Do you enjoy traveling?

I'm actually tired enough to hit the pillows, but I know that if I go to bed now (it was 9:30 pm when I started writing), I'll be waking up when my husband gets up at 4:15 a.m. That's when he gets ready for work... he has a 45 minute commute to work.

I, on the other hand, have a ten minute commute to work. I don't want to get up at that early hour. It wouldn't be so bad if I could fall right back to sleep, and there was a time when I could, but for some reason my inner clock has changed in recent years, and after I've had about 7 - 8 hours of sleep, if something wakes me up, I have to get up or I will lie in bed awake until I do.

And there is nothing worse on a workday than waking up before you have to, and not being able to go back to sleep when you have another hour or more to do it. If you could <sigh>.

I have tried getting up earlier, just going along with the inner clock thing, but that means I'm at school by 5:30 a.m, and I'm wiped out by the time 2:30 rolls around. I need to be at school some days until 5 or 6pm, so getting there at 5:30 and putting in twelve hours is definitely not something I want to get into the habit of doing.

Which is I why I'm posting this entry... I'm too tired to do any serious work for school, but an entry like this (requiring no searches or photos to upload) I can do to keep me awake until it is safe to go to bed (so I won't wake up too early).

In response to the weekend assignment posted by John at By The Way:

Weekend Assignment #141: Do you enjoy traveling? Not the arriving and being where you're going, mind you; I'm asking if you enjoy the actual act of traveling from one place to another, by car or train or airplane or whatever. What I'm asking is if you enjoy the journey as much as you enjoy the destination.

Extra credit: Any more travel planned for 2006, or are you home for good for the rest of the year?

There was a time when I enjoyed travel, especially when flying. I'm one who likes the journey as much as, if not more than, the destination.

I do not like driving long drives that take more than four hours. A four hour drive out here will get me either to the mountains of NC or the coast of NC... and into Virginia, or into South Carolina. I can probably make it as far west as Tennessee. A good four hour drive, even if I'm drivng alone, is actually exciting and pleasant, providing I have no car troubles to deal with.

Anything more than that infringes on my mental comfort, and after five hours or so, I'm ready for a major break. Eight hours and I'm spending the night in a motel if I'm not where I'm supposed to be.

Traveling, whether for a vacation trip or to visit long distance family, feels different when I'm alone versus when I'm driving with my husband. I like traveling with him more now that we're older than when we were younger.

Then, he always rushed me, questioned my packing decisions, was always in a hurry to get where we were going, cursed at traffic, and was never in a good mood during the trip. Pets never accompanied us on a trip. Traveling was not his favorite activity. He treated it like shopping: go in, get what you want, and leave. That's how he looked at our vacations back then. More than twelve years ago he was like that. I seldom enjoyed our vacations because of all that rushing around to get there.

I like to travel slowly, take my time, enjoy the drive, make some stops along the way, do some side trips... you know, like when I shop: I like to browse. If I see something I need or want, I'll buy it, or I'll look around for ideas and new products... I like to look around when I shop, and when I travel.

But after a few health emergencies that occurred when he was in his forties, my husband began seeing things with new "eyes" and a new philosophy, you might say.

He hasn't rushed me in years, and I can't remember when he last complained about my packing luggage. He takes his time. He waits for me. He suggests we stop and look around, and he enjoys the journey now. He still occasionally cusses at rude drivers on the road, but not like he did back then. He doesn't mind it if we have to take our dogs with us. I even see him smile more often.

So, travelling with him has become more pleasant. But now our working schedules are in conflict, and we don't have the same weeks off, or we differ in what we want to do with our time off. We both agree on relaxation. My mind is in the mountains, his is at the coast.

I also like traveling alone once in awhile, like during the summer when I made that trip to a mountain chalet. I had never done that before, but I needed to get away ... really get away in a spiritual sense... before the new school year started. It was the best time I've ever had alone. Well, Max was with me for companionship and to be a watchdog of sorts. He's a great barker.

Also, when I travel alone, I don't like listening to the radio, except to hear weather reports or occasionally to catch a news report. The radio becomes like so much chatter to my mind when I'm reflecting on change. I like the silence when I'm alone. I think about things I'm trying to solve, or I'll try to recall a dream I had, or think of topics to write about.

Often, I will pray when I'm driving... for the safety of the drivers on the road, including myself. When I see an accident, I will pray for whoever was involved, and I'll pray for the safety of officers on the road, and the roadworkers. I ask God to protect them, and lead them safely to their families by end of day. I think that praying while I drive makes me more aware of my actions as a driver.

Do I plan on doing any more travel for the remainder of 2006? No, I'm home for the rest of the year, except for the family visit on Christmas Day, which is usually less than 2hours, depending upon traffic.

I like traveling as long as I get time to rest when I get backhome. I don't like coming back from a vacation one day and driving to work the next. I need some down time after traveling, and time to regroup and get mentally prepared for the work I do.

Do you like to travel? Write up an entry and leave a link here or in John's journal, or write about it in the comment section here.

Now, ... I think it's safe to go to bed!

Tags: traveling

Welcome a New Journaler!

And to follow up what I just wrote about being with people you love, here's a request I found in Sheria's journal. She met a lady who left a comment in her journal. Sheria asks that we give the lady a visit because no one seems to know her journal exists.

That won't last for long once the word gets out!

Let's welcome her into our community. I don't know her name yet, but I'm sure she would appreciate a howdy-do and a big batch of brownies from the welcoming committee... <grin>... you know what I mean.

Here is her journal address.

http://journals.aol.com/jilla29680/aol.comjilla29680/

Her journal is called The Disintegration of a Female Personality.

Go by and leave a link so she can visit you.

Thank you all. Bea

Tags: http://journals.aol.com/jilla29680/aol.comjilla29680/

Love the ones you're with!

Back in 1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young delivered an album called Deja Vu. I was 17 years old that year, and didn't really know much about CSN&Y. I was a bit too young to follow the Woodstock crowd, and I was headed for college. I liked their music, didn't always understand their lyrics, but there was no mistaking their intent with the song "Ohio," a protest song about the Kent State shootings in May of that year. I was not quite seventeen when I had looked in horror upon the photograph of the young girl kneeling over the body of a student killed by a National Guardsman. Those were tragic days for the students and the military, and for one president.

If you are too young to remember those days, click here for a link to Wikipedia. It will  help you get started on a search for further information.

The reason I mentioned the above was to lead into this: I bought the Deja Vu album a few years later when I was earning money and able to afford the luxury of such. There were a few songs that I loved to hear on that album, including Our House, Teach Your Children, Almost Cut My Hair, Woodstock, and Carry On. I pretty much liked the entire album.

A year later, their second album as CSN&Y was released, called 4-Way Street Album which I did not buy. One song from that album, Love the One You're With is what this entry is about.

I'm not citing the lyrics for the meaning I had read into them back in the seventies. Basically, the song is about lovers being apart, and if you can't be with that person, the philosophy to love the one next to you is touted. Free sex, free of committment, free of guilt. I didn't buy into that thought regarding sexual relationships. I was a one guy kind of woman.

But I do recall the lyrics holding a special meaning in another sense: I had been separated from my loved ones ever since I went off to college. When I moved into the UGA dorm in 1973, my parents moved the rest of the family to Connecticut. Feeling left behind, I became friends with my roommate, and her family sort of adopted me for a short time. I loved the ones I was with because I couldn't be with the ones I loved. For two years, Susan and I were best friends, and her parents welcomed me into their home and their lives. I loved them for that.

While I dated my soon-to-be-husband during my last year of college, I missed him terribly (I lived in Georgia, he in NC) between visits. That same song nearly enticed me to love another simply because I couldn't be with the one I loved. Why not love the one I'm with? I had asked myself.

But it never happened because, like Richard Gere rescuing his Pretty Woman, Steve drove to Georgia to find a place to live and looked for a job so we could be together. We got married soon after, and the rest is romantic, marital history.

Shortly thereafter, my parents moved the family to California, leaving me with my husband and his family. Not an unfair trade-off, actually, since he also had a family as large as my own (each of us had six siblings). Again, I began to love the ones I was with. They became my family because my family was 3,000 miles away.

It's a good thing I learned to love the ones I'm with because my family is scattered across the United States. I don't remember having spent Thanksgiving with any of them as an adult. Every year, I spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with my husband's family. We've been doing this for the 31 years of our marriage.

But it is stressful to  get up early for breakfast, bake or cook something to take along, pack up the car, take care of the dogs, just so we can make the long distance drive to their home, eat a meal that takes no more than fifteen minutes to consume. This would be followed by the desire to take a nap and not being ableto, of being stuffed, of chatting, and joking, and catching up on family news. When the kids were younger, it was more fun, but now that they have all grown, I desire to have Thanksgiving at my house.

This year, we did that. I couldn't be with the ones I loved, so I loved the ones I'm with. Not my family or his family, but our family. Our family is made up of neighbors and friends now. In recent years, our family has been the people we live next door to, down the road from, the ones I go to church with, or work with. In short, our friends and neighbors.

This Thanksgiving I was grateful that my son came home, that he helped me in the kitchen, that we didn't have to drive so far away, didn't have to rush the morning away, and we could relax after we ate. Sharing the kitchen with my son was a happy event for me. It was just like having my little boy home again, except  he baked homemade pumpkin pie and a green bean casserole from scratch. We did everything but have a wooden spoon "fight." It was fun having the Thanksgiving meal in our home.

Afterward, we didn't have to drive two hours in the dark to get back to our home. Instead, I drove to my widow neighbor's house and brought her a Thanksgiving meal. She is still so caught up in her grief that she didn't want to go anywhere this year, not even with her own daughter's family. She thought she would be miserable company for us. So I carried the food to her, then spent an hour visiting with her.

If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with. So I gave her some time, the time I would have been driving on the road had we driven to be with our family. She could have been an aunt, or an older sister. She needed someone to love her for a little while, and so I did. I listened to her talk about her husband, how she missed him, how his death has impacted the familiy dynamics. Mostly I listened. Finally, I told her that she really is a lot stronger than she gives herself credit for, and that she wouldn't have made our day miserable.

The next day, Friday, my best friend called me up in the morning and said "Let's go shopping!"

Wouldn't I have loved to do this very thing with my own sister who lives in Georgia? You bet I would, but we can't be together at this time of year. Rather than feel down and miserable, alone and lonely about family relationships not being memorable for the past 30 years because we've lived so far apart, I choose to love the people that come into my life and act like family. I love them not only because they are friends, but also because they have become my family.

Yesterday, this friend, her pre-teen daughter, and I had the best day together. Not only did both of us get some Christmas shopping done, but the time we spent talking, sharing observations about people and life, chatting about family and philosophies over lunch, and appreciating our shared histories reinforced our friendship. There is a trust between us that only sisters have, whether the kinship is biological or spiritual, built over time, held together by shared happy and sad moments, and permanently bonded by motherhood. Truly, she is my sister, and since I cannot share such a time with my own sister (whom I will be seeing after Christmas this year) and she cannot be with hers, I offer it to the one I love as a sister. I know she feels the same way.

I have found that when I love the one I'm with, I am with the One I love. Always.

Love the one you're with and you will be with the One who loves you.

Tags: Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, family, sisters

Horehound Candy?

Jackie was the first to suggest it, a few others agreed, but it seems I am not the only one who wants to know what horehound candy is.

And since it is late Wednesday evening and I'm feeling disappointed that "Lost" did not come on tonight (it was still Wednesday when I started this entry), but was consoled with a good showing of "Medium" instead (still not a great but an okay substitute), I'm going to address that question right now.

I've done a little searching you see.

One of the things I love about being connected. Not only did I do a little searching, but I managed to renew a subscription online to one of my favorite educational websites, watched Medium, emailed Donna (D's Designs) (during the commercials) several times about her beautiful, seasonal tags and to wish her well following her surgery, uploaded one snag with motion and one tag with snow... maybe you've seen the snow scene in my previous entry? I didn't have any luck with the motion using aol pictures, but was successful with hometown file manager (after I tried several times because apparently there was some problem with hometown link being expired. However Stephanie, 'BamBam, explains how to get around it until it is renewed.

Horehound candy...

Horehound is a common wildflower in our country and Europe, an herb, a member of the mint family. The botanical description of horehound can be found at WaynesWord, an Online Textbook of Natural History, but if you click on this link, you can read it directly.

Because its flowerheads have hooked spiny teeth at the end of each cup-like blossom, they are notorious for hitchhiking on the socks of anyone walking through a fieldof horehound. This little annoying trait makes it an effective seed spreader, resulting in horehound growing all over the United States.

Horehound candy is really a lozenge that some folks swear is soothing to the throat, which is why a couple of my readers suggested it for the laryngitis I endured these past two weeks... yes, you did notice I used the word had... I'd say my voice is about 90% recovered. Horehound candy also prevents dry mouth.

I found a recipe for horehound candy. Actually a couple recipes. Here's one:

                     

                                            Recipe For Horehound Candy:

1. Make a strong horehound infusion: Boil one cup of fresh leaves with two cups of water for ten minutes. Let steep for five minutes and then strain.

2. To make horehound candy: Use one cup of horehound infusion to two cups of white sugar. Place sugar in small saucepan and stir in 1/8th teaspoon cream of tartar, then add the horehound infusion. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then cook over low heat until it reaches 290 Fahrenheit degrees on a candy thermometer. [Or until a drop of the cooked infusion in cold water becomes a hard, glossy ball.] Pour on a buttered plate and score into cough drop sizes when it is semi-hardened. When cool, break apart into sections and store in a cool place until used.

http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ecoph37.htm#horehound

 

But you can buy horehound candy from a number of online candy shoppes. Here's one: Cousins Candy and also at The Vermont Country Store. I have never ordered from either of these shoppes, but just in case you wanted to take a peek at what horehound candy looks like, or might want to order some, there you go.

Well, now that I know what it is, I would like to buy some.

Horehound candy can be stored for up to two years, and I know I'll be needing it next winter... or even this winter as it has only just barely begun for us North Carolinians.

The only thing I don't like about it is that it sounds like it may taste like mint, and I don't really care for mint drops... I like mint-flavored gum, but don't know if I want a huge lozenge of minty freshness in my mouth for very long.

But I do want to try it. I find that many of the old-fashioned remedies actually do work. How about you?... do you use any old-fashioned remedy that really works?... it doesn't have to be for a cold or sorethroat.

What is your favorite old-fashioned remedy that really works? Leave a comment or write about it in your journal and come back to leave a link here.

                 Happy Thanksgiving All!!

Tags: Horehound Candy, D's Designs

Remedies for laryngitis

                  

Just so's you know, I do read all your comments, and often I respond with emails, or go straight to your journal if you leave a comment. Then I'll read your entry, or a few, and leave comments. It's how I let you know that I appreciate your visits!

Today, I'm going to post your suggestions on how to take care of myself during this bout with laryngitis right here in the journal entry itself. What I had was acute laryngitis.... caused by stress, and I didn't yell at the kids, Greg... <grin> it was the coughing that stressed me out... yes, the coughing... <ahem>.

Lisa, Shelly, and Guido pretty much agreed that I had several good remedies already offered... and wished me to get better. I have gotten better since, thank you... and following are some of those wonderful old fashioned remedies. Some worked, some I haven't tried yet.

Many of you came up with the old fashioned remedy of hot/warm tea with lemon and honey. Jackie, Sheria, Natalie, and others agreed that this was a reliable remedy they were familiar with. However, I dislike combining lemon in my tea, hot or cold, although the honey is good either way. So I did the hot tea with honey, skipped the lemon juice. That was very soothing.

Jan's idea had a little twist at the end of her comment... to add glycerin to the honey and lemon. I haven't tried this one either... I have lots of glycerin, though, because I useit to make the homemade dog shampoo, a recipe I wrote about a few days ago. I suppose the glycerin is to keep moisture in the throat?

Then, I tried Bam's variation of honey, lemon, and tea. She suggested I try a teaspoon of straight lemon juice followed by a teaspoon of honey. I found this much more palatable, believe it or not. What I did was pour into a tablespoon a dollop of honey, then squirted on some lemon juice, and as it mixed on the back of my tongue the words to an old familiar song came to mind. I changed the words to go with the treatment:  "... just a spoonful of honey helps the lemon go down, the lemon go dow-own, the lemon - go down.... in the most delightful way!"

Tammy suggested what sounded like warm lemonade, which seemed okay to me, and that her sister tried lemon juice straight up....! I haven't tried that one yet. I agree with you, Tammy. Ick.

Jackie and Sugar also suggested horehound candy...? I don't know what that is, but I'm curious now. Maybe Cracker Barrel has some in their old timey candy barrel? I'll look into it.

Patrick suggested gargling with warm water and pulverized aspirin with lemon juice... I think I will try that one tonight. I wonder if I can use Tylenol instead of aspirin?

Barry came up with a voice technique to help me acquire a voice because I needed to continue teaching... a teacher without a voice is pretty common actually. The kids are often sympathetic and try to help out. As they did for me this week. Students who don't normally like to read out loud actually volunteered to read out loud directions and passages so that I could save my voice.

Barry, I did try to the high pitch exercise with pursing lips. I didn't hear a foghorn, but I did laugh at myself...!! I noticed that if I tried to talk a lower pitch, I could etch out something audible.

Mark and Kate suggested what the good doctor herself would have told me: to rest my voice, not to speak. Sounds simple. Like Kate says, impossible for a teacher. I cannot stay home for two weeks while my throat heals either. So I rested whenever possible each evening.

Now Sugar, the thing about the dirty sock tied around my neck... I think I will bypass that one, my friend!! I laughed with you at that one... I wondered if you had really tried it? Now I remember when I was a child, my mom applying Vick's VapoRub to my chest and throat whenever I had a bad cold, and she would wrap a sock around my neck to keep the heat in. I didn't like the feel of the sock around my neck, but the rubbing of the jelly was soothing and, the attention of her hands around my neck and chest was comforting.

Greg, I did not yell at the kids! I think I've already mentioned that! ... But I could have. I coughed too much, yes, that's my story.

Finally,Martha suggested what my French Canadian grandmother, whom I called memere, would have told me if I could have communicated with her. Martha wrote if you aren't better by now, try a few shots of booze!  I haven't tried that one either. Because it is getting better!

I will have to say that time, rest, and comfortably hot teas with honey helped a great deal. The lemon and honey mixed tasted okay, and may have helped. The fact that I'm not coughing as much as I was last week has also allowed the voicebox to heal.

I had read on the internet, whilesearching remedies, that the honey acts as an antibiotic as well, so that was good to know.

It's not completely restored, but there is audible sound. I was able to teach Sunday School today.

             Thanks for all your well wishes...

                          I do feel better today.

I'm going to find out how to get the snow moving on the lovel winter graphic from Donna... THANK YOU DONNA! ... she sent it to me and it was snowing. I saved it with GIF, and it continued to snow... It will snow again as soon as I find out what to do to get the motion here. bea

Tags: remedies for laryngitis

I want my boice back!

"Hey Mrs. Gilmore, what happened to your boice?" he asked me when I spoke to the students.

"I've lost it..." I whispered hoarsely.

"Does that mean you will never sbeak to us again?" he asked with his Hispanic accent as he lined up in the hall with the others. I was taking the first graders to my classroom for their writing time.

"No chance that will happen!" I replied. "I'll be talking normal again by next week. You'll see. Haven't you ever lost your voice?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "Nah, I neber lost my boice. But my mudder lost her boice once."

So the kids were very nice to me today, sympathetic because I had lost my voice. They thought it must hurt, and I told them my throat didn't hurt... it's just hoarse.

Now my third graders were a little wiser about these things. When they heard me talk, one asked, "Were you screaming at someone over the weekend?"

"No, I wasn't screaming. I just lost my voice, probably from coughing too much."

"Maybe you were yelling too much, then," he suggested.

I told him I hadn't been yelling, and then got on with the lesson about gallons, quarts, pints, and cups...

I feel fine today, just don't have a voice. Any home remedies out there you could share with me??? Please? I have been coughing. No fever. It's more an annoyance than anything right now.

So if you have a favorite recipe that I can make with common kitchen ingredients, like honey, tea, lemon, etc... add them to my comments or email me. I need to get on with my lessons with or without my voice, but preferably with.

Thanks! Bea

Day of Rest?

                          

Usually, at this time on a Sunday morning, I am seated in about the fifth row of pews of my church for worship. I enjoy this aspect of my life, and I regard it with a combination of solemnity and praise. I could not complete my work each day without this day of rest and worship.

Today is not to be usual, for even as my fellow congregants are singing their last hymn and waiting for the Benediction, I am preparing to drive to my classroom.

I've had my day of rest. That was yesterday, Saturday. However, I woke up this morning with a cough and an aching back, on top of the laryngitis I came down with on Friday. I called my fellow Sunday School Teacher, Becky, and asked her to take my class for me. Though she barely heard my croaking voice over the phone,  she said she'd be glad to. She always says that when I ask her. I love Becky for that.

I stayed home all day yesterday and all this morning to give myself rest, to fight off this cold-virus. I think it is working. I am feeling much better now. Even the back ache has gone. Perhaps a few hours of planning will give me a sense of organization for the coming week, and make the days easier to follow through? I can only hope.

I also hope that this is just a cold. I can handle a cold. I can conduct classes, attend meetings, make decisions, call parents, and assess students (hey, they gave me this germ to start with!), with a cold.

I hope it's not the flu. Please don't be the flu...!

Why didn't I go get that flu shot sooner?

It wasn't being offered in such a convenient manner before, might be the reason. Teachers here could drive to their closest high school, where nurses were set up to administer the shots and file the insurance automatically. No waiting in line, no driving clear across town to the doctor's office, no need to miss class time. Very convenient for a teacher who is willing and able to get the flu vaccine.

I don't know why they don't offer the flu shots in, say, late September, you know, just as the fall season is about to start. I think that would have helped me out!

Hey, I believe that was a rant. Not too many of those in this journal. Hmmmm. What gives?

Now, before I go, look in my sidebar ...  the one on the left.

See anything new?

It's below my picture!

My new VIVI award....

Chris, of Cab's Creations designed it... didn't she do a wonderful job?

Now I've got to live up to the title, Best Educational.

You don't have to leave another congrats in this entry... my goodness, you all have said so many nice things already, here and in emails. So, my thanks to you all.

Now, let's get back to our routines (and our other lives away from the computer) and do what we do best... write journal entries!

<grin>

 

Tags: Cab's Creations, VIVI Award

Thank you for the VIVI!

                                                                          

I'd like to offer my congratulations to all the VIVI award winners this year. In some categories, including this one, I really had a tough time voting because more than one journal deserved the recognition.

I'm going to try to get around to the ones I am more familiar with and offer a personal congrats to them. There were a few categories I had not been following, and couldn't very well vote in, but I do recognize many of the winners.

People who blog here at aol journals, and those who don't but read our journal entries, know that there is some exceptional writing going on out here. I'd like to think that's why they keep coming back!

THANK YOU to all those who voted for this journal. <grin> I had not expected to win because I have great respect for the other candidates in this category (Best Educational), and read their journals regularly. If you haven't read their journals, here are their links.   

http://journals.aol.com/memes121/AsIAM    

http://journals.aol.com/radar446/PhotoTrek/

http://journals.aol.co.uk/bobandkate/AnAnalysisofLife/ 

http://journals.aol.com/my78novata/LorisLaurels/

When you have some time, stop by, and check their archives. Either of them could easily have won this recognition. 

I feel like the best thing about the VIVI event is that I (and perhaps you too) have become acquainted with some new journals and their writers whom I had not known previously. I can say in truth that a year ago, I did not know more than two or three aol journalers. Look at my sidebar to the right and you can see that I have lots of favorite journals now.

I'm so glad Jackie added the links in the VIVI awards journals so we can easily click on them to swing by and tell them congratulations. Jackie, you are the best in all categories!

My plan is to come back and finish the children's book entries with links to the authors and blurbs about each book, sometime today. And to rest, stay warm, and drink lots of fluids.

Seems I have lost my voice, may have a virus of some kind. The irony is that Wednesday I went in for my flu shot, but the nurse would not give it to me because I had flu-like symptoms. If I am better by next Wednesday, I can try again. Talk about bad timing.

The good news is that I didn'tlose my voice until after school Friday afternoon, about the time my husband got home from work.We had to talk by his asking me questions that could be answered yes or no. Instead of "How was your day?" he asked "Did you have a good day?" Instead of "What's for dinner?" he asked "Would you like some soup?"

I do not mind getting sick if I am allowed the time to lay in bed all day, so finding myself sick last night, I didn't even complain. I knew I had Saturday and Sunday to catch up on the bedrest.

I wrapped myself up in a warm blanket, made some hot tea with honey, and tried to write a "thank you for the award entry" last night before I went to bed but there seemed to be some major computer issues going on. Then my entry disappeared in its entirety. I thought it might have been an aoljournals problem because I was having trouble accessing other people's journals. At one point, I couldn't even get to my own journal, and when I finally did, I eventually lost what I had written.

So thank you again for the VIVI! I am flattered by this presentation.

                                    

Photo is the cover picture from a favorite book of mine, All You Ever Need by Max Lucado. Illustrations by Douglas Klauba.

What were your favorite children's books?

                                              

Journals Editor Jeff at Magic Smoke is passing on the weekend assignment normally given by John Scalzi, but since John is having some technical problems, he asked Jeff to post it at his site. The assignment question is "what were your favorite children's books?"

My favorite children's books from when I was a child, or my favorite children's books now? Were being a key word, I suppose he's talking about back then, when I was a kid. 

I don't have any pictures of those favorite books. But I do have some favorites now, with picture above.

First, my favorites from long ago...

When I was a little child, my mother read to us the classics. At night, before we fell asleep. I don't know for how long she did this. Recently, I told her that I remembered her reading stories to us at night.

She said "I did?" 

Not the response I expected.

"Yeah, mom, don't you remember?" I queried her. "You bought a set of the classics... that's what you called them. And you would read a chapter or two each night. When you finished a chapter, I would ask you to keep reading. And every night I would look forward to you reading another chapter. I could picture everything as you read. Don't you remember?"

Her surprised look and thoughtful gaze past my head told me she did not remember.

She had to remember! It was one of my fondest memories, something none of my other siblings remember. I wanted them to know that she did this for us,once upon a time. When we were very small. Before any of us could read.

"Mom, you have to remember... Black Beauty.... Swiss Family Robinson... the one about the girl who lived in the Alps with her grandfather...Heidi..."

Mom just grinned. "Well if you say I did, maybe I did. That was a long time ago."

"Well, mom, I just wanted you to know that those stories are the reason I came to love reading. I loved those books. I'm so glad you took the time to read them to us."

But mom had seven children. She was always busy doing something... she probably didn't read to us out loud at bedtime for long... there was always a baby in the house after I was born until after the seventh baby was born.... for eleven years my mother had a baby in the house, along with a toddler or two. Maybe she didn't read to us out loud at our bedtime, but then, who did?

Was it my imagination, then? Could this fond memory of my mother reading to us at bedtime when I was very young be a distortion of time? Maybe what I really remember is me reading to myself... which means I wasn't very small. I would have been at least in fifth or sixth grade to be able to read such classics.

When I think about it, would a five year old really listen to and understand the words from these books, enough to visualize the story, enough to really appreciate them? I guess it's possible. Just hearing one's mother's gentle and melodic voice at a time of day when you are about to drop off to sleep is probably enough to create warm childhood memories.

Hmmmm, now I'm beginning to wonder if my childhood memories have all been remolded in my mind to accommodate images that I treasure most. Like of mothers reading to their youngsters.

Just for the record, for my son's memories, that really was me reading out loud to you, son. I remember all your favorite books, and when you outgrew them, I didn't give your favorites away. I saved those for your own children one day. I still have them, the fragilest ones are packed away, and the sturdier ones are in my classroom, charming more minds and hearts.

I would have saved them all had I had an inkling that I would become a teacher later in life. When I think of all the Zoo Books and Ranger Ricks that I gave away! And all those story books I bought... my first and second graders would have loved them all.

Favorites today? Chris van Allsburg books, as I've mentioned in previous entries.

And the following of some familiar authors, maybe some not so familiar titles. I'm not going to write a blurb about each book tonight due to the time, but will come back tomorrow to edit this entry with more info about each title. I'm fighting off a cold this evening, so please forgive me!       

                                                                   

                                                                    The Master Puppeteer by Katherine Paterson.

                                                            

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry. A lame girl, shunned by her people when her mother dies, is taken from her familiar homeplace to live amongst a ruling class. They want her for her creative weaving skills. She gains privileges, and life seems to be an improvement until she begins to learn the truth about her world. The title refers to her search for the plant that will produce the color blue, a rare color among the people she is forced to live with and work for. If you read and enjoyed The Giver, you will also like this book.

                                                           

Fish by L.S. Matthews. The curiosity behind this book is the question: Is Tiger, the story's child protagonist, a boy or a girl? It doesn't seem to matter in this story about Tiger and his/her English family as they flee a war-ravaged land, seeking safety and rescue for themselves. They do not leave until the last possible moment, making sure that all the other villagers have fled first. With their lives in danger, they are joined by the mysterious Guide and his donkey. Tiger rescues a little fish from the mud pond before the little group treks across the dry and desolate, mountainous landscape. The survival of the fish, reflecting their own struggle to survive the events that threaten their lives, becomes a primary concern as they are driven to reach their destination. Hope is the theme of this story.      

                                                           

The Thief  by Megan Whalen Turner. Kate might be interested in this tale because the author borrows bits and pieces of Greek history and location to tell the story of a young man, a thief, who must steal a treasure, or die. Gen sets out on the quest with a small band of companions, and along the dangerous way he learns about their skills, and they learn something about him. By the end, the reader receives the greatest gift: a well-turned story! It's for the young adult, but I must say I enjoyed it very much. I'm ordering the sequel to it today, despite the fact that I read The Thief two years ago. Ms. Turner is a clever writer.

These selections are not really written for the 8-10 year old, but possibly the older teenager. They need a good selection to choose from as well. The above are excellent choices for teens. More tomorrow.

Misty shows her approval of my new classroom.

I went to school today for a few hours of planning. A necessary event. I would have gone in Saturday instead, but there was that five and a half hours of community breakfast work that tired me out early. I decided to do my weekly planning today instead. It was a trade-off. Sometimes you have to juggle the commitments.

Anyway, that isn't why I'm posting so late at night. I was about to go to bed when I realized I had downloaded some pictures I took today in my classroom.

I brought with me some company today. A couple of my dearest and smallest buddies. I must sadly desert them every day to go to work. On weekends, I take them with me. I leave them at home when my husband is home, but when he is working on the weekends, they go with me. To school.

Here are the latest photos of my classroom, sans children.

                                   

Do you see my little companion? In the back, on the floor, in front of the bookcase to the left? Yeah, you see her now, don't you?

                                                           

This wouldn't be such an amazing photograph if you didn't know that the last three times I have brought Misty with me for a weekend planning session, she trembled anxiously the entire time she was there. Each time, I would have to take her home, then drive back to school to finish my work.

                                                               

She takes awhile adjusting to new environments. In the photo above, taken while I was moving into my classroom back in August, she is actually trembling, and trying to get into my closet. She seems to dislike the openness of the classroom. She repeated that behavior each time I brought her to my classroom.

Until today. Today, she obviously was able to relax. I even caught her napping. I am thrilled! This means she can come anytime to keep me company on the weekends while I work.

Max never had a problem with the transition. He just goes where I go. He'd follow me into a raging river if I called him to me. He completely trusts me. I love that dog!

                                   

And one last shot of the two of  them together. I did get a lot of work done today.

                                  

J-Land Convention to be at Myrtle Beach, SC!

Are you aware that there are plans underway to have a J-Land Convention, where the community of journalers would meet in person?

It is scheduled for March 23-26. It will be at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

If you want to go, you will need to let Gina, Motoxmom, J-Land Convention, know. She needs to know by December 1 for sure if you are going. To make the hotel reservations, she needs at least fifty people making the commitment. There's a convention commitment entry, with instructions about how to add your commitment to the spreadsheet.

You can vote on which hotel to stay in, but votes need to be in by November 10th.

You can read about the two hotel choices in this entry, to help you decide which one you prefer before you vote.

And here you can read about a few of the plans underway.

I won't be able to go, but apparently, there are many others going, even from as far away as UK!

 

Why do I keep a blog?

And one more entry before I fall into the comfort of my bed this Saturday evening.

Kate, An Analysis of Life, has written an entry about 17th century diaries. It's interesting, and historical, as most of her entries are.

The reason I'm mentioning this particular entry is because at the end she poses a question to us. Here are her last words of the entry:

More about 17th century diaries in the next entry...

In the meantime, have a think about why you write your blog/diary. Do an entry on your personal reasons for blogging and come back here and leave a link. Are we all that different from 17th century diarists?

As it happens, I've already written an entry on the topic. If you would like to read it in its entirety, it is in the archives, October 8, 2005. If you would rather not bother, here is an excerpt from that entry, which answers the question why I keep a journal. When I answered, I was writing about keeping a paper journal, not the web version, which are different in content, depth, and purpose.

Here, the excerpt:

Thoughts are sacred. To write of them is a sacred act as well. When one writes of them, one has to lay them out first, as cards on the table, exposed, and regard them all, the good, the bad, and the ugly. One then tries to make sense of these thoughts, organize them, decide which ones to hold and which ones to let go, which ones to table for another writing session, and which ones demand immediate attention. The danger comes when something written is taken out of context. Such preliminary, organizational thinking can be misread or misinterpreted by another. Often the polished piece is never written. Meanwhile, the journaler has discovered the solution and implemented it in her life, which does go on, leaving some pages of the book unwritten. But the journaling itself is whatled her to the answer.

I suppose the thing to do would be to write one’s disappointments, fears, sorrows, and other disturbances on paper, then burn it. That solves the problem of privacy, doesn’t it?

However, the journaler has an agenda. A person on the course of journaling is trying to solve the great mystery of life, to answer the questions of life, unravel the knots of daily interactions. Every person is on such a course, whether they realize it or not. We are all searching for answers, and the quality of the answer can only be measured by the quality of the question. We each have questions that we are asking of ourselves, whether we send them out to the universal cosmos, keep them shut inside and never reveal them, or address them to God. They are the big questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What am I supposed to do with this life that was given me? Where will all this living take me?

But clearly I have not answered her question. I only wrote about why I write in my (paper) journal, but not why I keep a blog. The blog has replaced the paper journal for now... I don't know for how long I can stay away from my composition books and pens, for I truly love the act or process of writing.

Although, typing has its advantages, like the ability to have a clean piece free of errors, and the ability to edit at any time without crossing out or whiting out, what I miss most about the paper journal is my ability to draw in them. I can't draw in the blog. Oh, I can find cute and whimsical tags that others have created to decorate the webpages, but I can't add my own illustrations, my own creative response to something that moves me, unless I draw them first and scan them. I have no scanner at this time, so that is out.

And even if I could add my own illustrations, my own illuminations, is that something I want to open to the public?

Why do I blog then? Because, I think, I like having an audience! And I write differently for an audience. I like how I write when I know someone is going to read it. I think I'm a better writer when someone else is going to regard my words. And, there's the response factor. I am interested in what other's have to say about whatever topic I bring up. I like the interaction of blogging.

But, I'm not giving up the pen and paper journal!

I don't think we are so different from the 17th century diarists after all, except as bloggers, we do have the live audience and comment features which they didn't have.

 

Tags: Journaling, diaries, writing

Max and Misty and Homemade Dog Shampoo

Back in August, about the time I was asked to be a Guest Editor here at aoljournals, I had added the following picture to one of my entries that week. My dogs were in dire need of a complete grooming, which for mini-schnauzers means more than a bath and a brushing. I know several of you out there have mini-schnauzers, so you know what I mean.

                                    

Grooming my babies takes at least an hour for each dog, if I count the bath time. Each dog has their personal likes and dislikes about grooming. First, the bath. They both hate getting wet all over, but Misty dislikes it more than Max. He will at least jump into the tub on his own when I direct him to. Misty, on the other hand, will hide behind or under a piece of furniture when she knows it's bath time, and has even tried running out of the house through the doggie door, which gets her nowhere because that leads to the front deck from which there is no exit to the yard.

 Max waits for his bath.

Grooming always begins with a bath. I make my own shampoo, a recipe handed to me from a veterinarian about thirteen years ago. Just before I began writing this entry, I decided to check the internet for homemade dog shampoo recipes, and voila, I found the recipe that was given to me, so I feel comfortable passing it on to my readers who might want a less expensive dog shampoo that is effective, gentle to the skin, and eliminates the worst of odors.

Homemade Dog Shampoo:

1 part Ivory or Dove liquid (clear) dishwashing soap,

 1 part water,

 1 part vinegar,

 1 part glycerine (you can buy it at the pharmacy, and sometimes I have found it at the grocery store... in little plastic brown bottles).

Actually, I changed the recipe from the one on the internet because the one given to me was written the way I have it written here. I usually start with two  4oz. bottles of glycerin, then measure the rest accordingly (8oz Ivory, 8oz vinegar, 8oz. water), but you can start with whatever amounts you wish.

I mix all the ingredients together and pour it into an empty quart-sized container, like a plastic vinegar bottle or two emptied Ivory bottles. Whatever you like. An old milk jug will do. Just don't forget to label the bottle. I wrote the recipe on the bottle so I wouldn't forget it the next time I had to mix a new batch. I've been using this recipe since 1993.

Misty hiding from me because it's her turn to take a bath.

I like the dog shampoo recipe because all odors get eliminated. Your dog might have just rolled in something that has been dead for a week, but this shampoo removes that smell. The bonus is that the dogs do not smell like vinegar after the bath. You think they would, but they don't. Use this recipe and their coats are left shiny and soft, their skin is moisturized by the glycerine. I suppose you could even use less quantities of soap in the recipe because for the most part, a dog's coat is self cleaning.

                                    

(Photo below) Both dogs are clean, somewhat dried, and if they could they would be laying out in the sun soaking up the rays...or they would be rolling in the grass and the gravel getting dirty again, so that is why they have to air dry in the living room.

                                                   

Now, after you bathe a mini-schnauzer, there is another 30-40 minutes of work ahead which includes brushing and trimming their coat, and clipping their toenails. I can handle any of the trimming, but the clipping toenails I dread because I'm always worried I will cut them too short.

The dogs are even more worried about this. Neither cooperate very well when I attempt to do this job. The secret to clipping the toenails, I think, is to start with short clips... and clip only the dead part of the nail. It's hard to tell where the quick is in their nails because they have black nails, so I just clip a little at a time, and I don't try to do all ten nails in one sitting. I do them over a period of several sittings, perhaps over a couple of days so they won't get stressed over it.

               Misty, 11 

Misty likes the hair trim.... she likes the extra attention all that stroking and talking and petting I do while she is on the grooming table (my husband made it several years ago from an old work table with a clamp on it. It folds up for storage, and sets up quickly. Just big enough for one little dog to stand on while being groomed). She is super sensitive, though, when we get close to her ears, probably from that time my husband was giving her a trim with the electric shears and sheared a little sliver of her ear, back when she was about a year old. She didn't like that, never forgot it.

I know he didn't mean to do it, and he felt badly that he had done it, but after that I sort of took over the job. You can't see the missing piece of ear because her hair covers it up, but if she were ever lost or stolen, and we had to prove she was ours, we would be able to identify her by the shape of her ear.

Max, seven years old

Max doesn't mind the hair trim either, and doesn't mind the ear trimming. He's never had a piece of his ear trimmed away accidentally, nor have his toe nails ever been clipped too short. There is only one thing Max is sensitive about, and though he will never father any offspring, he does not like me getting anywhere near his nether parts with the clippers or scissors. He seems to have an instinct about the effects of cutting.

This week, I did groom my doggies, but only partially. I did not groom their entire coats. I thought they might need the extra covering on their bodies for the coming winter season, so I only trimmed around their faces and their hind-ends.

It's enough. As long as I can see that their eyes are clear and their tails are clean, I'm a satisfied pet owner. Come the spring, they will get the full-treatment once more.

 

 

Tags: Homemade Dog Shampoo, Grooming Schnauzers

It was a good day to be a teacher.

Well, yes, any day is a good day to be a teacher, but today in particular.

I don't know why today and not any other day felt this way, but maybe it was because the young college student who is working on her special education methods practicum spent the entire day with me. She came prepared today to do some of the things she had planned to do to complete her case study.

Her day started early, with a running record (for those not in the field, that is a reading assessment which provides information that leads to a thorough analysis of a student's reading skills in the area of fluency, decoding, and comprehension) of a second grader, a math activity (focusing on reading decimals to the thousandths place, using dice to create the numbers) for two fifth graders, followed by observations of myself and other teachers. Near the end of the day, she led a reading skills activity with two of my first graders, then tutored a first grader while he wrote a rough draft of three sentences from his flow map.

As she worked, I only caught glimpses of her, for I was deeply involved in my own teaching with the other students in the room. Such glimpses result in lengthy thought trails that follow one throughout a busy day. Not until one has time to sit down and reflect can a thought trail be fully appreciated and pondered over.

Back in August, when I was first asked to be a cooperating teacher with the local university, my first reaction was to say "No thank you!" My plate was quickly filling up, having just changed schools following my seventh year as an EC teacher, increased my student case load by 25%, and added two grade levels to my usual two. I did not think I would be able to effectively mentor and guide a senior in the Special Education program of a highly esteemed institution. Too much felt unbalanced, unfamiliar. I did not feel like I was in my element, nor did I think I could handle the extra work it would entail.

Although the introductory letter stated I would not have to do any paperwork, I knew that I would be doing a lot of mental work, that we would have to talk about things, she would be asking questions, and I would have to explain things. Explaining takes time. Further, I don't like talking about what I do. I just like doing it.

And if she were to notice things that didn't seem right, or that seemed effective, or if she were to criticize my methods, or even the methods of other teachers, would I be able to temper my words in a thoughtful manner? Would my words encourage her to continue to ask such questions of veteran teachers, or would my words discourage her and forever brand me as someone who doesn't love her work? Would she leave my classroom inspired, disappointed, or indifferent?

(all these concerns and I hadn't even met her yet!)

In the beginning, I almost responded to that first letter asking if I would be a cooperating teacher for the fall semester with a loud, emphatic "No! I don't have time. Maybe later, in a couple of years when I've settled down into this position. Ask me when I have a few years under my belt. Ask me when...."

That's what I thought. At first.

Good thing I don't always follow my first thought. My second thought, which came after a couple of days of thinking and not thinking about it was to say, "Bea, what is there to lose by taking on a college student for a couple of months? She gains experience in an area that is often difficult to manage these days, and I gain an enthusiastic young person to influence, who will one day be a better teacher than I."

I remember when I was in her shoes. My first case studies nearly ten years ago were second graders with genuine reading problems. Two little kids, who could barely read a first grade level reader. I remember how hard I worked preparing reading lessons for them, not only to help me get my course work done for the 'A' I wanted, but also to help them improve their skills in the process. It remains one of my fondest memories as a student-teacher.

I can still hear their voices as they gleefully read a story they had written together to accompany the pictures in the wordless picture book, "Good Dog, Carl," by Alexandra Day.

                                                              

Yes, if you haven't seen a wordless picture book, my friends, you have missed out on reading. They are delightful treasures that allow even readers who can't read English words to tell/read a story. When a child creates a story based on the pictures they see in a well illustrated volume, rich with color and detail, they are able to use their own words to tell a vivid, inviting story. The teacher writes the words for them, and the student reads it back. His own words. He is reading a story that he has told. The confidence gained by successful reading is invaluable to a beginning reader.

By the way, here is a link to a list of 50 high quality wordless picture book titles. Some of my favorites include Free Fall by David Wiesner, Tuesday, by David Wiesner, Sector 7, also by David Wiesner, The Snowman by Raymond Briggs, A Small Miracle by Peter Collington, and any of the Carl books by Alexandra Day.

But I have digressed.

I was writing about my college student. To think I nearly said no.

After the students were dismissed at the end of their school day, I was mentally drained. My books were scattered about the classroom. She was asking me about next week, what would the fifth grade students need to be focusing on in math so she could plan two lessons. During one of them she will be observed by her professor. I didn't even want to think about next week, but I knew we had to talk about it.

So we did. After an hour of looking through materials, making copies, discussing activities, and setting up a time for her lessons, she left. It was 4:30 pm. I could see that she felt  confident after her work today, and I was pleased that it went well for her. I knew she would look forward to next week, even as I wondered how I was going to get all my planning done for the rest of my students, in their various classes, struggling with their various difficulties. I knew I'd be back here on Sunday.

As I turned out the lights of my classroom, and locked the doors, I stole a glimpse back into my room, dark and quiet. After what I witnessed today, I know she is going to make a fine teacher.

I am glad I said "Yes!"

It's time to vote for VIVI! The voting site is open.

The VIVI Awards Official Voting Site is open starting today and running through the 6th.

Jackie wrote about it at the VIVI Awards Journal today.

You can vote at the Official VIVI Awards 2006 Voting Site, http://viviawards.bravehost.com/secondroundx.html.

I'm ready to vote... how about you?

Just pick out one journal for each category.You can view the categories at the VIVI Awards Journal, here, here, here, here, and here if you haven't already done so.(They are split up into five entries at the VIVI Journal). Have fun!

I'll be back to write more later. Got to get to school!

 

 

Tags: VIVI Awards,