Filed under: Bearcats, fall | Tags: chimney, deer, fall, fireplace, hockey sticks, leaves, Mennonites
Most of the leaves are chopped up and now it’s time for the vacuuming and raking.
What’s left of the garden is still standing. Okay, it’s really just the hockey sticks I used for the tomato plants. The owl continues to keep the deer away.
My geraniums are in full bloom and love today’s sunny warmth.
The gutters are clean except for one last section.
The fireplace and chimney are waiting to be cleaned in time for the delivery of the new fireplace insert handmade by Mennonites. Coming soon.
Discovered where the dogs were getting out of the yard and fixed it.
Still need to cut back the hostas.
Only 50 papers to grade. Lesson plans are done.
Time to go outside!
Tonight the Bearcats play UConn. Go Cats!
Filed under: school | Tags: writing, Starbucks, conferences, tea, dreams, Borders
It was a long day yesterday. It was the day after an inservice day when I sat too much and listened too long. I guess the good news from that day would be that I talked less than on a typical day. Usually I’m talking or responding to kids’ thinking and actions practically nonstop. It’s good talk, but I need quiet by the end of seven hours. I need a long walk by the lake or a good run on the tractor.
So yesterday was conference night which meant I got to talk some more to their parents. It’s really one of my favorite nights. (And I get to do it again next week and in February). Parents arrive eager to hear of their child’s successes and to find out what else they can do at home to support my work in the classroom. I share their progress and their writing. Last night I discovered that a couple students are fabulous fiction writers who turned personal narratives into high drama. One boy wrote of a car accident that never occurred. He did this with convincing detail. Another wrote of saving his sister from drowning. I had suspicions about that one. There were lots of ellipses in his piece and then the word SAVED! We laughed and I asked parents to talk with their child about a real small moment they could tell instead of the fictional one. One former parent came toting fabulous news. Her daughter, now a 6th grader was soon to be a published author online. I remember her writing and how often I told her she’d be signing her books at Borders. Dreams do come true.
My seven o’clock conference brought me a Starbucks tea flavored with the hint of menthol. I think she said it was called Refresh. A teacher herself she thought I would need it by now to soothe my throat. Of course, she was right.
This morning it’s back to kid talk, my favorite kind of talk – always new, surprising and fun.
Really! Who asks a landlord if they can try out the apartment for a couple nights and three weeks later they’re still there with no sign of leaving? Squatters! This is exactly what happened to my mother. She kindly let the 60 year old couple bring in their blow-up mattresses and pillows and camp out in the apartment next to hers – without charging rent! They insisted on trying it our since the wife seemed to have a ot of allergies and things. Recently, or at least I think it was – the story was sketchy – they moved from a condo they still own because a nearby home owner was constantly burning and causing the wife respiratory distress. Neighborhood hotels were proving costly and then they spied the for rent sign in the front yard. Her husband was never home -working form 6 am till 11 pm and didn’t feel the burn in his throat like she did. This made her mad, too. She’s a homemaker and apparently was inside the house a lot. So when I kindly asked her her intentions after listening to her list of apartment complaints, she still didn’t have an answer. I suggested that her staying without paying any rent was causing loss of income to my mother. She didn’t want to hear this. Abruptly standing up she demanded her husband come into the room and help figure out this problem. He ignored her request and returned to his conversation. When she realized she was alone in this she announced they would move out the next day and pay a previously agreed upon price. I’m not sure whether this is true or not. I never did confirm it. The couple can afford rent. She wrote a check – twice – the first one’s written numbers did not match the numeric ones. This morning they drove away, blow-up mattresses in hand and I quicky cashed the check.
Tomorrow I’m calling the local retirement home to see if there are any rooms available. In her mid 80’s my mother should not be managing apartment buildings.
Filed under: stuff
and a long week at that. Report cards due by midnight. Sick kids return to their spots to make up work. Doctors appointments and smoother skin. Yankees win game two. Missed phone calls and crazy dogs. Whiny cats and decapitated mice. Leaves everywhere. I need a break.
Filed under: dogs, domestic, school, shopping | Tags: dogs, school, Starbucks
Waking up the household for school.
Cleaning up the dog poop from the new puppy.
Making a Starbuck’s run for a Pumpkin Spice and Vanilla Lattes.
Greeting, teaching, comforting, encouraging, eating, grading, observing, evaluating, planning, driving, cooking, eating, shopping, grading, reading, sleeping.
Not really. Today my son ran over his cell phone with his car. His indestructible. Throw it across a room. Never break. Very expensive cell phone. Gone with the roll of a back tire. So now he’s using his sisters’ old girly blue slider. He hates it, but hey, that’s your luck lately. Just wait, it’ll change.
At least the dogs are clean. We took advantage of this great warm weather and washed the white pyrennes in sheep shampoo. Now he’s pure wool white and I’m pretty sure he’s smiling. Sam, our little girl, is oatmeal and baking soda clean and now happily romping around. We purchased fresh straw from Farmer Ed down the road and spread it to form a thick bedding in their outdoor pen. Nothing better than clean dogs on the last of the Indian Summer nights.
Clear skies, lots of sun and warm temperatures! Ahhhh! Indian Summer. I’ve been waiting for it for weeks. That last blast of warmth before winter. It’s been too cold too early and I wasn’t feeling ready. Tonight I took a long walk across the dam at the lake. Brillant oranges and reds and bright yellows lit the sunset walk. The water was perfect for rowing and the local university crews proved it so -rowing their quads straight across the big water and back to the boathouse. I could hear the soft clunk of the oars at the catch and watch them glide effortlessly on the drive – the stress of my day disappearing with each stroke. A lovely way to finish the day.
Liz, over at About Alice, is taking a break. I keep checking but she’s not there. I miss her already. Here’s what this means to me – thoughts and questions.
I’ll have more free time in the morning. So now who do I read? None of them will match her sense of humor. ** I’ll need to call her iphone more to find out what’s going in her life. ** Maybe there will be more pizza dinners. ** Or visits. ** Or e-mails. ** What if I quit this blog? ** Who will read it besides Liz? ** I wonder if she’ll come back with a new focus? ** I wonder if she’ll come back at all? ***************
Alex, my daughters’ boyfriend, thought I set him up tonight. He thought my friend, Liz, was a counselor of sorts and that dinner arrangements were made so she could help him understand his future path. Alex met Liz for the first time 2 weeks ago at my birthday party and really had no idea what she did, how long we’ve been friends or anything about her. So when she started her line of parent questioning he began to feel nervous. He paused from forking chicken fried steak into his mouth and leaned back into the slick blue booth as if it were an anaylyst’s couch. There was no escaping this line of questioning from Liz. She drilled him, one question after another. Then compared her own restlessness and struggle to stay on one career path to retirement to his own young struggles. Alex nodded in agreement. Boredom has kept him jumping jobs and in and out of college. But he did agree that finishing college with degree in hand was a goal he planned to accomplish.
Neither one of them knew their life’s path at a young age. I did. Since 3rd grade I knew I’d be a teacher. Most teachers I know received their calling early in life. I don’t know of this restlessness and boredom. Instead I know I’ll retire after a few decades in this teaching business. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Aren’t they doing well? Undefeated. Ranked in the national polls. And climbing higher after every game. A reason to gather with friends at a local eatery with big screen TV’s and cheer them on. I’m in heaven.
