Yesterday hubby stopped at a roadside market on the way home from the work site and this morning I have a bag of field peas on the stove simmering for later and making the house smell really good. The second load of laundry is in the dryer and the day progresses.
Two anniversaries yesterday: the 6th anniversary of the bombing of the USS Cole and the 75th anniversary of one of the most famous landmarks in the world, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio. I find it sad that more was not done to express a mention of the USS Cole and the families left behind of those killed. We have a wooden souvenir of the Rio statue among the bookshelves in the great room of our home brought back from one of hubby's trips to Brazil.
Yesterday I participated in a coffee survey online. It was quick and easy and I'll be compensated $5.00 for my time.
I've decorated the kitchen window sill above my sink with son's Halloween Pez dispensers. He has quite a collection of Pez dispensers acquired over the years and I thought it would be fun this year to enjoy some of the seasonal ones as I work in the kitchen. They make me smile.
Last night on the local news I watched my son's AP English teacher from his high school explain the difficulties the Katrina kids, as they are known, are having in school here. My son's school is a public school, a very large urban public school. It is 6 years old now and above capacity for student population after the evacuation from Hurricane Katrina brought 250,000 new residents to our generous city. The magic number for student enrollment was to be 3,000 but exceeds that now. The children from New Orleans are about a grade behind their Houston counterparts. So, Houston Independent School District (HISD) as received a $3 million grant from private and local sources, not the Feds or the State of Texas, and it is to be used to help all the students lagging behind to catch up. Son's teacher was explaining how it will help the students this year. I'll hope for the best.
I saw Salman Rushdie on an interview show late last night as I was thinking of heading to sleepy town and he was quite interesting. I never read his book "Satanic Verses" but maybe I'll get around to reading his new one. He is very persuasive in his arguments about the rise of radical Islam, particularly in Europe, and how it must be dealt with without fear and with firm resolution. He is a brave man to continue to publish his ideas as the fatwa issued on him after the first book is still out there.
"The calling of our nation is whether or not we will help the voices of moderation prevail." - President George W. Bush 10/11/06
I thought the fatwa had been rescinded? Maybe I'm losing my mind. I can tell you you haven't missed anything not reading 'Satanic Verses'. After I did, all those years ago, I remember lamenting all the wasted passionate energies expended on something so unworthy. Then again, my perspective is a decidedly different one than that of the originally offended, I presume.
ReplyDeleteJust the idea of the Halloween Pez dispensers in your kitchen window makes me smile. :-)
Hope your weekend is a fabulous one!