Update on California Friends

Good news from the west coast! Our friends and their relatives are all safe and back home, or they were never evacuated because the fire steered clear of their communities. All their property is intact and life is returning to normal, whatever that is considering that large portions of San Diego County are still engulfed in flame. The current estimate is that ~1500 homes were destroyed in the San Diego area alone, with ~ 482,000 acres burned in total throughout the state. Residents will be cleaning up for a while.

If you would like to monitor the wildfire recovery effort, visit the San Diego Fire Blog. If you would like to donate to the cause, visit either the American Red Cross or Charity Navigator. If neither of those activities is possible for you, I would ask that you pray for all who were (and are) affected by the disaster. Thank you.

Still Counting: 60 Days

Ten more days have passed since my last banging of the Christmas-countdown gong. The holiday is definitely approaching and preparations have begun, not just at my house but in the stores as well.

This morning while I was waiting for my daughter to finish her combined piano/organ lesson (90 minutes in length), I studied in the library of the Episcopal church where this weekly event occurs. While there, I perused the shelves a bit and found an interesting little book entitled Advent Begins at Home: Family Prayers and Activities for Advent and Christmas. Tucked away in the back of this miniature volume was the following activity under the heading “Tree Decorating and Blessing.”

In order to bless a tree, you should remember that a tree can also bless you. For that to happen you need to come to know the tree. Let all members of the family gather around the tree, before it is decorated, and take a good look at it. If it is a cut tree, look at its trunk and try to tell how old it is --- one ring stands for one year. Count the branches; look closely at the needles; feel them, let them tickle you. Smell the pine scent. You could give the tree some water as one in the family reads this prayer.

O Father and Creator of this most special tree which has come to our family, help us to be ever-mindful to feed and give drink to each other as we now feed and give drink to this tree. Help us to know that we receive life from each other, that we need each other, and that we need most especially to remember each other at this season. Amen.

Next, while the tree is being placed in its stand, the following prayer may be said by the head of the household.

Father and Provider of our home, as we give this tree a home within our house, help us to remember the homeless and the poor at Christmastime. Help us to be ever thankful that we are together as a family and that we shelter each other. Finally help us to make our house a happy home. Amen.

When it is time to decorate your tree and as the first string of lights is placed, one family member may read this prayer.

Jesus, Lord of light, we stand in awe as we take our own part in bringing light to this tree. We know the meaning of you as the Light of the world, but we can never fully understand just how far that light can reach and into how many corners it needs to be brought. Help us this Christmas season not to hide our own lights under bushel baskets, but to shine them before all --- to be radiant, happy, and loving people --- showing forth your light in our very faces. Amen.

Now, I must admit that I have never blessed one of my Christmas trees; in fact, it never even occurred to me to bless my Christmas tree. I always just put it up and kept moving with my holiday preparations. I am also not completely comfortable with the wording of this particular “tree blessing ceremony;” it is a bit too sentimental for my tastes. Yet, the idea of remembering the Lord while putting up a Christmas tree doesn’t seem completely out of line, especially when the tree can symbolize the eternal nature of the Trinity. Whether I actually bless my tree in such a formal way is still under consideration. I may just put it up and say a prayer over it. Either way, the idea is now on my list of things to contemplate when planning my Christmas tree related activities.

How about you, what sort of tree traditions does your family observe?

Annual Bloodwork

Last Friday, I attended my annual physical and had blood drawn for some basic tests. What fun! Well, just as all seemed well at my exam, all seems well with my blood numbers, too. Here is the profile:

Complete blood count: normal
Glucose (fasting): 94
Cholesterol: 153
HDL (good cholesterol): 62
LDL (bad cholesterol): 80
Thyroid function test (TSH): 0.97

I am ecstatic about my fasting glucose number, as the last reading was 104 (in 2002). My cholesterol has gone up about 20 points in five years, 133 to 153. Of course, it was 140 when I was 24 years old, so I appear to be waffling within an acceptable range; I would just like it to be a bit lower. I was hoping my HDL would be a little higher and my LDL a little lower, but they are both within range as well. My thyroid number is especially pleasing (to me) since I live amongst the thyroid-challenged on a daily basis. Overall, I am at peace with the picture.

My biggest challenge for the year, which isn’t reflected in these blood work results, is my blood pressure. It tends to wander between 115/72 and 136/84, with the higher number manifesting itself as “white coat hypertension,” that phenomenon where blood pressure spikes in the doctor’s office. Since some physicians see this as an indicator/predictor of future hypertension, I feel I need to address this as aggressively as possible. Looks like a 30-minute walk should happen every day and not just on occasion.

So, now you know my health picture. How about you? Have you scheduled your annual physical and blood work for 2007? If not, I can recommend a great doctor.

Please Pray for California Friends

My family has been watching the news coverage of the San Diego fires quite closely the past few days as some of our friends, and the parents of some of our church friends, live in the affected areas.

Our friends, The Family R, live in Oceanside, a town that has (thankfully) escaped evacuation and fire…so far. We telephoned them yesterday to see how they were faring. Cheerful and upbeat, they informed us that the air in their part of town was clear. They couldn’t smell any smoke; although if they stepped outside their front door, they could certainly see smoke in every direction. My daughter checked a Google map of the fires this afternoon and The Family R is definitely surrounded. Their current flame-free status very much depends on the wind at this point. We are praying that they will be able to remain in their home.

Mr. & Mrs. S, the parents of our church friends, have not fared as well. They were evacuated from their home last night. At this point, I am not sure if they are staying with friends or if they are in an evacuation center. Their home is under much greater threat at the moment, so we are praying that their residence would be spared even the slightest amount of damage. That may seem like an unrealistic request/expectation at this point, but God is a God of miracles. Defying common sense is His business. He saved my husband from cancer; He can certainly save a house.

Any prayers that you could lift up on behalf of these families, and the thousands of others who are currently displaced, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

HPP: Calendar & Creativity

This is Week 2 of an 18-week Christmas organization plan from OrganizedChristmas.com. I am behind and trying to catch up, preloading my holiday stress so that I can enjoy Advent and the actual Christmas season.

The reading assignment for this installment of the Houseworks Holiday Plan was about decluttering and organizing craft supplies, and about organization in general. Since I don’t do a lot of crafts, I didn’t get much out of the first part of the assignment. The latter part, however, offered these principles:

- think function, not appearance
- think process, not product
- a place for everything (and everything in its place)
- get the family on board
- create activity centers
- think zones: hot, warm, & cold
- label, label, label
- store items vertically (when possible)

While none of these ideas was new to me, it was helpful to be reminded of them. Particularly helpful: a list of suggested activity centers. Unfortunately, Ms. Ewer recommended a one activity-one center plan, with supplies for the activity stored in the center if possible. Well, since I live in a small house, my activity centers have to overlap, a complication that forces a bit more thought about function and process than if I lived in a larger abode. Hence…

I am still working on one of the tasks from the first week of the Houseworks Plan: organizing “Information Central,” that wonderful desk environment where relaxation and planning are supposed to converge. Well, convergence in my home is taking bit more time and work than the Houseworks folks had in mind because my desk space has been a disaster for much longer than I care to admit. When the space is finished, I will post a picture (hopefully).

I did make one decision about my desk: I am no longer saving catalogs unless I have some pressing reason to do so (like Christmas shopping). Instead, I have created a shopping folder in my Internet browser. If the catalog has a companion website, the paper version goes into the paper recycling (unless, of course, I have a reason to save it). So, my “catalog procedure” is now:

1) look through the catalog
2) highlight any items of interest with a highlighter marker
3) dog-ear the pertinent page(s)
4) file the catalog in the bottom drawer of the desk filing cabinet

For more than ten years, I have limited my stash of catalogs to one file drawer near my desk, the result of a compromise I made with my husband over paper clutter. Well, by adopting this new “procedure,” I was able to fit my catalog stash into ~50% of the drawer. Not bad, especially in light of the fact that I live in a 900-square-foot house and I don’t really have the space to save every catalog known to man.

The holiday preparation checklist portion of this installment of the Houseworks Holiday Plan included:

- creating a holiday calendar
- planning holiday travel
- holding a scheduling session
- starting a tear file
- starting (and using) a shopping list
- inventorying craft supplies & unfinished projects
- making a “gifts to make” list

The calendar wasn’t a problem for me, as I always keep one on my computer and on my Palm. I prefer to add my Christmas events and activities to these “routine” calendars, rather than creating a special holiday version that will (inevitably) fail to reflect some run-of-the-mill activity. With my busy schedule, missed events on a calendar can wreak havoc on the time management system around here, not to mention the nerves of certain family members. My only challenge in this area is getting other people to commit to dates so I know the extent of our outside commitments. I am still waiting for a few confirmations. I am sure they will turn up soon.

As for holiday travel, with the price of gas and my daughter’s handbell concert schedule, no one is going anywhere. I was hoping to take a trip to Colonial Williamsburg sometime this fall, but I doubt that will happen. A few days off and a rendezvous with some friends from Washington, D.C. would be great (and very de-stressing) but we have too many projects and issues to address on the homefront this year.

I had to chuckle at the “scheduling session” idea and the suggested events that may need to be scheduled: carpet cleaning, chimney inspections, and furnace checks. I have no carpet, and to get a chimney or a furnace inspected or cleaned in my neck of the woods this time of the year would have required a call to the my oil company sometime near Memorial Day. Since that didn’t happen, I have no scheduling tasks to complete in that area. I am purchasing a new refrigerator this week. That delivery will be scheduled for early November.

Tear files. For those who are unfamiliar with these, they are idea files that contain pictures, recipes, and craft ideas that are torn out of magazines or catalogs. I really have to be careful with these. For years, I saved magazines in order to create tear files. All I managed to do was create a pile of magazines and catalogs. Lately, I only do this for Christmas (and for some current home improvement projects). I also try to cull through these particular tear files on a regular basis so they remain small and contained. My Christmas file is actually located inside my Christmas planning notebook, tucked inside protector pages organized by subject (e.g., gifts, food, greeting cards, etc.).

Start and use a shopping list. No problem here! I have been shopping for at least a week, maybe a little longer. My mail-away gifts are coming together. Hopefully, they will be finished by November 1st. My goal is to mail them just after Thanksgiving so I won’t have to deal with the crowds at the post office, and so I won’t have to pay an exorbitant rapid-delivery rate to get my packages there “just in the nick of time.” Fortunately, my friends and relatives have humored my early-bird shopping bug and given me some wonderful gift ideas.

The last two tasks on the holiday preparation checklist for this week are to inventory craft supplies and to make a “gifts to make” list. Neither of these activities impacts my family at this time. I am not making any gifts this year and if I haven’t worked on my Christmas craft projects by now, they have already been shifted to my 2008 off-season work list. The off-season is also when I plan to inventory my craft supplies. One great guideline here: the Rule of Four.

If you have more than four unfinished craft projects, or if any single project is more than four years old, don’t schedule any new crafts!

Using this principle, and given the number of unfinished projects that currently reside in my attic, I should be able to start a new project when I am ~80 years old. :-)

My progress is slow, but I am definitely making headway. How are you doing?

HHP: Planning & Paperwork

Late in September, I wrote an article about choosing a Christmas organization plan, and about which plan I decided to try (see 90 Days!). At the time, I was late to the process; but not to be discouraged, I decided to work steadily on completing the tasks as they were assigned.

Quoting directly from the Houseworks webpage:

Part book club, part organizing schedule, the Houseworks Holiday Plan [HPP] is an 18-week holiday plan designed to help you clean and organize your home in time for the holiday season --- and take care of seasonal preparations, too.

Each week, participants are given a reading assignment from the book House Works: Cut the Clutter, Speed Your Cleaning, and Calm the Chaos by Cynthia Townley Ewer. This is called your weekly focus. For week one, the topic was decluttering your home. I read through this information one afternoon while my daughter was in music composition class and found it quite helpful. Ms. Ewer began by outlining a clutter cessation method she calls STOP: Sort, Toss, Organize, and Put Away. She also discussed some declutter strategies, as well as some ways to keep the clutter from returning once it has been culled. The best part, though, was determining my “clutter personality.” Given the checklist and the descriptions in the book, I figure I am a deferrer and a perfectionist, with a touch of sentimentalist. The counterproductive part is that my husband is also a deferrer and a perfectionist, with a touch of rebel. Is it any wonder we got married --- common ground with enough opposite to attract? But I digress…

The week one reading assignment also covered the creation of “Information Central,” that place in your home where you perform essential household organizational tasks: menu planning, bill paying, event scheduling, and the like. For me (currently), that would be wherever my laptop happens to be; however, I know from past experience that if I have a space with a comfortable chair and a desk, I will sit there to complete organizational tasks, so long as I can plug my headphones into a movie or some music while I work. So, as I stated in a previous article, my house task for week one is to create “Information Central” by decluttering my desk, and by deciding which desk to use --- the one in my living room or the one in my family room. I have a comfortable new chair for each one, thanks to a great sale at Target and the repair abilities of my darling husband.

As for the Christmas preparation half of the Houseworks Holiday Plan, those tasks are known as the “holiday prep checklist.” For week one, they included:

- making a promise to spend some time each day preparing for Christmas
- setting up a Christmas notebook
- completing a family values worksheet
- creating a Christmas planning activity center
- establishing a holiday budget
- considering a Christmas savings plan
- beginning a master gift list

So, how am I doing on those, you ask? Not bad. I work on some Christmas-related task every day. I already have a holiday planning notebook. I completed the family values worksheet. I have a Christmas club account into which I have deposited $200/month since January 2007, so funds for early shopping are not a problem. I also started a master gift list. The only task not yet tackled is the creation of a Christmas planning center. In my house, that is much the same as creating “Information Central.” Looks like I should be/will be working hard on my desk space.

If you would like to find a Christmas organization plan to use for your holiday tasks, check out OrganizedChristmas.com for some great ideas.

My Annual Physical

After taking all three of my cats to the vet for their annual physicals, today was my turn. Yippee. I hate going to the doctor. Every time I walk through the door of a clinic or an emergency room, my pulse quickens, my blood pressure goes up…my body exhibits all the classic signs of a fight or flight reaction. Truthfully, there isn’t much “fight” involved; it is just flight. My instinct is to flee. What exactly I am fleeing from, I do not know. Fear of the unknown, I suppose. Ah, well…

I started the day with my actual physical exam. Then, because I had fasted for seventeen hours, I headed straight to the lab for blood work. I won’t have the results for a few days. Hopefully, they won’t indicate any major problems (like elevated glucose). My other test results will be back in about two weeks. My physician didn’t indicate that anything was amiss, so I am assuming that all is well (at least for the moment). My other appointment for the day was an annual mammogram. Again, the technician who took a preliminary glance at the film didn’t indicate that anything was amiss, so I am assuming all is well in that department, too.

As much as I stress over this annual ritual, I am always relieved to know that I am in reasonably good health. Recommendations for the year: lose some weight, exercise more, and make sure I consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. In other words, behave myself.

NEA Dislikes Homeschooling

Wow! Shocking news. The National Education Association recently passed this resolution/statement on home education. Not surprising, they favor government regulation of this educational lifestyle:

The National Education Association believes that home schooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience. When home schooling occurs, students enrolled must meet all state curricular requirements, including the taking and passing of assessments to ensure adequate academic progress. Home schooling should be limited to the children of the immediate family, with all expenses being borne by the parents/guardians. Instruction should be by persons who are licensed by the appropriate state education licensure agency, and a curriculum approved by the state department of education should be used.

The Association also believes that home-schooled students should not participate in any extracurricular activities in the public schools.

The Association further believes that local public school systems should have the authority to determine grade placement and/or credits earned toward graduation for students entering or re-entering the public school setting from a home school setting. (1998, 2006).

Being a faith-based homeschooler who desires as little connection as possible with the public school and little (or, preferably, no) government regulation of home education, I have a problem with the implication that my daughter needs to study a state-mandated curricula and take state-mandated tests, and that I need to be licensed by the state in order to teach. I also disagree with the idea that homeschooling cannot provide my daughter with a comprehensive educational experience. Just examine our 2007-2008 instructional plan.

Beyond that, I am ok with their point of view. I, too, believe that parents should teach only their own children and that families should carry the financial burden for their educational choice. No government payments should be given to homeschoolers and no hired tutors should be permitted to do all the teaching while both parents maintain full-time employment. As for the school, I believe that if each state is to retain their authority under the Constitution per education, then local school districts are certainly within their rights to determine graduation standards for their students and to set rules for participation in their extracurricular activities. Let government schools be governed by the government and homeschools be governed by homeschoolers.

Apparently, what was more upsetting to some home educators was the NEA resolution/statement on diversity:

The National Education Association believes that a diverse society enriches all individuals. Similarities and differences among race, ethnicity, color, national origin, language, geographic location, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, age, physical ability, size, occupation, and marital, parental, or economic status form the fabric of a society.

The Association also believes that education should foster the values of appreciation and acceptance of the various qualities that pertain to people as individuals and as members of diverse populations.

The Association further believes in the importance of observances, programs, and curricula that accurately portray and recognize the roles, contributions, cultures, and history of these diverse groups and individuals.

My guess is that these words were disconcerting because they did not recognize educational choice as one of the similarities or differences that “form the fabric of society;” nor did the choice to homeschool come up to the NEA standard of “appreciation and acceptance of the various qualities that pertain to people…as members of diverse populations.” This was aptly demonstrated by the aforementioned anti-homeschooling resolution.

Personally, I don’t much care if the NEA recognizes or validates my educational choice, or if they are blind to the fact that educational choice does contribute to “the fabric of society.” In the end, the NEA is nothing more than a labor union. It is not a regulatory body of the United States government; it is an employee organization. Knowing that, why should I, as a homeschooler, be concerned with their policy platform? And, really, that is all their resolutions constitute…a policy platform.

DYK? MRSA

Did you know that MRSA stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus? According to Wikipedia, it was discovered in 1961 and is now widespread in hospital settings. It is known by several different acronyms:

MRSA may also be known as oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ORSA) and multiple-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Strains of S. aureus that are non-resistant to methicillin are sometimes called methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) if an explicit distinction must be made.

Although MRSA has traditionally been seen as a hospital-associated infection, community-acquired MRSA strains have appeared in recent years, notably in the U.S and Australia. The abbreviations CA-MRSA (community-acquired MRSA) and HA-MRSA (hospital-acquired MRSA) are now commonly seen in medical literature.

So why ask the question? Because I am concerned about the recent outbreak of MRSA in schools on the east coast, most notably Virginia, where a teen recently died from the infection. From an Associated Press article:

Ashton Bonds, 17, a senior at Staunton River High School, died Monday after being diagnosed with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA, his mother said.

- snip –

Ashton went to Bedford Memorial Hospital on Oct. 4 after complaining of a pain in his side, his mother said. He was sent home after doctors ruled out appendicitis, but was readmitted three days later and transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Last week doctors diagnosed Ashton with a MRSA infection that had spread to his kidneys, liver, lungs and the muscles around his heart.

Early Thursday morning, Ashton had to be sedated and put on a ventilator. He was about to undergo surgery to drain the infection from his lungs when doctors detected a blood clot near his heart. [His mother] said the clot was inoperable.

So what can you do to keep MRSA out of your environment? Try these top ten tips from MRSA Notes. They are listed in reverse order.

10. Use disposable razors.

9. Regularly clean the surfaces of your home, and don’t forget your bathtubs and showers.

8. Reduce your use of antibacterial products around your house. The best way to get rid of bacteria is to wash it down the sink, not partially kill it with chemicals.

7. Learn about antibiotics and when they are appropriate to use. Consider changing your lifestyle and letting your body deal with illness as much as it can rather than taking an antibiotic for everything that ails you.

6. Do not pressure your doctor to prescribe antibiotics.

5. Bathe very regularly.

4. Do not share towels.

3. Change your dishwashing rag/sponge every day. If you don’t want to throw out your sponges every day, try a microfiber washcloth and use a new one (and a new dishtowel) every day. By the time they start to stink, they are already riddled with bacteria.

2. Avoid any elective surgery.

1. Wash your hands well, and frequently. Obsessively, even.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I will be shopping today for some disposable razors and some non-antibacterial soap. I will also be cleaning my bathroom. Stay healthy!

Another Healthy Cat

Yesterday, my third (and youngest) kitty went to the vet for his annual physical. All is well: his teeth look great, he has no fleas, his ears are clean…but he did not outgrow his heart murmur. Fortunately, the latter is very slight, only a category one. I just need to make sure he stays close to the ten-pound mark for weight (which he is) so as not to put a strain on his “ticker.” He also got two shots, rabies and distemper.

The biggest event of the visit, though, was the removal of two large mats of fur on his back legs. Chopin is the first cat I have ever owned whose fur mats and, unfortunately, the mats occur under his front legs (akin to human armpits) and on his back legs just under his tail; not exactly the anatomical areas of a cat that are easily groomed by an owner, especially if the cat chooses not to cooperate. Chopin is definitely not cooperative. The end result? He had to be shaved. Not the whole cat, just under his tail. It took three people --- me, the veterinary technician, and the vet --- to accomplish the job. I reassured him by petting his head; the technician held him down; and the vet removed the fur. Now all I need to do is keep the fur from matting again. That should be easy. :-)

A Second Store

This past January, I posted this article about a young man named Nick Graham from Truman Minnesota, who purchased a local grocery store after it closed. Big deal, you say? Well, Mr. Graham was only seventeen years old and still in high school when he opened the Main Street Market. For a CBS News report on that event, watch this video:



So, now that Nick Graham is eighteen and a high school graduate, he has purchased a second store in Armstrong, Iowa. Why?

“The first store was going so well, and when this opportunity came, I couldn’t pass it up,” [he] said.

Graham purchased Armstrong Foods from owner Jeff Johnson of Bancroft, IA. Because the store was still operating when the change of ownership took place, the transition to new management went quite smoothly.

“This was an easier transition; it was still going and they have a great group of employees, so it made it a lot easier. It came together a lot quicker.”

So, Mr. Graham now splits his time between Truman and Armstrong, a drive that covers only about 35 miles. Not a bad commute, even for the rural Midwest. The next time I am home, I plan to visit the “Graham Groceries” and see for myself how this young man is holding up against the competition provided by the larger supermarkets in my hometown, a community that lies between the two local markets that Nick Graham operates. Hopefully, I will find them thriving.

Quotes taken from an article in the Fairmont Sentinel.

70 Days! Xmas is Coming!

Ten more days have passed in the march toward Christmas and I am a bit closer to being organized for the holidays. I started my gift shopping, especially for those items that will travel to the far-flung corners of the universe; good thing, too, because I have had a few items backordered, one shipping error, and one order that will take three weeks to arrive. Not only that, but some of my selected gift items have already sold out for the season. I suppose the other early shoppers got there first. Hmmm…I wonder how early the even earlier holiday shoppers began shopping in order to make the early shoppers (like me) look late. 'Tis a mystery.

Anyway, I am crawling toward completion of my holiday preparation tasks. My goal: to have all my gifts purchased before Thanksgiving. That way, I can concentrate on baking, greeting cards, and the celebration of Advent.

How are the preparations going at your house?

26-Hour Week in a Day

Sometimes my husband travels for work, often for weeks at a time. Sometimes these travel “surges” take him to shipyards close to home, sometimes not. If he is nearby, he makes an attempt to come home every weekend, but since he works well into Saturday afternoon, he often arrives late. Since he leaves for the return trip to work early on Sunday evening, we usually have ~26 hours together as a couple and as a family. Have you ever tried to cram an entire week into just over one day? No? Imagine this scenario:

Saturday activities
1) Husband arrival & greeting
2) Dinner out
3) Family time/couple time: We often watch a movie during this time, or we share and discuss reading material from the week. Once in awhile, my husband and I will go on a date. Usually, I do laundry so I won’t have to use Sunday afternoon for that task. My husband consistently donates three loads of dirty clothes to that cause. Why doesn’t he do his own laundry during the week, you ask? It is actually more economical for him to bring it home and pool it with our clothes.

Sunday activities
1) Morning chores, etc.
2) Dress, shower, breakfast, etc.
3) Church
4) Sunday School
5) Lunch out: Oftentimes, we will meet friends for lunch or we will join other families from our church at a local restaurant. Generally, we try to enjoy a large meal so that we can skip dinner.
6) Family time/Project time: These hours are usually filled with activities like small appliance repair, lawn care, home improvement work, auto maintenance, etc. Sometimes we attend events as a family. For example, this past weekend, we all went to the opera. Sometimes, we attend my daughter’s handbell concerts. No matter what we do, however, this time slot always ends with my husband packing to leave.
7) Departure & goodbyes

And I thought the Navy was challenging.

The Midnight Cry

The time has come for an annual holiday preparation task: weed through the seasonal music that I own, and listen to new holiday music that has entered the market since last year. One of my favorites from 2006 is Sing We Noel: Christmas Music from England and Early America by The Boston Camerata under the direction of Joel Cohen. A favorite song from this album is “The Midnight Cry,” a piece that dates from 19th century America. From the CD insert:

This song presents the Biblical theme of the wise and foolish virgins in the musical idiom of the southern United States. The pentatonic scale that generates the strong, beautifully shaped melody is found in many kinds of folk and traditional musics, as well as in certain areas of the medieval repertory

The lyrics are a bit unconventional for Christmas, talking not about the familiar Nativity story but about the crucifixion instead. Lately, I have come to appreciate this kind of holiday song because it helps me keep the “reason for the season” at the forefront of my Christmas observance, that reason being the birth of Christ so that He can become death for us at Easter. For those who wish to sample the tune itself, click here. Otherwise, here are the words of the song for your perusal.

When the midnight cry began,
O what lamentation,
Thousands sleeping in their sins,
Neglecting their salvation.
Lo, the bridegroom is at hand
Who will kindly treat him?
Surely all the waiting band
Will now go forth to meet him.

Some, indeed, did wait awhile,
And shone without a rival;
But they spent their seeming oil
Long since the last revival.
Many souls who thought they’d light,
O, when the scene was closed,
Now against the Bridegroom fight,
And so they stand opposed.

While the wise are passing by,
With all their lamps prepared,
Give us of your oil, they cry,
If any can be spared.
Others trimm’d their former snuff,
O’ is it not amazing!
Those conclude they’ve light enough,
And think their lamps are blazing.

Foolish virgins! Do you think
Our bridegroom’s a deceiver?
Then may you pass your lives away,
And think to sleep forever;
But we by faith do see his face,
On whom we have believed;
If there’s deception in the case,
‘Tis you that are deceived.

Virgins wise, I pray draw near,
And listen to your Saviour;
He is your friend, you need not fear,
O, why not seek his favour?
He speaks to you in whispers sweet,
In words of consolation:
By grace in him you stand complete,
He is your great salvation.

Dying sinners, will you come,
The Saviour now invites you;
His bleeding wounds proclaim there’s room
Let nothing then affright you---
Room for you, and room for me,
And room for coming sinner:
Salvation pours a living stream
For you and all believers.

Assembly Pep Talk

For a few years now, I have been using one of my kitchen chairs as a desk chair. Inconvenient, yes, but not terribly annoying, considering the fact that I was looking for a certain style of desk chair to replace the temporary one and I was willing to wait for what I wanted. Well, on Saturday, while shopping at Target, I found the perfect chair --- the desired style at the right price --- a Parsons chair for $24.98. I can hardly believe I found such a bargain. I rarely, if ever, find a bargain. I am just not one of those bargain-savvy shoppers, despite the fact that I have a degree in Economics. Sad, but true.

Do you know what else is sad, but true? The opening paragraph of the instructions I had to follow to assemble my new chair. Being the wife of a husband who often tackles do-it-yourself projects, I am no stranger to assembly instructions. They begin with a list of hardware/parts and continue with steps that, if followed correctly, take you to your destination, be it a repaired automobile or, as in this case, a finished piece of furniture. They get right down to business. They certainly don’t come with a “pep talk” like this:

CONGRATULATIONS --- you’ve purchased a fine furniture item from Target.

We have designed our furniture with you, the Target guest in mind. Our clear, easy to follow step by step instructions will guide you through the project from start to finish. Feel confident that this will be a fun and rewarding project. The final product will be a quality piece of furniture that will go together smoothly and give years of enjoyment.

Since I copied the above statement directly from the actual assembly instructions that arrived with my chair, I can only surmise that such directions now come with “encouraging words” for those who need them. I guess I am not one of those people; hence, my bewilderment.

To Target’s credit, the instructions were clear and easy to follow. However, I am not sure that a $24.98 chair qualifies as “fine furniture” that will “give years of enjoyment.” I am also not sure whether sitting on my kitchen floor and installing a few bolts are activities that come up to the definition of “fun and rewarding.” Productive, maybe.

Have enough of us really lost (or simply not acquired) the basic skills necessary to assemble something as simple as a chair without it becoming an issue of fun or self-esteem? Please tell me we aren’t that far gone.

Note: I also don't like the idea of Target referring to me as a “guest.” When I shop in their store, I don’t feel like a guest; I feel like a consumer, which is what I am.

Opera Meets Science

Once again, Judy at Consent of the Governed has provided her readers with an online tidbit that I just can’t pass up. Being the parent of an opera enthusiast/teenage composer and a musician myself, I am always eager to examine learning tools that utilize music. In this case, opera (more specifically, the “Modern General” song from The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan) is being used to teach the periodic table of elements. Get your kids/students to memorize this and they just may do better in chemistry. Memorize it yourself and you may just gain some neurons. "The Elements Song" was created by Tom Lehrer. Enjoy!

More Bell Music

While doing some online Christmas shopping this afternoon, mostly for the musicians on my list, I surfed over to the Raleigh Ringers website. While there, I learned this:

The Raleigh Ringers use the most extensive collection of handbells and bell-like instruments owned by a single performing group in the world. The current grand total is 29.5 octaves composed of 361 individual pieces of equipment. [Wow!]

For a complete description of the different types of bells used by the group, you will need to visit their website. The photos alone are quite illustrative of the physical differences in bells.

But why so much variety?

Similar to the way pipe organs utilize different ranks of pipes, each individual handbell set has its own unique sound. By mixing the sounds together, handbell ringers are able to create contrasting moods and highlight melodic lines. A piece of music can take on a new personality simply by playing sections of it on a different brand or design of handbells.

And with that many bells, the group actually has their own truck.

So, without further ado, here are the Raleigh Ringers performing “Wizards in Winter” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Enjoy!

Now That’s Original!

I was checking my Google Reader feeds this afternoon, when I came across this website, Unusual Hotels of the World, posted by Judy of Consent of the Governed, who was led there by Helen H. (sorry, no website or blog for referral).

My daughter and I spent over thirty minutes exploring the various descriptions and photos on the site. Let me tell you, when the website creators used the term “unusual hotels,” they were not kidding. We found everything from historic churches to tree houses to converted prisons to concrete sewer pipes. Yes, you read that correctly folks, concrete sewer pipes. Truthfully, I cannot imagine myself wiling away a relaxing afternoon in a drainage tube but, hey, different strokes for different folks, I guess.

For example, my sister may find this to her liking, seeing as she is the owner of a young canine --- the Dog Bark Park Inn:

The world’s largest Beagle, offering unique accommodation inside [its] 2-story body.

Rates: $92.00/night includes breakfast. Double occupancy.

With two big dogs signaling your arrival to Dog Bark Park visitors may walk the ground, browse the gift shop and artists’ studio featuring the whimsical chainsaw artwork of husband/wife artist [Dennis J. Sullivan] and [his wife] Frances. Canine carvings are a specialty although visitors are apt to find fish, feline, bear, moose and Lewis & Clark themed carvings as well. At Dog Bark Park the artists enjoy sharing dog, travel and life stories as well as assisting visitors in planning their vacations. We are husband and wife artists working at our studio at Dog Bark Park since 1997.

I, on the other hand, am intrigued by The College of the Holy Spirit in Britain and Thorngrove Manor in Australia. My friend, Koalagirl15, would probably enjoy Saugerites Lighthouse near Albany, New York. Katherine the Great prefers the Beckham Creek Cave Haven near Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Check out the site for yourself and select your dream hotel. Which one will it be?

Where Are the Parents?

The Plush Duck found her soapbox hidden under some clutter in her house and just couldn't resist commenting. If you are offended by strong opinions, you may not wish to continue reading.
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Remember back in 1977 when the popular commercial jingle of a soft drink product was “Wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper, too?” Well, I have some new words for that song:

“I’m a Lemming; He’s a Lemming
She’s a Lemming; We’re all Lemmings.
Wouldn’t You Like to be a Lemming, too?
Be a Lemming.
Be, be a Lemming.
Be a Lemming.
Be, be a Lemming.”

Or maybe this tune by Peter, Paul, and Mary would be more appropriate. The words are mine, of course:

“Where have all the parents gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the parents gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the parents gone?
Remained in childhood every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?”

Harsh comparisons and harsh words, you say? Well, I sincerely apologize for the harshness, but not for wondering why my so many of my contemporaries, like lemmings vaulting over a cliff, have abdicated their roles as examples for their children. Just examine these situations if you need some anecdotal evidence. Frankly, I am appalled at the attitudes exhibited by both the parents and the children involved in these incidents, not to mention some of the school officials. Please note that, for clarity, I have posted the school responses in orange, the parent responses in red, and the student responses in yellow.

Hanover, New Hampshire
At the end of the 2006-2007 academic year, nine students from Hanover High School, all seventeen-year-old males, stole keys in order to gain entry to their school and some teachers’ offices after school hours. Their goal: to steal the final exams that were to be administered in their math and chemistry classes. Some students committed the actual theft, while others acted as lookouts in the hallways. After gaining possession of the tests, these young men apparently set up an “answer order system” to distribute exam information to as many as fifty additional students.

The school response (that I agree with, by the way):

School officials opted to alert police rather than suspend the students. After a lengthy investigation, the prosecutor last week brought criminal charges against nine of the students.

Parents were told a decision to go to trial could result in the charges being raised from misdemeanors to felonies, which carry possible prison terms of up to seven years.

The parent response:

[One father] said that he never really lectured his kids about academic integrity. He just never saw the matter as one of the biggies, like drugs and drunken driving.

The student response:

“I think they [the school administration] came down way too hard, and they didn’t have to get police involved. Cheating is not such a big deal. It happens everywhere. They [the students] shouldn’t be charged that hard for this little thing." --- Mike Rotch, junior

I mean, seriously, they are good kids and they made a mistake. And I think they know they made a mistake. --- Ethan Forhour, freshman

New London, Connecticut
Several months ago, a local newspaper and the local police obtained a twenty-two minute videotape showing street fights around the city, street fights that involved both teenagers and adults. According to Captain William Dittman of the New London Police Department, the footage shows evidence of criminal behavior ranging from inciting bodily injury to second-degree assault to inciting a riot; hence, the issuance of more than thirty-four arrest warrants, some of which were executed a few days ago when teenagers were arrested at the local high school during school hours. It is important to note that some of the teenagers in question were arrested on multiple warrants, while others were already in prison serving time for other crimes. Upon learning of the arrests, concerned parents gathered at the police station. For the record: I agree with the police department on this one.

The school response:

“We have a population of almost 800 students,” [Principal] Sullivan said. “Certainly this is not representative of us as a school. But just because these students made errors in judgment, we can’t just abandon them.”

“I believe in kids,” said Christopher Clouet, superintendent of schools. “We need to decide where to go from here. Two things I want you to know: First, no one has been suspended because of this. And each student will be dealt with on an individual basis.”

The parent response (all by the same woman):

“I want my damn child out of your jail.”

“It was called childhood when I was growing up.”

The student response:

Returned to freedom after six hours in lockup, a sixteen-year-old told her mother police took her mug shot. [The general tone of the article implied that processing this child as if she was a criminal was, somehow, unacceptable.]

“It was random fights,” she said as she bent on the sidewalk, putting her laces back in her shoes.

Looking at just these two situations, it seems to me that my contemporaries have gone so far over the cliff of “encouraging positive self esteem” in their children that they are either unable or unwilling to distinguish between crime and childhood antics. Like it or not, theft, burglary, and assault are crimes, not childhood pranks or errors in judgment. In the past, these types of behaviors were held up by the community (and parents) for exactly what they are: examples of anti-social behavior. Now, it seems that we can’t refer to these incidents as anything more than simple mistakes for which children should be exonerated, citing always the mantra: “They are good kids.” I disagree.

First, quoting from Romans, chapter 3:

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

This leads me to the conclusion that a truly “good” kid (for that matter, a truly “good” person) doesn’t exist. Young people, like the rest of us, are sinful by nature. The best any parent can hope for is a child who listens, learns, and practices wise decision making, the foundation for which is laid in the home. Not only that, but "good" is generally not a descriptor that society applies to individuals who commit crimes.

Second, all choices have consequences and learning works best when those consequences are experienced in a direct way. Unfortunately, some choices carry severe consequences like prison time and death. It is always tragic when people elect to live on the extreme margins of the choice-consequence continuum, but it is especially tragic when young people decide to camp there. Again, the best any parent can hope for is a child who listens, learns, and practices wise decision making, the foundation for which is laid in the home.

But wherein lies that hope? It lies in the preparation for life that parents are supposed to provide for their children. It consists of parental nurturance, instruction, counsel, and discipline. It is demonstrated by parents who enjoy, respect, and love their children; and I mean love in the sense of self-sacrificial commitment, not just warm fuzzy feelings (or the sacrifice of money for parental subcontractors). And, for me, that hope lies in the fact that everyone in this picture, parents and children alike, are guided by the Lord.

Which brings me back to one of my original song-lyric questions: where have all the parents gone?

80 Days 'Til Christmas

My countdown to Christmas continues with some video of the Shoreline Ringers Handbell Choir, the group that Katherine the Great performs with. This footage was filmed at a benefit concert for a gentleman at our former church who was seriously injured in a car accident this year (he is doing well, by the way). The video contains three songs, the last of which is "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson. Enjoy!

Clean Bills of Health

I forgot to mention that two of my cats visited the veterinarian lately, and both came away with clean bills of health. Not bad for a seven-year-old and a three-year-old feline. The older cat was very well behaved and quite social while at the “doctor’s office,” especially considering that the resident female tabby got him riled up by sniffing at his transport carrier. The younger kitty was less accommodating. He sat grumpily through the entire appointment, even while I was paying the bill and his torture was complete. My youngest cat will be visiting the vet next week. He is the worst of all, yowling in the car and struggling with the technicians for everything, be it a vaccination or an ear swab to check for mites. I can’t wait!

Area Youth Survey

Yesterday, my local newspaper released a copy of an area youth survey that was taken by the health district earlier this year in order to get a picture of the “prevalence of substance abuse, as well as youth’s perceptions towards alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.” Well, the bureaucrats got their snapshot and, frankly, I find it disturbing. Here are a few highlights from the Executive Summary of the report:

- The use of anabolic steroids, probably for bodybuilding, may become an issue in Ledyard, as 10% of 8th graders reported having tried them in their lifetimes, and 5% had used them in the previous 30 days.

- When asked about reasons for starting, “to have fun” was cited for marijuana.

- The main reasons for starting to drink were “to fit in with friends” and “to have fun.” About one-third of 7th graders and almost half of high school youth reported having been intoxicated from drinking at least once, and many claimed to have been so 10 times or more. More than 40% of youth of all ages reported sometimes drinking at home with parental permission. The prevalence of Ledyard 11th graders who had ridden in the past year in a vehicle with a driver who had been drinking was 36% for girls and 47% for boys, considerably higher than national averages of 27-28%. [And this in a community that saw the alcohol-related death of a teenager in January 2007. For articles on that subject, click here and here.]

- Prevalence of cheating on a school test in the past year increased from 21% in grade 7 to 61% in grade 11, and the prevalence of the perception that cheating is “not at all wrong” increased from 5% to 25% over the same grades.

- Self-concept was confident and positive for about 80% of youth.

I find this last quote quite bewildering. Given the previously mentioned statistics, it almost begs the inflammatory generalization, “I drink, do drugs, and cheat, but I still feel good about myself.” Talk about a disconnect with reality or, at the very least, a misguided foundation for the formation of self-esteem. Something is definitely rotten in Denmark, as the saying goes.

I am not yet finished with an initial read-through of the entire report. When I complete it, I may write more about my concerns. For now, I am just thankful that I live in a country where I have the freedom to homeschool because, in my opinion, the public school environment in my area sounds pretty unhealthy.

Coming Soon: Grand Tour Routes

An article in VeloNews had this to say about preparations for the 2008 cycling season:

The Tour de France will announce its 2008 edition in a lavish ceremony October 25 in the Congress Palace in Paris in what's always one of cycling's big rendezvous ahead of the off-season.

What's known about the 2008 edition is that Tour organizers have decided to skip the prologue and get right down to business, starting July 5 with a traditional road stage from Brest to Plumelec in France's Britanny region. Stage 2 will run from Auray to Saint-Brieuc with Stage 3 starting in Saint-Malo.

The Giro d'Italia will unveil its route December 1 in Milan. The Giro will start May 10 on Sicily. The Vuelta a España will have its unveiling December 12 in Madrid, with the season's final grand tour starting August 30 in Granada.

I will definitely be watching the Tour de France route broadcast, if it is aired in my cable market. I am not sure I like the decision to eliminate the Prologue, but I want to hear the reasoning behind such a scheduling commitment.

By the Way…

Occasionally, my husband uses this phrase to notify me that important information is about to be communicated. Tonight, that information sounded something like this:

I went to the hospital in an ambulance this afternoon. They gave me an EKG to make sure I was ok.

Well, that was certainly not what I expected to hear; but he was calm so I figured I didn’t need to worry. Situation report: apparently, while he was working with some equipment in the shipyard (equipment that was supposed to be powered down), he got a 60-volt shock. Because the incident occurred in a regulated work environment, procedures were invoked to document the event and to assess the health of all involved. Translation of this latter statement: hubby was admitted to the hospital, evaluated, and then discharged.

And I thought my Wednesday was crazy.

German Pizza

Surprise, surprise! My daughter and I went out for lunch today to one of our favorite pizza/pasta restaurants, The Pizza Grille in Mystic, CT. Whenever we go there, she never has pizza; she always eats pasta. I, on the other hand, try the pizza. Today, one of the specials was German pizza, a menu item retained from a recent Oktoberfest celebration that was held at the restaurant.

This had to be, by far, one the best, most original pizzas I have ever tasted in my entire life. In fact, I think it was actually referred to as “sweet and smoky” on the specials menu. Anyway…it had a thin crust, no tomato sauce, parmesan and smoked gouda cheeses, sliced kielbasa marinated in German beer, chopped pears, and red cabbage. It was delicious! I didn’t have anything else with it; no salad, no garlic bread, nothing, for fear of ruining the sweet and smoky flavor.

Too bad I can’t upload a flavor file to the blog. I would if I could but, in the meantime, go to the restaurant and ask for the German Pizza (or the sweet and smoky pizza). I recommended it be kept on the menu permanently. Who knows, maybe they will listen to me. You never know.

Bon appetite!

Good Grief, It's Been 57 Years?!

It is hard to believe, but Charlie Brown and his friends turn 57 today. How appropriate, then, that my dear friend Sharon sent me the early Christmas gift pictured at right. Actually, she sent the Charlie Brown ringers to the entire family, but I digress…

Peanuts was one of the first comic strips with more than two or three characters. Just like your own family and relatives, each Peanuts character brings special humor and insight to life.

Being a pianist, I always had an affinity for Schroeder. I used to love it, too, when Snoopy danced, but not so much when he got angry. Lucy annoyed me because she was always so snooty. Yet, I think Linus may be my favorite. I definitely related to his “blanket attachment” when I was a child and, as I aged, his philosophical approach to life.

Some other interesting facts that I learned from Snoopy.com:

November 16, 1952
Lucy first holds a football for Charlie Brown

June 1, 1954
Debut of Linus’ security blanket

January 5, 1956
Snoopy first walks on two legs

March 11, 1960
Charlie Brown’s father is revealed to be a barber.

May 18, 1969
Charlie Brown & Snoopy accompany astronauts into space aboard Apollo X.

Happy Birthday, Charlie Brown.

An Interview with Phil Liggett

Being a cycling fan, I have had many opportunities to hear Phil Liggett commentate and to hear him tell the story of how he became involved with cycling. For those of you who have never heard Mr. Liggett, or heard of Mr. Liggett, I hope you enjoy this short interview by Dave Towle from the 2007 Interbike trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Caption Contest #2

This morning, Katherine the Great and I went “jaunting” around Montville, one of the more woodsy areas near our home. At the end of a very narrow road, we found this house and thought it would be perfect for a caption contest. So, send in your ideas! I can’t wait to hear them.

Counting Mistakes

This past January, late in the month and late at night, a tragic accident occurred a few miles from my home. The result: two dead adults and a deceased teenager. Miraculously, one individual, a second teenager, survived but only by the grace of God (in my opinion). Now, eight months later, the results of the accident investigation have been released and, sadly, they reveal what I suspected all along --- speed, alcohol, and lawlessness.

The first car, an Audi, on loan from a local car dealership because the driver’s own vehicle was in the shop for repairs, was driven by a family man, John Geise, who was returning from his primary job as a butler at the Foxwoods casino. His secondary employer was Prudential Pequot Properties. In an extension of kindness and generosity, Mr. Geise was sharing his ride home with a co-worker, another family man, Wayne Lecardo. Both gentlemen had finished their shifts at the casino around 1:15 AM and were on their way home. Both were sober.

The second car, an Oldsmobile Alero, was driven by sixteen-year-old Cameron Lee, by all accounts an amiable kid who was well known and well liked at the local high school. Unfortunately, being a “great kid” doesn’t necessarily mean you make great decisions, and young Mr. Lee made some doozies in the last few hours of his life:

Mistake #1: underage drinking
On the night of the accident, a few doors down from the Lee home, a seventeen-year-old boy hosted a party for 30-40 of his closest friends from the local high school, unbeknownst to his parents who were absent at the time. According to the teenage attendees, no alcohol was served at this gathering and, if there was, no one saw Cameron Lee imbibe. I guess that explains why Mr. Lee had a blood alcohol level of 0.12, six times the legal limit for a sixteen-year-old kid. By the way, the legal drinking age in Connecticut is twenty-one.

Mistake #2: driving outside the boundaries of his driver’s license
In November 2006, just two months before the accident, Cameron Lee obtained his driver’s license. In Connecticut, a sixteen-year-old driver cannot drive after midnight and cannot take passengers in his car for the first six months, parents and family excepted. The accident occurred at 1:38 am, well beyond the midnight limit. Mr. Lee also had a passenger in the car, as I mentioned previously, another teenager, who miraculously survived the collision with nothing more than an injured ankle (and a lot of unpleasant memories, I’m sure).

Mistake #3: driving under the influence
The police report states that at 12:30 am, the Oldsmobile Alero driven by Cameron Lee was still parked in the driveway of the Lee home. The accident occurred at 1:38 am. The conclusion: sometime between those hours, Mr. Lee took the automobile for a drive. Given the blood alcohol level of the teenager, the assumption is that he left the party given by his friend, returned home, and made the decision to drive to another location, fully aware that he had consumed alcohol. Being sixteen, Cameron Lee probably didn’t want to admit that he was “drunk enough” to impair his responses behind the wheel of a car, but not necessarily “drunk enough” to exhibit obvious outward physical signs of drunkenness; thus, duping him into thinking he was still equipped to take a short drive to the local McDonalds. Given the current state requirements for driver’s education, it is unlikely that Cameron Lee had no understanding of the relationship between drinking and driving as instruction in that subject is mandatory before the issuance of a motor vehicle license (at least in Connecticut); hence, my hesitancy to say something like “he was just a kid and didn’t understand what he was doing.”

Mistake #4: speeding
The computer module from the Lee Oldsmobile was analyzed as part of the accident investigation. It indicated that the car was traveling at 101 mph five seconds before impact; one second before impact, the auto was moving at 89 mph. Apparently, Cameron Lee was doing what all young men dream of doing at some point in their lives --- taking a car to the outer limits of the speedometer. Perhaps he should have reserved that effort for a racetrack and not a dark road in New London County. The Audi he hit was so damaged by the impact of the collision (and the resulting fire) that any accurate record of speed for the vehicle was impossible to obtain.

Mistake #5: driving recklessly during icy road conditions
The early morning hours of January 28, 2007, were quite chilly, meaning that black ice, especially on bridges, was an imminent danger. Not surprising, the accident in question occurred on a freeway overpass. A more experienced driver would have recognized that attempting to control a car at speeds near 90-100 mph on a road that might have treacherous conditions would be well nigh impossible. Sadly, Cameron Lee was not an experienced driver. He was a driver who, if fortunate, had driven in winter conditions while practicing with his driver’s permit; yet, southern Connecticut hasn’t yielded much in the way of difficult driving conditions the past few years due to mild winter weather. Hence, the possibility that Mr. Lee had little skill in handling unexpected poor weather road conditions.

So, five mistakes and three fatalities, not the kind of sum residents wants to count, regardless of the age of the victims. It is a sad official outcome to an even sadder tragedy that, I daresay, has changed my community forever. But worst of all, quoting from a recent article in The Day newspaper:

…Police wrapped up their…investigation into the accident by charging the youth who hosted the party. Police captain Steven Smith said police do not expect to charge anyone else in the case.

The youth, whom police did not identify because state law bars the release of names of minors charged with all but the most serious crimes, received an infraction…for permitting a minor to possess liquor. The charge is part of a 2006 law that makes it illegal to knowingly permit a minor to possess alcohol in a home or on private property. Police declined to say what Lee’s blood alcohol level was at the time of the crash. [That information was released in a later article.]

Police said the youth, whom they would not identify as a boy or girl, can pay a $146 fine or appeal the infraction in court.

That puts the value of each life taken in this tragedy at ~$48.67, if we are counting dollars. I think I would rather count mistakes.

For two additional articles about this situation, click here and here.