“We may be seeing the first woman president. As a Democrat, I am reeling,” said Camille Paglia, the cultural critic. “That was the best political speech I have ever seen delivered by an American woman politician. Palin is as tough as nails.”
It’s Official – I’m obsessed with Sarah Palin
OK – not in a creepy way, just in a “read all I can about her way.” Because I really, really want to like her. Maureen Dowd - usually one of my favorite columnists – really hacked me off this morning too. Because while I appreciate her humor in the face of truth, I also believe that picking on what a woman names her children is just getting snippy. I have a feeling that while Sarah Palin was always the most popular girl in school – Maureen Dowd might have been the girl in the corner, scribbling her thoughts in her slambook. At least – that’s what it felt like this morning.
This is one of the main reasons I feel we may never have a female president. Because women are too hell-bent on tearing each other down – no matter what their views. Wouldn’t it have been great if Dowd could have at least given Palin a pat on the back for getting this far, before ripping her to shreds?
Anyway, in my own search for truth in politics (no, really, I’m trying not to laugh while I type), I have been enjoying the multitude of stories on the Internet about Palin. I have always wanted to live in Alaska and this just gives me a little more fodder.
Here are a few news stories I found interesting:
Thoughts on Governor Sarah Palin…
OK. I’ve had to amend a post I made yesterday. I was, initially excited about Governor Palin’s selection as the VP candidate from the GOP. You see, I am conservative in many ways. I am pro-life. I am for smaller government (just like Thomas Jefferson). I am fine with hunters owning rifles (I shot tin cans with a .22 once, it was kinda fun). I am fine with leather and fur…especially in contrast to petroleum-based synthetics. I believe that subsistence hunters and trappers have the right to make a living and clothe and feed their families. I also like to ride a snowmobile once in a while.
The First Day of School – at Home
I will admit that I always feel a little guilty on the “First Day of School” in our town. We live in a very small town and all of the kids go to the local school, so all of my kids friends go there as well. The only homeschoolers we know live in other towns. So, there is a bit of a build-up to the “First Day of School.” Now, while most of the kids are lamenting their lives come the second day of school – I do remember how it felt to go to school on the first day when I was younger. I remember the chemical smell of the newly cleaned classrooms. I remember the note my mother would put in my lunch box. I remember the nervousness of meeting new teachers – and the resolve with which I went into each year, determined that this was the year I would not only be a straight A student, but also well-liked, neat and organized and very popular. What ambitions I had – and what a disappointment when, come October, I was back to my “sneaking a book under the desk, crap falling out of my locker, eating lunch alone,” ways.
The Homeschool Social Life
I have avoided writing about the “socialization” of my homeschoolers for a very long time. Mostly because I think it’s a dumb argument. Sorry – am I being too blunt? Just because I educate my children at home (I actually do not like the word homeschool, as it denotes that I would do something like a school – when I strive for the opposite), does not mean that they are unsocialized wild children. I do not keep them in a box, isolated from all of humanity.
In fact, my homeschoolers have more of a social life than I do – OK, that’s not saying much, but you see my point!
Once upon a time, when I first took my then-youngest child out of school, a teacher came to me and said “I can see why, academically, you’d take him out of school, but what about the social aspect?”
Um…excuse me? Did you just say what I thought you said? Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the original intention of school to educate children? To concentrate on the academic stuff? Oh, right, I forgot, the original intention of school was actually to help create good little factory workers and give a place to keep kids until they were “old enough” to work…but more on that another time.
10 Ways to Green Your PC (and other electronics)
Did you know that 40 percent of the electricity your TV, computer monitors, XBox and all those devices use is used while they are “off?” I didn’t! I though I was being green when I shut them down. Turns out, they are just standing by…hardly very green.
I’ve tried to reduce our use of paper by going electronic. I publish my newsletter electronically now. I read my favorite magazines in PDF format. I pay my bills online. I have my kids write their papers and submit them to me by email. But if the energy I use negates my efforts to save trees, then how can I justify it?
Thankfully, my husband John (geek-extraordinaire) is just as worried about the environment as I am. So he helped me find ways to make our digital life just as green as our analog one.
Good News for California Homeschoolers
This was published last Friday, but I didn’t see it until this morning. This is good news for California Homeschoolers who were fighting a battle over whether or not homeschooling parents had to be certified teachers.
The appellate court concluded that “…California impliedly allows parents to home school as a private
school, but has provided no enforcement mechanism. As long as the local school
district verifies that a private school affidavit has been filed, there is no provision for
further oversight of a home school. It appears that the propriety of any parent’s home
schooling will arise only in dependency (or family law) proceedings, as in this case, or
in a prosecution for failing to comply with the compulsory education law.”
If you have a half hour, take the time to read the whole thing – it’s very interesting.
Blueberries!
I had a wonderful picture that Liam took of our abundance of blueberries, but Daisy the dog literally chewed through the camera’s adapter cable, so you’ll just have to imagine…
I picked about five pounds of blueberries Sunday (between rain storms) and have several pounds already frozen. I did give away a few pounds to my best buddy…but I don’t think we’ll be lacking! I love blueberries because you can do a lot with them – even if my family very rarely eats them raw. We still love to have blueberry muffins and pancakes in the morning (instead of cold cereal) and I like having the blueberries around for all sorts of desserts. I also put them in oatmeal and homemade granola bars.
I’m going to dry the next batch. I got this information on drying blueberries from the University of Alaska Extension Service:
Water, Water Everywhere and not a drop…
I should look it up, but it seems that there has not been a dry day yet this summer here in Central Vermont! I have only taken the kids swimming twice at a friend’s pool – and we usually go to a nearby lake DAILY, and we haven’t been once. The temp has been 80 or lower and rain, rain, rain. And not like little showers – we’re talking heavy driving rain and huge claps of thunder and lightning. Scary stuff.
The ground is now so saturated that people are flooding in a lot of low-lying areas. Fortunately, this does not affect us too much. We sit high on a hill, but my garden is feeling the effects. It is so weedy! I just don’t want to spend hours out there in the pouring rain. I try to be very adventurous about it, but as soon as I hear thunder, I run inside! I’m terrified of thunder of lightning – always have been. We are actually very fortunate for the rain, also, because we have 30 foot dug well that supplies our family’s drinking and washing water.
There have been a few years where the well has gotten dangerously low and I would pray for a good rain. Not this year! We may not be able to swim at the lake – but Mama gets a shower everyday!
It’s strange though, because my husband reminded of “An Inconvenient Truth,” where Gore says that global
warming might not be felt as a massive heatwave for everyone – for some of us, we might be getting a new rain forest! I feel like I moved to Seattle.
Oh well, even if it’s a little water-logged, the broccoli is growing and the peas are still coming and the pumpkins are taking over!
Horse Cruelty – Rethought…
I was surfing around the blogosphere this morning – trying to wake up – and came across this site: HonestMeat.com.
What a great site. And as I read this post about cruelty to horses – I was compelled to share.
A Fine Mess: Humor and Help for Living Simply
g-diapers – convenient and eco-friendly!
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