Smart As A First Grader?

Climbed the split-rail fence in the back yard this morning, to weed-whip the open area' on the hillside. While doing so, thoughts of this past week played through my mind. Was interesting to re-think and assess.

First of all, had attended Grandparents Day for our 4 year and 7 year old.

WELL, wasn't the breeze expected. While waiting for classes to begin, they had a nice spread for breakfast~ where we grandparents could mingle.
My husband was out of town, therefore, I was on my own here. Finally found Diane and Joe ~ we each took one grandchild to visit so both would have a family member in each class.

I selected the 7 year old first grade math class to attend. I assumed I would sit with the other grandparents at the back of the room and observe. Wouldn't you?
NO WAY!
The teacher had us sit in a chair next to our grandchild and DO THEIR MATH.

I thought back to just how long ago I helped with first grade math...Adding up the years, I then I realized just how I came to be this age.
Been a LOOOONG TIME.
WHAT IF I COULDN'T DO IT? I never learned 'new math' much less whatever this was in front of me. I became STRESSED. WHAT IF I COULDN'T do it???
How horrible it would be to fail in front of my granddaughter,
who thinks I know everything in this world.
Now...was about to be exposed, I feared.

There I sat with two degrees and stressed out at the thought of first grade math!!!
I did see the humor in this feeling, but that didn't lessen the terror I felt. That was REAL.
Here we are...Twelve Popsicle sticks arranged in the shape of a window with 4 panes.
My stress level shot up. (Isn't that hysterical...afraid of what I might be asked to figure out or to do with 12 little Popsicle sticks...FIRST GRADE, of all things. lol)
Here we go...
First problem: Remove only 4 of the sticks to leave 2 independent squares. Actually, this on turned out to be easy...but then they got harder. All the little kids were whipping the sticks around and solving the problems...while we grandparents were saying "WHAT??"
(smile)
Actually, the teacher gave me a star for my work. lol

A few days later attended
International Night at the other grand children's School...in fact, had to take them as parents were out of on a cruise. (Why am I not on a cruise???...Isn't it grandparents who do cruises? This was backward, right?)

I got us there on time, found a parking place and the auditorium which was packed.

The families from other countries were dressed in their traditional dress of their country which was almost everyone but me. (I am a DAR) In fact, there were only a few descendants from Northern European countries.

The program began...and they wanted to recognize grandparents...only 2 of us stood. A woman in Norwegian Dress and I were the only 2 grandparents there in all those people. Actually, this made me proud.

My 6 year old grandson stood with his class and "Pledged the Allegiance to the Flag" in Spanish. This is nothing like my school days.

In the hallways were booths of art, items and foods from probably every major country in the world. VERY IMPRESSIVE to say the least. We definitely live in an International area, being so near Washington, D. C. Very interesting but too crowded...am so proud of the children as they have learned how to stay right with me in a crowded situation. We made our way to the door after a brief tour. Home for a bath and bed for them.

Today, I enjoyed reflecting on my experiences with the little ones and seeing the world in which they are living. I gained a great deal of respect for their world...
and at the same time, felt so happy that I lived in the world I knew as a child.
Mine was much more simple.

Soon, the hillside was cleared....a friend who was golfing pulled over his cart to chat...he comments about my leaving a thriving stand of blackberry bushes which just started last year. He jumped the fence to put up my birdhouse and we staked my grape vine...which had washed down the hill...but thriving. Golfers are always ready to help. So this was my life today. June

Washington Post "After the Correspondent's Dinner"

Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz crowd surfs among surprised guests at the Capitol File White House Correspondents Dinner After Party at the Newseum April 26, 2008 in Washington, DC.
(Photo by Melissa Golden/Getty Images North America)

Jane Elizabeth Webb said, "Suddenly he jumped." Jane is in foreground of this photo.

Washington Post photo in the Style Section Sunday morning is

Daughter Jane taken as singer Pete Wentz unexpectedly jumped into the crowd from the stage. She had a blast at the After the Correspondents' Dinner Party which was Saturday night in DC.

TV News hounds and Photographers didn't miss a shot. Celebrities filled the room ~ you name them and they were there. President Bush spoke at the dinner but skipped the party. General Casey was there as well as Colin Powell circulated among celebrities and guest. Jane and her friend had the fun of arriving in limo and walking down the red carpet amidst hundreds of flashing cameras for this spectacular event. WHAT FUN!

Jane with~ you'll recognize Morgan Fairchild :)
http://www.realitytvworld.com/thebachelorofficer/ The handsome guy below is Andy Baldwin... from show "The Bachelor - Officer and a Gentleman" He's currently dating Marla Maples.

I saw much more of the event on "Inside Edition." WHY wasn't I invited? No one would have loved it more.

Gift for Your Adult Children

My friend Cay has taught "Writing Life Stories" for years and even volunteered to teach at a few Senior Centers. She has written 160 class handouts for her students, however, told me, "I was always writing the new class lessons and not writing my own stories." She decided to work on her own life stories for her grown children.

This is her story in her words.

"Back in 1993 I wrote the story of our family and photocopied about a trillion pages of snapshots, had some reprinted so each of our three children would have their own copy. The story was in 6 chapter....heritage, montage of each one, the Paris years, family holidays, family vacations, & life after high school.

I made 5 copies cuz by then Pierre & I had been divorced for almost 15 yrs, but we always had birthdays & holidays together. I put each page in those "page savers" that are archival safe & in the books which were loose leaf notebooks.

The kids absolutely loved it - and I've always said I'd made a big mistake cuz I had gift opening b4 dinner so when I'd ask 'can somebody set the table, please?' 'In a minute, Mom'...can someone cut the bread...ditto, & so it went. They were so excited that they could hardly talk cuz they were so enthralled.

Lincolnia - one of the assistants was working on a degree in gerontology & had to do a special project with seniors. Afterwards, one of the other people in the class asked if I would continue to teach the class as I was the only person from the class who'd done anything with it.

It was such fun for me to see my grown children's excitement when they opened the identical boxes...all of them spent the rest of the evening reading."

What a GREAT GIFT for your grown children. A gift that only a Mother could give.
June

Easy Removal of Ticks

Probably all gardners end up with a tick or two.
Finding a little unwelcome friend, just use this great tip.

Put alcohol on a cotton ball and place it over the tick for 2 full minutes. The tick becomes irritated by the alcohol and 'backs out.'
He is still there, but on top of the skin and easy to lift for a short ride to be flushed down the toliet. A good washing and antibiotic cream is recommended.

Explaining this procedure to my six your old grandson, he asked what color wine was best to use on the tick.
And I thought he would become a Doctor.
June

Trip Down Memory Lane

Camera fun~ Joe and Ellen

A Saturday long ago~

Days like this were the beginning of the Golden Girls

and friends for a lifetime.

.

I think this is Ray C.'s grocery delivery bike with a basket full of Bobby's. Bobby F. and Bobby G.

June holding bike (they trusted me, right) and Ellen in the background.

Ck out the car that can be seen...a Chevy? Could have been my Dad's car ???

The other car with the door open just behind the bicycle was Bobby Neil's car.

Feels like only a few years back~

Are you in this photo?

My brother Tommy~

White Sports Coat (and a Pink Carnation) Days

Good looking, isn't it?

Bobby Neil and Joe~ "Cool Cats"
Good looking guys.

We had fun times together.

Joe G. was the best dancer of all

and we danced the summer

away at West Lake. Remember?

Can you believe we dressed like this for a school trip?

Yep, Jr High.

Peggy, June, Golda.

We were then the Golden Girls to be.

Ann and Joe~ Young Love

Last but not least~

Me.

I would say this is my 'movie star' pose.

For sure,

Sweet Sixteen.

June

Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus Escape into Egypt

"Would you like to see a water well where your Holy Family stopped to rest when they were escaping into Egypt?" the Egyptian General asked me at dinner one evening. He knew the story quite well.
Naturally and enthusiastically I answered, "I really would."
How nice of him and he himself arranged for the day off to take me.

He knew in the area but not exactaly where this well is located, so we were off to explore the northern area of Cairo looking for this ancient well. I had NO IDEA what to expect. The traffic and roadways are amazing as there are no rules about the lanes. If there are no cars coming in the left lane, the right lane cars drove over there as well...they moved over only as needed. A neat system. ANYWAY...back to my story....

The history of the Holy Family's flight from Bethlehem and Jerusalem is well known. To murder all boys age two and under back in those times was done for any reason the ruling King might have. In the days of Moses, that order was given to control the population of the Hebrew men.
Now, when Jesus was born, word spread that a new King had been born, which was a threat to King Herod who ordered to destroy the infant in a mass murder. He sent his soldiers out to slay all boys under the age of two.

The Holy Family were warned to flee and left Bethlehem. Their arrived in Jerusalem when Jesus was only eight days old. Here, they had the him circumcised before traveling on. They escaped into Egypt and had the large barren desert to cross. This is when they found a well in the desert. The well we were to see.

I have no expectations as we stopped to ask help from several people along the way. For sure, I had been will off the tourist path thus far. Arabic language was becoming familiar, but naturally, it was Greek to me. (smile)

Finally, In a housing project of four story apartments building on windblown sand roads and no trees was found what we were looking for.

We found the Garden of the Holy Family's Well.

The area was enclosed by a whitewashed concrete wall ~ and of all things... right in the middle of these lower income apartment builds. Basically the city had extended into the desert here.

We unlatched the gate to see a Garden ~ a Garden that someone has kept the Garden green and well preserved. I couldn't believe what I saw.

The area was about 50' x 50 feet and walled in with a whitewashed concrete wall.
In the center was a small round well. Surrounding were many very old trees, all green and some had been supported by beams to hold them up.

Someone had brought ferns and made a square brick planter.

The small well is in front of the large tree in the photo. Next to it was the trunk of a dead fig tree with a new tree branching out from the bottom.

On the wall were three stories for visitors to read. They were in three different languages as well.

First Written Story.... "As the Holy Family crossed the desert, they found this well under a fig tree. They stopped to rest and eat figs. Far out on the desert, they saw soldiers on horses. A magic spider quickly spun a web around the Holy Family to make them invisible. The Soldiers didn't see them and passed on by.

" Second Story..."As the Holy Family crossed the desert, they found this well under a fig tree. They stopped to rest and eat figs. Far out on the desert, they saw soldiers on horses. The branches of the fig tree bent down to hide the Holy Family. The Soldiers didn't see them and passed on by.

" Third Story......"As the Holy Family crossed the desert, they found this well under a fig tree. They stopped to rest and eat figs. Far out on the desert, they saw soldiers on horses. The Holy Family climbed up and hid above the tree. The Soldiers didn't see them and passed on by. "

There was a small wooden box for donations. I opened my purse and emptied what Egyptian pounds I had into the box. I was very moved.
June

Poem Place

~SPRING and POEMS go TOGETHER~

In response to the follow request~

Please make a separate entry for Poetry and have your friends contribute poems that they have written or ones that they love!

Shall I start?

For Woody

by June Daab

Retired and living his dreams,

He bought a plane for play

The sun was out, the day was warm,

He took to the sky on this his last day.

Up, up and away,

His spirits did soar in freedom of flight,

This was the life of his dreams,

All other things now seemed trite.

The engine suddenly failed in flight,

Quickly, the landscape he panned,

Woody had but a second to decide,

To find where he could land.

The plane lost lift,

Down, down in trees,

Which to planes

Are enemies.

We mourn Woody

However, we are comforted,

He was living life to the fullest

and enjoying something he loved,

April 17, 2008