Okay, more books found in boxes, on shelves, etc. Let me know asap if you want any.
Light, A Quarterly of Light Verse (Winter 2007-2008, Issue 59)
[This includes the poem Still Life with Dead Microbes, by David J. Rothman,
and the poem Librarians on Skis by Jim Siergy:
Shush
as they
schuss.
I might have to keep this. :-) ]
Alphabet / Pour les tout petits, texte de Marcelle Verite; illustrations de Josette Boland, 1947.
[Why do I have this??? It was in a box of books labeled "Save for Em and Frances" that also contains music books... Oh, never mind -- I am going to seal this box and send it to F & E.]
POGO's Will Be That Was, by Walt Kelly (the two Pogo classics G.O. Fizzickle POGO and Positively POGO in one volume) [Pogo was my Dad's favorite comic.]
[Wow -- a discovery: Sweden, Land of Many Dreams (HC) discovered in a box that has been closed up for at least 4 years... I had no idea I had this! May have to keep it...]
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Numeracy
Just wanted to share this excellent, though short, article:
Numeracy: The Educational Gift That Keeps On Giving?
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Books, part 2
More books found today, same format as previous post:
Exercise:
Yoga for Busy People, by Dawn Groves (HC)
Walk Yourself Thin, by David A. Rives
The Book of Pilates, by Joyce Gavin (HC)
The Wisdom of Menopause, by Christiane Northrup, MD (HC)
Age-Proof your Body, by Elizabeth SomerMA, RD (HC)
Walking, a complete guide to the complete exercise, by Casey Meyers
Miscellaneous, excellent condition:
Gardening Life, by Lee May (HC, autographed)
Great Lakes Lighthouses, by Bruce Roberts and Ray Jones (large format photo book)
A Year with C. S. Lewis (HC, daily readings from his writings)
Fierce Pajamas, An Anthology of Humor Writing from The New Yorker
Latin for Americans (1943 -- this was my mother's Latin textbook)
Who Cooked the Last Supper? The Women's History of the World, by Rosalind Miles
Take Heart, Catholic Writers on Hope in our Time; Ben Birnbaum, ed.
Exercise:
Yoga for Busy People, by Dawn Groves (HC)
Walk Yourself Thin, by David A. Rives
The Book of Pilates, by Joyce Gavin (HC)
The Wisdom of Menopause, by Christiane Northrup, MD (HC)
Age-Proof your Body, by Elizabeth SomerMA, RD (HC)
Walking, a complete guide to the complete exercise, by Casey Meyers
Miscellaneous, excellent condition:
Gardening Life, by Lee May (HC, autographed)
Great Lakes Lighthouses, by Bruce Roberts and Ray Jones (large format photo book)
A Year with C. S. Lewis (HC, daily readings from his writings)
Fierce Pajamas, An Anthology of Humor Writing from The New Yorker
Latin for Americans (1943 -- this was my mother's Latin textbook)
Who Cooked the Last Supper? The Women's History of the World, by Rosalind Miles
Take Heart, Catholic Writers on Hope in our Time; Ben Birnbaum, ed.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Books...
I'm going through boxes of books, and am going to get rid of most of them. I'm going to start posting titles here in case any of the readers of this blog might want any of them. Here's the first list:
(all books are paperback unless otherwise noted [HC means hardcover]; also, all books are older than 20 years unless otherwise noted.)
Children's Books
The Forbidden Forest, by William Pene du Bois (HC)
The Twenty-One Balloons, by William Pene du Bois
The Book of Dragons, by E. Nesbit
Henry Reed's Journey, by Keith Robertson, pictures by Robert McCloskey (HC)
Homer Price, by Robert McCloskey
The Adventures of Benjamin Pink, written and illustrated by Garth Williams
Ginnie's Baby-sitting Business, by Catherine Woolley
Blue Willow, by Doris Gates
The Practical Princess and other Liberating Fairy Tales, by Jay Williams
Paddington books -- 4 of them
729 Puzzle People, by Helen Oxenbury Spiral-bound, pages split in thirds horizontally
Mardie, by Astrid Lindgren
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic, by Betty MacDonald, pictures by Hilary Knight
Parenting Books (books I used a lot or loved are starred)
Between Parent & Child, by Haim Ginott
**Liberated Parents, Liberated Children, by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
(this is based on the work of Dr. Hain Ginott but much more readable)
Calm Birth, New Method for Conscious Childbirth, by Robert Bruce Newman (2005)
The Secret Life of the Unborn Child, by Thomas Verny, MD
**Learning a Loving Way of Life, LLL --- a selection of mothers' and fathers' stories published in
the first 26 years of LLL News [2 copies]
**What Every Pregnant Woman Should Know - The Truth about Diet and Drugs in Pregnancy, by
Gail Sforza Brewer with Tom Brewer, MD
**Every Child's Birthright: In Defense of Mothering, by Selma Fraiberg
*Raising Cain (& Abel Too), The Parents' Book of Sibling Rivalry, by John F. McDermott, MD (HC)
**Siblings Without Rivalry, By Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish (HC)
Confessions of a Happily Organized Family, by Deniece Shofield [no, I didn't misspell that!]
***Growing with Children, by Joseph and Laurie Braga
**The Child under Six, by James L. Hyme, Jr.
*How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of your Doctor, by Robert S. Mendelsohn, MD
The Politics of Breastfeeding, by Gabrielle Palmer
How to Really Love your Child, by Ross Campbell
**The Gesell Institute’s Child Behavior, by Frances Ilg, MD and Louise Bates Ames, PhD
Fresh Milk, The Secret Life of Breasts, by Fiona Giles (2003)
Child & Family Reprints (small booklets):
Child Spacing (Herbert Ratner, MD, 1982);
The Childbearing Experience: Is Anatomy Destiny? (an article follooed by comments by some of
the LLL Founding Mothers and others, 1970);
Spring, 1969 issue with various articles on fertility, motherhood, family, etc.
**On Discipline, a symposium -- LLL reprint from 1973 LLL News
****Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, LLLI (1981 edition)
**The Other Side Makes Chocolate, by Joan McCartney (Cartoons about breastfeeding)
Breastfeeding Source Book, by Marilyn Grams, MD
***You Can Breastfeed Your Baby...even in special situations, by Dorothy Patricia Brewster
Scientific American -- February 2002 issue, with article "TV: Are You Addicted?"
The Block Book, Elisabeth S. Hirsch, ed. (all about how playing with blocks contributes to
children's development)
National Forum (Phi Kappa Phi Journal), Fall 1979 -- "Children in Contemporary Society"
-- 10 articles including an article by Selma Fraiberg
That's all for now -- let me know asap if you are interested in any of these!
(all books are paperback unless otherwise noted [HC means hardcover]; also, all books are older than 20 years unless otherwise noted.)
Children's Books
The Forbidden Forest, by William Pene du Bois (HC)
The Twenty-One Balloons, by William Pene du Bois
The Book of Dragons, by E. Nesbit
Henry Reed's Journey, by Keith Robertson, pictures by Robert McCloskey (HC)
Homer Price, by Robert McCloskey
The Adventures of Benjamin Pink, written and illustrated by Garth Williams
Ginnie's Baby-sitting Business, by Catherine Woolley
Blue Willow, by Doris Gates
The Practical Princess and other Liberating Fairy Tales, by Jay Williams
Paddington books -- 4 of them
729 Puzzle People, by Helen Oxenbury Spiral-bound, pages split in thirds horizontally
Mardie, by Astrid Lindgren
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic, by Betty MacDonald, pictures by Hilary Knight
Parenting Books (books I used a lot or loved are starred)
Between Parent & Child, by Haim Ginott
**Liberated Parents, Liberated Children, by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
(this is based on the work of Dr. Hain Ginott but much more readable)
Calm Birth, New Method for Conscious Childbirth, by Robert Bruce Newman (2005)
The Secret Life of the Unborn Child, by Thomas Verny, MD
**Learning a Loving Way of Life, LLL --- a selection of mothers' and fathers' stories published in
the first 26 years of LLL News [2 copies]
**What Every Pregnant Woman Should Know - The Truth about Diet and Drugs in Pregnancy, by
Gail Sforza Brewer with Tom Brewer, MD
**Every Child's Birthright: In Defense of Mothering, by Selma Fraiberg
*Raising Cain (& Abel Too), The Parents' Book of Sibling Rivalry, by John F. McDermott, MD (HC)
**Siblings Without Rivalry, By Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish (HC)
Confessions of a Happily Organized Family, by Deniece Shofield [no, I didn't misspell that!]
***Growing with Children, by Joseph and Laurie Braga
**The Child under Six, by James L. Hyme, Jr.
*How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of your Doctor, by Robert S. Mendelsohn, MD
The Politics of Breastfeeding, by Gabrielle Palmer
How to Really Love your Child, by Ross Campbell
**The Gesell Institute’s Child Behavior, by Frances Ilg, MD and Louise Bates Ames, PhD
Fresh Milk, The Secret Life of Breasts, by Fiona Giles (2003)
Child & Family Reprints (small booklets):
Child Spacing (Herbert Ratner, MD, 1982);
The Childbearing Experience: Is Anatomy Destiny? (an article follooed by comments by some of
the LLL Founding Mothers and others, 1970);
Spring, 1969 issue with various articles on fertility, motherhood, family, etc.
**On Discipline, a symposium -- LLL reprint from 1973 LLL News
****Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, LLLI (1981 edition)
**The Other Side Makes Chocolate, by Joan McCartney (Cartoons about breastfeeding)
Breastfeeding Source Book, by Marilyn Grams, MD
***You Can Breastfeed Your Baby...even in special situations, by Dorothy Patricia Brewster
Scientific American -- February 2002 issue, with article "TV: Are You Addicted?"
The Block Book, Elisabeth S. Hirsch, ed. (all about how playing with blocks contributes to
children's development)
National Forum (Phi Kappa Phi Journal), Fall 1979 -- "Children in Contemporary Society"
-- 10 articles including an article by Selma Fraiberg
That's all for now -- let me know asap if you are interested in any of these!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
learning math, or not learning it, as the case may be...
I have this student, let's call him M. He is the student, of all my current [18] students, who gives me the most trouble. Actually, he is the only one of my current students that resists real learning, and this has been on my mind for the past few weeks... though it has been an issue ever since I started working with him about nine months ago. And I think I have finally figured out what is going on.
M. is a student with a lot of energy and spirit. He can be funny, though sometimes in a snarky kind of way; he is basically a kind person and can work hard. School has not "broken his spirit", and he is full of life and vitality. I'm guessing that when he is with his friends he is the life of the party. But M. is convinced that the study of math is a useless pursuit, a tremendous waste of his time, and he resists every effort I make to help him see beyond the surface of his math course (currently Algebra 2; last spring I tutored him -- or attempted to -- through Geometry.) He sees math as a series of unrelated processes to be learned, or rather endured. The math he sees is lifeless, as though he were having to memorize a string of unrelated symbols that are ever morphing into something even more incomprehensible -- a Sisyphean task -- and he seems to be putting up with this practice, a form of torture from his perspective, only because he has not as yet been able to convince anyone that he shouldn't have to do this. When I think about our sessions I have an image of M. throwing himself up against a brick wall time and again, failing to get over the wall but instead bruising himself on it and getting more and more annoyed at the wall that is in his path, all the time turning a deaf ear to my encouragement to look over to the side and see the ladder he can climb to get over the wall without too much trouble. It's the same ladder I direct my other students to, and they generally see the sense in taking this route....
I am, unfortunately, worn down by this, and about to give up on him. I've told his mother that I will give him one more chance (tonight) to show me that he is willing to really learn and have a good attitude in our sessions. I'm worn out from the battle. But I woke up a little while ago, in the middle of the night, with kind of a Eureka moment, and I wanted to capture this in print before I go back to sleep. What if M. could be convinced to harness his natural enthusiasm and energy in this endeavor towards looking for the reasons behind the processes he struggles to memorize? What if he could see that if he spends his efforts on real learning (getting the big picture, understanding why) instead of on resisting learning (attempting to memorize a collection of unrelated and tedious skills), he would be able to move through and past the courses that have given him the most trouble and get on to the things that he desires to spend his energy on?
I am good at helping students understand the "Why?" of things, and I believe this is the key to real learning. Perhaps I can get him to step back from the battle that we engage in every week and think about the meaning of functions, or the pattern of what he is doing... This is the biggest challenge I have encountered in my tutoring work: helping students to get out of their own way so they can learn. Somehow M. needs to see that he must put his energy into real learning instead of against it in order to be successful. Or maybe it is too late -- perhaps he has fought learning for so long that he is convinced that he can't or doesn't need to do this, and no amount of effort on my part can convince him to change his attitude or his modus operandi. We shall see.
M. is a student with a lot of energy and spirit. He can be funny, though sometimes in a snarky kind of way; he is basically a kind person and can work hard. School has not "broken his spirit", and he is full of life and vitality. I'm guessing that when he is with his friends he is the life of the party. But M. is convinced that the study of math is a useless pursuit, a tremendous waste of his time, and he resists every effort I make to help him see beyond the surface of his math course (currently Algebra 2; last spring I tutored him -- or attempted to -- through Geometry.) He sees math as a series of unrelated processes to be learned, or rather endured. The math he sees is lifeless, as though he were having to memorize a string of unrelated symbols that are ever morphing into something even more incomprehensible -- a Sisyphean task -- and he seems to be putting up with this practice, a form of torture from his perspective, only because he has not as yet been able to convince anyone that he shouldn't have to do this. When I think about our sessions I have an image of M. throwing himself up against a brick wall time and again, failing to get over the wall but instead bruising himself on it and getting more and more annoyed at the wall that is in his path, all the time turning a deaf ear to my encouragement to look over to the side and see the ladder he can climb to get over the wall without too much trouble. It's the same ladder I direct my other students to, and they generally see the sense in taking this route....
I am, unfortunately, worn down by this, and about to give up on him. I've told his mother that I will give him one more chance (tonight) to show me that he is willing to really learn and have a good attitude in our sessions. I'm worn out from the battle. But I woke up a little while ago, in the middle of the night, with kind of a Eureka moment, and I wanted to capture this in print before I go back to sleep. What if M. could be convinced to harness his natural enthusiasm and energy in this endeavor towards looking for the reasons behind the processes he struggles to memorize? What if he could see that if he spends his efforts on real learning (getting the big picture, understanding why) instead of on resisting learning (attempting to memorize a collection of unrelated and tedious skills), he would be able to move through and past the courses that have given him the most trouble and get on to the things that he desires to spend his energy on?
I am good at helping students understand the "Why?" of things, and I believe this is the key to real learning. Perhaps I can get him to step back from the battle that we engage in every week and think about the meaning of functions, or the pattern of what he is doing... This is the biggest challenge I have encountered in my tutoring work: helping students to get out of their own way so they can learn. Somehow M. needs to see that he must put his energy into real learning instead of against it in order to be successful. Or maybe it is too late -- perhaps he has fought learning for so long that he is convinced that he can't or doesn't need to do this, and no amount of effort on my part can convince him to change his attitude or his modus operandi. We shall see.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Sad news
It seems like I have been posting sad news far too often this year. This time it's my sister-in-law, Jody, wife of my brother Bill.... she passed away yesterday, August 26, after a six-month struggle with cancer.
A memorial service will be held at McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, LA, on this Sunday, August 29. Visitation at 1 pm, service at 2 pm.
Jody was a dynamic, strong, smart, and beautiful woman with many interests and talents. She was a loving, supportive wife to my brother for 25 years, and cared for countless cats and dogs throughout her life. She had a lovely sense of humor, and she was a sharp lady, great listener, always ready with a smile and a wink, even in her last days. She will be sorely missed and fondly remembered.
A memorial service will be held at McKneely & Vaughn Funeral Home, Amite, LA, on this Sunday, August 29. Visitation at 1 pm, service at 2 pm.
Jody was a dynamic, strong, smart, and beautiful woman with many interests and talents. She was a loving, supportive wife to my brother for 25 years, and cared for countless cats and dogs throughout her life. She had a lovely sense of humor, and she was a sharp lady, great listener, always ready with a smile and a wink, even in her last days. She will be sorely missed and fondly remembered.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Trying to unwind
Just thought I'd share some of the fun things I have been doing to unwind from the rather stressed state I've been in lately...
***Watching/listening to Joshua Bell videos that are on his website. I liked this one just now -- his facial expressions are wild! ...and of course the music is wonderful. I got back into listening to Joshua Bell yesterday when I was remembering the time he played in the L'Enfant Metro station in DC a few years ago. (The article I just linked won a Pulitzer prize. Ooh -- I just found the full audio recording of that performance!)
***Swimming in Lake Wylie, courtesy of a serendipitous invitation from my friends Mary and Phil this morning -- very refreshing!
***Going to see "Karate Kid" yesterday, and reveling in the delightful-as-always Jackie Chan...not to mention the excellent new talent in this film, Jaden Smith. It was wonderful, though at times brutally real.
I don't have a lot to add right now... time to go eat a very late lunch and read the Sunday paper...
***Watching/listening to Joshua Bell videos that are on his website. I liked this one just now -- his facial expressions are wild! ...and of course the music is wonderful. I got back into listening to Joshua Bell yesterday when I was remembering the time he played in the L'Enfant Metro station in DC a few years ago. (The article I just linked won a Pulitzer prize. Ooh -- I just found the full audio recording of that performance!)
***Swimming in Lake Wylie, courtesy of a serendipitous invitation from my friends Mary and Phil this morning -- very refreshing!
***Going to see "Karate Kid" yesterday, and reveling in the delightful-as-always Jackie Chan...not to mention the excellent new talent in this film, Jaden Smith. It was wonderful, though at times brutally real.
I don't have a lot to add right now... time to go eat a very late lunch and read the Sunday paper...
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Personal Finance - some references
I recently found myself in a conversation with some young people about personal finance. Here are the books, authors, and radio show I mentioned:
The Real Life 101 Handbook, by Mike Duralia
Debt U: How Higher Education Breeds a Lifestyle of Debt, by Logan Abrams
Radio show - Charlotte Talks - where I heard both of these authors interviewed.
Other personal finance references I have found helpful:
The Wall Street Journal Guide to Personal Finance (4th ed.), by Kenneth M. Morris and Virginia B. Morris
This guide is concise and easy to use, a good reference, especially for explaining terms used in financial matters.
Your Money or You Life, by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin
This book was recommended by the late John Holt years ago, and I purchased it then but have not read it all the way through. It's going to the top of my stack right now.
The Real Life 101 Handbook, by Mike Duralia
Debt U: How Higher Education Breeds a Lifestyle of Debt, by Logan Abrams
Radio show - Charlotte Talks - where I heard both of these authors interviewed.
Other personal finance references I have found helpful:
The Wall Street Journal Guide to Personal Finance (4th ed.), by Kenneth M. Morris and Virginia B. Morris
This guide is concise and easy to use, a good reference, especially for explaining terms used in financial matters.
Your Money or You Life, by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin
This book was recommended by the late John Holt years ago, and I purchased it then but have not read it all the way through. It's going to the top of my stack right now.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Mary Therese Hodge Lackie, 1927-2010
Early this morning my Mom died. She was, and remains in our hearts, an amazing woman whose life and love had a positive impact on untold numbers of people. She taught people (including me) to read, to think and express those thoughts clearly, to cook and bake; she entertained and informed through her writing and acting and storytelling; she preserved history with her photography and collecting. She created beautiful and interesting homes over the years and welcomed friends, family, friends of family, students, seminarians, neighbors, colleagues -- all -- to feel at home with her there. She threw herself into raising her family... she gave us so much... and we are all grateful for her presence in this world and in our lives.
Mom, I already miss you so, so much.
Note: go to the blog we set up for Mary at http://maryhodgelackie.blogspot.com/
Mom, I already miss you so, so much.
Note: go to the blog we set up for Mary at http://maryhodgelackie.blogspot.com/
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Women writing, effecting change in themselves and in the world
This weekend is not going as planned, due to snow canceling Emily's plans to visit for the long weekend. But I've had 24 hours to get used to the idea, and have decided to take the "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!" approach. So I'm enjoying a slowed-down world of snow and ice and bright sunlight outside, quiet music playing inside... a day of open time for reading, cooking, writing, and maybe a walk in the snowy cold after while. (I'm trying not to think the T word, but reality will sink in and I'll probably get started on that project this afternoon!)
An e-mail popped up a few minutes ago with links to four articles by and about women writers and women writing. On a quick glance, they look to be really good, full of hope and ideas! I share them here in hopes that my readers will find these articles thought-provoking also. (If you are not Catholic, please don't be put off by the fact that the articles were published in a Catholic newspaper -- they are not, for the most part, about issues only of interest to Catholics.)
Women Writing for (a) Change
Heidi Schlumpf looks at Mary Pierce Brosmer, who run a school called Women Writing for (a) Change, which teaches collaborative writing as a creative, therapeutic and spiritual practice.
Contours of the daily and domestic
Melissa Musick Nussbaum says that she is drawn to writers -- they are women -- who observe the contours and appreciate the significance of the daily and the domestic.
Ethnic bias is no longer an option
Diane Scharper recommends five women writers who, she says, "can provide us with salutary insights into ourselves as we live in a world full of international tensions."
How the remotely possible could become real
Maureen E. Daly reviews a book titled Ordained and in it finds a plan on how to pressure a pope into calling a worldwide council and revising the rules of ordination.
An e-mail popped up a few minutes ago with links to four articles by and about women writers and women writing. On a quick glance, they look to be really good, full of hope and ideas! I share them here in hopes that my readers will find these articles thought-provoking also. (If you are not Catholic, please don't be put off by the fact that the articles were published in a Catholic newspaper -- they are not, for the most part, about issues only of interest to Catholics.)
Women Writing for (a) Change
Heidi Schlumpf looks at Mary Pierce Brosmer, who run a school called Women Writing for (a) Change, which teaches collaborative writing as a creative, therapeutic and spiritual practice.
Contours of the daily and domestic
Melissa Musick Nussbaum says that she is drawn to writers -- they are women -- who observe the contours and appreciate the significance of the daily and the domestic.
Ethnic bias is no longer an option
Diane Scharper recommends five women writers who, she says, "can provide us with salutary insights into ourselves as we live in a world full of international tensions."
How the remotely possible could become real
Maureen E. Daly reviews a book titled Ordained and in it finds a plan on how to pressure a pope into calling a worldwide council and revising the rules of ordination.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Snow Cream -- Charlotte in the news!
There's no danger of my making any -- most of what we got here is sleet, ice, and frozen rain. I won't be going anywhere today :-)
A segment on today's Weekend Edition Saturday was from WFAE! (I was going to post a link to it, but couldn't find it on the NPR or the WFAE site.) Basically it was a reporter trying to find out why Charlotteans go to the store and empty the shelves of milk, bread, and eggs when any amount of snow is predicted. (This really happens, and then some: I went to the bakery on my way home from Charlotte yesterday afternoon and the bread shelves there were completely empty. They even were down to only four loaves of bread in their freezer!) The conclusion was that the milk, and perhaps the eggs, depending on one's recipe, are needed to make "Snow Cream". (Or "Snow Creme" if you prefer.)
Snow Creme Recipe
1-3 Cups of Snow (make sure it's clean!)
1/2 Cup Whipping Cream or other cream of choice
1 T. Sugar
2-3 drops Vanilla flavoring
In a separate bowl, mix cream, sugar and vanilla. Slowly add snow to desired consistency. Eat and enjoy!
All ingredients can be adjusted to suit your particular preferences. You might want to try some other flavorings: cinnamon, butterscotch, almond, or eggnog mix.
(Recipe published and e-mailed by the Upper Palmetto YMCA this morning in their "we're closed today on account of snow" message.)
A segment on today's Weekend Edition Saturday was from WFAE! (I was going to post a link to it, but couldn't find it on the NPR or the WFAE site.) Basically it was a reporter trying to find out why Charlotteans go to the store and empty the shelves of milk, bread, and eggs when any amount of snow is predicted. (This really happens, and then some: I went to the bakery on my way home from Charlotte yesterday afternoon and the bread shelves there were completely empty. They even were down to only four loaves of bread in their freezer!) The conclusion was that the milk, and perhaps the eggs, depending on one's recipe, are needed to make "Snow Cream". (Or "Snow Creme" if you prefer.)
Snow Creme Recipe
1-3 Cups of Snow (make sure it's clean!)
1/2 Cup Whipping Cream or other cream of choice
1 T. Sugar
2-3 drops Vanilla flavoring
In a separate bowl, mix cream, sugar and vanilla. Slowly add snow to desired consistency. Eat and enjoy!
All ingredients can be adjusted to suit your particular preferences. You might want to try some other flavorings: cinnamon, butterscotch, almond, or eggnog mix.
(Recipe published and e-mailed by the Upper Palmetto YMCA this morning in their "we're closed today on account of snow" message.)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Calling all Locavores!!!
Excellent program here (aired this morning) about eating local during the holidays, and in general...
Friday, December 04, 2009
Vatican II -- a blog post of interest
For those of you who are interested in such things, here's a post that is intriguing.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Does children's free play matter?
Why is this even a controversial issue? Here's a link to an article on the topic that should be read by every parent, every grandparent, every educator, everyone who loves children....
I just returned from a four-day visit with a family which includes a twenty-month-old child. Even at that early age, it is so clear that free play and unrestricted (i.e., unprogrammed) access to interaction with the people around him is all-important (not to mention delightful to observe or be a part of.) The learning in such play is not something easily measured, especially at that age, but it is so absorbing and satisfying to the child that we must not discount its value! Later on, this toddler version of free play will expand to include the imaginative play described in the article linked above.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
accomplishments:
Math Final for my class half made up ...check
Water siphoned out of broken dishwasher ...check
Evil (and dirty) filter removed from heat pump intake ...check
Mushy avocado finished off ...check
Car cleaned out ...check
Clothes washed ...check
Futon taken off bed and put in spare room ...check
Airbed installed in bedroom ...check
Ice packs ready for tonight ...check
Recycling removed from porch ....hmm....
Lesson plan for class tomorrow ready ...sort of
Dining room table piled high with STUFF ...check
Oh, well.
Water siphoned out of broken dishwasher ...check
Evil (and dirty) filter removed from heat pump intake ...check
Mushy avocado finished off ...check
Car cleaned out ...check
Clothes washed ...check
Futon taken off bed and put in spare room ...check
Airbed installed in bedroom ...check
Ice packs ready for tonight ...check
Recycling removed from porch ....hmm....
Lesson plan for class tomorrow ready ...sort of
Dining room table piled high with STUFF ...check
Oh, well.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Fight Hunger, at every opportunity!
The Eastern York County CROP Walk is this afternoon! Join me, in person or in spirit!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Meta-Dodecahedron!
Today's topic at the Math Club meeting was "Building with Zome Tools", an idea of Dr. Harold Reiter, our illustrious founder. I have to admit I was a little skeptical of how this would work out, but it was wild and crazy and noisy and lots of fun for the students! Here's a photo* of the final product, a dodecahedron using "meta-balls" for the vertices:
It's interesting how there are such clear curves here -- there are NO curved pieces used in the construction! Even the connectors, little white "balls", have no curved edges.
Here's another view:
Minutes after these photos were taken, the dismantling of a couple hours' work began to be dismantled.
The students, making this creation, were as focused as I've ever seen them. It took the 32 or so students about 1.5-2 hours to make 16 of the meta-balls, and connect them together to make the dodecahedron. Teamwork, curiosity, determination, and playfulness were all plentiful! And they had energy enough left after the dismantling process to focus on another activity, a math relay from a past year's Duke Math Meet. Amazing.
The other really great thing that happened at this meeting was that the parents pitched in to help like more than I've ever seen them do. All in all, it was an inspiring morning, and gave me renewed enthusiasm for the Club.
*The photos are from my cell phone... Unfortunately, the battery for my real camera was at home, still in its charger. Clearly, I need to take pictures more often!
It's interesting how there are such clear curves here -- there are NO curved pieces used in the construction! Even the connectors, little white "balls", have no curved edges.
Here's another view:
Minutes after these photos were taken, the dismantling of a couple hours' work began to be dismantled.
The students, making this creation, were as focused as I've ever seen them. It took the 32 or so students about 1.5-2 hours to make 16 of the meta-balls, and connect them together to make the dodecahedron. Teamwork, curiosity, determination, and playfulness were all plentiful! And they had energy enough left after the dismantling process to focus on another activity, a math relay from a past year's Duke Math Meet. Amazing.
The other really great thing that happened at this meeting was that the parents pitched in to help like more than I've ever seen them do. All in all, it was an inspiring morning, and gave me renewed enthusiasm for the Club.
*The photos are from my cell phone... Unfortunately, the battery for my real camera was at home, still in its charger. Clearly, I need to take pictures more often!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Fighting Hunger and Poverty!
On Sunday, October 25, I will be walking in the Eastern York County Crop Hunger Walk. I support the Crop Walk particularly because 25% of the funds collected locally stay in the local community. In Rock Hill, clients of Pilgrim's Inn and other local agencies benefit from Crop Walk funds. Pilgrim's Inn is a local, grassroots organization that has developed programs to help women in crisis, assisting them in getting their lives on track as well as helping them through the crisis at hand with food, housing, counseling, and job training. Pilgrim's Inn is in the process of implementing the Rapid Rehousing program in Rock Hill, which is an innovative new program to help women to get into apartments and jobs without a lengthy stay in the emergency shelter.
Another portion of the funds are used worldwide in refugee resettlement and other programs working to alleviate hunger and poverty. One of the more attractive things about this organization is that they are a coalition of people of various faiths working together, regardless of differences in theology and so forth.
Please consider helping out financially, but if that is not something you are able to do at this time, please pray for the success of this year's Walk.
Another portion of the funds are used worldwide in refugee resettlement and other programs working to alleviate hunger and poverty. One of the more attractive things about this organization is that they are a coalition of people of various faiths working together, regardless of differences in theology and so forth.
Please consider helping out financially, but if that is not something you are able to do at this time, please pray for the success of this year's Walk.
Monday, October 12, 2009
reviews of various things....
Just a quick list of reviews, w/ links:
Capitalism, A Love Story -- I saw this last Friday night with a good friend, and we both thought it was great! I highly recommend it. It made me think about things differently... plus parts of it were highly amusing. I came home and put some of Michael Moore's other flicks on my Netflix list. My friend recommends especially his non-documentary, Canadian Bacon.
This video, which James D. shared today on FB, is short but very cute -- and reminds us to take the stairs...
Still reading Double Crossed: Uncovering the Catholic Church's Betrayal of American Nuns, by Kenneth Briggs, which I highly recommend to anyone who is interested in recent Church history, social justice (inside the Catholic Church as well as in the wider American culture), women's issues, etc....
While searching for articles about Double Crossed, I found this article by Luke Timothy Johnson, whom I heard at the Kennedy Lecture at Charlotte's St. Peter's Catholic Church a few years ago. I haven't read the article yet but hope to go back to it soon and read the whole thing.
Capitalism, A Love Story -- I saw this last Friday night with a good friend, and we both thought it was great! I highly recommend it. It made me think about things differently... plus parts of it were highly amusing. I came home and put some of Michael Moore's other flicks on my Netflix list. My friend recommends especially his non-documentary, Canadian Bacon.
This video, which James D. shared today on FB, is short but very cute -- and reminds us to take the stairs...
Still reading Double Crossed: Uncovering the Catholic Church's Betrayal of American Nuns, by Kenneth Briggs, which I highly recommend to anyone who is interested in recent Church history, social justice (inside the Catholic Church as well as in the wider American culture), women's issues, etc....
While searching for articles about Double Crossed, I found this article by Luke Timothy Johnson, whom I heard at the Kennedy Lecture at Charlotte's St. Peter's Catholic Church a few years ago. I haven't read the article yet but hope to go back to it soon and read the whole thing.
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