Monthly Archives: November 2009

>A Bad Day at School: Reality Show Edition

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>Assistant: Who was that guy who visited your classroom late in the afternoon?
Daisy: the Superintendent of Schools for our district.
Director (to photographer): I hope you got a good angle on him. He’s the big guy, the boss of the boss of the bosses.
Daisy: I hope you didn’t get the kid falling out of her chair while he was there on camera.
Assistant: That was funny! And the kids who kept giggling; didn’t get that this was an important guest.
Daisy: Funny? Hardly! He must think I’m a complete disaster; the kids were awful while he was here!
Director: We followed him next door. That class told him math is boring.
Daisy: Shakes head, hand on forehead. Is it Friday yet?

Back up, earlier in day.
Liaison officer: I need to talk to Johnny.
Daisy: Johnny, go with Officer Krumpke.
Director: Can we use that? He might be a juvenile offender. Those records would be sealed.
Daisy: No, no, no. He’s just a bully who needs a little, um, firm hand. One with a badge and handcuffs to impress the point.
Liaison officer (returning to room): We need someone who actually witnessed the incident.
Daisy (to class): That means someone who saw it happen, not someone who heard the rumors.
Officer Krumpke: Speaking of rumors, let me clear up a rumor that’s going around in your grade. I am not a school security guard; I’m a police officer.
Daisy (aside to Officer K, as they walk into the hallway, motions toward gun): That’s a heck of an arsenal for a security guard.
Officer K: (laughs out loud)

Back up, earlier in day
Daisy (quietly, turns microphone off): Carter, did you take your medicine at lunchtime?
Carter (bouncing on chair): What? What?! I didn’t do anything.
Daisy: I’ll give you a choice: show me which you choose. You can start reading here, quietly, or you can take some time to settle down in the office.
Carter: No way!
Daisy: Show me. You’re not in trouble; you just need to choose where you’re going to read.
(three minutes later)
Daisy (on phone to office): Carter’s on his way; he needs a little time to settle down before he comes back to class. He’s bringing his book and his reading log.
Assistant to director: Gee, all the other kids settled down now, too.
Daisy: It’s called removing the entertainment. Now back away with that camera and let me teach these kids to read!

Back up, shortly after sunrise
Assistant: Why do I have to ride in the mom-van with you and the photog?
Daisy: You drew the short straw. Oh, drat. Darn it!
Assistant: What happened? Did you forget your homework? Your lunch box? Ha-ha. Ha-ha.
Daisy: Worse. I forgot my coffee!!

Maybe that explains everything!

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>When green products have wasteful packaging

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>Eco gifts. Love ’em or hate ’em (and how could anyone truly hate a gift that helps keep our planet healthy?), they’re here to stay. Last year I gave reusable shopping bags, some simple, some fancy. This year, I’m still looking for the perfect inexpensive eco-gift for my extended family and friends.

Mother Nature Network has an unusual set of gift suggestions in their Quirky Gift Guide. I seriously like these bootie slippers, but they’re a little pricey for my gift budget. My favorite, however, is this wallet. If Amigo needed a new wallet, this cute bifold made from ties and suits would be perfect.

I’ve been thinking of giving anti-static dryer balls as a stocking stuffer. They’re inexpensive, long-lasting, useful, creative – all in all, a good gift for the family members who don’t need Random Stuff in their Stockings. But wait: look at this wasteful packaging! Much bigger than the product itself, plastic galore, impossible to open without scissors, yada yada yada. In other words, how could such a good product come in such a terrible package?!

I contemplated returning it. Really. In the balance, is it worthwhile? Thinking long term, these simple anti-static balls will keep a year’s worth of fabric softener chemicals out of the water supply, save $$ by removing the product from grocery lists, and help take good care of clothing in the process. That’s my dilemma: does the good outweigh the bad?

Readers, what do you think? How do you balance the eco-good with the eco-bad? The green with the greenwashing? The green and frugal product in the plastic package?

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>Are your holiday cards in the mail yet?

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Mine are not on the way. Mine sometimes even end up going out close to or even after Christmas. I confess.
I heard a Plurk friend exclaiming that she’d already received a card from an uber-organized Martha type. I guarantee it wasn’t me. In fact, I just cut up last year’s cards a week ago! With the help of a few fun craft scissors and a basket full of holiday and birthday cards, I can create gift tags and little decorative pieces for gift wrap. Some cards will yield not just one, but several cute tags.

Martha Stewart doesn’t live here. Nope. Never has, never will. But I’ll tell you this: I haven’t purchased gift tags since we were married 25 years ago. It’s too much fun (and green and frugal)to do it this way!

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>The Great Small Purse Drive

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Mocha Momma is who I want to be when I grow up. Oh, wait; she’s younger than I am. Oh, well, she’s wise beyond years and simultaneously young at heart. Did I mention generous? Creative? Resourceful?

She is a high school administrator in Springfield, IL, at a school with, well, lots of difficulties. Safety is a big concern, and with that in mind, students cannot carry backpacks around with them. Boys complained that girls were allowed to carry purses, and the policy was updated to limit purse size.

70% of the students in this high school live at or below the poverty rate. These girls can’t afford a second purse just to keep themselves together at school. Mocha Momma came up with a solution: the Great Small Purse Drive.

I’ve been reading Kelly’s blog for several years now, she’s read mine, and we’ve emailed back and forth. She’s a woman of integrity, with great taste in coffee and a great sense of what’s important in life. I trust she’ll get these purses into the hands of girls who need them.

Purses should be smaller than a standard 8.5 X 11 piece of copy paper. Send any donations to:

Kelly Wickham
P.O. Box 9465
Springfield, IL 62791
Let’s do it, readers. Pass the word and pass the purses. One big closet clean-up for you; one small purse for a young woman.

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>Prepping for Thanksgiving, the Reality Show

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>Assistant: What’s wrong with this coffee?
Daisy: I’m cleaning the coffeepots with a vinegar solution. Don’t drink it.

Director: Okay, I’ve sent him out for Starbucks. What’s next? How much can you really do ahead of time?
Daisy: Quite a bit, actually. Today is just cleaning. coffepots, roasting pan, extra crockpot, wine glasses. Tomorrow I’ll get out the tablecloths and napkins. Wednesday we’ll cook all the side dishes, and the only thing we’ll have left to cook on Thursday will be the bird.

Daisy: In fact, I even cleaned the oven. Slaved over it. Scrubbed, soaked, worked my fingers to the bone. Oh, the sacrifices I make to host Thanksgiving dinner at our house!


Assistant: I’m back! Who ordered the Pike Place blend? Hey, you folks got a lot done here? How’d you do it all in such a short time?
Daisy (in a stage whisper): I called in the Fairies.

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>Adventurous Thanksgiving Side: Arroz con Gandules

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>Disclaimer: We haven’t tried this yet!! I have no idea if this recipe will become a regular on our table or will be a complete flop. In fact, we’re searching for the right beans (gandules, also call pigeon peas and also called Jamiacan beans) as well as the spicy sauce, sofrito. At this time, Chuck is considering chickpeas or blackeyed peas as an option for the gandules and Tiger Sauce for the sofrito. Advice is welcome!

Arroz con Gandules

1 1/4 cups uncooked white rice (we can do this)
2 1/2 cup water (yes, accessible)
1 1/2 tablespoons sofrito (Chuck is planning Tiger Sauce instead)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 can Gandules Verdes (Jamaican beans)
1 cup cooked ham, diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, roasted and chopped (Chuck prepared these in advance on the grill)
1/4 cup green bell pepper, roasted and chopped (see above)
salt to taste

In a pot, mix oil, sofrito, ham, and peppers for 2 minutes over medium heat.
Add rice and water and mix well, then add gandules verdes and cook uncovered until water is absorbed (about 20 minutes).
Stir, cover pot, and simmer for another 25 minutes.

Well, bloggy friends, will this work? Does Iron Chef Chuck with the Cool Shoes have suitable sauce and beans? Or should I shun this dish in favor of the traditional mashed potatoes that I’m making for the more conservative types at the family table?

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>Breaking news: Teacher Cleans her Desk!

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>I told my friend the Reading Teacher that I planned to clean my desk. Really get it down to the desktop. She replied, “It really doesn’t look that bad, compared to some.” Well, “compared to some” was the key phrase. I wanted to be able to wipe down the entire surface to prevent further spread of – well, whatever might spread in an elementary classroom.

And when I got a little closer, it really did look that bad.

I attacked one pile after another. Filed. Corrected. Recorded. Returned. Sorted. Filed again. Recycled. But when I assessed the progress mid-day, it looked worse, not better.


But I was relentless. My gradebook got a workout. The kids’ mailboxes were full of completed work. My wastebasket was full, and the recycling bin rustled with papers I couldn’t reuse. Even (gasp) the pile to the left of the keyboard, the infamous Pile I Cannot Face, was organized into file fodder – er, file folders. And finally (drum roll):

The bell rang. And it was clean. And the poor little Girl Scout who came in after school with her fundraiser must have thought I was the nuttiest teacher ever, taking pictures of my desk!

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>The Fabled Fairies of Thanksgiving Reprise

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Originally posted in November of 2008 during the Thanksgiving preparation season,
reposted with very few changes
By the way, I haven’t found these fairies yet; have you? Send them my way when you do!
Thanksgiving Dinner? No problem! I’ll call in the fairies. They’ll do everything.
The laundry fairy washes, dries, and presses the table linens, including the cloth napkins. If she’s feeling generous, the sheets and towels might get folded, too.
The turkey fairy will practice her specialty and make sure the heirloom bird is cooked and carved just in time for dinner. White meat and dark, it’ll all be moist and savory and leave just enough leftovers for sandwiches and a turkey noodle soup. She’ll create gravy from the drippings and simmer the carcass remains to make stock.
The baker fairy will take care of pies, pumpkin and otherwise. He’s an expert on flaky crust, selected spices, and the perfect portion of whipped cream. Don’t let that Simple Simon guy get in the way; the kitchen’s too small for anyone who begs to taste the wares.
The brownie – the cunning little house elf – will clean the home thoroughly, put the leaf in the big table, and get the extra chairs out of the basement.
I wouldn’t dream of neglecting the wine fairy; the sommelier so tiny she only recommends, never lifts, a bottle. Her taste is impeccable. Now if we could stop her before she over-imbibes and falls asleep on top of the piano…
Did I mention the decorator faiy? She’ll fix the fireplace mantel with something tasteful and seasonal before she makes sure the couch and rocker are properly arranged for the annual holiday gladiator jousts known as NFL football.
The ambiance fairy keeps the wood fire crackling in the fireplace, the aromas wafting deliciously through the home, and the family discussion topics neutral.
The kitchen fairies; really, there must be a whole crew of these talented sprites. One to do the shopping early and avoid the crowds, another to make sure the cranberries are perfect (and Wisconsin-grown, of course), and a magical maestro with the potato masher. Then we’ll need a feisty fairy, one with attitude – yes, you, Tinkerbell, you can make the coffees.
Mom, you can send the fairies over to my house now that we’re the designated hosts on Thanksgiving Day. Let them know I”ll have their room ready and their favorite cookies baked. If they arrive on Sunday there should be enough time to get everything done.
Wait…what do you mean…they’re not real??!!?

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>50 Ways to Love your Larder

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>Never Waste Food Again – 50 Ways, 50 pieces of advice. I found this post through a link on Eco-Women.

I do fairly well on this list. Vegetables are fairly easy. Between bunnies and soups, we rarely waste a veggie.
Fruits? We’re doing a decent job on that list, too. Orange peels get composted, apple butter is delicious, and Chuck has been pulling the raspberries from last summer’s market out of the freezer to top his ice cream.
Grains – I use leftover pasta and rice in casseroles, soups, and other leftover concoctions. Bread is a little harder. I like toast and sandwiches, but Amigo and Chuck usually pass on the PBJs in favor of some other sort of lunch fare. Making our own croutons and setting aside bread crumbs is something we haven’t tried yet. Maybe we will – or maybe we won’t. I’m not a big eater of croutons; La Petite enjoys them, however.
Making the Most of Meat: I started making soup stock from meat bones a few years ago, and wondered what took me so long to discover the process. It’s so easy, it tastes so much better than broth from the jar of granules, and it is nearly no-cost.
Herbs – we moved the herb pot inside, so we’re still working on it. The basil died, the rosemary is struggling, but the oregano is stretching toward the windows in search of the elusive winter sun. If I have more success with herbs next year, maybe we’ll freeze or dry some.

In conclusion, my fellow green-folk and family, we live in the land of plenty. Let’s make sure that less of that plenty goes to waste.

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