Earthquake Study Resources

In light of today's earthquake and aftershocks, some homeschool families may want to examine the subject of plate tectonics in more depth.  Here are some resources that may help:

A Science Odyssey (PBS).
You Try It:  Mountain Maker, Earth Shaker
Earthquake & Tsunami Unit Study & Lapbook
Earth Science:  Plate Movement, Earthquakes
Booklist for Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, Volcanoes
How the Earth Works (high school/college/adult)

and my favorite:  the seismophone at the Science Museum of Minnesota.  Here is a short video of what it does.  Enjoy!

Go Figure, An Earthquake

This afternoon, after the end of a Late Summer Lunch that was held by our local homeschool support group, I stopped by the church office to say goodbye to my friend, Pam, the church secretary.  She informed me that Washington, D.C.had been hit by an earthquake, that the Pentagon had been evacuated, and that people as far away as Hartford, CT had experienced some movement.  Now, I must admit, of all the news that Pam could have shared with me today, an earthquake report was nowhere on my list.  I didn't feel a thing.  Then again, after a few busy hours with homeschool moms and their very energetic kids, I was pretty preoccupied.  Still, I used to live in southern California.  You would think I would be aware enough to feel an earthquake.  Apparently not!

Watching the news coverage this evening, I was struck by the number of people and reporters who stated that they ran out of their office buildings.  Even the Pentagon officials, as mentioned above, emptied thier building.*  Believe it or not, this is not the recommended response.  Duck, Cover, & Hold is the advised action, as explained in this publication from FEMA, "What To Do During an Earthquake."  It does seem counterintuitive, but staying put keeps people out of the way of the most common earthquake hazards:  falling glass and debris from windows and building exteriors.  Of course, if you are walking on the street directly in front of a skyscraper, you may want to step into a nearby lobby to avoid falling debris but, generally speaking, remaining in place is less risky.

So, today is Tuesday and we felt an earthquake in the Northeast.  On Sunday, we could be in the midst of a hurricane.  Looks like it is shaping up to be an exciting weather week.

*A later report containing interviews with Pentagon employees shared that many people thought an explosion had occurred, understandable for folks who had experienced the 9/11 attacks firsthand.  In this situation, I would probably evacuate a building too, despite any recommendation to the contrary.

My Own Secret Question

Recently, I had to re-establish an online account to pay my telephone bill (don't ask, it is a long story).  As part of that process, I was asked to set up two security questions, although this particular company called them "secret" questions, which I found a bit annoying.  Aside from that, this protective process was not unexpected and I was glad that such a procedure was in place.  Account security is important to me since I have, in the past, been the victim of credit card theft to the tune of $2000 (another long story).  What I didn't expect as part of the process was the inability to select my own "secret" questions.

This particular website asked me to choose from a variety of predetermined queries, most of which were meaningless to me.  The most memorably obnoxious one was, "Where did you attend your first concert?"  Now if I was a teenager, that option might work for me.  However, being over forty, I have attended so many concerts in my life, the first one has really faded into the distant past.  A more memorable question for me would be, "Where were you on 9/11?"  I doubt that one would work for, say, an eleven-year-old because they themselves probably don't remember the day the World Trade Center collapsed.  They certainly would have heard about it and seen video footage of it, but they probably don't have a first-hand recollection of the day.  Simply put, they were just too young.  Conclusion of these examples:  it is impossible to create a set of predetermined security questions that will work for everyone.

Which brings me to the point of this complaint.  Well, it is a plea really.  If you own a website that has a security procedure in place where patrons must establish a "secret" question, please allow them to choose their own.  It will save both of us a lot of headaches.  I won't forget my security information and you won't need to troubleshoot the problem for me when I am shut out of my account because I forgot one of the queries you pre-designed for me.

Thanks for listening.

My First Scrapbooking Project

This past Wednesday, after about a week of on-again-off-again page planning/design and shopping to collect supplies (like paper, embellishments, and adhesive), I finally assembled my first scrapbook page.  Not for my personal use, this page will (hopefully) brighten the Sign In Area of our homeschool support group meetings.  I plan to create a page for each month, September 2011 through June 2012.  If I am really inspired, I might add pages for July and August 2012 as well.  Of course, that would only be if the group decides to meet next summer.

Being related (by marriage) to a scrapbook entrepreneur and having a best friend who has worked as a scrapbook page designer for a website, I really should have caught the creative memory keeping bug long ago, but I didn't.  Why I caught it now, I cannot say.  I guess I just wanted to give a warm welcome to the families in our homeschool community and creatively preserve some of the moments we share together.  Or maybe in my old age (I will turn fifty soon), I have softened to the idea that there is some purpose to "frivolous" decoration:  that of making people comfortable and letting them know you care enough to make their environs pretty.  Whatever the reason, I have finished my first project and am moving on to another:  October holidays.  No Halloween, though.  I have decided to focus on three other celebrations.  Can you guess what they might be?

DYK? The Viking Diet

I had never heard of this eating plan before receiving a note about it in my RealAge mailing this morning.  Like the famous Mediterranean diet, Viking cuisine also reduces mortality but with foods traditionally consumed in Nordic cultures:  cabbage, rye bread, root vegetables, fish, etc.  A twelve-year inquiry actually verified the positive effects of the diet, quoting from my e-mail message:

In the study, researchers assigned people a score from 0 to 6, depending on how closely they adhered to the traditional Nordic eating style.  For every point earned, mortality dropped by 4 to 6 percent over the course of the 12-year study.  Overall, men with the most points reduced their mortality by 36 percent while top-scoring women lowered their mortality by 25 percent. 

Since the Viking diet contains foods that I enjoy, I am tempted to try it.  However, I do have one nagging question:  how do people with glycemic issues --- diabetes, insulin resistance, and the like --- fare on this plan?  Consumption of bread and root vegetables, no matter how healthy, can often send blood sugar levels swinging for such individuals.  While I research this concern for myself, here are some links that you may want to investigate should you decide to try this new food fad:

Eat Like a Viking to Live Longer
The Viking Diet
The Viking Diet:  How to Lose Weight Successfully and Keep It Off
Introducing:  The Viking Diet

Bon appetit!  Or should I say nyte maten?

No compensation has been received from RealAge.com or any other websites mentioned or linked in this posting.

Some Trivia About "The Ten Commandments"

This evening, as I was watching "The Ten Commandments" with my husband, I got curious about Anne Baxter, the actress who played the character Nefretiri in the film.  So, I went a-Googling.  This is what I found:  Anne Baxter was the granddaughter of Frank Lloyd Wright.  She died of a brain aneurysm in 1985, collapsing while hailing a cab in New York City.  Her grave is located on the Wright estate in Wisconsin.  One of her three daughters is a interior designer;  another, named Maginel, is a Catholic nun who lives in Rome.

As I said, just some trivia.

Noah Bells

Recently, I have received several catalogs that feature Noah bells.  Being the mother of a bell ringer, and being ignorant about this type of bell, I decided to investigate.  My short search yielded this from a feng shui website:

Rustic Noah bells are distinctive from all other bells due to the melodic and echoing tones.  Each bell is hand made in India.  The smelting of various metals and hand hewed clapper result in the individual tuning of each bell to create the unusual resonate sounds.  Shepherds prize the smaller bells, as they enable them to easily hear and find their flocks from many miles away.

Given that this is the season of Advent and that we will eventually see sheep and shepherds added to our Nativity scenes, I thought the latter part of that quote to be quite applicable.  In fact, it reminded me of the Christmas carol, "While Shepherds Watched," text from 1703:

While shepherds watched
Their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground.
The angel of the Lord came down
And glory shone around,
And glory shone around,
And glory shone around.

"Fear not," he said,
For mighty dread
Had seized their troubled minds.
"Glad tidings of great joy I bring
To you and all mankind,
To you and all mankind."

I also found this instructional video about Noah bells on YouTube:



I still haven't discovered why the bells carry the moniker, "Noah."  Any ideas?

Skip the Escalator

This link, The Piano Stairs, came to me this morning from my darling husband, King Richard. I would love to have a set of these in my house! Although, if a toy like this was permanently installed in my abode, nothing else would ever get done. I would find my musically inclined daughter, who loves to compose, bouncing up and down the stairs, working out the latest melody line or devising new harmony to some Appalachian folk tune, all the while ignoring her homework. My husband, I suspect, would experiment with various physical ways of extracting sound from the steps --- sliding down on his stomach, running up and down on all the black keys or all the white keys, trying to play chopsticks while jumping around on the “keyboard,” etc. It would be as the video says: fun theory…in action.

Thank you, dear, for this joyful bit of amusement so early in the day.

No Black Friday for Me

2010 was not a Black Friday year for me. In recent years, I have ventured out at the crack of dawn with a longtime friend, buoyed by a strong cup of coffee or some steaming green tea and bundled well against the cold. This year, though, we both decided to sleep in: she because of an ear infection and me because I was lazy and didn’t want to leave the warmth of my down comforter. Besides, none of the sales really applied to my gift list. No, instead, I grabbed some leftover baked eggs and a bite of cinnamon pull-apart, showered, and headed out to see “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part I)” with my daughter and her magician friend. Later, I enjoyed a small sirloin steak topped with mushrooms and accompanied by broccoli and grilled tomatoes at one of my favorite local restaurants. Now, I am home, waiting for my cats to finish their evening meal, soon to be snugly dressed in my gray sweatshirt, feet tucked inside a pair of fuzzy mint green slippers, curled up on the couch ready to work on my annual Christmas card letter. Movie for the evening: Christmas in Connecticut.

Life with a Ringer

This morning, as my family was watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, this commercial came on the TV. My bell ringer daughter immediately heralded, “Now, it must be Christmas!” Enjoy.

Typical Thanksgiving Preparation Day

Just when I think I am totally ready to bake and cook for Turkey Day, I discover that I am missing ingredients. Since I am eating with friends tomorrow and I am responsible for a pie, some cookies, and a side dish (grated carrot salad), I gathered what I needed late last week and, in some cases, weeks ago. Yet this morning, in a fit of perfectionism, I picked up two bags of fresh carrots so I had really fresh ones for the Thanksgiving Day party. I also grabbed some extra cinnamon for the breakfast pull-apart I was making, just in case I ran low. What I didn’t check for and, consequently, didn’t purchase on this last-minute grocery trip was yeast for the pull-apart. Silly me, I thought I had some. Obviously not! So…I have just returned from my last last-minute excursion to the supermarket. This trip: dijon mustard (which I discovered I needed for the carrot salad dressing), parsley (which I also needed for the carrot salad), the yeast that I needed, and some extra butter. You never know when you might need some butter, especially when children are baking cookies. Price surprise: the bread machine yeast was $7.49/jar. Thankfully, my store card dropped it to $6.49.

Forward to the kitchen!

It’s a Start

For the first time in a long time, I feel motivated to get my yard and garden in order before the snow flies, maybe because of the increasingly difficult economic picture, maybe because my daughter is interested in learning to grow her own food, or maybe because I am tired of my yard looking unkempt. Whatever the reason, thus far I have my future kitchen garden bed cleared of old dayliles and daffodils, and amended with lobster compost, vermiculite, and peat moss. I also have the new backyard vegetable bed carved out of the lawn. Here are the results:




The new planting area will get more extensive treatment in the spring: additional soil amendments and, hopefully, a lovely stone border built up to create a raised bed. Tasks for the rest of Thanksgiving week: finish cleaning and amending the raised bed under my bedroom window. If all goes well, when I am finished, I will have 150-200 square feet of garden space prepared and ready to go in the spring, not including the EarthBoxes my daughter has planned for the driveway. It’s a start.

Stir Up Sunday

Yesterday (11/21/2010) marked the final Sunday before Advent, a day that in times past had been termed “Stir Up Sunday” after the opening lines of the Collect* for that day in the Book of Common Prayer, 1549:

Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For those unfamiliar with the practices of a more liturgically oriented church (e.g., Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian, etc.), the Collect is a prayer that is said just after a hymn of praise in the worship service and generally takes the following form:

1) Invitation
2) Address to the person of the Trinity
3) Attribute or quality of the deity related to the prayer
4) The prayer or request itself
5) Reason or expected result of the prayer
6) Christian conclusion
7) General affirmation

Using the aforementioned Collect as an illustration, we have:

1) Let us pray
2) O Lord
3) The will of the faithful people
4) Stir up the will of the faithful people
5) That the will of the people would result in good works so that the people may be rewarded
6) Through Jesus Christ our Lord
7) Amen

From the book Christmas Customs and Traditions by Frank Muir (1975), we also learn this about “Stir Up Sunday:”

By tradition it was the last occasion on which Christmas puddings and cakes could be begun if they were to be ready by 25 December.

Such holiday foods needed time to age before being baked and served, hence the need to “stir up” the pudding mixture well in advance. The pudding itself was not without a modicum of symbolism, as is recorded in Food and Cooking in Victorian England: A History by Andrea Praeger (1975), this particular quote being taken from The Food Timeline website:

The plum pudding’s association with Christmas takes us back to medieval England and the Roman Catholic Church’s decree that the ‘pudding should be…prepared with thirteen ingredients to represent Christ and the twelve apostles, and that every family member stir it in turn from east to west to honor the Magi and their supposed journey in that direction.’

While I do not practice the tradition of baking a Christmas pudding, I see some practicality in the picture it provides, as outlined above, in that it marries information about the birth of Christ with what is known about the ministry of Christ. The pudding seems like a helpful tie-in between the Christmas story itself and the good works of service performed by the followers of the Savior whose birth they commemorate at Christmas; of course, understanding always that no one is saved by such works but by the grace of God alone. The fact that the Christmas celebrants are required to wait on the scrumptious holiday dessert just as they have to wait for the Second Coming of Christ provides a valuable object lesson as well, one that is often missed in our modern-day Christmas preparations.

How about you? What traditions do you observe that help teach the children in your life about the meaning of Christmas and the life of Christ Jesus, Our Lord, a life that believers everywhere should imitate?

*The Collect begins with the words "Let us pray."

A Fond Farewell

Sad news has come to our little corner of the world. Kit, the beloved tabby cat featured in this posting, passed away last week, a victim of abdominal cancer. As he was only six years old and asymptomatic, his illness came as a complete shock to our family. We really had no choice but to give him peace as his entire abdominal wall and part of his liver were riddled with tiny tumors, none of which would respond to treatment. He is already greatly missed by both the people and the other cats that live in our home, and I am certain he will be missed for a long time to come.

A real character, Kit would steal tomatoes from your salad, lick yogurt from your fingertips, and tear into plastic bags to nibble on the sprouted wheat bagels you were saving for breakfast; he would burrow into every basket of warm towels that he could find if you let it sit unattended for even a moment; and he would “kiss” your nose at night before cuddling into bed next to my daughter. Of course, he would also hunt our cockatiel if she was out of her cage for too long but, hey, every feline has to respond to instinct once in a while.

I received a call from the vet this morning (10/25/2010). The ashen remains of our adorable kitty have already returned from the crematorium and are ready for pick up. I feel as if that drive to the animal hospital will be, in some sense, a funeral procession. I had forgotten how much the death of a beloved pet affects daily life. The three-cat wake-up alarm is malfunctioning, causing everyone to oversleep and the household chores to get behind; Chopin is minus a playmate, so he spends time throughout the day searching for his absent companion instead of frolicking through the family room; and the “dinner bell,” a daily 4:00 PM confrontation that Kit used to have with Fermata, signaling the beginning of food prep for the evening, isn’t ringing either, so supper has been delayed of late as well. Everything is off.

Isn’t that how it should be, though? After all, isn’t mourning the process by which we who remain adjust to the loss of a loved one? Isn’t this the interval between loss and acceptance of loss where everything reaches a new equilibrium? I guess I just didn’t anticipate that we would all feel this loss quite so deeply. Yet, no matter how sad we are at the moment, I have faith that time will set life on course again. The fact that we need more time than I originally expected is a testament to how much Kit was loved and the integral role that he played in the life of our home. He was, most assuredly, a cherished companion who will live in our hearts forever.

Note: Kit arrived home yesterday (10/29/2010) in a lovely cherry wood box, sealed with a tiny gold lock. He was cremated on my birthday, October 21st.

DYK? A Mutated Fungus

Last Friday, as I was perusing the news online, I came across this article on FoxNews.com. Being an allergy sufferer and someone who occasionally experiences bronchial congestion after the flu or a particularly bad cold, I tend to notice information about airborne “things.” This particular “thing” is Cryptococcus gattii, a type of “encapsulated yeast found primarily in tropical and subtropical climates” (according to Wikipedia). Generally only a problem for immune compromised individuals, the fungus has mutated and is now a threat to healthy individuals as well. It has also begun to spread from its initial discovery point on Vancouver Island, British Columbia to the northwestern United States. Infection can only occur from inhaling fungus spores, so the illness is not transmissible person to person (or animal to person). Symptoms of cryptococcal infection range from a nagging cough to sharp chest pain to delerium-producing fever (for a list, click here). It is considered a rare illness. However, this new strain is particularly virulent, exhibiting a mortality rate of approximately 25%. If you would like to hear more about the spread of Cryptococcus gattii, listen to this podcast from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Cute, but...

Last night, as I was checking the evening television listings, I noticed a visually active teaser ad for "Van Goghgurt," a product designed to "Feed Your Kids the Arts." Not sure if the commercial was for a real product, I clicked on the ad to investigate further. What I found was the website for Americans for the Arts. Apparently, the ad is one of several produced as public service announcements designed to get parents (and kids) more interested in arts education. Searching a bit further, I found this on YouTube:



This particular ad is cute, I admit, but will it really move parents to expose their children to more arts education opportunities, especially during a time when so many families are experiencing economic hardship?

When It Rains

…and the water runs through my backyard like a small tributary heading down the path of least resistance to the stream in the woods a half mile from house, I get A LOT of water in my basement! Usually, when water comes up in my basement, it only rises a few inches before being removed by my sump pump. When A LOT of water flows through my local watershed in a short period of time (like the past two days), the water apparently comes right through my stone foundation and onto the dirt, skipping the sump pump entirely. Yes, you read that correctly; my basement is about 75% dirt/sand/gravel and 25% concrete. The concrete portion has a retaining wall and a slab upon which sits my furnace and my clothes washer. Beyond/behind the retaining wall is fill and a huge boulder, hence the reason my basement is not completely dug out and finished. In the twenty years that my husband and I have owned this house, we have never had water come through our foundation wall and onto the dirt. We have also never had so much water in our yard.

Current status: a small amount of water is still coming up in the sump pump/concrete portion of my basement. The dirt is wet but not taking on new water.

Current strategy: continue to pump any water that comes up in the concrete portion of the basement and install fans to dry out the dirt.

So how’s the weather in your neck of the woods?

RC: January 2010

After debating with myself about whether I should make the commitment to write about my holiday planning attempts this year, I decided to take it one month at a time. So, even though it is now March, here are my accomplishments for January 2010.

BOOK
The Christmas Quilt
by Jennifer Chiaverini

I have booklovers on my Christmas list, a fact that simultaneously makes gift giving a breeze and a challenge. Ordering books from Amazon and having them delivered direct to the gift recipients reduces an amazing amount of stress during the holiday season. On the other hand, finding a fresh story for these seasoned readers is tough. In an effort to meet the latter challenge (and dispense with some Christmas shopping early in 2010), I am proactively reading of late. My latest yarn: The Christmas Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini.

A heartwarming tale of family, memory, and reconciliation, The Christmas Quilt shifts between past and present as it recounts the continuing saga of the Bergstrom clan, wealthy Pennsylvania kinsfolk whose financial empire was built on the breeding of world-class thoroughbred racehorses. Beginning two years after the death of Claudia Bergstrom and the return of her sole surviving sibling, Sylvia, the story picks up where The Quilter’s Apprentice ended. Sylvia Bergstrom has resurrected the family estate, Elm Creek Manor, and turned it into a retreat for quilt enthusiasts with the help of a young couple, Matt and Sarah McClure. As the elder Bergstrom prepares for the holidays, Sarah discovers the Christmas Quilt, a multigenerational project, worked on by four eras of Bergstrom women. Left unfinished for decades, Sarah asks if she can complete the coverlet, a process that sparks some reminiscing about family traditions, some retelling of family history, and some re-examination of long-held grudges on the part of both Sylvia and Sarah. In the end, pieces of the past are joined to the present just as the pieces of the quilt are intricately stitched together.

Favorite quotes from the book:

- “Her heart filled with joy and gratitude as she sung the traditional carols she loved so dearly. How the Lord must have loved the people of the world to send them His only Son! And how He must love them still, despite their sin, despite their weakness, despite the shadow of the Cross that fell upon the Manger even on this most joyous of days. At that moment Sylvia felt touched by the light of grace, and she knew that if she could remember that feeling after she left that gathering, even in her darkest hours, she would never be alone.”

- "At last she understood the true lesson of the Christmas Quilt, that a family was an act of creation, the piecing together of disparate fragments into one cloth --- often harmonious, occasionally clashing and discordant, but sometimes unexpectedly beautiful and strong. Without contrast there was not pattern…and each piece, whether finest silk or faded cotton, would endure if sewn fast to the others with strong seams --- bonds of love and loyalty, tradition and faith.

Publication date: 2005. Highly recommended.
Plush Duck rating: *****

MOVIE
“Surviving Christmas” (2004)
starring Ben Affleck, Christina Applegate

Wealthy marketing executive Drew Latham is alone at Christmas. Dumped by his girlfriend, he desperately tries to find a friend that will take him in for the holidays. Unsuccessful in this quest, Drew seeks the counsel of a psychiatrist. His advice:

- Write down all your grievances about family on a single sheet of paper
- Go somewhere that reminds you of your childhood
- Light the paper on fire
- As the paper burns, repeat the phrase, ”I forgive you.”

Somewhat skeptical that this ritual will restore familial relationships to his life, Mr. Latham makes his way to Lincolnwood, Illinois, the site of his childhood home. Standing on the front steps of his ancestral abode with the burning paper in his hand, Drew is suddenly ambushed and knocked unconscious by the shovel-wielding current homeowner. Feeling a bit remorseful that he treated him badly, the father of the resident family gives the wealthy businessman a tour of his former home, feeds him dinner…and gets stuck with him for Christmas as part of a financial deal. Yep, that’s right. Desperate Drew pays the current residents of his childhood home $250,000 to take him in for the holidays. Naturally, this arrangement comes complete with a legally binding contract drawn up by an attorney and signed by all parties involved. How touching.

Of course, this heartwarming experiment is an attempt by Drew to recreate the childhood memories he wants and never had. Unfortunately for all involved, the charade quickly disintegrates into an unmitigated disaster, and goes further awry with the arrival of Alicia, the family daughter who was absent when the contract was signed. To cope with this development, Drew assigns Alicia the role of the household maid in this bizarre Christmas scenario. Later, he adds a grandpa as well, played by a local actor hired to do the job.

Eventually, through mishaps and mayhem, Mr. Latham realizes that he has imposed on everyone and decides to cancel the charade but, by then, Drew’s wealthy ex-girlfriend and her family have unexpectedly arrived, so the show must go on. Try as they may to maintain the illusion that Drew puts family first, the truth comes out: all is fiction, as are the businessman’s feelings for his girlfriend. Mr. Latham really loves Alicia. Of course, it takes a few plot twists for him to reach that conclusion, but he gets there. In the end, the man who began the Christmas holiday in search of a family actually finds one that is willing to take him in.

As wonderful as that sounds, it does not translate into a high rating. Sadly, I must actually rate the film rather low. Yes, the overarching tale was positive; yet, the producers chose to pepper the storyline with a subplot involving pornographic websites. For me, that really took away from the quality of the film and put it more in the category of gross slapstick comedy rather than family-friendly holiday fare. I certainly wouldn’t watch it with younger children who still embrace the magic of Christmas.

Release date: 2004. Not recommended.
Plush Duck rating: *****

ACTIVITIES
- Wrote an evaluation of Christmas 2009

An Education Survey

A short while ago, I received a link to a poll on education choices. The question (paraphrased): if money were no object, how would you educate your child? As I expected, private school was in first place at 52%. Homeschooling was running second at 22%. To see the current results, or to vote, visit this page on the BabyCenter website.

A Snow Board, Not a Snowboard

With the National Weather Service forecasting more "white stuff" for coastal New England, I thought I would share this fascinating bit of instruction per the measurement of snow. I obtained this from the National Weather Service website for Upton, NY:

The goal is to achieve the most representative and accurate measurement of snow accumulation, which is widely known to be obtained using a snowboard. A snowboard should be any lightly colored board that is about 2 feet by 2 feet. A piece of plywood painted white works very well. Ideally, it should be painted white to minimize heating by sunlight. Place your snowboard in the spot you have chosen. Mark the location of the snowboard with a stake so you can find it after a fresh snowfall.

I must confess, when I first read this statement, a picture of a snowboard came into my head. You know the kind...the ones that snowboarders use to ski down slopes. Obviously, the weather service is not referring to that kind of snowboard. They are referring to any board that can create a flat surface upon which snow can accumulate. Silly me!

For more information about measuring snow, click here.

In the Market?

Belcourt Castle in Newport, Rhode Island is up for sale! The last time it was available, according to Wikipedia, was 1956. Back then, the property was purchased by the Tinney family for $25,000. The asking price this time around: $7,200,000. For a video tour of the home, check out this YouTube video (see below). For more on the history of the property, which is quite a tale, peruse “Newport History for Sale” by Eric Moskowitz, an article that ran in the Boston Globe last June (2009) or visit Belcourt's History page.

Music That Soothes My Soul

In weeks when the world seems to be out of control and marred by horrendous tragedy (i.e., Haiti), I try to claim some peace by listening to this lovely composition by Gabriel Fauré: the Cantique de Jean Racine. Originally in French, the lyrics, translated into English, are as follows:

Word, equal to the Most High, our only hope,
Eternal day of the earth and the Heavens;
From the peaceful night we break the silence,
Divine Savior, cast your eyes upon us!

Spread upon us the fire of your powerful grace
May all hell flee at the sound of your voice;
Disperse the sleep from a languishing soul,
Which has driven it to forget your laws!

Oh Christ, be favorable to this faithful people
Now gathered to bless you.
Receive the songs it offers to your immortal glory,
And may it return filled with your gifts!

Enjoy!

Another New Tool

One of my goals for 2010, like so many other adults, is to lose weight. Working toward that goal is always a challenge but, once in a great while, a gadget comes along that (when used and used properly) can make the weight loss journey much more effective. I think I may have discovered that gadget: the Tanita BC-533 InnerScan Body Composition Monitor. It slices; it dices; it melts away the pounds. Well, not really. I still need to do the work, but now I have a ton of data at my disposal to tailor a fitness and diet routine: weight, body fat %, body water %, muscle mass, physique rating, daily caloric intake, metabolic age, bone mass, and visceral fat rating. So far, after one reading, I know that my old scale was registering five pounds too light (bummer!); I know that my visceral fat is not a problem (thank goodness); and I know that my metabolic age is very close to my chronological age (hurrah). As for the rest of the numbers...well, I am not sharing that information. Maybe in the future when I look like a Victoria's Secret model and I weigh as little as I did when I got married (ha!). If you need a new gadget to help your weight loss effort, check out this and other fitness products at Tanita.com.

* This is my personal recommendation/endorsement. I am not receiving any benefits, financial or otherwise, from the Tanita company.

A Rewarding Concert Season

This past Friday (1/8/2010) marked the end of the 2009 Shoreline Ringers Christmas concert season…and what a season it was. It began with a visit to Carnegie Hall as part of “Christmas in the City” with the Continuo Arts Foundation. It continued with an engagement at the Somers Congregational Church in Somers, CT. That was followed by an appearance in the WFSB Channel 3 “Joy for the Kids” benefit concert at the Hartford Stage, during which my daughter (and the group, of course) were privileged to meet Scot Haney, the host of show. Several more concerts in Madison, Norwich, Noank, and Old Saybrook called for some travel and bell loading in the snow, efforts that were well worth the trouble as the audiences were so appreciative of and curious about the bells and the art of ringing. In case you missed any of the presentations, I offer this video from Embellishment, a male-female bell duo who rang with Shoreline Ringers at both Carnegie Hall and Madison, CT.



To see the ringers at rehearsal, click here and enjoy. I hope you all had a very merry holiday season.

My New Health Tool

As part of my 2010 "Get Light, Get Fit, Get Healthy!" goals, I plan to work on stabilizing and/or improving my chronic sinusitis. I have battled this condition in some way or another for years, sometimes developing sinus infections that required an MRI for diagnosis and high-powered antibiotics for treatment. At least a decade ago, I began irrigating my sinuses with saline and a dosing syringe but, lately, that just wasn't doing the job. When the possibility of asthma as a result of the chronic sinusitis presented itself, I looked for something more effective. My solution: the SinuPulse Elite. This lovely little apparatus uses patented technology to deliver a pulsating stream of water (or mist) into your sinuses to clean and/or moisturize them. To learn more about the machine, visit Achoo Allergy, or watch the video posted below.



* This is my personal recommendation/endorsement. I am not receiving any benefits, financial or otherwise, from the manufacturers of the SinuPulse Elite.

Is This Our Future?

I don't usually like to post articles like this, but the video posted below saddened me and made me think about what could happen if we, as citizens, don't work to positively impact the current state of our economy and our government. I was saddened by this video for several reasons:

1) On a recent trip to Carnegie Hall in New York City, my husband and I met a couple from Detroit. We didn't really speak to them. We were merely on the same historical tour. Afterwards, we saw them in Starbucks and exchanged greetings. When they left the coffee shop, the wife waved goodbye. It was quite touching to be in a city of millions for one day, for the first time in my life, and encounter a stranger more than once in the same day. It saddens me to think that someone whose life intersected mine for just a moment lives daily in the reality that is Detroit.

2) Given my educational background in economics and political science, and having come of age as a fan of Democratic initiatives like the Model Cities program, it worries me that the current administration (as well as several previous ones) is making domestic and fiscal policy mistakes that could create more cities in crisis, like Detroit.

3) Personally, I cannot imagine what skills I would need to learn or develop in order to survive in an environment like the Detroit depicted in this video. I know I certainly do not have those skills now and it weighs on me that, at my age, I may not have time to learn what I need to know, or to teach my daughter the skills she may need to know.

Rest assured, I don’t ponder this perspective on a daily basis; yet, it does occur to me once in a while. So, I ask the question again: “Is this our future?” I pray that it is not.

That French Diet Advice, Again

Last night, at our early New Year’s Eve party, several of the husbands were discussing the “get in shape” events that are planned at/by their various employers in the opening months of 2010. To be helpful, I thought I would pass along the following from a daily tip message that I received recently:

Try these seven steps that are the norm in the typical French diet:

1. Eat smaller portions.
2. Eat only at mealtimes, and avoid snacking.
3. Eat a wide variety of food.
4. Don’t skip meals.
5. Enjoy your food, and focus on dishes made from quality ingredients that are fresh and locally grown.
6. Stick to your internal cues. When you no longer feel hungry, stop eating.
7. Eat meals with family and friends so eating becomes a pleasurable experience and not something to “fit into” a schedule or feel guilty about.

If you would like your own messages on how to get and stay healthy, click here.

Poor Pachelbel

Johann Pachelbel was a composer who lived in the 17th century and produced, perhaps, one of the most recognized melodies in music history. He is, in the opinion of many, the ultimate classical one-hit wonder. Today, sadly, he is often the subject of spoof and mockery, as in this clip from YouTube, courtesy of comedian Rob Paravonian. Thanks to Mr. Florez the Younger for pointing me in the direction of this amusement.

A Note About Ice

With the onset of winter, people often ask me about life in Minnesota. Having been born in the great icebox and having lived there until I married a Navy man who dragged me to the warmer climes of southern California, when these inquiries come, they often revolve around ice. Is it really cold enough to freeze a lake so completely that people can actually drive on it? Do people really set up shacks on the lakes so they can fish during the winter? Do people really cut holes in the ice to go swimming? The answer to all of these questions is "yes," of course. However, that does not mean that ice is safe. Ice in NEVER safe, as is reiterated in this article from my hometown newspaper, the Fairmont Sentinel:

But according to ice safety experts, no matter how low the temperature gets, or how late in the season it is, the ice is never safe.

- snip -

The Department of Natural Resources recommends staying off ice less than 2 inches thick. Ice can be walked on at 4 inches, snowmobiled on at 5 inches, and support a car of small truck at 8 inches. Medium trucks should wait until the ice thickness reaches 12-15 inches.

These guidelines are for new, clear ice --- white ice is considered half as strong, and ice thickness recommendations should therefore be doubled.

And watch out for the white stuff. It can be deceiving, as we continue to read:

The snow cover, which some seem to think helps the ice form, actually insulates the lake, inhibiting ice formation.

Snow also can cause ice to be less stable, as the weight of the snow presses down on the freshly formed ice.

Eric Schettler, local conservation officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said the snow can cause the lake to flood --- pushing water up through cracks or fishing holes. The water then begins a freezing/thawing cycle that creates "rotten ice."

- snip -

Schettler said since water freezes from the bottom up, the water moving under the ice can easily chip away at the thickness.

And don't forget these informational tidbits:
- a vehicle being drive on ice causes waves, just like a boat
- parking vehicles together on the ice can cause them to sink.

Be safe!

Angel Gabriel

Tonight, while my daughter attended a dance party, I headed to Starbucks for some quiet study time with The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther. While in the coffee shop, these words came over the stereo, accompanied by music (of course):

And I’ll shout and I’ll dance
And I’ll rise up early in the morning
I will rise and rub my sleepy eyes
When old Gabriel comes blowing on his horn

I was curious about where these lyrics originated, so I looked it up when I got home. They are from a folk song titled “Angel Gabriel.” You can read the rest of the words on this page of the Folk & Traditional Song Lyrics section of the Traditional Music Library website. Enjoy!

A Cavity and a Resolution

Last week, I had my regular six-month dental hygienist appointment. You know the one: where they clean your pearly whites, take x-rays (if need be) and, generally, tell you that all is right with the world. Well, apparently, all is not right in my universe because I have a cavity! That’s right, a cavity. Even my dentist seemed a bit surprised. The little lovely is located between two of my molars, so I will now have to get two fillings. Not one. Two. Ain’t that just grand? If I opt for the silver amalgam version, the cost is $41.30 after insurance; if I decide to go with the white, matched-to-your-teeth variety, the price is ~$193.00 post insurance. The fillings are for my molars. Who will be looking there? I think silver. Then again…

Today, one week later, I had the filling installed. I cheaped out and went with silver. The dental assistant explained to me that the silver amalgam fillings are a bit stronger than the white ones, and that the location of my cavity would fare better with a stronger material. It really was a no-brainer. Two shots of Novocain, some drilling, and 45 minutes later, my teeth were “back to normal.” Hopefully, they will stay that way.

Fall is Coming

Today, as I pulled into the parking lot of the church where my daughter practices the organ, a bit of a breeze began to blow. Looking across the property, I saw a cascade of yellow leaves falling from one of the many trees surrounding the churchyard and it occurred to me, all of a sudden, that fall is coming. It really is on its way. In recognition of that fact, I thought I would post this, "Falling Leaves" by Bet Briggs. Enjoy.

A Few Flakes

This morning, after my shower and morning routine, I glanced out my front window on the way to my bedroom, and what do you think I saw? Snow flurries! I had to look twice just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Nope. There they were, plain as day. Snowflakes. That got me thinking that I never posted a photo from the last snowstorm --- the one that dumped almost a foot of snow in my driveway. Well, here it is: my driveway filled with the fluffy stuff. Thank goodness I have (most likely) seen the end of this until next winter. The morning flurries only lasted a moment.

The Floor, Revealed

On Sunday, my husband replaced the heating element in my oven. It burned out about a week ago due to twenty-five years of use and abuse, mostly (I must confess) at the hands of the previous owner since I don’t cook at home that much these days. Anyway, once the stove was pulled away from the wall, King Richard snapped this photo:

List of accumulated stuff:
- two pieces of candy
- two stuffed cat toys
- two plastic cat toys
- one “bendy” straw
- fourteen pens & pencils
- several pieces of cat food
- one sock
- a dust bunny the size of the Wererabbit

So, what’s under your stove? Have you looked lately? If you haven’t, maybe you should. You never know what you might find. Just for the record, the cache of goodies under my Frigidaire® Magic Kleen was the work of one cat: Chopin.

More Anti-Homework Shenanigans

Earlier this week, the CBS News channel in Dallas/Fort Worth ran an article on their website reporting on the consideration of a new homework policy for the Plano [Texas] Independent School District. Apparently, their middle school grading and assessment committee has been studying the homework issue since late 2007. The objective of their work?

To [e]nsure that grading practices are consistent with the philosophy that grades should be our most accurate reflection of student knowledge and achievement.”

Their current leanings on the subject?

“According to several Plano Independent School District teachers, they have been informed that beginning next school year, homework will no longer be required of middle school students. And the grades for homework assignments that are assigned will not apply to students’ report card grades.”

- snip –

"As for deadlines for assignments, teachers say the Plano Independent School District is considering placing no deadline on any assignment completed outside of the classroom --- so students could turn in the work at any time."

So, let me see if I understand this correctly: the school district wants to make certain that the grades assigned to their students accurately reflect their understanding of and achievement in the subject matter at hand; the school district wants these highly accurate grades to be based on homework that is not required, as well as other assignments (presumably not homework) that can be handed in at any time (presumably before the end of the grading period); and the district will not use these highly accurate homework grades on report cards.

Wow!!!

Whatever happened to accountability? How are the children of Plano ever going to learn accountability? Better yet, how are the children of Plano ever going to learn anything at all?

The teachers’ response?

Faculty members…said they were caught off guard when they were told about the plan recently. They were also surprised that their students will be required to do less work. One teacher reportedly wept when she heard the news.

I think I would weep too…if I didn’t have to put the finishing touches on a homeschool presentation about how to grade homework.

I Am Mrs. Potato Head

I almost fell off my chair during this Super Bowl ad for Bridgestone Tires, not because I am in need of tires but because…I am Mrs. Potato Head. Just ask my husband what it is like to drive with me in the mountains or during a snowstorm. Basically, any time I perceive danger on the road and I determine that he is not taking appropriate precautions to keep me safe, I turn into Mrs. Potato Head. The older I get, the more often this transformation occurs. I suppose, for my husband, it is like living with Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde. Poor King Richard. Sorry, honey.

For everyone else, enjoy the video.

RC: January 2009

Ah, once again, the Plush Duck tries valiantly to prepare for Christmas gift giving by reading holiday books, watching holiday movies, and baking new holiday cookies. Let’s see if she can stick to the plan this year.

BOOK
The Night Before Christmas
by Clement C. Moore

Short story. Old story. Familiar story. I actually chose to read three versions of this tale: one illustrated by Mary Engelbreit, one illustrated by Tasha Tudor, and one illustrated by Tomie De Paola. The first rendering had a look that I associate with the bright, sparkling modern-day conception of Santa Claus --- lots of bells and stardust and tons of activity with the robust, jolly gentleman who wears gold spectacles and sports those rosy cheeks at the center of it all. The second version had the dark look of nighttime (as in “the night before Christmas”) with a home that resembled Victorian England and a Santa that truly resembled an elf --- small, impish, and magical. The third offering was more plainly drawn with a look that my daughter equated to Cubism. The lines were sharper, the shapes were very geometric, and the colors were cooler, giving the impression of a chill in the house and a biting wind outside as it blew across the wide-open spaces covered in snow. It is amazing how much an illustrative style can influence the perception of even such a familiar poem.

Publication dates vary. Highly recommended.
Plush Duck Rating: *****

MOVIE
“While You Were Sleeping”
starring Sandra Bullock & Bill Pullman

A bit of the plot: a lonely woman (Lucy) who works for the Chicago Transit Authority saves a handsome man after he is assaulted on a train platform, thrown onto the railroad tracks, and in danger of being run over by a speeding engine. While accompanying the injured man to the hospital, she thinks aloud how she would like to marry the dashing guy, a statement that is misinterpreted by the nursing staff, thereby allowing her access to the comatose gentleman and his life. Upon meeting his family members, who are understandably grateful that she rescued their boy, suspicions mount as to whether Lucy is really “the fiancée.” Eventually, a family friend discovers the truth that Lucy is masquerading as the betrothed, prompting her to admit that she really isn’t in love with the injured man. Instead, Lucy is in love with his brother.
A few plot twists and classic character miscommunications later, this somewhat serious tale becomes a rather adorable comedy, all set around Christmastime.

I actually own this movie. I bought it several years back after seeing it on television during the Christmas season. Part of my attraction to it was the cast: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden, and Glynis Johns. For those of you who don’t know the latter actress, think “Mary Poppins.” She played the mom. Accompanied by a sweet soundtrack and sporting behavior that, overall, exhibits old-fashioned values, I would count this as a family-friendly film for the tween set and older. But don’t take my word for it; here is a recommendation from Common Sense Media:

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING has an old-fashioned feel. While it’s patterned after the classic romantic comedies of the 1930’s and 1940’s…the movie’s clever writing, gentle humor, and strong performances make up for its shortcomings. It is a good choice for parents to watch with their older kids, because there’s something here to appeal to both generations.

Release date: 1995. Highly recommended.
Plush Duck Rating: *****

COOKIE
Kolachki
From Christmas-Cookies.com

A much-appreciated dance instructor at our local Fred Astaire Dance Studio inspired the choice of this recipe. He hails from St. Petersburg, Russia and has been in America for about eight years. We found the cookies to be completely yummy.

Yield: varies depending on how cookies are cut & assembled

Ingredients
½ pound cream cheese (at room temperature)
½ pound butter (at room temperature)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 pound finely ground walnuts
1 large egg
1 cup granulated sugar
water

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add flour and mix again until smooth. Roll dough into three balls. Refrigerate dough to keep it from drying out. The dough can be refrigerated for 1-2 hours, but it is not necessary. Roll out one ball at a time and flour lightly. Roll dough out in flour or granulated sugar so it doesn’t stick. Cut dough into squares or circles using a cookie or biscuit cutter. Make the filling by mixing together the walnuts, egg, and sugar. Add just enough water to obtain a sticky consistency. Add about a teaspoon of filling to each piece of cut dough. Roll squares into logs. Fold circles over and seal with a fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Hint: the Christmas cookie website states that making this dough is easier with a food processor. My daughter used a mixer and didn't have any problems.

Plush Duck Rating: *****

A Home Gym?

In a recent e-mail I received from the Dr. Weil website, the topic of discussion was “4 Ways to Start a Home Gym.” Some items that were suggested for inclusion in such a space:

- a yoga mat
- resistance bands & a set of weights
- fitness DVDs in enough variety to focus on different muscle groups & prevent boredom
- a treadmill, elliptical trainer, or recumbent bicycle

Hmm, let me take stock. Do I have the makings of a home gym so that I can work toward my New Year’s resolution of losing 30 pounds? I have a couple of yoga mats. I own a set of weights and three resistance bands of varying strengths. I have more fitness DVDs than my husband probably wishes I had (some Denise Austin, Leslie Sansone, Pilates for Dummies, AM/PM Yoga, etc.). The only item I am missing is the treadmill, elliptical trainer, or recumbent bicycle. I do have a trainer that allows me to set up my own bike to act as a stationery bicycle, so I guess I have that covered too. So, seeing as I already have a home gym (and seeing as I have had it for awhile), the question now becomes: why am I not using it to lose the 30 pounds I so desperately want to shed?

I hate hard questions that make me look at my own behavior, don’t you?

A Friendly Visitor

After the last snowstorm, my daughter and I noticed that a pair of deer began visiting our yard on a fairly regular basis. We were at a bit of a loss to determine what was attracting them until, one day, we saw this individual (not certain if he/she is male or female) munching on one of the azalea bushes in the backyard. Since I did not do anything to stop or discourage the friendly beast, I will probably not have much of an azalea bush left by spring. Oh, well. I have a pretty healthy collection of azaleas in my yard. Losing one to a hungry deer may not be so bad.

Listening to Winter

Last night I went out to do some intermediate shoveling just after sundown and, instead of getting a workout, I got a gorgeous experience! The snow was falling quietly. The ever-present, low-level drone from the local arterial road just up the street was absent. The only sound was the faint, distant scraping of a plow removing snow from the nearby streets. Noticing this stillness, I just stood for a moment and listened…to nothing.

My mother actually encouraged my sister and me to do this. One winter, on a cold evening in late January, she convinced my dad to drive us into the countryside outside of our small Minnesota town, park the car, and roll down the windows so we could “listen to winter.” I remember thinking she was a little weird; but I also remember watching the loose snow skim across the moonlit cornfields, driven by that lovely Upper Midwest wind that seems to blow constantly in midwinter. Even today, thinking about that event, I can almost smell the cold, dry freshness of the air. Connecticut doesn’t smell like that. It smells wetter and saltier.

This morning I need to shovel again. Unfortunately, the atmosphere won’t compare. More snowplows are out, the local traffic is picking up, and the din of life has returned. But I now have two winter moments to savor while I work. Life is good.

First Concert of the Year

I am, at the moment, sitting in the hallway of Central Baptist Church in Norwich, CT, listening to the first handbell concert of 2009. The Shoreline Ringers are playing as part of the “Music at Central Series,” a community concert program sponsored annually by the church. I am parked in the hallway because this particular engagement of the bell choir is so well attended that I needed to give up my seat to someone who had never heard the group perform. Now that I think about it, this just may be the largest audience in the three-year history of Shoreline performances. Not only did they run out of seats, they ran out of programs too. Every music group should have such a problem.

If you missed this concert, keep an eye out for the next one: January 11, 2009 at First Congregational Church in Guilford, CT. The Shoreline Ringers will be participating in the "Joyful Noise! Concert Series" at that church.

Happy New Year!!!

Ah, farewell 2008. Welcome, 2009. Last year certainly was challenging. This year is definitely unknown. My plans and goals for the New Year are still in the planning stages. I am still evaluating last year. The 2008 fact that makes me happiest: the retirement account is only down about $1000. The greatest disappointment of 2008: my house is still as cluttered as ever.

Frankly, I am still in a bit of shock that it is 2009. It seems like only yesterday that my husband retired from the Navy (2000), the tragedy of 9/11 happened (2001), and my dad passed away (2005). Time sure does fly. My father warned me that time would accelerate as I got older. I wonder if he noticed it picking up speed when he was my age. He seemed much younger to me at age 47 than I feel at age 47. Of course, I was only about 11 years old when I made that observation so my perspective may have been somewhat skewed.

Some of my expectations for 2009:
- Katherine the Great will probably be in another opera.
- King Richard will be working a lot of hours this year.
- I will still be busy homeschooling.
- The economy will still be challenging.

Despite that last assumption, I hope your expectations for the New Year are positive and hopeful. May God bless your plans and bring them to fruition.

Happy 2009!

I Have a Facebook Page

Well, I finally did it. I joined Facebook. All of my friends are on it, especially those who have high school and college students. Most, if not all, of the kids I interact with at Sunday School and our homeschool co-op have accounts on it. People I know aren’t really even using their traditional e-mail accounts to communicate anymore; they are using Facebook. So, out of a desire to remain “in the loop, “ I knuckled under and joined. It’s ok. I still feel rather odd posting updates about the minutiae in my day. It is more efficient than blogging, but I miss the lack of space to write longer articles. Oh, well.

An Economic Downturn?

If the market were experiencing a downturn, you would never know it by the number of mail-order catalogs arriving in my mailbox. Today, I received at least eight, one of which was Hammacher Schlemmer. I love this display of merchandise. It is so fun. Just look at the variety of clocks and marshmallow/snowball battle toys:

The Peaceful Progression Wake Up Clock
The Sunrise/Sunset Simulating Clock
The Color Pattern Clock
The Flying Alarm Clock

The 40 Foot Marshallow Blaster
The 40’ Marshmallow Bazooka
The Marshmallow Shooter
The Marshmallow Shooting Shortbow
The 50’ Snowball Launcher

Of course, I would be hard-pressed to buy any of these items. Then again, that Flying Alarm Clock might get my family moving in the morning.

I Love King Leo!

Today, while I was shopping at CVS, I discovered King Leo Soft Peppermint Sticks. They came in a box containing ~30 sticks, each one worth about 45 calories, and I think I have consumed 10-12 sticks since around 4:00 PM. Make no mistake about it, folks; these are incredibly addictive little treats (and I normally get tired of candy cane-like confections pretty quickly). The next best thing about these? The company has a store in one of my favorite places: Julian, California. If you are ever in southern California, don’t miss it --- the town or the store.

Chicken Soup That’s Tested

Katherine the Great finally came down with the cold that has been circulating through our locale of late. In an effort to keep on top of the nasty respiratory bug, I made some chicken soup for her from a recipe I found online: Grandma’s Recipe from Dr. Stephen Rennard of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. For a PDF copy of the recipe, click here. For the research article, click here. For a video about the tested soup, click below. As of yet, I cannot attest to its effectiveness. I can, however, attest to its flavor: extremely delicious.

DYK? A Tip About Potatoes

One of my recent RealAge mailings had an interesting tip on how to keep more nutrition in your potatoes: boil them whole.

Cubing your potatoes first will slash their potassium content by as much as 50 percent.

Roasting, baking, or microwaving whole potatoes also preserves more iron, zinc, and magnesium. Who knew?

For more information, go to Max Out Your Mashed Potatoes.

Eek!

Last night, just before the evening news at 6:00 PM, my littlest cat rushed over to the wall by the back door with an extremely curious expression on his face. As he listened intently to what was a high-pitched squeaking/scraping sound, my husband and I became interested as well. Within seconds, King Richard was investigating. And what did he find? Yep, you guessed it, none other than a bat! Actually, he found two bats but one of them flew away. The other guy took a hit of wasp killer that my husband sprayed in the hole that the critters had crawled into. Not to worry, though, King Richard cleaned the vermin and made a temporary shelter for him in the garage while he recovered from his ordeal. Eventually, he left for parts unknown.

Herr Fledermaus should consider himself fortunate. If he had encountered the woman of the house first, he may be dead because I am NOT a fan of bats.

Egad!

Yesterday, I received a fund raising letter from the Museum of Science in Boston, MA, the content of which made me do a double take (and not because my forty-seven-year-old eyes are deteriorating). Consider the opening sentence:

A survey by the National Opinion Research Center showed about one in four American adults believe the Sun goes around the Earth.

One in four adults. That’s 25% folks. 25% of American adults do not know enough basic science to understand that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the original survey to check if this same percentage of people were also missing the fact that the Earth rotates on an axis whilst traveling about the Sun. I tried to defend these survey interviewees to myself for a moment, thinking that this statistic was returned by the survey because of how the survey designers asked the question, but the letter continued with this:

The same survey found people who believe that electrons are larger than atoms…that lasers work by focusing sound waves…that antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria…

And people wonder why I homeschool.

Anniversary Gift

As I mentioned in my previous post (How Did I Get Here?), I went shopping for a new clothes dryer yesterday. I had to engage in this exciting activity, on my anniversary of all days, because the dryer that I purchased when my daughter was born (over eighteen years ago) finally “expired.” The post that holds the drum broke in two; definitely not a repairable problem. Hence, my husband and I spent the afternoon shopping for a new appliance.

What did we find? A great deal! The first dryer we saw was on clearance for $399.93. The washer we eventually settled on was also on sale for $284.93. After taxes and a 10% discount on the washer, the total came to $695.76. Not bad considering that I was ready to put close to $2000-$3000 on my credit card for a brand new, steam treatment, silver ion, front-loading washer and a high-speed extraction dryer. Apparently, the Lord knew I needed a price break this year.

Not exactly the activity I would have planned to commemorate 23 years of marriage, and not exactly the gift I would have liked to celebrate such a well-established commitment, but it was appreciated nonetheless. Maybe next year I will go to Colonial Williamsburg and have dinner at Christiana Campbell’s Tavern. Now that’s my idea of a great anniversary gift.

How Did I Get Here?

OK, so much for quoting the Talking Heads (“Once in a Lifetime” from the album Remain in the Light); now, on to the news:

Today is my anniversary. I have been married to the same man for 23 years, a fact that I have trouble wrapping around my brain some days. I don’t have trouble with the idea that I have been committed to him for that long. No, I have trouble with the idea that 23 years have flown by at the speed of light. Wasn’t I just 25 and learning to be a Navy wife? Wasn’t I just 28 and pregnant with our only child? Wasn’t I just 33 and sitting in a surgeon’s office listening to a description of the care plan for my husband who was stricken with thyroid cancer? Outside of the grace of God, I have no idea how I made it this far. It has been quite an adventure, and I am certain it will only get more interesting.

So how did I celebrate? Believe it or not, I did a totally middle-aged thing: I went shopping for a new clothes dryer.

Diocese Choir Concert Program

In case you were wondering what was on tap at the choir concert, here is a partial program. Enjoy!

Mozart
Exsultate Jubilate
Mary Beth Lee, soprano

Telemann
Psalm 117

Purcell
Jubilate Deo
Mary Beth Lee, soprano
Scott Reeves, countertenor
Ed Tyler, baritone

Donations accepted at the door.

How Should We Handle This?

Get a load of this, as reported on Right Michigan. I went to this website to read the source of the story I originally saw on American Thinker:

Prayer had just finished when men and women stood up in pockets across the congregation, on the main floor and in the balcony. "Jesus was gay," they shouted among other profanities and blasphemies as they rushed the stage. Some forced their way through rows of women and kids to try to hang a profane banner from the balcony while others began tossing fliers into the air. Two women made their way to the pulpit and began to kiss.

Their other props? I'll let them tell you in their own words... from another of their liberal blogs:

"(A) video camera, a megaphone, noise makers, condoms, glitter by the bucket load, confetti, pink fabric...yeh."

- snip –

The "open minded" and "tolerant" liberals ran down the aisles and across the pews, hoping against hope to catch a "right winger" on tape daring to push back (none did). And just in case their camera missed the target, they had a reporter in tow. According to a source inside the church yesterday there was a "journalist" from the Lansing City Pulse along for the ride, tipped off about the action and more interested in getting a story than in preventing the vandalism, the violence and anti-Christian hatred being spewed by the lefties.

- snip –

The church's response? After things settled down, the blasphemy ended, the lewd props removed and the families safe from fear of additional men and women running into and past them the pastor took the stage and led the congregation in one more prayer... not for retribution, or divine justice or a celestial comeuppance (that's what I'd have prayed for) but instead that the troubled individuals who'd just defiled the Lord's house, so full of anger and hate, would know Jesus' love in their lives and God's peace that exceeds human understanding.

My daughter had some interesting questions about this:

1) Should the church members turn the other cheek as Jesus instructs us to do?

Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. --- Luke 6:29

2) Should church members defend God’s house as Jesus did?

In the temple courts [Jesus] found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area both sheep and cattle; he shattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” --- John 2:14-16

3) How do church members decide between these two options? Is the sanctuary the tipping point? Is an invasion of the sacred space more serious and deserving of defensive action? Or is any intrusion, even if confined to the church grounds or a classroom, enough to activate a defensive response?

I have never been a fan of “security forces” at a church, but this incident has prompted me to begin re-examining my opinion on the subject. It may be awhile before I reach a sure conclusion. In the meantime, I will keep praying.

Fight the Good Fight

A hymn from today's church service based on this Bible verse:

Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. --- 1 Timothy 6:12

Written in 1863, it was composed by John S. B. Monsell (1811-1875).

Fight the Good Fight With All Thy Might

Fight the good fight with all thy might;
Christ is thy Strength and Christ they Right.
Lay hold on life, and it shall be
Thy joy and crown eternally.

Run the straight race thro' God's good grace;
Lift up thine eyes and seek His face.
Life with its way before us lies;
Christ is the Path and Christ the Prize.

Cast care aside; upon thy Guide
Lean, and His mercy will provide;
Lean, and the trusting soul shall prove
Christ is its Life and Christ its Love.

Faint not nor fear, His arms are near;
He changeth not, and thou art dear.
Only believe, and thou shalt see
That Christ is All in all to thee.

Fortune Cookies...Again

My family succumbed to weakness this evening and ordered Chinese food --- egg foo young and a pu pu platter. This time, we received six fortune cookies, two for each of us. Here are the fortunes:

No problem leaves you where you found it.
There are no strangers here, only friends you haven't met!
The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that extra.
Be a generous friend and a fair enemy.
The days you work are the best days.

And my favorite, which I plan to keep as a time management reminder:

The greatest of all mistakes is to do nothing because you think you can do only a little.

I wish I could figure out a way to send the Chinese vocabulary words on the reverse side of my fortunes to my American friend who just moved to Beijing. It would be interesting to see how accurately the manufacturer translated the words.

Don't Forget to Set Those Clocks

The end of Daylight Savings Time has finally arrived, so don't forget to set your clocks back an hour before turning in tonight. Remember, the time change does not apply in Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. It is also recommended (and customary) to use this time change as a reminder to replace the batteries in your smoke alarms.

So, check those smoke detectors and enjoy that extra hour of sleep. The holiday season is just around the corner!