Becker's Gone Wild

Note From Customer

2009-12-21T08:56:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. Becker son and who hand out money to junk selling customers. So sin I am always giving White and Black Peoples a room at my house and all While they was unemployed and homeless and shared my food with them and they treated me wring as hell. So this is a very urgent and emergency letter and I need help desperately and so I begg you to please read all of my letter and as quick as possible.

(Sheet number 1 explanation)
Dear Mr. Becker son and who hand out money and for junk;
So in transpiration I been coming to your junk yard for a long time and there is something that you all don’t know about me and as one of your regular customers also you ought to know I am getting some kind of income and just be me keep on buying all kinds of pretty and fancy clothes.

(Sheet number 2)
So I am 67 years old and I get a $810.00 social security check and on the third of the month and I never have over two hundred left and every month and out of a $810.00 check and because ala power and bham water works and alagasco and telephone bill and house rent is not the only creditors that I have and so they take to much of my monthly check and so that’s why I grabmy grocery buggy and hussle up junk to sell. Also there is a black money loaning man and who got a business in north Bham and he got houses to rent and also he got 5 working vehicles and plenty of money and I been doing business with him regular and for a long time.

(Sheet number 3)
So every month when I pay this black money loaning man $260.00 to $300.00 back well he always loan me $125.00 back and every month but now the devil done got inside of him and made him to dam low down. So on the 3rd of December I paid him 4260.00 and he jump up and told me that I always want to borrow something back and he done got tired of it and he is not go lend me a dam thing back and so that’s why I aint go have anything to eat and for xmas and also he told me to get out of his truck. So money loan companies told me that I only have to pay $10.79 extra backand for a $60.00 loan and when I am always paying this black man $40.00 extra back and for a $60.00 loan.

(Sheet number 4)
Also this money loan company told me pn phone that I only have to pay back $30.00 extra and for a $150.00 loan and when I pay thi black man much more than that back and yet he done got sick in the head enough to get tired of me. Also this money loan company said that I only have to pay back about $38.00 and for $190.00 loan and when I pay this black to much more than that back and he aint got sense enough to appreciate me. So this black man never told me what to pay him back and because he always ask me what I will pay back and if he agree then he will give me the money.

(Sheet number 5)
So on the third of December I only bought $90.00 worth of grocery and a bag of dog food and for my two dogs and so all of my food is gone. So I was coming to your junk yard regular but now the peoples working on the free way and expanding it and down here by my house done stop throwing away a lots of stuff and for me to get and sell to your junk yard and so now I cant hardly find anything to sell. So now I am going to tell you something that I can prove and if the right peoples come to my house and who know I aint lying. So Mr. Becker son I feed the birds and pigeons and stray dogs and cats and practically every day and also I been giving white and black homeless peoples a room in my house and all while they was homeless and

(Sheet number 6)
Unemployed but still I always take them in anyway and until they got on their feets and they treated me wrong as hell and for giving them a place to stay. So I gave this whit prostitute woman a place to stay twice and so now she done got her checks started back and done got a house and also they gave her a big lump sum of money and she spent it all and didn’t give me a dam thing and she still got the nerves to drop by my house and talk and I never turn her away. Also when I was renting from another realastate I gave a homeless white man a place to stay and then I walk around with him and everyday and helped him to get a job and when he made his first pay day well he wouldn’t come back to my house and to pick up

(Sheet number 7)
His suit case of clothes and he never gave me a dime. Also there was this real old white lady friend of mines and who had no family living and so me and her use to push our grocery buggies to the junk yard together and to sell our stuff. So before this old white lady died well she ask me to wash out her bowel stool filled clothesand in her bath tub and on her rub board. So frankly I don’t like sticking my hands in my own bowel stool but still I went ahead and did this for this old white lady friend of mines and her name was Mrs Lucille H Hill. Also I done told other white business owners about what I did and they was still low down to let me owe them 3, 4, and 5 dollars

(Sheet number 8)
Also Mr. Becker son well one of your big boss employees use to pass my house regular but they never looked at my house or me sitting on the porch. So I am talking about your employee that wear a gun and got all of those smoking pipes and I want a smoking pipe and real bad but he wouldn’t let me have one of his pipes and when you all was insidethat other old building so they don’t sell smoking pipes down town and I want one bad. Also on September 3rd , and 2008 well someone stole over 3hundred dollars worth of my money orders and at piggly wiggly grocery store and in north bham and so western union been done paid me for two of my stolen money orders and long long ago but they still owe me a balance of $315.23 but wont

(Sheet number 9)
Pay me and they keep ignoring all of my letters and wont never write me back. So all 6 of my blank money orders was stolen at the same time but western union only paid me for two of them and they been OWING me a balance of $325.23 and every since sept. 3rd and 2008 and piggly wiggly still selling their money orders. So Mr. Becker son I need you to loan me $25.00 or $30.00 for xmas and to buy food and also I want to welcome you to drive by my house and on 18th street north and down from truck pro and then look ar all of my creative and good sense thinking and in my front yard and front porch and back proch and to see what kind of man is coming to your junk yard.
So for collateral I got a nice electric jig saw and which I need and also I got some nice binnoculars also talk to your employee that wear a gun and see if you can talk him into crediting me over one of his smoking pipes and because I couldn’t find one down town and on check day.

So Dear Mr. Becker son and if the freeway construction peoples was still throwing away a lots of tin and steel daily and so I wouldnt have to worry you and all but since they done stop thowing away stuff and so I cant find anything else to sell to you. My phone no. is 3235871 and my name is Willie.

(1st “from your” )
From your to regular junk selling customer and which is 67 years old Willie and who have two dogs. So I only have 42 minutes left on my cell phone and so my cell phone number is (2153067)

(2nd “from your”)
From your junk selling customer Willie James Mccurdy and at 2516-18th street north.

Wildly Behind

2009-09-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

Wow. It's been a long time. I seriously thought about starting another blog and ditching this one. But, I got all philosophical and realized I'm too old to call "do over". It might make me feel better to start over rather than admitting I suck at blogging, but it wouldn't change anything. So, I guess I'll live with being a sucky blogger and get on with it...

A summer has come and gone without too much wildness. The highlight was mine and Jon's trip to Costa Rica. Here are some pictures:

Hilarious Heresy

2009-03-04T15:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a story my second grade English language learners wrote. The assignment was to write a new version of the Cinderella story. I helped them with the grammar and mechanics, but I swear I didn't feed them ideas. They're very clever kids.

Once upon a time there was a man named Jack Black. He lived in Los Angles, California, with his stepmom and step sisters. His stepmom and step sisters were mean. When they moved into his house, they told Jack to move to the basement so that they could have his room. They were so mean that they left their dishes on the table and Jack Black cleaned them. They took their shoes and threw them at him. They had horses, and Jack asked if he could ride them. His stepsisters said, “No.”
Ashley was a pretty movie star. It was her birthday. She was having a party. At her party, Ashley was going to look for someone to marry. She invited everyone to her castle-like house. Jack’s step sisters would not let him go to Ashley’s party. His step mother said he couldn’t go because he had dirty clothes. Jack was sad.
When Jack’s family leaves, Baby Jesus poofed to Jack’s house. “AHHHH!” Jack screamed. He was scared. “I am Jesus. I am here to grant your wish.” “What?” asked Jack. “Don’t you want something?” asked Jesus. “I want some clothes to go to the party.”
Baby Jesus said, “Boo-pa-boo-pa.” Suddenly, Jack was wearing a black suit and a gold tie. “Now I want a limo with a TV,” said Jack Black. Baby Jesus said, “Boo-pa-boo-pa.” A long black limo with gold rims appeared. Baby Jesus said, “If you don’t come home before midnight, everything will disappear.”
Jack Black went to the party in his limo. When he drove up, an old man walked in front of his car. Jack turned so that he would not hit the man. He crashed through the wall. Everyone stopped dancing and looked. When Jack Black got out of the car, Ashley saw him. She said, “He is the one I am looking for.” She told her mother, “I am in love.”
Ashley and Jack Black danced. Then they kissed. Jack saw that it was 11:59. He ran away because his clothes would disappear. Ashley chased him. He got in his limo and drove as fast as he could. Ashley could not keep up. Suddenly, the car disappeared and Jack went flying through the air.
Ashley went home and cried to her mom. She said, “That is the only boy I have ever liked.” She was so tired and sad that she went to bed. “I will look for him tomorrow and if I don’t find him I will keep looking,” she said.
Jack was hurt and was taken to the hospital. He had a broken leg. He had to walk with crutches.
The next day, Ashley woke up early. She left her house to look for Jack. A boy on a bike threw a paper to Ashley’s house as she walked outside. The paper hit her. She fell down and hit her head on the ground. She was so mad, but then she saw the front of the paper. There was a picture of Jack. The paper told about his crash. It said he was at the hospital.
“I am going to go to the hospital to visit him,” she said to her mother. When she got there she asked Jack if he wanted to get married. “Yes!” he said. They got married. They moved to Mexico to get away from Jack’s stepsisters and stepmom. They had one boy and one girl. They lived happily ever after.

I Heart Cathedral Windows

2009-02-25T03:45:00.000-08:00

All you non-quilters (that is typed with all kinds of snobbiness), are so confused right now. The quilt block with which these pillows are constructed is called Cathedral Window and it is my all time favorite block. I love the look of the folded fabric. I've got really big plans for it in the future, but this Christmas, I had to stick with simple and quick projects. Hence, lots of single block pillows for grandmas and sisters-in-laws. I made my mom and Jon's mom table runners with the same block, but don't have pictures of those. Here's a close up of the block.

Sew Spot

2009-02-15T18:33:00.000-08:00

This was once a pretty pitiful looking old sewing table that my aunt found in the garage of her lake house. You'll have to take my word for it regarding its previous condition, because I forgot to get a before shot. My dad worked his carpentry magic on it. (I helped a little). And now, it is a beautiful piece that fits perfectly in my tiny hall and provides a place for me to display and store a bit of my quilting.

I have indeed been doing more quilting... well, I did before Christmas. I'll share the results with you soon.

Holiday Adventures

2008-12-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

Jon and I went...

over the river (literally)

From Thanksgiving 2008

and through the woods (make that cow pasture)

From Thanksgiving 2008

to get our Christmas tree.

From Thanksgiving 2008

It was a wild adventure. We're finally living up to our blog name, and here's the result.

From Chrstmas 2008

Christmas Comes Early

2008-12-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

Our mayor was arrested this morning and I was happy.I guess the sackcloth meeting actually worked. We are getting criminals off the street.

Jon

Happy Halloween

2008-11-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

With Jon's birthday on November 1st and my love of costumes, Halloween is always an exciting holiday at our house. This year we hosted our community group Halloween party which involved...

homemade costumes

the 2nd annual urban hayride

some leg wrestling (to settle a costume contest tie)

and best of all....

costume-wearing dogs!

What floats like a butterfly?

And stings like a bee?

Lucky the boxer!

Being so cute is exhausting!

Home Improvments

2008-09-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

I've managed to make a few dints in my to do list. (I outsourced a good portion of it!) Here's a glimpse of some of the home improvements we made over the summer:
Before

After

Anyone who's visited knows the front step was a hazard. Now you can approach the house with ease. We hired someone to pour the step and then I repainted the porch.

A second hazard (at least for our attempts to sale the house) was the lack of privacy in the backyard. I'd already redone the back deck to make it cute and useful, but I was a bit stumped about how to create some privacy from the apartments behind us. My mom and dad came and built the frame and then I added the curtains.

Back To School

2008-08-21T17:58:00.000-07:00

Schools in and I'm excited. It is going to be a great year. One reason is because I have my own classroom again! Here's a peak inside:

Here's the view from the door.

This is the reading center. My favorite place!

The listening center.

Computer stations.

Our circle time space and entry way.

This is a rocking chair I found at a antique shop and revamped. (Thanks Morris and Ginny!)

Cute curtains I made!

Our Great Escape

2008-07-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

Jon and I just got back from a vacation in California. We had an amazing time! Our great escape involved:

- renting a jeep and driving to Napa Valley. We had a picnic lunch at V. Sattui winery, went to a forest filled with petrified redwoods, and visited Old Faithful. That night we ate at an amazing restaurant and stayed in a great hotel.

- heading through redwood forests and other scenery toward Mendicino, CA. In Mendicino we walked the beach/rocky coast, browsed shops and admired gardens. We stayed in a B and B b/c that is about all they have in the small town. B and Bs aren't our style, but there's no denying it was a nice place.

- driving along the California coast. AMAZING! This was our favorite part. It was beautiful, relaxed and fun.

-spending time with friends. We stayed with Joseph and Rachel Digerness. They showed us some of there favorite San Fran spots, and introduced us to Sausilito and Tiburon. We celebrated the 4th with them at a county fair in Merin. Oh, that's right... ferris wheel, corn dogs, and cow manure. It was such fun! We also got the see the adorable Prentiss family!

This vacation was a perfect mix of exploring beautiful new terrain and connecting with far away friends. Thank you Joseph and Rachel for your hospitality! Thank you Jon for being a great travel companion!

Summer Project 1

2008-06-24T17:07:00.001-07:00

Isn't it beautiful? Oh, the organization makes my heart sing. Matching hangers, cubbies, a shoe organizer... what more can a girl want? I got right to this project the weekend after school ended and thought it would start off my summer with a sense of accomplishment. It did that, but the feeling has wained.

Only 5 more weeks to:
- refinish an antique sewing table
- build raised flower beds
- create a frame and fabric curtain for the back deck
- find someone to redo the front steps
- make a teaching website
- rearrange a classroom
- plan portfolio assignments for my students
- sew a quilt

I can do it, right?

Finished

2008-06-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

I took a quilting class in March, and finished my little quilt....at the end of May. Let's just say hand quilting may not be my forte. But quilting is definitely a hobby I am trying to pursue. This quilt is a pattern called single Irish chain and I choose 1930's reproduction fabrics. I'm really proud of it.

Since finishing it, I've also made a small rag quilt, and 2 little patchwork doggies. I'll share pictures of those in the future.

A Toast

2007-10-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Jon and I were at a wedding in San Francisco. I enjoyed the toasts at the rehearsal dinner. It was refreshing to hear people say nice things about others. I wanted to make a toast, but felt it was inappropriate since I was the wife of a groomsman and would mention the groom's previous engagement- ooo, taboo.

I love that we can see God's character stamped all over our lives and not just where we have been taught to expect it. My toast would have been about how I could see that God is a redeemer by looking a this friend's love life. He was engaged before and it was wrong, and weird, and almost destroyed him. Now, he's married to a wonderful and beautiful girl that makes him smile.

I also love that regardless of whether we see it, God's character is stamped all over our lives. Weddings always serve to remind me how beautiful, spiritual, and miraculous my marriage is. It's something I tend to forget in the day to day, but thankfully, that doesn't make it untrue.

When 5 year olds make you feel like a million bucks

2007-10-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

One of the most wonderful parts of my job is that I work with 5 year olds. These little creatures have a way of working magic on one's self-esteem.

We were counting cookies in cookie jars (not real cookies, but felt ones- otherwise we could chalk up my students reaction as a response to sugar and not my incredible wit). We started the lesson by reading a sentence on the board: There are three cookies in the cookie jar. I then counted out three cookies into my cookie jar making an intentional error. The kids irrupted into laughter. Apparently a teacher making a mistake is top-notch comedy for Kindergartners. The best part is that they never tired of the joke. With each sentence, I'd count wrong or write the wrong number, and always the same reaction of uncontrollable laughter. One boy announced after every mistake I made, "That's SO funny!"

Yeah, feels good.

A Perfect Weekend

2007-09-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

Jon and I have had a perfect weekend. The events of the last three days may not have been what I would describe as the perfect weekend had the questioned been posed. But, as the weekend comes to a close, I can say with confidence it was near perfect. Here's how it went:

Friday night-
Dinner at Nabeel's. Nabeel's is one of our favorites and we haven't been in quite a while. I love the greek salad with chicken salad and a side order of fried potatoes.
Relaxing at home.

Saturday-
Bagels for Breakfast. I picked Panera because I love the cinnamon crunch bagel. Panera tried to ruin our perfect weekend by having terrible service. As with everything in this life there is not such thing as true perfection.
Errands, Estate Sales, and Garage Sales. The best parts of this portion of the weekend were driving with the windows down and the cute red purse I found at an estate sale.
Planting flowers. A part of the errands mentioned earlier involved buying new plants to replace all the mums I managed to kill. Though I'm not so great with plants, I do love them! Afternoon chat on the front porch. Our friend Amit, my parents, and my brother and sister-in-law all stopped by. We spent hours enjoying the sun on the front porch.
Italian for supper. Manicotti at Giuseppe's.
Time alone. Jon had plans with some guys, which he thoroughly enjoyed. I headed to the store to pick out a magazine. At home I took a shower, put on some soft PJs (a gift from my mother-in-law, Ginny, who shares this love with me), and rounded up my doggies for some snuggling in bed. I waited up for Jon by watching episodes of the Office. We may have finally earned the name of this blog by staying up until after 12:00!

Sunday-
Late morning. I slept until 9:30!
Almuerzo de Enchiladas. We had lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant- Cocina Superior as Brookwood Mall. Their chicken enchiladas are delicious!
New cell phones and Ben and Jerry's. I finally got a new (working) cell phone. Jon also got some Nextel's for work. My patience while he spent about an hour getting these earned me some Ben and Jerry's. Chocolate Therapy- Yum!
Tannehill State Park. Jon and I decided we needed a excursion. He suggested Tannehill, so we headed there to enjoy the beautiful day.
Movies and hotdogs. We're ending the day with movies and a hotdog dinner. Jon's the chef!

Always an Adventure

2007-09-22T17:29:00.001-07:00

Teaching is always an adventure. As with all adventures, there are pleasant parts and not so pleasant parts. In the case of teaching there are pleasant students and not so pleasant students. I'll share with you a story about each kind...

Mema (I changed his name) is a new student this year. He is from Japan, knows very little English, and has mild autism. He is so cute! This week I discovered he is an incredible artist. When I asked the students to write a journal about what they like to do at school, Mema drew a Nepolean Dynamite style lion. When I asked him if it was a lion he shook his head no, added a belt, and wrote GRRR to the picture. Then I asked him how this showed what he liked to do at school. He drew a rectangle around the creature. Added a spiral down he side to show that it was a piece a paper and then squeezed a picture of himself holding a pencil into the corner of the page. Clever! Apparently he likes to draw at school.

And now for the not so pleasant... Lila is another new first grader. She spends her time in my class rolling on the floor, giggling obnoxiously, and pestering the other students. I've tried my range of classroom management resources (though this is admittedly not my strong point) and have no clue how to motivate this kid. By Friday this week I was fed up. She started the day as usual and I decided to get tough. I gave a very forceful lecture ( I try to avoid these, but I'd used all my other tricks) about how she would do what I told her to today because I was the teacher. She responded, "So?" I continued my lecture and ended by explaining that if she chose not to do as I asked then we would go to the office and call her mom. Her response: "You don't know my number. Tell me my number. You don't know it." Determined to behave like an adult and not engage in a "No, you don't." Yes, I do." argument, I decided to ignore her and turned my attention to the other students and my lesson. My childlike tendencies got the best of me, however, when she announced that her telephone number was 831. "That is not enough numbers to be a telephone number Lila, apparently you don't know your number either." To that, she babbled out a few more numbers. I regained my adult posture and continued ignoring her. It sounds like the lecture was completely ineffective, but she actually did what I asked for the next 20 minutes or so. Our time together ended with my wadding up her paper and throwing it away because she folded it when I told her not to (I'm going to admit that was not a necessary move, but I wasn't thinking straight at that point). Oh, my!

The picture shows all the countries my students are from. The number on the jersey represent how many students are from that country.

It's Official

2007-09-15T12:17:00.001-07:00

Some of you have heard the word and others have not. It's official now- we're selling our house. It has actually been official since Monday, but I haven't had time to blog about it until now. It's all rather sudden and exciting. We've been talking about wanting more space for a few months now, but our ideal time line included me graduating, me getting a raise, and then our finding a house. Things don't always go as planned and we found a house we liked ahead of schedule. Click here to see why I love it.

We have a contract on the house, so everything is now dependent on our selling our house. If you know someone in the market direct them to these picture or this MLS listing.

Space Invaders

2007-09-01T15:43:00.001-07:00

I've stayed home from a family reunion this weekend to study for my comprehensive exams that I'll take next month. Jon went without me, but I have been far from lonely. You see, I live with three space invaders.

This morning when I sat to begin typing essay outlines, I was immediately joined by Macy, Leroy and Moses. They have no respect for any other object that requires an inch of my lap, so the laptop had to find a new resting place. At one point I got up to get a hair drier and then sat back down on the opposite end of the couch. Though the dogs had returned to their naps after having been shoved from their positions so that I could stand, it took them only a few seconds to realize I had returned to a seated posture. They promptly relocated themselves! I tried the switch again once my hair was dry and I went back to studying, but had the same amount of success as in my previous attempt. At one point, Moses was unable to find a spot on my lap so he climbed up a settled himself around the back of my neck.

Now as I type, Leroy is stretched across my legs which are propped on the coffee table. Macy is nestled up against Leroy in my lap, and Moses is snuggled at my side. Though invasive, they are cute, warm, and fairly quiet company. Click on the picture above to see just how cute they are.

Post 2: Book Review

2007-08-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

It was fun to think through my favorite books while filling out my profile. I am not committed to the list; there are so many books I love. There are also a lot I don't like- I tend to feel strongly one way or the other.

I'll tell you about my favorite summer read. My mom introduced me to it after I expressed some disappointment with the author Pat Conroy. Once I read The Water Is Wide, I had to seriously rethink my opinion. I loved this book! It is the autobiographical story of a man who goes to teach poverty-stricken African American kids on an island off of S. Carolina (Yamacraw). It's touching, and humorous, and inspiring all rolled into one. For my fellow educators, it is a must read. Everyone else is sure to enjoy it too.

No promises

2007-08-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

Though I'm not always consistent in this habit, I love checking my friends blogs and reading their amusing and insightful summaries of life. As I caught up on my reading tonight, I realized that in a way I was being a poor friend. Am I pursuing genuine friendship and life sharing if I am enjoying the status of standing behind a tinted window. I can see you, but you can't see me. Plus, I thought it would be fun to try my hand at blogging!

I'm a bit intimidated by the endeavor, but as long as you'll accept that I'm making no promises to be a faithful post-er, then I'll give it a shot.

For first comments, I request name suggestions. As most of you know there is little wild about the life of the Becker's, so I don't think this name will work.