Storms and Sun

This week has been stormy, rainy, and generally gloomy.

And that assessment is not only for the weather.

As I write this, one member of our extended family, Troy, is recovering in a hospital in NYC after having extensive surgery in his battle with cancer. And this is not minor surgery. But he is doing well--and the surgery had better than expected results.

So this week has not been a lot of fun.

I know the sun still shines above the clouds--I have witnessed the impressive spectacle of breaking through dark clouds and into bright sun and blue skies. We need to keep ourselves above the storms in the sunlight.

But it is hard.

Slogging through rain drenched streets and paths makes me wet.

And muddy.

It is hard to keep the mud off when it splashes everywhere--and so I have determined that being in bright sunshine is a state of mind which transcends the mud on my shoes.

But every time I look down--I see the mud and forget the sunshine.

Early Morning in the Yard

She stood, still, along the edge of the lawn in the dawn light. Her dark eyes were locked on Makayla and me as we went about our business a short distance away.

She was so still--not even her ears twitched--every one of here senses were focused upon the dog.

Makayla noticed her standing there. Her brown coast almost fading into the green underbrush where the lawn turns into forest.  I thought for a moment she might begin barking and wake the neighbors--but as she was on a leash (for which I was thoroughly grateful), she turned away without making a scene at the deer--still frozen in place.

I know that had she not been on a leash--the chase through the brambles would have been on resulting in hours of cleaning her coat of the prickers she would have picked up. The deer would have crossed the stream and up the hill faster than Makayla could follow--but the noise of the barking dog and crashing deer would have broken the stillness of this early morning wake up slowly time.

I probably would have just taken her to PetSmart for a grooming.

I truly was amazed at Makayla's lack of interest.

I was more fascinated by this creature on the edge of the yard than she was--they are so beautiful when seen alive and not the mangled corpses strewn I normally observe along the highways.

She was so still--watching me watch her.  I wondered when she would make her move.

I looked down at Makayla and then back to where she was. Mesmerized.

I am glad the deer are still around the house--they remind me of my past and growing up in the rural area of Central New York State. Where I know life was simpler, the speed slower, and the wildlife more abundant.

The two-lane road that connected us to civilization was a lifeline and a a protection from the hectic life I now live.

I sometimes am reminded of those times by the scents--especially after the rain, like yesterday as the warm, humid air rolled up out of the small creek behind the house loaded with smells of plant matter and fresh growth.

I close my eyes, and remember standing in front of the house I grew up in looking across the fields to the hills in front of me and thinking they seemed so big (I had not yet seen the Rockies) and I had to conquer them (which I did). And seeing a herd of deer on the edge of the fields--just at the forest line.

And in the short time it took me to remember the sights and the smells, when I looked back to where the deer had been standing, so silently she had made her escape.

And I realized--so had I.

Why are the Drawers Empty?

Mornings can be hectic--made more so when Chris is away. I gain a real appreciation for how many things just magically get done in my life--like laundry.  When the drawers get low, magically they seem to fill up.

It doesn't happen like that when she is away.

So this week I am again experiencing the joy of life alone--Orioles Baseball on the TV, laundry piling up in the hamper, cleaning the litter box, feeding the cats (why exactly do we have cats?), trying to keep a sense of normalcy in the face of abnormal activity.

The hardest part is trying to ensure Makayla doesn't have to goo too many hours without human contact--12 is about the longest I've ever pushed her bladder.

Wednesday could be a problem!  E-day.

Ethan may have to take a ride with me to fetch the dog. He hates going places after school. He would prefer to eat and veggie out after a hard day of Kindergarten learning.

I don't blame him, either. I don't really like going out after work. I become the world's greatest homebody.

Absence makes the heart grow finder, they say.

I find that I just have to work harder.

Oh, and did I mention the blasted rain? What another downer on life.

But the pile in the hamper isn't going to magically disappear this morning--so I need to get moving or the cats will probably take matters into their own paws and the dog may revolt.  I sense a coup coming on.

Monday Musings - May 16, 2011

1. Every week has its own rhythm--and this one is already off to a fast start.

2. It is sad that the weather has been too cold for pool activities--it is open and wanting people to play in it, but at 65 degrees--it is just a tad (OK 15 degrees) too cold.

3. Dogs are constants in life--they love and then they love some more no matter what craziness is going on around them.

4. The lawn got mowed yesterday despite the weather forecast--and I got sunburned, too.

5. The swing set saw some brief use yesterday--it still took me longer to trim around it than the kids played on it.

6. It was youth Sunday at church yesterday--how can I bottle some of that energy for later use?

7. Trains, planes, automobiles and buses--the winner in the NYC round-trip is: Bus at $17 each way. That is less than the tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Staying busy

So the question is..how do you keep a three-year old busy while working on the pool?

Let him chase the pool cleaner. Was good for almost 15 minutes.

Something to brighten a gloomy day

So the day is pretty much a washout.

Rainy and overcast.

I saw this iris in my garden changing its whole area from gray to color and I realized that while the skies may be rainy and overcast, we still carry sunshine in our hearts.

O's Fantastic Finish

I just have to say--I had the joy of watching a 12-inning baseball game that lasted less that three hours Thursday evening which saw my beloved Orioles come from behind in the bottom of the 12th inning to win.

I saw, for the first time in my life live--two pitchers throw shut-outs for nine innings and neither got the victory or loss.  They were magnificent--although, and I'm biased, the Oriole pitcher Zach Britton was better facing only two batters over the minimum of 27 for 9 innings.

The game was scoreless through 11 innings.

And short--efficient and crisp.  I have suffered through nine-inning games that took longer to play.

Random Photos from Mother's Day

I Know It is Here Somewhere

Sharing!  Remember?

Got It Together

I Am Smiling

Don't Make Me Laugh--I'm Near the Water

Mothers

Mother and Children

Thinking of Sailing Away?

And Poppop gets Stuck Carrying the Driftwood

I was reviewing the many photos taken during our Mother's Day excursion to the State Capitol and decided to share some of them. They are all pretty good--but these were special. Chris took all of the ones that she is not in.  I took those.

Zero Tolerance is an Abuse of Justice

There, I wrote it.

I have written it before, although  maybe not so direct in Zero Tolerance is for Computers.

In the name of zero tolerance, mindless people in positions of authority blindly apply directives without regard for what makes us different from any other animal or plant on the planet: the ability to reason.

Today, I submit an article from yesterday's Baltimore Sun titled: Two Easton lacrosse players suspended under zero-tolerance policies.

Let me summarize the article for you--but I encourage you to read it for yourself.

Two high school lacrosse players were found to have contraband--a pen knife and a lighter in their lacrosse gear bags during a search of the players for alcohol before a game.  The items, as confirmed by the coaches, were used to repair their sticks during matches.  The boy with the pen knife, Graham, was handcuffed and charged as a juvenile with possession of a deadly weapon and suspended for 10 days.  The other boy, Casey, was suspended for one day for having a lighter which was classified by the school as an explosive device.

Another Baltimore Sun article summarizes the situation as follows:
"Talbot County residents are no doubt sleeping easier after the school system used a policy of zero tolerance for deadly weapons to crack down on two high school lacrosse players who were caught with a small penknife and a lighter used to repair their sticks. However, we feel it important to warn them that they still may not be safe. After all, we hear that the baseball and softball players bring dozens of long, aluminum clubs with them to games and practices. For that matter, children as young as kindergarten routinely carry sharp, wooden sticks, and there are even special machines in virtually every classroom to hone these "pencils" to murderous points."

Here is the problem--on the sidelines of lacrosse matches coaches and officials considered these to be tools of the sport. In the equipment bags on the bus headed to the game they were considered contraband by a school official.

The ramifications of the actoons of the principal on these boys' future college careers could be significant, by having to report a suspension on their applications.  Further aggravated by the school superintendent's letter to Graham's parents which read: ""Given the severity of this violation expulsion is warranted," she wrote to the family in a letter in April. But because of extenuating circumstances, she said, she would allow the student to return to school after 10 days."

Really?

This is mindless application of rules without engaging the brain.

And people wonder why educators (think about this for a moment), are held in low esteem by many people.  The very people who should be advocating for the application of reason and common sense are the very ones mindlessly applying rules without thinking--is a pen knife in a lacrosse bag really a dangerous weapon for which a high school senior should be suspended? Especially when it is used as a tool and has been approved for use as a tool by other educators (the coaches)?  And then the superintendent writes a letter like what was written.

And don't forget--Graham served the entire suspension (missing valuable teaching time) while his parents attempted to appeal after being given erroneous information about not being able to appeal. So whether he is cleared or not and ultimately gets his record expunged--the punishment was served.

Casey is also working to get his record expunged, too. The school handbook, reportedly, does not define a lighter as an explosive device.

What is the message here?

Maybe going to college makes people dumber?

No the real message is that we need to be able to apply rational thinking to situations and not hide under a zero tolerance policy.

Reflections on Annapolis

Annapolis Statehouse

Annapolis

Standing on the very end of the piers Sunday where Annapolis drops off into the river and out into the bay, I was reminded of the quaint beauty of the capitol city of Maryland. Looking back on the Capitol Building as the dark clouds were gathering behind it, yet it was still in bright sunshine we a scene to remember--and we snapped enough images of it to hopefully remember it anyway.

The streets were crowded with shoppers and walkers and the occasional Navy-whites clad academy students making their way through the crowd.

It was pleasant.

The traffic was snarled, as it usually is but no one seemed to mind to much--that is just the way it is. Annapolis is like that. Don't go there is you worry about getting snarled in traffic--you will.

Sunday, Mother's Day, a day to remember.