Hear the wind blow

And the wind, she be blowin' tonight

2011-03-12T18:14:00.004-07:00

Okay, it's been OVER a year without a blog entry. Yikes. And, "sorry!" is all I can say. Clearly, no one is following this blog and no one has minded my absence, it seems.

That said, I must confess that all the trivia and noise generated on FaceBook has me contemplating a return to The Blog-o-sphere. Oh, hey, when's the last time you recall anything in the news about Rod Blagojavic? We are mucking around with way too much Charlie Sheen... and WHO cares?!

All is well. Spring is nearly here. The ducks and geese are squabbling over contested territorial waters on the pond.

Bye for now.

Six Days Until Christmas

2009-12-19T19:38:00.002-07:00

Oh my, it's been since October since I have written? I'm sorry. Update on the handbell choir. We played a long concert at the local mall today; it went really well! Except that afterward while breaking down the tables, I got thwanged by the end of a vicious bungy cord. I've got a nasty "owie" bruise on my right thumb joint. Dang. And "the weather outside is frightful" and snowy but not as bad as Dan has it in D.C. When we last spoke to him he was planning to go out the next day to "make snow angels" on the Capitol lawn. You betcha. All of my Christmas shopping has been done. All of the out-of-town packages have been mailed. I only have a few more (local) gifts to wrap. But I'd rather just veg and knit and watch the snow come down. According to an email with photographic attachments from our friends in Koln, winter has also arrived in Germany. Greetings to all and Merry Christmas to all. Let's make it a great new year!!

Fall is here

2009-10-02T11:37:00.002-06:00

Hi all, it's a lovely Friday. The sun is shining but the wind is blowing. It's cold out. The wind is blowing the clouds across the sky; it's swell just to watch. Tonight we are packing for our trip to Washington D.C. where we will be visiting Dan!! Hopefully the weather will be reasonable in D.C. since Dan says he has many places he wants to show us and a lot of walking in this itinerary.

Other news: I've been invited to join the Grace Methodist Church Vesper Handbell Choir. No, I have never played handbells. I've attended two rehearsals so far and it is going to be fantastic fun! I will be playing the tenor (inside voices): G-flat, G, G#/A-flat, A, and A# notes. Not too many G-flats, thank goodness, so essentially four bells. I hope to do more research to help me understand the correct method for playing. Meantime my sight-reading, counting, and musical skills are being challenged. And I love it.

Also, I have begun as a Reading Mentor in my friend, Karen's, third-grade classroom. She has invited me to come once a week on Wednesday morning's to read with whatever students she feels need extra attention. It seems as if I have managed to schedule something interesting in every possible day of the week, and hour of the day: two part-time jobs, two extra-curricular activities, plus keeping our house humming. House-s. We still are keeping our little place down in Spencer. As soon as we return from seeing Dan, we'll have more winterizing to do down there.

Better Late than Never

2009-09-02T15:11:00.002-06:00

Well, It's been far too long. The truth is I'd forgotten that I had a blog because I've been immersed in the new experience of FACEBook. I think I like blogging better.

The photo above was taken at Kokomo Reservoir. We went there on a Sunday afternoon just to get some sun and fresh air and a large dose of "green".

The only news news is something most of the family already knows. And who else reads this blog?? Amy is ready to have her baby girl at any moment and we are all collectively holding our breath and crossing our fingers and toes in anticipation, praying for an uneventful delivery and a healthy baby. I missed the shower but Aunties Nan and Sue provided me with almost-real-time photos via their cell phone cameras.

Socks on the quilt

2009-04-22T22:51:00.002-06:00

Hi all, here's Socks (whom we inherited from Grandpa Austin) and he is helping me as I hand quilt this pretty flannel blanket. Amy said she was looking for letters and numbers. I found no fabric (yet) with numbers but the alphabet flannel with matching stars looked nice while I was continuing to search for other fabric for the Official Baby Quilt. Yep, she gets two blankies.
That's what happens when you have extra time on your hand...

Opening Day! Openng Week! Yi haa

2009-04-09T19:58:00.007-06:00

Goodbye basketball season, hello baseball! For those who don't already know, I am following the lead of our son, Dan, in rooting for the Boston Red Sox. They gave a pitiful performance last night, but oh well. It was wonderful to plotz upon the couch with a bag of popcorn and just watch the game. Well, I did keep my fingers busy with knitting. And have you heard? Knitting is now the rage (again); they say it keeps the mind active and staves off general mental deterioration. Duh. And what with my huge cache of yarn, and the fact that we are relocating to a place with cold winters, it wouldn't harm us to have a couple of extra thick neck scarves on hand. So knit away!

I took myself to the movies this afternoon to see "The Wrestler". Mickey Rourke's performance was extraordinary. I can't say I enjoyed the film because of its subject matter but it was well directed. I sure as heck am glad I don't live in New Jersey! Yikes.

The world sure seems to be all topsy-turvy: Somali pirates, angry people shooting others out of confusion and despair, earthquakes, violent Mexican drug cartel battles, unemployment, bankruptcy, bank & credit crises, Spring blizzards, PTSD, foreclosures, flooding, the wacky Octomom, tornadoes, terrorist suicide bombs, partisan politics, North Korean ICBM launches, d'ya think there might be any good news out there??? The latest prescription to fight depression is: Get a Dog. Sure. Oh, I'd better stop here before I spin out of orbit with the whats and the what ifs. Besides it is Easter weekend and there is a better approach to all of this craziness. God bless you all.

Seven weeks and counting

2009-03-28T11:00:00.003-06:00

Hi all, as the heading indicates, I am counting the weeks until Rick comes back to get me. It's very strange to have this long a time. We've known for a while that we would not be staying in El Paso permanently so many of our decisions came easily e.g. not buying a house here, not enrolling in a health club with a year-long commitment, etc.
Now I am experiencing a different kind of 'limbo': I'm not printing anymore address labels, and I'm not shopping for home decorating items, and I'm beginning to gauge what groceries to buy or not buy. Winding down as opposed to ginning up.
Also, at work (the school), I am not accumulating new lesson ideas for next year. I am organizing my clothes closet differently too. Soon, I will need to set aside clothing for the last week of teaching and the time we'll be traveling and the time we'll be in Indiana before the movers deliver our stuff.
Soon, but not yet. And that's the space I'm in now. Too soon to begin final move-out cleaning. And too soon to think about final good-byes. (I hate that part.) However, I'm trying to visit the places I'd like to have seen (or restaurants where I want to eat) and things like that.
It's nice to know that we'll be out of the hot high desert come July. It's already heating up and everyone seems to anticipate that El Paso will have a very hot summer judging from the temperatures now. However, I know I will miss the moderate winters and the dry heat. It's the trade off one makes for the lush green landscape. That's all for now. I'm back to designing a baby quilt for niece Amy. Hmmm. This requires much thought and a lot of trial and error on blank pattern design sheets with colored pens. A labor of love.

Dan in El Paso

2009-03-19T17:31:00.008-06:00

Okay, for those who like current photos, here's Dan in
our kitchen in El Paso. He's got his "thoroughly engaged
intellectually" face on. He does that a lot. When he's not
thinking hard (like at his job), he's playing hard at
photography and music and food (yep, he's a "foodie")
and such. It was wonderful to have him visit. We went
out to eat (see above) , went shopping (he needed
clothes!) and talked and laughed together. You recall
that he has one helluva good belly laugh, don't you?
I love that about him. I regret that I wasn't able to
get more photos. It was more important just to be with
him. I know you'll understand!

I really need to get my camera out again!

2009-03-17T22:31:00.002-06:00

Greetings. It's the middle of Spring Break AND it's wahoo St. Patrick's Day too! I wore a tacky grey t-shirt with a bright green shamrock on it and the phrase "Show Me Your Lucky Charms" emblazoned across the chest. This shirt will likely last for many years as I will only wear it once annually, if that. Sigh. News, have you heard the news? WE are going back to Kokomo. Rick has been transferred. We have just secured (formal lease will be signed this week) a very large and nice townhouse apartment there (available at the end of May). Of course, the real bummer is that I will be stuck in El Paso for the next eight weeks while Rick is batching it in a little furnished studio in Kokomo. I am counting the days. Less than fifty teaching days left. And will I return to teaching when I get to Indiana? Who knows. Otherwise, I just wanted to enter a posting to satisfy those few who visit my blog. Today was nice and sunny and warm and very relaxing. This is March Madness time too: NCAA basketball will keep me occupied this weekend (and the next). Be well.

Happy New Year

2009-01-16T21:55:00.002-07:00

On the eve of the week of The Inauguration, we are all fine. Happy New Year!
Yes, and thankfully it is a 'long weekend' as well. Monday is a school holiday.
Here's my 'new' classroom. As of the end of year holiday break, our language teacher, Ruth Lindstrom, retired and thus liberated a small classroom. I moved into this space and have transformed it from a reading room into a math room. What do you think?
And in this week's teacher memo, I see that we will have three new students when we return on the 20th; I wonder where we'll put them? I like my new space. I have room to store stuff and plenty of counter space to pile text books and notebooks waiting to be graded.
Rick and I have found a nice new weekly routine: we like going to the movies, the early show, on
Friday's. Tonight we went to see Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino"; we enjoyed it. Tomorrow, sleep late. YES. Next week more of the same. No guarantee when I'll write a new post. Until then, be well.

Grandma Patsy and the Grandkids

2008-12-30T22:09:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone. Rick's daughter, Tami, and her husband John and all of the grandkids: Jake, Kaitlyn, and Austin, came to visit and it was the absolute best Christmas gift ever! They only stayed overnight enroute back to Spokane. We walked over to Fuddrucker's for some dinner, and then we visited together while doing five loads of laundry in our apartment facility; en masse "The Wash" and then "The Dry" and then "The Folding"!! Afterwhich we walked back over to the brand new hotel across the street where they found accommodations... and the kids took advantage of the heated indoor swimming pool while us grownups watched and felt, well, like grownups! The wet hugs (intentional) after the swims was priceless. Hope YOU all had as an exceptional Christmas as we did.

Nearly Election Day

2008-10-28T21:56:00.003-06:00

Hi all, are you as excited as I am that it's nearly Election Day? I am so looking forward to the end of the Presidential Campaigns. You have no idea.
I am also glad that the summer temperatures are behind us. In El Paso, autumn/winter means it's sunny and dry. The highs around here are 7o degrees with the lows in the mid 40's. It doesn't get much better than that! As soon as the night time temperatures duck below freezing, all the mosquitoes will be gone. Yay.
School is going well. My new classroom is turning out to be nice. The assistant director has relocated some of the computers out of the lab and into actual classrooms. This affords me more space to teach! And possibly room for any new students that may enroll.
And the sump pump (see previous entry) has finally been installed in the house in Indiana. One less thing to worry about.
The Dow Jones average went up 889 points today. We just love the roller coaster ride, don't you?
Dan will be out of town ('back of beyond') departing the Sunday after Thankgiving. But he still has a job, so that's good. His new couch was delivered last Saturday. And he found a kitchen dinette set advertised locally on the internet. His place is shaping up; furniture definitely helps.
He just returned from an autumn jaunt up Old Rag Mountain, Virginia; it's a grand hike he says, despite the 35 degree weather and the snow and the wind.
Happy Halloween to those who enjoy celebrating.

September

2008-09-07T18:33:00.003-06:00

Hi all, No photos this time around. In fact the pictures I took of my classroom are already obsolete! I was happily ensconced in the Math Room when we discovered that nine large fourteen-year-old eighth graders really take up a whole lot more space than we expected. Big kids require more space; proximity promulgates problems. So, I'm banished across the hall.

Well, due to space constraints, I was already teaching three of my four classes "across the hall" in the computer lab. Now, the computer lab will be my permanent classroom to be shared as required when other teachers (language, grammar, social studies, science) need access to the computers. I moved all of my stuff out of my desk, moved my desk into the hall to be returned to the basement, moved an extra table into the middle of the computer lab and set up shop, as it were. It should be fine. I won't have to wheel the three-level rolling basket (the Learning Mobile) back and forth nor run in and out when I am missing some key tool (pencils, manipulatives, teacher edition book or what all). Plus, I can decorate! I can put up festive and amusing mathematical posters and learning tools. More on this after another week or so.

Meantime, Rick is back from his trip to Spencer. Things at the farm are okay except that as he was turning off the water, he double-checked the sump pump in the basement and it was spurting like (as he described it) an aneurysm. There was no time to repair this, else miss his flight out of Indianapolis. So, he called our neighbor there and asked if she'd arrange to have a new sump pump installed. Life is an adventure; always expect the unexpected.

Other news: I am a member of the Bridges Bulldogs Fantasy football league. "My" quarter back is Derek Anderson. He plays for the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland went up against the Dallas Cowboys this afternoon and got their proverbial butt kicked. At least Tony Romo did well; he's a Cowboy and all Math faculty swear fealty to the Cowboys as a caveat to their teaching contract. Lol.

Time to scrounge up some supper. Until next time. Be well and stay dry. Keep your eye on Ike.

Road Trip!

2008-08-11T15:37:00.002-06:00

Hi all, And here's Cactus Pat!
Yep, last weekend, my friend Vanessa and I drove from El Paso to Tucson to visit Amy and Jon. And to pick up a couple of boxes of "stuff" from HQ. We had a really nice visit. Both Vanessa and I wanted to do the typical tourist things which included a visit to the Saguaro National Forest. Very cool.
No, actually, it was pretty dang hot out there! Then we went to the movies and saw Hellboy 2. Then we went out to eat: Mexican food, por su puesto. At La Parilla Suiza which according to the menu is food prepared in the Mexico City style. It was excellent. And Jon paid the eight piece Mariachi band to play "Los Colores". It was a fantastic day.
Now, I'm home again and getting myself organized and mentally prepared for school to start again. We'll have two days of Teacher In-service on Thursday and Friday. Then we have three days for last minute preparation. Students return on the 21st. Whee!

St. Mark's Mission Team in Szeged, Hungary

2008-07-15T12:19:00.002-06:00

Hi all, Here's the combined family: the congregation of Methodist Church in Szeged, Hungary, with the mission team from St. Mark's United Methodist Church of El Paso, Texas. Yes, Rick and I went on a mission trip. I am standing right in the center of the crowd behind the young man in the bright blue t-shirt.

We worked very hard. The pastor and his family was extraordinarily friendly and generous and warm and supportive. It was incredible. In the lower left hand corner of the photo is Margaret/"Moncy", the pastor's mother, who is the same age as my mother, Ruth, would be. We bonded. This only enhanced the entire experience.

I'll try to upload some of the views from our short sightseeing adventure in Budapest that was tacked onto the end of our trip. Budapest is a very exciting and interesting city. Two thumbs up for those who care to keep track.

The missing image of the cake....

2008-05-24T10:53:00.002-06:00

Okay, here's the image of the cake described below. It seems that perhaps one can only publish three images per blog entry? Who knows! I've spent way too much time trying to get this blog thingy to cooperate. PHooey. But, hey, doesn't the cake look yummy? and please read the entry right below too. Thanks to all who called and who sent greetings and who sang to me!!!

Photos from My Birthday!!

2008-05-24T10:25:00.004-06:00

Hi all, it's been a busy week. I turned 55 on Wednesday and I thought I'd share some of the images with you: First is what was left of the yummy cake that my Bridges Academy coworkers brought (along with several amazing gifts), next my helium birthday balloon,then the inflatable cake which greated me at St. Mark's (and the director of Early Ed as well as the office staff met me at the door to sing 'Happy Birthday', and lastly the beautiful bouquet sent from my dear friend Kathy. It was a very good day! I received numerous cards in the mail and telephone calls at home. Tonight, now that we've reached the weekend and many other commitments have been fulfilled, Rick and I will celebrate by going out to dinner and a movie. Yipee!

Mayday Mayday

2008-04-30T20:32:00.003-06:00

Oh, okay, so I lied. It's still April 30th. And no photos tonight. Sorry. This month blew by in part because of Spring Break. I did visit Dan in Baltimore and we had a great time!!! We even attended the very first (exhibition) game played in the new Washington Nationals baseball Park. And now I am winding down the school year. My ninth graders climbed up (unsafely, I might add) on a rolling chair to write "only 12 more days of school for the 9th graders" on the chalk board. They promised to keep it updated. Teachers and students alike are eager for the year to be over. My teacher/parent conferences are about done. And El Paso is in the midst of it's seasonal dust storm season wherein visibility is reduced to less than a mile and you can't see the mountains because the blowing sand is obliterating the view. It gets in your car, your apartment, your hair, your teeth and the wind blows across the top of the chimney and makes a generally spooky woo wooing howl.
Yeah, it's like that. What's new with everyone else? Anybody reading anything of consequence? I am reading the latest by Daniel Quinn; any of his are well worth the effort. (hint hint). Rick and I have been working hard at fundraising for our upcoming Mission trip to Hungary in late June; thanks to all who are supporting this. S'later. Patsy

Completed Pottery -- wooo hoo!

2008-03-01T15:49:00.003-07:00

Ten pieces completed. Some of the pots are nice. Some of the glazes are nice. The tallest is roughly five inches. The smallest will be perfect for paperclips. I'm pleased. What do you think?? Mission Accomplished in El Paso.

The goal of this class was to teach us how to throw cylinders. I succeeded in this regard. My personal goal was just to be able to center the darn things! Yep. Can do. Beyond that, was to come home with pretty items. And... I learned that I really like to paint things. If money were no object, I'd have a studio with a fancy wheel and a powerful kiln, an unlimited supply of good clay, and a rainbow of glazes. I know that this is pure fantasy; but we all should be able to dream a little, no?

Parade for soldiers returning to Fort Bliss

2008-02-27T21:49:00.002-07:00

Here's Ms. Patsy and a few of the boys from Bridges Academy. Today almost the entire student body walked the few blocks to Montana Avenue to attend the El Paso Heroes Parade: welcoming back the soldiers returning to Fort Bliss. We made posters, we held banners, we waved flags. Hundreds of men and women in uniform marched by and we cheered and shouted our support.

The only thing missing (truly) was a few marching bands-- that would have added a lot.
However, there was one small group of soldiers- about twenty musicians - and they did play. They were followed by upwards of thirty riderless horses led by soldiers (boots in the stirrups backwards) in memory of the fallen. Our own Fort Bliss soldiers killed in combat.

Other than that it's been a busy few weeks since I last wrote.

Dan is off on vacation. I didn't talk to him before he left. I'm hoping to get a full report when he returns. How nice it will be for him to escape the nasty winter weather in Baltimore in exhange for the sunny climes of the Caribbean (sp?).
I'm tired. And I just wanted to share these photos with ya'll.

Patsy's into Pot

2008-02-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

Wow, three new photos for you. Yep, that's me at the Potter's Wheel. This has been a dream I have had for years.. literally.. since the ninth grade when I had only one chance to try out throwing clay and centering on a wheel and I failed. Oh misery. Now I have succeeded. My skills are oh so modest, but even my instructor acknowledges that I can do it. I am eager to improve. I am eager to learn how to apply glaze and see what my pots look like with color too. But that's in the weeks to come. Knock wood that my pieces don't explode in the kiln when they are fired. Yes, the slimy mucky clay is totally fun. I love getting my hands all wet and dirty. There are six others in our Sunday afternoon class and we are all enjoying the experience.

IN other news: weather report: today we had a nasty dust storm, it's blowing like a sonofagun and the sand/dust is everywhere. One must scrape a layer off one's face. It's bad. And you really can't see much on the road-- visibility is really poor. Indoors, it sounds like a mournful dog howling. And Rick says when the front passes through, the temperatures will plummet and we may see some freezing rain. Oh swell.

Algebra and the ninth graders are doing better. We'll be venturing into the unknown realm of Polynomials in the next few weeks. One of my students crashed his ATV (in a competition of some sort) and dislocated his collarbone. His right arm is bandaged to his side. His homework will be done at recess/lunch as he dictates what he wants me to write (and then score). I don't mind. It more-or-less guarantees that he'll get his HW done. He's been one of my slackers.

Dan news: he just bought a Nikon S100 35mm film camera. Apparently he will be able to interchange all the lenses he has for his digital camera and use them on both. He's a happy guy now. Best wishes to all family stuck in the colder climes. Three cheers for the NY Giants!

First of two new entries

2008-01-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Looks cold doesn't it? This was taken at our farm in Indiana on New Year's Day during a snow storm. Actually, it was the last photograph my digital camera would record because it quit working due to the low temperatures.

The weather people reported that the air temperature was 2 degrees with a wind chill of minus 14 degrees. What, you may ask, were we doing outside on such day? Experiencing LIFE, liberty, and... oh yeah, we are nuts!

Keep scrolling down to my second entry of 2008 below. See ya!

December and January updates

2008-01-12T21:37:00.001-07:00

Hi all, Here is the first photo I found when browsing for something to add to this entry. It's a photo of

our diningroom table with our Christmas tree and the Christmas gift basket I eventually sent off to Dan in Baltimore: filled with goodies!

We did not put up a proper tree here in Texas because we flew to Indiana ON Christmas Day!

Home again to the land of warm sunshine... it's January. I'm back to work at Bridges Academy. The students are doing surprisingly well; why did I fret so much about it over the holiday? heaven only knows.

Dittos for the kiddos in Afterschool Care at St. Mark's (my afternoon job). Two weeks in the life of a three year old can bring significant changes and growth.

Other miscellaneous news: I am enrolled in a pottery/ceramics/wheel throwing clay class at the Art Museum: it will meet for the next seven Sundays; hopefully if I can make something worthy, then I will photograph it to share with you!

Anybody have any good New Year's resolutions to share? I normally don't make any "real" ones. But my intention of late is to persevere with my weight loss. Twentyfive down and, oh, maybe another twentyfive to go? Baby steps; I'll be delighted if I can bring it down another ten by the time my birthday rolls around in May. Sigh. But ya gotta love those baggy pants that must be permanently retired from working inventory.

Dan says he's plannng on a vacation trip to the Domincan Republic at the end of February. How cool is that? The Fodor's manual I checked out from the Library say's the island of Hispaniola is filled with white sandy beaches; works for me! And, oh yeah, they like baseball there. Alot.

No political comments this time around. Check back after Super Tuesday in February. It's going to be a very interesting year; no doubt about that.

Wednesday is "hump day"

2007-11-07T14:36:00.000-07:00

I brought V-8 juice, yogurt, and a banana to eat for lunch today. I'm trying to be good! And what happens? It's Antonio's birthday. We are all to sing to him at 10 o'clock break. His parents show up and Mom distributes piping hot fresh Krispy Kreme donuts to all! Yikes.

The director of our school made an appearance in my classroom this morning with the pronouncement that it would be a really good idea if all the students would remember to ask for extra help and to take advantage of my availability. And to get into the habit of doing this now and in the future... It's a good thing.

This morning the Bridges Academy Director of Development, Ms. Ruby, cornered me for confirmation that I am, indeed, a singer... and would I be interested in participating in some of the musical programs for the holidays? You bet I would! It would be an honor and a privilege. I 'll keep you posted; more news as it happens.

I am studying this afternoon the material we will be using this weekend at the UMC Lay Speakers Training up in Las Cruces. Did I mention this in my last post? Did I also say that I am the worst procrastinator when it comes to homework? Well, as long as I am upstairs with the computer on, I'd best type up and print out my next two quizzes and then head back downstairs to read.

Patsy on Crazy PJs day at Bridges Academy

2007-11-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
The last week of October was designated as "Drug Awareness Week" and we (my current employer is a private school--Bridges Academy) celebrated it all week long. The concluding Friday was Crazy PJ Day. What fun!!!
Don't you just love "Happy Bunny"? It really IS "all about ME." He he he
Well, it's November. I never did get to carve my pumpkin. Just the same, I'm keeping it on my diningroom table to fulfill my Harvest Decoration requirement.
My Algebra students are doing well. Their homeroom has been split up to minimize the herd mentality (clique) that was beginning to interfere with all of our teaching. Each of the ninth graders has been reassigned to a new homeroom with a younger grade. The parents were reminded that their children were invited back for their ninth grade year as a special favor. (Normally, they would have graduated after eight grade). And that disrespectful and/or time-wasting behavior would not be tolerated. Today I changed the seating arrangement in my class; behavior was greatly improved. What a relief!

I am also keeping busy at church. Did you know that I've been singing with the Music Worship team? At the fewest we are a duet (myself and our music director, Vanessa); at most we are six voices and Vanessa at the keyboard. She and I are collaborating on song arrangements. My participation is to sing a harmonious alto part to fit with whatever delightful piano accompaniment Vanessa generates. Boy, getting to use my creativity has been satisfying.

Rick and I have been invited to join Vanessa and her husband (and his parents) for Thanksgiving this year. We both agree that more is better. Turkey For Two just doesn't cut it!

If you want economic and/or political opinions, may I direct you to Paul's blog. I just don't have the energy to enter into a debate herein. I'd get on a Rant and never get off!! But I can report that son, Dan, is fine. Still hanging out in Baltimore, Maryland. He's dating a new young lady.
We know very little about her other than she is a good cook and likes to travel and she and her family are from New Jersey. On the job front: Dan occasionally complains about the incredible lack of motivation among government contractors. It seems like he is hanging on to his high standards despite the challenges he encounters on a daily basis.

So, dear brother, I hope this chases away the "spiders in the blogbox" satisfactorily??? This was written on the fly, not composed and edited and inserted. Take it or leave it . I'll take more photographs, I promise.

Mrs. B's Algebra class & the New Shuffle

2007-10-04T18:57:00.000-06:00

Well, it's October. I bought a pumpkin. The only available space to put it was on the sideboard. The sad thing is that it is so nearly spherical, it looks like a basketball! I need to wait another week at least before I carve it; then it may look like it's "s'posed" to, eh?

The Algebra class is giving me "fits". They have serious trouble comprehending and remembering. And yet they (and their respective parents) are complaining that I'm going too slowly and I am asking them to "do stuff they've already had before". My response, with the support of other similarly challenged faculty, was that if they know the stuff so well, why am I not seeing it reflected in excellent homework and quizzes? If they want to go faster, fine; show me you can do what I've assigned, and we'll move forward! Now the onus is on them: if you don't remember how to do fractions, you really need to ask for help outside of class. And the first thing to do when beginning your homework is to re-read the chapter and read the directions preceding each group of excercises. Words to be carved on my tombstone. Sigh.

Last night I went to Wal-Mart. Last night I treated myself (ah! splurged!) to an iPod "Shuffle" music (MP3 type) player. It's wonderful! I can listen to music and I can also download books-on-tape/CD as well. It's very "cute" and about the size of a piece of Hershey's miniature chocolate. Mine is a lovely lime green. "oh, I'd like that blue one... no no no, I'd really rather have that green one, thank you!" the sales lady was very nice to me. So far I have two John Mayer CD's on it, plus Mike Stein's "Shabbat in Swing Time!", and a CD by Maroon 5. And I am importing four discs from Frank McCourt's book, "Teacher Man". Grandma Patsy has joined the twentyfirst century. What next?

Tomorrow there is no class, but the staff and faculty must show up to school for two "In Service" presentations. Oh yeah, we're also having a breakfast potluck, just to make it more tolerable. Okay! Homemade biscuits and sausages and two liters of orangeade/lemonade should do me for that.

Enjoy your weekend.

OH my, time to catch you all up with what's new!

2007-09-30T14:27:00.000-06:00

Hello and forgive me for abandoning the blog for so many weeks! It's unforgivable. But I can explain!

The last post said nothing had happened with regard to tutoring. This is still a true statement. But in the meantime, I was hired by the Church School part of St. Mark's Methodist Church as a teacher's aide in the Early Education area. That lasted a week, until the woman whom I was hired to replace came back. Suddenly I became superfluous. But to give her credit, the E.E. Director quickly moved me into training to become a substitute teacher. Fortunately, I've become a pretty flexible person (comes with "age"...).

However, while the changes were coming at me fast and furious, yet another opportunity presented itself! One of the codirectors of last summer's Reading Camp had been singing my praises to her "boss" at a private school for students with learning disabilities in El Paso. And the director called me since they (Bridges Academy) had an urgent need for someone, part-time, to take over their ninth grade algebra class. To make a long story short, this is where I am now! It seemed a better course for me to go--> part-time permanent at Bridges versus part-time "on call" as a substitute. And I must say I am happy with my decision. I work with a tremendously dedicated staff. They are friendly too!
I am really happy to have a routine again.

Now, you must be asking, "what does that have to do with the photograph posted above???" I'll get to that! My friend Vanessa (who is the accompanist for our small singing group at Church) invited me to attend any of the plays produced by El Paso's Shakespeare On The Rocks. She and I (and our husbands) have discovered that we share many of the same interests, which is creating lots of opportunities to get together. She and I went to see "The Tempest" last weekend. It was held out of doors in a fairly small, rock amphitheater on the south side of El Paso. She brought a basket of sandwiches, iced tea, biscotti, and fruit, and cookies so we had quite a nice picnic before and during the play.

"The Tempest" was done with little or no sets but magnificent costumes. The cast was a small group of very talented young people who are frequently seen around town in other dramatic productions. I am proud to tuck yet another Shakespeare play under my belt; it helps reduce the deficit that exists in my quest for nominal literacy. And I'm delighted to have a new buddy who will invite me and accept my invitations to do fun things!

So here it is another Sunday afternoon. The last day of September. Chores to do. Laundry, bill-paying, letter-writing, grocery-shopping, lesson plan writing, football game watching. We are looking foward to a happy October. In fact, this coming week will be a short one for me, work-wise, since we'll have Friday and the following Monday "off" for Fall Break. I might take myself to a movie matinee or something else indulgent.

Final Friday of July

2007-07-27T08:11:00.000-06:00

Hi all, and happy Friday,
Nothing yet has developed with the tutoring plans. In the meantime I am planning to join a local exercise club so I can get back in shape. The best recent news is that I am now a Great Auntie! My nephew Paul and his wife are the proud new parents of a baby boy: Brian Victor. Sigh. Weather report: cloudy with a slight possibility of showers later; nothing like the flooding in central Texas though. Chores to do today, and pay bills, and go to the bank etc. I told you-- nothing particularly new with that. Oh, I took myself to see the Disney/PIXAR studio movie "Ratatouille". It's very good and tons of fun to see. Update on Dan: he's fine!!

Summer Reading Camp 2007

2007-07-08T20:39:00.000-06:00

Well, the past month was loads of fun! And the good news is that I may have the opportunity to continue tutoring the young lady above in reading. We hit it off really well and her mother is hoping to continue, now that there is some momentum.

How could I not? I love to share my joy of reading. I have made many new friends through this volunteer effort at St. Marks's and perhaps some gainful employment opportunities may be generated? Time will tell.

Otherwise, it's July, which in El Paso means hot weather. However, since Amy declares that monsoon season has hit Tucson, it's can't be far behind for us! I wish I had some interesting news to write about. Unless you want me to expound upon the styles and methods of teaching first graders their short vowels (and the short vowel song too, don't you know!) then I'll just let you all know that we are fine for now.

I am happily catching up on numerous unfinished projects. Both Rick and I are looking forward to when the temperatures moderate (downward) so that we can resume our evening walks and other outdoor activities. Until then, or until something fascinating happens to me or near me.

June Update

2007-06-02T17:01:00.000-06:00

Hi all, it's June. And I don't have any new photos for ya'll this time around. Perhaps, next time. Most everyone has received the invitation to view my latest photo album after our trip into the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico, so I won't bore you further. News of the day is that I no longer work for ADC Telecommunications. I am presently in between assignments and will remain so until September. However, I have volunteered at our church to be a tutor in their summer reading camp. This begins on Monday and will continue for four weeks. Today, I managed to put on my swimsuit and I went swimming and sunbathing at the pool in our apartment complex. With any luck, I plan to repeat this activity several more times! Later this summer, at the end of August, Rick and I are scheduled to fly back to Spencer, Indiana, where we will be supervising the removal of the old roof and the installation of a new roof on our little bungalow home. Other than that, no big plans. Dan calls regularly to give us updates on his work and play out there in big bad Baltimore. He's working very hard and it seems to be satisfying according to his reports. He's also taking time to get out of the office. His last adventure was hiking in the Harper's Ferry National Park which is about one hour west of him on the border between Maryland and West Virginia along the headwaters of the Potomac. It's very nice to talk to him and to learn that he's enjoying himself.

Tiring of papercrafts, she returns to quilting...

2007-03-16T20:51:00.000-06:00

Another week has flown by. And the weather is unseasonably warm. Last weekend we went to see the recent Academy award winning German film "The Lives of Others". I highly recommend it!

I am working on a quilt for Paul and Christina. Since the baby isn't due until later this summer, I do have a small cushion of time. I like working with primary colors; they are appropriately stimulating!

What's in our "back yard"

2007-03-02T22:42:00.000-07:00

Overlooking the Rio Grande, the Franklin Mountains are the northern ramparts of the Paso del Norte (Pass of the North), leading from Mexico into what is now the United States. For thousands of years, native Americans, and for the last four centuries, soldiers, priests, traders, adventurers, gold-seekers, entrepreneurs, and just plain folk have passed through the gap in both directions in an endless procession of expansion, settlement, raiding, and conquest. Native American groups made the area home, using the plant and animal resources of the Franklins for more than 12,000 years, until their forced removal during the late 19th century. These people left their marks upon the rocks of the Franklins - colorful pictographs on boulders and in rock shelters and deep mortar pits (used to grind seeds) in rock outcrops near scattered water sources. Beginning in the 1580s, less than a century after Columbus, Spanish conquistadors and priests passed beneath the peaks of the Franklins on their mission to conquer and colonize the Puebloan villages in present-day New Mexico.

It may be Lincoln's Birthday to you...

2007-02-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

But, in point of fact, it is also Rick's and My 30th wedding anniversary today. You would think that I would have some deep, philosophical comments regarding same. But, hey, I don't! It's simply amazing to me that thirty years has elapsed. Fortunately, Rick is still the most intelligent and most interesting man I know. Doesn't hurt that he's "cute" too... And so now we are working on our second 30-year term.
My new job is going well. The weather is cooperating. And I've discovered that since I started work, I haven't had time to take many photographs. I need to work on that.

Saturday night's all right with me....

2007-02-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

I have just updated my blog with a new background etc etc and it seems the new format also allows me to add photos easily! Yay. Now I need to go to my photo archives and pull some recent ones to share.
This isn't a two-headed man, nor a two-headed husband! It's Jim being hilarious. It's one of his more endearing qualities too.
I've been messing with this blog for over an hour-- effectively squandering good writing time-- but this too shall pass. It's a nice Saturday night after a productive work week: week 3, in fact, in my new job.
This coming week we will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. Anyone I've shared this with has congratulated me and us but I am more shocked that thirty years has gone by rather than it's been spent with Rick. When we first met, I told myself, "here's a man I wouldn't mind being with for a long long time.." guess my judgement wasn't so bad after all!

New Job

2007-01-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

The latest news is that I have a new job! I've been hired by ADC Telecommunications located less than ten miles from here in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. ADC is "a world leader in providing global network infrastructure products (fiber optic cable etc.) and services that enable the profitable delivery of high-speed Internet, data, video, and voice services to consumers and businesses worldwide."

My first day on the job will be this coming Monday. My job title is, "Customer Contact Specialist". I have no idea what that really means but I'll let you know! I will be answering incoming calls from existing corporate customers: order taking and order tracking and presumably general problem resolution. Oh goody! If you are curious about the company, just go to their website at www.adc.com

Other news is that Daniel has enrolled in his first graduate level course. He called to tell me that he is almost officially a Grad Student. He sounds pretty psyched for it.

In the meantime, the nasty weather is heading our way. El Pasoans are braced for the worst and they surely are over-reacting. Just mention "near or below freezing temperatures" or "rain, sleet, freezing rain, or snow" and everyone seems to go into a major tailspin. We'll see. However, the total lack of bad weather driving skills among the majority of local drivers is legendary. The best advice is to stay off the road totally. They are predicting two to four inches of snow in the next twentyfour hours. Extraordinary for El Paso. Ho Hum for Midwesterners and New Englanders. But there you are.

Happy New Year to you too!

2007-01-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
January 7th. The N.E.Patriots just whomped the N.Y.Jets. Oh well. Next weekend is the match-up between the Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens. This creates a brand new family rivalry. We are ex-Colts fans and Dan now resides in Baltimore. Hmmm.
On the work front: I have revised my resume and I have an appointment tomorrow morning with the local Kelly Services representative to take a few screening tests and whatall.
We've had snow here in El Paso but nothing to compare with Denver. The locals are saying that it's colder than normal: highs in the 60's degrees and lows in the mid 20's degrees. Works for me. Below freezing keeps the mosquito and indigenous bug population at bay. Yeah.
CNN revealed that through a "signing statement" GW and his cronies (can't tell you who, it's classified)are now authorized to read your private first class mail without the benefit of a search warrant. Why oh why is no one disturbed by this??? How many more of our Constitutional Rights will be lost before anyone notices and starts to protest in a major way??
Oh a happier note: Senator Joe Biden has declared that he will be campaigning for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2008. Just to make it more interesting.
So much for my current opinions and random thoughts.
Let's hope 2007 is a GOOD year. Rah.

Getting ready for Thanksgiving

2006-11-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay, I confess: I forgot I even had a blog. Sorry! I was a little preoccupied with work and not play. And for all of that, effective November 10th, my (Kelly Services) contract employment at Cingular Wireless was abruptly terminated. The short version is that my initial supervisor left on materity leave and in the midst of the potential (now postponed) merger with AT&T, they hired a new supervisor and he and I did not see eye to eye. It was time for me to leave anyway and so I am not sad. I am liberated!

So, now I am catching up on some of the things I would have done back in March which include completely unpacking and organizing our home office space. Ah, boxes and files and paperwork. Plus, I do have numerous Christmas craft projects to complete.

We will be joining our Small Group friends, the Ruebusch's, for Thanksgiving dinner at their beautiful (adobe style hacienda) home in New Mexico. Looking forward to this! They've requested that I bring my apparently legendary homemade cranberry sauce and some vegetables of our choosing. Bottle of wine (fruit of the vine..) and we will enjoy a pleasant meal, I'm sure!

Then, ta da, it will be December. (Don't forget Dan's birthday on the 5th) and then we will be off to Utah for Jon and Amy's wedding. This will be yet another opportunity for a Rudnicki clan reunion. Even Dan will be in attendance from the eastern-most outpost in Baltimore. After which, we will be continuing on to Washington state to visit Tami and John and "The Grandkids". Hope I can find where I have stored my previous winter garments before we leave! Not much need for thermal underwear in West Texas.. he he.

Be well, and hopefully I'll blog again before year's end.

September

2006-09-10T16:25:00.000-06:00

Hi all, today is Ruth G. Rudnicki's birthday. Sing Hallelujah in her honor. Amen.

That being said, it's now September. The rain in El Paso has temporarily subsided.

News from Dan in Baltimore is that his girlfriend of many many years called him to break up with him. What's the worst thing for any Mother is feeling helpless to assist a) because it's not appropriate to intervene, b) because he's thousands of miles away, and c) because my advice is irrelevant. My ability to listen and sympathize was all I had to offer. He will survive. (And how WOULD Grandma Ruth have responded??) Fast forward a week--> he miraculously (his opinion) has three "first dates" with three different women this weekend. Unsolicited attention which will help to heal his wounded ego and rebuild his self-esteem.

Around here, Rick and I are participating with a small group from St. Mark's Methodist church as an offshoot from our Alpha Course. We continue to meet on Wednesday evenings to study out of The Purpose Driven Life book. We have been rotating between each of our homes and enjoying a great meal together before we tackle the assigned chapters. It's been simply fabulous "fellowship". What can I say?

Last weekend, Rick's daughter Tami and her husband John came to visit on their way home from a wedding in Missouri. We spent two days together and had a great visit.
If, and I say this with little confidence, the photo I just tried to add comes through, it will be three faces: Jake, Kaitlyn, and Austin. Tami and John's children and OUR grandchildren! Woo Whoo!

For lollygagging on new posts. I'm in 2nd place, Amy.

2006-08-19T18:57:00.000-06:00

Hi there everyone. As Jon said, there are only six people who read this. Amy hasn't posted since April 18th and I haven't since April 23rd. Ouch. Well, Jon, I won't be able to keep up with my brother Jim, but I'll give it a shot. Much has happened since April. Dan is in Baltimore. Dan has a cool apartment in Baltimore. Dan has a "new" car--> a fabulous 2005 Mazda RX-8 which he loves a lot. Rick is traveling to visit his mother and sister in California so I have the house and the computer to myself! Along with the chores and laundry and dirty dishes. And with all the flooding in and around El Paso, we have the requisite leak in the roof as well. My employment contract through Kelly Services has been extended until the end of the year. This will keep food on the table at the very least! Hope to go see "Snakes on a Plane" while Rick is away, and watch a ton of major league baseball on television too! Tomorrow: Kurt Schilling vs. Andy Messina. Gotta love that. Bye for now.

Hear the wind blow

2006-07-30T12:28:00.000-06:00

Hear the wind blow

photos

2006-04-23T11:04:00.000-06:00

Springtime in Texas and other random news

2006-04-23T10:13:00.000-06:00

Hi there, I am hoping that two photos will upload successfully. The first would be the signpost at the Dell City Junction filling station where we stopped to stretch our legs en route to Carlsbad Caverns in Carlsbad, New Mexico. The second would be me standing next to what the Carlsbadians call Lake Carlsbad, but which is really just a temporary flow restriction along the Pecos River. Yes, we were both West of AND east of the Pecos on that day! We visited the Carlsbad Caverns which takes you 800 (eight hundred) feet underground. Wow. Amazing cave formations in a huge huge cave; almost as large as the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (for those of you Los Angeles-ites). Other great news, since Murphy prevailed since my last blog: Dan is not going to Davis. He has, yes he has, accepted a generous offer of real employment at the Applied Physics Lab at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Huge congratulations to Dan! He has one week left for classes. One week for finals and then we all play "Freebird". And at his direction and choice, he is not participating in graduation ceremonies from Purdue but he and Erin will be flying out to visit us in El Paso in mid-May. M O M is delighted and already counting the days. Will take time off from my job, which by the way is still at Cingular and still wonderful. Be well all of you Blog-ites. If the photos don't upload, I will try again to maneuvre through this Byzantine system.

Oops forgot to share about Dan (again)

2006-03-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

Now, keep in mind it isn't "in ink" yet but we are almost sure that Dan will accept the offer: he's been accepted into Graduate School: The Department of Physics at the University of California at Davis (between San Francisco and Sacramento). How cool is that?

I've got Amy beat by two weeks

2006-03-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

Hi all, I do have Amy beat by two weeks maybe more. (Forgive me Father but it's been..) six weeks since I last blogged. he he he. The news of the week is that I have a job! Oh, okay, I did have a bit of help in securing said job. I applied at Kelly Services. Mind you, this in and of itself requires a snazzy resume and an interview and several skills tests. Then they sent me on an interview and I was selected (the lucky winner!). I started at Cingular Wireless' Transaction Processing Center in El Paso last Wednesday. Not retail but corporate. I'm one of dozens of temps hired here to help as they merge with AT&T. All of AT&T Wireless'accounts payables must be processed here and incorporated into Cingular's paradigm. And that's my job: I work the exceptions that get kicked out by the data entry drones for insufficient or inconsistent information on the invoice which prevents payment. And so I sit in a nice new building in a nice new cubicle and rejoice that I am not standing outside in the midst of 50mph winds and dust/sand storms. That being said, when the winds die down and Rick and I go for our evening walks, the sunsets are spectacular! Did I say that the people of El Paso are friendly. Yep. They are. We are happy campers. And I am happier now that I have a job to keep me from getting bored with cabin fever. Or would that be hacienda fever? And the paycheck never hurts.

Dan News

2006-02-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

Hi, back again. Two postings in a single morning? Woo whooo! Dan just returned from Baltimore, Maryland, and reports that he had a really really good job interview with the Applied Physics Lab at Johns Hopkins University. He won't hear back for two weeks though. It would be totally awesome if they offered him employment upon his graduation! Not the least of which reason is that then Mom and Dad's cashflow would be substantially improved! ha ha ha. When he becomes financially self-supporting, then we will have accomplished a major goal in our lives.

February, yeah, already!

2006-02-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hi all, I used to adjust the font and size of my blog postings. Now I am getting lazy. Sigh. All is well here in El Paso. I have made the promise (to myself and others) to get out with my digital camera and record the sights. We'll see. The State of the Union address was last night. Adequately delivered; beautifully written (I only wish the speechwriter got more credit for it..) and the Democratic response was excellent. 'Nuf said on that!! We have unpacked numerous boxes and seem to have made a recognizable dent in the seemingly overwhelming task of moving into our new apartment. Yes, we are in a nice little apartment. And contrary to conventional wisdom, it suits us fine and is just where we need to be for the time being. The pool and hottub/jacuzzi and the sauna are nice fringe benefits as well. And "no yard work" a big plus. Um, apologies for this flaky posting. My thoughts are scattered, but oh well. More coherent narrative in the near future. Hold that thought! I am just trying to keep up with Cactus Jim.. and he sets the bar pretty high. Ha ha, love to all. Patsy

And the fruits have it!!

2006-01-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year to all! We left (departed, abandoned, relocated from) Germany on Sunday, December 18th. We flew to Frankfurt, then to Chicago, then to Indianapolis. Lufthansa is fantastic when it comes to creature comforts in flight; however they lost one of our three pieces of luggage somewhere between arriving at O'Hare and catching the last leg (must have been United....) to home.
So we muddled around between Spencer and Kokomo for a few days to see friends and whatall. Then we drove back down to Spencer to spend Christmas with Daniel. We bought a dorky (no, really it was kinda cute) Christmas tree at Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve, decorated it up, cooked us a mess of WhateverDanielWanted food and celebrated a Bryant family holiday.
Dan returned home in a snowstorm and we packed up again to drive south to visit friends in Alabama. Then, after three days there, we packed up and took a road trip west to Texas. Let me tell you: Mississippi and Louisiana were far prettier than I expected. Central Texas, specifically Midland, Texas, is pretty desolate and God-forsaken, no matter what GW says. El Paso is BIG and BUSY. We are trying to settle in here. Hope to sign a lease at the Peartree Apartments (Go Fruit!!!); our new residence will be a unit on Bartlett Drive. Truth!! And, no promises, but I will try to update the blog sooner than later. Only other relevant news is that Dan got a perfect score on the Quantitative section of his GRE's. Go figure. Lol.

It's Daniel's Birthday!! and other news

2005-12-05T03:56:00.000-07:00

Photo in his honor. This spot is in Dellbruck. Dan thought it was funny: Food For Fun.

And, it was on this day, December 5th, twenty-two years ago, our son Daniel was born. And ya wonder why ya feel old? Duh.

Other news, um, we fixed the problem we had between our computer and our digital camera and Kodak Easy Share's upgraded software. So, for those of you who process visual better than verbal.. I will be adding new photos on the blog. Yeah.

With two weeks remaining in our assignment here in Germany, we are getting down to the wire quite literally. Last time to the city, last time to the market (well not yet), last few loads of laundry. Don't need to buy more dishwasher detergent or Musli cereal or eggs or butter.

As we were riding into Koln on the tram, Rick remarked, "I am going to miss riding on the train." And also, he queried, "How do you say 'good bye' to a City??" I know the feeling. Koln has been such a good friend and it will be hard to say, "good bye." I suppose "farewell" would be more appropriate since we hope Rick may end up being the Delphi ambassador to Germany for any problems here that require someone's physical attention (send me send me! he will say).

I am not looking forward to the knot in my stomach that I know I will have when we hand back the keys to our landlord and turn in the rental car and climb on the airplane headed for the USA. Unless you have lived overseas, you don't appreciate the differences; and, sad to say, not everything in the USA is "better". It's such a shame that we have been trained to think so. So, I am going to embrace diversity and I will try to encourage others to think both locally and globally. The trick is to weave the two together.

2005-11-18T04:41:00.000-07:00

Aha! THIS is Koln Karneval held at Heumarkt on November 11th every year.
And this is tranquility in the form of Bevertalsperre
(talsperre means reservoir)
Germany. Promise kept. Photos posted.
Will try to teach Amy how to do this..

To my A M A Z E M E N T

2005-11-18T04:35:00.000-07:00

The Blog god has mercy! Read this and then the next two postings. It seems that the first delicious one WAS published after all. I give up!!!

Frustration mounting

2005-11-18T04:23:00.000-07:00

Well, to cap it off, I composed a perfectly delicious rant about my frustration with our realtor in El Paso and then the Blog god replied that my post could not be published! something to do with specific html format missing-- things about which I am completely clueless.
Rats and Darn!!

Revert to watching television (Leslie Caron in the 1955 film version of the story of Cinderalla, entitled "The Glass Slipper") which was more fun.

And the sun is out, so how can one possibly remain pissed off! It's honestly a lot of work to keep the flames of rage burning. Lol.

My recommendation to all: do not try to buy a house from 5,000 miles away. I don't care what they say; the internet is good but not that good.
Still waiting for contracts to be e-mailed to us here for signatures. They will arrive one day; or they won't. We may get the house, or we may not. Who can say???

And my original quote from early this morning from a play written by William Congreve, entitled "The Mourning Bride" is:

Heav'n has no rage like love to hatred turn'd
Nor Hell a fury, like a woman scorn'd.

Correlative passage, also often misquoted, from the beginning of the play:
Music has charms to soothe a savage beast.

Strangle a realtor, go to jail

2005-11-18T01:03:00.000-07:00

The original quote went like this:

Heav'n has no rage like love to hatred turn'd
Nor Hell a fury, like a woman scorn'd.

Those who have been in communcation with me lately will understand the source of my frustration. (hint: it Isn't with Rick). I am trying to sublimate my feelings of complete helplessness by resorting to literature.

The previous descriptive selection is from the closing line of act III of William Congreve's The Mourning Bride, first produced in 1697.
The Mourning Bride is your usual king-orders-beheading-of-enemy-prince-upon-finding-he-is-secretly-married-to-king's-daughter-but-gets-it-himself-in-a-case-of-mistaken-identity-resulting-in-another-mistaken-identity-with-subsequent-suicide-by-poisoning-revolution-and-reunion-of-happy-lovers tragedy.

The first line of the play is another oft-misquote:
Music has charms to soothe a savage breast."

Perhaps I just need to invoke the first line of the play? However, I will wait until a bit later; our downstairs neighbor doesn't really need to hear Metallica this early in the morning, right?

I'll do the Metallica thing to vent, then put on the soundtrack of March of the Penguins to sooth. Probably could soak in a hot bubblebath too.
Whatever it takes. Claudia, oh Ms. Coldwell-Banker, please please please don't fail us here.

Did we do the right thing??

2005-11-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

I think we may have "bought a house". We just got an e-mail from our realtor and they haven't rejected our offer, nor countered it, and I am surprised. We've been bounced around a lot in the last three weeks. Now proceeding to the next items of concern: contracts, financing, inspections, and all the pitfalls of property-in-escrow. Say a prayer??

The movers come on Monday to pack up our meagre shipment (one "D-sized" container) leaving us only with what we can pack into four suitcases. And the stress level just went up a notch.

More later................

November 11 is St.Martin's Day

2005-11-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

Hi ya'll, it's actually November 12th now, but yesterday WDR (pronounced Vee Dee Are, lol) the television station that broadcasts from Cologne (Koln) Germany featured a live feed of Heumarkt Plaza, a place we are quite familiar with. There at Heumarkt was the St. Martin's Day celebration known (I think world wide) as Koln Karneval, in amazing Mardi gras style, and upwards of 50,000 people, nay, revelers (average age 50) all in very colorful costumes, all drinking bier, all singing in full voice along with the myriad bands playing in continuous succession all day long. http://www.carnaval.com/germany/
Go here to learn a bit more about it. So, all weekend the whole region generally parties up big time. Sigh. It wore me out just watching them on television!
Meantime, I was waiting for the representative from the moving company who was scheduled to come "survey" our household goods for shipment back to the U.S. of A.
Today, Rick and I went "out and about" to a regional reservoir just as a day outing. Perhaps I can download photos later and add them: Karneval and our day trip to Bevertalsperre and Huckeswagen.
Other opinions ? Other news? feeling a bit brain dead right now and none too creative. Better write again of a morning when I'm fresh (and full of myself, lol).
Amy and Aunts Sue and Nan know about the invitation Dan got. I won't divulge family secrets herein. Neener neener. Some things are private!!
Amy can tell Jon and Paul though. I just will refrain from publishing.
Tschuss!

Dave Matthews Live in NYC

2005-11-08T00:52:00.000-07:00

Hi, I just thought a music heading might get more reactions. Lol. But really, this was reported in the AOL headlines but for some reason I am unable to access the link. Verrrry annoying!

I know that one of the first stops I will make upon returning to the U.S.A. after Christmas will be to a CD/DVD store to buy new music and to buy DVD's of some of the American films we've missed during the past six months. Perhaps I may find one or more of these in my Christmas stocking??

Alles gut hier. We attended an excellent jazz concert last Sunday night. It was the finale performance of the week long Koln Dellbruck Jazz Meile Festival. The band was Woodhouse Jazz Band; not much on Google to learn about them other than they seem to be a core of guys with dynamic additions such as the Indonesian lead singer Dian Pratiwi. And Germans really like traditional American (big band) jazz music.

Also, we are attempting to buy a house in El Paso via the internet and our excellent realtor (and friends on the ground there). Given the eight hour time difference we are 33% out of sync and feeling the frustration levels rise.

To the hoards (as Jon put it) who a) know about and b) read my blog, rest assured that after a week now, I am over my cold and feeling tons better. Ready to take on the neighborhood. My brain (and heart and soul?) are on the tarmac heading for the states, and wondering why no one has updated THEIR blogs lately, and why no one has WRITTEN any comments in MINE? Also would LOVE some advice on how to attach neat items in the margins like JON has...

Tschuss!!!

I have a head-cold, can you relate?

2005-11-02T14:27:00.000-07:00

Well, all day today my nose has been running. The box of Kleenex goes with me where ever I go. Now I am "sneezing my socks off." It's pretty crummy. And the worst part is that I have NO Sudafed, NO Triaminic, NO Advil; I do have TWO tubes of Neosporin, not that this will provide much immediate relief. And I don't have the energy to WALK to the Apotheke and growl in my new baritone (sore throat) voice to a German pharmacist that... I just want some drugs!!!!! Rick is providing much-needed sympathy. This too will pass. Hope everyone else is having a better Hump Day...

Patsy and Rick's visit to Rome

2005-10-31T14:57:00.001-07:00

This is "the real thing". Here is just an example of what else is in The Vatican Museum besides the legendary ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Nevermind that we spent more time waiting in line for the Museum to open than we did IN the Museum! It was awesome.

View of just one of the ceilings also in the Vatican Museum, Rome

2005-10-31T14:57:00.000-07:00

Patsy at the U-Bahn (subway) station

2005-10-31T02:57:00.000-07:00

Good morning all! It's a pretty day here. Happy Halloween to all that are still "stateside". I am proud to have figured out how to post a photo here. And I plan to possibly rename this thing too. Any suggestions?
Huge congrats to Jon and Amy. We couldn't be more delighted at the news!!

Okay, I think I am getting the hang of this

2005-10-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hello, and this is all Jon Wheeler's fault! And Jim's. He sent me the link. And then I read Amy's blog and I got hooked. Now I must learn a whole new language because one can't publish dazzlingly creative narrative until one learns the format. Yuk. So there you have it. I am writing this in Germany but at some point we will return to the U.S.A. Bye for now!

This is my first posting

2005-10-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what I am doing... it's so confusing!!!