Good bye 16 degrees. Hello 80 degrees

On our way to Naples, FL until Dec. 5th.  Future posts from there.

Fifty years ago-What were you doing?

Exactly 50 years ago-I had just returned from lunch and I was sitting at my desk in the credit department of the Bridgeport Brass Company.  Arlene, the department secretary, came running into our offices, tears streaming down her face.  She was so hysterical she couldn't talk.  Just then the department manager, Jack, came in and gathered the whole department around him (about 8 people).  He then told us  what had happened.  The entire company was closed down for the rest of the day.  I went home and watched events unfold on TV. 

That's where I was and what I was doing the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Did you hear about the Brookfield Board of Education member-elect who commented on Facebook that his 26 acts of kindness would be to purchase for his gun-enthusiast friends a box of ammunition every day.

There was understandably a loud chorus of outrage and calls for his resignation.  But there were also a few who defended his right to freedom of speech and noted that there should be a distinction between ones private and public life.

Here's the problem.  Too many people think that just because they have the right to do or say something no matter how unethical, immoral or insensitive, then it's OK to do it.  After all the Constitution of the United States says they have the right.  What's the problem?

The problem is that having a 'right' doesn't mean it IS right.  That's the problem.  That man's remark was so wrong on so many levels it defies logic that anyone would step up in his support.

Calls for his resignation are right on the mark.  Anyone who would display such a lack of judgement has absolutely no business making decisions that could affect children. 

He's got to go.  Period.  Then, once he's gone he can slink back into his hole and say whatever he wants.

Tales of a Fourth Grand Substitute

My fourth grade granddaughter would be proud of me!  I made it through a day of subbing relatively unscathed.  With the exception of some volunteer work in my grandson's kindergarten class, it's been over a year since I've been in a classroom.  Yesterday I subbed in a 4th grade class.  It's ironic that I would be there because it was exactly 40 years ago that I began my teaching career as a 4th grade teacher.

Much has changed in the average classroom these days-even within the past year. The emergence of technology is evident everywhere.  Chalk boards have been replaced by SmartBoards and encyclopedias have been replaced by  iPad carts which students use for research purposes.

There are still plenty of books of other kinds around but more and more students have personal eReaders they use during idle moments.

One thing has not changed much at all-the kids.  They're still the same.  They still play the same games at recess like football, soccer, playing on the equipment and tag.  They're also still vulnerable to fads like the one many of the girls have discovered:  weaving bracelets on a little loom-type contraption.  Even my grand daughter has discovered this one having made bracelets for the folks I visit at Masonicare.

I have another subbing date coming up in December and another in February.  I would have more were it not for a couple of trips to Florida scattered over the next few months.

Substitute teaching is not for everyone but it suits me-especially to be doing it where I started and where one grandson goes and the other next year.  So I guess I'll stay with it until they decide I'm too old.

Veterans Day

This morning I along with several other veterans will attend a breakfast at Sandy Hook School to celebrate Veterans Day.  My 6-year-old grandson Cole will be with me. I'm looking forward to a very nice morning.

Find a moment at some point today to quietly acknowledge the sacrifice our veterans  made in the service of our country.  

Election Day

Election Day is over and I have to say it was a bit of a let down.

The Newtown Charter has this weird requirement that there be a certain number of republicans and democrats in various departments and positions.  Consequently it is entirely possible and even likely that many people while on the ballot do not have opponents.

Thus was the case in yesterdays election. 

Where local politics is concerned, I don't think the political party of the candidate is important.  Normally in state and national elections I vote pretty much all democrat but such is not the case in local elections.  I've voted for plenty of republicans and I can think of several democrats on various boards and in various positions who I'd like to see out.

The charter should be changed.  Anyone who gathers a certain number of signatures on a petition should earn a spot on the ballot-no matter how many that ends up being.

I wrote a Patch column about this  some time ago and I was surprised at the number of people whose comments support this idea.  But nothing was done because to make a change of that nature would rob organized political parties of their power.  Ah, politics!

Time marches on...

November 1st already.  The clocks go back this weekend and winter slowly settles in.  To learn more about the month of November, click here http:georgeswebpage.com/almanac

October was a very busy month with birthdays, a little more baby sitting than usual, outdoor work, numerous doctors' appointments and labs, daughter Becky's move to a new house, sporting events, etc. 

November should be somewhat more relaxed and will culminate with our traditional Thanksgiving trip to Naples, FL. 

In the meantime the leaves continue to fall and I have more wood to cut and split. 

There's always something.

New Information

In the interest of accuracy I regret to report that I have been negligent in my fact checking.  The previous post regarding remarks supposedly made by Sarah Palin was a hoax.  They appeared on a web site which I learned after the fact is notorious for spoofs.

Now there's another one floating around about some racist remarks she supposedly made.  I haven't checked the authenticity of them so I don't know but she's such an air-head that most anything is believable so I'll have to start digging a little further before making future comments.

Make no mistake about it.  This changes nothing. Sarah Palin and her ilk are still jerks.

And the far right lunatic fringe rolls on...and on...and on.

Consider the following direct quote from Sarah Palin:
"It makes me so gosh darn angry," Palin explained. "The liberal left in this country has targeted Christian holidays and is trying to secularize them right out of existence.
"When Jesus celebrated Easter with his disciples there were no Easter bunnies or egg hunts. There were no Easter sales at department stores or parades in the street. Easter was a special time of prayer and Christian activism.
"Jesus would gather all the townspeople around and would listen to their stories about the meaning of Easter in their lives. Then he would teach them how to love one another, how to protest Roman abortion clinics and how to properly convert homosexuals.

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Easter become an important Christian holiday AFTER Jesus was crucified and that no one heard of it BEFORE that time.

And this from a woman who seeks to lead our nation.  God help us!

More Violence. More Guns

Middle School in Sparks, Nevada.  Two dead, two wounded.  Weapon of choice? A semiautomatic hand gun. How did the shooter get it?  Is there a history of mental instability? 

Back to school....

After a long hiatus I have finally resumed my involvement in school-specifically Sandy Hook School.   Part of this decision was prompted by my grandson's enrollment as a kindergartner there.  The other part is that as our grandchildren get older they are of course in schools of their own so my baby sitting services have been reduced a great deal. 

About the only baby sitting I'm doing now is when there's no school or one of the boys is home sick or when my son-in-law is traveling.  Aside from those relatively infrequent situations, I no longer have a regular schedule.  

Finally, I simply like being around kids and while many of my former colleagues have moved on, there are still many left at the school who I enjoy visiting.

So on Wednesday it was back to school...as a volunteer.  I do have two subbing dates scheduled but they're not until  next month. 

I was in my grandson's kindergarten class.  Ironically, Cole was out sick that day so I didn't get to see him but I still had a good time helping the kinders as they're called now drawing a ginger bread man which they had just made in the kitchen of the cafeteria. 

I've been retired for just over 9 years but I did sub for several years beyond that.  There are a lot of things in the classroom that have changed.  The curriculum is much different and more demanding; chalk boards have been replaced by first dry erase boards and now 'smart' boards.  Most teachers do not have a desk.  Rather they work at a table or at stations to create a climate of accessibility. 

But one thing that has not changed much at all is the students.  Kids are kids...and kindergartners are especially enjoyable.  When I was introduced to the class, one little girl earnestly told me that she would be happy to help me if I needed anything! 

I'll be back at Sandy Hook on a regular basis and I even have a guest reader gig coming up in my grand daughter's class at another school. 

So I'm looking forward to the school year and even next year as Nicholas enters kindergarten. 

Everyone needs something useful to do.  It's an important way to stay energized.

Attention all you wingnuts on the far right!

Greetings members of the lunatic fringe,
I have the perfect place for you to live-beautiful North Carolina. 

NC legislators have had a very busy year.  Here is a partial list of their accomplishments:
1. Pre-registration has been banned for young (?) voters.
2. Unemployment benefits slashed.  Get a job!
3. The passage of restrictions closing all family planning clinics.
4. Restrictions on early and Sunday voting.
5. Restrictions on college students voting at school.
6. Enactment of laws allowing guns in bars, parks and playgrounds.
7. And finally, the most incredible one of all, use of climate change data in certain publications is punishable by law.

So go one, wingnuts.  Get the hell out of CT and go south.  Thanks. 

Fresh starts

This weekend Sandi and I spent most of our time helping our daughter and her family get settled into their new house.  As anyone who has ever moved knows, it is a seemingly endless process involving a lot of work.  Much of that work can be reduced by a helpful family.

Coincidentally, it was 27 years ago this exact weekend that Sandi and I moved into our current residence.  Pete & Becky were 11 & 13 at the time.  They probably don't remember but they helped with the packing and lugging too.  Other than that, it was Sandi and me.  This is not a complaint or condemnation of anyone.  It's just an acknowledgement of the saying "many hands make light work."

Looking around our house and property now and thinking of the possibility of moving at some point in the future makes me shutter. But in the back of my mind I know we'd have two children, their spouses and four grand children to help.  That would certainly lighten the load.  

Happy birthday

Happy 6th birthday to grandson Cole. 

Vindication-but I doubt if it will change anything!

I just ran across a news item that reports on a study conducted by the National Resources Defense Council & Harvard University.  Among their findings was the suggestion that the sell-by dates on food are misleading and should be eliminated.  I knew it!!

Now I can prove to my wife, daughter and daughter-in-law that all that food they've collectively discarded for no good reason could have fed a third world country. 

The fact is that if you eat something that has passed the sell-by date it doesn't mean you're going to wake up in the middle of the night with diarrhea and projectile vomiting-or worse.  It just means the food you ate might have lost some of its flavor and taste a little stale. 

The whole issue isn't generally too much of a problem for just my wife and me because if she asks, I can lie and all's well.  But when the grand children are over with one of their mothers, I don't even get asked.  They just grab the container (usually some kind of juice), look at it and out it goes. Perfectly good juice.  Down the drain.  

Well, now, in my defense,  I have an authoritative study to refer to.  I'm sure that will help (NOT).

Happy Birthday

The first of two October family birthdays.
Happy birthday to Sandi Stockwell. 

Shutdown...sort of

October. Usually a great month.  Family birthdays, beautiful colors, cool nights and warm days, Halloween.  There's lots to like about October...unless you're a politician or someone who needs to buy health insurance and trying to make sense out of Obamacare.  If you're in one of those two groups, you're not feeling too happy at the moment.

Last night at midnight with no deal in sight, the federal government stopped functioning.  Well, not completely.  If you're a Congressman you'll still get paid.  Senior citizens and military personnel will also continue to get paid.  But there will be hundreds of thousands-maybe even millions-of people who will not get paid and most federal departments will be closed.

This is happening because there are a handful of republican congressmen who can't stand Pres. Obama and the way they're going to show that is to try to gut the Affordable Health Care Act.  It has nothing to do with socialism or socialized medicine.  That's a lie they're spreading to whip up public support for the real reason-Get Obama!

Here's the thing-if you're one of those people who is actually afraid of government control of your health care, consider the following points:
1. Unlike what would happen with a private insurance HMO, you will still be able to choose your own doctor.
2. You and your doctor will be in charge of the medicine you take.
3. You and your doctor will still be able to choose the hospital you want.
4. No one from the government will be telling you where, when or how to make your health care decisions.
5. Pre-existing conditions have no impact on your ability to get insurance.
6.  If you are with an insurance HMO, none of this is true.  The HMO will be in charge of your health decisions.

And you still say you trust a private health insurance company more than government insurance like Medicare?  Than you're stupid and there's no hope for you.

Mercifully, my next blog piece will probably not be on this topic and perhaps a little more upbeat unless I run across something else that annoys me. 

Have a great October and to learn more about the month, click here georgeswebpage.com/almanac.

An exercise...in frustration

Following our usual routine, we went to the clubhouse gym this morning for our daily exercise.  The exercise room has two TVs, both set to the same channel for a stereo effect.

The station they're set to is of course FOX News  given the fact that many of the people who use the equipment are older and rather conservative.  I shouldn't complain because the more I hear those idiots on FOX, the madder I get and the harder I work so they're actually doing me a favor.

This morning's discussion centered on the looming government crises.  The commentators were naturally very critical of Pres. Obama and especially strident about his refusal to negotiate with House republicans.

What morons!  Don't they understand there is nothing to negotiate?  The Affordable Health Care Act (aka Obamacare) IS LAW!  Get it?  It's THE LAW!

The real issue here is that House republicans are scared to death that when Obamacare kicks in, it actually works.  They are hell bent not to risk that.  That would be their total undoing.

Frankly they're headed off a cliff anyway.  If they shut down the government, they'll be blamed completely...and with good reason.

The nation is so fed up with the inept performance of Congress that one has to wonder what's going to happen during the midterm elections.  Either everyone will just not care and stay home or there will be a major transformation.

Next up on my blog spot:  Is Obamacare socialized medicine as many wingnuts on the right insist or is it a logical next step toward health care equality?

To stage or not to stage. That is the question

A little while ago my wife and I had a real estate agent give us an appraisal on our house.  We've been toying with the idea of taking up residence with one of our kids and wanted some ideas.

We asked a lady who we knew and trusted so we were confident in her opinion.  Among other things, one of the things she noted was that if we were to put our house on the market we would need to remove most if not all of the family pictures we have hanging throughout.

A short time after that my daughter put her house on the market and she was given the same advice which she followed.

Finally, in this morning's paper there's an article by a so-called expert who offers the opinion that staging a house is absolutely imperative if you want to sell it.  I would assume she means an empty house or condo because how on earth are you supposed to stage a house you're still living in?

My knee-jerk reaction to this whole issue is that people must be awfully stupid.  Don't they know that when you're looking at a house, you're not going to be getting the pictures on the wall?  Are they that so easily distracted that they can't overlook things that aren't going to be staying in the house?  Is there a mass epidemic of ADHD afflicting our society?

I could easily imagine myself saying to a prospective buyer who complains or comments negatively about something on the wall that they need to get out.  They're too dumb to live in my house!

Not very helpful, I guess, but I'd definitely feel better.

Another killing spree...

They appear in the news so often now it's almost routine...almost.  Yet again another lunatic lets loose on hapless victims this time killing 12.

Here's what we know so far:
He was a documented nut case.
He had a 'secret' security clearance from the U.S. Navy in spite of having been discharged for insubordination, in spite of having previous brushes with the law and in spite of documented mental problems.
Add to that, he managed to obtain an AR15 long gun but according to the latest reports it is not clear as to whether or not it was the one responsible for the deaths.  A shotgun may have also been involved.

The other night I attended  a social occasion with two other couples. The women were in the other room talking and the men were in the kitchen just finishing a game of pinochle.  The other two men were life-long members of the NRA but in all respects reasonable, thoughtful men who were as unhappy with the situation as anyone could be.

Not surprising they are both advocates of the 2nd Amendment.  They both observed that curtailing the rights of law abiding citizens was not going to solve any problems and that the hysteria surrounding gun control advocates is, well, just that-hysteria and a knee-jerk reaction to all these horrible incidents.  They went on further to observe the fact that there appeared to be so little being done to address the mental disorders that cause these tragedies.  I confess to believing they are partially correct.

The point I made however was that had there been UNIVERSAL background checks which the NRA leadership opposes, this individual at least and perhaps many more would have been discovered.

Here's another thing:  An AR 15 is not a hunting rifle nor is it used in shooting sports activities such as trap and skeet.  It is an assault rifle designed for the purpose of killing people-period!  It has no other use.

So while we're trying to sort out the various issues involved in these events, doesn't it seem reasonable to at least  disarm the lunatics out there to as great an extent as possible?  Don't worry, gun-rights advocates, you can still have your rifles, shotguns and hand guns but if you want an AR15 you're going to have to be a soldier or a law enforcement person.  No one else needs one.

Anniversaries

Happy 46th anniversary to George & Sandi and 7th anniversary to Pete & Jen.

Happy birthday

Happy 7th birthday to Courtney, our sweet little grand daughter.

What were you doing exactly 12 years ago.

Over the course of a lifetime there are certain things all people have burned into their memories. I of course exclude things like wedding days or birthdays.  I'm talking about huge events that affect many, many people.

I can recall in my lifetime several such events.  The first are assassinations like that of  John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.  Another is the event that happened three years ago today and the third is the tragedy at Sandy Hook School on Dec. 14, 2012.  I hope there aren't any more like this.

On the morning of 9/11/2001 I arrived at Sandy Hook School at my usual time only to discover that a delivery truck had torn down power lines thereby cancelling school.  From there a small number of us went to the Board of Education central office to call parents & staff to tell them there would be no school. 

We finished doing that at about 8:40 A.M. at which time I  left for home when I heard on the radio the first reports of a plane running into the World Trade Center.

Like most people we at first thought it was just a terrible accident.  By the time I got home and turned on the news the second plane had hit the other tower.  Details then began to unfold as to what really happened.

I stayed in front of the TV the rest of the day.

What were you doing?

To bomb or not to bomb. That is the question.

President Obama is set to address the nation tonight in an effort to win support for his plan to take military action against Syria for its use of chemical weapons-a form of warfare banned by the world's nations.

Complicating Obama's plan is Syria's latest offer to allow the destruction of its chemical weapons supplies, but does anyone really trusts them to allow this?

Everything I've read, heard or discussed with others supports a 'hands off' approach.  It's thought that this is just another trap to lead us into a protracted armed conflict and one thing's for sure-this nation is sick to death of war.

Supporters of military action cite their fear that if we don't do something to send a message to Syria and every other nation that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable, it will come back to hurt us.  It is thought that what happens in the rest of the world is important to us.  After all, suppose we didn't act against Hitler during WWII?

The problem here is that the comparison of Hitler to Syria's Assad is not at all the same thing.  While no one condones the use of such horrible things as nerve gas, maybe there's another approach to achieving those goals set forth by the administration.

One thing that immediately comes to mind is that maybe the US could more actively support the Syrian rebel army.  This way we're not involved directly but the Assad regime would be even more threatened.

The president is of course in a no-win situation, and frankly his leadership surrounding this whole issue has been badly lacking.  For example if action were to be taken it should have happened a long time ago.

Also, by seeking Congressional and world support for his ideas, he's putting himself in a position of being hung out to dry by his detractors.  On the other hand, if in the unlikely event he gains strong Congressional support, he'll be even worse off with the rest of the nation.  Either way, he's going to lose. 

He now simply needs to lead.  He needs to stop running around urging people to agree with him.  He needs to do what he's going to do and be done with it come what may.

No fun being a president...but there's no sense making it even more difficult on himself by being indecisive.

So sayth me!

A Good Visit

This morning I attended a breakfast at Sandy Hook School to celebrate the 25th & 26th work anniversary of two people who I know well at the school.

It was great seeing many of my former colleagues and getting to visit my grand son Cole in his kindergarten room.  I'll be back there on a regular basis to volunteer and sub.

I was very impressed with how good the former Chalk Hill Middle School in Monroe looks. In spite of the fact that its original purpose was to serve children much older, it looks as much like an elementary school as it can.

Monroe is indeed a good neighbor to provide this location.  Without it, hundreds of students would be scattered all over town.

The Labor Day Parade in Newtown

One of the best and certainly the longest parade ever.  Grand kids had a great time.

A very busy weekend

Labor Day weekend 2013
Friday, 8/30 baby sit Nicholas and his little friend Sean half a day.  Visit my friend Jack at the Lutheran Home in the afternoon and out to dinner with friends that evening.

Saturday, 8/31 baby sit all four grand children at Dickinson Park in the morning while their parents run the Newtown Road Race.   Later that afternoon to the Apple Store in Danbury with friends to help him buy an iPad.  Then out to dinner.

Sunday, 9/1 Shop in morning.  Picnic later that day at friends' house.

Monday, 9/2  Newtown Labor Day parade in morning.  Becky's house in afternoon for picnic.

The Newtown Road Race had a record number of participants.  In the beginning all the runners were cheerful and happy to participate,  yet as I watch a great many of them cross the finish line, they looked like they had  been tortured for the past 20-30 minutes.  But I guess as they say, running's good for you.  I'll stick to a nice brisk walk, thank you.

Brooke and Courtney back to school Tuesday the 2nd.

More transitions

Today Newtown students return to school and among those is my grand son Cole who starts kindergarten at Sandy Hook School which is the school where I taught for over 30 years.

Cole's brother Nicholas returns to his preschool today also.  Brooke & Courtney start school after Labor Day.   Next year Nicholas will start kindergarten.

And so it goes, more family milestones and transitions as grand children (and we) get older.

Letter of Reflection

I was recently asked to participate in a book-writing project that someone is undertaking. The person doing this is planning to compile several hand-written letters from various residents in Newtown for a December publication date.  The letter should be reflections regarding their life in Newtown over the years.  There were no other specific instructions.  The following is the letter I submitted:

 August  2013

Dear Reader,

Ah, Newtown!  Forty six years of memories all beginning in September of 1967.  It’s hard to imagine that I’ve spent two thirds of my life here. On top of that I spent 32 of those years  working in the very community where I live.  That began in September of 1973 at Sandy Hook Elementary School were I served as a 4^th and 5^th grade teacher, a lead teacher for three years and finally as the school’s math/science specialist for 4 years until my retirement in 2004.

My wife and I raised two children in this town and eventually my wife established an accounting firm with her partner here.  So our ties to Newtown are quite strong and certainly well established.

I have seen many many  changes throughout the years.  But it seems the one thing that has served to keep me rooted so to speak is my years at Sandy Hook School.  There were many times when I would have colleagues ask me how I could possibly stand teaching in the same community where I lived.  It must be such a nuisance to have my private life scrutinized to the same extent as my professional life.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  I loved having past and present students and their parents greet me in stores, restaurants and just about anywhere else I went.   The friendliness and affection shown to me was a constant source of comfort. 

Make no mistake.  I had my share of distractors but they were in the minority and not nearly as troublesome as you might think.

I have been retired for 9 years and while I have found plenty to do, not the least of which is frequently baby sitting for 4 grand children, I still find myself thinking of my days at Sandy Hook—especially now.

I have many wonderful memories but one in particular involves the parent conferences we used to have twice a year.  The rule was that one of those conferences had to be an evening conference to accommodate the schedules of working parents.   On numerous occasions parents would use that opportunity to invite me to their houses for dinner after which we would discuss their child’s progress.   I don’t know of many other places where something like that would happen.   It served to cement relations and show the students that their education was a cooperative effort because we cared about them.  

There are so many other things-the Jolly Green Giant fair, dozens of school bus field trips, Push Cart Wars Day, the Parade of States, plays, concerts, on and on and of course the most important thing of all-the kids-many of whom have reached out to me on Facebook.  It’s a source of great satisfaction to see how well so many of them are doing.

There’s a great deal more but I’ll spare you further nostalgia.  Suffice it to say these past several months have been painful beyond words-for the entire town-not just me.  But at least I still have all those great memories to draw on. 

And now a word about the future, my older grandson will be starting kindergarten at Sandy Hook School this year.  I have already reached out to them as a volunteer so I can continue to look forward to many more good memories. 

I think that’s the key to getting through this good life.  Dwell on the good stuff and keep moving.  Simple, right? Well, maybe not so simple but it’s the only way.

I hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane and I hope you have some good stories of your own to tell.

Best regards,

George Stockwell

Time Passages

Yet another milestone marking the passage of time-Nicholas is swimming on his own.

It seems every day there's something new.  Brooke isn't even in a car seat any more.  Soon Courtney or Cole will be out of one.  Cole starts kindergarten at Sandy Hook School this year. Soon all four of them will be in school full time. 

The grand children are growing up very quickly and  our son Peter just turned 40...and I'm getting older and older and older.  But that's a good thing I guess because it sure beats the alternative.