A Day in the Life...

So what did I do today? Well, I took my daughter to school like I do everyday, then came home read my paper and posted an LTE I wrote yesterday about the new park the County wants to buy for the Recs and Park Department (and indirectly the people of the County). For the people who need another place to walk, and walk their dogs, and play "pickle ball" (whatever the heck that is) and soccer and field hockey. All great stuff, but for $1.5 million? And still no swimming pool? I'm starting to get the feeling that a lot of folks around here are afraid of water....tough spot to be in since we're SURROUNDED by it on all sides.

Anyway...I felt better after I posted and headed over to the High School (no not to check up on my daughter who's a sophomore there) to gather together the $1600.00 in gift cards and services local businesses donated to the High School PTSA. Only two people turned me down, isn't that great? Not the two who said no, silly, the 40+ that said "YES!" I put the real cards in the safe, since they'd be safe there, and hung little ribbons on several mini-Christmas..oops mini-HOLIDAY trees, one ribbon for each card. Do the math that's $535 for each tree. Whoever wins one of the three trees can forget about Chris...HOLIDAY shopping. They have more than enough gifts for everyone! Trees are done, lists are complete (what's on each tree) now to sell the raffle tickets to see who wins!

And last...but certainly not least, on to the elementary school where my fans await. Sound egotistical? Well, what would you call it when someone walks by a room and everyone who sees you waves like crazy, or everyone who walks past you smiles real big and asks, "Are you coming to read to my class today?" And when you walk into that next class, everything stops. "He's here, he's here!" And the teacher's eyes go up the ceiling, as they calmly ask that they please push in their chairs before joining Mr. Miller at the front of the room. I have to sit in a chair with them sitting "Criss-cross applesauce" (used to be "Indian Style", but the Native Americans took offense for using the "I" word to describe sitting cross-legged on the ground I guess). I sit on the chair, otherwise they would all be sitting on my lap, head, shoulders, anywhere close to the action. The "action"? Reading stories in such a manner as to bring the characters to life. Using my own voice as the narrator, then lapsing into Brer Rabbit, Brer Buzzard, Brer Fox , Sister Cow in one set of stories, or Chicken Big or the Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk. How I love to growl, "FEE FI FO FUM" as they tremble and shake and laugh at the same time. It really doesn't get any better than this. "Do I have time for one more story?" I always ask, and respond to an overwhelming majority shouted in unison, "PLEASE!" directed toward their teacher, who like those businesses, can hardly say no.