Sunday Wrapup 2/6/2011
Last year Joel and Hilda gave us a gift subscription to the Nutrition Action Health Letter published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. I enjoy reading the small bi-monthly magazine.
The Jan./Feb. issue had an article on "Magnesium and Sudden Death." This accounts for more than half of all cardiac deaths, and roughly 55% of men and 68% of women who die from this cause have had no history of heart disease.
A study involving 88,000 women who were tracked for 26 years suggests that consuming higher amounts of magnesium offers some protection against sudden cardiac death. ". . . .women with the highest concentration of magnesium in their blood had a 77 percent lower risk than those with the lowest concentrations."
In animal tests, magnesium has been found to keep heartbeats regular.
Natural food sources of magnesium include leafy greens, beans, whole grains, and nuts.
Memo to nutrition class students: Those USDA Food Guide Pyramids got this covered. Pay attention. Sudden cardiac death is no laughing matter.
***********************
We had our annual parent-teacher fellowship on Friday evening. For the past number of years we've had one meeting that includes all the high school and grade school students' parents. I'm not sure if this is the best system, although I see the advantage of some parents having only one meeting to attend, rather than two. We have two attendance centers, with slight variations in the calender, a different daily schedule, very different curricula, and almost no staff overlap. All our students spend most (?) of their time in one "classroom" (the learning center), and all of our staff is involved with all of our students in some way--a very different setup from the age-segregated, self-contained classrooms at the grade school.
One board oversees both schools, however, and they operate out of one treasury. In favor of having only one meeting, I do think some grade school patrons rather enjoy hearing about what goes on at the high school, and I assume the reverse is also true. The staff used to provide the snack at the high school PTFs and now parents always provide them--a personal convenience for me and other staff members.
If I were voting, I'd vote in favor of separate meetings every other year. I think we'd get the best of both options that way. At some future time, if both schools were under one roof and had one principal and one schedule, and perhaps a more similar curriculum, separate meetings--even in alternate years--might not make sense any more.
I think an argument could be made for homeschoolers to also attend these PTF meetings, especially parents of high school-age students who attend some classes at the high school. I think they'll have to ask for the privilege if they want it. I hope they do.
*********************
Hiromi is weighing out half of the 1,000-tomato seed order we are sharing with Charlie Barden from K-State. I thought he might use a digital postal scale we have, but he wouldn't hear of it. Instead he scurried off to the basement, and promptly returned with a small rectangular box with Japanese writing on it. Inside was a balance scale.
"I bought this when I was eleven years old," he said. "I saved all my spending money for this kind of stuff. I'm glad my mom didn't throw it away. I retrieved it when we went to Japan when Joel was a baby."
He carefully poured seeds into the little saucers atop the ends of each arm of the scale and then watched till they finally came to rest with the arrow pointing to zero in the center of the scale.
Who knew that an 11-year-old Japanese boy's treasure would someday reside in the basement of a modest Kansas farmhouse, and be used to weigh out tomato seeds rather than chemicals for experiments?
***********************
Another snowstorm is headed our way. The major action is to take place on Tuesday, with snow, high winds, and low temperatures combining to create a lot of nastiness. As in last week's storm, a light coat of freezing rain might precede the snow. Right now it looks as though we'll get more snow than the inch or two we had this past week--4-6 inches perhaps. We were on the southwestern edge of that system, and eastern and northern Kansas got a lot more snow than we did. The fields really need moisture, but when we have high winds, most of the snow gets stripped off the fields and piled in the fence rows, ditches, and roadways--exactly where it is least appreciated--unless perhaps you're a school kid wishing for a day off from school.
If we have to call off school, we'll lose the teacher's work day at the end of this quarter since we've used up the extra days we built into the calender at the beginning of the school year.
**********************
Hiromi went to the hog barn tonight to talk to Oren and James while they were here doing chores. He came in to report that all the farrowing crates are full in the farrowing wing. Each crate is occupied by a sow and a litter of pigs. The wood stove is keeping the temperature comfortable, and "everyone" looks happy. The piglets are also warmed by an electric heat mat.
On the day after Alvin's funeral, a number of men came to help finish up the work that still needed to be done to get the farrowing wing ready. The other two wings were occupied already.
*********************
Hiromi kept getting hog-barn whiffs tonight after he came to the house. He sniffed himself here and then to try to figure out where the smell lingered. On his sweater? He took it off, but still smelled pigs. Inside his nose? He blew his nose and lit a ginger-scented candle in the center of a miniature Japanese sand garden. On his beard--his hair? He finally gave up and took a bath and washed his hair and changed all his clothes. And now he's sitting contentedly in his rocking chair reading about Greek philosophy and listening to Japanese music.
*********************
Last night Hiromi brought home a bottle of prescription thyroid pills I needed. I took the usual dosage later that evening, and the bottle promptly disappeared. Both of us have looked everywhere we could think to look, and we haven't found it. I wonder if we can explain to the pharmacist and get another prescription right away.
Missed dosages don't have immediately apparent detrimental effects, but, over time, a variety of symptoms usually manifest themselves.
I rather like feeling like getting up in the morning and being able to stay awake most of the time during the day. Without this medication, I don't think I could do that.
*********************
Last night the Partridge Community Association had their annual meeting, accompanied by a free pancake and sausage supper. The Shalom quartet provided entertainment. John got home from Faith Builders just in time to help sing. His plane arrived a little late, so he couldn't be there in time to eat, but he got there in time to sing. Everyone really seemed to enjoy the singing. Not having sung together for a month didn't seem to be a huge handicap.
Joel and Hilda are serving on the board for the next two years.
Hiromi served on the board at one time. At the monthly potlucks we used to take along a high chair for whoever the youngest child in our family was at the time, so we're a whole generation farther along in community association participation than we were then.
Joel was approached earlier by someone who wanted to lead a campaign to vote him onto the city council. He declined, feeling that the community association involvement fit much better with his ideals of how best to serve others.
I attended by myself since Hiromi had to work till 7:00 and then he attended a community concert in Hutchinson following that. I didn't relish going alone, but I really enjoyed reconnecting with friends I don't see very often, and I enjoyed the singing.
*********************
The young marrieds and the 70-plus crowd in our church are planning a joint activity for this Thursday evening. I think that's a great idea.
********************
I've been following developments in Egypt and am concerned about what is happening. I'm not sure if a really good outcome is possible, but I fervently wish for improved living conditions for everyone, and more freedom and safety for Christians. My cousin Jane, who is from Egypt, posted a message on Facebook, wondering if perhaps the Mubarak family might use some of their 70 billion dollar wealth to meet some of the country's needs. When laborers make perhaps only $2.00 a day, such wealth in a dictator's hands seems like an obscene inequity.
********************
Hiromi noticed last night at Wal-Mart that people were stocking up in preparation for watching the Super Bowl. One customer grumbled about all the fuss, but admitted that when the NASCAR races are on, he'll be making appropriate preparations also.
Super Bowl and NASCAR--neither hold any fascination for me.
*******************
I enjoyed Arlyn's sermon today. I'm having trouble recalling a title, but the take-away message I got is that if we have appropriate humility we will be willing to learn from people who are different from us.
Josh's devotional was worthwhile too--on fear.
******************
Our current events subject for the month is "Hotspots (Nations)." Tunisia, Sudan, Burma, and Egypt have all merited Time feature articles this year, but we also added Somalia, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Iran to the list of options. This did not include several obvious possibilities like Iraq and Afghanistan or other countries in the Middle East. For each country, we gave a choice of one of seven different questions/subjects students might report on. They may also choose other options, but they need to get them individually approved.
The Jan./Feb. issue had an article on "Magnesium and Sudden Death." This accounts for more than half of all cardiac deaths, and roughly 55% of men and 68% of women who die from this cause have had no history of heart disease.
A study involving 88,000 women who were tracked for 26 years suggests that consuming higher amounts of magnesium offers some protection against sudden cardiac death. ". . . .women with the highest concentration of magnesium in their blood had a 77 percent lower risk than those with the lowest concentrations."
In animal tests, magnesium has been found to keep heartbeats regular.
Natural food sources of magnesium include leafy greens, beans, whole grains, and nuts.
Memo to nutrition class students: Those USDA Food Guide Pyramids got this covered. Pay attention. Sudden cardiac death is no laughing matter.
***********************
We had our annual parent-teacher fellowship on Friday evening. For the past number of years we've had one meeting that includes all the high school and grade school students' parents. I'm not sure if this is the best system, although I see the advantage of some parents having only one meeting to attend, rather than two. We have two attendance centers, with slight variations in the calender, a different daily schedule, very different curricula, and almost no staff overlap. All our students spend most (?) of their time in one "classroom" (the learning center), and all of our staff is involved with all of our students in some way--a very different setup from the age-segregated, self-contained classrooms at the grade school.
One board oversees both schools, however, and they operate out of one treasury. In favor of having only one meeting, I do think some grade school patrons rather enjoy hearing about what goes on at the high school, and I assume the reverse is also true. The staff used to provide the snack at the high school PTFs and now parents always provide them--a personal convenience for me and other staff members.
If I were voting, I'd vote in favor of separate meetings every other year. I think we'd get the best of both options that way. At some future time, if both schools were under one roof and had one principal and one schedule, and perhaps a more similar curriculum, separate meetings--even in alternate years--might not make sense any more.
I think an argument could be made for homeschoolers to also attend these PTF meetings, especially parents of high school-age students who attend some classes at the high school. I think they'll have to ask for the privilege if they want it. I hope they do.
*********************
Hiromi is weighing out half of the 1,000-tomato seed order we are sharing with Charlie Barden from K-State. I thought he might use a digital postal scale we have, but he wouldn't hear of it. Instead he scurried off to the basement, and promptly returned with a small rectangular box with Japanese writing on it. Inside was a balance scale.
"I bought this when I was eleven years old," he said. "I saved all my spending money for this kind of stuff. I'm glad my mom didn't throw it away. I retrieved it when we went to Japan when Joel was a baby."
He carefully poured seeds into the little saucers atop the ends of each arm of the scale and then watched till they finally came to rest with the arrow pointing to zero in the center of the scale.
Who knew that an 11-year-old Japanese boy's treasure would someday reside in the basement of a modest Kansas farmhouse, and be used to weigh out tomato seeds rather than chemicals for experiments?
***********************
Another snowstorm is headed our way. The major action is to take place on Tuesday, with snow, high winds, and low temperatures combining to create a lot of nastiness. As in last week's storm, a light coat of freezing rain might precede the snow. Right now it looks as though we'll get more snow than the inch or two we had this past week--4-6 inches perhaps. We were on the southwestern edge of that system, and eastern and northern Kansas got a lot more snow than we did. The fields really need moisture, but when we have high winds, most of the snow gets stripped off the fields and piled in the fence rows, ditches, and roadways--exactly where it is least appreciated--unless perhaps you're a school kid wishing for a day off from school.
If we have to call off school, we'll lose the teacher's work day at the end of this quarter since we've used up the extra days we built into the calender at the beginning of the school year.
**********************
Hiromi went to the hog barn tonight to talk to Oren and James while they were here doing chores. He came in to report that all the farrowing crates are full in the farrowing wing. Each crate is occupied by a sow and a litter of pigs. The wood stove is keeping the temperature comfortable, and "everyone" looks happy. The piglets are also warmed by an electric heat mat.
On the day after Alvin's funeral, a number of men came to help finish up the work that still needed to be done to get the farrowing wing ready. The other two wings were occupied already.
*********************
Hiromi kept getting hog-barn whiffs tonight after he came to the house. He sniffed himself here and then to try to figure out where the smell lingered. On his sweater? He took it off, but still smelled pigs. Inside his nose? He blew his nose and lit a ginger-scented candle in the center of a miniature Japanese sand garden. On his beard--his hair? He finally gave up and took a bath and washed his hair and changed all his clothes. And now he's sitting contentedly in his rocking chair reading about Greek philosophy and listening to Japanese music.
*********************
Last night Hiromi brought home a bottle of prescription thyroid pills I needed. I took the usual dosage later that evening, and the bottle promptly disappeared. Both of us have looked everywhere we could think to look, and we haven't found it. I wonder if we can explain to the pharmacist and get another prescription right away.
Missed dosages don't have immediately apparent detrimental effects, but, over time, a variety of symptoms usually manifest themselves.
I rather like feeling like getting up in the morning and being able to stay awake most of the time during the day. Without this medication, I don't think I could do that.
*********************
Last night the Partridge Community Association had their annual meeting, accompanied by a free pancake and sausage supper. The Shalom quartet provided entertainment. John got home from Faith Builders just in time to help sing. His plane arrived a little late, so he couldn't be there in time to eat, but he got there in time to sing. Everyone really seemed to enjoy the singing. Not having sung together for a month didn't seem to be a huge handicap.
Joel and Hilda are serving on the board for the next two years.
Hiromi served on the board at one time. At the monthly potlucks we used to take along a high chair for whoever the youngest child in our family was at the time, so we're a whole generation farther along in community association participation than we were then.
Joel was approached earlier by someone who wanted to lead a campaign to vote him onto the city council. He declined, feeling that the community association involvement fit much better with his ideals of how best to serve others.
I attended by myself since Hiromi had to work till 7:00 and then he attended a community concert in Hutchinson following that. I didn't relish going alone, but I really enjoyed reconnecting with friends I don't see very often, and I enjoyed the singing.
*********************
The young marrieds and the 70-plus crowd in our church are planning a joint activity for this Thursday evening. I think that's a great idea.
********************
I've been following developments in Egypt and am concerned about what is happening. I'm not sure if a really good outcome is possible, but I fervently wish for improved living conditions for everyone, and more freedom and safety for Christians. My cousin Jane, who is from Egypt, posted a message on Facebook, wondering if perhaps the Mubarak family might use some of their 70 billion dollar wealth to meet some of the country's needs. When laborers make perhaps only $2.00 a day, such wealth in a dictator's hands seems like an obscene inequity.
********************
Hiromi noticed last night at Wal-Mart that people were stocking up in preparation for watching the Super Bowl. One customer grumbled about all the fuss, but admitted that when the NASCAR races are on, he'll be making appropriate preparations also.
Super Bowl and NASCAR--neither hold any fascination for me.
*******************
I enjoyed Arlyn's sermon today. I'm having trouble recalling a title, but the take-away message I got is that if we have appropriate humility we will be willing to learn from people who are different from us.
Josh's devotional was worthwhile too--on fear.
******************
Our current events subject for the month is "Hotspots (Nations)." Tunisia, Sudan, Burma, and Egypt have all merited Time feature articles this year, but we also added Somalia, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Iran to the list of options. This did not include several obvious possibilities like Iraq and Afghanistan or other countries in the Middle East. For each country, we gave a choice of one of seven different questions/subjects students might report on. They may also choose other options, but they need to get them individually approved.
posted by Mrs. I at
5:48 PM
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