Category Archives: Education

Dog Tired

Posted on August 1, 2015 | 1 comment

What execatly does that mean? It’s mid-afternoon on a Saturday and my husband came back from an international trip an hour ago. He went right to bed and is snoring away.

Our dog, who prides herself on her beauty sleep at 80 in human years (nary a wrinkle) begged to go to the bedroom and have me “Otis” her up to the bed to hang out and sleep with him. She sleeps at least 20 hours every day, does not have a job outside the home nor one inside it. She doesn’t even do enough to earn an “allowance” what I would call a treat. How can she be so tired?

I’d go bonkers if I slept 20 hours a day, unless I had a really bad 24-48 hour flu. But for over 11 years she’s done it every day, and at 80 she looks better than we do! She doesn’t have to pay bills or worry about a bad boss or co-worker, and thinks she’s got a pretty good deal around here. She does, and when she’s bad my husband says of this herder “we should have adopted the dumb one” and I threaten to take her back to the shelter where we got her, too young, just spayed at five weeks and sick as can be from hookworms and coccidia. Poor girl.

Empty threats. You should see it when she gets up to the stove to steal a croissant and carries it moustache-style by us and our guests at brunch to sneak to her favorite spot to eat it. I couldn’t even discipline her! We were all laughing too hard, wish I’d gotten a photo of that.

Perhaps entertaining us and her dog and people friends make her tired. They shouldn’t, as we spend brief periods of time and she always gets praise and a treat from someone.

Talking about Dog Tired our old buddy Jake the Golden Retriever who died last year, stayed a weekend with us a couple of years ago. He and Zoe played nicely for about four hours then I didn’t hear him for a minute or so, only hard breathing. He’d locked himself in a bathroom to get a break from Zoe. Now I understand dog tired! It’s dogs being tired FROM Zoe! I get it. Dee

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The NedCil

Posted on July 18, 2015 | Leave a comment

I had a temp job at the Department of Education right after college. It was a six-week gig so I could find better employment.

What was I doing? Correcting applications for college scholarships. Name in boxes, address. These people couldn’t spell their names or fill in boxes so I had to do it for them. It was a ridiculous exercise for a $200/yr scholarship.

The effort allowed me to go to the state capitol to look for work. It was highly controlled. We were not allowed to use pens, only pencils. Ned controlled the pencils. Each one had “Ned” taped on it.

One day I had an interview with the speaker’s staff across the street and asked to take my breaks and lunch time to do so. No. Absolutely not.

Fifteen minutes before my interview I quit, left the building and never looked back. I got the job as an analyst and my life was changed. Today, my husband likes this story so much he calls my automated non-labeled pencils Ned-cils. Enjoy your weekend! Dee

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Puppies and Kittens

Posted on July 13, 2015 | 1 comment

I know they’re born really tiny and are trained to deal with their litter mates for food (milk). But they are blind. They do all this scrambling around for food then do their business and pile up upon each other to sleep. As a human I’ve never done that but understand the togetherness.

That is not what I had in mind a few days ago. My husband was home and we decided to take the dog for a walk together late afternoon as when he’s in town we do “shifts.” I do three, he does two. To go out together was a nice change and reminded me of another couple in town that I admired from behind, a few hundred feet away. walking their dogs early in the morning and I hoped we could have more walks together as we age.

When we finally met I ended up knowing this couple, as they’d hired my father 35 years ago. Their dogs are gone now and I don’t see them on the trail. There’s a history that is not mine to tell. Oh their old dogs were very sugary and spicy.

I tripped off the sidewalk I got installed right across the street on the way home and went down before I could see or say anything. I hit knees, hand, shoulder and then my skull cracked on the pavement. I’ve not been able to somewhat open my eye at all for three days but now it looks awful and I’ve a big goose egg but my vision is intact and it just needs time and care.

Walking across the street in comfy shoes with little tread is an issue, as I’ve also had rheumatoid arthritis for 30 years. I was lucky this time. It’ll take a few weeks to heal but walking around half-blind made me think again of Helen Keller, who I read about often as a child, a heroine and admired along with her teacher, of course.

Tonight I got up at midnight because I couldn’t open my eye. I carefully bathed and rinsed it and it’s open, not all the way. I can walk the dog with the right shoes but wouldn’t take out my car. It is a very limited circumstance and yes, blind people will attack me for taking this stance but standing in your shoes for several days with only one eye and spatial relationships off, plus bruises all over your body may let you know that I care. Miss writing, but wanted to tell you why I haven’t been in touch. Cheers! Dee

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Ode to Butchers

Posted on June 12, 2015 | Leave a comment

I’m amazed at what butchers can do, both good and bad. Years ago I’d be sent three miles down the road to what amounted to a convenience store and there would be an entire deer lying on the table waiting to be broken down. Hopefully the hunter field-dressed it, and had a license and was in season.

A lot of cooking ideas are going on right now. My husband usually “mans” the grill and was inaugurating a new grill brush that does not leave metal shards in our food.

Pork tenderloins looked good so I got two. I also asked the beer/wine guy about a hard apple or pear cider. I arrived home with one bottle of local French-style apple cider. From the cupboard came a 2 qt. Pyrex cooker with lid. I salted and peppered the pork, arranged it, added fresh sage and rosemary and a bit of dried thyme then submerged it in the cider for a couple of hours on the counter, turning it once.

It was then patted dry, coated it with olive oil, a bit more seasoning and my husband placed it on his clean grill.

Now is the fun part. I bought a nest of Saturn (flat, funky) peaches yesterday, rinsed two of them and took them off the stone, skin went into the “recipe.” Into the food processor with 1/4 medium red onion and a couple tbsp. amber honey. Salt and pepper. Then I tasted it and finished with enough sriracha to give it a bit of heat. Perhaps some ancho chili powder at first but that wasn’t enough. Buzz it up and it was not a glaze, it was a sauce. It looks kind of like applesauce but thinner, which is also great with pork. Marinated in apple, finished with peach. Dad never liked fruit with meat. We do. If our butchers read this, I just made up this recipe yesterday, on the fly. I’m sure they can enhance it.

Dinner was served with a simple potato salad and a green salad. I’ve enough pork left over for lunch, and give a couple of slices to my butchers. Sauce will need to be made for them, but if they give me good protein, I can do great things with it. What better way to thank a provider than to provide, to bring cooked food into the grocery store to thank those who provided the inspiration. Dee

ps I forgot to thank the new grill brush for its inaugural efforts on our behalf.  Bobby Flay would be proud.

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Herding

Posted on June 4, 2015 | Leave a comment

Our dog Zoe is a herder. She has herded us every day for over 11 years. No herding knowledge, only Obedience 101 (she aced it). She has beds positioned in order to keep us from leaving without her knowledge. The beds were placed because she has no hips, so I put them in the areas she frequents. In summer when the sun comes up early she gets off the bed before 4 a.m. to crawl under the bed under my pillow, must have her beauty sleep, also so I can’t leave without her.

My husband took a multi-hour video of her in a crate years ago after we left the house. That was traumatic to watch because she was biting at the wires. We went to lunch and a movie. We never crated her after that. Now, I know she sleeps. She can go anywhere in our home and sleep.

She just wants to be with her pack, which is us. mostly me because I’m the disciplinarian and food wench.

Years ago we went to the ranch and the folks had bought two female baby goats. They were a bit weak and frightened so I asked as a newbie in the family if I could name them. OK. Eleanor (Roosevelt) and Rosa (Parks). I knew they needed strong names to survive.

We let Zoe in and she herded them for perhaps 30 seconds then ran away. Hey, these gals have hooves! She’s always been terrified of the cattle, especially the bulls, and should be. She only herds people.

When we’re with family she protects us and watches for my father-in-law from his special reading spot on the sofa to come home safe on the four-wheeler. She definitely lets us know (Grandma and I are in the kitchen) when anyone arrives.

She’s almost a grandkid where my husband grew up, maybe even a great grand. I’m lucky to be called a daughter and grand-daughter to my husband’s family. All I know is that my M-I-L is disappointed when Zoe doesn’t show up for our now five day Thanksgiving cooking marathon! She licks the floor. Everyone has a job. It’s Texas. Cheers! Dee

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Thank You

Posted on May 18, 2015 | Leave a comment

Please is the most important, hello, good morning, good evening, good night, where is the nearest hotel, restaurant. Can I find a restroom as I’ve been on a bus all day. Today I’ll concentrate on thank you and please, as that’s even more important:

Gracias  or di nada- Mexico, please is por favor

Obrigado (men) or Obrigada (women) -Portugal…. por favor

Merci – France, please is s’il vous plait

Danke -Germany, please is bitte

Spasiba – Russia, I don’t think that there a please.Believe me, I’ve looked.

Separakallo for please, I never knew that until now, Epharisto for I don’t know any more and Parakalo for decades for thanks to the Greek people

Prego – Italian, Grazie or grazi mille which means a thousand thanks for a really great meal or service, I don’t know the rules.

The most important item before you get to this is learn please, thank you and your family are welcome to visit our country in English, Spanish, German or whatever language the hosts speak. They do not feel at home in our country sometimes, but we always must be made welcome in theirs. Yes, visitors may actually come here, even with TSA, to see New York or a university.

When visiting anywhere in your town or all over the world please learn the words PLEASE , excuse me, directions and follow up any kindness with a Thank You. We’ll all get a better reputation if Americans don’t rush in saying that everyone must speak our (not Brit) English.

This is the beginning, as we Americans must say please and thank you, at the very least, to our world neighbors when they visit our country, if one would prefer to skip learning a few words of the local language while asking for the route to the nearest restaurant or even more importantly, restroom facilities, you might want to reconsider those few words or just not travel and demand it of them.

Sorry, but as far as I am concerned the lady with the pink umbrella, parasol or brolly leading you off the bus visiting another country is one who will never actually be useful as she will never allow you to see the country you’re paying through the nose to see or let you even have lunch on your own. There will always be that umbrella, herding you. And it’s always attached to the person who peaked in high school, has a high voice and probably was a wanna-be cheerleader. Sorry, I don’t want to go on a trip with her. I leave my dog at home when we’re away with a sitter, I don’t need be herded for a week or two.

Reach out. Of course contact the State Department to find out what nations not to visit at any day. Then fly on your own and you’ll be free to find destinations other than London, Paris and Rome. As the venerable character Mame would say, “Live.” Do it yourself and have a great time. I have on my own with family and husband and work and it can be wonderful.

Go to an art gallery first and look at how many visions these local/worldwide artists had for their environs and for the world. Then go to your local restaurant (with patrons seated and the restaurant not empty) and ask for their local specialties. Look at my reviews on TripAdvisor! Share plates with your spouse. Back to the ship down the Danube or your car or train or tour bus and go.

Make sure to have dessert! And at least another three days because there are more museums to see, Dee

ps What, the ship sailed? Not ours. There are still art museums to see and mechanical and strange medical museums for my husband to attend. All we can do is see how it goes. We don’t mind splitting up for a few hours a day and meeting for dinner. Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Education, Family, Italy, Travel, TripAdvisor Top Commentator

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Country and Blues

Posted on May 17, 2015 | 2 comments

Rest in peace, BB King. I listened to classical music as a kid, my dad is a violinist. Then came Tony Bennett. Elvis was before my time as well as others but I was on my way to music. Frank Sinatra, sorry, Come Fly With Me worked in many ways, telling me I wanted to be educated and be able to go wherever I wished to go.

Blues artists always know that one cannot get every thing or everyone one wants. Without failures, what is success?

I never moved to the south until I was over 40. All that was on the radio en route were country songs about my wife leaving me, my dog ran away and my truck died. And gospel lectures.

As someone who spent a lifetime above the Mason-Dixon Line, except for tw0 years where I had to take a course as a rifler because every Southern lady must know how to shoot, no to a shooting exercise. Sorry, young friend. I told my 12 year-old nephew last year I couldn’t shoot a hole in their hay barn if it was 20 feet away with a bb gun. I got an F when I was 13 but had another shot at it (pun intended) and brought it up to D so I never even failed a gun course or any course in my life.

Nephew, you’re on this year! If I fail, we’ll fix the bet before we begin with Grandpa Joe as the judge of timing and ideas. The family will then judge our efforts.

If I win, you’ll make a fresh sweet bread with cranberries or blueberries with me for breakfast day after Thanksgiving. Or whatever Grandma Margie says about timetables. If I miss a hay barn, of course he’s never going to let me shoot at that precious barn but if he tries to make me to lose by choosing a jar on a fence post I just won’t do it. It’s against the environment and might cut a kid’s foot. OK, I’d never hit it anyway so would forfeit.

I think we may settle this by just offering me a shooting session (you’ll be 13 and know more about rifles than I ever will) and in exchange we will make up a bread the night before for family. It’ll be 13 that week and a great young man but my point is that at some time in college he’ll have to feed himself and if he wants to impress a girl, Dee is just one old lady to ask how to do so. Flowers AND dinner? For The Right Girl that will be wonderful. Just wait 14 years after college graduation to marry. Promise?

***

We did not respect country music up north as teens, only cared about Rock ‘n Roll and then I liked a lot of new people, so learned to love folk and favorite artists like Dylan, Mason, Baez, Stones, Taylor, Zeppelin and many others. BC, Before Cash.

Years later I picked up a guitar (a good one) after my stint on a $99 nylon guitar that I actually used to start a band and sing on stage once, age 12. It was stolen a few years later. Thank you!!! Not a great idea as my 12 year-old pals were all tone deaf and I’d only been learning for a few weeks. Ouch. Let’s just say we didn’t win #1. We were #2. I won’t tell you the songs but still remember them many years later.

At 50, I took private lessons for a few months then we moved. I learned on Johnny Cash, PPM, CSNY and read lyrics and made up chords to what I could play. My tutor’s favorite was American Pie with only a few lyrics to see I could do it. Then I did a teeny riff at the end and my teacher actually awakened and looked surprised, as I’d never been assigned this song and learned it on my own.

Everything that the 50’s rocksters were, were distilled again and again until now. I know that BB King enjoyed working with artists from other styles as I first heard him from Farm Aid. I am sorry I never got to your music deeply. They didn’t play you on the radio, didn’t have your discs and I wasn’t cool enough to get to know the right people to find your music.

My tribute to BB King, much greater than two years ago at Thanksgiving, his restaurant in Memphis our first time there with great food, you allowed us to have our dog leashed to the patio, thanks so much for that! We went to see the Lorraine Motel but it was being restored at the time, on a trip south.

BB King made me wish. I have perfect pitch and never took up the guitar again until I turned fifty. I never took up the violin or piano again except a cheap keyboard to help me with guitar chords when I only have lyrics and fret with the frets and my stubby fingers.

At fifty my goal was to take up guitar to take “home” at holidays to sing with the kids and grandkids. With a household that swells to sixty and many talented young musicians on multiple instruments on holidays it pays me to keep my guitar hydrated at home as I’ve only the simple chords and no children to play music. BB King, so far I have failed you, I could never, ever be as good as you were but you inspired me to even make up from lyrics the chords to John Denver songs that are important to my husband, a country boy.

With much appreciation for your life and love it is that you took the time and energy to explore, with your musical expertise, multiple genres. Thank you for teaching me what I would wish my talent to encompass. You did it all, and for that the world, and I, thank you for your body of work. Many acuities went into your work, mental, physical, spiritual and sir, you will be missed. With love to family and friends, Dee

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Chef’s Table

Posted on May 6, 2015 | Leave a comment

Haiku ode to Dan Barber;

On a farm we grow

Our soil, fresh fruit and veg, meats

All come from our land

Dear Chef,

Not a great Haiku but I did love your segment on Chef’s Table. Your approach is mine, though I went to cooking school I only cook for my husband and guests these days. Perhaps someday I could sit at a table at which you allow us to dine.

Forward and into our history, you go. I love your brain. Readers, if you’ve Netflix you can see this. It’s extraordinary for any foodie. Cheers and good eating, Dee

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Integrity

Posted on April 20, 2015 | Leave a comment

It’s a tough thing to come by. Luckily I met a man who had a bunch of it. So did I and it burned me out trying to help people from themselves.

That’s work and I’m married to that man. I’ve been many things, including a consultant for many years. Trying to do the right thing for a client is very difficult. They hire you to do the right thing then fight every step of the way to keep any change from happening.

Even in a small organization, it is tough when the board wants you and the staff does not. I’ve had my car keyed, lies spread about me and books cooked to assure I couldn’t revitalize a key program and make many times profit for the organization, not a penny for me in an effort, funds realized prior to the efforts, plus more bang for the buck for public and community relations and jump-starting a new education program that has thrived ever since.

When the new director came on board he took great pleasure in letting me go his first day. The next morning he called and demanded a meeting. I went. He asked for my keys then said he wanted everything in my brain and in my files (of course he had copies of everything I and the past development director had done) over the past three years. He really wanted a confidential study whose public results he had but the private data was, at the Board’s request, not accessible to them or anyone because the study was about them and their role in the future of the institution.

I told the new director he had all my documents and spreadsheets and should have asked me for all the development information in my brain before he fired me. Of course the confidential study is still locked in my files and I said I would have to be present at a Board meeting where they voted to give it to him. The first thing I did was call the Chairman and met with him briefly that morning and told him what had happened. He laughed.

At the next Board meeting, the new director was fired. I was brought on as a committee member and my audience development ideas approved by committee could be brought to similar management because these votes came from the Committee and Board. I was made a Trustee for a few years. It started out as a quarter million institution and is now much more flush and professional than that partially because I and others got hands dirty and did what needed to be done. Yes, I created FlexTix. Kids for Kids was my standout work. Revolutionary back in the day.

I’ve been a consultant and board member for a number of years. In my younger years, 20 of them, I also did hands-on work in no-kill animal shelters and spaying and neutering feral cats so I know of love and loss and caring for others and doing your best for them when they might not care a whit about your efforts.

In business, one learns to cajole, educate, inspire, always learn from everyone, progress, coalesce and make goals reality.  Then go out by a lake with the teams and make some burgers and have a beer. Perhaps there’s a guitar and we sing.

No-one knows anyone any more. Nanny told me years ago to make sure my husband took a long-term job at a company and got a gold watch at retirement. I told her back then I’d try (that was before she okay’d me as the wife and her as the only Nanny I’d ever known) but the world is not like that anymore.

There is no loyalty. Or trust. One could be let go tomorrow and have nothing. Sadly for people with our talents it is a buyers market, but lest you think businesses need no technology or process or other improvements it is at your peril. When it becomes our market you’ll pay top dollar or go out of business. It’s that simple. You’ll file Chapter 11 and we’ll be on the upside.

Our tax money bailed out banks and insurance and car companies and so many others that are still secret. That’s why you’re in trouble now, because you never fixed anything, just sent traders out with bonuses to buy new Ferrari’s. And how does that play on Main Street where the fire department does the fireworks and everyone goes out to sit by the lake? It’s no Wall Street outside of NYC.

My husband always looks for meaningful work where he can make a difference in the world. That has always been his, our dream. He can fix anything, from a bank trading system to a grain bin micro-switch. Physics and agile development. He taught himself the latter and has credentials, whatever that means.

As for Nanny, my husband/your grandson could buy himself a gold watch. He does not wear jewelry except his wedding ring as he has an iPhone. Yes, it tells time. I love you for everything you are to our family and all you want for your children, grands, greats. Integrity. We love you for instilling that in everyone. Cheers! Dee

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K Knows

Posted on March 17, 2015 | 1 comment

Our neighbor knows that her grandchildren stand in front of our door to whisper her name and get our dog Zoe to bark, thus making me walk outside and let her play with our dear young friends.

Until today I never knew that Grandma knew but the grandkids love our dog and are getting older and will get over it and ask Grandma and Grandpa for horses or Ferraris so the dog thing for ten minutes a day is looking good right now.

All I wish is to tell every young person to be all that you can be, as I see these children loving our Zoe for years I know that they will be good emotionally because their hearts are true. Even if I couldn’t see it, Zoe does as she runs out to see them and she can smell a rat. She does not like bad people or bad dogs. She loves cats!  But these kids are smart, have good hearts, and are kind.

They are arriving soon. I will assure that their canine neighbor is ready for their arrival. Why? Because she loves them as well and would do anything to assure their safety.

Perhaps we can have one or two walks this weekend. Zoe, you and your charges have to ask parents and grandparents and we have to cross at the crosswalk. Yes, the one I had the city create and needs to be repainted. I was thinking of you all the time. Slainte, Dee

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