Five Things On a Friday

So, here it is, Halloween and I have just a few random things to share.

1. I am so tired of needles. I was recently diagnosed with diabetes. We're not sure what kind yet (more blood work is needed) but it is genetic. I am not overweight, I exercise, watch what I eat so how did I get this? Genetic predisposition, says my endocrinologist. My father had type 1 diabetes for over 40 years. But, as my doctor reminded me, this is not my father's diabetes and he thinks a cure is on the horizon. Once we get the Bush administration out of office, perhaps we can once again hope that stem cell research will receive funding.

2. Scientifically, the Bush administration has set this country back to the Dark Ages. Take The Creation Museum in Cincinatti or George Bush's disclaimer that global warming is all nonsense. I'm sure we must be the laughing stock of the civilized world when it comes to science.

3. My husband made gravestones out of leftover wood and set them up on our lawn. I don't like them, especially after my diabetes diagnosis. But hey, it's Halloween. Lighten up, Stella.

4. When you have diabetes, you feel guilty passing out candy to little kids.

5. I wish I could do NaNoWriMo but when you work 5 days a week, you don't have time. Anybody participating in this? I really wish I could. it would be a great way for me to force myself through to the end of my novel.

Have a good weekend everybody.

Books Clubs and Reading Quotes

I'm starting something new this year -- book clubs for my fourth, fifth and sixth graders. I've never had time in my schedule until recently. I didn't expect many students to show much interest in a recess reading club but, with the encouragement of the teachers, the kids have been signing up. So, I am excited at the prospect of introducing them to some really cool books.

Here are a few of the titles I'm considering.

The Magic Thief, by Sarah Prineas
Rules, by Cynthia Lord
No Talking, by Andrew Clements
The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall
Replay, by Sharon Creech
The Underneath, by Kathi Appelt
The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan
Hugging the Rock, by Susan Taylor Brown
Holes, by Louis Sachar
Crash, by Jerry Spinelli
Autumn Street, by Lois Lowry

I know I need to find more titles for my fourth graders. Maybe Frindle, by Andrew Clements or Fourth Grade Rats, by Jerry Spinelli.

I recently found a good source of decent quotes about reading. I hope to introduce the kids to a new quote each time we meet. Maybe the students can even take turns reading them on the morning announcements. Brainwashing at its best! Here are a few of the quotes I like.

Books....are like lobster shells, we surround ourselves with 'em,
then we grow out of 'em and leave 'em behind,
as evidence of our earlier stages of development. (1928)
~ Dorothy Sayers ~

Read the best books first,
or you may not have a chance to read them at all.
~ Henry David Thoreau ~

Books--the children of the brain.
~ Jonathan Swift ~

A great book should leave you with many
experiences and slightly exhausted at the end.
You should live several lives while reading it.
~ William Styron ~

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
~ Richard Steele ~

The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you'll go.
~ Dr. Seuss ~

Reading makes immigrants of us all.
It takes us away from home, but more important,
it finds homes for us everywhere.
~ Hazel Rochman ~

It is not enough to simply teach children to read;
we have to give them something worth reading.
Something that will stretch their imaginations-
something that will help them make sense of their own lives
and encourage them to reach out toward people
whose lives are quite different from their own.
~ Katherine Paterson ~

Outside a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside a dog, it's too dark to read.
Groucho Marx

Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.
Arnold Lobel

Do you have a favorite quote about books or reading? If so, please share it!

Soggy Saturday

My husband ran the Hamptons Marathon the Saturday before last and I wish I had a picture but I don't. He finished in under 4 hours, qualifying for Boston. Yay! It was tough day for him. For one, I couldn't go with him because I was home sick with bronchitis so thankfully my son, Derek, accompanied him. Then, not only was the course grueling, but it rained torrents all morning. Dennis found himself sloshing through puddles, mud, fog and uphill and downhill and into the wind in every direction. Although the conditions weren't pleasant, they certainly made the race a memorable one. Of course, moments after crossing the finish line, the storm blew out over the Atlantic, the sky cleared and the sun came out.

Back home, we had high tides that crept over the bulkheading into our backyard. That's nothing new around here. Above is a picture of a particularly high tide taken after a nor'easter last year. See the mallards swimming in our backyard? Fortunately, the water has never come into our house - just the crawl space (where we have a pump installed).

Over the course of the fall and winter, I expect we'll get hit with a couple more high tides which is why we always keep a pair of waders handy in the front room closet. Living near the water has its down side.