Rare Gems

Rare Gems

Gail Siemen was my counselor at Irving Jr. High. He was a mountain of a person with a personality and natural athletic talent that he put to excellent use.  As a long time educator, Gail served as teacher, coach, Principal, Counselor, Mentor and friend to thousands of...
Avant-garde

Avant-garde

Parlez-vous Francais? Je m’appelle Michele. Yes, I took two years of French in high school and this is pretty much the extent of my fluency. I do enjoy ordering water, you say good bye and I say de l’eau, is my memory technique. Do you want it sparkling, l’eau...
Fiona

Fiona

The Fixx was an English rock band whose l982 hit song, “One Thing leads to Another” is easily forgotten. It had a catchy beat and the message was clear, “do what they say, say what you mean” in describing a personal relationship. The notion of following the string of...
Melanin

Melanin

Where would our country be today without Sesame Street. Since 1969, the cast of characters -and often celebrities – have been expanding children’s minds and teaching them acceptance and inclusion from a young age. The Street just got two new neighbors, Wes...
Mary, Mary

Mary, Mary

This spring we organized a grandchild garden experience.  What could be more fun than planting and then watching your efforts become beautiful products of nature. Well in today’s world of instant feedback and reward, the kids had little patience for the two weeks...
Escape Velocity

Escape Velocity

I hope you had a chance to watch this year’s Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. The annual event recognizes individuals for exceptional contributions to stage, screen, and music in their work as well as their profound cultural impact. This year recognition went to Debbie...