Can a Puppy Be Elegant?

Fritz was our puppy for 17 years. He was such an integral part of our family…actually like another child. He sort of missed out on the growing up part. Fritz was everywhere at once…excitable, constantly moving, greeting everyone who happened to visit like they were celebrities. I never called him a “dog”. The word “dog” was too serious for him! Fritz always acted like a happy, happy puppy!

Fritz was a Bijon Frise. He believed that he was very elegant. He acted like he knew good and well that he was supposed to receive every bit of adoration and attention that was available…and then some. Actually, you could tell by looking in his eyes that he was basically fancy. To me, elegant means fancy.

Our puppy was not that elegant when he ran through piles of leaves that were piled in the backyard and the leaves stuck in his curly white fur. Our puppy was not that elegant when he jumped from one sofa to the other in the family room…back and forth, back and forth. Our puppy was not that elegant when he jumped into the pool before anyone told him that it was ok to do so. In fact, he was told “No! No!”. Again, his curly white fur was not that elegant when wet. In the front of our house, he was the picture of good behavior.

The backyard pushed him overboard on the excitement level. Blame me for that. Whenever, he went into the front of our house, I had him on a leash…a brightly colored special leash. There is no telling where he would have gone without that leash. Across the street and around the corner were the best guesses. He was not trained to be a perfectly behaved and elegant puppy.

Again…blame me! We had never had an inside puppy and I told everyone in my family that I could handle the training. No way! I should have gone to a behavior modification class myself. And maybe there is a reason for his behavior…not to make excuses or anything like that! Fritz came to us when he was about four months old by very different circumstances.

Our good friends had a beautiful Bichon Frise (rather elegant, I would say!). When we would go over to their house, their Bichon…Tuffy…would pay an inordinate amount of attention to my husband. He paid a short, but polite amount of attention to me. Of course, my husband liked Tuffy a lot. I thought that this might be my big chance to get an inside puppy. I could find a puppy Bichon! I just happened to mention my plan to my friend…Tuffy’s human mom.

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My friend took this announcement as a serious challenge. Within a day or two, she found a Bichon Frise advertised in the newspaper. Good price, all shots completed, great health, excellent with children, friendly…an ideal puppy for us, but needed some training. I was teaching school when she read the ad, so she called the owner who placed the ad and drove over to meet the puppy. As it turned out, the “for sale” puppy had belonged to the man’s wife. She lost her battle from a serious illness just a week or so before he placed the ad. I am sure that her puppy made him very sad. He wanted to find a good home for Fritz…a home with children. My friend bought Fritz on the spot and told me when I got home from school.

SURPRISE to me…that is for sure! I was thrilled, but my husband was a bit questionable about the whole situation. We decided that we could “try out” the puppy for the weekend and my friend said that if it did not work out…that they would keep Fritz. They would love to have two Bichons. So Fritz came over to our house for the trial weekend and stayed for seventeen non-elegant years! He slowed down for the last few months because of sudden poor health…he was getting really old for a Bichon. We were crushed, but understood that his quality of life was diminished.

When the time came, we had him buried at a pretty pet cemetery under a shade tree. I chose a little white box for him to be buried in with a satin blanket. Perhaps, I became somewhat carried away. However, Fritz brought us such happiness and love and dedication. We were his forever family. He was very, very elegant with that satin blanket.

Bichon Frise on grass with chew toy

Ideal Plopping Place Found.

Good and decent etiquette says that you just can’t plop yourself on any old item. Tell someone shopping in big stores like Sam’s Wholesale Club or Costco that they can’t plop down anywhere they want and you might not like what you hear. By the time I get close to the food section at Costco, I am ready to find a sofa or a chair or even a bench. At our store, the furniture is usually just located on one aisle. Good luck finding an empty spot.

Entire furniture stores are ideal for plopping. “Don’t mind me…I am just trying out this recliner”. We were recently in Nebraska Furniture Mart located in a Dallas suburb. It has to be the largest furniture store in existence. The name is deceiving…they also sell appliances, computers, phones, flooring, decorative items…you name it, they have it. It took me a year to get my husband to go to Nebraska Furniture Mart. Our daughter and I went when they first opened. We found so much that we had no idea that we really needed.

Perhaps I could have talked my husband into visiting the store a bit sooner, but we happened to be driving by and he saw the size of the store. Mostly he saw the totally full parking lot. No way. Besides, we were on our way to Choctaw Casino just over the Oklahoma border. Even a totally dedicated shopper like myself would prefer to keep on going to Oklahoma. I think that the people watching at Choctaw is the big draw. Or perhaps it is the wonderful buffet. It certainly can’t be the hope that we will win money. We only play the penny machines or Wheel of Fortune. So no Nebraska Furniture shopping on that trip. Choctaw does have a beautiful pool and plopping there is certainly encouraged.

When my husband saw a Nebraska ad with good computer prices, we were there that very Saturday. Yes…we found a laptop that we liked. I looked at every set of bedroom furniture on the second floor. I was in my own world when I found the beautiful Amish furniture. There was just one problem. For the longest time, I could not find my husband at all. I called his cell phone. I looked in the bargain area. I looked at the furniture from the Fixer Upper HGTV people. Nowhere! No luck until I found the recliners on the far end of the store. Literally hundreds of recliners…most filled with husbands who had plopped down for a few minutes or for most husbands…a whole lot of minutes.

You got it right…one of those husbands belonged to me. He was having a wonderful time visiting with all the other “lost” husbands. It was like a party with no refreshments. No music. No football games or old westerns on a too loud television.

Happiness for these husbands was found in the ideal place to plop down…a recliner that you didn’t have to buy and a wife that was so very busy shopping that she had no idea where to find her husband.

Recliners…not very attractive…but, perfect for plopping!

Wedding Cakes. Such a Decision.

Our Wedding Cake-1976!

When my husband and I married in 1976, I honestly knew immediately that Kern’s Bakery in Longview, TX would be making our wedding cake. I suppose that there were other bakeries in my hometown, but my family only went to Kern’s and everyone person I knew went to Kern’s. If Kern’s had not been able to make another wedding cake on August 7, 1976…I probably would have changed the wedding date to another Saturday.

My history with Kern’s was long. I remember going there as a child with my mother. She would always let me get a small petit four with white glazed icing smoothly covering the top and sides of the little cake. I would always choose one with a tiny perfectly shaped pink rose on the top. I made up a rule that I couldn’t take a bite until we were almost back home and driving down our street. Years later, we would sometimes get take-out dinners from a favorite Mexican restaurant. I told our children that we couldn’t have any tortilla chips until we reached a certain place on our route home. A person who does this is either stuck on finding self-control or just downright crazy. Actually, I think that the petit fours were more important than the chips!

As our children grew up in Fort Worth, we regularly were customers at Harper’s Bluebonnet Bakery. We still go there because their petit fours are unbelievably delicious. If a wedding cake has the same taste as a bakery’s petit fours, you have a real winner for your reception. That is just my opinion…based on experience!

When I chose Kern’s to make our wedding cake, I had not one worry about the cake, the taste of the cake, the beauty of the cake. And then…the day of our wedding arrived. Early in the morning, I became totally enveloped in worry about the cake making the ride from the bakery to the reception. Would it be in one piece or ten pieces? I have mentioned in another post that I sent my maid of honor to check on the cake’s arrival. She doesn’t even remember going out there. Possibly, I turned into a micro-manager before that term was even used.

To tell the truth, Kern’s did everything just right… especially éclairs and crème puffs in addition to the petit fours and wedding cakes. My high school was located just two or three blocks away from the bakery. The practice field was located almost across the street from the bakery. During summer practices for our drill team…The Viewettes…some of us or probably most of us would go over to Kern’s for a treat and a soft drink from a Coca-Cola machine. I am certain that this resulted in some alterations to our uniforms in September!!

So really…I would never have even considered any other bakery for our wedding cake. When our own daughter married in Fort Worth almost two years ago, choosing the wedding cake was so different than my own experience. There are so many wonderful bakeries and different cake designs and unusual flavors. My husband and I spent the better part of a Saturday afternoon tasting cakes at an Arlington bakery. They were all delicious. We would have chosen any of those cakes.

Our daughter’s major wedding cake search marched on. Another bakery had one day a month when you could purchase slices of wedding cakes to help with the choice. My husband must have been into it big time…one day he came home with six slices for us to try. He “just happened” to be near the cake location! Finally, the choice was made and the cake was perfectly gorgeous. So much more elegant than my own wedding cake. And the cost was a lot more “elegant”…that is for sure. We found the cost of wedding cakes to be very similar at every location.

The wedding cake was chosen, the church for the wedding was chosen, the reception venue was chosen, all of the bridesmaids and groomsmen were chosen, the flower girls, the junior bridesmaids, the ring bearer were chosen, the invitations, the dinner choices. However, even the wedding cake was not the first item that was decided upon.

Before the cake…the band for the reception was booked. Music…top importance. I had my priorities mixed up, I guess. All I could think about deciding on first for our wedding was the cake. But wait! We didn’t have a band with two singers and brass instruments and guitars and a drummer! We did not have a band at all! I am thinking we need to do our wedding all over again! Even though my old bakery named Kern’s is not the same and I would have to go through that whole cake search. We would not even need to have a dinner! We just want the band!

Our daughter’s Wedding Cake- 2014!

Davy Crockett Has a Forest?

As a matter of fact, Davy Crockett does have a forest. He didn’t really own it, but a forest is named after the very legendary pioneer. The Davy Crockett National Forest is located in the beautiful Piney Woods of East Texas. To me, this forest is a magical place of wonderfully tall pine tree canopies sheltering unusual green foliage sprinkled with wildflowers.

I was first introduced to this National Forest when I was a student at Stephen F. Austin State University in nearby historic Nacogdoches, TX. Some of my friends in my freshmen dorm were from Houston and neighboring suburbs and cities. They knew all about the Davy Crockett National Forest and every single one of the large lakes in that part of East Texas. They were like professional tour guides. Lucky me!

Driving from Nacogdoches to the forest was a quick 38 miles of scenery worthy of viewing. Upon arrival at Davy Crockett, information informs you that the National Forest is over 160,000 acres! Giant to me at the time! The forest has an overabundance of clear and sometimes fast moving streams and is inhabited by scores of wildlife examples. You might see squirrel, deer, quail, dove, turkey, and various examples of waterfowl. Indeed, it is a managed habitat.

lake ratcliff

My most favorite part of the Davy Crocket National Forest is the 45-acre Ratcliff Lake, formally known as Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area. How I loved this place at first sight! Even as young college students, we knew that we were honored to have such beauty close to our school. Some of my acquaintances were students in the School of Forestry at SFA and they realized the importance of the thick groups of loblolly pine and oak trees that surrounded the lake.

There are several hiking trails that head out from Lake Ratcliff through Davy Crockett. These include the Trail Tamers which is a 0.75-mile not so difficult trail. The Tall Pines trail is a little longer at 1.5-mile. If you have the stamina and want to see the scenic overlook (a must, if you can!), take the 20-mile Four C. Other activities besides hiking include fishing, swimming, camping, as well as picnic fun.

There are campsites that can be reserved, plus picnic shelters and an amphitheater. This is an ideal reunion spot for the family that enjoys the outdoor life. Just remember that Texas is hot in the summer, but I never felt the heat in Davy Crockett. The shade trees are in abundance!

According to the “Texas Time Travel” website, the Davy Crockett National Forest is considered to be one of the premier destinations for scenic hikes and drives. The area is historically important with several structures dating back to the early 1900s. Nearby Nacogdoches is known as being the oldest town in Texas and home to many historical treasures. As we celebrate the 100th year of the National Park Service, we should also remember the National Forest System created by the Land Revision Act of 1891. Davy Crockett National Forest is a unique place for all to enjoy. More than that, it is a protected area with sustainable use of natural resources.

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New Orleans. Calls My Name Again.

In the last week or so, I wrote about my growing dislike for professional football. So sorry, pro football people, but I still feel the same way. Of course, I still have a good attitude about the New Orleans Saints. If the Saints let a player get away with actions that are criminal offenses for normal people…then they will be a very shaky commodity in my eyes.

However, I can’t stay unhappy about the city of New Orleans for very long, if ever. St. Charles Avenue with the Garden District’s grand old houses…you call my name. The Audubon Zoo…you call my name even though my times with you have been the hottest, most humid times in my life. Café du Monde…I have been covered from head to toe with powdered sugar from your beignets…you surely call my name.

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Jackson Square so like an outdoor art gallery with paintings even displayed on iron fences…you always call my name. The French Quarter with jazz music blaring from every direction, people walking every direction, decadence on Bourbon Street that you need to ignore, decorative balconies…ah!…you call my name. The Bourbon House Restaurant in the French Quarter with the freshest and best seafood dishes and I don’t really like seafood, plus we know about the parking garage…you call my name.

Riverboat Natchez, New Orleans.jpg

Sno-balls (better known as snow cones in other parts of the country) are very finely shaved ice topped off with sugary syrups…you call my name all summer long. The big Mississippi River with the Steamboat Natchez (even though the last time we rode on you, the fog stopped our voyage)…still, you call my name. The Camellia Grill with your white columned façade…you look like a pretty little house and your parking area is not so good…I don’t mind because you call my name.

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I am leaving out so many places in New Orleans. I just can’t go on and on…you will just have to go down and find your own places. Now, I have to watch the TCU game because college football REALLY IS MY FAVORITE SPORT and I have already seen LSU lose today. So sad for my relatives. Trust me…they take sports seriously down there!

Cafe Du Monde

Norwegians Sing Hallelujah. The Best.

I do not have the words to fully explain the beauty of this rendition of Hallelujah, written by Leonard Cohen. Sung by Norwegians Espen Lind, Askil Holm, Alejandro Fuentes, and Kurt Nilsen; the melody and the blending harmony are near perfection. A friend shared this version on Facebook and I have since listened to much of their music online… wonderfully sung as a group and individually.

The haunting melody of “Hallelujah” has been scrutinized for lyric meaning for years. It is on one hand, completely controversial. On the other hand, the song has a singular religious base. Hundreds of singers have recorded the song through the years since it was first released in 1984. Most notable, it became known again as a healing anthem after 9/11.

After reading pages and pages of explanations for the lyrics, I have reached the conclusion that the meaning of the song is truly in the eyes of the beholder. Even Leonard Cohen struggles to explain the song and is bewildered by the immense popularity it has garnered. To paraphrase various writers…In the Christian tradition “Hallelujah” is a word of praise. The word can be an expression of joy and triumph. It appears from articles about Leonard Cohen that he is saying that the song is an affirmation of faith in life, not in some formal religious way. An affirmation to life that includes enthusiasm and emotion.

Another idea is that there will always be unresolved conflicts in the world…particularly today… and we have to embrace all of life and the imperfections that exist.

I say…Hallelujah!…life moves forward with the possibilities of joy and happiness and understanding. Whatever faith you might have…your own interpretations of the song and of life have merit. For that…we should have respect.

OK. I Bought the McConaughey SUV.

It is rare for me to pay much attention to any commercial on television. There are times that I think they are too silly. There are times that I think the volume goes up dramatically during commercials. And no one in our house has turned the volume up. The commercials were actually made that way. Too loud…on purpose. As a teacher, I certainly do not like “this loud on purpose” business…especially on our own television. Loud commercials sort of drive me crazy…too intrusive.

That is why the Matthew McConaughey commercials for Lincoln vehicles stopped me in my tracks. Ok…I sort of think that he is cool regardless of the commercials. The commercials began about two years ago and were very different. They were quiet and made me stop and listen. The first one that I saw was for a Lincoln MKC SUV. The actor was driving on a freeway in Austin TX. I recognized the location immediately. Later, I realized that Matthew had adlibbed the entire commercial. What do you know? A real commercial from a real person set in a very forward thinking city like Austin.

The reason that I absolutely know that Matthew is a real person who is actually very kind is because we are from the same hometown… Longview, TX. We both graduated from Longview High School although my graduation was about 20 or 21 years before his. I know people who knew him then and he was much the same. The young Matthew McConaughey was a good-looking free spirit, very smart, ambitious, and friendly to everyone he met even as a teenager.

After graduation, he attended and graduated from The University of Texas at Austin. My husband also graduated from UT-Austin. We have seen Matthew at several Longhorn football games…pacing the sidelines near the coaches. He is a serious and dedicated fan. He was discovered in Austin and was cast in the movie, Dazed and Confused. The rest is history… as they say.

When I saw those commercials and the remaining Lincoln commercials, I immediately liked those cars. I thought at the time…am I ever going to grow up? Liking something because of a movie star?! Please!! But thinking again, someone who I knew led a life that deserved respect was endorsing a long-time company. He certainly did not need the money. Plus, he completed the commercials his way…not following a script. I do truly admire that type of individuality. OK…I thought maybe I would at least look at the cars.

Actually, we were in the market for a new car for me and I had been looking at several SUV types for about a year. At the next Fort Worth Auto Show, I sat in every, single SUV. The Lincoln MKC really was my favorite. Last August, we went to a DFW dealership, drove the MKC, negotiated a terrific deal, and bought it. Fortunately, it was not more expensive than any other SUV that I was considering. All new cars cost too much these days. Nevertheless…

We saw the commercials. They made sense to us. We were drawn to the car by Matthew McConaughey. We bought because the company is trustworthy. And because a small town Texas boy has used his talents to the very best of his ability and still remembers where he came from. I like that idea a lot.

The Fierce Yellowstone.

Yellowstone National Park exudes fierceness. Yellowstone exudes wild land. Land that refuses to let go of control. Yellowstone can represent our clearest vision, our ability to hear sound vibrations, our sudden awareness of scents, our longing to taste the clear running water, our hands touching the expanses of green grasses. We can respond to every sense plus more at Yellowstone.

Driving across Wyoming, our family vacation became a real adventure. Yellowstone was our long anticipated destination. We knew that the sights in Yellowstone would be dramatic. We saw drama before we were close to arriving. Stopping in Laramie for the night, we walked with our children over to the gift shop of the pretty and quiet motel.

The shop was almost closing and when we walked back outside, we heard noise from the small bar that was near the front of the property. Yelling ensued and a man was literally and fiercely thrown out the door. He fell on the ground. Perhaps, he was not hurt. There was no “perhaps” about it for us. We rushed to our room. Drama.

On our drive to our destination the next day, the scenery became more beautiful every mile. The air was clean, the wind was blowing, and the mountains loomed ahead. As we entered Yellowstone, even our thirteen and eight year old children were quiet. This was majesty at the most highest level. We saw majestic trees curving around thick forests. We wondered about the Native Americans who lived on this land for thousands of years. We thought about the first explorers and how they felt when they arrived.

Upon our arrival at Yellowstone Lake, we checked in and found our cabin. I would have been happy to sit on the little porch and stare at the lake. However, we yearned for the opportunities that awaited us. We had read about the top ten things to see in Yellowstone:

1. Old Faithful Geyser

2. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

3. Hayden Valley

4. Mammoth Hot Springs

5. Yellowstone Lake (we were there already!)

6. Norris Geyser Basin

7. Lamar Valley

8.Tower Fall

9. Lower Geyser Basin

10. West Thumb Geyser Basin

As we started driving through and exploring the park, we realized that we could never really see everything. We tried. We looked for bears around every curve in the road. None to be seen on this trip. There were tourists and tour buses at every location. Everytime someone spotted an animal, there was an instant traffic jam. We even enjoyed the gift shops and we particularly enjoyed looking at the architecture of the old lodges. Our daughter still talks about what she saw at Yellowstone…buffalo. Or should I say bison?

Whatever the name, there was a bison standing right by our porch when we opened the door the next morning. He would not budge for one inch. We stared at each other. Our daughter would definitely not walk out the door to go to breakfast. Our son acted brave, but I think he was happy to stay put. We waited for at least an hour for that bison to get bored just standing beside a cabin. Later that same day…as we were driving to a waterfall…a group of bison ran with lightening speed in front of our car.

So many moments for our family to capture in our own personal memories. I could go on for hours. If you have not seen Yellowstone…please go. Yellowstone is part of our national heritage. It is history. It is exploration. It is beauty. It is wonderment. It is fearful at times. It is fierce in sheer determination to remain a treasure for us all.

What Vice? Just Look Around.

We do not have to look very far to hear, to see, to even experience something that has vice written all over it. In one respect, a vice can be characterized by corruption. In another respect, a vice can be characterized by immoral conduct. Try to think of every negative behavior…each one is a vice. We hear about vice on the news virtually 24 hours a day.

We need some positive news at some point. We do need honest, direct, and current news. Why do we give such news coverage with seemingly unlimited time limits to people who are determined to be residents in a den of iniquity? Perhaps they are just desperate for publicity. Perhaps they are have been made transparent in a very sad way…so transparent that there is nothing left to resemble decent behavior.

Could it be drug use? Maybe. Poor education? Lack of a conscience? No respect for laws? Determination to go against the acceptable norm? Absent childhood? Absent parents? Absent morals? Absent character? All of the above?

Vice. I do not think that someone is just born that way. Perhaps, I am mistaken. Maybe they have a propensity towards inappropriate behavior at birth. The argument arises again regarding nature versus nurture. I have to take into consideration that people are greatly influenced by the set of circumstances that are present in their lives. Why? Why? Why?

Dr. Anita L. Archer. Literacy Expert.

Anita L. Archer, PhD

When I was a Reading First Literacy Coach from 2007 through 2009, I had the unparalleled honor of hearing Dr. Archer give the most outstanding presentation of my teaching career. Several colleagues and I were in Houston, TX, to attend a state Reading First Conference. We chose several break-out sessions that were of particular interest to us personally. The most strategic information from the conference came from a major address by Dr. Archer.

She spoke to a large audience as if we were in a small staff meeting as she walked back and forth across the room. My attention did not move from her voice for any amount of time. Her focus was on engaging the young literacy learner in the classroom…how to bring a five, six, seven year old child to total involvement in your teaching… how to manage your classroom by using repetitive words and motions. I have attached a video in this post. It shows Dr. Archer in an actual classroom putting just a few of her methods into action. Fascinating.

When the grant ended for Reading First in my school district, I chose to return to the classroom. I had finished my master’s in Educational Administration and intended to move forward in my career, but I totally missed being in a regular classroom. Part of my decision to return to teaching came as a result of Dr. Archer’s speech. I could hardly wait to use her ideas in my own classroom.

Each and every strategy worked right away. I was thrilled and thankful that I had the opportunity to hear a true expert teach… in a way that I had wondered about and considered. To teach in a way that seemed comfortable and inclusive to me and to the children. Included on YouTube are complete videos of presentations from Dr. Archer, in addition to short portions of her teaching methods. When I think of the word “expert”, I cannot think of a better personal example.

Explicit Instruction.

Effective and Efficient Teaching.

How Well You Teach =How Well They Learn

Anita L. Archer, PhD, is an educational consultant to school districts on explicit instruction, the design and delivery of instruction, behavior management, and literacy instruction. She has taught elementary and middle school students and is the recipient of 10 awards honoring her excellence in teaching and contribution to the field of education. Dr. Archer has served on the faculties of San Diego State University, the University of Washington in Seattle, and the University of Oregon in Eugene. She is nationally known for her professional development activities, having presented in every state over the course of her 40-year career.