Is This Normal?
The chaos that is the KerbersArchive for America
Happy Veteren’s Day
I don’t have any close relatives who served in the armed forces except my Uncle Tom, who served in the Army in the early to mid 60s (getting out before the Viet Nam conflict began) and my brother-in-law Rod, who served in the Navy mid to late 80s (not exactly the most dangerous time in our military history). Even though the military hasn’t personaly touched my life very much, I still appreciate it and it’s awesome history more than I can imagine. Today, there are young women and men throwing themselves into harms way constantly in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I do hope they feel the appreciation of our entire nation.
To the millions of of soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines who have served America in the last 233 years, I say thank you. Thank you for the dedication, for the sacrifice, and for the bravery you have shown. Happy Veteren’s Day, everyone.
Thank you, Christopher Columbus
We all know that there is a lot of controversy surrounding Christopher Columbus and his “discovering” of America. He, according to most accounts, was a bigoted, self-centered jerk who was only looking for glory as opposed to a man exploring for the sake of science or discovery. I can’t really say that giving him credit for finding one of the best countries in the world seems really fair.
However…that being known, there is still one day every year I absolutely love ol’ Chris. You got it, it’s today…Columbus Day. Columbus Day (or our first real day off of school) always seems to get here just when you need it most. The newness of school has worn off, and the first quarter is almost done, and the day-to-day routine has become just a little bit too routine. Then comes this glorious three day weekend, just when we need it.
Today I took the kids to the babysitter in order to have the day to “get stuff done”. I felt guilty about it, but I knew that it was necessary in many ways. I had a million errands to run, laundry to do, and I really needed to sort through the kids’ clothes to get all of the summer clothes put away and all of the winter clothes inventoried, washed up, and put into their dressers. None of those things could have been done with the kids here. So, I dealt with the guilt and set out. I did get all of the previous chores listed, and I even had time to make an apple pie with the apples we picked at the apple orchard. It was a great feeling to get so much done.
Although the guilt never did completely go away, today was a really great day. Thanks, Chris…I needed it!
Happy birthday, America!
Dave has always loved the Fourth of July. I think it’s the wholesome Americana feel the holiday has that really speaks to him. He loves all the small town activities and the community comraderie that always jumps to the forefront on Independence Day. I mean, when else can you obnoxiously display your patriotism these days without being ridiculed? He also loves the parade and flea market in Towanda on the Fourth, and was looking forward to taking the kids to it this year. We specifically had to make our plans to head north take place after the parade so that we could go and see all the stuff that Dave loves.
Alas, it’s pouring outside, and neither one of us really wants to go stand in the rain and hold umbrellas to watch cars, trucks, and tractors parade through small town America. We’re not braving the rain for the parade, but we’re still headed up north with the hopes that the day will clear up for the Johnson’s picnic and the fireworks.
Have an enjoyable holiday, everyone…hope you can stay dry!
Happy Memorial Day!
I’m a little sad today. Memorial Day is usually a day I love. I mean, really, what’s not to love: it’s the day off preceding the final run of school before summer break, the weather is almost always nice and it’s usually when we get all of our flowers planted outside, there’s often a family cookout, it’s a day to remember loved ones we’ve lost and to decorate the cemeteries in which they’re laid to rest, and it’s a day to remember and appreciate the many men and women who have given their lives to protect and serve our country. But today just didn’t turn out like that at all.
This morning Dave woke up feeling very sick. He was not himself at all, and never really felt any better all day. So, the family cookout that was going to be at our house got moved to his parents’ house and the kids and I had to go without him. The weather was crappy all day, and it’s so muddy under our landscaping rock that we could not get our flowers into the ground. Since he was sick and the weather sucked, we didn’t even consider going to the parade this morning, so there was no reflection or memorials at all. And even though I literally drove through Earlville yesterday, I didn’t visit the cemetery where both of my grandpas and all of my great grandparents are buried.
Overall, it was just kind of a sucky Memorial Day. At least there are only 6 official days of school left. June 2nd cannot come soon enough.
Happy Earth Day
Ok, maybe it’s just me, but I think Earth Day is a crock.
I mean, I’m all for recycling, reusing and renewing, but seriously…Earth Day? I didn’t even really like it when I would use it while I was teaching. April would roll around and I always did some kind of junk art project or recycled materials project or something that highlighted environmentally friendly art with the elementary kids. They were always totally into it because of course young kids always get simple, logical concepts. And that was before anyone had even heard of “going green”!
Maybe I’m just cynical, or crabby, or an old stick-in-the-mud, but I just don’t buy all the hype. I guess I just feel like I can go green without announcing it to the world.
Good luck, President Obama
Today was such an historic day for our country…President Barack Obama’s inauguration. I’ve never felt such excitement in the air on Inauguration Day before. Even our principal was walking around the building turning on TVs to make sure that the students had access to watch if they wanted to. And truly, the most amazing thing was that they did watch; even though most of it was taking place during lunch. Throughout my lunch hour, there was a huge group of students crowded around the TV in the lobby with the sound blaring so they could hear Obama’s speech. These were high school students spending their free time watching a current event on a news channel. It was a remarkable sight.
I’m excited and worried about the next four years. I hope that Americans are patient with President Obama. I hope that he really will be the president I think he will. And most importantly, I hope that he and his family will be safe in this highly criticized position. Please notice that I used the word hope a lot in the previous statements…because I do really feel that hope is now much more possible for us all.
President Obama
Well, I have to say that I’m very happy the election went the way it did. I’m happy that my candidate won, but I’m more happy that America finally made a statement about race relations in our country. It was absolu
tely amazing to watch the coverage last night and to see the reactions of members of the African American community. I know it’s impossible for me to begin to understand what this election means to many of these Americans, but it was obvious to me that nothing in my lifetime has even come close to having the same affect. I’m so glad that my children’s lives have been changed for the better.
I hope that Obama will be as good a president as he was a candidate.
Happy birthday, Uncle Dan!
Hope you have a great day, even if it is somewhat shadowed by one of the most historic presidential elections in our history. We’re all thinking about you today, and Dave and I are both thrilled that we’re not as old as you!! 
Vote! Vote! Vote!
When I was a kid, Election Day merely meant that we had to cut through the gym at school becaus
e the hallway going to some classrooms was blocked off as a voting site. Gotta love the small towns. Anyway, that was pretty much the extent of my civic awareness for a long time. But this year I feel like I’m educated and really well prepared to cast my vote. Please get out and vote tomorrow…even if your vote “doesn’t count” because your husband cancels you o
ut like mine. It doesn’t matter…my vote still does count. It counts to the hundreds of high schoolers who will see the “I voted” sticker on my shirt, and it counts to my kids, even though they’re way too young to know what any of this means. This is such an important and historic election. I’m nervous and anxious about the results, but I’m also so excited to take part in our right as Americans.
