With a new addition to the family recently, I became a great-aunt on my side of the family for the first time. This made the third great-grandchild for my parents though. I have two grandchildren, but this was my brother's first grandchild. I got to thinking about that. First my parents were 'grand'parents. According to the dictionary, 'grand' means magnificent. When you check out the word 'great', it means important. I don't know if it's just me, but 'magnificent' sounds of greater magnitude than 'important'. So what does that mean? If you are a grandparent you are of greater magnitude than when the next generation arrives and you are then reduced to just being great as a great-grandparent? Is that the way of phasing out the older generation? You are built up to be made grand, and as time goes on, you slowly lose value and status. Oh, but then they try to make you feel better with the next generation and say you are a great-great-grandparent! Now isn't that a little bit of play on words? Are two greats equal to a grand? Maybe if you live to be that old, or even to the point of being a great-great-great grandparent, people realize just what a treasure you are!
Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
http://www.internettowealth.com/
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Painting and Shingling
My family owns a construction business which is worked part-time along side my husband’s full time job at the shingle factory. These construction jobs have to be coordinated with his full time job in order to do them in his off time hours or days off. We have our three sons who help us if they are not working, at college, or have other plans. We also have a fourth son who lives 75 miles from us who is doing construction in his town such as we are.
Several of us on the crew have come to the conclusion that there are a couple of specialties that we just are not really fond of doing. They are also jobs that people cannot seem to find anyone else to do, so I guess we are just suckers. The first is painting. We did this a few months ago for two days when it was over 100 degrees. At certain times of the day, depending on which side of the house you were on, there was absolutely no shade you could get in to paint. To make matters worse, there was not even a breeze. More recent than that, we did the second thing we are not really fond of – shingling the roof. Not only is that really hard work, but it is so hot on the roof!
I honestly don’t know if it was hotter when painting or roofing, but the humidity just compounded the problem. The boys think it is pretty cool when they get hot on the job just to throw off their shirts and keep at it. I tell them that is totally not fair, and they just give me a big grin. I stand there with the sweat running in places it shouldn’t, so I walk over to the water jug and get a cup of cold water and pour it down the front and back of my shirt. It is amazing how that will cool you off, plus the wet shirt gives an air conditioned effect for quite some time.
We have had a very productive summer - with construction jobs still lined up that will take us well up into winter to complete. We were not at all upset to have had only one big painting and one big shingling job this year. I like helping with our family construction business, but when it is too hot or so cold you have to bundle up till you can hardly move, I would much rather be at home working my online business any day! I really appreciate my air conditioner and furnace at certain times of the year.
Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
http://www.internettowealth.com/
Several of us on the crew have come to the conclusion that there are a couple of specialties that we just are not really fond of doing. They are also jobs that people cannot seem to find anyone else to do, so I guess we are just suckers. The first is painting. We did this a few months ago for two days when it was over 100 degrees. At certain times of the day, depending on which side of the house you were on, there was absolutely no shade you could get in to paint. To make matters worse, there was not even a breeze. More recent than that, we did the second thing we are not really fond of – shingling the roof. Not only is that really hard work, but it is so hot on the roof!
I honestly don’t know if it was hotter when painting or roofing, but the humidity just compounded the problem. The boys think it is pretty cool when they get hot on the job just to throw off their shirts and keep at it. I tell them that is totally not fair, and they just give me a big grin. I stand there with the sweat running in places it shouldn’t, so I walk over to the water jug and get a cup of cold water and pour it down the front and back of my shirt. It is amazing how that will cool you off, plus the wet shirt gives an air conditioned effect for quite some time.
We have had a very productive summer - with construction jobs still lined up that will take us well up into winter to complete. We were not at all upset to have had only one big painting and one big shingling job this year. I like helping with our family construction business, but when it is too hot or so cold you have to bundle up till you can hardly move, I would much rather be at home working my online business any day! I really appreciate my air conditioner and furnace at certain times of the year.
Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
http://www.internettowealth.com/
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
School Consolidation
Commencement exercises in May of 2008 marked the last graduating class from Eastern Heights in Agra, KS. Our youngest son was among the 15 classmates who participated in that momentous celebration. Our oldest son started kindergarten at Eastern Heights in 1989. Within a few years, concerns were being expressed about how much longer we could keep our school doors open. Naturally, the reaction was to rebel against the idea of consolidating with another school. Discussions were held with school and community members upon several different occasions. A vote was even held amongst the students who decided to keep the doors open till the end. As each school year passed, parents and kids wondered if the next year would be the last for the Eastern Heights Mustangs. In 2007, after years of fearing the inevitable, the announcement was made that the graduation class of 2008 would be the last for our school. We breathed a big sigh of relief to know that even our youngest son would graduate as a Mustang.
As with any school consolidation, various opinions were expressed. Many people were please that we had another smaller neighboring town five miles away that we could join with. Others were not fond of it due to past school rivalry and fear of how that would affect crossing county lines to consolidate. And the other little handful of people didn’t care one way or the other – mostly due to the fact they had no kids in school any more. And maybe the fear is just because of change. Change is one thing we all have to deal with in our lives even if we don’t necessarily want to. I’ve even become accustomed to dealing with change in working my online business.
Once the books were closed with “The End” for the Eastern Heights Mustangs and the Kensington Goldbugs, a new book opened starting with “In the beginning” for the Thunder Ridge Longhorns, both communities were accepting the whole consolidation idea. Work had been going on all summer to get the new school colors of silver and blue and the longhorn mascot on display so that the students and faculty could start the new school year with a sense of pride and joy in their newly consolidated school.
Of course, there are some of the kids from the former Eastern Heights district that they and/or their parents opted to attend school at the neighboring town in the opposite direction. This is totally their personal choice. However, I am proud of the ones who have chosen to attend our new school district. They are showing that even if our two towns are small, we are mighty – just as in the saying ‘United We Stand!’
Yes, there were a few tear-jerking moments during the last graduation ceremony in saying goodbye to our school. But as the guest speaker recapped the years of Eastern Heights with memories, it is as he said, “Once a Mustang, Always a Mustang!” A part of my heart will always be a Mustang because it was the system that put all four of our kids through school. But at the same time, I am finding a place in my heart for the Longhorns because they now represent our community school. Even though we don’t have any kids attending school there, maybe we will some day have grandkids that will. So in the meantime…..Go Longhorns!!!
Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
http://www.InternetToWealth.com
As with any school consolidation, various opinions were expressed. Many people were please that we had another smaller neighboring town five miles away that we could join with. Others were not fond of it due to past school rivalry and fear of how that would affect crossing county lines to consolidate. And the other little handful of people didn’t care one way or the other – mostly due to the fact they had no kids in school any more. And maybe the fear is just because of change. Change is one thing we all have to deal with in our lives even if we don’t necessarily want to. I’ve even become accustomed to dealing with change in working my online business.
Once the books were closed with “The End” for the Eastern Heights Mustangs and the Kensington Goldbugs, a new book opened starting with “In the beginning” for the Thunder Ridge Longhorns, both communities were accepting the whole consolidation idea. Work had been going on all summer to get the new school colors of silver and blue and the longhorn mascot on display so that the students and faculty could start the new school year with a sense of pride and joy in their newly consolidated school.
Of course, there are some of the kids from the former Eastern Heights district that they and/or their parents opted to attend school at the neighboring town in the opposite direction. This is totally their personal choice. However, I am proud of the ones who have chosen to attend our new school district. They are showing that even if our two towns are small, we are mighty – just as in the saying ‘United We Stand!’
Yes, there were a few tear-jerking moments during the last graduation ceremony in saying goodbye to our school. But as the guest speaker recapped the years of Eastern Heights with memories, it is as he said, “Once a Mustang, Always a Mustang!” A part of my heart will always be a Mustang because it was the system that put all four of our kids through school. But at the same time, I am finding a place in my heart for the Longhorns because they now represent our community school. Even though we don’t have any kids attending school there, maybe we will some day have grandkids that will. So in the meantime…..Go Longhorns!!!
Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
http://www.InternetToWealth.com
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