September 21, 2009

1. It feels like we have been back in school for about 6 months, but Back to school night is just tomorrow.  I’m really wiped out tired, but I am having fun teaching.  Sociology is still a sticking point, but Ancient Civ and Geography are great, well, Geography is great, AC, pretty good – fun to teach but needs lots of prep to keep it lively.
2. Somehow next weekend I have ended up saturday on altar guild crew, then painting the food pantry, on Sunday,  layreader at the 7:30, , doing the Tanzania presentation at 10:15, vestry greeter after the 11:15.  Holy Moly!  It’s a good thing I love Jesus.
3. Made some inroads on decluttering the upstairs room, my parlor, I think I shall call it.  Finished my bulletin board.  Took me a while to figure out how to hang it, but I bought a stud finder. (Insert joke here.)
4. I’ve been lax on photographing the garden.  It is a weird surreal place now, with sunflowers that are heavy and bent, squash with a dusty blight and tomato plants that are extending their reach out of the box and everywhere!  Tonight I made a tomato mozzarella salad(I do have a picture of that) with tomatoes, basil, oregano, and parsley that I picked from the garden as I left school today.  Very, very delicious.
5. Big exciting news!  Elder Bro and family will be stationed here as of December.  The last time he and I lived in the same town we were in high school!

September 3, 2009

1. Went to the county social studies meeting yesterday, which, shockingly, actually made me get a little enthused to refresh the ancient civ class.  I’d been wanting to do that, but had been lacking motivation.  Talking with the other county ancient civ teachers, who are nice and irreverent bunch, skeptical of authority, helped, as did the work two of them had done this summer to redo some organizational stuff.  That organization gives me some structure I’ve been needing.
2. It is possible, however; that ancient civ may be warming up its swan song.  Some chesters in the state legislature have made economics/financial literacy a graduation requirement, and when that kicks in, I feel pretty confident that they will have to stick it in the 10th grade year where ancient civ and AP modern European history, both electives, now reside.  It’s pretty criminal that Ancient Civ isn’t a requirement anyway (it is elsewhere in the state at 8th grade, I think, where geography sits in our county, and that is a whole ‘nother can o’ worms)  and the fact that the Greeks and Romans may get dropped so we can make sure people need to balance their checkbooks…Crazy.  The execution of all this is probably two years out, but I’m announcing right now, there is now way in hell that I am teaching economics, and those of you who have seen me handle money, are I am sure, right grateful.
3. My first group of 8th graders are seniors now, and I went to their first little meeting last night.  They are organizing for the first day of school.  They all talk at once.  pretty funny to watch.
4. My last workout with Captain kick ass was yesterday, which makes me a little sad.  Now I have to try to get some discipline of my own.  Oh dear.
5. In other summer news my garden is really doing well.  I need to get some pics.  the sunflowers are all huge, and even though the squash has some sort of blight, it is still producing.  Today I am going to take some mozzarella and invite people down for a tomato, basil, mozzarella snack in the gazebo.  If I get to school and someone has taken my 4 tomatoes that are just about perfect, I’ll have to cut someone.  There’s definitely been some pilfering, which I am ok with, as long as people don’t take everything!

July 31, 2009

1. Sitting up tonight with a sick friend. Praying for a good healing night of sleep for him.  Makes me think of another friend whose son is having chemo treatments.  Wish I could spell her for a night too.
2. Garden growing great guns (G!) but I think I might have traumatized a couple of the tomato plants by trying to get them in a tomato cage.  Know now that that is the sort of thing that should go on at the beginning of the season.
3. Ali and I saw Harry Potter 6.  Not terribly impressed.  Just not a lot of story there.
4. Not sure what to watch on Netflix as the night goes on.  Why is so much trashy reality tv not available online?  Is this a punishment for not having cable?  I want to watch cooking shows and badly behaved brides, is that so wrong?
5. I got my 5×7 of Dominick Fortunato, sent personally by Charlene Butterbean!  WOO!

June 27, 2009

1. I went early to water the garden, the thunderstorm not really having done what was needed, and a little girl and her mother were sitting in the gazebo.  The little girl came up and made conversation and helped me water the plants, and this was very pleasant.  If only I could import a cow or two to graze the soccer field.  Then I would feel very farmlike.  Perhaps I should bake a pie and place it in the gazebo to cool.
2. I’ve  commandeered another plot.  Shameless. Tomatoes!  Strawberries! (For the pie!)
3. I think my vacation is kicking in.  I find myself wandering about the house with a completely blank mind.
4. Captain Asskick has been doing a good job, and I am feeling pretty good, even doing pretty good, sometimes very good about eating my vegetables (sans being fried in deliciousness)  I’ve even impressed myself about going on my off days and doing “The Turtle” on the treadmill.  It’s sometimes hit and miss on what is on the three televisions, though you can pretty much see law and order on the one television, I skip the news one in the middle, and the last seems to be things like Dr. Phil, or other talk shows, but today was veggie tales, and I’ve got to say, I enjoyed that. 
5. The laundry situation?  Stil out of control.

June 25, 2009

1. Today an early meeting with someone doing a security check on a friend. (I’m an excellent character witness…”Convicted?  No never convicted.”) Then a visit with Michael and Mommy and a the formation of a plan to go to a movie.  Got the gym workout out of the way, and now am relaxing, with violet settling in for some laptime while I type.
2. Our J2A pilgrims are off on their trip today, and can be followed here.  The twitter feed is on the left sidebar.
3. I’m filling up my new little notebook with projects for summer: wrapping up AG stuff and cleaning house are dominating so far.  I am sitting in my comfy room, and once I get all the laundry put away, I think it will be revealed that I have way too much yarn, and need to get back to knitting.
4. Got to see the awesome AT the other night now that she is back in town.  Here is to the first of many pedicures!
5. Garden updates.  Things are growing, but some creature has been having a nibble.  I think of Peter Rabbit, hopping over and taking a look, lipperty, lipperty, lippet.  Pretty amazing how fast things grow.  I bought a book about gardening in small spaces, and now I want to talk the Fairlington Arbor association into making the area out back a community garden.  I mean, I love my little garden at school, but it is kind of a pain to drive across town!

June 21, 2009

1. AB and I hosted a tea party for our goddaughter yesterday.  This was quite successful, with little sandwiches, and playing with my dollhouse.  Violet the kitten stayed in her usual spot under the bed, only visiting from under the bedskirt, but Kevin the cat was quite sociable, and even received his own tea plate with some nice wet food.  He had good manners for most of the event, but eventually of course bad habits won out and he was discovered on the table, drinking from the creamer.
2. My garden is growing!  I was very surprised to see, when I went out to look on Thursday that there will little things popping up.  I didn’t realize that it would happen so quickly.
3. Will get to visit with some college friends today.  Very exciting!  Both were in Band with me.  Well, she was, he was our graduate assistant, assistant director of the band.  I think I am taking them to lunch, and I always panic about where to take people.  I think I have settle on crisp and juicy chicken near my school.  It’s just a little takeout, but has some tables, and certainly, has excellent chicken.  I can show them my school too.
4. I’m on vacation!
5. Michael and I are going to St. Elmo’s after church today.  I haven’t had much time with him yet, but now I can ramp that up.  I need to come up with some good adventures.