Common Sense Rule #62

Firebugs are not necessarily arsonists.

I am a self-proclaimed firebug and proud of it. I have been setting fires since I was young. We burned our garbage. We burned ditches. We burned our driveway. We burned pastures (not always on purpose).

Why did we burn so much?

Fire can be helpful and beneficial to the ground and vegetation. When you burn ditches, you burn off the old grass that can clog drainage areas that allows standing water which will attract bugs and disease. Burning also warms the ground and helps wild asparagus begin its growing season. Plus, after burning, grass grows back greener and nicer looking.

I bring this up because???

I love fire. I love how is smells. I love how it grows and burns. Burning ditches is one of my favorite spring traditions, but I haven't been able to do it lately. But I came home from work the other morning and got to take advantage of the lack of wind to burn the branches in my yard.

All it takes is some dry leaves and the whole pile just goes up in beautiful flames. The heat from the flames takes a chill off a cool spring morning.

Of course, I did have a helper for the day. Zeus likes to play fetch, although his idea is to chase the stick, chew on it, and not bring it back. He is also a fan of rakes. He's not very helpful with raking, but he does find them extremely fun to chew on and play with.

I spent time raking leaves in the vicinity of my fire, throwing them in, watching it grow bigger. The feeling you get when you think you control something that is really not under your control can be a rush.

Sounds like something an arsonist would say, doesn't it?

I come by my firebug gene naturally. Just one more gift my mother passed on to me. She's slightly crazier though because she'll burn a ditch by herself and I find it to be a two-person job, mostly because you never know when the winds will change and leave you with a much larger fire than you anticipated.

And when that happens? Fire trucks.

But I'm still not an arsonist. I swear. :)

To The Citizens of the United States of America (Part 3):

(This is a research paper I wrote for a class at BVU, just my thoughts, sorry if the citations are written incorrectly, but I'm a music major, not an English major. Enjoy the information for what it represents.)
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I promised I would also provide ideas on what we, as both individuals and a community can do to help reduce waste, and take a stand to stop global warming.

My favorite is to help our neighbors and ourselves. Many families like to have garage sales, but instead of a garage sale, set up trading communities where you take your gently used items that you have outgrown and trade them for items someone else has outgrown. These are very popular, especially when you target families who are less fortunate. I have organized a clothing swap where families were encouraged to bring their gently used clothes of any size and able to do “shopping” for “new-to-you” clothing for their family. There was no charge for the event and any items left over at the end were given away (toddler clothes went to the local preschool, adult clothes to Goodwill, baby blankets to mission groups, etc.).

This doesn't have to simply be done with clothing. Like music? Set up a music swap where you bring in CDs that you no longer want. Sporting equipment not being used? Take it to your next practice. Tired of the same movie or book? There are so many different ways to share our resources with each other!

Another idea is to get rid of the garbage truck. Instead of making it so convenient for people to throw their trash away, make it more convenient for them to dispose of their recyclable products! Where I live, all I have is trash service. If I want to dispose of my recycling, I have to bag it up and drive to the nearest recycling place and sort it myself. This is not something I have time for so everything makes it into the trash, where it goes to the landfill. Recyclables can then be sold by the community to help off-set the cost of the additional labor. The additional labor means lower unemployment rates and potentially less people living in poverty.

For the real “garbage” make it a pay-as-you-throw system, so much per bag. People will be more willing to recycle (or even turn leftover waste into compost for their garden) if it costs more to throw your garbage away.

Speaking of compost, are you looking for fresh local fruits and vegetables? Start a community garden! Every town should have their own acre of land in an easily-accessible location where everyone is able to come, plant seeds, help with the care of the garden, and harvest what they will use.

After harvest, incorporate a time where the community hosts a “canning party”. Many people want to can their vegetables that they have grown but sometimes the job can be too taxing for one person to do on their own. Why not have people bring their crops in, combine them, and work together to do the canning, everyone taking home a share of their labor and maybe even making a donation to the local food pantry!

As always, many ways to conserve energy and resources start at home. Make sure unused lights are shut off when you leave a room. Unplug electronics that aren't being used. Switch your light bulbs from incandescent to compact florescent light bulbs. If you can afford it, LED bulbs last 100 times longer than incandescent bulbs and provide more light for less power (homedepot.com). Programmable thermostats allow you to keep your house warm or cooler based on your family’s schedule. Take advantage of energy audits if they are offered by your electric company.

Another thing to take advantage of through your electric company would be energy rebates. Check with your provider to see what they offer if you upgrade your less efficient furnace for a better one. Do they have something for people who move from window air units to a central air system? While these items still use electricity, their efficiency is better meaning less carbon dioxide emissions from your home!

These are just a few suggestions as to what we could do to help our nation grow stronger and help fight global warming. There are so many different thoughts and ideas. It only takes one small sound to start an avalanche. See what you can do within your home and community to make this happen!

Truly Brave? Not Me, Not Really

Mashups. Love 'em? No. I have not been a fan. Nelly jumping into the country scene jamming with my beloved country singers really put a damper on some of my favorite songs. I'd go to sing along and all of a sudden there would be an extra voice, extra words, extra melody. I hated it.

And then I heard Hoda Kotb's story and how she got Sara Bareilles and Cyndi Lauper together to do a mashup with "True Colors" and "Brave".

Skeptical at first because I love both these songs individually, I gave it a shot. Mainly because cancer has been such a huge part of my life over the last five years when my dad was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Shortly thereafter my cousin was diagnosed with cancer which very quickly took her life.

I also decided to listen because I do love these two songs so much. Cyndi Lauper was one of my favorite artists growing up and Sara Bareilles is now.

Not knowing what I was really getting myself into, I watched the video.

And fell in love.

Yes, the children in the video are all cancer babies. But that wasn't where my heart was.

My heart was with my heart baby and all the other heart babies and angels. Why?

Because that is what I know. Babies with congenital heart defects. Those babies are just as strong and brave as the babies in this video.

My mind goes back nine years ago. To a time when my baby was laying in a hospital bed. Needles and wires attached to him. Watching him cry because he didn't understand why I couldn't hold him and comfort him.

He was so small, so helpless, so confused. And I had no words for him. Just love.

Through it all, he was truly brave, without even knowing it.

Common Sense Rule #97

Sometimes being selfish is OK.

Huh?

I was speaking with a girlfriend at school today.  We were discussing her plans following graduation and her dilemma as to whether she should go on to grad school or not.

Mind you, this isn't just her life we were discussing, but her fiance's as well.

She said that she didn't think it was fair to him for her to choose to go on to grad school because she knows how she is when she goes to school: very self-involved with practices and homework, a perfectionist, and last but not least, not a very social person.  How could she put him through more of that when he's been very understanding so far and has a good job that he enjoys here?

We discussed the pros and cons of grad school and doing it now, while she's young, and waiting to possibly return to it as she gets older.  And, as it always does with us and this conversation, we got around to children.

It's hard.  Very hard.

My first two years at Iowa Lakes really weren't too difficult for our family.  Really, my class schedule was not much different than having a day job.  Most days I took the kids to school.  Most days I picked them up in the afternoon.  Very seldom did I miss events, although it did happen on occasion, just like it does with working parents.

Then I started at Buena Vista.

That first semester was the hardest.  I cried almost every morning on my way to school.  

We were having problems at home.  Arguing.  Chores weren't getting done.  Homework wasn't getting done.  No one was happy.  I was missing everything.  

Then I cried almost every night on my way home from school.

I hated the thought of walking into the house with the arguing.  Knowing laundry wasn't getting done.  Knowing I could be up late to help someone accomplish homework that should have been done before I got home.

I felt it was selfish of me to spend this much time away from my family.  Especially, as I was reminded, since I wasn't really sure what my final goal and plans were at the end of the degree.

I was a mess.

How do you explain that my experience at 36 is no different than any other college student, except that they are being selfish at 18, when they have no one but themselves to answer for it?  A 14-year-old girl doesn't understand that.  How could she when her father doesn't even understand it?

But I stormed ahead thinking someday someone may look back and realize that this was just something I had to do.  For myself.  Even if it took me away from them for a while.

And maybe even be proud of me for being selfish.

Common Sense Rule #75

Grandma status comes

whether you are ready for it or not.

Well, it's official by almost two weeks: I'm a GRANDMA!  One month prior to my 39th birthday.  Yep.  My mother very politely pointed out that I made Grandma before she did (age-wise of course...she's been a grandma for 19 years).

Here he is.  The most adorable little baby boy: Emmett Alan, the son of my son Jacob and his wife Tiffany.

He looks just like his daddy...who looks just like his daddy. :)

It doesn't feel near as weird as I thought it would.  I have no plans to be a Nana, Grammy, or any other variation of it.  Just Grandma.  Maybe Grandma Cassie since there are five other grandmas and great-grandmas...

I haven't had a ton of practice with "young" grandmas (except my mom, but she isn't MY grandma).  My grandmas were both old and stayed home making cookies and banana bars and the occasional mix-up of grape wine instead of grape juice.

Even when I got to be a SAHM I was never a cookie-baker.  Unless you like burnt cookies.  Then I'm pretty good.

I've seen some "young" grandmas.  Some of them do not age well.  Now, granted, I still have three more at home, but I am thankful that my first grandchild does not leave me looking like some grandmas I've seen...

I think the worst one was at school registration one year.  "Grandma" definitely had seen better days (could she possibly have been my age now? I shudder as I remember the sight).

Mom couldn't have been much more than 21.  Her skirt was...short.  To say the very least.  Her cropped shirt showed her belly button, which was pierced...with a chain that went down into her...skirt.  I don't even want to think about where the other end was attached.

I try really hard to not be a judgmental person (frankly because anyone who sees me with my kids probably thinks I'm absolutely crazy), but there are times that I have to really fight back the incredulous looks I want to give people.  This was one of those times.

According to my children (well, the ones still at home), now that I'm a grandma I need to grow up.  I don't know.  If growing up means I have to age, I think I'll just be myself.

Common Sense Rule #93

When you want to remember someone, make sure you call them by name at least seven times.

For those who read my post yesterday and wondered, "Who IS this strange, yet adorable creature that knows how to put thoughts on paper?" it's time you learned a little about me.

First of all, my name is Cassie.  I have many names, some unpublishable, but mostly good.  For the purpose of this blog, you can refer to me as Cassie.

Cassie (the Mom): I have four kids from 23-10: Jake, Stacie, Liam, & Declan.  I also have a daughter-in-law (Tiffany) and we are expecting our first grandson (Emmet) this month.

Cassie (the wife): I have been married for 19 years to my high school sweetheart...although I wasn't really his.  Mark is 10 years older than me and we've been through a lot together: owning our own restaurant, raising kids, and so much more that, many times, I'm not sure how we made it this far.  But we have and we're still here.

Cassie (the student): I decided to go back to school when I was...34?  Yeah.  I'm slightly crazy.  I got my AA with a music transfer from Iowa Lakes Community College after 2 years and moved on to Buena Vista University for my final two years...well, 2 1/2, but that's a different story.  My major is Music Production & Technology and I've got three minors: Vocal Performance, Business, and Digital Media.

Cassie (the cashier): I work for a local truck stop and I've been doing that since the summer before I started at BVU, so a little over two years.  This job is where my Common Sense Rules began and I created my own little following grabbing people's attention with my quick little lines.

Cassie (the storyteller): I have been a scrapbooker since Liam was a year old.  Of course I've had to give it up while I have been busy with school, but it's still near and dear to my heart.  I love how a picture can tell so many different stories and through my digital media classes I've learned so many different ways to tell those stories...I can't wait until I'm done with school and can start doing that again!

Phew!  Well, that's just a smidgen of my life, but I got my name in there seven times so hopefully you will remember me, follow me, and love me.  See you next soon!