Generalizing

For years at work, I always felt that I was just a generalist. I knew a little about this and a little about that, but I was not an expert at anything.  I never got a degree.  When I graduated from High School, I was shy, and my parents were not wealthy.  Going to college would have been a real stretch for me personally and for them financially.  I had learned general clerk-typist skills in High School so that was good enough.  I went to work right out of High School.

As the years went on, I worked at a bank, a computer services company, an advertising agency, two law firms and a start-up biotechnology company.  All the jobs I held were for the most part general secretarial positions.  There was nothing special or specialized about what I did.  Anyone could have done those jobs, and I was able to move from company to company and do what I did and do it well without a huge learning curve.

I felt frustration at the biotech company in particular.  We were all stretched to our limits there especially after they ran out of funding and began to lay people off.  We were all asked to do more than we knew how to do.  We had to do other jobs besides our own.  I never felt my lack of knowledge and generalist background more keenly than I did there. I never felt quite up to the task and felt like I was pretending I knew what I was doing half the time.  When I was asked to go outside my comfort zone, I felt like I was faking it.

The only place I ever specialized at work was in the Intellectual Property or Patents area.  Working in IP is a different skill set.  While at my last law firm, working in the Human Resources department, I got burned out.  We performed the same processes and cycles over and over again.  It was so bad I could have told you what I’d be doing 20 years from any particular date.  While I enjoyed my co-workers and loved my boss, I couldn’t do it any longer.  As it turned out, there was an opening for a Patent Paralegal and the Paralegal Services Manager (also part of HR) suggested I apply for the position. 

I knew nothing about Patents, but I was told it didn’t matter and they could teach me.  I remember thinking I’d never figure it out – it all seemed so strange, different and complicated.  I stayed in that first Paralegal position for 4 years, and it turned out to be a great fit for my skill set and personality.  The attention to detail that is required in the position is so much a part of who I am personally (over-organized) that it was work I actually enjoyed doing.  I only left that position because I needed more time at home and couldn’t commit to the extra hours and flexibility that the job required.

When the job at the biotech company ran its course (after 9 years), I was in a different place with my family (my boys were older).  I looked again for something that was more specialized, and I went back to Patents.  This time it was with a different law firm, and the attorneys in the IP group handled Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights.  I added more skills to my "resume".  The position that I am in now is so specialized that the law firm does not train back-up support for what we do.  Other administrative positions throughout the firm have floater support available to them.  When administrative people are out sick or on vacation, a floater fills their position.  IP work is too complicated, and the floaters don’t often stay floaters long-term. We don’t have floater support available to us.  We back each other up in my department.

So this generalist has once again become a specialist, and I feel like I am back where I belong.  The work is difficult at times, and there is always plenty of it to do, but the days seem to fly by.  I enjoy coming to work, and I feel like what I do matters. 

SOURCES:  http://www.computerhistory.org/collections/accession/102649689
http://bioinformatics123.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/biotechnology/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent

Ancestry

Somehow, I managed to avoid the genealogy "bug" when it originally went through our family a few years back.  My Aunt spent a great deal of time researching my Mother's side of the family (the Places and the Martins).  She documented all the relations and put together reams of information.  My brother-in-law spent a lot of time researching and documenting my husband's side of the family (the Floracks and the Witters).  He also put together massive amounts of information. In the back of my mind, I always wondered about my Dad's family (the Fords and the Furness's), but I never wanted to take the time to wade through all the information to try to figure it all out. I never had the bug, but recently I felt the need to start looking around.

I was always told my Grandmother (my Dad's Mom, Gertrude Furness) and her family came from the Black Forest in Germany.  I always wondered what city in Germany they came from.  No one seemed to know. My Dad has been dead 25 years this year.  I wish I had asked more questions about his family and relations while he was still alive. I knew his parents were older when he was born, and he was an only child.  I vaguely remember my Mom telling me  there was another son, but he didn't live.  He was named Charles.  My grandparents then had my Dad and named him Charles, too.  I guess they were determined to use the name Charles. 

Charles \ch(ar)-les\ as a boy's name is pronounced charlz. It is of Old German origin, and the meaning of Charles is "free man".

My Dad was named Charles (Charles Ford, Jr.).  His deceased brother had been Charles.  My Dad's Father was Charles (Charles Ford, Jr.).  [My Dad should have been Charles Ford III (or IV)].  My Dad's Grandfather was the original Charles Ford.   I also discovered that my Grandmother's Father was also Charles (Charles Furness).  I am seeing reference online to Charles Furness and Charles Furness, Jr. – I am not sure if they are the same person or not.  My son is Matthew Charles.  I told him to wear the name proudly.  It's been in the family a great many years.  [On a similar note, I discovered there was also a Mathias Florack (born in Germany) on my husband's side of the family.  He "Americanized" his name to Mathew when he emigrated.  Therefore, my son is not the first Matthew/Mathew Florack].

Castle in the Black Forest in Germany

My Dad's father died when I was only 8 days old.  I was told that my Grandmother was making his lunch (as she did every day), and when she went in to take it to him, he had had a heart attack and passed away in his chair.  I was a newborn baby so my Mother could not go to my Grandmother's aid.  My Aunt went instead. 

My Dad's mother died when I was 2 or 3.  I have no memories of her at all.  My cousin Carole (who is a year older than me) remembers her. I really wish I did. I do remember that my Dad had an Aunt Carrie and an Aunt Minnie.  Aunt Minnie was my Grandmother's older sister.  Aunt Carrie was a boarder (according to the census reports) who lived with the family at one point.  My Grandmother's oldest brother (Leo) married a lady named Carrie.  I suspect it is the same lady.  I met one of my father's aunts (I can’t remember if it was Carrie or Minnie).  I don't remember how old I was, but I do remember going to this lady's house, and she had canaries that she raised. I would guess I was older than 3 but probably younger than 7.

I was able to discover that my Grandmother was born around 1888 in this country.  She had a sister (Minnie) and 2 brothers (Leo and John).  The oldest brother (Leo) was the only sibling actually born in Germany.  The family emigrated when he was 2.  Every census report that I have found that mentions my Great Grandfather (Charles Furness) lists him as "widowed".  I recently found some old Rochester city directories that list a Charles Furness who was married to a Fanny Mundell.  I do not know if Fanny was Gertrude’s Mother, stepmother or some other relation.  I also have not been able to discover where in Germany the family came from so my original question (and reason for searching) is still unanswered.

Genealogy is interesting; it can also be a lot of useless information.  It is nice to know where people are from, but without photos or without personal knowledge of these relations, it can get a little confusing.  There are many names that are similar, and there are several people with the same name but with different birth places.  There are also occasions where you know you have the right person, but the dates listed are different from one census to another.  There's no one to ask if you have the right ancestor so it can get a little discouraging, too.  Also, having access to U.S. information only takes you so far.  To dig further and find out where in Germany my family is from I will have to pay additional to access the International records.  I have not yet decided whether it's worth it or not just to have a city name.

During my searching, I did find my sister.  On the Monroe County website where they have the Mt. Hope and Riverside Cemetery records, I found the records listing her gravesite.  She is listed on December 29, 1949 as Infant Daughter of Charles Ford.  Her age is listed as -1.  Cause of Death is Prematurity.  She was born at St. Mary's Hospital (same place my brother and I were born).  I now have a location, and I will try to find her grave.  I don't believe she had a headstone. I had not originally gone looking for her, but I found her anyway.  Funny how that worked out.

I know this is of little interest to anyone other than me.  I understand now why people spend so much time on  researching their ancestry.  It takes a great deal of time to sift through and make sure you have it right.  I have figured out some bits and pieces that I did not know, but I have a long way to go before I get it right.

SOURCES:  http://webs.rps205.com/curriculum/ssandvoc/Genealogy.html

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Charles

http://www.cuckooforclocksonline.com/

http://www.emleyshow.com/classes/caged-birds-show/

http://www.cityofrochester.gov/app.aspx?id=8589936475

Finis

As we ramp up for the beginning of another school year, I am reminded that this is the last one.  There are no more. My youngest son is a senior this year.  Back when it all began, 2013 sounded so strange.  It seemed like one of those distant points in the future where we’d all be driving spaceships instead of cars. 

This has been a long road and a long time coming.  Since Alex is Autistic, the early intervention program in our school district had him starting school at age 3.  He started a district-run preschool program in 1998.  Like most kids today, he attended three types of schools – an elementary school, a middle school and a high school.  In reality, he’s attended far more – there were two different preschools, two different high schools and a training school where he learned auto mechanics. I think there have been (at least) seven different buildings.

When I put him on that first bus at age 3, his communication skills were lagging behind.  It was very hard to explain to a crying 3-year old why I was handing him over to strangers in a strange van. I took the obligatory “Alex goes to school” photo, but it still bothers me to look at it.  Of all the photos I took of Matt and Alex on their first day of school throughout the years, that one is my least favorite.

Alex has done well, and he’s come a long way since 1998. He completed a summer program recently where he held his first job.  He will also spend half a day every day his senior year in a work-study program.  Similar to the co-op job I had during my senior year of school, Alex will go to work each afternoon and get paid for it.

Autism is defined by Autismspeaks.org:

“Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors.”

Autism is also classed as a spectrum disorder.  It was described to me years ago as a broad scale with a wide range of disorders.  No two people with Autism are the same.  All have varying degrees of disability with the disorder.  We have been very fortunate over the years to have had some excellent teachers, specialists, doctors, therapists and administrators working with us.  We have also been extremely fortunate to have a milder case of Autism than some. It could have been far worse.

There are a lot of good websites out there. Here is one that one of Alex’s doctors recommended - http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/.  It’s not just geared towards Tourette syndrome.  It covers other disorders from ADHD to Autism to Executive Dysfunction to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder to Tourette syndrome. 

There have been difficult times over the years when it felt like we’d never reach this point.  Now that it’s here it feels like it’s gone by very quickly indeed.

SOURCES:  http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism

http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/

http://www.thepuzzleplace.com/sponsors.html

Monarch Sunday

From  http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/

Today seemed to be Monarch Sunday. My butterfly bushes were both alive with monarch butterflies today. On average there were six of them on the bushes at a time. At one point, I counted ten of them, busily eating and flying around. According to Wikipedia, “The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies”.

The butterflies that I see in my garden today will only live 2 to 6 weeks. Their purpose is to eat, mate and lay eggs. The generation of butterflies that will be born in September-October are the lucky ones. They are the ones who migrate to either California or Mexico and they live 6 to 8 months. They start the life cycle over again next year. For a better explanation of the life cycle of a monarch butterfly, see – http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/.

According to monarch-butterfly.com, “Monarch butterflies are the only insect to migrate up to 2,500 miles to get out of the cold weather and hibernate. But not all monarch butterflies migrate; only the fourth generation of monarchs can migrate each year because the first three generations die after about six weeks from escaping their cocoons”.

SOURCES:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_butterfly

http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/

http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/monarch-butterflies-facts.html

More Family-isms

To continue the last post about strange things my family said, my Grandfather used to say “by-and-by” all the time.  He usually said this in response to us kids asking, “Grandpa, when are we going out in the boat?”  He’d say “by-and-by”.  By-and-by means “a future time or occasion”.

My Father used to call an umbrella a “bumbershoot”.  Don’t forget your bumbershoot.  According to Merriam-Webster, the origin of bumbershoot is "bumber- (alteration of umbr- in umbrella) + -shoot(alteration of -chute in parachute)". The first known use is circa 1896. Who knew? I thought it was just a weird word he made up. 

It’s interesting that my Mom (and I believe I heard my Grandmother use this word, too) would say, “Answer the telefunken”. They meant telephone. Telefunken was a German radio and television apparatus company, according to Wikipedia. One of the products they made was telephones. 

If you were being teased by other kids, my Mother would always say, “consider the source”. To a child, that meant nothing. I had hoped for some words of wisdom or something I could use as a come-back not “another way of saying that any information received from a certain source can't be taken seriously because that source has been wrong before, or lacks credibility”. Eric tells me in similar circumstances, his Mother would say, “they’re just jealous”. That also is not particularly helpful to a child when they are being bullied!

SOURCES:  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/by-and-by

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bumbershoot

http://kyweathercenter.com/?p=3304

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

http://www.howstuffworks.com/telephone.htm

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=consider%20the%20source

Things My Family Said

It’s amusing that the older we get, the more we start to sound like our parents.  Expressions they used when we were little would make us cringe at the time.  As we get older, we find ourselves using a lot of those expressions.

When my Mom was cleaning the house, she’d say she gave it “a lick and a promise”.  “A lick and a promise” means, as the American Heritage Dictionary puts it, “a superficial effort made without care or enthusiasm.” 

My Mom always called her purse “a pocketbook”.  I always thought that sounded like a paperback novel.  Now it could also mean an electronic reader.

My Dad used to call pimples “hickies”.  He’d say, “What have you got there - a hickey?”  Huh?  Not likely, Dad.

It was either my Dad or my Grandfather who used to say, “straighten up and fly right”.  It means “to improve one's behavior or attitude and perform better”.

My Dad used to say, “gosh all fish hooks”, too.  Apparently that means, “Gosh all mighty” or “God almighty”.  I did see reference to a 1938 Cream of Wheat ad that used that expression as a header – http://www.rubylane.com/item/162799-ax201961/Magazine-Ad-Cream-Wheat-Gosh

I often heard them say he/she “is as funny as a crutch” when they were talking about someone who wasn’t being very funny. 

I often heard my Mom say “butter wouldn’t melt in his/her mouth”.  It means “prim and proper, with a cool demeanor”.

If you wanted to do something a friend was doing, my Mom would say, “I suppose if [insert friend’s name here] walked down the street naked, you’d want to, too”.  I remember thinking, “why would I want to do that?”

If my parents got mad at each other, the worse thing they’d say would be, “oh, go soak your head!”  That expression is "old slang used to tell somebody they have no idea what they are talking about".

I also heard them say, "I wouldn't know him from Adam's off ox".  That means "to have not the slightest information about the person indicated".

Leg cramps were always called "charley horses" at my house.  This is a common name for a muscle spasm.

They also said, "my eyes feel like two burnt holes in a sheet" which meant your eyes were tired, sore and felt like they were burning.

My Dad used to say, "do you think the rain will hurt the rhubarb?" and also, "it's cold enough to freeze the hair off a brass monkey".  The first one doesn't really mean anything.  The second expression is self-explanatory.

My Grandmother had her share of expressions as well. Most of them cannot be repeated here – Gramma was a character.  The expressions were a little racy or vulgar.  She sure was funny, though.  If someone burped, she’d say, “better to bear the shame than the pain” or “better out than in”.  If we wanted things to eat that weren’t necessarily good for us (brown sugar or pie dough scraps when she was baking), she’d say “you’ll get worms”.  I wish I could repeat some of her better ones.

Families sure are funny. 

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.

Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."

- Jane Howard

SOURCES:  http://www.word-detective.com/2009/03/lick-and-a-promise/

http://www.housecleaning.org/page-house-cleaning.html

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/funny+as+a+crutch

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/81900.html

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/straighten+up+and+fly+right

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/environment/article/0,28804,1602354_1603074_1603225,00.html 

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=go%20soak%20your%20head

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/13/messages/1534.html

http://www.wm.edu/offices/residencelife/oncampus/residencehalls/specialinterest/cwhouse/index.php

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

http://thinkexist.com/quotation/call_it_a_clan-call_it_a_network-call_it_a_tribe/323634.html

Anticipation

In the wise words of Tom Petty, "the waiting is the hardest part".  It's the anticipation or that feeling in the air that something is coming or some change is going to happen.  I've had that weird feeling all week long. I have felt a little off-kilter and out of balance.

It could be any number of things.  It could be the end of summer.  It's been a hot year, and I'm anxious for the hot spell to end since I don't care for hot summer weather.  Maybe I have the summer doldrums. 

It could be the pending start of the school year.  My youngest son will be a senior this year.  Yay, class of 2013!  It could be that my own schooling starts up again on September 12th.  I've really enjoyed having this past month "off" and not having to worry about homework.  For some reason, I enjoyed the time off much more this time around.  Maybe I'm just tired of school! 

It could be that Alex, my youngest son comes home either today or tomorrow.  He's been on the road with his Dad this past week, and the house has seemed lonely and quiet.  Last time Alex went on the road, his older brother, Matt, was still taking college classes and was home.  This time, Matt is working.  Matt works longer hours than I do, and I am usually the last one to leave in the morning and the first one home each night. 

Maybe it's the construction at work.  Our department is relocating to a newly renovated space soon.  We will be moving upstairs by six floors in approximately another month. While I am not looking forward to the actual packing and moving, having new space and the fact that we will all be together in one place will be nice. 

Or maybe it's something I haven't even anticipated.  If that's the case, I hope it is a pleasant surprise.

Life needs mystery or else everything else flattens into a routine
so familiar you wonder if you will ever get out of the rut. We need
the sweet pain of anticipation to tell us we are really alive.

Dave Kindred

SOURCES:  http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=4359

http://widescreenwallpapers.org/summer-heat-wallpapers.html

http://www.spiritline.com/catalog.cfm?cat=44388

http://www.securitex.com.sg/Securitex_Office_Security_System_2008.htm

http://www.livinglifefully.com/anticipation.htm

Fellow Man

I had my faith in my fellow man (or shopper!) restored last evening.  I was in Wegmans picking up a few items on my way home.  As I turned to head towards the cereal aisle, some women came hurrying out of that aisle, frantically trying to find a store employee.  They grabbed a kid who was straightening items near the dairy section and told him, “Call 911.  There’s a man on the ground!”

When I looked up the cereal aisle, I saw an older man lying on his back on the floor next to a basket of groceries.  He had 2 or 3 women (other shoppers) with him.  One of the shoppers had her cell phone out and was busy dialing 911.  The store employee had run off somewhere to try to find help.  As I selected my oatmeal, I heard one of the shoppers asking the man if he could speak.  I could see his lips moving, but I could not hear what he was saying.  I figured I would only be in the way and they didn’t need me gawking so I finished my shopping.

After I checked out, I looked up the cereal aisle again.  By this time, I saw that the man was sitting up and talking, and he was surrounded by EMT’s.  When I got outside, there was a fire truck and ambulance at the curb and more EMT’s were bringing in a stretcher.

What I found curious about the whole issue was the lack of involvement of any Wegmans employees.  After the first kid ran off for help, I did not see any store employees anywhere near the man.  I thought for sure I’d see the front end manager or someone “official” trying to offer assistance or call for help. If that man’s fellow shoppers had not gotten involved, he might still be lying there. One of my first thoughts was it’s possible that store employees don’t get involved for fear of getting sued if something bad happened.  That seems wrong to me.

God bless those women who stopped to help someone in need.  I know that man probably appreciated their care and concern. 

SOURCE:  http://www.stcc.edu/wd/descriptions/zemt-716.asp

Seraphina waiting

Here she is again, looking in the door, waiting for dinner. So cute.

Someone Waits for Me

I pulled into the driveway this evening, and there he was – Chase, peeking out the window between the drapes.  As soon as I shut the car off, he disappeared and ran for the front door.  I know it’s not my personality he’s interested in.  He likes me for my thumbs and the fact that I can open the canned cat food.  He eats as soon as I get home so my homecoming is always special to him. ANY kind of food is special to him.

Chase standing on his hind legs, begging at the kitchen cabinets

Still when you come home to an empty house (like I did this evening), that extra kitty attention sure is nice.  

Musical Neighbors

And, so it begins again … another moving van backing in.  Since the lady next door went into a nursing home and her daughter was unable to sell the house, we’ve had renters living next door.  The last family seemed “okay” to me.  They were always pleasant, and I never heard a peep out of them.  I think I heard their music playing once.  I gather the lady across the street had issues (and words) with them. They moved out rather suddenly last week.

A new family is moving in tonight.  It’s a fairly small house with a fairly small yard on a fairly small street – nothing special.  I keep hoping someone nice will move in there.  I suppose that’s too much to ask given that it’s not a palace.

If you want to be nosey, you can learn a lot about people by looking at their “stuff” as they unload it. So far I saw a lawn chair, a desk, 2 soccer balls and a football.  Not much to go on, but it looks like they have younger kids. 

I will bet the lady across the street does not like them – I believe that was her complaint with the last family – that the kids were in her yard and in her driveway.  I never witnessed that. 

I try not to fight with the neighbors – you’re kind-of stuck with them.  Ignoring them usually works rather well for me.

“We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next door neighbor.” – Chesterton, Gilbert K.  

SOURCE: http://www.cafepress.com/+baby+yard-signs

http://quotationsbook.com/quote/28114/

Computers and Repairs

Why is it that nothing today is repairable?  Computers seem to be one of the most disposable items out there.  After both my sons’ computers became virused, we were told they were shot (bad mother boards) and they could sell us new computers for $500 (or more).  I had an older computer myself that ran beautifully; the only issue it had was the hard drive was too small and storage was very limited.  I took that to a different repair shop and asked if they could install a bigger hard drive that I had already purchased.  I was also told that computer was no good (it had bad capacitors – he showed them to me, and I’m still not sure he knew what he was talking about).  They could (of course!) sell me something bigger and better, though.  I ended up buying another used computer on my own with a bigger hard drive for much less money.  I will bet that first PC would still be running just fine.  It now occupies a shelf in our basement and sits unused.

A year and a half ago shortly after I started back to school, I bought a brand new netbook so that I would have flexibility in doing my schoolwork.  I could take it with me; I could move from room to room, etc.  The 17-month old netbook recently stopped responding.  Of course, it’s just past warranty.  We ended up doing a disk recovery on it and re-set it to the factory settings.  We then tried to run chkdsk on it and that process found bad clusters which usually means the hard drive is shot.  Now it won’t boot up at all.  The manufacturer’s customer service tells me for $100 plus shipping and plus taxes, they will “look” at it for me.  The netbook was a cheap one and only cost around $300 brand new so that’s not a cost-effective option.  I’m sure they’d be happy to sell me something bigger and better, though.

I am starting to think that I should have studied computer repair instead of web design.  It looks like upselling is a great way to make more money.  Better still I’d be able to keep all the older computers at home in working order. I’d repair ours instead of spending twice as much money on new ones.

SOURCE:  http://tech-aids.com/

Seraphina

Somehow I’ve obtained a pet squirrel.  I thought it was just a fluke the other day, but then I witnessed it again today.  My son, Matthew, saw it, too. 

The other day I opened the front door to leave for work and found a squirrel sitting on the front poor railing, watching the house.  I was so startled, I said, “oh, hello”.  I usually keep leftover birdseed from our finch and lovebird since they never empty their seed cups.  When I have enough, I put it out for the wild birds.  They are not as fussy as the house birds are.  I went back inside to get the leftover seed for Mrs. Squirrel (I call her Seraphina), and when I left for work, she was happily eating the sunflower seeds.

Today I was looking out the front door, and I watched her casually stroll up our front lawn.  She walked up the walk, climbed the steps and sat, looking up at the house.  I asked her (through the window) if she wanted something.  I went to get the leftover seed.  When I came back, she was on the railing, waiting.  I went outside and she got down waiting patiently in the garden, cautiously watching me. I threw the seed over the grass, and she came closer, perching in the tree out front to watch me.  I then came back inside, and she’s out there now under the tree, eating her dinner.

It brings to mind the squirrel that used to live near my Grandmother’s house.  My cousin, Charlotte, and I would sit outside, talking, and the squirrel would come to get peanuts.  We could hand them to him, and he’d sit near us, eating them.  When he was full, he’d lay down on his tummy near us in the driveway. Charlotte also had a tame squirrel in Michigan a few summers back.  She fed that one Nilla wafers.  She’d call, “cookie, cookie, cookie!” and the squirrel would come and take them out of her hand.

They are cute little critters.

Another Parting

Eric heads out again today.  This week it’s not just him I say “see you Saturday” to.  Alex is going along for the week.  They head out this afternoon for Canandaigua, then on to Connecticut and Pennsylvania.  And, that’s all before Monday morning. 

Alex in the first truck

Alex likes to go along with his Dad.  He’s a good traveler, and he’s also the only one who still has time off in the summer.  Matt works now, and he also has the celiac dietary concerns.  Traveling and eating on the road is a little harder when you have to be gluten free.  Living out of a truck is a little too much “roughing it” for me.  There is a microwave and small fridge on board, but there’s no potty or shower.  There’s also the idea that you have to climb up and down a mini ladder each time you get in and out of the truck.  My back and arthritic knee would be giving me fits. I went along on a day’s outing in the very first truck Eric had, and the ride was so rough in that truck that I was exhausted when we got home! I felt beat up from head to toe.

Alex in the second truck

Hopefully Alex will get to see some of the sights (New York City?) and maybe a few trains along the way.  He always takes lots of great pictures. The new truck will be more comfortable for him as there’s a bunk bed in the back (no more sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor).  There’s also air conditioning so it won’t be so warm at night. This new truck is a Cadillac compared to the first truck, and it’s a step up in comfort from the second truck. 

Eric with first truck

Second truck

Eric with third (new) truck

So have a good week, guys.  Stay safe and have fun.

Northgate Plaza

We drove down to the old Northgate Plaza in Greece this evening.  Wow, what a difference.  The place has come alive again.  It’s not the old U-shaped plaza anymore.  Wal-Mart has been constructed at the rear of the plaza in the old back parking lot. The arms of the U-shaped plaza have been opened up, and the other stores sit on pad sites flanking Wal-Mart. 

Eric and I both grew up in Greece and spent a lot of time in the old Northgate Plaza as we were growing up.  We haven’t been over that way in quite some time.  We’ve lived in Gates for almost 20 years, and Eric’s Mom moved out of the area when she went into assisted living in 2010.  We really have no reason to go over that way anymore.  We knew in recent years Northgate had gone downhill a lot.  We also knew they were planning a Wal-Mart Supercenter and there was controversy over the construction.  Here is a photo of the old plaza when Big Lots sat at the back. Oddly, I have been unable to locate any pictures from the 60's, 70's and 80's when Northgate was doing well.

It was a pleasant surprise to hear this week that the new store had opened. Here is a link to the Democrat & Chronicle article about the opening of the store - http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20120814/NEWS01/308100065/Walmart-Northgate-Greece-Dewey

We did not go inside, but we sat in the parking lot and studied the stores and the activity.  It was almost 9:00 p.m. on a Saturday evening, and the store was bustling with lots of cars in the parking lot and more coming and going all the time. Here is a picture before Wal-Mart opened.

We liked that there is a historic marker placed out front along Dewey Avenue that honors the old plaza.  I wish that they had incorporated the old “Northgate” name into the plaza’s signage somehow.  Here are a couple of links about the historic marker - http://www.greecepost.com/latestnews/x1489224993/Historic-Northgate-Plaza-marker-to-be-unveiled and http://greeceny.gov/files/Northgate%20Historical%20Marker(1).pdf

We also noticed that the old Wegmans Britton Road site to the South of Wal-Mart is being put to use again.  The Big Lots that was the main tenant in Northgate the past several years has moved into that plaza.  Hopefully there will soon be other tenants, too.  To the North of Wal-Mart where we used to go to the Dentist on the corner of Dobson Road, they are building a Taco Bell.  The old buildings have been demolished.  If you go to Google Maps and look up 3900 Dewey Avenue, and go to street view and scroll around, you can still see images of the old buildings and the old Northgate plaza.  Things have really changed.  We hope it’s for the better.

SOURCE: http://www.mpnnow.com/greece/x985680202/Where-it-stands-Northgate-Plaza-in-Greece

Clocks

According to Wikipedia, “A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately (via Dutch, Northern French, and Medieval Latin) from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell"”. 

Clocks are mainly used to keep time.  I grew up in a household full of clocks. My Mother used to collect them – especially mantle clocks.  She had a lot of antique clocks.  She would buy them, clean them up and get them working.  I remember lying on the living room couch, listening to them all tick-tock and chime the hour.  When I was sick and decided to sleep on the couch, those clocks tick-tocked me to sleep.  It was a very comforting sound. 

Perhaps my love of clocks is in my blood. My Father’s Mother was from Germany (I would love to research the genealogy).  I have been told her family was from the Black Forest in Germany.  “Black Forest clockmakers are renowned for their precision clocks. Most of the mechanical clocks are now sold as antiquities as many factories were shut down after First World War and after Second World War. Some few factories survived the structural change”. For a link that shows some beautiful Black Forest clocks and their intricate carvings, see blackforestclocks.org.

They often say put a ticking clock in with a new puppy as it will soothe the puppy (it sounds like their mother’s heartbeat).  I found when I first began sleeping alone (when Eric went on the road full-time) that a ticking clock in the bedroom was very soothing and helped me drift off to sleep more easily.  After 21 years, I was so used to hearing another person breathing (and snoring) beside me.  The room seemed so quiet without him there. The clocks I added helped me through some lonely spots.

I have three ticking clocks in the bedroom now.  The taller one on my dresser is one of my Mom’s. She ordered it from some catalog in her later years.  The small clock in the headboard is another one she had and kept beside her chair - I often saw her pick it up to check the time.  It ticks slowly and steadily, a very low-toned, unobtrusive tick.  It is steady, quiet and always there (kind-of like she was). 

On my bookshelf in the bedroom I have a smaller wind-up travel alarm clock that Eric’s Mom used to own.  That ticks faster, and it’s more attention-grabbing.  Strangely, that one reminds me of my mother-in-law – more outgoing, more “talkative”.  I am glad I have clocks that remind me of both of them to help lull me to sleep.

SOURCES:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clock

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

http://clockinfo.com/posts/161

http://www.alarmclocksonline.com/AllWindups.htm

Nut Magnet

I am a nut magnet.  They always seem to find me.  It must be because I look wealthy or generous.  I am not, have never been and never will be wealthy so I guess that leaves generous.  I must have a kindly face.  They stop me wherever I go.  They usually ask me for money although a woman a few weeks ago rambled on so (talking about her kids and the Police and all other kinds of stuff that didn't make much sense) that I had no idea what she was really asking me.  When she finally came up for air mid-ramble, all I could think was, "what?!"  Then there was the drunken guy who kept asking me if he could ask a question.  I told him I was late and had to go.  Last night at the gas station, as I finished pumping gas, I heard, “Ma’am?  Ma’am?”  I stopped as I was climbing into the car to see what he wanted.  He told me he'd left his wallet in Leroy, NY, and he'd only managed to scrape up $1.25.  He then asked me if I knew where Attica State Prison was and said he was on his way south of there.  Why he chose that as a reference point, I have no idea.  It didn’t endear him to me at all.  He wanted to know if I could give him at least $3.00.  I told him I didn't carry cash (I don't) and shut the car door.  My favorite was the guy who reversed direction three times to follow me as I was walking to my car after work.  I caught him galloping along like he was riding a horse to catch up with me.  I ended up pushing the 'close door' button in the elevator in the ramp garage to keep him out.  See?  I am a nut magnet.  You'd think I was a squirrel or something with all the nuts I keep collecting!

SOURCE:  http://anwo.com/store/squirrel_toy.htm

Returning to School

Two years ago at age 51 (yikes!), I decided it was time to get my degree.  I went to work right out of High School for various reasons.  I was so shy it was hard to put myself out there.  I hadn’t liked some of the kids in my graduating class and couldn’t imagine spending another 2 (or more) years in their company at a local community college.  In other words, I let the bullies keep me from getting an education beyond High School.  Finances also played a part in my decision.

I worked steadily for 33 years, advancing along through the secretarial ranks.  I did run into a few places (Kodak) that wouldn’t even let me apply because I did not have a degree.  [In hindsight, given what’s happened to Kodak, it’s just as well I didn’t get in there!] In the summer of 2010, while I was working for a small start-up company, I realized I would soon be out of a job (they were out of money).  I began to scramble for other options.  I decided as long as I was on unemployment, I would enroll at Bryant and Stratton College in one of their online degree programs.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, “the percentage increase in the number of students age 25 and over has been larger than the percentage increase in the number of younger students, and this pattern is expected to continue. Between 2000 and 2009, the enrollment of students under age 25 increased by 27 percent. Enrollment of students 25 and over rose 43 percent during the same period” (nces.ed.gov).

Today, I attend school part-time and work full-time.  It will take longer to get my degree at this pace, but that’s okay.  I have a 4.0 GPA and will graduate by December, 2013. I am pursuing a degree in Interactive Media Design (web design). It’s a difficult program, but it’s also very interesting and challenging.

I often get the impression that my (much) younger classmates (and sometimes the teachers, too!) think I’m crazy, but this is something that I am doing just for me, and I love it.

SOURCES: http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=98

http://www.safenetwork.org/Bully_Prevention_In_Schools.htm

http://usatodayeducate.com/wordpress/index.php/bryant-and-stratton/

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/clip/student1.html