Starting Over - Ending - Starting Over

I want to start blogging again. I want to start faithfully blogging again. I have almost finished my 24th year of teaching. Two weeks to go, review and test. Then it will be summer. I will teach one more year and then retire. If it was just teaching I would probably teach longer, but teaching has become a lot more complicated in the last few years. Teaching is not about the kids anymore. It is not even about the subject. Teaching is about making sure you can prove that you covered the subjects that are being tested. So I want to chronicle my last year. And to get in the habit, I should probably start now, wrapping up the end of my next to last year.

Bringing it all Together

I'm organizing. I'm sorting and storing. I'm working up to the throwing away part. I am reclaiming my territory. Along with starting a new semester at school and getting ready for national testing ARRRGGG, I am working on the house a little bit at a time. This weekend I dragged rugs out on the driveway and shampooed them. Ok, I watched while my son's girlfriend shampooed them. Anyway progress is being made. I will be back to writing when my space is my own. Take care.

Where I'm From .... ....

Thanks to Cowtown Pattie - This one is for you. I wrote it last year and had been saving it.

I am from backyard swing sets, from Ivory soap that floats, and stories that end with happily ever after.
I am from tumbleweed snowmen, roly poly bugs, and freshly mowed grass.
I’m from roller skates, playing jacks, hula-hoops, bicycles with bells, and Barbies. And my very own John Deere tractor.
I am from 45s spinning on a record player, orange juice can hair rollers, trading disks to go steady, going to the picture show on Friday night, and meeting boys at the skate rink on Saturday mornings.
I am from bright yellow daffodils that bloom on Daddy’s birthday, colorama purple and orange sunsets; the Llano Estacado, the yucca, the cottonwood, and the mesquite bush.
I'm from black-eyed peas on New Years, "hit the deck," and “until your better’s best”; from Voncile, and AJ, and Ida.
I am from “clamming up”, and “not counting your chickens before they are hatched”, and “burning daylight”.
I’m from Blue Birds, Camp Fire Girls, Rainbow Girls, MYF, and Student Council.
I’m from Camp Skyline in the Guadalupe Mountains and Camp Mystic on the Guadalupe River, swimming lessons every summer and those damn piano lessons every week.
I am from “slow and steady wins the race”, and “nice girls don’t …”.
I am from Methodists backbenchers, and rebel Campbellites. I’m from going to Church in your Sunday best after dancing in the kitchen on Saturday night.
I’m from Bobbie Brooks pant suits, Villager sweater sets, and Keds with a hole in the toe. And cutoffs that lasted for years.
I am from Carlsbad, from Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, from England and Ireland; from fried chicken, pot roast, pecan pie, and cornbread.
I’m from “turn out the light when you leave the room”, “don’t comb your hair in the kitchen”, and “the work ain’t finished til the cleanup’s done.”
I am from snowcones at the ballpark, pickles at the show, and pixie sticks walking home from school.
I’m from Daddy, a roofing contractor who invested in the bogus uranium mine, and Mama who bought her own ladies ready to wear business without asking Daddy and made a success. But they stayed married for 59 years. And they loved each other and me. I will never forget where or who I am from.

Announcing the Retirement of the Muse

The Muse is retiring from daily publication. I guess most of you have figured that out. I have a new project and it has a deadline. With teaching, that leaves little time for my blog. Although I dearly enjoy the friends I have made in association with my blog, I must take care of business.

Thank you to those who have read my ramblings and let me know. Keep in touch. Crime Dog, Cowtown Pattie, and Bill, I have enjoyed our correspondence. I will still be a faithful reader and let you know from time to time. Take care. May the God of your choice bless you and keep you.

Our Best Wishes for the Season ... I think!

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2006, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than neither any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere, and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee. By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Throw em in the River!

Go to the closet or your kids room or the entertainment room. Get that X Box, Playstation, Game Cube or whatever and throw it in the car or the back of the pick up and drive. Drive so far you know they won't follow and chunk that electronic mind warping babysitter in the river or ditch or where ever you know it won't make it back.

They will scream and holler. They will cry, and maybe even swear - if they have been playing for a long time they might even go into withdrawal. But you will be doing them the biggest favor in their lives. Those games are destroying our children. I am not kidding. You should overhear the conversations I overhear.

I have smart, gifted even, boys and girls who are totally consumed by gaming. They spend every waking moment at school planning what they are going to do on their game when they get home. Theses are the brightest kids at school and the only thing they read is gaming magazines.

You have seen the news reports about the worst games - Grand Theft Auto - all versions. And it is not the worst one. They are worse than any news report can even hint at. They are full of graphic violence and kids think it is funny. Kids think it is funny that a few adults react with horror. After all it is just a game. They think that the adults that are horrified are just too old fashioned. These kids have lost the capacity to be shocked. They could probably watch some of those things in real life and not feel anything. It is scary.

I know this won't sit well with the younger set - but we are raising a generation of kids who have no compassion. They have very little moral compass and what they do have is being quietly eroded by the gaming industry. These are the people who will be in charge when I am in a nursing home. I find that extremely scary.

The Same Old Gripe

I know you have heard it all before, but I can't help myself. What are people thinking? Christmas is way out of control. It is suppose to be the 24 and 25 of December - maybe a week before. I could even live with "The Twelve Days of Christmas". But Christmas should not start on the Friday after Thanksgiving and last until Valentine's Day.

No - I cannot get in the spirit. No, my lights are not up yet and neither is my tree. I might not even put up a tree. I will hang a wreath on the door. I will buy a few gifts. But I feel like I am being held hostage by the entire month of December. Do people really enjoy all this mess and stress? I saw people out in 10 degree weather trying to adjust Christmas lights they hung in November.

Walmart is packed. And no one looks like they are enjoying the season. Wouldn't Christmas be more enjoyable if there was less of it?

Is it just me? Am I turning into a Scrooge?

By the way Christmas on the Pecos is as beautiful as always. And I do respect and admire all of those people who work so hard to make it a successful event. But I'm glad I don't live on the river. Happy Holidays.

December Sunrise in SENM

Am I a Texan?

Evan Smith, the editor of Texas Monthly, writes in this month's issue that he is “of Texas” despite the accident of being born in New York City. His argument is that he is now a resident of Texas, roots for the Longhorns and doesn’t intend to leave. So he asks that we consider him a Texan. In this month’s issue of Texas Monthly the feature articles are “Where I’m From”. And the Texas living legend Willie Nelson graces the front cover. Willie was born in Abbott, Texas.

I was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico. For the geographically challenged, that is the big city near the famous Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southeastern New Mexico. It is 29 miles from the Texas line to the southwest, 31 miles from the Texas line to the south, and 76 miles from the Texas line to the east. But it is my contention that this corner of New Mexico is much more Texan than it is New Mexican. The entire southeastern corner of New Mexico is in the oil patch. Carlsbad, Hobbs, Loving, Eunice, and Jal are all “of Texas”. We shop in Midland, Lubbock, and El Paso. We don’t have to pay out of state tuition to attend Texas Tech or Sul Ross. And we have much more in common with Texas than we do northern NM.

In my case, both my parents were born in Texas. My father was born in Hardeman County, Goodlett, Texas in 1913. My mother was born in Comanche County near Dublin, Texas in 1915. They were met and were married in Lubbock in 1937. They moved to New Mexico after WWII. And I arrived in 1952, a New Mexican. I have lived here all my life – except for a while in college when I went to Tech.

Early summers were spent in Texas visiting with relatives in Deleon, Garland, Childress, Burnett, Quanah, and Stanton. Later summers were spent at Camp Mystic on the Guadalupe near Kerrville. Thanksgiving was a trip to Childress and Quanah. Football season we drove to Lubbock to watch the Red Raiders play football. (Daddy had attended Tech in the 30s) Until my mother bought the dress store, my best dresses came from Hemphill Wells in Lubbock, the Model Shop in Midland, or from Neiman’s in Dallas.

I speak and cook Texan. That appliance in the kitchen that keeps food cold is an icebox. The meal you eat at the end of the day is supper. If I invite you for Sunday dinner, you should show up at noon. I don’t put sugar in my cornbread – and I don’t use a mix to make it. Cornbread and sweet milk make a good supper. I fry chicken and okra. I can make chicken gravy, breakfast gravy, brown gravy, giblet gravy, or even red-eye gravy. I can whip up a batch of biscuits –without the can. And we eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s. I do put sugar in my tea and I call it sweet tea. There is a pitcher of sweet tea in the icebox all summer.

So am I a Texan?

November Sunset in SENM

While You Are Shopping ...

Ready, set, Shop! Black Friday - called so because today puts most stores in the black for the year. If you are not a retail person, that means profit. My mother had a women's retail clothing store for most of my teenage and adult years. She worked about 350 days a year and every day of the holiday season. She retired in 1994 at the age of 79 and passed away in 1996. She loved every moment for it. That store was her pride and joy. And Pre-Christmas was her favorite but busiest time. Christmas eve was always her busiest day.

I worked for her as a teenager - my first job was wrapping Christmas presents, a service that was provided for free. Summers during college and on and off before I started teaching I worked in the dress store. There used to be hundreds of these small locally owned stores in small towns across New Mexico and Texas. The salesmen came to us, traveling with their racks of clothes stuffed in their Cadillacs or even motor home showrooms. This was before Walmart. I would venture most of these stores are closed now. It was a different era.

But I learned the meaning of work, and the joy of loving what you do from working in her store. It wasn't my thing. I couldn't work that hard - or spend that much time and effort on my appearance. She was a natural - loved it, loved the fashion industry. She loved being a woman in business. She loved the clothes and the jewelry. She had a good eye and good taste. She was tough and she had class. Locals tell me all the time how much they miss her store. Me too.

Thanks Mom!

Turkey, cornbread dressing, gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, baked corn, ambrosia fruit salad, cranberry relish, deviled eggs, relish tray with pickled okra, dinner rolls, pumpkin and pecan pie with whipped cream, sweet tea, and a Texas Chardonney wine.

It was the best turkey ever, really. The dressing was pretty damn good, too. Most everything done "from scratch." First time in a while I didn't either burn the rolls or forget to put them in until dinner was on the table. Remembered to put the giblets on the stove when I put the turkey in the oven this time. So the gravy was perfect. Didn't have to get out a receipe book or call anyone. Had three different people call me for advice.

It is a shame that by the time you get good at this, your kids are grown and no one is impressed. Or that by the time you get good at it - your Mom is no longer around to see it. My Mom was great at holiday dinners; she was the Queen of Thanksgiving. She taught me well. I hope my kids look back and remember me the way I remember her. Thanks Mom!

It's done. The turkey is boned, the leftovers stashed, and the kitchen is straight. Eldest Son took "to go" dinners for him and his boss. The oil patch doesn't shut down for Thanksgiving. The Spare and his girlfriend got here late, ate and ran. Granny popped in and out between other dinners and took hers to go.

Peace and quiet. Full and content. Thankful.

I'm Back!

I'm didn't know anyone cared, but thanks Bill. I had grown kids living with me. Now I don't. Finally! It was semi-tramatic, but is now really enjoyable. I have been enjoying the peace and quiet. And clearing a path through my house. The dust bunnies were becoming vicious. Eldest Son has a good job and his own apartment. The Spare has a new girlfriend. So, this might or might not be permenent. I'm sure The Spare will return eventually.

I have a backlog of topics to cover. Not living in a big city, I didn't realize that persons attending NFL games were allowing themselves to be searched - like at the airport - to get into the stadium to watch a football game. That is every stadium except for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the assistance from the ACLU, Civics teacher Gordon Johnston filed a law suit seeking a injunction to end the pat down. NFL officials say it is for the protection of the fans. Johnston says it violates the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution. A Florida judge issued an injunction stopping the pat down procedure on October 28. Way to go, Gordon!

It was the worst of times....

It's not writer's block. It is the feeling that the things that are happening in our country are so over whelming that writing about them would lessen their impact. Americans have their own gulag. What can I possible say that will not trivialize the wrongness of this. The whole Cheny thing. George Bush seems to be a figurehead in the true sense of the word.

There is a sadness that I cannot seem to get past. I am going to quit writing about politics. I'm going to only write about local events and interesting discoveries. I enjoy writing too much to let it disturb me like this. Most people hear enough of political commentary anyway.

My new interest is chickens. I want to have a few hens in my back yard. I wonder if I can get away with it in town. Some say yes and some say no. I think if I don't keep a rooster I might can swing it. Don't like roosters anyway. (see previous post) Anyone have any suggestions?

STUFF - Why Bigger is not Better.

3500 - 5000 square foot houses spaced ten foot apart, no yard. Rows and Rows of theses huge new houses. I have traveled to the city to see other peoples' stuff. What in heaven's name is wrong with those people? What are they thinking? Why would anyone want to live like that?

Three car garages and cars parked outside are common, too much stuff in the garages. All the houses are new and maybe not just alike, but very similar. The people in the houses have lots of stuff. They probably have a TV in every room, stereos, game players, computers, and more stuff. Like as not, it takes both parents working to pay the mortgage.

I just do not see the point. This is a juvenile attitude -- my toys (stuff) are better than your toys (stuff). Or even worse - the guy who dies with the most stuff wins. Yeah, but he is still dead. And someone else has to deal with the stuff left behind.

Maybe this is just overreaction to moving into my parents' house. I had to move my stuff on top of their stuff, and now I have way too much stuff. And if I had a bigger house, I would have more room for more stuff. I can see why people do not want to move; it is just too much trouble. And the more stuff you have, the more trouble it is. And worse yet -- my stuff, it is good stuff, the kind of stuff you can't really throw away.

My parents had been married 59 years when my mother passed away. In that time they had acquired lots of stuff. My mother liked to entertain and in the 50s and 60s that meant china and crystal. Entertaining meant sterling silver trays and flatware - fancy stuff. She had (I have) stemmed glasses, and sherbert glasses, linen napkins and tablecloths - delicate stuff. There are crystal toothpick holders, silver place cards, mint dishes, butter dishes, salt cellars, and I could go on and on. There are 12 silver goblets (shiney stuff) used exactly once -- on their 25th anniversary. Mother had crystal flower vases in all sizes, tiny individual silver salt and pepper shakers, and a, for Pete's Sake, silver candelabra. Who was coming over, Liberace? What do I do with all this stuff?

This Weekend in Carlsbad, NM

Sorry so late - computer problems. Have a great weekend everyone I will be out to town and off line. Take care.

Friday
NMSU-C films series continues. Tonights film Miller's Crossing. 7 p.m. NMSU - C Room 153

Archaeology Fair in Artesia. This is way cool! Noon to 4 today and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Central Park - Exhibits and demonstrations - wool dying, firing pottery with cow dung, throw a spear using an atl-atl, food, venders, lots to see and do and your kids will love it. I promise.

Bulldog Balloon Rally - Hot Air Balloons will lift off from Central Park. Be there early

Dance at the Senior Center on N. Mesa in Carlsbad 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. music by Hearts on Fire.

Saturday

Taco sale at the Hillcrest Church of God 234 N. 6th beginning at 10 a.m.

Girl Scout Troop 12 will host a yard and burrito sale from 8 a.m. to noon at 409 S. Alameda. All proceeds go to help the girls purchase uniforms. Buy some burritos.

Habitat for Humanity Building Blitz - 2702 Prospect St Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to whenever - FMI call 234-9658

Men's Breakfast - Fox and Walnut Church of God - Saturday 8 a.m. FMI call 885-1455

Living Desert Zoo Gardens and State Park is having a Mars party. Visitors may look at Mars through the large telescope 6 - 8 p.m. Saturday. Mars will not be this close again until 2018. FMI call 887-5516

Sunday

Carlsbad Arts and Humanity Alliance plans to present the Lone Star Brass Quintet at 3 p.m. Sunday at P.R. Levya auditorium.

An Eighth Grade Education

Could any of us have passed the eight grade in 1895?
This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, KS, USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.

EIGHTH-GRADE FINAL EXAM
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no Modifications.
3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb? Give Principal Parts of lie, lay and run.
5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.
7. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50 ct's/bushel, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?
5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per meter?
8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance around which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.

U. S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U. S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.

Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Tri graph, sub vocals, diphthong, cognate letters, lingual's?
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'U'.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Also notice that the exam took five hours to complete. Gives the saying "she/he only had an eighth-grade education" a whole new meaning, doesn't it? I didn't even understand some of the questions, let alone know the answers!!!! I later did some investigation and found that even though this is a actual test - the superintendent who wrote it was criticized for making the test too hard at the time.

Fall flowers

Halloween Wishes

BOO! Did I scare you?

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween. Have fun and be careful. If I was better at this I would add my favorite Halloween song, Jimmy Buffett's Vampire, Mummies, and the Holy Ghost. This is my favorite holiday. Last year the neighbors across the street really got into it. They had lights, sound effects and a coffin. He dressed up like Dracula. They had a giant pumpkin and a rock activated by a motion detector that laughed creepily when you walked by. They are really nice people with kids of their own, but maybe they went a little too far. I know at least one little person who thought so.

I had a small string of lights and a cute little witch hat/headband. About half way through the evening, a very short princess arrived on my door step - snuffling. She wasn't crying, but she was close. She said, "Trick or Treat" in a small voice, and when I put candy in her pink plastic pumpkin she said, "I'm glad you aren't scary." Her mom was standing patiently at the end of the driveway wearing a weary smile. There is a lot of pressure on parents this time of year.

The news is full of safety warnings. Children are told not to eat any candy til they get home and someone checks the bag. The Downtown Merchants are having a safe holiday candy give away. And just down the street, the local orthodontist (yes, we only have one) is having a parking lot party where he is paying children money to give up their candy. His costumed staff will be serving health snacks and cider. I think he is paying children a dollar a pound for their candy. Wonder what they will do with the candy he buys? I am curious to how well this idea will work.

Our National Parks

We have two National Parks near Carlsbad, the Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park. They are both beautiful and deserve to be protected and preserved. The photograph on the left is, of course, the Big Room underground in Carlsbad Caverns. The photograph on the right is the trail up McKitrick Canyon. This is one of the most beautiful hiking choices in the area this time of year. It is a truely unique ecosystem here in the desert. Take a bottle of water and wear decent hiking shoes. It is not a difficult hike, most enjoyable.

There was a letter to the editor of the Current Argus today concerning OUR parks that was a bit disturbing. It seems OUR national parks are under attack by the Department of Interior. There is proposed legislation that could conceivably open the parks to mining interests. I decided to do a little research before I blasted anyone. And I found the letter was true, but only part of the picture. We do need to be concerned; taking our parks for granted would be a terrible thing.

And since this is a topic I would not attempt to pretend to know enough about to try to correct, I will link you to Kurt Repanshek, the author of National Parks for Dummies, and his blog/column Traveling the National Parks. He explains the problem much better than I ever could.

I do agree with Hal Waters in his plea to let our national leaders know that we value our parks and the people who serve and protect these valuable resources for future generations. So hit your keyboards people, let those guys in Washington know they can't mess with OUR parks.