Delaying Gratification

When I was a new parent, I remember reading a lot about how to teach a child to delay gratification. Mind you, I was in teacher training at the time, and my daughter Gret got to be a guinea pig for many of the classroom skills I was learning to use. Ed used to laugh at me and state that "she will either end up very smart or hopelessly confused!" I think she's done pretty well as she's now working as a University Vice-President and raising two very lovely girls of her own! (brag moment there, sorry!)

Anyways, the gist of the above is that I am presently reflecting on this very vital life/school skill and actually putting some of it into practice in my personal life. As a few of you know, we recently found the "house of our dreams" for retirement in my husband's hometown of St. Joseph, Michigan. We went up this summer with only intent to "start looking" and literally stumbled upon the house that fit ALL our wishlist requirements. So what do you do? Well, you buy it, of course; because when you are ready to retire, you don't want the house that fits you perfectly belonging to someone else! So we did just that. And now, the itch to retire has become a very present and much more obvious reality. One that I will have to learn to control, since at present I am only 62 and not yet eligible for Medicare. However, we will get to use our "house of dreams" in the summers and on holidays for the next few years, and should grace or gainful employment allow us to relocate in advance of our retirement ages, that would be an added blessing. It's really exciting and awesome to think about a place sort of waiting for you. Decisions about the future are never easy, so having the "where" of this figured out makes figuring out the "when" of it a little less stressful.

Now to thinking about school. I am forcing myself to physically work in my classroom this week... since we go back to meetings next week and start classes the week following. I am making myself get up, do my a.m. routine, and everything. Had fun cleaning and puttering in the classroom today and am sitting at my desk there as I write this. How will I teach my students patience and delay of gratification this year. Will they be willing to trust themselves to wait for good results as they work through their writing and thinking with me this term. I have a large bunch of sophomores this year for a change. I love their puppy-like energy and enthusiasm. They are so focused on the "Big thing" (driving) that looms on their horizon in this year of their lives. They make me smile since I can still recall the first time I stepped on an accelerator with my dad beside me in the front seat bravely believing I would not, in fact, kill him! Patience is a virtue... and we can all use more; myself included! Have a great day!

Dinosaur ruminations: Can't We Just Exercise Civility?

Manners have apparently become a thing for the dinosaurs. Today and yesterday we were greeted by news stories about the "Mooch", the man who has become the President's new Press Secretary. Over and over again we had to listen to warnings about the vulgarity of his language. He is referred to as having been "unplugged" After wishing someone would put the plug back in, my main thought was, "Where have all the gentlemen gone?" Okay, I know I am dating myself here, but while I may have heard men of my childhood speak an occasional cuss word, I NEVER heard the "f-bomb" come flying out of the mouths of my dad, or any of the men in my immediate family and friends circle. (Of course, back in my day, even high school guys of my age didn't unplug that expletive without facing down a lot of disapproval! The fact that it is now something a man who is supposed to represent the White House to the public can just let fly out of his mouth is appalling to me as a citizen.

So I have to ask, where has simply civility gone? Is it now "okay" (allowable) to say whatever you wish, however you wish, and wherever you wish? Does public disapproval of the "Mooch" mean anything at all? Should we be able to expect the President to hold his staff to a higher standard as they speak to the American people? Wish I had the answers. I know I wish things were different.

Only a Week to Go

This summer flew by! I honestly have no idea where it went. Ended the school year last May on a high note. Ed and I celebrated our 40th and 35th years of teaching. How strange to consider. I recall as a fairly new teacher observing people celebrate such landmark points and thinking, wow! They are so OLD. (Proof that what goes around does truly come around!)

Travels this summer included our trip to Paris, Normandy, and London. Had an awesome time with a smal close-knit group of 7 travelers. Enjoyed every minute of the time there and saw so many amazing things. Felt very safe in spite of all the news to the contrary about terrorism. The resilience of the people in Europe as they cope with the refugee crisis happening globally and do their best to help is inspiring. The wonderful diversity of people in Europe always makes me feel excited to be living in the times I do. We have so many opportunities to learn from others and to experience cultures that my grandparents' generation never did. It's quite amazing when you stop to consider it. This trip we saw some new things, including the British Library, the British Museum, the Churchill War Rooms, the Fountains of Versailles, and the Beaches of Normandy and the American Cemetery there. All of it was unique and wonderful.

Of course late June meant Grandcamp with the five grandkids. This is our 3rd year doing it. All the kids come to town for a week and we go all over exploring and doing things, This summer their ages ranged from 4-15. Ree was finally big enough to tackle the adventures involved with the City Museum, so off we went. I was so impressed with her pluck as she tried everything that someone 4 years old could do. We were blessed with fantastic weather, mild temps and no rain. We also went to the Muny as a gang of 8 and saw The Little Mermaid. It was a great week!

July has been a nice slow month. We splurged on two kayaks and have done some paddling and hiking. I continue to be a bit more active each week as my progress with Weightwatchers has helped me lose 27#s since last April.  In late July we went North for a week spending time in Wisconsin and Michigan.

The biggest news is that we are ending the summer by purchasing a HOUSE! Yes, we already have a house where we have lived for 32 years, but this house is in Michigan where we hope to retire in the next 4-8 years! So, if all goes well, we will own a house there by the end of August! Stay tuned for further developments!

February makes me shiver....

Well toward the middle of February and winter just won't stay and keeps tempting us with days in the high 60s interspersed with days of 20 or lower. Frustrating! Lots of flu-ish and strep-type bugs floating through the halls of school these days.

On a good note, Gretchen is doing well 3 surgeries down the path from where we started. She is now clear for preventative radiation and we believe that her prognosis is very good. It has been a scary three months or so for all of us as we watched her progress so closely.

Jan 20th came and went and it's now been 3 full weeks since our new President was inaugurated. The state of the Nation is very tense and watchful. I don't even think his supporters feel completely safe these days as programs of all sorts are in a state of upheaval. It remains to be seen if he will last - as it seems each day he breaks some rule of order or fails to follow the protocols of good governing. We may not ever have a first lady in the White House as his wife is not amenable to living in it. It makes one feel uneasy much of the time.

Hoping for better things ahead as spring must eventually come.

Odds and Ends and Catching Up!

Well the first term of the 2016-17 school year is just 3 days and exams from being finished and SOOOOOO much has happened since I last wrote!

The last 4 months have flown by...really flown! In that time we have elected a new President. Not going to go all political on here. Let's just say my candidate didn't win. Nuff said.

I have organized my next travel trip with students and we are headed to London and Paris with pop over to Normandy in early June of 2017. Should be a blast! Our school's librarian and her husband are going along so we will all have a splendid time checking on the sites and seeing that part of the world.

We put our vineyard on the market and are hoping to sell it before the end of the year. Time to try new things and free ourselves up on weekends. we did it for 17 years.... and enjoyed it. Ready for new adventures.

Recently we have found ourselves praying a lot for our eldest daughter who was diagnosed with breast cancer in early December. She is having surgery on the 23rd, and the prognosis is very good. We are hopeful a lumpectomy with followup treatment and frequent rechecks will see her into the New Year cancer free. Have to say having the "c" word come up in relationship with your child is a real life-reckoning moment. Don't want to ever have that happen again if I can help it. Thanking God for doctors, health care, regular exams and 3-D mammography which made catching and treating Gret's cancer possible!

Beyond all of the above, I have spent my fall being what I do best, a teacher. Had some great classes to teach this year. Feel myself going slower as I work, and figure that being 61 is all about pacing yourself as you go along. Feel blessed to work with great people and mostly great students. Life is good and I am taking it at a pace I can manage. Will write more in the new year!

It's a Masterpiece

Sunday night is THE night for any real television in our household and PBS is solely to blame. Their show Masterpiece Theater and Masterpiece Mystery have utterly and completely consumed my viewing time for as long as I can remember.

Tonight is the official "last Sunday night" of summer. I am ready (if wistfully so) for school to begin on Tuesday. But for tonight there is Masterpiece.... oh, and also Chinese takeout because that's the best thing to eat while watching PBS on Sunday night, right?

What's your favorite TV addiction? 'Fess up - you know you want to tell! Have a great fall, dear readers!

Books of Summer

I don't know about you, but during my professional life summer has become the time when I can fully enjoy recreational reading. Each summer I look for a series or two that I can dive into and enjoy. Some year's it's a romance series, others a mystery series. I have discovered some wonderful authors that I go on to revisit in following years.

This summer I have "discovered" Sue Jaffarian. She is the author of the Odelia Grey novels. Odelia is a delightful "accidental sleuth" who is fully employed as a paralegal (an occupation her author shares in real life!) Odelia is a forty-something, size 20, single gal with a love of all thing chocolate and ice cream. She doesn't take herself too seriously and is quite witty as well. I found her so likable and the books, nine in all, quite entertaining. So I would recommend them highly if you are looking for a contemporary mystery series with compelling plot lines and a delightful crew of recurring characters.

Speaking of books, if any of you are users of Goodreads, I am on it as CStaude and would love to connect. For those of you unfamiliar with Goodreads, it's a social website for booklovers! It's a great place to discover new authors and read about upcoming new books. This isn't how I stumbled on Ms. Jaffarian's books, however, I found her the old fashioned way by browsing about the library. I am blessed to have an excellent library less than a mile from my home.

This is my last night of totally unstructured "summertime" - and I am planning to spend it reading! Back to work tomorrow.... all good summers must come to an end! Till next time, keep reading!

Last week of Freedom, Conventions, and Assorted Odds and Ends

Hello readers,
Am back after a hiatus spent with grandchildren and what we now officially call "Grandcamp". Four of the five were here for just about a week along with our youngest daughter, and we did have "grand" time. Running about looking at sites, making crafts and cooking for 3.5 times your usual table crowd makes for a busy week. It was fun.

So now it's time to get serious about the impending school year. And I am finding that a challenge. I really don't want to think about another year just yet. What's more, I find myself dreaming of grabbing a discount ticket to London and just jetting away! This is nothing new... it happens every summer during this time. I love my work, really enjoy the students and the variety, however about this time it feels a bit like a cage that soon I will be forced to crawl back into. I think the images I have of the work others do is part of the problem. I imagine other people at jobs where they can choose to spend more than 3 minutes in the bathroom or take a coffee break or lunch with friends and not be ''watching the room" and I inwardly fantasize about it. That's the sticking point for me about where I work and what I do - absolutely NO discretionary time. Your life is locked into 80 min. segments with 5 minute passing times and somewhere in the day you get "prep time" but you must use it while on campus. It's like being in a prison and it is not any surprise to me at all why all the inmates, both teachers and students, can't wait to rush out the doors each May! Is normal "work" like this too? Or do all you readers with "normal" (i.e. non-teaching) jobs get to call some of the shots about your use of time? So I start fretting about it a couple weeks out. The meetings get onto the calendar first.... I think to "break us all in" to the idea of having to be back in our routine.

For evening entertainment the past week I have been dipping between Netflix and the Republican Convention. Between the two, I will take Netflix. However, there was sort of train wreck quality to the RNC gathering that one couldn't help but watch. So tonight begins the Dems and it's kicking off with a bang that involves firing a woman who heads their national committee. If social media had anything to say about it, which it does but who cares, Senator Sanders should consider rising from the ashes and stealing the show, but that won't happen. However, given the list of speakers that will appear at this one, I will most likely find myself tuning in. I have at least found that conventions make it easier to knit or crochet while watching than do Midsommer Murder episodes on Netflix.
Are any of you less than excited about November's elections? I know I am NOT looking forward to all the ads on mainstream media... which is why I intend to avoid it as much as possible in the next 3 months. Most of you know that my husband is into all things political, although more on an international scale than a national one, so the days ahead are a bit like a big sports season are to other folks. Must admit, it's fun to be a spectator at times like these.

Movie review time: haven't seen many this summer and all of them so far have been kid flicks. Caught Spielberg's BFG based on the book of the same name by Rhoald Dahl. It was delightful and dark and well-executed. Mark Rylance was brilliant as the giant. Second film, The Secret Lives of Pets just about put both me and my 3yr old grandchild to sleep. I would suggest saving it as a rental for some night when you have little people you want to nod off around... and then quietly tuck them in. I will say this, cat lovers will not appreciate that all the cats in the film are either a) ridiculously overweight or b)viciously mean. It kept 3 out 4 grandkids mildly entertained and then they rated it only a 3 starts out of 5. My grandkids have serious movie critic chops, folks.

Still enjoying my bike, although I must admit that one week of 100 degree heat here in Misery-(oops) Missouri put the damper on my plans to ride daily. Some things are just not worth heat exhaustion.
Our pool seemed a safer option for the past 5 days of scorcher temps. I hope you all survive your final week of July with coolness!

Till next time - all the best.

Back again, so soon?

What is it about blogging that keeps me coming back for more? Even after an almost 2 year hiatus, I found myself with a few free moments today and thought about this blog. So here I am - back again. Even though I know that many of my dear readers are long gone and not reading anymore! Who, after all, follows a silent blog.

So in that gap, I celebrated TWO birthdays - a landmark one and an anti-climactic one. I turned sixty which I expected to be a much bigger deal than it actually felt. Yes, my family made a wonderful fuss about it, everyone coming to town to help me celebrate etc. but overall it passed fairly calmly. I am not sure what the next 20-30 years hold, and how many of them I will get to enjoy, but the first 60 have been good and very satisfying, each in their own way.

At sixty, I expected to be more set in my ways than I am. Ironically, I find myself becoming a lot more relaxed about "big issues". I am more likely to say, "So what?" or "Does it really matter?" than I used to be. Not sure what that means in the long haul, and am also not sure if this will be how I go from here on out, but right now it feels right.

This past spring, that second birthday came and went. And so now I am 61. Biggest thing I have done thus far in my 61st year is buy a new bicycle. Yeah, a bicycle. Not just any bike either. I got an electric bike. It arrived in June and has provided me with a great deal of fun and freedom since its coming. It has enabled me to go up hills that were denied to me by my physical limits using my conventional bike. I can pedal to the library and the market and I feel that no matter what else happens, as long as I have the ability to ride off on it, I am not truly "old". That sounds weird, I know, but in my head it feels good.

So here's to grandma on wheels! Will hopefully make this NOT my only post in 2016!

When it rains, it POURS!

Today we experienced a deluge! No, seriously, a flat out deluge! It happened over the noon hour. Kids were heading here and there to eat their lunches. Some of our junior and senior students get to go to the neighboring rec center for a sort of "off campus" lunch hour.  In the span of 20 minutes it became so dark that some of the street lights came on. Then the biggest downpour I have seen in many years came pouring out of the sky. Sheets of rain were blowing in every direction. The rainwater was actually flowing UPHILL out of our parking lot as it was being pushed by the winds at the surface. It was awesome, and scary!

In the middle of this, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch; and like lemmings marching to the sea, our kids began crossing the 200 yards between buildings to return to class. All as this enormous storm was dumping water on them. They looked like they had taken a shower as they entered the school!

And here is my point. What are we teaching kids when they fear getting a tardy more than they fear being struck by lightning or doused by incredible amounts of rain? I could scarcely believe my eyes as each kid obediently crossed the lot and returned to school, while utterly failing to consider just sitting tight, safe and warm in the building, until the rain eased up. Nope! Onward they came and soaked to the bone they became!

Guess some folks are not wise enough to stay out of the rain in the first place -  much less to come in out of it! Time for some lessons in plain ol' common sense.

Adjusting to the Emptier Nest- Part Deux

It has been over a year since I last posted. Seems life and circumstances found ways to always keep me just one step behind my to-do list and teaching demands, and I simply let my writing go to pot. However SO much has changed since May of 2013 that I scarcely know where to start!

First, in August of 2013, we got the news that Concordia University Wisconsin had sighted Gretchen in their "headhunter radar" and that a move could be in the works. We held our breath, hoping against all hope that nothing would come of it, but it did.... And in February of 2014 she began working as a Vice-President of  something there... Her complete title is something I never have memorized, but she found the chance of this opportunity something irresistible. At the same time Leon was called to serve as a pastor at Hale's Corners Lutheran church just outside of Milwaukee.  All the stars conjoined to make this all happen with almost eerie perfection. Their house sold, within 2 weeks... They found a place to live there that they both love and are going to build a gorgeous new home that will be finished by fall. Everything worked out perfectly.... Except that we had to say goodbye on May 18th and watch them drive away with pieces of our hearts in the backseat- Sydney and Rielle.

To say that I am "handling" all this change would be hyperbole. I have never felt so blue as I have these last five months. The one bright spot is that we consoled ourselves by taking Gabriel, our oldest  grandchild to Italy with us for two weeks in early June. Oh what a joy that was! Kate and Nate very generously entrusted us with him and off we went. Seeing the wonders of Rome with a 12 year old to share it with was amazing! I will never forget his face as he sat in his airplane seat on our very first take-off of the trip!

So life has its ups and downs, small compensations replace huge losses, and we go on. We work longer than we should these days, largely to keep ourselves busy, and we have a more open calendar. Ed goes to the vineyard more, and I do more reading. We have seen Syd and Ree three times since the big move- once we went there and they have been here for visits twice. Ree is changing so fast and Syd has become a first grader. I miss them so much.... All five grandchildren are such precious people to us.

And now it is October. The leaves are starting to turn, the grapes are harvested, and the year is winding down. I find myself feeling very introspective these days and a bit anxious about what the future holds for us old timers left in MO. In a little over six months I will turn 60, so I guess it's as good a time as any to be reflective. I don't see the path ahead clearly right now, but I am willing to explore where it leads once it is revealed. It feels like a new chapter in our life is just beginning, and though it is late in the novel, the Author of it all is keeping us in tight suspense. We will just have to read on to find out where it goes next.

A Teacher Prays

Today my mind is reeling from the events of yesterday in Moore, OK. As a teacher, my heart shudders at the thought of a tornado ripping through a building full of students. Seeing it plastered on the news over and over is giving me many reasons to pray.

It is the final week of classes here at my high school. Generally that is a cause for great rejoicing and always that is a cause for heartfelt prayer as well. I don't know as we teachers discuss our prayers for our students much. I am sure that all teachers of faith do it, however. There are several kinds of prayers that we send up to the higher power keeping watch over our students as the travel through their years in our school.

Most often, we pray for those who are struggling for various reasons... personal, academic, and socially. These prayers are the obvious ones. The less obvious are the ones that involve where a student  might go but has not yet gone... choices we know they are wrestling with, futures they have yet to decide, and sometimes decisions we know they must make but are avoiding.

But today, I am praying for the students in a place I have never been. I am praying that many more of them will be found safely tucked away in spots in their schools that perhaps sheltered them. I am praying for the parents of those who will not be found among the survivors. I am praying for the rescue and recovery workers; a more paradoxically heroic and onerous task than I can even imagine. I am praying that the families who have lost all they own will be cared for and loved and reassured that they have those around them who will help.

And I am praying that my students will be spared from ever experiencing such horrible events of nature. Even as the storm clouds build outside on what could prove to be a severe weather day here in Missouri. I do not call such events acts of God... God does not act in this way. God was in those schools helping the teachers protect the little ones who hid beneath them in the storms. God is with the rescue workers digging with hope. God is acting through all of us sending money, blood donations, and whatever we can to aid them. Those are acts of God. We are acts of His love in the world. And He tells us, "Be still and know that I am God" - so today, I will be still and pray to Him.

A Morning of Regrouping

The sun is shining beautifully in my window this afternoon as I sit and write. I love winter days like this, clear and cool, not brutally cold. With just enough deceptive sunshine to make you believe that February will, in fact, give way to Spring and possibly sooner than one hopes.

Had the day off classes today in honor of President's day - one week early, so as to give the kids a midwinter breather of 5 days while we go to the METC (Midwest Educational Technology Conference) tomorrow and Wednesday.

So I have had a "breather day" - never a bad thing. Often such days are provided by the weather as snow days, but we have remained virtually snow free this winter. Nemo missed us (mercifully) and now the buds on my forsythia bush are actually starting to swell in the sunshine.

The best thing that happened today was that I discovered my mentor, Hamilton Salsich, is alive and well. Ham is an educator of 45 years who lives up in CT and is still teaching at age 71! He is a brilliant guy who reads widely and thinks deeply about a variety of things that inspire his classroom and life. I have been following his blogs for almost 3 years now, and today I discovered that he hadn't posted about his classroom since last Oct. I immediately became concerned... wondering if in my absence, Hamilton had packed his bags and headed for the heavenly classroom... but he appeared online in response to my brief and somewhat fearful query about him. Seems he's been writing on a different angle than just English and didn't think he should post it on the Ning where I usually read him. I felt relief and then became more thoughtful.

In this crazy digital age we are in, how easy it would be to lose a dear friend and not discover it for quite some time! We are bombarded by emails, status updates, blogs, tweets, and news bytes. It seems like the stream of words, words, and more words is never-ending. And for a moment I felt quite small. Then I realized that Ham's voice was one that sounded clearly to me in all the cacaphony of cyberspace... and THAT made me realize that I need to think more and write more than I have been. The beauty of this thing called the internet, is that our thoughts can have an almost endless shelf-life, if we BOTHER to put them out here. There is something wonderful about that. Something I will need to think a lot more about in the weeks to come.

And A Happy New Year

Wow, what a difference a month makes! When I last wrote we were getting into the Holiday season and so much has happened in the month of December.

First, and sadly the worst, we had to say goodbye to our "fur kid" Chas on the first Sunday in December. He was just a little past 12 years old which everyone tells us is quite old for a greyhound. His heart and health were getting progressively worse and he developed a tumor on his head that could not be treated. It broke our hearts to say goodbye... I held him tightly as he went to sleep. I still cry when I think about him (and as I write this) but can't bring myself to think about another dog just yet. Chas was one of a kind... and our first "empty nest" dog... one that just Ed and I got to spoil. The holidays without him around were quite different and very quiet. No first snow walks or having him at the door all wet and snowy and ready for a treat.

The family kept us quite busy the rest of the month. December included stalking Santa with Sydney who sat and chatted with him not just once, but THREE times! (Great fun!) She had no problem with him asking her repeatedly what she wanted for Christmas and we got some great photos of her each time. You have to enjoy these moments while you can since they don't stay little "Santa lovers" all that long!

School went on hiatus as of Dec. 20th and we looked forward to the long break of 17 days. Ed spent 12 of them run over by some sort of respiratory bug (flu? don't know) that came on within 48 hrs of him getting his flu shot - so of course, we blame that for it. But he pressed on and enjoyed all the holidays and the kids - just tried not to breathe on us all.

First EVERYONE arrived, all the kids, grandkids, Ed's sister, Leon's folks - EVERYONE. The houses filled up, and we got set to celebrate.

Dec. 23rd was the first big day. Leon was ordained as a Lutheran Minister at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Such a wonderful day for all of us. Followed closely by Christmas Eve and Day celebrations. We had SO many happy moments and loads of laughter together.

When everyone left on the 27th and 28th, the house seemed way too quiet. We spent a quiet New Years Eve - which is pretty typical for us. And here we are - it's a new year and 363 days lie ahead that seem filled with possibility. Wishing you and yours all God's blessings as we embark on it together.

Of Lincoln, Elections, and a hectic life

It has been a crazy 6 months or so since my last post. Started a new school year at LHS... keeps me very busy and time seems to fly ever more quickly as I plow through the weeks with my students.

It is our second year on this new (now not so new) 4x4 schedule and things are going along swimmingly well. We are still into iPads at our place although not so new anymore as many other schools are doing 1:1 with this remarkable tool as well.

Thanksgiving break was this past weekend and we had a quiet one. It was nice, restful, and probably about a day too short for me, personally. I am really finding it takes my batteries a bit longer to recharge than it has in recent years.

A highlight of the past weekend was a visit to the movies to see Spielberg's newest film, "Lincoln". A deeply moving account of our 16th President and all the valleys he trudged through in order to get the 13th amendment passed abolishing slavery. It struck me then as ever it does that this particular piece of our history is not all that far in the past. 160 years is not all that long a time in the grand scheme of things.... and certainly not in the lifetime of a nation. Seeing this chilling fact played out on the big screen was intense and made me come home and do some reading about the men on both sides of the issue.

Having just completed an election here in which there was much polarizing talk on both sides of the experience, I was struck by how it has ever been so to varying degrees in our nation. Democracy is an incredibly messy and boisterous way to run a country. It takes people of strong fiber to pull it off. We have never been a nation of weaklings in that regard and it is worth remembering leaders like Lincoln who had the courage to make uncomfortable choices that may not have been politically beneficial to them at the moment they made them. Interesting.... and a lot to think about.

Hope to be back soon.....

The Halfway Point

Here we are... the very last day of June.... and wow, as usual, summer has flown. Why doesn't the school year go as fast as the 10 or so weeks of summer.

Here's the list... and what is left of it!

Things I will do this summer (or would like to do)
1. Travel with students to Europe - Done! And it was a great trip, even though United Airlines did their very best to try and make me crazy and miserable!
2. Travel with family to Florida.  - Soon to be done... absolutely going to be the highlight of summer.
3. Visit grandkids in Mich. Doing in the next couple days! YAY!
4. Travel with Ed to some yet to be determined locale. don't know yet where that might be!  hmmm...
5. Clean the basement and PITCH stuff out.
6. Paint the house. Finished.... and I didn't really do all that much... Ed, however, painted the entire house, the tool shed, and the front door! It looks fantastic. My next door neighbor started calling him "Rembrandt".
7. Paint the "pink" room
8. Meet with the new yearbook staff - just learned I will HAVE one... so plan to hop on this real soon!
9. Knit - finished a baby sweater for Laina Maddick and a big girl sweater for yours truly!
10. Read at least 8 books. Done that too! LOVE my Kindle.
11. Bottle the 2010 wines.
12. Catch up on my sleep. - will I EVER do this? unlikely! :-)

So I am left with # 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, and 12 (?) That is half the list, and we have 1/2 of summer left.
It's been SUPER hot here for the past 10 days so maybe, all this indoor time will result in my knocking a few more thing off the ol' list!

Ahhhhh... Summertime!

It's here at last! That stretch of weeks where I can set the tempo of my days and work productively at my own projects without a bell ringing every 80 minutes to call me to the next thing! Summertime! Have been officially out a week today as faculty meetings wrapped up on May 31. Cleaned my classroom and shipped the last pages of the yearbook off to the publisher and then....

And then, I made a list and quickly discovered summer was going to zip by almost as fast as the last term did! Well, here's the list... see what you think.

Things I will do this summer (or would like to do)
1. Travel with students to Europe
2. Travel with family to Florida.
3. Visit grandkids in Mich.
4. Travel with Ed to some yet to be determined locale.
5. Clean the basement and PITCH stuff out.
6. Paint the house.
7. Paint the "pink" room
8. Meet with the new yearbook staff
9. Knit
10. Read at least 8 books.
11. Bottle the 2010 wines.
12. Catch up on my sleep.

I figure if I accomplish one thing a week, summer will be over before I hit #12.  Think I'll go take a nap.... at least it will count as #12.

Lions and Taxes and Bears.... Oh MY! (or why I wish we just had a flat tax!)

I am going out on a limb tonight, but the mood I am in is solely responsible. Tonight I finished the tax prep for our 2011 taxes. That is not to say my taxes are finished, but the data is now assembled and I will drop them off at my friendly accountant (I love you guys at Bredensteiner and Associates!) and they will magically be transformed into the forms that I send Uncle Sam each year.

So it's finished... and I am tired... and each year I think, "There HAS to be an easier way to do this!" Couldn't I just be asked to GIVE the government a chunk out of each paycheck and NOT have to file all the blasted paperwork? It seems to me that all the info about what I make is readily accessible via my filed W2's - why can't we just pay the feds a flat specified amount and be DONE with it? I would dearly LOVE never to fill out a tax form again. I am certain there are a myriad of reasons for why this isn't feasible... but each year when I complete the 3-5 day process of sorting, tabulating, calculating, and spread-sheeting all the expenses, deductions, etc etc. I just want to run screaming into the nearest IRS office and say, "Just take 15% and LET ME BE!"

I am willing to bet there are more people out there who feel like I do than who don't.... sigh... But at least I am finished for this year!

The Joys of Being a Learner

For the last two days I have been immersed in the Midwest Educational Technology Conference here in St Charles. the best part of it is that I get to be a "kid again"; that means I get to be a learner. I get to discover new things and I also get to find things I can bring back to school to share with my students! It has been a total blast and the PERFECT thing to spark ME back to life in the middle of the winter!

Right at this very moment, I am sitting in a session on blogging and got inspired to revive my AP Lit blog. It is called "Our Tip of AP Lit Iceberg" and there's a link to it in the sidebar. So give me a couple days to get back to class... And then come have a look at what my kids will be buzzing about.

A Gift of Snow

Today the snowflakes FINALLY fell for real in Missouri. It's been such a long, gray winter and we were about to lose hope of seeing ANY of the white stuff. However, today it arrived. It made one little 4 year old person VERY happy!

Syd is staying with us for a 3 day visit and she and I headed out into the white stuff just as soon as the grass was covered. We slid down the neighbor's hill, rolled in the snow, threw it at each other, and made the mandatory snow angels. She giggled the entire time and I have to admit, so did I! What is it about the magical combination of cold air and water that can make us drop our stress levels and just act like a kid? I don't know... but I am not about to question this wonder of meteorology! For a February snowfall- this was just right! Thank-you God - and any of your assisting snow angels as well!