A Summer's Day

I Love Rocks

2012-01-31T16:46:00.018-04:00

This past weekend got off to a rocky start. I got home from school about 3:40 and sat down in the living room thinking about whether my son purchased his Florida ticket yet when I heard something come screaming down the road.

Let me give you some background information about my house and how it relates to the street. Way back 29 years ago when we purchased our house we didn't really pay too much attention to the fact that it sits on the outside of a curve.

When we looked at the house before buying it we never came down X St. We were young and the curve didn't seem like a big deal. That feeling didn't last long as the first week we lived there we noticed people liked to speed around the curve. The kids were never allowed to play out in the front yard for that reason. We've gotten so we can tell what kind of vehicle is coming down X St. We recognize the sound of the fire truck from the station at the end of the road, the snowplow, UPS etc.

Back to Friday...
I'm in the chair thinking and I hear something big coming down X St. I could tell it was coming fast and I didn't recognize the sound so I got up to check it out. I'm looking out the front window and see a garbage truck about 100 feet away coming fast and not slowing down. I knew instantly it wasn't going to make it around the curve and I saw a lawn job coming. The driver was fighting with the steering wheel trying to turn in time. He didn't make it.

Here's one of the four inch ruts he made in the lawn. We've hardly had any snow this winter, just rain and the ground is spongy.

He got pretty far up into the lawn but that was the least of his worries. Along the side our our property we have a line of boulders. I don't know the type of rock, I call them dinosaur rocks. They look prehistoric with bumps and holes in them along with some white dolomite minerals. In my part of town there's lots of it underground. The builder lined up some boulders across the back our yard and when we had a gas main replaced the utility company dug up many more. We had them lined up along the side. Imagine the driver's surprise as well as mine when he hit two of these massive rocks. It sounded like a bomb went off.

He managed to somehow drive over the boulder closest to the sidewalk and the other he just pushed out into the lawn.

These two boulders were lined up with the rest of the rock wall. After I got over the shock of seeing what the truck did I was putting on my shoes to go out and see if he was okay. Then I had another surprise as I watched him drive away! But not before I got a number off of his truck. I immediately called the company and got put through to Keith, a supervisor. He didn't seem all that concerned and said he'd try and come out Monday and look at it. I told him you don't understand, he didn't just do a lawn job, he ran over boulders. Yeah ok he says. I hung up with him, went out side to see my neighbor from two houses down in the driveway who said he was listening to the stereo when he heard the noise. He saw the truck drive away then called the police.

Long story short Keith shows up at 7:30 am Monday and is shocked and awed by what he sees. Apparently after I spoke with him on Friday he tried to get the driver on the radio and cell phone but he wouldn't answer. They were waiting for him when he pulled in and asked him what he hit. He said he didn't hit anything. The front bumper was pushed in and rubbing on the tire, the batteries had been lodged from their spot and he was leaking some sort of fluid. He was amazed that he was able to limp back to the garage with the truck.

He was very apologetic about the whole thing and was sorry he didn't come out on Friday. The driver has since been fired. Turns out he had been with them for 27 years and had 2 kids in college. Now he has no job. I do feel bad about that, if only he had stayed at scene he'd still be working. Even if he had a momentary lapse of judgement with leaving the scene he should have been up front and not lied to his boss.

In the end only you are responsible for your actions and the choices you make. He found that out the hard way.

A Special Day For A Special Baby

2012-01-30T21:12:00.001-04:00

Sunday my grand nephew was baptized . The ceremony started off on a funny note. Actually it happened before it started. The Pastor told us that we'd be starting in a minute as we were waiting for someone to arrive. He happened to be sitting in a chair in front of us when a woman came out and spoke to him. I only heard part of it but the gist was that someone was stuck somewhere in the building and they might have to call the fire department. He got up and went behind closed doors where he started talking to people. The thing was he still had his microphone live. It was like God was speaking. Thankfully he kept it clean and after a few minutes he came out with an elderly lady in a wheelchair. Turns out she was stuck in the elevator. Poor lady but she was a trooper. Let the ceremony begin.

He looks like he's wondering what he's doing here in this dress.

His gown was made from his grandmother's train of her wedding dress which I thought was great.

Blessing of the parents.

He did well at the baptismal font. The bonus was that the pastor didn't get any water in his eyes like the baby before him.
It was a happy occasion with family coming together. We even got to see my nephew, his wife and one of their sons who came in from out of town.

Isn't he the cutest? Connor is such a happy baby and I enjoy him very much. I'm looking forward to one of my own. Well not from me but you know what I mean ;-)

2012-01-21T15:46:00.027-04:00

What do these women have in common?

They were or are married to this man.

There are two things I very seldom write about on this blog; religion and politics. But I'm going to deviate from my self imposed rule and talk about Newt Gingrich.

Plain and simple I don't like him or Republicans in general but he really bothers me. I'm not a tried and true lover of Democrats either but at least they seem to be more tolerant of people that aren't just like them. I don't understand how anyone can be so totally one or the other.

The first president I was aware of was JFK and that was only because he was assassinated when I was in kindergarten. Then came LBJ and I was too young to be interested in him or his policies. Next was Nixon and we all know what he became famous for. Following was Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, W. Bush and Obama. Now it's time to elect or reelect another president. In my mind the best of that bunch was Bill Clinton. I thought he ran the country well, he got along with foreign leaders, we had a balanced budget, he's a great public speaker and got the job done. Let me address the elephant in the room regarding Clinton. On the personal side did/does Clinton have the best marriage? I don't think so. Yes, there was the incident with Monica and he lied about it. Was he the first president to be unfaithful? I think not. I was pretty disappointed in him but felt that what he accomplished in the political arena was good for the country. He and Hilary were able to work it out, move on and stay married.

While I don't care for any of the Republican nominees I hope that Gingrich doesn't win and here's why and you can call me a hypocrite if you'd like. The man has been married three times. Each time he remarried it was to his current mistress.

At age 19 he married his first wife Jackie Battley. She was 26 and a former high school teacher of his. Was this relationship going on while he was in high school? I'm guessing yes. Anyway they were married for 18 years and had two children but all was not well in the marriage. Gingrich was having an affair with a woman named Marianne Ginther and while his first wife was battling cancer he asked for a divorce. He claims they both agreed to it but court records show that Jackie asked the judge to refuse her husbands divorce request in the hope that they could work it out. That didn't happen and within a year he married Marianne in 1981.

Eventually problems in their marriage surfaced and Newt and Marianne separated in 1986. After living apart for 6 years they reconciled in 1994 but Newt filed for divorce from Marianne in 1999. This happened approximately 8 months after she was diagnosed with a neurological disorder that could develop into multiple sclerosis. He apparently had been having a 6 year long affair with a White House Staffer, Callista Besik who is 20 years younger than Newt. They eventually married when his divorce from Marianne was final. Now I don't know about her claims about the open marriage, it sounds like it could be sour grapes but isn't it enough he cheated on her. Interestingly enough while he was practicing infidelity with Callista he was leading the charge against Bill Clinton and his marriage issues.

In closing you can't believe everything you hear and read about a person. There will always be detractors out there that want to damage the other but I don't care for him. He's a cad who has no regard for the women in his life. He lied to them and cheated on them. That doesn't say much for his character. His infidelities and lying bother me. If he can't be true to the vows he took with his most intimate partners, his first two wives, what makes you think he can be true to the oath he would take if he became president.

One last thing, a word of advice to Callista; stay in good health although you will most likely be taking care of Newt in his old age.

First of the Season

2012-01-14T11:45:00.000-04:00

What's wrong with this picture?

At least he's wearing a hat.

What's In A Name?

2012-01-10T20:55:00.018-04:00

Beyonce and Jay-Z became first time parents over the week end with the arrival of their little girl named Blue Ivy. Huh? I like the name Ivy but Blue? I like that name for a dog. Apparently they rented an entire floor at Lenox Hill Hospital in the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Beyonce's room was bullet proof. Really Beyonce? Bullet proof? They must be thinking of the rash of rappers getting shot I guess.

Not only did they rent out a floor of the hospital they had employees turn in their cell phones so no one could snap any pictures of the little cherub and had tape put over the security cameras. I get tired of celebrities thinking that they deserve all these special arrangements. They managed to piss off some regular Joes and rightly so. One new father was stopped several times by Beyonce's body guards while trying to go to the NICU to visit with his newborn twins. That's not right. Others experienced delays in the hospital because of the coming and going of the royal couple and their entourage. I get that the arrival of your child is the most important event of your life but Beyonce isn't the first woman to give birth. They seem so out of touch with the real world. Many people don't have health insurance to cover the cost of a regular room. No doubt Princess Blue will never have to worry about that.

In another case of a strange name you may have heard of this guy Mr. Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop Bop Bop. He was arrested in Madison, Wisconsin on violation bail conditions and various other accounts.

He born 30 years ago with the name Jeffery Drew Wilschke but changed his name in October. I don't know the rules about changing your name but some judge thought this name was okay. Now I was given a somewhat different name at birth when the girls at that time were named Debbie, Susan or Diana so my name stood out. Today my name is still uncommon but with so many unusual names now mainstream it only gets a few questions but this guy , what was he thinking? What I liked about this news story was the comments. I seldom read the comments any more because they're so stupid, rude or political but I couldn't resist. I'm certainly not clever enough to think of one but here's a few of them.

"After hours of questioning he still wouldn't give up who put the ram in the ramalamma ding dong."

"Does that mean his wedding next week to Anna Anna Bobanana Banana Fanna Fo Fanna is off?"

"Is he of the Connecticut Zopitty Bob-Bops?" ( my favorite)

"Who busted him? Doo Wah Ditty Dum Ditty Doo?"

"Maybe Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) can help him with bail and an attorney."

BTW I can't decide if he looks like Johnny Depp or Charles Manson.

Hooked On Me...

2012-01-05T13:36:00.021-04:00

on MeTV that is which stands for memorable entertainment television.

We got this new channel several months ago but its been around a few years in localized areas and started in Chicago. I love it. It broadcasts televisions shows from the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's. MeTV has introduced me to several shows that I never had watched, one being The Rifleman starring Chuck Connors. I'm not one for western type shows but he was one good lookin' guy with those long legs in tight pants and that square jaw...
but stop, I'm getting carried away here.

Then there's Svengoolie on Saturday night. He's a comedian who hosts very old B horror movies. He has his shtick, I can't describe it so check him out here.

In the evening Hubby and I have been watching The Twilight Zone at 11:00. I never realized how many then young, now well known actors were on it; Jack Klugman, Bergess Meredith, William Shatner, Lee Marvin, Cliff Robertson, Dick York (Darren on Bewitched), Werner Klemperer (Col. Klink on Hogan's Heros), Martin Landeau and many more. Each night it's fun to see what famous actor we can pick out. I liked Rod Serling, the creator of The Twilight Zone and later Night Gallery. Too bad he died so young at age 50 right here in Rochester, NY.

Each night after The Twilight Zone is Perry Mason. I remember my grandparents watching this show in syndication each night at around dinner time. They'd be so proud. It's not LA Law but it's not bad.

There are many shows I loved as a kid; Petticoat Junction, My Three Sons, Love American Style, Bob Newhart with Suzanne Pleshette, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Rockford Files and more but my most favorite ever that I've always wished would go into syndication is.....

That Girl

Oh how I loved Ann Marie. I wanted to be just like her. I was only 8 years old when it first aired in 1966 and ran through 1970.

I thought she was so beautiful (although she did have a nose job) with those big wide eyes and brilliant smile. I wanted her hair.

She was so innocent yet very independent. I liked how she lived in New York City by herself and worked all those crazy jobs to support herself between acting jobs which were always some wacky role. I loved when she said, "Oh Donald" or "Oh Daddy" in that squeaky voice.

Today I don't think Marlo Thomas looks much like Ann Marie any more but then again she's no spring chicken at age 75. Her beautiful smile has been altered with fake teeth. I don't understand why actors/actresses do that. Everyone looks the same with those straight even teeth.

I guess I'm showing my age enjoying all of these shows from the past plus the commercials don't help. Constant commercials pitching reverse mortgages for senior citizens, commercials for life insurance that go on for 2 minutes with people gossiping about the deceased and how they left their family in a lurch with burial costs. Once in a while they will show a classic commercial from that era which is interesting.

Check out MeTV for a walk down memory lane. Too bad I don't get any $$ for singing their praises.

2011-12-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

Wishing everyone a
happy and healthy New Year!

Lights Out

2011-12-23T09:11:00.002-04:00

Our poor Chirstmas tree. Seems like every day more lights go out. I figure by Christmas day it will be dark. 10 years ago I would have stripped it and put new lights on. Now? To site one my of least favorite quotes, " It is what it is".

She Nailed It!

2011-12-18T15:41:00.000-04:00

Ever since I was a young girl I've been able to grow my nails. I'd polish them all the time and they were my pride and joy. Then I hit my 40's and that was it. My nails that were once beautiful were now dry, ridged and brittle. I had to keep them short especially in the cold months of the year because they'd snap right off.

I finally got sick of that and wanted my long nails back. About seven years ago I decided to try acrylic nails. I would get the french tips and loved them. There were pros and cons to acrylic nails and now that I look back at it there were more cons. The tips of your nails were not your real nails but plastic tips. They are glued onto your nails at the tip and the nail bed is filed down with a dremmel like tool. Basically your nails are made rough and thinned out so the polymethyl methecrylate acrylic can be applied and adhere. It must go on rather thick because it has to be even with the tip that has been applied. They're very durable but they look thicker than natural nails.

Several years went by when I noticed after a visit where I had a new set put on my thumbs started to itch but it went away. Two weeks later I went in for a fill and with in 24 hours my nails were on fire. Not only that they itched underneath the nail something fierce. I thought I was going insane it was so awful. Between the burn and the itch I was a mess and had to have my fingers in ice water at all times. Seems I had developed an allergy to one of the chemicals used in the process. Unfortunately this happened on a Sunday so first thing Monday I was waiting at the door when they opened to have them removed. That relieved my problem but now I had a new one. My natural nails were a disaster from all of the filing with the tool. They were super sensitive because they were so thin. It was painful to have anything touch them and you wouldn't believe how often your nails are touched during the course of a normal day until half of them are missing. It took about four months for a new set of nails to grow in and it was torture. I swore I would never do anything to them again except polish.

Fast forward four years and I did some research on gel nails. I should clarify that, it's called a gel manicure. There's nothing glued on to your nail; it's just a gel coating over your natural nails that strengthens them. A gel manicure lasts anywhere between 10 to 20 days depending on the color you choose. If you pick a darker color you can see where it grows out at the base of your nails but if you go light or french you can get away with it.

The difference between acrylic and gel is that nothing is glued on your nail and your nail beds are not roughed and thinned. Every manicure the old gel is taken off with no damage to your nail. A gel manicure is much, much thinner than an acrylic. I really think you can't tell that it's not just polish.

Now there's the maintenance factor. Both processes require you see a technician to keep them look great. With a gel manicure it takes longer because you are removing the old gel each time.

Looks funny huh? This is the gel removal process. Cotton soaked in remover is put on your nails and then they're wrapped in foil to keep the cotton in place and I think to let your body heat help in the process. When the gel is softened it's scraped off of your nail and your manicure continues with cuticle clean up etc.

These are my nails after the old gel has been removed. See, my real nails, nothing glued on so when people ask if these are my real nails the answer is yes. The gel is then applied...

then you place your hand under a UV light to cure (harden) the gel. The gel comes in many colors; I like the very light colors but love the French manicure which is white at the tips.

The lovely Allison. She does a great job; taking no short cuts in the process and at the end you get a nice little hand massage. Allison works at Salon A.V.A. in Penfield in Panorama Plaza and I highly recommend her. She does my nails, pedicures and eyebrow wax. It's not cheap or easy being a girly girl but worth it!

This is right after a gel manicure with a light pink color.
A gel manicure is a little bit more than acrylic nails and takes a little longer to apply but so worth it if you have the time to splurge on yourself.

But my favorite is the French.
I love it!

One satisfied customer!

2011-12-11T20:56:00.002-04:00

Did you miss me??

I didn't think so.

I returned to school last week after my surgery and what a long week it was. I probably should have gone back on Wednesday and started out with a short week. Hindsight is 20/20 I guess. Below are some pictures from the holiday light parade in Webster, New York.

Webster's ladder truck.

The Grinch on a rescue boat.

These are invisible Union Hill firefighters.
I thought it was a cool picture.
Don't be too impressed, I didn't do anything to make it that way; it just happened.

Same with this picture,
my awesome accidental photo taking skills.

The three sisters.

Santa on the Sea Breeze FD hovercraft.

Uncle Sam looks vaguely familiar.
He'd grown a beard since I'd last seen him an hour ago.
Uncle Sam = my 13 yr old nephew

Penfield's ladder truck.
Rumor has it that it won an award for decorations
but I can't confirm that.

The parade VIP

and now for something completely different...

Hubs took this shot the other day.
The buck is just outside of our picket fence.
He lives in the woods next to us.

I want a pet hedgehog but Hubby says no so
I bought these two cuties at Target.

DDD Day

2011-11-19T01:51:00.011-04:00

Ok, here you have it, this is the surgery I had done. It makes me somewhat queasy when I think about what Dr. Davenport had to do. Mike says don't think about it then! Which I don't because I'm already having some issues with nausea. Kevin says it could be the pain meds. There is no food that is appealing to me at this point so it's hard to eat.

At Rochester General they have a cool system that lets your waiting loved ones know where you're at in the process.

Here I am looking pretty blah after surgery hence the blurred picture but the girls are perky. I was in a pretty good mood at this time, still high on some of the 13 different drugs the anesthesiologist gave me. (OMG, anesthesiologist didn't come up on spell check, that means I spelled it right. If you know me that's huge!) That was short lived because as the night progressed I went downhill. Poor Ryan, my roommate's nurse happened to be in our room when I over flowed the itty bitty teeny tiny vomit receptacle. Ryan the good sport that he was took care of me rather than calling my nurse Imani.

I took this picture for Cameron. If you're an Arrested Development fan you will find it funny and unusual that my nurse's first name was Funke.

In the TV show Arrested Development there was a family whose last name was Funke, pronounced the same way as my nurse and it's not Funky but some strange pronunciation. NetFlix has this show for rental and I highly recommend it. It's hilarious
Mary and Tom sent me some beautiful flowers. I'm not sure why the photo is so orange. I love the delicate orange lilies in the arrangement, there's three of them.
I also received a vase of flowers from my friends at school as well as two 3 course home cooked, home delivered meals.I work with the best people.

2011-11-15T15:47:00.001-04:00

I think I've been run over by a truck.

I Can't Wait Until Monday...

2011-11-12T19:58:00.029-04:00

Several months ago I wrote this post and the wheels of health care turn very slowly. On Monday morning I will finally be having my breast reduction surgery and can't wait. The operation will take 3 to 4 hours, one night in the hospital and a 2 to 4 week recovery. I hope this will rid me of the back, shoulder and neck pain, these babes are heavy. I'll be able to buy clothes that fit better and pretty bras, not the boring heavy duty ones. Best of all I'll be higher, firm and perky according to my plastic surgeon. Thursday was my last day of school for a few weeks and my wonderful friends at school surprised me with a "booby" bag.

My friends know me so well, everything was "me". My friend Mark knows how much I love Cape Cod and he's been saving his issues of Cape Cod Life for me. Chocolate Lindor Truffles, mmmmm. Color Explosion because I love to color. Jigsaw puzzles make me crazy, I don't have the patience for them but I do love crossword puzzles and try and do one everyday. A reindeer pen to do them with, I always do my puzzles in ink. Readers Digest with the headline 50 Secrets
Your Nurse Won't Tell You. Hhmmm, I'll have to check that out with my nurse Kevin. OK magazine, my love for trashy tabloids. Fuzzy Face, my boys had one of these when they were younger and we all liked to play with it. No one knew that. They also gave me two $50 gift cards, one to the Cheesecake Factory and one to Crescent Beach.

The best thing was the gummy boobs. My dear friend Amy found these and we laughed till tears. I've got to tell you that I love my job, working with the little ones is fun 99% of the time but it's my co-workers that make it the best. This was so unexpected, so thoughtful and so generous. I love them and I'm so lucky.

Thank you Amy, Becky, Jennifer, Tina and Mark! You're the best!

Black is beautiful

2011-11-07T17:52:00.034-04:00

No you're not seeing things...

this indeed is a black rhinoceros flying through the air. Before I tell you why read on for some black rhino information.

Rhinoceros takes its name from Latin, rhino=nose ceros=horn
Rhinoceroses are dangerous animals that tend to charge first and ask questions later. Their eyesight is not very good and they've been known to charge at rocks and trees but they do have good hearing and sense of smell.

Black rhinos are vegetarian eating shrubs, sticks and plants. Males will battle each other over females and territory.

Female rhinos are good mothers. They keep their baby with them until a sibling is born usually about 2 years and by then the "baby" is almost full grown. Gestation of a baby rhino is 15 months.

Their horns are made of the protein keratin, similar to human fingernails and can regenerate if broken.

There are 5 kinds of rhino: Black, White, Javan, Indian and Sumatran. The Javan rhino of Vietnam is believed to now be extinct thanks to a rumor that the horn can cure cancer. At one time the Black rhino was the largest group. That is no longer true today.

The Black rhino populations have been decimated over the years. Since 1940 90% of these animals have been lost with only 2,410 remaining in 1995. What was happening to these animals? Man. They are now on the protected and endangered list.

Consider the law of supply and demand, the less there is of a product the higher the price. Poachers realized there was big money to be made from the sale of black rhino horn. For centuries it has been very valuable in some cultures. For instance in the country of Yemen black rhino horn is prized for the handle of a dagger called a jambiya. Often they're studded with gems. In Muslim culture this dagger is given to boys at age 12-14.

In the countries of Malaysia, South Korea, India, China and other Asian nations the horn is ground into powder and used for medicinal purposes.

I hope I never stop being horrified at what some humans can do to others and animals. It will be a sad day if I ever become immune to these atrocities. As a member of the human race this should turn your stomach.

But all hope is not lost. Enter the WWF, that's the World Wildlife Fund not the World Wrestling Federation. They have started the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project which finds black rhinos in the wild and relocated them to protected lands. The land owners must prove that they have a good security system that can protect the animals from poachers.

Some of these rhinos are found in difficult, dangerous and inaccessible areas and the only way they can be moved is by helicopter. Click here to see more of his journey.
The animal is tranquilized then taken for a ride in the sky. Once they're relocated Dr. Jacques Flamand allows them to wake up in their new home. To date 120 black rhinoceroses have been trans located.
This little baby rhino has nothing to do with the story but I had to include him so this post can end on an up note. He's so cute, I love his ears :-)

Where did his brain come from?

2011-11-06T12:18:00.006-04:00

Last year when my son was a junior in college he received the Rose and Earl Ingersoll Scholarship in English.

Saturday night we attended the Brockport Benefactors and Scholars Dinner where we got to meet Rose and Earl Ingersoll. I didn't get to speak with Mr. Ingersoll too much as he was seated across the table from me but I found out from Mrs. Ingersoll that she graduated from Brockport 50 years ago. When she attended the college it was rural farmland at the time, there were just a few buildings, most of her classes were held in Quonset huts and there were 900 students.
Mr. Ingersoll did tell us that since the economy has taken the downturn the endowment fund has taken a good hit. The scholarship was only one third of what it used to be. We told him that's okay, any help a college student can get is helpful and we appreciated their thoughtfulness and help.

My son has been very fortunate and has won 3 different college scholarships but will still graduate with student loans. He attends a SUNY school which is a NY state school. I don't know how people afford those highfalutin private schools. They must be the ones that are complaining that their college diploma isn't worth much.

When I was a kid...

2011-10-26T12:01:00.013-04:00

When I was in elementary school we did all of our learning out of books and off of faded dittos. (Snnnnnifffff) We sat at desks in rows not at tables in groups. Once in a great while we got to see an educational movie, the kind that came on the reel and ran through the projector.

If the teacher happened to be in a really good mood because the projector actually worked properly she would run the movie backwards for a minute which we all thought was hilarious.

Don't forget about those exciting film strips.
There were only three TV stations and they signed off at midnight. Once in a while there was an educational show on, mostly The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. There were no VCRs; if you missed a show you had to catch it again in the reruns. No movies to rent and cartoons were only on Saturday mornings. Well there were some on Sunday mornings but they were pretty lame.

Today I'm amazed at what the children know in kindergarten. They tell me about whales, animals, insects, dinosaurs, the list goes on. Where do they learn this? From books but also TV, videos, DVDs etc. These media outlets are a wealth of information. My son Kevin loved to watch the Discovery Channel and History Channel. Television isn't always a bad thing. Sure it should be limited for children and monitored by their parents. There's a lot of shows out there that are not as kid friendly as you think. Another thing, just because its animated doesn't mean its okay for young children, The Simpson's, Family Guy and South Park for example. I've had 5 year olds that knew what being drunk is, getting high is, what gay means and sex. I never knew what any of those were until I was older. I've also had students that absolutely watched no television at all. It was hard for them when their peers talk about Sponge Bob or others. They have no clue. They also didn't have that additional good knowledge that TV watchers had.

That was an expensive phone call

2011-10-22T12:30:00.025-04:00

Let me state up front, I don't really follow the NFL except for the Buffalo Bills. They're the only team I watch. I lived through the years of the four consecutive trips to the Super Bowl and four consecutive losses. I'm not going to say anything about this year's Bills, don't want to jinx them.
What I will say is that I don't always get the NFL.

As far as players in the league go I know just a few and they're what I would call marquee players, the popular, highly paid players that have endorsements.

Yes, I know who Troy Polamalu is and I like him. He seems like a humble, fun guy and a family man. I guess that's why I was so surprised to read that he was fined 10,000 for calling his wife from the sidelines. I had to read more, I was curious as to why he called her. Turns out he made a pretty hard tackle and left the field with a head injury. Polamalu is no stranger to brain trauma having at least five concussions since he was a freshman in high school. The more concussions a person has the less impact it takes to have another. After he was checked out by a doctor on the sidelines Polamalu asked to borrow his cell phone to call his wife to let her know he was okay. Apparently there is an NFL rule that states you cannot have a cell phone or use a cell phone 90 minutes before or during a game while anywhere on the field. Polamalu wasn't phoning for a pizza, checking the weather or getting inside intell on the game. He simply wanted to ease his wife's worried mind. This fine is ridiculous. I understand he broke the rule but in certain cases there should be exceptions. Have a phone locked in a box if they're so concerned about someone using it, to be used only in cases like this. Is that so hard? Maybe the NFL would rather their players loved ones be a nervous wreck wondering what the hell is going on.

To Polamalu the 10 grand is a drop in the bucket and worth every penny to get the message to his wife. It's absurd that this situation is subjected to a fine.

Another incident that occurred the same day was A J Hawk's half of a peace sign salute to the sidelines that the camera caught and went out over live TV.

I don't know this guy, I saw him in a game earlier this season and thought he looked like a greasy long haired stoner. Maybe he's a nice guy. I'm not naive enough to think that bad language doesn't happen in sports. I was a rink rat growing up, have attended hockey games (high school, college and pro) all my life; I've heard it all and I'm not some lily white genteel southern belle who's offended if I hear it. Although once my mother told some college kids at an RIT hockey game to clean up their language, her 3 year old grandson was right there.

Back to the NFL. The powers that be chose to fine Hawk 10,000 for flipping the bird. (get it, Hawk flipped the bird haha) the same amount they fined Polamalu for calling his wife after a possible injury. Hawk did this in celebration of sacking the Ram's quarterback. He states that it's an inside joke with some of his teammates. I'll buy that, guys are weird like that but it seems to me that one offense shouldn't have been fined and one wasn't fined enough since children and adults with delicate constitutions saw the obscene gesture. Maybe he should take a cue form Polamalu and use Head & Shoulders on the scraggly hair. I wonder why they don't put it in a pony tail or braid for games, it looks dumb flowing out from under their helmets. This coming from a woman who likes clean long flowing locks on a man.

Think Oded Fehr in The Mummy.
I thought he was the sexiest guy with those long wavy locks...

Then he cut all his sexy off and meh.

At least they didn't fine the two Jims, that's San Fran's coach Jim Harbaugh and the Lions coach Jim Schwarts for their little rumpus after SF snapped the Lions unbeaten streak. No punches were thrown and this stuff isn't all that unusual in sports.

See, doesn't it seem like I know a lot about football? Trust me I don't. I went to every home and away football game in my 4 years of high school and still don't know all the rules. I was too busy checking out the boys to pay much attention. I had to do a lot of research for this post.

If you want to know more about NFL fines click here.

Speechless

2011-10-21T19:37:00.011-04:00

Well, not really, I'm seldom left speechless but I came close on this one.
I am constantly shocked at what one human being can do to another. Just when you think you've seen it all something new and even more horrible comes to light. I'm talking about 2 year old Wang Yue. The poor little one was wondering alone in the road near her father's hardware store when she was hit by a van and left for dead in Guangdong Province in China. I first heard about this story last week and didn't want to read about it. It seemed so awful and now YueYue as she was called has died from her injuries.

I read that article on CNN.com and looked at the video. I wished I didn't. I haven't been the same since. I couldn't eat my dinner tonight and my heart is heavy. If you're brave check it out, scroll down the article and click on the middle of the three video clips. Thankfully it doesn't show her getting hit but does show the van coming. It didn't swerve or try to avoid this child at all. Then it shows her laying in the street with cars, motorcycles and pedestrians passing her by while she's laying there dying.

YueYue was eventually picked up by a 58 year old so called scavenger Chen Xianmei. When asked about what she did she answered, "I didn't think of anything at the time. I just wanted to save the girl". YueYue's mother Qu Feifei says she wants to "focus on the positive". I don't see what the positive is except that one person did the natural thing and went to the little girl's aid. The morally bankrupt animals who passed by her with hardly a glance have to live with themselves but something tells me if they could keep on going in the first place they won't be losing any sleep over their actions. How can a person be so apathetic? So soulless? So heartless?

China has a history of treating their female citizens like they're disposable. It's no secret that boys are the desired child. What country sanctions selective abortion if you find out the baby you're creating is female. Some who don't go the abortion route abandon the female infants. Researchers estimate that a million female fetuses are aborted each year.

Now China has a new problem; they have 20 million boys that will never marry because there are not enough girls for them. In 2005 they outlawed selective abortions and hoped that by 2010 the number of babies born would equal out. According to this site that hasn't happened. For every 118 boys born only 100 girls are born and the consequence of this is that in 20-25 years from now there still won't be enough brides for the amount of grooms. This will lead to a decrease in their population. Is this a bad thing? Maybe for China, I don't know about the rest of the world.

It makes me wonder if little YueYue was a boy would this have happened? I hope that she's in a peaceful, loving place.

Now don't get me started on the population explosion in India.

It's What's On Top

2011-10-18T19:12:00.025-04:00

Some people don't like cemeteries, they creep them out and find them morbid. Not me, I find them peaceful, beautiful and interesting. Don't get me wrong, I'm not some Goth type with black lipstick and fingernails. I just enjoy the quiet stillness in them. First a little cemetery history. Before 1831 there were no large cemeteries just small family burial plots or church cemeteries. Eventually churches ran out of room or couldn't afford the upkeep and the large sprawling cemeteries began taking shape. They were regularly set away from the city, people didn't want to be reminded of death. Often the cemetery was landscaped with trees, shrubs and paths. Ultimately the public realized how beautiful the cemeteries were and with few public parks they took to visiting the cemetery for picnics and strolling. Today people jog, walk their dogs and I've seen kids playing in cemeteries. In the 19th century the entrance gates were very ornate ironwork with arches and other decorations. Inside the grounds the grave stones were often ornate as well with angels, trees, animals and statues. You actually learned a little about the person who was laid to rest there. Sometimes the cause of death was on the stone or how they were thought of, maybe a quote or what they were in life; wife, mother, daughter etc.

Over the course of time cemeteries have changed. The stones in some cemeteries are flat into the ground with just the name. I stay away from those. Others may have upright flat stones with very little on them, just the name and dates without any carvings. Now a newer technique has entered the marketplace; laser etching. I'm not crazy about it but to each his own. I wouldn't choose it but it can look good.

I was amazed the first time I saw this stone in one of the local cemeteries. Matthew was murdered in 1995 and was a sad story. I think the stone was tastefully done; it captures him in the prime of his young life doing what he loved.

I would never question the choice of a grieving parent but I just don't know what to think of this.

This stone is life size. just over 3 feet tall and startled me when I first saw it. While it's obvious to me that this child was very loved I know I would have never done this. For me it just seems odd.
Here's the back side of it. It's always tragic when a young person dies and I hope I never have to make a decision like this. I only know what I want. I don't really have a problem facing my own mortality. While it's not a pleasant topic of discussion I'm not freaked out to discuss death. I've discussed it with my parents several years ago asking them to think about making their final arrangements or at least write down what they'd like. I didn't want to have to handle it at that time. They took my request to heart and have preplanned all the details. I'm not going to dwell on it but when my time comes, it comes. I plan on being cremated and do not want to go in the ground. I can't even put my dog Shelby's ashes in the ground. I'm not saying that I want to be set on my son's mantle like in Meet The Parents. I have a few places in mind as to where I want to end up. What I do want is a stone. I know that may sound silly because there will be nothing underneath it but a stone says that I was here.
I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon but I want a stone like this. Look at the beautiful detail, the flowers and ferns are works of art. I found this in an very old small cemetery in Chatham, Massachusetts on Cape Cod several years ago.
Of course I'll live on in the hearts of those who love me but if I have a beautiful stone maybe someday someone will stop to look at it and wonder who I was.

A New Syndrome

2011-10-06T17:31:00.005-04:00

I've come up with a new syndrome that some people suffer from. It's called "The Rules Don't Apply To Me Syndrome". These people go about their business like they are the most important people in the world. They can do what they want and rules be damned. They're above the rules, they aren't in place for them.

Case in point, my school has three ways that students get home; they take the bus, they get picked up by car or they walk. First, my school is a neighborhood school meaning that it's surrounded by what else:neighborhoods. It's on a somewhat busy road not on a major street. This means we should have a lot of walking students. Guess what? We don't because at least half of them get dropped off and picked up in a car. Hell, we've got many car pick up students that can ride the bus but for whatever reason the little darlings don't. Car pickup is in the back of the school, the cars wait in a line and the kids are sent out when your turn is up. Sometimes the line stretches around the building and out on to the street causing a traffic jam for the average Joe. You pick up your child by 3:20 then the gates close. If you're late you have to park up front and go inside to get them. Then the buses leave the loop out front. My last job of the day is to check each teacher and class off as they walk the bus students to the front door. When all classrooms are empty I ring the bell and let the buses go. Then I get to go home. Finally it's the walking students time to leave from one door in the back. This year they dismiss after the buses leave because there were too many kids in the roads in the way of the buses. Many parents pick their kids up and walk home. Great, no problem there. Since the change of walker dismissal when I leave out the back door to my car all the waiting walking parents stare at me. Some sit on the stairs that I have to walk down to get to the parking lot. My knees are bad enough that I have to hold on to the railing that is now blocked by people sitting there.

Now for the rest of the story; the whole rule thing...

There should be no parents sitting in cars in the back parking lot waiting for their children who are walkers. If they are being driven home they need to be car pick up. Not walking but picked up in a car. I come out of school today to find a minivan parked so close to me that I could barely get my door open. I'm struggling and I look at the van, here's a woman gabbing on the phone while waiting for her kid. I should have knocked on her window but no I didn't. She's not the only one doing this. There's always 5 or 6 people waiting for their "walking" children because they don't want to wait in the long car pick up line. The rules don't apply to them of course. Now when I leave I have to watch for kids in the lot walking to their parent's car or the kids whose mother brought their scooter to them and now they're zipping around in the parking lot. Then there's the younger siblings that mom brought along to pick up little Suzie and aren't paying attention to them because she's kabitzing with other parents.

Now I've tried leaving school 10 minutes later hoping that they will all have left but nope, the parents hang out and chat while the kids are running all over the place.

This is just a small example of people not following the rules and causing issues for others. Like the person who parks in front of the grocery store door and just runs in "quick" for something. People that are waiting for someone in the handicap parking spot. Go park and wait for your handicapped passenger to exit the store and pick them up. The person in front of you in the 7 item express line who has 20 items. I could go on but you get the point.

I know this is a long bitchy post and maybe you didn't bother to read it to the end but stay tuned for my next new syndrome called "No Boundaries Syndrome".

Depressing

2011-10-04T06:59:00.001-04:00

This once tall, proud sunflower is now a shell of its former self.

Seems that I'm not the only one who's sad about summer being over.

A Bumper Crop

2011-09-28T18:35:00.014-04:00

Over the weekend on a beautiful Saturday I talked Hubby into going for a drive out to a beach on Lake Ontario about 45 minutes from our house. What I love about this unnamed beach is that it's all rocks. My love of rocks is well documented; I have them everywhere, in the garden in the house, they fascinate me. These rocks are worn smooth my the waves of the lake. Each year I paint each one of my kindergartners a lady bug on these rocks. They love them. (thanks to my niece Jenny for the ladybug idea).

Along the way we passed many apple orchards in Monroe and Wayne County, two major apple growing regions in NY. It got me thinking about who eats all of these apples?

Some apple facts I learned researching this.

There are six states in the US that dominate in apple production first being Washington followed by New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California and Virginia. Our biggest buyers of US grown apples are Canada, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.

Internationally the largest exporter of apples is China. Who knew?
The average apple tree begins producing fruit in 8 - 10 years and lives about 60 years.

It takes approximately 36 apples to make one gallon of cider.

Apples are fat, sodium and cholesterol free.

A medium sized apple is 80 calories.

One apple has 5 grams of fiber.

The most popular apples are:
Granny Smith
Gala
Golden Delicious
Red Delicious
Fuji

Apples float in water because their volume is 25% air.

Apples are the second most valuable fruit crop in the US, the first being oranges.

In a town called Williamson 25 miles east from me is a little company called Mott's where they produce all sorts of apple products. A perfect location for them.

The science of apple growing is called pomology. The word for apple in French is pomme. I learned this from my little French speaking student who said hi to me in English today :-)

How can anyone not find these rocks beautiful and interesting?
Why am I not a geologist?

Rocks as far as you can see.

If you know me you know I HATE spiders. They creep me out big time. As a kid I used to pay my sister 25 cents to kill one in my bedroom. And I only got a 50 cent a week allowance. That's how afraid of them I am. These beauties are all over in the rocks. Everywhere you look they're scampering around. They're totally afraid of me and practically fly to get out of my way. This is the only place I don't mind them. After all I'm much more interested in the rocks and will brave them.
The day ended with one last shot of Lake Ontario, some goldenrod and a butterfly. It was a wonderful, peaceful day.

Crunch

2011-09-24T21:11:00.000-04:00

In mid August I took my niece and nephew down to the Port of Rochester for some Abbott's frozen custard and a walk on the pier. While there I backed into a SUV and pushed in the driver's side running light.

Since it was right in front of the door into the building the security guard came out while I was looking at the damage getting ready to write a note. She said she would go look for the owner. Ok, good luck with that but lo and behold she found her, a waitress at Pier 54.

We decided to work it out between us and not get insurance involved. She said her husband is a mechanic and could maybe fix it himself. We exchanged names and phone numbers and I waited. Weeks went by and nothing. I thought all was well, her husband repaired it.

But that wasn't the case. She called to tell us that the estimate for the repairs would be $1,100.00. WTF?? The running light was minor, a new bracket had to be ordered but the bumper needed to be replaced. Apparently the paint was "rippled" and it could be repainted but per the collision shop (if they took it to one) said it would be more cost effective to replace it. Again, WTF

Note the missing running light.

I'm not seeing any "rippled" paint.

I didn't feel any either. We went back to the scene of the "crime" and looked at and felt the bumper. NOTHING.

What bothers me is that they knew we were going to pay for damages out of our own pocket and they were going to go for all they could. Maybe it's just me but ask for the amount to fix the light and call it a day. But no, not them. Now the insurance company will get involved because I'm not paying for a new bumper on a 2003 that I'm 99.9% sure that they won't get a new bumper and just pocket the money.

Stay tuned....

I Wish I Was A Dragon Slayer

2011-09-24T05:12:00.006-04:00

Why am I up at this ungodly hour on a Saturday after a long hard week at school? I have the worst case of acid reflux; I think I could breathe fire.

My kindergarten year is off to a rough start. There's a pretty good crop of four year olds and young fives. Some are ready to be in school, others not so much. I can't remember a year with more criers. Some because they miss their mom, some because they can't get their own way and some just because...
who knows why.

I've had a student that we've had to literally peel off mom, she was hanging on for dear life. A student that I've had to go out to the street to get (take) from mom and a student that has come in kicking and screaming for a week. I have one student that understands a decent amount of English and speaks a limited amount of it; his first language is Ukrainian. There's a student right from France that speaks and understands no English. My high school French is finally doing me some good but not much. I did get him to say dog this week. Another wont speak but will try and bite or lick and lay on the floor. Maybe he was a dog in his past life. There's a student that lays on the floor in a temper tantrum when she can't do what she wants, we just let her go. No hugs or snuggles for her. I had one the first week that wouldn't leave my side and has speech issues, I couldn't understand half of what he was saying let alone when he was crying. I have a student that stabbed another with a pencil. Afternoons are rough, one class I'm in has 16 students, 12 which are boys. Very active, talkative boys. All in all I've got 62 names to learn which I've almost got down. Some you learn the first five minutes of the first day, others take longer because in my job I don't have as much interaction with the self confident, eager to learn kids. So is the nature of the job. I wonder if I'm getting too old for this.

But as long as I am up I'll show you some pretty pictures that I can't take credit for. My niece Sara took them over the summer.

Sunset over Port Bay; an inlet of Lake Ontario. Her family has a cottage there.

Sara and her guinea pig Gus.
I don't know who's cuter.

The sky over Lake Ontario.
I wish I lived by the water.
Maybe in my next life.

How Ironic

2011-09-22T12:02:00.011-04:00

Founder of Wikileaks, Australian Julian Assange had tried to stop the publication of his unauthorized autobiography but failed and is said to be furious.

Apparently in this book (that was written by a ghost writer after 50 hours of interviews with Assange himself) are statements such as how he liked the thrill of hacking computers and his pride in publishing secret official information.

I didn't agree with his leaking of sensitive or embarrassing information about world governments and people. I never felt like he did for the people's right to know but to show off what he was able to do and got off on it. I get the whole freedom of the press thing but it seems that Assange wants to pick and choose when he wants to promote that. He sounds like a hypocrite to me. It looks like karma bitch slapped him pretty good.

I do enjoy when Bill Hader and Saturday Night Live parodies him. Check it out :-)

There's No Place Like Gnome

2011-09-13T20:46:00.007-04:00

I make no secret of my love of gnomes. I'm not sure why I find them so cute but I do. There's something so happy and carefree yet tacky about them.

They have a home in my garden each summer.

This year I moved them to a new neighborhood so they'd have some different scenery ;-) I bring them inside for the winter and line them up against the wall behind the powder room door. That way when you close it you see them. I can always tell when my mom has been in there because she turns one of them. She doesn't like the way it looks at her.

This is the first gnome I bought on just a whim.
He stayed out all winter and I used him to measure the snowfall.

Lots of times he was covered and eventually he cracked in half; that's why I bring my others in now.
R.I. P. Gnomie.

I even have a gnome on my desk at school.
My kindergartners like him.
The other day while driving I came upon this...

A real gnome!! I know that some motorcycle gangs get a bad rap. Right now in the news is a Hell's Angel on trial in Mass. for murdering some witnesses who were going to testify against him. But this looks like a gang I can get behind. The Lost Cause, plus they have a guy called Gnome in it.

I think I've just blown Santa's cover. When he's not working in the winter he summers as a biker under the alias of Gnome.

Never Forget

2011-09-11T00:00:00.002-04:00

While during my Irene shortened trip to NYC I went to Ground Zero where I purchased this Memory Bracelet. On this 10th anniversary of that fateful day, September 11, 2001 I want to tell you a little bit about Fire Fighter Eric Olsen who lost his life that day.

Eric Olsen was 41 years old on 9/11/01 and had been a fire fighter with Engine 4 Ladder 15 located at 42 South Street in the financial district of Manhattan for 11 years. Ladder 15 was one of the few units that made it up to the 78th floor of Tower 1 in horrible conditions trying to save people. Eric was off duty when the call came in having just finished his shift for the day but that didn't stop him from responding. He was last seen going into Tower 1 ten minutes before it fell. There were no remains found belonging to Eric Olsen and he is officially listed as missing. Engine 4 Ladder 15 lost 14 heroes that day.

Eric Olsen was described by his parents as a man always smiling, joking and enjoying life. Eric had the "ability to see things not as they were but as they could be". He was great with his hands whether it be working on engines, carving wood or making stained glass. Eric was a collector of classic cars including some Cadillacs from the 1940's, a pick up from the 70's and a 1965 Ford F-600 fire truck that he planned on restoring. Eric parked this truck across the street from his firehouse and would work on it during his off time. Every evening a homeless man would sleep in that truck and every morning Eric would start it up, the man would pack up to return later.

In 2002 the Milford Township Volunteer Fire Company in Buck's County Pennsylvania offered to make Eric's dream a reality. Two years later with countless volunteer hours and $12,000 raised in donations the truck was complete with an overhauled engine, exhaust system, a refurbished interior, a new paint job and lights and siren. A quote from John Jermyn a fellow fire fighter and childhood friend of Eric's says it well...

"I really think you could say that this truck has kept alive the spirits of all the men who were lost that day. When you're around it, it has a certain aura about it. I guess you could say Eric's truck has taken on a life of its own."

Below is the FDNY Memorial Wall. The Memorial runs down the outside west wall of Engine Company 10 Ladder 10 at the corner of Liberty and Greenwich Streets and depicts the firefighters and apparatus used in action that day. Below it the names of the 343 firefighters are engraved.

The law firm of Holland & Knight commissioned Viggo Rambusch to design and bring to fruition this Memorial Wall. It was completed and dedicated in 2006 in honor of Glenn Winuk, a colleague and partner of the firm as well as a volunteer firefight who perished that day. The wall is 56 feet long done in the bas-relief style in bronze and weighs 3 tons. I will say that the pictures do not do this justice. It is absolutly beautiful, I had to touch it. We saw it on a rainy day but even still is seemed to glow with warmth and life. Please see this if you visit New York City.
This is Ground Zero today taken from the lounge of the W Hotel. I first saw it seven years ago when it was still just a pit being cleaned. What you see in the background is the Freedom Tower rising into the sky. When completed it will stand 1776 feet tall (does that number ring a bell?) and be taller than either of the original towers. In the original foot print of the Twin Towers is a park area with 2 reflecting pools with waterfalls surrounded by trees where you can sit and remember.

I've heard some people say get over it, it's in the past but I don't agree. I think that this day should be remembered and payed tribute to forever. Thousands of innocent human beings died that day.

On planes
American Airline flight 11 8:46 North Tower
United Airline flight 175 9:03 South Tower
American Airline flight 77 9:37 Pentagon
United Airline flight 93 10:03 Shanksville, PA

Pentagon 125 innocent people 70 civilians, 55 military

In and around the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center 2751 innocent people.

One bomb sniffing dog Sirius.

The total people killed in this attack holds steady at 2975 according to this site. I don't know if it includes the 19 hijackers.

Eventually in years to come there will be no one alive who felt the shock and horror of that dark day in American history which is why we need to keep it alive in a peaceful way.

God Bless Eric Olsen and the other souls who are no longer here and their families and friends who miss them every day.

Nick

2011-09-08T19:14:00.009-04:00

Thirteen years ago I began my career in special education. My first year I worked part time just one day a week with an autistic little boy in first grade. His name was Nicky and he was a handful. I wanted to go full time the following year and was offered a job to go with Nicky to second grade; five days a week vs one. Could I handle it?

I took the job and in the thirteen years I've been on this job that year was one of the toughest.
Not only was Nick autistic he had some other issues as well; some emotional, some physical, some learned behavior and some just down right mischievousness. I was the brunt of most of these behaviors but I gave my all to this child, advocated for him on every level. It was physically and mentally exhausting. The first thing I would do when I got home was go in my bedroom and close the door for 30 minutes. My kids had strict orders to not disturb me unless the house was on fire.

Now it wasn't all bad. Nick could be the sweetest little guy and I could get him to do some school work. The other students in the class were wonderful and accepting of him. I saw something in him and tried to give him the best. He was such a cutie and that was a good thing because if he wasn't...

Over the second grade school year his behavior deteriorated drastically. I took a 2 day restraint training class so I could keep him and myself safe. Physically he was having more trouble walking, he seemed to swing his hips to walk. I talked to the physical therapist and she agreed. His calves were very muscular and rock hard yet he seemed weak. Eventually Nick was diagnosed with Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy. It strikes boys ages 1-6, by age 10 they often use braces to walk and by age 12 many are wheelchair bound. Breathing problems develop as well as an enlarged heart. Life span is shortened, not living beyond early 30's.

In June 2011 Nick walked across the stage to receive his high school diploma. In late August while on a family vacation in South Dakota Nick quickly, quietly and unexpectedly passed away.
This child had the deck stacked against him from birth. His life was not easy but he accomplished a lot. I hadn't seen Nick in years but am still saddened at his passing. I hope that where ever he is he's running and doing everything he missed out in life.

Second grade luau.

Halloween, he was a purple crayon from the book
"Harold and The Purple Crayon".

Nicky with Cameron who was in the same school in fifth grade.

I Blinked...

2011-09-07T18:49:00.012-04:00

...and summer was gone. While I started school last week the students started yesterday except for our kindergartners. They started today.

When I got to school this morning I was greeted by these out on the soccer field. Look closely in the trees to the left of the buck.

The school is ready, here's the library.

The floors are nice and shiny.
I look forward to them getting scuffed up,
they're slippery right now.

The bulletin boards are done, all four of them.
Clifford the Big Red Dog is our class mascot for two of the classes.

The pencils are sharpened and the crayons are new.

My desk is a mess already.

Here they come!

Here's one of my kindergarten classes.

The first day of kindergarten went well. Only one issue and I felt so bad for him. We have a student whose family just moved here from France for dad's job. He speaks absolutely no English. About an hour in he just melted down. I took three years of French in high school but that was loooong ago. I understood that he wanted mom. We went for a walk and sat in the hall for a while while I tried to calm him down with the soft voice telling him he's see mommy soon and rubbing his back. It didn't do much good. Then I heard him say mon frere~ I got that, it means my brother. We went to the office to see if indeed he has a brother in our school. Turns out he does in fifth grade. He couldn't understand me either but at least he could comfort his brother. It just broke my heart to see him crying and clinging to his brother. It was obvious that big brother didn't really know how to handle it. I took him with me to get the juice for snack and had him help me carry it to the classroom and that perked him up. I can wait to see what tomorrow brings. I translated some sentences from English to French (you'll see your mommy soon. It's okay. We'll be going home soon etc.) so if he melts tomorrow I'm going to have his brother read them to him. I think I better brush up on my French.

Unscathed

2011-08-29T13:06:00.003-04:00

A view from the observation deck of
The Empire State Building as Irene was getting closer.

Well Kevin survived his first hurricane with no power outage or flooding in his area. Thanks to all who emailed their concern. It meant a lot to me.

Escape From New York

2011-08-27T09:04:00.004-04:00

The following are actual texts that took place between my son Cameron and I on Friday August 26 as we were booking it out of New York City ahead of Hurricane Irene. (That Bitch) The names have not been changed to protect the innocent.

Me: Coming home today :/

Cam: Because of Irene? I thought it's not supposed to hit NYC til Sunday?

Me: Yes but going to call a state of emergency and decide if they will start to evacuate at 8 am tomorrow. Dad wants to beat the traffic. Getting ready to walk the Brooklyn Bridge then get Kev situated then leave.

Cam: Okay cool. Let me know when you're getting close. I had Drew, Brent, Dillon and Kunal over last night and I have to clean up our mess. lol

He wasn't home when we got home but the place was clean; good thing. We left NYC on a bright, beautiful sunny day with no inkling that a big storm was headed that way. There was no panic, everyone looked like they didn't have a care in the world. As of right now all subways, trains, buses and ferry service will shut down at noon today. If you've ever visited NYC you know that this is HUGE. The airports will close to arriving traffic at noon, you can still fly out. Depending on the wind the bridges may close then there's no escaping. A quarter of a million people live in the mandatory evacuation zone and must be out by 5:00 this afternoon.

We reluctantly left our son Kevin down there. He'll hunker down in his apartment during this storm. We made sure he was stocked with food and water, his cell phone is charged and he has batteries for his flashlight. He is scheduled to work on Monday but who knows if he'll be able to make it in. I feel bad for the nurses that are already there. They might be working extra shifts.

I'm really ticked off that our 3 day trip to NYC turned out to be a whirl wind 24 hours but we made it to my favorite restaurant where Hubby and I had fillet Mignon and Kevin had ribs along with a $15 martini, Ground Zero and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. I'll just look at all the money we saved.

Family Fun

2011-08-22T17:37:00.015-04:00

Hubby's sister and husband have a cottage about an hour from us on Port Bay off of Lake Ontario and Saturday was our yearly invitation. It was a beautiful day, sunny, warm with a cool breeze. They had homemade garbage plates for dinner and they were delicious.

The Fam
More Fam...

How'd they do that??
Two of my grand nephews out on the pontoon boat.
The Captain
My niece Tina and two of her kids.
Start her up!

Mother and son
They have a three person jet ski so three of the cousins took it out. Sara is a pro and she did her best to dump her cousins off.

She succeeded 4 or 5 times but also dumped all three of them off twice.
Hi Cam
Yes there is a jet ski in there, Sara is a speed demon.

Lake Ontario was pretty warm.
After a few hours on the lake.

Cam seems to have the magic touch with kids, they always want him to play with them...
and he does.
The best part of the day was that we got to meet the newest member of the family, my grand nephew was born on July 17 although Cam seems to have lost his magic according to this kid.
Sara and her new cousin.

He is just the cutest little thing. I love the tongue in this picture.
Tina calls me the Baby Whisperer :-)

A lunch date with Cameron

2011-08-16T16:14:00.003-04:00

I took him to Cheeburger Cheeburger located on the Genesee River where it empties out into Lake Ontario. The first thing I noticed was in the parking lot.

All these red cars parked in a row. Since there was one spot left in the line I had to park there.
On a beautiful day it would be nuts to not sit outside so outside we went. I liked this sign; you can see what the birds think of it.

I looked out into the river and there was a river monster! What the heck was that doing out there and where was the person who was floating on it?

Our view.

Turns out the "river monster" was anchored out there for sailing class.

Part of the Yacht Club across the river.

Mr. Cool

Cam and his messy burger.
After lunch it was off to work managing Ben & Jerry's for him.
He'll be back to his apartment and school in just 12 days. The summer has flown by.

Risking it all

2011-08-11T07:38:00.002-04:00

About 15 years ago we got Kevin the game Risk for Christmas. He was and maybe still is to some extent into military strategies and history. I don't remember it being played very often. Maybe he was a little young for it and it languished on the game shelf for years until last summer. Cameron dug it out and began playing it with his friends. Who knew that would be the spark that put out the video game fire. Well not completely. This game has given the guys and sometimes girls hours and hours and hours of entertainment. I think the longest game went six hours. Who knew? I'm not saying they don't play video games any longer but that time spent has been cut way down due to playing Risk. Cameron has introduced this game to many people and they now have tournaments. Cam seems to be a world dominator and wins a lot of the time. I'm not surprised, he was labeled a critical thinker in second grade. I swear I don't know where his big brain comes from. Not from me.

Like Monopoly, Risk comes in several variations now. There's Risk 2210A.D., God Storm (got it), two versions of Star Wars Risk, Lord of the Rings Risk and Transformers Risk to name a few. While researching this game I found that it's also a Playstation game but shhhhh, I'm not telling Cam. Maybe he's aware of that but knows some games are just meant to play around a table.

Cam has now taught his younger cousins how to play and I love to see and hear them playing together.

Do You Know This Guy

2011-08-10T16:31:00.005-04:00

The person who robbed my son at Ben & Jerry's last week is on tour around different towns robbing small stores like Game Stop, Radio Shack, Hallmark. He must have been studying and practicing dry runs for the main event because he's now graduated to the big league as bank robber.

He's changed it up just a little bit, now he's wearing long pants, a tie, visor along with golf or batting gloves. He's stayed with the sunglasses, blue button down shirt, white Puma sneakers and a newspaper over his hand.

It won't be long before he's caught, he's sinking his own ship going big time. I just worry that he's becoming more brazen and I hope no one gets hurt.

2011-08-07T18:31:00.011-04:00

31 lost, 31 unwanted visits, 31 doors receive that dreaded knock, 31 families with shattered hearts, 31 pairs of boots lined up with rifles and dog tags and helmets, 31 comrades remembered and grieved for, 31 funeral services, 31 names on newly made grave markers, 31 empty places at the table, 31 souls who gave all, whose lives leave a void, so let's take 31 seconds to re-post this and pause to reflect on such a sacrifice as 31 gone forever. ♥

The above was floating around Facebook and it is so sad and true. In case you didn't know, these military men were killed when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down as they were taking part in a raid in eastern Afghanistan. I couldn't imagine having a loved one serving in a war. I'd be basket case each time the doorbell or telephone would ring. Families will now be getting the bad news about their husband, father, son, uncle or friend.

Why were all these elite soldiers in crammed into one helicopter? (My thoughts, a soldier is a soldier, doesn't matter what rank or training) Seems to me it's like putting all of your eggs in one basket. Why not bring them in in smaller, faster helicopters?

A Chinook is a big, fat, slow helicopter built for transporting troops and equipment not flying into firefights. Don't get me wrong, I know nothing about military strategies or transportation but in my mind it doesn't seem smart to use one big helicopter to get in and out in a hurry.

It will be a happy day when our troops are out of this area of the world leaving them to fight amongst themselves.

Not If But When...

2011-08-04T23:53:00.005-04:00

My youngest son Cameron 21 has worked at the only local Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream for the last 6 years from the day it opened. He's worked his way up to manager running the shop on his shifts and when the owner is out of town. Ben & Jerry's is located in Pittsford a small town about 4.5 miles from home. He had to go into work at 5:00 on Thursday and the hope was that they'd be busy since the Buffalo Bills training camp is 2 miles away and the Bills had a night practice.

He arrived at work and found a shop full of customers. They got them all taken care of and the store was empty except for him and another employee. A guy entered and Cam noticed right away that he wasn't acting like a normal customer. He wasn't standing where one would stand to check out the flavors. He was pacing back and forth and Cam asked if he'd like some samples. The guy didn't answer him. Now he's thinking this guy's on drugs and starts to give him a little more attention. He noticed he had short dark spiky hair, aviator sunglasses, a button down shirt, sport coat, khaki shorts and white Puma sneakers. Next thing Cameron sees is this guy walking behind the counter. Cam tells him that only employees are allowed back here. Now the guy has a newspaper draped over his hand and tells him to open the register. Cam does so and starts cleaning out the til asking him if he wants the coins also. No he says, just the bills. Cameron then asks him what's under the newspaper and he replies, "a gun" and turns and leaves the shop with the money. Cam is positive there was no gun in his hand, it just didn't look right. The suspect was calm when he gave directions, wasn't jumpy or jittery like he was hopped up on something and Cam thinks that he must have been gathering his nerve for a few minutes before he made it clear what he wanted and it wasn't Cherry Garcia ice cream.

He calls the police and texts us. I think my heart stopped beating for a minute when I read it. He did tell us that he was okay and not hurt. Hubby is washing the car and I tell him rinse quick because we're going over. I knew he was okay but I just needed to see that in person. When we arrived there were several county sheriff cars there, a detective, a crime scene tech and a NY State Police K-9 officer and dog.

The dog was a beautiful black one but he/she didn't find the 'perp'.

CSI doing their thing although I'm guessing there were hundreds of fingerprints.
I talked with the female deputy for a minute and told her to ask the manager for a free cone, he is my son. She immediately told me he was okay, just answering questions. I felt better at that point and we went home and waited for him. The owner closed the shop for the evening. Turns out when she went in she told him we had been there and that they had untied him and ripped the duct tape off his mouth. Of course she was joking with him, she didn't really say that to me but if she did and it was a joke I wouldn't be laughing.

When Cam got this job all those years ago one of the first things I asked him was what did the owner tell them to do if they were robbed. It was just a matter of time. Just give them what they want he replied. Over the years I've reiterated that to Cam more than once. If someone comes in and wants the money, hand it over no questions asked. Don't be a hero. My fear was that it would happen late at night just before closing. The street would be dark with little traffic and there would be more money in the register. I never thought it would be at 5:45 in the afternoon on a busy day. He must have been desperate.

I am thanking my lucky starts that Cameron kept a cool head during this and was not hurt. I'm not even going to let my mind go there. I'm not crazy about him asking what was under the newspaper. It could have freaked the guy out but again Cam was positive he didn't have a gun. Why tempt fate?

Boobs

2011-08-04T12:20:00.008-04:00

Men love them, some are obsessed with them, some give you an appreciating look, others make you feel like shit with their leering stares. I speak from experience as I am very well endowed in that department. It all started in fifth grade; a fourth grade boy said to me "boy, those things jiggle when you walk". As you can imagine I was totally embarrassed. I told my mother and a few days later a delivery truck from Sibley's (a somewhat highfalutin department store at that time in 1968, they even delivered your purchases) showed up at our house. The delivery was for me and it was a training bra. I think my mom was trying to make me feel special. I always thought that training bra was a funny description, what are you training your breasts to do?
I lived in that bra 24/7. Mom had to beg me to take it off so it could be washed. When I think about that kid today I wonder if he knew what he said hurt me so bad. Maybe it was just an observation from a 9 year old boy and nothing more. Did he notice them in a sexual way? My knowledge of fourth grade boys today is that most would know what they were saying but I'm sure there are a few innocents out there.

That experience was the beginning of how I've felt about my chest for 43 years; insecure and self conscience. In middle school it was hard because I was the most developed girl in school unlike today where many girls develop early. There I was in my real bra, no more training for me and of course the rest of me was curvy too. Ha, I thought I was FAT. Most of the other girls were still wearing undershirts and had no hips. Now I was sure why the boys were ogling.

In high school the girls were starting to catch up but I was still in the lead in the boob department. I did everything I possibly could to cover up those babies such as wearing baggy shirts and nothing low cut. I was so modest. Have you seen how high school girls dress today? Wow, nothing is left to the imagination, they let it all hang out. I had a lot of boy friends but not boyfriends. I didn't date because I never knew if the boy wanted to get to know me or just my girls. It wasn't just boys that were noticing me but men also. I still thought I was fat and didn't know what I had. Oh how I wish I could have that body today, I was smokin'.

Not all men grow up when it comes to breasts. After high school I got a full time job at our local gas and electric company where my dad worked and met many guys. Let's face it utility companies did and still do have a higher male to female ratio. While I was never touched there were plenty of looks and comments. I ignored them, this was in the days before sexual harassment. I got so tired of men talking to my chest instead of my face that I once told a few "that my face is up here, these don't talk." I should make this clear; these creeps were in the minority but the damage was done. Most men were kind and respectful.

Being large breasted is not only hard emotionally but physically as well. I suffer from neck, shoulder and back pain, my shoulders have grooves in them from my bra straps, when it gets warm at all I sweat there and to be honest they get in the way a lot. Trying to find shirts and blouses that fit can be a nightmare. By the time I get them to fit at the bust the shoulder seams are too low, the sleeves too long and they're just big everywhere else. The bras I need to buy are not cheap by any means and I go through a lot of them. After all they work extra hard. My left side is bigger than the right and constantly runs over the top of the cup. Not a good look. I've always wished I could buy a cheap little bra or a fancy sexy one. I'm sure I'm telling you too much information but have to get it out.

Today my coping mechanism is to make jokes about the size of my bust. I will say that when you have a crying 4, 5 or 6 year old they make a great pillow. I once had a little girl tell me I'm sqeezey like her mother. I smiled at that.

I've decided that I'm going to have breast reduction surgery and have seen a plastic surgeon. We're just waiting for my health insurance to approve it, that shouldn't be a problem but takes 4 to 8 weeks then we will schedule the surgery. Now that I've made the decision to go through with it I want it done immediately. Sort of like when you wake up and realize you need a hair cut and it must be that day.

I'm sick and tired of the leers, tired of not standing up straight, tired of making sure someone stands in front of me in pictures so the chest is hidden, tired of showing cleavage no matter what I wear.

I CAN'T WAIT.

In the Year...

2011-07-30T13:45:00.016-04:00

The year was 1976 and "I Write the Songs" by Barry Manilow hit number 1, the Super Sonic Concord has its first flight, Barbara Walters is the first female nightly news anchor, the last episode of Marcus Welby MD was broadcast (I loved this show), Deep Purple disbanded!! who doesn't know Smoke on the Water? The fourth space shuttle Enterprise practices test flights for approach and landing. (How did I not know this? I don't remember ever hearing about a space shuttle), Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford for President, Gone With the Wind was first shown on TV, Patty Hearst was released on 15 million dollar bail, Elizabeth Taylor married her seventh husband, A Star is Born with Barbara Striesand and Kris Kristofferson was released (I love this movie to this day, a real tear jerker), Genie Francis joined the cast of General Hospital playing the part of Laura Vining, the United States celebrated its 200 birthday and I graduated from high school.

I bring this up because this weekend is my 35th high school reunion and boy do I feel old. I haven't gone to any of the class of '76 reunions and didn't go to this one either. I'm not sure exactly why. Is it because I'm nervous about how people will remember me? Will I not remember anyone? Will any of my old friends that I haven't talked to in 34 years be there? Am I insecure? Do I want to pretend everyone looks great and hasn't changed a bit? I don't know. What I do know is that my graduating class had over 850 students in it. Yes, 850. The school district I lived in was a combination of two towns that had grown to excess. Junior high was grades 7,8 9 and you didn't go to the high school until 10th. In tenth grade there were so many kids in the high school that they had to have split sessions of school day. If you had a job after school or played in any sports you went to school super early. If you didn't (like me) you didn't go to school until around 10 AM and got out after 4 PM. Lower class men had to share a locker, that meant two winter coats, boots, books and junk. One nice thing was that my locker was in the PRIME location for hanging out all three years.

Here I am in 1976, a senior in high school. Back in those days when you had your yearbook photo taken you didn't take 5 different outfits or props or have professional hair and makeup done. You went in, sat down and smiled; snap, you were done. Today in honor of the reunion that I didn't attend I got out my yearbook and scrapbook. Looking at all of those people, reading the articles about our sports teams (we were state power houses in football and basketball and I went to all the games. You know, that's where the boys are) and reading what friends wrote made my heart hurt a little bit. Okay maybe more than a little. It made me think of the fun times I had in high school. I really loved it. (Okay, not the going to class part but for the social aspect of it. I lived for that 5 minutes between classes) Many teenagers lives are filled with angst. Not mine, I was happy for the most part. Well I was mouthy and sassy at home but isn't that how its supposed to be for girls? Sorry for all that mom and dad. I turned out okay. I read the article I cut out of the paper in 1989 when a friend Eric Gordon was murdered. That was heartbreaking. He was doing what he did best, being a kind peaceful person trying to break up a fight and a 17 year old kid who did not know him shot him in the chest with a shotgun. Eric was 31 and yes the good die young.

Today I'm friends with a dozen high school friends on Facebook and we chat back and forth. Maybe someday we'll get together and have our own reunion. I miss you Terri, Linda, Debbie, Derek, Geoff, Beth...

Here I am today, a wife and mother of two adult children that I love with all my heart. They've gone through their high school years graduating with honors. I'm now waiting to have a grandchild which who knows when that will be, neither of them even have a significant other right now. Oh well, it will happen but I don't want to be an old granny.

From the files of WTF

2011-07-26T00:00:00.001-04:00

I'm telling you I'm going to boycott watching and reading the news. It just upsets me and raises my blood pressure. Thank goodness I can use this blog as an outlet to release my frustration.

Bothering me today is the story of Raquel Nelson of Marietta, Georgia. Let's take a look at this. Nelson was a mother of three who lived in an apartment building on a busy street. She was out shopping with her 3 children ages 9, 4 and 2 for a birthday party. She has no car and must use public transportation. On this day they missed their bus and had to wait for the next one getting them home an hour later than planned. The bus lets the passengers off on the opposite side of the street from her apartment. It was dark out by this time and rather than walk 3/10 of mile down the street to a crosswalk she crossed at the nearest intersection. While trying to cross the street her 4 year old son AJ ran out in the street and was hit by a car and killed.

This is every parent's nightmare, the death of their child. But wait, her nightmare doesn't end there. Ms Nelson was convicted by a jury of her peers (who all admitted that they've never used or been at the mercy of public transportation) on charges of homicide by vehicle and reckless conduct because she was jaywalking when her child was killed. Apparently the intersection did not have a crosswalk painted on it so that means she was jay walking. I thought jay walking was not crossing at an intersection.

Let's get to the driver that struck and killed the little boy, a one Mr. Jerry Guy. He admitted to drinking and taking prescription pain killers before driving that night and hitting AJ. He also has two prior convictions for hit and run accidents. He took a plea bargain and for killing this child he served 6 months in jail. Even if she had walked the 3/10 of a mile with three kids in tow this guy or someone else could have hit them while in a bonafide crosswalk.

Now Raquel Nelson could be taken away from her remaining two children and spend up to 3 years in jail. She's already paying for and will continue to pay for this accident for the rest of her life. She has to live with the death of her child. I'm sure she blames herself as well. What DA would choose to prosecute her? If the judge decides to put her in jail or even give her probation it would be a travesty. In my eyes the only thing she's guilty of is poor judgement and who isn't guilty of that once in a while.

Jose Baez, where are you now? Help this woman.

Be Tough on Them.

2011-07-25T12:43:00.000-04:00

The world, it is a crazy place. There are people out who think their thinking is the only way to be and they will force feed it to the world. Terrorists I'm talking to you; I am sick and tired of this. Why can't people be left alone to believe or worship who or what they want. I realize that organized religion has been a hot topic since its inception. People fight wars over it, they kill innocent people in the name of their religion thinking that's what their God wants them to do. Seriously?

I'll admit the Muslim extremists scare me. We know they will kill themselves and innocents for their beliefs. Except one who sat in his cave or compound planning terrorist acts around the world and making video threats. I can't bring myself to put his picture or name here but y'all know who I'm talking about.

Since 9/11 I can't believe that there is one person who doesn't feel even a microsecond of unease when they board an aircraft and see a swarthy middle eastern man on their plane. If there is they are not being honest with themselves. It is human nature to feel that way after what happened that September day in 2001. Should we judge people on the way they look or their country of origin?

Before 9:00 am on September 11, 2001 would you have noticed or thought twice if this man was seated up the aisle from you? If you don't recognize him this is Mohammad Atta, the hijacker of American Airlines Flight 11. He piloted the first plane, a Boeing 767 into the north tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 am killing all 92 people aboard as well as other innocents in the building and eventually first responders. Perpetrators of many terrorist acts are from the middle east and have carried out bombings and to name a few; the USS Cole killing 17 sailors on October 12, 2000 and the London subway and bus attacks in which 4 suicide bombers detonated bombs on 3 trains and one double decker bus on July, 7, 2005 killing 56 people.

You may think that these cowards that kill in the name of their God would be just Muslims but stop and think about it; there are so called Christians that terrorize and kill abortion providers and think that's okay. (I'm not going into the right or wrong of abortion) Seems to me that the answer is not an eye for an eye. I'm not religious but I'm pretty sure that any God that is worshiped would not condone these acts. There are other faces of terrorism and they're right in our own backyard.

Did Timothy McVeigh look like a terrorist as we know it who would carry out a bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 15, 1995 that killed 168 people including 19 under the age of 6?
Check out Ted Kaczynski, another home grown terrorist who to me looks like a normal guy who over the years became down on his luck. Certainly not smart enough to carry out a mail bombing campaign from 1978 to 1995 or author a rambling 50 page, 35,000 word manifesto full of rhetoric.He became known as the notorious Unabomber having mailed 16 bombs to various universities and airlines killing 3 people and injuring 23.

The world's terrorist du jour hails from Norway, Anders Behring Breivik age 32. He felt that to be heard he needed to bomb a building then open fire on innocent young people killing 93 people in all so far. He too penned a manifesto with a whopping 1,500 pages. One thing stated in his delusions was to sit for a photo session after "a few hours in a solarium to look fresher." I guess he didn't want to look like a crazed lunatic.

Since terrorists crave attention I guess Breivik wanted to make sure he was ready for his close up when he would explain to the world why he wanted to " save Europe from the threats of Islam, immigration and multi culturalism." Well he didn't get his way since a judge did not allow him use this as the platform to "mark the initiantion of the propaganda phase." Some Norwegians are upset that the proceedings are closed while others are pleased so Breivik cannot spew more ravings. It turns out that he was somewhat lazy in his writing because it has come out that he has plagiarized Ted Kaczynski's words. Since they weren't pissed off about the same thing Breivik had to change a few words in his diatribe to fit his agenda.

Terrorism is an equal opportunity endeavor. The face of terrorism is not just dark skin hair and eyes, it can be pale with blond hair and blue eyes. Just because someone shares the same ethnicity or religion doesn't mean they're a terrorist or will grow up to be one.

One thing that I'm very proud of with my sons for is that they have many diverse friends from Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Philippines, many were born in those countries and immigrated to America. I've tried to teach my children tolerance and color blindness, to not judge a book by its cover, to accept others as they are male, female, black, brown, yellow, red, white, religion, gay or straight and I'm pretty sure I've succeeded.

Wildlife

2011-07-22T10:24:00.026-04:00

Due to the woods next to our house we've had lots of critters in our back yard; squirrels, deer, wild turkey, rabbits, opossums, skunks, woodchucks...

and chipmunks but my favorite are the birds that come to our feeders.
These are yellow goldfinch eating from sock feeders full of Niger seed. In the kitchen we have a floor to ceiling window and we hang the feeders there. That's also where Cody's food and water dish are. Every morning when he eats breakfast he has to woof at them and scare them away. He then will leave them alone for the most of the day.

With this heat wave we've had to water the grass and garden more and the other day a family of tufted titmouse were enjoying a cooling shower up in the dogwood tree.
There were at least six of them and would sit and chirp while taking a shower.
They'd lift their wings so the water could get underneath.
Waiting his turn.

After they had their shower they'd puff up their feathers.

We have at least 3 pairs of cardinals that frequent our black oil sunflower seed feeder. Above is one of the females. It seems strange that in the animal world the female isn't the pretty one of the species, the males are the more colorful one.

Cardinals are a beautiful bird and somewhat fierce. I see why some sports teams are named after them. They can look intimidating. Most of the time they won't let other birds on the feeder with them.
Most often they visit in pairs with the female eating first while the male watches from the tree. When she's done she flies off and he comes and eats. We don't often see both on the feeder at the same time.

Even eating at the same time.

This is a male mate feeding his partner. He will get the seed, touch her beak and she will take the food. This begins at the start of courtship through the incubation of her eggs in the nest. When the eggs hatch the male will feed them insects while the female readies another nest for the next brood. They only use a nest one time. They are faithful to each other until the end of the breeding season which is April - September. Females pick their mate based on the size of his black face mask, the color of his feathers and bill as well as their song.

This is our bald cardinal, we call him Baldy. I researched this and it turns out he suffers from feather mites. Many birds do but can pluck them off with their bill. This one was unlucky enough to get them on his head where he can't reach them. He's so ugly that he's cute. The life span for a cardinal averages one year but he was at our feeder last summer too.

You'd think this male would be a bachelor, he's not very good looking but he must be a fabulous singer. This just goes to show that there's someone for everyone. Even though he's not handsome in the traditional way he's found himself a mate. I guess love is truly blind, even in the animal world.

OMG

2011-07-15T20:16:00.002-04:00

This Casey Anthony debacle is just getting better and better (read with sarcasm). She was found not guilty of murdering her child, not guilty of manslaughter, not guilty of child abuse and the jury was a bunch of sheep that didn't want to do their homework while deliberating this case. To not ask to examine a single piece of evidence; to ask no questions regarding the charges against Casey shows just plain laziness. They rushed the deliberations just to get out of there. I hope that not one of them makes a cent over this case and that they have trouble sleeping over their verdict.

The defense based their whole case on the fact that Casey lied from the beginning. They admitted Casey is a liar. Telling the police and everyone else that Caylee was kidnapped by her nanny when in fact she drowned in the family pool was a lie. I don't believe that story for a millisecond. Taking the investigators to Universal telling them she's been working there for 2 years was a lie. What kind of mother who can't find her child for even an hour let alone 31 days doesn't call the police and every family member and friend. In my mind if her lips are moving, she's lying. It's well documented that she is a pathological liar.

I turn on the TV tonight and see that Casey Anthony and her lawyers have filed an appeal against the convictions of which she was found guilty; four counts of lying to police. WHAT?! I didn't think I heard that right. There's no reasonable doubt with these charges. I don't understand how this can happen. Isn't it enough that she got away with murder? What would make her want to drag this out, forcing taxpayers have to pay for the appeal and incite public anger to an even higher level. I don't understand how the justice system can let this happen.

Mark my words, we will hear about her being in trouble again; maybe not this year but with in five. The worst thing that could happen would be if she had another child. I would like to think that Casey will spend the rest of her life thinking about Caylee but I'm pretty sure that won't be the case. I hope that Caylee haunts her for the rest of her life.

$$$$$

2011-07-13T08:59:00.010-04:00

The cost of higher education is at an all time high and money is tight but there are ways to go to college and not graduate with a shitload of debt. I read this article this morning and wondered out loud "what were they thinking? Did no one help them figure this out?"
Below are two cases copied directly from the article.

Erik Solecki

Student debt: $185,000
Degree: Bachelor's in industrial engineering from Kettering University

Was my college degree worth it? Hell no.

I graduated from one of the top engineering schools in the nation, thinking my starting salary would be between $70,000 and $80,000 a year.

Such a specialized, technical degree is supposed to lead to a great career, so I was willing to take out the debt.

Instead, I was hit with nine months of unemployment after graduating. And now that I finally have a job, I'm making about $15,000 a year less than I had hoped.

Even if I were able to afford the $1,800 payments each month, it will probably take me 30 years to pay off my student loans.

I engineer high-end autos. Ironically, I'll probably never be able to afford one.

Me- beware the word specialized, I read that as not a lot of jobs in that field. I checked it out on line and it costs about 35,000 per year to attend this school located in Flint, Michigan.

Michelle Shipley

Student debt: $140,000
Degree: Bachelor's in political science and international development from Tulane University

Like many, I had no idea what money meant when I was 17. My family is not wealthy. I simply didn't have the information or knowledge to know what it would be like now.

I had to pay for college on my own and took out loans for everything - rent, food, books, tuition, etc.

Then, during my sophomore year, I lost everything to Hurricane Katrina. I finished my degree, but continued to take loans to make it possible.

I'm now working at a non-profit and I love it -- but I don't make much. I've been able to put off the payments through forbearance, but I know the $1,400 a month bills are coming soon. Not to mention, I've also racked up about $7,000 in credit card debt.

My debt is a life-swallowing, all-consuming, hole in my life. No college degree is worth that.

Me- cost of admission to this university is a staggering $56,484 per year. In Michele's case I partly blame the school and her parents. She admits she didn't know much about money and her parents aren't wealthy. Well mom and dad, step up to the plate and tell her that school is out of your reach. Why would you let your child take on that debt? I blame the school because they just kept giving her loans, they want her money. Somewhere along the line she got some help because she only owes 140 grand rather than over 200,000.

Again, I know college is expensive, I've got one who is out and one who will be a senior. I thank my lucky stars that my husband and I worked hard from the day they were born saving money for college. I understand that many parents can't do that. We were able to pay for the first two years for each child and thanks to their grandparents who gave them each a monetary gift. The second two years they're on their own. Kevin is now attending graduate school and his employer will pay for that.

Both boys went to state schools, no big name private universities, my oldest attended Binghamton University at a cost of $17,000 per year and still graduated with over $30,000 in debt. It's not cheap by any means to go to any college, even state schools but it sure beats a private school. There's nothing wrong with a state school but I know some won't even consider one. Kevin graduated from nursing school and right out of college got a job in a cardiac unit at the number 6 heart hospital in the country so don't think a state school degree isn't worth as much as a private.

There's the option of a 2+2 program; two years at a community college then transferring to a four year. Go to a local college and live at home saving on room and board. I know families are struggling these days just to put food on the table let alone save for college but there are ways to go to school without coming out with $100,000 worth of debt. It may not involve your dream school but it can happen.

WTF?

2011-07-12T12:43:00.002-04:00

We all heard about or saw Shannon Stone the baseball fan who fell to his death at Rangers Ballpark last week and it's a heartbreaking story. I hope with time his son Cooper can forget about that horrible sight. It's such a sad story; a father takes his son to see his favorite player Josh Hamilton and ends up having a tragic accident.

I was shocked when I saw these photos today from last nights home run derby.

My first thought was "oh no, not again! then, "How stupid, did this guy learn nothing from last week? The white oval is pointing out where the ground is plus the ball seems to be no where near him. I scrolled down and looked at the rest of the pictures and after studying them something didn't look quite right to me.

This guy must be absolutely nuts.

No one here seems to be too concerned or scared or shocked, as a matter of fact the guy on the right is smiling.

Let's look closely here; his right hand is firmly locked on to the railing, the man in the white shirt in the background on the right looks amused and look, what a coincidence, it just so happens there's a photographer to the right taking taking pictures. Not just some average Joe like me who brings their little digital camera to the game but a big professional camera.

This is the falling guy earlier in the evening when he caught another home run ball. There was no ball near him to catch when he was dangling.

In my humble opinion this whole thing was staged and there should be a consequence to all of them. No more entrance to any MLB games for life. Of course that could never be enforced but what if another calamitous accident happened due to some bonehead stunt.

I guess it's true...

2011-07-11T15:24:00.002-04:00

...everything is bigger in Texas.

On July 8, 2011 Janet Johnson gave birth to her fourth child, JaMichael Brown. So far nothing out of the ordinary (Well I could point out something I noticed but I'll keep quiet. Maybe you notice too.)

JaMichael weighed in at a whopping 16 pounds 1 ounce!!! I couldn't imagine, my oldest weighed 8 lbs 7 oz but this babe is almost twice that. It didn't mention in the article if she gave birth naturally or had a C-section. I'm sure he had to be born via C-section. If not the poor woman will NEVER be the same. Mark my words, some football team somewhere will be offering him a spot.

He's in

2011-07-08T00:40:00.003-04:00

I'm so proud to tell you that my son Kevin has been accepted into grad school!! He will be attending Hunter College in New York City and studying to become a nurse practitioner specializing in cardiology.

Here he is in one of my favorite pictures from Binghamton University graduation weekend in 2008. This is after the ceremony for the graduates from The Decker School of Nursing.

I'm very proud of Kevin. He works hard and is focused, knows what he wants and goes after it. He's a lucky one in his generation I think. A person who has a stable job, his own apartment in one of the biggest cities in the world and is self sufficient. He's dependable, loyal and I love him dearly.

Way to go Kevin!
XOXO

Blogger edit: I wrote this post weeks ago when this was new news and thought I published it. Turns out it was in my drafts. Sorry Kevin.

PS. But it's all still true :-)

Master Baiter

2011-07-06T12:42:00.005-04:00

On every trip to the 1000 Islands for as long as I can remember one of the highlights was a trip to the 1000 Island Bait Store not for bait but to look around. In the olden days when I was a kid we spent a few nights before going on vacation "picking" worms. My dad would water the lawn for a few hours after dinner and when the sun went down we'd go out with flashlights and hunt for worms. Because the ground was wet they'd come to the surface and lay in the grass. The idea was to spot them, grab them quick and put them in your bucket. Sometimes you were successful; you just plucked the worm but you can't believe how fast they can move. Sometimes you had a hold of one at one end and the other end is desperately trying to get back into the ground. Many times I didn't fight with them, just let them go but once in a while I held on massaging it and eventually it would relax and you could get it. Let me say that it's a slimy job. One that I don't miss. I prefer to buy my worms at the bait store.

This place has not changed in 50 years. It has all sorts of fishing accoutrements including live bait for bass, pike, muskie as well as worms and craw fish.

Need the latest lure? They got 'em.

Bait buckets? Yep, plastic, tin, wire any kind you want.

Forget your pole or want a new one? Come on in, they have one for everyone. I found a pretty blue one I liked. I thought it was purple but my family assured me it was blue. (I have a very hard time telling orange and red and blue and purple apart)

So if you're in the Alex Bay area stop in for a visit at the T I Bait Store.

One last thing, yes I can bait my own hook and take the fish off unless it's hooked anywhere near the eyeball then it skeeves me out. Oh and we always catch and release. Some say that's mean but I've been doing it for years.

Take me out...

2011-07-05T15:20:00.002-04:00

What could be more American
than family, baseball and fireworks on the Fourth of July? We had free tickets to the Red Wing (farm team of the Minnesota Twins) courtesy of hubby's employer.

At Frontier Field.
Play ball!
Batter up!
Notice the ball coming in from the left.
He didn't swing.
Blowin' in the breeze.
Uncle Sam showed up.
I think she said yes.
Here's a first for me; a Yankee hating yamaka. I know it's blurry but it's the Yankee logo with a red circle and line through it.
Hhhmmm, doesn't seem very proper.

Fireworks after the game.
In the lower right corner you can see the city fireworks.
Giant sparklers.
This one looks like a palm tree.

It was a nice holiday weekend
except Kevin goes back to NYC this evening.

Happy 235th!

2011-07-04T00:00:00.006-04:00

I've always wished that I was born on the 4th of July but alas I celebrate mine on the 26th of July. For most people the 4th is a fun day, spending time with family, watching parades, having picnics and enjoying fireworks which I love. I think it would be fun to share my birthday with the birth of our nation, I don't mind sharing. When asked my favorite holiday I inevitably answer the 4th of July.

The fun stuff isn't the only reason I love the 4th of July though. It's a day to celebrate our country and independence. To remember how this country came about. My favorite war is the Revolutionary War. Favorite war sounds like an oxymoron and I don't think it's the proper way to say it because no war should be a favorite. Let's say I favor what that war stood for; our independence from Britain. To fight to form our own nation without the interference and rules of others. To bring forth rights and freedoms for the people of this nation. Did the framers of the Constitution get it all right? No, it took years before Blacks and women were treated equally. Is our country perfect? Far from it but we're much better off than most. People around the globe like to trash the USA but look at all the people that want to come here; to have their own American dream. Our immigration problem is just one of many that we face. Everyday there are injustices perpetrated on our citizens but despite that I wouldn't want to live any place else. Someone I know (love you) likes to inform me of these things and others that are wrong with this country. I ask him where he'd rather live. When I was young I thought I'd like to live in Canada. My great grandmother and grandmother were from Canada and I'm proud of my Canadian blood. We go there often and it's a beautiful place. I realized early on why I liked it so much; they plant flowers everywhere and you know how I feel about them. :-)

Can you guess I'm a very patriotic person? My grandparents had a free standing flagpole in their yard as did my parents and within months of moving into our house in 1983 we had a flagpole. I have respect for our flag and what it stands for. For me it's all about the freedoms we have and the sacrifices people have made to make this country great. Each year at school I'm in charge to teaching the Guardian and Daughter of the Flag how to raise and lower the flag as well as how to fold it.
When I think of symbols of America my first thoughts go to the flag,

the Statue of Liberty and the bald eagle.

The first flag flown in the infancy of this country was the Grand Union. The 13 stripes signify the 13 colonies. The canton (the blue field) with the combined crosses stood for the union of England and Scotland. This style flag was first flown on December 2, 1775 by John Paul Jones in Philadelphia.
In 1777 a new flag was designed with 13 stripes and 13 stars symbolizing the 13 original colonies. In order of when they were ratified as a state they are:

Delaware 12/7/1787
Pennsylvania 12/12/1787
New Jersey 12/18/1787
Georgia 1/2/1788
Connecticut 1/9/1788
Massachusetts 2/6/1788
Maryland 4/28/1788
South Carolina 5/23/1788
New Hampshire 6/21/1788
Virginia 6/25/1788
New York 7/25/1788
North Carolina 11/21/1789
Rhode Island 5/29/1790

This flag became official when it was flown on June 14, 1777 and the design lasted 18 years. A side note; on June 14, 1889 George Balch a kindergarten teacher in NYC celebrated the flag's birthday with his students. In 1891 the State Board of Education of New York made June 14 the official flag day.

When a new state joins the union a new star is added to the flag the following July 4. There has been no new flag design since 1960 when Hawaii joined the United States in 1959.

I hope everyone has a wonderful
4th of July and celebrates our country's birthday.

Peaceful

2011-06-28T21:35:00.016-04:00

Everyone has certain places in their world that they love to be in. I have four such places. On cold, blowy, wintery days it's nice to think of them because 3 out of 4 are summertime places. I was just in one for the last three days. I live in New York and one of my favorite places is the 1000 Islands in the St. Lawrence River up at the NY/Canadian border. If the traffic is good we can be there in 2.5 hours.

I've been coming here since I was a young child. The first several years we rented a cottage along with my grandparents and neighbors. In 1969 we all huddled around a B&W TV to watch the first moon landing. My parents eventually bought a pop up camper and we vacationed in Maine one summer then Michigan and Canada but returned to the 1000 Islands every year the same two weeks of summer. We'd meet up with the same friends that were there every year picking up where we left off the previous summer. Consequently hubby and his family had a place on the river a few miles up the road and were there every weekend. We probably passed each other in town.

Hubby and I bought a pop up camper when our youngest was 2 and continued the tradition. We stayed in Keewaydin State Park in Alexandria Bay. It's a small park without electricity on the sites. We had campfires and played games by lantern light. When it was time for bed we each had a book light so we could read in bed. That went on for many years then 4 years ago we sold the camper. Now we rent a room in a motel called The Channelsyde just up the road from the park. Everyday we hang out at Keewaydin fishing and enjoying the great outdoors. We just go home to a hotel room in the evening. The best of both worlds.

What I love best about the Keewaydin and The Channelsyde is that they're on the shipping channel of the river. This means the big lake freighters glide right by us. Each ship that goes by is as exciting for me as the last. Some days you may only see 1 or 2 ships, others 5 to 10. No matter what I'm doing I have to stop and watch. Night time on the river is very quiet and with the heavy air you can hear them coming, a slow steady throbbing hum and sometimes you feel the vibration. I'm never wrong when I say ship coming, it may be 5 - 10 minutes later but it shows up. If I'm awake I'll get out of bed to watch it go by; some are really lit up with lights.

From the dock at The Channelsyde.
The view from our room at The Channelsyde.
View from Keewaydin State Park. She's being pushed by a Canadian tug boat.
The park
The park view.
The Channelsyde at dusk.

These ships may not be beautiful in everyone's eyes but to mine they are. It never gets old.

2011-06-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

Goin' on a steak out

2011-06-26T11:23:00.005-04:00

A question to my local readers; have you ever experienced Uncle Ralph's? If you're a carnivore who enjoys a good steak you must visit him for dinner. He travels to several different restaurants around the area during the week cooking his steaks on a huge charcoal fire grill.

Our friend Liz organized a trip out to Tackles on Braddock's Bay in Hilton for our first taste. When we arrived the sky was blue with puffy white clouds. While we were waiting for our third couple to join us we noticed that the sky was getting dark. Before we knew it the heavens opened up and the rain came down. Well not really down, more like sideways. It was a deluge that put out Ralph's fire. We waited it out and eventually the rain stopped and he got his fire going again just the way he likes it and we could order.

I wish I had taken a picture of my steak on my plate. It was huge. I don't know what I was thinking when I ordered the Delmonico. I ate half of it. It comes with Cheddar and butter mashed potatoes, and a salad bar featuring a nice green salad (not all ice burg), green beans, fresh fruit salad and rolls. We may have been there for three hours but it was worth it. A normal visit won't take that long but the torcano (tornado/hurricane) put Ralph way behind. We weren't sure we were even going to get a steak.

After dinner and the storm.

The food was excellent but what made the night was our dining companions. Here's Liz, Patty and me. The ladies had a good gab fest and the menfolk did too. I look forward to the next time!

I've Had A Few...

2011-06-25T13:36:00.005-04:00

I never believe people when they say they have no regrets in life; that they wouldn't change a thing. EVERYONE regrets something. Maybe they don't have any big regrets because there are different kinds of regret.

There's the regret you know you will have after doing something but do it anyway. Mine is my first husband. I knew before I married him that I would regret it but I still did it. On a lesser scale maybe you eat or drink something knowing that you'll regret it later.

There's the type of regret you have immediately after you done something. Mine is when I say something to someone and then see by the look on their face I've hurt their feelings. Most of the time it's unintentional I might add. I don't purposely do it but I'd be lying if I said I never get in a zinger once in a while.

You can regret something you did or didn't do in an earlier situation. Case in point, once during breakfast time I was in the drive through line at McDonald's and I noticed that a city police cruiser was behind me. I got my sausage biscuit and left. Later I thought why didn't I buy that officer's breakfast? It would have only cost me 5 bucks tops. They work hard for their money and don't make enough of it as far as I'm concerned. It would be my way of saying thanks. When I mentioned it I got comments like "they get enough free stuff" and "all cops are dirty". I don't believe that but that's a whole 'nother post. Then maybe there's water main replacement construction going on in your neighborhood and on Monday the boss on the job makes you wait because he's got his extra large pickup truck blocking the road. He's out talking to the guy running the backhoe. You can't get around it without driving way up on some one's front lawn. He keeps telling you to wait 2 minutes, then 2 more minutes and you're now late for school. You tell him not so nicely to move his truck out of the street and give him your nastiest look. You then see him everyday the rest of the week and give each other the stink eye every time. Oh wait, I don't regret this at all.

The hardest regret is the one that happens much later after the fact. Maybe you did something that at the time you thought was the right thing to do or possibly that was the only decision you could have made but years later you realize your mistake. It could be "the one" you let get away or the one you kept around when you should have let go. In my case it was a friendship that I let wither. She supported me and cared for me when I was going through some very tough times. Unfortunately she ended up going through some also and I wasn't there for her. I was still wrapped up in my own issues and had nothing left to give her. We drifted apart and she eventually moved away. Every day I regret that.

I will never be one of those people who proclaim they lived with no regrets. You must have regrets to learn and grow from mistakes. To say you have none is selfish. Somewhere, sometime you've hurt someone or did something you should regret. I think people that have no regrets take no responsibility for their actions; there's always someone else to blame it on.

No more teacher's dirty looks...

2011-06-23T23:08:00.006-04:00

Wednesday was our last day of school with students. Staff has to finish out the week. The last day was bittersweet in the fact that our little ones were leaving us although I was ready to pass them on. Now for the sweet part, we have 10 weeks off from school. In September we'll have a whole new batch to start with from scratch. Our school has a tradition on the last day that the buses make several trips around the bus loop honking their horns while all the staff stands out on the sidewalk waving. Of course the kids are screaming out the windows and they look like prisoners trying to escape since the windows only go down enough to get their hands out to wave. The buses finally leave and we all applaud. They're gone.

I've been very lucky this year in the fact that all four of my classes were pretty good. There were the requisite few quirky kids, the stubborn kids, the kids that don't stop talking, the kids that can't sit still, the kids that hum to themselves, the kids that want to be the teacher's pet, the snot nosed kid (seriously from September-June this kid had a snotty nose) and the just love school kids but just a few were hard to like. Yes, I said it, we don't always like them.

This year I didn't have any students that had any potty accidents or threw up on me or bled so I consider it a banner year. When the buses left I felt relief but not sadness. The next day we did file share; that's when me meet with each first grade teacher, give them paperwork for each child and tell a little about them. I know I shouldn't have favorite students but I do. This year there were three. Ben who is pretty low and goes to speech, he's a little hard to understand but tries hard and is so darn cute. Then there are twin boys, Colin and Brandon. They are the cutest kids with great personalities, just sweethearts plus their parents are nice too, always a plus. What I like about these three is that they don't try to be your favorite, they don't suck up to you and believe me some kids at age 5 know how to do that. They have a natural charm that they don't realize they have and that's what makes them so endearing. So in the meeting with one of the first grade teachers (all three are new to this grade level in Sept.) we got to Brandon and Colin and before I knew it I was all teary. I just want the best for them, I want the teacher to know how special they are and I hope they take good care of them. Yes, I feel this way for all students but some more than others. I can't help it.

I guess I wasn't quite ready to let them go as I thought.

Did she or didn't she??

2011-06-21T16:42:00.004-04:00

In October of 1994 I left my job when offered a buy out and it was the best thing I've ever done. Shortly after leaving the OJ Simpson trial started and I was hooked on Court TV. I watched it exclusively during this trial. I proceeded to watch it for many years after it was over. (My opinion; he should have been found guilty, the jury was star struck) I became very knowledgeable on the law and think I could have passed the bar. Well not really, I would never want to be a lawyer. It seems way too hard and time consuming.

I've been on two trial juries (once the foreperson) and it is hard holding some one's fate in your hands but if you did the crime, you gotta do the time. I do believe that everyone is entitled to a fair trial and I guess someone has to defend the dregs of society. I myself could not be a defense attorney. I couldn't live with myself. It would impossible for me to work to get someone off knowing that they did the crime. Did OJ's dream team really believe he didn't brutally murder his wife Nicole and Ron Goodman? Another example; someone driving drunk hits and kills another person. The breathalyzer and blood test are positive for alcohol over the legal limit but they plead not guilty. They've killed someone and a lawyer has to try and get them out of it. How could they?? How can they sleep at night? I do know working for the defense is where the money is.

This all leads me to the latest trial I am mesmerised with, Casey Anthony. I won't put her picture on this blog but I will show you her daughter Caylee whom she is charged with murdering.

The State of Florida says that Casey killed her daughter in June 2008 by putting three pieces of duct tape over her nose and mouth after dosing her with chloroform. Casey's daughter Caylee was missing for 31 days before her grandmother called police when she found that out. Suspicion fell on Casey almost immediately since she didn't report Caylee missing the moment she realized she was gone. She says that her nanny stole her. Come to find out the biggest Casey lie is that there never was a nanny, just a mother who was tired of being responsible for an innocent human being. It turns out while her daughter was missing those 31 days she was out partying and having a grand old time. I don't have room on this blog to tell you about all the lies she's told.

Caylee's skeletonized remains were discovered on Dec. 11, 2008 (my wedding anniversary, that's why I remember that) with some duct tape wrapped around her small skull holding her jaw together. Sometimes when I watch this trial it makes my blood boil. How could this woman kill her child so callously? I realize it happens all the time, mothers kill their children but as someone who loves and cherishes her boys it's incomprehensible. After three years while awaiting trial and denying that she had anything to do with Caylee's death Casey now states that her daughter accidentally drowned in the pool and her father was in on it. Oh and he also sexually abused her when she was young. WTF? There's no doubt that the Anthony family dynamic is somewhat strange but I don't believe for a minute her dad was in on it or the sexual abuse. You can see that little Caylee meant the world to her grandparents.

I've just scratched the surface of this travesty but Casey is guilty. I do not understand how her lawyer can believe otherwise. She needs to spend the rest of her life in a cell, never seeing the sun or sky again. That would be hell on Earth for me.
The judge in this trial is Belvin Perry Jr. and I love him. He's very thoughtful of the jury, thinking about their time and the sacrifice they're making as well as keeping control of the lawyers.

Wow

2011-06-16T22:17:00.007-04:00

What is this you may wonder? A terrorist attack? The result of some sort of natural disaster?

No, it's downtown Vancouver after the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup. I'm very surprised with our neighbors to the north. The Canadian border is about 90 minutes from my house and I visit at least once a year. Canada is a polite country but boy do they take their hockey seriously. I've been a hockey fan all of my life always cheering for the original 6 teams whenever possible; Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadians. Our youngest son is named after Boston player Cam Neely and we cheered for Boston to win the cup.

They out played Vancouver, their defense was better and their goal scorers produced. Vancouver's goalie Roberto Luongo who couldn't keep his mouth shut ended up eating his words. Karma sucks Roberto. Tim Thomas was awesome especially for an old guy, he's 37 years old.

Here's what I didn't like; the Canadian fans booed during our national anthem, they booed when Tim Thomas won the Con Smythe trophy as the MVP and they booed at the presentation of the Stanley Cup. And it wasn't just a few boo birds either. I find that all very classless. I get the whole team loyalty thing, you want your team to win. I've been in those shoes. I had season tickets to our hometown AHL hockey the Rochester Americans. I've been there when we've won the Calder Cup and been there when we've lost it. I honestly do not remember the crowd reacting like the Vancouver fans. You cheer your team for the season they gave you and the effort put forth. You then cheer and acknowledge the other team when they're presented with the trophy.

Poor sports. But the worse was yet to come. For people proceeded to go out and riot, start fires, assault police officers, loot stores and cause millions of dollars in damage to property and stolen goods. It's estimated that just one business suffered about $350,000 to $500,000 in damage, and $350,000 to $500,000 worth of lost merchandise. These thugs have given their city a black eye.

I'm guessing that the term Ugly American can now apply north of the border too.
To read and see more photos go here.

Everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten...

2011-06-15T20:27:00.005-04:00

and first grade, second grade and fifth grade. These are the grades I've worked in during my tenure at my elementary school. There are two things at the top of the list I've learned. The first is "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree". I can't tell you how many times I've had a student who is flighty or rude or has a lack common sense or very low academically or takes no responsibility for their actions or acts entitled and then I meet the parent and it's all clear to me where they get it from. Of course this goes both ways. Luckily I've had more students who are polite, respectful, motivated, kind, smart and their parents are too. This isn't the case all the time though. Right now I have a student who is the biggest pain in the ass. He only thinks of himself, he's mean, he doesn't listen, does what he wants without regard for consequences; let's face it he's just a hard kid to like and I do feel bad about that. But his parents are so nice if not in somewhat in denial. They try hard.

The second is that often times the parents are worse than the kids. I must have been a dream parent. I never called the teacher or principal to complain about anything. If my son came home feeling bad because he was spoken to I would ask him about it and nine times out of ten it was warranted. Today I received a three paragraph nastygram from a parent. Trust me when I say I don't get paid enough to deal with this shit.

I'm feelin' it....

2011-06-09T20:32:00.005-04:00

Overwhelmed that is. We're down to the wire with the end of school for students, just nine days left. I have much to do and when I get overwhelmed I don't feel like doing any of it. I have to do 36 Wordles,I haven't started yet. I have to enter reading data into the computer for 71 students which is half done along with various other things. I'm the Safety Patrol coordinator for the school so I go into fourth grade classes and give presentations to recruit the future fifth graders for the next school year. To be on the Safety Patrol students fill out a job application and have to write a short 3-4 paragraph essay telling me why they want to be a Safety and about any jobs or responsibilities they have. Shhhh. Don't tell any of them, they all get to be a Safety but they think they're chosen. The writing of the essay is only to weed out the ones that want to do it but won't go the extra mile. Now that I have the essays I have to read all 42 of them, decide who will get the plum jobs like captains and dismissal helpers. Then I write each student a letter telling them they've been accepted as a Safety and I mention something that was written in their essay. I suppose I don't have to do that but it makes them feel good. This has to be done by June 14 when they find out during a school wide assembly. I don't have time to d this in school so I have to do it at home. I haven't started yet.

Did I mention I just hosted a baby shower with my sister in law? My house is a mess, my garden needs my attention and oh it's been over 90 degrees the past three days. My school is not air conditioned and is like a brick oven. The thermometer on the wall by my desk said 92 yesterday. We're all dripping and cranky and that's just the teachers. I'm exhausted.

I've got a lot to do but am I doing it? Nope, I'm on the computer blogging.

A Little One is Coming Soon

2011-06-05T20:31:00.001-04:00

It was a beautiful day today; sunny and not too hot or too cool. Perfect for a baby shower. One of my nieces is due to have a baby boy around August 4. He's been a long time in coming, I'd guess about 5 years so it was an extra special celebration. I enjoy baby showers much more so than bridal showers. The gifts are a lot more interesting at baby showers. Who can ooohahhh over a toaster? Baby gifts are very cute.

For the longest time after I had my second baby I wanted to have another. Due to the fact that he and I almost didn't make it through the pregnancy, labor and delivery that decision was taken out of my hands. Eventually over the years I got over it and stopped being envious of expectant mothers. Twenty one years after having Cameron I sat at this shower and while I am very happy for the parents- to- be I couldn't stop thinking that I am so over that. Kate got many wonderful things, clothes, toys, books, portable crib, bouncy chairs and all sorts of baby paraphernalia, some things I'd never even heard of and I sat there thinking all of these thoughts. Now she has to find some place to put all of this stuff. She's going to be doing a lot of laundry. She's going to get very little sleep. More pacifiers, always know where a binky is, stash them around the house. Oh, a bottle brush, I hated washing baby bottles. She's going to have to fold all of those little clothes. She's going to use every one of those bibs. Oh the plastic ones are good but sometimes they smell if you don't get them clean. Burp clothes, just wait for the spit up and heaven forbid your baby has projectile vomiting. Wow, babies come with a lot of stuff and travelling with them is an experience. I remember the first time we took my oldest over to my parent's house dad asked me "how long is he staying?" and

I must be getting old. Yes I enjoyed almost every minute of being a mother of young children. I had the energy for them. I wonder now how I managed to get two kids, one an infant, the other a 3 1/2 year up and ready in the morning, drop them at two different day cares because Kevin's day care didn't take babies, then get to work by 7:30 AM. I'm relieved those days are behind me. I don't have the energy any more. I was exhausted just watching her open these things and thinking about all the work that comes with them. But I can't wait to become a grandmother.

Three of my nieces and me.

Even baby wrapping and bags are cuter than the bridal shower trappings.

I came home and relaxed out in my garden thinking how lucky Kate and Steve are to be starting out on this journey of a lifetime.

Lest We Forget

2011-05-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Strongest Love

2011-05-29T11:53:00.002-04:00

This has been a dangerous spring if you live in tornado country. I don't know how people do it. I've never even seen one in person but am scared to death of them. The death and destruction is horrible.

Meet five year old Garrett LeClere of Phi Campbell, Alabama. His house was destroyed by a twister but worse than that he and his sister lost both of their parents, Jay and Amy LeClere in this disaster.
Garrett's parents but him and his 13 year old sister in the bathtub but there was only room for them. When the tornado struck it lifted the bathtub out of the house and deposited it 200 feet away. Their parents were later found dead under what was left of their house.

My first thought upon reading this article was how can I get this little boy and take care of him. Then I read that volunteer firefighter Jeff McCormick who is the father of two of Garrett's half siblings went to court and became the brother and sister's legal guardian. I know he and his wife will take good care of them.

The hardest part of this story for me was a quote from little Garrett. He said,

"I feel sorry for my parents. They wasted their lives saving me."

My heart breaks for him, thinking that their lives were worth more than his. He doesn't understand that a loving parent will willingly give up their own life for the life of their child. Jay and Amy LeClere gave life to their son twice; once when he was born and again when they sacrificed their own lives for his. Someday Garrett will realize this. It will happen on the day he becomes a parent himself and experiences parental love for his own child.

Buddy, can you spare a dime?

2011-05-19T11:52:00.009-04:00

See this man? He looks pretty happy right? His name is Leroy Fick age 59.

Eleven months ago he won 2 million dollars in the Michigan State Lottery. I'd be smiling too if I was a winner. Here's a guy in such dire straights that due to his low yearly income he qualified for a Bridge Card that's used like food stamps .
I get it. Many people have to rely on these types of programs including welfare to get by. They may not like that they don't have much money but they work hard to try and make their lives better. I'm beginning to think that these people are outnumbered by the slackers who abuse the system. My biggest gripe is people that play the games. Rather than going out and looking for honest work, they've learned through generations how to live off the state and federal tax payer's dime. I'm sure there are many people that need help these days or perhaps they're disabled and can't work. I don't want to see children hungry or honest people not receive help but there's always people with entitlement issues. I think the whole welfare operation needs to be overhauled. It needs to be a supplement to wages and make getting a job a requirement, even a minimum paying job. I'm very thankful that I've never had to use any sort of program to get me through life. I've been able work hard for what I have. What I resent are the people that lie, cheat and defraud the system who use my hard earned money to support themselves.

But let's get back to Leroy Fick the 2 million dollar lottery winner. It turns out that lottery winnings are considered liquid assets and are not included as part of your income. (Hmmmm, why do winners have to pay taxes on their winnings if it's not considered income?) Fick's yearly income still qualifies him for the Bridge Card and he uses it with pride. Yes you read that right. He won 2 million dollars before taxes and due to a loophole in the system gets his groceries courtesy of the government . Here's a quote from Fick, "If you're trying to make me feel bad, you're not going to do it."

Yes, I'll give him some credit, he did what was required and notified the state that he won the lottery and here's that loophole at work, he was told he could still use the food stamp program because his income is so low. And he took advantage of that. Yes, he takes the handout at the expense of the taxpayer but in all good conscience should he? I don't think so. I think Leroy Fick has a pretty good character flaw.

Grrrrrrrrr

2011-05-17T16:53:00.011-04:00

I've been pretty busy lately with things going on at school as well as planning a baby shower for my niece. What's bugging me is that people don't return phone calls or respond to emails. If I didn't need information I wouldn't be contacting you. I've got three irons in the fire and going no where fast. On top of that I've been very grouchy lately and after a while it's hard to be nice. How can I be bitchy with kindergartners? I can't but they are trying what little patience I have left. When I get like this I always think of Cher.

Here she is in Moonstruck, a movie I love, just before she slaps Nicholas Cage and tells him to "SNAP OUT OF IT!" That's my mantra.

Speaking of Moonstuck I thought Cher was the most beautiful ever in this scene at the Metropolitan Opera House in NYC. She had on a red wine gown and was so pretty.

Right now I wish I was here. Where is here? Nauset Beach on Cape Cod. We won't be going this summer :-(

What else have I been busy with? Let's see, we took 71 kindergartners to the zoo over two days last week. The weather was lovely, sunny and in the 70's. Since then the heavens have opened up and it's rained for 5 days straight.

Enjoy some pictures from the zoo...

You can see how nice it was in this picture of the totem pole.

Here's the lower half. I don't know exactly what it's supposed to be but it sure looks odd. I guess I should have read the plaque.
Myself and the teacher I work with sitting at the toadstool table. We had to kick some kids off to get this picture. Just kidding but I would have if there were some there. I wanted to sit at it.

So, come here often?
or
How ya been?
I love this shot of one of the polar bear, he seems so casual.

The sea lions are my favorite but I'd much rather be watching them swim in their natural habitat at the Chatham Fish Pier on Cape Cod. There I go again, I need a CC fix so I'll switch gears and show you my backyard this spring...

These are lupines. That gem in the middle is actually water that has collected there. I think it looks so pretty.
My dogwood tree. Every year I get fewer and fewer blossoms and more dead branches. I fear it's not long for this world, we planted it over 25 years ago. Over the winter there were squirrels in it eating some of the buds. Those little rodents.

The ferns are unfurling.

But best of all my youngest is home from college for the summer and reunited with his dog. He will resume his managerial duties at Ben & Jerry's again this summer. I guess life is good after all.

Just One More...

2011-05-04T17:06:00.016-04:00

I'm going to devote only one more post to Osama bin Laden then I'm done with that coward.

There's a statement going around on Facebook that people are cutting and pasting into their status and it's bugging the hell out of me. This is it:

Let's be clear on this: OBAMA did NOT kill Bin Laden. An AMERICAN SOLDIER, who Obama just a few weeks ago was debating on whether or not to PAY, did. Obama just happened to be the one in office when our soldiers finally found OBL and took him out. This is NOT an Obama victory, but an AMERICAN victory!!

Here's what I agree with; yes Obama did not kill ObL, an American soldier did and yes it is an American victory. Here's what bugs me; an American soldier didn't kill him alone. Let's not forget the intelligence people and the support that President Obama has given this cause. I haven't seen or heard Obama announcing to the world "mission accomplished". He hasn't claimed this victory as his own. As a matter of fact he's acknowledged the work and effort that his predecessor Bush did during his time in office. Obama invited Bush to Ground Zero when he visits there on Thursday and Bush politely declined. Would Obama really have stopped paying servicemen? I highly doubt that he would have let it get that far; the American people would've revolted.

It took several years for U.S. intelligence groups to get the names of ObL couriers and in August 2010 this courier let us to his lair. His compound was found. The military did a great job preparing for this raid, training and planning not rushing in. I extend my gratitude to the Navy SEALs for finally getting America's most wanted. I will thank President Obama for keeping the SEAL program alive and using them for this mission.

What bothers me is that people can't just be happy that this animal is dead, no they have to give it their ugly right wing smack down. (author of above statement and Rush Limbaugh) Even the nutjob Glenn Beck gave the Prez kudos. I've never understood how some people can be so right or left wing as well as so republican or democrat. Like sheep following the bordie collie. Let's meet in the middle.

Some other thoughts of mine just in case you want to know :)
I'm not sure how I felt about the jubilation and cheering that went on when ObL's death was announced. Yes, I admit I am happy he's rotting in hell but my first thought was about other people around the world who hate America who do this same thing along with burning our flag when something happens to Americans. Next I thought of the families of his victims around the world.

The government says it will not release any pictures of ObL in death. Too gruesome and will be used as propaganda they say. I accept this as valid points but I think back to September 11, 2001 when we saw innocent people jumping/falling to their deaths from the Twin Towers. HE was the cause of that. Plus this edict will bring all the conspiracy people out of the woodwork.

The George W. Bush regime couldn't fine ObL in 2,686 days and Barack Obama's found him in 831. Maybe W. was just unlucky?

On a final note, is it too soon to be making jokes about ObL 's death? Absolutely not in my opinion. I'll leave you a link here for some of the funniest from late night television.

Ding Dong

2011-05-02T16:29:00.006-04:00

"I've never wished a man dead but
I have read some obituaries with great pleasure."
Mark Twain

So bin Laden is dead. It's about time. That man has caused so much heartache for people worldwide. I wonder how he was received by Allah and if he met his 72 virgins. I guess there are some people in this world that can keep secrets. I was amazed that the news of his killing didn't leak until 30 minutes before Obama's statement to the country Sunday night. Speaking of that I wish that he could have told us without the press spilling the beans and stealing his thunder. And where did they get all the inside info? I'm also curious to see how Pakistan is going to explain this. They have insisted that ObL was not in their country.

Some in the Muslim community are upset that bin Laden was not buried according to Islamic culture. He should have been put in the ground with his head pointing to Mecca, not buried at sea. bin Laden gave up that right when he killed thousands of innocent people over the years. Plus I didn't hear anyone stepping up to claim his remains. I can say with 100% surety that if Muslim extremists had the opportunity to give someone a Christian burial they wouldn't do it. They'd drag them through the streets, string them up or some God awful thing.

Osama bin Laden will become a martyr to extremists no doubt. I worry about retaliation now. (Kevin please be extra careful in NYC.) Kudos to the Navy Seals who risked their lives to get this devil and to all the men and women serving.

Osama bin Laden is dead. Al-Qaida is not. This is not the end of the road. I sincerely hope that he didn't have anything in the works in case he was captured or killed. I'm sure he has many minions ready to take his place.

Here Comes the Bride Part II

2011-04-29T16:27:00.003-04:00

I love this picture...

Maybe it's because I have two boys myself.

I thought Kate was beautiful.
I loved her dress and especially the trees in church. Nice touch.

Cheers!

Here Comes the Bride

2011-04-26T19:50:00.011-04:00

What will you be doing this Friday at 6AM EST? Normally I'd be snuggled under the covers catching the last precious hour of my beauty rest but this Friday I'll be doing the same thing I was doing on Wednesday, July 29, 1981; watching the royal wedding.

I'm not a royal watcher, I really don't care what they're doing but I will admit that I was caught up in the whole royal wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. I wondered what the fresh faced 20 year old Diana saw in 32 year old Charles. Did she really love him? The ceremony and events after were impressive for sure. Arriving in a glass carriage, a beautiful church and a wedding dress with a 25 foot train.

I didn't care for the wedding dress Diana chose. I thought it was over the top froufrou. Too much lace, pearls , appliques , ruffles and skirt. The color was odd, it didn't seem white or ivory but rather a dingy silvery gray. While I wouldn't expect Diana to show off the goods with a cleavage baring, form fitting gown I thought her dress looked too young and demure for a wedding dress, like a young immature girl would go for and maybe she was. I'm sure Diana didn't live the life she thought she would being married to a prince. Charles treated her terribly and I don't think he ever loved her. I think he married her because she was good breeding stock. He needed an heir and Camilla was married. I also think Charles married her because Diana was young and naive making her easy to control that way he could continue with his paramour. (Dictionary.com defines that as an illicit lover especially of a married person) The royal family went on to treat Diana like the black sheep of the family. I personally thought they were jealous of her good looks, charm, popularity and social conscience.
I hope that William and Kate live a long happy life together, that she's accepted into the family lovingly and William has learned a few things from seeing how his mother was treated by his father and the in-laws.

2011-04-21T11:49:00.002-04:00

This is Connor, one of my kindergartners. Isn't he a cutie?? Normally I wouldn't post pictures of my students but this was in the local newspaper. His mother has MS and he's raising money to help "fix" her. Read about it here. See, there is hope in this world. I'm so sick of hearing about the bad.

Girlfriends

2011-04-20T13:36:00.004-04:00

Way back when I was 18 years old I got a job at our local gas and electric company. About a year later I met Jean, a girl my age who came to work in my department. She was the office hottie, the one the guys always stopped what they were doing to watch her walk down the hall. She had a great shape, long curly hair and pretty. In my mind I was the plain Jane and didn't care. Well maybe a little. Maybe the guys watched me walk down the hall, I don't know, I never put it out there. Over the next 17 years we worked together sometimes in the same office other times down the hall. We both married our first husbands within months of each other and had our second children a month apart. Eventually the company was trying to downsize and offered retirement packages as well as buyout packages. Careful consideration and number crunching took place and after 18 years with the company we both took the buyout at age 36. It was a big monetary hit for both of us, we were making excellent money at the time but for me some things are worth more than the money. I finally got to be home with my boys at ages 8 and 4. Money was tight and while we could pay the bills but for years there was nothing for extras. Jean and I eventually lost touch with each other, we each were busy in our own lives with kids, husband and home. I eventually went back to work in 2000 making a third of what I made in my old job. If I'd stayed at that job today we might live in a bigger house in a fancier neighborhood, gone on extravagant vacations and drove top of the line cars but I've never looked back or regretted leaving that job. I'm much happier and look forward to going to work each day. The kids keep me young.

I often think of Jean and two years ago I sent her a birthday card. We promised to get together but we never did. Her former husband died last year, I didn't know about it until she called me a few months later. Jean said that she wanted to touch base with all the people that were important in her life and tell them how she felt about them and I was one of them. I was so pleased.

Last night we got together for the first time in probably 15 years. We met for dinner and caught up on each others lives. It wasn't like we'd been apart for all those years. It just fell back into place, a sign of a true friendship.

Jean and I

A funny story about the two of us. I was born with a deviated septum which made me breathe through my mouth most of the time and caused me to snore like a freight train I was led to believe. When I was a freshman in high school I had it repaired. At that time you entered into the hospital the day before, had the surgery the next day and was discharged the following day. Today it's done on an out patient basis but remember, this was 1973. When I woke up after the surgery in my room I saw that I had a roommate. She'd had knee surgery a few days earlier. Later that day we decided to go for a walk on the floor. Actually the plan was I walked and pushed her in a wheelchair. The nurse got her all situated with her leg out straight and off we went. On the way back into our room I cut the corner short and banged her bad knee on the door frame. Oh Lordy did that hurt. No more pushing her after that. That's all I really remember about that time except when they pulled the gauze out of my nose. That was horribly painful.

One day Jean and I were talking and somehow hospital stays came up, low and behold it turns out that Jean was my long lost roommate I had crashed into the door frame. It's truly a small world.

Reading Buddies

2011-04-18T09:22:00.014-04:00

In my school we have a reading buddy program. That's when students from an upper grade meet with a lower grade once a week to read to each other. In kindergarten our reading buddies are third graders. By this time in the school year many of the kindergartners can read simple books to the older kids. We also have another program called Reading with the Dogs. It started several years ago and was for students that saw the reading specialists. It was another way to get them reading or just telling the story through the pictures in the books. It bothered me somewhat that not every student got to participate. I get the whole thing about the lower students needing extra activities but what about the kids that never get anything because they're on grade level or beyond. In kindergarten we have a plethora of support in the classroom; every day we have the reading teacher in and every other day there is a special educator, a speech therapist and occupational therapist. These people only work with a select group of students. I get that, they need it but we have some kids that wonder why they don't get to work with them. I hear it frequently, 'why can't I work with them?' Of course I don't tell them that these students need extra help and attention and you don't. I tell them that maybe sometime you will and change the subject really quickly. Years ago in fifth grade we had a program call Playground Partners. These kids got to go out on the playground with the first graders to encourage them to include everyone. It was specifically for students that needed the extra boost in self esteem or kids that were trouble thinking this would be a way to make them feel special. Well that's all well and good but Mr. Fromm didn't agree with it. His thoughts were that there are so many students who behave and do well with their schoolwork that never get a "reward" for doing so. He bucked the system and choose his students by their good behavior and the hard work that they did in his class. Hats off to Mr. Fromm!

So back to the dogs; this year it was decided that all students could participate in this program so now not just a select few go down but the entire class visits with the dogs. Oh and I should mention that I get to go down too and love it! I brought my camera in on their last visit.

The dogs are trained as therapy dogs and love the attention the kids give them.

The kids get 15 minuets with "their" dog
and most love it. We've had a few that have been afraid or a little leery of the dogs but eventually the dogs charm them.
This is my most favorite dog that comes and I spend all the time with him. His name is Jonah and he's a Newfoundland. Isn't he beautiful? Jonah weighs 140 lbs and is a gentle giant.
With my bad knees I never get on the floor anymore, it's hard enough sitting and getting up and down from the the 2 foot chairs in my classroom but I get right down on the floor with this big boy. You know I have a soft spot for big dogs. The owner has two more of these dogs at home where she brushes them everyday and cooks for them, they do not eat dog food. That's crazy plus her grocery bill must be astronomical.

And here's my most favorite dog. I wish he could come to school but I'll get down on the floor with him all the time at home.

All My Children

2011-04-15T16:46:00.012-04:00

I haven't watched "my" soap opera All My Children in years but oh how I loved that show once. I started watching it in the summer of 1970, it was on at 1:00 in the afternoon. I was a faithful watcher for the next 30 years. Working full time it made viewing impossible but I worked in an office where we could have a radio. I bought a radio that also got TV channels and listened to it every afternoon. Glory be to heaven when the VCR was invented, I could watch it every evening! What I liked about AMC is yes, it was campy and contrived but it did tackle some real life issues; the Viet Nam War, abortion (Erica had one because she wanted to keep her modeling career), plastic surgery and AIDS to name a few.

Of course the star of the show was Susan Lucci as Erica Kane but she wasn't always the larger than life character. She started out as a teenager and was evil but didn't become the star until later. She was the girl you loved to hate.
She had her eye on Phil Brent (originally Richard Hatch) but he only had eyes for Tara Martin (Karen Lynn Gorney who went on to play Stephanie Mangano in Saturday Night Fever opposite John Travolta). Erica did everything she could to split them up. Eventually Phil was sent off to a foreign land to go and shoot the yellow man. He was presumed lost in Viet Nam but as you know in a soap opera unless you see the body going into the ground that character will eventually turn up alive perhaps in a month or a few years and yes, Phil returned.
Tad Martin and Liza Colby, what a couple. Both were somewhat smarmy but the story line really got good when...
Tad started sleeping with another woman while still with Liza and it turned out to be Marian Colby, Liza's own mother!!
Poor Brooke, Phoebe Tyler's niece. She never got the guy. Her rival Erica always stole him away while Brooke got the left overs. Speaking of Phoebe, she was married to Charles who left her for his secretary Mona.
Then there was Cliff and Nina and her despicable father Palmer Cortland. He did everything he could to break those two apart and keep them separate. In the end they finally got married. Several times.
Jenny and Greg, she was the poor girl from the wrong side of the tracks and Greg was the rich kid who fell in love with her. Against all odds and interference from his parents and scheming Liza they got married only to have her die in a jet ski accident. I felt so cheated. She stayed dead. Jenny (Kim Delaney) also turned out to be the sister that Tad didn't know he had.
Ah Opal, how I loved her. She ran the local beauty shop, The Glamorama and provided the needed comic relief in the show. She also turned out to be Tad Martin's bio mom.
Billy Clyde Tuggle, what a nasty guy but such a great villain. He ended up falling off a bridge while fighting with Tad Martin.
Tad managed to get his act together and fall in love with Dixie, one of my favorite story lines.
Of course this is a soap opera and they manage to go through all sorts of problems to be together and finally marry in 1998. More interfering people and they divorce. Then they get back together and marry again in 1994 but wait, Tad is presumed killed in an explosion. Remember what I said about people dieing, he comes back three years later. They marry again in 1999. Eventually Dixie divorces him and goes off to Europe but decides she still loves Tad and is pregnant with his child. She tells him this in a letter and then is killed in a car crash. This was the end for me. I stopped watching. I think eventually she was brought back to the show but I was long gone.

I'm sorry to see All My Children canceled. I really loved this soap and it was a part of my daily life for over 30 years. I'm afraid that the soap opera genre is going the way of the dinosaurs.

Cheers and Happy Weekend!

2011-04-03T18:55:00.005-04:00

One of the nicest things about my weekend is our Saturday morning visit to the Browncroft Family Restaurant. I've lost count of the years that Hubby and I have been breakfasting there, at least 15 years.

Located in a little plaza on a busy corner it doesn't look like much from the outside and even on the inside it's nothing fancy, just your typical breakfast/lunch family restaurant. But on the inside is where the magic happens. Our food is always hot and delicious and always served with a smile.

Waitresses Liz, camera shy Sandi and Patty.

Oh, there's Sandy.

Every weekend I have the same thing; two scrambled eggs, bacon, white toast and sometimes home fries.
Hubby switches it up although most of the time he has the Browncroft Special; eggs, meat and either pancakes or french toast. Or if he's really hungry he goes all out and gets the corned beef hash omelet with cheese on top.

We call the Browncroft our "Cheers" you know, the place where everyone knows your name. The ladies always stop by our table to say hello and if they're really busy they'll just shout out their greeting across the restaurant. We catch up on what's going on in each others lives. They know Kevin and Cameron too. Liz's daughter is getting married this year, Patty's son just returned safely from Iraq. We share in each others delights as well as stressful events. When Cody had his knee surgery Liz gave him a get well bag with all kinds of doggie treats. We often see the same customers there and I'm betting they return for the same reason we do; the sense of community and family that this little restaurant fosters.

On the rare occasion that we miss a visit on Saturday our weekend feels off, our little ritual has been disrupted sort of like when you get dressed and for some reason you put your sock on the other foot first. Think about it, you probably get dressed in the same order every time. When we miss a Saturday we try and get in during the week before work for breakfast. Very seldom do we go on Sunday. We love our Browncroft friends and that's how we thing of them, not as waitresses but as friends. We always leave in a happy mood, ready to start our day.

Everyone should have a little Cheers in their lives.

2011-04-01T07:25:00.003-04:00

Dateline - April Fool's Day 1990
The best joke ever was played on me.
My youngest son Cameron was born 15 days early.

Cam and Papa
My handsome baby and one of my proudest achievements.
21 years have flown by.

He Said What??

2011-03-29T18:44:00.013-04:00

Over the next few weeks in kindergarten we will be learning about living things; like what baby animals are called. Did you know what a baby platypus is called? A puggle, how cute, perhaps a baby jellyfish? An ephyna. A baby hedgehog is a piglet and a baby gorilla is an infant. Plus each student planted marigolds and we'll monitor its growth. If we're lucky they will be blooming by Mother's Day. Last week while discussing living and nonliving things a student said his mother's baby is not living because it wasn't born yet. Oh dear, the age old debate. The teacher looked at me and asked, "what do you think Mrs. B. living or non living?" Gee thanks for throwing that my way. I say living; the baby is due in May, he/she is moving, taking nourishment and could survive out of the womb at this point. This leads me to my issue.

The esteemed former senator from Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum has stated that Social Security is in trouble today because of abortion. Here's a quote from Mr. Santorum,"The Social Security system, in my opinion, is a flawed design, period. But having said that, the design would work a lot better if we had stable demographic trends," Santorum said. "We don't have enough workers to support the retirees . . . . A third of the young people in America are not in America today because of abortion."

Say What?? Please read more here. Because of abortion there are not enough people paying into S.S. First of all if every baby conceived was born the population would be larger, the system more stressed plus the jobs aren't there for the workers today let alone a third more. I'm not pro abortion or pro life. I am pro choice. Would I ever have an abortion? No. When pregnant with my second son there was a possibility that he'd be born with spinal bifida. We were asked if we wanted genetic counseling as well as an amniocentesis to confirm the diagnosis so we could make a decision as to continue the pregnancy or not. Hubby and I said no, we'll love him and take care of whatever medical issue he may have. Turns out there was no problem and today he's a vibrant member of society who just received a scholarship at college that is given to only 2 juniors each year.

I struggle with the moral side of abortion and wonder when a baby is indeed a fetus. When it is just a few cells unable to sustain life outside the mother's body? I'm not judgmental, every woman has her own reasons for doing it. I know several people have gone through it. I think nothing less of them. It gets stickier when the fetus is viable outside of the womb. I do not understand how a woman can have a abortion once she feels the baby move inside of her. And late term abortions, oh God, how could anyone do that? Why would a doctor preform them? How can they sleep at night.

One thing I've noticed with many many of the anti abortion people is that they tend to be men. How can they have any idea what it's like to have a baby physically and mentally, take care of a baby and be responsible for that baby. Are they going to step up and take care of every unwanted baby born? Babies born to drug addicted mothers, women who became pregnant due to rape. How many men are out there that have nothing to do with their children, not even financially supporting them. Every child deserves to be wanted, loved , cherished and cared for. Unfortunately there are many that come into this world that receive none of that. Believe me I've seen some very poor parenting. Should their mother have had an abortion? I don't know, every circumstance is different. I do have a problem with women who use abortion as a form of birth control; get your freaking tubes tied. Once is a mistake, anything other than that is stupid. On the flip side I'm sure there are many children that weren't wanted or unplanned that turned out to be a blessing to their parents.

Abortion is an intensely personal, private and painful decision. To say that Social Security is broken due to abortion is just plain silly. This man may try a presidential bid in 2012.

Buy Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jacks

2011-03-26T19:31:00.005-04:00

Little League season is fast approaching. When they boys were little they both played L.L. and I enjoyed it as much as they did. I've watched in freezing cold, rain, fog, sun and 90 degree temps. Little League was a social time for me. The moms all chatted and told each other when their kid was at bat. My oldest son was all about the game and doing well. His favorite position was first base and not much got by him. He also pitched because in the early years he was one of the few that could get the ball to the plate. It was stressful for me when he pitched because he was so serious about his game. Pitching is a lot of pressure. My youngest son didn't take the game as seriously. His favorite part was goofing around in the dugout with his friends. If he didn't hit the ball, oh well, he still left home plate with a smile on his face. No frustration there. Good thing he played on a team that didn't have any serious players. The best part was at the end of the game and going to the concession stand for a snack, usually pizza rolls. As far as major league baseball goes I find it slow. I'm used to hockey which is a very fast moving game. I seldom watch baseball on TV.

My city has a MiLB team, The Rochester Red Wings with their parent team being the Minnesota Twins. I don't mind going to these games but not really for the actual game. I like the whole experience; sitting in the stands, being outside on a sunny day or a warm summer evening, the crack of the bat, the cheering of the crowd, people watching and the food but I also bring a book with me. There's too much down time for me, you have to wait for the team to warm up on the field at the beginning of every inning. I'm going to try and get to more games this summer, get to know the players and maybe it will be more exciting to me.

In honor of opening day here's a few baseball quotes for you...

"The way to make coaches think you're in shape in the spring is to get a tan." Whitey Ford

"Running a ball club is like raising kids who fall out of trees." Tom Trebelhorn

"If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there is a man on base." Dave Barry

"I think I throw the ball as hard as anyone. The ball just doesn't get there as fast." Eddie Bane

"The other team could make trouble for us if they win." Yogi Berra

"I watched a lot of baseball on radio." Gerald Ford

"We know we're better than this, but we just can't prove it." Tony Gwynn
"When you start the game they don't say 'work ball' they say 'play ball'. Willie Stargell

"A man once told me walk with the Lord, I rather walk with the bases loaded." Ken Singleton
"There's no crying in baseball." Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own