On one of the routes I take when walking, I pass this cheery sight. What a way to make a positive statement in a neighborhood. It's like saying to each who pass by, "Have a nice day !"
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
No More Hello Kitty
Xavier "Kitty"
1996 - 2012
That's all I can say for now. I am sure I will write about him at another time. His absence is felt.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
You Never Know Who Will Show Up at Church
It just might be Snow White!
Lots of fun awaited the kids this morning at church. A new Sunday School curriculum began. To launch the curriculum, they had characters between services in the halls and meeting places greeting children and giving away some magnets. So Snow White with her friend Cinderella, along with other kings & princesses, were at my church this morning. You just never know who will show up!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
What's in a name
When my daughter was pregnant with her first child, we had a discussion over what my new name should be to her little one.
Grandmother, Grandma, Granny, Nanny, Nana, Mawmaw, Memaw, Opa, Yiayia -- these are all names that I've heard used for the position I was to take. My preference was "Grandma." When I hear the word "Grandma," I think of love, tenderness, and good feelings. In effect, I think of my grandmother who I called "Grandma." That is what I wanted to be called.
But...my daughter had other plans. She wanted me to be called Yiayia. Having been to Greece, I conjure up visions of a yiayia as an older woman, slightly hunched over, dressed in black or dark clothing and wearing a scarf over her head. That is not my idea of me. By the way, that was also my other grandma -- the one from Greece.
The reason she wanted me to be a "yiayia" was that "grandma" was already taken. Huh?? Her mother-in-law was to be called "grandma" and she gets it because she was already had that name to my new grandchild to be's cousins.
Why can't we both be "Grandma?" Growing up, I had my Grandma and my Grandma Mary (also known as Yiayia). The problem with this solution was that both other Grandma and I have the same name. So unless we differentiated by last names, we would still be called by the same name. I did not want to be known as Grandma Smith and Grandma Jones ( I slipped in other surnames there, but you get the drift.)
I still didn't see the problem with us both being called grandma. Kids are pretty smart, and they will figure it out. But my daughter didn't want the confusion for her child. However, she compromised with me. I could be called "Grandma Yiayia." Ugh. Not really what I what, but that is what we decided.
Almost four years and an additional grandchild later , I am technically Grandma Yiayia, but I call myself "Grandma" and more importantly so does my grandson. Without getting mixed up, he calls both his grandmothers "Grandma."
Or so I thought. I discovered the other day that my name when I am not around is "Grandma Kitty." Out of the mouths of babes. We were out to lunch at a restaurant and both grandmothers were there. His mother asked him a question and he asked, "Grandma Kitty or Grandma Gidgett?"
I have a cat named Kitty, and the other grandma has a dog named Gidgett. That is how he differentiates us. Grandma Kitty and Grandma Gidgett. I was worked up over the English or the Greek name and the connotations, then last names added to the name. But what is in a name? It ends up that I am known by my cat!
What do you call your grandparent?
What do you want to be called when you are a grandparent?
Grandmother, Grandma, Granny, Nanny, Nana, Mawmaw, Memaw, Opa, Yiayia -- these are all names that I've heard used for the position I was to take. My preference was "Grandma." When I hear the word "Grandma," I think of love, tenderness, and good feelings. In effect, I think of my grandmother who I called "Grandma." That is what I wanted to be called.
But...my daughter had other plans. She wanted me to be called Yiayia. Having been to Greece, I conjure up visions of a yiayia as an older woman, slightly hunched over, dressed in black or dark clothing and wearing a scarf over her head. That is not my idea of me. By the way, that was also my other grandma -- the one from Greece.
The reason she wanted me to be a "yiayia" was that "grandma" was already taken. Huh?? Her mother-in-law was to be called "grandma" and she gets it because she was already had that name to my new grandchild to be's cousins.
Why can't we both be "Grandma?" Growing up, I had my Grandma and my Grandma Mary (also known as Yiayia). The problem with this solution was that both other Grandma and I have the same name. So unless we differentiated by last names, we would still be called by the same name. I did not want to be known as Grandma Smith and Grandma Jones ( I slipped in other surnames there, but you get the drift.)
I still didn't see the problem with us both being called grandma. Kids are pretty smart, and they will figure it out. But my daughter didn't want the confusion for her child. However, she compromised with me. I could be called "Grandma Yiayia." Ugh. Not really what I what, but that is what we decided.
Almost four years and an additional grandchild later , I am technically Grandma Yiayia, but I call myself "Grandma" and more importantly so does my grandson. Without getting mixed up, he calls both his grandmothers "Grandma."
Or so I thought. I discovered the other day that my name when I am not around is "Grandma Kitty." Out of the mouths of babes. We were out to lunch at a restaurant and both grandmothers were there. His mother asked him a question and he asked, "Grandma Kitty or Grandma Gidgett?"
I have a cat named Kitty, and the other grandma has a dog named Gidgett. That is how he differentiates us. Grandma Kitty and Grandma Gidgett. I was worked up over the English or the Greek name and the connotations, then last names added to the name. But what is in a name? It ends up that I am known by my cat!
What do you call your grandparent?
What do you want to be called when you are a grandparent?
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
College Football Time !
Last Saturday was the first football game of the season. The town was revved up for a new season and some new changes. This year we switched conferences and we anxiously look forward to our new opponents. A few days before the game, Hurricane Issac came hit land in the Gulf and flooded the New Orleans area with rain and wind. The remnants of Issac made its way to us by Friday and finished dropping its much needed moisture on us Saturday. It dampened everything but the football spirit. Nothing could do that! The first game of the season ended with a victory! Go Team!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
The Transit of Venus
(Venus is the dark round dot in the upper right quadrant on the Sun)
The planet Venus passed between Earth and the Sun yesterday giving us a once in a lifetime view of its path. This is called the Transit of Venus. If you missed it--well, too bad. You've lost your chance to see one.
Transit. The passage of a smaller celestial body or its shadow across the disk of a larger celestial body. As observed from Earth, Mercury and Venus are the only planets of the solar system that make transits of the Sun, because they are the only planets with orbits that lie between Earth and the Sun. Mercury makes an average of 13 transits of the Sun each century. Transits of Venus across the Sun are much rarer, with only 7 of them having occurred between 1639 and 2004.
(from http://dictionary.reference.com/science/transit)
A crowd of about 500 showed up at the University Observatory to take a turn looking through one of the twenty or so high-powered telescopes set up to help view this event. This picture was taken from the view.
The average wait to get to the telescope was abut 20 minutes and most were satisfied with their turn. Unfortunately, 15 -20 minutes before sunset clouds came in and obscured the view. The people who had waited the longest did not get to see anything beyond clouds though the telescopes.
The next time the planets align so that Venus will again pass between Earth and the Sun with such a flourish will be in 2117. Barring any new medical discoveries-- we will all be dead and gone by then.
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2012/06/05/transit-venus-enthralls-spectators/
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Firemen & Policemen, Oh my!
Last week there was a great fire in town that burned some apartment housing that was under construction. The fire was so hot that it melted the traffic lights nearby. The fire is still under investigation and that may turn out to be another story.
But for today, I am thankful that we have men and women who make it their responsibility to fight fires when they occur. That we have policemen and policewomen to help enforce our laws and keep us safe. That although I do not like paying taxes, I am thankful to have safety equipment to help these safety people do their jobs efficiently and effectively.
The following pictures were some taken by a local radio station of that morning's fire.
But for today, I am thankful that we have men and women who make it their responsibility to fight fires when they occur. That we have policemen and policewomen to help enforce our laws and keep us safe. That although I do not like paying taxes, I am thankful to have safety equipment to help these safety people do their jobs efficiently and effectively.
The following pictures were some taken by a local radio station of that morning's fire.
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