the prowling Bee: I got so I could take his name –

the prowling Bee: I got so I could take his name –

Been so long since I have been in.  I am still here.  Life goes on hectic as always.  More babies....  I still long for the quiet side of life.  My family needs my help in NY and I don't care for CT.  Yet; the next generation I created in CT...well some of them need me here.  So what do I do.  Hopefully we will be in a position to move on in our lives soon.  :)

What Goes Around Comes Around Sometimes in a Good Way.... Please Share

So it is time to update.  I wrote a long message down below here....  :)  Should have made a new blog!

Yes; life goes on.  It has a tendency to do that.  It starts where God chooses and ends accordingly.  Not in our hands.  It all seems long and the curves are many.  :)  Curves ...I have had a few....are plentiful right now.  Sewer issues in the house...basement if you will....waiting for the contractor.  Temporary fix in place, old cat had surgery, furnace needed repairs.  All these in the same month and all quite expensive.  Good thing I already said that Christmas is to be simpler this year (understatement).  I did decree a couple years ago that I Have decided each family birthday should be big...and that Christmas is to be about others....not ourselves.  In other words, focus on what we as individuals and a family can do for others.

My big issue right now is "how to family with adult family".  I say that I did not really experience and definitely did not experience well "adult relationships" in my life with adult relatives.  Distance separated from family once I was married.  There were no extended family generations in the lives of my boys and I have little to emulate in that regard.  So too often I feel like I am winging it.  Along with the "tatoo":  "Does not play well with others" that I should have had at birth...I probably should have had one to the effect of "Lays down for others well".  :)  I mean I tend to let myself be doormatted as others would say because I am a peacemaker at heart.  I have five sons.  They are biologically/physically all adults now.  They range in age from 26 to 34 years old.  Two of them are married.  One has three children.  Two have one each. Two have none but are now in committed relationships involving no children.  Two are married.  My granddaughter who just turend seven lives with her Grampie and I.  We let her Dad live here too.  :)  My problem of late is the ones that don't liev here I don't hear from.  I don't see them.  I go months without hearing or seeing them anywhere.  Yes; they live quite locally with the exception of one.  I don't ask. I don't beg for sure.  I leave them go because rejection hurts...to oversimplify.  Their Dad's chosen activities (and I am still with him) is alot responsible for the way this family is now.  Let's say it played a big part in forming relationships we have I think.  He was a closet alcoholic for many years.  Being Mensa IQ (as are some of the boys) he was very good at it like he was/is many things.  Then he had a widowmaker and now literally has 60% of a heart (how ironic huh?) but I stayed.  I am still here.  I did alot of kicking and screaming for a few yaers but when all was said and done I am still here.  We have our differences.  There are places I would much rather be (most specifically the Fingerlakes Amish Area of NYS where I grew up close to...but suspect as years go on (life and all that) does not look good for me to get there while I am still mentally and physically competent.  :)  So all that says...what do you do with adult children who when they finally show up don't behave like a guest in your house.  Even though they grew up in your house...should they not (as longtime nonresidents) respect certain parameters and etiquette boundaries all things considered? 

So that is finally said/asked after rambling so long.  :0  I hope some of this made some sense and hit notes with some of you.  I would love to hear feedback. 

If you want to see my church updates...please read my other post from today.  It is spelled out there. I pormise to make a new "Blog" about it soon.

Mel

And so here I sit.  One more post on yet another day.  We survived Hurricane Irene.  We are like an oasis...firs my home and now my town/city in a desert of drought.  All around us are without power ...whole towns.  Our municipality has it's own Urilities and they got things up and going quickly.  Around us they have CL&P and they have not done a good job at all.  They are in the hot seat.  All that said, we have another storm, I believe called Tatia, being watched for a possible rerun of Irene in five to seven days.

Hope all are well.  Keep the faith.  Just a brief update, found a church ..well kind of.  :)  Looks promising.  And; more little Chinese stores in town!  Once you get the bug you can't have too many.  The Chinese are here to stay.

Mel

Church Thoughts......

I have often wondered and wondering now...whatever happened to church as I knew it?  I have come to the conclusion that people as they age want things to remain like they were...certain things at least.  The things that made them comfortable.  We are after all what we have lived....  as much as what we live.  When I was little I went to an old style country Methodist Church.  That "dinosaur" is a thing of the past.  That little church that served the members and the community as it faded away is a thing of the past.  The sixties came and they literally tore the building down and paved the lot for parking...  I miss that church.  After that, in the sixties, I attended a very "milk toast" church.  No spirit there at all...  Just folks coming in to do their time on Sunday morning.  The only real "spirit" in the sense of knowing God was there was in the heart of the organist/pianist and her family.  The rest were just well "doing their time".  Then came the seventies (have you guessed my age  yet?).  In the seventies the Nazarenes came to town.  The little church in Alfred Station with the poverty pitching preacher that bent over backwards hauling "sheep" in but did not know how to deal with them when they got there. His heart was in the right place as he did the best he knew how...which ended him up now in Florida I think.  :)  That church is gone.  But; I learned from that church what sticks with me today.  I learned that God was meant to be shared....  Don't hide the light under a bushel.  You should be out there sharing and inviting folks to share the "love" with you.  As I tell my granddaughter now all the time, she being six, if you hold anger in your heart you are taking up the space that "love" needs.  Afterall; hearts are for loving.  So while the drama of it all was intimidating and a big put off at the time; now I miss that.  I can't find it anywhere.  Where did "church" go.  If that is the church I seek, the church of my youth so to speak, where is it? 

After highschool I ended up back what was then the new Methodists....milk toast with sugar...  Folks who drank and partied on Saturday night and came in to do their very routine and "guessable" church on Sunday morning with the sermon from the barrel written years before...nothing spontaneous...    This compared to everything made up as it went along in High School's Nazarene Church.  That ended badly.  When the preacher's family disowned me as a friend the church literally drove me out.  Left a bad taste in my mouth to say the least and I did no church for many years.  Then; about eight years later I began looking again.  I tried again Nazarenes whose first impression was that my three little boys were going to you know where (before the age of five) if I did not "dedicate" them to the power of the church...  Sigh... again... I walked away....  Remembering I sought them. Noone ever reached out to me in adulthood for church purposes short of Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses going door to door.  I tried a few others spending a long time with the Continuing Congregationalists here in New England.  The key being again that "I" sought them out and had it pointed out to me regular initially that they did not know what to do with us because noone had ever sought them.  Again I ask....where is the religion of my youth?  What happened to sharing God and reaching out?  Well I fought to fit in that church for a good ten years with NEVER an invitation to join that church as a member.  I finally got my old Methodist membership of my own volition and transferred it to there...where it sits today.  I don't sit there however anymore.  I finally gave up.  Ten years of trying to feel at home finally ended...  Guess I am difficult? 

So that brings us to the present.  The present is where I sit.  I can honestly say that in 33 years in New England states, CT to be exact, the only "religions" that have reached out and solicited or shared God (their version granted) with me are as follows...  The Mormons (door to door) but they quit coming some years ago...  The Jehovah's Witnesses who have all but quit, and believe it or not the Catholics.  I forgot to mention that I had my boys in Parochial school for mega years without ever getting an invitation to be part of that church.  Now; my granddaughter is in parochial school in another town.  Believe it or not that "Father" is the first man of the cloth to reach out and offer to share his religion with open arms to my family in over thirty years.  Perhaps that is the direction I am meant to go.  You see I have looked....  and lookd...and tried and tried.  Obviously I have done something wrong ...my technique is lacking...my heart is deficient... I don't know.  But; well if it were a contest for the one branch that reached the furthest to try and fit us in a church family it would be the Catholics....  Thanks Father Tito.  Religion is alive and well in my part of CT in the heart of a Catholic Priest and a small group of Sisters.  Don't know what happend to religion in this state but it is well hidden....not like where I grew up....  Maybe it's afraid of the "son light"?

Melody

Oh Freedom...

Ran across this today and wanted to share it. It is said to have been authored by Sarah Shepherd, mother of Ella Shepherd first pianist with Fisk Jubilee Singers ...also believed that she authored Swing Low Sweet Chariot...

O’ Freedom!

O’ freedom! O’ freedom!

O’ freedom over me!

And before I'd be a slave

I'll be buried in my grave

And go home to my Lord and be free

No more moanin'!  No more moanin’!

No more moanin’ over me

And before I’d be a slave

I’ll be buried in my grave

And go home to my Lord and be free

There'll be singin'

There’ll be singin’

There’ll be singin’ over me

And before I’d be a slave

I’ll be buried in my grave

And go home to my Lord and be free

There'll be shoutin'

There’ll be shoutin’

There’ll be shoutin’ over me

And before I’d be a slave

I’ll be buried in my grave

And go home to my Lord and be free

O’ freedom!  O’ freedom!

O’ freedom over me!

And before I'd be a slave

I'll be buried in my grave

And go home to my Lord and be free

Hindsight &/or Regrets?

Regrests:  Yes; I have had a few....as the song goes..  But; anyhow; here goes:

Have you ever had unfinished "things" from your post come back to haunt you?  Are there words &/or deeds from someone important in your life years ago that come back to haunt you in the present for no particular reason?  I mean how do you handle it?  I have been through many things in my life as most folks have who hit the age I am. Some folks do go through more in a few years than others in 100 years. I mean we all know that.  But; as I approach 56 years old... I am wondering why NOW things are bothering me almost more than when they happened 35 years plus ago?  Lets say for example for the sake of comparison... I went through things that were "crimes" without going into detail.  I got over those and let them go.  They don't alter my life.  But; there are things...words and deeds performed by others that impacted me...that have come back to haunt me.  They make me think now...yes NOW....like I did not think then.  I am thinking there was apparently much left unsaid.  Sometimes I am tempted to say them now.  But; I guess we are not supposed to do that.  Let sleeping dogs lie I guess.  I mean afterall; all folks are ultimately accountable in the end for their choices.  Someone somehow will hold them accountable afterall.  I guess the most important thing to do is think before we speak and act.  We never know not only how the things we do today will impact those around us today...but also more importantly, what the long long range affects might be. 

Long time since I have written here.  I hope to see some of you soon.

Melody

Long Time No Speak..... Children w/Special Needs....

  I ran into a little girl today.  OK; use the term loosely.  I wander...I digress.  I tend to believe more and more as I Grow older that I truly am an empath.  I want to cry around the frail elderly and have all I can do to prevent it.  Why?  They don't have to be in pain or anything but I pickup on something.  Something about the frailty?  I don't know.  I am a bleeding heart?  I don't know.  Just happens.  I can't help it.  I have spent so much time trying to figure it out.  All that said, back to the little girl.  She was six, I would have guessed five based on appearance.  She was almost without speech.  She hardly talked at all.  She could not talk.  I pondered what her disability might be as "I" "talked" to her....and she "talked" to me.  Her word of the day was "Home".  As she selected something from the shelves (with help) she would try to say "home" and she truly appeared to enjoy my attention and response to her.  So we spent a while at the bookshelves.  Her mother was a little ways down with another child younger and trying to watch them both.  Actually; both appeared to have some special needs...  Something I could not put my finger on.  Conversation with the mother minimally happened and I had an opportunity to query what the situation might be.  I questioned as to whether it was Autism.  The mother told me there was no label for it.  The doctors just did not know.  Further as we were standing there the mother told me that the little girl could see things that almost were not there.  So I watched a little more and realized the little girl from some distance was identifying books by the name on the spine of the book....  As soon as I realized this I told the mother "I think she is recognising words on the spines of the book (from some distance)".  I further told her that several members of my family read as well upside down as right side up!  She had never heard of this.  Anyhow; I pointed out to her that perhaps the little girl (who was obviously bright just could not speak hardly at all) was possibly reading and not only reading but reading sideways and upside down more or less.  Hopefully she will watch some and this will come to be of help.  This little girl was so sweet.  The mother said she had just seen another doctor yesterday, new one, for the first time.  Makes me pensively think how lucky we are with Iris.  How lucky so many folks are.  As that lady left the store, I was thinking...what a job she had....all those special needs children and she seemed to keep it together.  Made me want to give her a hug...

Melody

Just Grammie Mel: So Much On My Mind re: Military & Ft. Hood

Just Grammie Mel: So Much On My Mind re: Military & Ft. Hood

So Much On My Mind re: Military & Ft. Hood

I sit here since the "news" yesterday and I think.  So many memories come back at this time of year anyhow regarding the military what with Veteran's Day and all that I am very vulnerable to "bad" news re:  same.  Then today my husband gets a call with a personal invite to the Veteran's Day Dinner at the VFW on the 11th...  More memories crowd in.  I think about yesterday at Ft. Hood and am overwhelmed with sadness for those who made the ultimate sacrifice (and mind you that is a very key phrase here as they make sacrifices every minute of their lives for us) and the families they left behind.  I am reminded of the very bad years I had to deal with the military, in this case the Navy.  My "Navy" days are long gone...almost 20 years hubbie has been out now.  The memories however, mostly bad, are with me.  I can't really think of any really good memories of the military wife life.  I do have some meories of a few folks, like Dorothy & 'Mo Elmore that provide a rare bright spot in those memories.  I could go on and on...but I digress.

You see those folks who lost their lives at Fort Hood made the "Ultimate" sacrifice anyone could make...their lives.  They are trained to be prepared for that eventuality because of the nature of their chosen career obligations in the military.  But; I don't think anyone can prepare anyone for the sacrifices they make on a daily basis.  I will never forget the TOTAL disregard for family the Navey (military) showed during the years I dealt with them.  It's not enough to be far from family and friends but to have to be subjected to horrid caregivers in the military doing it just because it is their job...  Shades of socialized medicine not unlike what we will have with Obams's plan...and leadership that encourages men/women to divorce rather than have a spouse who wants to be a "spouse".  Wives/spouses in particular are so isolated.  They have nothing but income their spouse allots to them.  Friends and family are far away and in most cases clueless to what the individual lives everyday.  Everyday a military spouse lives with stresses most of us will never have ot live with.  Because there is no room for "Family" in the military the spouse left behind (military widow) is in effect a single parents struggling to cope with separation anxieties of her own, her children, and life in general ALONE.  In my day we could not even be in touch in any way shape form or manner when spouses were underway in fast attack submarines as much as 80 to 90% of the year.  When "home" they were virtually on call at all times standing port and starbord duty days often with no opportunity for adequate rest.  Children grow up with a parent (active duty military) who has little time for them and often is an alcoholic or alcohol abuser as a result of the stresses they live under.  Thanks goodness for underway or some of them would never sober up.  :)  Mom's who choose to have children have the degradation of giving birth in military hospitals which while the facilities are capable of grand things and have some of the best doctors in the planet are subjected to verbal abuse and uncaring indifferent caregivers.  They have the medical skills but show total disregard for the women as human beings.  E-nothings are allowed to "practice" on patients including newborn babies.  Doctors are allowed to and get away with lying to patients to get permission to practice procedures on a healthy newborn.  Women are left to suffer "barbaric" conditions for delivery (in the words of one civilian physician) because of the lack of caring.

Anyhow; all this said, and thinking on those that lost their lives on top of the routine coping they have to do on a daily basis, I ask all of you:  Do what you can to support our mliitary. If you know someone married to a military person at least be an "ear" for them.  Show them you care by listening.  Sometimes that listening ear is more important than anything.  Please don't just tell them "call your whatever" or look at all you have.  They give their lives for "what they have".  Many extended families are not only geographically unavailable but are emotionally unavailble.  I remember being told by my mother to "give him a call on the phone" when trying to get some stuff off my chest.  Yeah, right!  Telephone communication with a submarine was excellent in the 70's and 80's.  Just be available to those military you know.....They do give all ...

Perhaps things have changed for the better with the Navy and military life in general.  But; nothing can change the fact that the lives are  full of stress...  Stress that is best helped I think by having a listening caring ear...someone to run to.  Don't take for granted what an advantage that is..what a help.  It could make the difference in a bigger way than you ever will know.  I know it would have in my life.

Later!
Melody

PS:  I can't help but wonder why this man who committed, allegedly, the atrocities at Ft. Hood, was still there in place with the opportunity to do what he did.  That just reeks of a "problem" we may never ever be privvy too.

Twist on "Wear Purple"

When I'm Old I'll Wear Purple,...
We have all heard that tale....
Dressing in purple is not just a dare...

But; me I'll do things
that others might think...
childish, imprudent, and like an "infink"...
I'll play with my food, 'cause I want to
you see....
I'll sing at the table
and happy I'll be...

Some will say senile,
but childlike I'll be....
wearing my purple for all folks to see.

Grammie Mel

Let Go & Let God..... Thoughts....

This phrase has come to mind for various reasons off and on over the years.  Yes; we do need to believe in a higher power and let our God be in charge...  Let Go & Let God....  Some things are just out of our control.  The well known Serenity Prayer also kind of ties into that statement...  God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  :)  But; what does the scripture actually say?  Now; don't get me started on that.  I mean you ask ten people the same question about anything and you will get ten different interpretations each one individual adamantly declaring their version is right!  :)

So this brings me to my current concern.  There are so many out there leaving God in charge of the family planning.  OK that is great.  I don't have a problem with that at all.  But; at what point should our God given brains kick in?  Firstoff coming to mind is a certain lady who most of us have heard of.  She is expecting her 19th child, bless her soul.  But; honestly, to me she looks tired and her body has to be wearing out!  She is letting God plan her family?  Would he want Michelle Duggar to wear herself into the ground?  What happens to these children if something happens to the parents?  And; those older girls.  When were they children?  Will they want to raise their own children after raising their siblings for so many years?  Don't get me wrong, I think it is wonderful to see a large family all getting on well and self-sufficiently without costing the taxpayers.  But; when is enough enough?  What does God have to do to communicate "STOP"!  I guess he would have to render a couple infertile, which could happen...  But; isn't enough enough at some point?

I don't know.  Not making much sense I guess...  Trying to work it out here.  If you have input...please share!

Melody

PS:  Next writing may be on Obama-Nation an Abomination?  Hmmmmmm.....

"Rainbow Connection" - Grammie Style...

Have you ever pondered "connections" and wondered what it was all about?  When would the ultimate connection in your life happen?  Well; I have been through alot.  Most of us go through alot of one form or another in our lives before we are done.  Some is good, some is bad.  But; like I always say, the things we live today make us who we are tomorrow and I like to think that is all in the end for the better.  Being who we are is ok.  Hopefully; by the time we are grandparents we are getting a handle on who we are and therefore have earned the title "Grand" parent.  After raising five sons, having twin grandsons, and yet another baby boy grandson who I never get to see, now nearly two (MATTHEW & TOMIE'S son STERLING)...I like to think that perhaps Iris is my ultimate reward.  I never had a daughte.r  I don't feel I ever really got to be a "little" girl excepting when "I" was with my grandmother (the favorite relationship of all time in my life).  I like to feel that such as I am I am that person, making that relationship with Ms. Iris.  I like to feel we have a connection.  That delightful little girl (film at eleven) is such an inspiration to me.  She can be a handful.  She can be "spoiled" which I have made her.  But; she can also be thoughtful, caring, tender, and sweet.  She is my built in reminder sometimes helping to keep me straight and again, my inspiration.  She loves to do all the things I always wanted to do and hopefully she will get to do them.  She is artistic, creative, coordinate and bright.  As she skips out the door to school in her "Little Hippie Girl" outfit she makes me smile.  I have never honestly seen a child happier to go to school.  All smiles and all energy away she goes to spend time with her idol Mrs. Adams.  She adores her teacher not unlike many early school age children.  Mrs. Adams is awesome and she can do no wrong in Iris's book...just as it should be for a good teacher. 

All that said, I like to think that I am facilitating the "connection"...and that it is a "Rainbow" connection.  All things good, beautiful, and wonderful that our God can provide.  No her life is not perfect.  She has problems in her little life that I would take completely away would I could....  But; as it is, she spends 95% of her little life outside of school with her grandparents who keep her well stocked and provided with the tools of the trade for a delightful four-year-old (or nearly five she likes to remind us).  The paper, pens, pencils, crayons, paints, glitter, glue, scissors, sewing machines, paint brushes, and all the fixings of creativity keep coming.  The music flows, the devices to play it on provided.  Yes; hopefully I am making that Rainbow Connection with this little girl.  Hopefully; she will keep going with all her creativity and I can be a part of it through her.  She is afterall the most beautiful granddaughter in Norwich!

More from Mel (Lilhippiema) later....

Regarding Men on a Mission.... Mormon Missionaries

I guess as we all know, throughout life, there are some things we notice more than others.  Mine is "boys".  Not in the traditional sense either.  But; I spent so many years of my life raising my five, hosting their friends and watching them do all those things that boys do...that I can't help but notice to this day the attributes of a growing young man. 

So all that said, today again I was awakened early by a knock at the door.  Now everyone who knows me knows that I am NOT a morning person. I am up til the wee hours of the night and sleep mornings.  Just how things fall into place (or not) for me.  The dogs got me out of bed and I made it to the door at about 9 a.m. just in time to see the backs of several suited young men gleefully running through yards and around back down to the main road. I knew who they were, or of what they were.  There were about five  young men all dressed pretty much the same going door to door for our Mormon friends.  :)  But; they reminded me of a bunch of just cut loose Butterflies heading for the prettiest flower on the property.  Just dancing away and going through all those athletic wannabe contortions that young men do...   You know, like when they can't go through a doorway without making sure they still can or can't jump up and touch it?  Or having jumping contests to see if any of them YET can touch the ceiling.  Those were the days.  The days I miss. 

In spite of all that I have to say to our Mormon friends that I don't bite!  :)  I am not Mormon but I do tolerate.  I remember the crew I had way back...about ten years ago. They would come by and we would chat for a while and drink some lemonade or water or something, usually in the yard, and they would be on their way. The nicest bunch I ever had.  :)  This Summer is the first Summer I have had a group knock on my door since.  This being their second attempt that I know of, I have to say, they should try later in the day!  :)  Perhaps with a little more purpose and intent and give folks a chance to answer the door, and maybe not act as if noone was watching them flee down the hill dancing all the way!

Did anyone ever visit that heavily advertised chat thing they have going on?  I tried to one night just to check it out.  Never got a response from them by email or in the chat program.  Perhaps they should be a little more vigilant in their followups!  :)

Yep, that was my morning starter...  OK wannabe starter.  I went back to bed.  It was afterall not "TIME" for me to get up.

Hope to hear from some of you soon!
Melody

Aren't You Sorry You Did Now?

I was before and I definnitely am now.  Almost time for our new CEO of Everything's speech...  More socialism abounds for us all.  Saw the tendencies before he started and definitely see more of it now.  I fear that next he will make a state religion with him as CEO of that too.  Guess we all know who HIM is.....  More later!  Almost time for HIS hour.

Mel

Kindergarten Was Never Like This For Me!

My Iris started Kindergarten this year.  She will be five the end of the month.  She has now made it through about five days of school.  :)  The stories she tells make me well aware that school is just not what it used to be!  I find myself regaled(?) with tales of "purple girls" who never do anything good, girls with hair like this and girls with hair like that....none of the poor things apparently have any names.  Also; there seems to be a strange deficiency of boy presences.  Apparently; lunch is totally different than it was in my day.  Lunch is delivered to HER in her classroom by "her servants" who do whatever she wants!  Today's lunch was chocolate brownies.  Everyone just ate chocolate brownies.  Seems a high price to pay $2.50 for a lunch of JUST brownies!  However; she did mention telling them how to make a peanut butter and butter sandwich so perhaps lunch tomorrow will be better.  There is hope! With the exception of the "purple girl" who apparently is from another planet school is declared to be "awesome" in every respect! 

I suppose I could call and get more details on the $2.50 brownie lunch delivered by servants and the "purple girl" but I hate to shatter the images playing in my mind that make me laugh so much.  :)  I mean the reality might not be nearly as pretty!  :)  So I stick to the Iris version of school.  Wishing mine had been like that.....

Loving Grammie Mel

PS:  I have encouraged creativity and imagination in this child from the beginning.  I wonder if that has something to do with her portrayal and descriptions of her class?

Mel's Chinese Connection ....

OK...just a brief history of the how's and why's!  Long long ago in a land far away, but still kept in the memories, Melody got married and moved with her active duty Navy Sub Sailor spouse to Hawaii.  There my first and best friend was to be Tessie (MeClaughlin).  Tessie was fresh from the Phillipines and spoke Tagalog and very little if any English when she initially joined her Navy Sub Sailor Spouse in Hawaii.  Well; food is afterall a "universal" language.  :)  We communicated initially through food.  She made some wonderful foods which I learned to make through my repertoire of skills and experience, watching her.  These things included my later "personalized" method of making Pork Fried Rice, Pancit, and Lumpia.  :)  All of these are great!  I don't make these things nearly as often as I did while my family was growing up but I do still make them periodically.  Never met anyone who did not like my fried rice!  :)

Well fast forward to more in the present land of time.  :)  Nowadays; my first son born in Hawaii, is with his SO a native born and raised Chinese lady.  :)  She too speaks very little language.  My granddaughter (rerun for most of you) is therefore Chinese American.  Her mom does traditional ethnic type Chinese cooking the likes of which is never seen to my knowledge in the myriad Chinese restaurants out there.  :)

Anyhow; this nutshell version is brought to you all because I have had a request from someone not only about my common userid "Tofugrammie" but asking as an "oh by the way" if I had a recipe for good fried rice.  She alas did not know me at all or any of my history!  Hi Clouddancer!  LOL  So later today, hopefully, will post my time tested, boy tested, crowd tested Pork Fried Rice recipe (substitutions will be allowed).

Hope you all have a great day!
Melody

More Good Ol' Norwich, CT -

BTW:  Just an addendum also in local news here today...  A certain judge with a history of totally going after Deadbeat Dads unmercifully irregardless of circumstances, chose to allow a sentence of only 7 years from another Dad who murdered his two-year-old son with the help of other adults.  Some city huh!  Lucky we live downtown Norwich!

Mel (feeling chatty and inspired today)

In the News......Schools

Well it is no secret.  I homeschooled two of my sons for quite a few years.  I tried it all, public, private, parochial with the five of them and ultimately after years as a PTO President, I pulled the last two out of the system and taught them at home.  Now it is time for grandchild #3 to go to school.  Well ultimately I put her in Parochial Kindergarten, at St. Joseph's School in this city.  They have an AWESOME Kindergarten program.  They have three rooms designated for their use, two teachers fulltime, and about 25 kids at this time.  The head teacher is a mega veteran teacher having taught kindergarten since at least my fourth son was in Kindergarten.  Before that she taught second grade for several years.  I know she has been doing kindergarten at least 21 plus years based on when my little "Chrissy" had her and loved her as a teacher.  She did a great job then, Mrs. Adams, and now with her veteran assistant Mrs. Christenson(?), I am sure they have done nothing but improve on perfection!  :) 

Reading articles from the last few days in the local newspaper (The Norwich Bulletin), my decision to place her there was reinforced in triplicate...  The failure rate of meeting state requirements in this city's schools is horrific.  Sorry to sound dramatic but there are no other words.  Out of 11 elementary and Middle schools, eight of them failed.  How badly they failed I don't know but the information states that they did not meet adequate "progress" even.  Reading was noted as particularly "bad".  This among other reasons is why Iris is not in public school.  Yes; I could have homeschooled her but the Princess needs other children.  And I know this is a good Kindergarten program. 

So all that said, my extra boy will be here any minute.  Ms. Iris and her Dad will be here at any time too.  So we will leave you with these thoughts and impressions for now.  BTW:  Another thought I have to make schools more accountable is set up a system where the state pays each school per child registered and let parents choose where to enroll them.  Maybe if the schools have to be accountable to the parents to get paid (ie:  parents CHOOSE them) then perhaps the standards would come up.  Something has to be done.  The little boy I take care of is going into second grade in Public School and can't read and do math as well as four-year-old Iris.  Just the facts.

Later!  Hugs!
Melody