tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-136467832011-04-21T21:15:48.769-07:00In 1999 our family returned to the United States after 20 out of the preceding 30 years having been spent in Europe. For myself, at the age of 49, I had lived over half that time, outside the country. I'm still getting accustomed to being 'back.'Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.comBlogger161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-55074327661620363622011-03-05T09:14:00.002-08:002011-03-05T09:20:38.729-08:00

So many blogs, so little time.For those who follow links from the breadcrumbs left by automatic sign-ins, and who are looking for current blog entries, mine are at:Happy as KingsValerie BonhamTossed by the FatesI think that's it. No, there's another one, but I haven't used it in ages, poor neglected thing.

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-31694776017425788772009-05-30T11:05:00.004-07:002009-05-30T11:12:01.412-07:00

At one of my other blogs, I posted a crossword for writers who want to write an article about homeschooling. I couldn't include the answers on that blog for the obvious reason that anyone reading the blog would see the answers practically on the same screen. Because of that little glitch, I'm putting the answers here.To see the crossword, go to Happy As Kings.

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-60221959042380266102008-06-24T06:39:00.002-07:002008-06-24T06:42:33.153-07:00

Right now I'm trying to decide where to put another 'work.' It doesn't look as if this particular blog format has what I want -- categories. It has "labels," but those look more like search terms for spiders and such; not what I'm looking for. I could also make do without the 'pages,' in WordPress, but not without categories.At least I've figured out another way not to produce the other 'work.'

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-28372688865351188712008-01-30T11:44:00.000-08:002008-01-30T11:47:38.966-08:00

Poor Repatria has been patiently sitting here, all alone. I'm amazed that,She's still here.She still works.Amazing.Most of my homeschool blogging is at HEM's News and Commentary (see previous post). Most of my personal blogging is at Happy As Kings.Maybe just for fun, I'll throw the occastional post over here. Just for variety.

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-6797440246620160042007-10-30T06:06:00.000-07:002007-10-30T06:08:27.053-07:00

I'm plagued by the problem of Too Many Blogs To Keep Up With. All homeschooling news can be read at Home Education Magazine's News and Commentary blog.

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-1127575969987197622005-09-24T08:28:00.000-07:002005-09-24T08:32:49.996-07:00

Some online friends can't get to Happy As Kings, so I'll re-post the info here. I'd be tidier about it, but I'm on the run, and late to boot.1st entry:HR 3753/S 1691 at The Military HomeschoolerI'm working on updating my website, but the writing is taking longer than I thought because Section 10 of the bills is completely new this time around (most of the homeschool 'nondiscrimination' bill was

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-1127050691304748162005-09-18T06:37:00.000-07:002005-09-18T06:38:11.306-07:00

While we were driving home we were listening to the Oldies station, one that flogs the songs of the sixties and seventies as "sing along" music. This music used to be so cutting edge the grownups turned it off, hated it, banned it. It was evil, and sure to send all of us who listened to it straight to hell, which is probably a reasonable adult reaction to whatever the kids are getting up to.

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-1123699638448091772005-08-10T11:37:00.000-07:002005-08-10T11:48:18.763-07:00

Quotes from GOP about Bosnia War . . .ooh, that last one: "Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."-Governor George W Bush (R-TX)Another similarity between the two situations is that in both cases the country was told that the troops would be involved only for a limited time. Hmmm, there's a web site so they must still be there

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-1122787923769392822005-07-30T21:05:00.000-07:002005-07-30T22:32:03.783-07:00

At David W. Boles' Urban Semiotic, he asks if there are parents who homeschool for reasons other than religion. Yes, there are. There are quite a few of us doing (or having done) that very thing.I started homeschooling because I saw my younger three kids running into some of the same patterns and problems that their older brother experienced; at the beginning the homeschooling was a social/

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-1121278832595202572005-07-13T11:10:00.000-07:002005-07-13T11:50:33.633-07:00

Ho, ho! It worked!I knew I could do it elsewhere, but it's double the fun to be able to do it here, too.Thank you, Blogger.(btw, the person in the image is me taking a picture at the Aquarium in Bermuda on a return-to-our-roots cruise with classmates from high school) (the only way I get into photos is to snap reflections of myself)Try #1: Now to see how this loads . . .Try #2: Ohhh-kay, let's

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-1121181194295751322005-07-12T08:09:00.000-07:002005-07-12T08:13:14.300-07:00

Leonard PittsTell me again how the Iraq war has made us safer from terrorism. Spin for me once more the theory of how, by drawing the terrorists' attention there, we've made ourselves more secure here. Point out for me again how we've suffered no terrorist attack since the day George Bush took the fight to the enemy.. . .Here's my take: Staggered and made to feel helpless by the Sept. 11 attacks,

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-1120361224105045252005-07-02T17:33:00.000-07:002005-07-02T20:27:04.133-07:00

On a high school alumni email list someone posted an email about how the United States is a Christian nation and that the Ten Commandments are rightly posted in public places. I was blowing it off until I got to the end (I was curious about how the email would conclude): "It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God. Therefore, it is very hard to understand why there is such a mess about

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-1119926922272799522005-06-27T19:38:00.000-07:002005-06-27T19:48:42.273-07:00

McVities biscuits threatenedFor any Americans reading (or for anyone reading -- who can tell at this point?), the biscuits are like graham crackers, but a bit chewier.I probably need to go eat one, just because I can.

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-1119925350272387442005-06-27T19:14:00.000-07:002005-06-27T19:22:30.276-07:00

Radio LuxembourgAnd there are web sites for it. I don't remember it broadcasting in English, only in what I can guess was Luxembourish. The disk jockey would chatter on during the countdown, and then say something that sounded like "Nummell [insert what I assume was a number]!" and the music would start. We picked up Radio Luxembourg all over Germany -- the transmitter must have been huge.

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-1119824595457456982005-06-26T13:03:00.000-07:002005-06-26T15:23:15.473-07:00

Yesterday the town I live in had its "Community Days" parade. My mother was supposed to have ridden in it as one of the WWII veterans with the American Legion and we were looking forward to seeing her with others of the Great Generation. She didn't make it because she got the time wrong on when to catch the bus, and, at 83, she can be forgiven for that. But that's neither here nor there

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13646783.post-1118950493072814982005-06-16T12:27:00.000-07:002005-06-16T12:34:53.076-07:00

I'd probably be doing pretty much what I'm doing now, tending cats, keeping house and frittering away my time by writing soft-ball stuff such as this. But I'd get to go to fests. And eat schnitzel more than I do now. And go see castles with all the Japanese tourists.After five years I'm still coming to terms with living in the American midwest. I don't know that that will ever happen, but

Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979813592002598343noreply@blogger.com0