Atlanta On Ice

If you've been paying any attention at all to the news and weather, you know that Atlanta, and most of the state of Georgia, for that matter, are covered in snow and ice. We are also under a State of Emergency because this is a storm of  CATASTROPHIC PROPORTIONS!!!  ........Yes, Mom, we are living in Georgia and yes, we do have snow!!!  Gotta love her!!!

Right now there are about 150,000 customers without power, thank goodness I'm not one.  There are also IDIOTS who think that they are blessed with super powers and can safely maneuver their vehicles on roads covered with two inches of ice!!!  They just showed another ice (traffic) jam here in the Atlanta area.......a small amount of cars.  But, all I can say to you is, you get what's coming to you!!!.........another band of IDIOTS!!!!

If you have been watching the news, then you know that this whole event is far from over.  There will be more snow and ice tonight and into the morning, followed by a short thaw, then a refreeze.  Some people are convinced that they are going to die if they have to stay at home for three or four days.  I look at it as uninterrupted time to get some things done.  I don't have to be entertained to survive.  Not going to get cabin fever.  Happy to be with my dogs, FaceTime with my Dash, and keep explaining to my mom that it has snowed.  I'm not spoiled.....or maybe I'm just old.  It doesn't take much to make me happy!!

So, enjoy your next few days.  If you're at home, make the most of them.  If you're in California, I'm praying for your rain.  Either way, it is what it is and I'm going to make the best of it!!

The Whitish Berber Carpet....

I never thought that I would be writing about a Berber carpet, but as the inspiration came to me along with the necessity to warn people of the dangers of this floor covering, I feel I must share.

This all started last night with The List.  I am a list maker.  I confess.....I make lists about everything!!!  And last night, I took it upon myself to not only make  a "what will I do tomorrow" list, but a "what will I do for the rest of the summer if the summer is extended for another three months" list.  I love those kinds of lists because when I make them, I feel so productive and, it gives me a great deal of things to choose from.  How can I possibly go wrong?

So, last night, as I turned out the lights, I began to go over the list in my mind, deciding on the tasks that I would accomplish beginning early in the morning.  For those of you who don't know me that well, I am manic-depressive, and my mind is constantly busy with things.  It just never stops.......ever.  I even try concentrating on that incessant whining of violins in my head to distract me from the voices and thoughts that go on and on and on.......  But.....last night, nothing....not the whining, not the meds, nothing, would stop me from perseverating over the list!!!  I did finally doze off at about 5:30am, but Archie let me know that he and Jasper could not wait past 8:30 to go for their walk.  So much for an early morning start to my list!!

The first thing I had to do, of course, was take the boys for their morning walk.  Nothing like stepping out of my cool, air conditioned home into a sauna.  I feel very qualified to make that statement, as I lived 2 1/2 years in New Orleans and 29 years here in Atlanta.  I know all about saunas!!!  If I could teach the boys to use the toilet, I could stand in the bathroom and turn on the hot shower, while they were going, and get the same effect. 

When our walk was over, and I was sufficiently soaked, and we had finished breakfast, I decided to tackle the list.  My first chore I had chosen was going to be to clean the family room.  So......I dusted and waxed all the furniture and then began to tackle the whitish Berber carpet.  The first step, of course, is to vacuum.  I don't mind vacuuming........I have a lightweight, easy to maneuver Dyson which makes the job fairly easy..............until it stops working in the middle of the job!!!  Oh yes.......half of it turns on and the other half doesn't.  It might still be under warranty......maybe not.....but I didn't want to take the time to call and deal with spending time on the phone on "ignore" while I could be getting work done.  So.........I went out to the garage and got my son's vacuum cleaner that he left with me (thank you Sean), and finished the job.  Did I really used to push 60 lbs of vacuum cleaner around the house every week?  I finally completed the task of vacuuming the carpet.....twice.....and was now ready to proceede to the shampooing phase.

First of all, let me just say that if anyone, ever, tries to convince you to purchase a whitish Berber carpet, question their loyalty to God and Country and run as fast as you can in the other direction!!! 
"Oh sure.....it will stay as clean as any other carpet.  And when you do shampoo it, don't use regular carpet shampoo, use bleach.  It will stay nice and white!!"
So, that is what I did......I used bleach instead of the carpet shampoo along with hot water.  (I do own my own carpet shampooer, so I don't have to go through the hassle of renting and hauling and figuring out the instructions.)  And, true to form, about 1/3 of the way through the carpet, I ran out of bleach!!!  That necessitated a trip to the local Kroger where, I got distracted by the fact that we were low on milk and a few other things........so it took me awhile to get home and back to work.

Once I refocused on the job at hand, things started to go pretty well.  Of course, I've been inhaling bleach fumes half of the day and I'm getting a headache.........  Just to make sure everything was thoroughly spic and span and to get as much of the bleach out as possible, I decided to shampoo the carpet a second time.  This time I used only hot water.  I was amazed at how much dirt was still in the carpet.

But now, I'm sitting here, looking at my very clean whitish Berber carpet which I will never own again and I am proud of how good it looks......except for the hardened patch of Gorilla Glue which Archie left there one day.......and that's another story!!!!!

Summer Has Finally Begun!!!

Okay, so technically, summer was to have begun for me last week when all our post-planning days were over. But....I went in one last day.  Then, this week, I spent three days downtown at a Teacher Institute and Friday doing doctor appointments all day!!  So, today, Summer has finally begun!!!!

But, let me backtrack a little........
When I last wrote, I was suffering from a major affliction affecting my ears.  I'm sad to report that its not over yet.  The pain and pressure continues along with the incessant whining of those violins in my ears which sometimes rouse me, not pleasantly, from my slumber.  However, I did see an ENT yesterday and there maybe some hope.  After an examination and about an hour of tests, the bottom line is that their is NO fluid in my ears.  The extreme pressure, and possibly some of the whining is coming from damage to my Eustachian tubes. I have also suffered some hearing loss, some permanent and some, if the tubes can be fixed, should clear up then.  As far as the permanent loss, he doesn't think it will be bad enough to warrant hearing aids just yet.  Right now, I'm on a new medical regimen and need to call back in a week.  He'll then make a decision as to how to proceed.

In the midst of all the agony over my ears, I ended up having to take Mom to the emergency room.  Turned out she had a horrible case of bronchitis and a sinus infection.  This would not be noteworthy, except that in the 60 years I have known her and in all her 90 years, this is only the 3rd time she has ever been sick!!!  I guess it was just her time.   It took her about two weeks to recover, then, last Saturday, she broke out in a rash from head to toe!!!   I mean EVERYWHWERE!!!  It lasted for a few days, went away, then suddenly Thursday it was back!!!   The doctor says it is a delayed reaction from the meds they gave her in the hospital. So......she is on her own regimen of meds!!! Never dull!!!

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So, today, my first official day of summer, I took my Archie to "Puppy School".  Now, Archie is not really a puppy.....he is a 3 1/2 year old Miniature Australian Sheperd.  But.......he's never had any real training and he's extremely neurotic and very, very sensitive!!!  He barks all the time and at everything!!!  He is always bullied by his brother, Jasper.  Jasper is a 6 year old Shiba Inu and if you know anything about Shibas, you know that they are always in charge!!!  But, I digress.......  The conclusion, from the trainer, (who by the way, has a Masters in Canine Behaviors!!)........seriously?.........is that my poor baby is suffering from anxiety.  By training him, he will gain the confidence he needs to deal with the trials of daily (dog) life and will then be able to overcome his troubling tribulations......including Jasper!!!

The Teacher Institute.....
I cannot end without some comments about the marvelous Teacher Institute that I attended last week at the High Museum in Atlanta.  I attend every year and the theme for this year was "Go West".  This connects to exhibition of the same name which will open at the museum in November featuring art of the old west, including beautiful landscapes, cowboys and Indians.  By far, this is the best Institute I have attended.

Day 1, we listened to lectures on the Westward Movement and viewed art (paintings and sculptures), from the 19th and early 20th century.  There was so much information.   What was very interesting, was that several who wrote novels and painted about the West had actually never gone there......go figure!!!  After an hour + for lunch, we adjourned to our workshops, all designed to accomodate our specific disciplines.  Since I'm Elementary Art, I got to create an Indian Parfleche.

Day 2, was definitely the most interesting day of all.  We listened to lectures from actual Indians (who didn't mind being called Indians), and I learned so much that I felt that my brain was overloaded!!!  It was so fascinating!!!  We adjourned a little early to complete an activity in the museum and then went to lunch.  After lunch, we separated again to work on our particular areas of instruction.  That day I made six different kinds of beads......which Archie ate, five minutes after I got home!!!!

Day 3, started out with us watching videos of Indian ceremonies and dances, listening to a talk on the Booth Museum of Western Art, in  Cartersville, and then being entertained by a Cowboy and Hollywood Stuntman and double who did gun tricks!!!  I was able to video him and I hope that I would be able to show my students!!!  He was so fun and entertaining!!! 
After he was finished, they announced "free stuff" (posters, cards, etc....) downstairs while they set up for crafts in the Museum atrium.  Never say "free" to a teacher!!!!  It was crazy!!!  After we loaded up boxes and bags, we went to the atrium where there were crafts, an Indian making a drum, another Indian making beaded moccasins, and others displaying some incredible Indian artifacts!!! 

This was a truly wonderful 3 days.  The information was just amazing.  Just wish I could convince more teachers to get involved.  So many think it's for only Art Teachers, but it's for those of all disciplines.  
The best part, was that I got to meet up with Joni and several of the other regulars!!  Joni (and Sara) and I, met three years ago and have enjoyed each others company and kept in touch ever since.  Sara couldn't make it this year because she was on a mission trip in Nicuaragua.  I missed her.  But Joni  and I had a great time reconnecting and this year, we will definitely plan to get together sooner instead of waiting a whole year. 

So, now that summer is off to some kind of a start, I am looking forward to a productive and enjoyable time.......as soon as this ear thing goes away!!  But I'm going to be positive and look to heading in a forward direction everyday.   I'm going to write, paint, and get some things done in my house.  And maybe.....just maybe......plan a little for school.  But I don't want to think about that for now.  I'll save that for July!!!!

My Affiction

It began just over a week ago, being jolted out of bed at three in the morning with stabbing pain from ear to ear and a chorus of trumpets playing in bell towers blaring in my head.  After tediously making my way to the bathroom and then back to the bed,  all the while listing to one side much as a Carnival Cruise ship having a bad day, I collapsed ........on the bed........with a heating pad.........on my ear.  It was hard to choose which of the afflicted cranial appendages to comfort, so I chose the one which felt most like it had expanded to three times its size and had the pressure of Old Faithful......the right one.
              In about a minute I heard a loud Pop........no, more of a bang!!  Then,
                            a minute later, another..........this is not going to be good!!

Somehow, I survived the rest of the morning until the doctors office opened,
           and.......explaining my circumstances in explicit detail (and crying a bit),
                    they were able to work me in in a short amout of time.

Of course, I was diagnosed with the worst ear infection she

had seen, given a multitude of prescriptions for anti-

biotics, and nasal sprays and told to stay in touch.

And I did stay in touch, because, this affliction has done

nothing but continue to get worse as I added

bronchitis to my misery.

This aquarium, which I now have growing in my ear, is doing nothing short of driving me insane!!  The pressure is constant and I now feel that I have some understanding of what Old Faithful goes through  in its ritual preparation for its hourly eruption. 

Another irritating conundrum is the loss of hearing.....more in my right ear than in my left.  It's not a true loss, however.  It's severly reduced. And what I do hear in my right ear comes in a second or two after I hear it in my left.  Like a little echo.......a tiny little voice.  Now, I've heard voices before, but this is entirely different and totally annoying!!

Then there is music........trying to listen to music.......in a car........in stereo ..... when Little Sir Echo is managing your faculties, it is enough to want to make you want to rip your ears out of your head!!!  Nothing is in key!!!  Nothing!!!

And......on top of all of this..........my tinnitis is amped up ten times so......in addition to the pressure, the echos, the partial deafness........the only thing I can really hear, and very loudy, are the hundreds of violins which are incessently playing continuously the one high pitched note over and over and over and over...............

And, none of this appears to have any inclination to go away.........inspite

of the doctor visits, antibiotics, nasal sprays, and decongestants.  It

has left me disordered and distressed and still listing to one

side.  All the while having to care for my ailing mother

who, herself, has developed bronchitis and a sinus

 infection.

 And now I must rest, because, tomorrow is another day, and inspite of my infirmaties, my life and my job must go on.  So I'm heading for bed and will lie there with the unrelenting barrage of violins playing that high pitched note over and over and over.........oh to sleep......

The Beginning......

Okay, so I'm not really in charge.....we'll leave that to the Almighty.  But, like everyone else, I like to think that I can control everything in my life. 
And then........
             someone, or something, sideswipes me and sends me spiraling off in 
                      an alternate direction, bumping and bruising myself along the
                                way, and leaving me in a state of unsetteled puzzlement.
Of course, it was God who probably arranged the "accident"
          in the first place, in an effort to get my attention and assure me
                    that the way I was going was not the way He intended.  And......of course He is right, and although the alternative may be frought with anxious moments and prayer, everything eventually works out in the end.

So.......I have started this blog to hopefully take charge of something in my crazy and sometimes tumultuous life.  Though, I know that before I will be sharing my thoughts, I will most often be saying a prayer for clarity of mind and verbal inspiration.  I am in charge.....yet led by a desire to write......which has been placed in my heart by my Lord. 
                                                             It is He who is ultimately in charge.