Uncategorized

Teaching English for a change

/ Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

Years ago, four day before school started, the principal informed me that I was going to teach freshmen English and a special course for all these juniors and seniors who had passed the state test but not one single English class.  The goal–we were on a quarter system then:  teach a year of English per quarter or at least do that for the seniors.  Of course, everyone knew that if I did the traditional curriculum, such a thing would prove impossible.  I took a look at the students.  Smart (at least some of them), rebellious, lazy, unmotivated, potheads probably–some openly admitted it, and various combinations of these sorts of things.  For fun the previous summer, I had taken a week long course on how to teach junior Advanced Placement English–I know, a strange idea of fun, but I loved it.  Four days gave me little time to prepare so I decided I would use the freshman book for the freshmen, but incorporate what I had learned in the AP English course.  For this other special class, I decided to try some really different tactics, including starting with a really different book than any had probably ever read.  Because of the language–swear words in Spanish for starters, and because of the topics, e.g. prison, it seemed necessary to get the permission from the head of the English department.  The book:  A Place to Stand by Jimmy Santiago Baca, one of my all time favorite books and a superb example of figurative language.  The department head gave permission much to my astonishment–she must have taken a look at the students and decided anything was worth a try.  The students actually read ahead, looked the author up online, found out he was giving a reading in Santa Fe and contacted him. We did go to Santa Fe for the reading and actually had lunch with him and his wife and baby–who would now be a teenager or nearly so.  One of the students who went contacted me a couple of months ago to tell me he still had a signed copy of one of Baca’s books.

After that year, I taught math for years–algebra, geometry.  Occasionally, I even cotaught chemistry or remedial science for those who had not passed the state test.  About three weeks ago, the new principal called me in and asked me what I wanted to teach.  I said English.  He asked me how about senior English?!  Next school year I will be teaching British literature.  Now, I am trying to think how to make Beowulf and Canterbury Tales readable and exciting.  I was told I could also incorporate modern British literature so I started looking at the Man Booker (sort of like a British and former British colonies version of the Pulitzer or something of that sort) short list.  Much to my astonishment, I have read a lot of the authors on this list, but mostly those from the colonies like Nigeria and India.  Now I am reading We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo.  This book won the Pen Hemingway and was short listed for the Man Booker.  Probably more familiar authors for many readers would be names like Iris Murdoch, Doris Lessing, Amitav Ghosh, and Kiran Desai.  If any of you who read this blog have others suggestions for modern British literature, send me the names.  The students may be in a temporary  (or longer) state of shock when they find out they really do have to read, but they will get over it and might even discover its fun.

Una Bella Famiglia

/ Juliana Lightle / 5 Comments

Yesterday evening, I felt honored to cook dinner for this wonderful family from the mountains of  Italy.  Lisa, the daughter, has been living with friends as an exchange student.  Lisa had been to my house several times with her host parents and ridden Rosie.  This week her parents, grandparents on her mother’s side, and her younger brother came to see her high school graduation Friday evening.  Last night they all came to my house.  Lisa speaks fluent English, her parents and grandfather some, but her grandmother very little.  They do understand Spanish so I spoke Spanish to her grandmother, some Spanish to everyone else, some English, and, of course, everyone spoke bits and pieces of Italian or all Italian.

Grandfather Corrado smiled and laughed and hugged.  When he was younger, he was ranked fifth in the world in cross country skiing.  He spent much of his life, more than thirty years, in Germany making and selling ice cream.  We did have ice cream for dessert–vanilla with Chambord on top.

SAM_1531

 

 

Corrado drinking sangiovese from a local winery, BarZ, with Jeannette, the host mom of Lisa. Later, we had another bottle of sangiovese from a different winery, DiVine Wine.

 

SAM_1530

 

They explained they drink wine every day so they felt right at home at my house.  Lisa, in the Abercrombe T-shirt with her dad, Benedetto, next to her.  And yes, that is Corrado smiling down there on the end.

 

SAM_1533

 

Benedetto in the white shirt claimed that the sangiovese here seemed stronger than at home.  Claudia, Lisa’s Mom appears to be explaining something, but I do not recall what.  Grandmother Angelina is on her right and younger brother Antonio at the far right edge.  Everyone seems enthralled.  Benedetto is an architect.

 

SAM_1534

 

From left to right, Lisa, Benedetto, me, and Claudia.  They felt right at home with my dog Isabella; she has an Italian name.

 

SAM_1535

 

Everyone agreed to eat dinner on the patio–and you were thinking all we planned to do is drink wine.  The menu:  brisket, roasted vegetables (red and purple potatoes, brussel sprouts, Anaheim peppers, carrots, onions roasted with lots of olive oil, basil, oregano, and herbes de Provence), green salad and bread with chunks of garlic in it.

 

 

There is nothing better than eating and relaxing with friends and family.  And what a beautiful family!!  Laughter, hugs.  How could one not enjoy all the hugs and kisses on both cheeks.

 

 

SAM_1537

 

They had ridden horses in Palo Duro Canyon and hiked there earlier in the day, attended several graduation parties, and played volleyball.  Antonio seemed very tired.  He is 13.

 

SAM_1539

 

Richard, the host dad, relaxes in the bar stool while his daughter takes photos with his camera.  A deer eventually showed up across the canyon.

This lovely Italian family lives way in the north of Italy in Cortina d’Ampezzo.  Claudia explained they work seven days a week during the seven month tourist season–it is skiing country, and then they like to travel.  This evening as I write this they have headed to New York City by minivan via St. Louis and Falling Waters–Corrado really wants to see this Frank Lloyd Wright house.  I feel so honored to have met them.  Una bella famiglia–a beautiful family.

Guilty

/ Juliana Lightle / 2 Comments

After posting daily for nearly six weeks, I goofed yesterday and did not.  My excuse–went to a local winery, BarZ, with a friend and stayed longer than I thought we would, came home, and collapsed about 11:45.  Now I feel guilty, really guilty.  To make matters worse, this post will be very, very brief.  Why?  This evening six people from Italy are coming over for dinner.  My friends are hosting an exchange student from there and her parents, grandparents, and brother arrived Wednesday for her graduation.  All of them, plus her host parents and their daughter and a friend arrive at 6.  In the meantime, I must clean my house, go to the grocery store so I can cook to feed them, cook, and get Rosie ready so they can ride her–her mane is a tangled mess.

The menu:  the brisket recipe I posted July 8, 2012, roasted vegetables, salad, bread with garlic, ice cream with Chambord on top.  Since Lisa, the exchange student, loves this hot cheese (mangoes and habanero peppers in it) I get from Market Street, I bought all I could find the other day–it with crackers will be the appetizer plus who knows what else.  Now, off to untangle Rosie’s mane and feed her alfalfa before I take a quick trip to the grocery.

The Sixth Mass Extinction

/ Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

Off and on the last month, I’ve posted about various issues on climate change and related topics.  Today, Life Science published an article entitled “Extinction Rates Soar to 1,000 Times Normal (But There’s Hope)”.  What causes this enormous spike?  You guessed it.  Humans.

Before recently, the extinction rate was one per every ten million annually.  Now it is 100-1000 every million.  Where do researchers and scientists find hope in this adverse increase?  Let’s look at Earth’s history for a moment before answering that question.  Since life began on our planet, five mass extinctions have occurred, leaving only half of living organisms each time.  Reasons for these extinctions vary from Earth’s shifting axis to asteroids–see previous posts related to effects of changes in the Earth’s axis.  The big question:  how do humans affect the current extinction?       Yes, we caused the demise of the passenger pigeon, the Tasmanian tiger, and the dodo bird.  And human poaching and habitat destruction now endanger elephants, rhinos, and all subspecies of tigers, among others.  One problem in accurately determining human effects is that new species are discovered annually so we are not even sure how many species currently exist.  Using what we do know about current species, DNA, and some rather sophisticated techniques, scientists come up extinction rates.

Where is the hope?  The most endangered species tend to range in small areas in poorer countries lacking resources to protect them.  Modern technology can help, using satellite imagery, biodiversity mapping, as well as other methods.  Drones have been used in Africa to track both animals and poachers.  We can focus efforts on the areas where the most endangered species live.

How can you help?  Become a citizen scientist.  Use your smartphone camera and report your findings to scientific conservation groups.  A site called iNaturalist allows ordinary individuals to upload photos of plants and animals, tagging date, location, etc.  This site links to an international organization that tracks endangered and threatened species.

What else can you do:  don’t buy anything with ivory in it, don’t buy anything with the fur or body parts of endangered animals.  Spread the word.  Become more informed, read articles and books related to these topics.  Care.  This is the only Earth; help save it.

 

Selling Online–Getting Started

/ Juliana Lightle / 2 Comments

My plan to actually get to bed early and hopefully manage eight hours of sleep flew away rather quickly.  I’ve had a PayPal account for years but today no matter what I tried, including sending that little lost password message, it failed to work. Finally, about an hour ago, I gave up the repeated tries and called them.  Their customer service is excellent if you are willing to wait during what I am guessing is their busiest time, evening.  I waited and woohoo, I think I finished everything except setting up the button to link this blog/website to PayPal itself.  It took far more time than I expected, but it is complete.  By this time tomorrow, if you want to buy my newest book, On the Rim of Wonder, using this blog/website, you can do so.  You can also order it from Amazon, but when you order directly from me, you will receive a signed copy with a personal message.

Last week Hastings on Georgia Street in Amarillo, Texas, set a date for my book signing.  It will occur at 3 in the afternoon of Saturday, June 21.  What a hectic time of year:  high school graduation, graduation parties, weddings, summer vacations starting for some, and on and on it goes.  My friend who is hosting an exchange student from Italy will bring her parents and grandparents and brother (all flew in from Italy today) over for dinner and riding Rosie on Saturday.  Hoping this 2′ by 1′ gaping hole in the ceiling above me will be filled in my then, but somehow I doubt it.  They found the leak cause today after tearing off part of the facia on the roof.  Tomorrow maybe they will finish fixing that and put on the new facia.  At least they have fixed it so if a thunderstorm comes, water won’t be dripping rapidly from the ceiling.

If I plan to feel perky at 5:30 in the morning, this post must end.  Happy Dreams!!

My tractor and me

/ Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

Yes, I own a tractor.  Last summer I decided I was tired of hiring my neighbor to mow when I needed to get rid of tall grass or cut down some yucca or plow snow or grade my drive which washes terribly in a big rain.  I bought a Kubota, not a big one and not a tiny one, a middle sized one.  I had driven it only once this spring, but after this five inch rain my driveway is less than optimal.

My grandson came home with me tonight because my daughter is working a night shift at the hospital; she is a NICU nurse.  I fixed us dinner–that wonderful organic pasta from Italy, some fish with vegetables for me and cheese topping for him because he is vegetarian.  After I finished the dishes, tractor time arrived.  I backed it out of the barn and started working on the lower part of the drive, the really steep part that goes to the paved area next to the garage.  My tractor saves me considerable work after a big rain.  I used to shovel for hours getting the dirt and gravel off the paved part and hauling it up the steep drive in a wheel barrow to dump elsewhere.  Then I would sweep it.  Tonight with the tractor, it was completed within 1 1/2 hours.  I even had time to sweep the dust out of the area of the barn where the tractor was parked.  If the weather holds sunny like today, tomorrow I will work on the long part that goes nearly to the main road.

As I write this, my grandson writes his third blog post.  He already has followers; he is ten.  His blog title is The Blogging Boy.  I have no idea how long he will continue to blog but he is a quite persistent fellow for a ten year old so maybe he will continue.

If I had considered it earlier, my grandson could have taken a photo of me and my tractor.  For now you will just have to use your imagination.

Family Road Trip–Day Four

/ Juliana Lightle / 1 Comment

No rushing around this morning.  We wanted to stop by Old Towne, stroll around, and have lunch.  We doubted shops would open before ten.  After all the rain, everything sparkled in the morning sun.  We found a parking space–often extremely difficult to find there–on the west side of the church by the square and headed east in front of the church.  Because it was early or because of the rain earlier, it seemed much less hectic than usual.  We chatted with shop keepers, bargained, wandered.  My grandson announced he was very hungry so we sat outside at the Hacienda (I think that is the name of the restaurant we go to near the square–we just go and never pay attention to its name).  All I wanted was fry bread.  First, I dipped it in the salsa then switched to honey.  After this relaxing leisurely lunch, we finished our walk around the square and headed to Astro Zombie in Nob Hill.  I think my grandson could go there every day.

 

SAM_1527

 

SAM_1528

 

SAM_1522

 

SAM_1523

 

SAM_1525

 

Arrived home, fed Rosie, unpacked, and checked for water damage.  It rained almost 4 1/2 inches while we were gone.  That averages almost an inch a day for the last five days.  The weather forecasters predict possibilities for rain the rest of the week.  Some people in low lying areas of Amarillo experienced flooding in their homes.  That is what occurs when developers fill in playas and build houses there.  But that is another blog post for another day.

My daughter called to read me my grandson’s second blog post.  He asked me last night while we lounged at the hotel to help him start a blog.  He posted his first post last night.

Waking up for work will come sooner than I want.  Happy dreams!!

Family Road Trip–Day Three

/ Juliana Lightle / 3 Comments

Today we awakened earlier that we usually do on vacation in order to get to the train station in downtown Albuquerque to take the Rail Runner to Santa Fe.  Apparently, we worried too much about missing it because we arrived really too early and sat around for more than 45 minutes waiting and watching.  I walked around and took several photos of my grandson waiting and of one of the numerous murals one sees in downtown.

 

SAM_1511

SAM_1512

I was surprised by the number of people using this train.  It takes one and one half hours to get from downtown Albuquerque to Santa Fe depot because there are quite a few stops on the way including one at Sandia Pueblo and another at Kewa Pueblo.  Photos are forbidden while traveling through Kewa.  The route basically follows the Rio Grande Valley.

I took a few photos from the train and several in Santa Fe.  Good friends, Dino and Zuriash, were already in Santa Fe and picked us up at the depot.  We went to the Chocolate Maven for brunch–my daughter totally loves this restaurant because they have crepes.  We walked around the art exhibits by the church near the square, stopped in a few shops, and just before the return trip on the train, went to Jalapeños for drinks.  A wonderful day with family and friends and a little train trip, my grandson’s first.

 

SAM_1516

 

 

 

 

 

SAM_1519

 

 

SAM_1520

 

SAM_1521

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family Road Trip–Day Two

/ Juliana Lightle / Leave a comment

This rainy spell brings chilly mornings.  After a leisurely wake up and breakfast at the hotel, daughter, grandson, and I headed toward the east end of Albuquerque, an area we rarely reach when we come here.  We ended up at Coronado Mall (I think that is its name but not sure), walked around for a while, and found a clothing shop where my daughter bought two dresses for upcoming weddings we will all attend.  At one end of this mall a huge Barnes & Noble resides.  My grandson and I ended up spending nearly two hours there–so many books, so much to browse.  The lady who waited on us wore a semi-precious stone skull necklace hanging around her neck, a dress the print of which displayed numerous characters from rather dark movies, including more skulls, and patent leather dress shoes.  She informed me she usually wears combat boots, but for some reason decided to wear dress shoes on this particular day.  She owns six pairs of Doc Martens, her favorites.  I remain clueless as to the reason why I frequently discover all sorts of personal things about people whom I have never met before.  Actually, my goal was to find one or more of the 2013 Man Booker short list books.  I picked one by a Nigerian woman.

Later we headed to the Nob Hill area to find a place the lady and a guy at the Barnes & Noble recommended, Astro Zombies.  No, I am not a gamer, but my grandson loves Magic, Yugioh, Pokemon, all that sort of thing.  He found a new game, Munchkin.  It sounded like a kids game to me, but the 21 year old young man at the store informed me that he and all his friends play it.  While there, who appeared but the grandparents of one of my grandson’s best friends.  Next came dinner at Nob Hill–the restaurant.  Delicious.  Of course, since grandson continues his vegetarianism, any place that actually manages to create good vegetarian food is always a hit.  As we walked back to the car, I happened to glance in the window of one of the endless restaurants on Central.  There sat a former student, Casey Ball, who was part of the group of eight of us who went to Costa Rica together the summer of 2012.  After we tried to mouth a conversation through the window, she ran outside; we hugged and played a quick catch-up on news.

Finally, back at the hotel room, guess what?  We learned to play Munchkin.

Family Road Trip-Day One

/ Juliana Lightle / 1 Comment

This afternoon, my daughter, grandson, and I headed toward Albuquerque on our first family road trip since last summer when we went to California.  We started late due to the rain causing a leak in a hallway in my house, not just any leak, a very large leak.  Whenever it rained–and it kept raining off and on, so much water accumulated that rapid drips fell to the floor from a dime sized hole in the ceiling.  Now a big black bucket resides on the floor underneath it.  Finally, I found someone to come out and take a look so he at least has some idea what the problem may be.  Nothing toward fixing it will occur until next week.  This will be no tiny project; first the facia has to come off part of the roof so they can locate the cause.  Then, well, it depends on what they find.  The young lady watching the house and caring for Isabella and Rosie can empty a bucket as well as I can so we decided to go ahead and take our weekend road trip.

This storm system covers a wide swath.  Rain signs all the way here, hail enough in one place to cover the sides of Interstate 40 like a light snow, and a deluge coming down from the pass into Albuquerque.  I hate driving in a hard rain; thankfully, my daughter was driving.

We went to dinner about 6:30 at our favorite Italian restaurant, Cabo’s.  I know it seems strange that any visitor to Albuquerque would eat Italian food here.  We discovered this restaurant years ago and always return every time we visit.  We even have certain memories of happenings there–like the time an amusing guy at another table “hit on” one of my handsome exchange students.  Our other favorite restaurant here is only slightly off the square in Old Towne; I have no idea its name.  I go there for the fry bread/sopapillas.  I order other things, but that is really what I want.  Theirs seem different in a subtle, indescribable way.

Now I sit here writing at the hotel swimming pool.  I cannot imagine what my grandson would do in a hotel without a swimming pool.  It remains his first desire anywhere we stay.  He did survive a recent trip to Austin when it was too cold for the pool outside.–perhaps because he discovered the Dragon’s Lair, a little bit of heaven for gamers who love Magic.  His ten year old self is now on the third Harry Potter book.  He informed us at dinner how he deals with life when he is “grounded” from all electronics–he goes into the magic of his imagination.

 

1459796_10200588227542046_1806977807_n

 

At the Italian restaurant a couple of years ago during Christmas holidays.