I Know How It Goes

We are saying farewell to 4 people at my school, every one of them special to me in a different way, my best principal of three I have worked for. a teaching neighbor with whom I spent many mornings in deep conversation until she moved around the corner to a different team, the aide who was the human heart of the media center and also did several other aide jobs, plus coaching amazingly successfully several academic teams AND organizing a community service group that rocks. A close, close member of my own team who is leaving to enjoy brand new and the unexpected blessing of grandparenthood, younger than me, but feels she cannot waste a precious second of her grandparenting. (I am not wasting mine, my career is shorter than most my age) I have been around long enough now to see that teaching life is so intense that there is often little left over for maintaining relationships that feel so close and full of love and admiration. Maybe I am just a bad and or lazy friend. I am going to try harder. right now. But I, too, am feeling the pull of retirement and concentrating on the grandchildren who are available to me and that involves moving away, in a few, very few, years. I am starting to understand the desire, before the guv took such a public hate of my chosen career, I saw myself teaching until the grand old age of 70, now I am just thinking maximum benefits for survival. and the coolest new living space ever-- a young artist's dream.

I need and English teacher to step in here and help me with punctuation, but you get the point. I am happy and sad, happy for what my friends are ready to enjoy, sad for the loss in my life of daily contact with those same friends. I miss them now, but August will be much worse, because summer is normal separation time, and really, Barb needs a break from me!

Long Time

Things are so bad in Indiana with our governator on a full out attack on public education that I am actually starting to think about retirement. In the recent past I was all-- 67 to 70yrs old before I retire-- (Late starter) Now if we elect one more public education hating gov I am thinking retirement may be much closer- like as soon as I qualify. Since I have had weight loss surgery, all aspects of my physical life are so much better that I could even consider teaching until aged 70, that is how good I feel. Now something else very interesting has come up and it is making my look forward to retirement instead of fearing it. There is a sweet little storefront for sale in law daughter's tiny town with a possible apartment upstairs. The space is completely raw and beautiful. Think of any cool coffee shop with brick walls and light flooding all the way to the back. there you have it, upstairs and down. The ideal home for 2 artists-- a studio down (must have a biz biz on the main floor) You can do that very thing in many places, but this happens to be within spitting distance of the two youngest grandsons--

Could I have little art workshops for kids? Could I make giant papier mache' monsters or have paintings on an easel and not have to worry about space? It sounds heavenly. Larry really feels like he can still do the plumbing it needs and that is really my only hold up-- that and I need my knees replaced and there are stairs, but the new stairs are a rather gentle angle and the people I know with new knees are skipping around my building and or hopping on tractors farming and loving the knees. I did take dibs on the windows up front! I have even thought of a name and then someone else improved that-- I dream about furniture arrangements in the loft style living space with 20ft ceilings-- and yes, room for a loft for the boys to sleep over--

Christmas in Central Illinois

I picked up the super duper chocolate chocolate “Christmas eggs” at Flesor’s on Sunday in preparation for our annual trek to central IL to share Christmas with our daughters, our youngest grandsons and our son in law. I way over cooked (amount) chicken and noodles, made a really scrumptious snickers cake, and took along some chili to have on Friday night. Leah arrived on the train and we all made it safely into the house before the heaviest of the snow and there we stayed, covered in a thick blanket of snow, until today. I find waiting for Santa with a grandson as exciting as it ever was in my childhood, and I love those magical years. H literally shuddered with joy when he finally scratched off a bit of paper from his Santa gift and found it was EXACTLY what he asked for. We had so much fun watching him and also watching the Q-ball tearing bits of paper off of his presents. As usual, for a toddler, boxes and paper are as delightful as anything.

Rayne is a terrific cook and she prepared her first turkey ever-- superb. She made potatoes called glory hallelujah potatoes that live up to their billing, and you can shout glory hallelujah and eat your way to a heart attack with the cream and butter laden delights. I drizzled her moist turkey with her homemade cranberry sauce which really is so much better than canned. She made her signature cheesecake and I had a small slice of that. We nibbled all weekend on what Larry and I have come to call Christmas salad, which is the mix of peanuts, m&m’s and raisins, well, it does have green in it.

We played playmobile pirates, beyblades, and Aunt Leah spent loads of time playing with H, but he nearly broke down when we left, I think he was really emotionally fried by then and had been so good. Attempts at family pics were met with resistance by the boys, but I am sure a couple of decent ones were captured by all three photographers. Leah will be on the train to Chicago in about an hour, I am so thrilled she makes a point to join us for this special day. It really is a lovely loving time.

Flesor’s Candy Kitchen

Flesor’s, in downtown Tuscola IL just did the most amazing bit of customer service ever.  I was talking on their FB about what a wonderful place it is for lunch and for treats and how Henry desires their incredible gigantic chocolate chocolate Easter eggs.  We had a back and forth IM like thing going.  Suffice it to say, Henry is getting one of the giant eggs in his Christmas stocking.  The people who own and staff the candy kitchen are so kid friendly when you are there, even with a cranky 5 year old who needs fuel but doesn’t recognize it and now this.  I am putting this right here so if you accidentally find my site, you will know how fabulous the candy kitchen is.  Do not go from the mall to denny’s go to Flesor’s Candy Kitchen, and while I am at it, their authentic gyro is the best ever, and worthy of a photograph before you bite into it.  They also put on an incredible luncheon for those very special mothers’ and fathers’ days.  Get thee to Tuscola IL for a gem of a place to eat and treat.

alfred

Alfred Hitchcock

Q contemplating psycho birds and crazy blondes

My Grands at Flesor’s

The boys enjoying lunch at the Candy Kitchen.