Fun Friday: Crape Myrtle Tree

Today is Fun Friday at my Blogging For Fun group. We are on week four of or tree meme, and I have been focusing on trees that grow in Florida. When we first moved to Florida I would see the most peculiar looking tree. It was very tall growing well above roof tops, with beautiful pink flowers only at the very top. Very odd looking indeed. So when I saw some planted at my place of employment I asked what they were. I was told they were Crape Myrtles. So I had to know why do they grow so tall, and only flower at the top. There are different kinds, like any tree. With proper pruning you can encourage the tree to grow out like a more normal flowering tree, with flowers on the whole tree. Crape Myrtles can bloom almost 50% of the year in some spots, until very cold weather comes in. They are a hardy tree, and is one of the most widely planted tree in the US, for decorative purposes. When we bought our home the previous owners had done an amazing job with the landscaping. We have at least three Crape Myrtle trees on our property. They grow the most beautiful pink flowers you can see.

Illinois Sheriff Puts A Hold On Evictions, New SIDS Prevention

A Cook County Sheriff, has ordered Deputies, to stop enforcing evictions of families who rent homes. Why would he do this do you ask? Families who are renting homes, from homeowners that have defaulted on their mortgages, are being evicted from their homes. Starting today, that will be put on hold. The Sheriff feels, these renters, are innocent victims, of the mortgage failures. So what do you think about this? Do you think it is fair for them to stay there, as long as they continue to pay their rent? Who does the rent go to, if the owner has defaulted on the loan? I would think the rent, would go to the bank than now owns the defaulted mortgage. I dont really understand why they would be evicted to begin with. If they are paying their rent on time, why would there be a need to be evicted, no matter who owns the home. You would think the bank, would welcome the extra income. Now if they were not paying the rent, or were in default on their rent, then I could see pursuing an eviction.

SIDS, was in the news again today. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, is something that parents, are always concerned with, especially with an infant child. Today it was reported, through a new study, that having a fan in the room reduced SIDS occurences, by up to 72%. That is a huge number, and seems like such a simple thing to do to help reduce the risk of SIDS. The theory is that the fan helps to circulate the air, and keep air from stagnating. Of course you do not want to blow the fan, directly on the infant, which could lead to the child getting too cold. My children, have always slept with a fan in their room, mostly to drown out noises, but if I had another I would make sure they had one too.

Lesson Plans for 10/9/08:

Reading: Read Chapter 2 of Mummies in the morning
Health: Toothpaste Ads
Math: Division, multiplication
Language Arts: Phonics Review, drawing conclusions
PE: 30 minutes
Writing: You are invited to a party, but they only eat Asparagus, think of two polite excuses not to attend
Spelling: Review lessons 1-5
Vocabulary: Review lessons 1-5
Word Search: Once upon a time