Remember what this day stands for...

Heartbreaking

Last February in Tampa Bay...

This May in Chandeleur Sound.

This oil spill is criminal. I admit I don't know anything as far as procedures regarding drilling in the ocean go but how can BP or any other oil company for that matter be allowed to drill without any plan for a disaster like this. The devastation is catastrophic. The poor animals and marine life not to mention the livelihood of the fisherman and the money lost from lack of tourism. Sinful.

I Love Bret Michaels

Today in the garden

A beautiful day today...

our newest addition, a purple rhododendron
Coral bells

was a dahlia

poppies

Scotch broom

peonies,

they smell delicious

geraniums

I don't get it

My son is home from college for the summer and will be working 40 hours per week at Ben & Jerry's where he's the store manager. He plans on living off campus in September so he needs all the $$ he can get.

He's been home since May 14 but still unpacking his stuff (which is covering his room, so much so that he's sleeping in his brother's bedroom. It's really the guest room I guess since Kevin doesn't live here anymore but I still call it his room.) As he was packing up his dorm room he noticed things missing. When he came home in December he forgot his electric razor at school. When he returned it was gone. Coincidentally a few weeks previously the college placed a new student in their suite because he didn't get along with his current roommate. When he came back from Christmas break Billy was gone, transferred to another school.

Fast forward to the end of the year and packing up. Turns out he's missing 3 PS2 games, an X-Box game and a bunch of DVDs. His roommate was also missing some games, a guitar hero controller and a few other things. The razor Cam took responsibility for, he left it in the suite's common bathroom but the things missing from his room, well his roommate left for Christmas break after Cam and didn't bother to lock their room.

I don't get why someone would steal someone else's stuff. Wait, I suppose I do get it. Some people see something they want and don't want to work for it, or maybe they don't have the money for it or they're just opportunistic. The bad thing about it is that Billy probably didn't think twice or feel any guilt. It's a bitter pill to swallow when you wouldn't think of doing that but someone does it to you.

This is a busy time of year in kindergarten. We're starting to wrap things up, making class lists for their first grade next year, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Only about 7 weeks to go. This past week our kindergarten went to the zoo. We have a half day program so there are 2 classes in the morning, 2 classes in the afternoon. On zoo days first the morning class attends for the entire day, going to the zoo and eating lunch in the cafeteria and the afternoon class has the day off. The next day is reversed. They're thrilled to buy lunch and eat in the cafeteria. Not all want to do that so they bring their lunch. That being said, what do these four items have in common?

A full can of Pringles...

A chocolate covered, cream filled donut...

A cup of cookies...

And a regular Coke.

They are what a kindergartner brought for her lunch. I couldn't believe it. I took her can of Pringles, opened it and put a stack in a baggie. She was mad and didn't understand why I wouldn't let her take the whole can down. I just couldn't in all good conscience. I think my blood sugar went up just looking at her lunch. Geez, what were her parents thinking? I guess maybe they weren't. Anyway at the zoo...

we saw the two white Rhinos.

My students are always surprised when I say I don't like monkeys. I find them creepy and this is why. Look at those teeth and they're always picking at each other then eating the bugs they find. This is an Olive Baboon.





I've been to the zoo many times and this is the first time I've ever seen one of the polar bears outside. They have absolutely no human contact. Look at those feet.






Now I thought this little guy was cute, a plated lizard. He smiled for the camera.

Poison frogs from the rainforest. Sorry they're blurry.

There are two elephants; one named Lilac because Rochester has a park full of lilacs and every May there's a huge festival and the other is Genny C named after the river that runs through the city, the Genesee. Or maybe named after the beer brewed here, Genesee Beer. I'm not sure why she put the straw on her head, maybe she was entertaining us because the kids loved it.

This was the cutest couple. They loved watching the children on the playground. I hope I'm like that if I get to that age.

Happy Mother's Day!

Wishing you a peaceful day

surrounded by those who love you.

Duane Jackson

Our Hero...

Mr. Jackson was the person who noticed the parked SUV in Times Square and brought it to the attention of the police.

I spoke with my son on Sunday and asked him if he's nervous living in NYC and got the answer I wanted to hear. "Yes" he said. Maybe not nervous but the thought of terrorism is on his mind when he takes the subway. That pleases me because it tells me he is alert and conscious of his surroundings. The last time I was in the city was December 2009 and while in the subway in Chinatown the platform was jam packed. I realized that if anything were to happen there is absolutely no place to go. I have plans to return to New York City, to Times Square actually. The Discovery Channel has a King Tut exhibit where I saw the Titanic exhibit last July.

I still love NY

I love to visit New York City and have been there many times. It's a vibrant, exciting, and historical place. You can get anything you want there; Broadway shows, museums, beautiful architecture, shopping and learn about our country's early history. That being said, I want my son to move out of New York City! I don't care if he doesn't move back to his hometown, I just want him gone from NYC. For heaven's sake he has an emergency backpack ready to go with essentials in his apartment in case of evacuation. I realize that things like this can happen anywhere these days but damn if NYC isn't the target most often. In another thwarted attack someone tried to explode a car bomb last night in Times Square. Read about it here.

Why do the crazies of the world love NYC so much? I get that its very populated and I guess they feel they'll get the most bang for their buck (no pun intended). My son and his girlfriend never go to Times Square but that doesn't ease my mind. They do take the subway into Manhattan for work, actually Kevin has to take three trains to get to the hospital. I know for a fact that they were in Manhattan last night down in the financial district.
If you've ever been to Times Square you know it NEVER looks like this. It's constantly clogged with traffic and pedestrians. I'll still continue to visit the Big Apple but in a shout out to my first born, pack up you and your gf and get the hell out of dodge.