YIKES!!! Since my last unstable post we have had 3 incidents and more culprits:
Yesterday afternoon Bill caught the tail end of an argument with the unstable lady and another man. By the time he was in the backyard the man was following her down the street and they were yelling obscenities at each other. He could hear them 3 blocks away.
Late this morning I was in the backyard when the yelling really went crazy. Started by the unstable lady, she was walking off as our regular guy let loose with some well rehearsed and very colorful anger. I had to walk halfway there and ask him to stop. The guy with him yelled that he was hungry. I finished hanging out my clothes and then made them 2 ham sandwiches and took them over with a couple of oranges. He was VERY appreciative, and our regular guy was VERY apologetic. He said that lady just sets him off (just like I suspected) and he hates it when these other guys come over to "his" Ramada because he can't have any peace. Well, I hate it too.
THEN, around 3:30, as we arrived home from shopping, I pulled into the driveway to a big ruckus of 6-8 people. They were arguing fairly loudly, off and on as we unloaded the car but I couldn't make anything out. Fine. The girls did a puzzle while I started this blog and I turned the music up load enough to drown out their voices. When I took out the recycle I got to hear a string of F words aimed at one gentleman. AAAAH, that's enough. (but I'm certainly not going over there to that group) After a wrestling match starts I decide to call the police, they come, and things calm down as several of them leave.
Now, Kyra reported that the unstable lady is back because she heard her again. (No, she doesn't call her "unstable") According to our regular homeless resident they will hold her for 10 days if she is arrested. Hmm, that would give us 2 weekends of peace and all of Spring Break. Bring it on!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Reading 105: The Y rule
When you ask people what the vowels are they will say, "a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y". Well, I will argue that Y is always a vowel, even at the beginning of a word. It took me a while to buy into the fact that it's a vowel a the beginning, but after years of working with kids I am not willing to admit it.
Here's how the Y works in a ONE SYLLABLE WORD:
Beginning: the Y says "ee". This is a little funky but try it. If you say the "ee" sound before the word yes, you will see that the "yuh" sound you think is the Y is actually the "ee" sliding into the "e" sound. This is true with Y at the beginning because it is always followed by a vowel sound. Now, what if a kid tells me that Y says "yuh"? OK, it says "yuh", I don't really care unless he/she can't get it. This is for the people that can't get the sound at the beginning, it really works.
Middle: the Y acts like an I and says "i". You have with and myth. Identical except for the i/y. Obviously, I is much more common than the Y. This should be pointed out for spelling purposes. Since the Y is acting like a I, the E rule applies and will make it say "ie". Thyme, rhyme...
End: the Y says "ie". My, by, cry, sty, why...
Here's what a Y does in a TWO SYLLABLE WORD:
Same rules apply as above except for the ending. It is much more common for a Y to say "ee" at the end of a 2 syllable word than for it to say "ie". Happy, baby, crabby all say "ee". The Y does still say "ie" sometimes, like in the words apply, supply... For younger kids, "ee" is much more likely to come up in their reading.
You will also see a Y working WITH ANOTHER VOWEL sometimes:
AY says "ae" like in play and day. (see 2VGW rule)
OY like in the word boy or toy.
So there you have it, Y is always a vowel. Watch out for those last 2, AY and OY...Y is technically NOT at the end of the word by itself, it is working with the vowel in front of it. Woosh, no wonder it's so hard to learn to read!
Here's how the Y works in a ONE SYLLABLE WORD:
Beginning: the Y says "ee". This is a little funky but try it. If you say the "ee" sound before the word yes, you will see that the "yuh" sound you think is the Y is actually the "ee" sliding into the "e" sound. This is true with Y at the beginning because it is always followed by a vowel sound. Now, what if a kid tells me that Y says "yuh"? OK, it says "yuh", I don't really care unless he/she can't get it. This is for the people that can't get the sound at the beginning, it really works.
Middle: the Y acts like an I and says "i". You have with and myth. Identical except for the i/y. Obviously, I is much more common than the Y. This should be pointed out for spelling purposes. Since the Y is acting like a I, the E rule applies and will make it say "ie". Thyme, rhyme...
End: the Y says "ie". My, by, cry, sty, why...
Here's what a Y does in a TWO SYLLABLE WORD:
Same rules apply as above except for the ending. It is much more common for a Y to say "ee" at the end of a 2 syllable word than for it to say "ie". Happy, baby, crabby all say "ee". The Y does still say "ie" sometimes, like in the words apply, supply... For younger kids, "ee" is much more likely to come up in their reading.
You will also see a Y working WITH ANOTHER VOWEL sometimes:
AY says "ae" like in play and day. (see 2VGW rule)
OY like in the word boy or toy.
So there you have it, Y is always a vowel. Watch out for those last 2, AY and OY...Y is technically NOT at the end of the word by itself, it is working with the vowel in front of it. Woosh, no wonder it's so hard to learn to read!
Paradise Bakery's Crumbly Bleu Cheese Salad
Here's my version and how we pull it off at my house:
Take a bowl full of greens (P.Bakery uses hearts of romaine, I add spinach to mine).
Top it with Caesar dressing and mix it up so the leaves are lightly coated.
Add some sunflower seeds and toss it up again.
Take it to the table with delectable toppings of crumbled bleu cheese and dried cranberries.
Tasha pulls it out and eats it as is. Kyra adds dried cranberries (she attempted this for the first time last week). Bill and I add the crumbled bleu cheese and dried cranberries. Now, I am not a bleu cheese fan and thought it sounded really strange with Caesar dressing, but trust me...this is my favorite salad and it is fabulous! YUM!
Take a bowl full of greens (P.Bakery uses hearts of romaine, I add spinach to mine).
Top it with Caesar dressing and mix it up so the leaves are lightly coated.
Add some sunflower seeds and toss it up again.
Take it to the table with delectable toppings of crumbled bleu cheese and dried cranberries.
Tasha pulls it out and eats it as is. Kyra adds dried cranberries (she attempted this for the first time last week). Bill and I add the crumbled bleu cheese and dried cranberries. Now, I am not a bleu cheese fan and thought it sounded really strange with Caesar dressing, but trust me...this is my favorite salad and it is fabulous! YUM!
Knock Knock...
Who's There?
Ice cream.
Ice cream who?
I scream so you'll open the door!
Theodore.
Theodore who?
Open "the uh door" so I can come in!
Humphrey.
Humphrey who?
Hum three notes and I'll name that tune.
Maybe that last joke will get us headed on a new game of "name that tune". And here's a big, fake thank you to all of you that had no good jokes for me. Thanks Bill for trying but I'll let you keep that joke for when you are driving. And if you care, the website is www.azkidsnet.com for all these fabulous kid friendly knock knock jokes.
PS. Bill gets really annoyed watching me type in "www." on the address bar, saying that you don't need to. I know that, but it's habit. THEN I realized WHEN I do it. I do it as my right hand is adjusting to where it needs to sit to type. You see, you click the mouse with your right hand and then type with both your hands and they need to be in the right place to type. Oh, well, that's if you type with ALL your fingers, DUH! Not the hunt and peck effort that Bill gives it. SO, my left hand is bored for the second that it takes for the right to get placed and it just automatically blips up there for the www. Funny how anytime your husband tries to correct you or point out something dumb that you do it can end up being a slam on his inadequecies. Babe, learn to type!
PSS. Of upir jamd emds i[ pff cemter amd upir tru tp tu[e ot emds i[ ;pplomg spetjomg ;ole tjes! O lmpw sp,e pf upi jave dpme tjos om tje[ast!
Ice cream.
Ice cream who?
I scream so you'll open the door!
Theodore.
Theodore who?
Open "the uh door" so I can come in!
Humphrey.
Humphrey who?
Hum three notes and I'll name that tune.
Maybe that last joke will get us headed on a new game of "name that tune". And here's a big, fake thank you to all of you that had no good jokes for me. Thanks Bill for trying but I'll let you keep that joke for when you are driving. And if you care, the website is www.azkidsnet.com for all these fabulous kid friendly knock knock jokes.
PS. Bill gets really annoyed watching me type in "www." on the address bar, saying that you don't need to. I know that, but it's habit. THEN I realized WHEN I do it. I do it as my right hand is adjusting to where it needs to sit to type. You see, you click the mouse with your right hand and then type with both your hands and they need to be in the right place to type. Oh, well, that's if you type with ALL your fingers, DUH! Not the hunt and peck effort that Bill gives it. SO, my left hand is bored for the second that it takes for the right to get placed and it just automatically blips up there for the www. Funny how anytime your husband tries to correct you or point out something dumb that you do it can end up being a slam on his inadequecies. Babe, learn to type!
PSS. Of upir jamd emds i[ pff cemter amd upir tru tp tu[e ot emds i[ ;pplomg spetjomg ;ole tjes! O lmpw sp,e pf upi jave dpme tjos om tje[ast!
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
PUR Water filter
Who would have thought, years ago, that the issue of drinking water would be so complicated? All I want is water that tastes good. But if you are going to the trouble of purchasing water, or a water system, shouldn't it also eliminate all those grody contaminants and metals? Probably, but which ones, how many, and what percentage blocked is enough? Oh brother! Had I known all these questions needed to be answered I never would have stopped at Target this morning to buy a water filter pitcher...
So there I stand in the water purification isle (again, what would grandma think of that?) trying to choose between 6 different pitchers. There are now 3 different brands which list different contaminants being removed. Ugh. I figure I'll go with the one with the most stuff filtered, right? Well, it doesn't list lead which comes from old pipes, which we have, so I want to get rid of it! Upon further investigation, this PUR filter says it does meet the NSF standard for lead reduction. Great. So why isn't it listed? The Brita filter also says it meets NSF standards of all the metals listed. Ugh, ugh. And what does "Independent NSF Certification" mean? Are there really any standards or do we just test when and where we want and give ourselves the seal of approval?! Ugh, ugh, ugh.
Aaah, the memories of being in NYCity and drinking cold water straight from the tap. My aunts laughed at me because I gulped it down, even as a child. I don't know if Rachel's Brooklyn water tastes as good as Manhattan's, but if it is she's got that going for her. I don't care if there are contaminants in it, it tastes good, I don't have to pay for it, and I just turn on the faucet.
What did I do? I bought the PUR pitcher, set it on the counter, and then went to the Internet to see if it was worthy of my using it. It turns out that I chose well. Consumer Reports tested it and gave it a thumbs up, the Green People agree with their findings, and another consumer group put all these thoughts together and actually listed it in the number 2 position, just under the PUR water system that attaches to the faucet. Hmm, I must be getting better at label reading and smarter than the label writers! It is now filled, chillin' in the fridge and tastes great.
So there I stand in the water purification isle (again, what would grandma think of that?) trying to choose between 6 different pitchers. There are now 3 different brands which list different contaminants being removed. Ugh. I figure I'll go with the one with the most stuff filtered, right? Well, it doesn't list lead which comes from old pipes, which we have, so I want to get rid of it! Upon further investigation, this PUR filter says it does meet the NSF standard for lead reduction. Great. So why isn't it listed? The Brita filter also says it meets NSF standards of all the metals listed. Ugh, ugh. And what does "Independent NSF Certification" mean? Are there really any standards or do we just test when and where we want and give ourselves the seal of approval?! Ugh, ugh, ugh.
Aaah, the memories of being in NYCity and drinking cold water straight from the tap. My aunts laughed at me because I gulped it down, even as a child. I don't know if Rachel's Brooklyn water tastes as good as Manhattan's, but if it is she's got that going for her. I don't care if there are contaminants in it, it tastes good, I don't have to pay for it, and I just turn on the faucet.
What did I do? I bought the PUR pitcher, set it on the counter, and then went to the Internet to see if it was worthy of my using it. It turns out that I chose well. Consumer Reports tested it and gave it a thumbs up, the Green People agree with their findings, and another consumer group put all these thoughts together and actually listed it in the number 2 position, just under the PUR water system that attaches to the faucet. Hmm, I must be getting better at label reading and smarter than the label writers! It is now filled, chillin' in the fridge and tastes great.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Hot Chocolate
A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.
Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.
When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said, "Notice that all the nice looking expensive cups were taken leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups...And then you began eyeing each others cups.
Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have.
Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly."
And enjoy your hot chocolate!
H's note: This certainly explains a lot of my issues. I would have taken the widest cup that I could have wrapped both my hands around, much like the cup I have in my cupboard right now. I just continually gather things in my cup thinking that the more I have the better my life will be, when actually, I don't even need the literal hot chocolate that goes in the cup! Holding onto the cup with both hands also brings out the need to hold onto things, all the things that make me feel better temporally, but I don't need spiritually. I don't see any of this as being a good thing, but I also don't want to give up my big purple Tinkerbell mug. It sheads light on: weight problems, clutter in every room, the need not to insult people (gather all your friends into the big mug!), and probably a host of other things. I would have had no interest in drinking hot chocolate out of a dainty, china cup...no interest in things just because they are expensive and sought after. I realized this earlier today as I drove by an Inn that a friend recommended as a retreat for our last anniversary. It was swanky (for lack of a better word) to say the least, and not the least bit enticing to me. I like that about myself...my hot chocolate does not have to come in a fancy, stylish, or hip cup, it just as to be tasty. I like different flavors, brands, and sometimes with a little whip cream. Did you all get that I was talking about life just then?!
Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.
When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said, "Notice that all the nice looking expensive cups were taken leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups...And then you began eyeing each others cups.
Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have.
Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly."
And enjoy your hot chocolate!
H's note: This certainly explains a lot of my issues. I would have taken the widest cup that I could have wrapped both my hands around, much like the cup I have in my cupboard right now. I just continually gather things in my cup thinking that the more I have the better my life will be, when actually, I don't even need the literal hot chocolate that goes in the cup! Holding onto the cup with both hands also brings out the need to hold onto things, all the things that make me feel better temporally, but I don't need spiritually. I don't see any of this as being a good thing, but I also don't want to give up my big purple Tinkerbell mug. It sheads light on: weight problems, clutter in every room, the need not to insult people (gather all your friends into the big mug!), and probably a host of other things. I would have had no interest in drinking hot chocolate out of a dainty, china cup...no interest in things just because they are expensive and sought after. I realized this earlier today as I drove by an Inn that a friend recommended as a retreat for our last anniversary. It was swanky (for lack of a better word) to say the least, and not the least bit enticing to me. I like that about myself...my hot chocolate does not have to come in a fancy, stylish, or hip cup, it just as to be tasty. I like different flavors, brands, and sometimes with a little whip cream. Did you all get that I was talking about life just then?!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Cold Chicken
I love it. Bill hates it. That's it. I drive by a KFC 2-4 times a day depending on the route I take to school so I smell it all the time. Eventually I break down an buy some, sometimes at Safeway. I bring it home for dinner and put a piece in the fridge to eat later. Everyone has dinner, I have side dishes or salad, and then I eat my chicken an hour or so after the rest of my family. Is that weird? We're talking about fried chicken here, not boneless skinless, or even wings. Although, the hot boneless wings you can get now seem to be even hotter the next day. That's awesome!
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