Greetings from Naples, FL

Well, here we are, our yearly end-of-tax-season trip to our condo in Florida.  Except there's one little twist this year as previously reported.  We still haven't got our A/C unit fixed although the guy is supposed to be on his way as I write this.

Florida is no place to be without A/C-even in April-May.  It's 83 in our condo now and over 90 outside.  I don't really mind it all that much except when we sleep at which time it's cooled somewhat and the ceiling fans help a great deal.

It all reminds me of the many years we had no A/C at all at home.  We simply had to endure the hot, humid summers with a small window fan.  And somehow we did it-as we will now.

One of the projects I will be undertaking while we're here is to put together a photo album which I'll put on my web site georgeswebpage.com.  I have to take the pictures, configure them and make the album so it will be a while.  Stay tuned and stay cool!

More of life's little annoyances

Having a condo in FL has many advantages. While many people would not like this, it has become our permanent vacation destination-which is fine by me. 

But when things go wrong and something needs to be done, it can be a major pain-especially when we're still in CT and we're trying to deal with people in Florida. People by the way who have a very, very different definition of the work ethic than us folks up north.

One such example recently occurred when renters reported that our A/C unit wasn't working.  We have a home warranty insurance policy so I put in a call for them to schedule servicing.  Unfortunately, the people they hooked us up with are idiots.  They couldn't get phone numbers straight and they gave me a date that turned out to be incorrect.  My home watch person deserves a medal (and undoubtedly more money) for having to deal with them.

Once the technician makes his service call, the A/C company reports back to the warranty company.  That's where we are now-and it's taking forever which is a problem since we're going to be there soon and it's getting hot down there-very hot.  So what all this amounts to is that instead of relaxing I'm going to have to deal with this as soon as we get there.

Another little annoyance associated with this is when I called the warranty company to see if they had a record of this yet, the lady I spoke to barely spoke English so I found myself constantly yelling "WHAT.  I don't understand you."

I suppose some people would say something like aw, you poor thing.  You have two homes and you're having problems.  How awful for you!  Yeah, well....I guess but it's still a pain.

Thus endeth my rant for the day.

This says it all

Not all Tea Party advocates fall into the category indicated by this picture but I think there are enough of them to make one realize where they're coming from, i.e. ignorance!

Spring Break

The kids are on spring break this week so they've been spending part of their time with me.  Here are two pictures (also on the photo gallery page of my website georgeswebpage.com) of some of the things they did to stay active.

In one picture Brooke, Cole & Courtney make Oobleck and Gak both of which are fun activities that result in a playdough-type substance. 

The second picture is of Cole painting an airplane he made out of recyclable materials.  It was a project for his kindergarten class to be brought into school when they return.  This is in honor of Earth Week.

God and public schools

A few days ago a man came to give us an estimate on some driveway repairs. After we got the information we wanted, the conversation wandered off course and he learned I am a retired teacher from Sandy Hook School.

When he found that out, he had the usual sad, serious look on his face.  Then he said that at the risk of being politically incorrect he believed that terrible things and others like it happen because they (whoever 'they' are) took God out of the schools.  He then went on to elaborate and finally left.

I exercised a rare bit of constraint by not saying anything and just let him finish.  The fact though is that regardless of where God may-or may not-be at any given time,  has nothing what ever to do with the actions of deranged lunatics.

Regarding the God in Schools issue, rather than repeat something I read a while ago, I will post a link to a blog that states pretty much my position perfectly.  Here it is:

http://www.adamhamilton.org/blog/view/86/put-god-back-in-public-schools#.U06K0sfeN1Z

By the way, I should add that the author of the piece you're about to read (I hope) is senior pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, where he preaches to more than 8,000 per week.

So he's clearly not some wild-eyed atheist. 

I'd be interested in reading your reaction to the piece I cited.  If you're having trouble logging into the comments section of this site, you can write to george.stockwell@gmail.com

Happy 5th Birthday to Nicholas George Stockwell

Happy birthday, little buddy.  You're the last of the four and you're 5 already. Amazing how the time goes.

Meet "Chicken" Sandi

Grand daughter Courtney gets her grammy to hold one of the 8 chickens owned by Mike & Becky.

 

To see more photos and photo albums, click here: georgeswebpage.com

Time for spring cleanup

Now that the spring-like weather is in sync with the calendar, here's my list of spring chores:

Get the lawn tractor started.  Put up the snow blower & treat gas.
Get leaf blower going.
Restack left over firewood to make room for next year's supply.
Cut, split and stack pile of logs to start drying process.
Clean out flower beds around perimeter of house.
Clean out garden area and repair deer fence around it.
Repair stone wall in front.
Clean up rest of leaves that blew back into yard over winter.
Clean house windows.

When all that is done, I have to turn my attention to back woods where there's quite a bit of stuff down that's suitable for firewood.

All of this needs to be done in between baby sitting, volunteering and grand children sporting events.

Never a dull moment.

A rainy day...but the sun was out.

It rained today in Kinder land.  This was week II for weather in grandson Cole's kindergarten class.  It was sunny outside but with the help of some ice, water, food coloring and a 2-liter soda bottle, I was able to demonstrate the water cycle which is what's responsible for rain.  Then we looked at pictures of different kinds of clouds.  Another great day.

The topic for next time is recycling.  I think I'll make a sculpture out of geometric shapes.

A recent day in kindergarten

As I may have posted in a previous piece, every Wednesday afternoon I go to my grandson Cole's kindergarten class at Sandy Hook School to do science experiments.  Cole's teacher is a former colleague of mine so she has been gracious enough to make time for me.  Plus she gets help with the science curriculum.

The topic for the next two weeks is weather.  On Wednesday we focused on wind so I did 5 experiments demonstrating air pressure.  Next Wednesday is rain so the focus will be on clouds and how they're formed.

Science is a topic kids are naturally curious about but it is often the one given the least amount of attention at school.  That trend needs to change or we have no hope of ever improving our youth's performance on science assessments-not to mention it's impact on technical progress and innovation.

In this picture I'm demonstrating a neat trick with a funnel and a small rubber ball.  From here we moved to a large lab table with a sink and we did more.  Then I gave each child a take home science sheet explaining how they can redo the experiments with their families.  Lots of fun and maybe even some learning.

To see more pictures of my days in kindergarten, click here: georgeswebpage.com and go to the photo/albums/videos link.

Happy April

IT'S APRIL...FINALLY! Goodbye and good riddance, March.  I think the worst is almost behind us.  Just one more little blip.  Check it out:

 

OK, OK so it's an April Fool's joke I hope you realized.

On a serious note, check out the link below to learn more about the month of April-a month, by the way, that is rich with historical significance.

georgeswebpage.com/almanac 

Sandy Hook 5K Run for the Families

Many people showed up for the Sandy Hook 5K race Saturday morning.  Grandpa was on babysitting duties while the parents ran.

Some thoughts about the minimum wage

The Connecticut General Assembly voted Wednesday, March 26th,  for legislation that would raise the state's $8.70 minimum wage to $10.10 by January 2017.

I have some thoughts about this. 

First of all I find myself agreeing somewhat with those who opposed this law---but not for the reasons they state which is that such a law will put an undue strain on businesses thereby actually doing more harm than good because it will result in lay-offs.  That argument  is absurd.  We're talking about an increase of $1.30 per hour over the next almost 3 years.   Plenty of time to prepare.

But what is equally true is that it simply won't accomplish what the president and the rest of the democratic party say it will.  To think that the life style of those earning minimum wage is going to significantly improve is just as absurd as the idea that businesses will fail.

The root problem is that too many people do not earn the amount of money they need to provide for   themselves and their families.  The answer is NOT to keep giving them small, insignificant raises.  The solution is to provide opportunities to acquire skills that are more marketable and therefore valuable.  If such people choose to take advantage of these opportunities, then all well and good.  If they don't, then they get what they deserve-or more precisely-earn.

This way we still expect people to be personally responsible for their actions while at the same time lending them a helping hand. 

Now, doesn't that make sense?

Let's have a history lesson.....

See a pattern here?  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?

Happy Spring

It's about time.  I'm sick of winter.  It's been a tough one.  Bring on the daffodils!

The Calm Before the Storm

A local TV news program recently reported that the town of New London, CT has built into its school calendar a day off for a Muslim holiday along with the long established Christian and Jewish holidays.

As far as I know, NBC30  was the only news station to report this and there has been nothing in local papers.  It seems to be just another 'filler' on a relatively slow news day--if you discount the hubbub surrounding the missing airliner.   But I have a feeling this is the calm before the storm. 

As this trend grows, and I think it will, there will eventually occur a national outcry.  I can just hear the tea party republicans screaming and moaning, veins popping out of foreheads, frothing at the mouth about the destruction for our cherished values and eventual takeover of Muslim 'terrorists' in our country.

The truth is if you must adhere strictly to the Constitution, there should be NO religious holidays built into a government service such as education. 

But the conservative/Christian/Judeo powers that be conveniently overlook that little fact. 

It's just another example of their profound arrogance.  They whine about government intrusion yet have no problem telling us how or what to worship, who to marry and what we can or can not do with our bodies.  They're a bunch of hypocrites. 

This is an issue to watch.  Should be interesting.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day one and all in honor of which I have immersed myself in green paint and intend to remain this way for the day.

One more of many reasons why I love being a grand parent

Here's a note I found in a bag I brought home from Brooke & Courtney's house. Brooke wrote the note because she's the one who I played in chess.  By the way, it was a stalemate but she nearly beat me.

Parental Responsibility

The Today Show recently aired an interview with a journalist from New Yorker magazine.  The magazine just published an interview of their own with the father of Adam Lanza-the person responsible for the Sandy Hook tragedy (or was he responsible?).

The journalist speaks very kindly & forgiving of Adam's parents-especially his mother-who had what you could arguably describe as nothing less than an arsenal in her house.  

The journalist points out that dozens of psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health experts never picked up on Adam's psychosis so how could his parents?   But then the journalist goes on to explain how Mrs. Lanza had increasing concerns regarding her son's condition and took great pains to shelter and protect him.

I haven't read the interview in the magazine and I don't plan to but I'm not quite ready to exonerate Adam's parents to the extent that the New Yorker magazine has.  There is too much that could have-and should have-been done.

What do they want?

Recent news reports show the president continuing to draw fire for not taking a strong enough stand against the Russian interference in Ukraine politics.

Republicans like Mitch McConnell,  Lindsey Graham,  John McCain,  Ted Cruz, etc. are calling for harsher action. 

I have an idea.  Let's line these guys up, issue them M16s and send them over.  Let's see how long it takes them to back off their calls for more action.

They're idiots.  All of them.  One can only hope the nation comes to its senses in the next round of elections.

Thus endth my political rant for the day.

Decisions Decisions

So here are my choices.  With all the snow cover, the deer are slowly eating all of my rhododendrons, azaleas and holly.  I can either sit and watch it all disappear or break down and buy deer food and get them through early spring.  Deer food is a fifty-pound bag of corn and molasses. It costs $10 a bag and one bag lasts 3 days so that's the route I've decided to go.

Happy March

It's March 1st and spring is in the air...well, not exactly since at the moment it's 10 degrees and there's a big storm coming tomorrow night but believe me, spring is coming...eventually.  It always does. So cheer up and start planning your garden.

To learn more about the month of March, click here georgeswebpage.com/almanac

Odds and Ends

Two observations to start this gray February day.

1. The bill before the Arizona governor which would allow merchants to refuse service to gay people is yet one more example of unbelievable bigotry and ignorance at its finest.  It needs to be vetoed and apparently that is what's going to happen.

It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant so many people can  be. 

2. Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai refuses to sign an agreement to guarantee the security of U.S. forces serving in his country.  First, even if he did sign it, he couldn't enforce it.  Second, this is clearly an example of the U.S. putting armed forces personnel in harm's way in a country that does not support us.  The next course of action is exactly what the president has threatened to do:  get out...NOW.  When and if we detect terrorist activity, send in the drones.  That way no American soldiers or marines are at risk.

Thus endth my rant...for today anyway.

Happy birthday to daughter-in-law Jennifer.

Daughter-in-Law Jen's birthday today.  Hope she has a great day.

More about grand children (getting sick of reading about them yet?)

      On Friday I was a mystery reader in my two grand daughters' classes.  Throughout the course of the week I had to submit clues as to who I was.

Ten-year-old Brooke figured it out pretty quickly.  Seven-year-old Courtney was 90% certain but the clue where I said I loved to read stumped her.  Amazing.  With all the books around this house, she wasn't sure.

Anyway, it was a great afternoon and we had a lot of fun.  Now it's back to watching weather forecasts!

Who's this handsome lad?

Four-year-old Nicholas poses before going to his preschool's sweetheart dance. Handsome little guy, isn't he?  In fact I think he bears a remarkable resemblance to his grampy!

Courtney

I recently took this picture of 7-year-old grand daughter Courtney.  Along with her picture is an Acrostic Poem she wrote for me.  I'd say she did a pretty good job.  Wouldn't you?

Winter Fun

Sure, I'm getting a little sick of the winter too but there are occasional bright spots. 

Check it:

Snow-snow-snow

Sandi took a picture of my on-going effort to keep the driveway clear.  While not cleaning up outside, I've been experimenting with digital scrapbooking.  Click here to see the results georgeswebpage.com/photogallery

Snowy Day Activities (Besides snow blowing)

So what's there to do on a snowy day?  Plenty.  Here are a few things keeping us busy ('us' because Sandi and Linda wisely closed the office-even though it's tax season!)

To start I fed the birds, filled the wood box and moved the snow blower to the garage where I can use the electric starter and drive it right into the snow.

Then we watched two episodes of HGTV's Love It or List It show.

Now Sandi's is quilting.

I took care of some condo business and then switched to a digital scrapbooking project that will eventually be a compilation of the grand children's class pictures.  I'll design it so I can add to it as they get older.   I'll also post the pictures on the photo/video page of my website which can be viewed by clicking georgeswebpage.com/photogallery.

After lunch I'll give the driveway its first clearing. Then maybe again at about 5.  Then for a third time tomorrow morning.