It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like....

I've known that Christmas was going to be December 25 for quite some time. I know this on an intellectual level, but I can't get the rest of me to get with the program. I put up the dinky tree right after Thanksgiving on the one cold Saturday in November. I got out the Spode coffee mugs, a sure sign I have the holiday spirit, right? I'd rather drink my tea from my Target teacup...it holds more.
I have ordered exactly two Christmas gifts online. They were requests, so I didn't have to wrack my brain trying to think of the right something. But, now I do. The kids all have already bought whatever they think they might want, so there are no ideas there. Jeff and Jennifer said gift cards, when asked what they had on their wish lists. Bah Humbug. Gift cards are too easy and no fun to watch someone open.
I want to go back to the days when rosy cheeked kids scampered downstairs to find what Santa left under the tree. The excitement, the anticipation then was sheer delight. This just feels like an assignment.
I think I know what the problem is though. I don't get off work for the "winter break" until December 22. I still have to give and grade tests. Write a final exam and turn in textbooks. Not to mention all the make up work that needs to be given to kids who have been absent.
Today is my easy day. I only have two 90 minute classes and I'm finished right after lunch. As soon as I finish here, I'm bugging out for the mall. I'm going to put the carols on in the car and ratchet up my Christmas spirit, if it kills me! I'm going to buy something for everyone on my list that I think they will enjoy and that I will enjoy giving them. Then I'm going to stop at Starbuck's and get myself a gingerbread latte and head home to wrap up my packages.
School will take care of itself and my Dallas kids will be here on the 22nd. I have to get my priorities straight. HO, HO, HO!!!

If you don't have something nice to say, come sit by me...

Yesterday afternoon I got busy cleaning the entertainment center/bookcase. I took everything out and cleaned the pictures, books, and glass shelving. I dusted and cleaned glass and threw junk out of the cabinets in the bottom. I was feeling pretty motivated. Molly's birth announcement has been leaning up against a picture frame on one of the shelves for 15 or 16 months now, so I decided it could go into my desk with other mementos.
Mother Dear got up from her nap while I was working on this project and the absolute first thing she said when she came into the room was "where is Molly's birth announcement?" I explained to her that I put in in my desk, and she informed me that I could just go get it and put it right back where it was. She "likes to have it there to remind her when Molly's birthday is." I told her that there was a framed picture of Molly right where the birth announcement has been. What? that little round silver framed picture? that's just dinky (compared to all the gillions of pictures of Sloan and Tyler).
From my perspective, this is my home and they are my grandchildren, so naturally I'm going to have pictures of them. Molly on the other hand is my great niece and her grandfather can keep pictures of her all over his apartment!
I put the birth announcement back. Maybe we'll replace it when her high school graduation announcement comes.
This morning I had an appointment with the dermatologist. I'm having my sun damage lasered. Call me vain, call me a spendthrift, but I decided to do this one little thing because I don't like these brown spots on my cheeks. I don't get my nails done, I clean my own house. I'm driving a nine year old car. I have the money to pay for it. But, when I came home and Mother asked what I had done..."I knew you'd be down there having a face lift." Attitude!
I walked away. She's in one of those moods which come on more frequently these days. She gets really snippy (don't ask me to define it). You either know snippy or you don't. I envy you if you don't. All I know is that when she gets this way, 2400 square feet isn't enough room for the both of us.
Last night she called my brother to come and take her car to the gas station and air up the tires. She told him that one was practically flat;  it wasn't, but he came and took it at 8:30 last night. She doesn't drive anymore, but I think that she needed for me to see that her good son would come and do her bidding.
I took Mother for a drive and Starbuck's on Sunday. B and Tyler skyped with her yesterday. Jeffrey aired up her tires. She's been making doctor's appointments that I am faithfully putting on the calendar and committing to take her to. I fix her meals and her plate and serve her. She has a live in maid and chauffeur.
But she doesn't feel well and she's lost control of many aspects of her life, so I guess I can understand her anxiety and frustration.
There! I've vented. I told you, if you don't have anything nice to say....

The Preposterous Perry

You knew that this was coming...Rick Perry says that Texas will not implement the Medicaid provisions of the Affordable Health Care Act. He'll show the federal government a thing or two, by cutting off the noses of several million Texans to spite somebody. He doesn't seem to have a clue that it's his constituents he's hurting the most.
Do you think that his reader didn't tell him the part about the years that the feds will pick up the entire bill? Did he not get the part about the state cap of ten percent? Who does he think contributes those federal dollars that he's going to allow to go to other states, which  will continue to rank ahead of Texas in providing a high standard of health care for their citizens.
The state that boasts one of the nation's top health care facilities, ranks last in providing health care for its citizens, not just its poorest citizens. All of us. Under Governor Good Hair's guidance we will continue to send our uninsured to the ER for treatment and the cost will be passed along to those of us who have private insurance. That means that whatever pay raises we might have hoped for will only go to cover the rising cost of our private health insurance benefit.
Someone from the insurance lobby needs to tell Rick that the insurance companies want Obamacare; it will bring them lots of new customers. Maybe he's not getting big enough campaign contributions from the insurance companies, or maybe he isn't thinking about running again. Now that the Governor's Mansion is rebuilt, he and Anita probably aren't going to want to move back into government housing.

Revisiting and Revising

This morning while we were reading the newspaper, Great-gram, told me about the day that she and Daddy were walking on the greenbelt and encountered a rooster. She had been up for awhile when I joined her and she was telling me about hearing this bird and she thought at first it might be a rooster. "You can hear roosters from here...they are over on the Porter road." Uh huh. This is when she filled me in on the rooster she and Daddy saw on their walk, he was headed back that way when they ran into him.
I don't think my Mother has ever told a lie in her life...too firm a believer in Hell fire for that. But, she has embarked on a new phase that relies heavily on fiction or this is the prevarication phase of dementia.
These tales started only recently, but I'm noticing them more and more. They always come up as examples of something that proves a point she is making.
For example, her Johnson relations have always given a passing nod to a distant connection to the late LBJ. With their noses and ears, there's little doubt that this connection does indeed exist. But the other day when I was reading a biography of Johnson, she began to tell me in some detail about when the brothers parted company and one went to Polk County and the other to the Perdenales. I don't know, but I'm pretty certain that this is the first time she ever told all these particulars and I think they came right off the top of her head.
Another development happened earlier this week. I stayed up late watching a movie and she suddenly appeared in the room and asked me who had been in the room. I told her no one had been in the room, she heard the television. No, she had seen a woman and some boxes, one round and one square stacked in the middle of the room. I assured her that it was just a very vivid dream and that she could go back to bed, but she insisted that someone had been there. That's the new part...the insistence.
I know that I can't keep her here and keep her well forever, but it isn't easy to watch her decline. She's not as tall as she was and she is in almost constant pain in her back and hip, but her appetite is good. I made her some potato salad at lunch time the day before yesterday and she ate like a little pig. You just have to find the thing that she is hungry for.
She talks  about things that happened when she was a child more than she ever has. She is remembering and wants us to know things about her that we may not have known. But she is still very much engaged with what's going on today. She lives for pictures of her great grandchildren. Thank You Lord for the Internet and text messages and Skype. One thing for sure, she is intensely anti-Romney. I'm betting on her to be around to vote against him. 

Going for the Record

The news today is the record heat. Triple digits and the hot wind blowing. The electric company is suggesting conserving between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. I raised the thermostat to 76, turned on the fans and turned off the lights. I'll do whatever it takes to keep from having brown outs...we would all be in dire straits without any electricity.
There also seems to be a record amount of important rulings coming down this week from the Supreme Court as the session ends. Arizona's 1070 was found to be unconstitutional on all provisions EXCEPT the "papers please" provision. Pretty big victory for the administration. Scalia came across as purely political in excoriating the President. But Chief Justice Roberts sided with the liberals on Arizona. Still ahead...the ruling on health care reform and the stolen valor case.
This morning, while it was still possible for humans to survive outdoors, I high-tailed it over to see Good Old Gail and get my teeth cleaned. Gail can talk more than anyone else I know and all I have to say is "uhhhh, huh." She is a great conversationalist and one night when Jean and I met her for dinner, I learned that you don't have to talk even if you don't have both her hands and a suction instrument in your mouth.
On my way home, I stopped to visit the marketing genius at Chico's who sends me a $10 off coupon as a birthday greeting every year. They were having the orange bag sale, so combined with my coupons, I picked up some bargains. Now that I don't want to wear shorts, I find that Chico's cropped pants are a good substitute. They had the ones you can wash and wear marked down. I bought two pairs which should take me through the rest of the summer. There was also an animal print long skirt I've looked at before, that was marked down...it will make the basis of a good back to work outfit. Mission accomplished.
This afternoon I got two texts from B. In the first one she sent a picture of Tyler getting his first haircut. He's sitting in the chair with no shirt on, looking like a little pudgy doll and gnawing on a comb, but still as a mouse as the stylist works. The next text had a video of him crawling! He must have just started today, but he looked like he has it down. He's eight months old and has stayed a "baby" for a good long time. Once they get mobility of any description, your baby starts growing up on you. He'll be into everything now! Sloan probably won't like it when he starts to interfere with her things.
I feel so much better today than I have for almost a week. Yesterday evening and last night I had fever. I was chilled and achy and just felt baaad. I was awake off and on all night, but about 3:00 the fever broke and when I got up this morning I could breath better than I have for days. I still spent the entire afternoon on the sofa. I just ventured out to water the potted plants and I know I'm not 100% yet. I'm consuming record amounts of peach tea and there is half a cold watermelon in the fridge. It may feel like 106, but we'll survive.

My Aching Head

I may have mentioned that I caught a cold from precious Tyler. When I took Sloan home, I spent one night and slept in Tyler's room in the grandmother bed. Tyler has had the Corner Cottage cold since his childcare career started...viruses love those places. I knew when I was kissing on his snotty face and breathing in his sneezes where it would lead, but he is irresistible to me regardless of any messy or smelly concerns.
A week later, I thought I was having terrible allergies after a rain. Wrong. I was coming down with a good old fashioned head cold. My first reaction was to play through. I went to bridge, I went to mah jongg, I went to jury duty, I went to lunch with old friends. I took my Advil, filled my purse with tissues and pressed on.
Not very thoughtful of others, going around knowing that I'm basically forcing people to decide verdicts and eat a salad with Typhoid Mary. But heck I wasn't burning with fever or coughing. People probably didn't notice that I could only breathe through my mouth, that I constantly held a tissue. They for sure didn't know that my head felt like an over-inflated tire.
During the three hours before the Advil needed to be retaken, I actually didn't feel that bad. So, Friday evening I made plans with old friend Sharon to go to Spring to the Brookwood Community shop and buy plants. Saturday morning 9:30, it's a plan. Off we went and of course we had to park and walk. We dropped in the Wild Goose, Crossroads and the Painted Pig picking up silver bracelets, Sharon's Madagascar Vanilla tea and little candles that look like flames...must have items for sure. Then we headed to the Brookwood shop and that's where it hit me for the first time. A stroll in the heat and sun of a June morning in Texas will bring out the worst in you, whatever it might be. I was trying to choose some tall plants that attract butterflies and I felt like I might faint! I fully confessed to myself that I am sick.
But, after choosing my tree-formed lantana, I agreed that I would probably feel better if we had a bite of something at Ellen's and some peach tea. Wrong, again.
After lunch trying to get back to the car, pull around and load plants and drive home, was a herculean task. By this time it is afternoon and the only thing hotter than a Texas summer morning is the following afternoon.
The sad ending of the story is that I had to regret to a 65th birthday party and miss out on seeing a lot of people I hardly ever see. But there was no going on any longer.
I can't take a decongestant because of my blood pressure, so the pharmacist suggested steam and saline spray or a netti pot (not even if my head explodes!). I spent the rest of the evening watching baseball and old movies, my head hurts too badly to read. Crumby way to spend vacation days, but right now Mentholatum, Kleenex and Advil are my only friends. Excuse me now, I'm going to lie down for awhile.

Friday Lunch

Can you believe I drove into Houston two days in succession? Sometimes I don't go into town twice a year. The occasion was a  chance to have lunch with some of my favorite old friends from childhood. I started going to school with George and RoseMary when we were fifth graders in Mrs. Bigby's class. I remember vividly the first time I saw both of them and we've been friends ever since.
The other two members of our party were our favorite teachers from high school Miss Acree (back then) and Mr. Cullinan. Although they have long since given us permission to address them by their first names, we tend to still call them, as we did back then when talking about them, as "Acree and Cullinan."
Everyone looks remarkably well, especially Eloise who is 72, but looks younger than we do. She is still teaching! She tried retirement in 2004, but was called back into service because she is a nationally recognized debate coach and some principal needed one. I'm sure she wrote her own ticket, but he probably didn't have to twist her arm too hard to get her back on board.
She was our junior English teacher and we absolutely adored her. She was single, funny, fashionable, and, we thought, the smartest person in the world. She teamed up with Mr. Cullinan to teach a course they created and called simply, Humanities, when we were seniors. We know now that they created a curriculum to ready us for college by exposing us to literature, art and history we would have missed out on otherwise. They also taught us to write. If there are punctuation errors here, it isn't because Mr. Cullinan shirked his responsibility. He firmly believed that everyone had to memorize the rules. But, memory fails me.
He is 78 now, but still the best storyteller ever. His family were founders of the Texas Company and he grew up in Laredo in circumstances that made Spanish his first language. He is opinionated, out-spoken to a fault and side-splitting funny.
We met at Palazzo for our lunch. In the Upper Kirby area, it's small, quiet and reasonably priced with excellent service. The tomato basil soup and chopped salad with bleu cheese were perfect. We sat over lunch and coffee for almost three hours and were never rushed or bothered by the staff.
We had a great time catching up and reminiscing. George is in real estate and RoseMary is a college administrator. I'm glad I'm not the only person our age still working. He markets luxury homes and meets tons of fascinating people. She has such a grasp of the problems in education and great enthusiasm for fixing the broken system. Wonderful visit...hope we do it again soon. Thanks for the flowers George!

Jury Duty

I'm sitting in the jury assembly room of the city Municipal Court. No wonder people hate a jury summons. We were to be here at 9:00 a.m.,it's now 10:55 and we haven't done anything but sign in, get sworn in, and play iPhone scrabble while the people who are too important to be here tell it to the judge.
It's a long drive down here and a long walk from the jurors' parking lot. I hope it doesn't rain. They always pump you full of how grateful they are for your service...highest form of political participation and all that. Probably truer now than ever since your vote doesn't count anymore since the Supremes sold our electoral process to the corporate greedy bastards.
Mrs. Manci from the neighborhood is here, but the rest of these citizens are unfamiliar. People don't dress to go anywhere any more,do they? Jeans, sneakers, sandals, housewives who look dressed for housework. There isn't a man in the room with a coat and tie.
What we all have is a cell phone or a tablet computer. Keeps the natives from getting restless about wasting a couple of hours you aren't going to get back.
Now my stomach is beginning to growl. By the time we get to a courtroom, I may not be able to hear evidence.
I have come down with Tyler's cold.Yesterday I thought I was having allergy problems, but overnight, it went full-blown. That's what I get for sleeping with him!
After a vending machine lunch of Sun Chips and Dr. Pepper with peanut M&M's for "tuh-ssert", I finally got impaneled on the third call. We hustled on over to Courtroom 12 for voir dire. Lawyers love school teachers, there were two of us chosen for the main event. Our case involved a speeding ticket, not too thrilling but municipal court is a guaranteed one day episode, so present your case Mr. Prosecutor. The State was not as cute or as good a litigator as the Defense, but the main problem was he just couldn't overcome all the doubt the Defense cast in the minds of the six peers in the jury box. We heard the case in an hour, were in the jury room for a half hour before returning our not guilty verdict and we were free to go.
The big advantage to Parking Lot H was that when you pull out of the exit, you are heading onto the freeway entrance ramp in 75 yards. I was home in a heartbeat. Civic duty done again.

Sixty-two

I'm practicing thinking of myself at my new age. Yesterday the calendar rolled over on me again, and I'm glad to be here, especially of sound body and mind, but Lord it's hard to think of yourself as sixty-something.  I had a phone call yesterday afternoon from a guy I've been friends with since elementary school; he said what I have been thinking. Inside this fluffy, crinkly me is the person I've always been. My brain can remember 12 and 22 just as well as 42 and 52. We agreed that we actually feel better than ever, if you ignore the achy knuckles. Somebody else has to put up with your kids and your house and car are paid for. You can still work if you want to, but technically could go fishing. Even though the 60's means gone to seed instead of flower power for us these days, we're doing pretty well for ourselves. If you're really lucky, God gives you the 60's and 70's to enjoy what you've worked for before He needs you to come home.
Speaking of which, Sloan had another very interesting conversation on Saturday...this one with her parents. They were off to meet some friends for a street fest and Sloan insisted on bringing along the framed Psalm that Michelle made when she was born. The kids tried to talk her out of bringing something fragile along, but she told them that she needed to show it to her friend Kate and talk to her about God. They asked her why she needed to do this and she replied that God is not fun, He's important. We are not going to be on earth forever and we need to know about God. None of us have had this conversation with Sloan and I have to admit that we are not good church goers. In fact, Sloan especially doesn't like to go to "that church by Nai Nai's house." When she was just tiny, she told B that God was in there (the living room). And most recently I heard her tell Tyler not to be afraid in his room alone that God is always with him. When I asked her how she knew this, she told me, as if I were the child, that He told her. And you know what? I think that He did.
This is going to be a hectic week. Yesterday I had to work on curriculum with the social studies committee, but I got to go out to lunch for my birthday with a couple of friends. Then I had to run to Loew's and get stuff to repot plants. By the time I finished that job, it was cocktail time and I was worn out and sweaty. Today I have pilates and tonight I have bridge. Tomorrow I'm going out to lunch for my birthday again and playing mah jongg in the afternoon. Thursday I have jury duty, but it's only municipal court, so it can only last one day, and Friday I'm going in to town to meet some high school friends for lunch at Palazzo. It feels so good to be able to do all this running around and not be having to get up and go to work. But I was reminded of something this morning. On the subject of retiring, Justice Thurgood Marshall famously said he didn't want to retire. He wanted to live to 110 and be shot by a jealous husband. I like his attitude!

Blah, blah, blah.....

Read the Sunday paper while having my tea. Never thought you'd hear me say that, huh? The coffee drinker has gone to Twinings English Breakfast...less acid, less caffeine. Ah the tribulations of aging.
It appears that Syria is going to be the flashpoint for a new threat to world peace. Mr. Al-Assad, emphasis on ass, seems to feel compelled to kill off the majority Sunni population of his country, and the rest of the world seems to be going to stand by and act as horrified witnesses. Oh, except for Vladimir the Russian, who is already putting a few rocket launchers and boots on the ground in case any of the other nations of the world decide this genocide has to be stopped.
The end of this month the Supremes will be handing down their ruling on the constitutionality of the congressional plan to fund affordable health care, which I daresay could have an impact on the outcome of the presidential election in November. Obama did a really crappy job of letting the Republicans make an acceptable  piece of legislation sound like socialized medicine. I've been listening to presidents since Nixon say that we have to reform health care delivery in this country and when Congress finally enacts legislation that is originally the idea of conservative strategists, Roger Ailes is able to convince the Faux News nation that it is government controlled health care and not regulation of the insurance industry. Why do you suppose Americans, who pay more for health care than any other people on earth and get less for their medical dollar than any industrialized society, won't accept the idea that health care managed by insurance claims adjusters isn't good for anyone except the insurance companies? Do you really want United Health Care to decide whether you should get your chemotherapy? Did you really like learning that the baby you're carrying is a pre-existing condition when your husband has to change insurance plans with his new job?
Everybody is up in arms because the cut scores for the STAAR test are so low. Every teacher in this state could have told you they would be. Your exemplary TAKS trained house apes can't read and they certainly can't think. We have turned the public schools into testing factories where the curriculum has been set aside in favor of teaching test taking strategies. Kids don't read a paragraph and understand the ideas being communicated in a context. They are looking for the bold black words, which they will retain long enough to find on the assessment and they will choose that answer and bubble it in. I know this because when you ask high school students to familiarize themselves with new vocabulary in a content area, they look only at the bold black words and the few words before and after the bold black words. School districts are planning curriculum based on English courses where students don't actually have to read the novels. Kids always have done well on the social studies TAKS test, but they didn't have to know any history really. It has been a skills test. Can you pick information out of this paragraph about explorers? Can you read this map and pick out the countries who sided together in this war? Crimeny! I have kids who come to my class from calculus and ask me how many points each question on my test is worth. No, I am not kidding.
Finland is the leader of the world's nations in education. If anyone cares to look at the reasons why, it begins with teaching being a very competitive profession. They attract excellent, highly motivated educators by making it a respected profession and by paying those professionals competitively. Students who graduate from college with tens of thousands of dollars in debt for their education are not going to be interested in $42,000 dollar starting salaries that essentially peak out in about ten years at a whopping $57,000.
America, teaching is not a job for married women whose husbands make good salaries, so the little woman will make her pin money and be off when the kids are out of school anymore. Lots of the girls I work with are unmarried and sometimes go without groceries to make the rent and car payment. The ones who are divorced and have kids to raise on their own are even worse off. Their health insurance premiums are so high to cover their children, they are essentially working just for that purpose.
I could rant on, but I won't. I need to tidy up around the cottage and pretend that all's right with the world or my blood pressure won't be in bounds. Besides it's only six minutes til Bob Schieffer takes on Mitt Romney and I don't want to miss that.
Happy Father's Day and good luck to Jim Furyk in the U.S.Open.

Move over Meryl

The little dynamo has been safely returned to her parents after spending three nights. She got a little homesick the first night and began renegotiating the length of her stay. We would be fine all day, but at bedtime she would get "worried" about her mama and dad. The mood passes pretty quickly and generally doesn't involve tears, but if Miss Chatterbox gets quiet, it's a sign that she is brooding on something.
We had a fun time for the first couple of days. Even watering plants is fun when you have on your swimsuit and your crazy Memom keeps turning the sprayer on you. We visited Sloan's favorite toy store to spend her wooden nickles. She picked out an ocelot from the weird and wonderful stuffed animal selection. She couldn't remember the word ocelot for love nor money, so she sort of changed it to "swallowsot."  But the WRN better be ready because on O day next fall, she is going to have a really good visual for show and tell.
We did go to the movies and she liked Madagascar 3, but she loved the push pop she picked out from the snack bar. The first one fell on the floor and had to be replaced by an emergency run to the lobby. Thank goodness she's a cheap date. Push pops are only $2. If she was into chocolate, that could have been a financial disaster. When we got home from the movie and pulled into the garage, she announced that she was going in and have a bath and put on something comfortable and relax. I got the bath part, she was sticky from crown to heel from that push pop, but her every ensemble consists of cotton panties and a sundress, so it cracked me up that she sounded like Scarlett asking Mammy to unlace her corsett.
She eats like a field hand, except at mealtimes. Every time I turned around she had a banana or a cheese slice. She also loves nuts and craisins and Tinkerbell gummies. She was watching a video while I took a shower one morning. As soon as I turned off the water, Great-gram tapped on the door and asked me to come take a peek at what was happening on the couch in the family room. When I got there, Sloan was sitting on the couch with a 16 ounce block of sharp cheddar with a set of teethmarks on every corner. She wanted some cheese, but isn't allowed to cut with knives...
My favorite part of being with Sloan is collecting memories of the priceless things she says. She is a total drama queen and has a vivid imagination. You can hear her all day long holding conversations with dolls, animals, and invisible princes and wizards as she pretends her way through varied adventures.
This week there was a new character who wears Great-gram's reading glasses and jots down notes while she "talks" on the phone. In one of these conversations, she was evidently talking to a caterer or bakery and ordering food for a party. She was very firm with this imaginary service provider and quite demanding about her requirements and her schedule. But the best part was when she was ending the call. She told him to call her back or he could always reach her at ABC.org!
By the end of the week, we were both pretty worn out from having so much fun. She was ready to go home and I was ready to have the order of the old and set in their ways restored to my house. Drama queens are very entertaining and exhausting to keep up with. There is a reason why God sends small children to the young.
On the way home from Dallas, I kept looking in the rearview mirror to see why she was quiet in the back seat. It will take me a few days to stop watching and listening for her. But she was happy to be back with her family and they were certainly happy to see her. Even Tyler just bounced and laughed for sheer joy when he saw her again.

Saturday Morning

I just got off the gazelle and I am sweating like an NBA all star at half time. No, not because of my intense workout, but because I'm trying to keep the thermostat set on 75 degrees. That is a fine setting if you are sitting on the couch watching TV, but if you move, it better be with a fan running. Yesterday I stuck with my calorie counting and even with coconut shrimp appetizers and two glasses of PG, I stayed in bounds. Besides the gazelle, the only exercise I got was a stroll through Charmin Charlie's and the Target store. But walking is walking and it registers on the calories burned. I had to get a baby gift for B's sister-in-law who is expecting in August. I went for practical instead of wow because she will have all the wow she needs and no onesies. I did a gift bag of mixed layette items and I found the book that I wanted to add to his library. It's called I Love You Through and Through and it was one of the first books I bought for Sloan. It's just so sweet and the pictures tug at my heartstrings, so I hope Luke and his parents will like it as much as Sloan did. I also got Sloan a couple of new things while I was there. She will be here on Monday and I thought she might like it if we began to read chapter books. She is very interested in letters and words and will be reading before you know it. There are several series of very primary chapter books. I chose a couple that look as if they will touch on her favorite themes: damsels in distress and spooky nights. I also got a card game that I think she will like, just in case there's a rainy day or we just need to chill out for awhile. So this morning I'm cooking a pot of charra beans for their heart healthy protein. It rained last night, so I don't have to worry about the plants today. I might as well pull up that diva cucumber vine...for a plant that was prolific in May,it isn't worth watering now. Blooms yes, cucumbers no. I sewed a button back on the waistband of my favorite summer cropped pants; I am a domestic dynamo! The only bummer about today is that the potential Triple Crown winner scratched at Belmont. I had the idea that we could have cocktails and watch the race and it would be interesting because of the possibility of I'll Take Another sweeping. Now, we'll just have to drink and watch the horse race and it won't matter who wins! Maybe, just maybe, between now and the call to the gate, I'll get motivated to finally tackle my closet. It's been on my agenda since Tuesday, with no results, and here it is already Saturday...

Miscellaneous

Got the roadster running...my brother is the best. He was up early and off to the auto parts store to get the Highlander a new battery. He installed the power cell and we were able to hit Los Palomas by lunch time. Did you know there are 528 calories in three soft fajita tacos (flour tortilla, chicken, no cheese)? I didn't either until I downloaded My Fitness Pal yesterday. That app is a calorie counting whiz. To lose a pound and a half a week, I need to limit my daily calories to 1490. Yesterday I did that, and besides Mexican food, I had a Pepperidge Farm Santa Cruz oatmeal raisin cookie (130 calories). The rest of the day, when I wasn't focused on food and calories, I did a lot of little odds and ends. I was, to use one of my Daddy's best expressions, piddling around. I don't know the definition of piddling, but it's more industrious than "messing" and way less taxing than working. I believe piddling only occurs in Texas and some of the other member states of the late Confederacy. It is a fine art. You have to take your things out of the junk drawer and throw away a lot of address labels from the Leukemia Society and bent paper clips. I gave a donation to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society once in the name of a girl Peggy taught with. That organization has kept me in address labels ever since. Note to self: send them a check. Piddling also led me to the stepladder and the bathroom mirror. My quads are so sore from the reformer workout, I didn't think I was going to get up two steps. After I found out how limited my range of motion was, I decided to go online and find a black dress, casual with short sleeves and preferably knit. What looks like the right one is an Eileen Fischer ballet neck, knee-length, cap sleeved cutie from Garnet Hill. It was a bargain including shipping and is on the way. It is ultimately just a great big black Tshirt, but it will be cooler than pants and hide more spare tires than the trunk of a Buick. I am prepared to love this dress with turquoise jewelry and flat sandals...I'd better not be disappointed. All this activity brought me right up to nap time. I had to stretch out on the couch and remind myself that I am, after all, on vacation. I read until I couldn't take anymore of Ana and Christian's steamy love life and then I snoozed for about an hour. It was cloudy with the promise of rain, so perfect for napping. The other news of the day was an email from Marine One. He is going to be very chatty in his emails which is a change from the previous principal. He was announcing the selection of one of the new assistants. She is a KHS grad, no surprise there. Admin likes to keep it in the family. I didn't recognize the name, but he sounded positive about her. What is he going to say,

"Central is sticking me with this dud that didn't work out in her last position."?

I also received an email from the social studies coordinator about an advisory committee she's putting together to do the new scope and sequence. We are changing to nine week grading periods, so some things are going to need to be realigned. Big day, huh? Okay, pretty dull stuff, but I'm recharging my battery here, so I have to take things kinda slow. After all I have 10 whole weeks to while away.

The Highlander

Yesterday evening on my way home from Wicked Wednesday, I stopped in to pick up a couple of things at the Walgreen's. I got a buy one get one half off on my ROC facial cleanser and a tube of Sensodyne and I was ready to roll. When you've had a couple of glasses of wine and need to pee, you don't wander around looking for stuff. A former student checked me out and I headed to the car. My faithful chariot wouldn't start. Dead as a door knocker. This car cranked right up ten minutes before in a parking lot a mile away, but that was then. Now she was useless. Naturally I called Grunc and he came and gave her a charge and she made it home. But she's parked out front now and she's dead again. It was interesting to see how many people offer to help you out of a jam when you're sitting on a bench in front of the Walgreen's. There's a Red Box movie rental there, so it's pretty high traffic, and only the nicest people rent from Red Box evidently, because they all asked whether I needed help or a ride or a jump start. Who says there are no good people left? After Grunc finishes his workout and gets cleaned up, he'll be over to get her a new battery. I don't want her to know I'm feeling disloyal, but I've been looking at car rankings on the Internet this morning. Even though she only has 65,000 or so miles on her, The Highlander is nine years old. I was planning to drive her forever because she's the best ride, the right size and still beautiful after all these years. She's a classic. Our coloring matches and she doesn't show dirt no matter how infrequently I take her to the Pirate's Cove for half price Tuesdays. I'll have to think about this. I don't really want a car payment, but dependable transportation is non-negotiable and no matter how nice people are, I didn't like the feeling of being stranded even in my own neighborhood. Shh, don't say anything in front of her, I wouldn't hurt her feelings for the world.

Pilates Session

Vic and I went for our reformer semi-private lesson yesterday. When I first walked in I thought immediately that someone had revived the Inquisition and tried to disguise it with oriental rugs,a fountain, and the Sounds of Nature CD. Before I could turn and run, I was greeted by the dominatrix trainer, who looks like a poster girl for sculptured muscle and teeth whitening. Cute, personable, low-key, Trainer Girl wouldn't hurt grandmothers in lycra. She began the session with an introduction to the reformer, so called I assume, because it's use will reform your figure. This thing has all the bells and whistles and moving parts to work out your core, elongate your muscles, improve your flexibility and posture. Swimsuits get ready, belly fat farewell. We did this bar and that stretch and kept our spinal alignment and above all breathed.The hour flew by. I felt the burn, worked up a sweat and even managed to do the part of the workout where you stand on the reformer and work thigh muscle. I'm sure T.G. makes everyone feel this way, but I came away thinking I was in pretty great shape for a 61 year-old public school teacher with a child nearing 40. This is the reason why people are willing to drop $35 for an hour with T.G. After a run through the Kroger to pick up some fruit and protein to support my healthy new lifestyle, I had to go home and take a nap. No, not because I was exhausted or close to heat stroke. I had to be able to stay awake until 11:00 p.m. to babysit. I don't ordinarily manage to stay awake much past 9:30, so I figured I'd better prep. Tyce and I had a fine time. He was one on Saturday and knows how to walk and hide and say "what." He is the child of a young woman who teaches in my department and her husband who is also a teacher and coach. I figure on their budget a free babysitter is probably a treat; I consider it community service. Good deeds are their own reward. This one came with smiles and cuddles and little chubby feet. What a good, smart boy he is.

How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation Part I

I texted B this morning and suggested that I drive to Dallas and bring Sloan back for a Girls' Week. Since she's going to be giving a shower for Leslee the following weekend, it will be good timing for a number of reasons. Sloan and Memom need some quality time anyway. We have to do a lot of catching up now that school's out and I can bring her home with me and we don't have to hold Tyler or share with any other grandmothers or take time out for school or dance recitals. B thought this was a good plan, now if Sloan likes it, we're a go for a fun week. The new Madagascar movie is coming out and Sloan loves the movies and popcorn. We need to go shoe shopping and we can just as easily do that at the Woodlands Mall where the carousel ride is. We'll need pedicures. The pool is open and it's hot enough for Baskin Robins and watermelon. I was cleaning out handbags this morning and found $10 worth of On the Park money that she can spend at the toy store. We'll have to go to the Buckee's on the way home and to the library for some good books to read. We can hike down to the park for a swing and slide picnic and play in the sprinkler. Gosh I just hope we have enough time to get it all in! I am so pleased with myself. School's only been out for two and a half days and I've already reorganized my unit binders for AP, cleaned out the refrigerator and pantry, shredded a ton of old paperwork,finished the second Fifty Shades book and started on the third, gone shoe shopping with Sharon, cleaned the office, worked on my plants, watched a cheezy lifetime movie and slept late. I love vacations!

Free at last...

I love walking out of school after the checkout sheet is all signed, the room is packed, and I don't have to set an alarm clock for ten weeks!!!!
I remember when I started teaching after my divorce counting up to see how old I'd have to be and how many years I'd have to teach to be eligible for retirement. It seemed like a long time in the future, but I've reached the magic number today. No, I'm not retiring, but it's kinda cool knowing that I could.
What a long day this has been. I started laundry before I went to work, which felt like Saturday. Then I got dressed and went up to work for a couple of hours, that made it Friday. Back here I did some chores, had lunch and a nap, ah vacation!
I have bunches of green tomatoes on the vine. I bought my first cantaloupe of the summer. The neighborhood streets were blocked with swim meet parking this morning. Summer is well and truly here! Yea, freedom!

Make it stop!

This is the school year that won't end! It's June 1 and the kids finished finals today, but the faculty is due back tomorrow to verify grades and clear records. Since my class graduated last Saturday, this entire week has been an exercise in cleaning up, organizing, and throwing away. We ran diploma pick up and I collected ancillaries for my department, but the highlight of the day each day was going out to lunch.
I'm looking forward to the first day I don't have to get dressed and adhere to a schedule. I don't have any big plans like a trip, but I'm going for reformer pilates on Tuesday morning. I'm going to babysit Tyce Tuesday night, and I have a trip to Dallas on the 15th and reunion lunch at the end of the month.
Right now I'm enjoying a glass of Cupcake Red Velvet, mmmmmm.
I need to go out and water so my hibiscus and vines don't wilt in this heat. I have to admit to a large degree of laziness and I just want to hold down the couch and finish my Fifty Shades book!

Pulling My Hair Out!

Yesterday I was having the best possible kind of Saturday, no obligations to anyone, anywhere for any amount of time...sweet freedom. I slept in, went to Target, dropped a bundle on a few geegaws and some groceries. I even got the next two Fifty Shades books. I was picturing my happy ass on the couch with Christian and Ana's continuing saga, but it was not meant to be.

I washed a quilt, the washing machine drained onto the floor. Let me just explain that there is enough water in the extra large capacity Kenmore to float a barge. I got out my trusty Shamwows and started shamming. I was doing pretty well in the laundry room, but then it occurred to me that there is a closet on the other side of the wall. OMG! I started pulling stuff out...grandkid toys, grandmother quilts, gift wrapping, you get the picture. This is a guest room closet where Hoarders will start to shoot when they take my case. My fun Saturday was over. I called my eldest, who came on the run with his trusty wet/dry vac. My hero sucked up water for two hours. Then of course there had to be a plumber because some line was clogged up. Another $198.79 out the window. I am in the wrong line of work. Shaping young people's minds doesn't pay nearly as well as plumbing. It's Sunday morning and the worst is over now. The fans are blowing and the carpeting is drying nicely. All I have to do is put back all this junk or haul it to the Goodwill. Tomorrow is the last week of school for my classes. The Honorable Ted Poe of the Texas second congressional district is coming to be our guest tomorrow at third and fourth period. My kids were asking Friday if they can ask "hardball" questions. Lord, please don't let them embarrass me, or better yet Congressman Poe!It will be fine, he will understand, I didn't raise them...I didn't even have a lot of luck teaching them government. By this time next week, graduation will be over. I still have so much to do. I've got position papers coming in on Tuesday for the final summative grade. Bet you know how closely I'll have time to grade those bad boys. It'll get done, it always does. And if I don't pull my hair out by Friday, I've got an appointment at the Conservatory at 4:00.

Happy First Birthday Molly

Spent the afternoon celebrating Molly's first birthday. She isn't much of a talker, but she had no problem expressing her pleasure with birthday presents. "Ooo" means the same at one and one hundred.
Our family has so many fractures, you need a program to identify the players. My nieces' mother has a number of children from an array of fathers. Her own siblings consist of wholes, halves and steps, so there's a crowd. My little brother is Molly's grandpa. His gift for Molly was a Three Little Pigs playset. She loved it, and I saw tears in his eyes when she was opening it. He is a sentimental old thing.
I should be thinking about using the remainder of the weekend to accomplish a few things, but I'm having a glass of wine and watching the national evening news. So relaxed and content it's hard to get off the couch.
April is about to run out on me. I still haven't had the car inspected. The school year is racing to conclusion and I find that I have started thinking about organizing for next year.
That seems like a better use of my time than trying to force these seniors into doing anything. It isn't just the kids either. I think the faculty is about done too!

Third Times the Charm

Faculty meeting this morning. Another test administration training. We have something like 45 days of standardized testing this year and every time the entire staff has to sit for another training.We drive ourselves to work at jobs which the state has licensed us to do, but we can't proctor a test without these stupid trainings!
The state of Texas is crazy at its core and getting worse by the minute.
Word is that an axman from another district has been hired as the new Chief Academic Officer. He's supposed to be coming on board to clean house. Hope that means he's starting at Eastway Village. The good old boy network has taken all the academic credibility out of this district. All the student safety nets, affective teaching methods and professional learning communities have pretty well gummed up the works by creating a culture that requires nothing of the student. Can you smell the acrid smoke of smoldering burnt out teacher?
I am caught up at least and the final marking period of the school year is here. Tomorrow is Friday and the weather has been ideal for almost the entire week. The only thing on my calendar is a hair appointment on Saturday.
I have contracted Tyler's cold. So if today is any indication, I'm not going to feel like doing anything else.
I'm off to the kitchen to throw together some microwave Chinese for dinner. Thank the Lord for steamers and rotisserie chicken. Life is good!

Sloan's Birthday

How many Disney princesses does it take to fill up a castle bounce house? It looked like about an even dozen plus the requisite charming princes. Saturday the Shrink and WonderBoy put on the greatest kid birthday ever. Of course, Didi made the appetizers, Bebe brought the beer and I paid for the cake...we are all easily manipulated by anything that is ultimately for Sloan.
Everyone had a great time, the honoree only cried about four times and the other kids only cried when they had to leave. I'm sure that tells you it was a terrific party right there.
I drove to Dallas yesterday morning, did what I could to facilitate the preparations. Mostly my job seemed to be holding Mr. Leadbottom, who is tipping the scale at 19 lbs. No wonder he didn't roll over until he was six months old!
Met some of the kids friends and had a good laugh when Pete told me he had met my husband. He was a little embarrassed I think when I told him that he hadn't!
Grandbuddy and NaiNai stayed until closing time, that bunch loves a party.
I fell into bed and asleep so fast I didn't know when the kids came upstairs. I was exhausted. I'm back in the flash and sweat zone and I swear that it's tiring to cycle through that several times a day, even if you aren't carrying a hunky baby.
This morning rainy weather was on the agenda, so I threw on my traveling togs and piled my crap in the car as early as I could. My usual stops for gas and breakfast on a bun and I was rolling south. It did rain a lot of the way, but not blinding rain. I was in my own bubble relishing being free, on the road, and sipping coffee with real half and half. I am a really simple creature. My needs are so easily met.
I can't believe Sloan is four and on the other hand that she isn't forty. What an amazing, magical, mystery she is. Pure spirit, high drama, intense, passionate, willful, beautiful. She is a force of nature who will tell you things God has said to her just like she will ask you to pass the jelly. Talk about a reason to live...being able to see her grow up is my greatest desire.
Happy Birthday precious princess. Love, Memom

Easter

This has been a very blessed Easter. We have been blessed to have all of our family come together to enjoy a meal and the company of the people we love and cherish most. We have been blessed with ideal weather that enabled us to be outside and aware of the wonders of spring's perfect renewal. We have been blessed with a new generation of our family. Sloan, Molly and Tyler have brought smiles and tears of joy, gales of laughter and hope for the future. I love them so much.
It has been so enjoyable having this time off work. I thoroughly enjoyed putting together our family dinner last night. It was semi-homemade which saved lots of time and standing in the kitchen.
We bought two new conversation chairs for the patio, attractive and very comfortable.
I have to admit that when the Kids left to go on to their next stop, I took a shower and got under a blanket on the couch. I was completely tired and ready to get off my feet.
I slept through about two and a half hours of the Masters tournament. Congratulations Bubba Watson. Get a haircut before you win another major!
That's the Memo for today. Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and that we will go into the next days with our spirits renewed!

Short Week

Good Friday is the day after tomorrow and we are blessed to have the day off work. There is nothing longer than a four day week. The second semester seniors are checked out mentally and to a certain extent, physically. If you try to have any direct instruction, heads are on desks immediately. They come dragging in later and later. Everyone is "tired".
Pet peeves:
"When can I make up the test?"
"Do we have to do anything?"
"My printer doesn't work."
Did my taxes online. I decided that it couldn't be that hard. It wasn't. It was free, they do all the math and you can debit to pay what you owe.
We're set to learn mah-jong. Everyone can meet on Wednesday. I think this will be fun. I'm also going to play bridge with Jean in a group that meets on Monday evenings. I'll have to record DWTS. Jack Wagner is second to go. Can I pick 'em? I said Hat Guy or Jack and they were the bottom two.
My white denim jacket came from Chico's. It's perfect with the maxi dress.
Now I just need the perfect place to wear it. I'm thinking that would be the Amalfi Coast or a Caribbean island. Dreams are free.

I Hate Tornados!

Dallas was attacked by whirling devastation this afternoon. I don't know yet if she was home anyway or left work to get them, but Berit and the kids were safe at home when she got my text. Praise the Lord no one seems to have perished, although there are serious injuries. Video of long-haul trailers flying hundreds of feet through the air gave the impression of angry giant children flinging toys in fits of frustration.
Best reassurance received, a video of T-Bone wearing his boys rule onesie and playing with his own fat foot.
Had the first AP review this afternoon. I linked a really thorough review site to my webpage. The kids won't need to buy exercise book if they don't want to.
I have all these DBQ's to grade and I don't have the least bit of motivation. I'm just task avoiding and waiting for DWTS to come on at 8:00 so I can see who gets eliminated. The dancing is way above the standard in previous seasons.
Sarah has lined up a friend of hers to teach us how to play mah-jong.seems like good brain exercise to learn something new.
Need to go on Amazon and order some Calico Critters furniture for Miss Sloan's townhouse. Birthday weekend is coming up very shortly. Busy month April, for me and the bug that ate my basil!

Signs of Spring

Last night I attacked my closet. The Goodwill made a haul today. I took out everything and took the Dyson in. After I sucked up a canister full of dust, I started the sort and separate routine. If I haven't worn it, if it was a size too small, or if it was just old or ugly, out it went. I feel freer and more organized than Martha Stewart.
This morning I did the bedroom. Dust ruffles are aptly named, and mine hasn't been washed since last fall. I did the wood blinds and the picture frames, the secretary and the carpet.I even cleaned the baseboards.
Fortunately, all this high powered housekeeping didn't take all day and when my friend Sharon messaged me that she was thinking about a trip to the new garden center, I was able to take a quick shower and be ready to go.
Reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle has us thinking about locally grown food, so I fell for a huge patio tomato that is loaded with blooms already and a diva cucumber that had two cucumbers ready to pick and scads of smaller ones. Nothing says warm weather like a cucumber sandwich. Mayo, salt and pepper on soft bread. Bliss.
Spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for plants and pots and then headed home to put everything out.
I worked like an army ant planting and transplanting, and I'm pretty pleased with my choices. Now it's time for the final four games and a Reese's peanut butter Easter egg.
Ah spring...I love all the signs of spring.

Just Breathe

Before calling it a night, I checked my school email. Dumb idea. I have a student whose hovering mother is about on my last nerve. Kid does nothing, I'm not certain he can feed himself. His grades are pathetic and every assignment she writes to find out if he can have a mulligan or if I'll still take it late, and on and on.
Makes me want to scream.
Bestsellers Book Club met for lunch today. We split cheese enchiladas and two desserts at Pappasito's and caught up on everyone's news and misadventures. Then we hit Barnes & Noble for a good book scrounge. One of my favorite pastimes.
At Dillard's I finally bought this handbag I've been eying for ages. It was $50 off, I couldn't pass that up.
Another weekend draws to a close and I'm wishing for another day off. I got my laundry done, got my hair cut and colored, bought groceries, and took Mother out for lunch. I visited with Jeff & Jen, talked to Berit & Sloan and coordinated the family Easter with Grunc and his girls. All-in-all a productive couple of days. Good job old girl!

Today's Memo

Memo to Fiat:
Seriously? You want to pay that incorrigible, ancient adolescent Charlie Sheen to hype your car? Thanks for contributing to the erosion of our values. Making an ankle monitor and house arrest sexy is a stretch for cheap vodka. I can't think why a reputable company would want to glorify substance abuse, domestic violence, and narcissistic psychopathology.Am I the only NCAA fan who thinks that ad needs to be taken off the air?

Spring Fever

It has been a beautiful spring day. Thank God for rain, everything is so green. It's almost 7:30 and still light outside. Sometime along the way my favorite season changed from fall to spring.
I had a conference period the last class of the day. A teacher friend came by my room to see if I'd be willing to ditch. I didn't hesitate for a minute. That sunshine was irresistible.
We drove down to Steinmart where I bought 2 dresses and a blouse and Sharon bought a summer handbag and really cute red flats.
When our shopping was done, we adjourned to Starbuck's for mocha frappacinos.
I wound up getting home about the usual time. Mother was sitting out on the patio so I joined her. I cleaned off the oak pollen and repotted the lacy tree. Tuesday night's storm turned it over and broke the pot.
We had a steak recipe that Mother saw on Pioneer Woman. It was so simple and with sauteed mushrooms, perfectly delicious.
Now it's time for more March Madness and knitting.
Just got an evite to Sloan's 4th birthday...I cannot believe my Grandbaby is going to be 4!
Definitely burning up with spring fever.

And Justice for All

I'm upset about the death of Tayvon Martin. States like Texas and Florida have these "stand your ground" laws. If you feel threatened, shoot! So this vigilante neighborhood watch nut sees a 17 year- old walking home from the 7-11 and decides he's suspicious. He made his 47th call to 911 and they record the whole episode including the boy's cries for help and the 9 mm rounds being fired. Hate crime. Legislative insanity.
Thank God law students and the media have made people aware of what has happened in this case, maybe justice can be done in this case and no one else will have to lose his life or his child to this insanity.
I am continually amazed by how incapable people are of recognizing the humanity of all persons. This has to change. God help us.
Voter ID laws, repeal healthcare, tax cuts for the richest people, denying climate change...it goes on and on. We are at a crossroads and the Universe is demanding a shift in our perspective. What will it take to make us all aware?

Stormy Weather & Santorum

Weather alerts stirred up some excitement this morning. It was dark as night until around 10:00 a.m. The public affairs office was sending e-mails about seeking shelter. I never think about being the responsible adult with that room full of kids. Too scary.
Today is Daddy's anniversary day. He would be 84 and he's been gone for 14 years. I miss him.
Just watched the Descendants and it evoked a strong feeling about family and land and the connections that keep going on and on. There was also a recognition of what we owe to each other, not only to our own families, but to humanity. What it means to be decent and to care for other people. I appreciated that film.
After the movie, I flipped over to Rachel Maddow to check the results of the Illinois primary. Romney won, but I tuned in just in time for Santorum's speech to his supporters in Gettysburg, PA. Oh my God, save us from that reactionary nimwit. Romney is an insufferable empty suit without a shred of a personal belief system, but Santorum's beliefs are quite evident and they'd have served James Buchanan when he was running.
Under the banner of saving America's freedom, Rick will have us all going to the segregated school of our choice, driven there by constantly pregnant women who are forbidden to work outside the home. Everyone will have a job drilling oil and digging coal to insure our energy freedom and you won't have to pay college tuition or union dues. No college snobbery and the right to work, but first you have to get the blacks out of the White House.
Moderate Republicans need to be added to the endangered species list.

Back to Work...Only 49 Days Until Finals!

Yesterday when I was working in the yard, something bit me twice on my left big toe and once on my shin. Itch, all night and all day. I could just scratch these bites until they bleed! And the craziest part of the story is not seeing or feeling anything on my foot or leg. No idea what kind of spider, ant, or insect this was.
Went back to work today. It was a fast flying day because I needed to lecture in all five classes. I can hardly believe how close it is to time for AP testing. There are 125 kids taking the government and politics exam. That's more than ever!
I'm running out of time to cover the curriculum and we are beginning all the distractions like senior picnic and prom. We have another four day weekend at Easter.
DWTS started its new season tonight. The talent was pretty good for a first night. Loved Donald Driver and Jaleel White and the girl who is dancing with Mark Ballas. I think her name is Katherine Jenkins. Max is dancing with Melissa Gilbert...there is room to grow there.
Made B's rotisserie chicken and angel hair pasta recipe. It wasn't nearly as good as hers.
She had better lemons with more zest. And the artichoke bottoms make it better than the hearts.
The March wind is gusting and stormy weather is expected. Even the dogs in the neighborhood seem to be stirred up. Just time to read a few pages before lights out, and the count is down to 48 days!

Spring Break '12 Comes to a Close

What a wonderful vacation this has been. A week of mild weather and a break in the routine. Movies, catching up around the house, time with my kids and grandkids. I've enjoyed this week immensely.
Just had a glass of red velvet Cupcake on the patio to say adios to the break. Blew off the pollen pods, watered the hibiscus and new ferns. The patio is so pleasant right now as the plants put on their spring new growth.
Cindy called from Stu's and invited us to lunch before she headed for home. So we met her at ElCharro and enjoyed some delicious sour cream enchiladas. Cindy looks well and we had a nice visit catching up. It was Mother's first trip out of the house all week, so it was good for her.
This has been a wonderful day without anything more noteworthy than a great nap after a good lunch. I've knitted some on Jeff's blanket.
I'm reading Stacy Schiff's Pulitzer Prize winning, Cleopatra, a Life.
Tomorrow it's time to go back to work. All the knitting and reading goes on the back burner. It's almost time to start reviewing for the AP exam. But we have Easter to look forward to. The kids are coming for the holiday.

St. Patrick's Day

A free day to stay in work clothes and catch up on errands and chores. After reading the Chronicle, I finished my laundry, caught a quick shower and headed out to pick up cleaning, get groceries, and try to do something about the cable bill.
I'm delighted to report that I dropped a movie package or two and got the bottom-line down almost $60. Awesome!
Saw the Pioneer Woman make a spinach salad on the Foodnetwork and decided that would be a great Saturday lunch. Spinach, hard cooked egg, bacon, mushrooms and red onion with warm bacon dressing...umm delicious.
Other accomplishments today included organizing a couple of drawers, putting grades in the computer, changing my bed linens, cleaning up the potted plants on the patio and sweeping up all the oak pollen.
For relaxation I've caught a little NCAA basketball,browsed through the new House Beautiful, enjoyed drinks on the patio with my brother and my son in almost perfect spring evening weather.
For sheer joy I got pictures today of Tyler in his new fedora and his onesie with a green necktie and of Molly in her Irish lass outfit complete with hair ornament!
St. Patty must be smiling.

Home At Last

There really is no place like home. I remember what a rush my Daddy always was in to get home. Now I understand why. Home has your bed, your tea kettle, your bathroom and it's very peacefully quiet.
I stopped at Woody's on the way home. I went through that place like a starving dog in a slaughterhouse. Cheese bread, iced cinnamon raisin bread, a big piece of red velvet fudge,crunchy cheetos, and a grande mocha frappacino to wash it down.
I do miss the kids. Sloan is very funny when she's not whining about something. She can cut with scissors and catch a ball. Pretty good fine motor skills for a three year old. And Ty is just a big doll. His big old sweet smile is going to have the girls in love from the word go.
My vacation is running out fast and I'm definitely not ready for it to end.

Thursday

Crapped up Berit's crabcake recipe while they went to sell the CRV.
But we had an expensive bottle of wine so it didn't really matter. Imitation crab won't make crabcakes!
Sloan had four crashes today and hurt everything from her mouth to her left foot, and I mean everything. She even broke a dining room chair!
Thank God there was no blood & no lost teeth.
All this happened with two grandmothers watching & everyone paying attention.
Tomorrow my tour of duty is over. I'm going to miss all this good sugar from Ty's chubby cheeks! But, I'm ready to get sprung. Haven't been out since Tuesday & I want to shop or something.
I have grades to put in the computer and bills to pay. I don 't have a hair appointment though to take up my day.

Continued

If this is a vacation, I don't ever want to be sentenced to hard labor. It's 9:35 and I've already had a soak and am ready for bed. Long day! Picked Tyler out of bed this morning with a blow out diaper full of sweet potatoes. It was everywhere. To clean up meant stripping a double bed, laundering the sheets.
Between laundry loads NaiNai came and it took both of us to manage our two small grandchildren. They are little, but busy.
Brenda arrived this afternoon, she has been I'll and hadn't seen the children since December, I don't know how she stood it so long.
We didn't have a lot of luck with Tyler napping, so we played hard. Inside and out, pretend and games and telling stories. No videos all day, that's a miracle.
I have mo idea where I was headed with this, nut I'm never going to make it....I've already fallen asleep three times while typing. The only thing left to say is goodnight.

I'm in Big D, My Oh Yes

Drove to Dallas today. I'm exhausted and have dog hair and spit up milk all over my favorite black Chico's skirt! This is a non-stop operation. Sloan is still going through s period of adjustment. Tyler was in the swing for the first time today and it brought her to tears. I'm too tired for the details tonight. More tomorrow.

Monday, Monday

Getting ready for Tuesday's departure. Started at Kohl's looking for bras and panties. Nothing fancy, I'm interested in comfort and back fat control. Any company that can make no wedgie panties has my business locked up.
Also on my list size six months clothes for my main man Tyler. He has outgrown all his little baby clothes. Found a couple of cute things, but I would have had more choice if I needed twelve or eighteen months.
Sloan got the big haul. Palais Royal had cute sundresses forty percent off.
I got her three adorable summer frocks. She also got a living room suite for the calico critters house. She'll be thrilled.
Ssh! Don't look! The sun is out. Drought survivors shouldn't wish away rain, I know, but all the gray skies and muddy yards are a dreary sight and not a nice background for all the azaleas and everything else that is in full bloom.
Heading in to pack. Tomorrow is hugs and kisses day.

Spring break

Another rainy day. Finally made it to the Kroger before we ran out of coffee and t.p.
That's when you can 't put it off any longer. So far this vacation has been cold and wet. Tomorrow is day three and we're hoping to have a break in the clouds. I'm not doing anything outdoorsy, but I think I might get motivated to get off the couch if the sun comes out. So far I've made it to the Toyota dealership for an oil change, to Michael's for yarn and to the grocery for Bluebell.
Tuesday I head to Dallas to help take care of the Grands while their mom works. WRSN has spring break too. Ty weighs eighteen pounds at five months. If he grows to those feet, he'll be a whopper! I can't imagine how I'll carry him up the stairs. I've been enjoying my leisure time with a good book and some carbolicios snacks. I'm in no shape to do this job.
Finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. It took me a long time to get around to it, but it was my favorite book of the three.
I love being able to stay up "past my bedtime". Going on daylight savings time during vacation will be a huge help. I can read or watch a movie all evening without being a gritch the morning after.
So it's no tropical island or ski lodge kind of spring break, but there's a great sense of time to relax and enjoy.

TGIF

Lunch time on Friday. I've taught all classes except one. The kids were fine until fourth period and they were barely alive. Heads down, glazed over and nothing exciting for me to wake them with...we have to know about amending the Constitution. Try making that fun!!
Tonight is fajita night at Las Palomas. I'm so ready for an icy cold Mexican beer with salt and lime. It helps to have a regular kick off for Friday night so you have something to look forward to all day.
Let the weekend begin, come on 3:05!

School Day

Thursdays are my most favorite days this semester. I have Professional Learning Community from 7:15 until 9:00. Mostly that involves the other government teacher and me planning whatever project we are mutually assigning to our students. Today it was about putting grades in the grade book for the interim progress reporting period.
When school actually does begin, I have one AP class, one level class, lunch and a conference period. What a day! It isn't really a problem subsisting on my salary when one day a week is practically a day off.
My AP kids had to watch the State of the Union address Tuesday night, so I gave them bingo cards to play SOTU Bingo! They did a fabulous job of actually watching and noting what the Prez said. We had outstanding discussions in my odd numbered classes yesterday and 2nd period today. The only class that let me down was 7th and they were what has been described as "snarky". They wound up hunting through the Constitution for sources for the answers to twenty hypotheticals. Serves 'em right, smart-ass kids!
I made the final payment on buying the good behavior of the problem kid in my level class today. I've been trying to kill him with kindness for three weeks. Today he needed pen, paper, and an excuse to go for a drink. I gave him a pen, an entire legal pad and a bottle of Ozarka and made a situation comedy of the whole thing. I heard one kid say, "She's such a grandma."And that was okay because what she meant was caretaker.
I got an email from Herr German Professor a few minutes ago. It seems the Republicans in Congress are now against preventing drop-outs from leaving school because the Prez has asked all states to adopt a policy keeping kids in school until they're eighteen. God forbid, the Republicans should support 'big government' intrusions into the lives of the people and interfere with the prerogatives of the states. Rather than admit that the Other could have a good idea, it's better to let drop-out rates soar and damn the consequences for society.
One of the AP teachers posted on the group listserve yesterday that a parent of one of her students forbid him to watch the SOTU address because "nothing Obama related" was allowed in his house. The reaction from the teachers wasn't as strong as I would have predicted. Some said that they had had similar experiences and most just offered suggestions for alternatie assignments. The acrimony seems particuarly sharp presently. Campaign season is clearly upon us.
I took a quiz to the copy room a short while ago, and chances are it's ready to be picked up. If I go and get it now, my work here is actually done for today. I can go and do some errands and head home.