Kids - Carmi's theme

Our church has a program called Upwards. In the fall, flag football is the sport, along with cheer leading. After football comes basketball and then soccer. I arrived on a Saturday morning when the little guys were playing. Family gathers to watch and cheer on the team to victory.

Well, what is a football game without cheerleaders! Go, team, go!

Too much cheering makes one tired. Go visit Carmi's blog to get his take on kids. You'll be glad you did.

Meet my cousin

My weekend turned out to be different what what I had planned. Sometime ago I received a postcard reminding me that this past weekend there was a Lacoochee Reunion. This takes place every year on the last Saturday in September. My mother used to go to it all the time and come home and tell me about all the people she had seen. For some reason she never mentioned my going along, and I never pushed the point.

A few years ago, I realized I needed to reconnect, and so I asked my friend, Lorette, to go along with me and we went. I walked around, asking people if they knew my parents. Some did. They asked if my daddy was the man who rode his bicycle from Trilby to the lumber mill on his bicycle. I wasn't sure about that, but it was a logical assumption.

I went again a couple of years ago as I was on my way to Virginia for October. My cousin was there, as she was when I went before. And she was there on Saturday. When I first had gotten the invitation, I laid it aside because I had made plans to go to a Saturday with Sweet Adelines in Brandon. When I woke up Saturday morning, I had overslept, and when I woke up, something said to me, "Beverly, go to the reunion and see your cousin."

So I did. We had a good visit. My cousin turned 80 in February. When I was a girl, my mother worked in a drug store in Bradenton where the owner never closed. Mother had to work on holidays, yes, Thanksgiving and Christmas, New Years, and on and on. She got one day off during the week, but rarely had those holidays off, and so I often spent time at my cousin's house during the holidays. She had married right out of high school and had a son just six years younger than me.

I was always welcome in her home. She bears my mother's name, and my mother often helped her when when she was in need. Over the years she had a difficult life, worked so hard, and never failed to help her neighbor when in need.

My cousin is a wonderful cook. Her father was the brother of the gentleman who is in the photo at top of my blog. They were immigrants from Syria who came to the States and made a new life. Her daddy died when she was young, but my aunt learned to cook some wonderful Syrian dishes, and my cousin did as well. After she retired from the business world, she began cleaning houses and doing some catering.

While we were talking, I asked her if she still cooked a lot. She looked at me and sort of smiled. "Oh, yes," she said. "I cook for some older people because they get tired of eating out." Then I asked her if she still cleaned. "Oh, yes," she said, "but not as much as I used to." I got tired just listening to her activities.

My time spent with her was wonderful. I love her so much, and I'm so glad we had the chance to get together. I have so much more to write about this past weekend, but that will have to wait for another day. I'm in the process of getting ready to leave for Virginia. I have about 10 people coming for a lunch on Thursday and a couple of appointments before I leave on Sunday. I'm also attending a 50th high school class reunion with my friend and going to a play at the Manatee Players on Friday night. So I may not post again until I get to Virginia next week.

Angles and Nature

I was out one evening after church with some friends at a local frozen custard place. Out back is a patio which has open latticework around it. Since I've learned to always have my camera with me, I couldn't resist this lizard. Florida is full of them. When my son was at Pe*n State, the first year he called to ask if some of his friends could come over spring break and sleep here while they went around the area. I was happy to have them. One morning when they walked outside, they were thrilled with sunshine and amazed at all the lizards. I was amused.

For a long time there was a chameleon who lived on my front porch. My mailbox is on the wall, and he stayed behind it much of the time. However, if I went out at night and turned on the porch light, he would be out, looking for food. What always interested me was that with the white walls, he was almost transparent. You could see his insides as he was on the wall. I haven't seen him in a long time.

We had a cat for eighteen years. When we caged in our pool, it became a playpen for the cat. She loved to be out by the pool, and she loved to chase lizards. One day, in a chase, however, the lizard caught her, latched on to her paw, and when we looked out, we saw our cat shaking her paw, trying to free herself of the lizard.

Carmi's theme this week is angles; last week was nature, so I've combined the two. To see more angles, visit his site.

Come on over!

My doorbell rang a few minutes ago, and when I answered it, a very nice gentleman was there with a cooler. He asked me if I was indeed Beverly, and when I said yes, he said that he had something very nice for me. He came in, took it out of the cooler, and here is the lovely edible arrangement that was in the box.

Friday was my birthday. My son forgot. He called last night, horrified that he had forgotten and all apologetic. I told him not to worry, that I hadn't been sitting by the phone waiting for his call. I knew he would remember sooner or later. He told me that he had talked to Sarah yesterday, and while they were talking, it struck him that he had forgotten. When we finally did connect by phone, we had a nice conversation. Ella even said, "Happy birthday, Grammy!" He tried to get her to sing "Happy birthday," but after a while she ended up singing "Baa-baa, black sheep."

Then this morning I was out and about, and my phone rang. It was my friend Peg, calling. She, too, had forgotten. She said she was trying so hard not to forget her new daughter-in-law's birthday that she overlooked mine.

We had a long chat about this and that. I came on home and started doing stuff. Power went off for about an hour. I was sitting here like a trapped animal...no lights, no internet. My car is in the garage, and I don't think I have the strength to raise it up manually. Anyway, after about an hour, the lights came on and then the doorbell rang.

I first of all thought that David had sent the arrangement, but he told me last night that they have my present in Virginia, and if this had been from them, it would have been way too much. They're going to take me to Washington D.C. for a weekend when I go up in October. I am so excited about that. I've only been once, and it was in the summer when I thought I would perish in the heat. So I can hardly wait to go in cooler weather.

When I turned the card over and saw it was from Peg, I was so pleased. She really shouldn't have, but it's so nice that she did. So now I have all this luscious fruit. It's much too much for me. I wish you all could come over and help me eat it.

Carmi's New Theme - Nature

Carmi has a new theme this week - nature. I love this one. I particularly love our Florida birds, and one can see them almost anywhere. This morning as I parked at a local restaurant for breakfast, there sitting on top of a car with this little guy. A street cleaner was going around the parking lot, making all kinds of noise, and he placidly sat there while the sweeper passed by and as people came and went to and from their cars.

Another day I stopped to get gas. Across the street is a Catholic church that has a pond in front. In the pond are beautiful water lilies, and this particular day this egret was carefully guarding this spot...looking for lunch, I guess. Sometimes people have fake ones in their yards, and it is often hard to tell which ones are real and which ones aren't.

Finally, on the way to a friend's home in a mobile home park were these ibis. They seem to be ubiquitous. Often seen in groups of eight or ten, they can be found looking for their lunch as well.

If you want to see some beautiful photos of nature, go to this blog, Kayak Paddle Tales. The blog author kayaks regular on the Wacissa River in north Florida, and she captures a Florida that most people don't truly think of. Go there and you will so marvelous photos of birds, turtles, and alligators. Her bird photos are exquisite.

Thematic Photographic - Closeup

Seeing Carmi's post of his daughter tonight reminded me of this photo of my granddaughter. She is very intently watching a program on TV, probably Dora, while her parents are doing her chest percussions. This therapy is a daily routine, morning and night, which is done to keep mucus loosened up in the lungs and airways...all a part of living with cystic fibrosis. This photo was taken in June when the family came to Florida.

The aftermath of Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike

I wrote briefly about Haiti this past week and the devastation of the four storms on this very poor island nation. I received an e-mail that contained a link to a video journal from the Miami Herald. I challenge you to watch it. It is not for the faint of heart.


Another blogger posted this.


Besides showing the sorrow and feeling of hopelessness of these people, the photographer has work here that, if I were nominating for an award, he would surely win it.


I think of the people in Texas today who are steeling themselves for Ike, either by fleeing or hunkering down. I know how I feel whenever the season starts and that first storm starts to form in the Atlantic, wondering what its path will be. It isn't a good feeling.


My heart breaks for these dear souls in the Caribbean who lose everything they have during the storms...homes, food, means of livelihood, and lives.

Remembering

It's amazing how this date, 9/11, brings back vivid memories of the happenings of that day. The emotions that are stirred today are not unlike those of 2001.

On another note, the photo in the post below is that of a little girl my friend takes care of. She was sitting at the table at Bob Evans the other day, looking so intently at the book. I caught a shot of her without the pacifier, but I thought this one was better. It's never too early for books, is it.

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday evening

When I looked at my last post, I see that it has been almost a week since I posted. A couple of you have commented and asked the hurricanes and Florida. As I've mentioned, I live on the west coast of Florida below Tampa, and we have had just a little rain and wind from the storms that have passed by.

TS Fay was headed for us, but it went inland further south, as Charlie did back in 2005. Some of the photos from the east coast showed quite a bit of flooding. One blogger who lives above Tallahassee in the panhandle said that they got 21.5 inches of rain in a 24 hour period. So while Fay was not a hurricane, it brought a LOT of rain.

Gustav, as you know, passed us by and went on to Louisiana and Jamie wrote about Gustav in Arkansas. Hanna also made her appearance, but again, here where I live, we were not affected at all. We are now watching Hurricane Ike which has caused evacuations down in the keys. It has weakened some to a category three (still a very strong storm, but now as I look at the map, it looks like it could head toward Louisiana as well.

When you look at those maps, the storms look they cover such a wide area, but the outer parts of the pictures might mean a little wind. David called me once a year or so ago and asked if we were having a tropical storm because it looked that way on the map. I looked out the window, and there was not a leaf moving...so goes life in Florida. It's a waiting game and always causes some anxiety, I must confess.

Not so fortunate are the islands in the Caribbean. As you know, I lived and worked in Haiti for three and a half years before I was married, and while I never experienced a hurricane, I saw devastation that heavy rains could cause there. I have been receiving e-mails from there which have been telling about the deaths and destruction from Fay, Gustav, and Hanna.

This photo was sent to me in an e-mail from Haiti. I think this is the town of Gonaives toward the north of the country of Haiti. Three years ago, this city was flooded like this. Trucks could not get in with aid. The bodies of animals were floating in the water, and sometimes, even bodies. I'm reading the same thing about these storms that have hit recently.

Compassion is an organization which helps provide relief to countries like this. One can sponsor a child through this organization for $32 a month. This helps to provide food for the child and helps with the schooling. My son and his wife sponsor a child in Uganda. I sponsor a little girl in Haiti. Vicki is an advocate for Compassion. Visit her blog and you can read her heart. Compassion has made a plea for funds for relief for countries like Haiti where food prices have soared in recent days, and incomes have not.

When you look at the weather maps and read about the storms here, think about those poor people in Haiti who really have no place to go from the storm. Have a good week.

Puddles

In keeping with Carmi's theme, water, I thought of these photos that I took one morning when I drove to my church's office to volunteer. As I was getting ready to leave, I looked out and saw a flock of ibis. (I assume they're a flock...not sure of the word for this group.) It had rained quite hard the day before, leaving puddles here and there. This ibis stood by himself in this particular puddle, doing his morning toilette.

As we read about the storms that are hitting and look at the flooding that takes place, I was thinking back today when I was a little girl, playing and splashing in the puddles in front of my house. We lived just inside the city limits, which, as one of my high school classmates said to me at lunch one day, "Beverly, you really lived way out of town." And I guess we did. I'm not sure about the storm sewers, but our street did not drain very quickly. I can remember sitting in the water, even pretending to swim. And I survived. I guess we weren't aware of pollution and all the concerns that we have today...easier times, they were...for kids anyway.

Water - Carmi's Theme

Carmi posted his new theme last Wednesday, but I've yet to post. As you might be able to tell, water is this week's theme. He has some unusual photos on his blog of water. I live about ten minutes away from beautiful beaches here on the west coast of Florida. In my opinion, the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the beaches are much nicer than the ocean side.

I don't go to the beach very much because of my freckled, sun-damaged skin, but whenever I do go, I wonder why I don't go more often. Although the barrier islands are terribly overbuilt, in the summer, it is not quite as busy as it is during tourist season, and if one goes early, the beaches aren't crowded at all. When my son came in June, with his wife and my beautiful granddaughter, we did spend one morning there.

We were only going to stay a little while, but everyone was having such a good time, we ended up staying much longer. Thanks to sunscreen, no one got burned. I'm sure that if it had not been for having access to a pool at my house, more time would have been spent there.

I'm sure that the waters might be churning a bit this afternoon as Gustav makes his way across the gulf. While we are grateful we're not getting hit, thoughts and prayers are going out to those on the gulf coast to the north.

Colorful -3

In the fall last year I made a visit to the vet's office with my daughter. Sitting on the counter at the office was this pumpkin with the Penn State Nittany Lion painted on it. In looking through some photos today, I came across this and it was a gentle (well, not so gentle) reminder to me that college football is getting ready to start. Yippee!

When my cat was still alive, at a visit to the vet, I mentioned to her that David was a student at Penn State. She stopped examining the cat, looked at me, and told me that she had done her undergraduate work there. The cat's exam was over. She told me about her experiences on campus. She happens to be a native of Florida as David is, and she, like David, wanted to go out of state for university.
Upon visiting campuses elsewhere, she commented that Penn State was the friendliest campus outside of the South that she visited.

Carmi, at Written, Inc., is hosting a colorful theme through today. If you visit his blog, you'll find many others who have taken part.

Let's Go, State!

Colorful - Take 2

Carmi is doing a "colorful" theme this week over at his blog. In looking through my files, I came across this photo. My cousin, who lives in north Florida, have a log cabin that was moved to their property several years ago. Her husband's employer was going to tear it down, so he asked if he moved it, could he have it.

This has been a labor of love that they have worked on together. After moving it, they added on a couple of rooms, built a chimney, and have made it fully functional. In the back is a pond. I'm not sure if they have it stocked with fish or not. They even built an outhouse...although it is not functional...which is probably a good thing.

Inside, you will find quilts that my cousin has either made or bought. In this particular room, as you can see, there are many Raggedy Anns and Andys. I asked her once what she was going to do with them all. Her comment? "After I'm gone, the kids can figure out what to do with them. If I see it, want it, and can afford it, I'll have it." (O.K., tell me, English teachers, is the plural of Ann and Andy the way I wrote it, or what is correct? Thanks in advance for your answer.)

She and her two sisters and a cousin in Leesburg are all that are left of my mother's side of the family. Although I don't see them often, I love the times that we are able to be together.

Colorful

Carmi's photo theme this week is "colorful." If yhou visit his blog, he has the perfect photo - a bowl of m&m's. My offering is my granddaughter's beach blanket along with one of the W*nder Pets. Before Ella came in June, I had lots of fun buying a few things for her to use while she was here. This towel caught my eye at T*rget. What fun to buy for this little girl!

PostScript

When I woke up this morning, there was no rain. Tropical Storm Fay went inland further south, as did Charlie in 2004. It's 2 in the afternoon right now, and the sun is shining. She's on her way across the state and may come back in further north.

Debra, over at Manx Mnews, is in the path of the storm should it follow its projected path. If you read her comment in the post down below, you will see why she is a bit anxious.

Thanks for you concern.

When all else fails...

I bought this sign for one of my teacher friends a few years ago. We both got a laugh out of it. The other day when I was at my old school, I entered a teacher's room who had all sorts of neat "teacher" stuff on her wall. I smiled again as I thought of Dot.

School started today, and there is a day off tomorrow. Why, you say? Tropical Storm Fay is on its way to our area, so schools will be closed tomorrow. Thankfully, at this point, it isn't expected to turn into a hurricane. We will have lots of rain and wind. I'm just now listening to the governor who said, "Stay calm, be smart, and use common sense." That does make sense.

I remember when I was still teaching we postponed school's opening on the first day because Andrew was to come across the state and hit us. Instead, you might recall that it did major, major damage in south Florida, particularly Homestead. We didn't have a drop of rain, not did a leaf blow.

During the time that I was in Haiti, I never experienced a hurricane, but the missionary kids that I taught loved to get off subject in class and talk about all their remembrances of the storms. I was advised when I went to Haiti to pack some of my belongings in a steel drum so that it could be used to store valuables in case of storm. Fortunately, I never had to use it for that.

I grew up here in Florida, and except for the summer of 2004 (I think) when hurricane Charlie and three others devastated the state, I don't remember a major storm. Hurricane Donna did come through in 1962, but I was away in college. I live in a somewhat protected area, or so it seems. The summer of Charlie and the others was horrific for people in the state. However, the storms skirted our area, and we had no major damage. I read and heard that the Indians knew something that we didn't know. It is reported that when they knew that a storm was coming, they would come to this area of west Florida.

So...a storm is on its way. Shelters will be open for those who need a safe place. In many counties, people who live in mobile homes, and there are many, are required to evacuate. Many folks who live on the barrier islands are encouraged to leave as well, and there is a large population who lives there.

One thing about hurricanes...we have all kinds of warnings. Anyone who doesn't take precaution is indeed foolish.

Not the best way to get a school holiday...especially right when school is starting.

Back to School

During the past year or so, I've become a fan of CaliforniaTeacher Guy's blog. He takes great photos and then writes haiku which so aptly fits his picture. Last year he shared his experiences at the Jewel School in Dirty Little Desert Town. Because of cutbacks, his position was not filled this year, and he is on his way to northern California for a new experience. Another teacher, Bellezza, wrote of soon having to go back to her unair-conditioned classroom to get ready for the new year. She teaches third grade, and I am sure that the children who come to her class develop a love of reading if they did not already have that love.

Visiting their blogs brings back memories of my own experiences in the classroom. I started teaching in the fall of 1963...wow, forty-five years ago. To look at me you'd never think I'm that old...just kidding. I went to a small private school in Ohio where I taught a combination second/third grade classroom. The children were lovely, as well as the parents. Many of these parents were in their early thirties, and when I would say "yes ma'am" to them, they would look at me sort of funny. It wasn't their practice. I still say "yes ma'am."

While I was in Ohio, I got my master's degree from Miami University, and then I went to Haiti and taught children of missionaries for three and a half years. I arrived in January, so I finished that school year and continued for three more. There I taught a group of sixth through ninth graders. Now that they are in their fifties, those that I've seen frequently call me Bev, rather than Miss Wright.

Then I came back to Florida, met the gentleman whom I would soon marry and taught for twenty-six years in the same school until I took the early retirement package that was offered in 1999. Times surely changed from 1973 until 1999. When I first started teaching at my local school, air-conditioning was unheard of; we had no carpet anywhere. Copies of work papers for the children were done on the old duplicators that produced a purple product while the fumes from the fluid made you a little funny. If you've taught for any time, you know what I mean.

When we put up bulletin boards, we used stencils to trace the letters that we needed for captions. The day that we got the Ell*son press that would stamp out letters and shapes for us, we were ecstatic. We used to have to make all our visuals, and then when we began getting money to use in our classes, companies sprang up who made lovely visuals that we could buy instead of creating ourselves. Then the laminating machine was a favorite tool to use to preserve those products.

That last two days I've spent at my old school in the classroom of a friend, helping her get ready for the new year. We put up background paper for the bulletin boards; I used letters that had been stamped from the Ell*son press to put up the captions. While I did that she was working on her home page for the school website. Every child has a laptop computer for his personal use at school. There is air-conditioning and carpet, white boards instead of black boards...no more chalk dust.

I stopped and looked in my classroom that I was last in. A first-grade teacher is in there now, and I would love to see the children as they walk in Monday morning for the first day of school. Her walls were adorned with all the things that one would expect...color words, number words, alphabet, classroom duty chart, and on and on. I wanted to take some pictures, but because I didn't know her at all, I didn't ask.

There is something about the beginning of a new school year. You get to get a fresh start with a new group of children. People have asked me if I miss teaching. I miss my comrades, and I miss the children...some of them. I'm glad I was able to go and help and then come home and take a nap. More on another day.

Doesn't this look good!

Last week Sarah and I drove to Virginia to be with Ella for her second birthday. Her mother and daddy invited friends over from work, their church, and their neighborhood for a later afternoon of dessert and activities inside and out. Behold the lovely table that was set. If you couldn't find something that would satisfy your sweet tooth, there was just something wrong with you. From left to right you see a carrot cake, phyllo cups filled with chocolate mousse topped with whipped topping, a lime cheesecake, and a black forest trifle.

When we arrived on Saturday afternoon, Sabrina said to me, "I need your help." She had made the cheesecake the day before, and it had cracked. She wanted to know if I had ever made a ganache. I hadn't, but I had watched Ina make it many times on the Barefoot Cont*ssa. So with a recipe in hand we made a white chocolate ganache and filled in the cracks. I don't believe anyone knew any better. The cheesecake was one of the first desserts that was eaten up.

Ella's parents hadn't wanted this to be a time when everyone brought presents for Ella, so she invited her babysitter over the next day, and that was when we had cake. A slice of the carrot cake served as Ella's cake. You can see that in the post further down.

Everyone loved the party on Saturday. One gentleman said, "Sabrina, is this going to become an annual event?" The neighbors have already planned the next evening when they'll get together and play games outdoors. The party was indeed a great success. A good time was had by all.

Carmi's Photo Theme - Signs

When I first started teaching first grade in Florida, I had a little boy in my class, who, one morning during "show and tell," talked about going to South of the Border. "What on earth is that?" I thought to myself. Well, I had never taken a ride up I-95.

Several years later, our family drove to New York for the wedding of my husband's brother. So our route took us up I-95, and, lo and behold, after all those years, I knew what Steven had been talking about. Many miles before you reach the South Carolina-North Carolina border, you begin to see billboards for South of the Border. The closer that you get, the more frequent they become. Since Carmi was doing a "sign" theme this week, as we were driving north, I got my camera out and began taking photos of these billboards.

Some of them are informational; all are amusing. Sarah reminded me that there is one that says "Kids, keep screaming for mom and dad to stop." That one was on the way coming south, and I didn't see it in time to get a photo. There is a little bit of everything there...a gas station, motel, clean bathrooms, rides, a place to walk your dog, and so on....

As much as I don't care for billboards littering the landscape, I do find these amusing, and they help to pass the time a bit along the way.
For other sign photos, check out Carmi's blog.