The Horse Show Break is over and that means that school schedule is back.  Still writing everyday and creating some.  Ordered Sarah Morgan's Halloween costume so all signs point to Fall.  It used to be my favorite season by far.  Now I am not so sure.  Not sure if it is me being fickle or the climate is changing in Tennessee.  Springs and Falls shorter and less intense in their features.  It seems winter and summer rule the seasons now with summer the winner in this early game of rivals.  Maybe it is just a "phase" (no scientific pun intended) and the four seasons will tilt their way back into the correct pattern. November is coming soon and so my promise to myself that I would in fact write a NOVEL.  I have researched it and have the outline of the story and I hope I am up to the task.  It will be based on past Christian martyrs in China, archaeology, faith, and the plot involves the the adoption of a group of orphans and the underground Christian missionary movement in China currently. Sounds good, huh?  There is such a tightrope to walk of cultural/religious history there hope I can make it work!

Writing,W riting, Writing

I haven't blogged for quite awhile but I enjoyed the summer and have been writing a lot.  Starting some new type of work and seeing how it fits.  I'm learning a lot.  I am still concerned for our state of education and the many things I see my  friends in the school system here and around the country are coping with.  I have investigated Common Core, read some cool books (keep up with that on Facebook)and really like Pinterest, learned a lot about some new subjects, and said a goodbye to a wonderful friend who has moved far away.  I want to try Skype?  but don't have it set up yet.  I have had some more book rejections but still feel positive that it will be published and that other books will follow.  I pray and pray.  I lost a 90 year old Uncle whom I loved so much and learned along with the rest of the family that my 99 year old precious aunt has to fight colon cancer.  Friends have started a pizza place, Foxes Pizza Den, right in my neighborhood and I feel like I have a "friends" like place to hang out and that is so cool.  Love to go to the beach again already but settle for looking at pictures.  Traded in my trusty Old Blue Buick that wasn't so trusty any more for a Dodge Charger that I really love and enjoy.  Sarah Morgan has made her nest in the backseat just fine. Dance for her has begun and swimming this summer for her was great.  One more week of swimming lessons to come.  So I'm back to blogging, at least today.

Ode to a Louse: Lice 1 vs. Bedford County Schools 0

Eventually the Bedford County School System in ending its "no Nit" policy on children returning to school before the removal of all nits from children's hair is completed has never read Burn's Ode to a Louse (see below.)  Now under the new policy, only children with "live bugs" are sent home.  I suppose we must keep the attendance and test taking numbers up for our "race to the top."  As long as you can bubble in a circle for A, B, C, or D, you can scratch all you want! Yes, I know that nits are the expended shells of lice eggs but they are also an indicator of infestation of the child's head and the duration the child has been infected with the pest. Lice are also associated with Typhus and other diseases and like clean hair and homes as well as dirty!  In this decision I suppose the system has decided that after years of battling this problem they "give."  Long Live the Louse!  And I don't care at which agency or department the buck stops  either.  What about waging war on it!  Not giving up and finding the common carriers and aggressively train, treat, and transport those that are in the worst shape.  Shouldn't this be considered by DCS? These are children and those that are responsible for their condition are the adults , their parents.  If we had this type of situation in a third world country I think we would react differently. I know I said I would stop tilting at windmills but at least this time I'm wielding a nit comb!  There are children in Shelbyville that  lay their head down every night with the threat of roaches in their ears and bugs in their hair.  At least when Sarah Morgan gets them and note I said when, not if, at least in her dark black hair I'll be able to see the nits.  Word to the louse, I'll fight you with every power in me to keep you out of my daughter's hair and her life!

To A Louse
On Seeing One On A Lady's Bonnet, At Church

Ha! whaur ye gaun, ye crowlin ferlie?
Your impudence protects you sairly;
I canna say but ye strunt rarely,
Owre gauze and lace;
Tho', faith! I fear ye dine but sparely
On sic a place.

Ye ugly, creepin, blastit wonner,
Detested, shunn'd by saunt an' sinner,
How daur ye set your fit upon her-
Sae fine a lady?
Gae somewhere else and seek your dinner
On some poor body.

Swith! in some beggar's haffet squattle;
There ye may creep, and sprawl, and sprattle,
Wi' ither kindred, jumping cattle,
In shoals and nations;
Whaur horn nor bane ne'er daur unsettle
Your thick plantations.

Now haud you there, ye're out o' sight,
Below the fatt'rels, snug and tight;
Na, faith ye yet! ye'll no be right,
Till ye've got on it-
The verra tapmost, tow'rin height
O' Miss' bonnet.

My sooth! right bauld ye set your nose out,
As plump an' grey as ony groset:
O for some rank, mercurial rozet,
Or fell, red smeddum,
I'd gie you sic a hearty dose o't,
Wad dress your droddum.

I wad na been surpris'd to spy
You on an auld wife's flainen toy;
Or aiblins some bit dubbie boy,
On's wyliecoat;
But Miss' fine Lunardi! fye!
How daur ye do't?

O Jeany, dinna toss your head,
An' set your beauties a' abread!
Ye little ken what cursed speed
The blastie's makin:
Thae winks an' finger-ends, I dread,
Are notice takin.

O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
An' foolish notion:
What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us,
An' ev'n devotion!

Notes: ferlie= a wonder or marvel
strunt=swagger
wonner=a wonder (contemptuous)
haffet=lock of hair at the temple
sprattle=scramble
fatt'rels=ribbon-ends
groset=gooseberry
rozet=resin
smeddum=spirit
dress=chastise
droddum=backside
breech, aiblins=perhaps
toy=woman's old-fashioned cap with ear-flaps
dubbie=muddy
wyliecoat=flannel vest.

Ha! Where are you going, you crawling wonder? Your impudence protects you sorely, I can not say but you swagger rarely Over gauze and lace, Though faith! I fear you dine but sparingly On such a place You ugly, creeping, blasted wonder, Detested, shunned by saint and sinner, How dare you set your foot upon her - Such fine a lady! Go somewhere else and seek your dinner On some poor body Off! in some beggar's temples squat: There you may creep, and sprawl, and scramble, With other kindred, jumping cattle, In shoals and nations; Where horn nor bone never dare unsettle Your thick plantations Now hold you there! you are out of sight, Below the falderals, snug and tight; No, faith you yet! you will not be right, Until you have got on it --- The very topmost, towering height Of misses bonnet. My sooth! right bold you set your nose out, As plump and gray as any gooseberry: O for some rank, mercurial resin, Or deadly, red powder, I would give you such a hearty dose of it, Would dress your breech! I would not have been surprised to spy You on an old wife's flannel cap: Or maybe some small ragged boy, On his undervest; But Miss's fine balloon bonnet! fye! How dare you do it. O Jenny do not toss your head, And set your beauties all abroad! You little know what cursed speed The blastie's making! Those winks and finger-ends, I dread, Are notice takiing! O would some Power the gift to give us To see ourselves as others see us! It would from many a blunder free us, And foolish notion: What airs in dress and gait would leave us, And even devotion!

Your Desk, Your Grand Daughter

Daddy,
She does her homework at Mom ma's desk.  We sometimes have tracings marked on our pages because of deep lines that are there.  We have to rearrange her paper around them but I don't mind because I know that Momma, or you or I put them there.  I have all the cedar furniture you made in one room, our family room,, where we live.  We all like it.  When I open the drawers of the desk I sometimes catch a scent of the cedar.  Sarah Morgan and I twirl the knobs on the drawers just like I did when I was a child and when we touch them I tell her you whittled them.  I have to get the screw driver and get them tight again like you did.  Right now there are Boxtops, lip gloss, chewing gum packs, Happy Meal toys, drawings, and homework papers on top.  The drawers are filled with pencils, glue, watercolors, paper, glitter, crayons, flash cards, erasers, and silly bands.  I try to keep my mind in the present and toward the future but I miss you so and I sometimes don't know how I'm going to stand not to be able to talk to you as time goes on.  I want you to know Sarah Morgan and how much Jon and I love each other and her.  The years never take that missing away.  I sit writing this with tears blurring the keys in front of me.  I love you.  I need you.  I have so many questions that I need answered and you always helped guide me.  Sarah Morgan needs her Grandparents. She has people that love her, yes, greatly.  You are gone and I must go on.  We tell her about you and always will.  I just don't know how I could ever make her know how wonderful you were.  I show her pictures and tell her stories and I try to live like you taught me.  She would follow you every step I know. And I keep trying to.

Kindergarten

I just completed my first week of an 8 week fill- in position in kindergarten where Sarah Morgan goes to school.  The teacher , out on maternity leave just had a wonderful baby boy.  She is an excellent teacher and had prepared so well for leaving her "other" babies.  She said she felt her "nesting" instinct transferred to her classroom.  She prepared them and their environment for her leaving.  I'm just trying to not mess 'em up for her!  The first day she left we went to the carpet and one little girl started to cry.  She put her head on my shoulder, one "little Mother" came and patted her shoulder and another little boy went to get her a tissue.  She started feeling better.  I then thought maybe I should give "the speech."  About 30 seconds in, I realized by their eyes, my words were not working at ALL!  Finally, one of the little girls held her hand up and I called on her to stand up and tell the class about the next activity.  She stood up and gave one of the best speeches I'd ever heard.  In the end she told them that it was going to be hard but they were just going to have to keep strong while their teacher was away having her baby for"eight weeks or eight months!"  That was it.  I learned a lesson.  Let them talk!  Everyday this week I have been blown away by the conversations they have to share with me.  I don't know what they are going to learn in the next 8 weeks/months, but I have a pretty good idea that I am going to learn a lot, if I'll just listen. 

Favorite Mini Series

OK, I wish I hadn't been as smug when I told Jon on his favorite movies that it had to be ONLY our top ten and that yes I would count Godfather I and II as one choice.  Well, I didn't reckon the choices of mini series as this difficult.  I had to CUT several that I LOVED and that people will never forgive me for cutting.  I must say in my own defense that I have yet to see  Lonesome Dove and  John Adams.  This is hard but here it goes-Jon's will follow shortly and Sarah Morgan is sitting this one out.  She will be back when we post favorite TV series and favorite TV events and specials!

Donna's Favorite Mini Series 

1.  Centennial (1978-1979)

2.  Thorn Birds (1983)

3.  Roots (1977)

4.  Band of Brothers (2001)

5.  Pride and Prejudice (1995)

6.  Little Dorrit (2008)

7.  Cranford (2007)

8.  Great Expectations (2007)

9.  Our Mutual Friend (1999)

10. The Civil War (1990)

Favorite Movies (Came about because of Family Debate About Favorite Brock Books!)

Donna's List

1.  To Kill a Mockingbird

2.  A Christmas Carol (1951 version)

3.  Sense and Sensibility

4.  The Shawshank Redemption

5.  Forrest Gump

6.  Wings of Desire (German with English subtitles, 1988)

7.  Driving Miss Daisy

8.  Little Women (1994 version)

9. Tombstone

10. Gran Torino

Jon's List

1.  Singing in the Rain

2.  The Godfather I/II

3.  Casablanca

4.  It's a Wonderful Life

5.  Field of Dreams

6.  Tombstone

7.  The Shawshank Redemption

8.  Glory

9.  Raising Arizona

10.  Ocean's Eleven (Yes, Clooney instead of Sinatra)

Sarah Morgan's List

1.  Barbie Princess Charm School

2.  Barbie the 12 Dancing Princesses

3.  Barbie The Princess and the Pauper

4.  Barbie Sing-A-Long

5.  Barbie The Nutcracker

6.  Barbie Island Princess

7.  Barbie Diamond Castle

8.  Barbie the Three Musketeers

9.  Barbie Thumbalina

10.  Barbie Swan Lake

COMING SOON: 

FAVORITE MINI SERIES

FAVORITE TV SERIES OR SPECIALS