The View from Here

Weary

I have to admit that this has not been the best week I’ve experienced lately. Nothing in particular has happened to me, other than some predictable pain issues related to old injuries and arthritis + cold weather, and some tiresome allergy problems associated with winter heating and confinement. I have not been sick. So far, I have escaped the flu.

However, as I have said before, I am a woman of routines and procedures and habits that make me secure and happy. Having four to six students absent each day has changed my plans in many ways. It is not a good idea to present new concepts and teach new skills to a group of children who are getting sick or recovering. Nor is it wise to teach ten children something that five absent ones will have to be taught separately at a later date. And worrying about who else might be getting ill keeps me on edge. Should I send that one to the nurse for a temperature check? Is that one gazing into space because she just doesn’t want to work, or because she doesn’t feel well?

And yesterday was not my best teaching day. Never have so many students done so little work! I have several students who are routinely distracted, preoccupied, and unfocused, but yesterday they were so far off task as to be “absent”, at least in mind. It is frustrating to constantly remind them to stop playing with their supplies, getting out of their seat, talking to their neighbors, and goofing off. “Just do your work.” was repeated far too often yesterday, and by the end of the afternoon it was repeated in my cranky voice.

Having many of the adults absent has also created concerns and uncertainty. I pray daily for those who are ill or have sick children. I know how stressful this has been for everyone at home. But on a selfish note, I just miss their smiling faces and our brief interactions each day!  

Dealing with the cold and being so attuned to the national weather reports makes me nervous. I am not apprehensive for myself, but for friends and family members in locations where winter weather is a serious hazard.  We have been fortunate to just endure cold, not snow and sleet and ice…yet.

I had to remind myself this morning that God is aware of all of our doubts and concerns. He knows that we are often weak and weary. And of course “there’s a verse for that” if we search His word. It’s found in Isaiah 40. “…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” You know you won’t see me running any time soon, but in my mind today my strength is renewed.

 

( I thought this old photo of me hiking in the desert was a good depiction of weary!)

English as a second language...

One of the tasks we face as teachers of young children is attempting to teach them all the quirks and variables of the English language. Try explaining to a five year old how he can differentiate between hard, soft, or silent “g”. How do you determine if a word starts with “k” or “c”? Why is “y” pronounced as “e” at the city, but “i” at the end of cry? For every rule of language it seems there is a word that breaks it. Welcome to my world!

As most of us realize, the fundamental problem is that so much of our language really isn’t English. We have borrowed so many words from other languages, and used them for so long, that their origins have been forgotten. And each of those words adheres to the spelling and pronunciation rules of its original language. To make things just a bit more challenging our society is constantly losing old words and gaining new ones. The dictionary changes with each new edition! And texting is giving us a whole new category of literacy, or illiteracy, depending on your viewpoint.

We constantly work on adding new vocabulary to our “word bank” in kindergarten. Yesterday we read a book about weather words and I found out that my students had no meanings in their little brains to attach to “breeze”, “drizzle”, “chilly”, or “forecast”. Without an understanding of the words in a story it might as well be written in a foreign language. Sometimes we can barely get through a book because we have to stop so often to talk about what the words mean. I often re-read a story later so we can just enjoy it!

As adults we tend to limit our vocabulary to our own little world of work, home and recreation. If we don’t read extensively and eclectically our vocabulary diminishes over time. And those limits are often passed on to children, especially if parents aren’t reading to them on a regular basis. You will find significant differences in the words used by children from different environments and different regions of the country. Children infatuated with a particular sport or hobby will adopt the language needed to understand it, even if they can’t tell you what “responsible” or some other common word means.

Teachers are left to try and compensate for the background and environment of each student and to try to give them the foundation of words needed for the rest of their educational experience. Each grade level contributes. Each year a student is exposed to more new words. Each year a student adopts a few of them into their own “word bank”.

Sometimes I feel like I’m fighting an “uphill battle” in the war on ignorance. Then I remind myself that one word leads to another and steady progress often leads to victory.  

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Remember when 58 degrees was called a “relief from the heat”?  

I stood in front of the television this morning feeling so grateful that it will warm up to 58 this weekend! Hopefully we can go to Hagerman without freezing!

I know we are never happy, but I do NOT like winter. I have California blood and my favorite temperature is 80 degrees.

And this is my ideal snowman!!

Have a great day. I’ll bundle up and try….

Flu

I posted on my kindergarten blog that it is too quiet in my classroom these days. Between the empty chairs and the empty minds there is just very little energy left in our room. The two or three students who have returned are still too tired and weak to think or talk much. Those who are getting sick are too tired and weak to think or talk much. Those who have remained well are worried about the others. One came to my desk yesterday and said “A sure has been gone a long time.” Yes…he has.

There are also teachers absent from our ranks- some who are ill and some who have children who are too sick to be left with others. I pray for them, especially the ones with sick children, because I still remember the frustration of wanting so desperately to ease the pain and suffering of an ailing child.

Yesterday I reluctantly stopped by the pharmacy to pick up a refill of my blood pressure medicine. As expected there was a line of people, many of whom were coughing; all of them waiting for something to make them feel better. An old friend was there seeking a flu shot, but the pharmacy had run out and posted a sign.  We joked about it, but I hope she finds one somewhere. Some protection is better than none.

When I got home there were more reports about outbreaks and deaths all over the country. Even California, previously listed as almost flu-free, has seen an increase in cases. Hospitals and clinics are understaffed and are doing their best to cope with record numbers of patients.

While all of this is disheartening we are still so fortunate to have vaccines and medications and modern hospitals prepared to care for flu victims. It is best to keep everything in perspective and to be thankful for the great strides we have made since the pandemics of the past, especially the Spanish flu of 1918. That seems so very long ago, but its impact was worldwide and it wiped out an estimated 2% of the population. That’s 20-50 million people. It was never possible to take a completely accurate count. And I know from reading the Caddo Herald that many of those who died were my ancestors and yours.    

So although we may be suffering we can also have a little gratitude and say a prayer of thanksgiving today along with our supplications. This too shall pass...

 

Making Choices

Proverbs 19:3- A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord.

When I read that this morning I thought of all the times in my own life when I have asked God why he allowed me to stumble and fall so much. Most of my serious mistakes were made when I was younger and much more foolish, but I still do something stupid once in a while.

When bad things happen, especially to children or to anyone we deem innocent or blameless, we tend to blame God for “allowing” such things. Yet, when we want to do something we rely on the gift of “free will” and thank God that we are not drones programmed to serve him. We want it both ways. We want to have choices, but we want someone to take the heat if we choose unwisely. And we are often reluctant to see that any choice we make today can affect not only our own life, but the lives of those around us, perhaps for generations to come. The eventual outcome could be good or bad.  

Someone told me years ago, in defense of their heavy drinking, “I’m not harming anyone but myself. I don’t drink and drive. I’m not a mean drunk. I just stay home and enjoy myself.” I’ve now lived long enough to see the genetic repercussions of that drinking on his children and grandchildren. So much for his theories…

Of course some of the choices we make aren’t that serious…or are they? I often wonder if even the little things like the words we frequently use and the movies we watch and the clothes we wear eventually change something fundamental within us. If I am too tolerant of profanity or violence or coarseness will I in due course embrace it? Food for thought today. I hope most of the choices I make today are wise ones. 

Knowing When to Quit

I just finished my biography of Mr. Ben Siegel, one of Bryan County’s most interesting early merchants, and after one more scan for errors I will call it quits and print it out. I know that the ladies who will now index it will let me know if they spot any misspellings or typos.

I am never quite satisfied with a book I have “written”. I put that in quotes because a genealogy book isn’t as much written as it is “compiled”. I don’t have any allusions about this being literature…just the facts about a man and his family…hopefully arranged in a logical, readable order. And of course there is the problem of writing about someone without the benefit of input from his family, long scattered far away from his old hometown. I was forced to gather information from old books, documents, microfilm, and the internet in order to put together a somewhat limited overview of Ben Siegel’s life. So, there are gaps. There isn’t much to record for the years he lived in Durant, although I know that during the next year I will undoubtedly find more information to be added to an addendum later on. But I also know I have managed to find a LOT of information about his early years in Caddo that has been previously unknown, probably information that his own family has never seen before. I’m satisfied with that…for now.

I will take a little break for a few weeks and do some general research that I have been thinking about. Then I will proceed to the next project.

Idle hands…

Time to Think

I was informed yesterday that our local museum is in danger of being closed. It has had its ups and downs since it officially opened in 1978, but like many people I just took it for granted that it would always be there for generations to enjoy. I don’t have the details of the current dilemma, but will certainly make it my mission this weekend to get the whole story and try to help solve the problem. Our museum simply MUST NOT CLOSE, now or ever.

I was very upset yesterday morning when I first heard the news and I needed time to think. Like most people I react quickly to bad news, but I know that if I give myself time to think and to examine all the factors of the issue a solution may present itself. I didn’t always do that when I was younger. A situation arose, an idea popped into my head, and I was off to save the world….

It seems to me that many of our leaders have been doing the same thing lately. The arguments about the economy, gun control, healthcare, etc. don’t often show a lot of “thinking time” has been appropriated to possible solutions. Someone just got one idea and ran with it! Of course once you take a stand, then you have to defend it, even if you realize in the middle of the argument that you might be wrong. Such is the nature of our pride.

My mother used to drive me crazy by saying, “I’ll think about it.” And it would often take her as much as a week to decide whether I could do something or not. The waiting and wondering was torture! But now I understand the wisdom of her methods. Sometimes by the time she gave me a “yes” or “no”, I was calmer and more receptive to the outcome because I knew she had really considered my desires as well as her concerns. And I knew she had discussed the issue with my father, and sometimes with other people as well. She wasn’t one to think that her way was the only way!

My students are not “thinkers” yet. They are talkers. They guess, guess, guess if they don’t know an answer. And they try to say something quickly so that if they do have the correct answer they are also the FIRST one to have it. I begin in August to attempt to change their ways! I emphasize “look, listen, and learn” for times when I am speaking, and “look/listen, think, talk” for their response. In order to do that, I must often show them that I will wait for their answer. Yesterday I wanted them to use their knowledge that each vowel makes two sounds, long or short, and I had the word “ride” on the board. They kept saying that it was “rid” so I actually sat down in my chair at the front of the room and told them I would wait for them to think about it. I only had to wait for about thirty seconds before two children remembered the other vowel sound, but sometimes that seems like an eternity to a five year old! Lol

I’ve also learned to wait longer for responses during reading. When a child is at my desk reading with me I try to be very patient and I don’t tell them what a word is until I’ve given them ample time to figure it out. After a few reading sessions I get a feel for how much time each child usually requires. Each has their thinking style. I even have one student who will remind me by saying, “Let me think.”

We all know “drama queens/kings”, people with “road rage” and others who are easily agitated by life. They make quick and often poor choices. They get themselves into situations that are negative and destructive. They irritate family and friends. They ruin their own health and happiness. Much of their stress and strife could be avoided if they just took the time to think.

That’s what I will be doing this weekend- thinking. I am passionate about the necessity of keeping the museum open. I am determined to convince others. But I am also willing to look, listen, and think about many options before I climb up on my soap box. So…stay tuned.

 

Distracted

Mulling over a major community problem. I don’t have enough information to blog yet, but rest assured I will speak soon!!! In the meantime, please forgive me for not having many other coherent thoughts this morning. 

Our New Normal

Last night there was a report on the national news about the climate changes we experienced in 2012. Last year is now on record as the warmest year ever recorded and the list of weather-related disasters our nation also experienced was disturbing and discouraging. We are still in the middle of one of the most devastating- the drought that encompasses at least five states. And our local news reported that Oklahoma is also experiencing an increase in the number of earthquakes.

Bigger and more frequent disasters and more resultant deaths may become our new “normal”. And unfortunately many of the disasters are our own fault. Just by being where we are in such large groups puts us in harm’s way. We sometimes flaunt our misconceptions about our ability to control nature, but in truth it is merely a matter of time before we are proven wrong. We live in known flood paths. We grow crops in areas that were once barren deserts. We build homes in remote wooded wilderness areas or perch them precariously on the sides of canyons. We pack millions of people into one zip code. And then we are shocked and dismayed when something bad happens as a result. I guess we just forget that every action in life has a consequence.

It is also our nature to focus on the “task at hand” and that often means we keep our minds on the troubles at hand as well. We can get so involved in our own lives and families and communities that it sometimes takes a major disaster or tragedy to make us aware of what is happening in the rest of the country. Big numbers like those quoted last night can certainly broaden our limited perspective and let us know that we are all affected by what happens when the wind blows across the plains or the snow falls in the east.

As I listened to the disheartened Texas farmer despair over his meager rice crop I suddenly realized that his loss is our loss. We will pay more for rice and many, many other foods in the coming months because of the drought. I’ve already written about how it will affect milk and meat prices, but I had not given much thought to rice because I had forgotten that it is a major crop in south Texas.

I’m not sure what our reaction should be to all of this except to be aware that many of the things we take for granted are drastically changing. Right now there is a town near us that has been totally out of water for days and is desperately trying to solve their shortage problem. Imagine your whole town out of water! My first reaction was to take a quicker shower. My next was to stock up on bottled water- and yes, I know that also causes problems.

Each of us needs to rethink some of the environmental issues of our country. I’ve never been a big supporter of the whole “green” movement, but even I realize now that much of what we did when I was a child, and even as a younger adult, was much more “earth friendly” than our current lifestyle. Somehow we need to return to some of our better habits. We have to join together to improve our impact on the earth and do what we can to cope with the new normal we have helped to create.  

Each of us needs to be aware that weather changes affect us as an entire nation in physical, emotional, and economic ways that will have repercussions for generations to come. If that Texas rice farmer ceases operations it will impact his family, the families of his employees, and the residents of his entire community. And that community includes us! 

Fried Chicken

I don’t often watch Martha Stewart. My distrust of her goes way back to a problematic article she wrote years ago about her rose garden. I’m also not a fan of her calculated, often pretentious, cooking style. I’ve never made my own crackers and I wouldn’t put caviar on them if I did, so I figure the show is a waste of my time. And that valium voice of hers is like chalk on a blackboard to my ears. But just as I was about to hit the channel button on my remote this weekend I heard her announce that she was going to show us how to fry chicken. Oh my goodness! I represent the fifth generation of a chicken-frying southern family, so I just had to hear what the Yankee icon had to say about our menu mainstay.

I watched in wonder as she explained her careful preparations. First of all, she warned everyone to wear closed shoes and an apron for safety. Then she explained that she had soaked the chicken at least two hours in water, patted it dry and separated the dark meat from the light. She had a heavy cast iron pan with a lid which she had purchased used so it would already be seasoned. She had plenty of oil, including some at room temperature that had been set aside in case she needed to lower the temperature of the cooking chicken. And of course she had a thermometer so she would know that!  After coating the chicken, one piece at a time, with precisely the right amount of batter and getting the oil to the perfect temperature by testing it with a bread crumb and then the thermometer, she carefully dropped only four pieces of dark meat into the oil, while explaining in that vapid voice that the pieces must not touch each other. Then she covered the pan with the lid and cooked them for exactly ten minutes. Then she turned them over and cooked the other side exactly ten minutes. Any more, she explained and oil would soak into the chicken. Any less and the chicken would not be fully cooked. And she made sure the pieces were done by testing them with an instant-read thermometer.  She placed the golden brown chicken pieces on a pan, to be kept warm in a 200 degree oven, smiled at the camera, and then proceeded to cook four pieces of white meat with the same military meticulousness.

I sat there in a daze for a few minutes. Then I thanked the Lord for letting me grow up in a family where the cooks were a little less intimidating. If Martha had been my grandmother I would never have learned to cook. I would never have felt competent or confident enough to even walk into the kitchen! And yes, all you unbelievers, I CAN cook and did so for years. I now choose NOT to cook unless I must. We’ve had that discussion…

Other than the apron and the cast iron pan, there isn’t much in the above scenario that matches my grandmother’s procedure for frying chicken. She might have soaked the chicken in water overnight since she usually killed it the day before she needed it. I can’t remember. I do remember a huge pile of seasoned flour on the counter top and a bowl of buttermilk that she soaked the pieces in before rolling several of them in the coating. I do recall the huge bucket of lard she used for most of her frying, including chicken. She usually had two pans of chicken frying at the same time and yes, she let the pieces touch each other! I never saw her use a thermometer or a timer, but her chicken was always cooked perfectly, at least to our country taste buds. And she always had at least four other things cooking at the same time- bread and potatoes in the oven, okra frying, beans in a pot. There wasn’t time for meticulousness.

I felt welcome in grandmother’s kitchen and in my mother’s as well. I started helping them when I still had to stand on a chair to do so. I learned to cut vegetables, clean chickens, and mix up a batch of biscuits before I could read a recipe. Cooking was an experience, a privilege, and later a daily chore. And it was usually enjoyable! It was never a performance or a test of my ability to understand math or science. If I made a mistake it was explained and excused as part of learning. I can only imagine that Martha might have taken a very different approach and smacked my hand with a spatula for burning something!

I know Martha has many fans and I’m sure there are women all over America who are successfully frying chicken by using her exacting methods. But if I get an urge to eat meat again you can bet I’ll use Gran’s recipe and just “wing it”.