tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54895831823852767672024-03-15T19:12:06.211-06:00Evolving English Teachersince 1981; NBCT, MA English; https://betterlesson.com/master_teacher_projectsGlenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.comBlogger774125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-34336680829524377652022-10-17T18:53:00.001-06:002022-10-17T18:58:44.471-06:00I've Moved! <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yruopVoMphxogmhc8Lowk7TTLHwLyHfdymDuaSWtyxNGXLbJuYaspzc9mpLZRNpDoPv2SKgxP3Dlxyy6aOXM49gm2xXUUvnsbEa26jjcbX_Z1z6dbNvt0U4_mGBLSIg2cjJQI4_FX_i2GxSJ-vvHDwzHcRVdNCori0AamUoJaW9mvW41_3W3NIreQA/s160/IMG_8515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="107" data-original-width="160" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yruopVoMphxogmhc8Lowk7TTLHwLyHfdymDuaSWtyxNGXLbJuYaspzc9mpLZRNpDoPv2SKgxP3Dlxyy6aOXM49gm2xXUUvnsbEa26jjcbX_Z1z6dbNvt0U4_mGBLSIg2cjJQI4_FX_i2GxSJ-vvHDwzHcRVdNCori0AamUoJaW9mvW41_3W3NIreQA/w320-h214/IMG_8515.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: At the Folger Shakespeare Library in 2010. This is one of the first photos featured on this blog.</span></div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> Dear Readers, <p></p><p>I began blogging in this space in 2010 and have published over 700 times in the Blogger community. </p><p>You may have noticed I've been absent from this platform, from this blog, since June. My absence is because after much thought, after myriad problems with comments posting, after my frustration level increasing to a slow burn, I made the decision to move my blog from Blogger to Word Press. </p><p>Just as one acquires a new address, as well as a new street name, I have a new blog name, too. I named my new blog</p><p><b>Swirl and Swing: Lines on Living & Learning</b></p><p>after a quote by James A. Michner: </p><p><i>I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.</i></p><p>I wanted a title that better reflects where I am in my writing life. You can find more about this in my first Swirl and Swing post: <a href="https://glendafunk.wordpress.com/2022/07/04/transitioning-worlds-words/">Transitioning Worlds and Words.</a> </p><p>Since moving, I've written 11 posts. As you can see, I've procrastinated announcing my move. I hope you'll continue following my blog and sharing your thoughts with me. </p><p>Here's a list of my other posts on the new-to-me platform. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://glendafunk.wordpress.com/2022/07/25/minidoka-an-american-concentration-camp-sol22/" target="_blank">Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp</a></li><li><a href="https://glendafunk.wordpress.com/2022/07/11/our-cat-is-what-sol22/" target="_blank">Our Cat is a What? </a></li><li><a href="https://glendafunk.wordpress.com/2022/08/22/being-brave-sol22/" target="_blank">Being Brave</a></li><li><a href="https://glendafunk.wordpress.com/2022/09/05/a-river-snakes-through-this-state/" target="_blank">A River Snakes Trough This State</a></li><li><a href="https://glendafunk.wordpress.com/2022/09/12/waterfall-chaser-sol22/" target="_blank">Waterfall Chaser</a></li><li><a href="https://glendafunk.wordpress.com/2022/09/19/southern-fried-green-tomatoes-sol22/" target="_blank">Southern Fried Green Tomatoes</a></li><li><a href="https://glendafunk.wordpress.com/2022/09/26/reunited-sol22/" target="_blank">Reunited</a></li><li><a href="https://glendafunk.wordpress.com/2022/10/03/poetry-in-the-park-sol22/" target="_blank">Poetry in the Park</a></li><li><a href="https://glendafunk.wordpress.com/2022/10/10/i-c-you-sol22/" target="_blank">I "C" You</a></li><li><a href="https://glendafunk.wordpress.com/2022/10/17/teaching-its-in-your-bones-sol22-substituteteaching/" target="_blank">Teaching: It's in Your Bones</a></li></ul><div>My new blog address is <a href="http://glendafunk.wordpress.com">glendafunk.wordpress.com</a></div><div><br /></div><div>I invite you to come visit any time, at any hour of the day or night! </div><div><br /></div><div>Glenda</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uG0kwGzKLtnAyAWausGNqwUlS1WYknQj5LbUZy7P-rrhgR_-9a5h_Z3edXyfrhO2Ruoe7qQTAxzeFE1K-CIZ9gU353WtPKFwHhfXV-oroc6C2DdNh0FAyXjyKuXIlOqgpxi-AmFCrMUZHzo8-F9hPMM-q_UItM1e7Doxw3D26J4t7LInoLTcTa7dKg/s3088/5AC05463-F7FD-48AB-9F3E-6C459A7718E2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uG0kwGzKLtnAyAWausGNqwUlS1WYknQj5LbUZy7P-rrhgR_-9a5h_Z3edXyfrhO2Ruoe7qQTAxzeFE1K-CIZ9gU353WtPKFwHhfXV-oroc6C2DdNh0FAyXjyKuXIlOqgpxi-AmFCrMUZHzo8-F9hPMM-q_UItM1e7Doxw3D26J4t7LInoLTcTa7dKg/s320/5AC05463-F7FD-48AB-9F3E-6C459A7718E2.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: At the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, March 2022. This is the last photo of me posted on this blog.</span></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-82118276750281431982022-06-06T23:22:00.007-06:002022-06-06T23:23:13.868-06:00Writing My Own Road #SOL22<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyoDDz-n7meDYGhJZgaCYjZ59z4DqAZjx5j4vaQG1bxHXWoaGO7vK6gSdX2w_pYxXEB0_sAtjGuenukAySghLET_OWhuvitTzkhzS3THGFGaboRHv5p5ZN7uft5gofMXpPEb79zLXeG0rHPymTz3F4cHBgnNBCc4s8W9LolajzdEc8Psh-ymiH4u_3A/s225/SOL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyoDDz-n7meDYGhJZgaCYjZ59z4DqAZjx5j4vaQG1bxHXWoaGO7vK6gSdX2w_pYxXEB0_sAtjGuenukAySghLET_OWhuvitTzkhzS3THGFGaboRHv5p5ZN7uft5gofMXpPEb79zLXeG0rHPymTz3F4cHBgnNBCc4s8W9LolajzdEc8Psh-ymiH4u_3A/s1600/SOL.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>In early 2020 two friends and I began planning a road trip to some southern states for June 2020. We all know what happened to the best laid plans two years ago. Our trip has been on hold, but now we're ready to create our own version of <i>On the Road, </i>although we'll have no Dean Moriarty. </p><p>Jack Kerouac's travel novel did not resonate with me when I read it years ago, but I'm now wondering if I should travel through its pages again, if rereading will fill me with the nostalgia and longing absent when I first met Kerouac's careless characters. </p><p>We're not traveling aimlessly, nor are we staying in seedy hotel rooms. We have a plan, but I do feel the pull of Dean's words to Sal: </p><blockquote><p>"Sal, we gotta go and never stop going 'till we get there.'</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>'Where we going, man?'</p></blockquote><blockquote><p>'I don't know but we gotta go."</p></blockquote><p>It's the <i>never stop going</i> that pulls me to the road and to the skies, and on this trip we have some iconic destinations awaiting us: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Mesa Verde National Park</li><li>Pagosa Springs, Colorado to soak in the hot pools</li><li>Carlsbad Caverns</li><li>Santa Fe, New Mexico (Georgia O'Keefe Museum and Meow Wolf)</li><li>San Antonio, Texas (On our way we're taking a short detour to Uvalde where we'll pay our respects to the students and teachers killed in that horrific mass shooting. We're delivering some poems, cards, and notes.)</li><li> Webster, Texas (near Houston to visit the Johnson Space Center)</li><li>Galveston, Texas (beach days)</li><li>Swamp Tour in the Louisiana Bayou</li><li>Whitney Plantation in Louisiana</li><li>New Orleans, Louisiana</li><li>Montgomery, Alabama</li><li>Jack Daniels Distillery in Tennessee</li><li>Nashville, Tennessee</li><li>St. Louis, Missouri (Cardinals vs. Cubs baseball game and Gateway Arch)</li><li>Kansas City, Missouri (Blue Man Group at the Starlight Theater; Truman home and library in Independence)</li><li>Denver, Colorado</li></ul><div>I've also made a list of possible side trips and Instagramable moments along our journey, including the Beer Can House in San Antonio, and Alligator Alley in Alabama. </div><div><br /></div><div>Years ago I drove the over 1,200 miles from Idaho to my home state Missouri with my two small children multiple times, but I have not taken a long road trip without my husband in years. I am a little nervous despite detailed planning and copious preparations anticipating myriad contingencies. Still I am ready to go, to see new places, and share familiar ones with my traveling companions, so I'll not focus on doomsday scenarios or gas prices. </div><div><br /></div><blockquote><div><i>But why think about that when all the golden lands ahead of you and all kinds of unforseen events wait lurking to surprise you and make you glad you're alive to see. </i></div></blockquote><p>I am glad to be alive to see. </p><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><p></p><blockquote><p><i> </i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-88903232348090727682022-05-30T22:00:00.009-06:002022-05-30T22:00:00.189-06:00Windowless Classrooms #SOL22 #Uvalde<blockquote><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TWAbWwTBP2rlU5ZayxWSjHpUuhW3GjDeCBh58V3LjA4RttIVObdaizm1c7UwvuSERNAg_BgjJxo5gilAu-oT7XP-xAgerSgLSiwQ4Mj7k9LRdV2cRWChfyrR1puA9YeOwG5rjGghAYM_JIlTPmY6oaLnRvBKcAVzxNPq__aRzBuGY8h49GCzzA2J1Q/s225/SOL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TWAbWwTBP2rlU5ZayxWSjHpUuhW3GjDeCBh58V3LjA4RttIVObdaizm1c7UwvuSERNAg_BgjJxo5gilAu-oT7XP-xAgerSgLSiwQ4Mj7k9LRdV2cRWChfyrR1puA9YeOwG5rjGghAYM_JIlTPmY6oaLnRvBKcAVzxNPq__aRzBuGY8h49GCzzA2J1Q/s1600/SOL.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><b>Tweet: </b><i>Cops stood outside the school while the killer rampaged inside. </i></blockquote><p></p><blockquote><p><i>Onlookers yelled at them to go in. They didn't. One parent urged bystanders: </i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><i>"Let's just rush in because the cops aren't doing anything like they are supposed to."</i> (<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uvalde-texas-school-shooting-44a7cfb990feaa6ffe482483df6e4683" target="_blank">"Onlookers urged police to charge into Texas school,</a>) (@AndySpecht)</p></blockquote><blockquote><p><b>Tweet: </b><i>"The bottom line is law enforcement was there," McCraw said. "They did engage immediately. They did contain (Ramos) in the classroom."</i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><i>Left conveniently out of his statement is that the classroom was full of children...which were slaughtered. (@georgedcummings)</i></p></blockquote><blockquote><p><b>Tweet: </b><i>It would be more accurate to say the shooter locked the cops out of the classroom. They had to get a key from a staff member. </i>(@gmfunk)</p></blockquote><p>In the days following the Robb Elementary mass murder of 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, I found myself riveted to the news and conversations about the events. During the conversations responding to the above tweets, someone asked why the police did not go through the classroom window. I did not yet know the layout of the school and suggested it's possible the classroom was windowless. </p><p>My comment about windowless classrooms resulted in ad hominen attacks. I was called stupid, accused of making things up, told I don't know what I'm talking about because <i>I've never seen a windowless classroom,</i> as several said. Even after I explained I taught 38 years and most were in windowless classrooms, I received the same attacks. </p><p>On May 26, I decided to query Twitter, and so I asked: </p><p></p><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">Teacher friends, raise your hand if you've taught in a windowless classroom or have windowless classrooms in your building. @ncte #THEBOOKCHAT #teachlivingpoets #edchat</blockquote><p>That tweet hit a nerve. As I write this post, the tweet has been liked 4,684 times and has 74 Quote Tweets and 128 Retweets. Additionally, the tweet has garnered 666 responses. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRNQiXH6YKg93s1AD_7TXf34sG4sxsJwByPFbheCcjLEPWB8PwTOmbt6hjI2mRZk-CrbIw2_GJhY_oRyPg5gawevQ4UB-wnPvbiRkOv_NUNrv2CkmoJz4CSq4oC53n498Ndd1haVELbGLUT8juhtofd972eXX2wMaV7v8ROR3wCFf1KyDgbGxrUZAAw/s1169/IMG_7749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="1169" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRNQiXH6YKg93s1AD_7TXf34sG4sxsJwByPFbheCcjLEPWB8PwTOmbt6hjI2mRZk-CrbIw2_GJhY_oRyPg5gawevQ4UB-wnPvbiRkOv_NUNrv2CkmoJz4CSq4oC53n498Ndd1haVELbGLUT8juhtofd972eXX2wMaV7v8ROR3wCFf1KyDgbGxrUZAAw/w400-h199/IMG_7749.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I have been overwhelmed and saddened by the stories teachers have shared about their working conditions. As many share, teachers work in boxes where they are trapped with no escape route from an active shooter in their building. Some have shared photos of rooms with bars on windows. Many tell stories about mold and the struggle to get supervisors to abate it. Others lament having rooms with windows that won't open. </p><p>One woman described her room as triangle shaped. The saddest stories are those in which teachers describe working in closets, in rooms attached to noisy lounges and offices, in the "changing room." Yes, there is a teacher who taught 15-18 students in a locker room. </p><p>Only a handful of teachers said they have comfortable, beautiful rooms with windows. One teacher told about visiting a friend who teaches in California in a room overlooking the Pacific Ocean. "I almost cried," she tweeted. </p><p>Some teachers described sending students to check the weather because they had no way to see outside all day. Still others go to work in the dark before the sun rises and leave school in the dark after the sun sets. One teacher said she went months without ever seeing the sun during the week. </p><p>Many teachers described their classrooms as hotboxes reaching high temperatures and malfunction HVAC units and/or rooms with no AC. <i>I'd use the one fan I had as leverage. I'd turn it off if the kids got noisy,</i> one teacher explained. </p><p>Often windowless classrooms began as open-concept schools (thanks Summerhill) later divided to create interior rooms with no windows. My children attended an elementary school with this design. The few windows in the school are narrow strips that let in only a little light and that can't be opened. My own high school had similar windows. </p><p>There are teachers who explained their districts' decision to eliminate windows during renovations. This happened at my school to one wing of our building. It meant I lost my window. I recall pitching a fit about this decision, but my protestations fell on deaf ears, as so often happens when teachers try to get those with power to listen. My last room began with a window looking out onto a courtyard, but several years before I retired the district upgraded the HVAC and eliminated my window. I loved that window and often stuck my head out it's small opening during my peri-menopause years. </p><p>I spent years teaching in windowless classrooms. Yes, I am aware many office workers work in windowless cubicles, as one person reminded me, but that's no justification for the crappy facilities many teachers teach in year after year. </p><p>We all know how difficult it is to get building bonds passed in many districts. We've all heard stories of crumbling school buildings and underfunded classrooms. Teachers live with these conditions and find a way to work through the struggles. </p><p>For us the dysfunctional becomes the norm. In time we stop thinking much about the setting and simply do the work. Only when put in stark relief do we become cognizant of the system's failures. Teachers innovate to make their spaces welcoming. Some use grow lights to grow plants; some hang murals of the beach; some put cloud film over skylights; some use walls and bulletin boards to make faux windows that trick the eye; some line the walls with books that open windows. <br /></p><p>I've been thinking about schools' physical infrastructures for years, but Covid and now the Uvalde mass shooting have heightened my awareness. </p><p>I've been thinking about calls to fund more security in schools, calls to arm teachers, calls to blame doors for mass murders, calls to blame teachers for opening doors, calls to limit access into schools to one single entry point, and I can't help but think about all those teachers teaching in windowless classrooms where they and their students can't see out into the world and how that also means the world can't see into their rooms with no views. </p><p>Clearly, many in this country cannot see into our classrooms. Many don't want to see.</p><p><br /></p><br /><p></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-1701665448562358632022-05-23T22:00:00.001-06:002022-05-23T22:00:00.186-06:00Lessons from Our Dogs #SOL22 #Noom<p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtI7-iS36DzjAs9_ZPceyKgOsN8ritZW4h7DqETiSUeJ_frUnMjwSmUuktGXpw-QODUB_0Y63eVJkhN4xRydXmAZjopjDvKu1NoGWqqP8MsU401wS4y_W_Q3R6qBAjWGCJNy37tfuvpMrmoGbb6bbPZAjuhRD1M-fLXAhAlRGsJzG6bUdAjVxEury-ng/s225/SOL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtI7-iS36DzjAs9_ZPceyKgOsN8ritZW4h7DqETiSUeJ_frUnMjwSmUuktGXpw-QODUB_0Y63eVJkhN4xRydXmAZjopjDvKu1NoGWqqP8MsU401wS4y_W_Q3R6qBAjWGCJNy37tfuvpMrmoGbb6bbPZAjuhRD1M-fLXAhAlRGsJzG6bUdAjVxEury-ng/s1600/SOL.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><blockquote><i>What important lessons from dogs do you want to embrace today? What else is there to learn from these furry companions?</i></blockquote><p>The questions above appeared in the group chat of Noom, which I began in February 2021, Monday. Immediately, I knew I had to respond, something I rarely do. Those who know me in this space have likely read numerous dog and cat posts, particularly during the March SOL challenge when I turn the blog over to each of my two dogs and each of my two cats. </p><p>Monday, however, I took the opportunity to share what both Puck and Snug have taught me, so I thought I'd share my fur-babies' lessons with you. Of course, I included photos in my Noom response. </p><p>Snug's Lessons:</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Have patience with yourself. Change takes time. </li><li>Stretch often. Snug's favorite stretch is Downward Facing Dog.</li><li>Get lots of sleep on a comfortable bed. Snug's favorite sleeping spots are Mom's and Dad's bed (mom's side), Dad's chair, on the couch next to Mom. </li><li>Take a new path occasionally, and don't forget to sniff the flowers, bushes, and trees along the way. </li><li>Eat healthy food. Snug recommends yogurt with mom as a good morning snack. </li></ul><div>Puck's Lessons:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Keep moving, even when your body is in pain. A sedentary lifestyle will not make the pain better.</li><li>Find reasons to be happy, even when you feel sad. </li><li>Smile as often as possible.</li><li>Accept help from the cats when they want to clean your face, eyes, and ears. This one Puck didn't share on Noom but wanted to share with the TWT/SOL community. </li><li>Don't worry about a little dirt in your fur. You can always take a bath on your next trip to the doggy spa. Again, Puck did not share this on Noom because it may not help with weight loss but is important to nature lovers in this community. </li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eP8-_NbOIzw0XI64_2HFPVtdYFNsZ65QJSDEAT1GXO80OF-8b0eXNGG2M5xZKWFFSZ3uw9XpyYscIW3yilNUgqc3Qo9yghUdU9SJdGm8BkFczD4GCfAqql82OrONsTsua8xzUTXyeFM2BUa2mRoOzU9KSEWXRjpVlELCknJSsGI9Ggci-Vi0YqzY7A/s1224/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-23%20at%207.34.24%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="964" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eP8-_NbOIzw0XI64_2HFPVtdYFNsZ65QJSDEAT1GXO80OF-8b0eXNGG2M5xZKWFFSZ3uw9XpyYscIW3yilNUgqc3Qo9yghUdU9SJdGm8BkFczD4GCfAqql82OrONsTsua8xzUTXyeFM2BUa2mRoOzU9KSEWXRjpVlELCknJSsGI9Ggci-Vi0YqzY7A/w315-h400/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-23%20at%207.34.24%20PM.png" width="315" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Snug enjoying his morning yogurt with Mom.</div><div><br /></div><div>Both Puck and Snug suggested I share the Noom coach's doggy lessons, tooL </div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Loyalty</li><li>Forgiveness</li><li>Drink lots of water</li><li>Go outside more (and get excited about walking)</li><li>Express gratitude, especially when life gives you treats. </li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHb_LoHaU9o6ZdKvOSz71DU58tHVBROGdz62qBhZ2l7UQf5_4o9XfzTHclskx2uGxKRU5UhDesxQsKuh_2wAXJkvVwp4rfiTwmoluRbne2L52ztZZnFzpXxkNy6EpTcekgvZXjsu12KrNUQQfmH_UGfjiw8oY1ojszenxY5ECKlFVzchIjgQl7pc6FA/s854/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-23%20at%207.37.43%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="854" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVHb_LoHaU9o6ZdKvOSz71DU58tHVBROGdz62qBhZ2l7UQf5_4o9XfzTHclskx2uGxKRU5UhDesxQsKuh_2wAXJkvVwp4rfiTwmoluRbne2L52ztZZnFzpXxkNy6EpTcekgvZXjsu12KrNUQQfmH_UGfjiw8oY1ojszenxY5ECKlFVzchIjgQl7pc6FA/w400-h254/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-23%20at%207.37.43%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Puck admires his pretty self one morning in April.</div><div><br /></div><div>Puck and Snug love treats, especially roast chicken, which both mom and dad shared with them Monday evening at dinner. They'd also like to hear what you've learned from your fur-babies. </div></div><div><br /></div><p></p><p></p><p><i><br /></i></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-81698529431035718602022-05-16T22:00:00.002-06:002022-05-16T23:39:56.928-06:00My Buffalo Manifesto [a poem] #SOL22<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJ3K1HxnQNIClpfjs-CuyO5dZK7lYTAVNOHLxxLahUrFetgjp4Mihd14qhKJxMVdRwvtVJzmuS7FHMGumIPdLcF9iQ3OHtO22beX7zjDHUySducl-GBjg96LDZ765UOxIS1eHrnBYFPAiFjrc-XhS1DEpObQVFQ7qEC-Fv1S4vD7sfek7a025aWbiaQ/s225/SOL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJ3K1HxnQNIClpfjs-CuyO5dZK7lYTAVNOHLxxLahUrFetgjp4Mihd14qhKJxMVdRwvtVJzmuS7FHMGumIPdLcF9iQ3OHtO22beX7zjDHUySducl-GBjg96LDZ765UOxIS1eHrnBYFPAiFjrc-XhS1DEpObQVFQ7qEC-Fv1S4vD7sfek7a025aWbiaQ/s1600/SOL.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>Sunday afternoon my grocery list in hand, I reached into my purse for a pen and found none. I turned to my husband and said, "I can't believe I don't have a pen. That's the second time this month. What is wrong with me?" </p><p>I saw a woman near the tomatoes glance my way, and so I offered an explanation: "I taught English 38 years. English teachers always have a pen handy. Last time I just bought some. I grabbed a package, opened it, and then paid at the checkout." </p><p>A moment later Ken handed me a pen. "You had a pen?" I asked. </p><p>"No. She gave it to me and said, 'A teacher should never be without a pen.'"</p><p>As I pushed my shopping cart through the supermarket, I thought about the privilege of picking through produce without fear of being gunned down by an armed domestic terrorist. I thought about the power of a single pen given to me by a stranger with whom I shared a common experience, buying food to feed our families. </p><p>I know only one way to respond to hate, and that is with words, the kind of words James Bode (@Jameswb333) a Lyft driver used recently to refuse driving a racist woman. Perhaps you've seen the viral video on Twitter. Check out the <a href="https://twitter.com/adamparkhomenko/status/1525706710169559040?s=21&t=6eV0ZvyGlyf0yEnRyORhHw" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">video here.</span></a> </p><p>We must all use our words to call out and reject white supremacist rhetoric, to push our representatives to act. I do not care how difficult this is for my fellow white citizens. It is our duty to end this resurrected hate, and those unwilling to stand up and speak up really should reflect on the tacit consent their silence gives to the racists and bigots among us. </p><p><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 20px;">Buffalo Manifesto<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">They say, <i>Guns don’t kill<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>people. People kill people.</i></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">They weaponize people.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">They pull triggers lodged in<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">wh.te adolescent brains.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">They cock the barrel through</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">wh.te nationalist conspiracy<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">theories broadcast across<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">fiberoptic cables aided by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">hate-mongering proud boy faux<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">squeaky-voiced megaphoned</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">broadcaster man-babies.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">They who demonize &</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">dehumanize immigrants & POC;</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">They who pen vitriolic manifestos to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">their wh.te idols—Dylan Rolf,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Kyle Rittenhouse, the orange<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Mar-a-Lago clown—these mass</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">murderers strap on hate, attach<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">chain-mail abhorrence to their<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">bare breasts & suckle depravity<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">like it’s their mother’s milk;<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">These paranoid, panicked<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">stupes who fear & rage<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">replacement theory resentment,</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">who blanket themselves in<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">wh.te grievances, whose<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">exceptionalism ferments in a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">toxic sledge on the dark web,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">They earn contempt, deserve castigation;</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">These wh.te violent extremists pose </p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">existential threats we should supplant.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">He who pulled the trigger of an</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">AR-15 assault rifle on</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">innocent shoppers was<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">raised in the collective cultural</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">wombs of CRT boogeymen, of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">GOP polls breathing authoritarianism,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">of purveyors of wh.te-washed histories;<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">They laid hands on a teen &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">baptized him in spilled blood of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">American citizens. They are the rabid pack.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">--Glenda Funk </p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">May 16, 2022</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-5757812432994827752022-05-09T22:00:00.111-06:002022-05-09T22:13:22.033-06:00Inefficient Patient #SOL22<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6k8E5VVAlWcyiQrRMGkMAqKVwTBB5YmX_UlsnPQHfq-vYoDKRK08vj64bjZvq7KtV8DrNNPXMYkHVBJIhCrD3IPd3ZxwDwufxoe3aDvVIzSd2ZSy7n-Rhktegn1amhk-tACpA6MuNY_RUbOce3OfHTYvuv1RMZ-z_tGcb1c3ECN_XXYSfnhirtX0fGw/s225/SOL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6k8E5VVAlWcyiQrRMGkMAqKVwTBB5YmX_UlsnPQHfq-vYoDKRK08vj64bjZvq7KtV8DrNNPXMYkHVBJIhCrD3IPd3ZxwDwufxoe3aDvVIzSd2ZSy7n-Rhktegn1amhk-tACpA6MuNY_RUbOce3OfHTYvuv1RMZ-z_tGcb1c3ECN_XXYSfnhirtX0fGw/s1600/SOL.jpg" width="225" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">My clinic is set up to be very efficient. The technicians gather the data for your vision. I then analyze it and come to conclusions about your care.</span><p></p><p>I am an inefficient patient. </p><p>My expectations disrupt the assembly-line structural paradigm patients often experience in medical practices. </p><p>My need to talk through decisions, my emotional baggage, my family history impacting my emotions, my desire to think through every possible scenario and each outcome--these things about me fail to function well within strict structures designed to prioritize efficiency, the way Temple Grandin's squeeze machine guides cattle through a stockyard chute. I am not one to accommodate the squeeze. </p><p>Today's medical industrial complex relies on efficiency, and I am not an efficient patient. I'm a nervous patient, whether in the dental chair, when attending appointments for my bi-yearly thyroid check, and especially when dealing with my eyes. I tend to yammer nervously and take literally doctors' collection of family histories. </p><p>I expect to be seen and heard as a person and not as merely a numbered patient. </p><p>Today I'm contemplating my inefficiency and trying to understand why keeping the medical conveyer belt moving matters more than my medical needs. If I'm willing to follow my doctor's instructions, willing to travel long distances for expertise, willing to learn as much about my medical condition and treatments as possible, willing to pay for procedures upfront, willing to pay promptly following procedures, why must I kowtow to a strict medical squeeze machine? </p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I am an *inefficient* patient, I've concluded this after a series of emails between myself and my ophthalmologist following the realization my latest glasses prescription does not provide the visual acuity I expect; following ten trips to Salt Lake City for eye appointments, surgeries, and glasses pickup; following requesting at my first appointment all diagnosis be double-checked by the doctor; following my doctor choosing efficiency over my request at that first appointment. </span></span></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-7229628c-7fff-1c73-fff1-e5b66d5fee91"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The technicians are my experts at refractions...Your refraction made sense at your recent visit...</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-73eb676e-7fff-1788-5be2-65c1a51b2232"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We can for sure check it again when you are down this way.</span></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">----</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">*Italicized sections are from a series of emails with my ophthalmologist last Friday. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">**Monday I saw my local optometrist who provided a new prescription I'm hoping will provide improved vision, but I'll still need to travel to SLC again for the new lenses. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222;">***I've written several posts about my most recent eye issues, which can be found </span><a href="https://evolvingenglishteacher.blogspot.com/2021/11/to-see-clearly-now-sol21.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">here, </span></a> <a href="https://evolvingenglishteacher.blogspot.com/2022/03/detour-impromptu-day-trip-sol22-1622.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">here</span><span style="color: #38761d;">,</span></a> and<span style="color: #222222;"> </span><a href="https://evolvingenglishteacher.blogspot.com/2022/03/oddly-comforted-by-bad-news-sol22-431.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">here. </span></a> </span></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-4925679008268957532022-05-08T00:00:00.033-06:002022-05-08T00:00:00.190-06:00Choose Your Own Mother's Day <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlL6xRte1_8RRKu2vdaZjE82xQTv7PUc-10DWlu7Mmhb_ewwVDZ4BQNtDlj7AEScbH5MuAxuxFISzPBSE5Irt7xFzUr190gEq10D7RBnGlPVUeoBpoH9l2OSOMAhfb1t0DNK5nRm5dd1M9AzkutM7ZUuE2v--d9HXU795bL7PuIQ7Q2jwTOi5PkZeR5Q/s2006/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-07%20at%2010.30.50%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="2006" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlL6xRte1_8RRKu2vdaZjE82xQTv7PUc-10DWlu7Mmhb_ewwVDZ4BQNtDlj7AEScbH5MuAxuxFISzPBSE5Irt7xFzUr190gEq10D7RBnGlPVUeoBpoH9l2OSOMAhfb1t0DNK5nRm5dd1M9AzkutM7ZUuE2v--d9HXU795bL7PuIQ7Q2jwTOi5PkZeR5Q/w400-h238/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-07%20at%2010.30.50%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Today is my least-favorite holiday, a pseudo-celebration of motherhood; a token to ease society’s anti-woman paradigms and policies; a corporate marketing ploy designed to guilt children, spouses, and even mothers into ringing cash registers at florists, restaurants, and myriad retail outlets.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Today is Mother’s Day, the most ironic, hypocritical holiday on the calendar.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As a mother, daughter, step-daughter, sister, aunt, niece, and wife, I loath this holiday.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">What does a child say to an alcoholic mother the courts labeled *unfit* before taking her children from her?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">What does a child say to a stepmother who made one child hang soiled sheets out her bedroom window instead of laundering them?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">What does a granddaughter say to the grandmother who pushed her to quit school in eighth grade to care for her ailing father?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">These questions haunted me on Mother’s Day and remain unanswerable in my waning years.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">My sister and I have jokingly described ourselves as “two-time losers in the mother department.” Every year this crappy holiday plays a cruel joke on all us losers in the mother sweepstakes.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">There’s also pressure on a mother’s children and spouse to pony up flowers, breakfast in bed, Hallmark sentiments, or some other token of corporate pick-pocketing masquerading as loving gestures to mothers.</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">My poor husband feels the weight of this day. I see the stress building as the day approaches. I feel the pressure to say, “Don’t get me anything for Mother’s Day. You know I hate that holiday, and we have trips planned.” Every year we repeat the discussion. Sometimes he succumbs to the social pressure. Always I’m disappointed in the day, regardless of what it brings. It’s a lose/lose day regardless because we can’t escape social and cultural expectations of the day.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Much the same scene plays out with my children. I don’t want platitudes or expensive gifts from them, nor do I want them to feel obligated to hoop jump through the Mother’s day obstacle course.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">My relationship with my two sons is complicated by their decision as teens to live with their father. Decades later this rejection still stings, especially knowing I’m the one—not my ex-husband—who kept a roof over our heads and food on the table for the duration of our twelve-year marriage. It’s also a decision leading to the biggest mistakes in my children’s lives, mistakes for which I feel responsible. If only I’d been a better mother. Isn’t that what we’re acculturated to think? From our earliest years mothers have borne the responsibility for childcare while often garnering little credit, especially working mothers like me.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This year Mother’s Day brings the added weight of watching the anti-women SCOTUS erode our right to reproductive autonomy. Justice Alito’s majority opinion reeks of violence against women’s bodies and paves the way to further endanger our health and hard-won progress.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When the men in a family side with Alito and the alt-right, the holiday causes more stress. My own male children once thought pro-reproductive-rights women such as myself wish we’d aborted our babies, an absurd notion but one I’m certain other families have experienced. Many men see pro-choice and the decision to have children as mutually exclusive positions.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Several subtexts inform Mother’s Day, beginning with the idea women who are mothers are superior to those who are not. This pits women against women and undermines our individuality.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Mother’s Day reinforces outmoded ideals about both motherhood and womanhood. Those attending church services will likely hear male preachers extol the virtues of the virgin Mary or the sacrificial lives of Naomi and Ruth or the servitude of Mary Magdalene or the perfection of the ideal mother in Proverbs 31. I doubt preachers will hold up the woman at the well as a model female.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Mother’s Day really isn’t about honoring mothers. Which doesn’t mean some mothers wont be honored and revered today. It’s a holiday designed for capitalism and profiteering, a day for tokenism and platitudes to ease guilty consciences. Honor mothers on this one day, and you’re good to do whatever to women and take stances against women the other 364 days.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">By all means, honor mothers, not because the calendar and Google alerts prompt you to. Honor mothers every day by supporting issues that honor and protect their reproductive rights, their worthiness of fair wages, their need for affordable childcare and paid maternity leave. Honor mothers with legislation that protects them against rape, incest, workplace harassment, and lost professional opportunities that come from being mothers.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Instead of awaiting this annual holiday, choose your own Mother’s Day. Choose to make every day Mother’s Day, not just this one day in May.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">------</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">Side Note: If I appear angry and bitter about this holiday, I am. The past six months I have been dealing with vision problems compounded by childhood eye problems my mother left untreated. This screen appears blurry to my sight as I write, and I have no hope that will change. </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-65841148326120309702022-05-02T22:00:00.056-06:002022-05-02T22:00:00.190-06:00Stumped #SOL21<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXlMbNJIFjtCYjQp_fMkcco48RH4jGPKHIO2kMGZK1HeSYurmiTe2zPIwMW8VFl1AuXUkU3TZk2rVMC0AhepYndVhxSQ6lEgczR4qE4JGCrd442rTjf8DryFXrz7mAX8cwPKmi2ICfYSIUn4iUF-N5Me8H5oRHvM4t7gjtHH8u2E8ig0Fy5lN-K5e4w/s225/SOL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWXlMbNJIFjtCYjQp_fMkcco48RH4jGPKHIO2kMGZK1HeSYurmiTe2zPIwMW8VFl1AuXUkU3TZk2rVMC0AhepYndVhxSQ6lEgczR4qE4JGCrd442rTjf8DryFXrz7mAX8cwPKmi2ICfYSIUn4iUF-N5Me8H5oRHvM4t7gjtHH8u2E8ig0Fy5lN-K5e4w/s1600/SOL.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>Six large tree stumps remained after the neighbors behind us finally--after years of neglect--felled the six trees that grew from those stumps. </p><p>Six giant tree stumps tattooed the fence line until Monday. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzVjibVb6R9EfLVV6Yq6xr5CwsdEXGgwsJbppIbo89I4MtsTQa6xzJXYw8eSKe-OwUaVSs95eeydJmrYMGN9nOVKfjZDp0FXN-Q-bzuWzw1ei9_JP394gLOpgQHuaR1zj8rqzClFSDck_hdaPkvVRkneJHhyy391S-zukkbfWbebnbW5LGBsfWJ_GnQ/s1194/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%207.20.36%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1194" data-original-width="976" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzVjibVb6R9EfLVV6Yq6xr5CwsdEXGgwsJbppIbo89I4MtsTQa6xzJXYw8eSKe-OwUaVSs95eeydJmrYMGN9nOVKfjZDp0FXN-Q-bzuWzw1ei9_JP394gLOpgQHuaR1zj8rqzClFSDck_hdaPkvVRkneJHhyy391S-zukkbfWbebnbW5LGBsfWJ_GnQ/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%207.20.36%20PM.png" width="262" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starting the dig-out of one of the six stumps. </span></p><p>On Monday eight young men arrived with a ginormous stump remover and shredded the stumps. Their arrival surprised us. I heard the stump grinder as I rounded the corner of our street on my way home from my morning walk. </p><p>We have had countless conversations about the stumps and the trees and the roots snaking their way across our backyard. I <a href="https://evolvingenglishteacher.blogspot.com/2021/03/timber-sol21-721.html" target="_blank">wrote about our hopes for the tree removal in July, 2021. </a>We thought the neighbors would finally remove the trees and stumps when their neighbors to the east and west uprooted their overgrown trees. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkReBfgbhYjw4oELHhNI0ZidmEnjG5DG5luYeDKNfLFfG3veFH6Zp-XjPzSKVVs80UC3Bv4wWPaF3uF4TGV9UtL_8-1o7JMaFWl54hWmEZzrQAGG1mZghYIy5sM5-M-XxSqHHMY8nLdqk69yuqSVpiui1X8KlyWUg5kjIVHs6RUwaYW35t9uViQcZPuA/s1276/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%207.17.02%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1276" data-original-width="966" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkReBfgbhYjw4oELHhNI0ZidmEnjG5DG5luYeDKNfLFfG3veFH6Zp-XjPzSKVVs80UC3Bv4wWPaF3uF4TGV9UtL_8-1o7JMaFWl54hWmEZzrQAGG1mZghYIy5sM5-M-XxSqHHMY8nLdqk69yuqSVpiui1X8KlyWUg5kjIVHs6RUwaYW35t9uViQcZPuA/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%207.17.02%20PM.png" width="242" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Above, roots expanding into our yard. </span></p><p>Disappointment followed. At one point the neighbors rented a lift and tried in vain to cut the trees. Months passed. Late last fall a tree service came and cut the trees but left the stumps, probably because the ground had frozen.</p><p>Last month we arrived home from our trip to Europe and again found more damage to the fence with part of it toppled into our yard. </p><p>I'm grateful to finally have the stumps removed, but we have a dilapidated fence and uncommunicative neighbors who have failed to tell us their plans for fixing the problem despite our repeated written and verbal requests to keep us informed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUv3zcECMCNo15xnt9UlBal0spkc23q1BXw-U8Zpg1fQoN6gUX0pYGdiD4WJJ5-HuE2i4cd_ww1ixn9SNCiklDQz7xlhpjVJBxpMdDtlnEH2kugN4JhN_EKjJLJtL2GH4RltSGT8MGh8ADihHWauneleL7momlIZ_dL7sAdyc_PW0n9lKZhh5O8dIO6A/s1756/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%207.18.34%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1314" data-original-width="1756" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUv3zcECMCNo15xnt9UlBal0spkc23q1BXw-U8Zpg1fQoN6gUX0pYGdiD4WJJ5-HuE2i4cd_ww1ixn9SNCiklDQz7xlhpjVJBxpMdDtlnEH2kugN4JhN_EKjJLJtL2GH4RltSGT8MGh8ADihHWauneleL7momlIZ_dL7sAdyc_PW0n9lKZhh5O8dIO6A/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%207.18.34%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">For stump removal to proceed, the back fence must come down.</span></p><p>Today Ken spoke to the female head of household and suggested she call her insurance agent and file a claim. Her response: "I have to talk to my husband." </p><p>Why? </p><p>The damage to the fence resulted from the neighbors' trees. I first wrote the former homeowner in 2019 and the current homeowner in April 2021. We have more damage to the fence now. </p><p>Like Robert Frost in <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44266/mending-wall" target="_blank">"Mending Wall,"</a> when damage occurs, we </p><p><i>have come after them and made repair.</i></p><p>And like Frost </p><p><i>I have let my neighbor know... / And on a day we meet to walk the line / And set the [fence] between us once again.</i></p><p>This is the juncture where we part. Our neighbor, unlike Frost's, does not attempt, has not attempted to </p><p><i>keep the wall between us as we go.</i></p><p>No, our neighbor has not repaired the vinyl wall and shows no interest in its repair. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUSZrIJiesrIRLalPqfNhHqY1SBrzdrIFdJduZr0LNFp5PAR7CUyb3tTlJ5zYDtzabV0qJIUL2EgikQoVE70-ODSdqwmeMeOxTM3PW_F-SiBNnBv5a_CpGyo5aIaTAmdHfeT3vGVgKwk1BT_DeYchwusHB2z5EpY_EtHDh41AmkO51_lQjobvBB8HUw/s1268/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%207.32.49%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1268" data-original-width="970" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUSZrIJiesrIRLalPqfNhHqY1SBrzdrIFdJduZr0LNFp5PAR7CUyb3tTlJ5zYDtzabV0qJIUL2EgikQoVE70-ODSdqwmeMeOxTM3PW_F-SiBNnBv5a_CpGyo5aIaTAmdHfeT3vGVgKwk1BT_DeYchwusHB2z5EpY_EtHDh41AmkO51_lQjobvBB8HUw/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-02%20at%207.32.49%20PM.png" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">We returned from Europe March 30 and found the damage above. </span></div><p>Frost prompts us to consider why we build walls. On a literal level we need the fence because we have two dogs and two cats. The animals roam the yard and do the things dogs do. </p><p>But <i>concrete</i> walls, whether wood, chainlink, cinder block, or vinyl, like our fence, serve utilitarian functions. Those metaphorical walls, the intangible ones, erect barriers more difficult to mend. These prompted Frost to wonder about the veracity of his neighbor proclaiming</p><p><i>Good fences make good neighbors.</i></p><p>We live in a place filled with cultural walls constructed from political and religious divisions. We do not belong to the same religious club as the neighbors, and it is this fact that resonates in my soul and convinces me our neighbors are not interested in <i>good</i> fence-building ideals. Their decision not to inform us about today's stump removal, their ignoring our correspondence, their stone-stacking gestures to build a wall of silence persuades me to conclude they prefer symbolic walls to practical ones. Like Frost I want to know</p><p><i>What I was walling in or walling out, / And to whom I was likely to give offense. / Something there is that doesn't love a wall / That wants it down.</i></p><p>What is a good fence? I'm stumped and do not know the answer. </p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-30852755617804433662022-04-25T22:53:00.002-06:002022-04-25T23:28:24.517-06:00Windows: Icons of the Desert Southwest #SOL22 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPUzu_KEZfAP2GbkJe8fx4ZDsNyMOvIY5JgO044W2F0iBOvWGTUq8v3Z2iZ90bZPno-oxi4y8K1WKXl-VFUP8EwGOyWvhY92zZo-Vb9gg9rPdegPI-59newIk_E42YM-UTl5JTZqopLLYm_z3xq4sQTa1CfBfWp10HMxNr_agDRubk2schpZyTM4H7g/s225/SOL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPUzu_KEZfAP2GbkJe8fx4ZDsNyMOvIY5JgO044W2F0iBOvWGTUq8v3Z2iZ90bZPno-oxi4y8K1WKXl-VFUP8EwGOyWvhY92zZo-Vb9gg9rPdegPI-59newIk_E42YM-UTl5JTZqopLLYm_z3xq4sQTa1CfBfWp10HMxNr_agDRubk2schpZyTM4H7g/s1600/SOL.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>I lived in Arizona six years in the 1980s and never visited two of the southwest's most iconic destinations until this past weekend when Ken and I decided to extend my most recent trip to the Moran Eye Center for another eye exam and journey down to Page, Arizona and tour Antelope Canyon and visit Monument Valley on the Navajo Nation. </p><p>In the coming weeks I'll write more about the Navajo and issues of concern to them, but for now, I'm sharing photos of these gorgeous places and pictures of Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River near Page and downstream from the Glen Canyon dam, another topic I plan to address in this space in the coming weeks. </p><p>Before returning home we also visited Bryce Canyon National Park. It has been many years since I was in the park; again, I have some things to say about our national parks but am saving that for later. </p><p>We braved the whipping wind and sand pelting our faces to see Horseshoe Bend at sunset Friday evening. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNe5FKWDQOJjGW1jRJbe_OQaOQd7NG7P5G4bPodr56N33pxbwgZ8K6aGSop5ddALDAo0qVqsZ5d3O8MeoRt3Rl_rpL4XdYgeeTYIy5uT9itmMJFcT-mia4ICfs4bbwNWQ3uxEcuxYOfqNf8px7DYzqyXg3CR3DdACa7flKJcjRfNJQM8hUiR_QlQR4A/s4032/IMG-6395.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNe5FKWDQOJjGW1jRJbe_OQaOQd7NG7P5G4bPodr56N33pxbwgZ8K6aGSop5ddALDAo0qVqsZ5d3O8MeoRt3Rl_rpL4XdYgeeTYIy5uT9itmMJFcT-mia4ICfs4bbwNWQ3uxEcuxYOfqNf8px7DYzqyXg3CR3DdACa7flKJcjRfNJQM8hUiR_QlQR4A/w300-h400/IMG-6395.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Monument Valley is a two plus hour drive from Page, but having seen many photos of this awe-inspiring site, we decided to make the trip. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl45yGxZ8iSefAVTOWXtxNzmqNYxa4GBCxC7fnq0kdyvopMEzNI3SrM0X7xtBgDrprSHiLeP8jQbQglIbjE2H-defXeG6iHyGWx1EIKh0NjAafONgdD4Rk9zxOfwasTx6ZGMSXS9Yr9AffaqqHzG6snXk6NeWe5KkcyuYo4gYH51u0niFqVAY3RXei_g/s4032/IMG_6516.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl45yGxZ8iSefAVTOWXtxNzmqNYxa4GBCxC7fnq0kdyvopMEzNI3SrM0X7xtBgDrprSHiLeP8jQbQglIbjE2H-defXeG6iHyGWx1EIKh0NjAafONgdD4Rk9zxOfwasTx6ZGMSXS9Yr9AffaqqHzG6snXk6NeWe5KkcyuYo4gYH51u0niFqVAY3RXei_g/w300-h400/IMG_6516.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>The structure below is named "The Three Sisters," so Ken pointed and proclaimed they're his three sisters. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aiZyu1YDHSZ2mhLd8XB05tD3vfibUFBOOT_fxy_JQZ7jmpFKAhG5fhhUBY8kDHqxgOINMVly051goleJJ8wToa-jwtaHwMDHBrlqz2jGqv943WV8kQRPacaoWUgF_SCzyEEPlpSNMPSMg8zacPuNdUxP3E1CcsBsb3yp9yt6bGLeOUUrr3wBQj9KWw/s4032/IMG_6444.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aiZyu1YDHSZ2mhLd8XB05tD3vfibUFBOOT_fxy_JQZ7jmpFKAhG5fhhUBY8kDHqxgOINMVly051goleJJ8wToa-jwtaHwMDHBrlqz2jGqv943WV8kQRPacaoWUgF_SCzyEEPlpSNMPSMg8zacPuNdUxP3E1CcsBsb3yp9yt6bGLeOUUrr3wBQj9KWw/w300-h400/IMG_6444.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>In the heart of Page we found a lovely little trail leading to the "Hanging Gardens." I did not expect to find real plants growing and hanging, so this hanging find thrilled us upon discovering them. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXDDYr8V9-HFHnzy-mzNXptVqDtVzCFmMLP1SeUkhxJ9UwIwuZDmIMlf2Df1MO9nTpbLEZTJCOwGO7jFp0o7eMk7eVdGMuR9H9wF6Wp0FtGi_XPrRGpUqhi5klr9tUkAgC80xp7aLAV8fL5Nh_bkidb3Vp26UWXaH27K03Zm0En9oUAVhoQ9NEHp25w/s4032/IMG_6562.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXDDYr8V9-HFHnzy-mzNXptVqDtVzCFmMLP1SeUkhxJ9UwIwuZDmIMlf2Df1MO9nTpbLEZTJCOwGO7jFp0o7eMk7eVdGMuR9H9wF6Wp0FtGi_XPrRGpUqhi5klr9tUkAgC80xp7aLAV8fL5Nh_bkidb3Vp26UWXaH27K03Zm0En9oUAVhoQ9NEHp25w/w400-h300/IMG_6562.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>To tour both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon requires a tour. Navajo Nation members conduct the tours. Jaren, our Upper canyon guide, taught us much about Navajo history and the canyon's geology. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfswhojRQEbgKY11UM2woyozzt5mEvSRe5M8d-hC1UVLeudFWXMrromTl_z7E1UKl6xz_ny-m5nRph3PvHCOGmlRxBpN1s6SbjrupBNMLuCA7cgcEi5WDU2fFeHMnMK9c9JQU_oWwxh8_iNy2wufmRrhQZIkx-wxDCzRVY3sBdC59hY2nRO3YPUzwPw/s4032/IMG-6650.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfswhojRQEbgKY11UM2woyozzt5mEvSRe5M8d-hC1UVLeudFWXMrromTl_z7E1UKl6xz_ny-m5nRph3PvHCOGmlRxBpN1s6SbjrupBNMLuCA7cgcEi5WDU2fFeHMnMK9c9JQU_oWwxh8_iNy2wufmRrhQZIkx-wxDCzRVY3sBdC59hY2nRO3YPUzwPw/w300-h400/IMG-6650.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div>Jaren helped with the photography, including photographing this owl revealed by light. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22UOg4li5N9pskvUsGYuVls5tPaIex7J7dFLqyyEydBH7_KqZDwbG5tP5J6HRvE0ZaJlzsN8UNIhGEdDgTbWM7mvXOs5o2mhnDq4_ka6HL7qCe2UVKfJO6YmOkyNpSytHMMJQB8sSeGhPpMuvzfHkfY5pwDulSbJ6TgYj58dUon3QKsqYia76F76kHg/s4032/IMG-6700.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22UOg4li5N9pskvUsGYuVls5tPaIex7J7dFLqyyEydBH7_KqZDwbG5tP5J6HRvE0ZaJlzsN8UNIhGEdDgTbWM7mvXOs5o2mhnDq4_ka6HL7qCe2UVKfJO6YmOkyNpSytHMMJQB8sSeGhPpMuvzfHkfY5pwDulSbJ6TgYj58dUon3QKsqYia76F76kHg/w300-h400/IMG-6700.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Around every corner, and everywhere we looked, we saw gorgeous geological structures.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Dft0IBVmMN-CLIwqkRLtun6I2IvnPkpgPA99ATfBzSchoexxP0h4mUmUcZlJUO-GjxEtgWBXLgaPW5VOngaMQWGUkvu6KUm9ZWVQdFPUPK9qW9qUMGdTXyBp7cR6-IBUC2VbxGzXofOeI15mmmqfQbEDJHfuyVDvmTMmkACva2IDhjiM3ObmHG0CLA/s4032/IMG-6711.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Dft0IBVmMN-CLIwqkRLtun6I2IvnPkpgPA99ATfBzSchoexxP0h4mUmUcZlJUO-GjxEtgWBXLgaPW5VOngaMQWGUkvu6KUm9ZWVQdFPUPK9qW9qUMGdTXyBp7cR6-IBUC2VbxGzXofOeI15mmmqfQbEDJHfuyVDvmTMmkACva2IDhjiM3ObmHG0CLA/w300-h400/IMG-6711.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Lower Antelope Canyon is among the most recognizable places because photographers from around the world travel to Arizona to photograph its beauty. I've seen photos of Antelope Canyon hanging in galleries across the U.S., as well as in Europe. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9ctjuz2srcGM1F7lju8r0c5JStezVKBb0xdt3Uxkk0jxT24A3TFsRAEwEmsMYfc3pb-z8UcrENrSL-45WZ0o6nIKr322CVPGGfhNo0-oq9TeOtB29SpPN2eiHyojbiCza1di3wHLREJMlme_0lWKGqkEkzMarN6e35SD8vij0UxRkuH9wLuqmn37HQ/s4032/IMG-6901.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9ctjuz2srcGM1F7lju8r0c5JStezVKBb0xdt3Uxkk0jxT24A3TFsRAEwEmsMYfc3pb-z8UcrENrSL-45WZ0o6nIKr322CVPGGfhNo0-oq9TeOtB29SpPN2eiHyojbiCza1di3wHLREJMlme_0lWKGqkEkzMarN6e35SD8vij0UxRkuH9wLuqmn37HQ/w300-h400/IMG-6901.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>The light streaming into the canyon has a profound effect on the sandstone's colors. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSs1URqzFFkHSY0MVMXtK_F2bxw2OaZgX-BmSOlMCCjdhoefL2ILESOTprm9ua0lxa_uPJrz9hB58xBMZNkxHHNhLVUxjlY2R4HvqJaexuH_RAV67xx4HDPCV3_Tyvqd5o8wFjHudtRuE253hIhMCFBhdd25AwQ-F_w5j3ou2XwR_B4o237fv9NX_7g/s4032/IMG-6790.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSs1URqzFFkHSY0MVMXtK_F2bxw2OaZgX-BmSOlMCCjdhoefL2ILESOTprm9ua0lxa_uPJrz9hB58xBMZNkxHHNhLVUxjlY2R4HvqJaexuH_RAV67xx4HDPCV3_Tyvqd5o8wFjHudtRuE253hIhMCFBhdd25AwQ-F_w5j3ou2XwR_B4o237fv9NX_7g/w300-h400/IMG-6790.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>New surprises await around every corner.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHw0QOd0YP-NNHTPrCLj3JeBQP1BHwr83oy9BdFTHT4DYNLOf8r0F7wcN4tcJFp0FUnXU5h2sJtHYfSpM3IT6oKPbAkf4Du_CpCV1pm5c1YkXxMti2uHghZ7p8S2NfCli1GKxENq0bDaEfeBAZbYLNn7ZVuFn1VNdgamm8XpKXAfv88K7TNZsTamXseQ/s4032/IMG-6875.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHw0QOd0YP-NNHTPrCLj3JeBQP1BHwr83oy9BdFTHT4DYNLOf8r0F7wcN4tcJFp0FUnXU5h2sJtHYfSpM3IT6oKPbAkf4Du_CpCV1pm5c1YkXxMti2uHghZ7p8S2NfCli1GKxENq0bDaEfeBAZbYLNn7ZVuFn1VNdgamm8XpKXAfv88K7TNZsTamXseQ/w300-h400/IMG-6875.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Do you see the heart? Do you see the woman, her hair with the wind blowing through it, her chest thrust forward and her chin raised? Do you see her skirt flowing behind her? After our tour we found a professional photo of this spectacular woman; I'll have it framed and hang it in our home. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAItG7P2VygGEu3qCbv8AfwbkEqLKy8iP3j8wSX27N0EorwTyhUSeyMywkwpmqPaT7NxDkFK16BGDHtXvGkyM8K7BzLN2vxkIX6cJXstpPec8jWX4NXGPLEKGFxESBSVRUg84LOsRL2M6Sq9YkYRRlfJJij1SDHSVFSb8FdMC9X2wz_QRDXfNogQeagg/s4032/IMG-6892.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAItG7P2VygGEu3qCbv8AfwbkEqLKy8iP3j8wSX27N0EorwTyhUSeyMywkwpmqPaT7NxDkFK16BGDHtXvGkyM8K7BzLN2vxkIX6cJXstpPec8jWX4NXGPLEKGFxESBSVRUg84LOsRL2M6Sq9YkYRRlfJJij1SDHSVFSb8FdMC9X2wz_QRDXfNogQeagg/w300-h400/IMG-6892.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Bryce Canyon National Park is two and a half hours from Page. It's part of the five national park loop popular among visitors to the Arizona and Utah canyon-lands. Visitors can see much of the park in a short time. We arrived Sunday evening in time for sunset and arose early Monday morning for sunrise. After breakfast we hike among the hoodoos and took the Navajo trail. Then we drove to several viewpoints before beginning our journey home. <div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJupTzpLyA2g-Cd-KbvX95IRBI1eNsIUThg4P5Q8KpL7vrK6YCrr7eFfZReJpG0OaXNNeT6gj_WhYQtAcEN__OQstbVX6MikcJfFpWAINLbB7r07Nm2D5WzLPIghptNRSMQUD3An2DMZVgppfWWslOqoFvfTf1xq7x-_5RD8cWx5EFBcYzDgLGA7Xrw/s4032/IMG-7033.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJupTzpLyA2g-Cd-KbvX95IRBI1eNsIUThg4P5Q8KpL7vrK6YCrr7eFfZReJpG0OaXNNeT6gj_WhYQtAcEN__OQstbVX6MikcJfFpWAINLbB7r07Nm2D5WzLPIghptNRSMQUD3An2DMZVgppfWWslOqoFvfTf1xq7x-_5RD8cWx5EFBcYzDgLGA7Xrw/w300-h400/IMG-7033.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>The most famous hoodoo in Brice is the Hammer of Thor. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnKzYdv7wxV5-5M8QLuaAzhXGJeU16Dhmlyf7AntspcemafczR3eiarQPN17B-kZKzwt9Njt56uSKAB_gDt4G6tGtz0saWwM36mTJrJslA3it9xjx2_kmHYJfBW3MR5B47OpY7HZu3e8ysbXBEtkIm4ZbWJ3iFdF9SubOe_pjtidUOkMlMscetKTAAw/s4032/IMG-7038.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnKzYdv7wxV5-5M8QLuaAzhXGJeU16Dhmlyf7AntspcemafczR3eiarQPN17B-kZKzwt9Njt56uSKAB_gDt4G6tGtz0saWwM36mTJrJslA3it9xjx2_kmHYJfBW3MR5B47OpY7HZu3e8ysbXBEtkIm4ZbWJ3iFdF9SubOe_pjtidUOkMlMscetKTAAw/w300-h400/IMG-7038.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Natural Arch is visible from a viewpoint along the main park road. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiC_Yv5IXunY_8Vm8TuwUaOwtx3m9H2eRO0JA4lh5RNrpzcEc8D0CVVwf4-Wl_jgrPQMbYzAASQXaLaBqhpYNaJGXRAprI6jaGFyjJF8gbB1kF-UB8wFZRDp8vzgNF5JYcFQa0st3OrlOVS25woDugsLTliV3ibbJ4MLiM0F6UYF1NCSnKHEpxvwHcw/s3181/IMG-7148.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3181" data-original-width="2532" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiC_Yv5IXunY_8Vm8TuwUaOwtx3m9H2eRO0JA4lh5RNrpzcEc8D0CVVwf4-Wl_jgrPQMbYzAASQXaLaBqhpYNaJGXRAprI6jaGFyjJF8gbB1kF-UB8wFZRDp8vzgNF5JYcFQa0st3OrlOVS25woDugsLTliV3ibbJ4MLiM0F6UYF1NCSnKHEpxvwHcw/w319-h400/IMG-7148.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>At Inspiration Point we saw windows formed from sandstone, a fitting image for the look into nature's geological wonders in the desert southwest. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CH7getGZYLSz79PX4L8bueNFoMAL9b9mexFPGU6lCM4iuZIAioylQ1Vu6QJ8UdydJbzCtsEz2O5LiAA27c-280OVvVOP4IFNAnjqpjSUdzIv1KJNQhmVEJWhEKEOFVo2TejAziCK5Heyx9qlGkjFf-71UThyQnuMwOC5rTZWfPAqJ9jG7agpIBfgig/s4032/IMG-7231.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CH7getGZYLSz79PX4L8bueNFoMAL9b9mexFPGU6lCM4iuZIAioylQ1Vu6QJ8UdydJbzCtsEz2O5LiAA27c-280OVvVOP4IFNAnjqpjSUdzIv1KJNQhmVEJWhEKEOFVo2TejAziCK5Heyx9qlGkjFf-71UThyQnuMwOC5rTZWfPAqJ9jG7agpIBfgig/w300-h400/IMG-7231.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div>A final note: I took all photos with my iPhone. The colors in the photos are close to the actual colors you’ll see in real life. <br /><div><br /><div><br /></div></div></div>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-66020427825373473002022-04-18T22:00:00.001-06:002022-04-18T22:00:00.213-06:00Lost Remote Control #SOL22<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaH_uuSewDFOUEwRRgo-p9lCSGDSy9g5nY2ERjOnYl0Otq9gkLVWzJ0Ciya_CuSjH5NLEZnNrDZv49eOKSNnaKxQzfIUwIFy0xcf2WUJbztIyKnHN8pc0sNJuOjP965MNFfzVHzkufi_qpvE8UQ3kby9Fs1uU4p4EsYvj1KAhSGdNpraeVV_ryVUtKQ/s225/SOL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPaH_uuSewDFOUEwRRgo-p9lCSGDSy9g5nY2ERjOnYl0Otq9gkLVWzJ0Ciya_CuSjH5NLEZnNrDZv49eOKSNnaKxQzfIUwIFy0xcf2WUJbztIyKnHN8pc0sNJuOjP965MNFfzVHzkufi_qpvE8UQ3kby9Fs1uU4p4EsYvj1KAhSGdNpraeVV_ryVUtKQ/s1600/SOL.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>Tragedy struck our home Easter Sunday.</p><p>The dish remote control we use to change the television channel and access the DVR disappeared, prompting a frenetic house hunt to find the lost tech apparatus. </p><p>I discovered SOMEONE had lost the remote when I entered the family room and asked, "Where's the remote?"</p><p>"I don't know. I can't find it. You did something with it."</p><p>Wut? </p><p>Did I hear my darling husband correctly? He blamed me for this domestic disruption. <br /></p><p>"It's not my fault! I hope it's not my fault. Did you look..."</p><p>I began naming the obvious places, those nooks and crannies between cushions, behind the ottoman, on the kitchen counter, where we normally discover the little black box. </p><p>This time we could not find the controller, and it occurred to me this search illustrated the television isn't the only thing the remote controls. </p><p>We tipped the couch forward and backward. We removed the cushions. We rearranged the throws and pillows and dogs and cats in our futile attempt to locate the remote. </p><p>We searched the living room in much the same way. </p><p>I checked the kitchen, including the dishwasher and refrigerator, where I found it one other time. Don't ask. </p><p>"Did you check the car? Did you look in the garage? Did you take it into your office? I pelted Ken with questions. "You may have taken it to the car when you took the dogs out." </p><p>"It's not in the car." </p><p>"Did you check the laundry and the trash?' A minor dumpster dive commenced. </p><p>Still no remote. </p><p>We repeated the search to no avail.</p><p>"I'll die if that television is permanently stuck on the horse racing channel," I announced. "Tomorrow we're getting a new remote if the old one doesn't show up." </p><p>The search continued. </p><p>I wondered if there's such a thing as FIND MY REMOTE but said nothing. </p><p>Finally Ken said, "Turn the television off." He knelt on the floor in front of the Hopper box. A moment later I heard a faint sound. </p><p>Beep, chirp, beep, chirp, beep, chirp. </p><p>"We do have Find My Remote!" I said.</p><p>I began following the sound, hopping it would crescendo into a loud "HERE I AM" as I neared the remote's remote hiding place. </p><p>After a few minutes the chirping and beeping stopped.</p><p>"It stopped!"</p><p>Ken knelt and restarted the sound. Not once but twice. </p><p>I narrowed the target range to right in front of Ken's chair. The beeping and chirping was faint. I felt in the chair, which I'd searched several times already. Then I reached for the reclining footrest and tipped it to reveal....</p><p>DRUMROLL, PLEASE...</p><p>the remote control tucked into the fabric folds of the footrest. </p><p>"YEA! IT WASN'T MY FAULT!" </p><p>And I controlled the remote happily into the evening. </p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-41085720334049254222022-04-11T22:00:00.001-06:002022-04-11T22:00:00.188-06:00Matchmaker: A Quirky, Semi-Cinderella Story #SOL22 #VerseLove<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoR-Tx7V6GJHW1A6PYim6_Z7gvliNX09RTpkzEmhT3vLvawSyRT6VuQvVxDbNWP2aF6hohrVIDoxxYnxRfF54Nc6UyMMMaiw22ko45PWgmr2qV-FUF_KTk7McGB3yIJgnJWrrEedN4DczfBzYCN7TkanFKr-5EZwsYXrJzTXYXrwyEcLHpPFfc0ijTQ/s225/SOL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJoR-Tx7V6GJHW1A6PYim6_Z7gvliNX09RTpkzEmhT3vLvawSyRT6VuQvVxDbNWP2aF6hohrVIDoxxYnxRfF54Nc6UyMMMaiw22ko45PWgmr2qV-FUF_KTk7McGB3yIJgnJWrrEedN4DczfBzYCN7TkanFKr-5EZwsYXrJzTXYXrwyEcLHpPFfc0ijTQ/s1600/SOL.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>During National Poetry Month I'm writing a poem each day with a fabulous group of educators on Sarah Donovan, PhD's website EthicalELA.com. Our inspiring prompt Monday arrived via Dr. Kim Johnson, a fellow TWT blogger. Kim asked us to write a <a href="https://www.ethicalela.com/quirky-poems/" target="_blank">Quirky poem. </a></p><p>A prompt and where it leads the mind is both quirky and uncanny, and so Monday morning I found myself thinking about the time I played matchmaker to two students whom I've <a href="https://evolvingenglishteacher.blogspot.com/2020/03/teaching-immigrant-students-memory.html" target="_blank">written about before here.</a> </p><p>After posting my poem, I decided to ask Google to help me find one of the students. Google did not disappoint. I learned my former student Misael is the Director of Environmental Quality for the state of Arizona where I found an email link. </p><p>I emailed Misael and asked if he is a Kofa High graduate and introduced myself as one of his former teachers, making sure to provide my former name. Shortly, Misael responded, saying he is indeed the Kofa High student I remember so fondly. He provided his personal email address for future correspondence. </p><p>With a follow-up email I shared my memory of introducing him and Araceli and their subsequent prom date. I also said I'd lost track of Araceli and another former student, Gloria, whom I liked very much. These three were among my favorite students during my Arizona teaching tenure. </p><p>I borrowed a line from Mary Oliver and asked Misael what he had done with his "one wild and precious life." </p><p>Monday evening Misael responded. He told me about his family, his wife and children, and the blessings God grants him with family and friends in a full life. </p><p>Over on EthicalELA some have asked what happened between the two students I introduced and who journeyed to prom together. We poets are romantics and love a good love story. Theirs is a semi-Cinderella story, one familiar to many. They dated, married, divorced, found new loves. They lived and are living those wild and precious lives and taking chances the way we do, the way Mary Oliver would approve. </p><p>Some might say their story lacks a happy ending, but I think as long as they're happy now with new loves and full lives, with stories still writing themselves, what could be happier? </p><p>And in his email, Misael wrote something about his time in my class that made me happy, too: </p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>Teachers make a huge difference in the world and you are one of them. You taught with a sincere love for the subject--something every high school teen needs to see. In a world of apathy and selfish ambition, you showed us what it looks like to care about a subject and to care about people. Thank you for that. </i></p><p></p></blockquote><p>Those words are my Cinderella story, my happy ending. </p><p>*And here's the poem I wrote Monday:</p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Matchmaker<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></b></p><p class="p1" style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></b></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">as though living<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">in a Jane Austin<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">novel in 1980s</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Arizona i said<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">i know a girl</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">who’s kind &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">cute & smart<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">like you i’ll<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">introduce you two<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">between classes</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">when he lamented<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">there are no<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">good girls<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">to date<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">in this school.</p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">on prom night<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">he was her Darcy</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">she his Elizabeth</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">i drove her &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">a friend to San Luis</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">just over the border</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">from Yuma to see</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">my seamstress<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">who made their</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">prom dresses<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">they stopped by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">our townhouse for<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">photos before going<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">to the dance<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">she in her black &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">teal poofy dress</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">he in his black tux</p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">a match made<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">like those in<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">a nineteenth<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">century novel</p><p>--Glenda Funk (April 11, 2022)</p><p><br /></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-72551342153712927002022-04-04T22:00:00.002-06:002022-04-04T22:08:21.051-06:00My Sister's Bogus Tybee Island Parking Ticket #SOL22<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYy1GjNQnnUhx1OxWEIR-zdeu7EeBbilPFMw8-bJHDap4oBtK9hV4HIvSjkTrSLc-XuOXGFvBu1njKbmI5cFb0Aw7h5JqkC1cMmNHBzYGn4BfugDB471VSqn8Tv5fljR6NBaPD7u0zbPrcwlp_nfrz3f-Q2oA6CuZSey6ztc0dvtMDghKV63Cs6orQiw/s225/SOL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYy1GjNQnnUhx1OxWEIR-zdeu7EeBbilPFMw8-bJHDap4oBtK9hV4HIvSjkTrSLc-XuOXGFvBu1njKbmI5cFb0Aw7h5JqkC1cMmNHBzYGn4BfugDB471VSqn8Tv5fljR6NBaPD7u0zbPrcwlp_nfrz3f-Q2oA6CuZSey6ztc0dvtMDghKV63Cs6orQiw/s1600/SOL.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p>For many years I kept a sign over my desk. It looked like this: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoBic4mPtv15ruBNYrgTNWcwT5gV1W5_oqDinfDC7pDZY8H8eVESEIQzfPDAGhnIT5P51DGGdQoLE_8nuwnQCDPUGcQfug2m3bYH0HsTWoO1VmwabTPX3hMlmxYxBzoZ3Oqjgcr-KwcANvGB5o1tIDYbZFooK8koJ6E5duVJtoe2JguiyNoq3zJAmiAQ/s988/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-04%20at%207.14.22%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="988" data-original-width="982" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoBic4mPtv15ruBNYrgTNWcwT5gV1W5_oqDinfDC7pDZY8H8eVESEIQzfPDAGhnIT5P51DGGdQoLE_8nuwnQCDPUGcQfug2m3bYH0HsTWoO1VmwabTPX3hMlmxYxBzoZ3Oqjgcr-KwcANvGB5o1tIDYbZFooK8koJ6E5duVJtoe2JguiyNoq3zJAmiAQ/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-04%20at%207.14.22%20PM.png" width="318" /></a></div>I've thought about this sign often the past six months after my sister opened her mail one day to find a parking ticket issued by the Tybee Island parking czar. <div><br /></div><div>My sister, who lives in Mississippi, and I visited Tybee Island last September during our annual sister trip. We downloaded the Park Tybee app, entered the payment method and her vehicle's license plate and headed for the beach. </div><div><br /></div><div>We expected to haul a little sand and my shopaholic sister's cornucopia of souvenirs down the road, but the ticket surprised us both. </div><div><br /></div><div>Being less than tech savvy, my sister relied on me to take care of the technical stuff on my phone, but the charge went to her. To fight the ticket, which I expected to be an easy process, I screenshot the relevant info from the app--date and payment and vehicle details, penned a letter, and sent it all to Tybee Island. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is where the Tybee Parking Authority's IT'S NOT LOGICAL. IT'S JUST OUR POLICY mindset set in. They refused to accept the documentation and in time sent the matter to collection and reported it to my sister's stellar credit profile. </div><div><br /></div><div>My sister and her husband sent the documentation to the credit agency and put the issue aside. </div><div><br /></div><div>We thought and hoped that would be the end of it, but NO! </div><div><br /></div><div>Hell bent on extorting money for a bogus ticket issued via a flawed app (see online reviews), a woman named Lynn continued the harassment, insisting she had to have a nine-digit code. No nine-digit code appeared anywhere on the app. </div><div><br /></div><div>I chose denial and decided to leave the matter for my sister and her husband to solve. They tried. They failed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Monday morning Gaylene called me for the only reason she has called the past four months--the wretched ticket. I told her I'm done dealing with it. She said okay. </div><div><br /></div><div>I changed my mind.</div><div><br /></div><div>I poured myself a cup of coffee and dialed the number. No answer. I left a message. Shortly, Lynn called back. </div><div><br /></div><div>Before I could finish a sentence Lynn cut me off. The tone of the call deteriorated from there. Lynn is someone who loves abusing her little power and was determined to convince me she was doing me a favor by "granting a complimentary dismissal of one ticket." </div><div><br /></div><div>How can that be? We had paid. We provided documentation of having paid. </div><div><br /></div><div>Lynn told me I entered the license number incorrectly. I entered what my sister told me. Have you seen a Mississippi tag? It only uses numbers; our tags use letters and numbers. It's impossible to distinguish between a 0 and an O on a Mississippi license tag. </div><div><br /></div><div>Keep in mind that Lynn could have told my sister earlier we had the wrong tag number in the app, but that would be antithetical to her desire to wield power over us and other visitors to Tybee Island. </div><div><br /></div><div>About that nine-digit number: It's hidden in the app. To access it you have to click on the session time, but there are no directives to do so. There is nothing to suggest there's more to the app or a place for records or a copy of the citation. </div><div><br /></div><div>Again, Lynn could have provided this information. She could have sent written directions and/or images showing the layers to the app. She did not. It's more fun for someone like Lynn to abuse her power and to try to extort money from tourists than to try to be helpful and informative. </div><div><br /></div><div>Prior to my unpleasant conversation with Lynn, I called the Georgia Inspector General's office and left a message about Tybee Island's unethical parking ticketing practices. I will be filing a complaint and requesting changes to Tybee Island's practices. One suggestion I'll make is Tybee Island abandon their flawed app and use a universal parking app such as Park Mobile found in many cities. </div><div><br /></div><div>And I will never again visit Tybee Island. That's the logical decision when dealing with a small-town, power-hungry tyrant who loves issuing parking tickets. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="872" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVktifcz2B8V5Nr_Ulh4VHLfOQfCRwNufqsR4-hGOa67CdzIoDtoGUx8nEe34spR1_cbIWh7q1WJfX6JhekPIgczrKFt-zdYjlDHZwQhmCsk80QzkyPen7xiAV0hI3n2MK-2iz4JhzO_B1XS0oMEapgRNELxNqJQTZMstODjGcQMZoMZlxM45XIdkdA/s320/7844DC77-5E64-4E60-B216-379691657A34.jpeg" width="320" /><span style="text-align: left;">#StandWithUkraine </span></div></div>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-22840901286282688572022-03-31T03:28:00.001-06:002022-03-31T03:33:57.776-06:00Ending Beginning #SOL22 31/31<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4S7qAWV5zYk_WZGdXtUCOhHh5nKAAzmfh8zuVEZ8qAE9y5xEGNdCA0zy_XjA8_Nd60ZTZXoBOGw6PorWLFGkcps6hdB5uIbsOlpSdaLe_TWlGl9Fp9k5TTIqnZPYaX_dnE5sXV37-iQjg43FlDuTBhI9V5ynZRTUie73-xceXGxHZcKPcDS55vQpXQ/s225/88075518-5406-4295-94C6-552AE300019A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4S7qAWV5zYk_WZGdXtUCOhHh5nKAAzmfh8zuVEZ8qAE9y5xEGNdCA0zy_XjA8_Nd60ZTZXoBOGw6PorWLFGkcps6hdB5uIbsOlpSdaLe_TWlGl9Fp9k5TTIqnZPYaX_dnE5sXV37-iQjg43FlDuTBhI9V5ynZRTUie73-xceXGxHZcKPcDS55vQpXQ/s1600/88075518-5406-4295-94C6-552AE300019A.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><blockquote><i style="text-align: left;">Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. —Seneca</i></blockquote></div></div><p>Its closing time.</p><p>We’ve reached the final bell.</p><p>The curtain must fall.</p><p>The clock has run out. </p><p>The sun has set. </p><p>And now the end is near. </p><p>As the 2022 SOLSC comes to a close and we reflect on what we’ve written and what we’ve read as a community, I’m thinking about another ending and another beginning. </p><p>As those who have popped in on this space since March 19 know, my husband and I have been traveling in Europe. Our journey ended yesterday. </p><p>We began our last day of travel at 4:00 a.m. so we could catch our flight from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam. Our flight from Amsterdam to Salt Lake took nine hours and thirty-four minutes, so we arrived in SLC at around 12:30 p.m. Clearing customs was super easy. We retrieved our car and drove home. The drive takes two and a half hours. </p><p>There’s an eight hour time difference between western Europe and our little mountain paradise, so we gained eight hours upon our return. </p><p>I fought the urge to sleep. but lost at 8:35 p.m. MST. I’ll need time to adjust to both the end of travel and the beginning of my return home.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjPuEvu3jTGIS2kfFfp8i7h4rLCD7PqZW4bgEeHQ1kZIu36H1jM6WFrQtreq1wqdgmG2vUE_gr9vAbOuP_Z5Irw75QNsLxvu2_77-D-hgl6PqW0j17T4FTCVq3XdK7Av_UWZgmrVdeYkIeL3-OijXRkTrJoFmMRtXtAtAzacX_9A9sXb7_R3j4lxvAw/s320/F4C7BDED-DA64-45FE-9093-B9AFDDDFA04F.jpeg" width="240" /></div><p>I love the way sunrises and sunsets blend color into the beginning and ending of a day in ways we can’t always tell the difference between. I took this photo is during our Rhine river cruise. </p><p>Tomorrow brings another beginning: National Poetry Month and daily writing with my poet friends on EthicslELA.com where the amazing Dr. Sarah Donovan will host us again and we’ll receive prompts from a different poet each day. </p><p>Please consider joining us. Even if you think you aren’t a poet, you are. Our lives are full of words awaiting arrangement in stories and in poems. This, too, is a beginning. </p><p>Some of you have been here supporting my writing every day, and some all but a day or two. Thank you, my friends. Maureen, Trina, Kim, Denise, you are amazing, and I am grateful for your steadfast faithfulness in the midst of all life’s beginnings and endings and continuings.</p><p>I’ll be around each Tuesday and hope you will be here too, For now, if you have a post from this month that didn’t get the comments you’d hoped it would, one you’re especially proud of, one you know I’d love but that I missed, one you think I need, please drop a link in the comments. I’m planning to continue this specific writing journey a while longer the next few days as I catch up on what I missed and fill my life with words. </p><p>Of course, our time together is possible because we have the tireless Two Writing Teachers team led by Stacey Shubitz supporting us. Thank you all for the gift of this challenge and each weekly challenge. </p><p>“Life is not so much about beginnings and endings as it is about going on and on and on.” —Anna Quindlan</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qdyj2RFFM3AOjHvO1srMD9sWtOklFdFBiE8Sb0AJ0EGP7rwKZhtCbCLwAQJb3j7XgIG2K0rPsZ8U_Kr02YHosaEuQsymEJhe6N4GBNtkFiy8z-bzOkm_m0exwOQGljnjCXZw-G4GGR5CYPekB751A6-x3azdYZ_nOo5t88SbrPupYOkBEoYs7c_XSg/s596/A2083AF8-1EE2-4902-842B-FF71C7943BDB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="429" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qdyj2RFFM3AOjHvO1srMD9sWtOklFdFBiE8Sb0AJ0EGP7rwKZhtCbCLwAQJb3j7XgIG2K0rPsZ8U_Kr02YHosaEuQsymEJhe6N4GBNtkFiy8z-bzOkm_m0exwOQGljnjCXZw-G4GGR5CYPekB751A6-x3azdYZ_nOo5t88SbrPupYOkBEoYs7c_XSg/s320/A2083AF8-1EE2-4902-842B-FF71C7943BDB.jpeg" width="230" /></a></div><p> #StandWithUkraine</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-10288070568507947502022-03-29T22:04:00.000-06:002022-03-29T22:04:01.481-06:00In Praise of Selfies & A Nod to Van Gogh #SOL22 30/31<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhRUEv2h5TyyYiLepUQOnDL8DMkwUWbCKLwOhRzJloc1BTmiGweicbhCyRSW6f2v2ypfc646-umzr21ry79k-bXx2TN85I7LUnFI-BJ6Fqhch7rwZeXdfQF4PtHe45rorskYNDFeCryykyKElFFzTJiqMyzMf5Be-bQXJyvOdAYklIdLpULPNGg35Aw/s225/992CF455-494F-418D-A6D1-4AEF279126D4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhRUEv2h5TyyYiLepUQOnDL8DMkwUWbCKLwOhRzJloc1BTmiGweicbhCyRSW6f2v2ypfc646-umzr21ry79k-bXx2TN85I7LUnFI-BJ6Fqhch7rwZeXdfQF4PtHe45rorskYNDFeCryykyKElFFzTJiqMyzMf5Be-bQXJyvOdAYklIdLpULPNGg35Aw/s1600/992CF455-494F-418D-A6D1-4AEF279126D4.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div></div>Y’all know those vacation pics folks love to share on social media? <p></p><p>Were it not for selfies my travel photos would be populated only by churches, cheeses, monuments, museum displays, nature, street art, doors, stairs, random dogs & cats, and Ken. </p><p>That’s because I take lots of photos of Ken, and if you’ve been hanging out here for long, you may recall I like to *pose* Ken. He’s a great sport about my photographic inspirations, but he’s a lousy photographer. </p><p>That’s why I take selfies. It’s why I need selfies. Sure random strangers occasionally offer to snap a photo, but these are often horrifying, with my mouth resembling Edward Munch’s “The Scream.” </p><p>And if you think selfies are a 21st Century construct made possible by smartphones, I’m here to tell you you’re wrong. Selfies have been around at least since Vincent Van Gogh began painting his self-portraits, and let me just say, dude was obsessed by his own image. In a ten-year period, he painted 36 self-portraits. </p><p>Of course, I’ve taken many more selfies than that, but I bet Van Gogh spent much more time on each self portrait than I do on each selfie, so it kinda evens out, don’t cha think? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJINnrA0o2iU4bf5av7hi8j7NE2ccU_tFkkvqKnsE5NFrZd1O8O1jeLxZo41yJLaHD_9dReQyRZykSYGOKW32O-cSiQHWhkGZMoQYQLyFZOczuoeI1Ek-evtnkS8LJ5Y_aJfvXcyAaJyGDvW-p_F71TEkQZV-6QaH897lFJVGVPmn1QtsY_Uh2bFBr9w/s3088/5AC05463-F7FD-48AB-9F3E-6C459A7718E2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJINnrA0o2iU4bf5av7hi8j7NE2ccU_tFkkvqKnsE5NFrZd1O8O1jeLxZo41yJLaHD_9dReQyRZykSYGOKW32O-cSiQHWhkGZMoQYQLyFZOczuoeI1Ek-evtnkS8LJ5Y_aJfvXcyAaJyGDvW-p_F71TEkQZV-6QaH897lFJVGVPmn1QtsY_Uh2bFBr9w/s320/5AC05463-F7FD-48AB-9F3E-6C459A7718E2.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>Next time you feel a hankering to take a selfie and worry someone will think you’re a self-obsessed Narcissus, just tell them you’re channeling your inner Van Gogh, and snap that 21st Century self-portrait, the selfie. </p><p>I snapped a double selfie at the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDh9teMlPEqs_QZQLoVwYnPYIHJ3jmMm_y1JFwIn9uLL9XTT6g8Qp_80wnEzd3gZzhwjW1iN1xdyvM3wCSLi5_5DqRY8xdXtoMUPHlUDXqNYk9SCacb9Ezargi5vhq2ere8A2hEsObbHSWaQcEA_3u6rODuvpc1iWcUiSMVuFVQuAPoeIZXNNIZ3uoQA/s960/321B6FC0-7748-4C80-B876-8D711F13998D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="811" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDh9teMlPEqs_QZQLoVwYnPYIHJ3jmMm_y1JFwIn9uLL9XTT6g8Qp_80wnEzd3gZzhwjW1iN1xdyvM3wCSLi5_5DqRY8xdXtoMUPHlUDXqNYk9SCacb9Ezargi5vhq2ere8A2hEsObbHSWaQcEA_3u6rODuvpc1iWcUiSMVuFVQuAPoeIZXNNIZ3uoQA/s320/321B6FC0-7748-4C80-B876-8D711F13998D.jpeg" width="270" /></a></p><p> #StandWithUkraine </p><p><br /></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-14532507058571921722022-03-29T00:31:00.000-06:002022-03-29T00:31:15.390-06:00People We Meet on Vacation #SOL22 29/31<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnWyeqe8eK8eq7YUQLZTzxCUi9uEDC8GqYhQIioGbUhdm__9GyY65k-GW2KL2_-_pGflwSV6kYhTBz_k4K40TQVU2EiY4U3_saYEJXC_7f4XGRNVl3enD5u5yx-d28h4uBq1YMWv8njUXzNuEwod7YWhRdTjuR8R5GpZ4L0GR8kafANTi09_g-CPSrw/s225/24B12032-0E4F-46FF-8D9E-D5EA05860CAB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnWyeqe8eK8eq7YUQLZTzxCUi9uEDC8GqYhQIioGbUhdm__9GyY65k-GW2KL2_-_pGflwSV6kYhTBz_k4K40TQVU2EiY4U3_saYEJXC_7f4XGRNVl3enD5u5yx-d28h4uBq1YMWv8njUXzNuEwod7YWhRdTjuR8R5GpZ4L0GR8kafANTi09_g-CPSrw/s1600/24B12032-0E4F-46FF-8D9E-D5EA05860CAB.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><p>“I wonder if you can go in.” I overheard the woman accompanied by three other females say this outside Muinster Cathedral in Basel, Switzerland. </p><p>Since I’d just inquired about entry, I offered: “You can go in and join prayers now or come back at 12:20 p.m.”</p><p>Thus began a lovely conversation ending with us learning this San Franciscan living in Lisbon, Portugal owns a wine shop called A Grape in the Fog in the Bay area, and with me sharing information about The Climate Solutions Book Club with the 15 year old accompanying her. </p><p>Part of our chat centered around my glasses. “Your glasses are fabulous,” she said. This always prompts me to offer information about the designer and optical shop where I purchased the frames. </p><p>We took photos for one another and talked about Basel’s rich art culture. </p><p>We’re now following one another on Instagram. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0YhIyIlpnX7Y8EbsYBu0u9nAbyjMMRm-VW89RgGSisj4T1edXHojuzZC7zyEl2CKUeRbu5pTpoc5UNufBIRzW_eRBFxvOV2S-6TPoVwObod-y6cD0NQRnAhQsIYESQh60c1mweCifrYNTmAm3rxyyvXxAGrLNCfqYXDcJdY4mixBMM2PSNnOC9hB2g/s4032/9E0F0617-7E17-46AF-B59E-E4FBC6B95B53.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0YhIyIlpnX7Y8EbsYBu0u9nAbyjMMRm-VW89RgGSisj4T1edXHojuzZC7zyEl2CKUeRbu5pTpoc5UNufBIRzW_eRBFxvOV2S-6TPoVwObod-y6cD0NQRnAhQsIYESQh60c1mweCifrYNTmAm3rxyyvXxAGrLNCfqYXDcJdY4mixBMM2PSNnOC9hB2g/s320/9E0F0617-7E17-46AF-B59E-E4FBC6B95B53.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p>We meet many lovely people during our travels and enjoyed the company of several during the Rhine River cruise part of our journey. However, something felt off during the boat ride, and we have discussed this at length the past week. </p><p>Generally I strike up conversations easily with folks, which happened Monday, but a number of our interactions felt forced while on the Rhine, so I was very happy we clicked immediately with the ladies we exchanged information with in Basel. </p><p>As much as I enjoy seeing the sights and sampling the cuisine, nothing beats connecting with the people we meet on vacation. </p><p><img border="0" data-original-height="1577" data-original-width="2364" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2mGhr3I3hh2dvEjHsrr4GDLnBtnOXOqc1Kq5Qlw01E6H9kyTSbMK-N9I5USv1qqv3qtOBL4g6gkXqzVWy_PDnnVML3jn4PDiw2Z3NThfZSZkJYZgzqzYKcH7AdbNVCOO9G7TnJXruYPvTOXz2po3whkV71uF7kz47KigSJBtv5HTdlC-_9kWOdNcCw/s320/6DC924C0-7738-4980-BD26-D63FA95DADC8.jpeg" width="320" /></p><p> Sunflowers in Switzerland #StandWithUkraine</p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-29415581204968192802022-03-27T22:24:00.000-06:002022-03-27T22:24:34.737-06:00ABC Travel #SOL22 28/31<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9lir5JgvHsh_pDKav52e2u2RELTEVkeJrkRy8y9BVWwCF87UtxLfyvEPB47p3mhs4wtm-YWRKUrsY-JlIueCi6WxwND_CF7zBt1M67Se1RMVkN4WsH9csLdm8JuWYxMygd6QFAtzIFsq4neWcrsvzuOCU7jTVPLes8B7YDgo5yHn1WzmYqTxX9KoSg/s225/6B0689E4-DF79-48E9-8879-279F374034C2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9lir5JgvHsh_pDKav52e2u2RELTEVkeJrkRy8y9BVWwCF87UtxLfyvEPB47p3mhs4wtm-YWRKUrsY-JlIueCi6WxwND_CF7zBt1M67Se1RMVkN4WsH9csLdm8JuWYxMygd6QFAtzIFsq4neWcrsvzuOCU7jTVPLes8B7YDgo5yHn1WzmYqTxX9KoSg/s1600/6B0689E4-DF79-48E9-8879-279F374034C2.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">In France it’s Another Block of Cheese.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Throughout Europe it’s Another Beautiful Church. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We have viewed and toured many beautiful churches and savored lots of tasty cheeses along our Rhine River travels through The Netherlands, Germany, and France. We will likely see more in Switzerland. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;">For now, enjoy a photo tour of the most recent churches and cheeses. </p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;">The most famous church we visited is the Strasburg Cathedral of Notre Dame. It’s 90 % Gothic and 10% Romanesque. It has only one spire, unlike it’s sister cathedral in paris, perhaps because money was tight, perhaps because Gothic architecture fell out of favor. The stained glass is gorgeous. </p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;"> </span><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSIqB81XKFn1NwiPMSWNLF-l7By6_1K3kSmYyiwXeS9bnvJu2ZUCGT5W3q6vBGvW3HT1BrTQ1sbkqRvFm2ResWjaS2fHcnL3SuZAZCMMx_B8Fa_x2qImtkdtSgoJcHLz0ij9CyVU8Sh440mPBXMaAFlNQpXr1983dWAPcj84SyLFzBbbN-xvWsM6UCA/s320/5CDD7512-286F-4CF3-A87C-464812B57274.jpeg" width="240" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-cONqLuykwMabgZw0n9L4JNL4UBGF3tp7didlpjqPL9pNLoI6_K8g9axGpMcbanrm_JlK8enwEEAMGJaAcOWSMWndP2QulFnu2WerLqsCSxrciUlxGaBbtxKX3jdP8iZxp4XldJRGK4DjQvJgsI26bJzYZBVbGVVZDE9V65WX_bHZxDrJ3nMa03LdA/s4032/5DB766BF-F021-4491-A699-49A9E76A29AC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-cONqLuykwMabgZw0n9L4JNL4UBGF3tp7didlpjqPL9pNLoI6_K8g9axGpMcbanrm_JlK8enwEEAMGJaAcOWSMWndP2QulFnu2WerLqsCSxrciUlxGaBbtxKX3jdP8iZxp4XldJRGK4DjQvJgsI26bJzYZBVbGVVZDE9V65WX_bHZxDrJ3nMa03LdA/s320/5DB766BF-F021-4491-A699-49A9E76A29AC.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtgkHNIu4luv6m6J9CDZcpAAzcxyoLCzUBMtl0uwhhxEhQgixWV2nDZWU3EnhqruFlmL9zOC4sCiTNbU0x6AO6spiU1gl5AdWkvpajyT_YTIp15--3qbzURXAtqvgnUi91j-dF_NR4HKBMJLc5dI8bTad0bNOXaOiQcA9-zEipVqkj62UDqdSgzPCVg/s4032/01807300-2B1C-4E51-8230-95BC6C1D5AA1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtgkHNIu4luv6m6J9CDZcpAAzcxyoLCzUBMtl0uwhhxEhQgixWV2nDZWU3EnhqruFlmL9zOC4sCiTNbU0x6AO6spiU1gl5AdWkvpajyT_YTIp15--3qbzURXAtqvgnUi91j-dF_NR4HKBMJLc5dI8bTad0bNOXaOiQcA9-zEipVqkj62UDqdSgzPCVg/s320/01807300-2B1C-4E51-8230-95BC6C1D5AA1.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1_wFZjx0Gmwg72PdAa3YkMut9aMoErV6JFeAhRw3TPTFBdDb_ZqwF8JOVcUgTnn5z-wwnHkLRTo9sg-wMijPxNDoF-bTqglAsDvttYQymstOFk_VoHDx4XDd_g825QoQ2DEJjATFEmS2NzuApuMaClBkhdr8XzsjNvCLyDoCbAbOlS7LbRai4qDP1A/s4032/35137306-D8CB-486D-8EE0-D72CE2E48587.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij1_wFZjx0Gmwg72PdAa3YkMut9aMoErV6JFeAhRw3TPTFBdDb_ZqwF8JOVcUgTnn5z-wwnHkLRTo9sg-wMijPxNDoF-bTqglAsDvttYQymstOFk_VoHDx4XDd_g825QoQ2DEJjATFEmS2NzuApuMaClBkhdr8XzsjNvCLyDoCbAbOlS7LbRai4qDP1A/s320/35137306-D8CB-486D-8EE0-D72CE2E48587.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We visited the Colon Cathedral early in our trip. It’s Gothic architecture is not dirty; it’s just old. “We do not wash our churches,” our guide informed us. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJA8Y9gp4nZhEdPhSFGwdOZr5dWHtXxBWX1yAQ3uwbdfL_rYeIWlwqUTGhG5tUrL5oIMT0QAFJtL9HHYgBt0ZQyAVnF2ZAYzq7Z6mAAoQqVp56CpFV3SE1NSK3mXiUcyhQgXlgQ8WJymC3bb_UBFsePjMa9xyMUO-MhIrXI0VcM414PwTgcVix6D6FQ/s2048/7893104F-E780-46C8-A768-9FCA6A44C730.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJA8Y9gp4nZhEdPhSFGwdOZr5dWHtXxBWX1yAQ3uwbdfL_rYeIWlwqUTGhG5tUrL5oIMT0QAFJtL9HHYgBt0ZQyAVnF2ZAYzq7Z6mAAoQqVp56CpFV3SE1NSK3mXiUcyhQgXlgQ8WJymC3bb_UBFsePjMa9xyMUO-MhIrXI0VcM414PwTgcVix6D6FQ/s320/7893104F-E780-46C8-A768-9FCA6A44C730.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkj7mjuGgjGXDuv4S2vi4pS3gId2W2DxjODK_9DsLgcVo8Yg9HJX0dc8Zj0PQXYbWs_CFdEmvpLGEULZGsC2hq2MKtrmdUOU6awd0nt-EfYfc3FqbO4ZE0yqS5YneQUMZNjA3bM_kmzLetOGsKP9EGu-QJ--iFl5WF4tEkk54fCV2HG2qLn5X_6n7tQ/s2048/4C327227-0DA8-494E-9CFC-3811D8291387.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkj7mjuGgjGXDuv4S2vi4pS3gId2W2DxjODK_9DsLgcVo8Yg9HJX0dc8Zj0PQXYbWs_CFdEmvpLGEULZGsC2hq2MKtrmdUOU6awd0nt-EfYfc3FqbO4ZE0yqS5YneQUMZNjA3bM_kmzLetOGsKP9EGu-QJ--iFl5WF4tEkk54fCV2HG2qLn5X_6n7tQ/s320/4C327227-0DA8-494E-9CFC-3811D8291387.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px;">Next, we have the Spier Cathedral. It’s architectural style is Romanesque, a more simple style than Gothic. </span></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzd6iCEIYC5GCnnLtnfKWkFZwu5U4auLMyCHRiiWek44-itDD_iO86PiCn6yJt0ATnVhgk-SromOI3pAUX9Y0D_0DHsAnCwIvHjaTqgPxfuDlR1HqIhLdekOUwArX8fM_j8tVFlkdm263Mb6iZ0TIH_awP2iHoppC1VD8KjMuC4q97L91MPWz_lO2zw/s4032/C7DDA696-3EC8-4D90-840A-7B111D0E8904.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzd6iCEIYC5GCnnLtnfKWkFZwu5U4auLMyCHRiiWek44-itDD_iO86PiCn6yJt0ATnVhgk-SromOI3pAUX9Y0D_0DHsAnCwIvHjaTqgPxfuDlR1HqIhLdekOUwArX8fM_j8tVFlkdm263Mb6iZ0TIH_awP2iHoppC1VD8KjMuC4q97L91MPWz_lO2zw/s320/C7DDA696-3EC8-4D90-840A-7B111D0E8904.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyBC5-l57TRjWZJh7mNci-WW3MHFI2deYIsquWJD5ZHO3vu9dbgz6O0RTS_GwUF_FEF-VTCXr43rKB_lbNdkVMBBHg79clEqC01akuBdgNk_3ALwBtWsZECyXP2SL75gbGLUaC7mixfAYyiuHib7BVj8NIElySPqc0fu9Sonrfv_3Cf_V3dsaVAsg4w/s4032/7C420EF3-E58E-4D13-B04D-C2D7F3B7C7EB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyBC5-l57TRjWZJh7mNci-WW3MHFI2deYIsquWJD5ZHO3vu9dbgz6O0RTS_GwUF_FEF-VTCXr43rKB_lbNdkVMBBHg79clEqC01akuBdgNk_3ALwBtWsZECyXP2SL75gbGLUaC7mixfAYyiuHib7BVj8NIElySPqc0fu9Sonrfv_3Cf_V3dsaVAsg4w/s320/7C420EF3-E58E-4D13-B04D-C2D7F3B7C7EB.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>We peaked into services in the Comar Cathedral while in this Medieval town, and I snapped a quick pic, for which I beg forgiveness from baby Jesus. I was overcome with temptation. <div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7w37Udx892LOqhEP_nHMrNR64zkt6vEoMg_FAFvcf7srL9nlmos1s-Lt3aXjBqW4AO9YfcxVfPslxS-_aNZIfhmUa7HR6b7mrAiAw7jm9-UVbvQ8xyloYQaV16rkbCmsPWEF_GEJh0tFj-NUyaABxtRARBJTk87Xjxb5knO7zPEwn-6cnXvgdp8CkQ/s4032/6009F272-2587-4819-82A4-066E83E10862.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7w37Udx892LOqhEP_nHMrNR64zkt6vEoMg_FAFvcf7srL9nlmos1s-Lt3aXjBqW4AO9YfcxVfPslxS-_aNZIfhmUa7HR6b7mrAiAw7jm9-UVbvQ8xyloYQaV16rkbCmsPWEF_GEJh0tFj-NUyaABxtRARBJTk87Xjxb5knO7zPEwn-6cnXvgdp8CkQ/s320/6009F272-2587-4819-82A4-066E83E10862.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOK4M-hW1Fl04b5eKAkSvpuvVdGoN-pccggagj42bp6Fl59cPZygek0GgKDA-Xrb3_2ms6SmI6wPjQvZTX6sKdGpic0vRfQV2p8CvhBfASWrLhS-45vEUE1vwf4fn3wloeYWskSlAHDs8V8060j7BT-9WlyXqoN7-mjbEXo5LZW_jy21d5wwkVVTWvg/s3648/B1160950-F18A-4FB5-987F-E8BD1D8D6750.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2266" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOK4M-hW1Fl04b5eKAkSvpuvVdGoN-pccggagj42bp6Fl59cPZygek0GgKDA-Xrb3_2ms6SmI6wPjQvZTX6sKdGpic0vRfQV2p8CvhBfASWrLhS-45vEUE1vwf4fn3wloeYWskSlAHDs8V8060j7BT-9WlyXqoN7-mjbEXo5LZW_jy21d5wwkVVTWvg/w249-h400/B1160950-F18A-4FB5-987F-E8BD1D8D6750.jpeg" width="249" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I promised cheeses, too. Again, I was overcome with temptation and purchased a nice chunk of truffle cheese in Strasbourg from this shop. </div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-JPI9jocV5Tmp0aLtB64cD5S1sUVvrnwKE-SbblzYs7nc9LV4PDMjbqzJOAVTbQ4L9nwF15td7WjjdT3N1ynPtKALUxzcrj9ZjdaJ7J3Q9bwfbEdl07fAUcumE1xKcO89vAAC_8EjXPWVM1-NwiS9HELNSQA-vS0da2A9jqm-7SQpj7CahjZUVpcfQ/s4032/A4E057B8-BD43-4E7B-8349-A19FCA03E797.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-JPI9jocV5Tmp0aLtB64cD5S1sUVvrnwKE-SbblzYs7nc9LV4PDMjbqzJOAVTbQ4L9nwF15td7WjjdT3N1ynPtKALUxzcrj9ZjdaJ7J3Q9bwfbEdl07fAUcumE1xKcO89vAAC_8EjXPWVM1-NwiS9HELNSQA-vS0da2A9jqm-7SQpj7CahjZUVpcfQ/s320/A4E057B8-BD43-4E7B-8349-A19FCA03E797.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div>Indulging in good cheese and fine wine is better than communion and a little like a religious experience. </div><div><br /></div><div>Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral bathed. in sunflowers be for the fire that nearly destroyed it. I visited this gorgeous church in 2015. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qflBlPV5KAg6fAdmebcXju-J-Ck7KwteUi5kU1XJlIx3UC-xT0DBNeo6Sar1GzwppNSKU9NcjquDZPGFO2vxPeiWR-EDVd_F0-BbpKXUoYYoBMgABgSdqTpIwzdJTPFwC5mRZybww3WUzCljQ0KM_L-te-_1hvbnHw-ts44yeoNXgg18TdefHkWO7A/s550/68652FF1-03C0-4693-AB18-D24FC55D8072.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="359" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0qflBlPV5KAg6fAdmebcXju-J-Ck7KwteUi5kU1XJlIx3UC-xT0DBNeo6Sar1GzwppNSKU9NcjquDZPGFO2vxPeiWR-EDVd_F0-BbpKXUoYYoBMgABgSdqTpIwzdJTPFwC5mRZybww3WUzCljQ0KM_L-te-_1hvbnHw-ts44yeoNXgg18TdefHkWO7A/s320/68652FF1-03C0-4693-AB18-D24FC55D8072.jpeg" width="209" /></a></div><div>#StandWithUkraine </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-41795105332128582282022-03-26T22:26:00.000-06:002022-03-26T22:26:27.455-06:00A Typical or Atypical Traveler #SOL22 27/31<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4k8SxbXm75s7FEmLK8fX44gbfKBvi0BHt9O0puyRMGq-HBtNqZj-G8QjBnmOQrlle_4hZ7V5WKnMyYSQdF5DK7uXhrxS1fV0jJo_5J7lieg_62UgVsOObRJa0mpGAjqgdQXIRlCJ-Wi_XOFtRSDC-Rhi6MJ9xIjcrgm70kJJ513g4nSBjwDF7dT1vIQ/s225/B7668791-A1F1-4AE0-B103-656E423B1E69.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4k8SxbXm75s7FEmLK8fX44gbfKBvi0BHt9O0puyRMGq-HBtNqZj-G8QjBnmOQrlle_4hZ7V5WKnMyYSQdF5DK7uXhrxS1fV0jJo_5J7lieg_62UgVsOObRJa0mpGAjqgdQXIRlCJ-Wi_XOFtRSDC-Rhi6MJ9xIjcrgm70kJJ513g4nSBjwDF7dT1vIQ/s1600/B7668791-A1F1-4AE0-B103-656E423B1E69.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><p>“<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">You’re either a traveler or a tourist.”</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Educators who lead student groups with EF often hear this mantra and learn to share it with students. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">What’s the difference between a traveler and a tourist? Simply, a tourist sees. A traveler experiences. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I’ve been reflecting on the difference during our Rhine River cruise. On the ship, we’re definitely tourists. Off the ship, away from others on this cruise, we are travelers. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">During our stop in Spier, Germany, for example, Ken and I left the ship early, choosing to forego the included walking tour. We visited sites, walked around town, dined in a little street cafe, shopped and did our best to blend in, although probably not very effectively. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhao9471VQqREn4uOazcKwFnDoZ0p3Nz_JAc-z6VFiYZWe8cwZPfVZMa7rigKLm46iE0D74fVdFnxXjOnfAC5uBY-qiuTX2y1Wds5u8hlTOYBSUswdNM3Eh-kbOuTejnbHeLNaKJ419x7Fww6wKPFwYEjZeUiO2g4uqAly1mlpz_xI-LQ7T7-yqI3aqcw/s4032/C0F01E91-FC3E-4BC9-938D-07B36751CE45.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhao9471VQqREn4uOazcKwFnDoZ0p3Nz_JAc-z6VFiYZWe8cwZPfVZMa7rigKLm46iE0D74fVdFnxXjOnfAC5uBY-qiuTX2y1Wds5u8hlTOYBSUswdNM3Eh-kbOuTejnbHeLNaKJ419x7Fww6wKPFwYEjZeUiO2g4uqAly1mlpz_xI-LQ7T7-yqI3aqcw/s320/C0F01E91-FC3E-4BC9-938D-07B36751CE45.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> (On our way into Spier) </span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">As we left the ship, one of the crew stopped us. He was clearly worried we were heading out alone. I assured him we’d be fine and told him about chasing a man who took off with my luggage in the Prague train station in 2019. That man tried to extort money from us after dumping us at the wrong platform. He cussed me out when I refused to pay. In turn, I cussed him out. I did not pay despite his insistence we’d miss our train. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">My most immersive traveling experience came in 2005 when I journeyed to Oaxaca, Mexico for language school and lived in a small apartment above my host family’s garage. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I ate breakfast with them each day and did my best to live as a local. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Travelers lean into and experience local culture. Travelers learn at least a few words and phrases in the local language. Travelers embrace new experiences, and celebrate our similarities and differences. Travelers don’t complain about local cuisine or use phrases such as, “at home we do blah, blah, blah.” Travelers stay in quirky accommodations, and live by “not all who wander are lost.” </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We’ve taken numerous ocean cruises, and I’d longed to try a river cruise, which is why we’re floating the Rhine. But like ocean cruises, a river cruise caters to the tourist who journeys to see and provides few opportunities to experience in the ways of the traveler. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">At heart I’m a traveling girl. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Yvbq8SFK02_5GmRbl8nByBxVtnqTowylxHDSdE1n2RyScvpNCRakb6bgOhyD6leKQNjjiniN-7mrYKfIrVcD2A0P-IJrhSRFmcKj4nH-R4YXhRp5VYnY8XcT8PCp8pLB0XPjgbx-wYQgbqu_FdWhw01cBxL5gK4__KM3vf7-Y6M0s7IWOqKyYpH51Q/s533/4B374048-A283-46FB-BA80-186B141168D9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Yvbq8SFK02_5GmRbl8nByBxVtnqTowylxHDSdE1n2RyScvpNCRakb6bgOhyD6leKQNjjiniN-7mrYKfIrVcD2A0P-IJrhSRFmcKj4nH-R4YXhRp5VYnY8XcT8PCp8pLB0XPjgbx-wYQgbqu_FdWhw01cBxL5gK4__KM3vf7-Y6M0s7IWOqKyYpH51Q/s320/4B374048-A283-46FB-BA80-186B141168D9.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div> #StandWithUkraine<br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span><p></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-28965078878082911452022-03-25T23:12:00.000-06:002022-03-25T23:12:50.637-06:00The Open Bookcase #SOL22 26/31 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRq6gm3RXpZAeCw4keByA4Tr2Nml2PdPaJvtAmL1SWnID0jJp0q0O4nGOr0C2VnBKMilC6XO49ebN7fZBjgg4q1JaMndDYzw8wcU9X9KEo_HABZVQW5gEsSlQckmiBXDtciHEBqaw2q_6IXLiVUdZGt_5N9OaShMOg3sFGPapmgfb3Emi0kK6VRLYSNw/s225/22C4D266-9037-4F5B-AD5F-A54C86C0D15B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRq6gm3RXpZAeCw4keByA4Tr2Nml2PdPaJvtAmL1SWnID0jJp0q0O4nGOr0C2VnBKMilC6XO49ebN7fZBjgg4q1JaMndDYzw8wcU9X9KEo_HABZVQW5gEsSlQckmiBXDtciHEBqaw2q_6IXLiVUdZGt_5N9OaShMOg3sFGPapmgfb3Emi0kK6VRLYSNw/s1600/22C4D266-9037-4F5B-AD5F-A54C86C0D15B.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">A Little Free Library hides along a cobbled street in Speyer, Germany. Inviting readers to peruse its spines, the open bookcase bares its titles behind glass walls. It looks much like an old-time telephone booth, but with books instead of a rotary phone. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4_CoAHRJqGKi3bgE_uVMCCQajTAf_LEgcfEYl80iT4tUwwN7pmcX-Sc7uBuk6622ZAqKZgcYnnwhVGU9JYjUgk-UvB4sgOVwFOwMugJkljfDc-SbVQr_5qItdlrMcbrWdrHJmGru0cAGZvSrF2YufOO3HcyihOQozFKJe02IxycDg9qktjjVvy3HUg/s4032/13714BBD-11B1-485C-ADF4-DF583D06A0D5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4_CoAHRJqGKi3bgE_uVMCCQajTAf_LEgcfEYl80iT4tUwwN7pmcX-Sc7uBuk6622ZAqKZgcYnnwhVGU9JYjUgk-UvB4sgOVwFOwMugJkljfDc-SbVQr_5qItdlrMcbrWdrHJmGru0cAGZvSrF2YufOO3HcyihOQozFKJe02IxycDg9qktjjVvy3HUg/s320/13714BBD-11B1-485C-ADF4-DF583D06A0D5.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">A small wall in the corner of our ship invites readers to choose a title, sit a while, and read. I recognized some titles, such as Jesmyn Ward’s “Sing, Unburied, Sing,” and a volume of Sylvia Plath’s correspondence. After reading a couple of fellow slicers’ (Trina’s and Terja’s) book spine poetry, I felt compelled to compose a poem from these unfamiliar volumes. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEHr2LQDtKa-92-Ra8tMpQgEYOg3zQt6SHJXSFTzc76WEi0E2GderUtbtzvJ2WXWnXCBg19FXPQRH6UaA-h7Nof5rfkJZD9nNL-rJcBjSpc-pf9VEQ0F_3CzZrEOXJoH2TIvYbxIswR72df4anwykqvxoX24SD6c6pRTObpqeoFyWB4SwKVTht0asQw/s320/3F404818-28A3-4D6D-9238-7FFD02CF2D4B.jpeg" width="240" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Making faces</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Beneath another sky</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Where my heart used to beat</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the illuminations—</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Darker with the lights on—</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A place for all people</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Living in the sound of the wind. </div></div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBL1Tn8kMRAdSI7qGAvlU40CgpsAR8BKrPY5HEOtv9wmShZFUOTOBwrJCXA6jira0uzG3q4FudLIUIweTeGz2iR2Eh7ny3QOtK2NDznLFE9_gU0J5cm6DQ3d54HlLZMIzkPZA7BKcsqbHFr_IFE-p0zIr-JPEYZsN4hiU_btQQPefBuTJBrvozOKdJw/s900/191DF750-AF64-46C5-A899-D79A788AC8A5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="900" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBL1Tn8kMRAdSI7qGAvlU40CgpsAR8BKrPY5HEOtv9wmShZFUOTOBwrJCXA6jira0uzG3q4FudLIUIweTeGz2iR2Eh7ny3QOtK2NDznLFE9_gU0J5cm6DQ3d54HlLZMIzkPZA7BKcsqbHFr_IFE-p0zIr-JPEYZsN4hiU_btQQPefBuTJBrvozOKdJw/s320/191DF750-AF64-46C5-A899-D79A788AC8A5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></p><p> #StandWithUkraine</p><p><br /></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-30224189022950387082022-03-24T23:57:00.000-06:002022-03-24T23:57:22.647-06:00American Music: The Universal Language #SOL22 25/31<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfTz2GiaF-o6sP7xrt6nBSvQkSlvOE1qYk2AXsUmmT6_F1PHR35tL_DVhAms4SRSmCsMJfd3yLobO5yt8o_PPuBqF3Ex0S6_4jJqEyzMspU1J94olp306O6PoSdKuYE9ApEZhQ2HkZS06PWeWFiFgp6n30h5SS_LwkoyDQ9dOxI3z-PLw41ltnOEdydw/s225/03CAB8B2-A0B9-4D44-950F-BF1FDB14EC45.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfTz2GiaF-o6sP7xrt6nBSvQkSlvOE1qYk2AXsUmmT6_F1PHR35tL_DVhAms4SRSmCsMJfd3yLobO5yt8o_PPuBqF3Ex0S6_4jJqEyzMspU1J94olp306O6PoSdKuYE9ApEZhQ2HkZS06PWeWFiFgp6n30h5SS_LwkoyDQ9dOxI3z-PLw41ltnOEdydw/s1600/03CAB8B2-A0B9-4D44-950F-BF1FDB14EC45.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Her name is Kathy. His Brad.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">They’re taking their first international trip, really, their first travel experience. “Financed by my mother,” explains Kathy. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">They’re the best kind of traveler to meet along our journey: two people whose lives have prevented them from enjoying the privilege of travel. “This is the first opportunity we’ve had to travel,” Kathy tells me. She says they’ve been taking care of family, her mother, their children and grandchildren. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Perhaps there’s more to this story. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Travel is privilege. Not all have the privilege necessary to venture far beyond their homes. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I’ve been watching K&B since we met. Observing their joy. Noticing the wonder of those who have not been here before. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">She loves seeing all the things. He’s not sure about future travel. It’s a ruse. I think. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDk4QUH_5OCs8XPnfQzvvuSOFXCLRab_NeLdT9JslchwGKyGrsJViKYgVf5nsnUtIjQWbbTEtknIKQx7kv5hEAXJSr-Uc1P5vHs2e9KEyr1eTjwy1fJKFF-I_lvDyxTl9AiIeL_EU7bkLmW35webv4CZAblGZWgJjDvuIHvFdejfkmdd24BVqe3mPdsg/s4032/6C7C3309-4E69-4DC6-AF02-71A16F2840F7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDk4QUH_5OCs8XPnfQzvvuSOFXCLRab_NeLdT9JslchwGKyGrsJViKYgVf5nsnUtIjQWbbTEtknIKQx7kv5hEAXJSr-Uc1P5vHs2e9KEyr1eTjwy1fJKFF-I_lvDyxTl9AiIeL_EU7bkLmW35webv4CZAblGZWgJjDvuIHvFdejfkmdd24BVqe3mPdsg/s320/6C7C3309-4E69-4DC6-AF02-71A16F2840F7.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Today they observed the castles along the middle Rhine, part of the Unesco World Heritage sights in the Rhine Gorge. There are 40 castles along this part of the river.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">This evening they sang along to American music sung by a German musician—with an accent. They and we performed the gestures to YMCA and sang along to Neil Diamond’s “so good, so good, so good,” the words we all know from “Cherrie, Cherie.”</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Wherever we go, we hear music—the music of our culture, American Rock ‘n Roll. As our guide in Colon explained, “German rick music sucks. It’s an abysmal failure, with few exceptions.” </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We are one in song. Singing off key. Sharing a common language. Forgetting our differences. Pretending they don’t exist for a moment. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We are Yankee Doodle Dandy in Germany. “And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.” We sing in and out of tune on our way to the kiddie train that will return us to our ship. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1q1-UVAIgjaw84gXxHZixOdHMOxXAp9gKLzY41_IvDiyHdazdUvh9Y64XWBKJvY6dAl848Uv4uhQx8oScrYcN86SuWs1L8e06Zn1XULgSc8WfTJTFR3DytiIblE6WhcpYAd6IXDChE4ALFZbCBmhdzk8ONSMwwdhSKSd8DrLX9WScs80sXWSiWdwcA/s500/8ED665E8-1DA7-4CC8-A84C-F0197C27DE54.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1q1-UVAIgjaw84gXxHZixOdHMOxXAp9gKLzY41_IvDiyHdazdUvh9Y64XWBKJvY6dAl848Uv4uhQx8oScrYcN86SuWs1L8e06Zn1XULgSc8WfTJTFR3DytiIblE6WhcpYAd6IXDChE4ALFZbCBmhdzk8ONSMwwdhSKSd8DrLX9WScs80sXWSiWdwcA/s320/8ED665E8-1DA7-4CC8-A84C-F0197C27DE54.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> #StandWithUkraine</span><p></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-41460185697264767552022-03-23T23:34:00.001-06:002022-03-24T04:15:01.256-06:00At the Anne Frank House #SOL22 24/31<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><blockquote><blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T_otjlr1bNZyuSLZ2RSbSxUyp3ybfIBpFwmZuu_MhaJ17xZuVQ3nXWf_uA1MP13Ihpxem-slNfCnBzDOR7Mvpqdprt7xjSYaEEnBUMzY_X1BbHMYYjLsT37x4ih7LdNc3L_xb_6vtoJp9oG7shO1VsZLmbBWRG4DlsMX4TLzA1BLVZqwOc2brXqDag/s225/CF35F26E-0908-45A2-9E61-FB1380D9F5E5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6T_otjlr1bNZyuSLZ2RSbSxUyp3ybfIBpFwmZuu_MhaJ17xZuVQ3nXWf_uA1MP13Ihpxem-slNfCnBzDOR7Mvpqdprt7xjSYaEEnBUMzY_X1BbHMYYjLsT37x4ih7LdNc3L_xb_6vtoJp9oG7shO1VsZLmbBWRG4DlsMX4TLzA1BLVZqwOc2brXqDag/s1600/CF35F26E-0908-45A2-9E61-FB1380D9F5E5.jpeg" width="225" /></a></blockquote></blockquote></div><blockquote><p>“No one has ever become poor by giving.” —Anne Frank</p></blockquote><p>We stood in a cold wind awaiting admittance into the Anne Frank House and Museum. I wore a thin jacket and wondered if I’d made a mistake in not bringing a winter coat. I wanted to complain but felt a tinge of guilt in the realization my first-world privilege has made me soft, has turned me into a creature who obsesses about comfort. </p><blockquote><p>“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” —Anne Frank</p></blockquote><p>When I first booked our trip along the Rhine River, I looked for tickets to Anne Frank’s secret annex. A computer glitch resulted in my purchasing four instead of two tickets. We discussed what to do and decided to look for someone to whom we could give the tickets. We found our someone as we waited in the cold wind. Natalie and Dan are a young couple from Wales. They needed tickets. We had two extra. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpJ0e6tCbJhMFC4Kmip7tYuoaaSanfoarPH_B62yxjH9WVJxJ3gpTzPrGWrvXJ_rbhWuNttSII5OloZF1ny2xA88YmqeCKSUuqMS1zEQAgDMPShxMDrCqU8XsN0rclfmnwNhx7EY83iJ_Uc6Tkn-lI8fO0Y50CmRdU5pHTeVLeVU7kj7l6sibURCzpA/s2908/6CA7E8C5-4C24-49C0-994E-1303D070637C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2431" data-original-width="2908" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpJ0e6tCbJhMFC4Kmip7tYuoaaSanfoarPH_B62yxjH9WVJxJ3gpTzPrGWrvXJ_rbhWuNttSII5OloZF1ny2xA88YmqeCKSUuqMS1zEQAgDMPShxMDrCqU8XsN0rclfmnwNhx7EY83iJ_Uc6Tkn-lI8fO0Y50CmRdU5pHTeVLeVU7kj7l6sibURCzpA/s320/6CA7E8C5-4C24-49C0-994E-1303D070637C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Anne Frank and her family relied on the kindness of friends to provide food and other necessary items for two years. It’s how the eight survived until the Nazis discovered their hiding place. </p><blockquote><p>“I want to write, but more than that, I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart.” —Anne Frank</p></blockquote><p>As we walked through the secret annex and surveyed the tiny, sunless rooms, I felt as though we were intruding on the Frank family’s privacy, but I also felt seeing this place necessary as a witness. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbSW6hnBjrAh6WTQx4vOwvobSEcMVnUCdgCE7tJTOnlDLgNmO2Ab_UBurWzlctHYC2ZYL9lsovFc8UhX3sk83HImeErH_LvEs-Lnk4mjx_6NV1EdEHst9xJ2NYKr2ju5aRRgEvkVCdHQgT16RJEppko5uojrzZpCXDTnbhiLXK5wZ0w50CtVauG7_jA/s1861/038FF51C-7C78-4E6D-83A6-5CD1737C59AE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1861" data-original-width="1680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbSW6hnBjrAh6WTQx4vOwvobSEcMVnUCdgCE7tJTOnlDLgNmO2Ab_UBurWzlctHYC2ZYL9lsovFc8UhX3sk83HImeErH_LvEs-Lnk4mjx_6NV1EdEHst9xJ2NYKr2ju5aRRgEvkVCdHQgT16RJEppko5uojrzZpCXDTnbhiLXK5wZ0w50CtVauG7_jA/s320/038FF51C-7C78-4E6D-83A6-5CD1737C59AE.jpeg" width="289" /></a></div>(No photos allowed in the Anne Frank House and Museum. These postcards show a bedroom w/,photos and clippings; the bookcase entrance into the annex; the outside of the secret annex as it looks now.)<br /><p>The uniqueness and commonalities form a paradoxical juxtaposition. Photos of starlets and pop culture references line one wall intermingled with family photos and letters while the German Auschwitz transfer cards create a sickening line along a counter. </p><blockquote><p>“I can say what I mean much better on paper.” —Anne Frank</p></blockquote><p>Throughout the annex, passages from Anne Frank’s diary inform visitors about this young girl’s philosophies and dreams and need to write. She dreamed of being a journalist. She dreamed of a better, kinder word. </p><p> “I can capture everything when I write.”</p><p>I wonder who among the young girls in Ukraine, among the young girls in other war-torn countries, will arise as the next writer of memory who captures the hopes, dreams, and sorrows of this genocidal moment in history.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDZyuv0hJiuqoOINdbyPS_8lD2HJaNKmxU24b4D5WfwH1VIpW8OKYnRpl7EqX19TVE2z-999jrOWSBEnBg3lEiD6Gy1jY3acoH_4LmzAAHaWsqnXHHzi69wkvfDsqSEmfkoPHlyNlY_4QS3O9ha_zG_K3_n6HAzUAs57E4wjlwLNNkr9mO-aQBn3xNQ/s4032/0D6EA892-EC5A-44C7-9663-21EF361E0647.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDZyuv0hJiuqoOINdbyPS_8lD2HJaNKmxU24b4D5WfwH1VIpW8OKYnRpl7EqX19TVE2z-999jrOWSBEnBg3lEiD6Gy1jY3acoH_4LmzAAHaWsqnXHHzi69wkvfDsqSEmfkoPHlyNlY_4QS3O9ha_zG_K3_n6HAzUAs57E4wjlwLNNkr9mO-aQBn3xNQ/s320/0D6EA892-EC5A-44C7-9663-21EF361E0647.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div> #StandWithUkraine<br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-85488980495182965672022-03-23T00:06:00.000-06:002022-03-23T00:06:08.452-06:00“Sunflowers” at the Van Gogh Museum #SOL22 23/31<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmED9JK_cyk0cJaV0Net1mA-ssHfaOv7Y4zpZiyFh2S-3EB3SLQ6lhiof-W1eYx7UWQrKxB5iEVFNF5cpnPCRmzx2t2t-zaOe2dgr2JvxiwhlonN9tHoELWBEhH4I9Umu8pcVW0xf6HdTFBMaYv9Fbg_ppH80GUDgOySHVagIMFDybqb4jId0vTKGng/s225/8F0205E8-3D6A-4419-8EC0-824DC41996D2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsmED9JK_cyk0cJaV0Net1mA-ssHfaOv7Y4zpZiyFh2S-3EB3SLQ6lhiof-W1eYx7UWQrKxB5iEVFNF5cpnPCRmzx2t2t-zaOe2dgr2JvxiwhlonN9tHoELWBEhH4I9Umu8pcVW0xf6HdTFBMaYv9Fbg_ppH80GUDgOySHVagIMFDybqb4jId0vTKGng/s1600/8F0205E8-3D6A-4419-8EC0-824DC41996D2.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><p>I <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">stood looking at the painting “Sunflowers” at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. As I gazed at the myriad yellows, the audio narration taught me how to see:</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“There’s a feeling of power in these heavy heads.” </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Yes, the sunflower heads appear heavy, somewhat bowed from the weight of their blooms. I too have noticed sunflowers with heavy blooms. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“Some of the flowers are dying.” There’s a special beauty in flowers dying.” They’re “like real life.” </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I recall Shakespeare’s words: “Tis true: all that lives must die.” Yet how often do we see beauty in death? We have been acculturated to eschew dying, yet we all will. We all must one day. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Every day this month I have posted a different image of sunflowers in this space as a small reminder of the beautiful Ukrainian people who in the throes of destruction are teaching me much about living, the way Van Gogh’s sunflowers honor the living and dying. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vq8K9Uhx2sV0BEhRRyyXfuBCO1IAhY29qumPR3jmCCI4vWWaoJHOWPX9aiBN-tzGRqrrU99-c4pon58Jee_4q2igTzjrICLFW0CjDFh3myIwbaD5QJng4n1pDqn_yPhDspKHSx9BjUEs3O0kU5x8yMD-yNNtzBTUkE_quVPBnOWwnJQhKQdBM7xAhA/s3230/D3A52DA0-CCB6-476E-BE2F-D5B2D0B15AA9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3230" data-original-width="2732" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vq8K9Uhx2sV0BEhRRyyXfuBCO1IAhY29qumPR3jmCCI4vWWaoJHOWPX9aiBN-tzGRqrrU99-c4pon58Jee_4q2igTzjrICLFW0CjDFh3myIwbaD5QJng4n1pDqn_yPhDspKHSx9BjUEs3O0kU5x8yMD-yNNtzBTUkE_quVPBnOWwnJQhKQdBM7xAhA/s320/D3A52DA0-CCB6-476E-BE2F-D5B2D0B15AA9.jpeg" width="271" /></a></div> #StandWithUkraine<br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span><p></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-47465050991920733892022-03-21T23:41:00.000-06:002022-03-21T23:41:58.857-06:00Passenger Shaming #SOL22 22/31<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUuYI7jKqzdlmGfCAD4dfthYKo8tglM3Vidx_iRy6VW1ueWJIQ016oJTfcADol01eR14_q8XU78hREZWBkDtAGm2kIbtGTt7uXrwaMaEJbgZfp__ngcXgTjEcKAap5HZF8HolhX6aBnFzn4-u_ZxDQ19WoAMEDArfgPtc0_lWM1W1CSvaKdWfrcdoW6A=s225" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUuYI7jKqzdlmGfCAD4dfthYKo8tglM3Vidx_iRy6VW1ueWJIQ016oJTfcADol01eR14_q8XU78hREZWBkDtAGm2kIbtGTt7uXrwaMaEJbgZfp__ngcXgTjEcKAap5HZF8HolhX6aBnFzn4-u_ZxDQ19WoAMEDArfgPtc0_lWM1W1CSvaKdWfrcdoW6A" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">We stood in a long line awaiting our checkin for Flight 56, Salt Lake City to Amsterdam.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I tried to retrieve boarding passes the previous day when the “Your Boarding Pass is Now Available” notification arrived and again from the self-checkin kiosk at the Delta counter. Both times I was directed to see an agent. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">So we stood in line, weaving in and out of the maze familiar to all who have flown, waited in line at an amusement park, or waited in line at some other populous venue. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Of course we were/are under strict mask mandates in airports and on aircraft. Yet there is always someone—in this case three someone’s—who believe the rules do not apply to them. Two young men and their mother directly in front of us wore their masks below their noses. One of the man-babies (college age, I’m guessing) wore his on his chin while exercising his mouth as though it was a marionette’s dummy. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">At times like this I struggle to keep my mouth closed and words trapped in my mind. Instead, while the agent checked our travel documents—Covid vaccine cards, covid test results, Netherlands health declaration—I spoke to two young men who looked like returned LDS missionaries (Think: Book of Mormon on Broadway) behind the counter: </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“You two could be mask police instead of just standing around.” I pointed my head toward the family of “the rules are not for us” luddites.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The boys in white shirts smiled and looked at me with deer in the headlights smiles.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I continued: “Be bold. Be brave. Be resolute.” They smiled. “That’s from Macbeth,” I offered, as though quoting Shakespeare would help these two go against their natural instincts. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“You can do it. I believe in you.” Still, nothing. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“If I were you, I’d say something.” Crickets. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I turned my attention to the agent and finished checking it. I saw Ken giggling with my side eye. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The agent handed me our passports and other documents and we headed for our gate. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I have a feeling those two returned missionaries weren’t the most aggressive or tenacious brothers sent to proselytize among the heather. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjn2PZ1UONcb7TicIfoBpY69j3JZe4jNf0AGVt2aJGUBzAblBwj7h_goDFW7hGtywzVoxFxAax8URqyvlBLP0mield8ps3JWXSlZLFeOj5FKt7vvkPgDS0zAFe1M2MU6tkCjs0sneTJMtXfOahlmTRwZaJ2m8Fp1astKTAVVy76i9ODcvydUZtwpVxwDw=s599" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="599" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjn2PZ1UONcb7TicIfoBpY69j3JZe4jNf0AGVt2aJGUBzAblBwj7h_goDFW7hGtywzVoxFxAax8URqyvlBLP0mield8ps3JWXSlZLFeOj5FKt7vvkPgDS0zAFe1M2MU6tkCjs0sneTJMtXfOahlmTRwZaJ2m8Fp1astKTAVVy76i9ODcvydUZtwpVxwDw=s320" width="320" /></a></div> #StandEithUkraine<br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span><p></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-18993927861259845592022-03-21T01:59:00.000-06:002022-03-21T01:59:55.212-06:00Conversations with Flight Attendants #SOL22 21/31<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVr64vMVBAsGDs5zZ1ZupINkjEIJzCS6Gf4p1NPAdv90OhzeCPuc--zLbg5RcswCmW2n9dYLbfILeR7mzk2YgQst1MuJd197PuRF8FALSEdcUzsVO97mjpj8i3TNCJv26aA6qS6KqxxECBK788APop4aQ3qHRLos9gPSfn5BrH8NzFdpVFpz9tpsDUDw=s225" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVr64vMVBAsGDs5zZ1ZupINkjEIJzCS6Gf4p1NPAdv90OhzeCPuc--zLbg5RcswCmW2n9dYLbfILeR7mzk2YgQst1MuJd197PuRF8FALSEdcUzsVO97mjpj8i3TNCJv26aA6qS6KqxxECBK788APop4aQ3qHRLos9gPSfn5BrH8NzFdpVFpz9tpsDUDw" width="225" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">A nearly ten hour flight poses the potential for some interesting conversations, such as the following one I witnessed and had. </p><p style="text-align: left;">——-</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Flight attendant to man in row 27, seat J.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">FA: Would you like chicken or pasta?</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Man: Pasta. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">FA: Have you eaten here before? </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Man: No. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">FA handed the man his foil-wrapped pasta and proceeded down the aisle. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Next, he stopped at our row and spoke: </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">FA: Would you like chicken or pasta?</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Me: He’s going to have pasta.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">FA: And you?</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Me: I’m going to pass on the food. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">FA: You’ve eaten here before. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Me: I could tell you a gross story from 2019. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">He chuckled and rolled the cart down the aisle. </span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1BwuaTjEPNS89rXTLX_4DwtXp0mqxv9gBYteORQ3QcNE8KGaSEWB_xt_TrLjGR0FJAJLHHKpwrjbA19sb2DUKghiG7ZG48pQrAjG1N7ZyiN-7WqSj28Gs2-Uddqo9fGeEYxloBrx5uxMxscnPiZo_9bUCE_vgWl-IsBHj8nYUFyomFuiL7_4S2uRr1w=s800" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1BwuaTjEPNS89rXTLX_4DwtXp0mqxv9gBYteORQ3QcNE8KGaSEWB_xt_TrLjGR0FJAJLHHKpwrjbA19sb2DUKghiG7ZG48pQrAjG1N7ZyiN-7WqSj28Gs2-Uddqo9fGeEYxloBrx5uxMxscnPiZo_9bUCE_vgWl-IsBHj8nYUFyomFuiL7_4S2uRr1w=s320" width="320" /></a></div> #StandWithUkraine<span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">. </span><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-24947176818423929852022-03-19T22:00:00.021-06:002022-03-19T22:00:00.201-06:00An Ice Cube, A Potato, & A Needle [A Short Play in V Acts] #SOL22 20/31<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEht8lQ9o3EQJwJCmMANZzVIhuLWX32CTPWdFE3cIECv9q0iqSTTwK0V7r--VhNyVbvrBS3JCW8itbL_02W3s0XxI_1iezK2fD7ofSB73KFc_8eQAnnFTbvlWI_ytm46EdiKWm1vrSEgCbiud7fTRy-4PRHalSTQC56seizHUsUJfS32lhjC7MgLwQwP1w=s225" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEht8lQ9o3EQJwJCmMANZzVIhuLWX32CTPWdFE3cIECv9q0iqSTTwK0V7r--VhNyVbvrBS3JCW8itbL_02W3s0XxI_1iezK2fD7ofSB73KFc_8eQAnnFTbvlWI_ytm46EdiKWm1vrSEgCbiud7fTRy-4PRHalSTQC56seizHUsUJfS32lhjC7MgLwQwP1w" width="225" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>An Ice Cube, A Potato, & A Needle</i> </p><p style="text-align: center;">A Short Play in V Acts</p><p style="text-align: center;">Act I</p><p>Synopsis: </p><p>An ice cube, a potato, and a needle walk into a bar…Well, not a bar, a kitchen. An ice cube, a potato, and a needle walk into a kitchen. Okay, they don’t walk, but let’s suspend disbelief, as Coleridge suggested. </p><p>Scene: A teen girl sits on a chair in the kitchen. A woman places the ice cube behind the girl’s ear, first the back, then the front, then the back, then the front. Heat from the girl’s head melts the ice cube. </p><p>Woman: Can you feel that? </p><p>Girl: I don’t know (She’s worried the woman won’t keep her promise to do the thing.)</p><p>The woman holds the potato behind the girl’s ear. She peeled it for sanitation purposes. It looks like a giant keloid. </p><p>Girl: Will it hurt? </p><p>Woman: No. Hold still. Stop moving. </p><p>The woman plunges the needle into the girl’s right lobe. The needle pierces the potato, too. A trickle of blood falls on the girl’s neck. </p><p>Woman: See, that didn’t hurt. </p><p>Tears stream down the girl’s cheeks. Not just from the physical pain but from the pang of guilt. </p><p>The woman leaves the room momentarily, returns, repeats the scenario on the left ear. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Act II</p><p>The girl nurses the wounds, treats them them with alcohol, styles her hair to show the art she wears, notices they don't look quite symmetrical. Mentions it to the woman.</p><p>Girl: They don't look even.</p><p>Woman: They're fine.</p><p>Life goes on, but the girl obsesses over the asymmetrical pricks.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Act III</p><p>Many years, even decades pass. The girl remembers the father’s words from years before. </p><p>Scene: Flashback to before.</p><p>Girl: Can I, please?</p><p>Father: No. I said No!</p><p>Girl: Why not?</p><p>Father: If God wanted holes in your ears, he would have put them there. </p><p>Girl: But when can I?</p><p>Father: After I die. </p><p>And so the girl did. She waited two weeks after the funeral before asking the woman if she could, but the woman said, “no." And added, </p><p>Woman: I will do it.</p><p>And so she did.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Act IV</p><p>Scene: The girl, now a woman, an old one at that, found herself alone, isolated, shut in. Others did, too. It seemed the entire planet was home alone, going nowhere. </p><p>The now old woman-girl forgot about the ice cube, the potato, the needle, and the sadistic, bloody act of that woman until one day--as the time of aloneness subsided--she inserted a shiny thing into the left lobe. </p><p>When she tried the right one, the shiny thing refused to enter. It was like Cinderella’s glass slipper refusing to accommodate the stepsisters’ feet. </p><p>Try as she might, the tunnel once made by the needle had closed, its back lobe opening darkened by the ravages of pandemic alone time. </p><p>For months the once girl, now old woman, fretted about the closed portal. </p><p>Then she had an epiphany. </p><p>Google helped. </p><p>She found the place. She read the reviews. She made the call. She requested no ice cubes, potatoes, or needles be used in the process.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Act V</p><p>Scene: Body Art Parlor</p><p>Old Woman-Girl: I have an appointment. </p><p>Man: Come on back. </p><p>The old woman-girl followed the man with the giant gauges in his lobes and shiny nose bauble. </p><p>Man: Lie down. </p><p>The old woman-girl lay on the table. It looked like a doctor’s exam table. She was relieved to see no stirrups or paper gowns. </p><p>The man took the small box the old woman-girl handed him. He removed the things. </p><p>Man: I like these. They're like my nostril one. </p><p>The man cradled the old woman-girl's eft ear. </p><p>Old Woman-Girl: It’s the right one.</p><p>She had not realized the man had placed one thing in the left lobe before proceeding to the right one.</p><p>The man moved to the woman’s right side. Moments later…</p><p>Man: There you go. </p><p>Old Woman-Girl: Thank you!</p><p>The old woman-girl followed the man to the front register and handed him the plastic money thing. </p><p>Man: We agreed on five dollars.</p><p>Old Woman-Girl: Add five. A tip. And thank you. Thank you for not using an ice cube, a potato, and a needle. </p><p>Exit.</p><p style="text-align: center;">The End</p><p>*<i>An earlier version of the production appeared under the title </i>Covid Ears<i>.</i></p><p><i>**Produced through arrangement with Dramatists or Samuel French play service. You decide.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdL3wvtBiWptepYV7n4xLWwIzus05_LUdNfP1xkMSkF_wrtbja8sr8vdOphhb96TXpbV8j4V0nwRVY2tHSJim-z9ZXEqdaYbyTGE7kDgPbqsdKBFlzyPyL8H7XvdE-ymp7TL6eB2BdQUE3ulKDUWlzu1zh1yTn9m7kf7NxYNtdKPuV0Jw1vmpF4Nw2tg=s225" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdL3wvtBiWptepYV7n4xLWwIzus05_LUdNfP1xkMSkF_wrtbja8sr8vdOphhb96TXpbV8j4V0nwRVY2tHSJim-z9ZXEqdaYbyTGE7kDgPbqsdKBFlzyPyL8H7XvdE-ymp7TL6eB2BdQUE3ulKDUWlzu1zh1yTn9m7kf7NxYNtdKPuV0Jw1vmpF4Nw2tg=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">#StandWithUkraine</div><p><br /></p>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5489583182385276767.post-18347213110363461642022-03-18T22:00:00.006-06:002022-03-18T22:00:00.186-06:00Destination ✅ #SOL22 19/31<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitK3lJyfeMDptQohjPPM_PGH_gxpHk11c38IRDMHG7tnwXPSUS8gvuqVT7yb9gRFfuDi-wz8EcFzd4HKt4i9xQM3gcDcbcBkhE2NVDkD1R--M8Oh4rXdPqIJ8HYYQpAdJc64ZGoVkLGGfqKJhDJ51SF5MiLRulqaZIRZl4ExVLGpqtSTFKD9pjXIsEmw=s225" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitK3lJyfeMDptQohjPPM_PGH_gxpHk11c38IRDMHG7tnwXPSUS8gvuqVT7yb9gRFfuDi-wz8EcFzd4HKt4i9xQM3gcDcbcBkhE2NVDkD1R--M8Oh4rXdPqIJ8HYYQpAdJc64ZGoVkLGGfqKJhDJ51SF5MiLRulqaZIRZl4ExVLGpqtSTFKD9pjXIsEmw" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8102034e-7fff-584e-44e3-de537e0a0b3d"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><blockquote><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and naarrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it, sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. ---</i>The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain</span></blockquote><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Travel </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Dream of exotic destinations</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Choose a destination</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Book the trip</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Select tours and excursions</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Book additional hotels for pre and post river cruise days</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Download travel app</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Check destination countries’ Covid protocols</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Complete paperwork</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Begin packing</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Shop for necessaries</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Book airport transfer</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Update health profile</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Verify Covid vaccine</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Take Covid test</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Verify Covid test results</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Download boarding passes</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Load the car</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Head for the airport</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Leave car at designated lot</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Hope all goes well w/ TSA security check</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Board </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-8102034e-7fff-584e-44e3-de537e0a0b3d"></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">✅ Leave on a jet plane</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Choose a destination</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Book the trip</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Select tours and excursions</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Book additional hotels for pre and post river cruise days</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Download travel app</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Check destination countries’ Covid protocols</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Complete paperwork</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Begin packing (only a carryon and personal item)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Shop for necessaries</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Book airport transfer</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Update health profile</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Verify Covid vaccine</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Take Covid test</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Verify Covid test results</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Download boarding passes</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Load the car</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Head for the airport</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Leave car at designated lot</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Hope all goes well w/ TSA security check</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Board </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✅ Leave on a jet plane</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Much time and effort goes into planning a trip, especially one in another country. Every country has its own protocols. Some require uploading documents to a separate app (Costa Rica, for example); some have dropped all Covid mandates (Switzerland, for example). We're headed to Amsterdam for a Viking River Cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland. The Netherlands has different rules for clusters of countries. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still, these inconveniences pale in comparison to the joys of travel. As Mark Twain once said, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><blockquote><i>Travel is the antidote for prejudice. </i></blockquote></span><p></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhk_n4Ra5LMrTR8Vf7h0PZvmXJmwY-WyB3cMzChEC9edQbOg0ZCk5KTBOU5k38N8funWUJwQZsTl-aXFnJ2WxqFXpZdDI8VjDoDWHjHxYRQTy3TBszHLHh_kR4l7CcazUCiDjClq9itRLDVHpVvUwZqZUYKwG0qvPOXuYtSVxSCsqb9akl-rnPTUZLj6g=s2362" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1751" data-original-width="2362" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhk_n4Ra5LMrTR8Vf7h0PZvmXJmwY-WyB3cMzChEC9edQbOg0ZCk5KTBOU5k38N8funWUJwQZsTl-aXFnJ2WxqFXpZdDI8VjDoDWHjHxYRQTy3TBszHLHh_kR4l7CcazUCiDjClq9itRLDVHpVvUwZqZUYKwG0qvPOXuYtSVxSCsqb9akl-rnPTUZLj6g=w400-h296" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">#StandWithUkraine</div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>*During the last days of the SOLSC I'll be sharing photographic updates from our trip and other stories based on what inspires me each day. </span></div>Glenda Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07020745976555044975noreply@blogger.com12