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?
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: *****
“Surviving Christmas” (2004)
starring Ben Affleck, Christina Applegate
- 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
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!
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!
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.
Try these seven steps that are the norm in the typical French diet:If you would like your own messages on how to get and stay healthy, click here.
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.
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.And watch out for the white stuff. It can be deceiving, as we continue to read:
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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.
The snow cover, which some seem to think helps the ice form, actually insulates the lake, inhibiting ice formation.And don't forget these informational tidbits:
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."
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Schettler said since water freezes from the bottom up, the water moving under the ice can easily chip away at the thickness.
And I’ll shout and I’ll danceI 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!
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
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.
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.”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.
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"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."
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.
