One of my best days yet!

Today was a special day for me. I've been ill with the flu and had to find a substitute for my classes.  How excited it was to turn to my own daughter, Shelly, who has a Master's Degree in English, to take over my classes!

So, she did what she does best - she taught them a bit about Shakespeare. Next, she had them act out a portion of Star Wars in Shakespearean English. Finally, she had them write Get Well notes for me using what they learned. How much fun I had reading these notes! Here's two samples (some of them were pages long!):

"Hello thither, Mrs. Downes, I hearth thou hath fallen ill. Thou not weepeth, Maddam, for we be not shrewd in your absence. Thy daughter hath best us to learn greatly. Hark, we hath, and fain too. Cowish we hath obeyed thy spawn beautifully. I hopeth thou lurch over your illness and thou returneth soon. Alex"

"Harken unto me thither instructor. Word through the grapevine is that thou hast been bent by a cowish disease. Fie! To this abomination! Castest it out and returneth post haste. Joshiah"

Shelly had to give me a Shakespeare dictionary so I could interpret the letters! I sure am proud today of both my daughter for taking on all six of my classes and doing such a good job, and also of my students for being the best students in the state of Oklahoma! 

More Adventures in Tutoring

TUTORING! 

I've been so busy tutoring that I haven't kept up with my blogs and websites. This past month, I've learned more about Biology than I ever did in school. I'm using Apologia's high school biology with a class of 9-12th graders. There are 12 students in the class - all fabulous kids, by the way! We've examined fungus, grown micro-organisms in pond water, and learned a bit of chemistry. This week, we're going to do the edible cell project just for fun!

I have 19 students in Beginning Composition and 12 students in Intermediate Composition. Again, all fabulous students! There are some excellent writers in the class, and it will be fun watching them get even better. I expect a few of them will be authors one day!

The other two classes I have are younger students. The first semester, I taught a Kids Can Write class for 3rd-6th graders. We've had fun scrapbooking and writing. We've learned about alliteration, metaphors, similes, and personification. This week, we will be writing letters and then scrapbooking Christmas cards and envelopes to send them in. The second half of the year will be Oklahoma History.

The other class is a CSI class for 3-6th. Besides having a Broken Arrow CSI come to the class and tell them that I was telling them all the wrong stuff, it's been fun! We've learned about fingerprinting, blood spatters, blood typing, forensic anthropology, bite marks, and handwriting analysis. This week, we're going to study evidence in soil. The second half of this class will be in electronics.

I never thought that after I graduated my own two kids from homeschool, I would be teaching others. But, I am so enjoying it. The kids keep me young and ON MY TOES!

Field Day - My Other Life!

Want to know about my other life as an ham radio operator? Come by and visit me at Field Day.

This weekend, June 22 and 23, bring your kids to Field Day where they can talk to ham radio operators and even talk on the radio themselves! This is a chance for both you and your kids to learn a bit about electricity and communication, talk to some storm spotters, and find out about a fun hobby, ham radio. It's crazy fun!  

Field Day is held all over the country. You can log on to the ARRL site (http://www.arrl.org/field-day) and find one near you. 

For those of you in the Tulsa area, my club (Broken Arrow Amateur Radio Club) will be setting up mobile units and antennas at Asbury Methodist Church (in the field by the garden center) on Mingo and 71st Street. There will be tents, motor homes, and trucks with equipment set up and ham operators talking. Just walk around, come on in and take  a tour. Very informal. We will start operating from 1pm Saturday through 1pm on Sunday (24 hours of continuous operations). Come by and say hi and talk on the radio! You might even get to talk to someone in China or Australia! 

I'll be there for sure from 4pm to 7pm on Saturday. Not sure about other times. But you can go anytime. All these folks are very friendly and love to show off their "toys!"  

My Dog, Oreo

I don't write much about my pets on this blog. I mostly do that on Facebook, but I thought it was time to share a little bit about Oreo with my readers on here as well.

I have always had cats, outdoor farm dogs, or dogs that were someone else's pets, so I never really thought much about dogs until I got Oreo. In truth, I was looking for a cat. My husband and I had recently lost our cats and had decided we would not have any more pets so that we would be free to travel. Well, that didn't work out. My dear daughter, Shelly, brought over a beautiful black and white kitten and it began all over again. Bill fell in love with the kitten and named him Bullet, thus ending our freedom from pet sitting problems. But Bill was happy, so I got over it.

Now, the problem was that the kitten was lonely; so, I went out and got the kitten a friend, Felix. Now, we have two cats. All was well until I realized that the 2nd kitten didn't like me, or anyone else it seemed. It was Bullet's cat. So, I decided to get a third kitten that would be MY cat. I went to every rescue place and pet shop in town looking for just the right cat. Then, I walked into the Humane Society and saw a crate of Shitzhu-Jack Russell puppies. Yes, I walked out with a puppy instead of a cat and fell in love!

Oreo has become my 3rd child. I've never had a relationship with a pet like this one. She practically worships me and follows me everywhere. I take her with me everywhere I can. We go to Bass Pro Shop, Southern Agriculture, Pets Mart, walks in the park, day trips around Oklahoma. Bill and I have found restaurants that allow her on the patio, like Leon's on Brookside or Uncle Bucks here in Broken Arrow. We found that La Quinta will allow her to stay at no charge and even has a special courtyard in OKC with walking paths and "cleaning stations."

I have even taken her on assignments with the idea that she would stay in the car with Bill while I did the interview, but it always worked out that the person I'm interviewing allowed Oreo to tag along. She's been on a Pontoon Boat at Lake Tenkiller, a guest at the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center in Duncan, OK, and even got to stay in a lake cabin with me! My son, who babysits her when we can't take her with us, took her to a painting festival where she got to paint with her paws! This dog has more adventures than some kids!

So the bottom line is that I'm now a dog person. I still love cats, but this dog has stolen my heart.  Now I know why old people love their pets so!

Update on Tutoring

I have 34 students signed up for classes this fall so far. We have another registration in August, so I will probably get a few more.

Now, it's time for me to get to work. I am teaching a few fun classes for elementary students this year: a class about electronics and another one on Crime Scene Investigations. In addition to those, I will be tutoring elementary writing and Oklahoma history, as well as my usual middle and high school composition and Biology.

My daughter, Shelly, will be tutoring with me this year at Cornerstone. That will be fun! She is just about finished her Master's Degree in English and has been an Adjunct professor at Tulsa Community College for the last year as well. She will continue that, tutor a few classes with me at Cornerstone, and also tutor for another local co-op. This is such a joy for me to get to work with my own daughter at the same school!

So this summer, I will be working on lesson plans and tutoring students in math and English. I also have several magazine articles to finish up before school starts. It will be a busy Summer!

Thanksgiving

It's just around the corner! What are you cooking up for guests? Me? I'm taking the four of us to Michael V's for Thanksgiving Dinner. All we can eat, no cooking and no cleanup!

Since all our relatives are on the coast, we don't make a big deal about holidays. However, a friend of mine posted this cute little goodie on her Facebook page and I thought I'd share it with those of you who are having company. This little treat looks fun to make and yummy to eat!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Carpal Tunnel - 2nd Update

I can say that this new keyboard has been a huge help with my carpal tunnel issues. It took me about a week to get my speed close to my old speed and even yet, I'm not quite as fluent. However, I get faster every day. I'm probably up to 45 wpm now.

As far as pain, it's MUCH BETTER! Not all gone by any means. I still have problems at night with numbness; however, I just learned from my doctor, that thyroid increases problems with carpal tunnel. I had my thyroid removed in January this year. She said that this could be aggravating the issue. We are still working on getting the medicine adjusted. So the good news is, this problem should go away with time. Maybe I will get a full night's sleep sometime in the near future!

Tulsa Council of the Blind

Logo of person with white cane.

As many of you know, my husband Bill is legally blind. He began losing his vision in 2006 after a visit to get contacts. We visited eye specialists from here to the East coast in search of answer to why he was losing his vision, but no one seems to know. The specialists at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD, finally decided it was probably genetic or an autoimmune disease. He said this is the standard answer when they can't figure it out.

We were both hoping the vision loss was temporary; but, after consultation with doctors from Dean McGee, John Hopkins and Mayo Clinic, we finally had to accept the fact that, barring a miracle from God, he would probably not regain his sight.

In the meantime, we were both struggling to adapt to these changes. Bill was struggling with his lost of independence. No more could he get in the car and go somewhere. He has to depend on me to drive him. I was struggling with a change of roles. Bill had always been the one who went out to work. He loves being with people and want to go, go, go. In contrast, I enjoy working at home alone and only like to go out on special occasions. It was the perfect marriage. He enjoyed going out and I enjoyed staying home. We were both happy. But now, our roles had reversed. How would I be able to take care of all the things that Bill used to take care of? How would Bill be able to adjust to staying home and being dependent on others? This was a scary time for both of us and we didn't know where to turn for help. The doctors only worked on a diagnosis; they gave no advice on where to get emotional support.

In desperation, I began searching the Internet for blind support groups and only found one: National Federation of the Blind. We went to a meeting and quickly wished we hadn't gone. The leader of the group told us in no uncertain terms that if we came there because "Oh, I'm a poor little blind person and I need help, you've come to the wrong place." Both of us wanted to slide under the table and disappear. We stayed for the meeting, but were so glad to go home. That was definitely not the help we were looking for. We went home and prayed for help from somewhere else.

Finally, after searching the Internet some more, I ran across a small posting from a person who ran a support group in Tulsa called the Tulsa Council of the Blind. We went to the meeting and found just what we were looking for. They were helpful, supportive and caring. They told us where to go for more help and who to contact. This was the breakthrough we had been looking for. From there, Bill has been able to get help from the VA, the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation, and more. Emotionally, we have both learned to adapt and are making progress in getting back to a new normal.

I said all that to say this: I have just finished creating a website for Tulsa Council of the Blind. My goal is that this website will not only make easier for someone to find this organization, but that it also will help others get the help they need when going through a transition such as ours.

With the help of the staff, I have including information about the organization and its services, as well as links to other websites with helpful information for both the visually impaired as well as for the family and friends of the visually impaired. While on the site, you'll learn interesting facts about the blind, gain knowledge about the causes of blindness, discover resources for helping the blind gain confidence and independence, and even find educational resources for parents of school-age children who are blind or visually impaired.

If you know anyone who is losing their vision, please send them to the Tulsa Council of the Blind website.  And if you have a website or blog or Facebook page, please link to the website so that others can find it. Don't let them go through this alone!

UPDATE: Sept 21, 2012. I just received a nice note from the new president of NFB apologizing for the treatment we received at the NFB meeting. It's nice to know that someone cares enough to reach out and make it right.

UPDATE: Oct 20, 2019. I no longer maintain the Tulsa Council of the Blind website.

Tutoring

I started tutoring in the month of June and LOVE IT! I've been working with a woman who is re-entering the workforce and needs to learn how to run a computer. We set up her new computer, got her email running, got her on the Internet and Facebook, and now we’re learning about Windows 7.

I’m also working with a young lady on her algebra skills. She needs to pass the EOI test to graduate high school. I’ve had to brush up on algebra, as I haven’t had it for five years, but it’s coming back!

I’m also working with a very young girl who is learning to read. It was so exciting to see her read her very first book! That was special, indeed!

I am so excited that I’m getting to use my interests and skills to teach instead of working in an office! 

A new subject to write about . . .

After many years of having only cats in the house, I finally broke down and got a dog. She's half Shihtzu and half Jack Russell. Her name is Oreo, and she's two months old.

I went to the Tulsa Humane Society to get a cat, but they had just gotten in these adorable pups. I just couldn't resist. So now, I'm potty training, crate training, and pretty much exhausted, but loving it.

Today, we went for our first walk in the park. We walked .13 miles in 14 minutes! Not much exercise, but it was so much fun!

Now that I have a dog, I have a whole new topic to write about!

New Project!

As many of you know, I have been "dabbling" in HAM radio. My husband has been enjoying it for years, but when his vision started going, he was unable to drive himself to the meetings. SO, I started taking him. At first, I dropped him off and picked him up, but I finally decided I just as well find out what it was all about. So I started going to the meetings, too.

In December, I passed my Technician's license (KF5JFM) and in March, I passed my General. I am currently working on my Extra license. I enjoy teaching and writing, so I have been doing a newsletter for TRO, one of the groups I attend, and I hope to become a VE sometime in the future.

So, what's my new project? I'm thinking about starting an all-girls HAM event. The boys have a donut day every Friday. There is too much testosterone there for me and the donuts are fattening. I got talking with Cathy, another female amateur operator and friend of mine, and decided we needed a Panera Bread group. She said the boys would probably come after they found out how good it was. I said we'll give it a name that will keep them away! So, here it is: The Pink HAMsters! I even had a logo and Facebook Page made for us!

Now, all I have to do is figure out when we will meet and start "hamming it up" with the girls!

A HOT day of HAM Radio!

Today, my Ham Radio Club, TRO, did the communications for the Tour de Cure in Tulsa, OK. It was HOT!!

Tulsa Repeater Organization at Tour de Cure

Bill's radio was set wrong, so we had to share radios, but I did get to some "communicating." The biggest problem I had was remembering my Call Sign! I know I stumbled a lot, but it was good practice.
 

Glad to get home and back to writing. My husband likes to do these kind of events, but I don't like the heat, and I don't like just sitting around doing nothing, waiting for something to happen. I get bored easily! 

The next thing I'm going to do is go to a Field Day. Maybe I'll like DXing! 

My Other Life - HAM Radio Operator

Today, my husband, Bill, and I worked with our local Amateur Radio Club, Tulsa Repeater Organization, to do communications for the Maple Ridge Run. This was my first time to actually do any communications. I learned a little about keeping a log and I walked the run 3.3 miles with the Tactical name: Walker! (Couldn't make it 3rd round!) Here are some photos of the team:

TRO Communications Team

Me - Learning how to do the Log

Wiped out after 3.3 miles!

News on the Homefront

We made another trip out to Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore, Md. this month. The news wasn't good. My husband, Bill, is now legally blind, and there isn't much that can be done about it, if any. After five years of trying to find answers, we've decided it's time to trust God for healing in His time and move on to the adjustment phase.

There are so many things you don't think about until someone close to you loses their vision. For instance, do you know how difficult it is for someone to do the laundry, cook in the oven, or run the dishwasher with the new touch screen pads? They can't feel the buttons. Or how about putting toothpaste on your toothbrush? Or reading a menu and paying the bill at a restaurant when you can't tell what denomination the money is?

It's been quite an adjustment for my husband, Bill, as he loses more and more of his independence, and for me, as I have to take on more and more of the responsibilities. But, with God's help, we are making it and it's getting better every day. We are adjusting and life is good!

Thanks to everyone who has been praying with us as we go through this process. We really appreciate you!

My Other Life - Ham Radio

One of my newest hobbies is Ham Radio (KF5JFM). I got into it because of my husband's interest and the fact that he is no longer able to drive because of his vision loss. I used to take him to the meetings and wait around until he was done. Then, one day, I decided to join them! So, I got my Technician's license in 2010; and in April, I got my General's license.

In January, I became the Public Relations Chair for the Tulsa Repeater Organization. A large part of my responsibility is the TRO Signal Newsletter. I enjoy using my writing skills for this super group of Ham operators.

Our big project right now is setting up our Ham Shack. I'll post some pictures as it develops!

73 KF5JFM