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!