Sarah

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

The Watch Store : Do you wear a watch? Digital or analog? [Thanks for a great HOLIDAILIES season.] (posted Jan 6, 11:33am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

The Next Generation : This generation of children finds it difficult to read analog clock faces. I can remember learning how to tell time on an analog clock face, with the little hand showing minutes and the big hand showing the hour. Most children today cannot tell time that way at all. It got me thinking about what their children may not see around ... (posted Jan 5, 1:42pm)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Pockets : The lack of pockets in women's clothing has been a burr under my saddle for many years now. It makes women more helpless, you know, if they have to occupy those wonderful appendages known as hands with purses. In earlier years they would have had gloves and prayer books in addition, to ensure that women's hands were not getting into ... (posted Jan 4, 10:59am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Vacation Last Day: Resolution Accomplished : Today is the last day of Winter Break. I usually find myself in reflective mode in this day before returning to work after the yearly winter hiatus. I accomplished my Christmas resolution, which was to clean and make beautiful my personal space, wherein reside my computer, my desk (posted Jan 3, 9:59am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

The Guilford Fair : Best of Holidailies I pitched pennies, rode the merry-go-round twice, bought pink cotton candy, and won a small prize shooting arrows into a target pinned onto a bale of straw. Lunch time came and I was hot and tired, so I sat down at the booth where a small dark man was selling Italian subs (submarine sandwiches). I bought a lemonade and .... (posted Jan 2, 9:41am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Twenty Ten (2010) : A new decade: beautiful weather, the day to pay bills, write letters to old friends and straighten up my reading chair and side table stack of books. It feels like a time to follow through on projects started, finish up with stuff in the works. In a couple of weeks I'll look at starting new things, but for now it's ... (posted Jan 1, 9:03am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Christmas Resolution: Progress : The last day of the year and I'm glad to see it go. I'll probably spend most of the day cleaning up around my computer, though a book and coffee are calling to me. I'm feeling very good about my resolution. I've done the east wall bookcase, the desk, the chest of drawers, and the window that has the a/c ... (posted Dec 31, 8:50am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

That Thing on the Wall : ...black branches and bare trunks of trees in the foreground--or are they darker reflections in shadow? Or drowned tree limbs? Are the fish swimming over the trees or the trees standing aside? And the leaves, autumn-colored, are floating on the surface. Or not. (posted Dec 30, 9:04am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Water, Water, Anywhere : ...industrial solvents, weed killers, refrigerants and the rocket fuel component perchlorate -- in water supplied to the public (that's you and me) between 2004 and 2009. Now what do I do? Switch to wine and beer? (posted Dec 29, 9:46am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Rich Man, Poor Man : There is neither virtue nor dishonor in being poor. An impecunious situation does not necessarily mean that a person is lazy or ignorant or immoral (though our Puritan founding fathers left us just that urban myth in our collective unconscious). Conversely, being rich is not tantamount to being hardworking, well informed or virtuous. Being a celebrity ain't hardly nothing at ... (posted Dec 28, 5:19pm)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Happy Birthday, Brian! : Today is my brother-in-law Brian's birthday. He is the brother with the twinkle in his eye and a warm hearty greeting for everyone. Each year I buy a special present for Brian and wrap it in non-holiday paper, often paper that I've bought earlier in the year, when it was easier to find birthday paper. (posted Dec 27, 10:10am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Ready for Some Solitude : Good memories stored up for when they are needed most. Loving connections made and restored. Traditional observances honored. It's been a good week. (posted Dec 26, 10:00am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Christmas Resolution : My Christmas resolution is to remake my computer/reading room into a place of order and beauty. I'll have to make some hard choices about which books to keep and which to pass on to other readers. I'll have to get rid of the two defunct printers. Oh, my. As I look around me, I can see that there is easily ... (posted Dec 25, 11:30am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Five Years Ago : At this time half a decade ago, we were all having breakfast at an outdoor cafe and talking and laughing and drinking coffee. It would be, though we didn't know it then, the last time all of us would be together in one place at the same time. (posted Dec 24, 9:32am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Longest Day : Yesterday started, as do most of my days, at 5 a.m., by a cat importuning me for tuna. Tuned to a cat's meow, I wake up at the first tune-up of the feline vocal chords. The work hours stretched from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., pretty quiet for once. The long uninterrupted time spans afforded me an opportunity to work ... (posted Dec 23, 10:50am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Hostile Work Environment : What do you do when a business staff meeting turns into a conservative Christian prayer meeting? When your evaluation as a team player may depend on your religious conformity? I've had this problem before, but never so much as this year. (posted Dec 22, 10:45am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Solstice : Best of Holidailies The dark time of the year comes again. Day is compressed into a few hours; the night spreads its wings to the maximum. It is cold and windy. People huddle into their heavy coats and sweaters; animals curl up in their burrows or homes they share with their humans. (posted Dec 21, 11:50am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

How Much Time to Bake a Loaf of Bread? : The three hours is critical. Although the baking process can be timed to shut off after the three hours, left too long in the oven or baker the bread becomes dry. For tender perfection, it has to come out when the timer goes off, or shortly thereafter. The result is that my life has been timed in three hour increments ... (posted Dec 20, 9:19am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Brakes and Battery and Tires, Oh My! : The money that was left over after all the bills were paid? Writing about it tempted the Fates and they responded by giving me a horrifyingly huge repair/service bill for my car. New tires, rear brakes, new battery, four tires, egad! In addition to my checking account, even my savings account is looking wan and pale. Anemic, to boot. (posted Dec 19, 6:09pm)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Kindle : I got my Kindle a year ago for my birthday. For the previous two or three years I had not had a birthday present, because I requested none. I'd rather get something I want and will use, than have to ooh and aah over another popcorn popper, pressure cooker, or vacuum cleaner. (posted Dec 18, 9:46am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Easy Come, Easy Go : When my daughter calls, my wallet jumps out of my purse and falls open. The checkbook follows shortly thereafter. (posted Dec 17, 3:23pm)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

"Just Say No"? : Since I cannot control my love for chocolate, I do not buy hot chocolate when driving through Starbucks (ostensibly for someone else, but then I drink it myself.) When someone gives me a two pound box of See's chocolates, I put them out of my office and onto the desk by the walk-in counter. Because I cannot not eat them ... (posted Dec 16, 9:59am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Viral Words : You know, cool. Whatever. (posted Dec 15, 12:42pm)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Motivation : Personally, I'm having a hard time dealing with the swirl of retirement fever all around me. People are itching to get out of here; many have worked in this organization for decades. The backlash will rock the boat considerably. And I'm tired of people asking me when I will retire. Or asking, in shock, "What? you're not retiring?" (posted Dec 14, 2:07pm)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Generations : I woke up thinking about my beloved great-grandmother. It was she who told me, during a ferocious thunderstorm, to come sit on her lap. She held me and rocked me--I was frightened--and told me that it was the Lord's doing. That we should stop what we are doing and watch God's work. [A variant on the Thor myth?] (posted Dec 13, 10:14am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Weather and Vacation: Today's Topix : Now for the weather, another snark. We have a severe weather alert for areawide flooding. Well, duh. It's been raining heavily for a day and a half, what else do they expect? Do people really need to be told, as they stand there soaking wet, that there's a possibility of puddles? (posted Dec 12, 9:03am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Christmas at the Office : When we got to work this morning and unlocked the office door, we were greeted with the aroma of evergreens and the sight of a Christmas tree (aka Hanukkah bush) with pointsettia plants, Christmas cards, decorations and the stuff for a potluck. Office decorum fell apart (it is a fragile thing at any time), with laughter and raucous conversation and ... (posted Dec 11, 10:12am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

December Birthdays : There's a very private aspect to December people that is often missed by the people who are swept along by the cheerful, independent, gregarious side of us. We also have a quiet, introspective side, and take criticism very much to heart. (posted Dec 10, 9:36am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Facing Down a Bully : Bullies are hard to handle. The most difficult are the most intimate ones--parent, husband, caregiver. Here are some suggestions, things I learned through trial and error. (posted Dec 9, 11:18am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Social Security : My husband received his annual Social Security Administration benefit review yesterday. The bottom line? No cost of living increase in benefits this year. (posted Dec 8, 7:47am)

Rhubarb by Sarah (31)

Pearl Harbor Day : It seems to me that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on this day in 1941 was long enough ago to be forgotten by most people alive today, but not far enough in the past to be considered history, and thus worth remembering. I wonder how historians will tell our times in a century or two? (posted Dec 7, 9:11am)