Red Mule, Popsicle, Funk & Wagnalls & the Internet

MK and I have decided that we can now safely declare that spring is here! Red Mule and Popsicle came out of hibernation yesterday. That is a sure sign of spring. They are MK's two turtles. If I am remembering correctly, Popsicle is entering his fourth summer with us and Red Mule is entering his third. We walked all the way up to Save-A-Lot to get bananas for them because that is their favorite treat. We like them, too!

Even though it didn't rain yesterday, we did not go out and plant any more garden items. It was so muddy and still a bit chilly; besides, I had laundry to wash and hang out to dry, and doors and trim to cover with a second coat of paint. We will plant a few things today.

Early on, probably in the winter or fall, R had said the only place to plant in our yard is the southeast side -- front yard -- because it is the only sunny spot. Recently, he stated I should plant along the west side of the house, where the ferns grow, where the sewer system is. Well, why would I plant where the ferns grow and where it is shaded by mine and the neighbor's house? Also, twice since we have lived here, the sewer has backed up there and had to be repaired, and I don't want to chance that with my food garden. So, I started digging up the front yard. Now, of course, according to R, that is wrong. Surprise, surprise. He says he never told me to plant out front. Ever. Right . . . . . . .

I will plant my tomatoes out back along the sidewalk and fence. I will be able to tie them up to the fence. I had planned to tie them up to the fence out front, but I think they will be too easy for neighbors to grab and run. However, I may put a couple of the tomato plants out there to see what happens.

Yesterday, while I was up on a (small) ladder painting the door frame, MK was working on homework and needed to research some information on sharks. Since I was elbow deep in green paint, I wasn't in a position to deal with guiding her through a search on the internet -- the computer is in a room on the opposite end of the house. So, I suggested she go to the encyclopedia.

I thought that using the encyclopedia would help her with using "guide words" that she has been learning about in her spelling and in her comprehension. "Guide words" are those words on the spine and pages of the encyclopedia, and the pages of the dictionary that are alphabetical and guide you to what you are seeking . . . so, I thought this would be good practice as she has had problems with it in her workbooks. Putting this information that she has been learning to use should help her understand the concept.

I gave her the clue to start by finding a book with the letter S on the spine. Well, she still had trouble with it. She proceeded to pull out books 24 and 25 and read the guide words , "SKIN between SUPER, SUPER between TRANS". (She always says between like that. Ages "9 between 11") Even though she uses the word "between" she doesn't get it that there are words BETWEEN skin and super! Gee. Anyway, I told her to spell shark and think about what she was seeing. Doesn't SH come before SK? Try book #23 and see what you find. Open it and look inside . . . like a dictionary!

So, she brings back #23 and opens it and very soon she finds shark. "OHHHHHHHH!" I swear I saw that light bulb turn on above her head.

Now, she complains, "I have to read all that!" This, coming from a child whose lifeblood is reading?? Oh well, it was a whole maybe three paragraphs of small print. So, she read it and decided she didn't find the information she needed and the assignment was too hard anyway. So, guess what she will be working on today. You got it, she has to complete the assignment and I have to listen to her whine about how hard it is while guiding her; and, when she gets it done, it will have been easy. That's how it goes. She gives up easily, but when she does complete something, it wasn't so bad. This is a part of her generalized anxiety, I think. I try to get her to take things one step at a time instead of being scared away by the whole picture.

ANYWAY, what I was thinking about in regard to the encyclopedia: I remember as a child having our little Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia and all the available encyclopedia and other resource books available at the town library. I used to love going to the old library and going upstairs into the adult section of the library to research in the encyclopedia. I didn't have to do it very often, but when I did, I loved it. I loved the old book smell. I loved the big wooden tables with the smooth surface -- the big wooden chairs with the varnish so slick you could slide off if you weren't careful.

What I was pondering (MK used that word recently - impressive) while I was painting the door was whether or not an encyclopedia set is published anymore. I mean, when you think about it, when I was a child there was no internet. We used books. We went to the library. If we had to write a research paper, we looked in the encylopedia. Now, the encyclopedia seems so very limited in its usefulness when you can glean so much more information on the net.

In this age of computer-generated information and learning, we have to be careful -- our sources may not be reliable. They may not be correct. People like myself could be researching information on the internet and writing articles that are posted on the internet as "information." (That's exactly what I do on my on-line job!)

What if our information came from incorrect sources? The information gleaned could be inaccurate or out-right wrong. Well, what about the information in the encyclopedia? How did we know if they were accurate? We just trusted that they were. We were sure that the information was carefully sought out and checked. These days people trust that the information they find on the internet is carefully researched and accurate. Sadly, not all of it is.

If I was truly interested in whether or not the encyclopedia is still published, I am sure I could find out by researching on the internet.