Note from Robert Sweet of the National Right to Read Foundation

I wanted to share this wonderful email that I received today from Robert Sweet of the National Right to Read Foundation (http://www.nrrf.org). He is commenting upon the Opinion part of my website: http://www.southern-style.com/Education/Education%20An%20Historical%20Perspective.htm.  This note brings the wonderful gift of encouragement!

Sharman,

This is Bob Sweet…President of The National Right to Read Foundation.  I just found your website and posted it on NRRR.org.  Thank you for your clear thinking and fact based writing on the “politics’ of education, and other relevant topics.  Yes, I have been tempted many times to head to my garden and pull weeds too!  And, I do not blame you one bit for feeling so overwhelmed and discouraged about making change. I have been on the front lines for many decades myself, and even though I too am discouraged, and weary I trudge on because each child we rescue in our efforts is worth every bit of "blood, sweat and tears.”  At the moment my wife Joy and I are in Murrieta, CA to resent the Patrick Groff Teacher of the Year Award to a young lady who is a kindergarten teacher here.  She too was a “casualty” of the upside down reading practices when she was in elementary school.  He Mom called our office and both my wife and I spoke with her, between the sobs and tears being shed in frustration for her daughter.  After battling the school system for a long time, with no avail at that time anyway, she pulled her daughter out of school and taught her to read at home…using phonics of course….duh!  Now, her daughter is a kindergarten teacher in the very school system that could not teach her to read.  I visited her classroom a few months ago and the NRRF Board and I decided to choose her as our “Teacher of the Year for 2014.”  I will be presenting it to her in a couple of hours…and, even though the school district is still lost in the morass of “politics” and poor education policy like Common Core and “leveled reading”  (same old same old) there are glimmers of light that are beginning to shine through, and this young lady is one of them.  The news reporters will likely be there today…and certainly the children in Ashlee’s classroom will be proficient readers at the end of the school year.

I want to thank you for including so much valuable information about the lack of proper reading instruction on your website, and for your willingness to engage in the battle against illiteracy.  The value of even a few students who succeed is worth the effort.  God bless you.

Sincerely,

Bob

P.S. Dr. Patrick Groff was my mentor and friend and served on the NRRF Board for almost 30 years.  At the request of his son Christopher I spoke at Pat’s memorial service last April.  He was 90 when he passed away.

does anybody really believe anymore? does anybody really care?https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/does-anybody-really-believe-anymore.html

Spalding Writing Road to Reading and John Winston of Parks Elementary Natchitoches, Louisiana

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/spalding-writing-road-to-reading-and.html

The DARE PROGRAM 20 years later.
https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-dare-program-20-years-later-more.html

Merry Christmas! Meet Alliwishus, The Elf Mother Met at the Battle of the Bulge

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/merry-christmas-meet-alliwishus-elf.html

My Mother. My hero who won a Battle Ribbon at the Battle of the Bulge. December 16, 1944. A SCRAPBOOK LOOK FROM JEAN BRONSON GILLIS BURSON.

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/my-mother-my-hero-who-won-battle-ribbon.html

LEONARD COHEN HALLELUJAH PROJECT AT BAY HIGH SCHOOL AND ESTABLISHMENT RELIGION, SECULAR HUMANISM, IN OUR SCHOOLS

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/leonard-cohen-hallelujah-project-at-bay.html

WHY SHOULD CONSERVATIVES, CHRISTIANS AND THE THE FAITH COMMUNITY BE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS? SUBSCRIBE TO THE PANAMA CITY NEWS HERALD AND GET WASHINGTON POST FREE

http://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/why-should-conservatives-christians-and.html

THE GENEALOGY OF COMMON CORE: BILL GATES/UNESCO/ROBERT MULLER//ALICE BAILEY/LUCIS TRUST 

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-genealogy-of-common-core-bill-gates_5.html

PEACE EDUCATION? CONFLICT RESOLUTION? TEACHING TOLERANCE? COMMON CORE 

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/peace-education-conflict-resolution.html

TRADITIONAL OR PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION. DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE? HAS POLITICS AFFECTED YOUR CHILD'S MATH EDUCATION?

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/look-at-this-headline-and-now-according.html

DELPHI TECHNIQUE, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENT CONVINCED A GULLIBLE PUBLIC TO BUY INTO COMMON CORE

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/so-what-is-thedelphi-technique-let.html

COMMON CORE: PORNOGRAPHY 101

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/common-core-pornography-101.html

RADICAL POSSIBILITIES: YOUR CHILDREN 

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/radical-possibilities-your-children.html

Response to AL.Com article "Alabama Superintendent Proposal to Raise Academic Standards."

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/response-to-alcom-article-alabama.html

THE CHICAGO CONNECTION TO COMMON CORE

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-chicago-connection-to-common-core.html

MIDDLE SCHOOL AGENDA FOR SEXUAL ORIENTATION AS A PART OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/09/middle-school-agenda-for-sexual.html

BEHAVIOR MODELS ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-protest-at-busy-intersection-near.html

CULTURE WAR AND COMMON CORE

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/culture-war-and-common-core.html

COMMON CORE MATH

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/common-core-math.html

TEACHERS AS LIBERATORS PRODUCE STUDENTS AS REVOLUTIONARIES https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/teachers-as-liberators-produce-students.html

SECULAR HUMANISM IS NOW THE RELIGION OF OUR SCHOOLS

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/08/secular-humanism-is-now-accepted.html

COMMON CORE: THE EMPEROR IS WEARING NO CLOTHES

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/common-core-emperor-is-wearing-no.html

COMMON CORE=PETRI DISH FOR RADICALS

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/common-core-petri-dish-for-radicals.html

SOCIAL STUDIES AND COMMON CORE

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/social-studies-and-common-core.html

EDUCATION TODAY:

Politics, Profits, Position, Power, and Prejudice published 1995

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/education-today-politics-profits.html

CONFLICT RESOLUTION OR POLITICAL INDOCTRINATION?

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/conflict-resolution-or-political-and.html

DELPHI TECHNIQUE, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AND THE EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENT CONVINCED THE GULLIBLE NATION TO BUY INTO COMMON CORE

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/so-what-is-thedelphi-technique-let.html

WHO DO WE HOLD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE FAILURE OF OUR SCHOOLS?

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/so-who-do-we-hold-accountable-parents.html

PUBLIC EDUCATION SHOULD EMPOWER PARENTS

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/public-education-should-empower-parents.html

CONSPIRACY THEORIES IN EDUCATION

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/conspiracy-theories-in-education-truth.html

THE CIVIL WAR IN EDUCATION 

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-civil-war-in-education-why-we.html

SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/01/solve-problems-of-public-schools-hope.html

TAKE A KNEE

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2016/12/take-knee.html

CAPSTONE EDUCATION (UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA) AND MY CONCERNS

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2015/01/capstone-educator-and-concerns.html

RETARDING AMERICA THE IMPRISONMENT OF POTENTIAL

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2014/12/retarding-america-imprisonment-of.html

NOTE FROM ROBERT SWEET OF THE NATIONAL RIGHT TO READ FOUNDATION

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2014/10/note-from-robert-sweet-of-national.html

REVOLUTIONARY PEDAGOGY

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2014/06/revolutionary-pedagogy-or-so-you.html

MATH WARS. ONCE AGAIN INTO THE FRAY

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2014/06/math-wars-once-again-into-fray.html

Seriously Southern Entertainment comes to Wakefield

 Life brings all sorts of surprises on this journey that we take. Oh, the Places You'll Go! The Things you will See! This weekend was one of those.

Beri (Sarge) Platz and his partner, Steve Webb, of Seriously Southern Entertainment gathered with a stellar group  to film a proposal for a reality show. I never dreamed something like this was even on the radar!

Mrs. Alabama, Rebecca Suggs, is participating with us in this excellent adventure. It just so happens that her husband, Paul, is an avid deer hunter. So he helped Col. Thomas Rushing, co-owner of Wakefield plant deer plots.

Mrs. Alabama had a look of shock at some of the guys rocking their moves during her session at The Wakefield Plantation! .....yes there was a twerk involved and Nascar racer Garrett was involved...







Hattie Ray, taught by her grandmother like most great Southern cooks, kept everyone well fed. She's the star and czar of the kitchen at Wakefield.

In the evening, we gathered around the grand piano for another great Southern tradition, song and music. I sang and David Ethridge played the piano. 

Beri Platz and his crew were fantastic to work with. 

Now, what kind of production could have assembled this diverse group together? 

Stay tuned... 

Behavior models attitudes and beliefs

BEHAVIOR MODELS ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS

"The protest at a busy intersection near Littleton marked a continuation of demonstrations that began Friday with a sick out from teachers upset over issues including the plan to focus on material that promotes patriotism and respect for authority."

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/article2227007.html#storylink=cpy

Years ago educators discovered that manipulating behavior molded attitudes and beliefs (Pavlov). That was when education shifted from Traditional to Progressive. Desks were shifted to having desks face (co-operative learning) with teachers as the "guide on the side," making the group Alpha, from having desks in lines (Individualism) with teachers as the Authority in the classroom. History became Social Studies and thematic education (taking issues in education from which to extract writing, literature, science, events, whole to part, a.k.a Whole Language as a movement). This supplanted the traditional method used for thousands of years utilizing chronology in developing a formative understanding of our past and a foundational, sequential understanding of science, Math and English -- skill upon skill, part to whole.

Many teachers love teaching those controversial topics that undermine patriotism by focusing on the most negative events in our history -- the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for example rather than developing an understanding of what led up to that event. Perhaps it fits their world view. Traditionalists among us discovered that teaching had become a subversive activity and suddenly traditionalists were outside the wagons that circled to defend the new status quo. Now students tell teachers what they need to know and the result is that we have developed a nation of self-confident, arrogant, entitled, extremely dangerous ignoramuses.

Who do you think encouraged the civic participation of those students skipping school to protest? Apparently the teachers on a "sick out" approved (and probably motivated) their actions. (Values free education? There are very definitely values being molded here. Just not those of the concerned, conservative parents.) District representative spokeswoman, Lynne Setzer, (administration?) said, "We're going to allow students to make their concerns heard."

What are these children and teachers protesting? A plan to focus class material on topics that promote patriotism and respect for authority while discouraging civil disorder. Please note the location here -- LITTLETON.

Remember what happened there? Perhaps we now have a clue why. When you continually focus on the negative, what does that do to the psyche of children while developing a Lord of the Flies mentality that children should rule? Reminds me of the Bible warning: "As a man thinketh, so is he." Traditionally there was a community standards committee that evaluated curricular and reading material. That went by the wayside when we paid the fox to enter the henhouse and rewrite the bylaws of the school boards to fit the Outcome Based Education agenda.

I started thinking about this again recently when I began a study of Southern manners. When a parent teaches a child to stand when an adult enters the room, say yes ma'am/sir, no ma'am/sir, please and thank you, to give up a seat on a bus or in the living room to a guest or elder, that a young man should stand should a woman comes to a table in a restaurant and continue to stand until that woman leaves, and to bow his head when grace is said, that parent has begun modeling the attitudes and beliefs of that child. The child is taught respect for authority and his elders, as well as self-discipline. Behavior models attitudes and beliefs.

Quite a difference.

Sorry folks, the blood of this old teacher and grandmother of five boils when I see what has happened to my profession and the minds and behavior of our children. And what my friends currently sincerely trying to teach are up against.

Please visit my website and its Manners ad Etiquette Page for a real lesson in Southern Manners.
http://www.southern-style.com/manners_and_etiquette.htm

DEMONIC ROOTS TO COMMON CORE? VISIT YOUR CHILD'S THERAPEUTIC CLASSROOM.

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/demonic-roots-to-common-core-visit-your.html

THE GENEALOGY OF COMMON CORE: BILL GATES/UNESCO/ROBERT MULLER//ALICE BAILEY/LUCIS TRUST 

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-genealogy-of-common-core-bill-gates_5.html

THE CHICAGO CONNECTION TO COMMON CORE

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-chicago-connection-to-common-core.html

TEACHERS AS LIBERATORS PRODUCE STUDENTS AS REVOLUTIONARIES: Whole Language Live On!

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/teachers-as-liberators-produce-students.html

Revolutionary Pedagogy: Or, so you thought reading, writing and calculating were why you sent your child to school?

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2014/06/revolutionary-pedagogy-or-so-you.html

Radical Possibilities

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/radical-possibilities-your-children.html

A Tale of the Last Hope for Local Control

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/a-tale-of-last-hope-for-local-control.html

THE FOUR PERIOD DAY: 

STUDENTS AS GUINEA PIGS AND PROFESSIONAL ADVANCEMENT FOR "INNOVATORS"

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-four-period-day-students-as-guinea.html

The Four Period Day: Students as Guinea Pigs and Professional advancement for "innovators"

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-four-period-day-students-as-guinea.html

The Tale of Last Hope for Local Control

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/a-tale-of-last-hope-for-local-control.html

DEMONIC ROOTS TO COMMON CORE? VISIT YOUR CHILD'S THERAPEUTIC CLASSROOM.

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/demonic-roots-to-common-core-visit-your.html

THE GENEALOGY OF COMMON CORE: BILL GATES/UNESCO/ROBERT MULLER//ALICE BAILEY/LUCIS TRUST 

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-genealogy-of-common-core-bill-gates_5.html

THE CHICAGO CONNECTION TO COMMON CORE

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-chicago-connection-to-common-core.html

does anybody really believe anymore? does anybody really care?https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/does-anybody-really-believe-anymore.html

Sounding the Alarm! Today's Therapeutic Classroom. What are you going to do about it?

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/does-anybody-really-believe-anymore.html

Spalding Writing Road to Reading and John Winston of Parks Elementary Natchitoches, Louisiana

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/spalding-writing-road-to-reading-and.html

RETARDING AMERICA THE IMPRISONMENT OF POTENTIAL

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2014/12/retarding-america-imprisonment-of.html

NOTE FROM ROBERT SWEET OF THE NATIONAL RIGHT TO READ FOUNDATION

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2014/10/note-from-robert-sweet-of-national.html

The DARE PROGRAM 20 years later.

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-dare-program-20-years-later-more.html

Merry Christmas! Meet Alliwishus, The Elf Mother Met at the Battle of the Bulge

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/merry-christmas-meet-alliwishus-elf.html

My Mother. My hero who won a Battle Ribbon at the Battle of the Bulge. December 16, 1944. A SCRAPBOOK LOOK FROM JEAN BRONSON GILLIS BURSON.

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/my-mother-my-hero-who-won-battle-ribbon.html

LEONARD COHEN HALLELUJAH PROJECT AT BAY HIGH SCHOOL AND ESTABLISHMENT RELIGION, SECULAR HUMANISM, IN OUR SCHOOLS

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/leonard-cohen-hallelujah-project-at-bay.html

WHY SHOULD CONSERVATIVES, CHRISTIANS AND THE THE FAITH COMMUNITY BE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS? SUBSCRIBE TO THE PANAMA CITY NEWS HERALD AND GET WASHINGTON POST FREE

http://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/why-should-conservatives-christians-and.html

PEACE EDUCATION? CONFLICT RESOLUTION? TEACHING TOLERANCE? COMMON CORE 

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/12/peace-education-conflict-resolution.html

TRADITIONAL OR PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION. DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE? HAS POLITICS AFFECTED YOUR CHILD'S MATH EDUCATION?

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/look-at-this-headline-and-now-according.html

RETARDING AMERICA THE IMPRISONMENT OF POTENTIAL

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2014/12/retarding-america-imprisonment-of.html

NOTE FROM ROBERT SWEET OF THE NATIONAL RIGHT TO READ FOUNDATION

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2014/10/note-from-robert-sweet-of-national.html

DELPHI TECHNIQUE, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENT CONVINCED A GULLIBLE PUBLIC TO BUY INTO COMMON CORE

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/so-what-is-thedelphi-technique-let.html

COMMON CORE: PORNOGRAPHY 101

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/common-core-pornography-101.html

MIDDLE SCHOOL AGENDA FOR SEXUAL ORIENTATION AS A PART OF MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/09/middle-school-agenda-for-sexual.html

BEHAVIOR MODELS ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-protest-at-busy-intersection-near.html

CULTURE WAR AND COMMON CORE

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/culture-war-and-common-core.html

MATH WARS. ONCE AGAIN INTO THE FRAY

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2014/06/math-wars-once-again-into-fray.html

COMMON CORE MATH

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/common-core-math.html

SOCIAL STUDIES AND COMMON CORE

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/social-studies-and-common-core.html

TEACHERS AS LIBERATORS PRODUCE STUDENTS AS REVOLUTIONARIES: Whole Language Live On!

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/teachers-as-liberators-produce-students.html

RADICAL POSSIBILITIES: YOUR CHILDREN 

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/radical-possibilities-your-children.html

Response to AL.Com article "Alabama Superintendent Proposal to Raise Academic Standards."

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/response-to-alcom-article-alabama.html

SECULAR HUMANISM IS NOW THE RELIGION OF OUR SCHOOLS

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/08/secular-humanism-is-now-accepted.html

COMMON CORE: THE EMPEROR IS WEARING NO CLOTHES

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/common-core-emperor-is-wearing-no.html

COMMON CORE=PETRI DISH FOR RADICALS

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/common-core-petri-dish-for-radicals.html

REVOLUTIONARY PEDAGOGY

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2014/06/revolutionary-pedagogy-or-so-you.html

Revolutionary Pedagogy: Or, so you thought reading, writing and calculating were why you sent your child to school?

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2014/06/revolutionary-pedagogy-or-so-you.html

EDUCATION TODAY:

Politics, Profits, Position, Power, and Prejudice published 1995

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/education-today-politics-profits.html

CAPSTONE EDUCATION (UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA) AND MY CONCERNS

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2015/01/capstone-educator-and-concerns.html

CONFLICT RESOLUTION OR POLITICAL INDOCTRINATION?

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/conflict-resolution-or-political-and.html

DELPHI TECHNIQUE, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AND THE EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENT CONVINCED THE GULLIBLE NATION TO BUY INTO COMMON CORE

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/11/so-what-is-thedelphi-technique-let.html

WHO DO WE HOLD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE FAILURE OF OUR SCHOOLS?

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/so-who-do-we-hold-accountable-parents.html

PUBLIC EDUCATION SHOULD EMPOWER PARENTS

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/public-education-should-empower-parents.html

CONSPIRACY THEORIES IN EDUCATION

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/02/conspiracy-theories-in-education-truth.html

THE CIVIL WAR IN EDUCATION 

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-civil-war-in-education-why-we.html

SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2017/01/solve-problems-of-public-schools-hope.html

TAKE A KNEE

https://sharmanbursonramsey.blogspot.com/2016/12/take-knee.html

Book Launch for Mint Julep Mysteries will be held at Wakefield Plantation, Furman, Wilcox County, Alabama in December

Book launch for the Mint Julep Mysteries, including Wakefield Plantation: History and Cookbook of one Southern family will be held AT WAKEFIELD PLANTATION

the inspiration for the setting of the series) in Furman, Wilcox County, Alabama in December. More information to come.

An excerpt from Mint Juleps and Murder, a novel that is both fun and serious:
That was our last practice before Sadie Summer arrived for the Charity Revue. I asked Ruby what the money was being raised for and Miss Ruby told me it was for the homeless, hopeless, helpless and hungry. I was glad. That was such a sad, sad sight seeing women with their children by the hand both wearing the knapsack that identified them as having recently been housed by a Rescue Mission and provided with free toiletries. I couldn’t help but put myself in those women’s shoes and think of being alone, homeless and with no resources with little ones trusting me to take care of them.
There was little time left for us to practice because we would be taping our food preparation segments for our guest Diamond Lagnappe.  But tonight we were to go with our Five O’clock Somewhere group to the Cypress Ridge Dinner Club. I did not succumb to the temptation of giving our group the name of the acronym FOCS for fear someone might take it a step further and refer to us as the FOCS which could then be taken a step further by some wit who might refer to us as a bunch of Old FOCS, to which I think we might take umbrage.
We got back to the Big House and who should be sitting on our back steps but the anesthesiologist for my colonoscopy, Dr. Gavin Crenshaw. It had been such a long time since I had seen him that I nearly leapt into his arms. At the sight of that good-looking man, Faye Lynne had immediately transformed into her version of Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof-- sultry, sensuous--and dangerous.
It was wasted. Wasted, I tell you! He only had eyes for me.
“I knew I had been away from you too long,” he said. “You’ve just been wasting away you’ve been pining for me so much.”
“Sorry, handsome. Truth is Ruby T made me start jogging,” I said.
We had talked frequently in the time we had been separated, but he’d been busy with his medical responsibilities and his daughters, one had a new baby, and I had been running like a house afire preparing shows and getting used to the celebrity of being a hit show on the Dishing It Network.

Hunters snag 1000 pound alligator and Wakefield Plantation: history and cookbook has a recipe!

Wakefield Plantation: History and Cookbook of one Southern family Wakefield is very close to Camden, Alabama. It's a good thing we included a recipe for cooking alligator in our cookbook!

Alligator and Andouille Sauce Piquante
5 Pounds Alligator Meat
Cajun Seasoning
1/4 Cup Olive Oil + 1 Tsp.
1 1/4 Pounds Andouille Sausage -- diced
1 10 Oz Can Tomato Sauce
1/3 Cup Margarine
1/3 Cup Dark Roux
1/4 Cup Chicken Base
4 Cups Spanish onion -- chopped
1 Cup Bell Pepper -- chopped
1 Cup Celery -- chopped
1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2 Tablespoons Jalapeno Pepper -- diced
1 Teaspoon Sugar
2 Tablespoons Garlic -- chopped
3 Cups Fresh Mushrooms -- sliced
2 Quarts Water
1/2 Cup Green Onion Bottoms -- chopped
1/2 Cup Parsley -- chopped
3 Cups Rice Bran -- cooked
Rub both sides of alligator meat with Cajun seasoning and
Cut into 1 inch by 1-inch pieces.
If possible, allow to marinate overnight. Brown alligator
in olive oil over high heat.
Remove from pot.
Sauté Andouille in same oil for 5 minutes and remove
from pot. Pour tomato sauce into pot with remaining oil.
Stir sauce over high heat until it is very brown, burned.
Keep stirring until a thick ball of paste forms.
Add margarine, roux, chicken base, onions, bell pepper,
celery, cayenne pepper, jalapeno peppers and sugar.
Sauté until onions are clear.
Return alligator and Andouille to pot.
Add garlic, mushrooms and 3 cups of water.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat.
Cook for 1 hour, adding water as needed.
Once alligator is tender, add green onions and parsley.
Cornstarch mixture may be added to thicken gravy.
Serve over hot cooked rice.
NOTES: Regular sausage may be substituted for Andouille.

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/policeblotter/ci_26357255/alabama-hunters-haul-1-000-pound-alligator

Hunters snag 1K-pound alligator, an Alabama record

www.berkshireeagle.com

CAMDEN, Ala. (AP) — A family battled a 1,000-pound alligator for more than five hours, putting several large hooks into the beast before firing a fatal shotgun blast into the gator's head.

Wakefield Cookbook and the story of its publication

Wakefield Plantation, now owned by my sister, Sylvia, and her husband, Tom, is known in Wilcox County as the anchor of their Furman tour. The beautiful old home has been featured in books and magazines for its history and unique architecture. I thought the history and cookbook might actually be interesting to some of the folks who come to see the house, as well as a remembrance for our own family. Wakefield is a big part of our family history, a little piece of who we all are and have become. I must admit this 1832 Steamboat Gothic home did inspire my Mint Julep Mysteries. I had dreams of a big beautiful coffee table book, but that effort was beyond my ability at the moment. However, there may be big things coming up that Wakefield will play a part in.

For those of you who are writers who visit my blog for more utilitarian reasons, the process of the past couple of days may be interesting to you. I started this blog several days ago with the following paragraph and then got detoured by the actual process of publishing the Wakefield Plantation book.

The Wakefield Plantation: History and Cookbook is on hold. I was not really happy with the picture layout. I did a search and discovered BLURB that I also found was a subsidiary of Amazon. The good thing about that is that you can upload a book to Amazon for purchase quite easily (according to their website). That is a good thing since I hope this effort produces a higher quality than the first one I came up with. For one thing, it will be hardback.

That was my goal, but the road to that object proved more difficult than I had anticipated. I had read that Blurb was easy to use. I have LOTS of pictures in my I PHOTO and it tried to load all of them (90,000). Perhaps I just didn't know how to use Bookwright and Booksmart, but the time it took was more than I was willing to give it. I returned to Createspace and after a day of attempting to address the different problems I encountered, I finally got a product I think I can be happy with.

So, what do I mean about the problems I encountered? Pictures shifting. Sentences moving about that only showed up after the saving process through the online book proofing process. I found some help, however.

1. Formatting the pages: A Step-By-Step Guide to Formatting Your Book's Interior
By Kelly, CreateSpace PrePress  https://forums.createspace.com/en/community/docs/DOC-1482
I followed Kelly's directions for putting the margins in. That really helped!

2. Starting off with the correct template for the book you choose to create is helpful also. Before you make that serious first step know where you are going with that book. If you look for Expanded Distribution (making books available to bookstores and libraries) check into the sizes they will accept. I wasted a lot of time with the wrong size before I got to the Distribution area of production and discovered I used the wrong format. I then chose 6 x 9 and had to spend a lot of time reformatting. https://forums.createspace.com/en/community/docs/DOC-1323

3. Get punctuation right the first time. Let me suggest this helpful online booklet:  http://www.12on14.com/mechanics_punctuation_072910a.pdf
A. Remember to only put ONE space at the end of a sentence. When you finish your manuscript, use the Find and Replace to double check yourself. I go down the complete alphabet and then also double check every form of punctuation to make sure I only put one space. So, how do I do that?
a  A  type in the letter and then two spaces. That function pulls up every time that letter appears with two spaces beside it.
a A    Use the replace function to close up the space.
Remember every form of punctuation, :, ", ?, (, ..., etc.
I will assure you that the time is well spent taking the time to do this. You will have to go through the whole republishing process when you spot those errors if you don't. You want the very best product you can produce out there.
Or you can pay an editor to do all of this for you!

4. Publishing to Kindle calls for all of this effort again. I discovered that just sending it over to Kindle does not assure that it will look like it did with Createspace. You may have to correct and upload what appears on a Kindle.
a. This is where I discovered the importance of Page Break. I like for Chapters to appear at the top of a page. I also had to use it after the Title page, Copyright page, etc. as well as between Chapters. I also found that using Word doc files came up better than turning it into a PDF file.

5. I have chosen NOT to publish the cookbook on Kindle. All of those pictures do not transfer well and it looks really bad. So, it will ONLY be available through traditional book form.

Will anyone other than family be interested? Perhaps not. And in a way, that really doesn't matter. It began as an effort simply to share with these little ones in our family giving them an appreciation of their past and an introduction to some of those who came before. Maybe that is enough.