DYK? Bifidis Regularis

Did you know that the term “Bifidis Regularis” is nothing more than a trade name for Bifidobacterium animalis, a strain of anaerobic rod-shaped bacteria that is found in the intestines of most mammals (including humans). The term was created by the Dannon Company in order to make ActiviaTM, their yogurt product, look and sound more scientific. Other trade names that are used to describe this specific strain of Bifidobacterium animalis: Bifidis Digestivum (UK), Bifidobacterium Lactis (Canada) and Bifidus Activo (Spain). The bacteria is a well-studied, well-documented, and effective probiotic that is used worldwide to help improve intestinal health. To read more about Bifidus Regularis, check out this article on Wikipedia.

DYK? Shingles & Depression

Did you know (DYK) that the pain that accompanies shingles, known in medical circles as post herpetic neuralgia (PHN), is the leading cause of suicide amongst the elderly? I heard this statement on a news broadcast last night while I was waiting to have tea and tiramisu with a homeschool friend who, ironically, has suffered from shingles a number of times. For a more detailed discussion of this phenomenon, click here.

Also, did you know that exercise can help alleviate depression? Quoting from Dr. Weil.com:

A Duke University study found that a 16-week exercise program worked s well as antidepressant drugs on adults with symptoms of major depression. The study included 202 men and women divided into four groups: one took antidepressants; a second took a supervised exercise class three times a week; a third group worked out at home. The fourth one took a placebo. At the end of the study, 47 percent of the patients on the antidepressants and 45 percent of those in the exercise class were no longer depressed. The group that exercised at home did well, too --- 40 percent had overcome their symptoms. Of those who took the placebo, only 31 percent improved. Exercise may have the same beneficial effect on the brain chemicals involved in depression as the drugs that target these substances.

For readers who would like to read the full text of this study, check the September 2007 issue of Psychosomatic Medicine. Article title: “Exercise and Pharmacotherapy in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder.”

Advice from Mom

About the Resident Duck

In an effort to declutter the sidebar of my blog, I have summarized the personal information that used to reside there. It will now be available through a link, instead of as a long list.

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Despite what the personal information listed below may say about me, I am nothing more than an ordinary middle-aged woman who enjoys interacting with people, especially to learn and to teach. I tend to put the needs of others before my own and that of my house. I hate chores and housekeeping but, when push comes to shove, I will eventually pick up my abode and wash my clothes. I also dislike exercise, although I will eventually do something (like walk or ride a stationary bike) because I know it is good for me. Still, I would much rather read a book, visit a museum, watch a movie, eat at a restaurant, or spend time with family and friends. I love peanut butter and onion rings and the gingerbread cakes from Colonial Williamsburg. My favorite holiday is Christmas, which (in my opinion) should extend from Halloween to Twelfth Night. My greatest joy is my child and my greatest challenge is prayer. I love the Triune God of confessional Christianity and am grateful that He has blessed me with such an abundant life.

My blog was inspired by a little-known children’s book titled Gooseberry Lane by Bethany Tudor. Two characters from that story, Samuel and Samantha Plush Duck, travel the lane in search of a new home after their cardboard box house melts in a rainstorm. Along the way, they meet Gweek, Mr. Owl, a woodpecker, and some chipmunks, new friends who assist them in their efforts to rebuild their life. I feel like those ducks sometimes --- a lot of the time, actually --- challenged by the unexpected events that have arisen over the years and the daily tasks of life that pressure us all. Yet, with the help of God, my family, my friends, my neighbors, and (occasionally) some hired hands, I manage, at least, to tread water.

My formal education
- Graduate Fairmont Senior High School
- B.A. Political Science from Mankato State University
- B.A. Economics from Mankato State University
- Law school coursework at University of San Diego
- MBA coursework at various institutions

My life roles
- Mother to Katherine the Great
- Stay-at-home mom
- Handbell choir parent/groupie
- Homeschool educator
- Coordinator of homeschool support group
- Wife to King Richard III
- Spouse of cancer survivor
- Retired Navy wife
- Manager of small household
- Family chauffeur et valet
- Owner of three cats & a cockatiel
- Daughter to one surviving parent & one who resides in heaven
- Friend to a chosen few
- Practicing Christian
- Sometimes Sunday School teacher

Other personal descriptors
- Lifelong learner
- Native Minnesotan
- New England transplant
- Bibliophile
- Movie lover
- Music lover
- Puttering pianist
- Former harpist
- Aspiring handbell ringer
- History buff
- Genealogical hobbyist
- Cycling fan
- Very late Baby Boomer/Very early Gen Xer

Last, but not least, I provide the genealogical surnames of my family for the benefit of other genealogy fans who may surf by my blog: Becker, Behrens, Bohlman, Breece, Conner, Cook, Forsythe, Franck, Henkel, Jastram, King, McKenzie, Nimz, Raddue, Schuldt, Stolte, Studer, Wiedow.

And my real name? Michele King

90 Days!

The countdown continues. Ten days ago, I gave the readers of Gooseberry Lane some information about the holiday organizing plans that are available at OrganizedChristmas.com. I looked at all of them this past week and decided to use the Houseworks Holiday Plan, with the Christmas Countdown as my back up in case I get off track (an extremely likely occurrence). Because I came to this effort a few weeks late, I am still trying to catch up. I am sure I will get there…eventually.

So what have I accomplished in my progress toward Christmas? Unfortunately, not much. This is what I should have been doing during the past four weeks, and what is on my to-do list for the next few weeks. I daresay my biggest challenge will not be the holiday preparation tasks; as always, it will be the house clean up chores. I will let you know how I am progressing.

Week 1: Planning & Paperwork
- House Task: declutter, clean, and organize my desk
- Holiday Tasks: Christmas notebook, family values sheet, Christmas planning center, establish budget, Christmas savings plan, master gift list.

Week 2: Calendar & Creativity
- House Task: declutter, clean, and organize my kitchen table
- Holiday Tasks: seasonal calendar, plan holiday travel, scheduling session, tear files, start shopping, inventory craft supplies, begin “gifts to make” list.

Week 3: Me and Mine
- House Task: declutter, clean, and organize my bedroom
- Holiday Tasks: inventory Christmas cards & gift wrap, write Christmas card list, print Christmas card address labels, order Christmas cards, plan pampering sessions, create gift storage area.

Week 4: Close to Home
- House Task: declutter, clean, and organize my child’s room
- Holiday Tasks: seasonal spruce-up exercise, declutter children’s toys, begin collecting stocking stuffers, plan Advent celebrations, divide Christmas card list into sections & begin writing cards (deadline: November 1).

High School Support

Tonight was the first high school support meeting scheduled by our homeschool group, CHOOSE CT. We had a better turn out than I expected --- six moms (usually our support meetings garner only about three attendees). Our topic: the four-year plan. We covered everything from how to determine the number of credits that should be included in a high school curriculum to online resources for classes to the importance/non-importance of issuing an actual diploma to your student. With a mix of veteran and new homeschoolers alike, we had a very fruitful exchange of information. I was especially interested in what some of the other veterans had to say about the challenges they faced when their high school age students attempted to enroll in college courses for dual credit (it wasn’t always smooth sailing).

Some of the resources we discussed:
- North Atlantic Regional High School
- Home School, Inc.
- Edu-Track
- The Teaching Company
- Hewitt Homeschooling Resources
- HSLDA Homeschooling Through High School

The best part of our gathering: the pumpkin cake that was served by our host, Koalagirl15. :-) Topic for our next meeting: Your Greatest Concerns (or How Do I Teach Algebra?)

News from the North Country

Occasionally, I surf over to some Minnesota websites to check out the hometown news. This morning, these tidbits caught my eye. First:

Homeowners in North Minneapolis are becoming frustrated by the rise of thefts in the neighborhood. What’s surprising is what’s being stolen --- not from the inside of their homes, but on the outside.

- snip –

Thieves have been ripping the aluminum siding off of homes in the neighborhood, all for just a little bit of cash.

At the scrap yard, aluminum only goes for 60¢ a pound. Owner Dusty Gibbs had no idea people were stealing the siding; it’s just not worth it.

I am not quite certain how I would react if I woke up to find the siding removed from my home. Of course, since I have wooden shingles on my house, it probably wouldn’t be an issue. Second:

Plans for a series of American Indian blessings at several schools were suspended after some people objected that the blessings would violate separation of church and state.

The blessings were scheduled to start Tuesday, led by Winifred Red Cloud of the Prairie Island Indian Community.

But at Monday’s school board meeting, some residents objected.

- snip –

Tammy Cedergren, a candidate for an open board seat, told board members the event would be equal to her husband, a Christian minister, giving Holy Communion in schools.

Superintendent Stan Siessor said the blessings likely would be canceled. He said he would seek a policy that addresses events that raise concerns about religious encroachment into public schools.

Call me a cynic, but I wonder if Mr. Siessor would consider secular humanism, atheism, or political correctness “religious encroachment?”

And last, an update from Caring Bridge on Paula Coulter, the last survivor of the I-35 Bridge collapse who still remains hospitalized. What follows are some short quotes from the website:

She has made remarkable improvements in both her cognitive therapy as well as her physical therapy. Her long-term memory is perfect and her short-term memory is near perfect.

Paula has mentioned frequently the pain in her right hip/groin area. Today, a CT scan was performed to get to the root of the problem…it had to do with calcification near the area that was causing pain. Paula will begin taking different medication to alleviate the pain.

Medically, her [doctors] think she no longer needs their expertise. Rehab is what she needs now.

“Since my pain is better the past day or so, I am just going to show them that I may not need to move to different rehab. I might just get up tomorrow and start walking.”

So, I guess a good prayer request for the week would be for Mrs. Coulter to heal more quickly and to begin walking as soon as she can.

That’s just a sampling of the news from the Upper Midwest. What’s been happening in your neck of the woods lately?

Immortal, Invisible

This was the closing hymn in church today, chosen to complement the words of our Epistle reading from 1 Timothy 1:12-17:

Immortal, invisible, God only wise.
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish --- but naught changeth Thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
But of all thy rich graces this grace, Lord impart
Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.

All laud we would render; O help us to see
Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee,
And so let Thy glory, Almighty, impart,
Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.

What Would You Say?

A few days ago, on Good Morning, America (GMA), I listened to a segment about Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University who is dying of pancreatic cancer. As a parting project, Mr. Pausch gave a lecture entitled “How To Live Your Childhood Dreams.” In it, he recounted his forty-six-year life journey and the lessons he has learned. At the end of his talk, Mr. Pausch admitted that the lecture wasn’t so much for his audience, or for those of us who have now seen parts of his presentation in the mass media; it was for his three children who, sadly, will not get the opportunity to develop a relationship with their father. To watch Professor Pauch’s entire lecture, click here.

Being the wife of a cancer survivor, I have often heard about people who leave an “ethical will,” a common term for this type of life documentation. A good definition of it came through my e-mail awhile back as a message from Dr. Weil.com:

Unlike typical wills, which disperse money and goods and are often stiff, dry epistles of lawyer-speak, an ethical will is a written distillation of beliefs, values, principles, life lessons, personal observations, hopes, and dreams.

Mr. Pausch recorded his “ethical will” as a lecture; some people write a book; others keep a journal. I know a woman from my Bible Study Fellowship days who recorded these types of thoughts in a Bible that she used during class, a new Bible for each year of study, a special Bible kept specifically for a designated child or grandchild. That way, she could tailor the lessons to the personality of the selected individual.

So, if you were to create an “ethical will,” what would you say? What advice would you dispense on the lessons learned in life? Have you actually lived your childhood dreams? Do you even remember what they are/were?

Just some thoughts for the blogosphere on yet another busy day. Leave your ideas as a comment, if you wish. Otherwise, meditate on it for yourself and maybe start your own version of an “ethical will.” A younger generation is waiting for your wisdom.

Germany Does It Again

I was doing some Google Reader catch-up tasks yesterday afternoon when I came across this article on HSLDA. Once again, the German authorities are persecuting homeschoolers. Why?

German officials appear to be more determined than ever to rid their country of influences that may contribute to the rise of what they call Parallelgesellschaften, parallel societies.

Apparently, American missionary homeschoolers constitute the latest dangerous influence in this category. Again, from the article:

Never mind that Germany has hundreds of thousands of genuinely truant youth hanging around street corners; school officials have determined that parents diligently educating their children at home are a greater danger to German society. Now it would seem that German officials are not content to go after their own citizens, but are also targeting American missionaries who homeschool.

Case in point, the Robinsons, a family of five who arrived in Germany this past spring to serve as independent Baptist missionaries and who also homeschool their three children. The Robinsons were denied a residency permit, a government issued document required of all persons residing in the country beyond 90 days.

Of course, the grounds given for this refusal [were] that it was in the best interest of Germany to protect itself from the development of Parallelgesellschaften.

Upon receipt of this refusal, the family was given 45 days to leave Germany or they would face “forcible deportation.” Fortunately, the Schulunterricht Zu Hause, an organization much like HSLDA, has stepped in to defend the family. The current status of the dispute:

The Robinsons are now working on a compromise that may result in a two-year visa, but to get it they will apparently be forced to promise they will leave at the end of that time and not seek an extension.

I will keep you updated. In the meantime, prayers for this family would be greatly appreciated.

Recording Session

This past Saturday morning, at 7:30 AM, I dropped Katherine the Great (and some handbell tables) at Harkness Chapel on the campus of Connecticut College for the first-ever recording session of the Shoreline Ringers Community Handbell Choir. I don’t know if she was excited about it or not. I think she was tired before the taping session because of the early hour and exhausted afterwards because of the work. Obviously, I was excited, but I digress...

Selections on the CD will probably include:

- Procession of Praise by Arnold Sherman
- Morning by Edvard Grieg
- In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg
- The Girl With the Flaxen Hair by Claude Debussy
- This Little Light of Mine by Hart Morris
- Pavane by Gabriel Fauré
- Paean by Sondra Tucker
- Sharon’s Song by Donald Allured
- A Walk in the Park by Karen Lakey Buckwalter
- Rhythmic Rip by John Behnke
- Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson
- The Nutcracker by Tchaikovksy
- Plink, Plank, Plunk by Leroy Anderson
- Marche Triumphale by Michael Helman

I will try to have the CD for sale (or at least a link to where you can buy it) when it becomes available. Stay tuned.

100 Days and Counting!

Not to be the harbinger of doom on this lovely Sunday but as of today, it is 100 days until Christmas. If you are an early holiday planner/shopper (or someone who wishes to be), you may want to check out OrganizedChristmas.com. They have four FREE holiday preparation plans, each designed to address a different organizational style: one for the long-term thinker, two for the intermediate planner, and one for the last-minute type. I have tried the last and the first, but not the in-between. I guess I should try that one this year.

The long-term plan is the Rudolph Club. I started this in January 2007 and gave up sometime in the spring. It was enjoyable while I had some extra time during the immediate after-Christmas months, but became too much for my schedule once the spring and summer months hit. This plan works thus: on the twenty-fifth day of each month, missions are posted on OrganizedChristmas.com that help spread the work of holiday preparation over many months. Plan participants and authors also post one Christmas book to read and one holiday film to watch during any given month. I thought this a bit over the top at first, but actually got some great gift ideas from the recommended titles. Speaking from experience, the Rudolph Club works well for individuals with uncommitted periods of time that extend throughout the year.

The short-term plan is known as the Christmas Countdown. This method spreads the work of holiday preparation over only six weeks, from late October to mid December. Since most Christmas planners use this model, I would imagine it is quite popular on OrganizedChirstmas.com as well. Six weeks is doable for most people; it is far enough ahead to be effective and close enough that participants feel “in the holiday spirit.”

The intermediate plans are the Houseworks Holiday Plan and the Holiday Grand Plan. The former began on September 2nd this year, while the latter started on August 26th. The Houseworks Plan divides the time between now and Christmas into various focus weeks like “Me and Mine,” “Family Space,” and “Calendar & Creativity.” In addition, it assigns such holiday preparation assignments as creating checklists, mailing gifts, and writing Christmas cards, just to name a few. On the other hand, the Holiday Grand Plan is more extensive. It seems to be designed for individuals who have the time (or the need) to deep clean and declutter while also preparing for the holidays. Like the Houseworks Plan, it is divided into focus weeks, although the emphases are a bit different. Both plans finish a week or two before Christmas so participants can enjoy some relaxation time in addition to being organized.

Are you ready for the 2007 holiday season? I know I’m not. That’s why I am considering using one of these plans. I will let you know how it goes

Curriculum 2007-2008

Since I have recently ranted here and here on Gooseberry Lane about the planned reform/redesign of high school in Connecticut, I thought I should post the coursework that my daughter will be striving to complete this year. A few of these classes will extend for the entire year from September 1, 2007 – August 31, 2008; others will only run for a “semester” or a “quarter.” The goal, set by my daughter, is to succeed at a rigorous program so that if she decides to apply to a competitive university, she will have a shot at admission. I am not certain she will be able to finish everything on this list, but she is certainly determined to give it her best effort. The best I can do is support her in her chosen program.

English
- Institute for Excellence in Writing & Grammar
- Skills for Literary Analysis
- American Literature
- Understanding Poetry

Math
- Algebra 2
- Geometry

Science
- Biology Lab
- Human Anatomy (with lab)
- Physical Science

Fine Arts
- Understanding the Fundamentals of Music & Composition
- How to Listen to and Understand Opera

Social Studies & History
- Basic American Government
- American Religious History

Computer Science
- Study for Brainbench online certification examination (Mac OS X)

Health & Physical Education
- Health & Human Sexuality
- Manners & More
- Drivers Training
- Personal Fitness (possibly bowling, swimming, or Pilates)

Foreign Language
- French

Extracurriculuar Activities
- Shoreline Ringers Community Handbell Choir
- Church choir
- Piano lessons
- Organ lessons
- Voice lessons

Enumeration Statute

In the state of Connecticut, school districts and other state agencies that have jurisdiction over children must periodically count the number of kids of compulsory school age. This includes homeschooled children. So, if you are a homeschooling parent and you receive a letter from the local school (or from some other child-related agency) asking for vital statistical data about your children, you must comply or face a $25.00 fine.

Here are the actual statutes for your perusal:

Section 10-249. Enumeration of children of compulsory school age in school districts and by state departments having jurisdiction over such children. (a) the board of education for each local and regional school district shall annually determine by age the number of children of compulsory school age who reside within the jurisdiction of such school district as of January first of each year. Such determination shall be made by (1) enumeration of each such child individually or (2) any reasonable means of accounting approved by the Commissioner of Education.

(b) If any child of compulsory school age is not attending school within the jurisdiction of the board of education of a local or regional school district, the superintendent of schools of the district shall make a reasonable effort to ascertain the reason for such nonattendance. If such child is employed at labor, the superintendent of schools shall make a reasonable effort to ascertain the name and address of such child’s employer or of the establishment where such child is employed. Returns shall be made to the board of education on or before the fifteenth day of May. Any state, local or other public agency shall, upon request by the superintendent of schools, provide such information as may be reasonably required for the purposes of this section.

(c) Each state department shall report periodically to the Commissioner of Education at such time and in such manner as he shall prescribe, the name and address of the most recent residence within the state for each child of compulsory school age under the jurisdiction of such department. The commissioner shall provide such information to the superintendent of schools of the local or regional school district wherein such child is indicated to have most recently resided.

Section 10-251. Penalty for refusing to give age of child. Any person having control of a child under twenty-one years of age who willfully refuses to give the name and age of such child, and such information concerning the school attendance of such child as this chapter requires, shall be fined not more than twenty-five dollars.

Online Quiz Results

A few days ago, my darling husband sent me this online quiz, apparently because he feels I spend too much time with my computer. :-) The results:

54%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

I was so intrigued by this little exercise that I decided to try a few more silly exams. Here are those results:

$4375.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth. From Mingle2 - Free Dating Site

2,336,880How Many Germs Live On Your K

Ridiculous, I know. What can I say, I was tired and my bizarre sense of humor got the best of me. Have a great weekend!

Another Warning?

This morning, in all that extra time I don’t seem to have these days, I surfed on over to the Connecticut State Department of Education website to keep up on the latest with your friend and mine, Commissioner McQuillan. Much to my surprise, the “Commissioner’s Update” page had disappeared, so I browsed around a bit. Guess what I found? A “Back-to-School Message” that contained some very interesting phrases. First:

…for the past several months we have heard the voices of concern in state government and in our business community that our schools are no longer at the top of the national charts in student achievement and that we are not preparing our young people to succeed on the college campus or in the workplace as we must.

Well, I don’t know about the voices of state government or the business community, but I can tell you that the voices of my friends and colleagues have complained that the twenty-something cashiers at Henny Penny couldn’t make change or ring up a sale when their computerized cash registers crashed.

Second:

The State Board has embarked on a critical reform agenda that will focus on three key areas:
- expanding preschool opportunities for all students
- restructuring high school
- closing the achievement gaps while improving performance of all students

The state department of education has reorganized and will be working with school districts more closely to improve achievement and to turn-around schools that are not seeing progress.

I just love it when bureaucrats use the word “agenda.” It fills me with such confidence that they mean something other than what is written. For example, Mr. McQuillan stated that he would expand preschool “opportunities” for all students. My cynical ear heard: mandatory preschool at age three unless you, the parent, can demonstrate some compelling reason not to participate.

Also, what does Commissioner McQuillan mean when he says, ”The state department of education has reorganized and will be working with school districts more closely…” Just what does this new departmental structure look like? Who is now responsible for what functions within the agency? And just how cozy is this new relationship with the individual school districts?

And my favorite:

On high school reform, the State Board has formed a study committee that has been working over the summer months to make recommendations on restructuring Connecticut’s high schools. These recommendations will go to the State Board of Education this fall and then to the Connecticut General Assembly for proposed legislation in the 2008 session.

Ah, ha! Look at that last sentence. Is that yet another warning shot across the bow of my homeschool dinghy? A shot that could portend a profound change in the way homeschooling is conducted in this state? It is possible, although I still have no idea what this “proposed legislation” looks like. I will just have to wait and see what shows up before the Assembly and the Education Committee. Hopefully, Commissioner McQuillan will confine his reforms to the public school classroom.

Fall --- Now and Then

After lunch today, I went “jaunting” with my daughter for about an hour, an activity that would take some explaining, so I will save it for another blog entry. Anyway, on our way down Tom Wheeler Road, I realized that the rain (combined with the wind of previous days) was doing a nice job of knocking some of the leaves off the already turning trees. Hence, the photo. I can’t believe the color is coming so quickly this year. Much different from six years ago.

On September 11, 2001, the only trees that were dedicated to a color change stood on the road outside the submarine base near my home. It was crisp at dawn but had warmed nicely by mid-morning; it was a beautiful, exceptionally clear day. It was also the first day of “class” for our homeschool that year. My daughter, eleven years old at the time, was working on a spelling test. The television was off. Sometime around 9:00 AM, my mother-in-law phoned from Minnesota, her voice somewhat panicked, at which point I tuned into CNN to see what was unfathomable. By the time the plane hit the Pentagon, my husband was home for an extremely early lunch break at Home Depot. I can still see him standing by the back door watching the news coverage while I sat with my daughter at the kitchen island.

A few hours earlier, as I moved through my morning routine, a woman named Ruth McCourt, the resident of a nearby town, and her four-year-old daughter, Juliana Valentine McCourt, were preparing to fly on United Airlines Flight 175. Total strangers to me, it is possible that their plane flew over my house that day as I live between Boston and New York City. It amazes me to think how many people were engaged in so much personal activity that morning, how many decisions were made (or not made) that had such a profound effect on so many lives.

For example, what if Ms. McCourt had postponed her trip at the last minute? She would now be enjoying a relationship with a teenage daughter who would be entering high school. What if Mr. McCourt had joined his wife? An entire family would have died that morning instead of one person being left behind. What if the courageous people onboard United Airlines Flight 93 had decided to do nothing, instead of thwarting the plans of a small group of madmen? The world would be a very different place. But then, the world is a very different place.

I watched a news magazine program several years ago where it was reported that a museum official, in rejecting an exhibit on the great men and women of history, stated that people don’t matter, only institutions matter. I couldn’t disagree more. On September 11th, people were the only thing that mattered: the people who died, the people who survived, the people who were heroes, the people who comforted others, the people who were comforted…it was all about people. It is still all about people, people that we should honor and remember annually.

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. --- Deuteronomy 4:9 NIV

Finally, A Forever Family

I got word, along with many other friends and family members, that Tova has been given to her forever family and that the adoption is now official. Praise the Lord! The long wait is finally over. Here are some tidbits from the most recent messages I have read:

Wow! What a little doll baby!!! Well, ok, NOT so little…I think she really does weigh as much as [her sister]!

Her feet are almost as big as Sabra’s, too! They brought her in the cutest pink shorts outfit and really cute metallic pink sandals. Though she prefers them off…she’ll fit in with our family just fine!

Now, how is that???? Sabra’s Gotcha Day was July 4th. Tova’s adoption day is 9/11! WHAT A REASON TO CELEBRATE!!!!!!!!! Not that we will ever forget about 9/11, it’s just good to have it as a positive now!

So, we went back to the adoption building, and had our adoption “interview.”…[T]he interviewer decided we are good parents, so she granted our adoption. :-)

NO TEARS today…NONE at all!!! Just little “uhs” when someone got too close that she was not happy about! And then she might return to the security of Baba’s [Daddy’s] lap! She was also chattering to Baba in Chinese. Too cute!

I don’t want to post any more than that. You may be able to see more about Tova’s amazing adventure home to her forever family by checking 2 Raven-haired Beauties. Nothing new was posted there recently, but only because the new family is so busy getting to know each other. Keep checking. Something should appear in a few days.

Don’t forget, if you would still like to contribute to Tova’s Orphanage Fund, just click the “ChipIn” button at the top of the blog and follow the directions. Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

A World Geography Lesson

After I posted The Animaniacs at School on Monday, my husband found some similar videos. Here is one on world geography. See if you can keep up.

The Animaniacs at School

Yesterday evening, when I was checking my Google Reader for any new postings to the several blogs that I watch, I found this on Consent of the Governed. After watching the video a few times, I decided to post it here on Gooseberry Lane as well, to celebrate the fact that TODAY I will begin teaching my first American Government class for the homeschool group (yikes!). Enjoy the geography lesson.

Short Update from China

As nothing new has been posted over at 2 Raven-haired Beauties since my friends departed for China on Friday, I thought I would supply an update from some of the messages that have come through on the “Tova loop.” These are just excerpts:

The Guangzhou airport Baiyun Novotel hotel is AWESOME. Loved it.

We are safely in Nanning.

We get our precious Tova tomorrow afternoon [9/10/07] about 3 pm, so 3 am for most of you!

Hopefully, I will hear more today. In the meantime, if you haven’t contributed to the Donations for Tova’s Orphange fund yet, please take a few minutes to do so by clicking on the “ChipIn” button at the top of this blog. Any assistance you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Feel the Freedom…Eventually

The first article I ever wrote for Gooseberry Lane was about my Subaru. Rather, it was about the difference between my Subaru Outback and my husband’s Mazda Protégé, a difference that was very pronounced to me at the time because I was forced to drive the latter while the former was “in the shop,” a phrase that (around here) means in my driveway.

Looking back at that first blog entry, I noticed that I was prompted to write it after my lovely car had been in the “repair area” of my driveway for…are you ready?…two weeks. In that article, I also mentioned that the phrase “for the duration,” as used in my house, has a rather fluid definition. In August 2006, it meant two weeks; in 2005, when a defective head gasket needed replacing, it meant seven months; this time, the phrase meant almost the same amount of time: seven and a half months. So, why does it take so long to fix cars at my house?

Well, as a rule, my husband is slow to get going on projects, deliberate and quality-oriented while working on projects, easily distracted from projects if they take too long, and slow to finish projects. Translation: he works 60-80 hours per week, is exhausted when he gets home, and (being a thyroid patient) generally requires more than six hours of sleep per night on average. Yes, I definitely get frustrated with these challenges, but when the job is done, I am always pleased with the results (and this time is no exception), plus I know the quality of the work far exceeds that which would be supplied by a dealership mechanic. For example, this time, as a preventative measure, my husband cleaned up and painted the shifter stay on my Subaru because it was “crusty.” Now, I ask you, how many mechanics have the time (or the inclination) to perform that kind of maintenance on a customer vehicle? For that matter, how many people have the inclination to have that kind of maintenance performed on their vehicle? My guess: not many.

Another reason automobile repairs take so long at my house is, truthfully, my fault. I have come to put so much faith in King Richard and his auto repair expertise, that I simply don’t trust other mechanics to perform the same quality of service on my car. When I was dating my husband, just before we got married and just after we had driven our first “couple” car home on approved credit from a Subaru dealership in San Diego, I awoke one Saturday to find him surrounded by neatly organized piles of car parts from the entire dashboard assembly of a car that still wasn’t under a sales contract (in other words, not even ours!). He was annoyed that the trip odometer wasn’t functioning properly and had decided to fix it. After recovering from the shock that he had torn apart someone else’s property, I was incredibly impressed by the fact that he had returned the car to a perfect, pre-repair state. Up to that point in my life, all the guys I knew who removed the dashboard from an automobile had a sack of parts leftover and the dashboard was never replaced. A while later, King Richard replaced the wheel bearings on that car (an even bigger job) with similar results. Like I said, I was impressed.

A third, more practical reason for the repeated delays in auto repair is timing; more specifically, the timing of the weather. My Subaru never manages to develop a problem until it is either too hot for human habitation or too cold to lie under a car for the several hours that it often takes to repair it. As my husband says, “It is a little tough to crawl through a snowdrift to fix your automobile,” or something to that effect. Unfortunately, I must concede the truth of that statement and be patient. I must also concede that, as a thyroid patient, temperature extremes are difficult for my “in house” mechanic to endure without frequent breaks, so that impacts the speed of work as well.

Yet, in the end, the wait pays off. I get an impeccably repaired car that is reliable and he gets the satisfaction of working on a machine, something that (ultimately) proves beneficial for both of us.

Mission Tova Begins

My friends are off to China to pick up their new daughter, Tova Faith! They left this morning on an early flight from Orlando, Florida. It is my understanding that they will head through Detroit and Tokyo before reaching Guangzhou late this evening. Tomorrow will bring more travel to Nanning in Guangxi Province. If you want to follow their exciting journey, visit 2 Raven-haired Beauties for updates. I know I will.

Donations for Tova

My friends in Florida are headed to China in a few days to pick up their second daughter, Tova Faith (in Chinese, Lai Su Cui). She is two years old and has a life story that is, sadly, much too common amongst foreign adoptees. Abandoned by her birth family at the tender age of only one month, Tova was left in a park, either because her parents could not afford to deal with her heart problem (atrial septal defect) or because they wanted a boy.

You see, since 1979, in an effort to address the problem of overpopulation, China has enforced a one-child per family rule (to learn more, click here). Suffice it to say that, as written and implemented*, in a culture that reveres men, this policy has had some pretty distasteful consequences, especially for female children, among them:

- fines for second or subsequent pregnancies
- pressure to abort second or subsequent children (legal in China)
- forced sterilization
- neglect, abandonment**, and death

For example, Sabra Grace (Tova’s big sister) was abandoned in a marketplace when she was just a few days old, possibly only a few hours old. She had a cleft lip and palate, a defect that is more common in Asian cultures, according to my friend. It is believed that her parents could not afford her medical care or (like Tova) preferred to try for a male child.

In 2005, my friends brought Sabra home from Guangdong Province, just north of Hong Kong. This week, Tova will begin her journey to America from Guangxi Province, near the city of Nanning. Needless to say, her “forever family” is excited. Yet, they still face the financial challenge of raising money for the “mandatory, voluntary” donation to Tova’s orphanage, a requirement established by the Chinese government that must be met by all adoptive parents in order to complete the adoption process. If you would like to help Tova Grace come home by contributing to her orphanage fund, please click on the “ChipIn” box at the top of this blog, or visit 2 Raven-haired Beauties today. Thank you for your generosity and assistance. I know my friends will be forever grateful.

*The one-child rule currently applies only to the ethnic Han people who reside in urban areas. Chinese citizens living in rural areas and minorities living within the country are exempt from the policy.

**It is illegal to abandon children in China.

I Have a Car!

At the end of January, the clutch on my lovely Subaru Outback began to emit a distinctly incorrect aroma, most especially when I drove the car in reverse and even more so when I drove the car in reverse up a hill. When I informed my husband of this problem, his response was adamant, “Don’t drive the car!” It is now seven months (plus) later and my car is finally fixed! My husband test-drove it last night and, apparently, all is well. I will be hopping into the beauty in a few minutes to go (where else?) out for breakfast to celebrate! Yippee! My car is fixed! My car is fixed! My car is fixed! Hurrah!

Caption Contest

I took this picture on Sunday last while my husband was repairing my Subaru. He thinks the photo is begging for a caption (or a headline) but, frankly, I can’t think of anything. Consequently, I offer it up for ideas in the first-ever caption contest here on Gooseberry Lane. Contest deadline: Monday, September 10, 2007. Contest rule: no profanity or vulgarity, please. I look forward to hearing your suggestions.

The Ship Is In

Yesterday morning, just after sunrise, the largest ship ever to moor in New London Harbor arrived under the watchful eye of many local residents, including me. I headed to Eastern Point Beach at around 6:00 AM, hoping to get a picture of the Explorer of the Seas before taking my husband to work. Unfortunately, the sunrise photo was not to be. The lovely lady was a bit slower than my schedule allowed and by the time I returned to the river, she was already nestled safely at the State Pier, piloted into position by Captain Sverre Ryan of Royal Caribbean and Captain Vincent Cashin of the Connecticut State Marine Pilots. I took the picture at right from the parking lot of Proto-Power, a business across the river from the berth.

The Royal Caribbean luxury liner is quite impressive. Just look at these statistics:

- maiden voyage: October 28, 2000
- passenger capacity: 3,114
- gross tonnage: 138,000 tons
- length: 1020 feet
- maximum beam: 157.5 feet
- height: 208 feet
- draft: 29 feet
- cruising speed: 23.7 knots (~25 mph)

So, she is seventy-two feet shorter than the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), the ninth Nimitz-class supercarrier. She also has a shorter beam, 157.5 feet vs. 252 feet for the “Gipper.” However, she exceeds the aircraft carrier in gross tonnage by almost 34,000 tons. I guess the descriptor “big” is kind of an understatement.

What is not an understatement when referring to the Explorer of the Seas is the label “luxury.” This evening, I briefly explored the Royal Caribbean website for the ship and, let me tell you, the only word I uttered for a while was “wow.” The largest guest room onboard is 1114 square feet, only 214 square feet bigger than my house, and it comes with a baby grand piano! Other amenities for cruising travelers:

- ice-skating rink
- rock-climbing wall
- in-line skating
- Royal Promenade mall (open 24 hours)
- Johnny Rockets® ‘50’s-style restaurant
- Portofino Italian restaurant
- various themed bars & lounges
- a casino
- golf simulators
- miniature golf course (9-hole)
- Adventure Ocean® youth facilities
- ShipShape® Day Spa & Fitness Center
- basketball court (full-size)
- three swimming pools
- a jogging track
- a five-story theater (complete with orchestra pit)
- a conference center
- a library
- an art gallery
- a wedding chapel

Yet, amidst all that opulence, I found this:

This cruise ship is so high-tech, it even features the University of Miami Ocean Lab, a state-of-the art oceanographic and atmospheric science lab.

Apparently, this effort is quite active because I found descriptions of presentations that will be given onboard during the month of August (check this link). The talk for the current cruise to New England and Canada:

Weather --- A Slice of Life by Christy Crosiar
Weather’s slice of life has been described as everything between the mud to sun. Weather is the common denominator for everyone who spends part of their life outdoors. As an outdoor creature, come and participate in the science you know and learn about normals, currents and satellites.

Not being a fan of cruising (probably because of too much time spent around Navy ships), I am at least pleased to see that all that luxury is also being put to good use as an educational platform.

If you missed the Explorer of the Seas this time around, don’t fret. The ship will return three more times this fall as part of a schedule of weeklong cruises to Canada: September 15, September 29, and October 13. Bon voyage!