Lockdown

Lockdown - The confinement of students to their classroom for all or most of the day as a temporary security measure.

February 27, 2009

Yes, I had to change the definition a little bit since it referred to "prisoners" and "cells" that didn't quite fit this event. It was like a knife through my heart to hear Taylor call me today and say "Mom, you have to come and pick me up. The school is on lockdown. There has been a shooting." I thought she meant a shooting at the school, but it was a shooting in the area. I couldn't even get into the school parking lot, so this is taken with my phone as I sat on 100 East. The cars were backed up forever long. What a zoo!


At first they had hundreds of parents lined up outside the school to check out their students. We have to show picture ID to check kids out now, so needless to say the whole process was moving nowhere fast. I hadn't thought to bring a jacket and I had Addie with me since Lane wasn't home. After a while, a school official came out and told the parents that if we knew where our kids were (they were all in their last period classrooms) we could go get them. At first that just added to my frustration because I didn't know Taylor's schedule. After a minute or so, I remembered that when she had called me I had asked her "Where are you right now?" and she told me that she was TA'ing. Once I remembered that, I just went into the school and got her and it didn't take too long. I'm so glad that somehow I had remembered to ask her that, and then glad that somehow I remembered that I had asked her. I would have been there forever! Taylor, naturally, reminds me that it wouldn't have mattered because if only she had had a cell phone, I could have called her and asked where she was. Ouch. That will give a well-meaning parent a lot of guilt. I wish I had taken a picture of the school parking lot. There were parents everywhere, and the cars were stuck in there like some sort of a puzzle. I don't know how any of them got out once they were in. They were parked at all sorts of weird angles and sometimes in the middle of the road. It was a huge mess. Let's just hope that never happens again! Mount Mahogany, one of the elementary schools listed in the story, is the school we went to at our old house. I can't imagine if all of the kids had been in lockdown! This is happy valley, for crying out loud!


Below is the article from KSL.com. What a scary thing to have happen in this one-horse town.

PLEASANT GROVE— One man is dead and another man is under arrest after a shooting in Pleasant Grove. Police have released the name of the victim. He is 45-year-old Jeffrey Boyd Ackerman.

Police have shut down 1100 North between 1300 West and 2000 West in Pleasant Grove as they gather evidence and interview witnesses to the shooting. The road is expected to remain closed until about 6 p.m.
Around 12:45 Friday afternoon witnesses heard two men arguing and heard gunshots.
One homeowner looked out his window and saw Ackerman chasing another man through his yard. They ran across the street into a field.
Police say the man being chased turned around and shot Ackerman three to four times in the stomach and chest. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police say the men know each other, but they don't know why the shooting happened.
Lt. Michael Smith of the Pleasant Grove Police Department said, "We know the male, the victim, was in his driveway loading some 4-wheelers to go ride for the weekend. Gunshots were heard outside the house by his father. That's all we know at this time."
Around 2 p.m., police arrested the suspected shooter a couple of blocks away, at 100 North and 100 East in American Fork. He is 25 years old. They have not released his name.
Police say he did try to run from them.
Before officers arrested him, someone at a nearby medical clinic saw the suspect standing near a car. The witness told police the suspect raised his hands in the air and said, "I didn't do it."
Police found a gun, a .45 automatic, on the hood of a car parked at that clinic.
As the shooting and arrest unfolded, three schools in the area were put under lockdown for a couple of hours.
Police asked Pleasant Grove Jr. High, Mt. Mahogany Elementary and Manila Elementary not to transport students with buses. Students were held at the school until parents or their usual rides arrived. Students who usually walk called their parents.
Police could stay on scene for some time. The crime scene is spread out because the two men involved in this were running through the neighborhood.

Butcher

Butcher - to massacre; to do sloppy work.

February 26, 2009

Lo these many years, my rose bushes have been neglected - growing as tall as me or taller. I usually gently prune them in the spring, after they have started to bud and it's too late to do a very thorough pruning. Then when the fall comes around, I just can't get up the energy to get it done. At my friend Danna's prodding, I got out in the warm-ish sunshine today and "pruned" them, of course, using "prune" in the most generous sense. My pruners wouldn't even cut through these poor, neglected bushes. I had to get out Lane's big tree loppers to cut through. Naturally, I was careful about myself and only suffered a one "thorn rip" on the back of my right hand. Everyone cross your fingers and hope my carlessness won't end up killing the roses. If the roses should die, let's all blame Danna.



I found little buds on my apple trees today, the red bush that I don't know what it is is turning more red (not brown) and I think I found some beginnings of crocusses or something shooting up in the front yard. I thought I got all the bulbs dug up, but every year I get a few that had been missed. My thyme is looking wonderful! but my rosemary not so much. I might have to replace that one if it doesn't start to green up soon! I also found several little parsley plants coming back that I thought I had killed. That plant just won't die! I like parsley, but wanted to move it from the spot where I had first planted it, and it just keeps coming back!!


I had parent teacher confereces for Taylor today. Actually, they call them student-led conferences in this case and all of her reports were excellent. Somehow she was marked absent today in her first period class, so we had to go get that taken care of. Her teacher knows she was there, and she said she must have marked Taylor instead of the next person down the roll by accident. I get an email AND a phone call when she is absent. I love that for my kids, but I am really glad email wasn't around when I was skipping school. And the school computer called to report absences around 4:00, before my parents were home from work, so that was easy enough to intercept. Now the computer doesn't call until about 8:00. Sure makes it harder for these kids to skip class these days!


PS - add dijon mustard to the list of things to remind me to buy if you see me at the store.

Synchronize

Synchronize - To occur at the same time; to operate in unison.

February 25, 2009

Another DDR throwdown. I went for a walk while Taylor was at piano again today. Those hills out in Cedar Hills can be killers! I didn't cover as much ground today, but I also didn't get shin splints, so I guess that's the trade off. So we played DDR tonight to give me some extra exercise. We haven't played for a while, so it was fun to play again. Taylor is really good and easily beats the rest of us. Everyone still plays beginner and she plays the next level up, I forget what it's called since I don't play it. I tried once, and I think I'm too old or something because I swear I threw out my hip. I don't try anymore.

I have to go to Taylor's Student Led Conference tomorrow. This is a form of parent-teacher conference. I only ever hear good things about her. Her grades are excellent and would be all straight As, if not for science and history which she doesn't enjoy, therefore doesn't spend a lot of time and effort on. She wants to take Honors English next year, so we'll have to get an application from her English teacher tomorrow, since she needs teacher approval. How crazy that starting next year she is working for HS graduation credits. That just blows my mind.

Pensive

Pensive - Inclined to thought; thoughtful.

February 24, 2009

My serious child. I was trying to make her laugh and get a giggly picture, but somehow this is what I got. Taylor is quite thoughtful, both meaning that she is kind as well as insightful. She has always been this way. Jack is always surrounded by a circus, but Taylor has always been much more calm and deliberate.


I didn't accomplish a whole lot today. I did get my work done and got the primary newsletter and the city newsletter done. I played Wii Fit with the kids, and I guess it's doing some good for me - my Wii Fit age was 35! I don't really know what that means, but considering that on my WF attempt, my age was 49, I think I'm improving! I have been my real age before (once), and most of the time between 42-46, but I have never been younger and so that gave me a little boost of happiness. It's always nice to see progress of some sort. We still have so much fun with that "game."

Taylor is sick now. I think she is doing better tonight. She was home from school today and had to miss her New Beginnings. But she had a fever and that nasty cough that Addie had, and Jack had. So everyone in the family has now had this cold/flu thing except me. So I'm just waiting for my turn. I'm sure it will hit at the least opportune time.

Flavorful & Burn

Flavorful - full of flavor; delectable.

February 22, 2009

Late yesterday it finally dawned on me that I had no picture for the day, so I had to take another dinner picture. On my viewer on my camera it didn't look very good, so I was glad to see when I uploaded it that the colors were so pretty and the olive oil and vinegar made everything so shiny! This is one of my most favorite things to eat. It is healthy (how unlike me!) and super fast. It is THE BEST in the summer and late fall when the garden is over flowing and you can make everything fresh from your very own garden. I chop up a cucumber, tomatoes (grape tomatoes in this instance) and onion. This time I used green onions, but I frequently use very thinly sliced red onion. Then I drizzle the whole thing with extra virgin olive oil, rice wine vinegar, fresh ground pepper and course sea salt. So yummy! I have my friend, Trevor, to thank for this recipe.

Burn - An injury produced by fire, heat or steam.

February 23, 2009

I spent the whole afternoon making dinner for today. Our Monday dinner is like unto anyone else's Sunday dinner, a very big deal. I had planned on making chicken enchiladas. I wasn't very happy with the enchilada sauce I mixed up last time I made enchiladas, so I went with a cream sauce this time. This involved the making of a rue, which always scares me because it always tastes so flour-y. I was told recently to stir the butter and flour constantly for a least one full minute and it would help with that. So I did that, stirred it constantly, and it was looking beautiful. You must understand that sour cream is a staple of mine, and I ALWAYS have it on hand. Except today. I don't remember when I used it up, but I was out. So there I am with a beautiful rue, waiting for sour cream. I have no sour cream. I had to substitute (YIKES!), so I threw in some Cream of Chicken soup and finished the recipe as outlined. It turned out really good - really thick and tasty and I was pleased. I also made up some pico de gallo. Another one of my staples is green chilies - so naturally I was out of those too. Therefore my pico was a little bit bland, but still yummy. I added some extra garlic to try to compensate some in the flavor, but it was still a little bland. We also had green salad, and I planned to make some ranch dressing, but as stated before, NO SOUR CREAM!!! I actually had cream cheese on hand, but no sour cream. How crazy is that?? So I told you that long story just to tell you this one: I burned my hand. Somehow, getting the enchiladas out of the oven I got my hand too close to the 2nd pan when I was removing the first. Stupid! It hurt for quite a long time for such a small burn, and I got some neosporin on it quickly, too. See - it's true. No good deed ever goes unpunished.

So the moral of all this is that if any of you see me at the grocery store this weekend, please, please, PLEASE make sure that sour cream and green chilies are in my basket.

Expectation

Idiosyncrasy - A peculiarity, as of behavior.

February 20, 2009

Happy Birthday, Joe!!

Expectation - Something expected; the hope for good to come.

February 21, 2009

Jack had a good basketball game today. Only one more game to go, then we start into baseball in April, I think. I really enjoyed watching him play baseball last year, but it sure was COLD up through the middle of June. I'm hoping for better this year.

I had a lucky Walmart day yesterday. They were clearing out a bunch of toys and got a lot of stuff for just a couple of bucks each. Christmas is coming, you know!

I didn't accomplish much of what I had intended today. I did get all the laundry done (YAY!!), the grocery shopping done, and the dishes done, but that's pretty much it. We made a trip down to the Stouffers Thrift Store in Springville, and they didn't have any chicken pot pies. I was very disappointed, but they did have green pepper steak, another favorite of mine. That Thrift Store is very handy and one of the great perks for employees. I also tossed some Nestle Treasures in with my stuff. Shhh . . . I don't think Lane knows about that one. I want to keep them to myself!

Delicious

Delicious - Extremely enjoyable and pleasant to the taste.

February 19, 2009

Tonight's dinner - chicken baked in barbeque sauce (homemade!), smothered in BACON, cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, and green onions, served with rice and steamed carrots. Yum!


It's been one of those weeks again, so I have hardly cooked at all. I had chicken thawed for today, and a 2 hour break between all the things we had going on so I cooked dinner. I even made my own barbeque sauce, which didn't look or smell that great when I was mixing it up, but as the chicken was baking, it filled the house with the most wonderful smell! I had just a tiny bit of pepper jack cheese left, so I grated it up and added it with the cheddar cheese, and what a difference it made! I am a huge fan of pepper jack cheese, and was really surprised at how much flavor it added for having used so little cheese. I love fresh steamed carrots with butter and then some rice, and it was just a perfect dinner. The sun was shining today, for a change, and it was even kind of warm. I still haven't seen a crocus, though. I dug up all the ones in my yard, so I'll have to enjoy them from other people's yards. I don't do flowers so much. My yard needs to work for me, not the other way around - hence the herbs and such. I have a couple of rose bushes, and I always plant 2 bright red geraniums that satisfy my need for something bright and colorful. If I was to plant any other flowers, I would like to have Lily of the Valley (do they grow here?) or bleeding hearts. We had some bleeding hearts at our old house that were so pretty. But they need shade, and I'm not sure I have a place for them here where the dog won't dig them up. He thinks he is the King of all shady places in the yard. Speaking of the dog, the sun was shining today and the snow in the backyard is mostly gone, so the dog spent the afternoon basking in the sun up on the hill. It was funny to watch him roll around some and do his little doggie routine to scratch and all that. Mostly it was just nice to see him moving around. He's getting pretty old and slow some days. Just like me.