(Woolen) Hats off!

I realized I haven't done a "Hat's off!" blog for far, far too long. Probably because I've been a bad blogger lately. I envy people that can be consistently funny or interesting or irritating or whatever it is they regularly share with their readers. (Hats off to you.)

And hats off to these guys for making me feel better about how I spend my time ...



(Is that fantastic, or what!?)

Hats off to...

I was teaching again today and it was the end of the week and I was near the end of my energy. I'm feeling alright but still get that lead-boot feeling towards the end of the day. So while the students were out at recess, I readied the room for our next activity and then sat down ("plunked" might be more accurate) to rest a bit.

The host teacher walked in, I sat up straight and we chatted awhile. Very pleasant man that seems to really enjoy his work. Then he reached into his desk and asked "Would you like a cookie?"

Oh, okay.

It wasn't just a cookie. It was a small pack with TWO Harry and David's melt-in-your-mouth fruit-filled gallettes. I thanked him and as I was savoring the yummy confection, he went to collect his class. As he left, he tossed over his shoulder, "You looked like maybe you needed a pick-me-up."

I don't know which was sweeter: the cookie or the concern.

So today it's hats off to Mr. Snyder and everyone else that understands the value of a cookie.

Hats Off to...

Today's heroes are crossing guards.

Now, when I went to school, I was a crossing guard. For my efforts I got a flag and a roller skating party at the end of the year with a damp McDonald's hamburger and a glass of their pseudo-orange drink thrown in. (I also got a kick in the pants but that's another story.) Of course, I also was on patrol at in intersection that had all of 4 cars pass through it on any given school week.

In my town, the crossing guards are adults. They get orange vests with yellow X's on them, a flag and/or stop sign, a whistle and a partner. They are also backed by flashing crossing lights, striped crossing zones painted on the road and a police van that regularly sets a speed trap in the school zone. (Okay, it's not really a trap because they also post a sign well before the school zone telling you they are ahead. So if you get caught, you really do deserve the ticket.)

I am eternally grateful to the crossing guards. They have phoned me when they have concerns about how my children ride their bikes on the very busy thoroughfare between our house and the school. They are out there at 7:15 every morning in rain, shine or chilly weather. They put up with the rude drivers and they still smile and have a joke for anyone willing to exchange pleasantries. They are unsung heroes for the parents like me that want to know our kids are as safe as possible getting to and from school. I owe them big time.

I have to figure out how to show that gratitude with something better than a soggy burger and a dye-loaded drink.

But for today, it's HATS OFF to crossing guards!

Hats off to...

As a freelance writer, I have to make a lot of phone calls. And often, the first person I talk to is a receptionist or secretary. Let's face it, we all know these are the people with the power. And they can make your day or break it.

There's one in particular, Lynn, that is my hero and angel. She's always pleasant, always helpful and just all in all a treasure trove of time and talent. Quick responses, helpful hints and all sort of visual and administrative talents. I haven't been able to stump her yet. She makes my job so much easier every time I talk to her and I'm sure she does the same for anyone that calls or comes through her office. So today it's hats off to...Lynn!!


(Okay, that's not quite what her hair looks like...and I strongly suspect she wears a halo at the office...but you get the idea.)

(Clipart courtesy of www.freeclipartnow.com)

Hats off to...

A friend emailed this to me. Tragic but true...

Bear Attack in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.

These are pictures of an actual polar bear attack in Churchill.

These pictures were taken while people watched and could do nothing to stop the attack!

Reports from the local newspaper say that the victim will make a full recovery.

The photos are below.

WARNING: ACTUAL PHOTOS OF BEAR ATTACK!

Today, it's Hats Off to friends that forward FUNNY! (Only when its really funny though.)

Hats Off to...

You may remember that my in-laws were coming to visit and it has been great to have them here. But apparently today they were done relaxing.

And by some coincidence, I had a number of undone projects around the house. My MIL pulled weeds and battled rosebushes for the afternoon and completely filled the yard bin. My FIL painted the bit of hallway that has been hovering in a multi-colored testimony to the before and after sections of the addition we put on our house last summer. He also replaced a light fixture, a dud light switch and lit the pilot light on my fireplace. My MIL is threatening to sort out my youngest's room - a daunting task at best. I worked alongside too (honest) and I am feeling months ahead of myself just because they were willing to pitch in for a day.

On top of their hands-on support for the projects, they are hands-on grandparents as well. They've played and joked and walked and teased and created their Miis and generally spoiled the young 'uns rotten. Aren't they great?

So today it's Hats Off to the inlaws!

Heroes in funny hats

Bike helmets are not sexy.

Now motorcycle helmets have a certain mystique that adds to the attraction but no matter how you dress it up with that thin plastic highly colored slightly reflective shell, bike helmets still look dorky. Of course, riding without a helmet is even less attractive when you consider what that head might look like in the event of a crash but for cyclists, safety can be a blow to vanity.

Until you get into large groups of like-minded - and like-hatted - people.

My family and I signed up for the Quarter-Century (25 mile) ride as part of Ride the Rogue a couple weekends ago and weren't sure whether the younger members would make it. They were definitely among the youngest cyclists on the ride. Of course, I wasn't sure I would make it either!

It was a perfect day for a ride though (except for the forest-fire smoke that is very much a part of summer in our area) and we headed out. The roughest part of the ride was a climb at the beginning and we pedaled and panted and stopped for a rest or two and generally fell behind the pack.

And then I realized how many heroes wear dorky hats.

Every time - almost without exception - a group of riders passed us, they would cheer on my kids. "Good job!", "Way to go, tiger!", "Stick with it!", "Keep pedaling!" They pumped them up and cheered them on and stopped to make sure we were okay every time we were resting.

And it wasn't just my kids. An older and somewhat heavier woman had pulled off, obviously near her limits, and two women crossed the road to sit with her until she recovered or until Sag Support came to pick her up. Search and Rescue teams were out keeping tabs on any rider on the route in all distances. As riders thinned out, they kept a count of who was still on the ride.

Another group of riders on recumbent bikes were our own particular parade that inspired us just by the colorful flags they'd put on their bikes. Seeing those colors waving in the breeze and over field tops kept our legs turning.

The lunch stop volunteers were cheering us on and keeping us up with ride-friendly energy foods. Sag support volunteers helped replace flat tires (one of our bikes had THREE flats over the course of the ride) and relayed messages when riders got separated a little further than they (we) expected, or when cell-phone coverage died in the mountains. And the BBQ (tri-tip and salmon) and band at the finish line were absolutely worth the ride to get there.




It's Friday. What better way to end a week and get ready for a weekend than to remember someone or something special that happened during the week? I think I'll have a "Hats Off Friday" post every week to try to acknowledge the unsung heroes that we all encounter every day. It's a small way to say thanks for the big difference they make.


So today it's "Hats Off" to the heroes in dorky helmets.