Phyllis Bush is coping with cancer. She received the diagnosis six months ago. She meets each challenge as it comes.

In this post, she reflects on the latest twist of fate, thinking about the tragedy in Las Vegas.

How well I remember that sense of disproportion when my own 2-Year-Old child was dying of leukemia. He was in and out of the hospital six times, sicker each time, enduring dreadful treatments. About three months into this nightmare, a friend and her two children were killed instantly in a terrible car crash. One of the children was my son’s playmate.

There is no sense in any of this suffering. When bad things happen to good people, when the good die young, when tragedy strikes at the hands of a madman, don’t look for reason. There is none.

This is indeed a new world. When I was in my early 20s, and probably long after, the word “cancer” was not mentioned, especially to the patient. The protocol, for some reason, was to lie to the patient as long as possible.

Phyllis Bush, dear friend, founding board member of the Network for Public Education, and a retired teacher in Indiana who also founded the Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education, has been fighting cancer head on. She may have fears, but she deals with them by writing about them. She holds nothing back.

Her courage gives all of us courage.

Kisses and hugs to Phyllis and her loyal friend Donna.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you Moms out there!

I hope you enjoy the day and have the chance to see your child or children.

I had three sons. One died of leukemia at the age of two.

My sons are my treasure.

Though I must admit that I am sorry that I did not have a daughter.

My two sons each have two sons. They add to my treasure.

Enjoy your day!

Phyllis Bush, retired teacher, active member of the board of the Network for Public Education, learned last month that she has cancer.

She decided to blog about it because writing about it helps her cope. Her blog also displays her wit, her wisdom, and her courage.

Her blog is called “Kind of a Big Dill.”

In this installment, she reports the latest news from her oncologist. She plans to take her grandsons to a Cubs’ game, and she contemplates the likelihood of being bald, and what she will do about it.

Phyllis Bush is a retired English teacher in Indiana. She became active in the fight to save public schools in her state as the privatization movement gained steam under Mike Pence’s predecessor as governor, Mitch Daniels. Phyllis was one of the founders of Northeast Indiana Friends of Public Education. She is a powerhouse, a passionate advocate with a wonderful sense of humor, and a wise woman. I met her when I spoke in Indiana at Purdue-IU in 2010. She came to hear me speak, we spoke, and we stayed in touch. When Anthony Cody and I were assembling a board for the Network for Public Education, I immediately thought of Phyllis. She joined our new board and has become one of its leaders.

Phyllis got some bad news a few days ago. She posted the following on her Facebook page, and I asked for her permission to share it. She graciously assented.

She writes:

There is a cancer in the body politic. Our lawmakers seem more intent on playing to the voters they choose rather than on serving all of their constituents. We have grown to expect that the Super Majorities will be more concerned with consolidating and maintaining power and control than with with governance. At this point, I see very little chance for a cure of this cancer.

There is also a cancer in the body of Phyllis Bush. On Friday I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Even though what lies before me feels like a kick in the teeth, I have chosen to be annoyed rather than bummed; in fact, this diagnosis has allowed me to give new meaning to the word pissment. I usually share my middle school mean girl thoughts and potty mouth only with my friends; however, when I was in recovery after my surgery and my doctor gave me the word, all I could think to say was the F word.

I know that my doctors will provide me with a course of treatment options, and together we will decide on a course of action that will provide a cure. Unlike politicians, they are in the business of doing no harm.

Having said that, I know that my family and friends will love me, support me, and make me laugh.

There are way too many injustices that I need to rectify.

There are way too many politicians who need my advice and counsel–and my nipping at their heels like a rat terrier.

There are two grandchildren that I need to see grow up.

Along with thoughts and prayers, here are some other things you can do:

1. Prepare yourself with facts and go talk with a legislator. Leave a one page fact sheet with his or her legislative aide, explaining the issue and how it will benefit him or her.

2. Write a letter to someone you love–to your mom or dad, your grandfather or your grandmother, your grandson or your granddaughter asking them how they are and telling them who you are.

3. Never lose your sense of humor or your sense of wonder.

4. Adopt a rescue dog or cat.

5. Take a kid to the zoo and/or to Zesto.

Years ago when I was in the midst of a difficult time, I used to pop a cassette in the car, turn up the volume, roll down the windows, and sing “Nobody’s gonna break my stride; nobody’s gonna slow me down” at the top of my lungs.
…and that is what I intend to do.

In the following days and weeks, as I learn my course of treatment, you are welcome to follow along (if you wish) as I begin this new adventure.

I know that all of you will join me in sending hugs and prayers to our friend and ally, Phyllis Bush.

Watching the news on any given day is an exercise in masochism. We have to know what is going on, but it is usually not good.

Therefore I conclude that we must take long walks, listen to music, see plays, go to museums, do whatever we can to keep our souls nourished.

Last night, I went to see a parody of “Hamilton,” called “Shamilton.” It is playing at the Triad on West 72 Street in Manhattan. It was fun and hilarious. Christine Pedi, who is a host of the Sirius Broadway Channel, was producer and a member of the cast. I spoke to her afterwards and learned that her sister is an art teacher in a Yonkers middle school. Beforehand, I had oysters with my son and partner at the amazing Mermaid Inn on Amsterdam Avenue and 88 Street.

Go, if you can.

If you can’t, visit your community theater, support the arts, go to a museum, sing, dance, watch others singing and dancing, and re-invigorate your soul with the joy of the arts.

Since I have received several offers of legal help, I want you to know that the previous post by John Merrow was FAKE NEWS!

These days, it is hard to tell the difference between satire and reality. (Here is Andy Borowitz today, real or fake?) Borowitz is always humor, as is the Onion, but you would be surprised at the number of people who don’t recognize satire, parody, humor. On April Fool’s Day, I posted a piece from the Onion about VP Pence asking the waiter to remove the bottle of Mrs. Butterworth from his table until his wife arrived. Rather innocuous humor, yet a few people thought it offensive.

Here is the deal, folks. When you are in the public eye, when you are a celebrity or an elected official, you are a target for satirists. John Kennedy was often satirized, and he laughed heartily. Laughter is the best response to humor.

You could tell that Merrow’s piece was satire if you read it closely. One giveaway was that the Acting Assistant Attorney General is named Anthony B. Susan.

Then, those who know me know that my current dog is not in need of intensive counseling. She is a sweetheart. It is true, however, that I once adopted a shelter dog who had been passed from owner to owner, and she was a problem dog. She acted like a sea slug. She pooped all over the house. When I was at my wit’s end, I took a friend’s advice and called a dog counselor. She put the dog and me on a very rigid schedule, and I had to take notes of everything she ate and every time she urinated or defecated. The dog, a cocker spaniel named Lady, loved the schedule, became a fabulous dog, and I cared for her until she died of diabetes a few years ago.

There is one secret that the investigators did not unearth. One of my brothers wrote after he read the post and told me that his dog is transgender; it had urinary tract problems and had to be neutered. Keep it a secret!

Now you know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Last night, the blog passed the 30 million mark. That is the number of times that someone has opened a post.

I started the blog at the end of April 2012. Five years.

I have loved getting to know so many new people, if only virtually.

I have spent five years learning about What is happening many districts and states. I have read every one of the nearly 400,000 comments you have left. I draw upon what I have learned from you. You have been my teachers. I have tried to speak for children and educators. I have tried to keep in front of my mind a constant vision of what good education is and should be as I write.

Reaching the 30 million mark provides a reason for reflection. I enjoy the blogging but I plan to shift gears. I am spending too many hours a day on this; it is a full-time occupation. I don’t want it to feel onerous. I want to set limits for myself. I haven’t done that these past five years.

Here is my announcement. I have started writing my memoirs. I have so far written about 15,000 words. I am having so much fun doing it. Writing the blog has made me a better writer. Words flow more easily, as do feelings.

I don’t blog for myself. I blog because I am trying to give voice to the educators who have no public platform. I have opened the blog to teacher-writers to tell their stories. I have wanted to create a space for teacher-leaders to speak up. I wanted many people to feel emboldened to speak out.

I have wanted to build a movement against the assault on public schools and the teaching profession. That’s why I joined with Anthony Cody five years ago to start the Network for Public Education. Its membership has grown to more than 350,000 under the great leadership of Carol Burris.

I hope everyone who reads this is a member of the Network for Public Education. The fight for the future of public education has never been as perilous and crucial as it is now.

I need you. There is so much work to be done. I need allies, and I need successors.

We need to maintain the spirit of unity and outrage that came close to derailing Betsy DeVos’s appointment.

Wherever you are, be strong. Fight for the common good. Oppose the politics of greed and privatization. All of us together can protect our values, our children, our democracy.

Do not be discouraged by the current situation. Resistance works. Protest works. We shall overcome.

PS: I am not stopping the blog. Just announcing my determination to shift gears, slow down, be unpredictable. But it may take a long time to be noticeable, and it may not happen at all. Old habits die hard.

I am not much of a cook. When I was a little girl, I hung out in the playground, played baseball, read books, or climbed trees. I never hung out in the kitchen to learn about how to cook a dish or make a meal.

But now as an adult, I do know how to cook a few things. I have what you might call a very limited repertoire. I am great at making salads, guacamole, scrambled eggs, and chicken soup. Beyond that, well, I am over my head and just not interested. I was once asked to contribute a recipe to a collection that included recipes contributed by some important women. It was for our daughters, I recall, but I only have sons (both are better cooks than I am). I contributed my guacamole recipe. One of the contributors, I forget which one, offered this recipe: Open a box of cereal. Pour into dish. Add milk. My guacamole recipe was better than that! At least, it showed some thought and effort.

However, I just made my famous chicken soup. (Famous in an extremely limited circle of family, that is.) It is delicious, despite my lack of cooking skills and not that hard to make. It is the finish work that is time-intensive. It is best to make it in the winter, when hot chicken soup is needed. It is said to cure colds (Jewish penicillin), but I offer no guarantees.

To begin with, get good ingredients. Buy an organic chicken, if you can find it and afford it. They are cleaner than the packaged chicken in the supermarket (you can use that, too, just be prepared for more grit and stuff to float to the surface as you cook, which you must ladle off). The bigger the chicken, the better the flavor.

Put the chicken in your largest pot and add a lot of water. About 6-8 quarts, enough to cover the chicken. My soup pot is 9″ high and 12″ across. Do not skimp on the water.

Add the following:

A large onion, peeled and studded with about 3-4 cloves
Six big carrots, peeled and sliced.
An entire celery, cleaned and sliced.
3-5 large leeks, cleaned and sliced (don’t use the toughest ends of the leeks). Leeks can be dirty, so wash them well.
A bunch of parsley
A bunch of dill
Some peppercorns
Some salt
If you have it, throw in a peeled and cut-up turnip, a parsnip, scallions, etc.

Set the whole thing to a reach a low boil. When it comes to a boil, turn it down as low as you can without stopping the boiling or simmering. Cover with the top of the pot open very slightly to let off steam.

Let it simmer/boil for at least three hours. Then let it cool.

When you are done, this is the important thing you must do.

Put your largest bowl in the kitchen sink. Put a very large mesh strainer over the bowl. A colander won’t do, you have to go to the hardware or housewares store and buy a large mesh strainer, one that will sit comfortably over the bowl and the sink without touching the bowl. My mesh strainer is 10″ across and stretches across the bowl without touching it, balanced on the sink.

Use a large soup spoon and ladle out the greens and meat into the strainer, about a cup at a time. Separate the chicken meat and save it for chicken salad or whatever you want. Save the pieces of carrot for the soup.

Then as you put greens, onions, celery, etc in the strainer, mash it with the spoon until all the juice flows into the bowl below. That enriches the soup.

Repeat until you have squeezed out the juice from everything in the soup pot, saving the chicken and carrots for the future.

When you are done, you will have a large bowl of flavorful soup. Eat some now, freeze some for later. Be sure and date whatever you freeze. Depending on how much water you added, and how long you cooked it, you should have many servings of delicious chicken soup. And you will have a bowl of carrots that you can add to the soup now.

Now you have one of the very few dishes that I have ever cooked in my life.

Enjoy!