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Valerie Davidson Does Dad still do the math ones, too? I've never even run across anyone else who tackles those - or at least admits to it! I'm living the low income life once again, temporarily. I worked summer school so that I could afford to catch my breath and acclimate to younger students this year. So I've been working as a "permanent sub" at a middle school in San Mateo, meaning they guarantee me daily work, and at the higher pay rate of a substitute who works every day. This of course is still barely enough to survive on; in fact, I will need to take on a second job soon, such as tutoring. There is a strangely magical tone to much of my assignments. Some days, when I'm not needed at the middle school, I get farmed out to elementary schools. Today, my assignment was as a one-to-one aide with a 2nd grader with rage issues. I happened to be there on the day he had a major crisis over being told he couldn't throw a hardball (baseball) at recess time. On days like this, I have the added benefit of observing veteran teachers in their own classrooms. I am in my 4th year in the public schools, and along with my credential, I've accumulated nearly two years of teaching experience, as well as nearly two years of substituting. I am really liking the middle school-age children, which is not something I had originally anticipated when I earned my credential. But I was loathe to seek a regular teaching job (big commitment!) without the appropriate experience...besides, what if I didn't like this age, after all? So I've been able to gain valuable experience, with almost every day something new and fascinating to add to the bubbling brew. Now I can claim to have worked as a substitute teacher in every grade from first to twelfth. My favorites are 2nd, 4th, 7th, 10th. However, 10th are very exhausting! Thus, the move to middle school. They are more, well, pliant still. And I'm still bigger than they are, and have a louder voice, too. What's next? My dream continues to be to teach in a poor area. I have pursued all of this accumulated experience with the intention of teaching in East Palo Alto. Those students have very few good teachers, as was painfully obvious in my high school students from there. I think I am a person who can do a job like that, and so my focus right now is on classroom management. Of course, substituting is an excellent way to hone those skills! Actually, the main purpose of this decision this year was to address health issues and optimize matters. I imagine it has not escaped your notice that I am that magical age of 52. I had become very stressed out, and had become unable to control my blood pressure even with medication. I felt like I had a pack of hounds snapping at my heels - a most distressing feeling! It was certainly not a comforting thought that my dear grandmother Howlett was a stressed-out teacher, only my age, when she passed away. Anyway, I am delighted to report that as of several weeks ago, I was able to totally cease the medication. My blood pressure is no longer an issue, with consistently optimal (or even better) readings throughout the day. (Don't worry - I wouldn't have undertaken to wean myself from the medication without the use of a monitor.) As a matter of fact, the crossword puzzles are part of my self-imposed therapy. I've also undertaken a pretty strict diet regimen to eliminate psoriasis once and for all, and expect that to take less than six weeks to accomplish. That includes a sugar-busting diet, as well, which is essential for the skin healing. It took about two weeks to get over the cravings, and that's for a person who was consciously not eating sugar! All kinds of stuff had snuck in, like a handful of raisins during the night, a little "natural fruit" jelly on the toast, etc. But now that I've gotten past the cravings, I'm starting to develop a more discerning palate. Today, for instance, we had a can of 5-bean soup which was appropriately organic and low-sodium, but it tasted funny to me, and - lo! there was honey in it! (Those little whippersnappers...) I don't feel a need for honey in my bean soup, thank you very much! Here's the funny part - I'm doing so much more for my health now because I am temporarily without health benefits. Rather than spend $300 a month (which I really can't afford) for Kaiser coverage, I am spending that amount only once to do everything I can to improve my diet and exercise and maximize my health. The greatest benefit of these measures, besides the increased longevity they promise, is an improvement in energy levels. Sugar "issues" can really diminish the quality of one's life, and now I'm beginning to notice the suffering in so many children because of our poor national eating habits. Sigh, nothing you haven't given a great deal of thought to, I know. By the way - an added benefit of my overall plan: it's proving very easy to lose the extra pounds! That's the main news for now. Jerod is turning 25 this week - I think it is causing him to raise his standards a bit. A guy who's a quarter-century old, after all ... He's pretty much Mister Single Guy, although he's beginning to consider "settling down." Only sometimes, though. He continues to do very well at his job as internet technician for the City of San Jose. Larry has improved health these days, and we have evolved a comfortable Ma and Pa Kettle type of home life (he still has the unit next door). Our favorite shared pastime of late is to rake through the large collection of old films at the Menlo Park Library. He has continued to grow as a cook, while my talents have shrivelled noticeably. I notice Jerod perks up when he knows Larry is the chef. I think my meals have become merely functional and healthy - not mainstream enough for any but a health fanatic. (I can live with that!) (grin!) So, I'll close this by sending all my love, and hoping you find yourselves happy and healthy as the winter holidays approach. Incidentally, we've had our first spate of rain and cold. I stay super-healthy with extra vitamin C and judicious use of hand sanitizers. Bring it on! Dec. 14: Well, always subject to change... A teacher at my middle school has abruptly retired, so for the rest of the year I am teaching the 6th grade computer classes (including keyboarding/typing). This is really pleasant, and of course easy for me with my background. The computers are Macs, so it's really a bit of luck that I was the one there to get the hand-off. [Ed. Note: Val was a journeyman typesetter and prefers a Mac.-NAM] Sixth-grade is a wonderful age - they still take a certain child-like delight in things, and don't have much "attitude" yet. They love the computers, so it is only a fraction of the work for me that I was pouring into the high-schoolers. Also, I like that I can help them with a skill which will serve them throughout school and beyond, very generalizable. It's not something I would have gone after, but since it fell in my lap - happiness! Dec. 26: I'm really on a roll with my crossword puzzles, but my most favorite are the "Cryptoquote" type problems, where you have to decode a quote. I prefer the more "advanced" ones which provide no clue, and don't follow patterns, like "...I suppose you could call it a ..." which is an easy pattern to detect. I like to crack the code from the morning paper while my car is warming up, for instance. [Ed. Note: Yes, Val's Dad does Cross Sums from Dell puzzle magazines in preference to any other puzzles. His sister Margery also does them! Apparently it’s a genetic thing, although Lynda Brugge also did them regularly.--NAM] Mer Murdock I took the text file for the Muse mailing list,highlighted it, and saved it in Word. Then I highlighted it and clicked on "convert text to table," using commas as the delineator. Word knew the file used 7 columns, and just stuck the extra phone numbers, etc. in the last column. Then I copied the table and saved it to Excel. It's now a spreadsheet in about 30 seconds for the whole process. I can print it out as a spreadsheet (works best as a portrait) or I could use it as a data file to make labels in Word. Sigh. I love computers! |
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Kathy Skow It is really hard to find someone who values life the way that I do. I value not only my life but the gifts from the higher power that were given to me as well: meaning my children and grandchildren. Darrel and I have recently found out how blessed we truly are with the families that we have. Darrel and I are also learning together what a blessing it is that we found each other. Like he says, we were meant to be together, and I feel the same way about him. I choose not to use the term "stuck together," but I am proud to be with him. We have spent this month surrounded by love and family. It has been a wonderful feeling. We shopped for the grandkids and kids and family members and had a blast doing that. Together we decorated his home for Christmas making it feel warm, homey, and full of magic. Together we have cooked and baked cookies. Thats something that I never imagined my partner would ever take an interest in, but Darrel did, and we did great together. Soon when our finances (which were stretched due to Christmas)have recovered, we plan on going out to hike and get more memories that will be with us forever. Bob, I imagine you to be what I call the technogeek with the computer, as Darrel says you love this computer age we are in. Is it possible to have you scan some of Darrel's younger pictures so that I might be able to see him as a babe(as he says)? Nancy, Darrel still has his quilts that you made, and I finally put one of them on his bed. Much too beautiful to keep in plastic in the closet. I can tell there was much love that went into making those. Well I will close for now but I am wishing you two a very Merry Christmas full of love and joy and laughter. My hopes are that you will have a Happy New Year as well. Roy Murdock 1) the Thanksgiving meal 2) dinner with Darrel the following day 3) visiting Tami's sister 4) having any Thanksgiving leftovers We stayed an extra day hoping I would be well enough to drive, but I wasn't, so Jerry ended up driving us home. It is now into the third week and I am still not fully recovered, but I think I am 90% now. The hospital ran a CAT scan and blood test on me and found nothing. I am scheduled to see a specialist on Dec. 20. Fortunately, the others all had a nice time in Minnesota and had a nice Thanksgiving dinner at Shannon's. Well, Tami stayed with me, but she had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with her mother down the hall at the home. We were staying in a guest room at the home. Khendra had a nice 21st birthday on Nov. 9, including passing her driver's test the day before her birthday! Her relationship with Jason continues to thrive. They are getting together tomorrow night. Tami turned 64 on Dec. 7 and is doing really well. She had one of her best bowling nights in several years on the night of her birthday. Jerry is also doing well. He has been busy making CD's of all his favorite songs which he downloaded from the Internet. I have been busy playing internet chess and am currently ranked #48 in the world out of 280,000 online members at a chess site I go to. It's a lot of fun! That's about it on the home front. Dec. 30, 8:13: Hope this little note finds you both well. The weather is really warm here currently (getting up to over 70° by next Wednesday). I plan to do a bunch of golfing over the next couple days. Tonight, we are going bowling. Dec. 30, 8:24: The specialist had good news for me. He said my balance nerves just got temporarily damaged, probably as a result of a virus. It takes time for them to heal, just like having a sprained ankle takes time to heal. I told him I felt like I was about 90% recovered after a month. He said I should be 95% after two months and 100% after 3 months. It was a big relief and, he was right, I am feeling 95% recovered now after 2 months. My regular doctor is treating my high blood pressure (185/120 when I went in the hospital for testing) by putting me on water pills to go with my blood pressure medicine. It seems to be helping. The last time I checked I was 149/100. Dec. 30, 8:26: I am really enjoying the internet chess. Uncle Doug taught me how to play chess when I was 8. I played briefly on my high school chess team. Carl Martz The bridge climb was not as hard or dangerous as it may look. We climbed metal ladders, moved along catwalks, and finally hiked up the long archway of the bridge to the top for a spectacular view of the harbor and city. We were tethered to a cable during the entire trip. [Click here for Chip's Bridge Climb.] |
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Dan Leskinen We were planning on heading up to Ithaca until we had to use our spare vacation time. I'll get into that later. When my in-laws found out about my availability, I became requisitioned to help with renovations and moving. Anyway, on with the updates. Stephanie(19) is attending Drexel University in Philadelphia. She has already changed her major from Biology to Chemistry. We visited her last weekend for family day and took a tour of the Franklin Institute. Body Worlds was on display there. Wow, you have to see it to believe it. Calder (17) Went to a Soccer Tournament with me to officiate the games. He complained of severe pains and blood in his urine. Next thing we know, he is in the hospital with a large(5mm) kidney stone. Carolyn and I stayed with him night and day until they could blast the stone into passable pieces. Calder missed a week of school and we used our vacation time. Alizabette (13) is aspiring, to what, I'm not sure yet. She came into the room the other day with an interesting look on her face. She had made her face up to look like she had been outside in the cold. She never ceases to amaze me. Annabelle (9) has the ability to understand complicated social emotional situations far better than most adults. Well, at least better than me. Ask her what her favorite sight was at the Body Worlds exhibit and she will say, "The Exit". Carolyn (??) Was in heaven at the Body Worlds. She spent more time than anyone else. She is slowly adjusting to the house, missing her eldest child. When I noticed the large pile of laundry, I remarked, "You miss Stephanie, don't you"? As for me, my highlight is the trailer I just purchased off of eBay. I had to drive two hours to get it, but it was well worth it. This time of year means snow is coming. I'm trying something new this year. After many years of coaching downhill skiing, I'm going to try to teach snowboarding. I'm about ready to head upstairs now. Stephanie has four friends over, Alizabette has a friend visiting, Annabelle has three cousins staying here, and Calder just pulled in with five of his friends. It is a good thing my bedroom is sound proof. |
"Twilight on the Kennisto" Quilt gallery
Hubbardston, MA |
Valerie Davidson Anyway, he was quite intrigued, and did some research, and came back to me with his findings. Meanwhile, I had located the accompanying documentation (thus affirming that extra effort, right, Mom?), and could share with my friend (Bill) that it is indeed a river in Hubbardston. Well, he did not come up with that, but rather (I think) a Lake in Norway; and - here's the interesting part - also a guy who designed some kind of data system used by the Social Security Administration to this day. Well, Bill knows that Mom works for SSA, and so this "find" in combination with the "Twilight" part of the title - one can arrive at a metaphor, perhaps, for the troubles threatening Social Security benefits in the future. I'm glad he did the research before I told him its actual source. Bill also says that he has previously thought that his family's original surname was, in fact, Kennisto (Norwegian). Point of interest: his uncles owned property at the top of a hill in San Francisco on which they had one of the city's last outhouses. He himself, when relaxed, sounds a bit like the Norwegians I used to know in Minnesota. Incidentally...the Police Chief of Fargo has been hired as Chief of Police in a high-crime East Bay community (Pittsburg?). Anyway, despite his pointing out that the events of the movie "Fargo" actually took place in Brainerd, Minnesota; and despite his having only been there for six years after working his way up the ladder in some major metroppolitan area back east; despite those things, you can probably imagine the jokes the good man must endure for the present time... Happy New Year to you both! Larry and I are watching old movies which we check out by the armful on a weekly basis from the public library in Menlo Park. Sometimes we discuss films with other film buffs engaged in the same practice. January 1st marks the 21st anniversary of our meeting. We have a wonderfully relaxed time of it, and much laughter. Here's to a year ahead packed with love and laughter! Nancy Murdock Actually, the lasagne is also a tradition, but in an amusing way. One year when we were doing Thanksgiving dinner at our church, Bob asked me to make lasagne to take. I figured the few vegetarians might join us in eating it, and we could just use the rest as leftovers. Much to my surprise, after people got their turkey from the kitchen, they returned to our table to serve themselves some lasagne. I guess the traditions are not as rigid as in the distant past. I do recall when my mother even nervously made a date cream pie to take to her mother's gathering, along with the usual apple, pumpkin, and mince. We all loved it and had it thereafter for Christmas also. She also established a routine of bringing a jellied fruit cocktail with nuts and halved, seeded grapes. It was always popular, probably because, as we have been told, "There's always room for Jello!" With a significant portion of the population eating out now, not always where they would wish, it seems as if the menu has evolved to anything people like to eat, but in vast quantities and with many choices. My only regret is that I forgot all about ice cream or whipped cream, so I can't be as decadent as I might prefer. So have a great time with your loved ones and your great meals, okay? We will give thanks for your friendship. Nov. 24, 10:32 PM: Today I seem to have spent a LOT of time cooking and washing dishes. It isn't often that I use the big pans, but today I used several of them. I don't want you to think we've gone off our rockers, but as a holiday event, we ate three large meals today, all homemade from scratch. 1. Whole wheat pancakes with raisins and dates in them. Plus orange juice and "sausage" patties. 2. Enchiladas with carrots and baked apples. 3. Lasagne, baked sweet potatoes, and apple pie. Now I am ready for work tomorrow and then it's the weekend again! We have a funeral to attend Saturday but are otherwise not scheduled for much. Then Tuesday I will leave for Atlanta, returning Friday. Saturday I will go on a bus trip to Longwood Gardens in, I think, Delaware. I just hope I don't get turned around somewhere and find myself running in circles! Dec. 31: Apparently I had a little too much going on in my life, because when I got home from Atlanta, I ended up spending two days and three nights in bed with a virus. I missed the trip to Longwood Gardens, to which I had looked forward for three months! The Atlanta conference on international electronic payments was wonderful, but I think I over-concentrated, so I would be sure to absorb it all in the three days. Apparently I am no longer in my 60s! Oh, that's right, BD #74 is coming in two weeks. Amazing! |
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Nancy Murdock 1:20 PM: We're eating lunch at King's Arms Tavern, where the service is very kind and servings of Vegetable Pye are generous. Decaf is superb. The waiter pointed out "the spoon" (there is only one spoon per table) and "tavern sugar" (in a covered pot). After Bob tasted my decaf, he ordered some. Then I noticed that he was dumping a LOT of sugar into his coffee. When I remarked on it, he said, "I need it, to offset the salt." Turned out he had decided to use what he thought was refined sugar, but it was a SALT dish! That is the extent of my notes, as we didn't sit down enough to write more. After perusing the herb garden, etc., we went to the Courthouse, where I was a volunteer participant in a trial. I was bringing suit against the town for not keeping the market clean, specifically for letting the meat get spoiled so that I got sick after cooking and eating it. The other volunteers had used only printed dialogue, but the judge asked me additional questions and shot down all my testimony. It was hilarious to all the observers, but I really had to keep on my toes to stay in the character! It was funny enough just to have to call him "Your Worship." At the end of a great day of touring the place, we walked over to the commercial area to visit the shops. I was really impressed with all the history books at the College of William and Mary bookstore, a Barnes & Noble shop. I wanted everything I saw, but fortunately I couldn't imagine carrying them around. I restrained myself to one book, "Flags of Our Fathers" by Jim Powers, about the battle of Iwo Jima. It focuses on the young men in the flag raising photo, including his father. If you get a chance to read that book, grab it. It is really compelling. I started reading it on my business trip two weeks later and got really absorbed. For dinner, we ended up sharing a table with a nice young couple from Canada, who were also awaiting a table. We realized quickly that we would get a table sooner if we were four instead of two. We almost didn't want to leave afterward, but the crowd was still waiting to eat, so we reluctantly said goodbye. One exciting event in Williamsburg, was a really good visit with Derek and Rosalind at the aforementioned restaurant. We truly appreciated their time, as they did have guests at their Bed and Breakfast, the Black Badger Inn. It seemed like a long time since we had caught up on all their family doings. They have one of those families who accomplish things we can only marvel at. [Click here to see the four of us at Tequila Rose.] As you might guess, we also shopped the discount malls, one of Bob's favorite parts of any vacation. It's not really a good idea to take me there very often, because I see new stuff that would be really great to buy. This time, among slightly easier things to fit into the cupboards, I chose a set of Corning Ware casseroles that were a real housekeeping challenge. What we really wanted was a replacement cover for an old square one, but these two oval ones are much prettier, and it's probably a good thing they have only one awkward glass cover between them. We also ate out, in between eating refrigerated leftovers and easy meals at the timeshare. Our favorite pancake restaurant was as great as ever, and GREAT (in the sense of size) was a good word for the serving of whole wheat pancakes I ordered on two occasions. Bob specialized in ordering omelettes, but I can make those easily at home. Pancakes (which I make from scratch) are more labor intensive. Although I didn't dye as much fabric as sometimes on vacation, I had good results with what I did fit into our days. I had fun using some new dye colors and special fabrics from quilting friends. Some of the most successful dyed pieces then became Christmas/Hanukkah gifts for quilting friends. I really love that hobby, and it isn't as easy to pursue at home. We also enjoyed the fall colors in the landscape, which were fortunately a week or so behind ours. A saleslady at the fabric store recommended a route on the Colonial Parkway to Yorktown, which was great! We made many stops, since I was driving. Ah, the joys of being able to get that picture, instead of stopping half a mile later! Then we stopped at the national park and read all the information about the battle there. From there we went to the Carrot Tree Restaurant, a cute place in a very old house. There is only one bathroom, unisex, which looks like possibly a broom closet. The diners waiting to be seated and the ones waiting for the bathroom all stand together at the front desk. It's sort of fun to watch them blush as they tactfully ask how they can get to the necessary. We enjoyed our meal, which started by splitting a warm spinach/artichoke dip with a really different type of pita bread, a risen bread with scalloped edges. After the main course, Bob ordered carrot cake and I got Chocolate Temptation. This was two heavy layers like fudge, with a raspberry nut filling, topped with heavy chocolate frosting and whipped topping. I don't want to know how much fat that dessert had! It's a good thing Bob was driving on the way home! It didn't even matter that he went the wrong way and had to come back over the toll bridge. Charlie Frost After working 16 months, daughter Pamela and her artists with disabilities presented a most successful art show at the prestigious Saco Museum. She was also invited to Blaine House, the Governor’s Mansion in Augusta, in recognition of her work with adults with disabilities. She and Richard, her once and future husband – they’re divorced and now engaged – have bought a home in Saco. They are planning a wedding in 2006. Their daughter Colleen worked in a souvenir shop at York Beach and completed drivers’ ed during the summer. She sang in two community concerts with the outstanding York High School chorus. She particularly enjoys her psychology course, as well she might, apparently being the “Dear Abby” of the teenage cell phone circuit. Stephanie works for a service organization in downtown Portland helping the homeless and indigent. Her older son Matthew, a member of the Army Old Guard, was seen on TV at the Presidential Inauguration and in White House state visits. Younger brother Ethan, a junior in high school at Granby, MA, was sidelined with a knee injury during the football season but is doing well in his studies. Daughter Chelsea works at a bank in Springfield, MA, where her bilingual skills are in great demand. Derek and his wife Rosalind completed their terms as Readers for their church in Williamsburg. She has again been active with the Virginia Shakespeare Festival in between running the Black Badger Bed and Breakfast. Derek has set up an office for his company in Portland, Oregon, so that he can be closer to his business contacts in Pacific Rim countries. Alexis and Kristen are happy they can continue to live in Lebanon, NH, while pursuing advanced studies. He is doing imaginative work at the Center for Cartooning Studies in nearby White River Junction, VT. Kristen is well along in her doctoral program in physics at Dartmouth College and rides her horse nearly every day. In warmer months they hit the bike trails along abandoned rail beds. Jeremy-Ruth performed in Boston, New York and Memphis with the Anna Myer Dancers of Cambridge, MA. She also danced and led her pupils in a production of “The Nutcracker” at a new performing arts auditorium in Lynn, MA. As for me, I have had some very enjoyable trips this year – beginning with a week’s respite from Maine’s freezing temperatures with my sister, who was spending the winter in Florida. In April I visited a friend in southern California. In July I linked up with friends in St. Louis and Chicago, where I took a trip down Memory Lane to see the neighborhood in Evanston where I was born (my father was associated with the theater department of Northwestern U at the time). In September I joined classmates for our 50th reunion at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, known in our irreverent student days as the Lechers School of Flaw and Duplicity! September and October were very busy for the substitutes at our high school. Mostly, I’m glad to say, on account of professional conferences, special teacher training, and field trips. (We substitutes prefer not to trade on misery.) In mid-December I presented a course in report writing to a group of law enforcement and homeland security officers in Atlanta. That’s the news from here. May the New Year bring you an abundance of peace and joy. Warmest wishes and lots of love from all of us.
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