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Last week, the Voice From The Bullpen delved into one of the more “popular with students” school projects, a wax museum which many students still talk about when they see, message or Facebook us. The “us” spoken of is Mrs. Bev Taylor, and myself, teaching partners early in both of our careers. Last week’s column covered the project’s inception, how the idea originated and some components of the project. As time progressed, we eliminated the oral reports, replacing them with posing as “wax figures.” Prior to presenting the museum to students, staff, parents, friends ...

Enjoy Summer In A COVID Kind Of World

Last week set the tone for early summer. My neighbor invited me over to sit under the shade with a friend of his and have a visit. If there were an award for social distancing, my neighbor would be a contender. He’s rightfully careful about maintaining the recommended six feet of distance from others and he puts his chairs six-feet apart in the yard. He wears his mask when necessary and only makes pertinent trips outside of the house. I wanted to bring a snack to share with them, so I whipped up some cheese and crackers on a plate, and grabbed three knives, some hand sanitizer ...

Looking Through The Bay Window, A Beautiful View

The view out of my bay window is particularly beautiful at this time of year. The rhododendrons and azaleas are in bloom. That means a mix of magenta and orange blossoms. That also means that the hummingbirds, swallowtail butterflies, and bumble bees are out in full force. What fun it is to look out the window at meal time and watch the picture that nature provides! Of course, there are the deer. We have only seen one doe and fawn but I am sure there are others out there. The little fawn was so cute. It ran back and forth just playing while we watched it. The birds are ...

With The Warmer, Nicer Days Come The Trails Of Ants

Given not especially much time, I suspect I could number other “banes” that bother. Biting cat, broken ice maker, snow in latest April and too much of May, and the list does go on. Still, my bane-of-the-month (no “club” required) is ants. Being furloughed at home day after day, I could by now have an immaculate house. Guess I could. I don’t. It’s clean. That’s habit and no big deal. Messy? You bet. Too many projects covering every surface. Still, no reason for ants to have moved in. Of course they annoy me. Molly pretty much sleeps through the onslaught. Cat Gloria ...

Race And Riots

“No justice, no peace!” they shout. Then they break windows. It makes me furious. But then I watch the video of the Minneapolis cop kneeling on George Floyd’s neck, while Floyd repeatedly says, “I can’t breathe,” and three other officers just watch. Then I see the video of the woman in Central Park calling 911, claiming, “An African-American man is threatening me!” But that was a racist lie. Christian Cooper just asked her to leash her dog. We’re supposed to leash our dogs in that section of Central Park. But Amy Cooper didn’t leash her dog. She ...

The Good Life: If You Pay Taxes, Why Can’t You Cast A Vote?

“I am sorry, sir, but you cannot buy a drink here. This is a private club. You must be a member to buy a drink.” That statement is sensible. I have heard it being spoken to people at the Brookville Firemen’s Club.” Ah, but what if the reply is, “I am a member!” Upon verifying that, the bartender will serve the drink, all other things (age, sobriety, etc.) being equal. But what happened at voting precincts last Tuesday? “I am sorry, sir, but you cannot vote here. This is a closed primary election. Only those who have registered as Democrats or Republicans can vote ...