http://themediansib.com Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:03:59 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I saw a quote this morning - "Life is a roller coaster. Ride it!" I love it! And that will be one of my goals for 2011. New Years Day is a perfect time to make a new start, to write resolutions and plan for the coming ... http://themediansib.com/2011/01/01/a-new-years-day-meal-in-the-south/ This morning I took a walk through the woods on the acreage around our house. Since I was walking alone, I took my cell phone and my handgun. As I walked the paths that Ron had so painstakingly made, I was thinking about the uneven ground and how ... http://themediansib.com/2010/11/01/ironies/ In reading pro-abortion writing, I am struck by people who defend abortion by saying, "If my daughter was raped, I would go with her to get an abortion and hold her hand throughout!" As though pregnancy from rape is a major issue in the abortion debate. Of ... http://themediansib.com/2010/10/29/rape-and-abortion/ (Sophie, Carol, Lily on the last day of school for students Walnut Grove Elementary, May 2010) As I walked out of Walnut Grove Elementary school on May 24, 2010 - my last day of teaching before retirement - I felt melancholy. I walked across the parking lot and got into my ... http://themediansib.com/2010/07/03/the-good-old-days-of-2007-2010/ I'm entering my second month of retirement, and I've discovered that I'm not a horrible housekeeper, after all. During my working life I was scrambling to get up, dressed, fed and off to work each morning, and by the time I got home in the evenings, my energy was ... http://themediansib.com/2010/07/02/im-not-a-horrible-housekeeper-after-all/ The mom of a child battling cancer asked for someone to sit with her daughter at the hospital for awhile this afternoon so she could take care of an errand. I volunteered. The child has relapsed twice from a malignant tumor. Although I got to the hospital ... http://themediansib.com/2010/06/15/an-afternoon-in-a-childrens-cancer-room/ So it's Monday morning - and the summer lies ahead, along with retirement. I started Weight Watchers anew this morning. I can keep my food diary on my Droid, and I have a Wii Fit upstairs that I pledge to use 5 days a week. Today is one of ... http://themediansib.com/2010/06/07/onward-and-upward-summer-retirement/ 55 days until I retire after over 30 years of teaching. I've taught 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade and 7th grade. The past six years I've been a reading specialist. Probably a third of my years of teaching were spent in 2nd ... http://themediansib.com/2010/03/27/retirement/ Today has been a very laid-back day. We celebrated on Christmas Eve with a dinner for everyone on our branch of the family tree. Ron and I have enjoyed a fire in the fireplace all day long. The Christmas tree lights have been shining all day. ... http://themediansib.com/2009/12/25/christmas-day/ The only acceptable answer is "YES!" No doubt about that one. There are children and adults battling cancer who have compromised (or non-existent) immune systems. They call it "neutropenia." Neutrophils rise and fall depending on the body's reaction to chemotherapy. There's no exact science to ... http://themediansib.com/2009/10/06/theres-only-one-acceptable-answer-to-will-you-get-a-flu-shot/