This time of year we read a lot of serious stories about PSSAs and how important they are, how they affect school districts' reputations and hence property values, etc. Those quoted in these stories are all worried-sounding adults. I thought I'd get a different viewpoint: someone who actually takes the tests.
So how did they go? I asked the elementary-school member of the Tally-ho family.
Good, he said. He liked the math test better than the reading one, but he found neither one particularly challenging. He couldn't remember any especially interesting problems.
Had he made any special preparations for the tests?
"Not really," he said. "I felt confident."
Next up is the science PSSA, as well as a writing test: a five-page essay (which I know he will totally ace).
He said what most impressed him about the whole experience was that the teachers allowed the kids to have extra recess time outside after the tests. Now there's incentive!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
One-track mind
A dear friend spent a fair amount of time last week at New Bolton Center, where her horse underwent surgery for a sesamoid problem. He is back home now and has a veterinary nurse visiting every other day, but naturally, my friend has been beside herself with anxiety.
She phoned the other night and reported in great detail how the patient was standing, eating and behaving. In an attempt to distract her for even a moment, I told her that I had slept over at the home of a friend who is convalescing and needs a watchful eye.
"It was a very uneventful night, thank goodness," I said.
"Yes, I got up at about 2 and went out and checked on him, and he seemed alright," she said.
I gave up on further attempts to change the topic, and not for the first time had to smile to myself at how devoted people are to their horses.
She phoned the other night and reported in great detail how the patient was standing, eating and behaving. In an attempt to distract her for even a moment, I told her that I had slept over at the home of a friend who is convalescing and needs a watchful eye.
"It was a very uneventful night, thank goodness," I said.
"Yes, I got up at about 2 and went out and checked on him, and he seemed alright," she said.
I gave up on further attempts to change the topic, and not for the first time had to smile to myself at how devoted people are to their horses.
Kindness of strangers
Andrew Forsthoefel, who describes himself as "a 23-year-old wonderer, wanderer, whathaveyou" from Chadds Ford, is on a cross-country walking tour in search of "the most basic human interface of them all: stories. Every one of us has an extraordinary story worth hearing, and I’m walking the country to listen."
He left home on Oct. 14, heading south, and is crossing Texas right now. You can follow along on his blog, "Walking to Listen," which he updates regularly with stories and photos. In the post I just read, he takes time to thank dozens of folks who have helped him out with everything from kind words to rides to accommodations to food (like a barbeque sausage, rice, and beans lunch, "a bomb seafood dinner," and "some ambrosial rabbit" down South).
He left home on Oct. 14, heading south, and is crossing Texas right now. You can follow along on his blog, "Walking to Listen," which he updates regularly with stories and photos. In the post I just read, he takes time to thank dozens of folks who have helped him out with everything from kind words to rides to accommodations to food (like a barbeque sausage, rice, and beans lunch, "a bomb seafood dinner," and "some ambrosial rabbit" down South).
Call to order
Just a heads up that the monthly West Marlborough Township meeting will be Tuesday, April 3. If you've been reading my accounts of these municipal meetings month after month and want to experience them first-hand, now's your chance. The planning commission meets at 7 and the supervisors convene after they are done, usually around 7:30. Meetings are in the township garage in Doe Run.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Season in the sun
This spring is just too amazing. It's March, and I just came in from pulling up clumps of chickweed! The spirea is already in bloom, and the forsythia, magnolias and grape hyacinths seem to have popped out overnight.
Last fall you may remember that I bought and -- eventually -- planted a giant-size sack of daffodil bulbs "for naturalizing," and I think every one of them is in bloom right now. Some are classic yellow, some are pale yellow, some are frizzled, some have multiple flowers, some are fragrant. Really a magnificent display. Every vase that I own is full of them.
Another sign of spring: I had my first dish of ice cream at La Michoacana in Kennett (coffee), and I hear there was a line stretching out the door there on Friday afternoon.
Last fall you may remember that I bought and -- eventually -- planted a giant-size sack of daffodil bulbs "for naturalizing," and I think every one of them is in bloom right now. Some are classic yellow, some are pale yellow, some are frizzled, some have multiple flowers, some are fragrant. Really a magnificent display. Every vase that I own is full of them.
Another sign of spring: I had my first dish of ice cream at La Michoacana in Kennett (coffee), and I hear there was a line stretching out the door there on Friday afternoon.
Pituitary
Metabolic syndrome and Cushing's disease are well-known endocrine ailments in humans, but did you know that horses are susceptible to them, too? I didn't, until I went to an interesting lecture sponsored by Unionville Equine Associates. The vet who gave the talk was a representative from a veterinary pharmaceutical company, and not only does she have horses herself (Tennessee Walkers) but she is obviously a pro at public speaking: she taped her next-to-invisible portable mike to her cheek to prevent feedback.
These lectures always attract a knowledgeable crowd who want practical information that applies to their horse: How should the medication be given? Are the tablets scored? What about alternative medications? What blood tests are important for monitoring?
These lectures always attract a knowledgeable crowd who want practical information that applies to their horse: How should the medication be given? Are the tablets scored? What about alternative medications? What blood tests are important for monitoring?
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Through the grapevine
Game theorists like to talk about "zero-sum" outcomes, but at one of our local gyms I think we have a "zero-zero" one.
It seems a long-running Saturday morning Step Aerobics class was cancelled and replaced with a trendy Body Combat class. The Steppers, who are extremely loyal to their workout, were furious and felt betrayed and cheated, because there are already 11 other Body Combat classes on the schedule, but few other Step classes. The bulletin board in the lobby was full of complaints with exclamation points and underlining.
Well, it turns out that the Saturday morning slot is indeed drawing a huge number of Body Combat participants.
So many, in fact, that they're complaining the room is too small and they don't have enough space to move around. Nobody's happy.
I feel sorry for the beleaguered class scheduler, who is tasked with the sometimes-conflicting jobs of (1) keeping members happy and (2) bringing as many people as possible through the door.
It seems a long-running Saturday morning Step Aerobics class was cancelled and replaced with a trendy Body Combat class. The Steppers, who are extremely loyal to their workout, were furious and felt betrayed and cheated, because there are already 11 other Body Combat classes on the schedule, but few other Step classes. The bulletin board in the lobby was full of complaints with exclamation points and underlining.
Well, it turns out that the Saturday morning slot is indeed drawing a huge number of Body Combat participants.
So many, in fact, that they're complaining the room is too small and they don't have enough space to move around. Nobody's happy.
I feel sorry for the beleaguered class scheduler, who is tasked with the sometimes-conflicting jobs of (1) keeping members happy and (2) bringing as many people as possible through the door.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Hey hey
The other day I was in Barnes & Noble in Exton and Monkees songs were being played on the store's PA system. I hadn't heard some of these songs in 40 years -- "Stepping Stone," "I Wanna Be Free," "Pleasant Valley Sunday" -- but I remembered every word of the lyrics like I had heard them yesterday. Amazing what sticks in our brains!
I didn't realize that Monkee Davy Jones, who died Feb. 29, was an avid horse person: he worked as a jockey in his pre-Monkee days and actually suffered his fatal heart attack in his stable. There's a memorial show at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in Manhattan on April 3, and according to the website "all proceeds and donations from the show will go toward the Davy Jones Equine Memorial Fund for the care of the horses he loved."
I didn't realize that Monkee Davy Jones, who died Feb. 29, was an avid horse person: he worked as a jockey in his pre-Monkee days and actually suffered his fatal heart attack in his stable. There's a memorial show at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in Manhattan on April 3, and according to the website "all proceeds and donations from the show will go toward the Davy Jones Equine Memorial Fund for the care of the horses he loved."
I Found It
So I'm sitting in my car outside Two Bala Plaza in Bala Cynwyd after visiting my accountant, and I decide to check my e-mail before hitting the Expressway home.
And there it is, the Holy Grail: I'm in a 4G zone! I'd never seen that icon before, just 1, 2, and 3G. If I'd had more time I would've downloaded music and videos just to see if it's as lightning-fast as promised.
An odd aside is that when I stopped for coffee an hour earlier, just a few miles away on Montgomery Avenue, I could get only a poor signal.
And there it is, the Holy Grail: I'm in a 4G zone! I'd never seen that icon before, just 1, 2, and 3G. If I'd had more time I would've downloaded music and videos just to see if it's as lightning-fast as promised.
An odd aside is that when I stopped for coffee an hour earlier, just a few miles away on Montgomery Avenue, I could get only a poor signal.
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