Dave was in town!

Last night we went to see David Alan Coulier. His physical appearance hasn't changed much over the years. I'm almost certain that you know him. Joe Gladstone ring a bell? Perhaps you called him Uncle Joey like the girls. He shared a home with Jesse and Danny who were also stand-up comedians. Alright, still not sure who I'm referring to? I know what it is, most of you were hung up on Jesse, not Dave Coulier who played Uncle Joey on Full House, one of America's top sitcoms
from 1987-1995. Although the first and second seasons didn't do too well, by the third season, America had fallen in love with the twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. I think the highest ratings came from teens (and moms) who fell in love with John Stamos, who played Uncle Jesse. Bob Saget, Uncle Danny went on to host World's Funniest Videos.

According to Wikipedia, the show was originally going to be adult-oriented and named, House of Comics, but because The Cosby Show and Family Ties had strong family values, the producers changed the premise to a family-oriented theme and named it Full House.

Dave's performance was G rated for at least the first hour; we left early. The audience was comprised of middle-aged and senior citizens who appreciated his humor; then there was the young crowd who had no idea or interest in his mundane schtick about life in general. They had no clue as to who Mel Blanc was, or many of the other references he made.

He said that Bob Saget performed 'blue comedy' and people would gasp and say, "And they let HIM parent those little girls?" Ha-ha. These guys were actors. The show was going strong and there would have been an eighth season if it hadn't been moved to the new WB network. John Stamos objected and decided to quit.

"Uncle Joey" briefly hosted World's Funniest Videos and Ice Skating with the Stars. He lives in California with his teenaged son. I wish I could say his comedy routine was 'fresh', but it was as clean and wholesome as "Uncle Joey".

Through the eyes of a child

Children are honest; they see past the pretense and into the soul. The father of one of my students is a soldier in Afghanistan. His child had always seen him clean-shaven, but for this mission he grew a full beard (with a bit of white in it.) The mother showed the boy his father's photo and hesitantly asked, "What do you notice about Daddy?" The little boy replied, "Daddy's happy smile."

If only we adults could get past the surface. I had an older neighbor whose philosophy on race relations was that almost all people under six and over sixty-six rarely judge others on color, because they have the same concerns and more similarities than differences during those periods in their lives. She said, "Walk into any preschool, kindergarten or nursing home and you'll notice the occupants all have the same needs."

In school as we compare leaves for our autumn unit, I pick up two apparently different leaves and ask, "How are these things the SAME?" Too often people of all ages immediately seek obvious differences. In my classroom I encourage children to notice likenesses first. I guess my lessons are paying off, because we were out at recess and some of the children came up to me with twigs and sang "MY" song, "Tell me, tell me if you can, same or differen't in my hand?"

As you go about your day, deliberately notice someone who is obviously different from you and then, in your mind discover all of the ways that you are similar. That's hard to do when you see a gang member with droopy drawers, or a crazy young/old driver ... well you get it. Please share your experience.

My twenty-five cent words

Someone sent me a subscription to Reader's Digest a few years ago. The first page I turned to was Word Power; I always scored high but never aced the quiz. Recently, I picked up a book at a yard sale for a quarter. Best twenty-five cents I've spent. Verbal Advantage, by Charles Harrington Elster teaches 3,500 words.

When I was a little girl, I used to love to figure out words. When I realized the word 'suitcase' meant a case in which to pack suits, I could feel my neural pathways hooking up; it was like a brain spark. To this day when I make that "connection" I feel a spark of excitement at learning. In college when I learned about the amelioration and pejoration of words, it was like a booster shot in the brain. I love words, although my written vocabulary is stronger than my oral expression.

I've heard that a lot of writers feel that way. Do you?

Here are a couple of words. Do you know the definitions?
This time of year I would be more peripatetic if it weren't for the crepitation of my shoulders and knees.

I like to stroll through the residential neighborhood near my school during my lunch hour and look at fall decorations. I am invigorated at this time of year.


Peripatetic (PER-i-puh-TET-ik): walking about, going places on foot.
Crepitate (KREP-i-TAYT): to make a crackling, snapping, or popping noise.

Up Up and Away

I just read about a high school student who put a message in a wine bottle and sealed it and tossed it into the Atlantic Ocean. Six years later a young lad and his dad were out walking along the coast of Ireland when they found it. I've always wanted to put a note in a bottle, but the ocean is so clogged with debris, and I figured my bottle would surely roll back in on the first wave and be found by an environmentalist intent on punishing me for fouling the sea or shore. So I never did it.

However, many years ago when I worked at another school, we had some sort of celebration and did a helium balloon release. I attached this laminated message to each balloon string: I released this balloon into the sky. If you find it, please reply. Well, a week later we received a telephone call from a Shriner's clown who said he'd found one of the balloons about five miles away near the railroad tracks. He brought the students a bag of balloons. We were thrilled. Then a week later we received a letter from a farmer's wife in Ohio. She and her young son had spied the balloon which had landed in a flooded field. They anxiously waited days for the water to recede, then they pulled on their boots and ran out to retrieve it. What excitement that response generated. St. Louis to Ohio... what a head wind that must have been!

Did you ever send a message off into the air or sea or to heaven for a deceased loved one?

First Sunday in October

Today we took a fall hike. I was looking for colorful leaves for a school project tomorrow. I came across this 'lady cigar tree' with leaves bigger than my head. Won't the kids be excited? We saw deer grazing nearby; we watched barge traffic on the Muddy Mississippi River. Oh what a glorious day. In a few minutes I will be serving homemade chicken pot pie (aka chicken bake) as the sun makes its slow crawl down the horizon. I am thankful for my blog friends and for finding my lost book, and being able to spend time outdoors reading Blue Highways, A Journey Into America, by William Least Heat-Moon. I felt like I was traveling the highways and byways, meandering through small town America and meeting the colorful characters. This memoir is chock full of history and interesting facts.

Welcome, Amy! Thanks for following my blog. Matthew will have a blast tomorrow.

Did you do anything fun and interesting this cool, fall weekend?

TGIF

Saturday afternoon, doors and windows wide open, crisp fall breeze; kitchen scrubbed clean. Sauerkraut, new potatoes and sausage simmering, bread warming, a big fat streussel-topped raspberry-chocolate chunk muffin to share for dessert.

Rain this morning detered hubby and me (but not our eight year old grandson and his team) from the soccer game. We drove onto the parking lot as the black cloud let loose and drenched everyone. We smiled and waved hello and good-bye.

Yesterday was every teacher's dream; I received three unexpected gifts. First, my little boy with a developmental delay and physical condition, reached up (the bones in his arms are fused and he doesn't have rotation) and hugged me. He has a happy, round face, and he's always pleasant and cooperative. He said, "Awww, you so CUUUUUTE, Miss Linda." I hugged him and laughed which made him laugh. We repeated this about five times. Then a little girl came in and she and her mom gave me a package of (locally produced) chococlate-dipped Dad's Scotch-Oatmeal cookies. Indescribably delicious. Another little girl gave me a lovely necklace. Three wonderful and unexpected surprises, and do you know what? I liked the first one best of all.

Just when I was thinking TGIF, God showed me I had a lot to be thankful for!

Three more sniffers, then I quit!

First of all a big welcome to my new followers, Allison, Betty, Road Dog Tales, Sugar in the Golden Retrievers, Jennifer and Katie. Thank you for stopping by and please leave a comment.

I'm still on my "sniff sentences" kick, especially since hubby trimmed the shrubs and cedar bushes. And a miniature rose bush I thought was dead at the end of summer, just blossomed again.

A dozen sweet smelling roses snuff out the bitter scent of betrayal, then wilt like a dead marriage. (I'm happily married.)

Broken evergreen boughs leach Christmas memories tangled in lights, wrapped in a red satin bow.

Apple cobbler cooling, chili simmering, fresh bread baking ~ warming the house and heart.

Please write a sensory sentence and share it. It might be the beginning of a great poem, or it might stand alone as a poem.

Have a blessed weekend. It's going to be nippy here, only in the 60s. Time for a hike.