|
navigation
current
archives
links page
profile
|
|
money and memory
April 01, 2009
Funny how far a buck can go. I live in an area with a high cost-of-living, and sometimes I forget how different things are elsewhere. Take the $40 I spent sending my mom flowers for her birthday. Around here, that would get you three carnations in a plastic bud vase. But in the small, central-Illinois town where they live? It apparently gets you a lush and lavish custom arrangement in a ten-inch, blue glass vase. And that's after you deduct the $7.00 delivery charge.
I love Merlin's. (And Mommy's pretty darn pleased as well!)
Or take the house my niece just bought. An adorable little two-bedroom with a front porch, a back porch, a usable attic, hardwood floors, pocket doors, a bay window, and a nice yard with a one-car garage. On a quiet street in my sleepy little Iowa hometown. (It is, in fact, on the very street where I grew up.) Sure, it needs a bit of work, but anything around here that was similar would be 60-75 thousand, at least.
She got it for $17,500.
On the other hand, people who live there make about a quarter of what is average in these parts, so I suppose it all evens out. But I'm still a bit jealous.
Being unaccountably un-busy this morning, I exercised my brain by trying to remember the names of all my grade-school teachers. And succeeding�although Mrs. Messer gave me a run for my money.
K�Mrs. Buster
1�Mrs. Yakle
2�Mrs. Schwob
3�Mrs. Wallace
4�Mrs. Messer, with Mrs. Winegar for reading
5�Mrs. Laughlin, with Mrs. McChesney for reading.
I hated Mrs. Messer; maybe that�s why it took me a while to remember her name. She thought being left-handed was the mark of the devil, and tried repeatedly to get me to switch. Until I ratted her out to my mom, and old Cobie lit into her about it. The old biddy never brought it up again. (Although, come to think of it, the �old biddy� was probably only 50 or so.)
I liked most of my elementary teachers, though. Including Mrs. Schwob, who was considered evil by most of the other kids. She was my first experience with a teacher that showed an outright bias for the bright kids. (We got along fine.)
I really loved Mrs. Winegar, too�she was a lovely lady, close to retirement but one of your classic dedicated teachers. She was also a member of our church, I remember. I loved being in the �highest reading group�, because I got to escape from Messer for a whole hour and go to Mrs. W�s room.
The only other teacher I really disliked was my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Laughlin. And our biggest issue was the fact that she didn�t think I applied myself. (by then, they knew my IQ, and my ITBS scores, and the expectations of my teachers suddenly exploded).
But that was the year they finally figured out something else crucial about me. Namely: that I was as blind as a bat wearing sunglasses. After years of memorizing the eye chart as I stood in line listening to the other kids rattle it off, it got to the point where I could no longer fool them. And once I could actually see what Laughlin was writing on the board, there was great improvement in both my grades and my relationship with my teacher.
Reading: �Winnie Childs, The Shop Girl�, by C.N. & A.M. Williamson (1914)Ohh, this one�s neat!
Surfing:
Listening: Emmylou Harris, Foo Fighters, Sugar Ray, Steve Winwood, The Zombies, Lyle Lovett.
At Random: click here
|
|
|