Monday, October 4, 2010 8:19 PM, EDT

Today went very well. In reference to how last round went (in April) today was pretty mild (and of course the doctors had a reason for that). She had pain for about 30 minutes. She slept for several hours. We were allowed to leave the hospital around 3:30. When we got back to the Ronald Ally slept some more. At 7:00 tonight we got to go to "Wacky Hat Night". Ally was still feeling the effects of all the narcotics from the treatment, so she did not want to participate, but it was still a tasty dinner and Ally enjoyed watching all the people. When we got back up to the room we talked with Daddy on the computer, and just as we hung up Ally snapped out of it....so we called Daddy back and talked again. Ally is now resting comfortably. Hopefully she will sleep through the night.

Ally made some comments today (before treatment began) that broke my heart. She kept saying she didn't want to do the part with the ice packs. The part with the ice packs is the part with the intense pain. We put ice packs where it hurts, and they make it feel 0.3% better. She is so aware of everything, and even though she said she didn't want to do it, she knew she had to and just endured.

We ask too much of her, and she always delivers.

I am so proud of her, and she is so much braver than I will ever be.

Please pray tomorrow and the rest of the week will run as smoothly as today, and that this treatment will work and keep her in remission forever!

Monday, October 4, 2010 9:31 AM, EDT

We are here in NYC. The train ride went well and a friend of Auntie Kelly was super nice to pick us up at Penn Station and give us a ride to the Ronald [McDonald House]. He also bought us a tasty treat!!!

Last night we settled in, played in the playroom and had some pasta for dinner. There was also a decorate your own cupcake event last night.

Ally is a little nervous about this week, and ended up needing me to snuggle with her last night, from about 1:45 to 4:00AM, when she decided it was time to get up for the day....yippie! (We are all a little tired this morning.)

Nothing has started yet, I will try to update later if we get the internet for the Ronald.

River. . . .

The river made it over the bridge, and then back down rapidly. With the help of company and a neighbor, the culverts are cleared. Going to need a bigger flood than this one to test the staying capacity of the repair, lol! Life is good.

Masked Man in the Moon ~~ Vic1971

Moon rise tonight

shadow of the night

man in the moon ski masked, clouds

north wind, stole summer

By Phil Specht on September 25, 2010

Spent about an hour today watering the new grass. Planted two weeks ago, and 15 minutes of rain since. My spring is dry, so watering the grass consists of throwing a bucket in the river (which is still high enough that one of the five culverts is working), pulling it up, carrying the bucket 25' pouring it into a watering can, and. . . . The grass, with this care every other day is doing just fine. About 15 gallons, one bucket at a time.

Also spent some time harvesting rocks. Anything big enough to help rim the new bed. And one I've been able to loosen, but not yet roll up the incline it's on. It's huge, and will make a fine cornerstone. I *like* rock work. Musta been a stone mason in another life.

This story comes to mind:

When St. Paul's Cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, was being built, a visitor was shown around. He saw a carpenter at work and asked what he was doing. "Cutting wood," was the reply. Next came a brick layer. "Laying brick." Finally, a stone mason. "Helping Christopher Wren build his cathedral." Something about stone.

And a garden is? A cathedral of flowers.

Friday, September 24, 2010 4:29 PM, EDT

CLEAR SCANS!!!!!!
Ally's oncologist was able to see the scans (right after the test was completed)
and called Daddy before they even left the hospital!

Oh Happy Day!!!!!!!

Thursday, September 23, 2010 5:17 PM, EDT

New York actually called me back!

It turns out we will have to stay into the next week. They are going to schedule a quad bone marrow and a 4 hour urine test on Columbus Day. Every time we have just one (or two) things like this we try to leave in the afternoon. EVERY time it stresses us out....so we are just going to wait to book a train home for Tuesday, October 12. We are going to think of it as a mini vacation. Auntie Lynn (the special guest) and I are going to bring Ally out to see some of the City over the weekend and we will enjoy not being rushed at the end of our journey.

Please pray for tomorrow.
Ally doesn't have her scans until 2:45, which means no eating after 8:00 in the morning. Pray that her tummy doesn't hurt too much, that Daddy will be able to keep her calm, and that the scans are clear!

PS Grammy and Grampa said Ally did a great job at the hospital today.

Thursday, September 23, 2010 9:53 AM, EDT

Surprise, surprise, the NYC office never called me back. So, I called them.

It looks like we are on for 3f8 treatment the week of October 4th. Mommy will be going with Ally, and possibly a special guest will be going with us.

There are about 4 million little details to go along with going to NYC. The biggest of which is scans. Ally gets scans about every 3 months. These include: MIBG, CT, Quad Bone Marrows, and a 4 hour urine. Ally's home oncologists are away at a conference this week, so she is only getting the MIBG and CT. The folks down in NYC are particular about having ALL the scans completed. So, I am now waiting for another call back about those. The urine shouldn't be a problem. I am hoping we can just do that one of the 3f8 days (since we are there for over 4 hours anyway). The Bone Marrow is going to be the tricky one. Even if we went down the Friday before they would not have results for the following week. So, we are hoping that as long as her scans are clear on Friday, they will be able to hold the bone marrow until Columbus Day (and hopefully that is a working holiday). There are about 3,999,999 other little things we have to do, but the urine and bone marrow may mess things up. Please pray that the NYC team will be flexible and empathetic, and that things will work out well. Also we need big prayers for clear scans, the 3f8 treatment means nothing if those scans are not clear!!!

I will be sure to update again when we hear scan results (which may not be until next Monday).

Autumn Equinox ~~ September 22, 2010 at 11:09 pm EDT

alfredogarciajr

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 9:32 AM, EDT

HAMA NEGATIVE!!!!! (That is good news!)

More details later.

HAPPY AUTUMN! :-D

Autumn arrives, officially, tomorrow. So much for "official". . . .

And there's more where these came from. . . .

LOL! This is Ally sometime last week “taking care of the squirrel situation.” :-D

Sunday, September 19, 2010 11:18 AM, EDT

Today is Ally's last day of the medication that makes Ally moody!!! (Hopefully forever!) This last round has not been too bad. She has been a little moody, but nothing that is not solved with a little hug and cuddle time.

Our Make-A-Wish event at TGIFridays was super fun. Ally got some special gifts and even got to check out a limo (see photo!).

This week we find out HAMA results on Wednesday. On Thursday Ally gets her MIBG injection. On Friday she has her MIBG scan and CT scan. Please pray she remains NED (No Evidence of Disease). Scan time is always a stressful time for us.

PS: Preschool is going GREAT!!!

Hi Everyone,

Pepsi Cola is running a campaign called 'Refresh Everything'. Basically what they do is allow different organizations to suggest ideas that need funding. The top two vote getters receive $250,000.00!!! One of the ideas is to find less painful treatments for Neuroblastoma patients. This research would be done at Memorial Sloan Kettering (where Ally is being treated) in New York City.

The link below will bring you to the site where you can sign up and then vote. You can vote twice a day until the end of September. The 'vote' button is in the upper right hand corner. This $$ would go a LONG ways toward helping the cause. Feel free to share this link with anyone you think would like to know about it and participate. Thank you so much for your help and continued prayers for Ally!

Blessings,
Ally’s Grammie & Grampa


http://www.refresheverything.com/armswideopenchildhoodcancerfoundation

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 4:46 PM, EDT

Our weekend was great! On Saturday we went apple picking and stopped by Ally's school to check out the playground. She loves the sand box there, and it is the size of our backyard! We also visited parks and restaurants. Sunday was a nice relaxing day with nothing to do!

Yesterday Ally spent the day at Grammy and Grampa's house. She had a blast, of course. Today she got to go back to school! She was very excited when she woke up this morning. Of course she already has the sniffles, but hopefully it will not turn into a fever and just stay a runny nose. I actually had a workshop, just up the road from Ally's school, and it let out just in time for me to meet Ally at school! She was surprised!

Ally is currently in her 2nd week of the grumpy medicine, for her 6th and FINAL cycle!!!! Late afternoon preschool, followed by a short nap does not equal a happy Ally, but next week she will be!

Ally has a HAMA draw on Thursday morning. We will get results from that on the 22nd.
On the 23rd Ally gets her port accessed and the MIBG injection. On the 24th she gets a CT and an MIBG scan. Unfortunately 2 of the doctors will be away and the 3rd doctor then has the work of all 3, so we may not hear any results until the following Monday. It will be an excruciatingly long weekend, but we have done those before.

Tomorrow night we are headed to the TGIFriday's near here. They are doing a Make-A-Wish Fundraiser. Ally actually has her picture on a plaque on the wall there!

Edwin Newman died today.

Funny, that got me thinking about my relatively brief correspondence with Scotty Reston. He'd taken an Amtrak trip, and had written to customer service about it. Luck of the draw, I got the letter. I didn't know who he was, but the writing was outstanding, and I thanked him, and complimented him on his "picaresque" tale. He was evidently charmed that some no name in customer service knew the word and wrote back to tell me so. We wrote back and forth for several months; me on Amtrak stationery, he, on his own. It wasn't till nearly the end of it that I finally realized who he was. And foolish me, that I didn't steal the correspondence from my employer, who didn't care about it at all. I did. He was a lovely, funny, kind man.

". . . for there is no place
that does not see you. You must change your life."

~~ Rilke



Oh, your life will change. Against your will.
Love leaves
and even the edges of possibility change
The walls around you hung with pictures
Surfaces, holding memory
The floor buckles

Later, in another country
water rises and more is lost
Refugees travel light and lighter

Resettled, digging out yet another
garden, moving rock, making dirt
planting, yes, by the sweat of your brow

The river wall gone now, and terraces and stairways
The very earth moving

Your life will be changed for you
again
and again



jjl
15 September 2010

UPROAD LOOKING DOWN ON NEW GARDEN

After the Fire

little permanent

sifting through ashes a joy

class ring memories

By Phil Specht on September 13, 2010

Lemon Pear Custard with White Snakeroot

The deer are fleet, as are the foxes

The elk and trout will live

The future butterflies and moths

The salamanders like starry nights

Will perish

When Eden burns

jjli

12 September 2010

Stream Dream



trout rising dimple

insect flight kept short of sky

sprig wings never used



By Phil Specht on September 9, 2010

27 words

Political Action

We must question why the stillness?

Speak in tongues, field holler.

Witness birth, it is not quiet. Riot.

Get along go along has no sound.

By Phil Specht on September 8, 2010

Wednesday, September 8, 2010 5:14 PM, EDT

First day of preschool was GREAT!!!!

Grammy said that Ally gave her and Grampa a big hug and kiss at the classroom door and then went right into the classroom. When they picked her up the teacher said she had a great day. They could see her playing in the sand box, just before it was time to leave and she was having a good time. She made friends with the other small sized girl!

Grammy and Grampa said she looked like she was about to fall asleep on the ride home, but she had so much to tell them she stayed awake for the cross town drive. She had a snack when she got home and then a nap. She was still asleep when I got home from work. We are all so excited for such a good experience. There was a time when we thought she would never make it to school, and here she is, rockin' it like we knew she could!

More good news: The nice, good, professional dentist is not that much more expensive than the evil, bad, rotten dentist, so we are going with them. We have some literature to look at and what not, and they are scheduling out into October/November, so we have a little bit to wait, but we are relieved to be able to use them.

Our next big things coming up:
HAMA blood test next Thursday.
The dreaded scans: within the next 3 weeks, I'll keep you posted about that.

Yeah for Ally, we are so proud of her.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010 2:43 PM, EDT

Preschool went well. The first part was all the kids coming in, looking around and playing with all the new toys. Ally made a bee line for the kitchen and was happy there. Then, the teacher went over some things that will be important (parking, snack, using the potty, etc.)
Ally was definitely one of the small ones there. There were a couple other little girls about the same size as Ally, and I noticed one of them just turned 3 a couple of weeks ago...hopefully she will catch up a little bit in her size. She was content to just play next to the other kids, and didn't really talk to any of the kids or the teacher, but she didn't shy away as much as usual. She keeps saying she will talk and will be fine when Grammy drops her off tomorrow.

I spoke to the teacher last week, and set up to meet with her just after the open house to go over a few things. The most pertinent concern being Ally began a medication this week, so her moods are going to be off. What a way to start your first school experience, on a mood altering medication! That's how we roll in the cancer world anyway. We are hoping that the new environment will keep the crazies down.

I didn't take pictures today, because it was just open house, but I am sure Grammy and Grampa will take pictures of her next to the school tomorrow!

The teacher sent us home with homework today. It was a sheet all about Ally. Ally was then confused about homework. She thought you did homework at school, and I tried to explain the difference between homework and schoolwork. Then, she said; "No, homework is at school. Let me show you." She then went, got one of her library books, and opened to a page where the boy says his dog ate his homework. The dog is in the picture, peering into the classroom with homework in his mouth. So, you can see why she was confused, because one of her books put homework at school. What a good little thinker she is!

Overall it looks like Ally is going to love preschool, Mommy, Daddy, Grammy and Grampa will not shed too many tears and Ally will get to be normal for a while. I like it, I like it a lot.

The Ballad of the Shape of Things

Completely round is the perfect pearl the oyster manufactures.
Completely round is the steering wheel that leads to compound fractures.
Completely round is the golden fruit that hangs on the orange tree.
Yes, the circle shape is quite renowned.
'Tis sad to say it can be found in the low-down dirty run around
My true love gave to me. Yes, my true love gave to me.

Completely square was the velvet box he said my ring would be in.
Completely square was the envelope he said farewell to me in.
Completely square was the handkerchief I flourish constantly.
As it dries my eyes of the tears I shed
And blows my nose 'til it turns bright red, for a perfect square is my true love's head.
He will not marry me. No! He will not marry me.

Rectangular was the hotel door, my true love tried to sneak through.
Rectangular was the transom over which I had to peek through.
Rectangular was the hotel room I entered angrily.
Now rectangular was the wooden box
Where lies my love 'neath the golden phlox. They say he died of the chicken pox.
In part, I must agree: one chick too many had he.

Triangular is the piece of pie I eat to ease my sorrow.
Triangular is the hatchet blade I plan to hide tomorrow.
Triangular the relationship which now has ceased to be,
And triangular is the garment thin which fastens on with a safety pin
To a prize I had no wish to win.
It's a lasting memory that my true love gave to me.



~~ Sheldon Harnick

Monday, September 6, 2010 6:54 PM, EDT

Tomorrow is Ally's first day of preschool (it is actually a 1 hour open house with all the kids and families, and then Wednesday she goes it alone)...I think I am way more nervous than her, and I am a school teacher, I know she will be fine! How do normal parents do it?

Ally Joke:
What time is it when an elephant sits on your clock?
Elephant time!
(She came up with that one on her own!)

Thursday, September 2, 2010 5:23 PM, EDT

Ally is wicked excited that I have gone back to work. She is sooooo happy to be with Grammy and Grampa all day. I am glad she enjoys them so much, and I am so happy we had a wonderful summer together. It was our best summer yet (not hard to beat the past two anyway).

So...Ally's oncologist is very much for getting Ally's teeth capped. We are willing to go through with this plan, but we were not happy with the first dentist (as I posted before), so we got ourselves a second opinion. Daddy brought Ally to the dentist on Tuesday (his day off from working the weekend) and it was wonderful. They were very nice, they complimented Ally, they empathized with our situation, and fully understood it was not our fault. YEAH!!!! So, here is the rub. We have to wait for an estimate for this second place, to see if it is comparable to the first dentist. (Health Insurance does not cover teeth, we already checked into this, they will however cover the anesthesia and the room, just not the dental work.) The estimating lady at the nice, new dentist had a couple questions about the notes the nice, new dentist took, so we have to wait until next week to get the quote, and see if this dentist (a private practice) is in the same ballpark as the evil dentist.....hopefully they are, so we don't have to go back to them. I will let you know when we have decided what to do!

PS: Starting school on 2 of the hottest days of the summer is NOT a fun way to begin a new school year! But I do enjoy being around other adults!

At the end of the day, Day One. . . .

Sooner or later, everyone has a caterpillar in their garden. . . . Right?

Jakeof

Every picture tells a story story. . . . .

The event was billed as "nonpolitical," and Beck steered clear of the partisan commentary that has made him a hero to many conservatives and a nemesis to many on the left. But political overtones were unmistakable, and the rally drew a large crowd - including many who said they were new to activism - that was energized and motivated to act.

LINK

Trapped (twenty seven words)



Held against will, rooftop floodwater, mine collapse

Prison, poverty, more



Please send help



Resignation, twisted hope

Broken, determination



King "I am not free 'less all are free"



By Phil Specht on August 28, 2010

to the most patient farmer . . . .

Ally's Mommy writes:

Friday, August27, 2010

We had a great day at the zoo today.

The Quiche! The Quiche!

What can I say? I *love* this face

Joe Cocker - Take me home

Maybe we`re standing on the threshold
With our eyes open wide
Let the river keep on flowing
We can reach the other side
Caught in this endless revolution
Under helicopter skies
To lose becomes unthinkable
And to win is the only road now

There`s a bridge over the water
I can see it like a rainbow
If you love me I`ll be waiting
Take me home to the other side

All the men and all the women
Who sacrifice their love
Never taste what we took for granted
No they don`t know love at all
Some of them broken some of them wounded
And so cynical from the pain
I was quiet as a grave yard
Till you heard me calling out your name

There`s a bridge over the water
I can see it like a rainbow
If you love me I`ll be waiting
Take me home to the other side

Life was victorious
Now it can`t be denied
We`ll stand together
Cause love is on our side

There`s a bridge over the water
I can see it like a rainbow
If you love me I`ll be waiting
Take me home to the other side

Finishing up my first month at facebook

And it has been an exhausting month at that. Trying to fit everything you want to say into about 400 characters. . . . Recognizing that no one will ever get a full view of a comment without clicking. Saying hi-bye with a like click. Somehow, it's also got me downloading youtubes like krezzy. (On dialup, it's about an hour for a minute ~~ Hence the 4 minute version of Mozart's Concerto Number 3 for Horns instead of the 8 minute version. . . .)

But. Told you that to tell you this. After a sleepless night, got up and hit the nets. All my bloggy places are asleep, so I hit my bookmarks. One of my favs, but she doesn't blog much had a new badge on her blog, so I hit that. That place had a facebook page, so I hit that. One of the likes of that lady is a place called Duct Tape Marketing. When I got there, a friend of mine in Tokyo also likes it. Might could say "small world." But that would be a bit obvious, eh?

Must be the full moon.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010 3:08 PM, EDT

Ally is still HAMA positive. Grrrr. The plan is wait another 3-4 weeks and test again. The doctor said it is coming down. I e-mailed him that we are anxious about so long between treatments. This is such an aggressive cancer we feel we need to always be fighting it, or it is going to come back soon. We know he knows best, but we just want to make him aware of our feelings and thoughts.

Today we met up with the school nurse for Ally's preschool. She was very nice and after 30 minutes of talking about Ally's medical history I let her know we are mostly just concerned about her missing school because she gets a cold and ends up in the hospital. Hopefully she won't miss too much school.

Happy Whistle Pig Wednesday!

William Blake

Hallowed Ground

Adam walked here

hand and hand with Eve

Such a garden is sacred.

quench your thirst, wine falls from the sky

as God's grace.

Must grain be fertilized only by blood?

Must we who take bread together

need sins forgiven when born?

We walk upright, we know the future

we know the past all too well

spending so much time there as we do.

Hush the loud debate

for where you stand has seen it all

and demands respect

as hallowed ground.

By Phil Specht
August 21, 2010

Summer Bounty Casserole

One giant, over-aged summer squash (it will defeat your peeler, lol!), prick holes with knife, bake for an hour, cut open scoop out seeds, and discard them. Spoon out squash meat, discard shell.

Two cups diced squash meat
One pound ground pork, broken up and browned
Three garden ripe tomatoes, skinned and diced
One small can of corn (fresh corn would work, too, if you have it)

Mix together


Layer in casserole dish alternating with cheese slices (in this case Munster) or shredded cheese

Bake about an hour in a 325º oven

WONDERFUL!!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010 4:19 PM, EDT

The dentist was not so fun today. Ally was a great patient, never once cried or refused to open her mouth. It was more what the dentist had to say that was upsetting. (And kind of the way he said it as well....)
They want to put Ally under anesthesia, scrape out all of the decay and then cap all 20 of her teeth. We have to check all this with her oncologists and see what they think about it. The more upsetting part was that the dentist had a general air about him that the condition of her teeth was our fault; for not brushing properly and allowing her to use the sippy cup whenever she wanted; even though I explained to him that she has had extensive chemo and there was a point where we had to do whatever we could to put weight on her. I guess I am just getting overly sensitive about things, because he never came right out and said anything like that, but some of his comments made me feel that way and it took a lot of self control not to say anything to him.

Tomorrow is Ally's blood draw, we will get results next Wednesday. If the oncologist thinks the teeth capping thing is a good idea then we will look into scheduling it after we find out HAMA results.

Note from listener: It sounds like that dentist never read past the first three reasons for tooth discoloration on this list:
http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/tooth-discoloration

The fourth item on the list is:

Disease. Several diseases that affect enamel (the hard surface of the teeth) and dentin (the underlying material under enamel) can lead to tooth discoloration. Treatments for certain conditions can also affect tooth color. For example, head and neck radiation and chemotherapy can cause teeth discoloration...

Has he ever treated a young child who's had cancer, before? I suggested that they seek out a pediatric dentist. I can only wish upon them a dentist like mine who is so kind he even has "We cater to cowards" on his advertisements.

The feelings Ally’s Mom was getting are not to be discounted. She was picking up on something there giving her important information. So I recommended: “Trust your gut. Go for a second opinion and if you like the second dentist better, go to that dentist. You owe this first dentist nothing. He doesn't deserve to care for Ally and take your money if he doesn't see the larger picture. There is another dentist out there just right for Ally. Ask friends for a few good names.”

Then I googled pediatric dentists in their area and found several. My favourite is the practice that has this on their website:
"We love children and that sentiment guides our hand. Each of us recognizes the incomparable precious bond you have to your children. Therefore we respect and value the trust you place in us in caring for them. While reactions and results can never be guaranteed, our sincere best efforts are absolutely assured."

She's a Rainbow - Rolling Stones

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 5:04 PM, EDT

Ally is going to preschool!!!

We got an official call today. Her school begins September 7th. It is 3 days a week, for about 3 hours in the afternoon, at one of the local elementary schools. We are super excited! There is even a bonus 2 hour "family time" that Grammy and/or Grampa will be able to bring her to on Fridays.

On top of that we are also visiting the dentist tomorrow. Ally's teeth have taken quite a beating with all of her treatments. SHe is finally healthy enough to do something about it. Tomorrow we are just going to talk to the dentist and see what they can do for her. Hopefully they will be able to do something, even though they are her baby teeth.

On Thursday Ally will get her blood drawn for HAMA. We will have results the following Wednesday. Please pray they are negative, and that we get to NYC (but not the first week of preschool!) soon.

Happy Sunny Day!

Colour My World

"Say I am You"

by Jelaluddin Rumi

I am dust particles in sunlight,

I am the round sun.

To the bits of dust I say, Stay.

To the sun, Keep moving.

I am morning mist,

and the breathing of evening.

I am wind in the top of a grove,

and surf on the cliff.

Mast, rudder, helmsman, and keel,

I am also the coral reef they founder on.

I am a tree with a trained parrot in its branches.

Silence, thought, and voice.

The musical air coming through a flute,

a spark of stone, a flickering

in metal. Both candle,

and the moth crazy around it.

Rose, and the nightingale

lost in the fragrance.

I am all orders of being, the circling galaxy,

the evolutionary intelligence, the lift,

and the falling away. What is,

and what isn't. You who know

Jelaluddin, You the one

in all, say who

I am. Say I

am You.

Saturday, August 14, 2010 2:16 PM, EDT

So...in all the craziness of the HAMA draw/results I never mentioned the good stuff.
Last weekend we had a super fun time with Mommy’s family. Many of the relatives made it to the gathering where we all had a great time in the sun. We also received a very generous gift that will help out with our next trip to NYC. Thanks to everyone for participating in the Family Silent Auction! [Note: The family raised $1200 for Ally and parents, by auctioning within the family some family memorabilia.] I got some of Great Grammie's yarn, which I plan to make into something for next year's auction.

This past week I had to work Monday and Tuesday so Ally spent Monday with Grammy and Grampa and Tuesday with Daddy. She loved both days (I think she is getting sick of me being home all the time.) On Wednesday we visited Auntie in Portsmouth and had a great time. On Thursday Grammie came to visit us! And, on Friday we went to the beach and met up with some friends. It was a great week!

This morning, on their way home from the bagel shop, one of our new favorite songs came on the radio ("Tighten Up" by The Black Keys) and Daddy said how much he liked the song. Ally’s response: "They sound like monkeys!" Great...now Ally is a music critic.

I am expecting to hear about preschool soon. I am hoping she still has a spot.

We draw HAMA again on Thursday, with results coming on the 25th.

Federal stimulus funds for teachers may face a fight in Utah

By Joseph M. Dougherty

Deseret News
Published: Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 5:31 p.m. MDT


SALT LAKE CITY — When President Barack Obama signed an education jobs bill into law Tuesday, the clock started ticking.

The bill provides $10 billion in funding to the states for teacher or school staff salaries. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has until Sept. 9 to apply for $101 million designated as Utah's portion.

If he applies for the funding, a special session of the Utah Legislature would be required because the dollar amount is higher than $10 million.

The State Office of Education estimates 1,400 to 1,500 school employees' jobs could be saved. Federal estimates put that number as high as 1,800 jobs.

Lost jobs generally mean more students per classroom.

Herbert said Wednesday that he is committed to reducing classroom size in Utah, because it is critical to the success of schoolchildren and the future of the state.

"This may provide an opportunity where we can do something meaningful to address that challenge," he said.

But it will take some study to see if accepting the money is the right thing to do, Herbert said, adding that he has meetings with legislative and education leaders planned for early in the coming week to consider "the ways to best seize this opportunity."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moar at link

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Response:

Ah. How things have changed in Utah. When I was in the public school system there, Utah was proud to have the highest per capita expenditure on education in the country.

Now it ranks dead last ~~
Spending per Pupil and Average Teacher Salaries in Selected States, 1993-1994
Oklahoma $3,889 46 $26,749
Alabama $3,815 47 $28,705
Arkansas $3,657 48 $27,873
Mississippi $3,297 49 $25,235
Utah $3,203 50 $28,056
(source link: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/backgrounders/school_funding.html )


The ranking was the same in 2006. . . .
http://timpanogos.wordpress.com/2008/05/03/education-spending-per-pupil-apples-to-apples/

The "so called strings" attached are that IF a state accepts the money, it is not allowed to lower its OWN funding of education. Seems fair to me. If you give money to someone to keep their family from starving, then they're not allowed to take their own food money for the kids and go gambling.

Still Life With Harvest

FIERCE WATCHER ON THE PORCH DRIVES OFF INVADER. . . .

MAMA SENDS BEBES TO SAFETY, WITH REMINDER TO *STAY* THERE. . . .

MAMA RETURNS FOR GOURMET MEAL. . . .

Wednesday, August 11, 2010 3:43 PM, EDT

So, we got the call from NYC. The plan is to draw HAMA again next week.

Reading between the lines (because the staff at MSKCC is always rushed, do not fully answer questions, and sometimes make it seem like it is a huge inconvenience for them to answer questions about my child's medical care) it seems like, if the HAMA is not where they want it to be, we will go ahead with another round of Rituximab, and we will be able to complete that here, in NH.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010 2:53 PM, EDT

Ally is still HAMA positive.

I am waiting for a phone call from NYC to see if we are going to do Rituximab again.

Missing Jerry Garcia

traveling light

we come through time

searching for a home

traveling sound

we go around

til the path opens

after the rush

it all slows down

and if it feels right

play it

and again

By Phil Specht on August 10, 2010

If one picture is worth a thousand words, here ya go. . . .

Hula Girl making Button Soup

Wednesday, August 4, 2010 2:22 PM, EDT
Wow...it has been 2 whole weeks since our last update....and not too much has happened!

We have been having a lot of adventures. This past weekend we took Ally to a local pool and she was brave enough to walk in, up to her armpits. She even allowed Daddy to hold her in a swimming position while she kicked her feet. This was the most she has ever done in a pool. We were super proud of her.

Today we went to Squam Lake Science Center. Ally had a blast. We met up with some other friends there and even managed to catch the otter feeding (which sounds interesting, but when you are standing there with 60 other people in a cramped, hot space...not as interesting as one would hope).

Last week I had to work and Ally spent her days with Grammy and Grampa. They had all kinds of adventures as well...blueberry picking, pottery painting, acorn stew, and lots of other fun times. They found a wonderful park in Epsom as well.

Yesterday Ally had her blood drawn for her HAMA level. We will know the results on the 11th. We are hoping that it is negative so we can get this next round of 3f8 in before school begins again. Speaking of school....Ally's oncologist said she thought it was a wonderful idea to send Ally. Now we just have to wait to make sure she didn't get bumped to the waiting list.

So, this is what a normal summer is like....pretty nice, I think I will take more please!

Reverie on the American Nightmare

Reverie on the American Nightmare

By Tom Bearse on Aug 2, 2010 5:36 PM EDT

I found the Financial Times story cited by maha, to which puddle linked, emotionally wrenching.

I was downtown today, walking by other downtown workers in the skyscrapers, on the sidewalks and along the skywalks and, viewing each one, thinking how insignificant they were. No business, or a scant few, sees any value in an employee anymore, regarding them only as fungible assets to be cast adrift as the economic climate demands. I felt like a useless cog, too.

There was a time when I worked in the City-County Building and saw daily these people who worked in offices like the Council research office or the City Budget Department or the Neighborhood Planning Committee, all civic minded agencies who worked in an era when attention was paid to such matters. They were accountants and midlevel bureaucrats who lucked out and caught on with a city or county office, obtaining steady jobs with benefits and pensions. I used to think to myself they were like ghosts, occupying positions in agencies from a bygone era, soon to lapse into extinction.

Now I am starting to feel like a ghost, a strange sensation when I think back to the late 60's. I was preparing for college and the idea was bracing. I thought of myself as about to wade into a huge wave of progressivism and activism, left like the wake of the Great Society and the Civil Rights movement. The corny old world of close-minded, 9 to 5, colorless, grey flannel bureaucrats from the suburbs would be drawing to an end, and endless possibilities for social progress seemed to lay ahead.

I look back at it now, and I think of all those peace and love hippies I matriculated with as the CEO's, bankers and business moguls of today who have managed to destroy a generation's work in establishing collective bargaining rights, medical benefits and pensions for workers, leisure time; all the trappings of the American Dream from the black and white TV shows of my youth, for a return to the Gilded Age. They control the capital, and have erased all the gains made by average working people to accumulate even more of it. It's pretty obvious by now how far backwards in time we're traveling, and it's pointless to deny that we've caused it ourselves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the link the above was in response to:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/1a8a5cb2-9ab2-11df-87e6-00144feab49a.html