Diversity in Children's Literature

There are so many wonderful children's books out there that it's hard to choose just one book or one author to start with when covering diversity in children's literature. There are many divisions of children's literature; as a beginning the larger categories are African-American children's literature, Native American children's literature, Latino, Asian and so on. Sub-categories follow as well. Different educational resources categorize children's literature in varying ways but for an introduction to diversity in children's literature I think the main groups listed above are a great start.

As examples of African-American children's literature I have found the following authors to be absolutely wonderful: Jerry Pinkney, his wife gloria Jean Pinkney, Julius Lester and Virgina Hamilton. There are so many more wonderful authors out there but for me personally, these authors are my favorites.

As an example of each author's writing I have listed the following books below:

Pinkney, J. (2002). Noah's ark. New York: Seastar Books.

A beautifully illustrated version of the timeless classic story.
I personally suggest this for anyone who teaches religion, at
any grade level. For use at home as well well as in the classroom.









Pinkney, G.J. (1992). Back home. New York: Dial Books.

Eight year old Ernestine goes to visit family
members by herself and discovers a whole new world.
As a child we all dream of having adventures on our
own and in this book the main character does have an adventure
on her own. This story is a way for all children to live
vicariously and take a journey alone. This book can be used for
children who are taking journeys in and out of their imaginations.


Lester, J. (1994). John Henry. New York: Dial Books.

Description: John Henry, a folk hero, lives life in terms of epic
proportions. As adults we know that John Henry can’t possibly be
real, or can he be? John Henry is a hero that everyone can look
up to. African-American storytelling as well as tall
tales and myth study are great uses for this book in the classroom.




Hamilton, V. (1993). The people could fly: American black folktales. New York: Knopf Books.

I first heard about people that could fly from a dear friend and professor at Buffalo State College, esteemed author and professor Dr. Aimable Twagilimana, with whom I was fortunate enough to take two English classes. Look for more on Dr. Twagilimana in the future.

As for this book it is simply a must have for any teacher! All ages.




To use the Library of Congress please follow this link-
http://www.loc.gov/homepage/lchp.html

For specific information regarding children's literature in the Library of Congress-
http://www.loc.gov/rr/child/

For more information of the Dewey Decimal System and book classifications please see-
http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/fi_books_dd_list.htm

I had the great privilege of meeting the Pinkneys this summer when they came to the Harlem Book Fair at the downtown branch of the Buffalo Public Library. They were both gracious enough to sign my copies of their books for me and had a lovely personal word with me as well. Please look for their books and other books by the authors listed above at your local book store.

Diversity in Education

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Retrieved from http://members.aol.com/klove01/marquote.htm August 30, 2006.

As we return to school this week I would like everyone, not just educators, to remember that we live in the greatest country on earth and we are the super power we are due to our diverse ethnic nature. I know there are many who would disagree with me but that's the great thing about the First Amendment (see below) -

Bill of Rights - Amendment I -

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Please see the site below for more on the United States Constitution:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html

I can say whatever I want, and type it too! No one will come and drag me away- or put me in jail. I'd be remiss if I don't stop right here for a moment and thank the U.S. Military for defending our constitutional freedoms. Thank you for everything that you do and that you sacrifice for those of us here at home.

As for diversity in education we are all in this together, all of us.... regardless of skin color, socio-economic satus or priviledge. As we begin another school year I'd like to remind all of our teachers that the majority of educators in the United States are white women. Partly due to the history of education in the United States but also due in part to Affirmative Action.

"With great priviledge comes great responsibility."

It is our great responsibility as educators to even the playing field of education and as such life. The last great frontier is not under the sea or in outerspace, it is the human mind. All minds are created equal, just as Thomas Jefferson wrote,

"We hold these truths to be self-evident,

that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator

with certain unalienable Rights,

that among these are Life,

Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

~ from the Declaration of Independence

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm

So as we return to school in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness please remember that we are on this planet together, for better or worse. Let's make this school year the best one ever- for everyone.....

Teaching Tolerance is a magazine as well as an online resource that is part of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is located in Montgomery, Alabama. I was fortunate enough to receive many copies of these from my parents while I attended college. I have used them for many school projects/assignments and will continue to use them in the future as I transition from student to professor. (God willing!)

http://www.tolerance.org/teach/index.jsp

For additional information about the wonderful diversity that we experience here in the United States please check out the link below:

http://www.census.gov/

HOOAH! Go Army!

&

OOHRAH! For my Marine friends!

Back to School!

The first day of school is always a tough one, no matter how old you are! As a teacher I am in the majority, not only of education but apparently of racial and ethnic profiling as well. As part of the syllabus for my class yesterday all of our student assignments were laid out for us. For those who don't know what a syallbus is -

syl‧la‧bus- /sil-uh-buhs/ Pronunciation Key –noun, plural -bus‧es, -bi /-bahy/

1. an outline or other brief statement of the main points of a discourse, the subjects of a course of lectures, the contents of a curriculum, etc.

Thank you www.dictionary.com

One of my assignments in yesterday's syllabus was to profile a classroom in the school where I will be teaching. I really don't like that assignment. As a person who has lived "outside the box" her entire life I don't enjoy putting people into boxes.

This is the exercise I was given to do when I was taking my undergraduate teaching degree: http://www.sangraal.com/library/outside_the_box.htm

Thinking Outside the Box - An Exercise in Thought

We have all heard the term, Think Outside the Box, but what does it actually mean? One of our interested readers has supplied a concept that may entice you to understand just what it means to Think Outside the Box.

Draw this simple box of dots on your own little scrap of paper and begin with these simple instructions.
The idea is to connect the dots with lines, but only four lines will do.

Position your pencil on one of the dots and do not allow the pencil to come off the paper, that is, do not pick up the pencil and start from another place in the box. It must be a continuous flow of writing once you start. Think outside the Box!

When you think you may have figured how to think outside the box, click on the box for the answer.

I couldn't figure out for the life of me how to do this then and I can't do it now. So here's the answer:
















Which brings me to my main point, not that I can't do math, but that we should try never to put anyone into a box. Students should be accepted in the classroom for who they are, not for who we think they should be. As teachers it is our job to help students (of all ages) to discover who they really are and then give them the tools to make their dreams come true.

I'll tackle more of the diversity issue tomorrow, meanwhile here's a link to another website I found about living life outside of the box. Good luck and don't let anyone force you to be someone that you're not!

http://www.crystalinks.com/outofbox.html

... Walk Through It!

Today is my first day of school. Again. I've had many first days, we all have. From our first day of Kindergarten to our first day of graduate school. This year is a little different because this is the first day of my last semester of my master's degree. While most of me is very excited, a small part of me is not. In fact I am so excited that I only slept five and half hours last night, mind you class doesn't start until 4 this afternoon and I've been up since 6:30 a.m. I'm thinking my excitement might wear off by then.... but probably not.

My favorite quote is from Alexander Graham Bell-

"When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."

I think we all should look at first days as being doors that open and once through them we should never try to go back. So don't quit! Whether it be school, boot camp or your new job... keep on going and don't look back. Do your best and remember- walk through that door. You won't be disappointed.

Good luck on your first day!

When One Door Opens....

... Walk Through It!

Today is my first day of school. Again. I've had many first days, we all have. From our first day of Kindergarten to our first day of graduate school. This year is a little different because this is the first day of my last semester of my master's degree. While most of me is very excited, a small part of me is not. In fact I am so excited that I only slept five and half hours last night, mind you class doesn't start until 4 this afternoon and I've been up since 6:30 a.m. I'm thinking my excitement might wear off by then.... but probably not.

My favorite quote is from Alexander Graham Bell-

"When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."

I think we all should look at first days as being doors that open and once through them we should never try to go back. So don't quit! Whether it be school, boot camp or your new job... keep on going and don't look back. Do your best and remember- walk through that door. You won't be disappointed.

Good luck on your first day!

More About 9/11

This was sent to me in a forward today and I thought I would share it-


"Thought you might be interested in this forgotten bit of information.........

It was 1987! At a lecture the other day they were playing an old news video of Lt. Col. Oliver North testifying at the Iran-Contra hearings during the Reagan Administration. There was Ollie in front of God and country getting the third degree, but what he said was stunning! He was being drilled by a senator; "Did you not recently spend close to $60,000 for a home security system?" Ollie replied, "Yes, I did, Sir."

The senator continued, trying to get a laugh out of the audience "Isn't that just a little excessive?" "No, sir," continued Ollie. "No? And why not?" the senator asked. "Because the lives of my family and I were threatened, sir." "Threatened? By whom?" the senator questioned. "By a terrorist, sir" Ollie answered. "T errorist? What terrorist could possibly scare you that much?" "His name is Osama bin Laden, sir" Ollie replied.

At this point the senator tried to repeat the name, but couldn't pronounce it, which most people back then probably couldn't. A couple of people laughed at the attempt. Then the senator continued. Why are you so afraid of this man?" the senator asked. "Because, sir, he is the most evil person alive that I know of", Ollie answered. "And what do you recommend we do about him?" asked the senator. "Well, sir, if it was up to me, I would recommend that an assassin team be formed to eliminate him and his men from the face of the earth." The senator disagreed with this approach, and that was all that was shown of the clip.

By the way, that senator was Al Gore!

Also: Terrorist pilot Mohammad Atta blew up a bus in Israel in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and imprisoned him. As part of the Oslo agreement with the Palestinians in 1993, Israel had to agree to release so-called "political prisoners." However, the Israelis would not release any with blood on their hands, The American President at the time, Bill Clinton, and his Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, "insisted" that all prisoners be released. Thus Mohammad Atta was freed and eventually thanked the US by flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center. This was reported by many of the American TV networks at the time that the terrorists were first identified. It was censored in the US from all later reports."

-- At this point there is a picture of Ground Zero--

"This is why I always say I love YOU....

In memory of all those who perished on that morning; the passengers and the pilots on the United Air and AA flights, the workers in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and all the innocent bystanders. Our prayers go out to the friends and families of the deceased."

I have not personally verified any of this infromation nor can I provide any links as to the origination of this information. The only reason that I am sharing is this because I believe in the power of telling those whom you love- that you love them....

The Marines

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The Marine stood and faced God,

Which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining,

Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, Marine,

How shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek?

To My Church have you been true?"

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,

"No, Lord, I guess I ain't.

Because those of us who carry guns,

Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,

And at times my talk was tough.

And sometimes I've been violent,

Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,

That wasn't mine to keep...

Though I worked a lot of overtime,

When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,

Though at times I shook with fear.

And sometimes, God, forgive me,

I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,

Among the people here.

They never wanted me around,

Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,

It needn't be so grand.

I never expected or had too much,

But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,

Where the saints had often trod.

As the Marine waited quietly,

For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, you Marine,

You've borne your burdens well.

Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,

You've done your time in Hell."

~Author Unknown~

It's the Soldier, not the reporter Who has given us the freedom of the press.

It's the Soldier, not the poet,

Who has given us the freedom of speech.

It's the Soldier, not the politicians

That ensures our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

It's the Soldier who salutes the flag,

Who serves beneath the flag,

And whose coffin is draped by the flag.

Pray for our men and women

Who have served and are currently serving our country

And pray for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

God Bless America

This was sent to me as a forward and I cannot provide a link to the original URL at this time. If you wish to view this in it's entirety please e-mail me and I will pass it on to you.

Note- I believe in all of our soldiers, may they fulfill their missions and return safely home....

BATS!!! continued....

The saga of our bat ends with a successful release last night about 9:45 p.m. E.S.T. After a somewhat lengthy nap in a cardboard box (with air holes), we put our little friend out on the back porch well after dark, opened the box... and nothing happened. Fearing the worst I ushered the children in the house and said maybe our bat was still tired... After 45 minutes of praying the bat was only tired and not dead I went back outside to check. Sure enough it was gone, thank you Jesus! All is well that ends well.

Speaking of which (and changing gears- enough about the bat already!) did you know that "all is well that ends well" is a proverb and not a quote? Me either- until I went to cite it properly.

See http://www.worldofquotes.com/author/Proverb/33 for more information and other proverbs.

Proverb- the best defintion I could find (and actually liked) was from- http://www.vein.hu/library/proverbs/some.htm

Basically my understanding of the definition of a proverb is that a proverb is a short phrase that expresses a fixed idea. Other definitions can be found at the following links.

Yahoo Education - http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/proverb
Merriam Webster Dictionary- online- http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=proverb

Not to be picky or anything... but... I went to look up the definition of the word quote at Dictionary.com - http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=quote&x=21&y=12
and I think that I am more confused than ever in my definitions of what exactly constitutes a proverb and a quote. To my way of thinking a proverb is a quote and no one seems to remember just who said what. Does anyone else see where this is leading but me? I'm thinking that (gasp) they're one and the same -without an attribution for the quote of course.

Before I get nailed on this one I do realize the subtle (and not so subtle) differences between quotes and proverbs. But I like to incite literary consternation.

For one more website about proverbs try the following link-
http://www.corsinet.com/braincandy/proverb.html

Until tomorrow- here's wishing you hope and happiness!

BATS!!!

As summer winds down to an end, and I am on this unbelievably long vacation, I have often found myself wandering about signs. Signs come in all shapes and sizes, diffrent forms too. Some people believe in weather signs, religious signs and I myself like to think of Mother Nature as an entity that shows us signs. Afterall don't we here in the northeast consider the first green shoot that appears in a bank of snow a sign of spring? I know I certainly do! Another favorite sign of mine is sighting the first robin.

But I digress, the sign that appeared today, in my bathroom no less, was in the form of a bat. I'm not sure how old of a bat it is, I didn't stop to inquire. Seeing as this is the first bat I've ever been this close to, well, a little research was in order. What I found is linked below. Our local animal shelter said they didn't come out for things like this, well, I certainly didn't expect them to, I just needed some information. I was instructed in no uncertain terms to never.... ever.... touch the bat with my hands. It was at this point that I wanted to mention I did have a college degree and was aware of how to use the interent but I restrained myself. -Although I did roll my eyes since the nice man couldn't see me. What I really wanted to know was 1- could I keep the bat in a box as a tempory measure (we have cats, not to mention dogs) and 2- could I wait to release my napping friend until it was dark? Everyone knows they fly at night and sleep during the day. Don't they?

For more about bats-

From the Smithsonian-

http://www.hrw.com/science/si-science/biology/animals/batfacts/batfacts.html

http://www.earthlife.net/mammals/bat-man.html

The saga continues.....

BATS!!!

As summer winds down to an end, and I am on this unbelievably long vacation, I have often found myself wandering about signs. Signs come in all shapes and sizes, diffrent forms too. Some people believe in weather signs, religious signs and I myself like to think of Mother Nature as an entity that shows us signs. Afterall don't we here in the northeast consider the first green shoot that appears in a bank of snow a sign of spring? I know I certainly do! Another favorite sign of mine is sighting the first robin.

But I digress, the sign that appeared today, in my bathroom no less, was in the form of a bat. I'm not sure how old of a bat it is, I didn't stop to inquire. Seeing as this is the first bat I've ever been this close to, well, a little research was in order. What I found is linked below. Our local animal shelter said they didn't come out for things like this, well, I certainly didn't expect them to, I just needed some information. I was instructed in no uncertain terms to never.... ever.... touch the bat with my hands. It was at this point that I wanted to mention I did have a college degree and was aware of how to use the interent but I restrained myself. -Although I did roll my eyes since the nice man couldn't see me. What I really wanted to know was 1- could I keep the bat in a box as a tempory measure (we have cats, not to mention dogs) and 2- could I wait to release my napping friend until it was dark? Everyone knows they fly at night and sleep during the day. Don't they?

For more about bats-

From the Smithsonian-

http://www.hrw.com/science/si-science/biology/animals/batfacts/batfacts.html

http://www.earthlife.net/mammals/bat-man.html

The saga continues.....

Happy Anniversary!

Today is my parent's 27th wedding anniversary. They've seen it all -or at least most of it. Sometimes what remains unseen is far better left that way.

Last year my father was ill, very ill. It started in the spring and as last summer progressed he looked worse- and much older than his years. By the end of August it was clear that something seriously wasn't right, but no one knew what. My Dad was starting to resemble a broken Humpty Dumpty and all the doctors and specialists couldn't put him back together again.

The weekend before Hurricaine Katrina hit in New Orleans my parents were supposed to have vacationed there. The week before, due to my father's health, my mother decided to change their plans -and a good thing too. On that Monday forces larger than Hurricaine Katrina were surely at work. So when my father entered the hospital (and not of his own free will) that day (my mother at work again?) it was a very good thing indeed that they hadn't gone to New Orleans, from what we all know now, my father surely would have died.

The Tuesdayday that Hurricaine Katrina struck my father looked as thought death had followed him from Louisianna. So much so in fact that I went out the very next day and bought a black suit. It was on the day that I bought the black suit that they finally were able to diagnose my father's illness and thus save his life.

So here we are, almost a year later, still all together and life is more than we all ever thought it would be this time last year. Here's to a year!

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad! May you have 27 more years! Cheers!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina

Chinese Lanterns and Ladybugs

While walking the dogs in the park the other day I found some wild chinese lanterns growing, otherwise known as bladder cherries. At first I was just going to pick some for my dining room table and then I thought maybe I could get a couple with roots to plant in my garden. Afterall there were tons of these plant, a small pruning wouldn't hurt them. It turns out that I was right, see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physalis_alkekengi

for information about their propagating abilities. Borrowing my son's knife (he was horrified that I was getting the blade dirty) I easily dug out a few plants with roots and brought them all home, quickly transplanting them. That was two days ago, so far so good, keep your fingers crossed that they all survive!

I didn't find the information that I was looking for on these plants but I did find these two sites:

http://www.backyardgardener.com/annual/annual66.html

http://www.4to40.com/earth/geography/htm/flowersindex.asp?counter=33

So if anyone knows what these plants symbolize please let me know. Meanwhile I'll keep looking.

In an amazing coincidence I found chinese lanterns pictured in one of the children's literature books that I just bought. The title of the book is "The Loyal Cat", retold by Lensey Namioka, illustrated by Aki Sogabe.

Namioka, L. & Sogabe, A. (1995). The loyal cat. Brownbinder Press, Harcourt Brace & Company: San Diego.

This is a beautiful book about a cat in China who has magical powers and uses them to help the temple priest with whom he lives. The page that they're pictured on is near the end of the book, I highly recommend this book for it's wonderful imaginative appeal.

And finally- I've seen two ladybugs in two days, this after going almost all summer without seeing one! This morning's ladybug was on my mailbox and I saw it on my way into the house after walking the dog. Of course I looked up the meaning/symbolism of ladybugs and I found out that they're good luck. Since everything comes in threes for me I expect to see chinese lanterns and another ladybug soon. See the site below for more information:

http://www.birdsforever.com/ladybugs.html

Have an awesome day!

Angels Among Us

A dear friend lent me her copy of Sophy Burnham's book- "A Book of Angels" originally published in 1990 it was rereleased I believe in 1995. ISBN 0345400577 An excellent book, one I highly recommend on your quest to recognize the angels all around us.

Lately I've been seeing angels everywhere, books, figurines; they're all around me. They're all around you. You don't need to look for the angels with gossamer wings each day, they appear in many other forms as well - especially if you learn how to recognize them when they appear.

Handel (who wrote the Messiah) saw angels- and heard them.
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/196/story_19609_1.html?WT.mc_id=NL24

William Blake saw them as well.
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/196/story_19608_1.html

Who are your angels?

And in other news- we seem to have a skunk in our neighborhood. Really. There was a ruckus in my backyard late last night and I thought maybe a stray cat. Well! When I woke up at 5:30 a.m. this morning I could smell the skunk. -And we live in a metropolitan area, which of course means nothing to the skunk. My neighbor just hopes the skunk doesn't take up residence near his pond. I hope our cat doesn't meet it.

All I can think of this morning is the PBS spot where there's a skunk ambling along the sidewalk as it walks up to a house, goes in through the cat door, up the stairs and snuggles with the man sleeping in the bed. Then the camera pans to the family photo next to the bed and you realize that the skunk has been descented (one hopes) and is the family pet. I believe the caption is something along the lines of "things are never as they seem". I'll say.

I ask you- can a skunk be an angel? Hmm.... Have a great day and may you meet only unscented skunks!

Creating Your Own Library

From time to time our local library sells some of it's surplus books. We live in a rather large metropolitan area and I guess they need to cull books from the stacks in order to make way for new materials. If you need to stock your own library I suggest you look into when the book sales are at your local libraries.

Another nice resource here is our local AAUW. The American Association of University Women. Here in our area they have a giant book sale in the spring and they use the proceeds to fund women's education.

Garage and yard sales are also nice for hunting, as are flea markets and swap meets. Here in New York I've never seen a swap meet, but then you just never know when one might appear.

The last resource that I suggest for buying books is your local Scholastic warehouse. We're fortunate enough to have a warehouse here and the prices are wonderful, there are about six sales a year, the next one being this month. Scholastic has a website and all you need to do is search for warehouse and navigate from there. Most sales like you to have a Fastpass since they need you to register each time that you shop with them. If you have the Fastpass you won't need to register when you arrive at the sale. These sales are open to the public and you don't need to be in education to go.

Happy Hunting!

About Author Sobonfu E. Some

I've just finished Sobonfu E. Some's book "Welcoming Spirit Home". This is a wonderful book and I found that it correlated with everything that I have experienced in my life as a westerner.

The author is from Burkina Faso (for those who don't know it's a country in Africa) and in my time as an undergrad. student I was asked to do research on Burkina Faso. My area of education is English instruction, not social studies, so at that time (after being immersed in Shakespeare) I had a little difficulty focusing on my research. It's funny how life comes to you in a circle. I'm learning more now than I ever did then!

What stood out for me in her book was her premise of life which encompasses the elements of our world. She discusses five elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Minerals and Nature. As well as outlining these elements she talks about rituals and their meanings. I found this book to be very close to my soul and appreciated the symbolism throughout it's pages.

Below are links to the author's homepage and information about this book-

http://www.sobonfu.com/

http://www.sobonfu.com/books/index.shtml

http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/ow/21c532ffaeac9b61a19afeb4da09e526.html

Some, S. (1999). Welcoming spirit home. New World Library: Novato, California.

About Burkina Faso-

https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/uv.html

http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Country_Specific/Burkina.html

http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Burkina+Faso

http://www.ouaganet.com/

My Unexpected "Gift"

This morning I was all set to write about the book that I'm reading "Welcoming Spirit Home", written by Sobonfu E. Some when my cat caught a bird. Mind you this cat is eight years old and he sits daily in the garden with the feathered friends. We've not had this kind of occurence for at least four years and last time it was, unfortunately, a squirrel. He's very proud of himself; once I got over my initial shock (I yelled "DROP IT") I was able to calm down and congratulate him. As I write this he is standing at the back door wishing to come in and share his good fortune with our other cat, I think not.

Our other cat just happens to be his "wife" and she's not allowed to go outside. Two years ago I spent the better part of four weeks trying to get her back in the last time she went out. Apparently she gets outside and then completely forgets anything but crying and trying to run and hide. Last time she lost a considerable amount of weight and I tried everything to get herback in; staying up late and and trying to coax her in (she wouldn't come out by day), treats and finally the TRAP. I think she felt sorry for me and finally gave up, walking back in of her own accord. She might have been thinking "Hmm, all this for me? They really do love me..."

Meanwhile he's still out there with his sparrow in his mouth. Sorry, I just checked on him, he's eating it. Where's the kitty toothpaste?

More About My Dad

While I'm on vacation this week, reading, gardening and whatnot I thought I would take the time to tell some stories that I might otherwise not get a chance to share. This one again, is about my father who is in his seventies.

We're located in New York, Niagara Falls to be exact and up here there's a restaurant and child's theme park called the "Whistle Pig", some of you may remember it from your travels in this area. They have great food, terrific ice cream and rides for small children. I remember being take here as a child and I've brought my own children, sadly it's for sale, a sign of the time I guess. The economy isn't what it used to be around here.

Kitty corner from this marvelous place is a gas station and now over the years a Tim Horton's has joined that corner. As we were leaving the restaurant after dinner my father looked over toward the gas station and Tim Horton's (a drive-thru coffee place) and said, "I'm going to be buried from there." I was sure I hadn't heard him correctly, I knew he didn't mean the gas station but I was thinking maybe Tim Horton's? In a coffee can perhaps? Surely times aren't that tough around here?

So I asked him what he meant, thinking that maybe dementia was staring to set in, he is afterall nearing eighty. Apparently behind the Tim Horton's coffee spot is a funeral parlor, but you really can't see it from the street, it is well hidden. Relieved we went on to talk about some of the other details of his burial...

August in the Northeast! And the HEAT IS ON!

I'm a graduate student finishing my masters degree- with two children. My parents have been keeping them while I attend class. This last class began on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 8:30 a.m. which necessitated a drop off time, for all of us, of about 8:15 a.m. Well. Here in the northeast we've had somewhat of a heatwave and my parents have been running their central air consistently. That is until this morning. Mind you my father is 77, which really is no excuse, but when the temperature dipped down into the 50's, and the humidity plummeted along with it, their central air clicked off, and my Dad TURNED ON THE HEAT! Now it's August as I'm writing this post and the expected high today is 81. I ask you, would you turn on the heat? Especially after last years natural gas prices? I think not.

Over the weekend a friend was telling me about her recent trip to the bookstore, where she found a book about dieting and your blood type. Very interesting.

The book my friend found was-

The Eat Right for Your TypeAuthors: Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo, Catherine Whitney Format: Book (Illustrated), 392 pagesPublication Date: January 1996Publisher: Putnam Pub GroupDimensions:9.5"H x 6.5"W x 1.5"D; 1.55 lbs.ISBN: 039914255X

http://www.dadamo.com/

I happen to be O negative and so I did a little research and this is what I found-

http://www.drlam.com/blood_type_diet/blood_o.cfm

Hmmm, since I'm adopted and don't have all the information that I would like to I have a tendency to look at things a little more closely than maybe other people might. Strangely enough this site with it's guidelines was pretty straight on. It was accurate information for her blood type (AB) too.

My summer reading list-

This is my summer reading list -so far, smile.

"Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live" by Martha Beck ISBN – 0812932188
This is one of the best books that I’ve read in years; the author is funny and shares personal stories while relating how you can find your own north star or as I like to think of it- following your own heart.

"Women Who Run With the Wolves" by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes ISBN – 0345377443
* There are other great titles by this author!!!
This book changes my life! You can read this from start to finish or skip around from story to story. These are fairy tales for grown-ups and I highly recommend the story about “Skeleton Woman”.


" Wild At Heart" by John Eldredge ISBN – 0785264981
* There are other great titles by this author!!!

If you ever wanted to know what a man is made of this is the book for you, very powerful reading for a woman. This author has a book like this one- for women! I haven’t read that one yet though, this book is what I’m reading now.


"The Prayer of Jabez" by Bruce Wilkinson ISBN - 1576738426 First in a series-

"Secrets of the Vine" by Bruce Wilkinson ISBN - 1576739724 Second in a series-


"A Life God Rewards" by Bruce Wilkinson ISBN - 1590520092 Third in the series-

* There are other great titles by this author, but I haven’t read them yet! I have read all three of these books and they’re very, very good.


"Tantra Between the Sheets" by Val Sampson ISBN - 1569753520
This book is the one that talks about breathing. Anything to do with yoga, kundalini energy or Pilates is something that is worth reading about. Pilates is just basic yoga without the spirituality, but tantra, kundalini and yoga generally address spirituality and the connections between the mind and the body. Mind you I’m just a beginner with this breathing stuff so I’ve been reading this book slowly and practicing what I’ve read (about breathing!).


"The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz ISBN – 1878424319


"The Traveler’s Gift" by Andy Andrews ISBN – 0785264280
This is a nice family book and a great story with interesting principles, I enjoyed it tremendously.


"Simple Abundance" and "Something More" by Sarah Ban Breathnach ISBN – 0446677086 I haven’t read both of these books but I have read most of "Simple Abundance" and I’ve used some of her principles and ideas for my cooking ideas.

Meditation and Quotes....

Meditation, prayer and quotes really are one and the same if you think about it. I suppose it just depends on where you live, where you come from... and where you are. As you ponder the meaning (or your meaning) of life today take a look at the page below.

http://meditation.org.au/kingdomOfHeaven.asp

I personally like the Buddhist quote about truth:

"The subject on which I meditate is truth.
The practice to which I devote myself is the truth.
The topic of my conversation is truth.
My thoughts are always in truth.
For lo! my self has become the truth." --Buddhist (Lord Buddha)

Which reminds me of another quote- "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me." --John 14:6

Just something to think about, mediatate on and finally- the dictionary.com version of the truth.

truth - (trth)n. pl. truths (trthz, trths)
Conformity to fact or actuality.
A statement proven to be or accepted as true.
Sincerity; integrity.
Fidelity to an original or standard.
Reality; actuality.
often Truth That which is considered to be the supreme reality and to have the ultimate meaning and value of existence.

Butterfly Gardens

I am in the process of creating a butterfly garden in my backyard and have found this site to help me- http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/misc/ef006.htm

I know that there are other butterfly garden websites but so far this has been the site most helpful to me. I appreciate the pictures that accompany the text, it makes purchasing plants so much easier.

In other news it's very warm here in New York, it's supposed to be near 90 today and the humidity is incredible! I don't ever remember a heat wave of this intensity in recent history! God Bless the person who invented the air conditioner! Speaking of which-

Willis Carrier patented the air conditioner in 1902, however Frederick McKinley Jones did design the portable air conditioning unit during WWII. I found this information on the Snopes.com website, specifically the page "Life Without Black People". A big thank you to both men. Until tomorrow-

http://www.snopes.com/business/origins/blackinv.asp

Alaskan Grizzly Bears

http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/wildcamgrizzlies/wildcam.html

This is National Geographic's site with a webcam featuring, you guessed it, Grizzly bears in Alaska. I'm in the Eastern Standard Time Zone, so from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. E.S.T. I can watch the bears. Of course this site runs according to Alaskan Standard Time, meaning your times for viewing the Grizzlies might be different than mine.

This morning I watched the sun rise in Alaska and there aren't words to describe how beautiful that sun rise was. The bears were visible, I could hear the seagulls in the background and the sun rose in all it's majestic splendor. I can almost hear Alaska calling me....