Author Archives: Daisy

It’s all political.

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Last month, my school district sent a referendum to its voters. The voters responded by saying, “Yes! We’re willing to pay in a little bit more to support our schools.” I did my part by posting a sign.

A campaign sign is a visible, tangible symbol of support. Mine was more tangible than visible because we were hit with (yet another) snowstorm just before the election.

Really. There's a sign here.

Really. There’s a sign here.

When the snow melts enough, I’ll pull it out and reuse the stand somewhere in the garden. Reusing and repurposing political signs is just another way to make a statement: the statement that my convictions last beyond election day.

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It’s March, and it’s Madness.

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My March Madness doesn’t revolve around a basketball.tournament.

The only brackets in my March Madness are those that hold up shelves.

On the outside, my March Madness looks like this.

Snow on snow on snow.

Snow on snow on snow.

Indoors, I decided to fight the Madness with this.

Planting time!

Planting time!

I planted seeds for pepper plants. There’s something about the smell of dirt that helps release the madness of March. There’s a sweet satisfaction in filling a bucket with snow (see it, on the right?) just to let it melt, and then watering seeds with it. The rain barrels are still upside down and snow-covered, but I CAN and I WILL find ways to be green.

The deck may be snowy, but spring is on the way.

 

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Week Six, and back to work!

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Timing is everything, isn’t it? I planned my surgery for the last week in January to avoid the Super Bowl (wishful thinking on the part of this Packer fan) and to finish my first semester report cards before letting a long term sub take over, along with the reasoning of Get This Over With Now because I’m So Done With These Symptoms Already!

I managed to be in the hospital overnight during one of the coldest, most frigid stretches of the winter. In this case, I was lucky. I had as many blankets as I wanted, decent heat, a view (6th floor room!), and oatmeal for breakfast.  Unrelated as those might seem, all are important when the air outside is so crystal clear that boiling water tossed out a window will freeze in mid-air.

The real advantage of having surgery as the polar vortex arrived was the aspect of sick leave. My six weeks of medical leave landed me on a couch with blankets and fresh coffee while my dear darling coworkers were wrapped in sweaters, thick tights, blankets, and fingerless gloves just to survive the drafts that kept sneaking into the office environment. They sent me nice emails saying things like, “Stay home and stay warm!” “You planned this perfectly!” and “Don’t even consider coming back early!”

So I didn’t. Even though it crossed my mind during weeks Four and Five, I held onto my patience and stuck it out. Now it’s Week Six, the End of the Rest and Recovery Period, and I’m ready to go back and retake my cubicle.

I have questions, though. As usual, I have questions.

  • Are they still making coffee in the closet? Or do I need to bring my own?
  • Is my blanket still tucked in the cupboard with the science and social studies teachers’ manuals? Will I need it?
  • Should I take the stairs or ease into it by taking the elevator for a few days?
  • Will anyone bring donuts? Or bagels? To welcome me back, or maybe just because? Or will they expect me to bake something to celebrate my own return?
  • Do I already have enough lessons planned? I know I sketched out the semester’s units in January. Am I ready for Monday, or should I spend some of Friday looking over my calendar and files?
  • It’ll be mid March when I return. Will I need my fingerless gloves?

Readers, do you have advice for me?

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As Seen on TV

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“Chuck” saw a feature on a dairy product the other day and asked me to do some online research. He’d heard about Kefir Milk, a probiotic type drink. Now, knowing my interest in all things organic and delicious, you might be wondering, “Daisy, how is it that you live and blog in the great dairy state of Wisconsin and you’ve never had kefir?” Gulp. Sheepishly, I admit it’s true.

So anyway, we did some research, including looking up local stores that sell it. Chuck bought a quart of blueberry flavored kefir last weekend. Then he said to me, “Which one of us will be the first to try it?” This didn’t make sense. He’d heard about the product. He’d asked me to do the research. He’d bought the first carton of kefir. What was he waiting for?

I gave in first. I had a small glass of kefir with my chef salad for lunch today. I sent Chuck an email saying so, and I included this small review.

I tried the Kefir. It’s kind of thick, and the texture is unusual, but it was good. I had a small glass with lunch. I might like this better over cereal instead of as a meal beverage. It’s like drinking yogurt, kind of.

We are a household of touchy tummies here at the O.K. Chorale, so kefir might be a good addition to our diets.

What would a TV post be without a few closed captioning blunders? These two follow a theme, sort of, unintentionally.

The captioner typed, “bizarre Nicholas III.” No judgments on the bizarreness of his reign or his personality was intended, I’m sure. The reporter really said “by Czar Nicholas III.” Okay, then. They were discussing the Trans-Siberian Railroad at the time.

Amigo and I enjoy relaxing with MeTV in the afternoons. We tune in for Dragnet, Adam 12, and a favorite from my teen years, Emergency! I think Amigo has figured out that I had a crush on paramedic Johnny Gage back when the show was new. Shh. 

Sound effects are usually noted in brackets – not to be confused with the Dr. Brackett character in the ER at Rampart Hospital – like this: [Sirens] The closed caption still had her mind in Russia, I fear. The text on the screen read [Siberians]. That’s a mighty long trip for Squad 51 from Los Angeles.

Ah, television. It entertains, but not always intentionally.

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The New MomVan and Tummy Aches

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It seems like yesterday that Chuck was complaining of a stomach ache, refusing to take fiber, and then talking trash about my minivan. Remember this exchange?

“Here, dear, I found a jar of Metamucil for you.”
“I’m not ready.”
“Not ready?”
“I like my Saturn. I don’t want to drive a Buick yet.”
“I took it years ago when I was pregnant with Amigo.”
“And look what you drive now!”

My minivan — he’d dissed my minivan! The minivan that took us on more than a few vacations, moved La Petite to and from college, brings big batches of yard waste to the brush dump every summer, took my carpool to graduate classes for two years, and more!

My poor Pontiac Transport finally entered its last days when we discovered the power steering was showing signs of failing. It was a ’98 vehicle, old enough, and we’d put plenty of bucks into repair and routine maintenance. It was time.

Vehicle Replacement Procedure requires time: time for research and time for shopping. Time, of course, is something we don’t have in abundance. Decisions take time, too. Did we need another vehicle with cargo space? Or could we buy a sedan instead? Did that cargo space need to be a minivan, or would a small to medium SUV fit our needs? We did a little research, figured out what we could afford, and then started looking.

And then we got lucky. Chuck was filling his car (his Subaru) with gas at the Fleet Farm gas station to make use of the gas coupon we get every time we shop there. He glanced across the street to a used car lot and noticed a late model minivan with a sign in it proclaiming it Manager’s Special. He crossed the street and looked it over. 2012 Dodge Caravan, reasonable mileage, in our price range – what could be wrong?

We asked that exact question the next day when we took a short test drive. Everything looked good, and we were ready to take the next step: the Complete Test Drive. All three of us (Chuck, me, Amigo) came out to the lot for a test drive. While Amigo and I played with controls and explored the many features, Chuck drove to a nearby mechanic. The mechanic checked it over, pointed out a few things, and pronounced the vehicle healthy and sound and a good deal.

The next day, I emptied the personal items (Kleenex boxes, snow brush, tire gauges) from the Transport and drove it to the dealer for paperwork and trade-in. To make a long story short, we did it. The 2012 Caravan is now in the garage, my cell phone charger and garage door opener installed in their proper places.

And perhaps the best part of the story: everyone is healthy. No tummy aches in the family, fiber or no fiber, at the moment. I think I’ll bake some nuts and twigs banana bread just to keep things in order.

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Read Across America

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Malala books are powerful

(as seen on Facebook)

In my life, I’d use a different turn of phrase. I’d most likely substitute tools for weapons. But in Malala’s life, the act of seeking an education was radical and law breaking. She saw books and learning as tools, but also as weapons: weapons to fight the good fight, tools to achieve great things.

The pen is mightier than the sword- and so is the desktop publisher. What remains is the reader. If the reader is taught to think and analyze, to seek understanding, then the book itself can be powerful.

 

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Climate change – Workplace climate, that is.

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It got into my head during BridgeGate. You might remember New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his staff dealing with the aftermath of an episode that could also be called Traffic Troubles and Retribution.

Closer to home, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is refusing to answer questions about an alleged ongoing violations of campaign laws when he was Milwaukee County Executive and running for governor. He had his campaign staff set up an alternate email system using laptops so that the emails would not be public record and so that his office staff could work on his campaign during their office hours, essentially working on his campaign while on the public dime – a violation of Wisconsin law.

Even closer to home, a local school district had a heartbreaker of a case where a teacher was mistreating students. A paraprofessional (teacher aide) in the class felt intimidated and feared she would lose her job if she reported the problems.

In all three cases, the workplace climate is key. In both governor’s offices, the philosophy seems to be “Do it; we’re above the law.” Both governors are still fighting the battle of “what they knew and when they knew it” and both have watched staffers take the fall for the events that broke the law. In the third case, the worried witness felt unsafe, intimidated, and basically bullied into submission.

Above the law.

Do it.

Don’t question anything.

Don’t rock the boat.

Don’t even consider making waves.

Whether Gov. Christie knew of the bridge closing traffic-disrupting action, his workplace climate obviously encouraged retribution and demonstration of power.

Gov. Walker’s staff did as they were told.  Whether he was the puppet or the one holding the strings, his office was another one with an inner circle that promoted and enjoyed the privilege of breaking laws without fearing consequences.

In the school district’s case, a follow up investigation seemed to say that the working climate was safe, open, and unintimidating. I have my doubts. This kind of office philosophy is harder to uncover than the Powers That Be might think. Fear runs deep.

And as we enter another election cycle and my phone starts ringing with volunteer opportunities, I have to ask myself: where do I stand? How far am I willing to go in order to expose this kind of workplace climate and participate in changing it for the better?

That’s a climate change I could handle.

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Winter Whine List

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  • Another Polar Vortex?
  • Who decided that temperatures below zero were a good idea?
  • Who invented wind chill, and why?
  • Does this cold stretch mean March is coming in like a Lion? It’ll go out like a lamb then, right? Right?
  • By this time we usually mind the snow a little less because we can look forward to seeing it melt. But the temperatures today….
  • I’d throw a little sand and salt on that ice patch, but when temperatures get this low, there’s no point.
  • Dang Arctic blast.
  • The compost bin is frozen. I can’t get the top off.
  • Does the vehicle we’re test driving have working heat? Hey, does the control in the back seat work? And it works well? Sold.
  • Ack! It’s windy.
  • Oof! It’s cold.
  • Why are the seeds already on display at the store? Next to the shovels, no less?
  • There’s another front moving in. Which one of us gets to have the weather headache this time?
  • When will this end?

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From Opening to Closing Daisy’s Olympics

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Actual conversation:

Daisy(musing): I don’t remember ever seeing so many crashes in ski events during any other Winter Olympics.

Daisy (to self): Then again, I haven’t really watched as much of any previous Winter Olympics.

It’s true. This year, I was home on medical leave, recovering from major surgery. I was resting on the couch, coffee cup by my side, laptop nearby and television on for most of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Amigo and I had a lot of fun watching and listening and discussing various events by day, and Chuck and I enjoyed evening shows.

Some Daisy style observations:

Snowboarders are fearless and amazing people. Add freestyle skiers to that definition, too. Shaun White, despite not medaling, was a classy guy who celebrated his opponents’ successes.

Figure skating judging will forever be questioned because of the combination of skill and style. Let’s not begrudge anyone the gold, even if she has home crowd advantage.

I enjoyed the Today Show each morning, too. They managed to interview all the recent medal winners and media darlings and have fun doing it, too. With the time difference, I would watch the day closing in the mountains above Sochi while I watched the sun come up here in Wisconsin. It was a pleasant way to start my day while recovering and healing from a major surgery.

I did have a few favorites. I liked seeing the back stories from the athletes, even those back stories presented through commercials. There was a short feature on figure skating costumes, especially the women’s costumes. Those little bitty pieces of fabric are expensive!

A friend on Facebook mulled over a question that seems to have no answer. How is it that USA bobsleds are designed by BMW, but figure skates look the same as the pair you would buy at Goodwill or Play it Again Sports? Input, anyone? Speed skating has gone through a few skate changes, but what about figure skating?

My favorite interview and my favorite moment remains Ice Dancing. Meryl Davis and Charlie White, Midwestern young people from Michigan, skating together since they were young, brought home the gold medal. Suddenly, ice dancing is a Big Thing in the U.S. And then, during the interview, it came out that Charlie also plays violin. He’d casually promised the Today Show that if they won gold, he would play for them. I’m sure he never dreamed he’d be pushed to follow through, but when they presented him with a borrowed violin, he did.

Gold medal performance, it wasn’t, but his moment in the spotlight still spoke volumes for the arts, for music, and for well-rounded young athletes.

photo from Classical Lite dot com

photo from Classical Lite dot com

So there you have it, folks, Daisy’s summary of the Winter Olympics. I won’t talk about hockey, or that Polar Vortex that’s coming from Canada to add insult to injury. If only they’d keep Justin Bieber, too.

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Spring Fever – again? Or still?

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It had to happen. The local rag had a big feature on Garden Tips. Most are tips and tricks I’ve already used or at least read about, such as using eggshells in the soil to contribute to tomato plant growth, or planting marigolds to discourage wild bunnies and mosquitoes. I’ve saved my eggshells a few times, and I finally decided it was just as good to compost the shells with the rest of the kitchen waste. The whole mix will eventually become one with the soil.

And then I began a project of cleaning my inbox(es). I’d saved an email containing this link, hoping that Chuck might build one for our backyard.

Not just for Strawberries!

Not just for Strawberries!

My strawberries, if they made it through the winter, are growing in an old wicker hamper. This looks a lot nicer. Or it could house herbs – parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, and who knows what else?

As if we didn’t have enough locavore motivation already, the California drought will push produce prices sky high next winter if not sooner. 2014 might be the summer we give in and buy a second freezer. A freezer full of fruits and veggies bought fresh would certainly beat overpriced, poor quality, imported-from-the-coast foods.

Meanwhile, back at the O.K. Chorale, I feel the need to do something – anything. My to-do list for tomorrow has one pre-garden task on it: bring in the rest of the pots for starting seeds before it snows again and puts them out of reach! 

So, readers, join me. What kind of happenings are causing spring fever for you? Comment, please. I’m getting lonely for comments.

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