Random Thoughts and Lobbying

The roads were still slick, so I had to drive carefully.

The van near the old bus depot had a logo on the side. It was the shuttle for the Warming Center, an overnight shelter. One thought: I'm glad there is a safe and warm place to go. Second thought: it's sad that people are in such dire straits that this service is a necessity.

Pulling up to a parking space, I dropped in enough change for an hour and a half. If I got a parking ticket, that would probably be a sign that I should give up on politics. Right? Nah.

The event had, as always, a good buffet of munchies and a cash bar. We nibbled, we caught up with friends who were there, and then started pointing out the important people, those we were there to meet.

Meet, greet, work the room. Teachers really don't train for situations like this. Business people do, and politicians excel in the atmosphere. We're learning. More teachers are getting active than ever before. We must. There is no option.

Soon-to-be-former Gov. Walker didn't show. He didn't send a staff member, either. At least my congressman sent a staffer - someone who turned out to be familiar to me because his child was in my class a few years ago. Ah, my chance! I can do this; make small talk (I was sincerely interested in hearing about his son's progress), and ease the way for the more direct of my colleagues who would bring up the legislation that mattered to us.

I met and talked to or listened to my state assembly rep, another state assembly member from a nearby district (great guy - why have I not met him before?), & our county executive. I waved a greeting to my state senator (he doesn't know me, but I keep writing him letters) and signed all the attendance sheets for those elected officials who didn't see this event as necessary.

Now the real work begins. I've said it before, and you'll hear me say it again. Those with whom I spoke tonight won't remember me, my profession, or my concerns. Now it's time to write follow up letters.

Dear Lawmaker;

Thank you for attending/ sending a staff member/ ignoring the Meet Your Legislators event in downtown Happy Valley. I attended as part of WEAC- FV.... that'll scare the Governor; maybe I shouldn't mention my sponsor. At least I didn't introduce myself as a Recall Volunteer. Okay, start over.

Dear Lawmaker;

Thank you for attending/ sending a staffer/ ignoring the Meet Your Legislators event in downtown Happy Valley. I'm glad I had the chance to talk with you/ meet you/ wave to you/ leave my name on your calling card. I am deeply concerned about the negative politcal climate in our fair state.

The divisiveness, the bullying, the battles. The poorly written legislation, rough drafted in a hurry to be pushed through as quickly as possible while the Powers That Be are still in Power. As slick as a winter street.... oh, no, that's not even relevant. Revise, edit, slice, dice, and rewrite.

This kind of lawmaking creates problems, not solutions. Please take the time to consider and think of those who are affected by your decisions. We are real people, with real families, real jobs (yes! we work! hard!), and real challenges. These politically charged knee-jerk reactions to non-existent issues.... oh, here I go again. This needs to be redone, too.

Well, at least I have a rough draft. I will now pretend I'm a role model for those who read the letters, and I will take the time to read, reread, revise, and edit. After all, I am a leader in the community - a public school teacher, a public employee: a public school teacher.

How should I sign off? Suggestions, readers?

Sincerely

Not-so-sincerely

Respectfully (or not)

I know one thing - I'm sure not signing it "Love."

Stumble It!

Bad things come in threes - we're done now, right?

La Petite has been having major tummy troubles. She had tests done last week. They took two biopsies of inflamed areas and noted bile in the colon, too. She needs to add an ulcer medication and a second antacid to her daily routine. She's 25, for heaven's sake.

Chuck fell on the ice last weekend. He hit his elbow pretty hard. He took care of it with ice and anti-inflammatory meds, but it got worse instead of better. The results? See below. I suggested renaming him Chip, but he didn't like the idea.

Amigo had it easiest: he came home with an ear plugged with wax. No infection, thank goodness, but on the advice of his school nurses, he went in to have the ear flushed out. He's blind; we don't take chances with his ears.

Wondering about Chip, er, Chuck's photo opportunity? Here it is. Now remember, we're done. Bad things come in threes.

Stumble It!

Flu shots: there's still time!

Amigo visited our family doctor last week to get his ear checked out and flushed out. The nurse asked him if he'd had a flu shot. He replied in the affirmative, that he'd got it at school, from the school nurses that serve the residential school for the blind. We didn't have an exact date, but we estimated late October.

Amigo is wise beyond his 20 years when it comes to flu. He knows how miserable a case of influenza can be. He's always been one who doesn't get sick often, but when he does, he gets really, really sick. He signed up for the flu shot at school registration, got our signatures on the approval sheet (even though he's old enough that he didn't need them), and willingly got his flu shot. He knows what the Center for Disease Control (CDC) says: The flu vaccine is your best protection against the flu.

Timing of influenza outbreaks is unpredictable. I will always remember the impact of H1N1 on my fourth grade students. My class had at least five and as many as ten students out each day for a time period of three to four weeks. That outbreak came in October, but outbreaks can occur as late as May.

Flu vaccines are usually available in early autumn and remain available for several months. Last year, the flu peaked in February. A January flu shot isn't too late.

Not all families have good coverage and a family doctor, and not everyone has access to a school nurse, either. If you'd like to find a location near you, look here.

Information and web links from the Center for Disease Control: I received no monetary compensation for writing this post. I wrote it to bring valuable information to my readers.

Stumble It!

BBQ Beans and Salsa

Simple, meatless, inexpensive, and delicious - I made this with cans, but I think it might be even better with dried beans soaked overnight and cooked in the crock pot. The original, on Dr. Oz' website, was lacking a few details such as amount of barbecue sauce. I was generous with mine. The original recipe also called for enchilada sauce or salsa. I stuck with the BBQ theme in my flavors. It worked.

1/2 lb. pasta - I used spaghetti.

1 can yellow corn - of course, I used frozen corn from last summer's Farmers' Market.

1 can pinto beans

1 can black beans

BBQ sauce to taste

Cook pasta. Add beans and corn. Stir in BBQ Sauce of your choice. Serve warm.

Now the fun part:

You know me. I'm not going to let a simple recipe stay simple. I added peppers in three colors, all from the freezer. A little onion, diced, made it tastier still. Then there's garlic - or did I add garlic? I was playing by ear by this time. Maybe I left the garlic out and stuck to the barbecue theme.

This was delicious. I had some left over for lunch the next day, too. I love a recipe that leaves room to improvise, and this one qualifies.

Stumble It!