Sunday, September 30, 2007

I Hate Dogs


See the picture? See the oh-so-cute-and-innocent puppy? See the damage to my glasses?

Bad puppy! Evil puppy!

Good thing I have an appointment with my ophthalmologist next week. I was originally going to get new lenses in the same frames. I guess the little freak dog is telling me I need a new style.

P.S. Puppy for sale. CHEAP!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Fall, Perfect for Research


This is the scene that greeted me this morning as I walked my dogs in my tiny back yard. First, the batteries in my camera went a bit wonky so by the time I replaced them the sun had come up a little higher. The picture does the intense colors no justice at all, unfortunately. It looks like the tree is on fire when the sun hits it just right!

I spent several hours sitting by the Connecticut River today, smelling the air, watching the boats, listening to the water lap at the shore, documenting grasses and plants and the general ambience of the place.

Twelve thousand words into my new WIP (novel #4) and it's going well.

Research is the fun part!

Thursday, September 27, 2007

For the Love of Spiders


My brother rearranged the basement a week or so ago to make room for exercise equipment. He's been eating well for a while, but wanted to get back into exercising. Okay.

So I went down into the basement with my laundry a couple of days ago, to be greeted by a new friend. I'm so glad this spider built his (her?) fancy web out of the line of traffic.

Spiders don't bother me as long as, well, they don't bother me. Stay on your pretty little web, catch your flies and bugs, but keep me out of it. Especially ones this big!

Hard to tell from the picture, but the spider is about an inch long, including legs. The web is maybe 8x10 inches. Still, the usual spiders in this nearly 60 yr old house are of the cobweb variety (yanno, small and nearly invisible).

Of course, this spider is going to have to relocate outside. The web has been here for a few days now, but there are no insects in the basement to be caught. Now that I think about it, I wonder if he (she?) came in on the carpets that hung outside all summer...

Monday, September 24, 2007

On the Road Again!


This past weekend we spent three glorious days on Cape Cod. Resting, relaxing, marshmallows over the fire, writing (did I mention I'm on chapter ten?!), and going to the beach.

The drive home took forever. Driving west into the sun didn't help. Neither did not having a rest area on westbound I-195. At least not until AFTER I had to pull off the nearest exit an hour after I truly needed to stop. An exit under construction. Where all of the parking lots were woefully inadequate for my size. And of course as soon as I get back onto the highway looms a huge blue sign happily proclaiming PICNIC AREA! Doh! It's not always easy finding a place to maneuver a 33' RV. At least it's not a 45' diesel pusher, I s'pose.

Back to work as I plot my next three day weekend...

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Writing is in the Genes


My mother was recently cleaning out her house in anticipation of a move and found this book. Unbeknownst to me, my grandmother was a newspaper book and art reviewer. After one of her reviews, she was given this book.

So now when family members look at me like I have two heads when I tell them I'm writing, I can tell them I can't help it, it's hereditary!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

The End of an Era


I knew this day was coming since my divorce 2.5+ years ago. It was just a matter of time.

My lovely stenciled Victorian houses, each one unique, are now history. They have been officially painted over.

Truth is, I'm surprised he didn't do it sooner. Thank goodness for digital photos.

I painted those when my kids were toddlers. It's amazing I didn't get more paint on the furniture. The border went completely around the room and into the front hall.

RIP

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Raise Children with a Wild Streak

Raise children with a wild streak
Many 'ideal' students lack inventive, restless and self-reliant spirit


by: Mark Pruett

A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics stresses the importance of childhood playtime. It reinforces my own belief that many young adults have been cheated by years of excessive schoolwork and teamwork, too many extracurricular activities, and a straitjacketed "just say no to anything risky" upbringing. I am convinced that modern childhood generally does not build enough independence and thirst for knowledge.

For the past few years I helped interview high school seniors seeking scholarships to come to Appalachian State University. These applicants come from all over the state. They play instruments and sports,participate in church and charity, and work in diverse jobs.

They also display remarkably similar accomplishments. They are at the top of their high school classes and possess generically good manners. They lead teams, groups and clubs. They are smart, solid and hardworking.

They might be surprised to learn that I, like many college professors, yearn for rarer traits -- curiosity, passion, a wild streak. Yes,teamwork and leadership skills will help your child to implement someone else's ideas, and extensive extracurricular activities will foster responsibility. What your child really needs, though, is an inventive,self-reliant, restless spirit.

The key questions

For me, the heart-wrenching interview moment is when we ask these teenagers what they would choose to do on a day spent alone. Many say they never have the chance. Worse still, some have no answer at all. This should disturb and sadden any parent.In the end, my scholarship votes ride on two questions: Is this someone that I'd be excited to have in my class? And is he or she open to being changed by my class? Class rank and extracurricular activities are less important than genuine individuality or enthusiasm. It matters not whether someone is bold or shy, worldly or naive. Is there a flash of determination, a streak of independence, a creative passion, an excited curiosity?

We need more students like the ones who leave after graduation to work as missionaries or in the Peace Corps. More like the ones who start successful businesses while in school. More like the ones who find the courage to go overseas for a summer or a semester because they know their own worlds are far too small.

Some students are team players and high achievers, but I'd trade them for stubbornly creative iconoclasts. Some students as children were taught to color inside the lines, watch Barney the purple dinosaur, and always ask permission. We need students who found out what Crayons tasted like, loved reading "The Cat in the Hat" and paid little attention to rules -- students whose parents encouraged their children's curiosity.


Something's missing

The irony is that many students begin to perceive late in college that they've missed something along the way. They regret not taking risks with difficult professors, unusual courses or semesters abroad. They berate themselves by equating self-worth with grades, and they are saddened by the realization that they have only glimpsed the breadth of the university. They begin to grasp that their uncomfortable sense of passivity has its roots in the highly controlled existence foisted on them.

Parents: love, guide and support your children, but don't insulate them, control them or let them be too busy. Independence, confidence and creativity come from freedom, risk and a good measure of unstructured solitude.

Encourage studying but make them play hooky, too -- partly to learn what it feels like to be unprepared and partly to foster spontaneity, irreverence and joy. Study chemistry together, then blow up a television in the backyard.

Foster camaraderie and connectedness through group activities (especially family ones), but be unyielding in your commitment to teaching them to love doing things entirely on their own. Make each child plan and cook the family's dinner on his or her own once a week.

Surround them with books, not video games. Raise a garden or build a deck together. Send them on solo trips.

However you choose to do it, give your children, their teachers and society one of the greatest gifts of all: Help your kids become creative, independent, curious, interesting people.

About the Author

Mark Pruett is an assistant professor in the Walker College of Business
at Appalachian State University.

Friday, September 07, 2007

But how will they learn?

A new acquaintance asked me this the other day after learning that I homeschool my kids.

"They have to meet certain standards, right?"

No.

"But they're tested to prove that they're learning, aren't they? There's a minimum amount of things kids need to know...."

I'm lucky that I'm in a state where homeschooling is not only legal, but also unregulated. The law actually mandates that PARENTS educate their children, and if they choose NOT to, they must attend school.

The state mandates that we instruct our kids in the basic subjects, but exactly how we do that is up to us, the parents.

Just this week we've had discussions about the United States Government, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, how George Washington was the first president under the Constitution but how we had other 'presidents' under the Articles of the Confederation. We've discussed how Japan entered WWII, the battle of Saipan, Pearl Harbor, amongst other political and historical things.

We've discussed weather and drought, seeing as we haven't had any rain around here in a couple of months, and the lawn is crispy brown, the cherry tree looks wilted, and the leaves are falling prematurely.

We talk about traffic laws and signs and what they all mean. We read magazines and the 'net.

Buzz started creating cool rafts out of wooden sticks, which led to a discussion of Huckleberry Finn. We're going to get that from the library and I'm sure that will bring up another host of topics, from writing to the Mississippi River, and life after slavery (we've talked about the Civil War at length in the past).

And I haven't even started on the math they do, or science and animal husbandry, or minimum wage, etc.

Live a full life and learning happens. If we don't know the answer, we google it.

Life is good.

Another Trip


Labor Day was an unexpected weekend off from work, so I kidnapped the kids from the ex (well heck, I had to drag him along too!) and we all went camping. The kids enjoyed having two parents around. And even though we had a very nice weekend, I remember why I can't live with my ex. Very enlightening. Some things change, others don't. C'est la vie.