Close Your Eyes

Posted on October 6, 2011 by joanienaz

The last couple of days have been exceptional ones for cloud watchers in northern California. I could spend all day watching clouds. I have many cloud photos. Some are better than others. However, it’s not always convenient (or safe) to stop and snap.

So, I will describe my journey through a stormy afternoon. Close your eyes (after reading this) and imagine snow flying at you as you wind through tall pine forests. You skirt deep, river-filled canyons and finally descend into the valley. Pale sky appears above you. To the north, heavy blue clouds drain onto the valley floor as they approach the mountains in the east.

Pale pink and deep blue clouds pile up on the mountains in the west, obscuring the sun as you turn south. In the foreground, golden fields of grain are falling into shadow. Far ahead you see a line of airborne specks in the shape of a V growing larger, spreading out, with more behind it.

Soon the sky above you is filled with geese headed north for the night by the light of a misshapen moon. One large goose flies low, neck stretched ahead of heavy body, patrolling the edge of a field.  Now look east, where the sky has turned magenta above a deep blue mass that obscures the Sierra Nevada mountains. This is the Sacramento River valley at the end of a stormy day in October.

As the colors fade you head east through orchards, slowly climbing out of the valley and into still pale hills. The remnants of clouds dance across the sky as you swing back and forth among the oak-studded hillsides. You are almost home.

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Power to the People

Posted on September 27, 2011 by joanienaz

Everyone is talking about schools these days, and worrying about the performance of students on standardized tests. Many point the finger at teachers, the ones in the classroom preparing students to take standardized tests. It is their fault if students don’t do well. Logical, right?

There are many teachers out there, some more experienced than others, some better at their jobs than others. Just like everyone else. It’s easy to blame teachers when scores drop, without looking at factors such as test design, student motivation, parent support, and administrative direction. But who put these teachers, good and bad, in the classroom?

Who has the sole power to hire and fire in a school district? The school board. School boards are made up of citizens who are put in office by voters. So, if voters are unhappy with the choices that school boards are making, who should they blame? Who is ultimately responsible for putting a teacher in a classroom?

Politicians are waving the “Get the Bad Teacher” flag. They are not going to blame voters, or they will lose their next election. It’s much safer for them to say, “Gee, these teachers aren’t doing what they are supposed to do. It’s all their fault.”

Teachers are supervised by school boards, superintendents, principals, and assistant principals. They are watched by parents and students. Their professionalism is questioned every day. More and more of them are less and less experienced, because experienced teachers cost more money. Money that school districts don’t have.

Then there is the nepotism factor. In these tough economic times, school boards are “taking care” of their constituents. Somebody’s son, daughter, neice, brother, or cousin needs a job. A probationary employee loses their job so someone who is “connected” can be hired. It’s technically legal, because school boards can “non-re-elect” a probationary employee without giving a reason. They can imply that there is a problem without actually saying there is a problem. And a teacher’s union can’t protect a probationary employee from this practice.

So, if there are a disproportionate number of teachers in classrooms without the experience necessary to lead us into this new millenium, and school boards have all the power to hire and fire, and they are trying to balance a budget that is dependent on public money, who is ultimately responsible for our declining public educational system? Look in the mirror.

Are you willing to pay more taxes so that school boards can pay to hire qualified, experienced teachers, and supply them with the materials they need and the facilities they need to do the job properly? Are you willing to get involved and find out what your local school board is doing, and hold them accountable? Are you willing to take responsibility for our public education system? Because it doesn’t work properly without your support.

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Is Summer Really Over?

Posted on September 14, 2011 by joanienaz

One more week of summer! The leaves are already turning, and the weather is a smorgasboard of every season in the year. But in my container garden, which I planted late, the squash plants are producing more and tomatoes are appearing on their vines. The pollinators haven’t given up, either.

It’s important to note that insects don’t seem to care whether they are right side up or upside down. As long as they get the job done, it’s cool. We can learn a lesson here I think. This has been a pretty topsy-turvy summer. But if you’re getting the job done, you are doing just fine.

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How to Get a Mammogram

Posted on July 13, 2011 by joanienaz

Ok, so not everyone’s favorite subject, but still definitely worth mentioning in a very discreet way. This is not something to put off, said the woman who found her lab order in the glovebox of her car. Fortunately, the lab order is valid for a full year.

It had been just under eleven months since I received this gift from my health care provider. I thought if I left it in my car that I would be forced to look at it twice a day, at least during the work week. At some point, however, it went from the cup holder in the console to the glove box.

My husband told me where it was. See, they really do pay attention! It was stained with coffee (not mine), but otherwise intact. I made the appointment and waited about a week.

Fifteen minutes before my appointment, I backed the car out of the garage and headed across town to the outpatient imaging building of my friendly local hospital. After a brief visit with the ladies at the front window for paperwork, I filled out a health history form and Ta Da! It was time for The Event. No waiting in line for mammograms today!

The rest is routine for those of you who actually get these regularly. For those who don’t, it only pinched a little. Really. And there was some squeezing also. But not too much. So, don’t put this off. Procrastination-related worrying is much worse than a couple of pinches and squeezes. And I am so proud of myself!

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How to Start a Summer Project

Posted on July 11, 2011 by joanienaz

You are on a tight budget this month, but your thoughts have turned to shopping. Buying something to wear always perks you up. What to do…while pacing through the storage room you trip over the old sewing machine sitting idle in a corner. Hmmm.

No, you don’t sell it on Craig’s List and use the money to go shopping! Not a bad idea, though…instead, you look around for that brand new fabric in a tub somewhere. Bingo, you find the carefully labeled bin with several folded pieces of cloth that you abandoned long ago. They still smell like new! Underneath the fabric is a stack of patterns.

You never throw patterns away, but finally went through twenty years’ worth while doing some cleaning awhile back. Luckily you saved some classics. One of the patterns actually works with some of the discovered fabric. Now for that machine.

You carefully dust it off, realizing as the shadows lengthen that you are stalling. You locate a table and lamp that will work well, and haul everything into the spare bedroom, where it’s nice and quiet (until you arrived with all this stuff, anyway).

Music is next. You find the portable CD player, and grab a couple of your favorite CDs. You are ready! Oops. What about a chair, and something called sewing notions?

They look like implements of torture, but are really quite useful. You have a vivid mental image of them somewhere nearby…on the top shelf of the closet in the very room where you stand rests another bin with everything you could possibly need to measure, cut, and finish a garment fit to be seen wearing.

Whew! Now you’re really tired and hungry, so you quit for the day. You’ve made a good start, so pat yourself on the back. Everybody knows that the best time to start a new project is always tomorrow.

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Procrastination Gardening

Posted on July 8, 2011 by joanienaz

When I decide to start a project, I can’t wait. I planted my garden in March last year, and it survived rain, hail, and even snow (yes, in coastal California!) But this year forces beyond my control conspired to keep me from planting my container garden until now.

I have resorted, after years of battling with shade and the neighborhood cats, to gardening in wine barrels. I started off pretty slow, and was just gaining momentum when a long winter took hold this year. Before I knew it, June had arrived.

Then our back patio was trashed by very nice roofers, who did an excellent job and cleaned up after themselves in time for the holiday. Now it is beastly hot, but I am finally ready to garden! And to give myself an extra challenge, instead of buying plants to get a head start, I bought seeds at 75% off.

So what will happen next? I planted the vegetable seeds after the sun set yesterday, and the soil, which I carefully cleared at 7:30 in the morning, was comfortably warm. Well, I’m going to find out. Stay tuned for the results of the “Great Post-Independence Day Garden Experiment”. It’s bound to be interesting, and hopefully edible!

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Home for a Holiday

Posted on July 6, 2011 by joanienaz

Every family has its traditions. Ours seem to be anti-traditions. You never know what you’ll get when you arrive at our house.

This year for the July 4th celebration, I decided to have a cooking contest. The theme of the year was middle eastern cooking, because I recently discovered hummus and wanted to make some. Our son has made hummus and other middle eastern dishes and was the most enthusiastic participant. Dad was hoodwinked into making kabobs, as he enjoys anything that involves fire. Our older daughter did some veggies that really go with anything, and our younger daughter supported our efforts en absentia.

Our son was unanimously voted the winner for his tasty chicken marinade, and we had more food that we could comfortably eat, as is the American tradition. Leftovers are the order of the day this week, and some were sent away with our adult children.

Now that they have gone, we are left with rumpled bedding and an almost too-quiet house. I have promised to find a perpetual trophy for the winner of what will hopefully be an annual event. I am looking forward to the next holiday gathering and wondering how it will unfold.

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Feeling Independent?

Posted on July 4, 2011 by joanienaz

It’s Independence Day again. There are flags flying all over town, and many are celebrating a day off work with picnics and parades. We have a rodeo, street dance, parade and carnival in our tiny community. The weather is hot, and the young people who left are back home for a visit to see what’s changed and what hasn’t, and reconnect with old friends.

But what does all this activity really mean to us? What exactly are we celebrating? For many of us, it marks another year that we have managed to stay employed, pay our bills, and watch our family and friends do the same. But what about those who haven’t been as fortunate?

In the land of the free and the home of the brave, are we looking out for those who have been less fortunate, or are we merely celebrating our own good luck? Remember that we are all in this together, which is the whole point of being free. Otherwise, it’s just a free-for-all, which isn’t the same thing, is it?

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Teaching in a Minefield

Posted on June 18, 2011 by joanienaz

When I was a kid, I felt sorry for some of my teachers, and what they went through to get and keep their students’ attention as they guided us through our lessons. Some of them seemed to have a gift, and knew just what to say and do, and others struggled. I never wanted to be on that stage, having to perform to a tough audience.

Yet here I am decades later, on that stage and unable to tear myself away from the joy of learning along with my students about the things that really matter in life.  Classroom subjects not only include reading, writing, math, and all of the topics that require these basic skills to access, but also how to care about other people and work together as a team.

We have high expectations of teachers, and considering the lack of personal responsibility our society in general demonstrates, these expectations may not be realistic. What should be a joyful experience, learning, has become a treacherous undertaking. Everyone knows about education, because we have all attended school. Most people have their own ideas about what is important to be taught, and how it should be done. It is assumed that teachers have a lot of control over this process, because, after all, they are the ones in the classroom with all those kids.

But these days teachers are told what and how to teach by politicians, parents, and even kids. They are pressured to adjust grades, make learning “fun” by relaxing requirements and not give homework, attend to a myriad of paperwork requirements, attend meetings, and respond to concerns about everything from who is sitting next to Johnny to whether a homeless child has what he or she needs to make it to school and be successful. Teaching has always been more than a full-time job.

But teachers used to be held in high regard. They were authority figures. Today we hold professional athletes in higher esteem than the men and women who formally educate our children, and many of us don’t want to get involved in the process of our child’s education except to complain about it. Some are so involved that their child’s teacher can’t make a move without sending them an email.

In an environment where students, parents, and community members second-guess the decisions that teachers are trained to make, without knowing the reasons behind these decisions, the trust that is necessary to create a safe learning environment is not able to develop. It is the distrust in the educational environment, as well as in our society in general, that is so destructive. Until we are able to hold ourselves and our children accountable for appropriate and responsible behavior and decision-making, perhaps we should ease up on the professionals who spend their days preparing the next generation to do a better job than we have done.

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Remembering Gramma

Posted on May 8, 2011 by joanienaz

My maternal grandmother, born Agnes Mercer Holland on this day in 1889, was an extraordinary woman. She grew up in a tiny community in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains of northern California, the youngest of three children. She raised eight children of her own and touched the lives of so many more as a grandparent, nurse and friend. Today is a celebration of her birth and her special place in history as a caregiver. We miss her but we remember all of the time she gave to us!

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