Finding projects that can be done by a mixed age group or a mixed ability group is not easy. I need something that is easy enough but not so easy that it's boring or childish. Everywhere I go I'm on the lookout for ideas. The library, the craft stores in my area, the book store, any craft show that I go to and the craft programs on TV are just a few of the places. The Therapy Resources INC web site has just been updated and two new products that were added, The Sensory Garden and The Biblical Garden, are something that seems to meet the need. I haven't tried them but they seem just easy enough and would be usable for more group activities after they are started. We'll see how they do, they're on special until April 15.

I am so glad that I went to see the Smithsonian's Orchid Express exhibit. It was lovely to see and smell all of those beautiful orchids. The other exhibit that we saw when we got back here on Sunday was one of the remaining copies of the Declaration of Independence ( there are 23 left). It was on display until Sunday as part of a larger exhibit about the Presidency. People didn't really seem to notice it in the display case or paused only for a moment before moving on. I thought that it was pretty amazing that there was a print in such pristine condition. It looked new. It was how the news was spread then, printing copies and posting them in various places and reading the copy aloud at some prominent public places.
The Therapy Resources site has been really busy this month so far. The Healthy Hints page and the Mexican paper flowers page are vying with Amiable Activities and Cook Create Cultivate for the most visits. But as St Patrick's Day approaches I think that the What's the Story page will bubble up to the top because this month it has an Irish Folktale to try for a group storytelling activity.

I am reading the Angry Houswives Eating Bon Bons (Lorna Landvik) book after all since I ended up going to Washington for a couple of weeks. That takes me out of my usual schedule and once the business of the day is done provides me with some downtime. Things have changed around here a lot since last year. There are several news buildings going up and new stores are replacing the old ones. The results are mixed; the buildings are not adding to the landscape but taking away from it and the new stores are nice but I miss the old ones. The other nite we went to a preview of a musical that has been off Broadway, Betty Rules it was a fun lively show. A couple of people actually climbed over the seats and danced in the aisle in front of the first row.

I've wanted to get back to painting, which I haven't done for years. I was just talking about it on Monday. Well today I visited another blog and thought what a neat idea, what discipline, go Duane. What he is trying to do is a Painting a Day and he is posting them on his blog. The pictures are really good and it should be fun to follow this blog.

The book club that I am involved with meets about every four to six weeks. I have a lot on my plate right now and I have not finished the previous book Night Fall by Nelson De Mille even though we already met and discussed it. Although I really want to read the next one Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik I think I'll take a pass and try to catch up on things. The site Reading Group Guides where I found info about Angry Housewives looks interesting maybe at the next meeting I get to I'll let everyone know about it.

The Therapy Resources web site has been updated, and it's interesting to see which pages turn out to be the most popular. The Mexican Paper Flowers page is always popular but at this time of the year so is the snowflake page. They are both pages that have been posted for some time because of their popularity. The ones that I like to watch are the new ones to see how they fare in the standings. This month there's quite a variety of activity pages and because the great backyard bird watch is coming up Off the Bench is attracting a lot of visitors, so is the Computer Capers page with its treasure hunt theme. Get a Game is at the top and closely followed by Healthy Hints , Amiable Activity, Cook Create Cultivate and What's the Story?. Well it's too early to tell but still interesting to watch.

It's snowing up a storm here and thankfully our little snow baby and her parents got home safely before it got really bad. However we ventured out into the snow and cold to see a movie at the Ambler Theater. We could do that in this weather because we can walk there, Ambler is great for that. The snow wasn't very deep when we went into the movie but on the way home, big difference in only a couple of hours. The movie House of Flying Daggers directed by Zhang Yimou is dazzling the artistry, and cinematography wow and the story, beautiful, exciting, violent and sad ends appriately for us in a snow storm. I won't say anything else go see it for yourself.

The North Pole has been moved! The earthquake in the Indian Ocean that caused the Tsunami was powerful enough to move the north pole an inch. Scientists indicate that this happens but is more noticeable because the quake was so powerful.

We a went to see Trans Siberian Orchestra on December 26 it's an interesting combination as one of our group remarked 80's hair metal meets Beethoven, along with a light show and fireworks. We all had a good time and the show seemed to be a crowd pleaser but it wasn't, as it turned out, my cup of tea. We didn't know what to expect when we went and I thought the light show was very interesting. I'm glad everyone likes to try going to different things. Earlier in the month we had been to see Beatlemania Again and the group did a great job with the Beatles songs and a couple of us enjoyed singing along to the ones that we knew (while others rolled their eyes). I didn't get into it as much as I would have liked though the mood wasn't there in the staging and in me. They were a real crowd pleaser to and we all really did have fun.

We just saw National treasure today and I enjoyed the movie, it's not a great movie but it is a fun combination of action, adventure and mystery ala Indiana Jones and Goonies. Nicolas Cage plays a treasure hunter trying to solve clues left by the Freemasons 200 years ago that lead to a treasure. The movie visits Washington D.C., Philly, New York and Boston. All cities I know well having either lived near, in or visited them often. We live near Philly now and I watched the scenes filmed there and in D.C. pretty closely. The newspaper had an article with a map to the Philly locations and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation and The Washington D.C Convention and Visitor's Bureau have teamed up to sponsor a self-guided tour to the historic sites visited in the movie you can get a brochure online at movietour.org or in Philly visit the Independence Visitor's Center. This seems like it would be a fun way to learn some history.

I just found out on the travel channel about this bed and breakfast near Yosemite National Park; Chateau Du Sureau and surfed out to their web site after I finished work today. I enjoy visiting the national parks and I also enjoy staying at bed and breakfast accommodations. This sounded like an ideal combination twenty minutes from Yosemite, but it's a little too pricey for me, the least expensive room is the CIBOULETTE room at $350.00. Still a very special occasion.....Then I was looking at Williamsburg another good place to visit and checked out the Williamsburg Inn I learned on the travel channel that you could get the full colonial treatment at Providence Hall but the only reference I could find to anything like that was the colonial houses which sound interesting. Again though probably pricey but for a special occasion. ....

When I saw this story "In Praise Of Dirt" on Yahoo about the relationship between too much cleanliness and eczema. I had to agree with the findings published in the British Medical Journal that there is some relationship between being too clean and the increased incidence of childhood eczema, asthma and allergies.
I most wholeheartedly support good handwashing but I reject the idea of using antibacterial soap for a similar reason to the results they have found. Nurses that have researched handwashing with ordinary soap and antibacterial soap find that too many good bacteria may be being killed with the antibacterial soap and the door may be opened for the growth of super germs as a result. Only those persons who really need to i.e. those who work in the Operating room or a similar environment, should probably use the antibacterial products. Therapy Resources Inc. publishes a page every year around flu season, that is widely copied and heavily visited, which teaches about good handwashing with ordinary soap. Good handwashing is the number one way to prevent the spread of illness. It's ok to get a little dirty, use common sense and wash your hands well.
Another related issue, that is a pet peeve of mine, is the overuse of antibiotics. Healthcare professionals have known for a long time that antibiotics have been overprescribed, many have lost their effectiveness and germs have become resistant. However it's been taking too long for the public to come around and stop demanding antibiotics for their viral illnesses. Just the other day my mom told me that the doctor prescribed an antibiotic for my dad's cold. Even though the doctor said that it wouldn't make any difference my dad wanted something. My mom acknowledged that it probably wouldn't help but what are you going to do? Well mom and anyone else who feels that way, there are super bugs out there now that cannot be stopped lets not create any more.

Since I like to try different tea shops or high teas I was very interested in the high tea that was being offered at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. I didn't find out about it until I was already there and my thought was that I probably wouldn't be able to get a reservation but I called anyway and left a message. Actually three messages, the first one that I was interested in tea on Wednesday, the second that I was available both Tuesday and Wednesday and the third to make sure I'd left the correct contact information. Originally I was hoping to go to one of the DC Filmfest's events, a luncheon and discussion with a director. I had already left a message with them requesting a reservation. Then I decided that I might have a better chance at getting a tea reservation at the cathedral if I were available on both days. They have it Tuesday and Wednesday. Well by Monday morning before I left the apartment I hadn't heard from either place. Then Monday night when I got back there was a message from the Cathedral person saying there was a last minute cancellation for Tuesday and to call, which I did. When my husband got back he said there was a message that they had no openings. So they had called me twice. I never did hear from the filmfest.

Tuesday I took the orange line, got off at the stop near the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and switched to the red line after I visited that museum, then switched to a bus and made it to the area of the cathedral before the 1:30P tour time. I had enough time to stop in the St. Alban's Opportunity Shop, make a couple of purchases and ask directions. Then I went inside the cathedral to the tour and tea and joined a group of about 25 other people. The tour was led by a docent and covered all of the major highlights of the main sanctuary after which we took the elevator to the top of the tower and had a delicious high tea with a lovely view. There are also pictures and some informational displays in the tower so I wandered around there with the woman, from San Francisco, who sat with me for tea.
The cathedral is a huge gothic structure constructed as "...a national house of prayer for all people", U.S. Congress 1893 and "This church is intended for national purposes...and assigned to the special use of no particular sect or denomination but equally open to all." Pierre L'Enfant 1791 Plan for the City of Washington. Those quotes I found in the book "Murder At The National Cathedral" by Margaret Truman which I am reading again, I think, now that I've been there.
When I returned to the main sanctuary and went to the store I found out that the cathedral was open late that evening for an evensong service. I called my hubby and both of us went to the service where we got to hear the all male choir, the 10,600 + pipe, organ and sit in the hand carved choir pews. They also had a mazes that could be walked and we tried that. Then I took him around the cathedral and shared the highlights that I remembered. Especially the stained glass; the rose window and the space window with the moon rock, the chapels, the main area of worship and the grave of Woodrow Wilson (the only president buried in Washington). All in all a nice way to spend an afternoon.

The new memorial in Washington D.C., is in honor of those who served in World War Two. We went to see the National World War Two Memorial just a few days before it opened. There were fences around part of it but you could walk around it and through one part. Lots of people were already visiting and it opened fully near the end of last week, although it won't be officially dedicated until Memorial Day weekend. I took a lot of pictures for my dad and mom. My dad is an AXPOW and has a VIP invitation to the dedication. Our concern is, given his poor and mom's questionable health, would they be ok in a probably huge crowd, hot weather, with a lack of facilities and easy access to the site? Never mind the stress of the memories, accompanying emotion and physical activity especially for my dad. Well my mom and I talked about the negatives at length first, then I switched to talking about the importance of the whole thing to my dad and how important attending the ceremonies might be to him. Maybe the hotel has plans to bus people to the site for the ceremonies and those planning the ceremonies have taken into consideration the frail condition of some of the vets. Maybe the VIP invitation has some special perks attached. A big plus is that some of their AXPOW friends are going and staying in the same hotel. She is on the fence about going but plans to contact the hotel, check through the literature and maybe call a few friends. The final thing will be how my dad feels closer to the date and whether he's up for it.

The highlight of yesterday was definitely The Renwick Gallery. At about lunchtime there was almost no one in the gallery and I saw a sign for a tour. What happened was that on of the docents was in the gallery and ready to give a tour. Since I was the only one there at that moment, I was the only one on the tour until we reached the third floor. The main exhibit on the first floor is Right at Home American Studio Furniture. It's a terrific exhibit IMHO and some of the highlights are the furniture by Sam Maloof and Wendell Castle. Wendell Castle's Ghost Clock is a special favorite of mine and many other visitors to the Renwick. Another favorite is Kim Schmahmann's Bureau of Bureaucracy the craftmanship and humor in this piece is ten steps above. Others joined the tour when we reached the third floor and in the grand salon we saw the Treasures from the SAAM which is closed for renovation. One of the pictures which focuses on a visit to George Washington's grave has a hidden picture in it of the first president. Another visitor was taking a picture with a good camera and since I only had a disposable camera he said he would e-mail it to me. Then I shared with him and his daughter the highlights that the docent shared with me of the other areas they hadn't seen.
Lafayette Square was just delightful, warm and breezy, and a nice respite with a good view of the front of the Whitehouse (most people take pictures of the back) and then a visit to St John's Church to see where the president worships. A chai shake, was tasty, and the shortbread cookies were ok, at Teaism but what I had really wanted was cream tea. They didn't seem to know what that was and I wasn't up for going to one of the high teas at the hotels nearby. Today in their web site I found out I should have asked for afternoon tea but I didn't see that posted anywhere in the restaurant. They have Asian and Traditonal supposedly.

An internet prankster is pushing for a certain word, waffles, to be associated with John Kerry's web site. If enough people link this word to the site then it will rise in the ranks of the search engines. When people search on the term waffles Kerry's site will show up on the first results page maybe even in the top ten or number one. This is what happened last year with the whitehouse biography of president Bush when miserable failure was associated with it and then, in his defense, it was associated with great president by his supporters. A recent article in USA Today discusses this "political chicanery" about which Google's technology director, Craig Silverstein, states that the company's outlook is that there is no need to take any action since search results from such pranks are appropriate ones. Another point is that not many people actually search those terms. Interesting how some people choose to spend their time.

The Therapy Resources website was updated by March 29! There were a lot of new pages to get together and post but it all came together. The newsletter went out yesterday. There were very few bounces so far which is really good. One of the pages Cook Create Cultivate is about National Poetry Month and one of the suggested activities is Dream Flags an idea that is the brain child of three middle school teachers here in PA. There is a link to their web site and a link to this article in the Philadelphia inquirer about the project. The poems quoted in the article are impressive and they're from such young children.

We've had many discussions about tying shoelaces over the years. A number of them have occurred recently. I don't know what brings up subject but what happens is that one of the kids points out that the other ties their shoes differently and why is that. I always say that I showed them both ways, let them practice a little with each and then they chose which one to use. Simple as that. I just recently found out about Ian's Shoelace Site through Yahoo picks and I sent a link to the kids. It seems that there are a more ways to tie your shoes than the two that I know. Ian's knot is supposed to be the world's fastest. I tried it and finally got it after I viewed the animation. It is fast and I might switch to it. I wonder if the kids will switch.

We went to a wedding this weekend in Philly and on Friday night there was a cocktail reception and a preview of the new exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art: Manet and the Sea. . I enjoyed it very much; both the cocktails and the exhibit. Especially the Godiva Chocolate with the cocktails and the painting Manet did in Venice. I think it's the most colorful of the Manet paintings in the exhibit and although not really of the sea it's the one with the most life. The other painting we liked was the one of the civil war naval battle between the Union ship Kearsarge and the Confederate ship Alabama. This battle took place off the coast of France. I didn't realize the Civil war was waged elsewhere near other countries. The Philadelphia Inquirer reviewed the exhibit very favorably and if the crowd on Friday was any indication it's going to be very popular while it's here. Manet isn't the only painter there's also Monet, Renoir, Whistler among others in the exhibit.

We visit Florida on a regularly irregular schedule. On the Gulf Coast near where we visit is Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park, home of the manatee. The park is very scenic. You can ride a boat over to the main entrance and get a chance to hear about and see some of Florida's flora and fauna in it's natural setting. In the park itself there are many more native species of birds, animals, fish, a very non native hippo left over from a previous incarnation of the park and of course the manatees. They give regular talks about them and people crowd around the"the salad bowl" to watch as they feed on the greens tossed into the water. Manatees move slowly and rise to the surface every three to four minutes to breathe. Thus they are vulnerable to injury by boats. Many are killed every year. They have been long on the endangered list and thought to have a very low population, the state has recently passed tougher boat speed laws and restrictions on development and access to the waterways where they live. Now a recent study has shown that the population is larger than previously thought and the developers and boaters are trying to get the manatees off the endangered list so the restrictions can be lifted. Smithsonian Magazine published an article this month on the furor over these gentle giants. All the time that we've (people) been around we still haven't been able to figure out how to live with our neighbors so we all can live. We're still unable to see the importance of every living thing to the whole scheme of things.