The note and the gift of a Tootsie Roll Pop made me smile today. I am thankful for people that take the time to write kind words, especially my students.
11/12/08
Counting My Blessings 12: Kind Words
"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."
11/11/08
Counting My Blessings #11: Our Veterans
As I sat at our school assembly Friday honoring our veterans I was amazed how many young men left Inchelium to go fight the war in Viet Nam. As name after name appeared on the slide show I kept thinking how hard it must have been for those left behind in town that usually never has a senior class of more than twenty students . When one vet got up to speak he choked up talking about how he was treated after coming home to the U.S., but how proud he feels now when he can attend a program in his hometown.
A group of community and staff members are creating a Wall of Honor for all the veterans from Inchelium. It hung proudly as work in progress on the bleachers on Friday. The collage above includes the recently retired principal, a retired teacher and now newly elected county commissioner, a former school board member, and the maintenance man at our school currently. These four Viet Nam veterans got a big applause from our students and staff. I am thankful for all our veterans on this special day to honor them.
Slug Beer Revisited
After my recent post about slugs and beer here I was moved to do more research on the brands of beer that work the most effectively in the little slug taverns in my mother's yard. One article stated that Old Milwaukee was hands down the best slug beer. Another gardener was quoted as saying, " I only use Bud... works every time." Then I stumbled across this."In the old brewery we had a problem with slugs getting into the brewery. As the beer leaves a trail down the glass as you drink it like a slug, that's how Old Slug Porter Dark Ale was named. A delicious traditional porter with a full bodied taste of chocolate, coffee, blackcurrant and black cherry with a good aroma. A near black colour with a good white head when served through a tight sparkler."
The description is almost poetic. A beer named in their honor! I think the slugs in Kellogg would like that taste combination...especially the mix of coffee and chocolate, but I am afraid Mom doesn't have a tight sparkler set up in the garage. I hope she can find this ale on sale at Yoke's!
11/10/08
Counting My Blessings #10: Language
hope against hopeI love to mess around with language. Bryan captured a lifetime of memories tied to phrases. I am thankful to have poems like this which celebrate the way our language can be playful.
Sweater Weather: A Love Song to Language
Never better, mad as a hatter,
right as rain, might and main,
hanky panky, hot toddy,
hoity-toity, cold shoulder,
bowled over, rolling in clover,
low blow, no soap, hope
against hope, pay the piper,
liar liar pants on fire,
high and dry, shoo-fly pie,
fiddle-faddle, fit as a fiddle,
sultan of swat, muskrat
ramble, fat and sassy,
flimflam, happy as a clam,
cat's pajamas, bee's knees,
peas in a pod, pleased as punch,
pretty as a picture, nothing much,
lift the latch, double Dutch,
helter-skelter, hurdy-gurdy,
early bird, feathered friend,
dumb cluck, buck-up,
shilly-shally, willy-nilly,
roly-poly, holy moly,
loose lips sink ships,
spitting image, nip in the air,
hale and hearty, part and parcel,
upsy-dasiy, lazy days,
maybe baby, up to snuff,
flibbertigibbbet, honky-tonk,
spic and span, handyman,
cool as a cucumber, blue moon,
high as a kite, night and noon,
love me or leave, seventh heaven,
up and about, over and out.
11/9/08
Sibling Assignment #80: Animal Beer
This week our sibling assignment was delivered to us from Raymond Pert. He just made the Sibling Ripley's Believe It or Not for being the first to post this week. Here was our assignment:
Take a picture of something weird or of something not weird in a weird way.
Try to make the subject of your picture either unrecognizable or take a picture of something really odd that your viewer won't know what it is. Post the picture and write a post about it in whatever way you want. You might try to identify what's in the picture or you might write what the picture makes you feel or think about or whatever.
Raymond's exciting memoir piece of sleigh riding on Chestnut Hill is here and Silver Valley Girl's superb poem about Kellogg is here. This is the picture Raymond Pert emailed to me:
" Go find the beer I stored in the garage to fill the slug traps," Mom ordered as she was watering her plants, deadheading, and catching a few minutes of " Law and Order " in between.
I went out to the garage and began the challenging task of finding the location of the slug bait. First I found a half a rack of Miller High Life. I called from the porch step into the kitchen, "Is it this Miller?"
"Heavens no... that is not slug beer. I got that for JEJ to drink. It was on sale at Yoke's and I thought that was the kind he likes to drink. I don't spend that kind of money on the slug beer. He does like that kind doesn't he?"
I shrugged my shoulders and went back for round two of search and rescue. With the car in the garage it takes a person built a bit like Olive Oyl to negotiate around the chipper/shredder, the recycle bin, plus watch for falling gardening tools on the pegboard on the wall. I am not build like Olive Oyl and I am a bit clumsy when it comes to tight places. I looked in the empty garbage can, but found a half used bag of peat moss with sacks from McDonald's thrown in on top. Somebody once again forgot that the garbage can on the right is not really a garbage can even though it rests next to the identical garbage can that is used for a garbage can.
Could the beer be under the car? I didn't see it. I looked above at the shelf in the rafters, but I really didn't want three canvas directors' chairs to drop on my head so I tried another area. For some reason maybe Mom put the slug beer in the cupboards on the wall. Let's see.... next to the Round Up, jar of nails, and ten faucets and nozzles there was no beer to be found.
I stubbed my toe on an old cooler the family had since our one and only camping trip with the Costas up the river. It is a metal Coleman with a green padded top. What in the world was that old cooler doing here by the rakes and shovels? I peered inside just for kicks.
Nestled in a bed of crushed ice was a collection of icy cold beers. I grabbed one of the shiny, sweaty cans to look at the brand. It was animal beer! The Schmidts beer was cooling off just waiting to be served. Even though each can was marked with an animal, I didn't see a slug decorating a single can.
"Hey Mom.... is this Schmidts beer in the cooler the slug beer?"
The sounds of the water running, the dishwasher grinding, and gunfire from the television kept Mom from hearing my question. I trudged back in the house and asked her why the animal beer was in the cooler. Was that what I was to use in the slug baits?
"Now.... IEG...it is the cheapest brand of beer at IGA and you know... I read in Heloise that if the beer is cold the slugs are likely to come quicker to the little slug bait taverns. That is why I put the beer on ice and why I wait to put it out at night. Now don't handle the can too much. You will warm it up and it won't work as well."
I looked down at the icy can that was making my hand turn red. I think I had a few more minutes.
"I thought Heidleberg was the brand you always used," I shouted above the noise.
Mom laughed as she shouted back. " It was completely sold out. I heard the Class of '74 was having a pre-function for their reunion tonight. Have you seen this episode of "Law and Order" and where have I seen that actress before?"
" She played Punky Brewster way back when.... I'd know her anywhere" , I replied as I stumbled back over the chipper/shredder and grabbed another cold beer. As I filled the recycled tuna cans I wondered if slugs would like a little tomato juice with their cold beer. After a hot day eating lettuce in the garden and crawling around under the deck what would taste better than a Schmidt's red beer out of a tuna can?
Darn. The tomato juice was probably sold out also.
Take a picture of something weird or of something not weird in a weird way.
Try to make the subject of your picture either unrecognizable or take a picture of something really odd that your viewer won't know what it is. Post the picture and write a post about it in whatever way you want. You might try to identify what's in the picture or you might write what the picture makes you feel or think about or whatever.
Raymond's exciting memoir piece of sleigh riding on Chestnut Hill is here and Silver Valley Girl's superb poem about Kellogg is here. This is the picture Raymond Pert emailed to me:
" Go find the beer I stored in the garage to fill the slug traps," Mom ordered as she was watering her plants, deadheading, and catching a few minutes of " Law and Order " in between.
I went out to the garage and began the challenging task of finding the location of the slug bait. First I found a half a rack of Miller High Life. I called from the porch step into the kitchen, "Is it this Miller?"
"Heavens no... that is not slug beer. I got that for JEJ to drink. It was on sale at Yoke's and I thought that was the kind he likes to drink. I don't spend that kind of money on the slug beer. He does like that kind doesn't he?"
I shrugged my shoulders and went back for round two of search and rescue. With the car in the garage it takes a person built a bit like Olive Oyl to negotiate around the chipper/shredder, the recycle bin, plus watch for falling gardening tools on the pegboard on the wall. I am not build like Olive Oyl and I am a bit clumsy when it comes to tight places. I looked in the empty garbage can, but found a half used bag of peat moss with sacks from McDonald's thrown in on top. Somebody once again forgot that the garbage can on the right is not really a garbage can even though it rests next to the identical garbage can that is used for a garbage can.
Could the beer be under the car? I didn't see it. I looked above at the shelf in the rafters, but I really didn't want three canvas directors' chairs to drop on my head so I tried another area. For some reason maybe Mom put the slug beer in the cupboards on the wall. Let's see.... next to the Round Up, jar of nails, and ten faucets and nozzles there was no beer to be found.
I stubbed my toe on an old cooler the family had since our one and only camping trip with the Costas up the river. It is a metal Coleman with a green padded top. What in the world was that old cooler doing here by the rakes and shovels? I peered inside just for kicks.
Nestled in a bed of crushed ice was a collection of icy cold beers. I grabbed one of the shiny, sweaty cans to look at the brand. It was animal beer! The Schmidts beer was cooling off just waiting to be served. Even though each can was marked with an animal, I didn't see a slug decorating a single can.
"Hey Mom.... is this Schmidts beer in the cooler the slug beer?"
The sounds of the water running, the dishwasher grinding, and gunfire from the television kept Mom from hearing my question. I trudged back in the house and asked her why the animal beer was in the cooler. Was that what I was to use in the slug baits?
"Now.... IEG...it is the cheapest brand of beer at IGA and you know... I read in Heloise that if the beer is cold the slugs are likely to come quicker to the little slug bait taverns. That is why I put the beer on ice and why I wait to put it out at night. Now don't handle the can too much. You will warm it up and it won't work as well."
I looked down at the icy can that was making my hand turn red. I think I had a few more minutes.
"I thought Heidleberg was the brand you always used," I shouted above the noise.
Mom laughed as she shouted back. " It was completely sold out. I heard the Class of '74 was having a pre-function for their reunion tonight. Have you seen this episode of "Law and Order" and where have I seen that actress before?"
" She played Punky Brewster way back when.... I'd know her anywhere" , I replied as I stumbled back over the chipper/shredder and grabbed another cold beer. As I filled the recycled tuna cans I wondered if slugs would like a little tomato juice with their cold beer. After a hot day eating lettuce in the garden and crawling around under the deck what would taste better than a Schmidt's red beer out of a tuna can?
Darn. The tomato juice was probably sold out also.
Counting My Blessings #9: Forever Fifty With A Few Compensations
I love the fact that I have survived into my fifties and I wouldn't go back to any other age. I don't lie about my age although sometimes I can't remember when someone asks me! I am blessed to be at a place in my life where I can honestly reflect on my losses and gains and look forward to many more good years full of love, learning, and grace with a few compensations.I have always loved Judith Viorst from the first time I read The Tenth Good Thing About Barney to a group of students and cried. Her volume Forever Fifty is a favorite in my poetry collection. Enjoy the following and for those of you that are younger... look forward as you get close to being forever fifty! The best is yet to come.
And Now You Want to Know If There Is Anything Good to Say about Getting Older
We aren't as self-centered as we used to be.
We're not as self-pitying- or as just plain dumb.
Middle age has come, and we find
(Along with the inability to sleep all night without
a trip to the bathroom)
A few compensations.
We aren't as uncertain as we used to be.
We've learned to tell the real from the tinsel and fluff.
Getting old is tough, but we find
(Along with the inability to shave our legs unless
we're wearing our glasses)
A few compensations.
We aren't as compliant as we used to be.
We choose our own oughts and musts and got-to's and shoulds.
We're deep into the woods, yet we find
( Along with the inability to eat a pepperfoni pizza at
bedtime)
A few compensations.
We aren't as judgemental as we used to be.
We're quicker to laugh, and not as eager to blame.
There's time left in this game. May we find
(Along with the inability to tell ourselves that
we'll keep playing forever)
A few compensations.
find this volume here along with other favorite titles by Judith Viorst
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