Monday, May 31, 2010
Yeah! I got my Topsy Turvy hanging planter hung! I planted a sweet 100 cherry tomato plant and I hope it survives the man-handling it had to endure to fit through the planter opening. They need to redesign that thing. But it's hanging on a large frame Jeff built this morning, which will hold at least two more planters (next year) if this experiment goes well. I can hardly wait for those sweet, juicy tomatoes :)
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Condoleezza Rice: An American Life by Elisabeth BumillerMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Now to read a book written by someone who respected Ms. Rice.
View all my reviews >>
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
I baked a turkey today, with stuffing, mashed red potatoes, green beans, and cranberry sauce. It was pretty good, but I don't like all the mess afterward. Jeff and the girls did the dishes and that was nice. I really want to try making pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting, but I ran out of energy. I've never made them and new recipes are always a gamble.
I tried a new recipe earlier in the week and it was awful. It was for Cream of Wheat cookies, which I added dried blueberries to. The recipe didn't call for baking soda or baking powder and I was a little nervous, but I looked at a few other recipes (all of these were online) and they didn't either, so I thought maybe it would be okay. It wasn't! After the first dozen were baked and cooled, I didn't even bother to bake the rest (a sad waste of ingredients!) because it was obvious I had a pan full of hockey pucks. The flavor was okay, but a little different. The texture was not great. I won't be trying that again, even with baking powder. I'll just stick with Cream of Wheat cereal for breakfast.
Magen is going on an overnight trip with her school choir tomorrow (leaving the house at 5:15am!). So we had to make a "sack lunch" run to the grocery store. We are getting very close to the end of the year and Magen and Amber are busy trying to catch up on seminary. They have been doing home study most of the year because they have a hard time getting up early. That means they have a short lesson to work on, reading a few scriptures and answering questions. They've done quite a bit, but haven't quite kept up so now they are rushing to finish in time. I don't blame them for doing the home study version. Getting up early has always been really hard for me. Some people really are morning people and feel good (or at least human) in the mornig, but I'm not one of them.
I'm going visiting teaching tomorrow and Wednesday. This month its my turn to give the lesson. Last month I made the appointments. I trade off with my partner each month. I'll read through my notes from April general conference and share some things from the prophet's message. Last night I came up to get in bed and Michann was there in my bed reading her scriptures. It is so great to see her enjoying the scriptures and talking about them with me. I got in bed next to her and read the Book of Mormon for a while. It was so nice. I hope Magen and Amber will grow to appreciate and love the scriptures. I need to ask them if they are learning and benefitting from their home study efforts, or just doing it to get it done. They don't typically want to talk about the gospel. Most of my attempts result in eye-rolling, but once in a while they will talk about things with me. I wish I was better at recognizing teaching moments, and teaching more effectively. I'm a lot better in formal teaching roles. But I will keep trying to get better at it.
I do recognize I have another weakness...writing "run-on" paragraphs!
I had my Housing Hope board meeting today. I rushed home to get the car to Michann for work, and passed Jeff and Michann heading the other way. Michann couldn't get in touch with me so she was afraid I wouldn't get home in time, and so she called Jeff from work to come and take her to work during his lunch hour. And she couldn't reach me because Magen's phone had broken and I had let her take mine to school. Oh well! It worked out in the end, but having a cell phone does come in handy at times.
Housing Hope is developing a new program which will offer additional help to our residents to prepare and train for employment, pursue employment related educational opportunities, and work in volunteer and/or employment positions which have added support. (Many employers don't understand the special needs and gap areas that these people often have, so the work experience is a negative one. Housing Hope is working carefully to alleviate this problem by providing training and support to employers who are interested in partnering with us in this program.) Usually, homeless/low-income residents are lacking in both soft and hard skills which are necessary to get any job, but especially to get the jobs that will provide a living wage. I'm very excited about this new program. It is in the beginning stages, but already showing better than expected outcomes for our residents. This is an important way to address one of the real causes of homelessness. There are often many other factors, but this is a big one.
Saturday Michann and I both joined a Housing Hope board member work party (service project). When I first asked Michann if she would go with me, she said sure. I was a little surprised she was so willing, but then she said something and I realized she thought "work party" meant "office party". :) But she still said she'd go with me and she probably worked harder than I did. Along with about 9 other board members, we spread a very large pile of beauty bark in the proper places. Then as we got ready to go we found that Michann had accidentally locked the keys in the trunk! But thankfully all was not lost... we called the insurance company and they sent a locksmith to save us. While we waited we thought we should go get an ice cream cone at Baskin Robbins which was conveniently next door, and then we remembered our purses were in the trunk! But one of the guys offered to loan us some money, so we were set. I had an old favorite that I hadn't had in years, Burgundy Cherry, yummm.
On the way home we picked up Amber from the church. She had attended a youth activity to perform baptisms at the temple. And then we stopped at the local nursery to pick up a tomato plant for my new "Topsy Turvy" upside down tomato plant hanger. It's supposed to be this great new way to grow tomatoes, and I hope it works. I just need Jeff to build a strong enough frame to hang the planter from (needs to hold 75 lbs.) I guess it holds a lot of dirt! The yield is supposed to be much higher, and you don't have to stake or weed the plant. But you do need to water every day. I'm not very good at remembering to water, so I'll have to devise a plan to make sure I don't forget. I'm so hopeful that the tomatoes will do well that way. If they do I'll buy one or two more for next year!
I tried a new recipe earlier in the week and it was awful. It was for Cream of Wheat cookies, which I added dried blueberries to. The recipe didn't call for baking soda or baking powder and I was a little nervous, but I looked at a few other recipes (all of these were online) and they didn't either, so I thought maybe it would be okay. It wasn't! After the first dozen were baked and cooled, I didn't even bother to bake the rest (a sad waste of ingredients!) because it was obvious I had a pan full of hockey pucks. The flavor was okay, but a little different. The texture was not great. I won't be trying that again, even with baking powder. I'll just stick with Cream of Wheat cereal for breakfast.
Magen is going on an overnight trip with her school choir tomorrow (leaving the house at 5:15am!). So we had to make a "sack lunch" run to the grocery store. We are getting very close to the end of the year and Magen and Amber are busy trying to catch up on seminary. They have been doing home study most of the year because they have a hard time getting up early. That means they have a short lesson to work on, reading a few scriptures and answering questions. They've done quite a bit, but haven't quite kept up so now they are rushing to finish in time. I don't blame them for doing the home study version. Getting up early has always been really hard for me. Some people really are morning people and feel good (or at least human) in the mornig, but I'm not one of them.
I'm going visiting teaching tomorrow and Wednesday. This month its my turn to give the lesson. Last month I made the appointments. I trade off with my partner each month. I'll read through my notes from April general conference and share some things from the prophet's message. Last night I came up to get in bed and Michann was there in my bed reading her scriptures. It is so great to see her enjoying the scriptures and talking about them with me. I got in bed next to her and read the Book of Mormon for a while. It was so nice. I hope Magen and Amber will grow to appreciate and love the scriptures. I need to ask them if they are learning and benefitting from their home study efforts, or just doing it to get it done. They don't typically want to talk about the gospel. Most of my attempts result in eye-rolling, but once in a while they will talk about things with me. I wish I was better at recognizing teaching moments, and teaching more effectively. I'm a lot better in formal teaching roles. But I will keep trying to get better at it.
I do recognize I have another weakness...writing "run-on" paragraphs!
I had my Housing Hope board meeting today. I rushed home to get the car to Michann for work, and passed Jeff and Michann heading the other way. Michann couldn't get in touch with me so she was afraid I wouldn't get home in time, and so she called Jeff from work to come and take her to work during his lunch hour. And she couldn't reach me because Magen's phone had broken and I had let her take mine to school. Oh well! It worked out in the end, but having a cell phone does come in handy at times.
Housing Hope is developing a new program which will offer additional help to our residents to prepare and train for employment, pursue employment related educational opportunities, and work in volunteer and/or employment positions which have added support. (Many employers don't understand the special needs and gap areas that these people often have, so the work experience is a negative one. Housing Hope is working carefully to alleviate this problem by providing training and support to employers who are interested in partnering with us in this program.) Usually, homeless/low-income residents are lacking in both soft and hard skills which are necessary to get any job, but especially to get the jobs that will provide a living wage. I'm very excited about this new program. It is in the beginning stages, but already showing better than expected outcomes for our residents. This is an important way to address one of the real causes of homelessness. There are often many other factors, but this is a big one.
Saturday Michann and I both joined a Housing Hope board member work party (service project). When I first asked Michann if she would go with me, she said sure. I was a little surprised she was so willing, but then she said something and I realized she thought "work party" meant "office party". :) But she still said she'd go with me and she probably worked harder than I did. Along with about 9 other board members, we spread a very large pile of beauty bark in the proper places. Then as we got ready to go we found that Michann had accidentally locked the keys in the trunk! But thankfully all was not lost... we called the insurance company and they sent a locksmith to save us. While we waited we thought we should go get an ice cream cone at Baskin Robbins which was conveniently next door, and then we remembered our purses were in the trunk! But one of the guys offered to loan us some money, so we were set. I had an old favorite that I hadn't had in years, Burgundy Cherry, yummm.
On the way home we picked up Amber from the church. She had attended a youth activity to perform baptisms at the temple. And then we stopped at the local nursery to pick up a tomato plant for my new "Topsy Turvy" upside down tomato plant hanger. It's supposed to be this great new way to grow tomatoes, and I hope it works. I just need Jeff to build a strong enough frame to hang the planter from (needs to hold 75 lbs.) I guess it holds a lot of dirt! The yield is supposed to be much higher, and you don't have to stake or weed the plant. But you do need to water every day. I'm not very good at remembering to water, so I'll have to devise a plan to make sure I don't forget. I'm so hopeful that the tomatoes will do well that way. If they do I'll buy one or two more for next year!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
We just got home from Magen's last high school choir concert! It was amazingly good. Erik Ronning, the choir director, is incredibly good, and the high school has some great talent. Several members of the choir (and regular cast members in the school drama productions) are members of the church and it's especially fun to watch them perform. Kendra Reynolds, a sophomore from Stanwood Ward, performed a solo to start the concert. She played her own piano accompaniment and sang a song from Phantom of the Opera -- it was absolutely beautiful. I've heard her perform in several concerts and I have no doubt she will sing professionally. I love attending concerts like tonights when you feel you've been given a gift just by being there. Magen's choir did a wonderful job, and because I had a close seat and she was in the front row, I really got to watch her sing. She's beautiful and talented! So what if I am her mother :)
Sunday, May 16, 2010
P.S. I forgot to mention that in addition to alpacas, yarn shops, bookstores, and bakeries, we visited a camel while Jan and I were in the San Juans. Actually, we saw one as we were driving along and we had to pull over to take pictures. Jan looked on-line later and found that this is a well-known camel with a story. I forgot the story, but it has one :)
Today I tried something new based on a tip from my sister, Marla. I "baked" potatoes in the crockpot and it really works! I have a larger oval shaped crockpot, and cooked a full load of medium/large red potatoes. Amber washed and trimmed them for bruises, and I cooked them on high. I forgot to check the exact time, but I believe it was 4 1/2 hours. They were totally cooked when I took the lid off, and the skins were very tender. One on the bottom seemed to be a little dry on one side, but not bad. (They were slightly damp from being washed, but I didn't add any additional water.) We had them with dinner, and I'm going to make potato salad with the rest tomorrow, if they last that long.
I enjoyed tucking the girls in tonight. I usually don't get them all on the same night, but tonight I did. When I tuck them in I give them a back/shouler rub, ear massage, head massage, legs, or whatever they want. Now I'm ready for a massage! :)
Tomorrow morning I have a meeting with the Stanwood-Camano School Superintendent and her staff (4 additional people). I arranged to have the director's of Housing Hope and Readiness to Learn each make a presentation to them about our programs and how we can partner with the school district most effectively. It should be a great meeting and I'm excited to have all those people in the same room. Housing Hope and Readiness to learn are the non-profit organizations I volunteer with and they are very important contributors to the success of at-risk students and families in the community. I'm looking forward to the district administrative team getting a more comprehensive look at what is being done and what the goals are. I'm not looking forward to the early hour of the meeting (7:30!).
After the meeting I'm going to visit my cousin Jan in Maple Valley. It's her birthday this week, so we will be celebrating that, and she broke her foot a week or two ago and isn't able to drive herself anywhere. We don't get to visit in person very often so I'm really happy to be getting together. Last time I saw her she came up and we went to the San Juan Islands for a day, and she stayed with me for the weekend. She got me started on knitting a hat. I made a mistake and have let it sit since about a week after she left, so I'm bringing it with me to get fixed! (Jan is an expert knitter and I want to knit just like her when I grow up!)
I sat down and played the piano just for myself today and really enjoyed it. It is therapeautic when I am in the right mood. I have a book of simplified hymns that I like to play from. I flipped through and found my favorites and just played away :) I love "Oh How Lovely Was the Morning." There's a special spirit that goes with that hymn. It tells the story of Joseph Smith's first vision when he was visited by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Very lovely song. Even the simplified arrangement is beautiful.
I enjoyed tucking the girls in tonight. I usually don't get them all on the same night, but tonight I did. When I tuck them in I give them a back/shouler rub, ear massage, head massage, legs, or whatever they want. Now I'm ready for a massage! :)
Tomorrow morning I have a meeting with the Stanwood-Camano School Superintendent and her staff (4 additional people). I arranged to have the director's of Housing Hope and Readiness to Learn each make a presentation to them about our programs and how we can partner with the school district most effectively. It should be a great meeting and I'm excited to have all those people in the same room. Housing Hope and Readiness to learn are the non-profit organizations I volunteer with and they are very important contributors to the success of at-risk students and families in the community. I'm looking forward to the district administrative team getting a more comprehensive look at what is being done and what the goals are. I'm not looking forward to the early hour of the meeting (7:30!).
After the meeting I'm going to visit my cousin Jan in Maple Valley. It's her birthday this week, so we will be celebrating that, and she broke her foot a week or two ago and isn't able to drive herself anywhere. We don't get to visit in person very often so I'm really happy to be getting together. Last time I saw her she came up and we went to the San Juan Islands for a day, and she stayed with me for the weekend. She got me started on knitting a hat. I made a mistake and have let it sit since about a week after she left, so I'm bringing it with me to get fixed! (Jan is an expert knitter and I want to knit just like her when I grow up!)
I sat down and played the piano just for myself today and really enjoyed it. It is therapeautic when I am in the right mood. I have a book of simplified hymns that I like to play from. I flipped through and found my favorites and just played away :) I love "Oh How Lovely Was the Morning." There's a special spirit that goes with that hymn. It tells the story of Joseph Smith's first vision when he was visited by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Very lovely song. Even the simplified arrangement is beautiful.
Friday, May 14, 2010
I read a lot today. Didn't have to go anywhere, and that was nice. It was a beautiful day but once again I didn't walk. After walking faithfully from the 1st of October through the end of February, I feel like a dropout. It started with a knee injury, then 10 days out of town, and the habit was lost! But I am determined to find it again. I'm not sure if I am quite ready to start today. Maybe...
Michann was called in for an interview at AM/PM to work in the carwash. She got the job and was really excited. It may not sound quite up to some people's standards, but she has two friends who work there, will bask in the sunny outdoors, and earn at least some spending money before she starts school in July, so she is quite happy. Magen was called in for an interview as a hostess at Islander's Restaurant and was thrilled. She said even if she didn't get the job it was okay because she was so excited about going on her first job interview :) It sounds like she has a very good chance and should hear over the weekend. I hope she gets it!
Michann was called in for an interview at AM/PM to work in the carwash. She got the job and was really excited. It may not sound quite up to some people's standards, but she has two friends who work there, will bask in the sunny outdoors, and earn at least some spending money before she starts school in July, so she is quite happy. Magen was called in for an interview as a hostess at Islander's Restaurant and was thrilled. She said even if she didn't get the job it was okay because she was so excited about going on her first job interview :) It sounds like she has a very good chance and should hear over the weekend. I hope she gets it!
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann ShafferMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I loved Elizabeth's personality. The book was very enjoyable, even while dealing with the suffering of war. And it reminds us what great depth and meaning books add to our lives.
View all my reviews >>
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
I just stumbled on an option to add my Goodreads.com books to my blog, so I did it, and it worked! You can click on the link to see my full book list. By the way, Charles Dickens is my "reading theme" for the year, but I am mixing in a lot of other books, too.
Good quote -
"Employ human means, as though there were no divine, and divine means, as though there were no human..."
Baltasar Gracian
Jeff and Michann are working on the garage and I think I'll join them. Later this afternoon I'm headed to the annual "Stone Soup" fundraising dinner for Housing Hope, which is one of the boards I serve on. Jeff can't make it tonight, so Carol Jensen and her husband will be picking me up (I don't like downtown parking!). Carol is receiving the "Volunteer of the Year" Award tonight. She is a wonderful long-time volunteer/past board president/etc. for Housing Hope, and it will be nice to honor her. She's a great lady!
Good quote -
"Employ human means, as though there were no divine, and divine means, as though there were no human..."
Baltasar Gracian
Jeff and Michann are working on the garage and I think I'll join them. Later this afternoon I'm headed to the annual "Stone Soup" fundraising dinner for Housing Hope, which is one of the boards I serve on. Jeff can't make it tonight, so Carol Jensen and her husband will be picking me up (I don't like downtown parking!). Carol is receiving the "Volunteer of the Year" Award tonight. She is a wonderful long-time volunteer/past board president/etc. for Housing Hope, and it will be nice to honor her. She's a great lady!
Yikes! My first blog.
It wasn't all that difficult to set up this blog. I have tossed around the idea of blogging for a little while, but kept deciding not to, until today! I usually start feeling drawn to something once it is on the verge of going out of style. So I assume that blogging will soon lose its popularity :)
I have no pre-conceived ideas for this blog, except that I do think once in a while, and I like to write, and keeping a journal is sometimes a priority for me. One thing I don't intend to do is tell my family and friends to read my blog. I'm just going to write it, and let it be what it is.
So here we go...
Michann is home from her first year of college. She's a night owl and a late sleeper when she has the opportunity. The other night she wanted to talk so I got in her bed and we talked for a while. Tonight she's asleep on the couch because she was too tired to go up to bed. So she and I are the only ones downstairs. I wonder if she can hear me. I've got a really loud case of hiccups. I don't remember getting this kind of hiccups for years. They started when I ate a piece of bread a little while ago and it didn't go down very well. She'll probably let me know tomorrow if I disturbed her :)
I know it's disturbing me!
Maybe I'll try a drink of water... I hope that works.
I weeded some in the garden today. So far it only has things in it from last year. Like strawberries, blueberries, chives, rosemary, some sad mint in a pot, and weeds. I tried putting a layer of composted grass clippings on it a month ago, but I guess it wasn't completely composted yet, because as it dried in the sun, it hardened into chunks. I didn't have the energy to do anything with it so I just left it, and hoped it would be okay. I think it might crumble up and mix in with the dirt if I can figure out the right tool to use (a sledgehammer, maybe?). I'm sure eventually it will contribute to the success of the garden.
I also fertilized the strawberries and blueberries last month, and now they are really looking good. No fruit yet, but I'm very optimistic. The strawberry plants are maybe three years old now, and have never produced well. Last year they were tiny, but a beautiful bright red, and very yummy. I hope the fertilizer helps the size increase, and also that it will address whatever was missing in the soil. Same story for the blueberries, except that I think they just didn't get enough water last year. They are still small bushes because I haven't taken the time to water them well, and fertilize them. This will be the year of the berries if all goes well.
I tend to be all or nothing as a gardener. And with many other things. So the goal is to water regularly, weed semi-regularly, and fertilize when the box says to fertilize. I thought I wrote down the next feeding time on my calendar but I just checked and it's not there. So I will make a note for myself to check the fertilizer box tomorrow. Only problem is that it will join all the other notes to myself on my desk (or nightstand). But it will be on top, and it is a priority, so it will probably happen.
Also today I attempted to catch up a little on emails. I have too many to read, but I don't want to delete them. They feel important to get to, so I'll leave them there and read them as I can.
Of course I read the personal ones, but the other ones I sign up for to stay "informed" about things are the ones I'm not keeping up with. It's kind of like reading books... you can either read them, or go out and live life. It seems like there's not enough time to do both.
Michann started cleaning the garage as a Mother's Day gift to me. I have this recent yearning to have a totally clean and organized garage and to take half of it and create a kind of rec. room for the girls and their friends to use during the nicer weather. We have two older couches that I want to put out there, and I'm determined to find a nice used ping-pong table. I'll also get a new carpet remnant to cover the cement floor, and some lamps because it has always been very inadequately lit. But before all that can happen, a lot of cleaning has to happen. Michann made a great start, and Jeff is going to work out there tomorrow. I want to finish in the next few weeks, or we'll lose momentum and it won't be usable before the nice weather is gone. I just hope spiders know when they are not wanted, and that once the garage is clean we can keep it relatively bug-free.
Tonight I finished working on some documents I needed to complete for a fundraiser. One board that I serve on is a very "hands on" working board and I volunteered to create a mailing for a new fundraising attempt. I think it turned out quite nicely and hope that it will do the job (raise money). This organization is small but accomplishes a lot of good, working with students and families to help those who are at risk of academic failure due to personal or family issues, not learning disabilities. Unfortunately, many risk factors are far too common and obviously have quite a detrimental effect on a student's ability to learn (poverty, homelessness, substance abuse, domestic violence, chronic health problems, foster-related issues, and other problems - whether it is the student or parent(s) with these issues).
I just noticed that the hiccups are gone, thank goodness. The water did it. I don't know why I'm staying up so late, I guess the novelty of finally starting a blog. I'm so tired! I did finished a book this morning, "Without Conscience" I think is the name of it. It's a summary of what psychopaths (some call them sociopaths) are like. It's not the type of book I normally read, but it was very interesting. There are a lot of questions that are unanswered about those who have the disorder, but it is far more prevalent than I realized. According to the author, 20% of prison inmates are psychopaths. Not all are violent killers - many are white collar criminals, thieves, con artists, etc. They cause so much pain and suffering, and don't seem to have any remorse. They also don't seem to respond to treatment programs/rehabilitation. Not a very hopeful situation, but it seems to be the focus of some good research which may provide more answers in time.
Okay, I'm going to bed.
I have no pre-conceived ideas for this blog, except that I do think once in a while, and I like to write, and keeping a journal is sometimes a priority for me. One thing I don't intend to do is tell my family and friends to read my blog. I'm just going to write it, and let it be what it is.
So here we go...
Michann is home from her first year of college. She's a night owl and a late sleeper when she has the opportunity. The other night she wanted to talk so I got in her bed and we talked for a while. Tonight she's asleep on the couch because she was too tired to go up to bed. So she and I are the only ones downstairs. I wonder if she can hear me. I've got a really loud case of hiccups. I don't remember getting this kind of hiccups for years. They started when I ate a piece of bread a little while ago and it didn't go down very well. She'll probably let me know tomorrow if I disturbed her :)
I know it's disturbing me!
Maybe I'll try a drink of water... I hope that works.
I weeded some in the garden today. So far it only has things in it from last year. Like strawberries, blueberries, chives, rosemary, some sad mint in a pot, and weeds. I tried putting a layer of composted grass clippings on it a month ago, but I guess it wasn't completely composted yet, because as it dried in the sun, it hardened into chunks. I didn't have the energy to do anything with it so I just left it, and hoped it would be okay. I think it might crumble up and mix in with the dirt if I can figure out the right tool to use (a sledgehammer, maybe?). I'm sure eventually it will contribute to the success of the garden.
I also fertilized the strawberries and blueberries last month, and now they are really looking good. No fruit yet, but I'm very optimistic. The strawberry plants are maybe three years old now, and have never produced well. Last year they were tiny, but a beautiful bright red, and very yummy. I hope the fertilizer helps the size increase, and also that it will address whatever was missing in the soil. Same story for the blueberries, except that I think they just didn't get enough water last year. They are still small bushes because I haven't taken the time to water them well, and fertilize them. This will be the year of the berries if all goes well.
I tend to be all or nothing as a gardener. And with many other things. So the goal is to water regularly, weed semi-regularly, and fertilize when the box says to fertilize. I thought I wrote down the next feeding time on my calendar but I just checked and it's not there. So I will make a note for myself to check the fertilizer box tomorrow. Only problem is that it will join all the other notes to myself on my desk (or nightstand). But it will be on top, and it is a priority, so it will probably happen.
Also today I attempted to catch up a little on emails. I have too many to read, but I don't want to delete them. They feel important to get to, so I'll leave them there and read them as I can.
Of course I read the personal ones, but the other ones I sign up for to stay "informed" about things are the ones I'm not keeping up with. It's kind of like reading books... you can either read them, or go out and live life. It seems like there's not enough time to do both.
Michann started cleaning the garage as a Mother's Day gift to me. I have this recent yearning to have a totally clean and organized garage and to take half of it and create a kind of rec. room for the girls and their friends to use during the nicer weather. We have two older couches that I want to put out there, and I'm determined to find a nice used ping-pong table. I'll also get a new carpet remnant to cover the cement floor, and some lamps because it has always been very inadequately lit. But before all that can happen, a lot of cleaning has to happen. Michann made a great start, and Jeff is going to work out there tomorrow. I want to finish in the next few weeks, or we'll lose momentum and it won't be usable before the nice weather is gone. I just hope spiders know when they are not wanted, and that once the garage is clean we can keep it relatively bug-free.
Tonight I finished working on some documents I needed to complete for a fundraiser. One board that I serve on is a very "hands on" working board and I volunteered to create a mailing for a new fundraising attempt. I think it turned out quite nicely and hope that it will do the job (raise money). This organization is small but accomplishes a lot of good, working with students and families to help those who are at risk of academic failure due to personal or family issues, not learning disabilities. Unfortunately, many risk factors are far too common and obviously have quite a detrimental effect on a student's ability to learn (poverty, homelessness, substance abuse, domestic violence, chronic health problems, foster-related issues, and other problems - whether it is the student or parent(s) with these issues).
I just noticed that the hiccups are gone, thank goodness. The water did it. I don't know why I'm staying up so late, I guess the novelty of finally starting a blog. I'm so tired! I did finished a book this morning, "Without Conscience" I think is the name of it. It's a summary of what psychopaths (some call them sociopaths) are like. It's not the type of book I normally read, but it was very interesting. There are a lot of questions that are unanswered about those who have the disorder, but it is far more prevalent than I realized. According to the author, 20% of prison inmates are psychopaths. Not all are violent killers - many are white collar criminals, thieves, con artists, etc. They cause so much pain and suffering, and don't seem to have any remorse. They also don't seem to respond to treatment programs/rehabilitation. Not a very hopeful situation, but it seems to be the focus of some good research which may provide more answers in time.
Okay, I'm going to bed.
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