Pleasant Surprises: Durham Home Hair Stylist
During Covid, my friend Marshunda (the mother of one of my son’s classmates) set up a salon room in her house (she is trained in cosmotology). Meanwhile, my daughter dyed my long hair “Menopausal Covid Red”. I’d never dyed my hair before; and it was fun even if my husband didn’t like it 🙃. It also wasn’t going to grow out any time soon. I watched the line of gray move from the top of my head downward ; and, around the eight-month mark, I texted Marshunda that I wanted her to give me rainbow hair …
N.C. Bill Hinders Local Tree Protection Ordinances, Underscores Need to End Gerrymandering
A couple weeks ago, our tree maintenance company requested that we contact our state legislators to oppose a NC bill requiring localities to receive state approval for future (and many existing) tree protection requirements. For decades, the state-created NC Forest Service has encouraged and assisted local governments in Developing Tree Protection Ordinances. NC State and other NC Universities have also gone to great lengths to educate local governments and the public about the importance and ways to develop tree protection ordinances. And now the Republican-majority NC General Assembly is setting itself up to negate these same local tree protection ordinances.
The Willow (Seamus Rooney) plus Berklee Update
Among the four Berklee Music Production grads that Seamus and I had the good fortunate to talk with (thanks Watts Hospital Hillandale Neighborhood List Serve!), the consensus is that Berklee’s pretty awesome... with these caveats…
Seamus's Abyss
Thanks for the positive feedback and informative responses to my last post regarding choosing between Berklee and UNC-Asheville for Child #2. We still have not received a financial package from Berklee. The Berklee admissions office told Seamus his official transcript was not received in time and that we should receive the financial details in a couple weeks. His decision is due May 1, mind you (exactly 2 weeks away).
Is Berklee Worth it? Weighing College Options for Child #2
We are still waiting for my son’s financial package from Berklee, but our online research indicates that it will cost >4 times what UNC-Asheville has offered him. We know UNC-A is a great value. This year, U.S. News & World Report ranked it the seventh-best public liberal arts university in the United States, Forbes magazine ranked it #21 in the country for "Best College Value", and the Princeton Review ranked it within the top 13% of America's four-year colleges…
Lesson Plan: Plants and Spring Planting
Shortly after the Coronavirus quarantine started last year, my elementary-school 'pod' and I did a 4-days plants rotation … So today we planted the seeds of several spring vegetables … All three types of seeds are large and beautifully round, like tiny marbles. Using a ruler, we compared their sizes and found that …
Regarding the County Manager's Contract and Upcoming Renewal
Below is the email I sent the Durham County Commissioners regarding the current County Manager's excessive contract. If you feel remotely inclined, please send your own concerns to your elected officials and feel free to cut and paste my letter (or any part thereof). Thanks for caring and sharing, Melissa
Big Loss of a Big Soul
It’s hard to contemplate how such a big soul can disappear so suddenly and so completely, which I’m sure is why “Annabelle” is the song in my head today as my family returns home from a college visit to attend Mike’s memorial service…
Judy Garland's Ever Elusive Rainbow
Judy Garland first recorded “Over the Rainbow” for The Wizard of Oz with MGM on October 7, 1938. Since then, the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts ranked the song number one on the “Songs of the Century” list, and the American Film Institute named it the greatest movie song of all time on the list of “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs.” Somewhere Over the Rainbow was adopted in World War II by American troops in Europe as a symbol of the United States…
Remembering Mr. Hammond
My #ThemeSong today, once again, is Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes. It's one of my all-time favorites, and today the chorus calls to mind the life of SamHammond, long-time carillonneur at Duke University (53 years, daily(!)) and generous accompanist for Duke University String School (local elementary through high-school students, many on scholarship), who passed away recently. …
Durham Elementary Students to Return to In-person Learning 4 Days/Week (!)
My last post concerned the debate over whether Durham Public Schools should resume in-person learning in order to accommodate state legislation mandating a return to in-person instruction within 15 days (of the legislation's passing). Discussion on the topic has become heated and personal, which I find sad and incredibly frustrating. The simple question is this: After doing remote learning for nearly 12 months, why are we forcing teachers and staff back into classrooms mere weeks ahead of ensuring they are administered the vaccination we've all been waiting for?
From a Teacher in Durham, North Carolina, on the Forced Reopening of Schools
A Durham, NC, public school teacher’s take on North Carolina’s forced reopening of schools for in-person learning, and Durham Public Schools planned response.
The Ironic Story Behind My Sweet Bessie Van
Eight to ten years ago, back when I lived in a South Durham Home Owner's Association (HOA), my neighbor across the street complained about the chalk drawings on our driveway, then my Obama signs, then our vegetable garden - all of which resulted in violation letters and my presence before the HOA board of directors to defend my actions…
What’s in a word?
Recently a childhood friend posted on Facebook: “If I ever did anything that you thought was racist or that offended you, I’m sorry.”
“How can you apologize for something when you don’t even know what it is you’re apologizing for?” I responded.
Since then, I’ve thought a lot about how I may have facilitated the racism that is unavoidable in our world today, and one memory keeps surfacing…
Halgo European Deli and Groceries
“After providing a uniquely Polish experience in Durham, NC, for 12 years, Halgo European Deli has closed it’s doors. In memoriam, I’m reposting my review of them back in 2017. I’m sad not to be able to go through their doors again.”
Teach Electricity (to kids as young as 4) using Elenco Snap Circuits
…While the kids built increasingly complex circuits, including games they could play with one another, I spouted on about Ohm's law and the reasons their circuits were doing the things they were observing. You might think they weren't listening (I did), but when I asked them about Ohm's law during free time at the end of the day, each one of them told me how Voltage, Resistance, and Current are all related; and the two older ones actually remembered the equation…
Why I'm Voting (Again) for Durham County Commissioner Wendy Jacobs
…Unlike me and since I first encountered her, Wendy has responded to situations that don’t make sense to her with calm, objectivity, and pragmatism: “How can we make this better for all of us in the long run, even if it takes time and a lot of work, and even if it's not perfect?” She also has stick-with-ed-ness…
Children's Picture Book, *I Chalk*, Supports In-School Gardening Program
Purchase my children’s picture book “I Chalk” with a container of sidewalk chalk for a unique birthday, Xmas or "just-because" gift. The Amazon price is $12, but I can ship signed copies for $10 a piece (including shipping) if you contact me at melissarooneywriting@gmail.com. Any proceeds this year will be used to fund the in-school garden club I conduct on a weekly basis at Title-1 EK Powe Elementary School in Durham, NC. …