Ramblings from Rehoboth Beach

VoiceThread

2008-04-15T22:52:00.003-05:00

This is a cute little utility called VoiceThread. It allows the user to attach voice to a photo. Nice!

BubbleShare

2008-04-15T21:12:00.002-05:00

Fooled around today with "BubbleShare". Here's the results:

BubbleShare: Share photos - Powered by BubbleShare

Sandy's Here!

2007-11-11T15:12:00.000-05:00

Here's the new addition! We named her "Faireland Cowgirl in the Sand" AKA Sandy. She is conked out after her exhausting first day. Sandy and Casey were "watching" TV in bed.

This morning I opened the refrigerator to fix breakfast when Sandy walked up from behind and jumped in! She's such a funny girl!

L.E.A.P. Meet and Greet!

2007-09-26T21:03:00.000-05:00

The Literacy Education Assistance Pups Group (LEAP) held a "Meet and Greet" at Rehoboth Library this evening. We had a few children arrive to meet some of the dogs. Only the dogs that have been members of the group were allowed to participate. The newer dogs won't be certified for a few weeks. Once we are tested, we will be able to bring Cleo with us to the library. The children had an excellent time petting and visiting with the dogs. Some of the children even read to the dogs. Casey enjoyed the evening as well. The program looks promising and I know Casey will benefit from the interaction with the children and dogs.

A new Havanese for the Morris'

2007-09-18T20:30:00.000-05:00

Yeah! We are getting a new havanese.

We have a three year old havanese named Ms. Cleo. She is a joy. Cleo is enrolled in a class to receive her CGC (Canine Good Citizen) and to be a service dog. Based on my working schedule, we will participate in the L.E.A.P. (Literacy Education Assisting Pups) program at the Rehoboth Public Library. The program teams young readers up with a dog. The child reads to the dog without fear of judgment or correction. It helps to foster a love of reading. So far, Cleo is doing a great job in class. I know she will be a great service dog.

Our new havanese was born Sept 2, 2007. We will be able to pick her up after ten weeks. Our breeder is located in NJ and had three males and three females to offer from the CH Ahavapicaro's Rock of Sedona and Faireland's Isabella litter. We can't wait. She is very different in coloring than Ms. Cleo. Cleo is black with tan points. Casey picked out our new baby. She is champagne colored or a light apricot.

Here's the link to her picture. http://fairekamalot.homestead.com/ISABELLASLITTER.html
She is the female in the middle of the pack! We are trying to come up with a name that will go with the "Southern Rock Songs" theme. We are leaning toward "Dixieland Delight" (1983 song by Alabama) and call her "DeeDee". I also like "Some Kind of Wonderful" (1974 by Grand Funk Railroad). But I don't know what her call name would be.

So much to do before we bring her home! Our breeder has invited us to visit her on Oct. 13. She'll be six weeks old. I'll get some pictures to post!

Double Standards

2007-09-18T19:40:00.000-05:00

So I'm standing in line at the bank the other day and the guy at the counter has his jeans hanging down. His waistband is below his butt cheeks and his boxers were all you could see. As I stood there I realized that it was no longer "shocking" as I had seen it many times before. Then it occurred to me that if "I", or any other female, were to wear jeans that way would it garner the same response? Would I be allowed to wear my jeans that way or would it be considered "indecent exposure"? I'm just curious, but not gutsy enough to test the system! So, can men show their underwear and woman can't?

If you go to any bar late at night, you are likely to see a female baring her chest for a free drink. Is society appalled by this, or is it considered common place? On the other hand, could a guy show his "privates" to get a free drink? Or, would he be charged with indecent exposure and have to register as a sex offender?

Can someone tell me why we accept the exposure of men's undies, but not women's? Or why women can acceptably show their sexual anatomy, but men can't. Does this seem confusing to anyone else?

Summer Success!

2007-08-19T11:57:00.000-05:00

Summer 2007 is coming to a close. But, boy has it been a productive summer for me. Being on the alkavorian diet has increased my energy level and allowed me to get things done that I've been planning, but never got around to. For instance I took down all the curtains and washed them; cleaned out every closed in the house; sanded, painted, and hung a medicine cabinet that I purchased five years ago; cleaned out the computer room (no small feat, it took two weeks); purged five file cabinets worth of paper; reorganized my stationery cabinet; organized my card drawer; organized my Control Journal; etc. This list is by no means complete. I feel like the house is "lighter". haha!

We've had lots of fun enjoying "our town". Rehoboth Beach is the greatest place to live. Al and I have joined the Rehoboth walking group (walkRehoboth.com). We were promoted to an orange shirt for being the most consistent attendees! We walk three morning a week and pay $20 for the summer. The money goes to benefit.Rehoboth Library. It's fun, fitness, and benefits the library all rolled into one!

Al and I walk in town several nights a week. Tuesday's we usually walk to the Rehoboth Farmers Market and pick up some veggies for the week. From there we head to Arena's Deli and Pub and eat outside. Tuesday is their wing night. Then we walk down the boardwalk before heading home. On Fridays we go to Bin 66, a liquor store, for their wine tasting. We get to try different brands of wine and eat their hors d'oeuvre. From there we walk to the VFW for their shrimp special. We always go to the ATM before heading home so we have cash for Lewes' Farmers Market Saturday morning. It's well attended and they have fresh vegetables. I cart our little red wagon around and fill it up with watermelon, corn, peaches, etc. I come right home and clean everything before putting them away. We've enjoyed amazingly good fruits and vegetables this summer.

Casey got contacts on Friday. The optometrist bans parents when he teaches kids how to wear their contacts. He wants the kids to be responsible for their contact wear. Half way through his instruction to Casey he came out into the waiting room. He asked me if Casey had ever worn contacts before. I found this to be a strange questions since he's been Casey's optometrist since his first visit before kindergarten. I laughed and told the optometrist that he hadn't worn contacts before. He said Casey could take them in and out, wash them, etc right away and was very good at it. Being only 11 I anticipated a learning curve, but apparently he wanted them so badly that he soaked up the instruction. On the way home Casey was amazed at all that he could see (he has only been wearing his glasses at school and the movies.) He remarked about how clear the trees in the distance were, he could read signs on Route One, and he was amazed how beautiful clouds really were. His vision was really poor. Today is Sunday and he has been taking the contacts in and out like he's been doing it all his life. He's an amazing kid!

Let me tell you our experience with phones. We purchased some Uniden phone from the BX when were went to get our new ID cards from the Dover Air Force Base. It was an impulse buy and we didn't do our research. We came home and looked up the model on the internet and all the reviews were awful. I tried not to let that bother me. I wanted to give the phones a chance. Well they were awful. Couldn't even understand what was said because the crackling was so loud. We did some research and decided that with our wireless internet network we should get the new DECT phones. We found that the Panasonic KG-TX1033S had a good review and we could pick it up locally. To our luck it was on sale. Wow! It was like night and day. These phones are terrific. I love the intercom feature and having a choice to copy part or all of the address book to other phones. I don't hesitate to recommend this phone to anyone that is experiencing interference from their wireless network.

My Canon printer experienced a main board burn out during our recent power outage. During the intense heat we were having, a transformer literally blew up at the substation near us. We had no power for nine hours. I didn't have a surge protector on my printer. Live and learn. Well, after a lot of research I decided to get the HP D7460. Great choice. I was able to easily have it recognized by our wireless network. So it sits in the computer room while I print to it from the living room. Awesome! Other computers can print to it also. Gone are the days where Casey emails me his documents to print or we save them to our zip drive.

Life is great when you are healthy and happy!

"I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be."
– Groucho Marx

Update

2007-08-01T21:21:00.000-05:00

Wow! Mike and Ashlee got married on July 25, 2007. They make a great couple and they will have a wonderful life together. They were looking at apartments and have it narrowed down to two. I can't wait to visit them next summer.

Lindsay and Mike Lopez plan to be married on September 9, 2007 while on a cruise. They are happy together and they make a great couple.

I've been having wonderful success on the pH Miracle Diet. I started on February 5, 2007, nearly seven months ago. I've lost 33 pounds to date and feel great!

Al and I go to the Farmer's Market in Rehoboth on Tuesdays and to the Farmer's Market in Lewes on Saturday mornings. We've been eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. This evening I made an awesome sprouted mung bean stir fry. Yummy!

Casey starts middle school on August 27th. He had two books to complete this summer. Yesterday he finished A Wrinkle in Time. The next book he'll read is Tears of a Tiger. Getting an 11 year-old to take time to read during his summer break is no small feat!

Al and I joined a walking group that walks downtown Rehoboth on Sat, Sun, and Mon. We walk two miles in 30 minutes. It's a fast pace, but it's fun and health. It also benefits Rehoboth Public Library!

Geocaching

2006-10-15T13:16:00.000-05:00

Walked to downtown Rehoboth Beach yesterday. Beautiful weather. Jazz Festival is in town this weekend and there was jazz music floating through the air from the new bandstand.

We searched for a geocache named "Oceanfront", but we were unsuccessful in finding the first part of the cache. What a downer.

Eating lunch at Nicola's helped to raise our spirits. Then off to Cold Stone for a treat. Yummy. Enjoyed our treat by the bandstand and relaxed to the sights and sounds.

Ashlee went to visit Mike this weekend in Anchorage. It's a long trip, but she will remember it always.

Casey In Our Cherry Tree!

2006-05-06T22:31:00.000-05:00

Great pic of a very special 10-year-old, our son Casy. He's in the cherry tree in our front yard!

(Click on image to increase size.)

Autodidactic

2006-05-06T22:16:00.000-05:00

I found a wonderful limerick today in the OEDILF (The Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form). The entry that caught my attention is by Chris Doyle.

When you're autodidactic you burn

With a powerful passion to learn.

You will read by yourself

Every book on the shelf,

From Cervantes to Shakespeare to Verne.

I love it!

The Mind of Einstein

2006-04-22T11:58:00.000-05:00

How to Develop the Mind of Einstein
Today I have been listening to CDs on "The Mind of Einstein" by Ron White. Very thought provoking. Einstein was such a great man. Not just an incredible mind, but a real, kind, compassionate human being. Why are there not more men/women like him? I will strive more to be a good friend. I will strive to surround myself with positive rather than negative people. I will be more passionate about life. I will be more focused. I will not be afraid to fail. Einstein said: "Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." A goal of mine is to develop the mind of Einstein! Thank you, Ron White!
Remember: Small minds discuss people, average minds discuss events, great minds discuss ideas.

Spring Break 2006

2006-04-13T18:48:00.000-05:00

AAHHH I'm home for Spring Break! Tomorrow is Good Friday. The only thing we have planned for tomorrow is a visit from Lindsay and Sparka. Sparka will be staying over night so that Lindsay can go to a concert.

I went to the DCET Technology Conference last week. I had sooo much fun going to workshops and checking out the vendors. The second guest speaker (Ron White) was really incredible. I've ordered his memory tapes and can't wait for them to arrive. I really want the mind of Einstein! Mary Beth D'Amico and I will probably do a workshop for professional development on Blogging in the classroom. We've investigated several blogging programs set up just for this purpose. We're still trying to get our act together. I'll do some research over Spring Break!

I spoke to Mike for over an hour last weekend. He's got plans to get a car in a few weeks. Some guy is processing out of Anchorage and can't take his GMC Jimmy with him. Mike's going to take over the payments. Mike's making friends in Anchorage and beginning to accept the fact that he'll be there for awhile. He and a friend went to a fight last night (might have been Ultimate Fighting, I don't know) and he said it was the most fun he's ever had. He's making memories and that makes us happy.

Big plans to clean out and rearrange Casey's bedroom over the holidays. I'll let you know how that goes!

2006-02-19T19:13:00.000-05:00

We just had a lovely steak dinner. Mike invited Chad and Scott. Ashlee and Lindsay were there, too. We had london broil, pasta salad, green beans, and flaky cheddar cheese biscuits. After dinner, Scott, Mike, Ashlee and Lindsay took Casey to Cold Stone for dessert. They promised to get Al and I something decadent!

I'm really nervous about Mike leaving for Alaska. I am fretful that he'll be gone for three years (I just found out that he'll be gone three years instead of two.) He'll be there until he's 23 years old. Wow. Why is it that mother's love their sons so much? I just get crazy when I think about my boy being so far away from me for so long. I don't feel strong enough to be able to cope with this. How will I make it?

2006-02-18T14:26:00.000-05:00

Mike is home! He has completed Basic Military Training and Tech School. He was his Tech School's Distinguished Graduate achieving an overall grade of 97.75%. He leaves in a few days for Anchorage. His orders are for two years at Elmendorf AFB. We hope to be able to visit him. Or, perhaps we can meet him in Hawaii for some R and R! :) We won't be with him this year on his birthday or for Christmas. I can't believe it.

Tonight we are going to eat lasagna at Phil and Stacy's. They want to see Mike before he leaves for Alaska. Mike loves Aunt Stacy's lasagna!

Cleo, our Havanese, is a year and a half now. She has her own Blog at Dogster.com (http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?j=t&i=255600). Sugar has a blog, too (http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?i=255797). She just turned 15 years old. Poor girl is crippled with arthritis and going deaf. Don't think she'll be here when Mike returns.

We are having a gas fireplace insert installed in a few weeks. It will be lovely. Can't wait.

There will be a referendum for our school district March 16, 2006. It is for a new state-of-the-art 1,600-student high school, athletic field & stadium upgrades, full-day kindergarten and classroom additions, new ninth grade campus & elementary school boilers, ADA/Life System & safety upgrades, and a new community and school swimming & diving center. We are pushing hard for it to pass. If it passes, it will really improve our school district.

Lindsay, Mike, and Ashlee have invited Casey to go roller skating in Dover with them tonight. So, it's off to the attic for me to locate some skates that will fit Casey.

2005-07-23T22:22:00.000-05:00

Ramblings from Rehoboth Beach
Well, since I wrote last...lots has happened. My dear mother passed away May 25, 2005. It was awful. She suffered so. And I could not take away her pain and terror. It really tore me up. If anyone deserved a peaceful passing, it was my mother. She was so very kind and sweet. I hope I can be like her.

My first full year as a para ended. It was a great experience. I hope to be able to join the Rehoboth Elementary staff again next year. I have my letter of interest on file and I'm just waiting for an interview.

We took a short vacation. We joined Phil and Stacy in the Outer Banks for three days. It was really fun. I had never been to the Outer Banks before. I can really see the attraction. The beach is awesome.

The Weekend is Over....:(

2005-04-17T21:10:00.000-05:00

Yes the weekend is over. It's time to head back to school. My last day will be June 22. Half the summer will nearlly be over. What a shame. It was nice to have snow days....but this is ridiculous.

Mom had a nice weekend with us. Can't say we did much. We all just kinda vegetated. I did wash the dog on Saturday. Cleo needs a lot of grooming. First I brushed her, bathed her, cleaned out her ears, clipped her toenails, brushed her teeth and combed her out again. Usually I have to trim the hair between the pads of her feet, but I had just done that last weekend.

Tomorrow is another day!

The Beginning

2005-04-16T13:38:00.000-05:00

I started blogging today!

This week was busy. I was fortunate enough to attend a Technology Conference in Dover on Thursday. I came away all pumped up. I really love checking out all the new applications. Well this conference was strictly about Technology in education. The Keynote speaker, Tony Brewer, was fabulous. He has a website (www.tonybrewer.com) that has lots of educational resources. I think I'm going to check out one of his books.

My favorite workshop was the one presented by Zuma software. They host educational sites. It's actually more than just hosting. It's costly though. Don't know if the district will go for it. But I'm going to try to put something together to educate the district on this type of offering.

I got lots of goodies at the conference. I even got a Delaware Tech fleece as a doorprize. Pretty nifty!

Friday was an in-service day and we met at the high school. What a waste for me. They picked apart the curriculum map and tried to come up with the "Big Idea" for Understanding by Design. I graded papers and thought about other matters.

Some of us went to lunch at the Rehoboth Diner. The meal was great and so was the Rasberry Iced Tea! Lynn treated me.

Mom is here today. She is happy. I think we'll get some reading done this afternoon. She loves me to read to her.