Waiting List

     With graduation exercises over and done, kids are preparing for college.  Hopefully, they have gotten in to their first choice school.  After exchanging information with their assigned roommate, they'll go out and shop for a new wardrobe (and receive instructions from mom on how to launder it).
     What if you can't get into your favorite school and end up on a waiting list?  Lawrence Yong, of Los Angeles, California found himself in just such a predicament.  He was placed on the waiting list for the University of Michigan.  He wasn't going to rely on the essay he wrote for his application.  He decided to sing is way into the school.  He rewrote the words to the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back," and posted the video on YouTube.  Personally, I might have chosen the Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg."

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/teen-sings-way-off-university-michigan-wait-list-225904744--abc-news-topstories.html

     Lawrence made it into U Michigan, and it's possible the video helped.  If it turns out he doesn't like Michigan as much as he thought he would, he could always transfer to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.  "Straight No Chaser" might be auditioning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_No_Chaser_(group)  

Teddy Bears' Picnic

      If you go down to the woods today
      You're sure of a big surprise
      If you go down to the woods today
      You better go in disguise
      For every bear that ever there was
      Will gather there for certain because
      Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic

               Music by John Walter Bratton
               Lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy

     The black bears have been having their picnic in back yards in Atco and Medford.  Bears pilfering from trash cans is pretty common in north Jersey, but it's still a novel site here in the south.  People's reactions to the situation range from fright to delight.  My take on the situation is what goes around comes around.
     In simpler times, people either lived in town or lived on the farm.  Those who lived on the farm were living in the animals' space.  The species ignored each other, for the most part, unless unless a chicken or cow fell victim to hungry wild animals.
     Then came suburban sprawl.  At first the bears and cougars went deeper into the woods.  Now the suburbs have extended into the last remaining woods.  We are living in the animals' back yard, and they are feasting on the contents of our garbage cans.

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/06/08/black-bear-sighting-in-medford-township-nj/
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/18719901/black-bear-spotted-in-atco-new-jersey-neighborhood

     There haven't been any bear sitings in Hainesport, but the turkeys are out of control.  The township hopes to pass an ordinance against feeding the birds at the July 10, 2012 meeting of the township committee.  Feeding the birds encourages large numbers of them to hang out around houses.  A couple of bad eggs in the group behave aggressively, and have begun pecking passersby.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/burlington_county_times_news/hainesport-looking-to-prohibit-wild-turkey-feeding/article_fab9d6f7-6066-50c7-850e-1857a02f4fdb.html

As the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt.  As the animals lose their fear of humans, and as we grow tired of overturned trash cans and stepping in turkey poop, the clash begins.  We humans should respect that the animals were here first.  We should also be thankful that lions are not indigenous to New Jersey.  Take a look at what's happening in the capital city of Kenya:

http://news.yahoo.com/lions-loose-kenyan-capitals-urban-jungle-073205357.html



   
                                             

Flip Flops

     If you think I'm crafty, you should meet my friend Lucy.  She's the craftiest person I know.  Recently, she taught me how to embellish flip flops.  Instead of paying $20.00 or $30.00 for jazzy flops at a boutique, you can buy a pair for $2.50 at Target and make them unique using, at most, $3.00 worth of ribbon and ready made bows.  It's easy and fun.
     I purchased an assortment of flops in different sizes and colors.  I went to the dollar store first.  I found that their flip flops for children were sturdy, a good value, but the adult flops were flimsy.  I found better quality flip flops at Target for $2.50 and at Walmart for $2.28.  Any craft store has ribbon and a variety of bows, flowers, and other items to pretty up your project.
     I found a very good video which demonstrates how to make a military braid, the style of braid I used.  The video shows how to decorate flip flops or a hairband with military braids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtGB_Owt_9g

     Here's my first attempt.

This is the finished braid.  It is about 12 inches long, but I needed only 11 inches for the flip flops.

You attach the braid with a really strong, stinky glue called E6000.  I used clothes pins to hold things in place overnight.

These are the finished flops.  I used a glue gun to add the flower.

     These flip flops look nice, but I made a couple of mistakes that I will correct in the future.  First, I will be more accurate with the length of my braid.  With all the edge sealing and gluing, a finished braid is difficult to unbraid and shorten.  Next, I will be neater when I glue the braid to the straps.  The E6000 that oozed out stiffened the ribbon.  I hope that doesn't rub the wearer's foot.
     So, give it a try.  If you really goof up your project, all is not lost.  Check out this video of alternative uses for flip flops.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFj1iwcL6m0
       
 

When Husbands Retire

     Mike is beginning to talk about retiring.  I wonder how he'll like retirement.  I like it.  It's nice being the boss of me.  I wonder if Mike thinks he's going to be the boss of Mike once he leaves the daily grind.  I might have some other ideas!

 Oh, to turn lazy was his aspiration,

To be the embodiment of sloth in his next incarnation.

No working, no slaving, no dedication -

Just a life horizontal, to his wife’s consternation.

Gone the alarm’s tintinnabulation,

Gone the fancy wardrobe - Ah, jubilation,

Gone the traffic, that vexation.

Now he’ll be ruled by his own machinations.

No more pleasing the boss, none of that osculation.

The decision’s been made, after much cogitation,

To trade briefcase for recliner with soothing vibration.

He’ll be living the life of the average crustacean.

                                                                                                     

He thought he was set, but to his trepidation

The spouse made a few of her own calculations.

For him to be idle gave her agitation.

So she chose for him a new occupation.

                                                                                          

He’ll be a full partner in home renovations,

The duties assigned per the mate’s allocation.

Why, in just a few months, by her estimation,

A perfect domicile will reach realization.

So much for his happy ruminations,

He’s learned to choose the path of capitulation.

She’ll have his harmonious cooperation

While he fantasizes about emancipation.

Graduations

     It's graduation time.  Every year in June high school kids and college kids don caps and gowns and go through the rite of passage called commencement.  Before they take that walk across the stage to receive their diplomas, they sit through the usual commencement speeches.   The themes of those speeches don't vary much - this is the beginning, not an end; your possibilities are limitless; the world is your oyster; blah, blah, blah.
     I prefer Charles Wheelan's advice.  He wrote a book titled 10-1/2 Things No Commencement Speaker Has Ever Said.  Here are his thoughts:

     1. Your time socializing was well spent.
     2. Some of your worst times lie ahead.
     3. Don't make the world worse.
     4. Marry someone smarter than you.
     5. Don't make a competition out of everything.
     6. Read obituaries.
     7. Your parents never really wanted what was best for you.
     8. Don't let your pay check be your only reward.
     9. It's all borrowed time.  Nobody leaves this life alive.
    10. Don't try to be great.

     Ellen DeGeneres had some funny things to say when she addressed Tulane University graduates in 2009.  Things said in jest are usually true, so pay attention to her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6pPBqfrAnI

     Making it to graduation is an accomplishment.  Still, that was probably the easy part.  Bon voyage, graduates, on your journey through life.

   
   
   

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

     Spending time on a farm is the latest in family vacationing.  A farm vacation is usually not too expensive.  You can participate in chores as little or as much as you want.  These visits are great for children because kids get the opportunity to see the origins of the food they eat.  Check out this article before you plan your next trip.    

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/skip-disney-world-fun-frugal-070108784.html

     I spent a couple of summers on a blueberry farm.  I needed a sort of passport to go there called working papers.  An agriculture work permit is different from the papers most youngsters get when they land that first job.  The minimum age for farm work is twelve, not sixteen.  As long as school is not in session,  twelve year olds can work ten hours per day, six days per week.
     My day started around 7:30 a.m. when I was picked up at Folwell School in Mt. Holly.  A bunch of us piled into a panel van and sat on the floor for the ride to Pemberton.  When we arrived at the packing house in Pemberton, we joined the local kids and headed for the field.
     We hand picked the ripe berries, leaving the green ones on the bush.  There would be a second pick later to get the berries that were slow to ripen.  There was a technique to picking.  We cupped our hands as if trying to scoop up water.  Next, we placed our cupped hands under a cluster of berries.  The trick was to tickle the ripe berries with our finder tips, so they dropped into our cupped hands.  We tickled clusters of fruit until our hands were full.  Then we dropped the berries into a large can that hung around our necks.
     When the can was full, we dumped it into a wooden box called a flat.  There were twelve pint sized containers in the flat.  When all twelve pints were full, we took the flat to the boss who dumped one of the twelve pints on top of the other eleven.  We got credit for picking eleven pints of berries.  The boss punched out numbered blocks on card board tickets that, like the cans, hung around our necks.
     Friday was pay day.  We turned in our tickets and were according to how much we picked.  I think we got about nine cents per pint.  I might pick sixty pints on a good day, or 300 pints per week, so my pay was around $27.00 per week.
     Blueberry picking taught me all sorts of things.  For example, the skin of a blueberry is black.  They look blue because the skin is coated with a powdery substance.  After picking all week, my finder tips and nails were blue-black.  I soaked my hands in bleach every weekend to remove the staining.
     I also learned that blueberries contain maggots.  Flies lay eggs in developing berries.  When the eggs hatch, the maggots feed on the berries.  Farmers spray to eliminate flies and maggots, but some still slip through.  Two maggots per 100 berries in an acceptable amount.  http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/text18/food.html  I didn't eat blueberries for about thirty years after working on the farm.  I just couldn't get those maggots out of my head.
     I also learned about Saddleback Caterpillars.  One day we poked our arms into the bushes and pulled them out in a hurry.  Saddlebacks were hiding on the inner branches.  They stung us with the barbs located on either end of their bodies.  I always inspected the bushes after that and often gave them a good shake.

Saddleback Caterpillar

     Picking blueberries was hot, dirty work.  After a rain, we had to slog through mud that was almost knee deep.  There was a bathroom in the packing house, but we used outhouses when we were in the fields.  If we were thirsty, there was a pitcher pump.  The pump had to be primed to get it going, so we pumped the handle while pouring water from a jar into the top of the pump.  Once we filled our jugs, we had to fill the primer jar and leave it sitting by the pump for the next person.
     We were dirty and sunburned, but we managed to enjoy the work.  We had contests to see who could pick the fastest.  One of the boss's children played the guitar and sang.  She serenaded us in the field.  As I said, I learned a lot during my summers working on the farm.  The most important thing I learned was that I should study hard in school and go to college because I didn't want to pick blueberries for the rest of my life.      

Rag Bag

     I cut up my old clothes and towels for my brother-in-law Chuck.  He needs lots of rags because he works on cars.  At the Memorial Day picnic, Chuck mentioned that he needed a rag bag.  I asked him how big it should be - "about thirty six inches."
     This morning, I decided I felt like making a rag bag.  I called Chuck.  He answered the phone, not with "Hello," but with, "Speak your business woman."
     "What color do you want your rag bag to be?"
     "Any color.  It doesn't matter."
     "What color did you paint the garage?"
     "It's kind of a cream color."
     "Okay."
     "Bye"
     Chuck is a man of few words.
     Alrighty.  It should be about thirty six inches, and it can be any color.  I love carte blanche.   I decided to make a red bag.  Joann Fabrics has a section called bottom weights.  That's a new term for me.  They are kind of like poplin, kind of like duck, kind of like light weight denim.  They're sturdy.
     I washed and dried the fabric.  I cooked up a pattern and cut it out.  Then I took one piece to Al's Custom Interiors and Embroidery on Monmouth Road in Mt. Holly.  I decided Chuck's rag bag should be personalized.  By the way, Al's did a fantastic job.  They are friendly and polite, and I got same day service.
     Here's how it came together:

The front of the bag was done with two pieces, so Chuck can reach inside for a rag, while the bag hangs from it's draw strings.

Here's the back of the bag.

I put the front and back together, overlapping the two front pieces.

I stopped short sewing the side seams.  I turned the top down to make a casing for the draw strings.

Almost done

I used a big safety pin to pull the draw strings through the casing.

Voila!  A rag bag.