This was written 5 years ago.  I love it.

A conversation between Tyler (age 10) and his mother: We were at the Point Pleasant Boardwalk, and came upon a huge sand sculpture on the beach, dedicated to the restoration of the Jersey Shore. Only the top of the sculpture was visible, as it was walled off, with an entrance farther down the walkway. Tyler wanted to go inside the display, and was clamoring for his mother to allow him to do so. Tyler: Mom, I'm going in there to see it. Kristin: No, Tyler, you're not. Tyler: Yeah, I want to. Kristin: No, Tyler. T: But Mom, I want to. K: Tyler, I said, "no". T: Why not? I want to. K: Tyler, no. I have no idea how you get in, no idea how you get out, and no idea who else is in there. T: But I want to! K: TYLER, NO! I SAID NO, AND IF YOU DON'T STOP, WE CAN JUST LEAVE! T: Aww, Mom, you don't care anything about me! Lynn and I looked at each other and laughed, remembering the many, many similar conversations we had with Kristin and her sisters.

I am Back (I Think)

Hello Folks,

I think I may be back to the blogging world.  Now that my grandchildren are old enough to have blogs, it seems like it might be time to resurrect my writings.  I had to spend some time on housekeeping - figuring out how to log in again, changing my password of course, changing my profile picture, and editing the personal information.

I am preparing to go back to work, for my 26th, 27th, or 28th year, depending on whose record keeping to believe.  I am just as excited about it as I was 26 or 27 or 28 years ago, which is, I imagine, a good thing.  I have perused my class list, sent out a welcome letter, written plans for the first couple of weeks, searched computer files for documents relating to each subject, and put some thought into rearranging the classroom.  At some point, I will go into the school and put the thoughts into practice.

It has been a good/stressful/fun/busy/productive summer, the appropriate adjective changing on a moment by moment basis, depending on circumstances.  While I am not anxious to see the season end, I am willing to accept the inevitable and embrace the coming year.

There have been many changes in our lives over the past year or so since my last post, and while none have been earth shattering, all play a role in the shaping of our lives.  I wallow in the the things over which I have no control - such as the world and country situations - and try to address the things over which I do have control - such as health concerns and organizational strategies.  Baby steps.

Here's to the last few weeks of summer.  Cheers!

Repost of "Friends"

I have been thinking about cleaning out the "friends" list on my FaceBook account. I have a lot of friends, and to be honest, I probably have more friends than I deserve. As I go through the list, though, I am not sure I am able to justify deleting people from my life. There are some people that I don't really know well, in fact, some I have never met. They may be friends of friends, who liked a post of mine, and requested my friendship. I thought about deleting some of them, but clearly, something drew us together, so for now, I'll keep it as is.

There are people that I disagree with politically, (very seriously, politically), but I didn't become friends with people because of politics, we connected for an entirely different reason. I'm not going to delete them. There are people that I disagree with socially. I don't approve of their lifestyle, and I wish they would get their act together and do what I think is right, but again, they are friends for an entirely different reason, so I'm not going to delete them.

Some people are filled with angst and enjoy spreading drama around the airwaves. Sometimes I find that annoying, but obviously there is a need for them to do that. It doesn't hurt me, and if it becomes too bothersome, that is what the scroll button is for.

I am bothered by some posts. Some people post many, many pictures of poor starving dogs and cats, and sometimes animals that have been cruelly abused. I have done my share of animal rescue. I despise people who abuse animals, and if I could adopt more dogs and cats who need a home, I would. I have taken to quickly scrolling through those posts, so as not to see things that literally give me nightmares. I am not always happy about seeing pictures of injured, ill, or abused children who need kidney transplants, prayers, or "likes" to help them get well. I will admit to a sense of skepticism when I read them, and I refuse to repost them. I feel the same way about missing children. It may or may not be true that if I repost such, they will be found, but I tend to believe not. I'm sorry. I'm cynical that way, even if I am admonished to do this "because if it was my child, I would want this reposted".

I will admit, though that I did remove two accounts. Why? These ladies are deceased, and I'm pretty sure they aren't going to be communicating through FaceBook. Just as an aside, when I am no longer earthly, would somebody please remind my husband to delete my account? He will have no idea what my password is, so please tell him to ask one of our daughters.  I'll meet up with you guys some other time and place, just not on FaceBook.

Repost of "Wrestling"

A repost from 2 and a half years ago:

So last weekend, we went to our first wrestling match ever.  No, make that our second.  About 10 years ago, we visited our oldest daughter and family in NJ, and Scott, our son-in-law was coaching a high school wrestling match.  We went to Red Bank Regional School, and watched Scott do an awesome job guiding his team to a victory.  However, this was the first one I have ever seen that had little people I love participating in it.

I wasn't sure I would like it, and I'm still not 100% convinced that I am a fan, but to be honest, it was kind of fun.  I am even less sure if I approve of females wrestling, but at these very young ages, I can't help but think that they might be learning skills that will serve them well as they grow up.

We enjoyed it.  Baylee's group, the 6 and under gang (she turned 6 a week ago) went first.  Two little ones would battle it out like baby wild animals, and after a few rounds, a winner would be declared.  Andrew's group, the 7 and 8 year olds would go next, and with possibly a teensy bit more decorum would do the same.  The 9 and 10 year old group, and the 11 and 12 year old group would follow, and as they got older, you could see that the skills were becoming more embedded.

I was surprised to see that even the littlest ones were beginning to understand the rules of form - they would raise their bodies from the mat, attempt to turn themselves in a way that would allow them to disengage from a hold, and straighten out their legs as they thought about what their next move should be.  You could actually see the wheels turning in those brains, as they tried to remember what their coaches had taught them. 

We were most impressed with the coach of Andrew and Baylee's team.  He gave them encouragement every step of the way, spoke kindly to them, pointed out nicely what they needed to work on, and hugged them.  Neither Andrew nor Baylee, nor any of the kids on their team, as far as I could see, cried when they lost a match, or bragged when they won a match.  Not so for some of the other teams, 2 in particular.  Almost every child on those two teams sobbed if they lost, and did a goofy dance if they took the match.  Poor sportsmanship from an early age will certainly lead to the kind of trouble and behavior that we don't need in this society.

Neither of them know whether or not they will continue in wrestling next year.  If they do, though, we will be there to support them.

 

My Current Relationship

This is the first post from a Pinterest entry, which gives 30 days of topics to write about. Good starting points. Lynn and I have been married for 37 years. One of the most interesting points about this is that the length of time from when we met until we got married was about 8 weeks. Also interesting was the number of people who suggested that our marriage absolutely would not last. Lastly, there were at least a few people who gleefully assumed that we would have "preemie" baby, which is why we got married so sort of suddenly. We fooled them, however, and were married 11 months when the baby was born. In a lot of ways, we grew up together. We weren't particularly young, but oh, were we immature! Our knowledge of baby tending was learned pretty much on the job, and I will say that having 3 kids in 5 years helped us grow up quickly. In retrospect, I wouldn't trade Lynn for anybody else. To be sure, we had our setbacks, and we certainly haven't seen eye to eye on everything. But, we've always supported each other - through jobs, schooling, sick children, job losses, broken down automobiles, parents, house repairs, and money issues. As we look back, we have a lot to be proud of. Our 3 little babies are now beautiful grown up women who are educated, intelligent, caring, and wonderful moms and wives. Our rundown, in-need of repair house is paid for, and in spite of its faults, is home, a cozy respite from the sometimes cruel world. The jobs we have held throughout the years have, in many ways, allowed us to give back to the community. Our pets seem to live extraordinary long (sometimes too long). Together, we took care of his mother and my grandmother, and now are working to take care of my mom. Our relationship is perfect for us.

I finally went on line today, to look at the ELA scores of my soon to be 4th grade students. As predicted, the results were abysmally low, but in relation to every other student in the state, were commensurate. First, it should be noted that if 30 to 40 points were added to every score of every student in every county, they would match the last 17 years of testing. If I ranked my students from high to low, and made a general prediction of how well they would have done, I would have been pretty near the mark, in both ELA and math. My students who did very well in class did very well (proportionally) on the tests, and the students who did less well in class did less well on the tests. There were a few good scores, but many, many fewer than in previous years, and this would lead one to believe that there was a whole lot of nothing going on in classrooms across New York state. Not true. We had other ways of assessing students, and these methods proved all along that what we do is important. Here's how we know that we actually have a lot to be proud of: One of our measures, used to contribute to the teacher evaluation score, is a local assessment called AIMS WEB, which measure progress in reading comprehension, math computation, and math comprehension. Enough of my students improved at the necessary (predicted) rate, allowing most of us teachers to receive a 20 out of 20 for that part of their rating. A reading comprehension and skills test taken at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year (same test) showed huge leaps in understanding. Ditto for a math pre and post test. Weekly and unit test scores that go along with our reading series also showed significant growth in understanding. They learned to love to read (at least most of them did), learned a lot of math facts, and found that they were very interested in how things work (science), and in the story of us (social studies). Test scores aside, all you have to do is look at a group of kids to know that they are learning. My students took education seriously, understood the rules of behavior and consequence, and treated adults and other students with respect. They became self-directed learners, knowing without being told what needed to be done when they accomplished a particular task. They learned how to follow schedules, how to be part of a group, and how to wait their turn without making a fuss and drawing attention to themselves. They could amuse themselves for a period of time on the playground, and learned that if they were having a bad day with friends or classmates, that it wouldn't last long, because that's the way kids are. They learned to help each other, to help themselves, and to believe that if they tried hard enough, even difficult things could be accomplished. When they entered my classroom in the fall, some of them still months away from turning 8 years old, they were essentially second graders, heading into an unknown world filled with higher expectations, real number grades, and the knowledge on the part of the teachers, that they would soon become much more independent. By June 21st, their achievements had occurred in leaps and bounds, amazingly. No matter what their test scores are, I am proud of each and every single one of my students, for I know that in this world of high stakes testing, they are champions.

It's Been A While

I just realized that it's been quite a while since I posted an entry. I think about it, and tell myself that I really should sit down and write something, but I then I notice that I am too busy, or too tired, or just don't feel like it, or that I REALLY need to beat the next level of "Candy Crush". "I'll get to it later", I say to myself. I don't, though. However, now that it's summer, and I supposedly have all of this time on my hands, there is no reason for me not to be doing some writing. After all, I tell myself, that were I not a teacher, I would like to be a writer. Also, and this is just an aside, I realize that I think like a writer. When someone says something to me, or when my grandchildren do something adorable, or my husband does something annoying, I find that I am framing the event as if I were going to write about it. There are lots of stories that I would like to tell, and someday, I will tell the very important ones that impact my life. For now, though, I will just tell the ones that I am thinking about at the moment. Stay tuned.

The Problem With Education

Teachers are getting quite a bad rap these days. Everybody seems to know that any time children don't do well in school, it is the fault of the teacher, and it is because teachers make too much money, have too much time off, and have little to do when they are at work. I must admit, that even within the ranks of teachers, there is some of that backbiting. High school teachers insist that elementary schools are just places where babysitting takes place, and elementary teachers insist that high school personnel have little to do except to prepare for one class a day, and teach it over and over again. Middle schools? That's just where kids hang out once they've gotten through those lower grades, and aren't ready for high school yet. I have some ideas about education, though. Teachers have long known that while we are important in the education spectrum, the most critical learning takes place at home. I'm not suggesting that parents become educators and follow the curriculum. No. The lessons children need to learn consist of the following: taking school and education seriously. My daughter pointed out to me the other day that the Top 10 students in our local school district, as well as the Top 10 students in a neighboring school district all came from 2-parent homes. In each and every instance, the children's parents were referred to as Him and Her Blankenspot. Every single one of the 20 top students in 2 neighboring districts have parents who are married to each other and live in the same home in which the child resides. I realize that this is an anomoly, and that there are many circumstances that arise in which this is not possible. But what a level of commitment that shows.

A Baylee Story

Here's one of the many reasons I love my granddaughter, Baylee. First, I need to say that she is truly a descendant of feisty female relatives, as anybody who knows us can attest to. Yesterday, she proved the point in a mighty fashion.

Adrianne and the kids were over when Kerri, Mike and Benjamin were here. As was my mother. For dinner, pizza and wings were the menu, as requested by the transplanted Maryland folks, and because our living room is small, we got the kids' little table out. Baylee was bringing out one of the little folding chairs, and my mother told her to let her help. Baylee informed Nana (politely) that she didn't need help, and could do it herself. This annoyed Nana, who waggled her finger at Baylee, and told her not to get snippy with her. So Baylee refolded the chair, carried it back into the other room, and told Nana that she could bring the chair out herself. This did NOT please my mother, who refused to do so, thus proving Baylee's point.

Judging Others

I have a very short-lived obsession these days. Fortunately, I think I’m getting over it, because I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to stand myself if I didn’t.
The obsession is with judge shows, “Judge Judy” and the like, where (stupid) people bring their (petty) problems out into the open, so that (real?) judges can react with varying amounts of humor. Almost always, the judge finds for the person who has been the least wronged, because, I’m assuming, there is some common sense involved.
I wonder if this is what might be contributing to wrongness in our society. In just the past few days, I’ve seen a man suing his nephew for money owed, a woman suing a man for money owed, a woman suing another woman for money owed, etc. It seems that nobody has the sense to sign contracts, read contracts, keep track of the amount owed, or realize that, “Hey! I owe somebody money. I should probably pay it so the sheriffs don’t come to my workplace and embarrass me. Then, I might have to go on TV and prove, in front of millions of people, that I really am an idiot, and that I didn’t pay my uncle the money I owe him.”
On most of these shows, the people who show up to be judged are ignorant. For example, they call the judge, “Judy”, or “Alex”, instead of “Your Honor”. Also, they talk while the judge is talking, talk while the other ignorant person is talking, use poor grammar, and bring up issues that have nothing to do with the present concern.
Here’s why I wonder about the microcosm of society: So often, people are hesitant to take the blame for things they have done wrong. So often, people say one thing, and then do something completely antithetical to what they claimed. So often, to get ahead, people point out what others have or haven’t done, and most important of all, people refuse to use even a modicum of common sense.
I am so glad I am over this obsession.

Our House

Our house is not much to look at. It's small, has a relatively inefficient heating system, sits pretty close to a main road, and could use a fair amount of work. The plumbing leaks, the layout is crud, and well, it's just a house. One bathroom. Small, sloping yard. No pool. A detached garage with huge holes in the roof. Right now, the bathroom is in such a sorry state that we decided not to invite friends over for New Year's Eve. We don’t travel much, partly because we’re homebodies, and partly because it’s expensive and time-consuming. We'll never be wealthy, money-wise, but we have enough to live on.

We're lucky, though. We're warm (though sometimes a sweatshirt is in order). We're dry, thanks to the new roof. We're close to stores, close to our jobs, and since we're not too fussy, it's easy to maintain.

The other night, when I couldn't sleep, I wandered around the house. The Christmas lights were still on, so it looked pretty, and everywhere I went, there was a cat snoozing on some surface or other. It wasn't a cold night, so I wasn't shivering, and as I looked out the front window, I could see the slumbering town in which we successfully raised our 3 daughters. I realized how fortunate we are, probably more so than many other people. We'll never be wealthy, money-wise, but we have enough to live on. Our daughters have been successfully launched on the world, and are doing their parts, with the help of wonderful spouses, to do the same with their children. We have family we adore, jobs we enjoy, friends we love, a church filled with awesome folks, and pets to drive us crazy. We can afford to eat decently, dress decently, enjoy time with others and even help those less fortunate than we are.

Life is truly what you make of it. Blessings to all.

Teacher Bashing

There’s a lot of teacher bashing going on these days. People complain about how much money we make, how much time we have off, how little time we actually spend in the classroom, etc., etc., etc. I understand these perceptions to a point. If you’re not a teacher, or married to one, or maybe a parent or a child of one, you may not know about the intense amount of preparation that goes into becoming a teacher. You may not know that by the time you become a permanently certified teacher, you have logged thousands of hours of college classes, and thousands of dollars of your own money. That you have studied, and researched, and written papers, and met with professors, and spent many weeks in a number of classrooms to help prepare you for the day you stand in front of a group of children and welcome them into your life for the next 10 months.

But I’m not here to talk about that. I’m here to talk about something that most teachers are very good at, and which often annoys, and sometimes angers parents. Actually, it’s something that often annoys relatives of teachers as well. I’m here to talk about common sense, and making connections. Some years ago, when my oldest daughter was in 5th grade, she played the flute. She was a good musician, and playing the instrument came pretty easily and naturally to her. With a minimum of extreme effort, she played first flute in elementary school, even sitting in the first chair for quite a time. When she arrived home from her first day at middle school, she was in quite a snit; it seems she had had to audition for her new music teacher, and after the audition, she was told that she would definitely not be sitting in the first chair. Her practicing over the summer had consisted of a quick rehearsal for a piece she would play in church, and the playing of said piece in church.

“Your teacher has a Master’s degree in music education”, I said to her. “Did you think she wouldn’t notice that you didn’t play over the summer?”

Here’s what I mean by making connections: When your child seems tired and unable to concentrate, it is quite likely that I am going to assume that he isn’t getting to bed at a reasonable hour on a regular basis. When all she wants to talk about is what level she reached on some video game that I’ve never heard of, but her homework isn’t done, I’m going to guess that the time spent on video games might be better spent on homework. When your child refuses to follow simple directions in school, I am going to think that it’s quite possible that you have trouble with him at home, as well. If you don’t have a reasonably amicable relationship with your child’s other parent, please don’t blame me when you don’t get matching information from your child or the school. When your child has to be reminded of simple manners, like covering her nose and mouth when she coughs and sneezes, saying, “please, thank you, and excuse me”, or waiting his turn to speak, I am going to imagine that you are not as attentive to those things at home as you could be. If you have asked me for, and I have given you advice about homework or discipline problems, please at least try them before you come back complaining to me that you can’t control your child. If you haven’t tried them, have the courtesy to tell me so. I can’t work magic.

When we make a suggestion about whom your child is hanging around with, and suggest that he might make a better choice, please don’t get angry with me. We see what happens to “good” children who hang around with the wrong crowd. Many of us have been teaching long enough, have been parents long enough, or have lived in this town long enough to see these things. Sometimes, all 3 of these things come into play.

I am happy to help your child with weaknesses she may have in reading or math, but I need you to do so at home as well. When I send home books for your child to read, or math work for him to do, it is helpful if you follow up on what I have given you. And please don’t think I have sympathy for your comment of, “I just can’t get her to listen to me” or “I just can’t get him to go to school”. She’s 9. Or he’s 11. Or whatever. If you haven’t disciplined him for the first 5 or 9 or 15 years of his life, starting now is going to be futile.

We’re not the bad guys. We care about your child a great deal, and anybody who thinks that we went through all of the energy, education, and money spent to continue in a job we don’t love, isn’t thinking too clearly. If we suggest that you might consider having your child participate in fewer activities because she is having difficulty with her studies, please take a moment to at least consider it. If you decide to keep him in all of the activities that he is in, then you need to understand that the amount of time we have available to us to help remediate your child are going to be limited.

I’m not saying we’re perfect, and I’m not saying we don’t make mistakes. I know that there are often extenuating circumstances, but for the most part, it is clear that things are pretty much what they seem. That’s what I mean by connections.

The Geese

The geese are flying south. When I took the dog out this morning, I watched several batches of geese flying south. I’m not sure if this is their real trip, or if it is a practice, but for the sake of one small group, I hope it’s practice.

First, a group of about 20 went over my head, in a seemingly professional manner, one at the head honking directions, the others in perfect formation afterward. A few seconds later, a smaller group followed, only about 6 of them, but also behaving appropriately. Shortly afterward, another large group went on. It should be noted that all of these groups were traveling in a southwest direction.

“Happy trails”, I said to them all. “Travel safely”.

A few moments later, a squawky group of travelers passed overhead. There must have been some disagreement occurring, because a) they were extremely noisy, and b) while they were going south, it was much more southeast than southwest, so maybe their vacation home is in Florida, say, instead of Texas. Who knows?

Geese, wherever you’re going, have a safe trip, enjoy your vacation, and come back in the spring.

Violence Toward Women

I’ve been thinking lately about all of the things that my husband and I, not to mention, many other couples, as well as children and their parents, do to annoy each other. Many times a day, I will think that what I am doing, or what my husband has been doing could, in the wrong context, result in one of us behaving in a violent manner toward the other.
For those of you not living in the Buffalo area, or those of you who have managed to ignore the news, here’s a little bit of history on why I am writing this: Two years ago, an Orchard Park woman was murdered – stabbed and beheaded – by her husband. From the start, he never denied his guilt, in fact, as I understand it, he turned himself in shortly after the crime. What he has done is blame the crime on his wife, who was abusive to him, and caused him interminable grief and heartache, such that he had to kill her. In a nasty, nasty manner.
Here are some of the things he accused her of: When she got angry, she slammed doors; when he purchased self-help books for her, she not only did not do what was suggested in them, she actually threw them in the trash. She worked long hours at both businesses they owned – a TV station and a convenience store; She wanted to visit her family in Pakistan – admittedly an expensive trip; she didn’t always listen to his advice; and she was inattentive to some of his needs.
I’m pretty sure that many of us do some of these things to each other. Lynn often forgets to put the tops back on things, but to be fair, so do I. He doesn’t always throw things away when they are empty, and he has trouble remembering some of the things I tell him. I forget to turn off lights, neglect to shut doors, and have trouble remembering some of the things Lynn tells me. I tend to stay at work kind of late. I am a super putterer, and some days, when I vow to get some organizing done, my tasks just take on a life of their own. I start something, go to do something else, and before I realize it, Lynn is sending me texts reminding me what time it is. This seriously annoys me, because I know what time it is, I’m just in the middle of 17 things, and can’t leave yet. Now we’re both annoyed; Lynn because I’m not home yet, and me because I’m busy, yet having to keep responding to texts.

However, we have learned to compromise about some things. Often, instead of reminding each other that we have forgotten to do something, we just take care of it, because we know the tables will be turned pretty soon. We try and equalize chores around the house, though Lynn tends to do more of the day-to-day stuff because he is home more than I am. As far as my work schedule goes, I have been trying to get home at a reasonable time, and to let him know if I’m going to be later than that reasonable time.

I know that we are asked to be tolerant of the customs, cultures, and religions of others. It is hard, however, to have much respect for a group of people who treat their women in such a demeaning manner as the Muslims do. To feel superior to others only because of their gender does a serious disservice to people everywhere, and to treat others unfairly because you can is harmful and damaging to all of society.

New York State

I have to say I thoroughly agree with Froma Harrop in a recent editorial. The loss of population in the state of New York is a very good thing. Since most of us complain mightily about too many people everywhere we look, it seems only fitting that we should receive that news favorably.
I haven’t done any research to determine what kinds of people have left the state, but it seems like a win-win situation no matter how you look at it. If, by chance, the people moving out are welfare recipients, then all the better. If they are gainfully employed, then that leaves openings for more who remain, or those who would like to move back.
There really are some good things about fewer people. Things like more parking spaces; the ease of getting a doctor’s appointment without waiting 4 months; less traffic at rush hour; shorter lines at the grocery store; etc.
While I am sure that not all leave because of the job market, there is no doubt that the job market around here is tricky. Many of our family members and friends have experienced the gamut of frustration. Good jobs have been lost, health insurance has been non-existent, and times have been lean. However, if you work at it, these things can be overcome. Some have found low-paying jobs to tide them over for a bit, which is not always a bad thing. Character-building and all that. Some have lowered their expectations for being wealthy, and settled for being content. Some have gone back to school to make themselves marketable in a completely different field. Some have moved away, and yes, it’s sad when those who move away are your own kids, but if they really wanted to stay, they would find a way to do it. Maybe they’ll come back.
I suspect a lot of people use the job issues as a stepping-stone to the fact that they don’t like the weather. While I am not a huge fan of cold weather, I much prefer the occasional snowstorm to hurricanes, tornadoes, mudslides, volcanoes, 100 degree temperatures, and floods. With snow, we know what to expect.
As to the political backlash concerning the red vs blue states, let’s stop caring about that so much. Maybe if we do, we’ll get to the point where we worry more about what political candidates say and do than what party they belong to.

Finger Lakes

Yesterday, Lynn and I took a trip to Penn Yan, in the Finger Lakes region. His Uncle Earl, who died last year, had left Lynn a glass-fronted cabinet, and a couple of previous attempts to go get it were thwarted for one reason or another. This day, though, a gorgeous summer Saturday, was perfect.

We sort of knew how to get there. We Mapquested the route, plus I had my trusty GPS with us, so we weren’t too concerned about getting there. We set off, trying to follow the printed out directions, but realized at some point that we were off course. We turned on the GPS, but it turns out that the woman inside the device was a teensy bit snarky. I switched to a kinder sounding male voice, but he also made it very clear that he was displeased at our complete and total lack of direction-following skills. A phone call to Lynn’s cousin, who was at the house doing some cleaning, finally got us there.

We chatted for a bit , finding a much easier route home, had a drink, used the bathroom, loaded up the cabinet, and headed home. Even with a stop to eat, our 4 hour trip down turned into a 3 hour trip home. Much simpler.

The beauty of the day made the long trip bearable. About 45 minutes out of Springville, the windmills loomed up at us, a phenomenal site that brought the movie, “War of the Worlds” to my mind. The rest of the route was filled with gorgeous scenery – trees, lakes, rivers, hills, and abounding greenery. Pictures will not do justice, but we did take a few.
What a beautiful world we live in!

Changeover

Hello Folks, I have decided to change the name of my blog to "The Blog of Botsford". The title "Agatha's World" has run its course, and Agatha has gone for a long nap. She may return at some point, but for now, it's me.