Absence

Life is bound to get busy here very soon. Its not that I won’t have much to say, its just that I’ll be busy. School starts on wednesday but I have my new students on tuesday.

I’m also doing a lot of private journaling right now.  Our family is going through some rough spots and I need the space and need to handle it on my own, so most of blog entries won’t be available to read.

I’ll be back though because we have so much more to say! James and I met with the EAC last week and we are working on the community garden, the farm hands program starts next week, philly green fest, energy festival. All that good stuff.

Max’s Visit To First Grade

Max visited his first grade classroom and teacher the other day.  He seemed super anxious and nervous about the process and I know it will be a big adjustment for him. His first day is Wednesday, we actually thought it was Tuesday but he gets one more day.   I expect to see a lot of changes in him this year and hope that he is able to sit and behave.  But I am know he will learn a lot too and next year second grade will probably seem like a breeze. Its hard to believe he is going into first grade. At the same time these have been a long six and a half years and we’ve gone through a lot of changes and places. I plan on taking his first grade pictures this weekend and I’ll be sure to post them on smug mug.

Here’s my other Blog

I have a blog for school. It is required by Earthwatch for my fellowship. Its not nearly as interesting though, but this is where I will do most of the postings when I am out on expedition.  I am required to post every day.

I am going to be dead tired from picking up caterpillars and running from alligators ( it actually says this in my expedition booklet). In fact I had to get my doctor to sign off that I could withstand such conditions. I told him I can’t nearly run as fast as an alligator, but that I would try. Lucky for me alligators only really need to eat once a week and other times they are the slowest creatures on the planet.  They don’t exert any more effort than they need to.

http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/lewis/

Pennsylvania A Few Steps Back

Max and I went to DC today on the train. Its a great day trip, we went to the zoo this time and left enough to go back. What struck me walking from the subway is how far behind PA really is as a state. I wonder if this has to do with an attitude that I saw growing up and unfortunately still. The attitude that I see is a resistance to change. Change is a bad thing, change is not good. Why would you want to do that? Why can’t we keep doing it the same way we always do this, why do I have to be inconvenienced. I also see a secondary attitude of cost, people want to know how much this affects their wallet here and riding the bus is probably only a good thing because it saves you on parking downtown.

So with this attitude attached to Pennsylvania like a ball and chain how can I expect it to get any better? I walk down the street of DC and I can even find organic dry cleaning ( to be honest I’m not sure what this is even all about or if it is just a green gimmick). But people are resistant to even just changing how they celebrate holidays around here

To me this is a worrisome attitude and also makes me feel quite alone yet again over here. My life is constantly changing and as James says its the only one constant thing we got going over here, life will always change.

Over the next few weeks we have some things to attend to and are nervous about, but they are things that we are keeping to ourselves right now, so if you ask we won’t tell you. Just keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Catching Up

What a busy weekend but I think productive. We’ve been struggling with Max’s attitude.  Just the nonstop whining, the need to be in control all the time, and the attitude that he deserves the world whenever he asks for it. This is a dangerous attitude.  James and I really value hardwork and we want him to have to work for what he gets, and also appreciate what he has and who he has in his life.   He’s six and I understand these are lessons that he will eventually grow to understand, but it doesn’t hurt to plant the seed now.

He learned how to do laundry this weekend and he seems to like it. Mostly because he keeps the money he finds in the pocket.  I like knowing that my six year old knows how to do laundry, I like the idea of making him self sufficient.

On one of his not so great moments I was really thinking about how important it would be for him to learn the value of good hard physical work.  The only way for him to get this was perhaps on a farm.  So I started looking into programs and we found a farm hands program that we enrolled Max in for eight weeks. Its for 3 hours every saturday and it is an 18th century farm so  it is not modern day farming, but instead good old fashioned farming.  The program actually lasts all year but we’ll try the first eight weeks first.  We go with him and he is sent off to do chores while we help out with other chores.  The first session in the weekend after labor day and we’ll all be out picking potatoes. Rain or shine , snow or no snow.

It will definitely be an experience worth blogging about.

James and I got some much needed time this weekend and went roller coaster riding on Friday and Kingda Ka ( the world’s fastest and highest) is still the best!

Summer is winding down. One more week to go.  I feel like I just left for summer break but also know that we did a whole lot this summer to. I’m always sad to see it go.

Children’s Politics starts in the Neighborhood

We had such a busy weekend and I’ll catch everyone up in a little bit, but we did go to a salsa making party in a neighborhood in Trenton. I think when people hear of Trenton they come up with a connatation in their head and this wasn’t what your thinking, it actually was really upity.   The salsa making party advertised outsiders to come and make salsa and some people from a nearby organic farm were going to talk which was mostly what we were interested in.

The person from the farm was great, people in the neighborhood not so much. Let’s just say they didn’t exactly welcome us with open arms but viewed us as outsiders encroaching on their salsa good time.  The worse part about it all was that Max was not welcomed by the kids in the neighborhood and it got me thinking that it really all starts at home.  Max went over to introduce himself and asked to play basketball ( the kids were all about Max’s age) and they told him no.  No reason why, just no.  I think this was a very hard thing for Max to accept and myself to be honest because really kids are all just kids, no matter what neighborhood they live in.  What I find myself really struggling with is why you would expose your kids to not letting outsiders in, and why you would let it continue.  We talked with max on the way home about this, about how everyone should be welcome and no one should be made to feel left out. Not sure if he got it or not, lets hope so.

The politics of our children really start in the neighborhood.  The neighborhood really starts in your backyard and ultimately in the conversations with your children.

Disturbing Attitude of Some in Bucks County

I wanted to start this post off with the title, the disturbing attitude of the people in Bucks County but decided I would be better off putting some than getting an email from anyone. Unfortunately this is an attitude that is running rampant. People believe that Bucks county is the greatest place on earth to live. People seem to value their possessions more than other people and human life. I say this because in a Courier Times newspaper article it revealed Habitat for Humanity’s plan to develop 36 homes in Bucks County. The people in the article were upset that this “low income” housing would be allowed to exist in their neighborhoods, their $400,000 homes would be in jeopardy. Here are some of the so called worthy comments

Although my heart goes out to those less fortunate, we have to draw the line and stand up for our community. We should not be the dumping ground for all that is unwanted elsewhere.

Let’s not create another neighborhood in which we would like to drop a bomb on. We are struggling now to keep our neighborhoods out of the hands of those who do not live here but like to visit & create havoc. We need to increase home values not devalue them.The residents need to speak up just like those from Lower Makefield, Yardley. Bristol Township is a great location and full of residents who do take pride in their home ownership.

Here’s the myths and facts about Habitat from Humanity ( provided directly from habitat from humanity)

1.Habitat for Humanity gives houses away to poor people.

Fact: Habitat for Humanity International offers a homeownership opportunity to families unable to obtain conventional house financing—generally, those whose income is 30 to 50 percent of the area’s median income.

2. Myth: Habitat houses reduce property values in a neighborhood.

Fact: Low-cost housing studies in the United States and Canada show affordable housing has no adverse effect on other neighborhood property values. In fact, Habitat houses have increased property values and local government tax income.

3. Myth: Habitat homeowners are on welfare.

Fact: While some Habitat homeowners receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), many more are working people.

I’ve seen this attitude and I have lived with this attitude here. Unfortunately there seem to be a lot of people in this world who not only separate themselves from nature but from each other as well. I seriously hope that none of these people are ever down on their luck to not be able to stay in their $400,000 house.

The fact remains we are 99.9% similar. The only reason it isn’t 100% is that science is never asbolute. In fact I went to lecture last year from the National Geographic Explorer in residence that has taken millions of DNA samples to prove that all humanity originated from three tribes. When people refer to themselves as better, or refer to people of different races ” as those people”, they are forgetting they are talking about one of their former tribe members.

I live here because of circumstance and cirucmstance only. I don’t live here because I feel like it is an esteemed community. I’ve never applied for a job to teach here because I’d rather teach inner city and because the community expects me to take a substitute wage of $100 a day and be able to afford to live in the area. If that was the case I guess I would be one of the 36 families Habitat for Humanity was helping.

Silenced

So the newspaper gets back to me today, actually they don’t they just leave a message saying they published the first one I sent in, the one about the Grange fair. I go to read it and my offer to help organize the grange fair next year was edited. Why would anyone not publish that statement? Why would they just chop that one off knowing that I had good intentions.

I already got nasty responses from some farmer dude ( I guess because they are afraid to put their real name and location) saying that I must have missed the farm insurance man and the tractor sales.

Bottom Line…..It still is asking me to buy something.

I also seem to be locked out of the Courier Times website from making comments. Interesting huh?

Once Every 30 Days

I can only write an editorial to the newspaper every 30 days according to them and then they give me a bogus number to call them back to decide which one I should publish. I guess the newspaper is getting tired of me already. I find this to happen a lot and most people can only accept me in small doses.  Over the years I have gotten good of hiding and showing the sides I know people want to see.  Then when I’m home I chatise myself for being fake, but realize its the only way I professionally will jump ahead.  I have to let people deal with me however they want to deal with me. I have to let whatever happens slide away.   For example I know people are pissed off that I work extremely hard. I feel bad that people at times loathe me.  People have preconceived notions sometimes without even talking to me. I’m not out to be president of the United States, and I’m not out to make you look like a slug in the process.

I stand by what I say, everyone has something to give, something to teach, and something to learn from everyone else. Find out what you are good at it and run with it.

Clean Coal

Can someone tell the people who are advertising clean coal that this is indeed not clean energy.  Hello we are still buring an exhaust, we are still polluting the air.

The only clean energy out there is sunlight.