies. However Sir Clarence leaves her 5000 pounds in his will and Hannah decides to seek adventure by traveling all over England by stagecoach. Her first excursion takes her to Exeter. Her co-travelers include an eloping couple, a forbidding lord, a mysterious youth, a poor lawyer, and several other common folk. The group is stranded in a blizzard and must make do in a local inn. Hannah puts her housekeeping and organizational skills to use as she directs meals, cleaning, and romance. It's an amusing read, and is a bit reminiscent of Georgette Heyer, although it has a more tongue-in-cheek approach to life in Regency England.

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And the Sun is Shining

2011-08-29T09:25:00.000-04:00

As is usually the case after a storm, the next day is gorgeous. We actually dodged a bullet with Irene. We had about 5 inches of rain, and we did get some wind, but nothing like predicted. We did lose our power at the very end of the storm (and it's still off 14 hours later) but other than that, there doesn't seem to be much damage in my immediate neck of the woods. There was apparently a great deal of flooding a bit north and west of here, and more wind damage to the east.

Today was supposed to be the first day of school, but it was cancelled last Friday, just in case. There are a lot of us without power, so it's probably a good thing. I will go into school later to organize just a few more things! I don't want to leave the house with the generator running so I'll sit tight until my husband comes home from his rounds.

Storm Preparations

2011-08-27T22:39:00.000-04:00

We are expecting Irene's visit tomorrow morning, though the rain has already started. We live in the southwest corner of NH, so we are more concerned about flooding than wind, but you never know. School was cancelled yesterday for Monday which was supposed to have been the first day of school for students. Personally, we brought in some things from the yard that could blow around if we do get wind, my husband did the regular grocery shopping this morning instead of tomorrow, and we've got generator gas, full gas tanks in our vehicles, and extra batteries.

I also made sure our cell phones are charged as is my Kindle. But the biggest preparation of all?? My best yarn buddy and I made the trek down to WEBS in Northampton, MA today for a yarn fix. We live about an hour and 10 minutes from the yarn mecca and it's an easy drive. We had a lovely day fondling yarn, and we spent a considerable amount of money! I have 6 projects worth of yarn (2 sweaters, an afghan, a pair of socks, and 2 scarves). So, the hatches are battened down, the fridge is full, and I've got books and yarn.

I'm ready.

All Good Things Come to An End

2011-08-23T19:10:00.001-04:00

Yup, it's that time again. Tomorrow starts a new school year. The kids don't come back until Monday, but we teachers are due in at 8 am for the annual continental breakfast, welcomes, and anti-bullying workshop. That's followed by information regarding legislative changes in educational policies, and then an afternoon of meetings at our individual schools. A full day of professional development and too-much information at once. Thursday and Friday are also filled with in-service training and meetings. Fortunately, my room is as ready as it's going to get. I kept track of the time I spent this summer moving my room --- 45.5 hours total. That's like a 3 credit college course! Too bad I can't get any credit or compensation for that time. I would have rather spent that time planning or revising my language arts program.

It was a busy 8.5 weeks. We traveled twice -- to Switzerland, and to Los Angeles. I took a ton of pictures in Switzerland, some of which will show up in my geography unit, along with pictures from previous travels. As we were traveling through the Jullier Pass, I was inspired to use my pictures in our study of the 5 themes of geography - place, location, movement, region, and human-environmental interaction,

I went to a lot of meetings at church, though I didn't get to Sunday services much. One of the "perks" of my UCC denomination is its democracy. The congregation has all the power. That takes work. As moderator of our church, I have had to facilitate meetings where some important decisions have been made. We held a special congregational meeting this past Sunday where we voted to spend what is to our small church a substantial sum of money to improve accessibility to the front door of our church. We've had a non-ADA compliant ramp for many, many years, and we have a chair-lift at our back entrance. But we wanted a better front entrance. So after a great deal of work and discussion, we voted to change the appearance of our traditional New England steepled church, by adding a new ADA-compliant ramp AND a new door at one end of the portico. For those of you in small village churches, you know that getting a group of people to agree to CHANGE something is no minor task!

I did a lot of reading this summer, but I realized that 95% has been one series. I started George RR Martin's Game of Throne series back in June. I think I will finish Book 5 tonight or tomorrow. Five books doesn't sound like much for me, a very prolific reader, but it's almost 5000 pages of reading. And while it's engrossing and enthralling, you have to pay attention!! While I will be sorry that the next 2 books haven't been published yet, I am looking forward to switching genre and author!

Knitting has been happening too. But I've been knitting the same sweater all summer! It's a cotton/wool off-white cardigan, and it's almost done. I have a sleeve and a half to go, and then the sewing together. It's not a hard pattern to knit, but I've found that the directions aren't as clear as they could be. I've done a lot of un-knitting too -- or tinking (knit spelled backwards, which is kind of like unknitting, as opposed to frogging which is ripping it all out - frogs rip-it, rip-it)

As always, I've kept the business books up-to-date, and I've tried to stay atop all other types of recordkeeping chores. I've also started a new exercise program which I'm trying to stay faithful too. I've bought 8 sessions with a personal trainer, and I've worked with her 3 times already.

What hasn't happened this summer: closets didn't get cleaned, my family room didn't get renovated, my knitting paraphernalia didn't get organized, we didn't get the paddle boat out once, the gardens didn't get weeded. Oh well, there's always next summer!

Road Trips: Friday Five

2011-08-19T08:01:00.002-04:00

From RevGalBlogPals:

My husband and I just returned (on Wednesday night) from a long road trip up the middle USA to Canada, going through various national parks, and on to the Puget Sound of Washington State. This brought back memories of family road trips with my children and when I was a child, so the idea of today's Friday Five arose.

Tell us about five road trips--in your childhood, in your family, in your recent past, with friends, and/or hoped-for-places-to-drive-to. Don't forget the one that stands out as the BEST or as the worsttime.

Road trips=Vacation! Here are some memorable road trips from my past.

1. 1961 traveling from southern CT to northern VT. This is the first road trip I can remember. I was heading to first grade in the fall, and my father decided to rent a cabin on Lake Champlain in North Hero, VT for a week. There were 3 of us kids, ages 2, 5, and 7, and I was the oldest. I don't remember the car we traveled in. It was probably the blue 1956 Buick. What I do remember are the stops we made along the way, and my travel diary which I still have! With 3 youngsters aboard, we made frequent bathroom stops. At the time, the only places available were gas stations, and I remember the bathrooms as being greasy and oil-spattered. I also remember my youngest sister as not wanting to use the bathrooms, but "holding it." In desperation, my parents stopped by a stream and undressed her and made her sit on a rock on the edge of babbling brook until she gave in! I also remember picnicking along the way, and I have an entry in my journal describing the "strage bugs on a stump that turned out to be very larg grashoopers." I'm impressed by my spelling and handwriting at that stage in my life, the summer between kindergarten and first grade. The cabin we stayed at was creepy from my point of view, and smelled musty. My sisters and I shared a double bed with a saggy mattress, and the lake water was "frezing and the botom of the lake is very rockie." We rented a boat and caught some fish, with pictures to prove it.

2. Another major road trip: 1968 from central New Jersey to Washington, DC. By now there were 5 of us children, and we traveled in a yellow Pontiac stationwagon with 3 seats. The 3rd seat faced backwards, and yours truly had to ride in that seat. It was really hot, and the car didn't have air-conditioning. While I was suitably impressed by Washington, DC, especially the underground train between the Capitol building and the Senate Office Building where we met a senator also traveling on the train, what stands out on that trip are the meal stops. On that trip we ate $.12 hamburgers with strawberry milkshakes at McDonalds, or shared a 20 piece bucket of KFC. My father, bless his heart, always did the ordering for us and we never had a choice in the selections. If you didn't want a strawberry milkshake, you went without. (He hated chocolate, so we NEVER got what we wanted!)

3. 1969 was another memorable trip, this time from N.J. to Miami, FL to visit my father's sister and our cousins. We again traveled in the yellow Pontiac, but this time there was a major addition to the car which made the trip an agony for my "going-to-high-school" self. Because the car was full of people (7 total) there wasn't much room for luggage in the car. Rather than spending money on rooftop carrier, my father built a wooden box that covered 90% of the roof. He painted this box yellow to match the car, and decided to dress it up with a pair of eyes, nose and big smile on the back end of the box. He also painted slogans along the side, referring to anti-Castro events. (He'd emigrated from Cuba in 1948, but his sister had just recently moved to Miami from Havana.) As the oldest, and one of the siblings who didn't get carsick, I had to sit in that 3rd backseat facing drivers. At every traffic stop, I had to endure the amused reactions of the drivers behind us as they saw the painted box. As a 14 yr old I was beyond embarrassment. The other memorable event was that we toured Cape Kennedy on that trip, and were actually at the space center when the moon landing astronauts splashed down. We watched the splash down on large screens overlooking a control center of some sort!

4. We moved to NJ from CT when I was 9, and we made many trips back to our home town to visit my mom's sister and our cousins. The trips only took 2 hours, unless there was traffic, but they were always an adventure. We made up songs to accompany our trip too. When we crossed the George Washington Bridge we sang "George Washington Bridge, George Washington Washington Bridge" set to an old tune that I don't know the name of. When we did a road trip 40 years later with some friends, we crossed the bridge and I unconsciously started singing it! Our friends thought it was a real song! We also used to sing "We're in CT, we're in CT, we're in CT, right now" to the tune of "Found a Peanut" as we crossed over the state line. A memorable trip occurred when my father had to fly to Mexico on business in the late 60's at Thanksgiving. We dropped him off at Newark Airport on the way to my aunt's. We took the Holland Tunnel into NY, and the water pump on the car died. My mom managed to limp out of the tunnel and parked the car just outside. She went off in a cab to find a gas station, leaving all 5 of us in the locked car, with me in charge! Today she'd be arrested for endangering kids, but it was a different time when I was growing up. She found help, and we got to my aunt's house about 1/2 day later than planned.

5. In 1980, my husband and I drove from southern Indiana to southwestern NH after spending Christmas with my parents and family. Our first son had been born in July, and I had flown out to my parents with him the week before Christmas. My husband drove out the day before Christmas, and then the 3 of us drove back to NH. That was the trip from hell. Our son was not an easy baby, and he was difficult to console. He screamed nearly the entire 989 mile trip. I moved to the back seat of the car to try to comfort him, to no avail. I finally managed to semi-quiet him by taking him out of his car seat and holding him. Not exactly safe, but neither was it safe to try to concentrate on driving with a non-stop screaming baby. Oh, did I forget to mention that the car we had at the time was an old Renault LeCar, affectionately known as "The Clown Car?" There was barely room in the front to sit comfortably, much less in the back seat!!

I really enjoyed this trip down memory lane! I have a dream of doing a major road trip --- across the US to Los Angeles, someday. But I want to take 4-6 weeks to do it, stopping along the way as my fancy takes me.

Friday Five

2011-07-29T19:10:00.000-04:00

You'd think that being on summer break would give me more time to Friday Fives. Nope. But I did get a chance today to play. Sharon posted this sequel to last summer's Decisions, Decisions on RevGalBlogPals:
. . . A decision from history: There is a chair that still sits in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall). Legend has it that it was George Washington's chair, the back carved with a half sun. Benjamin Franklin would look at it and wonder whether it was a rising or a setting sun. Eventually Franklin decided it was the hopeful symbol of the rising sun, a sign of the future of our new republic.

How do you decide? Check out the following pairs and tell which one of each appeals to you most:

1) Sunrise or Sunset -

Both are beautiful, but I tend to see a lot more sunrises than sunsets. I drive easterly to work and am usually up before the sun rises.

2) To the Mountains or To the Beach

The beach. Definitely the beach. I do like mountains, but the beach calls to me.

3) Coffee or Tea

Again, I like both, but I'm definitely more of a coffee person. Need that morning jolt or two!

4) Advent or Lent

Advent.

5) "Raindrops on Roses" or "Whiskers on Kittens"

Actually the bright copper kettles and brown paper packages tied up with string are more appealing though. I can take or leave either of the suggested pair.

BONUS: Tell more about one of the pairs. Why did you choose it? Difficult or easy choice? A story from your own experience?

Sunrises have been pretty frequent in my life. Our bedroom is on the east, so the early light helps me wake up. Some memorable sunrises: Digby,Nova Scotia, August 17th, 1977. We have the most gorgeous sunrise photo taken on our honeymoon. Most people who see it, assume incorrectly that it's a sunset. Also for many years, we took our students to an overnight environmental school in Saco, Maine for a week. It's on the beach, and ouir tradition was that one morning during the week we woke up all the students before dawn, herded them sleepily down to the beach (in their pjs and coats!) for the sunrise. I have wonderful memories of singing "Sun" songs with 150 6th graders -"Here Comes the Sun", "You are My Sunshine" as we waited for the sun to rise. That's one experience I have treasured over the years.

New Residents

2011-07-22T18:23:00.000-04:00

We have been watching, with great interest, a bird house right in front of our kitchen windows. A pair of chickadees have called it home, and when we left for Switzerland, we wondered if we'd miss the excitement. We did not! Since we've been home, Momma and Papa hav been busy flying back and forth with all sorts of delectable goodies for their offspring. Today, they fledged. I've managed to grab a few shots of the action through my kitchen window. I shot through a screen so that's why they're on the fuzzy side. It's been fun watching them practice as they stretch their wings. I've never seen nesting chickadees before so I've been like a kid again. Momma has been flying back and forth with treats. We watched her bring a green caterpillar, about 2 inches long, to junior. He grabbed it and it was gone in a blink of an eye. Just a minute ago, junior hopped onto the window screen, hopped up to the roof, and then . . . solo flight across the yard to the magnolia tree.

Where in the World??

2011-07-20T06:29:00.000-04:00

I've been here. . .

And I've been here . . .

And I've been here . . . .

I've also been here . . .

And here . . .

You might have found me enjoying this:

here . . .

Or you could have found me here

or here

I was here . . .

I was here too . . .

I'm sure you've guessed by now that I haven't been here!

Book Reviews

2011-07-07T09:39:00.001-04:00

I've taken a short break from the Game of Thrones saga. I've read books 1 and 2 and they are enthralling! But I needed a short change of pace before getting caught up in book 3.

Here are three books I've read this week:

The first is from the Aunt Dimity "cozy" mystery series from Nancy Atherton. They are not truly mysteries. Rather they are usually puzzles or hunts.

Aunt Dimity Down Under by Nancy Atherton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In this installment, the Pym sisters are dying, and they ask Lorie to "Find Aubrey." Aubrey is their ne'er-do-well brother, banished from the family at a young age. Lori promises and finds herself in New Zealand in her quest for Aubrey's kin. This is a gentle story and was a welcome break after some of the heavier reading I've been engaged in. Lori discovers the beauty of New Zealand, and accomplishes her quest in a different way than she envisioned, all the while guided by her husband's Kiwi friend Cameron and of course, Aunt Dimity and Reginald.

View all my reviews

The second book is very different. Not exactly escapist reading.

Saplings by Noel Streatfeild
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Noel Streatfield is better known for her "Shoes" books, particularly Ballet Shoes, but she also wrote adult novels. Saplings tells the tragic story of the four Wiltshire children whose lives are devastated by World War II. The book opens on the eve of the war, as the Wiltshire family enjoys an idyllic holiday at the shore. Alex Wiltshire, head of the family, is an industrialist working on military projects, while his wife Lena, is a charming, but shallow woman who actually resents the intrusion of her children into her relationship with her husband. As the war unfolds, the children are first sent to live in the country with their grandparents, and later, when Alex is killed in a air raid, and Lena suffers a nervous breakdown, they are parceled off to various relatives. The story is told almost entirely from the childrens' perspective, and Streatfield gets their emotions and thinking right. All of the adults in their lives believe they are doing what is best for the children, but in reality, they totally misunderstand the effect they are having on the children. This is a sad and extremely powerful story. It's a timeless story also as wars continue to wreak havoc on the lives of those on the homefront.

View all my reviews

The final book is the first book written by Tracy Chevalier. Again, it's a different sort of story, but one I enjoyed a lot.

The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved The Girl with the Pearl Earring so I was pleased to receive this book as a RAK. While not quite on the same level, this was a very good story, and I read it in less than a day. Ella Turner moves to France with her husband Rick. While he is off working, she explores her new community and starts to dig into her family's French past. When she meets the local librarian who aids her in her research, her marriage is threatened. Parallel with this story is the unhappy story of Isabelle de Mouline. She lives in 16th century France during a time of religious turmoil. With her red hair and her skill in midwifery, she is viewed with suspicion in her small village. She marries into the Tourniere family from which Ella is descended. The stories of the two women connect as Ella delves deeper into her family's history. While I didn't particularly like the ending of the story, I did really enjoy the book.

View all my reviews

Losing Track

2011-07-01T09:49:00.000-04:00

I have had a busy week for my first week of summer break. I've spent most of it on all those chores that get put off to "when I have time." Some of those chores are things that really need to be done in a more timely fashion- like balancing checkbooks, filing important papers, and actually dealing with other pesky chores like filing health benefit claims, renewing subscriptions, and going through the stack of "I'll deal with it later" mail. It's good to clear out a basket and demolish a stack, and it's really good to discover you forgot to enter a big deposit and that's why you apparently ran short of money. Oh, and it's good to discover that your ATM card expired yesterday while you were at the bank, and you hadn't received your new card . . . or you thought you hadn't received it, until you got home and went through that stack of unopened mail!

I've also discovered two new ways to while away chunks of time without noticing! First, I started reading The Game of Thrones series. I finished book 1 Game of Thrones, and then started watching the HBO series that I'd DVR'd. I am so totally hooked on this fantasy world by George RR Martin. It's reminiscent of Tolkien, Star Wars, medieval English history, Arthurian legend, but it's none of those exactly. He's created a huge cast of characters, some good, some evil, some still-to-be-determined. There's love, hate, war, mystery, intrigue, adventure, humor, tragedy, you name it, it's in there. I'm now eagerly reading Clash of Kings, book 2.

The second way I've been losing track of time is with a Facebook game called "Gardens of Time." If you're not familiar with it, you build fantasy gardens with plants, animals, museum artifacts, statuary, benches, etc that become little fantasy worlds. At the same time, you "time travel" to exotic places to search for hidden items. I used to love the hidden picture feature in the children's magazine Highlights, and this is similar. I just wish I could get this game as a stand-alone, and not have to give up privacy to play it on FB. And I don't like the way FB makes you "invite" others to the game in order for you to progress. But it IS addicting.

So, I guess I can say that my first week has been quite enjoyable!

The Big Picture(s)

2011-06-27T07:46:00.000-04:00

We did something we hardly ever do this weekend. We went to the movies. I'd go often if it were totally up to me, but my husband isn't a big movie goer, and over 30 years of marriage, I'd say we average one movie theater trip a year. When our kids were little we went more often (after all this was before VCR's and DVD's and Netflix!) to watch the latest Disney flick, mostly. So it was a pleasant to surprise to get him to agree to go!
He was interested in seeing Bad Teacher, but good friends of ours had seen in it the night before and told us not to waste our money. I therefore got to see what I wanted to see - Super 8. We both really enjoyed it. It's a monster movie of sorts - think E.T. meets Jaws meets Close Encounters of the Third Kind meets Lost. It's 1979 and a group of middle school friends in Ohio are making a super 8 movie to enter into a film festival. As they are filming they witness a horrific train wreck caused when their science teacher purposely crashes his truck into the train. His dying words tell them not to speak of what they've seen. As the Air Force takes over the investigation into the wreck, mysterious things begin to happen in their town. Of course, the teens decide to investigate. I enjoyed the paean to all of Spielberg's movies and the movie was quite predictable, but what really stuck out for me was the innocence of the movie. The teen actors got the nuances of friendship right, and as a middle school teacher, I recognized my students in their portrayals. It was pure entertainment - not the best movie I've ever seen, but a very enjoyable rainy Saturday afternoon.

The second movie I watched was completely different. Using my Netflix subscription I watched The Black Swan. Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) has just landed a career-making role as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake. She struggles to interpret the role of the Black Swan and as the pressure mounts, she falls victim to paranoia and delusion. It's a really creepy movie, and there were scenes that I watched through my fingers. (I don't take blood and mutilation well!). At the same time, it was very powerful. Barbara Hershey was compelling as the ultimate stage mother, and I liked the way the ballet storyline and Nina's descent into despair paralleled. I can't say I liked the movie, but it was a terrific movie, nonetheless. I can see why it won Academy Awards.

Book #48 The Weird Sisters

2011-06-26T14:56:00.001-04:00

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At first glance the plot seems a bit cliched. Rose, the oldest sister, has stayed home to care for aging parents. When her mother is diagnosed with cancer, her two sisters Bianca and Cordelia return home. But their motive for homecoming goes beyond helping to care for their mother. Each has a secret she is hiding and home is a place to run away and hide in.

I'm not sure what made this book so compelling: the unusual narration (first person plural), the tension between the three sisters, the Shakespearean tapestry weaving the story together, or the oh,so accurate depiction of caring for a breast cancer fighter. When I first started reading, I had to get used to the narration style, but once I got past that, I loved how the shared perspective enriched my understanding of the characters. I connected with the sisters' shared rivalry as they each attempted to be "first" in their parents' hearts. I also remember quite clearly going home to help my own mother with her mastectomy and recovery, and many years later, to help care for her through her final battle with colon cancer. Most of all I connected with the love that each sister had for each other. Despite their rivalries and insecurities, the sisters understood the meaning of family. Eleanor Brown caught the nuances of family relationships perfectly.

View all my reviews

Ten Random Observations About Moving Classrooms

2011-06-24T18:01:00.000-04:00

1. First day of summer vacation! At last!! Yesterday was hellacious as has most of the week. So how did I spend my first day? I went to school and spent 5 1/2 hours packing up my room and moving everything but the furniture to my new room.

2. I have a lot of stuff ---- I should have photographed it! Teachers save anything and everything we think might be useful . . . SOME DAY!

3. Why did I move a box of empty plastic jars for the third time? I used them for a science experiment two years ago, but I don't teach science anymore.

4. I have approximately 20 used one-inch binders. They fit into my wastebasket quite nicely. No, I didn't throw them out. That's how I packed them to move!

5. I've learned how to steer a loaded dolly around myriad corners, into the elevator, up 2 ramps and through 2 sets of double doors. I made 11 trips in all.

6. My bookshelves and table tops are dirty!!! Disgustingly so! Even though I clean them regularly.

7. I found a snack size bag of Fritos in my closet. No idea where it came from.

8. I have a TON of maps.

9. Old-style AVON boxes are still the best packing boxes I've ever had. They don't use them any more according to my BF who's also an Avon rep.

10. A lot of teachers were in the building moving too --- and none of us get compensated in any way for moving rooms.

Survival Mode

2011-06-22T05:59:00.000-04:00

As the last day of school is finally almost a reality, we've been in full survival mode. Grades closed last Friday, and so we've basically been trying to keep a lid on the energy that's threatening to explode.
And so here's Survivor:7th Grade Edition

Monday: While half of our students finish science presentations Monday morning with my partner, I kept 25 students under control with tesselations, line designs, packin, and final prep for the afternoon activity: Ethnic Entrees. Students prepared a meal representing a country they'd researched, invited a guest, and served it up. We had spicy chicken and soup from Thailand, a tofu dish with pickled ginger from Japan, stuffed dates and hummus from Egypt, hoisin pork from China, and a lamb and potato dish from Greece in my room, while my partner had dishes from Russia, Australia, Poland, Cuba, and France. It was fun and delicious.

Tuesday: We put our kids in groups and challenged each group to create a video Survival Guide to 7th Grade or 7 Tips for Success in 7th! They had a lot of fun with that project. We gave them 2 hours for the project, and then spent the last 1/2 hr of the morning watching their videos. During the afternoon the whole grade walked to a park for kickball, capture the flag, and basketball.

Wednesday: Today's plan is a medieval themed movie: Robin Hood - since we've just finished a study of the middle ages. This afternoon one of our paraeducators asked to lead a cooperative game called Survival. So of course, we said yes! We'll also throw in some locker cleaning and packing.

Tomorrow is the last day- and it's a half day. We have awards and then a school-wide celebration involving a rotation of activities: karaoke, a dance, board games, and something else that I've forgotten at the moment. It was originally planned to be a big outdoor affair, but since the forecast is for stormy weather, it's been moved indoors. I actually think the indoor idea will be easier to control!

So, the end is truly in sight!

How I Spent Today

2011-06-19T18:23:00.000-04:00

5:05 am: Roll over, look at the clock, and realize I can sleep longer since it's Sunday.
5:29 am: Repeat
5:46 am : Repeat
6:07 am: Still don't have to get up, but the brain cells are starting to get too active. Decide to give sleep one more try.
7:15 am: Wow! I actually fell asleep again. This time though, I'm awake for the day and I get up.
7:30 am: A bowl of Cheerios and finishing up the shopping list for my husband. He's going through the Sunday paper for coupons and then heads out to the store.
7:50 am: Decide to boil some small red potatoes for potato salad later in the day. Head to the shower.
8:30 am: Dressed for church, read the paper, make out offering check.
8:45 am: Check email, play a game or 2 of solitaire.
9:10 am: Chat with Elder Son via googletalk. Invite him up for burgers on the grill this afternoon.
9:30 am: Leave for church.
10-11 am: Service with wonderful young pianist, and some good hymns.
11:20 am - 1:05 pm. Moderate a lively church council meeting with a lengthy agenda. Aside from usual business discussion topics include progress on establishing our food pantry as an independent nonprofit corporation, safety of shelter guests and employees when nobody else is around (i.e. locking the church), and improving handicap accessibility to our building.
1:30 pm. Arrive home and find Elder Son has arrived, groceries are mostly put away, and everybody is hungry.
2:15-3:30 Enjoy grilled burgers, green salad with fresh-picked greens, and potato salad. Admire Elder Son's new Android-type cell phone. Enjoy his visit, and help him "grocery shop" in our cupboards. Say goodbye as he heads back home.

3:30-4:15 Write the monthly moderator's column for our church newsletter. Email it to the newsletter editor.

4:15-6:00 Relax on the porch. Knit a few rows, doze in the sun, knit a few more rows.

Plans for the rest of the evening: Read further in "Game of Thrones." Knit a bit more. Plan tomorrow's lunch and pack up my school bag. Early bedtime.

Getting There . . . . .But Oh So Slowly. . . .

2011-06-17T19:27:00.000-04:00

Three and half more days . . . that's what's left of the school year. Time is just crawling by. We are definitely just marking time since grades closed today. Now it's just trying to keep everybody under control which can be quite difficult. We have just a couple of major activities planned, all in the afternoon, so the mornings are going to be tricky. Monday afternoon is "Ethnic Entree". Our classes have divided themselves into groups. They've chosen a country, explored its cuisine, planned a meal, and on Monday, they get to serve the meal to themselves and an invited guest. The trick is that they all have to remember to prepare their dish at home, and bring it in on Monday! My colleagues say it will happen, but like Thomas, I will have to see it to believe it! Tuesday afternoon our classes will walk to a local park and play capture the flag and whiffle ball. Then Wednesday . . . .well, nothing is planned for Wed. At least not yet. And then on Thursday we finally have Awards and school-wide party down on the soccer field. And then. . . finally, the school year is over.

I cannot wait. Of course I'm still trying to pack up my room for another move . . . and I'm scrounging for boxes, as are about a dozen other teachers. . . I will have to spend a few days when school gets out to finish that, but at least there won't be any kids around. Don't get me wrong, I love my students, but right now I'm really tired of some of them!

A Terrific Read: Half Broke Horses

2011-06-13T06:14:00.000-04:00

Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jeannette Walls has written a fascinating "true life novel" about her iconoclastic grandmother, Lily Casey Smith. Born in 1901 Lily grew up in West Texas on a struggling horse ranch. She learned how to break horses as a youngster and by her "tween" years, she was running the ranch. Lily was sent to Catholic boarding school at 13, but was soon pulled out against her will, because her father used her tuition money to invest in Great Danes. The investment failed. In order to earn money for her family, Lily set out at 15 to teach school in a remote Arizona school 500 miles away. To get there, she traveled by herself, on her pony. She loved teaching and was successful, for a while. Eventually Lily struck out for the big city - Chicago, where she met and married her first husband. Later she and her second husband are hired to run a huge Arizona ranch. Lily never shied away from new technology: she learned to drive a car and fly a plane in an age where women rarely did anything but teach, nurse, or type. She sold illegal alcohol, played a mean game of poker, taught school, and lived life with gusto. Jeannette Walls made her grandmother come alive, and I couldn't put this book down. I need to find a previous novel, The Glass Castle that Walls wrote about her mother.

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Tired, but It's a Good Tired

2011-06-11T20:45:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning at 5:30 am thinking "We forgot about the change!" Today was the church supper I was co-chairing with another woman, and I'd realized that one of had to go the bank to get change for the tickets. So my day started a little earlier than planned, which was probably just as well. By 9:30 am I'd done a load of laundry, gone to the grocery store to shop for the supper, (and our own personal shopping), and I'd stopped at the church to store some of the groceries. When I got home, I mixed up 5 lbs of meatloaf, and got it ready to bake. I did a few household chores, and by 1 pm I was back at the church hall to start preparations for the dinner. My church holds a supper on the 2nd Saturday for 9 months of the year. We serve between 75-100 people. Tonight the menu was meat loaf, baked potatoes, green beans, rolls, green salad, homemade pies, or brownie sundaes. We served 79 paying guests and about 15 workers. I got back home at 8:15, and I'm tired. But we raised over $500 and had a really good time working together. Our suppers are an institution and we've been doing them for about 25 years. We used to get a slightly larger crowd, but recently the local Catholic church changed the time of mass because of the consolidation of several small parishes. The Catholics used to go to 5 pm mass and then head over to our church for supper at 6. Now the mass is at 6, and they can't come at 5 and the supper is over at 7. We've been talking about changing our serving hours, but nobody wants to work any later than we have to! We vary the menu. During the summer months we do a chicken barbecue that always sells out, and in September we do steaks. We're going to try a pig roast in October. Other popular suppers are a turkey dinner, pot roast, and Swedish meatballs. It's work, but it IS fun. So, I'm tire, but as I said, it's a good tired.

Ah, the Joys of the Last Weeks of School in 7th Grade

2011-06-10T06:21:00.000-04:00

The end of the school year is only 9 1/2 days away but it feels like months! The past couple of days have been really hot and humid. My classroom was 87° at 6:45 am yesterday with steam room-like humidity. My 7th graders have been mentally on vacation for almost a month, and nothing seems to catch their attention. I'm not alone with this struggle. My partner, who's been teaching 7th graders for a while, says he's never seen such lack of attention. It hasn't helped either that we haven't had a "normal" day of classes for the past week. One day band members were missing for a morning because they gave a concert at the local elementary school. The gifted and talented group presented a Renzulli fair one afternoon. We also had a grade-wide math placement test that interrupted our schedule, and yesterday we had "Transition Day." The incoming 5th graders came to visit the middle school, the 6th graders visited 7th grade, and the 8th graders went to the high school. Today, Friday, is the first normal day we've had schedule-wise all week. But even today we will have a group of our kids missing as they are on a field trip. They are a group of "at risk" kids. Most of us teachers aren't sure why they get to go on this really cool field trip -- the ones from my classes are all failing and they are disrespectful and disruptive in the classroom. We would feel better about the kids missing classes if they had EARNED the trip, but the teachers were not consulted.

I've been trying to plan some "fun" activities in a so-far vain attempt to capture interest. In social studies we've been studying the middle ages, so I've asked the kids to research a topic of their choice. They have to prepare a presentation (again, they have lots of choices as to how they present,) AND they got to choose who they worked with. Between my 2 classes I have 15 groups. I predict that 4 of the groups will actually have a decent presentation. The rest? Good question. I have one group of boys who are researching castles. One of them took great notes while one partner watched. The other wrote a skit that he wants to present, but his 2 partners don't want any part of it. He showed me his script yesterday. He has one knight challenging another and then they have duel with swords and pistols! I asked him, "Where is the information on castles?"
He looked at me blankly, and said, "Oh, I thought that was boring, so I wrote this."
I said, slowly, "OK, so can you tell me about the knights and their duel? What's with the pistols?"
"Oh, I saw this black and white movie with my dad. They had a duel, and the bad guy pulled a pistol out."
"Hmm. Did you look at any of the books on knights? Or on medieval weapons?"
"Nope."
"What do A. and J. think about this?"
"They think it's okay."
"What happened to the model of the castle you were going to build? After all that's what your presentation is supposed to be about."
Blank stare.
I won't continue, but you get the drift.

Also on my plate: Packing up my room completely in preparation for ANOTHER move. I just did this last year when I got moved to 7th grade. Now I get to go back to 6th grade (YIPPEE!!) but really . . ..

I think when I retire, I will write a book or two: Classroom Conversation: What Your Kids Really Say (and Do!) or Moving Classrooms: 100 Ways to Minimize the Use of Your Own Time Since That's When You Have to Do It.

A Book! A Book!

2011-06-08T19:49:00.001-04:00

I sat out on my lovely porch yesterday evening and earlier this evening, with this terrific novel:

One Was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This 7th installment in the Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne series was well worth the wait. I do admit it took me a chapter or two to get myself re-oriented to the story (a drawback when it's a long wait between volumes!), but once I re-wired the connections, I couldn't put this one down. I think what I like so much about this series is that both Clare and Russ are so human. They are good people, trying to live good lives, but they are flawed, and make mistakes which can have a huge impact. For those not familiar with the series, Clare Fergusson is the Episcopal priest in the small New York village of Millers Kill. She's also a military helicopter pilot. She is in a relationship with town's widowed chief of police, Russ Van Alstyne.

Clare has just returned from an 18 month tour of duty in Iraq and she is not adjusting to civilian life as well as she thinks she should. She joins a veterans' counseling group, where all of them are struggling readjust. The "mystery" in the story, (is it suicide? is it murder? who stole the money?) takes a back seat to the deeper story of this group of veterans coming to understand that their experiences wounded them emotionally and mentally even more so than any physical injuries. At the same time, Clare's relationship with Russ deepens as they both struggle to "hold on, and not let go of each other." The realistic portrayal of their individual and shared emotional journeys just adds depth to the richness of the story.

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My Summer Retreat

2011-06-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

The big project this past weekend was to get our porch ready for summer. For the last 2 years, I've been looking for new porch furniture. We have had a white plastic suite (table, 4 chairs, ), 2 white plastic chaises, and a couple semi-matching end tables. My husbands parents gave us the table and chairs as an anniversary gift about 25 years ago. We certainly got their money's worth from them, buying new cushions every few years. But we decided that it was time for a new look. The heavy plastic frames just wouldn't clean up very well, and the table just took up too much space. We rarely used it except as a plant stand and pollen catcher. It took us 2 years of looking to find a set that we liked, could afford, and was comfortable. Last year we found an almost ideal set, but the cushions only came in one very ugly color. Three weeks ago we found what we were looking for at Home Depot, on sale, and with free delivery. So we spent this past weekend prepping the porch. We dragged all the old furniture off and stored it for a yard sale later this month. Then we got out the power washer, and I blasted away at the accumulated pollen, dust, and spots of mildew. Once everything was clean and dry, the new furniture was installed. I kept one glider chair that came from my parents' porch -- I need to find a new cushion for its ottoman, but the rest of the furniture is new. I can't wait for school to end so I can live out on what we're calling our OutDoor Room.

Busy-ness Abounds

2011-06-05T16:05:00.000-04:00

As the school year winds down, the daily chores wind up. Transition sheets, awards, field trips, budgets, bid orders, IEP meetings, all needing to be accomplished yesterday. The weather is getting hot which makes it hard to keep 7th grade brains, already looking forward to June 23rd, focused on assignments. We went from 48° mornings to 90° afternoons in 24 hours. My classroom was in the 90°s 2 days last week with lots of humidity by 9 am. It felt like a sauna.

We've been busy at church too. We held a planning retreat, creating a master calendar for the next 12 months, but spending the bulk of our time starting to discuss some big questions about our future. We desperately need to change, but we need to figure out how. I"m the moderator, so I'm charged with guiding the conversation. We're also wrestling with other questions, most recently today: How do improve our handicapped access to the front door? We have a ramp, but it's poorly designed, too steep, and almost impossible to navigate without help. There is a proposal on the table that has many folks very concerned because it will alter the appearance of the front of the church. I wish we could all walk in the shoes of people who feel unwelcomed by our current entrance. Perhaps the appearance of the church would be less important. Perhaps more people would understand why our new access has to be ADA compliant rather than "it's better than nothing."

That's one of the lessons I've learned this year. I was moved (against my will) to a different grade level this past year. I struggled all year, not just learning a new curriculum, but learning to use totally different classroom management techniques. For years I'd been one of the many teachers who looked askance at this grade level's teachers, wondering why they didn't do a better job of making their kids mind. After 9 months, I've discovered that this grade level is different. What worked in my former grade level doesn't work with older kids, and you really have to pick your battles. I've apologized to my new team for my previous attitude, and in fact, I've gone back to my old team and told them how wrong we were to criticize. I've walked in their shoes, and things are definitely different. I've been humbled by this experience, too. I've had to ask for help in areas I've never needed help in before, and I have failed a few times too.

I am looking forward to returning to my "home" next year - not just to sixth grade, but also to the subjects that are near and dear to my heart. I will bring this year's experience back with me, and remember to be charitable!

Next on my immediate agenda: I'm one of 2 people in charge of our monthly community church supper next week. It's both a church fundraiser and a major community fellowship event. Lots of work and lots of fun, and I think my brain was on vacation the day I put my hand up to coordinate it. I am also packing my room at school for the move back to 6th grade in between normal teaching. No rest for the weary, at least until June 23!

Book #41 Another Disappointing Read

2011-05-30T13:16:00.004-04:00

I don't seem to be picking them very well lately. This looked very intriguing, and parts were, but I spent a good deal of time thinking about quitting!

Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them by Donovan Hohn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was sorely disappointed in this meandering book. I almost had to add it to my "Didn't Finish Reading" shelf, but every so often my interest was well-captured. The premise is great: Donovan Hohn heard about the container ship that spilled its contents, included 28,800 bath toys that started to wash up on shores in Alaska, and perhaps in Maine. He sets out to investigate and winds up on a journey of several years. He travels to Alaska, and joins in major beach cleanup projects, finding one of the legendary bath toys. Trying to trace the path of the toys, he goes to China to visit the toy factory from whence the toys came, and he travels on a container ship along the path of the ill-fated ship. But his quest doesn't stop there. He continues his quest on several scientific research vessels in the Atlantic, and ends his journey by traveling through the Northwest Passage on a Canadian icebreaker. He is never able to prove the legend of the "rubber ducks" (actually plastic), but along the way he shares a wealth of scientific research. He covers ocean currents, ocean pollution, the chemistry of plastic, meteorology, and the formation of Arctic ice. I got bored in many places in the book, having to go back to re-read or skimming over dense scientific explanation. It would have been very helpful to include some visual references - maps of the Alaska coastline for example, and a map of the Pacific Gyres. (I pulled out a science book from school for that). I think the book would have benefitted from some serious rewriting. I found the book most interesting during his description of his beachcombing days in Alaska and his trip on the container ship. I also enjoyed reading about some of the researchers he met, especially Amy Bower, the blind oceanographer.

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Book #41 Another Disappointing Read

2011-05-30T13:16:00.002-04:00

A Disappointing Read

2011-05-23T19:38:00.000-04:00

Love Mercy by Earlene Fowler
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This first book of a new Earlene Fowler series was disappointing. I really wanted to like it more. Love Mercy Johnson is still getting over the death of her husband. She is part owner of a local diner in fictitious Morro Bay, and she has a wide circle of friends, including Benni Harper. One of her granddaughters arrives on her doorstep with a stolen banjo and a tale of woe. There is no mystery involved, just a gentle and very cliched story of family and friends helping each other get by. I found the character development forced and I got tired of reading all the background. I also thought the book was way too preachy. I don't mind Christian-themed literature, but I felt that I was being beaten over the head with it. I'd much rather a more subtle approach. Will I read the next books in the series? Maybe, if my library buys them. I won't pay for them -- I didn't think it was worth the download price on my Kindle.

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Is it Thursday?

2011-05-16T19:20:00.001-04:00

One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoy Jasper Fforde, and this book was no exception. My only difficulty with it was that I evidently missed book #5, so I it took me a bit to get up to speed. This book is set primarily in BookWorld where a Genre War is brewing. Thursday Next, the writtenversion is the heroine of the hour when she is asked by Jurisfiction to investigate a book disintegration, and to determine where the RealWorld Thursday Next has gone. Along the way she acquires Sprockett, a robot-butler, and runs afoul of the Men in Plaid. She's given the opportunity to travel to RealWorld where she meets the man of her dreams, Thursday's husband Landen, but just as her fondest wish is about to granted . . . Let's just say her visit with Landen leaves her confused. Is she the fictional Thursday? Or is she the real Thursday who only thinks she's fictional? Or is she the fictional Thursday set up to think she's the real Thursday thinking she's the fictional Thursday?

Jasper Fforde has an incredible imagination and wit. His love of literature and words is apparent, and a reader must pay attention else a juicy line will be missed! I will have to back and re-read the first 4 books, and find book #5. These are definitely a treat not to be missed.

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A Dangerous Idea, Indeed

2011-05-15T09:26:00.000-04:00

If you've ever wondered what effect ZERO has on our world, this book will explain! I finally finished it this week. Parts of it fascinated me, and I got lost in other parts. While theoretical math may be engrossing to some, I'm happy to be content with the idea that it exists, but I don't need to worry about it!

Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

At a recent teacher-training, the presenter shared the opening of this book as an example of excellent nonfiction writing. He shared the first few pages and went on to describe the book as an interesting read. I have to concur. Charles Seife takes the idea of zero and illustrates how the concept has developed over time. From a computer snafu that endangered an aircraft carrier, to geometry, physics, and highly abstract mathematics, the idea of zero has had a worldview altering effect. This book took me a long time to read, several months in fact, because I was reading it during our weekly school-wide silent reading period, but also because the further I got into the book the more I had to re-read in order to understand the progression of ideas. The first half of the book is fairly straightforward and easy to follow, but once Seife starts discussing higher mathematics, I got lost. I think I got the general gist, but basically I got lost. It does make me want to try to understand more about higher math however!

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And Finally . . .

2011-05-14T20:04:00.000-04:00

I went with a friend today to the NH Sheep and Wool Festival. It's about an hour away from where I live, and it's a lovely, small festival at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds. The festival is usually held on Mother's Day weekend, but was moved this year so as not to conflict with the Maryland Sheep and Wool Show.

It usually rains when this festival is held, but although skies were gray, and rain eventually arrived this evening, our visit to the show was dry. I forgot to bring my camera which is too bad. One of my favorite parts of the day was visiting the sheep barn. One of the youth events was happening, and it was fun to watch 7 year olds lead their sheep into the ring. The sheep were judged but so were the kids as one of the requirements was that they wear woolen clothing. My friend and I got to giggling as we visited with the sheep and lambs. They were so chatty!! When you're in a barn filled with baa-ing sheep, you can't help but giggle. At times it sounded like my 7th graders trying to sound like sheep!!

There was a lot fleece for sale, and roving too. Since I'm not a spinner (yet! I think it's in my future, though), I was more interested in the finished yarns. Two skeins of lovely local yarn followed me home as did a pattern. Fortunately for my budget I managed to resist 1400 yards of the most beautiful merino I've seen in a long time. It wasn't that it was even all that expensive, as luxury yarn goes, but I had absolutely no project in mind. I think I just fall in love with color and texture. Maybe I should just festoon my home with hanging skeins of yarn???

Anyway, this is what I bought:

100% Super Wash Blue Faced Leicester - fingering weight from a hand-dyer

100% Alpaca Cobweb Lace from Long Ridge Farm

The cobweb lace was part of a kit called Two Rivers Wrap. The sample was exquisite and I fell in love with it immediately.

It was a very pleasant excursion, with a very wonderful friend, after an extremely stressful week. Just what the doctor ordered!!

And I Forgot to Include This Book Review

2011-05-14T18:31:00.003-04:00

Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed the first novel in Lisa Kleypas' The Hathaways series. Amelia Hathaway's brother Leo has suddenly inherited a title and a ramshackle estate. She is the "caretaker" sibling, trying to keep her older brother and younger sisters together. Leo is grieving for his dead fiance, running through the estate's money, and finding solace in alcohol, gambling, and opium. When Amelia goes to rescue her brother from a gambling den, she encounters Cam Rohan. Sparks fly between them, and continue to fly when several days later, she encounters him as she's exploring the new estate. This is a entertaining historical romance, reminiscent of Georgette Heyer. The difference is the inclusion of the frequent, obligatory sex scenes. I am sure that had I read this (and most present-day romances) about 30 years ago, I would be reading primarily for those scenes, but quite frankly, I skimmed over them. I was much more interested in the rest of the story! I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series. Pure, escapism!

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Medieval Forensics

2011-05-14T09:55:00.001-04:00

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Adelia Aguilar is an anomaly. She has been educated in Salerno and trained as a doctor. Her specialty is forensics. It's 1171. In what is now Cambridge, England, several children have been brutally murdered and the local Jews have been blamed. Henry II who is dependent on the Jewish bankers, asks the King of Naples to send a medical expert from Salerno's famous university to investigate. Adelia is the chosen expert. She travels to England in the company of Simon, and a Saracen eunuch who masquerades as the doctor to protect her. As the investigation unfolds, Adelia finds support and cooperation from some- a prior returning from pilgrimage who finds great relief from her medical skills, several of the townsfolk whose trust she earns, and she meets hostility from others- Sir Joscelyn, a Crusader knight, rabble-rouser Roger of Acton. She is puzzled by others like the tax-collector sent by Henry to sort out debts owed the jailed Jews.

At first, I had a hard time getting into the book, and it took me a long time read (mostly because it was my bedtime reading and I've been so tired, I'd only manage about 15 minutes a night!) I think I'll read the next one during my daytime reading!

It was a good "process" book, comparable to the forensics shows on TV like Bones or CSI. The story wasn't the mystery, but the process of unraveling the clues, and the relationships between the various characters. The premise of a female doctor during medieval times was interesting, though not historically accurate, but I felt that the author captured the atmosphere of the time well.

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Friday Five: Word Associations

2011-05-06T18:19:00.000-04:00

As posted at RevGalBlogPals by Songbird:

It's been a busy week for me, trying to get back into the routine after a post-Easter vacation. (How did it get to be Easter 3?) So to keep it simple, here's a Word Association Friday Five, with a bonus twist for those feeling creative. First, for each of these five words -- all of which remind me of my *most* excellent vacation -- share the first word that comes to mind when you read it.

1) Airport - Logan
2) Baseball - Autographs
3) Art - The Old Man
4) Chocolate - LIndt
5) Grill - Summer!

Bonus: Tell us a story that comes to mind based on one of the word pairs.

Baseball and autographs are linked in this way. When my parents were on their honeymoon, way back in 1953, they were at a hotel having dinner. My mother, who was a big baseball fan, recognized 2 players from the Cleveland Indians having dinner at a nearby table. She made my father (who never understood the fascination of baseball) go over and get their autographs. No one had paper, so the two players signed their names on a paper napkin. When we were going through my parents' things after both of them had died, we found the paper napkin in an envelope in Mom's cedar chest. The autographs were still legible. We actually looked up the players (and for the life of me, I can't remember who they were!). One name was basically unknown, but the other one had a decent record, and his autograph was actually worth about $40 on Ebay. We gave the napkin to my cousin who was more like my mom's little brother to her instead of her nephew, who really appreciated it!

Introducing Joe Pickett

2011-05-05T06:07:00.001-04:00

Open Season by C.J. Box
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Several people have recommended this series to me, so since they've steered me to some great books, I started with the first book. I have to admit that I almost abandoned it, but I'm glad I kept on. The 2nd half of the book grabbed me, and I finally started liking Joe Pickett, the game warden "detective" protagonist of the series.

Pickett is a Wyoming game warden. He and his family are struggling on a small state salary. They inadvertently become involved in a murder when the victim staggers into their yard in the middle of the night, scaring Sheridan, the oldest daughter. While the local authorities pass off the murder as the work of an unhinged resident, Joe isn't so sure. When the possibility that the extinct Miller's weasel isn't extinct arises, tensions heighten. Joe is not perfect. He has a reputation for "bonehead" mistakes - arresting the governor for fishing without a license, allowing a miscreant outfitter to take his gun, but he also has a reputation for honesty, sincerity, and loyalty. He's also a good warden. Joe's daughter Sheridan, a second-grader, plays a pivotal role in the unraveling of events, and Joe's determination to protect his family gives him the strength he needs to get to the bottom of things.

I knew early on who the "bad guys" were, and the actual mystery was not hard to figure out. I did really like the main characters, and I also liked the way CJ Box created a sense of place. I will try the next few books in the series to see if they continue to grab my attention.

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Home Today For A Bit, Anyway.

2011-05-04T10:17:00.000-04:00

I have a doctor's appointment today that I had to make right smack in the middle of the day. That's hard when you're a teacher, at least in my district. I had to take the whole day off.. You can get a sub for half a day, but that's either from 7:30-11:15or from 11:15-2:12. When your appointment (and travel time to get to the appointment) overlaps that split, you end up having to take the whole day, unless your planning period is in the right spot. I am not minding too much. I've had a chance to get some things accomplished that have been on the back burner for a bit.

I'm blocking my latest project - the Mystery KAL from Laura Nelkin. Here are some pictures of what turned out to be a beautiful lacy beaded scarf.

I am really pleased with how it turned out. I used a bit less than one skein of Ella Rae Lace Merino in Grass. You can see the particulars over at my Ravelry project page.

I'm also swatching for a new project, catching up on some correspondence, and I even ironed!! I will be leaving shortly for my appointment, and then who knows what will transpire after that.

Gentle Delights

2011-05-01T18:09:00.002-04:00

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An afternoon spent with Mma Ramotswe is just so refreshing! I love visiting Gabarone, Zebra Drive, and the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency. The agency has been asked to investigate the mutilation of some cows, Violet Sepotho is running for Parliament, Grace Makutsi is preparing for her nuptials, Charlie has run away when his girlfriend gives birth to twins, and is the ghost of the little white van haunting Mma Ramotswe? Once again, the gentle wisdom and practical commonsense of Mma Ramotswe rules the day. I wish there were more books like this.Alexander McCall Smith writes lovingly of Botswana and contrast between tradition and the modern world, and he creates an almost timeless sense of place. The characters he has created feel like old friends, the ones you can sit and talk with or not talk with for hours.

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Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-04-27T19:51:00.000-04:00

Actually, my birthday was yesterday, but I was busy enjoying it! I'd been feeling a little gloomy about it - not the fact that I'm fast approaching a new decade, but rather that for the past few years, I've ended up feeling disappointed at the end of the day. I did a Friday Five on birthdays just a week or so ago, and since then I'd been trying to figure out how let some of my negativity go. I guess I succeeded! My biggest complaint about my birthday celebrations has been that celebrating a birthday just doesn't mean a lot to my husband. He was an only child, with few relatives, and his family didn't do anything too special. He rarely had birthday cake, he didn't get birthday presents, etc. etc. so when he married me, he was in for a bit of a culture shock. As our kids grew up we made big deals of their birthdays, and I always made a big deal of my husband's day. The kids would cajole their father into making my day a big deal. Since they've flown the nest, all of the celebrating energy has to come from me. Don't get me wrong. I always get a great gift from my husband, but there's none of the hoopla or ritual. So this year, I decided to embrace the low-key celebration. I even told my husband not to buy a grocery store cake which is his usual practice -- I don't really like them. I said I'd wait until the next time we went to a favorite restaurant that serves an amazingly delicious lemony layer cake, and I'd have that for dinner!

So yesterday dawned really early. I supposed it didn't really dawn --- I was awakened at 3:30 am by a very loud thunderstorm with vivid lightning, and I fell back to sleep just in time for the alarm to go off at 4:45. I was surprised at school by this gorgeous gift from my sons

My classes were relatively well-behaved for a change, and miracle of miracles, we didn't have the usual Tuesday staff meeting. I decided to give myself a gift: I left work at 2:43, one minute past our "contract" time and went home. I can't remember the last time I pulled out of the parking lot that early. It's usually 4:30 or later. When I got home, I decided to bake myself a cake from scratch. I haven't done that in ages. I also threw a meatloaf in the oven for dinner and we had a very nice meal. (I know, but homemade meatloaf with mashed potatoes and peas is a comfort meal for me!). I got 2 very nice gifts from my husband - a set of folk CD's I wanted, and really gorgeous heart necklace. And lots of phone calls from friends and both my sons. What more could I ask for? It was one of the best birthdays I've had in a long time. I

And It's Another Book Review!

2011-04-26T18:58:00.001-04:00

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jodi Picoult's new book doesn't stray far from her tried-and-true formula: Take a current, controversial issue, create a difficult situation, add in some lawyers, some likable characters and some that aren't so likable, and you have voila! That's the premise here. This time the issue is same-sex marriage. Zoe and Max have tried for years to have a child via IVF, and when their latest attempt ends in a stillbirth, Max decides he's had enough. In the aftermath of their divorce, Zoe meets Vanessa and they eventually marry. Now they want Zoe's frozen embryos. What makes this book different is the soundtrack that accompanies the book. A CD with original music is contained in the book with recommendations to listen to specific tracks for each chapter. I wasn't terribly impressed with this novelty. I also wasn't impressed with how Picoult how the different points of view were presented. In most of her other books I have found her portrayal of the different sides of an issue much more evenhanded and balanced. I felt her own beliefs were quite transparent, and unlike her other books, I didn't come away with something to ponder. It was quite predicatble, even to the "surprise" ending, which also is one of Picoult's trademarks. All in all, this was not one of her best.

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Hallelujah!

2011-04-24T09:58:00.002-04:00

Scandal Takes a Holiday

2011-04-23T12:20:00.000-04:00

My holiday was certainly much tamer than Marcus Didius Falco's! I really love this series.
'Scandal Takes a Holiday by Lindsey Davis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Marcus Didius Falco and family (just about everyone related to him) are in Ostia, Rome's busy port city. Falco is searching for the missing scribe, Diocles, who happens to write the gossip column for one of Rome's "newspapers." He of course, eventually finds the missing scribe, but not before encountering Rome's nonexistent pirates, imposter vigiles, and his long-lost Uncle Fluvius. Along the way, Falco takes a swim in the ocean, is imprisoned in a tomb, and experiences part of the initiation rites of Cybele. I laughed out loud in spots. I really appreciate Lindsey Davis' skill in setting the scene, and in the way she keeps her characters true, volume after volume.

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Finally, Some Sun!

2011-04-21T08:06:00.000-04:00

It has been a pretty gloomy spring break so far, but today at least has some sunshine. It's been chilly and gray for most of the week so far. I haven't really been outside much other than to do errands. I have instead been watching Netflix (Bones, and Midsomer Murders), knitting, and reading.

Here's the latest book review

A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I love the Maisie Dobbs series and I looked forward to this newest installment. Maisie is recruited by the British intelligence to go undercover as a philosophy lecturer at a "peace" college at Cambridge. It's 1932 and there is a growing fascination with Hitler's rhetoric. Maisie's brief is to find out whether any of the "peace" activities are damaging to the Crown. On the home front, Billy's wife is expecting a fourth child, James Compton seems to be less than truthful, and Sandra, a former Compton servant has been arrested for breaking and entering.

One of the appeals of these novels for me has been Maisie's studied, reflective manner. Another appeal has been the way the author manages to evoke the time period in which the novel is set. For some reason, this novel seemed to plod much too slowly for me. I kept waiting for the story to happen. In some ways I felt this book was a place-keeper - something to mark the inexorable march towards war, but not go too far. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad I read it, and I will continue to read this series, but this particular installment, just didn't wow me.

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And here's my latest knitting, so far

Spring Break #1

2011-04-18T18:54:00.000-04:00

Started the day off by sleeping all the way to 6:30! Doesn't sound like much but I usually pull myself out of bed at 4:45 am so 6:30 feels like the middle of the morning. Had a leisurely breakfast, read through my emails, and had a second cup of coffee while I played some solitaire. Then I spent 3 hours on school work - grading papers, mostly, and starting to think about the next social studies unit and ELA novel study. Soon it was lunch time, and after lunch I settled in for some knitting and Netflix. I watched 3 episodes of Bones, the last of season three. Although it wasn't raining, it was very gray and chilly today outside, so I saved my exercise for my 5 pm water aerobics class. Now I'm waiting for my husband to come in from chatting with a neighbor so we can have dinner. And then some more knitting, and I can actually stay up tonight and watch Castle in real time! (Or go to bed and read the newest Jacqueline Winspear novel.) Decisions, decisions! Lovely to have that luxury for a few days.

Book Reviews #29 & 30

2011-04-17T09:05:00.001-04:00

Though Not Dead by Dana Stabenow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My biggest fear when I got the book was that it was going to be the last of the series. I am happy to report that there Kate Shugak has more road to travel. Old Sam Dementieff's death has left a huge hole in Kate's life as well as in the life of the park. He has left everything to her, including a letter instructing her to find his father. His death has also sparked a series of attacks on Kate and others. Kate's investigation leads her through her family's past as well as through Alaskan history. Stabenow uses a double narrative to tell Kate's story and at the same time, Sam's story. Advances are made in the Kate/Jim story arc also despite the fact that they spend almost the entire story apart. This was one of the best installments in the series.

Behind the Secret Window by Nelly S. Toll
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This memoir recalls the childhood of a young Polish girl. When the Nazis invade her city, she and her mother are hidden in a Gentile household. Their secret hiding place is between the walls of a bedroom and a blocked in window. The story is realistic without overt violence and although it tells of a horrific time, it is appropriate to use in either an upper elementary or middle school classroom.

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Saturday's Friday Five

2011-04-16T06:59:00.000-04:00

One of the facts of life is that most weeks, because of my work schedule, even if I have time to read the Friday Five, I don't have time to respond to it until the weekend. Here's my response to yesterday's prompt over at RevGalBlogPals.

April is a month of family birthdays for me: Today is my mother-in-law's 80th birthday and on Sunday my third child's 26th birthday, so I am thinking about birthdays. Easter would have been my mother's 93rd birthday, but she died when she was only 72 years old.

I love to celebrate birthdays, but I know others don't like to as much. My second child doesn't care about birthdays that much.

How about you? What do you think of birthdays?

1. What are your feelings about celebrating birthdays, especially your own?

I've always loved birthdays, especially my own, which will be here in just over a week! Unfortunately, birthdays were never a big deal in my husband's family, and he's never really gotten into them. He does get me a present and a card, and in recent years he's managed to bring a cake home from the grocery store, but that's after over 30 years of training! When my kids were at home, they tried to make a big deal of my birthday. And my mom always made our birthdays special, even from 1000 miles away. Since she's been gone, my birthday has had a touch of the bittersweet. I guess nowadays, I look forward to my birthday, knowing that in order for it to be a special day, it's up to me to make it so! I've decided that this year I am going to make myself a cake, since I really am not fond of our grocery store's cakes. Oh, and I don't mind getting old.
2. Do you have any family traditions about birthdays?
Growing up, our birthday was one the day we were queen (or king) of the world. We got to choose the kind of cake we wanted, the meals we wanted, and always got to go first when we were playing games. We also got out of our chores for the day. There were 5 of us kids, so my mom decided early on to stagger big parties. One year we just had a "family" party, while the next year we could have a "friends" party. That way she only had 2 or 3 big parties. Our "friends" party consisted of 5-6 friends coming over to the house for ice cream and cake and games. When we got older, we sometimes had a slumber party!
The family party consisted of our immediate party, my aunt and uncle, and our cousins who were just a little older than me. And we got presents from everybody!
I miss the simple "friends" parties though that's basically how I handled my own childrens' parties. We never did EVENT parties, The biggest events we did for our oldest child who had the dreaded summer birthday was to sometimes opt to take his friends to the state park for a swim party.
3. Is it easy to remember friends' and family members' birthdays? If so, how do you do it?
Yes and no. I have no trouble remembering my siblings' birthdays, my aunt and cousins, or my immediate family's birthdays. I also remember my good friends' special days without trouble. It's remembering all my nieces and nephews that I have trouble with. Nothing seems to work for them. I write the dates on my calendar, I buy cards ahead of time, etc. I will start off with remembering a couple of them, and then realize I missed somebody. Or I remember that his birthday is in 6 weeks, and then remember the date 2 weeks past it. I am known as the forgetful aunt.4. What was one of your favorite birthdays? (or your unhappiest?)
Some specific birthdays stand out. The first birthday which stands out is my 6th. I had had a party planned but my grandmother died just a couple of days before my party. I remember feeling very disappointed, and I remember how sad my mom was. I know I was sad that Nanny had died, but more oddly I remember feeling angry that I wasn't allowed to go the funeral home or the funeral. I finally decided that I wasn't allowed to go because the skeletons that must have lined the walls of the funeral home would have been too scary for me! Another birthday that stands out is my 16th. I had wanted a piano and piano lessons for a very long time, but pianos were just too expensive. My best friend gave me a surprise party and her gift to me was a sterling silver piano charm for my charm bracelet (which were all the rage back when I was 16.) When I got home from the party, there in the middle of the living room was a spinet piano, and a gift certificate for 6 months of piano lessons. That was probably the best gift I've ever received!

5. Post anything else you want to share about birthdays, including favorite foods, songs, and/or pictures.
The meal I most often chose for the birthday meal was steak, mashed potatoes, and peas. I always wanted chocolate cake with white frosting and mint chocolate chip ice cream. We always played Pin the Tail on the Donkey at my childhood parties, and my mom always had other good ideas for party games. We used to play what she called "Guggenheims" when we got a bit older. She'd give us all a sheet of paper with a table on it. The columns all had a letter heading it, and the rows all had topics. She'd set a timer and the goal was to fill in as much of the table as we could with an appropriate item that fit the category. I think there's a commercial version of the game called Scattergories nowadays. We also used to play a memory game. She'd fill a tray with a collection of items, and we'd have a minute to look at it, and then she'd cover it up and we'd have to list as many of the items as we remembered. Other games included Musical Chairs and Drop the Clothespin the Bottle!

In the picture above, I'm in the 2nd row, 2nd in from the right, between the tall girl (my cousin) and the crouching girl (sister #1). Sister #2 is the youngest girl in the picture. It's my birthday. I love the way we dressed up for parties back then. I'm guessing this was probably my 8th birthday.

Another Martha Grimes

2011-04-14T19:11:00.001-04:00

The Old Silent by Martha Grimes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Richard Jury is "on vacation", visiting Bronte country when he witnesses a murder. Despite his total lack of jurisdiction, he decides to investigate, especially since the murderer is a mysterious woman who is as silent as the namesake inn. His investigation re-opens a very cold child kidnapping/murder. Once again, we are treated to Martha Grimes' collection of colorful characters, old friends and new ones alike. Brian McElvie, the wonder lawman from the Devon Constabulary also gets involved. Another wonderful child plays an important role, as she and a pair of dogs are involved in the grand denouement. One of my favorite parts of this installment is out on the moors as the heroic sheep dogs save the day.

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Five Star Book!

2011-04-13T19:22:00.002-04:00

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Juvenile delinquent, practical joker, track star, Olympic runner, WWII bombardier, POW, survivor. . . these are all ways to identify Louis Zamperini, the subject of Laura Hillenbrand's fascinating biography. I was riveted to this story. As a child, Zamperini was a menace. He stole food from neighbors, played practical jokes, and had a reputation for wild living, even before the age of 10. In adolescence he discovered running and soon set world records for the mile. He attended the 1936 Olympics as part of the US track team, and trained hard for the 1940 Helsinki Games. Unfortunately WWII broke out and his dream of Olympic gold was dashed. He joined the army and became a bombardier, sent to fight in the Pacific theater. On one of his mission, his plane crashed into the ocean. He and 2 others were the only men to survive the crash, and for 46 days, Louis fought off sharks, subsisted on albatross and pilot fish caught with hooks made from the bird bones and his hands, and on rain water. Finally reaching land, Zamperini was captured by the Japanese, spending the rest of the war as a POW. The story of how he (and others) managed to physically survive the torture and abuse is both horrific and inspirational. After liberation and repatriation, Zamperini struggles with what we now know as post-traumatic stress syndrome, before he eventually finds the peace he longs for.

Like many other readers, I had a hard time putting this book down. Hillenbrand's narrative is compelling and her research is outstanding.

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Mystery KAL from Laura Nelkins

2011-04-12T05:57:00.000-04:00

This is what I've been up to as far as knitting for the past week. It's a mystery knit-along (KAL) from Nelkin Designs. The details for the KAL can be found here . There are lots of people working on this project and a whole Ravelry group dedicated to it. I am using some Ella Rae Lace Merino, size 7 needles, and beads that I bought online from what is now the Northampton Beadery.

The above represents only 40 rows and 2 clues, but it took me 10 days to figure out the correct placement of beads and yarnovers. Despite some serious frustration, I really enjoy lace and beadwork. It's fiddly, it's slow, and you really can't watch TV at the same time, but it really is satisfying!

Sunday's Friday Five

2011-04-10T08:29:00.000-04:00

Over at RevGalBlogPals, we've been asked for our " thoughts on that movement from darkness to light. Tell us five ways in which you are anticipating, or your life is moving towards light, joy, hope--new things: new ideas, new hobbies, new people...and so on."

Here are my five thoughts, albeit a bit late.

1. It is finally beginning to be spring here in northern New England. Despite the remaining piles of snow, the signs of new growth are unmistakable. The chorus of birds at dawn is another indication that new life is coming.

2. My burden of worry is lighter. Both of my sons have landed on their feet after some rocky times. Elder Son's job was eliminated two days before Christmas, and he has been unemployed since then. Last week he was offered a "temporary-to-permanent" job in the field he was looking. For now it's short term, but he's been told that if he works out, it will become a permanent job. They are offering him full benefits too. Younger Son also had a job transition that occurred quite suddenly. He has made a significant vertical move with another company, also in his field, but for a time he was in job limbo. His former company had immediately let him go, when he told them he had been offered a new position. He hadn't signed the contract yet for the new company, so we were all a bit worried. He had been trying to "do the right thing" by letting his very small company know that he was thinking of accepting the offer so that there could be some transition time. (He was 1/3 of his office!).

3. At work, vacation is coming! One more week of slogging, and then a blessed week of recharging.

4. Again, at work, there is light at the end of the long, dark tunnel I've been in for the past few years. It looks as though I will finally be able to go back to the grade level AND the subjects for which I'm best suited and best-trained. Nothing is set in stone yet, but all signs are promising.

5. Inwardly, I am starting to feel some new stirrings of hope. For quite a while I've felt like those dry bones in the valley. I have not felt nurtured or fed. I started this Lenten season by trying to follow a prayer discipline. I've struggled with the prescribed program, but have found that even though most of the "program" did not resonate with me, the wrestling with the program did. This past week especially I've been recognizing "messages" or reminders almost every where I go. One of my students wore a tee shirt to school earlier this week . I can't remember the entire text (front and back of the shirt), but the big print said : God loves you - Fall in love with him." At the very bottom of the t shirt's back it said "Read Matthew 22:34-40" These are the verses entitled "The Greatest Commandment" in my RSV Bible. That same afternoon, as I headed into our Wellness Center for my water aerobics class, this bumper sticker caught my eye: There's no way to peace, Peace is the Way. I had been reading John 14 that morning, and there was Jesus " I am the way . . ." So hope and new life are stirring within and without.

Book Reviews

2011-04-03T17:05:00.000-04:00

Night Road by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read Night Road in two sittings -- in less than 24 hours. Kristin Hannah tells the story of Lexi Baill and her relationship with the Farraday family. Lexi is a foster child whose drug-addict mother ended up in jail. In and out of foster care, Lexi is eventually adopted by a great aunt. On her first day of school, she meets Zach and Mia Farraday, the golden twins of helicopter parent Judith Farraday. Lexi's friendship with Mia and Zach show her what family life can be, and fills her with hope. All of that changes however, when a terrible accident occurs. Now all of them, Lexi and the Farradays, must learn how to live with mistakes and find forgiveness. Kristin Hannah's writing pulls me in, although I did find parts of this novel a bit predictable.

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A Long Shadow by Charles Todd

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another terrific entry into the Inspector Rutledge saga. Rutledge is investigating an attack on Constable Hensley, who was shot in the back by an arrow in a forbidding forest. Was the constable attacked because the villagers suspected him of murdering a missing woman? And who is stalking Inspector Rutledge, leaving mysterious shell casings in his path? Rutledge himself is attacked by an unknown assailant. During the course of his investigation, Rutledge gains some valuable information about his superior Superintendent Bowls that will probably figure in future installments.

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At Least It's Green Here

2011-04-03T09:02:00.000-04:00

After the 6 inches of heavy wet snow on Friday, it's looking a lot less spring-like than it was. All the bare patches of ground that had been teasing me, are snow-covered again. At least this next week is supposed to be spring-like, so I'm hoping I'll start seeing green outside soon.

Meanwhile, I'm making do with this shot of green.

I'm participating, as mentioned in a previous post, in a Mystery KAL from Laura Nelkins. I don't know what we're knitting. That's half the fun! I'm using Ella Rae Lace Merino in grass, with green lined chartreuse size 6 Japanese beads from WEBS Beads.

The above is the end result of clue #1 -- String on 528 beads and cast on. Clue #2 arrives Monday. I will probably not be able to keep with clues due to a pesky thing called work!

Friday Five: Quick Picks

2011-04-01T15:12:00.001-04:00

From RevGalBlogPals

We're in the midst of 'it' and I'm hoping that it is not just me who is starting to get a bit overwhelmed. So for today I am asking for five quick picks of things that are good in your life. And as a bonus, 1 pick for a thing you could do without.If you want to describe them? Great.If not? That's fine too.

1. Original Peeps - especially yellow and pink chicken peeps. Blue is just wrong! And I can't eat them right out of the box. I have to let them get "stale" first. I open the box and let them "air dry" for about a week until they're hard and crusty outside. Weird, I know. And let's face it, peeps need to be chickens!

2. My Keuring coffee machine. It was giving me a bit of problem for a couple of days, but all is well again. Add a box of Green Mountain Dark Roast Sumatra or Espresso Blend , and I'm happy. Strong black coffee, no sugar.

3. A bonus snow day! I needed the day. My supply of patience and good humor was exhausted, and both the kids and I were worse for the wear.

4. My knitting --- I am about to start Laura Nelkins' Mystery KAL. I did a mystery shawl several years ago, and decided it was time for another one. Here are the yarn and beads I'm using:

5. High speed internet. I have not taken it for granted yet. I find new things to love every day.

And something I could do without:

Aside from the never-ending snow, I could use with a lot less stress at work. Not knowing what I'll be teaching next year is getting old. . . .and will I have to move my room again??

If you play, send me a note so I can check out your list!

And Another Book!

2011-03-26T21:26:00.002-04:00

Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For pure fun, Rhys Bowen's Royal Spyness series fits the bill perfectly. This is the fourth installment in the series. It's the mid 1930's. Lady Georgianna is 34th in line to the British throne but also has the misfortune of being a penniless heiress. So when Her Majesty Queen Mary requests the presence of her kinswoman at a luncheon, Lady Georgianna must attend. Of course every time she's summoned to the palace, the Queen asks her for help. This time she's asked to represent the Royal Family at another royal wedding in Transylvania. Mystery, murder, and mayhem follow. Prince Siegfried, Darcy O'Mara, Belinda, and Gerogie's new maid all play their roles as they attempt to avert a messy political situation. I am really enjoying this light-hearted series.

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A Book Review Yet Again

2011-03-26T12:17:00.000-04:00

The Accusers by Lindsey Davis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Once again I am not disappointed in Lindsey Davis and Marcus Didius Falco. This is fairly mellow installment in the saga. Falco is engaged by to investigate an alleged senatorial suicide. This eventually involves him defending an alleged murderer in the Roman courts. Rome's legal system is the main character here, and Falco &Co are our guides. I enjoyed the way Falco was less of a lone ranger this time, and really involved Helen and her brothers. As usual, his wit and wily ways get him into some difficult situations, including defending himself against a charge of impiety in his role as the guardian of Juno's Sacred Geese.

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A Sunny Saturday

2011-03-26T07:30:00.000-04:00

I was awake far too early this morning for a Saturday. The moon was still shining strong and the stars were still out. Now the sun has risen and is currently sending its strong spring light right through the window onto the right side of my face. If I turn to look through the window, the light blinds me, but if I look away I can bask in it.
Surely a sign of God's presence, all the more telling since I have been meditating most of the week on John 8:12.

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life."

The direct light is hard to bear. If I stare directly into the sun, I will damage my sight. And in fact, I really can't gaze directly into the heart of its light. If I try, my eyes clamp shut in self-defense, without volition. But I keep turning my face towards the light, and I catch quick glimpses of its brilliance. And I want to sit in the light, and walk outside in it. I seek it out whenever I can.

So much like my relationship with God. I catch a flash of the life we are promised. Once in a very great while, for a very brief moment, I gaze directly into Light that is at the center of all things. For a microsecond, I "get" it. But I can't maintain that experience, that connection. Without volition, I shut down. In self-defense? I know I think I want to live in the direct light, but somehow I keep turning away from it. And yet, I keep seeking it out.

Joy

2011-03-21T21:36:00.000-04:00

I started this morning by reading a couple of the "Joyful" Psalms. I spent some time with Psalm 66

¹Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;

²sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise.

³Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.

⁴All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Selah

⁵Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.

⁶He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him,

⁷who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah

and Psalm 100

¹Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

²Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.

³Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.

⁵For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

I started thinking about happiness and joy. We use these words interchangeably. But the more I thought about it, I realized that they are different emotions, at least for me. I feel joy at a much deeper level than happiness. Joy fills my being up completely. There is no room for any other thought. I experience it in every cell of my body. Joy is exuberant and cannot be contained. These psalms reflect some of that exuberance for me. I don't feel it often enough. I think young children experience it easily and often, but somehow we lose this openness as we age. I decided that this week I want to consciously look for joy.

A New to Me Hymn

2011-03-20T15:25:00.000-04:00

We sang this hymn this morning from the New Century Hymnal. (United Church of Christ) It was one we hadn't sung before. I loved it! I found this video on Youtube when I googled the hymn. I think it's from an Episcopal service.

Praying through Lent

2011-03-20T14:20:00.000-04:00

My prayer discipline has been challenging this week. I have struggled with finding time, and I had a great deal of difficulty "connecting" with the prayer prompts I'm using. All was not lost however. I did find myself praying more often, throughout the day, rather than a longer period of intentional contemplation. I also did something I don't usually do. I prayed for a specific-to-me physical problem to be resolved, and it was. Several years ago I had a very painful (though minor) health issue that took several doctor's visits, and several extremely painful treatments to cure. Monday morning it appeared that the problem was recurring. I started praying hard. I asked God to take the problem away. Wednesday afternoon, the problem resolved itself. My prayer was answered. The immense sense of gratitude is hard to express! I find it much easier to pray for others than to pray for myself. I do pray for myself for the "big stuff" -- clarity, wisdom, guidance, patience, etc. but why is it so hard to ask for the "little things" - relief from a headache, a good conversation with a difficult student, a solution to a scheduling problem, etc???

Impatient for Green

2011-03-19T14:21:00.000-04:00

We have had almost two weeks of thaw. Yesterday the thermometer made it past 60°F. Today it's more seasonable, but it still melting out there. I get a little depressed when I'm driving around town. Downtown, most yards are almost empty of snow. The light is definitely stronger and longer, and the avian population around my yard is definitely excited. Yet my yard is still full of stuff that used to be snow. It's now more of a dingy blanket of coarse ice crystals. It's only when I compare then and now pictures that I see progress.

This was my yard 6 weeks ago:

From 2011-02-02

Here it it is today:

From 2011-03-19

There IS a big difference. I can see that, when I compare the pictures.

There is hope, however. I spied this on my way in from getting the mail.

From 2011-03-19

A Terrific Young Adult Read!

2011-03-18T15:36:00.001-04:00

Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Swallowing Stones is a terrific young adult novel, posing some tough ethical questions. Jenna Ward's father is killed in a freak accident after a teenager shoots an antique Winchester into the air. The story is told from two different points of view: Jenna's and Michael, who fired the gun. As Jenna deals with her father's sudden death, Michael is wracked not only with his guilt, but with the pact he made with Joe, his best friend, to keep the circumstances of the accident secret. The portrayal of the two teens, their interactions with their friends, and their struggle with doing what is right, is quite realistic. The story was gripping, and I couldn't put it down! There is some mild sexual content (the description of very realistic emotions and physical reactions) that might prevent me from using this book with my 7th graders, but it's certainly a book that would capture their interest, and I think that the questions the book poses are probably worth a few "embarrassing" lines.

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Catching Up on My Reading

2011-03-15T19:31:00.000-04:00

In between everything else --- a couple of quick reviews:

Necessary as Blood by Deborah Crombie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I always enjoy the Gemma Jones/Duncan Kincaid series, and I liked this one too. Tim Cavendish's friend, a Pakistani lawyer is murdered just a few months after his wife disappears. Gemma becomes involved when Tim asks for her help, and she is immediately drawn to Charlotte, the 4 year old daughter left behind. Kincaid is officially asked to investigate the murder in London's East End, but his hands are tied when the prime suspects are targets of big narcotics investigation. The trail eventually leads to human trafficking and child abuse. In their personal lives, Gemma is avoiding planning her wedding -- she wants to be married, but doesn't to go through the business of "getting married." Her mom is also battling leukemia. The ending of this novel was very satisfying, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

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Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Here's why I decided to read this book: I am trying to read more nonfiction, I usually enjoy biography, I teach middle school social studies and have taught ancient Egypt and Rome, and I really didn't know very much about Cleopatra. The fact that it came highly recommended was another factor.

I really didn't know anything about Cleopatra other than the legends about her love affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, her beauty, and her suicide. Stacy Schiff certainly filled in the gaps! She states quite clearly at the start of the book that there are a lot of unknowns. Most of the primary resources are strongly biased, pro and con, and much historical record is missing. Her tomb has never bee found, her Alexandria lies buried under the Mediterranean, and 3 of her children either disappeared completely from history or were murdered after Octavian's triumph. Schiff does a masterful job of sharing her research, commenting on the bias of the record she's citing. I sometimes found the amount of detail overwhelming, and occasionally found my eyes glazing over. But then I would be riveted by passages that I kept trying to share with my husband. I "knew" the bare bones of her timeline, but didn't relate it well to other events. I was surprised that she traveled to Jerusalem to meet with Herod, and in fact, I had had no idea that she owned many of the resources of Israel and Jordan. Another passage that struck me was the description of how she tried to bring her naval fleet over the isthmus between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea after her defeat at Actium. It would have been successful except for the Nabeteans who destroyed the 400 ft long ships as they came overland.

I have to admit that I sometimes find reading scholarly nonfiction is hard after a long day of teaching. I mostly want to relax, and not tax my brain too much. And there were a few nights when I wondered why I was trying! I'm glad I put the time into this one.

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Admitting Difficulty

2011-03-13T12:12:00.001-04:00

It's only a few days into Lent, and already I'm having difficulty meeting my self-set goal for daily prayer and journaling. I'm not giving up, but usually I have an easier time staying on track at the start of a new discipline. It's later on that I struggle to maintain it. Perhaps that's a good thing -- it isn't supposed to be easy.

Friday's meditation centered around 2 Timothy 1:1-6. The purpose of the meditation was to reflect on and thank those people in my life who taught me the faith, and then to think about I can carry the faith forward. Believe it or not, I had difficulty with this prompt. There are many people who are responsible for teaching me about God -- my mother, my uncle, Sunday school teachers, ministers, friends, and I've tried to carry on that tradition in whatever way I can. I was "raised" in Sunday school so to speak. My mother and aunt taught the nursery school/kindergarten Sunday school class and I went to Sunday school with my mom as early as 2 months old. By the time I was old enough to attend the class as an official student, the stories and songs were a part of me. I still catch myself humming snatches of old tunes or remembering odd phrases from songs I used to know like the back of my hand. (There was one lovely song about the Easter lily -- the bulb went into the ground all cold and dead, but on Easter morning it raised its head . . . There's a similar song in the New Century Hymnal, but it's not the one I remember well in dreams, but not during waking hours!). I attended Sunday school and vacation Bible school throughout childhood, and was blessed with an amazing curriculum and set of teachers. When I think back on my first church experiences, I remember sunlight, acceptance, and lots of hands-on experiences. My church was an old New England one, dating its existence back to 1639. It was the First Church, having been established when the town was first settled. It split during the Great Awakening into 2 churches, and the second church was built one block down the road. In 1926, the two congregations reunited, keeping both buildings. During the 1960's, when I was a child in this church, the second building was where the Sunday school was located. We had our own sanctuary where Sunday school started with a short worship service, and then we headed off into the classrooms for our lessons. I loved the Plymouth Chapel. I have strong visceral memories of sitting in the pew, sunlight streaming through the clear glass, as we sang "This is My Father's World" and "For the Beauty of the Earth." I can't hear either of those hymns without tearing up! What truly amazes me is how wide the curriculum was. In addition to all of the usual Sunday school lessons, we learned a great deal about the ancient Hebrews and Judaism. We built Succoth booths and we had seders, and we learned about Purim and Hanukkah. I knew Jesus was Jewish. This may not sound unusual nowadays, but believe me, it wasn't common back in the early 1960's!

I used to say I was a life-long UCC member, but then I realized the UCC was born after I was! I do remember when my church added UCC to its name. Then we when we moved to New Jersey we spent several years at a Congregational church that did not join the UCC. But that church also had a dynamite Christian education program, again with a children's chapel where we met for a short worship service. This church was definitely more conservative than my previous church. This is the Sunday school where we sang many of what I call "missionary" hymns: "Onward Christian Soldiers", "Follow the Gleam" (we sang this one lustily and at much faster pace than the link plays it) are the hymns that I associate with this dark, wood paneled inner sanctuary. (The only chapel I've ever been in without windows). I was confirmed in this church in 8th grade. That was a traumatic experience as my mother had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage 4 days before my confirmation. A neighbor (who attended a different church) drove me to church, and then to a gas station where my cousins from Ct met me to take me to my aunt's until Mom came home from the hospital. No one in my family was there at church with me on that day because Mom was still in intensive care. I've just now realized how weird that was ---- I don't remember any question of my not being confirmed on that Sunday, and I suspect, knowing my parents, that nobody told the minister that my mom was so ill! It was a large church, and it was 30 minutes away from where we lived, so I don't think anyone knew!!
Two years later we moved further west, and joined a UCC church near Cleveland, OH. It was now the '70's and we had what folks might term a "hippie" youth minister. I remember great youth fellowship meetings watching thought-provoking movies like "A Gentleman's Agreement" with Gregory Peck, "Cool Hand Luke," and "To Kill A Mockingbird." I also remember an overnight retreat at the minister's house. It felt very risque', as it was co-ed. We all slept on the living room floor and when the minister served communion to us, he used real wine!
When I went to college back east, I continued to attend church - this time Storrs Congregational Church at the University of Connecticut. They had an active campus ministry and even had a minister hired specifically for college students. The ministry team held Sunday night dinners for college students and I remember being specifically invited to attend by members of the congregation who also came to the dinners. I got very involved in the church, becoming the secretary to the campus minister, and eventually transferring my membership to that church. When I got married, the campus minister co-officiated at my wedding. What I took from those years was a deep sense of personal faith and community. There was a small group of us who gathered on Friday afternoons in a small chapel at the church for communion. (One of my jobs as the minister's secretary was to get the bread - a lovely loaf of freshly-baked bread from a small bakery). We usually sat in a circle on the floor, 6 or 7 us, and shared the bread and wine, prayed together, and sang together. The church opened its Sunday school classrooms to us, at night, and we'd gather there to study -- it was much friendlier than the college library, and much more conducive to study than our dorms! We were a small circle within the congregation who welcomed us, supported us, and prayed for us.

I am now a member of the United Church of Jaffrey, UCC - a small but very active congregation. For over 30 years I've worshiped here and I've been involved in almost all aspects of church life. I've been a trustee, a deacon, on stewardship, taught Sunday school, senior high youth leader, confirmation class teacher, and now, I'm the moderator. We're an Open and Affirming, Just Peace congregation and we maintain both an emergency shelter and a food pantry. Like most small churches we are really struggling to raise funds and to balance the needs of our ministries with the availability of able hands. We're in the position of having very willing spirits, but rather weak flesh!

I didn't really expect to trace my church history quite so extensively, but this where this particular meditation took me. I have learned from all of the people I've encountered in all these places. I've learned to love, to share, to be open to new stirrings of the spirit in the many experiences I've had in these places. I have seen faithful service modeled for me. I've been provoked to new ways of understanding scripture by sermons and conversations and study groups. I've grown in my faith as I've attempted to share and explain it with others, young and old alike. Evangelism is being discussed right now in a study group that I can't actively participate in, but I'm attempting to follow the conversation. I think that in my tradition, sharing the good news has been done quietly, subtly, through example, rather than by trumpeting it through the streets. It's seeped into the pores of my generation and an older generation through osmosis. That's not enough anymore --- we need to be more blatant, by naming our ministries as evangelism, and by speaking and sharing the WHY of our outreach and service.

My prayer this week is that I am able not only to make the time for this prayer discipline, but that I WANT to make time for it.

Just a few thoughts on Bartimaeus

2011-03-10T05:54:00.000-05:00

Today's reading is Mark 10:46-52. This is the story of the blind beggar, Bartimaeus. Jesus heals his blindness and Bartimaeus responds by following Jesus on the way. I've read and heard this story before so it's not a new one for me. But two new thoughts occurred to me. First, Bartimaues is named and identified, not just as a blind beggar, but as the son of Timaeus. In fact his lineage is noted before his condition. Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, is how the verse starts. That strikes me as significant. It's a specific person, not just one of many anonymous beggars. I'm not a biblical scholar, but it seems important that this story is about somebody recognizable. The 2nd thing I noticed is that Jesus did not go to Bartimaeus. In fact the passage says "Jesus stood still." Bartimaeus had to physically get up and find Jesus. Once he got to Jesus, Bartimaeus had to specifically request Jesus to restore his sight. I hadn't noticed that before --that the one in need had to go meet Jesus, Jesus didn't go find him (or her).

What does this mean for me? God knows me, wife, mother, daughter, sister, teacher, bookkeeper, friend, individual and recognizable. God knows where I am, physically, spiritually. God "stands still" or waits for me, ready to give me what I need. But before that can happen, I have to go and meet God. I have to ask for healing. That sounds simple, but it's not. What do I need healed?

Actually a third thought has occurred to me. The very last verse says that "Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way." I think I've always taken this verse as kind of the "lived happily ever after" kind of ending, but I just realized it's not. It's one of the key points here. I may be willing to go to God, ask for healing, but I also have to be ready to accept my healing and follow him on the way. And that's what makes this all so difficult.

Help me God to be willing to meet you. Help me ask you for healing. Help me be ready and willing to follow you. Amen.

Lenten Discipline

2011-03-09T08:05:00.000-05:00

I am trying something a little different this year as a Lenten discipline. I've been reading Unbinding the Gospel by Martha Grace Reese. There's a group reading it at church, but I can't make the group meetings. But I bought a copy of the book, and touch base with the group. They try to post questions and insights to our church's online "chat room" at least occasionally, to include others in the conversation. This book includes a 40 Day Prayer Journal discipline, and that's what I've undertaken for Lent. I've asked one of the group participants if she'd be a prayer partner with me, but we haven't worked out the details yet. As another way of helping me I've decided to use this space as a kind of prayer journal, at least occasionally. I'd love to say that I'll post every day with my insights or questions, but I know that won't happen. I think I've carved out time daily for directed prayer discipline, but I'm not sure where the posting time will come regularly. I'm "blessed" today because I'm home sick (for the 2nd day in a row!). I've got a wicked sore throat and for 3 days I've had a matching headache. The headache seems to have finally dissipated, but now I have swollen glands. A doctor's visit may be on the horizon later today.

Today I read Isaiah 40:10-17, 28-31. This is passage is a hymn of praise to God and reminds the exiled Israelites that God is the Creator of everything, and that God is the source of strength for all who "wait on the Lord." The verse that resonated the most with me is verse 11:

He will feed his flock like a shepherd;

he will gather the lambs in his arms,

and carry them in his bosom,

and gently lead the mother sheep.

I am not a keeper of sheep, but I am familiar with them (what knitter isn't?). It's lambing season, and I know that those who have sheep spend long nights and days with their flocks, being ready to help if the ewes have trouble giving birth, keeping track of the lambs as they're born, and making sure that mother and lamb are faring well. Most of the sheep farmers I'm familiar with have small fields, and during this season keep the pregnant ewes in a fairly small enclosed field with shelter so that they don't wander off and give birth in a well-hidden place. But I know that in other parts of the world, and in other times, sheep were kept in unenclosed fields and in rocky terrains, and it was easy for them to wander away from the larger flock, and hide to give birth. This image of God gathering the sheep, carrying them close, and leading the mother sheep is comforting to me, even as a non-shepherd. God knows me, knows each and every one of us. We are gathered into God's arms and cared for. A shepherd watches carefully over the flock, provides shelter and protection. God is our shelter and God will not only watch for us, but will search for us if we are lost. The question that I'm pondering right now is two-fold: How is God searching for me, right now? Why do I keep hiding from God?

A Soppy Sunday

2011-03-06T08:11:00.000-05:00

It's raining. That's news because for most of the past 2 months, it's been snowing. Rain is good. It means that it's above freezing. It means that maybe, just maybe, we might see bare ground in a month or so! My brother down in Virginia keeps posting pictures of crocus. I look out my kitchen window and see about 2 feet of snow on the level, and driveway plow piles of 5 or 6 feet. The last 2 days have been warm enough for snow to melt. Yesterday, the dripping of melting snow hitting the overhang by the door, and the lower roof in the kitchen, made it sound like it was pouring! At least my roof is now snow free!

March is usually the start of mud season around here too. As the snow finally melts away, the ground is saturated, and there is mud everywhere. Many of the back roads around here are gravel or dirt, so some of them become impassable for a week or two. I give up trying to keep my kitchen floor clean for about the same time. (Not that I am know for a spotless kitchen floor!)

It's been a long winter, especially considering the fact that we had no measurable snowfall until Jan.9. Since then we've officially received 115 inches of it! All since Jan. 9.

So I don't mind that today it's raining, and that it's pretty foggy as the snow sublimates directly to a gas. I do worry a bit about flooding in some areas. The lakes are still frozen as is a lot of the ground. Low-lying areas are prone to flooding, and some of the faster flowing rivers will overspill their banks if the melting occurs at too fast a rate and we get a lot of rain.

On the reading front, I just finished this book:

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Every once in a while I pick up something I consider pure fluff, and Sophie Kinsella never disappoints. Becky Brandon is at it again, this time with 2 year old Minnie in tow. As a serious economic crisis threatens everyone's financial stability Becky and company embark on an attempt to cut back on expenditures. For Becky this means a promise not to buy any new clothes until she's worn everything in her closet at least 3 times. As you might suspect, this puts a serious cramp in her style (pun intended). Minnie is also a real challenge, and her behavior (she's banned from Santa's Grotto) brings "Nanny Sue", a leading child expert, into their home. At the same time, Becky decides to throw a surprise birthday party for Luke, and of course, keeping it a surprise becomes more and more difficult as word gets out. I needed something frothy and light-hearted, and the frenetic pace of the novel suited me just fine.

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I've started reading the new biography of Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff. It's packed full of information, so it's not a fast read. I haven't gotten too far yet. I'll be posting about it later on.

I'm busy with a new knitting project - a sweater from a Family Circle knitting book. I'm almost finished with the back. I'm using a Valley Yarn, Goshen, in colonial blue. By the time I finish it, it will end up being a fall sweater.

I'm looking forward to the rest of today. My church is joining with the other UCC church in town for a "union" service. Both choirs will sing together, along with a band. I love when our two churches join together for worship because together we create something new and wonderful. I'm secretly (and possibly not-so-secretly) praying that we ultimately find a way to join together permanently. We are both proud and active churches, and each of us has a different style, but we are also both struggling with aging congregations, diminishing congregations, and of course, finances. There would be all sorts of obstacles to surmount, not the least of which is BUILDING. And of course, nobody is actually talking about uniting. But that's my dream.

The really cool thing is that my church was a church "plant" by the other church back in the early 1800's. Several members of that church saw a need for a new worship center in another part of the town as the existing church was so far from the population center which had moved since the founding of the church. So they were commissioned to leave the original church and start a new one three miles down the road! Wouldn't that be cool to re-unite!

The Last Day of Vacation

2011-02-26T07:38:00.000-05:00

The weekend doesn't count officially as vacation. I'm glad I have it, but reality is setting in, and it's time to finish any chores that haven't been done yet.

Yesterday was a snow day --- and it would have been one if we'd had school. We had a mostly snow event, but there was also some freezing rain. We got somewhere around 8 inches of frozen white stuff, and the roads were not good. We don't venture out on days like that.

One chore we finished was compiling tax information for the accountant. In the process we discovered that a small investment had been "sent to the state" as abandoned property because our statements had been returned as undeliverable. Since we've lived at this address for almost 30 years that seemed odd to us. Plus we received tax info from the company last year. We discovered this when I couldn't find the 1099 for 2010 so we called the company to get our tax info. Apparently they turned it over to our state back in September, when they said the statements had been returned. This makes no sense to us, and my husband spent almost an hour on the phone tracking down information, and then I spent some time on the phone with the abandoned property division of our state to find out how to get our money back. It's not a huge amount of money, but it really drove home the point to make sure that you check on everything at least once a year. I'm not sure how I missed the fact that we weren't getting the statements, but I guess the fact that we were getting 1099's lulled me into a false sense of security.

I did a little bit of genealogical research but found more questions than answers. One of my criticisms of Ancestry.com is that fact that there's a huge amount of misinformation on it. People find their name and assume that it's their ancestor without verifying facts. Not everybody with the same last name or even the same first and last name is your relative. On my mother's side, I'm well-documented on one branch back to colonial Connecticut. I'm trying to document some family lore about other important colonial connections, but have lost the thread. On my father's side, I'm stymied by the fact that he was born in Cuba in 1924, and his parents died there during the 1930's. There is family in Asturias Spain, and in Brazil, but I don't have all the names and dates I need, and I don't speak/read Spanish well enough to be sure that I'm understanding what I read. And I don't understand the Asturian dialect, nor do I understand Portuguese. My husband's family is from Russia and the Austrian-Hungarian empire, and they were Jewish, so many of those records are just lost. It's an intriguing, fascinating, and frustrating search! It's certainly not the straight-forward "journey" that the current TV genealogy show portrays. I'd love to have the help of some of the professional genealogists they use though!

I spent a good part of the day reading this book:

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the best Inspector Gamache book in the series so far! I stayed up until 1 am last night to finish it. That hasn't happened in a long time.

Penny masterfully weaves three stories into one. Gamache is in Quebec City recuperating mentally and physically from a tragic terrorist plot in which four of his agents were killed, and he and Jean-Guy Beauvoir were critically injured. He's staying with his friend and mentor Emile Comeau when a well-known Quebecois citizen is found murdered in the basement of the Literary and History Library. Gamache acts as a consultant to the local police as this murder is investigated. Anglo and Quebecois political and cultural rivalries are brought to the forefront and questions about Samuel de Champlain's burial site are raised. The story of the terrorist plot is played out in Gamache's flashbacks, and by Beauvoir's narrative in Three Pines where he's been sent to unofficially reopen the case against Olivier who's been convicted of the Hermit's murder. As both Gamache and Beauvoir come to terms with the tragedy they've both survived, new facts emerge in both cases, and new dimensions of both characters are revealed.

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This was a terrific read. My only disappointment is that I am now caught up with this author's series. I can't wait for the next one, and yet wonder how else can the series be extended.

Another Vacation Day

2011-02-25T07:50:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how quickly this week is passing! I'm really trying to hang on to each day since they are so precious!

My husband went truck shopping last weekend, and today he brought his purchase back home. He bought a Honda Ridgeline which he's been talking about for almost 2 years. He had a love/hate relationship with his previous truck, a Ford 150. He loved the actual driving of it. It was very comfortable to sit in, and it handled beautifully. But he had a great deal of trouble getting in and out of it, and last week, as he was getting out of it, he slipped on some ice and fell. He wasn't seriously hurt, but he really banged himself up, and more importantly he got scared. So off he went truck shopping. He got a terrific deal on it, they gave him full trade-in value for his old truck, and after doing all the math, decided that he wasn't going to be coming out in the hole. Since he pays cash for his vehicles, he didn't have to worry about financing. So he's happy as a clam right now.

Elder Son called to say he had an interview next week although he admitted he wasn't exactly sure for which job. Apparently a large insurance company saw his resume on monster.com and called him. He says it's a "cattle call" type interview for a variety of sales and marketing jobs, and he has experience in both areas. He's been unemployed since Christmas, so this made him happy even if it's not the dream job, or even if he's eventually offered it. The experience of interviewing is always helpful. I think that's a good attitude for him to be taking.

We went out to dinner at Olive Garden. I had planned to make meatloaf, but when I went to take the hamburger out of the refrigerator at 3:30, I realized I'd put it in the freezer on Tuesday. So my husband suggested dinner out. I never say no to eating out! We took his new truck out and I must admit it's very comfortable. I miss the 'step' I had on the Ford. It's a pretty high stretch for this 5"1' pair of legs to manage but it's doable. There's a good handle on the side of the door frame to help pull myself in!

I enjoyed the rest of the evening watching Gray's Anatomy and Private Practice in real time. The benefit of no school the next day is that I can stay up!

My natural body clock is bed between 11-11:30 and getting up around 7. For most of the year I'm forced into bed 9:30-10, up at 4:45 am. I really like non school weeks!

Vacation Week: Day 3

2011-02-24T07:31:00.000-05:00

Today was lovely. My husband decided to go visit some of his old college friends who live about 2 hours away. I was invited to go along with him, but ultimately decided I'd rather stay home. I think he really wanted me to stay home too. He left about 9 am and didn't get home until about 7 pm. He had a great visit with three different friends and came home very relaxed.

I spent some time during the morning with some chores, but spent the bulk of my day catching up with DVR'd TV shows, reading, knitting, and napping. I occasionally thought about errands I could run, but that's all I did, think about them. It truly was terrific to have an entire day of doing exactly what I wanted to do. I highly recommend it!

There are only 2 more days of vacation left, plus the weekend. I am trying very hard to wring out every last drop of enjoyment!

I finished this book today.

A Cold Treachery by Charles Todd
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had a hard time getting into this installment of the series. It finally picked up during the last third of the book, but it was too late for me to really get hooked. Inspector Rutledge is sent to the Lake District to investigate the gruesome murder of almost an entire family. A nine-year-old boy is missing and is one of the suspects as are his aunt, uncle, and biological father. One of the hallmarks of Charles Todd's writing is the definite sense of time and place that is created, and in this book, the setting is so well-created that it becomes a character itself. Rutledge's struggle with Hamish is much less a part of this story than in others, and I was glad of that. And I do wonder whether Rutledge may have met a potential "love interest" in the person of Elisabeth Fraser. While this wasn't my favorite Rutledge novel, it's worth reading.

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Vacation Week: Day 2

2011-02-23T07:35:00.000-05:00

Elder son came home to get his car services at our local garage. He hasn't found a garage he likes where he lives, plus here in our state there's no sales tax on services, so he can save money. Since he's currently unemployed, saving money is paramount with him right now. As is usual when he visits, he goes "grocery shopping" in our cupboards - with our blessing of course. Our main entertainment was to watch Monday's episode of CASTLE.

I solved my bookkeeping problem of yesterday, and the business books are now balanced through January and are up-to-date. I even made major headway on our taxes.

Our afternoon was disrupted because a problem arose with the business (what else is new?) and I ended up having to follow my husband to a location about an hour away, so that he could bring a vehicle there, and then drive him home. The roads here in northern New England are ridiculously bumpy at this time of year with frost heaves. For folks who aren't familiar with this term, it's particularly apt, because occasionally the roads are nausea-inducing. The freezing and unfreezing cycle cause road beds to buckle so you feel like you're on a particularly bumpy roller coaster! It's especially rough on the back roads, and that's where our trip took us!

I did experiment with another crockpot recipe from Real Simple. This time I made Asian pork with snow peas, peppers and noodles. This was another really delicious meal.

The evening was spent watching Glee and Parenthood and trying to get some knitting done.

I can't believe how quickly the week is flying by. I wish school weeks went as fast!!

Vacation Week: Day 1

2011-02-21T16:32:00.000-05:00

Although I woke a number of times during the night, it was always knowing that I didn't have to get up at 4:45 am. I started to think about getting up for good about 7 am after being semi-awake for about an hour. The phone call at 7:15 made that a definite decision. As usual, when your spouse owns his own business, there's always a problem on the first day of vacation. That put him in major stress mode. A key employee didn't communicate some vital information in a timely fashion, and that resulted in a major problem. So instead of having a leisurely breakfast with him, he rushed off to the office. I got up and fielded a few phone calls relative to the problem. When he returned, several hours later, we spent some time working on the company billing. I had originally planned to bring the company bookkeeping up to date this morning, but due to the unplanned event, I didn't get started on that til after lunch. And then, the fun began. One of the big problems I had to wrestle with is entering our payroll. We use a payroll service, but switched providers with the start of the new year. The payroll service now offers direct deposit, and we have employees who are utilizing this service. It really complicates the bookkeeping. I've been talking with our accountant about how to do the entries so that I don't have to enter about 75 transactions. He sent me instructions, and I started to follow them, only to discover a problem. We are still working on resolving that problem, but it's now 4 pm and I haven't entered the Jan. payroll into the computer records (although I deducted the gross amt and the employer's share of taxes from the actual checkbook), so I can't balance the Jan. books yet. I guess I will have to use another day of vacation to deal with this, though I had wanted to get all the tedious chores out of the way today!

I am trying a new recipe for dinner tonight. It's a crockpot recipe I found in the newest issue of Real Simple magazine, called Curried Chicken with Ginger and Yogurt. It smells heavenly! It took a few minutes to put together (grating fresh ginger and chopping a few ingredients) but all I need to do later is cook some rice and stir yogurt into the sauce. I love this magazine, and it's one I subscribe to. I almost always find a good recipe or two and I like the consumer product tests they have every month.

I also did a number of piddly tasks while I was waiting for call-backs. I handwashed my hand-knitted socks. (I was astonished to discover I have an even dozen pairs of socks I've knitted for myself!), I cleaned the birdcage, and I discovered a bill I had forgotten to pay!

For the rest of day one I hope to watch an episode of Season 1 of Bones on my instant Netflix, watch House and Castle in real time, and knit.