AWWWWW, a Milestone

Our furry babies are growing up.  I've found two little baby teeth while cleaning.  I tried to look in their mouths and make sure all was okay but they would have none of that.  It was wiggles all over.  I didn't have enough hands to try again!  Sweet babies.

In other news it is dark and rainy here.

All is well.  Stay safe!

Furry Kid Pictures

I've been asked when I would be posting more pictures of the new furry kids.  Well, they're cute as anything and move so fast it's hard to get pictures.  So here are some of them after they've romped, run, jumped and hurled themselves around the house!

First one is Angus.

Finnigan is between leaps in this pose.















Third one is of both of them  trying to sleep where my silk hydrangeas USED to be!

This fourth one is of Finnigan.  He likes to sleep in this chair while Golfer and I watch TV in the evenings.

And just so they don't feel left out, I'm including pictures of Cinder and Cecil. They're still just as cute as ever!  They all cooperate in many things and you can see Cecil is on the large doily that is supposed to be on the antique sewing machine!  Cinder says all these boys are wearing her out!

Stay safe and keep your furry kids safe, too!

Relections of Elvis

I was out and about this morning doing errands in our car that has the XM radio.  I love the Elvis station and that is what I usually listen to while I'm driving.  They were doing a recap of Elvis week in Memphis.  Elvis died on August 16, 1977.  He would have been 77 years old now had he lived.  And who knows, he might be out there somewhere now singing his heart out. 

But it all got me to thinking about Elvis and how I have always been a fan.  I was raised by Mom and Granma who both loved him, so you could expect no less.  Mom lived to be 101 and was a fan until she died.  She had Elvis cards, posters, scarves, pictures, plates, etc.  We played Elvis Gospel songs at her funeral.

When I was about eight years old, Mom and I went on a vacation with Granma and Granpa.  Mom didn't own a car until I was ready to learn to drive, so the trip was a big deal.  We were going to visit some relatives, and since it was close to Memphis, we planned to see Graceland.  As a side note, Granpa was a great guy; he was actually my step-granpa.  But when you were in the car with him, the rule was if something wasn't on the right side of the road, he didn't want to stop. (this may be why I have absolutely no problem making u-turns!)  He did get outvoted on seeing Graceland!

Somewhere in a box of old photos there is a picture of me standing right in front Elvis' front door.  This was back when Graceland was just starting to be a big attraction and there I was in my eight year old chubbiness just grinning away.

Several years ago Golfer and I took a road trip and stopped in Memphis.  We stayed at the Heartbreak hotel.  I'm glad we got to do that before it was closed.  It was fabulous!  The decor was similar to some of the rooms in Graceland.  The breakfast buffet included peanut butter and bananas!  We took the Graceland tour.  It's all impressive.  This photo is me standing in front of the door smiling.

Stay safe and while you're at it, listen to some good Elvis music if you can!

As the World Turns..

To sort of quote the announcer from a soap opera I used to watch a long, long time ago - "As the world turns, so do the days of our lives"  or something like that.  The gist of that is time is moving on!

The grocery stores are filled with Halloween candy.  Commercials on TV are shifting to Fall and Winter scenes.  The Hallmark store has the Christmas ornaments and cards out and on display.  It's the middle of August!

Here is Virginia it's been the hottest Summer in a long time.  It's just sapping everyone's energy and motivation.  We've had some occasional rains and storms and so far our yard is looking good.  Of course, the sprinkler system helps with that even if it does bring a higher water bill.

Golfer and I are in the midst of having a generator installed so we will be ready for our next big storm or power event.  Peace of mind!  We have plans to power wash the siding and clean the windows, but the heat has been pushing that to later.

The furry kids are all doing well.  The little ones are getting bigger.  When they first came home I could lift one of them in one hand.  Have to use two hands now!  One of their new favorite activities is unrolling and shredding the paper towels in the kitchen!  They've checked out the toilet paper, but evidently it isn't as much fun.

School is going well for Boxer and Bloomer and they are adjusting to homework.  BeyB has a couple weeks yet before high school starts. 

Political ads are increasing.  I find most of them annoying.  I think they should all adhere to the truth in advertising method.

So, life moves on.  All is well with us.  I hope the same for  you.  Stay safe!

Happy Birthday, Golfer!

I love you!  xoxo

Let's Hear It for Chicken!

Free Speech!  Chic Fil-A has been in the news recently because someone high up in their company has had the nerve to voice his opinion on marriage and other related areas.  This has spawned demonstrations and support for Chic Fil-A.  And those have caused plans for a "Kiss-in" by the folks on the other side of the subject.  For the record, my stand on this is marriage is one man and one woman.  I am not against people having significant others, or having committed relationships, but those are not marriage.  God made all people and I think He would really like all of us to "just get along".

Anyway, back to the Chic Fil-A issues.... The owner of a North Carolina independent Wendy's franchise is now in hot water for voicing his support of Chic Fil-A.   He posted his support on all his stores' signs.  Evidently Wendy's main corporate leaders are against free speech within their company and made him remove this message.

What next??

Golfer and I went to Abuelo's for dinner and had some wonderful Mexican food last evening! 

Stay safe!

Education

This morning’s paper featured a first-page article on education. I admit, I don’t read every article in the newspaper every day, but this one caught my eye. Schools have been using the SOL or Standard of Learning process for quite a while. Basically what has happened is the teachers “teach to the test”. Scores were measured by AYP – Adequate Yearly Progress targets. Now under the new system the pass rates will be based on AMO or Annual Measured Objectives.


Then the multi-page article goes on to explain the various categories and “classes” of these objectives. And here is where I have a problem with this system. It divides the students into the following groups: all, Asian, White, Hispanic, Black, English language learners, economically disadvantaged, and students with disabilities. These groups have different pass percentage rates. Now I certainly agree that a student with a disability, either physical or mental, should be taught and graded accordingly. But to divide all the other students like this smacks of prejudice and bigotry, the very things the USA is trying not to have! And yes, I realize that they aren’t really going to be physically separating the students into these categories; they are just sorting their scores.
 Why should one group be required to have a higher score to pass than another?   Why is one “class” required to do better than another? Why the differences? Seems to me the students should be tested on the same scale and scored by the same. It should not matter where they came from or what color their skin.  How about just having all the students studying and trying to do really well?

What is wrong with going back to having qualified teachers spend their time actually teaching a subject? The students should do their work, study and when they take a test be graded accordingly. If they work hard and do well, they get a good grade. If they goof off or don’t care and don’t do well, they can study harder and try again. If they don’t pass, they can take that grade over again the next year. This system worked years ago; I know, I was in it and I worked hard for my good grades.

I would like to see children know how to tell time on a regular “old fashioned” clock. I’d like to see them be able to find countries on a map. And count change. And write in script. Old fashioned? You bet!  but good basic knowledge. They should learn about classic literature and history and be able to add without a calculator and using their fingers. And let’s throw in memorize and recite the Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, and the Gettysburg Address, too.  And of course, make sure the students are well schooled in the ever changing technology of our time!

The whole mind set in schools of “everyone needs to be a winner and get a trophy” bugs me also. Do well and be rewarded. Don’t and suffer the consequences. That applies to adults as well as children.

And these are my thoughts for the day. Stay safe!