Christmas 2012

Second Day of Christmas



What's going on here?

Guest post by Heather the Cat--
Too much for a cat to take in. A new green climbing toy with treasures to pull down and chase around the room. Everyone too busy to even provide the necessary laps for napping.

Then come hordes of (four) vistors to play games with cats.

During what should be a quiet night people are sneaking in to set out more interesting stuff.

The quiet time ends with loud voices and the shuffling of packages all around.

Soon a celebration of shiny paper everywhere leaves me new boxes to jump into. Absolute Heaven for cats.

Suddenly the people are all gone and we are back to only two laps to crawl up in. Where did they all go?

 I hope they leave this new green climbing post here. Callie and I can take turns prancing up and down it. The people are too tired to even pay attention to how I settle into the tree branches and sleep there undisturbed.

{Thanks to guest blogger, Heather. I'm worn out with Christmas merriment.}

Always learning

Talk about Lifelong Learning. Wow. I have a favorite cartoon in mind picturing a classroom of kids all sitting in their desks and one has his hand raised:
    
     "Teacher, may I be excused? My brain in full."

I can relate to that today and this month as I am researching where to go to get my novel TOO MUCH LEFT UNSAID published. Man, there are a lot of options.

I have hired @Hannah Crawford of @The Write Place to edit my "final" draft, knowing that there will still be changes she will recommend.  But I am taking a break to get some other things done.

Joined PINTEREST and GOODREADS but have lots to learn about how to best use them.

        Any hints on how to use either of these would be appreciated. Collinsleej@gmail.com

Learn, learn, learn. I think my brain is filling fast.

Advent Resolutions

Christmas joy and peace be yours as we wait for and work for Christ's coming again.

I send out my Christmas letters after Christmas.
     I decided years ago that I would not write Christmas letters when all the other hubbub of preparations are calling mr.
     My desire to touch base with friends is more neaningful for me, and maybe for them, if I wait until Christmas is over.

But this year I am getting the jump on resolutions by making them now--at the start of the church year--in Advent.

1. I resolve to be a better listener. I know I learn more when I listen than when I talk.
2. I resolve to keep in touch with old friends and make new ones.
3. I resolve to organize my desk, my files, my house, and my thoughts.
4. I resolve to try "to let the goodness of God express itself in my obedient heart and mind and will."

That should be good for starters.



What will you be resolving for 2013? Leave a response or email me at collinsleej@gmail.

Gender neutral language

"Mankind" was once understood as referring to both male and female people, but somewhere in the course of my lifetime, we replaced the term with" humankind."

I've been thinking about gender neutral pronouns and nouns that encompass "humankind".

We have no pronoun that fits the bill when we want to talk about someone whose gender is unknown to us.

• Did the writer do HIS job in telling the story?
• Did the doctor complete HER rounds this morning?
• Does the artist convey HIS/HER message clearly?
• The student seems puzzled. Does s/he understand the problem presented?

It seems awkward to say "he or she" when referring to a person of unknown gender, but it still seems gramatically  incorrect to use "they" when only one person or being is being talked about.

We have changed how we talk about roles in today's world. For the most part the change is comfortable once one gets used to it.

"Hero" now means anyone--male or female--who does a heroic act. The word "heroine" today conveys a degree of helplessness that doesn't give the impression of taking charge.

Mail carriers has replaces the term "mailman" and fire fighters has replaced the term "fireman".

Waitperson seems to be preferred over waiter or waitress; Flight attendent over stewardess or steward.

Actor now means anyone who acts. The term "actress" is out-of-style.


Maybe I should refer to my novel as HERstoric fiction.

Your comments are always welcome. Comment here or send me an email at

CollinsleeJ@gmail.com

Little Known Fact about Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving can mean many things to many people.

I am truly thankful for all the wonderful people in my life and all the good things that have happened to me.

I grew up the daughter of a department store merchandise manager and Thanksgiving was the beginning of the Christmas Shoppng Season even back in those days. But I imagine many people do not realize that it took an act of Congress to settle when Thanksgiving should be celebrated.

• When I was a child Thanksgiving's date was SOME Thursday in November--but no general agreement about which one. Department stores wanted some consistencey, so they asked President Franklin Roosevelt to set a date.
• In 1940 and 1941 it was celebrated on the THIRD Thursday of November.
• On October 6, 1941 Congress passed a resolution making Thanksgiving the LAST Thursday of November.
• In December, 1941 The Senate passed an amendment to the resolution establishing Thanksgiving as the FOURTH Thursday in November,
• This is the reason that in 2012 Thanksgiving is on the earliest possible date.
• Won't everyone be surprised NEXT YEAR when Thanksgiving is on the latest possible date?

This year BLACK FRIDAY crept into Thursday's time with some stores opening Thursday evening.. With a week less of the Shopping Season next year, it will be interesting to see what happens.

Did you learn a little history today reading this?

Send me a comment and let me know.

SHIIP (Senior Health Insurance Information Program)

For a month now I have been on a SHIIP journey in my office at Crossroads of Pella.

As a volunteer for the state of Iowa Insurance Division, I am one of 300 or so Iowans trained to give infromation about Medicare and especially Medicare Part D.

If you are on Medicare you know that each year the Insurance plans that are offered to help pay drug costs change. You join for one year, possibly renewable the next year, but it is always a good idea to check.

Between October 15 and December 7 each year is when you need to make your changes.
 SHIIP volunteers meet with individual clients to help them see which plan is best for the following year,

• Plans change which drugs they will cover
• Plans change which pharmacies they favor
• Plans change the cost of the premium
• Plans change the deduction amount
• Plans change how they handle the "donut hole"

Medicare.gov has information on their website, and we help clients understand the information.

We are even able to enroll you right on the computer,
             so you just wait to hear from the new, better-for-you plan.

Every state has people who do this service, so if you need help call Medicare to find out where to get it.

In Pella, Iowa, you call
Crossroads of Pella (628-1212)

and you can make an appointment to see me or another volunteer.

Typing Class

Do you remember typewriters?

They were sort of like computers except nothing was ever saved other than on the blank piece of paper you inserted in the roller.

More to the point:
        Do you remember typing class?

asdf  jkl;  asdf  jkl;  asdf  jkl;  asdf  jkl;                     

qwert  qwert  qwert  yuiop  yuiop  yuiop

Exercise after exercise to train your fingers to hit the correct keys.

qwert  qwert  qwert  yuiop  yuiop  yuiop

The rules of the game were that you copied the exercise page exactly.

A maximum of two errors was allowed.

We spent the fifty minute class hour typing away, making perfect copies of the exercise pages. 
Some of my friends caught on quickly and by the end of the class handed in perfect copies of ten to twenty pages in the book.

I tried over and over to get one page perfect.
I might be almost to the bottom of the sheet when Error Number Three slipped from my fingers.
         RIP out page!
         INSERT a new clean sheet!
         START again!
         S I G H !!


Last week I was reminded of typing class when my computer locked up and I feared that 290 pages of my novel would have to be typed into my computer again.

But my resident computer guru saved the day, fixing my computer and there was my novel safe and sound.

On a computer, once you make a correction and save it, it stays corrected! Hooray!

If you are too young to have struggled with typewriters and typing class, consider yourself blessed.

Computers are a huge inprovement.


Drop me a note at my new email address: collinsleej@gmail.com to tell me your computer/typewriter adventures. Or leave a comment.