Gardening With Children
I am hoping to encourage my grandchildren to get outside a little more this summer and have planned several activities that I think that they might enjoy. One thing that I am looking forward to is doing a little gardening. I say a little because I have never attempted a garden before. I am looking […]
She Wears a Smile
Darlings, last week my article was about a friend of mine who is an overwhelming inspiration for women. Her accomplishments for the needs of humanity are constant and her ability to understand with great compassion is most remarkable. She has raised over 8 million dollars for the education of the arts and charities that help […]
Jefferson Bass’ ‘Bones of Betrayal’
I always appreciate a good mystery, and I love books that have convincing forensics in the plot, so you can imagine how happy I was to pick up a copy of Jefferson Bass’ (a writing team of Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson) Bones of Betrayal. Bones of Betrayal follows Bill Brockton, a forensic anthropologist, […]
Homemade Bubbles
My grandchildren love bubbles and I have begun making the mixture for them from scratch. I have recently come across some recipes that include sugar or corn syrup. I have never used these before and was wondering if they are better than the others? Homemade bubble mixture is a real treat because it can produce […]
Pay Attention!
Teachers throughout the nation, at least those with a few years under their belts, are complaining about the inattentive generation now in their classrooms. The students, they maintain, are seemingly unable to stay focused for even brief periods of time. It is as if attention deficit disorder is not only contagious, but has become a […]
Hearing Loss in Children
Two to 3 children out of 1,000 in the U.S. are born deaf or with some loss of hearing, according to the National Institutes of Health. Any kind of early hearing loss can be a serious problem. It can affect language development. There are three types of hearing loss, Conductive hearing loss is due to […]
My Nighttime Guest
Sunday is family day at my house. And, this Sunday, as usual, my children and their families gathered to see what wonderful (?) meal I had prepared for them. I often use them as guinea pigs, as I try out recipes found on Facebook. Some are good, some not so good, but the real event […]
What NOT To Do While Taking Tests
Once again, test week is upon us and anxiety is reaching a crescendo better than Wagner blaring out of mounted speakers on an Army green helicopter. (I’ll take Vietnam for 200, Alex, and hope I get the Common Core Daily Double.) Children are stressed. Parents have their last nerve firmly pressed between the thumb and […]
Easter Kickball with the Thunderfoot
Easter Sunday I was challenged to a game of kickball. Perhaps the gauntlet was thrown because my ball kicking talents are legendary. In New York, for instance, they call me London since that’s how far I kick a ball. In London, it gets more confusing and nicknames range from Bombay, Marco Polo, and Nova Scotia […]
Child Common Core
The Common Core, due to be fully implemented in the next school year, was developed by the National Governor’s Association, a private organization, with funding from the Gates Foundation, with no public debate about the standards. States adopted the Common Core as part of the “Race to the Top” initiative of the Department of Education, […]
Sock Hops
Does anyone remember sock hops, the informal dance held in the high school gym. Sock hops were introduced in the 1950s with early rock and roll, and acquired their name because dancers were required to remove their hard-soled shoes to protect the varnished floor of the gymnasium. Music was usually records, but sometimes there were […]
Belle Blackburn’s ‘The Doctor’s Daughter: Journey to Justice’
If you have been following my reviews, you probably have seen a few books I have reviewed by local authors. I always consider it a treat to get to do such reviews, so I am excited to review Belle Blackburn’s The Doctor’s Daughter: Journey to Justice. The story is set in the 1860s in the […]
Yvonne Crum
Yvonne Crum is not your typical product of a disadvantaged childhood. Upon becoming a young woman, she decided that who she would become and what she would ultimately accomplish would be determined not by fate, but by herself. Coming from a background in sociology and psychology, she quickly realized a career in social work wasn’t […]
Spring has Sprung
What a dreadful winter! I had the highest electric bill ever seen on the planet, then my heat pump went the way of all flesh, and the local weather systems kept the experts guessing about school closures. Adios and good riddance! “Spring has sprung, the grass is riz. I wonder where the flowers is.” That […]
Wedding Venues
My youngest daughter just told us that she is planning to get married and we are thrilled. We love the young man that she is marrying and are looking forward having him as a son in law. The only problem is that they want to have a late June wedding and I just do not […]
John Hick’s ‘Evil and the God of Love’
Over the past few weeks I have been reading various philosophical works for a thesis I am working on. In the search for knowledge I have come across a great many fascinating reads, one of which stood out to me above almost all others: John Hick’s Evil and the God of Love. This interesting book […]
