Summer Is Not Over

I know school is scheduled to start back next week and everyone is talking about how quickly summer has passed.  I just want to take a moment to remind us that summer is not over.  God schedules the seasons not the school board. 

No one says that spring is over when spring break ends. Fall doesn't begin and end with Thanksgiving break.  Why does poor summer get the shaft? It is ,after all, my favorite time of year.

I love early evening's pop-up thunderstorms,the smell of dirt as it drinks in the rain and the aroma of freshly cut grass mingling with smoke from fired up grills. I enjoy looking out at the lush green of full trees and the sparkling waters of a swimming pool. I appreciate walking barefoot in the yard and then performing the "hot sidewalk dance"  to get back into the cool house.

I like stepping out on the deck and hearing the different sounds as people work on various projects in their yards and gardens. There is almost nothing as pleasant as listening to birds sing while sitting outside with my morning coffee.

Summer beckons us to dream. It calls us to plan vacations. It tempts us to recall our youth and those lazy days where nothing was more important than our Coppertone(motor oil? butter? baby oil?) tans.

Fall has it's beautiful ever changing leaves; in the spring it's exciting to see the first blooms and buds as everything wakes from the long winter's nap but summer entices us with it's aromas, it's sounds, it's beauty, and it's freedoms.

These pleasures will not cease when the school bell rings.
Summer break may be ending but summer is not.

Thank You Harper Lee

 "'Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'" - Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

In 11th grade AP English we were required to read what became my favorite fiction of all time,  Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird".   As an Alabama girl whose family name is Harper it was an obvious choice. I loved the characters, I loved the small southern town where it was set and of course the story itself of racial inequality as seen through the eyes of children.  Since that first required reading for Mrs. Palmer's class back in 1984, I have chosen to reread the book almost every year. Ms. Lee's life story has become as interesting to me as the novel. We know that although not autobiographical the story is somewhat based on her own early life.



The seeming reclusiveness of Ms. Lee and the fact that she published no other novels is intriguing.  As I understand it, she splits her time between Monroeville, Alabama where she lives with her 98 year old sister Alice (who still practices law) and New York City.  She doesn't participate in her hometown's yearly play based on her novel and is not prone to answer questions or give interviews about the book.  Her sister says that the book is only talked about in terms of business even between the two of them. When Ms. Lee does commit to public appearance it is without much fanfare. Her acceptance of the Presidential Medal of Freedom award from President Bush in 2007 was done without speech or a q&a session on her part.  Her recent run-in with a reporter from a British tabloid was par for the course, although Ms. Lee answered no questions her refusal was ,as always, gracious.



 I was delighted during the past school year that Ben was required to read TKAM.  I enjoyed being able to discuss it with him.  Finding common ground with a teenager is no small feat.  He did manage to destroy my 1964 copy along the way. It was at best in fair condition but the book had been in my possession for quite some time. I had purchased it at an antique book event back in the late 80's. I am thankful for Ebay and am watching the auctions to find another.  I am hoping that by some happy accident I happen upon a first edition that is under priced enough that I can afford it.



This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of "To Kill A Mockingbird".  Amazingly since it first came off the press it has never been out of print.  It is currently used in 70% of American schools and tops the list of books every adult should read in a survey of British adults. Because of the book's impact on me, I decided to write to Harper Lee to thank her for the book and for the hope I felt she provided  young southern women with literary ambitions.  I sent the letter to both her publisher in New York and to Monroeville, AL(I didn't have an address but assumed that as their most famous resident she could be found). I was absolutely thrilled when she responded not once but twice.  I have a lovely postcard postmarked New York City and a handwritten note from Monroeville. The responses were received six months apart each on a day when my world happened to feel as though it was falling apart. What wonderful timing!


My postcard is now laminated,framed and is useful not only for decorative purposes but extra credit in literature.  Allison will be reading it in two years, I hope the teacher accepts it again!

Frustration Level-CODE RED!

 Come back the form letter begged.  We have great service and great prices, we've missed you. Blah, Blah, Blah! Don't believe the tease. The offer was so enticing and came at just the right time. Just before it's arrival, I had seen an article that Direct-TV was suing Dish over dvr patent infringement and that Dish will cut service to all their dvrs if they lose.  I LOVE the dvr feature and that scared me a little.

I made the call.  I set the installation date. The technician arrived on the right day albeit two hours later than the four hour window they stated. Yes, he arrived but without the right equipment for our order.  He put the dish on our roof and left with a pledge to return the following day. That was three weeks and four missed installation appointments ago and an additional two times that he just called and said he would work us in.  I am beyond frustrated with these people.

After all that, I finally called to cancel the whole shebang.  Before the order could be terminated,  I had to speak with a "customer retention specialist".  The first question was "What can we do to keep you as a Direct customer?". My reply, "Ummmm, I don't know maybe your guy could have shown up any of the four times he officially was scheduled too".  

 On the first day, when the man was late for the appointment and then later when he said "You can trust me, I'll be back tomorrow to finish". I knew that I could not take him at his word and in fact had absolutely no real expectations that he would actually show. I have found people who feel a need to preface their statements with assurances of their honesty and trustworthiness are neither honest or trustworthy.

So what did I learn from this?  Direct TV= Evil.  No, not really.  My experience is limited to the one employee who was the face of Direct for me.  The impression he made was not only not favorable but in fact cost the company a two year contract. One customer lost, not a big deal but with this guy on board I'm sure we're not the first to cancel out. Sparta who is generally the kind of guy who never runs out of his give the guy a chance attitude and is always the kind of guy who is after the best deal got fed up. It takes a lot to frustrate Sparta and I should know because I can be very frustrating at times.

It has been said one negative comment has as much effect as ten positive ones and word of mouth is one of the most effective tools in advertising.  I have nothing positive to say about Direct now. The only face I can put with the company is this guy's (He told me he'd been with them for 10 years, I was going to cut him some slack if he'd been new.)

I found a verse from Proverbs that describes this employee's effect in the bigger picture:

Proverbs 26:10 "Lazy people are a pain to their employer. They are like smoke in the eyes or vinegar that sets the teeth on edge."      (The Message)

Oh well,  Dish is scheduled to come out today.  There's a knock now!!

One Mother Home Alone-A True Story

So, what do you call a mom of four whose children are away for a week? RELAXED!

I have cleaned house, and it has remained clean. I shampooed carpets and caught up on laundry. I have used the pool without fear of ridicule (the kids think my new swimsuit is hideous). I went to see a movie with a friend.(Knight and Day, very cute). I have caught up on some reading and some writing. I have sung quite loudly in the van to the songs on a station of my choosing.

It's also very quiet in the absence of those four blessings and the 101 people who file in and out the doors when they are home. I miss the laughter that fills the house when they are present. I also miss just knowing that all my little chicks are in the same nest at night. Being here alone for most of this week made me think of that Rockwell song from the 80's, " I always feel like somebody's watching me". I could become paranoid without much effort. There's no way I could make it as long as Tom Hank's did in his movie "Castaway" I don't think I could be satisfied talking to a volley ball for years on end. I need both parts of the conversation-the ears and the mouth. I would probably end up with multiple personality disorder just so I'd have company.


Tomorrow it ends. I have no doubt there will be arguing, complaints, and short tempers. I can't wait. I need to buy groceries sometime before then so they can tell me "We don't have anything good to eat". Ahhhh-good times.


Let the mayhem begin!




Rockwell-