Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
It ain't over until...
...the fat lady sings.
And this fat lady can't sing until she gets her classroom cleaned out.
My contract year officially ended Thursday, but I had taken Monday and Wednesday off so had to come back Friday to clean out my room. It was really a mess. I only "stash and dash" -ed on the last day last year because I had totally had it (a rough year last year). This year I was sick for almost six weeks starting in January and never did catch up. I had three boxes full of papers to be refiled. I will also need some shelf space in the cupboards for union stuff (no, I am not bringing all that crap into my already stuffed-to-overflowing house). And I still hold some faint hope of retiring in the next few years (Thursday was supposed to be my last day. Have I whined about that, yet?)
Anyway, I spent yesterday cleaning and clearing. One of my colleagues was doing the same in her classroom and was pitching stuff her MOTHER had not thrown out when she retired from teaching second grade. Since my oldest is teaching second grade next year, I had to grab all the discards in case there is anything he can use. So, by the end of the day yesterday I was pooped out but somehow had more than I started with.
I'm so good at that.
Wednesday was a wonderful day. I spent the day with my son at his charter school in LA. I've had nightmares about his "inner city" school and was delightfully surprised. Their little school seems to have been embraced by the neighborhood (the taggers leave them alone). The children were wonderful and I was very proud of my son. He did a wonderful job of turning his group into "students." (He had some real behavior challenges this year.) He's told me all year of learning that one kid is the nephew of the neighborhood crack dealer and another they believe is the child of the local pimp and another is scared all the time because his family members keep getting killed. But these sweet, darling kids are simply sweet, darling kids like any you'd meet in any neighborhood in America. In fact, every one of them was more polite and respectful than a growing number of my upper middle class/affluent students here in suburbia. All of his "graduating" students (fifth grade going into middle school) had to give their own graduation speech and one of them bragged that they didn't know double digits before, but Mr. M--- was even able to teach her double digits so now she can do double digits!
Tuesday, June 17
I had to leave the previous entry and am just now getting back. Today was the official first day of summer break because I got my classroom cleaned out yesterday. Of course, I had to spend today going through the car full of boxes that I brought home but that's OK. I got the union tote/notebook/files from five years ago cleaned out and condensed the stuff I brought for my son down to four boxes instead of six. Brought a few things home for my nephew, too. He's ten and obsessed with weaponry of all kinds so I brought home the Civil War and Knights books from my reference collection. Maybe he'll learn something.
Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view) today was a good day for this kind of chore because the power was out for TEN HOURS. Edison was replacing a huge something or other at the end of the street behind us. We had lots of notice (alth0ugh they said nine hours and actually took ten). DH and I realized just how addicted to electricity we are.
So now the countdown is for a big, fun weekend and our vacation in Utah. Friday I take my dad to Disneyland to see the All American College Band (see YouTube clip above). This is our second visit just to see this amazing group and all Dad and I will do is go ride Soarin' Over California at DCA once, then head to Disneyland to follow this group around all day. I think I've convinced Dad to let me push him in my Mom's wheelchair (he'll be 83 in October and it is getting harder for him to trek the park all day) so he should really enjoy the day.
Saturday is the family's June/July Birthday Bash for my BIL, myself, and my older son as well as Father's Day for my dad. Sunday is my birthday for real and my little solo trip back to Disneyland has become a family trip. I hope they aren't too disappointed. I don't do a whole lot of riding on attractions anymore. Instead, I want to see the Hillbillies, watch the Parade of Dreams then head over to DCA for the Pixar Play Parade. Kind of boring for the others, I'm afraid.
Then Monday we leave for Utah. We're a little nervous because we haven't seen the condo since the great flood and renovations. We expect they did a great job with the repairs but we may find damage to some of the stuff that was stored in the downstairs closet. Oh well. Didn't cause it, couldn't prevent it.
I'm looking forward to a visit to Shepherd's Bush to get fiber for a couple of pieces as well as more Q-Snap frames and some of their new frame covers. Every year that we've headed for Utah I've just missed the Wasatch front quilt shop hop but this year it's a week later and I will be able to catch some of it. I'll have to decide if I want to go to some shops or not. DH is encouraging me but really, I need more fabric like a hole in the head, could save the money for more stitchery stuff and at over $4.00 per gallon, really don't need to spend the gas money, either. I'll see if any of my Utah friends want to go and make the decision when we're up there.
We're looking forward to attending the June 28 Obama-que sponsored by a group called "Mormons and Everyone Else in Utah for Obama." We attended an Anti-Bush rally three years ago in Salt Lake City (called for by then mayor Rocky Anderson) when Bush was there speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. We learned that there aren't a lot of Democrats in Utah (about 2,000 at the rally) but they are not wishy washy Dems like here in our town. Really quite refreshing.
The demon dog is still with us until Friday. DH told its owner (when she finally answered the phone) that if she didn't pick it up by Friday he would take it to the pound. It has pissed on my family room carpet, dug a hole in the back yard, carried garbage into the family room and the best one - earned a citation from animal control for barking. DH went out for a couple of hours of errands and locked it in the kennel. It tipped over its water dish so when L--- got home, there was a tag on the doorknob citing him for not putting water in the kennel and for not having a license for the dog. L--- called the number as ordered and explained the situation. My feeling is that the owner really thought L--- would keep her precious darling forever. She has not found a new place that will allow the obnoxious beast. I think L--- should make her come get it and take it to the pound herself since she hasn't found another place (she said two weeks and it's been a month). Oh, well, not my business. BTW, a friend spent three hours with us on Father's Day and commented to L--- on her way out, "That is a nasty little dog."
And this fat lady can't sing until she gets her classroom cleaned out.
My contract year officially ended Thursday, but I had taken Monday and Wednesday off so had to come back Friday to clean out my room. It was really a mess. I only "stash and dash" -ed on the last day last year because I had totally had it (a rough year last year). This year I was sick for almost six weeks starting in January and never did catch up. I had three boxes full of papers to be refiled. I will also need some shelf space in the cupboards for union stuff (no, I am not bringing all that crap into my already stuffed-to-overflowing house). And I still hold some faint hope of retiring in the next few years (Thursday was supposed to be my last day. Have I whined about that, yet?)
Anyway, I spent yesterday cleaning and clearing. One of my colleagues was doing the same in her classroom and was pitching stuff her MOTHER had not thrown out when she retired from teaching second grade. Since my oldest is teaching second grade next year, I had to grab all the discards in case there is anything he can use. So, by the end of the day yesterday I was pooped out but somehow had more than I started with.
I'm so good at that.
Wednesday was a wonderful day. I spent the day with my son at his charter school in LA. I've had nightmares about his "inner city" school and was delightfully surprised. Their little school seems to have been embraced by the neighborhood (the taggers leave them alone). The children were wonderful and I was very proud of my son. He did a wonderful job of turning his group into "students." (He had some real behavior challenges this year.) He's told me all year of learning that one kid is the nephew of the neighborhood crack dealer and another they believe is the child of the local pimp and another is scared all the time because his family members keep getting killed. But these sweet, darling kids are simply sweet, darling kids like any you'd meet in any neighborhood in America. In fact, every one of them was more polite and respectful than a growing number of my upper middle class/affluent students here in suburbia. All of his "graduating" students (fifth grade going into middle school) had to give their own graduation speech and one of them bragged that they didn't know double digits before, but Mr. M--- was even able to teach her double digits so now she can do double digits!
Tuesday, June 17
I had to leave the previous entry and am just now getting back. Today was the official first day of summer break because I got my classroom cleaned out yesterday. Of course, I had to spend today going through the car full of boxes that I brought home but that's OK. I got the union tote/notebook/files from five years ago cleaned out and condensed the stuff I brought for my son down to four boxes instead of six. Brought a few things home for my nephew, too. He's ten and obsessed with weaponry of all kinds so I brought home the Civil War and Knights books from my reference collection. Maybe he'll learn something.
Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view) today was a good day for this kind of chore because the power was out for TEN HOURS. Edison was replacing a huge something or other at the end of the street behind us. We had lots of notice (alth0ugh they said nine hours and actually took ten). DH and I realized just how addicted to electricity we are.
So now the countdown is for a big, fun weekend and our vacation in Utah. Friday I take my dad to Disneyland to see the All American College Band (see YouTube clip above). This is our second visit just to see this amazing group and all Dad and I will do is go ride Soarin' Over California at DCA once, then head to Disneyland to follow this group around all day. I think I've convinced Dad to let me push him in my Mom's wheelchair (he'll be 83 in October and it is getting harder for him to trek the park all day) so he should really enjoy the day.
Saturday is the family's June/July Birthday Bash for my BIL, myself, and my older son as well as Father's Day for my dad. Sunday is my birthday for real and my little solo trip back to Disneyland has become a family trip. I hope they aren't too disappointed. I don't do a whole lot of riding on attractions anymore. Instead, I want to see the Hillbillies, watch the Parade of Dreams then head over to DCA for the Pixar Play Parade. Kind of boring for the others, I'm afraid.
Then Monday we leave for Utah. We're a little nervous because we haven't seen the condo since the great flood and renovations. We expect they did a great job with the repairs but we may find damage to some of the stuff that was stored in the downstairs closet. Oh well. Didn't cause it, couldn't prevent it.
I'm looking forward to a visit to Shepherd's Bush to get fiber for a couple of pieces as well as more Q-Snap frames and some of their new frame covers. Every year that we've headed for Utah I've just missed the Wasatch front quilt shop hop but this year it's a week later and I will be able to catch some of it. I'll have to decide if I want to go to some shops or not. DH is encouraging me but really, I need more fabric like a hole in the head, could save the money for more stitchery stuff and at over $4.00 per gallon, really don't need to spend the gas money, either. I'll see if any of my Utah friends want to go and make the decision when we're up there.
We're looking forward to attending the June 28 Obama-que sponsored by a group called "Mormons and Everyone Else in Utah for Obama." We attended an Anti-Bush rally three years ago in Salt Lake City (called for by then mayor Rocky Anderson) when Bush was there speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. We learned that there aren't a lot of Democrats in Utah (about 2,000 at the rally) but they are not wishy washy Dems like here in our town. Really quite refreshing.
The demon dog is still with us until Friday. DH told its owner (when she finally answered the phone) that if she didn't pick it up by Friday he would take it to the pound. It has pissed on my family room carpet, dug a hole in the back yard, carried garbage into the family room and the best one - earned a citation from animal control for barking. DH went out for a couple of hours of errands and locked it in the kennel. It tipped over its water dish so when L--- got home, there was a tag on the doorknob citing him for not putting water in the kennel and for not having a license for the dog. L--- called the number as ordered and explained the situation. My feeling is that the owner really thought L--- would keep her precious darling forever. She has not found a new place that will allow the obnoxious beast. I think L--- should make her come get it and take it to the pound herself since she hasn't found another place (she said two weeks and it's been a month). Oh, well, not my business. BTW, a friend spent three hours with us on Father's Day and commented to L--- on her way out, "That is a nasty little dog."
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Almost Breathing Time
Five more days to summer break.
It's been a hairy month. Most of the hairy-ness came from me freaking out over my son's MIL coming for lunch. B---'s always had everything nice to say about his mother-in-law so it's been just me being nuts. I have never been this nervous. The visit was marvelous. The only moment of awkwardness was when they came in. How do two mothers, separated by culture and language - not to mention an ocean - whose children have been in a relationship for nine years (married two) greet each other for the first time? I pretty much took care of that by smothering the woman in a big hug, which she happily returned and then all was well. Y--- did a fantastic job of translating for all of us.
I think my scrapbooks saved the day. Y--- and her mom snuggled in on the couch to go through my Christmas and Disneyland scrapbooks. Mama decided she wants to scrapbook, too. They seemed to enjoy going though the books while I finished lunch and relieved some of the conversation anxiety. As always, G--- saved the food day. I had sliced, diced and boiled but he came home from work and pulled everything together into his trademark dish (bowtie pasta with doctored-up Alfredo sauce). I baked two pans of frozen garlic toast and burned one, but the second was delicious so the joke became that you have to make it that way (burn the top rack) so that the toast on the bottom rack comes out right. For dessert I had strawberries from The Stand. There is one strawberry stand (and strawberries are the main crop around here; the county even has an annual strawberry festival) in town that is revered as the best in the land. And, happily, it's the one closest to my house. Anyway, they were huge and delicious and I melted a pound of Mercken's dark chocolate and we dipped them right at the table. That turned out to be great fun, although we could not get Mama to let them harden. I have to say, she might be onto something. The warm chocolate was awfully good.
I have a very busy week scheduled next week. Tomorrow is the 8th grade's annual graduation trip to Magic Mountain (a Six Flags park about 45 minutes from us). I don't care for the place. No pixie dust. Anyway, any 8th grade teacher who doesn't go to MM with the kids as chaperon has to stay at school and move class-to-class covering for 6th and 7th grade teachers who want to go on the trip. Talk about a lose/lose for me. I figured out a few years ago that this was well worth saving a personal day for. I use a personal day and take the day off. A sub gets one more day's work during the last week of school (usually not a big sub income week). The students get a sub one way or another so it might as well be someone they have probably had as a sub all year anyway.
And I go to Disneyland.
This is turning into a big Disneyland month for me. I usually take my folks one day while their passes are still good. The Disneyland annual passport magazine said the All American College Band would be there June 1 through August 18. My folks' passes are still good up through June 17 (during the week) so we scheduled two days to go see the band, only to learn the band is in rehearsal and doesn't start performing until June 18. Figures.
I had already arranged a day off to take them last Tuesday and ended up just taking Mom. It worked out really well. We did "girl" things.
Mom had never been to the Princess Fantasy Faire. We got there just in time for Mulan to tell her story, then they had a cor0nation. For a coronation ceremony first all the little kids go get a gold crown and a page of stickers that they can use to decorate their crown. Then a lord and lady come onstage and teach them to wave regally and to curtsy and bow. Then, with the help of two pages and two - I don't remember what they called them but they're female castmember dancers - they teach the little ones a dance. THEN the princesses come out and they sing the Welcome song and dance. Then they bring out three maypoles and do "the ribbon dance."
Mom said that was the best part of the whole day! (She loves watching little kids get into fantasy and it's so easy to do at Disneyland.)
After the Faire we went down and claimed our favorite seats for the parade.
After the parade we got something to eat and headed home.
So, tomorrow was supposed to be a day both DH and I go to Disneyland and California Adventure. I'm supposed to go again on the 20th to take my dad to see the All American College Band, and then was planning to go all by myself on my birthday, the 22nd. I was going to get myself a birthday button and just indulge myself. I never really mentioned my plans to anyone but DH. The family birthday bash will be the day before and everyone knows DH and I leave for Utah on the 23rd. Who in their right mind goes to Disneyland the day before they are scheduled to leave for a two-week vacation? (Reference line above "just me being nuts.")
Anyway, B--- and Y--- were checking their calendars a couple of weeks ago and noticed that my birthday was on a Sunday that the annual passports I got them last month were still unblocked. So, they emailed me to ask if I wanted to go to Disneyland on my birthday with them. Sure bet! Then yesterday, DH hears of this change in plans and says he wants to come, too, even though it will cost him extra money. Then B--- talks his brother into it so now we have the whole family going with me on my birthday! Which is way cool but totally not what I had planned.
That's all right, though, because DH can't seem to face going twice in one month so he's bailing on me for tomorrow's trip and I will be "all by me onesy." S'okay. I've stuff to do that I don't impose on him.
Tuesday will be "finish up" day for me finishing grades and returning things to kids and so on. Wednesday I've taken another day, this time to go into LA to see B---'s school, then to Encino for his school's end-of-year production. Should be fun.
Thursday is the official last day of school. I'll be mostly cleaning my classroom until commencement. I'll have to come back on Friday to finish cleaning before I can check out. When I was sick in January (5.5 weeks) I got behind and never caught up so there's a lot of sorting and pitching and dusting to do. But then I will be well and truly done for a while.
I agreed to take the union presidency (can't whine if you won't act). Things are such a mess I don't know if I'm inheriting a nightmare or something salvageable (probably the former). My main goal is to use the year to wrangle the reins away from the Old Guard and hand them to the New Ideas. Definitely time for a change.
I can hardly wait to get to Utah. I've got my charts ready to go on a spree at Shepherd's Bush (my LNS is 800 miles from home.) I'm going to kit La Balancoire, the Nimue chart I got after Christmas and one of the Victoria Sampler charts I bought this spring.
Mostly, though, I'm looking forward to just being in Eden. If you'd like a glimpse at my home away from home (someday - economy recovery willing - it will be my home) check out this link. Watch the little video. The golf course is the backyard of our condo, and is between the condo and the lot we bought to build on.
Someday.
Sigh.
It's been a hairy month. Most of the hairy-ness came from me freaking out over my son's MIL coming for lunch. B---'s always had everything nice to say about his mother-in-law so it's been just me being nuts. I have never been this nervous. The visit was marvelous. The only moment of awkwardness was when they came in. How do two mothers, separated by culture and language - not to mention an ocean - whose children have been in a relationship for nine years (married two) greet each other for the first time? I pretty much took care of that by smothering the woman in a big hug, which she happily returned and then all was well. Y--- did a fantastic job of translating for all of us.
I think my scrapbooks saved the day. Y--- and her mom snuggled in on the couch to go through my Christmas and Disneyland scrapbooks. Mama decided she wants to scrapbook, too. They seemed to enjoy going though the books while I finished lunch and relieved some of the conversation anxiety. As always, G--- saved the food day. I had sliced, diced and boiled but he came home from work and pulled everything together into his trademark dish (bowtie pasta with doctored-up Alfredo sauce). I baked two pans of frozen garlic toast and burned one, but the second was delicious so the joke became that you have to make it that way (burn the top rack) so that the toast on the bottom rack comes out right. For dessert I had strawberries from The Stand. There is one strawberry stand (and strawberries are the main crop around here; the county even has an annual strawberry festival) in town that is revered as the best in the land. And, happily, it's the one closest to my house. Anyway, they were huge and delicious and I melted a pound of Mercken's dark chocolate and we dipped them right at the table. That turned out to be great fun, although we could not get Mama to let them harden. I have to say, she might be onto something. The warm chocolate was awfully good.
I have a very busy week scheduled next week. Tomorrow is the 8th grade's annual graduation trip to Magic Mountain (a Six Flags park about 45 minutes from us). I don't care for the place. No pixie dust. Anyway, any 8th grade teacher who doesn't go to MM with the kids as chaperon has to stay at school and move class-to-class covering for 6th and 7th grade teachers who want to go on the trip. Talk about a lose/lose for me. I figured out a few years ago that this was well worth saving a personal day for. I use a personal day and take the day off. A sub gets one more day's work during the last week of school (usually not a big sub income week). The students get a sub one way or another so it might as well be someone they have probably had as a sub all year anyway.
And I go to Disneyland.
This is turning into a big Disneyland month for me. I usually take my folks one day while their passes are still good. The Disneyland annual passport magazine said the All American College Band would be there June 1 through August 18. My folks' passes are still good up through June 17 (during the week) so we scheduled two days to go see the band, only to learn the band is in rehearsal and doesn't start performing until June 18. Figures.
I had already arranged a day off to take them last Tuesday and ended up just taking Mom. It worked out really well. We did "girl" things.
Mom had never been to the Princess Fantasy Faire. We got there just in time for Mulan to tell her story, then they had a cor0nation. For a coronation ceremony first all the little kids go get a gold crown and a page of stickers that they can use to decorate their crown. Then a lord and lady come onstage and teach them to wave regally and to curtsy and bow. Then, with the help of two pages and two - I don't remember what they called them but they're female castmember dancers - they teach the little ones a dance. THEN the princesses come out and they sing the Welcome song and dance. Then they bring out three maypoles and do "the ribbon dance."
Mom said that was the best part of the whole day! (She loves watching little kids get into fantasy and it's so easy to do at Disneyland.)After the Faire we went down and claimed our favorite seats for the parade.
After the parade we got something to eat and headed home.So, tomorrow was supposed to be a day both DH and I go to Disneyland and California Adventure. I'm supposed to go again on the 20th to take my dad to see the All American College Band, and then was planning to go all by myself on my birthday, the 22nd. I was going to get myself a birthday button and just indulge myself. I never really mentioned my plans to anyone but DH. The family birthday bash will be the day before and everyone knows DH and I leave for Utah on the 23rd. Who in their right mind goes to Disneyland the day before they are scheduled to leave for a two-week vacation? (Reference line above "just me being nuts.")
Anyway, B--- and Y--- were checking their calendars a couple of weeks ago and noticed that my birthday was on a Sunday that the annual passports I got them last month were still unblocked. So, they emailed me to ask if I wanted to go to Disneyland on my birthday with them. Sure bet! Then yesterday, DH hears of this change in plans and says he wants to come, too, even though it will cost him extra money. Then B--- talks his brother into it so now we have the whole family going with me on my birthday! Which is way cool but totally not what I had planned.
That's all right, though, because DH can't seem to face going twice in one month so he's bailing on me for tomorrow's trip and I will be "all by me onesy." S'okay. I've stuff to do that I don't impose on him.
Tuesday will be "finish up" day for me finishing grades and returning things to kids and so on. Wednesday I've taken another day, this time to go into LA to see B---'s school, then to Encino for his school's end-of-year production. Should be fun.
Thursday is the official last day of school. I'll be mostly cleaning my classroom until commencement. I'll have to come back on Friday to finish cleaning before I can check out. When I was sick in January (5.5 weeks) I got behind and never caught up so there's a lot of sorting and pitching and dusting to do. But then I will be well and truly done for a while.
I agreed to take the union presidency (can't whine if you won't act). Things are such a mess I don't know if I'm inheriting a nightmare or something salvageable (probably the former). My main goal is to use the year to wrangle the reins away from the Old Guard and hand them to the New Ideas. Definitely time for a change.
I can hardly wait to get to Utah. I've got my charts ready to go on a spree at Shepherd's Bush (my LNS is 800 miles from home.) I'm going to kit La Balancoire, the Nimue chart I got after Christmas and one of the Victoria Sampler charts I bought this spring.
Mostly, though, I'm looking forward to just being in Eden. If you'd like a glimpse at my home away from home (someday - economy recovery willing - it will be my home) check out this link. Watch the little video. The golf course is the backyard of our condo, and is between the condo and the lot we bought to build on.
Someday.
Sigh.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Missy, Nancy and I are all doing the Barack Boogie!
When it was time for California to vote in our primary I was really convinced that either Barack or Hillary would be terrific as President and was having a hard time deciding. Finally I let Missy have my vote since she wasn't able to vote this time around.
Boy, am I glad! The more I followed Clinton's campaign the more convinced I became that she would be just more of the same. I'm excited to get behind something new. I was particularly put off by her comments about the California primary in June being a deciding factor for candidates. Hello? California is an important primary because we're a large state. And our primary was moved up to FEBRUARY, Hillary. California wasn't voting in June this time around.
I sincerely hope she is not selected as the VP candidate. Barack would be too distracted always trying to watch his back to get the job done.
There, Nancy, I don't mind venting. You're so nice.
The DNC just announced they would be accepting no more lobby money in this campaign. What a great first step.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
A Happy Shuffle
Yes, I actually finished stitching something. I fell in love with this piece by Ayako at Windy Willows (Japan). I'm going to finish it as she did; as a needle keeper. I used a simple Charles Craft fiddler in a yummy green (I bought a roll of it a couple of years ago and never get tired of it) and Gentle Arts Blue Spruce. I was able to finish it tonight because it was either stitch or fall asleep at 7:30. I woke up at 2:30 this morning (after working yesterday, then having a meeting until 5:20 PM, then Open House until 8:15) so today I'm whipped. But if I fell asleep at 7:30 I would be up at 2:30 again and I don't want another day like today so just had to stitch. Ohgeedarn. (I apologize for the picture. I'm not going to mess with it.)
This is the beast that my husband is sitting for a couple of weeks. DH has assured me that it would either be with him or in the dog run out back. As soon as the dog was delivered, DH let it into the backyard (NOT in the kennel) and then could not catch it. It spent its first night tracking from my side of the house to the other side of the house, barking. And barking. Finally stopped at 3:00 am. It sneaks up on me all the time and scares the crap out of me. It's been here three days and I have learned the hard way that if I forget to close my door it will raid the garbage in my room and leave a mess (it's a kleenex terrier, I guess). Here's what I found this morning in the family room when I was getting ready for work:
Definitely makes itself a welcome guest.
My last dog was a 110-pound, male, black and white Akita. When he stood next to me I could lay my hand on his head without bending over (and I'm 5'7"). He started out as my son's dog (I bought him for B--- when B--- turned 15) then, when B--- left for college three years later, he became mine. I definitely developed a bias for big dogs and now this little yippy thing creeps me out. The owner told us it's a rat terrier so I looked up the breed and, sure enough, they are famous diggers. Which means I probably can't plant my flowers in the back this weekend as I'd hoped.
Figures.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Is there justice?
When we were first married, DH asked me to honor his "first rule of living."
Never presume.
He was referring to having people over. Or going out. Never presume to invite people over without checking with him, first. Never commit him to going out without checking with him, first.
Seems like just good manners to me, although - looking back - I have to say our social life was pretty restricted because of the First Rule.
Now, however, he has connected with some new friends, mostly emancipated foster youth that he works with. I've come home on several Fridays after a long week of teaching middle school to a house full of -surprise!- teenagers.
How relaxing.
Today's surprise is that one of these young people has been informed by her landlord that she has to get rid of her dog. She's moving to a new place in two weeks, but does DH know of anyone who could keep the dog for her for two weeks?
He presumed to commit to keeping the beast here.
Where I'm in the process of planting $200 worth of flowers for DIL's mother's visit.
Where we are still in chaos from the bathroom and mbr rennovation.
Where my stitchery and quilt projects are here and there in their totes all over the family room.
He assures me the animal will be either with him or out in the kennel (left over from our Akita who's been gone five years now.)
OK honey, you take care of it. It stays with you.
It's a little yippy dog.
It is barking.
And barking.
Have fun, dear.
Never presume.
He was referring to having people over. Or going out. Never presume to invite people over without checking with him, first. Never commit him to going out without checking with him, first.
Seems like just good manners to me, although - looking back - I have to say our social life was pretty restricted because of the First Rule.
Now, however, he has connected with some new friends, mostly emancipated foster youth that he works with. I've come home on several Fridays after a long week of teaching middle school to a house full of -surprise!- teenagers.
How relaxing.
Today's surprise is that one of these young people has been informed by her landlord that she has to get rid of her dog. She's moving to a new place in two weeks, but does DH know of anyone who could keep the dog for her for two weeks?
He presumed to commit to keeping the beast here.
Where I'm in the process of planting $200 worth of flowers for DIL's mother's visit.
Where we are still in chaos from the bathroom and mbr rennovation.
Where my stitchery and quilt projects are here and there in their totes all over the family room.
He assures me the animal will be either with him or out in the kennel (left over from our Akita who's been gone five years now.)
OK honey, you take care of it. It stays with you.
It's a little yippy dog.
It is barking.
And barking.
Have fun, dear.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Wonderful News!
My son's best friend Patrick just wrote to announce that he has PASSED THE BAR! WooHoo!I first fell in love with this boy when, at a party, the then five-year-old Patrick came up to my then six-year-old son (the first time they'd met), took him by the hand and said, "C'mon. Let's play." Their paths crossed from time to time as children and they reconnected in high school.
Patrick decided that one day he will be President of the United States and I would be so proud to vote for him! He is, truly, the most exceptional young man I've ever met. He was president of the California Associated Student Body, then two-year president of the ASB at Berkeley. After a year of law school in Washington, DC, Patrick decided he could not just sit by and watch Americans die in Iraq so he put his education on hold, enlisted in the Army and served a year in Iraq as a combat medic. During that time he was assigned to a unit from Louisiana. The only Democrat in the unit he earned the nickname "Private-Corporal Warm fuzzy." He is so beloved that he was able to open a distribution center (floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall shelving) from the care packages that his friends at home sent to share with his unit. In addition he must have distributed hundreds of soccer balls and sneakers to Iraqi children. When he returned to the States he resumed his law school studies and worked for Senator Diane Feinstein's office where he serves as a laison on veterans affairs (working particularly on post-traumatic stress syndrome issues, which he fights himself.)
Patrick's second piece of great news is that the GI Bill that he's been working on for the last 1.5 years passed the House!
If you would like to help out a truly worth young man with a truly important piece of legislation, please contact your senator and urge them to vote for passage of this GI Bill. Our veterans deserve it!
Sigh
I've started a few posts in the last few days but won't publish them. They're mostly whiney vents and don't really keep anything moving forward.
If you haven't watched Meet the Robinsons you need to do so. I barely tolerated all but the last ten minutes of the movie, saw the ending and now can't wait to go back and watch it again. Anyway, "keep moving forward" is from the movie.
Bottom line is that it's been a hard year and the last month has been the hardest. Things are not "done." I am drowning in the chaos. I'm going to try for this post to be positive, although my mind is working pretty randomly right now so I don't know how this will turn out.
I've decided I want to go to Nundle. Someday. I've been in or through 28 of the states in the US but have never been out of our borders (Tijuana doesn't count.) With a Japanese DIL I'm confident that I will make that dream come true. Someday. DH lived all over the world as the son of an Air Force Chaplain. He says he's lived in strange places like Japan, French Morocco and Texas. Anyway, we both (coming from completely opposite positions in the world of travel) believe in the importance of travel. However, as a family living for most of the boys' childhoods on one teacher's salary we simply couldn't afford expensive family trips, so we signed the boys up for youth tours. Fortunately, they were four years apart in school so when the oldest had had his trips (German-Speaking Europe, Australia's east coast and European capitals; later he spent his first semester of college in Nepal and India) we could have a break before sending his younger brother (European capitals, Australia/New Zealand, and in his freshman college year he did two weeks in Brazil to study the samba.) I've always wanted to visit Japan, but otherwise was not interested in international travel until I started surfing the stitchery blogs. I think I'd like to do a tour of Europe now with Stitchery as a theme (English, French and Dutch shops for sure). I asked B--- once which, of all the places he'd seen, was a "do it before you die, Mom" destination and he didn't hesitate to recommend Paris (for which, apparently, I first need to lose 150 pounds.) As the boys returned from their trips and shared what they'd done (a process that took years to drag out of them) the most appealing from a tourist standpoint was Australia, but it's only been recently that I've really wanted to see it for myself. So, someday I want to sign up for this retreat in Nundle. Dang, it really looks like fun!
For truly mindless fun get a Webkinz pet.
I have about $145 worth of bedding flowers to plant this week. Naturally, it's the hottest weekend of the season but I'm still happily anticipating getting everything in. My SIL called DH on Mother's Day for directions to the most fabulous nursery in our area because they had called her to tell her they had a shipment of apricot foxglove in. I was on my way out the door and would drive right by the nursery so stopped by to say hello and ended up getting a ponypac of apricot foxgloves AND...
Let's see. Santa Barbara daisies (a creeping thing), viola, cosmos, a miniature pentstemon, a dark purple salvia and a gold basketflower.
Full-size pentstemon, Rocky Mountain Columbine, delphinium and heliotrope for the fairy garden. The apricot foxglove will go there, too. I figure to kill the dephinium and foxglove because good intentions do not keep the plants watered. The others may make it. Wave petunias in the most gorgeous pink for the front courtyard bed (to one side of the pond) with more heliotrope and pentstemmon. On the other side of the pond the purple salvia, blanketflower and daisies with some little yellow thing that the nurserywoman assured me was a treasure. Pink Gerbera Daisies, verbena and that little petunia-looking thing that I can never remember the name of will go in the back garden with a coreopsis and blue salvia where the plumbago groundcover is spreading. The miniature pentstemon is destined for that spot as well.
The first volunteer sweet peas have bloomed which is promising for the early summer. If I can get my son to deadhead them for me while I'm on vacation I might have them all summer and be able to harvest seed again.
I started on the pond last week and it was an adventure. I had purchased a yellow iris which (horrors!) had a cattail in it. Three years later the cattails are choking out my lily (with no sign of the yellow iris). The whole collection had to come out and, of course, their roots were intertwined with each other AND two rocks and three bricks that had fallen into the pond.
While shopping for last weekend's "bash" I managed to buy myself some gifts. The Hanes outlet store in our local outlet center was loaded with ginormous bras and I was like the proverbial kid in the candy store. Got the most gorgeous pink bra and gift cards for Mom and Sis. Went to Borders for a gift card and bought myself the new Nora Roberts. Have to re-read Blood Brothers (first in the trilogy) to refresh my memory on the characters before reading The Hollow. Went to Costco and bought His Dark Materials. Had listened to the audio of The Golden Compass and enjoyed it so much was hoping to get the other two books in audio but couldn't find them. May have to (gasp) actually read these, too. Maybe I'll put them on my birthday list.
Here is my progress on something.
It's a small project by Windy Willows and I'm loving the fabric (I have a ton of this green fiddler cloth) and the variegated floss. Just wish I had more oomph.
Finally, my most recent visit to the cardio office (will this never end?) was fine. Got to meet the tight-assed nurse practitioner. Almost an hour later I had him confessing his sins and actually grinning. Just a talent I have. I quit the Lipitor after the pain (which started as leg pain that woke me up at night and gradually progressed to every joint in my body) so we're starting something else. Another motivation to exercise; he thinks if I lose some weight and exercise I will not only lower my heart rate but will probably be able to drop the cholesterol drugs.
There, that wasn't so bad. Tomorrow I tackle the chaos again but this was nice therapy.
If you haven't watched Meet the Robinsons you need to do so. I barely tolerated all but the last ten minutes of the movie, saw the ending and now can't wait to go back and watch it again. Anyway, "keep moving forward" is from the movie.
Bottom line is that it's been a hard year and the last month has been the hardest. Things are not "done." I am drowning in the chaos. I'm going to try for this post to be positive, although my mind is working pretty randomly right now so I don't know how this will turn out.
I've decided I want to go to Nundle. Someday. I've been in or through 28 of the states in the US but have never been out of our borders (Tijuana doesn't count.) With a Japanese DIL I'm confident that I will make that dream come true. Someday. DH lived all over the world as the son of an Air Force Chaplain. He says he's lived in strange places like Japan, French Morocco and Texas. Anyway, we both (coming from completely opposite positions in the world of travel) believe in the importance of travel. However, as a family living for most of the boys' childhoods on one teacher's salary we simply couldn't afford expensive family trips, so we signed the boys up for youth tours. Fortunately, they were four years apart in school so when the oldest had had his trips (German-Speaking Europe, Australia's east coast and European capitals; later he spent his first semester of college in Nepal and India) we could have a break before sending his younger brother (European capitals, Australia/New Zealand, and in his freshman college year he did two weeks in Brazil to study the samba.) I've always wanted to visit Japan, but otherwise was not interested in international travel until I started surfing the stitchery blogs. I think I'd like to do a tour of Europe now with Stitchery as a theme (English, French and Dutch shops for sure). I asked B--- once which, of all the places he'd seen, was a "do it before you die, Mom" destination and he didn't hesitate to recommend Paris (for which, apparently, I first need to lose 150 pounds.) As the boys returned from their trips and shared what they'd done (a process that took years to drag out of them) the most appealing from a tourist standpoint was Australia, but it's only been recently that I've really wanted to see it for myself. So, someday I want to sign up for this retreat in Nundle. Dang, it really looks like fun!
For truly mindless fun get a Webkinz pet.
I have about $145 worth of bedding flowers to plant this week. Naturally, it's the hottest weekend of the season but I'm still happily anticipating getting everything in. My SIL called DH on Mother's Day for directions to the most fabulous nursery in our area because they had called her to tell her they had a shipment of apricot foxglove in. I was on my way out the door and would drive right by the nursery so stopped by to say hello and ended up getting a ponypac of apricot foxgloves AND...
Let's see. Santa Barbara daisies (a creeping thing), viola, cosmos, a miniature pentstemon, a dark purple salvia and a gold basketflower.
Full-size pentstemon, Rocky Mountain Columbine, delphinium and heliotrope for the fairy garden. The apricot foxglove will go there, too. I figure to kill the dephinium and foxglove because good intentions do not keep the plants watered. The others may make it. Wave petunias in the most gorgeous pink for the front courtyard bed (to one side of the pond) with more heliotrope and pentstemmon. On the other side of the pond the purple salvia, blanketflower and daisies with some little yellow thing that the nurserywoman assured me was a treasure. Pink Gerbera Daisies, verbena and that little petunia-looking thing that I can never remember the name of will go in the back garden with a coreopsis and blue salvia where the plumbago groundcover is spreading. The miniature pentstemon is destined for that spot as well.
The first volunteer sweet peas have bloomed which is promising for the early summer. If I can get my son to deadhead them for me while I'm on vacation I might have them all summer and be able to harvest seed again.I started on the pond last week and it was an adventure. I had purchased a yellow iris which (horrors!) had a cattail in it. Three years later the cattails are choking out my lily (with no sign of the yellow iris). The whole collection had to come out and, of course, their roots were intertwined with each other AND two rocks and three bricks that had fallen into the pond.
While shopping for last weekend's "bash" I managed to buy myself some gifts. The Hanes outlet store in our local outlet center was loaded with ginormous bras and I was like the proverbial kid in the candy store. Got the most gorgeous pink bra and gift cards for Mom and Sis. Went to Borders for a gift card and bought myself the new Nora Roberts. Have to re-read Blood Brothers (first in the trilogy) to refresh my memory on the characters before reading The Hollow. Went to Costco and bought His Dark Materials. Had listened to the audio of The Golden Compass and enjoyed it so much was hoping to get the other two books in audio but couldn't find them. May have to (gasp) actually read these, too. Maybe I'll put them on my birthday list.
Here is my progress on something.
It's a small project by Windy Willows and I'm loving the fabric (I have a ton of this green fiddler cloth) and the variegated floss. Just wish I had more oomph.Finally, my most recent visit to the cardio office (will this never end?) was fine. Got to meet the tight-assed nurse practitioner. Almost an hour later I had him confessing his sins and actually grinning. Just a talent I have. I quit the Lipitor after the pain (which started as leg pain that woke me up at night and gradually progressed to every joint in my body) so we're starting something else. Another motivation to exercise; he thinks if I lose some weight and exercise I will not only lower my heart rate but will probably be able to drop the cholesterol drugs.
There, that wasn't so bad. Tomorrow I tackle the chaos again but this was nice therapy.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Still Breathing
The house (well, my life in general) is still in chaos but I can check something off every day. Unfortunately, for every item I check off it seems something else is added but hey, that's life, huh?
So, yesterday was the annual Mother's Day/Birthday Bash at my brother and sister-in-law's house. We were celebrating birthdays for my brother, sister-in-law, sister and nephew as well as Mother's Day for my mom. One of the highlights of the day for me is the tour of the garden. My sister-in-law grows some flowers that are a challenge in her climate and this year hit it big with her columbine, foxgloves and delphinium which - after years of struggle - have rewarded her with a huge display. Just gorgeous. She has even tucked two little lilacs into a shady spot and we'll see how they do for her.
We've had really exciting news! DIL's mother will be coming for lunch June 7. It puts the pressure on to get the place habitable again, but that's OK. We're just excited to be able to finally meet her. She loves gardens and I was inspired by my SIL to invest in flowers, which I hope to get into the ground before they die this time. Sigh.
Anyway, I don't really have time for much of a post but wanted to share my crop project from yesterday. Has virtually nothing to do with scrapbooking but turned out so cool I have to share it!
Several weeks ago I visited this post. Since I keep my patterns in these white binders, my fairly worn-out brain started working on a way to liven them up. I thought I had a couple of old Marjolein Bastin calendars somewhere (please! please! I've been flinging like crazy and just might have thrown them out finally.) I found them fairly easily (hooray) and converted my two overfilled binders of cross-stitch charts and embroidery patterns into this:
Yeah, the picture is pretty crummy but you get the idea. I typed up the label part on the computer using text boxes. Cut the calendar picture into four pieces (for these binders the strips were about 2.25" but I had to finagle them a little at the last minute). Glued the picture strips onto the label strips and voila!
My mind boggles with the possibilities. Imagine a kid's favorite team along the spines of his/her baseball card collection (or Star Wars picture along the spine of the Star Wars trading card collection) or Disney posters for my collection of Disney paper or Kewpies for the Kewpie paper collection or - well, you get the idea.
Quilt binders next (Cedar Waxwings this time, I think.)
So, yesterday was the annual Mother's Day/Birthday Bash at my brother and sister-in-law's house. We were celebrating birthdays for my brother, sister-in-law, sister and nephew as well as Mother's Day for my mom. One of the highlights of the day for me is the tour of the garden. My sister-in-law grows some flowers that are a challenge in her climate and this year hit it big with her columbine, foxgloves and delphinium which - after years of struggle - have rewarded her with a huge display. Just gorgeous. She has even tucked two little lilacs into a shady spot and we'll see how they do for her.
We've had really exciting news! DIL's mother will be coming for lunch June 7. It puts the pressure on to get the place habitable again, but that's OK. We're just excited to be able to finally meet her. She loves gardens and I was inspired by my SIL to invest in flowers, which I hope to get into the ground before they die this time. Sigh.
Anyway, I don't really have time for much of a post but wanted to share my crop project from yesterday. Has virtually nothing to do with scrapbooking but turned out so cool I have to share it!
Several weeks ago I visited this post. Since I keep my patterns in these white binders, my fairly worn-out brain started working on a way to liven them up. I thought I had a couple of old Marjolein Bastin calendars somewhere (please! please! I've been flinging like crazy and just might have thrown them out finally.) I found them fairly easily (hooray) and converted my two overfilled binders of cross-stitch charts and embroidery patterns into this:
Yeah, the picture is pretty crummy but you get the idea. I typed up the label part on the computer using text boxes. Cut the calendar picture into four pieces (for these binders the strips were about 2.25" but I had to finagle them a little at the last minute). Glued the picture strips onto the label strips and voila!
My mind boggles with the possibilities. Imagine a kid's favorite team along the spines of his/her baseball card collection (or Star Wars picture along the spine of the Star Wars trading card collection) or Disney posters for my collection of Disney paper or Kewpies for the Kewpie paper collection or - well, you get the idea.
Quilt binders next (Cedar Waxwings this time, I think.)
Saturday, May 03, 2008
He's baaaa-aaaccckk
G--- got moved back in.Sort of.
We still need to install the baseboards so he put his mattress in the middle of the floor and stacked his worldly belongings on top. He's sleeping on the sofa at night.
I painted the baseboards last night as well as touching up the inside of the closet. I dunno, something about painting inside a closet at night in a room with no light doesn't lend itself to the best outcome when you're working with a roller. I touched up the closet with a brush and painted the baseboards for the closet, too (not fancy like these) so we should be able to install them today.Then the lad can unpack and set up the room the way he wants it. The doors and door trim still have to be painted (they're primed), all the electric covers put on and the windowsill varnished before the room is really "done". Historically around here those are the kinds of finishing chores that will still be undone in five years
The tile work is almost done in the shower. After the disaster of the acrylic pan (they don't make them our size anymore) I panicked when I learned that they don't make shower doors our size anymore, either. The contractor calmed me down and told me to just buy the larger size and he would cut it down. The doors will pass more (which will make cleaning a tad more challenging) but this is do-able.
This is as close as I came to my dream of taking pictures of the completed, EMPTY room. It was only empty for a couple of hours - and still not completed - before G--- started moving in.
The rest of my house looks like one of those TV shows where they visit a hoarder's home. Piles of stuff everywhere with paths through it. I'm just hoping that once G--- is "in" and the contractor's are "out" we have enough wiggle room to put everything back to rights before June 7.
Sigh.
Oh, and no stitching has occured.
Sigh.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
