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Thursday, August 31, 2006
A Perfect Post for August
I am a rabid blog hopper and a few weeks ago, I came across Whatever, Mom. I've enjoyed reading this blog and a couple of days ago, this post describing a mother's efforts to give birth to her child went up. I think it is a beautiful post. I considered a home birth for a nanosecond (nixed by Paul and insurance concerns) when I was pregnant with Marley and really wanted to have a natural childbirth. Alas, it wasn't in the cards for me with either pregnancy. There are things you wish you knew and things you might have done differently and things you don't have any control over. The important thing, though, is the result. I was fortunate, during both deliveries, to have the support of my husband and sister-in-law at both births. Actually, at my daughter's birth, I had three friend present also! Anyway, this post made me remember the births of my children and reminded me of just how difficult yet wonderful the process of giving birth is for the mother. I hope you enjoy reading it.
To check out the rest of the August Perfect Post awards go to Surburban Turmoil or Petroville. Lindsay and MommaK will have them listed.
Note: I posted this early due to my um, er medical procedure tomorrow at the of dawn. The rest of the August Perfect Post awards will be up tomorrow, Friday, September 1st.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Holiday at the Beach and This, That and the Other
Holiday at the Beach
Okay, okay. It was vacation. Doesn't holiday sound more, I don't know, something, though? I spent much of my time at the beach reading over 900 pages of The Forsyte Saga: A Man of Property & To Let. As I said in my last post, I brought oodles to read with me and then stumbled across Galworthy's tome on the apartment's bookshelf. I've been meaning to read it for awhile after watching bits and pieces of the mini-series on PBS. So, if I throw in a few Forsytisms like mentioning problems with my liver for which I'll need a tonic or that one must never, ever live off of your capitol and describing things as 'jolly' or 'rumtee', please forgive me!
It was good to get away and while, as my friend Michelle would say, you go into a family vacation with managed expectations, it turned out quite well. We rented an apartment adjoined to a private residence in Carlsbad. There was a balcony overlooking the beach which backed right up to the house.
The kids fought a little but well within reasonable boundaries. Colin, as he has been the last few trips, was so helpful it would not have been possible without him. They boogie boarded, played in the sand, watched Cartoon Network, snacked and then started all over again. I read, cooked a little, read, rinsed off my daughter's sandy body, read, fetched dinner, read. By Tuesday night, my vision was blurring but it was a treat.
Tuesday day, my friend came down with one of her sons, the other being in school already. Here is a picture of her son making a sand angel:
Mind, this was very black, dirty sand. My son seemed to think it was from tar. I don't know but up close, it looks like this:
Isn't that yucky?
We arrived back home, safe and sound, this afternoon. I had the following letter waiting for me:
Dear Mary Bogan,I love getting these letters from the child we sponsor at Christian Children's Fund. The horrible, terrible, I'm-embarassed-to-say-it part though is we have never written him! We have sponsored him for four plus years now. We send extra money for Christmas and his birthday but never a letter. Every time I get one of these it is equal parts joy and guilt inducing. Joy-inducing because of the gratitude and sweetness of each letter. He is thirteen years old and I love that he signs off, "your loving child." Guilt-inducing because of the whole non-communication from our side of things.
Hallow my loving sponsor. How are you with your entire family? I hope your all fine being over by the grace of God. Anyway once again I am glad happy to express my special regard to you the way you have remember me once more. Receive special and warm greetings from my mum and my dad including my sisters and brothers. In additon to that let me take these golden opportunity to give out my thanks to you that I have receive the money that you have sent to me which is US dollars 25 which is equivalent to 1813.73 KShs and I use to buy clothes and shoes and may almight heavenly father bless you and you more.
Lastly say hallow to your entire family, friends and relatives. Remember to pray for me and my family the way we are doing for you. Byebye. We shall continue to communicate to you when God wishes.
Your loving child, Saitoti Mpere.
I know, why don't you guys hold me accountable? Every once in awhile, drop a comment and ask me if I've written to Saitoti yet? Surely with the entire blogosphere (okay, the 15-20 some odd people who check in) involved, I'll get off this computer and write one letter. (Actually two. We just started sponsoring another child in Uganda named Rachel. So, ask me about Rachel, too.)
School starts tomorrow. I am ready. I think Marley is past ready. She needs her class and her classmates. It isn't like I'm singing that song from the Office Depot commercial but I am glad to have the two Wild Things gone from 8:00 - 3:00. Marley is easy because she has the same teachers as last year and most of the same classmates. She is in a multi-age program and--keep your fingers crossed it doesn't get interfered with--she will be in the same class through third grade. Colin, well, I know he will be fine but he is starting high school tomorrow. He has arranged to meet a friend there a little early. He missed orientation, so there is a little wondering of where to go first, etc. He'll be fine, but I'll breathe more easily when he is home and I know how his day went. (What little information I can pry from his less-than-communicative lips.)
Tomorrow I am planning on making scrambled eggs and chocolate chip pancakes for their breakfast. I asked Colin a few days ago which he would prefer this fall: hot breakfast or dinner on the table. His answer? Both. That's not what I asked I said. I asked which you would prefer. Breakfast during the school week and dinner on the weekends. Okay. I'll work on that. This should give you a scary glimpse into the life of my poor children. Because I am a slob (see 100 things post) and disorganized (Don't hate me because I'm an ENFP!) my children usually have cold cereal or a toaster waffle for breakfast and rarely have a real sit down dinner. And when I say rarely, trust me, that is not an exaggeration. So, I am determined that I will be feeling better because of the CPAP and thus, I will have the energy to create a more homey environment for my children. I am starting slowly though. No point in shooting for the moon.
the Other
Um... let's see. What "other" do I have? Oh, I know. In the lovely absurdist theater that is my life, I scheduled a combination endoscopy/colonoscopy for the second day of school. That means I will be making chocolate chip pancakes and eggs while drinking Ensure tomorrow morning. It also means my children will be coming home about the time I am supposed to start my Fleet laxative crud. Did I mention my husband is out of town until late tomorrow night? What was I thinking?
Well, that is it for now? It is 9:14 pm and I have to eat something yummy (the last treat before the liquid diet) and watch Bones on the digital video recorder before heading off to dreamland with my CPAP mask attached firmly to my head. (It is 10:21 now. Something went wrong and Bones didn't record. Grrrrrrrr. Teenager error, I am sure! Oh well, Project Runway, CSI NY flip-a-thon it is.)
I am so the envy of all my friends and acquaintances.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Still "gone fishing" but couldn't let the day go by without Sleeping with Bread
but remembered that today is Sleeping with Bread Monday and I couldn't let that one pass me by. So, here goes:
In the last week, I am most grateful for...
...an opportunity to get away for a few days. I wasn't sure it was going to happen, but it did. Yeah! We are staying at the beach and I mean at the beach. It is right outside our window. The sunsets are beautiful and the temperature is perfect. I brought oodles to read but was waylaid when I found a complete set of The Forsyte Saga by Galworthy. I've seen part of both mini-series on PBS and had been wanting to read it. I'm almost half-way through, so I need to keep at it! ;) Of course, I'm in the middle of Rilla of Ingleside and I'm supposed to be working on The House of Mirth of book club but sometimes you just have to read what is in front of you and that means setting some others aside.
However, in the last week I am least grateful for...
... the realization that I am too dependent on the modern conveniences of life. We don't have very good cell reception here, the apartment phone only lets you make local calls, the dial-up is prehistoric. So, it isn't that these things are lacking or unavailable here, it is how much I want them. I'm only gone for four days and I'm feeling the pain of a slower life. (Sigh!) I need to take this to heart and ponder what changes I may need to make when I get home.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Gone Fishing
In the meantime, I leave you with some of my favorite quotes:
"When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him. "
"We have, in fact, two kinds of morality side by side; one which we preach but do not practise, and another which we practise but seldom preach. "
"You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows. "
"Variety's the very spice of life that gives it all its flavour. "
"Is not life a hundred times too short for us to bore ourselves? "
"The Future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."
"Science fiction is no more written for scientists than ghost stories are written for ghosts."
"To know how to say what others only know how to think is what makes men poets or sages; and to dare to say what others only dare to think makes men martyrs or reformers—or both."
"What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing."
"Egotist, n. A person of low taste, more interested in himself than in me. "
"Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. "
"While not exactly disgruntled, he was far from feeling gruntled. "
"There is nothing to make you like other human beings so much as doing things for them."
"The best way to kill an idea is to take it to a meeting."
"At twenty years of age, the will reigns; at thirty, the wit; and at forty, the judgement."
"Too many bricklayers make a lopsided house."
"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean; who is neither tarnished nor afraid. "
" You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance. "
" There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden, or even your bathtub. "
" I rent everything, other than the gift of life itself, which was given to me without any predictable lease, a gift that can be withdrawn at any time. "
" Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. "
" The gospel is meant to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. "
"You can not give another person that which you have found, but you can make him homesick for what you have."
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
What are some of your favorite quotes?
Thursday, August 24, 2006
The Nurses of Vietnam
The women featured in the documentary and in the book, Home Before Morning, experienced a year in Hell. Most of them were less than one year out of nursing school, in their late teens or early twenties. They were often promised that if they joined the military they wouldn't be sent anywhere dangerous. Some of them signed up specifically for duty in Vietnam. I remember one nurse saying that her father, a non-demonstrative man, gave her the biggest hug ever as she left and said brokenly, "I have four sons but it is my daughter I am sending into war."**
Upon arriving in Vietnam, life turned absolutely upside down. These women easily spent 10-14 hours on a shift. Steeped in blood, often without the proper supplies, they worked with doctors in a way that was not common in the states. The doctor's had to depend on them and give them more responsibility and they met that challenge heroically. More than one nurse has recounted encountering a burned soldier, holding his hand or touching his arm, only to have his blackened flesh come off with her hand. Chest wounds with shredded hearts and legs hanging by a tendon were amongst other common casualties. It wasn't unheard of for a nurse to perform an amputation. Sometimes the best they could do was reassure a soldier that he was in good hands knowing that soldier would probably die. When they were off duty, the women nurses played hard just like the men. Anything to shut out the horror that had just been and would be again soon.
After returning from being "in-country," the nurses were in a different situation than the male veterans. While the men also had a difficult time adjusting, they at least had each other as they continued their term in the military or they were better able to find each other. Of the thousands of thousands of men who served, only about 5,000 women were there so they were more isolated from each other upon returning to the states. They had no one to talk to typically. Their families usually didn't ask or want to hear about life there. They expected their daughter or sister back as they remembered her not the utterly broken woman who was returned to them. These nurses experienced post-traumatic stress disorder like the men but it was much longer before it was recognized in them.
If they continued to nurse, they found themselves in a subservient position without the respect of the doctor's they worked with now and they were not allowed to use any of the more advanced skills and training they learned in Vietnam. I remember in her book, Lynda Van Devanter eventually found her way into emergency dialysis nursing. Routine nursing was not for her. Emergency nursing provided the same burst of adrenaline that she experienced during her tour and emergency dialysis required incredible skill.
As I watched the documentary it reminded me of the interview portions of Band of Brothers. Sixty years later, the veterans of Easy Company still are haunted by and emotional when speaking of the horrors of World War II. Thirty years later, these nurses are no different and still have nightmares, deal with depression and still have questions about why the war happened and how they ended up there. Eventually, more and more nurses received help. Lynda Van Devanter herself was instrumental in raising awareness of the particular issues of women veterans. Many people worked together to honor these women and their service and in the early 90's the Women's Vietnam Memorial was erected. I hope to visit it someday.
Who's to say why one issue, topic or story strikes a chord that resonates more than another? There are so many stories of hardship and horror, recovery and redemption out there. Why did this one affect me so much? As I said, my uncle served in Vietnam. In the few years before he died, he opened up more about that experience. Knowing and loving someone who was there is probably part of the reason. Reading about Lynda Van Devanter's experience also impacted me greatly. But there is something greater about their words, their faces, their tears that makes my heart ache and I can't express it any more clearly than that.
Here are just a few links available about nurses in Vietnam.
The Women of the Army Nurse Corp During the Vietnam War
Jeanne Diebolt's Keynote Address at the Women's Memorial
Nurses and the Daily Horror of Vietnam (This is the article which discusses the documentary I mentioned.)
I wrote about my Uncle L.T. here and here and here.
**The words of the father in this story are paraphrased.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
It's a quarter to three...
2:45 am? Might as well check Bloglines and do some blog surfing.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Sleeping with Bread Monday
I'm starting with the "worst" side of things today because I just want to get it out of the way. If I can vent this then maybe my mind and spirit will be more clear to know what I am most grateful for. I'm also going to be greedy and talk about two different issues.
The first thing I have been least grateful for this week is the noise level in my house. Actually, it isn't just in my house, it is anywhere my daughter is. She has always been a noisy one. While my son had his bursts of temper and was very talkative, my daughter is all about grunts, screams of delight or screams of anger, whistling. . . IT NEVER STOPS. Lately, her volume knob has been stuck at 11 and the rest of us are at our wit's end. This makes the rest of us more irritable and so guess what? We get louder in our efforts to quiet her down. It is not pretty. Throw in the chemical reaction when Son A is infused with a little Daughter B and it is quite combustible. I was trying to carry on a conversation in the church lobby yesterday and realized I was getting some horrified stares. My son and daughter were like two cats hissing and swiping at each other. Does anyone else ever put their kids on time out from touching each other?
The last thing today I am least grateful for is my visit to the home health care company today. I have my CPAP and it should all be fine; however, when I got there they asked me what mask I used? It was on the paper work. They didn't have any of the mask I used in stock. I thought it was a big deal which mask you used in your sleep study. When I asked about insulating covers for the tube to help with condensation, the respitory therapist looked at me like I was crazy. Why is it that whenever you deal with more than one group of people with any medical issue, you get told something different at each step. (Picture me now, fists clenched, jaw clenched, grrrrrrrr noises being made and steam coming out of my ears.) I just cannot deal with that and in my sleep deprived state, I am beyond Beyond in trying to deal with it.
Moving on...
In the last week, what am I most grateful for?
I do finally have my CPAP machine. The mask issue got worked out today and if the substitute one doesn't work, they can order me another one. This has been a long road, and although I have to expect some adjustments to make in getting used to the machine, it is just the two of us now. Me and my new sleep shadow doing our best to make the best of this sleep apnea situation.
I am relieved...
I am anxious...
I am hopeful...
I am wary...
I am ready.
Go check out Michelle of ky coop cast and Sheila of Musings of a Mommy to read about their Sleeping with Bread Monday.
NOTE: To learn how to Sleep with Bread, click on the link in my sidebar. I'd love for you to join me in this spiritual exercise.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Life, the Universe and Everything: Blog Style
It feels like a long time since I've posted, but it was only Tuesday. Thanks to those who commented on my "cuteness" in electrodes instead of laughing at me! We'll see how generous they can, with any true integrity, be when I post pictures of me wearing the CPAP shrapnel next week.
Instead of thinking about writing, I've been investing most of my blogging energy in cruising around finding new sites to read. I've noticed that I'm not as interested in some of the blogs I've been reading the last few months. There are a few, tried and true, that still having me coming back for more but like a husband with a wandering eye, I'm looking around. Also, for a long time I've done a particular booking meme but my interest in it has waned and I don't know when I will go back.
I am excited about my Sleeping with Bread meme that I started a couple of weeks ago. BubandPie joined in this week and I was very honored. She even used my new Sleeping with Bread button! Although I don't have high aspirations for major blog traffic and recognition, I would love for this meme to catch on. It has been such a wonderful spiritual exercise for me. I would love to share in it with others.
In my quest for new bloggage, I've come across some very well written posts and had some comment dialogue with the authors. A lot of them are readers and have me quaking in my reading boots just a little bit. I once had someone tell me I was the best reader he knew but I think these women put me to shame. We have, however, a lot of books in common from The Boxcar Children to Charles' Williams' Descent into Hell. How fun is that? Throw in a little Myers-Briggs interest and my plate is full.
My blog life hasn't been confined to the blogosphere, though. Last week I had lunch with my sister-in-law. She has a blog and so we spent time discussing our writing. We are very different. I am writing extemporaneously. It makes sense. I'm an extrovert and usually don't even know what I'm thinking until I've said it out loud or written it down. I may get more "disciplined" later but I'm happy for now with this approach. She is an introvert, and a very good one at that, and so she is more methodical. Posts are agonized over before that publish button ever gets hit. Differences aside, we are both being challenged by our blog posts. Muscles are being worked out; we are getting in shape. For what? Who knows but we are loving it.
A few years ago, we bought a large entertainment center. Until then, I was a seasonal furniture arranger. Twice a year (the closest thing to seasons here in So-So Cal: warm and cool) I would get the bug and move the living room and dining room furniture around. Well, the entertainment center is too big to move around so I have no good options for a furniture change up. I'm not too different with my blogs. I've gotten a little tired of the same old look. I've changed them around a little bit but HTML is like my entertainment center and my blog look options are limited. So, I've done something I will never do in real life. I've hired a designer. Actually, I've hired two! Oh, the extravagance! Izzy of Izzy Design will be working on this blog sometime in the next few weeks and Kelly at Nello Design will make over Tales from the edge in late September. I'm so excited I can hardly wait.
the Blog'verse
As I said above, in my looking for some new blog crack to get high on, I connected briefly with some other bloggers. In some cases, visits to blogs were responded to with personal emails. I emailed a couple of bloggers to comment on something in particular I liked about their blog or an unusual interest we both shared. I received responses from both of them. Chantal of Bread Crumbs in the Butter was kind enough to look over my blog and offer some asked for constructive criticisms. Veronica of Toddled Dredge took time to recommend some books she thought I might like. This is the great thing about blogging. It's not like a wedding I have to drag my introverted husband to. People are there because they want to be and they are usually friendly, interested and willing to converse.
Typically, I stay within a very narrow circle in the blog'verse. Moms, books, individual blogs. In other words, personal blogs about life and the stuff of life. I avoid political blogs. Other than book blogs, I don't peruse any hobby sites. Every once in awhile I stumble across some comment war in a blog and my chest closes up and my stomach knots up. I can't deal with the conflict so I just stick my fingers in my ears singing LA LA LA at the top of my lungs trying to avoid it altogther. I like my quiet little neighborhood. There are some tussles once in awhile but I just side step them and come back when everyone has cooled off.
Anyhoo, in the blogging cul-de-sac I've been hanging out in, there has been a lot of reflection happening about the quantity of time spent blogging. Time is finite. Hours of blogging take away from other parts of life and people are feeling the pinch. They are talking about taking time off or setting better boundaries to leave time for silly things like paying the bills, sleep and spending time with family. Mommy off the Record wrote about this blogging crossroads and the response was strong. She struck a nerve. She has since posted her Ten Commandments of Sane Blogging which I think any serious blogger should consider taking to heart.
and Blog Everything
Along with the general discussion of blogging boundaries, Mommy off the Record also found a site called Bloggers Anonymous. I really was laughing so hard I almost cried and I don't usually use do that when I'm reading. If you spend any quantity of time blogging at all, you need to go and check it out. Especially the 10 Mock Signs and Blog Intervention posts.
If you are familiar with Douglas Adams you know that I am a fan, hence the name of this blog, the description under the heading of this blog, the quote at the footer of this blog and approximately seven books in my library. A few months ago, I published a post which used his Hitchhiker's Guide entry format to make fun of blogging. It is transcribed from the soundtrack to the movie. I posted it because it is funny and because I think we bloggers need to be able to make fun of ourselves so it doesn't hurt so much when we realize others are making fun of us! I send you to Bloggers Anonymous with the same purpose. As wonderful as blogging is, we need to keep our sense of humor about it and our heads in the "real" world, too.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
To sleep, perchance to breath: It's hard to strike a pose in your jammies and electrodes.
As I prepared to go for the latest sleep study, I mentioned to Paul that I was considering bringing the camera to get a picture of me wired up. I asked him if he thought that would be weird. "No way!" he replied. He is also planning on taking pictures of me as I sleep with the CPAP on. I didn't take pictures of me the morning after because I was too tired but you would have seen the hair that is looking okay in this picture all squished up and mussed every which way. It's worse than normal morning hair because there is about six globs of electrode paste in there. Also, there would be red marks on my face and neck because I am apparently allergic to the tape they used this time.
So, here I am, in all my sleep study glory, ready to embark on my full night with the CPAP. When I saw this picture, I decided that it doesn't actually look that bad because you can't see the electrodes that are in my hair and behind my ears and on my legs. Still though, you get an idea. At this point in the evening, I had watched Cold Case while waiting for the technician to finish with another patient. The technician was the same one I had for the previous study so in the hour it took to hook me up we caught up on old times. Around 11 p.m., it was lights out and time for business.
I won't go into all the details because they are boring. It wasn't a fun night, but better than the first study. It was successful in that I finally achieved the REM sleep necessary for the titration to be successful. I did actually sleep a little about this much. While there some near panic moments, I beat the claustrophobia down. In the next 2 - 5 days, I'll get my equipment and we'll be off on the next leg of my sleep apnea adventures.
On a side note, it is funny to me, and a little sad, that every time I say I'm cranky now, my daughter bursts into a sing-song voice and announces: "Sleep AP-neaaaaa!" I'm looking forward to no longer being necessary!
Monday, August 14, 2006
Sleeping with Bread Monday
Still being a little fuzzy from last night, I was stumped as I looked at the SWB questions so I am going with the straight-from-St. Ignatious consolation/desolation combo.
In the last week, what gave me consolation?
I've been going through old pictures--which you know if you've been checking out Tales from the edge of sanity. Looking at pictures of my kids, our friends' kids, me as a kid has been giving me a nice, warm fuzzy feeling.
- When I look at pictures of me as a child, I am happy to see that I wasn't the invisible, homely child I often felt like.
- As I spoke about last week, looking at pictures of my friends' children makes me grateful for the community that I experience with these families.
- Finally, when I see those pictures of Colin and Marley, well, what mom doesn't melt when she sees chubby faces, new teeth, sleeping bodies. It is just too Too for words. I turn into one of those raving lunatic, gusher moms who just wants to talk about eating up those yummy kiddos 'cuz they look so scrumptious. How ridiculous am I? But hey, what's a girl to do?
In the last week, what caused me desolation?
Let's see, would it come as any surprise that it has to do with sleep apnea? I am soooooooo looking forward to the day when I do not have any need to talk about this. For this past week, because Paul was out of town and the kids both had obligations every day, I was pushing what is reasonable for me to get accomplished. Mind you, this doesn't include cooking and cleaning. Right now, getting them fed junk food, Marley bathed (occasionally) and everyone where they are supposed to be is my limit. So, last night, while I have felt more prepared for this study, I started experiencing some anxiety before Paul dropped me off. I realized I was close to tears when Paul asked me how I was doing, so I
- afraid they wouldn't get a air pressure number
- afraid I was going to freak out and start crying
- afraid the night would never end.
But the good news is this desolation ends with more consolation:
They did get an air pressure number; I only freaked out a little (on the inside where they couldn't see); and, the night did end around 9:15 this morning when they woke me up. I have my numbers and I should have the machine in my grasp within a couple of days. I am really on my way to feeling better and I am ready.
Now it's your turn...
Thursday, August 10, 2006
As she showed her son all the room had to offer, a wave of emotion swept over her. Afraid she would start crying, she made excuses to leave early. Hurrying out, she took some deep breaths and the emotion subsided. What was that? she asked herself. She was confused by the strength of feeling and unable to identify the specific emotion. She knew some mothers became emotional as their children started school but surely this was too strong a feeling to be that. Besides, she told herself, he had been in preschool for so long and would just be across the parking lot from her. She hadn't thought this would bother her.
Pushing the thoughts and emotions aside, she went about her business the next couple of days. The first days of kindergarten were uneventful. Her son was fine. She was able to suppress any overwhelming feelings yet was never completely at ease. Friday came, and with it, the first school chapel. This was the only day the children had a specific dress code: shirts with collars and pants for the boys, skirts or dresses for the girls. No shorts allowed. The no shorts rule presented her with her first power struggle of elementary school. He only liked jeans or shorts and t-shirts. No collars on his shirts and no fat pants--his name for anything other than the hand-me-down Wrangler jeans he favored.
"It's the rules. You have to wear this." she stated patiently.
"No! I want shorts!" he demanded.
"You can't wear shorts. It says in the student handbook. No shorts. I read it. You have to respect the rules even if you don't agree with them." she attempted to reason with him. Eventually, she won the battle but not without losing her patience and it was exhausting. At the chapel hour, she headed over to the auditorium to sneak a peek at her little boy. The students filed in, class by class. She noticed one student, then another and another in shorts.
"Wait a minute. What is going on here?" she thought. Spotting Karen, the school vice principal and a good friend, she made her way over to her.
"Karen, so many boys are wearing shorts. The handbook said no shorts."
"No, dress shorts are allowed." Karen answered matter-of-factly.
"I read through it more than once. I'm sure it said no shorts at all. I would have let him wear shorts. He wanted to wear shorts," she began to get distressed.
"No. It says dress shorts are acceptable." her friend reassured her.
She did not believe this and wouldn't accept it until the manual was brought out. There in black and white were the words she had missed for some reason.
"For boys, acceptable dress includes collared shirts including knit polo shirts tucked in, pants, dress shorts, belt, sneakers..."
The dam burst of tears was released. All that fighting and struggle for nothing. Her friend tried to console her but she wasn't in a place to be comforted. The emotion that began the day of the kindergarten tea was released now like a tidal wave and it had to run its course. She made her way back to her office sobbing. She would get the tears under control until someone would walk by and ask her what was wrong.
"I made him wear pants! I'm a horrible mom!" she wailed. The men in her office, while sympathetic, did not quite understand this response. They humored her and gave her hugs, reassuring her that she was a wonderful mom. Although the shorts issue didn't make sense to them, they were dads and knew not to reason with a mom in this state. After she calmed down, she decided to try to at least alleviate her mistake. Rushing home, she picked up some suitable shorts and took them to his class. After asking permission from his teacher to help him change, she took her son into the class bathroom. As she helped him, she apologized tearfully.
"I'm so sorry, honey. I read the handbook wrong and you are able to wear nice shorts." He was happy to have shorts but otherwise seemed none the worse for wear. Obviously this was an experience that scarred only the mother and not the son.
Over the next few days, with a little distance, she began to recognize the emotion she had been feeling: grief. That first shocking emotion that day in class was grief. She realized it now. It was the same feeling she experienced at the death of her grandfather, her brother, her grandmother. It didn't make sense to her, though. Nobody had died. Her son had just started school.
Eventually she realized it wasn't about being overprotective or nervous about her son's readiness for school...
It wasn't about being a horrible mother...
It wasn't about shorts...
It was about what his beginning kindergarten represented: the death of his unencumbered life and his entering into a world of expectation and responsibility. He was no longer a child free of the world. Her baby was hers alone no longer. He was part of the world now.
He was ready. She was not.
Izzy over at Izzy Mom recently talked about her daughter's first day of kindergarten. This post, combined with Colin's starting high school in a few weeks, got me started remembering my son's first days of kindergarten and my less than composed response to it some nine years ago. It should be noted that when Marley started kindergarten last year, it was a little emotional for me, but I still practically skipped all the way to the car!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Life, the Universe and Everything (10 p.m. ramblings)
Um... Right now, it doesn't feel like I have much of one. Although, if you think about it, when people say that they don't have a life what they mean is they don't like the life they have. So, I guess I will be honest and say it. Right now, I don't like the life I have. (I'm listening for the sound of thunder indicating the nearness of lightning. No thunder. I don't think I will be struck down by lightning for that one.) The foundation of my so-called life is fine. Husband, two kids, two tiny little pets, nice suburb. Check. Check. Check. Check. On the surface, I cannot complain. And really, I don't want this to be a complaint. This is just my 10 p.m. ramblings.
My jaw is perpetually clenched. I believe it is closely related to the disorder that I am tired (get it?) of talking about. Perpetually Clenched Jaw has been causing headaches daily the past weeks. I am basically confined to the house after 4 pm because Paul is gone for a few days. I'm an extrovert without many "extras" to vert with. Like the puppy in this picture, given the right circumstances, I will go looking for company. Right now, the circumstances aren't ideal. That probably has a lot to do with the vast comments I have been leaving on blogs over the entire blogverse. Long. Wordy. Comments. And checking the comment conversation multiple times per day.
My schedule is determined currently by gymnastics camp drop off and pick ups, summer school drop off and pick ups and errands. My attitude is challenged by my chaotically dissheveled home and my empty fumes checking account.
The complaint fest above? Basically cabin fever. As usual when I write these life, the universe and everything post, I implore you to ignore it. Once I get some sleep, I'll feel okay. Once Paul gets home, even better. My head has plenty of perspective but my spirit is just getting in the way tonight.
(8 a.m. the next morning - update: I was just posting over at Tales from the edge of sanity, and I realized that I did get to have brunch with one friend on Monday and I will get to have lunch with my sister-in-law on Thursday. So, I take back a little, that I haven't been able to have people around me. But, I contend that it does go to show how much of an extrovert that I am. Two get-togethers in a week aren't enough for me!)
the Universe
When I was looking for an image to place above, I first did an image search for "lonely" before deciding to go with extrovert. Sadly, many of the pictures that came up when I searched for "lonely" images were pictures of arms that had been scarred by cutting. I am so saddened by this. I may be lonely with a lower case "l" because of some temporary circumstances but I cannot imagine being so lonely with a capital "L" that I would take a razor to my arm and cut it hoping that physical pain would make me forget my emotional pain.
Something that isn't about me.
Something that isn't appropriate for me to discuss here at this time.
Something that there isn't anything to do to stop it or make it better.
Something I knew was coming.
Something that should make a person cry.
I think I am too tired for much of "everything." It is now 10:52 p.m. If I don't get to bed soon, I will be sorry tomorrow. Maybe you guys can tell me a little bit of the everything in your lives right now. I wouldn't mind some company.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Sleeping with Bread Monday
My question and answers for the week:
For what am I most grateful?
This week I am most grateful for my community of friends. I took my two children and two of my friend's children to the beach last Friday. Watching them play and boogie board in the water, I was struck by how much they had grown and by how long we had known each other. My son is the oldest, 14, but he was only around 4 when we started hanging out with these particular friends. I was at the hospital when each of their children were born and our children are growing up together. They've always known each other. When I was young, we always spent holidays with aunts, uncles and cousins. My family has dispersed, and although my son did grow up to a certain extent with a couple of cousins, we have very little family in the area now. But I am grateful that my children have "substitute cousins" in the form of all the friends we have here.
Least grateful?
I think, when I look back over the last week, that I am least grateful for the way I feel physically and its effect on me emotionally. I am just plain tired of being tired and irritiable. I feel like I'm in the last stages of a marathon. And, although I am still somewhat nervous about by ability to cope with the C-PAP treatment, I am so sick of all this that I am looking forward to next week when I can start using the contraption. I pray that it will go well and I can feel like myself again.
(If you don't know what this being tired and C-PAP business is all about, you can click here and here.)
During the ing raids of WWII, thousands of children were orphaned and left to starve. The fortunate ones were rescued and placed in refugee camps where they received food and good care. But many of these children who had lost so much could not sleep at night. They feared waking up to find themselves once again homeless and without food. Nothing seemed to reassure them. Finally, someone hit upon the idea of giving each child a piece of bread to hold at bedtime. Holding their bread, these children could finally sleep in peace. All through the night the bread reminded them, "Today I ate and I will eat again tomorrow." (Linn, Dennis et al, Sleeping
With Bread, p.l)
These are the beginning words of a book that introduced me to a practice called the examen. The orphans held on to what nourished them and were thus able to sleep peacefully at night. The examen, based on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius, helps a person hold onto what spiritually nourishes him by looking at what is giving him consolation in his life or causing him desolation. It allows someone to express his gratitude to God for the good stuff and turn to him for solace for the bad stuff.
It is quite simple. You simply ask yourself, in the last day/week/month what gave me consolation and what caused me desolation. You can also phrase the question in any of the following ways:
* For what am I most grateful? Least grateful?
* When did I give and receive the most love? The least love?
* When did I feel most alive? Most drained of life?
* When did I have the greatest sense of belonging? Least sense of belonging?
* When was I most free? Least free?
* When was I most creative? Least creative?
* When did I feel most connected? Least connected?
* When did I feel most fully myself? Least myself?
* When did I feel most whole? Most fragmented?
Sunday, August 06, 2006
What's your score?
The score I'm talking about is your readability score. What's that you ask? Let me tell you: It is a score lets you know the approximate grade level equivalent of the writing on your website. Oooooo, lit major fun!
I found this over at Mom-101's blog. Of course, I have to do what I am told and she told her readers to check it out. Here is my score:
Reading Level Results
Total sentences: 676
Total words: 9042
Average words per Sentence: 13.38
Words with 1 Syllable: 6216
Words with 2 Syllables: 1626
Words with 3 Syllables: 781
Words with 4 or more Syllables: 419
Percentage of word with three or more syllables: 13.27%
Average Syllables per Word: 1.49
Gunning Fog Index: 10.66
Flesch Reading Ease: 67.07
Flesch-Kincaid Grade: 7.23
My take on all this? I think 13.38 words as the average per sentence is a little ridiculous. What am I doing? On the other hand, that Gunning Fog Index of 10.66? That means, according to the chart below, that I'm as readable as Time and Newsweek. But then apparently, Time and Newsweek must also have a grade level score in the junior high range? Hmmm... Maybe that's not such good company to be keeping.
Either way, this was a fun and interesting exercise. If you want to try it, click here.
Fog Index Resources
6 - TV guides, The Bible, Mark Twain
8 - Reader's Digest
8 - 10 - Most popular novels
10 - Time, Newsweek
11 - Wall Street Journal
14 - The Times, The Guardian
15 - 20 - Academic papers
Over 20 - Only government sites can get away with this, because you can't ignore them.
Over 30 - The government is covering something up
P.S. For Michelle, guess where this painting is? For the answer, click here.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Summer Memories - Three Things Thursday
1. Camp Seely, in Crestline, California, is the summer camp of my younger years. My grandfather, a Free Will Baptist minister in the Los Angeles area, usually brought as many grandkids as possible with him to this camp every summer. I think I went most years between first and seventh grade.
This is a picture of the lodge area where we would have our morning and evening services. One of the fun things to do at camp every year was to hike to Heart Rock. It was very pretty with cold, cold water and to a little kid it was incredible that there could be a heart shaped rock.
Going to this camp for so many summers is definitely one of the highlights of my childhood.
2. The above represents my best efforts at scanning an old-fashioned camp picture of mine. I don't know how many of you ever experienced having a group photo taken using one of those big rotating cameras. If you click link below each photo, it will take you to Flickr where you can roll over the first two and see notes which show you all the members of my family and a couple of friends from camp. I think it is unusual for a kid to go to camp with so many family members present. I always shared a cabin with my grandma, my grandpa always had a camp job--dean, snack shop, something--and for two years, my mom was the camp cook. Note: We are all dressed up because at Camp Seely, the Free Will Baptist version in the 70's, was very conservative. Girls and boys were completely segregated. They didn't swim at the same time. You were not allowed onto the other gender's side of camp. And, you dressed up for evening services. Every night. No exceptions.
3. Ah, here I am, in a very BOLD red and white striped shirt. I loved that shirt. When my school picture was taken just a couple of months later, I was wearing this shirt. I don't remember very well the girl I am standing next to. It was fun to see people year after year. Sometimes, I would get to see some of the camp kids at the monthly area youth meetings. We meet once a month at a roller skating rink. After an hour or so of roller skating, we would all congregate for devotions.
Like I said, Camp Seely is one of the highlights of my youth excepting the nightly that was the altar call where, in true fire-and-brimstone tradition, we were told nightly to repent now or it might be too late! Those altar calls, along with the whole cold war fear and too many episodes of the Night Gallery led to many, many nightmares and much stress for much of my childhood. Somehow though, I was always able to separate it from what I thought about God and it never put me off of Christianity.
Anyway, that is my contribution to Three Things Thursday this week, a meme of Sheila's she plays faithfully every week. I play occasionally and this week, with its theme of summer memories was too good to resist!


text: Fed Holds Rates Steady, Says Economy 'Picked Up' By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Sep 23, 2009 1:41 PM CDT 2 comments Comments Federal Reserve Bank Board Chairman Ben Bernanke in a file photo. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari) View 1 more image (Newser) – The Federal Reserve today decided as expected to hold a key bank lending rate at a record low near zero and pledged to keep rates there "for an extended period." The Fed also declared that "economic activity has picked up following its severe downturn" and said it would slow the pace of a program to lower mortgage rates and prop up the housing market. The Fed says it will stretch out its goal of buying $1.45 trillion in mortgage-backed securities and debt issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae until the end of the first quarter of 2010. Originally, the central bank intended to complete buying those securities by the end of this year. View 1 more image

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Product Description
Card Name: Assault Formation
Card Color: G
Mana Cost: 1G
Type & Class: Enchantment
Card Text:
Each creature you control assigns combat damage equal to its toughness rather than its power. %G: Target creature with defender can attack this turn as though it didn't have defender. %2%G: Creatures you control get +0/+1 until end of turn.
Artist: Kieran Yanner
Rarity: R
Card #: 173/264
Release Date 28 March 2015


text:
This was a Story Challange Heather put out and I wrote " Deadwood Farm " and " The Gravedigger's Daughter". What story will you come back with after visiting Goya's Devouring Monsters?
The Mystery of Goya's Saturn
The painting known as 'Saturn Devouring One of His Sons', by Francisco Goya, presents us with a terrifying cannibal god, Kronos, whom he depicts as a wild, revolting figure, consuming his offspring. The ancient deity looks crazed, his eyes are atrocious and the painting is one of those which imprints itself on the psyche of those who examine it closely.
'Saturn Devouring One of His Sons' springing from the Kronos myth, was a part of Goya's 'Black Painting' series when Goya 'carved his fates and inscribed his nighmares directly onto plaster.'
The earliest version of the Kronos myth--Saturn is the later Roman name--was written down by Hesiod in his Theogony, around the eighth century, B.C.E.
First comes Chaos; then Earth/Gaia; Tartarus in the bowels of Earth; and finally Eros. Earth gives birth to Heaven, also known as Ouranos, and then bears twelve of his children, the last, "most terrible of sons/The crooked-scheming Kronos." Earth and Ouranos have three more sons, so fearsome and mighty that Ouranos forces them back inside their mother, burying them alive. She forms a sickle, and asks her other sons to use it against their father, "For it was he/Who first began devising shameful acts." All are afraid, except Kronos. She gives him the sickle, hides him in her, and he castrates his father, preventing him from having more children, then assumes power among the Titans. But fear lives in his heart; a usurper himself, he learns that one of his own children will usurp him, and he devours them at birth:
As each child issued from the holy womb
And lay upon its mother's knees, each one
Was seized by mighty Kronos, and gulped down.
Through a ruse by his mother, the last born, Zeus, survives, leads a war against Kronos, and casts him down to Tartarus. Even gods cannot overcome Fate.
Reviewers have asked what it was that Goya recognized in himself that charged the work with such raw, wounding power? Jason Scott Morgan, for example, alludes to the traditional father and son narrative which has been presented in, amongst other documents, the Bible.
Maybe Goya was painting this narrative but I suspect not. Before he began the Black Paintings, Goya survived a near fatal illness, documented in his Self-portrait with Dr. Arrieta. Goya depicts himself as a "pained and weary artist, surrounded by dark, phantasmal faces." It is plausible that Saturn was painted as a way to express the lonely terror of mortality. Since my husband's body has been ravaged by a third round of bowel cancer, and we have faced the lonely terror of mortality, I have every reason to think that this is likely. If I could paint I would paint Atrophe, towering like a giant, scissors in hand, tormenting us with the reality that she has the power to cut the thread at any moment. Goya's Saturn touches me deeply because it expresses shared pain and his Atropos paints the dark dreams that haunt me.
So what charged Goya's painting of Saturn? As his health declined, as he stared creative impotence in the eyes - Saturn's eyes, Atrophos's scissors his work gathered momentum and a dark force. It doesn't really matter if Goya threw away his pastels and used someone like Saturn as a metaphor to represent the terror of creative impotence. Who cares if Goya used Saturn as a metaphor to depict the 'black dog' that consumes artists offspring -- that hungrily devours work deemed, for whatever reason, not to be of any merit, not to fit the stereotypical mould. The main thing is that Goya went right outside the square and painted with force that speaks with passion today.
I imagine Goya must have smiled wryly when he realised that he had captured the demonic figure who had lived with him all his life. But most of all I am grateful that he has so powerfully captured the demon who lurks in my nightmares, for I know now that I am not alone.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
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text:
Now I have made paneer (homemade Indian cheese) before and blogged about it. The process itself is straightforward. You boil whole milk, add an acidic agent like vinegar or lemon juice, and separate the curdled cheese that is formed.
I've typically seen or used paneer in savoury dishes like Malai Kofta, so it was interesting to see this same cheese is used in a dessert! its transformation comes about by soaking and cooking the paneer in sugar syrup, and thereafter soaking it in sweetened milk that has been reduced down to almost cream consistency.
I followed the ICC recipe to the letter and I was pleasantly surprised that everything came together so well.
- Paneer. Check.
- Sweet syrup and cooking in a pressure cooker. Check. Yes, no explosions or fragmented paneer even with the use of a pressure cooker, which I am deathly scared of.
- The only part I found a little trying was in making the "Ras" - the creamy milk which is the final abode of the sweet cheese balls. You have to boil. And boil. And boil the milk down till it reduces to half. That was pretty taxing, and I had to constantly scrape out thickened cream that was starting to get burnt at the bottom of the dish.
Well, here is where the dessert turns a little sour. I'm really impressed that everything came out so well, but I'm not so fond of the actual taste of the dish. I know, quite a let-down. I think its because I have such a sickeningly sweet tooth, so get this folks, this dessert wasn't sweet enough for me!
I know. Shoot me!
So, the next time if I make this, I'm toying with trying to sweeten the cheese itself with sugar before proceeding on. I'm sure Ras Malai purists are rolling on the floor with angst as they read this, but hey! To each his own!
Ras Malai (I halved the original ICC recipe)
For the "Malai" - Cheese Balls
1 litre full cream (whole) milk
2-3 Tbsp vinegar
1 tsp AP flour
Sugar Syrup
2 cups water
4 Tbsp sugar
3 cups full cream (whole) milk
4 Tbsp sugar
saffron, crushed pistachios, slivered almonds, 2 curshed cardamom pods - to decorate
3. Bring water and sugar for syrup to boil in a pressure cooker. Add malai balls. Close pressure cooker and cook for about 10 minutes or 2 whistles.
4. Remove malai balls and squeeze gently to remove excess syrup.
5. Heat milk for "Ras" in a heavy-bottomed or non-stick pan, stir occasionally until milk is reduced to half its original volume. Add sugar and cardamom.
6. Add malai balls into milk cream mixture.
7. Decorate with pistachios and almonds. Serve chil


text:
She is attacked in broad daylight by a group of White folks as they yelled racial epithets at her...ON CAMERA. NO shame!
Three people upset that a news crew was reporting on the arrest of a relative attacked the television reporter and yelled racial slurs at her and a photographer, authorities said Tuesday.
The family members, all white, began yelling and charged at black WSPA-TV reporter Charmayne Brown while she was standing in the street near the family's home in Union, said news director Alex Bongiorno.
Brown was punched in the head, and black cameraman Ti Barnes was also struck as he tried to pull family members off Brown, Bongiorno said. A video of the attack shows Brown, who wasn't seriously injured, defending herself. Associated Press
I want y'all to notice the brothers defending Charmayne and the ones standing around. Thanks Ti for sticking up for a sister! In the second video, you see Ti basically standing in between Charmayne and the attackers as she walks away basically like Gandolf in The lord of the Rings saying "Thow Shall Not Pass!"-- Al Sharpton, are you watching?... Black men are supposed to be defending Black women from attack. Charmayne and Ti, keep your heads up!
More Videos on Youtube.
Watch the attackers being carried away.


text:
A quick look at the Houses of Parliament, then back home for tea.
"Beans is that it? Think we are in trouble"
Hi lyn
Your blog is fabulous ..... Love what you do... Some fabby pickies of the jubilee ...... Keep it up ....
Hugs sylvie xxx
Lnn, your birds are precious. Your Doodly Birds have been up to lots of mischief!Love this post. Can I link to your blog when I do my next post? I happened to be at a Market on the weekend, and bought a little birdie brooch.I just had to make some.I'm going for an operation soon, and want to make some bird brooches to give to the nurses, and as Giveaways.My bird brooches will be on my next blogpost for WOYWW.
Happy for you to link up Judy and I hope all goes well with your op.
Lynn x
Oh Lynn, this is fabulous, gave me a real giggle this morning. Thank you to the Doodlies too! Anne xReplyDelete
I knew they had been upto no good !Delete
What fun! Thanks for stopping by.ReplyDelete
Oh this is such fun but I bet the birdies got their feathers a little wet at the celebrations yesterday!!!ReplyDelete
Your pics really made be laugh. Your doodly birds really got a 'bird's eye view' of the special occasion lol.Thanks for visiting my blog I am now a follower on yours.ReplyDelete
Hahahaha - Hilarious Lynn!! Brilliant post. Those little rascals! You should have suspected they were planning something after you'd dressed one up for your shop........ Hope they didn't make too many puddles when they got home and good for you only giving them beans for tea. No strawberries for them! I'm so jealous they got to meet Kate, William & Harry tho'. I've met most of the others. So are they confined to barracks for the rest of the week now Lynn? Haha
Hope the rest of your day goes just as well
Mo xxx
...super fun posting Lynn, seems the Doodly's got a bird's eye view of the whole event...great pic's of London & her Majesty...Mel :)ReplyDelete
hahahahaha very good!ReplyDelete
LOLOL!! Those doodly birds get everywhere :D They improved the TV coverage mightily too!!! I'm sure HM the Queen did love them really. What a fabulous fun post - I laughed a lot!! I would like to link to this on Wed if that's ok as I've got a Jubilee themed post...again!! xx
LLJ xxxx
Glad You enjoyed it Jan and yes it's okay to link up.
Have a good day x
Funny! I saw the whole thing yesterday. Too bad it rained at the last part. What a troopers The Queen and Prince Philip are! They stood for more than 90 minutes, inspite of their age!
Looking forward to the concert tonight!!
Have Jubilee Fun.
this is great - your birdies are just a delight!!!!!!!!!
LOve your office picture too - at the top of your blog, wish mine looked that tidy!
I bet the doodly birds need a nap!!!
What a fun day they had - hope they get a rest before training for the Olympics! Connie, xxReplyDelete
Well, that's my chuckle of the day, lol! Your doody birds are hilarious! I love the one where the Queen is shooing them away!
And wow - your studio is beautiful! I would never be able to keep it so clean with all the paint flying around, lol :0))
Don't be fooled Sandra the rest of the house looks like a bombs hit it.
Lynn -:)
Love it,but they could have taken me with them. Maybe next time.Did they very wet?ReplyDelete
Hi Lynn: Your Doodly Birds certainly are having a wonderful time. Thank you for visiting and following my blog. Creative Adventures Dear...ReplyDelete
ROFLMAO - fun!ReplyDelete
A fabulous post..did they get back before you noticed? I guess they did and that's why you left out the can of beans. I am really worrried............they will be so hngry after their adventure and I don't hink they know how to open the can:)
sorry so many typos!
Ha! That's so much fun. I'm jealous - they got to go everywhere!!ReplyDelete
LOL :o) pleased to report St. Ives doodly birds behaved themselves to they had jubilee cup cakes :o)ReplyDelete
Fantastic! a great Doodly Birds Eye view, thanks for the laugh, Jane xxReplyDelete
Lynn, I love this post - it really made me laugh out loud and I love what the doodly birds got up to, especially the Queen shooing them away! Fantastic!ReplyDelete
LYNN x x


text:
Everyone knows I'm a 100% crazy about house church, but if I had to recommend a traditional church to anyone, it would be Soul Survivor Church in Costa Mesa. They have a great heart for the poor, a fantastic sense of community, a world-class teaching ministry lead by John Thomas, Crissy Brooks and Troy Born, and their worship is intimate, sincere and moving.
John and Lindy Thomas are some of the most genuine and sincere people you'll ever meet and they both have a heart for God's people and the Gospel of the Kingdom.
Check them out ONLINE and if you're ever in Costa Mesa, California be sure to visit them at Triangle Square.
They ROCK!


text:
Monday, June 30, 2008
Project 366, week 26
Here are my photos of the day from the last week:
Tuesday, June 24th: Sage buckled her friends, Dora the Explorer and Kitty the Carla, into the middle seat of our van.
Wednesday, June 25th: Jonah, at his last baseball game of the season.
Thursday, June 26th: Austin and his teacher on the second last day of school.
Friday, June 27th: My kids, plus Austin's best friend, Soren, on the last day of school. (I tried to get them all in the air-- very hard to orchestrate!)
Saturday, June 28th: Starting off the holidays right-- watching Saturday morning cartoons.
Sunday, June 29th: Celebrating my mom's birthday.
Monday, June 30th: Our first official trip to the beach this summer.
Thanks for looking & happy Canada Day!!
5 comments:
- Layle said...
Hi Leigh! It's Layle from Scenic Route. Need to make sure I have the right Leigh. Have you submitted to our Monthly Product Challenges in the past? If so, I need your email - Pinecone Press saw one of your layouts on our website and would like to publish it. Please email me at email@example.com.
- 10:44 am
- TheShermanFam said...
HA! Dora in her seatbelt made me LOL! TOO cute!
- 11:49 am
- Raechelle said...
WOW! I just read what Layle wrote and that's SO COOL (I hope it's you!)!!!
Fun pics, I especially like the seatbelt pic. so sweet!
- 1:24 pm
- Heather M. said...
I just read what Layle wrote too! How awesome!!!
Love the one of Sage's stuffies in the seatbelt - too cute!
WTG on keeping up with this challenge!
- 6:01 pm
- Anne said...
WTG with keeping up with the photo a day. (maybe I'll be able to do it next year)
Love the buckled up Dora and Kitty, too cute.
- 7:21 pm


text: Blake Schwarzenbach of Jawbreaker fame has emerged with a new project Forgetters after the demise of Thorns of Life. Summoning up some crunchy distorted guitar tones that brought back flashbacks of Jawbreaker, the songs were catchy and had the sold out crowd cheering loudly in between each song. Someone with a video camera captured quite a bit of that energy:


text:
EXECUTIVE producer of Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall, Mark Kenny, says he is very disappointed with the way the issue surrounding an incident with runner-up Reggae Queen has evolved, but maintains that the competition will continue to unearth authentic Jamaican talent and try to present palatable entertainment for the viewing public.
In a release, the producers noted that "the recent finals of Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall was regrettably not without controversy as Reggae Queen, who was sanctioned due to her violation of the Broadcast Commission's rules and regulations has sought to counter the reasons for her sanction. Accusations against the competition by her were printed in several publications and as such Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall wishes to clear the air."
According to the release, the infraction had an adverse effect on TVJ, the station with exclusive rights to air Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall. General manager of Television Jamaica, Kay Osbourne, says that after the infraction the station was inundated with complaints from the viewing public and TVJ was also directed by the Broadcasting Commission to make amends.
"After the clash episode was aired, we received numerous complaints from our viewers who were appalled by Reggae Queen's lyrics and conduct. We are now in the process of reviewing our internal procedures and speaking to the producers on how to manage the process in future to avoid our viewers from having to experience such deplorable conduct. We wish to again apologise to our viewers for this breakdown which should not have occurred," Osbourne said.
Reggae Queen has also accused the producers of Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall of sabotage. Assistant producer of the show, Sanjay Ramanand, maintains that Reggae Queen was warned about her content on several occasions. "We vet all contestants' lyrics before they perform. Reggae Queen was warned on several occasions before her clash performance about the suggestive content in her lyrics."
According to Ramanand, the artiste was given specific instructions on how to frame her lyrics. "Reggae Queen's lyrics for her clash against Bumpa were vetted by the producers of Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall, however, despite being told to change many of her lyrics, Reggae Queen ad-libbed during the clash and reverted to her original lyrics. She got into trouble because she did not follow instructions and did not adhere to the rules that were laid out to her. Contrary to the rumours out there, Reggae Queen did not curse on stage, however her lewd lyrics breached the Broadcast Commission's rules," the producer is quoted in a release.
Executive producer, Mark Kenny dismissed the accusation by Reggae Queen that she had won the competition but was robbed.
"The producers of Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall stand by the votes 100 per cent as we have nothing to hide. Bumpa is the clear winner as for last two weeks before the final night Bumpa had the highest votes and in the days following the clash, Bumpa's votes doubled that of Reggae Queen's.
"Voting is unpredictable because people always assume that the crowd favourite at Weekenz will have the highest votes. No one expected that the popular Tanto Blacks would have left the competition so early, neither did they expect Chozenn to leave before Press Fyah. The streets were buzzing about a clash between Chozenn and Juggla yet people voted and decided it would be Juggla vs Press Fyah".
He continued: "It is very unfortunate that Reggae Queen's conduct on stage outshone her talent as she is indeed a talented performer. Behaviour like this not only reflects badly on the contestant but also on the competition."
Assistant producer, Natalie Parboosingh added, "whether you are crowned the Magnum King or Queen of Dancehall or not all contestants are winners as the show provides positive exposure and great opportunity for all the contestants and it is unfortunate that Reggae Queen has chosen to continue her journey on this negative path. We do wish all the Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall contestants the best on their continued journey to success."
The producers and creators of Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall say they will continue to ensure that the highest standards of music is put forward as Dancehall does not have to be dirty to be good.


text:
Dr. Joshua Baller
Assistant Director for Research Informatics
554 Walter Library
(612) 625-7889
Oversee the 9 PhD level analysts that make up the RIS group. Provide scientific expertise in the following areas:
- Application of Statisical Modeling and Machine Learning to Biological Questions
- Analysis of High-Throughput Sequencing Data, including:
- RNA-seq
- DNA Variant Detection
- ChIP-seq
- Metagenomics
- Development of Analytical Techniques for Novel Experimental Designs
- Analysis of Cytometric Data, including:
- Quantification of Cell Populations
- Analysis of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Noise
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN,
BS Math in Computer Applications
BS in Genetics.
Ph.D., Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology
General educational emphasis on the fields of Mathematics, Computer Science, Molecular Biology and Genetics


text:
We had a box of mushrooms one time that needed to be used up fast. It was expiring a day later. Since I have a handy ready made puff pastry and some beef in the fridge, I thought I'd adapt this recipe I found from the BBC Food website. It suggested ale (a type of beer) in which the Guinness sitting in my pantry came in handy. Btw, Guinness beer is actually a 'stout' which is a class of ale beers. Whether you use an ale or stout or porter, it will do well in this dish.
As for the pastry, I didn't have any pie funnel or pie vent so I just cut some holes on the top to let the steam rising from the meat filling out so as not to make the pastry soggy. It wasn't in the instructions I just thought of it as common sense. And it worked! :)
Beef, Ale and Mushroom Pie
1 kg stewing beef - cut into roughly 1-inch squares
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion - diced
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp mushroom ketchup (optional)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbsp chopped parsley or 1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp English mustard
1 bayleaf
1 tsp sea salt
freshly milled black pepper
2/3 cup beef stock
1/2 cup ale (or Guinness)
250 g mushrooms - sliced
450 g puff pastry
- Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot and saute onion gently until translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Stir in beef and cook until browned.
- Add in the flour, cook until dark brown (about 1 minute).
- Mix in the mushroom ketchup, Wostershire sauce, thyme, parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
- Slowly add beef stock and ale, bring to boil.
- Add mushrooms and lower heat to simmer gently until beef is tender (about 1 1/2 hours). If it is drying out too much add hot water or beef stock a little at a time.
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6.
- Remove beef from heat, skim off any fat, adjust seasonings and add more fresh chopped parsley if available.
- Roll out puff pastry and invert the pie dish(es) to be used onto it. Cut out a cover for the dish using the shape of the pie dish as outline. If you do not have a pie funnel, cut out holes in the pastry cover to let the steam from the filling to escape and not make the pastry soggy.
- Put in the whole lot (beef + sauce) in a medium sized pie dish or individual pie dishes. Cover pie dish with the prepared pastry and trim edge by hand or with tines of a fork.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is well risen and golden brown.


text:
Tonight the stars whirl like clocks
And the wind is as cold as dirt under a slab.
There is only a faint misting in the trees,
An angel's gun-shot eye black with mold
While the other stares down like a bald moon.
Does she blink? Get real, someone says, no one stays,
It is only the imagination that creeps
Through clouds of ragged sobs, darts of dark ivy
That close as do the bones
in a hand? To stand here
Is to stand in a sewer of discontent,
as roils of sky race over headstones
wafer thin. A marble child,
delicate as a fetus, lies down with a lamb.
So where is the little carved heart?
Under the ground and making a fist?
No matter now. Touch the stone
Where death once had her forehead pressed.
Nothing, nothing here human, just murmuring,
A few interruptions of weeds and rocks.
This is not some garden for the overslept.
It is not the soul that is being kept.


text:
|Red Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, NV
Like all Vegas hotels, this place is filled with many attractions and diversions that would make it difficult to tell if this was a casino/buffet, much less a place where people can actually stay. The environment inside has the feel of a typical Vegas casino, but once you set foot into the lobby, and the hotel wing of the building, it's a completely different feel.
Seeing this was a personal vacation, I got myself a standard room. I heard that the suites there are breathtakingly amazing. Someday I hope to find myself able to see afford these rooms, however, the standards are just as good.
|This is a typical, standard room in Red Rock Hotel
Another thing I'd like to talk about is it's selection in entertainment. Red Rock Casino and Hotel offers a wide variety of mindless entertainment for a lot of people, ranging from family to couples out on a summer retreat, to single people looking to throw their lives in the Vegas fun. There's a movie theater and bowling alley right in the building. That's right. A bowling alley and movie theater, in same proximity, and just a few minutes away from the hotel lobby. There's also an amazingly large swimming pool area in the hotel.
|Not even kidding. This place is HUGE
|Red Rock's "High Roller" Lounge.
|LBS Burger Joint. Better than In-N-Out, I swear.
Summary: Red Rock Hotel is definitely a place to stay if you're looking for more than a week in Vegas, so long as you can afford it. If not, then just hang around, there's plenty of things for you to do there. Sure, you won't have access to the pool, but you at least have the bowling alley and theater, the buffet, and, of course, the LBS burger Joint.
Check it out:
Red Rock Hotel
LBS Burger Joint site
And their menu if you're looking for what they have


text:
Blog built to bring bookings
Starwood Hotels and Resorts isn't a hotel chain, it's a "branded lifestyle company". It's blog, thelobby.com, isn't a blog, it's a "multi-brand marketing tool".
Brian Pratt, its VP for EMEA, told delegates at EyeForTravel that the various brands within the group were not allowed to cross-promote, and that one of the upmarket brands would never use "sale" in its promotions.
Starwood's brands are Starwood Hotels, Aloft, Element, Four Points, Le Meridien, Sheraton, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W and Westin.
Thelobby.com is written by employees, as well as professional travel, culture and leisure writers. It is aimed at members of Starwood's loyalty programme. It features 'star pick' properties which are on promotion to its Preferred Guests.
Talking of which, Pratt said that in a slowdown, "loyalty schemes had to prove their worth." He wants to drive occupancy in the bad times by persuading guests to cash in the points built up during the good times.
Social media is seeing a "considerable" amount of Starwood advertising cash at the moment as the business "tries to figure out a way of using this opportunity". But maybe it already has decided – at the end of the Q&A Pratt admitted that for the next few months at least "there are better places to spend money".
Martin Cowen chief writer Travolution


text:
(Recasts; updates prices, adds analyst comments; changes byline, dateline, previously PARIS/SINGAPORE)
By Michael Hirtzer
CHICAGO, Sept 27 (Reuters) - U.S. grain and oilseed futures were mostly higher on Tuesday, with soybeans rebounding from an earlier five-month low on support from investor short-covering ahead of a U.S. Department of Agriculture quarterly stocks report due on Friday.
Rainfall delayed the U.S. corn and soybean harvests, while heavy precipitation could curb wheat output in Australia and reduce grain quality in Canada.
However, global supplies of cereal grains and edible oilseeds were abundant, likely limiting the upside potential in prices, traders and analysts said.
Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures posted the largest gains, with December wheat jumping 1.8 percent, or 7 cents, to $4.03 per bushel, while MGEX December spring wheat climbed 6 cents to $5.00-1/2 per bushel.
"Wheat overall is up on Australian wheat concerns and spring wheat is up on quality concerns after recent rain events in Canada," said Adam Knosalla, a broker Frontier Futures.
More showers were predicted later this week in eastern Australia after near-record rain earlier in September, and the excess moisture would likely add to crop loss in the part of country that typically produces high-protein wheat.
U.S. corn and soybean harvests were advancing slightly slower than average, USDA data showed late on Monday, prompting some investors to take profits on bearish bets.
CBOT November soybeans were up 3-3/4 cents to $9.49 per bushel, rebounding from their session low of $9.34 last reached in April. CBOT December corn was 2-3/4 cents higher at $3.31-3/4 per bushel, recovering from a roughly two-week low.
Analysts polled by Reuters expected USDA on Friday to report U.S. stockpiles of wheat, corn and soybeans as of Sept. 1 above levels at the same time in 2015.
Rich Feltes, vice president for research at R.J. O'Brien, said early yield results for U.S. soybeans have been impressive.
"On a national basis we are seeing ... very few (anecdotal harvest) yields that are below USDA's number, at 50-plus (bushels per acre)," Feltes said.
Additional reporting by Julie Ingwersen in Chicago, Gus Trompiz in Paris and Naveen Thukral in Singapore; Editing by David Clarke and Richard Chang


text:
»History of Post Cards for Soldiers
» Letter
to Rep. Pelosi
Chicago Commemorates Veterans Day with a Public Ceremony at Soldier
When: September 9, 10 &
11, 2009
Well fellow Patriots, this stand on the Cannon Bldg Corner marks the 10 time on this corner in support of our troops. The Band of Mothers, The Gathering of Eagles and Free Republic stood proudly, once again, in support of our Heroes! Our main mission and message was to THANK OUR SOLDIERS FOR THEIR VICTORY IN IRAQ AND FOR KEEPING US SAFE SINCE 9/11!!! I would say that this was a very successful stand and so many folks stopped by to thank us for coming and expressed their appreciation for our Troops and their hard work in keeping us safe!
After Action Report
(Including pictures)
September 9, 10 & 11, 2008
I am very proud to say that this event by The Band of Mothers, The Gathering of Eagles and Free Republic, marks the one year anniversary of our proud stand on the Cannon Bldg Corner in support of our Heroes, our Brave Men and Women of the greatest military, the United States Military! I am even more proud to say we stood proudly these three days to acknowledge the victories and GREAT accomplishments of our Soldiers...
When: July 8th, 9th &
10th, 2008
The Band of Mothers and The Gathering of Eagles proudly gathered on the Cannon Bldg Corner, and reminded all those inside that building we stand proudly and gratefully for our Soldiers! We had a great turnout and much support from those who passed by...
3rd, 4th & 5th 2008
The Band of Mothers and The Gathering of Eagles proudly gathered on the Cannon Bldg Corner, and reminded all those inside that building we stand proudly and gratefully for our Soldiers! We had a great turnout and much support from those who passed by.
3rd, 4th & 5th 2008
The Band of Mothers & friends stood on Pelosi's corner in DC, the Cannon Bldg corner, on June 3rd, 4th and 5th to once again remind our legislatures that we have Soldiers in harm's way and they need all their funding so they continue their victorious mission!
2008 Operation Recruiter Appreciation underway!
May 17, 2008
Our recruiters are our "First Line of Defense" and need to be recognized for their efforts. In the past year, our recruiters have been under attack by insurgents right here at home! As Americans we need to show them that we know they are important and we appreciate them.
13 April 2008
April 7, 2008 – April 9, 2008
As Stephen looked down on all of us last week, I can assure everyone that he is so darn proud. We, Americans, came from all over and we delivered a message to the Congress and the Senate: Support The Troops and Support Their Mission. Let Them Win!
17 March 2008
What a glorious weekend this was! Americans gathered in Washington DC to stand tall and proud for our Troops! On Friday, The Band of Brothers stood Strong and Stoic for their Brothers at the Labor College, where the IVAW "thought" they were going to shake the world with their traitorous whining.
February 28th, 2008
On Thursday night, February 28th, in a library in Joliet, Illinois, the Iraq Veterans Against the War were shut down and shut-up by a glorious group of American patriots who are fed up with the lies and traitorous behavior of the cowardly IVAW!
24, 2008
Operation: Celebrate American Military
To all who attended this great gathering in North Carolina in support of our Marines, The Band of Mothers thanks you. It is apparent our Soldiers have so much support and with every "gathering of eagles" event, the troop support movement is growing! Thank you to Eagles Up and all the groups who participated. God Bless You. This means so much to our Soldiers and you sure let WBC know "THEY DON'T SPEAK FOR US!!!"
January 10, 2008
December 10th - 14th,
December 3, 2007
October 27, 2007
Copyright ©
2007 - The Band Of Mothers
All Rights Reserved
Website Design by: JJ EZ WEB


text:
Monthly Misfortune September 2016 ---
List of incidents of terror which could be accidents, crimes, or terrorist attacks.
- Bangladesh factory [boiler]explosion kills 25 people, officials say CNN Fifty people are hospitalized with injuries, and the death toll is expected to go up as rescue efforts continue, according to the police chief. At least 25 people died when a boiler exploded in a four-story Bangladeshi factory near Dhaka early Saturday, authorities said. A fire broke out after the explosion, Boiler Explosion at Bangladesh Factory Kills at Least 23 New York Times 23 killed in Bangladesh factory as boiler explodes and sparks fireLos Angeles Times
- Syria: Scores killed in air strikes on rebel held Aleppo ahead of truce deal Aljazeera.com Air strikes killed at least 50 people in rebel-held areas of Idlib and Aleppo on Saturday, just hours after Russia and the US announced a deal intended to put a stop to more than five years of fighting.
- Kashmir unrest: Two more protesters killed in clashes Aljazeera.com Two protesters have been killed and at least 100 others injured when anti-India demonstrators clashed with government forces in Indian-administered Kashmir as the region remains locked down for the 64th day, officials have said. One young man was killed in southern Shopian district on Saturday when his head was hit with a tear gas canister fired by police, a medical officer in the local hospital said. Another protester died of pellet injuries as government forces fired pump action shotguns to break up a public rally against Indian rule
- 1 killed, 3 shot outside Miami nightclub Local 10 MIAMI - A shooting outside of a Miami nightclub leaves a man dead and three others with gunshot wounds early Saturday morning, police said.
- Police fire shots after witnessing fatal Humboldt Park shooting; 1 wounded Chicago Tribune Chicago police officers who witnessed a fatal shooting in Humboldt Park late Friday intervened and fired shots, wounding one person, authorities said Saturday.
- Bomb Blasts at Baghdad Mall Kill 12 Voice of America say at least one of the explosions that struck just before midnight Friday was caused by a suicide bomber. The Islamic State group has been blamed for the attack.
- Second suspect in 'Slender Man' stabbing case enters insanity plea Fox News WAUKESHAW, Wis. - The second of two young Wisconsin girls accused of trying to kill a classmate to please horror character Slender Man entered a plea Friday of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect to an attempted homicide charge.
- fri Sept 2, 2016 Family demands [murder charges] justice after double stabbing by [security guard] KTRK-TV A group of friends and family took to the streets outside the Cancun Apartments to demand a serious investigation into the deadly double-stabbing. "All I want is the truth. Nothing more. Nothing less," Anaya says. Mary Helen Anaya's 20-year-old son ... mother of one of the victims is calling for justice. She wants police to charge the security guard who fought with the two victims just before the stabbings... The security guard hasn't been charged. She doesn't believe he will be, but hopes she's wrong. , the security guard pulled out a knife, stabbed Silva in the throat, and then stabbed Anaya in the chest area. He says the guard also tried to stab him, but he was able to move. Anaya and Silva were dead when Houston police got there. Police say the security guard sustained minor cuts and went to the hospital in a private vehicle. Victor believes he did it to himself while stabbing his friends. Mary Helen Anaya's 20-year-old son, Victor Anaya, was stabbed to death the Friday night before Labor Day. The second victim was 16-year-old Alexis Silva.
Fox News
Orlando shooting sparks new chapter of Pink Pistols LBGT gun group in West Hollywood
Fox News - 4 hours ago
A gay West Hollywood television editor has founded a local chapter of the national LGBT gun rights organization Pink Pistols in response to the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida. Jonathan Fischer, 47, told the Los Angeles Times that he ...
Serbia police arrest migrant suspected of stabbing local man
Fox News - 4 hours ago
BELGRADE, Serbia - Serbian police say they have arrested a migrant suspected of stabbing a young Serbian man in a brawl. Police said Saturday that the 35-year-old migrant faces charges of attempted murder for inflicting life-threatening injuries on the ...
Los Angeles Times
Dozens killed or wounded in Syria fighting after US-Russia agreement
Los Angeles Times - 41 minutes ago
Syrian government warplanes bombarded rebel-held areas around the country Saturday, while insurgents shelled government-held neighborhoods in violence that left dozens killed or wounded hours after a new U.S.-Russia agreement was reached to try to ...
New York Daily News
Harlem shooting survivor crashes after speeding away from scene
New York Daily News - 4 hours ago
The man driving this black Audi crashed into a parked Honda Civic on First Ave. and E. 119th St., after being shot in the arm and chest 15 blocks south of that location early Saturday.
2 roommates arrested in Northridge fatal stabbing
KABC-TV - 19 hours ago
One person died after a stabbing in a residential Northridge neighborhood Thursday afternoon, officials said. (KABC) ... Two men have been arrested in the stabbing death of their 19-year-old roommate in Northridge, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Texas high school shooting: Girl shooter dead, 2 injured
CNN - Sep 9, 2016
(CNN) A 14-year-old freshman shot and killed herself after shooting and wounding another female student at Alpine High School in west Texas, authorities said Thursday.
NBC4 Washington
Shooting Outside Mad Hatter Bar Injures Man
NBC4 Washington - 6 hours ago
Metropolitan police said a man was shot outside a D.C. bar early near Dupont Circle Saturday morning. The shooting occurred around 3:15 p.m.
Trial Starting Over Arson That Killed Girl, Grandparents
ABC News - 3 hours ago
An Ohio judge has refused to delay the trial of a man accused of setting a fire that killed a 10-year-old and her grandparents on the day he was to go to trial on allegations that he sexually assaulted the girl.
- Wikipedia Current Events Portal
- Wikipedia Terrorist Incidents September 2016
- RT Russia Today Daily Headlines
- PressTV News in Brief - Sep. 10, 2016
- Daily Mail UK
- Wall Street Journal Daybreak
- snewsi crimes
- Gun Violence Archive Mass Shootings
- Democracy Now http://www.democracynow.org/2016/9/10/headlines
- Mass shooting Tracker 2016
- Killed by Police (anti-police propaganda site)
- List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, September 2016
- ODMP Officer Down Memorial Page
- List of American police officers killed in the line of duty Wikipedia
- List of violent incidents in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, September–august 2016
- Mass shooting Tracker 2016:
- List of violent incidents in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, 2016
- Religion justified attacks
- List of traffic collisions
- TheWeek Daily Briefing


text:
Another Day, Another Ride
A late October Afternoon,
I point the Road King out of town
It's only 55 degrees
I have my stocking cap pulled down
I head for the curves of Portneuf road
Rolling south at a leisurely pace
The chill in the air intensifies
The wind tingling on my face
I turn onto
And give the throttle a twist
No traffic, I ride past farms and kids
All riding should be like this.
At McAmmon I pull in at the truck-stop
Two bikers from
We talk of our rides, of rides to come
Of the clean and crisp fall air
They take off and I go inside
Come back out with a cup of joe
I sit there soaking up afternoon sun
Beneath mountains now dusted with snow
Two more motorcycles rumble in
A sport bike and a new black Fat Boy
The new owner grinning from ear to ear
Just a hundred miles on his brand new toy
We chat for a while then I take off,
Turning back on old US 91
Three more bikes are on my tail
Soon we're rolling four as one
At Inkom the riders pull up alongside
An old boy on an Ultra glide
Grins as we sit at the stop sign,
"Hell of a fine day for a ride."
I turn left and they turn right
We wave; we're all heading for home
Another good ride, another good day
For me, another road poem.
Winter will come, it's in the air
Snow and Ice may keep us inside
But know that there will always be
Another day, another great ride
Copyright 2007 Bill "uglicoyote"


text: Bonnie O. Buck-McClane, 98, residing in South Bend, passed away at 5:10 a.m. Sunday, July 23, 2006, in Countryside Place of Mishawaka. She was born April 19, 1908, in Morenci, Michigan, the daughter of John and Hannah (Bahlman) Marshall, and had resided in South Bend most of her life. On March 19, 1927, in South Bend, as Bonnie Marshall, she married Russell Buck. He passed away on March 3, 1959. Then on October 1, 1976, in South Bend, she married Curtis McClane. He preceded her in death on January 27, 1989. She was also preceded in death by a daughter, Joyce Tompkins; a son, Thomas Buck; two stepdaughters, Marjorie Gronning and Beverly Grant; a grandson, Brian Mountjoy; a great-grandson, Anthony Buck; and by two sisters and two brothers. Mrs. McClane is survived by two daughters, Carol (Will) Tisdale of South Bend and Marilyn Mountjoy of Warrenton, VA; and a son, Ronald (Sandra) Buck of Osceola. Also surviving are 16 grandchildren, Dottie (Lee) Ewing, Beverly (Tom) Bridges, Linda Mountjoy, Gary (Janet) Mountjoy, Rick (Teresa) Mountjoy, Marlene (Kent) Spidel, Julie Tompkins, Mike (Nancy) Tompkins, Karen (Mike) Brambert, Marcia (John) Tordi, Jim Tisdale, Lee (Donna) Buck, Russ Buck, Kim (Randy) Roach, Aaron (Angie) Buck and James Buck. She is also survived by 30 great-grandchildren and 15 great-great-grandchildren. Mrs. McClane was a member of Maple Grove United Methodist Church for more than 60 years. She was proud to have made baby quilts for most of her family and for the Country Store at the church. Services will be at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, July 27, in Maple Grove United Methodist Church, South Bend. Rev. Michael Jenkins, pastor, will officiate. Graveside services and burial will follow at Southlawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 2:00 to 4:00 and 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday in the Palmer Funeral Home-Guisinger Chapel, 3718 South Michigan Street, South Bend, and one hour prior to services Thursday in the church. Contributions in memory of Bonnie Buck-McClane may be made to Maple Grove United Methodist Church, 22019 New Road, South Bend, IN 46614.


text:
My oh my, you must try this peanut butter pie. But it is so rich, I recommend a slice half this size. In fact, you may want to rework this recipe and make it as individual servings in a mini-muffin pan - that amount would satisfy any sweet tooth.
I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and although I avoided buying and gorging on them for Halloween, I caved and made this pie instead. Nice.
Peanut Butter Mousse Pie
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 1/2 cups chunky peanut butter1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 Tablespoons milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 pre-made Oreo cookie crust
3 oz bittersweet chocolate bar (I used IKEA)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Gently fold back the metal rim of the pre-made Oreo crust. Place your open hand onto the plastic liner for support and flip the crust over so that the bottom of the metal tin is on top. Keeping it upside-down in your hand, remove the tin pan. You will have the crust resting upside-down on the plastic lid. Place a small glass pie plate on top of the crust, then flip back so that the crust is in the glass pie plate. Good job. (Or crumble the crust and press into the bottom of individual mini-muffin tins - as suggested for portion control)
In a mixing bowl, cream together the cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar and milk. In a separate bowl (using the whipping attachment), whip cream until medium peaks. Fold into peanut butter mixture.
Fill the crust with the peanut butter mixture and smooth. Place uncovered in freezer for 3 hours.
Before you remove the pie after freezing, make a ganache coating. Break up the chocolate bar into a small empty metal saucepan. Heat the 1/2 cup heavy cream in another saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Pour the hot cream over the broken chocolate bar and whisk until smooth and melted. Remove the pie from the freezer and immediately pour the chocolate ganache over the pie, completely covering the surface. Return pie to the freezer for 30 minutes to allow the ganache to set.
Remove from freezer, cut (small slivers!) and serve to an adoring crowd.
Then eat fruit for dessert the rest of the week. Love, Anne
A little delight for you each day - photographs, thoughts and ideas from Anne Reeves.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Peanut Butter Mousse Pie
5 comments:
oh my goodness that made my teeth hurt that looks so sweet! Can't wait to try it! Thanks for sharing.
- November 3, 2011 at 2:08:00 PM PDT
- Anne Reeves said...
The good news is that you keep it in the freezer...no pressure to finish it too fast! Pace yourself, it is very rich. xo A
- November 3, 2011 at 6:21:00 PM PDT
- Elaine said...
Reese's are my very favorites. I must make this!
- December 11, 2011 at 11:07:00 AM PST
Any idea on how many calories per serving?
- November 11, 2012 at 1:31:00 AM PST
- Anne Reeves said...
No, I'm sorry, I don't have any idea how many calories. Definitely a lot.
- November 11, 2012 at 6:45:00 AM PST
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text:
Aportaciones para un modelo global de Planificación Estratégica en Relaciones Públicas y Comunicación Integral. Análisis de un caso: el uso de los modelos de Planificación Estratégica en algunas agencias y consultoras de Relaciones Públicas y Comunicación
Abstract (Summary)RESUM: The goal of this study is to propose a model of strategic planning in Public Relations and Corporate Communication. The literature review initiates the conceptual and terminological approach to the model. This is done by means of an analysis of the historical evolution of strategic planning from a number of points of view: the military one, game theory, and organizational and management theory. This is followed by a description and comparison of the communicative managing function as an area of study as conceived by the Organizational school, the Public Relations school, and the Corporate Communication school. Following the presentation of the main Public Relations concepts (i.e. image and reputation; perception, attitude, and conduct; identity; organizational culture; vision, mission, values, and corporate credo; environment and corporate social responsibility; conflict and issues management; audiences and stakeholders) the RACE model by Marston is used as a reference to describe a number of strategic planning models within the theory of Public Relations and Corporate Communication. On the grounds of such a description, a contribution to a model of strategic planning is made, which is applicable to both Public Relations and Corporate Communication. An empirical study follows which verifies the appropriate use of strategic planning by a number of Public Relations and Corporate Communication agencies in Spain. Finally, the conclusions to the doctoral dissertation are presented.
Bibliographical Information:
Advisor:Sáez Casas, Albert
School:Universitat Rovira i Virgili
School Location:Spain
Source Type:Master's Thesis
Keywords:fccb comunicació social
Date of Publication:09/19/2007