ON AGING

My 85 year-old mother [AMD] is shrinking. She's the height of an ewok. She suffers from mania, a form of depression she developed to cope with my dad's death one year ago.  I visited her last week and witnessed her episodic sixteen hour days. As the most spirited member of the Council on Aging in her hometown, she engages in espionage, intrigue, and clandestine operations to achieve her daily goals, especially for her favorite activity, dancing.

For example, the weekly early morning  dance held each week at the senior center is suffering from low attendance and poor financing. I suspect the lack of attendance may be attributed to the demise of aged participants. All attendees must fork over $5.00 to pay for the band. Low attendance equals no music. To increase attendance, AMD telephones reminders to elderly friends, kidnaps somewhat mobile victims from the assisted living home, and chases down forlorn widowers who roam the streets. To those who do not wish to attend, she says, "I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes." Satisfied with her group of deathbed renegades, she dons festive clothing and elegantly bodacious jewelry and even creates costumes for weekly contests. Thus far, she has won "Most Original," "Most Creative," "Best Dressed," and "Most Spirited."

But during my visit, she was named Queen! What I thought was a cute title blossomed into events tantamount to the Emmys. While I attended to other family activities, AMD conned my sister into helping her dress in a white beaded gown so she could participate, uninvited, in the formal evening Sugar Queen Festival presentation of Queens [18-22 years old] representing parishes of Louisiana, and the selection and coronation of Queen Sugar. She manuevered her way backstage and sweet-talked the director of the event. Following the presentation of junior queens, AMD, twirling her jeweled cane, sashayed up to the microphone and said, "I, AMD, from Loreauville, am proud to represent the Council on Aging, in the 2009 LA Sugar Cane Festival." My sister said that the audience went crazy, clapping and cheering, and professional photographers' flashbulbs sounded like the paparazzi.

And there's more. I planned to accompany AMD to mass in our town, but she requested that we attend the Queen's mass in New Iberia. I escorted her to a pew in church; [she insisted on sitting in the row behind all of the 30 parish queens], then I waited in front of church to witness the arrival of the royal entourage. Suddenly, I witnessed twenty policemen on motorcycles, speeding down the street in two flanks, sirens screaming. Frozen with fear, I swallowed a valium and tried to think how quickly I could evacuate AMD from the impending disaster. Then, the queen's entourage arrived behind their police escort. Thirty young women, greeted by Festival dignitaries, filed into the church. Joining AMD in the pew, I was aghast at the size and ingenuity of those crowns!  Each massive crown boasted the insignia of the parish festival: Catfish, Strawberry, Frog, Crawfish, Yam, Duck, etc. I decided this was a fitting end to a grand weekend.

Not so . . . . AMD informed me that at 2:00 she would ride in a convertible in the Queen's Parade. I was mortified! Eighty degrees, muggy weather, a two hour ride, thousands of spectators. That would defy reason. I stood my ground. I said, "In the interest of your health, you cannot particpate." I may as well have tried to stop an incoming trident missle with my bare hands. Before I could scream,
"Vous etes fou!" I was helping her into a turquoise beaded gown, a foot high crown, and a good set of Depends. I drove her to Torrido Village, greeted the driver, gave him my cell number, taped a turquoise boa to the convertible, set two cups of crushed ice, her sceptre, and an umbrella on the seat next to her, and prayed for divine intervention. AMD returned two hours later, weary, but held up, as she said, "by the accolades of the masses." What a woman.

[Picture of AMD, at 20, wearing hula skirt, posing on the banks of the Bayou Teche c. 1944.] Her words during my adolescence still ring in my ear, "Remember to dress as a model of the Blessed Virgin Mary," which possibly explains my eccentric, Bohemian wardrobe.

JAMBALAYA IN A JIFFY

Pronounced: jum-buh-lye-uh

INGREDIENTS: Frozen chicken tenderloins [8], 1 pkg Eckrich Smoked Beef Sausage, large yellow onion, large green bell pepper, green onion tops,8 fresh garlic pods, 2 stalks celery, Italian parsley, 2 boxes Zatarain's Low Sodium  Jambalaya Mix, 2 tablespoons light olive or canola oil, Tony Chachere seasoning

PREPARATION: Sprinkle Tony Chachere seasoning lightly on both sides of chicken. Spray two baking sheet pans with cooking spray. Place desired amount of  seasoned chicken on one pan. Cut sausage lengthwise into four long pieces, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Place cut-up sausage on other baking sheet. Bake both at 350 degrees until cooked.
While chicken and sausage cook, chop onion, green pepper, celery, peeled garlic and saute in saucepan  coated with oil, on medium heat, until vegetables are soft. Add 1/4 cup water if vegetables stick to pan. Simmer until liquid is absorbed.
Remove meat from oven. Use colander to drain liquid from sausage. Keep liquid from chicken to use with rice mixture. When chicken cools, cut into bite-sized pieces.
Follow directions on Jambalaya package: [2 1/2 cups water for each pkg]. Pour reserved liquid from cooked chicken and water to measure 5 cups of liquid. Pour into dutch oven or deep, heavy pot. Boil water, then add both pkgs of Jambalaya mix to water. Stir well until seasonings dissolve. Add cooked chicken and sausage. Cover with lid and return to boil. Adjust heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. DO NOT REMOVE LID WHILE COOKING. When mixture is cooked, gently fold in 1/2 cup chopped green onions and 1/2 cup chopped parsley without stems. Do not stir as rice will get mushy. Turn off heat as hot mixture will wilt parsley and green onions.

Zatarain's Jambalaya package is highly seasoned. I have no idea how many grams of anything are in this recipe. Everything in this recipe is approximate. Use your judgement. I seldom measure anything. If you're hungry, double recipe. One Jambalaya box will serve two non-Cajun persons. This recipe probably serves 6-8. Lordy, pajordy, I am not Julia Child! Great dish for large parties. Comments welcome.

La Grâce du Ciel

La Grâce du Ciel
The legacy of the Acadians is captured in this CD .
Songs of inspiration sung in French in four-part harmony by four Louisiana women reflect the cultural heritage of the complex gumbo of my native state.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56LNciQaabw

JAZZERCISE

WORK THOSE GLUTS! HUP! HUP! HUP!

Judi Sheppard Missett started Jazzercise in 1969. Each sixty-minute workout blends dance and muscle toning movements choreographed to today's popular music including top 40, jazz, country, funk, and classics. Every class includes a warm up, thirty
minute aerobic workout, muscle toning and strengthening segments with weights, and a stretch at the end of the class. Participants may choose to do low or high impact movements. New routines are implemented every six weeks. Present set includes music by Rhiana, Beyonce, Petula Clark, Elvis Costello, Shakira, and country western artists.

I began Jazzercising in 1990 with Jann Wynn. Her Jazzercise Center on Blackwell Road boasts a professional, energetic, enthusiastic staff.  Jann inspires and challenges students to attend class regularly and to rev up their stamina. On holidays she wears creative costumes and creates opportunities for students to participate in special events such as bellydancing.  Dancers share a camaraderie that has evolved into friendships, outings, and participation in community activities. She schedules many daily classes at convenient times.

Check out Gail's new Jazzercise center on Highway 92 and Sandy Plains Road [behind McDonald's]. Fantastic facility, energized, friendly, and professional instructors, new equipment, great class times. Gail and her instructors will guide you during workouts and maximize that hour so much so that the hour long class is over before you realize. Very accessible and convenient location. You'll love the friendly Jazzers at this center.

Jazzed at the new Jazzercise in Cumming last Saturday. Nice facility just off  400 Exit 13. So convenient to Lake Lanier crowd. Kristie's class was a fabulous workout!

Check out this Jazzercise video.

http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=1351135221&share_id=134998669197&post_id=134998669197&fragment=share_footer134998669197&comments_=&share_footer134998669197=#/video/video.php?v=151368063972

SHOPPING

SHOP ON A DIME--LOOK LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS!

My husband worked in retail as the top manager of a popular mall department store for twenty years. When I discovered the tremendous markup on clothing and jewelry, I realized that sales meant little. Parking at the mall stumped me. Often in a rush to get to merchandise, I neglected to note the store entrance I used or where I parked my car. Then I realized the convenience of the mall parking security men. Not knowing their exact job description, I assumed they were modern-day knights rescuing damsels in distress. The vehicles were open, comfortable, and pokey, so I felt safe being driven down each of the parking lanes to find my car. On one occasion, we circled the parking lot for an hour looking for my car; then I realized that I had driven my husband's car. Oh, my. Life is taxing.

SERENDIPITY! Joseph Campbell, in his Follow Your Bliss lectures, was probably not thinking about shopping when he discussed the origin and meaning of this word. Making valuable discoveries by accident . . .

But I digress.

I shop at malls during the holidays, but other times during the year, I frequent boutiques, and some of my favorite outre du prix stores, T.J. Maxx, Marshall's, Ross, Bubba's Boutique, and Burlington Coat Factory.  Retailers should pay me for this information. I seldom plan shopping excursions. I conduct shopbys. If I have a doctor's appointment, I will be near the clean, new

Burlington Coat Factory near Town Center Mall. Some fantastic finds this year: a sateen wine knee length Hilary Radley lined coat marked down to $60, Gloria Vandrbilt stretch Classic Fit jeans $5.99, and popular designer shoes under $20. Scarves and wraps are a steal. A black wrap featured in Spiegel for $59 was priced $19.99. Clearanced coats are mixed in with regular priced coats. Search for color close to your size. Size often doesn't matter in discount stores as labels may be incorrect. Classic  or flashy fashion-forward Gallery jackets are priced from $20-$40. Angel perfume -$68; $100+ at Nordstrom. T.J. Maxx and Marshall's are owned by the same conglomerate, so check sister stores if you cannot find your size.

T.J. Maxx lucky finds: lightweight silver Vertigo [Paris] lined, belted knee length coat with store tags, $300 clearanced to $30! T. J. Maxx clearances great jewelry including designer pieces priced in the hundreds. Popular coin jewelry featured at unbelieveable price.

Value City has closed locations, except for the one on Buford Highway?? Last holiday season Waterford stemware [in every size], priced at $25 a stem, sold out on a Sunday morning in two hours. I noticed the ad in the Sunday morning paper. Be vigilant.

Bubba's Boutique, mostly accessories, in Roswell, clearances items up to 70%. Fabulous scarves for $4.

And Ross. The Destin store is fabulous. In July, popular label ankle-length summer dresses were clearanced $10.99- $14.99. If you need kitchen items, check out Ross. Fleur de Lis topped heavy glass canisters in every size, wine, red, and clear glass were priced $5.99 each. I noticed the same canisters, priced at $29.99 each, in a pricy catalogue.  I sped to two other Ross stores, and in two hours, found nine clear canisters. I gifted a few to my daughter. At these prices, it's worth a trip to sister stores to  find companion pieces.

SUNSET AT THE NORTH POLE

Notice the sun below the moon.

GRAMMAR GIRL

. . . a giraffe, an elephant

• Articles can be confusing. A, an, and the are articles.
• An article is an adjective that modifies a noun.
• The is a definite article; a, an are indefinite articles.

Use the to refer to specific nouns. Remember, it's a definite article.
I ran the marathon  [refers to a specific marathon].
I ran a marathon [refers to any marathon.].

Indefinite adjectives a, an refer to any member of a group.
My son wants a car for Christmas. {What car? We don't know yet.]
I saw an emu at the zoo. [Many emus live at the zoo. Which one did you see?]

Observe the sound that begins the noun.
Use a before a singular noun beginning with a consonant: a truck, a girl, a doctor
Use an before a singular noun beginning with a vowel (a,e,i,o,u): an igloo, an average, an opera

•  Y is weird: it is a consonant when it comes at the beginning of a word [yuh sound as in yummy],
• a vowel when it comes anywhere else but the beginning of a word [sandy. . ..long e; dye  . . . long i;  gym . . . short i
• a vowel suffix: ice/icy; flash/flashy; skin/skinny.
• THEN, if y ends a word: baby/babies

An historical event [ h is pronounced]; however, a historical event has become acceptable.
Check out NOUNS on SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2iLAI0gUW0

WISDOM

While I do not propose to be an authority on anything or everything, having experienced life through five generations [great grandmother to grandchildren], I claim wisdom.


In my forty year education career, I implemented  a plethora of educational trends: Back to Basics, Open Classroom, Brain Research, Collaboration,  Cooperative Learning, Critical Thinking, Character Education, Inclusion, Standards Movement, Digital Learning, and more. Here are some of my stories.


Education trends drifed slowly through the clouds from West to East. From California the seventies produced the Open Classroom wave in education.

I taught in a high school fashioned on the Open Classroom design. Three teachers taught different subjects in one huge, circular classroom separated by tall, portable chalkboards. I taught English grammar, Mrs, L taught history, and Ms. O taught drama. On the day I taught students to conjugate verbs [lie,lay, lain], we overheard  the drama teacher command her students,"Lie on  the floor and breathe." A teachable moment, I thought! She didn't say "lay on the floor." My students' eyes, big as saucers, understood her to say, "Lie on the floor and breed." One brave English student asked, "Where do we sign up for that class?" Thus began my belief that educators should question the policy makers. "Why don't they pass a constitutional amendment phohibiting anybody from learning anything? If it works as well as prohibition did, in five years, Americans will be the smartest people on earth." Will Rogers

Conflict resolution I learned during my happy forty-one year marriage, I did not heed my mother's advice, "Never go to bed angry." I preferred to stay up and argue. Good marriages are based on trust, patience, and understanding; all these thrive with healthy communication. "In olden times, sacrifices were made at the altar, a practice that still continues." Helen Rowland


Parenting is frightening. Teetering on a seesaw, I  balanced a career, husband, two children, more university degrees, and a household. Not uncommon for women of my generation. In neighborhood coffee klatches, I cringed when I heard stay-at-home moms recite exact day and time their children lost that first tooth or take a first step. What to do? I recorded these magnificent moments in baby books, but I didn't exactly carry these around with me every day. I insisted on family meals every night, used every snippet of available time to talk with my children, read their diaries, and checked out their assurances about spending quality time with friends. Lack of trust? Differ if you must, but call it a mother's love. As adults with their own children, they now understand. "Children are a great comfort in old age. They help you reach it faster, too." Lionel kauffman


Fashion, my Catholic mother insisted, meant that women should dress modeled on the Blessed Virgin Mary. Although I understand her statement was a metaphor for modesty, my fashion sense leans toward the eccentric bohemian. Fashion is fun. Mixing and matching, accessorizing, understanding body image, loving yourself inside and out can be accomplished with the right attitude. Remember that most magazine models are photo shopped. "Think highly of yourself because the world takes you at your own estimate." Author unknown.

SEE,SEEN

If I could rid the speaking public of the verb construction I SEEN, I would . . . quickly and severely.

Verb Tenses: PRESENT:  I see the aardvark. PAST: I saw the aardvark. Past Perfect: I had seen the aardvark.
Such a simple rule! Seen must have a helping verb.
______________________________________________________

I scream and gnash my teeth when I hear news commentators say, "I feel badly."

 Bad is an adjective. Badly is an adverb [words ending in ly  with/ a few exceptions].

• I is the subject of the sentence.
• Feel is a linking verb. [Remember the linking verbs:is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been, seem,appear, feel, grow?]
• Adjectives follow linking verbs, Feel is a linking verb. Bad is an adjective. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxBadly is an adverb.
• Therefore, the correct construction is "I feel bad."

SHOPPING

I have been accused of being a shopaholic. I take offense with that moniker. I visit stores often to peruse, calculate, and coordinate. I  often walk out of stores empty-handed because I did not find significant buys.

• I visit my favorite stores several times per week for a quick SHOPBY to scan the inventory.
• When I shop for clothing, first, I scan the store for sale and clearance signs.
• Then I walk quickly through each of the aisles focusing on specific colors in my size. I have color-organized closets, so I drift to colors I need to match my clothing inventory.
• This season, my color is shades of purple. In early summer I found a purple Vera Wang knee length, elbow length sleeved, royal purple sateen lined coat, regularly priced $150 on sale for $40 at Kohl's. That coat began the color family for this season.
•  Newport News has a low cowl neck, batwing sleeves, hip length royal purple sweater for $49. It hides tummy and hip flaws.
• Every time I shop at any store selling women's clothing or jewelry, I focus on the color purple [thanks, Oprah]
• T.J.Maxx has fantastic purple Italian leather bags at a steal.
• I bought makeup at Belk over the weekend and noticed sale signs on a popular designer's jewelry--all purple. It's only 30% off, so I'm waiting for a coupon or another markdown.
• If I find a really good sale price on an item not my size, I ask the store to check inventory at other sites. Most stores have technology to do that. Last year I arranged to have a bronze leather jacket marked down 60% shipped from a sister store in FL because the Atlanta store did not have my size in stock. Shipping:$10.
• According to SMART MONEY, the best time to buy clothing is on Thursday evenings, six to eight weeks after an item arrives in the store. On the weekend, you get picked-over stuff, because clerks don't have time to re-stock quickly.

Check BLOG IT TO ME: THE SHOP IT TO ME BLOG. 
http://blog.shopittome.com/2008/05/08/best-days-for-the-best-deals-on-clothing/

Very specific charts outlining what days of week to shop for specific clothing. Even tells you what day to buy specific brands!

PEOPLE BEHAVING BADLY

As a card-carrying AARP member, I grew up in a generation where good manners were the norm and euphemisms expected. A woman was "with child" and heaven forbid you used the word hooters to describe female anatomy! We wore hats, gloves, and stockings to church and modeled our voices in Jacqueline Kennedy's hushed tones. This week we witnessed Joe Wilson's interruption of President Obama's speech, Serena Williams verbally accosting a line judge, and Kanye West stealing Taylor Swift's incredible moment at the VMA Awards.

My elementary,junior high, and high school report cards listed DEPORTMENT as a criteria for proper classroom behavior. Although my academic graces were stellar, my chatty disposition earned me a NI [needs improvement] one six weeks; therefore, I was excluded from some of my favorite activities for weeks. As a member of many school organizations, I remember manners being part of the "hidden curriculum" in school. Respect for others, tone of voice, appropriate greetings to elders/adults, and fair play were attitudes we learned and used in our daily lives. That "Conduct" element on report cards just does not seem to be as important a factor today as compared with earlier generations.

Britain is so concerned with the lack of civility that a report funded by philanthropists called Civility Lost and Found explores the lack of civility in British society and addresses the definition of civility and reports what schools, business, and communities can do to promote civility.

Manners is a word parents often use to teach children respect and proper conduct or behavior and politeness. Family mealtime is important to teach children proper table manners, but if you're taxed for time . . .
-
BLUNDERS   children's game teaching manners
https://glammatoys.com/item/36825//

MANNERS quiz

http://www.mydailymoment.com/app/quiz/userquiz/takequiz/237?utm_source=DHTMLgoogle-goodmanners&utm_medium=good-manners-8&utm_term=proper&utm_content=quiz&utm_campaign=MULTIgood-manners-8

JUDAISM

The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels (Hinges of History) (Paperback)  Thomas Cahill



Thomas Cahill's historical texts blend humor, history, and magnificent storytelling. This text discusses the beginning of monotheism with narrative accounts of historical figures. Easy-to-read and informative. Take a tour through thre Bible. Look at faith from a historical perspective. Moving account of the Abraham and Isaac story. The Jews taught us compassion,which Karen Armstrong notes as the theme encompassed in the major religions. Their legacy of respect for the individual is clear. I found myself reading and rereading because I wanted to remember how much of our lives have been shaped by Judaism.

THE BOOK OF REVELATION

As an acadenic experience, on Saturday I attended Jeff Cavin's six-hour seminar outlining THE BOOK OF REVELATION from the New Testament. I taught textbook excerpts from Old and New Testament in my World Literature classes for many years, but not the Book of Revelation.

My observation is that practicing Catholics tend to blend church tradition and Bible readings and are generally not known as well as their Protestant counterparts for daily Bible readings. Fascinating as "the end times" literature has been in recent years [LEFT BEHIND series], this first century testimony supposedly authored by John of Patmos, contains rich symbolism, allegory, and metaphor detailing a cosmic battle between good and evil. A literal reading would be not be advisable.  I was fascinated to learn of the cyclical pattern of writing and of the many references to Old Testament readings in this text. A Catholic reader might observe in a very simplistic way that the major message in the Book of Revelation is the Covenant motif and God's love for man.

My Life on the Rock: A Rebel Returns to the Catholic Faith
http://www.amazon.com/My-Life-Rock-Returns-Catholic/dp/0965922839/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252969788&sr=1-3

Jeff Cavin's book about his conversion to Catholicism

DINNER WITH JULIA

JULIA AND JULIE
The Art of French Cooking
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+art+of+french+cooking

Julia and Julie is not a chick flick. At an after movie dinner, my friends and I discussed our surprise that while cooking was certainly a theme, marriage relationships, the influence of the McCarthy era, family, gender equity, humor and perseverance led to much spontaneous discussion. Nora Ephron, on "The View," related that her script was based on the many letters that Julia and her friends had written to each other over the many years that Julia and her husband, a U.S, diplomat, lived abroad. I purchased a used but like-new copy of THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING, Vol. 1, at Amazon. In the fall, we, using recipes from the cookbook, plan to host a Julia child formal dinner for four couples.