Ziggy

Washing Time

My new Maytag Epic front-loading washing machine was

installed yesterday.  I am pleased with the small amount

of detergent and water that it uses.  It only uses about 18

gallons of water compared to 40 with a top loader.  It really

spins out the water too leaving your clothes practically dry.

Which means less dryer time and less lint.  The service man

said it would probably last about 20 years.  Which is wonderful 

but they may invent a washer that dry cleans by that time.  And

I may just have to have it?

Wordless Wednesday-Left Hand*Right Hand

It has been written:  "Don't let your left hand know what

your right hand is doing."  Wrigley's Doublemint says:

"Double your pleasure."

For more Wordless Wednesday go here.

Dry Gulch USA

Friday and Saturday I went to a Women's Retreat at Dry Gulch USA.  It is a beautiful place next to a beautiful Lake Hudson.  The weather was pretty muggy and warm because we were expecting Hurricane Ike to bring some rain.  We got there Friday evening and made our bunks up.  Most of us got bottom bunks.  Then we went off to explore the place and get in line for dinner.  They had plenty of good food to eat.  It was a buffet line with a salad bar and brisket and chicken kiev and lots of vegetables to choose.  We attended a meeting that night and after the meeting we got to shop for arts and crafts sorts of things.  I bought a Dolce & Gabbana purse.  It is made of very soft leather.  The real ones sell for $1800.  Mine was $50.  

Ziggy

Remembering September 11th

Happy Birthday to Jason, my nephew.
He just happened to be born on September 11, 1979.

He's not in Iraq now.  He was there for

one year though finding land mines for

the Army.  I am proud of him.  And thankful

for his courage.  

Phil Collins-That's Just the Way It Is

All day long he was fighting for you
And he didn't even know your name
Young men come and young men go
But life goes on just the same

And I don't know why
Why do we keep holding on
I don't know why
Pretending to be, oh, so strong

Oh, why
Is there something I don't know
Or something very wrong with you and me
Or maybe

That's the way it is
That's the way it is

They've been waiting for word to come down
They've been waiting for you night and day
They won't wait any longer for you
It may already be too late

And I don't know why
Why do we keep holding on
I don't know why
Pretending to be, oh, so strong

Oh why
Is there something I don't know
Or something very wrong with you and me
Or maybe

That's the way it is
That's just the way it is

You see the dying, you feel the pain
What have you got to say
If we agree that we can disagree
We could stop all of this today

It's been your life for as long as you can remember
But you cannot fight no more
You must want to look your son in the eyes
When he asks you what you did it for

'Cause all day long he was fighting for you
And he didn't even know your name
Young men come and young men go
But life goes on just the same

And I don't know why
Why do we keep holding on
I don't know why
Pretending to be, oh, so strong

Oh, why
Is there something no one told me
Or something very wrong with you and me
Or maybe

That's the way it is
There's nothing I can do
That's just the way it is, oh

That's just the way it is
That's just the way it is
There's nothing I can do
That's just the way it is
That's just the way it is

That's the way
That's the way
That's the way
© HIT & RUN MUSIC PUBLISHING INC;

Wordless Wednesday-Downright Cold

For more Wordless Wednesday, go here.

Phil Collins & Junebug

Meez and Phil
Do You Remember?

Is it Bigger than a Bread Box?

I liked this bread box until I saw the price of $200. It is Spode Blue Italian. I have the dishes.

This little red bread box is very retro.

I am going to go for the stainless steel model.

I have always wanted a bread box.  When I first got married we didn't buy one because of the unnecessary expense.  Then I forgot all about them.  My mother and my mother-in-law both had bread boxes.  The thought of a bread box once again crossed my mind the other day while I was cleaning out my refrigerator.  Today I ordered this lovely bread box from Amazon.com.  Hopefully it will live up to my expectations.  

And the award belongs to...

I received these awards from Kitten this week.

She has been a blogging buddy of mine for awhile.

Her mom has not been well for some time and she

takes care of her.  Just recently her little KB got sick

and we're praying for her complete recovery.  Gee!

Stay strong, Kitten.  Life is hard, but God is good. 

 

Wordless Wednesday-Don't Bug Me

For more Wordless Wednesday go here.

The Office

For those of you who might like to see the view from my home office.
Here is what I look at while working. This computer is not online.

I like to keep the sun and the moon and the stars around for

company and light.

My three beauties below:  treasures they are!

My little Ziggy poster.  Capture all the joys life has to 

offer!  So true.

Fun Monday-My Place

Gattina at Writer's Cramp is hostessing Fun Monday this week.  She wants to see a photo of our blogging camp.  My Fun Monday logo was borrowed from Gattina many Mondays ago.  I really thought it is a joyful picture.  

Here's the place:

The computer is located in my daughter's bedroom that

is now a music and computer room.  And a mess!

Trip to the Moon

I watched Myth Busters last night and guess what? We did go to the moon!
Who would have believed it?  




To the moon, Alice!

Human Anatomy

My daughter's first class Monday in Human Anatomy consisted of dissecting a human cadaver.
She didn't know they were going to "dive" right in there so she wasn't wearing scrubs.
Never fear about next time.   Here is a clip from the viewpoint of the cadaver:

Quite amusing! Oh, and by the way nothing graphic or gross at all!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday, Dad!  I do miss you.  

For more Wordless Wednesday go here. 

Audrey Hepburn

The most beautiful woman the world has ever known:

I want to see your face
in every kind of light.
In fields of dawn and forests of the night.
And when you stand before the candles
of a cake
Oh let me be the one to hear
the silent wish you make.

What are you doing the rest of your life
north and south and east and west
of your life
I have only one request on your life:
That you spend it all with me.

All the seasons and the times of your days
All the nickles and the dimes of your days
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days
All begin and end with me.

I want to see your face
in every kind of light
In the fields of dawn
In the forests of the night
And when you stand
before the candles of a cake
Oh let me be the one to hear
the silent wish you make.

Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
In the world of love
that you keep in your eyes
I'll awaken what's asleep in your eyes
It may take a kiss or two.

Through all of my life
Summer, winter, spring and fall of your life
All I ever will recall of your life
is all of my life with you.

the One with the Riding Lawn Mower

Here's the one about the riding lawn mower.

(I love mowing the grass.  It is my favorite chore.)


I go out in the morning all ready to mow the lawn
and get it done before it gets too hot and before
I take a shower.  So I get on my mower after I scooted the

cat off the seat.  I start my mower and drive between two

vehicles where it is parked under the carport.  I head on

out onto the lawn and put the mower in gear.  Then I 

decide to go straight to the far end of the yard and make

a path around the perimeter first.  When I got to the end

of my driveway I decided to mow the ditch by house.  So

down the road I go.  It is a county road.  I do this all the

time so I'm not concerned about any problems.  I always

look both ways to make sure there are no cars coming.  I

can see three-quarters of a mile one way and one-quarter of

a mile the other.  No cars.  I get to the end of the distance

I want to mow in the ditch and turn my mower around in 

the road.  Oh my gosh!  It dies.  I am in the middle of the

oncoming lane!  Down a hill from traffic!  which no one 

could see before they came to me.  I panic for an instant and

my heart is racing.  I jump off the mower and go to the rear

of it where you pull out a lever that puts it in neutral gear

so you can push it.  I push it backwards on to the grass

in the ditch which if a car flies over the hill (and they do!)

would still be dangerous.  I can't leave it there and there

is no one at home to help me.  So I got back on it and

try to start it.  It won't start.  So I try one more time

and it starts.  I put it into gear again and head toward

my yard and just barely make it into the yard off the

road when it dies again.  Out of gas and it will not start

again.  I am so thankful that I got it out of the road.

I certainly did not want to make someone have an

accident or be on the mower when one happened.  What

a relief!  

Here is the hill where I drove the lawn mower down.

It is one long hill and our driveway and yard are at the

top of it.  There are several hills on this road and cars

come sailing by.  The speed limit is 45 mph but they

drive 60 mph or more sometimes.

I am taking this picture from where I was when the lawn

mower died.  This doesn't look like downhill much in this

picture but just after that mailbox it drops off quickly down

another hill. (You can enlarge the picture and it looks more

dramatic.)  We have had people collide in the middle of

the night on this hill because they don't stay on their side

of the road.  Hopefully, I have learned my lesson to always

check the gas tank before mowing.  

Take the Lead

Pierre Dulaine:  "a man who can dance is the most popular

man in the room"

Antonio Banderas
Take the Lead

The Dulaine Method philosophy
Respect & Compassion: At the very core of the Dulaine Method philosophy is the essential respect that goes into being a Lady and being a Gentleman. In a time when we bemoan the loss of civil discourse and our society seems to become coarser by the day, Dancing Classrooms is a program that demands that the children not only treat others with respect but also encourages the children to respect themselves.
Coupled with respect is compassion. Perhaps it is Pierre’s own childhood that predisposes him to walk into a classroom full of children who struggle to believe in themselves, open his arms and heart to them, and then guide them gently along a journey that leads these young people to joy and accomplishment.
Respect and compassion are the foundational elements of the Dulaine Method. Unfortunately, very few adults know how to genuinely treat children with respect. And even fewer adults seem to remember what it was like being a child.
Being Present: Probably the most difficult skill for any teacher to learn is the ability to be completely in the moment when they are teaching. Children in particular are extremely aware of when the adult in charge (parent, teacher, coach) is not really there; and when a child senses that distance, woe be unto that adult.
Pierre’s ability to “be here now” enables him to observe every subtle nuance of student, and group, behavior. He can see when a child is nervous, not paying attention, when the group is becoming antsy and he can respond to those issues immediately, thus keeping the classroom experience flowing. Being present also allows Pierre to express his own positive emotions towards the children at precisely the moment the children need that affirmation.
Creating a Safe Place: Asking children to take the extraordinary risk of embarrassing themselves in front of their peers is precisely what Dancing Classrooms does. And the only reason that the children are willing to take this risk is because Pierre has perfected a way to make that experience safe.
A Dancing Classrooms class is a place in which everyone is equal: the students, the Teaching Artist, and the elementary school staff that are participating. In modern jargon we call this creating a therapeutic milieu, an environment so different from these children’s normal daily environment that simply being in that room and being part of that collective group experience changes that child.
Command & Control: Clearly, if you are going to move 25 children through twenty 45 minute classes and have them successfully learn seven dances, you need order and discipline. Pierre is in command of the class from the moment he begins until the moment the children leave the room.
An essential part of the Dulaine Method is developing the craft of managing the Group. When teachers are being taught how to work with children their training is invariably focused on individual child development. Rarely, if ever, are student teachers taught about group dynamics and how to manage a group of children. In many ways it is Pierre’s innate understanding of how to use the Group to help the Individual that is the glue that holds the program together. The ability to remain in absolute control of the Group while nurturing the children is one of Pierre’s greatest skills.
Language: Body & Verbal Language, both body and verbal, are the great connectors in Dancing Classrooms. Pierre’s entire physical affect is one of openness, warmth, and genuine affection for the children. His verbal repertoire is a consistent barrage of positive comments. There is no denying that when Pierre combines his body and verbal language he is a force the children simply cannot resist.
Humor & Joy: And last, but by no means least, Pierre brings humor and joy to the teaching experience. Humor is perhaps the most difficult, yet powerful teaching tool for a teacher to master. Gentle humor can help a shy child become less self-conscious; humor with that same child handled poorly can make him retreat and never come back out. As clichéd as it sounds, Pierre allows his inner child to fully emerge when he is teaching. He is playful, he is present, and the children can sense that he is just plain happy to be with them. (Wikipedia)