Slavery in America?

It is rare that I sit down and read a book in one sitting, but this book captured my attention.    It is called "The Sacred Bath" by Theresa L. Flores.  It is about an American teenager who was forced into slavery - sexual bondage.    This isn't a story about an American living in another country, it is about a young girl, who is forced to have sex with many men, right here in the United States.    She lost her virginity when she was raped.   This was just the beginning of a two year sexual nightmare of the most horrific abuse imaginable.   What is amazing that her family knew nothing about it.   She would get calls on her private phone to be at the designated spot for pick-up.    Why did she not call the police your thinking?  She was in mortal fear for her family.   They had already killed her puppy, found dead birds in their mail box, and had threatened to do far worse if she did not submit.   She was followed constantly, they knew the whereabouts of her family as well.   

They used this knowledge to keep her under their thumb.    Although this is graphic, remember, if she went through it, we should be strong enough to read it.   We need to read it to keep our own daughters, granddaughters, and sisters safe.  

Wearmanyhats, this is for you

In your post about the family farm and how big farms keep sucking up more and more land, you will appreciate this article i spied in today's Columbus Dispatch. 

In Fairfield County which is in the southeast part of Ohio there already is a group of 25 farmers who have applied to the state preservation program which pays land owners to keep thie property permanently agricultural.    Many are taking this avenue as a way to make some extra income while preserving the farming way of life in perpetuity for the land they have put in trust.   

The idea is doing this is to protect farmland against the onslaught of developers who want to change the quiet peaceful countryside and good earth into a paved heavily forested (houses so thick and close together that a fire could easily ignite the whole neighborhood) housing development.     Ohio farmland shrank by 618,000 acres in five years.  205 farmers have applied this year but it is competititve.   Judges score and rank farmland on the soil type, historic value, proximity to other protected land and a host of other criteria.   

The easements are legal agreements that restrict development and assurance that the land will remain agricultural permanently.  The land stays on the tax rolls and the landowners can sell it or pass it along as a gift, BUT the land is safe - it can never be sold to a developer, it will always be a farm. 

Here she is!

I have one picture of my new granddaughter for all of you pnn'ers who want to see what she looks like.  I have not got done pat how to exactly do post pics yet.  I would have liked to put her picture in along with some text.  Did I do it backwards?   Just scroll down once you get into my homepage.  It is not included within this post. 

Help

I want to combine a couple of my tabs.  How do i do it without losing the articles I have posted.   Or can you do it?    As you know I am often computer challenged so any help must be so simple a 4th grader could understand.   

Also, under profile, i see the word Avatar.  What the heck is that? 

Trapped in a classroom with 2nd graders

I subbed for a second grade class today and man-oh-man THEY DO NOT LISTEN.    They are a chatty bunch of youngsters.    There was an assignment I had to teach - diamond poetry - good grief, i had never heard of it.    I had to read and re-read the lesson over and over and over before i finally figured it out.   The kids learn to write poetry by utilizing a tier of five levels.   The 1st line is a single naming word, what the word is about - like Stream.   The 2nd line contains 2 describing words, like Sparkly, and Gently.The 3rd line has three action words like Tumbling, Whooshing, and Speeding.   The 4th line tells how the first naming word is growing or changing in some way like crashing in wild winds and the last line contains another new naming word.  It tells wha the naming ward has evolved into - like Ocean.   Then students are to make up their own diamond poem.    A diamond poem looks like 2 triangles with their bottoms placed side by side.  Examples include rumble/earthquake, seed/flower or veggie,    

.I was "lucky" enough to be picked by 8 students today to have lunch with the teacher.   My only time to undwind and have  a quiet lunch, oh well, better luck next time. 

Funked out and in a tizzy

Do you ever feel like your life is out of control and that you have no way of fixing anything?   I am currently in a funk.  I should be on cloud nine with the arrival of my first grandchild, but I find that I am just miserable, and sinking further and further into the quicksand of life.  

Most everyone knows that reads my blog (is that what you call it) that I have returned to college to try and become a teacher.  My college degree is not in education so in order for me to become a teacher I must go to grad school.    this past year I have racked up even more debt to add to the huge, humongous, planet size debt  I already have.    

For any of you who are considering returning to college, whatever you do, do not get a private loan.     These companies do not have to abide by the same regulations that federal loans have.     Substitute teaching is almost done for the 2008-2009 school year, so I do not have a job again until the fall.  In the meantime the student loans are due for repayment to begin in early June.   I do not have the money.    I did not apply for any additional loan money for this summer.  would not have done any good anyway, no one is lending money.    So I have to somehow come up with $600 a month to pay for my bare-bone basic needs which doesn't include food.    

Going to school has not been easy for me.  I am not brilliant by any standards and i have to study long hours to pass my courses.  that has left me with little to no time to work for the past few years.   i tried working and going to school but I kept falling asleep - you get that way when you're older and nearing senior citizen status. 

So I am in another funk, not knowing what to do.  Maybe I should just chuck it all, forget about becoming a teacher, and find a job or two and work.   It is just frustrating to be so near and yet so far from your dream.    Maybe I should do what my mom said she heard on the news the other day - that many women are turning tricks to get extra money to help pay the bills - now wouldn't that be a hoot, especially at my age.

Two close calls in the same day

I had 2 close calls today, where my life could have easily flashed before my eyes.   I was on the way to sub at a local high school and I had just entered the left turn lane and had to stop because the light had just turned red.   A car in the left lane had stopped for the light, but a small compact car just came out of nowhere, swerved around the stopped vehicle, continued through the intersection and kept on traveling.     Now whether the driver in the compact was not paying attention or the driver in front stopped to soon, I do not not know but there would have been a horrific accident right in front of my eyes as the stopped car would have been rear-ended into the intersection.   the light had just changed so no other vehicles had started to go through, thank God for that.    

Then on the way home, a vehicle in front of me was going barely 50 mph on a major state highway - Rt. 23 towards Delaware.   Anyone from around here knows that it is becoming one of the most heavily traveled state routes in Ohio.    The semi from behind me was getting fed up with the guy in front of me so he swung out into the left lane to pass us all.    All of a sudden the driver in front of me pulls into the left lane, drives about 25 ft and then slams on his brakes to make an illegal u-turn.  The semi had to slam on his brakes, and of course I am right beside him watching all of this transpire.    Anyone in their right mind knows that semi's who are speeding up to pass cannot stop on a moments notice.   Thank God, the driver was able to stop, but I can only imagine the not-so-nice words of encouragement the semi  driver was giving this not so smart driver.  What made matters worse, is that the knuckleheaded driver was less than an 1/8 mile from a business where he could have safely turned around.  

Go for the eyes

Only my closest friends know that I studied martial arts for four years and that I have a black belt in Kenpo Karate.  In today's society, it is smart for a woman to know how to defend herself.    Many cannot afford to take martial arts, and some just do not have the time to fit it into their busy schedule.

The best advice I was ever given was by the grandmaster of our style of Karate, Ed Parker, who died in 1990.  He said to run like hell the other way if you have the chance.    That is always your best defense, but if you do not have that option then one simple thing is to vigorously poke your fingers into his eyes.   While he is howling in agony, kick him in the groin and when he is bent over, bend your elbow and smash it into his back.    That will keep him busy for quite a spell.   Do not think OH NO THAT IS TO MUCH.  Hey he is the one who attacked you, YOU ARE JUST DEFENDING YOURSELF.  

Another simple thing is if he grabs you from behind is step down hard on his instep or kick into his shin ( the shin is super sensitive).  Your arms may be pinned but your legs arn't.  

If you find yourself on the floor or ground, go into a fetal position but keep your eye on him.  When he reaches down for you, his groin, face, and shins are exposed.   Take your foot and kick with all your might, one of those exposed places on his body.   That should give you enough time to escape, and call the police.  

Grief times two

Doesn't it always seem that bad luck or death comes in pairs?   My ex-sister-in-laws nephew was tragically killed less than a month ago, and my first cousin died from a chronic disease two weeks ago.

Then I hear that a young man who I had taken several classes with died from appendicitis.  What is even more tragic is that his father died less than 3 months ago.    Ryan was his mother's only son and so this woman is just going through her own private hell now. 

Ryan was special, he was a dwarf but other than that, he was just a typical college student.  He was well-liked, smart, and funny.   When I first met him I felt a little awkward, knowing at times that I was starring but that never bothered him.    Ryan just took it in stride and after awhile I never noticed that he was different.   I can still see Ryan pulling his rolling book bag behind him and more often than not, someone would spy him in the hallway and a conversation would start.   He was popular with the AEC staff and students alike.  AEC is the academic enrichment center where students can sign up for tutoring.   Ryan often tutored students who were twice his size, but that mattered not.  

My heart goes out to his mom who is facing life without her husband and son.   Life is short, with no gurantee of how much time we have on this earth.   It would be wise to make the best of our time, to harbor no ill will towards anyone and always try to say something nice or do something nice for someone each day.   Some people are starving for just a bit of attention from someone who cares.       

With or without milk?

I love Cream of Wheat.  My mom was inventive on getting my brother and I to eat it when we were kids.   She had us make a well, and into it we put brown sugar and milk.   Then we would eat the cereal from the inside out to see how far we could scoop away at the center wihout it poking through or collapsing our little barricade.  

I was always puzzled at the box depicting a pat of butter on top of the cream of wheat, which sounds perfectly disgusting to me.    I still eat my cream of wheat with the well with real maple syrup or brown sugar and milk.  How do you eat yours? 

Women drivers - we are not crazy

I took my truck in to the repair shop the other day complaining that I was having difficulty shifting - it is a 5 speed.   The day before, while driving down the highway, I could not shift from one gear to the other.   For all those familiar with Route 23 north of Columbus, this is not a situation one wants to be in.   It is one of the busiest state routes.   I finally make it back home and then take it to the auto repair and explain the problem. 

I called today only to find out that the mechanics cannot find anything wrong with the truck.  They test drove it, and had absolutely no trouble with it.   I know they are probably thinking - those ditzy women drivers, but hey, we aren't ditzy.   This is not the first time this has happened to me nor the last, but it is frustrating.  The only consolation to all of this, is at least, I have an honest mechanic.  I could have been ripped off by a very unscrupulous one who said I needed a new gearshift, or worse.  

New tab added

The recipe tab I added recently is special -- mostly depression-era recipes from my grandmothers who knew how to feed their families on very little money.    Some recipes are made from scratch BUT very simple to prepare. 

Darth Vader in Delaware, Ohio

Of the all times when I wished I had a digital camera, today was it.   The Central Ohio Symphony had yet another concert at Gray Chapel.  But this one was particularly special.   They played the Star Wars Suite from the original movie.  

In addition, and the best part of all, was that the Ohio 501st Legion of Star War re-enactors were there as well.   All I had was a disposable camera because my camera bit the dust a few months back.  But I was the first to catch Luke Skywalker, Obi-one Kenobi, and Princess Lei coming the stairs.  Then here comes Darth Vader all decked out in his mask, uniform and that big bad black flowing cape.   Simply spectacular.

When the orchestra got to the part that Darth Vader made his first appearance on Princess Lei's ship - that is when he started walking down the aisle with his glowing light saber.  There were also 3 versions of the Storm-troopers there as well.     Just gives me goosebumps thinking about it.    Since I had one of the seats where the pedestrian aisle was, I got to watch the re-enaactors walk back and forth in front of me several times.  Awesome.

To bad about not having a digital or I would have uploaded them for all to see.