Category Archives: the coffeepot’s on

Like-minded People

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Imagine a busload of people who like Car Talk, get the jokes on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, and know the difference between Michael Feldman and Michael Perry.* This is a bus trip of people who are polite to each other, make friends readily, and enjoy intelligent conversation about issues that matter to you, er, them. Amigo and I took just such a trip last summer and the previous summer. Sponsored by Wisconsin Public Radio, the trip goes to tiny Bayfield, WI, where the group takes in a show at the Big Top Chautauqua.

The most recent City Council meeting seemed like it was ripe for conflict. People attended to speak for the trees, speak for the right to raise urban chickens, and support an up and coming project that will turn a former country club and golf course into a large community garden. Despite the differing opinions, all in attendance had something in common.

Last, but never least, I attended two meetings at the local Organizing for America office. One was simply a monthly update of the citywide group, and the second a training in canvassing techniques for the upcoming campaign kick-off weekend.

What do these three have in common? I’ll give you a moment to think. Take a look at the OFA office windows while you’re contemplating.

 

Come on in and pose with the cardboard cut-outs!

Remember the question? I asked you to consider what these three examples might share in common. It’s the people.

In each example, you’ll see a group of like-minded people. The Public Radio bus trip was thoroughly enjoyable because of the camaraderie. In the second example, all three issues had to do with sustainability and the city environment. In the third, all of the meeting attendees were motivated to help re-elect the President of the United States to a second term.

Seeking out like-minded people is one way to stay calm and focused during difficult times. We share experiences, we share attitudes, and we share priorities. These groups will meet again, I’m sure. Trees, chickens, Public Radio, and elections are topics that inspire passion. Finding focus for a passion can lead to making a difference in the world.

Go ahead, readers. Find like-minded people. Talk. Then come back here and tell me: what will you do to make a difference?

Michael Feldman hosts a Saturday morning show on WPR called Whadya Know?. Michael Perry hosts Big Tent Radio on Saturday nights. Good enough?They’re both comics, hosts, and fascinating people. 

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Who ate your homework?

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This was originally posted in February. I’m taking a few days off from blogging while I recover from the election and the end of school. Meanwhile,  I’ll insert a few encore performances (summer reruns) so all of you faithful readers can have a fair amount of content. 

Sorry, student. We might feel your pain, but the cat making your homework late is just another variation on an old theme.

In fact, your Social Studies teacher has a cat that helps grade essays and research projects. She pronounced this one “delicious.”

In my home, projects are at risk of being eaten, but not by a dog. Note to self; do not store student projects under the piano. In addition, feed bunny frequently.
Now if only we could train the animals to make coffee while we’re busy grading, progress reports would go so much faster!

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Mug shots!

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Inspired by my cousin’s post of her Obama mug, I decided to post a few oldies but goodies that chronicle my mug collection. My favorite souvenirs are those I will use: coffee mugs, of course, fit the category. Here’s one from Lockeport, Nova Scotia.

I set up my new mug on the picnic table outside the rental cottage with the beach in the background. I wanted to show the little lobster inside the mug as well as the one on the front, so I propped it with a few of the seashells and stones we’d found.

Then Chuck got into the act. He insisted on including every little piece we’d found on the beach and arranging it “tastefully” around the mug.

Here it is: Still life with Souvenir Coffee Mug.

And the back view, too.
(It says Nova Scotia on the back.)

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Home Sweet Cubicle – the sequel

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Readers, you saw the mess before I unpacked all the boxes of teachers’ manuals and other important resources. You could have followed up with the eventual “after” shot. Still later, Flat Stanley made a visit to my cubicle.

It’s still my cube, and it’s evolved a bit. Typical of me, everything important is within reach. It’s hard to do otherwise in a space this small! In this small shot, you can get a glimpse of teachers’ manuals, see the files trays that hold my plans for the week, and browse the cubicle survival kit that includes my tissue box (Packers cover, a perfect gift for the Green Bay Packers stockholder in your life), coffee cup (Teaching Wisconsin to Read), and animals.

Animals?

Of course I have animals in my cubicle. Doesn’t everybody?
I hope Paddington, Snoopy, and Fluffy don’t get lonely while I’m on spring break.
Or maybe I should hope they’re not hosting a wild cubicle party.

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>Sing it with me: Saturday at the O.K. Chorale

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>On the to-do list:

Remind Amigo to do his laundry. Why can’t the kid do it himself? He can. He needs the reminder to actually throw the clothes in the washer and deal with it.
Plant seeds and hope they’ll grow. Most of these seeds are a year old; I haven’t bought new ones yet. We’ll see if they’re any good. Still. Yet. If they grow, it’ll look like salsa again in the O.K. home; I planted lots of tomato and pepper plants.
Stir the compost. Shh: don’t tell Chuck I played in the compost. He’s convinced that anything resembling garden work will cue Mother Nature to send in a storm.
Make ice cream – hopefully with Amigo. It’s easy and fun and he’ll love the results.
Set aside a Care Package for La Petite. She’ll be back for appointments on Monday and Tuesday, so I’ll send her a bag of food to fill her pantry. I can’t help her find a second job, but I can feed her.
Draft a letter of support for a local candidate. If this is really the year of the progressive woman, she’s perfect.
Check out the latest news on the local private school that lost two thirds of their teachers due to conflicts over paychecks – namely, the lack of them.
Look for ways to streamline the family budget. Headlines today noted what we’d all expected, but dreaded: my colleagues and I in the local public school district will face another wage freeze along with a higher deductible in our health care coverage.
Keep cleaning the house and purging it of useless items. Sell or donate; make space for what’s important instead of storing junk. At the most, we may get a few bucks for some of the stuff. At the least, we’ll have less to clean.
In a related category, reorganize the canning supplies. At this time of year I have more empty jars than full. How to store them until I need them – that’s one dilemma. How to make more room next fall for the full jars – that’s another. It feels like every year I make a little bit more. Well, if my pay is frozen, at least I can still feed the family.
I guess all this means I should get offline and do something. Here goes!

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>Germphobia, Virtual School style

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>I’ve used only 1 1/2 sick days this year: one for cataract surgery and one half for an appointment. That’s a new record for me. March? No influenza? No sinus infections or even colds or coughs? I used to get almost paranoid about germs. Illness for a classroom teacher can be overwhelming: sub plans, catching up, staying in touch, hoping that all goes well for the substitute.

A few neighboring districts have cut their teachers’ sick days to the bone. My district still maintains 10 days per year. One neighboring district even told their teachers they couldn’t schedule non-essential surgery during the school year, no matter how many sick days they’d accrued. I planned my cataract surgery so that I’d only miss one day; all worked out well.
In a classroom full of children, I kept my own pencils and pens and even scissors. There was a stock of extras for students to borrow; they never touched mine, and I never touched theirs. I kept hand sanitizer in my desk and rarely touched the germ-collecting doorknobs. Still, I got sick. Cough drops and Airborne had a drawer in my desk along with Tylenol and my own, yes my own never-to-be-shared box of soft, name brand tissues. Teachers attempt to stay hydrated, but within reason because we can only use the rest room when we’re not with students.
Teaching online is different. Earlier this year, I offered ten tongue-in-cheek reasons to enjoy teaching online. Now, in the final days of winter, I offer ten reasons that teaching virtual school has been good for my health.
  • I still have my own tissue box – with a Green Bay Packers dispenser.
  • No one borrows my pencils and pens. We all have our own.
  • We don’t get substitutes, eliminating the need to come in and spread germs while leaving sub plans.
  • No one else uses my computer or my phone.
  • I have my own phone, too.
  • My coworkers and I are meticulous about cleaning the lunch table before and after eating.
  • Hydration is easier; there’s a water cooler in our supply closet, and (drum roll) I can use the rest room when I need to without waiting for a recess bell!
  • I still take vitamin C and eat oranges with my lunch.
  • The box of Airborne in my desk is the kind that gets added to a bottle of water.

And finally, a major reason that teaching virtual school is good for my health:

  • I sincerely enjoy my job. I go to school eager to get started every day – even on Mondays.

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>Ah, that caffeinated aroma of a kitchen floor

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>At least my vacuum cleaner will smell good for a while.

Let me back up. I just vacuumed the kitchen floor. Vacuumed. Not washed, not mopped, not swept, not Swiffer wet-jetted. Vacuumed. I was out of fluid for the Wet-Jet, and I wasn’t ready to get down on my knees and scrub. Besides, all the good rags were in the wash.
Let me back up a little more. I just vacuumed up a pile of coffee grounds. Freshly ground, organic coffee grounds. The floor smelled great. So did my pants. If I’d been wearing brown, maybe I wouldn’t have thrown them right in the laundry. But anyway, back to the story. My tiny kitchen was half covered by, no, maybe… Okay. I’ll back up again.
It was a typical weekday evening. I made my lunch, got my clothes ready for morning, made sure my Kindle was charged. Of course I charged my Kindle to get ready for bed; doesn’t everyone? As a final step, I usually set up the coffeemaker for morning. The filtered water was ready, the coffee filter in place, but before I could measure my life in coffee spoons, I needed one more ingredient. As chief groundskeeper of Chez OkayByMe, I gathered my materials: coffee grinder, container, and cleaning brush.
It all began well. The grinder was working well, sending the organically grown, fair trade processed, deliciously blended beans through the blades to become my refreshing beverage of choice. I inhaled with pleasure. When the container filled almost to the top, I applied the small wooden brush to dust the remaining grounds from the grinder. An important step to prepare the grinder for storage, this was also my undoing.
You guessed it, readers. I spilled. Not all of the coffee grounds fell to their death, but at least one third of what I’d just ground hit the, well, ground. With some on my pants and some on my shoes and more, much more, on the floor, I called out to Chuck. “Is the vacuum still downstairs?” He brought it to me and cautiously backed out of the kitchen without daring to say a word.
So there you have it. At least my vacuum will smell good for a while. It’ll smell of freshly ground organic coffee.

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>Flat Stanley visits a Virtual School

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>

(By guest blogger Flat Stanley)
I went to work today with Daisy.
Daisy is a teacher in a newfangled kind of school; she teaches online.

Daisy’s students (and those of the school) live all over the state of Wisconsin. There’s a map in the school offices showing where the students live. Wow! They’re really spread out.

Daisy took me around the high school side of the school. I met the Social Studies teacher, and we fooled around with Google Maps. He was looking for Westminster Abbey.

The high school language arts teacher has a cubicle full of posters encouraging reading – everything from Shakespeare to (be still my flattened heart) the Cat in the Hat.

Ah, high school science. I look forward to biology and earth science. I have a little more math to learn before starting physics. It’ll take more than just knowing how to add, or so I’ve been told.

Back in Daisy’s cubicle, she taught me to use a rubric to grade writing projects.
She looked over my first one and decided to grade the rest herself. I guess teaching writing isn’t my strength – yet.

Well, science is still one of my favorite subjects, so Daisy logged me into a Virtual Class in middle school science.

Cool. Very cool. The teacher called on students and then let them “write” on the virtual whiteboard to connect vocabulary words with their meaning. This would be a great way to learn, at least for a flat geek like me. I could keep on traveling, as long as I had Internet access.

I looked over Ms. W’s shoulder as she worked on lesson plans.

Then I moved once again to middle school language arts. They write a lot of essays. Wow!

We couldn’t stay away from Daisy’s desk for long, so I offered to help her make phone calls.
A fifth grader needed help with her math. Ooh, those multi-step problems. They rock my socks off! Wait. I don’t wear socks. Never mind.

Daisy and her coworkers were great hosts. They told me if I want to teach like they do, I need a working knowledge of computers – and a talent for making coffee.

Thanks to Flat Stanley, visitor from Irving, TX, for the guest post today.

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>Eating the Opponent – and Michigan’s U.P.

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>We’ll be eating a traditional turkey dinner at Grandma’s on Thanksgiving Day. Grandma is cooking most of it ahead of time so she can watch the game.

What do you mean, what game??!!??
The Green Bay Packers are playing the Detroit Lions, of course. That’s The Game. Turkey Day dinner will be on the table after the fourth quarter clock winds down. In the meantime, our Eating the Opponent project continues. We decided to broaden the definition of Detroit to include the entire state of Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula – da U.P., der hey, to us Wisconsinites. U.P. residents, affectionately known as Yoopers, have their own unique menus.
I stopped at a local pasty cafe and shop — okay, okay. Stop the snickering in the peanut gallery! That’s Pass-Tees. Not pays-trees or pays-tees. Pass-tees. The pasty was a food that miners could carry in their lunch pail and eat with their hands when they had their mid-day break. Traditional filling ingredients are beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, onions and other good stick-to-your-ribs edibles stuffed inside of a strong crust. Yooper history contends that the pasty was brought to the continental United States by Cornish miners (not minors) who came to work in the copper and iron mines of the mineral rich U.P. Nowadays, locals serve pasties with ketchup (not gravy) or a special sauce that tastes like a spicy ketchup with jalapeno peppers.
Pasties out of the oven, ready to eat!
Pasties are baked, never fried, never nuked. I bought “breakfast pasties” with bacon or sausage and scrambled eggs inside – 5 for $10, plus one free – to serve Thursday morning. Our official Turkey Dinner will hit the table after the game, so we’ll need a solid breakfast. I think Yooper style Breakfast Pasties fit the bill.
Now if any of you doubt that U.P. food is appropriate for Eating the Opponent, I give you this. I asked the cafe staff, both native Yoopers, if football fans in da U.P. are Packers or Lions backers. Without hesitation, they both declared, “Lions!”
I think I’ll serve these with a side of Trenary Toast.

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>I do recall being political, now and then

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>Saturday we (all three of us) signed recall petitions for Soon-to-be-Former Governor Walker and his Lt. Governor, Rebecca Kleefisch. Is that spelled right? Well, no matter how we spell it, she’s on her way out of office.

Saturday night I found an email in my inbox letting me know that the Barack Obama Made in the USA mug is once again available. Make a donation to the Democrats, get a mug, and enjoy your morning coffee while sticking it to the conspiracy theorists.
Get your limited-edition mug
Go for it, people. Here’s a great gift idea for the progressives in your family. Wrap it up with a pound of Obama Blend coffee, and you’re all set.

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