Janet's Blog

April is Autism Awareness Month. Perhaps you already knew that, but if not, here's your chance to learn more about autism, because chances are very good that you know someone with autism--or maybe several someones. When I first became aware of autism, twenty-some years ago, statistics showed that approximately one in 300 children were diagnosed with autism. Since then, the incidence of autism has exploded. On March 27, 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released statistics showing that one in 68 children have Autism Spectrum Disorder; that's one out of every 48 boys, and one in 189 girls. Over the past fifteen years or so, I've worked with several children with autism. Most have been boys, but I've taught a few girls, as well, who have been diagnosed, and a few more who should have been. When I think back to my early years of teaching, I can pinpoint some students who exhibited autistic tendencies before autism was a common diagnosis. And,

I've been having a few more aches and pains lately. That's pretty normal for me in the spring, when the barometric pressure plummets or soars rapidly in a short period of time, and the wind blows pollen all over the place. But Monday was worse than normal. I ached all over. I didn't want to move. I was so miserable that Bill took pity on me, and cooked supper while I kept him company in the kitchen. Then, when I opened my pill box to take my supper-time medication, I noticed that I had not taken my morning meds. I hadn't taken my morning meds! I can't remember the last time that happened, but at least I understood why I had been feeling so wretched all day. That's one of the reasons I use a sectioned pill box, like the one in the picture, so I can remember whether or not I took my pills. I wish I had checked a lot sooner on Monday. It's gratifying, though, to realize that those pills really do help me function normally most of the time. And, tha

It's a sure sign of spring--dandelions sprouting everywhere, along the roadsides and in the ditches, in empty lots by the hundreds, and unfortunately, in our otherwise well-kept yards. I'm afraid that we don't really welcome those brightly colored blooms, because we consider them to be a nuisance, growing where we want other plants to grow, and spreading like wildfire from one unkempt yard to our own pristine, grassy lawns. So, if you're like me, you pull out your trowel and uproot them before they have a chance to turn into downy, white, balls of fluff, scattering in the breeze to reseed themselves wherever they land. Or, you might get out the weed spray, or call on your lawn care guy to eradicate them for you, before the neighbors start to complain that your yard is filled with noxious weeds that might (gasp) spread to their beautifully groomed yards. That's what dandelions are--worthless weeds--prolific plants that grow where we don't want them to g

It's that time of year again. The weather is fickle: warm and sunny one day, snow flurries the next, a little rain a few days later, and sometimes a bit--okay, a lot--more wind than we like. But, the crocus and daffodils are blooming beautifully, the grass is green at last, and the trees are leafing out. Our allergies are blooming, too, but we really do love spring, with its promise of new life and warmer, outdoor days ahead. Here in the Nebraska panhandle, it's quite likely for us to get our spring moisture in the form of snow, but this spring's weather has been mild. Perhaps we should be grateful that last week's rain wasn't snow instead, because two inches of rain equals more than a foot of wet snow, and no one wants that right now. To tell the truth, we weren't really expecting nearly so much rain all at once; that just doesn't happen here very often. But we aren't complaining, because we needed the moisture. Most farmers were thrilled with th