My Friend, the Birther

OMG! I always knew that my friend was ultra-conservative and spent all of her free time hours watching FOX news but I didn't know she was a actual "birther" until lunch today when she started talking about birth certificates and funny edging and maybe impeaching the president! I was so taken aback I couldn't say anything. I love our president. I firmly believe he will be our country's saving grace after the Bush eight-year disaster. How can such an educated person be so narrow-minded? I need to send President Obama a letter and tell him how much I love him!

Prayer

Make me a servant, humble and meek

Lord, let me lift up those who are weak.

And may the pray'r of my heart always be:

Make me a servant, make me a servant,

Make me a servant today.

Runge Nature Center Continued

I have no idea what these sausage-shaped things are.

This could be bitter-sweet or not!!

Home Schooling Vs. Public Education

She's a wild child and now I know why. Her nanna told me that she kept her at home last year(kindergarten) and home schooled her. Now I know why this kid has no social skills. She can't keep her mouth shut and listen when her classmates have something to say. She makes weird noises at times when she should be quiet. She has trouble getting along. She can't play the waiting game. Writing skills are at picture level. And her grandmother thought she could be a better teacher than someone with a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education!

Back to Work

The baby came on the 9th. 9/09/09, that's a great birthday! So my first day of subbing was Wednesday, the 10th. Yesterday was Patriot's Day so the whole school sported red, white and blue. I read a book, SEPTEMBER 12, written by a first-grade class from Kennett, Missouri eight years ago. The kids I was reading to weren't even born yet but I showed them the number 3,000 and they agreed it was a huge number. Next Monday is Grandparent's Day so I have to stay over and greet kids, parents, grannies and grandpas; that will be one long day!

Runge Nature Center

So yesterday after paying my taxes, I came here to walk the trails and get renewed. It worked!!

I'm a sucker for yellow prairie flowers!!

One Big-Ass hill!! You can't tell from the pic that it goes up but it does!!

One day I saw a tiny baybee deer on the wooden bridge. I hope the momma was nearby.

See, we have evergreen trees in Missouri.

New Construction, Squirrels, Taxes and George Bush

Construction next door. At least they're not cutting down trees anymore.

The squirrels love to crack walnuts on my stone retaining wall, resourceful little critters aren't they!!

Today I have to pay my taxes. I pay four times a year so when next April rolls around I don't have to pay so much; mind you, I still have to pay. I always blame this on George Bush. He was such a terrible president and everything bad in the world today is all his fault. There that makes me feel a little better!!

What is it?

It's The Adult Pacifier Project, constructed in 2007 to make the public aware of the harm cigarette butts have on our environment. It sits along The Greenway, another of my walking trails.

Little Orange Wildflowers

I love these dainty little flowers, I just discovered them last year!!

Day One: Autism is no fun.

I can do puzzles.

I cannot recognize the word that is my name. I do not know that it starts with a 'C.'
Sometimes I can say my colors but not red. I hate red and you can't make me say it ever.

I will walk down the long hall with you and follow the colored tiles but I don't know where I 'm going. I don't even know this place is school.
My special friend is a squishy, yellow duck and I like to squeeze him with my fingers.
Somedays I will say a word over and over again.
Peepeeaboda peepeeaboda peepeeaboda.
It's up in my head and it just has to come out.

I can do puzzles.

Carmelite Monastery

Located across the street from the park, the monastery has always been a mysterious place for me. You aren't allowed in and the nuns who live there aren't allowed out. Packages have to be passed through a little porthole in the door. Do they ever gaze out and see the wonderful park they have so close? Do they ever get the urge to walk the trails and enjoy the trees and the grass and the squirrels and the birds? Does it make them feel closer to God to be stuck up in a monastery? I'd rather be out enjoying nature, God's wonderful gift to us!

Walking Track: The Park

This is one of the older parks in our city. I love walking here because of the trees. I've learned to identify quite a few because of the little brass plates in front of the different species. On week-ends, the park is filled with families and kids. Also, a definite smell of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs; which makes it difficult for fitness walking!!

The House Next Door

As I have mentioned in a previous posting, we are getting new neighbors. Here is a pic of what it looks like coming down our street. I thought it would be kind of fun to post a picture every so often to capture the progression from "under construction" to "finished house." I don't feel like I'm being intrusive because nobody lives there yet. On another note, I am saddened by the loss of so many trees, after all, they were my non-human neighbors. Such is life!

A Sub's Prayer

I just realized that if the baby comes early, I might find myself in front of a classroom full of first graders tomorrow. In order to prepare myself, I've composed a little prayer:

Dear Jesus,
Thank you for keeping me safe and allowing me to enjoy another wonderful, carefree summer. As this school year has started, help me to motivate my students to work diligently and to respect those around them as they gradually grow into strong citizens of this world. Give me enough patience to deal with a classroom of little children "telling me how to do it," and the humor and fortitude it takes to make it through the day.

What is hot weather good for?

Growing roses of course!! As you can see, my Henry Fonda is thriving!!

A New Season

The first signs that Autumn is upon us!!

Do people really save these?

Yes they do!! Each little Box Top is worth a whopping 10 cents and schools purchase things like playground equipment and stage curtains and mats that go under water fountains. Start a little collection of your own and when you feel you have enough, drop them by your neighborhood school. Or give them to a school-age niece or nephew. It takes a lot of money to equip a school!!

A Student's Prayer

Dear Jesus,
Please help me with the hard stuff.
Amen.

Glasgow, Missouri

The "oldest" family owned drugstore in the U.S. This was an enjoyable daytrip. And the pie was to die for!!

Book Review

I finished "Bobby and Jackie" by C. David Heymann over the weekend. Nasty!! I always thought Jackie Kennedy was such a classy first lady. Let's just say she had pretty loose morals, it was an eye-opener and an easy read for a history buff.

I started "Throw Out Fifty Things, Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life" by Gail Blanke. I lost interest. Unless you're a "hoarder," it's nothing new. I can skim through and read the "Green Tips."

"One Hundred Essential Things you Didn't Know You Didn't Know" by John D. Barrow is fascinating. My favorite chapter so far, 100 monkeys typing randomly produced a line from Shakespeare's 'Henry IV,' RUMOUR. Open your Ears;' This was after 2,737,850 million billion billion billion monkey-years of typing.

Smalltown, USA

City Stickers Are Now Delinquent $2.25 per Vehicle

Lewis & Clark

My photo just does not do them justice. Quite a gang of explorers they were!!

Phlox

I started these flowers in little seed pots last spring. They love full sun and have been quite showy all summer without get leggy like petunias. Phlox, my new favorite annual.

Eddie

Little boys used to wear flannel shirts to school. You know the kind that buttoned up the front and also at the cuffs. Eddie was a little kid I had in class, maybe my very first class, and I remember him for two particular reasons.

No one ever told me to be prepared for fathers in handle-bar mustaches. Yes, Eddie's father came to parent conference sporting this huge mustache curled up at the ends. I was a young thing at the time, twenty-two at the most. I was so taken off-guard that I spent the entire conference looking down at my desk.

One morning I heard whimpering. Eddie was sitting in the back of the classroom obviously in distress but I couldn't tell why until I walked to his seat. Somehow he had worked both of his bony little arms through one of his shirt cuffs and it was buttoned so tightly that he couldn't get loose. He was literally hand-cuffed, sitting there at his desk. I asked Eddie if he wanted me to try to get the cuff unbuttoned but I couldn't budge it. The school nurse had to come and cut the button off. Poor Eddie, two very awkward situations!!

Book Review

I am halfway through the book, The Indifferent Stars Above, the depressing but fascinating,well-written account of a new bride, twenty-one year old Sarah Graves, a member of the wagon train led by George Donner in 1847. Here's an excerpt from page 80:

Increasingly, the emigrants' worries and arguments concerned grass. Grass was the gasoline of the mid-nineteenth century. It fueled the engines that propelled them forward, their oxen. As the country dried out, it was harder and harder to find sufficient grass for pasturage every night. As the grass grew sparser, it became ever more important to conserve what energy the oxen had, and the only way to do that was to lighten the loads they had to pull. All along the trail, people started to throw things overboard--things they had thought essential when they'd packed their wagons back home or in St. Joe or Independence. Among the first to go were the heaviest things--cook stoves, extra pots and pans, iron tools, and hardware. Then furniture was thrown overboard--chest of drawers, rocking chairs, bed frames, and tables. Finally, as the oxen began to heave and strain on the longest, driest hills approaching the South Pass, even smaller items had to go--extra clothes, books, linens, nonessential food items.

The sacrifices were often hard to make, not always logical, and not always voluntary. An Oregon-bound emigrant of that year, eleven-year-old Lucy Ann Henderson, watched in amused astonishment as one of the adults in her party was told he had to part with a rolling pin.

I shall never forget how that big man stood there with tears streaming down his face as he said, "Do I have to throw this away? It was my mother's. I remember she always used it to roll our her biscuits, and they were awfully good biscuits." He had to leave it, and they christened him Rolling Pin Smith, a name he carried to the day of his death.

Walking Track Three: Water Element

This is one of our city's oldest walking tracks. As a teenager, I lived nearby so I have logged many miles here, probably more than a thousand. The temperature was in the mid 80's earlier while I was walking but there was a breeze coming off the water so it wasn't that bad. Many years ago, the city dumped truckloads of sand along the shore and swimming was allowed. Now it's just for walking, in-line skating and fishing as they have stocked the lake with trout.

Back to School

I accepted a six-week teaching assignment for a first grade teacher who is having a baby. The baby is due September 3 and could come earlier. Whoa, I've got to go shopping for new clothes!!

Craft Day

Every so often I get the urge to create something, Martha Stewart-wise. I started felting last fall when I discovered I had an abundance of out-dated wool sweaters. What to do? Shrink them down by laundering them in hot water. Cut them apart and using a pattern from Betz White's " Warm Fuzzies" book, I stitched up a bunch of mittens. Everyone who graced my doorway during December and January got a pair and I saved a pair or two for recess duty.

My favorite things

Since Oprah has her favorites, I thought I would share some of mine. Torani Sugar-Free raspberry syrup in Crystal Light iced tea, 0 calories and very refreshing. How could it not have any calories?

My new Fitflops at $60 were a splurge but they really do make my feet feel wonderful and I'll

be able to wear them at school this fall.

I really love a luke-warm shower with Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash. It has some oatmeal in it, very calming.

My hairdresser turned me onto Moroccan Oil. At $38 a bottle it 's a little pricey but a life-saver when the weather is so humid. And the smell is heavenly!!

I walked a total of 70.63 miles for the month of July and that does not include dog-walking. I bought a new, smaller pedometer to wear when I sub, just to see how many miles I accumulate at the end of the day.

Mutant Hen and Chicks

A retired teacher always has a supply of wiggle eyes around the house.

The Rest of the Story

John, I think I'm going to write another book about how horrible my life is and how my Internet friends have helped me get through it.

Okay Elizabeth, but don't make me sound like a jerk. You know, hooking up with that blond babe was not my idea...and I have gone with you to all your doctor appointments and fed the kids when you didn't feel like it.

Yeah, and at the end of my book I want to mention my new store I'm opening all by myself with no help from you. I hope lots of people are eager to read it!

Resilience

I started Elizabeth Edward's new book last night. I had watched her interview on Oprah and I was impressed with her honesty. I did not have that same positive reaction when Oprah talked to her husband. Halfway through her book, she has mentioned "the affair" only a few times. Mrs. Edwards lets us know she is still grieving for her son who died in 1996. I don't judge her for this but that's what her first book was about. I have lost both of my parents. I have not lost a child. Also, I don't mean to sound condescending but I feel she is using her family's wealth to advertise her grief. She was a lawyer and she stopped being a lawyer right after his death. For years, she admits, her focus in life revolved around her dead child and keeping his memory alive. Ordinarily, life is not that easy. There are house payments, credit cards, and utility bills to pay. She had the luxury to stay at home and have two more children late in life to fill her home with laughter. Can you really replace one child with another? As far as the book, I am perplexed that it is so similar to the first one or maybe Mrs. Edwards finds it's just easier to write about her dead son rather than a "straying" husband.

Walking Track Two

Some days I walk this track. Imagine this: Last summer I saw a huge swan, made of white balloons, floating in the lily pond. I think they were getting ready for a wedding.

The Turn-Around

Two miles down.

Two miles back.

The Prayer

We're getting new neighbors. When we built our house several years ago, the lot was so beautiful and I was so aware of the changes that we were making that I composed a little prayer for it.

Dear Father in Heaven,

We have changed your Earth today. We have uprooted your trees and destroyed your raspberry bushes to dig this hole. Please fill it with your love. Bless the labours of the workers; the plumbers, the brick-layers, the roofers, as they toil to construct a house that will be worthy of this land. Allow them to finish in a timely manner with no injuries, disagreements or cross words. When the time comes, bless the family who will make this their home. May they be happy here and their children and flowers flourish in your love.

Underwear

Yes underwear! Awhile back I read an article from some fashion magazine that stated the "modern woman" should replace her undies three times a year. Hey folks, that didn't mean "add to the pile." It meant "replace the pile." I don't know what makes a woman "modern" but I would just as soon hold on to my panties longer than four months. What about the economy anyway? I'm proud of the fact that I wear a size 6 and at this stage I rarely step on a scale anymore, my underwear lets me know if I need to cut back on the Dove Bars for awhile. I used to shop at Victoria's Secret, in fact they would occasionally send me a coupon for a "free " pair but after trying several cuts I just didn't like the feel under my clothes. No, I'm a Jockey girl, modern or not. I buy them at the Outlet Mall whenever I feel the urge to "add" to my pile!!

Arrowheads

There is a creek behind our house and at times during July or August, I'll fight the weeds and armed with a long stick, poke around in the muck and gravel to see what I can find. I'm lucky, usually within minutes I'll dislodge a specimen. More often than not, it will be broken or a stone discarded before it was completed but because of the particular chipping, I can tell that at one time or another, a human, long ago held it in his hand. I keep everything I find. Sometimes to decorate my rock garden and sometimes just to hide in my pocket to remind of the Indians.

I Love a Good Mystery

I live at the end of a cul-de-sac. There are no houses with kids around me. The ones at the top of the hill are too lazy to walk down to fetch stray balls. I have a small dog who weights as much as the missing stone. The deer who inhabit the woods surrounding my backyard do, on occasion, wander up for a visit or a nibble, but how could they carry off a 10 pound stone? What do you suppose happened to it?

The Wine-Meister

So Hubby had to leave for a few days and asked me to take care of his wine.
Sure, just what do I have to do?
Take the towel off and check out the "bubbling action."
If it's sticky, take some paper towels and wipe the jug off so it doesn't get the counter messy. FYI, Wine-Mentor told him not to strain the seeds so that's what you see collecting at the top.

Dinner Out

Yesterday was a pretty lazy day but the highlight was dinner at the lake with friends. Hot topics ranged from Barbara Walters comments about the new "Bruno" movie; to starting a new career as a food critic; to Jon Gosselin. We agreed with the Barbara that the movie was trashy. We wondered if you could become a really good critic without knowing all your spices, and Jon Gosselin needs to face reality. He is a father of eight kids and they should be his priority at this time. That's it, world problems solved for this month!!

Blackberries

I live in the city but believe it or not, I have a "wild" blackberry patch next door. Aren't they gorgeous!! I like to get out early in the morning and pick before it gets too hot/humid. Today I didn't make it. It rained and became sweltering hot immediately after. So the blackberries will stay on the vine and I'll try not to look at them as I drive by.

Butterfly Story

Because I feel that good teachers should be storytellers, I always tried, at least every other day, to tell a story to my students. This is one they enjoyed and asked many questions about. I updated it to make it sound like it happened over the week-end so I could start out by saying "Hey guys, guess what happened to me on Saturday." I love to ride on the KATY and I was on my way back past the river cruising as fast as I could past the cornfields. Because it was late summer the grasshoppers were huge and flying everywhere. Big and brown and rude, I just hate them on a bike, anyway my side vision caught something flying beside me. I knew it wasn't a grasshopper, but I was surprised to see a butterfly, shoulder-level to me. He was quite beautiful, dark blue and outlined in gold. Instinctively, I could sense that this butterfly was racing with me. As I increased my speed, he flew faster. When I slowed down, he did the same. Gosh, I'm racing with a butterfly, I'll remember this forever. After a bit, he was gone. When I got home I looked him up in my Butterfly book and I found out that he was a Mourningcloak. They exhibit territoriality; meaning they will literally chase any invaders away. That's what he was trying to do. "Hey you human, get out of my space!!"

Henry is puny

My Henry Fonda is somewhat puny this year. He's my very favorite, probably because of the rich, buttery yellow color. Believe me, I've been doing all I can think of to nurse him back to health and he is shooting up a few blooms; that's a good sign. I read in a book that a good dose of bacon grease is a good thing for roses, I'd try it but I'm afraid every dog in the neighborhood would be visiting. Still it might be worth a try...

The Fourth of July Tomato

Just call me Master Gardener!! Did I not brag that I would have a ripe tomato by the Fourth? Despite the cool, rainy weather that went on forever and being attacked/knocked over by backyard dwelling deer, I predict this beauty will be picked by Saturday. I think a classic BLT(by classic I mean real bacon) is the order of the day.

On another note, I walked a total of 45 and a half miles during the month of June, subbed three days of summer school and started several projects, none of which are finished at this time. But I'm working on em!!

By the way, is anybody reading this blog?

Father's Day Pie

I'm no foodie but Hubby picked the gooseberries, we both worked on stemming them, and I promised a pie for his special day. I had to get out the old Betty Crocker Cookbook for the recipe and actually turn the oven on. It's hot outside and I don't like to add to the heat but it was for a good cause!!

The Bunny

I'm not really into yard ornaments but this little stone bunny caught my eye last spring. Since it was close to Easter and since I had a 40% off coupon in my pocket, I decided it would make a good addition to my front porch. Now skip ahead a couple of weeks... I was pulling into my driveway after subbing one day and I saw some movement on my front porch. It was a little bunny with his nose smack up to the stone bunny, just like he was giving him a little welcome kiss. Of course, it only lasted a second but it made my day!

Retina Detachment

This happened while I was doing a long-term subbing assignment for a good friend who was going through her own health crisis at the time. I remember it was early in the morning and I was trying to get the kiddos started on a writing assignment. From the inside out, I suddenly could see a red spot of blood forming in the middle of my left eye. There was no pain and when I checked in the mirror, no tell-tale sign of anything wrong. I had some experiences with "floaters" in the past but this was different. It was a bright red spot. I did nothing and told no one that first day. I did make a call to my eye doctor the next day but played down my concern, I believe I waited two more days before I was actually face-to-face with my eye doctor who advised my to go immediately to the university to be examined by a retina specialist. My eyeball was so full of blood that she could not tell at that time how bad it was or even if she could fix it. My situation was serious and any wasted time might mean permanent blindness in that eye. Needless to say I was at a very low-point. I'll skip through the drama but there is a God in Heaven. The surgery was successful. Recuperation was tough; weeks in bed, face-down, waiting for the air bubble to dissolve. Now a year and a half later, most of my eyesight has returned. My surgeon said this ailment is actually fairly common for football players and old people. I didn't need to hear that!

School's Out For The Summer!!

Wow, another year of school is over and a whole summer to relax and enjoy doing whatev!! I subbed a total of 75 days this year. 90 is my cut-off as more than that interferes with my money from heaven or... teacher retirement benefits. It has been a successful school year with more hugs than kid bites; at least none that broke the skin anyway. Yeah, that does happen on occasion. I've already finished two books, one on the theft of Mona Lisa by R.A. Scotti and the other, a very complete account of the Columbine tragedy by Dave Cullen. I get all my books from the public library--I usually have one or two from my "reserved list" waiting for me.

Yesterday I was in the back yard reading on my porch swing and I saw a red tail sail by. It was a red fox being chased by a momma deer! I love wild animals even though that deer probably was the one that munched off the tops of my just blooming day lilies in the front yard.

Hey, can you beat this, I have seven little tomatoes on my lone tomato plant already. I think they should be ripe by July 4th!

Day 68

I saw her yesterday. She was a former second-grader, now a senior in high school. Let's see, she was seven when I had her in class; a cute, enthusiastic and willing to please little girl. Did I mention how bright she was. She shone like her brother two years before her but without the attitude. Now ten years later, she must weigh at least two hundred pounds. What happened in that ten year span? I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her. Susan, wake up; gaining weight is not the answer to your problems. Please use this summer to start a fitness program. You are young enough to turn things around but you have to love yourself enough to begin. I couldn't bring myself to say those things to her so I say nothing but gave her a smile as I pretended to be busy doing something else more important than saving a young girl's life. I'm such a coward.

The Curse of Lucy Adams

This story was written by a 4th grader. I have permission to post it.

Lucy Adams had super powers that killed people. Lucy Adams tries to get back at Bob Adams. In Kentucky, Illinois it was an ordinary day. Bob Adams was doing his ordinary police work. After police work, Bob Adams dates's Lucy Adam's sister, Becky Adams. A ride on Sunshine Trolley would be a nice date. But on accident Lucy kills her sister. "Zoop," a sound of a ghost passing by. Bob Adams has a broken heart. Why did she want to get back at Bob?

Remember the sound of "Zoop." Lucy Adams is working on another spell to kill Bob Adams. Bob was doing police work. Lucy remembered the Police Work Building. "Zoop," when Lucy got to Bob's Work Building, she went to Bob's room. "Hocus, pocus, kill him or grill him." Nothing happened. "Hocus, pocus you killed me. I turn you into an old lady. And Bob turned into an old lady.

Day 62

Day 59, Pinball Medic

This game can be played with 40 to 50 players, 3rd, 4th or 5th graders. It's best to be in a gym. Place three bowling pins in three of the corners but I don't know why so you can probably skip that and still play the game. The two teams get on either side of the gym and and the idea is to throw big squishy orange balls at each other. No head shots allowed but the boys usually do get a couple in anyway. If they are hit by the opposing team, they sit down on the gym floor. Along the sidelines are two to three medics. They are equipped with little wheelies and their job is to pick up the injured players. Play continues until all the players are annihilated. Actually the orange squishy balls are great stress-relievers, if you ever find them in a school speciality catalog, they are definitely worth the bucks!!

Day 58 Kindergarten

I got another love note today. I had the kids outside, it was such a beautiful day and I spotted a piece of purple sidewalk chalk in the grass. It looked just like an Easter egg so I told Little Diva to pick it up. You know Little Diva, gorgeous blond curls and always telling everybody what to do. Anyway, she tugs on me later as we were lining up to leave. "I want to show you," she says. There on the asphalt: I LOVE YOU MRSSES. K. (big purple heart) Little kids are just so sweet!!

Slim-Fast

I am a Slim-Fast junkie. For two years I have started my day with a frozen/shushy can of Slim-Fast. Why frozen you ask? It has to be. In order to indulge my passion at 7:30, I need to deposit an upside-down can in the freezer two and a half hours earlier. Why an upside down can? It's much easier to open with a can opener. I can then slide it into a cooler cup and eat it with a spoon. This usually happens while I'm wrapped up in a sweater watching "Morning Joe." I also hoard it. MY two favorite flavors are cappuccino delight and creamy milk chocolate. At this time I have five cases stacked up in my garage. Although my husband who is somewhat of a "neat freak" does not like stuff stacked in the garage, he has learned to pick his battles. I also stock-pile Tide.

Day 55: Edmund

Me: Think of something you measure in ounces?

Edmund: A bullet.

Me: I was thinking of a candy bar or maybe a can of Pepsi. Think of something you would measure in pounds?

Edmund: A box of bullets.

Me: A little baby weighs a couple of pounds or maybe a big, thick book like a dictionary. Think of something that weighs a ton?

Edmund: A bazooka.

Me: Do you mean bubble gum?

Edmund: No, it's a missile launcher, you use it to blow things up.

Me: Can you think of something that is not a gun?

Edmund: How about fifty bazookas?

Slut Daddy and Slut Momma

Okay, here's my take on why they got married. NBC offered Slut Daddy a huge amount of cash plus free airfare to NYC to appear on the Today Show along with Slut Teen Live-in Girlfriend. SD probably used some of the cash to spring for an engagement ring and make it legal between him and STLI. Together they could fly to New York, stay in a big fancy hotel and pretend for a while that everything was fine. So they quickly threw together a backyard wedding. Teen Bride looked pretty in her bright white wedding dress. Friends and family got in on the official wedding portrait, some even wore their "I Love Haleigh" t-shirts for the happy occasion. Bio Mom then got jealous of all the attention. After all, she is the real mom and she didn't get a diamond ring or a trip to New York City. So she cooks up this scheme about Ron being an abuser because the kids did have a few scratches and bruises. She gets a blond lawyer and they both go on the Nancy Grace Show but no trip to New York. I think that SD probably raises his kids the way he was raised, with a rather firm hand. I don't think he's an abuser. He was providing them with a nice double-wide trailer home. Misty took care of them while he was at work. Besides a little second-hand smoke, the kids appeared healthy and happy in the pictures and Christmas videos.
However, there is something in this story that does not add up. Maybe Slut Momma left the trailer to go buy cigarettes and while she was gone, some unknown came in through an unlocked door and got Haleigh. I feel sorry for both of them as well as sweet little Haleigh.

Book Review

I like to save time by taking advantage of our local library's website. Since I am a 99.9% non-fiction reader, I can usually tell by the title if it would be time-worthy. Here's my latest review:

• Mrs. Lincoln: a Life, I love everything about Lincoln and I loved this one, lots of interesting facts and an easy read at that.
• Extreme Birds: just a big,colorful picture book but unfortunately most of these birds are not native to mid-America.
• The Kings Reign, Anheuser-Busch, a history of the Busch family with lots of neat pictures, haven't gotten into it yet.
• River Town: two years of the Yangtze, I've always been facinated with China and as I got into this book, I realized that it's writer, Peter Hessler is from Missouri. He records the two years he spent teaching in Fuling, a town of 200,000 along the Wu River.

Day 50

What's the first thing I do when I get home?
Take off my diamonds of course!!

Judges and Ruth

The book of Judges is filled with violence. It was not an easy read. The story of Samson, beginning in chapter 13, is probably the most heroic figure from Judges. When his first wife was burned to death by the Philistines, Samson attacked them to get revenge. He was taken prisoner but through the Spirit of the Lord he was able to kill a thousand of the Philistines using a jawbone of a donkey. Later, he takes a lover named Delilah. She tricks him into telling her the secret of his great strength. After she cuts off his long hair, the Philistines are able to recapture him. They take him prisoner and gouge his eyes out. He prays to the Lord to give him strength to push down the temple pillars causing the roof to collapse on his enemies. He dies along with them.
The book of Ruth is a much more enjoyable and even eloquent story. It takes place during the same time period as the Judges. It is the story of the loving bond between a young widow and her mother-in-law. Ruth was a Moabite, a despised enemy of Israel. Yet the Lord used her to produce Israel's greatest king. Ruth's great-grandson turned out to be David.

Day 47: Second Grade

Tyrisha showed up after being out with pink eye. "IwantmysackofValentinecandy."
"Oh," this from a smart kid, "The teacher threw it away. We thought you moved."
Tyrisha, big for her age, bawled all morning.
And then this happened. During transition time (changing from one activity to the next) Daniel slipped something into my hand. It was a tag cut from inside his shirt. On it he had written with a skinny marker: Mrs. J. I love you. XOXOX

Black History Month

Okay, we spent time in the library reading about famous black Americans, now I want you to pick your favorite person and fill out this graphic organizer with all the important information you can remember. Then you can use that info to write up a short paragraph about why they deserve a special trophy. We'll go to the computer lab to type it up and you can tape what you wrote to these cute little trophies.
So pick your famous black American.
I want Hannah Montana.
You can't do Hannah Montana.
Waa, Why not?
Hannah Montana is not black.
Well, this is stupid. I don't want to do it.
Why don't you pick that girl that won the Grammy Award, Jennifer Hudson?
No, she's stupid.
How about Tyra Banks?
She's stupid.
I know, you could pick Malia or Sasha Obama.
NO, they're both stupid. Waa, I want to do Hannah Montana.

Thoughts on Joshua

I finished the book of Joshua this morning, continuing my goal to read through the Bible. In the third chapter, The Israelites followed the ark of the covenant into the Jordan River. The Jordan, being at flood stage at that time, stopped flowing so that the Israelites (including 40,000 soldiers armed for battle) were able to cross over to the opposite bank, close to the city of Jericho. Later, all these Israelite men were circumcised. They celebrated Passover and the manna stopped falling from Heaven. The Israelites were able to eat grapes, olives, the produce of the land. In chapter 10, the Israelite army, following Joshua's leadership, was involved in a great battle with the Amorites. On the day that his army claimed victory, Joshua prayed to the Lord to stop the sun from setting thus making the day twice as long. My question; I don't doubt that this happened but why was it necessary since the battle was already won? In the end, Joshua had the five kings who had opposed him in the battle killed and he took over all their lands.

The Surprise Bike

I had a deprived childhood, not necessarily poor but because I grew up in the country there were no trips to an air-conditioned movie theater, or getting together with friends at the local swimming pool. Summers were hot and tended to last a long time and I found the only way of cooling off was taking long walks in the woods behind our house. So a memory that really sticks out in my mind is the blazing summer day when my Dad came home from work with a used (second-hand he called it) bike in the back of his dusty truck. It was a surprise gift for me and it proved to me that he was not only thinking about me that day but that he also loved me; something that I can't remember him ever saying with words. That beloved blue bike became my freedom that day. I loved riding it through the alfalfa field to the gravel road behind our house. I'd pump as hard as I could up the hill, actually more of an incline and coast all the way down to where the road connected to the highway. That downhill trip was probably a quarter of a mile long and all the while I 'd feel the cool breeze surrounding me, it was the best kind of air-conditioning.