More rain today - I emptied another 1 1/2" out of the rain gauge around 3:30 this afternoon, and we've had some shower activity since. Much more rain forecast for overnight and tomorrow. I'm about ready to be done with this! Not only has it been a lot of rain, but it's coming so hard and fast it's causing flooding issues. Younger daughter in Parkville says the Missouri River there is up and running, with lots of debris. I saw it on this evening's news, and she wasn't exaggerating! Her home is high on a hill - but she drives right by English Landing Park on 9 Highway going to work.
I grew up in the hills of North Central Missouri - northern Carroll County, to be more precise, between the "Tater Hills" near Coloma and the "Mandeville Hills". Flooding wasn't something we had to deal with a lot. A little creek meandered through our farm, and I do remember a few heavy rains when it overflowed briefly. We didn't have issues with the roads being closed due to flooding.
What we did have, on occasion, were issues with the school buses not being able to get down the gravel roads due to mud. I remember a few times our neighbor's son came to my rescue by picking me up on his way to school in a big truck - I think there may have also been a time we went to meet the bus on the blacktop via tractor. There was a time or two after he graduated that I got off the bus (kind of was "dumped out", actually) on the blacktop a mile and a half from our house.
Probably the most memorable event was one muddy morning when our bus couldn't get up a hill about a mile past my house because the road was so slick. It may not have taken a lot of time, but it seemed like forever that the driver would back up, take a run at the hill, then repeat.......over and over again! Just about the time we all thought we might be sitting there all day, he got a run going that took us to the top of the hill and over. Whew! That was one day we were glad to get to school.
Ten and a half school years riding the bus left some memories, to be sure. Sometimes that ride seemed so long - other times, when the conversation was lively, it wasn't nearly long enough! There were the hot rides in the summer, cold rides in the winter when the heater just couldn't heat up the entire bus. There was at least one time we had to pull over and let a heavy storm pass through, on a day when there was tornadic activity in our area.
It was very different when we moved off the farm. I went from being the farthest point from school on our bus route to living next door to the school.....opposite extremes, for sure. I wasn't sad to lose that school bus ride, but there were some fun times on those rides as well. Even then, I still got to ride the bus as we traveled for music events, athletic matches, etc. I even suffered my first concussion on a school bus - we were going to a basketball game at another school, the driver hit a big pothole in the road, and someone's (hard sided) overnight bag bounced out of the overhead rack and landed squarely on my head.
Fun memories - I think!!
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
It's What Day?
It was an outstanding day. Why? No reason - it just was. I did a bunch of small chores around the house, and we mowed the yard this afternoon. It was pretty steamy by the time we finished, so I was more than happy to turn on the a/c for awhile. We're finishing up the day watching "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" - what a great movie! If you have the opportunity to watch it, I highly recommend it. I think all of us can identify with the angst of being a high school freshman.
It's harder than usual this week to keep track of the days, and I'm not sure why! Having that Monday holiday threw me off more than usual! We took the "day off" as well, opting not to do our Big Band podcast or this blog. Now, I'm not sure where I am! I think it's Wednesday, but my body has said "Thursday" all day. During the winter, I rely on my "TV memory' to help me - stop and think, what did you watch last night? NCIS - then this must be Wednesday. Summer reruns, replacement shows, and movies throws that entire schedule off!
We're almost to the four-month mark on our unemployment/retirement. I must say, I'm liking it more and more every day! It gives us freedom to enjoy life, to do what we want, to commit to watching grandkids (ask me how great that part was the end of July, after we've spent a week taking care of the four-year-old whirlwind and her brother!!).
During June, we will attend two dance recitals. Both granddaughters are taking dance; the 7-year-old is in a competition school and has done well with tap, jazz, and ballet....I believe she's done some hip-hop stuff as well. In her recital, there will be a Daddy/Daughter dance with a spy theme......son says he gets to be James Bond. Hopefully he won't hurt himself! :)
It was a great day - and I really have no particular insights tonight. So, we'll call it a day and hope that you had an outstanding one too!
TTFN
It's harder than usual this week to keep track of the days, and I'm not sure why! Having that Monday holiday threw me off more than usual! We took the "day off" as well, opting not to do our Big Band podcast or this blog. Now, I'm not sure where I am! I think it's Wednesday, but my body has said "Thursday" all day. During the winter, I rely on my "TV memory' to help me - stop and think, what did you watch last night? NCIS - then this must be Wednesday. Summer reruns, replacement shows, and movies throws that entire schedule off!
We're almost to the four-month mark on our unemployment/retirement. I must say, I'm liking it more and more every day! It gives us freedom to enjoy life, to do what we want, to commit to watching grandkids (ask me how great that part was the end of July, after we've spent a week taking care of the four-year-old whirlwind and her brother!!).
During June, we will attend two dance recitals. Both granddaughters are taking dance; the 7-year-old is in a competition school and has done well with tap, jazz, and ballet....I believe she's done some hip-hop stuff as well. In her recital, there will be a Daddy/Daughter dance with a spy theme......son says he gets to be James Bond. Hopefully he won't hurt himself! :)
It was a great day - and I really have no particular insights tonight. So, we'll call it a day and hope that you had an outstanding one too!
TTFN
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
A Wet 'n Wild Weekend
Yes, it was a wet 'n wild holiday weekend - and not in a fun way! The Midwest, now that we've finally reached seasonable weather, has faced several days of attention-getting weather.
Here in North Central Missouri, our stormy weather started on Sunday afternoon. We had a couple of strong fronts go through and dump over an inch of rain on us, then the sun came back out and it got steamy. In the evening and overnight, more stormy weather. Yesterday morning about 8:45, it got as black as night as another front rolled through. It rained quite a bit of the day.......then more rumbles and rain overnight. We've been fortunate that there hasn't been much wind with these storms - I haven't heard of any downed trees or other wind damage, and we never lost power. But the thunder and lightning has been disruptive and the rain has poured - by the time we emptied the rain gauge this morning, we'd measured 5.3". It's showered a couple of times this afternoon, and we're about to let a tornado watch expire......looks like more coming through tonight.
Last year was dry here, so the moisture is welcome. But I'm at the point I'd be glad to share. A cousin from central Kansas was here over the weekend; he said it's still very dry there. And the cousin in far western Kansas says they've had hardly any measurable rain for over two years now. From our town to the south are the Missouri River Bottoms - amazing farm ground, but totally flat topographically. We've had enough moisture now that those heavy rains yesterday were just sitting on top of the ground - it's getting pretty saturated. That could be the beginning of a less-than-stellar crop year. We'll start hoping for a break from the rain before long.
In a nod to the Memorial Day Weekend, a very touching email was forwarded to me this morning. My husband's father did not survive World War II and is buried in the American Military Cemetery in Manila. Through a strange set of events a few years ago, hubby's uncle (who lives in a Dallas suburb) met a gentleman who lives in Manila. They chatted at a local Rotary Club meeting in the Dallas area - the gentleman from Manila has a very dear friend who is buried in Dallas, and he was in Dallas for the funeral. Before the Rotary Meeting was over, hubby's uncle and the gentleman from Manila made an agreement that every year on Memorial Day, hubby's uncle would put flowers on the friend's grave in Dallas, and the gentleman from Manila would put flowers at the American Military Cemetery. Since then, he has faithfully done that every year - in fact, he goes above and beyond by attending the entire official military ceremony, putting a wreath on the grave, and taking photos of everything. He uploads the photos into an album and emails them to both hubby and his uncle so they can have a small part of the annual ceremony. Hopefully he knows how much his gesture of kindness means to the family of this man who never got to come home from the war.
Here in North Central Missouri, our stormy weather started on Sunday afternoon. We had a couple of strong fronts go through and dump over an inch of rain on us, then the sun came back out and it got steamy. In the evening and overnight, more stormy weather. Yesterday morning about 8:45, it got as black as night as another front rolled through. It rained quite a bit of the day.......then more rumbles and rain overnight. We've been fortunate that there hasn't been much wind with these storms - I haven't heard of any downed trees or other wind damage, and we never lost power. But the thunder and lightning has been disruptive and the rain has poured - by the time we emptied the rain gauge this morning, we'd measured 5.3". It's showered a couple of times this afternoon, and we're about to let a tornado watch expire......looks like more coming through tonight.
Last year was dry here, so the moisture is welcome. But I'm at the point I'd be glad to share. A cousin from central Kansas was here over the weekend; he said it's still very dry there. And the cousin in far western Kansas says they've had hardly any measurable rain for over two years now. From our town to the south are the Missouri River Bottoms - amazing farm ground, but totally flat topographically. We've had enough moisture now that those heavy rains yesterday were just sitting on top of the ground - it's getting pretty saturated. That could be the beginning of a less-than-stellar crop year. We'll start hoping for a break from the rain before long.
In a nod to the Memorial Day Weekend, a very touching email was forwarded to me this morning. My husband's father did not survive World War II and is buried in the American Military Cemetery in Manila. Through a strange set of events a few years ago, hubby's uncle (who lives in a Dallas suburb) met a gentleman who lives in Manila. They chatted at a local Rotary Club meeting in the Dallas area - the gentleman from Manila has a very dear friend who is buried in Dallas, and he was in Dallas for the funeral. Before the Rotary Meeting was over, hubby's uncle and the gentleman from Manila made an agreement that every year on Memorial Day, hubby's uncle would put flowers on the friend's grave in Dallas, and the gentleman from Manila would put flowers at the American Military Cemetery. Since then, he has faithfully done that every year - in fact, he goes above and beyond by attending the entire official military ceremony, putting a wreath on the grave, and taking photos of everything. He uploads the photos into an album and emails them to both hubby and his uncle so they can have a small part of the annual ceremony. Hopefully he knows how much his gesture of kindness means to the family of this man who never got to come home from the war.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Farm Thoughts
Recently we cut back our satellite TV package.....if we hadn't, I'd probably be watching "Hitler's Bodyguard" right now. Hubby may be somewhat sad, but I don't share his pain!
We had a nice trip to the cemeteries this morning. We took the "country route" instead of the highway, something we hadn't done for quite some time. It's always interesting to see how the landscape has changed. It's been a couple of years since we had normal rain in the springtime, and it's nice to see the ponds full and everything so green. We've had a late planting year for crops - I actually saw a couple of fields where the corn was visible. The crops should be much further along than that by now.
I'm a farm girl, and I love driving around the country, looking at the crops growing. In the mid '70's, I moved to Oregon. I lived in the northwestern part of the state, in the Willamette Valley. It's a heavily-farmed area, but in such a different way than I was used to. I grew up here in the Midwest, where the main crops are field corn and soybeans, with an occasional wheat field mixed in. In the Willamette Valley, it was flowers and food crops. There was one certain area, near Newberg, where there were a lot of nut groves - hazelnuts, to be precise. There were also orchards, and a few lucky farmers had contracts to grow hops.
There were also mint fields. I love mint. I love the smell, the taste. There is one week in early August when the daytime temps in the Willamette Valley hit the low 90's. That's also the time the mint is ready to harvest. It's a delicate crop with a short window for harvest - so the harvesting runs 24 hours a day. That particular house was between the mint fields and the mint still, the apparatus that crushed the oil out of the mint leaves. The first couple of truckloads smelled great. Then that feeling started to wane, as the heat caused the overwhelming mint smell to hang in the air. The first harvest I lived there, I was eight months pregnant. The next year, I was five months pregnant. I got to the point my stomach would start doing flip-flops when I heard those trucks come rumbling down the road. Time heals......I still love mint.
I was fascinated with watching those different crops grow - sugar beets, green beans, sweet corn, pumpkin. One day on the way to the grocery store, I drove past a field of onions that had just been harvested. It's a little hard to drive with tears streaming down your face! The flower fields were fascinating. There was an iris farm along I-5 just north of Salem, and it was just beautiful when the flowers bloomed. Each different color had its own section.
As interesting as those crops were, I was glad when I got back to home base in the Midwest. But I'm glad I had the opportunity to see a different side of farming.
We had a nice trip to the cemeteries this morning. We took the "country route" instead of the highway, something we hadn't done for quite some time. It's always interesting to see how the landscape has changed. It's been a couple of years since we had normal rain in the springtime, and it's nice to see the ponds full and everything so green. We've had a late planting year for crops - I actually saw a couple of fields where the corn was visible. The crops should be much further along than that by now.
I'm a farm girl, and I love driving around the country, looking at the crops growing. In the mid '70's, I moved to Oregon. I lived in the northwestern part of the state, in the Willamette Valley. It's a heavily-farmed area, but in such a different way than I was used to. I grew up here in the Midwest, where the main crops are field corn and soybeans, with an occasional wheat field mixed in. In the Willamette Valley, it was flowers and food crops. There was one certain area, near Newberg, where there were a lot of nut groves - hazelnuts, to be precise. There were also orchards, and a few lucky farmers had contracts to grow hops.
There were also mint fields. I love mint. I love the smell, the taste. There is one week in early August when the daytime temps in the Willamette Valley hit the low 90's. That's also the time the mint is ready to harvest. It's a delicate crop with a short window for harvest - so the harvesting runs 24 hours a day. That particular house was between the mint fields and the mint still, the apparatus that crushed the oil out of the mint leaves. The first couple of truckloads smelled great. Then that feeling started to wane, as the heat caused the overwhelming mint smell to hang in the air. The first harvest I lived there, I was eight months pregnant. The next year, I was five months pregnant. I got to the point my stomach would start doing flip-flops when I heard those trucks come rumbling down the road. Time heals......I still love mint.
I was fascinated with watching those different crops grow - sugar beets, green beans, sweet corn, pumpkin. One day on the way to the grocery store, I drove past a field of onions that had just been harvested. It's a little hard to drive with tears streaming down your face! The flower fields were fascinating. There was an iris farm along I-5 just north of Salem, and it was just beautiful when the flowers bloomed. Each different color had its own section.
As interesting as those crops were, I was glad when I got back to home base in the Midwest. But I'm glad I had the opportunity to see a different side of farming.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Ramblings
The nice thing about doing a blog is that you can say things that are on your mind and you never know who's out there reading. The bad thing about doing a blog is that you can say things that are on your mind and you never know who's out there reading......especially if you mention other people!! Even an innocuous, innocent statement can come back to haunt you - I now know that my younger cousins never knew my mom was a cheerleader in high school. All I have to say about that is - hang with me, little cousins and no telling what you'll learn!!
Today was one of those sluggish days where I never quite felt like my brain and my body got on the same wavelength. The good news is that I didn't come home from work feeling like I didn't accomplish anything! It's amazing all the pluses I'm finding with not working. There's no pressure of time constraints at home, I can do things whenever I feel like it......and there's always tomorrow.
We finished off some leftovers for supper, then topped it off with some vanilla ice cream. I put some Mrs. Butterworth's on mine, and hubby thought that was an excellent idea. I told him he could thank my Grandma Edwards for that. She taught me the finer points of topping vanilla ice cream with pancake syrup. She taught me lots of other things, including how to be a terrific grandma. I always loved spending time at her house during summer vacation.
We visited her every other Sunday throughout the year, often at the same time as my uncle and his family. Grandma always had such yummy food, and she was great at having everyone's favorite food. There would be roast beef or fried chicken.......and often she also made salmon patties because my cousin and I loved them. I've also been known to ignore the "real" food she cooked in favor of a baloney sandwich. My folks would get onto me, but Grandma was always fine with it. There was almost always a bowl of navy beans on the table, because that was my uncle's favorite.
Grandma always had a Big Chief tablet in her dresser - what she called her "diary book". She wrote in it every night - nothing earth shattering, but a chronicle of the day's weather, what she did, etc. I'd hate to guess how many of those Big Chief tablets she filled over the years. There was always a dish of hard candy sitting on her TV. And she used green ink pens - especially in what should have been her retirement years when she was waitressing at a local restaurant. I still love using green pens because they remind me of her.
She never understood why we thought she was such a wonderful grandma, because in her mind she was just Margaret. Grandma didn't leave us until she was in her 90's, and Alzheimers had taken away her ability to know us. But she still loved having all of us come visit her. I always felt like she was looking down at us and smiling (or laughing!) during her funeral service. I was trying to control my kids - who were 10, 13 and 14 at the time. THEY were fine - my purse slid off my shoulder and down my arm, hitting my watch. That wouldn't be too bad, but it was a musical Mickey Mouse watch and the purse strap hit the button that made it play "It's A Small World". Luckily, the church organist was still playing, but the kids were cracking up. When we got to the cemetery, my cousin had to grab me so she didn't fall when her high heel sank into the ground. We were both giggling. Then afterward, during the family lunch at the church hall, three young great-grandsons were overheard discussing how to make a pipe bomb. We parents weren't too happy, but we figured Grandma would have thoroughly enjoyed it.
Even though she was the sixth of seven sisters, she was one of a kind and we all loved her dearly. It's been 20 years without her, and we have such wonderful memories.
Today was one of those sluggish days where I never quite felt like my brain and my body got on the same wavelength. The good news is that I didn't come home from work feeling like I didn't accomplish anything! It's amazing all the pluses I'm finding with not working. There's no pressure of time constraints at home, I can do things whenever I feel like it......and there's always tomorrow.
We finished off some leftovers for supper, then topped it off with some vanilla ice cream. I put some Mrs. Butterworth's on mine, and hubby thought that was an excellent idea. I told him he could thank my Grandma Edwards for that. She taught me the finer points of topping vanilla ice cream with pancake syrup. She taught me lots of other things, including how to be a terrific grandma. I always loved spending time at her house during summer vacation.
We visited her every other Sunday throughout the year, often at the same time as my uncle and his family. Grandma always had such yummy food, and she was great at having everyone's favorite food. There would be roast beef or fried chicken.......and often she also made salmon patties because my cousin and I loved them. I've also been known to ignore the "real" food she cooked in favor of a baloney sandwich. My folks would get onto me, but Grandma was always fine with it. There was almost always a bowl of navy beans on the table, because that was my uncle's favorite.
Grandma always had a Big Chief tablet in her dresser - what she called her "diary book". She wrote in it every night - nothing earth shattering, but a chronicle of the day's weather, what she did, etc. I'd hate to guess how many of those Big Chief tablets she filled over the years. There was always a dish of hard candy sitting on her TV. And she used green ink pens - especially in what should have been her retirement years when she was waitressing at a local restaurant. I still love using green pens because they remind me of her.
She never understood why we thought she was such a wonderful grandma, because in her mind she was just Margaret. Grandma didn't leave us until she was in her 90's, and Alzheimers had taken away her ability to know us. But she still loved having all of us come visit her. I always felt like she was looking down at us and smiling (or laughing!) during her funeral service. I was trying to control my kids - who were 10, 13 and 14 at the time. THEY were fine - my purse slid off my shoulder and down my arm, hitting my watch. That wouldn't be too bad, but it was a musical Mickey Mouse watch and the purse strap hit the button that made it play "It's A Small World". Luckily, the church organist was still playing, but the kids were cracking up. When we got to the cemetery, my cousin had to grab me so she didn't fall when her high heel sank into the ground. We were both giggling. Then afterward, during the family lunch at the church hall, three young great-grandsons were overheard discussing how to make a pipe bomb. We parents weren't too happy, but we figured Grandma would have thoroughly enjoyed it.
Even though she was the sixth of seven sisters, she was one of a kind and we all loved her dearly. It's been 20 years without her, and we have such wonderful memories.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Memorials/Memories
This was the day to do an annual chore - getting out the cemetery flowers for Memorial Day. It always surprises me from one year to the next what I have on hand - this year I see that evidently I bought all new flowers last year. That's good; everything is ready to put out again for this year. As long as the weather isn't bad, these flowers can be reused year after year........after all, we'll be back within ten days to pick everything up, before the next mowing of the cemetery.
After my mom read yesterday's blog, she realized if we went to the cemetery on Friday afternoon, we would be changing routine. That's something she would NOT want to do - me either, as a matter of fact. We both like our ruts deep, straight, and unchanged! In this instance, we have developed an annual routine of putting Memorial Day flowers at Ebenezer Cemetery near Bogard and Braden Cemetery near Coloma, then having lunch at Burger Bar in Carrollton. So, our plans have changed and we will do the cemetery trip on Friday morning - then have the beef burgers ready, please!
Many of my Dad's extended family for a couple of generations before him are buried in Braden Cemetery, including his grandparents. When I was very small, I remember that the families were responsible for mowing the family plots at the cemetery. (I must say that I think it's much nicer now for the cemeteries to hire someone to mow, so the grass is all even.) I have memories of going with my parents to mow the Dorsey family plots at Braden. Far from being intimidated, I always enjoyed playing while they mowed. Dad's grandparents had what, to me, was a huge headstone. I don't know why I thought I needed to climb on it, but I remember doing just that. One memory that especially stands out was one spring when I found wild strawberries in the cemetery. they were yummy - and I got so incredibly sick that night! I don't know if it was an allergic reaction or what, but I remember being fine one minute and the next the room spinning around (and my tummy, too).
My folks never sheltered me from the inevitable sad times of life - I was taken to funerals as far back as I can remember. I can still remember a time when the visitation for a loved one was held at the family home, with the casket in the living room. That was a little strange for a small child.
Both my grandfathers left this world when I was 13, just three months apart. That was hard. Both grandmothers are gone now as well, both of Dad's brothers, my aunt, and two older first cousins. This makes Memorial Day an especially bittersweet time, as we honor their memories by putting flowers on their graves. But it's a loving tribute for all of them and something I'm pleased I can do.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Loving The Age I Am
I'm so glad I'm not young - for so many reasons!! I just got off the phone with younger daughter, who was on her way home from food shopping for the holiday weekend at Costco. She and her hubby enjoy camping - I don't know WHERE that gene came from, certainly not me!! For several years they have taken a Memorial Day camping trip with a bunch of friends. This year, she and hubby volunteered to do all the food shopping for the entire group (as well as planning menus) to simplify things. The menu sounds yummy - and I'm so glad I'm not the one A) planning and buying all that food, B) doing the cooking, or C) camping. Give me my bed and bathroom any old day!!....er, night.
I'm so thankful I'm at a point in my life that I can relax and enjoy holiday weekends - whether I'm having time off work, or whether I'm unemployed and just have some relaxing days. We will do our annual cemetery visits Friday afternoon - with my mom - and have our duty done for the entire weekend. From there, we can just chill out, watch movies, or whatever we want to do. It's our choice.
Once in a great while I wish I could turn back time to when I was younger and have a "do-over"......but even as I say that, I realize it's been a long, long time since I've felt that way. I look back now at how hard I worked when the kids were small, and there's really no way I'd want to go back there. The kids turned out pretty darned good, either in spite of me or because of me! I enjoy having them at the point in their lives that I occasionally hear "mom, I don't know how you did it!" when they're telling me what their kids are up to.
My older daughter has a 4 1/2-year-old whirlwind who wears everyone out with her constant activity - and talking. I love reminding my daughter that when she was that age, I also had a 3-year-old and a new baby. Honestly, I'm not sure how I did it either - but somehow we all survived.
It's sometimes hard to look in the mirror and wonder where that face looking back at me came from. But, all in all, I'm really comfortable with where I am in life. And I really wouldn't want to be young again!
TTFN
I'm so thankful I'm at a point in my life that I can relax and enjoy holiday weekends - whether I'm having time off work, or whether I'm unemployed and just have some relaxing days. We will do our annual cemetery visits Friday afternoon - with my mom - and have our duty done for the entire weekend. From there, we can just chill out, watch movies, or whatever we want to do. It's our choice.
Once in a great while I wish I could turn back time to when I was younger and have a "do-over"......but even as I say that, I realize it's been a long, long time since I've felt that way. I look back now at how hard I worked when the kids were small, and there's really no way I'd want to go back there. The kids turned out pretty darned good, either in spite of me or because of me! I enjoy having them at the point in their lives that I occasionally hear "mom, I don't know how you did it!" when they're telling me what their kids are up to.
My older daughter has a 4 1/2-year-old whirlwind who wears everyone out with her constant activity - and talking. I love reminding my daughter that when she was that age, I also had a 3-year-old and a new baby. Honestly, I'm not sure how I did it either - but somehow we all survived.
It's sometimes hard to look in the mirror and wonder where that face looking back at me came from. But, all in all, I'm really comfortable with where I am in life. And I really wouldn't want to be young again!
TTFN
Monday, May 20, 2013
A Wild Ride
The last 24 hours has been a wild weather ride for the Midwest - I enjoy the warmer weather, but I could do without all this. This past weekend was graduation for so many Midwestern schools - the city of Olathe, KS (a KC suburb) cancelled the graduation exercises of all four of its schools last night. A wise move - probably not very popular, but wise.
Now we're watching the evening news of all the tornado devastation from Oklahoma and the schools leveled by tornadoes - we can't help but think of the May 22, 2011 tornado that hit Joplin, MO, on a Sunday evening following graduation.
Current-day media has changed news reporting so much. I was excited to watch a very grainy report of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon in 1969. In last month's bombing in Boston, social media was used to help look for the perpetrators as police encouraged everyone in attendance with cell phones to send in their photos and videos so police could scan the crowd. We are instantly on the scene of most disasters and events now, rather than hearing about it after a few days and then seeing photos in "Life" magazine (or "Time" or "Newsweek"). This must be an amazing time to be a news reporter.
Back to the Midwest, the clouds threatened yesterday and our local graduation was moved inside as a precaution. We had just a short shower at 3 pm, but enough to justify the indoor ceremony. The weather threatened all evening, then finally hit here just before 9 pm. The storm waves came through almost hourly from then through 1am, and they each lasted about half an hour. It varied by a few minutes, but it was ridiculously consistent.
We lost electricity for 35 minutes between 10 and 11 last night......when the storms passed through, it was raining really hard. The little sump pump in our basement worked overtime to catch up once the power came back on. I always know when it comes back, because our answering machine tells me it's on and needs its time reset. It seems to think I care, regardless of the time!
Hubby seemed to sleep pretty well and woke up perky - I didn't quite share his enthusiasm for the day. We alternated today between dark clouds and bright sunshine. We cut our walk a little short this morning because dark clouds were coming in. We made it back to the car and were home before that rain started. We've missed the nasty weather so far today - but I don't think I'll tempt fate and try to record the blog this evening! It just doesn't seem prudent.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those hit by today's tornadoes in Oklahoma, especially in the town of Moore.
Talk to you tomorrow.
Now we're watching the evening news of all the tornado devastation from Oklahoma and the schools leveled by tornadoes - we can't help but think of the May 22, 2011 tornado that hit Joplin, MO, on a Sunday evening following graduation.
Current-day media has changed news reporting so much. I was excited to watch a very grainy report of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon in 1969. In last month's bombing in Boston, social media was used to help look for the perpetrators as police encouraged everyone in attendance with cell phones to send in their photos and videos so police could scan the crowd. We are instantly on the scene of most disasters and events now, rather than hearing about it after a few days and then seeing photos in "Life" magazine (or "Time" or "Newsweek"). This must be an amazing time to be a news reporter.
Back to the Midwest, the clouds threatened yesterday and our local graduation was moved inside as a precaution. We had just a short shower at 3 pm, but enough to justify the indoor ceremony. The weather threatened all evening, then finally hit here just before 9 pm. The storm waves came through almost hourly from then through 1am, and they each lasted about half an hour. It varied by a few minutes, but it was ridiculously consistent.
We lost electricity for 35 minutes between 10 and 11 last night......when the storms passed through, it was raining really hard. The little sump pump in our basement worked overtime to catch up once the power came back on. I always know when it comes back, because our answering machine tells me it's on and needs its time reset. It seems to think I care, regardless of the time!
Hubby seemed to sleep pretty well and woke up perky - I didn't quite share his enthusiasm for the day. We alternated today between dark clouds and bright sunshine. We cut our walk a little short this morning because dark clouds were coming in. We made it back to the car and were home before that rain started. We've missed the nasty weather so far today - but I don't think I'll tempt fate and try to record the blog this evening! It just doesn't seem prudent.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those hit by today's tornadoes in Oklahoma, especially in the town of Moore.
Talk to you tomorrow.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Chicks Leaving The Nest
Springtime brings new beginnings......in the animal world, in the horticulture/floraculture world, in the "people" world. We've had a bird nest nestled in the rafters of the carport. We watched Mama Bird sitting on that nest, we worried a bit when she wasn't around. I climbed up the ladder and peeked in and made sure there were "baby feathers" in the nest. Soon, we could see four little beaks peeking over the edge of the nest. Already, they're gone. That development sure seemed to happen fast.
My best bud from high school's twin daughters are graduating from high school tomorrow night. I'm sure she's thinking now that their development seems to have happened fast. My thoughts are with her as she watches her chicks prepare to fly from their nest.
On the other hand, I'm sitting here feeling like I'm being fanned by the hands of the clock spinning around faster and faster!! The calendar tells me my youngest one graduated from high school 13 years ago - holy cow! Where in the world has that time gone?
It just doesn't seem like that much time has passed since the first one went out the door to her first day of kindergarten. Such anxiety, for both of us......her, because as a youngster she was extremely shy.....and me because her time of heading out the door kind of sneaked up on me because she has an August birthday - she actually started school a few days shy of her 5th birthday (and we'd just moved from another state, with another set of school eligibility guidelines).
I survived three "first day of school" times. Each kid responded to that so differently. Time and multiple moves took us throughout the school days (5 different towns/school districts for the two older ones, 4 for #3). And the time went so fast. Then, suddenly, we were looking at colleges. All three went to the same college - son might have chosen to go somewhere else.....but as a single parent, I asked him to please go to the same school as his sister - I didn't feel like I could keep up with two kids at two different colleges, with the third still in high school. I don't think he felt too "put upon" and found his own life on campus.
I was strangely happy at their graduations. Don't get me wrong - all I have to do is hear "Pomp And Circumstance", and I tear up. But other than that, I was happy and excited to watch them enter a new phase of life. I sat through three high school graduations......all three kids' college graduations, as well as one son-in-law and one daughter-in-law. Oldest daughter has her Master's, but they didn't have a ceremony - daughter-in-law was on her own for her Master's and Ed Specialist degrees......same for son-in-law's second bachelor's. Sorry, guys, but my "sitter" only takes so much!
Now we have the two grandsons entering high school in the fall. So, it won't be long before we're back in the "graduation swing"...........let's hope Grain Valley and Blue Springs South don't decide to have graduation at the same time!!! I remember so well when oldest daughter hinted that her college graduation and #2 daughter's high school graduation could potentially be the same day. I didn't think that was nearly as funny as she did.
Spring and new beginnings - in nature and in life. Congratulations, Rachel & Jessica Jacobs!!
My best bud from high school's twin daughters are graduating from high school tomorrow night. I'm sure she's thinking now that their development seems to have happened fast. My thoughts are with her as she watches her chicks prepare to fly from their nest.
On the other hand, I'm sitting here feeling like I'm being fanned by the hands of the clock spinning around faster and faster!! The calendar tells me my youngest one graduated from high school 13 years ago - holy cow! Where in the world has that time gone?
It just doesn't seem like that much time has passed since the first one went out the door to her first day of kindergarten. Such anxiety, for both of us......her, because as a youngster she was extremely shy.....and me because her time of heading out the door kind of sneaked up on me because she has an August birthday - she actually started school a few days shy of her 5th birthday (and we'd just moved from another state, with another set of school eligibility guidelines).
I survived three "first day of school" times. Each kid responded to that so differently. Time and multiple moves took us throughout the school days (5 different towns/school districts for the two older ones, 4 for #3). And the time went so fast. Then, suddenly, we were looking at colleges. All three went to the same college - son might have chosen to go somewhere else.....but as a single parent, I asked him to please go to the same school as his sister - I didn't feel like I could keep up with two kids at two different colleges, with the third still in high school. I don't think he felt too "put upon" and found his own life on campus.
I was strangely happy at their graduations. Don't get me wrong - all I have to do is hear "Pomp And Circumstance", and I tear up. But other than that, I was happy and excited to watch them enter a new phase of life. I sat through three high school graduations......all three kids' college graduations, as well as one son-in-law and one daughter-in-law. Oldest daughter has her Master's, but they didn't have a ceremony - daughter-in-law was on her own for her Master's and Ed Specialist degrees......same for son-in-law's second bachelor's. Sorry, guys, but my "sitter" only takes so much!
Now we have the two grandsons entering high school in the fall. So, it won't be long before we're back in the "graduation swing"...........let's hope Grain Valley and Blue Springs South don't decide to have graduation at the same time!!! I remember so well when oldest daughter hinted that her college graduation and #2 daughter's high school graduation could potentially be the same day. I didn't think that was nearly as funny as she did.
Spring and new beginnings - in nature and in life. Congratulations, Rachel & Jessica Jacobs!!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Outstanding
It was a very productive day. It was gorgeous, sunny, a nice breeze, and it didn't get as hot as the past couple of days. Sometimes it's easy to forget that self-satisfied feeling that comes from accomplishing a lot! But it's a good thing.
I started out this morning putting potatoes and eggs on to cook for potato salad while hubby and I had breakfast. After we did our daily podcast, we hit the local grocery store for their four-day sale. We did okay at stocking up on sale items.
Once we got home, I got down to (kitchen) business. We had a bunch of apples, so I cut up somewhere between six and eight pounds of apples and put them on to cook for applesauce. What a yummy smell! I put together the potato salad and got it in the fridge, then I sat down and peeled about a two-pound bag of mandarin oranges and put them in a container for easy snacking. The apples were cooked down by then, so I used the potato masher to "smush" them up into chunky applesauce. I tested them for sweetness, then used a little Splenda and some cinnamon to season them up. Mmm!
Hubby was kind enough to grill some burgers for lunch. We had a bag of whole-grain ciabatta rolls, so I sliced those for the burgers. It was outstanding. In the afternoon we took our walk in the park, then hit another sale to pick up a couple of flower baskets, a couple of tomato plants and a pepper plant. I'm attempting to do container gardening this year - we'll find out later if it's a success or not! I got everything planted and watered and was ready to sit down for a bit.
It was a good day. I'm glad I'm at the point in my life that I don't have to live at the breakneck speed I did when the kids were tiny - those days when I had three little kids, a huge garden with all the canning and freezing throughout the late summer and fall. It was hard work, but it was so nice to have home-grown food throughout the winter.
All in all, it was an outstanding day - and for no really stand-out reasons......just because it was. And that's good enough for me.
I started out this morning putting potatoes and eggs on to cook for potato salad while hubby and I had breakfast. After we did our daily podcast, we hit the local grocery store for their four-day sale. We did okay at stocking up on sale items.
Once we got home, I got down to (kitchen) business. We had a bunch of apples, so I cut up somewhere between six and eight pounds of apples and put them on to cook for applesauce. What a yummy smell! I put together the potato salad and got it in the fridge, then I sat down and peeled about a two-pound bag of mandarin oranges and put them in a container for easy snacking. The apples were cooked down by then, so I used the potato masher to "smush" them up into chunky applesauce. I tested them for sweetness, then used a little Splenda and some cinnamon to season them up. Mmm!
Hubby was kind enough to grill some burgers for lunch. We had a bag of whole-grain ciabatta rolls, so I sliced those for the burgers. It was outstanding. In the afternoon we took our walk in the park, then hit another sale to pick up a couple of flower baskets, a couple of tomato plants and a pepper plant. I'm attempting to do container gardening this year - we'll find out later if it's a success or not! I got everything planted and watered and was ready to sit down for a bit.
It was a good day. I'm glad I'm at the point in my life that I don't have to live at the breakneck speed I did when the kids were tiny - those days when I had three little kids, a huge garden with all the canning and freezing throughout the late summer and fall. It was hard work, but it was so nice to have home-grown food throughout the winter.
All in all, it was an outstanding day - and for no really stand-out reasons......just because it was. And that's good enough for me.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Soothing The Savage Beast
I keep looking at this blank space on my computer screen, trying to figure out how to fill it. Somehow, today the words aren't coming. So I donned my headphones and have Pandora playing "Relaxation Music" in the background. I'll either be inspired, or I'll be put to sleep!
Come to think of it, where would we be without music in our lives? From the earliest lullabies and nursery rhyme songs, most of us have been exposed to music. Many of us took piano lessons. We had music in school and learned to sing, we put up with the dreaded "Year Of the Tonette", and eventually we were old enough to join band.
By that time, most of us had discovered Top 40 radio as well. And remember all the variety shows that used to expose us to music on TV - Your Hit Parade, Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason Show, Lawrence Welk, and so many more. Even comedian Jack Benny played the violin.
I remember joining band in 5th grade. We really didn't have the cash flow to buy an instrument, but the school owned several we could choose to play. I started out with a mellophone - Earlene Bell Sewell and I. (Cindia Hollenbeck Costner and Mary Kuhlman were already playing french horn, which was pretty basically the same instrument.) I lugged that thing home on the bus the first night and practiced and practiced and practiced.........the one note I'd learned to play that day. Oh, yes, and it turned out that band teacher Mr. Nashan had taught us that one note incorrectly - he'd given us the french horn fingering, so our second day of band was spent re-learning that one note!
I loved music - I loved playing my little transistor radio, I loved playing the piano for hours on end, I loved playing the french horn, I loved singing. Of course, I only loved all that when it was of my choosing - enforced practice time was something else altogether! When I was taking piano lessons the summer between 5th & 6th grades, Mom finally resorted to enforcing a practice/TV rule - I could watch TV the same amount of time I practiced. Ugh! It was only fun when I WANTED to do it. Plus, I've always had a mental block on memorization. I absolutely hated recitals.
We played for music programs, graduation, our infamous Last Day of School program, music contests. That french horn and I went a lot of miles together. And when I started college, luckily they also had a french horn for me to play. Due to the size of schools and size of the music program, I never had the opportunity to march. But I sat and played during a lot of really cold football games.
I can't begin to count the number of funerals I've played the piano for - I think I remember all the weddings - and so many other events. I've played endless hours for my own enjoyment. During junior high I used the piano as my own personal form of expression........I drove my poor Dad to the far ends of the farm a few times using the piano as my instrument of anger expression. I'm surprised he survived my adolescence!
Music to sooth the savage beast - it definitely works!.......and a big thank you to Pandora for inspiring today's blog!
Come to think of it, where would we be without music in our lives? From the earliest lullabies and nursery rhyme songs, most of us have been exposed to music. Many of us took piano lessons. We had music in school and learned to sing, we put up with the dreaded "Year Of the Tonette", and eventually we were old enough to join band.
By that time, most of us had discovered Top 40 radio as well. And remember all the variety shows that used to expose us to music on TV - Your Hit Parade, Ed Sullivan, Jackie Gleason Show, Lawrence Welk, and so many more. Even comedian Jack Benny played the violin.
I remember joining band in 5th grade. We really didn't have the cash flow to buy an instrument, but the school owned several we could choose to play. I started out with a mellophone - Earlene Bell Sewell and I. (Cindia Hollenbeck Costner and Mary Kuhlman were already playing french horn, which was pretty basically the same instrument.) I lugged that thing home on the bus the first night and practiced and practiced and practiced.........the one note I'd learned to play that day. Oh, yes, and it turned out that band teacher Mr. Nashan had taught us that one note incorrectly - he'd given us the french horn fingering, so our second day of band was spent re-learning that one note!
I loved music - I loved playing my little transistor radio, I loved playing the piano for hours on end, I loved playing the french horn, I loved singing. Of course, I only loved all that when it was of my choosing - enforced practice time was something else altogether! When I was taking piano lessons the summer between 5th & 6th grades, Mom finally resorted to enforcing a practice/TV rule - I could watch TV the same amount of time I practiced. Ugh! It was only fun when I WANTED to do it. Plus, I've always had a mental block on memorization. I absolutely hated recitals.
We played for music programs, graduation, our infamous Last Day of School program, music contests. That french horn and I went a lot of miles together. And when I started college, luckily they also had a french horn for me to play. Due to the size of schools and size of the music program, I never had the opportunity to march. But I sat and played during a lot of really cold football games.
I can't begin to count the number of funerals I've played the piano for - I think I remember all the weddings - and so many other events. I've played endless hours for my own enjoyment. During junior high I used the piano as my own personal form of expression........I drove my poor Dad to the far ends of the farm a few times using the piano as my instrument of anger expression. I'm surprised he survived my adolescence!
Music to sooth the savage beast - it definitely works!.......and a big thank you to Pandora for inspiring today's blog!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Good Titles To The Back
Sunday morning, two days ago, Kansas City set a record for the overnight low temp (very low 30's). Today, we either tied the record for the daytime high (91) or set a new record at 92......update and final verdict will come on the 6 pm news. Geesh! Mother Nature needs to get over whatever's ailing her!! Thanks to our allergies, we had to resort to turning on the a/c late this afternoon.
As we were doing our podcast this morning, hubby reminisced about belonging to Columbia Record Club and how exciting it was to get a new record. He asked if I'd ever belonged - I drooled over their ads many times. But as a teenager, I simply did not have spendable cash for such things. The local Mattingly's 5 and 10 was the only store that carried records. I would save my meager allowance and watch excitedly for new 45's to come out......I think they could be had for 75 cents each.
The LP's were a different story. The selection wasn't huge, and the authenticity of some was questionable. If you wanted a popular album, you had to watch closely. I would check every week to see if a new release had come in - I especially watched for any new music by Paul Revere & The Raiders.....my faves! The LP's sold for around $4 to $4.50 each. So if a new one hit the store and I didn't have the money saved up, I took evasive action. I would find the new album on the rack and immediately take it from the front of the stack and "stash" it at the back. That scenario repeated itself weekly until I had the money saved up to buy it.
Believe it or not, that tactic usually worked........probably because there was only one other Paul Revere & The Raiders fan in the county - my best friend Jan. I don't know if anyone else ever tried that tactic, or if anyone besides Mom caught onto what I was doing. She was amused at my strategy - not to the point she ever gave me extra money to help out, of course.
When my grandfather was alive, he occasionally helped me out.....sometimes in more ways than one. You see, my grandparents had divorced when my dad and his brothers were very young. Both grandparents lived in the town where I went to school, and neither one drove. So when we made our weekly treks "to town" to grocery shop, etc., we would take both of them with us. I got the dubious honor of sitting between Grandpa and Grandma in the back seat. We would pick Grandpa up first and put off "enjoying" Grandma's company as long as possible (translation: she wasn't the most pleasant person to be around). Grandpa, though, knew her well - he would wait until she was in the car with us, then he would hand me $1 for spending money. Never one to be outdone by anyone, Grandma would hurriedly fork one over as well. Many is the time I got to shop with a hefty $2 in my purse! Bless Grandpa's heart. He's been gone since I was 13, but there are still times I think of him and smile.
Good memories keep us going sometimes!
TTFN
As we were doing our podcast this morning, hubby reminisced about belonging to Columbia Record Club and how exciting it was to get a new record. He asked if I'd ever belonged - I drooled over their ads many times. But as a teenager, I simply did not have spendable cash for such things. The local Mattingly's 5 and 10 was the only store that carried records. I would save my meager allowance and watch excitedly for new 45's to come out......I think they could be had for 75 cents each.
The LP's were a different story. The selection wasn't huge, and the authenticity of some was questionable. If you wanted a popular album, you had to watch closely. I would check every week to see if a new release had come in - I especially watched for any new music by Paul Revere & The Raiders.....my faves! The LP's sold for around $4 to $4.50 each. So if a new one hit the store and I didn't have the money saved up, I took evasive action. I would find the new album on the rack and immediately take it from the front of the stack and "stash" it at the back. That scenario repeated itself weekly until I had the money saved up to buy it.
Believe it or not, that tactic usually worked........probably because there was only one other Paul Revere & The Raiders fan in the county - my best friend Jan. I don't know if anyone else ever tried that tactic, or if anyone besides Mom caught onto what I was doing. She was amused at my strategy - not to the point she ever gave me extra money to help out, of course.
When my grandfather was alive, he occasionally helped me out.....sometimes in more ways than one. You see, my grandparents had divorced when my dad and his brothers were very young. Both grandparents lived in the town where I went to school, and neither one drove. So when we made our weekly treks "to town" to grocery shop, etc., we would take both of them with us. I got the dubious honor of sitting between Grandpa and Grandma in the back seat. We would pick Grandpa up first and put off "enjoying" Grandma's company as long as possible (translation: she wasn't the most pleasant person to be around). Grandpa, though, knew her well - he would wait until she was in the car with us, then he would hand me $1 for spending money. Never one to be outdone by anyone, Grandma would hurriedly fork one over as well. Many is the time I got to shop with a hefty $2 in my purse! Bless Grandpa's heart. He's been gone since I was 13, but there are still times I think of him and smile.
Good memories keep us going sometimes!
TTFN
Monday, May 13, 2013
Can You Hear Me?
We just heard on the evening news that Dr. Joyce Brothers died..........one of those "oops, I didn't realize they were still alive" moments that I find myself having more and more these days. She always seemed like such a gracious lady on her many TV appearances, and she always came across as so knowledgeable and always "hitting the nail on the head".
I reminded hubby of her winning appearance on "The $64,000 Question" in the 1950's and her chosen subject of Boxing.Our discussion then ventured to whether or not either of us had ever seen that show. I resorted to Wikipedia to tell me Dr. Brothers appeared in 1955.....so no, I'm sure I didn't see that show since I was only 2! That brought back memories, though, of watching TV in my early childhood.
As I've mentioned in an earlier blog, we had a TV when I was very small, then had an extended "blackout" period after that TV quit on us until mid-way through my 5th grade year of school. I have vivid memories, though, of watching the sitcoms......."I Love Lucy", George Burns, Jack Benny. In particular, I remember hearing the laughter and the clapping. I have vague memories of hearing an announcement, "Filmed before a live studio audience."
In my childhood mind, though, I somehow meandered my way to this explanation: the TV, being the magical piece of equipment it was, made it so we could hear everyone everywhere watching the show - all that laughter happened at the same time we laughed at home. Mom and Dad didn't clap, but I would. And I have memories of wanting to"shush" them during the show, because I just knew that people in all the other living rooms across America could hear what was being said. I don't know if I actually shushed them, or if I just thought about it. But that memory is so strong!
By the time we got that second TV, I was old enough that I was fine with talking during the TV shows.....I did occasionally shush Dad during the news. Somehow that didn't make him very happy, but I guess I was always a news junkie.
I understand people who prefer to have a home without a TV - but that's not for me. I love being able to have the world in my living room. Whether it's news, entertainment, or what I believe is the ultimate of reality on Food Network, DIY, HGTV (a plug for my smart and lovely sister-in-law Kathleen), I enjoy having its company on a daily basis. It stimulates me, makes me think, inspires me to be creative.
But I'm glad that when I'm in my living room watching TV that I no longer think everyone else watching at the same time can hear whatever I say!
TTFN
I reminded hubby of her winning appearance on "The $64,000 Question" in the 1950's and her chosen subject of Boxing.Our discussion then ventured to whether or not either of us had ever seen that show. I resorted to Wikipedia to tell me Dr. Brothers appeared in 1955.....so no, I'm sure I didn't see that show since I was only 2! That brought back memories, though, of watching TV in my early childhood.
As I've mentioned in an earlier blog, we had a TV when I was very small, then had an extended "blackout" period after that TV quit on us until mid-way through my 5th grade year of school. I have vivid memories, though, of watching the sitcoms......."I Love Lucy", George Burns, Jack Benny. In particular, I remember hearing the laughter and the clapping. I have vague memories of hearing an announcement, "Filmed before a live studio audience."
In my childhood mind, though, I somehow meandered my way to this explanation: the TV, being the magical piece of equipment it was, made it so we could hear everyone everywhere watching the show - all that laughter happened at the same time we laughed at home. Mom and Dad didn't clap, but I would. And I have memories of wanting to"shush" them during the show, because I just knew that people in all the other living rooms across America could hear what was being said. I don't know if I actually shushed them, or if I just thought about it. But that memory is so strong!
By the time we got that second TV, I was old enough that I was fine with talking during the TV shows.....I did occasionally shush Dad during the news. Somehow that didn't make him very happy, but I guess I was always a news junkie.
I understand people who prefer to have a home without a TV - but that's not for me. I love being able to have the world in my living room. Whether it's news, entertainment, or what I believe is the ultimate of reality on Food Network, DIY, HGTV (a plug for my smart and lovely sister-in-law Kathleen), I enjoy having its company on a daily basis. It stimulates me, makes me think, inspires me to be creative.
But I'm glad that when I'm in my living room watching TV that I no longer think everyone else watching at the same time can hear whatever I say!
TTFN
Friday, May 10, 2013
It's Simple
I commented earlier on how wonderful technology is - when it works! Today was such a perfect example of that.
Since our "premature retirement", hubby and I have been using Spreaker to record/broadcast over the internet a daily 30-minute podcast of Big Band music and hubby's radio show prep. We have a nice set-up, using his Chromebook to record on Spreaker, with a nice Shure microphone. It works well and sounds professional.
We decided it might be a nice idea for me to also record/broadcast the content of this blog as well. And, as hubby said, setting up a Spreaker account and recording is simple. He'd already set up his account, and we're podcasting every day, so I knew he was more than conversant with the procedure.
Okay, did somebody say "uh-oh!"?? Yeah. Nothing's ever as simple as it seems. Hubby and I are both fairly tech savvy.......but we both tend to tense up when things don't go as planned, technologically speaking. I'm not sure about him, but I kind of go into "don't interrupt me while I'm trying to figure this out" mode. Poor guy! I don't make it easy to be around me then.
We started the project around 3.......it was almost 5 before we got to the point of having a two-minute recording done and shared! We had difficulties simply getting the account set up. We finally figured that out, and moved to the next issue. Our nice fancy new Shure microphone and my computer just simply refused to play nice with one another. We're still trying to figure that out - hubby did all sorts of research, You Tube videos, tutorials - you name it, he's tried it. None of it has worked.
I finally pulled out another microphone we have, one that I've used before. It worked. My computer liked it. It apparently liked my computer. I recorded last night's blog and got it shared on Facebook and Google +. We still can't figure this out, it has us stumped. I've always secretly felt that all machinery (pre-electronic, as well as everything we currently use) is possessed by some evil, maniacal being.
A couple of months ago when I decided to start my blog, hubby offered to help me set up my account and get all the settings done. He told me it wouldn't take long because it's simple. Blogspot did things to me he'd never seen before! On second thought, maybe it's just me.....maybe I have a tech allergy of some sort!!
I got the podcast down pretty well today, especially considering how many times we were doing "tests" to sort out the microphone issue, etc. But now I'm faced with the weekend and worry that I won't remember by next week how to do it. Guess I shouldn't worry - it's simple, right?!!
Talk to you next week.
Since our "premature retirement", hubby and I have been using Spreaker to record/broadcast over the internet a daily 30-minute podcast of Big Band music and hubby's radio show prep. We have a nice set-up, using his Chromebook to record on Spreaker, with a nice Shure microphone. It works well and sounds professional.
We decided it might be a nice idea for me to also record/broadcast the content of this blog as well. And, as hubby said, setting up a Spreaker account and recording is simple. He'd already set up his account, and we're podcasting every day, so I knew he was more than conversant with the procedure.
Okay, did somebody say "uh-oh!"?? Yeah. Nothing's ever as simple as it seems. Hubby and I are both fairly tech savvy.......but we both tend to tense up when things don't go as planned, technologically speaking. I'm not sure about him, but I kind of go into "don't interrupt me while I'm trying to figure this out" mode. Poor guy! I don't make it easy to be around me then.
We started the project around 3.......it was almost 5 before we got to the point of having a two-minute recording done and shared! We had difficulties simply getting the account set up. We finally figured that out, and moved to the next issue. Our nice fancy new Shure microphone and my computer just simply refused to play nice with one another. We're still trying to figure that out - hubby did all sorts of research, You Tube videos, tutorials - you name it, he's tried it. None of it has worked.
I finally pulled out another microphone we have, one that I've used before. It worked. My computer liked it. It apparently liked my computer. I recorded last night's blog and got it shared on Facebook and Google +. We still can't figure this out, it has us stumped. I've always secretly felt that all machinery (pre-electronic, as well as everything we currently use) is possessed by some evil, maniacal being.
A couple of months ago when I decided to start my blog, hubby offered to help me set up my account and get all the settings done. He told me it wouldn't take long because it's simple. Blogspot did things to me he'd never seen before! On second thought, maybe it's just me.....maybe I have a tech allergy of some sort!!
I got the podcast down pretty well today, especially considering how many times we were doing "tests" to sort out the microphone issue, etc. But now I'm faced with the weekend and worry that I won't remember by next week how to do it. Guess I shouldn't worry - it's simple, right?!!
Talk to you next week.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Yes, Virginia, Being A Couch Potato Is Genetic
Scientists have announced the isolation of a gene that gives some people an aversion to exercise. I'd love to know how much the researcher got paid for that, because I could've told them that YEARS ago!! :) The research gives credence to exercise being easy for some people, while others report having aches and pains when they attempt to exercise. I've done a bit of walking over the years, but even that's been limited since I had a knee replacement a few years ago. I still walk, but no longer 1 1/2 - 2 miles per day.
Occasionally over the years I've yearned to run, do learn to dance, etc. I even tried a few jazzercise classes back in the day - mostly I learned that I'm very uncoordinated! I knew the names of the steps, and I knew the steps...but I could never remember how they went together. Totally uncoordinated!
And yet, I managed to have three active children. Soccer, softball, baseball, swimming classes, basketball, volleyball, tennis - they were into everything. I even ended up being soccer coach one session because the Y was short on coaches. I went to the library and checked out a video........learning the mechanics of the game wasn't terribly important, because out of my 12 kids, only 3 had ever played before. We made one goal all season - on a free kick - and we had, I think, three free kicks throughout the games. My amended goal was that all the kids run the right direction at the right time by the end of season. We made it! And I was probably the only coach who got flowers (all the rest were men).
Even as adults, my offspring have remained active. Son had to keep fit enough to pass National Guard physical requirements for 6 1/2 years. Older daughter has a black belt in tae-kwon-do, does yoga and pilates, and just last week blew out her knee training to run a 5K (no more running, but she can do the other activities). Younger daughter still plays volleyball regularly and is practicing tonight for the KC Corporate Challenge.
Maybe the "activity" gene skips a generation. My mom was a cheerleader in high school and still takes long walks every day the weather permits. She prefers to attack every day with an alarm clock that goes off at 4:30 am. She's rarely still. On the other hand, I always preferred to curl up with a good book or watching TV, even as a kid. So, I'm a bona fide Couch Potato......but thanks to a researcher, I can rest easy knowing it's genetic - I can blame my parents!
TTFN
Occasionally over the years I've yearned to run, do learn to dance, etc. I even tried a few jazzercise classes back in the day - mostly I learned that I'm very uncoordinated! I knew the names of the steps, and I knew the steps...but I could never remember how they went together. Totally uncoordinated!
And yet, I managed to have three active children. Soccer, softball, baseball, swimming classes, basketball, volleyball, tennis - they were into everything. I even ended up being soccer coach one session because the Y was short on coaches. I went to the library and checked out a video........learning the mechanics of the game wasn't terribly important, because out of my 12 kids, only 3 had ever played before. We made one goal all season - on a free kick - and we had, I think, three free kicks throughout the games. My amended goal was that all the kids run the right direction at the right time by the end of season. We made it! And I was probably the only coach who got flowers (all the rest were men).
Even as adults, my offspring have remained active. Son had to keep fit enough to pass National Guard physical requirements for 6 1/2 years. Older daughter has a black belt in tae-kwon-do, does yoga and pilates, and just last week blew out her knee training to run a 5K (no more running, but she can do the other activities). Younger daughter still plays volleyball regularly and is practicing tonight for the KC Corporate Challenge.
Maybe the "activity" gene skips a generation. My mom was a cheerleader in high school and still takes long walks every day the weather permits. She prefers to attack every day with an alarm clock that goes off at 4:30 am. She's rarely still. On the other hand, I always preferred to curl up with a good book or watching TV, even as a kid. So, I'm a bona fide Couch Potato......but thanks to a researcher, I can rest easy knowing it's genetic - I can blame my parents!
TTFN
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Happy Wednesday!
Another beautiful day.....a few clouds, but mostly sunny. Rain in the forecast - I hope not much.
We took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Marshall today. It was nice to finally see some field work being done. Crops are getting planted late this year. I can't tell you how much we're enjoying having this time to ourselves with no real demand on our time! I think both of us could get used to this no-work routine.
Graduation and the end of the school year are looming. The last time we visited kids/grandkids in Grain Valley, I asked how many days of school were left. I was asking the 8th grader - but my daughter, who teaches 5th grade, jumped in with the answer first! If I didn't know better, I would think she wanted to fast-forward past MAP testing! This is also the time everyone regrets all the snow days that had to be taken.
I can't help this time of year traveling back in my mind to my school days. Those last couple of weeks were so full of events, hectic last-minute preparations, the "big kid" seniors would take off on their senior trip. Then would come the final week, with Baccalaureate and Commencement, turning in books, cleaning out desks, and cleaning up classrooms before summer break. But the highlight of the year was the Last Day of School......and yes, for our school, that definitely needs to be in capital letters!
Our Last Day of School was a community event. When you walked into the gymnasium/stage area, three sides of the gym were lined with tables, and everyone brought home-cooked food. The smell was absolutely amazing. But before we could enjoy all that homemade goodness, there was the program. Every student from first grade through 12th participated in the program. The younger kids would sing. The upper grade schoolers would often do a short musical play. Junior High and Senior High glee clubs would sing, as well as solos and small vocal groups. The band would perform. A few years when I was in grade school, there was be square dancing as well. Mom almost blinded herself making my dress - we girls all had square dance dresses in a tiny (teeny, teeny tiny!) checked gingham, with a cross-stitched pattern on the skirt.
After the program was finally over, it was time to eat. By then everyone's tummies were rumbling! The afternoon was spent visiting, the younger kids playing on the playground (and usually having squirt-gun fights), and there were softball games. We always had team vs. alumni games, and that was the first time the newly-graduated seniors got to officially be "alumni" - some sort of imaginary line, I guess, crossed between the program and the games.
What a rite of passage that was - memories to always be cherished. Our community was so supportive of everything that went on at the school. Granted, most people in our community were former students - but the turnouts for all school events was impressive. It didn't matter if it was Last Day of School, athletic events, musical programs, the annual school play, or graduation. Our massive support system was there.
So if you run into me the next few days and I have a far-away look, just figure in my mind I'm back at BHS enjoying the Last Day of School!
TTFN
We took a spur-of-the-moment trip to Marshall today. It was nice to finally see some field work being done. Crops are getting planted late this year. I can't tell you how much we're enjoying having this time to ourselves with no real demand on our time! I think both of us could get used to this no-work routine.
Graduation and the end of the school year are looming. The last time we visited kids/grandkids in Grain Valley, I asked how many days of school were left. I was asking the 8th grader - but my daughter, who teaches 5th grade, jumped in with the answer first! If I didn't know better, I would think she wanted to fast-forward past MAP testing! This is also the time everyone regrets all the snow days that had to be taken.
I can't help this time of year traveling back in my mind to my school days. Those last couple of weeks were so full of events, hectic last-minute preparations, the "big kid" seniors would take off on their senior trip. Then would come the final week, with Baccalaureate and Commencement, turning in books, cleaning out desks, and cleaning up classrooms before summer break. But the highlight of the year was the Last Day of School......and yes, for our school, that definitely needs to be in capital letters!
Our Last Day of School was a community event. When you walked into the gymnasium/stage area, three sides of the gym were lined with tables, and everyone brought home-cooked food. The smell was absolutely amazing. But before we could enjoy all that homemade goodness, there was the program. Every student from first grade through 12th participated in the program. The younger kids would sing. The upper grade schoolers would often do a short musical play. Junior High and Senior High glee clubs would sing, as well as solos and small vocal groups. The band would perform. A few years when I was in grade school, there was be square dancing as well. Mom almost blinded herself making my dress - we girls all had square dance dresses in a tiny (teeny, teeny tiny!) checked gingham, with a cross-stitched pattern on the skirt.
After the program was finally over, it was time to eat. By then everyone's tummies were rumbling! The afternoon was spent visiting, the younger kids playing on the playground (and usually having squirt-gun fights), and there were softball games. We always had team vs. alumni games, and that was the first time the newly-graduated seniors got to officially be "alumni" - some sort of imaginary line, I guess, crossed between the program and the games.
What a rite of passage that was - memories to always be cherished. Our community was so supportive of everything that went on at the school. Granted, most people in our community were former students - but the turnouts for all school events was impressive. It didn't matter if it was Last Day of School, athletic events, musical programs, the annual school play, or graduation. Our massive support system was there.
So if you run into me the next few days and I have a far-away look, just figure in my mind I'm back at BHS enjoying the Last Day of School!
TTFN
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Technology: A Wonderful Thing When It Works!
Any of us who work with computers, or use them strictly for recreational use, know what a great thing that can be.....when they work. We also know what frustration can result when they don't.
Since hubby and I have entered our "premature retirement", we have continued to do a daily 30-minute podcast for all the former radio fans who love the Big Band music he used to play. The free service we use is a "real time" format, so it takes us about 30 minutes per day to play/record the music with our jokes and comments recorded in between. We did the entire show this morning, did our sign-off......and when hubby started to click us off, the entire show was gone. It showed that we still had a few minutes left, but everything recorded to that point was gone. Enter frustration.
We'd already had internet connectivity issues before starting the recording and ended up hard-booting our wireless receiver to settle that problem. So, our frustration level was possibly a bit higher than normal ("our" being hubby.....I was doing housework while he set things up). Even once we'd reconnected, hubby couldn't get on his own blog site on his computer. But, since I could get there, we were okay for reading his show features off my screen. We finally just walked away from the computer for a few minutes, then decided to try it again. That time everything went like clockwork. We were both happy when hubby posted the podcast and there was 30 (or nearly so) minutes of recording!!
I learned to type as a high school sophomore on an old Royal manual typewriter. Baby, have we come a long way since then! The ones I admire are the generation above me who have braved learning the computer. My 88-year-old mother-in-law and 91-year-old father-in-law are both crackerjack computer users. Caroline uses her computer to do Facebook, email, write stories of former days for her creative writing memoir class. Barden also uses it for many things, including writing articles for the newsletter their retirement community publishes. My own mom......whose age will remain a mystery, since she checks this blog!......learned to use her laptop and enjoys it. She does email, Facebook, utilizes a daily online crossword puzzle, jigsaw puzzle, and plays countless games of Free Cell. She's figured out how to access the area funeral home sites to see who is among the dearly departed, and can do a few other search activities. One thing I learned in computer class that I passed on to her when she was in the learning phase was to not be intimidated by the computer. It's not often I get a phone call, and I can usually talk her through the issue on the phone.
Technology has certainly changed the world. I think I realized how much about ten years ago when my son was in the southern part of Germany for about three weeks with National Guard. I knew he had computer access and sent him an email - and immediately received his reply. We chatted back and forth for a few minutes......mid to late morning here, he was getting ready to go have his supper.
It's a wonderful thing.....when it works!!!
Since hubby and I have entered our "premature retirement", we have continued to do a daily 30-minute podcast for all the former radio fans who love the Big Band music he used to play. The free service we use is a "real time" format, so it takes us about 30 minutes per day to play/record the music with our jokes and comments recorded in between. We did the entire show this morning, did our sign-off......and when hubby started to click us off, the entire show was gone. It showed that we still had a few minutes left, but everything recorded to that point was gone. Enter frustration.
We'd already had internet connectivity issues before starting the recording and ended up hard-booting our wireless receiver to settle that problem. So, our frustration level was possibly a bit higher than normal ("our" being hubby.....I was doing housework while he set things up). Even once we'd reconnected, hubby couldn't get on his own blog site on his computer. But, since I could get there, we were okay for reading his show features off my screen. We finally just walked away from the computer for a few minutes, then decided to try it again. That time everything went like clockwork. We were both happy when hubby posted the podcast and there was 30 (or nearly so) minutes of recording!!
I learned to type as a high school sophomore on an old Royal manual typewriter. Baby, have we come a long way since then! The ones I admire are the generation above me who have braved learning the computer. My 88-year-old mother-in-law and 91-year-old father-in-law are both crackerjack computer users. Caroline uses her computer to do Facebook, email, write stories of former days for her creative writing memoir class. Barden also uses it for many things, including writing articles for the newsletter their retirement community publishes. My own mom......whose age will remain a mystery, since she checks this blog!......learned to use her laptop and enjoys it. She does email, Facebook, utilizes a daily online crossword puzzle, jigsaw puzzle, and plays countless games of Free Cell. She's figured out how to access the area funeral home sites to see who is among the dearly departed, and can do a few other search activities. One thing I learned in computer class that I passed on to her when she was in the learning phase was to not be intimidated by the computer. It's not often I get a phone call, and I can usually talk her through the issue on the phone.
Technology has certainly changed the world. I think I realized how much about ten years ago when my son was in the southern part of Germany for about three weeks with National Guard. I knew he had computer access and sent him an email - and immediately received his reply. We chatted back and forth for a few minutes......mid to late morning here, he was getting ready to go have his supper.
It's a wonderful thing.....when it works!!!
Monday, May 6, 2013
Trippin' Down Memory Lane - Again!
Well, Mother Nature has evidently mellowed out again for a few days - by afternoon the sun was shining and we were bumping toward 70 degrees. Looks like we'll actually stay in the 70's most of the week - yay! My spinach and peas look like they survived last week's snow, so we're all good.
Today is hubby's birthday - we had lunch at the local Mexican Restaurant to celebrate. Happy Birthday, honey!
I mentioned the Facebook group from my home town last week. I hope I don't run the topic into the ground, especially for my readers who are also part of that group. But what wonderful memories we have! The reminiscence threads have been running these past few days through the end of school, graduation, and senior trip. Taking a senior trip is almost a thing of the past, and probably is something that is peculiar to smaller schools.
Everyone worked hard through high school to earn the money to fund the trip, especially in our junior and senior years. We ran the concession stand at home softball and basketball games. Our school's concession stand was known for selling homemade doughnuts - made by the high school Home Ec students. It was such fun to work together making those doughnuts - I don't know the number that was made for each game, but my memory says we quadrupled the base recipe. And it was a rare night when we didn't sell out of those yummy doughnuts. We also sold magazines, with the proceeds going to the senior trip fund.
My hometown is in North Central Missouri, around 70 miles NE of Kansas City. At the time I was in high school, we were just under 300 population. The week prior to graduation, we would climb on one of the school buses at 6 am on Wednesday to start our trip. The usual was to travel to St. Louis the first day and spend the night there, then travel on to Lake of the Ozarks (and I do mean "usual" - the same route was taken by my mom's class some 23 years earlier!). We had a picnic lunch that first day, then enjoyed the Planetarium, St. Louis Zoo, and my class was either the second or third class to get to go to the top of the St. Louis Arch. What fun! We spent the night at the Sheraton-Jefferson Hotel in St. Louis......I still remember the entire class walking to a steak house a few blocks away for supper. Oh, yes - did I mention there were ten of us? Yep, ten.....nine of us had been together all twelve years.
On Thursday we headed toward the Lake, with a stop to tour Meramec Caverns. The next two days/nights were spent at Kirkwood Lodge on the Lake, a facility that was geared toward hosting senior trips that time of year. There was boating, swimming, a ride over the lake in a seaplane, dances, one night at The Ozark Opry, and lots of fun. We arrived back home Saturday afternoon, a tired and sunburned group. That was quite a trip for all of us. And, thanks to careful management and all that fund raising, there was no out-of-pocket expense other than souvenirs.......and even those were pretty much underwritten with the "leftover" funds that were divided up among the ten of us as we traipsed off the bus back home.
I can't imagine trying to chaperone a large class of students on an outing like this, but I regret that my kids didn't get to experience anything like my senior trip. I had all my photos from the trip for a long time, but they've long since gone the way of so many things that fell victim to frequent moves.
Time marches on, and small town life just isn't what it used to be. Now, that phrase dates me, doesn't it! Seriously, I enjoy the trips down memory lane. Life growing up on the farm, going to school in a small town where everyone knows everyone, all these special things that just didn't happen in a larger setting. The school closed down in 1982, and now all the buildings are gone. But a dedicated group makes sure we have an "all-school reunion" every four years. And now we have our Facebook group as well. As Martha would say, "It's a good thing"!
Today is hubby's birthday - we had lunch at the local Mexican Restaurant to celebrate. Happy Birthday, honey!
I mentioned the Facebook group from my home town last week. I hope I don't run the topic into the ground, especially for my readers who are also part of that group. But what wonderful memories we have! The reminiscence threads have been running these past few days through the end of school, graduation, and senior trip. Taking a senior trip is almost a thing of the past, and probably is something that is peculiar to smaller schools.
Everyone worked hard through high school to earn the money to fund the trip, especially in our junior and senior years. We ran the concession stand at home softball and basketball games. Our school's concession stand was known for selling homemade doughnuts - made by the high school Home Ec students. It was such fun to work together making those doughnuts - I don't know the number that was made for each game, but my memory says we quadrupled the base recipe. And it was a rare night when we didn't sell out of those yummy doughnuts. We also sold magazines, with the proceeds going to the senior trip fund.
My hometown is in North Central Missouri, around 70 miles NE of Kansas City. At the time I was in high school, we were just under 300 population. The week prior to graduation, we would climb on one of the school buses at 6 am on Wednesday to start our trip. The usual was to travel to St. Louis the first day and spend the night there, then travel on to Lake of the Ozarks (and I do mean "usual" - the same route was taken by my mom's class some 23 years earlier!). We had a picnic lunch that first day, then enjoyed the Planetarium, St. Louis Zoo, and my class was either the second or third class to get to go to the top of the St. Louis Arch. What fun! We spent the night at the Sheraton-Jefferson Hotel in St. Louis......I still remember the entire class walking to a steak house a few blocks away for supper. Oh, yes - did I mention there were ten of us? Yep, ten.....nine of us had been together all twelve years.
On Thursday we headed toward the Lake, with a stop to tour Meramec Caverns. The next two days/nights were spent at Kirkwood Lodge on the Lake, a facility that was geared toward hosting senior trips that time of year. There was boating, swimming, a ride over the lake in a seaplane, dances, one night at The Ozark Opry, and lots of fun. We arrived back home Saturday afternoon, a tired and sunburned group. That was quite a trip for all of us. And, thanks to careful management and all that fund raising, there was no out-of-pocket expense other than souvenirs.......and even those were pretty much underwritten with the "leftover" funds that were divided up among the ten of us as we traipsed off the bus back home.
I can't imagine trying to chaperone a large class of students on an outing like this, but I regret that my kids didn't get to experience anything like my senior trip. I had all my photos from the trip for a long time, but they've long since gone the way of so many things that fell victim to frequent moves.
Time marches on, and small town life just isn't what it used to be. Now, that phrase dates me, doesn't it! Seriously, I enjoy the trips down memory lane. Life growing up on the farm, going to school in a small town where everyone knows everyone, all these special things that just didn't happen in a larger setting. The school closed down in 1982, and now all the buildings are gone. But a dedicated group makes sure we have an "all-school reunion" every four years. And now we have our Facebook group as well. As Martha would say, "It's a good thing"!
Friday, May 3, 2013
On...And On....And On
Mother Nature's Midlife Crisis of 2013 continues. We had probably 3" of snow at one point this morning, though it was difficult to gauge because big fat heavy snowflakes fell fast while it melted because the temp was just above freezing. It actually snowed most of the day. A few schools had to let out early or cancel altogether, because the wet heavy snow was bringing down power lines in some areas. Actually, the "official" snow measurement as close as Higginsville (roughly 30 miles from here) was 6". Absolutely unreal. KC failed to break the official record, but that was because the current official readings are taken at the airport on the northwest side of the city - nearer downtown the snowfall was heavier.
I feel like I didn't accomplish much today, though I know the house is now clean and some laundry got done. I think that was also as result of the weather. Facebook was interesting today. I belong to a group from my hometown/school, and a discussion thread was started yesterday on the end of the school year and memorable teachers. Of course, the beginning of the discussion focused on teachers we liked and who made a positive impact on our lives. Then one brave soul ventured the other direction, mentioning a teacher who didn't make such a positive impact on her students.
That divergence of the discussion thread brought several comments, all along the same line. It's amazing how one person bringing negativity into impressionable students' lives can leave such an impact 50+ years later! I think the positive that came out of the discussion is that several of us realized we felt the same way - which validated a lot of long-buried feelings. One of my classmates brought up an incident involving me that I had forgotten about. This discussion also brought forth impressions an older student had of both me and my classmate - as a small child you always think the "big kids" don't pay any attention to you. Impressively, she had both of us pegged pretty accurately. (Mainly, she was surprised either of us had been "targets" of this teacher, because she remembered both of us as being pretty good, quiet kids - plus, she had recognized that I was somewhat shy......a trait that not a lot of people recognized in me.)
I love the new social media. I know it's not always used for good. But reconnecting with high school and college friends has been such fun for me. As an adult, I've moved around a lot and haven't been able to keep in contact with a lot of the people who have come and gone in my life. Going back to basics has helped me remember that there have been good people in my life who are still there. Thanks, Mark Zuckerberg!
Talk to you next week.
I feel like I didn't accomplish much today, though I know the house is now clean and some laundry got done. I think that was also as result of the weather. Facebook was interesting today. I belong to a group from my hometown/school, and a discussion thread was started yesterday on the end of the school year and memorable teachers. Of course, the beginning of the discussion focused on teachers we liked and who made a positive impact on our lives. Then one brave soul ventured the other direction, mentioning a teacher who didn't make such a positive impact on her students.
That divergence of the discussion thread brought several comments, all along the same line. It's amazing how one person bringing negativity into impressionable students' lives can leave such an impact 50+ years later! I think the positive that came out of the discussion is that several of us realized we felt the same way - which validated a lot of long-buried feelings. One of my classmates brought up an incident involving me that I had forgotten about. This discussion also brought forth impressions an older student had of both me and my classmate - as a small child you always think the "big kids" don't pay any attention to you. Impressively, she had both of us pegged pretty accurately. (Mainly, she was surprised either of us had been "targets" of this teacher, because she remembered both of us as being pretty good, quiet kids - plus, she had recognized that I was somewhat shy......a trait that not a lot of people recognized in me.)
I love the new social media. I know it's not always used for good. But reconnecting with high school and college friends has been such fun for me. As an adult, I've moved around a lot and haven't been able to keep in contact with a lot of the people who have come and gone in my life. Going back to basics has helped me remember that there have been good people in my life who are still there. Thanks, Mark Zuckerberg!
Talk to you next week.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Enough, Already!!
My birthday is four days before Christmas - hubby's birthday is four days from today. I'm used to the threat of snow around the time of my birthday, but never his!! Good grief! It's snowing now in KC, we're forecasted to get 3"-5" overnight. Unreal. KC hasn't had measurable snowfall in May for over 100 years. So glad we get to see that record broken (yes, that was extremely heavy sarcasm, in case you didn't catch it!). It will be interesting to see how my spinach and peas handle this....but, I have leftover seed if I have to replant.
We went to bed last night with the bedroom window open, and I was still hot when the breeze wasn't blowing in. By midnight the window was closed - by 4 am I was asking hubby to please pull up more covers. It's hard to know whether to put away the winter clothes for the season or not.
The one thing that was okay with today's weather was that I got my ironing done this afternoon. Yes, I'd held onto it through that 80-degree weather, knowing a chillier day was on the horizon. It's kind of fun to have the freedom to do that!
I read a story online this morning about the cost of prom these days. This reporter said it wasn't unusual for families to budget $1,000 for prom..........$1,000......for prom??!!! Simply unbelievable. Of course, this opinion comes from the girl whose school didn't even have prom. But if we had, I can assure you the budget at my house would have been minimal. According to this article, many schools are now selling tickets to those attending prom. At least one Texas school charged $55 per person. The mother interviewed there said it was a shock to her, because prom costs when she was in school had been underwritten by the junior class holding fund raisers.
When my kids were prom age, we didn't have a prom budget.......the kids were all working and took care of it themselves. I did the oldest one's hair both years and the youngest one's her junior year.....she paid for her own salon appointment her senior year. I know the youngest one's junior year dress was bought at a cut-rate cost in January, when the supply of dresses brought in for winter formals were on sale. It was hunter green, spaghetti straps, worked great for prom with silver jewelry and tiny silver and hunter green roses (from the WalMart craft section) in her hair. Son took care of his tux rental, date's corsage, etc. I do remember our having discussions at the time about the girls who were having their dresses custom made, some for as much as $300. We all had the same opinion of that.
I'll get off my soapbox now......need to check the outside and see if I can make a snowman yet!!!
TTFN
We went to bed last night with the bedroom window open, and I was still hot when the breeze wasn't blowing in. By midnight the window was closed - by 4 am I was asking hubby to please pull up more covers. It's hard to know whether to put away the winter clothes for the season or not.
The one thing that was okay with today's weather was that I got my ironing done this afternoon. Yes, I'd held onto it through that 80-degree weather, knowing a chillier day was on the horizon. It's kind of fun to have the freedom to do that!
I read a story online this morning about the cost of prom these days. This reporter said it wasn't unusual for families to budget $1,000 for prom..........$1,000......for prom??!!! Simply unbelievable. Of course, this opinion comes from the girl whose school didn't even have prom. But if we had, I can assure you the budget at my house would have been minimal. According to this article, many schools are now selling tickets to those attending prom. At least one Texas school charged $55 per person. The mother interviewed there said it was a shock to her, because prom costs when she was in school had been underwritten by the junior class holding fund raisers.
When my kids were prom age, we didn't have a prom budget.......the kids were all working and took care of it themselves. I did the oldest one's hair both years and the youngest one's her junior year.....she paid for her own salon appointment her senior year. I know the youngest one's junior year dress was bought at a cut-rate cost in January, when the supply of dresses brought in for winter formals were on sale. It was hunter green, spaghetti straps, worked great for prom with silver jewelry and tiny silver and hunter green roses (from the WalMart craft section) in her hair. Son took care of his tux rental, date's corsage, etc. I do remember our having discussions at the time about the girls who were having their dresses custom made, some for as much as $300. We all had the same opinion of that.
I'll get off my soapbox now......need to check the outside and see if I can make a snowman yet!!!
TTFN
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Is Summer Over Before It Started???
Well, since all the weathermen are forecasting snow tomorrow night, it sure feels like it!! Another beautiful 80+ day.....warm enough that the a/c was being turned on in vehicles. The cold front is making its way toward us, though.
We had a pretty laid-back day. We had a nice walk in the park this morning. We're so fortunate to have a nice outdoor walking track, as well as a good indoor track. The outside track in the park has recently had a second loop added to it, so really dedicated walkers can take a paved track from the park north to the hospital, and loop up to Jefferson Street and back to the park. I'm not sure how long the entire track is, but the route is paved and there are sidewalks the entire route. We, however, just stick with the shorter loop in the park.
I enjoy walking where it's level now. I grew up somewhere between the Tater Hills near Coloma and the Mandeville Hills.....but, believe me, it was hilly where we were! There wasn't a level spot in our yard. I always think about that yard when we're mowing ours. We had probably an acre of yard, maybe a little more. And, of course, we only had a push mower. I can't remember how old I was when I started mowing, but we started slow and I gradually took over everything except the ditch banks. I'd usually do about half the yard one day and finish it the next.
Like most farm folks, we mowed beyond the yard to make sure things looked good. When the garden was just south of the house, we mowed all the way around it......that was partly to discourage snakes from getting too close to us when we worked in the garden. (And that didn't always work - I remember well the day I was in the garden and my dog was bit on the nose by a copperhead not too far from where I was.) We also mowed in the barn lot down to the not-so-lovely but functional outhouse.....and in another section of the barn lot across the fence from the front of the house. There was a water tank for the cows in that area, so I think the thought was keeping it clean for us in case we needed to get to that tank for any reason. When the garden moved from south of the house to across the creek to the east, we kept the entire area up to the garden mowed......and, yes, we continued to mow where the garden on the south had been.
I hope I haven't crossed a line into being an "old fogey" - but memories are such a wonderful thing. I loved growing up on a farm - it was a great experience. Being married to a "city boy" from Palo Alto, California, makes it even more fun - our childhoods were SO different. I enjoy explaining to him what it was like for me learning to ride a bike in those Hills on a gravel road. It was definitely unforgettable! My parents should've owned stock in Bandaid!
It was a great day, and tomorrow I'll probably complain about the weather again.
Have a great evening. TTFN.
We had a pretty laid-back day. We had a nice walk in the park this morning. We're so fortunate to have a nice outdoor walking track, as well as a good indoor track. The outside track in the park has recently had a second loop added to it, so really dedicated walkers can take a paved track from the park north to the hospital, and loop up to Jefferson Street and back to the park. I'm not sure how long the entire track is, but the route is paved and there are sidewalks the entire route. We, however, just stick with the shorter loop in the park.
I enjoy walking where it's level now. I grew up somewhere between the Tater Hills near Coloma and the Mandeville Hills.....but, believe me, it was hilly where we were! There wasn't a level spot in our yard. I always think about that yard when we're mowing ours. We had probably an acre of yard, maybe a little more. And, of course, we only had a push mower. I can't remember how old I was when I started mowing, but we started slow and I gradually took over everything except the ditch banks. I'd usually do about half the yard one day and finish it the next.
Like most farm folks, we mowed beyond the yard to make sure things looked good. When the garden was just south of the house, we mowed all the way around it......that was partly to discourage snakes from getting too close to us when we worked in the garden. (And that didn't always work - I remember well the day I was in the garden and my dog was bit on the nose by a copperhead not too far from where I was.) We also mowed in the barn lot down to the not-so-lovely but functional outhouse.....and in another section of the barn lot across the fence from the front of the house. There was a water tank for the cows in that area, so I think the thought was keeping it clean for us in case we needed to get to that tank for any reason. When the garden moved from south of the house to across the creek to the east, we kept the entire area up to the garden mowed......and, yes, we continued to mow where the garden on the south had been.
I hope I haven't crossed a line into being an "old fogey" - but memories are such a wonderful thing. I loved growing up on a farm - it was a great experience. Being married to a "city boy" from Palo Alto, California, makes it even more fun - our childhoods were SO different. I enjoy explaining to him what it was like for me learning to ride a bike in those Hills on a gravel road. It was definitely unforgettable! My parents should've owned stock in Bandaid!
It was a great day, and tomorrow I'll probably complain about the weather again.
Have a great evening. TTFN.
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