Tuesday, August 31, 2010

What I Read #79

Faithful Place by Tana French: One evening, Francis "Frank" Mackay, a member of the Dublin Guard gets a frantic phone call from his sister Jackie. He responds to her call, and winds up involved in a "cold case" and the murder of his young brother, Kevin.
Though I had a tough time wading through the Irish prose, this novel grabbed me on page one and held on until it ended on page 400. If you like murder/suspense, along with family squabbles and jealousies, this novel is for you.
Happy Reading,
JE

Monday, August 30, 2010

What I Read #78

A Clean Kill by Mike Stewart: Another Tom McInnes mystery. Tom is asked to investigate the suspicious death of a juror in a Big ticket lawsuit. The further he and his sidekick Joey and secretary Kelly go into their investigation, the more they become involved in jury tampering and a conspiracy involving the state's high courts, crooked attorneys and judges. Another hit by Stewart!
Happy Reading,
JE

Friday, August 27, 2010

What I Read #77

Whisper to the Blood by Dana Stabenow: In this, the 15th in the Kate Shugak series, Stabenow writes another winner! Global Harvest Resources, a big-time mining firm has purchased mineral rights on lands in the Native Alaskan "Park", a two million acre tract of Alaskan wilderness. There are many who don't want this mine to be opened. Murders begin occurring. Trooper Jim Chopin, Kate's current "guy" has his hands full. Kate, a private investigator steps in to help him, while fighting within herself whether she wants the mine or not, and whether she really wants a romantic attachment with Jim. Told with the prose only a native Alaskan can use, this novel proves that an author's tales can keep getting better and better!
Happy Reading,
JE

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

What I Read #76

Sins of the Brother by Mike Stewart: This is another "first" novel by Stewart, published in 1999. Attorney Tom McInnes goes back to his home town to attend his brother's funeral. It seems that his brother, Hill, died under mysterious circumstances. Instead of going back to his practice in Mobile, Tom stays to find out who murdered his brother. Well written, Sins of the Brother will have you sitting on the edge of your recliner! It will also make you want to rush to your nearest library or bookstore to grab another in this series by Stewart.
Happy Reading,
JE

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

What I Read #75


61 Hours by Lee Child: People, you have to read this one. Jack Reacher, a loner and always on the move, hitches a ride on a tour bus when his other ride fails. He gets caught up, not only in a severe South Dakota blizzard, but in murder, drug dealing, bent cops, and government cover up. This Jack Reacher novel takes us into the bizarre world of a small town in the clutches of double digit negative temperatures, and the cold hearts of the people in control of the town and the people in it.
Happy Reading,
JE

Saturday, August 21, 2010

What I Read #74

The Cowboy Rides Away by Betsy Thornton: An interesting mystery. Cowboy Leroy Harris is found dead in his ranch house. It looks like a suicide, but friends of Leroy don't think he was the type to take his own life. Chloe Newcomb, a social worker transplant to New Dudley, AZ from New York City, is called out to the scene. She is part of the State Attorney's Victim Witness advocacy. She recognizes Leroy as someone she knew back in NYC many years ago, but by another name. She also feels that Leroy wouldn't have taken his own life, so she sets out to find out just who caused his death.
This is a first novel by Thornton. Published in 1996. A good, engrossing novel.
Happy Reading,
JE

Thursday, August 19, 2010

School Daze!

This morning I woke to the sound of kids walking by the house. (Well, that was after the phone rang! Noone there!!) I wondered how the students I lad last year in 8th grade were faring at the high school. Hmmm! I wonder if Squirrel had thrown a temper tantrum yet! I wondered if Grif had gotten her "comeuppance" yet! (I hope that happened the first day...) and I just generally wonder how it's going. I wonder how my group of Autistic boys is doing and if they are being well treated. Sometimes, the regular teachers can become impatient with these guys, and I knew how to handle them. (Carefully, slowly, and with lots of patience.) I wonder what they did with my room. I spent nine years in there, so I am just curious.

No, I don't miss getting up and getting going on a schedule. I don't miss the disrespect. I don't miss the whining! But I do miss the kids I worked with every period of every day! They were what the job was all about, so I can't help but wonder how they are doing and if they miss me.

Peace,
JE

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

What I Read #73

A Taint in the Blood by Dana Stabenow: Another Kate Shugak mystery. This time Kate is in Anchorage trying to solve a murder. The woman convicted of it thirty years previous is in prison. Her daughter thinks she is innocent, and hires Kate to investigate the cold case. Trooper Jim Chopin is falling in love with Kate, much to both of their chagrin. It makes for interesting nights!! I recommend this as a quick read for you mystery lovers.
Happy Reading,
JE

An Artist's Pallet

My creative juices have been flowing since retirement. It has been too hot to do much outside the house besides keep the flowers watered and the grass mowed, so I have begun realizing my age-old dream of being an artist of sorts. I will not get rich at this because so far, I have given my art work away to my friends. But it's good therapy for whatever ails me, if anything ails me, and it keeps be busy and out of trouble.
Some of my artwork is shown here:


I made these roses from paper.










I design greeting cards:








This is just an example of my artistic endeavors. I plan to continue, and hope to grow in my creative abilities.

Peace,
JE

Feel Like a Kid Again...NOT!

Today I feel like a kid again.. And not in a good way. Ever since school was out in June, I have been fighting an ear problem. At first I had an infection, but that cleared up with the help of some antibiotics. Then I found out that my Eustachian tubes are no longer functioning properly, (due to age) so my sinuses won't drain properly, keeping fluid behind my eardrum in my right ear. This could lead to more hearing loss than I already have, which is not good! So, today I had a tube put in my right ear. Now, with kids, the Dr. actually puts the child under mild anesthetic to insure that the child won't feel any fright, or discomfort, thus holding still. NOT in adults. We strong individuals that have this done, have it done with some numbing drops in the ear canal, then waiting for them to take effect, then the procedure. Which, I must admit, didn't hurt at all. It felt weird, but it didn't hurt. It took only about 15 minutes start to finish, and it left me feeling a little dizzy. They let me sit for a while until I was no longer dizzy, then I was allowed to drive home.
I asked the DR. if she did this often with adults, and she said, "Sure, almost every day." I don't know if she was trying to make me feel better, or was being truthful. She didn't give me a sucker afterward like she does the kids, so maybe she was telling me the truth. She did tell me that if the Drs. had been doing procedures like this 60 years ago, I probably wouldn't be having the ear problems that I have now.
Right now, I have a slight earache, and I can feel my heartbeat in my ear, but I can also hear the birds chirping outside and the ceiling fan running. Noises I haven't heard for a long time. So, even though I didn't get a sucker, maybe the procedure was worth it after all!
Peace
JE

Sunday, August 15, 2010

What I Read #72

The Singing of the Dead by Dana Stabenow: Published in 2001, this was Stabenow's 11th novel featuring the character Kate Shugak. Shugak, a Native Alaskan is an investigator. In this novel, she is hired as security for a Native woman running for State Congress. Mayhem and murder occurs of course, with Kate in the middle of it all. Along with a well written plot and full bodied characters, Stabenow lures the reader with her wonderful descriptions of the hauntingly beautiful Alaskan wilderness.
Reading this one made me rush back to the library for another one. Maybe I will end up reading all of the Shugak series. Stabenow also writes a Liam Campbell series, which sound interesting, too.
Happy Reading,
JE

Friday, August 13, 2010

What I Read #71

Private by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro: If #70 was the worst book I have read this year, Private is one of, if not the best one, I've read this year. From what I can gather, It's the beginning of a new series. Jack Morgan, a former Marine helicopter pilot, owns and operates "Private," a investigative agency. He and his staff take on three bizarre cases. Then the action begins! This is one of those books that I didn't want to put down. I even read through breakfast and dinner. This is a must-read for all mystery/suspense buffs.
Happy Reading,
JE

Official Retirement

School in the county has officially started and school in the city starts Monday. Up until now, I have been on "summer break." Now retirement is official. How do I feel about that? Great! Wonderful! A deep feeling of relief has come over me. I will miss the people I taught with, and there are some students that I will miss, but most of them passed to High School so I wouldn't be seeing them anyway. I don't miss the "having to get up and get going" in the mornings. Just taking my own sweet time getting up and having my morning coffee sitting at my table, instead of gulping it from the nearest drive-thru on my way to school. The thing I will miss is the time after first bell until the kids got into first period class. That was a time I always had "hall duty" and watch the students arrive. There was always a "hi" or "mornin'" or even a smile from some of my students, and even some that weren't mine. Some were eager to share what they did last night. Maybe it was winning the football game, or even that they got to visit their grandma. Sometimes, I heard things in the hallway that I really didn't want or need to know. I was amazed at how glad some were to see each other every morning, even though they had walked home together, and probably texted each other all evening long. It was fun to watch the sleepy ones, too. The bed-hair, the wrinkled clothes, the weird outfits. Ah, yes. Those things I will miss. But, I decided that if I miss it too much, I can get up a little earlier and just sit and watch the kids walking to school. With my coffee, in my recliner. Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Retirement!
Peace,
JE

Thursday, August 12, 2010

What I Read #70

Falling Awake by Jayne Ann Krentz: Of all the books I have read this year, this had to be the worst. First, it was "chick-lit" about dreams and and 5th level dreaming. After 421 pages, I still was clear just 5th level dreaming was, and I really didn't care. I just wanted it to be done and over with. Why didn't I quit, you might ask. I don't like to give up on any book, and Krentz is pretty famous as a writer, so I thought I would stick it out and maybe it would get better. The plot was thin and inane. The characters were shallow. The murders were nicely done, but the rest was tripe. Only redeeming thing I could say that Krentz really knows how to spice up the romantic scenes, and the sex was pretty good. On a scale of 1 to 10, how about an overall 2.
Keep on Reading,
JE

Saturday, August 07, 2010

What I Read #69

High Season by Jon Loomis: Another first novel. Author Loomis writes an entertaining novel about murder and graft in Provincetown. A big Real Estate consortium wants to buy up the town, and the town residents don't want it to happen. Along with a well written plot, Loomis adds humor when talking about the gay and lesbian characters who roam the streets, along with cross dressers, transvestites, and drag queens. All in all, I was impressed with this first work of promising new author.
Happy reading,
JE

Friday, August 06, 2010

School is Starting Without Me! Whoopee!

School starts next week some time. It will be the first time in ten years that I haven't gone. I keep telling myself that I will not miss it. I think I have myself convinced. Last year was not a banner year at the school for me, and I sincerely felt that it was time for me to go. The discipline got to me, the lack of interest from parents got to me, the apathy of the administration got to me. I was treated with a disrespect by the students, such as I had never experienced in years before. What was wrong? I felt that it is an economic thing. Times are hard in our community. Jobs are scarce, and money is tight. As it is is all over, but my community is repressed like so many small towns now days. Parents are laid off from jobs, and this has a tumble down effect on their children. Kids don't understand not being able to have stuff or go places. Mom and Dad are just trying to hang on. It makes everyone in a family tense. This also carries over into the school room. Administration told us at the beginning of last school year that what goes on at home should have no effect on what goes on at school. This is bull hockey. Admin needs to come in a talk to the kids. They need to sit in a classroom where kids just don't give a rip, because they have too much baggage from home.
Another thing, parents need to wise up. I would bet that I know more about their middle- schoolers than they do. I know who is seeing who behind their parent's back. I know who is sexually active, and I know who is letting their "love interest" beat the s**t out of them. I know who is drinking, and who is using dope. I also know who is being molested by Mom's boyfriend, and sleeps hidden behind the couch in hopes that he can't find her in his drug induced drunken stupor!
I know who doesn't get enough to eat, who doesn't get enough rest at night, and who doesn't have clean clothes or facilities to bathe regularly. I see kids come to school in the same clothes day after day, because Mom or Dad don't give a damn about how they look, feel or smell.
Knowing all of this and being faced with it every day just got to be too much. When I first started at the school, I would come home at night and cry. Then, I would come home mad. I finally knew that I alone could not change the mind set of the administration, or the parents or the community, and I tried to steel myself against what I could see was happening. But it finally just got to me. I had to call it quits.
Retirement is good! I can relax and enjoy myself. But in the back of my mind, I still worry about those children who are not being treated fairly or like we think they should be. I will always worry about them. Maybe, I can do something in my retirement to make the people who need to know aware of what is happening to out youth of today. My prayer is that in some brighter tomorrow, there will be an answer!
Peace,
JE

Thursday, August 05, 2010

The Job Search...not me!

Ever since Prof has returned from the wild west, she has been looking for a job. A permanent job. Today, she got three offers within an hour. This gives new meaning to the old adage, "when it rains; it pours."

One school system wanted her as a SPED paraprofessional at their Jr. High School. Another school wanted her to fill a 6-9 week pregnancy leave, teaching English.

Another system wanted her to be a Special Needs aide to a blind second-grader being mainstreamed into regular classes and needing one-on-one aid.

Today she made a decision. She really wanted to do the pregnancy leave, but hesitated in taking it because it was only for six to nine weeks, with nothing offered after that. So, she called the other system and explained the situation. They agreed that she should take the English job, and furthermore, they agreed to hold the Jr. High paraprofessional job open, filling it with a sub, until Prof could take over. They said she came so highly recommended, that they wanted her!

She is overjoyed! She also has found out that someone is working on helping her get licensed in this state, which would be great. Someone who knows someone at the state level. We'll see how that all pans out.

Then later on this afternoon, she received a "heads-up" phone call from a former co-worker, that one of the major social service agencies in our part of the state is bantering her name about within the agency, and said co-worker wanted her to know that she "might" be getting a call from them in the near future.

This, plus being in love, has made her a very happy camper! Me, too.

Peace,
JE

What I Read #68

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks: Another "tear-jerker" from Sparks. Ronnie and Jonah visit their dad in North Carolina during the summer, not knowing what really lies ahead. Ronnie falls in love with Will. Jonah grows up considerably during the summer months.
Expect schmaltz, love, and tears, but enjoy! I think this is Sparks' best work yet.
Happy Reading,
JE

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

What I Read #67

Capitol Offense by Mike Doogan: Nik Kane, former police officer, now dectective, is in Juneau, Alaska, investigating a murder. People high up in the Alaskan government are causing trouble, and Nik is on the case to solve, not only one murder, but two. He takes a licking but keeps on hunting down the bad guys with the help of his friendly cabbie, Cocoa. With the twists and turns we've come to expect from Mike Doogan, this book is another grabber. The surprise ending left me speechless!
Happy Reading,
JE