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The Waking
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I cannot go.
We think by feeling. What is there to know?
I hear my being dance from ear to ear.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Of those so close beside me, which are you?
God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there,
And learn by going where I have to go.
Light takes the Tree, but who can tell us how?
The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair;
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
Great Nature has another thing to do
To you and me; so take the lively air,
And, lovely, learn by going where to go.
This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.
What falls away is always. And is near.
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I learn by going where I have to go.
--Theodore Roethke
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Joy's Updates - Straight from the Horse's Mouth.
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Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Songs with a Raisin Theme
Now how about song lyrics you or someone you know misheard and thought were the lyrics. For example, Brian as a small child thought it was "bad, bad Leroy Brown, baddest man in the whole downtown" and also thought he had a raisin in his shoe. I get so many lyrics wrong that it would take too long to list them. If you have some you changed to make them funnier, tell those. Janey wrote this on my board when we were teaching together: "We had joy. We had fun. We had raisins in the sun." Isn't she clever!
10:26:00 PM
Blog Theft
Rik has a quiz on his blog some of you who are younger and have been exposed to British TV might know.
Scaryduck asked readers for their favorite movie lines, so I thought I'd ask you about yours. Here are some of mine:
Many from Monty Python and the Holy Grail .... most of the movie actually.
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." - The Princess Bride
Lili Von Shtupp: Is it true how zey say zat you people are... gifted?
[Lights go out, sound of zipper opening]
Lili Von Shtupp: Oh. It's twue. It's twue. - Blazing Saddles
"Abby Normal" - Young Frankenstein
"You're not too smart. I like that in a man." - Kathleen Turner's character in Body Heat
Sundance Kid: I can't swim.
Butch Cassidy: Why you crazy, the fall will probably kill you.
And almost everything Inspector Clouseau said.
Holly Golightly: It should take you exactly four seconds to cross from here to that door. I'll give you two. - Breakfast at Tiffanys
"I'll have what she's having." - When Harry Met Sally
I got carried away!! Now if there are any left, let me know what you like.
8:50:00 PM
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Computer
My computer is making an odd sound. It's in the tower and sounds like something clicking sort of almost like when people make a clicking sound with their cheeks. It's not constant and is similar to little tiny metal gears that turn off and on and change whatever they are doing. I hope nothing is wrong. Can dust and cat hair do that? I don't see a way they can get in there, though. Any ideas?
6:07:00 PM
Sunday, April 25, 2004
Birthday Celebration
We had a great time today at Ellendale's and the Nashville Zoo. The rain held off and only sprinkled a little while. I like those habitat zoos. Melissa's parents, a friend of theirs and her baby, Mother, Brian and Melissa, and I were all there. He's a happy baby with many who love him. Pictures are in the photo album in the new photos part. Enjoy!!
9:18:00 PM
Saturday, April 24, 2004
Beamish Birthday Boy
Tomorrow is Brendan's first birthday. We're meeting at Ellendale's for brunch. (surprise) Our plans have been to go to the zoo for the afternoon, but since rain is predicted, we might have to do something else. I think Brian and Melissa have contingency plans. I can't believe it's been a year since he was born. Now we also have Allyson and another cousin on the way in August when Andy and Angela have their baby. Kari just had her 9th birthday on April 19, and Kelsey was 11 on February 9. Luke was 5 in September. How exciting it is to have children in the family to enjoy!
10:55:00 PM
Trivia Quiz
This is from the "Know-It-All" edition again. Some questions I think you can do something with here. ;-)
Answers are posted on the last quiz for that one.
1. People and Places - What two countries are connected by the Rainbow Bridge?
2. P&P - Who said, "The best and the most beautiful things in life cannot be seen or even touched?"
3. Arts & Entertainment - What was the full title of the 1964-65 satirical TV series abbreviated TW3? (I liked this)
4. A&E - What was missing from all the dolls belonging to Wednesday Addams?
5. History - Who recounted his travels through Asia in a book entitled The Description of the World?
6. History - Which island state was ruled by King Manfred?
7. Science & Nature - Which continent is the original home of over 80% of the world's species of roses?
8. S&N - What DNA researcher shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine with Watson and Crick in 1962?
9. Sports & Leisure - What have skiers in Switzerland dressed as since 1982 in an annual alpine run designed to chase away evil spirits?
10. S&L - What was the final score in the baseball game immortalized in the poem "Casey at the Bat"?
11. Wild Card - What skilled tradesmen did the Indian government train in 1997 to counsel patrons on family planning?
12. WC - What imaginary bird lives for 500 years, then rises from the ashes of its own funeral pyre to live another 500 years? (imaginary? next they'll be saying unicorns aren't real!)
10:49:00 PM
Man Mirror
I was driving behind a boxy bright green car that had the words TOO LOW FOR A FAT HO on the back window. I drove up beside the car to get a look at the driver of this phrase and had time to check him out since the light was red. Worse than I thought! He was, as you might suspect, a big out-of-shape no-necked pale lump who weighed down the car enough by himself and would be lucky if anyone chose to ride with him.
10:33:00 PM
Monday, April 19, 2004
New Pictures
There are three photos of Ally in the new photos part of my album over there on the left. Just click to enlarge them and save or print if you want to also. She's a cutie! There are more here of her. Chris emailed these to me, and I cropped and resampled so they'd upload to the album. It's great to see her! :-)
5:22:00 PM
Sunday, April 18, 2004
Bed
I watched Something's Gotta Give last night (told you I was behind on my movie watching), and Diane Keaton's character explained that she'd figured out the secret to sleeping alone - to sleep in the middle and not have a side of the bed because it seemed silly to have a side when no else slept there. Jack Nicholson's character told about how different it was to sleep with someone and to have sex with them and that he preferred to sleep alone. It made me think about this. I've never quite gotten the hang of sleeping with anyone and have been aware of their being in bed with me to the point of distraction sometimes - especially if snoring were involved. There have been rare times I felt comfortable enough to sleep well and be comfortable and relaxed with someone but have slept by myself most of my life (unless cats count). Actually I like to sleep alone but slept on "my side of the bed" for a long time after my divorce. I remember thinking that I didn't have to have a side and could sleep anywhere on my queen-sized bed I wanted to and have been sleeping in the middle for quite a while now. I move around and have finally claimed the whole bed.
5:11:00 PM
Saturday, April 17, 2004
Trivia Quiz
This is from the "Know-It-All" edition again.
1. People and Places - What is the capital of Fiji?
2. P&P - What nickname was given to convicted killer Robert Stroud as a result of his research while in prison?
3. Arts & Entertainment - What is the literary term for a word whose sound reinforces its meaning?
4. A&E - Whose essay, entitled Civil Disobedience, influenced Gandhi and Martin Luther King?
5. History - What European country besides Spain has had its flag fly over Texas?
6. History - What Athenian teacher was tried and convicted of "rejecting the gods of the city" and "corrupting the youth"?
7. Science & Nature - What is the common name for the infectious disease pertussis?
8. S&N - What is the term for the linear distance between two ocean wave crests?
9. Sports & Leisure - What football player has the same last name as one of Charlie Brown's friends from Peanuts?
10. S&L - Who did Mohammed Ali knock out with a "phantom punch"?
11. Wild Card - What has the U.S. Postal System asked that you not use in mailing addresses?
12. WC - What did Prince Siddhartha Gautama create in Nepal in 500 BC?
2:02:00 PM
Friday, April 16, 2004
Mother
Mother didn't have the surgery today but many tests instead. The computers were down, so they couldn't know the test results and will call her Monday or Tuesday. We don't know anything yet. She'll either have drops, nothing, or laser treatment.
We had lunch at Calypso and then went to Bellevue Mall for some shopping.
9:03:00 PM
Ally Andrade
My niece Amy (Durham) and her husband Chris Andrade welcomed their daughter Allyson Emily to the world last night at 11:20. After many hours of labor, Amy had a C-section, and Ally was born on her due date. Mother called yesterday morning to say Amy went to the hospital around 7:00, so she had a long time of it. Butch and Janelle left around 10:00 to drive to Kansas. We all anticipated the phone call all day. Mother called last night a little after midnight to let me know. We're so excited and happy for them! Ally weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz. and is healthy and wonderful! I hope to have pictures soon and will post them when I do.
I'm off today so I can drive Mother to Nashville for eye surgery at 1:00 and be there with her. She's had some bleeding behind the retina. I'll let you know how that goes.
9:07:00 AM
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Shall We Move?
How Healthy Is Your State?
By Daniel DeNoon
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Tuesday, April 06, 2004
April 6, 2004 -- What's the state of your health? Odds are, it's better if you live in New Hampshire than in Mississippi.
Those odds come from the annual "Healthiest State Award" given each year by Morgan Quitno Press. Every year, the company analyzes a wide range of statistics and ranks the 50 United States.
Drum roll, please! This year's healthiest state: New Hampshire, which surged past perennial winner Vermont.
And keeping its rank as the least healthy state in the Union for the fifth year in a row: Mississippi.
Morgan Quitno ranks states according to 21 criteria. These include three "positive" factors:
Beds in community hospitals per 100,000 population
Percent of children age 19-35 months who got all their recommended vaccinations
Rate of safety belt use
And there were 18 negative criteria:
Percentage of low-weight births
Teen birth rate
Percentage of mothers getting late or no prenatal care
Death rate
Infant mortality rate
Cancer death rate (age adjusted)
Suicide rate (age adjusted)
Percentage of population not covered by health insurance
State spending on health care as a percentage of gross state product
Per-capita personal health costs
Rate of new cancer cases
AIDS rate
Sexually transmitted diseases rate
Percentage of population without access to primary care
Percentage of population who are binge drinkers
Percentage of adults who smoke
Percentage of adults who are obese
Number of days in past month when physical health was "not good"
Do you wonder where your state ranks? Complete information is available from Morgan Quitno Press. Here are their 2004 rankings:
1. New Hampshire. Last year: 2
2. Vermont. Last year: 1
3. Hawaii. Last year: 8
4. Iowa. Last year: 4
5. Minnesota. Last year: 5
6. Utah. Last year: 9
7. Nebraska. Last year: 3
8. Massachusetts. Last year: 6
9. Maine. Last year: 7
10. Connecticut. Last year: 11
11. New Jersey. Last year: 16
12. North Dakota. Last year: 10
13. Washington. Last year: 12
14. California. Last year: 14
15. Oregon. Last year: 19
16. Wyoming. Last year: 20
17. Kansas. Last year: 15
18. Rhode Island. Last year: 17
19. South Dakota. Last year: 13
20. Idaho. Last year: 21
21. Wisconsin. Last year: 23
22. Virginia. Last year: 22
23. Montana. Last year: 18
24. Ohio. Last year: 26
25. Michigan. Last year: 28
26. Pennsylvania. Last year: 24
27. Colorado. Last year: 25
28. Indiana. Last year: 27
29. Kentucky. Last year: 31
30. North Carolina. Last year: 29
31. Illinois. Last year: 32
32. Maryland. Last year: 35
33. New York. Last year: 33
34. West Virginia. Last year: 30
35. Alaska. Last year: 36
36. Tennessee. Last year: 37
37. Missouri. Last year: 34
38. Arkansas. Last year: 43
39. Oklahoma. Last year: 40
40. Arizona. Last year: 41
41. Florida. Last year: 44
42. Georgia. Last year: 42
43. Texas. Last year: 39
44. Delaware. Last year: 38
45. Nevada. Last year: 45
46. South Carolina. Last year: 48
47. Alabama. Last year: 47
48. Louisiana. Last year: 49
49. New Mexico. Last year: 46
50. Mississippi. Last year: 50
6:40:00 PM
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
This Should Be Interesting
Why did Henry Wadsworth Longfellow grow a beard?
1:42:00 PM
Monday, April 12, 2004
Late Night
Letterman: At the annual Easter egg hunt at the White House the kids found strong evidence of Easter eggs but no actual eggs.
Leno: Even former Vice President Al Gore met with the commission. Which had to be strange for Al Gore. Like when they asked him what he would have done if he had been elected president. He said, "But I was elected president!!!”
10:43:00 PM
Sunday, April 11, 2004
Go Forth and Be Clever
Rik has a quiz on his blog today and has invited us to answer questions. This will give me an opportunity to answer as well as to be entertained - even though it's much easier to be on this end of it. So Janey, Michael, and anyone else who wants to give Rik a laugh and a smile, click on over! He's joined you here with some clever replies.
4:18:00 PM
Odor, Smell, Scent
Interesting how shades of difference in words can conjure various images - or in this case olfactory impressions. On NPR this morning, an author was interviewed about a book he wrote about a physicist who specializes in smells. He mentioned how most people remember the way their grandmother's house smelled. It made me think about my maternal grandmother's house which smelled liked the bread she baked. There was nothing like a slice of it slathered with the butter she churned and perserves she made from their own strawberries. That was heaven! She was a genius about cooking and could watch Phila Rawlings on the Noon Show demonstrating a recipe and make it from what she heard. Mammy didn't write the recipes down and could tell by how they sounded to her if the ingredients were in the ultimate proportions. Sometimes I'd hear her say it was too much flour for that amount of butter or such as that. She created meals.
Pap would talk to me (or probably listen) while he sharpened tools in the shed where the baby chickens cheeped in a large cardboard box with a warming light bulb safely over them. I like that smell too. He loved those logic puzzles such as the one with the fox, duck, and corn that had to be taken over the river two at a time. Those scrambled my brain, but I tried to figure them out and felt like a winner when I did. I needed hints though.
Oddly, I can't remember the smells of Grandma's house for some reason although I have many happy memories of being there. She also was a really good cook and made the best desserts and main dishes, too. Now that I'm remembering this, the smell of cornbread permeates my memory of her house even though being rocked by her, snuggling under her arm, and listening to the squeak of the rocking chair in time with her comforting alto voice as she sang to me takes precedence over them all. She could rock children better than anyone, and I felt safe and loved when she did. She baked "dog bread" (not sure what made it different from regular cornbread) daily to feed my grandfather's fox hounds. I guess it was to supplement whatever they were fed or was made with odd things because when I tasted it, she told me not to eat the dog bread. It tasted good though.
Granda read the comic strips to me while I sat snuggled up to him. John, my uncle and Sally's father, read to me, too. What glorious feelings of being embraced by voices of those who took the time to read to me while I snuggled in wonder and love. It was magical!
11:44:00 AM
Saturday, April 10, 2004
Ticker
Notice the new addition to my blog right there below the Moon Phases. Neat info!
11:55:00 AM
Friday, April 09, 2004
Trivia Quiz
This is from the "Know-It-All" edition again.
1. People and Places - What city in France is famous for its Mardi Gras carnival?
2. P&P - Who are referred to in British tabloids as "Brenda and Phil the Greek"? (is this true, Brits?)
3. Arts & Entertainment - What movie is subtitled, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb?
4. A&E - What is the name of the Indian maiden rescued by Peter Pan?
5. History - What historical era is comprised of the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods?
6. History - What animal's image is found on the reverse side of the 5th century BC silver coin featuring the sculpted portrait of Athena on one side?
7. Science & Nature - What do you call ocean vents gushing super heated water?
8. S&N - What are ruffs, turnstones, and godwits?
9. Sports & Leisure - What grueling contest was won by Spaniard Miguel Indurain in a neighboring country each year from 1991 to 1995?
10. S&L - Who was the first baseball player to steal more than 100 bases in a season?
11. Wild Card - What movie introduced the fictional product character, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man?
12. WC - What company uses as its advertising mascot a tired character named Bibendum?
10:59:00 PM
Thursday, April 08, 2004
The Meatrix
Check this out about our meat supply and why to buy free-range, antibiotic-free meat and eggs.
4:55:00 PM
Monday, April 05, 2004
Embarrassing Moments of Teaching
I have many of them, but one I referred to in the comment section happened with Janey as my witness. She was observing teachers as part of her preparation to be an English teacher when she was in college. She was in my classroom during one of her observations while I was going over the selection in our American literature book about Valley Forge. It was an account describing the hardships of the winter when the Colonial soldiers had inadequate clothing, food, and shelter. They were also described as poor shots since they hadn't even been able to kill any birds that had flown over. They'd been eating bark from trees and had frost-bitten fingers. Somehow I made the comment that their fingers were so cold they couldn't even shoot a bird. Fortunately, it was early in the school year and at a time when students didn't comment as much then as they do now, so no one said anything or even snickered. Except for Janey and me. We had to avoid eye contact because each of us knew what the other was thinking. After class we laughed about it. That was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.
2:14:00 PM
Sunday, April 04, 2004
Time
The worst weekend of the year just happened. Now I have to get up an hour early for seven months. I really don't care one way or the other about Daylight Savings Time but wish it would stay the same all year. As it is, they keep adding to both ends of it, making it last longer each year, it seems. It takes a couple of weeks for me to get used to the change. Here's a whole website devoted to this history and other information about DST.
10:37:00 PM
Saturday, April 03, 2004
Trivia Quiz
This is from the "Know-It-All" edition for a change.
1. People and Places - What top TV comic said, "Nothing in life is fun for the whole family"?
2. P&P - What religious name is the most common forename in the world?
3. Arts & Entertainment - What is the victim called in the American versions of Clue game?
4. A&E - What country singer makes an appearance as a volatile juror in teh movie version of John Grisham's Rainmaker?
5. History - What short-story chronicler of the Civil War wrote The Devil's Dictionary?
6. History - Which notable Russian leader was seven feet tall? (Shaqovich)
7. Science & Nature - What kind of creature is a blue-footed booby?
8. S&N - What airport did the noisy Monk Parrot escape from, thus beginning its pesky habitation of North America? (what? when did this happen?)
9. Sports & Leisure - Who was college basketball's "Wizard of Westwood"?
10. S&L - Who was the first player to win the 13th hole in senior skins history? (what an odd question but it makes sense to those who know about it, I guess)
11. Wild Card - What sport, popular in the U.S., began in Egypt 7,000 years ago?
12. WC - Which area of Britain calls its original language "Lymric"? (there was a young lady from Nantucket)
13. WC - What British town did Lady Godiva ride through?
#12 has another mistake the TP gamesters made on their cards. After doing some Googling and emailing with Rik, I've noticed the language should be "Cymric" instead of what they had on the card. Aha!!
2:39:00 PM
Bloomin' Spring
Those pansies Mother put in the pots on my patio last fall have been blooming for a while now. I didn't know they would come back and am so glad to see them. I just love pansies and their cute little faces. The forsythia, buttercups, tulips, redbuds, and hyacinths are blooming and trees are budding. I love spring and fall!
10:24:00 AM
Mascots
Never one to keep up with current news or sports much at all, I only recently learned that UT at Chattanooga's mascot is the Mocs. I asked if it stood for mocassins and wondered about water mocassins or the soft leather shoes, so I looked it up and learned something. It's changed over the years from snakes and shoes to Scrappy, a mockingbird train engineer. How about that? Actually, it does incorporate the Chattanooga Choo-Choo and the state bird. Here's the history of Mocs.
UT-Martin where I went used to be the Vols as well, but got called the Baby Vols sometimes. Our colors were also orange and white. Then UTM became the Pacers and now the Skyhawks. The colors have changed over the years, too.
There are companies who specialize in mascots, logos, etc. What are some other odd one?
10:09:00 AM
Thursday, April 01, 2004
Wow!
Harbin Snow and Ice Festival
Check it out. Amazing!
6:21:00 PM
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