For those who sacrificed all...

... we pause today to remember and say "thank you."

Shiny New Chrome

I mentioned in a previous post about our difficulties with Firefox since updating to Snow Leopard. We've tried numerous fixes, to no avail. Firefox just simply does not work like it used to and yet, I've been reluctant to give it up for Safari, since I just don't particularly like the Apple browser.

Finally, the soon-to-take-over-the-world company, Google, has released their new browser, Chrome for iMac. Hubby downloaded it, and I've been playing around in it for a few days. I like it! Anything Google does seems to work well, and this neat browser is, of course, integrated with all the other wonderful Google applications. We already use iGoogle as our home page. Blogger is now Google, I use Google Reader for my blogging, I have a gmail account, Picasa (which I use) is Google owned.... anyway, needless to say, this browser is pretty neat. They don't have Cooliris for iMac developed yet, but it's on the way. So, if you are looking for another browser to try, check out Google Chrome.

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On an unrelated note, after the blog re-do yesterday, it seems to me that this font size looks much bigger. I did not change the size in the template, but it does look a good bit bigger to me. I'd appreciate any input about what you are seeing, and if it seems, well, BIG, to your eyes. Thanks!

**OK, so I changed it from 16 to 14 point, and it looked much smaller to me? I opened my blog in Safari and Firefox as well to compare, and the print looked way too small in Firefox, so... I think I'll just stick with the 16 point for now. Safari looked the same as the Chrome.

Hey baby!

This is one of the first brood of baby Bluebirds on Chickadee this year.

If mom will stop attacking herself in my windows (which does, by the

way seem to be getting at least a wee bit better), I will put the houses

back up in preparation for a second nest and some sibling for this one.

Oh, the sweetness

I glanced out towards the back garden, and saw that the small line of four gardenias there had a few blooms on them. Funny how it just seems to happen that you don't notice them at all, and then suddenly, they are bursting in blooms. I knew if they were blooming, the larger one on the side of the house had to be as well.

I had not been around the side of the house in a week or more, and was stunned when I turned the corner. It was so full of blooms it was literally sagging! For perspective, this one gardenia is probably 6 feet tall and oh, 10 feet wide? It really likes it there in the shady corner of the house, and is proving its contentment with hundreds and hundreds of fragrant blooms. I wish you could just stand there with me and inhale the aroma.... ahhhhhh. Surely, the iPhone has an app for that?

Window in your eye

This beautiful male Northern Cardinal surprised me by flying in to the feeders just outside the kitchen window while I was sitting there perched on a stool trying to get a shot of some baby Bluebirds. I loved how, when I loaded the images of him, I could see my kitchen window reflected in his eye. If you look really closely, maybe you can see me! Just kidding!

Fervent prayers

Dear Lord,
Please make these mean, tricky squirrels go
away so I can get back to the feeders.
Amen.

It's one of two things...

A really bad case of mites, or
a really, really bad hair day!
Or maybe she is just molting?

She flew up into the Crepe Myrtle
and gave me the stink eye.

"So what are you looking at?"

Having my say

May 21, 2010


Dear Ms (County Schools Superintendent),

I am the parent of a 17 year old son with autism at (Sam's High School). When Sam was four, we refused to accept that he was not capable of coming out of his own world, and embarked upon an arduous process of education which allowed us to teach him how to learn. For 2 ½ years, we worked with Sam one-on-one at home, and watched as he rose to every challenge presented to him. By the time he was ready for school, he had made amazing gains. Yes, he still has deficits of autism, but he has normal intelligence, and wants to feel successful. He has done beautifully in resource classes in high school, and has made passing grades in every subject each year.

This year, his junior year, he was given the first attempt to pass the Georgia High School Graduation tests. We knew that these would be difficult for him, as he is not a “standardized” thinker, as are no kids with autism. We especially knew that his ability to articulate and write out his thoughts would make the writing component even more of a challenge. But, amazingly, Sam again rose to the occasion and passed the writing test.

Then came the academic portions of the test, administered this spring. The tests are long, and he becomes easily overwhelmed with the amount of content. He is asked to infer information and to understand questions whose wording can easily confuse him. We know these are his developmental and educational deficits. He does not infer thoughts and feelings and does not process questions well which ask him to decide, “Which of the following are NOT reasons…” He failed all sections.

I understand that he can take the test again twice in his senior year, and even re-take sections he does not pass an infinite number of times, but what I do not understand is how this one standardized test can define his success for four years? What if he just can’t seem to pass all sections? Then, he gets a “special education diploma” which basically says he showed up for four years. But, he didn’t just “show up.” He worked hard, he completed all his assignments, took all the quizzes, and made mostly A’s and B’s. Yet, if he does not pass the standardized tests, he is being relegated to fail in life. Yes, that may sound dramatic, however, our expectations are that Sam will be a productive citizen and will be gainfully employed with insurance benefits. Isn’t this what we strive to ultimately achieve with students who have developmental disabilities?

Unfortunately, the reality is that most all employers or technical programs require, at minimum, a GED or high school diploma. A certificate stating a student “showed up” will not suffice. If Sam simply cannot, by virtue of his disability, pass the Georgia High School Graduation Test, he is being given little opportunity to show that he can go on to live a life that is not dependent upon society to support him. It’s like pulling the rug out from under him after four years of effort.

He has these same issues with the EOCT’s as well. He simply does not test well using standardized means. There should be some alternative assessment for those with disabilities, who complete all course work and make passing grades. Maybe these assessments should be computer based, as then students would not be as overwhelmed by the amount of content in a booklet. For instance, going through questions presented on a computer screen would play to Sam’s strengths in visual information processing. Questions could be designed which are straightforward in meaning and focus on information learned, not inference skills, which are the weakest areas in many concrete thinkers.

I am not asking the school system to give my son something he does not deserve, but rather, to rethink the way the current system expects students with disabilities, who have had modifications for known learning differences, to be assessed with the same methods given to those without disabilities.

It would have been much easier for Sam to be placed in an environment where he was not challenged and one in which he would never be expected to take these tests. But, the goal for him from the time we got his diagnosis, was for him to be as successful as he could be with his deficits. I am sure you agree that all students with disabilities deserve the same opportunities.



Sincerely,



Jayne, RN, BSN, CWS, CHRN
proud parent and advocate of Sam


cc: County Director of Special Education and Sam's High School Special Education Director

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I was going to also send it to Kathy Cox at the state (not that she'd read it), but she seems to have recently resigned to move onto greener pastures. I suppose Governor Sonny Perdue might be the next recipient.

Who knows? My little "Towanda" rant may just change the system at some point.

It felt good to compose and send if nothing else. I'll keep you posted of what, if any, response I get.

A good daddy

I looked out towards the Bark Butter feeder yesterday
to see this very patient daddy Downy feeding one of
three very hungry babies. So sweet!

Quote for the day

"I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief."
-- Gerry Spence

Why pine forests are so healthy...

... because when pines seed, they seed!

This is just a small section behind one holly (there are 10 of them!) in the bed along the retaining wall by the back garden. The tall, willowy pines in the tree line behind our house have been proliferative this year, and now the bounty of the seeds they dropped are coming to fruition. So where was I yesterday afternoon? Bending and stooping, bending and stooping, (knees cracking) pulling little teeny tiny pine trees in all the beds in the back yard. I counted over 50 in this little patch. Gotta love those Georgia pines and their gusto. At least my garden gloves smelled lovely when I was done. Ibuprofen, here I come!

By whose standards?

Well, just enlarge the above and be sad with me. If you'll note, the bottom of each section says, "FAIL" which means that my autist can go to high school for four years, do the course work, make passing grades in resource classes, and yet, he won't receive a regular education diploma. All because he could not pass this "test" which is "standardized" and measures his knowledge gained over these four years. The more hysterically funny thing is that he passed the writing component of the test. My little concrete thinker who can hardly articulate, let alone write about different perspectives to save his soul, passed a writing test. It makes me giggle really, as we knew of all these tests, he would probably not be able to conquer that one. Yet, he did.

So, I had at least an inkling of hope when he sat for his first of three attempts to pass this GHSGT that he might be able to do it. But, alas, he is not a "standardized" thinker. He does not infer well when asked, "All of these are true except..." and "Which of these are not reasons..." Yes, he has accommodations for testing through his IEP, but they do not include making sure he understands the questions. There is no internal motivation for him to pass these tests, and he gets really tired and bored with the length of them. So much so that I assume he just starts to put down whatever answer will get him to the end of the torture. We've worked so hard to have him in a regular education setting as he is so capable, and though his work assignments have been modified, he's done the work. He's made mostly A's and B's and yet, if he can't pass this one test, it's all for naught. Oh, I can push for him to keep taking it over and over and over again until he does pass all sections, but whose needs am I meeting then? I just fail to see how a child can get through four years with passing grades and then can be denied a diploma because they don't test well on standardized tests.

We'll probably try again in the fall and then in the spring of his senior year if need be, but if after two more attempts he does not pass, I have to surrender this and accept both his limitations and the flawed No Child Left Behind laws which have caused these mandates to be enacted. I am still so confused about the validity of these tests and if they really do truly predict future success.

Letting go

(Google image, source unknown)

I am famous for telling people that the one thing I've learned along my life journey and with the introduction of autism into my path is that life will continually throw things my way over which I have no control. But, the one thing I can control is how I respond and how I let it impact my life. Now, for the most part, I am pretty good at being able to not let situations get the best of me and cause me angst, but every now and then, I find I fail miserably. Why is it so hard to surrender to this at times?

Lately, I find I am so frustrated with a particular work situation, and yet, I know I do not want the responsibility that goes along with affecting change. No, I seem to only want to rant about how it's not working. But, by my letting it cause me stress, I in turn, cause others to be stressed. I voice my frustration and I let it impact my mood and disposition. That does no one any good at all. I know this. I can own my part in it, and yet, I am still having a hard time letting it go and letting things take their course.

I've often heard it said that life will continually present us with challenges we need practice confronting. Over and over it seems, people will face the same issues until they master the solution. Maybe this is one of those times for me. My screaming over and over again that the emperor is naked does not mean others have the same perspective. If I am not wanting to take on the role of being in charge of resolution, then the only avenue I have is to work through it. Let it go. Let those who do have responsibility to make it better acknowledge it and find their own way to do so. In the meantime, I can make an effort not to add to the fray by stirring up my own frustration and blanketing it around others. By projecting an attitude of calm and constructive input, maybe I can pave the way for others to do the same? Working at letting go. That is my task for the present.

Stella de Oro

I love the Stella de Oro Daylilies in my garden.
They bloom and bloom, but each bloom lasts just the day.
Yet, there they are... being beautiful and blooming just the same.
The rains came to give them a drink of water, as I stood over them
smiling and trying to capture their beauty for eternity.

Hello Mrs. T

After a nice rain shower yesterday, I was down in the garden area when I spied a bird flitting on the ground in the feeder area. It's not often that I get to see the Towhees and especially the lovely female. She was scratching along the ground and hopping so quickly, I found that most of my shots were pretty blurry, so I was pleased to find this one before she disappeared into the thicket of the tree line.

Sorry sweetie... the inn is closed

Back in March, I posted about a female Bluebird who has been seeing her imaginary shadow in windows throughout my house. She already had a nest with eggs in the bluebird house and so I could not take the houses down to encourage her to nest elsewhere. We got some of the bird vinyl clings to put on the main window she seems to attack, to no avail. She continued to flail her beak at her own shadow, even while incubating her nest. She pecked at three, sometimes four windows in my house. I thought that once her babies hatched, she'd be too busy to worry with it, but it has been incessant and daily. And, it is not just once or twice that she'll do it. She will perch on the roof line and return six, sometimes seven times to flutter and peck.

My husband had had enough and was threatening bodily harm, so I waited until the babies fledged and then removed the two bluebird houses in the yard. She had already carried a bit of pine straw in the second house, but had no nest yet. I figured that would fix the problem. She'd have to go elsewhere to find a place to nest. But alas, it did not. If anything, it seemed to accelerate her behavior. Sigh.

So, in desperation, I purchased one of the garden owls from Lowe's and filled him with pea gravel. We put him on the deck in direct sight line where she perches in hopes that would deter her. Ha. As he watched on, with his plastic eyes, she continued to attack her imaginary competition. And, she's also attacking herself in neighbor's side mirrors on cars and trucks parked in their driveways. I truly do not know what else to do. I am not covering all the windows in my house with horizontal strips of tape or paper. And, short of trapping and relocating her, which would be next to impossible, I suppose we will just have to hope she gets tired of it all and moves on to another location. It's certainly been a frustrating situation with one of my very favorite yard guests.


After composing this post, I looked out the window, and saw this next door in the foggy morning... Uh, for all of you who wish you had Bluebirds in your yard, I've got a great deal for you.

Check out these nests!

My sissy and her neighbor have been trying to attract a colony of Purple Martins for a couple of seasons now. They have been diligent about doing everything they can to have all the conditions just right so that the Martins can not only find their gourds, but want to move in. It's been frustrating as so many other species of birds also like those gourds!

Well, this year, they got their gourds up, starting playing the Morning Song, and patiently watched and waited. No Martins. But, lo and behold, some other really wonderful tenants. They watched as both a couple of Tree Swallows and a couple of Great Crested Flycatchers claimed a gourd. They carefully moved these gourds off the Martin pole and put them on shepherd's hooks and held their breath. Sure enough, the birds went back to the gourds where they'd already started nesting. She sent me these photos of the view inside the gourds. Check out the beautiful Tree Swallow nest above and the equally impressive Great Crested Flycatcher nest below. Can you believe they are able to find all that snakeskin? Amazing!

Chickadee bunny

I looked out towards the tree line the other evening just as the sun was setting, and saw this sweet visitor enjoying some grass. As I stepped out onto the deck, his huge ears went up in alert, which is probably why he's grown to be such a big guy... smart bunny rabbit!

Oh, mercies me...

Wednesday morning, I was awakened at 2:39AM in pain. The gripping, aching pain in the right upper quadrant of my abdomen had me bent over on the side of the bed. As I tried to fully wake up and try to ascertain what was happening, it first occurred to me that it might be something I ate. Earlier in the evening, I had snacked on some granola with nuts and berries, and it was late for me to be snacking, but I did not eat more than a handful of it around 8PM. Then again, ever since I was diagnosed with GERD in the fall, nuts have been on my list of things to avoid, as I had noticed they tended to upset my stomach.

A couple of months ago, I had a similar incident of waking up with this pain, but it only lasted a few minutes and I was able to go back to sleep. My Mom suggested I start taking my Prilosec at bedtime instead of in the morning, which I did, and had not had any more instances of pain. Until Wednesday morning. It was so bad, I had to get up out of the bed and leave the bedroom. Oh the aching, gripping pain. I took some Pepto Bismol to see if it might help. As I contemplated how long I could endure this pain, and at what point I needed to wake up my hubby, I started palpating my abdomen to pinpoint it. As I felt around my tummy, I knew it was not at my stomach or my colon. Nope, this was very specific to where my... uh huh... gallbladder is located. As a matter of fact, as my hand went over the skin there, the tenderness was exquisite. Aha.

So, I just bolstered my tummy with a pillow as I stayed bent over. Gradually, after over an hour, it started to subside. Whew. I fell back asleep around 4AM I think. When the alarm went off, I did not want to get up, but I had to work Wednesday, and so I rolled out 30 minutes later and got ready. My tummy was not hurting, but it felt tender, an almost bruised feeling. I called my PCP later in the morning and have an appointment to see him today at 8:45, so I am going to hold off eating or drinking anything so that if he can schedule it, I can go to the imaging place and get an ultrasound. Did I mention I am going to Ireland on June 12? Sigh.... I'll keep you posted.

***Update***

Can I just say that I love my PCP? The very capable Dr. H listened to my retelling of the above story, checked a CBC (my WBC's were within normal range) and made the educated diagnosis that he feels this was a breakthrough of my GERD, not my gallbladder acting up. Typically when someone has THAT much pain with an episode of biliary colic, they have been having symptoms for some time, usually after eating. Since this was an isolated incident, my pain was more location specific, I have been eating a pretty low fat diet for 10 years, I had no nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, and have not noticed any other symptoms, it points to the late eaten granola being a trigger for my reflux. Plus, being awoken in the night with it further supports the reflux being the trigger. Acid causing spams. He told me that if I continue to have these incidents, we could make my Prilosec twice a day, or even try a different proton pump inhibitor. He suggested that I really make an effort not to eat after 6 or 7PM, and that I have liquid Maalox on hand to use in the event it occurs again, and of course, to avoid those "trigger" foods I know upset my digestion. I guess I just really had no clue that reflux can cause episodes of that sort of GI pain. Now I know, and I am thankful that there are things I can do to hopefully prevent it happening again.

Pink Rhodie

Against all odds, this little pink Rhododendron continues to thrive in a place where it is fully unsuited to flourish. Planted before we moved here, it was perched at the end of a bed going up the stairs to the then pool area. In this spot, it keeps wet roots as all the sheet water from rain passes over it, and even erodes the soil around it at times. Rhodies typically don't like wet feet, and thus it should not do so well here, but for whatever reason, it continues to bloom its little heart out each season.

Guess we should all focus more on happily blooming where we are planted!

I've missed you!

The first spring after we moved here in 2006, I experienced a magical time with so many migrating birds coming through. I could not believe my luck in being able to see so many birds I'd never had at my feeders before. I've not had a spring like that since, but I still eagerly await the spring migration in hopes that I'll have some not-so-regular visitors.

So, I was thrilled on Sunday when I noticed this lovely lady outside the kitchen window! We are on the southern most cusp of their summer breeding ground, and most of Georgia just sees them flying through on their way north.


Isn't she lovely? The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is one of my favorites to see each spring, and where the females go, there are the gorgeous males as well. So, where is your hubby pretty girl?
I do hope they nest around here and that I can look forward to seeing them as summer regulars.

Occasional Traveler

(edited 2/26/11) ** Let me please add a disclaimer that I am NOT employed by Verizon, have NO financial interest in the company, and do not benefit in ANY way from my sharing my experience with their global phones. ** Read on if you are so inclined.




As we prepare for our upcoming trip to Ireland, my mom and I discussed the need to have a cell phone so that we are able to be in touch with family while we are away. I had looked on-line at all the different companies which offer a GSM global phone/plan, and the choices were mind boggling. You can rent the phone, you can purchase a phone, you can pay anywhere from $.89/min to kingdom come. You can incur "access charges" and "fees" depending upon where in Ireland you are calling from... blah, blah, blah.

I was at my wit's end trying to decipher which company and deal made the most sense for us, when I came upon an article on c-net about global phone plans. I was hoping they would rate the different companies, but this article mostly explained about different cell frequencies used in Europe and other places. But, towards the end of the article, something lovely caught my eye. There was a section listing US cell phone carriers, and what they offer their customers in the global phone market. Aha!

I went to Verizon's web site, and there it was! Verizon Global. Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit! Who knew? I called the 1-800 number and was greeted by Marva, my new best friend. I explained about our trip and our needs, and was told that as a Verizon customer they could simply send me a GSM phone (the Motorola Z6C above) to use. I'd have to pay the $9.99 FedEx shipping, and then it was a flat $.99/min for incoming and outgoing calls. Period. Nothing else. Seriously? Seriously. No rental fee usage for the phone, no access fees, no hidden anything, AND I can activate the phone with MY own cell number! All the charges will be on my Verizon bill. When people here in the US call us, they simply call as they always do with the area code and number. When we call home, we simply dial +1 and then the area code and number. They also will send a charger and compatible converter to use in Ireland. A prepaid FedEx return shipping label is enclosed and as long as I have the phone back to them in 30 days, I incur no additional cost. It's called their "Occasional Traveler" plan.

So, there you go. Now you know! If you are going to be traveling outside the US, call your carrier. You just never know what you might find in the way of the best, most secure deal ever! I am loving Verizon just now, and Marva is my hero.

Happy Mother's Day!

Being a mother has much more to do with caring and nurturing than biology... so, for all who love, care for, and nurture others.... Happy Mother's Day!

Blooming beauty along the river

There were many beautiful blooming vines, plants, and trees along the Riverwalk. The tulip trees, shown above, were resplendent in their yellow and orange blossoms. I wished we were there to see the Rhododendron below open into a lovely bloom.



The Mahonia (above) were full of berries which provide a feast for the birds. I am not sure what the shrub below is, but the white blooms were beautiful.



There was also lots of wild Crossvine along the river, and my sissy could not resist collecting a few seed pods to see if she could get it to grow along her fence line.

American Mink

As we were walking along a section of the path where huge rocks have been placed to reinforce the shoreline, we saw a quick movement. What was that? We assumed it was a little River Otter scurrying about the rocks at the river's edge. He was scampering so quickly, we could hardly catch his entire body in any one frame! I must have taken 20 shot of him as he headed over the rocks, and these are the two best ones I got as he darted in and out of the water! My sister posted him to a nature forum, and was told he looks more like an American Mink, a cousin of the otter.

From Wikipedia:

"The Mink's long slim body is covered in glossy, thick dark brown fur with a white patch under the chin. They have short legs with partially webbed feet, which make them excellent swimmers. They can be found in wooded areas and fields near streams and lakes. They do not dig burrows, but instead take over dens abandoned by other animals.

Mink are semi aquatic predators able to hunt both aquatic and terrestrial prey. They can dive under water like an otter to capture fish, crayfish, and frogs. They can also capture terrestrial prey like birds, snakes, mice, voles, and rabbits. Mink are generalist predators focusing on whatever prey is most available and easily captured. These animals are mainly active at night and do not hibernate. Their predators include coyotes, Great Horned Owl, and wolves. They are also trapped for their fur. Their numbers have been reduced due to loss of habitat, the effects of pollution on their aquatic food supply, and the mixing of domestic mink genes into the wild mink gene pool.

They are usually solitary animals. Mating occurs from early February through early April; males and females may have more than one partner. Females give birth to 4–5 kits per litter once a year. While mortality is extremely high in the early months of the life of the American Mink, animals that do survive the first year often live three years in the wild. In captivity, mink can live 10–12 years. The mink is found in places which suit its habits throughout almost all North America, from Florida to the Arctic."

Thrasher mommy

There seemed to be a good number of Brown Thrashers out at the Riverpark the day we were there. We saw them in pairs, headed towards nests, but were tickled to also see a mom with two of her babies, and watched as they followed her around, begging for those big, juicy worms she so easily found in the ground.

Well, hello there!

Another new find for both my sissy and I was this LBJ we saw high up in a tree. This was the best shot I got, and when I loaded it, added some light, and cropped it a bit, I was smiling when I saw a yellow eyebrow stripe. Hmmm.... what are you? Aha! Found you! Sibley's says you are a lovely Savannah Sparrow! You just never know what you'll get when you shoot high up into the trees.

Hail to the king

Another lovely sighting we had was this gorgeous Eastern Kingbird. Initially, he was hidden behind some branches, but I liked that I could see his beautiful back and tail feathers in the photo above. As if on cue, he flew to a larger outer branch of this tree, and perched there nicely so I could get the beautiful profile below.

Graceful beauty

There are always lots of Great Blue Herons down by the river, and no matter how many I see, I am always struck by how lovely and graceful they look when standing on the banks. They arch their long necks and often times, stand on one foot, while looking out over the water.


I think the photo below is my favorite of the day. I love the ripples in the water, and I could almost feel the mood of this heron as he stretched his head into the breeze.