"Can we all just get along?"

     You may remember Rodney King, the man who was beaten by LA police officers back in  March of 1991.  The title of this post was a question he asked during the riots in LA that followed the court verdicts handed down to the police officers involved (all were acquitted).   This is not a post about race relations or an expose on the verdicts of an incident which happened more than 20 years ago.  It's a post about an experience I had "getting along" with someone in a situation where conflict could have easily been the outcome.  

     I evaluated a student whose family background is extremely diverse from my own in almost every way.  When preparing for the meeting with the parent of this student, the evidence of a particular special education exceptionality was very evident from the testing I had completed, and as I practiced my oral report, I sewed it up quite neatly, I thought.  I gave pertinent information but not too much, and reached a conclusion and that was that.

     My team teases me occasionally, that I'm sort of the "Nazi control freak" where it comes to where people sit in meetings.  I don't really care where most people sit, however, I always insist that I sit by the parent(s).  It's easier for me to show them graphs I've prepared, and it's easier for me to just visit with them about their student instead of giving a clinical report.  So at this particular meeting, I sat beside a mom whose life was one big struggle after another.  Before I met her, it was somewhat easy for me to be critical of the decisions that she made in parenting her children, but you know, sitting beside her, and looking her in the eye as we talked about her student helped me drop all the prejudices that I don't like admitting I have.  I began to view her as someone who simply was trying to survive in a gravely difficult environment and make the best decisions she could for her family - and no, it wasn't what I probably would have decided, but who knows?  I've not been in her situation.

     As we made eye contact and I shared with her about her student, she listened and she asked questions.  Her eyes filled with tears at times, and when I got to the point in the report where I discuss our recommendations, something happened.  Suddenly, the ramifications of the news I was delivering became real as I shared them with this real mom about her real student - and I felt the tears leaking out of my own eyes as my heart was overcome by compassion.  I apologized and forward we went with all the paperwork.  At the end of the meeting when we stood up to prepare to leave, I extended my hand to thank her for coming.  She looked at my hand and brushed it away.  Instead, she took a step forward and expressed her appreciation for what we had shared by giving me a big two armed hug.  Two women, standing in a meeting, as opposite as you can get in almost every way came together in a common purpose and there wasn't a dry eye to be seen.

     "Can we all just get along?" is a plea from a man who found himself thrust in the national spotlight by suffering a beating at the hands of law enforcement, but it's also something that we should strive for every single day.  It's difficult to accomplish that when people do not turn loose of old wounds, old hurts, prejudices, judgments and preconceived ideas.  But I'm here to tell you that it's not impossible.  And the results of seeing people as they really are is life changing.  If I haven't said it recently, I'm so thankful for my job.  What an opportunity for growth I have - I learn more than I'll ever teach.  My challenge for you this week - try to see people as they are, try to not let old notions cause you to judge unfairly, and be available for what God might want you to do in ministry in someone's life - even a 5 minute encounter can be an opportunity for you to stretch your thinking.    

Let's Just Calm Down

     I just got done reading a Facebook post from someone commenting about the school her child attends needing confirmation of a dentist appointment when her child missed part of a day.  The post went on to rant that students are no longer allowed to go to the office and call home when they need something, and also when this mom brought something to her school for her child, her child wasn't allowed to come up to the office from class and get it.  The federal government was blamed for these policies as well as "Obama".  She was angry and getting angrier about her "rights as a parent" being violated and schools becoming intrusive into her and her child's privacy.  She made the point that if she wants to come up and get her kid from school anytime for any reason she should be allowed to do that without 1.  telling the school why and 2.  it counting as a truancy on her student's record.

    Well.  As part of the "evil" public school domain, my answer to her would be that if she's so dissatisfied with these policies, she is always free to withdraw her child and enroll in a parochial school (who also have the same policies) or homeschool her child.  Yes, we have these policies in place and for good reasons.  In my building with 653 children, I cannot imagine what it would be like if children were allowed to go to the office and call home for non-emergency reasons.  And no, your child's instructional time is so very valuable to them (and we hope to you) that we do not want him/her to lose even 10 minutes to walk to the office to get a sweater that you brought them because it suddenly turned cold.  We do take truancy seriously and we are sorry that this affects parents whose children are NOT truant, but believe me, if this issue comes up, you would want the school to provide documentation of why your child wasn't there.  

     We do not intend to be "intrusive" with our policies but we do value the classroom time your child has in our building.  We do take care of your kids and believe it or not, most kids want to come to school - they enjoy learning and they like this structure in their day.  I have seen with my own eyes in some situations children who become almost morosely depressed on Fridays, and if you doubt that they don't want to come back on Mondays - stand at any school entrance on Monday and watch them come in.  

     So you do your job as a parent, and by the way, that includes not griping about our new ID scan policies in Wichita Public Schools and every locked door except the front one.  You DO want us to know who is in our building, don't you?  You DO want us to keep careful control of who we have around your children, don't you?  If you'll let us do that, we can work to provide a healthy fun atmosphere for learning and believe me, there's no greater joy for an educator.  There should be no greater joy for a parent to know that their child is learning, is enjoying school, is making friends, and is in a safe environment while doing so.  

Writer's Block

     So I'm getting nagged to do a post - okay okay!  I looked back at my previous years of posts and my goodness, I've covered a variety of topics on here.  Some posts are not worth the computer screen they're written on, others are much better.  But nevertheless, writing must continue in some form or fashion.  I'm still toying with the idea of writing a book someday.  I do realize my 60th birthday is approaching, but hey - a lot of older people have accomplished much after 60.
     My 60th birthday.  I can't believe it.  On the inside I feel like I should be about 30.  Maybe 40.  But 60?  I remember when my mother turned 50 (I was 10) and then again when she turned 60.  It seemed like she was "old" - now look at me!  I'm "old"!
     So anyway, tomorrow starts the 5th week of school.  Already!  I am busy busy busy - lots of issues at my base building causing lots of work for me.  No day is ever the same when you're a school psychologist - and flexibility is the name of the game.
     I love fall and finally we are having some cooler weather.  Ready for pumpkins, hot cider, hoodies, and colored leaves.  Snow - now that's another issue.  There's a whole round of stuff on Facebook about how we will get more than normal snow this year.  Then somebody posted the weather forecast from the Farmer's Almanac which said we would get less snow.  Really?  What does it matter - what comes comes.  I'm getting ready to experience my 60th winter and I don't believe I have ever been able to have anything to do with controlling the amount of snow we either get or don't.
     Writer's block - that's me.  I just sit down here and see what comes out - most of the time it's drivel.  But it's thankful drivel!  So grateful for my family, my job, my home, my spouse - so thankful for the opportunity to worship as I choose, so glad to be able to enjoy the company of family and friends.  I'm singing the Messiah again - I believe this is the 4th year I've done this.  Loved it every season and am so glad I have the chance to take part in this community choir.  I'm especially blessed to see my son participating - it will be a great experience for him.
     Until later-

Perfection

As I alluded to in my last blog post, a common "curse" of being a musician is the expectation that everything you play must be perfect, and anything less is a failing - and failings are many.  Fingers that don't land on the right keys - that's a big deal for a pianist.  Singers who hit wrong notes and sing wrong words - again, a failing.  When we go to an event or tune in to the Super Bowl though, don't we expect the singer to perform The Star Spangled Banner perfectly?  When they don't - our instant videos and communication with millions of people are quick to point out errors.  Just as likely, when it is well done - these performances remain YouTube classics (I am reminded of Whitney Houston's version of The Star Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl in 1991.  I just went back and listened to it again, and I will not fail to be moved by that soaring beautiful voice.)

The respect afforded a conductor such as Leonard Bernstein, or composers such as Aaron Copland is great - and to deliver a classically perfect performance is always the goal - and it is delivered most of the time to audiences who enthusiastically applaud.  At last year's performance of Handel's Messiah by the Wichita Chorale Society, one particular part of that great work was attempted by the choir, and miserably performed.  Those tenors just took off like a team of wild horses and you should have seen our maestro's face - he went from concern, to greatly concerned, to alarmed, to terrified, to resignation, then, as he delivered the final cutoff, a hint of a smile and a shake of the head as if to say, "Well, there ya go.  It is what it is."  But we survived, and I venture to say not many in the audience caught on.  However, we all knew.  That's the catch.

When I am thanked for an offertory, I now am able to graciously accept those thanks and move on.  Not so much in the past.  I would often reiterate missed notes or comment how I didn't play my best (which was often true).  But really - it dawned on me that thanks were given for a musical expression which allowed for worship, not for a perfect performance.

I'm not saying to not try your best, and to not practice, and to not prepare.  But I am saying, a missed note is a missed note is a missed note.  I had several today in playing the hymns for church and in playing the offertory.  And I always will.  But a part of me as a musician will always want to offer up the best I have for the Author and Creator of all things musical.

Psalm 103, which we studied in Sunday School is a wonderful psalm- read it if you haven't recently. My favorite verses from that psalm are 13 and 14 - "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust."   He knows how we are formed.  Think about that.  God understands that we can only offer the best we have, as imperfect as it is.

And so I go to a family reunion, and reunite with brothers and a sister who are gifted musicians.  And I offer my little gift of two Chopin pieces - as imperfect as I will play them, but I hope that they will bring something to the listeners.  Maybe an appreciation for Chopin?  In the 3 minutes I will play, I hope among the missed notes that a love for my family will flow and they will know how valuable they are to me.

Musical Notes

So today at breakfast, the spouse was discussing my somewhat unique family history in regard to music. All of us siblings played a musical instrument and we all took piano lessons, a true financial feat for our parents to accomplish considering that we were not a well-off farm family.  We didn't go hungry but we didn't have money for extras - however, in my parents' viewpoint, a musical education wasn't an "extra".  It was required, thus, my siblings and I are all musicians with varying degrees of skill and talent.

I am so thankful for this musical heritage.  It instilled in me a love of all kinds of music, from classical to jazz to rock, and, we attempted to pass this love and appreciation of all things musical to our children.

For myself, I enjoy playing the piano at church, but also, at home, I practice on my full-sized keyboard. One of the most favorite things I do for relaxation is play through a book of moderately skilled arrangements of Chopin's short works - preludes, mazurkas, and waltzes.  I'm also working on a piece called "Solace" by Scott Joplin - a slow-time rag featured in many movies - if you heard it, you'd know it.  I hope to play a couple of the short one page Chopin compositions for the talent night at the upcoming family reunion.  To play for my accomplished musical siblings is a big deal for me - they will know every misplaced note and every flub.  BUT, it's not about the mistakes for me.  It's about sharing something I think is beautiful with people I love, whether I play it perfectly or not.  More about that in the next blog post.

I told my spouse today that even at 61, I would almost give my left foot (because I pedal with my right) to be able to transpose as quickly and easily as musicians do.  It's a math skill - and I definitely am not math brained - whereas people like my youngest son can almost visualize the transposed notes before him on a staff and know instinctively what chord structures are needed.  If I transpose even the simplest of melodies at church, I write down chords because I cannot do it successfully without written text.  You know, my better half always has a way of bringing me to reality.  He said, at least you can HEAR the music you are creating.  Beethoven did not have that luxury, yet his genius allowed him to compose masterpieces which we appreciate today.

He's right.  I thought about Beethoven today - about the extraordinary genius which allowed him to hear full orchestral scores in his head and write those notes for instruments and chorus.  Imagine the 9th Symphony - perhaps the greatest piece ever composed, and the soaring melody of Ode to Joy, sung by choir and accompanied by orchestra - imagine that he never heard one note of this masterpiece.  Here on earth.  But I like to think that when he walked through heaven's gates, this music played by the heavenly orchestra and sung by the choir swirled around him and greeted him - in its most pure and perfect form, and for the first time, he heard it through perfect ears!  For him, it was truly an Ode to Joy!

Gardening

Hi all.  What a lovely day for an infrequent blog post!

Since school's been out, my days are spent outside in the yard.  Almost every morning I'm out there raking, pruning, weeding, and the hundred other things that one does when one enjoys this type of thing. Despite my efforts, however, the vegetable garden is not doing the best.  Early on, I battled (and this is no exaggeration) thousands of elm tree seedlings which sprang up overnight in almost every square inch of my flower and vegetable gardens.  I have pulled out them out by hand and still do not have them all.

Asparagus was a bust this year.  What little grew, I ate, and most of it right out there in the garden.  The green beans came up, but some sort of insect devoured the leaves and left stems.  I pulled them out.  The beets didn't come up very well, I have 5 beet plants.  The garden table my brother made for me which was supposed to support early veggies like lettuce and spinach - hardly anything came up and what did was stunted and shriveled.  I'm treating the tomatoes for fungus and the cucumbers for an insect infestation which has damaged lots of leaves.

My zucchini plant has all male flowers, so no zucchinis from it.  From the internet which is *never* confusing, I learned that:  It's because the soil is too dry.  It's because the soil is too wet.   It's because there's not enough sun.  It's because the plant always produces males first, then females.  Who knows.

On the upside - I have tiny yellow summer squash.  Strawberries continue to produce, enough for me to eat some every day.  The watermelon plants are doing ok, and I found a tiny tiny watermelon on one vine.  I have enjoyed several grape tomatoes, and the pepper plants have produced.  Early in the spring, the peas did pretty well.  Potato plants did well and I'm getting ready to dig the rest of them up.  The container corn is getting ready to stalk.  One set of cucumber plants are flowering mightily.

The flower bed is looking pretty good.  A volunteer mammoth sunflower came up and it is as tall as me now.  My Peace Rose is steadily blooming.  The shasta daisies are looking well, as are the other perennial daisies I planted.

I told someone the other day that I don't garden because it saves money.  On the contrary, it costs me lots of time, energy, some cash, and frustration.  But on the other hand, if I want to grow tomatoes and stand out in the yard and eat them right off the stalk, or sit in the yard swing and eat the strawberries I've just picked, or shell a pea pod and consume those 5 peas raw right out of the shell - I'd almost rather do that than anything in the world.

And here's how I know it's something I don't want to live without:  I'm planning for next year.  I'm going to plant a blackberry bramble along the fence and I'm going to try two rows of regular sized corn and see what happens.  Also, I'm going to keep the second bale of straw that Jay brings over for me!

My puny little garden is not a showstopper, but it's mine and I derive great joy from the work and sweat it takes.  My working gardening clothes are a white t shirt and a pair of shorts and I've got my hair pulled up in a ponytail - but who cares?  A little dirt under the fingernails never hurt anyone.

The big joy was having my grandson discover a ripe strawberry growing there just for him!  As he looked at me with one strawberry in each hand and juice running down his chin, this grandma was filled with a deep sense of peace and gratitude.  The garden makes the world right, one fruit at a time.

Sunday Evening II

It turned cold!  The front came through with wind and rain and dropped the temperature about 25 degrees.  It's supposed to freeze tonight and tomorrow night - how are gardens supposed to grow?  Brought the hollyhock in that I bought, as well as some strawberry plants my daughter gave me.

Looking so forward to this week being over.  I have several meetings and lots of testing to get done.  Lots of kids to see, lots of reports to write.  Many educators are looking forward to the end of the school year, but I'm not there yet.  I can only do one day at a time.

Yes, one day at time.  Sometimes, it's one hour at a time but you just do the best you can.  Will write more this week.  Take care all.

Sunday Evening

Word for the Day:

UNGULIGRADE  a.  Walking on hoofs.  As a horse or cow.  "Great shoes darling!  Love the extra height those platforms give you!  Now you are truly unguligrade!"

From The Superior Person's Third book of Well-Bred Words, by Peter Bowler.

Windy Windy Saturday

Oh my, yes, it's warm, but the wind just feels like gale force today.  Was gonna go plant something outside but instead I think I need to water what I've already planted - however, we're getting rain tonight, so maybe not.

Facebook - I still miss you!  I am looking forward to Easter Sunday morning, where the Lord has risen and so has my Facebook page.  I'm really not being sacrilegious but I have so missed that feeling of connection with my family and friends.  The fact that I'm so tempted to resurrect it today, a week early, tells me it's been a long Lenten season.

It's been a good day but I have a busy week to come.  Lots of evaluations to complete, lots of meetings where we will sit around the table and discuss and plan and cuss and aggravate, and agree to disagree, but so goes the life of a psychologist in a school system.  I was paid what I thought was an ultimate compliment this last week.  A speech therapist, speaking to two or three other professionals discussing a case completed by another psychologist in the district said, "Really?  She did that?  My friend Terry (not my real name, ha!) would ever do that."  The other psychologist reportedly ignored ethical concerns and bowed to pressure from an administrator to place a student who was not eligible for services into the special education program. I appreciated this compliment and after hearing about the case, I probably would not have done what the other psychologist did, but really - who knows?  Few things are black and white - this is why we struggle.  I have had ethical issues every single year - a case or two always gives me pause to think, to consider, and to decide what is best for the student, but also to make sure that eligibility guidelines are met.

In a recent case, eligibility wasn't exactly met, but, the only way the student could get the services they needed was to grit my teeth and sign some papers.  Sometimes it comes down to that.  I have a friend who is so unable sometimes, to see past the rules and just look at the student, look at the gestalt, the whole constellation of what makes the student tick.  That's one of the keys to balancing rule ethic keeping with providing the best possible solutions to student issues.

Off my soapbox, on to enjoying what's left of the day.

Friday Word for the Day

INQUILINE  n.  Dwelling in another's place of abode.   Use in a sentence:  "My, these opossums are certainly inquiline!"

Siblings

I heard through the Email grapevine that yesterday maybe? was "Sibling Day" - a day to honor those first friends we have in life, our brothers and sisters.  I have been blessed greatly, with 4 brothers and a sister, and my spot in this lineup is # 4 from the top, the first girl.  All of my siblings are absolutely fantastic people-I feel like I'm "waxing", but let me tell you, I have a lot to wax about.  Two brothers live close, a sister and a brother live a thousand miles away, and another brother lives south of here about 350 miles but we have maintained fairly close contact since our parents passed away many years ago.  I also have 4 more "sisters" and 1 more "brother" in the form of inlaws, who decided to marry into this family - and I count them as dear friends.

What makes sibling relationships special are the memories and the stories, and the knowledge of where and how a birth family originated, however, every person in a family brings a unique perspective of life, even when experiences are shared.  My three oldest brothers and us three younger siblings were raised by the same parents, but when my oldest brother was 20, my youngest brother was born, so there was a big span of time in there resulting in kids being raised by different, albeit the same, parents.

I know my 5 siblings well, at least I think I do.  There isn't a one of them who wouldn't do what they could to help another sibling out, which is one of the many outstanding qualities of this family.  Siblings have replaced my bathroom floor, crawled under my house, sent financial help to those in need, shared summer veggies from the gardens, rescued stranded travelers, been fun and accommodating hosts, laughed and cried together, and extended forgiveness and love when understanding is needed.  We're not perfect people, but we "do" family.

Every year we have a reunion where we catch up for a few days.  Sometimes I have great conversations with siblings I don't see often, other times, we just enjoy being together or playing games.

My kids have been watching this model of family all their lives.  I want them to understand how it works, and I want to pass these values on to them.  It's a fuzzy picture of the future to come, when we're finally all together with our brothers and sisters in God's kingdom - and we are truly "living happily ever after".  Thank you, Max, Dennis, Jay, Linda, and Kevin for what you mean to me.  I don't tell you often enough, but I love you - you're the best!

Finally Warmer!

What a day!  So let's forget about the first 9 hours of the day, and instead, focus on what happened when I got home.  It was a perfectly beautiful day, albeit a bit windy, so that got me in the mood to put my hands in the dirt!  I planted another row of peas, another row of green onions, some lettuce and spinach in my garden table, lettuce in the other raised bed, planted all the cannas I had, and, I planted some iris bulbs I got from my brother.

I feel much better!  Still a lot to do - the yard needs raked, I need to get mulch, I need to fix some edging, the shed is a mess, I need to take some stuff to the transfer station, yadda - it goes on.  But at LEAST I am planting.

The asparagus is up, but it's not doing very well.  I've only got 3 or 4 spears a day, and out of 10 roots planted last year, only 5 came up this year.  I'm kind of discouraged about that, so I may have to go on fresh asparagus welfare if some other gardener has too much.  Probably ought to do some soil testing - that would help a lot!

Word for the Day:

OBDORMITION  n.  The technical term for the familiar physical condition of a limb "going to sleep".  Sentence use:  "Waldo is the only person I know who gets obdormition of the brain."

They move on

There are many of us in education roles for various reasons, but I'd put money that most of the reasons  have to do with "making a difference", "helping", "caring about kids", and other sentiments similar.  For me, it was actually several reasons, I was stuck in a dead end job and wanted the challenge of something different, I was encouraged by a friend who was already in the program to pursue these two graduate degrees, and I felt like I could be an advocate for children and families.  I also had a more personal reason for doing this as one of my children struggled greatly in school and we never really knew why he did.  We went to a meeting surrounded by a lot of people speaking an unfamiliar language and walked out without asking a single question.

People who are in this profession generally called "education" and who work with kids know that life goes on, and eventually, children leave your care.  Such is the case with my friend, Peter (not his real name).  Peter has attended the same school for almost every year from Pre-K through 5th grade, and has been advocated for, sheltered, cared for, loved, and, the subject of many meetings since his first day with us.  We have struggled with him, laughed with him, and watched him make progress in his own way.  Our team has worked endlessly to figure out how he learns best.  I've gone home many nights in the last six years thinking about him and about the decisions we've made, always with his best interest in mind and always with great care and concern.  I've been responsible for every single evaluation he's ever had since he came to us and there have been many.

He is leaving us this year and going on to middle school - but not going to middle school here in this district.  He's going to another state, and thus, my professional association with him and his mother will come to an end.  Many people not familiar with him will be reading my evaluations and reports with a critical eye.  They will wonder at many decisions we've made - and I wouldn't be surprised if I get a phone call or two.

A long time ago, Peter stopped being "that kid" and became a part of my heart.  I can't write that in an evaluation, can I.  Our very last meeting with mom and all of his providers for yet again, another psychological evaluation happened a few days ago.  It's the last one, and in just a few weeks, he'll be gone.  When I look back over my career, he will be one of the few children I will never forget, and who I will think about the rest of my days.  His needs are great.  His resources are few.  His home life is dysfunctional.  But he's OUR kid and we proudly claim him.  As he goes on to adventures unknown, I hope he has good memories of his time with us.  His mother says he says, "I do not leave this school!"  But, he will soon realize that he must, and my prayer is that he will find kind, caring, compassionate, patient educators who will soon catch a glimpse of what he can do, and help propel him toward reaching his potential and beyond.  I hope we've built a good foundation for him.  Off you go Peter!  May God surround you with educators who will grow to love you like we do.

Quietness

Although I'm not an early bird, one of the things I like about getting up early is that it is almost quiet in my house.  I live in the middle of a city, and 24 hours a day 7 days a week there is noise from traffic, trains, helicopters, planes, dogs barking, sirens, etc.   But every once in awhile, an opportunity affords itself for me to not have my ears assaulted by noise.  A few weeks ago when I stopped in at the cemetery in my home town, which is located out in the country, it was so quiet and devoid of city noise that it was almost startling to me.  There is major line of railroad tracks which run beside it, and about every 15 or 20 minutes a train came hurtling by, but then was gone and things were still again except for a few birds calling.  It was almost like being in another world for a few minutes.

The distractions of life are many.  The solace is rare.  My challenge is as always, to find those moments and just rest.  This is a skill to be practiced, because just as sure as I sit down to enjoy some peace and quiet, my own thoughts become intrusive.  Not to generalize, but I've heard it said that men have a "nothing box" to hide in where truly, they think about "nothing".  Women, for the most part, are multitaskers.  We make lists, we plan shopping trips, we go over previous conversations in our heads, we think about our families, we list our concerns, we tweak our to do lists, we think about work, we go over our schedules, we plan meals, etc etc etc.  SOMEBODY needs to do that, but really, sitting in the stillness and just resting is so valuable that retreat centers have sprung up to give people opportunity to do that.

Find quiet and rest every day this week, at least for a minute or two.  It isn't time wasted.  It's renewal for soul and spirit.

City Wildlife

Notice I didn't say "City NIGHTLife".  That's for people younger than me.

The last 3 days we've been working on catching a possum who decided to burrow his/her? way under the house by making a hole between the siding and the foundation.  The possum showed up to work each night on this hole, and I, hearing noises outside the window, actually called 911 one night to report someone trying to break in, I just didn't realize it was of the furry, long-nosed, ugly variety (oh wait, that description WOULD apply to most common criminals...)  Anyhow, on Monday night, I heard the same racket outside and instead of bothering the beat officer, I went outside to look with a flashlight.  There was the hole.  And there inside was a beady eyed, long snouted hissing creature, similar to my congressional representative, only cuter (oh wait, that description would apply to MOST congressional representatives...)

Anyhow, the first night the trap was set, nada.  Second night we caught a feral cat I had only seen glimpses of in the night.  Third night voila!  It went for a ride and hopefully can't swim back across the river to my home.  We're leaving the trap up in case there are other congressional representatives living under my house.

Here in the heart of the city we've got possums, skunks, I heard several years ago of a deer in this part of town, and someone told me once they were sure they'd seen a fox or two.  And don't forget the raccoons but at least they have cuteness going for them.  No matter where you go, you share your space with varmits and vermin.  I'm sure there's a reason God made possums but good grief, they are just evil.

Did you know that possums are marsupials?  Other interesting info can be found at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opossums

Interesting reading about the male and female reproductive systems...

Pre-Garden

Hello from south central Kansas, where we've been very windy, but warmer these last couple of days.  The gardening bug is searching out people to bite, and it got me when I looked at the Burpee website.  It got my daughter when she starting googling  how to plant container gardens.  I do have some asparagus spears poking up through the ground, but not very many - I think I counted 5 or 6 of them.  I'm hoping they'll be big enough to pluck in a few days and that I'll get to enjoy some pan grilled or roasted fresh asparagus spears soon.  The strawberries I planted last year survived the winter and are greening up - maybe some fresh berries in June?  There is nothing like fresh strawberries - the ones in the grocery store do not hold a candle to one that is grown and picked ripe.  Yum!  My youngest brother was born in June and we almost always had fresh strawberries out of my folks' garden for his birthday dinner.

Another work week starting tomorrow.  Got a lot to do, but, you know, I don't think I'll be as busy with year end work as I have been in the past.  I sorta put my foot down last April/May when I was just nuts with evaluations - and this year, people have actually listened to me!  It promises to be a less stressful year end.  It seems that we are seeing more mental health issues with younger children than we have in the past.  Don't know for sure what's up with that.  A parent contacted a mental health provider about her young student and after an initial meeting the provider "diagnosed" the student with schizophrenia. I advised the parent to run, not walk to another provider - schizophrenia is not diagnosed usually until teenage years and this student is not anywhere near that in age.  Rarely it can be seen in children, very rarely, and this student, although I'm not a doctor, is not schizophrenic.  So along with increased mental health issues, we have providers who do not give correct info to concerned parents.

Word for the day:
Jugum n.  A yoke for cattle.  Also a metaphorical expression for the yoke imposed by Roman rule over its conquered peoples.   When you come home from the end of a long day and your spouse says, "How was your day?"  you can reply, "Fine just fine, once I get (fill in the blank with your employer   's jugum off of me."

Ouch!

So I've been struggling, yesterday and today, with the lovely syndrome, Plantar Fasciitis.  I had this a few years ago when I was in graduate school, and now, a new flareup got me yesterday.  If you haven't had this problem in your foot, then it is difficult to describe to you the excruciating pain which results. I have looked up on the net the symptoms and the "cures" and am doing the best I can to alleviate the pain.  Ibuprofen for inflammation, a "Strossberg Sock" which pulls my toes up toward my shin at night (and I wear it during the day as well), exercises to stretch out the "plantar fascia", which is the name of the inflamed ligament, insoles which cushion the heel in my shoe, elevation, rest, ice, etc etc etc.  I cannot miss work this next week, so whatever I have to do to be able to walk on my foot without being in agony is what I will do.  

Today was nice outside, and a perfect day for me to get out and do some gardening - because - I got new dirt in my raised garden bed - AND - I got the seeds I ordered online - but alas, none of that for me.  I do have asparagus coming up and need to get out there with a hose as it is very dry - I'll try to do that tomorrow afternoon depending on how the old plantar fascia is doing.

So with that, I'm going to take some drugs and go to bed.  Even in pain, I'm thankful for medical advances which make it possible for us to know how to treat our old age aches and pains.  Good night all.

This 'n That

Good evening all.  Hope everyone has had a productive day.  It's cold and windy, with a few raindrops coming down.  I am already out of my work clothes and into something comfortable - I'm even going to make some soup for dinner.

In psych world news I am working with a student at one of my schools who has sort of captured my heart.  This student, calling him/her Jamie, has survived some pretty horrific abuse, and the last few years has fortunately, been removed from that situation and is residing with a "forever" family.  You would like to think that this stable forever family would be able to help Jamie totally erase past hurts, but you know, as wonderful as the situation is now, that just isn't going to happen.  Jamie continues to require therapy and counseling as he/she recuperates, and much support from educators to obtain success not only academically, but socially.   Jamie has not ever been able to accept a peer as a friend in all his/her years of school.  Jamie does not socialize with others on the playground, and does not attend parties or sleepovers.  Jamie does best when he/she is seated apart from the group, by his/her own choice.   The interesting thing is that Jamie has somewhat bonded with his/her teacher, and with the adults in the school who are providing services.  Jamie and I have become fast friends the last few days and today as I walked to my office with him/her, the conversation revolved around a favorite TV show punctuated with smiles and "Guess what!"

I will say that our session together was frustrating for Jamie in some ways because of how I was working with him/her, but growth the last couple of years has taken place and I see no reason why it cannot continue.  However, when I look into Jamie's eyes, I can't help but see a damaged child, and one who will need to continue to work hard at his/her own recovery, but one who must have caring adults to help facilitate that.  The resources are there and I'm hopeful for good outcomes.  Life dictates that when Jamie goes to middle school  I will lose contact with him/her but Jamie will be a student I won't soon forget.  There are other students in my "hall of fame" that I haven't forgotten - students I've worked with many years ago in this job who are now some in high school.  I've been doing this work for 8 years - and in fact, a 5th grader I would have had my first year would have most likely graduated high school last year.  Wow oh wow.

And in humorous news, I was sitting with about 5 kindergarten students around a table working on writing sentences.  The conversation turned to age, and they all were happy to tell me they were "this many" (holding up 5 fingers).  I said, "I'm very old, much more than 5".  One dear little boy with a cowlick and a shining face looked up and said, "My grandma is very old.  Like you."  Pause.  "But", he went on to say, "she has different skin than yours."  Pause.  I said, "Different?"  He said, "Yeah.  It's ....pause....it's not the same KIND of skin you have."

Pause.  I just let it go - some things you just don't want to know.  Gotta love those 5 year olds!

Sunday Evening

We had a good day.  The hub is celebrating his 61st birthday tomorrow so our kids came over today after church for lunch and birthday cake, and birthday pie!  I cooked a large roast in the crock pot and it was enough to feed 10 of us, with about 2 oz left.  I started it at midnight yesterday so it was in great shape at 12:30 today.  It was said that I need another house with a big kitchen/dining area.  Don't I know it!  Our family is going to to continue to grow, and even today, we couldn't get everyone around the table - 2 of us were in the TV room.  I am blessed with an expanding family - and our fellowship is warm and homey - but crowded.

The spouse is very unexcited about birthdays - unless you count his reaction last year at his surprise birthday party.  I dare not do that to him again!  He's very much a person who can live without birthday bashes - what's there to celebrate? he says.  He doesn't understand that each passing birthday is a milestone and it is another year in which we are able to tell him how much we appreciate him.  When my son gave the blessing for our lunch he was very eloquent in his own way as he described his dad, and his ministry to us all these years.

Tomorrow it's back to work after a wonderful, just wonderful spring break.  I did some gardening, some napping, some laughing, some crying, some reading, some socializing, some shopping, some traveling - it was really a nice time for me.  50 hour weeks and more will be the order of the day for 2 months until school is out so I'll be worn out by the end of May, I'm sure.

I bring to you the Word of the Day*:

YEAN  n.  To bring forth young - a term from animal husbandry.  Please don't tell ambulance people over the phone that a woman is "yeaning", they may not know what you are referring to.

*From The Superior Person's Third Book of Well-Bred Words" by Peter Bowler.

Spring?

Today is March 20, 70 degrees, sunny, a little wind, but a beautiful day.  I caught the gardening bug a few days ago and cleaned out the asparagus, and hand tilled both garden boxes, although the one is down about 8 inches in soil and I need to get some more to fill it back up.  Today I bought peas, onions, and potatoes.  I swiped a length of "hogwire" fencing from my brother and it will be just perfect for the peas to crawl up on, so I installed that in the garden bed.  I planted two rows of peas down each side, and a long row of onions.  Cut seed potatoes so they can dry a bit, then I will try to plant them either tomorrow or Saturday afternoon.

I'm trying lettuce and spinach in a "garden table" aforementioned brother made for me.  It's a rectangular thing a bit larger than a 2 cubic foot bag of Miracle Grow potting soil and about 3 feet tall, maybe (I'm no good at estimating measurement).  The Miracle Grow bag will sit on top of the table and be split in half, then you can plant right into the bag.  I'm going to try lettuce and spinach in there.  Right now it's being painted by the other half, who is enjoying a couple of days off work.

I've got iris from the daughter in law and canna bulbs to get in the ground.  Other brother is coming tomorrow morning to do some tilling for me so I can do some landscaping out by the windmill.  You know these things - you do a little at a time as you can.

It's likely we'll have another spell or two of cold weather, but I'm so very thankful for this warm sunny day.  I love that I live in a state with four distinct seasons, and actually, we have quite variable temps, from 110 in the summer sometimes to below zero in the winter.  It just makes you really grateful for the beauty in each season.

We filled up the bird feeders and the bird bath today and there's lots of chirping and singing going on.  I finally saw a robin last week, and today, I've seen a couple hopping along looking for insects and worms.  I hear a cardinal singing his little heart out - he's probably in that big tree in the neighbor's yard - that tree that's just a mess, with deadwood everywhere, and two big limbs, one on each side that makes him look like a grumpy old man -"Hey you kids!  Get off my lawn!"

If you're planting this year - I wish you a prosperous growing season!  I'll let you know when the peas are ready.