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             A*B*C----- MRS. ALPHABET -----X*Y*Z
        It's Fun and Easy! Alphabet, Math, Phonics, and
         Reading Games for Parents, Teachers and Kids!
                 Wednesday, April 16, 2008
All you ever wanted to know about teaching the alphabet,
math, phonics, and reading. Adults and kids join the fun:

Hi to All My Readers,
Thanks for all your mail. This question seems very
important, "How do I know what level book my child is reading?"
Here are some links providing that information:

Have An A+ Day,
Mrs. Alphabet

 Questions? Comments? email: Email Me

In This Issue:
1. Quote
2. Maxi Unit - Farm
3. Word Of The Week:
4. More great Farm Links!
5. Past newsletters

               ++---- Education Counts ----++
"More important than learning how to recall things is finding
ways to forget things that are cluttering the mind."
~James Waddell Alexander, II (1888-1971)
American mathematician, founded branch of math called topology
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                  Maxi Unit:  Farm
                         Part 2 of 6
Down on the farm I've been working hard to find you a bushel
of links to enrich your farm unit.  Hope you folks can "moo"ve
through all the interesting and innovative ideas in this unit.
All About Cows:
All About Turkeys:
Farm Animal Sounds:
Farm Clipart:
Farm Phonics Activities:
Farm Worksheets for Kids:
*More great Farm links at the end of this newsletter

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includes one 7 1/2 inch diameter mirror with 3X magnification
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To get more info, see a picture... visit:
Set of 2 Magnifying Mirrors...

Word of the Week: dog
Every Wednesday issue I will give you a word for your child
to learn to read. The words I choose are based on the most
frequently words found in beginning reading books for young
Looking for fun ways to teach your child these words
go here:
Word Family of the Week:
Go here to practice eal words:
             ********* More Farm Links *********

Animal Babies On the Farm:
Clothespin horse:
Old MacDonald's Farm:
On The Farm Or At The Zoo:

                    ABOUT MRS. ALPHABET....
Mrs. Alphabet is a National Board Certified Teacher (EC Gen),
author, trainer, and educator who devoted 40 years to teaching
young children foundational skills, creating original materials,
and updating old techniques.  I have a masters Degree in Early
Childhood Education and have instructed children from 2-12.
This newsletter grants me the pleasure and opportunity to share
my wealth of knowledge and expertise with parents, students, and
educators in cyberspace.

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AREA 51 design wizards magically transformed TV superstar Jonathan Ross' north London mansion into a stunning haunted house AND gardens into an enchanted fairy forest in time for the UK's  hottest Halloween celeb bash!

The famous presenter has become synonymous with October 31 after staging a series of annual Halloween parties for both A-list celebrities and the London public and on each occasion has enlisted Area 51 to conjure up the most eye catching and breath taking decor while providing spooky performers.

This year was no exception as the Area 51 crew was called upon to make a remarkable dash against the clock to make-over Ross' Hampstead mansion in a matter of hours before the celebrities began arriving at one entrance while the public were corralled into a sensational fairy forest themed entrance at another.

As guests began to enter the grounds of the impressive building, Area 51 characters including witches, ghouls, devils and other spooky and shadowy figures crept from every nook and cranny while emerging from behind corners to startle and delight adults and children alike.

Once again the momentous scale of the 51 decor and performers received rave reviews acorss the international media who luaded the event and gave the TV star ever more kudos for staging the event.

Among the celebrities attending were Alan Carr dressed as failed X Factor contestant Honey G while Holly Willoughby turned heads dressed as a gory-yet-cute Tinkerbell. Louis Theroux came as a werewolf and Frank Skinner donned a Frankenstein's monster outfit. David Walliams attended in the guise of Donald Trump which seemed to frighten more people than even the ghouls and monsters while Simon Pegg was clad head to toe in Beetlejuice gaberdine.

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You are here:News»Latest»THE PARTY'S OVER

A crack swarm of 60 Area 51 star performers helped ensure the last ever Secret Garden Party wasn't a washout despite the festival being saturated by Monsoon-like rain!

It ended as a blow-out instead of a wash-out as the annual festival ended its 14-year run of hedonistic success as one of the UK's most popular boutique festivals in style.

The 51 posse were undaunted by the weather and worked day and night to help entertain the 30,000 festival-goers at the garden site at Abbots Ripton Hall in Cambridgeshire, mixing stage performances with walkabouts and a myriad of other activities.

One of the highlights came on the main stage on the Friday night when Area 51 dancers were featured in the performance by one of the festival headliners, Crystal Fighters.

The company even built an hilarious "Trumpformer" robot monster for the occasion which proved popular and as well as performing on the main stage, Area 51 entertainers maintained a high profile on both the Collo-silly-um and Kitsch Inn stages and also filled the forbidden forest with woodland characters.

A special tea party designed to integrate local villagers into the event was also a raging success for Area 51 and its large contingent with Adam Colclough acting as the master of ceremonies.

Related Video


text:
Random Sunday with Children

A long time ago, when my daughter was six, I became a single mother. It wasn’t my choice, and we had some very bad years, and I would not recommend being unmarried with children to anyone, especially since I’ll never be able to make it up to my daughter for her lousy childhood. But when Lani moved in with Sweetness and Light, I figured I could do better this time. So before they got here, I painted their rooms in their favorite colors and got them curtains with sequins on them (which their mother and Aunt Krissie loved more than they did) and then I started collecting art projects and puzzles and paints and general Good Stuff and put it all in a box in my closet that became the Magic Box that opens whenever it rains and Some People get bored. So at the slightest hint of moisture now, Light comes and finds me and says, “Magic Box?” (We will ignore for the moment all the snickering that occurs when Aunt Krissie and Mommy talk about Aunt Jenny’s Magic Box, “not to be confused with the Glittery HooHa.” Really, these women should not be allowed around children.) The nice thing about the Magic Box, is that whenever it opens, it’s the Best Day Ever. So what I’m thinking is, everybody should have a Magic Box. What I’m also realizing is that there is no way to talk about the Magic Box without talking dirty, so I’m leaving this topic now.

I am now way too interested in the Littlest Pet Shop toys. Last week, the box gave up panda bears with annoyed expressions wearing little straw hats with pink flowers. Plus Hello Kitty glue sticks. Best Day Ever. The kids liked them, too.

Sweetness is interested in boys in a completely charming well-this-is-interesting kind of way. We were watching Thoroughly Modern Millie on my mistaken assumption that it would be as delightful as I remembered it, and Lani and Krissie wandered off bored, but Sweetness watched everything, asking me why Millie was kissing Jimmy when she was in love with Mr. Graydon, and why Mr. Graydon liked Miss Dorothy better than Millie, and I found myself looking at the movie in a whole new way. When it was done, I gave her the DVD. I figure she’ll miss all the white slavery stuff and concentrate on Miss Dorothy blushing and Jimmy kissing Millie. Also, she’d have yanked it out of my hand if I hadn’t handed it over. When Sweetness wants to consider something in depth, do not get in her way.

Another good thing about living with kids: kids’ books and DVDs. We watched Coraline which is one of the most stunning movies I’ve ever seen. Absolutely beautiful. Plus, good story. The 3D screwed up the color so I prefer the 2D version but really just amazingly gorgeous. Then I went out and got Stardust, which I realized was too adult for them after I watched it first, but I wouldn’t have watched it at all if it hadn’t been for them, and despite its flaws, it was a lot of fun. And gorgeous. And now for the first time, I’m seriously considering writing kids books because Sweetness devours them and then I steal them. There’s something very elegant and minimalist about kids books and YA fiction.

Sweetness has this problem with thinking through her sentences too thoroughly–she wants them to be correct, damn it–so she gets half way through and starts over. Over and over. I told her she was like somebody standing on a diving board, jumping up and down but not diving, so now when she starts to get tangled, we all yell, “Jump, Sweetness, jump!” and she laughs and finishes the sentence. Light, on the other hand, has so much to say that she gets to the end and then starts another one immediately, usually preceded with, “And you know what?” As in “I got a Littlest Pet Shop gecko, and you know what? it has spots, and you know what? if you hold it in your hand and keep it warm, the spots go away, and you know what . . .” which has unfortunately led to her mother and I laughing helplessly because “and you know what?” and “guess what?” and “I’m thinking of a number between one and ten” are all Light trademarks now. The “I’m thinking of a number between one and ten” is particularly deadly because you have to keep going until you get it, and then it’s a big anticlimax, followed by, “I’m thinking of a number . . .” But even that isn’t as disastrous as the riddles. Dear god, the riddles from kids can go on forever. Light has one that she gets caught in a loop in every time:

Light: Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Light: Banana.
Adult: Banana who?
Light: Knock knock.
Adult: Who’s there?
Light: Banana.
Adult: Banana who?
Light: Knock knock.
(Repeat endlessly until the adult in the conversation starts to scream. Then . . .)
Light: Knock knock.
Adult: Who’s there?
Light: Apple.
Adult: Apple who?
Light: (Look of confusion.) Wait, wait. Knock, knock.
Adult: (Oh for the LOVE OF GOD) Who’s there?
Light: Orange.
Adult: Orange who?
Light:Orange you glad I didn’t say banana?” (Helpless giggles, falling over backward.)
Adult: Goes for a boozle.

But I was talking about riddles. So Light says, “I have a riddle. Do you want to hear it?” I say, “Yes.” You have to say yes, it’s in the kid rule book. Light says, “What’s black and white and black and white and black and white and black and white?” Lani says, “Here’s a hint, Krissie told it to her.” I say, “A panda gang bang.” Sweetness says, “What?” Lani says, “AUNT JENNY!” I say, “I give up.” Sweetness says, “A nun rolling downhill.” Insane laughter, followed by falling over backward. Lani passes over a boozle.

We went to Target for some preliminary school shopping. This is where I confess that I’ve gone school shopping every year, whether I’ve had a kid to shop for or not, because, like every writer I know, I have an office/school-supplies jones that just won’t quit and August is the Best Month Ever for pens and papers. After much consultation about backpacks and lunchbags, Sweetness carefully chose a plain one that was in excellent taste; Light darted from one to the next saying, “This one! No, this one!” picking out a Tinkerbell bag and then a Littlest Pet Shop lunch bag and then a Hello Kitty bag, stopping only when forced to choose; and Lani and I got cheapo-on-sale-seven-dollar book bags for our laptops (Lani’s was Hello, Kitty and mine was Betty Boop). Then we moved on to the sparkly pencils. I love school shopping.

The last time Krissie was here, I was culling my jewelry and she found a sterling silver purse/locket about an inch and and a half in diameter that had a flap that opened to reveal a compartment that I think was supposed to hold cotton dipped in perfume. She said, “Mine,” and I passed it over. Then we got to National last month and she was wearing it, and I said, “Oh, good, that looks wonderful on you.” She said, “Do you know what’s in it?” I said, “Pot?” and she said, “No. Think Keith Richards.” (This is probably the place to tell you that her sister Taffy died a couple of months ago which was terribly hard for her.) You know, it’s not often that I am truly speechless, but my chin hit the floor. For those of you who are not Keith Richards fans, he caused a stir awhile back when he announced that he’d snorted some of his father’s ashes. I finally said, “Taffy’s in there?” And Krissie said, “She loved parties. So I’m taking her to all of them.” Which was really nice. And then, god help me, I laughed because . . . well, because, but I did try to take it seriously. When I knocked the pendant off the table at the hotel, I said, “Sorry, Taffy,” as I put it back. So if you see pictures of me staring at Krissie’s chest at National, it’s because I’m still dealing with the concept of Taffy in silver. (I know this ramble is about kids, but if you think Krissie is an adult, you’ve never seen her at Hobby Lobby or Steak N Shake.)

We went to the mall and Light wanted her ears pierced. She’s seven. We did the whole are-you-sure? thing and she was sure, lusting after a pair of sparkly pink and gold daisies. Sweetness, at ten, was not enthusiastic and decided to wait to see how things went with Light. The people at Claire’s, no dummies, decided to do both ears at once. One-two-three-punch-SCREAMS LIKE YOU NEVER HEARD FROM THE DAMNED IN HELL. People walking by in the mall turned to look in horror, so I said, “As God is my witness, she begged for them,” but I saw some definite we-should-call-children’s-services expressions. Light sobbed for about a minute and a half, and then I held up the blue plastic dolphin on a lanyard with a pink sparkly chapstick inside it that I had purchased in anticipation of this moment and said, “Look!” She went for it, although still a little sniffly, not helped when Sweetness said, “I’m never getting my ears pierced.” Then I told Light that in six weeks when she could wear other earrings, she could borrow some of mine which also helped, although Sweetness in the background saying “I’m only getting clip earrings forever” was not encouraging. Then we decided to go to Steak N Shake where there are Butterfinger milkshakes, and everything was just fine. And now the earrings sparkle and Light is in no pain and Sweetness tells her she looks beautiful while giving me and her mother the hairy eyeball as if we’re about to drag her off and have her drilled, too. Also we had Steak N Shake milkshakes again the next day because Aunt Krissie wanted them, plus French fries, so the world is a good place. And Sweetness is never getting her ears pierced, so we can just forget about that.

Sweetness writes stories and illustrates them, and she also does cartoons. Here’s one:
The caption is “Winners on scaring Sweetness out of her shorts,” because the dogs bark so loud and in the beginning that freaked Sweetness out. That’s Veronica up there on top getting the gold. Sweetness is going to be rich and famous some day and win the Nobel prize for literature. And Light will manage her career after she finishes managing her mother’s. As Lani said, “Light is going to be my Mollie.” Or possibly a great actress. The world is Light’s oyster, which she will open by force, pour ketchup over, and then decide not to eat.

Lani and Krissie and I are now talking about getting tattoos. Krissie already has several and I have two, but Lani has none and feels sort of dreary because of it, although we took her to get her makeup done at the dirt store, and I’m telling you, she had color. ( Jackie, the guy at the dirt store also did Sweetness and Light. Sweetness went for red lipstick which made her very unsure so half an hour later I gave her a Kleenex and she wiped it off. Light went for green lipstick and sported it all day, only losing it to her milkshake.) So we’re working on finding a simple triple symbol–very simple–since I have a couple of medium sized tattoos already and frankly, one more that size is going to start to look tacky although some people (cough Bob cough) have implied that I may have already crossed that line. I said, “You’re an army guy, don’t you have tattoos?” He said, “I was Special Forces, we weren’t allowed to have them.” Yeah, well, I don’t have to move silently through the night killing people with my little finger, so I can have tattoos. And so can Lani and Krissie. However when Light said, “Tattoos?” we all three said, “NO!” so she grumped off in her earrings. When she’s sixteen, she’ll come home with “Born To Organize Hell” on her forehead, but for now, I’m done with the heartrending screams. Also I’m out of plastic dolphins.

On Saturday nights, we have parties and everybody gets a turn planning them. Last week it was Light’s turn and we did clay animals and then we danced.
This week was Sweetness’s turn so we did a talent show and made sugar cookies. Next week it’s my turn and we’re watching a movie and making cupcakes and eating spaghetti. At six o’clock on Saturday nights, I think, “Oh, hell, the party,” and then five minutes later I’m laughing my butt off. I highly recommend the six to eight party plan. With dancing.

Everything you need to know about Sweetness and Light, you can tell from their sugar cookie habit. Sweetness takes two perfect cookies from the jar, looks sternly at a cookie half still in there, says, “Apparently, somebody broke a cookie,” and then eats hers plain. Light takes her two, slathers them with chocolate icing at least half an inch thick, puts sprinkles on top, draws a heart in glitter icing, (doing a play-by-play the entire time) and then says, “Which is better, chocolate icing or chocolate icing on a cookie?” I say, “Chocolate icing on a cookie.” She shakes her head and says, “No, just chocolate icing.” I say, “Then why aren’t you just eating just the icing?” Light gets an annoyed look on her face. “Why didn’t you tell me I could do that before I put it on the cookie?” I say, “Why didn’t you tell me you liked it better before you put it on the cookie?” Then Light eats both cookies, gets chocolate up her nose, which goes nicely with the Tang on her shirt and the ketchup and the ginger ale on her pants, and goes to play with the dogs. Sweetness is cookie haiku; Light is cookie burlesque.

Last week, Light and I were out on the patio waiting for the dogs to pee so we could go back inside and have breakfast. Light said, “My mom thinks we might stay here for a long time.” I nodded and said, cautiously since I wasn’t sure whether she was afraid they were staying or afraid they weren’t, “Well, we don’t know, but if that happens, I would like it.” “I would, too,” she said, and then she got up to chase the dogs.

I cried a little. Not much because then Light would tell me riddles to cheer me up, and there’s only so many times I can say, “Banana who?” before I start screaming, but I must say, this time I like being unmarried with children.

85 thoughts on “Random Sunday with Children

  1. This made me smile. And sniffle.

    I’m unmarried with children too. Not all the time, but I borrow my friends’ kids. BestGuy and LittleMiss are 9 and 6. I’ve known them since they were babies.

    They come to my house for weekends sometimes — and a whole week this summer! We laugh at YouTube videos, read books, all sleep in the same bed (after going to bed way too late), eat at Noodles & Co with chopsticks (even if it IS penne with marinara), bake cookies or pizza, etc. Sometimes we add the zoo or some other outing. Last Christmas, we went to a fondue restaurant and had cheese and chocolate fondue for dinner. This summer, we went to my family’s camp and swam in the pond.

    I always have to give them back and afterward the house is far too quiet. But I love them to pieces and it seems to be mutual.

    I’m eternally grateful that their parents share them. And, for their part, the parents seem to recognize and be glad that the kids have someone else who loves them unconditionally, enjoys them thoroughly, and lets them know how great they are.

    Sweetness and Light are incredibly lucky to have you. And I’m sure you know that you’re lucky to have them too.

  2. That was wonderful to read.

    I highly recommend Patricia Wrede’s Enchanted Forest books. They are funny, especially to those of us who read a lot of fairy tales.

    Also Tamora Pierce, for stories about girls who kick butt.

    As for videos, Kung-fu Panda and Speed Racer got great reviews from my friends’ kids — and are also enjoyable for adults.

    1. Oh, please let this devolve into a recommendation list for children’s books! Please. I adore them almost as much as I do a Crusie (w or w/o et al.) novel.

      I’ll second (third) the Wrede suggestion — although I did tire of the Enchanted Forest novels when Cimorene became so caught in what seems to me like a traditional gender role. But, in fact, almost everything she does is great. Her new series (13th Child, I think) is also starting well.

      And anything by E. L. Konisberg. Oh the joy of those books!

      1. Besides Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles, how about…
        LM Boston’s Green Knowe series
        The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper
        Shadow Guests by Joan Aiken
        the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
        Pippi Longstocking books
        Ladybug Girl by Jacky Davis and David Soman
        Dear Mrs LaRue by Mark Teague
        Diary of a…. (there’s Worm, Fly, Spider) by Doreen Cronin
        Michael Morpurgo’s books
        The Giver by Lois Lowry
        Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

    2. I have to add a recommendation for Diana Wynne Jones. When Harry Potter came out everyone was comparing them to the Narnia books, but I said, nope, they’re more like Diana Wynne Jones.
      I also have second the recommendations for Wrede books (which are much more than the Enchanted Forests) and Pierce books. With forty closing in on me I still buy, read, and KEEP their new releases.

    3. I’m STILL a sucker for Junie B. Jones. Barbara Park rules!

      And the original Wizard of Oz books.

      And Enchanted.

      And Ella Enchanted. But, I’ve loved Anne Hathaway since The Princess Diaries.

      And Meet the Robinsons is the Best Movie Ever because the message is “don’t be afraid to fail”.

      Kids get all the cool stuff. 🙂

      1. Crap…not Enchanted – Ever After.

        Sorry Blonde Moment.

        (And if I knew how to edit my posts, I would. Sorry!)

        1. Oh, I love Junie B. Jones, too. And I have to admit, I’m a sucker for Captain Underpants — the guy who did them also drew the Dumb Bunnies series, which I am ashamed to admit I loved. As an adult. My kids loved them too. Also, D. Wynne Jones wrote the wonderful Howl’s Moving Castle, which is a completely different thing from the movie (although the movie was based on the book, in theory), but both are wonderful works of art, in their own ways. (-: I recently got my Howl back, so maybe it’s a sign I should be re-reading.

  3. Very glad to see all of you so happy. You spoiled us with pics and news in this post, thank you!

    Littlest Pet Shop toys and sparkly pencils = a damn good time.

  4. You write about happiness in a wonderful way. We know that these lives, for all that they’re adorned with glittery pencils and sugar cookies and the promise of pink petal earrings, also include heartache and life passages and mysteries big and small. It’s friendly and warm to read without being all schmaltzy

    And I’m SO gonna use the nun joke.

  5. Oh, I lust for school supplies. I have a boy to shop with/for but he’s incredibly patient when I stand ogling the sparkly pencils/backpacks/notebooks. Sigh. Great post, Jenny, esp with the dancing.

  6. Great post. I remember visiting my Gran’s farm every summer. She had a trunk with all kinds of bits and pieces of art supplies, buttons, sewing items (like you Jenny, she was an artist) and we kids loved getting into that stuff. Gran would provide us with vegetables from the farm (the stuff that had reached an expiration like soft potatoes, or wrinkled squash, or limp carrots) and we made vegetable people. You reminded me of that today and put a smile on my face, thank you.

  7. You, m’dear, have made the world a better place — a magic place — not just for Sweetness and Light, but for those of us fortunate enough to have bookmarked your blog.

    My life is about boys. Sons, five. Grandson, one. There are no sparkly pencils or glittery earrings in my immediate future (I’m assuming. Perhaps I shouldn’t. But not likely.) So this was a lovely little glimpse into a world which I’ve largely forgotten, since my own little girl days are but a dim, distant memory.

    Except for the sparkly earrings. Those have carried over to adulthood quite nicely. As has chocolate icing, come to think of it.

    I’ll aslo be chuckling over the like-you-never-heard-from-the-damned-in-hell line for quite possibly the rest of my life.

  8. One of the best posts you’ve ever written.

    You have an amazing family. In fact, you’re an amazing woman. Even if you weren’t real, you’d be one of our favorite characters.

  9. I’m so glad to know others stand in front of the sparkly pencils and lust.

    Totally off topic, but you would love the movie (500) Days of Summer. It is not a love story, but it’s a story about love. The opening credits will do it for you. It says something like:

    then next screen:

    next screen:

    Go. See. (Not a Sweetness and Light movie, tho it is PG13)

    1. Also known as Bare Whatsis. You know, the stuff made from virgin earth. As Lani says, it works so good because of the unicorn pee.

  10. YA book recommendation: Star Girl. You will pass it on – to adults as well as those younger in years.

    PS Panda Gang Bang – my future tattoo

  11. Can I come live with you? Because to my recently separated self, what you’ve created sounds like heaven.

    1. Hey, where are we with our Cherry B n B place? Are we going to start one?
      I all in. i’m single, sober and willing to move to the US. (But not desperate to move to the US) 😉

  12. (-: I have to agree with everyone. I loved this post! I think I’ll go home, and be an auntie to my kids tonight, instead of boring ol’ mom. Tomorrow, I have to be mom again, but once in a while, I should pull out the fun stuff. OK, shopping list: glitter pens, some of that thick, luscious drawing paper, and stuff for cracker pizzas (which only take a few minutes to put together, so maybe I can draw some stuff, too. I need some fruit flash cards for work, so I can have fun AND be productive (-:).

    This post was so true . . . and so inspiring. Thanks.

  13. Smiled the entire time I was reading because …

    1) September= Best Month At Office Max Ever! (I drool over office supply stores like other women do shoes)

    2) Taffy- my mom kept my dad in a drawer for 4 years after he was cremated. She would occasionally open the drawer and pat the box. The first time I went to visit her after he dies she ushered me into the bedroom, opened the drawer and said, “Say hello to your father.”

    3) Dance parties are the best. We used to have them in Missouri. Even the dogs got into the act.

    4) Being a single parent is not the worst thing in the world. Having children living in a stressful/demeaning/violent/humiliating or unhappy enviroment is much worse.

    5) Great random post, as usual.

  14. I am stealing your Saturday night party idea. I have neices who will love it. 🙂 I pick up so many phrases from this blog. I used SBP last week for our crazy storm and now will be passing on Krissies nun knock knock joke… to my aunt – an actual nun. Thank Krissie for me Sister Mary Gregory will LOVE it.

  15. Sounds fun 🙂 I’ve got big boys, but am holding out hope for glittery sprakly things with my girl, who’s still too small to appreciate it.

    And I don’t think I’ve said this yet, but *hugs* to Lani for however it was that she ended up there. But dang. Landed on your feet 🙂

  16. I love this post. I have my own Light. Three and a half and trooping through the early months of her parents divorce and her father moving a new woman into her home the day her mother moved out, miracle of miracles, she’s surviving. She too, would break open her oyster, pour her much beloved ketchup over it, and then decide not to eat it. *sigh*

    I’m stealing the Magic Box (the one in the closet, of course.) idea, and the Saturday night parties. Although watching Barbie’s Fairytopia three times in a row is not how I want to spend every other Saturday night. 😉

    And school supplies. How I love the big aisles of cheaply priced pens, pencils, crayons and markers. Sparkly or not. I’m lucky enough that my little girl gasps at ANY brightly colored new package and says in wonder, “That’s bea-awful mommy, can we gets it?”

  17. Good Lord, when Krissie asked you what was in the locket, I could have sworn she was going to say “Coke.”

    This whole post is lovely. I’m so glad for you all. Also, very down with the idea of writing YA/middle grade.

    About tattoos: what about a cave painting? The older I get, the older I want to look. Tattoo-wise, anyway. I want to look ancient, which is only another way of saying timeless.

    More dress-up sugar-cookie parties should be held from 6-8 each Saturday night.

  18. Have you read Coraline or Stardust? I find Neil Gaiman to be truly a most excellent writer. He’s a good blogger too. Like you. 🙂

  19. I so loved this 🙂

    My nephew’s version of the knock-knock joke:

    Him, “knock-knock.”
    Me, “Who’s there?”
    Him, “Banana-orange-banana.”

    I didn’t understand so my sister explained the tradition version. I thought it was hilarious and he is so smart to think of this … talk about cutting to the chase!

    (snickering about Magic Boxes & Glittery Hoohas …)

  20. Isn’t life wonderful some times? I’d probably pick movies for my party night, too. I loved Thoroughly Modern Millie as well, but I’ve found that I have to be in the right mood when I try to watch it now.

    1. The movie is not bad. A little goofy and stereotyped, but not bad. I read Mae West’s biography shortly after seeing the movie, and I guess the white-slaver thing was a HUGE trend in plays and other popular works in the 20s. I loved the CD version (new musical’s cast recording) a lot better. Oh, and speaking of musicals that work better as a CD than a movie: Hairspray. And of course, Spamalot (which I found here, and you can’t even get in movie form, AFAIK) is a wonderful listen. Maybe not for little ones, although permissive mom that I am, the kids were singing along to the Laker Girls cheer in no time flat.

  21. Oooh, I love Claire’s. They have the best hair doodads which never stay in my fine, straight hair, but I have to have them anyway.

    Being single but not having kids of my own, I have borrowed my sister’s 3 frequently. To my great sadness, they have insisted on growing up and there is now only one left without a driver’s license. Fortunately he has the rebel spirit, refusing to get his hair cut and wearing mismatched clothes. Some girl will straighten him out eventually, but in the meantime I really enjoy being around him.

    My niece, now 24, was my buddy when she was little. We watched tv in bed on Friday nights and I sewed up Teddy’s torn ear and gave him a new, embroidered with pink floss nose.

    The middle child, nephew #1, is now driving and into girls and such a yuppie “nice young man” that I worry that someone will mistake him for a serial killer. But I remember getting him out of bed early one morning when they were sleeping over so that he could watch a robin build a new nest in the tree out front for an hour. And I’ve totally forgiven him for throwing up twice in two different cars I’ve owned.

    And when they each turned nine they went to Disney World with me for 5 days, just the two of us, and each experience was different because the kids are all so different, but in each case they were, for me, the Very Best Days Ever.

  22. What a wonderful post. And, what a wonderful family you’re building. A great way to salve heartache and build sparkly memories.

  23. Every kid needs an aunty/uncle/gran to let them be a kid. Whether they are being raised by single parents or not. And every single parent needs to be reminded they CAN spoil their kids sometimes, and not spoil them. But they also need that weekend off while the kids are off with the favorite aunty/uncle/gran. So they have the energy to spoil their babies.

  24. On the tat: How about a simple, celtic trinity knot? For the three of you, intertwined?
    Great post! I realize as a mom, I have more aspirations for fun that fun in reality. Good reminders here.
    We’re going to shop for school supplies today — w00t!

  25. Oooh, kids picture books. I love the “Scaredy Squirrel” series by Melanie Watt. Enough so that I buy them even though I’m 30 instead of 3. For older kids I really like Robin McKinley’s books. I think she’s best known for her two re-tellings of the Beauty and the Beast story but she’s also done a number of other legend/fairy tale retellings and other stories told in similar styles. While the language is youth appropriate the themes are plenty adult (if you know what she’s talking about) and she assumes the reader is intelligent.

    Favorite kid joke:
    Q. How many ears did Davy Crockett have?
    A. Three. His left ear, his right ear, and his (hand held facing out on forehead, wiggling fingers) wiiiiiild front-ear.

    1. Love Robin McKinley for both adolescents and grownups. She’s probably a little old for Light, but Sweetness is the right age for the Beauty & the Beast retellings (Beauty, Rose Cottage), and in a couple years should be about the right age for Hero & the Crown, The Blue Sword, Door in the Hedge, Outlaws of Sherwood, Knot in the Grain and Dragonhaven. Deerskin is a too adult until about 15, I think, and ditto Sunshine (though Sunshine is great for adults — you Buffy-lovers would LOVE it, although it does make you awfully hungry for baked goods).

      L.M. Montgomery’s books have been my comfort reads since I was about 11. I’ve read every one, including the short story collections, at least 5 times.

      1. I still reread my first copy of Beauty. I think it’s why I studied Latin. I love McKinley.

        Also, Wrede gets another rec from me. Maybe I’ll dress up as Cinmorene for Halloween this year. No one would get it, but it’d be fun…

  26. You can line the Littlest Petshop animals along the top of your mac. Not that I know this for a FACT or anything. *looks sheepish*

    Well, at least I’m not the lone adult buying them for myself. I had to stop stealing them from the kids, they were getting mad.

    1. The LPS acoutrements are gone (read vet clinic, etc.) but the pets remain. (I seekritly saved them…)

  27. Each Valentine’s Day, I throw a dinner party for my nieces and nephews. (or as I explained it to the 4 year old the first year, “A tea party for grownups”) It makes that occasion actually special for this single aunt.

  28. “Sweetness is cookie haiku; Light is cookie burlesque.”

    LOL! My babies are both firmly in the “cookie burlesque” category – more is definitely more.

    I wish I had the energy and patience to enjoy my kids the way you are enjoying S&L. Keep the parties going for those of us too mired down in daily survival to be able to embrace the forest for the trees.

  29. Lately my mail box has been a magic box. It’s been filled with a Kindle and crochet hooks and a coloring book, and I expect a yarn swift and new yarn and knitting needles to appear any day. My box swings both ways- ha!- it’s also been filled with goodies for friends who’ve been struggling emotionally and physcially as much as I have. When those packages arrive it’s a Best Day Ever for me, too, knowing that I brought a smile to a friend’s face.

  30. This was great! I am TOTALLY stealing the nun joke. As for Tansy, well, I’ve kept 2 of my cats in decorated tins for several years, though Krissie’s locket rocks that out of the park.

    Unicorn pee. Hee, hee, hee.
    I think we should all be cookie burlesque at some point

    I am a total school supplies whore. Was just in Target the other day and had to physically (OK, it was really a mental pull as I was alone at the time…except for the voices, of course) pull myself away to keep from loading up the cart. Sooo tempting. And I don’t even have kids! So no easy excuses to stock up.

    My mom had miniature instruments when we were kids – drums, finger castanets, a recorder, stuff like that – and we would dance around the living room playing our instruments to whatever she played on the cassette player. This time, in girls’ lives especially, is so precious. It’s a wonderful thing to not only participate but to facilitate and encourage these awesome moments of joy.

    Panda gang bang. You kill me.

  31. JanLo – can I steal your label – “Sparkly memories”? I just love that and it so exactly sums up what little kids need and want.

    I’ve been a single mom to 2 daughters for the last 4+years now. It sucked at first, but after a while, we started finding our way.

    One of the things I’ve been seriously working on the last few years is helping us all build “sparkly memories”. Not everything about childhood – even in single parent families – should have to be hard work. FUN is iimportant and can be found in inexpensive ways as well as well worth it extravagant ways like trips to Disneyland! with tax refunds and King Tut exhibit weekends after a 4 hour road trip.

    Go forth and ENJOY the children in your life. Soak up some of the exuberance and dance in your living room to songs you don’t know! It’ll be OK!

    (There was a discount sale on exclamation points. I bought extra and put them in the closet.)

    1. Marcia,
      Certainly you can use ‘sparkly memories’. Make a bunch of them. Your children and your friends will pass them forward!

  32. Here’s a party idea for you: We’re too old and tired to go to a “real” Drive-In Theater, so we have “Teeny-tiny Drive-In” night. We bring blankets out, sit in lawn chairs, and watch movies on the laptop in the back yard. For some weird reason the teenagers like it. (I utilize pc speakers to augment the sound)Sometimes Target sells plastic “Popcorn” cups- they look like the old time popcorn boxes, while with red stripes; they have them in the dollar section when you walk in the door ( at least at ours…) I have styrafoam cups/lids from Sams Club we fill with soda (or wine works well for the adults in the group too) and we hand out candy bars or movie size boxes of Raisinettes or Sweet-Tarts you can get at Walmart.

    It’s stupid and cheesey but the kids love it. My 15 yo’s friends ask when we’re doing it again.

    Plus it gets you out of the house. Sort of.

    1. Oh, I love this idea! I used to work at a drive-in . . . you could have “dinner” theater and serve hot dogs and popcorn (-:. Heck, I could do that!

  33. Oh, this was such fun to read!! And you are so great, giving the girls and their mom so much to make things a little better for them… Magic Box–snort!

    And Taffy–wow. My MIL has her dad in a box in the closet. When he first passed away, we happened to be living there–my girls were 2 and 4 years old at the time. When she came home from the mortuary, I asked where Grandpa was. She told me they had a nice conversation on the way hime and that he was presently sitting in the chair at the dining room table. My youngest was eyeing the box with some curiousity and I had visions of DustBusting Gramps off the floor so I turned to my MIL and said as calmly as possible “Don’t you think it would be better to put Grandpa somewhere a little more safe, like at the TOP OF THE CLOSET, before the kids decide to take him out and play with him?!!” She blinked and said “Oh” like that hadn’t occurred to her. *sigh* That’s what happens when you don’t live with children any more… My husband’s step brother has also visited us, albeit posthumously. His sister coupldn’t babysit one weekend (there was a custody battle over his ashes, I kid you not) because it just weirded her out to have him there, so I told her to bring him on over. Frank stayed in my closet for few days. I was fine with it–perfect house guest. Hardly knew he was there! *grin*

  34. Damn, the woman can write. Between sniffing and giggling and thinking I should call my children, I realized children and knock-knock jokes have been sadly lacking in my life lately. And now I can’t get that song that goes “turn around and they’re grown” out of my head, and it’s making me sniffle again. Sweetness and Light are lucky to be surrounded by so much love and acceptance, Taffy was lucky to have a sister like Krissie. (And I think I’m going to buy purse necklaces for my sisters — and hint.) This was a wonderful, wonderful post, and I feel a lot better about buying those Hello Kitty sparkly pens and their new cherry-twins notecards now! And, oh, don’t think the Hello Kitty/Littlest Pet Shop thing ever passes. My daughter is 26 and still drags me to the Sanrio store whenever I see her. And she got me a set of Littlest Pets with raccoons (my favorites, next to dogs)!

  35. How come you get Magic Boxes and glitter pens and I get, “I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves, and this is how it goes! I know a song that gets on …..” over and over and over at the top of their lungs? Oh right, I’ve got two loud boys who crack themselves up. Of course, they crack me up too.

    1. I got that song on the 250 mile return trip this weekend… but it was okay, I parried with “The Song That Never Ends” and won the coup using “I’m Henry The 8th I Am.”

      1. Nice! I’m going to steal your moves and maybe throw in a little “John Jacob Jingleheimer Scmidt” just to prove that you can never out-annoy a determined mother!

        1. “…bottles of beer on the wall” do it to me every. single. time. Also the Brady Bunch Theme.

          1. “Are we there yet” from the mouth of a three year old. Only instead of getting upset (ok, I got a little upset after the 10th time 5 minutes into a 2 hour car ride) I kept asking her if we were there yet. Over, and over, and over and after long bouts of silence, over. Thankfully that killed her need to ask!

  36. I was reminded of getting my ears pierced. I was very afraid – but at age 29 and the mother of 3 I though I could handle it. I dropped the oldest off at school, the middle child at preschool and went to the mall. I sat on a stool with my baby girl on my lap, theorizing that I wouldn’t throw my arms up if I screamed.

    I handled it even with one ear at a time. My baby girl is now 35 and can’t wear pierced earrings because of allergies.

  37. Misspiggy don’twannabe – You did better than I did. I finally got the nerve to get my ears pierced when I was 55! Tattoos are starting to intrigue me, too.

  38. My sister and I had our ears pierced at home. Mom used the needle from a glass syringe (she’s a retired RN) and numbed our ears with ice. We wore little pieces of clear plastic from an old Fullers hair brush that she had sterilized in rubbing alcohol until the holes healed. The holes are much smaller and evenly placed when compared to the additional piercings we’ve both had since then.

  39. I dearly hope you do experiment with writing YA fiction for girls the field is almost wide open it seems when I got to do readers advisory for my 10 year old. She writes and illustrates her own stories just like your sweetness. I second the recommendation for Dear Mrs. LaRue by Mark Teague it will tickle your funny bone. Ike is so snarky and the illustrations are very telling. Also if you never have, give the Avatar cartoon series a chance. It is probably one of the best series ever it is a favorite of our whole family. Thanks for the great post your weekend sounds heavenly.

  40. Jenny,
    That was the most charming, heart-warming, joyess blog I have read in a long, long time. I’m so happy for you and Lani and Sunshine and Light. You have obviously made a home full of love.

    I would have liked to live in a house like that growing up, and I would have liked to have had a mother who understood me like you and Lani understand Sunshine and Light. Blessings to you all.

  41. What a fantastic account. Love your saturday parties and magic box. I kind of have a magic box full of mcdonalds happy meal toys and other similarly sized things, but I rarely have kids over.

    I also got my ears pierced when I was 7. I remember wanting to so badly. Mom made me wait until my birthday. I don’t think I ever felt more adult than I did on the way in to get my ears pierced, exactly 30 years ago this week. It’s amazing to me what I do/don’t remember about those years, but that memory is clear. I remember the hurt but I think I was trying to be brave and didn’t scream. I remember learning to care for my ears as they healed. I remember finding out that stainless caused fewer problems than gold. Later on in life, I found out that face toner is a fantastic tool for cleaning pierced ears – it cleans without dehydrating.

    Anyhow. Congrats on all the fun. Having good people in your life adds more years than quitting smoking does, so the studies say. I had rainbow blinds (10 of each color) when 7. Now I’ve got bamboo. Maybe I should get me some glitter curtains.

  42. OMG unicorns pee? I knew they drank tequila but PEE? I think my childhood is now over. Sorta.

    On the other hand, sequined curtains? SQUEE!! Where can I get them? I need more sequins. Never enough sequins.

    I LOVE how Krissie is using that locket – it’s perfect. After all, the best parties are the ones where you get to dance with everybody you love. Even better when they’re physically in the room with you 😉

    My mother and I got our ears pierced together, I think when I was in second grade. She made me go first so I didn’t dare show that it hurt or she would have backed out. I totally feel for Light, poor sweetie.

    May your lives always be full of cookie haiku and cookie burlesque and much dancing and laughter.

    BTW, good gallery of Celtic designs, many simple triad sorts of things, can be found at http://www.luckyfish.com. Pat Fish did both my and The Prince’s tattoos, and has lots of pretty flash up that might give you some ideas. (Including my tattoo, which I wasn’t happy about as that’s my design, but I probably missed the fine print somewhere.)

    PS – I have been scrupulously avoiding any back-to-school sales in an attempt to reign in my office supply fetish. Also because the Sparkly is a huge distraction from writing. Last week’s 90 minute meander through Office Depot where Money Was Spent doesn’t count. So thank you so very much for the reminder that there are office supplies out there I am missing out on. I clearly need a Magic Box. *sniff*

    1. Long ago I worked in the office at a car dealership. Part of my job was to order the office supplies. I can only compare it to a Porn fan running the projector at a XXX movie house… I got “Stationarygasms” when the order would arrive 😉

      (beautiful flash on that site, BTW, thanks for the heads up)

  43. Panda gang bang…LOL!
    Thanks for a marvellous post. There’s a hardly used word that I think is apt.

  44. I have read this post several times. I, too, wish that I could come and spend time in your household. I especially like the Saturday parties. I also am a nut about office supplies. Forget bonuses–I’ll take colored binder clips, paper clips, and file folders. Nasty corporate america won’t buy the gel pens of my choice, so I have to shell out for my own at Staples. Believe me, no one ever walks away with one of my pens. Give me a Staples catalog, and I will pour over it for hours, oohing and aahing. Probably why they don’t let me near a catalog. Sigh.

  45. I’m unmarried with children and some days it’s hard, really hard, but then my father raised me with an idea that I pull out when things start to get ugly. What is the point of having children if you don’t enjoy them? It also helps that a coloring book and crayons are the best form of therapy ever made. A mess can be cleaned up. The question: Why not? can give the “adult” in me courage that kids always seem to have a limitless amount of. Before I know it, they’ll be gone and the house will be too quiet. So, I just say welcome to the Mad House.

  46. I’m always late to the fun! Jenny, I hope you’re journaling EVERYTHING, because that’s a book I want to read, and I’m declaring this the BEST RANDOM SUNDAY EVER!!!

    Shirley Jackson wrote a couple of books about her family that are my hands down favorites for resparking the glow in my heart when I’m really down. The first is Life Among the Savages, the second is Raising Demons. In them are most of the short stories Jackson wrote about her kids, and they are fabulous, hilarious, and occasionally eerie. Fifties family life with an edge. And sarcasm.

    Speaking of Shirley Jackson, they just announced Michael Douglas has started production on “We Have Always Lived in the Castle”. I hope they don’t screw it up. Also, the 2008 Shirley Jackson Awards were announced last month. Here’s hoping Wild Ride is one of the 2010 winners!

  47. There are bits of sparkly gold in this post. It brought back some wonderful memories: my first book memory: Through the Looking Glass, sitting on my Dad’s lap while he read to me. Grocery shopping with my mom, she would always pick up a little pad of different colored paper for each of us. Sitting in the car with my dad waiting for mom to finish shopping, and then sneaking us across the street for an ice cream. Good memories. I was one lucky kid. I need to tell them that. At 82 & 92, they need to know. Thanks for a lovely post.

  48. Hi
    thanks for sharing. This made me laugh. I still get the Knock, knock – banana thing. 🙂 As well as jokes that make no sense to me but make the kids laugh uncontrollably. I just shrug. They don’t always get my sarcastic remarks either. My husband continually forgets that sarcasm is lost on children. I would love to do the Saturday party. The only problem is that we are lucky to eat by 8pm these days. We are harvesting like crazy and preserving as quickly as we can. We usually look up and say “oh crap we need to fix dinner.” LOL

    Have a great time with the kids.
    Take care!

  49. Oh, JENNY! That was one of the longest and most delightful of your posts. See what kids do for you? More, more, more, she hollered.

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Jason Quintel Harkless, better known by the stage name J-Quin, is an independent rapper, song writer, and businessman. As a product of Wilmington North Carolina, he has recently relocated to a city that became a second home for him over the past 10 years, Charlotte North Carolina, to further pursue his dream of a career in the music industry.  While building his brand and beginning to prove his worth as one of the country’s hottest MC’s, he has performed in front of some of the industries greats such as Rick Ross, The Lox & multi-platinum singer/song writer the “Dream just to name a few. J-Quin has also opened for the Bad Boys of Comedy Show featuring Tone X and Chris “Funnyman” Robinson.

Most recently, he entered and won the Sounds of the QC Hip Hop Contest for Charlotte’s new anthem. This is an opportunity that J-Quin and his team, “Quintessential Sounds” anticipate will be the launching point for the national recognition that he has diligently pursued since childhood. Keep your eyes on J-Quin and the Quintessential Sounds Movement via all social media outlets. The sky is the limit and they are on the rise.


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Wagon Wheels, Wagon Tracks

Buddha and pretty girl072715

The cycle of rebirth is like a wagon wheel. An ox is pulling the wagon. If it keeps on pulling the wagon without stop, the wagon tracks will keep on erasing the ox tracks without stop. The wagon wheels aren’t long, but they’re round. You could say that they’re long, but their length is round. We see their roundness but we don’t see their length. As long as the ox pulls without stopping, the wagon wheels turn without stopping.

On a later day the ox stops. It’s tired. It drops the yoke. The ox then goes its way, the wagon goes its way. The wagon wheels stop of their own accord. If you leave them there a long time, they disintegrate into earth, water, wind, and fire, turning back into grass and dirt.

It’s the same with people who are still making kamma: They don’t come to closure. People speaking the truth don’t come to closure. People with wrong views don’t come to closure. ~Ajahn Chah

“In Simple Terms: 108 Dhamma Similes”, by Ajahn Chah
translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 2 November 2013
Link source

Khmer Tipitaka 1 – 110

Khmer Tipitaka 1 – 110

The Tipitaka or Pali canon, is the collection of primary Pali language texts which form the doctrinal foundation of Theravada Buddhism. The three divisions of the Tipitaka are: Vinaya Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka, Abhidhamma Pitaka. ព្រះត្រៃបិដក ប្រែថា កញ្រ្ចែង ឬ ល្អី ៣ សម្រាប់ដាក់ផ្ទុកពាក្យពេចន៍នៃព្រះសម្មាសម្ពុទ្ធ

Listen to Khmer literature and Dhamma talk by His Holiness Jotannano Chuon Nath, Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia Buddhism.

As a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, so the wise are not shaken by blame and praise. As a deep lake is clear and calm, so the wise become tranquil after they listened to the truth... Good people walk on regardless of what happens to them. Good people do not babble on about their desires. Whether touched by happiness or by sorrow, the wise never appear elated or depressed… ~The Dhammapada

Should anyone wish to ridicule me and make me an object of jest and scorn why should I possibly care if I have dedicated myself to others?

Let them do as they wish with me so long as it does not harm them. May no one who encounters me ever have an insignificant contact.

Regardless whether those whom I meet respond towards me with anger or faith, may the mere fact of our meeting contribute to the fulfilment of their wishes.

May the slander, harm and all forms of abuse that anyone should direct towards me act as a cause of their enlightenment.


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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

USGS Director lays out critical need for State Geological Surveys

Marcia McNutt, Director of the USGS, told the AASG mid-year meeting attendees that the USGS needs to weigh in on the unprecedented challenges facing state geological surveys. She specifically called out the threats to shut down the Louisiana Geological Survey, saying if there was any state that has the needs for dynamic geological survey, it's Louisiana. AASG is meeting at the GSA annual meeting in Minneapolis.

Marcia said she and her senior management team are working on a strong public statement about the role and and importance of State Geological Surveys.

[cross-posted at StateGeologists.blogspot.com]

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous8:16 PM

    Nice gesture. If the USGS ever faces serious budget cuts the state geological surveys will have an opportunity to help them out.


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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Arizona landslide cited as evidence of coming doomsday

It seems like every natural disaster, geologic activity, or extreme weather event is the basis for someone to forecast the end of the world.    Last week's Bitter Springs landslide along highway US 89 in northern Arizona is being touted as evidence for a global collapse of the earth's crust.

Never mind that this looks to be a shallow seated landslide recurring in an ancient (Quaternary-aged) slide complex.

In my humble professional opinion, this landslide is not presaging any global catastrophe, although it is effectively a catastrophe for everyone trying to travel across the region.

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Saturday, May 02, 2015

Mars crater named after ASU's Ron Greeley

A large, ancient crater – nearly as wide as Arizona – now carries the name of Greeley Crater, in honor of Ron Greeley, the Mars science pioneer and longtime professor of planetary science at Arizona State University.

Ron was involved in almost every major solar system robotic mission flown since the late 1960s and advanced the study of planetary science at ASU.

The crater, which spans 284 miles, lies in Noachis Terra, the geologically oldest terrain on Mars. Although the crater's exact age is not known, the smaller impact craters superimposed on it plus its preservation state all suggest an age of at least 3.8 billion years.

It is centered just east of Mars' "Greenwich meridian" and is 37 degrees south of its equator.
Kenneth Tanaka, a planetary geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey's Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff and longtime colleague of Ron's, proposed the name, noting that it was the oldest, relatively well-preserved impact crater on Mars that remained still unnamed.
Tanaka announced the crater’s naming in his keynote talk at the 24th annual Arizona/NASA Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 17 in Tempe.

The International Astronomical Union, the world's authority for feature names on extraterrestrial bodies, formally approved the name on April 11. The union's rules require that a person must be deceased for at least three years before any commemoration can be made; Ron died in October 2011.

[this post was drawn from the announcement by ASU's  School of Earth & Space Exploration]

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COLWELL LAWRENCE, H. - Yavapai County, Arizona | H. COLWELL LAWRENCE - Arizona Gravestone Photos

Arizona Pioneer Home Cemetery
Yavapai County,

Helen (Colwell) Lawrence
b. Dec. 8, 1930, Springfield, Mo.
d. Oct. 10, 2014, Prescott, Ariz.
w/o Charles Elmer Lawrence
s/o Merle & Emma (Glasscock) Colwell

Obituary: Daily Courier, Oct. 19, 2014

Photo taken and submitted by Lee Krsiean.

Contributed on 12/6/15 by jlwight
Email This Contributor

Record #: 96855

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On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Arizona, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.

Submitted: 12/6/15 • Approved: 12/6/15 • Last Updated: 12/6/15 • R96855-G96854

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YBARRA, HENRY ALTAMIRANO - Pinal County, Arizona | HENRY ALTAMIRANO YBARRA - Arizona Gravestone Photos

Henry Altamirano YBARRA

Eloy Memorial Park Cemetery
Pinal County,

Father: Jan 23, 1925 - July 16, 2003
Mother: Oct 1, 1932 - July 14, 2003

Contributed on 4/5/16

Record #: 97746

Thank you for visiting the Arizona Gravestone Photo Project

On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Arizona, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.

Submitted: 4/5/16 • Approved: 4/5/16 • Last Updated: 4/5/16 • R97746-G97746

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The Altar - Forum

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Forum » General info » General magickal info » The Altar
The Altar
SilverVixenDate: Thursday, 2010-08-05, 11:09 PM | Message # 1
Children of Khemet {High Priestess}
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The altar is often the focus of religious ceremony, and is usually found at the center of a Wiccan rite. It’s essentially a table used for holding all of the ritual tools, and can also be used as a workspace in spell casting.
An altar is easy to make. If you have a small table that’s not being used for other things, great! Will you be doing a lot of rituals outdoors? Use an old stump or a flat stone. If you’re short on space, such as cramped apartment or dormitory quarters, consider an altar space that can be used for other purposes as well – the top of a dresser, a cedar chest, even a footlocker.
Do you live in an environment in which you’d like to keep your altar private? You may wish to just create a “portable altar” that can be put away when not in use. Find a nice box or bag to keep your tools in, and then get them out when you need them. If you have an altar cloth, it can double as a storage bag – just put all your tools in the middle, bundle them up, and tie it shut like a pouch.
You can have permanent altars that stay up year round, or seasonal ones that you change as the Wheel of the Year turns. It’s not uncommon to meet someone who has more than one altar in their home. A popular theme is the ancestor altar, which includes photos, ashes or heirlooms from deceased family members. Some people enjoy having a nature altar, on which they place interesting items they find while out and about – a rock, a pretty seashell, a chunk of wood that looks appealing. If you have children, it’s not a bad idea to let them have their own altars in their rooms, which they can decorate and re-arrange to suit their own needs. Your altar is as personal as your spiritual path, so use it to hold the things you value

So you've decided to perform your first ritual, and you're setting up an altar. Great! Now what?
It's actually pretty simple to set up a basic altar. You'll probably want to include a few things, like your magical tools, but ultimately the altar should be about functionality. It needs to be set up to help you achieve your goal. Here are the things that most traditions of Wicca and Paganism include on altars.
• Symbols of the four classical elements. Typically, these are aligned with the four cardinal directions. Use a bowl of dirt or sand in the north aspect of your altar to represent earth, a stick of incense in the east can symbolize air, a candle or charcoal in the south for fire, and water in the west.
• Candles. You can add a goddess candle and a god candle if your tradition calls for them, or you can use candles representing the four directions. Be sure to have a lighter or matches handy.
• The athame. Most Wiccans and Pagans use an athame in ritual, so you can place one on your altar.
• The wand. The wand is used to direct energy, so if you use one, keep it on your altar.
• Your Book of Shadows, or BOS. If you're going to be doing rituals, it's helpful to keep this on hand.
Add other items as needed, and as space allows. You can include whatever spell components you need, cakes and ale, and more. If you're celebrating a sabbat, you can decorate your altar for the season as well. Regardless, make sure your altar contains all you need for effective ritual work, BEFORE you begin your ceremony.
Inspiration for Your Altar
An altar is a concrete way to connect with your spiritual practice. Whether you are pantheistic, polytheistic, or fall somewhere in between, altars are spaces that can be set apart as sacred among the mundane aspects of our daily lives. They represent the macrocosmic in a microcosmic way.
Altars are as personal as their creators. There are however common setups found throughout different Pagan traditions. Specific systems such as Wiccan covens and ceremonial magic have their own way of laying out the altar and train their members in their own tradition. Some traditions place altars in certain directions such as the east or north. Here are two basic altar setups given as guidelines for solitary practitioners and groups that haven't yet developed their own altar protocol.
The Elemental Altar
The attribution of the four elements with the four directions in figure 1 below is derivative of ceremonial magic which has since inspired the altar setup of Wiccan traditions.
This is a seven-element setup as follows:
• Air in the East
• Fire in the South
• Water in the West
• Earth in the North
• Goddess/Divine Feminine
• God/Divine Masculine
• Spirit in Center
The representations of these elements can be candles or anything that is appropriate according to your practice. The traditional items associated with the four elements are seen in the four suits of the tarot and include:
• Sword for Air
• Wand for Fire
• Cup for Water
• Pentacle for Earth
It is common to use the items above to represent the elements and candles for each direction, the god, goddess, and spirit. Other variations include statues for the deities, a cauldron for the cup or as the goddess, and using a dagger in place of a sword for air. Again, this is up to the individual.
Altar Variations
Both altars can be added on to with extra candles, seasonal tools, crystals, and incense. Altar cloths are commonly used appropriate for the season or altar subject. You can build your own altar table if you are so inclined. Inexpensive purchased table, chair, dresser, tree stump or stone serve the purpose as well as laying the altar cloth on the floor during ritual with the items placed on it.
In some traditions, ritual tools including the altar are meant to be stored when not in use. This doesn't have to be the case with your personal altars. In fact, having a devotional shrine in a safe corner is an easy way to encourage daily ritual andprayer in your practice. Jewelry and other items can be placed on your altar for blessing and then used in ritual and magic. Altars are an excellent way for you to creatively connect with different aspects of your personal practice, your gods, and spirit.

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September 29, 2012

The Four Best Moving Averages: Part 2 - Feel the Mood of the Market

The Four Best Moving Averages: Part 2 - Feel the Mood of the Market

The Market Mood

The market consists of individuals with their own dreams, hope and wishes. Therefore, the price action reflected the market mood. We have to understand the market, but not necessarily master it.

Always remember that we can only control ourselves.

This is the second part of my post on the Four Best Moving Averages. Previously, I have already explained the first two of the moving averages which are the EMAs: 8 and 21. They provide a good view about the immediate market trend and levels of the nearest supports and resistances.

The EMAs itself is enough to show you the trend of the market. However, to understand the market better you need to equipped yourself with these two SMAs (Simple Moving Averages).

SMA 89 and SMA 200 - The Market Mood Reader

Simple Moving Averages in Action

Remind yourself, the market consists of you, me, other traders and yes.. the brokers. So it is fundamentally important to understand how the human minds works.

How do you react upon losing extravagant amount of money?

What will you do when you cash out the 1000+ pips profit?

What do you feel?

Just reading it, you know more than me that trading requires an understanding how our brain perceives our trading endeavor.

The SMA 89 made it simple for you to be a market mind reader. It is as simple as this: When the price is below the SMA 89 then the market mood is bearish. When the price is above the SMA 89 then the market mood is bullish.

Again, not just because the price are below or above the SMA89 then you go long or short.

The SMA 200 is the territory separator between the bullish and the bearish. It shows the fundamental trend of the market. It is most useful when you are setting the target for longer term trading.

What Happens When They Met?

The SMAs are represented by the thick red and blue line above. Notice that if they narrow together and the price is moving between them, then we can say that the market will be oscillating between the SMAs. It is most advised that we stay out of the market when this happens.

Did I say that the moving averages may provide the support and resistance? While it is like so, I recommend you to read again and again about the support and resistance.

If you would like to read more about this four moving averages, you may go to the Forex Factory and search for the 4Hour MACD strategy thread by Philip Nel. There you will find a vast amount of how to use the moving averages in a complete manner.

Until then,

Enjoy your weekend.

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About ArrowFX

Technically analyze the forex market mainly on USDJPY, EURUSD and GBPUSD by using market rhythm method started by Philip Nel on Forex Factory. The thread started on 2007 and still alive.
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Sunday, March 21, 2010

Cognitivism in Practice

Cognitive learning theory is based on the fact that students process information in a variety of ways. Our goal as educators is to get them to move that information past their short term memory and into their long term sector. Creating memorable experiences will help this to take place. In this week’s learning resources I found that a concept map is great technological and cognitive tool to help my students organize information in a suitable fashion. Similarly, using Paivio’s Dual Coding Hypothesis, it is important for me to link ideas with pictures and images to enhance the learning process (Laureate 2009). I found this exciting and relatable because I am a visual arts teacher and this is something I already feel very strongly about.
To see a concept map for a virtual field trip that I recently created for my students about artist Chuck Close, go

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author

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Thursday, January 8, 2009

Who's Your Favorite Author?

First of all, Ghost Notes has been discounted 10% at Amazon.

Why? I don't know, but I like it.

So, I'm finishing In Search of Lost Time this month.

What's In Search of Lost Time?

It's a seven-part novel written by a Frenchman named Marcel Proust.

Marcel was kind of a freak boy. He grew up in what we might call the upper-middle class as the 19th turned into the 20th century, had a lot of leisure time, spent a lot of time in "society," was most likely gay, and spent the second half of his short, unhappy life in a cork-lined room writing a seven-part novel.

A hard novel to navigate, In Search of Lost Time. It spans something like 3,500 pages, which at times feels like 350,000, but the rewards therein are manifold.

It took me the better part of four years to complete it, but I loved it. The guy's now one of my all-time favs.

This is kind of the top of the mountain of literature for me, and now I'm looking for new authors to give a try on my casual descent.

In spending so much time delving into authors of Christmas Past, I've acquired a certain amount of guilt for neglecting authors of Christmas Present.

Especially since I am an author of Christmas Present.

So, I'm asking you for your recommendations. Can you tell me what to read?

Here's what I like:

Novels; not NF or memoirs.

My taste leans literary, but I'd be happy to read a genre novel with good use of language.

Anything with a rock 'n' roll backdrop is good, but hardly necessary.

The male perspective is a plus, but again, hardly necessary.

Last requirement: I need it to be from the 21st century; in other words, I'd like to support current novelists. Nothing could make me happier than for you to point me toward a contemporary fiction writer whose work I could fall in love with.

A few hints: I've liked at least some of the work of the following contemporaries:

This list is very American, but your recommendation need not be.

So, something literary is a pretty good guess with me, but if you love a genre writer who can craft language, I'd love to know of it.

Feel free to include your recommendations as a comment, or you can email me, if that suits you. I'll report my findings here.

Yours in laying down the blog,

Buy Ghost Notes

Buy Songs from Memory

Buy Stuck Outside of Phoenix

Erin said...

Lately I'm all about Celine. Just finished "Death on the Installment Plan" and loved it. I know you dig Vonnegut a lot, as do I. Not sure if you've read him, but I highly recommend Will Self too...Especially "Great Apes."

Art Edwards said...

Celine, yes! He's been recommended to me before, but I forgot about him. Sounds good and dark and twisted.

I remember seeing the cover of Great Apes, but never paid much heed to it for some reason.

Both will go into my Powell's cart.

chris chin said...

Hey Art ! If you like your Novels with suspense, mystery and a bit of class and intelligence, then you should check out the Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child books. It's a team, but they also write individually.

Specifically, I would say the ones involving Special Agent Pendergast. It's quite a series, though not always connected. And if you do I would start from the beginning with Relic.

Overall, I believe there are about 8 books with Pendergast and each one is a page turner. Not really any musical background, except one of the books involves a quite rare musical instrument.

Anyway, you can check them out at Amazon or some other book site, but here are the books I would recommend in order:

The Cabinet of Curiosities
Still Life with Crows
Brimstone <----
Dance of Death <---- Trilogy
The Book of the Dead <----
The Wheel of Darkness

Art Edwards said...

Sounds great, Chris. I will start with Relic.

Authors I've forgotten about, others I've never heard of, this is exactly what I'd hoped for.

Keep 'em coming.

Diana said...

Well, I've always thought Dr. Seuss was quite the wordsmith, Kipling's pretty good too. :0) but in all seriousness does it ever get tiresome reading books that are about something? Have you ever tried reading a book to just escape? It's always nice to learn about other people's trials and tribulations and how they dealt with it, but what about reading a book that takes you to another land? Try Cupid and Psyche by C.S. Lewis, he's quite the wordsmith if I do say so myself.

Tonissa said...

I've spent a great deal of time with 18th century literature and have just recently delved into the present. Here's some books I fell head over heels for:
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
You Shall Know our Velocity by Dave Eggers
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

Happy reading!!

Art Edwards said...

Velocity is already in my cart, along with What is the What.

I've read Chabon and just didn't love it. I don't know why. My loss.

And I'll look into Pessl.

Never been a sci-fi/fantasy reader, although I loved D&D as a kid.

And Dr. Seuss is amazing.


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Saturday, May 18, 2013

Rheumatoid Arthritis Development

Chronic inflammatory disease that causes joint swelling, pain and stiffness is addressed Rheumatoid Arthritis also known as RA. Do not confuse RA with another model Arthritis known as OsteoArthritis. RA is caused by an autoimmune disorder exactly where OsteoArthritis is due to the damage we put on our joints as we grow old.

It is important to remember that Rheumatoid Arthritis is attributed to our immune system obtaining cells in our joints that aren't invaders, but are seen as such by proof. This is why stage system an autoimmune disease, it simply means that bodies are attacking itself.

There isn' cure for Arthritis, but there are Treatments that can be used to alleviate the annoying associated with it consume a have a pain without a doubt nothing happy lifestyle. The use of Rheumatoid Arthritis medicine is functional. We are going to look at the various different types available against you.

When it comes to selecting the best medicine to help on the net, you need to bear in mind that there are only four different categories of Arthritis medications.

These touch analgesics, NSAIDs, glucocorticoids (or steroids) issue anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Most often these Rheumatoid Arthritis medicines are used in the middle of one another therefore it is very important that you talk into a doctor about your Treatment techniques.

The first line of medicines that are usually prescribed are the NSAIDs which are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. They are experienced at treat the inflammation and pain your own inflammation. They do not prevent or stop to halt to the joint. We are all aware these medications they possess a: Aspirin, Anacin, Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) for example. These are over the surface medicines (OTC) that around for years.

They are typically taken orally, every 4 to 6 hours. Depending on the potency of the medicine and the stage of your RA will determine the effectiveness of the OTC medicines.

There are also prescriptions NSAIDs and these include: Feldene, Flurbiprofen, Relafen, Voltaren and Clinoril for example. Doctors have also discovered that using COX2 inhibitors which block the production of COX-2 enzymes selectively help decrease the soreness and provide effective relief with few secondary effects. The most popular is of course Celebrex.

Most often it has the NSAIDs used in conjunction with the DMARDs to achieve strong relief. The DMARDs stop the production of cells in the defense system that causes pain and constantly swelling. The DMARDs offers the most hope to RA people, because if the disease is caught in good time and these meds are started early that it can put RA into remission.

DMARDs are all purely available by prescription and a few of their names are: Imuran, Arava, Methotrexate, Hydroxchloroquine issue Sulfasalazine. In order to evaluate these medicines they all require blood attempt to be done to monitor the potential side effects. Depending on the medicine and the route los angeles injury lawyers taken either orally and even injected will dictate those types of side effects that you experience with the DMARDs.

There have been many concerned patients that tend to have taken these medicines that contain worried about the negative effects and the long reputation effect the medicine would have on them.

Studies throughout the years have shown that DMARDs are very effective in treating RA and that clearly associated with any of all of the Rheumatoid Arthritis medicines are planning uncommon, part of due to the fact the fact that there does exist frequent lab tests carried out to monitor and control risking potential any side effect. First of all DMARDs were thought to merely be good for near future Treatment, however now they are regarded among the best long terms Treatment people patients have.

The next set of medications to that treat RA is most likely the steroids. Also known once the corticosteroids, these are only used by extreme cases of infection and sever pain. Prednisone is a very commonly used steroid. Prednisone is taken orally or by injection with the joint. Prednisone is normally titrated down in dose when taken orally and must be treated titrated down. It never recommended that whenever you are put on a steroid Treatment and in what ways stop it.

Steroids also come with their own group of side effects that make most sufferers unhappy, including weight gain and what's called the "moon face". These secondary effects generally go away just after stopping the medicine. Prednisone is very effective though in helping relieved pain and swelling in extraordinary instances.

There are many available options to people who suffer with RA. Your options range from over the counter medicines to prescriptions. They have personally minimal side effects and they are effective. Talk to a medical doctor and plan your Treatment synergistically.

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America saves for the future

April 03, 2007|By Becky Leonard Extension Educator/Family Consumer Sciences Spink County

By Becky Leonard Extension Educator/Family Consumer Sciences Spink County REDFIELD - "If I had the money I'd be saving!" That is common response when it comes to financial savings. This week, Sally Park-Hageman, SDSU Extension Educator - FCS shares some ideas to help change that response to "I'm saving for the future!" How can those not currently saving find the money to start saving? Those who feel they do not have enough income to start saving can use some saving tips. Here are some ways to save to get you started or to increase your savings efforts: - Save your loose change - even fifty cents a day during the year will add up to 40% of a $500 emergency fund.

  • Keep track of your spending. Each month review your purchases and ask yourself if you could better use some of your money in an emergency savings account.
  • Never purchase expensive items on impulse. Try a 24-hour cooling-off period. Ask yourself if this purchase reflects your values and long-term goals. This practice will help you have fewer regrets on unnecessary purchases.
  • Get into using cash or paying with a debit card rather than a credit card. If you don't have the money, you cannot overspend. This may also save you interest charges, which means more money for emergency savings.
  • Identify something in your food budget that you can give up or substitute a lower costing item (i.e., instead of a latte, drink a cup of regular coffee or tea). Bringing lunch to work, eating out fewer times in a month, and sticking to your shopping list can help you save hundreds of dollars annually.
  • Keep your check registry up so you will not bounce checks. The $20 to $30 overdraft fees will add up quickly in the emergency savings.
  • Reduce your credit card debt by $1000 and that will save you about $150 to $200 in interest a year. Make all payments on time to avoid late fees. Use only ATMs sponsored by your bank or credit union to save withdrawal fees.
  • Use the "Rule of 3"- shop for the best buy for all major purchases (items or services) from three different sources.
  • Reduce transportation expenses. Keep your car tuned up and tires inflated to their proper pressure. Shop around for gas and insurance. Avoid fast start-ups and stops; travel at the speed that gives you the best gas mileage.
  • Get a free or low-cost energy audit of your home to find ways to reduce home heating and cooling each year. Keep in mind that a payback period of less than three years can save you lots of money in the long run. Are you getting the urge to save money? For more ways to save go online to tip.asp. America Saves is a nationwide effort to reach individuals and institutions to increase awareness that people (all of us) need to save money, reduce debt, and build wealth. America Saves Week is February 25-March 3. Join in and make changes that will increase your personal security by increasing your savings and/or reducing your debt, and to build your resources for future use.

Aberdeen News Articles


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Peninsula District Success Not Unusual

4 Playoff Teams Are No `Surprise'

November 17, 1993|By MIKE KEECH Daily Press

A recent caller, relatively new to the area, was impressed with the caliber of Peninsula District football after seeing some games.

He wondered if this season was typical or unusual in that regard. In a word, the answer was typical.

Warwick High head coach Bill Lyons, a veteran of 13 Peninsula District seasons, elaborated when asked the same question. His answer represented the consensus of his colleagues in the district.

``The district was as competitive as I've ever seen it,'' Lyons said. ``There were eight teams that could beat anybody on a given night. You could see it in the close bunching of the quarterbacks in the final statistics.

``I wasn't surprised that four teams made the playoffs. That has happened before since we went to two divisions in 1986. I've always said the best football in the state is played right here. I haven't changed my mind.''

Records and power ratings from around the state support that contention.

The top six teams in the Peninsula District combined for a 44-16 overall record. That was easily the best mark among the state's 12 Group AAA districts with at least six teams.

Only the Southeastern District was close at 40-20. Nobody else had more than 38 victories.

The top five Peninsula finishers went 38-12, better than any of the state's four Group AAA districts with five teams. Only the 8-team Southeastern District matched the Peninsula's 38-12 mark for its top five teams.

The Eastern Region's four Division 5 playoff teams, including Kecoughtan, Phoebus and Hampton from the Peninsula, had the highest power ratings among the state's four regions in that Division.

Lyons admits the overall talent pool fluctuates from year to year.

``There weren't as many individual stars this season in the district, especially on defense,'' he said. ``But there were more teams with outstanding defenses.

``This was a very good year for offensive linemen, after a down year in 1992.''

This is the second year the Peninsula has had four playoff teams. The first time was in 1990 when Hampton, Kecoughtan, Phoebus and Warwick made it. The district just missed having four last year when Phoebus stayed home despite an 8-2 record. Bethel, Hampton and Denbigh went.

The district has had at least two playoff representatives every year since the split division format began in 1986.

Quality coaching and continuity among coaching staffs has keyed the district's repeated success.

Mike Smith has guided Hampton to 17 consecutive playoff appearances. Bill Dee has directed Phoebus to five appearances in eight years. Curt Newsome's Kecoughtan Warriors are making their third trip since his arrival in 1987.

Lyons' teams have gone to the playoffs three times, and Dennis Kozlowski has led Bethel there four times.

Tom Jacob, in his fifth season, has Menchville in the playoffs for the first time in school history. Bob Schmidt did the same thing for Denbigh in his third year there last season.

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YOU ARE HERE: Glendale HomeCollections

Feinstein gets comfortable with Pasadena Pops Orchestra

Gershwin expert finesses new interpretations from the composer's indelible songbook.

September 18, 2013|By Lynne Heffley
  • Michael Feinstein during his debut performance as conductor of the Pasadena POPS at the Los Angeles County Arboretum during the Pasadena POPS 2013 Summer Concert Series on Saturday, June 1, 2013 in Arcadia, Calif.
Michael Feinstein during his debut performance as conductor… (Photo by Libby Cline )

After being named successor to the late Marvin Hamlisch as principal conductor of the Pasadena Pops Orchestra, Michael Feinstein, a then-novice at conducting, studied up on the craft. But there's nothing like practical experience. That's what this renowned interpreter of the Great American Songbook got over the summer, conducting three outdoor Pops concerts at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens in Arcadia.

If nerves were apparent during Feinstein's first, otherwise delightful concert in June, they were much less so at his second in July and nowhere in evidence on his third and final concert of the season, “Michael Feinstein: The Gershwins and Me,” on Sept. 7. Inspired by his book of the same name, the concert fell, coincidentally, on Feinstein's birthday.

True, with nothing but Gershwin on the program, Ira Gershwin's former assistant-turned-stellar performer was in his natural element; but it is clear that Feinstein has now relaxed fully into deft and engaging conductor mode.

At ease with both audience and the orchestra, Feinstein provided salient points about the history of each piece on the program, told loosely related stories (“because I'm in my anecdotage”), tossed in humorous asides, unrepentant puns and offered this heartfelt observation: “For me to interpret Gershwin in a way I never have before,” he said, “is a dream come true.”

Following the orchestra's surprise pre-show “Happy Birthday” sing-along for Feinstein, the evening opened with the premiere of the overture to the 1945 Warner Bros. Gershwin biopic, “The Rhapsody in Blue.” This lush arrangement by Ray Heindorf, cut from the film, included themes from “Embraceable You,” “I Got Rhythm,” Lady Be Good” and other Gershwin classics. As it swept into Gershwin's iconic “Rhapsody in Blue,” melody rising in the night with piercing sweetness, the entire orchestra — again led by exceptional concertmaster Aimee Kreston — demonstrated the graceful authority and cohesion that would distinguish Feinstein's entire evening on the podium.

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County officials plead for interchange project

November 14, 1996

Staff Writer

Washington County officials complained to state transportation officials Thursday about the lack of funding to improve the congested Interstate 81 and Halfway Boulevard interchange while work has been expedited on an interchange elsewhere for Allegheny Power.

"I don't know of any project in this county that has as high a priority," county Public Works Director Gary Rohrer said of the Halfway Boulevard interchange.

The county has been seeking funds for the $9 million project for about seven years, Rohrer told Maryland Transportation Deputy Secretary Thomas L. Osborne, State Highway Administrator Parker Williams and other officials.

He called his remarks "a plea for help."

While "major industry" is moving into the Hopewell Road area and using the Halfway Boulevard interchange, another highway interchange project at Interstate 70 and Downsville Pike, which will serve Allegheny Power, has received construction funding, Rohrer said.

"There's nothing at Allegheny Power except their corporate offices," he said.

Gov. Parris Glendening expedited work on the Downsville Pike interchange, Del. Robert A. McKee, R-Washington, said.

The state has allotted $13.7 million for construction on the Downsville Pike interchange, expected to be finished by the fall of 1999, state officials said.

With all the development planned for Hopewell Road, "gridlock is our real concern" at the Halfway Boulevard interchange, Rohrer said.

Williams said that a $1.4 million engineering study on the Halfway Boulevard interchange is about 30 percent done.

So far, the county has borne all the costs of improvements in the Hopewell Road area, Rohrer said.

"Further expenses will have to be shared with the developers," County Administrator Rodney M. Shoop said.

The county is working on a formula to charge them, he said.

Osborne said the state is more likely to place emphasis on a project that is jointly funded by the county and developers because such partnerships save the state money.

The transportation officials were in Washington County to present the state's $4.8 billion draft transportation plan for the next six years. They visit all 23 counties and Baltimore City every fall seeking comment on the draft plan and make a report to the General Assembly in January.

In Washington County, the plan includes:

n more than $4.1 million in safety and resurfacing projects to portions of Md. 34, Md. 494 and Interstates 70 and 81.

n about $4.7 million to rehabilitate the Md. 34 bridge over the Potomac River and the Interstate 70 bridge over Hopewell Road.

The state officials presented a replica of a check to Washington County for $496,000, the local portion of highway user revenues.

It was not clear when the funds would actually be available.

Commissioners President Gregory I. Snook said the county will use the money for road and bridge construction and maintenance.

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