Advice to Missouri

Missouri, you are scaring me! It starts with my heart beating faster, then my hands start shaking and tears begin to form in my eyes. I have to take a deep breath. You might think I'm acting a little dramatic, but it's true. And here's why.

Recently it's come to my attention that there are 3 Amendments on the November ballot to legalize medical marijuana in our state. 

"Big deal!" you might say. And I'd have said the same thing a couple years ago. Cancer patients, old people with glaucoma and others with debilitating pain deserve a chance to have relief from their pain. I would have said too many people are abusing high potency pain killers like morphine. But I don't believe that way anymore.

Some of you may know that I'm from Colorado. I have relatives that still live there and I visit regularly. And I want you to know what's going on there could easily become our future. In 2000 Colorado legalized medical marijuana. I read it in the paper one day at my brother's house. Big whoop, I thought. They had specific places that a person with a doctor's prescription could pick up a regulated amount of the drug. This had no bearing on my visit at all. 

In 2012 Colorado voters passed Amendment 64 which allowed anyone over 21 years of age to have up to an ounce of marijuana. After that happened, I'd tell people I was taking a trip to Colorado and they'd give me a wink and say I know what you're doing. Ha ha! Not true. My family in Colorado doesn't use marijuana. 

I regularly visited Colorado up until 2017. And I've seen the changes. This is what I feel all Missourians need to know before they vote on November 6th. Nothing happens overnight. It's a slow progression of small things that have lead up to the current reality in my hometown. And that's why I haven't visited my beautiful hometown lately.

My family lives in a cute little area of Pueblo called Mesa Junction. To me it's like the heart of the town. I'd walk down to Taffy's candy shop, then walk over the bridge to Union Avenue to visit the cute shops and take a stroll around the Riverwalk. Used to be you'd see a few strange people walking down the sidewalks on Abriendo Avenue. I was told they came from the mental health center not far away. As the years went by there were more strange people. They usually had on backpacks. Being naive, I just assumed they were students or something. But no, they were homeless people. 

In 2016 during a visit, I got to witness a couple of people with a dog and boxes of stuff have a loud argument at the park across the street from my brother's house. But most of the visit was normal; at least for me.

The worse part was what I witnessed during my last visit. I went out to Colorado in May of 2017. And I did most of my usual tourist stuff. My aunt and I took a trip to the Rosemount Museum. I hadn't been there in years. As we were walking up to the big, beautiful mansion from the street out of the corner of my eye I spied a blanket on a bench. Next thing I know a very big guy gets up from the blanket and starts following us to the door. I was terrified. But I tried to act cool. I sped up the stairs to the door while casually talking about the pretty flowers. The door wouldn't open. Now I'm really freaked out! A sign to the right said ring for entrance; so I punched the doorbell. Inside someone opens the door just enough for me and my aunt to get in. Then they have some words with the guy following us. They weren't pleasant words, either. He said he wanted to visit the gift shop and they said no. The situation was downright unnerving. It seems this guy had been sleeping on this very warm day in a blanket on their property. By the time we left he was gone, but the memory and the feeling still remains. 

During this same trip I went with my aunt to Carl Jr.'s. While we were eating a guy came in with his own food. He took seat at a table and promptly fell asleep. I was a little creeped out by it, but I guess there are strange people everywhere. During that same visit to Carl Jr.'s I had to use the bathroom. So I got up and headed to the ladies room. I couldn't open the door. There's a keypad beside the door. I had to go back in line, wait and get the code to get into the bathroom. What kind of place is this? It seems the homeless people had been trashing the bathroom and leaving needles and I don't know what in the bathrooms to the point where the restaurant had to pay money to get a keypad for the restrooms. I'm astonished!

My aunt told me that going to the post office in town isn't a fun experience. Homeless people come in and use the trash can as their toilet. The floor is filthy and it smells bad, even during normal business hours.

How did this happen? Why isn't anyone talking about this? At the time, I took comfort in the fact that I live in Missouri. There's no way this can happen here. But I could be wrong. 

When recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado many people in other states decided to move out there to live the dream. I guess that involved getting a job in the newly legalized marijuana field and enjoy a toke whenever they liked. Reality must have hit them hard. Most good paying jobs in Pueblo still require a drug test. If you can't find or hold a job, you can't get a place to stay. The homeless population in my hometown is a problem now. That's not the only problem, though. Because people can grow their own marijuana in their house or their backyard, everyone gets to smell the plant. Now I'm not going to say I know what this smells like, but I've been told that the plant smells like a skunk. If there's one growing next door, when the wind is blowing you can smell it in your backyard. It doesn't sound very pleasant.

Colorado's changes didn't happen overnight. I believe they legalized medical marijuana to get taxes to help with education. I don't see the schools any better than they were before. Pueblo just went to a 4 day week. They usually do that to save money. The streets still have potholes. They even voted in a new tax to pay for street repair. And now they have to spend millions of dollars for a homeless shelter and warming stations. After legalizing medical marijuana, they legalized recreational. At the beginning marijuana dispensaries were kept in Pueblo county, now they are infiltrating the city. 

I don't want to be an alarmist, but I don't want to see these things happen in Missouri. Please think long and hard before you vote in November. My heart breaks when I think about Colorado. I don't want to deal with that sort of life in Missouri. 

Thanks for reading.

Implications of legalization in Colorado

Colorado Springs mayor warns Arizona

It's now legal in Colorado for school personnel to administer medical marijuana to students

Take a Groove Walk

I made up some delicious iced tea, but haven't partaken yet. I'm still drinking my good, old water. I don't know about you, but I've become a little slack in my exercises. Some of it was due to my hip being out of place and spending several days a week at the chiropractor's office. When I wasn't there I was concerned if exercising was going to take my hip out of place again. So the only exercises I did regularly were the stretches from the chiropractor. Now that I'm only going once a week I decided to get back into walking.

But here's my deal with walking. I can't walk around my neighborhood, because I live on a highway. So I have to get in my car and drive somewhere to take an outdoor walk. Then I worry about rain, getting cold or getting hot, am I hydrated enough. Now I don't think it's worth the effort to go to the park or where ever to walk. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

But last week, I changed my attitude. And in the process that followed I think I created something new. I like to call it Groove Walking. Here's how it started. I pulled up my iTunes and created a playlist of songs I thought were upbeat and I'd like to listen to while I walked. Luckily, I have a decent play and a pretty big house. So I plugged up my computer to external speakers and set my timer for 20 minutes and started walking in my house. These songs were so good, though; I ended up in a half dance and half walk. By golly, I think it was a Groove Walk!

The first time I Groove Walked I felt a little silly. But who cares? I didn't have people peeking in the windows. And I looked. Getting through 20 minutes wasn't a piece of cake either. I'd check my timer in hopes of it almost ready to ring. I'd groove by my water and take a few sips while I walked. But after a few times of Groove Walking, I found myself going even after the timer when off. Today, I Groove Walked until my playlist was done. That's about 35 minutes. So if your exercise routine is boring you, you might want to consider taking a Groove Walk. It's the newest, most enjoyable way to get some exercise and get funky!

Let me know if you Groove Walk. I might have to patent the name and make a video demonstration. Maybe even a book, "Groove Walking for Dummies".

Better Breakfast... or Lunch or Supper

I took a good walk after school today and then decided to enjoy a glass of iced tea. I've been a little slack with Tea Talk lately and thought I might try to remedy the situation. And since I've done some cooking over the weekend, I thought I'd share my thoughts with you.

I have found my new breakfast food. I've heard of this, but don't think I'd ever had one until I set out to make it this weekend. This amazing food is called frittata. A frittata is like a quiche without the crust. And the best part is that you can add any meat and vegetables you want. I'm not joking; this Italian dish can be made with whatever meat and veggies you've got around the house.

I learned a little bit about the preparation after my first frittata. The first thing I learned is to a have the cheese shredded up before you start cooking. The second thing I learned was to chop up the onion and garlic before cooking. So I guess pretending like I'm on a cooking show is the best way to cook a frittata. The only item I had to purchase at the grocery store was heavy cream. I bought the smallest container and it was a couple dollars. The rest of the ingredients I already had in my house.

So here's how to get a good frittata. You need a good cast iron skillet to cook the entire frittata. Yes, a one pan recipe. That's what I'm talking about! The recipe I found called for 1/4 cup heavy cream for 6 eggs. I used a little more cream and 8 eggs. The recipe said I should fry up 4 slices of bacon. Ha! I'll cook up a half a package of bacon or none at all. This time I went for none at all. I put some bacon grease in the skillet and cooked up a few ham slices. When that was hot (I bought precooked) I removed it and put in the veggies. I had some frozen chopped broccoli and cauliflower. I added those to the skillet along with some onion and garlic. I did have to cook this for a few minutes because it was frozen. When the veggies were done, I added the ham that I'd chopped up and spread it evenly in the skillet. Shredded cheese was next. Once it started to melt I added the whipped up eggs and heavy cream mixture which also included a little kosher salt. Make sure the eggs cover the veggies and cook until the sides start to set. I put it in a 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes. Then I turned it to low broil so the top got a turned a nice brown.

I didn't know it was so easy to remove it from the skillet the first time. I kept the leftovers in the skillet taking up a lot of room in the refrigerator. Today I made another one and removed it from the skillet after cooling. It came out easy and I cut it like a pizza. I can't wait to eat this every morning for breakfast. I used to make a breakfast casserole, but the frittata has very little carbs compared to my breakfast casserole. And it's got whatever meat and veggies I want to put in it. This may become my staple breakfast food. If you haven't made one before I suggest you do it today.

If you have made one, share some of your favorite combinations. Right now I'm digging the ham and broccoli, but I know I'll want to try some different combinations.

Lessons From Friends

As I look back on this post from over 6 years ago, I'm rejuvenated and inspired.  I realize how much I've changed and grown.  My goals today originate internally instead of externally. I have more passion to reach my goals because they are deep seated desires that come from my life's purpose. This makes it much easier to sustain and obtain. 

And yet there are some parts that are still me. I have the same goal setting mindset. I'm still growing. I'm still learning. I now have a better grasp on myself and my motivations. 

Hello! I hope this finds you brimming with good cheer. If not, put the kettle on and brew up your favorite tea. I had a nice visit this afternoon with my neighbor and her visiting daughter. They are such a fun pair. I know I should visit my neighbor more often. She's a sassy lady who always seems to bring a smile to my face. And her daughter, though still slightly older than me, always seems to inspire me.

Beatles poster is now gone. :(

This time she lost over 30 lbs. by following a few healthy guidelines. It's so amazing that I have to share it with you. She started by using Fitbit. She'd make a step goal and then surpass it. At the same time, she changed her eating habits. She let go of the fancy coffees and went plain black. She said no to the rich desserts and only took a small piece on special occasions. But mainly she walked and walked until she was over her goal. Then she upped her goal.

I'm so in such awe of this smart, intelligent woman who took control of her health. And I wonder what I can learn from her success. First thing I think I can learn is to really make a goal. I have a goal on my pedometer, but sometimes I think I'm happy getting close to my goal. I make excuses for myself. That's not the way to be successful. I need to pick a reasonable goal and then surpass it and then up it.

I already avoid coffee unless black and avoid sugar. But I can eat much more vegetables and fruits and less grains and even my homemade bread. I can get healthier food at the store instead of what looks quick and easy.

Sometimes, I seem to make excuses for myself. "Well, your back hurts."  "You've had a long day at work." Blah, blah, blah. I can come up with anything for an excuse. But I need to think of my neighbor's daughter. She didn't let excuses stop her from moving toward her goals and I shouldn't either. I hope this blog has had you thinking about your goals, whatever they are. I hope you find renewed energy to take your goals one step further. The happiness I've seen from someone progressing toward their goals has definitely inspired me toward better goal monitoring. I hope it does you, too.

Safe Space in the Seventies

Hello again! It's been a little while since we've chatted. But that's okay. I'm sure you've survived drinking tea with a little peace and quiet. Speaking of peace and quiet. I thought I'd share some ideas about safe spaces.

Now first let me preface that I don't know everything about safe spaces. What I do know has come from a friend and some research. Let's start with a definition. My Google dictionary says a safe space is: a place or environment in which a person or a category of people can feel confident that they will not be exposed to discrimination, criticism, harassment or any other emotional or physical harm.

It's just what the name implies; I guess. I would relate it to a safe room in a person's house. A person might go there to avoid a catastrophe or an intruder. I would think some places should also be considered safe places; maybe your attorney's office, doctor's office, therapist's office. They take oaths not to reveal your confidences. So why not consider them safe spaces?

Most of the research I've found likes to talk about safe spaces at schools and especially colleges. That concept is a little foreign to me. So let me talk about a time I needed a safe space and we can compare the situations.

Back in the late seventies I was in upper elementary school. And I suffered with my share of name calling and bullying. Come on, who didn't? And you couldn't always run home to mommy and daddy for help. It just wasn't convenient. But the thought of asking for a safe space was laughable. In fact, there were probably people who needed one more than me. I had my charming sense of humor to help me. Not really! I was just as dorky as everyone else. But one time I created my own safe space. And in the spirit of helping anyone who might need a safe space, I'll tell you my story.

I lived on a little street in Springfield, MO back in my younger years. I was probably in 6th or 7th grade. I didn't know it at the time, but maybe people called it a rough part of town. I don't know. It was home. Around the corner and on the corner lived a family of really tough kids. I won't mention any names, but they didn't like to play nice. I'm not sure what I did, but one summer day I did something that didn't make those tough kids happy. And they were out for me. I needed a safe space and I needed it quickly. I hopped on my bike and headed home. Running inside wasn't going to help. Those kids knew how to knock on the door and ask for me. What did I do instead? I made my own safe space. I dropped my bike in the yard and high tailed it up a tree. I was safely hidden in leaves of the tree as I watched those kids come by my house looking for me. I was still in that tree when they got bored and took off.

Whew! My only problem was how to get down. Dang it! That's always been my problem with tree climbing. It's so much easier to get up than it is to get down. But I made my own safe space. I was protected from physical and emotional harm in that tree. So let's remember that life is hard, but we can make our own safe space. The seventies weren't that bad, in fact I think we might have learned some creativity in those days. Let me know what you think.

The Man Behind the Green

Today is the day of wearing green. I'm sure you have a little Irish in you. I know I do. But did you know St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland wasn't even Irish? It is true!

St. Patrick was actually born in Britain while it was under Roman rule. When he was a young teenager he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland as a slave. His job was to herd sheep. During his six or so years in captivity, he turned to Christianity. And one day he heard from God to leave Ireland by going to the coast. He made his escape by hitching a ride from a boat he found at dock. Seems like perfect timing.

When Patrick made it back home to Britain, he reunited with his family and at age 20 began studying for the priesthood. After he was ordained, he headed back to Ireland as a missionary. This is when all the legends began about St. Patrick. What we do know, is that he converted many Irish to Christianity. He used the shamrock, or clover to demonstrate the Holy Trinity. He also established many churches in Ireland.

One myth states that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland. I believe this is a metaphor for Patrick confronting the Druids and converting them to Christianity, therefore cleansing the island of paganism. And really, Ireland never had snakes to begin with.

Patrick died on March 17, 461 and was pretty much lost in the archives until he became the patron saint of Ireland. It wasn't until the 1700s that people started wearing shamrocks to show their Irish Christian pride. Later, they just started wearing the color green. The first St. Patrick's Day parade actually occurred in the United States during the Revolutionary war. Since then, St. Patrick's Day has exploded. Parades go on in cities world wide. Chicago dies their river green and green beer flows all over the place.

So on this day, take a little time to remember the real St. Patrick. He must have had a strong love for the people who made him a slave to go back and share the love of God with them. So please save one toast for St. Patrick and don't forget to wear your green.

Sources: Catholic.org
History Channel

Walkout or Walk up

Today's tea was a medium unsweet tea courtesy of Hardees. It doesn't make a very pretty picture. So I opted for this one instead. Spring is just about here, folks. I've been caught up in a lot of chiropractor visits and haven't taken a lot of time to write. I miss it.

I guess today was National School Walkout Day. I say that because I heard about it, but didn't give it much thought. I mean students leaving school to demand stronger gun control or honoring the victims of the latest Florida school shooting? I'm not sure exactly what they expected to happen. So I was a little surprised to learn that it was today when I walked into the office this morning. Luckily, my principal was on the ball. She sent out an email informing us what to tell the students and what to do and not to do. Then when she realized a lot of students were inquiring about it, she made an announcement before class started.

I figured that would be the end of it. It was in my class. We were taking our end of unit test. Since 10:00 was the walkout time and this was during homeroom, I had my students watching a short video before we made a new seating chart where they picked their seat. No one even mentioned walking out.

Later in the day, I heard a couple of students decided to walkout anyway. I really don't see what good it did. That's when I started thinking about what would make a difference. I read about a Walk-up movement. Students are encouraged to walk up to those kids that are left out, not chosen for group activities,  someone you normally wouldn't talk to. These are the kinds of things that may do some good. I do want to note, that someone attempting this should be completely sincere. I can just imagine what it's like to be sitting by yourself all the time and then someone comes up to visit with you. I'd be a little suspicious. Let's think back to the movie "Carrie".  But if done with real sincerity and continued, I think it could make a difference.

My superintendent send out an email about a talk he had at the high school. Some students participated in a 17 minute event today. He encouraged those students to tell someone if they hear of threats, to treat each other with respect and compassion. Although they don't have to be friends with everyone, they can be friendly to everyone. I can't tell you if these things are going to make a difference or not. I do think Walk-up and being friendly have a better chance of changing our immediate surroundings than a Walkout. I'm wondering if the students will remember any of this tomorrow or next week. I guess remains to be seen. Until next time.

Turning Point

It's been a wild and interesting day. Winds over 25 mph with a little sun and a few snow flurries. I wasn't expecting snowflakes today. And that's what makes life interesting.

Have you ever felt like you've made a turn on your path and you know it's going to get better? I've been thinking about this lately and thought it was time to share. A few years back my health took a turn for the worse. I can't explain how it happened, but every time I'd sit down I had pain in my hips and groin. It was scary. My skin turned red and that really freaked me out.

So I decided to see what my dermatologist thought. He put me on a different allergy medicine, but it didn't go away. I got to the point where I didn't want to sit down. I didn't want to eat and I was weak. I'd sit and cry because I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me.

My doctor (a substitute because mine was on vacation) thought maybe I became allergic to some medicine I was taking. So I changed a medicine. A week or two went by and no change. So I decided on my own to stop taking Pravastatin. It's not a smart idea to stop that drug cold turkey, but I didn't care. And it didn't make a difference.

Luckily for my pocketbook this was during a Christmas break. I remember laying in bed trying to read a Perry Mason book and I'd watch as my lower abdomen jumped up and down. I was miserable! I don't know what would have happened to me if Mom wasn't around. I called her and asked if I could stay with her for a little bit. She came over and picked me up. And when I couldn't stand it anymore, she took me to urgent care. There they put me through a CAT scan and couldn't find anything. Then they decided to do a sonogram of my ovaries and uterus. And that was fine. The most they did to help me was give me some muscle relaxers. And that didn't work either.

Mom made me start eating and that helped some. When I finally saw my regular doctor she told me to do crunches and it's not life threatening. She was more worried about getting me back on some cholesterol medicine. That's when I told myself, "No way am I doing that again." And I didn't. I started taking Plexus Slim and now my cholesterol is normal, but I still have the tingling and pressure when I sit.

And it makes me sad to admit this, but I got plum tired of talking about it. I did sit ups everyday as part of my morning routine. But I never told anyone I was still in pain when I sat down. I suffered in silence.  Then one day I was driving down the road and I truly believe God spoke to me. I'd been listening to some of my friends talk about going to a chiropractor. Now you have to understand, my family doesn't got to chiropractors. When I was growing up they were on the fringe of the medical system. I really didn't know much about what they do. But everywhere I turned I had a friend talking about going to the chiropractor. I'd quiz them about it. None of their problems sounded like mine. But as I was in the car that day thinking about how my friends were getting help from chiropractors, that's when I felt God told me, "What if you tried a chiropractor?" I didn't have an answer. I'd got to the point I expected that this was arthritis or something chronic that I was going to have to suffered with for the rest of my life. It hasn't killed me so far.

Now I can be impulsive, but not with important things like health and money. I've spent months thinking about purchasing a new bed before I actually went out and bought one. This was the same thing. A friend of mine has her whole family go to a chiropractor in a neighboring town. And she had nothing but good things to say about her. But it took me going online to my insurance company and seeing she was in network for me to make the decision to call the office for an appointment.

I called on a Friday and the receptionist acted like I could get in anytime next week. I was shocked. What kind of doctor has openings like that? But I made an appointment for Wednesday and kept it. I didn't know what to expect. I had a little trouble navigating the streets in that town, but finally made it on time, too. I walked in to a bright yellow room that was empty except for the receptionist. I had previously completed all the paperwork from the website. And there were a lot of questions, 195 to be exact. I was nervous because I didn't know what was going to happen. The doctor came out and took me to a room. I answered a few questions and she wanted height, weight and x-rays. We went in another room to do that and she asked me to wait while she developed the x-rays. I sat in the yellow waiting room and played Candy Crush to calm my nerves. I still wasn't sure what was going to happen or how this was going to help me.

After about 15 minutes and a couple patients had come and gone, she came back for me. She had the x-rays lit up showing my hips. She told me my right hip was tilted and I could actually see the pubic bone lower on the right than the left. I also had two discs that were twisted in opposite directions. I had a problem! Yes, someone actually told me there was something wrong! It took an old fashioned x-ray machine and a chiropractor to tell me what was wrong with me. I want to kick myself for not doing this sooner, but I can't. Right now I am too relieved. I've got a plan for how I'm going to get better. I have someone who knows what's wrong and that's why I feel I've made a right  turn to something better in the future. I'm not better yet, but just knowing what's wrong with me makes me feel like I can deal with this. So I'll turn back to my first question. Have you felt like you've made a turn on this path of life and know things are going to get better?

Dreary to Bright

Some days you just want a big glass of iced tea and your jammies. Today is that day for me. Winter has been too hormonal for me lately. Beautiful and sunny, then cold and dreary. This week has started warm and wet and now it's cold and wet. I don't think wet's the best word here. It's dang soggy.

Today I got up and started running late. I don't why.  I couldn't decide what to wear with the temperatures warm in the morning and supposed to drop during the day. I didn't plan on anything for lunch, so I had to traipse out into the rain to get some fast food. My car windows were so fogged up I couldn't see. Let's just say it was a messy day. I did get some iced tea, though.

After work, I came home to huge puddles in the yard and 37 degrees out with rain. It was nasty. I had to get the trash out because I never remember on Wednesday mornings. So my cute dress shoes got soaked. Let's face it, I was soaked!

On my way back to the car to get my stuff, I saw something that made me smile. In my trunk was a box and in the box was a bouquet of flowers. Yes, right about the time you think spring is never going to get here, you get some pretty flowers to brighten up your day. As it turned out, I got these from my principal. I didn't realize why, she just said, "Happy end of the day." But I wasn't going to pass up flowers! After I got inside, changed my clothes and put those pretties in a nice vase with water I checked my email and found out how I became a recipient of flowers for no reason.

It seems that my principal has a very thoughtful brother. He brought her about 20 bouquets of flowers today. She decided to share with as many of the staff as she could. So I guess she was going down the halls distributing flowers. I'm so glad she stopped at my room. And that's pretty cool of her brother to bring them to her.

My brother is similar. Although he lives two states away and can't just bring something over. But he's done some neat things for my team. One year he bought the science department some neat shirts. They said, "I'm a science teacher... just like a normal teacher, but much cooler." The next year he got us some School House Rock shirts. "Knowledge is Power". Those gifts made us feel really special, similar to getting a bouquet of flowers for no particular reason.

A day that could have stayed blah and dreary got brightened up. Here's hoping your day is bright and cheerful. If you can do something to make someone smile, do it.

Have you got a story about brightening someone's day? Share it in the comments. I'd love to read it.

With Liberty and Justice and Safety for All

You know it's a nice day in February when you come home from work and fix a tall glass of iced tea. And that's what I did today. It was 76 degrees outside when I got home. I got those windows open and enjoyed some refreshing air along with my tea.

I thought a lot about safety yesterday when I got home and read about another school shooting. This one in Florida. I didn't realize it at the time, but a co-worker had been to that school when she attended a neighboring district and she knew someone that currently attends the school.  Something that struck me was that all these school shooters provided some kind of warning signs. And we noticed them after the tragedy had struck. And that's the worst time to acknowledge warning signs.

So I'm going to suggest we talk to our students, our children and let them know when people do, say and post things that make them uncomfortable or creeped out they should tell someone. It's not an easy conversation to have with a child you want to protect. But that's exactly how you can empower them to protect themselves and others. They need to find someone they trust to believe them and get the information to someone with authority to monitor the situation and take action if needed.

Our students/children need to know they don't have to open a door for anyone at home or school. Schools have a proper door for visitors and they can ring to get in. Those authorized to use different doors should have their own keys. I know it's considered polite to open a door for someone, but I'd rather have a kid turn me down at the door than let in a lunatic bent on creating chaos.

We as school personnel need to wake up to the fact that it could happen to us. We need to think about the implications of that kind of situation. It could be us! And then we need to prepare. I know teachers just want to teach. That's why we come to school everyday. But we also need to be practical.

Hopefully the teachers at your child's school have been through an active shooter training. I know we have. So in the interest of providing a public service, I'd like to share some tips I've learned through this training. (A big thanks goes out to my friend, Cindi who took the time to put many of these tips down yesterday. I was too wrapped up in myself to do that.)

1. Keep your doors locked. This goes for outside doors and classroom doors. An unlocked door is an invitation to come right in.

2. When you hear something that may be gunfire if at all possible, get out of the building and RUN. And don't just stand around outside the building. Run away and have a meeting place for the students. The more they scatter, the less chance of being a victim.

If running isn't feasible, hide away from doors and windows. Take the time to teach kids that running from this kind of danger is self preservation. If someone set off a firecracker in the building and my class ran out, I wouldn't mind explaining to my principal why we left. Now when I say hide, I don't mean cower in a corner. I mean blockade the doors with desks or whatever heavy items you can, grab something hard and be prepared to throw it if the intruder tries to access your room. Don't go quiet into that good night. Fight like heck! I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of 30 flying objects from a bunch kids.

3. If you are hiding, silence is golden. How many times have you had someone give themselves away in Hide and Seek because they couldn't be quiet? This is the same situation only we are playing for keeps. Turn off lights and make no noise. The intruder may just walk on by without noticing you. And if you are hiding, stay put until the police show up. I'm sure it's tempting to peek out the door or window, but you may alert someone to your presence.

4. And for everyone's safety do what the police/SWAT team tell you to do. If they ask you to lie on the floor, do it.

Prevention is the key point here. If someone notices something odd going on or a person has a hit list going, please tell your principal, counselor, teacher or parent. Don't let it get to the point where someone does something stupid and people get hurt. Then make sure you know to run or hide; in that order. We  may not be able to prevent all these attacks, but if we can save more lives I feel like it's a win for the good guys. Safety to all!

Fraidy Cat

Sometimes a nice cup of tea and a phone call can make all the difference. And sometimes it takes more. So here's my fraidy cat story. First of all, I'm a very level headed person, most of the time. I pride myself on my use of logic and intuition to understand most situations. That being said, there was one time I lost my cool.

It was Sunday night and I was alone. I'd suffered through freezing rain with a touch of snow and cold weather. I got the call that school was cancelled for Monday. I decided to stay up a little later and kept watching Midsomer Murders. It was a good one about bullies who killed a boy and then he came back and started killing them 20 years later. It was creepy! And they killed him by drowning him. It was atrocious as far as I was concerned. So let's just say I really got involved in it. I even yelled at Barnaby to watch out before he was tied up and gagged with duct tape.

This episode was over about 10:30 and I turned off the television. I started checking email and playing online. Then I heard a bang from the ceiling. I thought, "What the heck?" I noticed the heater was running; so that wasn't broken. So I shrugged it off... until a couple minutes later it banged again in another part of the ceiling. Now this is strange. So I closed up my laptop and stood up waiting to see if it would happen again. And it did. Now I'm really concerned.

Situations started going through my mind. Could there be an animal in the attic? Did something break up there? Oh my gosh, my neighbor had told me a story about a drugged up guy on someone's roof in town. Did I have someone on the roof?

I opened my front door. Because of the icy roads, there was no traffic out there. And I was too scared to go out on the porch. So I listened from the doorway. It banged inside, but I didn't hear it from the outside. Now I was really freaked out. I shoved my slipper socked feet into some snow boots, snatched a coat from the closet, found my flashlight and headed out back. My patio was a slippery mess, so as soon as I could, I gingerly stepped onto the grass. I was in no mood to try out my Nancy Kerrigan moves. I got out as far as I dared into the dark night and directed my flashlight toward the roof. Back and forth I waved the visible waves of light, but I couldn't find a thing on the roof except my satellite dish.

So I went back inside and heard the banging some more. It was about 10:40 and I hoped my mom was still up because I picked up the phone and called her. I told her about the scary show and the noises in the ceiling. She suggested I might not want to watch scary shows in the dark. Thanks Mom! But what about my banging roof? I'll admit she calmed me down. I would have heard more noises if it was a person. So what if there's an animal up there. It's not coming down to get me.

Once I got off the phone I still heard the bangs. I went back to my computer and started a search about it. This article made me feel a little better. What really helped was when my oldest and best friend posted the following.

I saw this and realized I wasn't the only one dealing with these noises. It must have been happening all over the place. What a relief! I heard the bangs a few more times, but it didn't bother me. I don't know if my friend knew how much her post meant to be, but hopefully she knows now. Sometimes you just need to know there's someone else going through the same situation to make you feel like you can handle it. I love you, Mom for doing what you do best, trying to make me feel better. But there's nothing like knowing someone else has your same problem to fix you right up. It doesn't always work, but in this case it did. Best of all, I slept like a baby that night; without a care in the world.

My Big Bang Secret

This isn't easy to admit, but until this past summer I'd never watched a full episode of The Big Bang Theory. And I can tell you why. I saw the name of the show and several commercials then thought that can't be funny. You see, in my first few years of teaching middle school science I taught about the origin of the universe. This had to include the Big Bang Theory. It was anything but funny. I made sure to emphasize what a scientific theory actually means, but that didn't necessarily sink into all students' brains.

During the summer of 2017 I actually watched a few episode of The Big Bang Theory on the TBS network. And it was about physicists who were quirky and funny. And I was hooked after a few episodes. I wondered how this show started and how these characters met. So I started purchasing the DVDs online.

I was so excited when I got the first season. I watched as Sheldon and Leonard met Penny in the first episode. They were so geeky. Leonard could hardly talk when he asked (not really) her to have lunch with them. And it may have been stereotyped. Okay it was definitely stereotyped, but it was endearing and it was sweet. But most of all, it was funny.

I watched as Leonard bent over backwards to impress Penny and get up the nerve to ask her out. I watched Sheldon's lack of social skills, even though I didn't really fully understand him. Raj wouldn't or couldn't speak in the presence of females and that was odd and humorous at the same time.

Over the course of the summer, I finally understand what so many Big Bangers already knew. This show is funny and the characters have definitely evolved over the series. So here's my take on these interesting characters.

When I first encountered Sheldon I thought he was bossy, judgmental and had some serious obsessive issues. He really didn't have to act like was Howard beneath them because he was an engineer. At the beginning of the series, Sheldon wasn't very likable in my opinion. And then something happened. He started opening up to Penny. And by the time the Intimacy Acceleration episode came along, I was crying when Sheldon told Penny how he felt in social situations.

Leonard seemed the most normal of this whole group. That is if physicists can't hold a normal conversation with a non scientific female. And it was interesting to see how he let Leslie Winkle take charge of their relationship. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Leonard is somewhat wimpy in his relationships. This can be with Sheldon, Penny, Leslie or even his mother.

I just have to admit right off the bat, that I was never really fond of Howard. I did feel for him when Sheldon was mean to him, but that's the extend of my compassion. Howard tried his best to be a womanizer. He thought his magic was romantic. He was an extreme mamma's boy and later transferred that over to his wife. He's best friends with Raj, but at the same time treated him poorly. In the current season when Raj told him he wasn't gonna take it anymore, I cheered for him.

Raj went from not being able to talk around women to being able to talk to them if he was drinking. That made for some funny scenes. Eventually when he was upset, he ended up talking to Penny without libation. Now he's had some relationships. He got a big head when he was dating two women at once, but overall, Raj is just a nice astrophysicist guy and I like his current wavy hair.

Penny started out as a midwestern girl trying to get her break in acting. But she ended up with a job at the Cheesecake Factory. Living across the hall from Leonard and Sheldon she develops a close friendship with the guys. I liked The Dead Hooker Juxtapositon episode when Penny realized another girl was using the guys to do chores for her. I think in that episode Penny realized how much she really cared for the guys. It was fun to watch Penny and Leonard's on and off again relationship until they finally tied the knot. Penny went from actress/waitress to actress to pharmacist salesperson. Sometimes we have to do what we have to do to earn a living and she learned that the hard way.

Bernadette was introduced as a waitress co worker of Penny's. She was working on her doctorate degree. Penny set her up with Howard. They dated and then she broke it off. Howard came to her work and sang a song for her and she seemed to like it. I thought it was creepy. Eventually, they married. Howard's mother died. That was one time, I did have some sympathy for Howard. Then they had their baby, Halley. Now Bernadette is expecting their second child. Bernadette is small and feisty. I think she has to be to deal with Howard. She brought in the second major female role into the series and she doesn't have the sympathy for the other characters like Penny does.

Amy was computer chosen match for Sheldon when Howard and Raj set up a dating profile for him. Once they met, they clicked. Sheldon called her a friend for a quite a while before he made a relationship agreement with her. Amy has the patience of a saint in my book. She's neurobiologist that Sheldon finds that to be a lesser science than physics. One of my favorite episodes involves her pretending to be sick after she healed just to get more attention from Sheldon. At the end when he has her bend over his lap and spanks her I about died laughing. Amy is very insecure in her relationship with Penny and Bernadette. She never had female friends and doesn't always know the dynamics. She immediately decided that Penny was her best friend and had that weird portrait of them painted. I like that Amy has developed into Sheldon's social director. As the seasons go by she gets those social dynamics much better than Sheldon. She really complements him in that manner.

In my perfect Big Bang Theory, they would bring in a good looking and smart geologist who comes up with some new discovery to really shake up Sheldon's idea that geology is the least of the sciences. I'm so glad I took the time to watch all the episodes in this series. Now why didn't one of my science peeps turn me on to this show sooner?

What's the Name?

It's a cool, icy day out today. Which makes it perfect for some hot tea. I hope you've enjoyed some today. For a few days I've been thinking about people's names. So here's my thoughts.

What are names today? I feel so darn OLD. I have a a name like a real person. Most of my friends have people names. We are normal. What the heck are people doing calling their offspring any old noun that they want? It used to be that people just wanted to be different in how they spelled normal people names. Lukas or Lucas, Theresa or Teresa. No big deal. Today I see names that are just not names. Celebrities are not the best to use because, well they live in a different world, but I'll start there. Some of their chosen offspring names are: Apple, Audio, Bronx, Cricket, Denim, Dream, Future, Java, Maple, North, Pilot and Story. What heck? Did they open up a dictionary and point at a random word and say that's our kid's name?

But this isn't just celebrities. This trend is heading mainstream. I kid you not! I know people who have given their offspring names like Tweed. I guess this shouldn't be surprising since one of the top unusual names for 2018 according to NameBerry is Taffeta. I'm really surprised grammar check didn't correct me capitalizing that word.

Tweed

I don't believe parents have thought through some of these very odd names. Maybe they want to be trendy. But have they considered how these names could affect their offspring? According to a New Zealand study those people with unusual or hard to pronounce names are deemed more risky or untrustworthy than people with more familiar names. Other research suggests that people who have more familiar names are considered likeable more often than those with unfamiliar names. A person's name may also affect their career. It suggests that those with more common names have an easier time getting promoted. There's obviously a good reason why some actors change their name to perform.

When I was young, I liked having a name that not many other people had. It wasn't an unusual name, just not common. That suited me fine. But I've got to admit that some parents might not be putting the same thought into the naming of their child as they used to do. Or maybe they are so desperate for attention they thought naming their kid something strange would give them what they need.

I don't see this trend changing and I'm not having any more children, but I do have to pronounce their names daily. So please think about the teachers as you search for some random, trendy name for your child. We don't like trying to learn new names and new spellings of names. Thank you!

Let me know what you think about odd or unusual names. Do I need to lighten up? Comment below.

Sip to Your Health

I made up a pot of Country Peach today and celebrated a snow day. That means a bonus 3 day weekend. We will make it up, but right now it's a free day. So I drank tea and exercised and that's about it. It's time for some mental exercise.

I wanted to explore benefits of drinking tea. Thank goodness for Google; now I don't have to dig through books to get information. The down side- sifting through all that information. So I decided to stick with hard core sites. WebMD gets down to the nitty gritty along with Harvard Medical School.

Real tea would be made from that specific plant that's native to China. This would be our green tea, black tea and white tea. Although I don't go out and buy white tea myself, you can bet it's still the real thing. These teas contain a special antioxidant known as "flavonoids". These are considered phytonutrients which basically means plant chemicals. The ones in these teas can help prevent cancer, heart disease and clogged arteries according to WebMD. The caffeine in tea is lower than coffee, which can help those people prone to high blood pressure and susceptible to jitters. At the same time caffeine helps with mental alertness.

These real teas also contain polyphenols that may increase insulin activity according to researchers. According to a Dutch study from 2009 "drinking 3 cups of tea (or coffee) could reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 40%". 1  You also need to know if you add milk you've diminished the insulin benefits from the tea.

Herbal teas are a different class of tea because they aren't derived from the tea plant itself. As I looked over my peach tea box the ingredients had nothing to do with tea. So even though I enjoy the flavor of herbal tea, the health benefits are based on exactly what's in your herbal tea. The best bet is to check the box and search the ingredients.

Speaking of ingredients, you're better off avoiding the sugary bottle teas you can easily find at convenience stores. Adding sugar just negates the health benefits. And if you live down south (US), don't even bother trying to find unsweet tea in bottles. If you do find it, don't drink it. I know from experience that it's probably way out of date. And instant tea is just gross in my opinion. That's because I don't add sugar. You also may want to check the ingredients of instant tea; you may find MSG hidden in there. Not good!

So feel good, my friends for brewing up some of your own tea and sipping away. In fact I'm ready for some more tea.

What Game?

I made 2 perfect loaves of bread last night. Now this is the 3rd time I've made bread in the past few months and the first time both loaves have come out of the pans looking like, well, real bread. My secret?  Two metal loaf pans. The first 2 times I used one metal pan and one glass pan.

I baked this batch for the Super Bowl game tonight. In all honesty I really don't care about the game. It just seemed the thing to do. In fact, I'm not really a big football fan. At the same time, I'm not one of those girls who can't understand the game, either.

From the time I was eight years old and on my family would watch football games on the weekends. Now this was back in the days when there was one television in a house with three stations and the parents controlled what channel it was on. I may have been a channel changer (the remote for you youngsters), but I followed orders on which way to rotate that knob.

In more recent times, I had the NFL channel. It was during a show on this station that I realized that I don't believe using the wildcard is completely fair for the playoffs. And I had no idea that it had been going on even when I was turning channels for my parents. My son liked to have the NFL channel on at weird times. Personally, I got tired of hearing "Michael Vick, Michael Vick, Michael Vick". And why oh why does this channel keep going after the Super Bowl? To talk about trades for next season. Get me out of this Twilight Zone! So a few months ago I removed the NFL channel and many other channels from my satellite subscription. And I didn't miss it.

Combine the lack of access to football talk with mainstream talk about kneeling during the national anthem and I ended up not wanting to watch football at all. I get what they were trying to do by kneeling and I personally feel that football players and people in general should not get publicity for being disrespectful. But that's what happened. The more they did this kneeling, the more people talked about it. And it soured me on watching any NFL football game. A friend told me they quit showing the national anthem and that didn't make me feel any better about the games.

Don't get me wrong; I still have a favorite team. (They aren't doing so well this season.) But I haven't watched a game all year. And yet here I am gearing up for the Super Bowl. In the interest of being completely honest, I didn't make my bread for the Super Bowl. I made it to go with my pot roast.
So who knows what time the Justin Timberlake concert starts tonight? :D

Crochet and Tea

Time for a little mix berry tea in a pretty pot and cup with saucer. They don't completely match, but that's okay. They were my Grandma's and that's good enough for me. Sometimes I feel like our lives get too busy to stop and do something simple like drinking tea out of bone china or  even making tea in a teapot. Other activities some may call "old fashion" may also be falling away. We take selfies, share gifs, watch Netflix, but do we take the time do real crafts?

Last year I made well over a dozen crocheted snowflakes to give away with my Christmas cards. They were pretty and could hang on Christmas trees, if desired. It took some time to make, but I enjoy crocheting and it made me feel good to make a snowflake for my friends.

This week a friend crocheted something for me. It's so nice to see first hand that I'm not the only person out there crocheting. Over the years I've crocheted scarves, small blankets, and yes way back I used to make doilies. And I find it a relaxing hobby most of the time. When you make a mistake, you can easily rip the stitches out and start over. When you get into a rhythm time just seems to fly. One problem I've noticed though, when you want to combine tea and crochet is that you can get so wrapped up in crochet that your hot tea gets cold. Actually that happens when I'm typing, too.

Here's the cute cup a friend made for me. It can be a little coaster for a tea mug or be placed on top of your cup to keep the tea warm while I'm typing or crocheting. What a clever crochet project!

Crocheting may be an old craft, but it serves purposes today also. It keeps your mind active. Reading those patterns can be challenging.  You do have to learn those abbreviations and stitches. But it's not too hard. Crocheting also keeps your hands and fingers nimble. So you're doing finger exercises as you work. I'd hate to see crocheting fall by the side for more technology oriented endeavors. So I might have to find a new crochet project. Any ideas?

Do any of you crochet? What do you make?

Secret Society of Teachers

Believe it or not, there's a secret society of teachers roaming around out there. And if you're lucky, you might be able to find one of these special teachers. They are the teachers that get apologies when those outside the profession learn whom they teach. People are surprised and in awe that they are nutty enough to perform their job day in and day out. They are called middle school teachers. They teach those young teenagers in grades six, seven or eight. I'm going to give you a few clues to help you spot one of these rare creatures.

1. Fun loving or Good sense of humor- If you spot a teacher that is down right funny or knows how to laugh, you may in fact be in the presence of a middle school teacher. If they laugh at juvenile jokes, it's a good bet you found one. Say duty, ball, dyke, lay, or dongle; if an adult smiles or chuckles, you probably found a middle school teacher.

2.  Energetic- Middle school teachers have lots of energy. They may come home dead to the world, but in class they are anything but dead. They have to be active because they have a million things to take care of in each class. And they'll do anything to keep the attention of their teenage students.

3.  Different- Members of this secret society aren't your kind, sweet elementary teachers. Nor are they your serious, subject-oriented high school teachers. Try to shake them up with a shocking story and they'll probably try to one up you. Some may even call them a little crazy. But when you can laugh and be discouraged all in the same day you're either slightly hormonal or a little different.

4.  Flexible- Some teachers can easily and quickly adapt to change. Those are middle school teachers. Maybe a lesson isn't going well, the internet is slow or there's an interruption in the class. These teachers handle it without batting an eye. That's a real skill.

5.  Patient- You might think elementary teachers have patience, but put them in a 7th grade classroom and watch what happens. All their tolerance goes out the window. These aren't sweet little babies. Middle school teachers must have an abundance of charity to handle middle school shenanigans.

6.  Squirrelly- If you spot a teacher who acts like a young teenager, you've probably crossed paths with a middle school teacher. These adults deal with hormonal kids all day, every day. Their goofiness is bound to rub off. These are the teachers you see talking and laughing during a teacher meeting. They can't help it.

7.  Sarcastic- Try to deal with middle schoolers and not become a little sarcastic. These teachers are probably the ones teaching sarcasm to youngsters. Middle school kids find sarcasm fascinating and like to try it out occasionally in the classroom. Their teachers can dish it right back. But it's all in good fun.

8.  Drinking- Middle school teachers love their coffee and possibly tea. But they are also known to belt down something stronger; not before or during school, though.  Have you ever been to a middle school conference? I'll tell you, it's one crazy adventure. And I'll leave it at that; otherwise I might get kicked out of the club.

Anything I've missed? Have a comment or idea about middle school teachers? Please comment below.

Cashew Chicken, Springfield Style

Today was a good day for some hot tea. The sun was deceiving today. It shone brightly this afternoon, but didn't do much to warm us up. But tea does the trick.

If you've ever lived or visited southwest Missouri, you've probably tried Springfield style cashew chicken. Once you've tried it, you realize it is way different than any other kind of cashew chicken. If you've sampled it, you more than likely enjoyed it. And every so often you get a hankering for it. That's what happened to me. In fact, my hankering lasted a few days.

So I decided to make some cashew chicken at home. I had my trusty Minute Rice, chicken and the secret cashew sauce mix. The only items I was missing was cashews. Please don't laugh. I also didn't have any green onions. But I thought, "What the heck!"

I started by cooking up the rice. When that was done, I got to work on the fried chicken pieces. That's a chore in itself. (See my blog about the dirty chicken.) When the chicken was almost done, I got the wok out and went to work frying some veggies, then scrambling eggs. On another burner I got the secret sauce going. I'm going to admit I was prepping and cooking about an hour and a half.

When everything was done, I put it all together. And it took me a little over 10 minutes to scarf down. And it was okay. It was filling, but it wasn't like cashew chicken in the local Chinese restaurants. And it wasn't the lack of cashews and green onions. I have no idea how those restaurants get such a tasty dish together. But the next time I get a hankering for some cashew chicken, I'm going to get the real thing from a real restaurant and save myself an hour and a half of work.

If you've ever made something that tastes as good as a restaurant, share with us. If you've had a not so great experience trying to do the same, share also. Let me know I'm not alone. Until the next tea break...

What You Can Learn About the English From Television

 Over the course of my life I've watched a few English television shows. Mostly I can thank PBS for that. I've seen Absolutely Fabulous; I really don't understand what they are trying to portray in that show. It must be way over my head or something. I used to watch Are You Being Served and Keeping Up Appearances. These were shows to which I could relate. If you aren't familiar with these shows, Are You Being Served takes place at a department store and revolves around the workers. Keeping Up Appearances has a female main character who definitely wishes to be someone that she isn't. She pronounces her name "Bucket" like the word "bouquet". You know it's a good episode if she gets her come uppings by the end.

My latest English show comes from Netflix. I love how I can work my way through all seasons of a show on Netflix. I've made it through seven seasons of Midsomer Murders this winter. And between all these shows, I've learned a few things about the English.

First and most important, the English really do like their tea. And they like it hot. There's hardly a kitchen scene without a tea kettle sitting on the stove. And if they aren't inviting someone in for a beer, then it's always for a cup of tea. After tea, the English really do enjoy some pretty flowers. Many flowers are in hanging baskets near the front door of their homes. And I have to admit, I really find them attractive. Rural England has a large amount of murders based on my recent viewing. The English also like their pubs. Pubs seem to be a place for gossip, hanging out and just drinking.

Based on my viewing you can also find a good amount of woods in England. And people think nothing about walking in the woods day or night. And when they go out at night, they don't bother with a flashlight. They must know they are going to get into trouble and don't want to see the trouble first. British men and women in these shows seem to have a good amount of extra marital affairs. But that may be part of the murder genre or rural England. There also seems to be more guns in England than the rest of the world thinks if you believe television. I've seen a good amount of rifles and some handguns in Midsomer.

Some differences with the U.S. are that the older people in England can be more open minded. The English know how to surprise their audience sometimes with something very unexpected. I thought the English knew how to speak English and they do. Maybe I just don't know how to listen. I thought the daughter's name in Midsomer Murders was Kelly. Some people pronounced it as "Cally" and others as "Kelly". When I looked up her name on IMDB, her name was Cully.

Some similarities with the U.S. are that the police do their job well. They may go about it in different ways, but both are thorough. Bad people lie and hide in plain sight. Rural people know everything about everyone in town. And television stars do leave to pursuit other career offers. I have to admit, I'll probably learn more the more I watch, but as long as I get to watch a good murder mystery I don't care if it's from England or the U.S.A. all I care about is having a good show to watch. Until the next tea time...