The last few days have been full of spring and warmth. As I sit n my backyard and listen to the white noise that filters down from the falls, I relish in the fact that it is all mine and provided, free of charge, by Mother Nature. The skies are a beautiful blue with wisps of white occasionally sliding by. I'm comfortably settled in my lounge chair in the hopes that my white wrinkles will turn into brown ones. I'm smiling as I realize that that bright yellow sun contributed to the onset of those wrinkles in the first place but....oh well... pale and pasty were never part of our vocabulary. Hewitt women were outside and doomed to be planted with wrinkly knees and sun-kissed laugh lines. We yearned for more than just alligator shoes :-) The grass is greening and the proverbial dandelions have popped up in a couple spots. A plethora of wildlife is everywhere.... flying, crawling and even slithering....( Lee would be up on a chair.) A stray woolly-bear inching its black and orange across the patio, a flighty ladybug landing on my Kindle, mating songs from a couple of red-winged blackbirds and the loud and proud hammering of our resident pileated woodpecker all carelessly doing their spring thing. Within the 45 minutes I listened and watched, I was visited by dark-eyed juncos, chickadees, goldfinches, hairy and downy woodpeckers, a sparrow, a nuthatch, 2 doves, a blue jay and a partridge in a pear tree...(Ok, skip the partridge.) I was, however, entertained by a peahen and 3 chickens who were nicely eating the bugs and working the soil under the old, fallen leaves.... definitely living up to their redneck handle of "yard birds!"
I managed to read 3 chapters in my book... two once and one twice. I found myself more engrossed in the poetry of my yard than the prose of the story. My friends travel and post pictures of all the wonderful places they go and sights that they see... the sands of beaches and the fronds of palms. I'll take this little piece of paradise any day.. No crayons needed at EIEIO to color my world, just have to open my eyes!
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Monday, April 11, 2016
Sperm
Sperm is, in essence, a seed! From seeds we get lovely things....like flowers, vegetables, trees...and tiny little humans. None of those wonderful joys get to choose who plants them. Let's look less on the daisies and roses, the pines and oaks and focus on the those tiny people. A sperm cell, or gamete, which we'll now call it, normally swims it's way to join another of the female persuasion and they form a child. The origin of the word, gamete is from the Latin and Greek words meaning husband and marry. These two words have absolutely nothing to do with the word father and even less with the term dad. Just for clarification, Dad has absolutely nothing to do with the word sperm either. That would all be scientific and "gametically" correct...(versus grammatically correct which is a blog for another day.)
My big, fat point being.................Sperm does not equal Dad nor should it, not emotionally or legally. Dad is the one who helps pay the bills, carpool, change the diapers, teach life's lessons, kiss the boo boos, read the books, watch the movies, plays hopscotch, attends the tea parties, rides the bikes, teaches about the great outdoors, loves unconditionally and does it without remorse or a court order.
Anyone who lays a hand on a child for the purpose of hurting them, screams for them to "shut up," fails to keep a clean, healthy environment, never mentions a super report card, gives a mere candy cane for a Christmas gift, forgets holiday pick ups, has never attended a teacher conference, recital, soccer game or concert makes no attempt to remedy his anger issues is not a Dad, not even a father but merely a donor.
Nearly 10 years later, it's time to give this child a choice. Our juvenile court system is a joke! I realize that more and more folks in our illustrious welfare system continue to pop out deductions and entitlements for the services they can obtain. Free housing, vehicles, phones, food, health care and more. I also understand that the court system is inundated with these children and their creators. I understand that to the court, "we're" just a number and therefore get treated and passed along in the process to keep it running smoothly. Not all fathers (and Mothers too) have the right to spend time with their children. So, the court's pathetic attempt to seek answers is to appoint law guardians for the voiceless majority....(sad but true.) I'm not sure how these guardians (and I use the term lightly) are compensated but I'm sure that's their bottom line. Once again, the child is not the number one priority.
Well to this Grandma, it's time to get your judicial heads out of your asses and advocate for those who can't. Listen to these kids.... some may be programmed but most are not. They're all terrified of saying the wrong thing and making somebody unhappy. What child should have to feel like that? My granddaughter crawled into my lap and said, "Let's go to bed Grandma. I've had a long and painful day!" It just shouldn't be :-(
My big, fat point being.................Sperm does not equal Dad nor should it, not emotionally or legally. Dad is the one who helps pay the bills, carpool, change the diapers, teach life's lessons, kiss the boo boos, read the books, watch the movies, plays hopscotch, attends the tea parties, rides the bikes, teaches about the great outdoors, loves unconditionally and does it without remorse or a court order.
Anyone who lays a hand on a child for the purpose of hurting them, screams for them to "shut up," fails to keep a clean, healthy environment, never mentions a super report card, gives a mere candy cane for a Christmas gift, forgets holiday pick ups, has never attended a teacher conference, recital, soccer game or concert makes no attempt to remedy his anger issues is not a Dad, not even a father but merely a donor.
Nearly 10 years later, it's time to give this child a choice. Our juvenile court system is a joke! I realize that more and more folks in our illustrious welfare system continue to pop out deductions and entitlements for the services they can obtain. Free housing, vehicles, phones, food, health care and more. I also understand that the court system is inundated with these children and their creators. I understand that to the court, "we're" just a number and therefore get treated and passed along in the process to keep it running smoothly. Not all fathers (and Mothers too) have the right to spend time with their children. So, the court's pathetic attempt to seek answers is to appoint law guardians for the voiceless majority....(sad but true.) I'm not sure how these guardians (and I use the term lightly) are compensated but I'm sure that's their bottom line. Once again, the child is not the number one priority.
Well to this Grandma, it's time to get your judicial heads out of your asses and advocate for those who can't. Listen to these kids.... some may be programmed but most are not. They're all terrified of saying the wrong thing and making somebody unhappy. What child should have to feel like that? My granddaughter crawled into my lap and said, "Let's go to bed Grandma. I've had a long and painful day!" It just shouldn't be :-(
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to my # 1 daughter. Thirty four years old already and I was pretty sure I'd kill you before you reached 16... Whew!!! I hope you and B are spending a fun day together. The timing of those pesky Common Core tests was pretty good...
.and just to validate your/our decision to opt out... Who'd have thought we'd ever agree with a democrat....especially this one!!!
.and just to validate your/our decision to opt out... Who'd have thought we'd ever agree with a democrat....especially this one!!!
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Options
Luckily in life we have options; some make perfect sense, some baffle our senses and some are just plain senseless!
Three very different scenarios for opting today, April 5, 2016 are:
1. Today's scenario begins this year's round of the Common Core test evaluations. Last year, after a tenuous beginning to a second year of the uncommon Common Core, Bailee's Mom and I, opted to let her take the tests. Our rationale was... life is hard. There will always be things that will test your skills, your strengths and your vision. Just because you are given the option of not doing something tough, doesn't mean it's the right approach. It went.....ok...we think... but no one was privy to the results (including staff) so what was the real worth of the stress? Fast forward 12 months. We have a student who we now believe is a bit older, a bit wiser and a bit more able to contribute to the decision. We opted out for ELA and Math testing. It was not a flippant decision. The discussions included what Common Core intentions were, what worth came from the testing...especially on a local level and what part of opting out meant in a protest mode. Kids are amazingly underestimated in the thinking department. When allowed to be part of any process, they're actually outstanding young adults.... at least ours is (said Grandma proudly!) She will be taking the Science exam which in itself is interesting as the Science curriculum at the elementary level seems to take a back seat to other courses; maybe a reason that US students are underachievers compared to other countries.
Scenario number two sends Mommy Lacie back to work after 8 weeks of snuggle time, colic, reflux, bonding, and settling in. Her mixed emotions were heightened the last two days as she prepared to spend 8 hours away from her little "Punkin!" She is one lucky Mom as her Mom will be coming in to share Daddy duty when he heads off to work as well. Which leads to scenario number three.
There won't be a need to bundle up the babe and haul him and his entire supply cache to a babysitters on a sunny, April morning when it's ONLY 3 DEGREES outside. We're all pretty much in consensus that the groundhog should be fired. It's spring! A multitude of records were broken this morning with temps lower than they have been since the mid 1800's. but.......never fear, Mima's here and Jett will remain toasty in his 70 degree digs!
So, in the option department, Bailee, Lacie and Mother Nature all made decisions that were suited for them. Mother Nature may feel free to up the ante a bit along with the temperature....50 would be good!
Three very different scenarios for opting today, April 5, 2016 are:
1. Today's scenario begins this year's round of the Common Core test evaluations. Last year, after a tenuous beginning to a second year of the uncommon Common Core, Bailee's Mom and I, opted to let her take the tests. Our rationale was... life is hard. There will always be things that will test your skills, your strengths and your vision. Just because you are given the option of not doing something tough, doesn't mean it's the right approach. It went.....ok...we think... but no one was privy to the results (including staff) so what was the real worth of the stress? Fast forward 12 months. We have a student who we now believe is a bit older, a bit wiser and a bit more able to contribute to the decision. We opted out for ELA and Math testing. It was not a flippant decision. The discussions included what Common Core intentions were, what worth came from the testing...especially on a local level and what part of opting out meant in a protest mode. Kids are amazingly underestimated in the thinking department. When allowed to be part of any process, they're actually outstanding young adults.... at least ours is (said Grandma proudly!) She will be taking the Science exam which in itself is interesting as the Science curriculum at the elementary level seems to take a back seat to other courses; maybe a reason that US students are underachievers compared to other countries.
Scenario number two sends Mommy Lacie back to work after 8 weeks of snuggle time, colic, reflux, bonding, and settling in. Her mixed emotions were heightened the last two days as she prepared to spend 8 hours away from her little "Punkin!" She is one lucky Mom as her Mom will be coming in to share Daddy duty when he heads off to work as well. Which leads to scenario number three.
There won't be a need to bundle up the babe and haul him and his entire supply cache to a babysitters on a sunny, April morning when it's ONLY 3 DEGREES outside. We're all pretty much in consensus that the groundhog should be fired. It's spring! A multitude of records were broken this morning with temps lower than they have been since the mid 1800's. but.......never fear, Mima's here and Jett will remain toasty in his 70 degree digs!
So, in the option department, Bailee, Lacie and Mother Nature all made decisions that were suited for them. Mother Nature may feel free to up the ante a bit along with the temperature....50 would be good!
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