This morning while we were reading the newspaper, Great-gram, told me about the day that she and Daddy were walking on the greenbelt and encountered a rooster. She had been up for awhile when I joined her and she was telling me about hearing this bird and she thought at first it might be a rooster. "You can hear roosters from here...they are over on the Porter road." Uh huh. This is when she filled me in on the rooster she and Daddy saw on their walk, he was headed back that way when they ran into him.
I don't think my Mother has ever told a lie in her life...too firm a believer in Hell fire for that. But, she has embarked on a new phase that relies heavily on fiction or this is the prevarication phase of dementia.
These tales started only recently, but I'm noticing them more and more. They always come up as examples of something that proves a point she is making.
For example, her Johnson relations have always given a passing nod to a distant connection to the late LBJ. With their noses and ears, there's little doubt that this connection does indeed exist. But the other day when I was reading a biography of Johnson, she began to tell me in some detail about when the brothers parted company and one went to Polk County and the other to the Perdenales. I don't know, but I'm pretty certain that this is the first time she ever told all these particulars and I think they came right off the top of her head.
Another development happened earlier this week. I stayed up late watching a movie and she suddenly appeared in the room and asked me who had been in the room. I told her no one had been in the room, she heard the television. No, she had seen a woman and some boxes, one round and one square stacked in the middle of the room. I assured her that it was just a very vivid dream and that she could go back to bed, but she insisted that someone had been there. That's the new part...the insistence.
I know that I can't keep her here and keep her well forever, but it isn't easy to watch her decline. She's not as tall as she was and she is in almost constant pain in her back and hip, but her appetite is good. I made her some potato salad at lunch time the day before yesterday and she ate like a little pig. You just have to find the thing that she is hungry for.
She talks about things that happened when she was a child more than she ever has. She is remembering and wants us to know things about her that we may not have known. But she is still very much engaged with what's going on today. She lives for pictures of her great grandchildren. Thank You Lord for the Internet and text messages and Skype. One thing for sure, she is intensely anti-Romney. I'm betting on her to be around to vote against him.
Sloan and the Minion
Mail from Memom
Friday, June 29, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
Going for the Record
The news today is the record heat. Triple digits and the hot wind blowing. The electric company is suggesting conserving between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. I raised the thermostat to 76, turned on the fans and turned off the lights. I'll do whatever it takes to keep from having brown outs...we would all be in dire straits without any electricity.
There also seems to be a record amount of important rulings coming down this week from the Supreme Court as the session ends. Arizona's 1070 was found to be unconstitutional on all provisions EXCEPT the "papers please" provision. Pretty big victory for the administration. Scalia came across as purely political in excoriating the President. But Chief Justice Roberts sided with the liberals on Arizona. Still ahead...the ruling on health care reform and the stolen valor case.
This morning, while it was still possible for humans to survive outdoors, I high-tailed it over to see Good Old Gail and get my teeth cleaned. Gail can talk more than anyone else I know and all I have to say is "uhhhh, huh." She is a great conversationalist and one night when Jean and I met her for dinner, I learned that you don't have to talk even if you don't have both her hands and a suction instrument in your mouth.
On my way home, I stopped to visit the marketing genius at Chico's who sends me a $10 off coupon as a birthday greeting every year. They were having the orange bag sale, so combined with my coupons, I picked up some bargains. Now that I don't want to wear shorts, I find that Chico's cropped pants are a good substitute. They had the ones you can wash and wear marked down. I bought two pairs which should take me through the rest of the summer. There was also an animal print long skirt I've looked at before, that was marked down...it will make the basis of a good back to work outfit. Mission accomplished.
This afternoon I got two texts from B. In the first one she sent a picture of Tyler getting his first haircut. He's sitting in the chair with no shirt on, looking like a little pudgy doll and gnawing on a comb, but still as a mouse as the stylist works. The next text had a video of him crawling! He must have just started today, but he looked like he has it down. He's eight months old and has stayed a "baby" for a good long time. Once they get mobility of any description, your baby starts growing up on you. He'll be into everything now! Sloan probably won't like it when he starts to interfere with her things.
I feel so much better today than I have for almost a week. Yesterday evening and last night I had fever. I was chilled and achy and just felt baaad. I was awake off and on all night, but about 3:00 the fever broke and when I got up this morning I could breath better than I have for days. I still spent the entire afternoon on the sofa. I just ventured out to water the potted plants and I know I'm not 100% yet. I'm consuming record amounts of peach tea and there is half a cold watermelon in the fridge. It may feel like 106, but we'll survive.
There also seems to be a record amount of important rulings coming down this week from the Supreme Court as the session ends. Arizona's 1070 was found to be unconstitutional on all provisions EXCEPT the "papers please" provision. Pretty big victory for the administration. Scalia came across as purely political in excoriating the President. But Chief Justice Roberts sided with the liberals on Arizona. Still ahead...the ruling on health care reform and the stolen valor case.
This morning, while it was still possible for humans to survive outdoors, I high-tailed it over to see Good Old Gail and get my teeth cleaned. Gail can talk more than anyone else I know and all I have to say is "uhhhh, huh." She is a great conversationalist and one night when Jean and I met her for dinner, I learned that you don't have to talk even if you don't have both her hands and a suction instrument in your mouth.
On my way home, I stopped to visit the marketing genius at Chico's who sends me a $10 off coupon as a birthday greeting every year. They were having the orange bag sale, so combined with my coupons, I picked up some bargains. Now that I don't want to wear shorts, I find that Chico's cropped pants are a good substitute. They had the ones you can wash and wear marked down. I bought two pairs which should take me through the rest of the summer. There was also an animal print long skirt I've looked at before, that was marked down...it will make the basis of a good back to work outfit. Mission accomplished.
This afternoon I got two texts from B. In the first one she sent a picture of Tyler getting his first haircut. He's sitting in the chair with no shirt on, looking like a little pudgy doll and gnawing on a comb, but still as a mouse as the stylist works. The next text had a video of him crawling! He must have just started today, but he looked like he has it down. He's eight months old and has stayed a "baby" for a good long time. Once they get mobility of any description, your baby starts growing up on you. He'll be into everything now! Sloan probably won't like it when he starts to interfere with her things.
I feel so much better today than I have for almost a week. Yesterday evening and last night I had fever. I was chilled and achy and just felt baaad. I was awake off and on all night, but about 3:00 the fever broke and when I got up this morning I could breath better than I have for days. I still spent the entire afternoon on the sofa. I just ventured out to water the potted plants and I know I'm not 100% yet. I'm consuming record amounts of peach tea and there is half a cold watermelon in the fridge. It may feel like 106, but we'll survive.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
My Aching Head
I may have mentioned that I caught a cold from precious Tyler. When I took Sloan home, I spent one night and slept in Tyler's room in the grandmother bed. Tyler has had the Corner Cottage cold since his childcare career started...viruses love those places. I knew when I was kissing on his snotty face and breathing in his sneezes where it would lead, but he is irresistible to me regardless of any messy or smelly concerns.
A week later, I thought I was having terrible allergies after a rain. Wrong. I was coming down with a good old fashioned head cold. My first reaction was to play through. I went to bridge, I went to mah jongg, I went to jury duty, I went to lunch with old friends. I took my Advil, filled my purse with tissues and pressed on.
Not very thoughtful of others, going around knowing that I'm basically forcing people to decide verdicts and eat a salad with Typhoid Mary. But heck I wasn't burning with fever or coughing. People probably didn't notice that I could only breathe through my mouth, that I constantly held a tissue. They for sure didn't know that my head felt like an over-inflated tire.
During the three hours before the Advil needed to be retaken, I actually didn't feel that bad. So, Friday evening I made plans with old friend Sharon to go to Spring to the Brookwood Community shop and buy plants. Saturday morning 9:30, it's a plan. Off we went and of course we had to park and walk. We dropped in the Wild Goose, Crossroads and the Painted Pig picking up silver bracelets, Sharon's Madagascar Vanilla tea and little candles that look like flames...must have items for sure. Then we headed to the Brookwood shop and that's where it hit me for the first time. A stroll in the heat and sun of a June morning in Texas will bring out the worst in you, whatever it might be. I was trying to choose some tall plants that attract butterflies and I felt like I might faint! I fully confessed to myself that I am sick.
But, after choosing my tree-formed lantana, I agreed that I would probably feel better if we had a bite of something at Ellen's and some peach tea. Wrong, again.
After lunch trying to get back to the car, pull around and load plants and drive home, was a herculean task. By this time it is afternoon and the only thing hotter than a Texas summer morning is the following afternoon.
The sad ending of the story is that I had to regret to a 65th birthday party and miss out on seeing a lot of people I hardly ever see. But there was no going on any longer.
I can't take a decongestant because of my blood pressure, so the pharmacist suggested steam and saline spray or a netti pot (not even if my head explodes!). I spent the rest of the evening watching baseball and old movies, my head hurts too badly to read. Crumby way to spend vacation days, but right now Mentholatum, Kleenex and Advil are my only friends. Excuse me now, I'm going to lie down for awhile.
A week later, I thought I was having terrible allergies after a rain. Wrong. I was coming down with a good old fashioned head cold. My first reaction was to play through. I went to bridge, I went to mah jongg, I went to jury duty, I went to lunch with old friends. I took my Advil, filled my purse with tissues and pressed on.
Not very thoughtful of others, going around knowing that I'm basically forcing people to decide verdicts and eat a salad with Typhoid Mary. But heck I wasn't burning with fever or coughing. People probably didn't notice that I could only breathe through my mouth, that I constantly held a tissue. They for sure didn't know that my head felt like an over-inflated tire.
During the three hours before the Advil needed to be retaken, I actually didn't feel that bad. So, Friday evening I made plans with old friend Sharon to go to Spring to the Brookwood Community shop and buy plants. Saturday morning 9:30, it's a plan. Off we went and of course we had to park and walk. We dropped in the Wild Goose, Crossroads and the Painted Pig picking up silver bracelets, Sharon's Madagascar Vanilla tea and little candles that look like flames...must have items for sure. Then we headed to the Brookwood shop and that's where it hit me for the first time. A stroll in the heat and sun of a June morning in Texas will bring out the worst in you, whatever it might be. I was trying to choose some tall plants that attract butterflies and I felt like I might faint! I fully confessed to myself that I am sick.
But, after choosing my tree-formed lantana, I agreed that I would probably feel better if we had a bite of something at Ellen's and some peach tea. Wrong, again.
After lunch trying to get back to the car, pull around and load plants and drive home, was a herculean task. By this time it is afternoon and the only thing hotter than a Texas summer morning is the following afternoon.
The sad ending of the story is that I had to regret to a 65th birthday party and miss out on seeing a lot of people I hardly ever see. But there was no going on any longer.
I can't take a decongestant because of my blood pressure, so the pharmacist suggested steam and saline spray or a netti pot (not even if my head explodes!). I spent the rest of the evening watching baseball and old movies, my head hurts too badly to read. Crumby way to spend vacation days, but right now Mentholatum, Kleenex and Advil are my only friends. Excuse me now, I'm going to lie down for awhile.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Friday Lunch
Can you believe I drove into Houston two days in succession? Sometimes I don't go into town twice a year. The occasion was a chance to have lunch with some of my favorite old friends from childhood. I started going to school with George and RoseMary when we were fifth graders in Mrs. Bigby's class. I remember vividly the first time I saw both of them and we've been friends ever since.
The other two members of our party were our favorite teachers from high school Miss Acree (back then) and Mr. Cullinan. Although they have long since given us permission to address them by their first names, we tend to still call them, as we did back then when talking about them, as "Acree and Cullinan."
Everyone looks remarkably well, especially Eloise who is 72, but looks younger than we do. She is still teaching! She tried retirement in 2004, but was called back into service because she is a nationally recognized debate coach and some principal needed one. I'm sure she wrote her own ticket, but he probably didn't have to twist her arm too hard to get her back on board.
She was our junior English teacher and we absolutely adored her. She was single, funny, fashionable, and, we thought, the smartest person in the world. She teamed up with Mr. Cullinan to teach a course they created and called simply, Humanities, when we were seniors. We know now that they created a curriculum to ready us for college by exposing us to literature, art and history we would have missed out on otherwise. They also taught us to write. If there are punctuation errors here, it isn't because Mr. Cullinan shirked his responsibility. He firmly believed that everyone had to memorize the rules. But, memory fails me.
He is 78 now, but still the best storyteller ever. His family were founders of the Texas Company and he grew up in Laredo in circumstances that made Spanish his first language. He is opinionated, out-spoken to a fault and side-splitting funny.
We met at Palazzo for our lunch. In the Upper Kirby area, it's small, quiet and reasonably priced with excellent service. The tomato basil soup and chopped salad with bleu cheese were perfect. We sat over lunch and coffee for almost three hours and were never rushed or bothered by the staff.
We had a great time catching up and reminiscing. George is in real estate and RoseMary is a college administrator. I'm glad I'm not the only person our age still working. He markets luxury homes and meets tons of fascinating people. She has such a grasp of the problems in education and great enthusiasm for fixing the broken system. Wonderful visit...hope we do it again soon. Thanks for the flowers George!
The other two members of our party were our favorite teachers from high school Miss Acree (back then) and Mr. Cullinan. Although they have long since given us permission to address them by their first names, we tend to still call them, as we did back then when talking about them, as "Acree and Cullinan."
Everyone looks remarkably well, especially Eloise who is 72, but looks younger than we do. She is still teaching! She tried retirement in 2004, but was called back into service because she is a nationally recognized debate coach and some principal needed one. I'm sure she wrote her own ticket, but he probably didn't have to twist her arm too hard to get her back on board.
She was our junior English teacher and we absolutely adored her. She was single, funny, fashionable, and, we thought, the smartest person in the world. She teamed up with Mr. Cullinan to teach a course they created and called simply, Humanities, when we were seniors. We know now that they created a curriculum to ready us for college by exposing us to literature, art and history we would have missed out on otherwise. They also taught us to write. If there are punctuation errors here, it isn't because Mr. Cullinan shirked his responsibility. He firmly believed that everyone had to memorize the rules. But, memory fails me.
He is 78 now, but still the best storyteller ever. His family were founders of the Texas Company and he grew up in Laredo in circumstances that made Spanish his first language. He is opinionated, out-spoken to a fault and side-splitting funny.
We met at Palazzo for our lunch. In the Upper Kirby area, it's small, quiet and reasonably priced with excellent service. The tomato basil soup and chopped salad with bleu cheese were perfect. We sat over lunch and coffee for almost three hours and were never rushed or bothered by the staff.
We had a great time catching up and reminiscing. George is in real estate and RoseMary is a college administrator. I'm glad I'm not the only person our age still working. He markets luxury homes and meets tons of fascinating people. She has such a grasp of the problems in education and great enthusiasm for fixing the broken system. Wonderful visit...hope we do it again soon. Thanks for the flowers George!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Jury Duty
I'm sitting in the jury assembly room of the city Municipal Court. No wonder people hate a jury summons. We were to be here at 9:00 a.m.,it's now 10:55 and we haven't done anything but sign in, get sworn in, and play iPhone scrabble while the people who are too important to be here tell it to the judge.
It's a long drive down here and a long walk from the jurors' parking lot. I hope it doesn't rain. They always pump you full of how grateful they are for your service...highest form of political participation and all that. Probably truer now than ever since your vote doesn't count anymore since the Supremes sold our electoral process to the corporate greedy bastards.
Mrs. Manci from the neighborhood is here, but the rest of these citizens are unfamiliar. People don't dress to go anywhere any more,do they? Jeans, sneakers, sandals, housewives who look dressed for housework. There isn't a man in the room with a coat and tie.
What we all have is a cell phone or a tablet computer. Keeps the natives from getting restless about wasting a couple of hours you aren't going to get back.
Now my stomach is beginning to growl. By the time we get to a courtroom, I may not be able to hear evidence.
I have come down with Tyler's cold.Yesterday I thought I was having allergy problems, but overnight, it went full-blown. That's what I get for sleeping with him!
After a vending machine lunch of Sun Chips and Dr. Pepper with peanut M&M's for "tuh-ssert", I finally got impaneled on the third call. We hustled on over to Courtroom 12 for voir dire. Lawyers love school teachers, there were two of us chosen for the main event. Our case involved a speeding ticket, not too thrilling but municipal court is a guaranteed one day episode, so present your case Mr. Prosecutor. The State was not as cute or as good a litigator as the Defense, but the main problem was he just couldn't overcome all the doubt the Defense cast in the minds of the six peers in the jury box. We heard the case in an hour, were in the jury room for a half hour before returning our not guilty verdict and we were free to go.
The big advantage to Parking Lot H was that when you pull out of the exit, you are heading onto the freeway entrance ramp in 75 yards. I was home in a heartbeat. Civic duty done again.
It's a long drive down here and a long walk from the jurors' parking lot. I hope it doesn't rain. They always pump you full of how grateful they are for your service...highest form of political participation and all that. Probably truer now than ever since your vote doesn't count anymore since the Supremes sold our electoral process to the corporate greedy bastards.
Mrs. Manci from the neighborhood is here, but the rest of these citizens are unfamiliar. People don't dress to go anywhere any more,do they? Jeans, sneakers, sandals, housewives who look dressed for housework. There isn't a man in the room with a coat and tie.
What we all have is a cell phone or a tablet computer. Keeps the natives from getting restless about wasting a couple of hours you aren't going to get back.
Now my stomach is beginning to growl. By the time we get to a courtroom, I may not be able to hear evidence.
I have come down with Tyler's cold.Yesterday I thought I was having allergy problems, but overnight, it went full-blown. That's what I get for sleeping with him!
After a vending machine lunch of Sun Chips and Dr. Pepper with peanut M&M's for "tuh-ssert", I finally got impaneled on the third call. We hustled on over to Courtroom 12 for voir dire. Lawyers love school teachers, there were two of us chosen for the main event. Our case involved a speeding ticket, not too thrilling but municipal court is a guaranteed one day episode, so present your case Mr. Prosecutor. The State was not as cute or as good a litigator as the Defense, but the main problem was he just couldn't overcome all the doubt the Defense cast in the minds of the six peers in the jury box. We heard the case in an hour, were in the jury room for a half hour before returning our not guilty verdict and we were free to go.
The big advantage to Parking Lot H was that when you pull out of the exit, you are heading onto the freeway entrance ramp in 75 yards. I was home in a heartbeat. Civic duty done again.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Sixty-two
I'm practicing thinking of myself at my new age. Yesterday the calendar rolled over on me again, and I'm glad to be here, especially of sound body and mind, but Lord it's hard to think of yourself as sixty-something. I had a phone call yesterday afternoon from a guy I've been friends with since elementary school; he said what I have been thinking. Inside this fluffy, crinkly me is the person I've always been. My brain can remember 12 and 22 just as well as 42 and 52. We agreed that we actually feel better than ever, if you ignore the achy knuckles. Somebody else has to put up with your kids and your house and car are paid for. You can still work if you want to, but technically could go fishing. Even though the 60's means gone to seed instead of flower power for us these days, we're doing pretty well for ourselves. If you're really lucky, God gives you the 60's and 70's to enjoy what you've worked for before He needs you to come home.
Speaking of which, Sloan had another very interesting conversation on Saturday...this one with her parents. They were off to meet some friends for a street fest and Sloan insisted on bringing along the framed Psalm that Michelle made when she was born. The kids tried to talk her out of bringing something fragile along, but she told them that she needed to show it to her friend Kate and talk to her about God. They asked her why she needed to do this and she replied that God is not fun, He's important. We are not going to be on earth forever and we need to know about God. None of us have had this conversation with Sloan and I have to admit that we are not good church goers. In fact, Sloan especially doesn't like to go to "that church by Nai Nai's house." When she was just tiny, she told B that God was in there (the living room). And most recently I heard her tell Tyler not to be afraid in his room alone that God is always with him. When I asked her how she knew this, she told me, as if I were the child, that He told her. And you know what? I think that He did.
This is going to be a hectic week. Yesterday I had to work on curriculum with the social studies committee, but I got to go out to lunch for my birthday with a couple of friends. Then I had to run to Loew's and get stuff to repot plants. By the time I finished that job, it was cocktail time and I was worn out and sweaty. Today I have pilates and tonight I have bridge. Tomorrow I'm going out to lunch for my birthday again and playing mah jongg in the afternoon. Thursday I have jury duty, but it's only municipal court, so it can only last one day, and Friday I'm going in to town to meet some high school friends for lunch at Palazzo. It feels so good to be able to do all this running around and not be having to get up and go to work. But I was reminded of something this morning. On the subject of retiring, Justice Thurgood Marshall famously said he didn't want to retire. He wanted to live to 110 and be shot by a jealous husband. I like his attitude!
Speaking of which, Sloan had another very interesting conversation on Saturday...this one with her parents. They were off to meet some friends for a street fest and Sloan insisted on bringing along the framed Psalm that Michelle made when she was born. The kids tried to talk her out of bringing something fragile along, but she told them that she needed to show it to her friend Kate and talk to her about God. They asked her why she needed to do this and she replied that God is not fun, He's important. We are not going to be on earth forever and we need to know about God. None of us have had this conversation with Sloan and I have to admit that we are not good church goers. In fact, Sloan especially doesn't like to go to "that church by Nai Nai's house." When she was just tiny, she told B that God was in there (the living room). And most recently I heard her tell Tyler not to be afraid in his room alone that God is always with him. When I asked her how she knew this, she told me, as if I were the child, that He told her. And you know what? I think that He did.
This is going to be a hectic week. Yesterday I had to work on curriculum with the social studies committee, but I got to go out to lunch for my birthday with a couple of friends. Then I had to run to Loew's and get stuff to repot plants. By the time I finished that job, it was cocktail time and I was worn out and sweaty. Today I have pilates and tonight I have bridge. Tomorrow I'm going out to lunch for my birthday again and playing mah jongg in the afternoon. Thursday I have jury duty, but it's only municipal court, so it can only last one day, and Friday I'm going in to town to meet some high school friends for lunch at Palazzo. It feels so good to be able to do all this running around and not be having to get up and go to work. But I was reminded of something this morning. On the subject of retiring, Justice Thurgood Marshall famously said he didn't want to retire. He wanted to live to 110 and be shot by a jealous husband. I like his attitude!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Blah, blah, blah.....
Read the Sunday paper while having my tea. Never thought you'd hear me say that, huh? The coffee drinker has gone to Twinings English Breakfast...less acid, less caffeine. Ah the tribulations of aging.
It appears that Syria is going to be the flashpoint for a new threat to world peace. Mr. Al-Assad, emphasis on ass, seems to feel compelled to kill off the majority Sunni population of his country, and the rest of the world seems to be going to stand by and act as horrified witnesses. Oh, except for Vladimir the Russian, who is already putting a few rocket launchers and boots on the ground in case any of the other nations of the world decide this genocide has to be stopped.
The end of this month the Supremes will be handing down their ruling on the constitutionality of the congressional plan to fund affordable health care, which I daresay could have an impact on the outcome of the presidential election in November. Obama did a really crappy job of letting the Republicans make an acceptable piece of legislation sound like socialized medicine. I've been listening to presidents since Nixon say that we have to reform health care delivery in this country and when Congress finally enacts legislation that is originally the idea of conservative strategists, Roger Ailes is able to convince the Faux News nation that it is government controlled health care and not regulation of the insurance industry. Why do you suppose Americans, who pay more for health care than any other people on earth and get less for their medical dollar than any industrialized society, won't accept the idea that health care managed by insurance claims adjusters isn't good for anyone except the insurance companies? Do you really want United Health Care to decide whether you should get your chemotherapy? Did you really like learning that the baby you're carrying is a pre-existing condition when your husband has to change insurance plans with his new job?
Everybody is up in arms because the cut scores for the STAAR test are so low. Every teacher in this state could have told you they would be. Your exemplary TAKS trained house apes can't read and they certainly can't think. We have turned the public schools into testing factories where the curriculum has been set aside in favor of teaching test taking strategies. Kids don't read a paragraph and understand the ideas being communicated in a context. They are looking for the bold black words, which they will retain long enough to find on the assessment and they will choose that answer and bubble it in. I know this because when you ask high school students to familiarize themselves with new vocabulary in a content area, they look only at the bold black words and the few words before and after the bold black words. School districts are planning curriculum based on English courses where students don't actually have to read the novels. Kids always have done well on the social studies TAKS test, but they didn't have to know any history really. It has been a skills test. Can you pick information out of this paragraph about explorers? Can you read this map and pick out the countries who sided together in this war? Crimeny! I have kids who come to my class from calculus and ask me how many points each question on my test is worth. No, I am not kidding.
Finland is the leader of the world's nations in education. If anyone cares to look at the reasons why, it begins with teaching being a very competitive profession. They attract excellent, highly motivated educators by making it a respected profession and by paying those professionals competitively. Students who graduate from college with tens of thousands of dollars in debt for their education are not going to be interested in $42,000 dollar starting salaries that essentially peak out in about ten years at a whopping $57,000.
America, teaching is not a job for married women whose husbands make good salaries, so the little woman will make her pin money and be off when the kids are out of school anymore. Lots of the girls I work with are unmarried and sometimes go without groceries to make the rent and car payment. The ones who are divorced and have kids to raise on their own are even worse off. Their health insurance premiums are so high to cover their children, they are essentially working just for that purpose.
I could rant on, but I won't. I need to tidy up around the cottage and pretend that all's right with the world or my blood pressure won't be in bounds. Besides it's only six minutes til Bob Schieffer takes on Mitt Romney and I don't want to miss that.
Happy Father's Day and good luck to Jim Furyk in the U.S.Open.
It appears that Syria is going to be the flashpoint for a new threat to world peace. Mr. Al-Assad, emphasis on ass, seems to feel compelled to kill off the majority Sunni population of his country, and the rest of the world seems to be going to stand by and act as horrified witnesses. Oh, except for Vladimir the Russian, who is already putting a few rocket launchers and boots on the ground in case any of the other nations of the world decide this genocide has to be stopped.
The end of this month the Supremes will be handing down their ruling on the constitutionality of the congressional plan to fund affordable health care, which I daresay could have an impact on the outcome of the presidential election in November. Obama did a really crappy job of letting the Republicans make an acceptable piece of legislation sound like socialized medicine. I've been listening to presidents since Nixon say that we have to reform health care delivery in this country and when Congress finally enacts legislation that is originally the idea of conservative strategists, Roger Ailes is able to convince the Faux News nation that it is government controlled health care and not regulation of the insurance industry. Why do you suppose Americans, who pay more for health care than any other people on earth and get less for their medical dollar than any industrialized society, won't accept the idea that health care managed by insurance claims adjusters isn't good for anyone except the insurance companies? Do you really want United Health Care to decide whether you should get your chemotherapy? Did you really like learning that the baby you're carrying is a pre-existing condition when your husband has to change insurance plans with his new job?
Everybody is up in arms because the cut scores for the STAAR test are so low. Every teacher in this state could have told you they would be. Your exemplary TAKS trained house apes can't read and they certainly can't think. We have turned the public schools into testing factories where the curriculum has been set aside in favor of teaching test taking strategies. Kids don't read a paragraph and understand the ideas being communicated in a context. They are looking for the bold black words, which they will retain long enough to find on the assessment and they will choose that answer and bubble it in. I know this because when you ask high school students to familiarize themselves with new vocabulary in a content area, they look only at the bold black words and the few words before and after the bold black words. School districts are planning curriculum based on English courses where students don't actually have to read the novels. Kids always have done well on the social studies TAKS test, but they didn't have to know any history really. It has been a skills test. Can you pick information out of this paragraph about explorers? Can you read this map and pick out the countries who sided together in this war? Crimeny! I have kids who come to my class from calculus and ask me how many points each question on my test is worth. No, I am not kidding.
Finland is the leader of the world's nations in education. If anyone cares to look at the reasons why, it begins with teaching being a very competitive profession. They attract excellent, highly motivated educators by making it a respected profession and by paying those professionals competitively. Students who graduate from college with tens of thousands of dollars in debt for their education are not going to be interested in $42,000 dollar starting salaries that essentially peak out in about ten years at a whopping $57,000.
America, teaching is not a job for married women whose husbands make good salaries, so the little woman will make her pin money and be off when the kids are out of school anymore. Lots of the girls I work with are unmarried and sometimes go without groceries to make the rent and car payment. The ones who are divorced and have kids to raise on their own are even worse off. Their health insurance premiums are so high to cover their children, they are essentially working just for that purpose.
I could rant on, but I won't. I need to tidy up around the cottage and pretend that all's right with the world or my blood pressure won't be in bounds. Besides it's only six minutes til Bob Schieffer takes on Mitt Romney and I don't want to miss that.
Happy Father's Day and good luck to Jim Furyk in the U.S.Open.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Move over Meryl
The little dynamo has been safely returned to her parents after spending three nights. She got a little homesick the first night and began renegotiating the length of her stay. We would be fine all day, but at bedtime she would get "worried" about her mama and dad. The mood passes pretty quickly and generally doesn't involve tears, but if Miss Chatterbox gets quiet, it's a sign that she is brooding on something.
We had a fun time for the first couple of days. Even watering plants is fun when you have on your swimsuit and your crazy Memom keeps turning the sprayer on you. We visited Sloan's favorite toy store to spend her wooden nickles. She picked out an ocelot from the weird and wonderful stuffed animal selection. She couldn't remember the word ocelot for love nor money, so she sort of changed it to "swallowsot." But the WRN better be ready because on O day next fall, she is going to have a really good visual for show and tell.
We did go to the movies and she liked Madagascar 3, but she loved the push pop she picked out from the snack bar. The first one fell on the floor and had to be replaced by an emergency run to the lobby. Thank goodness she's a cheap date. Push pops are only $2. If she was into chocolate, that could have been a financial disaster. When we got home from the movie and pulled into the garage, she announced that she was going in and have a bath and put on something comfortable and relax. I got the bath part, she was sticky from crown to heel from that push pop, but her every ensemble consists of cotton panties and a sundress, so it cracked me up that she sounded like Scarlett asking Mammy to unlace her corsett.
She eats like a field hand, except at mealtimes. Every time I turned around she had a banana or a cheese slice. She also loves nuts and craisins and Tinkerbell gummies. She was watching a video while I took a shower one morning. As soon as I turned off the water, Great-gram tapped on the door and asked me to come take a peek at what was happening on the couch in the family room. When I got there, Sloan was sitting on the couch with a 16 ounce block of sharp cheddar with a set of teethmarks on every corner. She wanted some cheese, but isn't allowed to cut with knives...
My favorite part of being with Sloan is collecting memories of the priceless things she says. She is a total drama queen and has a vivid imagination. You can hear her all day long holding conversations with dolls, animals, and invisible princes and wizards as she pretends her way through varied adventures.
This week there was a new character who wears Great-gram's reading glasses and jots down notes while she "talks" on the phone. In one of these conversations, she was evidently talking to a caterer or bakery and ordering food for a party. She was very firm with this imaginary service provider and quite demanding about her requirements and her schedule. But the best part was when she was ending the call. She told him to call her back or he could always reach her at ABC.org!
By the end of the week, we were both pretty worn out from having so much fun. She was ready to go home and I was ready to have the order of the old and set in their ways restored to my house. Drama queens are very entertaining and exhausting to keep up with. There is a reason why God sends small children to the young.
On the way home from Dallas, I kept looking in the rearview mirror to see why she was quiet in the back seat. It will take me a few days to stop watching and listening for her. But she was happy to be back with her family and they were certainly happy to see her. Even Tyler just bounced and laughed for sheer joy when he saw her again.
We had a fun time for the first couple of days. Even watering plants is fun when you have on your swimsuit and your crazy Memom keeps turning the sprayer on you. We visited Sloan's favorite toy store to spend her wooden nickles. She picked out an ocelot from the weird and wonderful stuffed animal selection. She couldn't remember the word ocelot for love nor money, so she sort of changed it to "swallowsot." But the WRN better be ready because on O day next fall, she is going to have a really good visual for show and tell.
We did go to the movies and she liked Madagascar 3, but she loved the push pop she picked out from the snack bar. The first one fell on the floor and had to be replaced by an emergency run to the lobby. Thank goodness she's a cheap date. Push pops are only $2. If she was into chocolate, that could have been a financial disaster. When we got home from the movie and pulled into the garage, she announced that she was going in and have a bath and put on something comfortable and relax. I got the bath part, she was sticky from crown to heel from that push pop, but her every ensemble consists of cotton panties and a sundress, so it cracked me up that she sounded like Scarlett asking Mammy to unlace her corsett.
She eats like a field hand, except at mealtimes. Every time I turned around she had a banana or a cheese slice. She also loves nuts and craisins and Tinkerbell gummies. She was watching a video while I took a shower one morning. As soon as I turned off the water, Great-gram tapped on the door and asked me to come take a peek at what was happening on the couch in the family room. When I got there, Sloan was sitting on the couch with a 16 ounce block of sharp cheddar with a set of teethmarks on every corner. She wanted some cheese, but isn't allowed to cut with knives...
My favorite part of being with Sloan is collecting memories of the priceless things she says. She is a total drama queen and has a vivid imagination. You can hear her all day long holding conversations with dolls, animals, and invisible princes and wizards as she pretends her way through varied adventures.
This week there was a new character who wears Great-gram's reading glasses and jots down notes while she "talks" on the phone. In one of these conversations, she was evidently talking to a caterer or bakery and ordering food for a party. She was very firm with this imaginary service provider and quite demanding about her requirements and her schedule. But the best part was when she was ending the call. She told him to call her back or he could always reach her at ABC.org!
By the end of the week, we were both pretty worn out from having so much fun. She was ready to go home and I was ready to have the order of the old and set in their ways restored to my house. Drama queens are very entertaining and exhausting to keep up with. There is a reason why God sends small children to the young.
On the way home from Dallas, I kept looking in the rearview mirror to see why she was quiet in the back seat. It will take me a few days to stop watching and listening for her. But she was happy to be back with her family and they were certainly happy to see her. Even Tyler just bounced and laughed for sheer joy when he saw her again.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Saturday Morning
I just got off the gazelle and I am sweating like an NBA all star at half time. No, not because of my intense workout, but because I'm trying to keep the thermostat set on 75 degrees. That is a fine setting if you are sitting on the couch watching TV, but if you move, it better be with a fan running.
Yesterday I stuck with my calorie counting and even with coconut shrimp appetizers and two glasses of PG, I stayed in bounds. Besides the gazelle, the only exercise I got was a stroll through Charmin Charlie's and the Target store. But walking is walking and it registers on the calories burned.
I had to get a baby gift for B's sister-in-law who is expecting in August. I went for practical instead of wow because she will have all the wow she needs and no onesies. I did a gift bag of mixed layette items and I found the book that I wanted to add to his library. It's called I Love You Through and Through and it was one of the first books I bought for Sloan. It's just so sweet and the pictures tug at my heartstrings, so I hope Luke and his parents will like it as much as Sloan did.
I also got Sloan a couple of new things while I was there. She will be here on Monday and I thought she might like it if we began to read chapter books. She is very interested in letters and words and will be reading before you know it. There are several series of very primary chapter books. I chose a couple that look as if they will touch on her favorite themes: damsels in distress and spooky nights. I also got a card game that I think she will like, just in case there's a rainy day or we just need to chill out for awhile.
So this morning I'm cooking a pot of charra beans for their heart healthy protein. It rained last night, so I don't have to worry about the plants today. I might as well pull up that diva cucumber vine...for a plant that was prolific in May,it isn't worth watering now. Blooms yes, cucumbers no. I sewed a button back on the waistband of my favorite summer cropped pants; I am a domestic dynamo!
The only bummer about today is that the potential Triple Crown winner scratched at Belmont. I had the idea that we could have cocktails and watch the race and it would be interesting because of the possibility of I'll Take Another sweeping. Now, we'll just have to drink and watch the horse race and it won't matter who wins!
Maybe, just maybe, between now and the call to the gate, I'll get motivated to finally tackle my closet. It's been on my agenda since Tuesday, with no results, and here it is already Saturday...
Friday, June 8, 2012
Miscellaneous
Got the roadster running...my brother is the best. He was up early and off to the auto parts store to get the Highlander a new battery. He installed the power cell and we were able to hit Los Palomas by lunch time. Did you know there are 528 calories in three soft fajita tacos (flour tortilla, chicken, no cheese)? I didn't either until I downloaded My Fitness Pal yesterday. That app is a calorie counting whiz. To lose a pound and a half a week, I need to limit my daily calories to 1490. Yesterday I did that, and besides Mexican food, I had a Pepperidge Farm Santa Cruz oatmeal raisin cookie (130 calories).
The rest of the day, when I wasn't focused on food and calories, I did a lot of little odds and ends. I was, to use one of my Daddy's best expressions, piddling around. I don't know the definition of piddling, but it's more industrious than "messing" and way less taxing than working. I believe piddling only occurs in Texas and some of the other member states of the late Confederacy. It is a fine art. You have to take your things out of the junk drawer and throw away a lot of address labels from the Leukemia Society and bent paper clips. I gave a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society once in the name of a girl Peggy taught with. That organization has kept me in address labels ever since. Note to self: send them a check.
Piddling also led me to the stepladder and the bathroom mirror. My quads are so sore from the reformer workout, I didn't think I was going to get up two steps. After I found out how limited my range of motion was, I decided to go online and find a black dress, casual with short sleeves and preferably knit. What looks like the right one is an Eileen Fischer ballet neck, knee-length, cap sleeved cutie from Garnet Hill. It was a bargain including shipping and is on the way. It is ultimately just a great big black Tshirt, but it will be cooler than pants and hide more spare tires than the trunk of a Buick. I am prepared to love this dress with turquoise jewelry and flat sandals...I'd better not be disappointed.
All this activity brought me right up to nap time. I had to stretch out on the couch and remind myself that I am, after all, on vacation. I read until I couldn't take anymore of Ana and Christian's steamy love life and then I snoozed for about an hour. It was cloudy with the promise of rain, so perfect for napping.
The other news of the day was an email from Marine One. He is going to be very chatty in his emails which is a change from the previous principal. He was announcing the selection of one of the new assistants. She is a KHS grad, no surprise there. Admin likes to keep it in the family. I didn't recognize the name, but he sounded positive about her. What is he going to say,
"Central is sticking me with this dud that didn't work out in her last position."?I also received an email from the social studies coordinator about an advisory committee she's putting together to do the new scope and sequence. We are changing to nine week grading periods, so some things are going to need to be realigned. Big day, huh? Okay, pretty dull stuff, but I'm recharging my battery here, so I have to take things kinda slow. After all I have 10 whole weeks to while away.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
The Highlander
Yesterday evening on my way home from Wicked Wednesday, I stopped in to pick up a couple of things at the Walgreen's. I got a buy one get one half off on my ROC facial cleanser and a tube of Sensodyne and I was ready to roll. When you've had a couple of glasses of wine and need to pee, you don't wander around looking for stuff. A former student checked me out and I headed to the car.
My faithful chariot wouldn't start. Dead as a door knocker. This car cranked right up ten minutes before in a parking lot a mile away, but that was then. Now she was useless. Naturally I called Grunc and he came and gave her a charge and she made it home. But she's parked out front now and she's dead again.
It was interesting to see how many people offer to help you out of a jam when you're sitting on a bench in front of the Walgreen's. There's a Red Box movie rental there, so it's pretty high traffic, and only the nicest people rent from Red Box evidently, because they all asked whether I needed help or a ride or a jump start. Who says there are no good people left?
After Grunc finishes his workout and gets cleaned up, he'll be over to get her a new battery. I don't want her to know I'm feeling disloyal, but I've been looking at car rankings on the Internet this morning. Even though she only has 65,000 or so miles on her, The Highlander is nine years old. I was planning to drive her forever because she's the best ride, the right size and still beautiful after all these years. She's a classic. Our coloring matches and she doesn't show dirt no matter how infrequently I take her to the Pirate's Cove for half price Tuesdays.
I'll have to think about this. I don't really want a car payment, but dependable transportation is non-negotiable and no matter how nice people are, I didn't like the feeling of being stranded even in my own neighborhood.
Shh, don't say anything in front of her, I wouldn't hurt her feelings for the world.
My faithful chariot wouldn't start. Dead as a door knocker. This car cranked right up ten minutes before in a parking lot a mile away, but that was then. Now she was useless. Naturally I called Grunc and he came and gave her a charge and she made it home. But she's parked out front now and she's dead again.
It was interesting to see how many people offer to help you out of a jam when you're sitting on a bench in front of the Walgreen's. There's a Red Box movie rental there, so it's pretty high traffic, and only the nicest people rent from Red Box evidently, because they all asked whether I needed help or a ride or a jump start. Who says there are no good people left?
After Grunc finishes his workout and gets cleaned up, he'll be over to get her a new battery. I don't want her to know I'm feeling disloyal, but I've been looking at car rankings on the Internet this morning. Even though she only has 65,000 or so miles on her, The Highlander is nine years old. I was planning to drive her forever because she's the best ride, the right size and still beautiful after all these years. She's a classic. Our coloring matches and she doesn't show dirt no matter how infrequently I take her to the Pirate's Cove for half price Tuesdays.
I'll have to think about this. I don't really want a car payment, but dependable transportation is non-negotiable and no matter how nice people are, I didn't like the feeling of being stranded even in my own neighborhood.
Shh, don't say anything in front of her, I wouldn't hurt her feelings for the world.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Pilates Session
Vic and I went for our reformer semi-private lesson yesterday. When I first walked in I thought immediately that someone had revived the Inquisition and tried to disguise it with oriental rugs,a fountain, and the Sounds of Nature CD.
Before I could turn and run, I was greeted by the Monday, June 4, 2012
How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation Part I
I texted B this morning and suggested that I drive to Dallas and bring Sloan back for a Girls' Week. Since she's going to be giving a shower for Leslee the following weekend, it will be good timing for a number of reasons.
Sloan and Memom need some quality time anyway. We have to do a lot of catching up now that school's out and I can bring her home with me and we don't have to hold Tyler or share with any other grandmothers or take time out for school or dance recitals.
B thought this was a good plan, now if Sloan likes it, we're a go for a fun week.
The new Madagascar movie is coming out and Sloan loves the movies and popcorn. We need to go shoe shopping and we can just as easily do that at the Woodlands Mall where the carousel ride is. We'll need pedicures. 
The pool is open and it's hot enough for Baskin Robins and watermelon. I was cleaning out handbags this morning and found $10 worth of On the Park money that she can spend at the toy store. We'll have to go to the Buckee's on the way home and to the library for some good books to read. We can hike down to the park for a swing and slide picnic and play in the sprinkler. Gosh I just hope we have enough time to get it all in!
I am so pleased with myself. School's only been out for two and a half days and I've already reorganized my unit binders for AP, cleaned out the refrigerator and pantry, shredded a ton of old paperwork,finished the second Fifty Shades book and started on the third, gone shoe shopping with Sharon, cleaned the office, worked on my plants, watched a cheezy lifetime movie and slept late. I love vacations!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Free at last...
I love walking out of school after the checkout sheet is all signed, the room is packed, and I don't have to set an alarm clock for ten weeks!!!!
I remember when I started teaching after my divorce counting up to see how old I'd have to be and how many years I'd have to teach to be eligible for retirement. It seemed like a long time in the future, but I've reached the magic number today. No, I'm not retiring, but it's kinda cool knowing that I could.
What a long day this has been. I started laundry before I went to work, which felt like Saturday. Then I got dressed and went up to work for a couple of hours, that made it Friday. Back here I did some chores, had lunch and a nap, ah vacation!
I have bunches of green tomatoes on the vine. I bought my first cantaloupe of the summer. The neighborhood streets were blocked with swim meet parking this morning. Summer is well and truly here! Yea, freedom!
I remember when I started teaching after my divorce counting up to see how old I'd have to be and how many years I'd have to teach to be eligible for retirement. It seemed like a long time in the future, but I've reached the magic number today. No, I'm not retiring, but it's kinda cool knowing that I could.
What a long day this has been. I started laundry before I went to work, which felt like Saturday. Then I got dressed and went up to work for a couple of hours, that made it Friday. Back here I did some chores, had lunch and a nap, ah vacation!
I have bunches of green tomatoes on the vine. I bought my first cantaloupe of the summer. The neighborhood streets were blocked with swim meet parking this morning. Summer is well and truly here! Yea, freedom!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Make it stop!
This is the school year that won't end! It's June 1 and the kids finished finals today, but the faculty is due back tomorrow to verify grades and clear records. Since my class graduated last Saturday, this entire week has been an exercise in cleaning up, organizing, and throwing away. We ran diploma pick up and I collected ancillaries for my department, but the highlight of the day each day was going out to lunch.
I'm looking forward to the first day I don't have to get dressed and adhere to a schedule. I don't have any big plans like a trip, but I'm going for reformer pilates on Tuesday morning. I'm going to babysit Tyce Tuesday night, and I have a trip to Dallas on the 15th and reunion lunch at the end of the month.
Right now I'm enjoying a glass of Cupcake Red Velvet, mmmmmm.
I need to go out and water so my hibiscus and vines don't wilt in this heat. I have to admit to a large degree of laziness and I just want to hold down the couch and finish my Fifty Shades book!
I'm looking forward to the first day I don't have to get dressed and adhere to a schedule. I don't have any big plans like a trip, but I'm going for reformer pilates on Tuesday morning. I'm going to babysit Tyce Tuesday night, and I have a trip to Dallas on the 15th and reunion lunch at the end of the month.
Right now I'm enjoying a glass of Cupcake Red Velvet, mmmmmm.
I need to go out and water so my hibiscus and vines don't wilt in this heat. I have to admit to a large degree of laziness and I just want to hold down the couch and finish my Fifty Shades book!
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