I'm So Sorry

As I posted on Facebook, I am having some technology problems getting on-line. I hope to have them solved soon, but as days have turned to weeks, I have been neglectful of my blog. For this, I apologize

As you know, I do love Christmas and love writing about Christmas. Last year I posted a series of blogs called The Magi's Journal. It was an advent series, 25 posts leading to Christmas. I hope some of you who did not follow those posts will go through my archives and share these posts this holiday season.

Hopefully I will soon have daily access to the Internet once again.

If You Have Done It For The Least Of These

I found out today that the food pantry at church is empty. Mine is not a small church. The other large church in our town has a dwindling pantry, too. I should have suspected this. Many people have reached the end of their unemployment and there is no work here.

It was very humbling to have a college degree and a license in 2 states and still be unable to find work. I am employed now, but make about a quarter of what I made 3 years ago. Others may not have my resources.

I guess what I am trying to say is this, if you are a member of a congregation, inquire as to the state of your church's food pantry. See what you need to round up to donate. If you don't belong to a church, check out other local agencies that provide food for your community.

If we all do a little we can ease the suffering of other. I am about to see, right now, what I have to share.

Training

This is the time of year when teachers are required to update their training. Last weekend I spent time training for my teaching job at Sylvan Learning Center. The rest of this week I was off at a TACS training conference, updating my skills for my job at Woodlawn. I attended numerous helpful, informative classes.

All this training reminded me of some other teaching conferences that I have attended.

I once attended a training conference for my short-lived job working for Shelby Co. public school system. I knew instantly how they regarded their new teachers. Their schedule was so tight that there was no time for a bathroom break and if I wanted a lunch I should have brown-bagged it because there was no time to drive to a nearby fast food restaurant.

My first impressions were correct. The sessions were more about a show of authority and less about providing information about classroom management or teaching techniques.

I taught for 8 years in West Memphis public schools. I did sit through a few good classes, but the basic in-service trainings should have been outlawed under the rules of the Genevia Convention. They were basically ways to cover themselves in an environment of political correctness.

I spent the first 3 days of every school year knowing one thing; I was being paid essentially, to stay awake. I used many methods to try to achieve this end. Once I spent several hours attempting to keep one foot, then the other, about 2 inches from the floor. If I could hold up the foot, it would be impossible to fall asleep, which would have brought down the wrath of my principal.

On another occasion I spent an afternoon doodling in a notebook, hoping that everyone would think I was eagerly jotting information. In fact, I figured that as long as my hand was moving, I couldn't fall asleep. I eventually began drawing large circles on the pad, hoping to fight slumber. What was the session about? I don't know. I just remember a social worker on the stage reading her lecture from a spiral notebook. She never made eye contact with her audience and her monotone voice was like a lullaby. I barely was awake when I exited the building, walked across the parking lot, and headed for home.

I have to say that the sessions I attended last week were much more entertaining and far more helpful for any teacher.

Well, I'm all trained up and ready for action. I wonder what the kids will throw at me this year.

A Dying Tradition

Friday a tradition ended. The daytime soap, Guiding Light, completed its long TV run. It was the first of the TV soaps and, when it began, Roosevelt was the U. S. President. I never watched the show, but have seen soaps come and go over the years.

When I was a girl, my family lived for a year out in the country while my dad was in Japan. My grandmother used to watch 3 soaps; The Doctors, Another World, and Days of Our Lives. My mother, aunt, and I used to gather around the TV each day to watch. Of course, more was implied than shown in soaps back then.

A lot was different in those days. More women were at home and the soaps were entertainment as they cared for the house and their children. Women who didn't have time during the day to turn the pages of a book, could get their romance fix from TV. --And no man could be as romantic as those soap opera guys.

The Doctors bit the dust in the early '80s. Another World--my personal favorite--left the air in the late '90s. Only Days is left to remind me of the time when family gathered around the TV to see what kind of trouble Doug and Julie were into this week.

I confess. I haven't watched a soap in about 6 months. Even before that my viewing was sporadic. --Been to busy with work and life. That's what's killing soaps. Women are out in the work place or in the world. They don't stay home to raise the children or care for the home. For better or worst, times have changed.

I'll Be Good

That is what my Labrador/mix and my renegade Carolina dog are whimpering to me from my back deck. --But I don't believe them. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." What did they do that was so terrible that I won't let them spend time with me this evening? They made an escape, not once, not twice, but three time!

All I wanted was to come home and rest after a long day at school. I had to stop at the store in town, to buy ice cream for a bake sale tomorrow at school. I know, ice cream at a bake sale, but it sells and is an easy way to contribute. Anyway, the checker at the store loaded all my groceries except--you guessed it--the ice cream! Naturally, I didn't find this out till I got home.

As I was unloading the groceries, the garage back door flung opened and the dogs ran through the garage and through the front yard. My son and I called them, but they weren't coming back. As I took the groceries into the house, my son tried to chase them down. They were outrunning him and having a great time. Did I mention that it was raining?

My dogs have an odd habit. They always respond to the sound of my car's engine. The minute they hear the motor running, it is like a moth to a flame. When my son didn't quickly return with the animals, I started up the engine and began to drive down the block. They magically appeared in the middle of the road. I opened the car door, drove home, and parked in the driveway. Adam led them into the house and out to the back yard. The only problem was, both the garage doors were still opened. Within minutes, the dogs were leading 25 year old son on a merry chase through the neighborhood. Again I drove down the street till they returned for another drive home. They were happy, happy dogs, despite the scolding they received.

I called the grocery store and asked about my ice cream. Sure, I could come back and pick up another gallon. Lucky me, another drive into town. When I returned to the garage I noticed something was amiss. The garage door was cracked only about an inch high, just fifteen minutes before. Now it was up about two feet from the ground. Then I realized that the back door was ajar, once again. The dogs must have used their noses to push the heavy garage door opened enough to escape a third time! Who knew they had it in them?

I went to pick up my ice cream while my son scouted the neighborhood. It took about 45 minutes to find them this time. We decided to split up the pack. Taz rode home in the car with me while Dixie Belle walked home with Adam. Each whimpered to be reunited with the other.

They were reunited in my back yard and they have been whimpering ever since. They are going to stay outside, too, at least until I get the wet dog smell out of the back seat of my car.

A Long Day

It was overcast today--not quite autumn--didn't seem like summer. It was a sad sort of day. My son and I went to his father's memorial ceremony.

The date for the ceremony was planned months ago, but that didn't make things any easier for my son. He adored his father and seeing a little leather case that held his ashes was still a difficult thing to do--though he had all ready seen the ashes months ago.

I hadn't seen those in-laws in over 10 years--some in over 20 years. It was a reminder of who I once was and who I thought I would be.

I wonder how I will be remembered.

Frank's dear friend, Joe, read the last chapter of Ecc. during the service. How appropriate. That will surely cause a person to think.

Bi-product of the Recession

People have been impacted by the recession in ways they never expected. Many have come to realize that their financial shortcomings are affecting the treatment of their pets.

Pets are an expensive luxury. Dog care is especially costly. Families have made the heartbreaking decision to take their precious pets to the humane society because they can no longer afford to care for them.

The result is, animal shelters across the country are filled with wonderful, well-trained older animals that are waiting for a good home. Over the years I have owned puppies and I have rescued grown animals. I can say, without question, I prefer the older dogs. Older indoor dogs can be housebroken--a wonderful treat. They have outgrown the gnawing and tearing up phase. They are more settled down and are a lower maintenance animal.

Anyone planning to adopt a pet should consider the animal shelter. Don't be quick to dismiss a mature dog as a family pet. If you prefer a full-blooded animal, be assured that many shelters have them. I once rescued a full-blooded Boston Terrier from a shelter in Murfreesboro TN.

Check out your local shelters and see what they have to offer.