Monday, President's Day

 I'm taking a little break from straightening the house before some friends arrive for lunch. You know how when you look at your house through someone else's eyes, it doesn't look so good anymore? Well, that's what is happening here. However, it's an informal gathering (9, latest count), so I'm not worrying too much. I'm still not sure what the seating arrangement will be--crammed around a table or casual sitting in the family room. The menu is simple. I've made chili with all the fixings and an apple pie, along with some lemonade and tea. Others will be bringing sides. Not sure what people will show up with, but I have a salad ready to go if needed.

Theo came over on the weekend, and we made two pots of chili. It was fun cooking together and exchanging ideas. He took one pot home for him and Wally to eat this week, and I am serving one today.

I'm having the gathering today because it's President's Day. All of the people coming are ones I have worked with over the years. Some are retired, and some are still on the job. With the libraries open 7 days a week and most evenings, it's hard to find a time to get together except for holidays.

Speaking of President's Day, below is a quiz about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who are honored on this day. I repost this quiz every couple of years so you may remember some of the answers. I originally put this quiz together for a contest at work for my coworkers. For many years, I regularly created different kinds of contests for fun at my job. 

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Presidents' Day

PRESIDENTS' DAY QUIZ
 

How much do you know about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln whom we honor on President's Day? See if you learn something after taking this quiz like I did when I put it together.

The statements below apply to either Washington or Lincoln.

1. _____ Stood 6'2” tall.

      2. _____ His mother was born in what is now the state of West Virginia.

3. _____ Used his hat to carry important papers.

4. _____ The first president to wear a beard.

5. _____ Had three hoe cakes and tea most mornings for breakfast.

6. _____ Introduced the mule to America.

7. _____ Had red hair when he was young.

8. _____ His formal education was only 18 months.

9. _____ He patented a system to alter buoyancy of steamboats.

   10.  _____ Had no biological children

Bonus: Both Washington and Lincoln were born in February. What days are their birthdays on?
Answers:

PRESIDENTS' DAY QUIZ

Answers

1. Washington-- Stood 6'2” tall.

     Washington and Lincoln were both tall for their time. Washington stood at 6'2” tall and Lincoln towered at 6'4” tall.

2. Lincoln-- His mother was born in what is now the state of West Virginia.

      Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks, was born in what is now Mineral County, WV. She died when he was nine years old. You can visit a replica of the cabin she was born in as well as a memorial marker there. 

3. Lincoln-- Used his hat to carry important papers.

     Lincoln's hat was more than a fashion statement. He also used it to carry important papers. If you want to see one of his top hats, visit the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. 

4. Lincoln-- The first president to wear a beard. 

      The story goes that Lincoln received a letter from an 11-year-old New York girl, Grace Bedell, who suggested that his thin face would look better with a beard. He grew a beard soon after that. Who knows? It may have helped him win the election. Other presidents with beards were Grant, Hayes, Garfield, and Harrison. Truman supposedly grew a beard while he was on vacation. 

5. Washington-- Had three hoecakes and tea most mornings for breakfast.

      Hoecakes were made from cornmeal and were originally baked on a hoe.

6. Washington-- Introduced the mule to America.

     Washington was looking for something that might work better than a horse for work around the farm. The mule, which is a cross between a male donkey and a female horse, seemed to fit bill. 

7.  Washington-- Had red hair when he was young.

     Washington had red hair when he was young and contrary to popular belief, he never wore a wig. However, he did powder his hair which was fashionable at the time. 

8. Lincoln-- His formal education was only 18 months.

     Lincoln only went to school a few weeks here and there when he was not working. However, he always had a book in his hand including when he was plowing a field. 

9. Lincoln-- He patented a system to alter the buoyancy of steamboats.

     His device was never manufactured, but he is the only US president to hold a patent. 

10. Washington-- Had no biological children.

     However, he raised two step-children from his wife, Martha, and helped raise two of his step-grandchildren when their father, John, died. Lincoln was the father of four boys of which only one survived into adulthood.

Bonus: Both Washington and Lincoln were born in February. What days are their birthdays on?

Lincoln: February 12

Washington: February 22

Sources:

http://www.wvgenweb.org/mineral/nancyhanksmem.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Abe-Lincolns-Step-into-Reading/dp/0679849777

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States_with_facial_hair

http://www.amazon.com/George-Washingtons-Breakfast-Jean-Fritz/dp/0698116119

http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Photobiography-Houghton-Mifflin-studies/dp/0395518482

http://www.mountvernon.org/content/meet-george-washington

http://www.mountvernon.org/content/facts-falsehoods-about-george-washington-0

http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/education/patent.htm

Happy Valentine's Day

 

We have no special traditions or expectations for Valentine's Day here. Some years, we go out to dinner. Sometimes, there are flowers or a card, and sometimes, the day passes without much notice. This year, we started our celebration last night with couples yoga at the gym. It was a fun and occasionally challenging hour of doing yoga poses together. Today, we will be cooking dinner together and eating at home. We chose the menu from favorite dishes and ended up with comfort foods, including creamed chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli with cheese sauce, and blueberry crisp. 

However, this morning, I am remembering Valentine's Days when Wally and Theo were young. Oh, how I hated the Valentines that they had to hand out at school. Neither of them had good fine motor skills, and preparing Valentines for their class was torture for both them and me. However, we all survived. 

I am also remembering Wally's third-grade Valentine's Day party at school. It was an interesting afternoon as I watched the girls and boys behave very differently. I've shared this story here before, but I'm going to do it again below. In the meantime, I hope you have a good day today, whether it is filled with hearts and chocolates or not.

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Boys vs. Girls—You Choose 

 Before I had kids, I thought that each child was an individual, and I didn't believe much in gender stereotypes in children. Little boys ran and jumped a lot because that's the kind of games they were taught. Little girls played with dolls because that was the kind of toys they were given. I thought that if all kids, regardless of gender, were exposed to the same things they would have the same tendencies. Then I spent some time in the real world of kids and figured out that I was wrong. Possibly there were some differences between boys and girls. From time to time, I'm going to share some of my experiences that led me to this conclusion. However, so as not to bias you, I'm going to let you guess who the boys are in the stories and who the girls are.

 Today's Story 

The Event: Wally's Third Grade Valentine Party

The Scene: The kids were seated around tables and naturally grouped themselves into two groups, with all boys on one side and all girls on the other side.

The Action: One group was carefully reading each Valentine and talking about who liked whom. The other group was seeing how many Red Hot cinnamon candies they could stuff in their mouth before their mouth burned too much. 

You choose: Which group was the boys and which was the girls?

Until next time...

It's the Little Things

Nothing extraordinary happened today. We just went about doing routine things, but it was filled with little things that made me happy. Here are a few. 

Ward and I were in Walmart, picking up some things in case the snow, followed by sleet, arrives as predicted over the next few days. We worked through our list efficiently and didn't have to wait too long in the checkout line. That was all good, but what was a real pleasure was the cart we were using. It was the smoothest rolling grocery cart (buggy) I have ever had. No wobbly wheels, no stuck wheels, no wheels going bump, bump, bump. It was a real pleasure pushing it. 

Before our outing to Walmart, I joined Ward in a line dancing class he has been attending on Tuesday mornings. Now that my schedule is my own, I have been with him twice. The class is led by a fun instructor from Scotland, who receives a fair amount of teasing about her accent when she is giving instructions. Today, I got more steps than last week, and I turned the right way most of the time. This is not a small feat for someone who can't tell right from left. (Line dancing, by the way, involves a lot of turning.) Seeing improvement is indeed a joy for me. 

Tonight, we had leftovers (chili, rice, and salad) for dinner. Having good food that heats up quickly is always a win. 

I did a bit of housekeeping today, and we now have a clean kitchen, a clean bathroom, and clean sheets. I appreciate all of those things, but I love going to bed in clean sheets. That's something I am looking forward to in a couple of hours.

But before then, we are going to watch the movie The Music Man while Ward works on a puzzle, and I pretend to help him. Ward is much faster at working a puzzle than I am, but that doesn't matter. Just being together doing something simple makes me happy.

No big things happened today, but it was the little things...

Until next time...

Note: Okay, I guess this post sounds a little sappy. I have been accused before of being too positive. My life is not always roses. Just be glad that I didn't write a post yesterday that was filled with insurance and computer problems. 

Purposeful

Bless at  My Two Cents said she is picking Thrive for her word of the year. I don't usually pick a word for the year, but I think this year I will. I am choosing Purposeful. Since I am entering a new phase of my life with retirement, I want to be purposeful with how I choose my priorities and spend my time. Do you choose a word of the year?

Below are a few more odds and ends from retirement news.

You may remember that I recently talked about a green dinosaur from the library that was donated over 30 years ago. Recently, it found its way back home, and now, a new generation is playing with it. 

These were roses I got at the end of the last storytime.

A silly parting gift I gave to my co-workers. They are all moving to other libraries for the next two years while our library is renovated.

I am about done sorting and putting away everything I brought home from work.  I saved a few stuffed animals I used in storytime, but these are no longer needed.

Another parting gift from a storytime family.
We shed a few tears and hugs as we said goodbye.

And in non-retirement news, on the way home after a visit with my FIL, Ward, Wally, and I took a walk in a park where Wally used to work in the summers. He was interested to see the improvements they had made.

Ward was interested in the equipment they were using in the park,
especially since his day at the Big Metal Playground.

Until next time...

A Good Start

 Good morning, everyone.

This is my third day of retirement, and everyone asks me how it feels. I tell them it's great because that's what they want to hear. Truth is, it's too soon to know how it feels because it hasn't really sunk in yet. Major changes require time to adjust. At least, that is how it works for me.

My retirement gift to myself. A Frog and Toad t-shirt
 from my favorite Frog and Toad story.

But it really has been a good three days of retirement. It's 10:30 am, and I just realized that all I've really accomplished this morning involves food. One of my goals is to visit with friends more often, so this morning, I sent an email asking if we should reschedule tomorrow's lunch because of an impending ice storm. Next, I confirmed a breakfast with a friend for next week. Tonight, we're going to a bar for line dancing, and I studied the menu to see what I might want to get from there. Then Theo, who we haven't seen in a few weeks, called, so we're going to lunch with him today. Which meant, of course, that I had to study the menu at that restaurant. I also sent another email about a lunch I'm having here in a couple of weeks for some work friends.

I didn't expect you to follow the above paragraph, but I think you got the idea that food and friends are on my mind. That's a lot of eating out, but that's what I'm splurging on for now. 

In addition, I've been to a line dancing class, a strength and balance class, and a ballroom dance class. Throw in a new book and a high score on Cookie Jam, and I am living the life!

Until next time...