Marching bands all over are in band camp right now. Why? Because the kids feel it benefits their High School Experience. Yes, Kids that participate in music during high school tend to have higher grades on important tests.
Kids that participate in band have higher expectations for themselves. My daughter is included in this group, even though she's no longer in band. We personally can't afford the extra $500-600 a year to participate. For some reason, the Arts don't get the same kind of support as Sports. Although Band students endure just as much or more physical torture as those in Football, they get no relief or support from the public. And I think I'd rather have a child that can play a musical instrument and read music than a child that can dunk, or tackle, or hit a little bittly ball a long way.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Listening Without Hearing
My husband recently had a large ball of wax pulled from his ear by his doctor. I don't think it improved his hearing whatsoever. He talks, and I wait for an appropriate amount of time after he has stopped talking before I speak, yet he interrupts me and says he's not done talking. Inevitably, he finishes what he started, or goes on to talk about something totally different, and my line of conversation never sees the light of day again.
Tonight, he was getting ready to leave the house. I asked him where he was going, and he got pissed off, saying, "Why do I have to tell you where I'm going? I'm getting a pack of cigarettes." Right before he left, he was asking me why it sounded like an alarm was going off. Then he left. Well, the alarm was his, and he was gone 50 minutes, and I couldn't get up the stairs to turn off the alarm. The dog was running upstairs and barking, but there was nothing I could do but turn up the volume on the TV. Finally, our son came home from work on his break and turned it off. Hubby wondered why I was in a bad mood when he got home...
Then I had to explain to him step-by-step how to freeze the okra he bought: divide it into four (4) bags. Freeze three (3), keep one (1) for dinner tomorrow. I'm trying very hard to be loving, understanding, and kind to my spouse, but sometimes, I'd just like to whop him upside the head with a frying pan.
Tonight, he was getting ready to leave the house. I asked him where he was going, and he got pissed off, saying, "Why do I have to tell you where I'm going? I'm getting a pack of cigarettes." Right before he left, he was asking me why it sounded like an alarm was going off. Then he left. Well, the alarm was his, and he was gone 50 minutes, and I couldn't get up the stairs to turn off the alarm. The dog was running upstairs and barking, but there was nothing I could do but turn up the volume on the TV. Finally, our son came home from work on his break and turned it off. Hubby wondered why I was in a bad mood when he got home...
Then I had to explain to him step-by-step how to freeze the okra he bought: divide it into four (4) bags. Freeze three (3), keep one (1) for dinner tomorrow. I'm trying very hard to be loving, understanding, and kind to my spouse, but sometimes, I'd just like to whop him upside the head with a frying pan.
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Southern Spirit
Just the other day, we had a swarm of powerful tornadoes rush through our communities here in North Carolina. Today, my 15 year old daughter and I took a little road trip along the line of destruction.It was evident quite early on that the damage was severe when we encountered numerous detours just to get to Holly Springs High School. I actually got to experience using my all wheel drive Subaru for the first time. (My parent's neon blue Ford Maverick conquered greater terrain, although I never told them.) I know things are serious when a State-run Liquor store is closed... We eventually found my niece's house. She was at the beach, partaking in numerous bachelorette parties, while Hubby-To-Be was schmoozing with five other guys, a baby, and three dogs in a central bathroom. They made out fairly well, while close neighbors did not. But the support of all that could afford to give extra help was evident. There were Boy Scout Moms moving branches, folks everywhere were concerned about others, whether they knew them or not.
I think what I'm saying is Community can be stronger than government. Yes, we are getting a lot of help from government agencies, but I think the key is how the community is coming together to help it's own. It's more intimate, more heart-felt. I only lived a few years above the Mason-Dixon Line, and I was born in the Deep South. So, I'm possibly biased, but I see this as something unique to the South. We are used to being beat-up. We are used to lousy weather at times. But we are survivors through and clear. And we are quite willing to share whatever we have with whoever is around. And we still give thanks to the Lord who gave us what we do have.
Carey says I need to add how I feel about this. I think people are the key to making this country work the way it is supposed to. We can't rely on government to get the job done. My mother always told me, " If you want the job done right, do it yourself." There's a lot of action in those words.
I think what I'm saying is Community can be stronger than government. Yes, we are getting a lot of help from government agencies, but I think the key is how the community is coming together to help it's own. It's more intimate, more heart-felt. I only lived a few years above the Mason-Dixon Line, and I was born in the Deep South. So, I'm possibly biased, but I see this as something unique to the South. We are used to being beat-up. We are used to lousy weather at times. But we are survivors through and clear. And we are quite willing to share whatever we have with whoever is around. And we still give thanks to the Lord who gave us what we do have.
Carey says I need to add how I feel about this. I think people are the key to making this country work the way it is supposed to. We can't rely on government to get the job done. My mother always told me, " If you want the job done right, do it yourself." There's a lot of action in those words.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Marital Neglect
I went to the dentist this week, first time in five or six years. You see, in 2005, my husband lost his job. We also lost our home (to a short sale) and health insurance. He found a new job after nine months, but we were unable to afford health insurance for me because of a pre-existing condition. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis.
I have not been treated for the RA, or anything else besides tick bites in this large chunk of time. I have a hard time walking, especially stairs. We live in a two-story house, so I sleep on the couch. The full baths are upstairs, so I am lucky to get a shower once a week- having to go up and down all those stairs wears me out.
The RA, or rather being on prednisone for 11 years, has caused my teeth to become decalcified. They are literally falling apart. My husband recently put me on the family dental plan, so I made an appointment with the dentist for X-rays and a plan of action. It turns out that x-rays are all that can be done for another year. NEXT year, I can have fillings, teeth pulled, etc., but only up to the $1000 annual limit. The following year, I can have teeth replaced, but again, only up to the $1000 limit. I need well over $13,000 worth of work done NOW, just to get my mouth, and therefore the rest of me, HEALTHY. At the rate the insurance company wants to do this, it will take 15 years before I can chew my food.
Now I will need to ask my parents to borrow more from my inheritance. We already owe the trust close to $30,000. Most was borrowed when my husband lost his job, so we would not become homeless.
Now, back to the subject of this rant. I got to thinking about the basic needs of life itself and stumbled upon Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The basic concept is a pyramid with the base being physiological needs, such as breathing, food and water. The second level is Safety: security of body, employment, resources, morality, family, health, and property. Well, I think I'm stuck at this level. I'm certainly not secure with my health and body- sometimes I wonder if I'm going to fall on my face with my next step. We lost our home and we have no retirement savings and my husband has no life insurance. We live paycheck to paycheck, so there is no financial security. I have been denied disability. I am dependent on my husband to provide for me because I have been a homemaker for 25 of the 27 years we have been married.
When I complain that I hurt, or I need insurance, he says he's doing the best he can and stomps upstairs, hiding in his room drinking beer. No, he ISN'T doing his best! He doesn't even want to talk about trying harder. He wants to be in control of everything. He wants to buy the groceries. There are four of us living here, but he buys very small amounts of expensive foods that are impossible for me to make a dinner for four with. He won't buy pre-sliced lunch meat because of the sodium content, then goes to the deli and buys proscuitto. He buys blood oranges so he can have fresh squeezed orange juice. He is the only one that drinks it. When, maybe once a month, I buy groceries, I'm still in the store and he'll call me asking if I've spent enough yet. My shopping consists of grocery stores, Walmart, and thrift shops. I would consider myself one of the best bargain hunters around. I have worked for 25 years for free, and he still complains that I spend too much. Yet, he spends every Saturday afternoon with his mother who lives twenty minutes away. On Sundays, he goes to church.
This brings me to another sore spot in our relationship. He goes to church to socialize, to get his weekly fill of others' good works, or to have someone to name-drop. I don't think I've heard a word about Jesus or spirituality in many years. Combining this with the way he treats me, his spouse, is hypocritical. According to 1 Timothy 5:8 which states, "But if any man does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." This means it is possible to deny the faith by conduct as well as by words. If one isn't doing God's will by providing for his spouse, then his worship is canceled out and his prayers will not be heard.
Do you hear me husband? You aren't the only one that isn't listening!
I have not been treated for the RA, or anything else besides tick bites in this large chunk of time. I have a hard time walking, especially stairs. We live in a two-story house, so I sleep on the couch. The full baths are upstairs, so I am lucky to get a shower once a week- having to go up and down all those stairs wears me out.
The RA, or rather being on prednisone for 11 years, has caused my teeth to become decalcified. They are literally falling apart. My husband recently put me on the family dental plan, so I made an appointment with the dentist for X-rays and a plan of action. It turns out that x-rays are all that can be done for another year. NEXT year, I can have fillings, teeth pulled, etc., but only up to the $1000 annual limit. The following year, I can have teeth replaced, but again, only up to the $1000 limit. I need well over $13,000 worth of work done NOW, just to get my mouth, and therefore the rest of me, HEALTHY. At the rate the insurance company wants to do this, it will take 15 years before I can chew my food.
Now I will need to ask my parents to borrow more from my inheritance. We already owe the trust close to $30,000. Most was borrowed when my husband lost his job, so we would not become homeless.
Now, back to the subject of this rant. I got to thinking about the basic needs of life itself and stumbled upon Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The basic concept is a pyramid with the base being physiological needs, such as breathing, food and water. The second level is Safety: security of body, employment, resources, morality, family, health, and property. Well, I think I'm stuck at this level. I'm certainly not secure with my health and body- sometimes I wonder if I'm going to fall on my face with my next step. We lost our home and we have no retirement savings and my husband has no life insurance. We live paycheck to paycheck, so there is no financial security. I have been denied disability. I am dependent on my husband to provide for me because I have been a homemaker for 25 of the 27 years we have been married.
When I complain that I hurt, or I need insurance, he says he's doing the best he can and stomps upstairs, hiding in his room drinking beer. No, he ISN'T doing his best! He doesn't even want to talk about trying harder. He wants to be in control of everything. He wants to buy the groceries. There are four of us living here, but he buys very small amounts of expensive foods that are impossible for me to make a dinner for four with. He won't buy pre-sliced lunch meat because of the sodium content, then goes to the deli and buys proscuitto. He buys blood oranges so he can have fresh squeezed orange juice. He is the only one that drinks it. When, maybe once a month, I buy groceries, I'm still in the store and he'll call me asking if I've spent enough yet. My shopping consists of grocery stores, Walmart, and thrift shops. I would consider myself one of the best bargain hunters around. I have worked for 25 years for free, and he still complains that I spend too much. Yet, he spends every Saturday afternoon with his mother who lives twenty minutes away. On Sundays, he goes to church.
This brings me to another sore spot in our relationship. He goes to church to socialize, to get his weekly fill of others' good works, or to have someone to name-drop. I don't think I've heard a word about Jesus or spirituality in many years. Combining this with the way he treats me, his spouse, is hypocritical. According to 1 Timothy 5:8 which states, "But if any man does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." This means it is possible to deny the faith by conduct as well as by words. If one isn't doing God's will by providing for his spouse, then his worship is canceled out and his prayers will not be heard.
Do you hear me husband? You aren't the only one that isn't listening!
Monday, January 24, 2011
A Cherokee Tale
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a terrible battle that goes on inside people. He said, " My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Living in Wake County
We moved to Wake County in 1969. Cary was a little town then, where everyone knew each other. We all went to school together, from Tryon Road, to Apex, to Morrisville. There just weren't many schools back then. I think it was ninth grade when desegregation took place. But I think we were already O.K. with it. I personally never had a problem dealing with other races, I had friends across the board. And I think most of the folks I went to school with felt the same way.
Now, I see this huge division when it comes to our children's education. I don't know about your Wake County neighborhood, but mine is quite diverse. We have Indians, Kenyans, Koreans, many Latinos, Southerners, Northerners, African Americans. I'm pretty sure this is the same in most other neighborhoods in Wake County.
I think William Barbour and the N.C. NCAAP is defeating the true purpose of education for all when it spends so much time, effort and money on an ideal with skewed data. If you take each school by economic and racial data, year by year, and how lax the State has been at making sure this data is accurate, you will find the data is wrong.Magnet schools are a good thing. They bring higher education to the Center City. How can anyone complain? And yet, this is still a neighborhood school for those that live in the neighborhood.
I think my main point is, I always want my children to want to learn, and have the desire to learn- throughout their lives. If they are constantly bombarded with folks seemingly against education, such as colleges who are more concerned with the bottom dollar, how are we able to go forward as a country? Is rote more important than common sense? I had a teacher in 10th grade, Mr. Robinson. He taught Biology. We got him off subject every day, but at the end of the semester, we were right where we needed to be, and we all had the ability to think critically for ourselves.
This is what I wish for my children and grandchildren. The ability to think critically..
Now, I see this huge division when it comes to our children's education. I don't know about your Wake County neighborhood, but mine is quite diverse. We have Indians, Kenyans, Koreans, many Latinos, Southerners, Northerners, African Americans. I'm pretty sure this is the same in most other neighborhoods in Wake County.
I think William Barbour and the N.C. NCAAP is defeating the true purpose of education for all when it spends so much time, effort and money on an ideal with skewed data. If you take each school by economic and racial data, year by year, and how lax the State has been at making sure this data is accurate, you will find the data is wrong.Magnet schools are a good thing. They bring higher education to the Center City. How can anyone complain? And yet, this is still a neighborhood school for those that live in the neighborhood.
I think my main point is, I always want my children to want to learn, and have the desire to learn- throughout their lives. If they are constantly bombarded with folks seemingly against education, such as colleges who are more concerned with the bottom dollar, how are we able to go forward as a country? Is rote more important than common sense? I had a teacher in 10th grade, Mr. Robinson. He taught Biology. We got him off subject every day, but at the end of the semester, we were right where we needed to be, and we all had the ability to think critically for ourselves.
This is what I wish for my children and grandchildren. The ability to think critically..
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Free To A Good Home
For the last two years, I have lovingly taken care of Herman. I don't know how old he was when I adopted him from my Mother-in-Law. Herman is so giving, but he produces too much offspring for me to handle these days. I just don't have the energy I did when I was younger. I feed him every week, and occasionally he refuses to grow. But he's basically done me good. My family and neighbors gratefully take the offspring home with them.
I'm talking about my Sourdough starter, Herman. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep making bread, especially the 4 loaf weeks. Is there a baker out there willing to adopt my precious Herman? I'll include instructions, which is more than we get with real children.
I'm talking about my Sourdough starter, Herman. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep making bread, especially the 4 loaf weeks. Is there a baker out there willing to adopt my precious Herman? I'll include instructions, which is more than we get with real children.
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