Continue reading »]]> President’s Day is a little bit puzzling to me, but it didn’t used to be.

When I was in elementary school and until 1971, we celebrated the holiday with two days off from school, one for President Washington and one for President Lincoln.

Every school child knew that President Abraham Lincoln was born on Feb. 12th, and everyone of us knew by heart that President George Washington’s birthday was Feb. 22nd.

No national holiday existed yet.

Originally called Washington’s Birthday, Feb. 22nd was a day set aside in 1885 by President Chester Arthur as a day to honor the “father of our country.”

Since 1968, however, I cannot get Presidents Day straight in my mind because in that year Congress passed the Monday Holidays Act.

Everyone was supposed to celebrate Presidents Day the third Monday in February to honor two of our greatest presidents of the United States, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, on the same day.

I remember that teachers, students and the general public were perplexed about the change in 1968, but, as it turned out, we weren’t the only ones.

On Capital Hill, lawmakers found a surprising glitch in its Monday Holidays Act. Congress learned after the fact that there was a federal statute already on the books designating the third Monday as Washington’s Birthday.

Did that leave Lincoln out?

No one seemed to know, but some legislators fought to include Lincoln in the official name. The resolution was defeated and, contrary to popular belief, I learned that the name of the federal holiday has never been officially changed, and remains on the books designated as Washington’s Birthday.

After a few years of uncertainty, President Richard Nixon issued a proclamation in 1971 stating that the third Monday of February would honor all past presidents of the United States.

This was supposed to clear things up since most people had no idea whether to continue celebrating Feb. 12 and 22 separately or together. Some schools observed both days during this period of time, but many, as I recall, no longer gave students two days off, only one.

There was another glitch in this situation that added even more confusion.

The news media or the government or someone began to tell us that the new presidential proclamation, although important and weighty, was not the same as an executive order.

If I remember correctly, banks did not close at first on the new Presidents Day, and the post office delivered mail because states were not required to adopt the federal holiday, since Presidents Day really wasn’t a federal holiday.

It may sound impossible to believe these days, but no one split hairs much back then, and in time, Presidents Day observances around the country complied without much fuss with the Monday Holiday Act.

Although Nixon’s proclamation indicated we should celebrate all past presidents’ birthdays, it is safe to say there weren’t many festivities centered around the birthdays of Grover Cleveland or William Henry Harrison, for instance.

I am happy to tell you that recently I found some children’s Crayola coloring pages much like we used when I was a child. Both Washington and Lincoln are depicted together with a big birthday cake and lots of candles on one page, and other pages feature them separately.

And printed in large type are the familiar words: Happy Birthday, Presidents Washington and Lincoln.

Nice to know some things never change.

Continue reading »]]> “Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic.” –Author Unknown

First-timers, amateurs, novices—that is how you could describe my husband and I as we set out last weekend for Super Bowl 2012 in Indianapolis.

We weren’t afraid, we just had no idea what to expect, or for that matter, who to cheer on to victory. We did not have a favorite team, but happily, we did have free tickets thanks to a drawing my husband won through his work.

And, we had a parking pass, which turned out to be golden.

Pure “awesomeness” as one of our grandkids remarked when he heard Grandma and Grandpa were going to the Super Bowl.

I began to refer to our trip, however, as “Ma and Pa Kettle Go to the Super Bowl” because we were clearly ‘babes in the woods’. Nevertheless, it did not take us long to acclimate ourselves to the energy and excitement of Downtown Indy and the Super Bowl experience. It goes without saying that right away I began to jot down some observations of the day, knowing I would want to share them with you when I got home.

My Super Bowl 2012 observations & reactions from a newcomer to the scene:

–Go early, buy a parking pass before you arrive and take plenty of cash. Essential.

–At the Super Bowl, don’t spill any popcorn. It costs 15 cents a kernel.

–Best Tweet: from @JerrySeinfeld: Ok Bill B, grotesque grey cutoff hoody officially not ‘lucky’! Can we move on? #jos.abankfirststoptomorrow.

–If I were younger, I would ride the block-long zip line near Super Bowl Village.

– Star sightings in the stadium included announcers and commentators Kurt Warner, Aaron Rogers, Dan Patrick, Al Michaels, Chris Collingsworth, Tony Dungee, Bill Cowherd and others we “thought” we knew. And stars, such as “Biff” Henderson from the David Letterman Show, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Meg Ryan, Guy Fieri of Food Network, and on and on. My husband and I would continually tap each other on the shoulder and whisper, “Who was that? I know who it is but I can’t think of the name.” Yes, we admit, we were star struck.

–Luckily, because I’m tall,  I could stand on my toes and shoot a few pictures of sports celebrities over the partition designed to keep gawkers such as me from disturbing the NBC commentator’s pregame booth. That plan worked for a few seconds until security made me move. However, I still wanted a close-up photo of Aaron Rogers. Seeing my disappointment as I was being sternly told to move on, a very tall young man asked if he could help. He grabbed my camera, stood on his toes and leaned over the partition to snap a picture of Aaron Rogers for me, handed the camera back and ran. Good boy. It was all I could do not to break into a “discount double check” Aaron Rogers’ move.

–The Players:

Since we arrived in the stadium at 2 p.m., we had plenty of time to watch the players warm up. Eli Manning wore sweats, no pads, and no helmet and practiced passing to his receivers, over and over and over again. Then he performed a series of exercises and jogged. After the informal early practice, the teams went to their locker rooms and came out later in their full gear for an “official” practice. I took a lot of pictures of both teams. Then, I asked the Patriots fans who were seated all around us, where’s Tom Brady. I don’t see him. They laughed and said, ‘Oh he’ll be out later. He doesn’t practice much before a game.” You may draw your own conclusions from that.

–Halftime:

This may sound like a bolt from the blue to some of you, but honestly, I thought it was the best Super Bowl halftime show I have ever seen. Some people apparently hated Madonna’s performance, but most reviews called her outstanding. In fact, there were non-Madonna fans that found her to be surprisingly and unexpectedly excellent. Watching Madonna in person was a treat, to say the least. We thought her to be the consummate entertainer, talented and stage savvy with strong vocals and great moves for a 54-year-old (I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the fact that she can still gyrate). She gets my vote. I suppose I can overlook the self-centered attempt by M.I.A. to get world attention. From where we sat, we could not see M.I.A. “gesture”, and apparently, the cast didn’t see it either as they later reported. NBC and the NFL apologized to viewers. Frankly, there is always something or someone trying to grab the headlines, and I don’t really care to give M.I.A. any more ink. Madonna, that’s another matter. No wonder some call her the high priestess of the music industry.

–Tickets:

Before the game, we listened to a band in Circle Centre Mall while waiting for nearby Lucas Oil Stadium to open its doors. It didn’t take long for us to strike up a conversation with a man from Tennessee who was there trying to buy tickets for himself and his elderly dad. Going to a Super Bowl was on his Dad’s bucket list, the son said, so they just got in the car and came. He was confidant he would find some for $1,000 each, his bottom dollar, but so far no luck. Ticket prices on the street ranged from $2,000 to more than $15,000 a piece.

So there we were, not quite believing our luck. We simply took it all in and relished this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Granted, the trip was not on our “Bucket Lists” before we went, however, we are certainly glad it is now. And it’s crossed off, too.

“Awesomeness”, yes that is a word I use a lot these days.

Continue reading »]]> “Men, I want you just thinking of one word all season.
One word and one word only: Superbowl.”
– Bill Peterson, American football coach, known as the “Coach of Coaches”

Throughout most of America and in many places around the world, millions of us are thinking of one word right about now, well actually two, Super Bowl. We probably thought of it all season, too.

I don’t know if this is true, but a sports pundit said recently that more people would watch the Super Bowl this year than voted in the last presidential election.

The numbers from food consumed to the cost of television commercials become even more mind-boggling than the number of viewers.

Take a look at these numbers, for example:

• CNBC notes that 1.25 billion chicken wings will be consumed this weekend.
• SBNation.com explains that Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest day for food consumption trailing only Thanksgiving Day, a holiday that is all about food. SBNation adds that the average viewer will consume 1,200 calories just during the game alone (I’m feeling fat already.).
• According to the Nielson Group, Americans will consume 8 million pieces of pizza,
• 46 million pounds of potato chips and 71 million pounds of guacamole.
• I couldn’t find statistics on beer consumption, but seriously, if we are eating 8 million pieces of pizza, a lot of folks are going to get thirsty.
• If you are going to order a pizza, call early. Last year, Pizza Hut, Dominoes and Papa John’s received twice as many takeout orders than on any other day of the year, that according to Bleacher Report.
• As for total number of viewers–111 million last year.
• The expected number of viewers in 2012, again according to Bleacher Report, should exceed last year with people watching in 232 countries speaking 34 different languages.
• Television commercials will make up more than 45 minutes of the game-day broadcast. Ads will cost more than $100,000 per second with each half-minute spot costing 3.5 million dollars.
• According to the online ticket price broker TiqIQ, the average price for a Super Bowl ticket in Indianapolis is $3,984.73.

Super Bowl Sunday with its mind-boggling stats is more than a game; it’s an American holiday that millions celebrate with their own traditions even though most of us don’t really have a horse in the race, if you will. More than likely, as in the case of Kansas City Chiefs fans, your team didn’t make it to the Super Bowl.

Still, we love to watch the game, the highly creative commercials and the unpredictability and pageantry of the half time show.

The Super Bowl is a holiday we look forward to all football season, and it is a day, admit it, that most of us do not want to spend alone. It’s depressing not to celebrate.

Some people prefer small gatherings of family and friends, fun parties for small children that nearly resemble birthday parties, or large, raucous parties.

One thing all these celebrations have in common is our outright love for chowing down on fatty, greasy, high-calorie food, when for one day at least, we do it without a shred of guilt. It is accepted. It is the norm.

In fact, a vegan told me she eats pepperoni pizza on Super Bowl Sunday without giving it a second thought and actually looks forward to eating it all year. She has to, she says, it wouldn’t be the Super Bowl without a pizza. It’s a national tradition.

And consider this thought from Americanfood.about.com as you consume your 1,200 calories during the game: “If you are wondering where all this festive frivolity leads to the following Monday, there’s a 20 percent increase in the sale of antacids and an estimated 7 million employees will not show up for work.”

Super Bowl Sunday only happens once a year, so buy some Tums, eat pizza, chicken wings, nachos, chips and salsa, fries, and of course, the guacamole.

Go for it, I say, but please don’t call me in the morning.

Continue reading »]]> “He who loves an old house never loves in vain.”
– Isabel La Howe Conant, late 19th Century author.

Saving a small town landmark is no easy task when the digital world changes the rules and if you are in the fight by yourself.

Small town theatres, such as The Davis Theatre, circa 1934, in Higginsville, Missouri, are faced with such a reality because movie studios will no longer offer 35 mm films and will require digital equipment that can cost nearly $90,000 per movie screen.

The Davis Theatre has four screens requiring that a minimum of $300,000 will be needed to upgrade the entire complex.

This is a Herculean task for many small-town theatres that are break-even enterprises at best. In a nutshell as technology changes, small town movie theatres will be forced to close, an outcome that is already happening across the country.

However, word of this west central Missouri town’s dilemma spread fast this past week (fueled by social media networking and media reports). The plight of the historic art deco Davis Theatre in Higginsville, 30 miles east of Independence, drew attention from scores of folks wanting to know how they could help.

The Friends of Davis Theatre, a volunteer non-profit organization, and others from across the country are taking on the challenge to keep the historic theatre from closing. The Friends organization is currently seeking 501c3 IRS status with the intention of one day buying the theatre to operate it as a movie house but also as a performing arts center.

Besides the bake sales and benefits, the Friends are involved in a mammoth fundraising project, a Reader’s Digest contest titled “We Hear You America”. First prize is $50,000, and currently Higginsville is in second place with online voting. It’s simple—visit wehearyouamerica.readersdigest.com and enter zip code 64037, then your email address and vote. Anyone 18 and older can vote unlimited times.

Higginsville has recently passed the 2 million-vote mark.

I visited the theatre one recent afternoon before show time because I wanted Fran Schwarzer, owner, to give me a “real” tour of the building and tell me about the history behind its walls.

She looked at me a little perplexed when I said, “Take me to the bowels of this edifice. I want to see the ‘inner sanctum sanctorum.’ For the record, that is the Latin translation meaning the “holy of holies” or the most holy place in the building.

Fran understood what I wanted to see and led me to an unremarkable door that opens off the lobby and takes you to a steep, concrete incline toward the dark basement beneath.

I was expecting the Phantom of the Opera to appear any moment.

For movie history buffs, what she showed me was breathtaking.

Categorized by alpha and topic, Fran showed me rolls and rolls of movie posters.

Fran said when they bought the building in 1998 and began its restoration, she and George found movie and boxing match posters thrown in a pile and covered with trash. Instantly, they knew they had a “find”.

Over the years, Fran and George Schwarzer added to their poster collection so that today the halls of the theatre feature a virtual museum of movies from the past.

As Fran walked me through the lobby, she explained each poster, stopping to point out her favorite–the original War of the Worlds movie poster. I was speechless.

There are so many others, but here are a few I loved: White Christmas, The Ten Commandments, Gone with the Wind, the complete collection of Spider Man posters, the complete collection of Lord of the Rings posters, The Hideous Sun Demon (remember that creepy, B movie of the 50s), Bus Top with Marilyn Monroe and Don Murray, and the Harold Lloyd posters (He was the silent screen star known for his stunts such as sitting on a flag pole on a New York skyscraper.)

And the pièce de résistance, an original Sugar Ray Robinson fight poster.

Fran says that back in the day people got their news at the movies from newsreels and posters. Fights, for example, were advertised on posters at theatres.

The Davis Theatre and its fascinating history, its gallery of posters and ambiance makes it indeed a rather magical place, I would have to say.

After all, movies are all about magic, aren’t they? But magic can’t last, at least for this small town, without the reality of making big plans and aiming high.

Note: If you would like to help the Friends of the Davis Theatre, vote online at the address above or send tax-deductible donations to:

Mainstreet Higginsville, Inc., a 501c3, mailed to
First Central Bank,
P.O. Box 718,
Higginsville, Mo
64037,
noting in the memo line that it is for Davis Theatre.

Continue reading »]]> “Old age comes on suddenly, and not gradually as is thought.” – Emily Dickinson

Most stories about Alzheimer’s catch my eye, but none more than one I read this past week, a USA Today story about a family’s ongoing blog about Alzheimer’s.

I am interested in this because my mother, 94, was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s more than 12 years ago. We have been in the throes of this dreaded disease ever since, so naturally I am interested in everything Alzheimer’s. And I must admit, I worry about getting it myself.

The story mentioned above is named simply Bob’s Blog, a personal journal kept in association with USA Today. It is about Bob Blackwell, 69, a retired and once brilliant and highly talented CIA analyst who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s five years ago.

At first, he started writing about his battle with the illness, but soon thereafter, his wife Carol took over blogging about their personal journey.

She tells poignant, sometimes humorous and always loving tales about their daily lives. Recently, Carol has been writing the blog they keep for USA Today about “the season of lasts — listing things Bob has done for the last time. He has been a lifelong fan of University of Georgia football, for instance, but following the games last fall was too challenging.”

And on and on the list of “lasts” continues.

Carol writes: “Here we are, and there’s no cure and no promise of a cure…I know it’s too late for a cure for Bob, the disease has moved into many parts of his brain, but I’m praying for my children and grandchildren. We have to find a cure.”

If you are close to someone who is afflicted with Alzheimer’s, I imagine that you drink in every word as well on the subject of finding a cure for future generations and for ourselves.

Unfortunately, the very definition of Alzheimer’s is indeed foreboding.

Health reporter Janice Lloyd describes Alzheimer’s as “a form of dementia that causes progressive loss of intellectual and social skills, the only disease among the top killers for which there is no prevention, cure or treatment that will slow its progression”.

We hear constantly in the news these days that disease is thought to run in families and the growth of Alzheimers, the projected number of people over the age of 65 in the U.S., is now in the millions.

WebMD further explains: “Dementia is considered a late-life disease because it tends to develop mostly in elderly people. About 5 to 8 percent of all people over the age of 65 have some form of dementia, and this number doubles every five years above that age. It is estimated that as many as half of people in their 80s suffer from dementia.”

I find better news in the fact that new efforts are being made to raise public awareness, provide more funding for research and speed up the timeline to find a cure.

And even better news in the fact that once in awhile our loved ones with Alzheimer’s emerge ever so briefly from the fog and come back, sometimes long enough for us to catch a glimmer of the person we used to know.

For example, the other day I could not get my mother to open her eyes. It was lunchtime at the special care Alzheimer’s unit where she resides.

I tried to entice her to smell and taste her food and to take a sip of coffee, which incidentally she has adored her entire life.

It was the coffee I gave her that I believe brought her back to life. Right away, she opened her eyes and smiled. Then she squealed, “Oooooo, coffee. That’s good.” She then turned to a neighbor at the dining table and said, “Have you met my mother”, pointing to me. Looking at me she said, “Kay Jean (the name she has always called me) have you met my mother?”

And that is how it goes most days, but this particular day she recognized the smell and taste of coffee and said “ooooo, that’s good”, and for ever so briefly, she was back.

Continue reading »]]> “If you can’t make it better, you can laugh at it” – Erma Bombeck

Adaptation is what we need in January, we tell ourselves this time of year.

I do not know about you, but the older I become the less adaptive I care to be.

Encarta Encyclopedia describes “alteration” as the state of changing to fit new circumstances or conditions, a revision if you will.

It is curious to me that I used to love change, but now I am not so sure I like it.

Come January most of us resolve to try something new. Buy new sheets. Try to understand a calendar that begins on a Monday. Move the chairs and furniture around, put away Christmas decorations, clean the closets, think new thoughts and look at life differently. And oh yes, if there is time, organize those photographs that reside in boxes in the basement or in files on one’s computer.

I began these January tasks by putting away Christmas decorations and thoroughly cleaning the house. However, I quickly became bored and instead spent the afternoon watching two back-to-back chick flicks, popped popcorn and enjoyed a Root Beer. Don’t tell the spousal unit.

The next day I attempted to take down Christmas decorations again, and this time as I was carrying two many boxes and sacks down the basement steps, twisted my knee and fell on my wrist. No serious damage was done, although I am wearing support braces on both appendages.

So much for housekeeping. You see, as Erma Bombeck once said, “Housework can kill you if done right.”

Then there are the annual January white sales in all my favorite stores, and I am confident this will be the year I replace the sheets. Maybe I will cover the sofa and buy a new bedskirt and comforter set as well. Usually by the time I decide what I want, the sales are over.

New calendars arrive, but some of them begin with Monday instead of Sunday. I cannot fathom these at all, so I probably will not use them. I have to wonder who designed these calendars, some 23-year-old commercial art student fresh out of college? Don’t they know we baby boomers have to have our calendars start on Sunday because that is all we have ever known? Ok, Ok, I suppose they are designed for the business week, but why?

As I was saying, we baby boomers may like to think we are open to new ways, but truth be told, we drag our feet kicking and screaming into the new year and into anything new at all. The old year and our old ways were just fine with us.

Farmers in the Midwest, have a saying for our January conundrum, “Don’t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t botherin’ you none,” like last year.

In many ways though, last year did bother us a lot. Every year does.

So, we contemplate change each January and hope that this January change will actually happen, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Although come to think of it, according to Washington Irving, “There is a certain relief in change, even though it may be from bad to worse As I have often found in traveling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one’s position and be bruised in a new place!”

I think I am ready for February.

Continue reading »]]> “Risk-taking, trust, and serendipity are key ingredients of joy. Without risk, nothing new ever happens. Without trust, fear creeps in. Without serendipity, there are no surprises.”
Rita Golden Gelman, children’s author

I guess I could try to claim a little credit for introducing my friend Beth Legler of Blue Springs to the online game, Words With Friends, but it would be insignificant compared to what was to follow.

Little did I know that through her connection with this game Beth would ultimately become a key player in saving a man’s life in Queensland, Australia.

Neither did she.

Here is what happened. Soon after I talked Beth into playing Words With Friends, a wildly popular online scrabble-like game, I quit. I was addicted and slightly bummed that I could not beat my son and his law-school buddies.

Soon after I bailed, Beth became addicted, as well. For the longest time, Beth said she was too busy with work to play, but once she started she could not stop.

In a gesture of love and respect to her late mother, Beth created a username to honor her.

At about the same time in Queensland, Australia, Georgina Fletcher downloaded the new “hot” app “Words With Friends”. Georgina who prefers the nickname “Georgie” set up a game and was ready to begin. The rules state that one must choose from existing friends or choose a random opponent.

Georgie says she chose the random opponent option because she wanted “to chill out” at the time and simply play a game but not chat with opponents. The thought of conversing with strangers did not sit right with her, she recalls, so she preferred not to chat.

Here is where risk-taking, trust and serendipity enter our story.

Georgie’s first opponent, as it turns out, was Beth Legler of Blue Springs, an R.N. in the Blue Springs School District. She liked Beth’s online username. It intrigued her.

Georgie says that since they did not exchange personal information as they played the game, she guessed that her opponent was female because of her username. They played quite a few games, and eventually Beth sent a message saying simply, “Good Game.”

Hesitating to send back a message, Georgie, out of courtesy, eventually sent back “Thanks.”

From then on their chats would consist of one or two words. During the Christmas season of 2010, Georgie sent a message to her unknown opponent saying “Merry Christmas from Queensland, Australia.”

Beth sent a message back saying Merry Christmas from Missouri, USA.

Georgie says, “It wasn’t long after that you couldn’t shut the pair of us up, spending equal amounts of time chatting and playing.”

She continues, “We talked about our jobs, countries, children, husbands, parents, pets and eventually swapping photos of themselves and families, and Beth’s new puppy!”

Fast forward to September of 2011 when Beth began to worry about her friend Georgie. She had not heard from her, nor had they played in about four days.

Beth reached out through an email asking if everything was okay, hoping that the 16-hour time difference between their two worlds was the reason for Georgie’s online absence.

Not too long after, Georgie sent a message explaining that her husband Simon had not been feeling well for sometime. She wrote that recently after taking their dogs for a long walk, he complained of a burning pain in the back of his throat. Simon believed he was breathing in cold air and that was the problem, but Georgie was worried.

Georgia was perplexed as well, “I thought what is he talking about? We live in a tropical climate and the air outside was warm and humid, certainly not cold.”

As many men often shrug off illness, Georgie commented, he continued denying anything was wrong. Day after day, the pain in his throat and heartburn became more regular. Georgie suggested he see a doctor, but he brushed off the idea saying he saw one last month and had a great checkup. No cholesterol problems and perfect blood pressure. Simon said all he needed was an antacid.

Georgie began referring to her husband Simon as “Mr. Self-Diagnosis”, and believed he was avoiding the truth primarily out of denial and fear.

Eventually, Georgie began to share Simon’s dilemma with Beth online including an incident in which he could not walk to the mailbox without difficulty.

Immediately concerned, Beth shared this information with her husband Larry Legler, M.D. and longtime family physician in Independence.

Larry wanted Simon to take an aspirin and see a doctor immediately about possible angina.

Beth wrote Georgie: “Larry thinks Simon is in a whole lot of trouble, get him to a hospital ASAP, and Georgie, Larry believes Simon will need a cardiac catherization procedure right away.”

Georgie explains what happened after that: “We presented at the hospital and saw a heart specialist. I told the specialist what Larry had said and why. The specialist was quite bemused by a diagnosis given by someone from the other side of the planet and a Words With Friends pal, just to make it all the more bizarre.”

The doctor actually concurred, however, remarking, “I agree with your friend Larry and will order a test where a dye will be put through Simon’s veins and then a scan.”

Later that afternoon, they received a call from the cardiac surgeon saying cath surgery would be first thing in the morning and that Simon had a 99 percent blockage of the left ventricle.

After the surgery, Georgie said the surgeon told her that Simon would have been dead by afternoon if someone had not intervened. He is the luckiest man in the hospital today, the doctor added.

Georgie emailed Beth and Larry immediately saying how impressed they were with Larry’s diagnosis, made with little information. She wrote: “ We are forever grateful to him. And to you Beth, they say that nurses are God’s angels, well you are an angel to us!”

Moral to the story: Simon says never, never self diagnose, and Georgie says, “Please chat with your random opponents on Words With Friends or whatever game you choose. I got over my fear of opening up, took a risk and told the truth, and it saved my husband’s life.”

Epilogue: The two women hope to meet one day in person but until then have visited on Skype.

Georgie dumped Beth from Words With Friends because she was getting bored with the game. Beth says it was more likely that Georgie was tired of Beth beating her.

Now, the two women play Hanging With Friends (Hangman online) every chance they get. Beth says Georgie prefers this because she beats Beth mercilessly at this game. Apparently, this highly addictive and fierce pastime between these two is not for the faint of heart.

I’m staying offline. They scare me.

Continue reading »]]> For last year’s words belong to last year’s language.?And next year’s words await another voice.?– T.S. Eliot, “Little Gidding”

For the past two years at the end of December, I shared with you my top ten reasons why I was ready for that year to end. And here we are again at the close of another calendar year that was filled with just as many jaw-dropping, ludicrous, important events or not so as the year before.

I imagine you are ready for the year to end, too.

It is always fun to look back, however, so here they are: my top ten reasons why it’s time for 2011 to end.

10. The 2011 designation I give to ‘too much of someone or something’ goes this year to the media circus surrounding two high-profile legal cases, Casey Anthony and Conrad Murray’s in particular.

Cardiologist Conrad Murray, convicted of killing Michael Jackson, is now being vilified to Hannibal Lector status, according to the New York Daily news. And meanwhile, Casey Anthony who has never been seen since she got off with a wrist slap in her murder trial, is now the subject of fun-filled parlor games, a Facebook page, and movie sure to come all asking the burning question “Where in the World is Casey Anthony.

9. The ‘Pits of a Sports Moment’—NFL lockout and NBA lockout.

8. One word—Bieber. Yes, Bieber wins this one-word distinction once again this year, but it is not his hair that put him in the headlines this time. No sirree, it is an alleged paternity suit from a groupie, although he still looks 12 to me.

7. Two words—Rally Squirrel. Actually, I love Rally Squirrel’s antics and look forward to him reappearing in 2012, perhaps in Kansas City this time?

6. Three words—This is a tossup between ‘Occupy Wall Street…or whatever’ and Charlie Sheen’s Tweets.

5. The ‘Fall from Grace’ winner this year goes to the ‘Not-So Fashionable Dead Dictators’ and the unfortunate loss of the comic relief their fashion choices once provided:

• Kim Jong-Il – could be one of the most poorly dressed emperors on the planet. However, he never lost his swagger, always decked out with giant sunglasses, his signature brown jumpsuits and fav platform shoes.
• Muammar Gadhafi—This dictator had some crazy and colorful clothes, hats and makeup, and I am sorry to say, his fashion statement will be sorely missed. He has been deemed, in some circles, the Lady Gaga of the evil dictator crowd.
• Bin Laden – wore sheets and there really isn’t much else to say about that fashion statement.

4. Movies—the end of Harry Potter and the almost end of Twilight. However, 2011 could be deemed “The Year of the Movie Sequel” with these summer blockbusters hitting the silver screen: Scream 4, Pirates 4, Mission Impossible IV, Cars 2, Transformers 3, Spy Kids 4, Hangover 2, and my personal favorite Kung Fu Panda 2. I am tired of some of these but not Kung Fu Panda, huh uh.

3. Fashion—itty, bitty thin feathers clamped into hair to make hairdos look better? Enough said.

2. Food trends—although 2010 could be considered the year of the organic, 2011 has to be the gluten-free-everything year. Gluten-free labels are turning up on many foods that are already naturally gluten-free, such as coffee? So what is this all about? Gluten is being blamed for a host of maladies with some people saying going gluten-free has changed their lives for the better and others reporting no difference whatsoever. Guess we could say the jury is still out on this one. We will stay tuned.

1. My number one reason for wanting 2011 to end has to be Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the Kardashian hype, the wedding, the divorce, the family 3-D Christmas card, and their book ‘Kardashian Konfidential’. If you are not in the Kardashian know, simply search the Internet for “Who are the Kardashians” and you will find entertaining blogs with all the answers. One of these is my favorite because it gives a humorous answer to the burning questions, why are the Kardashian sisters famous and why have they been cluttering up my television?
What could possibly top all this in 2012, you may wonder? An election year perhaps? Hold onto your hats New Year’s Eve revelers, it could be quite a ride.
Happy New Year!

Continue reading »]]> “I like fishing for fish, but sometimes I just like fishing for no fish. I am kinda happy when the fish get away. Then, they don’t get caught.” – Enrique, a camper at the Greater Kansas City Camp Quality for kids with cancer

At Christmastime, Joyce Branson of Higginsville remembers fondly the kids from Camp Quality “who got away”, the ones who sadly passed on due to cancer or other life-threatening illnesses.

It is hard not to think about them, she says, because they changed her life.

Joyce along with Paulette Augustine wrote a book, published this summer, and titled “The Ones That Got Away”. In the collection of stories about campers, Joyce describes her 17-plus years of teaching kids how to fish at the Greater Kansas City Camp Quality, one of four in the State of Missouri and of several throughout the country.

The book title, Joyce says, refers to the children lost to cancer, but it also reflects on how these kids got away from cancer, got away from hospitals and got away from misunderstanding and ridicule from their peers.

The only thing these kids often want for Christmas is a trip to Camp Quality next summer where he or she can be a normal child and where their fellow campers accept them for who they are.

Sadly, Zac and Hope, two of Joyce’s fishing pupils who are featured in short stories in her book, succumbed to cancer this year.

“Zac, the Golf Cart Boy”, is about Zac’s affinity for golf carts. Joyce remembers him well because she says you can’t help but smile if you ever met Zac.

Joyce writes, “Three years ago I met Zac when he first came to camp. He had the most beautiful smile and was so cute…little did I know he would change my life. I had a golf cart, so we became instant buddies. Every time I would come around, he wanted a ride…it was no problem. We went everywhere on that thing…I think he enjoyed the freedom the golf cart provided, with the wind blowing in his face. As we rode, he did not have to think about his cancer.”

Then there is a sweet vignette about a little girl named Hope titled “The Beauty Shop of Hope”. Carol, the camp beautician, recalls in the story, “Hope came down to the beauty shop, and of course since she had no hair, she was probably thinking that there would be nothing I could do for her. I said, well Hope, hold on—we will think of something.”

Carol said she thought and thought…she made a stencil of a flower, then carefully placed it on Hope’s head, and sprayed on colors over the stencil. The smile of hope that Hope gave Carol was one she says she will never forget. She added beads for sparkle and ‘coolness’, making Hope the fashion leader for the camp that summer.

There are many more similar stories in the book, each heart-warming, humorous and touching.

And Joyce, “the fish lady”, continues year after year to bring happiness and healing to kids by coaching them on how to fish. Some of the campers who live in the city, she says, have never seen a fish swimming in a lake, they get their lines impossibly tangled and are horror-struck by cutting up worms to put on hooks. By the time camp ends, they are fishing with the best of them, she says.

Well, almost all of them, she laughs. Joyce remembers one little boy who was all set to fish for the first time—line was ready and the bait was on the hook. She said, “Ok, throw in your line”, and he did.

The little guy threw in the line, pole and all, and turned to look at Joyce as if to say, “Now what? You said to throw it in.”

In camper Susie’s story in the book, she makes a wish about increasing understanding of her illness. She asks Joyce: “I wish kids at school knew about this camp. Could you come to my school and tell kids about the place so they could understand, like you people do? Then, they wouldn’t make fun of me anymore.”

And may I suggest that if you are still looking for a way to help others at Christmas time or anytime for that matter, consider buying these books as gifts or for youth groups in order to raise awareness of childhood cancer.

Joyce is donating all the proceeds from the book to the camp and to other children’s charities. The book can be found on amazon.com for $16.00 and is published by Authorhouse.

As the back cover explains, “Everything associated with Camp Quality is such a positive experience. For six days, campers, companions, and staff members look cancer in the eye and tell the dreaded disease that it can be beaten.”

Continue reading »]]> “At Christmas, play and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year.”
–Thomas Tusser, English writer (1524-1580)

Since the Christmas movie “Elf” was first released in 2003, I have watched it over and over and never tire of it.

One of the things that make it so endearing is the way the main character Buddy-the-Elf joyfully embodies Thomas Tusser’s philosophy of making good cheer at Christmastime.

Nobody does that better than Buddy.

When Buddy said, “First we’ll make snow angels for two hours, then we’ll go ice skating, then we’ll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse cookie-dough as fast as we can, and then we’ll snuggle,” I traveled back in time to carefree, fun-filled childhood Christmas traditions of my own.

Buddy’s delight in Christmas fun made me recall how excited I used to feel as a child about Christmas merriment.

We didn’t exactly eat a whole roll of cookie dough or snuggle much, but we did eat a lot of homemade Christmas candy and enjoyed Saturday morning craft time, creating ice candles (molded in milk cartons) to give as gifts.

My mother, who was not particularly artistic or “crafty”, became that way at Christmastime. She loved making a variety of Christmas candies for gifts or entertaining, Heavenly Divinity was one of her specialties. She delighted in Saturday morning candle-making as well. It took me awhile to remember exactly how she made those candles and to find her luscious Divinity recipe, but I did.

I will gladly share both with you now in this column with the hope that they bring you a fun-filled merry Saturday of craft-and-candy making that would make Buddy so happy he would be making snow angels for two hours.

Heavenly Divinity
4 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg whites at room temperature
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, syrup, and salt and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture boils. Continue cooking until it forms a soft ball. Drop a small ball in cold water to test. Continue cooking while beating egg whites, until mixture reaches the light crack stage when a little is dropped in cold water to test. Pour mixture over egg whites, beating all the while. Continue beating until candy begins to hold its shape. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Drop by teaspoonful onto waxed paper. Makes 50-60 pieces. This candy is difficult to handle and you must work quickly and not wait too long to spoon it onto the waxed paper. It can get too firm and hard and then you can’t spoon it
out.

Milk Carton Christmas Candles
Items needed: milk carton, candle wax, a big pot, an old coffee can, candy thermometer, ice, candle wicks or taper candle, colored crayons.

Step 1 – Break candle wax into big pieces and put in empty coffee can. Fill cooking pot halfway with water and put coffee can with wax inside the water. Heat until wax melts. Use candy thermometer to be sure water reaches 130 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2 — Break crayons and add pieces to hot wax. Let them melt completely.
Step 3 – Cut off top of milk carton. Place a taper in the center of the milk carton or poke a hole in bottom of carton and thread a wick through hole.
Step 4 – Fill milk carton with ice. The smaller the chunks of ice the more intricate the pattern will be. Big pieces of ice will not work well.
Step 5 – Pour hot wax over the ice very, very slowly until you fill the milk carton. If you use a wick rather than taper, hold it carefully while pouring around it. Let carton sit until wax dries. Once you are sure it is dry, peel the carton from the wax inside.
Step 6 – Ice candle must harden for at least 24 hours.