Sunday, October 28, 2007

Tripsit Sittrip

I was pining for the grandson, but he is coming over next weekend so Daddy can can beer--then the call came. "We'd like to go out, could you come over?" Of course. DH
was already sacked out in his boxers with his pint--of Ben and Jerry's-- I threw my blood pressure meds into a bag and grabbed the bag of treats and surprises that builds up around here between visits, books paints, whatever, oh, a Muppet movie--and off we went, yes we. DH hopped into his clothes and joined me. We had about an hour and a half of playtime, grandpa crashed before grandson, and H went to bed in his usual way for me, easily and he slept all night in his own bed, no middle of the night trip to mom and dad's bed. Grandpa and H made their traditional trip to the sugar shack and H was sound asleep when he got back to his home. Another nap!! Wow, two naps in two days. We came on home, got H another pair of shoes on the way home, don't think he'll grow out of them before next weekend. I was forced to turn on the furnace for the first time, it was 63* in here. I know some people keep theirs at 63, but not me, I like 68 or 69. And a message to my dear little brother who occasionally looks at this, I have your towels in a box suitable for mailing.;^)

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Not Writing Much-

Saturday morning, 8:00a.m. I was watching the news on the firefighters who had to get into their reflective life-saving toaster ovens, it was so horrifying that when I answered the ringing phone I said help instead of hello. I think they all survived, but what does it take to face death like that on your job at all times?

Another week has gone by at school. My 8th grade plans were screwed up for two days, my own fault, didn't check the wrapped boxed clay to see if it was moist enough.....boo for me. We did some "crafty things" they were happy, I was not.

I volunteered for a committee to look at middle school curriculum inequities across the corporation. That takes up Wednesday evening, 2 hours a week for 20 weeks. Actually it is interesting to see what differences there are in offerings and minutes in a big corporation, particularly in my area of fine arts, and practical arts.

After sitting for two hours, painting faces, and worrying about MRSA my left foot swelled up like a balloon. My latest BP med can cause that and of course the sitting didn't help. The only other time that happened was when I took the med in the daytime. I have learned to take it at night so my feet don't swell during the day. It is still somewhat puffy today, bad really but so much better than last night, I am going to get off the computer because sitting here doesn't help either.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Had a Great Time

Our daughter came down from Chicago to help her dad with a little moneymaker idea he had. It was good to be with her, but the poor girl was nearly eaten alive by fleas. I have sprayed and sprayed but I think the starving and the hatching continues as the ancient cat left over a week ago. This particular daughter was always a banquet for biting insects, they seem to prefer her over any other and she was a red spotted mess when she left here on Sunday afternoon. I must get a flea bomb to set off when we both leave for work to end this nightmare.

I am ready for another week at school, grades are due. I have only one class left to do, the new computer program for grades is not as easy as the last version of the program and you really have to search for where you want to put grades and behavior grade.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

The Parade

The parade, which used to be the largest student run parade in the U.S. has deteriorated to one decent float that won all possible prizes just because it existed, and really bad timing, gaps a block or two long and no trains to blame it on. The parade goers stood well into the street, the ushers did not push people back out of the way. And yet, the marching bands still get me all teary eyed. I have missed about 6 parades in 42 years. Today the weather couldn't have been more perfect and my middle school's marching band, dancers and cheerleaders were wonderful. Our permanent float is so cute, our principal was beaming and pulling the float with his truck. Both of the in-city high schools were present, and both looked great and sounded good, too. Something about those flags snapping through the crisp fall air, and the drums.....I also got to stand with my daughter, a former drum major, and we got all ferklempt together as her alma mater marched by in nice new uniforms. Now the university students' energy goes into walking from bar to bar in the direction of the "big game"

Thursday, October 18, 2007

We Got Our Full Share

We got the total time in exercise today, but all games and after school activities were cancelled. All students had to be out of the building by 5 and adults by 6. I have yet to see any of the bad weather, but, better safe than sorry. Law daughter got the exact job she wanted today! Hooray and hallelujah.
A boy, not a boy anymore, but a friend of my son's from the old days was in the obituaries today, it was a shock to see his name there. I am sorry for the pain his parents must be feeling now. They are nice people, not that that matters, nothing much worse than losing a child.

Is It Here Yet?


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Tornado Warning

October 18, 5:45 a.m. We have a tornado warning. Should be really bad by the time the product in my hair is dry. I may get a good look today. Yesterday on the way to a 2 hour meeting at the administration building, I broke off a crown. I happened to be eating at least 2 milk duds at the same time and one of them had a hard crunchy center-- was it that stale? No it was part of my dental work. There's a reason I haven't had them since high school! I called the dentist from the coffee shop and they got me in in an hour. I had to leave the meeting early and the dentist, I call him the best dentist in the world, worked for about an hour. I am glad I didn't lie and say I broke it on celery or carrots because I had to go to the car and get it to see if it was all of a piece. It is hard to melt off the milk dud in a sink with no drain cover-- and the crown was ok, but not the piece of tooth that went with it! While I was there, I learned that in the history of teeth and dentistry, the Scots liked to get all their teeth pulled by age 25, that might explain my dad wanting all my teeth pulled at 17-- not just innate meanness, and that the horrible conditions and pain of dentistry is why dentists had the highest rate of suicide in the past. I have often thought of my grandmother who had all her teeth out well before good anesthetic.

My girls' cat that they got in 7th grade, and now they are 30, has left the house. She had turned from a youthful acting and looking cat to an aging cat in the past month and went out one day and did not come back. I think she has done that cat thing of going off and dying. She was not a cat to leave the yard or go in the street. She had two or three generations of special cat knowledge to not ever go in the street or step out the front door when a vehicle of any kind was coming down the street. We once had a cat who ran under the wheels of a snack time truck and the tire actually touched his fur-- I saw this. He became a cat who would not go out the front door if there was a car on the street, and all other cats who came here to live learned that from him. Then it was passed down when he was gone. That generational knowledge is gone. Whenever we had a cat that disappeared, Yoshi would stay in the house for a year at a time, she seemed to get that something "out there" had happened and she wasn't taking any chances. We got the name from "The Sign of the Chrysanthemum" by Katherine Paterson. I am not in the mood to have another cat, maybe not ever. We'll see how I feel about it in a few years. Ok, I have been up a long time already, I have forgotten to check the water for my oatmeal twice! and it is time for my reliable cell phone to ring its alarm to get me up.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

what kind of blogger am I

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width="300" height="180" alt="What Kind of Blogger Are You?" oops lost it

well, I was able to get this card from there to here--not perfectly, but it is a first! I notice I have some garbage around the card and the button doesn't work, so I am really not getting it perfectly. And then, when I tried to fix it, I got gibberish.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Autumn Days Have Arrived

Last weekend it was 90* at the crossroads of America-- maybe a hundred year record. This weekend it is crisp and cool and normal, but it seems cold going from the 90's to the 50's. I spent a good three hours in two favorite art stores, one favorite bookstore, and in a danish modern furniture store where I realize I can afford some pieces I really like. I can switch from rolling steel kitchen racks holding all our clothes, sheets and tv, to perfectly straight, simple WOOD dressers and the sofas that look so modern and lay down into a bed are nice AND affordable. hmm. I shall think on that for another 3 years. It takes me a long time to make a decision. Yesterday I bought that fabulous pop up dinosaur book that is really a work of art for a mere $10-- won't break my heart when the toddler gets the dinos the worse for wear. I had a great time in the capital city yesterday and DH blew a really nice big platter. It was hair-raising. I sat in the hall and watched, glassblowing is really hot and all those flying twirling puntees scare me a little,(a lot) hence sitting in the hall to observe.

This is my official fall break, extra time to do laundry, maybe even put it away and possible see another movie.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Dinner with Cousins

DH's cousins are in for a couple of days to visit remaining relatives, old friends and see what is new in town. To hear the improvement of our city through their eyes is actually eye opening. They are seeing it all at once and are impressed. We met at our fabulous Thai restaurant and it got great reviews from them. We sat and gabbed for 2 hours, you don't have to be blood to yaya. I had the eggplant dish that I already knew I loved and haven't had for 2 years. yum. I tried the coconut soup, another yum and we tried two or three appetizers. Their presentation is always so beautiful it nearly requires photographs. DH did not show up, he stayed at the retreat, though he said he was coming. That's ok, I can talk enough for the both of us!

Now I am off the be grandmommy supreme to the boy who thinks I am all that. I have a beautiful book about chameleons from the book fair at school with fabulous color photos and just enough text to enjoy,but not overwhelm. I read one of Walter Dean Myers' book, "A Handbook for Boys", fantastic, not new though,or I would recommend it to Cybils. One of my boys who has a broken arm was reading it in class on Friday, but he gave it back as he said he couldn't read it any further, it was too upsetting to him. I think it is because he lives that life. Nothing is new by the time it gets to the book fair. I am reading a Sarah Weeks book called "SO B It" and it is off to a heart rending start. It is about a girl surviving with her mentally ill mother.

I am off to get a specific sweatshirt for the little grandson then off on the 2 hour drive to see him. I hope my sister was here yesterday to visit the dog, because she had been moved out of her kennel and into the yard and the gate was closed. I had left her in the kennel and the gate was ajar when I went to the movie. I thought it was dh back in town to meet his cousins for dinner, but that was not the case.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

3:10 to Yuma

I thought I remembered a slice of a review for this movie, so I took myself to it. Much to my surprise, I loved it. I loved a bloody, gory, action-packed cowboy movie. I can hold my breath for 2 hours, at least. I welled up for the final scene, some people call that crying, then laughed, and restrained myself from clapping.

Friday, October 5, 2007

I said I Wasn't Gonna Do It Again

But, I think I will drag myself, no wait, hop out of bed in the morning and ride to school again. Tomorrow is a day when a group of our students pick up trash in their neighborhood and some adults are needed to be around to watch things. I have decided that biking around might be just the thing. About the weekend, I am having a bit of a resentment. DH brought a dog into our lives and he is gone all weekend to a retreat. I feel I cannot go where I want to and spend a couple of days cause I have to dog sit. When will we EVER be able to spend a weekend in Chicago again? She has all her shots, so we can board her, but there is no hopping in the car and taking off for two days for me. EEEHH, quit whining and get over it. Can you believe it is near 90* at the end of the first week of October?