T1 and T2 had their first official "snow day" today. We haven't had a snow "event" as the NWS gleefully refers to a snow storm these days, since they started school. A snow event always makes me think there should be music and hors d'ouvres. Anyway....we watched the school closing ticker on the local news, and while T2 had the appropriate reaction (Yay!..NO SCHOOL!) and immediately ran to his room to get out some toys; T1 exhibited typical first-child reaction. At first she teared up and cried...."I WANT to go to school." Then she questioned me repeatedly about whether it was "okay" for them to not go to school, and would anyone else be there. When I reassured her--over and over again--that NO ONE was at school today, she worried that maybe at some point people would go to school...like later in the morning...and she would not be there and get in trouble.
She is very concerned about all this, and the reprucussions of missing a day of school because of snow.
So, we went outside and used our sled on the wee hill at the front of our lawn. The mix of less than an inch of snow and wet grass made it perfect for sliding, and they had a great time.
Hot chocolate followed.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
What I have learned from old men
I am in a class/group discussion at my church right now that is really an incredible experience. The idea is that you share with the other members of your group your own "spiritual biography." Today was the third week, and each week we've heard from a different person in our group. Two of the six people in this class are gentlemen who I am guestimating are in their 80s. Both seem to be in good health and very active, long-time members of the church. Before this class started I "knew" both of them in that I had greeted them at church services and potluck suppers, but other than that knew virtually nothing about them.
Last week we heard from one of the men, and today we heard the story of the other. I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to both of them tell their life stories, and their own quest to "find" God.
Here is what I have learned from them.
1) Age doesn't give you extra insights into your faith. Both men have expressed their lifelong struggle with doubts about their faith, and their relationshiop with God.
2) Lives of quiet greatness can be lives well lived. Both of these men are well educated, have had interesting careers, served in the armed forces and have raised families. Both are quite humble about what they have achieved in their lives, but just listening to them tell their stories is fascinating. I hate to be all Tom Brokaw here, but they are part of the reason it is called the "greatest generation."
3) Men of that age have such a respect for each other. Last week one of the men was talking about his late wife (he's a widower) and the other man, who has known him for years, smiled and said what a "peach" or (some cool Forties word like that) his wife had been. Watching these men talk to each other in front of the rest of us, you realize that the friendships forged over decades ascend to a whole different level than the ones we are accustomed to in our mobile society today.
I feel so honored to have heard their stories and been able to share my own thoughts with them. Here's the sad part...if it weren't for this class I can't imagine that I would have ever had a reason to have listened to them tell their stories, and learned so much about them. And I would have missed out on something really special.
Last week we heard from one of the men, and today we heard the story of the other. I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to both of them tell their life stories, and their own quest to "find" God.
Here is what I have learned from them.
1) Age doesn't give you extra insights into your faith. Both men have expressed their lifelong struggle with doubts about their faith, and their relationshiop with God.
2) Lives of quiet greatness can be lives well lived. Both of these men are well educated, have had interesting careers, served in the armed forces and have raised families. Both are quite humble about what they have achieved in their lives, but just listening to them tell their stories is fascinating. I hate to be all Tom Brokaw here, but they are part of the reason it is called the "greatest generation."
3) Men of that age have such a respect for each other. Last week one of the men was talking about his late wife (he's a widower) and the other man, who has known him for years, smiled and said what a "peach" or (some cool Forties word like that) his wife had been. Watching these men talk to each other in front of the rest of us, you realize that the friendships forged over decades ascend to a whole different level than the ones we are accustomed to in our mobile society today.
I feel so honored to have heard their stories and been able to share my own thoughts with them. Here's the sad part...if it weren't for this class I can't imagine that I would have ever had a reason to have listened to them tell their stories, and learned so much about them. And I would have missed out on something really special.
Friday, January 18, 2008
cuttin' the cheese
Yes, I know that is a crude reference to bathroom humor, but here's what happened. Last night as I was slicing up some cheddar cheese to serve to a houseful of kids I was entertaining (along with their moms) I decided to use the handy-dandy new cheese knife sent to me for Christmas by my eldest sister. It was slicing beautifully, and I had just finished making a joke about the SNL Danny Akroyd spoof of Julia Child, where he/she cuts her hand and blood spurts everywhere. "I seem to have just cut the dickens out of my hand," or something like that. Moments later I realized that I had sliced not cheese, but my ring finger on my left hand. I was literally stunned for a moment, and my first thought was, "I wish I could redo that last 20 seconds." I honestly thought the top of the finger was lopped off, but after glancing at the knife...which did have blood on it, but no tissue or fingertips, I knew it was just a bad cut.
Fortunately, my friend E.G., who is a fine member of the medical community, was one of my guests, so I put her to work seeing exactly what I had done to myself. I had a nasty cut...it took off the end of my fingernail and went into the bed of the nail, but she assured me that stitches probably wouldn't work there, so a trip to the ER wasn't necessary, much to my relief.
The bad news was, The Reenactor had his fully stocked Fishing Tackle Box of Bandages and Other Emergency Supplies That I Kid Him About with him on a volunteer trip to NOLA, lest there be an emergency THERE. So, other than a handful of Dora the Explorer bandaids I was SOL for medical supplies. Not to worry, E.G.'s mom --who is a delightful woman -- drove into town to buy things at the nearest pharmacy. Finger was thickly guazed and swaddled, and our own dinner...which I had been getting ready to prepare...was now turned into a all-hands-on-deck cooking class with me waving my injured left hand in the air (to keep the circulation away from the injured finger) and trying to stir and give directions at the same time.
Food turned out great...no fingertips were reported in it...and after a trip to my own doc today for a tetanus shot and review of the injury, I'm wrapped again in fresh sterry strips (spelling?) and a half-inch of gauze all around.
Do you realize just how much you USE just one of your fingers, and how often it is a hindrance to have it wrapped in gauze? Doing dishes and typing are interesting.
Oh, and Big Sis...I do LOVE the cheese knife...but I will certainly be more careful next time.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
The pursuit of happiness
What a strange thing for the Founders to have put in the Declaration of Independence. We want to pursue our happiness, dammit, and we don't need the King bossing us around!
I saw 20/20 last night on ABC, and the topic was happiness. How happy are we? How do we achieve happiness? Where is the happiest place on earth? Well, surprisingly, the happiest country on earth is Denmark. Turns out most people in Denmark rate themselves very high on a scale of "happiness" in surveys. I'm attaching some of the copy from last night's show to the end of this post, but two things caught my attention and those of you who know me well will understand why they did. The first is that even though Denmark has really high taxes, there is incredible health care coverage, and education programs. There are programs for social networking and transportation. Think about how your life would change if you didn't have to worry about paying for medical care, or having an illness that was going to bankrupt your family. Think about how you would feel if you knew that your school system had the same level of quality as the one across town.
Another aspect of this is that it tends to even out income. As they said on the program a doctor, an artist, and a garbage collector all even out in their incomes because of the combination of taxes, and the benefits they receive from the government. So, you can truly make a career choice based on life fulfillment rather than income. They interviewed the garbage collector, who is treated like a friend in the neighborhoods he works in. People come out to talk to him, and offer him coffee. When is the last time you offered coffee to your CWI collector? This man (in Denmark) said he chose his career because he only has to work five hours a day, and he can spend time with his kids, and coaching sports teams the rest of the time.
Two other points about the Danes to consider....they have more time to have friends. In fact hobby clubs, and having dinner with neighbors and friends is high on their priority list. And second, they aren't as interested in "things" as we are. They are not into purchasing stuff for their homes, and buying bling and flash cars like we are.
Now honestly, this sounds like a perfect discription of a socialist society, and perhaps there is something to be said for it. One caveat, there are only 5.5 million people in Denmark, and it does tend to be a homogenous society (I think that is the right word) so collectively they tend to agree on most things. It would be MUCH harder to have that sort of collective ideal in the US because we can't agree on much.
So, what I got from this is that happiness can be achieved...not from things, or status...but from time spent with family and friends, and from just taking time to pursue your interests...reading books, singing, watching birds, whatever.
****************************
Here is some of the text pulled from last night's script:
Danes do have one potential complaint: high taxes. The happiest people in the world pay some of the highest taxes in the world -- between 50 percent and 70 percent of their incomes. In exchange, the government covers all health care and education, and spends more on children and the elderly than any country in the world per capita. With just 5.5 million people, the system is efficient, and people feel "tryghed" -- the Danish word for "tucked in" -- like a snug child.
Those high taxes have another effect. Since a banker can end up taking home as much money as an artist, people don't chose careers based on income or status. "They have this thing called 'Jante-lov,' which essentially says, 'You're no better then anybody else,'" said Buettner. "A garbage man can live in a middle-class neighborhood and hold his head high."
Hanging out with other Danes just may be their happiness secret. Ninety-two percent of Danes belong to some kind of social club, dancing, singing, even practicing laughing with other Danes. Get a few people together who enjoy model train building, for example, and the government will pay for it. In Denmark, even friendship is subsidized.
And Denmark is what is called a "post consumerist" society. People have nice things, but shopping and consuming is not a top priority. Even the advertising is often understated. Along with less emphasis on "stuff," and a strong social fabric, Danes also display an amazing level of trust in each other, and their government. A University of Cambridge happiness study found that both kinds of trust were higher in happier places.
I saw 20/20 last night on ABC, and the topic was happiness. How happy are we? How do we achieve happiness? Where is the happiest place on earth? Well, surprisingly, the happiest country on earth is Denmark. Turns out most people in Denmark rate themselves very high on a scale of "happiness" in surveys. I'm attaching some of the copy from last night's show to the end of this post, but two things caught my attention and those of you who know me well will understand why they did. The first is that even though Denmark has really high taxes, there is incredible health care coverage, and education programs. There are programs for social networking and transportation. Think about how your life would change if you didn't have to worry about paying for medical care, or having an illness that was going to bankrupt your family. Think about how you would feel if you knew that your school system had the same level of quality as the one across town.
Another aspect of this is that it tends to even out income. As they said on the program a doctor, an artist, and a garbage collector all even out in their incomes because of the combination of taxes, and the benefits they receive from the government. So, you can truly make a career choice based on life fulfillment rather than income. They interviewed the garbage collector, who is treated like a friend in the neighborhoods he works in. People come out to talk to him, and offer him coffee. When is the last time you offered coffee to your CWI collector? This man (in Denmark) said he chose his career because he only has to work five hours a day, and he can spend time with his kids, and coaching sports teams the rest of the time.
Two other points about the Danes to consider....they have more time to have friends. In fact hobby clubs, and having dinner with neighbors and friends is high on their priority list. And second, they aren't as interested in "things" as we are. They are not into purchasing stuff for their homes, and buying bling and flash cars like we are.
Now honestly, this sounds like a perfect discription of a socialist society, and perhaps there is something to be said for it. One caveat, there are only 5.5 million people in Denmark, and it does tend to be a homogenous society (I think that is the right word) so collectively they tend to agree on most things. It would be MUCH harder to have that sort of collective ideal in the US because we can't agree on much.
So, what I got from this is that happiness can be achieved...not from things, or status...but from time spent with family and friends, and from just taking time to pursue your interests...reading books, singing, watching birds, whatever.
****************************
Here is some of the text pulled from last night's script:
Danes do have one potential complaint: high taxes. The happiest people in the world pay some of the highest taxes in the world -- between 50 percent and 70 percent of their incomes. In exchange, the government covers all health care and education, and spends more on children and the elderly than any country in the world per capita. With just 5.5 million people, the system is efficient, and people feel "tryghed" -- the Danish word for "tucked in" -- like a snug child.
Those high taxes have another effect. Since a banker can end up taking home as much money as an artist, people don't chose careers based on income or status. "They have this thing called 'Jante-lov,' which essentially says, 'You're no better then anybody else,'" said Buettner. "A garbage man can live in a middle-class neighborhood and hold his head high."
Hanging out with other Danes just may be their happiness secret. Ninety-two percent of Danes belong to some kind of social club, dancing, singing, even practicing laughing with other Danes. Get a few people together who enjoy model train building, for example, and the government will pay for it. In Denmark, even friendship is subsidized.
And Denmark is what is called a "post consumerist" society. People have nice things, but shopping and consuming is not a top priority. Even the advertising is often understated. Along with less emphasis on "stuff," and a strong social fabric, Danes also display an amazing level of trust in each other, and their government. A University of Cambridge happiness study found that both kinds of trust were higher in happier places.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
results!
I am posting my official year-end results for my "stop shopping at WM" campaign. While I was not altogether successful, as faithful readers will know, I DID have a significant drop in the amount of money I spent there this year. I had several relapses through the year where my attitude was "it's convenient, and cheap, dammit." But the last couple of times I was in there, before Christmas, I was SO angry at how few people they had working the registers at the busiest time of the year, and the general malaise I felt just being in the building, that I have renewed resolve to keep out.
Here's my official tally:
Amount spent in 2006 at WM: $8587
Amount spent in 2007 at WM: $4669
That is still a depressing $389 per month average that I spent there, but the big picture is that I only spent roughly HALF of what I spent the year before!!! And in reviewing the last six years in Quicken, I consistently spent between $8000 and $9000 per year each of those years at WM.
Now with that said my grocery bill did increase by approx. $1000 from previous years. However, I do have some explanation. First, I bought a LOT more organic foods this year, which are more expensive. Organic milk alone is twice as expensive as regular milk. Also, I think groceries have just been higher this year because of increased fuel costs. And last, I had several "big grocery weeks" when we were buying food for large groups of people (beach, birthday party, etc.).
I looked up what WM's annual sales are and it was something like $346 billion so imagine the impact my $3900 had on them! Ha! Okay, so imagine if each family cut their WM spending by half and spent their dollars elsewhere. That might get their attention.
Here's my official tally:
Amount spent in 2006 at WM: $8587
Amount spent in 2007 at WM: $4669
That is still a depressing $389 per month average that I spent there, but the big picture is that I only spent roughly HALF of what I spent the year before!!! And in reviewing the last six years in Quicken, I consistently spent between $8000 and $9000 per year each of those years at WM.
Now with that said my grocery bill did increase by approx. $1000 from previous years. However, I do have some explanation. First, I bought a LOT more organic foods this year, which are more expensive. Organic milk alone is twice as expensive as regular milk. Also, I think groceries have just been higher this year because of increased fuel costs. And last, I had several "big grocery weeks" when we were buying food for large groups of people (beach, birthday party, etc.).
I looked up what WM's annual sales are and it was something like $346 billion so imagine the impact my $3900 had on them! Ha! Okay, so imagine if each family cut their WM spending by half and spent their dollars elsewhere. That might get their attention.
artsy cat dish
T1 and T2 had $20 burning a hole in their pockets this week....cash gifts from their great aunt Jo. We decided to use the money to go to a local pottery painting place, so they could get their art groove on. They each got to pick two pieces, and one of the pieces T1 picked was a pet food dish. She proceeded to give it a jungle theme for our decidely non-jungle cat. The cat is very impressed with her new dish, and has been guarding it fiercely every time I've seen her around it. She pushes it around with her paw, as if not satisfied with it's current location. She has actually laid down next to it with her paws around it as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)